I was 15 when the Berlin Wall came down. Everything changed: the east adopted not just the West German currency, but all its laws and rules and values. Thousands of companies were privatised within four years of the wall falling millions lost their jobs, and millions more migrated to the west in search of better paid work. In 1994, only 18% of East German employees still worked at the same place as they had in 1991, according to the historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk.

There were new and often completely disorientating experiences for many: unemployment had not existed in the GDR. No one even knew the meaning of betriebsbedingte kndigung compulsory redundancy or where unemployment benefits came from. In the GDR, work had been so much more than a source of income; life revolved around the workplace. Companies often had their own singing or sports clubs, and their own childcare and health services. My dad, a metal worker, lost his job after the unification. It was a shock he felt guilty and ashamed. But it took him years to find the words to express his feelings. I didnt realise the gravity of the situation, he said to me 20 years later.

The AfD's success in the east has spurred debate: they have freedom yet they're still so angry. What is wrong with them?

Everyday life was dramatically altered after 1989, from the price of rent to the way health insurance was organised. Most people struggled to find a sure footing in the new world. Many were overwhelmed by these events but they were unlikely to speak openly about it.

My father worked again, but on and off; in the 90s and early 00s there remained a lot of economic problems in the east, despite the overall prosperity of Germany. Today, GDP per capita in the east is around 20% lower than in the west; wages and salaries are 15% lower. Not a single major corporation has its headquarters in the east.

I went to a boarding school in Eisenhttenstadt, an industrial town near the Polish border. The town has lost more than half of its population since 1990 several housing districts have been demolished altogether, and a whole generation is missing. Even today, if you are a young person in eastern Germany and want a traditional, well-paid career in a large corporation, you have to leave your hometown and go west.

In the 90s, most people in the east had quite different existential problems. The unification of Germany was not between equals but between a poor, community-orientated, working-class society and a wealthy, middle-class society that prized self-improvement.

In the 00s, the pace of change slowed, but that was also a time when nobody wanted to hear stories from the east. There was no room at all for criticism of the west in public debate. Major media outlets, headquartered in the west, often indulged in cliched portrayals of east Germans, mainly as Stasi officers, neo-Nazis or unemployed. If anyone criticised the hardships of the transformation, they were very quickly discredited as Jammerossi the whining east German.

For a lot of west Germans, nothing changed with the fall of the wall it seemed that the Bundesrepublic just got a bit bigger with unification. The hardest thing most of them had to stomach was the change of the postcodes and, as the joke went, that the chocolate bar Raider was suddenly renamed Twix. It seemed that capitalism and democracy had won, that the world would only become more free, more open.

It is often stunning to see how little west Germans know about history and culture of the GDR. I knew nothing about East Germany, I felt mentally and emotionally much closer to France or England, said a woman who invited me to a talk in Cologne. On a book tour in west Germany a couple of years ago, I often felt that, to those who came along, the east seemed as far away as Beijing.

The official narrative over the past 30 years has been of unification as a great German success story. But in the last few years, the divisions between east and west have grown deeper than ever. The electoral successes of the far-right AfD in eastern federal states such as Saxony and Brandenburg has prompted much media debate about what the matter is with the east. They have freedom and yet they are still so angry. What is wrong with them?

One government survey found 57% of east Germans feel like second-class citizens. But another study by the Pew Research Centre has found that, despite much hardship, life satisfaction has dramatically improved for east Germans since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1991, only 15% of east Germans felt happy about their personal life; in 2019, it was 59%.

These statistics are not as contradictory as they might first appear. For a long time, east Germans lacked the inner freedom, the time and simply the words to explain how the transformation of their world after 1989/90 affected them. Disappointment may have been brewing for a long time, but it was not openly discussed or heard. But since life satisfaction has improved for east Germans, people have become more capable of expressing what happened to them over the previous 30 years. People needed to find stability in their personal life in order to be able to express their anger and frustrations.

In 2019, the debate in Germany is finally changing: other voices and perspectives have taken the floor. Previously taboo topics are now being talked about, maybe for the first time since 1990: the trauma of the post-unification period; the controversial heritage of the Treuhand the institution which oversaw the privatisation of thousands of state-owned companies; the lack of representation of east Germans in leading positions around the country (Angela Merkels years as chancellor continue to be the high-profile exception to this rule).

Many west Germans might now begin to realise, for the first time since 1989, that the end of communism and the dismantling of a dictatorship wasnt such a clearcut victory. Something was also lost. The end of the GDR opened up many opportunities for the east Germans, but it also made them more sensitive to change. There is a fear of suddenly losing the life satisfaction they have built up in the years since 1989.

A lot of the things that are a source of pain in east Germany rural exodus, ageing populations, lack of infrastructure are problems that permeate everywhere: throughout Germany and in many western societies with growing inequality. Its about time that a proper debate about these issues takes place.

Sabine Rennefanz is a writer for Berliner Zeitung

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I was a teenager in East Germany when the Wall fell. Today we are still divided - The Guardian

Pebble, of course, was eventually acquired by Fitbit, which makes Googles purchase today a kind of wearable turducken, as CNETs Scott Stein put it on Twitter. Jawbone failed, badly. Basis Science sold itself to Intel. Misfit went to Fossil. Lark become a software company focused on chronic conditions. Mio Global was split into two businesses; the software still exists under a different name, while its hardware became a part of Lifesense. Microsoft never bothered to ship another Band.

Fitbit continued to develop new wrist wearables at a steady pace, evolving its product line from clip-on trackers to wristbands to a sport watch to smartwatches and back again to lightweight wristbands. Since its inception, Fitbit has sold nearly 100 million devices.

Fitbit has really been an early success story, says Jitesh Ubrani, research director at IDC. They were early in the space, and they became the de facto standard. Consumers would look at other wearables and still call it a Fitbit.

That wouldnt always be the case, though, and analysts say two major factors contributed to this: The launch of the shiny, covetable Apple Watch in the spring of 2015, and the squeeze from Chinese electronics giants Xiaomi and Huawei. Xiaomis Mi Band, launched in 2014, cost just $15, and could do most of the things a $130 Fitbit could do.

