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Dow Jones Enters Bear Market Territory After 11 Year Run

The 11-year Dow Jones bull market that began on March 9, 2009, under President Obama has ended under Donald Trump as the stock market has now declined 20% from recent record highs. We’re now officially in bear market territory. From NBC News:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 1,400 points on Wednesday, crossing firmly into bear market territory, or a 20 percent decline from a 52-week high. The losses came as the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

The S&P 500 and the Dow are currently down more than 14 percent from the record highs they hit just last month, making this the fastest drawdown from peak to decline.

Wednesday’s massive sell-off is a response to the lack of concerted policy action from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has been criticized for its mixed messaging about the best ways to address and contain the virus.

In related news, the World Health Organization on Wednesday characterized the coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time. Currently, there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. Experts say that number that is expected to rise as testing becomes more widely available.

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Petition Asks Politicians To Spend Equal Time With Constituents As Lobbyists

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
A new online petition calls for elected representatives or senators to meet with their constituents for the same amount of time they meet with paid, corporate lobbyists. Via Patreon:

Georgia Republican congressman Barry Loudermilk clearly does not like to face the music.  The last scripted telephone town hall he held for an hour back in June 2018 has not been repeated since.

Meanwhile, Loudermilk raked in over $200,000 in corporate contributions towards his re-election campaign from the likes of banks, audit firms, military contractors, and more.

A new petition seeks to lobby Congress to change this and pass a Constituent Equal Time Act.

Why is this important?

“Every day your elected senators and representatives meet with lobbyists, receive donations, and many times vote against the best interests of their constituents,” reads the petition at MoveOn.org. “This proposed Constituent Equal Time Act would require our elected officials to give us equal time to fight for what is important for us.”

After all, Congress is supposed to work for every citizen, not corporations, right?

And just to show petitions can work, Rep. Loudermilk scheduled a telephone townhall today regarding the coronavirus shortly after the petition went live.

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Wildly Diverse Characters Find Connection In New Series ‘Stranger Hearts’

Matt Moran as Billy in ‘Stranger Hearts’ (all images via Dekkoo)
Queer streaming platform Dekkoo will premiere its new drama series, Stranger Hearts, on Thursday, March 12. Created by filmmaker Kevin James Thornton (“How To Get From Here To There”), the five-episode series follows three queer characters from vastly divergent backgrounds: Luka (played by Amo (MTV’s “The Real World” 2016), Billy (played by Matt Moran), and Andre (newcomer Qua Robertson Harper). Andre, a shy, closeted African-American man, lives with his mother (played by Keisha Cunningham). After accidentally finding her son’s stash of gay porn, she makes sensitive attempts to connect with her son as he struggles with his burgeoning sexuality. Cunningham’s work throughout the series is especially nuanced and authentic.
Qua Robertson Harper as Andre in ‘Stranger Hearts’
Billy, a smooth-talking media mogul by day/leather bar aficionado by night, finds his life turned upside down when he’s faced with an unexpected health crisis. And Luka is a gender-nonconforming photographer who finds himself down on his luck financially who decides to try online escorting in an attempt to make ends meet.
Amo as Luka in ‘Stranger Hearts’
Described by the network as “thoughtful, sexy and deeply heartfelt,” the new drama doesn’t rush to hit you over the head with scandalous, over-the-top scenes. Instead, the pace – while not slow – is pensive and precise. Thornton often allows his actors’ eyes or facial expressions to convey a moment’s plot point rather than verbose language. Eventually, the three characters find themselves connected via work, family, or fate. Make sure you reach the final episode as Thornton offers surprises, big and small, along the way.

  As more and more queer content becomes available online, it’s refreshing that Stranger Hearts doesn’t opt for stereotypic, cookie-cutter characters. All five episodes of the first season of Stranger Hearts will be available on Dekkoo beginning March 12th.  Dekkoo is available internationally via iTunes, Google Play, Xbox, AppleTV, Xfinity X1 and Roku.  In the U.S. and U.K., Dekkoo is also available via Prime Channels.

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Grab The Coconut Oil, Pita Taufatofua Is Going Back To The Olympics

Pita Taufatofua, whose shirtless entrance at the opening ceremonies of the past two Olympic Games nearly broke the internet, will be oiling up again for his third Olympics. The 36-year-old athlete from Tonga recently qualified for the 2020 Games in Tokyo having clinched a spot in taekwondo at a qualifying event in Australia.

