QUO - Within The Backrooms

Its 3 am and im giving you a list of best backrooms games I found

The Backworld - Mother-like Backrooms game with very neat characters and great art and awesome music (has only free demo)

Within the Backrooms - Backrooms meets LSD Dream Emulator, this game feels like from PS1 (15$)

QUO - Backrooms, but you are small robot and your job is to explore this unusual world (has only free demo)

The Complex: Found Footage - Quiet exploration in very realistic looking space (free), also check out it's sequel The Complex: Expedition (5$)

Dream Logic - Detective stuck in Backrooms, trying to find where people disappeared (9$)

DelaneyPost 01 (ManaPost 06): Fungeon -- Clever Wordplay!

Heyo! Y here for today’s Mana-welcome! Except it’s not the usual ManaPost… This is the first DelaneyPost! Ever! Yippee!!! Strap in for the long haul, this one’s a doozy.

Since you all haven’t seen anything about Delaney since the teaser, it would be nice to learn about the protagonist, yes?

THE Laney

Introducing Delaney! The protagonist of Delaney. Yup. This stoic, havoc-wreaking, hammer-wielding anarchist leads the venture deep into a cult’s mysterious manor responsible for the assimilation of everyone near and far to their twisted status quo. She’s slinging herself through every pile of flesh and bone, bashing through any wall in order to destroy this cult from the outside in!

Where did she come from?

Delaney actually stems from an interesting interaction with a close friend, Denise Tranglong, who had shared a character concept with us. Naturally, it was a very cool concept, and we immediately inquired for permission to use this character, and since you’re seeing this post now, she had granted said permission. Of course, we’ve taken a few creative liberties, but her core design and personality stays true to the original creator’s intentions.

Where did she go? Originally, we took the initial hiatus from Delaney due to a flood of new ideas and inspiration for Manaport! Since we try to keep a fluid and open mindset when it comes to what we want to work on, we tend to bounce around from time to time. This ensures persistent focus on getting at least something done each week, and it’s the reason why we can get these ManaPosts out every weekend!

Where did she come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

Delaney’s origins in canon are unknown. She clearly has some hatred towards this cult, but it isn’t clear if this is a personal gripe. She’s not the most talkative, probably focusing on the task at hand. We’re worried to question her anyway — she’s quite heavy-handed when it comes to her trusty hammer.

Incredibly stretched subheadings aside, Gameplay! What’s it gonna be like to play the game?

The Fungeon

Delaney is a spin on the run-of-the-mill dungeon-crawler roguelike formula! That’s just it, you spin!

In order to navigate these endless rooms of clicking bones and armour, spin and fling delaney in ANY direction you choose! Get anywhere without the inconvenience of WALKING! Don’t you just HATE walking sometimes? This is the solution for you!

Of course, since this is also a hammer, you can bash anyone and anything with it. This has its own range of abilities that we plan to add, though not shown here. Rest assured that your screen will be filled with beautifully vibrant damage numbers and repeating sounds of the screams of the damned.

Violence aside, how does it all work?

NOT The Backrooms

Here be dragons! This section of the ManaPost is quite technical! We encourage you to read up on these concepts/algorithms if you’re interested. The reference used for a majority of this implementation can be found here

First, we generate a fixed number of rooms with random size within a circular area. Rooms that are larger than a set threshold, we label as “Hub Rooms,” or rooms where you’ll find most monsters.

Then, we run — not joking here — a Delaunay Triangulation algorithm on each Hub Room, creating a sort of graph that connects every Hub Room to each other.

Then, we use Kruskal’s Algorithm to find the Minimum Spanning Tree of the aforementioned triangulation graph.

Then, we add a few edges back from the Delaunay Triangulation. 

Lastly, generate the hallways connecting these rooms, and remove the rooms that aren't necessary (labeled in red,) and boom, fungeon!

This is a very simplified explanation of this generation algorithm, and again, if you would like a little more in depth “tutorial” once again, the reference we used for this system can be found here.

With the 🤓 out of the way, we finally have the makings of a decent gameplay loop! You can finally pause and exit the game! A Manapotion first :)

We don't have much else to show since we're still working out the kinks in this new system, but know that we're doing our best to make these DelaneyPosts as content-filled as possible, since it's a very simple game in contrast to Manaport.

To bring this DelaneyPost to a close,

Thank you very much for sticking with us this past month. We've made lots of great progress on our two games and we love to share these tidbits with you every weekend. We hope you've had a great pride month!

See you all next week!

C and Y

˚ 𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜 .

⸻ ✧ ❝ 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬. ❞

𝐚𝐠𝐞: 35 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 + 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: male, he/him, he's all about equal opportunity 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧: las vegas 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: cortázar cartel 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: enforcer 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: high school 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: single 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧: none 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬: resourceful, sharp-witted, charismatic, confident, fearless 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬: hot-tempered, reckless, deceptive, jealous, stubborn 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜. has a sugar skull tattoo on his forearm, possesses exceptional knife skills, is a poker enthusiast

tiago, the mischievous joker, defies the structured order of the deck, a free spirit unbound by the constraints of the game. he's a captivating enigma, embodying the essence of every card with his unpredictable nature. like a wild flame flickering in the night, tiago dances between the realms of high and low, never settling in one place for long. his presence disrupts the delicate balance, challenging the status quo with a daring irreverence. yet, beneath his charismatic facade lies a subtle loneliness, for the joker, despite his wildness, remains an outsider. the wandering joker traverses a path paved with unpredictability and solitude, forever elusive and forever alone

⸻ ✧ ❝ 𝐮𝐩𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠. ❞

Tiago, a true Las Vegas local through and through, grew up amidst the lively chaos of a big, boisterous family. His dad worked the floors of a bustling casino, surrounded by the ceaseless clatter of chips and the flicker of neon lights. But it was within those glitzy walls that Tiago found solace and a taste of his own destiny.

From a tender age, he'd slip into the corners of the casino, eyes wide with wonder as he observed the swirling whirlwind of cards, chips, and whispered secrets that permeated the air. It was during one audacious escapade that he stumbled upon a figure cloaked in enigma—an old-timer, never one to show his face in the public eye, forever confined to the secluded backrooms of the casino.

Impressed by Tiago's persistent ability to slip past security and enter the alcove, the man recognized a spark within the young boy. Intrigued, he decided to take him under his wing, teaching him the art of poker. Over time, their connection grew, and Tiago affectionately started referring to him as "uncle". A bond was forged through shared secrets and a love for the game.

The poker table became their sanctuary, where the art of strategy and calculated risks danced in harmony. Uncle's teachings went beyond the cards, instilling in Tiago a belief that life itself was a poker game—one where reading people was the ultimate weapon. And Tiago, the wide-eyed boy who dreamed of greatness, embraced those lessons with fervor, eager to break free from the limitations of his circumstances.

When his uncle's heart faltered, the urgency for specialized medical care led them to New York City. Despite his uncle's initial resistance, Tiago decided to accompany his mentor, his stubborn determination prevailing as he insisted on being there for him in this critical time. Caught in the relentless whirlwind of the city that never sleeps, he sought to carve out a new existence hustling through different jobs. It was during his time working as a bouncer that he caught the attention of the Cortázar Cartel, a den of vice and power that permeated the underbelly of the city.

They recognized Tiago's physical prowess and an acute understanding of the human psyche, honed through countless hours at the poker table. His presence and the remnants of his uncle's teachings drew them in like moths to a flame. In one pivotal moment, chaos ignited within the depths of the club, and Tiago's true nature blazed to life. With lethal grace, he wielded his knives, defending the vulnerable and quelling threats with a calculated precision. The Cartel's leadership witnessed this display of raw talent and offered him a role that would forever intertwine his fate with their treacherous world—an enforcer, a guardian of their interests.

Mindhunter (2017)

Mindhunter is one of the best shows Netflix has ever put out. What sets it apart is its focus on human psychology, both criminal and civilian. Our FBI agent protagonists Bill and Holden try to scour the minds of serial killers through in depth interviews to better understand what made them kill. What led a human being into becoming what society deems a monster? The show and these interviews within it make you see the grey where society sees the black and white. These men (because they are mostly men) grew up usually with terrible upbringings that warped their world views and sent them onto dark paths. Not to say some wouldn't have become killers without the bad upbringings, because I believe sometimes its just somebody's wiring that sets them up for failure. The old 'nature vs. nurture' debate and which has more power inside of us. The phrase should be 'nature and nurture', because science says that we are all shaped by both. Mindhunter details that it's probably a bit of both too. The premise of the show is summed up best by sasisami on IMDB "Two FBI agents, fighting the departmental stigma of backroom boys - those who try to complicate the status quo of simple Means, Motive, Opportunity (MMO) of crime-solving with academics - work to develop an innovative investigative field incorporating psychology, anthropology and sociology as a method to reveal the motive. They acknowledge classic crime-solving - MMO - as no longer sufficient because criminality is becoming more complicated as Motive graduates from need and greed to inexplicable and irrational reasons. They theorize applying deeper psychological evaluation will posit new questions. Simply, asking Why will lead to the Who. This series focuses on the development by two men, two agents, of a new criminal field and does so through story lines of visiting the sociopathic mind." Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench team up with psychologist Dr. Wendy Carr to start this Behavioral Science Unit. I love the way they portray the inception of the unit. All three are willing to take this huge career risk because of genuine curiosity and a belief that this new work can benefit society. Sure some are skeptical, mostly Bill Tench, but that doesn't dissuade them from doing the work. A lesser show would have more trivial storylines where the characters waste time fighting the objective or fighting each other, but the show focus's more on genuine dramas within the characters; like how their taxing work messes with their minds. Holden has panic attacks, Tench lets his family life suffer, and Carr well, she's relatively unfazed... for now. I predict she will have more to deal with when Season 3 eventually gets dropped (heres hoping).

Whats more, the show doesn't overly demonize these serial killers. There's no over-sensationalizing. It's because we get to see what shaped them; abusive families, absent parents, failure of support systems. You can't help but sympathize just a little. That's not every case though. Some of them are just as interesting because you see how inhuman a human can be. And partly why Mindhunter gives off such strong feelings is due to the amazing performances throughout.

The attention to detail in all aspects of making the show is what takes it from good to excellent. The casting is perfect whether it be for the main characters or the killers themselves. The slow striking score really sets the mood every time. An original score for a show always tends to give it that much more identity. Lighting, costume & set design, editing, everything. It made me decide that the next movie I watch has to be by David Fincher.

Rating: 9/10

Because many of my readers are American in a federal system, there were some questions about what is happening in Israel. In a parliamentary system there tends to be two large parties and several smaller ones. So for example, in a 100-seat parliament, say one party has 44 members, another 40, and then a couple of other parties with maybe 2 or 3 each. The one with 44 members usually tries to make an alliance or coalition with the smaller parties to create a majority and they vote as a bloc on legislation. Once you get this group together, you “form a government” and can start making laws. (Of course one party can just have say 60 members and do stuff on their own.)

However this coalition creation process can take some time because there is a lot of backroom deals and compromises being made. That’s how smaller parties get their platforms pushed through. The most obvious example is Brexit: Prime Minister Cameron was pressured to put forward the referendum through his coalition. As the jostling parties try to cobble something together, business has to still be run, and it’s called a “caretaker government.” Essentially new laws can’t be passed but the status quo will be kept. And it potentially can last a long time; Belgium at one point was under a caretaker government for two years.

