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Brands that Have Experienced Cancel Culture & How to Avoid Joining Them
Cat Hunter 6/9/21 10:05 AM
When it comes to cancel culture, the court of public opinion still reigns supreme. With the rise of social media (and our increasing expectation for businesses and service providers to reflect the values that we hold dear), brands have never been under more scrutiny to do, say and sell the right thing.
What exactly is meant by a brand being "cancelled." An offshoot of the call-out culture that spread with the rise of movements such as the #MeToo campaign, the phrase "to be cancelled" refers to the brand or person in question being entirely boycotted and ostracized, with all public support being withdrawn.
Typically (and somewhat ironically), a good deal of social media attention tends to accompany a brand experiencing cancellation. Hashtags involving the brand name and a demand for them to be cancelled will commonly crop up, and this is often how campaigns encouraging their boycott will be spread.
Of course, it's rare for a brand to fail following cancellation truly, but these situations still require careful navigation and a well-thought-through response. In this article, we'll explore a few of the brands who've come through this form of crisis; look at a few of the ways you can respond if your own brand experiences a backlash of this nature. Most importantly, we'll set out a few ways to help avoid the problem altogether.
Brands that have experienced cancel culture
Cancel culture is starting to experience something of a backlash. Even former US President, Barack Obama, has come out against the social trend in a speech given in support of the Obama Foundation –
"That is not activism, that is not bringing about change. The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws."
But even with the tide starting to turn, plenty of brands have still experienced this form of backlash in recent years.
Commonly, a cancellation will accompany an accusation of hypocrisy. With cause marketing forming such a core component of many modern brands' promotional strategies, the public are swift to pick up upon a mismatch in terms of messaging here.
In the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, many brands were eager to position themselves as allies, with campaigns built around their commitment to racial equality. However, this backfired for many, including Urban Outfitters, who were immediately called out on their problematic past associations with cultural appropriation.
Also, many past employees of companies continue to speak out on discriminatory or racist experiences they had while working at certain companies. In 2020, Reformation came under fire, and promised to make change in their organization after acknowledging their wrongdoings.
Another common cause for cancellation are the actions of a keyboard member or stakeholder. In 2011, GoDaddy's founder Bob Parsons, videotaped himself shooting an African elephant and posing with its body. The public outcry was instant, and his unapologetic stance, coupled with the company's hugely unpopular support for the Stop Online Piracy Act, saw the hosting company lose 70,000 domains in a single week. Bob Parsons stepped down from the board in 2018.
Brands that fail to adapt their branding to meet modern standards can also come up against big problems. Many businesses that have benefited from tired and insensitive stereotypes, either for their naming or representation, have had to rethink how they position their offering to an increasingly enlightened, modern audience. In the USA, a famous syrup brand, Aunt Jemima's, was "cancelled" - swiftly followed by its partner in crime, Mrs. Butterworth's pancake mix.
What to do if your brand is "Cancelled"
If you find your brand at the heart of a "cancel culture" type campaign, you need to turn to a crisis PR strategy. Transparency and humility are your best hope for survival regarding the messaging you put out in response.
Address the accusations head-on. If you feel that you have misstepped and that an apology is appropriate, make it honest and unequivocal. Couple this apology with some tangible change or action. It's imperative that this isn't seen as a token gesture, put out to appease the baying mob. A single advertisement campaign centered around the issue will only make matters worse if it's followed by more problematic content that lapses back into the behaviours you've been called out for.
Show how you're making bigger, more systemic or operational changes to ensure the wrong is righted (and more importantly, that it won't happen again.) You don't need to see cancellation as the end of your brand, but you should take it as a wake-up call.
How to avoid your brand being cancelled
The good news is the chances of your brand "being cancelled" are reducing. Cancel culture sparked by moral outrage is starting to fall out of favour. People would rather see a brand acknowledge its failings and put things right. Lessons learnt, it would seem, are more valuable than the message that a brand is instantly going out of business.
However, there are other ways that a brand can fall foul of their audience, and you may find the public to be much less forgiving or flexible in their reaction in these cases.
When it comes to the administrative responsibilities that a brand is perceived to hold, things are usually much more clear-cut. Let customers down by failing to protect them from an issue that was entirely predictable and preventable, and you'll have a very thorny problem on your hands.
Issues arising from mishandling data – be this related to payments or personal information - are a cardinal sin to the modern-day consumer. Get this wrong, and retribution can be swift, with the message of mistrust spreading rapidly.
To avoid problems arising around data privacy (and build the trust your audience feels in your brand from the outset), a clear, transparent data policy is the best course of action. Taking this preemptive measure to put the power of privacy into your customers' hands means more transparency and a significantly reduced risk of accusations arising or snowballing into something bigger.
Enzuzo's data privacy platform automatically keeps your brand compliant with all new legislation and enables you to manage all of your GDPR and CCPA data subject access requests from one simple dashboard – leaving you plenty of time to make sure your latest advertising campaign is going to be right on the money when it comes to gauging the public's ever-evolving sensibilities!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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DAZN LIVE Results: Jason Quigley, George Rincon Pick Up Wins
By Jake Donovan
Published Thu Dec 05, 2019, 09:06 PM EST
Yves Ulysse Jr. and Ismael Barroso meet at the crossroads to determine who will go on to fight for a major title at some point in 2020.
Their scheduled 12-round junior welterweight bout tops a seven-fight card streaming live from The OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, California (Thursday, DAZN, 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT).
Canada's Ulysse Jr. (18-1, 9KOs) aims for his fifth straight win, while Venezuela's Barroso (21-3-2, 20KOs) looks to regain his old form which once led to an interim lightweight title.
Also on the show, unbeaten prospect D'Mitrius Ballard (20-0, 13KOs) faces 2012. Olympic Bronze medalist Yamaguchi Falcao (16-1, 7KOs) in a pivotal 10-round middleweight contest.
Mihai Nistor enjoyed a successful pro debut, scoring a 3rd round knockout of Mexico's Christian Mariscal.
The DAZN-opening contest saw Nistor—a former amateur standout who represented Romania in the 2016 Rio Olympics—was given a quick introduction to the pro ranks, as Mariscal (13-5, 6KOs) immediately took the fight to his foe, even if largely ineffective. Mariscal resorted to low blows when clean punching wasn't working, at least providing Nistor with early fits and making him work for his first win.
Nistor eventually settled in, his own power shots quickly taking over the fight. The bout ended in a hurry when a left hand forced the fleshy Mariscal to the canvas. It was enough to produce the end of the fight, which came at 2:00 of round three.
The 29-year old Nistor owns a stoppage win over former unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua in the amateurs, a storyline that figures to be shared often during his rise through the ranks.
George Rincon capped his 2019 campaign with his fourth knockout in as many fights on the year. The latest saw the Dallas native go deeper than has been required at any point in his young career before dusting off Antonio Flores in the 5th round of their junior welterweight clash.
Action was spirited early on, with Rincon establishing his left hand on the inside but the southpaw also forced to take a few more shots than necessary—or expected—as Flores (8-2, 2KOs) proved game.
The tide turned in round three, as Rincon did a better job of punishing the Colorado-based Mexican without absorbing return fire. The trend carried all the way through the early moments of round five, before referee Ray Corona waved off the bout at 0:34 of round five.
Rincon advances to 9-0 (6KOs), fighting past round four for the first time in his career but having now scored four consecutive knockout wins.
Irish middleweight Jason Quigley made the most of his fresh start with a new team, enjoying a one-sided 3rd round stoppage of Mexico's Abraham Cordero.
Quigley was fighting for the first time since a shocking 9th round knockout at the hands of Tureano Johnson this past July. The 28-year old from Ireland—who now lives and trains in Woodland Hills, California—decided to make sweeping changes among his team, particularly in his corner where he now trains under the watchful eye of former middleweight titlist and Kronk disciple Andy Lee.
The pairing proved immediately successful, with Quigley boxing smartly in the early going and remaining mindful of the incoming. Cordero (13-5-2, 7KOs) did his best to force a slugfest, but proved too crude to disrupt the conscious rhythm of Quigley, who alternated between boxing and digging in on the inside.
A boxing match drastically transitioned into a one-way fight in round three, when Quigley saw an opening he could exploit. Cordero was forced to pay the price, as he was trapped along the ropes and absorbing punishment until referee Thomas Taylor decided he was done for the night.
The official time was 1:36 of round three.
Quigley improves to 17-1 (13KOs) with the win.
Baby-faced welterweight Aaron McKenna (10-0, 6KOs) celebrated his two-year anniversary in the pro ranks with his fourth win of 2019. The latest came in a 2nd round knockout of Mexico's Victor Eddy Gaytan (6-5, 3KOs).
The 20-year old prospect continues to grow comfortable in his 6'1" frame, keeping the shorter Gaytan at bay and well within his desired punching range for much of the evening.
The bout took a drastic turn for the worse late in round two, when McKenna—a promising welterweight prospect from Ireland who now lives and trains in Los Angeles—found a sweet spot, gaining maximum leverage on a body shot to put Gaytan on the canvas. The 27-year old Mexican never made it to his feet as referee Rudy Barragan counted hin out at 1:58 of round two.
Opening the livestream—with the preliminary action streaming live on Golden Boy's Facebook page—Rianna Rios earned a four-round decision over Washington's Elizabeth Tuani in a battle of bantamweight debutantes. Scores were 40-36 across the board for Rios (1-0, 0KOs), a 25-year old southpaw from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Golden Boy Promotions
D'Mitrius Ballard
Yamaguchi Falcao
Ismael Barroso
Yves Ulysse Jr.
Aaron McKenna
Mihai Nistor
George Rincon


