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she is a American Actress. The film sees Wiig and Mumolo play a pair of friends who leave their MidWest hometown for the first time in their lives. Chicago Box Office. 'Gilmore Girls' premiered 20 years ago today, and in honor of the anniversary, we look back at one of the show's most obvious flaws: how it treated Lane Kim, played by Keiko Agena. Politician. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Images, Youtube and more on IDCrawl - the leading free people search engine. The styling looks to be a glorious ode to the brightly coloured, sensibly cut couture of middle aged ladies-on-tour. Live Chat. 10 Facts On Rose Abdoo. Rose Abdoo, whose full name is Rose Marie Abdoo, was born on November 28, 1962, in Detroit, Michigan. 21. 14. Explore Anastasia Kvitko`s collection followed by … Nome - Rose Abdoo Instagram - Nascimento - 28/11/1962 Cidade Natal - Chicago, Illinois, USA Profissão - Atriz, Dubladora FILMOGRAFIA ♂ Mentes Criminosas - Janel (2017) ♂ Chicanery - Arlene Sobel Rosen (2017) ♂ Dr. Ken - Librarian (2016) From the gals who brought you Bridesmaids (co-stars and co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie … Abdoo’s height is 5 feet and 4 inches, and in meters, she is 1.63 meters tall. Refrigerate uncovered for one hour before serving. Complete Rose Abdoo 2017 Biography. See more ideas about Anastasia Kvitko, Instagram girls, Kim Kardashian. Dec 05, 2019 - Discover latest Anastasia Kvitko Hot Photos on Stylevore. Instagram @barbandstar. Rose Abdoo Age, Height, Net Worth, Wiki, And Bio: Rose Abdoo was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Drop Us A Note. Rose Dorothy Dauriac, 6 Family Member. Instagram: @roseabdoo/IMDb: Rose Abdoo. 20. Follow. Actress Rose Abdoo Contact Details, Address, Phone Number – contact number, house address, mobile number, biography, email ID, website and other contact information is listed here with the residence or house address. 312-337-3992. "Happiness is spontaneously running into old pals from my That's So Raven days!!! Lionsgate has released the trailer for Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.In addition, it has been revealed that the upcoming comedy will skip theaters and head straight to VOD on February 12th. The movie will be available to rent and stream as of February 12. Trousers. 70 notes. But luckily, actor Rose Abdoo, who played Senorita Rodriguez on the show, was able to snap and post a photo of it on Instagram on Feb. 11. VFrost 247247. 17/mai/2014 - Rose Abdoo, Actress: Good Night, and Good Luck.. Rose Abdoo is known for her television role as Gypsy in "Gilmore Girls" and Gypsy & Berta in the Netflix movies "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" where she was the recipient of the TVLine Best Comedy Revelation of 2016 for her dual role in Gilmore Girls. Take a trip and break out of your shell with Barb and Star. Rose Abdoo Family, Childhood, Life Achievements, Facts, Wiki and Bio of 2017. Rose Abdoo is a popular American Actress who gets popularity within a very short time for her nice-looking appearance. So. Fold in 1 ½ TBSP crushed dried rose petals (optional). Jeg er virkelig stor ’Gilmore Girls’ fan, så jeg var helt oppe at køre, da jeg fandt ud af, at de genoptog serien! Rose Abdoo Rose Mary Abdoo is an American actress and comedian known for her roles in That’s So Raven, Gilmore Girls , and many other films and television shows. For all time, at the moment, 2020 year, Rose Abdoo earned $36 Million. Can you guys believe that ASP cast Rose Abdoo (Gypsy) as Berta?! @anneliesevanderpol & @rondellsheridanoffical," Rose Abdoo shared on Instagram … 19. DEMI ROSE Hot Instagram Models Internet meme. Become a Second Citizen and get the inside scoop on new shows, alumni news, ticket deals, exclusive offers and lots more. Actress Rose Abdoo told the crowd that she read a fanfiction story that depicted a romance between Gypsy and Andrew. "Happiness is spontaneously running into old pals from my That's So Raven days!!! Many. Email Us. Gift Cards. Newsletter Shows & Events. What the fuck?? Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar also stars Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans, Jr., Fortune Feistier, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith, and Bridesmaids actress Wendi McLendon-Covey — Watch below. Exact sum is $36000000. Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Rose Abdoo Books Role on The Young and the Restless! 0 0 Sunday, 1 April 2018. Join Facebook to connect with Cortney Rose and others you may know. From the gals who brought you Bridesmaids (co-stars and co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo) comes Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar. She completed her graduation from Michigan State Universe with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is of Lebanese and Dominican descent. The Perfect Present. Heldigvis er den stadig ligeså god, selvom den er lavet på en anderledes måde, og det er nogle år siden, vi sidste sagde farvel til Rory og Lorelai. View the profiles of people named Cortney Rose. Rose Abdoo Net Worth Rose Abdoo made money by Actors niche. ... Instagram Star. The film also stars Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Fortune Feimster, Wendi McLeandon-Covey, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith, and Kwame Patterson Add 1 cup of ice cubes to the soup and ladle it into bowls, serving couple of ice cubes per bowl. Discover the most famous people named Rose including Rose Dix, Rose Byrne, Rose McGowan, Rose McIver, Rose Leslie and many more. Michael B. Jordan Confirms Relationship With Lori Harvey; Goes Instagram Official Trump Just Got Banned in Even More Places Rose Abdoo Breaking News, Photos, and Videos https://allstarbio.com/rose-abdoo-net-worth-age-height-weight-married-boyfriend Cropped. Source: instagram.com. Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Fortune Feimster, Wendi McLeandon-Covey, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith and Kwame Patterson also star. Take a trip and break out of your shell with Barb and Star. Jamie Dornan and Wonder Woman 1984's Kristen Wiig star in the first trailer for new comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. The first trailer for the upcoming star-studded comedy Breaking News in Yuba County is proving that there is something to laugh about in 2021. Abdoo will be playing the role of Dr. Mosley and will air on April 4 and April 5, 2018. Currently, Rose Abdoo is 57 years old. In the picture, Abdoo … Fashion show Fashion week Hot Instagram Models Photo shoot. #stephen colbert #amy sedaris #paul dinello #rose abdoo. Rose Abdoo, 58 TV Actress. Youtube Short biography, height, weight, dates: Birth date: November 28, 1962 Birth place: Chicago, Illinois, United States Height:5 4 (1.63 m)Profession: ActressEducation: Michigan State UniversityNominations: Screen Actors … Rose Abdoo 2021 - Životopis na Wikipedii, Wiki, Věk, Narozeniny, Instagram Rose Abdoo - herečka se narodila 28.11.1962 ve městě Chicago, Illinois, Spojené státy Start A Conversation. VFrost 247247. ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans freaked out on Thursday, Jan. 21, after series star Keiko Agena shared a photo of herself with ‘the REAL LIFE Lane Kim,’ Helen Pai, via Instagram — read more ... Rose Abdoo shimmying in T-bar sandals and an elbow-slung beach tote and Vanessa Bayer twirling in a side-tie fuchsia tee and floral pedal pushers. Rose Wilder Lane (1886-1968) Journalist. 13. @anneliesevanderpol & @rondellsheridanoffical," Rose Abdoo shared on Instagram … Click here to get the details---> Soap Opera News has learned that actress, Rose Abdoo has booked a role on The Young and the Restless. How is this woman SO unaware? she was born on 28 Nov 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.Her is nationality American . huntzbergered. When ready to serve, add ½ cup very cold water, stir to get a uniform soup consistency. Alongside Wiig and Mumolo, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar features Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Fortune Feimster, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith, and Kwame Patterson. Worth checking these maja strojek, Demi Rose. “It is such an honor that Kristen and Annie have entrusted us … Find Gwen Chambers online. Rose Bundy, 38 Family Member. Trending and amazing fashion model, Paris Fashion Week. Frosty. |
The Sunday Salon used to be a meme but was getting so huge it became unmanageable, so it is now a Facebook group that has become an informal week in review
gathering place for bloggers.
It is also a place to share our thoughts about things of a bookish nature.
So Happy Sunday Everyone!
February flew by quickly for me and here in Wisconsin we had over 22 inches of snow so you would think the weather would have prompted me to curl up with a good book more often but sadly that was not the case. I managed to read just 15 books 🙁
February Books Read
Totals – 15 Books – 4475 Pages – 1906 KB
Year To Date Totals – 35 Books – 10186 Pages – 3863 KB
I also completed the First In A Series Challenge.
1. The Artist’s Inheritance by Juli D. Revezzo
2. Playing With Poison by Cindy Blackburn
3. It Takes Two To Strangle by Stephen Kasminski
4. A Rendezvous To Die For by Betty McMahon
5. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly
Challenge Complete February 26, 2013
Since it is so early in the year I am going to try to reach the next level with 5 more books.
15 States 4 Settings Abroad
Arizona United Kingdom
District of Columbia Ireland
You can click here or on the Challenges tab above to see how I am doing on the rest of my challenges.
Monday – It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Thursday – The Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop started. It runs through March 7.
Plus I reviewed my February Just For Fun book, Berried to the Hilt (The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries) by Karen MacInerney. The next book in the series, Brush with Death comes out May 8 and Karen will be here for Cozy Wednesday on May 15.
Friday – I reviewed The Corpse with the Silver Tongue (Cait Morgan Mystery) by Cathy Ace. The next book in this series,The Corpse with the Golden Nose will be released on March 12.
Saturday – I shined my spotlight on Death Where the Bad Rocks Live (A Spirit Road Mystery) by C.M. Wendelboe. I am giving away a copy. |
By Weston Blasi
The meteoric rise of stocks discussed on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum — like GameStop /zigman2/quotes/203755179/composite GME -2.31% and AMC /zigman2/quotes/200235402/composite AMC +4.81% — has caused major disruptions in the stock market.
The moves to restrict trading have led to complaints about the lack of free trade going on in the markets. Among those who criticized the move early on were billionaire Mark Cuban and Barstool Sports’s /zigman2/quotes/209264611/composite PENN -1.92% Dave Portnoy.
And politicians of both parties have gone after Robinhood’s decision to restrict trading on stocks like GameStop and AMC — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ted Cruz.
Robinhood recently created a post addressing the situation.
“Our mission at Robinhood is to democratize finance for all. We’re proud to have created a platform that has helped everyday people, from all backgrounds, shape their financial futures and invest for the long term.”
This week, as both GameStop and AMC stocks plummet, Portnoy said on Twitter /zigman2/quotes/203180645/composite TWTR -1.11% that he sold all of his “meme stocks.”
Mark Cuban hosted an “ask me anything” conversation on the WallStreetBets Reddit page on Tuesday morning where he shared his thoughts on various financial topics including the GameStop craze.
“Thanks for changing the game. Thanks for taking on Wall Street,” Cuban wrote.
He went on to say that Robinhood was the main reason the movement didn’t totally work.
“There was only one thing that messed you all up: RobinHood and the other zero commission brokers that everyone used didnt have enough capital to fund the fight. They let you down in a big way.”
Shares of GameStop were among the biggest decliners , shedding 49% in Tuesday morning trading, after sliding 30.8% on Monday . The second biggest NYSE loser was AMC Entertainment Holdings, which was down 39.5%.
The pullbacks in these stocks come amid a broader market rally, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA -0.41% up over 500 points in early afternoon trading. |
Local Man Under Increasing Pressure To Have An Opinion On Pokemon Go
Local man Donnie Lambert has continued his campaign of indifference towards Pokemon Go, despite mounting pressure from friends and family to declare how he feels about the global smartphone phenomenon.
“I guess it’s, like, a thing,” muttered Lambert distractedly as he scrolled through post after post on his phone from people declaring their enthusiastic love or disdainful hatred for the game.
Lambert rolled his eyes as he looked over his notifications tab where several friends had tagged him in posts about the game, ignoring them and continuing on to read the sports scores before closing his phone and standing up to make a cup of tea.
“I mean, if it’s what you’re into, sure,” he said, waiting for the kettle to boil as he looked across the road to a local park where dozens of people were gathered together, with dozens more looking on in disgust. “I guess I just don’t see what the big deal is.”
Behind him, Lambert’s phone continued to buzz, notifying him that his cousin had posted a long-winded and condescending diatribe about how kids these days are missing out on experiencing the beauty of the real world, immediately followed by a sassy meme from his sister expressing disbelief that anybody would be so judgemental about how other people enjoy themselves.
Lambert would not comment on the matter when questioned by Point & Clickbait, saying only that he was “pretty sure he had some biscuits somewhere around here” and “some biscuits with this tea sounds pretty good right now”. |
Viewing: General Station
A talk about small penises. She has had many penises in her life so she says.
!!!! National SALES TAX!!!! Warning卐
0 Note Unveiling video from the Federal Reserve
Пчёлки и Винни пу
קריית מלאכי מתקו
'Beta Uprising' Speech at high school
'Insane Crocodile' an Elton John /ICP Collab fantasy
'Maril's Pretty Pink Panties' 2yr Shonniversary w/rick claypool
'The Magician' Opening
'YouTube employees will all lose their first born sons.'
(InvisibleCrane) More Stuff I've Bought Recently
(Re-uploaded) White settler and white stroller pusher argue in Brooklyn
04/10/13: Video from 04/10/13: Car with license plate 'TC 68 LC' outside the Women's Center
10 DAYS LEFT UNTIL JUDGMENT DAY
10-Man Genie In The Lamp Ladder Match - CHW Backyard Wrestling
15 minutes of Great Skate DJ soundboard (mid 80s)
1980s Tokyo, Japan - Traffic, Busy Streets, Shibuya Crossing, Rare 35mm Footage
1982 Knight Industries Two Thousand: Regular Car Reviews
1983 Yoga VHS intro
1989 Jericho High School Video Yearbook
1990 Stoneham High School Last Day!
1994, a gloomy year in contrast to 1993, til I made my OWN FUN!!!
1995 FOX Promo (The O.J. Simpson Story)
1st day of class these poor students
2 GIANT MUSCLE KINGS - COLOSSAL FACEOFF
2 Live Crew on The Arsenio Hall Show 1989
20/20 Report Hip-Hop Special (1981)
2011 fastest trowel on the block
2015 Gathering of the Juggalos : Juggalo Wedding.
20th century tumpet
2pac talks about his run in with TFL - nice guy syndrome
33 Months in a Federal Penitentiary
42 year-old woman moves out of state
5 Reasons Why Scott Pilgrim Flopped
5 second films - Coming of Age
5 second films - Pappy's Genuine Texas Salsa
5 Second Films - The Last 5SF Part 1
5 second films - Throw With Your Child
50 INTIMATE THINGS I WANT TO DO WITH MY GAL
7 hours, 54 minutes of vacuum cleaner noises.
9/11 Reenactment - Video Project
:( :D :( :D :( :D :( :D :( :D :(
A Bill Pullman Independence Day NYC
A Blackhead Lover's Dream
A Brave Attempt In Vain
A brother vividly describes his sexual desires
A cat goes through a cat door.
A cat meows softly as a guy smashes his balls with sticks.
A Coastie is upset he can't wear his wrestling face paint in the mess hall
A Comic-Con Proposal
A cool way to put on your fedora
A Corvette is killed at an intersection
A dad learns that his son is sleeping with his car
a defaced santa toy minces around
A family brawls in a parking lot.
a fat toy doll does sit-ups
A Goldmine of Regretful Youtube Comments about Watching A Goldmine of Blackhead Extractions
A judge told him that he's dead...
A King Cobra notices he's being watched.
A Korean baby gets down on the dance floor
A man makes a reasonable request to be released from jail
A Man Recieves a Shoe Shine
A man rides in on a unicycle and plays a digeridoo for some strangers
A Message for Electors to Unite For America
A Middle Eastern American Films His Neighbors
A POETV PUA Covers Autotune The News' Antoine Dodson Song
A poor choice for an inflight movie
A random Supermarket Sweep
a sad scene
A scene from The Asylum film 'Ballistica'
A special happy birthday to Bret Michaels!
A Special Message From Sam Simon
A Time for Romance with Fabio
A touching tribute to Seinfeld's Newman
A Twitch streamer get's SWATTED (SWAT raid) while streaming.
A Vote For A Democrat Our A Rino Republican Is A Vote For Communism
A Walk in the Park
A wedding in 2013
A wedding toast
About the Lyrans, The Lion People The Feline Race
About Those Babies in the Funeral Home Ceiling...
abstract stopmotion of sexy man's leg with lingerie coming off
Abusive Mom vs Fat and Lazy Son
Act III: The Naked Suit
Adam Carolla and Norm MacDonald Analyze Kenny Rogers Songs
Adam Lanza Killing It at Dance Dance Revolution
Adele's Duck Army
Adeline hears Bad Brains for the first time.
AF2011-A1 'Second Century' - Double Barrel Pistol
Ai Fukuhara versus Demon Kogure and Sanma-san
airworks inflatable gives birth to grown man
Alex Jones on Joe Rogan: Theory for Elite Takeover of Humanity
Alex Jones on the New World Order and Internet 2
Alex Steals Girl From Chinese Guy
Alfred Shitcock's "Rear Window"
Alice Cooper - Only Women Bleed
Alison Brie is 'Muffy the Vampire Slayer' in a terrible, terrible sketch
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Steve Kardynal
All Star/The Black Parade/Crawling/When September Ends - Smash Mouth/MCR/Linkin Park/Green Day
Amazing Elvis impersonation.
amazing video weirdness
America home of the....Land of the ....?
American gospel group sings the theme to Neon Genesis Evangelion on a Japanese song competition sho
An Indian dancing dog
An interview with Syd Barrett
An Old Man and Urine Therapy.
Andy Dick Talks about Phil Hartman
Andy Rooney Getting Groomed
Angry Scotsman annoyed by sheep
Animator Vs. Cartoonist Draw Looney Tunes Characters From Memory
Anime Fans Wash a Ferrari
Anorexic looking chick swallows a tiny man whole.
Another douche in a Corvette tries to show off
Another MLP speech for class.
Another open mic night at the comedy club.
Another poeTV exhibit found us: Bat Nuklier
Another YouTube prankster gets what he deserves
Anti-ISIS Propaganda Clip on Iraqi TV
anubiswolfang's debut video ^w^
ApocalypticInferno takes a stand
Apollo 13 pinball: 13-ball multiball
April 1990 - Video I shot of my typical day of a high school student
Arab People Pranks
ArchieLuxury's Constant Battle for Quality Content.
Arizona State student vs Protester
Arnold Schwarzenegger goes undercover at Gold's Gym
Arsenio Hall confronts some gay hecklers on his show
Artemisbell Dances to Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing
Artemisbell Dances to The Clash - Rock the Casbah
Artemisbell Dances to Was Not Was - Walk the Dinosaur
Asherons Call First Official Trailer
Ashes to Ashes
Ashley Madison Busted! (Full Confession)
Asian Girlz - Day Above Ground
Asian woman demonstrates her lingual abilities.
Asians in the Library
Attack of the Goat Spiders
Attention: Real Life Superheroes
Audio samples from WHYP 1530 (1984)
Australian Radio Quiz Show Endlessly Trolled
Ayy LMAO [Lyrics Video] - /v/ the Musical 2
baby hugs skeleton why is grandma laughing
Baby's First Chiropractic Adjustment
Bad Public Access Special Effects
Balloon Animal Mascot
Bananaman : Wall Of Death
Barack Obama loses teleprompter, talks like President Bush
Barack Obama the Merengue Salsa
Baroness Trumpington gives Lord King of Bridgewater the 'V's
Batman and Robin
Batman V Superman - Sad Affleck
Battlestar Galactica LARP
Beach Beer Bum Boldly Borrows Big Body Blanket By Being Buddy But Better Bail Before Boy Beat Bumper
Beach Brawl With Greateat Narration Of ALL time.
Bear cub dicking around on the golf course
Beavis And Butt-Head in: Way Down Mexico Way
Belly inflation in tight clothes
Ben Shapiro on Piers Morgan
Bench Press: You're Doing it Wrong
Berlin in July 1945 (HD 1080p color footage)
Best of Joey Boots
Best of the Worst: #47 X-Mas 2016
Best of the Worst: Order of the Black Eagle, Wired to Kill, and Raiders of Atlantis
Best of the Worst: The Photon Effect, How I Saved the President, and Double Down
Beverly Cleary has a birthday on April 12
Beyonce's sister is kind of a jerk.
Bicyclist with Giant St. Jude Statue
Big ass battle in Eve Online. Neato.
Big Pink Thing is an artist, SEND $$$
Bill Murray Wants To Tell You Something
Bill wishes you a Happy 4th of July . . . from Canada
Billy Jean on the Uke
Birth of Ultraman, Episode 00 July 10,1966 (no subs)
Bister Mungle (Mr Bungle) Eureka High School Talent Show 1985 (Full Show)
Black Lives Matter vs. MTV
Blood On The Dance Floor: Bad Blood Documentary
Blowback Rubberband-firing wooden Desert Eagle replica
Bodybuilder Fantasizes About Being a Giant
Bodybuilder Responds to Stryker4750
Boomer the Dog, eating on his hands and knees.
Bored white teenagers: VOL 244483
Bottled Instinct: Vaginal Beer
Bowery Boys - Ghost Chasers (full radio drama)
Boxer poops in ocean
Boy meets automatic trash can and disappears
Brazilian Waxing Demonstration
Breakfast at Sulimay's
Breakfast at Sulimay's - 11
Brian Asawa & Robert Crowe - Duet Son nata a lagrimar
Brian Williams isn't the only reporter guilty of confabulating or just making shit up
Bright - Gas Station shootout
Bringing gifts to parties
Brit on holiday drags family to every Back to the Future filming location in Southern California
Burning Man is on my Bucket List, that's for sure
Calm the Fuck Down
Cameo - Shake Your Pants
Cameo - Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck
Camping with the Youth of Yes-Today
Can you spot the poetv user on the first play through?
Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i) Middle Finger Test
Captain Planet and Louie Anderson impressions!
Casey Serin raps about a vegan burrito or something
cereal and milk challenge
CFO of Vante, Adam Smith, visits Chick-fil-a
Chance The Rapper - Wonderful Everyday: Arthur ft. The Social Experiment
ChannelReview vs. his ED Haters
Charlie Bit Me
Charlotte man stands naked at his front door
Charlotte's Sologamy Wedding
Chemtrails Second Sun Effect
Cheney on "Situation Room" re: Mary's pregnancy
Chicken and Oranges
Children and Divorce
China Versus Japan - Chi Battle
Chinese girl with brutal death metal voice
Chris Chan is back, talks about high school reunion and trolling.
Chris Onstad accepts the Ignatz Award for Best Web Comic ...dressed as a gorilla
Chris-chan Denies Killing Billy Mays...AGAIN
Chris-chan makes a public statement.
Chris-Chan Victory Rockout
Chris-chan: Techno Remix
Christian Weston Chandler's LEGO Manchester High School (with music)
Christmas Gifts For the Homeless
Christmas Special 2020 Old Time Radio Shows 24/7
Chronic Periodontitis (Gum Disease)
Chuck Norris Explains How Bruce Lee Really Died
Claude Francois - Petite ma che de cheveux
Clean Comedian David Ferrell doesn't fuck with perfection (2:40)
Close quarters combat with a door
Clue - The VCR Mystery Game
CNN: Happy times and fun
Coast Guard valiantly defends America by sinking that tsunami ghost ship
Colonel Sanders dances in 103FM's studio
Colonoscopy Bowel Prep: What a Bad one Looks Like
Commander Riker is gonna get raped by Klingons
Commander Riker's Trying To Sell.....Some Type Of Crap...
Communications major says college is a waste of time.
Conan 'Rage of the Undying' Statue Unboxing and Review
Congratulations Jared on 15 years!
CopperCab Apologizes for Slavery
Corky from Life Goes On gets into an altercation
Couer D'Alene City Council Meeting from 11/4/2013
Crazy lady makes a 280 Calorie cheeseburger
Crossfit - it's like the Scientology of exercise
Crossfiter tries to kill himself
Crusty old fart berates firemen for wasting his tax dollars by buying groceries
Crystal Castles - 'Untrust Us' fan made music video
Cute and lighthearted video of a little kid with his A-K47.
Cute baby hand puppet baby and it's very adorable
CVS Extreme Couponing in Action!
D4NNY - Amazing Person On My Mind (Offical Music Video)
Dad At A Dance Festival
Dad Points GoPro the Wrong Way for the Entire Vacation
Daddy Does Not Approve
dairyqueenlatifah does not find this video of a jerkwad blowing his train horn at shoppers amusing
Dalek Relaxation Tape
Dallas High Speed Car Chase Video
Dan Cilley - Accosting Women Marathon!
Dance Dance Revolution Master
Daredevil Driving Stunts in a 1936 Plymouth: 'Trial by Torture' 1935 Chrysler Corporation
Darth Vader Skipping through the Garden
David Blaine Tricks an Old Guy
David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Dissapears
David Wood Goes Crazy On Facebook Live 2017
Davis Aurini lays out his plans for 2016
DC's Legends of Tomorrow - First Look
Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
Death Metal Vocal Warm Up
DeForest Kelley tours 'Star Trek: TNG' sets (September 27, 1990)
Delta's Holiday In-Flight Safety Video
DemoniusX back in rare form with beer face and profanity
DemoniusX breaks it off with his woman
DemoniusX gives his thoughts on our current economic plight
DemoniusX hates cellphones.
DemoniusX shares his thoughts on the economy and why he'll still call fags fags
DemoniusX vlogs about high speed rail and lazy disabled people
DemoniusX vlogs about his fiance, his work, and some crap about the NWO
DemoniusX: vlog update
Dennis Miller on Larry King
Depression anxiety panic attacks audio video healing depression anxiety and panic attacks
Devo - Worried Man
Diaper Derby 2019
Did You Hear Jim 'Gomer Pyle' Nabors Died?
Differences between Italians and Lighter European peoples
Dimitri the stud
Disney Surprise gone wrong
DJ KONY - Ugandan Hardstyle 2012
Do you like me now?
Documentary on groupies from 1970 back when women didn't shave their privates.
Does Anybody Remember Laughter?
doing a direct approach in marshalls. (#271)
Dolph Lundgren - Eye of the Tiger
Dominatrix offers free session to anyone who has TFL Bill's contact info
Don't be a beta bitch
Don't Have Dice? - ClickHole
Don't Tell Anyone
Door attacks a civilian
Doug Jones sings the Mac Tonight theme song
Dr John 'There Must Be A Better World Somewhere'
Dr Oz is garbage
Dr Phil comes in your room with a bag of chips and professes his love ASMR
Dr. Ashens - Loot Crate April 2015: Fantasy
Dr. No Unabridged Audiobook
Dr. Phil wants his money
Dragon Ball Z Abridged Pulled! Copyright Strikes Again
Drone flyover of the new Apple campus.
Drum and bass sermon in black church
Drum Fill from In The Air Tonight Looped For 30 Minutes
Drum Major Waves to Obama
Drunk Dude Leads a Lil' Jon's 'Get Low' Singathon on the DC Metro
Drunk Fat Guy With Party Hat, Wrigley Field
Drunk woman gives Uber driver a hard time.
Drunken Death Note Glomping
Dude flunks out of nursing school and posts a video about it.
Dude steals a laptop and uses its camera to record himself dancing
Dutch blackface girl group
Dwayne Holloway is done with TFL and movements so don't ask him to join yours
Dwayne Holloway leaves TFL. After a few months of failed self improvement I'm sure he'll be back
Dwayne Holloway offfers irrefutable proof of TFL through videos he found on the net
Dwayne Holloway wishes TFL founder Bill Greathouse a happy birthday!
Earthquake in Haiti, planned by the NWO?
easter bunny toy proselytizes to you
Eating Space Food
Ed Wood - Party Scene
Elliot Rodger and his parents thought it would be a good idea to move to a college party town
Emergency Landing for Constitution Class Starships
Emirates Airlines A380 First Class-Bangkok to Hong Kong
Enterprise-D Virtual Tour
Eric Andre On Larry King Now
ESPN's Britt McHenry is a dickhead
Etta James & Doctor John 'I'd Rather Go Blind'
Even TheReportOfTheWeek isn't immune to Google's money stealing algorithm
Every post on POE-NEWS for its last year
EvilHomer and Noam Chomsky have a verbal standoff.
Ex - Porn Star Jenna Presley talking about her new life - From Pornography to a New found hope.
Explanation of Kawaii From a Cosplayer
F 4Chan and F Anonymous
Fat Black Guy Loves Peanut Butter and Jelly
Fat cop chases fat suspect on foot
Fat kid scores a date
Father of Army soldier killed in Iraq rips Donald Trump a new one
Fatty in Prius vs. Country Family
FBI fence jump
Fedsmoker compliments sunbather
Female into Car TF Animation
Feminism - An Illumanati Plot Funded by CIA and Rockefeller Foundation
Ferret shows human her babies
Fight Me Prank (Gone Wrong KO'd)
FilaMaker shredding some toys
Finally, a YouTube prankster gets what he deserves.
First Betamax - Salesman Training Video 1977
First video in years - Masao
Fist of the North Star Intro Remake
Flock of Sabbaths
Foo Fighters - Official Band Announcement
found myself in that part of youtube, and this was there
Fox and Friends, 10.30.2017
Fox News live interview does not go as smoothly as interviewer would like
Frankie singing PEACHES
Frat boys demonstrate the atomic situp
Free rice club rising
Free Will (and a little rant on racism)
Freeman sort attempts to pay 7 fine with 137 origami bill pigs
FRONTLINE INVESTIGATES - Cell Tower Deaths Investigated
FUCK JOHN CENA, IM SICK OF SEEING THIS BITCH
FuFu Duster Dance
Full Playable Zelda BOTW [Cemu 1.7.4]
Fursuit Collection at Mousepaw's House
Futureman's Bright Idea
Fwancis Talks About YOLO
Gabrielle Chana working out
Gail Gives Tongue
Game of Thrones: Realtime Reaction to 'The Red Wedding'
Gangstalking network know this
Gathering of the Juggalos 2014 - Cannibal Corpse GoPro pit footage
Geddy Lee's Celebrity Winter Advice
Generation Kill - Serpentine
George Lucas Does Not Exist
George Lucas Salad Unboxing Video #1
George R.R. Martin's Dinner Date with Sibel Kekilli
George Takei fondles Jonah Falcon on Howard Stern
GET PUMPED, MOTHERFKER!
Ghostbusters 2016. No Review. I refuse.
Girl honks at ship
Girl Rejects Young Boy's Roses
Girl Sings Kick-Ass Acoustic Cover of Darkwing Duck
Girl Vs. Bacon
Girlfriend gets revenge for a face full of blended dog shit.
Glenn Danzig is an Asshole
Glock underwater high speed video
Going to Katsucon XD
Goldfinger Unabridged Audiobook
Goober gets pissed about a Magic the Gathering card.
good by 789 chan i wont missed you.wmv
Goodlookinfool is back as Ultimate Toe Master
Gordon and his two gal pals posted an update for everyone.
Gordon Griggs demonstrates his latest purchase for us
Gordon's Christmas gift will be a 3rd Real Doll sometime in the spring
Goronchev - Why I Only Kill Giants Now
Goronchev vs. Anonymous
Got Punched in the chest on the way to the library
Government Surplus Tampax Tampons
Grandpa takes a hit off the bong
Grandparents Discover Photo Booth
Great Dane disapproves of his brother getting some lovin from dad.
Guided By Voices- Game of Pricks
Gun owners allowed to open carry weapons while pointing at head level
Guy Buys a Lemon Porsche
Guy Gets Swung Around by Female Wrestler
guy in vr talks about their worst day as a soldier
Guy is scared after watching a history channel special about armageddon.
Guy lives in a house with slides from floor to floor
Gym motivation for poeTV users
Gyo (the Fish)
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Half-Life Alpha v 0.52 (9/4/97) - Tech Demo Gameplay
Hall & Oates - She's Gone video
Hammer Bro Gets Me Sick And Gets Grounded
Hampow93 is all grown up..
Hand Fart Musician Plays Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now'
Hands Are Bananas - Yeakel Andrews
HannahMinx: Let's go to the CANDY Store o(^-^)o
Hansen vs Predator EP 1
Hanukkah Kid Blooper
Happy Birthday Courtney!
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, PoeTV!
happy spinning frog toys
Happy Together - Beastly idol vs. beast special with B2ST! (2013.08.14)
HB6 CANADIAN MILF - AMOGGED
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Illuminating Wand Review
Helicopter Close Call on "Ship"
Hello My Future Boyfriend
Hello, I'm Amy Walker
Henders007's collection of puzzle boxes
Heres my Facebook movie. Find yours at
Hermaphrodite is Angry at Howard Stern
Hetalia Day - Behind the Scenes
Hey Digital Liar!
HEY PEWDIEPIE! GET A FUCKING JOB!!
High Five Etiquette
High School Senior 'Comes Out' in Assembly
Highlights Norm MacDonald Live
His Cross To Bear
Hitler Icecream truck
Homeless man with radio voice
Homemade electric riding mower
hookah smoke tricks(ooo's)
Horse destroys the universe-cyriak
HOW COULD YOU DO THIS KRISTEN?!
How Fat People Deal With Being Fat
How Feminism Screwed my Generation
How One Tweet Can Ruin Your Life
HOW TO ADENTAFY A TERRORIST
How to Avoid Getting Caught When Beating your Shit / Watching Porn
How To Be a Phenomenal Success
How to Chub and Tuck
How to Decant Aged Red Wine
How to get the most Halloween candy
How to Glitch the Matrix! Create Your Own Reality!
How to Install Optimus Prime into Sims 2
How to make a carrot ocarina
How to make a simple fake vagina. The poorman's fleshlight.
How to open the door
How to pronounce in romanian: Ä, î, â, È, È
How to Submit Videos to 73Q
How to wear the condom: Wilbur Sargunaraj
how to; cream pie
How Unicorns Are Made
Huge King Cobra Vs a Pack of Domestic Dogs
huhuhuhuh Shut up Beavis!
Hulk Hogan wants to make wrestling real
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Human statue has had enough of douchebag's shenanigans.
Hydromax X30 X40 NEW 3D How to use guide
I am a blueberry.
I am a dragon and I don't care
I can only get 1 out of 10 girls...
I DID IT! I FINALLY CAUGHT A CANADIAN PACIFÉ!
I DID IT! I FINALLY CAUGHT A HERITAGE UNIT!
I got a PM from Rosie O'Donnell
I Got Great News!!
I HATE FULLER HOUSE!!!!
I hope you guys like this song
I Live On Clay Street
I love America
I Miss You Megan
I need an emo or scene girlfriend now
I Owe CitiBank 5,000
I wanna eat chicken burgers!
I WANT MY DADS BLOOD!!!
I'm choking on a big fat black dick - so said the post wisdom teeth removal girl
I'm gonna pull your endocrine system out of your body!
I'm the Band
I've been waiting for you.
IAmTheEnd1000 chokes and belches uncontrollably
IAmTheEnd1000 Highlight Reel
Ian's final warning to Chris-chan
Ice Cream Town - 1989
If 'Anti-Drug' Commercials were Real Life - Commercial Classics
If bro handshakes were an anime
If there were a Grossly Ill-informed Olympics...
In '91 Shell made a video in which it acknowledges man made CO2 and its affect on climate
In the early 00's there was a virtual news caster called Ananova. A product of the dotcom boom
Inflation suit almost touches ceiling
Ingrown Toenail Removed
Inner Sanctum Mystery - Black Seagull (1943)
Insane Russian Bitch Newspaper Vendor Won't Accept Coins
Instruction manual for genitals
Internet Comment Etiquette: 'Staying Unmotivated'
Interview with David Dees
Interview with Lucky Diamond Rich, the 'Most Tattooed Person in the World'
Introducing 'That Cheesy Guy' - How to avoid a Cheesy guy, if you don't know he's cheesy.
Introducing public bathrooms
Introducing Timmy B
Ironman, Spiderman, Batman & Venom Dance At Kids Party
Is Chris-Chan Attractive?
Is sending Friend Requests to Strangers Spam?
ISIS Destroys Mosul Museum Artifacts - links to NYT
It wasn't me
It's Chastity Time. Scarlett Lush is locking you up.
It's Sapp Time
ITT Tech shutting down. DeVry you're next!
Jack Lalanne and his thoughts on unhappy people
James Hetfield can't hide his displeasure with Jason Newsted's asshatery
James Randi and Scientology
James Randi debunks medium Doris Collins
Jane Seymour Jerk Off Party
Japanese acting/english class?
Japanese bubblegum commercial.
Japanese Dance Off
Japanese Foam Candy Snack
Japanese people 'running' in slow motion
Japanese Snack Aisle
Japanese Supermarket Adventure
Japanese TV Hostess Shocks Girl Group
Jared Fogle ('The Subway Guy') visits WSLC - 94.9 Star Country
jared fogle comments on to catch a predator
Jeff Dunham, Deutsch style
Jessi Slaughter apologizes
Jessie Slaughter on Goodmorning America
Jet does a burnout before taking off.
Jet takes off in heavy wind and rain
JewWario - You Are Not Stupid
Jhonen Vasquez Sitting in a Room and Being Asked Awful Questions
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Jingle Bells Cover
JIT goes HAM in the dollar store.
Joad Cressbeckler: Immigrants Who Survive Arizona Desert Deserve Citizenship
Jodie Foster is Gay
Joe Biden Gives A Shout Out
Joe Rogan Interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson
Joey Boots Films Tucker Carlson Fishing
John Bolton urges Russia to relax their gun laws
John Carpenter - Christine (Theme) - Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles CA 5/20/16)
John Daker Sings some Old Standards
John Mayer Stand-Up
Johnny Cash versus Cypress Hill
Join Hamsbury Book CLub
Jonas Brothers - Paranoid (Death Metal Version)
Jonathan Frakes Grinning For A Minute
Joseph8276 sings along with Faith No More
July 4th bullet time
just an old timer playing the spoons
Just say it
K. Thor wrote about POE for New York Magazine
Katana VS Burglar Techniques
Kawasaki Warehouse - Kowloon Walled City Arcade
Keep It Real calls out Hangly Man
Kendall Tells a Story of a Racist Field Trip
Kenny G - The Moment
Kevin Smith n' sh*t like that n' sh*t n' sh*t like that n' sh*t n' sh*t like that n' sh*t n' sh*t
Kevin Smith's Views on Twilight
Kevin Spacey and Gordon Ramsay Have a Swear Off
Kid on Flowrider
Kid opens Christmas present
Kid pays the price for failing to listen to his mother
Kid With a Calculator Shows Us a Trick
Kids Guide to the Internet
Kids Incorporated - Secret Admirer
Kids React to the Death of Osama bin Laden
Kids Reciting Pledge of Allegiance
Kidz Bop Karen - Lady Lashes Out at Lyft Driver and Passenger
Kingarthur has passed.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Baby Bye Bye
La Pequeña Amy Winehouse
LARP Battle : Attack in Forest ( CZ )
Larry H. Parker got me 2.1 million
Lars Von Trier's 'Nazi' gaffe at the Cannes Film Festival
Lego Batman Cake
Les Claypool gushes about working with Tom Waits
Liberals Are Annoying
Liberals are Annoying 2
lion toy can't carry a tune
Listen up youtube!
Little kids arguing...
Little Michael Jackson
LIVE call from Refuge -- FBI Seige Happening.
LIVE Oldies playing in another room
Live TV Prank Calls to Pro-9/11 Communist Public Access Host Jack Jersawitz
Local News Appalled By McGangbang
Local News outs devious troll of great infamy
Lockheed Air and Missle Defense Radar
lolcow Jason Blaha talks about his time as a mercenary during the Clinton years
London Tube Experience
Longitudinally challenged fellow does some tricep dips with chains around his neck
Lonnie says 'Da damn thang is leanin'
Lonnie Stumbles Upon a Beach Wedding
Look into the eyes of Financial Dominatrix Goddess Princess...
Los Picadientes de Caborca - Billie Jean
Loudmouth American gets a good smacking on a Russian train.
Louis CK on the Daily Show
Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends - Porn Documentary
Low Notes: F1, E1, D1
Machine and the midget Adriana Barrientos
MAD Magazine presents 'Gall in the Family Fare'
Magic Short Bus Episode 1
Maisie Williams reacts to last week's Game of Thrones
Making Machine-Gun Bacon with Ted Cruz
malfunctioning toy delivers a platitude
Mama Said Knock You Out (Flula ft. Mama)
Man baby featured on NatGeo show. He collects SSI and Senator Tom Coburn ain't happy about it
Man Bought A Car Off Craigslist
Man gets penis bitten by soft shell turtle
Man Orders Taco Bell
Man sentenced to 40 years in prison tries to fling feces at judge
Mark Mothersbaugh's Synth Collection
Marky Mark shows off his workout routine - POW!
Masaokis Making Tea
Masaokis Swan Song
Masked Japanese Cosplay Dance
Massive Attack Voodoo in My Blood - Ringan Ledwidge
Master Ammar Addresses his Slaves
Masterchef Final 2010
Max Falling Out Of Kayak
Me And Him Trailer 1988
Meanwhile in Russia...
Meanwhile, in Houston
Meanwhile, on some street corner in America...
Melissa Harris Perry Says Star Wars Is Racist
Men in Black caught on hotel security camera footage?
Meredith Baxter goes to the doctor for an exam.
Message to twilight haters hateing on my fiance twilightmom1988
Mestre da pizza
Metallica Mixer Explains Missing Bass on 'And Justice for All'
Mexican Banana Phone
Mexican goku compilation.
Michael Jackson and Stan Lee Rare Footage 1999 In Stan Lee's Office
Michael Jackson selfie video testing camera
Michael Jackson-Black or White
Michael Myers eating chips
Midnight Juggernauts - Fire Below
Midnight Juggernauts - Into The Galaxy
Mike Tyson is a bit aggitated on a Canadian news show
Miles Davis angry at Herbie Hancock
Miley Cyrus Fan Learns That Show Is Cancelled
Million Dollar Extreme - how to get a girl to like you--tap into motherly instinct
Minami Takahashi's Onara
Misandry - mangina rails against feminism
Miss Juggalette Pageant - 2015 Gathering of the Juggalos
Mitt Romney will not run for President
MLP Speech: Informative Speech on Bronies and Brony Culture
MLP VA Panel - The Darker Side of the Fandom
MNR: Top Squad Promo for 6-17-19
Moldovan apartmant building collapse
Mom I Made a Meme
Mom's Meditation Interrupted
Monday Night Raw - July 22, 2019
Monkey from a Shelter Gets Her Makeup Done
Monkey TV Host Cops a Feel
Montage of 80s commercials pieced together with A Flock of Seagulls
Mopping the mess hall, washing dishes, paper work, picking your ass; life in the Coast Guard
mr balloon guy say hello to my little friend!
Mr. Chi-City Visits An Old Friend
Mr. Chi-City's Continued Bad Luck in 2009
Mr. Ghetto - Walmart
Mt Dew Thug
Mt Maunganui random event
MTV 1982 New Years Eve Promo
MTV segment on Lollapalooza 1995
MTV Sex in the 90s follows some guidos around in their rapemobile
Muscle Master Kevin on the Death of Your Independence
Music Video for Hoku's 'Perfect Day'
Mutton Chopped Killer Stephen McDaniel learns his neighbors body is found Live on Local News
My Crap Life with Dermatillomania
My First C++ 3D Game
My Hair Is Layed Like White Woman
My ice cream man is dead
MY Sensuous Yankee Candle Haul TOO 2
My Trizonal Spacewarper
Mystery Science Theater 3000's Trace Beaulieu And Frank Conniff
Naked Ultraman & Friends Para-Para Dance
Naked Woman Roaming Highland Park, MI Street
Nano Diamond Battery
NASTY VOICEMAIL-Viewer Reacts to Newscast Preempting Her Soaps
Natural body builder Rich Piana slaps a retarded fan a little too hard.
Neighbourhood Christmas Lights
Nerd Rage Over Card Game
Nerdy Comedian Destroys Hot Chick Comedian In a Roast Competition
New Dish Soap
New York City in 1993 in HD - DTheater DVHS Demo Tape
News Anchor Responds to Viewer Email Calling Her Fat
NIBIRU SUNSET PORTAL OF EVIL 7/26/16 Done
Nick Bravo: Entitled. Hope you're not getting burnt out on NB.
NickBravo wants 00
Nissan Maxima vs Porsche.
No Pizza Power!! TMNT Aliens WTF!!!
Norm Macdonald & Kevin Nealon
Norm Macdonald Mangrate Supercut
Norm MacDonald's 9/11 Jokes
NormsBarStool (stop calling me fat guy) is angry again.
Nornna announces her popularity
North Korean Women Thank Departed Leader for Fish
Nostromo Alarm Sound. 1 hour in length
Now he can pick up girls
Nun on a bicycle
NYC Pizza Rat Turns to Cannibalism
NYC's Top Shoe Shine Guy
NYPD restrains man with duct tape and places him in bodybag
Obama Fried Chicken
OBLOY SYNDROME: Laundry Syntax 101 ('diamonds')
Octopussy Unabridged Audiobook
Old Audio Recordings Echos From the Past Conversation Around A Shell Filling Station
Old NYC Union Guys Know How To Argue
Old, fat, white woman goes off on a couple of brown women
omeone playing Wolfenstein on back screen on Polish news channel
Once Upon A Time
One America News Network anchor tells us how she really feels about Obama and muslins
Open carry nuts walk into a police station to see if cops would respect their open carry rights
Open Letter to My Ex-Wife
Open Letter to Taran Noah Smith
Operation Happy Reeves
Orange Man Bad
Orcs come up to the rock wall
Ordering a McGangBang
Original Jiggly Cake Cutting
Ottawa McDonalds Freakout
Our boy Soulja Boy hasn't been able to replicate the success of his 2007 album.
Our exhibit Dan Cilley made the local news in LA recently
Our friend Gordon Griggs got himself a new companion.
Our old thermonuclear friend, the B61, gets modernized.
Our Story Why We Wanted to Build Muscle and Get in Shape
Over Some Food Stamps Lady Goes Off On A Family At A Walmart
OVERWHELMING second-hand embarrassment
Owen/Aurini Productions: Reunited
P Stew's Cowboy Classics
Pacific Stock Exchange 1997
Painstaking recreation of the police station shootout from Terminator in GTA San Andreas
Palestinian kid throws a rock at car. Car exacts revenge by hitting the kid.
Pamperchu's 'house' in 1080p
Panis Angelicus Hymn
ParadeKid the Dancing Elf
Parents making out with their blindfolded children
Parker Water Tower Collapse
Penquin hitting the Bong - Freakshow Gathering of the Juggalos 2013
People Behaving Badly- BushMan
Peter Caine, Dog Trainer, Opines on Knobbers
Peter Cullen - Voice of Optimus Prime
Pick up Paramedic Girls Fail
Pickup artist gets banned from the mall
Pink Flamingos: Birthday Present
PIZZA (checking in with our old pal Gordon Griggs
Pizza Hut Bacon Stuft Crust Review
Plane Drops Feces Onto Sweet 16 Party
Plastic storm in Croatia
Play Doh Shrek 2 Rotten Root Canal Playset Dentist Dr Drill N Fill Play Dough Comparison toys Review
Please Visit poeTV.com
POETV MONDAY NIGHT RAW 06/25/18
POETV watches people make stuff: Soba Noodles
PoeTV Watches People Make Stuff: Toilet Paper Sardine Lantern
Poetv's Monday Night Raw 9/24/2018
poeTV, Have you met Run for the Cube, yet?
Police Search for Man Accused of Killing 3-Year-Old in Road Rage Incident
Poltergeist 2 - the preacher pays a visit to the Freeling family
Poop & Romance
Post Gym Workout - High Pitch Erik Goes Food Shopping
Post Super Bowl presser crashed by 9/11 truther
Poultry, Fish, Skim Milk, Cottage Cheese, Fruits & Vegetables, Bread, and...
Pound Puppies AMV Strudel- 99 Red Balloons
Power Rangers Mistic Force
Pranking my angry dad gone wrong
Pre-FoxNews John Stossel - College is a RIP OFF!
Preshow footage of a 1992 Guns N' Roses show
President Barack Obama's final White House correspondents' dinner speech
President Bush Assassination Movie Clip
Pretty cool experiment in Japan
Preview for Knight Rider episode 'Knight Song'
Primus - The Making Of Wynona's Big Brown Beaver
Princess Rain - Gamer Chick
PRINTING IN HELL E1M1
Professional Go Player Steals a Lady's Tea
Pruane and Father John debate the value of UFC
Pruane on Rihanna and Chris Brown
Pruane2Forever got braces....
PSA from AARP
Psycho Mall Walker
PUA tips - How to get past her bitch shields
Public access tv psychic showing that her third eye has a cataract
Purposely busted for card counting at a casino
Quartuvlarry advises his fellow teabaggers to ignore people telling them they are racist.
QuartuvLarry gets stoned and questions existence
Quintessential 'That Guy' at the Gym
R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen
Rachid Taha - Rock el Casbah
Ractalfece - Kirby Your Enthusiasm
Rad Repeatin Tarzan
Rage Level: Redneck
Randy Quaid talking about 'star whackers'
RANT - Goku vs Superman
Ray William Johnson With the videoclips cut out
RE: Black holes do not exist: The Complete Series
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dead 12/15/2011
Re: Fat People
RE: GIRLS THAT MAKE TERRIBLE RE: VIDEOS
Real Actors Read Yelp #2
real killer of JFK found (uncovered)
Real Sex - Lady has real orgasm caught on video
Red Lightning vs Pastegirl
Red Ohs- Ractalfece
Relaxing And Showering
Remember those two street racing Corvettes? Anderson Cooper has a few words for them.
Response to ArchieLuxury Bullshit watches video
Rich Indian money lender whose photo went viral a few years ago was murdered
Richard and Sal call Tradio
Rifftrax - clips from The Guy from Harlem
Right Place Wrong Time
Right to Censor: Steven Richards Interrupts the Dudley Boys
Road rage - motorcycle vs car
Road rage in Hawaii
Rock 'n Flower
Rodent Guinea Pig Photographed on Mars
Roger Waters - Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Rollin' With Claire
romania is my country
Romanian National Anthem + english translation
RotorCreeper has a snack
Rush Limbaugh Dances to Lady Gaga
Russian education system
Russian police in action
Sailor Moon vs. Wonder Woman Vogue Off
Sal Thinks Howard Stern Quits
SANDU CIORBA - NASU' (Official music video)
Santorum at shooting range. Woman shouts; 'Pretend It's Obama!'
Sausage, pork, beef, cheese, whole milk, butter, margarine, nuts, and...
Saying Hi To a Woman = Harassment? Yes According to Feminists (10 Hours of Walking In NYC As a Woman
Scenes from infamous Bollywood film: Dear Friend Hitler
Schaal Dance by Reggie Watts
Scientist claims he helped create world's first genetically-modified babies
Scientology 'Squirrel Busters' harassing Marty Rathbun
Scoobys Last Video
Screw You Porn Addicts
Sean Connery - In My Life
Sean Hannity Then and Now on NSA Surveillance
Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison
Seeing her for the first time again
Semen Facial Tutorial With Tracy Kiss
Semi vs Dually Tug O War Daisy Dukes Truck Show
Sensuous Bath (Yankee Candle Edition)
Severe Blizzard Warning for Denver
Severe Tornado Outbreak Warning for Midwestern United States
Sex Is Not Supposed To Be Fun For Women
Sexually Harassed At Star Wars Celebration
Sexy in the Summer
SFW fetish: Ear Cleaning
SFW fetish: Ear Cleaning (on a cat)
Shackleton's Hut conservation
Shakespeare: Original Pronunciation
ShamWOW on the table in japan
Shots fired at Gilroy Garlic Festival
Sigur Rós - Svefn-g-englar: 800% Faster
Siskel & Ebert Review Martin Scorsese's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988)
Sketchy Things About Amy Schumer Everyone Ignores
Skweezy drops the truth siren about Kony 2012
Slab City's Toeless Resident The Stevenator
Slipknot - Radio Disney Version
Slow Motion Fruit Falling
Smoking, my White Meerschaum Straight, Pipe Tobaccos; with Jacket Blue Jeans Levi' s
Sniper Attack On Japanese Comedians
Snowman Toy with Oddly-Placed Thingy
So has anybody else noticed that POETV now has a store on Amazon.com linked from the mainpage?
So, what's Victoria Jackson up to these days?
Solo Overnight Camping In Blizzard -- 70 Subscriber Special
Some dude laments the demise of super porn torrent sites Empornium and Pure TNA
Some dude replies to TFL Bill about birth control and women engineers
Some of Timbox's favorite things are...
Some vintange Steve Sutton for you from 1993
Sophia George - Girlie Girlie
SOUTHERN GANGSTER VAMPIRE
Southwest pilot and a stuck microphone
Southwest Pilot Rants About 'Grannies' and 'Fags' on Air Traffic Channel
SpikeBravo - Do I Think I'm Better Than You?
Spring Break 1985 - Ft. Lauderdale
STAR WARS EP 9 D23 Special Look (Auralnauts Edition)
Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) Admits To Child Molestation
Steve Forbes Eats a Cheeseburger. 1996 presidential campaign
Steve Jobs' statue unveiled in Hungary - no comment
Steve Sutton bought new glasses to replace his old glasses he wore for 20 years
Steve Sutton gives us an update on his busy life
Steve1989MREinfo takes in a Belarusian MRE
Steven Seagal - 10 minutes of the first episode
Stevie Nicks Backstage Singing 'Wild Heart' Applying Makeup
STFU I'm Making a Food Review
Stile and Lowtax
Stop calling me a homo!
Stop making fun of fatties
Streamer daughter walk in on him while playing a scary game
Streamer Experiences a Video Glitch
Streamer Shows Off His Gun
Strongest Kid You've Ever Seen (4 yrs old)
Student owns Westboro Baptist Church peacefully
Stuff Girls Say to Gay Guys
Sun Ra on WXPN's Blue Genesis, Christmas Day 1976
Surveillance Camera Man 1-8
Surveillance Camera Man 5
Swedish Game Show
Sweet schadenfreude as a filthy cop who raped women gets sentenced to 263 years in the slammer.
Swine Flu pandemic lie!
Swingers Video Ad
swipes parking space, threatens deportation
Syd Barrett interview part 2
Sylvania Netbook SD card eject shooting
Take the R train and vote for Romney
Tamtampamela Comes Clean
TaylerTragedy: Being Honest
Team Ghost Riders Perform at a Railcats Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Coming Out of Their Shells Tour (60fps)
Teens React to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
TempleOS: Neurons. Creater of the TempleOS is angry at his psychologist.
Terry Gilliam Talks About Disneyland
TFL Bill - Hello Again Ok Here in This Video
TFL Bill says something about healthcare and Hitler
TFL Bill Welcomes Back Dwayne Holloway, Bitches At Women In General, Bonus NWO Content.
TFL Bill: That's got to hurt!
TFL Dwayne fires his trainer! Persecution complex set to 11
TFL Dwayne had a really bad day at the dentist.
TFL Dwayne Holloway is getting all worked up over a femme domme cuckold or something like that
TFL Dwayne reports from the battle bridge after performing a saucer separation
TFLbill's just not that in to you
Thách bạn nào xem video này mà không cười
That Cheesy Guy's 'Peace Bus' is empty.
That Cheesy Guy's snow in summer
That dude from Oklahoma who records John's with prostitutes is still around.
That guy with the theory of nukes causing the Chile earthquake was right!
That Mitchell and Webb Sound Welcome to Hufflepuff
That time of the year again, kids. BLACK FRIDAY
The 100 Hunters
The 3K Pussy Challenge
The Ballad of Booth
The Ballad of Czolgosz
The Ballad of Guiteau
The Beatles: Rare Footage
The Beauty of Paris in the Fall
The Best Cigarette
The Best of Drp1zza
The Best of Norm MacDonald on Dennis Miller
The Bi-Quarterly Women's Social Club Interviews Boomer the Dog
The Black Mass - The Rats in the Walls
The Bonglord: Pringle Can
The Colony Experiment: New Arrivals
The comments in the Davis Aurini suicide submission were depressing as hell.
The Conservative Pledge
The Core i3 Surface Pro 3 is a Brilliant Student Device
The Creepy Japanese Toilet Experience
The Damned ~ Final Damnation Interviews
The Dancing Skeleton
The Dirty Con Job Of Mike Rowe
The Dr. Demento Christmas Show 1974, parts 2 & 3 of 12
The Edge playing U2's playing Numb at the 1993 MTV VMAs
The Eyelids of an Asian Woman
The Failure of Dashcon
The first of the North Koreans react to Kim Jong-iL's death video appears
The Fleshlight Story
The Fursuit Parade
The great YouTube demonetization apocalypse electric boogaloo
The Hank Hill Baaaahhh Song
The Hebrews Going Hard At The Africans
The Last Thing You Will See Is Me Carving a Notch in my Gun
The Left Ruins Everything
The Legend of Chris Chan .... from PewDiePie
The Legendary 'J&H Productions' Tape
The liberal is usually a racist
The Mage Knight board game in a nutshell
The Magic of Coffee - Steve Sutton
The Most Chinese Video You Will Ever See
The Netherlands welcomes Trump in his own words
The Nice Guys EP 2: Love Doesn't Exist
The Night of Hardest Partying
The Only Majors to go to College for
The only video out of 1000s NOT depicting our friend smokersofcigarspipes smoking his pipe.
The Ring of Power! Ep. 1
The Romance of an Outdoor Music Festival
The Sarkeesian Effect (Rough Draft Preview)
The sex lives of Trekkies
The Titanic Is Gonna Sink Again
The Truth About Soy Boys
The Weather Channel July 17, 1982
The World Of Robert Abel ロバート・エイフ
thereplygirl is a bit dispondent about not having a future on as a YouTube spammer
thereplygirlsreviews: B00ty store
These Two Black Women Love Donald Trump
They're Made Out Of Meat
This Ain't Ghostbusters XXX
This guy just shot up Santa Barbara.
This guy killed a couple in their garage and then started eating the face of one of the victims
This is how we do it
This is what happens when a 4chan user from /v/ goes to prison.
This Man Finds an Innovative Solution to Joblessness
This man is upset the library is closing.
This Teacher is Incredibly Awesome
This Troper EP 7: SpiriTsunami
Those 7 year olds who danced to Single Ladies have another routine
Three-Cheese Pizza Blend Recipe
Thunderchild - Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds
Tiger going for a ride on a John Deere Gator.
Tim Donovan - The 'I'm Hector The Illegal Immigrant' series of videos
tiny fire truck
To Michael from Carl
Tobacco chewing gamer didn't get an invite for the Titanfall beta and is rather upset about it.
Tomorrow's World - The Information Superhighway. 1994
Too Much Candy
Tool Academy Episode 1
Top mistakes that get women dumped in the first 90 days
Topher Grace will NOT sign That 70s Show items
Total Recall is no longer confined to the realm of science fiction with mind vacations.
Totally brainwashing motivational video
Tour OldFolksIsland with Lonnie
Tourettes Camp (Full Documentary)
toy truck has an orgasm
Track Time! 2014 M-Case Shout-Outs Super 6-Lane Raceway
Traditionally male jobs
trailer for "What in the World Are They Spraying?" (chemtrails documentary)
Train derails at O'Hare airport, tries to take the escalator
Training Tea Party Activists In Guerilla Internet Tactics
Trains running into stuff.
Trans Woman Lives Her Life as a Six Year Old Girl
Tribute to Uncle Phil.
True Story About The Last 7 Years Of My Life Weight Loss
TRUMP IS PRESIDENT!
Trump protester punches man and gets instantly sprayed with mace
TwIzTiDAsH & BoXeRLiFe JugGaLo Pr0nz!!!!
Two Corvettes doing what Corvettes do best Part II
Two Gay Guys Kissing - Not Cool
Two individuals aren't happy with their life sentences for killing a child.
Two Middle Eastern gentlemen have a minor disagreement over the war in Syria.
Two trust fund turds want you to be as successful as they are.
Two voice actresses converse
UC Irvine's Lambda Theta Delta made a blackface video
UK PUA makes a HB8 BLONDE BOMBSHELL APPROACH...and fails.
Ukraine Protesters destroy armored infantry vehicle
Ukraine Protests - Extreme Heavy Clashes In Kiev
Ulillillia Leaving Youtube
Ultraviolet - Skyscraper Fight Scene
Ultraviolet motorcycle chase
Uncle Ruckus' Message For Coloreds Only
Uncle Ruckus' Message for WHITES ONLY
Undertaker: 'Don't Drink and Drive.'
Unknown Hinson Interview
Unworthy of your Love
Up All Night Host Segments
up date on my CABG Open Heart Surgery;
Update from Dwayne Holloway
Urban gynecomastia suffer speaks out
Uwe Boll Doesn't Like Crowdfunding
Vanilla Ice accepts his award at the 1990 American Music Awards
Vapid host on Fox cries because reasons or something about racism
Vaxxed From Cover Up to Catastrophe Trailer
Ventriloquist Vance has friends
Videographer Ruins NYC Photo Shoot
Videos Found While Searching For Poe Usernames: Baleen
Vincent Dooly's Audition Tape
Vincent Dooly's Super Suit
Vintage Battery Operated Go-Go Girl Japan 1969
Waddle Like a Duck (Official Music Video)
Waiting for Godot 2: Stuck in Eugene
Walk Off Home Run
Walking Baby Archer Out....8 Months Pregnant
Wanna Dance With Me?
WARNING: Toys R Us Selling Anatomically Correct Boy Baby Doll
Warren Zevon 'Keep Me In Your Heart'
Watch your profanity
Watchmen Opening Sequence
Wave Race trash talking easter egg
We Are America ft. John Cena | Love Has No Labels
We got updates from Pruane2Forever, Reymon14, and now Daxflame
We Love Brazil
WE MUST STOP THEM!!
We tried to reach out to the man who died
weird toddler behavior
Welcome to Lafayette Indiana you suck ass bastard
Welcome To My Study
WELCOME TO THE WESTERN WORLD - Lower Middle Class Poverty
Well, well, well, guess who is out of prison.
Wendell's Hat Thief
Wendy's is down with the times, maaaaan
Wendy's pretzel burger review
Werner Herzog Discovers John Waters is Gay
What Did Glenn Beck Think of the FCKH8 Video?
What did I miss?
What If Trump Was A Woman?
WHAT ITS LIKE BEING ASEXUAL
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me you little bitch.
What the fuck is going on with this busted ass website?
WHAT THE F___ DO YOU MEAN "THERE'S NO SHARKFIN SOUP"?
Whataburger Cheeseburger Fight
WhatYouOughtToKnow - Darwin's Intelligent Design
Wheelchair fatty attempts the 2L Soda Chug No Burp Challenge'
Wheeler Walker Jr - Puss in Boots
When you see your customizable character in a cutscene
WHENEVER I'M SAD, MY DOG IS SAD
Where Did Norm Macdonald Find His Trusty Sidekick?
Which superhero would you be?
Which Superhero Would You Date?
Whiplash: Weaboo Rant
Whistleblower: Tough customer won't end siege of Castle
White Pride/White Beauty
Whitney Houston talks about drugs with Diane Sawyer
Wholesale furniture ad BANNED FIRE DEVIL EFFLER.MP4
Why aren't you buying anime? Stop your damn torrents
Why Blacks Fail
Why Dual Wielding Doesn't Work In Real Life
Why I (and other men in their 30's) Would Rather Date Younger Women
Why I Forced My Underage Boyfriend To Get Vasectomy
why im a VIRGIN! Sorry ladies, he's not available.
Why you heff to be mad?
Windows XP Startup Sound slowed down to 24 hours
Wolverine Claws 2
Woman Beats Man in Singapore
Woman gets the crap kicked out of her for refusing to dance with a guy
Woman punched in McDonalds
Women are like buses - a response to the Pussy Renaissance
Women in Spacesuits and Flight Gear: a Compilation
Women strike men - men retaliate
Words of Wisdom - Happieness
World of Beanies
World Record Attempt at 1000 Pushups
World's Smallest Ninja!
Would George Washington use an AK?
WTO protester goes bananas at Seattle Council meeting, reads poetry
Year 1999 A.D.
Yo! Get at me Nick!
You Can Vote However You Like
You can't reason with babies
YOU MOTHER F@#KERS ARE GONNA PAY !
you need to get off facebook
You Suck at Photoshop #3
You wake up in the morning, open your window, and see this thing sitting on the ledge
Your first 5 minutes at Marine Corps Recruit Depot - San Diego
Your mom dancing to My Neck My Back
Your Porn Addiction Will Not Fix You
YouTube philosopher and Wierd Al lookalike discusses TFL.
YouTube temptress trolls TFL Bill. He ain't fallin' for it!
YouTuber Cries Watching New Star Wars Trailer
[joseph8276] The problem with girls and what they should do
PRIUS! IMPOSSIBLE GIRLS
1939 New York in Color
Flashmob Flash Mob - Ode an die Freude ( Ode to Joy ) Beethoven Symphony No.9 classical music
Man confronts Austin Mayor at City Council Meeting
ticket, now a felony
'Clerks' failed sitcom pilot
'My Wife Has a Perfectly Dry P Word'
'The Most Terrifying Thought Experiment of All Time'
14 Branchland Court
14 views third day of fire works show not 10 view it 14 views
14 views third day of fire works show not 10 view it 14 views
20/20 Report on Heavy Metal Music
420 day 5 in Keene, NH
90210 Brenda, Kelly, and Dylan take a walk
A Game of Pool
A Japanese game show called 'Find The Chair'.
A quick snack for a guest
A scene with The Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) from Marvel's Daredevil series on Netflix
a talking pumpkin wants you to feed him
A video on how recent Star Wars toys are doing in the marketplace
A-10 Very Low Flyby (silent)
ABBACadabra episode 3 (1983)
African American Cooking with Paula Deen
AKB48 and What's in the Box?
Alan Colmes reemerges from obscurity to form an offensive, coherent sentence
Almost ten minutes of 11 week old Pallas cat kittens romping about
Alternate ending of Terminator 2 - No, it's not the happy ending with Sara in the park
Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer
Amazon Echo Featuring Alexa Jones
An arcade game from Japan-- Need I say more?
Anarchist Conference Devolves Into Chaos
And now for the weather.
Andante in C
Angus Scrimm - Phantasm Special Edition Laserdisc set introduction
Anna Meets the Furries
Anne Murray in Walt Disney World - Live-Action TMNT Segment (1990)
Anorei Collins auctions off ad space
Aquabats - Cobraman!
Art Garfunkel Talking In Between Studio Takes
Atlanta Get Crunk (full episode)
Attack of the 60 Ft Centerfold
Australian Man Attempts to Walk to the Store
Baby Goat Stampede!
Baby Goats Stampede
Baby Hippo Fiona Gets a Dental Check
Baby Laughing Hysterically at Ripping Paper
Baby Princess Born Sleeping
Barry the Pug in the tub
Batman in the heat of the moment
Batman vs. Lighter
Be Cool Stay in School
Beatdown at a Florida council meeting
Been Had Snacks
Bill Burr Makes Homemade Pie Crust
Bill Clinton 'confronted' in New Hampshire
Blackstone oil engine start up
Blade Runner 2049 Cringeline test
Bob Flipping Out at Work
Bringing TFL Onto One's Self.
BULLIES AGAINST DRUGS
Butthole Surfers - Who Was In My Room Last Night
Captain Celluloid vs. the Film Pirates (1966)
Car de-icing via stereo
Caracal Screams for Food
Carry On Wayward Son
cat toy has a seizure
CATDEER makeout session
CBC Radio's Nightfall - 'Ringing the Changes'
CBS Radio's Escape 'Three Skeleton Key' starring Vincent Price
CBS Radio's Suspense - The House in Cypress Canyon
Charles Mingus - Live in Norway
Charlie Daniels, is now fighting the devil
Cheerios 'Just Checking' Commercial
chet atkins--yakety axe
Chewbacca Toilet Paper
Chris Farley's Shrek demo finally leaked
Chris-Chan Country: Episode 1-Chris Goes West
Chris-chan has a girlfriend...again
Chris-chan is Angry
Chuck E. Cheese - Guessing Game and See You Soon
Cincinnati Gains New Caped Crusader
Clay Aiken is Running for Congress
Coach beats wrestler for losing
Colony by Philip K Dick
Comedy Bang Bang: New No-Nos
Condor (1986) - Unsold TV Pilot
Congo - Stop Eating My Sesame Cake!
Controller - Short Sci-Fi Film
Cookie Waits - Hell Broke Luce
Corgi Snow Train
Creepiest ice cream truck ever
DABBING AT THE FARMERS MARKET!!!!!!!!
Daddyofive's Invisible Ink Prank - Youtube's Latest Hate Sponge
Dan Cilley's Video Dating Profile
Dance Party Iraq
Death Stranding 2017 Game Awards Trailer
Defunctland: Electric Park
Demonius on his Tosh.0 Appearance
Demonius X Digital Sculpture
Den' D (2008) - 'Highlights'
Desert Rose (Suna No Bara) (1993 Laserdisc) (ENG SUB)
Disco clam flashes mantis shrimp
DJ Assault Explains...
Do I Have Hypermobility In My Hips?
Dog reacts to siren
Don't talk to Strangers music video
Door does Miles Davis Impression
Down the Rabbit Hole: TempleOS
Dreambears: Britain's Got Talent
driving into tunnels in Pennsylvania in 1953
Duckman- private dick.THE 3D VIDEO GAYME.
Earth: Final Conflict Intro
Eat An Organic Pear
El Show de Ramon Pena
Elaborate prom proposal doesn't go as planned.
Euphonic Black Guy Takes Account of Chain Collision
Evan From Heaven
Evening shower, Rainbow, Tanabata night
Every time Jesse Ventura says 'humanzees'
Everything is Terrible: A Rap Band Called the Rapsters
Example of Nigerian Humor
EZ Smoker: Your answer to smoking indoors!
Facts on Trampolines
Fagney and Gaycey-- Episode 1
Fat Guy Dances to Single Ladies
Fatman (2020) - Trailer
Fedsmoker classic: Herk meets Chuck Liddell
Fido vs Spot - Animal vs Robot
First Things: Russell Moore Erasmus Lecture
Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it Fix it
Floppy Music | Soft Cell - tainted love (13 fdd + 1 hdd)
Frankensten Meets The Space Monster (complete)
Frauds (1993) - Trailer
Free Staters/Keeners are dicks to Keene businessman
French election: Macron 'defeats Le Pen to become president' - BBC News
Friends & Lovers
Galapagos Tortoise enjoys some watermelon
Galaxina -Arguably Dorothy Stratten's most notable movie
Gallager switches from smashing watermelons to amateur comedians
Gallagher switches from smashing watermelons to rolling ATVs
Gay Frogs: Todd Dracula's Alex Jones Vines, a compilation
German slingshot guy asks: Can marbles kill?
Get out of the tank Arthur
Ghosthunters (2016) - Trailer
Giant Muscular Asian Man Plays Beautiful Piano Music
Giant Robo Does A Thing
Gilbert Gottfried vs German Woman, on Howard Stern
Girl you geeked up?
Glenn Beck calls Alex Jones 'mad'
Goddess Patty's Weigh in
Golden eagle enjoys a belly rub
Gordon Ramsay teaches you how to make scrambled eggs.
Goths love the name game
Grayson: Cheney is a Vampire
Guy Builds Instrument, Plays Songs Every POE User Likes
Guy wins final round of Wheel of Fortune with only two letters revealed.
Half in the Bag - Ready Player One
Half in the Bag Episode 92: Pixels
Half in the Bag: Neil Breen's 5 Film Retrospective and Rawhead Rex
Hangman's Knot (1952) - fight scene
Hard Gay - Sunrise, Sunset
Hard Gay versus Morning Musume
Hard Target (1993) Pik Van Cleef's death (from the workprint)
Hard Target (1993) Sorry About The Shirt (from the workprint)
HARDCORE - Official TIFF trailer
Hardcore Henry - Dance scene
Harmontown - Women think Gazpacho is Creepy
Hispanic kids being kids
Hot Tub Time
Hot Water Pitfalls
How to Draw Your Face in Manga Style
How to Make a Kaiju Movie ! By director Kiyotaka Taguchi
How to quickly make 4096 noodles
How to repair a hole in the drywall
How To Win At Guess Who
Hundreds of protesters arrested at Capitol building
Husky Truck Pull
I Heard it Round and Round the Grapevine
Idiot pokes and provokes snapping turtle
Incredibly Violent Women's Soccer Match: BYU versus New Mexico
Installing carbon fiber neck rods in a Ritchie Valens style StratoTone
Internet Comment Etiquette: How to be Nice
Internet Comment Etiquette:'I Hate The Postal Service'
Internet Vaccine Etiquette with Erik
Into the Woods with Davis J. Aurini
Introducing Amazon Go and the worldâs most advanced shopping technology
Ip Man 3 (2016) Trailer
It's Going to be a Merry Christmas
James Randi and an Astrologer
James Randi at the Magic Castle (January 16, 2012)
Japanese TV Gameshow? Satire? Advertisement?
Jem and the Holograms Dream Tour Cassette
Jodorowsky's Dune - Trailer
Joe Rogan Interviews John McAfee
John Carpenter, 'Night' Official Music Video
Jolene at 33 rpm
Jones In The Fast Lane
Jordan B. Peterson reads you a bedtime story
Just Heroes (1989) - full movie
Kate Kestrel - SOS
Katt Williams - 'Your baby is supposed to like skittles'
Keloid - Spec Trailer from Big Lazy Robot VFX
Keyboard Cat vs. Game of Thrones Red Wedding
Kid Shares Opinion of Fair Ride on the News
Kids React to 1973 and Pinochet
Klaus Kinski marries, throws tantrum
L.A. Noire requires you to read subtle facial cues to tell if someone is lying
Ladies and Gents, Indroducing: The Max Skate Bike!
Lady - Pussy
Lady Schools Repetitive Reporter
Larry King Demands Conan Freeze His Corpse
Legolas by Laura
Lemon Demon - One Weird Tip (Music video)
Leslie Nielsen is kind of a jerk.
Let's Sing with Popeye
Life's Too Short - Rapist/Racist
LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IF YOU AGREE THEN SUPPORT ME
LIVE Psy performs his new song Gentleman
Local 58 - Real Sleep
Look ByeBye Finland
Losing My Edge
Lost D-Day Footage
Lucian Freud Portraits - Documentary
Man (isn't) Stabbed after Harassing a 7/11 Store Manager
Man in Chicken Suit plays 'What is Love?' on Pianica
MarÃa La Del Barrio
Marco Rubio and the Republican Ibogaine Problem
Mark Russell Special #1205 (1987) Part 1/3
Martin Sheffield Lickly - Love Gym, Love Egg, Love Restaurant
Martin Sheffield Lickly - Ship of Love, Love Jail, Love Casino
Maru and Hana are relaxed on the hammock
Maru and some Holes
Maverick maverick hockey mom
McCain Attending Senate POW/MIA committee hearing just to berate president of an MIA families group.
Mechanical Toys of 1928
Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995)
Meghan McCain's worst moments on 'The View' Part 1
Men in Chairs
Mercenaries (2014) - Trailer
Metal Gear Solid V Quiet Cutscene - So many fetishes in one clip
Million Dollar Extreme - Texas Toast IRS Fort Time-Out
Million Dollar Extreme: MDE WHYPZ - New Bedford Street Heat
Milton Berle and RuPaul at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards
Miniature Origami Robot Self-folds, Walks, Swims, and Degrades
MMA Fighter scores TKO
Mom's Epic Rant to Ban Childless Couples from Disneyworld
Monsters S1 Ep11 - Rouse Him Not
Moon Hooch NPR tiny desk concert
Moonshine Academy Seminar...Sour Mash: What It Is & How It's Done
More on the Gym Shooting from TFL Bill
Motivation - early footage of Chris Farley as Matt Foley at The Second City in 1990
Mountain of Hell 2019
Mr. and Mrs. Dracula Commercial
Mr. Chi-City Gets Militant Over a Ticket
Mr. Chi-City Goes to Court
MrMan3321 Shares His Grocery Store Experience
Mrs. Crocombe Receives a Parcel from Mr. Townsends
mst3k Thanksgiving Marathon live stream (2016)
Musicless Music Video - SNOOP DOGG Drop It Like It's Hot
Musicless Music Video - The Village People - YMCA
My Juggalette Face
My Two Dads Intro
Neon Genesis: Big Structural Bailey
Never seen a Big Boy get on the roof !!
New Order - the 'Blue Monday' Sunkist Advert
Nine Inch Nails - Closer But It's Funkytown By Lipps Inc.
Nissin Milk Seafood Ramen Noodles commerical
Nobody Is Winning
NWO Plans Uncovered!
O'Reilly puts Palin on the defensive. Christ, she is god damn stupid.
