Archive for the ‘Tea Party’ Category

Add Enchantment To Your Tea Time With This Teapot Inspired By Genie’s Lamp – Inside the Magic

If youre looking for something to do during your time isolating at home, having a family tea party can be a great way to get the whole family together for some magical fun! Not only is tea good for your health, but many blends can provide calming relief which can aid with stress during these uncertain times.

To make this activity even better Toynk has released an enchantingteapot inspired by Genies lamp on their website, that will be the perfect addition to your home tea party!

We absolutely love this teapot thats made to mimic the style and details of Genies lamp, from Disneys Aladdin the popular animated movie released in 1992.

Its polished gold finish will have you feeling like royalty every time you use it and lets face it Its truly impossible for your tea time to feel anything less than magical when youre channeling genie vibes! Although sorry to say, there are no wishes included with this lamp look-alike. When you arent using it to serve up your favorite cup of tea, this teapot would make a perfect Disney decor piece to highlight in your kitchen, or really any room of the house!

This Disney teapot is made to look like gold, but the true material is ceramic which helps with keeping the contents of the pot warm for an extended period of time. It can hold 32 oz. and is hand wash only.

This tea-time accessory is officially licensed by the Walt Disney company and is currently retailing for $29.99. You can shop the magic lamp teapot by clicking HERE.

Also note that Toynk offers free shipping everyday, site-wide with no order minimum. It truly cant get better!

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Add Enchantment To Your Tea Time With This Teapot Inspired By Genie's Lamp - Inside the Magic

The Once and Future Right – Dissent

Introducing our Spring 2020 special section, Know Your Enemy.

In a widely read New Republic article published in the first days of Barack Obamas presidency, Sam Tanenhaus, a journalist and biographer of Whittaker Chambers and William F. Buckley, Jr., declared that Conservatism Is Dead.

He argued that advocates of the postwar conservative orthodoxya fusion of libertarian economics, anti-communism, and Christian traditionalismcould provide no satisfactory answers for Americans struggling with precarious employment and the collapse of the housing bubble. For Tanenhaus, it was Obama who represented the politics of Burkean compromise best suited to a world in crisis and flux. Out of touch with its times, conservatism, he predicted, would be relegated to the wilderness, shadow-boxing with twentieth-century ghosts until tiring itself out and expiring.

Tanenhaus was wrong. He failed to anticipate the potent ideological adrenaline that the Obama presidency would provide to the movements and institutions of the right, which, despite their high-minded rhetoric, had always been propelled as much by disdain for (and fear of) the lower orders as by philosophical principle. Beneath a familiar veneer of constitutional originalism, the Tea Party catalyzed an amorphous fear of the first black presidentand his plans to take over American medicine on behalf of undeserving racial othersinto a genuine movement. It revitalized the Republican Party, infusing it with young legislative talent and cash from hardcore libertarian donors like the Koch Brothers. Conservatives dominated state legislative elections in the Obama years, enabling a spree of gerrymandering and structural reforms (like voter disenfranchisement and union busting) to ensure that, despite a dwindling white majority, conservatism would have a triumphant second life in American politics.

Whether you see Trumps victory in 2016 as the culmination of decades of racial backlash, prefigured by the counter-revolutionary rage of the Obama years, or a radical break with the movement conservatism that preceded it depends on how you view the intellectual history of conservatism: through the rosy spectacles worn by the editors of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute, or as the product of a class that recognizes its duty to forget the violence of its foundation.

The thorough marginalization of those voices on the right who have refused to embrace Trumpand see him as out of step with conservative traditionis indicative of the current orientation of the movement. Most of the writers who contributed to National Reviews February 2016 Never Trump issue have become defenders of the president. Those like William Kristol, Jonah Goldberg, Charlie Sykes, and Jennifer Rubin who remain opposed are relegated to the sidelines of conservatism, viewed with suspicion by their former comrades. They wield little if any influence over the direction of the GOP and are resigned to begging the Democrats to pick a sufficiently moderate nominee for them to support in 2020.

The contributors to this section seek instead to recover the connections between conservative history and Trump, along with the seemingly novel formations emerging on the right. In his essay, Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins offers an illuminating reappraisal of the evangelical questionhow did a religious community self-defined by puritanical virtue embrace a figure, in Trump, of pure vice and evident godlessness?by unearthing the white nationalism, Christian chauvinism, and American exceptionalism endemic to evangelicalism from its founding. Steinmetz-Jenkins confounds the recent effort by evangelical leaders to quarantine their doctrinal beliefs from the political adventurism of the rank-and-file; religious doctrine and secular politics are entangled, mutually constituting the political theology of evangelicalism.