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Choice adds new lender to its panel
Reporter 06:45 AM, 26 Mar 2018 5 minute read
Choice Aggregation Services has announced that it has added a non-bank lender to its panel.
Stephen Moore, chief executive officer of Choice, said that he was pleased to welcome Australia's largest non-bank lender, Firstmac, to its panel.
"Providing our members and their customers with a wide range of lending options is a key priority for us as an aggregator," the CEO said.
"The addition of Firstmac to Choice's lending panel will further strengthen the wide range of lending solutions already available via our network."
Mr Moore added that the aggregation company "took a serious approach" to selecting high-quality lenders for its panel, adding that he believes that Firstmac "certainly demonstrate[s] a strong track record in delivering housing finance to Australians".
"With close to 40 years' experience in writing home loans, and a service-oriented support team, Firstmac will be welcomed warmly by Choice brokers," the executive said.
Firstmac's head of third-party sales, Jake Sanders, said: "We are excited to be broadening access to our lending solutions via one of the industry's most established broker networks.
"As a non-bank lender, Firstmac offers customers flexibility and a viable alternative to the major banks.
"Our team of office and field BDMs are looking forward to working closely with Choice's network of brokers to provide solutions to their customers."
Firstmac manages approximately $9 billion in mortgages and $250 million in cash investments.
[Related: 1 in 4 Choice brokers writing commercial]
Last Updated: 03 April 2018 Published: 26 March 2018