Obama got Osama
Oklahoma restaurant wont serve freaks, f*ggots, the disabled and welfare recipients
Omega - A Stop Motion Animated Short
Omega Mart Commercials
Only In Monroe --- July 2015
Owl and Bunny taking a nap
Owned in the Face Song by Mylo the Cat
Pamperchu Wearing the Bunny Suit in Public
Panic attack on an airplane
Paul Harvey's Bong Endorsement
Paul Rodriguez Is Awesome When Push Comes To Shove
Pee-wee's Big Holiday - Official Trailer
Peter Pan Interview Pt. 1 (The Death of Imagination)
Pink Mirror - A Porn Parody
Pipe Tobaccos: Big Chantilly, Smoking; with ' Knocking on Heaven's Door ', of Guns N' Roses
Pirates of the Caribbean Theme on 8 Floppy Drives
Pirates of the Caribbean Theme on Piano
Play a game of Starfleet Battles
POETV MONDAY NIGHT RAW 4/15/19
Pomeranian puppy sneezes
Pool on a cruise ship during rough seas
POOR STRESS DRINK
Porn Stars Without Makeup
President Obama Awards Joe Biden Presidential Award of Freedom
price is right 420
Prime Cut (1972) - Field scene
proteanview weighs in in zimmerman/martin
Queue to first McDonalds in Moscow in 1990
Quiet, Please 'Nothing Behind the Door' (1st episode of the series)
R. Budd Dwyer's Final Speech
Racistman3d: Bad Cops
Rape Club - Japan
Ravers Dance to Benny Hill
RE: Hello Lady Fans
Red Letter Media - Halloween Best of the Worst
Red Letter Media: Best of the Worst Episode 11
Red Panda wants inside
RED SKELETON NIGGA
Relaxing Music with Flute and Water Sounds
Response to Lil J by some Dude
Retirement Community Forms Metal Band, Warms Hearts
Rev Bruce Howard Laughs Last
Review and Operation of Alpha Probe - Fisher Price 325
Richard Stallman freaks out and has a meltdown
Ricky Gervais - Bad Excuses
Ricky Gervais' Favorite Pamphlet
Rifftrax 'Hawk the Slayer' compilation
Rifftrax - Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny clips
Rifftrax - Wonder Women Chase scene (no animals or persons were harmed...we think)
RIP Sharon Jones
Roller Coaster gone wrong.
Russian good samaritan helps accident victim
Scottish Dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion
Sega CD - The Laughing Salesman - Intro & Gameplay
Sesame Street: The Ten Commandments of Health by Dr. Thad and the Medications
Sex Over The Phone
Sexy Sax Man - Careless Whisper Harassment
Sexy Weather Girl
Slowest One Arm Bare Knuckle Push Up on Concrete Block
Slyvester McCoy Plays Doctor Who Theme with Wooden Spoons
Smash Mouth Playing in Cave
Snow White: A Tale of Terror
So What's Victoria Jackson up To These days? (pt3)
Solo: A Star Wars Story Official Teaser
Some bad stuff is going on with three gorges damn
Something's gotten into the eggs
Soulja Boy Watches '1 Guy, 1 Cup'
Space Adventure Cobra - Unaired English-dubbed Pilot
Space Station Fisheye Fly-Through 4K (Ultra HD)
Spiral Zone - Episode 1 - Holographic Zone Battle
Sprinkles Cupcake ATM
Star Fleet - Dai-X vs. Commander Makara's Battlecruiser
Star Fleet: Dai-X vs Deathball
Star Trek Discovery - Continuity, Timeline, and alteration errors...nothing makes sense!
Star Trek TNG - Sausage Samba
Star Wars - Youth Biology PSA (Auralnauts Version)
Star Wars: The Last Plinkett Review
Starstruck (1979) - failed CBS sci-fi sitcom pilot
Stary Olsa covers Metallica on medieval instruments.
Steamed Hams but instead I p;herwgl;sjfgjnasg in the URL box
Sugar glider practices flying in front of fan
Super Corgi Goro
Survivor - Richard Moll's ultimate insane warrior/philosopher/antagonist monologue
Tammany Hall - review
Tangible Media Group MIT Media Lab - inFORM Dynamic Shape Display
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' (1990)
Tek Jansen, ep. 5
Tekwar - Virtual reality hacking
TFL Bill Sings: Goodbye Trolls
TFL Bill wears drag, mocks feminism
TFL Bill: Trayvon Martin What witnesses say
The 4400 opening theme
The 9 Ways To Treat a Woman
The art of silk painting
The back of this car though
THE Christian Weston Chandler's FINAL SingStar #5 Song. Lift Up Your Eyes, The Planetshakers
The Darker Side of Maple Syrup
The House On Wade Avenue WUNC
The Illusion Dismantles His Bowl Cut
The Illusion Does A Bowl Cut
The invisible hand of the market
The Japanese Song - Bowser and Blue
The Kentuckian (1955) - Whip fight
The last days of Peter Bergmann
The Magnificent Butcher - Sammo Hung vs Chung Fat
The Mercenary (1968) - Paco vs. Curly
The Most Incredibly 1992 Thing.
The Nerd Crew: A Pop Culture Podcast by Red Letter Media
The Newgy Robo-pong!
The Peacocks of Palos Verdes
The Phantom Theatrical Trailer
The Price is Right - New Plinko Record (May 25, 2017)
The Princess of Japan talks about 2012
The Raid 2: Subway fight scene
The Shaman - Sci-fi Short Film
The Silent City: A Fractured World
The Wild Wild West - 'The Night the Wizard Shook The Earth'
The Wyoming Incident
The Young Pope - New Pope Pius XIII (Jude Law) gets ready to address the cardinals
Theme Song to Super Inday and the Golden Bibe
There's a correlation between Asperger's and Ragtime piano, I swear.
This Week in Public Comment #5
Thundercats, RCA - Studio B The Last Session
Time Lapse - Sun Cats
Timecop1983 - Journeys [Full Album]
Today's Special 'Pennypacker Tea Party'
Todd Barry Insults Louis CK in a Car
Tom Brokaw Explains Canada To Americans
Tom Cruise Dances to Flo Rida's 'Low' in Tropic Thunder
Totally disorganized live New Years Eve broadcast
Train snow plowing in kansas
Trump responds to California synagogue shooting
Turbo Kid (2015) Official teaser
Two cats are fighting
Two Kids React to Odd Life of Timothy Green
Unboxing 2012 My Little Pony toys at McDonalds 2nd Attempt and Apology
Unboxing a Lunch Box
Uncanny Valley (2015) - short film
Unedited audio of 1950s nuclear test.
Unfunny Amateur Stand-Up on Chris-Chan
Videos Found Searching Usernames: Harriet Tubman, P.I.
Vocal Fry: Eliminating Vocal Fry
Watch A Woman Tell Her Husband Sheâs Pregnant While Conan OâBrien Pours Good Milk Down The Sink
Watchmen: Under the Hood part 1
Water Main Breaks In San Francisco Saturday Night
We Speak no Americano, accordion and clarinet
Westboro Baptist Church--God Sent the Shooter
What is Dead May Never Die
What is the issue?
Where are all the Bob Ross Paintings?
Where's The Fair Use?
Who Is Freddie Freaker?
Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?
Will it Blend? - Blending a Blendtec Blender
Winner of the Pancake Girl Model Search
World Record Neti Pot Attempt
Worldwide White Man March draws 10 people and Diversity = White Genocide signs
X-Men: First Class - Wolverine Cameo
Yasuhati - Japanese Voice Controlled Game
Young man reviews Pepsi product
Young shock jock blames Obama for his peers becoming gay
Your Masonic friend thinks very highly of you!
Carpenter Brut TURBO KILLER Directed by Seth Ickerman Official Video |
The social media is thriving to grow as it is encompassed by more and more people who spend a lot of time online, so do the memes that spread across these platforms. They mostly grow and multiply around holiday season. Here are some of the most famous memes of 2018 we have enjoyed so far.
New Year, New Me
2018 kicked off with a weird start to the year with the famous meme ‘New Year, New Me’ as people tried to set their resolutions.
Teenagers started posting videos while taking chomps from the vibrant little detergent packets. The dumbest yet most famous meme of 2018.
Google Arts and Culture Selfies
Google added a selfie feature on its Arts and Culture App which used facial recognition technology to match your face with a related looking one in a well-known portrait hanging somewhere in a museum. People tried to enjoy this thing to the fullest which made this the most famous meme of 2018.
The #Girther Movement
This most famous meme of 2018 introduced by Mr. Hayes who created the term #girther for ‘those who believe the president weighs more than his doctor reports’.
The steal-the-moon plan presented by Despicable Me’s Gru ended up with him sitting on the toilet; a development he had not expected. He tries to make a good plan which ends up not so great.
Old Snapchat vs New Snapchat
You all know how this most famous meme of 2018 goes: good vs evil, winner vs loser and the old Snapchat vs the new Snapchat.
American Chopper Argument
There was a program titled ‘American Chopper’ in which a tough set of man built bikes. Now, this heated scene, in which Paul Teutul Jr. and Paul Tuetul Sr. argue with words and then chairs, from the show is back as a template for dramatizing new arguments. The intensity of this most famous meme of 2018 is very, very good.
SpongeBob in season 1 episode ‘Nature Pants’ dumped his bottoms to live free as a jellyfish. This disappoints Patrick which leads to a cat-and-mouse chase. Now, SpongeBob’s tiredness from the instant continues as a way to express your own exhaustion like paying dues for your expensive things or putting on a fitted sheet all by yourself.
Rihanna’s Body Lava
The singer Rihanna promoted her new body lava by posting a video in which she is applying it. People started considering it as a challenge and grabbed whatever they could – mop, detergents, boot – and did their best to out-apply her. Her promotion turned into a challenge and made it one of the famous meme of 2018.
We got to see the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg bear witness in front of Congress about the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This event got meme-hit by given him the name Zucc like Zucc not protect or Zucc not attac.
The Super Bowl Selfie Kid
During the Super Bowl half show, Justin Timberlake stopped to take a selfie with the young kid and within no time the ‘selfie kid’ became a meme sensation. |
He may have claimed to be the “Geppetto” of Bachelor In Paradise Australia and gone into the rose ceremony confident that one of three women would keep him on the island, but after just one day, Canadian Daniel Maguire has been sent packing from the show.
In a moment that has made her Australia’s latest feminist hero, Laurina chose to give her rose to a complete stranger named ‘American Jared’ instead of the man she described as one who “gives her the creeps”.
“Towards the end of the cocktail party, Daniel sits there and he looks at me and says the most slimy, chauvinistic, derogatory comment… I realised this guy isn’t having a healthy affect on the environment here,” she said.
Watch: Our new hero Laurina sends Canadian Daniel packing on Bachelor In Paradise.
But the complete annihilation of Daniel’s ego didn’t stop there: within hours of the show going to air, some of the remaining Bachelor In Paradise contestants began roasting the 32-year-old (who has appeared on a season of The Bachelorette and two seasons of Bachelor In Paradise in the US) on Instagram.
Tara – who has become one half of the most unlikely but equally adorable island couples – meme’d herself reacting to Daniel describing the Aussie women as “his puppets”. |
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Category - Dank Memes Spongebob
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Dank Memes Spongebob categories are very funny categories of our site. We have uploaded many meme images in it. We hope you enjoy the meme images. This category contains images of various types of memes.
If you are looking for funny and new meme then you will find all those meme here. In this website you will find a huge collection of meme types. You will be happy to see it and wonder why I did not come to this website first. If you like any type of meme in our website, please comment. If you find any mistake in these categories of our website, please comment. |
What's your favorite album? Chances are, it's by Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider.
At least, that's what social media would have you believe as of late as the latest Animal Crossing meme has been sweeping feeds. The traveling Jack Russell terrier musician Totakeke Slider, who we lovingly call K.K. Slider, has been appearing on a wide variety of album covers, from Prince to Red Velvet and everything in between.
This mellow mutt has appeared in every single iteration of Animal Crossing since the series began, and only occasionally appears in-game for special concerts at certain times. You can request that he play one of his nearly 100 songs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons after convincing him to come to the island to play a concert for the first time. Following that, he'll show up every Saturday evening for a concert just for you. After the show is over, you'll receive a copy of the first song he plays to add to your collection.
People have a lot of love for K.K. Slider and his adorable "singing" (in true Animal Crossing style, of course), and have such been paying tribute to the performer by creating custom album art with some of the most popular covers around. Given that many of Slider's song titles begins with "K.K." such as "K.K. Bossa" or "Bubblegum K.K.", these 'shops follow the same format. The range of artists featured here as fans shout out their favorite music and honor K.K. Slider is quite impressive. Take a look at just a small sampling of what's been hitting the feeds.
The list goes on, but there's a pretty eclectic set of albums here. Who knew K.K. Slider was actually responsible for "bad guy" and not Billie Eilish?
Chalk this meme up as one of our favorites to hit from Animal Crossing, that's for sure. It truly is bringing us all together. |
With the recent premiere of “Breaking Dawn: Part II” (which, according to CNN, secured the “eighth biggest opening weekend of all time” despite earning a 46 percent from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes), the world saw the final installment of the Twilight film series. Unless Stephanie Meyer decides to capitalize on her moneymaking machine by continuing the story or writing prequels with her popular sparkly characters, we can finally say goodbye to Bella, Edward and Jacob.
To which I say: Thank GOD.
Yes, I have disliked the Twilight series (there is no way I am going to grant the word “saga” to that franchise) since high school, when I first picked up the books. Don’t get me wrong: I read them. I even enjoyed them as literary candy: kind of fun and quick to read, but not much substance. But it gets under my skin like no other series.
The books draw a lot of criticism for their classification as romance novels. I think we’ve all seen the meme that stacks pictures of Hermione, Katniss and Bella in a column with these respective captions: “I defeated a Dark Lord”; “I started a revolution”; and, for Bella, “I got married.” The message of the meme is that Bella is considerably less awesome than the heroines of those other books because her conflict is purely one of romance—but I think the meme picks on the wrong aspect of Twilight.
Romance is not my favorite thing to read, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the idea. And I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with a book in which someone gets married. When you think about it, marriage is a pretty scary undertaking: commitment to one person for the duration of the agreement, or, if you take the original vow seriously, for the rest of your life. Taking on a relationship of that magnitude is actually pretty brave. Marriage requires a lot of courage and fortitude. So does having children, and both Katniss and Hermione end up married with children at the end of their series’ too.
The scary thing about Twilight is that it makes the argument that “true love” grants the individual no agency in deciding who to love. Think about it: Bella has a fatal attraction to someone who, literally, wants to eat her whenever he gets near her. She seems to think that she can’t help herself; that, at least, is the argument Edward makes when explaining his feelings to her. Worse still is the imprinting of the werewolves. The love triangle including Jacob Black is actually kind of tragic. He spends years being infatuated with Bella only to fall into a hopeless attraction to her infant daughter through a werewolf process called “imprinting.” The fact that he has been attracted to Bella for so long leads to the conclusion that Jacob was going to imprint on Bella’s unborn daughter all along. He literally has no choice.
It also argues that true love is a one-chance opportunity. On the one hand, this is a romantic notion; on the other, it’s incredibly destructive. Bella flirts with the idea of falling in love with Jacob Black in the second book, “New Moon,” after Edward leaves her “for her own good” and she temporarily goes off the deep end. Despite the possibility of healing, Bella continues to do stupid, dangerous things to evoke her memories of Edward. She can’t, or won’t, move on. Later, when Edward thinks Bella is dead, his immediate plan is to commit suicide. Their logic: life is not living without the other person. There will be no one else.
I know elderly people who, after their spouses died, never remarried. They had one great love of their lives and that was it. And that’s a beautiful notion. But they are not broken, or devastated. Even though their spouses died, they saw reason—for themselves or for the other people they loved—to keep on living. Often, when speaking of healing after someone dies, those who are left behind say that the deceased would want them to heal because he or she loved them. It’s the kind of love that builds up, strengthens, rather than destroys.
That’s not the kind of love you get in the Twilight series. Healing becomes an un-romantic notion. It’s a terrible lie to tell anyone, especially an audience of young teenage girls whose first heartbreaks are right around the corner. And if that’s what true love is actually like, I for one want no part of it. |
You might think you're employee of the month just about every month on the calendar, but what kind of employee are you really? Take this quiz and discover which of the four types of employees you really are. The results might just shock you!
You are assigned way too much work. How do you handle this?
I suck it up and get it done.
Ther'es no such thing as too much work.
I find someone else to do it.
I ask a co-worker for help.
You simply can't start work without...
A big cup of coffee.
Greeting everyone in the office.
A meeting detailing my progress.
A big breakfast.
Which of these is the scariest scenario?
Having too much work.
Getting called in to see the boss.
Accidentally sending an inappropriate email.
Being made the head of something.
You have to choose between a hot date and a day at work. What's it going to be?
Looks like I'm sneaking out early.
I'd try to make both work.
I'm married, dating is in the past.
Would you ever complain about your job on social media?
Yes, where else would I vent?
No, what if someone sees it?
Only in a private message.
What would I even complain about?
The boss takes off for the day and leaves you in charge. What happens next?
I take the day off too.
Tell everyone how I really feel about the boss.
Do my best to jmake them proud.
Your boss asks you what you think of their new car. It's hideous. What do you say?
I tell the truth.
I change the subject.
I ask them to take me for a ride.
How do you feel about after work bonding?
It's the worst.
It's okay, sometimes.
You’re the superstar employee! There’s not much to say about you other than that you are loved and respected by all. You’re likable, hardworking, and dedicated to completing every task at hand. People see you as a winner, the best of the best, mile above the rest!
The Superstar Employee
You’re the team player! Teamwork doesn’t mean just getting along with everyone, it means putting aside differences for the greater good of your job. You’re the type of person who can always find common ground and lead a team to victory. Employers love you because you always get the job done and do it as a true team player!
The Team Player
You’re the loyal employee! Through thick and thin, you show up for work and get your job done. You don’t complain or procrastinate, you give your all to every project, shift, or person you encounter. You’re hardly ever late and never use all those vacation days unless necessary. You’ll be a loyal employee for life.
The Loyal Employee
You’re the social butterfly! You’re the employee that can almost always be found flitting around the break room or hanging out near the water cooler. You love to share a good meme via work email and never shy away from a bit of workplace gossip. Unlike some employees, you often spend more time talking than you do working! |
What is existential?
i practise exdfcansdfndsjfism
existential - meme gif
existential - video
Existential - what is it?
"I used to think Eistein was smart, then I read about existentialism and I don't beleive in the word smart anymore."
What does "existential" mean?
you can use this word in pretty much any context and it will make you sound pretentious and/or confuse the person you're talking to.
"thoughts of existentialism breezed through my cavern of a mind as i walked under the concave arches in the courtyard of my prestigious university."
Existential - what does it mean?
Existential - meaning
"yolo" for philosophers
Existential - definition
Existential - slang
A philosophy which emphasizes the importance of choice. It suggests that we only exist (as human beings) if we make our own decisions independently of outside influence. However, while this freedom allows us complete control over our own destinies, it also suggests that we are the sole control over our destinies and are, as a result, isolated from God, society, and ourselves. This leads many to the conclusion that existentialism is depressing.
Officer: go over there!
Existentialism in its purest form is any philosophy which states that existence precedes essence; that is to say, that there is no inherent purpose in life (though normally this is not carried through to nihilism.). It also states that the physical world does not necessarily precede the conscious state, as a conscious mind must find itself in a world to attain consciousness in any meaningful state.
Of, relating to, or dealing with existence.
Having to do with existence. More specifically, one way it is used is to mean having to do with state of being as opposed to truth or knowledge. An "existentialist" is more concerned with how to "be" than with what is true. A good example is Albert Camus's "The Plague", in which the character determines that we can't know the meaning of life and suffering, but we should just do what we can.
I think your problem with God is an existential one, not a theological one. You You know all you need to know, you just don't live it.
|www.Definder.net Powered by Urban Dictionary| |
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "ivtas20-20";
click here. It could be producing the scratches. Don't wash electronic keys! amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Plus, emptying the dishwasher is a far riskier proposition with a 6" chef's knife somewhere inside. Unlike vinyl projects, you can put an etched baking dish in the dishwasher or even in the oven.
Tip for best results: Move the etching cream around during the 3-5 minute etching period. amzn_assoc_linkid = "9ad02ee78356ee23cf71675aefc02272"; In case a dishwasher has etched glassware, you can’t fix the glasses by yourself. #40020. I would not put etched glasses in the dishwasher due to the risk of scratches esp. The etching cream is a chemical substance that actually erodes a layer of the glass (be sure to read the safety instructions and protect yourself with gloves, a mask, goggles and work in a well ventilated area). Go to a faucet near the dishwasher, then turn on the hot water for around 45 seconds or till the water gets hot. Applying a water temp that is too high can cause etching. Depending on your baby's age, you may still need to use a steriliser.
Don't put squeaky toys or anything with batteries in the dishwasher. Manufacturers say some parts can go in the dishwasher but our kitchen experts don't recommend it as the dishwasher can weaken and discolour areas of the plastic. I still often put glass measuring cups in the dishwasher, but I do it with the understanding that after several years the markings may fade and it'll be time to buy new ones. Then select all, and press the “slice button”. You may need to adjust dishwasher detergent according to the package directions or switch to another type. Just combine baking soda with a small amount of toothpaste and rub that mixture on the scratches. Best to wash by hand. When storing etched pieces, allow space between … The dishwasher may also cause discoloration, turning it slightly yellow over time. Once washed, drying with a soft cloth helps to prevent the formation of water spots that form from air drying, especially in areas where hard water is a problem, Will 5G Impact Our Cell Phone Plans (or Our Health?! Buy dishwasher-safe glasses to prevent a filmy cloud on glasses.
Here's a list of exactly what you can and can't safely wash in your dishwasher so you never have to wonder again whether your great-aunt's silver-plated teaspoons will survive the cycle. Simply soak a soft cloth in acetone and rub it on the surface until removing the stains from glass completely.
A glass etching that has been scratched, marked or superficially damaged can also be fixed using these same techniques. Top shelf only. Starting from the center, press down and move to the outer edges. It looks expensive but costs less than $10 to make and takes just a few minutes. Here's what CHOICE's kitchen experts say you can and can't wash in the dishwasher. The heat of the dishwasher may shorten its life.
Nonstick coatings will deteriorate rapidly in your dishwasher – follow the manufacturer's cleaning instructions to extend their life. Read more: 13 14 15.
If there isn’t food or dirt on the dishes the detergent works away the outside layers of the glassware. I am a wife, a mom of 3, entrepreneur, a Christian, a designer, a creator of things, and someone who generally wants to be better at… well, everything in life! Glassware etching is particularly prevalent in areas where the water has been softened. Important: Before moving to the next steps, be sure to remove any bubbles or gaps in your vinyl. Type above and press Enter to search. Peel away the transfer tape. If necessary, you can also add painter’s tape to aid in sealing some of the edges. Detergent needs the grim and food left on the plates to work the way it was designed to work. Leave your nan's lead crystal glassware in the display cabinet next to the teaspoons, because your dishwasher's high temperature and alkaline detergent can convert the lead into a soluble form which can be ingested next time you're enjoying a crème de menthe. Milk glass. amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; See baby bottles. We at CHOICE acknowledge the Gadigal people, the traditional custodians of this land on which we work, and pay our respects to the First Nations people of this country. Don't put combs or brushes with wooden handles in the dishwasher. Carry on with rubbing until seeing the scratches are disappearing. Make sure your text layer is above the image layer in the layers panel. You can, but washing in the dishwasher will lead to etching and irreversible clouding on glassware over time. Acetone, which is the basic compound in the remover is excellent for smoothing the etching. Finish Jet-Dry helps remove spots and film. Though you should still handwash non-stick, copper and fine aluminium cookware because they can be damaged by the dishwasher. Rinse the remaining cream away with water, then wash with soap and dry with a paper towel. Even durable drinking glasses can fall foul of the dishwasher and develop a white haze over time. Cutlery up or down? Don't put squeaky toys in the dishwasher as they'll fill up with water. You can change the font from the drop down menu at the top of your screen. The alkaline detergent could reduce the life of fabrics, and having clothes flop around in the dishwasher could interfere with its action. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "ivtas20-20";
Adjust the width of the image to 6.25 inches. Lead crystal, delicate glass, hand-painted china, brass, pewter, copper and sterling silver shouldn't go in the dishwasher. Sick of struggling to control your temperature from season to season?
amzn_assoc_region = "US"; The chemical operations that happen in glass etching demand a lot of heat.
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Therefore, it looks that rinsing the glassware is really harmful. Wooden spoons, spatulas, and other utensils. ), The Secret Science of Solving Crossword Puzzles, Racist Phrases to Remove From Your Mental Lexicon. If you still have this issue with a new brush, try lowing water temper and the amount of detergent you apply. All rights reserved. Mix a small amount of toothpaste with baking soda and apply the paste to your glassware with your finger, a soft cloth, or a toothbrush. I have a set of etched beer mugs that I wash in the dishwasher, and they come out fine. I had a problem when I moved into my house with the dishwasher causing etching on my glasses. This film can show up on any glassware, regardless of the cost. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Etching, in the beginning, stages, may be identified by a rainbow-colored look like shades of purple, blue, pink, or brown seen when the glass is held at an angle in the light. This is such a great gift for holidays, teachers, birthdays, etc. This could happen after several washings and appears as a white film, and the cause may be hard or soft water. Layer Infusible Ink with Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV or Iron-On), Palm Tree Luau Centerpiece with Cricut | FREE SVG Cut File, Pineapple Soda Can with Cricut | Luau Party Decoration | FREE SVG Cut File, Mini Press Cricut Apron + FREE Grill Master Cut File, DIY Weeding Scraps Mason Jar with Craft Foam | FREE SVG Cut File and Cricut Tutorial, DIY Scrabble-style Tiles with Your Cricut or Silhouette, Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, Seriously the BEST Shrimp Tacos (with Mango Salsa and Cilantro Cream Sauce – YUM! When there is no food debris present, it runs through glassware instead. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; On the next screen, be sure to mirror your project. If the dishwasher has cloudy cutlery, as well, then it more than likely is the water. carefully honed cutting edges. If vinegar does not dissolve the film, etching is the likely cause.
Handwash timber or other materials. This will result in a more even, less streaky application. The dishwasher will strip the seasoning from the pan. It will last for years and years to come! Load the “Kitchen Made with Love” cutting file into Cricut Design Space.
Drain the vinegar and let the glassware to dry thoroughly. Anything Wood. You will now have 3 layers. The residue is what stops the head. Then, move your text on top of the image. Choose “Stencil Vinyl” from the drop down menu (or choose the appropriate material if you are using something different). If you don’t have a repository to pour a liquid dish-rinsing solution into, then buy one of the small baskets that hold rinsing additives and hang it in the back corner on the lowest rack in a dishwasher. Place onto the outside bottom of your baking dish. amzn_assoc_linkid = "b6b1ee6c7240f55e12d3ba7c3ae2443b"; ® All Rights Reserved 2020 Empowered Zine |.
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Here is a press release that will be distributed shortly:
NCSE TACKLES CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL
A new initiative in the struggle for quality science education
OAKLAND, CA January 16, 2012
Science education is under attack--again.
This time it's under attack by climate change deniers, who ignore a mountain of evidence gathered over the last fifty years that the planet is warming and that humans are largely responsible. These deniers attempt to sabotage science education with fringe ideas, pseudoscience, and outright lies.
But the National Center for Science Education won't let 'em get away with it.
"We consider climate change a critical issue in our own mission to protect the integrity of science education," says Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, NCSE's executive director. Long a leader in the fight to defend the teaching of evolution in public schools, NCSE now sees creationist-like tactics being used in the attack on climate education.
"Climate affects everyone, and the decisions we make today will affect generations to come," says Scott. "We need to teach kids now about the realities of global warming and climate change, so that they're prepared to make informed, intelligent decisions in the future."
In this expansion of its core mission, NCSE will help parents, teachers, policymakers, the media, and others to distinguish the real science from the junk science that deniers are trying to push into the science classroom.
"Polls show that Americans' understanding of climate change is very shallow. One study found that only 54% of teens realize that global warming is happening," says Mark McCaffrey, a climate and environmental education expert who has joined the NCSE as its new climate change programs and policy director. "Why? Because of a barrage of misinformation on climate change, coupled with a lack of accurate climate education. I'm excited to be part of NCSE's efforts to help to reverse these disturbing trends."
The scientific community is applauding NCSE's new initiative. Said Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS):
"AAAS has long admired the NCSE's efforts to protect the integrity of science. We are delighted to see the Center expand its activities to ensure that climate science is appropriately taught in our nation's schools."
"We applaud the NCSE for its efforts to promote the teaching of climate change in our nation's classrooms," said Dr. Francis Eberle, executive director of the
National Science Teachers Association. "Teachers should not be subjected to ideological opposition to the teaching of climate change from parents, administrators, or members of the community."
Added Scott Mandia, the meteorologist who cofounded the Climate Science Rapid Response Team:
"The cavalry has arrived. NCSE, with its passion and experience defending science in our schools, will ensure that teachers can educate students about climate change without fear of reprisal."
Tackling climate change denial head on
In its initiative to defend climate change education, NCSE will:
* Help parents, teachers, and others fight the introduction of climate change/global warming denial and pseudoscience in the classroom.
* Act as a resource center to connect teachers, scientists, and policymakers with the best information available.
* Provide tools and support to ensure that climate change is properly and effectively taught in public schools.
* Aid those testifying before local and state boards of education, and before local, state, and federal legislative committees.
* Connect local activists with one another, and with scientists and other relevant experts.
New program, new faces
As part of this new initiative, the NCSE has added two key members to its team:
* Dr. Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of The Pacific Institute, joins NCSE's board of directors. Gleick is a noted hydroclimatologist, an internationally recognized water expert, and a MacArthur Fellow. Gleick's research and writing address the critical connections between water and human health, the hydrologic impacts of climate change, sustainable water use, privatization and globalization, and international conflicts over water resources.
* Mark McCaffrey, a long-time climate literacy expert, joins NCSE as climate change programs and policy director. Previously at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), McCaffrey helped spearhead a number of climate and energy literacy programs, and the creation of the Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN), and testified before Congress about climate and environmental education.
So, will NSCSE be reassuring Christians that there really is no conflict between their faith and acceptance of Anthropogenic Global Warming? Just as God could use evolution to work His Holy Will, now he may be using climate change as his means to chastise humanity for its spiritual failures? After all, He only promised not to flood us again, so it's "the fire next time." Oh, wait.. what about polar meltdown and rising sea levels? Does that count? This could prove to be interesting, if Scott and company continue to follow their pattern of telling Christians how to reinterpret their theology to accommodate science.
You are over-characterizing the "accommodationist" spin of the NCSE, and unfairly so.
Unfair? Sorry if you think so, but I think that NCSE and Eugenie Scott need to be criticized more publicly for their distortion of science.
I once spoke to Scott about her rhetorical use of "methodological naturalism," which she uses to suggest that while naturalism may be a tool, it is not integral to science, and that some of reality may require an approach that transcends naturalism. In a more or less private conversation after one of her public lectures, she agreed with me that naturalism is, in fact, a unifying theory of science that continues to be tested every day, with its probability of truth approaching ever closer to certainty. But in public, she will not say so. I understand that being truthful in this case would conflict with the political agenda of NCSE. But I think that it is shameful that science has to be promoted in the United States by pandering to popular superstition.
Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps NCSE can support climate science without slipping into religious accommodation. And perhaps Scott will one day support a view of evolution as the workings of an unsupervised natural universe. But, in the long run, for science to survive and grow in this culture, I believe that it will have to come to terms with the essential unifying theory of naturalism. And that is something that NCSE does not appear to want to promote.
Yeah, you're wrong. You're basing your conclusions on what might well be a misunderstanding on your part, or a mutual misunderstanding between the two of you regarding what you were talking about, from one private conversation, and taking that to assert that the NCSE has a "religious accommodation" approach.
I've been having "private" (and public) conversations with Genie since we first met about 25 years ago and what you are saying totally conflicts with my own private experience.
"Working with" or "trying to get on board" religious groups is probably a good idea and I'm happy the NCSE is doing that to the extent it is. The fact that the NCSE does not represent the perfect, representative deployment of the POV of many atheists and scientists and such (including me) is hardly the point; I have a hard time demanding that the world bend precicely to my will for some reason!
The NCSE does not advocate any policies or perspectives that place any gods in any gaps, allow for any aspect of evolution to be deified or spiritualized or anything. That they work with religious groups or organizations is, I understand, annoying to some, but if you find that annoying you're missing a very important point. The NCSE does not accomodate. The fact that the NCSE does not puke directly onto the shoes of everything that is not an atheist does not make it so.
Greg is absolutely correct. I get very tired of the unfounded attacks on NCSE as being 'accomodationist.'
As a 'pragmatic politician', I can assure you we would would never win legislative battles in Oklahoma (and elsewhere) by attacking religion as some of the gnu atheists suggest. Indeed, so far we have defeated creationist bills here with major help from mainstream religions and the Interfaith Alliances.
It may be worth a look at this: http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/a_multiplicity_of_strategy_is…
Yeah, I must be wrong. I just misunderstand when Scott adopts Alvin Plantinga's arguments, and I am told that "a clear distinction must be drawn between science as a way of knowing about the natural world and science as a foundation for philosophical views." So I guess science must be treated as just a tool for filling out our lab notebooks, not as a means for understanding who and what we truly are. "The most difficult questions for us to think about critically are the ones where one answer better suits our ends, even if another one is truer."
(The above quotes are from Science and Religion, Methodology and Humanism, a speech by Eugenie Scott accepting the 1998 AHA "Isaac Asimov Science Award".)
Nope, I do understand what they are doing, and I understand their strategic reasons. But I disagree with both their philosophy and strategy, and I do not think it is a distortion to say that NCSE and Scott may be doing as much harm to the cause of public understanding of the true nature of science as they do good by popularizing its findings. They can continue to modify what they know to be the truth to better fit the political climate, but I will not support them while they do so.
To me, "New Atheism" (or my own "Old Atheism" of over 40 years) is not a matter of tone, but a commitment to science as an ethic of telling the truth, to the extent that we can know it. The notion that we must embrace a "better suited" lie and defer the inconvenient but "truer" truth is not just annoying, but unacceptable. Does truth-telling (telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, without the help of gods) qualify as part of your multiplicity of approaches?
I tend to think that accommodating the religious to science is a rather different thing from accommodating scientists to religion. Showing the religious that certain things are certainly true based on all the observable evidence, but that they can still hang on to compatible but "critical" parts of their religion, is not so bad. Especially not if it causes them to bring their general views closer to reality and to support real science. Some religious beliefs are totally unsupported by any evidence but are relatively harmless. It's more important to oppose the really pernicious ideas and let the trivia slide. Choose your battles. But, we should certainly oppose any attempts to spread nonsense to others, even the trivial sort.
I'm unclear on how climate science has anything much to do with religion anyway. The Bible never mentions C02, for example. NCSE should be able to pull this off without direct religious conflict. I'm not saying they'll convince any deniers.
I disagree with both their philosophy and strategy, and I do not think it is a distortion to say that NCSE and Scott may be doing as much harm to the cause of public understanding of the true nature of science as they do good by popularizing its findings.
I'm listening. Document the harm.
Please explain how "a clear distinction must be drawn between science as a way of knowing about the natural world and science as a foundation for philosophical views." has anything to do with getting stickers out of textbooks in public schools or marshaling legal protection for teachers fired for teaching evolution. Explain how your problem with that sentence it took you the last hour to find, which has nothing to do with anything, takes away from the spectacular defeat of Intelligent Design at Dover, which the NCSE engineered?
Can you provide an actual examples of the NCSE being untruthful about evolutionary biology (the subject of their activism) or its teaching in schools. No, you can't. And no, making shit up is not part of the multiplicity of approaches. If you actually read the post to which I refer you could not possibly come away with that.
No, something else is going on here, with you, and its mainly your problem. You ought to consider trying to help rather than just telling us to get off your lawn.
Crochety: When I first read your quote I suspected something was wrong.
Let's talk about quote mining. Let's talk about truth. Let's talk about you quote mining in order to avoid the truth. In this case, the truth being that you don't have an argument. It is ironic that you appeal to the Gnu Atheist approach (and imply oddly that I'm not one, which is a bit silly) while at the same time you use the exact tactics that are used by creationists. In fact, this all makes me wonder if you are in fact a creationist who is some sort of Poe.
The full quote IN CONTEXT:
"I argue for the separation of methodological from philosophical materialism for logical reasons, and for reasons based on the philosophy of science. It is also possible to argue from a strategic standpoint. Living as we do in a society in which only a small percentage of our fellow citizens are nontheists, we who support the teaching of evolution in the public schools should avoid the creationist's position of forcing a choice between God and Darwin. Creationists are perfectly happy if only 10% of the population (the percentage of nontheists) accepts evolution. I am not. I want people to understand and accept the science of evolution; whether or not someone builds from this science a philosophical system that parallels mine is logically and strategically independent. An ideology drawn from science is not the same as science itself.
Ironically, I find myself being praised and encouraged in my position by conservative Christians and taking flak from some fellow nontheists, including some scientists. I must say, though, that over the last several months I have presented lectures at several universities and two meetings of professional scientists in which I have argued that a clear distinction must be drawn between science as a way of knowing about the natural world and science as a foundation for philosophical views. One should be taught to our children in school, and the other can optionally be taught to our children at home. Once this view is explained, I have found far more support than disagreement among my university colleagues. Even someone who may disagree with my logic or understanding of philosophy of science often understands the strategic reasons for separating methodological from philosophical materialism â if we want more Americans to understand evolution.
Enough of that.
Gladiator takes things many steps beyond mere crackpot. Ceramic dust or Poe?
Gladiator takes things many steps beyond mere crackpot
Which raises the possibility that it is another sockpuppet of SB troll Rob Hood, who seems to haunt this blog and Orac's place. The claims of Marxism and of the impending collapse of the New World Order are tells.
I am sorry that I seem to have so raised your ire, but this is, to me, an important issue. I find it sad that so many are satisfied with science being treated as a "loose leaf notebook of facts," as Jacob Bronowski put it.
You ask what harm does such accommodation do? What does it have to do with removal of stickers from biology books? Well, if you have read the speech, you know what it had to do with getting the National Association of Biology Teachers to back off from a statement that evolution is unsupervised and impersonal. I must assume that you consider that to be a good move, and no harm.
You think that ID was defeated at Dover, but it is still alive and well in the minds of all those who may "accept" evolution, but see in it the hand of an omnipotent intelligence, not the unsupervised and impersonal workings of natural selection. The harm is that it is a distortion of science to pretend that naturalism is a "philosophy" or "methodology" or anything other than a central unifying theory that enters into the experimental design of everyday science, of every scientific experiment ever done.
Yeah, I know, you don't think it's important. But that distortion will eventually come back to bite science educators in chemistry, physics, astronomy, and cosmology. Why should scientists puzzle over dark matter, since god can make the galaxies move in any way he wants to?
It took me only about ten minutes to find that speech. I am quite familiar with it (I was there when she gave it). If there is some point to your accusation of "quote mining," I must beg your pardon, but I missed it. I gave the link to the full source and and did not, as far as I can see, distort her meaning. Your longer quote, in context, does not change that meaning.
Believe me, I don't care what kind of atheist you want to be. As I said, my kind of atheism is a scientific one that values truth-telling. I think Scott is being hypocritical, saying one thing to the public, while knowing better, that naturalistic materialism is a crucial and well-confirmed theory in science. You disagree. You apparently think she is sincere in her dismissal of naturalism as an ideology; perhaps you even agree with her that naturalism is best taught at home, and not as a crucial part of science itself. I think that it is a problem, either way. You think it is my problem; I think that the fact that so many will agree with you is, or will eventually be, a problem for the future of our scientific civilization.
So apparently we just disagree, and neither of us is likely to convince the other. Thank you for an interesting discussion.
Religion has no place in our schools. That is why we do not allow prayer in school. If we did, who would choose which religious beliefs to teach. Teach what you want in your own place of worship. There is no need to tie Science with religion. Science is based on facts and religion is based on beliefs. The scientific community is 90% certain that the earth is warming due to man's burning of fossil fuels. 97% of climate scientists believe climate change is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. So does the International Panel on Climate change, NASA, U.S. Global Change Research Program, International Arctic Science Committee, American Association for the Advancement of Science and at least 32 national science academies around the world. Its time the propaganda spread by the fossil fuel industry is put to rest. We need to tell our elected officials to stop listening to corporate lobbyists and do the work of the people. Log onto http://greensentry.net/index.html to see how.
Whats the difference between High Speed Universities and âBrick and Mortar?â Online pays for the education. It does not pay for athletic programs or programs that are not beneficial to all. There is no socio-economic or social cast systems.
Thanks for posting this news. I'm teaching A.P. Environmental Science (high school) and we're going to cover climate and climate change very soon here so, I can use all the help I can get!
NJ must be canadian. Too much sodium flouride and the decreased need to think for oneself when socialist government thinks for you can take its toll on human intelligence.
"Fossil" fuels is a false statement. Since the 1960s we have known that the earth naturally produces oil and that we will never run out. Governmentts and corporations do not like the idea of this getting out since it would cut into the "supply and demand" money chain.
Want to know about climate change? it is real, but not manmade. The earth constants vents CO2 and has been doing so long before man starting burning oil. Nature produces far more CO2 than man does.
Noah had a climate change problem that even AL Gore could not have profited from. Due to the one continent seperating into seven, the earth's deep channels were opened up and spilled trillion s of tons of water persceond onto dry land. Eathquakes, volcanoes, mountains rising fropm the sea floor, and rain coming down like man has never seen before for 40 days and 40 nights. Afterwards, the entire earth was different. A gran canyon and many mountains had been formed due to land masses retreating and water seceding and continuous earthquakes and flooding. After that came an ice age as a resutl that killed numerous species of animals including dinosaurs - the ones that were not hunted for food, skins, or sport.
Al Gore would have been proud.
""Fossil" fuels is a false statement. Since the 1960s we have known that the earth naturally produces oil and that we will never run out. Governmentts and corporations do not like the idea of this getting out since it would cut into the "supply and demand" money chain."
Yes, yes, indeed. There are Oil Factories located deep in the earth where aliens have enslaved hoards of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) to craft fresh oil out of Unicorn Piss.
Gladiator/Greg: I would love to hear where get your information from. I suspect Glenn Beck,Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. While it is true that co2 is generated in much greater quantities from the natural carbon cycle, the extra amount of co2 produced by by burning fossil fuels, does not get absorbed by the land and ocean. Atmospheric CO2 is now at its highest level in 15 to 20 million years.
Abiogenic or naturally accruing, sources of oil have been found, but never in commercially profitable amounts. There is controversy on how much abiogenic oil we have and how difficult it would be to acquire. Fossil fuel oil is what we are using now. Spending more time and money on a fuel that we know is destroying our environment only makes sense to oil companies and the people who have been fooled by their propaganda.
Not sure what the point is about Noah. I'm guessing you don't believe animals are endangered and extinct from destroying habitats and overhunting.
Boy, and I thought Gladiator was a bit off kilter before.
NJ must be canadian. Too much sodium flouride and the decreased need to think for oneself when socialist government thinks for you can take its toll on human intelligence.
Comment #48 at Respectful Insolence post of December 20, 2011:
Ever try to have an intelligent conversation with a Canadian? It won't happen unless the Canadian is a politician who drinks water that is flouride free. The rest of the population are rather dumb. I lay it off on the sodium flouride, but then again, living in a socialist society where most people have the government think for them instead of thinking for themselves can make a population less intelligent as well.
The poster has been identified as having previously posted as 'Dr. Smart', 'Medicien Man' & 'Santas Little Helper' over at Orac's. He used to post under his real name - Rob Hood - until people actually visited his website and pointed out he was not just an uneducable YEC but also a conspiracy nut of the highest order.
Obviously its Greg's blog and Greg's rules, but if known sockpuppetry is a bannable offense, then this loon is clearly first in line.
I lay it off on the sodium flouride, but then again, living in a socialist society where most people have the government think for them instead of thinking for themselves can make a population less intelligent as well.
I would not attack religion. And if you are a Christian, I would heed God's charge to Adam and Eve when he said: " be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth." Destroying the environment by burning fossil fuel, polluting the air, water and soil with toxic chemicals does not seem to me to be "replenishing the Earth."
But why is it "replenish the Earth instead of must "Plenish the Earth"???
Or are we not being told the whole truth ...
"I would not attack religion."
I would. Because it's not merely silly but antithetical to humanity,
"I would heed God’s charge to Adam and Eve when he said: ” be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth.”"
The christians who don't want to do that cite the passages that say the earth belongs to them. Or that he'll not flood the earth (again), despite there being nothing about preventing US flooding it).
Because the bible is such a pointless mishmash collection of myths that it can be selectively quoted to support whatever you want.
Because religion is what you choose and those who want to choose selfishly will be selfish christans, those who want to be social will be social christians.
The religion doesn't change anyone, it only gives them an external "justification" for who they are.
Because it's a man made fairy tale, and it's written therefore to serve man's wishes.
" living in a socialist society where most people have the government think for them instead of thinking for themselves"
And by this parroting of an non-comprehended meme you show just how non thinking you are. |
Okay, we’re onto part 2 of my blog post about the 7 albums that most influenced my taste in music. Check out part 1 for the first half of the […]
Lyric Writing Journey
There has been a meme doing the rounds on Facebook where people have been invited to select the albums that had the biggest influence on their taste in music. It’s […]
What to do with kids when bad weather has you stuck inside? Why not get your kids to write song lyrics?!
Previously on LyricSlinger … In my first post I explained how my lyric writing journey had started. I had written lyrics for years but had never done anything with them. […]
Previously on LyricSlinger … In my first blog post I talked about how I initially got into writing lyrics – that wow factor of hearing music that made me fall […]
In my first blog posts I thought I’d cover off my ongoing journey as an aspiring lyricist. I hope that this will be interesting for you and that it may […] |
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Re: comprehending the heart's nationalism
On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 09:24:24PM -0300, juan wrote:
> On Sat, 9 Jul 2016 09:45:52 +1000
> Zenaan Harkness <firstname.lastname@example.org> wrote:
> > On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 05:23:16PM -0300, juan wrote:
> > > > Instead all we get is endless repetition of the western MSM meme
> > > > "Russia illegally annexed Crimea".
> > >
> > > They did.
> > How is a "legal" secession to happen, for it to be classified as
> > "legal"?
> People who want to join russia, join russia. People who don't
> want to, don't. And sane people who don't want to be governed
> by any mafia are left alone and 'stateless'. And this last kind
> of secession is the only meaningful one by the way.
So then, why was the referendum in Crimea and the apparrently
overwhelming "want" of the people of Crimea to secede from Ukraine
and "join Russia", somehow "illegal"? |
Western union meme
Friends – joey’s story about western europe
Western Union is facing backlash after removing a spoof Bitcoin advertisement. Western Union is said to have taken action against a bitcoin parody of one of its ads, causing a backlash from bitcoin supporters.
Western Union told Ars Technica that it takes “all brand matters seriously” and takes measures to protect its intellectual property as needed. The company’s manager, on the other hand, refused to answer any detailed questions about the situation.
The takedown could be interpreted as Western Union responding to a perceived danger raised by the digital currency, which touts low-cost fund transfers as one of its selling points – albeit not as low as the spoof implies.
It was defined by Vox as an example of the ‘Streisand effect,’ which explains how, in the Internet era, efforts to censor information often have the exact opposite effect, causing more people to access and publicize the content rather than less.
Transferts d’argent depuis le site web ou l’application mobile
The film Western Union, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Robert Young, Randolph Scott, and Dean Jagger, was released in 1941. Scott plays a former outlaw who seeks to make amends by joining the team wiring the Great Plains for telegraph service in 1861, which was shot in Technicolor on location in Arizona and Utah. Conflicts erupt between the man and his former gang, as well as between the wire-stringing crew and the Native Americans whose land the new lines would pass through. Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is seriously injured in an accident while surveying a telegraph line in 1861. Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse, discovers him. Shaw considers stealing Creighton’s horse when forced to ride on foot after his horse is injured, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life. Western Union stopped sending telegrams in January 2006, but International Telegram took over their Telex network. According to their website, you can always order telegram delivery and set a future delivery date. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has ruled that there are sufficient grounds to levy a civil money penalty against Western Union Financial Services, Inc. (WUFSI or the Company) under the Bank Secrecy Act 1 on January 19, 2017. (BSA).
Due date western union
Several people are going to be in their offices for nothing!
The techno union 2 (meme)
On sends me 800 euros from Italy, which I am unable to retrieve. My customer service representative responded once, and I didn’t have to do it again! They’re all smiles when it comes to sending money, but when it comes to receiving it, it’s a different story! It’s inconvenient to stand in line for an hour only to hear “email the customer service department so that he can ask you questions.” I call to answer all of their questions, and they tell me that the shipper is ultimately responsible for answering the questions!! Why wasn’t he questioned during the delivery? franchement, it’s zero! The competition is so much more professional! They even accuse me of being a con artist or other such stuff. It’s a slap in the face!
Goodlands: cambriolage à western union
Due to threats of sanctions from the US government, the company will end all of its relations with Cuba in November 2020. Western Union will buy a 15% stake in Saudi Telecom’s payment subsidiary for $200 million in November 2020.
Un site web ainsi qu’une application mobile (iOS et Android) sont également disponibles permettant d’effectuer des transferts vers la Zone Euro, le Maghreb, l’Afrique Subsaharienne, l’Asie du Sud, la Turquie, la Chine et les Amériques du Sud et du Nord. |
1) “Fatal accidents, off-the-books workers, a union once run by a mobster. The rogue world of one of New York’s major trash haulers.” (ProPublica, 34 minutes, June 2018). That’s not the actual headline but the real one doesn’t help you decide whether to click, and it also can trip up email filters.
The headquarters of Sanitation Salvage, one of the largest private trash haulers in New York City, is a squat brick building that sits unremarkably amid the garbage dumps and razor wire of the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx.
The Squitieri brothers, owners for decades, can be found on the top floor of the house-like structure on Manida Street. The three brothers are men of considerable wealth and fixtures in Bronx politics, and one of them, Steven, has been seen riding to special events in a white chauffeured Rolls Royce. They are also, according to employees, unforgiving bosses, profane taskmasters who push a small army of drivers and off-the-books workers through grueling shifts of 18 hours or longer.
[ . . . ]
In 2016, Mouctar Diallo, a teenage African immigrant, stepped into the rough-and-tumble world of Sanitation Salvage. He was hired off the streets of the Bronx for a few bucks in cash, then spent 18 months as one of the company’s “third men,” hustling ahead of the trash trucks to grab garbage from the curb and keep the gritty show rolling.
Then, nearing the end of a shift on Nov. 7, 2017, Diallo wound up crushed to death under the wheels of a Sanitation Salvage truck. The men he’d been helping lied to the police, saying their dead colleague was a homeless person who had come out of nowhere. The police took them at their word, and Diallo was buried quietly by his family, the circumstances of his death a cynical fiction.
[ . . . ]
Michael Maldonado worked for 12 years at Sanitation Salvage, where he earned the nickname “Mikey Cardboard” because one of his routes required picking up lots of paper for recycling. Maldonado said the scrutiny of Sanitation Salvage is long overdue. But, like many current and former workers, he believes the Squitieris — who are major donors to the local Bronx Democratic Party machine — are too powerful and connected to face any serious consequences.
“How has this been under the radar for so many years?” he asked. “How is it that somebody has to […] die for people to notice?”
2) ‘How an Ad Campaign Made Lesbians Fall in Love with Subaru” (Priceonomics, 12 minutes, May 2016). I don’t like the headline because the article isn’t really about an ad campaign — it goes much deeper than that. Thanks to reader Ashley W. for the suggestion.
3) “All Queens Must Die” (The Verge, 11 minutes, August 2016). The subhead (almost) explains what they mean: “On Santa Cruz Island, they killed the cows, sheep, and bees. Now it’s time to finish the job.” It’s the story of an island overrun by invasive species, and the ants are the last to go. The article doesn’t lend itself to an ant-related excerpt but the pig portion is great, so here you go.
The pigs were the trickiest. Or trickiest yet. They’d been on the island since the mid-19th century, brought over by the first ranchers, and had long gone feral. The Parks Service and Conservancy closed off most of the island to the public beginning in 2005, called in teams of New Zealand snipers and helicopter pilots and, within a year, had killed 5,000 of them. Over the next few months, some of the remaining pigs were captured and radio collared. Pigs are social, and extremely smart. The snipers tracked the collared, so-called Judas pigs back to their kind and, only if and when they could destroy a group all at once, opened fire. Any pig left alive, even wounded, would become all the more skittish and difficult to find. It would teach others to fear helicopters overhead.
Some of the last remaining island pigs had changed their habits entirely. One Judas seemed to have turned amphibian. When a helicopter team flew by the patch of coastline where the radio collar told them it should be, they found a cave high up on a cliff. A harnessed sniper descended into the cave and, when the pig charged out of the dankness, he put it down. Santa Cruz Island was declared pig-free by 2007. In 2012, it was declared turkey-free, too. The Nature Conservancy was tantalizingly close to its goal — to restore Santa Cruz Island to something approximating its prehistoric, virgin state.
4) The Now I Know Week in Review:
Monday: When the Jazz Didn’t Stop Playing. A serial killer creates an night of all jazz.
Tuesday: How Poker (and Boredom) Can Help Solve Murders. Playing cards which turn inmates into crime fighters.
Wednesday: I took the 4th of July off, but the day before, the Athletic ran an article of mine about the history of the Mendoza Line. (If you don’t know what that means, don’t bother clicking; it’s behind a paywall anyway.)
Thursday: The Backward American Flag. Why the flag patch on the sleeves of U.S. Army uniforms appears to be backward.
5) “What Defines a Meme?” (Smithsonian, 17 minutes, May 2011). The word “meme,” in the context of the Internet at least, has taken on a new meaning over the last few years — here’s an 11-minute guide to memes today, from Wired. How the definition changed, and so quickly, is a story in and of itself. The Smithsonian story isn’t about that, though. It’s about how ideas spread online — or did seven year ago.
Jacques Monod, the Parisian biologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 1965 for working out the role of messenger RNA in the transfer of genetic information, proposed an analogy: just as the biosphere stands above the world of nonliving matter, so an “abstract kingdom” rises above the biosphere. The denizens of this kingdom? Ideas.
“Ideas have retained some of the properties of organisms,” he wrote. “Like them, they tend to perpetuate their structure and to breed; they too can fuse, recombine, segregate their content; indeed they too can evolve, and in this evolution selection must surely play an important role.”
Ideas have “spreading power,” he noted—“infectivity, as it were”—and some more than others. An example of an infectious idea might be a religious ideology that gains sway over a large group of people. The American neurophysiologist Roger Sperry had put forward a similar notion several years earlier, arguing that ideas are “just as real” as the neurons they inhabit. Ideas have power, he said:
“Ideas cause ideas and help evolve new ideas. They interact with each other and with other mental forces in the same brain, in neighboring brains, and thanks to global communication, in far distant, foreign brains. And they also interact with the external surroundings to produce in toto a burstwise advance in evolution that is far beyond anything to hit the evolutionary scene yet.”
6) “Being Babe Ruth’s Daughter” (Grantland, 25 minutes, January 2012). The subhead: “His last surviving child remembers growing up Ruth.” It’s an interesting look at the life of a child of a celebrity, especially given that it was in a world before the everywhere-media landscape we’re in today.
Have a great weekend! |
At HCA, we know how important it is to keep healthy, especially if you’re a nurse, doctor, support worker or any healthcare professional caring for other people. Looking after yourself can be a challenge, especially when you work at night. To help you prepare and recover from the sleepless night shift, we have provided 10 helpful tips below.
- Establish a better sleeping pattern
When working the night shift getting a good sleep before the shift is just as important as after. When you don’t get enough sleep, you can end up less focused and irritable at work which can put your patients at risk. To overcome this try to establish a regular sleep/wake cycle by building your schedule on the time you wake up and sleep, instead of adjusting your sleeping hours to work around your lifestyle.
It’s very important to keep hydrated during the shift to avoid fatigue and headaches. Many nurses stop drinking water after 4 am because when you try to sleep during the day you will be getting up to go to the bathroom, thus interrupting your sleep.
- Be careful with caffeinated drinks
It’s fine to have a cup of coffee or tea to keep you alert during your shift but avoid drinking caffeinated drinks after 4 am so that you’re not able to fall asleep.
- Eat well
Have dinner before your shift, so you don’t starve halfway through. Try and take some healthy snacks with you, such as raw salads, nuts, fruit, and vegetables to keep your energy up.
‘One of our nurses Terrie suggests having a smoothie after your shift. Terrie likes to combine spinach, strawberry, lime, and banana into her Nutribullet to get the vitamins she needs. She also suggests taking multi-vitamins to complement this.’
- Comfort First
If you wear contact lenses, it’s a good idea to wear your glasses during the night shift as your eyes are more likely to be tired and sore during the night. Make sure to always wear your most comfortable shoes, no matter how ugly they are! Some night shifts can be quiet and others can be quite chaotic, so comfort is important when running around.
- Exercise or stretch to stay alert
Staying active during breaks is an effective way to reboot energy levels, and may include taking a walk to the cafeteria, climbing a set of stairs, dancing to a song on the radio in the break room, or just stretching to keep your body active and re-energised.
- Take public transport
To combat fatigue, many drivers will let down car windows or turn up the volume on the radio – an alarming signal that fatigue can greatly affect the safety of a driver. Fatigue is one of the biggest killers on our roads, so take public transport if possible and get home safely.
- Unwind after your shift
If you tend to think a lot about the things that just happened in your shift and can’t sleep, why not talk to someone about it? Have a de-brief with a friend or family member, they should be up anyways as it’s daytime!
- Monitor Your Health
Working the night shift can have a detrimental effect on a nurse both physically and mentally if they do not effectively monitor their health. Working at night may put you at risk of insomnia, daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, colds, and weight gain.
So, eat well, hydrate yourself, exercise and see the doctor if you feel something isn’t right.
- Bond with Your Co-Workers
The night shift creates a completely different environment than the day shift; one that causes a nurse to become more resourceful since there is fewer managers, directors, and Physicians on duty. Bonding with co-workers not only makes the night shift easier to handle, but good communication between co-workers can also help increase the likelihood that a shift will run smoothly.
We hope these tips help you better prepare and recover from the night shift. We’re sure you probably practice some of these things already, but hope you picked up something useful tips for your next night shift.
We thought you would enjoy this meme~ |
Tugboat Captain release new track ‘Day to Day’
Like Blur’s ‘Parklife’ except posh, Tugboat Captain’s new single ‘Day to Day’ dwells on everyday mundanities, capturing the angst of a disenfranchised generation. A group difficult to confine within something as irrelevant as a ‘genre’, the band have always verged on the unconventional. Previous tracks like ‘Dreams (Memes & Schemes)’ have brought the over-production of classic rock to the meme-centric 21st century. It’s of little surprise then, that with this latest offering the London-based four piece show no signs of making their way to the straight and narrow.
Despite closing the band’s debut studio album (recorded at the prestigious Abbey Road), there’s a wonderfully chaotic feeling of home production which gives the track its soul. The orchestral accompaniments which support morbid lyrical remonstrations are not cousins of the Albert Hall, rather disruptive siblings of the school orchestra. Horn blasts and woodwind are slightly off-key, matching the off-centre poshness of the band’s public-school boy sounding vocalist Alexander Sokolow. Amongst broad remonstrations against fate “I’m not designed for hope”, it’s the small victories which really count; “each day’s a success if I can pay for my own smokes”.
In spite of the single’s dry and dour lyrics, it all feels wonderfully silly. It’s a similar posh-punk theme as successfully exploited by the likes of Sports Team, yet Tugboat Captain feel altogether more cartoonish. As the track’s conclusion gives in to the beautiful chaos, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. The slapstick comedy of Sokolow’s yells of “God I’m depressed!” contrasts a euphoric instrumental conclusion. It’s an absolutely textbook example of what Tugboat Captain do best. With new album Rut out on 16th October, the “ramshackle orchestra of friends” look set to continue funnelling the world’s chaotic energy into their singalong anthems.
Words by Adam Goldsmith
Follow Tugboat Captain on all the socials below! |
Thursday Thirteen, Edition Eleven:
Thirteen Ouch Moments
1. Yesterday, we took The Teenager for her first consultation with the orthodontist. She needs to have four teeth pulled before they will even think about putting braces on her. Four.
2. The braces are going to cost $5000. Five thousand dollars.
3. After tiring of Rowdie’s insistence on humping every new person he meets, Monday; we took him to the vet and had him fixed. Yep, snipped those suckers right off. If his baleful expression of woe is any indication; we totally hurt his pride, if not his body.
4. In an effort to regain some control over my rapidly expanding girth, I recently started working out again. Long-time readers will realize that this heralds the return of The Exercise Induced Tourettes. Shit!ouch!motherfuck!damn!
5. We just got the bill from the Man-Cub’s recent appendectomy. Thank God for insurance but, still, ouch.
6. Hugh has been suffering from a virus related to the virus that causes Shingles and he is in some major pain. Which makes him a major pain, as all you wimmens out there will understand.
7. School starts next Wednesday. The children are going to have to start getting out of bed early and shit. My head hurts just thinking about the struggle ahead.
8. Speaking of school starting, this weekend we are headed to Neighboring City to do our school-clothes shopping. I don’t even want to think about how much that’s going to cost but, suffice it to say; I have an arm and a leg picked out already.
9. My older sister and my niece were in a car accident the day before yesterday. My sister’s beloved Mustang was damaged pretty badly but, luckily, my sister and my niece were able to walk away.
10. My hair stylist-the stylist I have used for the past ten years-is moving away. Granted, we have recently had a few not-so-great hair moments between us, due to her tendency to get carried away with the scissors while venting to me about all the troubles she has been having with her teenage son but, still; now I have to find a new stylist. That’s worse than having to start dating again or, so I’ve heard.
11. Last night, the Man-Cub stubbed his pinky toe three times in the space of an hour. On different objects in different rooms. The toe is currently the biggest toe on his foot, thanks to the swelling. I’m fairly confident that it isn’t broken but, there is no way I am taking him to the doctor to find out, see above: Hospital bills, orthodontist bills, vet bills back-to-school shopping, inevitable bill for therapy once the search for a stylist is underway.
12. While straightening my hair this morning, I accidentally burned my neck with the flat iron. Now I have a hickey and I didn’t even get to have any fun.
13. I just burned my tongue on my coffee.
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There is so much more we could overanalyse and show you, but you need to watch the video for yourself, it might just be the greatest thing you’ll see this week. I succeeded for 17 minutes.” Thus begins Perkins senior Ashley Purdy’s podcast, “When The Lights Went Out,” an 11-minute examination of her journey from being a sighted Westfield (MA) High School student in 2016 to graduating from Perkins School for the Blind in June 2020.. Nikki and Ashley were together for a brief fling, Deanna and Ashley were together in a on again off again romance, but Kina and Ashley used to be together in a serious committed monogamous relationship and are still close friends today. Thanks! BLACK VEIL BRIDES' longtime bassist Ashley Purdy spoke to Sonic Perspectives about his surprise departure from the band last November. As more women began to speak out, Aleena Averly, a woman who claimed to be a former associate of the band took to Twitter to recount instances in which she witnessed Purdy inappropriately engage with underage fans. The average Ashley Purdy is around 37 years of age with around 86% falling in to the age group of 21-40. Hi, all. Brit metallers Svalbard hit The K! For days our Twitter mentions have been flooded with people requesting that we watch Ashley Purdy’s new music video for King For A Day. These include allegations of sex with underage girls, physical, verbal, and psychological abuse, providing minors with drugs and alcohol, and rape. Former Black Veil Brides bassist Ashley Purdy has found himself at the center of allegations of mental and sexual abuse by a woman on Twitter.Across a series of tweets which you can find here, a woman identified as Pearl came forward detailing her experiences with Purdy.Other women have also come forward with similar allegations of mental abuse on social media, sharing them under this hashtag. He was born on January 28, 1984, in Berger, Missouri, United States but later he moved to Los Angeles to become a musician. Quite literally, if you look at the amount of treasure our hero has relinquished from Mean Mr Dragon. However, these statements have been worsening over time and I can assure you many false allegations have been made. Ashley Purdy Talks About His New Solo Career and His Separation From the Band Published on : 24/03/2020 04/09/2020 by Rai Jayne Hearse Whilst the country is on lockdown we got the chance to (virtually) catch up with ex-Black Veil Brides bassist Ashley Purdy and chat about his solo career. Following Carolina’s allegations, several other women soon spoke out with their own allegations, with another Twitter user detailing an alleged encounter with Purdy when she was just 17-years-old. Get the latest Metal news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Now, let’s get this out of the way early, the song is catchy as hell. It might be the best part of the entire video. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732. He was then arrested, and later urinated “on the backseat of the patrol vehicle”. Following the allegations, Ashley Purdy has since released two statements denying all allegations against him. And if you do decide to open your mouth to speak on this situation, let it either be to admit you are in the wrong or otherwise don’t say anything. Like when you’re teaching a child to write in pencil then going over it in pen for realsies. And it is staggering. LOOK OUT ASHLEY! Former BLACK VEIL BRIDES bassist Ashley Purdy has shot down the "many false allegations" that have been made on social media about his character. Crowdcast demo. Ashley Purdy is an American bassist, actor, entrepreneur, and singer, best known as a member of the American rock/metal band Black Veil Brides between 2009 and November 2019. We’re off to watch it again. This is a thread about my experience with #AshleyPurdy as a 17 year old. She also said that, following a Black Veil Brides concert, the bassist coerced her into drinking alcohol before engaging in a sexual act on the band’s tour bus. Ask anything you want to learn about Ashley Purdy † by getting answers on ASKfm. Ver más ideas sobre jake pitts, andy biersack, good charlotte. For days our Twitter mentions have been flooded with people requesting that we watch Ashley Purdy’s new music video for King For A Day. Ashley Purdy is an American musician who serves as the bassist and vocalist of the rock band, Black Veil Brides (BVB). Twitter; Facebook; ASHLEY PURDY: 'I Still Currently Own Half Of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' February 27, 2020 0 Comments Ex-BLACK VEIL BRIDES bassist Ashley Purdy says that he still owns half of the BVB corporation. The world’s population was 4,786,483,862 and there were an estimated 133,872,578 babies born throughout the world in 1984, Ronald Reagan (Republican) was the president of the United States, and the number one song on Billboard 100 was "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes. He loves drinking Jack Daniels and Pepsi. He is known as one of the members of the American rock band, Black Veil Brides. Now this is the money shot. Ask anything you want to learn about Ashley Purdy by getting answers on ASKfm. Ashley has 5.5 years of experience working in the tech industry in some form of employment services. Ashley Purdy – the former bassist for Black Veil Brides – has slammed allegations of sexual abuse after several women came forward last week over social media claiming various alleged instances of physical, verbal and psychological abuse. Ashley Purdy – the former bassist for Black Veil Brides – has slammed allegations of sexual abuse after several women came forward last week over social media claiming various alleged instances of physical, verbal and psychological abuse.. 4. “At this time, despite my concern for everyone involved, I feel I have no choice but to proceed with legal action to quickly bring the truth to light. I won’t want to hear it.”. Learn more. Tweet after tweet, members of the Purdy Posse sent us the link to the fantasy-inspired video, starring the ex-Black Veil Brides man as a knight/prince/pirate hybrid. Former Black Veil Brides bassist Ashley Purdy has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. Awwww. Time for the truth.”. Sure. Get in touch with Ashley Purdy (@PurdyBoy) — 41 answers, 294 likes. 13-oct-2020 - Explora el tablero "Ashley Purdy" de Dark Woman , que 187 personas siguen en Pinterest. Bernie Sanders (and his mittens) graces the cover of albums by everyone from My Chemical Romance to Metallica to Jane’s Addiction to Fall Out Boy…. pic.twitter.com/YY18ZEZ35m. He is a Glam metal bassist and backing vocalist for Black Veil Brides. Ashley Purdy is a famous America bassist. And I don’t care what defence he thinks he has,” the second alleged victim concluded. He continued, “I am asking all my friends and fans to be patient and reserve judgment as my attorneys work to clear my name. The bassist – who has been with the band since 2009 – … Former Black Veil Brides bassist/vocalist Ashley Purdy was arrested last week after being found unresponsive behind the wheel of his vehicle with the engine running. Sorry I completely forgot to post this earlier. We’re not going to break it down scene by scene because there is simply so much going on, but here are some highlights from Ashley’s odyssey to save an imprisoned princess. Oh, what a video. “We have enjoyed a wonderful run together and both parties wish one another continued success moving forward.”. “I will be satisfied. He joined 3 years after the band’s formation and remained the band’s bassist and backing singer for 5 of their studio albums. Calling her recount “just the tip of the iceberg“, Carolina alleged that meeting Purdy in Tennessee in March, he soon began a pattern of abusive behaviour which initially began with Carolina “being torn apart mentally and emotionally,” culminating in Purdy having “unprotected sex” with her while she was “extremely intoxicated.”, “If I can save even just ONE girl from having to experience the emotional and mental trauma all of us girls and women went through because of him,” Carolina wrote following the series of tweets. Until then, I hope that everyone stays safe and knows I am doing everything possible to quickly and responsibly resolve this situation.”. On Nov. 15, BVB announced Purdy’s departure after 10 years with the band. So watch it we did. “When I was 17, I committed suicide. She also supplied several text message screenshots allegedly showing the pair’s conversations. Oh, and there’s a dragon. Here it is. Thanks for installing Crowdcast! Ashley Purdy Biography - Affair, Single, Ethnicity, Nationality, Salary, Net Worth, Height | Who is Ashley Purdy? The allegations first gained traction after a Twitter user named Pearl Carolina claimed that the 41-year-old subjected her to “emotional and mental abuse” after she began conversing with the star via Instagram in February this year. Millennials is a generation who grew up with computers, internet and social networks. Dream big and it will happen! It has only been a few hours and Ashely Purdy’s “Nowhere” is a big hit amongst fans. Get in touch with Ashley Purdy † (@MrPurdy) — 4027 answers, 14041 likes. It looks oddly like the loading screen of a Dungeons And Dragons ripoff game for Windows 98. His exit from the group took place not long after he spent time in a psychiatric hospital to undergo intensive grief counseling and therapy from a … There are many parts of the story, so bare with me. Nothing says ‘We’re here to rock’ like awkwardly swinging your guitar in front of a Medieval castle. Ashley Purdy in the US . Hanging out on a pirate ship, catching a shooting star. “The last time I was around him, [he] got an underaged girl drunk on the bus that he had [to] meet around back of the venue because security wouldn’t let her through because she was underage,” Averly said. Our King and his Queen, standing under an arch, staring at their kingdom. 0 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from ‘ashleypurdy’ hashtag Ashley Purdy’s statement comes after his former Black Veil Brides bandmates released a statement on social media in regards to the allegations against the ex-bassist, who exited the band at the end of 2019. Former Black Veil Brides bassist Ashley Purdy has been accused of abuse, both sexually and psychologically by former girlfriends. We didn’t notice this on our first watch (trust us, we have watched it a lot) but the princess is writing OVER THE TOP OF WRITING THAT IS ALREADY THERE. ... Sign in with Twitter. Having been raised under the mantra "follow your dreams" and being told they were special, … Bassist Ashley Purdy has parted ways with Black Veil Brides in a mutual agreement between both parties.. Currently, she works for Metis, a data science educator, as a Career Advisor. Ashley Purdy Age, Bio, Profile| Contact Details (Phone number, Email, Instagram, Twitter)- ASHLEY PURDY is a famous 34 – Years old bassist and backing vocalist for the American rock band Black Veil Brides. She teaches […] The entire Kerrang! Nottingham heavyweights Palm Reader hit The K! Ashley Purdy: Birth Facts, Family, and I have the receipts. He joined 3 years after the band’s formation and remained the band’s bassist and backing singer for 5 of their studio albums. The band broke the news of Purdy's departure via a statement posted on its social media channels. After recruiting Ashley transitioned into career coaching at the university level, supporting technical programs. Carolina’s posts quickly lead to hashtag #AshleyPurdy trending across Twitter, encouraging other alleged victims to come forward with their own stories involving the bassist. I am mortified by what is being said.”. The user then posted a video that reportedly shows her getting on Black Veil Bride’s tour bus on the night of the alleged encounter. Also, is that quill from a flamingo? But the real talking point is the video. The top state of residence is California, followed by Texas. People asking to see the video. I don’t want anything to do with you. Don’t ask us how they got there, don’t ask about narrative, don’t ask about the dragon we don’t actually see get slain, just know that they all lived happily ever after. We found 41 records in 30 states for Ashley Purdy in the US. BLACK VEIL BRIDES have split with bassist Ashley Purdy.. Pit in association with Nordic Spirit at Blondies, our favourite East London dive bar. Sign in with Google. ☺️ loving it! 444k Followers, 17 Following, 927 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from ☆ ☆ (@ashleypurdyinc) “We have been informed of the allegations against a former member of our band and we want to make it clear that we do not condone the type of abhorrent behaviour that’s been described,” the statement began. He has been in relationships with Deanna Riordan, Nikki Benz, and Kina Tavarozi. The 40-year-old musician was only awoken after several minutes of police knocking on the window of his vehicle to rouse him at 3:30am in Nashville, TN on November 23rd. Prior to joining BVB, he had been in many other bands like Orgasm, Stolen Hearts, and Children of the Beast. The very best rock and metal album covers featuring the Bernie Sanders inauguration meme, FEVER 333 unleash WRONG GENERATION video featuring Travis Barker. More on Ashley Purdy. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. In a thread, she outlined her account of Purdy’s alleged predatory behaviour, in which she claimed he verbally abused her and sent her sexually suggestive photographs of women he wanted her to emulate. Ashley Purdy is an American bassist, actor, entrepreneur, and singer, best known as a member of the American rock/metal band Black Veil Brides between 2009 and November 2019. “I don’t want an apology from you. “I know the truth. Please read my statement in its entirety, with an open mind and without bias. Black Veil Brides have announced the immediate departure of bassist Ashley Purdy in a short statement posted to Twitter.. Ashley joined Black Veil Brides in 2009, and has been a full-time fixture on the band's line-up ever since. Content Warning: This article discusses sexual abuse. Have you ever tried to climb a green screen? Laura Sánchez Recommended for you He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Just another day in the office when you’re a fairy tale champion. If you’ve spent months wondering where Drogon flew off to in Game Of Thrones, call off the search. “We are committed to creating a safe community for our fans and advancing a culture in which abuse of any kind is not tolerated.”, Purdy joined Black Veil Brides in 2009 before the group announced they had “mutually agreed to part ways” with the bassist. |
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish (http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html).
I don’t read a lot of straight-up humor books, so this post should probably more accurately be called “Ten Awesome Books that Also Happen to Have Really Funny Parts.” I also included funny quotes!
- Good Omens: This is a wonderful, wonderful book co-written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s a hilarious account of the impending apocalypse and the main characters are an angel and demon who are best friends. Funny quote (long, sorry):
“I mean, d’you know what eternity is? There’s this big mountain, see, a mile high, at the end of the universe, and once every thousand years there’s this little bird-“
“What little bird?” said Aziraphale suspiciously.
“This little bird I’m talking about. And every thousand years-“
“The same bird every thousand years?”
Crowley hesitated. “Yeah,” he said.
“Bloody ancient bird, then.”
“Okay. And every thousand years this bird flies-“
“-flies all the way to this mountain and sharpens its beak-“
“Hold on. You can’t do that. Between here and the end of the universe there’s loads of-” The angel waved a hand expansively, if a little unsteadily. “Loads of buggerall, dear boy.”
“But it gets there anyway,” Crowley persevered.
“It doesn’t matter!”
“It could use a space ship,” said the angel.
Crowley subsided a bit. “Yeah,” he said. “If you like. Anyway, this bird-“
“Only it is the end of the universe we’re talking about,” said Aziraphale. “So it’d have to be one of those space ships where your descendants are the ones who get out at the other end. You have to tell your descendants, you say, When you get to the Mountain, you’ve got to-” He hesitated. “What have
they got to do?”
“Sharpen its beak on the mountain,” said Crowley. “And then it flies back-“
“-in the space ship-“
“And after a thousand years it goes and does it all again,” said Crowley quickly.
There was a moment of drunken silence.
“Seems a lot of effort just to sharpen a beak,” mused Aziraphale.
“Listen,” said Crowley urgently, “the point is that when the bird has worn the mountain down to nothing, right, then-“
Aziraphale opened his mouth. Crowley just knew he was going to make some point about the relative hardness of birds’ beaks and granite mountains, and plunged on quickly.
“-then you still won’t have finished watching The Sound of Music.”
“And you’ll enjoy it,” Crowley said relentlessly. “You really will.”
“My dear boy-“
“You won’t have a choice.”
“Heaven has no taste.”
