fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Relics of New York
By: Christopher Buckley
Tags: Religion, Catholic, New York

Relics of New York

Inspired by my new novel, ‘The Relic Master’

photo courtesy of atlasobscura.com

New York City may not be Rome, but that doesn’t mean it lacks for relics. And Rome has a slightly unfair advantage, since it’s been around since the eighth century B.C., and New York (originally New Amsterdam) really only got started in the 1630’s.

For your consideration, here are five relics right here in the greatest city in the world:

1. St. Datian. Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, 173 East 3rd Street (East Village).

Saint … who? According to the church’s website, Saint Datian may (or may not) have been the jailer of St. Vincent. According to the legend, he converted and was then martyred by the Romans. His bones arrived here in 1892, courtesy of a wealthy Italian lady. Urban legend bonus: they may actually be the bones of a policeman who died defending the collection boxes.

2. St. Frances Cabrini, known as Mother Cabrini. St. Frances Cabrini Shrine, 701 Fort Washington Avenue, upper Manhattan.

One of my favorite saints. An Italian-born nun, she came to the U.S. in the late 19th century to help the great wave of Italian immigrants and opened many orphanage and schools. Died 1917, canonized 1946. Most of her body is at the shrine. An arm is in Chicago. If you want to view her head, you’ll need to go to Rome. Apparently everyone wanted a piece of her.

3. Padre Pio. Church of Saint John the Baptist, 210 West 30th Street.

Padre Pio is said to have received the stigmata, which is to say, crucifixion-like wounds on the palms and feet. These periodically bled. (Relics are not for the faint of heart.) Here you’ll find displayed a bloody sock, a scab (warned you), a bit of hair and fountain pen.

4. Pierre Toussaint. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue.

Pierre was born a slave in Haiti. His owners brought him to New York in 1797, fearing a revolution. They were smart to do so, since the revolution took place shortly thereafter and was extremely sanguinary.

Pierre was freed in 1807 and became a hairdresser to New York’s society dames. (As Cindy Adams would say, “Only in New York, kids.”)

He was a benefactor of the original St. Patrick’s in modern-day NoLita. He was buried in its churchyard, whose wall protected it from attacks by violent anti-Catholic mobs. His remains were moved to the crypt below the main altar in the new St. Patrick’s.

5. Peter Stuyvesant’s Pear Tree (or what’s left of it). New York Historical Society. 170 Central Park West.

You don’t have to be Catholic to leave behind a relic. Peter Stuyvesant, the famously grouchy governor of New Amsterdam who surrendered the city to the English in 1664, planted a pear tree on his farm, at what is now the intersection of 13th Street and Third Avenue. The tree lived to a ripe old age, until some idiot in 1867 ran his carriage into it, toppling it. One can only hope he got a ticket.
Book Coach Success Spotlight: Amanda Polick
By: Terri M. Leblanc
Tags: Coaching, Freelancing, Success Story, Writing, Coaching Skills

Q: How did you feel about the sales process? Did the client come easily, or did you have to do some work to sell them on your coaching? Were you able to answer whatever questions they had?

Amanda: It was smooth even when it wasn’t.

I taught a free one hour class on Eventbrite, and offered a free consultation at the end, which she signed up for. As luck would have it, my CRM had some majors errors when she tried to schedule her call and submit her forms. But she said that my website copy and FAQs in addition to my class convinced her that I’m her person, so the bumps with the CRM didn’t even bother her. She was like, “I’m in” at the end of our 30-minute call.

I have this mantra of “people can’t wait to hire me”, and with her, it seems to be true!
let or var in Swift, and why it absolutely matters
By: Steven Curtis
Tags: Swift

Making a variable

We can have a constant anywhere in our code

var width = 5

width = 6

So after the second command, width will store the value of 6. Great!

Making a constant

We can have a constant anywhere in our code

let height = 5

This constant cannot be changed afterwards. If we try to, like making the height 6 like:

height = 6

will produce a rather upsetting message from the Swift compiler.

Which is not a great. Yet this is what Swift declares when you try to change a constant. Read on:
How to Use the “Door-in-the-Face” Technique to Sell More
By: Ramsay Lewis
Tags: Business, Marketing, Psychology, Science, Sales

How to Use the “Door-in-the-Face” Technique to Sell More

A simple psychological tactic to make your requests sound more reasonable

Photo by Linford Miles on Unsplash

The “door-in-the-face” technique comes from, you guessed it, door-to-door salespeople. The idea is that you offer a customer something that you know that they will not accept and then they slam “the door in your face”. Then, you offer them something else, perhaps a lower price or better deal. The technique makes them more likely to accept the second thing than if you had asked for it right from the start.

Let me give you an example.

Some of the original research on this phenomenon was conducted by Cialdini and his colleagues. They went to a university and approached random students to ask if they would be willing to spend two hours accompanying delinquent teens to a zoo. Not a great deal right? Most of the university students said no — only 17% said that they would.

Next, the researchers approached students to ask them if they would be willing to spend two years acting as a personal counselor for delinquent teens. Unsurprisingly, no one agreed. But after each of the university students refused, the researchers then asked them if they would be willing to spend two hours accompanying delinquent teens to the zoo (the same request as before). Now 51% said that they would.

