Category Archives: Mind Uploading

ISLAMABAD - Who would have thought in their wildest imagination that such a day would come when working-from-home would become so mainstream. With the current situation, more than half of the worlds population is under lockdown, giving rise to unprecedented work-from-home scenarios. Now, working from home may not be everyones cup of tea. Some say it makes them lazy, while others feel too cozy at home. Is your home network going to be stable enough or can you stay safe from straying away to the first distraction you see? Or what if your child decides to play games or watch movies on your phone and drains out the battery? These might just be a few of the things that run in your mind when you consider working from home, especially if you are someone who has not worked remotely 100 percent. However, this is just a new setting to get adapted to and one of the tools we tend to rely on the most right now is our smartphone. Not to worry, because with the HUAWEI P40 Pros 5G capabilities, flagship performance and long-lasting battery, you are promised a seamless working from home experience, maybe even improving your performance! Here are some of the ways Huaweis latest flagship can help. Ensure a strong and stable connection at all times. One of the most important requirements of working from home is a solid Internet connection that you can rely on to not drop mid-way during a conference call or while you are uploading or downloading heavy files. Your home internet connection might be able to do this, but now that the entire family is at home and everyone is connected to the WiFi, be it for e-learning or even for entertainment, it can potentially slow down your network. A long-lasting battery life for all your needs. This also means you need a smartphone that is capable of lasting long on a single charge as you would be doing a lot more with it. Video conferencing for office work or even with friends and family during social distancing are all battery consuming, which is all the more reason why you need a massive battery on your smartphone that charges up quickly as well. The HUAWEI P40 Pro comes with a massive 4200mAh battery and a 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, along with support for Huaweis wireless Supercharge features to charge your phone back up faster than ever.

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Working from home? - The Nation

You cant teach height is a pretty common saying in the basketball world, and as an abnormally tall dude, my freakishly elevated stature provided me with plenty of potential to become a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court.

You can, on the other hand, teach skill, but sadly, I was an incredibly subpar student of the game, which is why I currently write on the internet for a living as opposed to having people on the internet write about my dominance of the NBA.

I often wonder if things wouldve been different if Id used the hoop in my driveway to perfect my hook and work on my midrange shooting instead of spending countless hours trying to nail circus shots that I would never have the opportunity to attempt in an actual game. Sadly, thats just one of those questions in life that will forever go unanswered.

Of course, basically everyone who had a basket at home growing up devoted a solid chunk of their childhood to attempting absurdly low-percentage shots, but unless you were playing with other people on the rare occasion you made one, you had to settle for the personal satisfaction that came with nailing it when there was no one around to see it fall.

However, that all changed when YouTube burst onto the scene, as anyone with a video camera suddenly had the opportunity to share their ridiculous feats with the world.

That is precisely what five roommates from Texas A&M did when they launched Dude Perfect back in 2009 and quickly became internet sensations thanks to their proven formula of attempting the same shot hundreds of times until they make it and proceed to freak out like a group of people who just saw David Blaine perform street magic.

The dudes of Dude Perfect might be the most famous trick shot artists on YouTube but there were others who came before themincluding David Kalb, who started uploading videos of the shots he made in the Los Angeles warehouse he worked as a manager at in 2008.

It was right around that time that LeBron James announced he was looking to take someone on in a trick shot competition and Kalbwho, interestingly enough, played basketball at the University of Akrondecided to try his luck by submitting his highlight reel and managed to earn the honor of taking on The King.

With the NBA set to kick off its HORSE competition this weekend, someone over on r/NBA dug up a video of their showdown on a court in Venice Beach where James found himself handily outmatched by Kalb, who earned the honor of going through the rest of his life with the kind of bragging rights most people can only dream of.

Kalb also posted a longer video of the competition if youre so inclined (as long as you dont mind the fact that it appeared to be filmed on a flip phone).

Someone in the Reddit thread who said theyre related to Kalb shared hes currently teaching English in Istanbul but hes regularly updated his YouTube channel since he claimed victory and it seems like hes still got it.

He might not be worth the estimated $220 million Dude Perfect is but at least he has a claim to fame those guys likely never will.

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Lets Look Back At The Time LeBron James Lost A Game Of HORSE To A YouTube Trick Shot Artist Ahead Of The NBAs Upcoming Competition - BroBible

Having taught and been a CBS principal over a 43-year period, former Edmund Rice NS principal Brian MacMahon says teachers are doing a great job but need to consider the amount of homework they are giving parents to work with their children on, in some cases.

In an open letter to teachers sent to this newspaper Mr MacMahon, who retired in 2018, said: 'As a retired principal, I am very reluctant to pass judgement on the work that serving teachers are currently doing to keep their students as up to date as they can with their studies. However, listening to some teenagers and also to the opinions of child psychologists I would like to simply offer some food for thought.