On the day that Fitbit became a publicly-traded company, in June of 2015, Fitbit cofounder and CEO James Park sat for an interview on Marketplace that might be haunting him a bit today.

Lets say, just for arguments sake, Tim Cook comes to you and says, Ill give you, James, $2 billion for your company. What do you say? the reporter asks Park.

Um, Park says, and after a pause continues, Weve never really been focused on exits as a company. Really, the key to our success has been being really heads-down and focused on growing the business over the years.

Well Worn

Now that Google has scooped up Fitbit, the question becomes whether its good for the personal health-tracking market that few wearable startups still exist, and that the power and control over our data lies in the hands of a few giants: Apple, Google, Samsung, and prominent Chinese companies whose internal operations are even more opaque.

Thats what regulators will likely be asking as they examine the deal. In the immediate term, Google says it will never sell personal information to anyone and that Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads. Fitbit, likewise, says the company never sells personal information, and that Fitbit health and wellness data wont be used for Google ads. (Both companies declined requests for interviews.)

One of the potential negatives for consumers, says Ubrani, is that even if Google vows not to sell ads against your health data, it could find other creative ways to monetize whatever youre sharing through your wrist.

They have the data, so they can tie software and services together to try to sell more of their other services, he says. Thats both the upside and downside of interoperability, of your software working across your phone, your laptop, your smartwatch, or potentially even your smart glasseswhen it works, it works, but its another access point into your life for one of the tech giants.

Consumers may also be rightfully concerned about privacy and security. Facebooks privacy missteps have been a watershed moment for these issues in the tech sector, Ubrani says, and privacy policies are being scrutinized more.

But ultimately, its these same large tech companies that should, in theory, have the resources to address privacy and security problems as they pertain to consumer health, too. When it comes to my own data, I would trust a much larger company that has checks and balances in place and the resources to secure my data, Ubrani says, because they also have the best talent thats out there.

Read more from the original source:
What Google's Fitbit Buy Means for the Future of Wearables - WIRED

If past experience is anything to go by, Donald Trump will shortly be tweeting from the comfort of his bathroom to the effect that the soon-to-be-former Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky is a stone cold loserthat Trump has never actually met and who, even if he had met him, would not have been impressed. This, of course, despite the fact that Trump himself turned up in Kentucky on the eve of a rally for his Republican colleagueand declared to the audience that seeing Bevin lose to the Democrats sends a really bad message, pleading with his supporters, you cant let that happen to me!

Well, they did.

It was a fairly impressive win for the DemocratsAndy Beshear, who has declared victory though, at the time of writing,his opponent is yet to concede. He's the son of a previous Democrat governor, Steve Beshear, who Bevin beat in the 2015 contest, and although tight 49.2 per cent to 48.8 per cent with a 2 per cent poll for a Libertarian the swing from four years ago was a fairly impressive 4.5 per cent or so.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The embarrassing thing is obviously the way that a personal appeal by no less a figure than the president himself should have been met with such a loud raspberry from Kentuckians the turnout was a pretty healthy one. If Trump, in other words, was to be on course and likely to win himself a second term in November 2020, then his party really ought to be holding places such as Kentucky, especially after Trump expended so much precious political capital there.

One of the oddities of the Trump phenomenon is that he does have the aura of a winnereven when he is losing. The bitterest example of that was the 2016 election itself when, never let it be neglected, he lost the popular vote whilst winning the Electoral College, and even there not overwhelmingly. No complaints there, because America has a Federal Constitution for a reason. But it serves as an example and emblem of that strange Trumpian quality of self belief a quality that, as we are all aware, can mutate into delusion.

Trump claimed to have fired Bolton, his national security adviser, while Bolton claimed he offered to resign. An anonymous White House source that Bolton's departure came as a result of the national security adviser working too independently of the president

AFP/Getty

Scaramucci lasted only six days in his role as Trump's communications director before being fired by John Kelly, the incoming chief of staff

Getty

Rick Perry announced his resignation just as he became embroiled in the president's impeachment scandal. The White House said Mr Perry was asked by Donald Trump to work with Rudy GIuliani in regards to Ukraine.

AP

Tillerson, Trump's first secretary of state, was fired after a series of clashes with the president over policy

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Mattis served as secretary of defense from the beginning of Trump's administration until retiring on 1 January 2019. However, the president later claimed that he had "essentially fired" Mattis

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Comey was fired as director of the FBI early in Trump's presidency after serving in the role for four years prior. His dismissal is widely thought to have been related to the Russia investigation

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Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff, was forced out after six tumultuous months

AFP/Getty

Veterans affairs secretary Shulkin claims that he was fired, the White House claims that he resigned

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Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, was forced out after 17 months in office. His departure was a confused affair though it is clear that Trump wanted Kelly out

AFP/Getty

Flynn lasted 24 days as Trump's national security adviser before being fired for lying to the FBI

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Cisna served as director of citizen and immigration services between October 2017 and June 2019 before being asked to resign amid a major personnel change in the department of homeland security

Westerhout served as Trump's personal assistant after leaking private information about his family

AFP/Getty

Ricardel was forced out of her role as Deputy National Security Advisor after first lady Melania Trump publicly called for her to be fired

Trump claimed to have fired Bolton, his national security adviser, while Bolton claimed he offered to resign. An anonymous White House source that Bolton's departure came as a result of the national security adviser working too independently of the president

AFP/Getty

Scaramucci lasted only six days in his role as Trump's communications director before being fired by John Kelly, the incoming chief of staff

Getty

Rick Perry announced his resignation just as he became embroiled in the president's impeachment scandal. The White House said Mr Perry was asked by Donald Trump to work with Rudy GIuliani in regards to Ukraine.