“And not one single sushi restaurant.”
A look of pain crossed the angel’s suddenly very serious face.”
2. The Magicians by Lev Grossman – this tends to be a love it or hate it book, and I am firmly on Team Love It. The humor in this book is very dark and subtle, which is perfect for the theme of growing up and finding yourself disillusioned with your childhood fantasies. Funny quote:
“Josh speculated about the hypothetical contents of an imaginary porn magazine for intelligent trees that would be entitled Enthouse.”
3. The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews: these books are full of action, romance, and friendship, but they are also ridiculously hilarious. Kate, the main character, has an inability to react to situations without sarcasm and tends to mock every adversary and authority figure she comes into contact with. Funny quote:
“I gave him my best cryptic smile. He did not fall down to his feet, kiss my shoes, and promise me the world. I must be getting rusty.”
4. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins: if you like fantasy and dark humor, then this one is for you. It borders on the absurd at times, and the humor helps keep all of the craziness grounded–to a point. Funny quote:
“There might be others,” Alicia said. “Some of the ones we don’t see much. Q-33 North, maybe?” But she was looking at Nobununga, thoughtful.
“Is he the one with the tentacles?”
“No, that’s Barry O’Shea. Q-33 North is the sort of iceberg with legs, remember? Up in Norway?”
5. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley: This is a recent read and I’ve been posting about it nonstop. It’s about a secret government agency in London called the Checquy protecting England against mysterious supernatural threats, and for all the life-or-death situations present in the book, it also manages to have a constant snarky humor that keeps you from taking it all too seriously but lets you get invested enough to really care about all of the characters. That’s a delicate balance to strike! Funny quote:
“And the minibar in my hotel room was mysteriously emptied.”
“By arcane forces beyond the understanding of normal human beings?” asked Myfanwy as she sifted through the in-box. It was the sort of question you learned to ask automatically when you worked with the Checquy.
“No, it was me,” admitted Shantay without a shred of embarrassment.”
6. The Martian by Andy Weir
“He’s stuck out there. He thinks he’s totally alone and that we all gave up on him. What kind of effect does that have on a man’s psychology?” He turned back to Venkat. “I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”
LOG ENTRY: SOL 61 How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.”
7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
“Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has.” |
Dungeons and Dragons has never been more popular! And I know that so many of you dream of running a wonderful campaign for your family, but are intimidated by the perceived cost. I’m here to tell you that you and yours could be roaming the countryside and venturing into dangerous dungeons without spending a dime.
The internet and a little ingenuity go pretty far nowadays, and, frankly, if the internet can teach me how to fix my furnace, then it can help you play D&D with your kids.
At its core, Dungeons and Dragons is a shared storytelling game. There are tactical combat rules, but you can eschew or improvise away so many of them that they aren’t all that important. What *IS* important though is a sense of imagination. You’ve been telling your kids stories since they were born. This is an opportunity for them to tell the story with you.
I know some folks might think that’s cheesy, but it’s not. More than half of the fun of running a D&D game is watching what the players do and seeing how they react to your characters and actions. That is even more interesting when you are watching your kids. You’ll be amazed at the wild things they do and the stories they come up with!
Dice Rolling Apps
The internet and meme culture will tell you that you absolutely MUST have 15-20 sets of multicolored dice made from different materials. I’ll admit that they are fun, but they aren’t necessary to play. You have a bunch of different options such as:
- SIRI (Go ahead. Right now. Ask SIRI to roll a D20.)
- Free iOS Apps like Dice Ex Machina, Dungeon Dice, or Tabletop RPG Dice.
- Free Android Apps like RPG Simple Dice, Dice Roller, and Dice – A free dice roller.
- When in doubt Google it.
You do have the option to purchase the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual from Amazon or your local book store.
However, both the basic rules for Dungeons and Dragons and the SRD or “System Reference Document” are both available on the Dungeons and Dragons Website.
The Basic Rules
The System Reference Document
Note: A System Reference Document(SRD) is a reference for a role-playing game’s mechanics licensed under the Open Game License (OGL). This document is published to allow third party publishers to create content using those rules.
Another barrier that some people see to being able to play D&D are character sheets. They are important to the game, but they aren’t costly. Firstly, you could just make your own character sheets, but there are plenty of character sheets that you can print (or fill out digitally). Two examples from DMSguild.com are listed below. They are both great free resources that you can use.
All of the tools don’t help much if you need an adventure to run! The first option would be to make up your own. Draw up some maps, write up some NPCs and make the adventure yourself. But, not everyone likes that (or has the time). Fortunately, there are plenty of free adventures you can download from websites like DMSguild.com. I’ve listed four well-rated adventures below, but there are TONS more available.
Follow The Lights
On Her Majesty’s Pest Control Service
A Trilogy of Shorter Adventures
When you see pictures of people playing D&D on Instagram or Facebook they also ways involved gorgeously painted miniatures on beautifully detailed maps. This is NOT a requirement. I played for YEARS using miniatures that I pulled from old board games and chess sets. Bottle caps, Shopkins, and coins are all reasonable.
Maps can be a little tricky, but I guarantee that anyone reason this has a checkerboard or two lying around. You can form your dungeon rooms by placing index cards or construction paper over different parts of the board.
Another alternative is to eschew the tactical part of combat entirely and stick to descriptions.
No More Excuses
So. There we go. I just eliminated all of the objections. You don’t need to spend a dime to play Dungeons and Dragons with your kids. Now get out there and tell some stories (and make wonderful memories while you’re at it)!
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in Alex from Target's case, a picture is worth over 500,000 Twitter followers.
Alex, now better known as #AlexFromTarget, was just a normal guy who worked at Target until this Sunday when he became the Internet's newest favorite meme. Twitter user @auscalem (now private) shared a photo of the young male cashier at Target with the caption "YOOOOOOOOOO" and suddenly, Twitter users everywhere starting sharing the photo and talking about "Alex from Target," many of them using the photo to create memes. (You can see many of those memes on BuzzFeed.)
— Alex (@alcl63) November 3, 2014
In fact, if you search the keywords "Alex from Target" on social analytics website Topsy, you'll find that within the past few days, over 1.1 million people have tweeted about him. Alex took to his own Twitter account Sunday to ask, "Am i [sic] famous now?" which got over 38,000 retweets. His account now has over 546,000 followers, and yesterday, celebrity talk show host Ellen DeGeneres invited him to be on her show. She wrote, "Hey, #AlexFromTarget, it's #EllenFromEllen."
Perhaps the best thing about Alex's overnight fame is how Target responded to the situation. Target's Twitter account wrote, "We heart Alex, too! #alexfromtarget" alongside an image of Alex's nametag. Simple, yet effective — a tweet from Target's account the previous day announcing a sale received 103 retweets and 134 favorites, but their supportive #AlexFromTarget tweet hit 28,000 retweets and 43,000 favorites. And that's the power of memes.
— Target (@Target) November 3, 2014
So let's talk about memes. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a meme is "an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture." But most likely you know memes as those funny pictures with puns and jokes overlaid on top in bold, white lettering. Other examples of memes are viral videos like the series of "Harlem Shake" videos that took over the Internet in early 2013.
Since memes are already viral by definition, it can be tempting to use them to your advantage in your marketing strategy. This is often referred to as "memejacking" and if it's done right, it can really push your social marketing over the edge. But memes can be tricky, and if you mess up, it can be pretty embarrassing.
Here are three important steps to memejack the correct way:
Understand the meme first. If you're unsure of the correct way to use a meme, don't just try it anyway. Go to KnowYourMeme.com, search for the particular meme you're interested in, and read up on it before you even get started. If you use a meme incorrectly, it can seriously backfire.
Don't waste time. Some memes stay popular for years, and others fall flat after a few months or even days. If you're going to memejack, do it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you could end up using it too late.
Make sure it's appropriate. If your business has a very serious reputation, and subsequently, a very serious audience, using memes could actually offend or isolate people — the exact opposite of what you want.
Need some examples? These three companies really know their memes:
Denny's: Denny's is one of the few brands that does Tumblr marketing well, mostly because it embraces the use of memes wholeheartedly. The restaurant chain regularly shares hilarious images. A notable example? Denny's made a play on advertisements for the gold iPhone 5 by sharing a picture of pancakes with the text "Pancakes" stylized like the iPhone advertisement and the subtext, "Always available in golden." (You can see more of the company's memes here.)
Wonderful Pistachios: The snack food brand has created several commercials that are based on viral videos, including one with "Keyboard Cat," a viral video and meme that dates all the way back to 2007, and a Super Bowl spot that featured South Korean singer-songwriter Psy and played off his hit 2012 music video for "Gangnam Style" (which now has over 2 billion views on YouTube).
Seamless: You've probably used the Seamless website to order takeout before, but if you're not following Seamless on Twitter, you're missing out on some great laughs. The account regularly makes food jokes and puns, but Seamless really shone during this year's Academy Awards season when it shared its own "#OscarNomNoms" memes, which turned Oscar-nominated movie posters into food puns like "The Wolf of Waffle Street."
And if you really want to try memejacking for your next marketing campaign, make sure you don't make the same mistakes these marketers did …
FAFSA: This summer, the Federal College Financial Aid Twitter account posted a tweet that read, "If this is you, then you better fill out your FAFSA" with a still from the movie "Bridesmaids" that read "Help me, I'm poor." However, given how many people struggle with student debt, the tweet was very poorly received. FAFSA later deleted the tweet and shared an apology. "We apologize for the insensitivity of our previous tweet. Our goal is to make college a reality for all. We're very sorry," the organization wrote.
Kia/Cheezburger, Inc.: This memejacking fail is particularly disappointing because the Cheezburger Network is a network of meme websites — as in, the organization should've known better.The company teamed up with Kia (yes, the car company) in 2012 for a campaign it called "Seasons Memeing," which encouraged users to create Kia-themed memes in an effort to win a gift card. Many of the memes that were created didn't make sense, and the Internet was none too pleased.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The organization made a huge meme mistake when it borrowed the "doge" meme (you might recognize it as a picture of a Shiba Inu dog with colorful text overlaid that says things like "wow" and "such doge") to promote Obamacare. The organization not only used the meme inappropriately, but also used the wrong picture. The overlaid text included: "So health insurance," "Very benefits," "Wow," "Many coverage," "Much affordable," and "Such Healthcare.gov." It's no wonder it fell flat.
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This article originally published at BusinessNewsDaily here |
Naked Brand Group (NAKD) stock has gained more than 600 percent YTD. For investors looking for cheap meme stocks, Naked Brand is a candidate. Currently, it trades under $1.50. What is NAKD's stock forecast for 2021?
Naked Brand Group is an apparel company that sells intimate wear and swimwear. Its portfolio includes brands like namesake Naked, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Bendon, Davenport, Pleasure State, and Lovable.
WallStreetBets drove NAKD stock
Naked Brand stock surged in January alongside GameStop (GME) and AMC Theatres (AMC). The stocks skyrocketed as retail investors on Reddit community WallStreetBets took on Wall Street elites. WallStreetBets investors targeted heavily shorted stocks with the intention of sparking a short squeeze. Elon Musk and Chamath Palihapitiya cheered them on and the trick worked. GME stock took off and the short squeeze frenzy ensued.
Naked Brands was one of the heavily shorted stocks. Seeing what was going on with GameStop, short-sellers in NAKD stock rushed to close their positions, which lifted the stock and increased the demand.
Naked Brand's (NAKD) stock forecast
Since the short squeeze frenzy that fired up Naked Brand has fizzled out, investors are trying to figure out NAKD's stock forecast. Naked Brand has come a long way. At one point, it traded as low as $0.07 and faced the threat of being delisted from Nasdaq. The short squeeze frenzy drove it to as high as $3.40. While Naked Brand's stock forecast is being debated, there isn't any doubt that it’s beating the market in 2021. NAKD's more than 600 percent gain YTD dwarfs the S&P 500’s 4 percent return during the same period.
Can NAKD stock keep rising or will it give up its gains soon? Penny stocks can be volatile. There will be those taking profits after the sharp rally and that will put pressure on the stock. After those seeking to take profit have had their time, Naked Brand stock could start rising again.
Naked Brand might not be the best apparel company out there. In fact, the company made a loss of more than $30 million in its latest fiscal year. However, Naked Brand has a chance to get better, which would attract more investors to the stock.
Naked Brand has an enormous growth opportunity. The global intimate wear market is forecast to grow more than 8 percent over the next five years to exceed $325 billion by 2025. Meanwhile, the global swimwear market is forecast to grow to $28 billion in annual revenue in 2024 from $18.5 billion in 2017.
Why NAKD stock's valuation looks stretched
NAKD stock has gained more than 1,940 percent over its 52-week low. However, it still trades at a 60 percent discount to its 52-week high. Trading at 9.68x LTM revenue, the valuation looks stretched for now.
Should you buy NAKD stock now?
Naked Brand is trying to transform itself into a better business that can thrive in the digital era. The company is doubling down on e-commerce because the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping.
Naked Brand took advantage of the rally in its stock to raise $50 million through a secondary offering of its shares. The secondary offering gave the company more cash to finance its transformation.
At the same time, the company remains mindful of costs. For example, Naked Brand is divesting its unprofitable physical stores subsidiary Bendon. Dropping Bendon should eliminate some costs and help management to focus more on building a promising e-commerce business. Also, the company will offload some debts associated with Bendon. About $24 million is currently tied to the business. Removing the debt should clean up the company's balance sheet. Naked aims to complete the sale of Bendon in April 2021.
There isn't any doubt that Naked Brand can get its business back on track and thrive again. However, considering NAKD stock’s stretched valuation right now, it might be best to wait for those taking profit to do so first. This would allow time for the price to fall and let you enter at a good bargain opportunity. |
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Check out 6️⃣ New Posts last week…
Book Reviews posted for 1️⃣ book:
Lost Roses by Martha Hall
I finished 3️⃣ three books last week and just in time because they are all 🆕 new TOMORROW (March 5th)!
I had a great time at The Ripped Bodice Bookstore on Sunday. The Ripped Bodice is the only exclusively romance bookstore in the United States! Sisters and owners Leah and Bea Koch raised $91,000 on Kickstarter to bring their dream of a romance-only bookstore to life.
They’re celebrating their 3rd Birthday and the store and displays were even cuter than I’d heard! You can see more pictures here.
The two books below are my current reads. Look for my review posts!
Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams | Historical Fiction, mobsters and mystery? I’m in!
Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard by Jamie Raintree | This Women’s Fiction title is about two estranged friends coming together to complete a bucket list. Sounds interesting!
The Week Ahead:
There is a lot of excitement at Book Fairy HQ this week as we prepare for our official second birthday on Friday, International Women’s Day, March 8th!
I’ll be celebrating with The Book Fairies by hiding feminist books all around Orange County!
#ibelieveinbookfairies #bookfairies #bookfairybirthday
Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to know what you’re doing/reading/making/watching this week… or post your weekly recap link below!
#IMWAYR is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to recap your weekend and plan your reading goals for the week ahead. |
8:40am PT by Eriq Gardner
Court Rules Photographer Gave Up Exclusive Licensing Rights by Posting on Instagram
When it comes to appropriating images found online, the situation is understandably confusing. If an individual posts something on social media, does that give someone else the right to use it in a different forum? Most lawyers would likely answer, "Not so fast," and yet on Monday came a suggestive ruling perhaps otherwise from a New York federal court.
The plaintiff in the case is Stephanie Sinclair, a professional photographer known for exploring gender and human rights issues around the world. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Time magazine and National Geographic. She uploaded one of her photographs — an image of a mother and child in Guatemala — to Instagram. Later, the news site Mashable contacted her because it wanted to reuse the image for a story on female photographers. Mashable offered $50. Sinclair declined. Mashable used the image anyway by embedding her Instagram post in its story. Sinclair claimed copyright infringement.
How would the case play out? Would it turn on application of the so-called "server test," where liability for direct infringement depends on where the infringing images are stored? Two years ago, in a case that involved an embedded image of NFL quarterback Tom Brady, a different New York federal judge rejected the server test and ruled that news websites could be liable for using embedded images. That ruling had throngs of lawyers expressing concern about a potential disruption to the online ecosphere.
Oddly, that decision in Goldman v. Breitbart gets only a brief mention in Monday's opinion — basically, a footnote to explain the embedding process. Instead, U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood decides to veer in a totally different direction, and in so doing, light potential fireworks.
"Here, [Sinclair] granted Instagram the right to sublicense the Photograph, and Instagram validly exercised that right by granting Mashable a sublicense to display the Photograph," rules Wood.
Wood writes that because Sinclair "uploaded the Photograph to Instagram and designated it as 'public,' she agreed to allow Mashable, as Instagram’s sublicensee, to embed the Photograph in its website."
For years, there's at least been some theoretical concern in the creative community about what rights are forfeited by using social media to share expression. Almost a decade ago, Warner Bros. bought rights to a story that was posted on Reddit — leading THR, ESQ to examine whether the studio actually held exclusive movie rights. A few years later, Sony was primed to do battle over the creepypasta internet meme that had formed the basis for a horror film. The case settled.
Now, Wood comes out with an opinion that addresses Sinclair's arguments — many of which have been bandied about by others in different contexts.
The opinion (read below) runs through more legal arguments before getting to something that could spread chills in the creative community.
Sinclair "argues that it is unfair for Instagram to force a professional photographer like [her] to choose between 'remain[ing] in "private mode" on one of the most popular public photo sharing platforms in the world,' and granting Instagram a right to sub-license her photographs to users like Mashable," writes the judge. "Unquestionably, Instagram’s dominance of photograph- and video-sharing social media, coupled with the expansive transfer of rights that Instagram demands from its users, means that Plaintiff’s dilemma is a real one. But by posting the Photograph to her public Instagram account, Plaintiff made her choice. This Court cannot release her from the agreement she made."
James Bartolomei, attorney for Sinclair, expressed disappointment with the outcome. "We believe no photographer knowingly contracted away their ownership rights in their photos when they choose to use Instagram," he added. "We remind everyone that this is only one single federal district court opinion and is not the binding law of the United States or even the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Our client is considering an appeal." |
The supermodel, 24, sizzled in the sunshine with her NBA star beau, 23, in Miami after attending the Super Bowl Halftime show the night before. The pair showed off their hot bods as they relaxed with drinks and food, kicking back at their luxury hotel on Monday afternoon. The Philadelphia 76err point guard is gearing up for a game against Miami Heat today, and he used his free afternoon to spend time with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star. Kendall, who previously dated fellow NBA player Blake Griffin , showed off her famous figure in a skimpy pink bikini and later covered up with a matching hat and sarong as the couple made their way inside. The catwalk star was first linked to Ben in March But they split last May, with sources saying she binned him so she could go back to being in “fun mode” with her friends. The relationship ran its course. They added: “She’s spending time with her friends and is back to being in fun mode. Before that, there had been signs things were not looking good between them when she said she doesn’t talk about her relationship because she doesn’t know how long it will last. Kendall told Vogue Australia: “I’m very young and right now I feel like relationships aren’t always super-certain.
Kendall Jenner fires back at fan who mocked her NBA dating history
But last night, she and her rumored boyfriend Ben Simmons went on a public date ahead of their first Valentine’s Day together. They held players, something they’ve together really done in front of paparazzi. They did kiss once back in the summer though But Jenner devoted Wednesday night to Simmons. She was filmed arriving at Madison Square Garden for his game. His team won, so the two got dinner at Zuma to celebrate.
When speculations about him dating Kendall Jenner began spreading, Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star is followed everywhere she goes by the paparazzi. And fans began speculating whether Kylie Jenner had a new boyfriend. He has been very close to the Kardashian and Jenner clan. When speculations about him dating Kendall Jenner began spreading, Kendall immediately shut them by posting a picture with Fai Khadra on her Instagram.
Fai Khadra is a year-old model and musician. But, the model is of Palestinian heritage. It has also been reported that the Palestinian Model has twin sisters who are DJs and fashionistas. His twin sisters Simi and Haze Khadra, have been regulars at renowned fashion week since they were 14 years old. Reportedly the twin sisters have parlayed their internet fame to start a career as a DJ duo. The two were spotted arm-in-arm. This was not the first time the makeup mogul and the model had spent time together.
Kendall Jenner Just Called Out a Twitter Troll Criticizing Her Dating Track Record
By Francesca Bacardi. Kendall Jenner dunked on a fan who dared to mock her dating history involving NBA players. Read Next. Yolanda Hadid confirms daughter Gigi Hadid’s pregnancy.
Even though Kendall Jenner has kept her relationship private, there is a Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines.
The 76ers won , for those keeping score, to Jenner and Simmons hit all the relationship milestones: romantic beach vacation ; a shared Los Angeles rental; a weirdly mundane date at the grocery store. They also weathered multiple sightings of Jenner getting intimate with Anwar Hadid, brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid. Of course, flying across the country is quite the display of commitment. Honestly, the back-and-forth over their relationship status is probably due in part to the tabloid echo chamber.
It can stay that way. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Kendall Jenner Breaking News, Photos, and Videos
Long reads. Coronavirus Advice. Lockdown Guide. UK Politics. Lib Dems. Green Party.
Kendall Jenner spotted at dinner with NBA’s Devin Booker. Interestingly enough, Booker was linked to Jordyn Woods in when Jenner was dating A few months later, news broke that the couple had called it quits.
According to E! News, the year-old supermodel and NBA star’s latest outing together came on Monday, August 17, when they were seen leaving a pet shop in Malibu together along with Devin’s dog Haven. The athlete held his pet’s leash as the reality star walked alongside him. An eyewitness described, “They were just out running errands. It was a very casual outing, but it seems they are spending more time together for sure and getting closer. A second source told E! News, “She’s excited to have him out in LA so they can spend some in-person time together.
They have been staying together and hanging out in Malibu with friends and family. She definitely prefers to keep her relationships on the down-low, but she likes him and she’s happy to be with him right now. For now, they are together in LA having fun and hanging out. The basketball star Booker opted for a hoodie, shorts, and sneakers for the casual outing, while Kendall sported an all-white ensemble.
Kendall Jenner Upgraded With a Richer NBA Boyfriend
Kendall Jenner is said to be in a new relationship after being pictured getting cosy on the beach with basketball star Devin Booker. Get the best celeb exclusives and video house tours to your inbox every evening with our daily newsletter. The stunning 24 year old has been pictured getting close to Phoenix Suns basketball player Devin Booker, 23, as they enjoyed a trip to the beach in Malibu.
Kendall was linked to Justin Bieber from to , however the supermodel insisted she was just close friends with the singer.
Bleacher Report App – Free! Get the Latest NBA News. Install Report: Ben Simmons Has Been Dating Kendall Jenner ‘For a Few Weeks’ Jenner was previously linked to Detroit Pistons power forward Blake Griffin. However, they.
Jenner grew up in the tabloids, thanks to her family. As she grew up, the headlines began to shift from her older sisters to her actions. She became a successful business person and model as she reached adulthood. Still just 24, Jenner has already had a lifetime of good press, bad press, and press that exists somewhere in-between. Her dating life is a perfect example of this.
Jenner recently clapped back at someone on Twitter for making that joke. Jenner has had three confirmed relationships with NBA players. Griffin, who was fresh off of his breakup, was a star of the Los Angeles Clippers. After moving on to the Detroit Pistons, however, the relationship fizzled. Since , Jenner was linked to Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons.
Their on-again, off-again relationship made them a mainstay on tabloids and TMZ alike. While these circles hung out together and partied together, however, it took several years for a relationship to form between the model and the athlete. While the entire world was in quarantine, however, something changed.
Ellen grilled Kendall Jenner about dating Ben Simmons
Kylie Jenner made headlines last month for breaking social distancing guidelines in California with two public outings, both alongside her friend Fai Khadra. This week, the pair is at it again. Jenner shared multiple photos of her non-distanced Utah vacation to her Instagram Story.
Kendall, of course, immediately squashed them by posting a picture with Fai Khadra on her Instagram, with a caption that read “we don’t date.
Kendall Jenner is notoriously one of the more reserved members of the Kardashian-Jenner family, but that doesn’t mean she’ll stay quiet when it comes to those choosing to condemn her dating choices. On Wednesday, Jenner took to Twitter to respond to a social media troll who critiqued the model’s track record of having dated a few NBA basketball players.
Jenner’s love life has been in the news again after being caught embarking on a Sedona-bound road trip with Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker. Jenner’s sisters, Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian chimed in on the conversation by quote tweeting Kendall’s savage clap back with a showing of their support. Khloe jumped in as well, merely responding with a slew of coffin emojis which we would roughly translate to “OMG, I’m dead. The recent Twitter exchange isn’t the first time Jenner has defended her dating record however.
Last summer Jenner responded to a meme poking fun at her relationship history, with the image in question showcasing 5 separate NBA Basketball players whom she was rumored to be linked to. Jenner responded to that initial critique with an equally as perfect response, having tweeted, “2 out of 5 accurate, thanks. Clearly when it comes to matter of the model’s love life, Kendall is not to be messed with. |
I’m a big believer in trying to go deep in subjects as often as you can. Cal Newport’s fantastic book Deep Work makes the case that the kind of work that you can do that actually makes a difference in your life and provides you with substantive opportunities to advance your career and your personal well-being.
That being said, I’m disturbed by the number of otherwise-promising professionals and young people with whom I speak who struggle to pick up a book. Statistics vary on how many people actually read every year — a popular meme claims that more than 70% of Americans do not read a book after high school — but the most recent and reliable numbers from Pew make it look like 76% of Americans have read a book (of any format) in the last year. That’s more promising than only 30% but still not great.
When I speak with people who admit they do not read as much as they would like, one of the major reasons holding them up is settling on a good book. With as many options out there as there are, it is easy to get lost in the noise.
That’s why I like to occasionally share what I recently read and am currently reading. My hope is that one of these recommendations leads you to pick up a book and go deep on some subject.
Mastery by Robert Greene
Mastery is a look at how some people take that inborn childhood curiosity and turn it into something that defines not just their lives but also the fields to which they contribute. Greene breaks down a number of examples of people who found a master under whom to apprentice, found subject matters in which they could engross themselves, and who created at a pace and with a mindset that allowed them to constantly grow and contribute.
Why some people succeed and others fail at living productive lives and why they succeed and fail at retaining a love of learning are two subjects which define much of my personal research. Mastery is a must-read in this category — especially if you also enjoy biographies.
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Much like Mastery, Greene’s 48 Laws of Power is set up through examples and mini-biographies of people who successfully captured power and influence for themselves.
Some view Greene’s work with a cynical eye, believing that to be so interested in power, war, and seduction (the subjects of Greene’s other two books) one must be interested in manipulating people. This gets Greene’s work entirely backwards. People will seize power in your life and you will either be subject to their whims or capable of defending yourself against them. Better to be in the second category.
Some of Greene’s laws:
1. Never Outshine the Master
10. Avoid the Unhappy and the Unlucky
25. Re-Create Yourself
37. Create Compelling Spectacles
48. Assume Formlessness
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
CS Lewis is the master of taking dense subjects and turning them into entertaining and digestible fiction. From The Screwtape Letters to The Great Divorce to The Chronicles of Narnia and his Space Trilogy, there is no better author in the 20th century to communicate complexity through fiction.
Mere Christianity is not one of those pieces. A short book on Lewis’ core perceptions of Christianity and what Christianity means, it is neither dense nor fiction. A baptized Anglican, Lewis tries to move beyond doctrinal and political issues dividing different strands of Christianity and ask what Christianity is, at its core.
Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Faust is the classic story of selling your soul to the Devil for something here on earth. Goethe’s short adaptation is a play combining elements from Roman and Greek mythology and Christian theology, making for a fun read.
I recently sent this out to my email list at ZakSlayback.com and realized I had never read it myself. I hunkered down for a weekend and found it a great casual read.
These are the books I am currently reading through September. Given that I am just now reading them, I can’t give much overview of the books, but I can say why I picked them up and the little with which the book starts.
Philosophical Explanations by Robert Nozick
Robert Nozick’s writing makes dense analytic philosophy fun to read. Best known for his political treatise, Anarchy, State & Utopia, Nozick compiled a series of essays on ethics and personal identity in Philosophical Explanations. The book opens up with Nozick proposing his own closest continuer theory for personal identity problems.
(Personal identity is a concept in philosophy of the mind to help deal with questions that stem from our being individual persons. This falls further into questions of personhood, identity, and who and what questions. These are especially useful conceptions to have in your philosophical toolkit for dealing with problems in bioethics, like problems of multiple personality disorders, abortion, and cloning.)
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
Josh Waitzkin is like Bobby Fischer. A child chess prodigy who grew to take on the world championship at a young age. After that, he became a martial arts master. The Art of Learning breaks down what he learned through years of succeeding at chess and martial arts (and why others didn’t succeed). Much like The Inner Game of Tennis, The Art of Learning proposes that you not take yourself so critically when learning and allowing yourself to take a broader picture. Overanalyzing the learning process and seeing yourself as a stagnant creature will lead to slower gains and frustration with the skill before you get the chance to experience mastery.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie is best known for How to Win Friends and Influence People, a fun, casual read on professional social skills. When a friend recommended I pick up How to Stop Worrying and Start Living when I was looking for a short, easy-to-read book to enjoy with my morning coffee, I knew Carnegie would not disappoint.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living gives examples of people for whom worry was a major part of their lives and how they overcame it. Each chapter ends with recommendations like Make a Decision and Understand the Negative Health Consequences of Worrying.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (Audiobook)
I had never actually picked up Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits, perhaps because I thought it to be one of those books that would say things I already know. “Yeah, effective people aren’t bad people, we get it,” was kind of the thought in the back of my mind. I decided to drop an Audible credit on it after hearing one of Covey’s successors speak at an event and am glad I did so.
Covey proposes a character ethic rather than a personality ethic for self-improvement. While most books and authors focus on this one weird trick that will help you, Covey focuses on developing the character that lends itself towards high efficacy. I do not tend to enjoy audiobooks — but Covey’s presentation makes this an enjoyable listen.
Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis (Audiobook)
Till We Have Faces is one of CS Lewis’ very few fictional novels that is not an adaptation of biblical themes. Instead, this longer book is his adaptation of the story of Cupid and Psyche. I picked this up after a conversation on the similarities (or lack thereof) between Lewis’ theories of Christianity and Rene Girard’s in Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World and reading that this is one of the books in which Lewis proposes a theory of mimetics and sacrifice that aligns with Girard’s own.
Zak is a communicator focusing on issues of education, innovation, and social change. He’s the author of the 2016 Amazon best-seller, The End of School: Reclaiming Education from the Classroom and is currently finalizing The Little Guide to Learning Anything. He regularly speaks on issues of learning, social change, innovation, and the changing jobs landscape. He is a founding team member at Praxis.
This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article. |
Meet The Creator Behind The Viral Bernie Sanders AR Filter
Within hours of publishing, the Bernie Sanders Snapchat Lens had hundreds of thousands of downloads.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders may not have won the Democratic nomination for the 2020 election, but he did manage to win the hearts and minds of Americans during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after photographer Branden Smialowski captured Sanders sitting cross-legged in a chair wearing a pair of unforgettable handmade gifted to him by Vermont school teacher Jen Ellis.
That image is now considered one of the most iconic photos of the Vermont Senator, and the internet, in true fashion, jumped on the opportunity, turning Bernie and his gloves into the most epic meme of 2021.
Everyone wanted an opportunity to make their own Bernie meme and thanks to Amélie Tremblay and her hilarious Snapchat AR filter Little Bernie, crafting your own Bernie Sanders meme became super easy. With a quick Snap, hundreds of thousands of people around the world filled the internet and social media feeds with their own personalized Sander memes.
If you haven’t felt the Bern with Tremblay’s filter, just open up Snapchat on your mobile device and take a photo of the Snapcode found here. This will unlock the Little Bernie AR filter for 48 hours.
VRScout reached out to Tremblay to talk about her Little Bernie AR filter. When we asked about the origin of her hilariously simple filers, Tremblay said, “I was scrolling through my feed and all I could see were memes of that one photo,” said Tremblay adding, “I normally don’t do these types of filters but I just thought it would be funny to make this one so people could use it to make more memes.”
Which they did. Little Bernie was so popular that it quickly shot into the top 10 Snapchat AR filters in the world. People everywhere had Bernie in their homes, public spaces, family photos, historical settings, and various other humorous locations.
Within an hour of publishing, Tremblay said she had hundreds of thousands of views, telling us, “It was definitely a really fun day.” As her filter shot into Snapchat’s top 10, Tremblay had people everywhere uploading their own Bernie memes and tagging her. We had our own fun with the filter not too long ago.
Tremblay, who is a full-time model living in NYC and has 34K followers on Instagram, has always been an artist, saying, “I paint, draw, sew, and I am fascinated with photos and videos. AR kind of felt like an extension of my creativity.” She’s not shy about her creative side. Tremblay created several AR filters in her spare time in between modeling jobs. You can explore her AR portfolio on her Snap profile and on her Instagram Stories page.
Even though her Little Bernie AR filter went viral, AR isn’t the direction she’s looking to go. What she’s really pursuing are art direction and video editing. “I’m working on exciting projects right now. The filter taking off helped drive traffic to my page and grow my following, which was nice,” said the up-and-coming creator.
I asked Tremblay if she’s heard from Bernie Sanders about her Snapchat filter. She told me she hasn’t, but I’m sure the Vermont Senator is loving all the memes of himself and his mittens. I mean, how could he not?
Feature Image Credit: Amélie Tremblay |
Mark Richt, the Carousel, and the Difficult-to-Define ‘It’ FactorScott Cunningham/Getty Images
As head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Mark Richt has spent 13 years giving the Bulldog faithful an average of 10 good reasons for his continued tenure and three rationales for his ouster that often seem far more compelling. He perennially appears on the coaching hot seat lists while different names tell the same story: He can’t win The Big One, though that can mean either the Cocktail Party, the SEC championship, or the national championship. He can’t beat UGA’s archrival, which could be Florida, South Carolina, or Auburn. He lets the doormats stick around and, eventually, they get lucky and steal one. And it’s not like basketball season will rain revenge on Kentucky or Vanderbilt.
This season, Georgia boasted an absurd, near Pac-12 style offense featuring inevitable all-time SEC passing leader Aaron Murray at quarterback, an unfair underclassman halfback surplus in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, and a wealth of receiving options. And sure, the defense lost a ton of NFL talent, but the team could simply outscore anyone, particularly the Stone Age offenses Florida and South Carolina were putting out there. Besides, you started to hear whispers about how Jarvis Jones was overrated, Justin Houston played out of control, and Alec Ogletree, Cornelius Washington, and Bacarri Rambo were replaceable. And hey, look how that schedule plays out — LSU and South Carolina at home, no Texas A&M or Alabama, at least until the SEC championship, and that seemed all but assured.
Instead, Georgia ends the season barely ranked, at 8-4, with the “4” comprising a Richt Royal Sampler — including a close loss to Clemson and getting run off the field by Missouri (not Texas A&M, but that other Big 12 carpetbagger). And then, well … you can’t let Vanderbilt stick around like that. We won’t even get into what happened against Auburn, but as pointed out quite nicely by UGA’s A.J. McDonald, Chris Davis was good. Ricardo Louis was lucky.
That took talent. The one against us was bullshit
— A.J. McDonald (@Big_A_46) December 1, 2013
The casual fan’s ability to likewise differentiate between “good” and “lucky” has resulted in 2013 saving Mark Richt’s job, if not Mark Richt saving his own job. Previously, there was an underlying, uncomfortable feeling that the churchgoing, humble, even-keeled Richt simply wasn’t built for the new realities of the SEC, and fans wished he were more along the lines of Saban, Miles, Spurrier, Meyer, someone, well … kinda satanic. The truth is, he bought himself time the only way most coaches can: by proving he’s not God.
There are some coaches who either cannot get it done on the recruiting trail or who can but fail to translate it into meaningful results. You have coaches who may be good at the “CEO” aspects of the job, but whose X’s and O’s acumen might make them a target of Bill Barnwell’s Thank You for Not Coaching. Then you have the type of coach whose impact on the program has stricken it with a certain malaise that a “Belk Bowl or bust” ultimatum won’t fix. Those are all happening at Virginia right now, FWIW.
But for Richt, well … sometimes the unmistakable difference between the controllable “good” and the uncontrollable “lucky” can be so blunt as to stun even an SEC fan base into a state of reflective reasonability. I was shocked that Georgia was even in a position to possibly win the SEC championship back in 2012, considering how Eddie Lacy was mauling them in the second half. But ever since that fateful, last-second completion, Georgia has appeared to be supernaturally star-crossed in a way most people associate with only the most cursed pro teams.
Look at this list of names: Aaron Murray, Keith Marshall, Michael Bennett, Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley. That could be a healthy chunk of the All-SEC team. Instead, those are the players who suffered significant injuries during the 2013 season, the worst of all obviously being Murray, the SEC’s all-time passing leader who went down with the most Georgia-in-2013 injury of all, tearing his ACL in the middle of a 59-17 win on Senior Day. This doesn’t change the significant flaws of this Georgia team, all of which were exposed as the depth chart got thinner: The defense was maddeningly inconsistent, the offensive play calling either too reliant on Murray or not enough; the list goes on. But it’s not like the NFL, where you can throw money at an offseason problem (unless you’re Oklahoma State … ALLEGEDLY). A rare recruit might provide an immediate impact, but when a college team bottoms out, hiring a new head coach is rarely the panacea many hope for. It’s more like drafting a quarterback in the first round — nailing it gives you at least a five-year honeymoon period. Getting it wrong will cost jobs, millions of dollars, and maybe even a decade of momentum.
Perhaps that’s become more obvious. A larger shift may be occurring, where “it” is less of a qualification or even a demand for a new head coach. “It” is almost always granted retroactively, and it’s what separates Mark Dantonio from John L. Smith, Dabo Swinney from Tommy Bowden, Kevin Sumlin from Dennis Franchione — in other words, that intangible that can get a school from one level to the next, seven wins to a New Year’s bowl, New Year’s bowl to a BCS bid, etc. Mark Richt has done all of these things, and yet he doesn’t have “it.”
Until you think about who had “it” when similar programs had coaching vacancies. Will Muschamp was the coach-in-waiting for a guy who would soon lose “it” at Texas, and he has now stewarded the only losing season at Florida in more than three decades, bottoming out with a loss to Georgia Southern (and not even one of the good Georgia Southern teams). Yes, the Gators suffered more injuries than Georgia, and we might never know what kind of shape Urban Meyer truly left the school in, but Muschamp’s prickly media presence is the exact opposite of Richt’s. The same goes for Brady Hoke, who like Muschamp inherited a marquee program in disarray — a $2,000 bag with no cash in the purse, as Kanye put it. And though he caught a couple of tough breaks, he criticized the Michigan fan base as “fickle” and tied his fate quite literally to that of Al Borges, who is essentially the Big Ten’s answer to Brent Pease. Then there was Bo Pelini, who like Richt suffered through an 8-4 season marked by crippling injuries (and fairly miraculous wins), but forfeited any sympathy by licking shots at Tommie Frazier, cursing out Nebraska fans, and essentially announcing after the Iowa game, “You can’t fire me because I don’t quit.” There’s a reason these guys are called “embattled”: It’s a lot easier to remember what a dick Dana Holgorsen was to Bill Stewart now that West Virginia doesn’t have Geno Smith and Tavon Austin.
In fact, you look at the guys who weathered the tough times and had banner 2013s, they’re all unified by a homespun sense of humility — Jerry Kill, Kirk Ferentz, David Cutcliffe, Steve Addazio, Gary Pinkel (OK, Pinkel always seemed like kind of a dick), and of course, Gus Malzahn.
And so, this offseason may be one of the “cheaper to keep her” philosophy — Muschamp, London, Pelini, Brown, and Hoke all seem to be safe for the time being. Partially because they’ve in some way “earned” another shot or are too expensive to fire, and more because when you look at the alternatives, “it” doesn’t exist. Jim Mora Jr. didn’t have “it” until it became obvious that he did. The opposite is true for Steve Sarkisian. Mike Leach is proving “it” might be similar to a bar membership, where most states don’t honor reciprocity; what works in Texas might be wholly unsuited for Washington, so buyer beware if you’re looking to back up the Brink’s truck for Art Briles.
For every Gus Malzahn, who proves beyond all attempted refutation that you can’t micromanage divine intervention, there were the usual mid-major quick fixes that monkey-wrenched everything in a hurry: Sonny Dykes, Darrell Hazell, and Dave Doeren have a combined zero conference wins between them. What about Pete Lembo or Tim DeRuyter makes you so damn sure they have “it”? And as for the trendy coordinators, Chad Morris can’t bring Tajh Boyd with him. Same with Kirby Smart, someone Georgia fans surely make googly eyes at when they see the Bulldogs allowing 40 points. Mike Bobo is considered a hot prospect as well, and … just ask a Georgia fan if they’d let him manage a pizza party, let alone a BCS program.
Perhaps the bigger picture is that you can’t buy luck, but you can earn respect by handling yourself more like a leader of men than a prophet. Jim Mora Jr. declined to make wisecracks about USC’s crime rate after beating the Trojans two years in a row. Mike Gundy is The Man rather than A Man. Randy Edsall doesn’t have to be a total jerkwad about recruits since they aren’t looking to jump ship as much and, besides, the guy took it in stride when he had to start a linebacker at quarterback last year. So that’s why the “MARK RICHT HAS LOST CONTROL OF” meme has had a tough 2013. You can’t lose control if you never really have it in a meaningful way. |
It can be daunting to find which programs to use when you are creating your first game, and it wasn’t easy to narrow it down to just 5 essential tools for beginner game developers. All of these were ranked as what our instructors believe are the most user-friendly and industry standard tools for any game developer. We’ll just be focusing on the coding and project management side of game development, as opposed to tools used to create animation or 3D art. As always, we’d love to hear from our readers what you use as well!
A screenshot of the Unity Editor interface, depicting an experimental version of the new HD render pipeline.
Unity is one of the biggest industry standard cross-platform engines used to create games by many AAA and indie game developers alike. It has been used to create games from a variety of genres such as: Assassin’s Creed: Identity, Deus Ex: The Fall, Hearthstone, Firewatch, Pillars of Eternity and many more. Our students spend a lot of time tinkering with Unity to make their own games and tools. Unity is a game engine with “batteries included,” which means all of the basic tools and problems like audio, 2D/3D rendering, and user input are already solved for you: your team’s job is to make the game! Unity is currently branching out from game development, making Unity a viable option for other purposes such as architectural pre-visualization and film.
To get started, you’ll need to download Unity. It helps to know some basic programming mechanics, but there are a lot of great resources and tutorials on how to maneuver this program. However, if you prefer a more structured environment to learn how to get the most out of Unity, check out the introduction course we offer. From debugging to designing the game mechanics, Unity is a trusted industry standard software that serves as the foundation.
Code example displayed in Visual Studio.
Visual Studio is the industry standard and text editor of choice by game developers when it comes to writing code for games on Windows. It serves as an integrated development environment (IDE) with built-in functionality for compiling, debugging, and testing your code. One of its most valuable features is IntelliSense, which provides helpful hints to help you program faster by auto-completing your code and identify problems before they occur. Visual Studio supports most major programming languages and is highly extensible with user-created add-ons.
Like many programmer-oriented tools, Visual Studio can be downloaded for free from its website. You will need a free Microsoft account to continue using it beyond the initial trial period.
A sprint example from one of our student production projects in HacknPlan.
Project management is essential for all teams that want to create a game, and it is used by individuals who are just starting out as well. HacknPlan is one of many project management solutions available for tracking tasks scheduling work, and coordinating efforts across teams small and large. This particular tool creates a simple workflow for adopting a “kanban board,” where work is broken down into individual items that are categorized into different parts of the pipeline. A task starts on the backlog, which serves as a long list of everything that needs to be done. As work progresses, it moves through the “In Progress” section and gets reviewed by team members and managers before getting marked as complete.
HacknPlan won’t teach you the project management techniques on how to SCRUM effectively, but it will help you plan your game’s workflow pipeline in a visual way. Implementing HacknPlan into your game development routine will help compartmentalize your goals to keep you and your team on task.
Hack n’ Plan offers a free-tier for small teams which provides the core tools for facilitating group work.
A screenshot of the programming section for our internal Slack group.
Slack creates an internal space for team members to easily chat online and collaborate by sharing ideas, screenshots, or in-progress versions of assets being prepared for the game. Slack takes on more of an informal nature, with e-mail reserved for more formal communication or when communicating outside of the company.
If you’re working on a game with some friends, consider creating a Slack group of your own to work out of! It can be helpful to create a line for where the latest work-in-progress goes as opposed to where the newest meme belongs. You can get started with Slack via their website, and it’s perfectly free (with some limits) for small teams.
Dev.To interface and home page.
You might run into issues or certain things with any of these programs that you can’t just find the answer to with a quick Google search. Specific questions have a home in the programmer’s haven, Dev.To! Dev.To combines an active community forum and blog into one platform. You can connect with other developers such as yourself to learn from and find some cool tricks that you otherwise might have never known about.
Good news for those who enjoy writing about code, as every article you write on Dev.To is yours, not the platform’s property. You also won’t find any ads bloating the articles on Dev.To, as the team swears by a no-ad policy. Integrating GitHub and Twitter with Dev.To will also enable more relevant and customized topics to appear in your feed. Dev.To is open-source and for all skill levels in development. You can check out Dev.To on their website and start learning from their awesome community today. |
Fans of Arrow‘s glory days reminisce most vocally about one thing – season 2’s big bad, Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke, played by actor Manu Bennett. The character was a primary focus for half of the first season and the entirety of season two, as he attempted to carry out his promise to Oliver of killing him and everyone he loves. He was defeated at the end of the second season, only to be captured and imprisoned on Lian Yu. He made a brief appearance in one episode of season 3, but it all honesty, it was lame and was not received well by audiences. Now, to the surprise of most fans, it was recently teased by Stephen Amell himself that Deathstroke might be coming back once again.
Amell teased the return by sharing an image of himself and the mercenary on a park bench. This image set the internet ablaze yesterday, leading many fans to speculate why Slade Wilson may be returning, and if it will in fact be Manu Bennett reprising the role once again. Well, we may have gotten our answer via Manu Bennett’s own social media teases.
Bennett posted a meme over his Facebook that included the image Amell had shared. It shows a speech bubble over Amell’s head, with the actor asking the mercenary why he was coming back. In the new meme, Deathstroke simply replies with a sword to Oliver’s head. Fun times. Check out Bennett’s meme, below:
I think the hashtag #stupidquestion sums it up quite nicely. Bennett makes it fairly clear that Deathstroke will be coming back to take out Oliver Queen and once and for all keep his promise. Most fans are under the assumption that Deathstroke will be back for the 100th episode, and luckily as of right now we don’t have all that long to wait until we get find out for sure.
Are you excited for Deathstroke to return to Arrow? Let us know in the comments.
Arrow returns to the CW on Wednesday, October 5th at 8 pm. |
Title: The Way to a Woman's Heart
Characters: Alistair/Elissa Cousland, Leliana, Zevran, Wynne
Notes: Secret Swooper fic for the swooping_is_bad exchange. Written for dasque, who requested Alistair/Cousland. Based on an idea that's been rattling around my brain since a dragon_age Tuesday prompt meme a few weeks, back; that prompt was "You did what?!"
Alistair makes Elissa a gift, with some unexpected results.
On LJ / On AO3
Title: Like a Glove
Characters: Fenris, Garrett Hawke, Anders, DA2 cast. Gen, with shades of Anders/Fenris.
Spoilers: Through Act One, and for Fenris's backstory.
Notes: Written for the Tumblr Secret Santa exchange. My giftee was brelaina. This one was tough for me to get going on, but once I got rolling, I had a lot of fun with it. Thanks to muggy_mountain for helping me bounce ideas around!
Hawke sets up a gift exchange among his friends, and Fenris draws the very last name he wanted to see.
On Tumblr / On AO3
Whew! This was really fun, but now I want to back away from projects for a little while. It feels like I've been on some deadline or another for months on end. (newgameplus, megaflare_ff, NaBloWriMo, these exchanges, other things I'm sure I'm forgetting.) Time to focus on wrapping up WIPs and playing around in low-pressure prompt communities. Or so I can tell myself, until the next shiny project/exchange comes along...
This entry is also posted at http://owlmoose.dreamwidth.org/565660.html. There are currently comments on DW. |
I know, I know, I know…. You come across some really weird things on the internet. Well, here’s two more really weird things.
A cat vomiting water:
And a cat vomiting a rainbow:
There’s a meme going around of a puffer fish vomiting water
so I was wondering what a cat would look like vomiting that water.
Now I know.
And so do you. |
By: Cliff Kincaid
It was a highlight when I received the Andrew Jackson “Champion of Liberty” Award from Howard Phillips and the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance on September 17, 2008. The award was given on the Conservative Caucus 8th annual commemoration of Constitution Day. Today, President Jackson is supposed to be a villain, as communist agitators tried to take down his statue in Lafayette Park near the White House, calling him a “killer” for removing Indians from areas of conflict in the new America to federal safe zones or havens for their own protection. Jackson offered the Indians federal protection and became the legal guardian to a Native American orphan Jackson found in battle.
The agitators didn’t succeed in taking down the statue since federal police arrived in time to prevent that, but the communists did vandalize it.
Jackson and his supporters founded the modern Democratic Party and his policies on the Indians were considered benevolent at the time. For many years, before it became politically incorrect, there were Jefferson-Jackson Day fundraising dinners, named for Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, which were sponsored by the Democratic Party.
Today, Democratic Party officials and candidates hate Jackson. The former Democratic Party presidential candidate, New Ager Marianne Williamson, had promised to remove the Andrew Jackson painting from the Oval Office, referring to the federal government’s “historic mistreatment of America’s original inhabitants,” citing the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The Indians were removed, but for their own good, to avoid more Indian deaths in the long run.
Indeed, as Robert Remini writes in his book on Jackson, “The Trail of Tears was a terrible price to pay for this legislation but, as Jackson predicted, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaws, and Seminole tribes are alive today. They were not annihilated like the Yamassee, Mokawks and Pequot, and other eastern tribes.” In his book on Jackson, Sean Wilentz confirms this, writing, “In completing the removal of the Indians to what he considered a safe haven, Jackson may well have spared them the obliteration that had been the fate of many northeastern tribes.”
Her mind clouded by esoteric New Age ideas, Marianne Williamson and other fashionable thinkers must think that the European-Americans who settled in the United States encountered back-to-nature natives at home with Mother Earth. As we (most of us) celebrate American independence, let’s read that sacred document, the Declaration of Independence, especially the section that says:
“He [King George III] has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction, of all ages, sexes, and conditions.”
This passage was once labeled “hate speech” by Facebook.
Clearly, the British-backed Indian attacks on the Americans were a factor in the cause of independence. Our founders understood that some of these “savages” were ruthless killers fighting for the British against the American revolutionaries.
An honest rendition of American history shows that Indians hostile to the revolution raided white settlements, murdering men, women, and children. The barbaric practice of scalping was so common by the Indians that some forts had people who specialized in treating scalped heads. One of the scalping treatments was called “pegging.”
The dissertation, “Andrew Jackson and the Indians, 1767-1815,” includes some important hard-to-find information about this period, citing one case in which Indians scalped several settlers, “stripped them naked, roasted their bodies, and ate the men, then took the scalps back through the Chickamauga towns to show off as war trophies.”
Indians Owned Slaves
Another part of the relevant history, frequently overlooked, is that Indian tribes owned slaves. One tribe, the Chickasaws, owned over a thousand black slaves, as noted by David S. Reynolds, the author of Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson. The Cherokees owned two thousand black slaves. In fact, one Indian expert noted that the so-called “Five Civilized Tribes” — Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole – “were deeply committed to slavery, established their own racialized black codes, immediately reestablished slavery when they arrived in Indian territory, rebuilt their nations with slave labor, crushed slave rebellions, and enthusiastically sided with the Confederacy in the Civil War.”
Although they lost the Indian wars and were on the losing side in the Civil War, they were able to use the American constitutional system on their own behalf. Some tribes went before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing unsuccessfully (Cherokee Nation v. the State of Georgia) that they were independent nations on American soil. However, in another case, Worcester v. Georgia, the Court ruled that the Cherokees were “a distinct community” exempt from state laws. Jackson was said to have reacted by saying “Justice [John] Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.”
Such a statement demonstrated his grit. Gaining new lands for America, Jackson fought the Indians, the British, and the Spanish. As president, he vetoed a national bank under the control of private interests and paid off the national debt. He rooted out corruption and replaced government bureaucrats not serving the people.
In making the case for the Indian Removal Act in his First Annual Message to Congress on December 8, 1829, Jackson asked, “…is it supposed that the wandering savage has a stronger attachment to his home than the settled, civilized Christian?” It sounds harsh, in retrospect, but European-Americans had left their own homelands to start a new life, too. Jackson tried to resolve the Indian Wars in a peaceful manner, negotiating treaties with some tribes, but when others resisted, conflict broke out.
Arguing for a “progressive” solution to the Indian problem, he told Congress, “The waves of population and civilization are rolling to the westward, and we now propose to acquire the countries occupied by the red men of the South and West by a fair exchange, and, at the expense of the United States, to send them to a land where their existence may be prolonged and perhaps made perpetual.” One can argue with the end result, but it was his determination to end the clashes between the white settlers and the Indians, saving many of the Indians in the process.
Author David S. Reynolds notes, “Altogether, over forty-five thousand Indians moved west under Jackson’s policies – with a similar number designated for late removal – at the expense of $68 million of public funds and perhaps around thirteen thousand deaths among the natives.”
Modern Indian Agitation
The term “red men,” used by Jackson and others, is today controversial, just like the “Redskins” name for the Washington, D.C. NFL team, is considered by the Washington Post and its communist allies to be “offensive” these days. But “Redskins” is an acknowledgment of their fighting ability.
Tragically, as with the case of the George Floyd death, the communists are exploiting the “Redskins” controversy and the plight of the Indians, with one Marxist group, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, actually running the incarcerated Leonard Peltier as its 2020 vice-presidential candidate. He was a member of the American Indian Movement now serving two consecutive life sentences for the execution-style murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams in 1975. The communists consider Peltier a “political prisoner,” a label he originally acquired through a sophisticated Soviet propaganda campaign on his behalf. The No Parole Peltier Association (NPPA) exists to keep him in prison.
However, the National Congress of American Indians has sought Peltier’s release.
To guard against attempts to alter or destroy Mount Rushmore, also considered “offensive” by some radical Indian groups, Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the Mount Rushmore Protection Act, in order to “prohibit the use of federal funds to alter, change, destroy or remove the likeness, the name of, or any of the faces on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.” Radical Indian groups circulated a meme showing the faces on Mount Rushmore (Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln) being blown to bits. The Democratic Party has said that Mount Rushmore “glorifies white supremacy.”
Democrats didn’t always talk this way about American presidents.
In his foreword to Remini’s book on Jackson, General Wesley K. Clark, a prominent Democrat, called America’s seventh president a great military hero. Although he was not without controversy and had personality flaws, Clark said Jackson’s “military prowess, proved on half a dozen battlefields, makes him one of our greatest generals and strategic force in the shaping of modern America.”
Former Democratic Virginia Senator Jim Webb called Jackson “one of our great presidents,” explaining, “A product of the Scots-Irish migration from war-torn Ulster into the Appalachian Mountains, his father died before he was born. His mother and both brothers died in the Revolutionary War, where he himself became a wounded combat veteran by age 13.” He noted, “On the battlefield, he was unbeatable, not only in the Indian Wars, which were brutally fought with heavy casualties on both sides but also in his classic defense of New Orleans during the War of 1812. His defense of the city (in which he welcomed free blacks as soldiers in his army) dealt the British army its most lopsided defeat until the fall of Singapore in 1942.”
Webb said Jackson “became the very face of the New America, focusing on intense patriotism and the dignity of the common man.” For this reason and others, President Trump has cited Jackson as one of his heroes while visiting the Jackson home The Hermitage in 2017 and giving a speech in his honor. In his remarks, Trump quoted Jackson as saying about the elites in his day, “The rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes.”
Under the Obama administration, however, the Treasury Department recommended that Andrew Jackson’s image be taken off the $20 bill. Trump Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has wisely delayed that change.
Andrew Jackson’s Farewell Address highlighted the plight of the Indians, referring to their “unhappy race” and being “the original dwellers in our land” but now “in a situation where we may well hope that they will share in the blessings of civilization.” He said their removal had placed them “beyond the reach of injury or oppression.”
He concluded, “I thank God that my life has been spent in a land of liberty and that He has given me a heart to love my country with the affection of a son.”
Let’s hope that when the communists return to Lafayette Square, to threaten once again to topple the Jackson statue, that they will be met with the force of law.
Perhaps President Trump should propose a “Communist Removal Act.” They could be sent to Cuba, where the Black Lives Matter hero, cop-killer Assata Shakur, is living.
Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. www.usasurvival.org. |
This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This meme is currently being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and the theme this week is vines. I’ve selected Forest Mage – Book 2 of The Soldier’s Son trilogy by Robin Hobb. I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing trilogy, which I think is underrated.
This edition was produced by Harper Voyager in August 2006. It’s the cover that best fits the brief and also depicts a really disturbing scene in the story. The artwork is beautiful with lots of detail – I’m not sure it looks the best as a thumbnail, but I really love it.
Published in November 2007 by Harper Voyager, again, this is another attractive, atmospheric offering though I don’t like it quite as much as the previous one. The burning forest provides some drama and there is plenty of beautiful detail. I’m not sure, however, if it screams ‘Buy Me!’ when placed alongside a host of other covers, as I do feel the title and author fonts are very dull.
This edition, published by Voyager in July 2007, is another beautifully crafted effort. The axe biting into the freshly cut tree stump aptly depicts the damage, while the title and author fonts are beautiful and suitably eye-catching.
This edition, produced by Voyager in 2006, is my favourite. I love the sheer scale and awesomeness of the vista. The red rock is vibrantly eye-catching as the design beckons us to examine the amazing landscape further, while the distant horseman nicely demonstrates the scale of the view. My only grizzle is that the title font could be less dull – while I’m aware Hobb’s name is what generally sells books, this one is left trailing in the dust in comparison to the care and attention that has been lavished on the author font.
This cover, published in 2008 by HarperVoyager, is my least favourite. In fact, it’s outright dreary in comparison to the other versions. I’m aware this look is part of a series brand – but this time around, I feel insufficient attention has been paid to the font. There could also have been some patterning around the border – but while I have really liked some of the covers produced in this series, this isn’t one of them. What about you – which is your favourite?
While my access to the internet is VERY limited (thank you Sky for your glacial response in replacing my storm-damaged router – a three-legged donkey could have delivered it faster…) I have been PROMISED that I will be back online within the next couple of days, when I will respond! |
This post is both Showcase Sunday a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where you show what books you’ve purchased, gotten from the library, received from giveaway, as gifts or for review.
I can’t believe Christmas is right around the corner! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Last week was a rather stressful week due to my husband getting in a wreck. Thank God he is fine but our car was totaled. We have a plan to deal with it all so things are looking better but I obviously didn’t have a lot of time to read or write reviews. I hope to review Her Dark Curiosity, Red Rising and Avalon next week (fingers crossed!)
Now to the books:
For Review (via NetGalley)
The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
For Review (via Edelweiss)
The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings |
Robert Kirk, in a text from 1974 titled Sentience and Behaviour, proposed a conceptual experiment of a man named Dan who became a zombie. This zombie, far from the image we have nowadays of a walking corpse, consisted «of being an organism indistinguishable from a normal human being in all anatomical, behavioural and other observable respects, yet insentient.» For now, we’ll use the definition of sentience as the experience of the senses and its associated behaviours. So, to come back to Dan’s story; this gentleman who appeared to be fully sentient, gradually showed some incoherences between events and their usual sensorial response. He would cut himself badly, express his surprise but admit he didn’t feel pain. He smelled roses and was unable to detect the right scent, and so on as to one day become completely deprived of his senses, while his actions seemed «happening automatically, without his noticing or being able to attend to them». Even if for Kirk this experiment of the Zombie served the purpose of questioning Materialism and the mind-body problem, it seems interesting to reuse this experiment within the digital apparatus. Let’s ask ourselves what is the role of sentience in link with technology. In short, what happens when individuals’ senses are triggered because of technology? We’ll continue the research we’ve started on memesis and focus on social platforms rather than robotics or VR, as the former one allows for a greater range of personal input by the user.
So it is quite an unsurprising affirmation when we say that technology has relayed our senses to the background of our daily digital experiences; smell and taste are useless, hearing and touch are only used to support sight. Even there, because of the simplicity and repetitive nature of user’s interfaces, we more often than not blankly stare through our apps. The image of the digital zombie, that being absorbed by its phone who barely functions in public and is almost always rescued by another bystander has become a contemporary caricature of technology, and yet most of us do not remember the last three things we’ve reacted to.
But that insentience, or that more-than-partial sentience if you prefer, doesn’t mean we are passive individuals. We still click, touch, press, scroll, comment, like, share, upvote, downvote, rewrite, learn, transform, alter, in short react to some of the information that passes through our daily feeds. Yes, we are zombies, in the way that a majority of our behaviours on these digital platforms seem to be dictated by our subconscious, but these actions, in return, produce a tangible memory.
We’ve discussed briefly earlier how memes found their basis in the awkwardness of life and how the community is creating its ideal-I, the ideal self-image, outside of the realm of intellectualization. Each member therefore seems to participate in the memesis through zombie-like digital actions, but in fact, these are the result of sentience in link with personal beliefs. For example, if we were to presume that a zombie only interacts mechanically with technology, engagements such as liking, commenting, or downvoting contradict this assumption because of the continuous renewal of content. Routine doesn’t move from what it knows, and every reaction is conscious sentience. So what are these spasms of “humanness”? Well, in short, a proof of singular existence. And these individualities, gathered and ranked by an algorithm, shapes progressively the community’s own meaning.
Then the next thing in line is to understand what transforms the zombie’s insentience into sentience; how does this singular existence emerges. We’ve talked about how memes functioned as a transitional object, something that dissipates frustrations. We now also know that most of our daily habits on digital platforms are formed by the dopamine they release.
Memes provoke participation as a response to a cognitive dissonance. Roughly put, a cognitive dissonance is when two thoughts are contrary to each other and our mind tries to remove the most unpleasant one. There, dissonance triggers two types of actions; one positive such as like, upvote or share, and one negative such as commenting, downvoting, reporting or blocking. As a positive response, memes either become a replacement to the user’s unpleasant cognitions or a confirmation of the truthfulness of its beliefs. It then moves onto building a societal definition of the said image through compiling. On the other side, a negative reaction produces a dissonance, and participation turns into a mental defense mechanism. If this is repeated on a collective scale, the image is either redirected to a more fitting subgroup, treated as noise or banned.
Finally, this construction is not, as we might believe, a one-way process. Once sentience grows into a piece of the community’s memory, it molds the experience of newcomers and the ones with a negative dissonance. As much as their input is still taken into account through new iterations of the same image, the community becomes a trusted reference for the use of template images while also controlling the degree of transformation allowed. That trust is mostly due to the fact that every participant engages in the process on a voluntary basis, and when it becomes an accepted fact, when redundancy emerges, the template falls into oblivion, or in meme terms: it dies.
Sentience, when fully triggered, becomes an ideological building block within the meme community, and at its core, it is a way for digital zombies to become human once again.
Robert Kirk, “Sentience and Behaviour”, Mind Vol. 83, No. 329 (1974), pp. 43-60
Ibid, p. 43
Ibid, p. 48
Pierre Chaumont, “Memesis: community and self-definition in the age of memes”, Digicult magazine,
May , 2019
Trevor Haynes, “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time”, Harvard University Blog, May 2018
Daryl J. Bem, “Self-perception: an alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena”, Psychological Review Vol.74,(1967), p.183 |
Pepega is a twitch.tv emote that features a distorted image of the legendary Pepe the Frog, but with a liquid face. It’s used to ironically show that something is stupid. It’s used together with the slang derogatory to describe someone with a mental disability. Similarly, it’s accompanied by the words “FOR SAN” to refer to Forsen, the Twitch streamer. Online, Pepega is often posted in the /r/forsen subreddit and Twitch chats. The expression in Pepega leads a stupid and comic face that makes the emote a natural humor element in most twitch streams.
The Origin of Pepega
In a conversation, a user Adew posted on Discord the first-ever usage of Pepega on April 8, 2018. From the conversation, Pepega was born when Adew attempted to post the meme but left out the second colon. This wasn’t the first time an emote had come from the character Pepe the Frog. Like other Pepe the frog emotes, the emote was capable of being adapted by wide streamers on the Twitch stream platform.
The Spread of Pepega
On April 8, 2018, Pepega was made part of FrankerFacez. On September 13 the same year Elojudx, a Redditor, posted to /r/forsen something to the effect that the Pepega emote had been added to Forsen’s chat. This addition caused a spamming of the emote, as community members were not pleased with it. On September 14, BikoPikog, a user, posted to /r/forsen a Ghostbusters’ parody of the Pepega emotes. On September 15, 2018, a screenshot of that spamming was posted to the subreddit. After five days of adding the emote to FrankerFacez, it was also added to Forsen’s chat
In an additional version of the Pepega emote, a horn was added to it and the words “FOR SAN” typed as if it was shouting the name “Forsen,” but in a silly voice. Again, a screenshot of this spamming was on October 12, 2018, posted to /r/forsen, and another on October 17 of the same year, with the latter gaining over 240 likes.
Like Pepega, other Pepe the Frog emotes found their way to all emote-lines, and this thing grew from worst to good. The Pepe emote is now well-known for its liquid face and a unique kind of humor. It’s now commonly used by many twitch users because it’s humoristic. It’s also spreading across non-twitch platform memes areas.
Recently, the Pepega emote has grown its fame and found its way on several memes. Just like other motes such as Poggers, Sadman, and Pepehands had been widely accepted by the meme audience and twitch users, Pepega got the starlight being a Pepe emote. Beyond Twitch, Pepega has earned a lot of respect and is now a symbol of humor on many other social platforms. Reddit, Twitch, and Tumblr, and the Twitch gaming platform are the places where Pepega is widely used in memes.
Pepega megaphone, commonly referred to as an alternative edition, was created in late October 2018 by Twitch users. It was made to scream “Forsen” loudly. The term megaphone was derived from its appearance where the emote is appears with a red megaphone and screams loud while tying “FOR SAN.”
Pepega penguin slightly differs from the Pepega emote itself. The term relates to Twitch stream’s VRchat Penguin Sicko mode. This is where players can find a penguin avatar. Here, the Pepega penguin is presented as a captured facial emotion of the penguin avatar. Pepega penguin grew in fame in-stream memes and later found its way to Pepega.
Some Pepega players and lovers came up with a Pepega song that’s now quite popular. The song is about the stream and emote related jokes, and was composed a lean piano tune and a simple drum. |
[hackerspaces] Open letter to Anonymous (please distribute)
sylv41n at gmail.com
Sat Jun 11 20:33:08 CEST 2011
On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 3:44 AM, Jaromil <jaromil at dyne.org> wrote:
> ultimately i feel the urge to address all the investments flowing into
> cyber-security that has just been announced between the last G8 and
> this NATO release. ACTA, DRM and various other threats to civil rights
> which will be justified as policy and funded by tax payers.
> ultimately, this is their strategy, if you didn't catch it yet.
Jaromil, are you under the impression that, if the carriers* of the
Anonymous meme stop monkeying around, our glorious leaders will stop
their power grab, or dial down the authoritarians laws?
If it's not Anonymous, it'll be pedophiles, nazis, gamblers,
eco-terrorists, pedo-terrorists, etc. Whatever. Our leaders have a
serious problem with the internet: it's way more democratic than they
are comfortable with. That's all.
In every country I know, being "friend" or having coercive powers over
10 to 100 people max (think TV station owners, key journalists, public
figures) is all it takes to exert a very strong influence on what your
citizens see, and don't see. As a result, in most democracies,
dissenting voices tend to be practically inaudible.
The internet break that, there is too much players, with the
possibility of information spreading way faster than what it used to.
Now, small players can have a global voice when the social network
effects come into play.
Given what is at stake, what government wouldn't want DPI and
data-retention laws to be able to track the whistleblowers, and
black-lists to be sure most of their citizens didn't get access to too
much information? They want libel laws and their chilling effect, the
want security cameras (aka log), they want checkpoints and borders.
They want control.
On top of that, there is the US military-intelligence-industry complex
that is trying really hard to invent new bogeymen to justify the
ginormous amount of money they receive despite less than stellar
results in their last crusades, the "War on terror" and defense
This time, they're betting the farm on cybersecurity. Given that most
companies operating in the field are bozos of the HBGarry kind, you
know that all they want is a made-up threat. If the threat was real,
they would have to work... for real, instead of selling snake oil and
useless gizmo's to clueless generals.
Anonymous is an excuse.
At best they're just some sand in the cogs, preventing the internet to
be transformed entirely into a sterilized mall.
Realistically, there's barely a speed bump.
Give them a break.
Grab some popcorn.
Enjoys the free lulz.
*: given the nature of this meme/stand alone complex, the virus
analogy seems right
More information about the Discuss |
Himmelfarb vs. the '60s
BY CHARLES TAYLOR
Bravo, Charles Taylor! Thank you for a well-thought-out essay on another of the books that seems to appear with the inevitability of liver spots whenever a conservative writer reaches a certain age.
Himmelfarb's book raises a serious question that has troubled me for some time. I have just published my first academic book. Before it was accepted, three qualified scholars read the manuscript, pointing out errors of logic, suggesting the need for more verification and indicating parts that simply needed to be rewritten because the thread of the argument got tangled. Does a person like Himmelfarb reach a certain point in his or her career when this sort of peer review ceases, like teaching observation of non-tenured faculty?
-- Thomas Barran
Both conservatives and liberals make themselves ridiculous because both make the mistake of treating the '60s as the most crucial decade of the century. Teenagers and college kids weren't running the country in the 1960s, middle-aged men were. The '30s and '40s made the world we live in.
A generation of young men, having grown up in the Depression, was put into uniform and marched off to war. Hundreds of thousands of them were killed and wounded, all the rest were shell-shocked. The survivors were brought home, stuffed into gray flannel suits, sent to work as yes-men in a resurgent corporate-consumerist soul-devouring culture, convinced to raise their families in suburban ticky-tacky prisons, and then forbidden to talk about the most important experiences of their lives.
The divorce rate began to rise, drugs entered the cultural mainstream, sex became a national obsession, and fathers began abandoning their children, physically or emotionally in the late 1940s and early '50s. All the things Himmelfarb blames on the children of these war-haunted men began when the "Greatest Generation" came limping home.
-- David Reilly
Can't we ever get past this ridiculous notion that we as a nation dropped off the moral radar screen after the 1960s? And that before then we were a beacon of unimpeachable rectitude? Not only is this view based on denial, fear and ignorance, I also can't help thinking that it is oh-so-slightly racist: ask a black man or woman which time they would prefer to live in, the past or the present. Could Himmelfarb's objection to the socio-cultural-political shift have to do with "those people" having the nerve to demand simple human rights?
Afraid to live, afraid to love, afraid to think, poor Gertrude wants to have life spoon-fed to her. Good luck to her. The rest of us will carry on, questioning authority when necessary, indulging our private proclivities with any and all consenting partners and trying to navigate the thorny issues contemporary existence throws our way (divorce, abortion, violence, corruption) one day at a time, according to requirements of our own individual beliefs.
-- Ken Munch
It seems Charles Taylor is guilty of exactly the same crime of which he accuses Ms. Himmelfarb. Anyone who begins by saying:
"Having stuck only the daintiest toe into the waters of her erudition ... I hope her other work does something to justify her repute."
And concludes by saying:
"If you have no experience of the subject at hand, the smart thing to do is shut the hell up."
is a hypocrite, an idiot, or both.
-- Greg Ludvik
The Gitane affair
BY DEBRA OLLIVIER
Voila! Debra Ollivier has found "le mot juste" in describing France's reluctance to protect nonsmokers: "anti-Americanism." The French are in a state of pique over American economic and cultural dominance and they see tobacco control as another form of American-style intrusion on their sacred way of life. Many times I have heard French people say, "Oh, no, we don't tell anyone where they can smoke. This isn't America, you know!" Last June I paid a visit to the Paris headquarters of Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) and the entire building was choked with cigarette smoke amidst the posters proclaiming proudly "Nous luttons contre toutes les maladies, meme l'injustice ... We fight against all diseases, even injustice!"
-- Adella Harris
Marlboro Man lives
BY ALEX SALKEVER
Alex Salkever makes passing mention of Joe, the late, great spokescamel for RJ Reynolds. Fortunately, RJR buckled to public pressure to eliminate Joe Camel, as he and his cartoonish friends made smoking out to be glamorous and fun. They've certainly solved that problem with their new ad campaign, featuring drawings of scantily clad women puffing away.
-- Matthew Rice
I can't understand why such a big deal is made out of the tobacco ads when alcohol abuse is far more immediately lethal to teens. I don't recall ever hearing about any kids who wrapped themselves around a telephone pole because they were driving under the influence of nicotine, or got rushed to the hospital and had their lungs pumped after smoking too many cigarettes at a party.
I suspect that the rise in young smokers has far more to do with teens' natural urge to rebel against authority (i.e. the officially sanctioned and increasingly hysterical anti-smoking crusade) rather than brainwashing by the tobacco industry.
-- Matt Bertrand
The panty police nab one of their own
BY HANK HYENA
Daily incidents of "chikan" (men fondling women, notoriously on crowded trains) can be seen on the daily commute to work. Usually the Japanese woman sits passively, pretends she is asleep, and begins shaking while 20 or so people witness the incident. Once a friend of mine stomped on a drunk salaryman's foot, loudly told him to stop molesting the young woman and told him he was a disgrace to society. The woman ran after my friend to thank her. My friend replied, "Next time, do it yourself."
After three years of living in Japan, I, too, was a victim of the infamous panty lovers. I had four pairs of panties and two bras stolen from my second story veranda. I immediately reported the incident to the local police with no luck. No doubt the panties are now being sold in a back alley somewhere in Shibuya.
Certainly it is great that a cop was condemned for taking photos of a girl's crotch. But I have no sympathy for women who don't speak up or wear skirts so short that you can see their underwear when they are walking up a flight of stairs. Wise up, Japanese gals.
-- Stephanie Gorman
Is this child pornography?
BY JAMES R. KINCAID
In December 1998, when my twins were one month old, my husband and I snapped pictures of our babies in Christmas outfits. We also decided to shoot some pictures of them naked, thinking a precious picture of their naked bottoms might make a cute Christmas picture to send out. When I went to pick up the pictures from the photo lab, the owners shoved the negatives at me, saying they refused to print them and insinuated that I was a child pornographer. Shocked nearly beyond function, I managed to protest, saying "But these are our twins. They're just naked pictures of newborn babies." They told me we lived in a sick world and that I should leave.
I thought I had entered the Twilight Zone. I drove home in a stunned stupor, told my husband the story and then began a crying spell that lasted for days. As a new mother, full of extra hormones, I was unable to gain perspective. I started to feel as if I had done something terribly wrong. I called a friend for comfort, who in turn called several friends of hers in law enforcement, including a superior court judge. They all told her they were horrified for me, but that I was lucky I wasn't arrested. We took the negatives to another lab and told them the story. Fortunately, the manager at this lab thought the whole matter absurd and gladly printed the pictures for us.
As I read about the cases reported in Kincaid's story, I feel a deep sadness for the unfairly accused. Pedophilia is the worst thing one can be accused of. Their scars no doubt run deep.
-- Catherine Saulino |
Hello everyone! Welcome to "Book Photo Sundays" where you get the chance to showcase photos of your books, bookshelves and book conventions you have gone to! The goal of this book meme is to basically just post up a photo of the various books you have read or your book hauls on your blog and link back here so that way everyone can check out your wonderful book photos! You can get your book photos through your Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Iphone or any other account where you can get your photos!
So let's get started!
Also, this will be tied into the March Book Photo Sundays Bookstagram Challenge over at Instagram, so please feel free to check it out!
Here are my two book photos of the week! In the first photo, I have taken a photo outside my front porch and it's of Cassandra Clare's "The Dark Artifices" series (hopefully, I'll get around to reading them soon). The second photo is me trying to make a different kind of book stack that I saw on Instagram and hopefully, I'll make a similar photo like this that actually has my face inside the hole of the book stack! |
In the real world, US churches are still open and clergy have not been marched off into gualgs. But, in the dualistic world of Fox News, the evil forces of secularism are constantly attacking the godly forces of America's Christians. In the bizarro world of Fox News, the First Amendment does not prohibit an establishment of Christianity; but, rather, guarantees Christians the right to impose their beliefs in the public square. The Christian right's opposition to the HHS birth control mandate, based on dubious claims of "religious freedom," fits nicely into the Fox persecuted Christian/religious freedom memes. As such, Fox never wastes an opportunity to validate this alleged Christian victimhood. And who better to give his seal of approval to the faux controversy and promote the talking points of US Conference of Catholic bishops than Fox's one true priest Fr. Jonathan Morris who, in lamenting the rise of government restrictions on religion, got to smear the President in the process. Mirabile Dictu?!