'Anyone who worked with me when I was a primary school principal will know that I had very mixed views on the benefits of homework at the best of times. It has very limited educational value, especially at primary level. It is often very poorly designed and often consists of box ticking and space filling exercises and it often really stresses parents out when it involves maths and Irish they don't really understand or remember themselves.'

With families now more or less in lockdown, he is cautioning that teachers really need to be very careful about the type and amount of work they send home to their pupils. 'Principals need to attempt to regulate the flow of the work being sent. A secondary school first year pupil could have nine or more teachers inundating them with assignments and deadlines. I heard of two separate instances of pupils being set deadlines such as 'Midnight on Sunday' for assignments and then reminded by e-mail on a Saturday that the assignment hadn't been received. I've heard of pupils being asked to scan items, to print items, etc. Has every home got the appropriate tools to do that?

'I hear that the gardai have noticed an increase in call-outs for domestic violence and that Childline calls are on the increase. This is only anecdotal evidence I admit, but if it's true, then we have serious issues bubbling up other than the coronavirus.'

Suggested alternatives for teachers would be: creating podcasts of lessons; uploading video lessons on YouTube; creating blogs where pupils can log on for discussions; sharing video links to educational sites and broadcasts; using programmes such as 'zoom' to hold group discussions with the pupils online, etc, he said.

'I understand that most Leaving Cert students seem to be very well catered for and mostly seem to be working away. They will also need social interaction with their peers. Their mental health is hugely important at this point in time. A very wise man once asked a group of school principals the question: "Why do children come to school? And we all gave the predictable answers such as "They come to school to learn etc." "No", he said. "Children come to school to be with their friends." The point he was making was that the socialisation skills that children learn at school are hugely important and that interacting with other children is a hugely important part of their lives. Allowing them to be children is very important.'

He said now that children are really missing seeing their friends, and parents are too, it is important that schools do not add to the pressure that families are now under.

'By all means keep in touch, provide assignments and advice. But remember that education isn't about filling vessels. It's about opening minds. It's a process and not a product. Please be conscious of the many difficulties being faced within homes at this point in time and maybe just take the foot off the pedal a little? Pupils will often learn more from what you do than from what you say.'

'Pupils will very quickly catch up on missed classes when we get back to normal. This health crisis is a mental health crisis for many.

It's a difficult time for teachers too,' he said.

'Congratulations to all the teachers who are doing fantastic work. You need to look after yourselves too! Don't feel under so much pressure to achieve results in such difficult times as these. It's up to school principals to set the tone in each school and the Department of Education has a role to play as well in moderating expectations. This is new territory for everyone. Let's all continually reflect on the actions we are taking each day. Keeping all our children healthy and in a positive frame of mind should be the focus. Many schools are doing exactly that, especially at primary level. I understand that there are higher expectations and increased pressure at secondary level and that is where most of my concern lies. As stated at the outset, this letter is simply by way of offering some food for thought from one who is retired and has all the time in the world to sit and think.'

New Ross Standard

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Teachers urged not to overburden parents - New Ross Standard

by Lynne Robinsontempo@taosnews.com

As we head into week three of lockdown, at the same time Taos Pueblo observes their annual quiet time, I continue to take my early morning walks, which eventually lead me to a clearing where I have an unobstructed view of the mountain.

It is my habit to give thanks at that moment, for the blessing of having arrived here once more. This attitude of gratitude carries through the remainder of my day, and these days, more profoundly than ever before.

Lately, Ive noticed something else during these walks at daybreak; the Earth itself seems quiet as if she has sunk deeply into a calm repose. In the Jewish tradition, the sabbath that precedes Passover is known as the Great Shabbat a time outside of time, where we can all find that sense of deep comfort and repose before we observe the remembrance of the Angel of Death passing over and the 10 plagues which stopped Egypt in its tracks while the followers of Moses accomplished the first successful democratic uprising in Western history.

With Easter and Passover upon us, it occurred to me, as I walked home, that while this coronavirus has literally stopped us all in our tracks, it has also offered us a unique opportunity we have an unprecedented moment in which to turn this ship around.

Scientists tell us that the quieter Earth during self-quarantine has reduced ambient seismic noise. Human activity generates vibrations that distort measurements from finely tuned seismic instruments. In Belgium, scientists report a 30 percent reduction in the amount of ambient human noise since the COVID-19 lockdown began there. The resulting quiet means surface seismic readings are as clear as the ones scientists usually get from the same instruments buried 100 meters beneath the Earths surface, making measurements more specific and easier to use and understand.

