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JOB SUMMARY

As the Tory Burch ASM, you are a critical leadership partner to the GM and/or AGM, and someone the store staff can rely on for guidance and growth. You will partner with the leadership team to create a highly productive environment in which customers have an extraordinary experience, employees are able to do their best and the business thrives. You are primarily accountable for developing and maintaining staff selling and service skills (as well as your own), in addition to the day-to-day operations of running a successful business with an authentic approach.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

Drive the Business & Deliver Results

Leadership & People Management

Deliver the Customer Experience

EDUCATION & PRIOR EXPERIENCE NEEDED

REQUIREMENTS

CORE SKILLS

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Tory Burch LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to an individual's age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy) or sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, disability or membership in any other protected class under applicable law. Likewise, we will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Ordinance No. 184652. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

Disability Accommodation

Tory Burch is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you require assistance or an accommodation with the hiring process, please contact talent@toryburch.com .

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FT Assistant Store Manager job with Tory Burch | 147475 - The Business of Fashion

KUCHING: The assistance and programmes on self-improvement and income-generation provided by the government under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ruling coalition are specifically meant to help improve the peoples lives, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.

He regards these initiatives as the enablers for the people to migrate to higher living standards, pointing out that many of the aid and the programmes have been geared towards helping the rural folk in Sarawak.

Uggah (right) presents the certificates to Benedict Blake, who represents the AgriCOP course participants. Witnessing the ceremony is Robert.

These (assistance and programmes) are essentially modern agriculture-based activities that include subsidies, materials and technical input. There are also the start-up capital and grants, as well as subsidies and aid meant to cushion the effect of falling commodity prices, he said in his speech for the launch of the Agriculture Departments Agriculture Community Outreach Programme (AgriCOP) at a longhouse in Samu, Paku in Spaoh yesterday.

On the Kenyalang Gold Card, Uggah said 1,191 out of 1,339 applicants from his state constituency of Bukit Saban had been approved.

He called upon more Sarawakian senior citizens to apply for the card programme, which would allow them to enjoy special privileges and discounts at participating businesses.

Uggah also listed childbirth incentives and post-natal assistance to mothers as among the state Welfare Departments assistance programmes slated for Sarawakians.

Then, we have the very well-received help from Unit For Other Religions (Unifor) to help finance the construction, repairs or renovation works on different houses of worship.

All these go to show that the GPS-led government is a most caring government for Sarawakians, and it is very committed in protecting Sarawaks rights and interests. Thus, it (GPS) deserves to be given the mandate to lead Sarawak again after the next state election, he said.

On AgriCOP, Uggah said it meant to promote modern farming programmes that the Agriculture Department had made available to the people.

In this respect, he called upon the rural folk to consult with the Agriculture officers regrading the programmes that they regarded as most appealing.

It is informed that there are a total of 122 people taking part in the AgriCOP.

Meanwhile, Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat pointed out that AgriCOP had become very popular among the rural folk as the programme provided them with all the information that they would need to run modern farming.

Later at the event, Uggah announced the approval of 17 fertigation farming plots for the community of the 38-door longhouse.

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'Assistance provided by govt to help improve people's lives' - The Borneo Post

Jackson Fuller |Wilmington StarNews

SURF CITY -- Gianni Pike can't recall all of the details from his first time on a surfboard, but he does remember thinking he just wanted to be back on land.

Fast forward to today, 15 years later, and Surf City Beach is Pike's second home. He comes out almost every day, enjoying his time on the waves but also trying to become a better surfer for future competitions.

But there's so much more to Pike's love for surfing. The senior who also plays for the Topsail football team was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, and his father believes surfing is a way for Gianni to fulfill his sensory craving.

Gianni keeps it a little more simple.

"I just like the beach and I love being in the ocean. They're places I can clear my head and only focus on surfing. Every day I get out here is a good day," Gianni said.

Gianni's father, John Pike, works for Surfer's Healing, a youth camp that travels the world and allows children to surf with adults. One of Gianni's first times on a board was with Surfer's Healing.

In recent years, Gianni has flipped roles. He's now a junior instructor for Surfer's Healing and is in charge of taking kids with autism out on his own board when the group makes its annual trip to Wilmington.

He does similar instruction with Wilmington's Indo Jax Surf School, which hosts camps for wounded warriors, the visually impaired and kids with autism. Gianni is also a member of the Indo Jax Surf Team, and he finished first in theEastern Surfing Association Southeastern North Carolina junior men's longboard division last year.

Indo Jax director Jack Viorel said he holds Gianni to all the same standards as his other instructors, making the end result even more rewarding.

"It's amazing because I know I've come a long way," Gianni said. "I used to be that kid at the front of the surfboard getting pushed out. Now I'm doing the pushing, but I can still see them and get a sense of what they're going through in life. I just want to help."

If Gianni could give any advice to those kids at the front of the boards today, it would be to keep pushing through uncomfortable moments, which is exactly what Gianni did when he decided to play football as an eighth-grader at Topsail Middle School.

Gianni admits that, as a student dealing with autism, there have been some challenges with football. His dad said teenagers can be difficult, and there were times of teasing early in his football career.

But today, Gianni can't imagine a life without football. He first signed up looking for a way to get his anger out, and now he has a band of brothers. His maturation over the past five years has been easy to notice.

"He's grown, not only as a player, but as a student of the game and as a human being," Topsail coach Wayne Inman said. "He's not just OK with playing football, he wants to be great."

"And when he first started out with us, he was kind of a loner. Now he has a group he belongs to and they are always there for each other. Surfing, you're out there by yourself on the wave and your success is mostly up to yourself. On the football field, he's depending on 10 other guys and they're depending on him. It's impossible not to develop a strong connection with your teammates."

Gianni's next step is still unclear. He has one more year at Topsail, though he primarily takes classes through Cape Fear Community College.