Asking for the unreasonable thing increased agreement for the more reasonable thing — from 17% to 51%.

The lesson is that by asking for something huge first — and getting a “door in the face”— people are more likely to agree to something smaller. If the researchers asked directly for students to help out at the zoo, only 17% agree. But the number jumps up significantly if they first ask something unreasonable first.
Flows
By: Troy Camplin
Tags: Poetry, Poems On Medium, Poetry On Medium, Poetry In Form, Poem

POETRY

The streams all flow to rivers flowing out

To delta trees into the ocean waves

As flows of trade converge and then flow out

Creating networks. Each of these flows saves

Us energy, the short and slow, the long

And fast, in fractal beauty, making Phi.

We see these patterns and we find we long

To create them and hear their songs’ reply.

In science networks truth and knowledge flow —

In all the arts the canon’s beauty’s flow —

In ethics’ canon we see virtue flow —

In beauty, truth, and virtue’s what we know.

And in the leaves of books, and in the trees

Of knowledge, business, ancestry, and mind

We find the flows of man, the bronchial trees

That bring in oxygen for iron to bind.

The streams of poets, scientists, and wise

Philosophers converged in streams of me

To intermingle in a fluid wise

Enough to language them to poetry.
99% Invisible Podcast’s Brilliant Response to Criticism of Women’s Voices
By: Elan Morgan, Schmutzie
Tags: Women, Podcast, Feminism

Vocal Fry:

Women are just doing it wrong! Again.

The This American Life podcast receives enough complaints about women’s voices that they recorded a whole segment about it in January called “Freedom Fries” to discuss the issue of vocal fry. Here is an example of vocal fry from what appears to be a fairly sexist study on the matter:

The above video, which summarizes a study from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, notes that men’s lower voices are thought of as more authoritative than women’s voices overall, even when women’s voices don’t exhibit vocal fry. The host, Bill Mayew, goes so far as to task women, not men, with changing what is lately deemed a poor speech habit for them in particular.

It is inappropriate for Mayew to blame women’s voices for their own lack of success rather than frame the negative perception of women’s voices as part of our culture’s larger bias to value the authority of men over women. He’s running headlong into the dangerous logic of rape apologetics, which blame women’s choices of dress and location for the violent crimes people choose to commit against them.

Using this specious line of thinking, women are considered culpable for the professional harm that comes to them, even though both men and women commonly exhibit the vocal trait. When women’s vocal fry is framed as what undermines their professional advancement, not the basic fact that they are women, the message is clear: it’s not men or a biased culture that need changing. Women are just doing it wrong again! Again.

The truth is that this isn’t about vocal fry nearly as much as it is about our culture’s response to women in general. As a result, policing the sound of women’s voices is nothing new, and what people complain about changes over time. According to host Ira Glass, This American Life’s…

…listeners have always complained about young women reporting on our show. They used to complain about reporters using the word “like” and about upspeak…But we don’t get many emails like that anymore. People who don’t like listening to young women on the radio have moved on to vocal fry.

The real irony of the above Duke University video is that Bill Mayew exhibits vocal fry throughout, and no one thought it enough of a problem to correct in a video about the professional dangers of vocal fry. His voice is fine, because we assume his authority.

Don’t believe it? Here is another example of privileged male vocal fry: Noam Chomsky. He’s been speaking in public with vocal fry for over 50 years, and I bet his superiors have never received a tide of letters to complain about his voice. I chose a video of a much younger Chomsky to show that his vocal fry is not simply a product of his age:
3 Ridiculous Fitness Myths That You Should Ignore
By: Alyssa Atkinson
Tags: Health, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Fitness, Lifestyle

3 Ridiculous Fitness Myths That You Should Ignore

Don’t listen to this poor advice.

Photo by Jude Infantini on Unsplash

With each new year comes a huge influx of people who want to get healthier and fitter. In fact, Time cites a recent poll which found that,

“Of the nearly 30% of respondents who said they are making New Year’s resolutions, 50% said their top resolution was to exercise.”

It makes sense that, at the start of a fresh year, people want to wipe the slate clean in all aspects of their lives. Improved fitness is a wonderful goal, but it should be attained in a healthy and sustainable way.

When I was in my senior year of high school, I didn’t know near as much about health and fitness as I do now, and I naively believed some of the myths that I was told by fitness influencers, advertisers, and the like.

For example, I believed endless crunches would make my core incredibly strong. In reality, the crunches did little more than make my neck sore, and my time would have been better spent on total core strengthening exercises, such as planks.

The following are three ridiculous fitness myths that you should know about. Whether you are an avid exerciser or a newcomer who wants to adopt healthier habits in the new year, you should avoid these three things in order to make fitness improvements while still maintaining a sustainable lifestyle.
We Matter
Tags: Violence, Writing, Poetry, BlackLivesMatter, Racism

We Matter

End all racism

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat

Bullets sprayed

Red-colored rain

No one answers for all this pain

Please help!

Woman cries

while holding her son

watching as his life drains

from him

She cries out. “Why?”

“My baby boy,”

The woman stands

and carries

his lifeless body

The crowd wailed

and stood strong

“No Justice–No Peace” protesters chanted.

It just made the enemy come

back even harder

Tear gas

Billy clubs

Tat-tat-tat-tat

“No Justice–No Peace,” protesters said.