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I dreamt my whole life of becoming an Olympian. My Mother had put me into Taekwondo as a five year old kid. To make three Olympics in a row was something I had never imagined. This third qualification was even more special because it wasn’t in some far away country but close to home where my family could attend. The look on my Mothers face when I qualified I will always remember. She said she was proud of seeing me qualify but was overcome with relief that I had gotten through the competition without more injury. My family has seen all the struggle and pain, they have been there through the broken bones and torn ligaments. I’m glad they were able to also be there to share in this special moment… #ThreeTimeOlympian #family #tokyo2020 #olympian #ThisOnesForThePlanet

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USA Today reports Taufatofua originally set out to qualify in a new sport for him – sprint kayak – having set a goal of qualifying for three consecutive Olympics in three different sports. But a rib injury in early February hampered his kayak training and impacted his performance in the qualifying races.

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Camp update- As is the nature of sports and life things rarely go to plan. Last week I tore my serratus muscles which connects to my rib causing sharp pain along my side and on my lower ribs. With a week and a half till my Olympic qualifier for Kayak and three weeks for Taekwondo it’s made any form of training challenging and painful. I haven’t been able to bend or twist or hold my core. For close to 5 months in this camp I haven’t missed a day of training and am in the best condition of my life. Normally before a competition an athlete will taper off. I decided not to taper but to ramp up my training to hit a speed bench mark. I’ve been running on the fence between improving rapidly in a new sport and pushing a limit to see what my body could take and how fast I could improve. My balance had finally gotten better and so I decided to push for speed. In the last three weeks I went from 8km/hr in a race kayak to a PB of 19.2km/hr. I was targeting 21+ km/hr by race day to be competitive and so I pushed harder. During a sprint session my body decided to push back and I’ve ended up with a torn muscle and rib injury. Not the worst injury I’ve had but definitely one of the more painful and inconvenient in terms of timing. We have decided to hold off paddling and kicking to see if the pain can subside. All we can do is upright stationary cycle and walk. My coach is back from NZ after having a beautiful baby boy to add to his family. We have been strategising how best to proceed. Other than the injury I am in the best physical and mental condition of my life. I didn’t fall out of my kayak 1000 times into a bull shark river just to stop. In times like this I go to prayer for help beyond what I can do alone. My spirits is high and we are doing all we can to maintain my condition while I heal. Come competition day whatever happens with the injury or the pain I will be in the kayak on that starting line and will hold nothing back, rib or no rib..whatever I have left I will give. This is a time where we have to rise to the challenge presented. I cant thank all of you enough for your support of this oily coconut that floated a long way from home. Ofa Atu

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The handsome athlete has continued to train in taekwondo, the sport which first sent him to the Olympics. Just weeks after falling short for kayaking, he pushed through the pain in Oceania’s qualification event to score his return ticket to Tokyo. Having trained in Taekwondo since the age of five, he was the first Tongan to ever compete in the sport for his country in the 2016 Games. He became a media sensation during those Games after his coconut oiled entrance as the flag bearer for Tonga. He told The Guardian at the time, “No one had ever heard of Tonga! We were like, how is this even possible?” The island nation of nearly 100,000 people sits on a group of islands east of Australia.

In December 2016, he announced he would learn to ski in order to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in cross-country skiing. He had never been on snow skis in his life prior to training for the sport. After slow finishes in several races, he traveled through a harrowing blizzard in the Arctic Circle to the final qualifying event. He made it to the race in time and became the second-ever Tongan to compete in a Winter Olympic Games. He was again the flag bearer in his shirtless, coconut oil glory at the opening ceremonies. He competed in the 15km freestyle race coming in 114th out of 119 skiers.

Some might have been disappointed, but for Taufatofua it was the effort and the journey that mattered. And sports fans were inspired by his undaunted spirit. Even though he’s already got a ticket to Tokyo, Taufatofua still plans on attempting to qualify for kayaking in what he calls a last-ditch effort. Not just a pretty face, when he’s not training he is studying at college having earned a degree in engineering and is currently working towards his master’s degree. He’s also a UNICEF ambassador and spends time working with homeless youth charities as well as working to raise awareness of global warming. In his most recent Instagram post, he wrote, “I promised myself to always remember where I came from, to remain grounded. Unlike Icarus, I could never fly too close to the sun (coconut oil, like my eyebrows, is flammable) – I would approach life with the mindset of ‘it’s only just beginning.’” “I wanted to help as many people as possible reach their full potential, to show them what they too were capable of achieving,” he added. “I wanted to bring awareness to our beautiful planet, our oceans and the problems it faces.” “So now it’s time for us to bumble our way towards another Olympics,” he concluded. “So sit back with your seat in an upright position, stow your tray tables, put your flu mask on, disinfect your hands and join me on this ride towards Tokyo and beyond!” Happy Hump Day to Pita Taufatofua, a true inspiration.

