text:
The city of Flagstaff will feature the state of Arizona's largest mural
Silver Alert issued for 81-year-old Phoenix man
By KTAR.com | June 20, 2015 at 7:06 pm
UPDATED: June 20, 2015 at 7:06 pm
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — For some people, having a big imagination can be a tough thing to deal with.
For artist Sky Black, it was the impetus behind an ambitious mural that is being created on the east wall of the The Orpheum Theater in downtown Flagstaff.
Titled "The Sound of Flight, Black describes the current status of mural as illustrating a piano with endless numbers of birds flying forth from it. Once completed, the soon-to-be 4,500-square foot mural will be largest mural in Arizona, according to Black.
"It's my ode to Flagstaff," Black told KAFF News. "This is where I'm from and it's where my art career got started."
Are you ready for testosterone replacement therapy
Play Santa Claus this season to help local charities
Quick workouts for men


text:
@interface MyMapWaitlistInfo : NSObject

@property (nonatomic) NSArray<NSString *> *terms;
@property (nonatomic) NSString *note;

+(MyMapWaitlistInfo *)infoWithDictionary:(NSDictionary *)dict;

-(NSAttributedString *)attributedTextWithFont:(UIFont *)font;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Hedberg, Pancochova win WCup slopestyle titles
KREISCHBERG, Austria (AP) - Mans Hedberg of Sweden and Sarka Pancochova of Czech Republic won the season's final World Cup slopestyle events on Thursday to take the snowboard discipline titles.
Hedberg earned 91.00 points to beat Finland's Petja Piiroinen, with 85.25, and Philipp Kundratitz of Austria, with 73.50.
Hedberg finished on 1,460.0 points, 340 ahead of Canada's Maxence Parrot.
In the women's event, Pancochova gained 95.50 points for her third career win. Henna Ikola of Finland was second at 83.00 and Klaudia Medlova of Slovakia third at 76.00.
Panchochova finished on top of the season standings with 2,500 points, overtaking Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands, who has 1,800.
A group of leading snowboarders, including Maas and Sochi Olympics gold medalist Jamie Anderson of the United States, skipped the event to compete at the U.S. Open in Vail, Colorado.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Scoops, analysis and insights driving Washington from the WSJ's D.C. bureau.
Regional news coverage of New York City and surroundings, including real estate and the arts.
Major world and business news, including political events, takeovers.
The Experts are a group of industry and academic thought leaders who weigh in on topics covered in The Journal Report.