AP

Tillerson, Trump's first secretary of state, was fired after a series of clashes with the president over policy

Getty

Mattis served as secretary of defense from the beginning of Trump's administration until retiring on 1 January 2019. However, the president later claimed that he had "essentially fired" Mattis

Getty

Comey was fired as director of the FBI early in Trump's presidency after serving in the role for four years prior. His dismissal is widely thought to have been related to the Russia investigation

Getty

Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff, was forced out after six tumultuous months

AFP/Getty

Veterans affairs secretary Shulkin claims that he was fired, the White House claims that he resigned

Getty

Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, was forced out after 17 months in office. His departure was a confused affair though it is clear that Trump wanted Kelly out

AFP/Getty

Flynn lasted 24 days as Trump's national security adviser before being fired for lying to the FBI

Getty

Cisna served as director of citizen and immigration services between October 2017 and June 2019 before being asked to resign amid a major personnel change in the department of homeland security

Westerhout served as Trump's personal assistant after leaking private information about his family

AFP/Getty

Ricardel was forced out of her role as Deputy National Security Advisor after first lady Melania Trump publicly called for her to be fired

So Trump flopping, even by proxy, is seen as thing of a shockwhen it should anything but. He has consistently negative approval ratings, after all, and he lags any of his various Democrat opponents in the opinion polls.

Of course they can all be tuned over, and in the crucible of a real contest, as we witnesses in 2016, Trump is a formidable, no holds barred, uncompromising and brutal sort of political brawler.

There is another irony here, because Trump hasnt been such a failure as president, or at least as bad as his enemies would like to suppose. After all, the US economy is booming. Yet such success as Trump has enjoyed on the economy, on repatriatingjobs to America, on building his Mexican wall, and on bringing the troops home from the Middle East,hasnt been richly rewarded in public sympathy and gratitude.

For a reality TV star who has built much of his business empire on the projection of a certain powerful image, it is that very image aggressive, childish, sexist, racist, the bragging, the fragile ego, the whole House chaos, the sackings, the scandals, the spats with foreign leaders, the Russian stuff, the impeachment crisis, the international scorn that seems to be letting him down. Americans dont seem to be able to link such successes as the administration has had with the president himself. It is as if the policies are succeeding, to the extent that they are, despite Trumps efforts rather than because of them.

A single gubernatorial contest in one relatively small state doesnt mean the end of Trump. It does, however, draw some much-needed attention to the fundamental weakness in Trumps political appeal as an incumbent, as opposed to an insurgent:how little liked and, more crucially, how little respected he is among so many Americans as their head of government and head of state.

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The truth is that, outside the base, they probably never liked Trump much. Theylike himeven less now, and theyre not especially impressed by his time in office, whatever his positive achievements.

So long as the Democrats dont actually scare the voters away, the 2020 presidential contest looks like it is theirs to lose even for sleepy Joe Biden. It is not a good place for a president seeking a second term to find himself a year out from polling day.

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Donald Trump lost Kentucky for the Republicans the 2020 presidential election is now the Democrats' to lose - The Independent

A drag show? Gay rights? Body image issues? Hardly the stuff of Disney animation, but 30 years ago, Disneys The Little Mermaid tackled these topics and made a courageous statement about identity in Reagan-era America. Moreover, the movie not only saved the company from almost certain death, but allowed Disney to become the international corporate juggernaut we know today.

Without the brave storytellers and desperate animators of The Little Mermaid, moviegoers would have missed out on the new classics of Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). And without the profits from those films, Disney would not have had the capital to build new parks and resorts, invest in new media ventures, or expand its urban planning program, let alone gobble up Pixar, Marvel, Fox, the Star Wars universe, National Geographic, ESPN, A&E and Hulumoves entirely unthinkable back in the 1980s, when the corporation was in its darkest hour.

When Walt Disney died suddenly in 1966, his company was left aimless. The creative atmosphere for which the Company has so long been famous and on which it prides itself has, in my opinion, become stagnant, wrote Walts nephew Roy E. Disney in his 1977 resignation letter from Walt Disney Productions (though he retained his seat on the board). Uncle Walt had personally overseen almost every project, and without his direction, production slowed and revenue declined. The animation studio kept cranking out films, but they were expensive to make, spent years in production, and lacked the inspiration of earlier classics. Features like The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973) and Petes Dragon (1977) failed at the box office and seemed out of place in a new era of gritty Hollywood film noir. Movies were the lifeblood of Disney, and the company was suffering. To make matters worse, Walt Disney World opened in central Florida in 1971 (followed by EPCOT in 1982), costing a fortune but yielding little profit.

By 1984, stock prices sagged, wages were cut, layoffs ensued, and corporate raiders circled. To prevent a hostile takeover, Disneys Board of Directors, led by Roy E. Disney, brought in a brash young executive from ABC and Paramount: Michael Eisner. Though he had no experience with animation and no personal connection to Disney (according to journalist James Stewarts searing expos Disney War, Eisner had not seen a Disney film until adulthood and had never even visited Disneyland), the new CEO was confident he could save the company by cutting costs, eliminating Walt-era traditions, and focusing on television and live-action films. Eisner was fanatical at keeping costs low to earn a profit, wrote Stewart.

Disney traditionalists were aghast, but the plan seemed to work. With Eisner at the helm, the studio produced inexpensive hits like Three Men and a Baby (1987), as well as several popular tv shows, including The Golden Girls (1985). Eisner also realized the untapped profit potential of the Disney parks, so he authorized new top-tier attractions (like Splash Mountain), created new luxury hotels, and opened Disney-MGM Studios (now Disneys Hollywood Studios) and Typhoon Lagoon in 1989.

The cash flow returned, and the company became financially viable again. Eisners achievement seemed to prove that Disney no longer needed animation. (1989s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, though featuring classic animated characters, was truly more of a live-action film.) Sure, Disney animators produced a couple of modest successes, such as The Great Mouse Detective (1986) and Oliver & Co (1988), but they were far too expensive for the cost-conscious Eisner. Animation, according to the CEO, simply wasnt worth the money, time, and risk. Thus, he put animation on notice: Find a way to be quick and profitable, or youre dead. To emphasize the point, Stewart reported, Eisner banished animators from their beloved historic Burbank studio (where Walt had once roamed the halls) to a warehouse in Glendale on the other side of Los Angeles. This might be the beginning of the end, lamented animator Andreas Deja in a bonus making of feature on The Little Mermaid DVD. The writing is on the wall, weve got to prove ourselves, added animator Glen Keane.