Still, warm bodies slumped

on top of each other

The woman made through

the angry crowd holding

her son’s body

She speaks her voice

rattled with grief

“He’s never gonna–finish school

“No scholarship,”

She looks down at her son

“My only child,”

“H-He,”

She sniffed



“That special light inside him–gone,”

She took a deep

“All his dreams are now at my feet,”

She takes a step forward.

“Stand down,” the officer says to his men.

Ma’am, stay behind the gates.

Another step forward.

“He’s gone,” she says repeatedly.

“No Justice–No Peace,” crowds say.

The crowd begins to

move forward.

“Ma’am please” the officers shouted.

She looked up at him.

She says. “My boy is waiting for me,”

Officer steps back and gives a signal.

She takes one more step.

Gunshots fired.

The woman laid therein

the street with her son.

No

Justice

No

Peace

When will the bloodshed end?

My son’s, my daughter, my future

It all matters

Black lives matter
How the discovery of a Vaccine and its distribution across the World becomes a major strategic issue in International Relations and International Politics?
By: Vishnu Aravindhan
Tags: Health, Corona, Vaccines, Coronavirus, Politics

There are about 12 Vaccine Companies at various stages of progress, and two of them announced. Moderna Vaccine, an American vaccine, claims a success rate of almost between 92 to 94.5 Percent. Another American vaccine by the Pharma company Pfizer claims a success rate of 92 percent, and they think that they are in a position to bring millions of doses of their vaccines before the end of the year.

Now, there have been two other vaccines before this, which have been used as diplomatic tools. The Russians had two vaccines in the developing stage. The first was Sputnik; they were the first to decide that they would use them; they would not wait for anything. Russian President Putin allowed one of his daughters to take a vaccine, and this vaccine is ready, and the Chinese are also developing more than one vaccine. But they said that one of the vaccines was in an advanced stage, had finished the third phase of clinical trials, and they promised that their vaccine would be available to all the poorer countries who could not afford the vaccine. So they would see that “Forget about the success rate, forget about the safety and security, the affordability was the major issue.” And a vaccine, even if partial, would break the circuit of contagion, and they offered it to Nepal, they offered it to Srilanka, they offered it to Southeast Asian countries, they offered it to the Philippines, they offered to countries in Africa, they offered it to countries in Latin America. And for a short while scenario, they stop the trial after some mishaps took place in the Chinese vaccine trials, but they have been resumed. So there is a Chinese vaccine, there is a Russian vaccine, there are two American vaccines on the verge of success, and Indians have also been working on an Oxford vaccine, the Serum Institute of India, which has also almost completed the third phase of the clinical trials.

So, these are the issues that relate to the development of vaccine science. Now, where do international relations and politics come here?
Where Should We Stay for the Wedding?
By: Logan Sachon
Tags: Logistics, Friends, Weddings

FROM: Katie

TO: Everyone

Hello all!

I hope everyone is as excited about the upcoming wedding as I am!

S thought it might be fun to have some/all of the bridesmaids stay in a few houses near the venue, and her mom has reserved some houses.

Below I’ve pasted the links to the places her mom reserved, as well as how many bedrooms each place has, and how much it will cost per night (these places might say they have no availability for the nights we need, but that’s because she’s already booked them). If you were planning on doing your own thing, that’s cool — just wanted to spread the word and people can organize amongst themselves/decide what they wanna do!

Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few short months!

Katie

FROM: Logan

TO: Everyone

TO CONFIRM are these per person prices or total prices!?!??!?!?!

i guess i would have hoped that by this point i could pay $300 a night for a hotel for a wedding but … i cannot.

FROM: Katie

TO: Everyone

Total prices to rent these houses/cabins. If you click on the links you can double check my #s

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

as IF i’m going to double check your math. i’m down for whatever if someone else can book it i don’t have a credit card and or enough money in my account lol but really

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

also just realized everyone but me has a bf

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

plus maybe i’ll have a bf by then

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

haha jk

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

maybe i’ll have a baby

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

jkjkjkjkjkjkjk

not enough time

unless one of those i didn’t know i was pregnant things?

TO: Everyone

FROM: Logan

why am i the only one responding to these emails

THREE WEEKS LATER

TO: Logan

FROM: Katie

Hey —

I talked to everyone else and they’ve all got their own things figured out, so I was wondering if you think we should go ahead and book a place to stay for the wedding weekend. I called the Omni where they have a block of rooms and the price w/tax is $299.70 per night, which isn’t cheap.

I did some looking around and found a house we could rent.

It’s $601 for the 2 nights at this place, but it still might be a better deal — 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and also it’s a house not the Omni?

TO: Katie

FROM: Logan

wait where is everyone else staying

and why didn’t they reply all

TO: Logan

FROM: Katie

A is staying with her brother, K and P are getting their own place since they have two small children, C and E are staying with their parents, J is staying with her boyfriend’s family and C is MIA but maybe she’ll stay on our couch if she needs to.

I’m going to book this unless you tell me not to book it. Me and Matt will pay 2/3 and you will pay 1/3.

TO: Logan

FROM: Katie

booked. will fwd confirmation.