text:
Artists' Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago
Representing the interests of artists of Trinidad and Tobago
Artistic and Cultural Issues
Sector Documents
← #fictionalblacklivesmatter
REST IN PEACE NATALIE COLE →
THE END OF MAGIC- REVIEW OF 'THE FORCE AWAKENS'
Posted by rubadiri
EVERYTHING AND THE KITCHEN SINK
A misunderstanding of what makes Star Wars work
They threw everything they had at it: the whole Hollywood system, JJ Abrams, the boy- wonder specially groomed by Steven Spielberg himself, the whole Disney machine, all the toys that money could buy- but they could not animate the body…
I so wanted this movie to be good. We all did. So many have so much invested in it that many are refusing to feel the prodding of doubt about the movie, refusing to listen to the voice inside telling them that something is not quite right with this film. You know who you are: Refusing to listen to your intuition. Turning your back on the Force… That same inner voice has also been drowned out by the near universal acclaim this movie is receiving in the mainstream American press. 95% on Rotten Tomatoes… The chorus is unanimous: "JJ Abrams is a genius, George Lucas is a moron. All is right with the world." The Empire has spoken, who dares say otherwise…
Unfortunately I'm going to have to disagree with the parade marching in single file, and be that storm trooper who mutinies…
From the opening crawl it was clear that Abrams does not understand what makes the Star Wars universe tick. The crawl reads:
"Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed. With the support of the REPUBLIC, General Leia Organa leads a brave RESISTANCE. She is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Leia has sent her most daring pilot on a secret mission to Jakku, where an old ally has discovered a clue to Luke's whereabouts . . . ."
That premis is all wrong. Luke Skywalker is not the reason the FIRST ORDER has arisen. The FIRST ORDER has arisen because that is what happens when Empires fall, elements of that dictatorship and oligarchy arise to try to destabilise the freedoms won by good people- like what's happening in the Middle East and Latin America now and across the world in the 70s or France in the 1700s. Tyranny never sleeps. Luke Skywalker is not the premis for the existence of the FIRST ORDER- the premis is 'control' and 'domination'. Luke is important to the REPUBLIC as the last Jedi and for what Jedi represent as communicators with the Force. The REPUBLIC now rules so therefore what Leia leads cannot be the RESISTANCE but a type of PEACEKEEPING FORCE which is attempting to keep a newly constituent Senate in power long enough so it has a chance to set up a form of government that can successfully govern the Galaxy with integrity and in peace…
The crawl should have read:
"The Empire has fallen, but out of its ashes the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen to destabilise the NEW REPUBLIC and return to the dark times of the Sith. General Leia Organa leads a brave PEACEKEEPING FORCE to stop the spread of darkness whilst a new government establishes itself. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker has vanished! The FIRST ORDER led by the ruthless GENERAL HUX and the mysterious KYLO REN has made a priority of seeing the last Jedi destroyed. General Leia is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Leia has sent her most daring pilot on a secret mission to Jakku, where an old ally has discovered a clue to Luke's whereabouts . . . ."
Now that's a Star Wars opening crawl. Why? Because like all the Star Wars crawls before it, it deals with War- its reasons and status. The human drama in Star Wars films are a direct consequence of War. Abrams' crawl does not get its causations correct. Placing Luke's disappearance at the centre of the war and rise of the First Order is a fanboy misunderstanding- not an insider's understanding of how Star Wars really works. Abrams gets his metrics off throughout the movie because of this miscalculation…
To understand why Star Wars works we need to go behind the curtain to understand Star Wars' structure. The Star Wars movies are about 3 main stories all operating at once: the story of the Republic- how a Republic collapses into an Empire and how Empires can be destroyed; the story of the Skywalker family; and finally it is the story of the Force and the concept of balance between light and dark, between the Jedi and the Sith. To misunderstand these 3 equal stories is to misunderstand the basis of the hypnotic power of Star Wars. Any inheritor of the Star Wars Universe must understand this and have a command of all 3 of these story arcs and their intricacies.
Abrams only understands and cares about 2 of the 3 things that make Star Wars tick- the story of the Force and the story of the Skywalkers. He ignores the story of the Republic completely because he- like most of the mainstream critics who have controlled people's dialogue on the prequels- think that the politics in Star Wars is irrelevant. They could not be more wrong. By removing the politics Abrams has castrated the very reason for Star Wars and especially the reason why it has become the world's largest contemporary mythology. Star Wars became World Mythology because Lucas was telling the most important story for the modern world- how do Republics collapse and become Empires and how do we defeat Empires.
MISUNDERSTANDING WAR
The movie gets the reasons for War all wrong
Every human being living on planet Earth under Western domination intuitively understands that story on a deeply subconscious level. 'Republic', 'Empire', 'Resistance'- these words mean something to Lucas who understood that the transition of Western 'Kingdoms' into 'Republics', their collapse into colonial 'Empires', and then the 'Resistance' to them by the people of the world was the single most important story of mankind. These words obviously mean nothing to JJ Abrams who uses the terms loosely, failing to understand that 'forms of governance' and 'human freedom' are completely at the heart of Star Wars. That's the whole 'Wars' part of the name!
That epic scope of human history magnified to a Galactic scale is what gave the context for Star Wars and invested the actions of all its characters with so much significance. That's why Ewoks exist- because they represented the Vietnamese and other such grassroots resistance movements with the lesson that a super-technological Imperial enemy could be defeated on homesoil with primitive weaponry, common sense, and natural know-how. The larger political lesson of solidarity is the backdrop of the movies: grassroots anti-colonial armies (Ewoks) ally with a diverse army of like-minded Peoples (the Resistance) who stand against Imperial power (the Empire). This coalition of fighters ally with sons and daughters (Luke and Leia) of the Empire's top henchmen rebelling against their parents (Darth Vader) alongside societal rebels (Han Solo)… That diverse anti-imperial coalition and their strategies to triumph provide the context for the Star Wars movies and is what we FEEL at the heart of Star Wars and why it resonates like it does. You remove that political context from behind all Star Wars films and you have 'Power Rangers' or any other fantasy franchise…
JJ Abrams had the opportunity to re-engage this epic story at the pivotal point after the collapse of empire- incredibly this is exactly the point of history that our planet exists in now. For a real artist this is an amazing opportunity to comment and connect deeply with a contemporary subject and a global audience. But Abrams does not have the same understanding of politics and global history as Lucas. We are at a moment when collapsing Empire is attempting to re-establish domination by reconstructing its machinery and by sabotaging the life of emancipated people. We also have elites trying to re-take power by any means necessary especially from the manipulation of financial markets and fundamentalism.
Abrams had all the seeds of these possibilities with the Stormtrooper child soldiers and the rise of the fundamentalist Knights of Ren and their slavish devotion to the Legacy of Vader and the Sith. Abrams fails the test out the gate by calling a governmental army 'The Resistance' and by getting the reasons for the First Order all wrong. This larger political context is why Star Wars has remained relevant for 40 years, and why- despite the fact that people say they hate the prequels- those movies will continue to be watched more than Avengers and all other blockbusters put together- because they are dealing with the central issues of humankind.
The Force Awakens premis is not big enough for a Star Wars movie- the disappearance of Luke Skywalker never seems momentous enough to hang the hat of war on. This is proven in the end when Luke appears to little emotional power. Nothing is done to show his investment in the rebuilding of the Jedi, the betrayal of Kylo Ren- his best friend and his sister's son, the crisis in the Force that this might mean, the despair this caused, and how this relates, if at all, to the Republic reconstituting itself. If we had only seen the casualties of this it would have been enough. But nothing is shown. Luke is not important just for being Luke, he must mean something…
Lucas always showed stuff to back up the politics of his crawl. In A New Hope we immediately get a sense of the Empire, what it represents, and what it is capable of- and we get a sense of the Resistance. No such thing happens in The Force Awakens. We do not get a sense of the New Republic, of a government trying to maintain an uneasy peace after the fall of an Empire whilst the First Order rises and does damage. If you don't have a sense of what is at stake- how are you to care about the actions of characters? Abrams does not show the Republic because he does not understand what any of these things really mean. Lucas did, and would have made the background of these sequels about the difficulty of winning Peace, and about the complexity of forming government after civil war when the surviving enemy is resorting to fundamentalist violence and is regrouping… That in fact was what the Expanded Universe books were about. Lucas always understood that the context of the story mattered as much as the star boy and star girl's action. JJ Abrams misunderstands this entirely. His only textbook are the Star Wars movies whereas Lucas's textbooks were all of world history, world mythology, and world culture. This lack of a sense of a larger sense of history and global mythology ultimately is what limits Abrams ability to give TFA that grander sense of design that Star Wars has at its centre.
A villain that does not invoke or resonate design wise
The major failure of TFA is this depleted sense of design. The epitome of this is in the failure of the character Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren fails because visually he embodies nothing. When he appears onscreen he carries no vibration and no foreboding. This is purely an element of design. His character is also not invested with enough backstory for us to care about him and his relationship with his parents. And for fan boys who had so much problems with Anakin's brattiness what do they have to say now about Ren?
In a previous article I spoke about Lucas's mastery of design and it warrants repeating: "The genius of Lucas is that he merged human archetypes to symbols from global culture. Lucas plumbed world mythology, biology, and anthropology for characters, animals, modes of national/tribal dress, ethnic languages, and arcs of history looking for elements with resonance which he combined, synthesised, and transformed into new modern archetypes to create each character, each alien, and each weapon and vehicle, to tell his huge myth. The epitome of that design sensibility would be the creation of the greatest movie villain of all time Darth Vader. The words 'Darth Vader' is actually a German/Dutch/English derivative for 'Dark Father'. Vader's helmet was a combination of a World War 2 German war helmet and a Japanese Samurai helmet, his face a combination of a bat and a human skeleton, with the finish of a black sports car. His clothes were a cross between Dracula, a Western cowboy villain, and a Roman crusader. And of course everything was black. All this was brought together to create a vision of a mechanised man- a man who had lost his body and soul to 'the machine'. Even his breath had become mechanised and oppressive. The brilliance of Lucas is the subtlety of how all these design elements were brought together. You felt all those references without any one dominating and being too obvious and descending into stereotype. You felt the layers of resonance without knowing what you were reacting to. That is genius design. This design genius and mythical intelligence elevates character into symbol and archetype."
Not only does Kylo Ren have none of this type of design intelligence and layers of meaning in his character conception, neither does any other character, vehicle, costume, weapon, or alien in TFA. And the universe of the story is poorer for it. It means that each character is flat and one dimensional and is symbolic of nothing. This is true of the stereotypical smugglers who board Han's ship to the underwhelming Maz Kanata. This then is not 'Star Wars' but a TV show set in space. One that happens to feature some characters that we know…
The inability of JJ Abrams and his crew to dream new things (the difference between Apple before and after Steve Jobs) is a major departure from the Star Wars we know. Every Star Wars movie debuted spectacular new vehicles and space craft that worked in new ways and pushed the vision of audiences- the original vehicles of the original movie, the At-Ats in Empire, the forest speeders in Return, the Galactic Senate in Menace, Count Dooku's sail ship in Clones, Grievous's wheel bike in Sith… This was part of a sense of continual unveiling of a Universe always expanding, always innovating. That innovation has ended with TFA…
Generic alien characters not worthy of the Star Wars pantheon
This design vacuum was apparent in the conception of many of the aliens- they mostly lacked that animating spark that removed them from puppets and props to realism. They all felt generic and like inventions. They looked like aliens one could see on any dime-a-dozen fantasy series… Star Wars is more than that. Part of this was because the main thing Lucas insisted upon with all his costumes, aliens, vehicles, and weapons is that they looked casual, lived in, comfortable, and used. Most things looked uncomfortable in TFA. This goes from simple things like Captain Phasma's clumsiness in her armour to the slow clunky movement of the 4 legged creature that Rey rescues BB8 from. It extends to how all of the new bad guys feel uncomfortable in their clothes- Kylo Ren and General Hux included. The weight of the cloth selected for their costumes is all wrong, and it shows the design naivety of this new team… The cloth is too hard and stiff calling attention to itself, and the openness of the weave and the weight of the thread is too heavy. These are things that Lucas made sure never happened in the Star Wars universe. It was always about the seamlessness and naturalness of each artefact- no matter how spectacular.
General Hux uncomfortable in his costume
And speaking of seams… There are NO outside seams in Star Wars clothes- until now… One of the reasons Star Wars clothes feels like "a galaxy far away" is because its clothes never had visible outside stitching that would resemble clothes coming from an earthbound sewing machine. It's a small thing- but it is momentous. This simple tailoring decision takes the Star Wars drama completely outside of the realm of Earthliness. You would never see a jersey collar, a sleeve seam with stitching, buttons, etc- in the original Star Wars universe. They are all over TFA. In the same way Lucas banned all wheels and said things moved by 'anti-gravity devices…