It was time for a Hail Mary pass. Animators knew they had to do something dramatically different to save Walts studio from the suits, so they turned to Broadways most innovative team: writer-producer Howard Ashman and lyricist Alan Menken. Fresh off the success of their smash hit Little Shop of Horrors (with its satirical songs and gruesome humor), Ashman and Menken were skeptical about working for Disney, which to many young artists was a conservative old company stuck in the 1950s, symbolic of an intolerant past rather than an expansive future. Nevertheless, the duo agreed to sign on as long as they had complete artistic control and the freedom to explore taboo topics.

At the suggestion of director Ron Clements, studio chiefs decided to pursue the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Little Mermaid, except with a happy ending and a central villain. (In the original story, the mermaid does not get the prince. Instead, she faces a variety of antagonists and ends up committing suicide.) Ashman got right to work, transforming the depressing 19th-century yarn into a dynamic Broadway spectacle.

In classic Disney animated features of old, plot was advanced through dialogue, and songs were incidental. For instance, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the song Whistle While you Work does nothing to move the plot forward. Ashman and Menken approached the films book as they would a Broadway musical, using songs to impart critical plot points and character development. Music tells the audience everything they need to know about Ariel: The song Part of Your World, for instance, is a classic example of the I Want trope of American musical theater. They approached it like a Broadway musical, recalled Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, in the DVD documentary. It is something totally different. The characters actually run out of words, cant express themselves anymore, and it has to come out in song.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, former chairman of the studio, added, I dont know where the knowledge came from, [and] I dont know how it came to be, but man, [Ashman] just understood it.

Ashman, like young Walt Disney, oversaw every aspect of the creative process. He invented the characters, defined their personalities, and coached the voice actors on their performances. He was brilliant, remembered Pat Carroll (the voice of Ursula), in the documentary, of the time when Ashman enacted Poor Unfortunate Souls. I watched every body move of his, I watched everything, I watched his face, I watched his hands, I ate him up!

A gay man in 1980s America, Ashman had personal experience with the culture wars over family values and gay rights. The Reagan Revolution marked the arrival of the long-brewing marriage of the Republican Party with conservative Christians and included a platform that was unfriendly to gay rights, to say the least. President Reagan ignored the AIDS epidemic that swept the nation (refusing to appropriate any federal funds for research or treatment), and Republicans in general claimed the gay plague was Gods punishment for homosexuality. Ashman saw the film as an opportunity to advance a social message through the medium of family entertainment. The last thing Americans would expect from Disney was a critique of patriarchy, but sure enough, Ashmans The Little Mermaid is a gutsy film about gender and identitya far cry from the staid Disney catalog.

The central story of The Little Mermaid is, of course, 16-year-old Ariels identity crisis. She feels constrained by her patriarchal mer-society and senses she doesnt belong. She yearns for another world, apart from her own, where she can be free from the limits of her rigid culture and conservative family. Her body is under the water, but her heart and mind are on land with people. She leads a double life. She is, essentially, in the closet (as symbolized by her cavernor closetof human artifacts, where the character-building song Part of Your World takes place).

When Ariel ventures to tell her friends and family about her secret identity, they chastise her and tell her she must conform. She must meet her fathers expectations, sing on demand, perform for the public and give up all hopes of a different life. Her father, King Triton, even has her followed by a court official. In her misery, Ariel flees to the sea witch Ursula, the only strong female in the entire film and thus Ariels only female role model. At this point, the movie becomes truly subversive cinema.

Conceived by Ashman, Ursula is based on the famous cross-dressing performer Divine, who was associated with the openly gay filmmaker John Waters. As scholar Laura Sells explained in a 1995 anthology of essays, Ursulas Poor Unfortunate Souls song is essentially a drag show instructing the naive mermaid on how to attract Prince Eric (who is conspicuously uninterested in Ariel and most content at sea with his all-male crew and manservant Grimsby). In Ursulas drag scene, Sells wrote, Ariel learns that gender is performance; Ursula doesnt simply symbolize woman, she performs woman.

While teaching young Ariel how to get your man, Ursula applies makeup, exaggerates her hips and shoulders, and accessorizes (her eel companions, Flotsam and Jetsam, are gender neutral)all standard tropes of drag. And dont underestimate the importance of body language!, sings Ursula with delicious sarcasm. The overall lesson: Being a woman in a mans world is all about putting on a show. You are in control; you control the show. Sells added, Ariel learns gender, not as a natural category, but as a performed construct. Its a powerful message for young girls, one deeply threatening to the King Tritons (and Ronald Reagans) of the world.

In short, Ursula represents feminism, the fluidity of gender, and young Ariels empowerment. Ariel can be anything she wants, yet she chooses the role of young bride and human conformity. To ensure Ariels transition to domesticity, the men of her life murder Ursula with a conveniently phallic symbol, according to Patrick D. Murphy: or, as Sells puts it, the ritual slaughtering of the archetypal evil feminine character. Either way, the movie implicitly offers a dark and disturbing message about the limits of American society in the late 1980s.

Nevertheless, audiences and critics adored the film, and the Hail Mary paid off, grossing a whopping-for-the-time $222 million worldwide won two Academy Awards. Los Angeles Times reviewer Michael Wilmington called The Little Mermaid a big leap over previous animated features, and Janet Maslin of the New York Times hailed it as the best animated Disney film in at least 30 years, destined for immortality. Still, most reviewers failed to observe the films culturally subversive messages, even as they recognized what made Ariel unique. Roger Ebert, to his credit, described Ariel as a a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently.

One of the films few negative reviewers, Hal Hinson of the Washington Posthe described the movie as only passable and unspectactular at least lauded Disney for delivering a heroine who has some sense of what she wants and the resources to go after it, even if she looks like Barbara Eden on I Dream of Jeannie. (Wilmington, while catching the Divine allusion, couldnt help but objectify Ariels appearance, describing her as a sexy little honey-bunch with a double-scallop-shell bra and a mane of red hair tossed in tumble-out-of-bed Southern California salon style.) A 1989 screening of the film at the University of Southern California likewise yielded questions about feminist interpretations, but nothing about identity, gender, or gay rights.