Seismology isnt the only scientific field experiencing a temporary sea change due to COVID-19 climate and weather science are experiencing fluke readings, too. Much has been made of how Chinas amount of pollution has fallen during the lockdown, while Los Angeles reports less smog.

The cost of human life is clearly worth far more than scientific data, and the sooner this global self-quarantine safely ends, the better, but in this relative stillness, all manner of new discoveries are bound to be made, in the arts as well as in the sciences.

As an art colony, Taos economy is driven not only by our gorgeous backyard that attracts thousands of tourists year-round but also by our museums and galleries that show the work of Taos artists, past and present. Closed to the public, many are going digital to find their footing in this brave new world.

Art Basel Hong Kong, Asias biggest contemporary art fair, was canceled, but anyone who had planned to visit last week could enjoy an experimental alternative: the viewing room. At the click of a keyboard, you could enter a panoramic but private visual salon, without having to venture into the airless Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Many museums are livestreaming and galleries are taking to Instagram like never before. The cost of city living was already driving artists out of the cities and now that commerce reinvents itself in an online model, many more will move to places like Taos.

Other artists may change the kind of work they do. Perhaps they will draw more and we will see a return to more classic forms in both painting and sculpture. One thing is for certain, the landscape of art will be completely transformed once we emerge from this period of quarantine.

Three months into my position as editor of Tempo, I find myself here, and thankfully Im no stranger to the web and plan to include more online content, especially since COVID-19 has shrunk the print edition of the magazine.

No calendar means no advertisers, which in turn leads to less content, but online theres plenty of room to move and here at Tempo, we plan to keep moving in tune with the changing times.

But just because we are web savvy, doesnt mean everyone out there who reads the paper knows how to get around online. With that in mind, well be including a few simple tutorials on our site next week, to assist the tech-impaired to download Zoom, get into chat rooms and visit your favorite museums and galleries without leaving the comfort (and safety) of your homes.

And for those of you who already surf the web like pros, well be uploading interesting articles to our site besides what youll find between our pages every Thursday.

Weve partnered with Twirl for the duration of the school year to provide information for parents finding themselves at home with their kids. Well continue to bring you news about the creative community we live in, the people who make the art, write the books and, thanks to the ongoing photo series by Zoe Zimmerman, the people on the front lines chopping your wood and delivering your Amazon orders to your doorstep.

And lets not forget our dedicated health care workers and first responders, as author Allegra Huston eloquently reminds us. Clap your hands, for them, for their tireless dedication and service, for saving lives. They are truly the heroes and heroines in this battle.

Stay with us for news you can use. Be safe, be well and help your neighbors. We are all in this together.

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Let's turn this ship around: Letter from the editor - taosnews

By Liam Karabo Joyce Apr 8, 2020

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The award-winning rapper is certainly known for being deep on social media and always speaking his mind but this week he has introduced us to the comedian within him.

The "Doc Shebeleza" hitmaker has been uploading daily videos onto his TikTok account and in his latest, he has gone from rapper to pastor.

In the video Cassper imitatesGhanaian evangelist,Dag Heward-Mills whose teaching on how to avoid unnecessary calls went viral last year. In the video the pastor says "Sometimes it better not to delete their names from your phone, you have to rather change the names. You change the name to "don't answer 1, don't answer 1'".

Cassper imitated the pastor and threw in some amampiano dance moves at the end of the video which has just over 400 000 views already.

He also posted the video on his Instagram and said: "This is some great advice. Hahahahaha. I'm getting so good at this. Enjoying Tik Tok soooo much. Make sure you follow me on Tik Tok".

Watch below:

Great advice. ##DontAnswer ##SouthAfrica ##Comedy ##CassperNyovest

"First of all I'd just like to say that I saw the weirdest thing on social media, there is a challenge now called the d*ck print challenge. First of all I think ya'll are losing ya'll minds. I am not participating gents," he said while laughing.

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Yall doing weird shit now. Here's my thoughts on this new ##DickPrintChallenge ##Day11ofLockdown ##Comedy

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WATCH: Cassper becomes TikTok 'pastor' and won't take part in 'd-print' challenge - IOL

It is a no brainer that during uncharted times like this everyones anxiety is going to go up a level. No one knows what is exactly going on we are all learning about this together. As we have been ordered to stay home a mandatory exercise for our own good, its only natural that our mind starts to go further than our bodies do. I was a little worried I must say, so here is what I did to make sure I dont get out of this pandmeic chubbier on the hips and with just half a deck!