These laws of design keep the story in "a galaxy far away" which then allows the story to operate in a particular way. Abrams breaches these laws with costumes for main characters that mirror earth-clothing construction. And of course these costumes contain no global cultural or mythological influences. This removes layers of resonance from each of the characters. The early Han Solo costume was a cross between a cowboy sheriff's outfit and a pirate. The Jedi wore Samurai influenced outfits with Shaolin Bhuddist monk fabrics with earthen tones. These references established layers of resonance for the viewers and built meaning at a conscious and sub-conscious level. This is what Myth does- and is why ultimately the characters Kylo Ren, Hux, and so many others failed. It is why, despite the impressiveness of Snoke's size, he does not vibrate at a level of threat like past Star Wars villains and looks like a generic CGI character. He is based on nothing…
This uncomfortableness with scale is also probably what is responsible for the zealous over-acting of General Hux in his address to the storm troopers…
Abrams bringing of the drama to Earth-like planets (and hopefully not to Earth itself in the final shot) is a reflection of that part of his sensibility which is the opposite of Lucas's who understood why each of his stories began with that simple blue sentence "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…' Lucas understood the power that line gave him. The power to go as far away from the known universe as possible enabled him to tell the most relevant stories possible. Which is why all folklore survives, because it is animals speaking human truths.
Even if one has problems with the prequels one must respect Lucas's genius and the sheer amount of craft that went into the 6 previous films. Abrams however listened to the fanboys more. The disrespect for Lucas is implicit in the first line of the film, "This will make everything right again." It shows Abrams anti-prequel alliance with fanboys rather than to the man who should have been his mentor- Lucas- and unfortunately we will all pay for that betrayal.
The TFA opening shot is the weakest of all 7 films indicating a conservatism, and an uncomfortableness with the language of the film and the scale of its storytelling landscape. Abrams repeatedly tries to restrain the Universe and keep it small and manageable when the vistas of Star Wars are in fact infinite…
Star Wars is a soap opera- with an emphasis on the word Opera. Go back and watch the first trilogy and the prequels- go back to the A New Hope and listen to the background music of each scene. You would find that it is unlike the soundtrack of any other movie. It is not a typical movie soundtrack. It is in fact the soundtrack of a musical but without the characters singing. It is an opera, with each character or collective having a theme which counterpoints with the major musical movements. The Force Awakens has a soundtrack that is almost invisible. One critic demanded to know if John Williams had anything to do with the movie at all, so uncharacteristic is the music bed! TFA contains a conventional approach to movie soundtrack. And whereas it is competent- it is not Star Wars…
General Leia not even given the dignity to mourn
This sense of opera is also why things like weddings and funerals, medal ceremonies, and gazing at horizons matter to the Star Wars stories at the end: it is that sense of operatic moment. Which is why the lack of mourning and ceremony for Han Solo's death by the 'Resistance'- far less Leia(!)- is a missed opportunity and a breach of Star Wars movie protocol. As well as of human decency.
These things matter. These are the things collectively that elevated Star Wars from being just 'good movies' into 'global folklore' and 'Global Myth'. People are not fanatical for 'good movies'- they are for 'Myth'. And we will find that if the directors of the next 2 films don't repair the damage that the omissions and miscomprehension that Abrams wrought- we will find that the Star Wars franchise will die a natural death. We will find that these next 3 movies- although blockbusters- will fade from our collective obsessions- unlike the previous 6. We will find that despite the fact that these films seemingly are more 'competently' filmed in a conventional way than Lucas's films that we do not have the same relationship with them as we do the others. That they will not generate Heat or Light- only cool. And they will die.
FATHERS AND SONS
I watched 3 films back to back- the original Star Wars: A New Hope, the movie Creed, and The Force Awakens a second time. I watched TFA and Creed back to back because they both are films dealing with past film legacies and narratives whilst attempting to relaunch their stories for a new generation. They are also stories that at their heart deal with fathers, their ghosts, and the idea of Legacy…
Creed is a beautiful, intimate film- it never abandons its human dimension. It always builds from the ground up. It is respectful of its source material but uses it sensitively to tell an altogether new story. It never disrespects the viewer by trying to cheat or use a cinematic trick to achieve a plot shift, character transformation, or draw an emotion from the audience. It allows these things to happen honestly. This is apparent in the way it dealt with the issues of fathers and sons, the weight of their Legacies and absences, and the issues of choices and inheritance. These are the same issues at the heart of The Force Awakens and the character of Kylo Ren (and possibly Rey). The masterful way that Creed dealt with those issues reflects a craft and sensibility missing from TFA. In just 2 short scenes Creed built the complexity of Adonis's relationship to his father- the myth of Apollo Creed- so that whatever happened next will have resonance. Nothing like this was done for Kylo Ren and Han Solo so that by the time the father/son showdown happens on the bridge over the void there is no fuel for that fire to ignite…
Han Solo deserved better…
MYTH VS BLOCKBUSTER
'Story' is not Myth. Myth is the ultimate form of story, it is story that resonates in the cells of the human being. It has certain behaviourial characteristics. It is not a form of storytelling anyone can do because it does not rely on the normal tropes of storytelling. Myth does not depend on characters, effects, and plot- it depends on symbols, archetypes, sacred spaces, and transformations. Normal types of story depend on 'storytelling craft'. Myth depends on 'invocation'. You must be able to 'summon' the archetype- which is a thing that contains multitudes, it contains an idea, a people, a place, a moment. This is something much bigger than 'a character'.
The design of an archetype requires intuition, and it requires an understanding of the Idea you are attempting to invoke, in all its dimensions. It also requires the fashioning of the container the idea comes in. Each piece of Myth is created in this way- every character, every landscape, every moment contains this essence and these transactions. So the Cantina scene in A New Hope is not just a room full of aliens- it is the Descent into the Underworld, and every single alien depicted in that scene contained physical resonances of things found under the soil, under the ocean, or demons from a range of global underworld mythologies. Thus when we experienced the Cantina scene it resonated for us the viewers in a transformative way. We instinctively knew our boy hero had left the farm way behind and had entered the unfathomable Darkness… There aint any scene one-thousandth that resonant in The Force Awakens…
THE THINGS THAT WORKED
A credit to the franchise- the best thing in the movie
The best thing about TFA was Finn. I believed him. He was funny, but most of all he was channelling the way Star Wars characters act. John Boyega speaks about watching hundreds of clips of the original Star Wars characters and their interactions, rhythm of language, and beats- and he nailed it. He was the heart centre of the film producing most of the genuine laughable and emotional moments for the film. He validated the other characters unselfishly. The film came alive anytime Finn was present. Boyega understands the rhythm of the Star Wars Universe. He is the glue holding the film together. This despite the fact that they portray him as the 'always sweating frightened negro'. Boyega so dignified his arc that he subverted this stereotype and elevated his character. He is also helped by the fact that his character is the best built in the film- and again this comes out of the design-based filmic moments contained in what a Stormtrooper represents. This is where Abrams is at his best- he is a good deconstructor of Myth, not a creator of it. This is why he is strongest as a re-animator of old franchises. Unfortunately Star Wars is not just any franchise.
JJ succeeds with Finn because he is subverting and deconstructing a design archetype Lucas has already invented- the storm trooper. The arc of Finn is brilliant because it allows JJ to deconstruct a Stormtrooper and create a character out of it. This again is the only arc in TFA which resonates on multiple levels mythically because it speaks to the de-indoctrination that must happen to child soldiers globally. The fact that this is the opposite of Kylo Ren's character arc is not explored… Finn's arc goes from: care for a fallen comrade; the 3 striped blood stain on his storm trooper helmet; his not firing to kill innocents; his removal of his helmet to reveal his blackness and humanity; his rescue of Poe; his turning his guns on the First Order; his escape in a Tie-fighter; his getting a name; the sucking of the Tie-fighter into the sands; his mourning of Poe; his slow stripping off of Storm Trooper armour in the desert to replace it with Poe's jacket; his constant caring for people and his sense of what is just; his acquiring of the light sabre; his one-on-one battle with a Stormtrooper; and his blossoming love with Rey… All these are character transformations that are built into not only dialogue but design and action. The film fails to do this as powerfully with anyone else.
Daisy Ridley an exciting young talent
Daisy Ridley was excellent, but is straddled with character transformations related to the Force that are too inexplicable, too fast and unbelievable without the filmmaking craft to back them up. There is a moment in Creed when Adonis has been knocked out when the filmmaker uses a device which he had restrained himself from using for the whole movie. It works to devastating emotional effect. Rey was not provided with those kind gears for her leaps. She does not earn them, despite the fact that Star Wars has a range of devices that could have been used to gift her them. So whereas her performance is excellent, her ascendance is great in a feminist way, it is bad in a storytelling way…
The pacing of the movie is very much closer to the original trilogy, the first half hour zooms along nicely with the clever banter anchored by John Boyega- especially bouncing off Harrison Ford- working in driving stuff along- but unfortunately a lot of this is because the plot is almost an exact replica of A New Hope. Exact. A message is intercepted after a massacre and hidden in a droid who goes to a desert planet where the heroes bounce up the stolen droid and are chased off-planet on the Millennium Falcon, etc. The repetition is so great that we may have come to a time to tell Star Wars authors that they are banned from using certain plot devices ever again. Guys you are not confined to A New Hope template, there are actually infinite ways to tell a story! And enough with the Death Stars already. Please. No more. Enough with the fatal design flaw, the trench runs and the planetary size explosions. Please. Thanks. There are millions of other ways to imagine Imperial military conquest.
THE IMPERIAL CRITICS
Reading though the Reviews one has to conclude, "Nobody wants to go against Disney!" Hardly a negative word has been said. Each little critical sentiment is carefully phrased with an apology or an adoration of something else. Fan boy hate is also policing any dissenting voice. The pressure placed on Abrams to deliver a film narrowly loved by the critics who have stirred up a fan boy hate of George Lucas and the prequels is great. The film therefore is an anti-prequel film- but in many ways it also is anti-Star Wars by extension. To paraphrase another critic: Art is not created by consensus or committee- and is not written by fans. It is created by Artists. Created. Not re-booted. Fans have been so heavily invested in this movie, in the trailers and hype, in the anti-George Lucas ranting, in the anti-prequel frenzy that they cannot allow themselves to feel just how much TFA falls short… This is not just a case of different writers and director, this is a case of a different series altogether!
I attended The Force Awakens with an audience of fanboys and girls ranging from those 40- 50 who were fans from the beginning, right down to kids and youths dressed to the nines in cosplay, boys walking into IMAX with light sabers… The movie elicited no major rises from them except for the nostalgia- the first appearances of the Millennium Falcon, Han and Chewie, Leia, Artoo and C3PO, and finally Luke. All elicited a 'Yay!' but tellingly not a roar- because there was no revelatory emotional, plot-based, or transformational experience attached to their appearance. Now, I remember how people participated with the 6 previous films in cinema- even the prequels everyone loves to hate now- people laughed, cheered, screamed, and cried regularly during these shows- genuinely moved by what was taking place on screen. That is the difference between Lucas and mostly everybody else operating in film today, a connection to the sweet spot of Heart, awe, and fun. The part that is the kid- even when discussing politics! I watched as people left the cinema after The Force Awakens, hands at their side, not animated… This is not what a Star Wars movie is supposed to feel like…
There is something used in movies to get you to know about characters, care about characters, know about the larger world they exist in- it's called filmmaking and it's in very short supply in TFA. Abrams has produced a decent movie and we know Abrams is more than a competent stylist- but obviously he felt trapped by the fans, the mythology, and its perceived conventions, and is innocent of the deeper rivers that run under the series that could have emancipated his tools. He kept putting Star Wars characters onscreen that somehow magically we are supposed to know and care about- but it does not work that way- especially after 30 years. You still have to invest them with something. Han Solo, Leia, and Luke deserved better…
THE END OF MAGIC
Although best friends, Steven Spielberg is almost the polar opposite of George Lucas. Whereas Lucas was always a maverick, an outsider who riled against authority and always reached for independence until he claimed it, Spielberg was always- in the words of author Peter Biskind in 'Easy Rider, Raging Bulls' "a company man"- a creature and a creation of the Hollywood system. JJ Abrams- Spielberg's apprentice- is very much cut from the company cloth. He works from a very conventional filmmaking toolkit that needed to expand to grapple with the Star Wars universe. Instead he shrunk Star Wars to fit the conventions.
What George Lucas represents is Magic. And Genius with a capital G. Artists like himself Jim Henson and Steve Jobs are a particular breed apart who brought a particular Spirit to the world through the artefacts they crafted. They brought Heart, Freedom, and a Liberation of Imagination to their work. Their successors do not have that gift despite the fact that they now occupy the same house…
In TFA you had all the sets, all the costumes, all the beautiful original actors, all the markers of the same Universe, you also had everything the fanboys cried out for- 'real sets', less obvious CGI, less corny jokes, less 'world-building, an anti-prequel aesthetic- and yet still there was no soul inside. It did not have the spark that makes not only a story live, but this 'story of stories' live…
The glorious failure of this project feels like not just an individual failure of a director and his team but it feels like the passing of an Age. It feels like some kind of Magic has left the world…