Nevertheless, Disney animation was saved. Howard Ashman had proven that Disney films could be far more than sleeping princesses and pixies. Eisner grudgingly accepted the victory and green-lit a new project, Beauty and the Beast, which followed the same Broadway formula and was designed by the Mermaid team of Ashman, Menken, and Clements. Tragically, Ashman died of AIDS in March 1991, just months before the films November premiere.

Ashman never saw how his bold creative vision ushered in a new era of Disney prosperity. Profits from The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin permitted energetic expansion of the Disney corporation into almost every facet of American life. Disney leads the world in the production and distribution of popular culture, observed media studies professor Lee Artz in a 2005 essay. None challenge Disney as the primary purveyor of entertainment nor approach its perennial popularity and box-office success in animated feature films. Indeed, animation is central to Disneys economic vitality and cultural influence.

Disney is beyond doubt an exemplary model of the new face of corporate power at the beginning of the twenty-first century, wrote leading Disney critical Henry A. Giroux in 2010. The money from The Lion King alone paved the way for a fourth park in central Florida: Disneys Animal Kingdom. And the revenue from all these new ventures allowed Disney to corner global media and merchandising markets, making the company one of the most powerful megacorporations in the world.

Not too shabby for a courageous Broadway visionary and a team of desperate animators who were willing to push social boundaries, advocating a message of gender fluidity and female empowerment that wouldnt become widely acceptable until much later.

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'The Little Mermaid' Was Way More Subversive Than You Realized - Smithsonian.com

Live Free or Die

Four 21st Century Black women, a Doctor, a Lawyer, a CFO, and a Media Executive, discuss Harriet, the controversial movie about the slave who walked, swam,ran and bore arms to free herself and her people.

(WARNING: Contains spoilers!)

Black women were introduced to Harriet as children. When we first learned about the horrors of slavery, and later about its Black heroes like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman== our own Black Moses!We learned that Harriet used her courage, brilliance, and determination to free herself and hundreds of other slaves.

Today our Shero Harriet has a movie! Cynthia Erivo, a beautiful Nigerian British national, plays Harriet. Erivo turned Harriet Tubman into a real person, who experiences both unspeakablele tragedy and great triumph. We understand that Harriets heroism stems entirely from her faith in herself and God almighty. (What else could a Black person in 19th century America rely on?).

4 Black women friends of mine and I watched Harriet this weekend and took in her, now Hollywood story. We had a lot of thoughts.

Marie shows Harriet how to protect herself.

The Lawyer, Angela D: Together We Win

Theres a lot to say about this movie, but Ill focus on one relationship that reminded me of modern times: Harriets relationship with the bourgeois black woman, Marie, played by Janelle Monae. While I admire and want to be as fearless as Harriet Tubman, I identified with Marie, a free and independent Black woman who risked her economic and physical security to help other black people.

In Harriet and Maries first encounter, Marie tells Harriet that she wanted her to clean up because she smelled like a pack animal.Harriet took offense and rightfully threw shade. Responding with something akin to: Pardon my stench mademoiselle; we ordinary Blacks get a little funky running for our lives.This episode reminded me of the tension and the disconnect that sometimes exists,in the U.S., between Black people who are struggling and those who are seemingly better off.

Despite their differences, the ladies had a real relationship. Marie gives Harriet lessons on taking ones place in society, and she becomes Harriets close confidant and champion. They and we re-learn that when it comes to being a Black woman in America, both the formerly enslaved Harriet (the lowest of the low) and the freeborn, bourgeois Marie arent that different from each other. They are sisters in the struggle. Neither woman is safe in 19th century U.S. Society, and they need each other to win This is a good lesson for Black women even today.

The Doctor:Sarah W. :I Saw My Path In Her

Immediately after seeing Harriet, I sat down to write about my experience. Even though I already had a cursory knowledge about Harriet Tubman, I was still drawn into the story. I loved learning about the story of an enslaved woman who could no longer stand to have her freedom withheld.She not only made a great escape to the North, but she returned countless times to bring hundreds of other slaves to freedom. I dont think anyone else did that in U.S. history!

Music is a central part of the movies story.This movie soundtrack has lyrics that resonate; it will become a part of my daily playlist.

STAND UP

I do what I can when I can while I can for my people

While the clouds roll back and the stars fill the night

That's when I'm gonna stand up

Take my people with me

Together we are going

To a brand new home

Far across the river

Can you hear freedom calling?

Calling me to answer

Gonna keep on keepin' on

I can feel it in my bones

Stand Up is Harriets theme song, and it suits her. Harriet stood up and fought against the status quo. She was about freeing slaves in the now. She refused to sit and wait for war to make Blacks free. I do what I can when I can while I can for my people.

I was impressed by Harriets patience and perseverance. There were no shortcuts or easy passages in the Underground Railroad. She had to have the patience and tenacity to see things through.

In my own way, I understand her experience. There were no shortcuts for me through medical school or residency. They were a means to an end, freedom and self-sufficiency. My end is not nearly as iconic as Harriets, but I am (like her) still a unicorn among the 2% of physicians who are African American and female. I stand on the shoulders of Harriet and other extraordinary women. The prominent role that music serves in Harriet reminds me that because of these powerful women, I can.

Freeborn Marie meets Harriet for the first time.

The Financial Executive: Andrea M.:Code Switching, Then and Now

I first heard of Harriet Tubman as a second grader in the Bronx. I had an African-American teacher who taught Black History. Harriet was described as a woman of fortitude who would take on anyone who threatened the success of her mission. She seemed fearless to me.

While Harriet resonated with me, after her speech on how free Blacks had forgotten the hardships of slavery, I recognized my similarities to Marie. Marie was proud to have benefited from the efforts of her ancestors, and of having been born free. She recognized that respecting customs and class-based mannerisms was necessary to maneuver smoothly in the world. She employed the fashion, mannerisms, and diction of her oppressor to facilitate moving through his world with fluidity, and she thrived from doing so.