After that, Gianni's top choice for a school is UNCW, but he's also open to playing college football depending on his senior season. After starting at safety last year for the Pirates, Gianni will move back to his more familiar role at outside linebacker this spring.

There is another option. Gianni's mother, Tina Pike, is an Italian citizen. The family hopes Gianni can soon become a dual citizen, compete in the Italian surfing league and one day try to qualify for the Olympics under the Italian flag.

He's got a long way to go, but those around Gianni refuse to doubt his drive.

"It's a testament to a gritty family and a kid who enjoys the process of self-improvement," Viorel said. "His level of self esteem, to never quit, and keep on pushing through difficult circumstances, those are the things that keep me going and inspire everyone around him to do the work. He can genuinely accomplish anything he wants in life."

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Hunting the big wave: Topsail's Gianni Pike perseveres through challenges of autism - StarNewsOnline.com

The 100 has concluded with its 100th episode, titled The Last War. Here is our review.

The 100s epic saga of humanity, told on over the course of seven seasons, spanning centuries and galaxies, ended with a proposal for how our species can ultimately break the cycle of violence and reach a new evolutionary stage.

The solution? Having an ancient alien race judge the actions of a random few people and invite 200+ nameless soldiers and a handful of children with to leave behind their mortal shells and join a hive-mind cosmic conscience.

Well we sure werent ready for that.

Before we dive into the discussion of The 100s series finale, I want to reiterate one last time that, to me, this was all about the journey. The ending was never going to change that.

My own journey with The 100 sure has been an interesting one. I started watching it by mistake, because I had gotten it mixed up with The Tomorrow People, which I had actually been assigned (and never did end up watching). I fell in love with it almost instantly and started covering it for Hypable, because I wanted to help others find it and fall in love with it too. I believe I succeeded in that. (Im sorry?)

I was a 20-something Danish girl just out of Journalism school, and I had no idea that picking up The 100 on a whim would take me as far as it did. I interviewed almost the entire cast. I visited the writers room. I started going to (and came to understand the point of) fan conventions. I even moderated panels at a handful of them.

I know I wasnt the only young female entertainment journalist trying to break into the industry by covering this show, only to encounter gatekeeper after gatekeeper who blatantly tried to shut the doors in my face. So it is important to thank all the people who didnt do this; who opened a door for me along the way, or vouched for me, or drew attention to my work. Most especially Jason and Joy Rothenberg, Kim Shumway, B.A. Johnson, Aaron Ginsburg, Richard Harmon, Jo Garfein, Tiffany Vogt, Sachin Sahel and Sabrina Hutchinson.

A story is a story, but the real human kindness you have shown me, and your willingness to let me into a space I was often made to feel I didnt belong to, gave me an invaluable sense of confidence that I have been able to use to advance my career, within and beyond entertainment journalism. That matters. And I only hope I was able to pay it forward, in whatever limited capacity I could.

Hypable also benefited immensely from the coverage and exclusives I was able to produce, largely because of these peoples kindness. And although my affiliation with the site effectively ends with this article, I hope you will all continue to visit Hypable for its insightful and passionate fandom coverage. Our slogan for fans, by fans, has guided every word I ever wrote about this show, be it praising or critical. I was always a fan first and I hope, wherever my career takes me, that I never stop being a fan first.

And I hope my coverage of the show has seemed fair and honest, regardless of how I have approached any given storyline. As a fan, that is all I ever had to offer.

With that, I submit to you my final review of The CWs The 100, a series I have followed through its many ups and downs, and which I am proud to see through, to whatever end.

Continuing from last week, Murphy, Raven and Jackson arrive on Sanctum with a flatlining Emori.

Although Raven initially refuses to leave Emoris side, she ends up accepting that she can do more good elsewhere (and in doing so, she ends up fulfilling her promise: she does save them all, Emori included).

Raven runs off to save the world, starting with some (unfortunately off-screen) rallying of the various scattered troops: Ravens former/current? arch-enemy Nikki and her Eligius friends, along with Wonkru, are apparently easily convinced to help, and they even agree to make a pit stop to pick up the wayward people on Earth before moving on to Bardo.

(Wasnt there something about a time difference? Who can say.)

As a nice little surprise, Miller chooses to go back to Sanctum to be with Jackson rather than go to war, which is great for me personally, and also a neat prelude to the speech Octavia makes towards the end of the episode.

As well get into later, The 100 has always been ambiguous about whether it considers love to be the solution to war or the cause of it, but in this case, it is definitely the former. Mackson is the key to breaking the cycle, didnt I always say so?

But then they experience a tiny little inconvenience in the form of Emori violently and horrifically dying.

Not to worry, however! Memori never dies! Unable and unwilling to live without her, Murphy puts her mind drive in his head, combining their life forces and marrying their bodies and souls together for however long Murphys heart continues to beat.

Not to undercut the beauty of this modern Shakespearean tragedy, but the only thing I could think when watching this scene was how this is just the ultimate expression of how over-the-top extra Murphy has always been about Emori.

Of course he would pull a Romeo and Juliet. Of course he wouldnt let a little obstacle like one of them dying stop them from being together forever. Of course. (Edward Cullen and Bella Swan look like a summer fling in comparison to these two.)

Im also surprised by how much I genuinely did love ending this for them (and honestly would have preferred it as their actual ending), because the last time I came across this type of storyline, I really didnt.

In the series finale of Dollhouse (spoiler alert), the main character Echo loses the man she loves. But because his mind had been copied onto a disk i.e. a mind drive she could insert it into her own head, and they could be together inside her mind.

I thought that was such a creepy, sad ending for them. But in this context, and for these characters, it works really well. Probably exactly because of how intense and extra this particular relationship has always been.

And the scene with Murphy and Emori in Murphys mindspace is just stunning. Far and away the best scene of the episode.

The acting by Richard Harmon and Luisa dOliveira is out of this world. These two have the kind of on-screen chemistry that comes across once in a lifetime, and it seems like an understatement to call them The 100s best couple.