Come up with a schedule

Creating a schedule that fit my 8-5 job requirements as well my 4 year olds energy levels was a little daunting to say the least. But nevertheless to come out successful at the end of this, I had to come up with a schedule that we now follow as a family. To start with, I changed my alarm from 6:00 am to 5:00 am. Why you may ask, because it was the only time I could find for myself. Starting the day off this way will help deflate any stressful situations that are likely to come up simply because no one was mentally equipped to adapt in the way that we have. Its a good quiet time to collect yourself and your thoughts together and be ready for the challenging day ahead. My routine starts with warm water with a squirt of lemon and a 20 minute exercise with some of the home workout equipment we have around the house.

Eat a healthier diet

Eating a healthy diet with all the rainbow colors on your plate is more essential than you think. Its not only our minds that are going through this change but so is our body. All of a sudden it is not moving as much and is limited within the walls of our home. Since exercising in your own home is not a luxury that everyone has, making the right choices as to what goes in can be of paramount importance during these challenging times! Fun home workout videos have been overpopulating online for all to follow using the furniture and home decor they have around the house.

Clean your house

Sounds weird to say that, because we all clean our house anyway!! But during times like this, where there is a viral pandemic going around causing deaths in the cities and villages we know and love, disinfecting your home can actually calm you down. Knowing that you are keeping your family and home safe and bacteria free will allow you to feel less stressed they do say cleaning helps your stay calm.

Breathe

You read that right! Breathing the number one factor that plays a big role in regards to anxiety. Find a hobby that will allow you to let go and breathe deeply and slowly. Pick up a painting hobby, a gardening hobby,I know a lot of people have started baking and cooking, perhaps you would like to sharpen your coffee making skills. The latest video I saw floating on social media was your typical Joe making foamed milk for his espresso. I tell you, this pandemic is making us all better. By the end of this quarantine we will all be better versions of ourselves with more refined skills than we had! Just breathe.

Remember this is new to all of us, and I think we as earth citizens have made a great job coming together as one. Whether it be on social media, creating vlogs and uploading fun videos on how people are spending their days, or sharing their experiences on their blogs about how to homeschool, keep a schedule and prepare meals. We are also beginning to value what we once took for granted, just a small reminder to be thankful and count our blessings everyday because even in times like this as we discuss how to keep busy at home and stay sane, there are many who dont have one at all.

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How to Deal With Your Anxiety during COVID 19 Pandemic - Thrive Global

Gerard Way just wont slow down. Apart from releasing four new solo tracks and participating in sci-fi interviews, he has now partnered with a number of artists for The Quarantine Coloring Book.

The idea spawned from Sara Taylor of Youth Code. You may remember she helped out a bit on vocals during the My Chemical Romance reunion show. It is sure to keep us busy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Its Gerard Ways birthday and somehow, hes still looking out for us. Way and Taylor have teamed up and made a constantly-updating coloring book to help pass the time while in quarantine. Either that or for those still working to be able to get their minds off the dark times were going through.

The official website says a new page will be uploaded every day.

Hi! The Quarantine Coloring Book is a collection of 100% free downloadable coloring pages created by some pretty amazing people. A new page will be released every day for the foreseeable future and we hope it brings everyone some joy and, perhaps, a bit of relief from the current state of affairs in the world. We would like to thank everyone that has participated so far.

Way announced the coloring book on social media in a lengthy post. He thanks healthcare workers and emergency personal and details how the coloring book came about and what to expect. Another exciting bit is that Gerard Way will be adding a page to the coloring book as well.

Hey everyone! Having a great birthday so far, thank you for all the birthday wishes. So, we wanted to do something special today for everyone in quarantine or stuck at home, also for people that cant stay home but want something to get their mind off things when they get home from work. Healthcare workers and essential personnel we love you!

My friend Sara Taylor@seriouscreepfrom Youth Code came up with this amazing idea and I really wanted to help her with it. Its called The Quarantine Coloring Book, and its a completely free collection of coloring pages for you to print out and color, or color digitally if you prefer. What we did is ask a bunch of artists we are close with to generously donate a coloring page to the project.

The idea is to keep it going as long as we can. So far we have a bunch of really cool art by really cool artists. And we are still actively reaching out to people. Its hosted on a website, thequarantinecoloringbook.com, where you can download the single images, or a pdf collection when we have a bunch of them. Im going to put a link in my linktree too, right in my bio. I will be creating a coloring image myself at some point, and Im really excited about it.

So thats it, we also have an official instagram,@thequarantinecoloringbook, where we will be uploading the images, as well as finished colored pieces by you. Give it a follow if you like, and I think you can just submit your finished colored pieces to the Insta, or possibly right on the site. We cant wait to see all of your finished coloring pieces, and hope this provides you with even a small sense of distraction of relief in these uncertain times. Use the hashtags#TQCBor#thequarantinecoloringbookso we can easily find the pieces to be potentially featured on the official feed.