In a very different kind of article Tony Parsons, speaking about the death of the NME music magazine says: "What happens when the music is no longer the centre of the universe? The NME mattered when the music mattered." Basically saying that what is responsible for the magazine's death is not the 'death of Rock' or the rise of the internet- but the death of music mattering itself! With the chorus of acclaim rising for The Force Awakens I feel that we are talking about a parallel phenomenon in film: the passing of Lucas's magical touch is part of a death of Music and Magic in Western civilisation. What is happening is that humanity is being forced to lose the capacity to feel intimately and to even hunger for such depth- and is being flooded with plastic placebos instead. It is a serious civilizational shift towards numbness, of noise and spectacle over Art. It is a monumental human tragedy and is something that we all must rail against.
Posted on December 25, 2015, in President's Blog and tagged star wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Bookmark the permalink.	17 Comments.
Michael Cherrie | December 26, 2015 at 7:26 am
Excellent!…should be sent to JJ, Disney…and Lucas!…
rubadiriblog | December 28, 2015 at 9:56 am
This was a paragraph that was edited out. It might summarise the argument better for some who still didn't quite get the thesis of the article: "This failure: to invoke archetype; to layer meaning through design; to understand and invoke the parallels between Star Wars' politics and Western imperial history; and failure to even deepen and validate the character and plot choices he makes in TFA means that JJ Abrams effectively de-Mythologised Star Wars. In The Force Awakens Abrams has removed the filmic and storytelling devices that made this story 'Myth'. This is a seismic shift in the artistic heavens. It is not often that a work of art magnetises hundreds of millions of people across national, language, and ethnic barriers over 40 years and 3 generations… Abrams took a movie property that had not only maximised film's power to match ancient man's primal capacity for Myth, but which had created the world's first secular global mono-Myth- and reduced that artefact to a normal 'story'. A workaday block-buster. An elevated TV episode. To deafening applause! It is a moment for planetary pause…"
julius smith | December 28, 2015 at 4:45 pm
A really trenchant analysis of a film that represented a waste of resources and more importantly a lost opportunity to reignite a storyline in a fresh way would have respected the core attributes of the original tale.
nick | December 29, 2015 at 5:05 pm
I am so glad for this article. It perfectly describes how I felt when I left the cinema. I had hoped to see the after math of episode 6 instead you got a rehashing of 4 and a poor one. During the movie I felt myself frustrated at the blatant attempts to please the "fans" and that the opportunities for real new story were wasted. I don't want to repeat what was already stated so briliantly in the article but the truth is as a fan I am not excited for the next movie and disappointed by this attempt to serve me something I already know. P.S Mr Abrams I have already watched episode 5 so if you freeze Fin in carbonite you would have failed this project in a miserable way.
stevenmillan | December 30, 2015 at 8:59 pm
The bad underuse of Luke Skywalker,See Threepio,and Artoo Detoo is another reason why this film doesn't work,since the film is supposedly based around finding Luke but is instead tossed aside for another Death Star battle,for why not have BB8 recharge Artoo to give out the rest of the map and then have Han,Chewbacca,and Finn go to the planet where Luke resides and lure him out of his self imposed retirement to help them rescue Rey. This film is so extremely frustrating(with everything so wrong in it) that it simply killed my sense of wonder of STAR WARS,as well as my lifelong love for the series. And No Way–No Way–is it a better film than RETURN OF THE JEDI,as all of the tool minded fanboys are saying.
chrisss | December 30, 2015 at 9:49 pm
Excellent article.. you eloquently put into words what I could not.
Erica J. | December 30, 2015 at 10:34 pm
Interesting take and I even agree with some of your arguments. Definitely not all of them, though. I honestly think you give Lucas way too much credit while comfortably ignoring the prequels. Sure, you mention them in passing, but your analyses of the original trilogy doesn't extend to the prequels and I suspect that's why you don't do it. To imply that Lucas has a profound understanding of world politics, I have to ask what prequels were you watching? If you're going to talk about missed opportunities in the political spectrum of Star Wars, the prequels are missing just as many if not more than TFA on a one-to-one basis. That being said, yes, I agree that at least Lucas did -try-. I don't know if you could call that genius, but I'm certain that his execution of the prequels will not endear them to the test of time as you hope.
The only other thing I want to comment on is that you mention Lucas, Henson and Jobs all in one sentence about artists. Jobs? An artist? That's not to say the comparison is missing the mark, but the context isn't right. If Lucas and Jobs have a parallel, it is that they are/were both incredibly business-savvy gentlemen. They're both incredibly-gifted salesmen, not artists. Ewoks as Vietnamese? Try Ewoks as an attempt at franchise mascots.
I don't say any of this in an attempt to invalidate your critique. You and anyone else who wants to give you a friendly pat on the back have great reasons to be disappointed in Abrams' take on the legacy and it's easy to sit back and pick apart a critique posted on the Internet, just as easy as it is to pick apart someone's first entry into a universe that is unimaginably "heavy", as it were. I don't envy anyone attempting to revisit the Star Wars universe on film, be it Lucas or Abrams or anyone else that might come along. There is so much -more- to what made the original trilogy and in particular A New Hope special to so many people. It's not just about the story, the myth, and the magic, the politics, the characters, etc. Star Wars has always been much larger than the film it's printed on – that's what makes it a cultural phenomenon (and a very lucrative business, to boot). It means so many things to so many people especially when you consider how people were first introduced to it, whether they saw an amazing technical marvel in '77 or had it crammed down their throats by eager parents desperately wanting their children to like the things they like haha For Lucas to go back 10 years after the fact (unless you count the Special Edition stuff) and Abrams to go back 30+ years after the fact… it takes cojones.
All I'm saying is that while yes, there are missed opportunities as you have thoughtfully written out, considering the sheer weight of the words "Star Wars", I don't think Abrams did a bad job at all. Out of necessity, I think he played it safe, linking Jedi with TFA, setting the seeds for future stories. By comparison, A New Hope wasn't that much deeper than TFA; it was a simple story of good vs. evil (even if you want to read deeper into it) and TFA is the same. Time will tell if eps 8 and 9 take the opportunity (or gift) to transcend the trappings of a franchise and set the stage for things even grander – let us hope so – but let's not fool ourselves: Star Wars will always be a business first and art second.
Bill_Derberg | December 31, 2015 at 10:46 am
I think you as an intellectual have given much thought to this. What I always noticed mostly in the New Hope is that the Empire characters have British accents while the rebels have Americans accents. This symbolizes the American Revolution when the upstart colonies stood up the a great empire like Britain, Maybe the lack of politics in the story is because they dont want to talk about what happens when an empire fails(like the USA?). Also dumbing down an audience that doesnt know the difference between a republic and an empire, or an empire becoming a dictatorship.
Sterling84 | December 31, 2015 at 11:45 am
Everything written in this review regarding the shortcomings of TFA and Mr. Abrams? Is completely fair and actually pretty insightful.
Everything written in this review regarding Mr. Lucas however, undercuts those fair criticisms and makes me question the POV and credibility of the author.
Of the two men? Mr. Lucas is the one who has changed over time. Abrams is a dime store Spielberg without a true masterpiece to his name. He's just doing what he does. Anyone who is surprised by what he turned came up with? Wasn't paying attention and needs to reset their expectations a little. He is today what he was when he began. Little has changed.
Lucas on the other hand, went from a bon a fide pioneer to a person who seemingly couldn't write then direct a bit of dialogue to save his life. He has so little confidence in us and himself, that it is presently impossible to watch his original three SW films in their original theatrical cut. He once testified to Congress about the evils of colorizing classic films. And yet now we cannot even see nor hear the original work of the cast and crew from '77,'80 and '83.
F Him. Seriously. Go away. TFA is indeed a kinda cheap Star Wars cover band version of this universe. And it does make me long for the real deal. But ya know what? At least they showed up and tried. Don't sell your life's work for $4B and then cry to me. They (Disney)paid for it. They can do what they want with it. If you're afraid nobody shares George's -small "g" "genius"? Then he should have closed up shop like Bill Watterson with C&H and made darned sure nobody ever defiled that singular genius. Sounds like your real issues are with Lucas himself Bud.
Luke Skyporker | December 31, 2015 at 12:17 pm
This is me of the funniest things I've read all year, so thanks for that. As I started reading, I thought 'too much time on their hands'; that was before I saw the word count. Wow! I think one of the problems is that you are viewing it through the eyes of an adult, having long ago banished your inner child to the basement, which is a shame. It's a good film, it just is. I spotted a couple of plot holes, but nothing more or less than in most films. It's not the best film I've ever seen, but neither was Star Wars. Let the fun back in, you'll feel better for it.
Al Yushuf | December 31, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Typical 'You have no life' argument. The author clearly has invested so much into Star Wars and you should be thankful. Instead you're like, "I'm so good because I know how to have fun! Look at me guys! I like watching shitty movies for the fun!" Seriously dude? Respect the author at least. Also, you say "you are viewing it through the eyes of an adult," with surprise. What are we supposed to do? Act like 8 year olds when it comes to Star Wars? I think you are the worst type of fan. With your own words, you imply that we must dumb down Star Wars to enjoy it. smh.
Michael | January 2, 2016 at 2:17 am
I watched the original Star Wars trilogy with my father. There was plenty for him to enjoy back then. I can watch those 3 movies and still feel the "magic" as this piece describes. I wanted a new plot. Some substance. There was an infinite number of directions to explore. This movie was simply regurgitated nothing. Abrams failed big time.
@Luke Skyporker Typical 'You have no life' argument. The author clearly has invested so much into Star Wars and you should be thankful. Instead you're like, "I'm so good because I know how to have fun! Look at me guys! I like watching shitty movies for the fun!" Seriously dude? Respect the author at least. Also, you say "you are viewing it through the eyes of an adult," with surprise. What are we supposed to do? Act like 8 year olds when it comes to Star Wars? I think you are the worst type of fan. With your own words, you imply that we must dumb down Star Wars to enjoy it. smh.
AnOldStarWarsFan | December 31, 2015 at 7:33 pm
I saw "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" yesterday with my husband and agree with your review. We were so excited to see the movie. Yes, the SFX, 3D, Cinematography, and the acting were great; however, we felt the story was mediocre at best. The big reason why we really loved the Star Wars series was the philosophy related in the previous episodes. These philosophical jewels were not always visible on the surface but shone very strongly in the world created by George Lucas. So, it was very disappointing for us that these philosophical messages were missing from "The Force Awakens." I am not sure if we will be able to hear them in future episodes or not.
Also, we thought this episode was more about making money than the more substantive Star War films produced by George Lucas. "The Force Awakens" is similar to episode four with new characters mirroring Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. We could almost hear the sound of coins falling from this movie as Disney declared, "The old generation of Star Wars is over, now we can make billions of dollars over the next 30 years from the new style lightsabers, dolls, games and remaking movies. Actually, we saw tons of the new merchandise in the shopping mall after watching the movie. I feel it is typical Corporate Disney.
rubadiriblog | January 1, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Erica J, I actually am speaking of the prequels too when I talk of the entire Mythic architecture that Lucas created and which Abrams and team collapsed. In fact the prequels even take the scope of the Mythology even further. But more on that later- I'm following up this piece with a critical look at Lucas himself and the prequels in particular.
Bryophyte | January 2, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Thank you for articulating so well what I could only describe as my vague sense of disappointment with TFA. One idea that I think your critique could explore further is this: that the Force and its use have devolved into the realm of "superpowers" — whereas Luke had to train extensively in order to use his power effectively, Rey is instantly adept at using the lightsaber. There was no commitment of time or effort involved, no hero's journey from innate talent toward proficiency and excellence. That was the thing that we left the theater really bothered by, and in reading your piece I realize that it was emblematic of your point: that the mythic structure of the originals has been lost, and replaced by superhero blockbuster styling.
Pingback: The Force Needs Five More Minutes | Observaterry
The Force Needs Five More Minutes | Observaterry[…] a film set in the Star Wars universe, and there's a ton of Star Wars moments in it
Roger Bonair-Agardaye meh boy! brilliant work here. we hadda talk. we overdue.
AfraRaymondGreat....like New York's 'Highline'...
kembamarcanoThank you!
agogo22agreed with you - without the tension between what we have always been and where we are now Carnival
rubadiriThanks Alan, I hope the ideas expressed make sense to you and others. Keep reading and spread the wo
rubadiriThanks Derron. Keep reading, engaging the debates, and spreading the word.
rubadiriYes digarcia, the European Trinidad carnival tradition in the 1800s looked almost exactly like the p
T&T DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2013 (20)
THE END OF MAGIC- REVIEW OF 'THE FORCE AWAKENS' (17)
THE ANCESTOR LIST (6)
THE ARGUMENT FOR TOTAL MAROONAGE (6)
THE MARDI GRAS, THE CANBOULAY, & THE PERSISTENCE OF AFRICA (5)
JAMAICANS AT THE BET AWARDS & THE TRINI RESPONSE… (4)
DESPERS, THE HILL & THE GREENS, & THE SOUL OF THIS PLACE (4)
THE MYSTERY AND MAJESTY OF LOCAL CONTENT (3)
Meet SuperBlue (3)
Points of light (2)
50th anniversary activism aesthetics african nation artisan arts Caribbean carnival carnival 2013 creative industries cultural heritage cultural policy cultural sector master plan culture culture sector diversification diversification of the economy economy genius guild of masters independence Inheritance legacy local content local content quotas Machel Montano NAPA obituary Olympic games panorama President's Command Performance PSIP soca star wars steelband steelpan tadjah the artist the greens tobago trinidad trinidad and tobago Trinidad independence TTCIC Wayne Kublalsingh
Ongoing Projects (4)
President's Blog (91)
Sector Documents (2)
About ACTT (2)
Meeting minutes (1)
ACTT NEWS (6)