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Its been a very busy week since the qualification. Ive been receiving messages, doing countless interviews and been sent news links from people in all different parts of the world. It’s more amusing then anything for me. I laugh and sometimes cringe at the ones I read. I remember long before my first Olympic qualification I made a promise to myself. I had noticed that many athletes, Olympians, movie stars, musicians who made it and then just stopped. Some drunk, snorted or self sabotaged themselves into a bad place. In some ways I felt for them and their struggles. I saw this long before I accidentally slipped into my first news article. I promised myself to always remember where I came from, to remain grounded. Unlike Icarus I could never fly too close to the sun ( coconut oil, like my eye brows is flammable) – I would approach life with the mind set of ‘ its only just beginning’. The wolf climbing the hill was always hungrier then the wolf on top of the hill, I would stay hungry. But most importantly I would need to remember to keep at the forefront a purpose much larger than self and ego. I wanted to help as many people as possible reach their full potential, to show them what they too were capable of achieving. I wanted to bring awareness to our beautiful planet, our oceans and the problems it faces. And the best way I know how to do this is to get my ass kicked time after time as I climb that hill that has no summit. So now it’s time for us to bumble our way towards another Olympics. So sit back with your seat in an upright position, stow your tray tables, put your flu mask on, disinfect your hands and join me on this ride towards Tokyo and beyond! #StayHungry #ThisOnesForThePlanet #Tonga #Olympian #Tokyo2020 @nbcsports @olympicchannel

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Amid Coronavirus Concerns, Madonna Forced To Cancel Final ‘Madame X’ Dates

Matt Rettenmund's front row ticket to Madonna's Madame X concert

Coronavirus cancels Madonna’s final two ‘Madame X’ dates
Even the Queen of Pop can’t escape the reach of the coronavirus epidemic. Calm yourselves – no, Madonna hasn’t become infected by the virus. But because the French government is currently prohibiting gatherings of over 1,000 in public, Madge’s last two performances of her Madame X tour have been canceled. The concerts, scheduled to take place later this week at the 2,800 seat Grand Rex in Paris, could not be rescheduled. A statement posted to Madonna’s official website read:

Following official notification from the Office of the Police this morning prohibiting all events with an audience attendance of over 1000, Live Nation regrets to announce the final two Madame X performances previously re-scheduled to 10-March and 11-March are forced to be canceled. Tickets are refundable at point of purchase. We regret the disappointment to fans.

Madonna posted her own message to fans via Instagram, writing, “A Bittersweet Farewell. One of the most magical experiences of my life. I take nothing for granted. Thank you Paris.”

According to news outlet France 24, France’s tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,412 including the country’s Culture Minister, Franck Riester. There have been 25 coronavirus-related deaths in France reported. Madonna wasn’t alone in canceling her shows. Pearl Jam has postponed its North American tour due to coronavirus concerns, and Pentatonix has postponed the European leg of the World Tour. While she may deem her tour a ‘magical’ experience, Madge has trudged on city by city despite injuries sustained in rehearsal. She’s been forced to cancel over a dozen performances due to “unbearable pain,” and has seen two class-action lawsuits filed against her for shows that began hours late. Along the way, she’s shared videos of post-show ice baths and walking with the assistance of a cane on days off.

Take a bow, Madonna. Well-earned.