The soft lighting and tranquil scenery are perfectly contrasted by the visceral horror Emori initially experiences when she realizes that Murphy is essentially killing herself for her, before she ultimately accepts his choice, and the pair share a very sweet dance before transcending.

While Murphys character this season has been washed out and hero-fied to an extent I think betrays the core of the character, I really like that his ending was ultimately one of sacrifice and reward: Murphy had to be ready to lay down his life for love, and only then could he and his love be saved by it. (Dumbledore would be proud.)

Its a worthy death, or would have been, and once again a nice little statement to make about the restorative and healing powers of love. Look at where Murphy started, and how motivated his violence was by hate and revenge. Look how love changed him.

And look how love changed Emori. It inspired a compassion and empathy and a willingness to self-sacrifice that, once upon a time, the story wanted us to associate with Clarke.

The 100 is in so many ways a study in how our experiences with having and losing love can shape our worldview and how we treat other people, and in a surprising (and welcome) twist, Emori and Clarke really ended up being the opposites that met in the middle and rose/fell to the others starting point over the course of the series.

(Maybe because Emori got to go to the ring, and Clarke didnt? Maybe that was where it split? Ugh, my heart.)

Luisa dOliveira may never have been officially made part of the main cast, but I think we all consider her a main anyway. Emori definitely ended up being one of the most important characters, emotionally and thematically. And its what they both deserve.

Bill Cadogan enters the test arena, where he finally gets to reunite with his beloved daughter Callie except it isnt Callie. It is a representative of the superior alien race standing by, ready to dole out judgement. For brevitys sake (yeah right), let us call this alien and the collective consciousness it represents the Entity.

The space Cadogan visualizes is conveniently similar to the mindspace created by the mind-drives. It represents an important location in the test-takers life, which in Cadogans case is a bridge where he and Callie went fishing. (JR+JR? Cute.)

Before Cadogan can complete the test, however, Clarke shoots him in the head. Good riddance. (Although its a bit of a copout that all of the actual villains are killed off before transcendence happens, so we dont get to see whether the Entity really was going to Helga Hufflepuff humanity and take the lot, but whatever.)

At first, it seems like Clarke is actually going to try to take the test in his stead, but Clarke must have dropped her once so character-defining cunning and intelligence during one of her wormhole jumps, so she can only focus on her immediate, self-centered anger and frustration.

But she is what humanity has made her, isnt she? This is a Clarke Griffin who has been broken by the world, standing before the dieu du jour in sharp and depressing contrast to the brazen, fierce, compassionate Clarke Griffin who went into the City of Light to shut down ALIE in season 3.

This is a Clarke Griffin who has lost everything, and whose losses have made her bitter and vengeful and self-righteous and (in this moment) unconcerned with the consequences of her actions.

This is a Clarke Griffin who fails the test.

While the Entity took the form of Callie to appear to Cadogan (and lingers in that shape just long enough for Eliza Taylor to transfer her protagonist mojo onto our new leading lady Iola Evans), it transforms for Clarke into her vision of a love, a teacher, and a great regret: Lexa.

My instant emotional reaction to seeing Lexa again was pure joy. Alycia Debnam-Carey slips so flawlessly back into the role that I thought it was old footage at first. I understand why people online, especially those who maybe dont care as much about the story as some of us still do, have trouble differentiating this imposter from the real Lexa, because she really acts and talks just like Lexa would have.

Much like Clarke runs to hug her, even knowing that it is not actually Lexa, but still taking comfort in the idea of her, I know Im not alone in taking a lot of comfort from the sheer symbolic value of her. Im glad Alycia Debnam-Carey agreed to come back for it, and Im glad it brought some people joy.

And, while I know a lot of the shows remaining fans dont see eye to eye with me on this, I genuinely also think Lexas finale appearance redeems what would otherwise have been an incessant and unnecessary refusal to just let Lexas memory rest.

Since her death, Lexa has been so infuriatingly almost-present (in the Flame, in Madis head, in the computer, in drawings, in conversations). Seeing her again somewhat makes up for them refusing to let Clarke and the audience move on, knowing that they always planned to revisit the character in a substantial way.

But. (You knew it was coming.)

They didnt actually revisit the character in a substantial way.

Seeing Lexa again may be all well and good, but because of the shows self-imposed rule about dead people not being able to transcend, Lexa is no less dead just because an alien judge wears her face. Her appearance here is very literally just for show, both in-story and outside of it.

And the million-dollar question for me, once the initial excitement wore off, was: why couldnt it just have been the actual Lexa? Since they already had Alycia Debnam-Carey for the finale, why not have Lexa show up on that beach? Why not have that be Clarkes reward? Hadnt she earned that? Hadnt they both? Hadnt we?

I would be more inclined to accept the explanation that they couldnt bring Lexa back because The 100 doesnt do resurrections if it wasnt for the facts that a) they didnt actually let Lexa truly die before the Flame was destroyed three episodes ago, b) Emori was literally resurrected in this episode through a mind drive and, oh yeah, c) the show ended with everyone turning into golden Groots and becoming one with the universe. Yall, literally nothing is off the table when you begin turning people into Groots.

It is hard to ignore the element of performativity here, of The 100 flaunting the powerful iconography of Lexa and reconnecting that iconography with the shows brand, even while putting the final nail in her coffin by smashing the Flame and excluding her from transcendence.

So while it is nice that people on Twitter are excited about Lexa returning and interacting with Clarke, it would be even nicer if those of us who actually watched the episode got to share in that excitement. The gifs sure are pretty though.

The Entity proceeds to judge Clarke, who judges it right back. Lo and behold, the Entity doesnt like to be judged (the uncomfortable implication here being that the species it absorbs are intended to serve it, not be its equals), so it fails Clarke, on behalf of the human race, and she is ejected from the arena.