Tim Bray is speaking out against the WS-Insanity. The idea, like in parliament, is to oppose, but be loyal by not leading a mob with pitchforks, and standing ready to provide an alternative. I like that idea, and might even put my pitchfork and torch away for a while to see how this goes.
I Still Don't Buy It No matter how hard I try, I still think the WS-* stack is bloated, opaque, and insanely complex. I think it's going to be hard to understand, hard to implement, hard to interoperate, and hard to secure.
So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to stay out of the way and watch the WS-visionaries and WS-dreamers and WS-evangelists go ahead and WS-build their WS-future. Because I've been wrong before, and maybe they'll come up with something that WS-works and people want to WS-use. And if they do that, I'll stand up and say "I was WS-wrong."
Is the stack hard to understand, implement and interoperate? Here's an article that explains the specs, but again, if you don't understand all the specs, don't worry about it. Tools are being created by people everywhere to make it so you can just indicate the capabilities you need and the rest will be done for you.
Yes, the tools will save you! Oooh, been there, done that. Rememeber?
Try to guess the author of those words and the technology they're talking about before clicking through.


Make sure the next Reading Group Meeting is on your calendars for Sunday, July 12. The meeting starts at 1 pm. Pat Fulbright will lead the meeting, and members will share their letters written to the character of their choice.
Get those pens out and be creative!
Registration for 2015 AGM is now open!
or whenever the conference is full, whichever comes first. Visit http://jasna.org/agms/louisville/registration.html to register online and to review the 2015 AGM registration brochure as a PDF.
Members who have joined the JASNA Email List receive notifications of AGM registration and conference updates.
IMPORTANT: Even if you told JASNA not to mail you a paper registration brochure, you must also proactively join the JASNA Email List if you want to receive alerts about the conference. Please contact e-communications@ jasna.org for simple directions on how to join the JASNA Email List if you aren't a subscriber yet.


The evolution to which our world is constantly exposed to got to the point where it easily surpasses our level of understanding. The only way of survival in the social life of the 21st century is accommodation. It was imperative some thousand-million years ago to adapt to rudimental practices of survival, but now it is imperative to adapt to social practices without which we cannot survive in our times.
Homo novus is the human of the future, the one which synchronizes with the technological, scientific, social, politic exodus of its times. Synchronization doesn't necessarily represent the understanding and taking of action – in the end, in the spirit of its own powers to adapt, in each era the human strived to understand and to take action in the most efficient ways, in order to solve the problems of the present.
The human of the 21st century looks for more than here and now, it strives to answer to the 'who?', 'what?', 'why?' and understands that our world is so interconnected that a mogul from the US can endanger a village on the coast of the Philippines, that Muslim women have a lot in common with the Chinese women, that you can read a book of an Arab author and find yourself in his words, even if you're a Belarusian lumber. This level of understanding represents more than information.
It's not enough to read about the fact a certain government fell, it's important to truly receive the news. I dare to say that it has to be taken into consideration the educational side of information with which we interact. Without doubt, a lot of the things that we do daily are to take advantage of the things at hand; considering that we live in an era when the things on physical level are diminished in order to make space for other modern functions, we want to find ourselves most often in the area where we can express ourselves, explore, and think freely.
We can do that on PoliticALL. Besides the fact that it is an objective and informative space, it has an individual dimension. PoliticALL offers to oneself commented information from the fields of history, society, art, science exactly for the reason of answering to as many questions about our world and their world; about the past and the future. It is a syllogistic matter to understand the contribution brought to the new forms of informal education – formation through information. One who is informed and a click-distance from the facts and foundation of a news which he is reading in that precise moment.
PoliticALL is a special website which strives to achieve an encyclopaedical profile, having at its base the fact that no matter the particular elements of the public sphere, the political influences the entire life of one person.


This appropriately titled collaboration between guitarist Carl Weingarten and improvisational pianist Catherine Marie Charlton is at once expressive, transcendent, and organic, bringing together the best of both artists in a complimentary, ambient and subtly dreamlike experience. Charlton, with close to ten releases of improvisational piano in her solo catalog, performs exclusively on a Steinway B acoustic here, punctuating bursts of melodic richness with spacious studio ambience, often vaguely hinting of classical impressionist and jazz elements, but folding those influences into something she can call her own. Weingarten has literally dozens of releases, probably even more if one counts the collaborations with other artists and early endeavors with his band Delay Tactics. While he is a master of ambient electric guitar stylings, enhanced by looping and eBow techniques, here he has masterfully cast his style into a sea of acoustic studio ambience to match the sonic environment of Charlton's piano, carefully enveloping and caressing her notes with a warm blanket of processed electric guitar. At other times, it's Weingarten who is in the driver's seat with Charlton's piano power strengthening the structures and bottom end. And speaking of bottom end, Michael Manring provides superb fretless bass accompaniment on two of the album's eight tracks. Clearly this is something new for Charlon and Weingarten that marks a foray into new sonic territory for both.