This is the cover of the coloring book, provided generously by one of my favorite artists Paul Rentler@prentler. He created an original image for the book and its spectacular. We worked together at Young Animal he did the YA logo and did 4 variant covers for our main books. And Ive just been a fan for a long time.

Happy coloring!

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Hey everyone! Having a great birthday so far, thank you for all the birthday wishes. So, we wanted to do something special today for everyone in quarantine or stuck at home, also for people that cant stay home but want something to get their mind off things when they get home from work. Healthcare workers and essential personnel we love you! My friend Sara Taylor @seriouscreep from Youth Code came up with this amazing idea and I really wanted to help her with it. Its called The Quarantine Coloring Book, and its a completely free collection of coloring pages for you to print out and color, or color digitally if you prefer. What we did is ask a bunch of artists we are close with to generously donate a coloring page to the project. The idea is to keep it going as long as we can. So far we have a bunch of really cool art by really cool artists. And we are still actively reaching out to people. Its hosted on a website, thequarantinecoloringbook.com, where you can download the single images, or a pdf collection when we have a bunch of them. Im going to put a link in my linktree too, right in my bio. I will be creating a coloring image myself at some point, and Im really excited about it. So thats it, we also have an official instagram, @thequarantinecoloringbook, where we will be uploading the images, as well as finished colored pieces by you. Give it a follow if you like, and I think you can just submit your finished colored pieces to the Insta, or possibly right on the site. We cant wait to see all of your finished coloring pieces, and hope this provides you with even a small sense of distraction of relief in these uncertain times. Use the hashtags #TQCB or #thequarantinecoloringbook so we can easily find the pieces to be potentially featured on the official feed. This is the cover of the coloring book, provided generously by one of my favorite artists Paul Rentler @prentler. He created an original image for the book and its spectacular. We worked together at Young Animal he did the YA logo and did 4 variant covers for our main books. And Ive just been a fan for a long time. Happy coloring! #art #freeart #coloring #TQCB #thequarantinecoloringbook

A post shared by Gerard Way (@gerardway) on Apr 9, 2020 at 10:57am PDT

Taylor also promoted the book saying A few weeks ago,@gerardway and I were discussing how much it sucks to be stuck inside during this pandemic and came up with the wonderful idea to start a project rooted in creativity for everyone.

The Quarantine Coloring Book website can be found here. Hopefully this will help shine a light of creativity and happiness in these dark times. Dont forget to use the hashtags so your coloring can be given the recognition it deserves!

Tell us how excited you are about Gerard Ways new coloring book in the comments below!

Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco) Sandwiches

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Gerard Way is helping us beat boredom with a new coloring book - Alternative Press

One of the winners of StandUp NBCs 16th annual competition, the networks nationwide search for the next big thing in stand-up comedy, literally almost walked away from his fateful shot at a life-changing victory. Thank God his friend offered to buy him In-and-Out.

Los Angeles native Rene Vaca had just wrapped up a set at his local comedy club last year when, on his way out, he noticed a line forming outside the venue. I just had a great set so Im walking out so cocky, right? And Im just like looking at this line of comedians, like, Look at these guys trying to get in. I just killed it in there! I didnt know what they were in line for. He spots a friend who explains to him that its the NBC line, and that everyone there was lining up overnight for StandUps open call in LA.

Then, Vaca wishes his friend luck and leaves. No way was he waiting overnight in line for this.

But Vacas friend J.R. Cruz intervened. [J.R.] was just like, Hell yeah man, you gotta do it! And I was like, Ive only been doing this for three years (at the time), Im not ready now. Theyre looking for something totally different than me. And he was like, No man, what the hell are you talking about, youre exactly what theyre looking for bro! Look bro, well stay in my car and Ill buy you In-and-Out. And I was like, A double double animal style, fries? And so I went for the burger and the fries.

StandUp NBC, formerly known as Standup for Diversity, was looking for people like Vaca. The annual competition is focused on discovering aspiring talent from all backgrounds whose presence and comedy help create a more representative industry. StandUp has helped launch the careers of comedians W. Kamau Bell, Michelle Buteau, Dulc Sloan, and Hasan Minhaj, who have gone on to become household names and are holding space in a crowded, homogenous entertainment industry.

Winning the 16th annual competition, alongside his co-winner Franqi French, was the farthest thing from Vacas mind, even as he was making his way through the process. When I made it past the first round I was like, Oh my God Me and my friend J.R., we both made it past the first round. And it was so cool. Its such a great feeling. Moving through the second round was exciting and a total shock. And then the semifinals, and then the finals Im like, Holy this is working here!

Despite his ambitions, Vaca had never seen himself in this victorious light before. When I went to the finals it was just a whole different perspective of me: as far as the comedy world, as far as the respect that I was getting, the love whether its fake or real that I was getting. And even the hate I was getting, it was all great!