Before this happened, I actually thought for a hot second that Clarke would manage to outsmart the all-knowing-alien-deity-thingy. She made some valid arguments, after all: How dare it assume the right to judge her? How dare it commit genocide upon genocide and then condemn her for doing the same?

Turns out the Entity really doesnt care about being a big stupid hypocrite (hey, just like Cadogan!), which means that Clarke essentially just gets to vocalize some glaring issues with the premise of transcendence that are never actually addressed or resolved, which is just well, its super weird, isnt it?

Clarkes arguments, along with Ravens later plea for the Entity to back off and give humanity more time (after which transcendence just happens immediately), are so dissonant from the rest of the finale that I almost wonder if there were two different endings for the show in play one in which they won transcendence and one in which judgement was deferred and humanity was left to improve on its own merit and they just ended up meshing them together.

Believe it or not, but Clarke failing the test is one of the things I like best about the finale. The past few episodes have, intentionally or not, worked very hard to prove that Clarke certainly is not (currently) worthy of representing all of humanity and winning transcendence in any form, and this cosmic rejection is, somewhat, a consequence for her horrific actions.

Yes, love made her do it, but love is an ambivalent concept. In Octavias case, love was what made her forgive. Once, love was what made Clarke self-sacrifice. Love is as destructive as it is redemptive depending on how it affects each individual person, and to The 100s credit, it has always (if sometimes clumsily) tried to explore the nuance of this all-consuming and self-contradictory force.

So while it would have felt truer to Clarkes overall arc and character to have her use her cunning and cleverness to actually beat the test, rather than get angry and emotional, and while it would have been more full-circley to have Clarke try to sacrifice herself for ~all mankind~ one last time, having the Entity just spit her back out feels right, under the circumstances.

It also feels right that Clarke should then pass the baton to Raven, who would have been a much more interesting choice to actually have taken the test, if the test had amounted to more than a conversation. This episode does right by Raven, certainly, giving her the space and importance she always deserved.

Raven Reyes, self-made champion of humanity, enters the now-red orb, and finds herself in her version of the test-mindspace: the Ark, on which she meets the Entity, now wearing the face of Abby Griffin.

Basically, instead of the source of all evil taking the shapes of all the former Big Bads in Buffy, the almighty here takes the shapes of some of the series greatest teachers. (It would have been cool if they had taken that idea even further, having more characters take and fail the test throughout the episode or even just having Clarke and Raven see more faces of people that had influenced them, but alas. No Sinclair for me.)

Even though this isnt in fact Abby, as with Alycia Debnam-Carey, it is simply wonderful to see Paige Turco again. It feels more like closure for the actors than anything else, but that in itself is a somewhat worthwhile use of your finale.

That the Entity puts on Abbys face for Raven, but not for Clarke, is a choice I would have liked to linger on a little bit more, but then I could say that about a lot of things this season. The choice is justified by saying that Raven always considered Abbys opinion of her the most important, which is certainly true. And relevant, seeing as the Entitys opinions seem to literally be the alpha and omega of the future of the universe.

Raven argues that humanity has in fact learned to do better, but the Entity takes her to Bardo, showing her the Bardoan and Sanctumnian armies poised to attack. It counters that, despite the fact that we keep trying to improve, something will always happen to ensure that we fail.

This time, the devil on humanitys shoulder is Sheidheda. A random wild card to prove the Entitys point, for sure, but maybe intentionally so: there will always be Sheidhedas, in one form or another, to throw us off the path of progress. The Entity isnt wrong about that.

What the Entity fails to account for, however, is that for every Sheidheda, there is an Octavia, stealing fire from the gods and giving the human race the power to evolve themselves.

(And this is where we take a beat to acknowledge the Bellamy-shaped hole in the story.)

While Raven argues humanitys case to the Entity, Octavia proves her words true by coming between the two armies and tl;dring her entire character arc: I let fear [of the other] drive me for too long Ive been to war, and I know that the only way to win is not to fight.

She also gives new meaning to one of the series most iconic statements, in one of the episodes only moments of properly paying homage to itself: Our fight is over.

That the armies are partially motivated to stand down because they know their god is watching unfortunately undercuts a lot of this scenes power in terms of proving anything about humanitys capacity for self-improvement, but Octavia, certainly, proves the individual humans ability to learn from experience and find a way to peace.

Octavia has always been the one character The 100 never lost sight of, and never dumbed down or de-complicated for the sake of pushing a certain plot. The greyer she got, the more real she felt, and her ultimately rising from the ashes to save the human race because of her entire history rather than in spite of it felt as epic as it was intended to.

She really is the embodiment of humanity, the way I believe humanity should be embodied: we are capable of so much destruction, but we are also capable of self-reflection and self-improvement, and ultimately the hope is that we will be able to overcome our instinct for violence and conflict by looking into the eyes of our enemies and acknowledging the humanity in them.

And there is also just a real beauty and poignancy to the fact that it ends up being Raven and Octavia the two secondary female leads, polar opposites involved in such separate storylines that theyve barely spoken two words to each other throughout the entire series who unwittingly join forces to do what Clarke had become too emotion-driven and tribal to do.

After Octavias demonstration and Ravens closing argument that humanity might not yet be worthy of transcendence but will keep working to improve itself if the Entity leaves them alone everyone begins glowing gold.

Ravens proposition, which incidentally would also have been my preferred endgame, seems to be ignored by the Entity, who doesnt seem inclined to wait around for the remainder of the human race to prove their ability to change their behavioral patterns. (Or maybe it just realized that if they didnt scoop what was left of humanity up now, the species would in fact eradicate itself before they got the chance.)

So everyone gets raptured, melding their minds to the mass of the Entity and leaving behind only imprints of light.

Everyone except Clarke, who encouraged Madi to let go of her body (that she wanted to cling onto, how about that, good thing nobody shot her without her consent, hm?), and Picasso, because in The 100, dogs do not in fact go to heaven.