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Peruvian mummy at least 800 years old found by archeologists in Lima
Researchers from the National University of San Marcos found the preserved body underground in the middle of a town square at the archeological site of Cajamarquilla, around 25 kilometers inland from Lima.
The mummy was tied with ropes and with its hands covering its face, in what researchers say is a southern Peruvian funeral custom. The age of the mummy means it dates back to pre-Hispanic times, and even precedes the Inca civilization who established Peru's best-known citadel of Machu Picchu in the 15th century.
"The discovery of this resident sheds a new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times," said Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the archeologists who led the excavation.
He told CNN the mummy was most likely a young man between 25 and 30 years old who had come from the mountains to Cajamarquilla, formerly a bustling commercial center in the pre-Columbian era….
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A good, fully stocked toolbox should always contain more than just five tools. That's a rule that can't be overlooked. A toolbox with five or less tools can never be a complete toolbox, and it will leave you wanting for the tool you need too many times.
However, just as every toolbox needs to have more than five tools, there are roughly five tools that simply have to be included in every toolbox. These are the essential tools that every versatile toolset, like the one made by Wilson & Miller, must contain, because without them you wouldn't be able to do even the basic DIY stuff around the house.
And not any hammer, for that matter, but a claw hammer. The claw hammer is used to, as it name says, hammer nails into surfaces by using one of its sides, or to remove the nails from a surface by using the other side. When buying a hammer, it's important to keep in mind the work you'll need it for. Small hammers are used for hammering small nails, and the bigger the nail, the bigger the hammer needed for it. An average hammer should weigh around one pound, and have a 16-inch long handle. Make sure that it fits your hand nicely, and that you're able to maintain a firm grip while swinging it, because you don't want the hammer flying out of your hand while you're trying to hammer a nail.
There's no such thing as a universal screwdriver. They come in different sizes, and in two very different types – flathead and Philips head. When looking for those, you want to look for a set which contains both flathead and Philips head screwdrivers in a range of sizes. Alternatively, you can get two separate sets, one with flathead screwdrivers and one with Philips head screwdrivers. If you can get only one set with only one type of screwdrivers, aim for flathead, because they can be used with Philips head screws, although they will cause uneven wear of the head of the screw eventually. The important thing is that a toolbox without tools to handle screws is not a very good toolbox, so make sure yours has some screwdrivers.
An adjustable wrench is the best thing you can have in your toolbox if it doesn't already have a full set of wrenches. And if it would have a full set of wrenches, you'd still need an adjustable one. No fastener head, be it a bolt or a nut, no matter what size it might be, can resist being loosened or tightened with a crescent wrench. Plus, because it's a tool that performs a function of many tools of different sizes, a crescent wrench is very practical – it can save space in your toolbox, and it can be worn on a tool belt.
There's more type of pliers than just one. Pliers are a gripping tool, although some come with a section that can be used for cutting. Because they are usually serrated, whatever you use the pliers with will be damaged if not properly protected. Just how fine of a thing you need to grip with the pliers will determine what type of plier you need. If you plan to work with electronics, you'll need the needle-nose pliers. If you want something that will be able to grip plumbing pipes, you can use water-pump pliers. If you want the most versatile option, you should go with linesman's pliers, which can both grip and cut.
Because drilling by hand can be tiring and very time consuming, an electric drill should be a part of every toolbox. It doesn't have to be a big power drill if you don't plan to do some heavy construction work or drill through concrete walls, but it has to have enough power to be useful around the house. The best thing about electric drills is that they come with many different attachments, called bits, so they can be used instead of screwdrivers in certain circumstances, they can sand and grind materials, or even be used for stirring paint. They come in cordless and corded varieties, with the former being more expensive and portable, and the latter being less expensive and cheaper to maintain.


Troy City Council recently recognized the Troy Garden Club for their hard work and dedication in beautifying the Troy community and for its tradition of promoting civic beauty. They also thanked Telly's Greenhouse & Garden Center Owner George Papadelis for donating all the greens, bulbs, and flowers for this year's Troy Library entranceway garden.
The Troy Garden Club was established in 1971 to provide an opportunity for members to learn better horticulture practices, promote civic beauty, and conserve natural resources. The Troy Garden Club was open to people interested in gardening and those wanting to share their knowledge and experience with others.
Since 1974, Troy Garden Club has beautified many City facilities including City Hall, Troy Public Library, and the Troy Historic Village. The Historic Village's first Herb Garden was planted in 1974 next to the Caswell House. Troy Garden Club members have volunteered as hostesses serving refreshments at the annual Troy Historic Village's Christmas event each December since the 1980's and have also decorated the entire Village for this event since the 1990's.
This year, The Troy Garden Club members planted evergreens, petunias, marigolds, daffodil bulbs, purple fountain grass, and purple leaf canna in the spring, and added a scarecrow this fall in front of the Troy Public Library transforming the entranceway into a breath-taking and delightful sight for visitors.


You have a... what... in your office?
We pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box, and doing things just a little bit differently than the norm. We try new things with our listings to make buyers, sellers and agents lives easier. What many people may not know is that our office is a little bit unconventional. We say this because we have yet to come upon another office that has a bar in it.
Yes, a bar. A full bar. Stocked with local craft beer on tap (this month was River Rat) in the kegerator, white and red wine, and even some additional spirits.
You may be wondering why on earth we have a bar in the office. To answer your question: Yes, real estate really is that difficult. Just kidding! No, the reason that we have the bar in our office is for a couple of simple reasons.
1. It provides a gathering place for our agents: One thing that we have found to be uncommon within the real estate industry is a sense of community within offices. A good number of the folks on our team have worked at another brokerage before, almost all of them in fact, and have said that other brokerages have a very 'dog-eat-dog' feel to them. Every agent is fighting and competing against one another, and they don't focus on getting to know other agents in their office. That can be quite isolating, especially for agents who are newer to the business. We have found that by having the bar in the office, our agents, and supporting team members can all gather together and have a drink once the work day is over.
2. It provides a space for brainstorming: How many times have you heard of a new business formed over drinks after work? Some of the best new technologies were probably thought up at a bar. It's a great space to get together and just throw out ideas. Some stick, some don't, and some provide a platform for solving problems that you didn't know existed.
3. It's a great place to celebrate a closing: As anyone who has been through a real estate transaction can tell you, there are certain situations where a transaction can get a bit nerve-wracking. Once the transaction is closed, having a cold draft beer can be a great way to celebrate making it through. It's great for all parties involved in the transaction; buyers, sellers and all of the agents.
While it might seem a bit unconventional, it's a great way to build community among our team and the clients that we work with on a regular basis. And, for those who'd prefer a non-alcoholic drink, we are always fully stocked on all of your favorite beverages from Coke to Coffee.