Israel wants to avoid that type of situation, so they have a law that says if a government can’t be formed within a certain amount of time, there needs to be another election. And that’s what’s been happening consistently since 2019. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s party wins the most seats but not a clear majority, he wasn’t able to get a coalition, and there was another election. There have been four times in the past two years with a real threat of a fifth one.

There are two wrinkles in this latest round. Almost always what happens is the two biggest parties never ever form a coalition together because they're the biggest rivals; it'd be like Democrats and Republicans suddenly deciding it'd be great to join forces and finally take out the Green Party. A "unity government" is when there's a national emergency and the two biggest parties decide it's time to stop fighting and actually form a government together for a period of time to deal with this issue. That’s what occurred last spring in Israel because of COVID. The agreement was that Netanyahu and the leader of the opposition, Gantz, would take turns being prime minister. Gantz felt Netanyahu was reneging on that promise, and last December forced the fourth election.

I’m bringing this up because of the second wrinkle. This current coalition is unusual because it’s not formed around the largest party, Netanyahu’s Likud, but around the opposition specifically to take him out. There are Arab parties in Israel, but for the past few decades they’ve made a point not to join a coalition because they don’t want to seem like they’re part of the power structure oppressing Palestinians. However for this specific time the Joint Arab List party decided to participate. But the right-wing Yamina party, which has traditionally supported Netanyahu, decided to switch sides. They are very pro-Israel, so it’s weird that these two parties would stand side by side. My personal assumption is there will be another unity government to allow different leaders to have turns being prime minister much like Netanyahu and Gantz were supposed to. There has been a lot of speculation in the press that the leader of Yamina, Naftali Bennett, wanted the office of prime minister as one of his conditions for switching, and I can’t imagine what the Joint Arab List would ask for to be able to stomach that. Also, supposedly this coalition is formed around Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party, and normally he would be prime minister in that case.

I hope this clears things up and please feel free to contact me for further clarification.

Prologue: Calm Before the Storm

It was a rainy saturday morning the day I was directed to investigate. I had launched out of bed in a hurry, my clock blinking slugglishly as if in no rush. It didn’t do the job it had been made for, and resulted in my late awakening. Somehow (I like to believe by no fault of mine), I was an hour late to clocking in and my phone was lit up with multiple missed calls from my job. This was a normal day for me, for a long time. That is, until the smell of rust leaked into my nostrils for a quick moment; then the rest of my life.

——————————

I shrugged on my dark blue blazer, grasping a brush and pulling it through my tangled locks. My long black slacks felt loose around my legs, black dress shoes clicking against the crappy wooden floor of my apartment that ran throughout it’s entirety. I rushed to the front door, grabbing my satchel and old car keys on the way out. The door slammed shut, the foundation rattling for 100th time that week. This was probably not considered normal or safe circumstances for living, but it was tolerable and all I could afford while being a detective. I was...let’s just say, living “comfortably”. I made my way to my car, shuffling down the steep metal steps towards the parking lot. I was fully prepared to head to the building per usual, but the ringing of my phone caught my attention. I pulled it out, clicking the small green button and pressing the device to my ear. “Yeah boss?”

“JACKSON!” I flinched from the loud shout, opening my silver door and sliding into the ripped seat. “Where were you!? Janice and Ax were trying to reach you hours ago! We thought something happened!” I rolled my eyes, leaning my head against the seat. “This happens almost every day Mara..I promise I’ll be okay like this. As long as you don’t fire me, that is.” I knew that despite my frequent tardiness, Mara would never fire me. She was a close family friend, and a mother figure for those at the department. She was stern but it was common knowledge within the district that she was far too nice for her own good. “Eve, hun. You know I won’t fire you, and I appreciate you calling me back. This has got to stop eventually...” Mara sounded concerned, tone softening in warning. I sigh at her tone, beginning to feel guilty. “I know, I know. I’ll try to set my alarm tonight so I wake up on time...”

“Try?”

“I will.”

“Okay, good. Well, for starters, I need you to make your way to the address I am going to send you. This is the place you will investigate for the recent disappearances of around 6 possible children. Ax will meet you there and provide more details on the case. There is not many.” Mara sent the address, my phone dinging with the sort of urgency that always ticked me off. What’s it so frantic for?

“Is that all? Will I be required to head back to the department after investigating for the day?” I hoped not, knowing I would need a hot cup of caffeine after work for pure enjoyment among dread. “No, you won’t need to. I’d like for you to visit if you can remember to, but no worries.” Mara sounded hopeful at the thought of seeing me. I smiled gently, muttering into the phone. “I will try for sure Mara, thanks for being the best. I gotta get going though.”

“Alright, good luck and be safe.” Her tone dropped again in worry, her desire for a good status quo overpowering her better judgement.

“You too...Bye.” I looked down as the line went dead, dropping my phone on the passenger seat. “God this is gonna suck...” I groaned, shoving my keys into the ignition and pulling out the barren parking lot.

The rain struck my car and pelted my window, making me switch on the windshield wipers to avoid an accident. Everything was dangerous nowadays, causing the speculation of society’s technological advances safety. I shrugged, being a bit appreciative of cars and the limited time it took to arrive at the pizzeria. My wheels screeched loudly as I pulled roughly into the parking lot that came into view. It was well lit up, with chipping lines that indicated parking spots. The restaurant itself was also something of curiousity, the kids attraction rubbing me the wrong way.

My eyes flickered over the semi-full lot, spotting Axel’s red ferrari crookedly parked. I always questioned why he was able to drive a personal vehicle of such glam for a job like a detective, and with such messiness too. Some people were granted privileges if they worked at the department long enough, like Axel and I. It sure was convenient, but maybe not for the driver that wanted to get into the next open space. I pulled into the parking spot next to him, shutting off the engine and pushing the silver door open. It was time to get to work and I couldn’t waste any more time; if I did, Axel would have my head on a stick. I clambered out of the car, snatching my note pad and phone and stuffing them in my wide pockets.

I shut the door with my hip, striding up to the attraction in slight hesitance. This place was creepy as hell. It made sense for the kids to go missing here...or maybe that was why it was creepy to begin with. Probably. My eyes were casted downards, my mind not acknowledging the greeting of the bane of every driver’s existence. “Hey hot wheels, why didn’t you answer my calls earlier?” I jumped slightly, body frozen and eyes alert. “Axel- hey! Sorry about that...I overslept.” I rubbed the back of my neck and laughed nervously. “Again?” I looked down in embarassment and sighed. “...Again.” He chuckled, thumbing my car. “You drivin around like you have insurance on that thing?” Axel mocked me cheekily, grin on his stuble covered face.

“Yeah, okay smooth man. At least I can park properly.” I crossed my arms and began to walk forward again, Axel keeping pace with me. “Ouch E, I’m wounded.” He put a hand to his chest and laughed loudly like some funny joke was said. “Some day you will be just by the way you park. You act like you stood the whole world up and just remembered ya gotta do somethin’” I snickered.

“Happened to you before?”

I glared at him and shook my head. “You are on thin fuckin ice, tracy.” He held his hands up in defense, shrugging at me. “So. This case. What you got Ax?” I questioned, not quite up to date with the events that occurred here. “There is a lot of things that happened here actually, but we are unsure of how they happened. Bite of ‘83, ‘87 leaving kids severely injured. They said machine malfunctions, but we have reason to believe that these incidents were planned. Around 5-6 children went missing here and all at once. People in the area reported a putrid smell coming from the animatronics, and it’s worrying. We have to look into this.”

He looked shaken simply by talking of the horrible past here. “I wish we weren’t assigned here though...” His eyes were wide, as he stared at me. He paused and shook himself out of it, eyes turning sorry. “Don’t worry. The feeling is mutual. This is terrible..” I looked up at the big bubble letter sign, grief passing over me for a brief second. How could someone take innocent children in a place like this? This restaurant was supposed to be for enjoyment, not terror.

“We have to find out what happened and put the fucker responsible behind bars.” I grit my teeth, hoping Axel wouldn’t try to stop me. Nothing would convince me at this point to slow down, because I knew if I went missing I’d want people to look for me. “I won’t stop you E..but you and I need to be careful. We can only get so invested. We are detectives, not genuine law enforcement.” He reasoned with me slightly, somehow calming me down. “Yeah..I suppose. Let’s do this, we’re losing light.” He nodded at me, walking ahead of me, yet I could not focus on his passing olive green shirt. I had a bad feeling about this.

It all went by so fast. The questioning. The investigating. The back room.

I had met William Afton as soon as I had entered the restaurant, and something about him made me terrified. I quivered like a leaf and pranced around his sight, attempting escape. I thought it worked, but I was sadly mistaken. I knew that when I walked into that backroom, looking over my shoulder, I woild find things I didn’t want to. When I had further investigated, the overwhelming smell of blood, mucus and rust bombarded me. It choked me, just as the sight of blood and random animatronic suits froze me in place. No, I had thought. Please no..not them.

I moved forward that day, and the sight of little bloody objects scared me to the core. Little tiny teeth, littered around the room. They were placed everywhere I could see, and I could barely see. They looked as if they had been unintentionally knocked out, which struck me all at once. OH GOD. I grabbed my notepad panicky, breath speeding up as I struggled to scribble the words on the yellow lined paper. I didn’t get to write much before the sound of the creaky metal door threw me out of my fearful stupor. OH GOD. OH GOD. OH GOD.

“Looks as if you’ve been looking where you shouldn’t have, little detective.” I gasped, going to turn but falling forward as harsh metal cracked against my head. I groaned in pain, the notepad knocked out of my hand and out of view. My eyes widened, forcing my body to turn. Pain shot through my head and the entire rest of my body, a choked scream suffocating me. I looked up the best I could at the towering shadow, beginning to plead with my eyes and voice. “PLEASE DON’T.” He winded back. “NO! PLEASE NO!” It all happened so fast, at least at the moment; but I knew my life flashed before my eyes. OH GOD.

“Lights out, little bird!” White shiny teeth glittered in the filtering light, the metal pipe thrashing through the air and destroying my vision. My head slammed against the ground, tears falling from my eyes. It hurt so much, and I was terrified to no end. No amount of begging would save me, and I hated it. I was so powerless. The smell of rust was strong, and as was the blood. But who’s was it this time? Mine? Theirs? All I knew is it made me more dizzy than I was before the second hit. My body jolted and I grunted weakly, my legs being dragged further into the room. OH GOD.

I don’t know what happened next. All I knew was that the once not so present smell of rust became stronger, enveloping me whole. My body bent and squirmed against cold metal, forceful shoves leaving scrapes that bled openly. This was disastrous. How would those kids ever get justice? How would I ever save myself if this was how I was being treated? It wasn’t fair.

I DON’T WANT TO DIE.

Wet droplets fell faster. Whether they were blood, sweat or tears didn’t matter. I don’t know how long I was in the dark, and if my eyes were even open. It was pitch black in the room just as it was behind my lids, and it was horrible. My cushion-y body was pressed into a suit, I presumed. I could not see my new appearance, yet I knew that I was dying as the time dragged on. I was suffocating on my own blood and the darkness that held me there, and pointy parts of the suit were impaled in me. My legs, my arms..my neck. I was trapped.