Yesterday's Sundays with Fr. Morris opened with the patented Fox "Fight for Faith" intro graphic of dark clouds accompanied by ominous orchestral back-up. Devout Christian (Anglican - not one of those nasty, sodomite Episcopalians), famous "dick" and proud gay basher Tucker Carlson asked "Is hostility towards religion on the rise in the United States." As the chyron advanced the patented Fox persecuted Christian meme, "Railing Against Religion, RPT., Religious Hostility on the Rise in the US," Carlson answered his own question, "Oh, yes, by a lot." Sweet Southern Sunday school teacher Anna Kooiman reported that, according to a Pew Poll, there have been major increases in government restrictions on religion and negative social attitudes towards religion. Clayton Morris asked what this means for "your freedom of religion and is big government overstepping its boundaries."
Clayton Morris asked Foxpriest Fr. Morris to discuss the increase in negative attitudes towards religion. While Morris cited the increase in those who identify as agnostics and atheists, he claimed that he's seeing an increase of those who are looking for a spiritual path. He attributed the rising numbers of non-affiliated in the church's failure to conduct adequate outreach.
Tucker Carlson casually and very obviously worked in the requisite religious right and Catholic bishops talking points: "Here's what I think is ominous. There's been a pretty marked increase in government restrictions on the practice of religion." Showing, once again, why he's Roger Ailes special friend, Fr. Morris pushed the right wing and Catholic bishops talking points which, surprise, surprise, was a not so thinly disguised smear of the President: "I think especially in this administration, in particular, we've seen very specific restrictions on really defining who is considered to be a religious organization, for example, the HHS mandate saying you know what, you're only a religious institution if what your mostly about is worship. But what about all these institutions that are religious based and are doing charitable works. That's a huge restriction."
Wall of genius Anna Kooiman asked "what about the separation of church and state" and cited, as an example, a student having to "take off their cross" - a reference to a 2013 persecuted Christian story, advanced on Fox & Friends, which turned out to be a mistake acknowledged and apologized for by the school. Her next example of Christians being persecuted was a reference to students being prohibited from meeting by a flagpole - a movement "nurtured" by Christian youth pastors and organizations. What Anna didn't mention is that nobody is prohibiting students from praying at the flagpole but that there are restrictions because of - uh - church/state issues.
As Fr. Morris exhorted everybody to "thank God" for the First Amendment's free exercise clause, the chryon provided one last bit of agitprop: "Intolerant America, Rpt. US More Restrictive than 130 countries."
Remind me again who is intolerant?
These cafeteria Catholic frauds are a disgrace to the church. No wonder the Catholic church is in such disarray. It’s heretics like them who destroyed it.
They sit behind the table on the set and spew talking points that resonate with their audience. Little do their audience know that these clowns don’t practice what they preach. You name it, they have done it.
Morris don’t care as long as his face is seen on television screens across the nation.
NOTE TO MORRIS
Jeremiah 10:15 was talking about Fox “News” Channel. |
Writing Switch: Wisdom from the high council
Everybody has unique and creative ways to improve quality of life in Aspen, so how is it that we always elect the people with the suckiest ideas? Because we geniuses know running for public office is a fool’s errand. We belong to a secret society of everyday citizens who could easily fix all the universe’s problems with our mind-bending intellect but are unfortunately afflicted by moral apathy and a lust for disorder. “Oh sure, whatever guys, give us an example.”
OK, so it’s really annoying when cars are going 15 mph in a 10 mph zone past your West End castle, right? So grody. To assuage that, we’ll create gridlock by repaving the Entrance to Aspen roundabout in perpetuity while also closing down side streets to anything other than pedestrians and cyclists, and then arrest everyone sitting in 12 hours of traffic jams for offending the no-idling law! Boom.
Oh wait, this is literally what Aspen’s … leaders (BARF!) … are already planning to do? We have misjudged our adversaries. At any rate, here are some other ideas for how the incoming batch of council members could make living in paradise better for those of us who deserve it.
Addition by subtraction
SB: How about we just punt on making Aspen better and actively make it worse? I’m not talking about development, I’m talking about waste management. The New York in “Taxi Driver” will look like it’s been tag-teamed by Mr. Clean and the Brawny paper towel guy after people see what we don’t do to Aspen.
Instead of having cars in the core, let’s encourage a Bourbon Street-type atmosphere — closed streets, open containers, vomit, debauchery, extremely loud music and late nights. I’m sick of Aspen only evolving for the 1%. Let’s take this town back. How many pub crawls can we fit in a ski season? Can someone please spike something at a Grand Tasting? (“Attention: If you ate the pink Patron popsicle, please report to the medical tent.”)
The only way to keep people from moving here is to make them not want to live here. And clearly judging by the public comment about employee housing proposed in a core neighborhood, the way to do that is to let the meager, weed-smoking, littering, loud, disgusting, degenerate workforce live on the nice side of the tracks, er, roundabout.
Screw the real estate transfer tax. For every home being built or remodeled, there should be a tax that employee housing gets built right next door. If rich people’s baseline assumption is that everyone who lives in employee housing is a syringe of heroin away from being a junky, imagine what they think about minorities.
Reparations from the Wheeler RETT
BW: Have you ever played “How much money would it take for you to (fill in the blank)?” with your friends? Isn’t it infuriating when they say “TEN MILLION DOLLARS!” like they’d be so good at it that they could command such an extravagant wage? I would do a lot of gross things for just $2,000, including voting for Donald Trump, but he really screwed the pooch on that one (speaking of gross things). So why couldn’t we be paid to sit at home, getting jerked around by the whims of city and county officials for the past year, losing our jobs, futures, friends and sanity while Aspen’s electeds count the coin in the Wheeler Opera House Real Estate Transfer Tax like Gringotts goblins?
My knowledge of the RETT, like everything else, is rudimentary, but basically every time someone buys a McMansion in town (or even a small studio condo), they pay a percentage into this absurd slush fund that’s the equivalent of “speaker fees” for senators and other think-tank goons. More than $30 million sit in that fund, and with the valley real estate market bringing in billions last year, I’m sure that number will surge.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you — the indentured Aspenite who makes less than $100K, who had to deal with an influx of rich people taking your parking spot, digging through your discount meat bin and poaching your last dating options in town while you get blamed for rising COVID numbers like you’re the one hosting hot tub/firepit parties on your rooftop — received a little recompense for your troubles? Perhaps in the form of a $20 million stimulus package to be distributed among the city’s most afflicted denizens?
Honestly, I don’t have the financial fortitude to craft a relief bill; hell, I can’t even figure out my health insurance. But even the dumbest mofo like me recognizes that the city could show a little sympathy instead of hoarding this bloated bank account for when one day the powers that be decide to build a second Wheeler Opera House next door to the Wheeler Opera House (seriously they’re considering that), as if we’ll ever be allowed to have fun again.
SB: This isn’t so much an anti-shared workspace thing as it is just a plain shill job for Best Day Ever, which I’ve seen harassed by a shared workspace that shall remain nameless as well as the HOA that’s currently trying to have them removed from their location because people buying weed are “Dirty Harry”-level scum. Shit man, I’m just trying to cop a quarter of some of the finest flower in town, and am not planning to shoot your dog walker and puppy-nap your poodle.
Also, the concept of a shared workspace — essentially office space for rent — has been exposed like a bad shooter in the playoffs. Everyone has been working from home for the past year due to Rona, so why in the name of whatever level of hell Jordan Belfort is going to does anyone need a rent-a-office?
If you’re on vacation and need to get away from your family so badly that you’re paying for Wi-Fi by the hour like it’s a cheap hooker, you should do your wife a favor and file for divorce.
We need another shared workspace like we need another bank, which incidentally is one developer’s vision for Aspen. All any local wants is a fat sack of herb, some crab rangoon and a decent, affordable lo mein, but instead we’re left with empty workspaces and an ATM.
Illegalize all this racket
BW: Tomorrow is going to suck. And I mean “tomorrow” in the proverbial manner, because tomorrow is today, and so was yesterday, but also because it’s 4 a.m. Monday night, if that makes sense. Tomorrow is going to suck because the noises will start the instant the sun starts radiating through my rise-in-the-east bedroom window, and I will still be tired.
First comes the giant ice-scraping tractor — should be any minute now. The guttural sound of blade on gravel is ambient noise enough, and it’s comforting that the driver is probably keeping an eye out for night stalkers and shadow figures, but the screeching fire alarm sounds of the machine backing up causes lobotomizing nightmares. Can we turn that shit off? How do you think people can sleep through this? If I hear a cricket fart I’m up and reaching for the nightstand. (Vail police would arrest me for that joke). I get that snow removal is a necessary task, so that when vehicles slam onto their breaks, while I’m still 10 feet away from entering the crosswalk, they don’t skid across the street into the brazen yet oblivious group who think crosswalks are encompassed by force fields.
Garbage truck rolls through at about 7, and of course they have to shake those 35-ton bearproof boxes a dozen times to ensure every last scrap falls out before tossing it haphazardly back onto the pavement. Construction begins 59 minutes later, which comes with radios, yelling, drilling and jackhammering. I spent a summer in home-improvement work and felt nauseously guilty sawing somebody’s gutters off for the whole neighborhood to hear at 8 in the morning. Clearly that sentiment is not constant among the builders of Aspen.
By 9:45 the ambitious Airbnbers on my floor will be in the hall, coughing up a lung, slamming lockers and whacking their skis against my rickety-ass door, making me think somebody’s breaking in. Another dip into the nightstand.
Now my phone starts chirping from texts (I’m very popular). Good thing I know who Evanescence is or I wouldn’t even understand this meme. Couldn’t it wait til after dinner? Don’t you know I’m infirm? Mute. Block. Report.
Twenty minutes later a snowball hits my window. I go at the nightstand for the third time because it’s probably Sean.
Finally, the death rattle. The tenants above me, who are either individually washing every article of clothing they own or pruning themselves in a jacuzzi for whatever reason, have activated their gyrating, floor-humping device that will vigorously shake my light fixtures for the next eight hours.
Might as well get out of bed at this point, my 2 p.m. shift starts in 10 minutes anyway.
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Michele Bachmann's Newsweek cover, on which she stares out icily over the headline The Queen Of Rage, has provoked intense reaction, mostly because of Bachmann's rapidly ballooning public caricature, but at least partly because the look in her eyes is something like bone-chilling. The Internet, of course, quickly produced the nightmare-inducing meme Hot Chicks With Michele Bachmann's Eyes. We went into the RFT photoshop lab to give some of our favorite musicians the Bachmann-eyes treatment, and the results are too strage and terrifying not to share. Although we will tell you right now that Mick Jagger looks adorable.
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Inside this issue
A Look at a Photographic Meme
Amateur Photographer who plays with big cameras and film when in between digital photographs.
To stand on a coastal cliff and look out over an expanse of sea and sky can be a humbling and sublime experience. The simple junction of water and air, sometimes clearly visible as a straight line and at other times smudged so that the difference is barely discernible, has a fascination that must have inspired people since the dawn of civilisation.
As photographers we are probably familiar with the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto whose minimalist, black and white seascapes seem to have provided the prototype for an entire genre of images, but you won’t be surprised to know he wasn’t the first person to have his muse tweaked by such subject matter. In fact, you have to go back to the early 19th century to find the roots of this minimalist horizon-centred aesthetic in mainstream art (if you know of anything earlier we’d love to hear about it!).
Much of landscape photography as we know it began with a solitary German painter, Caspar David Friedrich. His “Stimmungslandschaft” or literally “mood landscapes” approached nature as a subject in its own right and although his images often included a solitary figure or “Rückenfigur” (back figure), the subject is there to symbolise the viewer and to help prompt them to engage in the view as if they were there. Our visual lexicon of nature is now suitably rich that we instinctively view a scene as if we were there (given context of scale etc).
Friedrich’s first seascape that could be considered as the germ of the horizon idea is “The Monk by the Sea”: a truly revolutionary, minimalist landscape replete with white horses and reeling gulls and a presumably retreating storm on the horizon as night turns to day.
The sense of majesty in the image is profound, although many critics at the time didn’t ‘get’ it at all. “No moon, no storm, no sun, no thunder, no boat or ship, not even a sea monster” stated one, obviously wishing for bombastic Greek mythos. Friedrich took the idea even further into the abstract with his 'Sunrise at Sea' in 1828, which as an aesthetic seems very familiar to us today.
It was Turner who took the minimalist ideal a whole stage further though. In the late 1820s, he produced a series of near abstract views of sea and land or sky and land (sometimes it’s difficult to tell) that look so different from everything that had gone before that it appears to have arrived from a different culture.
A particular image of note is “Three Seascapes”, a study with apparently two different images until we realise that the dark area is actually another ‘land’ which shares a sky with one of the first ‘scapes. The result is akin to Rothko’s Multiforms, but born a century early. Other images such as ‘Seascapes with Storm Coming’, ‘Seascape with Bouy’ and ‘Study of Sea and Sky, Isle of Wight’ show Turner reveling in the sea/sky as an emotive concept rather than directly as a subject.
Even Constable and Whistler were making images of a similar sort, although it could be argued that these were more studies than final pieces, Constable’s in particular. Whistler’s seashore picture turns Courbet into a Rückenfigur.
One of photography’s pioneers, Gustav Le Grey, created the first iconic ‘horizon’ photographs between the years of 1856 and 1857 with his ‘Solar Effect’ and ‘Seascape with Clouds’, amongst others. 'Solar Effect' is an example of Le Grey’s ‘theory of sacrifices’ where he suggested that detail and subject can be subservient to tonality, light and shadow - a portent of modernism perhaps.
A couple of years later, painter John Brett was looking from the other side of the channel with his “The British Channel as seen from Dorset”, a decade later Henry Moore with “Silver Sea” and at the turn of the century Edwin Hayes painted ‘Sunset at Sea from Harlyn’.
The 20th century begins with a surge of experimentation in the fine art world, arguably freed from the need to represent reality photography, and with that comes intense experimentation with shape, colour and form. Modernists such as Mondrian and De Stijl developed the style of neo-plasticism: the breaking down of form into blocks of colour and tone. Although the style doesn’t immediately have a link with the horizon based seascape we are discussing, it does represent art's fascination with the breaking down or deconstructing the subject into an elemental state and this fits well with the simplicity of a separation of sea and sky in a purely visual sense.
In 1946 Mark Rothko created his first Multiform paintings and these in many ways gave birth to a million simple abstractions. Any future photograph that divided the frame into two or more sections became ‘influenced by Rothko’ whether the artist had liked or even had heard of the artist. Rothko’s work was immensely powerful and influential though and it is no surprise that some in the art establishment saw it as a foundation on which to build.
I should add that of that period, I found only a Walker Evans image that fits this category well and could find little else. Photography in Europe, and in America to some extent, seems to have descended into a Pictorialist black hole prior to the first and second world wars. Art and particularly photography for that matter was seen as frivolous somehow and the it was only after the war the the pace began to pick up again. Artists began to experiment again and although the primary focus of photography seemed to be street and documentary work, during the 60s and 70s photography bloomed until the early 80s when the baby boom and the post war freedom had created a world of new artists.
East German artist Gerhard Richter was a stand-out artist of the post war period (and now the top selling living artist). He created an astonishing range of works in painting and photography. A particular photograph from 1969 is pertinent here, “Seestück I” a homage to Le Grey in that he has stitched a sky to sea but in typical Richter style he has turned the clouds around to add a sense of dislocation. The Seestück series includes many oil on canvas works and could be seen as the definitive inspiration for the photographic style, especially as Richter used photography as a primary inspiration for his work (it would be great to see the original photographs for these paintings).
And here we finally reach Hiroshi Sugimoto. Born in 1948 and growing up during the post war period in Japan, Sugimoto has produced work in a variety of styles but it was upon seeing a Rothko exhibition in 1978 that he had the inspiration to produce his seascapes in almost direct homage to Rothko’s final black and white work that shortly preceded his suicide in 1970.
Sugimotos images, shot on an 8x10 large format camera, capture some of the depth of Rothko’s multiforms replacing the repeated layering of paint with the time-stretched exposure of waves and clouds. The series was taken all over the world, each repeating the overall concept of a central horizon line and no other detail apart from the waves and occasional band of cloud. On occasion the horizon line is banished completely by mist or rain.
Shortly after Sugimoto’s first works in 1980, Fabien Baron started an almost identical project. Rising early and shooting his 8x10 camera from various coastal locations, Baron built up a huge catalog of our now familiar half sea, half sky images. Whether Fabien saw Sugimoto’s images or not it’s difficult to say but my research suggests he started before Sugimoto exhibited his work. It wouldn’t be surprising if the two photographers developed the idea in parallel in some form of convergent evolution.
Since then we have had a variety of artists producing work with this abstract base idea including Richard Misrach’s wife, Debra Bloomfield; Gaylen Morgan and the wonderful work of Murray Fredericks, particularly his SALT project. Australian photographer Mike Stacey also sometimes works with this historic theme and we asked his for his thoughts and have included two of his works below.
The motivation that these artists have at depicting what seems to be nothing is what is interesting. Without wanting to sound too pretentious, the motivations are actually quite deep. There is some overlap between the various artistic statements that underpin each body of work, but each has its own slightly different intent. It would be interesting to know what that motivation was. What could possibly be so inspiring about pointing a camera into 'nothing'?
Each artist is looking beyond the landscape, beyond the world of things, at primal 'unseen' elements, transcending the usual view and verging on the spiritual. It is this looking past the landscape rather than at it, or into it, that provides the vehicle for the viewer to experience something more than what might be gleaned from viewing a traditional landscape image. Works such as these demand more from the viewer. Many folks will say: "there's nothing there", "what's there to look at?" Without the usual landscape props of trees, rocks or mountains, the viewer's eye is set adrift. This can be disconcerting to some but it is precisely this lack of reference that allows a deeper insight into the mind of the artist.
Just like Stieglitz’s equivalents, this form of abstract photography can work as a metaphor for many ideas whilst subtle variations in mood, colour and framing can evoke a range of emotions and memories.
The interesting thing about this theme is that many people could say that it has surely been mined so hard that there is little left. However the same could have been said in the 1960s and definitely in the 1990s after Sugimoto’s work. The development of the genre has proven that it isn’t the idea or theme that is the most important aspect of the works, it is how that theme is developed and the strength of the metaphors or philosophy on which it stands. Simple variations such as the point of capture (Fabien’s were typically from the beach, Sugimoto’s from an elevated perch), colour or black and white, fog or sunset, the inclusion or exclusion of rocks, boats, water texture, etc. Even the presentation of the work in terms of aspect ratio, print surface, framing; can all contribute to an identity that can support an infinity of conceptual ideas.
If anything the theme should act to break the shackles of history and allow the creative photographer to tackle anything they wish as the act of developing the idea will inevitably give it it’s own space.
Researching the history of this particular ‘meme’ has been a fascinating journey back through time and one that has made me taught me much about the communication of artistic ideas through the ages. I would highly recommend this sort of research as a way of discovering the history of a subject or visual topic but also as a way of finding out about the way ideas are communicated through the generations.
Finally - a big thanks to Neil from Beyond Words has kindly supplied the following bibliography to run alongside this article.
Rothko/Sugimoto - Sugimoto’s seascapes compared and contrasted with Rothko’s paintings
Hiroshi Sugimoto "Retrospective" - a full range of his work
Gustave Le Gray "1820-1884"
Gerhard Richter "Landscapes"
Fabien Baron "Liquid Light" - One reduced copy available from Beyond Words
Debra Bloomfield "Still" - Out of print but still fairly easily available.
Richard Misrach (Bloomfield’s husband’s) "Golden Gate" - might also be relevant here though Aperture now appear to be out of stock of the new edition
"The Sea", ed Pierre Borhan - Good general sea work which is still available in hardback and paperback
Beyond Words can get any of these titles even if not listed on their website as long as they are in print.
And you’re in for a treat if you can find copies of these two out of print books: Waterproof (ISBN 9783908161264) and Sea Change (ISBN 9780938262329). If you can find Waterproof at a reasonable price, I’d be interested too! |
Me watching Love is Blind noticing it’s only been 37 minutes into Episode 1: pic.twitter.com/PdC4bO27mv, No one:Absolutely no one:Every couple, after 2 dates, on Netflix's Love is Blind: pic.twitter.com/ehnGe86Ohi. Funny Habits Jokes – Cause and Effect. Daily Life Jokes. The new Netflix dating show has sparked conversations everywhere about just how quickly can you fall in love with someone...without actually meeting them? Love is blind I was in bed with a blind girl last night and she said that I had the biggest penis she had ever laid her hands on. And while we've been closely following the lives of six engaged couples getting to know each other before tying the knot, we've also spent many, many hours, scrolling through social media and laughing out loud at some of the meme gold that the internet has produced. She's 34 and he's 24, if you're wondering. LMAOOOOO #loveisblindfinale #LoveIsBlind, Jessica and her dog, after she gets back from her cancelled wedding: #loveisblind #loveisblindnetflix, Kelly : “I can’t marry you I hope you can appreciate that and respect that” Giannina: Creates toxic relationship environment Roses are red, violets are blue, if you love Star Wars, may the force be with you. Dumb & Funny Jokes. Love is blind. My two moods watching Love is Blind #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/fy3o4qB6Jk, absolutely fucking losing my mind at Jessica on love is blind giving her dog wine pic.twitter.com/FupbnE2siD. Newer Post Older Post Home. 3 Minutes. But we all know it only takes 36 minutes to fall in love. JOKES TOP 10 JOKES 4 YOUR SITE RECEIVE IN YOUR EMAIL: VISITED ANSWER ME THIS. That’s true, Believe me, because love is definitely blind. Oh yeah we saw that. ANSWER ME THIS . The craziest thing about love is blind is that everyone is dressing up for these pod dates when they could easily be chilling in sweatpants. Justice for Westley and Rory! #loveisblindnetflix #LoveIsBlind, When you realize it wasnt jessica, but kelly who was the real villain #LoveIsBlind, Me waiting for all these stupid weddings to be over so I can see Cameron and Lauren get married #LoveIsBlind, Lauren and Cameron’s wedding #Loveisblind, Me watching the other weddings Vs me watching Lauren and Cameron #LoveIsBlind, Cameron's crying, Lauren's crying, Lauren's dad's crying, Lauren's mum's crying, I'm crying, you're crying #LoveIsBlind #loveisblindfinale, Cameron: “I promise I’m going to take care of you,baby” OH MY DAYS #LOVEISBLIND pic.twitter.com/PGrOKJwtRF, Me running to move into Cameron’s house. Love is blind. #LoveIsBlind is fucking terrible when's the next season pic.twitter.com/FZsb3sIZrI, i wasn't ready for this jorgen von strangle moment twitter.com/snitchery/stat…, What is scalp popping? LOVE is not to say, but to understand. Recently Published. True love is when your pet comes to your room on its own. A blind man applies for a job at the wood factory, but the manager refuses as he says what can you do, you're blind. Funny Habits Joke – Smoking. More jokes. Lauren : I love you. Funny Love Jokes For Married Couples or Boyfriend/Girlfriend. Netflix‘s reality show ‘Love is Blind‘ is the latest experiment on speed dating that has everyone glued to the screens. By the end: Oh. Death Jokes. Dec 16, 2014 - This Pin was discovered by Visilab. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?Why do croutons come in airtight packages? #loveisblindnetflix, This man deserves an award for best rejection speech #loveisblindfinale #LoveIsBlind, Let’s be real the reunion is really only happening so Amber can march in with her HUSBAND Barnett in front of Jessica like... #LoveIsBlind, Votes for Cameron and Lauren to host next season instead of Nick and Vanessa?? #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/tcF884yPKZ, LAUREN AND CAMERON'S PARENTS HAVE THE SAME NAMES! Love Is Blind in Love Jokes. GG wasn’t meant for Love Is Blind, the way she ran from the altar, ripped her dress and said “have your bow back” to Damien, this girl is a soap opera star in the making. Here's how Love Is Blind works: A group of singles go on dates in "pods," where they're unable to see the other person. Cameron: I love … Dad Jokes. My face while watching #LoveIsBlind when Jessica came in with NO bouquet, NO parents or family in sight, and GUM in her MOUTH: Jessica walking down the isle knowing she is saying a big fat NO to Mark #LoveIsBlind. Jessica on Love is Blind walking into the wedding.... I’m so excited, he’s definitely the one, I really love him. Damian: “I can’t marry you” Netflix's newest dating show, Love Is Blind, has seen six couples get engaged before actually getting to meet each other. If love is blind, then marriage is a real eye opener. Me: May 29, 2019 - This Pin was discovered by Elizadoolittle M. Discover (and save!) LOVE is not to find faults, but to make the best. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. 26 February 2020, 14:39 | Updated: 26 February 2020, 14:41. LOVE is not to show, but to feel inside. Lauren: “I know you will” L.I.F.E. the guy released his hidden parachute, shook his head and said true love never dies . Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! #LoveIsBlind, jessica at the alter trying to get mark to look like barnett #LoveIsBlind, If Marks mom isn’t a constant mood❤️❤️ #LoveIsBlind #loveisblindnetflix #loveisblindfinale, Guys you know the part that really took me out? they got to the mountain top and the lady suggested that the guy jump first being a man, the guy jumped. Only after getting engaged (yes, engaged ), does the couple meet face-to-face. Dad Jokes. California residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Love is metaphysical gravity. Het principe van ‘Love Is Blind’ wijkt een beetje af van dat van ‘Bind Getrouwd’. Carlton really said “that’s why ya wig been slipping since day one” #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/WJAVXc2j0k, Carlton said it’s never been an issue that he’s fluid when he told girls BUT he was scared what the outcome would be if he told Diamond??? The internet has since gone wild for the show, and brought us the best memes of the year so far. Blind Jokes (42) Blonde Jokes (176) Blood Jokes (50) Book Title Jokes (131) Breast Jokes (177) Brother/Sister Jokes (59) Bumper Stickers (80) Bus Jokes … Most girls his age are ... A bit crazy.All of us having watched Jessica these past 7 episodes:#LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/tLMs5NtrIv. Doctor Jokes. Discover (and save!) It's definitely true that the couples do say "I love you" very quickly. #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/3aibEUV0WD. 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Humor on internet dating quotes
So thanks to Mormon Memes and BYU Memes for their contribution and the dozen of individuals who have submitted their hilarious memes to us here on LDS SMILE.
For those who are looking for some of the best spiritually related memes and quotes, here’s the link to the 50 Spiritually Uplifting Mormon Meme’s post we did recently.
Because I don’t really understand your terms and you keep saying you have no interest.” That’ll kill if you’re dating in the financial sector.
I always hated high-school shows and high-school movies, because they were always about the cool kids.However, some high-integrity dating platforms have chosen to fight back.One unfortunate would-be-funny-if-he-weren’t-so-crude single got kicked off e Harmony for answering the personal question, “What do you like most in a woman? The dating site flagged the profile for its inappropriate language and kept this dick from offending single women online.You show up to a first date expecting a beautiful new companion and instead find your worst nightmare.As Meme Center astutely points out, sometimes your expectations get ahead of you, and that attractive, witty girl is too good to be true. |
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3725.95 mph slap
This joke is a meme that is currently popular on the internet. This is an example of humor through absurdity. The humor lies in the fact that cooking a chicken by slapping it at 3725.95 mph (or 1665.65 m/s) is impossible.
Here are a few reasons why:
First, the person slapping the chicken would have to be able to accelerate their hand to nearly mach 5, which is entirely impossible unaided.
Second, if a human's hand were to hit a stationary chicken at that speed, most of the energy would transfer to the chicken as kinetic energy, not heat energy, so instead of a cooked chicken you would get a chicken moving very fast.
If the chicken were held stationary, then both the human's hand and the chicken would be destroyed in the process of them colliding - neither of them could survive the impact. You would end up with chicken mush mixed with human hand mush.
Finally, if you prevented the chicken from moving, and from being destroyed, the heat that is generated would be enough to cook the point of impact to a burnt state, but would likely dissipate before it could transfer through the chicken to cook the entire thing since chickens are not particularly good at conducting heat.
There are probably other reasons why this is absurd, however those are enough for me.
Finally, there is a second reason for this meme being funny - the image appended to the bottom of the quote indicates that Anakin Skywalker wants to learn how to do this. The power to cook a chicken is not something that that character would normally be expected to want. Originally, he wanted to gain power to save his wife from dying, so asking if it were possible to gain the power to slap a chicken and cook it is a pretty humorous juxtaposition. |
don't know how well the humour will travel
and maybe too much reliance on swearing
but well reasoned reviews, great direction
and some novel ideas
make this worth watching, at least the two shows that are up from season two on the website
kinda like vids, but less annoying-welsh
with like hints of both (c.morris') jam (!) in places
― c7n (Cozen), Friday, 21 October 2005 16:56 (fifteen years ago) link
― c7n (Cozen), Friday, 21 October 2005 16:57 (fifteen years ago) link
"Barry Burtons far and wide..."
― odiedodie, Friday, 21 October 2005 17:10 (fifteen years ago) link
but when it hits the spot it aquaplanes noise board style into hilarity
plus the reviews are nicely turned and it features LOADS of games I've never heard of that look great
― c7n (Cozen), Saturday, 22 October 2005 09:15 (fifteen years ago) link
Returns for a 4th season! YouTube only now.
Problem is, the last season of VG was kind of awful, and this is... not much better. I was a huge fan of the CV/VG until last year or so, when they just seemed to completely go off the deep end with the comedy bits, and having too many of them in place of reviews. And... well, actual video game jokes. Well, at least the music selections are still pretty good. What happened to these guys?
― Nhex, Monday, 13 October 2008 14:02 (twelve years ago) link
yeah the comedy bits are v.unfunny
their reviews are great tho; shame they don't seem to do many now
― STINKING CORPSE (cozwn), Monday, 13 October 2008 14:09 (twelve years ago) link
They've always been really hit or miss with the comedy sketches, but at least they used to have some pretty amusing silliness that was game related (like Manpuncher vs. Boxhead, End of Level Boss, TEAM!) but nowadays it's... standing in the street doing stupid poses?
― Nhex, Monday, 13 October 2008 14:20 (twelve years ago) link
I find most of the stuff about computer games good to be honest, didn't really see any of the last season. Quite like the thing about the rubbish Cthulhu point and click mobile game form the new stuff. Team! is the all time classic material.
― jim, Monday, 13 October 2008 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
Man, I liked series 3 of CG (even The Black Episode) and series 3 of VG. The Simpsons' review ("have an acceptable Christmas") and all the "It's an FPS" stuff, plus there was a good Peter "One Dart" Manley gag in it as well. I think the comedy elements are a very specific type, nothing really "works" on first review, stuff only really kicks in on a third or fourth run through (which is why my favourite lines from all of CG, "Chooban!" and "Fuck your leg, you were never good" and "Fucking shut up Batman" and "Because... I'm a racist, probably" only got a smirk first time round). It's a very paced style of comedy, anyone who's seen Rab Florence's sitcom work will probably see the direct line run through.
Although, yeah, Legend and Hitler were never funny.
The directors' commentaries they're doing for old episode are v.similar to the humour I was talking about, although maybe people are more used to that pace of comedy in a commentary?
^^^new ilx meme in the making
― Carrie Bradshaw Layfield (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Monday, 13 October 2008 21:32 (twelve years ago) link
The new stuff has been no bad!
The Cthulhu one the .gif is from is awesome and I liked the Little Big Planet review too.
― what U cry 4 (jim), Thursday, 16 October 2008 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
Plus MC Nomad used as the theme music to the "Checking the Forums" skit.
― Carrie Bradshaw Layfield (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Thursday, 16 October 2008 00:32 (twelve years ago) link
Ah, hadnae seen that yet.
― what U cry 4 (jim), Thursday, 16 October 2008 00:45 (twelve years ago) link
also rab has a McNulty frae the Wire desktop. yas
― what U cry 4 (jim), Thursday, 16 October 2008 00:55 (twelve years ago) link
But the fact that he had a The Wire desktop picture was much funnier than dragging that sketch out so ridiculously long...
― Nhex, Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:47 (twelve years ago) link
aye that sketch wasn't the best. It's hit and miss, but eough hit for me to keep watching.
― what U cry 4 (jim), Thursday, 16 October 2008 14:53 (twelve years ago) link
Couldn't bring myself to sit all the way through "Checking the Forums", but I enjoyed the LBP and Lego Batman reviews.
― Nhex, Thursday, 16 October 2008 15:09 (twelve years ago) link
"Based on Foracheck, an original format by Endemol Netherlands"
― Carrie Bradshaw Layfield (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Thursday, 16 October 2008 15:30 (twelve years ago) link
― Peter "One Dart" Manley (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Monday, 1 December 2008 20:34 (twelve years ago) link
hopes dashed yet again. this is what tim and eric have done to our world
― Nhex, Monday, 3 May 2010 22:57 (ten years ago) link
― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 00:25 (ten years ago) link
Damn, forgot we actually had a thread for thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVsF8YzyxAoTougher for me these days to watch the show - maybe I'm more lacking in patience, and used to the more standard YT review pace of 12 minutes or less - but still found some stuff to like in here. (And.... the Twitch streaming format isn't necessarily my cup of tea for this, either)To me the good stuff is Rab's FFVII Remake review which starts around 28:40 - love to see the guy's passion and doing something a bit original here, incorporating his current pandemic life and family into the review. (Note: earlier in the show, he mentioned he had to cancel his own wedding which was going to happen in eight weeks.)
― Nhex, Friday, 8 May 2020 21:24 (eleven months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR12dadReqgGreat review, convinced me to definitely pick this up sometime. Beginning and end of it have that weird... "is this a joke?" kinda thing going on which is classic CV
― Nhex, Friday, 16 October 2020 18:41 (six months ago) link
that's a very flat telly
― here comes the hotstamper (jim in vancouver), Friday, 16 October 2020 19:10 (six months ago) link
Glad Vanillaware are still at it.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 16 October 2020 20:08 (six months ago) link |
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Read Play Blog is a meme about video games and books, posted every 16th of the month. Bloggers are encouraged to answer a discussion question, and recommend a video game that is similar to a book they liked. Hosted by Happy Indulgence Books & Read Me Away.
Question: What is your preferred gaming platform?
My favourite gaming platform is the playstation. While nowadays I play most of my games on the pc, the playstation is still my favorite platform, there’s just nothing better then having an actual controller in your hand.
As I was younger at first I mainly played games like Freddie the Fish, Put Put and ‘Charlie de Eend’ on the computer. We had an old computer and we still had to pay for every minute internet, so the most fun thing to do on those where to play games. Eventually my sister and I got a gameboy and we both played a lot of those. I nowadays also own a gameboy colour, gamboy advance and a DS (which is dying as the tops creen won’t function anymore). Then even later on we got a nintendo, we loved the mario games, mario party and banjo kazooie. My sister and I loved playing games, whether watching to other play or playign together. And eventually we managed to convince my mom to also get us a playstation 2 with games like Dragon Ball Z, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. As soon as I first played Kingdom Hearts on the playstation 2 I felt a sense of wonder and fell in love with the console and the game. Kingdom Hearts became one of the first games I actually finished all the way through and while I still loved the gameboy as well ther ejust was something about the Playstation that worked for me. I liked how I could sit on the sofa, watch the screen with the nice graphics and the controller in my hands fellt very intuitive.
It’s a funny story how I eventually tried my first computer game after all that. For years we only played on the playstation, nintento (and later gameqube) and our gameboys. then one day a game called Fable caught my attention in a store and I convicned my mom to buy it for me. After installing the multiple cd’s I finally got to play a bit and struggled through the tutorial. Then a few days later when I started it up again I forgot all the keys again and trying to figure out how it worked, I accidently killed a character in the game and was trown out of the starting building. Frustrated I put down the game and never picked it up again. The keyboard just didn’t work for me and I just couldn’t get the hang of the controls. Eventually years later I met my boyfriend and gradually started to play more pc games. Nowadays I can play pc games without forgetting the controls or accidently killing game characters, although my first love is still the playstation.
While the playstation is my favourite gaming platform, the pc is a close second. Actually currently I more often play games on the pc then on the Playstation. I also have a controller for the pc, which I use for those games that just work better with a controller.
My recommendation this week probably won’t come as a surprise. It’s a amazing game that I replayed a few times and beside thast it’s also one of the games that started my love for the playstation: Kingdom hearts by Sqaure Enix.
I still love the game and have playing it through a few times already. While Kingdom Hearts 2 has inproved a lot of things compared to kingdom hearst 2, mainly in terms on controls and handy little extra’s, I still think Kingdom Hearts 1 will also be my favourite game in the series. I still get chills whenever I listen to music of the game, especially the opening/ending themes by Utada Hikaru. Here’s the link to the Kingdom hearts opening/ ending song called Simple and Clean.
I wonder if I ever will play Kingdom hearts 3 as I’ve been waiting for years for it and now it will probably be released on the playstation 4, which I don’t have and I wonder if I’ll ever play it all.
I have been extremely busy for the past few weeks and haven’t gamed in a long time, so I have nothing to mention here 🙁
So that’s it for this month’s Read Play Blog post :). So my question to you is: |
There is still good, quality, genuine education going on around the country despite the anti-teacher, anti-intellectual and misogynistic meme of accountability and performance, test scores, and measuring every student every year, over and over and over again, on standardized fill in the bubble sheets.
TFA, just like so much of corporate education reform, fails to acknowledge the "appropriate role of a TFA recruit" in a school where there are experienced teachers who have devoted their lives and their careers to a particular school and community and its children.
And so, TFA'ers, who are bright and probably had a good, genuine education are smart enough to see that this is not the answer to educating the children in urban areas who suffer from poverty and lack of resources. One way people can make a difference is if teachers and professors stop writing letters of recommendation for young college graduates with a 5 week teacher boot camp to go into public schools as "teachers" all across the country. Put the money where it belongs and pay TFA'er to work "with" or "be mentored" and give the education of the nation's children real meaningful opportunities with two adults in a classroom. These kids don't need more tests, they need more teachers, social workers, librarians, camps, activities, and health care.
Why I Stopped Writing Recommendation Letters for Teach for AmericaAnd why my colleagues should do the same
So competence is one core issue here. Another one is race. Rooted in the corporate discourse around reform, charter schools, and “urban revitalization” is the hope that the (mostly white) elite class and free-market ideologies will combine to solve every social ill. Meanwhile, whole communities of African-American and Latino men and women are being warehoused in prisons, the racial income gap is widening, and urban communities of color are being gentrified out of their neighborhoods. TFA—and the charter schools that function as TFA’s biggest partners—perform a similar kind of gentrification by ridding cities of veteran teachers of color. Despite what you might hear, there is no teaching shortage. Schools and districts fire their unionized, more expensive professional staff in order to make slots for the cheaper, eternally revolving wheel of TFA and other nontraditionally certified recruits, who quickly burn out.
The simple fact is that students who apply to TFA are not trained to be teachers. So by refusing to write TFA letters of recommendation, we’re merely telling our students that we can’t recommend them for a job they’re not qualified for. An increasing amount of research shows that TFA recruits perform at best no better, and often worse, than their trained and certified counterparts. What’s more, they tend to leave after just a few years in the classroom. Would a biology professor write a recommendation to medical school for an English major who’s never taken any core science courses? That would be strange. It would be even stranger if the professor knew the English major was just going into medicine for a few years, as a way to boost his resume, before ultimately going on to a career in public relations. |
In this episode we discuss:
- What is a coding bootcamp?
- What coding languages does Fullstack Academy teach and why?
- What is the day-to-day work life of a coding bootcamp student?
- Does Fullstack Academy help you get a job?
- How hard is it to get into Fullstack Academy?
- How much is Fullstack Academy?
What are you learning at Fullstack Academy?
But I’m hoping, with all the work that we’re doing so far, it’ll be okay. We’ve been learning, basically, we started really easy, all the different data value types. What’s a string, what’s a number, all these different things. And then we started talking about loops and control flow, which is really cool.
I guess I didn’t realize, control flow if you can visualize it, is basically the way your program runs in a linear fashion from top to bottom. There’s a reason they call it loops. It’s because the control flow will just loop back around. Or if you’re inside a four loop or something, and you’ve got to make sure you get out or whatever. And then even the little things like understanding what return does, versus like a console log.
Because I think that’s what you see like really early on and it’s so great, you know, like console log is so powerful and a really good teaching tool and then, but trying to distinguish that between what a return does? I didn’t even really get that until like, last week, where return would actually just replace the expression where you call the function.
Chris: Yeah, exactly. That makes a lot of sense. You sound like you know what we’re talking about now, man. You’ve got this down. It’s cool.
It’s cool to see, because like you started with us and then you, I mean now you’re like deep into it. Now, you’re teaching it.
Buddy Galletti: That’s good. I’m so jealous of coding because it’s such a good model of education. There are so many things that I like about it that I wish mathematics education could emulate. Especially when it comes to what we do in Fullstack, which is called pair programming.
That’s where after every lecture, we’re in class for three hours but only an hour of it is a lecture. And then what we do is we break out into pairs where we share our computer screens and we work through problems.
The problems are meant to be hard. They’re meant for us to struggle. But it’s that productive struggle that I think is just so powerful when it comes to learning. I think it’s such a good model to follow. I wish math could do it. I’m sure there are ways.
Chris: I love that because the thing about coding is it gives you critical thinking skills because you just have to be solving problems and that is really what it is. But oftentimes, there’s not a map for how to get from point A to the next. You know where you are and then you know where you want to get and you kind of have to make the path.
And I think part of that is just all these different kinds of skills, which are honestly really hard to teach. It’s hard to teach the skills, but it makes sense to use coding and you just happen to learn the skills along the way.
Like, these kinds of critical problem-solving skills that apply to something. Like, apply to math. Honestly but also apply to you packing your luggage, girlfriends. It’s just like a way of debugging the world and I find it very useful. So yeah, I like that you’re saying that.
Buddy Galletti: Yeah. One thing they do is they use this cohort model where we have this group and you’re all in the lecture together and you’re meeting all these people and they really try to facilitate kind of that family atmosphere where you’re all in it together.
And it’s kind of funny because actually, I was listening to your podcast, the one on books one and I picked up that book ‘Ego is the Enemy’, and I started trying to do something that I learned from that book. I think it was a philosophy from Frank Tramock or something where it was like the plus-minus equals. Do you remember that?
Chris: No. Remind me, tell me about it.
Buddy Galletti: So it’s basically like if you really want to master something, some kind of a thing that you’re trying to learn, you want to surround yourself with people that know more than you. So your plus and minus are the people who maybe don’t know as much as you do, but you can try and teach them, so that really helps you learn. And then also just surrounding yourself with a bunch of people who are on the same level as you are.
Chris: Yes. I love that and I remember that now. And I think it gives this example of the guitar player from Metallica, I think it was Kurt Hammock and yeah, and it was the best story because it was, I’m going to try to do my best to remember, but it was more or less he was at the top of his game. He was basically in Metallica, yadda yadda yadda, like on TV, whatever. And yet, with the people in Metallica, it gave him the kind of like running a race, like you were kind of like side by side.
And then he was teaching people on the side how to code and then he was still learning and taking lessons. And it’s amazing to think how many times I’ve been in my life and honestly, there’s some moments in your life when you’re like, oh, I did that.
You’re like, I’m pretty good. Like, at one point I was really, really, really good at WordPress, you know? And you know sometimes, I’m just being totally honest, it’s easy to go like I know this, there’s nothing else to learn. Right?
Chris: And it’s so false. There’s always so much more to learn. And reading Ego is the Enemy and this idea of, what do you call it? The plus/minus, I forgot that was the name. Yeah. You’re just like, oh my God. This is how these people are so great. Like, they just keep learning.
Buddy Galletti: Yeah. It was crazy. And I think especially when you’re in that kind of atmosphere where you feel like you’re at school. If you start thinking about it that way, it really kind of takes a lot of the anxiety out of raising your hand and asking a question if you just think it like, oh that guy’s one of the pluses I’m trying to learn from. It kind of alleviates some of that stress because like I remember … So we do Fullstack just online in a Zoom room and I pressed the button to like raise my hand and then all of a sudden I started shaking. I was so nervous when they’re going to call on me.
Just going back to like my teaching days in grad school, where being on the other side of the student’s perspective; as a teacher, you really want those students to ask you the questions and you’re not really thinking, well I guess I’m talking subjectively, but you really want to try to answer their questions in a meaningful way.
But when you’re a student, you’re so nervous about raising your hand and asking your question, or at least in my case, that was one of my hang ups for sure. But thinking about learning in the process of it with that plus/minus equals philosophy, I think it has really helped me, at least when it comes to about then I start thinking about contributing to my cohort in general.
What is the day-to-day work like at Fullstack Academy?
Buddy Galletti: It’s really great. They have their own learning management system called Learn Dot. So, you just log into their website and they have all these different exercises for you to do. It’s almost like a flipped classroom in a sense where you have a lot of pre-work before a lecture. So, a lot of reading, a lot of trying some example codes and they integrate this app into their learning system that’s called Repl, which is something I just learned about. But it’s basically just a coding environment and a place for you to write your code and run it inside the browser instead of using a text editor or something like that.
And it has built-in tests that Fullstack has coded. So, you know when you hit run and hit submit or something, that it’s doing all the things that you want it to. Right? And then if it’s not doing the things that you want it to, it’ll tell you specifically what you need to to change or, well not necessarily changed, but what you need to get your function to do or whatever it is you’re working on. So, that’s kind of like the day-to-day. That’s usually our pre-work.
And then during the lecture, we’ll have an hour lecture. And the professor, I guess you’d call him, his name is Eric Katz. And he lives in New York, also. And so he’s on there and he does his whole thing for about an hour. And there’s also teaching fellows in there which are kind of like TAs.
Chris: So you’re all in a Zoom room and it’s all live. It’s not pre-recorded.
Buddy Galletti: Yeah, exactly. So, you know, sometimes you gotta make sure your microphone is off, in case I don’t know, when it shouldn’t be, I guess. You can fully turn your microphone on and interrupt him and ask a question. So it really has that in class feel.
And then once the lecture is done, we break out into separate Zoom rooms where it’s just you and another student from your cohort and then you have a bunch of workshop problems that you need to work through. And you’re usually given like an hour at least to work on those. And they really encourage you to, to do that kind of like pair programming thing.
Usually, the way I like to do it is, you know, say hey, do you want to share your screen or do you want me to share my screen first and we can work on this? And you kind of take the driver’s seat or the passenger’s seat and then you just switch off once you get to the next problem, which is really cool.
What text editor do you use with Fullstack? Is it all online?
Buddy Galletti: Yeah, it’s all online. It’s still in their learning management system and it’s that Repl environment. I think the website is called Repl.it
Chris: Yeah. I can put a link to it in the show notes, for anyone listening.
During paired programming at Fullstack, do you pair up with a person from your timezone, like locally?
Buddy Galletti: Our classes are Tuesday and Thursday nights, Pacific time at 6:30 to 9:30. So, most of the people in my cohort are actually from the San Luis Obispo area because it’s actually the new partnership with the Cal Poly Extended Education program, I think? So there’s a lot of people who live locally here in SLO or just in SLO county.
There’s definitely some people from the Bay Area, like up near San Francisco and I think there’s some people from Washington and I think that’s about it. It’s a lot of people from the west coast. But I think mainly that’s just because of the time slot for this cohort. I mean, they have more than one cohort obviously that runs at different times.
Does Fullstack promise to get you a job afterward?
Buddy Galletti: They don’t promise you’ll get a job or anything, but part of it is a lot of like kind of preparing you for trying to find a job. I think part of the course is near the end we’ll have to produce a resume or build our portfolio with all these projects. So we have some projects that we’re going to be doing, apparently.
So, we’ll have that by the end of it. And then, it’s kind of you’ve got that network now where you’ve met all these new people and you can kind of use that to your advantage. It’s probably different for every student. I’ve seen a lot, of their students getting really good jobs, but they definitely help you prepare for that.
I haven’t experienced that much, but I actually just booked an office hour for tonight and I might ask them like, because I’m really interested in the professional development type stuff.
Is it possible to book office hours with one of the Fullstack TAs? Are they available to answer questions during paired programming?
Buddy Galletti: Yeah, they are. So, so there’s like a chat feature and I think you can chat them or shoot them a message on Slack, because we have a whole Slack thing, too. Sometimes there’s been issues with the tests not coming out the right way or something like that. Or whenever we run our code, like maybe there’s a bug in the system or something. But yeah, they’re there for you. You’ve just gotta shoot them a message and they’ll help you out.
Roughly how much does learning at Fullstack Academy cost?
Buddy Galletti: Okay, so I got the Cal Poly discount because I’m an alumni but for me, it’s cost me almost $11,000.
Chris: Wow, okay.
Buddy Galletti: It’s quite a bit of money. It took me and my wife a really long time to decide to do this and it was definitely a really hard decision whether or not to do it. I’m definitely really happy I did it. It is a lot of money. I know.
But I was looking into a lot of other coding boot camps similar to it and noticed that they won’t charge you anything but you have to pay them 17% of your salary or something for two years after you get a job or something like that.
Chris: You’re talking about other coding boot camps. Do you remember any of the names?
Buddy Galletti: I don’t. But I was looking at coursereport.com, which is a really good resource for coding boot camps and trying to find out which one will be good for you or whether it’s not good for you.
Chris: That’s awesome. So, it sounds like Fullstack Academy has been worth it so far.
Buddy Galletti: Yeah, so far, it’s been great. I’ve learned a ton in just two and a half weeks doing it. It’s been really great.
Was learning to code scary at first?
Buddy Galletti: Oh, totally. Because like all you can do is really like Google stuff and then you just see this alphabet soup of everything and it’s so hard to just digest. So going into One Month, like just after that first HTML class that I took, any time I wanted to like Google something and figure out how to do it, you know, I could notice a few things that I recognized and be like okay this does that. Then I got more comfortable I guess, reading some documentation and just more about libraries.
Buddy Galletti: jQuery. So we had a programmer at our work who was using jQuery on a site but then that project kind of got abandoned because I think he was just a student at Cal Poly that was working part-time. But he was learning jQuery and he was telling me about it. And I was like ‘oh, that sounds cool’.
I was just having trouble getting the hang of it. But jQuery kind of condensed it and said hey, here’s how you can really just grab this or grab that because I think that’s what jQuery wants to do. I don’t have a lot of experience with it, but I definitely learned a little bit.
Buddy Galletti: Yeah and I think that one of the great things that are so inherent to learning how to code is that you can literally poke it with a stick and see what happens. You can kind of change one string in one location to another and run it. You might get a ton of errors, but that’s a learning moment. You can Google it and kind of try to figure out what’s going on. So I kind of like that aspect of coding.
I was in pure math, which is like math looking in on itself, you know? But when it comes to coding, like I strictly see it as this really cool tool or you know, all these different tools that I can do really cool math with or display really cool things or run like really long programs that do pretty awesome things.
How did OneMonth.com prepare you to join Fullstack Academy?
Buddy Galletti: Oh, it’s amazing. You know, you just get so lost when you start hearing all these words and the jargons and people who are teaching it start replacing words with other words that they know. When you’re first learning something and you hear something like “calling a function” or “invoking a function” or “passing a callback function” or something like that, it’s just like, you’ve got to be really careful about the words you choose when you’re trying to teach.
It’s something that obviously you can lose a student very early on.
So just knowing all that nomenclature and you kind of have that muscle memory of writing the function keyword and then naming the function and the double parentheses and then double brackets and all that stuff and making sure you have all the syntax down and you kind of know what all the words mean. I think that that’s such a huge benefit.
Like, if you know the basics of variables, loops, functions, commenting, these kinds of things, then you can oftentimes, go to Python or I don’t know, go to Ruby or whatever language and you kind of have that fundamental kind of jargon that you’re talking about invoking the function, yadda, yadda, yadda. Like, a lot of that’s the same.
And I think it’s really reassuring because also when people start, they ask me, “Well, which language should I choose?” And people sometimes won’t start coding, because they’ll start a little bit with one, start a little bit with another language. I mean, that’s why we call it One Month. If you go like enough, if you’ve done a few projects, you start to see the patterns and then all of a sudden I think it just opens up this whole world.
What were you able to build at OneMonth.com?
Buddy Galletti: At first I did the HTML One Month course and it’s funny when I go back and look at that code, it’s amazing how much I know now.
I built a blog for you guys, which I actually used later on to launch one of my websites.
It’s actually really fun because I think what you guys do at One Month is you really introduce it and you get this like first impression of something that’s totally scary. Like HTML or CSS or just coding in general — you give coding a really good first impression.
Chris, in class you’re just sitting there drinking your iced coffee and being like, “Okay, we’re going to do some coding now!” Then you show us some funny meme that’s going around and it just kind of takes all the kind of preliminary fear away and makes it a little bit more casual.
What is the impact that learning to code has on your job now?
Buddy Galletti: Oh, I think it’s going to be big because I think the way things are headed, there’s just going to be such a demand for someone with these kinds of skills or this kind of skill set. And my idea is I really want to be influential in mathematics education and if I can take this skill set and my knowledge of math and education, I’d really like to combine them and eventually work for a company like that’s big in edtech or is doing some kind of stuff that’s going to revolutionize education in general.
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As part of our 2017 Insights Design Lecture Series, cultural worker Clara Balaguer and graphic designer Kristian Henson discussed the complex and fractured history of Filipino graphic design, as well as their publishing imprint, Hardworking Goodlooking (which they operate with Dante Carlos and Czar Kristoff) and Balaguer’s own social practice work under the alias Office of Culture and Design. Their talk touched on the intricacies of how cultural work can be used as a critical tool through various platforms, especially publishing, which they explore through a transnational collaboration: Henson works in New York; Carlos, in Portland; Kristoff and Balaguer in the Philippines. In this interview, I talk with Clara about her initial interest in design, insights on the Duterte administration, and how marginalized groups use the internet in dire political times for self-expression and resistance.
Amber Newman (AN)
How did you get into design, and what drew you in?
Clara Balaguer (CB)
I got into design by accident and necessity. I had learned some InDesign at an old job, enough to make presentation decks for clients. When the OCD started, I could not afford an in-house designer. Until Kristian Henson came along and we co-founded Hardworking Goodlooking, I was making the most of flier templates done by a friend from Barcelona, (Carol Montpart, who also designed the OCD logo. Later on with HWGL, I picked up slack on work that Kristian or Dante Carlos or Stefan Kruse Jørgensen didn’t have time for, again using their framework to expand my knowledge of how the design concepts (and software) worked. I eventually began to generate my own work. But I still like to design on Microsoft Word.
Do you consider design to be a tool, a mode of self-expression, a client-based practice, etc.?
From my experience with design—largely as a research practice as opposed to a commercial activity—it’s been a tool for exploring and expressing identities. Or at least a communicable experience of identities, which are subjective.
What is the coolest project you’ve made recently, and why do you love it?
The most absorbing topic since 2016 has been that of online ideological trolling. I’ve been observing gender-varied cyberdeviants who support current Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte (DU30 ). You might have heard of him. He likes killing people and making rape jokes. I’ve also been following trolls on the anti-DU30 side, though the pro-DU30 ones are generally more toxic. The project seems timely, given the international rise of the alt-right.
Two factors that have influenced my fascination for the local landscape of political (or patriotic) trolls, both of which relate to our complex history of gender identity in the Philippines.
First, there are a striking number of women and gender nonconformist-fluid actors who cheerlead DU30’s misogynist authoritarianism. Their faith in the president is deep, religious. They often profess love for him in romantic terms, sexualized or filial. As a group, they embody elements of the Filipina matriarch archetype, entrenched in and subdued by Philippine-style patriarchy, presenting as the babaylan, a pre-colonial gender-fluid spiritual medium, yet infantilized by both the shallows of social media and unresolved post-colonial dependencies. If I had to make a Western comparison, try to imagine Milo Yiannopoulos exploding into a hundred South East Asian pieces. But even that is an insufficient comparison.
Second, the “alt-right” here erroneously self-identifies as the progressive or liberal left, exploiting the historical blurriness of local politics wherein left, center, and right do not really exist. I’m not even sure you could call them the alt-right. Maybe alt-wave? Right wave? Alt-atbp (Atbp is Tagalog for “etc.”)?
In the Philippines, when the left is invoked, the term is largely associated with the Communist Party of the Philippines (or CPP), to which none of the prominent pro-DU30 trolls belong. Everything outside of this far left is often lumped into an “everything else,” with few clear distinctions between social democratic left, center, right. Parties are mercurial alliances, changing with each election. This state of political grayness could be compared to the accepted practice of gender fluidity in Philippine society, a progressive, pre-colonial phenomenon made more curious by the fact that the country is also majority Catholic.
The DU30 regime as a whole cultivates fluidity through blurriness. By flip-flopping (or code switching), the president and his entourage are able to deflect criticism, obscuring their political gender within a false left, false populism, or false independent policy, as needed. Anti-West imperialism is waved around, with DU30 rejecting European and American influence to pursue an “independent foreign policy,” while on the other hand the Philippines yokes itself to neoimperialist China, which has invaded sovereign Filipino territory and commandeered natural resources in exchange for steep infrastructure loans. DU30 appointed leaders of the CPP to key government positions in an apparent overture towards peace with the communists, but months later they were removed from their posts by the Commission on Appointments, to his utter nonchalance. To the criticism suggesting DU30’s war on drugs was actually a war on the poor, the president has responded with statements like, “They say, ‘Duterte kills the poor.’ I haven’t heard of the children of [business tycoons] Lucio Tan or Gokongwei selling drugs. […] Of course it will be the poor people because the poor are ignorant and more likely to be hit.” And after having styled himself as a socialist man of the people, hailing from allegedly humble beginnings, DU30 declared, “Don’t look at my family if yours starved or is still starving. We are not as unfortunate as your family. We are also not poor.” The list goes on and on.
The DU30 administration actively memes the Hitlerian. The Nazi palm salute is adapted as a fist salute, given with arms extended horizontally. The fist is conveniently polysemous, calling also to mind the raised fists of (anarcho)communism, the Occupy fist, and, more obscurely, the Aryan fist, to name a few. The Duterte Youth exists as a civil society equivalent to the Hitler Youth. The similarity may have been accidental (benefit of the doubt), but it’s unlikely that its members are ignorant of this fact at present. The nation state is invoked as a parental, personified icon—Germany’s Fatherland transcribed as the Philippine Motherland, a catchphrase popularized by a transgender pro-DU30 blogger, a graduate of political science at Leiden University in the Netherlands. If she were not aware of the implications of this similarity, it would be a disastrous gap in her European education. President Duterte himself and his handpicked Ambassador to the United Nations, Teddy Boy Locsin, have publicly extolled the virtues of Adolf Hitler. Locsin famously tweeted his wish for a “final solution” to the drug problem, in the style of the Nazi Holocaust. Like the Jews under Hitler, DU30 and many of his followers have characterized drug users as subhuman and, thus, not eligible for human rights.
Beyond these “cosmetic” similarities, sociologist Walden Bello describes DU30 as a classic fascist leader: “a) a charismatic individual with strong inclinations toward authoritarian rule who b) derives his or her strength from a heated multiclass mass base, c) is engaged in or supports the systematic and massive violation of basic human, civil, and political rights, and d) proposes a political project that contradicts the fundamental values and aims of liberal democracy or social democracy.” This alignment, blended with lip service to socialism and populism, adds opacity to a very Southeast Asian expression of neofascism. Further reading: Benedict Anderson writes about the South East Asian region’s fascination with Hitler in The Spectre of Comparisons (Verso Books, 1998).
This is the complex landscape that informs my research into trolling and memes as a way to amplify ideology. It has entailed 18 months of gender-varied (t)role-playing, observation/documentation of troll behavior, workshops, and online performances, for now under the name Troll Palayan (rice paddy). With more than 60 participants in the Philippines, Canada, and the Netherlands, Troll Palayan has experimented with meme sweatshops, organic troll farms (non-automated, operated by humans), offline discussion groups, and online performances on Facebook and Twitter. The focus of these activities is to find collaborative ways in meatspace to dismantle toxicity in cyberspace. I am unsure of the final output for all this research, though a book seems likely.
As a designer, do you feel responsible for educating your clients about the media’s bias against people of color? Is this an extra burden?
I’m not sure if the Philippine media can be exclusively faulted for the white worship and shadism prevalent in our social psyche. I suppose my interest, as cultural worker, is less focused on crucifying an external “culprit,” such as the media or the North/West, but rather more focused on assuming a personal or even a collective responsibility for the cultural cringe phenomenon.
Note: This taking of responsibility does not imply ignoring or minimizing the role of colonizers and the generalized North/West in creating systems of inequality. It simply goes beyond only placing blame elsewhere. It looks for other forms of actionable investigation. Though the developed world certainly has a responsibility towards restitution, we the once-colonized must stop looking towards the North/West’s restitution as the only avenue towards decolonization.
“Cultural cringe” was first postulated by Australian critic A.A. Phillips. He asserts that, in post-colonial societies, local cultural production is seen as inferior to that which comes from the colonizer or any other country deemed more advanced. Though it is necessary to bring our former colonizers to task for centuries of subjugation, dwelling solely on culpability—on exacting a restitution that will never be enough, no matter what form it takes—feels, on some level and again, like waiting for permission from the colonizer or the patriarch to realize our potential.
Personally, I prefer tactics, unities, and possibilities that are prefixed with the “self-.” Self-awareness, self-identification, self-initiated self-exploration of the immediate landscape, self-assertion, self-worth. Retooling the collective cultural “self”: a contemporary form of identity construction that seeks to topple oppressive power structures and not just recreate them in reverse, with the once-Othered now doing the othering. I realize identity politics are considered passé in some circles. It is tiresome to see how easily they are twisted into exclusionary -isms. But a chilling fact remains. Perverse politicizations of identity are at the heart of today’s heightening intolerance. Refusing to engage with identity politics might be allowing extremists to hijack the discussion entirely.
In your experience, what opportunities/pitfalls does the online space afford designers of color and people of color in general? (For example: Black Twitter, independent publishing, visibility, surveillance vs. power, etc.)
From where I stand, there is an expectation that people on the peripheries of power should represent themselves in a manner that the power center finds acceptable. The dominant discourse on the representation of peoples of color still follows the experience of (those who experience marginalization while residing within) centers of power. Black America, Asian America, Muslim Europe. These are but some of the experiences on which we, on the outskirts of these tensions, find much reading and surfing material. Asian America teaches us many invaluable lessons but cannot fully represent color politics in geographically Asian cultural contexts. Though these lived realities of Western POC are relatable on many levels and undeniably important, they are not applicable wholesale to other locations. Yet those in other locations are often judged for revolutionary backwardness by POC allies in the West when their (very Western) morality is not adopted in its entirety. So there is a pressure to imitate the colonizer from the very same corners that are preaching decolonization! So weird.
The opportunity lies precisely in preserving this difference. There are many cracks, holes, special spaces, elbowed out nooks, and exploded spheres where other Other expressions of identity exist. These subcultures could inform struggles in the progressive North/Western mainstream. The challenge lies in acknowledging these South/East spaces (often vernacular, often developing their discourse in a slightly skewed direction) as equal in value as North/West views that may seem more polished or even politically correct. Perhaps politically familiar is a better term.
I can only speak of the spaces I know. Budots rural techno and teenage homemade action movies on YouTube, made in the Visayan islands. Homoerotic Middle Eastern alphamale greeting card memes on Facebook. Tropical religion GIFs. Philippine pulp romance fiction on Wattpad, where authors are often discovered by large publishing houses catering to the young adult market. Swoon-inducing titles include Midnight Rapist, Sadist Lover, His Hired Baby Maker, and The Four Bad Boys and Me—with 209 million reads, one of the most popular on Wattpad as of January 2018. Heterosexually surreal Tinder profiles in the developing world. The subversion of Scruff (a place for hairy gay men to find each other in the West) into a way for typically hairless Southeast Asian gay men to connect with mascs. The Facebook “deathfie” (death selfie) phenomenon in the Philippines, wherein mourners post smiling pictures of themselves next to comatose relatives tubed up in hospital beds or next to open-casket corpses at funerals. Like these, there are many other online phenomenological subcultures that defy North/Western—not necessarily white—expectations of what is normative behavior, valuable information, or dignified representation of the self.
Because the responsibility of those in the centers of power lies in identifying how they are similar (not superior) to those on the developmental outskirts, they often assume that those on the periphery should be engaged in the same exercise: becoming similar. From out here, moving inwards to the center, the more important task is to assert our difference. To not lose ourselves completely in the North/West’s controlling world view, which is rather seductive. In both cases, the process should be carried out with critical self-awareness, learning from each other’s and our own mistakes. The goal should be to meet in the middle instead of insisting on the perpetuation of polarized mistakes.
Note: I understand that “center” and “periphery” are contested locations. I understand that the use of “periphery” is not critically fashionable. Identifying the Philippines and other developing nations as peripheral doesn’t imply defeatism. It simply acknowledges a reality. For the moment, our access to standardized bodies of knowledge and other resources is limited in comparison to developed nations. This is neither an incommutable sentence nor an admission of inferiority.
What role do you think artists/designers need to play in politics, especially in this global climate? For example, a lot of brands before the election decline to get political but we have a lot now that are taking a huge role in educating masses like Teen Vogue, Balenciaga for Bernie Sanders, Supreme endorsing Hillary Clinton.
Artists or designers don’t necessarily have to do anything different. Nobody has to become political. Art or design can still be a completely sublime experience of aesthetic abstraction. Aestheticized forms devoid of social engagement can still influence ways of thinking and doing and revolting outside of the art world. What is true, however, is that (younger?) artists and designers are feeling a greater pull towards sociopolitical relevance. The ivory tower of high-stakes cultural production is, in many corners of the world, caving under tensions removed from the collector market, the client brief, the sacred institution, the capitalist motive.
These aren’t totally uncharted waters. It’s not like this generation has invented the wheel of social engagement or creative riot. This generation likely has the sensation that it can never invent anything new, as the supposed death of all sorts of histories, practices, fields of inquiry likes to assert.
In regards to this question, what do you think about brands beginning to take political stances and educating masses? A blunt way to put it, what do you think about brands becoming woke and profiting off that?
You’d be hard-pressed to find any source of funding or means of profit that doesn’t in some way drink from tainted waters. The problem with brands—or art institutions, artists, design studios—suddenly awakening to social justice is that they might do so without recognizing the contradictions intrinsic to their function. Their wokeness doesn’t include a mea culpa. It may come as a superficial, trend-based impulse rather than a systemic overhaul of the way they exploit resources and humans.
To relate this to the North American context: In 2009, PepsiCo decided to forego buying ad space during Super Bowl primetime television, investing the money that would have gone to buying that airtime into socially inclined programming. This move is a far cry from Kendall Jenner handing a Pepsi to riot cops in a TV advert. Not that the former isn’t also a form of whitewashing a corporation’s obscene wealth—by virtue of its size alone, we can conclude the PepsiCo is obscene in terms of how much power it concentratedly wields—but it does seem like a step in a more ethical direction.
Social movements (like Black Lives Matter) seem to develop their own visual languages organically, created by the context specific to each social movement. Do you think design can intersect with this phenomenon? Can design contribute value to these social movements?
A good case study: The typographic “controversy” (in quotations because it was only controversial for a small group of fancy designers) that erupted when NBA players wore T-shirts with “I can’t breathe” printed in Comic Sans on the front. It was a campaign in solidarity with the family of Eric Garner, a black man choked to death by the NYPD for a minor infraction. Some designers were incensed by the initiative’s use of a typeface deemed ugly, inappropriate. They expressed their typographic disdain at a social movement as if it were a run-of-the-mill client that needed to be educated rather than a vehicle for real social impact that could, it must be said, even expiate design’s anxieties as an elitist profession.
Perhaps the professionally trained design world would benefit from a willingness to accept non-modernist, vernacular contributions to social design. This might construct visual languages that are grown by the movements (or marginalized communities) first and refined by designers in second instance. Reversing power structures by giving constituencies a say in how they want to be represented does not imply a lack of agency for the designer. It’s simply a different formula, one less imperialist.
For the Comic Sans, design-educated haters looking for political relevance, an exercise: Use Comic Sans, Curlz, Brush Script, Papyrus. Understand why people respond to it. Accept that social constituencies (not clients but constituencies) have made a choice that should be respected instead of ridiculed. Show what can be done to harness prejudice into a different language altogether. Challenge yourself to dismantle what the (Ivy League?) man has told you is ugly, uncouth, primitive, savage. Finessing popular voice into a missive of power, an aesthetic of revolution, doesn’t mean you have to dumb your design education down. It means you get to throw out the notion that the populace is dumb, that popular concerns can only lead to (design) populism, and that the formally educated have all the answers.
Many designers of color have not only made political posters but resort to circulating memes since it’s much easier to share something virtually. The first part of this question is more of how do you think these ideas will shape how designers interact with future political movements.
For designers making political memes, an important question to consider is whether we want these memetic messages to reinforce (possibly even radicalize) those already on our side or influence (maybe even reverse) the opinion of those who aren’t. Preaching to the choir is quite common, so the first point is covered. I’ll make a case then for the second option, which is just as vital: counter-indoctrination and depolarization.
Observing and interacting with political meme makers in the Philippines, I’ve noticed two main strategies in their memetic resistance: providing factual information and mockery as civil disobedience. A huge preoccupation for our opposition is how the DU30 regime is misinforming the public, with much of the tactics being rolled out on social media. If memes are taken by citizens as a legitimate source of information, then factual memes must be used to fight back. And if the fight cannot be won, then at least we have the satisfaction of antagonizing the regime (and entertaining ourselves) with jokes.
What’s notable is that anti-dictatorship memes in the Philippines, belonging to the minority opposition, often seek aesthetics of legitimacy. They want to look “aspirational,” to be classically effective (marketing) campaigns. “Aspirational” in the Philippine advertising community is often understood as “Western” BTW, which would explain why some of the opposition memes use Western cues (Tinder, Drake, etc.). This makes these digital campaign objects suspect, as errors and populist design features are at the heart of memetic success. If a gif, however, looks like it was made by a run-of-the-mill user with middling Photoshop skills and little to no preoccupation for millenial American pop culture, the meme is perceived as authentic. It can be trusted. Meme makers who prize effectiveness over insularity might find it useful to make design mistakes. Popular memes look wild, funny, not like the designer took themselves too seriously or got paid a lot of money to make them. Forget pristine. You can’t wage memetic warfare in an evening gown.
Attempting to clothe memes in the classic trappings of “proper” communication (think Bloomberg BusinessWeek–type data visualizations) is fundamentally misunderstanding their potential to infiltrate hostile environments. Confirmation bias leads us to reject any information that conflicts with our core beliefs. Employing some amount of language, imagery, and codes familiar to populist demagogues means there is one less element for them to reject. Identifying with the form might make them more receptive to the message included. It’s unlikely that contact with a single meme would make a difference, though repeated exposure might have more chances, particularly with those who may be on the fence as opposed to fully indoctrinated. The success of ISIS’s online campaign for radicalizing fighters from the West was in some part thanks to a careful restyling of their recruitment content. Production value of their videos resembled Western action movies and military recruitment material. Appealing also to Western women as possible brides for fighters, social media portals and glossy propaganda magazines such as Dabiq featured pictures of young, handsome male mujahideen and actively alluded to the promise of deep romance with them. They portrayed women as equal fighters of jihad with photographs of burka-clad ladies sporting machine guns, draped in belts of ammunition. This narrative was consciously skewed to Western feminist ideals and a misrepresentation of women’s colder reality under the caliphate. All of this is also memetics.
Though the nonsensical spectacle of internet memes are the result of post-modernism and post-structuralism—rooted in the Marxist thought—the right has learned to wield this tool way more effectively. They have skillfully co-opted the classroom theories of the left and applied them to real world situations with brutal success. The savvy left political memer will study the right closely, learn their tactics, and turn it all against them. It’s high time we took back the tools we created. (For more information, read Metahaven.)
One of the factors that amplifies the reach of a meme is humor, a constant weapon used to provoke and resist. The ambiguity provided by irony allows civil society to push critical views yet elude censorship—for a while at least. See: Cǎo Ni Mǎ (grass mud horse or llama) and Winnie the Pooh memes in China, unlikely joke symbols of resistance that were eventually censored.
Humor also allows both sides of an argument to create rapport. Making someone laugh is an effective way to defuse an argument and create a more fertile ground for consensus. It’s also a defense mechanism for the dissenter. Framing retaliation in the code of humor allows a small respite, a release of tension.
On the other hand—I know this point of view might be considered a bit problematic because the alt-right wields this argument continuously—political correctness seems to curtail the amount of humor we can inject into certain discourses. According to Freud, taboo and transgression intensify the humorous nature of a joke or situation. Comedy needs limits to push back against. And we need to laugh at the darkest sides of our nature, desperately so, as these times of dark history unfold.
In a society where many words and entire topics of conversation are off limits, the concept of humor has undergone a massive overhaul. This has empowered marginalized communities beyond just eliminating sources of harassment. Now, because there are certain topics only minorities can broach, a platform has been created that the racially, sexually, or economically privileged cannot hijack. That being said, this socially enforced restriction of non-minorities broaching sensitive topics—however innocuously, with or without comic intent—has bred resentment in the most radical extremes of these communities. This resentment has exploded into a resurgence of bigotry and hate speech. Hyperpolitical correctness has been effective at constructing safe spaces for minorities, but it has radicalized and multiplied the “undesirables” who then create their own “safe” (unsafe?) spaces in parallel.
There is a difference between malicious bigotry and political incorrectness, but the borders between the two are so tenuous and delving into these waters is dangerous. So most people refuse to wade into them. Many POC (or white folk or men anxious to prove they’re allies) police these borders with fundamentalist zeal, refusing to allow any prodding of these tensions with humor. Or any other discursive tool. Call-out culture has further fractured the already fragmented the left, pitting feminist against feminist, activist against activist. The frame of intention has been utterly lost. Any person of any color or gender who is ignorant of any of the rules guiding this extremely nuanced code of offense is undesirable, possibly evil. There aren’t even rules we can agree on. How could there be, if offense is a personal experience, too subjective to be governed by an empirical structure? Earnest questions that offenders may have on how to improve their behavior are often left unanswered (they should already know the answers), sometimes with instructions to “work things out in their own communities” instead. The blind are left to lead the blind. We shouldn’t be surprised that so many of them wander in the wrong direction.
In the Philippines, we have a completely different approach as our concept of political correctness is close to null. This is not the ideal situation either, as misogyny/shadism runs rampant here in the post-colonial way. Our battle passes through the exact opposite: more policing of public discourse to weed out hate speech. Funnily enough, both in the United States and the Philippines, we have arrived at a similar type of foul-mouthed, misogynistic, human/civil rights–averse ruler. It would seem neither approach has been successful in ironing out centuries of conflict. Maybe the answer lies somewhere in between these two extremes.
The second part of this question is a lot of designers of color (or just people of color in general) have been a little shafted in this movement considering how most people repurpose words/phrase that have been said by black creatives. How do you think designers of color can claim that conversation? How can people of color use their unexpected viral-ness to not only have recognition but to use that as a platform?
This viral-ness is not so unexpected! It seems logical that people of color would create online spaces of expression that become popular across the board, regardless of race or class. Our cultures are on the perceptive but not real periphery, since POC are the global majority population at the moment. Voices of color are still on the peripheries of power, but this isn’t necessarily a disadvantage. Even in biological terms, it is at the edges of any given ecosystem where the strongest memetic forms are born and multiply.
Judging by how much (social) capital is leveraged by tweets and likes, the internet is a formidable platform for us to own. We are only just coming to realize how much the internet already belongs to us. Not just in principle but in demonstrable fact. Filipinos, for example, are notorious for dominating top positions on crowd-sourced online polls for “best island,” “most powerful leader,” and “best cuisine” in the world. Whether or not the results of these polls concord with reality is moot. The takeaway is that Filipinos pwn internet opinion making.
As designers of color, it’s interesting for us to distinguish when we need to claim a space (increase power), when that space is already claimed (leverage existing power), and perhaps more controversially, when to accept that a space has been lost (conservation of energy). All this, while taking into account a cold reality. In the new cyberlandscape of diluted ownership and easy cooptation, the patent-protected author is dying. Perhaps she is dead already. Whether we like it or not, we have to constitute/reinforce sources of power other than exclusive usage of a design, idea, or term. This is not a concern that affects just the gender nonconformist, women, or POC, but perhaps because we have so many more years of experience with dealing, we’ll be much better at reimagining ways forward.