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THE SOUND PANTRY
THANK YOU, DR. QUIK
on April 25, 2020 September 18, 2020 By Abraham Beltran
How a covert mission back in 2002 may have saved the musical word from sadness.
(photo: The Greatest)
There's a moment near the end of the "Visualism" documentary about the life and sounds of DJ Quik where the filmmaker Devin DeHaven catches Dan Aykroyd outside of the House of Blues and Aykroyd has the following gem to share:
"We're here in the parking lot of the House of Blues listening to the funkdafied sounds of DJ…the MAN…DOCTOR Quik the MASTER. He has brought a great, great evening of rhythm and percussion to the House of Blues tonight. Any man who sees and knows that the roots of all of it is in James Brown–HE understands that–is welcome…in the House of Blues."
Now granted, it's safe to say that Mr. House of Blues himself (Aykroyd co-founded the chain of venues back in 1992) had been sipping a little something prior to them pressing the "record" button here, but you'd be foolish to the let his slightly-inebriated state lessen the importance of his message:
THE MAN BORN INTO THIS WORLD AS DAVID MARVIN BLAKE AND BETTER KNOWN TO MOST AS "DJ QUIK" IS A DOCTOR, MASTER, AND AN ABSOLUTE WIZARD WHEN IT COMES TO THIS MUSIC SHIT.
I'm sorry to get so worked up so damn early here but it has to be said.
THERE IS NO ONE TOUCHING THE QUIKSTA. NO ONE.
Now let me build a bit of context here. 100% of the reason why I started this site in the first place was to write about the music and food that matters to me, and Quik is at the top of that list for me (right next to pizza).
Having said that, I'm not here today to give you my magnum opus on the man, and to be fair I think that attempting to do so at any point would be extremely limiting. Quik has so many facets and so many little moments of wizardry throughout the course of his career as a producer, MC, and engineer that it's way more fun to write 1,000 essays on these 1,000 beautiful pieces of the puzzle as opposed to trying to cover it all from front to back in one shot. So that's what I'll be doing here via The Sound Pantry as the weeks and months roll along…but that's not what we're here for today.
No, today we are here to talk about my work back in 2002 as a covert operative.
You: A covert operative? Like…like a spy?
That's right. For a brief period of my life I served as a covert operative for a variety of unnamed organizations with the sole purpose of gathering intel on some of the most important moments in our musical history. What all were the missions that I was sent out on? What all were the tools and technology that they gave me to accomplish said missions? And most importantly, who was the mastermind behind this group of operatives that had been assembled?
That's classified.
However, I can share with you the details of the lone mission that leaked to the public and was eventually declassified as a result (with the exception of the 3,200 words of the final report that remain redacted to this day):
MISSION #327: THE RETIREMENT OF DJ QUIK
You know how sometimes you'll watch a military documentary or read the memoirs of special operative and end up learning about certain moments in history that—prior to your picking up that movie or book—you somehow knew nothing about?
This is one of those moments.
On September 21st, 2002 at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip–that same House of Blues outside of which Dan Aykroyd professed his love for the Quiksta–the multi-faceted musical magician commonly referred to as "The One-Man Band" announced at the end of an otherworldly 2-hour performance that he was hanging it up for good.
That was it. He was done. Or to quote him directly:
"Yo…on the real tip…I got something to say…I'm 32 years old and I can't be singing 'Sweet Black *****' all my life and especially now that I got a daughter…it's time for me to be David Blake again."
The crowd was stunned. He stepped further forward on the stage, looked like he was on the verge of tears, saluted his fans, slammed the microphone down on the stage (creating the nastiest feedback squeal as a result), and turned his back on both his crowd and his 11-year career of making musical magic.
The crowd began chanting "Quik! Quik! Quik!" for a solid 5 minutes, but it was no use. The man they had all come to see was gone into the wings of the backstage area–quite possibly for the last time ever–and I myself felt like a robot that just had his battery pack removed.
Remember that scene in Goodfellas where Tommy is going to get made, and Jimmy and Henry are in the diner so excited for him and for his big day, and then Jimmy goes to the payphone to check in on Tommy and in a terrible turn of events he finds out that Tommy didn't get made but instead he got whacked? And in an instant Jimmy's mood shifts from one of joy to one of utter hopelessness as he proceeds to beat the shit out of the phone booth like he's Ryu in a Street Fighter Bonus Round because he's so distraught?
That was me. I was Jimmy.
I didn't even know how to process this information. The man whose sound has been so interwoven into the fabric of these first 18 years of my life was saying that he would create no new music.
All I had was memories now.
I mean, shit, Quik's music was so cotdamn powerful that the ONE year I played basketball (8th grade…with my flattop haircut and my Tio-approved Nike Cross Trainers) we were at a tournament in Downey, warm-ups had just begun, the DJ started playing this song on the gym loudspeakers, my Pops looks at me from the stands and yells "MIJO!! ARE YOU HEARING THIS?!" (Pops ALWAYS stayed up on my music and knew the good stuff), and I went on this miraculous hot streak that had me standing beyond the arc and sinking what must have been like 15 three-point shots including an 8-in-a-row flurry that was unlike anything I had ever seen myself even do on the NERF hoop on the back of my bedroom door, much less on an actual court with a real basketball and a real 10-foot-high, regulation-sized hoop. In the interest of giving you the full picture let me also tell you that I was entirely drained by the end of this pre-game session, but it was all good as I would have plenty of time to rest during the game on the bench due to 1) my being built like Bobby Hill and 2) my having handles like Stanley in The Office most of the time with the exception of this lone flash of pre-game brilliance which I was convinced had left the entire gymnasium in awe.
This is the powerful effect that Quik's music has had on me my whole life.
In an instant I went from Ray Romano to Ray Allen for the greatest 4 minutes and 57 seconds of my basketball career, and it wasn't even during an actual game when it counted.
Now back to the moments immediately following this retirement bombshell being dropped.
I'm in the car on that long drive back from Hollywood (on a Friday night no less when the Sunset Strip cruisers were still out in full effect) all the way back to my family's apartment in Montebello. The drive took like an hour in real time, but in my memory that hour-long drive felt like it took six hours. Yes, I'm in shock, but I'm also aware that I have a mission to uphold, and so there I was trying to gather my thoughts before the debriefing that was set to take place the next morning with the home office. Maybe Quik was just going through something that night. Maybe he was just faded and said it in a motion of emotional confusion. Maybe he's dropping a new album soon and he's just trying to get the streets talking. I completed my report as soon as I got home, sent it in to the home office, got like 4 hours of sleep, woke up still in a haze, and jumped on a quick debrief call with my direct up-line before having the rest of my Sunday to myself.
I gave him every detail that I had, and before we closed the call I asked him if he could give me a heads-up just in case he happened to hear that what I saw wasn't real and that this retirement was a false alarm.
He very sheepishly and very briefly tried to sell me on the idea that he'd keep me in the loop.
I knew he wouldn't.
And nothing came.
No details.
No clarification from the home office.
I had taken this role as an operative knowing full well that I was entering into an often one-sided relationship where I was expected to gather information so that someone far away–in a room I never saw–could make sense of said information in the context of a bunch of other information and then proceed to do who-knows-what with these new insights. Such is the life of an operative. You know only the things that you need to know, and any other details that you were in the dark on were kept that way for a reason.
No problem. I know how this dance goes.
So I just chilled for two weeks and waited.
And then out of the blue I get a transmission from one of my buddies who rubs elbows with the higher-ups that apparently there was a leak from someone rather high up the food chain. Apparently someone knew someone who knew someone, and the details of my report somehow found their way to the front page of what was–at the time–a beacon of information within the hip-hop community.
That's right. HipHopDX.
There it was, sitting as the feature story smack dab at the top of their homepage. In some weird twist of fate I guess whoever leaked it had an agreement that the narrative would shift and the story would read that I had been working as an operative on behalf of HipHopDX rather than leaking who my real employer was at the time.
Smart move on their part.
And upon reading the feature, I gotta tell you that I felt a slight bit of relief. Only a fraction of the contents of my full report made their way into the article, and all the folks with whom I had worked in the lead-up to the mission somehow didn't have their names see the light of day within the article. But dammit, this was still bad. This leak was enough to let the general public now know that there were secret missions going on behind the scenes in the music world of which they blissfully knew nothing about.
How the hell had I been burned? Did one of the higher-ups sell me out in exchange for some other deal that had been made without my knowing? Was there another operative there at the venue that I hadn't noticed in my recon work upon arriving?
Who knows. And more importantly, who cares.
Oh you don't believe that my cover was blown? See the leak for yourself (and yes, my operative codename was "Big Poppa").
(photo: the headline that changed the course of my life)
Now this didn't necessarily mean that I had to stop my operative work. I could have easily adopted another identity if I wanted to. It's even easier than how you see them do it in the movies. But to keep it all the way real, I had already been growing tired of this life anyway.
In the context of what went down, I wasn't bummed that my identity had been revealed to the world.
My favorite musician on the planet was never going to make music again.
That was the real heartbreak here.
And with this feeling like my joy had been stolen, I decided to take a cue from Quik and hang it up myself.
No more covert ops work.
It just wasn't worth it. It was time for me to get out of the game. My higher-ups didn't care about the ensuing heartbreak that they knew would come from sending ME of all people to gather THIS intel. Nor did whoever pushed the button on that leak care about the career fallout that I would experience as a result of this story getting out.
Stop wasting your time on people who don't love you.
Maybe this was the realization that Quik had come to before he decided to call it quits. And in some weird twist of fate here I was being forced to come to terms with the same conclusion that he had arrived at.
It's been 18 years since I quietly slipped back into civilian life, and as you probably are aware DJ Quik did not actually retire on that Saturday evening 18 years ago. No, in fact, he has remained very much a presence in our lives and has continued to create gem after gem after gem in the almost two decades that have passed since he very nearly exited the game for good.
As I reflect and play back the events of that mission now with the added benefit of time and hindsight, I now truly believe that all the events surrounding that night went down exactly as they were supposed to go down.
Maybe I was truly sent there to document the emotional exhaustion of a man who had given so much to the world and yet was heartbroken by the amount of reciprocal praise and adulation that he felt he merited yet had never received in return.
Maybe the ensuing leak of my final report was meant to happen so that this terrible news of his retirement could be broadcast to the world.
And when music lovers all over—through whatever means they got their news back in 2002—caught wind of Quik's retirement and of what they were about to lose, they experienced en masse what Joni Mitchell so wisely surmised in 1970:
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
And maybe the phone calls and emails and newspaper articles and letters started pouring in from all corners of the globe begging Quik to stay and create more magic. And all the love and appreciation that he had been missing for so long had finally arrived, and it hit him like a ton of bricks which then in turn provided him with a new sense of purpose.
He STILL had something to say.
And I like to think that this statement had something to do with his letting the world know that even after all this time people STILL couldn't fuck with The One-Man Band.
Or maybe that's not how it went down at all.
But for the sake of my story let's just say that everything actually went down the way I like to imagine that it did.
In that case, there's only one way to assess the success of my final mission:
Mr. David Marvin Blake decided to stick around a bit longer and bless us with more music, and the world has been a happier place as a result of a chain of events put in motion on a warm night in September of 2002.
I saved the musical world from sadness.
(and speaking of sadness…no, I can't bring back the old Kayne, so don't ask…we're operatives, not miracle workers)
If my final mission was also the mission that meant the most to me in terms of how its outcome affected my own life, then I think that's a pretty good way to put a bow on a several-year career spent working in the shadows.
Yes, the life of a covert operative is now a life that I have left completely in the rearview mirror. Do I miss it? Sure, sometimes. Traveling all over the world, playing a part in some of the most important moments of our collective musical history. I can't front…it's a whole lot of fun.
But it's a young man's game.
And I'm older now.
I love my mellow civilian life. I love writing. I love my wonderful, genius wife. And I love my music.
Oh, and I love pizza. Man, how I love pizza.
In fact, if you happen to be a certain kind of person who travels in certain circles and you hear about "opportunities" that require an encyclopedic knowledge of pizzas, tell your people to put the word out through the proper channels, and I'll find a way to get in contact with them.
I'm fully out the game, but I may still have a mission or two left in the tank.
Because as much as I love this civilian life, I still love it when they call me Big Poppa.
Published by Abraham Beltran
The Deacon of Speakin'
Previous THE PURSUIT OF LIGHTLY-BREADED HAPPINESS
Next GIMME 5 WITH SAKE 1