Guys, not to be like whatever, but the Entity kind of sucks.

Clarke spends most of this episode the way she unfortunately ended up spending most of the series: alone, surrounded by all her ghosts. And her ultimate punishment for having the audacity to live and love at all is to be cast out of Eden, doomed to walk the world alone like Elronds vision of Arwen from Lord of the Rings.

But there is a silver lining: the friends she made along the way. Just as she has resigned herself to a life of solitude, the Lexabot shows up to monologue some more about how weird it is that humans can love, and how weird it is that all of Clarkes friends decided to abandon an eternal existence of bliss and togetherness to live a finite life with someone most of them barely knew.

And honestly, Im with the Lexabot on this one. That is pretty weird.

Because the writers decided that transcendence was only an option for people who were alive at the time it happened (youre telling me that Roan didnt get to transcend? Monty? Harper? Jane Fonda? Barack Obama? Anya?? Sounds fake but okay), none of the people Clarke might, in a version of the story that was more true to itself, actually be happy to spend her life with actually get to come back to her.

No Bellamy. No Lexa. No Abby. No Jake, Wells, Monty, Anya, or Barack Obama. Not even her best and truest friend Riley. Instead, the characters who return for Clarke are basically just everyone left who has a name, and aside from Raven and maybe Octavia, I cant help but imagine that Clarke would consider them consolation prizes at best.

The striking absence is Madi, who chose not to return because she allegedly didnt want Clarke to worry about her ending up alone.

On one hand, Madi peacing out into the cosmos rather than choosing to live out her mortal life with Clarke and her new BFF Luca is a satisfying choice that honors Madis autonomy (I wouldnt want to give up immortality for the woman who was ready to murder me for being immobilized either).

On the other, it is a super unsatisfying note to end on for Clarke, who literally spent the past three episodes proving herself willing to abandon and kill everyone and anyone who isnt Madi. It is hard to believe that Clarke should so easily find peace without her, after a season hell-bent on convincing us that she was nothing without her.

(For not to mention the fact that Clarke was so distrustful of and spiteful towards the Entity, so why would she believe that Madi is safe inside of it? Why are we taking anything the Entity says at face value? Oh whatever, the show is over.)

As for everyone else again, except Raven and Octavia, whom season 7 at least put (the bare minimum amount of) effort into re-forging Clarkes connections with it is very difficult to see anyone making the choice to forgo an eternity of bliss and togetherness for the sake of spending one finite lifetime with someone most of them were never actually close to.

In this very episode, Murphy/Emori and Miller/Jackson all seemed pretty set on just wanting to be together, wherever that was, which surely meant that transcendenceland was their best option. Indra would go where Gaia was, but Gaia surely didnt love Clarke enough to make such a leap (she barely knew her). Maybe Indra followed Octavia, and then Gaia followed Indra? Either way, why would Gaia leave Madi? And dont even get me started on Niylah.

(Unless transcendence was just super boring, which is a totally believable explanation tbh. Literally nobody would want to be a Golden Groot for all eternity. I would bail too.)

I think the closest well get to an actual explanation is a chain reaction of de-transcendence: Raven chose to stay with Clarke; Echo and Emori followed Raven; Murphy followed Emori. Octavia chose to stay with Clarke; Levitt and Hope followed Octavia; Jordan followed Hope.

But you know what would have made perfect sense? If Bellamy had chosen to stay with Clarke, and Octavia, SpaceKru, and Miller had all followed him. That would have been completely in character for everyone. (Except Niylah. There is no explanation for her.)

Because Clarke was repeatedly removed and isolated from the group, while Bellamys stories were always community-driven, Bellamy came to serve as the de-facto link between Clarke and the others. (That old quote about Bellamy inspiring the masses and Clarke inspiring Bellamy remained true for all of the six seasons where they were still written in-character.)

So even if we were to write off Bellamys own significance entirely (haha, but why, that would be ridiculous), cutting out the character that has been established as the main emotional anchor for Clarke, and then pretending like he was irrelevant to her relationships with everyone else, undermines the integrity of every single person on that beach.

And what is so ironic about all of this is that if any of the original main characters had been as unmoored and unimportant as theyre pretending Bellamy was, to the point where they could realistically be lifted out of the narrative without it creating a catastrophic ripple effect, that would be a failure of the story too.

Pretending like the relationships you wrote were so flimsy and arbitrary that you can have one lead character shoot another and then not reckon with that action in any meaningful way only serves to undermine your own abilities as a storyteller.

Knowing that the original plan was for Bellamy to be included in the final shot makes it even worse, because if the writers knew it made sense, then they should have made it happen. Use a standin. Splice him in. Have Clarke see someone come out of the woods and let the audience guess who it might be.

There were so many constructive ways to minimize the damage to the story caused by Bellamys absence rather than exacerbate it. Instead, the ending scene was much weaker than it could (should) have been, a lot of the emotional growth Clarke and Bellamy did separately and as a unit was rendered meaningless, Octavia and Echo didnt get the closure their arcs needed, and the shows legacy will suffer for it. And thats really all there is to it.

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'The 100' series finale review: Who wants to live forever? - Hypable

O, Florida. HANDOUT / GETTY IMAGES

And so we find this weekend the Republican governor Ron DeSantis completely opening Florida while the state is still far from out of the pandemic woods. Florida still averages 3,000 cases and something like 100 COVID-related deaths per day. Reopening did not work at all in July. It's not going to work in September. But he still did it. And he also "banned local fines against people who refuse to wear masks."

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But what DeSantis refuses to grasp is the obvious fact that the economy of his state closed on its own. Sure, a few bars and diners can operate as if the pandemic is over, but it's hard to imagine Florida's tourism bouncing back simply because the governor says: "We're open for business." It's also really amazing to see that if you are white and a leader of the party that white people get to have all for themselves, you are permitted to kill thousands of lives, many of which are white.