In a Facebook post, the CM said that BJP was changing the names of historical places and institutions unilaterally almost every day to suit its own political vested interests.
"After independence, there have been changes in the names of few states and cities, like Orissa to Odisha, Pondicherry to Puducherry, Madras to Chennai, Bombay to Mumbai, Bangalore to Bengaluru etc, keeping in view the sentiments of the state and local language. Those are genuine. But, in respect of Bengal, the attitude is totally different," she complained.
Banerjee said that the state assembly had passed a unanimous resolution to change the name of West Bengal on the basis of local sentiments.
She said that her government had even acceded to the home ministry's request to keep the name 'Bangla' in English, Hindi and Bengali and not have three separate names as proposed earlier. She said the revised proposal has been pending with the home ministry for a long time.
West Bengal had on July 26 this year passed a resolution in the state Assembly to change the name of the state. All parties, including the Left and Congress, had agreed to the name change.
The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has renamed Allahabad to Prayagraj and Faizabad district to Ayodhya, leading to demands of name change by party leaders in several other cities. The BJP government in Gujarat is considering renaming Ahmedabad to Karnavati and party leaders have also promised to rename Hyderabad if it comes to power in Telangana.
TMC sources said Banerjee wants to rename West Bengal because the state figures at the bottom of lists prepared in alphabetical order in any official circular of the central government. Also, it will help MPs from the state in the Parliament to raise issues in the first half of session.