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Apple's new iPhones topped 5G model sales
Daily tech news and industry insights with GMX
Apple's iPhone 12 and 12 Pro became the best selling 5G phone models worldwide.
New data from Counterpoint Research reveals that the two devices launched on October 23 and saw strong enough sales to poisition them as the first and second best sellers within two weeks of their release.
In a blog post, analyst Varun Mishra wrote: "There is a large pent-up demand for 5G upgrade, especially within the iOS base, which is now getting converted into sales.
"This was complemented by strong carrier promos, especially in the US, which accounted for over one-third of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro sales for the month.
"All carriers were offering the iPhone 12 for $0 through a mix of the trade-in and unlimited plans."
Mishra noted that sales are likely to "remain strong" towards the end of 2020 and into the New Year.
The post continued: "Going forward, the demand for the iPhone 12 series is likely to remain strong through Q4 2020, especially during the festive season in December.
"Strong sales for Apple will also drive the volumes in the premium segment, raising the global ASP.
"Due to the late launch, some of the sales will be pushed to subsequent months, thus maintaining the momentum of the iPhone 12 series in early 2021 as well."
Apple 'using Samsung screens' for two iPhone 13 models
Hyundai in 'early talks' with Apple about self-driving electric cars
WhatsApp will stop working on older phones from New Year's Day