This meld of faith and politics is evident in our forum of formerly conservative writers explaining why they left the right. Christian fundamentalisms of various flavors play a role in the upbringing and early politics of Matthew Sitman (co-editor of this section), Sarah Jones, Maximillian Alvarez, and Steinmetz-Jenkins. All found themselves mostly bypassing centrist liberalism as they moved from left to right, searching for a politics that repudiated the Iraq War and that took seriously the experience of economic precarity.

Other conservative intellectuals have sought to revive conservatism in order to appeal to the working class. In March 2019, a manifesto entitled Against the Dead Consensus was published by First Things, a redoubt of the Christian right that once provided the intellectual sustenance of George W. Bushs evangelical extremism. While stopping short of endorsing the president himself, the authors of the manifesto wrote that the Trump phenomenon has opened up space in which to pose these questions anew, asserting that any attempt to revive the failed conservative consensus that preceded Trump would be misguided and harmful to the right. In its place, they support a muscular faith-based politics, support for an idealized American worker, and anti-immigrant nationalism. They reject a pernicious individualism that they associate with the market fundamentalism of the right, the lefts embrace of transgender and abortion rights, and the pornographization of daily life in popular culture.

This post-liberal battle cry has found an unlikely champion in Harvard Law professor Adrian Vermeule, a respected and influential scholar who has become the countrys foremost advocate of integralismthe idea that the political priorities of the state should be subordinated to the moral aims of the Catholic Church. In a bracing essay, James Chappel finds the roots of Vermeules theocratic illiberalism, counterintuitively, in the technocratic jurisprudence he has elaborated elsewhere with the moderately liberal Cass Sunstein. If the administrative state can be used to nudge (in Sunsteins phrase) individuals toward optimal economic and public health outcomes, why couldnt agencies staffed by integralists nudge the public toward appropriate moral behavior?

Ross Douthat is known for translating these internecine conservative debates into terms that liberal New York Times readers can understand. In an interview with Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell, we press Douthat to explain how his own conservatism fits within the currents of post-liberalism, populism, and nationalism roiling the right, and whether a Trumpism without Trump is possible. Douthatlong an advocate of pairing economic populism with social conservatismoffers perhaps too sanguine an account of how a post-fusionist GOP might rebuild itself after Trump, glossing over some real disagreements about the best way to imagine the national community. Our dialogue also draws out some of the overlap between left and right critiques of individualism, posing the question of whether a social democratic president like Bernie Sanders might offer a different answer to the crisis of liberalism than Trump has.

Kirsten Weld concludes the section by widening our historical and geographic aperture to examine the ascendant Latin American right and its origins in the continents postcolonial histories. Her essay reminds us to look well beyond the twentieth century for answers to our contemporary predicaments. The racial, religious, and gendered hierarchies that conservatives across the globe seek to reconstitute and fortify are, ultimately, the inheritance of empire. And the task for the international left, as ever, is to eradicate the vestiges of colonialism and slavery from the structures of our societies.

Conservatism is hardly dead, and it may never die. The beneficiaries of existing social and economic hierarchies will always fight to maintain them against egalitarian movements for change. So too will the conservative longing for a lost or threatened sense of security, certainty, and rootedness serve as a powerful framework for opposing the imaginative promises of the egalitarian left.

But the certainty of resistance only raises our obligation to fightand to know our enemy.

Sam Adler-Bell is a freelance writer in New York City and co-host of Know Your Enemy, a podcast sponsored by Dissent.

Matthew Sitman is associate editor of Commonweal, a frequent contributor to Dissent, and co-host of Know Your Enemy.

Lauren Stokes is an assistant professor of history at Northwestern University, where she teaches German history and writes about the politics of migration and gender.

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The Once and Future Right - Dissent

National Cup of Tea Day hoping to set up country’s biggest virtual tea party – Worcester News

THIS month sees the return of a day designed to combat isolation, even more important during the coronavirus lockdown.

National Cup of Tea Day is on April 21 and is the fifth anniversary of the initiative and this year, as a result of the current pandemic, will be moving to a virtual platform, aiming to host Britains biggest virtual tea party via Facebook on April 21.