text:
Resting the next few days…Now is great timing for us to rest this weekend. I cannot appreciate more the schedule at this moment, where we'll have the key players coming back. What I saw on the field tonight, I'm getting more optimistic about our roster, but indeed it's a great time for us to rest tonight.
FC Dallas midfielder Andres EscobarTalk about your relationship with David Texeira…Even though David [Texeira] has not seen a lot of minutes with the first team in a while, he is still out there working hard with us during training every day. He moves well in the area. He knows where he needs to be as a striker. We trained together, like we played tonight, for the past few days. Playing together obviously wasn't foreign to us. We have a great relationship on and off the field. I was very happy to be able to provide two assists to him tonight.
Three assists in two games… Has your passing been a point of emphasis for you recently?Yes, I feel that overall, my game is improving. In Los Angeles, I was able to get a good cross in to Blas Perez, who scored a great goal and tonight with David [Texeira], two assists to him makes me very happy. I am just as happy that both forwards are feeling comfortable with me.
FC Dallas defender Je-Vaughn WatsonTalk about how much ground you covered on the right flank tonight…It was a marathon. I think I ran about seven or eight miles. I'm so tired and still a little banged up from the [LA] game but getting three points at home is always vital and now we're in a solid position to make it to the playoffs. We do not want to make any mistakes. We are trying our best to continue winning home games because that is going to be huge for us. Any time someone comes to our home, we are expected to get three points.
When asked about the success about playing at home and the mentality of playing at home…The fans are great. People are always cheering whether we are winning or losing. We have a good fan base behind us, especially the guys behind the goal. The drummers are always pumped up. That is motivation for us. When you are playing at home, you are expected to get three points, and every time we come into the locker room at a home game we have that urge to get those points. When we go on the road of course we go to win, sometimes it is unfortunate because we do not get the three points. At home there is no excuse, we have to play hard and run hard because this is our house.
Talk about combining with Andres Escobar on the right flank all night …That was the game plan. Oscar [Pareja] said we needed to go more on the right side because me and Andres have a lot of speed, the opponents cannot keep up with us. This was the game plan, giving the ball to Andres early and over lapping him. He is a very skillful player and can take on a lot of guys, so when I give it to him I tend to be free. If he gives it back to me, I tend to push on because at the end of the day you cannot buy speed. That is my strength, going forward and back, using a lot of energy. This was the game plan and we executed it very well.
FC Dallas forward Blas PerezWhen asked about the game…I feel like the game was really good, and the opportunities we had were concrete. We played solid football. The goals were taken cleanly and I hope we continue on like this.
Talk about the streak you are on, four goals in three games…Whatever I touch goes in lately… It is clear that I have to score goals. That is how it is to be a forward. I have to take advantage of this and I am thankful to God for this. My teammates as well, without the opportunities they give me, the crosses and anything they contribute… It would not be possible without them.
When asked about going to the playoffs…This team is promising. This team has gained intensity with Oscar's [Pareja] arrival and it is very noticeable in the field. We are going in the right direction. We have not won anything and we have to keep going with that attitude.
When asked about a playoff run…I have to have a lot of faith. I am a man of faith. I hope my teammates feel the same way. I hope my teammates keep this collectiveness. There is a wonderful harmony in this locker room. This is good. It is a product of Oscar's great work. The mix of experience with our youth is noticeable.
When asked about playing with the younger players and Fabian Castillo missing the game…Everyone here is on their toes. Everyone on the bench is ready to play. They're all ready to be on that field. Everyone here is focused and this concentration that the team has is very important. Although they are not playing, they still come in to play, like Ryan [Hollingshead] who comes in and makes a difference in the team.