I knew that day I died. Death never terrified me more, especially when I thought of how those kids must of felt being locked away in old animatronic personas.

More clasps had locked on my torso by the time he had stepped back from me. He held a large head for the animatronic in his arms, his eyes looking over his long nose and judging me. I could not see yet I knew the next steps to my demise, the similarly rust coated mask being slammed over my head on to my shoulders. He laughed to himself, and I cried. All I could remember was the agony and fear I felt as he did what he pleased with my corpse. I was concious yet somehow, dead. I felt like some curse had been casted on me and left me in a wretched vessel, falling apart.

I remembered other things too. Like the note, for example.

One that nobody from the outside would see.

——————————-

Keon sat on the floor, leaned against her old mattress that rested on a rather pristine floor. She hugged a squishy pillow tight to her chest, her alarm clock ticking to 7AM and erupting loudly. Keon turned her head slowly, slamming her hand on the off button. Her eyes were barely staying open, dark bags weighing her face down. Nightmares kept her up, and her sleeping pills barely worked anymore. They were ones that caused aggression and ironically, insomnia. She became used to the dosage though and upped it, attempting to find peace and quiet. Keon knew that doing that on her own wasn’t smart, but her mind raced every night in the quiet which prevented even relaxation. She craved temporary release from the world that haunted her memories, and maybe more time on top of that.

She laughed to herself depressingly, her loneliness making way for her daily suicidal thoughts. Whatever kept Keon going was a miracle. Her laughing trailed off and stopped completely, the irony not being funny anymore. She threw the pillow off to the side, pushing herself up with one tug. Keon stumbled to the other side of the room and swung her wooden door open, eyes catching sight of a few piled up boxes leaning against the far wall. They were full of clothes and other belongings that she had not gotten the chance to unpack yet. She scratched her head, pondering when she should strew everything around the apartment. She supposed that she would do it tonight, but it was mostly a passing thought.

Keon didn’t care enough to bring them into her room, walking past the boxes and down the small set of stairs that led to her living room and kitchen combined. She slid past the wall and reached for the curtains, pushing them open and allowing light to flood in to the sad little home. She didn’t consider this place much of a home though. She wanted to live with a partner some day, even if it was in the same place. Keon craved interaction, but did not know with who. Maybe a nice man? Though, she could never admit to herself that men weren’t on her radar when she thought of loving someone, and neither could she admit that to her family. They were significantly worse than the somewhat judgemental public, causing her to shove all those feelings inside her heart. She wished that she had a nicer family, and a safe place to be.

Keon couldn’t do much about it, so she went along her way and pushed her pain down. Her feet dragged to the counter, halting her at a broken barstool. She wondered if she should of invested in a new seat, but shrugged it off with discontent. She fell on the rickety seat, stretching her arm out to grab the coffee machine and start making her beverage. She stared dead at the brewing machine after pressing the button, thinking of how she would be forced to face another tiring day of being jobless. She rested her head in her hands, closing her eyes and nearly collapsing on the wood counter. She was so tired. If she had enough money, she would of gone to the doctor’s for help, but Keon was gifted with a low income family.

Whoop-dee-fricking-doo.

The beeping of the finished coffee snapped her out of her slumber, sleepiness still sitting on the edge of her conciousness. She grasped the hot drink, pulling it to her lips and gulping the bitter liquid. Keon quite liked the bitterness, never passing up *mostly* free coffee. After a few seconds, she brought the drink down to the counter, looking over the bill littered surface. Keon had just moved and she was already making a mess, which made her roll her eyes. She looked a little closer, seeing a rolled up newspaper wrapped in a small bag. She perked up, hoping to find job openings on the daily news. She snatched the paper and stripped it of it’s covering, letting it fall to the ground. Her eyes scanned over the ink, looking for the little squares that usually presented job openings. She had to look for jobs like this a lot, being jobless a lot of the time and struggling financially.

Keon had been lucky with this move, having just enough money to pay for this new apartment. She had no idea how long that would last though, and didn’t want to confront that just yet. At least she wasn’t couchsurfing, she guessed. There were barely any opportunities presented to her, the area she lived in not having many open jobs. After what seemed like hours, she spotted small text in a little square, making her eyes widen in suprise. She had found a job hidden within the newspaper, seemingly put there with bias. Important stuff like this with bad reviews tended to be barely visible to the public, causing trouble for those desperate for work.

Two jobs were listed in the same place, making her eyebrow raise. It was always good to have a choice, so she looked closely and read the individual descriptions written.

—————————-

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria

Job Openings

Hours: 6:30 AM-5:30 PM

Pay: $6/hour

Janitor- Required to clean the pizzeria before and after birthday parties. Bathrooms and other parts of the restaurant require cleaning.

Hours: 11:30 PM- 6 AM

Pay: $6/hour

Nightguard- Required to watch the restaurant to prevent any damages to merchandise and trespassing.

—————————-

Keon was disgusted with the times available, it either being too early or too late. She’d rather be able to work in the morning though, so the first one would have to do. She looked around for her phone, wondering where she put it. She knew to get the job, she needed to call to get an interview. She got up after not seeing anything, looking around the table again before walking back up the stairs and to her room. She probably left it in her bed, tangled in the blankets after a night of tossing and turning. Keon opened her door after passing the packed boxes once again, spotting her small phone laying on the ground undisturbed.

She picked it up, making sure it still worked after being thrown around the room. She sighed in relief when it lit up, putting her arm down and walking out of the room. She tapped the screen, beginning to type the number for the restaurant. She hopped down the steps, clicking the ‘call’ button and putting the phone to her ear. She tapped her foot against the floor as her previous movement paused, ringing going on for awhile on the other side of the line. She almost thought no one would answer, but the sudden silence echoing in the thinly built apartment indicated otherwise. A cracking voice shuddered out, almost sounding like it was struggling to breathe. “Hello?” It croaked, making her freeze in fear. Keon was never good with these social things, and especially so when the social thing was a creepy middle aged man.

“-Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria here...”

She shook her head, realizing that the man on the line was speaking directly to her. “Hi! Uh- I was just calling to see if there was still an opening for your restaurant..” Keon trailed off after a moment of quiet, body beginning to shake like a leaf for unknown reasons. One could hear the eyebrow raise over the phone, the man seeming to wonder why someone would ever want to work in a place like his. “Well..you could come here in a few days for an interview when the schedule clears up.”

“That sound’s great- could I do that?” She questioned energetically, happy that the possibility of a job and income was nearing. A hesitant sigh came from the other side of the phone. “...Yeah. Come by Thursday and we’ll see what we can do.” He spoke tiredly, already over the interaction.

“Great! Than-“

The line went dead immeadiatly. Great. He hung up before she could even say thank you. She rolled her eyes, suspicions of the rude man ringing true. Whatever- she’d be able to make a living!

Why you should vote for Sanders in the Democratic Primary

I know this took me too long to write, and the Super Tuesday polls are closing soon, but to anyone who somehow hasn't voted yet, here's my...pitch, I guess, for Sanders over Warren, or Biden (or Bloomberg? God I hope I don't have anyone I interact with who's dumb enough to support Bloomberg). Or at least, here's my thoughts on where we are now and where we can go from here. The argument people tend to use when defending a vote for Biden is that the only issue that matters this year is that we must defeat Trump, and Biden - by being essentially a Republican - can do it by attracting moderate and Republican voters to his candidacy. Biden himself even floated the idea of choosing a Republican running mate for this very purpose.

Obviously, I agree that we have to stop Trump; he may be a mostly inept dumbass but he's still clearly and definitionally a fascist, and the policies that have managed to hold his attention long enough for him to pass are essentially just...unimaginable cruelty for the sake of inflicting unimaginable cruelty. We must, however, also stop Trumpism, the larger fascist movement that has grown out of Trump's rise. It's not enough to replace a Fascist figurehead with a Neoliberal figurehead, because there will still be the issue of millions of alienated people whose lives have been destroyed by the status quo and who have been distracted from the real cause of their situation by a man who will by then be painted as a martyr. The Democrats and Republicans have batted this voting bracket between parties over the decades, doing something small for them, then rolling it back, cyclically breeding cynicism and discontent. So here's something I've said so many times elsewhere that it might be a little divorced from meaning for folks who know me: Left-wing populism is the only way to beat Fascism.

Fascism is the use of aesthetics in politics to keep working people from getting too mad at those in power. These aesthetics (or illusions, or falsehoods, if you prefer) vary wildly from country to country and movement to movement, but they always ALWAYS include the framing of one or more minority groups and "the Left" as being enemies of the people. Obviously, "the Left" means different things in different places, but America's overton window has been pulled so far to the right that here it means Liberalism, a center-right ideology. Thanks to the wild success of Fascist propaganda in the '50s, it's considered the baseline that Socialists, Communists, and Anarchists are considered enemies of the people, which means America has always been this close to outright Fascism. Trump wasn't a bug, he was simply what we've been building towards kinda since the country's inception.

The reason, then, that left-wing Populism is the most effective way to stop Fascism is that it does not use aesthetics when identifying the issues hurting working people. There is no distraction from the machinations of those in power. You're not suffering because of "Liberals" or immigrants, or trans folks, you're suffering because for centuries backroom deals within corporations, within the government, and between corporations and the government have eroded away any semblance of human dignity for working-class people. You're a bargaining chip in a larger political game, but it's not your fault and it's also not the fault of the person next to you at whom Trump has been wildly gesticulating, who is also a bargaining chip in the same game.

Now, left-wing Populist movements don't often crop up in electoral politics, because of both the nature of electoral politics and the nature of the Left. These movements usually happen on the micro level, when communities work together to help each other, or groups of individuals try to lift up others. When they're larger, they're usually activist movements, or painted as terrorists, like with Occupy, Black Lives Matter, or the Black Panthers and Rainbow Coalition. Electoral left-wing Populist movements usually get kneecapped by corporate or government interests before they can do much (imagine if Eugene Debs wasn't in prison). But American culture has married politics to electoralism for so long that it's hard to get a large political movement going that isn't directly tied to an elected official or an electoral campaign. There are lots of left Populist movements right now that have been fighting the results of Trump's Fascism and the the results of the larger American Fascist experiment on grassroots levels, without involving themselves in electoralism in any way, but they haven't gained the same traction as Bernie Sanders, and they haven't stopped Trump, because those aren't their purposes.

Sanders' base is the most diverse, by far. It skews the youngest, and it polls best in working-class demographics. In 2016, Sanders won literally every single district in West Virginia. He won all but nine districts in Michigan. He absolutely cleans up with Hispanic voters - one of the minority groups that Trumpism frames as enemies of the people. Obviously, y'all know I care about Appalachia the most, and he speaks to Appalachia, both literally and figuratively. Counties that were painted as "Trump Country" in dishonest thinkpieces by journalists putting down six figures had more people vote for Sanders in the primary than voted at all in the general, and it's because what he said about the establishment rang true in a way that Trump's words didn't. If you want to attract a voter base who usually doesn't vote, you have to tell them the truth or spin them a convincing enough lie, and Clinton's lies, in the end, weren't as convincing as Trump's, just as Trump’s aren’t as convincing as the truth.