For active claiming of ownership, it is imperative to strengthen ties between communities of color, reinforcing each other’s messages and increasing each other’s volume, facilitating the proper adjudication of authorship or even ownership of ideas. This can be authorship/ownership of a collective nature. I talk often about how the “Filipino mafia,” the large community of Filipino diaspora working the cultural sector, has been crucial in the establishment of both HWGL and the OCD’s farther reach. Many of our early public engagements were the fruit of efforts by Filipino-Americans working inside Western institutions. They pushed us to the front because they believed in the importance of representing critical work from back home on a larger stage. In allowing us to be represented, perhaps they felt they were being vindicated in the process. These insiders leveraged the power they already had by sharing it. More of this generous reinforcement, not just within one monocultural group but across racial, economic, and cultural divides can only grow our collective influence. If one of us wins, that’s a victory for the whole group.
But the exchange of ideas, especially in terms of creating socially conscious movements, already implies the possibility of creolization, of a game of telephone wherein the original meaning warps eventually. The speed at which information is transmitted on the internet accelerates this process. To a certain degree, once a meme is successful, it ceases to “belong” to the owner, as it becomes impossible (or even unadvisable, for the draconian censorship it would imply) to enforce an idea’s copyright dues. Traditional understandings of exclusive, patentable ownership are also insufficient, as they were formulated long before the internet changed the game. It’s not a simple task to relieve ourselves of the notion of private ownership, to accept the possible death of authorship. We are, after all, steeped in exceptionalistic capitalism. But perhaps considering the legal right to copy on a moving scale, related to privilege rather than just economics, is worthy of discussion. The question of who copies is just as important as the how, what, and where of the copy and its financial return.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Note: Copyright as something that can be bought fails to take into account the violence this commodification can inflict upon indigenous (tribal) peoples, high-risk communities thanks to centuries of extractive colonialism. Because the weight of their plight is much greater, especially in places like Brazil, Australia, or the Philippines, concepts of indigenous copyright should be exercised on different, even stricter planes, taking into account indigenous justice systems when they are in active use.
Power can be increased through giving aggressive credit to authors that are being remixed by us or others, allowing them to build a reputation that could be leveraged into other opportunities. Not that exposure is a substitute for remuneration. It is, however, a mighty card to play, once you’ve had the right kind of it. Just as important is the task of remembering that one’s visibility is not a panacea and that one’s visibility inevitably casts a shadow on someone else.
Power can also come from disowning an idea that was ours but was coopted and cannot be retrieved. Relinquishing the need for ownership could also constitute “negative” power, exerted by ceding instead of conquering. By this I mean releasing a concept into the wild without any sort of restriction or need to be recognized as its maker, for the sake the idea (meme) itself.
Liberal or left wing meme makers are more likely to complain about others taking credit for their work. They might use watermarks, encourage cults around their personality, even make snarky memes that lament their memes being memed. As alt-right views are considered deviant (for the moment), they often prefer to conceal their identities, which gives their memes a better chance at survival. If ownership and the right to remix is collective, the idea proliferates better. In this way, accountability is also distributed over multiple heads. This is advantageous for political agitators, given the large amount of resources needed to prosecute all of them for dissent or infringement. This increases courage and builds a sense of community—transgressing together is a powerful bond. Alt-right memers seem to have built a good emotional economy: a sense of collective belonging that provides succor and motivation in the absence of financial return.
There is something to be said for the power that comes from authoring a nimble body of work rather than a single thing in a single place. Virtuosity as a fluid, not a solid. The ability to author incrementally and collectively, over time and space, is a method for contagion. It is a liquid reaction to power groups coopting messages that may come from the underrepresented. A continuous flow of object-ideas, strategically planted over multiple media, rather than one thing that cannot be equaled (or is not mobile) has more chances of shifting the contemporary gaze and commanding it. Eventually.
This is perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of cultural decolonization: It is hard labor that demands hyperproductivity with limited chances of immediate return. Change takes the time that it takes. Constant productivity is unsustainable because individual energy is finite. It also demands resources generally inaccessible to underserved communities. The challenge for those engaged in decolonization (or other as-yet unsustainable but necessary activities) is to ensure survivability. While we push back against the status quo and fight to stabilize the decolonial process, tactical options should be pursued. The goal, at least for me, is to keep ideas alive long enough, until collective effort shifts the paradigm. By staying alive at whatever cost, periods of dormancy included, we could prove decolonization is not a bandwagon futurism but an inexorable future.
A tiny toolbox: mutual reinforcement, aggressively crediting sources (or aggressively encoding the ones who desire anonymity), relinquishing authorship when advantageous, welcoming the artful error, workshopping the uncomfortable, idea echoing (memetics), asking for help, making time and making room for others, identifying existing local structures to be reinforced rather than alien ones to be imposed, smaller scopes but well-documented, grassroots qualitativeness, speed of execution and prototyping (to elude detection, control, co-optation), low fidelity, listening to the frontline, repeat tacticality, demanding the right to rest, shift labor, skill pooling, collective authorship, (domestic) space sharing, small-scale and/or ethical piracy. |
Brooke Gladstone: During the pandemic, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo transformed into a fully-fledged TV star.
Andrew Cuomo: Let's remember some basic context and facts; society functions, everything works. There's going to be food in the grocery stores. There's no reason to buy 100 rolls of toilet paper. There really isn't. By the way, where do you even put 100 rolls of toilet paper?
Brooke: He was propelled into the firmament by his daily coronavirus briefings that reassured an anxious, leaderless public.
Caller 1: I just want to say on behalf of me, my family, New Yorkers, bigger than that, the world, thank you for your leadership because, man, right out of the gate, you were there for us.
Ellen DeGeneres: Trevor, you call yourself a Cuomosexual and I agree with you. I feel like I'm Cuomosexual too.
Trevor Noah: It genuinely has been very inspiring and refreshing to see a leader like Cuomo.
Brooke: New fans declared their adoration in TikTok videos, memes, and songs.
Stranded in my bedroom.
No one to love.
Then there he is.
Andrew: Let's give you an update as to where we are today.
My favorite guy.
Brooke: The chummy treatment of the governor, of course, extended to many news networks like CNN, where his brother asked the tough questions.
Chris Cuomo: Now, I've seen you're referred to a little bit recently as the Love Gov. I'm wondering if that's bleeding into your demeanor at all, making you a little soft on the president, Love Gov.
Andrew: I've always been a soft guy. I am the Love Gov. I'm a cool dude in a loose mood, you know that.
Brooke: In the past few weeks, Cuomo's TV persona as the deeply principled, self-aware, fatherly, truth-teller has faltered. A report from the State Attorney General and the court order found that the official count of deaths of nursing home residents due to the virus was nearly double the figure first reported by the Cuomo administration. Plus, as I write this, three women have accused the governor of sexual harassment, some in awkward, icky detail, including two former aides. Alex Pareene, staff writer at The New Republic, recently wrote the article, The Andrew Cuomo Show Has Lost the Plot. Welcome back to the show.
Alex Pareene: Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Brooke: Now, as Cuomo's star takes a nosedive, the Cuomosexuals appear to have fallen silent. Although Chris Cuomo gladly interviewed his older brother while he was haloed by those pandemic briefings, now the CNN host says he's putting some distance between himself and his siblings. He says it's the ethical thing to do, or maybe it's just the better part of valor.
Chris: Obviously, I'm aware of what's going on with my brother, and obviously, I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively, and they will continue to do so.
Alex: It's a funny statement of journalistic ethics that you can only interview your own brother when it's a puff piece like, "Only when he's not in trouble can I interview my brother," and call it journalism on cable news.
Brooke: You note, and this is why we called you, to people who have closely read about the governor in the newspapers over the years as opposed to TV, this version of Cuomo, this bully and cynical operator isn't new. How have the media or the two kinds of media, in this case, changed the message?
Alex: Well, like you say, I wrote that if you were a long-time consumer of mainly print news about state politics, you had an entire chronology of Cuomo scandals at your fingertips, even if you forgot some of the details that didn't necessarily always get a lot of play on TV News. I'm not even just talking about someone who checks the New York Times' front page regularly.
Keeping up with Cuomo news over the last decade has also required being familiar with reporters from the Albany Times Union or newspapers in Rochester, these places where the Albany Bureau is still really important and a big part of their beat. A lot of that news, while it does make it to the broader mainstream national news, the complexity of it and specifically the way it fit a pattern of behavior with Cuomo was usually too difficult to get across and especially in a short television segment.
It should be plainly scandalous when one of his top aides, Joe Percoco, is convicted of corruption. If you aren't already familiar with how close Percoco was to Cuomo, for how many years, and what his political role was in the administration, these are all things that you learn from thousand-word newspaper articles that are of interest only if you are extremely interested in state politics, which I think most normal people for normal reasons are not.
Brooke: I know a lot about this because I actually listened to the local radio station that I'm aired on and that produces this show. That's how I know about the Moreland Commission. You said this story never made it to prime time because it's too complicated.
Alex: Absolutely, yes. The Moreland Commission was in a way Cuomo's first scandal. All of the past few governors had gotten in trouble and it just seemed like, "This place needs to be cleaned up." Cuomo was running as the guy who's going to come to clean it up, and so what he does when he's elected in his first term is, he sets up a commission. They called it Moreland Commission. He says they have the authority to investigate corruption and all of its forms here in Albany and they will be independent. "I will not meddle. I will not interfere. They have the remit to go after anyone, and I will not interfere with them."
He shuts them down less than a year later because they start going after people too connected to him, essentially. Moreland commissioners, people who worked on the commission, they went to the New York Times, and they said Cuomo was meddling. They said, "He wouldn't let us do our job. He stopped us when we were getting too close to his allies." That stuff was out there, and it's been out there for years and years. When the story made it to TV news, it was again not stripped of the scandal but stripped of the level of detail necessary to understand what had happened and why.
Brooke: Even during his heyday, Cuomo wasn't pushed a whole lot for his elsewhere well-reported delay in March going into the lockdown, right?
Brooke: It would seem to me that would be crucial. You observed that TV was soft on the governor even when it came to his prior scandals like in this interview with Charlie Rose months after it came out that Cuomo's office had hobbled the aforementioned Moreland Commission.
Reporter 1: Governor Andrew Cuomo is reestablishing a family dynasty in New York politics though he's had to get used to criticism of his leadership style.
Andrew: Well, you micromanage.
Charlie Rose: Yes, they say that too.
Andrew: You should delegate more.
Charlie: "You're not transparent," they say.
Andrew: I know.
Charlie: They say you don't [unintelligible 00:07:42] fools.
Andrew: You push too hard, you micromanage.
Charlie: All of that, do you plead guilty or not guilty?
Andrew: You can't have one without the other. I plead guilty.
Alex: That's such a great example of what some people on television consider pressing a politician. Not only was Rose asking an easily dodged question, he was almost ventriloquizing the answers for Andrew Cuomo. It's like the old job interview joke, "What's your biggest flaw?" "I'm too hard on myself."
Brooke: You take issue with the defenders of Cuomo who say that his most important audience, New Yorkers, always have known about the governor's tough persona, that bullying quality, that sharp operator with the even sharper elbows and all of that, and they like it.
Alex: There's this idea that, look, he has cruised to re-election twice with a huge amount of support from Democratic voters in New York State. At some point, the governor is a known quantity, they must know who this guy is and support him. That's why I draw that distinction between Cuomo the TV character and this new-favorite Cuomo because if we have listened to a few clips of him on television, he's not berating anyone. He's joking around with his brother. He's performing empathy for victims of COVID-19 or Hurricane Sandy.
Brooke: He's daddy, complete with the daddy jokes.
Alex: Exactly. He's New York's dad.
Brooke: Obviously, his history of harassment is documented when it comes to his political critics, and especially the press.
Alex: We have these really, really striking reports of him directly harassing people himself with threats and abuse. There's also even more documented history of his top aides doing it on his behalf. State Senator Liz Krueger just revealed recently that Joe Percoco, the Cuomo aide who went to jail for corruption, once told her that he maintained a do-not-yell-at list that she was on just because she was too important to his agenda in Albany.
Brooke: It seems that Cuomo has been able to keep his TV persona and his newspapers persona separate. Why are they colliding now?
Alex: For a few reasons. One important one is that people do not want to go on the record attacking Andrew Cuomo because of the power he holds in this state, especially elected Democrats.
Brooke: His willingness to use it.
Alex: Yes, exactly. Some people might remember when Bill de Blasio invited some journalists into his office, the mayor of New York City, and openly called Cuomo vindictive. That happened once, and then their war returned to being a cold war that played out with their aides tweeting veiled things, and unnamed officials speaking off the record in the paper.
What happened this time is that Ron Kim, an assembly member received a bullying call from Andrew Cuomo for speaking to the New York Post about the nursing home situation. Kim had been at a briefing where a top Cuomo aide said, "This looks bad that we reported the wrong number of people who had died in nursing homes. It looks bad, but you have to understand we didn't want it to become a story, basically." They were like, "Trump's DOJ is going to make a thing of it. Trump is going to make a thing of it. That's why we covered it up."
Anyway, Ron Kim went to the Post and gave an on-the-record quote to the Post about that meeting. That was the subject of the call where Cuomo allegedly said, according to Kim, "I'll destroy you," where Cuomo was yelling and threatening to destroy him. In normal Albany affairs, what happens next is either Kim shuts up, Kim goes on background to the New York Post again.
Brooke: Let's explain why Kim might shut up because Cuomo, as in other cases, finds an irregularity in Kim's background and implies that that could be used against him. Kim certainly saw what Cuomo was telling him as a threat.
Alex: Absolutely. What he would end up doing is, at a press conference, he would bring up a years-old story about how Kim had flip-flopped on this bill about nail salons. He would heavily, not just heavily imply he would outright say Kim was crooked. This is the Cuomo thread here basically, "I will destroy you." Often it means, "My aides will go to the press with damaging information about you." He apparently thinks he can get that story out there that Kim, a few years ago, flip-flopped on a bill about regulating nail salons.
Brooke: You mentioned that Ron Kim called up the Post, not the New York Times, for instance, and he even went on The View.
Host: Tell us what happened after he called you or when he called you.
Ron Kim: It was last Thursday night, I was about to bathe my three kids when I received the call from the governor. He spent 10 minutes threatening my career and ordering me to issue a statement that will be used to cover for the state secretary. The day before that conference--
Alex: Right after Cuomo does that press conference, there's a story on CNN about how Cuomo had made this phone call to Kim the day before. That's not the kind of thing that legislators in Albany usually do when they get implicitly or explicitly threatened by Cuomo. They don't call CNN and go on the record and say, "The governor threatened me."
I think that Cuomo got away with it for so long because no one wanted to put their name to descriptions of his behavior, but Kim, he knows, "I have a story now. I have a compelling narrative in which I'm the hero and the governor's the villain." What does TV like? TV likes stories like that.
He ends up on The View, which is not a show that traditionally covers Albany New York state politics. I don't think they've done very many segments on ethics in New York state government prior to this.
Brooke: You wrote, "If a politician acts as if he believes his voters experience politics as a television show, the best way to harm him is to make yourself a compelling character." That's what the women who alleged the governor's sexual harassment are doing, and it's very compelling, but still, they expose themselves to risk.
Alex: Absolutely. To my mind, that's why Andrew Cuomo doesn't seem like he knows how to navigate out of this stretch of bad press the way he has bad press in the past is because people are putting their names to it, going on the record.
Brooke: These women do have some witnesses and some documentation, even a photograph, and Cuomo himself seems to have confirmed at least some of this. They have pretty good cases even to those who are not inclined to believe them.
Alex: I think that even if you're skeptical of some of the specific claims, any of them made, they clearly have produced documentation that shows at least that he acted in ways that were inappropriate and that made them uncomfortable. As you say, Cuomo has essentially admitted to that too.
What I found interesting was that he attempted to call for an independent investigation that would also perhaps be half-run by a political ally of his, a judge. He first tried to get the attorney general of New York to work with a judge he appointed to investigate this while calling it an independent investigation. I found that interesting because that sounds a lot like-
Brooke: The newspaper Cuomo. [laughs]
Alex: Yes, exactly. That sounds like a thing he would get away with in the past, "The Moreland Commission is independent until I shut it down. This investigation will be independent, and a political ally of mine will have veto power over whatever the result of it is." It seemed like he couldn't get away with it this time and he actually backed off. He referred it to the attorney general's office without that request. I think we are absolutely in uncharted territory for Andrew Cuomo right now.
Brooke: What are the consequences, do you think of fans of Andrew Cuomo, the TV character being introduced to Andrew Cuomo, the newspaper character?
Alex: Personally, I do not like politics as fandom. I think television encourages it sometimes. I think that because politics is treated as fandom, there's going to be denial and there's going to be anger at the people who brought down Andrew Cuomo. Michelle Goldberg wrote in the Times about a tendency where people think, "It's just not fair that Democrats are always held to these standards and Republicans aren't." I personally would rather be on the side that has high standards.
Brooke: The ghost of Al Franken looms over this as well.
Alex: Exactly. I'm not so detached in wives. There are definitely politicians that I feel that affection for. I think it's a lot easier to get detached when you read the news very closely rather than get it from cable news.
Brooke: Is that the lesson of presenting these dueling characters of Andrew Cuomo in this way that really should avoid TV news?
Alex: The best way to learn about politics is not to watch cable news all day. I really think that. You get a distorted view of what's happening. I do wish, and I have thought this for years and I actually think things are improving, but I think there are a lot of people who consider themselves well-educated, high information voters who follow the news, who aren't paying attention to what's going on in City Hall or aren't paying attention to what's going on at their statements.
I like to write about local politics and state politics. I try to make it interesting, but I do think people have a responsibility. If they want to be considered an engaged citizen, they have a responsibility to know what's going on, not just at the national level, but at City Hall and the State Capitol.
Brooke: Which is an important distinction. It isn't just about where you get your national news, it's the fact that you aren't getting your local news at all if you don't make an effort. It's the local news outlets that are really suffering. I am curious, you are advising audiences to move away from TV news, which is something that I've done myself, but shouldn't we be leveling some of our opprobrium at the medium itself for being so reductive? Or do you think it's simply inevitable that they will get behind a narrative model? The idea really is that it never resolves, that it stays on like an electronic fireplace and so the story doesn't end.
Alex: That's a big question. I don't know if I have the answer. It's definitely possible for any audiovisual form to tell a complicated story and explain things well, but the format that we crafted over many years called TV news, it doesn't seem well suited to me, especially the 24-hour cable news version. The 24-hour cable news model is, "We need to fill a lot of time and not go broke doing it. Let's just get people in a studio talking."
That's not investigation and that's also not the careful reporting and then crafting of narrative journalism that you would get out of a documentary. It's not even the amount of work that goes into, for one example, the John Oliver's show every week, which usually just tries to tell one complicated story well. That kind of thing is possible in television, but it's not compatible, I don't think, with the 24-hour cable news model.
Brooke: If you go there, then you're going there to be warmed in the glow of having your perspective being affirmed or you hate-watch at a station that you don't like. [chuckles]
Alex: You're either being riled up to get mad about something or you're checking in with your good pals. That's what cable news has become.
Brooke: When did it strike you that there were these two dueling Andrew Cuomos in two different media?
Alex: I had been watching the governor and the mayor of New York City have this fight in March about whether or not to shut down. Mayor de Blasio was late to the conclusion that New York had to shut the schools and the restaurants and go into lockdown. He was late to it, but he got there before Cuomo and Cuomo attempted to undermine him when de Blasio made that decision. Again, that was typical Andrew Cuomo. This is how he works.
The nursing home thing was reported, not the fudging of numbers, but the fact they were sending infected people back to nursing homes was reported in March as well. He reversed that policy in May. I was watching him respond to this pandemic with his usual management style and I thought it was failing New Yorkers. I didn't think it was going well. It was terrible here over the spring and summer.
I watched him then just become a beloved TV celebrity. I watched him become a meme. I watched people fall all over themselves talking about how great he was. It's most absurd, not just when he wrote a book about management, but when he commissioned an artist to create a 3-dimensional mountain representing coronavirus cases in New York City. He made a monument to his mismanagement and acted like it was a success, like we'd all gotten over this mountain together. COVID-19, very few places have successfully stopped it. It's tricky. It's an incredibly difficult governing challenge, but no one should be taking victory laps over it unless you are literally the government of New Zealand or Vietnam.
Brooke: Alex, thank you so much.
Alex: [chuckles] Thank you, Brooke.
Brooke: Alex Pareene, staff writer at The New Republic and host of the podcast, The Politics of Everything, recently wrote the article, The Andrew Cuomo Show Has Lost the Plot.
New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record. |
Recapping 2017 and looking ahead to 2018
Feel free to join us!
out with the OLD: 2017
This year started out pretty awesome for me on the blog. I was ready to get my blog back to what it once was when I started. Apparently that didn’t last at all, I sort of fell apart half way into the year and I have yet to recover. As I write this I realize that next year I will be back, the blog will be active again and I will be in a better mindset because I plan to make some changes to my personal life and health. I think we all fall away from what is important and what we want most out of life. I went head in to a bunch of different things and spent most of the time obsessing over it instead of actually doing it. No more excuses and no more complaints, I want to make Because Reading what is was. With Berls on the blog now, I know we both can do pretty amazing stuff. So lets get to the NEW in 2018….
in with the NEW: 2018
More reviews, more content and more fun. I am so tired of writing sad, crappy Sunday posts. I want to keep the blog, light and cheerful. So in 2018, I plan to make some changes to templates of posts and maybe even add some more fun stuff. Wanna know what is staying?
Here is the list of all the posts you will see in 2018. New and Old…
- My TBR List ~ Of course will be back next year, it is still on of my favorites and even if I was going to do it alone, I would still do it. 🙂
- BingeWatchers ~ This will stay and I hope to be more active with it since I have a list still of stuff I want to watch. I am calling for a do over! 🙂
- Reviews ~ That really is what this blog is all about and I plan to review more and not just books, I might even through in a show or even something I purchased. I am planning to do some random reviews once in a while and throw in some mini ones too.
- Monthly Book Report ~ I let this go since I was in a reading slump but I actually enjoyed doing it do I plan to do it again.
- The Week in Read-view (The Sunday post) ~ I would miss you all if I stopped doing this.
- The Friday Fives ~ I have three versions of this I still plan to do them in 2018. I enjoy doing them and only doing 5 makes it easier to do more of them.
- Currently I’m ~ I did this a few times in the middle of the year. They are a lot of fun to do and I want to start doing them again but more of a random things and not really scheduled. I might even change it up a little.
So those are the main posts that I plan to have more active next year. I also have bookish conversations and a few other random posts that I want to do next year. They don’t really have names but I just might share. I want to use this space as a way to open up and be more conversational.
I also might being back Task it Tuesday but I am not sure just yet. It’s a meme I LOVE but just have a hard time doing it. I want to find a fun new way to post and it might be something I do monthly instead of weekly.
I am also going to focus a lot more on visiting, however, don’t think I don’t come by sometimes. I many occasions I read the post in my email and when I have something to add I will come to your blog. Sometimes I just want to say more on a post than Great review! Sort of think doing that every time you post makes it seem like I am really not reading what you are writing. I would rather just like the post or retweet it. I also plan to comment a lot more on my blog. I have fallen away from that lately because I just don’t have time but I want to manage my time better in real life. I understand things happen but I want to make sure it’s actually something and not me just being lazy. I am determined to beat my depression, I don’t like it and I want a better mindset like I used to have. I don’t know when it all fell apart but 2018 is going to be my year…I will work my ass off to make sure it is.
Posts recap for January & February
Books I reviewed in January & February
- [6 Jan] The Breakup Support Group by Cheyanne Young ★★★★
- [11 Jan] Desperate Measures by Staci Hart ★★★★
- [18 Jan] Wanting My Stepsister by Alexa Riley ★★½
- [20 Jan] Bend (Vegas Heat Book 1) by Molly McLain, Dana Lamothe, Ellie McLove ★★★★
- [26 Jan] Too Late by Colleen Hoover ★★★★
- [28 Jan] Big Rock by Lauren Blakely ★★★★
What are you looking forward to in 2018?
Thanks for stopping by to Check out my recap of 2017 and what’s to come in 2018
Stop by tomorrow to see Berls Out/In Post!
Have a great day and Happy Reading! |
Joker : Scene from Joker turns out as Internet referenced Meme
Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is now a most referenced meme
Joaquin Phoenix movie is earning highest praises for his character in the film Joker. The lead actor’s strong performance is commendable and winning people’s hearts. Even if the film is doing well, it is actually Joaquin Phoenix’s character that is garnering complements from everyone. Recently, the memes have been trending on the social media.
Joaquin Phoenix acting to the joker is getting heaps of praises with many comparing it to the previous joker enacted by Heath Ledger in Batman: The Dark Knight film. This comparison is pretty understandable as the film is all about the original background story of the joker. It is the popularity of Joker becoming a villain from Batman universe of Gotham that is making everyone observing references everywhere.
It is this one peculiar reference that is making a comparison between two actors. Here are some memes for you to check out below.
Isn’t the whole movie a joker reference… https://t.co/b0DAfKUvON
— h?raci? (@yosoyhorse) October 10, 2019
— Kevin J. (@__greys) October 6, 2019
Damn both shots have the joker in them
— BOOloo Gang 2019 (@spacejamfan) October 8, 2019
In Joker (2019, directed by Todd Phillips), we see the main character Arthur dye his hair green. This is a subtle nod to the Character called Joker from the series of Indie comics called Batman. Further connections to the comic character have not been found. pic.twitter.com/6HWvzyXriZ
— ≈ℚ???≈ (@VicBossFaalGein) October 9, 2019
Wrong. The shot was a comparison of his sadness of no one noticing him in the beginning to his happiness of everyone paying attention to him at the end. pic.twitter.com/bdeJZrThAH
— Brown Recluse (@blkbuddha) October 6, 2019
For those who didn't catch the reference pic.twitter.com/Q0vSMmvTpK
— Joey Nolfi (@joeynolfi) October 9, 2019
For those who didn't catch the reference. pic.twitter.com/JzzbyPaGo1
— Arianna Rees (@AriWRees) October 10, 2019
I though Lady Gaga was the reference pic.twitter.com/zkDsbYpTdC
— Candy Warhol (@CandyWarhol9) October 10, 2019
For those who didn't catch the reference pic.twitter.com/N3SusX1peq
— Arnold Flores (@typeo13) October 10, 2019
It is hard to catch the reference memes the internet has been getting excited about. Whatever the reference maybe, the memes are getting all the attention and it is only making people more interested to discuss on the subject further. The movie Joker is basically on the DC Comics characters.
The film was officially released on October 2, 2019. Joaquin’s performance and the story line that depicts the dark portrayal of mental illness and the painful journey of the Joker has been praised quite a lot by the audience. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker has been doing well in the box office and is still running in the theaters. |
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Author - Product Stories. Building Memer. Making world a better place, one meme at a time.
Welcome to the first edition of Product Stories. The first product that I have chosen is Reddit — a company that thousands of startups have tried to emulate but always failed to do so. Let’s look at why that is and what’s so special about Reddit.
Well, I didn’t. And here is my attempt at retelling Reddit’s early history in as brief as I can.
“Best product people are historians of their industry” — Jeff Morris Jr
“Product Stories” is my attempt to write about origin stories of some popular products and cover some of the less covered aspects of startup products like their metrics when they had just started, how long did it take to finally take off, how fast or slow were they in launching v1 of their product, initial target market and how they stumbled upon it, their failed experiments, etc.
This product story starts with a “rejection”. Reddit was officially started when Paul Graham (co-founder of Y Combinator) rejected Alexis and Steve’s idea for investment as part of Y Combinator’s first batch. Instead, he showed them Slashdot (a social news website then) and asked them to build something similar and he would give them $10k for the summer to work on it.
This part of Reddit’s journey is interesting because this is one dilemma that a lot of founders face — go with their own conviction/idea or change direction and choose an idea someone else suggested. Even more interesting is that Steve and Alexis had not even started work on their “food ordering app” idea. Without even trying their own idea, they chose the idea Paul gave them. This probably made the choice easier as unless you start working on an idea, you never really get the conviction.
I wonder what would have happened if Alexis and Steve had applied after 1 or 2 months of working on their original idea (and seeing some initial user validation).
A lot of people generally advise founders to follow their own convictions and not listen to VCs who give certain “trending” ideas. Well, here is one example of where the opposite happened and worked out well.
Another point of wondering is, what would have happened if Alexis and Steve would have stuck to their original idea of “food ordering app” and worked on it a couple of years only to realize it was early. Probably they would have been too burnt to start another company then. Lots of startup journeys end up this way because of the founder’s chose the wrong market for them. Luckily for both of them, they had Paul Graham guide them to the right market/idea.
Even though the idea was a copy of an existing product, they did not blindly copy it. They took the idea from Slashdot/Delicious but realized early on that it would be the recommendation system (the upvote/downvote mechanism in their case) that would be key. The lesson here, it’s okay to copy as long as it’s mindfully done. Especially since building a consumer tech company is catching lightning in a bottle and if you try to be original all the time in all your features, you might be in for a tough ride. It’s easier to copy things that work and try to deliver the most value to your user with your use case. Another case in point, Instagram taking “Stories” feature from Snapchat, and then using to enable the next wave of content creation on Instagram.
Steve and Alexis built the prototype and launched it within 20 days. 20 days is really fast even by today’s standards (when a lot of standard libraries exist and development time has drastically reduced).
To do it back in 2005, is really a splendid task. One really needs to internalise the “Launch fast and iterate” philosophy of building products in order to do that. Apparently, Paul Graham used to mail them twice a day “checking in” for progress, which made them push harder to launch (a fine line to walk for an investor, but alright!). Reddit would be a classic example of “launch fast and iterate” model of building products.
This is what it looked like after the first 5 minutes of launch:
Notice that there were no subreddits and no commenting. But they did have Karma points (Reddit’s gamification mechanism where users get points for submitting content to the site) from the very beginning. Often products launch gamification as an afterthought to increase their retention/engagement, but here is an example of a successful company that did it from the start. I am sure it helped in building “the community” that eventually became their differentiator.
This is how Reddit looks now:
Reddit now has subreddits as a way to group content/people, threads, upvoting/downvoting on comments, moderator control features, karma points, Reddit Gold and so many more features. But they started it all with just a mechanism to submit links and earn Karma points.
Another point to note is that they did not have any major traffic for a month after launch (crazy by today’s standards but it was 2005. Simpler times!).
Reddit got their first couple of hundred users after a month of releasing it when Paul Graham posted Reddit’s link on his blog. But the first couple of hundred users that Reddit got, were not just any users. They were all the internet’s power users (because that was the audience of Paul’s essays).
Reddit reached 1mn monthly readers (MAU) and 70,000 daily readers(DAU) 16 months after it was launched (7% DAU/MAU; which is terrible considering today’s standards for a consumer startup but thankfully Reddit persevered).
This is interesting as when Reddit was started, metrics such as DAU/MAU were not very popular. Retention was not the most important thing every consumer founder looked at. Analytics tools for measuring these metrics also did not exist. This ignorance I think turned out to be bliss for Reddit as well some of the other less instantly viral products of the time.
Too much focus on metrics in the early days of a startup leads to a lot of self-doubt in founders. Partly because founders compare their crappy metrics (which are always crappy as it is early days of their product) with metrics of successful products. It might more productive to look at subjective user feedback instead of chasing metrics during the early days. There is still merit in looking at metrics and being aware of it, but optimizing too much of them early on might not be the best strategy for all.
For a whole month after launch, Reddit had no traffic. Every day Alexis and Steve would wake up, manually submit links themselves on the site and read that news themselves only. In order to fool the users (the total count of which was 2 back then, Alexis and Steve), they would use different fake usernames to post links (in order to create an illusion that there were already a lot of users already on the site).
They reached a respectable size only 16 months later when they reached 1mn MAU (Monthly Active Users), that too at 7% DAU/MAU (a metric popularised by Facebook in its early days to measure user engagement). To give you an idea, in current times a DAU/MAU of 50% means that it is a daily habit, and a DAU/MAU of 20% is considered a decent metric.
Reddit fared much poorer than the current industry benchmark. It took a lot of time for them to reach a state when they became a daily habit. And let’s look at when that exactly happened.
The most interesting thing about Reddit’s journey is that — at no sharp point can you say that they hit a Product Market Fit (a term coined by one of the VCs while analyzing another VC’s investing style 🤷) and everything changed post that. It has always been a relatively slow and steady growth for them. Reddit had only a couple of hundred users within the first 2 months.
Maybe they had the so-called PMF from Day 1 or they never really cared for PMF. They believed their product was what users wanted and kept on building for them not caring much for whether they are pre-PMF or post-PMF.
I believe a lot of startups go through unnecessary self-doubt (and thereafter distracting experiments; often killing startups) thinking that they have not reached PMF while all they needed to do was keep on working for their users.
That being said, Instagram on the other hand got 1 million users within first 2 months of launch.
Snapchat had 127 users after 6 months of founders working on it, but in Dec 2011 when they find their right audience (i.e. high schools in North Carolina and Silicon Valley) they went from 2000 users to 20,000 users in a month. 100k a couple of months later.
Reddit was neither an instant hit or found a sharp turning point in its journey. It has always been steady.
This stark contrast between the three social apps is one of the main reasons why I wanted to start this newsletter. Often times, we get bogged down thinking there is only one path or one trait all successful companies have. As I have tried to study the histories of a bunch of them, it turns out there is none. There is no way we can determine a success formula looking at PMF path of these three companies. The only thing common is that all of their paths were different.
Another important aspect of Reddit’s early history is the growth of different genres inside it.
While it was initially built around solving for the founder’s problem of going through various news websites to find popular trending news, it quickly expanded to other forms of content discovery.
Even though Reddit founders took an already existing idea, they still looked out to solve a unique problem. Since it was the early days of the internet, they could take up vague problem statements like content discovery. This is a luxury Reddit had. Newer startups I believe don’t have this luxury. They need to pick up much narrower problem statements now. I will talk about this aspect in a few of the later editions of this newsletter as well.
The prevalent system of enabling content discovery at that time was “tags”. Some of Reddit’s competitors like Delicious were already using tags. If Reddit had been too fixated on beating competition, they would have introduced the same feature. They thought of their features from first principles and came up with a new content discovery mechanism of “groups”. Instead of categorizing content, they ended up categorizing people. Their rationale was “What might be considered “politics” by one person might be tagged as “left-wing liberal bullshit” by another.” That’s when they came up with “subreddit” as a way of categorizing.
This automatically created all the difference between Reddit and its competitors. While all the other companies remained content discovery platforms and died, Reddit survived because it focused on building communities. It also ended up establishing network effects for them. Now any new company that wants to replicate Reddit, will have to replicate every one of their million subreddits.
NSFW was one of the major early subreddits that was started. It still contributes around 10% of Reddit but back then it may have been the reason for Reddit’s continuous growth. Another example of “Do things that don’t scale”? (or probably “solve for your needs first and then find users similar to you”)
“NSFW subreddit” is interesting as it was not a subreddit that users themselves started. It was a deliberate action taken by the founders. They realized that while it might not be something Reddit stands for (at that time which was social news), they still chose to go ahead with it. This may have been because those were very early days of Reddit and they would have been happy with whatever users came as long as it was growing. Which I believe is fine. Sometimes founders become too idealistic in their vision that they don’t try out anything which deviates even slightly from their vision (thanks for all the gyaan of “focus on the vision”). Sometimes at the early stage, you got to whatever it takes to get users and figure out the rest later. Its a fine line and everyone would have different definitions of where they draw the line but can sometimes do wonders. Even if it does not lead to anything meaningful for the product, it might just give enough confidence to the founder to persevere longer.
You can see the chart of various subreddit’s submissions over the years:
Reddit was not the first social news company that was started. Yes, back then Reddit was called a social news site. It is now called a community / social network.
While the inspiration of Reddit came from the utility of Slashdot (news for nerds community) and Delicious, it grew continuously while others failed.
Every one of them had different reasons for their failure (which can be all individual subsequent posts).
In the case of Delicious, one of the major reasons turned out to be that Delicious was being used more as a utility for bookmarking webpages, which meant its content was generally longer reads which people saved for later (as opposed to current and trending topics on Reddit).
Digg died because of different reasons but one of the major ones being self-promotion on Digg. On Reddit, self-promotion — say, posting your own personal blog and voting it up from multiple user accounts you’d created — was considered spamming. On Digg, however, there were loopholes often gamed by users, networks of friends, and newsrooms. Interesting point to note here is that, Digg was more heavily funded than Reddit at that time.
4chan still exists but it has evolved into more for toxic communities which somehow Reddit has been able to handle in spite of so many unfortunate instances.
Reddit was also self-policing with users themselves downvoting as they considered themselves a part of the community (exact percentage of downvoters however would be an interesting metric which I couldn’t find).
This concludes my attempt at writing about the early history of Reddit. There are a lot of other anecdotes about its early history that are worth mentioning. One of them was Reddit’s failed attempt at building Reddit TV — a video Q&A platform (a classic case of founder misalignment). I will probably talk about that later.
That’s it from my end. If you found this helpful, do share this with some of your friends in product-based roles.
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On Friday we leave on our next trip away, this time an over night ferry to Spain and then over the following few days, France, across the Pyrenees.
This week has been about finishing up things at work. It has been about catching up with my son (and reclaiming the suitcase he borrowed) and tomorrow it will be about having dinner with my mum, doing her shopping and generally making sure all is well with her.
The last few days before holiday, when you are unwinding while being thoroughly wound up at work can be challenging. Generally I feel calm, though sleep patterns are a little disturbed, suggesting that I am less calm than I want to believe.
Friday morning, I go to be weighed. The slimming thing is going relatively well – I am trying to follow the plan, but often find myself choosing taste over what is advised. Having said that, I am enjoying eating more healthily and enjoying more that my clothes fit better and that I am definitely slimmer. But it seems that it is the hair cut that has made the most difference – apparently short hair makes me look younger and slimmer!
Then me and my luggage will travel to Master’s house and from there we will travel to the port and away from my not even very stressful life.
I am not sure I will be writing much here, but plan to fill some gaps with the 30 days of kink project / meme thing.
Hopefully while we are away there will be kink. But definitely there will be some life that is worth blogging about.
Whatever happens, there will be something over the next couple of weeks. |
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The Eastern Front experienced the viciousness of war on a scale of unimaginable horror and brutality. The bloodiest and most savage fighting took place in Stalingrad between August 1942 and February 1943. Stalin’s city on the Volga had military significance for Hitler. It carried the name of his enemy ... More and therefore had to be destroyed.
The ensuing battle sealed the fates of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians and marked the turning point of World War II. It was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. In 3 parts, documentary filmmakers Sebastian Dehnhardt, Christian Deick and Jorg Mullner reveal new historical facts while touching the emotions of their audience with new, moving eyewitness accounts and confessions from some of the last survivors. Less
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AMPLIFY 2002: balance
October 18-20, 2002
Star Pine's Cafe, Tokyo
Taku Sugimoto Guitar Quartet
Cosmos-Sachiko M/Ami Yoshida
Keith Rowe/Thomas Lehn/Marcus Schmickler
Burkhard Stangl/Christof Kurzmann
Otomo Yoshihide/Günter Müller (world premiere)
Thomas Lehn/Marcus Schmickler
Burkhard Stangl/Christof Kurzmann/Taku Sugimoto
Keith Rowe/Toshimaru Nakamura
Astro Twin-Utah Kawasaki/Ami Yoshida
Burkhard Stangl/Günter Müller (world premiere)
Toshimaru Nakamura/Sachiko M
Keith Rowe/Günter Müller/Taku Sugimoto
Additional shows in Tokyo before and after the festival:
Saturday, October 12
Tetuzi Akiyama, Günter Müller, Toshimaru Nakamura
Wednesday, October 16
Thomas Lehn, Toshimaru Nakamura and Taku Sugimoto, duos and trio
Thursday, October 17
Thomas Lehn/Marcus Schmickler lecture/performance
Monday, October 21
Toshimaru Nakamura, Taku Sugimoto, Tetuzi Akiyama, Yoshihide Otomo, Oren Ambarchi, Burkhard Stangl and Keith Rowe
1. Taku Sugimoto-'Hum'
2. Cornelius Cardew-'Treatise', pp. 82-84
3. Seven Guitars improvisation.
Wednesday, October 23
Taku Sugimoto and Burkhard Stangl duo
Toshimaru Nakamura and Christof Kurzmann duo
Thursday, October 24
(Kid Ailack Art Hall)
Oren Ambarchi/Toshimaru Nakamura/Keith Rowe trio
AMPLIFY 2002: balance
Brian Marley, The Wire
Since its inception in 1999, Erstwhile Records has become one of the most important labels in improvised music. This success is due largely to Erstwhile's unique aesthetic. Most improv labels are small-scale hit and run affairs which do little more than document the activities of their proprietors. But under the direction of Jon Abbey, Erstwhile is ambitious in scope and unashamedly proactive. Abbey says he's "trying to push incredibly talented musicians into territory they might not otherwise explore, for better or worse - but hopefully for better!" Keith Rowe, stalwart improviser of long standing and a shrewd observer of the contemporary scene, welcomes this approach. In his opinion, Erstwhile is the label "most in touch with significant developments in improvised music". These developments - most importantly, the move away from discrete instrumentalists and towards electronics-drenched soundscapes, and the reduction of musical material to little more than sinew and bone - have, in recent years, obliged improvisers to reassess their working methods. AMPLIFY extends Erstwhile's activities into live performance. The festival programmes are carefully curated with the intention of, as Abbey puts it, "making the sum greater than the parts - that, for me, is the main meaning of the term AMPLIFY; not only that the musicians within a grouping amplify each other's ideas, but the performances amplify each other also." His first festival, AMPLIFY 2001: mainsine, took place at Tonic, New York City. The success of the venture encouraged him to make it an annual event. But his boldest decision was that AMPLIFY should be a moveable feast, because "this music, maybe more than any other in history, is developing on a worldwide scale, whereas most of the previous kinds tended to arise from one geographic area." AMPLIFY 2002: balance was held in Tokyo between 18-20 October. The enhanced scale of the enterprise was important to Abbey, as was the degree of cross-fertilisation between European and Japanese musicians. Four sets were played on each of three consecutive evenings. Some were world premiere performances. Many of the groups involved had already recorded for Erstwhile. Some have recordings in the can which the label will issue in 2003. Others - such as Astro Twin and the Taku Sugimoto Guitar Quartet - were non-Erstwhile groups in perfect accord with the festival programme. Jonas Leddington filmed the proceedings for release on DVD. All concerts were recorded, and a CD/DVD box set is planned. What follows is part diary, part running commentary on AMPLIFY 2002. A preliminary version of this report was published in issue 226 of the UK music magazine, The Wire.
The plane descends through a wispy layer of cloud and touches down at Tokyo's Narita airport. Having several hours to kill before I can book into my hotel, I take the Skyliner train to downtown Tokyo and visit the Ueno Park zoo. A fellow traveller decides to accompany me. It's a dazzling day, very hot, humidity is high and the animals in the outdoor pens are listless. The pens themselves seem too small for large animals such as rhinoceros and giraffe. A dispirited-looking buffalo stands in profile. While chatting, we watch him for maybe five minutes. Apart from an involuntary swish of his tail, he doesn't move a muscle. A pygmy hippopotamus sprays liquid faeces into one corner of his tiny pool. He moves to the far end of the pool, swings round, lumbers back into the bloom of polluted water. In the building in which the nocturnal animals are housed, the pens seem even more cramped. Although the burrowing animals can root in a thin layer of dirt, they can't burrow. Beneath the dirt there's a bedrock of concrete. Children peer at the animals and look distinctly unimpressed. Maybe they're suffering from information overload. Maybe they're just hot and bored. As we walk in the shadow of the suspended monorail, a bell tolls. Its sonorous note sends a ripple through the still air - pure sonic refreshment. The sound seems to be emanating from an Edo-period shrine, Tosho-gu, only a short distance away. This reminds me that I'm in Tokyo to write about music. Time to move on.
In my hotel room near the Aoyama-1-chome subway station, seriously jetlagged, I decide to take a 30-minute nap. Two hours later I wake to find that I'm about to miss the start of a lecture/performance at the Goethe Institute by analogue synthesizer player Thomas Lehn and G3 electronicist Marcus Schmickler. My head is swimming. I'm exhausted. Leaving an apologetic note at reception for Jon Abbey, whom I'd arranged to meet at the Goethe, I return to bed and the inconstant embrace of Morpheus.
I'm fuddled but wide awake, unnaturally so; it's an unpleasant variation on a caffeine high. As I stroll through the neighbourhood to clear my head, Tokyo flickers into life. I return to the hotel to find a message from Jon Abbey - would I care to join him for breakfast? In a coffee shop near the subway station we discuss AMPLIFY 2002 and the pre- and post-festival events that Toshimaru Nakamura and Taku Sugimoto have programmed. Apparently, the gigs which took place between 12-17 October were very well received. Further performances are scheduled for 21-26 October.
We congregate outside our hotel, The Asia Center of Japan, by a couple of the street vending machines that are ubiquitous in Tokyo. These two sell iced coffee and tea in almost every conceivable permutation, several brands of mineral water, a variety of soft drinks; also the delightfully named Pocari Sweat, an ion replacement drink that tastes of sugar water laced with a homeopathic dose of lemon. Apart from Thomas Lehn and Marcus Schmickler, who are staying at the nearby Goethe Institute, we all have rooms on the third floor of the hotel. Introductions are made. I'd previously met Lehn and Keith Rowe, albeit fleetingly, but Schmickler and Leddington are new acquaintances. Headz operative Nobuki Nishiyama arrives in a people carrier to drive us to Kichijoji where the festival venue, Star Pine's Café, is situated. Another round of introductions ensues. We set out in characteristically heavy Tokyo traffic for Shibuya, one of the Tokyo hubs (a city within a city), then work our way at a snail's pace towards the outlying suburbs. Star Pine's is located on a narrow and surprisingly quiet side street, only a few yards from a busy main thoroughfare. The club occupies the basement and sub-basement of the building. Inside, the Star Pine's staff, the sound crew and Headz co-ordinator Atsushi Sasaki (who also runs the record labels meme and Weather, and edits the magazine Fader) are hard at work. Toshi Nakamura and Tetuzi Akiyama, both clutching guitars, are waiting to do a soundcheck. An air of steady purposefulness prevails. Taku Sugimoto arrives, swiftly followed by Sachiko M and Otomo Yoshihide. Worryingly, Burkhard Stangl and Christof Kurzmann, who were due to fly into Narita this morning, haven't shown up or even made contact. Everyone else is here. I'm introduced to the journalist/photographer Yuko Zama, who is covering the festival for a magazine to be published in December by Improvised Music From Japan. We talk briefly about the Tokyo music scene. AMPLIFY 2002 is "very different, very special", she believes. As Sasaki and the crew have everything well under control, I lure Abbey to a nearby Starbucks for coffee (and an opportunity to experience Western cultural imperialism first-hand). On our return, we're told that Stangl and Kurzmann have been picked up and are on their way to the venue. Despite his apparent calm amidst these stressful proceedings, Abbey looks relieved.
The audience files into Star Pine's. Among their number is my travelling companion of the previous day. Although he's never heard any music of this kind, he's keen to give it a try. Knowing how allergic people can be to difficult or extreme musics, I expect him to slink away, probably before the end of the second set. By 6.15 p.m., with a substantial audience crowding the space, the atmosphere at Star Pine's is smoky, hot and very humid. The ventilation system is running on max, and the quietest and most spacious music of the evening gently troubles this air-conditioned ambience. Taku Sugimoto's Guitar Quartet consists of Sugimoto, Otomo, Akiyama and Nakamura, all playing acoustic or semi-acoustic instruments. Initially, they produce pure-toned single notes, each of which is allowed to decay before another is plucked. The success of a music such as this is heavily predicated on the placement of sounds, perhaps even more than on the qualities of the sounds themselves. But as the piece evolves, sounds begin to overlap, amplification is introduced, there's a whispery trace of feedback. Slowly, the dynamic range starts to widen, notes are articulated differently and sometimes they're damped or a little vibrato is added. From a tranquil beginning, tension builds. The music comes to seem less and less aleatoric, more and more improvised, and a very satisfactory balance of materials is achieved.
By comparison, Cosmos - the duo of sinewave manipulator Sachiko M and vocalist Ami Yoshida - is not so much quiet as intimate. Having heard Sachiko M's sine wave music only on CD, I had a mistaken impression of how it should be listened to. I'd assumed that, like Phill Niblock's pieces, her music should fully occupy the space in which it's played. Consequently, I'd always played it LOUD. The moment that she and Ami Yoshida (originator of the so-called "howling voice") begin their set, I realise my mistake. Misunderstanding is one thing, but a more fundamental problem is that I found Tears, the recent Erstwhile disc by Cosmos, hard going. Nor had I particularly enjoyed the F.M.N. Sound Factory double CD by Cosmos and another of Yoshida's groups, Astro Twin. But context is everything, and in the context of AMPLIFY 2002 Cosmos makes perfect sense. At low volume, Sachiko's delicately modified sine waves, and Yoshida's austere vocal productions - often no more than the play of air drawn back over her vocal cords - are a far richer experience than I'd anticipated. I'll return to those recordings with fresh ears. While Yoshida produces sounds that are a curiously compelling mixture of retching and birdcalls, Sachiko makes microscopic adjustments to her instrument and creates textural play with a contact microphone wrapped in elastic bands. I notice that many of the seated members of the audience are leaning forward, eager to catch every nuance of the performance. The effect is spell-binding. Yoshida has stated that she "strives for a barely audible sound that is perceived as sound itself rather than as vocalization", but she doesn't always achieve this. Near the end of the set there is, by her standards, a lapse - a series of plaintive cries, the hint of an ululation - that alerts us to the fact that this is a human voice, and a rather extraordinary one.
The chairs in Star Pine's Café are buttock-numbing, the tables are crammed together, and during the brief lull between sets members of the audience get up to stretch their legs. I chat briefly with Tetsuro Yasunaga (of Cubic Records, the label that has just brought out Vehicle, a new solo CD by Toshimaru Nakamura), then I stroll around Star Pine's and sit back down. My travelling companion comes over to exchange a few words. I expect a tone of polite disengagement, a few platitudes - but, no, he's enthusiastic. He makes pertinent comments about both sets - the gradually interlocking components of the Sugimoto Quartet, the quietly stark drama enacted by Cosmos. He's travelling the world to gain, and hopefully enjoy, new experiences, and it would seem this event qualifies on both counts.
Drama of an altogether more robust kind is provided by the trio of Keith Rowe, Thomas Lehn and Marcus Schmickler. This isn't a first encounter; they've recorded a session for Erstwhile, to be issued early in 2003. The set begins loudly and lopsidedly, with Lehn assuming a soloistic role, piling sound upon tumultuous sound, maintaining tensile drones, furiously twiddling knobs and momentarily ramming a soundcard into a slot on his synthesizer to disrupt the sequencing. This is exciting stuff, although at first it restricts Rowe and Schmickler to a supportive role. In stark contrast with his duo with Lehn on day two of AMPLIFY, Schmickler's contributions are low key and largely enigmatic. Rowe, applying various noisemakers to his tabletop guitar, eventually penetrates Lehn's barrages of sound and brings a less choppy, more linear perspective to the music. Lehn responds well to this turn of events, although occasionally he sits back and adopts the chin-stroking posture of a chess grand master troubled by the inscrutability of an opponent's move. It is, in the end, a successful set, though someone wryly observes that all three musicians are members of the large improv group MIMEO (Music In Movement Orchestra), and often, as when MIMEO performs, chaos and disaster were only narrowly averted.
Computer trouble delays the start of the final set of the evening. G3 operator and Charhizma label founder Christof Kurzmann, together with fellow Austrian, guitarist Burkhard Stangl, are reprising material from their CD, Schnee. A screen is unfurled at the back of the stage, the room is darkened, and as the musicians begin to play, images from films by Barbara Albert (Nordrand), Chris Marker (Sans Soleil), Jean Luc Godard (Passion) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder (In A Year Of 13 Moons), all drastically reworked by video artist Michaela Grill, are projected. Almost nothing of the original film-makers' work is identifiable: it's mere image-fodder. The music is neither soundtrack nor commentary, it merely coexists with the visuals and moves in parallel. While Stangl strums open chords and strikes glittering harmonics from his acoustic guitar, Kurzmann provides a clicky, hissy, slightly sinister undertow laced with swelling drones and abrupt transitions. Afterwards, Kurzmann tells me that the problems he was experiencing with his computer limited what he could do. Maybe that's why, in one section, he softly blew long notes through his clarinet, and even improvised a bleak little song.
We're in a traditional Japanese restaurant on a back street in Kichijoji, a tatami mat place where, shoeless, you tuck your legs under you and sit at low tables. All of the musicians are here, and the people from Headz - 25 of us, maybe more. The food is delicious, and subtly different from the Japanese food I've eaten in the UK. The textures and flavours are delicate but utterly distinctive. No sooner has each communal dish been emptied than another appears, then another, and another. The waiters must be running a relay race between our tables and the kitchen. I soon lose count of how many dishes I've sampled. But everyone is in the mood to celebrate. The first day of the festival has gone extremely well. Round after round of Sapporo beer is ordered. As the gaijin (foreigners) drink, their chopsticks skill decreases, whereas the Japanese retain full dexterity no matter how drunk they get. I get into a lengthy and animated discussion with Thomas Lehn about pianism and creative interpretation in the classical field. On virtually every point we agree, and agree wholeheartedly, but I've drunk just enough beer to forgot almost the entire conversation by the following morning.
While equipment is being set up and soundchecks undertaken, Burkhard Stangl and Taku Sugimoto are bent in concentration over a chessboard. Each of them holds a lit cigarette he's forgotten about. Yuko Zama photographs them from the balcony. To one side of her, Jonas Leddington is interviewing and filming Günter Müller. Evidently they've been talking for a while. I eavesdrop: Müller is an excellent interviewee, Jonas is getting good material. Onstage, while testing his equipment, Keith Rowe taps into a local radio station. The Japanese host drones on, at maximum volume, and Leddington and Müller can't hear each other speak. It seems an appropriate moment to wind up the interview. But as soon as Leddington turns off his camera, the radio host stops talking. Having completed his soundcheck, Rowe tells me that the amount of concrete in Japanese buildings, and the density of housing, inhibits certain radio frequencies. On the five occasions in which I hear him play in Tokyo, in various basements or sub-basements, he uses the radio hardly at all. As show-time nears, Stangl and Sugimoto carefully transport the board backstage; they haven't quite finished their game. Or maybe this is another game. Later, I ask Sugimoto, "Did you win?" "No," he says. "Do you ever win against Burkhard?" He gives me a rueful look and shakes his head.
The temperature today may be slightly lower, but if anything the humidity is worse. There's a crush around the upstairs and downstairs bars. Star Pine's is bustling; the place is almost full to capacity. To get more people into the club you'd need to employ those white-gloved attendants who squash commuters into subway trains during the rush hour. In this hothouse atmosphere, Günter Müller and Otomo Yoshihide take to the stage. There's a palpable air of expectation, to which I'm contributing. At breakfast I'd confessed to Keith Rowe and Jon Abbey that I was perplexed by Otomo; although I'd enjoyed several of his recordings, I didn't really understand why people held him in such high regard. "You've never seen him perform?" asks Jon. That's all he feels he needs to say. To either side of Müller's table of instruments stand a cymbal and a floor tom: the deconstructed remnants of a drum kit. Arrayed between them are electronic gizmos of various kinds and a huge number of beaters, teasers and agitators. Otomo is operating a pair of Technics decks, and there's a guitar propped up alongside him. Throughout most of the performance the guitar maintains a low-volume feedback squall. Its function appears to be similar to that of the tambura in Indian classical music - to provide a reference point. In this case it's a point from which to deviate. From time to time Otomo adjusts the pitch and timbre of the feedback by re-tuning the strings, he even bows them at one point, but mostly he works at the turntables with or without records. Fundamentally, he and Müller layer pulses and rhythms on top of drones or repetitive material. As they continue to add levels of complexity, the music builds steadily in excitement. Otomo gets a wonderful percussive sound from one of his turntable cartridges by gently tapping it with a felt-headed beater: it's like a subterranean explosion modulated by a gong. This signals a turning point in the music. Müller's heavy beats pan across the stage from speaker to speaker like rolling thunder, and this noisy percussion duo reaches a climax with Otomo pounding one of the turntables rhythmically with his fist. Otomo and Müller were in the recording studio a couple of days earlier, and the music they made there was apparently as successful as their festival performance but also rather different. When both the studio recording and the box set are issued, it'll be interesting to see just how different they are.
During the interval I have a quick word with Bill Ashline, an American living in Seoul. Bill, who was responsible for setting up the electroacoustic discussion group at yahoogroups.com, has been filming AMPLIFY 2002 for his personal archive. Jonas Leddington later tells me that Bill has offered him this footage for use on the DVD. It's a very generous offer, and Jonas looks pleased.
Although Marcus Schmickler maintained a low profile yesterday evening with Keith Rowe and Thomas Lehn, tonight, in his duo with Lehn, he's altogether more feisty. Immediacy and being in the moment are what free improvisation is about, but some musics feel more immediate than others. This music is definitely one of them. Anyone who has heard Bart, Schmickler and Lehn's Erstwhile CD, knows that their music is hi-energy, fast paced, buffeting and bruising. There's a massive turnover of events, and the music is relentless, exciting and loud. One wag said it reminded him of a free jazz blow-out, something along the lines of Peter Brötzmann and Peter Kowald circa 1973; but a more useful point of comparison is with the English electronics duo Furt. The music is so huge, and it has such a powerful presence, that when near-silences occur they seem to be carved out of the granularity of sound. Lehn, a virtuoso performer on analogue synthesizer, an instrument which would seem to deny the possibility of virtuoso handling, is an endlessly fascinating player. He's fascinating to watch as well as listen to. His every gesture emphasises how physical his relationship is to music, although sometimes the music seems to be acting upon him rather than vice versa. The main problem the duo has is one of co-ordination, but this becomes apparent only when they try to bring the music to a close. Schmickler, who evidently hates over-tidy resolutions and clichéd endings, rejects the first opportunity that presents itself. But after one or two stagger-on moments, they finally reach the same place at the same time and for precisely the right reasons.
The last two sets could hardly be more different from this, or from each other. Earlier in the day, Christof Kurzmann visited an electronics store in Shinjuku. He's now replaced the faulty component in his Macintosh computer. But during the first part of his set with guitarists Taku Sugimoto and Burkhard Stangl, you'd be forgiven for thinking that his G3 had irretrievably broken down. The guitarists, sitting at opposite sides of the stage, play quietly disparate musics that take up very little space, and Kurzmann seems to be contributing nothing at all. It's an aural illusion; his sounds are so subtle, so unobtrusive, that you feel their effect on the music before you hear (and can rationalise) what that effect might be. Nothing that Kurzmann does is showy or superfluous. Much of his music hovers on the threshold of silence. Essentially, he provides the glue which binds the guitarists together. The Polish label Musica Genera recently issued an interesting CD by the trio, but this live set suggests that their music has reached a new level of sophistication.
One of the things you can say with confidence about Keith Rowe is that he doesn't sound like any other guitarist (except, of course, for those who've adopted his techniques wholesale). Another is that, of the so-called 'first generation' of British free improvisers, he's the one who has most willingly taken on new musical challenges. His duo with Toshimaru Nakamura is a case in point. The music they make is without precedent in the history of free improvisation, yet it's obviously a continuation of that tradition. Nakamura's instrument, the no-input mixing board, is a piece of technology made to serve one purpose that's now being put to a different use entirely. The limited palette of sounds generated by the mixing board could be approximated quite easily by a sampler, but in application it wouldn't sound the same. The music is as it is because of the difficulties posed by the instrument; the sounds it makes aren't wholly predictable, and they're hard to control. The only additional devices Nakamura employs are two delay boxes, which allow him to create 'real time' repetitive figures. Patiently, tentatively, he coaxes the mixing board into life, and it stutters, barks and sings. Its penetrative whine cuts again and again through Rowe's softly malleable blocks of noise like a hot knife through butter. Rowe, who has a thorough understanding of Nakamura's stripped-down aesthetic, operates wonderfully within it. The performance is less poised, less artfully sculpted than their CD, Weather Sky, but it has an authenticity about it, the feeling that nothing in the improvisation is inevitable, that even the musicians are surprised by the music they're making.
One of the rules at Star Pine's is that concerts have to end by 9.30 p.m. Consequently, the sets have been slightly shorter than usual, most clocking in around 35-40 minutes. Perhaps that's why the music seems so tightly focused. We clamber up the stairs and take to the backstreets of Kichijoji, searching for a restaurant. It's raining heavily - unseasonal summer rain, which soaks but doesn't chill. Taku Sugimoto and Tetuzi Akiyama take the lead. Myself, Burkhard Stangl, Thomas Lehn, Christof Kurzmann and several others blithely follow. We're the vanguard of the party. Our job, if I've understood the situation correctly, is to find a restaurant that can accommodate all of us. We then have to phone the others and tell them where we are. By the time we find a suitable place we're soaked to the skin. No matter. Within less than 10 minutes we're all sitting together, the tables are laden with drinks, and Otomo offers helpful advice on the food and initiates a preliminary series of toasts. The rest of the evening passes in a happy blur. Around 1.30 a.m., back at the hotel, I interview Jon Abbey about his reasons for setting up Erstwhile. By then I'm so tired that my questions seem, and most likely are, pedestrian. Even the batteries in my voice recorder are running low. I suspect that he'd have been better off interviewing himself.
Despite being drop-dead tired, I've slept for little more than an hour, and fitfully at that. For want of anything better to do, I decide to take a walk. Cutting into the narrow streets behind the hotel, I skirt the perimeter of the Aoyama cemetery. Rain continues to fall, but it's finer now, it hangs in the air like a mist. Apart from a sullen-looking tabby cat waiting on a doorstep, I don't see another living thing until I reach Roppongi. Once there, I head towards Shibuya. The rain has stopped. Despite the lateness of the hour, some cafés are still open, and whenever someone enters or exits one of them a subdued burst of highly manicured, characterless pop music is heard. Music is one of the myriad networks of activity which bind human society together and make large cities viable. But random bursts of Westernised pop are, thankfully, only one aspect of Tokyo's rich musical life. I'm looking forward to this evening's concert at Star Pine's. Of Tokyo's twelve million inhabitants, probably less than a thousand know about AMPLIFY 2002. Pop music may be ubiquitous but it's everywhere largely ignored, whereas the comparatively small AMPLIFY audience is attentive to a fault. I try to draw some kind of conclusion from these observations, but what I come up with is feeble, a banality: AMPLIFY and pop music touch people in different ways. As I turn into the street where the hotel is situated, birds begin to sing loudly, in competition with the early rush hour traffic. This brings Messiaen to mind, which doubles my pleasure.
While Jon Abbey and I discuss AMPLIFY 2002, and Jonas Leddington films us, Taku Sugimoto hovers in the background. On day one of the festival I asked Sugimoto whether I could interview him, and, somewhat reluctantly, he consented. Since then, he's been friendly but elusive. The main problem is there's no-one to translate - no-one with time to spare, that is. My Japanese is almost non-existent, and Sugimoto is uncomfortable with the idea of expressing himself entirely in English. His ideas about music are complex and deeply felt, and understandably he doesn't wish to express them badly. Despite these difficulties, we've made a tentative arrangement to talk this afternoon. I try to catch his eye, to indicate that it's our turn next, but by the time Abbey and I have wrapped up our conversation Sugimoto has, yet again, disappeared.
To create a music for voice that is stripped of vocalizations is an almost impossible task, but that's what Ami Yoshida is trying to do. When Astro Twin, her duo with synthesizer player Utah Kawasaki, takes to the stage on the last day of the festival, what's immediately apparent is how little material she's allowing herself to work with, and how much she's capable of doing with it. Her position is almost as ambiguous as that of the singer in Kafka's story 'Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk'. Josephine, we are told, has to put "such a terrible strain on herself to force out ... we can't call it song ... [because] any music there may be in it is reduced to the least possible trace". And yet, "Anyone who has not heard her does not know the power of song." Yoshida is in danger of painting herself into a corner. But tonight it's not a problem, she still has room to manoeuvre. Her audience, however, is faced with a problem of different kind. It's hard to accept what she does simply as sound, and not bring to the listening experience unhelpful analogies and spurious metaphors. Sometimes she makes sounds that are, for example, reminiscent of harsh bird calls or metal grinding on metal, but to apprehend the music in this way blunts its emotional directness. Perhaps for that reason alone, the set's best moments occur when her voice blend almost imperceptibly with Kawasaki's electronic twitters, grumbles and crackles, and referentiality is lost. Although the Astro Twin performance seems less suspenseful and less tightly focused than that of Cosmos two days earlier, it has strong characteristics, and I suspect it will transfer well to CD. Some musics require repeated listening to appreciate them fully. This may be one of them.
The duo of Burkhard Stangl and Günter Müller is an AMPLIFY 2002 world premiere. At first glance their working methods seem antithetical. Müller's performances often contain long, unbroken spans of music, whereas Stangl is particularly interested in the fractured architecture of silence and sound. This is borne out during the first few minutes of the performance: Müller dictates the pace and shape of the music, and Stangl struggles to find points of intersection. But suddenly Stangl seems more comfortable. He embellishes the music with soft guitar chords, widely spaced, repeating the same ones again and again. In terms of 'traditional' free improv, this approach may seem semi-detached, perhaps even sterile, but in terms of what the music requires it's pertinent and selfless. It's almost as though Stangl is anticipating points of intersection some minutes hence, whereas Müller is dealing with the music on a moment-by-moment basis. Müller and Stangl's set turns out to be a AMPLIFY highlight. A highlight in what is already a festival of highlights. When I ask musicians and members of the audience which performance they found most satisfying, this one receives the most nominations.
One would expect the home crowd to be blasé about a set by Sachiko M and Toshimaru Nakamura, but the atmosphere at Star Pine's is heady with anticipation. As both players have extensive discographies, it's tempting to predict what the music will sound like, and I succumb to temptation - I make a handful of preliminary notes against which I expect, during the performance, to place a tick, and perhaps add a word or two of refinement. But my notes remain unchecked. Instead, fascinated, I put down the notebook and listen. The music, for the most part, consists of charged silences punctuated by clicks, crackles, truncated drones and blips. Some of the ultra-high-frequency sounds trick the ears; they begin long before you become aware of them and seem to have a posthumous life. Nakamura and Sachiko's concentration is formidable; they hardly move a muscle during the performance, and neither does the audience. What's difficult to understand is how a music that consists of so little can have such a powerful impact on the listener. But quantity is irrelevant; the quality of musical judgement is what counts. Sachiko and Nakamura seem almost miraculously attuned, their judgement is virtually flawless.
Keith Rowe has played every night of the festival, and on two of those occasions he's been among the headliners. Tonight he's joined by Günter Müller and Taku Sugimoto. In 1999, this trio made one of Erstwhile's most bankable CDs, The World Turned Upside Down. Since then they've played together several times more, and the music has undergone a number of changes, the most significant of which is Sugimoto's considerable refinement of musical language. He, like trombonist Radu Malfatti, considers most improvisation much too strident and garrulous, and as time goes by there are fewer musicians he finds it satisfactory to work with. Even within this trio there are signs that he's not altogether comfortable. But although Sugimoto plays sparingly, he also plays with great sensitivity to the music and the moment. If anything, it's Günter Müller who has the greater problem. He's used up quite a bit of his material during the second set of the evening, and now he's keen to avoid déjâ vu. But this self-enforced limitation seems to trouble him hardly at all. Although it's noticeable that he plays much less forcefully than during his two previous AMPLIFY encounters, and his music seems less busy here and less densely layered, what he does perfectly complements Sugimoto's delicate note-spinning and Rowe's sympathetic drones. It's a perfect example of how improvisation can transcend all manner of difficulties, to create a music of rare invention, one that probably couldn't have been achieved by any other means. This set provides a fitting end to AMPLIFY 2002.
I interview Burkhard Stangl and Christof Kurzmann, separately, in an underground coffee shop in the Aoyama station complex. Burkhard and Christof sit far apart, so they can't hear each other being interviewed. This allows me to repeat some of the more basic questions - such as, 'What were your first musical influences?' - without embarrassment. Luckily, neither of them sticks to the point. The answers, ranging far and wide, give rise to a more imaginative line of questioning. Soon we're just talking, having a lively conversation, while the tape machine motor drones on.
Late afternoon Jon Abbey and I meet Yuko Zama outside Starbucks, Shibuya. She's taking us to a screening at a gallery cum performance space called Uplink Factory. The work we're going to see is entitled Tiny Miracles in the Daily Life, a series of brief, poetic films by video/sound artist Takagi Masakatsu. The slow motion water-based pieces, 'Eau' and 'Water Fall', are especially good, although I agree with Jon when he notes a discrepancy: the music is generally less compelling than the visuals. The films are, however, haunting, like dislocated memories of childhood.
We take a train to Sangenjaya and enter a side street near the station, searching for Grape Fruit Moon, where a post-AMPLIFY concert, 'The Guitars', is scheduled to take place. Struggling to find the venue amidst a warren of obscurely numbered buildings in narrow streets is, for we gaijin, part of the fun, but Yuko, a Tokyoite in love with the logically numbered, gridlike streets of Manhattan, who frequently gets lost in her home town, is exasperated. Having a map doesn't seem to help. We abdicate responsibility and tease her remorselessly until she manages to find the venue. Downstairs, the musicians are testing their equipment. There's a mahogany bar to one side of the room, and seating in the main area for no more than forty people: an intimate space. Jonas Leddington has situated his camera at the far end of the bar, well away from the beer taps and the till. The first piece is a Taku Sugimoto composition performed by the full group, but the only person who seems to be doing anything is Toshimaru Nakamura. Nakamura's electric guitar lies face-up, the strings untouched. For several minutes he tweaks the parameters of a feedback drone using almost nothing but the volume and tone controls on his guitar and amplifier. "No-fingered guitar table," he later quips. It's a pure exposition of Sugimoto's minimalist aesthetic. For the second set, Nakamura is joined by Sugimoto, Tetuzi Akiyama, Otomo Yoshihide, Oren Ambarchi, Burkhard Stangl and Keith Rowe. They perform pages 82-84 of Cornelius Cardew's 'Treatise'. The music is consistently interesting, but whether the performance is faithful to Cardew's score is, as always for the listener, hard to determine. Rowe, a Cardew associate who has played 'Treatise' on numerous occasions, seems satisfied - perhaps that's the best indication. The final set, an imaginative, meticulously controlled and thoroughly satisfying improvisation by all seven players, rounds out the evening. If any of the pre- or post-AMPLIFY performances ends up on CD, I hope this is one of them. Afterwards, as the audience files out, Taku Sugimoto and I sit down to talk. As expected, he politely refuses to say anything about his history, and most enquiries about the current state of his music elicit a stock but perhaps not inappropriate response: "You decide". After almost a week of playful evasion, neither of us is in the mood for serious Q&A. Grinning, thwarted, I shake his hand and we head for the bar. For some reason, the seating has been turned round to face the back wall. I have no idea what's going on until the room is darkened and a video of a live concert is projected. It's one of those incongruous mix 'n' match line-ups that suggest good publicity rather than good music - a 'supergroup' performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, or perhaps Montreux, circa (at a guess) 1972 or '73: Buddy Miles, Jack Bruce, the wonderful Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and three or four other musicians who look and sound familiar but whose names disobligingly won't come to mind. Christof Kurzmann and Oren Ambarchi prove to be the experts in this field. Between them, they name all of the aforementioned musicians, as well as the hitherto unidentified Stephen Stills, Rahn Burton and Buddy Guy. Totally against the odds it's a terrific concert, in which the ensemble is tight and everyone is given a chance to shine. Otomo and his friends particularly enjoy aspects of Buddy Miles's drumming: thunderous forays around the kit which end with a simultaneous crash of bass drum, snare and hi-hat. It's theatre, pure and simple. But there's more to Miles's playing than that: he's so in-the-pocket it makes your heart skip to a different beat. We watch the video, drink beer, yack like jackdaws, and only just remember to catch the last train home.
The weather has changed once more, and for the better. A stunning day: brilliant sunshine, low humidity. Strolling towards Shibuya, I take photographs as I go. I venture into the narrow and winding backstreets, and view the ornate facades of the surprisingly decorous love hotels (Greek temples in miniature, etc.). After quickly checking out the reggae sections at HMV and Tower, I catch a train to Kichijoji. I'm running late. GOK Sound, my destination, is just around the corner from Star Pine's Café. In a cluttered basement studio, Oren Ambarchi, Keith Rowe and Toshi Nakamura are about to begin a recording session for Yoshiyuki Suzuki's label, Improvised Music From Japan. Jon Abbey is sitting cross-legged on the floor, writing notes. Jonas Leddington is packing up his equipment, preparing to leave. The session should have started well over an hour ago. Proceedings have been delayed because of a change of studio suite and a persistent hum on a piece of Ambarchi's equipment. Eventually, the session gets underway without the fault having been remedied. From whispery beginnings the trio constructs a thickly-layered drone which peaks, around the twenty-fifth minute, with a disruptive outburst from Nakamura's no-input mixing board. Back in Shibuya, Jon and I meet with Nobuki Nishiyama, who takes us to the Headz office. There's a vast, slithery mountain of CDs in the middle of the floor which threatens to avalanche at any moment. Piles of unsorted paperwork litter every available surface. Surprisingly, despite the air of terminal chaos, real work appears to be getting done. While Jon chats to amiable Headz mainman Atsushi Sasaki, I visit the room across the way. It's a store selling books (art and music) and CDs, stocked with almost nothing but obscure and covetable items. Given the parlous state of my finances, it's a good thing I left my credit card back at the hotel. Next stop, Shinjuku station. We're meeting with the AMPLIFY crowd, then going to a Korean restaurant. Nakamura and Rowe, who've come straight from the recording studio, say the session went well; another, much longer piece was taped. On the way to the restaurant I fall in with Patrick Boeuf. Patrick is writing about AMPLIFY for the French quarterly revue, Peace Warriors. Despite bumping into each other several times a day during the last five days, he and I have exchanged only a few words. We discuss performance ritual with Yuko Zama en route to the restaurant, and when we reach the restaurant we discuss, inevitably, food. After a few Sapporo beers (and sips of a peculiarly flavoured and very potent milky liquor, a Korean traditional drink I didn't catch the name of), the discussion widens to include Thomas Lehn and our other tablemates, and the topics become numerous and diverse and almost impossible to recall except as deliciously free-floating fragments.
Narita Airport, Terminal 1: I'm waiting to board an 11.00 a.m. Virgin flight to London. Curiously, in the entire complex, there can't be more than a hundred passengers. Airline staff and security guards are notable by their absence; but as I stroll along the mall, roving security cameras monitor my progress. There's no muzak, no voices, no hum of activity. Almost none of the cafés, shops and restaurants are open. For want of anything better to do, I end up nursing a black coffee in an empty MacDonald's and wondering where everybody is. Not the airport personnel - I mean the people I've spent time with in Tokyo, everyone who contributed to the success of AMPLIFY 2002.
To all of you, and to Jon Abbey in particular, I say:
It's been a considerable pleasure.
Fresh Excitement on the Scene: A Unique Melding of Electronics and Improvisation
A Report on the Erstwhile Festival AMPLIFY 2002: balance
Yuko Zama, Improvised Music from Japan
AMPLIFY 2002: balance, a music festival curated by Jon Abbey of New York's Erstwhile Records, was held October 18 to 20 at Star Pine's Cafe in Tokyo. During the festival, 13 musicians, most of whom have releases on the Erstwhile label and all of whom are at the forefront of the worldwide improvised music scene, performed in various combinations. The label's focus is on the possibilities of collaboration between musicians using new techniques and often combining electronic and acoustic instruments. Since its launch in 1999, Erstwhile has released recordings by an unprecedented array of talented musicians on the worldwide improvisational scene, and has garnered much international attention for its innovative approach and exquisite balance of fresh sounds. The festival's lineup was: Keith Rowe, from England; Thomas Lehn and Marcus Schmickler, from Germany; Burkhard Stangl and Christof Kurzmann, from Austria; Günter Müller from Switzerland; Otomo Yoshihide, Taku Sugimoto, Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama, Sachiko M, Ami Yoshida and Utah Kawasaki, from Japan.
AMPLIFY opened with Taku Sugimoto's guitar quartet, made up of Sugimoto, Nakamura, Akiyama and Otomo. The set began with a long, perfect silence, followed by a single note from an acoustic guitar. After the lingering sound of that first note disappeared, another note was cast out, followed by another perfect silence. The silence held a powerful attraction, and listeners found that they heard each silence slightly differently, just as one hears changes in the flow of music. Despite the fact the silences are often much longer than the stretches containing sound, the music created by the four artists is overwhelmingly substantial. Most of the music is inaudible in a physical sense, but in it one can undeniably "hear" the musicians' inner worlds. This super-quiet quartet opened listeners' ears wide, and prepared their minds to hear the ensuing music better.