Koodo is the simple, fair and dependable mobile alternative. Why is Koodo the happier choice? Get the latest smartphones with the Tab, plus no long distance charges with our Canada-wide plans. We also run on Canada's largest 4G LTE network. Prepare your happy dance.


So What Do Low Interest Rates Mean For Investors?
On the one hand, low bond yields mean that the opportunity cost for not holding bonds is low. Therefore, investors are more inclined to invest in stocks, especially if the S&P 500 dividend yield is higher than the 10-year Treasury bond yield.
Just imagine if the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 10%. You may not be inclined to risk as much money in the stock market because the 10% is a guaranteed annual return if you hold the 10-year bond to maturity. That said, if the 10-year bond yield is at 10%, it likely means there is rampant inflation due to massive wage pressure and accelerated corporate earnings. In this scenario, stocks may very well return much greater than a risk-adjusted 10% a year.
Declining mortgage rates also means more people can afford homes. The real estate market is unlikely to collapse under a wave of mortgage defaults because the credit quality of mortgage borrowers has drastically increased since the financial crisis. The average FICO score for an approved mortgage is over 720, and you no longer have NINJA loans that don't require any money down. Those adjustable rate mortgages that are resetting today aren't going to see a large uptick at all. Meanwhile, homeowners who missed the massive refinance window before November 8, 2016, have another chance to lock in a low rate.
On the other hand, investors should be a little worried that despite all signs pointing to a healthy economy, so many investors are choosing to buy US Treasury bonds for only a ~2.2% annual yield. The logic goes, if the economy is so awesome, why wouldn't you sell bonds and buy as many risk-assets as possible to get as rich as possible? What does the bond market know that we do not know?
The answer lies in still benevolent inflation figures and FEAR. Anybody who has been investing for the past 20 years or longer has seen boom bust cycles come and go. Everything seemed hunky dory in 2007 when the unemployment rate hovered at only 4.5% and the S&P 500 consistently returned double digits for years. Then everything fell apart.
You never know when sentiment will turn, but when it does, the fall is always quicker than the rise due to the fear of losing everything. Low interest rates means more leverage. More leverage means more violent destruction on the downside. Therefore, it's better to sell risk-assets in an appreciating market. Even though you won't catch the top, it's much better than trying to sell in a declining market when the demand floor drops out from under you.
Stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies, and coastal real estate are all expensive today. As a result, I'm not adding to any of my positions at the moment, but instead, deleveraging by paying down mortgage debt and raising my cash balance. My immediate goal is to take profits in one of my SF rental properties and redeploy the proceeds into cheaper middle America real estate. Real estate rose to ~40% of my net worth after I purchased another home in 2014, and I'd like to get the figure down to a more conservative 25%.
I wish the good times can last forever. Heck, even Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on June 27 that she doesn't believe there will be another financial crisis for at least as long as she lives, thanks largely to reforms of the banking system since the 2007-2009 crash. Let's hope Yellen lives a very long life then! Because the way the Fed is hiking short-term interest rates, the yield curve will flatten and eventually help cause another recession.
* Ignore people in the real estate industry who say, "Buy now before interest rates get too high!" or "Refinance now because interest rates are rising!" They don't understand interest rate fundamentals.
* If the short end of the yield curve (Fed funds rate) rises faster than the long end (10-year bond yield), the yield curve will flatten. A flattening yield curve means investors are not being compensated for holding longer-term securities largely due to muted inflationary expectations and greater fear of the future. A flattening yield curve can sometimes be a signal for an upcoming recession.
* Pay attention to national inflation and unemployment rates. These are the two figures the Fed focuses on the most. The Fed targets an unemployment rate of between 4.7% – 5%, and an inflation rate of 2%. If inflation comes in much higher than 2%, the Fed will have a tendency to raise interest rates more aggressively. With the current unemployment rate at roughly 4.3%, the Fed is anticipating wage pressure growth, which ultimately leads to higher inflation. Now pay attention to your local employment figures.
* Never confuse brains with a bull market. Arrogance is wealth-destroying. Try not to fight the Fed or the government either. The Fed wants to enrich asset owners at the expense of non-asset owners. The government, with its pro-housing rules, wants every American to own a home. But sometimes, things get out of control. Look towards lower valuation, higher yielding properties in the heartland of America instead. I've personally invested over $500,000 with real estate crowdfunding to take advantage of much cheaper real estate away from the coasts.
Refinance your debt: Check the latest mortgage rates, auto rates, personal loan rates, and more through LendingTree. They've got one of the largest networks of lenders that compete for your business. Your goal should be to get as many written offers as possible and then use the offers as leverage to get the lowest interest rate possible from them or your existing bank. When banks compete, you win.
Thanks for all the information. I was just able to lock in a rate of 4.0%, which although not the best I've seen anywhere was competitive. I am buying a co-op in the NYC Metro area, so I wanted to use a bank and mortgage broker that was familiar with this specific co-operative. I may be making too much out of the whole co-op board approval thing, but I will report back once the process is complete.
It's also worth noting that at the end of a Fed tightening cycle that an increase in the short-term federal funds rate actually fosters lower long-term mortgage rates, as the braking effect of higher short-term costs eventually slows the economy and inflation potential. Slower growth means less benefit to holding stock and risk assets, so investors reposition themselves out of equities and into bonds, first to take advantage of locking in the highest possible yields for the next cycle, and often later for defensive purposes.
With regard to Ms. Yellen's comment that she doesn't believe there will be another financial crisis for at least as long as she lives, she's probably right. True crises take a long time to build, as they are usually complex structures built in gaps and gray areas of law, regulation or oversight, sometimes even by exploiting otherwise popular and beneficial public-policy goals. The most recent was built out of well-known areas of risk layered one on top of the other, as no lessons were learned (or regulated away) after the S&L crisis of the mid-late 1980s (neg-am and short-term ARMs, low-and no doc loans) or those in the late 1990s (high LTV loans of 125% or more and considerable subprime losses). There are plenty of other aspects that made this crises worse (opaque structured finance vehicles, all-time lows for incidence and severity of loss leading up to the tipping point and more). Suffice it to say that while the next crises will probably be different, it will eventually come, but perhaps not until Ms. Yellen (and most of us) are long since gone… and probably won't start here in the U.S., either.
While 10y Tsy have rallied over the last few months, LIBOR remains on a one way path higher, up over a full 100 basis points and now at 1.30% compared to .30% before the Fed's first hike in December of 2015. The Fed also seems like it wants to keep going, with 1 more hike in the dot plot for this year and another 3 hikes next year! (Eurodollars aren't buying this story, with the next hike fully priced in by June of 2018 in the OIS markets while the December meeting as roughly a 50% chance of hike priced in). That means we could be looking at a 3m LIBOR rate of 2.30%+ in a little over 12 months.
ARM holders are getting hit much harder than we may have thought they would just a year ago as the Fed is turning slightly more hawkish and wants to keep the hiking momentum going. Why wouldn't the Fed keep going? GS Financial Conditions Index are at one year lows even after 3 hikes thanks to weak USD and strong risk asset prices. The point is that while new 30y conventional fixed mortgages are indeed lower in rate, existing ARMs are moving higher.
Good point. I wrote about this: Attention ARM Holder: Refinance Now!
The good thing is, ARM holders can simply refinance into relatively better value 30-year fixed mortgages if necessary now.
Glad I bought a house and car in December with loans at an interest rate of 3%….15 yr and 4 yr. Just happened to be the year we wanted to buy a house and my old car just died in the second week of December.
Wow, that was super educational! I feel like I should pay you for that crash course!!!
This is so true. Nothing goes up forever. Not in real-estate, not in the stock market.
Thanks for the insight in this article!
Btw, on an unrelated note, what do you think of Warren Buffet's recent purchase of Canada's Home Capital shares?
Being mortgage-free I hadn't been paying attention. But it is a very interesting "phenomenon" taking place. It's sort of funny because people were using the scare tactic not long ago (and probably still now) that you MUST refinance ASAP because rates are going to go crazy!!! :) Well, it's not happening yet. That said, I am a huge fan of locking in low rates if your current rate is a lot higher than what you can currently get in a refinance.
What's the direction of your CD? 3% is pretty good!
By direction do you mean current rate? The CD is from Andrews Federal Credit Union and was discussed on Boglehead's website. It was 3% APR back in January for a 84 month CD with a 6 month early withdrawal penalty. It is NCUA insured. So after a year it is at worst a 1.5% CD if I pull out early. Andrews current 84 month product is only 2.2%.
I think we might have hit an inflection point in long end rates over the last two weeks. Yellen talked more hawkish than expected at the last meeting, despite PCE weakness not looking transitory. It seems that with risk assets trading at elevated multiples and GDP chugging along the Fed may see a window where they can attempt to normalize faster and reduce the balance sheet. Even if inflation is running a bit below target. ECB and BOJ continuing QE purchases have kept global financial conditions at extremely easy levels. This has basically negated the Fed rate hikes thus far. However, now Draghi is hinting harder at a QE taper soon. The global central banks may all be on board with an attempt at tightening and the Fed balance sheet reduction will finally start to reduce global central bank balance sheets.
If the Fed walks the walk and begins reducing its long-end concentrated balance sheet then I think we might be surprised at the jump in long end rates this summer and into next year. Central banks have erred on the dovish side since '09, so this recent talk gives me more confidence that they will actually try this reduction. So much of risk asset multiple expansion has been justified by comparably low interest rates and liquidity injections. While global balance sheet expansion creates a bid in all markets (Equities, Treasuries, Commodities, Gold etc), I think that the reduction will cause a drop in all of these. Meaning there really isn't a "safety" market here. Just ones that are less painful. I don't necessarily think that this is a big one like 2000 or 2008 though. More likely that market needs a 15-30% taper tantrum to hit a painful enough level for the Fed to turn more dovish again.
In the long run though I agree with your theory on low rates for longer. The Fed will either hike us into recession or the business cycle will eventually run its course, causing interest rates to again drop. Rates are likely stuck near the zero bound for economic expansion to continue and for risk assets to not implode. The question is how long can that last until debt levels are finally too burdensome and either a big deflation or hyperinflation event is needed to reset the whole thing. Japan's been chugging along like that for 25+ years, so it could be a long time.
"Better to sell risk-assets in an appreciating market" – makes a lot of sense but I never really thought about it before. It would definitely help with liquidity issues. Thanks for this post, it really helped clear some things up!
Very nicely laid out article and educational for the readers. Being an external auditor for bank clients, explaining the yield curve and what/how different it truly is in what the Fed does vs. what long-term rates do is always fun and confusing to some. I believe the over arching goals are here to diversify income streams, don't be heavy in any certain one asset and just because of sheer appreciation over the last 8 years – don't become arrogant! Talk soon FS.
Excellent insights Sam, as usual.
I've been reading Financial Samurai for years, and you never fail to give an honest, accurate viewpoint of what's going on.
What would you recommend to a 26-year-old looking to FIRE by 40 given our current environment?
I would model out three financial scenarios over the next 14 years. And each scenario, assume different savings rates, different income levels, and different returns. With the modeling, you'll then figure out how much you need and what you can do in case something bad happens.
What do you have a realistic plan, your confidence will search because you'll know how to deal with uncertain outcomes.
What do you think about the idea of pulling cash out of investment and primary residence real estate and parking it in conservative yielding close to cash assets to make the most of low interest rates and the refi opportunity and delay increasing leverage?
My lesson in 2008 was cash (liquidity) is king when it comes to paying mortgages and other expenses on investment properties. Once the recession hits the refinance opportunity is missed as banks tighten lending criteria, rates increase, and valuations fall.
If you had a chance to pull out 200k in equity at 2.75% (primary residence) where would you redeploy or park it for capital preservation and yield?
CD ladder, money market, something else?
It might not be a bad idea if you know your job is at risk and the assetwhere you can park money in as a yield comparable to the interest-rate.
Banks will definitely stop lending out home equity lines of credit during a recession or financial crisis. I remember a lot of banks we're encouraging me to take out a home-equity line of credit back in 2009 and 2010. I didn't because I was wary and had a decent cash balance.
I just hate taking on more debt if I don't need it. I love dead within appreciating asset. But I just hate debt as a neutral for liquidity reasons. I just feel if necessary, I can just totally/costs and aggressively side hustle to have more money.
Great post, FS! Am loving that first chart showing the Fed Funds interest rate history, many people without 'skin in the game' don't have that visceral memory of watching interest rates sink, sink, sink for 35+ years, let alone correlate it with buyers' ability to acquire 50% "more" house for the exact same nominal mortgage payment as 25 years ago in 1992.
That's true, the debt will be harder to walk away from later. However, the positive of this point is that less people will walk away from their homes, which means less of an implosion if the time comes. I'm hopeful! But I do see how wealth gap continuing to widen , Probably forever. Because it is when there are massive corrections when there is an opportunity for the less wealthy to take advantage because the less wealthy by definition lose less.
True. For the night is dark and full of terrors!
I frequently return to your article on fed funds rate vs the 10 year treasury and how to think about rates. It is empowering but I recently did get a fixed rate locked. Oops. Let me explain. I have three properties including my primary home. Primary is a 7 year Arm at 3%. I used a heloc from one of my LA investment properties last year to purchase another in LA 6 months ago where I put 45% down and the heloc did the rest. I talked to the bank recently got a loan for the the second investment property at 15 year fixed at 3.1% (I read your article on interest rates for investment properties recently and felt this was a good deal). The bank then will use the proceeds to cover the heloc so I get the full power of that down the road. I felt a fixed rate increased my purchase power.
Also just a thought: maybe updates to the interest rate for invesment properties article and also maybe another article on your views on the investing and the balancing act of flat/negative cash flow vs appreciation on the coasts.
I think you'll enjoy an upcoming post about when to buy rentals and when to rent your property based on math. It makes a lot of sense and I think this is something more Real estate investors will follow overtime as the world gets smaller thanks to technology.
Do you feel OK leveraging up at this point in the cycle by using your home-equity line of credit? I never got comfortable with that big is borrowing money to borrow money destroyed a lot of people in the past. How confident are you about your cash flow?
Crap, sorry Sam my long reply got deleted on an error message when I hit 'post comment'. I will try to sum it up.
On my primary home I put 40% down on a 7 year ARM.
I used a HELOC from one rental property that I purchase out right to help pay for a second rental property where I put 45% down as well. I then checked with the bank and they offered the loan where the monthly payments were essentially what I was already paying monthly towards the HELOC ( I was paying more to pay down principal as well). So we created a mortgage on the 2nd property.
Hence, I currently only have 2 mortgages. I got the full power of the HELOC back. It costs nothing to have unless I use it towards something again (would have to be an amazing deal on an investment property). West Coast returns are what I am getting 3-4% after costs including mortgage but I also put down quite a bit as well and own one straight up. I am using extra cash from the returns on deals on Realtyshares (per your suggestion but primarily in the Southeast).
I look forward to the post. I had the idea bc I was piecing together some of your articles to determine that west coast rental properties seem to require more down, higher interest rates (all rentals), and tend to be an appreciation play. This later point is what I was hoping to learn more about form you and maybe other readers would be interested to hear this as well. I guess the entire West Coast is this way? But if the appreciation = speculation then are we all delusional? Including me.
With 45% down on both properties, you're doing fine. You've got such a huge buffer. Just make sure your cash flow outside of your rental properties is strong!
This is gold. I started my pay downs of property about a year ago!
My immediate goal is to take profits in one of my SF rental properties and redeploy the proceeds into cheaper middle America real estate. Real estate rose to ~40% of my net worth after I purchased another home in 2014, and I'd like to get the figure down to a more conservative 25%.
Sam, when you say this are you not counting crowdfunding investments in real estate when factoring it into your percentage of net worth? I am curious because I have always considered it in my real estate percentage regardless if I owned it directly or through crowdfunding. Maybe I am reading it wrong.
It counts. I'm just not going to redeploy all of it. I should clarify that. Also, I feel I have too much exposure to coastal city real estate. After a gangbuster 15 years, I think it's wise to diversify.
I can essentially invest 1/4 the amount of money in heartland real estate, and get the same cash flow. Which means, I have 75% leftover capital to reinvest or just keep it as cash for a rainy day.
Great article Sam! Let me think it a bit further. You're saying that the 10yr bond yield will not go over 3.5% in the foreseeable future. Considering that by 2020 the FED is expected to raise interest rate till 2.25%, I assume it would mean a quite flat yield curve if the 10yr is still below 3.5%. Would that be the sign of the next big recession, i.e. time to jump into bonds again (although I read you already started)?
If the fed funds rate goes to 2.25%, yes the yield curve will be very flat, and if the economy hasn't gone into recession by 2020, it soon will.
And if the 10 year treasury-year-old is indeed a 3.5%, then I would be aggressively buying bonds then.
There are multiple variables to this equation because nothing trades in a vacuum. Maybe the Federal Reserve gets the hint that they shouldn't raise to 2.25%, and will just stop at 1.75% or 2%.
Yes, I aggressively started buying bonds in December 2016 and January 2017. I basically spent 90% of my liquidity at the time. Now the bond market is too rich, and I'm just waiting.
As always, I have to read your posts twice because you provide so much great insight. It would have been great for the whole economy if there was a bill to update/upgrade the U.S. infrastructure. It looks like that is not going to happen. A massive government spending project like that would have extended economic growth for years to come. As you stated, things seem to fall apart quickly like in 2008. At least the quality of mortgage holders has greatly improved since that period.
10YR analysis was excellent, but I think the biggest takeaway for real estate is the 30YR Rate and inflation expectations. If you can pull in a 5yr5yr inflation expectations chart (5yr inflation expectations, 5 yrs from now), it has come in considerably. Tech has been a deflationary wave that's only been slowed by zero interest rate policy (ZIRP).
Plenty of factors to think about, and who knows what happens to rates. But if a deflation wave does hit, investors need to remember how much worse it is to be holding debt then. Deflation = Debt becomes more burdensome.
Lets see if those animal spirits rage again!
Good point. About the flexion. It is amazing that just a couple years ago people were worried how about negative interest rates. And now it's back to bull markets. The general trend is that everybody wants to put Money to work and get richer. Therefore, going to short the market is a death long-term.
The best thing one can do is raise cash and not try to overly profit from downside risk.
Thanks for a great article, Sam! You're right, I've heard too many realtors say to buy a house before the interest rates go up… "But the house is overpriced" just doesn't seem to register with them for some reason, haha.
I always get nervous when people (especially influential people like Yellen) say there's not going to be another recession for a long time… There is going to be another recession, and I don't know anyone who can predict exactly when. Hopefully a healthy dose of respect for the market came out of the 2008 crash and we can postpone that recession for as long as possible.
One thing I've been thinking about lately is what will happen when the FED eventually stops reinvesting maturing bonds and lets their balance sheet gradually decline, and the effect this will have on the yield curve. Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that this would put upward pressure on the long end of the curve, but I'm curious if the opposite could actually happen, and we continue to see low or even lower long term rates. In a world of low interest rates, the FED showing discipline may attract even more foreign investment because they see the FED as being prudent and disciplined in a world of easy money central banks. Also, the low return on US treasuries may still be higher than other government bonds like you mentioned in this article. I'm starting to wonder if low interest rates are here to stay for a while in the US… Curious to hear your thoughts/input!
I strongly believe low interest rates in the 10-year and in the mortgage market will be here for the long term. I've said this since the beginning of this site and in my previous career, and I'll triple down today. I will be shocked if the 10-year bond yield ever gets back to 4%, or even over 3.5%.
We've been in a 35 year bond bull market. I don't see this changing w/ information efficiency, technology, globalization, and knowledge of past cycles.
Its funny how many people think that this rate cycle could get us right up to historical 10 year yields of 4% in the next couple of years. It took over 20 years for 10 yields to increase above 4% in the 40s and 50s, which is they last time they were compatibly low. They could rise rapidly but that is not what they have historically done from the levels we are at today.
I was surprised that Yellen had said that too. No recession in her life time!
When I bought my current house there was a lot of people saying interest rates will never be so low. I locked in a 7 year arm at 2.85% and everyone chastised me that I should go with a 30 year fixed mortgage. That would have cost me $60K more over the 7 years.
I am with you on this Sam. If interest rates begin to rise, then I can reassess, but I think it will be a while before we see crazy high rates. Plus in the next 6 years I can continue to pay down my mortgage debt making any future mortgages (even at higher interest rates) cheaper.
Your friends and acquaintances clearly haven't read this post from years ago!
Anybody who got a 30-year mortgage over the past 30 years has paid too much in interest.
Careful – she said no crisis – normal recessions are not a crisis and I'm sure she meant crisis not recession.
That's true, but if we have a one-year recession and a 20% correction, no big deal. It's probably healthy.
Thanks for the post Sam. I appreciate how simply you lay out the macroeconomics affecting mortgage rates and then tie it all back to your near term investment strategy.
Your site has such variety in its content. Though this post may not go viral, this is exactly the kind of content that keeps me coming back.
I have been developing my side income streams primarily in real estate (1 Airbnb in Seattle, 1 long term rented duplex in a Seattle suburb), and I plan to continue growing that portfolio over the next 5 years.
With rates falling I have been tempted to leverage up and pull some cash from the Airbnb to accelerate buying another duplex. Your post suggests you would avoid inceeasing leverage in this market due to likely over-valiation of certain assets and the magnified impact if there is a correction.
1. How would your near term investment strategy look of you were still grinding in your finance career and not in your current "De-risk, de-complicate" mode in general?
2. Do you think real estate assets that are currently cashflowing with cap rates above 5% are also exposed to correction, given rents stay fairly sticky?
Thanks so much for doing what you do. You're an inspiration!
Up vote this! I was trying to figure out how to ask basically the same question.
Congrats on developing your rental income and real estate portfolio, especially in very strong locations. I'm assuming at the age of 31, you are starting to get tire of mega corp and want a way out?
Where are you based and do you live in your primary residence? If not, I'd start with that.
I would NOT pull money out of your Airbnb rental to leverage up and buy another place. If you want to buy another place, I would buy based on the NEW savings you accumulate that will allow you to afford to buy e.g. 20% down, cash flow positive from month one.
It is a frenzy now in the Pacific Northwest. Buying during a frenzy with added leverage is playing with a nuclear bomb.
Everything is exposed to a correction, in a correction. Everything.
Whoa! thanks for being so forthcoming with the advice. I was 50/50 on cashing out, but you've tipped me over. Old fashioned grinding it is!
Speaking of grinding, yes, at the ripe age of 31 I have a young family that I'd love to have more time with and i'm watching my physique slowly deteriorate year after year. My career isnt quite as exhausting as yours was, but it is fundamentally … not what i'm trying to do for 50+ hours a week for the next 30 years. So we're saving aggressively and trying to make the right moves.
Are you absolutely sure you want to sell one of your SF properties and move the profit? I've read your "moment of truth post", so I saw your pros and cons list… but here's where i get stuck… Do you really think you'd reflect in 10 years and say "Man, I'm sure glad I sold that big beautiful home in one of the San Francisco's most desirable neighborhoods!" Doesn't that sound unlikely??
Thanks for the reply. I'm still curious what your investment strategy would be like right now if you weren't already FI and were still growing towards it. What would 31 year old Sam be trying to do in this environment?
31-year-old me would want to lower my leverage and lower my risk as well. I would be telling myself that if I get hammered in the markets, that just means many more years of work, which would seriously bum me out! The irony now is that there isn't a pain point because I don't think I'll ever have to go back to work again Even after a 50% haircut. That said, I still don't want one!
If I didn't already have another primary residence which I really love, I wouldn't sell the rental house. But I do, and after 2 1/2 years, I've made it exactly the way I want it.
Have you shared the latest on your decision whether to sell your Rental? Will you share a listing on FS if you end up selling?
Wow this is such a great explanation. After buying our house in early 2016, we just never looked at mortgage interest rates again. I just remember our realtor kept telling us to be quick with the house purchase in late 2015 since the Fed was going to raise the interest rate in 2016.
Excellent analysis as always, Sam!
Uh-huh, right. I guess anything is possible but Alan Greenspan also thought everything was groovy until it wasn't.
I make small adjustments to my annual asset reallocation based on an adjusted CAPE. I realize CAPE is far from perfect but I use it like a probability meter on whether the market is more likely to go up or down.
I am surprised with what she said, but at the same time, the Government and the Fed have a roll of assuaging the markets that everything will be OK. Because at the end of the day, it's all about having confidence in the market to invest. No bank holds 100% of their deposits. Instead, every bank lens out a majority of their deposits which creates a massive unwinding when everybody suddenly decides that the good times must end.