TO: Katie

FROM: Logan

it was always going to turn out exactly like this wasn’t it

sure glad it took 238049832 emails

i’ll give you cash the weekend of unless you would prefer paypal installments?

and i’ll pay half

i’m a modern woman
Waiting
By: Marion Chadwick
Tags: Short Story, Death, Prison

Surrounded by enemies and iron bars, his life should have been a living hell.

Turns out, a man can get used to just about anything.

The guards, the other inmates, the walls, even the food… it was all in the background static, white noise to the only sound that he could hear, the only sound that really mattered anymore.

The relentless, systematic, deafening ticking of the clock.

It was the waiting. That was the true enemy, the real punishment.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Finally, it comes.

He’s free. The wait is over.

They flip the switch.

The clock stops.
If I had to tell a tale
By: Nathan Eckenrode
Tags: Humor, Poetry, Life, Creative

if i had to tell a tale

I’d tell one long and complicated

a cast of characters revealed

listed in the hundreds of thousands

or more

just because of a feverish break

from reality as it has been defined

from long ago

but my role is neither narrator

nor protagonist

i bumble and stumble

through my days

lucky to avoid the bottom

dodging the heavier rocks

which fill this swollen stream

If i had to tell a tale

it could not be more focused

than to observe the struggle

of daily living in this blue shirt

toiling in the fields

my sabots clunky

soil beneath my nails

sun scars on my neck

If I had to tell a tale

surely it would swoon

from outrage to outrage

as one force after another

wrecked the environment

of this one idyllic life

if i had to tell a tale

it would be mine own

for there at least

i could be an expert

witness.
The 5 Stages of Grief When You Suddenly Become Lactose Intolerant
By: Kyrie Gray
Tags: Humor, Satire, Comics, Food, Life

Being unable to eat dairy as you age and lose the enzyme that breaks down lactose isn’t something most of us think about. But it is very common. That’s why you should be prepared for that inevitably. Also be prepared for the 5 stages of grief that accompany that change.

1-Denial

2-Anger

3-Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance
From Yemen to Jordan: A taste of home for a Yemeni family
By: Dara Elmasri
Tags: Jordan, World Refugee Day, Coronavirus, Refugees, Yemen

From Yemen to Jordan: A taste of home for a Yemeni family

Supported by the World Food Programme, they draw comfort from being able to make the traditional ‘shakshuka’

Abdou and Amani prepare shakshuka as three-year-old Basel plays around them in their kitchen. Photo: WFP/Dara Masri

A traditional dish made in many countries across the Middle East, shakshuka reminds Abdou and his family of their home in Yemen.

It takes around seven minutes and a few ingredients to make this one-pot healthy dish: tomatoes, onions, green peppers, eggs and a dash of salt and pepper.

“You can’t go wrong serving shakshuka for breakfast, dinner or lunch, it’s so easy and tasty,” says Abdou.

The family occupy a two-bedroom apartment in Jordan’s capital, Amman. They left Yemen five years ago when it was no longer safe for them to stay in their city. This meal reminds them of the good days they had.

Abdou helps Amani with cooking sometimes, but his specialty is the shakshuka dish. “I usually start by heating oil in a pan while Amani chops the onions, tomatoes and green pepper,” he says.

He cooks the vegetables for a few minutes until they begin to soften, adds salt and pepper to taste, and lets the ingredients simmer. Adding the eggs is the last step; Adbou mixes it with the vegetables until he gets the consistency his family enjoys. Then meal is ready to be served!

Abdou stirs the vegetables before adding eggs. Photo: WFP/Dara Masri

“We have shakshuka with Arabic bread, tea and some cold vegetables on the side,” says Amandi. “Adbou brings a small bowl of olives with every meal. It’s his favourite.”

Mandi, Yemen’s national dish, is the family’s favourite meal. “The circumstances don’t allow us to make Mandi as we cannot always afford its’ ingredients,” says Abdou.

The family gathers around to eat shakshuka for lunch. Photo: WFP/Mohammad Batah

Abdou has no stable source of income and works here and there in vegetable and fruit markets. It’s a good day for the family when he finds an opportunity to work, as they barely make ends meet.

Similar to the 10,000 non-Syrian refugees the World Food Programme (WFP) supports, the family receives monthly cash assistance to cover their food and other basic needs.

“Without WFP’s assistance, we cannot buy food to feed the children, nor use some of the money to pay rent,” says Abdou. “It’s a blessing to have an understanding owner who is flexible with rent when times are hard for us.”

Abdou makes shakshuka to remind the family of the taste of home, while Amani hopes to return to a safe Yemen and make Mandi like she used to.”
Tron: Legacy Viral Continues
By: Wade Tandy
Tags: Daft Punk, 8 Bit, Movies, Flynn Lives, News

We’re now less than a week away from the release of the new Tron movie. Of course, I probably don’t have to tell you that. You’re probably listening to Daft Punk’s score to the movie (again) as you read this. I’m certainly listening to it as I type. That being said, with excitement for Tron: Legacy reaching a fever pitch, there’s nothing quite like coming home to find a package in your mail box courtesy of Flynn Lives. Hit the jump to see its contents.