Cosmos started its set with Sachiko M's barely audible, high-pitched sine wave, which penetrated the air like an invisible line. Then Ami Yoshida added quiet, subtle, extremely high-pitched vocal sounds, clicking her tongue and throat in a singular way. Yoshida's sounds are, of course, generated by a human body, but they could almost be electronic noises, completely free of human emotion and a human's heavy sense of being. Although the duo uses extremely high frequencies, their care and sensitivity enables them to produce well-balanced music.
On the first day, Keith Rowe, Thomas Lehn and Marcus Schmickler performed as a trio. Lehn's analog synthesizer - which creates an impression of solidity, as if one could physically touch the sound - cast a vertical sound into the thin, flat digital tone generated by Schmickler's synthesizer. Like a surging wave, the thin digital tone slowly grew into a mass of low-pitched sounds. Into this vertical and horizontal soundscape, Rowe suddenly sent a sharp-edged noise, perfectly timed, from his tabletop guitar. While creating an image of a vast space, expanding from zero to infinity, the trio simultaneously conveyed the feeling of entering a microscopic world, by carefully subtracting chaotic elements from the space.
Christof Kurzmann and Burkhard Stangl started their duo set with a video projected onto the back screen. As the blue photographic video images dissolved, Kurzmann generated a low-pitched, soporific tone on his computer, and Stangl cast intermittent acoustic guitar sounds into Kurzmann's digital wave. The music remained very quiet and peaceful throughout, but revealed deep, sharp edges in the transition points between sounds and photos.
Otomo and Günter Müller, in a world-premiere duo, created a stimulating electronic whirlpool using a continuous sine wave and deep low-frequency rhythms. Although Müller's electronic beats were so heavy they caused the walls and floor to shake as if in a storm, the music never felt the least bit loud or noisy. Its texture, in fact, was rather soft - more like the heartbeat of a living creature than like the noise of machines - creating a melting feeling of unity, as if the boundary between the people and the air around them no longer existed.
Lehn and Schmickler's duo on the second day was much more intense and energetic than their trio with Rowe had been. While Schmickler produced edgy electronic sounds, Lehn shot out fast, intermittent pulse tones from his analog synthesizer. Despite the powerful intertwining of their sounds, resulting in something like electronic free jazz, there was no destructiveness or violence in the music. The contrasting analog and digital sounds felt like two opposing forces stretching the space in different directions with incredible power.
Next, Sugimoto, Stangl and Kurzmann performed an extremely quiet set that contrasted beautifully with the whirlpools of wild electronic noise in the two previous performances. Within a perfect silence, subtle sounds were generated like tiny bubbles from the acoustic instruments and computer, and floated through the air. The club was filled with serenity.
The duo of Rowe and Nakamura was a focal point of this festival. Through his no-input mixing board, Nakamura generated a subtle, low frequency that softly prodded the consciousness, evocative of a futuristic insect chirping out electronic noise. The super-quiet music carried listeners to a new, previously unknown realm of imagination. Occasionally, after a silence, Rowe would produce a sharp, vertical noise, ripping the air like a flash of lightning. The music contained both a particularly sharp-edged alertness and an overwhelming calmness and tranquility.
The final day of the festival opened with Astro Twin, a subtle, quiet duo combining Ami Yoshida's "howling voice" and Utah Kawasaki's analog synthesizer. The duo, whose sounds are very close to electronic, produces an amazing range of tones, from extremely low to extremely high. Though sharp and piercing as a needle, their music never hurts the ears; rather, it relaxes the mind and induces a state of calmness. Stangl and Müller performed another world-premiere duo. Müller's echoing, repetitive, low-frequency sound swung like a heavy pendulum, with incredibly delicate, beautiful textural transitions. While evoking an image of a huge mass of rocks rolling in from a distance, the sound conveyed a feeling not of fear, but of peace. Stangl's acoustic guitar sounds were extremely simple and real in combination with Müller's dreamy electronic sounds. The contrast was fresh and stimulating.
Nakamura and Sachiko M began their duo set in a perfect stillness. With long stretches of silence between notes, Sachiko's sine wave and Nakamura's controlled tones were carefully placed, making one even more aware of the silence.
The last set of the festival was the trio of Rowe, Müller and Sugimoto. From the beginning, the musicians reacted to one another's sounds in a very sensitive way, like a single living creature. The surrealistic fusion of electronics and acoustic guitar resulted in a listening experience that felt simultaneously macroscopic and microscopic. This profound musical world could not have been created by a solo artist, but only by this particular combination of musicians.
The music heard in these 12 performances over the course of the three days had some interesting things in common. Each musician has his/her own unique realm of sound (and silence). The music, which was often fused with subtle environmental noises, filled the space in a substantial way. In that unrealistically quiet atmosphere, one's ears became extremely sensitive, and one came to feel that each subtle noise had its own significance. It was quite exciting that no one in the club - neither the musicians nor the audience members - knew in what direction the music might develop. The musicians inspired one another, and the same musician would create a different soundscape in each new grouping. None of them knew exactly what would happen, yet all of them were connected to one another by the same strong wavelength, based on confidence. While is it likely that few of the sounds exist in the natural world, the music seemed to harmonize closely with nature. In that space, where the audience members listened attentively and were careful not to disturb the serene atmosphere, there was no human ego, no disquieting emotion on display; everything seemed equal inside a safe, perfect peacefulness. This brought home the true meaning of the festival's subtitle, "balance."
Some pre-festival question/answers between Yuko Zama and Jon Abbey:
ZAMA: What made you decide to hold this festival in Japan, "AMPLIFY 2002: balance"?
ABBEY: AMPLIFY 2002: balance has two main purposes. Most importantly, it's a label showcase festival. Secondly, it's my attempt to pay tribute to the Mottomo Otomo festival, which Otomo Yoshihide curated in Wels, Austria, in late 1999. It was a really important event for me, and for improvised music. It's where I met many Erstwhile musicians from all over the world, and where I learned a lot about how to program a festival of this kind. It helped me focus on a clearer idea of what I wanted Erstwhile to become. At the Otomo festival, the format of total immersion was very intense. There were two stages - a main one, and a smaller room behind that main stage. The festival was three nights long, and each night [the music] went on for six or seven hours, basically nonstop. Also, I learned a lot there about sequencing sets so that they make each other better (which is part of the meaning of AMPLIFY - the sets are designed to amplify one another, as the musicians amplify one another within each combination). For instance, the Rowe/Otomo/Sugimoto superquiet guitar set served as a prelude, opening the audience's ears to the superb poire_z set that followed. AMPLIFY 2002 isn't as broad in scope as Mottomo Otomo was - it's much more focused. But it's my way of trying to follow up on that festival three years later. My plan is for AMPLIFY to be a series of international festivals. The first was at Tonic [in New York City] last May, the second is in Tokyo, the third will be at Tonic in February, and the fourth will probably be in Berlin.
Z: How did you select the musicians for the festival?
A: There are 12 groups in the three nights, and eight of them are actual Erstwhile projects, either already released ones or future releases. The other four are groups I was interested in seeing at the time I programmed the festival about a year ago. One of the reasons it's subtitled "balance" is that of the 12 sets, four are all Japanese musicians, four are all Europeans, and four are mixed. The Tokyo musicians who are featured in AMPLIFY share an important characteristic: they try to strip instruments and sound down to their bare essence. I think this is a crucial idea in the development of the music I work with, and has become increasingly influential in other scenes around the world. |
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Member, Influence, Integration and Emotion
Read more from Wikipedia on Social Psychology and these four terms at http://goo.gl/7uc76l
Some of the writing by the wikipedians I found to be somewhat vague in context. I’ll try my best to expand the first talking point.
On wikipedia, they list 5 bullet points.
- emotional safety
- a sense of belonging and identification
- personal investment
- a common symbol system
I could derive several different meanings of boundaries. So, I’m not sure what the consensus meant there? I suppose a boundary would be the exclusivity of the activity within your membership. Why did the wikipedians chose to use ’emotional safety’ rather than ’emotional security’? If John/Mary Doe is a member of The National Rifle Association he/she may feel a sense of emotional confidence that the gun safety training programs were more accurate than a local gun club?
We all can relate to a sense of identification. How many of you have P.T.A stickers? Political propaganda bumper stickers? Even our military uniforms display the union jack as a signification to country. And within those ranks, are unit flags. An expression from the unit’s members of the symbology they wish to express about the mission or role they preform. My naval unit’s flag was the letters, M & S, layered upon another with a fist out front holding two lightning bolts. It hung in the division’s office. We rarely were in formal drill formation. My countries native americans imprinted symbolisms onto their war horses Each would symbolize a role or achievement. Our modern day military also imprints symbols of acheivement or role.
Mr. Amerland alluded to the “US vs. THEM” in this video. I would suppose that a certain amount of that is necessary. Why? In the beginning of the show, Mr. Enge and Mr. Traphagen discussed competition amongst Google, Inc. and Bing™ Search being a healthy thing. Better outcomes and features are birthed in competition. Intra-unit rivalry was a healthy discourse in the military. I remember competing with unit’s damage control team. I was the damage plotter, sound powered phone talker and #1 nozzleman for the aft mast damage control team. The number of seconds to report in as manned and ready drew healthy competition.
The last talking point for membership was unified or common symbolisms. I believe these can be both material and immaterial in nature. A company is known for their customer service, generosity and for their brand logo. There is a strict adherence to certain policies to protect the intangible symbolisms. The same is said for certain uniform apparel. A certain hat, or tie. A name badge with the company logo. All important participles of common symbolisms.
I could be wrong. But, I mentally attempt to make a statement and follow up with a question to solicit a point of view either for or against me. The foundation as such as define would be:
conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies.
I cannot remember where I hear this advice. The advice was to end your meta description with an invitation to influence the searcher to want to click. A question or call to action that may spark their creativity. Do leave a comment and tell me what it would be to you to foster influence?
Integration and fulfillment of needs
Relating back to giving your reader the ability to influence and providing intellectual feedback could further your personal relationship with other influencers amongst your community. Giving special recognition. A few follow-up questions would show you read their content and shown an interest. Conveying how much you cared enough to pause and consider their creative expression(s).
Shared Emotional Connection
Wasn’t and still isn’t easy for me to understand how their may evolve deep emotional ties to a digital community absent actual physical contact say in a real life hangout. On the other hand, I can! I remember some 15 years ago in the land of internet relay chat was a certain elderly man named, Jack. A really jovial fellow! His banter and conversation always seemed to make my daily burdens drift away. Three years later, the news circulated the chat community that Jack had suffered a fatal heart attack. I very much did have lumps in my throat as if I just lost a good friend. Yes! Jack was my friend. It just so happened to exist solely on the internet relay chat network. I kept coming back over and over again because of the emotional connection to the members of our chat channel.
I think, in my opinion, that brands may create communities in social networks. It’s possible on Facebook and Google+ that I know of and can be limited to invite only or open invite. I would lean towards limited to invite only. Create the aforementioned elements of an enriched community and leverage influence of other members who have parallel skills and interests to keep the community engagement enriched in intellectual repartee.
When you share posts from your company, the +1 signals and reshares point back to sentiment and engagement level of the particular topic. One way to measure the effectiveness of a title and summary would be the lack thereof of those types of social signals. Maybe sub-topics should inherit a meme?
Very much interested in your feedback and thoughts?! How about a comment below? If you really loved it, reshare with your tribe(s). |
I'm pretty convinced the people who push all of these "-insert holiday here- is for families!" ideas have never read the news. Ever.
Newsflash for you people: Some people's families SUCK.
So you make all these days (mostly Christian-chosen holidays, which is a whole other issue) days that what you can do is be with those abusive assholes who you haven't seen since they told you to get a real job or die on the street when you were a teenager, or you can be alone hearing all about how Xmas is all wonderful and yay family who love you and are awesome no matter what.
And to that I say, fuck you.
There are all sorts of myths already about people who have shit-awful families. Didn't you know? It's my fault my parents are abusive. Obviously people from dysfunctional families are unable to love or care or whatever; never trust someone who has no contact with their family because no reason is good enough to justify that because family is family. Someone who has no contact with their family, even if their family is abusive and toxic, is all sorts of indescribable awful. That is the meme. We all are just spiteful and horrible because, don't'cha know, families always are there for each other and love each other. No exceptions.
And to that I say, go fuck yourself. If you want them so badly, you take them.
Then you throw holidays in there. Go spend time with your family, you say. All families love each other, holidays are for family, forgive/forget, I slap your face off and you're still going.
Because our culture refuses to admit that some people are related to shitstains, a holiday is a day where your only choices are:
a) go be abused
b) sit at home hearing how you should be with your family.
Because I don't feel bad enough already about being told I'm subhuman for avoiding those people, I also need to have no options for doing stuff today. It's like society at large is trying to bore & shame me into forgetting that I have parentally-induced dents in my skull.
And I know I am not the only person in this position. It isn't a moral failure to hate your family or hate holidays. You can't really have one without the other very easily, and if you really think it's a moral failure to not like having parentally induced dents in my skull & other PTSDy memories, go fuck yourself. |
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The Specimens are a collection of villainous humanoids-creatures-monsters by Spooky which appear in the videogame Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion.
The Specimens appear in the original game. Monsters appear in the Karamari Hospital DLC, Unknown Specimens appear in the Endless Version of the House, and Dolls appear in the Spooky's Dollhouse DLC.
- 1 Biography
- 2 Minor enemies
- 3 Secret Enemies
- 4 List of Members
- 5 Gallery
- 6 Trivia
- 7 Navigation
According to some of the scattered notes found by the player over the course of the game, Spooky had amassed enough wealth to build the titular House of Jumpscares as well as many people including workers and scientists to do so. Over the course of containment of the Specimens, there were some accidents including one of the creatures escaping as stated from one of Generic Lab assistant's notes where the said person complained the issue to Spooky only for her gave him a cold shoulder.
Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion
At the start, Spooky appears greeting the player, wishing the player luck to survive her house. The first specimen player sees is Specimen 1, which will appear in the whole game. Specimen 1 cannot cause damage to the player, however, they are solid objects, meaning they can still stop the player if they run into them. When the player reaches room 60, they will find a puddle of dark greenish-blue goo, which slows the player, and a note. Upon reading the note, Specimen 2 will start to chase the player.
As the player escapes Specimen 2, in Room 120, the player must find a key-card to operate the locked door. Once unlocked, Specimen 3 will appear, starting its chase. Once escaped, the player will get to Room 165, a very dark empty school, where Specimen 4 starts her chase. At any time Specimen 2, 3 and 4 can always start chasing the player again. The player then gets to the Abandoned Factory at Room 210, in which they must escape to continue.
As the player escapes, Specimen 5 starts chasing the player, along with causing hallucinations that cause the walls, floor, and ceiling to change textures, move, and shift in appearance. The player ends up getting to the Zelda-esque Lair at Room 310, where the player will have to find two keys to progress. Upon entering the last room of the Temple, the player will see Specimen 6, who won't move until the player looks away from it, or until a certain amount of time has passed since it last moved. Then, at room 410, a small pinkish-white kitten appears giving the player a warning of what's coming up.
Once the player has left the safety of the kitten, and enters Specimen 7's dimension, a huge wall of flesh and bodies starts chasing the player, meaning they can't make too many mistakes in the maze-like rooms that 7 chases them in. Once the player has escaped the wall, the player gets into a mist-filled forest at room 550, containing small deer. The deer are passive, grazing in the forest, until the player provokes them. As the player moves on, Specimen 8, a Humanoid-Deer God appears, chasing the player.
Once escaped, Specimen 10 appears in room 610, a lab, when the lighting is turned on. A giant worm creature appears, which opens to reveal Specimen 10, starting their chase of the player. Then, in room 710, Specimen 11 appears in a McDonalds-esque restaurant, where, when the player takes the keys to escape, a large red demon-like creature appears, starting its chase. 11 can make the doors in any room invisible, confusing the player
Eventually, Specimen 12, a large mansion, which possesses a host that it uses to hunt down the player once they enter will happen in room 810. Once the player escapes the Mansion, 12's host will chase the player. In room 910, the player encounters Specimen 13, a siren, in a flooded area, where it will chase the player until they escape. In the end, Spooky appears sad, telling the player that there's a Boss Fight with Specimen 9, in which the player must defeat it to win the game in total.
Endless Mode is exactly the same as the original, while all of the specimens can appear at any time and start chasing the player. In the Endless Mode, Unknown Specimens 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 appear at random minutes trying to kill the player
HD Renovation is pretty much the same as the original, except the game itself is designed into a 3D Mode, and changes were created to the Specimens, giving them much more abilities than the original game itself.
Karamari Hospital is the continuation of the original Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion. As the title suggests, the player starts its quest in a Hospital. With Spooky greeting the player, bringing the player to the Hospital part of her Mansion. In the begging, the Hospital appears to be a usual hospital, until the player unlocks the door to goes down to the second floor.
On this floor, everything appears to be darker and morbid, blood in every room. In these rooms, the player must find a badge to unlock the secret floor, in which the player must find a key to enter the final room, where Monster 5 will start brutally chasing the player until it kills him. When the player finishes, Spooky will again greet the player, congratulating the player.
Spooky's Dollhouse is the second and final DLC for Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion. The story reveals that after accidentally killing his daughter, Spooky's father established the GL Labs to build a hellgate to retrieve Spooky's soul. However, a malfunction occurred and unleashed demonic forces. The mansion was built to seal away the evil spirits. Either Specimen 4, 6, 8, or 11 can be chosen as a sacrifice to deactivate the hellgate. After putting Spooky to rest by deactivating the Seal Chamber, the GL Labs facility will self-destruct, with Specimen 1 and Unknown Specimen 3 attempting to block the player's escape on the Escape Tram. If the player reaches the Escape Tram in time, two different endings occur if the hellgate was sealed before deactivating the Seal Chamber or not.
At some occasions, minor enemies appear in-game as well, which do not create a lot of damage towards the player.
Specimen 1 takes the form of harmless various-entitles which would randomly appear in all Spooky's games. The specimen is just a picture of most of the time an adorable character which would just appear and scream towards the protagonist. It does not create any damage towards the player, yet it is just a jump-scare. The picture is random.
Class Shadows are the are as the title suggests: shadow-figures of male and female students appearing at room 165, in which Specimen 4 starts her chase. The shadows only appear when the protagonist uses a flashlight on them. If the protagonist touches them, the shadow will attack, causing them to lose their health.
The Violent Deers, or simply Deers, are aggressive enemies which appear from rooms 552 to 556. When the player gets to the room 557, the Specimen 8 will start its chase. At the first view of the deers, they appear very harmless. If the protagonist gets in any contact with the deers, they would instantly attack the protagonist, making the protagonist use its axe to kill the deers.
Howard is a minor enemy which would randomly appear in-game. Howard appears to be a tall humanoid with-out any facial expressions. When Howard appears, the protagonist will be presented with a short little hallway. Until Howard randomly appears jump-scaring running towards the player. Howard can not kill the protagonist.
W.A.M is a similar enemy as Howard is which only appears in the room 557. W.A.M is a black-tanned humanoid with appearing white eyes. When the protagonist turns on the record player in 557, the player would turn off by itself, and W.A.M would appear behind the protagonist and randomly disappear.
Specimen 9 (Boss)'s Minions
The Bosses Minions only appear in the battle between the protagonist and the Boss. The boss has an ability to spawn its minions which would slowly walk towards the protagonist, trying to damage it. As of yet, the minions still do not have their official name.
The Brain is a contained brain in a glass with fluid which appears randomly in a room. If the protagonist uses the axe twice to break the glass, the Brain would get out instantly turning to murder the player, killing them in one hit.
Carl is a minor villain which appears only in the Karamari Hospital. When the protagonist enters the toilet, there would be a door saying 'out of order' for a bathroom. While there's a blooded standing toilet which is visible towards the protagonist. If the protagonist touches the bloody toilet, he will be able to open the out of order doors in which Carl would get out from a toilet screaming at the player.
Carl is based on the famous Creepypasta villain Slender Man.
The Virus is also an only appearing minor in the Karamari Hospital. The virus is an obstacle that the protagonist must destroy to continue its quest of defeating the game. The player must use an acid bottle to destroy the virus. In New Game Plus, the sword can be used to destroy the virus immediately without having to use the acid bottle.
Nightmares are enemies in Spooky's Dollhouse, appearing in the maze corridors after sacrificing the doll to the Spirit Seal. They resemble red fleshy humanoids with military helmets wielding large anti-tank rifles attached to their abdomen. While they can damage the player, they cannot kill them. Using the rifle defeats them in one to three hits.
Clicky is a doll encountered in Spooky's Dollhouse with a hole in her head, who makes a clicking sound whenever she follows the player's movement. She can be seen clinging to the roof in the Northside Studies and under the metal flooring in the GL Labs. She never attacks the player. It is implied that Clicky is possessed by the spirit of a girl who was shot by her father.
The Secret Enemies are the noted Specimens which are possibly available in a future re-brand of the video game. In Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion, when the player opens the CAT-DOES from the room 900 and tries to access MODIFY_HOUSE_LAYOUT tab six times and then do the same at Specimen 9's entry, the player will be greeted with a secret menu which shows the entry for the Boss Mode of Specimen 9 and four new possible Specimens. Though all the four new Specimens have their own videos game, the menu may just possibly be a reference to the four, promoting them so the players could play their games as well.
List of Members
- It's believed that most of the specimens have been inspired or based on other various characters from other medias:
- Specimen 1 consist of characters which are referred to Jeff the Killer from Creepypasta, Xenomorph from the Alien movie, The Scream painting by Edvard Munch, and the horror movie Trick'r Treat.
- Specimen 2 design was based on the Lub-Glub monsters from Adventure Time. Specimen 2 also looks very similar to an artwork, which projects the artists vision of Hell created by the late Zdzisław Beksiński.
- Specimen 3 design was based on the Centurion centipede from Resident Evil series.
- Specimen 4 was inspired by ghostly kids from the RPG and Asian horror-video game Corpse Party. Judging by its sinister appearance, horror-movie characters like Samara Morgan from The Ring and Kayako Saeki from The Grudge could be inspirations as well.
- Specimen 5 was based on the Silent Hill series. Specimen 5's appearance could of been inspired on Nurses and Mannequins from Silent Hill, and its sound-effects are also from Silent Hill.
- Specimen 6 was inspired by The Legend of Zelda video-games franchise. While Specimen 6's design resembles the Happy Mask Salesman from Zelda, BEN's Creepypasta-story was also an inspiration for Specimen 6.
- Specimen 7 design was based on Giygas from Earthbound.
- Specimen 8's design was based on The Beast from the series Over the Garden Wall. Others have claimed that Specimen 8 could of also been based on SCP-1471-A from the SCP Foundation, The Boogeyman from the video-game Knock-Knock, and Remor from the video-game Fran Bow. Interestingly enough, all of which have probably been based on folklore creatures Herne the Hunter and Wendigo.
- Specimen 9's could of been based on Red, from the NES Godzilla Creepypasta. While the battle between Boss Specimen 9 and the player, could of been based on Ganondorf battle from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
- Specimen 10's (Old) design could of been based on Onix from the Pokémon franchise.
- Specimen 10 was based on the John Carpenter's 1982 movie The Thing, in which parasites get onto humans, and transform them into a monstrous being. The same goes for Specimen 10.
- Specimen 11 has the ability of bringing its victims to its alternative dimension, in which the victims end up dying. Because Specimen 11 has its dimension where victims are dragged into, Specimen 11 was probably inspired by SCP-106 from the SCP Foundation, which also brings it's victims into his pocket-dimension, in which the victim could escape or die.
- Specimen 12 was based on the horror-video game Clock Tower. Novel The Shinning written by Stephen King and the serial killer from Adult Swim's episode Too Many Cooks.
- Specimen 13's behaving's are based on the Kaernk from the horror videogame Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
- Monster 3's design could of been based on Conrad from the manga Berserk and the monster from Silent Hill known as Flesh Lip.
- Monster 5 could of been inspired by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as the "Mad Cow Disease", and SCP-3199 from the SCP Foundation.
- Monster 6 could of been based on Morticia Addams from The Addams Family. Once Monster 6 kills its victims, it displays the message "Don't Get Up Before Friday", which could of been inspired by the song "Friday", created by Rebecca Black, which says "Gotta Get Up On Friday" in the song.
- Unknown Specimen 1 was obviously based on White Face from the horror-game Imscared.
- Unknown Specimen 2 was based on the famous horror game Five Night's at Freddy's also known as FNAF.
- Unknown Specimen 3 is also known as "Spooper", and the name comes from the word which originates from the internet meme culture known as "Spoopy".
- Unknown Specimen 4 could of been inspired by Japanese Folkore, primarily the Fox Woman.
- Unknown Specimen 5 was based on the P.T trailer for the game Silent Hills, which has been cancelled.
- The Husks seem to be based on possessed baby dolls.
- Woormy Charles was based on worms.
- The Clown was based on evil clowns.
- Frenzy is based on shadows.
- The Hooked Doll appears to be based on life sized dolls.
- Most Specimens have their own death screens while some don't.
- All of the noted specimens, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 can always attack the player again, while 7 and 13 cannot.
- Specimen 9 can appear at any time, if the player waits too long in one room. |
You are reading:
|Cindershadow was a wonderful woman... one who we lost too soon. She had a joy for life and reading and teaching, and she could make a writer feel like a Pulitzer Prize winner while still making comments that would help a writer improve. I miss her. It breaks my heart to think that one day her wonderful birthday wishes to her favorite authors might disappear, so I'm archiving them here. I only wish she were around to either give me permission or tell me to leave her words alone.|
In reverse order, birthday wishes for...
Well, it’s been one of those weeks where I’ve come home from work with just enough energy to read fiction but not enough coherence to write about it, so, while I had hopes that at least one of the week’s birthday greetings would be on time, it was not to happen. However—the three-day weekend begins! So, after a decent night’s sleep and no 5:30 AM alarm, I think I can now actually try to do justice to yesterday’s birthday person, zandra_x.
In the interests of full disclosure, I need to say up front that I have the privilege of being a beta for zandra_x for some of her longer works. What is meant by that is that I offer her some of my limitless supply of commas and catch the extremely rare typo. I don’t have anything to do with the actual creation of her clever, insightful stories, but I do get to see them before most other folks and to offer early praise for them. So thanks, zandra_x, for the honor of enjoying these “sneak previews”! And, yes, this position is indeed evidence of some bias on my part; after spending my workweek reading far too much mediocre writing, I’d only (selfishly) volunteer for such a position because I know that I'm going to get to enjoy quality writing—it is always such a great treat to see her address pop up on my email.
Today, we return to the Whedonverse. First, let me say that zandra_x is a multi-talented individual. I’ll talk about her longer fiction in a minute, but she is also a prolific icon-maker and a crafter of delightfully crisp and effective drabbles. I don’t have much visual arts talent myself, but for anyone who is thinking of exploring icon-making, she’s got a number of informative items under “how to” in her Memories about that, here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=zandra_x&keyword=how-to&filter=all. And for the rest of us . . . they are just plain enjoyable to peek at.
But, much I always enjoy looking at her icons, I’m a words-person myself, so it’s the word-pictures she creates through her drabbles which truly fascinate me. You can find these in her Memories under “Drabble,” “Misc Drabble,” and “Summer of Spike” (did I miss any?). To my mind, writing a drabble requires some of the same gifts as writing poetry: the ability to pick the precise moment, often apparently random or meaningless, and then to distill the exactly right words to capture what is truly significant about it. Her collection of drabbles do this very well. They capture little scenes around the edges of what was on the screen or fill in background that was hinted about or which suddenly adds another layer to something we saw. She’s featured most of the characters at one point or another, but I particularly enjoy the way that she has fleshed out characters like Justine and Ethan, who have so much promise but got so little air time. She also has a real talent for the elliptical view—showing us a familiar character from an unfamiliar POV, or leaving us uncertain until the final line as to who the subject might be. This is never gimmicky; it’s always intriguing and effective. Usually I try to provide a link to a sample work as a point of entry, but—having reread them all from most recent back—I can’t choose just one out of these wonderful bits of the larger mosaic. However, I heartily recommend that exercise, done all at once or doled out like pieces of dark chocolate, one at a time; here’s the page where the greatest concentration is to be found, for bookmarking if you decide to treat yourself to them slowly: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=zandra_x&keyword=Drabble&filter=all. But don’t miss those at the other locations I’ve noted!
And then there is her longer fiction. These can be found in her Memories under “my stories,” here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=zandra_x&keyword=my+stories&filter=all. It’s even harder to pick one of these to recommend first, especially since I feel a completely unwarranted proprietary affection for all of them. You can read these in any order, and they are each a good length for single-sitting reads. That said . . .
A good possible starting point might be the short pieces she wrote as a “Happy Birthday” to Anthony Stewart Head, particularly the two involving cigars. You’ll get a good sense of her humor and her writing style, as well as her insight into character.
“Roman Diversions” is a delightful tale of Dawn in Rome meeting up with that ever-creative Ethan. I enjoy the fact that her Ethan is most definitely the Trickster—very much like Coyote in Native American tales. He interferes with best-laid plans and introduces a note of uncertainty; sometimes the results are benign, sometimes not, but he’s both cause and explanation of the parts of life we can’t always control. You can’t put Coyote—or Ethan—into a neat little box, and that’s what I love about her complex depiction of him. Plus, she understands his charm (and he wouldn’t be nearly so successful in creating Chaos without it).
“California Dreaming” is a lovely slice-of-life featuring Cordelia and Doyle on the Day That Angel Undid. The what-might-have been here is realistic and just poignant enough. The character voices, as usual, are excellent.
“When Ethan Met Tucker” uses a chance encounter to contrast with unobtrusive cleverness the speaking styles and thought processes of these two and to offer insights into growing up and growing old(er); as usual, she’s managed to link it logically into the larger storyline while developing something uniquely her own.
“Sadder and Wiser Girls” features an encounter between Anya and Illyria, which might just be the start of a beautiful—or at least mutually advantageous—friendship. This story demonstrates some of my favorite things about zandra_x’s style: dry, wry, often deadpan, with voices that work just right, and with the emotion going on off-stage, in the reader’s mind. What I mean by that is that she never over-writes; her style can be deceptively distanced, but one can’t help filling in what isn’t being said. This takes real talent.
Another story which has this impact is “Before,” describing Giles’ visit home for his mother’s funeral. It would be terribly easy to overdo the backstory and hand-wringing here; instead, in perfect Giles-voice (internal and external), she sketches out a rich emotional background and leads us to imagine the rest.
“Five Movies Faith Never Saw” uses this familiar format to provide thoughtful insights into Faith’s relationships with others in her life, with tantalizing glimpses of what might have been, had just a few things gone differently.
The Ethan short piece for Theatrical Muse is yet another perfectly envisioned little outtake; Ethan on the road having a cuppa, from the waitress’s perspective. A fine vignette, and excellent development of a non-series character. (She excels at “show, don’t tell,” and we see that here.)
I wouldn’t say that “Mr. Gordo’s Story” is entirely typical of her work, but I will say that it is a relief to have a story told from the perspective of a stuffed animal which actually has an internal logic and a distinctive and non-Disneyish voice!
One of the unexpected benefits of doing these birthday tributes is that I sometimes encounter a story I’ve missed, an addition to a journal I haven’t noticed, or something else I’ve overlooked. Since I’ve just been having her (main) LJ pop up on my Friends page, I’d been keeping up pretty well on icons, drabbles, and current fiction. But when I actually visited her site, I found some interesting links over to the right, and they hook one into some additional LJs, set up specifically for fiction dealing with particular characters. I’m going to be keeping my eye on them from now on, too, just to be sure I don’t miss anything! Again, what is so engaging here: her insight into character and her accurate, distinctive voices. Here are the sites:
I adore her Giles; she captures his complexities and his tone, his ability to see himself clearly and also those persistent blind spots of his.
I don’t know if anyone else could have made me so fond of Ethan, Puritan that I am. Perhaps it’s his honesty about himself—and perhaps it’s a sneaking little desire to toss aside order and responsibility, lurking in each of our inner-Giles.
Justine Cooper was well if briefly played on “Angel”—so much anger, so much strength. I really appreciate the way these short pieces bring us into her world, since we saw her mainly from the outside on the series.
I think you’ll appreciate and enjoy zandra_x’s many talents as much as I do. When I think of her work, I always think of champagne: dry, light, but with more of an impact than you initially notice. It’s been, as ever, delightful to read her work this past week, and to discover yet more that I hadn’t realized was out there was definitely a gift to me! So happy (belated) birthday and many, many thanks, zandra_x!
Saturday, April 8, was the birthday of a truly fine Sentinel slash author, mab_browne. When it became evident to me that I wasn’t willing to dash off a simple “she’s wonderful!” based on my overall feeling about her work, I gave myself the mandate of rereading her stories, knowing I had a deliriously fine weekend of reading ahead of me. What became clear immediately is that she’s one of those writers who is even better than you remember her being (and in memory she was already superb). So, really, the best use of your time (while I fumble on here, trying to use words—her tools, not so much mine!—to describe her artistry) is to go directly to http://www.852prospect.org/archive
, look under “Mab”, and just start reading. In case you follow that excellent advice, but are looking for tips, you might start with the brief, beautiful mood piece “A Little Winter Sunlight.” This apparently simple little scene displays many of her strengths: a clear sense of both characters, incisively expressed through dialogue and action; a narrative voice which is distinctive but never intrusive; a visual sense which is particularly suited to this fandom but would be a blessing in any setting; a confident mastery of a range of emotions, realistically and unsentimentally yet warmly portrayed. That none of this will be immediately obvious to the casual reader is all part of the artistry.
At this point, the wise reader will go directly to her major trilogy, described below, but if you need more reason to be convinced that this investment of time will be rewarded, try “Burning Clean,” a post-TSbBS stakeout discussion which perfectly captures the dynamic between Jim and Blair and the different approaches they have taken to this major crisis in their lives. “Private Universe: Shelter” is an excellent demonstration of love, through the vehicle of sex, providing healing. Another wonderful shorter work is “Pictures of Sandburg,” wherein Jim is reluctant to recognize his growing fascination with and attraction to Blair as their relationship progresses. I very much like “The Things You Like,” which is unobtrusively clever in its approach to how one’s quirks help define and endear one to that certain someone. “Far-Sighted” is the most mystical of her stories to date, but is still grounded in the realism I like so much in her work. “Vino and Veritas” uses mostly dialogue to lift a convention to the level of character study. “James and the Cold Gun” involves character death, which I know some don’t care for; I found it evocative and moving. “Worldly Goods” is another look at the aftermath of final loss. “Eight Sentinel Drabbles” provide an interesting variety of moods and topics, and the drabble form always intrigues me. “So Many Colours” is set pre-series and is another effective character piece, but this time it’s an outsider’s view of Ellison. A somewhat longer work, “Strewn Towards a Heaven” is an AU set in the previous century, which does a honest job of examining some of the challenges these characters would find in that setting while telling a moving tale.
Her tour de force, not to be missed, is the trilogy which begins with “Cloudbusting” and continues with “Crossing the Line” before concluding with “Coastal Shelf.” The only word for this work is brilliant. If this were the quality of work being published as The Modern Novel, I’d be buying more books. Unfortunately, the kinds of things I want to say in praise of it might make it seem like the sort of book you should read but won’t enjoy, and nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps knowing that I’ve read it at least five times now, start to finish, and that each time I get to the final page I want to start re-reading immediately will carry some weight. This is a story about real people, who are often imperfect, who make mistakes, who grapple with both cosmic and petty issues, not always with grace or understanding, but always displaying a fundamental decency. It is a story about love of many kinds (passionate, idealistic, sexual, familial, parental) which is always very real and moving, and always honestly complex. It is beautifully written, by which I mean the impact is equally powerful each time I read a scene, and I am never distracted by the author’s voice or presence. Although sad and difficult things happen, it never leads me to despair; instead, it affirms the best of the human spirit (without being self-consciously inspirational). See what I mean? I can’t describe it without making it seem less excellent than it is. Go—read. You’ll see why I love it so very much.
And then for something very different and yet equally in character: “Cards on the Table.” Most writers who try to emulate Georgette Heyer, the famed author of Regency tales, end up with simpering romances rather than rousing, touching character studies of the kind Heyer created. She’d appreciate this tribute, I suspect (assuming she could accept a slash version of the genre, of course . . . ). As usual with mab_browne’s writing, it was the emotional depth of the story, developed through fine characterization and effective use of plot, which hooked me here. That said, it’s fascinating to realize how authentic this Jim and Blair are; she uses the psychological truths of the characters to make that connection, as well as a deft twist on dialogue which somehow captures the rhythms of each man’s speech without falling back on the conventions of modern slang (which is always the easiest way to create “Blair-ness”). I find the depiction of Jim’s senses and how they shape his reactions to both his physical and emotional reality particularly effective here, and the writing is crisp, clear, and lovely; it’s another story I revisit often.
And, believe it or not, she can make me believe Jim as a vampire. I have to admit that I thought this would be somewhat gimmicky and perhaps mildly amusing, only to find it poignant and real. As is ever the case with her work, it is the shifting, ever-rebalancing relationship between these men which is the real focus, expressed through the vehicle of the plot. How does Jim cope with yet another way he's not so normal? How does Blair? Read them in this order: “Passing It On,” “I Married A Vampire,” “Home Late,” and “A Day Must Come.”
Her more unusual pieces are well worth reading, but I’d save them for later, or you won’t have the same sense of her talents. “Tamlin,” “Living in the Gap,” and “Shades of Grey and Blue” place her solidly realized characters in worlds more than a few degrees off traditional reality, to good effect. “Performance Art” is, as usual, effectively written, but just a bit further out than I’m entirely comfortable with in terms of kink; suit yourself. It is an intriguing experiment, however!
And, as I post this, she’s in the process of writing yet another—I guess it’s clear that I can hardly wait. So, happy belated birthday, mab_browne! Somehow, I don’t think I’ll find it difficult to make an excuse to revisit these beautiful, powerful stories again sometime soon. Thanks so much!
Well, age must be getting to me, because I’m sure not bouncing back from end-of-quarter grading and report-writing as quickly as I used to! So I offer many, many apologies to entrenous88 for being even more belated with her tribute than I’d told her I would be. That said—getting to delve into her stories has done quite a lot to restore my sense of humor, which I badly needed at this point. And, as I suspected, I’d managed to miss out on some rewarding reading, since I only friended her LJ fairly recently despite having enjoyed examples of her work in other venues over the past few months, so I’m glad I gave myself an extension. Thus, while her birthday was this past Monday, April 3, I’ve been having myself an entire entrenous88 week! Since I started with the Spander (yes, I also tunnel into the Haagen-Das to eat all the Vanilla Swiss Almonds first—you are surprised?), these will dominate my recs; there are obviously many, many more stories with other pairings that I’m going to get to explore later on.
What makes it so refreshing to read her work and why is it a pleasure to recommend it to others? entrenous88 shows her talent in two moods in particular, both done with a deft and delicate touch. She has a gift for light humor and banter, and there can never be enough of that. She also can go tender and poignant. The very first story I read by her, which (after rereading twice) I immediately saved, is “For the Count”, found in her Memories, here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/1615
03.html. (I learned about this story via a rec, so it pleases me to be passing that good deed on.) She gets the ache-iness exactly right here . . . and after you have savored it emotionally, enjoy it intellectually by reading through the comments by nwhepcat and others to gain insights into how effectively and cleverly it was constructed. Another story where she shows she can do emotional pain really, really well without descending into despair is “The Reason,” at http://community.livejournal.com/summer _of_spike/147233.html. In her other, much lighter, fluffier, funnier mood, she’s given us “A Few Changes Here and There,” where Xander is bemused as Spike begins nesting in a rather energetic way; find it here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/1794 47.html. There is a sweet and cozy sequel, “A Day at Home,” at http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/2095 58.html. I’d be a happy person if I could put my name as author to any of these four stories, much less all of them! New to me this week were “Waste of Breath” and its sequel “Goodnight Kiss”—I found these angsty and troubling and sexy and good. I know many folks don’t like WIPs, but you still might want to amuse yourself with the three parts currently completed of the adorable “Cuddly Predators,” wherein Xander finds himself unexpectedly with a kitten and is surprised to find that Spike’s knowledge of felines is not limited to poker. She also has posted seven of a promised nine parts of “Temporary,” written for fall_for_sx. Where it pauses is good; you won’t feel unbearably frustrated. This story offers a twist on Spike recorporealizing out of the amulet, with Xander in reluctant (and always appealing) caretaker mode. All of these pieces are Spander, and they are under the Spike/Xander section of the “Memories.” I haven’t yet had the chance to check out all the other pairings she’s got listed; go for your own favorites!
One of the many interesting things about going back and reading through an author’s work which has been written over a spread of years is that you can see changes in interests, in style, in subject, and in skill—and you can also start to identify key characteristics which shine through all those changes. I have to say that I think entrenous88 is a writer who just keeps getting better. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have favorites among her earlier stories, found on her website, “Just Between Us,” at http://www.geocities.com/entrenous88/,
because I most certainly do! When you go there, check both “fiction” by title (both pages) and “updates.” Here's just a short list:
“A House, A Home.” Although there’s a logic to Xander/Andrew, it normally doesn’t do it for me. But this is a charming little relationship moment—fun.
“Favorite Things.” Lindsey plays mindgames on Angel.
“Shacking Up.” This longer series is a humorous, endearing tale of Spike and Xander as unselfconscious roommates who start thinking differently about each other after well-meaning friends start to meddle with their living situation.
“Expecting.” Okay, yes, MPREG—but fun banter, and no bad guys among the Scoobies.
“Something Blue, Something Slashy.” This verges on parody and should be read with tongue firmly in cheek. (Hey, demon wedding chapel in Vegas—what can I say?)
“Ministrations.” This is really, truly wonderfully bad badfic, and it is also a crossover with “The Sentinel.” You’ll either find it a wicked delight or just plain mean. Cliches abound!
While she’s consistently a slash writer, there are many different pairings on the website. She appears to be focusing on Spander in her more recent work, but that could be a mistaken impression on my part. The bulk of her works start with canon (i.e., are set in the Sunnydale or L.A. of the shows, but of course are not-so-canon in being slash). She’s also written what I truly consider AU: with the characters as human rather than vampire, and/or with the settings not being consistent with the series. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed reading her canon stories so much that I haven’t yet gotten to, and thus can’t comment on, the others. She’s clear about labeling stories by pairing and by rating, and she gives accurate warnings; lengths are listed, but you’ll know you have encountered a longer story when there are multiple chapters listed on the story’s title page, and the majority are shorter works. Do try reading something that’s unusual for you, either here or in her “Memories” or by browsing back through her LJ; that’s how I found the delightful piece “The Hidden Significance Of Stake Whittling” (http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/354
796.html#cutid1), which left me warm and smiling, despite the fact that Giles/Xander doesn’t normally grab me. Wonderful Xanderbabble and a sweetly scheming Andrew—just plain fun.
So now you know why I kept delaying wishing her a happy birthday: I kept finding more enjoyable fiction to take up my time. Thanks for lots of much-needed stress relief this week and the promise more fine reading to come. Happy very belated birthday, entrenous88. I wish you lots and lots of pie!
First, don’t be misled: today’s birthday person, wesleysgirl, does indeed write extensively in the Jossverse, but (1) she also has a great recs list (http://home.comcast.net/~wesleysgirl/r
ecs.html) which includes many fine TS and SGA entries, among other fandoms, and (2) she isn’t just “Wesley’s girl,” since I originally fell in love with her writing over at AllAboutSpike (http://www.allaboutspike.com/auth.h tml?au=252), and her own webpage (http://home.comcast.net/~wesleysgirl/f anfiction.html) includes a number of pairings, not all with Wesley, and not all (though mostly) slash. She is also writing, as well as recommending, in SGA. She is clearly an avid reader and a prolific writer, and I’m indebted to her for both reasons. This year, she’s been one of the big forces turning me on to Stargate Atlantis through her excellent story recommendations as well as her own fine stories, and last year, the series “Saturation” and “Pervasion” that she wrote along with Jane Davitt gave me something hot, involving, and moving to look forward to after work, helping to get me through some tiring and irritating days. The women active in the early labor movement used to proclaim, “Give us bread and roses!” because they knew that the spirit needs sustenance as much as does the body . . . and fiction provides the roses in my life. Plus, I really love reading about food in her LJ—I have yet to try any of the recipes, but I’ve mentally savored all of them. So she's got both parts covered! It’s a good idea to friend her to keep up with the imaginary noshing, not to mention to have the great pleasure of reading her stories as they are being written—recent examples: “Deciphering Fire” and “No Going Home.”
Where to start? Well, she has very helpfully divided up her fiction into categories by length and has then supplied ratings and pairings information, so I’d say you are safe to go with your own instincts. That said, here are just a very few of my many sentimental and critical favorites among her works:
“Seeing Distant Things As If They Were Close.” I believe that this was the first story I read by her; I know it’s one I’ve reread often. It’s Spander, ultimately, but what it is, best and most of all, is a wonderful set of character studies, of Xander and of Spike, but also, in a way, of Buffy, in the time following the loss of Xander’s eye. I find the writing very evocative, the voices pitch-perfect, and the moods and tones as finely done as a water-color. I recommend this story very highly.
“Least Obeisance.” This is another intriguing character study, in this case a very short slice-of-life encounter between Cordelia and Spike just after he’s lost the Gem of Amarra to Angel. Again, spot-on voice and characterization and effective mood--just astringent enough, with both characters at their sharpest, but never one-note.
“Ne M’oubliez pas.” This short G/W amnesia-fic really touched me, because it goes right to the heart of that difficult question: what makes one person love another, and how fragile and unlikely is that condition?
“Coming Around Again” series. This was written with Secondverse as a series of LJ tags at Christmastime; it’s heavy on the hurt/comfort and the schmoop (assuming I’m using those terms correctly!)—so if that’s what you are in the mood for, this is your dish. It made a great holiday gift, and I'm saving it up for next year, too.
“Saturation” series. Written with Jane Davitt. I’m not always comfortable with G/X, and I’m not a threesomes person, being intensely monogamous even in my fantasy life. But they did a fine, insightful job of looking at the complexities (emotional, even more than sexual) of integrating a third, wounded person (in this case, a shanshued Spike) into an already established paired relationship which is loving but complex. I found this series involving and intriguing.
“Act of Nature.” With Jane Davitt. Although this is G/X, not my favorite pairing, I found the setting beautiful and evocative and the premises of the story interesting. And it’s particularly worthy of mention because it gave rise to a novel, using the main OC, which is described here: http://wesleysgirl.livejournal.com/5335
74.html. I love that this can happen!
Of course, you could always start with her own selection of her shorter works; she picked what she felt was a good variety and asked her readers which might be best for the WriterCon archive. That list can be found here: http://wesleysgirl.livejournal.com/5328
At the moment, her non-BtVS/AtS fic doesn’t appear to be up at her website (the location of all of the above), but can be found via the links on the right side of her LJ . . . or here:
es.bml?user=wesleysgirl&keyword=Atlantis+Fic&filter=allMy favorites so far: the thoughtful character study “The Way Oceans Do Not Sleep” and the powerful, painful “Two Left.”
(Boy, that tagging is neat!)
Thanks so much for many hours of reading pleasure, WG, both in fiction and in food! I hope your birthday has been a good one.
Well, I hope that Kimberly has been enjoying her birthday today, because I most certainly have! I’ve been hungering to re-read “Late Night Double Feature,” which I seem to do every month or so, but I made myself wait so that I could enjoy all her stories at once on this occasion. So I’ve had a wonderful overcast day of sitting inside with warm cat on lap, indulging myself in the work of a fantastic writer. As usual, they were even better than I had remembered, a characteristic common to all the stories I find myself returning to again and again. (I read once for plot, preferably accompanied by fine characterization; when I hunger to revisit a piece repeatedly, it must also evoke strong emotions and delight me with the just-exactly-right quality of the writing.) Anyone who’s heard enough and wants to get right to the reading, you’ll find her excellent Spander located at her website, http://www.nothinglikethesun.com/SX/
. I decided to relive my introduction to her writing by pursuing the stories in the order I originally read them (which is not, I believe, the order in which they were written). I think it is also a good choice for new readers. Begin with “Beholder” because it’s a shorter piece (my usual practice when encountering a new writer—I find it hard to leave a story unfinished, but I’m reluctant to commit lots of time to an unknown quantity), because it keeps the story in settings less likely to unsettle the reader, and because it emphasizes emotions like trust, friendship, and love. These are of course the lesser considerations; the important reasons I repeatedly reread it are because every word counts and it puts me right inside a Xander I care about. This is post-Chosen, post-Africa Xander, and it is thoughtful and moving.
You might go to “Closeted” next. It’s an amnesia-fic which provides more Spike POV than her other stories and has its fair share of hurt and comfort. Here, as in all her stories, her Xander-speak is delightful, and of course it’s always interesting to speculate on who one might be without all those memories shaping our actions and responses. Or, if you are already hooked (as I was after that first taste of “Beholder”), jump right into my most-favorites of these favorites, “It’s Just a Jump to the Left” and its sequel, “Late Night Double Feature.” Even after multiple rereadings, I get such a strong emotional surge out of these stories that it always threatens to eclipse the great pleasure I get in examining the cleverness of the structure and the effectiveness of the writing. She just builds these stories so darn well! My advice: sit back and let her work the magic, then on subsequent rereadings you can try to figure out how she’s done it all so well. These stories are all more sexually explicit than “Beholder,” but always in a way which illuminates character.
Her most recent Spander, the post-NFA “Through the Looking Glass,” was the first I got to watch unfold on LJ. Much as I enjoyed the anticipation I felt with the appearance of each new chapter, it was a delight to read it straight through today, and it worked quite well for me. Her Xander is never perfect, and since it’s Xander’s humanity which is his salient characteristic—his own version of a superpower, complete with Kryptonite factor—I always appreciate authors who can show his flaws and make them such a part of who he is that I’m not loving him despite them or for them, but simply with them. She also does a fine job of merging both ends of the Spike spectrum; it’s an understandable temptation for authors to stick with sexy, snarky, smooth Spike or with tortured, broody, sensitive Spike, but her Spike combines all those qualities in a way which actually makes sense.
I should also add that these final two stories contain very short sections with settings which may discomfit some readers (a club featuring unconventional sex acts, a San Francisco peep show). When I first encountered those brief scenes, I seem to remember feeling a trace anxious but trusting . . . and the trust was certainly borne out. These are, in fact, stories about love in which sexual behavior is a form of communication and miscommunication. That it is also very effectively portrayed is a plus, obviously—but the sexuality is there to advance the story, not merely to titillate or shock. And that is very much the way I prefer it! While the other stories are on her website, “Through the Looking Glass” is currently found in her writing LJ, beginning here: http://community.livejournal.com/kimber
ly_fan/32265.html#cutid1. If you’d like a quick plot summary to help you choose what to read first, she’s obligingly provided one (though, characteristically, far too self-effacing) in her LJ here: http://community.livejournal.com/kimber ly_fan/41658.html.
If you’d like to be on hand for any new stories, you can friend the community she’s set up for her fiction: kimberly_fan. She also has a private, flocked journal which is mentioned on the userinfo page, here: http://community.livejournal.com/kimber
ly_fan/profile. And she’s provided a great list of Spander recs in her Memories and (longer version, with descriptions) on her website, here: http://www.nothinglikethesun.com/SX/rec s.shtml. I can attest that the ones I’m familiar with are described quite accurately, and I look forward to reading my way through the rest.
Sorry to be so late with your birthday tribute, Kimberly—and it seems rather unfair to blame it on you, just because your stories are so absorbing that I couldn’t merely skim them (and certainly didn’t want to short-change myself or them in that way!). Anyway, thanks again for hours of pleasure, on so many levels. (I love the fact that I feel like I’m the one who is getting a present with each of these birthdays—stories, the gift that keeps on giving!)
Cesperansa AKA Francesca
This was another unexpected birthday; I just saw a short while ago in cesperanza’s LJ that yesterday was her special day. Fortunately, I just happened to be re-reading a number of her Sentinel stories recently, as somehow manages to happen quite frequently. And she has just recently posted a couple of wonderful new SGA McShep pieces, so I feel almost ready to say something useful about her writing . . .
Let me start by noting that, in the world of The Sentinel, she is known as Francesca. For old hands, that’s no doubt sufficient. Newer fans, as I learned, have an amazing treat in store when they first encounter her work. You can find her stories (all most definitely slash) involving Jim and Blair here: http://www.trickster.org/francesca/
, which is a subset of her larger website, http://trickster.org/speranza/, where there are sections for The Dead Zone, The West Wing, and Stargate Atlantis, as well as other goodies.
Some TS authors are intriguing because they have provide a very consistent characterization of Jim and Blair, and the fascination comes from the placement of those stable characters in different circumstances facing different options. Francesca, like many TS authors, presents a number of “first time” stories, but in these she explores the interactions of a number of different Jims and Blairs, all plausible, but each bringing new perspectives and distinctive reactions which shape the situations in unique ways. All satisfying, all different: try “No Lothario,” “Nothing On,” “The Object of My Erections,” “Armchair,” “Legacy,” “Mia,” “Cheap,” “The Night Sandburg Graduated From the Academy,” “The Thought that Counts”—oh, try any of them! (For example, in one story Blair might be comfortably gay or bisexual, whereas in another he might be completely in denial or straight. Some Jims are reluctantly drawn to Blair; others know what they want but just aren’t sure it’s safe/wise/practical to reach for it. Warning: "The Fire" might disturb some readers because of age-of-character issues.) Then, if you are game for five fascinating character studies which she developed around the theme of voyeurism, try the “In the Eye of the Beholder” set. It’s not surprising that she won a number of awards in the early years of TS fandom, including, appropriately, one for “Best Use of a Sex Scene for Character Development.” If you want to settle down for a novel-length experience, check out the “Nature” series; I hunted her down online after reading eliade’s high praise of this in her set of TS recs which started me off in this fandom. After a wonderful, painful opening, these chapters develop a solid relationship between two strong, complementary individuals. She’s a wonderful, sensual, talented writer whose craft is so well-honed that it isn’t even noticeable—only the impact is. No wonder she has such a solid reputation—I know I re-read her work often.
cesperanza is yet another in the group of TS and BtVS writers who have sucked me into this new universe of Stargate Atlantis. If you don’t want to start with her two most recent longer works, “MVP” or “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead,” you can begin with the shorter “Rodney’s Last Message” to get a feel for her work in this new fandom. I enjoyed all of these; I will admit that the “Haldoria” fantasy is the least satisfying to me, so I wouldn’t recommend starting with that one, though you might find it fun. Again, she demonstrates her skill as a stylist, a master of dialogue, and a writer of steamy, relationship-building sex. Who could ask for more!
I have to admit that I haven’t yet had a chance to delve into her writing in other fandoms, but I’m looking forward to it; sort of like having a stash of goodies waiting for that moment when you need something you know will be wonderful. The “Due South” stories alone should keep one busy for weeks.
So I’d strongly urge newcomers to Sentinel fandom to discover this early TS writer; you won’t be disappointed. (But you might find yourself suddenly reading about Rodney McKay and John Sheppard on Atlantis without being exactly sure how you left Cascade . . . )
It’s so strange to remember that I didn’t even know Linda existed before last July. Such are the wonders of LiveJournal and email—I now think of her as a trusted friend whom I hope to come to know even better over time. (Since I’m not nearly as open or giving as she is, either on or off LJ, this may come as a shock to her, but I hope not an unpleasant one!) She shares herself so generously and so honestly in all areas of her life that it’s just impossible not to feel drawn to her. Because I was raised in something like the Jim Ellison school of emotions (i.e., Let’s Not Talk About Feelings, Just Get the Job Done), I’m going to do what comes naturally and analyze all the concrete, specific ways that starwatcher307 is a delightful human being. So, here goes . . .
Why StarWatcher is one of the nicest, most helpful people I’ve ever met, online or off:
As of a year ago, I still wasn’t doing much commenting or writing of thank-you notes to authors; it seemed too pushy and fawning, somehow. But after coming upon her stories via one of the LJ TS communities, I was directed to Cascade Library and found others, all of which I greatly enjoyed. And at the end of “Spreading the Word” (wherein Blair develops a short-cut guide to Microsoft Word for the folks at Major Crimes), she actually invited us to email her for a copy of the guide . . . since Blair’s creation was actually her own. So I leaped in and wrote her a fanletter along with that request. In return: Riches! She immediately emailed me the guidebook (which I recommend heartily to others, and which she’s still offering). It’s a great tip sheet, so if you are merely coasting along the top of Word but suspect there’s much more you could get out of it, I advise you to ask her for a copy.
But that wasn’t all. She also answered my request for names of additional TS authors with a fantastic and long list that I’m still, several months later, wandering through in a sort of dazed delight. You can find a slightly longer version of it in the comments here, along with recs by other TS writers and readers: http://caarianna.livejournal.com/713.ht
ml. And she responded so warmly, graciously, and enthusiastically to my comments about her stories that I felt emboldened to thank other writers more often and more directly. (So, if you’ve gotten an effusive comment or email from me since last July—she’s one of the important reasons why!)
She’s also been my most informative and helpful guide to the world of LJ: both mechanics and etiquette. If I have a question, I know I can either contact her directly or toss it out where she’ll see it (my most common practice, because I’m assured that way lots of other folks will get the benefit of her friendly and useful advice.) See below re her LJ for how to find these great tips. Suffice it to say I couldn’t have done most of the things I did to format this entry, from boldfacing on, without her help! It’s obvious that she’s a wonderful educator: knowledgeable, supportive, well-organized, and always displaying patience and a good sense of humor, attributes which are vital to our calling.
These aren’t the only ways that she helps make LJ more of a community and a better place. She betas for at least two fine TS writers that I know of, an invaluable service to them and to their readers. She’s calm, informative, and fair in face of the emotional storms which blow up periodically online. And she’s one of the most welcoming LJers I’ve encountered. She introduces us to new people and encourages us to friend them, which makes such a difference when one first ventures out into this big, scary void. She is the person who would bring the new kid on the playground into the game and make her feel immediately right at home. (In fact, that’s exactly what she’s done for me and for others!)
Why you will enjoy reading StarWatcher’s LJ:
First of all, it’s well-organized and informative. A tip for those other folks who’ve friended her for some time now and therefore just read her updates on their friends page—go back and check out her full journal. She’s crafted a really great new first entry (dated March 2, 2010, so it will always show up at the head of the other entries). Follow the cut-tag to a slew of treasures (or just click here: http://starwatcher307.livejournal.com/9
9651.html#cutid1). You'll find TS links to archives, communities, convention reports, and more; her various tips for how to use LJ features; and even some links to new fandoms (Numb3rs, Supernatural). I have been trying to put together a page of TS links for my own use; I’ll now simply link to her page!
Second, you’ll get to know her as a person (as well as an educator and an author). This same page gets you directly to a number of the entries describing her observations of the natural world that I was going to link here (thanks, Linda, for once again making my life easy!). She’s living the life I’d like to live if I were braver or more self-sufficient; I get tremendous vicarious pleasure out of reading her entries. Her tales and pictures of the doings of the flora and fauna in her area are crisp, clear, often humorous, and always engaging. She’s very matter-of-fact about her own place in that world, but it’s evident to me that she’s a good neighbor to all, two-legged and four-legged, winged or finned, quietly doing what’s right in a world where many folks would just turn their heads and walk on by. (I see bits of her in the best of both her Blair and her Jim—reaching out to help others, while demonstrating a kind humor and quiet strength.)
Why you will enjoy StarWatcher’s Sentinel stories:
She did the meme “Top 10 Ways to Recognize My Fic” [actually, 12] here, http://starwatcher307.livejournal.com/9
1509.html, and it’s a very accurate (though typically modest) summary of many of the reasons I enjoy her stories so much. She’s also set up a separate LJ found at http://starwatcher-fic.livejournal.com/ to serve as an archive for her stories, which I originally located via Cascade Library and in her Memories. (Fine scholar that she is, she’s cited the source of the idea as well, crediting orion2303.) She appears to be listing the stories in the order they were written, although posting them in a different order, and she kindly provides the length of each. One of the many advantages of the new site is that she’s included Author’s Notes as the first “comment” after each story; I always enjoy learning more about what motivates and shapes a writer’s efforts.
Of course, I can’t resist adding just a bit more to her own evaluation of her work. What she does is to give us the “real life” moments which are hinted at in the series but which, woven together, make relationships work. Many of these may seem like casual, informal incidents, but they are the glue which hold people and communities together. Her most recent story, “Years May Come, Years May Go,” written for sentinelsecrets and not yet posted at her site, is a fine example. On the surface, it’s a description of Blair’s efforts to put together a 25th anniversary party for Joel Taggart and his wife. It’s actually a quiet, subtle ensemble piece which lets us think about the meaning of relationships of all kinds. Similarly, “The Honor of Friendship” explores grief, comradeship, and reconciliation, all in an understated and non-angsty manner. While only one story so far is officially a “missing scene” (and if you think “nice” means “unfamiliar with/unable to write about anger” . . . “You Damn Well Better” will prove you wrong), I like to think of all of these as missing scenes, reinforcing the non-explosion/human interaction moments which drew us to the series. (“It’s about friendship,” indeed!) In my fanletter to Linda, I said that I found her stories a source of comfort (which isn’t the same thing as “comfortable,” although some also fit that description). What I mean by that is that, in fiction as in real life, she always manages to see and expect the best in people, without shutting her eyes to human flaws or imperfections. She doesn’t feel a need to let one character shine at the expense of others; she treats all of them fairly, without an agenda. She understands that they have the defects of their virtues—and vice versa. These are people I want to spend time with and can like and admire. (And I particularly appreciate the way she has Jim express his feelings about Blair in a very practical manner in “Windsong”—rising above his own needs to put his friend first.)
We get to know writers through their stories. It is, really, an astonishingly intimate relationship, which is why I find LJ so amazing: we can actually communicate directly, responding to these people whose words, ideas, and emotions have come to life inside our minds. Even in the absence of all the concrete actions of friendliness and thoughtfulness I’ve noted above, I’d feel very close to and fond of Linda because of her writing alone. It’s well-crafted, direct, warm, decent, thoughtful, not afraid of pain or complexity but not dwelling on them, healing, self-effacing and modest, and just plain good in every sense of the word. Those adjectives apply to her, as well.
So happy birthday and thank you, Linda, for all you’ve given us of yourself and all you continue to give. The world (virtual and face-to-face) is a better place because you are here. (And I apologize if I’ve embarrassed you with the praise—as I suspect I have!—but I know it’s an assessment many others share.) It's delightfully appropriate that your birthday falls on the anniversary of the debut of the show you've enjoyed so much and honored with your efforts.
Today’s birthday person is the author who writes in TS fandom as charlottefrost. (She has another LJ identity, too, but since I can’t remember whether she wants them officially connected, I’ll leave it up to her to disclose it if she chooses.) As I have been reading my way through Sentinel fiction, old and new, hers was a name I kept running across as a “don’t miss” writer, but I couldn’t seem to find the stories. Then, to my delight, a notice popped up on one of the TS LJ accounts that she had created a new journal to house her stories. This is a very clever way of getting around the lack-of-website issue, so even writers in other fandoms might want to take a peek at what she’s done here: http://charlottefrost.livejournal.com/
. She just added a new story earlier this month, and it looks like she maintained this site as a single page by deleting the previous entry which had served as an index and replacing it with a newly updated one, currently dated March 3. I’m not conversant enough with different LJ styles to know if she had to get a paid account in order to be able to create the links to her stories which run along the left side. However, I’d think that something similarly functional if not quite so attractive and convenient could be done even with a free account by those of us less gifted in this area. This is a very classy and attractive layout, and it’s quite handy that the summaries of the stories are on the same page as these links, which are placed in the order the stories are written (something I always find interesting, since one of the intriguing things about LJ is the way it lets one get insights into how writers work and develop over time). She’s also indicated the specific date for each story in the summary section, as well as the length. As I’ve said before, these are touches I really appreciate; sometimes you want a long story, but sometimes you need just a little short piece to read before going to bed.
This is a good place for readers of gen, pre-slash, and slash; she’s got fine examples of each, and they are clearly and accurately labeled (another plus!). What I like most about charlottefrost’s writing is, I think, her psychological insight into the behavior of the characters. The stories focus overwhelmingly on Blair and Jim, although Simon and occasionally Naomi make appearances; the other series characters play only minor roles, with the exception of a couple of shorter pieces such as (not surprisingly) “Like Their Mothers.” Readers who like Simon to consistently be a warm, fatherly figure to Blair will need to go elsewhere, but those who are fascinated by all the possible Simons that can be created consistent with canon will be intrigued. One of the many things I’ve appreciated about fanfiction is that writers can and do interpret the behaviors documented on the show in so many different ways, and in the looser confines of print they can spin out those behaviors into very divergent characterizations. Such is the case here: her Simon ranges from a somewhat distant boss who exhibits some frustration with and even jealousy of Blair to a solid professional who willingly and unhesitatingly crosses the line to support the pair when danger threatens. On the other hand, I find her characterizations of Jim and Blair to be somewhat more consistent, story to story, while still allowing for an interesting range of responses and adapting to a variety of plotlines. This can be quite comforting to a reader; it’s enjoyable to enter a reading experience knowing that you aren’t quite sure what will happen or how the relationship will develop under these particular circumstances, while still feeling confident that the central characters aren’t suddenly going to alienate you by changing who they fundamentally are. Her style is laconic and dialogue-driven, which appeals to me. She is more inclined to show what the emotions are through action and speech than to explain them, and I like that as well. And her plots are logical, realistic, and never repetitive—another plus! With the exception of one pair of stories, all of her works are set in the familiar world of Cascade PD and Rainier University, although many of them are AU in that they depart from canon at different points and develop different, very plausible and interesting “might have been” scenarios. This is yet another thing I enjoy so much about fanfiction: the multiple, branching realities, very much a Star Trek image in action!
Where to start reading? Hmmm . . . My particular favorite is “Self-Discovery 101”—her first story, interestingly enough. (That’s a good sign: a high level of quality from the start!) Why? I particularly enjoy post-TSbBS; I really like depictions of Jim using his senses, especially when sensuality and sexuality overlap; I’m intrigued by Blair’s spiritual odyssey. It’s also a sentimental favorite because it is the first thing by her that I read, which led me to go on . . . sad but true that one can hit just the wrong story (often in terms of one’s own biases, not the writer’s talent) the first time out and then miss out on lots of potential reading pleasure. “Truths that Wake” and “Heart and Home” appeal to me in that they address very honestly some of the tensions that can arise even when things seem to be going better than expected in the wake of the dissertation fiasco. For those who’d prefer something short and gen for an initial experience, any of the episode-based stories here would provide a good feel for her style and her understanding of the thought processes of our two protagonists. “Drop by Drop” and “Concessions” are the more emotionally intense of the bunch.
So, thank you, charlottefrost, for making your justly well-known stories readily available once again to Sentinel readers, and thanks for continuing to add new ones (most recently, “Admire and Desire”—with, as I've noted, keen psychological insights, this time into the dynamic between adult student and teacher). And thank you for having a birthday and thus giving me the excuse to spend this rainy, squally weekend re-reading these fine tales, warm cat in lap!
Alyburns AKA Alyjude
Well, I should have known that this would end up being late . . . although I knew better than to attempt to re-read all her stories—or even my most favorite of favorites—because I wouldn’t have been done for weeks, I should have anticipated that I would succumb to the temptation to revisit “just a few of them.” But since she’s written so very many stories, and I enjoy them so much . . .
I have to admit that I often feel a bit abashed, writing tributes to so many fine writers who have been admired by lots of folks long before I learned about them. If nothing else, I hope I’m creating a quick go-to page for folks who love the stories by that particular author. That’s certainly all I can hope to do for this birthday girl! Because alyburns, a.k.a. alyjude in TS and sideburns in SG1, is both talented and amazingly prolific. What’s stunning to me is that she can write so much, from short pieces to long, across so many moods and themes from humor to angst, and never seems to repeat herself. Her stories are all slash, by the way.
I really enjoy the dynamic between her Jim and her Blair. She writes a smart, feisty, funny, earthy Blair, although she also shows him feeling pain and rejection and anger. And her Jim is big and warm, just like I like him, and with a full share of the imperfections that make him human, and more of a sense of humor than we sometimes see. Often there are pangs and chuckles in the same story, although in varying degrees. (There are also some food descriptions which really make my mouth water!) Since I’ve been wallowing in her TS, I haven’t even attempted to start in on her SG1 tales, but she offers information on where to find them in the bio section on her userinfo page, along with references to the following locations for her TS stories. I’d like to offer an important warning here—although she’s got so many stories I can’t be absolutely positive, it’s my sense that you will not find all the same stories on all three of these sites. So check all of them! (I keep trying to verify this, but I keep getting sidetracked into re-reading, and since they aren’t posted in the same order in each archive . . .)
tm(her own TS webpage)
gi-bin/search.cgi?ShortResults=0&Title=&Author=Alyjude&Summary=&Date=0&SortBy=0&SortOrder=0&NumToList=0&FastSearch=0(the new 852 Prospect site; it appears to have many—most? all?—of the stories from the skeeter site)
in/search.cgi?ShortResults=0&Title=&Author=alyjude&Summary=&Date=0&SortBy=0&SortOrder=0&NumToList=0&FastSearch=0(the old 852 Prospect site, now the mirror archive . . . the stories here are not in the same order as those on the new site, and there appear to be some on one which aren’t on the other, and vice versa)
I thought another good deed I might do, for myself as well as others, would be to post all the links to her popular Jakeverse stories here in one place and in order. (And if I miss any, somebody please note in a comment or email, so I can fix it!) I will say it up front: I never thought I’d care for kid-fic. But I adore Jake, and I’m hopelessly stuck on this loving, committed, sexy relationship between Jim and Blair. While it starts out achey, and there are some crises along the way, most of this is domestic fiction at its warmest. You can trust your emotions to Aly; it’s safe to feel the pains, because the payoff is there. If you aren’t willing to risk getting involved in a long story right off (though I suspect the first page of the substantial opening tale “Everything’s Jake” will hook you, as it did me), you could try one of the shorter, later episodes first. The versions archived at 852 Prospect show story length; those at skeeter do not.
(this appears to be the only place to find this start of the Jakeverse)
“We Gather Together: Thanksgiving”
“We Gather Together: Christmas and Chanuakah”
“The Bestest, Most Perfectedness Vally Times Day Card Ever”
“Full Circle” (a trilogy containing “Cold Case,” “Three for the Road,” and “In the Name of the Father”) begins in her LJ here:
You can simply follow day-to-day from here, or use her archive as an index:
“The Big Five”
“A Day at the Zoo”
E.T.A. 3/28/06: "A Strange Anniversary" is now up at the 10th Anniversary site and fits here, chronologically
She also has a lovely short story which comes chronologically well after all of these but which actually inspired the rest of the series. However, although I very carefully saved it to disk, I don’t remember at the moment where I found it! I’ll post a link here later if/when I relocate it . . . or if one of you lovely folks can pass it on to me . . .
Part of my tardiness is due to my foolish thought that I could pick just a very few of the stories I tend to go back to again and again to use them as samples of her range. Since this plan has turned into a seductive sort of quicksand, I’ll just name a couple of the many I seem addicted to (more of an ink-blot test of my emotional needs than a clinical overview of her work!). These should all be findable on both the newer 852 Prospect site and her own webpage. I’m particularly fond of “-30-” with its depiction of a Blair facing . . . and making . . . some changes when the Big Birthday hits. It has her trademark combination of pangs and warmth. When I want lots and lots of pangs before the pay-off, I go to “You’re Already Gone” (short) or “Polar Ice Caps” or “Future Tense” (both long). And if I need a bit of humor . . . well, lots of options! (And since attempting to pick titles here has led to several hours of detours into reading already, I'm going to quit and let people find their own way.)
She’s also contributed to SVS (Sentinel Virtual Season). While her contributions are at the 852 Prospect site, the series itself can be found here: http://www.squidge.org/5Senses/. I’m saving this for when I have time to devote to it (this summer?), because there are three seasons listed, and I recognize a number of the names of authors of different parts. I suspect this will trigger even more exploration on my part of those different writers, so I’ll need the time. But those of you with more self-control are welcome to check it out now!
Although, as I’ve said, I haven’t yet delved into her SG1, she has a SG1/TS crossover series which I have indeed been enjoying. At the moment, it’s not yet all in one place, so use these links to read it in this, the correct order:
“Comedy of Errors”
“Measure for Measure”
She’s at work on the third story in this series; it’s currently friends-locked in her journal.
And now I’m going to go back and read just one more story before starting my Sunday tasks . . . though I’d better post this first, or it will become even more belated! I hope you and Lucy had a lovely birthday, Aly!
After being late in my last two greetings, I'm going to jump the gun here, rather than risk forgetting to post after both school and a visit to the dentist tomorrow . . .
I only began to read _beetle_'s writing recently, having run into her work on bloodclaim. But she well and truly hooked me with the wonderful (and completed) "Awakenings," which can be found here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=_beetle_&keyword=%22Awakenings%22&filter=all. Not surprisingly, it has been nominated for an award. I'd think that anyone who enjoys Spander would fall for this story, which has become one of my favorites. It is a loving yet realistic depiction of a post-shanshued Spike who regains his lost memory only to discover that his alter ego William is living with . . . and in love with . . . Xander. Spike's flaws—as well as his virtues—are very authentically portrayed here. She's indicated that she might continue it, and I certainly hope she will, but it comes to a very emotionally effective conclusion here.
After you've read this story, you will no doubt want to read others.
I must admit that I didn't have much luck at the website indicated on her userinfo page; maybe I am just clueless, but her Memories appear to be the way to go. They are here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=_beetle_Be aware that the list is long, however, so you'll just sort of have to go on a treasure hunt through them. Some are WIPs, so you might want to check out the final posted chapter to see if it really is a final chapter, if you don't like committing before a story is done. Since I'm still just starting the fun process of going through her Memories myself, I apologize for having so few specific recs just now. I feel particularly apologetic, because, as I learned upon friending her, she's very, very generous about recommending other people's stories. (And people pay attention: my little one-and-only picked up six of the total fifteen commenting readers it has due to her rec! I'm still breathless with thanks for that generosity.)
Since I began reading her work on bloodclaim, I'm most familiar with her Spander, though I get the sense that she's written other pairings. I will say that if you like your S/X funny and sexy, with an unrepentant Spike, you should get a kick out of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." Xander's spending that summer in Oxnard, and guess who turns up and complicates things in his own inimitable way? The story is complete, and it can be found here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
I've also gotten hooked by two of her WIPs. "Demon Magnet" has great snark and Xander getting some of the kind of quality attention we know he deserves, but maybe the Scoobies should be listening to Spike's concerns . . . There are nine wonderful parts as of last December, and I'm eagerly awaiting more. "Taken" has a rather darker mood and an interesting, effective structure; it oscillates between an earlier relationship between Xander and Jesse and a later one between Xander and Spike which is threatened by the previous events. It was most recently updated last July. Although I often shy away from WIPs, these have been interesting and distinctive enough that I am glad I succumbed, and I'll willingly do so again!
And I just learned by going through her Memories that she has done a handful of lovely Sentinel drabbles and ficlets, which can be found in her Memories, here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=_beetle_&keyword=Sentinel&filter=all. Clever, sensual: excellent little pieces. Since I’ve really been enjoying my excursion into that fandom, this was like a delightful unexpected gift!
So, happy birthday-in-advance, _beetle_! I'm really enjoying getting to know you through your LJ and your stories.
Connie AKA Riani1
In my defense, I didn’t know when Martha’s birthday was, until I saw a comment that very day in her LJ, saffronhouse. Certainly, Martha is so well-known and admired as a Sentinel author that I could have just said: Go—read! But of course anyone who knows her work has already done that, whereas it’s my hope that these tributes introduce my favorite writers to people who haven’t yet had the experience of enjoying their work . . . and, selfishly, I wanted to engage in my version of these online birthday parties, which involves re-reading as much as possible of an author’s work and then explaining to everyone on my flist just exactly why I fell in love with that person’s writing in the first place. She has some great long, involving, suspenseful tales that demand to be read through in a single sitting—and which can leave you rather too jumpy to sleep—not the best thing for a school night. So, since I was already late, I figured . . . just go ahead and read the shorter pieces first, then dive back into the long ones over the weekend . . . and I’m still in the middle of that rewarding experience. (Believe it or not, this is actually intended to be an apology . . . )
So . . . assuming you’ve never had the delight of reading Martha’s work, where should you start? Well, first, you should know that she is a master of both horror and smarm—she runs the gamut, and she runs it incredibly well. While I love all of her writing, because it all combines great and subtle artistry with fine characterization and emotion, some people will prefer one mood but might be less drawn to the other. So now I can at least become somewhat useful by identifying which story is which! I’ll also note relative length, because Martha has some wonderfully long and complex tales, and she also has some delicious short pieces. Again, she’s hitting both ends of the spectrum. And she writes gen and also slash; I’ll identify those which are clearly and intentionally slash or pre-slash (since much of the smarm can be read either way).