If the Democratic party is going to survive (and I'm not sure it even deserves to, at this point), it needs to stop engaging in aesthetics to protect those at the top, flirting with fascist strategies. We need to stop letting party elites hem and haw about what "moderates" might or might not want while selling our rights to the highest bidder and letting folks die because insulin cost them more than a month's income. I put "moderate" in quotes, because the "moderate voter" is mostly an invention; we all have things we care about and things we care less about, and very few people are actually that enlightened centrist strawman who believes there's a good midpoint between helping people and hurting them, corporations and working folks, concentration camps and no camps, etc.

Everything Joe Biden says about actually improving material conditions falls apart when you look at his record, because he's consistently voted for cutting social programs to benefit elites, he supported segregation, hell, he was on tape last year saying he has no empathy for young people struggling financially. His facade breaks easily, and he no longer has the mental acuity to even formulate a convincing enough lie to convince most Liberals, let alone nonvoters or former Trump voters. Sanders tells the truth about the reasons for living conditions in America, has the record to back up his convictions, and has the grassroots support to further back him up at the grassroots level, because (as much as every publication tries to make it a scare word) that's how Populism works.

If Sanders gets the nomination, it'll still be a hard fight against Trump. I'm not 100% believing those maps placing him at 474 electoral votes, especially because Trump's aesthetics have the backing of every corporate interest and centuries of disenfranchisement behind them. But Biden's fight just won't win, and if somehow we end up in the 1% of timelines where he somehow convinced enough people to show up at the ballot box for him, we still would have no defense against Trumpism. A burgeoning Fascist movement who still believe the same lies distracting them from the ruling classes and now with a martyr as a political figurehead will have no path to recuperation because primary voters believed it when the news said the word "socialism" was too scary.

Anyway, that's my piece, and it's where my mind has been for...honestly a few years, now. I'll see you on the other side of Super Tuesday.

veep rewatch 2.10

Season Two, Episode Ten - D.C.

aka - The One Where They All Look for New Jobs

I love Selina’s outfit in this episode (it is, admittedly, hard to find a more typical Safflower outfit than a black sheath dress with a pop of color through the jewelry or shoes.). More specifically, I love how this outfit is kind of an inversion of the red dresses she wears during important political moments. Red is Selina’s power-in-public color, and the flip side of course is that we rarely see her in a red dress for events she doesn’t think are important, or on days she’s just in her office with staff. In an episode where all the major political moments happen “behind the scenes”—and even off-screen, with POTUS—red appears only as an accent color, in her dramatic necklace. The eye is drawn to it because it stands out so completely against the simple dress, and it is very unlike the subtle jewelry she normally wears. In a way, I think the red necklace reinforces the “backroom” nature of the politicking that happens in this episode…and if you want, I think you can read it as also foreshadowing the very public campaign highs and lows to come in S3.

(Okay, I wrote this whole thing about the necklace and now I think the necklace seems reddish-orange instead of just red. Because of the material the necklace is made of, the shade changes depending on the light. But I still stand by my reading. It is a very unusual necklace for Selina to wear, and it’s not a mistake that she’s wearing it with such a plain outfit, and it is red or at the very least red-adjacent.)

Gary’s smirk at the group when Selina asks him to come sit by her…Tony Hale does some of the most subtle facial work on Veep in a show that’s chock-full of subtle facial work. There’s always something new to watch in his face. He is divine. 

“Let’s take it one day at a time…sweet Jesus.” Ed to Amy, upon her reflection that they have more time to spend together now that Selina is leaving the ticket. The first glimpse we get that Amy has a tendency to throw herself into (weak) relationships when her professional life is on the rocks. (Also, Ed sucks.) 

Dan picks up Justice Blackwell’s call…in Amy’s office? I like to imagine that during the back half of S2, he’s just in there all the time constantly bitching about his job while she’s trying to get work done. He must have (completely unconsciously) wandered in there while gleefully plotting and making his phone calls. 

Ben to Selina: “Well, it’s not the job that’s depressing. Life is depressing.”

It is incredible how quickly Selina blows the POTUS news to Furlong. Both she and Dan are politically trigger-happy.

“I’ve accepted a number of posts.” 

“You’re choosing dead milk over me?”

“He’s got the crazy money…and I’m crazy enough to go get it.”

“What’s wrong? You look like you did the time I asked you to talk dirty.” Dana to Gary.

I cannot believe Selina is so open about her reliance on Gary that she actually offers to explain the situation to Dana. This is downright heartwarming behavior. Their relationship is a lot more intersting when Selina is more conscious of what Gary does for her…that kind of fades away as the show goes on.

“Yeah, but as I said, the focus right now has got to be on…” and then Amy gestures at the door right as Dan knocks on it and enters. You can’t tell me that wasn’t intentional. 

I will always and forever love Dan mouthing the words to his own speeches. 

“Oh, that’s a brilliant plan, why don’t you change America to Shmamerica?!”

“That’s the worst kind of friendly fire. The unfriendly kind.” GAHHHHH. 

“Hey, don’t call me kid, okay?!” And Dan finally speaks his mind to Danny Chung. A flash of the real Dan underneath all his scheming and ass-kissing. Definitely one of his most honest moments in the series that isn’t related to Amy. (Also, super hot.) 

Andrew (to Amy): We know what she’s like. Amy: Andrew, don’t talk to me.  (Heh.)

I love all the chaos leading up to POTUS’s arrival, and even though it’s very predictable, I love that he comes in the back way and we still never see him. Some jokes are timeless for a reason.

Science Fair Kid: You’re not the President. Ben: No, but you’re not Justin Bieber are you, sport?

“Your boss wants to see you, don’t keep him waiting!” Love Andrew Pasquesi’s delivery of this line. 

Dan and Selina sharing the most awkward hug ever. (And then Dan and Amy do some weird fist-bump thing halfway off-camera?! Also weird, but they are also clearly giving each other *significant* looks so I will accept it.) 

“Gary, call Dana, she’s called ninety times. Call her, then sedate her.” 

Selina, about Ben and Kent: That was POTUS’s problem, because he relied on those two guys. One, a burnt-out loser, the other a conniving robot. Mike: Crazy. Dan: Bad combo. 

This little parallel drawn here between Ben/Kent and Dan/Mike is funny…but the show doesn’t really explore it, nor do these four characters actually resemble one another that much. (And the joke is a bit bittersweet now, because eventually Selina will rely only on Ben and Kent and get rid of Dan and Mike.)

Ed: We’re still together, right? Amy: I-I haven’t got time.  (Can someone make a gif of this interaction? Specifically of Amy saying “I haven’t got time?” I love her so much.) 

~*~

Veep S2 reflections: And behold, the ultimate Veep. All the parts have fallen into place now. Selina has been elevated to a new role within the administration, and is desperate to hold on to it in the face of her staff’s incompetence and her internal enemies within the party, such as Maddox and Furlong. She learns that with more responsibility comes more risk, as she struggles to avoid being thrown under the bus by her own POTUS. We’ve learned more about her personal life (and her weaknesses), with the introduction of Andrew and more information about the twisted Meyer family unit. Ben and Kent add new tensions and gravitas to the ensemble, allowing Dan and Amy to stop fighting with one another and settle into their love-hate-work-spouses-basically-dating-but-not-really status quo (even as Amy tries to break that pattern, to Dan’s subconscious consternation.) (Notably, very few explicit parent jokes this season). Mike, Gary, and Jonah’s roles become more finely-tuned within the ensemble, as we learn more details about their personal lives and foibles. This is Veep firing on all cylinders, and it’s only going to get better as Selina gears up to run for President herself. 

Ghost Clause - Chapter 5

(Story so far AO3)

-x-x-x-

Neal and Emma had offered Belle the use of the pawnshop as a base to work from. They had warned her that Gold would probably turn up again at some point in the afternoon. She wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing the ghost again, but she did feel the need to apologise for screaming at him during their first meeting. To be honest she wasn’t as embarrassed about her reaction since she’d talked to Emma, at least she’d not thrown things at him.

In the backroom there was a wide workbench which allowed her to spread out all of the paperwork relating to the Gold claim. The wheeled chair saved her from stretching to reach various piles of paper. She wondered if Gold had designed this set-up to facilitate the repairs he apparently did on the antiques in the shop. She had tried to stay focused solely on her work, but this room was an Aladdin’s cave of wonders and she’d not been able to resist a quick look around.

She’d read through everything twice and made a few notes about the language of the ghost clause, as far as she could see there was nothing mystical hidden within the wording. Belle snorted to herself; how the heck would she know if there was a resurrection spell woven into the clause? The closest thing she knew to magic came from Lovecraft or Harry Potter. She ruled the first out because unless Gold was hiding tentacles under his well-tailored suit he didn’t look like one of the Deep Ones, and the second because if JK had worked real magic into her stories of the Boy Who Lived then the Potterheads would have discovered it by now.

Belle groaned to herself, she clearly going mad looking for answers to this in literature, but where else was she supposed to find out what the hell was going on here?

She twirled a pen between her fingers and took a deep breath; she had to phone Jenny now. This call was probably going to have her employers questioning her sanity more than she already was; then again, she didn’t have to tell them that she’d met a ghost this morning, she was just requesting more information in order to do a through job. She punched Jenny direct line before she seconded guessed herself.

“Jenny Cooper.”

“Hey Jenny, it’s Belle. Do you have a moment?”

“Of course. How’s Maine?”

“Cold, but pretty.”

“Sounds about right. How’s the case? Meet the headless horseman yet?”

Belle gave a laugh that didn’t sound too forced to her own ears; “I’m pretty certain his haunt is in Upstate New York, but I do want to ask about past claims on this clause.”

Jenny gave a thoughtful hum; “Belle do you think you’ve found a real ghost?”

Belle’s eyes widened as a stack of papers rose into the air and an invisible hand began flicking through the pages.

“No, it’s looking like a fraudulent claim.”

Gold materialized in front of her and raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned at him and continued her conversation with Jenny.

“Just due diligence. I want to make sure that I’ve followed the same procedures as previous investigators.”

“Okay that make sense, don’t want to drag this out with a counter-claim. It’ll take me a while to collect the relevant documents, but I should be able to email them to you by the end of the day.”

“Thank Jenny.”

“No problem, make sure you carry some garlic with you.”

“That’s for vampires. Bye Jenny.”

Gold was smirking as she ended the call and dropped her phone onto the desk.

“Salt.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Protection against ghosts, salt. Throw it at me and I disappear for a while, I also can’t cross a line of it,” – He jerked a thumb towards the kitchen alcove, - “There’s some in the cupboard next to the teabags if you feel the need.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” – She fiddled with her pen, - “I am sorry for screaming at you this morning.”

Gold gave an easy shrug; “No matter. I’ve had worse reactions.”

He placed the papers he’d been flipping through on the desk and settled himself in the chair opposite her. For a long moment he stared at her before finally saying; “You have questions, so do I. Quid pro quo?”

Belle had a rapid mental flash of Silence of the Lambs, but shook it away quickly. She didn’t feel threatened by Gold; he was as curious about his new state as she was. Her nod of agreement brought a slight smile to his lips.

“Ladies first.”

She bit her lip as she decided where to start; “What do you remember after your death?”

“Nothing, I’m sorry Miss French, from my perspective I died and then I walked to work the next morning. There was a week between those two events I’m told, but for me there was nothing in between, no tunnels of light, or grim reapers, no angels or devils, simply nothing.”