For my participation in the ongoing viral campaign for the movie, I’d already received vintage video game postcards and my very own ENCOM security badge (which is quite possibly the coolest thing ever). Wade had talked about attaching the lanyard to his normal work ID to see if anyone noticed, but he probably chickened out. Anyway, this package was something different. A couple of pins celebrating the 8-bit history of video games (as seen in the Arcade Aid part of the campaign).

Pretty cool stuff. Kudos to whomever is running this viral campaign because they’re doing it right.
3 Science-Based Reasons Why Buying Less Will Make You Happier
By: Karolin Wanner
Tags: Happiness, Life Lessons, Minimalism, Self Improvement, Life

I have to confess, I have been a shopping victim. I needed to have the newest fashion it-pieces at the lowest cost to be happy. I made a 180-degree turn in my life when I noticed how destructive this behavior is. Not only for myself but also for the people who made this stuff and the environment.

When I moved to China, I came with only one suitcase. 4 years later, I had hoarded lots of bargains from Taobao and Tmall. When I decided to go back to Europe, I realized how much stuff I had accumulated and it made me feel sick. Studies prove clutter has a negative impact on our mood. The more stuff we own, the more stressed we feel.

So, I made a deal with myself, I would not buy anything for one year to ‘heal’ myself from this destructive behavior. In the beginning, it was hard. But after 3 months, I had changed my habits. I didn’t go online to search for the next thing to buy and avoided shopping malls.

With every month, my urge to buy new stuff became smaller. How I perceived owning all these things changed. It made me feel anxious and overwhelmed. So, I started sorting things out. The more stuff I got rid of, the calmer and happier I felt.

And this is not the only benefit. I must have saved a few thousand dollars and lots of time. Being less materialistic changed my life for the better. I am happier than ever before. But why?
How to Improve Resilience in Those You Lead
By: Chris Kong
Tags: Communication, Business, Management, Self Improvement, Leadership

How to Improve Resilience in Those You Lead

Here’s a secret you may not have considered.

Photo by Chetan Menaria

2020 has been a fiery crucible testing the mettle of leaders all around the globe. Nearly every industry has been affected by the spread of COVID-19.

Senior leaders shouldered with the reality of downsizing have seen individuals on their teams accept greater responsibility due to layoffs.

What impact has COVID-19 had on the workplace?

A recent study observing workplace resilience (Buckingham, Harvard Business Review, Sept 2020) found:

People’s personal level of resilience in the workplace is closely related to their immediate team leader and their organization’s senior leaders.

The study concluded only 19% of workers in the USA exhibit high levels of resilience. With statistics so dismal, it’s no wonder why people are experiencing adverse mental health effects due to the workplace.

Is it possible that senior/team leaders have more to do with an employee’s resilience than they’d like to admit?

What is resilience?

Simply put, resilience is the ability to bounce back after experiencing difficulty. Diane Coutu (Harvard Business Review, 2017) describes a resilient person as one who possesses

“a staunch acceptance of reality; a deep belief, often buttressed by strongly held values, that life is meaningful; and an uncanny ability to improvise.”

As a senior leader, you may not be able to accept the responsibility of your team’s resilience. Still, you can be mindful (read: emotionally intelligent) of them as you enter the decision-making process.
Where Are You Now? — A Song About Loss
By: Lisa Beth Wright
Tags: Poetry, Songwriting, Poem, Relationships, Life

It’s called “Where Are You Now?”

You said you’d never leave

And that may be true

But you still didn’t help me

Though I’ve pleaded with you

I don’t know where to turn

I don’t know what to do

I’m all out of options

Got nothing left to lose

Where are you now?

Where are you now?

Nothing but promises

You’ve broken your vow

If you mean what you say

And honor your word

Where are you now?

Where are you now?

I believed that you loved me

That you really cared

But if that’s so true

Why am I so scared?

I’m so tired of waiting

To finally be free

I won’t beg anymore

Cause you don’t hear my plea

Have I wasted my time

Believing in you?

Had to guess what you wanted

Not even you knew

You’re so hard to figure

I don’t care anymore

I’m tired of the worry

About who’s keeping score.

Where are you now?

Where are you now?

Nothing but promises

You’ve broken your vow

If you mean what you say

And honor your word

Where are you now?

Where are you now?
Trump hopes for better libel laws after book smashes him
Tags: Libel, Trump, Politics

The President of United States, Donald Trump has been seen praising himself as a genius several times and this time he has done it over a book’s portrayal of him as an unstable leader of the country. Trump says that the country’s libel laws are “very weak” after a new book portrayed him as a dysfunctional president and said that he is “like, really smart” and, indeed, a “very stable genius.”, rather than a dysfunctional president.

Trump defended his mental fitness in a series of tweets saying:

President Trump tweeted from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, a few hours before a strategy session on the 2018 legislative agenda with Republican congressional leaders and Cabinet members.

The book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff highlights critical descriptions of Trump’s behavior, jumbled interactions among senior White House staff, and disparaging comments about the Trump family by former White House Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon. Trump is represented as being held in low regard by his White House staff, leading Wolff to state that “100% of the people around him” does not believe in Trump’s competence and believe that he is unfit for office.

Later, when Trump addressed reporters, the Ivy League graduate was ready to answer these derogatory accusations:

“I went to the best colleges for college, I had a situation where I was a very excellent student, came out, made billions and billions of dollars, became one of the top business people, went to television and for 10 years was a tremendous success, as you probably have heard, ran for president one time and won.” — Donald J. Trump, who did his bachelors from the University of Pennsylvania.