What Marie could do was, in modern parlance, code switch. Most professional women of color have done this. Whether were choosing earrings, dining with colleagues or drafting an email, we are cognizant of the nuances of these things to expedite our progress...or not.

Instead of portraying Marie and Harriet as potential rivals each with her unique assets used toward the end of her cause, the movie makes them sisters in the struggle. After an initial introduction and a comment about Harriets aroma upon arriving in Philadelphia, each woman recognizes that she has met a woman who will, on her worst day, look out for herself and be her own advocate. Indeed, the strength they recognized in each other would be tested and, Harriets sister in spirit does not disappoint when given a choice to spill secrets or keep them at her own peril. When tested, a sister of spirit could look her oppressor in the face and would sooner spit in his eye than betray her sister-no matter the cost.

Harriet also stands as an exemplar of courage that trait common to many heroes and heroines - not being free of fears, but of taking daring, often dangerous, actions in spite of them. She feared most what would happen to those she left behind in slavery, but she felt compelled to do what she could to free her family and others caught in slaverys terrible web. She confronted her fears through action. This was so powerful for me as Ive learned that there is no better balm for anxiety over what gives me worry than taking some action toward it. Harriet left her family and new husband, lost her sisters, and endured abuse to embark on a dangerous journey that no one thought shed complete. Many Black and brown folks operating in the modern world have also left home to create a personal and professional life for themselves. We may have experienced slights and subtle (or not-so-subtle) racism. We have also felt the distance between ourselves, family and/or close friends created by our different experiences. It was not absence of fear that allowed us to move forward but the knowledge that we could maintain our connection while adding another way of traveling in the world. Having both would not weaken us. We can recognize the fire in the eye of a sister in spirit.

Harriet, alone in her struggle for freedom.

The Media Executive: Michelle W.: The Commitments That Freedom Requires

I made a point of going to see Harriet opening weekend to help bolster the box office numbers of films featuring black artistsas I am personally invested in keeping the funding of these types of films going. So many of my black female friends had planned to go see the film since the first trailer aired over a year ago. Some saw advance screenings starting on Thursday. Some were inspired, others were disappointed, but most intended to see it again because their first session had been so clouded by their own emotional reactions that they didnt really remember what actually happened in the film.

Cynthia Erivos controversial retweets about Ghetto American accents also hovered over my mind as I watched.Was she the right choice? Could she carry an entire film authentically and make me forget?Though she was not helped by a weak script and uninspired directing more often than not Erivo delivered.

The film also too often revisits the stereotypes of the strong, black woman who emasculates her black male thus contributing to her perpetual singleness. Indeed, Harriets husband justifies marrying another free woman in her absence by saying he would have died for her had she let him.Ill simply say here I am sick of hearing this sh//t, but understand why its an easy go to theme.

But watching the Harriet movie as a free black woman in America in 2019, I couldnt help but wonder whether I was doing enough as a free person. I am very accomplished. Ive gone to all the right schools (Harvard College, Columbia Business School), had major accomplishments as a professional producer for major news networks. and now I am a media executive for a Fortune 15 companybut as I watched the films depictions of Harriet challenging the white and black Abolitionist Society in Auburn, NY, and indeed the entire slavocracy, I had to ask myself was I becoming complacent?

Despite its shortcomings, one leaves the film challenged by the concept of what is still required of individuals in defense of humanity. In todays society where we have a President facing impeachment. but still focused on building walls and othering people of different hues, what is the responsibility of we free people?

Overall, the film challenged me as a black woman and as a human being to keep going, to stumble, to fall, to get up, to be alone, to be lonely, to be unreasonable, to be unrelenting, to be accountable in this land of the freeto be free.

Harriet scored $12.6 million at the box office opening weekend. Ranking #4.

See the rest here:
4 Black Women Talk About Harriet And Her Lessons For Today - Forbes

When trying to lose weight, what to eat and what not to eat are two of the biggest questions we are faced with. And, let's get one thing straight right now, starving yourself is never an option. Starving yourself will slow down your body's metabolism, make you moody, cause depression, and can even end up permanently damaging your organs.

Now that we've established that, let's circle back to the first two questions again: what should you eat and what should you stop eating if you want to shed a couple of pounds in a healthy manner? 36-year-old Rahul Mann tells us that in his case (105 kgs to 85 kgs), following a low-cal diet plan and an active gym routine, helped turn the fat into ripped muscles very effectively.

Last year, in December, I was getting ready to go for a wedding, when I suddenly realised that both my shirt and trousers were so tight-fitting that they'd tear any minute now. And, I wasnt the only one who noticed this. My friends noticed it too and started mocking me. I weighed 105 kgs at this point, and decided to lose weight and get fit that instant, he informs.

Consequently, Mann came home and made the below weight loss plan to trim from 105 kgs to 85 kgs in 3 months.

To lose weight and get in an optimal shape, I started jogging and cycling along with weight training at the gym, he says.

But this was phase one of my weight loss plan, for phase two, I switched my regular meals with a low-cal diet comprising limited carbs and fats and a very high protein intake, he adds.

ALSO READ: Carb cycling: the new trend in weight loss

I divided my diet into five meal plans and indulged in absolutely zero cheat meals while trying to lose weight during those three months.

Early Morning: A glass of warm water with honey and lemon, followed by an apple

Breakfast (Meal 1): 8 boiled egg whites with oatmeal

Mid-day snacks (Meal 2): Fruits and nuts OR sprouts with fat-free yogurt

Lunch (Meal 3): A big bowl of vegetable salad with 8 boiled egg whites and 2 whole eggs

Evening snack (Meal 4): A handful of nuts (pre-soaked almonds and walnuts) + a glass of freshly squeezed juice

Dinner (Meal 5): 150 grams of boiled chicken breast with a bowl of boiled dal, salad and fat-free yogurt

ALSO READ: 9 diet-friendly foods with ZERO calories to help you lose weight

A dedicated weekly workout routine helped me get ripped in the process as well. I would exercise for around two and a half hours a day, six days a week. This time was split in the following morning and evening breakdown:

Morning:

Evening:

Id begin this routine by sipping on a cup of strong black coffee and 4-5 dates or a banana as pre-workout snacks - 40 minutes prior to going to the gym."