Belle opened her mouth to ask another question, but closed it again at Gold’s raised finger. He was serious about them taking turns with their questions. Neal had said he was a stickler for a contract.

“Has this happened before?”

“I’m not sure. There have been half a dozen claims on this particular clause, but they have all been stamped as fraudulent. I have my doubts about that now, so I’ve asked for the files to be sent, perhaps there will be some commonality that we can explore.”

Gold sighed, but didn’t look disappointed. He waited patiently as Belle decided what to ask next.

“Did you dabble with the occult, or magic?”

He chuckled; “Card tricks and some sleight of hand, but I doubt my skill at Find the Lady is the reason for my ghostly state.”

“No, probably not.”

Gold rubbed his fingers together and pointed at her phone; “Why did you lie to your employers?”

Belle rolled her shoulders; “I didn’t exactly lie, I’d only met you once at that point and I didn’t want to give an incomplete report.”

He smirked at her; “Lies by omission, Miss French.”

“Well, maybe, but I didn’t want my boss to think that I was hysterical. The company is convinced that this is a scam, so I’m going to need solid evidence before I change their minds, and that needs further research into the hows and whys.”

He looked impressed at her reasoning. He almost started to ask another question but bit it back and yielded the floor to her.

“Do you think it is the contract keeping you here? Neal did mention that you were very particular about them.”

Gold laughed bitterly, and leaned back in his chair. His eyes wandered around the room for a moment before turning back to her with a sad smile.

“No doubt he also told you that money is the only thing I care about. A million dollars is not to be sneezed at, but, and forgive me if this sounds like I’m bragging, but I am a very rich man Miss French. Well Neal and Henry are very rich men since my demise. Your company could offer ten times that amount, and I wouldn’t give a damn about it because no matter the sum, money can not legally buy new lungs for my grandson.”

Belle tilted her head to one side and Gold nodded.

“To answer your inevitable follow up question; yes, I considered the black market, but my son and grandson would never forgive me. I am content to continue in this ghostly purgatory, but I will not turn it into hell on earth by estranging my family.”

“Neal actually said that family is the most important thing in the world to you.”

His lip trembled, and she was sure she could see tears gathering in his eyes.

“My boy said that?”

“Yes, Mr Gold.”

She fussed with the papers on the desk, anything to keep her head down and give him a moment to collect himself. Gold wore his mask of indifference as easily as he wore his fine suit, but it was only a mask, one that had fallen away for the moment. She wondered how painful those ten years separated from his son had been for him, and how cold the face he must have presented to the town for them to still think of him as a beastly landlord.

Gold cleared his throat; “Do you drink tea Miss French?”

She looked up and found him with his mask back in place, mostly, there was something softer about his features, the habitual smirk was a real smile now.

“A cup of tea would be lovely.”

Gold rose to his feet and strolled across the shop to the kitchen. There was a limp to his gait as he favoured his right leg. Belle was about to ask what had happened to it when she changed her mind and asked instead; “Why do you think you became a ghost, Mr Gold?”

He turned on the ball of his foot and simply said; “Guilt.”

How Primary Results Could Reshape New Hampshire Democrats' Politics

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=9662

How Primary Results Could Reshape New Hampshire Democrats' Politics

Primary Day can simply be the day when voters choose who will represent their parties during the general elections.

But primaries can also shape – or reshape – a party, and sometimes in lasting ways. This year could be one of those times for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Joining All Things Considered host Peter Biello to talk about these particular primary politics is Josh Rogers.

Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity

So we have two major Democratic primaries this year, in the race for governor and in the race for the 1st congressional district. How could these races change the Democratic Party?

I think one way to look at these primaries is that they are in a sense posing two different questions, but let’s start with a big similarity. In both races, for governor and for Congress in the 1st C.D., New Hampshire’s top elected officials quickly coalesced around two candidates: In the governor’s race, Molly Kelly, and in the 1st CD, Chris Pappas.

[N.H. Voter Resources: What You Need to Know Before Heading to the Polls on Primary Day]

I can’t think of a year when that’s happened to the extent it has in 2018. Part of that may be a quirk of the political calendar; neither of New Hampshire’s senators are up for reelection this year, which frees them up to get involved. There is also the fact that in both races, you have what you could call a real party regular running.

Both Molly Kelly and Chris Pappas have been loyal to Democratic party’s power structure, by serving party leaders, winning election to lower office and adopting the electoral model set by Jeanne Shaheen, to be liberal on social issues, staunch on abortion rights, but more moderate on fiscal matters

So by that do you mean “take the pledge” to oppose a sales or income tax?

That is part of it, and while neither Democrat running for governor backs a new broad-based tax, the pledge kind of does define their race. In Molly Kelly you have someone who never took it before running for governor, and in Steve Marchand you have someone who makes much of not taking it because he says a cultural change is needed, that Democrats need to “let it rip.” If there is anything New Hampshire’s Democratic governor’s haven’t done – we are talking about Jeanne Shaheen, John Lynch, Maggie Hassan – let it rip.

Now Shaheen and Hassan have both been campaigning for Kelly. Their message is, “Molly is like us?” 

Less that – though that is kind of implied – than ,”We know her and trust her.” And they do. All of them, also, remember, endorsed Hilary Clinton in the 2016 New Hampshire primary. And we know how that race went. Steve Marchand, who supported Bernie Sanders, is certainly trying to tease out the parallel, but I don’t think you can say his campaign really channeling Sanders so much – although Marchand is trying to get or appear to be on Kelly’s left on every issue – it more that he’s operating wholly outside the power structure that New Hampshire’s most successful Democrats have built.

And should he win – and no one I’m talking to is ruling that out – it would really upend the model for Democrats running for Governor.

There hasn’t been a nominee who hasn’t taken the pledge since 2002. That election didn’t end well for Democrats – Republican Craig Benson trounced the pro-income tax Mark Fernald. But the discussion on taxes is starting to change within the party, and that could intensify depending on what happens tomorrow.

So this race could be a referendum on the political model that party leaders believe have served Democrats for years?

That’s one way to see it

What about the other big primary?

Well in the first C.D., you’ve got a big field, 11 candidates, but in one of the perceived frontrunners, Maura Sullivan, you’ve got someone who just moved to New Hampshire, and maybe moved here simply to run for office. And she’s running a campaign that’s almost airlifted in.

Pretty much all of her money comes from elsewhere, her biggest support comes from outside New Hampshire.

So the idea that the way to do things here is to stoke grassroots support and rely on community support, that’s not Sullivan’s approach?

Well, if it were it probably would not work, because she has few ties to the state, she is a former marine who worked in the Obama VA. But she, and the outside groups that back her have spent big.

And then you have the other perceived frontrunner, Chris Pappas, who’s been in New Hampshire politics pretty much his entire adult life, been a state rep, a country treasurer, executive councilor. Plus, his family owns the Backroom in Manchester, certainly one of the most popular restaurants in the state, and still he could lose to a big-spending newcomer who hasn’t really excited voters.

And that’s why you seen Shaheen, Hassan, and even former Governor John Lynch, who’s largely abandoned party politics since leaving the governor’s office, out there working things for Pappas. Whether voters care about these efforts – for Pappas and the similar ones on Kelly’s behalf – is hard to know.

And another thing is that since neither Kelly’s nor Pappas’ campaigns have spent money on tracking polls, they are kind of flying blind, without a clear sense of how voters feel about these races. Which is another reason these races are interesting in the ways they are testing what’s been the Democratic M.O.for years in New Hampshire.

Maybe the status quo wins, but if it doesn’t, lots of Democrats will be looking at the world differently. 

Read full story here

“Eating Their Lunch:” Blockchain Upstarts Challenge Investment Banks

Access to personal financial data and the emergence of blockchain technology have been the catalyst for a revolution in the banking sector. At the start of this year, banks within the European Union were ordered by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to grant customers access to their personal data.

Banks must allow customers ownership of their financial data which they can then share with other banks and regulated financial businesses to shop around for a better deal — such as getting a cheaper overdraft.

With Open Banking, anything from customer transaction history and product information to branch locations will now be owned by the customer, not the bank.

This combination of available financial data and new possibilities for blockchain-driven efficiencies have made the climate ripe for the disruption of traditional investment banks.

“Accenture has estimated that some major investment banks could make a whopping $10 billion in efficiency savings by utilizing blockchain technology,” explains Thomas Levene, founder of Best Blockchain Solutions Consultancy.

“In current systems, there needs to be careful checks and balances of huge amounts of data that can prove time consuming for investment banks and remain open to some degree of error.”

For example, blockchains carry the promise of making international money transfers cheaper and faster for all parties involved. And while it may be in fledgling stages of innovation, once the technology has proven its speed and scaling abilities, investment banks and international settlements will undoubtedly become increasingly comfortable as transaction partners.

Levene explains, “The other side of the crypto coin is that while existing investment houses need to adapt and adopt, they could very well be replaced, at least in part, by new blockchain startups that have the potential to ‘eat their lunch.’ And it’s a big lunch. In the 2017 fiscal year, Goldman Sachs amassed $32 billion."

Currently for large issuers, it’s a given that you simply have to use investment banks. But assuming regulatory compliance, it doesn’t need to be this way.

The Upstarts

“Companies like tZero, whose Chief Executive Officer is the founder of Overstock, are aimed at eating some J.P. Morgan lunch. They are creating a distributed ledger platform for capital markets. Some have called this offering, whose ICO finishes at the end of June 2018, WallStreet 2.0, as they aim to fuse traditional finance with the benefits of a token crypto economy,” says Levene.

Using blockchains, compliance for investment banks could be fully automated. Dividends and voting could also be done on the blockchain automatically and without expensive backroom office administrators.

This elimination of middlemen coupled with unlimited access to the market, day or night and even on weekends, is set to revolutionize the finance sector.

Thus, it’s no surprise that significant numbers of blockchain-based prediction market platforms and exchanges have sprung up to challenge the dominance of traditional investment banks.

Augur, Bodhi, Numerai and Artificial Intelligence Exchange are just a few of the firms that have launched with decentralized prediction market protocols and exchanges, and if these new models prove to be better than current systems, they could soon be snatched up by investment banks eager to protect their market share.

Polymath is challenging the status quo of capital markets with a network that connects token investors, KYC providers, smart contract developers, and legal experts to help firms form the basis of their securities token.

Meanwhile, Globitex is one of several platforms making it possible to buy commodities with crypto assets.

Not Going Down Without a Fight

In response to these new market entrants, the traditional sector has been hedging its bet on beating the upstarts through significant adaptation and adoption of new technologies.

Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Santander have been making moves to couple with blockchain technology.

“It’s not surprising that investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, are getting on board with blockchain,” Levene says. “These two apparently completed a test in the $2.8 trillion equity swaps market with a 100% success rate using blockchain technology.”

J.P. Morgan has also established a Blockchain Centre of Excellence, and Goldman Sachs has revealed plans to setup a trading operation in Bitcoin. Meanwhile, Santander has joined the blockchain with the launch of a new foreign exchange payment system, One Pay FX.

“The current system is ripe for disruption,” Levene concludes. “Time-consuming and expensive venture capital funded investment bank models cannot compete with streamlined token-based funding efforts that are already having an impact on traditional investment banks’ bottom line.”