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News Round-Up: Las Vegas Edition

Vinny Guadagnino and the Chippendales (photo: Denise Truscello)
There’s always lots going on in Las Vegas, so here’s an update on the latest that Sin City has to offer: • The world-famous Chippendales have announced that “Jersey Shore” & “Double Shot at Love” star Vinny Guadagnino is coming back to their Las Vegas stage for a third residency. The hunky reality star’s seven-week engagement will run Friday, April 24 through June 7, 2020, at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. After two acclaimed, sold-out engagements where Vinny G. broke the internet when he bared it all during the now-legendary steamy shower number, the “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” star will return in full force giving the audience another chance to view of all of his Italian stallion talents!
Shania Twain and dancers (photo: Denise Truscello)
•  Shania Twain, the top-selling female country artist of all-time, returns to Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino this Friday, March 13 for her residency show, Shania Twain “Let’s Go!” The Las Vegas Residency. The high-energy production is a compilation of Shania’s most celebrated hits including “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!,” “You’re Still The One,” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” and features a seven-piece band and eight male dancers. And, of course, throughout the evening Shania dazzles the audience with eight high-fashion costumes designed by Marc Bouwer. • Extravaganza – The Vegas Spectacular will make its North American premiere on March 14, 2020, on the iconic stage at the Jubilee Theater inside Bally’s Las Vegas. A veritable extravaganza of passion and thrills, the new production features sensual performances that showcase the talents of over 30 talented, sexy and breathtaking artists from around the world – including dancers, acrobats, aerialists, skaters, ventriloquists, comedians and, the return of the iconic showgirl to the legendary Jubilee Theatre. Be prepared for glamorous costumes and sizzling dance numbers that will take the audience on a visual whirlwind as they follow the show’s hero on his mysterious journey through the best of Las Vegas entertainment.
From ‘An Evening with Whitney Houston – The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert’
• On April 14, An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert will launch an open-ended residency in the Flamingo Showroom at Flamingo Las Vegas on April 14. An Evening with Whitney is presented through state-of-the-art, proprietary holographic technology that creates a “breathtakingly convincing hologram of the late, great American superstar” (Telegraph UK). The production takes audiences on a musical journey through Houston’s storied career using theatrical stagecraft paired with a live five-piece band, backup singers and dancers all set to digitally-remastered arrangements of Whitney’s biggest hits and fan favorites, including “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “The Greatest Love of All” and an on-your-feet cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.”
(image via WalletHub)
•  March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and WalletHub recently ranked Sin City as one of the Best Cities for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. The consumer site compared 200 of the largest cities across 17 key metrics to find the best places to wear green and save some, too. Click here to see where (and why) Las Vegas scored so high for folks who enjoy the holiday. • Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience continues to cast its spell on Las Vegas as the hit, family-friendly show celebrated its 350th performance at The Magic Attic showroom inside Bally’s Las Vegas.  The show has extended its run at Bally’s Las Vegas through January 2021.  Las Vegas Magazine raved about the show: “It’s a comedy feast of all seven [Harry Potter] books acted out by two hilarious performers in 70 minutes…an experience not to be missed!” In just six months on the Strip, the show has garnered two Best of Las Vegas awards – “Best New Production” (Gold) and “Best Value Show” (Bronze) and, legions of Potter fans making their way to Las Vegas. • And finally, it’s not all just fun and games in Las Vegas – there’s a LOT of business and entrepreneurship as well. On March 11, out digital marketing expert, Zak Krassin will host a free online webinar for Las Vegas-based MassMedia breaking down some of the newest advertising platforms. Krassin will offer his expert advice on how to leverage these in-demand media channels and achieve the best results from your advertising efforts. A Q&A will follow Krassin’s insightful discussion. Register for free here.

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RuPaul’s DragCon Canceled Due To Coronavirus Concerns

(image via Instagram/RuPaulsDragCon)
RuPaul’s DragCon has been canceled thanks mainly to safety concerns in light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). DragCon posted on their website:

DragCon’s first priority is always the health and safety of everyone involved and we’ve been actively tracking the situation around the coronavirus. The situation in California (and the world) is rapidly changing, with new information coming out everyday.

Unfortunately, there’s no way for anyone to know what the situation will be like in May. Due to that uncertainty, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided that it’s in the best interest of the talent, staff, and attendees to cancel RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2020.

DragCon LA will return in 2021, better than ever.

We will be working with Eventbrite to issue refunds over the next 7 days.

Thank you for your support. If you have any questions email help@rupaulsdragcon.com.

Several major convention events have been canceled as well including the popular South by Southwest (SXSW) festival which has been held in Austin, TX since 1987. They plan to carry on and prepare for 2021, but they are seeing major financial difficulties and had to lay-off 175 year-round employees. And E! News reports that the 2020 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is likely to be postponed in light of ongoing concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. No official announcement has been made yet, but several outlets have reported that the music festival is looking to push the dates until October.