"This is what my weight training schedule looked like:

Monday: Chest and triceps

Tuesday: Back, biceps and abs

Wednesday: Legs and shoulder

Thursday: Chest, triceps and abs

Friday: Back and biceps

Saturday: Functional training and abs

After getting done with this workout, Id take another scoop of protein powder to feed my muscles. I also ensured that I drank 3-4 litres of water, daily to stay hydrated.

ALSO READ: Here's how drinking water at regular intervals can help you lose weight and increase your metabolism

I have been able to maintain my weight and shape by sticking to the same diet regime but now I enjoy a cheat meal once a week. I have also reduced the duration of my cardio workouts now, but maintain the same weight training regime.

My only tip would be: stick on your target. Motivate yourself and work hard!

Disclaimer: The diet and workout routines shared by the respondents may or may not be approved by diet and fitness experts. GQ India doesn't encourage or endorse the weight loss tips & tricks shared by the person in the article. Please consult an authorised medical professional before following any specific diet or workout routine mentioned above.

NOW READ

Katrina Kaif reveals her exact diet and workout regime that keeps her in that fabulously fit shape

The hot new trend in fitness - Sports

How to lose weight like this guy who lost 51 kgs with the help of a simple Indian diet plan

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How to lose weight in 3 months like this guy who lost 20 kgs & built abs by following a low-cal diet plan - GQ India - What a man's got to do

Working out while sick may not sound enjoyable, although a popular urban myth argues that a person can "sweat out" an illness through exercise. While this is not true in the strictest sense, working out while sick may be helpful in some cases.

In general, a person with symptoms in their head and nose, such as those of a head cold, may benefit from working out.

A person with symptoms in their chest or stomach or someone with a fever should avoid exercising, however. If symptoms get worse or working out causes pain, people are best to avoid working out while sick.

In this article, learn more about the benefits and risks of working out while sick.

Typically, it is okay to exercise with the typical symptoms of a head cold. These include symptoms such as:

In some cases, these symptoms may actually improve with exercise. Exercise increases the heart rate and stimulates circulation, which might help the body release fluids.

It is vital to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water when working out, especially if a person is sick.

It is also necessary to consider that different exercises will cause different reactions in the body. In general, it is best to avoid extremely strenuous workouts while sick. Instead, an individual should focus on lighter, movement based exercises that get the blood flowing without pushing the body too hard.

These activities might include:

The idea that a person can literally sweat out their illnesses through exercise is a myth. It may have stuck around for so long because regular exercise keeps the body healthy, and may boost the immune system.

However, as the authors of a 2018 study note, moderate exercise can reduce the risk of common respiratory illnesses, reduce their severity, and even shorten how long the person has symptoms.

These effects appear to have more to do with empowering the immune system to handle the illness better, and not how much people sweat out the illness while sick.

Mild exercise may also temporarily help with some symptoms, such as a runny nose or headache.

It is essential to take certain precautions when it comes to working out while sick. For instance, a fever is a definite sign a person should not work out.

As a clinical review in the journal Sports Health notes, fever increases fluid loss in the body, decreases muscle strength, and makes a person feel more exhausted.

A fever also means the body is increasing its internal temperature to fight off an infection. Exercise raises body temperature, making a person feel even worse.

Symptoms in the ear are another factor to consider. These signs of illness may cause a person to feel dizzy or off balance, which could also pose risks if they are working out.

People experiencing dizziness may want to avoid working out until they are better.

Also, anyone with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea should avoid working out.

Exercise can cause the body to lose water through sweat. Since someone with diarrhea or vomiting is losing a lot of water already, working out may put them at risk for dehydration.

Chest symptoms are another sign that it is best to avoid working out. These symptoms may include:

Finally, even if a person only has mild symptoms, such as nasal congestion and sneezing, but they feel weak or unable to work out, it is important to rest.

Some activities may not be right for the body while a person is sick. The body is trying to recover, and pushing it too hard may make symptoms worse or the recovery time longer.

Workouts to avoid while sick include:

Anyone who chooses to work out while sick can keep the following tips in mind:

Hydration is always important but is vital while the body recovers from sickness. The body is likely already using extra fluid to move toxins. It may also be losing fluid from extra sweating and a runny nose.

Staying hydrated while working out and throughout the course of the sickness may help avoid the effects of dehydration.

Along with hydration, it is essential to find ways to replenish electrolyte salts while exercising.

Even a simple runny nose can use up electrolytes. Adding a sweaty workout to the mix means the person should take extra precautions.

Drinking liquids, such as coconut water, broth, miso soup, or sports drinks, may help restore these electrolytes and keep the body working as it should.

Along with regular exercise, eating a healthful diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to boost the immune system and prevent infection.

The body also needs these healthful nutrients while it is recovering from an infection.

When someone is sick, their body is trying to fight off and recover from an illness. As such, it is crucial to keep exercise light. It may not be the best idea to push the body to its limits, such as doing sprints or heavy weightlifting.

A brisk walk or bike ride may be enough to get the blood flowing without pushing the body too hard.

As a consideration to other people, it may be a good idea to avoid exercising in an enclosed space with shared equipment, such as the gym.

Some gyms even have rules that prohibit people from exercising while sick. Instead, they can choose to exercise at home or outdoors.

Most importantly, listen to the body. If a person feels exhausted just a few minutes into working out, it is probably time to stop.

It may be inconvenient, but it is much better to give the body a chance to recover and then go back to the usual exercise routine.

Choosing to work out while sick or not is an individual matter in most cases.

Light to moderate exercise may help boost the immune system to avoid sickness, and when someone is already sick, it may also help increase circulation to reduce some symptoms of a head cold.

It is important to avoid heavy or very strenuous exercise. People with more severe symptoms, such as those with a fever or a heavy cough, should also avoid exercise.