The flu season is nearing its end, but even now there are more influenza cases in California than there were at the peak of the season previous year.
The flu season typically peaks around the end of one calendar year and the beginning of the next, Cabaj said.
A woman in her 60s, with underlying medical conditions, also died as a result of complications related to the flu. Gupta is recommending people get vaccinated if they haven't done so already.
Data released Thursday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health indicates that the type A strain of flu peaked in January but that type B is being seen more now.
Neglecting precautions could contribute to the higher numbers as well, as most people disregard the proper procedure to prevent flu spread such as hand washing, getting vaccines or staying home when sick.
For the week ending March 3, influenza B infections accounted for 50.1 percent of cases, while influenza A infections accounted for 49.9 percent. Majority of deaths have been seen in ages 65 and older. That's the highest level since the swine flu pandemic in 2009.
The latest influenza-like illness (ILI) report from the state health department shows a decrease in flu-like illnesses in our region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in China in June. In the process, China has both upheld its legitimate rights and interests and taken care to preserve the relationship.
The fast bowler has been charged with a Level 2 offence and faces a hearing at the end of the second day's play after appealing. So the point leading up to that (confrontation) would have been a lot of stuff said to Quinton, a lot of personal stuff.
The Central government went with Karnataka's argument, putting an end to TN's dreams of setting up the CMB immediately. In the meeting all the states, including Karnataka, favoured for setting up the scheme.
The flu expert warned that factory farms, which he called "fetid incubators of disease" are the main source of these flu strains.
Earlier this year both hospitals had discouraged visits by children, non-family members or anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms.
The number of confirmed flu cases in NY continued to sharply decline for a second consecutive week, state officials announced Thursday. The H3N2 strain of the virus was most common statewide, responsible for nearly 70 percent of all diagnoses.
Medical officials say it's not too late to get a shot since the flu season can continue into May.
"Anytime I walk into a patient's room, any time I walk out, I wash my hands (and) sanitize them", he said. Cell-based and recombinant vaccine production can also be completed more quickly than egg-based production, which can provide more effective seasonal influenza vaccine, according to the company.
The update has fixed all the bugs and minor issues which were reported by the users of this device on their official forum page. HTC has started to roll out the stable version of the latest Android 8.0 Oreo update for one of its premium devices in India.
The farmers have been walking 15-20 km per day after which they halt for the night and resume their journey at dawn. The march led by All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), that started on Tuesday, is expected to reach Mumbai on Sunday.
The White House on Wednesday said Canada and Mexico could be exempted from the tariffs and other "carve-outs" could be possible. Trump signed proclamations at a ceremony at the White House while surrounded by steelworkers.
They are inventing one. "By way of asking for remand in driblets, the CBI is actually harassing the accused (Karti)", he said. The agency can seek his police custody for six more days under the law in addition to nine days already granted.
NanoString Technologies (NASDAQ:NSTG) will issue its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, March 7th. At the moment 5 analysts are watching NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSTG) earned "Outperform" rating by Robert W.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ishares MSCI India ETF by 43.4% during the 2nd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ishares Msci Sweden Etf by 34.1% during the fourth quarter.
The 21-year-old is set to join the Catalans in 2019 with Barcelona paying €30 million to the Brazilian side up front and €10 million further in add-ons.
That's a far cry from 2012, when Cruz raised $8 million while being backed by national small-government groups. Cruz remains the prohibitive favorite, although his profile has been lower since the failed presidential run.
The statement is an admission that the nondisclosure agreement exists, and that it directly involves the President. Forcing Mexico to pay the tariffs, however, would make it very hard to complete NAFTA talks, the official said.
Mr Tusk is due to meet the Taoiseach in Dublin today to discuss the negotiating guidelines and the EU's withdrawal agreement. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said this week financial services can't be included "for reasons of stability".
While interacting with the traders of Amar Colony market on Friday, Kejriwal threatened to launch a hunger strike if the issue is not resolved until the month's end.
While the Tax Exemption for Exporters has been extended, the ground reality should be checked by the Government. The last date for filing initial GSTR-3B returns for a month is the 20th of the subsequent month.
Bush and Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison would respectively win the gubernatorial and US Senate elections in the state easily. Democrats had a slight edge during early voting, but on election night, Republicans turned out to the polls in high numbers.
In addition to the gun-control measures, the new law puts boosts funding for security and mental health services in schools. Ten House Democrats joined 57 Republicans in supporting the bill, while 19 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against it.
ValuEngine lowered Nabors Industries from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. The stock of Nabors Industries Ltd . (NYSE: NBR ) has "Overweight" rating given on Monday, September 19 by CapitalOne.
Mukul Roy, who defected to BJP from the state ruling party past year , had already resigned from the upper house of Parliament. Meanwhile, CPI-M nominee for Rajya Sabha, Rabin Deb visited Mannan at his chamber in the state Assembly during the day.
Several Republicans, including Flake, have openly called the President's views on trade misinformed and misguided . A 25 percent tax will be imposed on steel imports while a 10 percent tax will be imposed on aluminum imports.
Democratic constituents are generally disinclined to vote in midterms in the first place. "There's a red sea wall in Texas". Remarkably, Veronica Escobar , an El Paso County judge running to fill O'Rourke's House seat, and state Sen.
He said: "I think some of them think that there wouldn't be an International Men's Day ". But as the number of people asking never seems to decrease it's a busy day for me.
The programme focused on celebrating the importance of women in a society and spreading awareness on the importance of equality. Journalist Lisa Wilkinson embraced International Women's Day sending a strong message on the the power of a united sisterhood.
Sutherland's message, however, hadn't been digested by the Australian players. "I don't think anyone's read it, to be honest". Having won the 1st Test, Australia will hope to seal the series, will South Africa would like to give a fitting reply.
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According to a developer of one of the third party Moto Mods the layoffs will have a huge impact on the Moto Z and Moto Mod team. I think we will see the Moto Z ditch the mods entirely in the years to come, and become Motorola's proper flagship brand.
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Putin said he doesn't read Trump's tweets and doesn't tweet himself. "Donald is a more modern individual". "Well, we will see". In an interview with NBC News' Megyn Kelly that aired Friday night , Putin said he "couldn't care less" about the charges.
The Taliban said in a statement that 29 soldiers and police were killed in the attack, including four commanders. The death toll has risen to nine, Waheed Majroh, spokesman for the Health Ministry said.