Back when the US had 160,000 deaths (it now has 206,000), Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, spoke for many capitalists when he recommended that the whole of the US should commit to a real six-week lockdown "to save both lives and the economy." Now we know that a lockdown, though effective, may not even be needed. The coronavirus code can be cracked with masks and basic social distancing practices alone.

The example of the Japanese economy is right there for all to see. There was no shutdown in Japan because the social habits of the majority of its citizens kept the pandemic in check. As the Atlantic reported at the end of August, "the country currently has approximately 98 percent fewer COVID-19 deaths than the United States."

Also:

Let's turn to the other hill that the GOP keeps running up and getting beat down: Obamacare.

On Sunday, the Editorial Board of the intellectual wing of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, posted an op-ed called "The GOPs ObamaCare Self-Sabotage." The piece drips with frustration. The nomination of Judge Barrett and the Supreme Court would have been smooth if the GOP had not, in the middle of a pandemic, submitted to the court yet another challenge to the Obamacare.

WSJ:

President Trump is at the Supreme Court trying to strip away the peace of mind from more than 100 million people with pre-existing conditions, Joe Biden said last Sunday. If Republicans confirm a nominee, he warned on Wednesday womens rights as it relates to everything for medical health care, is going to be gone. Nancy Pelosi claimed that the President is rushing a confirmation vote because Nov. 10 is when the arguments begin on the Affordable Care Act.

And so with indirection, the Democratic party seems to have found some direction.

Indeed, Biden even had a moment of brilliance when he described many of the survivors of the deadly virus as stuck with "preconditions."

CNN: "Biden made specific reference to some of the lingering tolls of the illness, including scarring of the lungs and heart damage, describing those complications as 'the next deniable pre-existing condition.'"

There is no way the Dems can beat Barrett's nomination, and in my opinion they should just ignore it. (The GOP cheated, they've already won). Instead, Dems should focus on beating Trump and winning the Senate, but as the pro-business Wall Street paper knows, and what will certainly be indicated in coming polls, is this approach (Barrett = No Cheap Health Care During a Pandemic and High Unemployment) will reach a large number voters who have little to no idea about the Supreme Court lies committed by the GOP in 2016, or why Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death matters, but who are by no means in the dark about hospital bills and the debt collectors and escalating court fees.

In this way, Dems will not orient themselves toward the past but toward a very visible future.

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American Health Will Sink the GOP in November - TheStranger.com

ALLEN PARK -- It was the fourth quarter, and the Lions were facing a third-and-4 while still trailing Arizona by three points. Thats a really big play, and Kerryon Johnson came up really big for it.

No, he didnt run for a first down. No, he didnt even catch the football for a first down.

But he did take out two blitzing linebackers on the play, first Jordan Hicks and then DeVondre Campbell. That bought Matthew Stafford enough time to find T.J. Hockenson over the middle to move the chains, and Detroit drove for the game-tying field goal in the 26-23 win.

Two days later, the Lions were still singing his praises.

Kerryon really, to me, was player of the game, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said.

Thats high praise for a running back who carried the ball just three times, and touched it just four times overall. But Johnson contributed in so many other ways that wont show up in the box score. That includes motioning out on a fourth-down play from the 5-yard line, then set a pick that Jesse James rubbed off for a touchdown catch.

Johnson added a key blitz pickup on a third-and-10 conversion, and of course took on two linebackers at once on that big third-and-4 that led to the game-tying field goal.

Stuff that youd have to really be watching the game and seeing that because thats not going to show up (in the box score)," running backs coach Kyle Caskey said. "Those kind of stats, ProFootballFocus may find a blocking stat for it or something like that, but its those kind of things. Its keeping the quarterback clean, being able to ID the defenses and stuff like that. Thats really where he stuck out this past game.

And thats why Kerryon Johnson continues to play despite being displaced as the lead rusher.

Adrian Peterson signed with Detroit just six days before the opener and has already drawn twice as many carries as anyone else, turning 43 touches into 209 yards. And it seems his role is growing now that hes had some time to settle into the playbook. Peterson drew his first start in Arizona, earned every running back carry in the first half and finished with a team-high 22 carries for 75 yards overall.

With Peterson leading the way on the ground and second-round pick DAndre Swift the primary option through the air, Johnson has found himself in a humbling spot. Hes been the No. 1 back since Detroit took him in the second round of the 2018 draft, but got just three carries for 16 yards in Arizona. He has 18 carries for 62 yards on the season overall.

But Johnson has been in good spirits about his evolving role, and embraced the dirty work that helps win games.

Hes been all team, all in, willing to do whatever weve asked him to do, Bevell said. We told him that we were going to make the switch, and he handled it great. But we told him, like, Hey, heres your role. Its this. Its a huge part. Protecting the quarterback on third downs, being in those situations, being the spell runner. So hes still a part of things, but I just appreciate how hes handled it, I appreciate the work that he puts in. Its still important to him. He wants to be out there and I think it showed in his play. I mean, it gives me confidence to be able to put him in really in any situation.

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Lions OC Darrell Bevell: Kerryon Johnson was the player of the game - MLive.com

Cardinals Panthers Football

Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, right, and wide receiver Curtis Samuel celebrates after a touchdown by tight end Ian Thomas (80) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds is tackled by Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Thompson during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray gestures during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Jordan Thomas scores Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel runs against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is tackled by Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Jeremy Chinn during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) celebrates after scoring against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is tackled by Carolina Panthers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore pushes way Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore runs pass Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

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Panthers top Cardinals in 31-21 win - Greensboro News & Record

Taken to its logical apotheosis, this trend all but guarantees that the humanitiesphilosophy, literature, journalism, etc.will become the exclusive domain of the economic elite.