Vaca had known early on in his life that he wanted to go into comedy, something he credits to the trailblazing work of George Lopez. As a kid, everyone would always tell me that I looked like George Lopez. A lot of people would find that as a diss growing up where I grew up, but for me it was a compliment. But they were saying that because I was brown and I kinda had a big head he explains. Raised in the heavily Latino northern reaches of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, Vaca, now 24 years old, grew up with a large extended Mexican-American family four brothers, aunts that he considered siblings, half-sisters in Arkansas. His comedic conviction and knack for making people laugh were clear to not only him but also his family members, who have since become integral to his act and identity as a comedian.

He inevitably felt an affinity with Lopez on a creative level. For me, when I started watching George Lopez, it was like, Oh my god, look at this guy, hes so funny! And he was really in detail with the Latino household. There are no jokes that I say about a Latino household that I can say without sounding like George Lopez.

But Vacas precocious drive to pursue comedy was sidetracked by what he describes as a difficult, dysfunctional upbringing. He talks quite openly about family members who worked as drug dealers his grandparents, his father his fathers incarceration, and cites his own misbehavior and troublemaking in school.

It wasnt until college, where Vaca got into public speaking, that he was able to stumble upon the path that he had lost. Speaking in front of people was a natural gift of his and something that he always loved to do. It was kind of like that thought I had as a kid came back to me at 18-and-a-half years old, and I was like, You know what? Youve been wasting your whole life. At that moment, when you were watching a George Lopez special, you knew thats what you wanted to be. But, its okay, youre starting later now. That was a click in my life. He told himself that for the rest of his life, he would commit to realizing his dreams of becoming a comedian/actor. It was such a great feeling that I was walking around everywhere like a confident kid, I know what I want to be for the rest of my life. Do you?! he says, slipping into a parody of a self-assured optimist.

Making this decision, he had the full support of his family for the first week. They were like, Rene, weve been telling you to do that all your life! But they didnt think that it was going to come with dropping out of college.

The second oldest of his brothers, Vaca was the first in his family to graduate high school and go straight to a four-year university (though he does second-guess himself here: I hope none of my family members are reading this thinking, What the hell? That was me!), attending the University of California, Merced before dropping out to fully dedicate himself to his chosen craft. When my family found out that I dropped out, it was the worst news ever. They just were so disappointed. I felt like I lost my family, in a way. I couldnt go home, I was intentionally going out with friends, hanging out, because I couldnt stand the idea of facing my family as a dropout.

While the blowback from his family was difficult, he felt that this was the only way forward; he had no interest in a Plan B. He moved out of his home, away from family, in order to create space for himself to have confidence in his decision and dedicate all of his time and energy to his goals.

Four years later, all has been forgiven. [My family] looked at me bad for a little bit, but now that I won StandUp NBC, theyre all coming back: Oh my God, Rene, youre the best! We always told you! Like, shut up, no you didnt! I had to LEAVE the house to get this.

So what does his family think about his acts, which typically include material at their expense? When I talked about my family on stage for the first time it was funny and then I kept talking and then it got deeper, right? And they were like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, why would you say that? Vaca shares that he grew up in a household where everyone has a great sense of humor, making fun of one another, roasting each other at home, a tradition that makes him feel comfortable with bringing this well-honed practice to the stage. I have a bit where Im making fun of my brother, and my moms like, You cant be making fun of your brother on stage, because you know hes sensitive. And Im like, Mom, its the truth, and Im getting a lot of likes right now, so until Instagram reports it, I cant take it out. He laughs. They always try to tell me something, but they know they cant.

Vaca explains that this obstinate impulse is just part of his relationship with his family, something that helps to frame his unpopular decision to drop out of college. I was the first in my family to rebel out of the house like that. I was the first one to be like, You know what, I dont need my mom. My dads in jail, I dont care, Ill do this myself. Obviously I needed my mom and I love her and shes the best mom EVER. But I knew that the path that our family was going on as a whole needed to change. He feels that his hard work has paid off thus far, and that he has even inspired his younger brothers to expand their expectations for themselves: Theres not just one route out of the hood.

We talk about the way that family, parents looking out for your wellbeing especially, can get in the way of what you really want to make of yourself. Just 24 years old, he speaks with the perspective of someone with much more experience, of someone whose experiences have long validated their choices rather than someone who is just starting out. This, perhaps, is simply another reflection of his precocious nature. A lot of people do things out of fear of the parents, and thats so wrong! Because your parents dont know what you want. They might know you, but they dont know what you want. He explains that his mom had wanted him to become a landscaper for the city because of his citizenship status. She was like, Rene, you can have an advantage over everybody in the neighborhood because youre going to have papers, and they dont! And I was like, What the hell? Thats your plan for me? Its kind of a good plan, but no thats not going to work for me! He adds, Basically every Latino family, their dream is for their kid to get a job for the city or the government. Thats my son!