As for the allegations made in Wolff’s book he said: “I consider it a work of fiction,” Trump told reporters. “The libel laws are very weak in this country. If they were strong, it would be very helpful. You wouldn’t have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes to your head.”

He even called the former White House Chief Strategist sloppy, saying that “I don’t know this man. I guess sloppy Steve brought him in the White House quite a bit and it was one of those things. That’s why sloppy Steve is now looking for a job,”

The talk about Trump’s mental fitness for office has increased in recent months on cable news and political shows and even among Democrats in Congress. But on the other hand, Trump’s supporters call all these accusations just a publicity stunt and “something to get famous for”. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders this week called such propositions “disgraceful and laughable.”

“If he was unfit, he probably wouldn’t be sitting there and wouldn’t have defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen,” she said, calling him “an incredibly strong and good leader,” she said.
Implementation of linear regression from scratch in python
By: Akshay Patel
Tags: Linear Regression Python, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Python Programming, Python3

Regression is probably the first machine learning algorithm you learnt when you first step into the realm of machine learning because of its simplicity and effectiveness it forms the basis for more advanced machine learning algorithms (including neural networks and recommendation algorithms), and is relatively easy to understand.

Regression is a statistical measure that takes a group of random variables and determines a mathematical relationship between them. Expressed differently, regression calculates numerous variables to predict an outcome or score.
Controversial CEO Pride Parade Triggers Anger and Disgust
By: Gwen Saoirse
Tags: CEO, Satire, LGBTQ, Protest, News

Photo by Andrea Bertozzini on Unsplash

Controversial CEO Pride Parade Triggers Anger and Disgust

Corporate Drones Feel Torn: To Kiss Ass or Fight?

As preparations for the CEO Pride Parade in New York continue, tensions in the city, widely considered the economic capital of the world, continue to flare. Parade organizers have refused to back down from their demands for permit approval, despite widespread outcry from the low and middle-class citizenry around the country.

“We’re tired of hiding behind our bulletproof tinted S-Class windows; of being forced to hunker in our executive retreats in the South of France. As a group of mostly male and white human beings, we demand our freedom to express ourselves. We demand that our humanity be recognized!” states John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. “That a wealthy, vigorous, and handsome individual such as myself should be forced to speak his truth anonymously on internet forums is reprehensible. This is 2019 for God’s sake!”

“We can’t let hostility towards the elite spill over into our daily discourse,” offers Tony Hayward, CEO of Glencore and former CEO of BP. “I’m a Brit. I can take it, but I would like my life back. No one wants this parade more than I do, and there’s no one that wants it to be over as much as me. What the hell did we do to deserve this, anyway?”

“This parade is just another example of CEO’s across this country doing God’s work. Not a single one of us is getting paid for organizing this event, yet we invite the American people to join us in this celebration of capitalism’s success,” says Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs. “In fact, in reaching across the vast chasm of inequality between our kind and yours, we invite folks to apply as parade volunteers. As you gaze longingly upon us in jealously and wonder, you can help serve hotdogs and soda to others. As the blue-collar CEO of a large multinational corporate bank, I can tell you that kind of civil service looks great on a resume!”

Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki says that the CEO Pride Parade is not intended to make normal people feel bad about themselves, “That was not our intention at all. We’re really sorry about that.” She proffers that CEO Pride, much like the Straight Pride Events being held in cities like Boston and Modesto, is simply an effort to spur dialogue in a healthy manner.

Photo by Les Anderson on Unsplash

“I’m really looking forward to this and I appreciate my boss allowing me the privilege to organize, plan, and execute this entire event!” — Mary Dunperdine, Executive Administrative Assistant.

Photo by Midas Hofstra on Unsplash

“What does CEO stand for, anyway? Competitive Eating Opportunity? I’m there!” — Ivan Reynolds, Scullery Maid.

Photo by David Hurley on Unsplash

“We will not stand idly by and while these corporate mob bosses continue to corrupt and extort our democracy!” — Angela Burchoff, Cupcake Baker and part-time Antifa.
New advisors supporting DomRaider ICO
By: Domraider Team
Tags: Advisor, ICO, Blockchain, Initial Coin Offering, Domraider

A couple of weeks ago we communicated on the fact that DomRaider ICO was supported by 17 advisors. Today we are proud to announce that great people are joining our ranks as advisors and we count now 21 talented and expert advisors. Let us introduce to them:

Jean-Jacques Quisquater: Cryptography expert.

He was responsible (at least at the scientific level) of many projects related to smart cards, to secure protocols for communications, digital signatures, payTV, protection of copyrights and security tools for electronic commerce.

Brian Hoffman: CEO at OB1

Brian is currently the project maintainer for his newsest venture, OpenBazaar and the CEO at OB1.

David Peyronnin: Business Blockchain Consultant.

He is a technologist with over 20 years of experience. He got involvzed in the blockchain spacer in 2013 and has been advising corporates and startups ever since.

Christophe Ozcan: Blockchain entrepeneur

Christophe is an experienced advisor and entrepreneur on BlockChain Ecosystem. He is an active participant of BlockChain community by promoting the technology throught his intervention and he is CEO of Crypto4All.