That getting the correct education is the key to moving up the ladder of social and economic prosperity is probably one of the most entrenched ideas in contemporary society. Indeed, from the repeated claims by many politicians that unemployment owes not to an absence of jobs but to a lack of qualified candidates, to the World Banks call to establish coding bootcamps to remedy youth joblessness, the message communicated by political elites is clear: that upward mobility can be achieved as long as one pulls himself up by his bootstraps and commits himself to an economically viable field of study.

In a way, this view is understandable. It fits perfectly with our late capitalist ethos; it suggests that economic outcomes are determined by individual choice and self-improvement. Of course, it is clear that education does make a difference. In the United States, for instance, employees with a college degree earn between 38% and 167% more than those who lack one, depending on the state. Moreover, individuals who elect to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects are more likely than their non-STEM peers to find work immediately after graduation, with only 30% of engineering graduates being jobless initially after graduation. Yet, lurking beneath these points are a couple of significant factors that put into doubt the narrative of educationand, especially, technical educationbeing an instant leveler.

First of all, while STEM majors enjoy an early career advantage over their non-STEM counterparts, this advantage tends to dissipate over time. And second, while our society currently includes more graduates (including STEM graduates) than ever before, the percentage of people making more money than their parents has been steadily declining since the 1940s. This has led to a situation in which the most educated generation in American history to have fully reached adulthood (i.e. Millennials) is now poised to make significantly less than its more meagerly educated Baby boomer or Gen X parents.

None of this, however, has stopped governments and companies from touting the advantages of technical job training as a one-size-fits-all solution to societys economic woes. According to this logic, if young people are not professionally succeeding, it is simply because they are not studying the right things. They should, therefore, be encouraged to eschew the humanities and, instead, pursue fields of study that provide nebulously labeled job skills. The Australian government recently announced a plan to increase tuition subsidies to majors that favor job readiness. The United Kingdoms Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, also emphasized the need for educationfirst and foremostto provide job skills in a speech delivered this July. Perhaps most interestingly, Google has now joined in. As Inc. reported with a headline that seems to have been crafted in a corporate platitude generator, Google Has a Plan to Disrupt the College Degree. Googles plan consists in offering a series of job training certificates in specific trades such as data analysis, which would then all but guarantee a job. With a price tag of $49 per month, these certificates cost orders of magnitudes less than a regular college degree.

The fact that access to technical education should be rendered more affordable is, obviously, not a bad thing. However, the accompanying, relative defunding of the humanitiespaired with the underwriting of technical fieldshas a critical downside. This is that it risks crystalizing a profoundly inegalitarian class system even further at the cultural and intellectual level. Google, for example, is offering 100,000 need-based scholarships for its certificate program. And this is on top of an already ridiculously low sticker price. At the same time, governments seem committed to removing all financial aid that does not directly go to technical trades. Taken to its logical apotheosis, this trend all but guarantees that the humanitiesphilosophy, literature, journalism, etc.will become the exclusive domain of the economic elite.

Of course, to a large extent, the humanities already are the domain of the wealthy. Less instrumental fields of study such as English and history, for instance, tend to be majored in by students from higher-income families. Part of this is explained by the fact that, contra our received wisdom, the best careersif not starter jobsusually flow from degrees that bestow the kind of soft skills maligned by many policymakers. Liberal arts graduates, while slower to establish themselves than individuals with professional or pre-professional degrees, earn $2,000 on average more in their peak earning years in the United States. However, even this statistic scarcely does justice to the difference in upward mobility experienced by liberal arts graduates at the higher end of the achievement scale. Of Presidents of the United States in the 20th century, for example, the most popular undergraduate majors were history, international affairs, and economics. One could argue that this is a consequence of sheer elitism: that individuals with liberal arts degrees are rewarded with the most prestigious positions because we wrongly assume that other degree holders do not have the same broad-based competency. But it is difficult to deny that there is likely a kernel of truth to this assumption. As Zena Hitz argues in The New Statesman, technical fields of study generally privilege mechanical activities over the kind that foster critical thinking. And should one wish to play an active rather than passive role within an organization, this often requires the possession of soft skills, such as problem-solving and adaptability.

If the wealthy are already more likely to acquire the skills that have the most long-run value, the question, then, is this: Why enact policies that make the gap worse? One defense often trotted out to justify the subsidization of technical fields (and the associated gutting of the humanities) is that we should not pressure practically-oriented students to conform by pursuing an academic pathway that they are ill-suited for. Certainly, it is true thatdue to nature or nurture, though more probably the latternot everyone is a good fit for the more abstract material of the humanities. But given that this argument is often coded doublespeakand used to suggest that working class men, in particular, cannot reasonably be expected to rise above their class stationsit also smacks of elitism. Besides, if the goal were to afford students with a preference for hands-on activity more choice, why defund the humanities at all? It is easy to imagine a policy that encourages technical study without drastically widening the current class divide. For instance, governments could increase funding for both humanities and technical fields but provide more for the latter. This would not, of course, make the class division go awaythat can only come from a structural change in the economic system. However, at least, it would not turn it into a permanent, insurmountable obstacle.

We should not kid ourselves: As long as we live under capitalism, it will be necessary for some to perform technical tasks while others tackle more expansive ones. This is one of Marxs lessons: that the division of mental and material labor is at the root of property-owning society. Wide-ranging assessments such as these, however, should not blind us to the need to defend recent advances. Since the start of the neoliberal era four decades ago, wealth inequality has greatly increasedto the point where many in the first world are now having a hard time making ends meet. However, this era also has a silver lining to itin the form of the tremendous increase in the educational level of the general population. Although this newly-educated generation often had to incur significant debts to do so, even many lower-income millennials succeeded in maneuvering themselves into academic programs that had previously been the stomping grounds of the super-rich.