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Taking A Look At The Effects Of ‘Queer Cancel Culture’

Psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey
Psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey takes a look at where our instinct for “queer cancel culture” comes from and explores other options that might be healthier for our heads and hearts. Taking a cue from his own experiences as a young gay, Dempsey says he realized that, as bad relationships fell away, he made mental notes to “never let that happen again.” But as he started having healthier relationships, echoes of those harmful experiences would show up and he would “pounce on the littlest thing that felt like it was a reflection” of his past trauma. Dempsey admits some of those reactions might have been a little ‘out-sized’ for the moment even if they were a protective response. But he realized those feelings might have kept him from meaningful relationships. This brings him to the topic of ‘queer cancel culture’ and how it may (or may not) be the healthiest reaction every time the LGBTQ community is attacked. “‘Cancel culture’ is when a person or an entity does or says something that we just viscerally disagree with,” explains Dempsey. “And we don’t just write them off but we kind of rally the troops to boycott or shut them down.” To be sure, Dempsey isn’t saying we shouldn’t stand up for ourselves when companies like Chick-fil-A take our consumer dollars and donate to anti-LGBTQ organizations. Quite the contrary. “For a community that has long been oppressed and silenced, us queer people need to make sure we continue to use our voices to assert our right for equality anytime it’s challenged or ignored,” says Dempsey. He points to companies like Chick-fil-A and eHarmony, or performers like Kevin Hart, who learned first-hand the backlash they can expect when they were unwilling to acknowledge their contributions of inequity to LGBTQ+ people. Considering recent events, it’s impossible not to think of a certain disgraced former congressman in this line of thinking, no? “Calling out any discrimination is a must,” asserts Dempsey.”But is canceling entire companies and public figures who misstep an even more effective strategy to let the larger society know what is no longer tolerable?” “We don’t want to just keep putting out fires, we want to make sure we teach people how to not even start them.” He also wonders if there are “overlooked costs” to the community and to the mental health of the people doing the canceling? Trust and believe, he isn’t advocating that the LGBTQ community lay down our arms. As he says, “F*ck no.” “Of course we need to make sure that we’re being really assertive in our need for equality, but we also want to have some openness so we are able to win over the people who ARE able to learn and make some changes with us.” Check out Dempsey’s latest video, “Queer Cancel Culture,” and his thoughts on the responses that can either maintain or help heal trauma both community-wide and individually. And then sound off in the comments section: Do you agree? Disagree? We want to know.

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New Music: Issues Drops Colorful/Upbeat Music Video ‘Rain’

It’s currently raining here in Las Vegas, so the timing couldn’t be better to check out the banging new music video ‘Rain’ from metalcore/pop band Issues. “I actually wrote the song ‘Rain’ years ago, and somehow, the demo rose from the dead and my bandmates really liked it,” says singer Tyler Carter. “We knew we had to do our Issues thang on it! I’m glad it’s gotten the amount of love it has because it’s such a relatable and catchy song. Due to all the fan love from the song, we felt that it deserved a video.” While Issues definitely has its metalcore roots, the guitar-driven “Rain” blends in a bit of power pop that results in a deftly-layered track sure to please folks who like some punch to their pop. “Why the hell is it raining so much  / And why are you always clouding my mind / Why the hell is it raining so much / I’m just tryna have a good time” Issues is flying high after the release of their critically-acclaimed album, Beautiful Oblivion, in October 2019. The collection garnered over 24 million streams as the band enjoyed a successful fall tour in support of the record.

The members of Issues (courtesy photo)
Carter, who came out as bisexual in 2015, is one of the few LGBTQ voices in metalcore music today. And he’s not shy to speak up about inclusivity and tamping down toxic masculinity. In an interview with Revolver last fall, he was asked about how he found his niche in the hypermasculine world of rock music. Noting that “there’s a lot of toxic masculinity” in the rock community, Carter shared that he feels Issues “has always invited diversity” to their shows. “There’s a lot of African Americans, Latin people, and then beyond that just like emos, jocks, military veterans, skaters,” he continued. “There’s always been such an array of different kinds of people at our shows, and it’s something we’ve always been passionate about letting people know, everyone is accepted and loved and we’ve noticed a lot more trans inclusivity at shows.” He added, “It’s all about just letting people know they’re accepted here and we make sure we can try and stop any kind of toxic masculinity at our shows.” And speaking of shows, Issues has announced a new concert tour with 30+ dates. For more info about Issues and the newly-announced concert dates, click over to the official website here.