Twenty first century censorship in the USA

Hopkins on modern censorship

the three most egregious recent examples of media censorship:

First, the memory-holing of the sudden outbreak of unprecedentedly destructive riots in dozens of cities throughout the United States. The neo-Orwellian terminology here has been “peaceful protests.” Only Michael Tracey, an independent journalist whose Tweets over the past year or so have been, in my opinion, our single best source by far of national news, has covered the riots as an actual eye-witness, no-nonsense, on-the-ground reporter.

Second, the memory-holing of the Hunter Biden laptop story and Twitter’s lock-out of The New York Post.

Third, The Intercept’s censoring of Glenn Greenwald’s story on Hunter Biden.

[Greenwald] the white-supremacist white-nationalist fascist dictator Nazi-Hitler got more non-white votes — more votes from people of color in the United States by percentage — than any Republican candidate since 1960 — that’s … sixty years ago. How is it that you can reconcile this narrative that was manufactured by very wealthy, privileged, Ivy League-educated members of the national media — many of whom are African-American or Latino or LGBT or white liberals — how is it that you can reconcile the narrative that they shove down everybody’s throat about who supports Donald Trump and what the ideology of his movement is with the fact that huge numbers — huge numbers! — of voters who voted for him are not white or white males at all? In fact the majority of Trump voters are either women or people of color. 

I’d add the lack of coverage of Assange’s extradition trial...

Reformer exercises

Flat On Your Back: 3 Moves
10 sets of each

Footwork 

Set-up: Lie flat on your back, head resting on the headrest, shoulders against the shoulder blocks. Arms long by your sides and feet up on the footbar.

Action:

1. Place toes only on the foot bar about a fist-distance apart with heels together.
   
2. Extend your legs out, sending the carriage and your body away.
3. Bend knees, bring your body and the carriage all the way back.
4. Breath is natural.

Tips: Springs: 3 Red and 1 Blue | Keep knees only as wide as shoulders when knees are bent in. Think about growing taller as you lengthen the carriage away. Keep abdominals deeply engaged by scooping them in and up along your spine.

The Hundred 

Set-up: Bend your knees in toward your chest. Curl head and chest up and extend arms out long by sides and legs to a 45 degree angle.

Action:

1. Begin pumping arms up and down (4-6 inches in range of motion).
   
2. Take a deep inhale for 5 counts.
   
3. Exhale for 5 counts.
   
4. Repeat for 10 full sets of these breaths.

Tips: Springs: 2 Red and 1 Blue Gaze at your abdominals to ensure your neck is in the proper position. Focus on deeply engaging the abdominals.

Side Leg Strap- Clam 

Set-up: Lie on side in the fetal position. Take the loop off the shoulder block peg in front of you and place it up around your knee (away from knee joint). Arms wrap around to hold onto shoulder block in front of body. Super glue heels together.

Action:

1. Lift your top knee up into a clam position.
   
2. Lower top knee back down.
   
3. Repeat 10x.
   

Tips: Springs: 1 Green | Never let those heels come unglued – you are targeting the gluteus medius, or side of the glute – this will help strengthen the support system for your lower back as well as tighten your hips and lift your booty. Don’t let those hips rock around and hula dance – keep them still and stacked!

Kneeling: 3 Moves
10 sets of each, unless noted otherwise

Kneeling Arm Extensions

 Set-up: Kneel on top of the carriage, feet hip distance apart with toes hooked over back edge, facing away from the footbar. Lower headrest and place one hand on top for balance. Take the handle of the peg with the other hand and let arm reach long by side of frame.

Action:

Move 1:

1. Deepen your abdominals and make sure shoulders are squared off.
   
2. Slowly reach your arm back toward your hip.
   
3. Slowly lower back down toward side.

Move 2:

1. Flip your grip so your fist and fingers face away from your body. Bend your elbow in tight by side.
   
2. Extend your arm back toward hip and bend arm back in.
   
3. This is a tricep kick-back. Your elbow stays bent in and glued to your side throughout – the action is only from the elbow to the fist.

Tips: Springs: 1 Blue | Focus on squaring off the shoulders and watch that you aren’t leaning away from the side that is working – don’t let that stable arm take a bunch of unbalanced weight!

Small Arm Circles

 Set-up: Kneel on reformer with feet against shoulder blocks, hands hold onto handles.

Action:

1. Make small circles with arms, keeping arms in peripheral vision at all times. Repeat 6x.
   
2. Change direction of the circles.
   
3. Repeat 6x.
   

Tip: Springs: 1 Blue | Keep tailbone curled under and abdominals engaged. This will help maintain balance.

Kneeling Arm Circles

Set-up: Kneel with feet against shoulder blocks, holding onto handles.

Action:

1. Circle arms up toward the ceiling and back down to hips.
   
2. Repeat 10x.
   
3. Reverse the direction.
   
4. Repeat 10x.
   

Tips: Springs: 1 Blue | Keep hips slightly forward and tailbone curled under. Engage the abdominals deeply to keep balance.

Seated Position: 2 Moves
Moves can be done with or without Pilates box

Short Box- Flat Back 

Set-up: Place the box over the shoulder blocks and before the pegs in the opposite direction as it was placed for pulling straps and hamstring curls. Sit on top of box with straight legs and feet hooked under the strap (this strap rests under the springs).

Action:

1. Reach arms up to the ceiling, lifting spine tall and deepening abdominals.
   
2. Hinge your body back just a few inches.
   
3. Hinge body back forward.
   
4. Repeat 8x.
   

Tip: Springs: Any variation of springs to weight the carriage down. | Imagine you are a piece of steel – keep your body straight and strong and lead from the lower abdominals.

Side Sit-Ups

 Set-up: Keep the box the same as the short box set-up. Take one foot out and turn body in that direction. Hook that foot under your straight, secured leg. Hands behind head.

Action:

1. Lower body toward the well.
   
2. Lift body back up.
   
3. Repeat 10x.
   

Tips: Springs: Any variation of springs to secure box (same as short box). | Keep both hips stacked one on top of the other. Scoop abs in almost to the point of rounding. This will help keep you out of your low back and in your core.

Standing Position: 1 Move

Elephant

Set-up: Stand on the carriage with heels halfway up against shoulder blocks, hands on the footbar.

Action:

1. Press the carriage out a few inches.
   
2. Draw the carriage back in.
   

Variation: Lift one leg straight up toward ceiling, activating glute. Repeat movement- send carriage out and in.

Tips: Springs: 2 Red | Think about scooping the abdominals in like there is a fire under your abdominals. The action happens from your abs.

Class formation in human society

Why do human societies  

naturally form class hierarchy 

Perhaps 

the “iron law of oligarchy”  truly drives political organization