Overall, it is important to listen to the body and to stop working out if a person feels exhausted or too ill.

Follow this link:
Working out while sick: Should you rest or sweat it out? - Medical News Today

In addition to diet, it is also important to exercise regularly to reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, and if a persons blood pressure reading is already high, exercise can help a person lower it.

As Mayo Clinic explained: Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

Furthermore, becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure by an average of four to nine millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) - thats as good as some blood pressure medications, notes the health body.

It added: But to keep your blood pressure low, you need to keep exercising on a regular basis. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have an impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.

Link:
High blood pressure: Add this vegetable to your diet to lower your reading - Express

Its that time of year again, when the creepy crawlies, ghosts, ghouls and goblins come out to tempt you away from your diet with their sweet treats. Also known as the spookiest of holidays, Halloween. So, what can you do to indulge in the treats without feeling guilty? A Halloween themed workout of course!

TruBe, Londons leading On-Demand Fitness app, who allow customer access to the largest network of on-demand personal trainers, have put together a fun and motivating exercise routine that you can do from the comfort of your home, after all, one day off from the gym wont hurt - right?

Daria said: Halloween workouts should be fun and easy. This can be as simple as walking with the kids while theyre out trick or treating.

If you want to spice up your traditional workout regime, why not try the Halloween special?

Routine

Three reps of the below:

10 squat with pumpkin

13 press up dunk apples

Walk the plank challenge (hold for a minute)

Flying bat (make flapping movement with two 5kg dumbbells in hands for one minute)

Zombie alive (straight leg sit-ups x20)

Creepy crawlies (sprawls x15)

DON'T MISS

Chloe Twist, a qualified Personal Trainer from OriGym Centre of Excellence said: If youre looking for an intense and well-rounded workout to try in the gym this Halloween, our personal favourite here at OriGym is the PUMPKINworkout.

P - Push-Ups

Push-ups are a scary one to start with, as pretty much everyone finds them taxing (even those who workout twice daily). However, theyre a great full-body workout and youll be glad to know that this workout only requires ten of them (in the first circuit, at least)

REPS: 10

U - Upright Rows

Your arms may be a little sore from the push-ups, but it is a Halloween workout after all. Grab a pair of dumbbells and get ready to work your biceps, trapezius, and deltoids.

Upright rows are great for the upper body and are a nice addition to bicep curls if you want to switch up the muscles that youre working.

REPS: 10

M - Mountain Climbers

If you think that mountain climbers are an easier alternative to push-ups, then youve probably never tried them before

They cover many main muscle groups, and some of the muscles worked include the abs, obliques, glutes, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, back, deltoids and triceps.

REPS: 20 (its getting scary now)

P - Prowler Sled Push

Following the theme of exercises that attack your entire body, we chose the prowler sled push as the second P in the pumpkin workout.

This time, the full-body exercise isnt just relying on your own bodyweight. Youll have to shift whatever weight you choose to load the sled with!

REPS: Perform 2 x 40 yards

K - Kneeling Rope Slam

Battle rope slams are deceiving. Kneeling rope slams are even more so. They may look easy on the surface, but trust us, theyre extremely deceptive.

With this exercise, youll blast your arms and core, especially since youre taking the pressure off your lower body.

REPS: 15 slams

Read more:
Best workout to do at home: The simple 7 move routine to blast fat - Express.co.uk

Weight loss: Highly popular for quick weight loss, fad diets have gained massive popularity past few years. But are they safe and effective? Read here to know the truth about fad diets and what you should do to achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss.

Weight loss tips: Avoid white sugar for healthy weight loss

Fad diets for weight loss: People who want to achieve quick weight loss resort to fad diets. Some of the most popular weight loss diets of all times are keto diet, low carb diet, paleo diet, Mediterranean diet, vegan diet and intermittent fasting. Apart from intermittent fasting, most of these diets are restrictive in nature, that is, they involve giving up on food groups or certain foods. In this article, we are going to talk about these popular fad diets and if they are the worth the hype around them.

Before you go ahead with taking up any of these popular fad diets, it is important to set a goal first. If it is quick weight loss, then following keto or low carb diets in the right manner can probably help you. But, if your goal is to achieve sustainable weight loss that you can maintain in the long run, then you should give a second thought to these diets.

Fad diets can make room for irritability, mood swings and cravingsPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: Celeb Trainer Vinod Channa Tells Us Why We Shouldn't Follow Fad Diets; Follow This Instead

In the long term, these fad diets may do harm more than good. Here are some reasons why fad diets may not be the best for you.

Also read: Manage Your Nutritional Requirements During Intermittent Fasting: Here's How

Well, weight loss can be achieved by simply sticking to home-cooked food and regular exercise. Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar and lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho are a few of the many health experts who don't believe in fad diets. They believe that these diets are nothing but a result of the food industry trying to make profits.

1. Consume a healthy and balanced diet. You need to include all food groups in your diet included fats, carbs, protein and fibre. Avoid processed, packaged, junk and deep-fried foods.

3. Avoid white sugar as it is nothing but empty calories. You might crave desserts and sweet foods and the best thing to do is to switch to healthy sugar alternatives like dates, honey, coconut sugar, sugarcane and jaggery for a healthy weight.

Avoid white sugar for good health and weight lossPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: Craving Sugar? Try These Simple Tricks To Say Goodbye To Sugar

4. Exercise regularly. Make sure your workout routine involves both cardio and weight training/strength training exercises. While the former helps in burning calories, the latter helps in losing bad fat and gaining muscles.

5. Do not take stress. Not only will it hamper your weight loss goals, it will also negatively affect your health. Manage your stress by changing your attitude towards stressful situations and do yoga, meditation, etc.

6. Sleep well because a good night's sleep is an essential prerequisite to weight loss and good health. Lack of sleep can make room for cravings and overeating. It can also lead to hormonal imbalance. For a healthy weight loss, getting minimum of seven to eight hours is sleep is important.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

See more here:
Fad Diets For Weight Loss: Are They Worth The Hype? Follow These 6 Tips For Healthy, Sustainable Weight Loss - Doctor NDTV