National Tea Day 2020 has created a pledge scheme to ensure that no one is left out, and every 10 donated will go towards providing par-tea packs to NHS trusts including tea, cakes, biscuits, bunting and balloons. Donations will also provide 4 to Mind, which helps those suffering from isolation and loneliness.

Diaz Ayub, National Tea Day founder, said: Your generous pledges will help us provide care homes and NHS hospitals with more than 10,000 party packs and make a difference to many more through our charity partnership with Mind.

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National Cup of Tea Day hoping to set up country's biggest virtual tea party - Worcester News

The Monday Merch Meeting Week of April 13th – The DIS

The Monday Merch Meeting is now in session, and we have a lot to catch up on! Grab your morning beverage of choice, lock yourself in a childless room, and lets get started.

On Sunday, April 12th, shopdisney.com released their exclusive Limited Edition Park Pins for Easter online and they are so cute, I cant even. The Walt Disney World version features a stained-glass-style Cinderella Castle and the Disneyland version the same style of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Both are encased within a beautifully decorated golden egg for $17.99 each.

Last week we saw the introduction of the Class of 2020 Bangle from Alex and Ani, however, this weeks line up includes these adorable Class of 2020 Mickey Ears ($29.99) complete with sequined ears, graduation cap, and tassel. I want them, and I dont even know anyone graduating from anywhere this year.

The Mickey Mouse Ear Hat Graduation Cap for Adults 2020 is $27.99 and would make a great gift for anyone missing their graduation ceremony due to the current isolation restrictions. Both are available from ShopDisney.com now.

If you are a secret fan of the Goofy characters, this week, D23 celebrated the 25th Anniversary of A Goofy Movie with a recap on available Goofy merchandise, along with a new limited-release pin from the movie.

Do you love the nostalgia of the Disney Princess classics? This faux-leather mini backpack from Loungefly ($80), might just be perfect for you. Its got that retro feel with vintage-style poster art from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella.

You all know I love a Disney dress. I dont know what it is about them, but I want them all, and I want them now. Well, be still my beating heart, Disney has released their new summery Flamingo Halter Dress ($128), with hot pink waist sash. Team it up with the new Aloha Shirt ($59.99), and the Mickey Mouse Pineapple Mini Backpack by Loungefly ($75), and you will be unstoppable when it comes to bringing in those summer good-time vibes.

Everyone loves a bit of color, especially when celebrating their favorite Disney park. This week, ShopDisney.com introduced the following styles in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World styles. This apparel collection includes the Neon Lime T-Shirt for Adults ($24.99), Neon Blue Spirit Jersey for Adults ($69.99), Yellow Spirit Jersey for Kids ($49.99) and the Dip Dye Spirit Jersey ($69.99).

Ready to add in some accessories? Of course, Disney has you covered. You can add to your neon look with a Neon Lime Belt Bag ($29.99), Neon Visor Baseball Cap for Adults ($24.99), Neon Yellow Mickey-shaped Crocs ($49.99), Pool Ears Headband ($29.99), Mickey Mouse Icon Watermelon Belt Bag ($29.99), and my personal favorite, the Disney Parks Rain Jacket for Women ($54.99).

If you are the sort of person that needs a new Vinyl character for every occasion, match your new look with the Mickey Mouse Neon Vinyl Figure by Jerrod Maruyama Special Edition, which retails online for $29.99.

With the Disney parks currently closed due to the virus-that-shall-not-be-named, Disney Parks Pin Trading limited edition pins are temporarily available exclusively online at ShopDisney.com, and weve found the best ones starting with the Limited Edition Disneyland and Walt Disney World Star Wars Pins ranging from $17.99 for the smaller ones and $54.99 for the Jumbo BB8 or Jumbo R2-D2 (not pictured) that actually open up!

Weve also seen the release of exciting new individual pins like the Donald Duck Pin ($9.99), Minnie Mouse Cheerleading Pin ($9.99), Ludwig Von Drake Pin Doctors Day 2020 Disneyland ($17.99), as well as Limited-Release Sets like the Monsters University Insignia Pin Set ($27.99) and the Limited Edition Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Pin Set Mad Tea Party ($19.99) that we first saw back in March.

