Going out or going out-out? Coordinate your outfit with your social calendar this party season

Going out or going out-out? Coordinate your outfit with your social calendar this party season

Going out used to mean just that: going out. A few drinks after work. Something hot, wrapped and sauced on the way home. Stinging flashbacks the next day. It was a simple time: you’d switch shoes in the loo when work was done, line your stomach with a pint of milk and head aimlessly into the night. But going out has changed and the going out spectrum has grown – clubs may be closing, but alternative parties and venues are opening in their place. Even the festive office party has become a high-profile event, filtered and shared with unfettered abandon on social media. Language about going out has changed accordingly. Now you have the option to go out, go out-out or – on say, New Year’s Eve when proper partying is law – even, out-out-out. And there’s a world of difference between them.

The history of the phrase “going out-out” is up for debate. Some cite the Robert Frost poem Out, Out–, a meditation between death and life. Some talk about Macbeth whose speech after the death of his wife – “Out, out, brief candle!” – was a comment on the futility of life. Others look to 2009 and comedian Micky Flanagan’s skit on the difference between going out and going out-out which started a legal spat over intellectual property, when the directory enquiry company 118 118 used the phrase in an advert.

Us? We’ve been going both out, and out-out-out, for years – we just never had the vocabulary for each. Now that you do, it’s time to have a bit of fun with what you’re wearing, to rethink your approach to sequins and outerwear after-hours. Whether you’re after a post-work pint or are committed to the straight-thru-crew, let your wardrobe help you. MF

Philanthropist Mike Mann Estabilishes New Political Party

Philanthropist Mike Mann Estabilishes New Political Party

The adage goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is one of the beliefs of philanthropist Mike Mann’s new political party, the Better Government Party. He created the party for people who believed the current two party system is corrupt and doesn’t represent today’s people. This new party and government will be based on transparency, trust, and accountability.

Mike Mann Mann acknowledges there are other options for voters, other independents and third parties. Voters don’t take them seriously because “they aren’t educated on their brand”. People don’t have faith or confidence in their current options. Mann knows all about branding. Even though charity and volunteerism are his priority, he realized he couldn’t afford to do just charity work. He made his first million in business online. His corporations, Phone.com, DomainMarket.com, and SEO.com were listed among the 2012 Inc 500 fastest growing companies. Mann is also the author of Make Millions, Make Change, a book showing people they can make money in order to better serve people.

Mann is a Washington DC native and former lobbyist. His mother worked for the EPA and his father defended cases before the Supreme Court. “I know a lot about politics and how politics work,” he said. What might separate Mann from any other millionaire venturing into politics is his wanting to support the weak, poor, and sick. “Everything bad goes back to not enough job training and good education,” he says. If people are trained well, they’d be able to support themselves. He’d change education so people would graduate with more hands on experience and job training.

The Better Government Party wants a highly internet based and electronic government. This would lead to more interaction and more accessibility, for example, real time town hall meetings. They would leverage modern ideas using social media. This does cater to a younger generation. “There is a growing class of concerned young people who feel dismissed by the current two parties,” Mann says. Change takes time and Mann is realistic about his goals. He has a twenty year plan in place. He’s garnering interest from people in Hollywood, Washington DC, and several business leaders. One of the next steps is holding a convention where they can establish their core ideals and create a constitution. Mann hopes the Better Government Party will have the majority in Congress after twenty years.