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from InvestmentOpportunityInCryptocurrencies via Ella Macdermott on Inoreader https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/eating-their-lunch-blockchain-upstarts-challenge-investment-banks/

New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/theres-a-fairer-way-to-allot-seats-in-the-european-parliament-mathematicians-say-but-politicians-dont-like-it-science/

There’s a fairer way to allot seats in the European Parliament, mathematicians say—but politicians don’t like it | Science

Bigger countries have more seats in the European Parliament than smaller ones, but the number isn’t directly proportional to population size.

Vincent Kressler/Reuters

By Edwin CartlidgeMar. 8, 2018 , 2:50 PM

Dissatisfaction with the European Union is on the rise, as Sunday’s elections in Italy showed. Now, even some mathematicians are mad at Brussels. In a paper uploaded recently to the arXiv server, Friedrich Pukelsheim of the University of Augsburg in Germany and Geoffrey Grimmett of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom decry the European Parliament’s reallocation of seats from the departing United Kingdom to other EU member states.

The duo complains that members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have ignored their own long-standing aim to assign seats using a clean, transparent formula, instead reverting to a more familiar approach: bargaining behind closed doors. That is bad news for European democracy, the mathematicians say, because it means that midsize countries are overrepresented in the Parliament. In their paper, they bemoan what they see as MEPs’ failure to explain how they converted population figures into seats. The Parliament, the pair writes, has missed an opportunity “to proceed from the dark ages to an era of enlightenment.”

A formula “pleases us, the academics, because it is a systematic way of responding to inevitable population changes,” Pukelsheim tells Science. “But it is frowned upon by politicians.”

EU citizens can only vote for MEP candidates of their own country, but the number of national delegates isn’t directly proportional to population size; if it were, Germany would get 200 times as many seats as tiny Malta. So the Parliament has always used a compromise that gives large countries a bigger say without drowning out the small ones. The European Union’s constitutional Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007, stipulated a maximum and minimum number of seats for each member state—96 and six, respectively—and also imposed a ceiling on the total number, 751.

But how to assign seats to individual countries within those limits is up to the Parliament itself. In 2007, MEPs proposed introducing an “undisputed mathematical formula” to implement the concept of “degressive proportionality,” stipulated in what was then the draft of the Lisbon Treaty. It meant that smaller member states can never have more seats than bigger ones, but do get more seats per million citizens.

At a 2-day workshop in Cambridge in 2011, held at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO), Grimmett, Pukelsheim, and other experts devised a formula to do just that. The Cambridge Compromise, as it became known, assigned each member state five seats regardless of its size, and then allocated the remainder in proportion to population, but rounded up so that every country has at least six seats.

MEPs blithely ignored their advice in 2013, ahead of elections the following year, settling instead on a “pragmatic” division of seats that violated the principle of degression several times over; there were many examples of a bigger country having more MEPs per million citizens than the next biggest country or countries.

Pukelsheim and Grimmett had another chance to push the Cambridge Compromise at a second AFCO-organized workshop, held in Brussels in January 2017, where the key issue was what to do with the 73 seats to be freed up after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in March 2019. (Three other mathematical formulae were discussed as well.) But the experts were ignored again. In January, AFCO decided to recycle 27 of the United Kingdom’s seats to create a new 705-seat assembly, but once more assigned the seats through negotiations.

The biggest loser appears to be France, which would have gained an extra 12 seats over its 2014 allotment under the Cambridge Compromise (assuming the United Kingdom’s seats were simply removed from the Parliament), but which ended up with just five more. By contrast, Hungary and Sweden each ended up with four more seats than the formula would give them; another five countries get three more seats.

In a report to the Parliament, the MEPs in charge the redistribution efforts, Danuta Maria Hübner from Poland and Pedro Silva Pereira from Portugal, said it will only be possible to agree on a formula when “the political context is ripe” for a discussion that also includes a review of the separate voting system in the European Council, which experts regard as slightly biased against citizens from midsize member states. In any case, they wrote, an agreement should wait until the United Kingdom has left the European Union.

The new allocations were backed by fellow MEPs at a plenary session on 7 February, with 552 voting in favor and 109 against. They are likely to be approved by the European Council, which comprises the heads of government of the member states, in June.

Pukelsheim is disappointed that MEPs have once more favored backroom dealing over mathematical rigor, arguing that the seats freed up by Brexit gave them the excuse to adopt a new system without unseating anyone. He is optimistic that they will settle on a formula for the next round of elections in 2024 but remains cautious. “The status quo is so enormously inert they essentially hate to touch it,” he says.

Winners and losers from the USA Football presidential election

After months of heated debate and backroom politicking, the us presidential election is over. Carlos Cordeiro, in the past the vp of football’s governing frame in the USA, prevail Sunil Gulati as president. The previous Goldman Sachs government, who triumphed at the 3rd poll, emerged as a “compromise” candidate between Kathy Carter—president of Football United Advertising and the Established order’s hand-picked champion—and the rebel Team Of Six. For the entire communicate of alternate on this election, the balloting individuals through and big opted to take care of the established order.

The status quo in American football has more or less the similar priorities as any entrenched hierarchy. The primary is in keeping up institutional balance—ensuring the device helps to keep running, it doesn’t matter what. The second one is keeping up their very own holds on energy. (Occasionally those two priorities are in battle. You’ll wager which one most often wins out.) Kathy Carter’s failure to win at the first poll signalled that she wasn’t going to win at the day, and the large cash rollers in American football—which is to mention, the small crew of people that dangle fairness stocks in Football United Advertising—noticed their hopes of turning US Football right into a captured regulatory company evaporate.

However whilst they ignored a possibility to consolidate their energy, they didn’t in reality surrender a lot. There’s no indication that Carlos Cordeiro goes to interrogate SUM’s ties with the group or its alleged conflicts of hobby. The present care for SUM over US nationwide group pronounces will virtually indubitably stay untouched. MLS isn’t going any place. The individuals who had cash and gear via American football earlier than the vote is not going to lose a lot of it. No matter reforms increase below Cordeiro is not going to meaningfully problem US Football’s present energy construction. The American Football Established order can have given up the most important positional merit, however they nonetheless regulate the board.

However that doesn’t imply there received’t be penalties from this election.

The Established order’s failure to put in Kathy Carter is a blow to their industry pursuits. Whilst there received’t be any destructive penalties within the short- and medium-term, the Industry Other folks within the recreation are all too conscious about that core theory in industry: if you happen to’re now not rising, you’re death. Settling for Cordeiro will take care of the established order, which is certainly higher for them than probably the most possible choices, however while you’re a significant participant in an business that generates billions of greenbacks in step with yr, merely preserving your place is observed as an indication of weak point.

And when it comes to politics, throwing their weight at the back of one candidate who couldn’t win at the first poll after which hemorrhaged reinforce in next votes is an important hit. Those with cash and gear in American football can (and most probably will) get well, however there’s no technique to spin this as anything else however a lack of political capital. The ones out of doors the present entrenched energy construction, those who sponsored a number of of the “Alternate” applicants, surely scent blood within the water now.

Barring some main concessions from Cordeiro and others on the most sensible of US Football, the similar constituents that made Eric Wynalda a viable candidate will likely be again in 4 years, having realized some precious classes from this previous weekend. If American football’s status quo chooses to forget about the ones outsiders, they’re going to accomplish that at their peril.

Listed here are probably the most winners and losers from ultimate weekend, at the side of some lingering questions.

Winners: The joint WC 2026 bid

Having determined to fast-track the bidding procedure ultimate yr, FIFA would possibly make a selection a number nation for the 2026 International Cup at 68th FIFA Congress in June. The “United” Canada-Mexico-USA bid is the transparent favourite, with best Morocco competing with them. (FIFA may just conceivably reject each bids and re-open the method.) With extra money and higher infrastructure to reinforce a International Cup, 2026 is ours to lose, roughly.

With the giant prices and logistical demanding situations fascinated by web hosting a International Cup, the scandals besetting Russia and Qatar as they get ready to host their tournaments, and the myriad felony and monetary scandals FIFA is coping with, the 2026 host analysis activity power will surely position a top rate on balance and consistency from the bid committees. Carlos Cordeiro’s election to the us presidency, on the very least, gifts an look of each. As vp of US Football, he’s additionally had a hand within the bid’s conception and construction up so far. He is aware of what the present state of items is, and he is aware of what the following steps are.

FIFA for sure had causes to love Eric Wynalda and his platform. He proposed transferring American membership football in step with the “default” calendar, making MLS play a fall-to-spring agenda. He additionally made noises about imposing promotion and relegation within the home membership football pyramid. But it surely’s exhausting to consider FIFA throwing their weight at the back of Wynalda, given a few of his, uh, “eccentricities,” at a time once they in reality want a secure hand on the until. Had the election swung to Wynalda, or one of the vital different “Alternate” applicants whose reinforce integrated the ones components in American football who need to blow all of it up and get started over, one may just simply consider FIFA getting spooked. Most likely sufficient to offer Morocco every other glance.

So if you happen to’re a North American football fan and also you’re enthusiastic about the potential of International Cup fixtures in or close to your own home the city, Cordeiro’s election is most probably a just right factor.

Losers: Younger avid gamers in underserved communities

This most probably would’ve been the case regardless of who received. Not one of the applicants presented transparent, detailed plans on how to achieve out to younger football avid gamers in communities that US Football traditionally has a tendency to forget about. All of the applicants roughly agreed that outreach to those communities is vital, and a very powerful to the group’s ambitions for a aggressive males’s nationwide group and for keeping up the ladies’s nationwide group’s dominance. However except for Kyle Martino’s thought for placing football targets beneath basketball hoops in parks all around the nation, no person in reality presented an in depth imaginative and prescient of what this outreach would seem like.

In the meantime, a few of this nation’s maximum promising younger avid gamers are persistently falling during the cracks. Even if introduced with low cost and low-risk alternatives to find those avid gamers and get them on considered one of a number of construction tracks—like, say, creating a courting with organizations equivalent to Sueño Alianza, which is already doing the exhausting paintings of scouting and figuring out ability in Hispanic communities—US Football has usually selected to not.

Es un increíble honor ser elegido Presidente @ussoccer. Agradezco a todos que me han apoyado y los otros candidatos por los angeles campaña apasionada. Les prometo a trabajar con todos los miembros para unir los angeles familia futbolera. #AimHigher

— Carlos Cordeiro (@CACSoccer) February 10, 2018

Bilingual victory tweets apart, Cordeiro hasn’t but demonstrated that outreach to underserved communities goes to be a concern in his management. Nor has he articulated what any roughly reforms or renewed commitments would seem like. Persons are asking to get all the way down to brass tacks, and what they’re getting as a substitute is extra platitudes. Except and till this type of detailed and actionable plan is unveiled, we will best think that the present established order will likely be maintained. And that’s simply now not just right sufficient.

Unresolved: The ladies’s sport

Final month, Pardeep Cattry wrote concerning the election and the way the entire applicants weren’t speaking sufficient concerning the ladies’s sport. Between the time the object went are living and when ballots have been being forged, the dialog by no means meaningfully shifted. And for probably the most section, how ladies’s football will likely be supported and administered below Cordeiro stays unclear.

There also are some severe questions over how concerned US Football needs to be in its stewardship of the NWSL. That they allowed the Boston Breakers to vanish with out an excessive amount of of a battle doesn’t look like a just right signal.