He is said to be a Dwarven Berzerker of 104th level. Hailing from Al'Drommo Garrison in the Mountain Kingdoms, he is said to have scruffy hair, brown eyes and copper skin. His athletic figure, proudly displaying his beard has been sighted rushing into battle with a rowdy warcry.
When girded for battle, he is known to wield his Bloody Spiked Thorium Maul (Amazing), and is arrayed in his Thorium Codpiece of Kings (Amazing) and Spiked Furium Helm of Brutality (Amazing). Foes are said to wither before the might of his Chud and Fuggets Homebrew Kit (Brilliant).
Rumpelstiltskin was born under the sign of The Free Coin. This star sign is part of the Peace Phase and the Prosperity Aspect.
Rumpelstiltskin is ranked 5th among those born under The Free Coin.
Rumpelstiltskin is ranked 4th among Dwarven Berzerkers.


TROIX CHIOTS DISPONIBLES, $1200 ET UNE A $600, ILS ONT MAINTENANT 8 SEMAINES. ILS SONT ENREGISTRER AVEC L'ABRA. GARANTIE CONTRE MALADIE CONGENITALES POUR 2 ANS, DOIT SIGNER CONTRAT DE NON-REPRODUCTION. POUR PLUS DE RENSEIGNEMENT CONTACTER JULIE: 450-432-8431 APPELLE SERIEUSE SEULEMENT SVP. 6 SEMAINES SUR LES PHOTOS, MERCI POUR REGARDER!


When I was finishing high school I didn't really know what the next step was for me. I had dreams of course, to be an architect, interior designer, a reporter or journalist but I always had a distant dream about working for myself and owning my own business. After school I moved countries and went straight into working in the corporate world in London. It consisted of long, hard and tiring days and short sleepless nights as I would anticipate my alarm going off every single day.
Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed most of the companies I worked for and usually it wasn't them with the issue…it was me.
I learnt a lot from working in these big companies about the business world dos and don'ts and what makes companies successful.
So when I moved to Hungary and gave myself some time to think about what I really wanted to do, it kind of fell right into my lap and slapped me in the face for not doing it before. Sometimes all you need is a different perspective to show you what you were looking for was right there, all along. Sounds cliche I know but I've had this happen to myself and seen this happen to many people around me.
For me my slap in the face was writing, I have always been writing ever since I can remember and my blog gave me the platform where I could share it all. For the past year I have been working on my writing as much as I can and I am even studying for it in Open University which I honestly never thought I would be doing.
In the past month I officially became a business owner of my company Monparagon! A content creation business that brings you writing and social media services. Honestly it was so exciting getting the certificate that I owned the business that I have wanted to for a couple of years now. Monparagon has been in the works for about 5 years. It started off as my blog back in 2014 which just kept growing and I discovered that I wanted to do more with it. When I finally had the opportunity, I did! Having my own business means I make my own hours and I have to push to get work and clients. Its been a challenging journey but I am just getting started.
Many people dream of working for themselves and owning their own business but there are very few that ever do. It's usually due to the fact that people have a fear of failing and come up with 101 excuses why they shouldn't even start to establish their own business. Bring these excuses and fear to light, write them down and figure out why you're feeling them and decide whether its worth listening to or get on with being an amazing boss to yourself.
A trait of a good boss or person is being able to listen. Make sure you share your ideas with family and friends and take on board their feedback. Don't get annoyed if they don't like your idea because they could one day be a consumer for your business. Ask for their honesty, soak it up like a sponge and go back to the drawing board if you have to. Also ask other business owners, even people already in the industry you're looking into, this is a very important stage of starting your business and I don't think it should be overlooked!
Think about your target, what are you solving?
When establishing your initial idea think of what issue your business is solving and who it can help. What can your business add to peoples lives that they haven't had before? Your motivation and intention is important for creating goals for your business and planning the direction that you want your business to go.
Keeping your idea simple is always a very good start! I always think that the simplest ideas can be the most successful. Don't overwhelm yourself by creating a mountain out of a mole hill and keep your business idea simple until you actually start and learn the ropes. There's nothing worse than failing because you took too much on at one time, take small steps, work hard and you will build your business up in no time.
Make notes, take photos, videos and keep receipts. Keeping records of your business is super important from having all of your ideas, plans and goals in one place so that you can look back on them when you need some inspiration and also to see how far you've come. For legal purposes make sure you keep a record of all expenses in and out. Legal requirements are different for small businesses everywhere so make sure you register your business in your state and read into what taxes you will need to pay further down the line (this is something you don't want to come back and bite you).
Most importantly enjoy the journey of your business growing and the people that you get to meet. With the highs comes the lows and that's just business baby! My business journey is in its early stages and there are a lot of new things that I am learning every week, but I am so excited that this is my life and I am doing something that I truly love to do!
If you have any questions as always feel free to email or comment below!


In 2014, I started a project on Instagram by mailing my beloved photography prop - a rainbow umbrella - to a fellow photographer friend.
Soon after, more and more friends requested the umbrella.
Five years later the umbrella has become insta-famous!
It has its own hashtag and has visited a multitude of countries and cities such as Malaysia, Australia, London, Rome, Ireland, New York, LA, Philly, Chicago and more!
You can see more than 750 photos of the traveling umbrella on Instagram by using the hashtag: #shineonyoucrayumbrella or by clicking here.
It has been written about in various blogs, the Huffington Post, BuddyTruk and Midwest Living Magazine.
There is currently a waiting list for the several identical umbrellas that travel!
This project is a fun way to physically link virtual friends who all share a love of art and photography.
I might not be able to travel the world but my umbrella can!
In May 2016, "The Umbrella That Traveled The World" had its own exhibition! The art hung at the Galleria of Edina as a part of the Art of Edina program.
My photography was featured as well as over 20 other photographers from around the world.
There were also 4 very large pieces created by local artists specifically for the show.
Artists include: Chank Diesel, Shane Garron, Erin Sayer, Brandon Werth, Jennifer Davis and Drew Beson. To read more about the show, click here.


Track expense type, tax codes, currency and more.
Upload digital receipts for immediate processing using Replicon's business expense tracker app.
Include supervisors, project managers and others in the approval chain.
Alerts and notifications ensure timely submission and approvals.
Set up project specific expenses like travel, meals, flight, hotel and more.
Manage the allowed expense allowances by projects.
Track actual expenses and easily compare them to the initial estimates.
Get real-time visibility into reimbursable and project expenses.
Seamlessly integrate Replicon Expense tracker with other systems within your business ecosystem.


PE3608 high-density, manufactured from selected resins. Use for farm/ranch water systems, electrical or cable TV conduit, construction and excavations, city service lines, mine and industrial drainage, sprinkler systems, irrigation, skating rinks, air conditioning, submersible pumps, etc. Not To Be exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods. Not For Use For Compressed Air Systems. Use with insert fittings and stainless steel clamps. Meets or exceeds ASTM-D2239 and ASTM-D2737. NSF Approval for drinking water use. Working pressures based on PSI at 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit. At higher temperature working pressure is less.
Pipe Size: 1-1/2" x 250'.