Martha’s Sentinel stories can be found at her website, http://soulcake.skeeter63.org/#Star
gate, an address which is a bit misleading since it contains mainly Sentinel stories. Some of the shorter pieces fall into what she calls “smarm.” It is not slash, which had been a matter of confusion to me. (Since I’m always worrying that I will display my newbie status by misusing all these terms, I was pitifully grateful that she includes a helpful definition of this term, as well as other interesting information, in her Cascade Library Featured Author profile, found here: http://tslibrary.skeeter63.org/feat ured-author/featured-author-martha.htm) However, she also has sensual, erotic stories here. I would think that any lover of TS would find all of these simply too beautiful to be missed.
“Grail” takes what can easily be a cliché and shows what a master of the craft does with it. From wet and cold to burning up, you feel every moment. Definitely gen and what she would call smarm. “Voir Dire” is yet another moment when the fragility of life hits Jim hard; smarm again, according to her definition, though I have to say that the sound of that term doesn’t do these emotions justice. “The Anthropologist on the Edge of Forever” is another precise and perfect portrait of the relationship between these two men. Gen or not isn’t clear—unless you think no kiss can be fraternal—and it frankly doesn’t matter, because this is about love, not sex. (It also incidentally addresses the question, just how useful is Star Trek as a guide to building a personal philosophy?) Not on her website for some reason is the perfect, pain-edged “In Thicket,” which depicts what might have happened (and probably should have happened) after Jim read Blair’s first chapter of his dissertation. It’s, ultimately, pre-slash. Find it at: http://www.852prospect.org/archive/arch
She also has some fine collaborations, including examples of her definition of smarm, which is to say, stories about the nature of relationship, not intended to be sexual, although some could be read that way. “Drunken Goo” is classic in vino veritas. “Borneo Eyes” examines the fear we have of failing those we love. “Listening” explores the question: how do you deal with the fact that the person who eases your pain takes it into himself?
Writing on her own, Martha has three beautiful short pieces which use Jack Kerouac’s writing to great effect. “Kneeling” is itself a poem, set in the everyday world; “pre-slash” seems too sharp-edged a term for a piece that is so lyrical. “ “The Portable Jack Kerouac” can be read as either gen or pre-slash, and it is so beautiful, so perfectly written, so clear in its insights into both men that no one should miss it. “Something or Other” is an erotic continuation of that story, wherein Jim and Blair examine, among other things, what is it to zone; this is a sensual, sensory exploration which, as is always the case with her stories, is ultimately about understanding character. It also exemplifies, perfectly, the term “love-making.”
Martha also writes in a darker vein, but these stories are ultimately reaffirming and always show in the characters the fine qualities that drew us to them. They also tend to be longer . . . much longer, so leave enough time, because you won't want to stop once you've started one. They range from an examination of the all-too-human evils which fill the nightly news to explorations of the supernatural. I found them all well-worth the commitment of time and emotion. It’s not surprising that a number of these are award-winners. One of the many, many things I appreciate about Martha is that she’s not writing horror just to see how much she can scare or shock the reader. She uses this genre to explore the inner lives of the characters and to help us understand how they grapple with the bigger questions. “Plank” is the most reality-based and thus the most easily accessible of the longer works. The structure of the story serves the characterization perfectly, without ever seeming intrusive or artificial. It involves a Waco/David Koresh-type cult. She does a brilliant job of putting the reader inside the minds of both Blair and Jim. “Unsleeping” straddles the line of realism and the supernatural . . . and it may be the more familiar horrors which strike the reader most deeply. As an academic myself, I’m always interested in stories which use the University setting and show Blair as a scholar; fortunately, I’ve never had anything like the experiences chronicled here. “Ordeal,” “Snake Oil,” and “Cake” are listed as a trilogy, but each works perfectly as a standalone. “Ordeal” is another excellent character study, showing the conflicting tangle of emotions and obligations Blair feels as Jim’s friend and as scholar and student of The Sentinel; it blends spiritual elements with a realistic core. “Snake Oil” is definitely creepier. “Cake” is long and emotionally and chronologically complex, and it deserves the time it will take me to read it again . . . something to look forward to this coming weekend! If you need a step back closer to “normal” which still has a foot in other worlds, try her post-TSbBS collaboration with Lemon Drop, “Distant Journey, Unknown Lands,” found at http://www.852prospect.org/archive/arch
ive/3/distantjourney.html. Again, what matters here is the human story.
She’s also done some work with SG1 and has a new SGA story out. “Lovely” is a TS crossover with SG1, with all the characters incisively drawn and the supernatural circumstances bringing out the very human frailties and strengths of each. “Danny Can’t Dance” is pure SG1, a character study which has Daniel Jackson and Jack out on the town for the evening, trying to sort out the aftermath of a particularly unpleasant occupational hazard. Even though I haven’t kept up with this series and thus didn’t know the events being addressed, the writing here is so effective that it simply didn’t matter. While these are on her website, the newest is over at the SGA archive “Wraithbait”: you’ll find “Moka” at http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.p
hp?sid=4992, and you’ll enjoy it!
She also has three original works posted on her website. I just began them this past weekend with “Monkey Brains.” This is classic Martha, providing great characterization combined with her trademark creepiness . . . never shock for shock’s sake, but rather to help us understand a bit better what it means to be human. Since, like all her work, this was too good too rush through, I haven’t yet finished the next two . . . but I’m looking forward to next weekend, when I’ll get the chance.
A whole weekend of reading Martha, with yet another ahead of me—now that’s what I call an incredible gift! Thanks so much for the brilliance and humanity of your work, and happy very belated birthday.
Today's birthday tribute belongs to eliade. This is one of the writers on LiveJournal who knocks me out with her talent. Primarily, she writes slash, and I've followed her from Spike/Xander in the Buffyverse to Jim/Blair in The Sentinel to Jack/Vaughn in Alias and now to Rodney/John (and even Rodney/Ronan) in Stargate Atlantis. (She also wrote Jack/Daniel in SG1 when it was the only Stargate out there.) Simply put, I'll read whatever she writes. She's an amazing stylist who writes with elegance and economy, and yet the artistry is only apparent after repeated re-readings. It's also intriguing to see the subtle differences in her style at different times and in different fandoms. Her Sentinel stories display a lush sensuality, expressed, however, with a precise, almost mannered care in word choice; it's a style intimately suited to this particular fandom. In contrast, the Jack/Vaughn stories are leaner and use dialogue much more extensively to tell the story, while character is frequently illuminated through very simple, spare, eloquent descriptions of action. The SGA stories have yet another style, with somewhat more wryness (although it's the dry humor in much of her writing which attracts me as much as the rich sensuality so often intertwined with or juxtaposed to it).
Her BtVS, TS, and SG1 stories are at her website, http://www.drizzle.com/~eliade/. (The Sentinel stories can also be found at 852 Prospect at http://www.squidge.org/archive/, and the Spander can be found at http://www.allaboutspike.com, in both cases under "Anna S" as author in the indexes.) Her website is also where you can find recommendations for both SG1 and TS. Suffice it to say that it was her Spander which led me to her TS stories, which led me to her Sentinel recs, which spun me off into my current delighted immersion in TS; it's an informative, amusing place to start if you are new to that fandom. First, let me note that her website doesn't provide different URLs for different pages, so you'll need to follow her menus to find the various stories and recommendations. That said, a great place to start is with the charming, romantic, funny, and endearing Spander piece, "Your Horoscope for Today." There's a DVD-style commentary linked at the bottom of the story, the first I read and one I found both clever and enlightening in terms of understanding how and why writers make the choices they do. "A Week of Wrong" is another example of a great blend of humor, sexual confusion, and, much to their surprise, sweetness between Spike and Xander. "Sidelines" (with Xander rather precipitously out on his own and Spike becoming involved with a stray cat) keeps some of that warmth but also has some darker edges; I enjoy re-reading it but find the two sequels rather more unsettling in tone. "Involuntary Bodies" is a longer and sadder, though ultimately hopeful, story set in the wake of Glory, with Xander and Spike left on their own to deal with Dawn and a still-damaged Tara. If you are up for even greater length, more angst, and some powerful and dangerously-edged eroticism, try "Subtleties." She also has a long WIP entitled "Buffy: Season Noir" which is Spike/Buffy; a number of those who have read it express anguish that she has firmly stated that it is on permanent hiatus, so thus far I've resisted the temptation to become enmeshed in it, but . . .
Anna's take on TS is slightly different in both tone and content than much of what I've read, though I lack the skill to describe exactly how or why. But to get a taste and see if you want to read more, a fine place to start would be the short work entitled "Curtains," which examines a "day in the life" that involves buying curtains, answering phone calls, and having sex, all described lyrically yet realistically. "First time" stories are a TS staple, and "A Long Time Looking" takes its own unique and apparently roundabout approach to that convention; I loved the descriptions, which put me inside Jim's head perceptually without being unduly obvious. "Sex" gets there rather more quickly and a lot more explicitly and unconventionally; I really like the interplay of writing style and subject matter in this one. "The Woods" trilogy deals with traumatic subject matter, yet I find myself drawn back to it for the beauty of the writing and the painful reality of the emotions; while it is officially unfinished, I find each portion complete in itself. And if you need an optimistic closure for it, you can do as I do and read the short piece "From a Distance" as filling that role. I find the other TS stories equally powerful but often more challenging and/or potentially disturbing both sexually and psychologically, so they may not speak to those who prefer more romance and camaraderie in the Jim/Blair relationship.
Her Alias pieces are located in her LJ Memories, at http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=eliade&keyword=Jack/Vaughn&filter=all. In May and June of 2005, she produced a wonderful flurry of Jack/Vaughn pieces. You might start with the fine (and completed) series "Shortcuts," begun on 5/27/05 . . . in some ways the most conventional relationship path she provides for this pairing--but there is nothing ordinary about the writing here. The first long piece of this "festival of J/V goodness," as I dubbed it, is a series ultimately called "The Mission" (still untitled in the Memories) beginning on 5/18--find it by that date listing. It starts from an exotic, erotic premise and, in her trademark way, expresses all sorts of complex, intricate, important things about character. And although the third series "Bona Fides" is currently unfinished, it is still well worth the trip: Jack and Vaughn are undercover as a couple, but things start to get confusingly real for Vaughn. Again, it's beautifully written with an economy and artistry which make me shudder with amazement each time I re-read it.
She's just begun venturing into SGA (although she's compiled a fine and lengthy list of recs, available in her Memories). A good sampling of her as-yet shorter list of SGA stories are tagged here: http://eliade.livejournal.com/tag/sga+f
ic. I'd say these were lighter pieces, for the most part; I've enjoyed them all, and all are brief enough that any would do as a starting piece.
Fortunately, eliade lives in my time zone, so I'll get this posted before her birthday is entirely over! Thanks, Anna, for the great pleasure your work has given me, and thanks also for your generous and cleverly written recommendations which have sucked me into TS and SGA--which is certainly not intended as a complaint . . .
I encountered danawoods over at, you guessed it, the place I began my immersion in the Buffyverse: http://www.allaboutspike.com. She was one of the writers I followed over to LiveJournal, so I owe her not only for writing some pretty darn fine fiction but also for tempting me into this wonderful place which has become a gigantic candy store for me. What I find so appealing about her work is that these are all character studies . . . plot and structure vary, in intriguing though never stilted ways, but they always exist to help us understand these individuals more deeply. She's got BtVS stories on her website, which can be found here, http://www.brokensymmetry.net/index1.ph
p, but that's not all. So if you have a taste for Jossverse RPS or lean more toward AtS or are curious about what she can do with "Firefly," you've definitely got options.
If you are willing to start with a longer, extremely rewarding piece, here's where I'd go: "Medlar and Sorb Apple," Part 3 of the "After the Opera" series, which just blows me away on several levels. Yes, you should read the first two parts first, as I did . . . or read this first, then go back for them, or read it all on its own. It works any of these ways, it's that well done. This was the first story I read that put me inside Faith's head, and it set a standard that only a very few authors have been able to come close to since. She's used an usual approach to express character in a just-about-perfect way, and without ever making it seem like an artificial sort of exercise. Officially there's one more part of the series to come, and I'd certainly leap at the chance to read more in this series. But since, to me, at least, what's happening of importance here is indeed the development of character, with plot primarily serving to advance that process, I don't think you'll be left feeling hanging. I certainly wasn't. This was one of those works that I reread immediately and have gone back to again and again. The series can be found here: http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/ato.p
If you feel more comfortable starting with something shorter before committing yourself (my usual practice when encountering a writer new to me), here are some fine and varied options, listed alphabetically. You'll find that they differ in style, but all illuminate character in intriguing ways.
"Doable." Can Faith help Spike survive surviving the big battle in L.A.? The voices are spot-on, and she understands not to pound a message home. It's at http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/doabl
"Grid Systems." Graham/Riley. I wouldn't have read this by another author; I'm glad I read it. See why at http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/g
"The Periodic Table of Wesley." Fred contemplates the various incarnations of Wesley in imagery that speaks to the scientist in her. Here: http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/perio
"Sixfold Symmetry." An incisive, insightful look inside Faith and Buffy—like and unlike. It's at http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/sixfo
"Visiting Privileges." What do Angel and Wes talk about with Cordelia in that room at Wolfram and Hart? http://www.brokensymmetry.net/fic/visit
So here's hoping you had a lovely birthday, danawoods! Thanks for thoughtful, well-written stories which have given me new insights into Faith, Wesley, Fred, Lindsey, and Gunn, as well as Buffy, Spike, Angel, Cordelia, and Dawn. And Willow, Tara, and Oz. And that's not all. (So, readers, start with what you know and love, then branch out, as I did. It's worth it.)
Well, late in the day, but I'm still on the right day in my time zone . . .
Today's birthday tribute is in honor of the delightful makd. Among her claims to fame is, as I'm sure everyone knows, the compiling of fantastic, specific, detailed rec lists for BtVS/AtS fanfic. This is a very impressive feat, and it's invaluable to us readers, especially but not merely those new to the fandom. There's a whole lot out there to read, and it can be pretty confusing and a little scary trying to figure out where to start . . . and encountering too much unintentional badfic as a newbie is more than enough to drive away the faint-of-heart or refined-of-palate. I don't recall ever being disappointed by a story I've read due to one of her recommendations, and I've lost count of how many of my now-favorite authors I found because of her. This kind of generosity and organization really help to build and connect the online community . . . we all owe her big-time, both readers and writers alike! So if you are eager to find a good read, head on over to her LJ, and you will be sure to find exactly what you are looking for.
Here's just one example: http://www.livejournal.com/users/makd/3
9280.html#cutid1. You can find more, similarly clearly labeled, just by scanning forward and backward in her LJ or, since she's put the relevant info in her subject line, by clicking on "Calendar View" when on her journal entries page, then tapping "View Subjects"--just a tip for people like me, who are still trying to figure out their way around LJ. Like I said, organized, and very user-friendly!
I really can't thank you enough, makd, for leading me to such fine fiction! I hope it was a great birthday (and continues to be, for however many hours you have left of it).
Here's to another of my favorite writers. (She also made me my very first icon, of my lovely grey guy. Obviously, this is not her major Claim to Fame, but it is indicative of her generous spirit and is much appreciated!) Speaking as a reader to fellow readers, if you enjoy character studies which consistently display versatility and quality, you'll definitely want to explore her work. (Frankly, that's much more important information than the more pedestrian facts that it's BtVS/AtS, and when there's a pairing it's het B/S. What it is, is darn fine writing.)
I first encountered shadowlass's writing at http://allaboutspike.com, where I read the absorbing longer piece "Bag of Bones" and the haunting short sketch "Tabula Mortis." "Bag of Bones" finds Spike back from Africa, but someone isn’t happy to see him in Sunnydale again; it's an insightful mix of character study, romance, and mystery, one so clever constructed that I couldn't figure it out and yet, once you know whodunit, turns out to be exactly right. "Tabula Mortis" is a selection of character voices and emotions in the aftermath of . . . something. It is painful and poignant and perfect. These, and many more, can be found at her website, the unduly modestly titled "Small Bites," located at http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/shadow
lass/index2.html. One of the longer works is the achingly effective "Scar Tissue," with Wesley, seeking redemption after the loss of Connor, encountering a Faith taken captive by Wolfram and Hart. Another I always find moving is "Settling In," which examines the impact of a post-"Chosen" Shanshued Spike from seven different POVs. This is a powerful way to explore character and plot, not a mere writerly device. You'll also find the delightful "A Very Joan and Randy Christmas," a light-hearted piece which uses the memory wipe in "Tabula Rasa" to set up a charming, funny story. These descriptions give some sense of her talent and versatility: the works indexed here range from G to NC-17, from light comedy to angst, from character study to carefully plotted longer work. There's never repetition; the only constant is the high quality of the writing and the depth of the development. Her mastery of voice and character: awesome. You simply can't go wrong with any of these. She's been gracious enough to let me spell-check some of the recent chapters of her current WIP, "Possession." (In all honesty, I can’t really call myself a beta here, since there's no way I'm qualified to give a writer of this caliber editorial advice . . . and she almost never lets a typo slip by, either, so mainly it's just a great excuse for me to get to read the newest chapters before anybody else--and I love that!) This is a very distinctive story, so one can easily follow the roughly monthly updates, but if you are simply philosophically opposed to WIPs, you'll find plenty to keep you busy among the other fascinating works I've noted above, and the many more I haven't. I could rave on and on about them . . . but since your time would be much better (and more enjoyably) spent reading them . . .
So happy birthday, shadowlass! Although I've tried here, I really can’t tell you how much I admire your writing. But thanks so much for giving it to us!
(Okay, one of these days I'm going to do a better job of thinking through this time zone business . . . so it's more like "happy belated birthday" now!)
Not only is today's birthday person yet another individual with a fantastic LJ name . . . she has also written a charming romance involving a grown-up Dawn and Spike, which, as the title indicates, is set "Ten Years After" the events in "Chosen." You can find it in the "Wombatzone" at http://www.speaker-to-customers.me.uk/w
ombatzone/cwfiction.htm. This story won Best Romance Fic Winner and Best Het Fic Runner up in Round 3 of the Love’s Bitch Awards . Some of us had the delightful experience of reading this as it unfolded on LJ; for the rest of you, settle in for a nice, long, cozy time, since there are 22 chapters of this lovely tale. (Suffice it to say that, among other things, it instilled in me a still-unfufilled desire to go out and buy frilly undergarments . . . those who know me in RL would do a double-take at that and say, “Wow, that’s a successful romance!”)
She's also a resident of the Isle of Man, and I've enjoyed following her journal to learn more about the life of someone half a globe away from me! While some of the superficial aspects of our lives seem quite different, her comments and descriptions always make me feel comfortable and right at home. It's really been a pleasure getting to know you, curiouswombat, and I look forward to another year of LJing together.
(Although maybe not if you’re like my colleagues who needed a definition for "luddite" when it got bandied about by the history and science types when we were first setting up the school computer network . . . unfortunately, these confused folks were not helped by the suggestion that they "just 'google' it" . . . )
In case you'd like to get right to the reading rather than listen to me ramble, you'll find the Buffyverse fiction of ludditerobot in two places; since there's overlap but not an identical list of entries, you'll want to check both. Some are here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/384948/
and others are in his LJ memories, here:
"Children of the Sun" (6 parts)
"Eyeless" (4 parts)
"Faith Fiction” (4 of the 5 stories listed are by him)
“Five Faithless Moments"
"Kill City" (WIP with 3 parts up; this is a prequel to "Eyeless" and involves Faith's Watcher)
"Questions Answered" (5 entries where readers ask a question about a character in a story and the author answers. I find these exercises fascinating, as a part of my quest to learn more about how writers actually do what they do . . . plus, it's more of a favorite story, so, hey!)
"Snowblind" (this is the sequel to "Eyeless." WIP, with the 7th part up in February of 2005; I look forward to seeing more of this interesting tale.)
Since I hadn't known about the stories on the fanfiction.net site until tracking it down for this tribute, I can't speak about all the stories there . . . yet! Because now I have the pleasure of more to read—one of the delightful unintended consequences of these hunting expeditions. But I did steal a moment to read "Perishable," and I'm glad I did. It's a fine Buffy/Xander character study, poignant and well-written. So I know I'll enjoy the ones I haven't yet gotten to as much as those I've already discovered.
ludditerobot's writing is a very good place to go for fine Xander and Faith, sometimes with a side order of Dawn or Kennedy or others. I first came on over off of a rec by one of "my" other Xander/Faith authors (was it nwhepcat or lizmarcs?) which brought me to the "Eyeless" series. This begins with "Eyeless," which is complete and works wonderfully as a stand-alone story. The shifts in voices are exactly right, and it is an excellent set of character studies—of Xander, of Faith, but also of Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, and Andrew. I strongly recommend it! "Snowblind" is actually the first story I read by him; suffice it to say that I began at about 10 PM, read eagerly without stopping, and surfaced, in the early hours of the morning, hungry for more. (So be warned, if you avoid WIPs, because it will indeed suck you in! But if you read for characterization even more than for completion of plot, as I do, you'll find this well worth your time.)
E.T.A. 1/7/06: "Snowblind" is now complete!
ludditerobot also deserves high praise for originating two clever ficathon ideas. (I really enjoy ficathons, because they are a great way of discovering writers.) The first challenge was to write about one of those newly activated slayers brought online by the spell Willow did. It was called "When the Clock Strikes," and the assignments were divided up by time zones, so that writers could incorporate the actual moment when the spell took effect. That's what the GMT stands for in the index. (See what I mean by clever?) You can find the index at http://clockslayers.anbaric.com/ . This ficathon caused nwhepcat to write "This Little Light," which led to "Xander’s Slayers," so for that alone, we owe him big-time. And since I only discovered this index while putting together this tribute, I now have more fine stories to read—so yet another thanks, ludditerobot! The other has just begun. It's "Scatterlings and Orphanages: The Africander Ficathon," and here he's divided the opportunities up by country. There are still a few unassigned nations; find their names and other information about the ficathon here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/luddit
erobot/tag/africander. I love Xander-in-Africa stories, so I'm really excited about this! I truly admire folks who come up with ideas like these; they're a large part of how LJ becomes a community, to my mind. I also love that both of these ficathons get us thinking about the larger human experience out there (hey, I'm a history teacher . . . of course I'm going to be delighted by that!)
So—for fine fiction, for expanding my reading list, and for bringing us together and getting us to learn more about the world, thanks so much, and happy birthday, ludditerobot!
See, this is the great thing about research (as I’m always trying to tell my students): You go looking for one thing, and you end up finding other great stuff completely by accident. I set out to do my usual “re-read and remember all the reasons why you fell for this writer in the first place,” and then I discovered she had a whole ‘nother LJ identity and I had just fallen down the rabbit hole into a lovely pile of yet more wonderful stories!
So—happy birthday to bettyp, writer of The Sentinel and popslash, who also just happens to be hth_the_first, writer of SGA, Due South, Oz, X-Files, and, yes, Buffy/Angelverse! You can find her Betty Plotnick Sentinel stories at http://www.waxjism.org/betty/; they are also linked on her other site, http://hth.gatefiction.com/, where you will find all the other fandoms represented. While she has recently updated the second site, the Sentinel page as of last check had her fine 12-work series “Sixteen Instinctive Behaviors” (which she does intend to complete--hooray!), but not her most recent story, “Lexicon,” written for the ts_ficathons delightful “Getting a Sense of Cliches” opportunity. I have to showcase it here, because I think it is one of the most perfect short stories I have read, on every level: emotional resonance, character development, authenticity of voices, tightness of plotting, beauty and effectiveness of writing. Multiple rereadings have only reinforced this conclusion. Although it doubtless has a particular appeal for TS fans, as one of those post-TSbBS tales we can’t get enough of, I really feel it works equally well as a standalone and would be every bit as powerful for a reader who knew nothing of this fandom. In case you’d like to see if I’m right about that, you can find it here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/be
ttyp/143256.html#cutid1. (And to discover yet more fine TS authors, go to the ficathon masterlist at http://www.livejournal.com/community/ts _ficathons/2180.html#cutid1.)
As may be evident by now, LJ makes me a little light-headed, not only because it lets me mainline fiction on a nightly basis—I’m talkin’ the good stuff, here—but because it also gives me a peek inside the Writer’s Mind. Although I’ve quite happily come to realize that Writers need Readers and therefore I can just sit back in my Reading Chair and simply enjoy while those talented people out there sweat for my pleasure, I still get a vicarious thrill out of hearing what they were thinking as they wrote and after they wrote, and maybe even why they wrote. For intriguing insights in that vein from this author, go to:
e_first/9149.html. Here, she provides analysis of a number of the stories she wrote in 2004. I was particularly interested in her comments on her RPS story “Fire and Rain,” which I read and enjoyed, even though I know little about boy bands and care(d) even less, and even though it was clearly going to be . . . long. (Because initially I was just reading it as research, doncha know?) But then it turned out to be interesting and complex and involving and just sucked me in. (I’m not saying I’m a convert; I’m going to wallow in the newly discovered SGA and DS first, and RPS has never really been my "thing." But it’s a tribute when a writer can get me to read something which, if there were a checklist of descriptors, I’d be marking: no. no. no. no.) It’s also a tribute that all of the characters were equally believable; apparently some were OC, and others were RPS, but it was the depth of her characterization even more than my ignorance of this fandom which made them all feel equally alive.
As for the DS and the SGA--just let me say that I've enjoyed every single one I've read thus far. Period. Full stop. Take it from there!
So, whatever name you call her, this is an author whose work I both greatly admire and greatly enjoy. I hope you will, too! But since I found her first via The Sentinel, let me just say:
Happy birthday, Betty Plotnick!
Okay . . . since I’m not very clever about time zones, that’s going to be "happy belated birthday" in her part of the world, no doubt . . . but no less sincere for being a bit tardy.
I’m still enjoying the thrill of discovery with flurblewig. I only recently encountered her work, and I’ve been treating myself to bits of it, trying to pace myself rather than gobble down the whole box of candy at once. And since she writes mainly short pieces (mostly between 1000 and 3000 words), they are just the perfect length for a quick pick-me-up . . . and, like that box of candy, since they are all delicious, all different (humor, sex, angst, you name it), and all such a handy length, surely it can’t hurt to read another . . . and another . . . and . . .
flurblewig writes in the Buffy/Angelverse (though she’s now branching out into Dr. Who, and she’s got some House in there, too). She’s written about every conceivable BtVS/AtS pairing, and her website conveniently offers links to stories organized both by character and by pairing. So suit yourself! Not surprisingly, I went for the Spike stories first. For poignant, try Spike/Dawn in “Happy Birthday.” For humor and sexiness and wishes gone wrong, go with Spike/Xander in “Whatever You Want.” For heat and sexiness and a surprisingly helpful Spike with Wesley, you can’t beat “The Leather Pants of Evil.” A rather different, earlier Spike/Wes encounter takes place under “Controlled Circumstances.” An interesting twist on post N.F.A. brings together Spike, Illyria, and Dru in “Long Live the Game.” And, sans Spike but with a moving, tough, vulnerable, battle-scarred Xander in yet another version of that Buffy-less Sunnydale, try “Seven Highly Effective Uses of the Word ‘Fuck.’”
You can find these fine stories at her website, http://www.ck.mk.btinternet.co.uk/
. These are, thus far, all BtVS/AtS; check her LJ for Dr. Who and others. She seems to update the site pretty quickly, since stories I found going back through her LJ were already posted—a big thank-you for that!
And if you’d like to start with something longer, you can’t go wrong with the story which introduced her work to me and hooked me immediately: “The L.A. Patient.” This is—believe it or not!—a AtS/House crossover, and it works . . . perfectly. Great characterization, delightful snark and humor (hey, Spike and House, what can I say!), and fun, clever plotting. (You don’t need to watch “House” to enjoy this; I’ve only seen a handful of episodes, myself.) The seven parts are all together here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
If I haven’t convinced you to sample one of these treats yet, try this on for size. It’s the opening to “Best in the Business”—a little Spike/ Gwen AtS devilry found at
"The first thing he'd noticed about her - well, no, not the first; that honour actually had to go to the red latex hotpants - was her absolute confidence. She wore it like a second skin, and it certainly covered more of her than the latex usually did. It was the confidence of someone who was pretty sure they were going to be better looking than most people they ran into - and very sure they were going to be more dangerous. It was a feeling Spike was well acquainted with himself."
So happy birthday, flurblewig, and many thanks; I know I’ll be dropping in frequently!
And it’s another one for the Buffyverse . . . but definitely not Spander and not Spuffy, however much it may shock those who’ve got me (correctly) pegged as an anyone-with-Spike gal. The fact is, I’ll read any pairing (or no pairing it all), so long as it’s well-written. And thus I found liz_marcs. There are some really wonderful stories here, but if you simply must have Spike along, you won’t want to take this trip. That said, if you are interested in a well-developed Xander, some great Faith, some fine Xander and Faith, and more . . . these stories are for you. If you want a trio of shorter works, all different in mood, tone, and plot, but all with fine characterization and absorbing storytelling, you’ll want to check out the following. “Contrite Spirits” has Xander and Faith heading up to Canada to check out a Potential; it’s about friendship and memory and unease and, maybe, redemption. “Ishmael Sings of the White Whale” has Faith in a post-NFA Los Angeles, trying to save Angel from himself: angst and insight, leading to important questions about which enemies to fight and how. “Cuckoo in the Nest” is an intriguing examination of Xander’s life from childhood to post BtVS as told by his erstwhile father Tony Harris—it both expands upon and illuminates canon and character. She also has a much longer completed work—“Living History,” weighing in at 70 parts—which I can’t comment on yet since I’m saving it for vacation reading. And there are yet other tantalizing titles in her Memories which I’m going to enjoy catching up on.
She also has some fine WIPs out there. Whether or not you’re willing to let yourself get hooked or prefer to wait till they are completed is, of course, a matter of personal taste! Although I tell myself that I could spread these out, reading a chapter a week, and have enjoyment for months, I know myself too well--when I like an author's work, I want to gorge myself, and staying up till the wee hours of the morning and then having to wait for resolution requires more will power than I possess. I know in the case of her ongoing longer project, “Water Hold Me Down,” I arrived at the party (friended her LJ) well into its progress, so I am resisting temptation for the time being. However, I did succumb to the charms of the farcical “No Myth,” which I’m hoping she’ll get back to soon, since the prospect of Faith pressing Xander to date and then having second thoughts was just too good to miss. And “The Acme Heartbreak Repair Kit,” with Buffy doing the Mata Hari bit in Italy while coping with housemother Andrew, recently broken-up Kennedy, and a possibly-cursed Xander just in from Africa hooked me immediately. So—read at your own risk, because you are going to want “more, right now!”
You can find the fine works of liz_marcs in her Memories, located here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=liz_marcs. I’m sure you’ll appreciate her versatility and fine storytelling skills. Go, read, comment, and wish her a happy birthday!
I’m starting to feel wickedly self-indulgent here; since I’ve given myself the “assignment” to re-read my favorite stories by each birthday author before writing these tributes, I’m getting to fall in love with these wonderful writers all over again as I immerse myself once again in their work as I try to figure out how best to describe what is so delightful about each one. And that has certainly been the case with shadowscast’s work this week!
I’m going to start with something that sounds very pedestrian, but it’s an attribute I really, really appreciate as a reader: shadowscast is particularly good about posting her completed stories very quickly on her website, which you can find right here: http://shadowscast.popullus.net/index.h
tml. For example, she’s already gotten up the most recent installment of her fantastic Fragmentsverse, “Before the Time of Dawn”—since this was just finished in November, that’s quite impressive! This series is about a shanshued Spike (“Not the End”), one who finds being human rather harder than he expected, physically as well as emotionally, and about a returned-from-Africa Xander who has some nightmares of his own to deal with, meeting up with each other in a rather interesting setting in L.A. (“Late Night Porn Store Blues” and its excellent sequel, “How the Light Gets In.”) I really appreciate the fact that she doesn’t go for the quick and easy payoff here, but she also doesn’t make us wallow in pain just to prove she can write it so very, very well. Instead, the story unfolds in a brilliantly understated and believable—and very emotionally satisfying—way. The two most recent installments—“Human Frailty” and “Before the Time of Dawn”—combine her trademark humane touches of humor with just the right kind and amount of pangs. (“Before the Time of Dawn” is a particularly lovely and well-crafted piece. It is set the furthest toward the humor/warmth end of an always-pleasing scale; personally, I’d read them in the order the larger story arc unfolds, but since she wrote some of them out of order, she’ll probably forgive you if you want to start with this one and then uncover all the backstory afterwards.) Her voices are excellent, the conversations are real and engaging, and her plotting keeps me right there with her. I’m always eager to read anything new she posts; it gets opened the moment it appears, which is pretty much the top of my rating standard! [E.T.A. 12/4/05: She's just posted a "DVD commentary" to "Human Frailty" which can be found here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/shadow scast/69882.html?view=726778#t726778. In it, she indicates that she wrote this one first, so it might be a fun place to start with this 'verse . . . reading the original, of course, not the one with comments until one has read all the others, so one doesn't get "spoiled"!]
She’s also got some stories in two fandoms I don’t know: “Once a Thief” and “That 70’s Show.” I know I’ll get sucked into them, too, because she’s just that gifted; however, she’s been keeping me so busy with the Fragmentsverse that I haven’t yet had the chance.
If you are new to her writing and want to start with something shorter for a “getting-to-know-you” encounter, I’d recommend either of the two lovely hurt/comfort pieces, “Unintended Consequences” (an AU set after the Trio’s hidden cameras are discovered) and “London Calling” (where Spike takes a detour to the homeland after getting the soul, and Xander’s sent over to see what’s what). They have just the right mix of tightening-in-the-throat emotion and growing-from-the-moment wryness, and she’s deft with the plot-twisting and the character-unfolding. As a lover of the Spike/Xander relationship, I warm to these immediately each time I read them. She’s also got some even shorter character sketches, all beautifully written: “On the Way to Tara’s Funeral,” told from the perspective of Willow’s mother, is an excellent example, with just enough distance from the narrator to shape the reader’s mood in an evocative way. But she’s got such a perfect, light, sure touch with Spike and Xander that goes right to my heart, I keep going back to those aforementioned pieces.
And while you are at her site, don’t miss her Buffy recs—the stories I’m already familiar with she’s nailed exactly, so I’m confident that I’d like all the others she’s described so enticingly here.
So let me very selfishly thank you, shadowscast, for having a birthday and giving me the excuse to slide back into your wonderful worlds tonight—what a wonderful way to start the much-deserved weekend. I hope you enjoyed your birthday as much as I did!
Well, real life (i.e., the need to get work done and thus remain employed) is having the temerity to get in the way of my fiction reading, so I'm just going to wish a very happy birthday to doyle_sb4 today, before it's too late (it's still December first in my time zone, anyway!) and then steal time away from housecleaning ASAP to wallow in her writing and offer more complete recs later. (I'll put them as comments to this entry, just to make them easier to find.)
But in the meantime, go read the story that hooked me: "All Our Exploring" which can be found at http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_
sb4/212909.htmlor by title or author at that great archive http://www.allaboutspike.com. It's spare, beautiful, haunting, and real. It's Spander in Africa, but if you visit doyle's website at http://www.exitseraphim.net/, you will discover an author who has written numerous different pairings and has graciously indexed them by gen, het, slash (m/m or f/f), or threesomes, as well as by characters. So there is literally something for everyone. The site also has other recs--it's a really helpful spot for an introduction to the Buffyverse. The more recent works found on doyle_sb4's LJ tend to be Dr. Who, a fandom I'm not familiar with . . . but a writer this fine is no doubt going to tempt me into it sooner or later! Happy birthday and many thanks, doyle_sb4!
And now, back to the Whedonverse . . . or, more specifically, in terms of my “most favorites ever” . . . Angel and Wes as written by thebratqueen.
I’ll be honest: I never expected to like this pairing. I had only started reading Spander because I was such a Spikeaholic and had gone through most all of the Spuffy on http://www.allaboutspike. But I wasn’t yet committed to slash. And I certainly couldn’t imagine Wes/Angel (not that I didn’t like them well enough individually, and I’d read a little S/A that was . . . interesting). So when I say that TBQ completely changed my perspective on this—at least (and most definitely) when she’s writing it—that gives some inkling as to her talents. Whatever your feelings on W/A, or even on slash in general, you really owe it to yourself to read what may be her best-loved series (judging by the quality and quantity of the comments) . . . “Protocol.” If the pairing or the concept puts you off, read it anyway—change the names; change the genders, if you must. Whatever. You’ll love it—I guarantee it. You’ll find it in her memories here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
es.bml?user=thebratqueen&keyword=Protocol&filter=all. It’s definitely AU, in a funny, sexy, poignant, realistic fairy tale kind of way, yet the characters are completely recognizable and delightfully true to themselves. (Hey, if we can’t suspend disbelief just a bit more to enjoy an incredibly well-written and emotionally satisfying tale like this, why are we reading about vampires in the first place?) Yes, it’s still a WIP, with 45 official chapters and some assorted related bits. That’s actually good news. Frankly, some of us hope it never ends. And I suspect I’m not alone in reading parts or all of it over and over and over again. Because it’s delicious. Because it’s clever. Because the banter is great. Because it’s romantic. Because it’s beautifully written. Because she writes Spike better as a secondary character than many people do as a main character. (Wait, that’s me being a Spikeaholic again . . . ) Because there are a multitude of reasons so many people love this story so much they just melt when a new chapter is posted.
“Protocol” is probably the most AU example of what TBQ calls her “hyppogryff fics,” where she explores what she calls “insane plot bunnies” while “stroking fic kinks.” If by “kink” you mean everything from that tender feeling you get from seeing a guy’s bare feet to . . . well, outright kink, and if by “insane plot bunnies” you mean anything from a slight twist on Wolfram and Hart canon to a creative mix of medievalism and modernity, then I guess that’s an accurate description. All I know is that four of my five most favorite of her longer works (“Protocol,” “Pet,” “Strategy,” and “Habit”) come under this category by her own definition. I’m not sure what that means in the larger scheme of things, but I will say that they have nothing in common with each other in terms of plot and present four very different views of these characters while somehow creating completely plausible depictions of the individuals and of potential relationships between them.
When I can force myself up and out of these fascinating stories (and it definitely takes an act of will to be analytical rather than absorbed), I'm amazed at her originality and versatility. Two examples from very different ends of about every spectrum show that clearly. “Protocol” mixes humor and comradeship and romance and richly sensual (and character-advancing, just in case you prefer it that way) erotica in a wonderful balance, with a young, determined, honorable and quaintly innocent Wesley encountering an Angel who is strong and funny and kind and gentle and, not coincidentally, father to a nearly grown-up and untraumatized Connor and long-suffering, patient grandsire to one of my favorite versions of annoying, loyal Spike. An equally recognizable, equally believable, completely opposite Angel dominates (yes, that’s definitely the right word) “Pet,” teamed up at Wolfram and Hart in a variety of ways with a Wes who believes he’s worldly-wise and a Spike who is developing a much more complex relationship with Angel than AtS ever planned on giving us . . . and that isn’t even taking into consideration the hot and kinky sex. “Protocol” is a read for everyone; “Pet” is for those who are willing to walk on the darker, more dangerous side of Angel and Company. Sex illuminates character here, too, but there’s a higher quotient of it to plot, and it’s definitely edgier. If you want something wickedly hot and more than a bit naughty, you’ll find “Pet” here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
Looking for something in between these two? Here are some suggestions, which range from the more AU to the less, and from lighter to darker, not in any particular order:
In “Trust Me,” yet another, different version of Angel-as-successful-and-happy father of a high school-aged Connor encounters a down-on-his-luck Wesley with an infant in tow and gives him a job in his New England diner. I know, I know—I put off reading this one for quite a while because of that premise, and then felt like an idiot when I broke down, read it, and loved it. This one is on her website; here’s the direct link:
Still pretty AU, but closer to the Whedonverse version is “Strategy.” In a world where Connor remains an adversary of Angel, Wes sacrifices the only thing he can—himself.
Read the original story on her website here:
Then treat yourself to a glimpse inside the author’s mind by reading the “dvd commentary” version, here:
The shortest of these recs is “Habit,” with Angel at his best even at Wolfram and Hart, and Wes at his most heartbreaking because of a mysterious situation he’s hiding from old friends. Find it in her Memories at: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori
Her older works, including some I’ve discussed here, can be found at her website,
. But I have to admit that my favorites, especially the more recent works, are in her LJ Memories:
es.bml?user=thebratqueen. Obviously, I’ve only mentioned a few of the many things she’s written, and I’ve totally neglected the shorter pieces and anything non W/A. So go, discover for yourself (and feel free to make suggestions in the comments here). And if you get hooked on "Protocol" (is it possible not to be?), you might want to friend her to avoid missing the next installment.
Because thebratqueen, she is multi-talented. She knits! She belly-dances! And she writes literate, emotionally absorbing fiction, with a powerful erotic thread! Who could ask for anything more?
So happy birthday to you, thebratqueen, and thanks for all the pleasure your writing has given and continues to give me.
This birthday snuck up on me . . . so I haven’t had a chance to do my usual re-reading of all my favorite works by her before writing this tribute. (One of my favorite aspects of doing these!) Since I only discovered her a few months ago, however, my memories of what attracted me and why are pretty fresh. TS fans will definitely want to add her to their reading lists. (She also writes in Voyager, the X-Files, and other fandoms, but thus far I’ve been wallowing in the TS writing, so I can’t point anyone to specific stories in those other areas, with the exception of the “Obligation” series, a seductive TS/X-Files crossover.) Her milieu is slash, but it’s never mere PWP. Instead, as Blair might say, “It’s about the relationship, man.”
The first story I read by her was a serial she posted on sentinel_thurs with each chapter title beginning with an “R.” It’s now all in one spot under the title “Retrieval” and can be found here on the web: http://www.geocities.com/pollyabywa
ter/retrieval.htm. I found it an excellent introduction to her other work, since it combines many of the characteristics which attract me in her writing as a whole: She does a fine job of addressing the dynamics of family, both biological and constructed. She has a strong Jim/Blair relationship which treats both men fairly. She creates very effective Original Characters but doesn’t let them dominate the story disproportionately. And she tells an absorbing, unique tale. Her stories combine many of the elements about TS which I find most appealing. I like the sense of connection between the characters, which incorporates the tensions and differences as well as what draws them together. I like the sensuality, expressed in the context of that connection. In “Retrieval,” in particular, I like the way she’s squarely addressed the flaws of the parental generation but also treated William and Naomi with understanding and compassion. And I like that she’s not afraid to present a strong romantic and sexual link between Jim and Blair in “Set in Stone” (just right for the upcoming holidays) and “A Round of Tumult” (in which there is a post TSbBS “coming out” in all possible ways and an examination of what comes after). In addition to these longer works, her website includes short pieces written for sentinel_thurs challenges up through #59; since this week’s challenge is #117, you’ll want to use the link to that site noted below to catch up on what she’s written since then. I particularly enjoyed the lush “Filling the Gaps” and (especially since we get lots of "first times" but rarely a "second time" story) the sensuous “After the First.”
On her own website, you’ll find both her Jim/Blair stories and also the “Obligation” series, an X-Files crossover which is not only effectively written but is also just right for those moments when you feel Blair has had to take too much pain with too little recompense and that Jim and Simon deserve to have him just move on with his life somewhere—and with someone—else. It’s got angst, it's got hurt/comfort, it’s got hot sex, it’s got repentant Jim, it’s got a Blair who suffers yet survives and succeeds . . . and even the fact that I know nothing about this part of X-Files was not an issue.
Her website can be found at http://www.geocities.com/polly_bywa
ter/index.html. Her journal is friendslocked, but she seems happy to welcome interested readers. I strongly recommend asking her to let you in, so you won’t miss anything. While I’d been keeping up with her work via sentinel_thurs, she had, unbeknownst to me, completed a wonderful sequel to “Retrieval” called “The Good Fathers” which appeared in her LJ on Oct. 14, 2005, and which I only discovered today while putting this recs list together. No doubt she’ll eventually post it elsewhere, but if you are as greedy as me, you just don’t want to wait! Also, you’ll get to know her a bit more as a person, and one of the treats of LJ is to see how those personal elements get incorporated into the fiction. This lovely, loving story of Jim and Blair as parents is a fine example; it has a warmth and a reality about family life which combines laughter and tears in a solid, comforting way.
E.T.A. 12/11/05 I just found out that she's now put this story up at 852 Prospect with her other work. Her page can be found here: http://www.squidge.org/archive/cgi-b
She posts fairly frequently at sentinel_thurs, which provides a weekly prompt and has authors create stories of 2000 words or less. You can catch up on earlier entries by checking out the list of challenges, which can be found at http://terri.populli.net/New%20Story%20
Page_ST.html. This is also a way to find other fine TS authors; I’ve been using it to expand my reading list over the past few months.
So—happy birthday, polly_b, and thanks so much for the gift of your writing!
( . . . and the fans of Highlander and Quantum Leap and a few other assorted fandoms.)
I found T.W. Lewis, a.k.a. gardendoor, via a rec on ts_fresh_air. Since her userinfo page lists “Friends” but not “Friend of” LJers, I can’t be sure how many folks know about this extremely talented writer. While there’s an almost illicit thrill in thinking one’s found a fabulous author that “no one knows about” (surely not the case here!), one also feels a certain messianic zeal to get the word out, so that other people can share the enjoyment and admiration.
So, let me say it loud and clear: Anyone who loves Jim and Blair (or simply enjoys fine writing) needs to read these stories A.S.A.P. They are perfectly crafted, by which I mean none of the seams show, and you just find yourself swept along by the experience, only truly appreciating the skilled writing after several rereadings. They are also nicely original; much as I enjoy exploring some of the tried-and-true themes in this fandom, I also appreciate it when an author finds a new take on the interaction between these characters, especially if it seems natural rather than forced.
Her longest and most complex work is “Kaleidoscope” (and I’m happy to say that she’s begun a sequel to it in her LJ which bids fair to be every bit as intellectually and emotionally challenging and satisfying). I’ve read and appreciated other stories where Blair suffers some sort of physical or emotional injury and loses his memory. But she’s taken that theme and made it a rich character study of both Jim and Blair . . . or, more accurately, many Blairs, since his head trauma results in a fragmenting of memory which means that he wakes up on any given day experiencing himself at a different age from his past. How he and Jim attempt to cope with this situation is nothing short of fascinating; the intersection of a skillfully plotted criminal investigation with the appearance of the different Blairs is so masterfully done that one is left free to focus on the personal development of the characters. And the different incarnations of Blair, all of which continue to grow and change as they build new experiences, give new meaning to the concept “Original Character.” This perfectly named story never descends to gimmickry, retaining its intensity and emotional honesty to the final page . . . and into the intriguing and promising start of the sequel. (The original story is on her website; the sequel begins in her LJ, here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/garden
Another longer work is “Illusions,” which features a Blair who is kidnapped and forced to work with Alex as an underground team of assassins. Again, the plotting is thoughtful and sophisticated but, again, it appropriately takes second place to the real, painful, ultimately rewarding examination of the impact of how actions affect emotions and shape character, and how character endures. It is painful and brilliant. This was the first piece I read by her, and it was an accurate predictor of how wonderful all her work would be.
When one starts to think of an author as a “favorite,” it’s often because one finds a kind of consistency in one’s response to the work. That doesn’t mean, however, that the author is repetitive or unsurprising. I think I’ve indicated that the consistency I’ve found in her work is a high level of craftsmanship which places the clever plotting secondary to insightful character development and precise, evocative writing style. Thus, her other stories range widely in setting and in mood, but have never failed to delight me. This is certainly true in her “first time” stories, a Sentinel staple. Whether it is the poignant “All In White,” where Jim’s discovery of an unusual article of clothing in Blair’s closet prompts a change in their relationship, or the humorous-turned-hot “Merry Christmas” or the rollicking, farcical “Laws of Murphy,” these trademark qualities shine through.
Normally, I’m not drawn to mpreg, although it can provide some intellectually interesting or sexually burlesque comments on gender roles. However, “Problem, Child” (her second-longest work) uses that device to explore the complex emotional ties between Jim and Blair . . . and the Epilogue reduces me to tears, in the best and most positive way, every single time I read it.
She also puts her own spin on the post-TSbBS relationship of Blair and Naomi in “Happy Birthday, Blair,” the complicated path to trust in “Secrets,” and what to get the person who has it all in the sweet and funny “Gifted.” All different; all well worth the trip.
One of my particular favorites (because they are all my favorites!) is a little story called “Missing You” which is found on her LJ rather than her website; read it here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/garden
door/19096.html#cutid1. It’s technically an SG1 crossover in that Daniel Jackson appears as an old friend—and lover—of Blair’s, but the core of the story is most definitely the Jim/Blair relationship. Again, this is a character study, set after “Sentinel Too, Two.” This actually is a popular moment for TS authors to explore, but the introduction of the third character allows her to mingle perceptions, thoughts, and voices in a very rewarding fashion. Again, the crafting of the story is superb, so much so that it only became apparent to me after repeated readings and never diminishes the emotional impact, however often I revisit it.
You’ll find these beautifully written, deeply felt stories at her website: http://www.geocities.com/gardendoor/
. You might want to explore her work in the other fandoms, too, as I’ve begun to do—but (although it may just be my own character preferences at work here), to me, the Sentinel stories reach a level of richness, purity of writing, and emotional resonance which leave the others in the shade. I’m hoping many of my other favorite authors in this fandom will enjoy her work as much as I continue to do.
E.T.A. 12/21/05 The sequel to "Kaleidoscope" is done. "Kaleidoscope II: Lame Wolf" will soon be available at 852 Prospect and can also be found here: http://www.geocities.com/gardendoor/ksc
ope2.html. She's done an amazing job of following through on the complexities of the original; it's yet another beautifully crafted and moving work.
So— about savoytruffle . . .
Selfishly, I'm going to start with this: I've met lots of incredibly gracious folks on LJ, and they've been really forbearing and kind about my tendency to leave long-winded, rambling comments. That said, from the very first time I ventured rather timidly into her journal to say "thanks" she's made me feel so valued and welcomed as a commenter that I've felt free to be personal and experimental and loquacious and just plain comfortable and accepted there. That's a really great thing for a newbie and permanently shy person. When I talk about her being accepting of long, personal, and possibly eccentric comments, you can see what I mean by looking at how she responded to what I dumped on her that first time I commented back last March: http://www.livejournal.com/users/savoyt
ruffle/27955.html. So I won't repeat any of that here; I'll just get to praising the stories, so you can get to enjoying them ASAP.
Personally, I love it when authors list and link to all their stories and include summaries or teasers. Here's her excellent Table of Contents: http://www.livejournal.com/users/savoyt
ruffle/46060.html. The descriptions are a perfect example of Truth in Advertising, so you can be very sure you are going to get exactly what you are looking for, out of a wide range of possible moods and plots. And to supplement that, just some hints about why I adore her work almost as much as I do her can be found below:
savoytruffle writes Spander. She writes wonderful Spander. She writes sweet, funny, sexy, real, delightful, downright delicious Spander. It may be AU that's a slight left turn from canon, or it may be all-human AU, or it may be something in between. Who cares--it's all fantastic. I think what I love most about her writing is the way she deftly combines humor and kindness and eroticism and humanity. A perfect example of this is "Waking Up": Xander comes to in a Barney-like purple demon body, and his friends don't recognize him, and the Initiative snatches him, and who should he happen to be imprisoned next to but . . . Spike. Who is the only one who can understand him when he talks in his new demon language. And it just gets even better from there. Tender, sweet, snarky, laugh-out-loud funny . . . unbeatable.
Unless, of course, it goes up against "There's Your Trouble," her current WIP, where Buffyverse Xander gets switched with AU Xander, and there are sexy Spikes in both worlds, but one Xander is out, and the other is . . . not . . . and . . . I don’t know how she’s going to end this, but I’m loving, loving, loving it. As usual. [E.T.A. 11/20/05--She's finished it! It has a perfect ending! She dedicated the final chapter to me! This is why we need a punctuation mark beyond the exclamation point . . . ]
And then there are the rather more daring pieces, with just enough sweetness to balance the kink, and sometimes a bit more angst . . . from the twisty "Fulfilling a Fantasy" to the darker "Three’s a Crowd" to the wistful "Wonderverse." I'll read plotlines from her that I'd never be attracted to otherwise, and these three are examples of that. There's a fundamental--decency--toward the characters that always attracts me and makes me understanding and caring toward them. That's an impressive gift.
And then there's "Survival Instincts" and the Xander-and-Spike in Africa tales. These are actually what brought me to her and hooked me firmly in the first place, which I think says it all. Good, good stuff!
She's such a love that she actually posted fiction for us readers in celebration of her birthday. Be sure to go to her LJ for November 16 or her Memories to read "They Tell Me It Rained"--poignant, tender, loving, and, as usual, beautifully written. She just keeps getting better and better.
You can't write about savoytruffle without noting the lovely work she's done in collaboration with reremouse. The first such that I encountered was "In From the Cold," the all-human AU I commented on at length in the thread linked to earlier in this entry. This was, indeed, a leap of faith for me, and one I'm very glad I made. While the concept of all-too-human twins named William and Spike meeting up with a non-Sunnydale, very sweet Xander who finds himself attracted to both of them is intriguing, it was also a bit emotionally risky for me. I can be a bit . . . conventional . . . in my tastes, especially regarding eroticism. (Can I say that as a person who reads so much slash? Oh, well . . .) So it's saying a lot that I find the final scene of IFTC to be incredibly tender and moving and romantic and loving . . . and, yes, very, very sexy. (Don't cheat and start at the end! You have to earn that moment to get its full emotional resonance, and, believe me, you'll enjoy every moment of the trip!) These two fine writers have now formalized their partnership; check out trufflemouse. Go there for the hot, funny, and charming "Sense and Sensibilities (Objects in the Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear)" which has Xander as the not altogether unwilling object of desire of Spike and . . . someone else.
(The Special Tribute Day for her periodic co-author reremouse won’t come around till next June 3, but that’s no reason to deny yourself: visit the Mouse!Verse now at http://www.excessant.com/mouseverse/ind
And if you're not into Spander but would love to read about the true adventures of a young American Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, Africa, visit savoytruffle’s other LJ, call_me_abide. She’s asked that we not disclose her BtVS identity there, but it's a great stop for anyone who loves effective, moving writing and a humane, warm, complex insight into a very different, yet sometimes amazingly familiar, world.
Now--go enjoy! You'll understand immediately why I say that my heart always gives a little jump for joy whenever I see something by her pop up on my friendslist.
Now that kind folks have shown me how to know when birthdays are occurring, I thought I’d try to use them as an opportunity to say “thank you” one-by-one to all these wonderful folks on my flist . . . and maybe introduce their great writing to the other fabulous people on my flist. My apologies to those of you whose birthdays are on the wrong side of November 10 . . . you’ll have a bit of a wait, but I’ll do my best to keep up and get to you when your birthday pops up. (And the shy?discreet?private? people who don’t have birthdays listed—I’ll tuck you in during the weeks or months where there’s a gap.)
So . . . in case you don't already adore nwhepcat, some of the many reasons to do so are discussed at length below:
I got into BtVS fiction mainly via http://www.allaboutspike.com, so I was pretty Spike-centric at first. Spuffy, then Spander (see, I always liked Xander too!), then some Spangel, but not much Spawn (except friendship—as a teacher, the underage thing squicked me big-time). But I kept reading references to this “Xander author” nwhepcat by authors I really admired. Plus, I’m a former Pacific Northwest resident myself, though decidedly unhep, so I loved the name. I finally dipped a toe into “Lilac City” one evening when it was, as I later wrote her, “one of those generally crummy weeks where your perfectly good life just doesn't seem worth the effort” and I was feeling not-quite-depressed but close enough. When I surfaced after being swept along into this wonderful, complex, humane story, I felt inspired to pick myself up, stiffen my spine, and get back to being of some use in the world—inspired by her Xander and how he builds himself a new life after the fall of Sunnydale. He may try to bury himself as a manager of a market in Spokane, but goodness and courage and character will out, despite his own intentions. Fiction is its own justification, but for those of us who are perhaps overly fond of things having deeper meaning, I’ll just say that this story gave me something I really, really needed at an important moment . . . and I didn’t even realize it was happening, because I was so caught up in the events and characters.
From there, I blazed through the rest of her website, trying hard to pace myself so that I could enjoy each “first time” as a special and separate event . . . but it wasn’t easy to go slow. She’s obviously well-known for and brilliant at writing Xander and Faith. She can make you understand and like Anya and Riley. She’s also created some of the most vital and appealing original characters I’ve encountered: Jenny Grimaldi, inspired by that snippet of the young ball-player in “Chosen,” holds a special place of honor in my heart, as does the completely different but equally real and appealing young New Zealand runner Kallie—first appearing in “This Little Light” and joining Jenny, introduced in the story named for her, in “Xander’s Slayers.”
I’ve mentioned how well she writes Faith—how about Faith and Willow? How about a perfect character study which reveals so much about both of these oh-so-different women and also, as an apparently casual aside, helps you understand why art really matters? Try “Annunciation.” It is exquisitely perfect.
I said I had trouble with Dawn and sex? Not a grown-up Dawn confronting her problematical origins with the help of the Xander we all knew he could be. Great Oz, too. Read “Indelible.”
Want to get to know a Wes who manages to get baby Connor away safely and learns about the joys and worst possible heartaches of fatherhood? You need to read “What Gets Left Behind” and its sequel “Three Fathers.” It will break your heart, and you won’t be able to stop reading it.
And in the current “Keeper of the Book,” she’s brought together Wes and Xander and Spike and a touch of Willow and Giles and perhaps the most fully developed Anne, guardian of the shelter kids—and again, the voices and the characters and the plotting all come together just exactly right. I love a great Wes-centric story that still gets Spike just the way I love him, even as a minor character.
The problem is that I can’t really identify just one or two of her stories as my favorites—if asked, I’d always have to say, “The one she’s writing now,” because each one is original, distinctive, and real. Not to mention superbly written! I’m going to quote a bit more from my thank-you note to her: “You have a style which is so beautifully effortless that it is invisible--that is to say, the heart and soul of the story comes through without the reader being distracted by the thought, ‘I'm reading a really well-done story here!’ precisely because it IS so well done. And you use that craft to tell stories that have meaning and substance, as well as/not merely fantastic plotting. (I keep alternating the words ‘craft’ and ‘gift’ as I write this sentence because I don't want to minimize either your talent or your skill.)”
So, thank you, nwhepcat, for going and getting yourself born and then growing up and now gifting us with such beautiful, meaningful, downright enjoyable work. If all my much-less-skilled wordiness introduces just one more person to your writing, I’ll have done my good deed for the week!
Or, if you prefer the short version: Go! Read her stories! Save them! Read them again and again! You will be very, very glad you did.
You’ll find her stories here:
Her Holiday wishes to four authors:
Iky, Jael Lyn, Susan Foster, and sheffield
. . . and a special treat for the TS gen readers on my flist (and those slashers who enjoy an occasional change of pace). Here are four authors whose writings I've really enjoyed discovering over these past months. They are all slightly different from each other, but all have created realistic, intriguing stories (whether canon or AU or very AU) which have given me a great deal of pleasure and entertainment.
Although lky is indeed on LJ, she doesn't have a birthday listed—so this gets to be her day! I first found her through a recommendation by the ever-helpful starwatcher307, my first and always guide to All Things Sentinel. You can start with the standalones, and then she has separately indexed her "Dry Falls Chronicles" with her inimitable OC, Blair's Uncle Buck. Especially in the Uncle Buck stories, Blair seems fairly young, but certainly bright, capable, and not unduly vulnerable, and the mentoring aspect is strong. Many stories work as standalones, but be aware that the most recently posted story is very much a cliff-hanger. If you'd rather not wait on tenterhooks, the good news is that there also are plenty of fine standalone stores. The fact that I can't point to one over the others as a favorite is actually quite a compliment; the quality and interest level were consistently high. So pick one to start with by your preference of length and plot summary! You can find these fine stories at: http://smorgasbord.phpwebhosting.com/lk
And the wonderful alyburns recommended a holiday story by Jael Lyn the other day which I enjoyed so much that I pursued her, finding her website at http://www.idol-pursuits.tv/jaellyn.htm
A couple of Jael Lyn's stories are set in the intriguing GDP universe of Susan Foster, and that site can be found here: http://www.susans-stories.co.uk/content
And, last but not least, I found yet another author who writes both gen and slash: you'll find sheffield’s gen stories at the top of the page at http://angeltowns2.net/sheffield/sentin
So, I hope this has been helpful for the TS gen readers on my flist . . . and those willing to give it a try! I've certainly been successfully avoiding getting my grading done by reading and re-reading these authors this week. And it's only fair to pass temptation on, right?
(Whenever I have the time or it's a "slow birthday month," I'm going to continue to slip in recs and tributes for LJ and non-LJ authors who don't have birthdays listed. Hope that's helpful! I know it's a treat for me to do.) |
Getting to a point where I could simply read words like those in the meme below — without getting offended or angry; without superimposing a lifetime of indoctrinated filters that demanded I defensively bluster about the audacity of anyone who dared speak ill of my faith, or the Pope, or Jesus — took me a long time.
Seriously. I used to get angry if I heard anyone utter the slightest dissent to Catholicism.
But I was trained to think that was a good response to thoughts that challenged my indoctrination. I was trained to believe I already possessed truth in its fullness, and my only job was to defend it.
It is not.
Try it. Try reading this “meme” for the word value only. If you’re a Catholic, strip away the desire to protect an existing belief. Squelch the desire to say, “This is absurd because I KNOW the truth of my faith.” Repress your desire to see the word “imbecile” or “lunatic” as a personal attack on you and your identity. Tamp down your appeals to authority and history and tradition.
Can you be objective when it’s your belief?
Short of flashing the trump card of indoctrination, “Because I’ve been taught otherwise,” how is the belief in transubstantiation any different than adopting a belief in Elvis and pancakes, or in the flying spaghetti monster, or aliens?
Oh, I know, there will be a rush of “sophisticated theologians” pushing forward to dismiss the idea. “Cartoonish caricature of religion,” they’ll say.
But it is not: I was taught (as were most if not all Catholics) that transubstantiation is the literal conversion of the host and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.
Can you get to a place where, objectively, you can say, “Yes… this is a fair point.”
A place where you don’t defend your tribe?
When I was finally able to stand outside myself and look objectively at the words I had been taught to defend, I was free. |
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I don't jive with memes. I remember back when people showed me the "I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER" memes a decade ago, but it took me quite a while to "get" them. For a while, I enjoyed them on Facebook or Twitter, but now when I see a meme-like image with a quote on it, I just scroll past it. They're not worth my time or mental investment.
However, my current English 11 class has confronted my habits and bias head-on: they are deeply involved and invested in meme-based thinking. Their quips and inside jokes are largely meme-ish. The class has pushed my mind into deeper thinking about how memes work and why I seem to sluff them off so much. I've found myself saying to the class, "Memes stop deeper thought," or "Memes end a nuanced conversation before we can get to the meat of it," or "Memes put down a flag before you've even reached the field," or "Memes make an in-out group mentality where it's not useful." I don't know if this sort of thinking really works, but it seems like my thoughts coalesce around "Memes stop thought."
While reading the print edition of The Globe and Mail last week, I saw an article that made reference to the following book, Memes and the Future of Pop Culture, by Marcel Danesi. It looks like it's gonna' be a good book.
The article from The Globe and Mail, "Malls, bowling alleys, and the places of our youth are disappearing. Where do we go for a nostalgic place?" by Odessa Paloma Parker, describes part of Danesi's book like this:
Danesi is the author of the recently published book Memes and the Future of Popular Culture, a work that explores how “meme culture” could bring about the end of pop culture – movie theatres, etc. – as we know it; he describes popular culture as “an experiment that may be coming to an end as we shift away from real spaces into virtual spaces.” If you think about what nostalgia means to a millennial, he’s on to something. Ferrao explains that the younger staff at Superflux have a twinge when it comes to older technology, much like she would catching a glimpse of shag carpeting or another symbol of a certain generation’s collective youth. Those even younger, under 20, might not even know how to ascribe a parallel set of emotions to a tangibly familiar place as to an evocative one, as Ferrao has done with the Barbican.
Hm. I wonder, perhaps, if my tendency to dismiss meme-thinking stems from my pop-culture stewardship. As I read the part of Danesi's book that's available through Google Books, I couldn't help but think "I get that," over and over again. But meme culture is something new, something that follows different rules, that exists in a temporal space different from my pop culture conditioning.
The thing is, I have no interest at all at playing with a culture that aims to score points by stopping conversation for a laugh, or for virtue-signalling points. So perhaps I don't belong in meme culture. I look forward to getting a copy of Danesi's book somehow.
And I have yet one more piece of data to support the following statement: I'm old.
I will be playing at the Valentine's Dinner at the Hot Springs Villa and Restaurant in Harrison Hot Springs on... wait for it... Valentine's Day. As a result, I need to learn how to play some proper love songs.
Here's "Take My Breath Away," a song I clearly remember enjoying as a kid, feeling like it was a good-quality song overall. As a kid, I couldn't hear just how dated the synthesizers were, how oddly repetitive the lyrics were, and just how weird the song was.
So I gave it a little bit of a bossa rhythm, which I consider... appropriate.
Here's the original. Berlin have re-recorded it a few times, so it's important to make sure you listen to this official video-version. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't overdub a different version of the song on the "official" video.
Didn't realize that Moroder was a co-writer until I printed it off. Cool, Here's the best Moroder thing:
The other night, while I took Rosita for a walk, Brandi Carlile's "The Story" began to play on my headphones.
"The Story" is one of my ex's songs. For years, she loved it and adored it and sang along with it whenever she could. I remember it was one of the songs she wanted me to teach her on the guitar. It's a gorgeous song fleshed with loads of common imagery and Carlile's performance meshes perfectly with the content.
But I don't think it was one of "our songs." It was her song. So of course it sent me deep into the dregs of nostalgic reverie.
We walked down the aisle, just over ten years ago, to Pierce Pettis' "You Move Me."
Our first "date," if you could call it that, was a Pierce Pettis basement show in Delta, BC, back in January or so of 2006. It was only appropriate that we'd walk down the aisle to the song.
And it was appropriate because she did move me for a long time. I'd like to think that our relationship lived up to the ideals that the song promoted. I mean, read it:
But now I'm back on the couch, taking the therapy, heart hanging out. And I guess I'll never get to listen to the song the same again.
Every once in a while, I come across a book from my childhood and I try to introduce it to my daughters. And I'm almost always disappointed at how they just don't seem impressed.
This is one such book:
From that book, I learned about Esperanto, Andorra, Alfred Nobel, and the history of candy. I read its articles over and over again and used it in school projects. This book and books like it were my bread and butter for learning and company at home.
There's a long tradition of books like this one:
And here are a few that I've bought for my classroom: my Grade 7s in particular choose them for silent reading time.
So why don't I read them very often anymore?
I blame the Internet.
Because these books were the Internet before the Internet. These books were a wealth of information that a person just might be looking for. There seemed to be so many times when I would wonder something, crack open one of these books, scour the Table of Contents and the Index, and actually find an article that addressed my curiosity. The writing was always edited carefully and written in a lively, interactive tone. They were perfect for knowledge-seekers like me,
Now I first go to the Internet and these books often lay dormant. I feel a little bit o' melancholy about it, as if something's been lost. But that's probably just me being a sucker for nostalgia.
Which isn't all bad. But I miss the careful editing. The Internet's slapdash chaos is useful for finding specifics, but nothing beats good editing and copy for getting big ideas across.
Noisey posted this documentary on December 1, 2016, I Saw The Light. I watched it today. It's a well-made little film about Christian evangelical culture's relationship with music.
I attended a few Christian festivals with my church youth group: Sonfest in Abbotsford and Jesus Northwest in Vancouver, Washington, both in the mid-90s. As a Christian teenager, I had a good time at those festivals. I admit that I enjoyed the concert elements far more than preaching or "worship," so perhaps I didn't get the full experience as described in the documentary. But I remember feeling really good and meeting lots of other Christians who introduced me to really great music. I still listen to some of that music, even 20 years later, even after my faith has long gone.
A few days ago, I was filling up a couple booklets with CDs for my car. Going through the old CDs—all on spools at this point—I was a little bit floored that I had such a significant Christian music collection: Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Daniel Amos, Starflyer 59, etc.. I'll probably keep those CDs forever; they're an essential part of my collection.
Funny thing is, I've had The Hold Steady's "Chillout Tent" running through my head for the last few days, which tells a very different music festival story. Enjoy:
Should I feel guilty about enjoying this lovely, melodic, narrative drug-trip song? The Ottawa School Board might think so.
Makes me wonder what the Shewens are up to these days.
YouTube: ephemeral ideas
Amazon | DailyMotion
DeviantArt | Duolingo | Flickr | FVRL | Kik
LinkedIn | MeetUp | MySpace
Playstation | Reddit | Snapchat
Spotify | The Internet Archive
Tinder | Vimeo | VK | WattPad |
Primarily, I suspect, due to the fact that I have not been a writer of any sort for all that long.
As you may have noted my previously limited experience has become far less limited in recent weeks; much to my dismay.
But I have a plan. Which I will share with you upon its completion tomorrow.
In the mean time I offer you the classic internet content placeholder; adorable kitten meme. |
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In Becky Better’s universe the immortal, unaging, fifty-something, human, Senator Michele Bachmann also didn’t say that the Bible was written in English, and neither did that world’s Texas governor
After Coca-Cola aired a multilingual Super Bowl ad, a photo-quotation circulated on Facebook suggesting that U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., disapproved.
The Coke ad, featuring “America the Beautiful” sung in seven languages, provoked a backlash on Twitter and criticism from conservatives who objected to hearing parts of the patriotic song performed in tongues other than English.
“If English was good enough for Jesus when he wrote the Bible it should be good enough for Coke,” Bachmann is quoted as saying in the graphic posted Feb. 3, 2014, by “Christians for Michele Bachmann.” It attributes the alleged quote to a Fox News appearance that same day.
Bachmann spokesman Dan Kotman told us by email, “Congresswoman Bachmann never said that quote, and actually didn’t even appear on Fox News that day. It’s 100 percent fake.”
It’s fake — and not even new. A hoax-debunking blog called Waffles at Noon collected 2013 versions of the Bachmann meme in a Feb. 4, 2014, post, and said the earliest one also bore the logo of “Christians for Michele Bachmann,” which it described as a satirical Facebook page.
But it didn’t start with Bachmann. We found that the “Bible written in English” line is so old it was used to make fun of Texas’ 1925-27 governor, Miriam Ferguson, to whom versions have also been attributed.
And it’s even older than that, tracing back to at least 1881.
Wall Street Journal language columnist Benjamin Zimmer investigated the “Bible in English” meme in an April 29, 2006, post on a linguists’ blog at the University of Pennsylvania.
The oldest iterations, he wrote, were jokes about an 1881 translation of the Bible, rather than about the English language specifically.
Zimmer cited a May 23, 1881, New York Times story about clergymen’s reactions to the new Bible. One preacher, the story says, told his congregation a joke that ended thus: ” ’What’s the matter with the good old King James version?’ the farmer replied. ‘That was good enough for St. Paul, and it’s good enough for me.’ “
Word sleuth Barry Popik of New York, a onetime Texas resident who has compiled an online etymological dictionary, investigated the Texas connection in an Aug. 10, 2006, post on his website.
Popik wrote that quotations such as “If English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for Texas” were attributed to Ferguson or her husband, also a former governor, as commentary on a period of Texas history when there was controversy over public schools teaching in Spanish.
The Facebook post claims Bachmann said, “If English was good enough for Jesus when he wrote the Bible, it should be good enough for Coke.”
It’s a line so old, you’d have thought its fizz was gone. Pants on Fire!
PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.
Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. |
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If you ever want to get off the beaten path and connect with some beautiful wolves, try Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA Tip: Get there early, tickets sell out fast and they have very limited hours. Also, if it rains, the show doesn’t happen.
A portrait of Arrow and Argus:
And some days, you get a raspberry blown to you.
This is the month where the Thunder-beings really put on a show. They knocked my electricity out one afternoon, so I went to chase them. Here’s a couple lucky strikes. Stay cool, stay safe, stay inspired.
This particular night, the sound of thunder interrupted me as I was drifting off to dreamland… this one shook the window of my fortress. (I was safely inside, the view from my second floor bedroom.) The lightning was white hot, and brighter than paparazzi flash bulbs.
I crossed off a bucket list item. I’ve been wanting to see the sites in Iceland for over 15 years. It’s become very popular now to say that you’ve been to Iceland. The people there openly state that tourism has now become their number one source of income, but the growth has been overwhelming. One tour guide stated that last year was the first year she worked year round. The FlyBus schedule seems to operate pretty much on time, there’s some confusion to drop off / pick up / change to a smaller bus, but they do their best to communicate everything to you.
Being in Reykjavik during the summer is quite extraordinary. The sun does not set. I could see the midnight sun from my airplane window. The sun hits the horizon, lingers there for an hour, then begins to rise. At one in the morning, it’s perfectly acceptable to be walking around town. And on the weekends, the bars (and loud dance clubs) stay open until 4:30 a.m. A good portion of the buildings are covered in what looks like large scale graffiti. It was done intentionally, by artists, as part of a huge music festival in 2011. Each building represents lyrics to a song.
Shopping is interesting. Each store seemed to be catering to my age group (34-46 hehe) by blasting 80s music. They’re really big on Hall and Oats. Why? That’s a mystery I didn’t solve. If you are looking for wool, you’ll find it here. Wool hats, mittens, capes, socks, and underwear.
Everyone was walking around in light winter jackets, boots or sneakers. I did not see one opened toed shoe for days. I wore flip flops to the hotel buffet breakfast one morning, and my feet got stares. Toe shaming?? Is that…possible?
Food is expensive, lunch easily ran $25.00 and dinner $40.00 for one person. I was not prepared for that. I even tried to eat on the cheap — fries were $6.00 and a simple egg salad sandwich was about $12.00
I bumped into some great people while dining. A group of four women from Sweden who were celebrating their 40th anniversary of first meeting in Iceland during a back packing trip; a Turkish couple who exchanged heart felt sympathies about bombings and terrorism and wondered my opinions of it (at the end of the conversation we were all saying “One life lost is too many”); an autistic boy and his parents – who were there to see galleries and opera, while the son explained to me in detail ball lightning, and when I showed him my photograph of the lightning storm in The Netherlands he asked his parents if that’s where they could go next.
The tourists were polite. And the locals welcoming.
If I go again, I would rent a car and see the sites on my own terms / pace. The bus tours were good, but didn’t allow for much time to be spent in one place. Being a photographer, I like to wait, spend time with an area, see the changes the light makes to the mountains, etc. Instead, I had to make do with the weather and light that happened. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I would have preferred more time.
(Taken out the window of a bus, we didn’t stop, we were hurrying to get to the next location…)
Kerkrade, The Netherlands – Mercury has reached the feel like temp 104 degrees. It’s humid. I’m on my third shower. I’ve a pounding travel headache that just won’t quit. I’m going to bed….
About an hour after I turned my face to the fan, I opened my eyes to what I thought was flashbulbs. There was no thunder. I opened the windows to my room and noticed the dramatic drop in temperature. Then… the rain. It was an electric storm like I’ve never seen before.
I didn’t think I’d have have time to setup my tripod, so I just sat really still with my shutter open, hoping to catch some of the dramatic skies. Little did I know that lightning would streak across the sky for a full 45 minutes.
There’s something magical about a field of wildflowers. It’s soothing to watch these delicate, tall flowers wave in the breeze. This particular field was home to hot yellow finches.
I hope you enjoy this little video that I put together, a combination of photo stills and brief video clips.
Breathe in… breathe out…. find beauty everywhere.
I love to laugh. Tie it into photography and it makes me giggle even more. Here’s the meme I stumbled into that make me think about my style… I’m a little bit rock concert, a little bit peek-a-boo.
In June 2016, I decided to give some dedicated time to upgrading my own website since my services and offerings have changed over the past couple of years.
My website now will focus purely on photography. Before, it was a mish-mashed blend of freelance graphic and web-design samples, photography, dreamwork, etc. I can still send you an online portfolio of examples of my design work…. but since I am now employed full time, I can only accept freelance web and graphic design projects on a case-by-case basis. These are generally smaller projects, like advertising design, book covers, postcards and other marketing material. I have met some amazing designers along the road, and if I happen not to be available, I will proudly refer you to them.
My intention is to shift towards photography lessons, workshops, travel — in my spare time. This keeps me creative, balanced, happy! Teaching and connecting with others is a joy — watching creativity unfold and reaching aha! moments are a pleasure. Plus, I love to travel. So why not incorporate all of that.