Now that hes one of the winners of StandUp NBC, hes more sure of his ability to shape his own destiny and is working harder than ever. The win completely expanded his vision for his career. When I dropped out of college, I told myself, if I dont do anything within five years, Im going to go back to the regular life. What I mean by regular life is, like, go back to college, get a job, and do all that stuff. When it happened in four years, I was like, Oh, were a year ahead of the plan. This just gave me more motivation. NBCs changed my life.

As a winner of the competition, he now has access to the education, the support system, and the connections he needs to break into the stand-up and film & television industries. I was like, What? Are you serious? I have a manager? I have two managers!? And theyre both amazing, theyre authentic and theyre great. Knowing what we do about Vacas draw to the stage as a performer, it also should go without saying that he has enjoyed being the center of attention. The general meeting itself was insane, walking in and everyone was telling me how great I was I love that!

For Vaca, the most life-changing aspect of winning the competition has been his introduction to acting; he credits his acting teacher Ivana Chubbuck with this massive shift in his life. The acting classes, when I took those, they just gave me this new inspiration for a new craft, he says. I just fell in love with acting, the same way I fell in love with stand-up. Acting was something that he had always wanted to pursue alongside stand-up, but had been nervous to get into.

The nerves, he explains, are from how excited he is to have the opportunity to become a trailblazer, like George Lopez before him, like Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler. I have this opportunity to be one of them. And if that doesnt excite you, then youre in the wrong business. Through acting, he hopes to push the bounds of his own creativity (I get bored of myself! Ive told myself, Rene, how many times are you going to go on stage and share your opinion?) and also work collaboratively with other comedians and writers in the industry; stand-up, in contrast, is such a solitary pursuit. As both a trained actor and stand-up comedian, he expects to have all the tools in his arsenal that hell ever need to entertain his audiences.

As for now, while much of the world is on hold until the pandemic ends, Vaca has capitalized on the opportunity to hone his crafts and continue working toward his full potential, and he thinks we should all be doing the same if were able. For him personally, that means being more creative and productive than ever, uploading various comedy sketches and short films to his Instagram account to keep busy. Thats how Im using this time, just writing and writing and writing, whether its content or whether its a show, whether its a movie idea, or whether its an essay, or just writing and writing and writing! And then creating Instagram shows with my friends, but even thats been hard because of social distancing. But, you know, we still find ways to create content like starting [Where You From?].

Where You From? is Vacas latest project, a podcast he started recently alongside his pal J.R. Cruz, which premiered its intro episode last week. The two friends have great chemistry on and off the mic, so expect lots of laughs as they reminisce over their ridiculous past and present experiences. In other words, as Vaca explains in the intro episode, Were just gonna be f*^king around. The show will host guests from diverse backgrounds (calling in remotely) wholl be chiming in about their own experiences about where theyre from.

Theres nothing like performing in front of a live audience, though. Honestly, I had a lot of things that I was looking forward to, and then they got cancelled, he shared. Vaca had been slated to headline the 18th annual StandUp NBCs semifinalists showcases alongside cowinner Franqi French, something he was psyched to do, but this years competition has been postponed until early next year, giving aspiring comedians more time to sharpen their skills before the auditions resume.

In the meantime, Vacas pandemic Plan B looks a lot like the Plan A he drafted for himself four years ago: Fully commit to your craft, no matter what. Right now with this whole quarantine stuff, Im really just locking myself in the house. You have to use this time to be the person youve always wanted to be. When the excuse was I dont have time to do that, theres no excuse now.

Follow Rene Vacas comedy on Instagram at @renevacacomedy, and tune in to Where You From? through iTunes and YouTube.

Excerpt from:

A George Lopez for This Generation: Meet Mexican-American Comedian Rene Vaca, Co-Winner of StandUp NBCs 16th Annual Competition - BELatina

If you wanted to know how the past year has been for breakout rapper Chika, just listen to the track Songs About You from her debut EP, Industry Games.

I wanted that song to be a genuine journey into my mind and where I thought I was and who Ive been, she says. Every month [from February to December] I came back to it to add something else. So you really got like a full process of my year.

What a year its been.

The 23-year-old Alabama native, ne Jane Chika Oranika, had been uploading covers and freestyling over familiar beats since 2016. But it wasnt until she stormed Twitter in 2018 with a poetic admonishment of Kanye West supporting Donald Trump that people truly sat up and listened. Praise poured in from celebrities and fellow rappers, including Ice T, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sean Diddy Combs, Leslie Jones, and more.