David Teruzzi: Expert Blockchain

Consultant and software developer with 15 years’ experience in finding and building maths based high-tech solutions for industry and services. He works closely with DomRaider team to develop the Smart Contract

Diego Perez: Attorney, Cyber and Tech Law Expert

Diego has a broad experience on cyber and tech law and strong background on international arbitration and litigations related to intellectual property protection and domain names dispute. DIego is also a member of the Blockchain Hub Community.
Read: Federal judge pounds fossil fuel industry
By: Sheldon Whitehouse
Tags: Climate Change

Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash

“Defendants in this case, … together have extracted, advertised, and sold a substantial percentage of the fossil fuels burned globally since the 1960s. This activity has released an immense amount of greenhouse gas into the Earth’s atmosphere, changing its climate and leading to all kinds of displacement, death (extinctions, even), and destruction. What is more, Defendants understood the consequences of their activity decades ago, when transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy would have saved a world of trouble. But instead of sounding the alarm, Defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus and further delay changes — however existentially necessary — that would in any way interfere with their multi-billion-dollar profits. All while quietly readying their capital for the coming fallout.”
What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough
By: Opher Ganel
Tags: Work, Finance, Financial Strategy, Money, Budget

As I’ve written elsewhere, I didn’t come from wealth.

In fact, when I graduated with my PhD, I came to the US with a negative net worth, and had to support a family of 4 on just $31k.

That’s why Ramen noodles were frequently served as dinner at our house. And I’m not talking the fancy kind you find at a nice Japanese restaurant. I’m talking about the $0.20 supermarket packets.

Back then, budgeting became a near-obsessive art-form.

Each month, I’d pore over our accounts and our budget, figuring out how to make ends meet. How to cover our needs, and have a bit left over for wants.

We’ve come a long way since then, but it taught me a lot.

I came up with 5 lessons from that time, along with 7 budgeting mistakes many people make that you need to avoid if you want to reach your financial goals, and what to do instead.

Read it here.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
민주주의를 개발한다는 빠띠, 정체가 뭔가요?
Tags: Parti People, Parti History

in Both Sides of the Table
New Year’s Resolutions Are a Dish Best Kept Cold
By: Jeremy Helligar
Tags: New Years Resolutions, Goals, New Year, Self Improvement, Self

New Year’s Resolutions Are a Dish Best Kept Cold

The key to smashing goals is to forget you even set them.

I prefer not to make promises to myself I can’t keep or weigh down my consciousness with great expectations. That’s why, if I bother to make New Year’s resolutions, I don’t put too much pressure on keeping them right away. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and sometimes it takes more than a year to change your life.

Maybe we sabotage our own good intentions. It’s fine to strengthen our resolve to live better — whether it’s by quitting drinking, not eating junk food, or to going back to the gym—but once it becomes a thing, a so-called resolution, it’s often as good as not done. After years of disappointing myself, I’ve learned that some of the best and most fulfilling changes are the ones you don’t even realize you’re making.

It’s a bit like writing. The articles that come easiest to me and the ones I’m often ultimately most proud of are the ones that come to me when I’m not “writing” but doing something else entirely: running, cleaning, showering, or just waking up. There’s no greater guarantee of writer’s block than sitting down at the laptop without inspiration but determined to write anyway.

Yesterday I came across a list of New Year’s resolutions/goals I made five years ago, at the end of 2015 (“16 for 2016”) for the first time since I made them. Surprised as I was by how dramatically my self-improvement priorities have shifted, I was more surprised that my life at the end of 2020 is more like I wanted it to be at the end of 2016 at the end of 2015 than how it ended up being at the end of 2016.

I’m glad I didn’t revisit my 2016 New Year’s resolutions/goals until now because I probably would have felt like a certain loser at the end of that first year. All but one of my dreams had gone unfulfilled by December 31, 2016. (During my final two years living in Australia, I made it to Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, and, for New Year’s Eve 2016, Hobart, Tasmania.) Looking back at the list now, though, I feel like a definite winner.

In 2019, by reuniting with and marrying the love of my life — whom I met on holiday in Australia in 2010, dated on-off for several yeas, and lost contact with for six — I would directly, inadvertently, and very belatedly accomplish numbers 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 15 on the list below. This year, I finally made it into the The New York Times, too. And I did it all my way … by barely trying.

My husband had nothing to with my accomplishing number 16, which I did in 2018 while hanging out with a young Romanian photographer in Bucharest. Fun fact: That impromptu shoot gave me the photo at the top of this post as well as the fully clothed ones that serve as my Medium and LinkedIn profile pics.