Youre at home and planning your epic return to the Disney parks. Making notes of all of those things you promised yourself you wont miss out on next time, and wondering how to mark the occasion with a little extra flair. Ive got what you need. Its bright, its sparkling, it has a bow and a unicorn horn, as well as an organza train of awesomeness. Its all-around extra.

Its the Minnie Mouse Unicorn Sequined Ear Headband ($29.99) now available on shopdisney.com ready to make all of your dreams come true. Ta da!

If there is one thing I have come to appreciate over these last few weeks at home, it is the importance of finding a way to feel good and happy while living in sweatpants and sweaters. That was when I found this new Winnie the Pooh Pullover ($42.99), that comes in these pretty pastel colors that just make me happy.

Want to expand on that happy-at-home feeling that Disney merchandise gives you? Have a look at these new additions to the Forever Disney Collection from Oh My Disney. The new line up includes Winnie the Pooh Pencil Set and Pencil Holder ($16.99), Winnie The Pooh Sleep Set ($29.99), Winnie The Pooh Tumbler ($16.00), Travel Blanket ($24.99), Chip n; Dale Hooded Jacket ($44.99), and Winnie the Pooh Plush Fashion Bag ($49.99).

That does it for this weeks Monday Merch Meeting. Nows the time to start clicking and find all these incredible new products before they sell out starting with that dress!

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The Monday Merch Meeting Week of April 13th - The DIS

The empty spectacle of a coronavirus oversight committee – The Week

Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock

April 7, 2020

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There was a brief period (it may have lasted for as long as 48 hours) when Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer went from insisting that Donald Trump posed an existential threat to the United States of America to insisting that he must assume unilateral authority over the whole of the United States in order to save us from an actual existential threat: the coronavirus pandemic. Those of us looking for any little bit of good news these days should take comfort from the fact that this brief era in American politics has already run its course, and Democratic politicians are now looking ahead to the peace and plenty of opposition. Once again Trump is the bad guy, and the number-one priority of the legislative branch is to undermine his administration during this ostensible period of unprecedented crisis.

This at any rate is the only conclusion I can draw from the recent announcement that Democrats will be creating a panel to oversee the Trump's administration's handling of coronavirus relief. The idea behind the oversight group, which will be led by Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina (whose turn-out efforts on behalf of Joe Biden in his home state now seem like ancient history), is to "root out waste, fraud, and abuse."

This phrase will be familiar of course to anyone who followed the fortunes of the Tea Party during its six-year-long stranglehold on public life during the Obama administration. It is cant. When trillions of dollars are being spent during a crisis, waste is inevitable, fraud of little importance, and abuse essential. Of course government funds are going to be wasted what else do you call it when the equivalent of the entire federal budget is being spent in the hope of ameliorating the effects of a self-inflicted economic depression? The whole point of a stimulus package is to give people and businesses money as quickly as possible. Fraud is going to happen no matter what because acting swiftly here is more important than figuring out whether every single relief applicant has told the truth in every particular. As for abuse: no major piece of relief legislation in modern American history has ever passed without huge portions of it going to undeserving persons in positions of influence. This is simply how the world works. It is also irrelevant because even if 25 or 50 percent of all beneficiaries are undeserving, the ones who are not cannot wait long enough for the former to be determined.

Democrats know this all too well, which is why they resisted the attempts of the GOP to turn the 2008 financial crisis into a lesson on good government from a high-school civics textbook. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if the message you are trying to send people is that the current pandemic is more serious than whether Trump made a joke about Russian hacking on TV one time or whether not actually canceling foreign aid is an impeachable offense, you could start by not giving the opposite impression. The last thing the country needs right now is more partisan theatrics.

Is coronavirus another story about a misguided expert consensus going more or less unchallenged, like "Saddam has weapons" or "Trump is a Russian asset," or is it the real thing? The problem we face is that it would be impossible to know from the response. America's political institutions have eroded to the point that they are incapable of solving even the simplest problems. The 10 plagues of Egypt could be sweeping across the land as I write this, and Sean Hannity would be on television explaining that Pharaoh Trump's plan to build special locust-repelling pyramids like you wouldn't believe is simultaneously genius and unnecessary because the bugs are fake while the leaders of the opposition party held Zoom hearings on whether there was an impeachable 1.2 percent discrepancy between official and media totals of granary-held wheat reserves.

It's not just that we can't handle actual crises with no obvious partisan angles. It's that we don't want to.

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The empty spectacle of a coronavirus oversight committee - The Week