That wave took Chika into 2019, when she released her first official single, No Squares, in April. She made headlines a month later performing her politically charged track Richey v. Alabama on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, flaming her home state for leading the charge with the influx of anti-abortion heartbeat bills. That same month, she also appeared in Calvin Kleins #MyCalvins campaign. In June, she signed with Warner Records and announced later that year that shed soon release her first full body of work, which is now her seven-track EP Industry Games.

On Songs About You, Chika opens with being invited to Jay Zs Roc Nation pre-Grammys brunch in February 2019 and proceeds to chart her ascension in the game, tackling body image and the pressure to live up to the hype along the way.

Its a real ass song, and its the embodiment of what I wanted the EP to be, which was a snapshot of me and my life and where Ive been, Chika says. Its a coming-of-age project basically.

And Chika is coming of age during a particular time for hip-hop, especially for women.

Not since the 90s have there been so many women with diverse styles and looks being recognized across the board, which, in essence, can be traced back to Cardi Bs come-up during Nicki Minajs singular reign. The fact that two women rappers could coexist and chart equally seemed to shake the long-held mentality for some that there could be only one at a time.

Since then, rappers such as Young MA, Doja Cat, Lizzo, Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty, Dreezy, and more have migrated their talents from the corners of SoundCloud to the mainstream. Its a diverse playing field that, hopefully, is erasing the line between male and female rappers. It also presents a more promising landscape for an artist such as Chika to establish her lane.

In an ever-crowded playing field, what she feels shes bringing to hip-hop is vulnerability.

Not to shit on the past and be like, No ones ever done this, but the vulnerability, thats whats missing, she says. We parade and masquerade and talk about all the shit we have. I pride more than my flex. I would much rather talk about my feelings and get them out and help people process theirs.

Even her track Balencies, which at the start seems like shes bragging about being able to afford a luxury brand such as Balenciaga, seamlessly transitions to her grappling with the pressures and expectations of fame.

At the end of the day, the whole song is me talking about my mental health, Chika says. We kind of lost that sense of self in hip-hop, and weve created characters that people subscribe to. And I dont want to be that person.

Its without a trace of hype to say that Chika is poised to become one of the greatest rappers of her generation. Theres a heartfelt truth to her lyrical content and a timelessness to her flow that has made her a standout in the hip-hop scene. Her skills were evident back in her Twitter and Instagram freestyling days. However, Industry Games proves shes more than her viral clips. Shes in it for the long haul, and she isnt holding back.

Theres stories and lessons on this project, like I talked about losing a friend because of greed and not being appreciated and things like that, Chika says. Me as a person, Im too nice sometimes. Im like, I shouldnt put that in a song. But with this project I was like, fuck it. I deserve to tell my story and talk about what I go through.

Nothing was held back, she goes on to say. Nothing was sugar-coated. I made sure that if I was going to say once and I was going to put out this project, I was going to make sure everyone felt exactly where I was coming from.

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Rapper Chika is here to take over hip-hop. Her strength? Vulnerability - Fast Company

OG beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, AKA NikkieTutorials, has just shared with her followers that doctors now believe her mother has coronavirus.

Yesterday, the vlogger posted an update on Instagram Stories, sharing that her mom, known to fans as MommaTutorials, had been sick for several days and was waiting to speak with her doctor.

"This virus is not a joke. Were not 100% sure that it is corona that she has, but she has all the symptoms and shes getting a she has an appointment later today in like an hour in a half with the doctors to see if its really the virus. Im f*cking scared," Nikkie said, with tears in her eyes.

Following the appointment, Nikkie confirmed that doctors do believe her mother has coronavirus and have sent her home to rest.

"Her lungs sounded clean, they are pretty convinced that she has the virus, but they dont test any longer," she told viewers. "So now she has to go back home and sleep, rest, and get well on her own, unless she gets a higher fever or if she gets shorter of breath, thats all she can do."

Later, Nikkie took to Twitter to explain the situation further. Apparently, testing is being saved for those with severe cases due to a shortage of tests.

"Scary morning... MamaTutorials had been sick for quite some days and it got worse," Nikkie wrote. "This morning she finally met with her doctor and they confirmed she has a virus. her lungs are still clean and she needs to rest and heal at home."

"In The Netherlands they dont test on Corona anymore so theyre positive its that... but they wont test cause we dont have enough. they save them for the elderly and people in critical conditions," she continued.

Though Nikkie is obviously worried for her mother, the influencer is trying her best to occupy her mind and get back to her normal routine.

She'll be uploading a new video today, which sounds like the perfect excuse for you to stay home and watch it. Thanks!

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NikkieTutorials Says Doctors Are "Positive" Her Mother Has Coronavirus, But They Won't Test Her - Seventeen.com