Predictably, this opening of the doors of the humanities to a wider subset of students than ever before has caused it to attract a great deal of hostility. For right-wing thinkers like Jordan Peterson, cultural changes in the humanities have today rendered it nothing more than a propaganda mill used to dole out postmodern neo-Marxist propaganda. For neoliberal politicians, it is an economic punchline. Belied by both these points of view is a more sinister motive: that the Right wants to safeguard the humanities from infiltration by the unwashed masses because it is afraid of them. In turn, the Left should cautiously support measures intended to make technical education more available. It should also fight to broadennot restrictthe range of students who can access a humanities education. Given the importance of working class intellectuals to a working class movement, its future depends on it.

Nstor de Buen holds an M.A. in social sciences from The University of Chicago. He has previously written at Quillette.

Conrad Bongard Hamilton is a doctoral student at Paris 8 University pursuing research on the relationship between agency and the value-form in the work of Karl Marx. He is a co-author of Myth & Mayhem: A Left-Wing Critique of Jordan Peterson.

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The Crowding out of a Humanities Education - Merion West

Lush have added brand a new product to their Sleepy range -- and they sound justdreamy.

The brand's Sleepy lotion has previously been hailed a "miracle" by people who have been struggling to fall asleep. A shower gel and a soap in the same scent were later introduced (and fans went just as wild for it).

And now Lush have unveiled a new addition to the Sleepy lineup: Beauty Sleep, a face and body mask.

The mask -- which is available in the 125g size and the 315g size -- is described as the "stuff dreams are made of".

The luxurious clay mask is jam-packed with soothing and calming ingredients like lavender oil, neroli oil, lemon and verbena and valerian root extracted in honey.

Lush's Halloween collection is here and it's absolutely spooktacular

The maskalsocontainsground organic aduki beans, which will gently exfoliate your skin, and a spoonful of Gorgeous, Lush's most decadent moisturiser, for an added boost of hydration.

And the company have also provided a bit of advice for the best -- and most relaxing -- way to use the product.

"Run a warm bath, put on some relaxing music and apply this beautiful face mask to clean skin. Sit back and relax," they advise.

"Inhale the neroli and let the valerian and lemon verbena get to work. Once youre feeling relaxed and ready for bed, rinse away with warm water."

Like we said, it sounds absolutely dreamy.

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Having trouble falling asleep? Lush have added a brand new mask to their "miracle" Sleepy range - Her.ie

Music is many things to many people.

I have known that for many years, but this week it seemed to be emphasized by a couple of things on TV.

One was background music, which I thought was so loud it drowned out the dialogue and rather annoyed me.

The other was a realization that just before a dramatic scene the music seemed to intensify as though to say "pay attention; something important or dramatic is going to happen." Again, I have known that for eons, but it hit me the other night when I was only half-watching TV and the music got louder and I had to pay attention or miss the important part of the shown.

I recently attended a funeral in which a soloist sang two songs, "One Day at a Time" and "Love Lifted Me." She did a beautiful job and I thought it really spoke volumes about the person to whom we were paying tribute.

At church, we have been blessed to have both a praise team, which sings beautiful music (including my favorite which says "God Knows Your Name"), and a praise band, which definitely adds to the worship experience. There is something about people making beautiful music together which speaks to my soul, uplifting my spirit, reminding me how important music is in so many ways.

It seems music has always been important to me. I have loved country music foragesand still do. I think it speaks to the mind and spirit with its honesty in the messages itportrays. Whether it's a sad song or a party song, some of my favorites always remind me of thingsthatwere important to me. I love some of Randy Travis' songs and, of course, George Jones and Merle Haggard.

For party music I'd put Alabama and Garth Brooks up against anyother artistsfor getting the crowd to really celebrate life and have fun. They really put people in a happy mood, ready to let off steam. Of course, Garth Brooks also has some songs like "The River," "The Dance" and "Unanswered Prayers," which I think have the best messages about life and love that anyone could imagine. They truly speak to me about things that make a difference in how we live.

Somehow I never liked classical music until my granddaughter played violin, and now I think some of it is beautiful especially if she is playing it. But, it's still not my favorite for reasons unknown to me.

Rock and roll was music I grew up listening to;I still enjoy it, although mostly now I hear it as background music, not really party music.

Holiday songs are geared to get people into theseasonalspirit and it usually works, no matter if it is a novelty song or a religious song. They all speak to the celebrationsthemselves,from Thanksgiving to Easter and even the Fourth of July.

"Silver Bells" will always be my favorite Christmascarolbecause it was sung by my mom for so many years as she rocked the kids to sleep, singing it over and over. Hearingittoday seems to say my mom is nearby.

Like movies, it's hard to choose favorite songs if asked because, depending on the mood, one or another would be my favorite.

I have to admit, though, I still love Bill Luther's song, "Who You'd Be Today," because it makes me remember and to wonder what life would have been like. It's still a powerful song that speaks volumes about how people feel sometimes.

Those who are music therapists tell us how important music is to those who are ill and howitcan soothe their soul and lift their spirits and even get them to sing sometimes.

It is a gift, I think, to be able to sing beautifully or play beautifully and to perform the songs that talented songwriters have given us to enjoy to use in praise, to dance to, to sing to, or just have when a relaxing day is needed.

Somehow songs that are so meaningful do just that.

The song "Sanctuary" will always remind me of a beautiful moment during an anniversary celebration when a young boy led the congregation in an impromptu singing of the favorite chorus which truly does speak to our soul.

Each person has his or her favorite song and I hope each one enjoys the songs as much as i enjoy my favorites and that they still enjoy them when some of them are used in commercials instead ofonthe dance floor.

I also hope that asLee Ann Womack's songsays, that given the opportunity, "I hope you dance."

And if you don't like to dance, I hope you at least enjoy the lyrics and the tunes which make your day go just as little bit brighter, your soul feel a little bit lighter, your life a whole lot better.

That's what music is really intended for, I think not just to warn you a dramatic part is coming on a TV show.

Jean Shanley is retired from The Meadville Tribune where she was society and communities editor.

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COLUMN: Music is so much more than background noise on TV - Meadville Tribune