Anyway, here’s my list of 2016 goals. The day I first wrote them down, I included a note to myself: If these 16 goals for 2016 don’t come true, well, there’s always the year after next year. I’m glad I listened, even if I didn’t realize it until now.
If I Could Turn Back Time…
By: Diane Lee
Tags: Time, Regret, Time Travel, Life Lessons, Self

If I could turn back time…

I would tell the bubbly girl who rescued animals and whose smile lit up a room not to ride her bike to work that morning. Maybe then she would have made it, instead of being hit by a car whose driver couldn’t see her in the morning fog. I would tell the other bubbly girl who I hadn’t seen for thirty years to wait for her Uber after the wedding reception, or call another one, and not walk along the poorly lit highway at night. Maybe then, she too, would have made it home.
Digital Marketing News: Twitter Video Ads, Livestreaming Rise, RIP Eric Ward
Tags: Streaming Media, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Twitter

Author: Lee Odden / Source: Online Marketing Blog — TopRank®

The Rise of Livestreaming: Why People Watch, and How Brands Can Benefit [Infographic]. Facebook users comment 10 times more on live videos than on regular videos. Find out what people are watching, what their preferences and behaviors are in this infographic from Koeppel Direct. MarketingProfs

The four habits of successful data-driven marketers. Econsultancy invited marketing experts to discuss what they do, the problems they face, and how they overcome obstacles which revealed 4 keys to data-driven marketing success from data management, to testing hypothesis and proper attribution models. Econsultancy

Twitter introduces a new video-centric ad format. The Video Website Card starts out as an auto-playing video with a customizable headline, which then opens up to a larger video and website preview, and ultimately directs viewers to the advertiser’s chosen website when they tap on it. Will this format take off? TechCrunch

Facebook Live cuts out the middle man, adds its own screen-sharing feature. Now this seems like a great feature for educational content. Facebook has added an option to share your screen directly on Facebook Live, eliminating the need for other software for many users. TheNextWeb

Click here to read more
Meet the New Caucus, Same as the Old Caucus
By: Lance R. Fletcher
Tags: Campaign, Democracy, Elections, Politics, Voting

There’s only a few days left until the Nevada caucus, and surprise(!), the biggest fear is a tech meltdown.

If you missed out on the still-ongoing mess surrounding the Iowa caucuses, don’t worry. We may be getting a sequel, hopefully without Pete Buttigieg announcing victory before the results are in (but that’s none of my business, though).

Happening on February 22nd (with early caucusing ongoing as we speak), they’re dropping the Shadow app (itself deep under scrutiny right now) in favor of iPads and Google Forms. Yep. Our democracy is being entrusted to Google. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc. has donated pretty evenly to candidate campaigns, with Warren getting the most of their funds (Sanders and Buttigieg coming in behind her).

This, at least, is somewhat different from Buttigieg paying in to Shadow’s developers.
Face to Face
By: Harley King
Tags: Poetry, Love, Spiritual Tree, Relationships, Spirituality

Face to Face

A Spiritual Poem

Canva-Photo by pixel

I step into

the healing waters

of your love

and come face

to face with

myself. I dream

of the power you

have to change my

world in an instant.

We each must

walk naked and

alone into the heart

of the pain and

learn to touch

our souls with hope.

I dip my head

under the gentle

water and feel

my suffering vanish

before my eyes.
New Changes At PULP HQ! Broken Penises! We Love Drugz! The Crisis of Motherhood!
By: July Westhale
Tags: Motherhood, Pulp It Like Its Hot, The Pulpit Presents, Sexuality

Dear pulpitxs,

I keep starting my emails to people with “I hope you’re well!”, then deleting it. Obviously no one is well right now. But what is the best way to start an email with? “I worry for us all” is a little too intimate to email my accountant, and a little too maudlin to say to my already-worried friends.

I’ll settle for “dear”.

This newsletter comes with some scary and future-ly exciting news. Like many businesses and favorites during the pandemic, PULP is about to lose its funding. Due to the impending recession, Medium has decided not to renew our contract, which means we will be fending for ourselves come end of June (to be fair, they’re not really renewing very many contracts. GAY Mag also got the boot — we’re in great company).

However, the esteemed Katie Tandy and I have decided to try to forge on and launch PULP 2.0, the news of which will be coming to your inbox very soon! This includes a mid-May Kickstarter launch with some really fucking great donation-incentives, so be on the lookout!

In the meantime, we’re forging on with the brave, brilliant voices that make PULP great.

Forever yours,

July (+ Katie)

What We Love About ‘Drugz’: An Interview With Rapper Vbae, by July Westhale

“Music for me was always an ‘out’ from wherever I was at. I always knew that if there was nobody I could talk to, I could just write.”

The Crisis Of American Motherhood: Reading Sarah Menkedick’s New Book “Ordinary Insanity”, by Colleen Rothman

“Postpartum depression is the sensationalist news story, the rare absurdity that afflicts a woman unlike me, a woman unhinged and reckless and unstable. It is distant and pitiable, on the far fringes of society.”

PULP It Like It’s Hot: That Time I Broke My Boyfriend’s Penis Off, by Maggie Hubbard

“Now, upon hearing the pop that my boyfriend’s penis had made, I was reminded of this very particular cinematic moment as I found myself covered face to vagina in what I could only identify as spurting blood.

I was shocked. Frozen in fear and slick with his obvious death.”

The Pulpit Presents: The Glass Ceiling. by July Westhale

This week’s playlist is about getting — and keeping — you hyped.
마켓 리서치:미국의 STO에 대한 규제및 법안
By: Mike Mu
Tags: Sto, Security, Cryptocurrency, 한국어, Security Token

We are a consultancy group focused on creating a healthy Blockchain ecosystem and assisting projects to reach their full potential

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Como desaparecer los < hr />
By: Federico Bozo
Tags: CSS, Código

in Both Sides of the Table