He remained open about the fact that Signal received a grant from the U.S. government's Open Technology Fund, which he notes is at least a few degrees removed from American intelligence operations, leaving him far from beholden to any three-letter agencies.
One thing is for sure: Mr. Neistat, fluent in broadcasting himself in the digital age, is far from beholden to traditional cable news conventions.
Another formidable obstacle in the way of the French efforts to coax Syria into co-operation is the likely reaction of Iran and Hizbullah, neither of which are beholden to instructions from Damascus.
But, as any metal fule kno, heaviness is a more complex and amorphous phenomenon than most people seem to realise: Imbued with the raw, weatherbeaten evangelism of prime Zeppelin, but far from beholden to any one influence, this elegantly powerful quartet write songs that aim straight for the heart, bypassing every conceivable cliche along the way.
Though something of a phenomenon on the East Coast (she's been all but anointed by Wynton Marsalis, who has taken her on tour with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra), McLorin Salvant is far from beholden to tradition, given that her roots lie at the outskirts of it.
It's that bipartisan enthusiasm for reducing the government's budget -- and the speed with which both parties abandoned a job-creating agenda -- that left-leaning analysts say demonstrate how beholden elected officials from both parties have become to the rich, and how out of touch they are with the problems of the poor and the middle class.
This spares guests from forever having to sign for things, keeps blowhards and big wheels from buying drinks for the house and spares women from feeling beholden.
It's barely worth mentioning anymore that the public and political responses to mass shootings trace a dismal pattern: Public shock, grief and mourning; "thoughts and prayers" from politicians beholden to the National Rifle Assn.; calls to avoid "politicizing" the tragedy; and finally, no action from lawmakers in Washington.
They appear to like the fact that his private fortune, estimated at $100m-200m 100m-200mm from being beholden to savesal interests.