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Q: How can I build a `Vec` from an `Iterator`? I encountered an error when trying to use a function get_even_numbers() to borrow a vec v by passing it in by reference &v instead of by value v.
fn get_even_numbers(v: &Vec<i32>) -> Vec<i32> {
    v.iter().filter(|x| x % 2 == 0).collect()
}

fn main() {
    let v: Vec<i32> = (0..10).collect();
    let even: Vec<i32> = get_even_numbers(&v);
    println!("Even numbers: {:?}", even);
}

error[E0277]: a value of type `Vec<i32>` cannot be built from an iterator over elements of type `&i32`
 --> src/main.rs:2:37
  |
2 |     v.iter().filter(|x| x % 2 == 0).collect()
  |                                     ^^^^^^^ value of type `Vec<i32>` cannot be built from `std::iter::Iterator<Item=&i32>`
  |
  = help: the trait `FromIterator<&i32>` is not implemented for `Vec<i32>`
  = help: the trait `FromIterator<T>` is implemented for `Vec<T>`
note: required by a bound in `collect`

Why does the above give an error, but passing it in by value does not, as shown below?
fn get_even_numbers(v: Vec<i32>) -> Vec<i32> {
    v.into_iter().filter(|x| x % 2 == 0).collect()
}

fn main() {
    let v: Vec<i32> = (0..10).collect();
    let even: Vec<i32> = get_even_numbers(v);
    println!("Even numbers: {:?}", even);
}

Even numbers: [0, 2, 4, 6, 8]

I used .iter() inside the function when passing in by reference and .into_iter() when passing in by value, not sure if these are the correct functions to use.

A: Use v.iter().filter(|x| x % 2 == 0).cloned().collect().  That will (trivially) clone each of the &i32 references into actual i32 values.

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