Then again, appointing a Normal Supervisor to supervise the USA ladies’s group is most probably a good suggestion. It’ll, in fact, rely on how a lot energy the GM has over the senior group, and the adolescence construction pipeline, and whether or not they’ll be capable to get up to Jill Ellis if essential.

Winners: MLS

Main League Football, below Don Garber’s path, mainly will get to stay on holding on. How it does issues, on each the industry and the football facets, will most probably now not be meaningfully tested or challenged through US Football below Cordeiro. The league’s earnings device, SUM, will stay doing its factor (virtually indubitably below Kathy Carter’s management).

Whether or not it’ll enjoy any enlargement over the following few years is an open query. However for now, MLS is strong and Garber will get to keep on with his present plan.

Losers: The NASL

Having misplaced their Department II standing and several other in their member golf equipment, the NASL is in a large number of bother. Beset through monetary demanding situations and and not using a visual approach to stabilize their affairs—a lot much less regain the bottom they’ve misplaced during the last two years—the league resorted to a two-part Hail Mary maneuver.

The primary section is their ongoing litigation in opposition to US Football and MLS. Due to a setback of their antitrust go well with passed down in November, the league’s hopes of scoring a victory in courtroom gave the impression to dwindle. Therefore the second one line of assault: pushing for a transformation in US Football’s management. It emerged over the weekend that NASL membership house owners Rocco Commisso and Riccardo Silva lent monetary reinforce to a number of applicants, together with Eric Wynalda. That clearly didn’t pan out.

With Cordeiro now in energy, the league’s survival might be determined through the USA Courtroom of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. That’s now not an excellent place to be in.

Losers: Eric Wynalda and Hope Solo

4 of the Team Of Six applicants will likely be simply advantageous. They’ll both get positions in US Football or they’ll return to their day jobs. For the opposite two, issues glance murky.

First and most evident was once Eric Wynalda. He went all-in on his marketing campaign, development a base of reinforce that integrated the NASL (see above) and a lot of state football associations. He additionally had probably the most loudest constituents of Football Twitter on his aspect, and whilst all these other people weren’t eligible to vote, they have been valuable in shaping the dialog (for higher or worse).

And but for all that sound and fury, Wynalda’s balloting reinforce crowned out at not up to 14% within the first poll.

We would possibly by no means know whether or not his incapacity to near the space on Carter and Cordeiro was once a results of burning bridges all the way through the notorious Team Of Six negotiations heading into election day. It’s value noting, on the other hand, that despite the fact that the entire “Alternate” applicants and their supporters united at the back of one candidate—let’s say Wynalda, for the sake of argument—that candidate don’t have gotten above 30% of the vote at the first poll. Nonetheless, it’s now not unreasonable to assume that Wynalda was once so excited by profitable that he didn’t see a lot worth in achieving a consensus with a few of his warring parties.

Within the hours following the vote, Wynalda gave the impression to now not be taking issues neatly.

Wynalda has all the time been relatively, uh, passionate in his perspectives, however his tweets within the aftermath of the vote are bordering on self-destructive. It’s not going that his status at his day process will likely be suffering from his fresh habits—he does paintings for Fox, in the end—however he would possibly finally end up burning some vital bridges within the wider American football neighborhood.

In the meantime, Hope Solo—who, through all accounts, must have by no means handed the background take a look at—had an abysmal efficiency within the vote. Fairly than bow out gracefully after the primary poll, she stayed in via all 3 rounds. After the vote was once completed, Solo handed on a possibility to rebuild bridges and get a recent get started with the wider American football neighborhood through accusing the Athlete Council of caving to force from SUM.

After which there was once her fiery speech. Exciting despite the fact that it was once, this was once certainly the type of grandstanding oration you give in your approach out of the development after you’ve hand over your process.

No matter profession Solo has after this election, it’s exhausting to consider it being in football.

Winners: The Athlete Council

By means of balloting as soon as once more as a bloc, the Athlete Council solidified their function as a a very powerful swing vote in US Football elections. And despite the fact that they in the long run sponsored the only candidate and not using a actual enjoy within the participant, their statements after the reality make it transparent that they have been united at the back of the person who absolute best represented their pursuits.

In a company that turns out so beholden to cash and entrenched political energy, the election proved that it’s the avid gamers that in reality assist set the path of US Football. Which is in the long run a just right factor.

Losers: The promotion-relegation motion

Enthusiasts who consider that the one future of American football is to put into effect promotion and relegation in any respect ranges of the USA membership pyramid have been excited by making this USSF presidential election a referendum of varieties on their factor. And it was once efficient. Each and every candidate from the Team Of Six stated the pro-rel activists, both through validating their considerations or, with regards to Wynalda and Solo, explicitly pandering to them.

With Gulati now not working for re-election and a rising sense that transformational alternate was once wanted, this fringe crew noticed a possibility that they won’t see once more for a long time, they usually rushed to grab it. None in their most well-liked applicants prevailed. Whilst Cordeiro will without a doubt make some concessions to these constituents who didn’t reinforce him within the election, it will be very sudden if the brand new management made any overtures to the likes of Ted Westervelt.

In fact, the pro-rel motion isn’t going any place. However to the level that they’re dedicated to a long term by which American membership football options promotion and relegation—relatively than, say, merely blowing up MLS—this election proved to be a substantial blow.

Unresolved: The United States nationwide groups

Carlos Cordeiro is a Industry Individual, now not a Football Individual. He readily recognizes this. Sunil Gulati was once additionally a Industry Individual, however he idea he may just run each side of the operation himself. So did many of the different applicants, for that topic. Cordeiro stated that, his industry and organizational bona fides however, a Football Individual must most probably be accountable for Football Issues. No matter else one would possibly say about him and whether or not he’s the fitting particular person for the process, the truth that he’s keen to confess that the technical aspect of US Football operations isn’t in his space of experience merits some credit score.

Spotting that having one particular person overseeing each the industry and technical sides of the group’s mandate, US Football voted in December to restructure the place of job of the presidency and create new Normal Supervisor positions to supervise the boys’s nationwide group and ladies’s nationwide group. After the election, Cordeiro made it transparent that he’ll transfer fast to put into effect this new directive as a part of a broader dedication to let Football Issues be treated through Football Other folks. That is undeniably a just right factor for the nationwide groups.

Assuming Cordeiro will get the ones hires proper, this is.

The proper other people accountable for the boys’s group and the ladies’s group will rebuild each systems to provide sturdy aggressive squads. At the males’s aspect, there’s the possible to reinstate the USA as a significant energy in CONCACAF and as a group that may dangle their very own in opposition to the sector’s absolute best in main world tournaments. And at the ladies’s aspect, a sensible and savvy rent may just prevent the rot and be sure that the ladies’s group can dangle off demanding situations to their world dominance from the likes of Germany and France.

Hiring the improper other people, then again, may just do harm that can take a technology or extra to opposite.

The way forward for the nationwide group systems may just really well be determined this yr. It’s a thrilling alternative, to make certain, however the stakes connected to 1 or two choices boggles the thoughts. So much can cross improper this yr, sufficient that it’s uncomfortable to take into consideration.

(To mention not anything of the truth that there’ll best be GMs for the boys’s and ladies’s group. No phrase but on how the adolescence nationwide groups will likely be administered. Or the Paralympic nationwide group. Let’s hope they’re now not overlooked within the reorganization.)

  Unresolved: A Lot

It’s simple to conflate america Football Federation, a non-profit group that oversees arranged football and is chargeable for keeping up nationwide groups that compete in sanctioned world tournaments, with the extra summary thought of American Football. However simply as the USA govt doesn’t constitute the totality of existence in The united states, there’s so much that occurs in American football that the us isn’t fascinated by.

The truth that the president of US Football can best do such a lot to mend the various, many, many issues of the game on this nation will inevitably result in unhappiness in Carlos Cordeiro, irrespective of what he does arrange to perform. However the upside is that the ones issues can nonetheless be addressed. Whilst interest and engagement aren’t essentially just right issues in and of themselves, the truth that such a lot of fanatics were given concerned within the dialog across the election of a sports activities business functionary displays that there’s actual energy and backbone amongst American football fanatics. If that power may also be channeled into efficient organizing and hard work—if fanatics around the nation may also be moved to follow-through on their concepts for the way forward for the rustic, establish the spaces the place they may be able to make a distinction, and get to paintings—then American football may have a vibrant long term.

I did that thread bc I assumed it was once going to be established order these days.

However I nonetheless really feel that approach.

Our scouts (intentionally) suck at discovering Latino ability, so Alianza was once born.

Our pyramid (intentionally) holds again markets, so Detroit Town was once born.

It is exhausting, however stay development. https://t.co/ijONkn6H5t

— Zack Goldman (@ThatDamnYank) February 10, 2018

In fact, the historical past of football in The united states is stuffed with tales of people that, annoyed after now not getting their approach, take their ball and cross house. This tendency has held again the game prior to now. And with the type of rhetoric that bubbled up earlier than and right away after the election, it’s now not a for the reason that this received’t occur once more.

Will American football as an entire be a winner or a loser? That, largely, is as much as you.

Observe James on Twitter @thaumatropia. 

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js !serve as(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)(window, file,’script’,’http://ift.tt/2mXPr31); fbq(‘init’, ‘273595603145790’); fbq(‘music’, ‘PageView’); !serve as(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) (window,file,’script’, ‘http://ift.tt/2mXPr31); fbq(‘init’, ‘203057310059139’); fbq(‘music’, ‘PageView’);

http://ift.tt/2BzPGJk football

Expert: The teeth-rattling cognitive dissonance that awaits half the nation (and it’s still fair to ask which half) is going to send some folks into therapy for years. This essay, as you will see, is predisposed to one narrative. The human mind cannot entertain both. In fact, the reset for many will arrive in begrudging half-measures. They will grumble that the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy finally prevailed on poor Hillary. Psychologically, that will be about the best they can do. Patience, not partisan recriminations, will be the most suitable response. I have an 80-something year old mother who will not walk on grass if the authorities have placed a sign on the approach to City Hall. She’s far from stupid and yet she has been socialized into an unquestioning belief that what appears on the TV news is an accurate rendition of what transpired in the world that day. Why would it be otherwise? Morbid as it may sound, I would like her Christian naiveté to depart the planet unmarred before her go-to source, CNN, has little choice but to report on the most depraved aspects of what so many of us have already come to accept. There may not be blood, but there will be psychological carnage which can create equally grievous wounds. Then there may be blood. Already, microcosmic civil wars are being waged across America’s dining tables. It seems a new nation is being conceptually birthed one car pool and barbershop at a time. For better or worse, the alt-narrative is going mid-speed viral, which may be just fast enough. Perhaps the nation is better left ingesting seedy revelations in increments at a cellular level — friend helping friend — until a New Consensus can construct itself from the bottom-up, couched as a People’s directive for a new paradigm of leadership. For the moment I’m having limited success reaching consensus with many in my social and family circles on even the most rudimentary fact patterns, as I’m sure many others are too. I think most Trump supporters have endured some level of social ostracism, even if it amounts to little more than de-friending on social networks. I know I have. Red Pill/Blue Pill? I prefer Red Capstone/Blue Abyss. But there I go giving away my bias again. If you believe the darkest tributaries of the Clinton/Globalist machinations, it takes on a Goebbels-esque Bigness that, by its very ambition, resists ready comprehension. Mass incredulity is a tactic. These people have (allegedly) drifted so far from the norms of human behavior that their aberrance serves as its own sinister camouflage. Our humanity implores us to deny the worst of what we hear, especially as it relates to children. I, for one, will be ecstatic if, in a surfeit of investigatory zeal, we’ve inferred an inky blackness where there is mere darkness. But like many of you, I’ve read too many bone-chilling accounts for too long. I particularly want to acknowledge the Conservative Treehouse site. The analytical homework that has gone on there over the last few months is breathtaking. Kudos to the folks behind all that. Due to the mass cognitive dislocation that may loom just around the corner, I believe people will benefit from graspable handles into this story, a conducted bread-crumb trail through the Dark Forest. Reminiscent of Sheldon Wolin’s inverted totalitarianism, the apparent totalism (Wolin’s term) of the corruption lends it a disembodied, ubiquitous colorless and odorless quality. Like Rosemary’s Baby, it can feel like everyone, every institution, is in the coven. We desperately need a redemptive figure. Enter NSA Director, Admiral Mike Rogers. The Conservative Treehouse largely fashioned the Rogers narrative, or at least I encountered it there first in its most comprehensive form. I simply attempted to propagate it and other relevant insights in the video (below) to spread the gospel within my own circle. Rogers presents a White Hat which decent people can sink their teeth into (not to mention that he seems to me a very credible Q Anon candidate; I follow Jerome Corsi’s lead on the latter’s veracity). The Admiral may be just the narrative float we need. I know I’m glad I found him. The other advantage of the Rogers Handle is that, depicted correctly, it can neatly sidestep the elephant in the psych ward, Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). TDS is a real pathology.  No doubt you’ve encountered it in the more afflicted Trump-haters. Some examples of TDS in walk-around life: It’s raining today. Damn that Trump! California is engulfed in flames –Ooh I could strangle Trump! My cat got hit by a car –Where’s that scoundrel Trump?! In fact, The Chicago Manual of Style recently deemed our Rorschach President a new hybridized form of punctuation –something between a period and an exclamation mark. This means all petulant American bitches and moans (of which there are many) can now end in Trump without running afoul of grammatical syntax. Years ago, my son asked me for an example of an ad hominem fallacy. Sure, I said. Charles Manson looks out the window and says “It’s raining.” A guy on the other side of the room says, “It can’t possibly be raining. Your mass murderer Charles Manson.” Trump has become the universal butt of all ad hominem attacks. You encounter this ‘mode of argument’ a dozen times every day in the mainstream press. But seriously, the egregious and fascistic Constitutional abuses routinely practiced by the prior regime — both to preserve Clinton’s candidacy and then later, in phase two, to attempt a palace coup on the fledgling Trump administration — need not belabor the Trump name. Call Trump simply Victim One if you like. Would you interrogate or blame a victim for being a compulsory party to a crime? Of course not! Then leave Trump out of it. Do your best Tom Jefferson and keep to the rarefied heights of Constitutional rectitude. (Please watch the video to get a keener sense of the frightening FISA 702 abuses and the Deep State/Obama Administration collusion that sought to usurp the People’s Choice. Trump is blessedly incidental to the core abuses.) Finally (just because it pays to be paranoid and cynical all at the same time) there have been rumblings of a conciliatory ‘hand-across-the-aisle’ State of the Union address. I note too a rather buoyant Hillary at the recent Grammy’s. She doesn’t give off the vibe of someone expecting a swarm of US Marshals at any moment. Are we being punked again? I think Trump the Master Negotiator is too politically smart –and too covetous of his populist street cred– to stop short of shackles for these treasonous miscreants, but you never know. And who put the cement in Sessions’ shoes? Will the System, even with a comparatively exogenous Trump at the helm, rush in to save itself? It’s possible. What I’m suggesting, with some trepidation, is that a Grand Bargain may yet emerge from the backrooms of power. Boy, it would have to be a kick-ass quid pro quo. The populist in me could never swallow such a betrayal –and make no mistake, it would be a betrayal. Only time will tell. http://clubof.info/

This time last week, Sevco was getting ready for a League Cup semi-final. If a week is a long time in politics, what do you say about this situation? In football, a day is a long time. A minute can make the difference between success and failure. Based on a last minute goal at Celtic Park, Graeme Murty has a shot at Pedro’s job. Pedro lost it because on Wednesday night his team missed a penalty and then conceded a goal thirty seconds later.

Yesterday, Kenny Miller spoke to his adoring media pals after his two goals had sealed a 3-1 win over a spineless Hearts team who had blown a lead.

He told the press that everything in the Ibrox garden was rosy again.

window._ttf = window._ttf || []; _ttf.push({ pid : 43792 ,lang : "en" ,slot : '.content .article-content > p,.teadsNative' ,format : "inread" ,mobile : false ,minSlot : 2 ,components : { skip: {delay : 0}} ,mutable : true ,css : "margin: 0px 0px 20px;" }); (function (d) { var js, s = d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; js = d.createElement('script'); js.async = true; js.src = '//cdn.teads.tv/media/format.js'; s.parentNode.insertBefore(js, s); })(window.document);

That the team was united.

That the club was moving ahead with purpose and a common cause.

A lot of people believed him.

And in a way, perhaps things are better over there than they have been for a while. The mask of civility is an easy one to wear, but it causes breathing difficulties and so you can never keep it on for very long. Earlier in the week, as Pedro’s tenure was coming to an end, a meeting took place in Washington DC between Donald Trump and senior members of the Republican Party. When asked what the mood in the room had been like, a Louisiana senator, John Kennedy, gave one of the best, and most illuminating, answers of this political year.

“It was very positive … Nobody called anyone an ignorant slut or anything,” he said. This is what passes for Happy Families in the Republican Party. Kenny Miller’s assertion that all is well in the Sevco household feels eerily similar.

It speaks volumes for the state of play in Sevconia that a player who led a dressing room revolt against his own manager, who had derisively christened him The Fraud, and had set up a communications network which excluded all his foreign signings, was given the captain’s armband yesterday and allowed to bask in the glow of the Peepul.

It is a sign that inside the walls at Ibrox there is a self-destructive tendency which removing the manager won’t cure.

The last week has proved, conclusively, that Sevco is British football’s most dysfunctional football club. The media is spinning this as a new beginning, of course, but that’s a song we’ve heard before; we were, in fact, hearing it just seven months ago when Pedro was appointed manager in the first place. On the field, an outside observer might have thought things were going well. The club was within three games of Celtic in the league and in a cup semi final.

But a steady stream of negative headlines told a different story, and although you would not know that to read the papers today these were not limited to the manager’s bizarre pronouncements and otherwise unhinged behaviour.

The club is heavily indebted to its directors. It had a level of spending which was unsustainable even before they sacked Warburton and gave Caixinha a ton of money for players. When this week’s board meeting was discussing what to do about him, there was, as has been reported, a division over whether to sack him or not, but it wasn’t, as has been suggested, between those who hired him and thought he deserved another chance and those who harboured doubts and always had … it was between guys like King and Johnston and those who, ultimately, realised that the money for it would have to come out of their own pockets.

In light of that, their hesitancy is easy to understand.

King himself is facing imminent disgrace and sanction from the courts for his criminal behaviour in taking over the club. His legal team has asserted that he is skint – “penniless” – which doubtless came in handy when he sat with his fellow directors on Wednesday to discuss the fine details of how paying the manager off could be done. But somehow this has eluded our press, which talks about “war chests” and paying top dollar for a new boss.

The full scale of what awaits King and the club should the Takeover Panel get what it’s asked for in court are still not fully sinking in with the media or the fans of Sevco.

There has been long-standing talk about a new share issue, which will reward those directors who have already lent the club substantial sums of money, but that could be blown away completely by the Takeover Panel’s assertion that the Three Bears were working “in concert”; no-one wants to explore what this means should the club do a “debt for equity” swap as has been mooted … in any conceivable scenario this would put them in serious danger of exceeding the 30% threshold and expose them to the same problems facing King.

Which is to say nothing for what the legal status of King’s shares ends up like. Would the City of London even sanction a share issue right now? The club would need a Nomad, a stock exchange listing, a business plan … the obstacles in the way are enormous.

Mark Warburton has a day in court coming too; he claims the club’s story about his resignation is a lie, and it appears to be backed up by not the slightest shred of evidence. No-one can predict how that one will go, but the club’s story on it is all over the place and Warburton and his backroom team now have Pedro’s corpse to hold up in front of the judge as evidence that the club is prone to rash decision making and rush to judgement.

Their support is absolutely delusional. They put their faith in King because they believed he had money and was willing to spend it on them. They now know different and don’t like it. It hasn’t sunk in that the days of big money signings is largely over. No-one is coming to rescue them from the position they find themselves in, one where there is an enormous financial gulf between them and Celtic and thus that their “ambition” to overhaul us is built more on hope than it is on anything tangible. That is a truth they’d rather ignore.

And because they are so deluded, and because reality isn’t something they feel they need to be terribly bothered about, they will continue to exert the most unbelievable pressure on anyone who sits in the manager’s chair.

The media which has consistently fed them a diet of preposterous nonsense about their being a huge club which “must” be challenging at the top has increased the general toxicity that surrounds them; they, too, will put the next boss under the most intolerable scrutiny imaginable. Those who think the Peepul would be happy with a second place finish next season don’t know a thing; on the forums a steadily growing number are talking about boycotts and revolution if there aren’t signs soon that they can catch Celtic.

The whole club is on the edge of the precipice. Any little nudge and the whole lot could go over. Administration at some point in the next 12 months is more likely than not; some cannot even see how they can get through this campaign without it.

As has become typical over there, a single result has sparked euphoria amongst their support. The corner has been turned, by a win against Hearts. It is insanity, but it’s that club’s peculiar personal insanity, the one they retreat to time and time again.

The last seven days have been chaotic not because the man in the manager’s chair was out of his depth but because the current Ibrox board, which waged permanent war on its predecessor until the share price crashed and the business plan was shot, are, themselves, rank amateurs without the first clue as to what they are doing or how to proceed into the future.

Their ideas are outdated and inapplicable to a struggling club which sets its horizons way too high for its own good. Their adherence to ideas about the club being “special”, about supremacist guff, an inability to recognise that they are a NewCo or even just to recognise the Murray era as an aberrant period that poisoned the whole of Scottish football but Rangers most of all, is holding them back in ways that were all too easily foreseen by those of us who said the Survival Lie was a dangerous one for the club and the fans to hold onto.

I have long said that the Ibrox support has two possible futures; in one the club accepts the position it currently holds in our game, and tries to make the best of it in the short term whilst it aims for a long term solution, perhaps taking decades and forcing fans, in the meantime, to live with the status quo … in the other the club itself goes the way of Rangers.

Nothing speaks more to their institutional stupidity than the way they’ve spoken in the last few days about demanding more than their current lot; they seem hell-bent on taking the second of those courses, and the amazing thing is that I don’t believe they are unaware of where that road ends.

They just don’t seem to care, as long as they catch us before they reach that destination.

A club which puts that before basic survival deserves what it gets.

http://ift.tt/2yVCfQI