In 2013 I became a certified, card carrying, PRESS photographer again — with a focus on the Travel and Tourism industry.
I was just notified that a Every Door Direct campaign invitation that I designed for the 150th Birthday Party for Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster, MA was awarded a second place prize in the category “Advertisement” by the Massachusetts Library Association.
Thayer Memorial Library received Second Place in the category Advertisement for its Birthday Invitation which was sent to every household in Lancaster to recognize 150 years of public service. Library Director Joseph Mulé was presented with a certificate by MLA Public Relations Committee at the PR Awards Ceremony. Mr. Mulé mentioned, “This is the first time in recent memory the Library has been recognized in this way”, upon learning about the award. He added, “We’re honored to receive this prestigious award”.
(Thank you Kim Gallahue Tellert for the referral.)
November 21, 2011
Lost but Not Forgotten. On September 10th, RICJ commemorated the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at the Wall of Hope. Family members of Rhode Islanders who perished carried torches to begin that evening’s WaterFire, and RICJ announced the commission of a new artwork installation to be created by local artist, Nicole Cooney, that will bear the names and faces of the 12 Rhode Islanders whose lives were lost in the attack on 9/11. Throughout the following month the art project was successfully funded through Kickstarter—we will report more details in the next newsletter. The following are photos from the event, courtesy of Laura Atkinson. |
He Is All That He Is
This is how God reveals Himself to Moses. It is a foundational text, quoted and alluded to repeatedly throughout the Bible. There is a lot you could say about it, but I want to focus on one aspect: it tells us something crucial about how we talk about God.
First, keep in mind that when you see "Lord" in those verses, that is Yahweh, the name God gives to Himself. While He uses it as a divine name, it is also a word in Hebrew, a word translated "I Am" or "I Will Be." This matters because, in passages like this one, it gives a specific twist to the language. God is stating "I am..." and then ascribing these descriptions, these attributes to Himself. So mercy and grace (and also justice, not clearing the guilty) aren't just ideas about some part of God; He is claiming that He is them. He embodies them.
To see why this matters, let's name the thing about this verse that makes us uncomfortable. We all like the first part of it, and rightly so. It is a beautiful thought that God, in the moment of His appearing, would declare steadfast love and forgiveness as the essence of who He is. Yet we often pause uncomfortably before the last bit of verse 7. Not clearing the guilty? Visiting iniquity of the fathers on the children?
Obviously some of that comes from a general discomfort with the idea of divine justice. It makes us uncomfortable, it sounds judgey (because, you know, in a proper sense it is), and it's hard to fit on a bumper sticker or inspirational Facebook meme. While that discussion about divine justice matters, we should save it for another post.
What I want to focus on is the second reason we struggle with how that passage ends - we don't get how it fits together. We have some sense that the first set of attributes, mercy and grace and love and faithfulness, might all in a sense be synonymous, or at least so closely related as to be saying roughly the same thing. We come to the last part, though, and we feel like there is some contradiction there. "Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty."
This tension confronts us in other ways as well. "God is love," 1 John 4:8 tells us. People often quote that, and even more reason from it to other ideas. "God is love," therefore He must do what I want. Therefore we must file off His rough edges. After all, that is an absolute statement. It's not just saying that God loves sometimes - it's saying that God is love.
The problem is, this isn't the only absolute statement you find in Scripture. “God is holy,” says the Psalmist (Psalm 99:9). “God is just,” says Paul (2 Thessalonians 1:6). “God is a consuming fire, a jealous God,” says Moses. (Deuteronomy 4:24) All of these statements are given as equally full and definite. God is all of these things. Which of course hearkens back to this language from Exodus. "I AM a God gracious and merciful..."
What do we do with this tension? How do we resolve these ideas of God as love and holy and just and a jealous fire?
Our tendency is to "resolve" them by pitting them against each other. It's there in the simplistic way some Christians explain the gospel - "Because God was just, He couldn't ignore our sin, even though in love He really wanted to. So in order to keep the just part of Himself happy, God sent Jesus to die." Which isn't exactly wrong - there is a sense in which both divine love and divine justice are expressed in Jesus - but is incredibly misleading.
What we end up portraying is a conflicted God. A mirror, perhaps, for our own conflicted hearts. This causes two problems. One, it makes God less than the God of Scripture - this torn, hand-wringing being is hardly the perfect, glorious One who demands our praise. And two, we tend to inevitably take one side or the other. Ultimately, we feel, God must be either loving or just, either gracious or holy. Which leads us to implicitly deny that the other is the case.
The error in all of this lies with the original assumption - that there is a tension within God.
What is striking about Exodus 34 is that there is no hesitation on God's part before the last part of verse 7. Rather, if reads more like clarification. God starts by declaring His love - then, concerned it might be misunderstood, He makes clear that this love doesn't negate justice. The two are not contradictions or tensions - they are simply both expressions of who God is.
When we talk about God's attributes, we aren't talking about pieces of God. God isn't a committee of attributes, with mercy and grace bickering with justice and wrath until love breaks in to break the tie or something. God is perfectly Himself. He is fully each of those things - mercy and grace and justice and wrath and love.
Those words aren't ideas that have power over God. He does not think to Himself, "Oops, I'm not being very loving. Better work on that. Oh, now I'm veering to far away from justice. Time for a bit more fire and brimstone." God is God, and love is then a way we as human beings describe Him. It is really true of Him - He is really loving - but not because love defines Him but because He defines love.
All of which should remind us of two things.
First, we need to always be seeking to take God on His terms. He comes to us as He is, and it is the worst sort of sin to then seek to remake Him as we want Him to be. Indeed, when speaking about Him, we must alter our definitions of the words we use to accurately reflect it. If love means that God cannot be holy, it is our definition of love - not God's holiness - that must change. If our definition of justice doesn't allow God to be merciful, it is our definition of justice - not God's mercy - that must be reexamined.
Second, we need to be careful when we speak about God at all. Not that we shouldn't speak - we absolutely should. But all of the above is a stern warning against our own idolatry. Humans since the beginning have been in the habit of redefining God to make Him fit our own ideas. "Did God really say...?" asked the Serpent, and from that point on we have been tempted to make Him fit our preferences.
God is beyond our comprehension. He is perfect Being, and our words are only crude gestures at describing Him. Yet He is also who and what He Is. So we should never act like we've got Him figured out. Instead, we should be constantly seeking to let ourselves be challenged by Him.
This is the test we should apply to our hearts. When we are reading Scripture, our question shouldn't be "how does this prove we are right," but rather "how does this show us we are wrong?" When we think about God, we should be asking, "Does this make me unsettled? Does this transcend my comprehension?" If there isn't a sense in which it does, we should be very worried. Being comfortable with God, having Him all figured out - those are good signs we are worshipping not the God who Is but a god of our own invention. |
We all understand that 2020 has been a full paradigm shift season for the fintech universe (not to bring up the majority of the world.)
Our financial infrastructure of the world has been forced to the limits of its. As a result, fintech companies have often stepped up to the plate or perhaps arrive at the road for good.
Join the business leaders of yours during the Finance Magnates Virtual Summit 2020: Register and vote for the FMLS awards
As the end of the season is found on the horizon, a glimmer of the wonderful over and above that is 2021 has begun taking shape.
Finance Magnates requested the pros what’s on the selection for the fintech universe. Here’s what they stated.
#1: A change in Perception Jackson Mueller, director of policy as well as government relations at Securrency, told Finance Magnates that just about the most important fashion in fintech has to do with the method that individuals witness the own fiscal lives of theirs.
Mueller explained that the pandemic and also the resulting shutdowns across the world led to more people asking the question what’s my fiscal alternative’? In alternative words, when jobs are shed, when the economic climate crashes, once the idea of money’ as the majority of us discover it is essentially changed? what in that case?
The greater this pandemic carries on, the more at ease folks will become with it, and the better adjusted they will be towards new or alternative methods of financing (lending, payments, wealth management, digital assets, et cetera), Mueller said.
We’ve already seen an escalation in the usage of and comfort level with renewable methods of payments that are not cash-driven or perhaps fiat-based, as well as the pandemic has sped up this change even more, he included.
After all, the wild changes that have rocked the global economic climate all through the year have helped an enormous change in the perception of the stability of the global monetary system.
Jackson Mueller, Director of Government and Policy Relations at Securrency.
In fact, Mueller believed that a single casualty’ of the pandemic has been the viewpoint that the current financial system of ours is actually much more than capable of dealing with & responding to abrupt economic shocks led by the pandemic.
In the post-Covid world, it’s my expectation that lawmakers will take a deeper look at just how already stressed payments infrastructures and insufficient means of delivery negatively impacted the economic scenario for large numbers of Americans, even further exacerbating the harmful side-effects of Covid 19 beyond just healthcare to economic welfare.
Any post-Covid assessment must think about just how modern platforms as well as technological advancements are able to perform an outsized job in the global reaction to the next economic shock.
#2: Is the Increasing Popularity of Cryptocurrencies 2021’s Most Important’ Fintech Trend?
One of the beneficiaries of the shift in the perception of the traditional financial planet is actually the cryptocurrency space.
Ian Balina, founder and chief executive of Token Metrics, told Finance Magnates that he sees the adoption as well as recognition of cryptocurrencies as the most important growth of fintech in the year in front. Token Metrics is actually an AI driven cryptocurrency analysis organization that makes use of artificial intelligence to enhance crypto indices, positions, and cost predictions.
The most important fintech fashion in 2021 will be cryptocurrencies, Balina said. We anticipate bitcoin to surpass its prior all time high and go more than $20k a Bitcoin. It will draw on mainstream press attention bitcoin has not experienced since December 2017.
Ian Balina, founder as well as chief executive of Token Metrics.
Balina pointed to a number of the latest high profile crypto investments from institutional investors as evidence that crypto is actually poised for a strong year: the crypto landscape designs is a great deal more mature, with solid endorsements from renowned organizations such as PayPal, Square, Facebook, JP Morgan, and Samsung, he stated.
Gregory Keough, Founder of the DMM Foundation, the group behind the DeFi Money Market (DMM), also believes that crypto is going to continue to play an increasingly critical job of the year forward.
Keough additionally pointed to recent institutional investments by widely recognized businesses as incorporating mainstream niche validation.
After the pandemic has passed, digital assets are going to be a great deal more incorporated into the monetary systems of ours, maybe even creating the basis for the global economy with the adoption of central bank digital currencies (Increasing use and cbdcs) of stablecoins as USDC in decentralized financial (DeFi) methods, Keough claimed.
Founder, chief executive, and anti Danilevski of Kick Ecosystem and KickEX exchange, additionally commented that cryptocurrencies will additionally continue to distribute as well as achieve mass penetration, as these assets are not difficult to buy and distribute, are internationally decentralized, are a good way to hedge chances, and in addition have enormous development potential.
Gregory Keough, Founder of the DMM Foundation.
#3: P2P-Based Financial Services Will Play a far more Important Role Than ever before Both in and external part of cryptocurrency, a number of analysts have identified the increasing importance and popularity of peer-to-peer (p2p) financial services.
Beni Hakak, chief executive and co-founder of LiquidApps, told Finance Magnates that the progression of peer-to-peer systems is actually using opportunities and empowerment for buyers all over the world.
Hakak specifically pointed to the job of p2p fiscal solutions os’s developing countries’, because of their power to offer them a pathway to get involved in capital markets and upward social mobility.
From P2P lending platforms to automated assets exchange, distributed ledger technology has empowered a multitude of novel programs and business models to flourish, Hakak believed.
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Operating the growth is actually an industry wide change towards lean’ distributed programs that don’t consume substantial resources and could enable enterprise-scale uses for instance high-frequency trading.
Within the cryptocurrency environment, the rise of p2p devices mainly refers to the increasing visibility of decentralized financing (DeFi) devices for providing services such as asset trading, lending, and making interest.
DeFi ease-of-use is consistently improving, and it is just a matter of time before volume as well as user base can serve or even even triple in size, Keough claimed.
Beni Hakak, chief executive and co founder of LiquidApps.
#4: Investment Apps Continue to Onboard More and more New Users DeFi based cryptocurrency assets also received massive amounts of acceptance throughout the pandemic as a part of another critical trend: Keough pointed out that online investments have skyrocketed as more people look for out added sources of passive income as well as wealth production.
Token Metrics’ Ian Balina pointed to the influx of new retail investors and traders that has crashed into fintech due to the pandemic. As Keough said, new retail investors are actually searching for brand new ways to produce income; for most, the mixture of stimulus money and additional time at home led to first time sign ups on expense operating systems.
For instance, Robinhood perceived viral development with new investors trading Dogecoin, a meme cryptocurrency, based on content produced on TikTok, Ian Balina said. This audience of new investors will become the future of committing. Post pandemic, we expect this new class of investors to lean on investment analysis through social media os’s strongly.
#5: The Institutionalization of Bitcoin as a corporate Treasury Tool’ In addition to the commonly greater degree of interest in cryptocurrencies that appears to be cultivating into 2021, the task of Bitcoin in institutional investing also appears to be starting to be progressively more important as we approach the new year.
Seamus Donoghue, vice president of sales as well as business enhancement at METACO, told Finance Magnates that the most important fintech direction is going to be the improvement of Bitcoin as the world’s almost all sought after collateral, as well as its deepening integration with the mainstream economic system.
Seamus Donoghue, vice president of product sales as well as business enhancement at METACO.
Whether or not the pandemic has passed or not, institutional choice operations have modified to this new normal’ sticking to the very first pandemic shock in the spring. Indeed, online business planning in banks is essentially again on track and we see that the institutionalization of crypto is actually within a significant inflection point.
Broadening adoption of Bitcoin as a corporate treasury tool, as well as a speed in retail and institutional investor desire and stable coins, is actually appearing as a disruptive force in the transaction area will move Bitcoin and much more broadly crypto as an asset type into the mainstream within 2021.
This can drive need for solutions to properly integrate this new asset class into financial firms’ center infrastructure so they can properly save as well as control it as they do any other asset category, Donoghue said.
Indeed, the integration of cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin into conventional banking systems is actually a particularly hot topic in the United States. Earlier this particular year, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published a letter clarifying that national banks and federal savings associations are legally permitted to have custody of cryptocurrency assets.
#6: More Collaboration by Fintech Regulators; The Death of Analog Regulations’ On top of the OCC’s July announcement, Securrency’s Jackson Mueller likewise sees additional necessary regulatory innovations on the fintech horizon in 2021.
Heading into 2021, and whether or not the pandemic is still available, I think you view a continuation of two fashion at the regulatory fitness level that will further make it possible for FinTech growth and proliferation, he said.
First, a continued focus and attempt on the facet of state and federal regulators to review analog regulations, especially laws which require in person touch, and integrating digital alternatives to streamline these requirements. In another words, regulators will more than likely continue to review as well as update needs that presently oblige specific parties to be literally present.
Some of these changes currently are short-term in nature, however, I anticipate the options will be formally followed as well as integrated into the rulebooks of banking and securities regulators moving ahead, he stated.
The next pattern which Mueller considers is a continued efforts on the aspect of regulators to join together to harmonize polices that are similar in nature, but disparate in the way regulators require firms to adhere to the rule(s).
It means that the patchwork’ of fintech legislation which at the moment exists across fragmented jurisdictions (like the United States) will will begin to become more single, and subsequently, it is easier to get through.
The past several days have evidenced a willingness by financial services regulators at federal level or the state to come in concert to clarify or harmonize regulatory frameworks or support gear problems pertinent to the FinTech spot, Mueller said.
Because of the borderless nature’ of FinTech and the velocity of marketplace convergence across several previously siloed verticals, I foresee discovering more collaborative work initiated by regulatory agencies who seek to hit the correct balance between accountable innovation and understanding and soundness.
#7: The Continuing Fintechization’ of Everything KickEX exchange’s Anti Danilevski pointed to the continuing fintechization of everybody and everything – deliveries, cloud storage space services, and so on, he stated.
Indeed, this specific fintechization’ has been in progress for quite a while now. Financial services are everywhere: commuter routes apps, food ordering apps, business membership accounts, the list goes on and on.
And this trend is not slated to stop in the near future, as the hunger for information grows ever much stronger, having a direct line of access to users’ private finances has the potential to offer massive brand new avenues of earnings, including highly sensitive (and highly valuable) personal details.
Anti Danilevsky, chief executive and founding father of Kick Ecosystem and KickEX exchange.
But, as Daniel P. Simon, chairman of the Museum of American Finance communications board, pointed out to Finance Magnates earlier this season, companies have to b extremely careful before they come up with the leap into the fintech world.
Tech wants to move right away and break things, but this mindset does not translate very well to financial, Simon said. |
This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. It asks three questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?
I’m currently reading The House of Hidden Wonders by Sharon Gosling. It’s an amazing book – deeply immersive with wonderful characters. The main character Zinnie is just incredible, and I love her interactions with known historical figures.
I’ve finished reading Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver. OH MY GOODNESS! This story really tore at my heartstrings. The author pulls no punches when immersing you into this pre-historical period. The action is relentless and absolutely gripped me. I’m definitely looking forward to more from Torak and Renn.
I’m definitely going to pick this one up next – I really need a dose of Willow, Oswin and their friends as it has been a difficult week hence less reading than I’d normally do, so I need to lose myself in a good fantasy – and I know this will be just perfect! |
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When I was a child, I played with dolls. That’s no great revelation for a little girl growing up in the 1950s and ’60s (yes, I’m that old!). I am the sixth of seven daughters, so my younger sister and I had not just our own dolls (new every Christmas) but all the abandoned dolls of our older siblings. I fondly recall a whole corner of the room we shared populated with dolls of every shape and size and color.
Most of these dolls didn’t do anything. They didn’t walk or say “mama” or perform any tricks, they just opened themselves to our imagination. Eileen and I WERE their voices, we moved them as we chose, we assigned them names and personalities. The one exception to not doing anything was my doll Agnes, who came to me at about age 7. I remember marveling on Christmas morning when my mother showed me that Agnes could answer questions “yes” or “no” with a nod or a shake of her head. Even when I understood that the button on her belly was “yes” and the button on back produced a “no,” I still found it marvelous. Maybe that same year, Eileen got her Betsy-Wetsy doll and could change its diapers (cloth, of course).
None of our dolls, I also recall, were the characters of movies or TV shows (now, with our paper dolls, that was a different issue, but that’s for another day). We did have Shirley Temple dolls that we loved, but Shirley was so many characters wrapped up in one that we were never limited to the roles our ringleted little friend had played. We loved our Ginny dolls, who were about 6″ tall and had lots of fun outfits. (I still have my Mary Ann’s tiny Dutch wooden shoes.) Barbies didn’t enter our collection — we (and definitely our mother) were not interested in glamour but in imaginative play.
I’m thinking about all this today because I just ventured into Toys “R” Us for my first granddaughter’s first birthday doll. I had to look pretty hard for a baby doll that wasn’t a Disney character and didn’t have some sort of hard-edged speaker in its tummy and didn’t poop a magical formula into diapers you’d have to keep buying, just like the real thing. I found a sweet baby with no name except the one she’ll eventually earn from her little mama, and better, one that can go into the tub for a real bath.*
Why is all this so important to me? Because playing with the imagination is the best part of playing dolls. Whether they’re babies that help us be pretend mommies and daddies, little-girl dolls like the Ginny (or American Girls today), or even the bears and bunnies and ponies that accompany our children to bed, these toys are the ticket to a world of imaginary adventures that take girls AND boys beyond their everyday world and, most importantly, beyond themselves.
In my Godly Play room, one of the favorite lessons is Baptism, which includes baby dolls (in my room, three babies with different skin tones). Part of the appeal of this story during work time is the opportunity to handle the “babies,” and I am especially touched to see boys — perhaps for the only time in their lives — enjoy the pleasure of these pretend little people and the nurturing role the dolls inspire.
Playing with dolls may help children imagine the things that they see (playing games of ‘as-if’) but it also opens the gateway to imagining things that no one has ever seen (‘what-if’), and isn’t that the kind of play that can help us imagine our way into the kingdom of God? Let us pray for a kingdom of love and compassion and hope and redemption and joy; and above all, let us play.
*(I also found it shocking in multi-ethnic Northern Virginia to see a huge array of white baby dolls and hardly any of color. What’s up with that? Again, an issue for another day.)
One day, I’m going to create a blog around preaching with children and post my sermons there. I take them very seriously — it’s not a light thing we do. If you are reading this because you’re drawn to the Godly Play theme of this blog, you already know that!
To begin, I’m going to post here some “how-to’s” — purely subjective (especially my aversion to puppets) and mostly derived from my Godly Play experience.
As a chaplain serving a lower school (grades Jr. K to 5) for the past 6 years, and as a parish priest, Sunday School volunteer, and parent over the years, I believe I can offer some guidance.
The following originated as a message to a seminarian who asked my advice:
Ah, the children’s sermon . . . Everyone has to do it, and no one teaches you how!! one of these days I will teach a course, since no homiletics professor I know considers it a subject worthy of their time.
I am no expert, but I do preach with children every week at school, and about once a month at church.
Notice that I saw “preach with,” because I just don’t like the sound of “preach to.” I use the same language about adult sermons. It is a two-way conversation, a dialogue, even if only one person is speaking out loud.
So . . . a few do’s and don’ts:
DO preach short (I print mine on one side of a single sheet, in two columns, landscape style, single spaced — this creates a sheet you can fold in half and tuck into a prayerbook.)
DO preach with as few notes as you can. As noted above, I do prepare a manuscript. It’s a necessary part of the process for me. When possible, I preach without text. But when using the manuscript, I know it well enough that it’s really a prop and most of the time, my eyes are on the congregation. If you are a Godly Play practitioner, you are well prepared for speaking from the heart. MORE IMPORTANT than whether you use notes or not is whether you love what you’re saying and convey it in a way that shows you love the children, and that God loves us all.
DO strive for something that is accessible to the children BUT also contains food for the adults. This is critical and helps prevent talking down to the children. (Sometimes the children’s sermon is the only sermon at a particular service. Sometimes a preacher will finish talking with the children and then preach the “real” sermon. Needless to say, I hate that approach.)
DO smile 🙂 not that I have to tell you that.
DO your usual exegesis! Many people believe they can find a children’s sermon in a book because a) they are out of ideas, 2) they are afraid of children or 3) they do not think that study is worth their time for “just a children’s sermon.” I know this because I worked at a seminary library, and every Saturday some student would come in asking for a book they could use for a children’s sermon *the next day.* 😦 Just as in an adult sermon, you will not “show your work” in your sermon, but you will have something to say if you engage the text in a serious way.
DO tell stories! Either from your own experience or from a book or movie the children know.
DO use an object(s) if they help you make a point. Do not feel that you MUST have something to show (a la the “brown bag” sermon schtick) — but children are fascinated by something as simple as pouring water from a pitcher into a bowl, or using a cornucopia filled with familiar and strange fruits/vegetables to talk about God’s generosity.
ask the children questions in front of the congregation. I know, I know, this is what many people expect. It puts children on the spot. It encourages them to be entertaining, to get a laugh; or it embarrasses them and discourages them from sharing their thoughts. Either way is IMHO disrespectful. Resist the people who want the children to say “cute” things for the benefit of the adults. No one expects adults to share their responses to the gospel out loud in front of their peers. Also, It can also be hard to regain control once the competition to answer begins.
(An exception is to ask a question that everybody knows the answer to and can say together, like “what happened in Haiti last year?” or “what holiday is coming?”
DON’T tower above them if they are sitting up front in the chancel. Sit with them. If the adults can’t see you, that’s OK. (Personally I prefer to have the children stay with their parents — it discourages the kind of “performance” mentality described above.
DON’T call them “kids” or “kiddies.” Not that you would. I have a personal distaste for “boys and girls” which I can’t quite explain.
DON’T necessarily end with a moral. One of the homiletics gurus who dismissed my request that he cover children’s sermons replied that all children need is a moral. NOOOOOO – they need stories with which they can make their own meaning. This doesn’t mean that you don’t interpret the lesson for them. But pat answers and platitudes are not what children need.
DON’T use puppets if you can help it. Again, just a personal bias 🙂 Puppets creep me out.
You can tell I’ve heard a lot of bad, and good, children’s sermons. I am sure I’ve preached my share of bad ones, but I always strive to do better.
Jeez, I thought I didn’t have much to say. In summary avoid the canned crap and treat the children and the text with the same respect you would give their parents and grandparents. If you love God, the scripture, and the children, they will know it. YOU WILL DO GREAT!!
Epiphany 4C – 2/3/19
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, VA
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
When is the last time you were outraged? I don’t mean frustrated by an empty coffee pot (horrors!) or irritated by a fellow driver who thinks their needs outweigh your much-more-legitimate desire to get to church on time. I mean OUTRAGE, sparked perhaps by a headline in the paper or a meme on Facebook that signals — once again — the imminent decline of our civilization. Something like the shocking picture from Governor Northam’s yearbook; or that video of high school students facing down a Native elder; or even trash talk about a certain New England football team winning ANOTHER Super Bowl tonight ¾ unless, of course, the Patriots are YOUR team and then it’s not outrage, it’s prophecy.
In today’s gospel, the folks in the Nazareth synagogue were outraged, and they had good reason to be, because they had just heard something outrageous. And not from some distant source but from one of their own ¾ a home boy half of them had helped raise. Today’s scene opens with a recap of the gospel we heard last week: Jesus entered the synagogue in his home town on the Sabbath, recited the 600-year-old words of the prophet Isaiah, and promised his neighbors, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” If this were a film, it would fade out with a glow.
Today, though, we tune in to the sequel, and it’s a shocker.
At first, it looks like everything is going smoothly, as the congregation admires the gracious words of the preacher — “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”. But they weren’t really listening to what he read. And who can blame them, really? Even the most scalding words of scripture, repeated over centuries, can lose their heat, and heart-rending lamentation sound more like a lullaby.
Jesus, you may recall, had just spent time alone — alone with his Father, and his own temptations — in the desert (we’ll hear more of that story in just a few weeks). He must have spent those 40 days and nights listening in his heart to the words of the psalms and the prophets, including the words of Isaiah, lodged in his memory though countless repetitions.
A little cartoon came my way this week, showing Jesus speaking to five modern people, clutching Bibles – preachers, perhaps? – saying: “The difference between me and you is, you use scripture to determine what love means; I use love to determine what scripture means.” (REPEAT)
As Paul reminds us today, without love, we are nothing.
So using love as his lens, Jesus recalled the passage from Isaiah 61 in a powerful way, accepting as his mission these words:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor….” And all the rest of those healing, hopeful words.
If only he could have left it there, he might not have left home forever.
Because good news to the poor sounds so sweet that it’s easy to forget the upending, the disturbance, the reversal it involves.
Maybe that’s why, while his family and friends were still remarking at his “gracious” words, his talk becomes grating. Proclaiming himself a prophet in their midst, he flings an accusation: Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ Had they heard about how he’d healed people in the villages he passed through on his way home? Do they expect he will do the same in Nazareth ¾ where surely all their desires were known and very few secrets were hidden? Why on earth would he NOT rescue them from their troubles?
Unless to make the point that his vocation was to something wider, deeper, broader.
Unless to dramatically break ties with his hometown so that he could call ALL people to a new kind home.
Unless interpreting “good news to the poor” through the lens of love had stretched his heart to the breaking point.
So, through a heart that breaks for ALL God’s people — the poor, the marginalized, the wounded ones — he proceeds to tell the Nazarenes just how widely God’s mercy will work through him. And it is too much for them to bear.
Now, I sympathize with the Nazarenes in what happens next — to a point. It’s easy, with the benefit of hindsight, to judge them harshly for not seeing who Jesus was. As far as they knew, he was one of them – and who THEY were, was God’s chosen people, God’s favorite children.
So when Jesus reminded his neighbors that the long-ago prophets Elijah and Elisha brought God’s mercy to Gentiles ¾ feeding the widow of Zarephath, healing the leper of Syria ¾ they were not just irritated. They were OUTRAGED.
That’s an easy emotion for us to comprehend. So easy, in fact, that these days people talk about outrage fatigue. Writing in the magazine Psychology Today, a therapist named Dean Olsher says that when we experience outrage daily over terrible things that we cannot control, it makes us feel helpless and can lead to depression. Amid hourly political bombast, routine violence, and constant assaults on civility, outrage is a ready response for me, and maybe for you.
But to combat outrage fatigue, Olsher suggests taking action, even something as simple as writing a postcard to a lawmaker.
I suggest (preaching to myself here!) we also learn to tamp down our outrage reflex, not wasting it on passing folly, but reserving it for the scandals that break God’s heart, like hunger in the midst of our nation’s prosperity, like violence and homelessness and every injustice that violates the law of love. These are the real outrages of our time.
* * *
What happens next in our gospel story is an OUTRAGE I never noticed until I learned this story by heart to teach the children who sit in my Godly Play circles. They are horrified when they hear that the people of Nazareth responded to Jesus with violence, trying to hurl him off the cliff at the edge of town — an alternative to stoning someone who blasphemes, as they believe Jesus has just done. But Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went on his way.”
WHAT? my students ask. How did he do that? Was it magic? Did he have an invisibility cloak?
A painting called “The Brow of the Hill” sheds light on the answer. Looking at this painting intently, I cannot find Jesus in it. Instead, I see dozens of men, all gesturing wildly and exclaiming angrily to each other, and I wonder: Were they so wrapped up in their own wrath that they hardly noticed when the object of their outrage slipped away?
Never to return to Nazareth again, but to spend his life, to give his life, in outrageous acts of love: to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, bind up the brokenhearted, recover sight for the blind, let the oppressed go free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
In this year of the Lord’s favor, as followers of our Lord, will we too bring good news to the poor, news that is not just words, but action? Will we take action for our neighbors who are hungry, afraid, violated, rejected, imprisoned? I believe we can break through our fatigue and be outraged on their behalf. And then, like Jesus, might we perform outrageous acts of love.
Dean Olsher, “A Cure for Outrage Fatigue,” Psychology Today, December 28, 2018.
“Brow of the Hill Near Nazareth,” by James Jacques Tissot, watercolor, between 1886 and 1894, Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY.
John 10:11-18 & 1 John 3:16-24
4 Easter – 4/21-22/2018
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Alexandria , VA
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
We know love by this – that he laid down his life for us,
and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. (1 John 3:16)
Wait a minute, “Lay down our lives”? There are other ways, easier ways, to love.
But in today’s readings, the challenge, the ultimate challenge, is inescapable. Do not be too attached to that breathing, blood-pumping, eating-drinking-moving body that is YOU; do not be so protective of your own life that you fail to defend the lives of others; and above all, do what the Good Shepherd would do. “He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
This challenge has been especially present to me this spring, as it has, honestly, since December 14, 2012. Giving up my life to save vulnerable others is no longer an abstract ideal that can be held at a distance, admired, aspired to, but never tested. As a chaplain and teacher, would I have the courage to stand between a deranged gunman and the precious children I teach, the way teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary did six years ago — the way adults at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida did three months ago? Every teacher in America has to look in that mirror, and in fact we all do, as violence can erupt anytime, at concerts, nightclubs . . . churches . . . just ask Mother Emmanuel in Charleston.
Ordinary people perform acts of extraordinary love when faced with the choice that, to them, seems no choice at all.
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says in today’s gospel, and the words sound rather sweet to us. Countless images of a gentle shepherd in a long, white robe cradling a lamb in his arms have shaped our understanding; and the familiar Psalm we hear today only makes us long to follow to those green pastures and still waters. That’s a fine beginning — but if we stay there, we miss the challenge in today’s passage. Instead of the word “good,” scholars suggest, listen to a more accurate translation.
“I am the model shepherd. The model shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
“Model” suggests that we who follow the Shepherd should follow his example, not just his road map to greener pastures and a cup that runneth over. Those who follow the Shepherd are meant to become shepherds, to face down whatever wolf threatens, and to lay down their lives in his name.
That’s more than any ordinary person can achieve. Except when they do.
I could tell you a story about an ordinary mother who did extraordinary things in the last century, as Paris filled with refugees from the Russian revolution and again as Nazi wolves overran the City of Light. I could tell you how this woman took vows as an Orthodox nun and protected Jews, smuggling them out of the country and hiding them in her home. As we ponder the news that one in five young people today have never heard of the Holocaust, it’s important to remember shepherds like MARIA SKOBTSOVA, who gave her life in a Ravensbruck gas chamber on Holy Saturday, 1945.
But there is more than one way to lay down our lives.
So I will tell you a story about a daughter of slaves who loved education, loved children and, above all, loved the Good Shepherd she followed.
ANNA ALEXANDER was born on Saint Simon’s Island, Georgia, in 1865 — the year the Civil War ended and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Her parents, who had worked as house slaves, were highly educated. Using the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer as their texts, they taught their eleven children to read and to love learning.
Anna took those lessons to heart and eventually went to teach in the public schools in Pennick, Georgia. She was disillusioned, though, when she realized she couldn’t teach the Church’s message there. So she joined the school one of her sisters had founded in a nearby town, and reveled in giving children a Christian education. It was there that a church service inspired her to start a mission back in Pennick — a difficult journey by foot and rowboat.
With almost no resources — and no support from the Diocese — Anna’s congregation met in an abandoned farmhouse and then in an old store where the whiskey counter served as altar. To support the church, Anna kept teaching, took in sewing, and persistently begged for donations. Every weekend, she walked and rowed her way to Pennick, sometimes bringing a priest who would baptize the children she trained. Each summer, she cooked for the diocesan camp on St. Simon’s Island. As helpers, she brought small groups of African-American children who, though barred as campers, at least shared some camp joys.
Maybe it was these same children, refused an education under Jim Crow laws, who inspired Anna to add a school to her mission church and to name the whole enterprise — appropriately today — Good Shepherd Church and School.
Poor as they were, Anna never let her flock forget those even less fortunate. Proportionately, Good Shepherd gave more to needy folk throughout the world than any church in the Diocese.
Having stared down the wolves of segregation and poverty, in 1907 Anna Alexander became the first African-American deaconess in the Episcopal Church — a “set-aside” role for women before they could be ordained deacons.
Anna Alexander died in 1947, an old woman who had laid down her long life — not in dramatic sacrifice, but in faithful service to her community, to children, and to the Shepherd she followed.
There is more than one way to lay down our lives.
I hope and pray that this nation will come to its senses about gun violence, before another student, or teacher, or police officer, or bystander lays down a life to save others. Of course, there are countless other wolves, other dangers, in our fragile society. Still, I have hope — gospel hope.
And one of the things that gives me hope is the faithful, quiet, persistent service of shepherds like Anna Alexander, shepherds like YOU who follow the model Shepherd. In whatever YOUR occupation and vocation, YOUR faithful, quiet, persistent service leads this nation to greener pastures and stiller water. In this way, through the One who laid down his life for us, we may all offer our lives for the sake of love.
Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel of John, Vol. 1, Anchor Bible Series
“Two-thirds of millennials don’t know what Auschwitz is,” Washington Post, April 12, 2018.
Feast of St. Alban – 6/26/16 (tr. 6/22)
St. Alban’s Annandale
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth — not peace, but a sword.
This past week was anything but peaceful for me. Every day, Monday through Friday, I drove 80 miles on the Beltway — an ordeal in itself, but that was just the beginning. At the other end, in Crofton, MD, I spent my days with two grandsons, ages 10 and 5. Normally, that would be a week of Grandma fun. But I was the backup child care plan for boys who have driven away every other provider by their negative and rebellious behavior. They can also be sweet, funny and affectionate, but they’ve just come through an unusually hostile divorce and are reacting the only way they know how at the moment. To care for them, I’m giving up a lot of my summer vacation and the other plans I’ve made, and
there’s only one force in the world that
provides the power to do such a thing. . . .
I tell you this story not because I need sympathy ( OK, I do, a little) but because today’s gospel asks us to rethink our devotion to our families.
For even though Jesus says that our “foes will be members of [our] own household,” I don’t think he wants me to abandon my grandchildren. I don’t think Jesus means me to ditch my daughter when she most needs to keep her job and support these boys and their baby sister.
But he does mean there’s a choice to be made. Today’s gospel is part of a long speech Jesus makes to his chosen disciples as he sends them out to do the mission work of the kingdom. He’s warning them of the difficulties they’ll face, the divisions they’ll endure, the betrayals they’ll suffer — even the lives they stand to lose. He’s also holding before their eyes the promise: that those who lose their life for my sake will find it — that death is not the end, that LOVE is stronger than death.
Alban, whose feast we celebrate today, must have heard that message. You probably know his story better than I do, but it’s one that bears repeating ¾ especially in a world that is increasingly hostile to the Christian message.
Alban was not a Christian, but a pagan soldier, when his story — at least the part we know — begins in southern England. We don’t know anything about his father and mother, brothers or sisters, much less his grandma. But as we’ll see in the story, we do know something about who he considered his family to be.
Only a few hundred years into the Christian era, Alban met a fugitive priest, fleeing from persecutors. Who knows why he welcomed this man into his home, but he did…and found his heart moved by the priest’s constant prayer, his fasting, his faith. Within days, Alban became a Christian himself. So when the emperor’s troops came to investigate rumors that Alban was shielding a fugitive, he was prepared. Cloaking himself in the priest’s clothing, Alban allowed himself to be arrested instead. Taken before the judge, Alban was sentenced to endure all the punishments that were to be inflicted on his guest. Asked who his family was, Alban replied,
“My parents called me Alban,
and I worship and adore
the true and living God,
who created all things.”
In other words, he was saying, “my family is those who also worship God; my family is all who were created BY the true and living God.”
For one of those family members, Alban was willing to give his own life. Taking the man’s punishment on himself, Alban was beheaded, becoming the first British martyr and first British saint. He gave his own life in devotion to
a family that was more than blood relatives,
a family worth shedding his own blood for..
There’s only one force in the world that
provides the power to do such a thing.
That force, as you in St. Alban’s family know well,
It’s love that empowers people in a culture in love with violence
To put their fellow humans above their own comfort,
their own peace, even above life itself ¾
For love is stronger than death.
It was LOVE that drove a man a month ago to kiss his wife goodbye in the morning, to call her on the way to lunch with a co-worker, and then, before he could enter the restaurant, to step between another woman and the gunman confronting her in the parking lot.
Without hesitation, Mike Winffel took the bullet meant for a stranger. With an extension of the same kind of LOVE that drew him to a thousand small kindnesses for his wife, children, and neighbors, Mike Winffel lived the words of today’s gospel . . .
Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
But why did he have to be such a hero,
Mike’s shocked and grieving wife asked her pastor
in the terrible hours after his death?
Gently, the pastor corrected her.
“Heroes are for the media,” he said.
“Mike was a martyr.”
There’s only one force in the world that
Provides the power to do such a thing . . .
The power of LOVE also drove a bouncer to risk death in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub to open a back door and allow 70 people — 70 brothers and sisters — to escape the horror . . .
The power of LOVE led teachers to shield children — as if they were their children — with their own bodies from the terror at Sandy Hook three years ago.
The power of LOVE may call any one of us,
at any time in a culture in love with violence,
To testify with our bodies,
To become what the word martyr means,
A witness to the LOVE of Christ.
But meanwhile, we have a parish picnic to put on . . .
A celebration of the thousand small kindnesses
of this community
formed of faith,
bound not by blood alone but by Christ’s body and blood.
Those thousand small kindnesses form us,
creating in us a habit that puts others first
So that if we ever are called upon for the ultimate sacrifice,
We will be ready to follow the example of our patron,
And of our Lord.
We will be ready to answer Christ’s call,
And receive the reward he promises,
Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
We are prepared by the only force on earth
That can provide the power to do such a thing . . .
The power of LOVE.
“Theirs was a 25-year romance,” Washington Post, 6/26/16
3 Advent – 12/11/16
St. Alban’s Annandale
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
“Are we to wait?”
He couldn’t help asking, as he languished in a jail cell. His people had waited so long for dawn to rise over a darkened sky. He had drawn the people to him, preaching the way of the Lord, the way of justice and truth. He had traveled in dangerous territory, comforting the oppressed and confronting the powerful.
But his preaching was too political, they said,
and so he sat in jail, with a question on his mind:
Are we to wait?
While he waited, young Martin Luther King Jr. read again the newspaper column that an ally had spirited to his cell. And with the question on his heart, he began to write, in the margins of the newspaper, the words that would one day be known as Letter From Birmingham Jail.
* * *
“Are we to wait?” another prisoner, 20 centuries before, wondered. John the Baptizer’s people had waited so long for the One who was to come, the Messiah. John had traveled dangerous paths, drawing people to himself, drawing them to God. Though his words were full of fire and axes and winnowing forks, his hope was in a new, rose-colored dawn. The One for whom they had waited was very near, the one whose sandals he was not fit to carry . . . at least the one he thought was the One.
But now John sits in jail ¾ or I imagine, he cannot sit. The wild man who once had all wilderness to wander in, paces, in a cell smaller than one of our parking spaces. He walks alone, for his captors cannot allow him to poison any other minds with talk of a kingdom that is not Herod’s, a kingdom John swears is coming.
And now, the law of Herod’s kingdom has brought him to this place,
where he wonders:
Where exactly IS God’s kingdom? And just HOW near has it come,
Because anytime now that “the one more powerful than I” wants to demonstrate his power — and set John free— would be OK with John. How long, O Lord?
Maybe John is hoping to shake that answer loose
when he sends his friends to Jesus asking:
“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
* * *
“Wait” is what the white clergymen of Birmingham had advised Dr. King to do in an open letter published in the newspaper he held. The demonstrations he led were called “unwise and untimely.” Why had he come from Atlanta to confront the segregated businesses of Birmingham?
But, King scrawled in the margins, “I am here because injustice is here.”
Having been invited by other Southern leaders, he came to teach about nonviolent resistance, which includes willingness to be arrested for violating unjust laws. Because the powers in Birmingham ¾ modern-day Herods, you might say ¾ had outlawed all public demonstrations, King went to jail on Good Friday 1963 for failing to obtain a parade permit. And there, for a full week, he waited, thought and wrote.
“For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ . . . This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’”
Responding to a fellow pastor’s reproach that “the teachings of Christ take time to come to earth,” King wrote that time does not cure all ills. And, in words that speak to every era, he continued,
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silences of the good people. . . .
The time is always ripe to do right.”
* * *
Jesus could have been speaking of King, as much as John, when he declared him “a prophet, yes, and more than a prophet.”
For both these prophets pointed toward the One we await today,
the King who came and is still coming.
We don’t know John’s reaction when his disciples returned to Herod’s jail, reporting that “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.”
For in all that good news, Jesus did not say, “the prisoners are set free.”
John was to continue to wait, in faith that the Messiah was at work, that God was at work. He was to wait, though as we know, his waiting would end with execution. He would become a forerunner of Jesus in every way.
Yet something tells me, from what we know about John, that he heard Jesus’ words with a ring of hope. Even in his bleak circumstances, he thought not about himself but about the salvation that was breaking in. John knew his scripture, so he remembered the words of Isaiah: “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!, here is your God.”
John remembered that, as Isaiah tells us today, when the eyes of the blind are opened and ears of the deaf unstopped, when the lame walk and the lepers are cleansed, all these are signs. Not of immediate victory but of eternal hope.
* * *
And so we wait. Here on the third Sunday of Advent, we wait, not just for the birth we’ll celebrate in two weeks, but for the full inbreaking of the kingdom of justice and healing and rose-colored dawn.
We wait, but we do more than wait. For like John, like Martin, we do not wait without hope.
We wait with commitment to those who cannot afford to wait for
an end to their hunger,
their grievous losses to gun violence,
their rejection as refugees.
We wait with those who suffer imprisonment, as far too many young black men do.
We wait with those who have no homes,
no hope of a cure from cancer or Alzheimer’s,
no prospect for proper education or employment.
We wait, but we also work. That is our call this Advent.
For if we accept and sanction the way things are, the Church risks, in Martin Luther King’s words, being “dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning” for our times.
I think John the Baptist would agree. I think Jesus would agree.
In a world sorely in need of justice, truth, and love,
in need of a rose-colored dawn,
what are we waiting for?
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963.
Matthew 6:1-6, 19-21
Ash Wednesday 3/1/17
St. Andrew’s Arlington
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
“Here’s what I want you to do:
Find a quiet, secluded place … just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage .“
Sounds simple, this advice from Jesus, doesn’t it?
Simple, but certainly not easy.
In our crazy-busy world, setting aside some time to just BE, and to BE with God, might be the Hardest. Thing. Ever. It’s so easy to get distracted ¾ I know, because it happens to me every time I try.
But today I pledge to try again, because today we begin again the season of Lent. And Lent is all about trying again.
Jesus, who knows the human heart, knows how hard we try. And Jesus knows that trying to come close to God is full of pitfalls. Sometimes when we think we’re doing something for God, we are fooling ourselves. We’re really doing it for the good feeling we get, or for the praise of other people, or for adults, for the tax deduction.
And you know what to do when you realize that’s happened to you? You try again.
What Jesus says in today’s reading about people who do everything for show ¾ “the play-actors” who care mostly about impressing God and other people ¾ reminds me of a story I heard recently, about a cake. This cake was decorated splendidly with ribbons of icing, sugar medallions, lavish sparkles and silver stars. But only the top layer was really cake. The rest was decorated Styrofoam. Pretty on the outside, hollow within.
Jesus never heard of Styrofoam, but I think that cake is something like the people he was telling his disciples ¾ telling us ¾ not to be like.
“When you do something for other people,” he says, “don’t call attention to yourself.” So I wonder if that’s something all of us can TRY to do this Lent. At least once a day, why not do something for someone else without mentioning it to anyone? Maybe just the person you helped will know, say letting a classmate get to the water fountain first. Or maybe even the person you help won’t know, if you do something kind but invisible, like picking up something they dropped and putting it on their desk.
Such “random acts of kindness” are a good way for all of us to live this Lent. Kind acts shine like stars, silently lighting up the darkness. When we do kind acts, we come very close to God, without even trying. Amen.
8/15&16/2015 Feast of John Myrick Daniels
St. Paul’s Alexandria
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
In the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God. Amen.
My soul magnifies the Lord and my spir .… wait a minute!
How can I, a small human being, magnify God, who is already bigger than the entire universe?
How could Mary magnify God, and how could Jonathan Myrick Daniels, whose life and martyrdom we remember today, make God any larger than God already is?
How can any of us magnify the enormous, all-encompassing, great Creator God?
The question used to trouble me back when I was a small, strange child who thought too much about the words of prayers and songs I heard every day.
And I did hear daily the words of Mary’s song, the lovely Magnificat we just heard her speak in the gospel today. My family’s daily recitation of the rosary – five decades of one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be (yes, you counted right, that’s 50 Hail Mary’s) – was made even longer by additional prayers to which my dear mother was devoted. Is it any wonder my mind wandered? Back then, it was just an attempt to stay awake, but today I would give more credibility to my straying thoughts, acknowledge the value of repeated, rhythmic prayer, and call my mind’s wandering “wondering.” So, I still wonder how a small human being can magnify our magnificent God?
Mary was just a small, human being — maybe 14 years old — when she journeyed to a village in the Judean hill country, seeking out the company of her older cousin Elizabeth. Now Elizabeth was advanced in age, 29 or 30, and she had given up hope of becoming a mother. But Mary knew Elizabeth’s secret, told her by the same angel Gabriel, who had announced that God had chosen her to be the mother of God.
So Mary, filled with good news, and also with her growing baby, set out to see Elizabeth to celebrate with her, perhaps, or to avoid nosy neighbors – but above all, to exult in what God was doing for the whole, wide world in her small body.
Near the site where this Visitation happened, there is a church. That is one way we humans magnify the things that matter to us: we build. Somewhere below the bulk of the Church of the Visitation, lies perhaps a well where two women would have met. Or maybe there’s a patch of dirt where Elizabeth was tending her beans when her young cousin labored up the hill.
Their meeting caused Elizabeth’s own infant, John, to leap in her womb, inspiring his mother’s timeless shout, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
And Mary, surely inspired by the Holy Spirit who had overshadowed her at the angel’s visit, broke into the song we remember today:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
For not only has God done great things for Mary, God is doing great things through her for the good of the world.
She sings of a great reversal, a jubilee of justice that will come in the future, but that she’s so confident will happen that she celebrates it in the past tense, as if it has already occurred:
“He has scattered the proud in the conceits of their hearts,
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
In her small, human body that day, Mary carried the One who will fulfill those promises, the Ruler of the Universe who for a time consented to be protected only by the frail flesh of a teenage girl. The Word became vulnerable and dwelt among us.
In the city of Nazareth these days, a huge church has grown around the place where Mary heard the angel’s words and said “yes” to all that God would ask of her. The Church of the Annunciation is built like a fortress, layer upon layer of stone erected over the centuries as different conquerors expanded the building. In the midst of all that fortification, it’s hard to perceive
that once, God came into the world unfortified, unguarded, undefended,
except in the body of one small human being.
How can a small human being like Mary magnify the Lord?
How can a small human being like Jonathan Myrick Daniels?
It was Mary’s song, Magnificat, that inspired Daniels 50 years ago to travel unprotected to Selma, Alabama, to take part in civil rights activities. Then a seminarian at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, Daniels could have stuck to his studies and let others take the risks. Daniels’ path to seminary had not been easy. While a student at Virginia Military Institute, he had experienced a crisis of faith that continued for several years, after by the death of his father and prolonged illness of his sister. An Easter service moved his heart, and he decided to study for the priesthood, planning to graduate in 1966.
But plans change. In the spring of 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King asked students to join him in Selma, and during evening prayer at the seminary chapel, Daniels, who had heard King’s call, heard the words of Mary’s song.
In his journal, Daniels wrote: “I had come to evening prayer as usual, and as usual I was singing the Magnificat with the special love and reverence I have always felt for Mary’s glad song….As the lovely hymn of the God-bearer continued, I found myself peculiarly alert, suddenly straining toward the decisive, luminous, Spirit-filled ‘moment’ …Then it came. “He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things.’”
The familiar words suddenly shimmered with meaning for Daniels, and, as he wrote, “I knew then that I must go to Selma.”
Once there, Daniels knew that a drop-in weekend visit was not enough. He returned to school, but only to get permission to stay in Selma and study on his own while working to register black voters. He tutored children, helped poor people apply for aid, and assembled of list of resources for people in need. On Sundays, he worked to integrate a local Episcopal church, although the group of African-American students he sat with were … tolerated, not welcomed.
On August 14 that year, Daniels was one of a group of 29 protesters who went to Fort Deposit, Ala., to protest stores that had a whites-only policy. There, they were arrested and spent 6 days in a crowded jail without working toilets, showers or air conditioning—and this in the crushing Alabama heat. Daniels led the group in hymn singing and prayers to boost their morale.
Finally, freedom came (though some say the group’s sudden release was a setup). Longing for a cold drink, Daniels and a Catholic priest, along with two young African-American women, walked the 50 yards to a small grocery where they had shopped in mixed groups before. This time, however, they were met at the door by an unemployed highway worker who had been deputized as a sheriff. The man leveled a weapon at one of the teenagers, Ruby Sales, but before he could fire, Jonathan Myrick Daniels pushed Ruby out of the way. The shotgun blast, pointblank to his chest, stopped his hero’s heart. His killer was acquitted by an all-white jury.
Jonathan Daniels has been remembered in the church’s calendar since 1991, but that, of course, was not his purpose in going to Selma or in laying down his life to save Ruby (who, incidentally, has stayed the course, becoming a lifelong leader in human rights efforts).
Daniels wasn’t out to glorify himself, but to magnify the Lord.
And how did he do that?
He did it in the same way that his beloved Virgin Mary did — by placing his vulnerable, human body at the service of the Creator of the Universe. Our vulnerable human bodies, with the minds and spirits they enclose, are all we have to offer to God or to God’s beloved children.
Christians from all over the country, including many from our diocese led by Bishop Shannon Johnston, have used their bodies this week to walk a pilgrimage, moving from the Hayneville, Ala., Jail where Daniels was held, to the site of the store where he sacrificed his life, and on to churches for worship.
I wasn’t there, but I think it’s a safe bet that as they walked, this group of pilgrims sang – sang songs of hope, songs of peace, songs of justice and freedom, songs of love. I can well imagine they sang Mary’s song.
What do Mary’s song, what do Jonathan’s sacrifice, mean for us? How do we small, human beings magnify our impossibly enormous God?
In our own small, human, vulnerable, bodies, that’s how, as we take risks for what is right and just, and for people who are also beloved by God.
We magnify God as we live like we believe what St. Paul writes in Galatians: that we are all children of God, for “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female,” there is no longer black and white, or gay and straight, or native and immigrant, or young and old, or east or west or north or south, or anything else that separates and divides the children of God.
When we live as if we truly believe that truth, sacrificing perhaps not our lives but our prejudices, our comfort, our plans, and our treasure, our magnificent God will be magnified for all to see.
And that is something to sing about.
Prayer borrowed from the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry
Homily for Chapel
St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School
12-15-09 AND 12/13/16
High on the mantelpiece sat a plain, woven basket. Every Advent, my mother would bring it out, show us a china figure of the infant Jesus, and announce that it was our job to prepare a bed for him. Every good deed we did — every time we obeyed our parents, or helped a brother or sister, or did our homework without being reminded — we got to place a “straw” — a piece of yarn — in the basket. You might think it got filled up pretty quickly with 8 children contributing – but we were just ordinary kids, and so, many of those yarns got taken away because we fought, or forgot to do our chores. Mysteriously, though, by Christmas day, that baby always had a soft, cozy resting place.
Today, in our reading we heard about the person who made Jesus his very first resting place. Now, Jesus was a special baby, but he had to be born, just like any ordinary baby. He needed the same things other babies need. And do you know what a baby needs most of all? Every baby needs a MOTHER. Without a mother, there is no baby!
So this is the story of Jesus’ mother, Mary, and how she came to BE his mother. She was just an ordinary teenager on that warm spring day, when a soft breeze was blowing through the olive trees and playing the branches like strings on a harp. Mary might have been watching the leaves dance, or hanging the laundry out to dry, or feeding the chickens. She might have been praying. We don’t really know.
We DO know that suddenly, something changed. On that ordinary day, something EXTRAordinary happened. Suddenly, there was an EXTRAordinary sound, and Mary heard a voice she had never heard before.
(ring bells.) “Hail, favored one.”
Mary looked up and saw . . . someone she had never seen before. He was not just a stranger – he was strange. Though he had the shape of an ordinary man, he was EXTRAordinary, because he had wings as white as snow and eyes like two flames. Mary was ready to run away, Then the voice spoke again:
(ring) “Do not be afraid.”
Mary was afraid, but she was also brave, so she stopped, turned around, and heard the Angel Gabriel say:
(ring) “God has chosen you to bear a child who will be God’s own presence on earth. People will call him the Son of God. You will call him Jesus.”
Mary wondered how that could be. She wondered how someone as young as she was could be a mother. She wondered how someone as ordinary as she was could be the mother of God.
But then she heard the voice again:
(ring) “Nothing will be impossible with God!”
Then Mary, this ordinary girl, said something EXTRAordinary. Something inside her began to stir. She felt as if the breeze blowing the leaves outside was blowing through her soul. She felt her heart swell with love, until it felt like a huge, golden bell inside her chest, and she answered in words that still ring in people’s ears today. Mary said:
(ring) Here I am
(ring) the servant of the Lord,
(ring) Let it be with me, according to God’s word.”
Mary said: (ring) YES.
That is Mary’s story. And it is your story, too.
Mary made room for God, and carried Jesus in her own body. You can make room for God, too, and carry him in your heart – this Christmas and always. Every time you show kindness to someone, your heart grows bigger. It is like you are inviting God to come and live inside you. It is like you are saying to God, (ring) “Here I am, God. (ring) YES.”
7 Epiphany – 2/19/17
St. Paul’s Alexandria
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
BE PERFECT, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. . .”
Those lines from the poet Mary Oliver would have been a blessing to a young monk in the 16th century. This young man was striving to be perfect, as he believed God was calling him to be and Jesus was demanding in the gospel we heard this morning. Martin Luther had entered an Augustinian monastery, determined to earn his way into heaven. But even there, wrapped in frequent worship, study and contemplation, Martin suffered painfully from the feeling that he was a condemned sinner. Confessing several times a day did not help. Finally, in an effort to free Martin from his scruples, his superior sent him away.
In a memorable scene from the movie Luther, he is ascending on his knees the steps of a great cathedral. Along with him are hundreds of other pilgrims ¾ mostly peasants, people who can ill afford the trek they are making or the silver they drop into the offering plate at the top. You can see on Martin’s face the epiphany he experiences, as he realizes that none of this is necessary, that all has already been forgiven in Jesus Christ.
He sets out to cleanse and reform the Church he loves, but Martin continues all his life to wrestle with Scripture — just as we do. He made peace with the difficult words of Jesus we hear today by deciding that they were meant to show believers the impossibility of meeting God’s high standards and the necessity of God’s grace.
Listen again to what Jesus expects from us. Maybe it will help to hear bits of a modern translation by Eugene Peterson, in The Message:
- Don’t hit back.
- If someone sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.
- Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer.
- This is what God does: He gives his best ¾ the sun to warm and the rain to nourish ¾ to everyone: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus?
- You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
If that sounds impossible, consider our reading from Leviticus, part of the Torah’s Holiness Code, which focuses on right relationship with God. Why leave some crops untouched in your fields so that hungry people might collect them? Why not steal, and lie, and put stumbling blocks before others? Why not hate in your heart? The answer appears as a refrain throughout the passage: because “I am the Lord.”
But these are not so much demands as calls to fresh relationship, renewing and expanding the covenant given at Sinai. “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” YOU SHALL is imperative — a command ¾ but also declarative, a fact. You WILL be holy, because you belong to me. To be holy means not to be impossibly virtuous, but to be set apart as a people belonging to God, living graciously and generously as God lives. It means not a self-righteous certainty, but ¾ as Luther discovered ¾ a reliance on God’s righteousness.
It means, above all, relationship. It’s no accident that Jesus, later in Matthew’s gospel, will quote this part of Leviticus when he declares the greatest commandments ¾ [those we hear every week at this service]: To love God with all your heart and soul and mind; and ¾ here’s Leviticus — love your neighbor as yourself.
You shall be perfect. You shall be holy. This is not an impossible demand, but an invitation to live out God’s generosity and graciousness, to the best of your human ability.
A little story from our nation’s recent past may illustrate this best.
Julie Otsuka tells this story in her book When the Emperor Was Divine. Just before the boy and his mother and sister were taken away ¾ his father was already gone ¾ Elizabeth next door came to say goodbye. She slipped a smooth, blue stone into his pocket.
The boy kept that stone through the long train ride and later, at the camp where he was imprisoned because of the slope of his eyes and the language his family spoke and because national security was at stake. Elizabeth, the only one of his neighbors who wrote to him, sometimes sent him things ¾ a riddle book, a picture from the paper ¾ and once, a tulip bulb. There in the Utah desert, the boy planted the bulb in a rusty peach can found behind the mess hall. Tamped it down good. Wondered about it all winter. And then one March day, a shoot of green. Later, a burst of yellow. Hope in a barren desert.
I like to remember this story, especially on this Day of Remembrance that recalls the date ¾ February 19,1942 ¾ when an executive order consigned Americans of Japanese descent to internment camps. The family in our story was one of them, as was George Takei ¾ you remember him as Sulu on the Starship Enterprise, and now as the creator of a film called Allegiance, about his family’s incarceration.
But I like this story for another reason: because it demonstrates how possible ¾ indeed, how easy — it can be to live with generosity and graciousness.
“You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles repenting…” says Mary Oliver, and adds, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” And I say,You only have to let the softness of God within you love what God loves.
It can be easy. Elizabeth, in our story, provided simple acts of friendship in a time of suspicion and separation. Loving our neighbor can be as easy as that, as simple as taking part with other St. Paul’s folks in “gleaning” the leftovers at Old Town’s farmers’ market for hungry neighbors. As simple as learning a few words of Spanish or Arabic to address new Virginians.
“You’re kingdom subjects,” says Jesus. “Now live like it. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
You will be holy because the God you belong to is holy. Let those words and God’s grace ¾ not the impossible task of achieving perfection on your own — be your epiphany today.
“Wild Geese,” by Mary Oliver
Julie Otsuka, When the Emperor Was Divine (New York: Anchor Books, 2002).
Lent 4C – 3/13/16
St. Alban’s, Annandale, VA
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
The fragrance of the perfume filled the house.
Honeysuckle …… Ocean air.……. Baking bread………
When you heard those words, didn’t you almost SMELL them? Didn’t they take you back to some summer, some holiday, some Saturday?
Some say our sense of smell is the oldest and most primitive of all. Perhaps that explains why words fail to describe something that has to be experienced. Imitation fails, too: I’ve never smelled a perfume or air freshener or candle that comes close to the real essence of baking bread, or ocean air, or honeysuckle.
I can only imagine what pure nard smells like — something spicy and complex, the experts say .But I know what it smelled like to at least two people in our gospel story today ¾ and like something quite different to a third.
The house in Bethany, on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem, was filled that evening, as Martha and Mary and Lazarus – LAZarus! – hosted the habdalah meal that ends the Sabbath rest. Jesus and his disciples had spent that Friday evening and Saturday in Bethany, their home away from home.
Was it pure intuition that Mary knew how soon that peace, that togetherness,would be shattered?
Or was it because, in another story, she had sat at his feet and listened, really listened? Had she heard him predict his passion and death and, unlike many others, believed him?
For suddenly, above the familiar odors of roasted lamb and olive oil and wood smoke comes a startling aroma, so strong it must have taken thousands of spikenard roots to produce it.
Into the house that so recently knew the stink of death ¾ Lazarus’ death ¾ comes the luxurious scent of spice. And there is Mary, massaging her expensive balm into Jesus’ feet, caressing them with her hair, demonstrating her love not only with her worldly wealth but with her body.
To Mary, AND to Jesus, the aroma smalls like love – generous, sacrificial love.
To Judas, it smells like . . . a waste of money. Greed, and envy, and perhaps a cup of wine too many, make him mutter, “Why wasn’t this stuff sold and the money given to the poor?”
Mary has nothing to say but lets her actions speak.
Jesus defends her, knowing that beneath her shimmering gesture of love lies a shadow. He knows… she knows… that her perfume will have to last his lifetime. Her hands — the last gentle human touch he will know — are preparing him for his own act of sacrificial love. She is preparing him for his burial.
How do you say goodbye?
Mary gives her answer, with her intimate act of comfort.
Jesus gives his answer, too. His goodbye to Mary is a refuge: “Leave her alone.”
His goodbye to Judas is a reminder: “You always have the poor with you.”
Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners and a passionate voice for justice, calls these words of Jesus the most misused in all of scripture. “You always have the poor with you” does not mean “there’s nothing you can do about poverty, so why bother?”
Rather, his words suggest that the disciples ¾ after Jesus is gone ¾ will remember him by remaining close to the least and the lowly.
Jesus assumed, Wallis says, the disciples’ “proximity to the poor.”
In a sense, Jesus is telling Judas, and the rest of the room, where he wants his memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, to be sent. Mary has already provided the flowers, distilled into perfume. Let the rest of his followers honor him by serving those he loved most in life.
How do you say goodbye?
This week, I had a good example of how a community in mourning is following the example of Jesus.
My brother priest in the Diocese of Maryland, Wes Wubbenhorst, delivered a final sermon as his earthly life drew near its end. Wes has fought cancer for 11 months and is now too weak to stand and speak. His spirit ¾ joyful, wacky, and filled with LOVE and HOPE ¾ shone through his words. His final sermon, was posted on a site set up by his friends.
Wes’s post, punctuated by the WHISTLES, WOWS, AND TA-DA’s that marked his passionate work with young people in Maryland, recounts how he and his wife, as a young Peace Corps couple, ended up in Honduras, years ago.
Working with special-needs children and abandoned street kids, Wes found his way to El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza – The Home of LOVE AND HOPE.
From Peace Corps to Baltimore, Wes shared his gifts with young people ¾ and changed lives, bringing countless teens from the Diocese of Maryland to Honduras. Their tributes to him on the website are clear signs of how his influence has rippled into their lives.
But God isn’t finished with Wes yet.
“One of my last wishes,” he wrote, “is that you remember me by remembering Honduras.” In lieu of flowers, Wes’s friends will send LOVE AND HOPE to El Hogar and the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras. The last time I checked, donations had so far exceeded the $20,000 goal that it was raised to $50.000.
That outpouring is a little like Mary’s outpouring of her expensive perfume. It will send Wes on the rest of his journey with the knowledge that while “the poor will always be with you,” their lives will be a little richer.
Wes understood those words of Jesus. YOU, individually and as a congregation, have also heard and heeded those words. “The poor will always be with us,” but we are called to pour out our love for Jesus by pouring out love for the children of Our Little Roses in Honduras, for the families at Belvedere Elementary next door, for the people of Hurley, Virginia in Appalachia, and so many more.
Because of people like you, and people like Wes and his friends,
people who are poor will never be without LOVE AND HOPE.
BECAUSE JESUS poured out his love in sacrificial offering for us all,
we have LOVE AND HOPE too.
We can enter the final weeks of Lent knowing that
we are not, after all, saying goodbye.
The burial will happen, but it will be like a seed
that holds within it the promise of new and fragrant life.
Soon, the fragrance of Jesus’ self-giving love and its glorious fruition on Easter morning will fill THIS house again.
One day, the fragrance of his followers’ love for the poor will fill the world.
Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005),
2nd Sunday after Epiphany – 1/15/17
St. Paul’s Alexandria
The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales
“What are you looking for?” Those are the first words Jesus speaks in the gospel of John.
Now in my family, when someone asks, “What are you looking for?” the answer is usually simple. “My other glove….my keys…..where I parked my car.”
In today’s gospel, though, Andrew and another disciple — probably John — are after something much more momentous.
Perhaps all their lives, these two fishermen — Andrew, the brother of Simon, and John, the brother of James — had been looking for the same thing. My guess is, they were both younger brothers, who all their lives had been expected to follow their elder brothers’ lead. Tired of being in the shadows, perhaps, they yearned for a new guiding light.
And thought they had found it, in John the Baptizer. But then John pointed them away from himself and toward another.
“Look! Here is the Lamb of God!” And John’s two disciples, trusting his lead even now, turned away from him and toward the One he had revealed.
Who knows how long it took Jesus to notice two stragglers, treading the path behind him ¾ to turn and say to them,
“What are you looking for?”
Their answer is the one Jesus longed to hear:
“Rabbi.” . . . Teacher.
That answer told Jesus that they were looking for someone like him, someone worthy of being followed, someone who would teach them and lead them to God. They were looking for freedom, and not just political freedom, even though they lived under occupation by an empire. They wanted the freedom of a new way to live.
Little did those first disciples know that
before they began looking for him,
Jesus had been looking for them ¾
For hearts ready to hear,
For lips eager to tell,
For followers willing to live as signs
of God’s justice, love, and, and mercy.
Whatever these disciples heard in that first, all-night conversation, it convinced them that they had found the Messiah. But that was not all. They had found a vocation.
* * *
Today we remember another young man who looked for disciples,
who were also looking for him.
Martin Luther King’s vocation was not to make peace with the forces that oppressed his people. God’s mission for him was to form a Beloved Community of people willing to live as signs of God’s justice, love and mercy.
Those looking for such a community found Martin, who at age 26 was chosen to lead the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott. Black and white and brown Americans of many faiths joined together to seek the way things could be and resist the way things were.
For 13 years, King led a movement that opposed segregation, worked for voting rights and fair housing, rejected war, and sought solutions to poverty. It may look like a political movement, but, at its heart, it was a lesson in love from a leader who didn’t just lead, but who also followed ¾ followed the one we hear in today’s gospel called “Teacher.”
From the great well of King’s lifelong immersion in Biblical wisdom, he drew a vision of a just society and a commitment to nonviolent resistance. While he was in jail in Birmingham for daring to march without a permit, he wrote that he represented neither complacency ¾ accepting the status quo as “normal” ¾ nor bitterness ¾ deciding that violence was the solution. Even so, there were those who called him an “extremist.” That bothered King until he realized:
“Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”
Andrew and John, Simon and James, found that to be true. Following Jesus, they lived a vocation bent on resisting evil and embracing justice, love and mercy.
Following Jesus, that beautiful extremist for love, may WE live as signs of justice, mercy and love, resisting all in our politics, and in our personal lives, that demeans, demoralizes or despairs.
It may help us to remember the words of Dr. King, engraved on his memorial downtown:
“The ultimate measure of a [person] is not where [they stand] in moments of convenience and comfort, but where [they stand] at times of challenge and controversy.”
In this time of challenge and controversy,
will we live our vocations as this beloved community,
to stand as signs of justice, mercy and love?
We will, if we remember to follow our Teacher, who loved so extremely that he gave his life for us and for the world. Our teacher, Jesus, has been looking for us and is looking for us even now, asking:
What are you looking for?
What are you LIVING for?
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter From Birmingham Jai, 1963 (Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning Corp, 1990), p. 24.
“On Being a Good Neighbor,” Strength to Love (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963), p. 35. |
On my way to Bar Code certification, i stopped at Macy’s since i had the time. It was hard to find blouses i liked that fit right, but i did find a nice blue one (iron-free cotton, too) and i also found two pairs of pants that actually hang the way i like them to, which is a near miracle. They were about $30/each, which i decided was okay as it’s so necessary that i get decent clothes. (And dude, this is Macy’s, so those were on Clearance.) “Will you be paying for that with a Macy’s card?” “No.” “If you get one, you save 40%.” “Sign me up.” So i actually paid less than $20/item. Much more my style.
After class on Monday, i checked out Filene’s. I was seduced by suits, evening gowns, and clubbing type tops, but i didn’t find any blouses, so in the end, no more money was spent. Came home and finally ordered my massage table. Which will apparently take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I really had meant to order it a couple weeks ago, but i have been enswamped. Le sigh. I shall persevere.
I’ve actually been wearing my suit pants (the ones i bought at Sears) recently, ‘cause they’re swishy and have pockets, making them a win over jeans or my long skirts, and they hang better than i remember, which is happifying.
I’ve been noticing all the business professional dressed women i pass in Boston, noticing what kinds of shirts they’re wearing. Have so far restrained myself from stopping someone and saying, “Where did you get that blouse?”
I am mostly underwhelmed by Raising the Bar -- partly i’m just not a hostess -- but i do like the “Lava Flow” -- a piña colada onto which you pour grenadine. I should have scanned the picture; it looks like a science project.
I saw Eternal Sunshine... and when she’s making drinks for them i was trying to figure out what ingredients she was using from the bottles. I don’t feel confident enough in my knowledge to actually apply for jobs yet (though people should totally come scope out bars with me) but i am such a dork.
[And because you’re all going to ask, i didn’t actually like Eternal Sunshine... all that much. I wanted to like Clementine, but i didn’t, and we have nothing to go on for Joel. We know i’m a big ole completionist, so of course i’m already opposed to the idea of erasing memories, even bad memories, and i just wasn’t particularly moved by any of it. And yes of course i was reminded of the Angel plot device. Near the end, i was reminded of Sliding Doors.]
“Does the dingo feel sympathy for the slow-moving Australian baby?” -Two and a Half Men
Monday night there was a marathon, and i think we might have been a bit punchy as we kept having hysterical fits. The last one was the gay one. I don’t think i need to say anything more.
I saw Mr. Carver on the train in to Boston on Tuesday. Everyone keeps asking where i see myself in 10 years (ideally). I guess they figure this is a less stressful question than “How’s the job search going?” but dude, i have lots of ideas and am really not all that interested in working toward a future goal other than getting an apartment and a steady job.
Mr. Carver mentioned teaching, and i said i think i don’t have the patience. He said he doesn’t see me that way -- as impatient and bitchy (his phrase) -- that he sees me as cool, calm, collected, able to handle anything.
Oh, amusing story. I was out walking with my brother and someone drove past and my brother went to check his mirrors to see if he recognized the people. He said he sometimes goes to check his blindspot when he’s walking as well.
I’ve been tagged twice for that Your Top X Songs of the Moment meme. This surprises me ‘cause i’m such a “music, what?” kind of girl.
daryllang writes, “On blogs, as in the rest of the world, we get used to reading about music we’ve never heard of, and probably never will hear of. It’s a statement of cool to make obscure music references that only people who are into the same kind of music will pick up. [...] I certainly don’t mean to pick on anybody for this – In the last few days, I’ve mentioned acts as irrelevent as Wolf Parade and Glenn Frey. [...] Here’s a proposal. Make a list of your six favorite songs that everyone has heard of. It’s surprisingly hard.”
I, of course, skew the sample when it comes to “everyone.” As offbalance put it: See, most of us live with pop culture. You run into it every few months or so. ;)
mrissa started a 3 things you like about your body meme, ‘cause we all get so self-deprecatory.
1. My legs are strong and get me where i’m going and they look good in appropriately cut pants.
2. I have long fingers
3. I have good skin. It doesn’t break out, it’s not overly greasy or dry, and it tans nicely. |
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. This is a weekly meme to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. The books I choose aren’t released yet and usually won’t be published for at least two or three months. So I have a while to wait!
I love finding out about books which will publish in future months and I like to share my excitement about the books. I also like to find out about new books on other people’s blogs and hope they’ll sometimes find something to look forward to on my blog.
I’m excited to read . . .
A Bad Bad Thing by Elena Forbes
Published by Severn House Publishers
Publishing date: December 1
Synopsis: A highly effective police officer, albeit one who keeps her past carefully hidden, Eve West is suspended from duty after a police operation goes catastrophically wrong. Receiving help from an unexpected quarter – a criminal she put away many years before – Eve feels she has no choice but to agree to his request to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice in return. But why is a hardened criminal like John Duran so keen to help a fellow-inmate convicted of the murder of a stable-girl? And why has he chosen Eve to look into the case?
Teaming up with crusading journalist Dan Cooper, Eve begins to uncover disturbing flaws in the original investigation. But as her past is dragged to the surface, she comes to realize she has been plunged into a case more complex and sinister than she ever imagined.
I haven’t read anything by this author, but I like police procedurals and mysteries. This looks like it might be a good book to try. |
Gay man meme
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If you’re feeling stuck in the middle of a speculation frenzy, you’re not alone. Stock picking isn’t for everybody, and you need strong nerves to survive.
Hot stocks like Tesla, Nvidia and FAANG plunged on Thursday, dragging the S&P 500 more than 2%. On the other hand, meme stocks’ wild gains made headlines. Talk about a divided market.
Luckily, you don’t have to be a trader to take part in the market these days. There can be value in thinking long-term or putting your money in a broad bucket of stocks and assets in hopes it’ll grow over time, as history has often shown.
So what are you? A single-stock trader or a long-term investor? Or a combination of the two, perhaps?
Don’t worry, there’s no right or wrong answer, and of course you can switch your answer at any time. But there are some things you need to consider.
Here’s the 101 on trading vs. investing.
Single-stock trading can be a fun, intellectual challenge. Sometimes, a company’s share price can become unmoored from what the company is worth based on its financials. If you recognize that, you may be able to opportunistically buy or sell stock to take advantage.
That’s called stock picking, and it’s what most people think of when they hear about Wall Street traders. It’s not too far off, either. Legendary investors such as Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch have made names for themselves from their stellar stock picking.
Even if you’re not a stock whiz, you can still use single stocks to support an idea you’re excited about. Your beliefs could pay off over time, even if you’re not up for short-term trading. Look at Apple: If you invested $100 in its 1982 public offering, you’d have over $100,000 today!
The Concentration Risk
Single stocks can come with concentration risk, though. If all your eggs are in one company’s basket, you could lose money quickly if the company stumbles. Single stocks are also vulnerable to larger environmental changes, such as a sudden rise in yields (sound familiar?).
Stock picking isn’t easy, either. Even the great Warren Buffett takes some heat because of selling too soon, as he did with Delta back in April.
It can take a bit of luck. You might’ve heard about all the tech darlings that crushed the market last year. But what you didn’t hear much about were the slew of stocks that ended up doing poorly. Last year, about 63% of all stocks in the Russell 3000 returned less than the index, and about 20% fell 20% or more during the year.
You may be more exposed to market events as a single-stock investor, too. Individual companies can go through bankruptcies and acquisitions. Single-company shares are also more prone to behavioral phenomena such as momentum-based swings and short squeezes.
The Broader View
If stock picking isn’t for you, don’t fret! Many people don’t trade their way to wealth. Instead, they build out a diversified portfolio, then wait several years for compounding to do its work.
It’s commonly called the “set it and forget it” method, since long-term investors usually don’t bother themselves with the day-to-day noise of the market. They just make a plan and stick to it.
If you want a piece of the stock market instead of just one stock, there are plenty of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that could give you exposure to sectors and indexes. Buying the entire market has historically been a good trade, too. The S&P 500 has posted an average annual return of 8% since 1950, despite having gone through 10 declines of 20% or more.
Investing doesn’t have to be boring, either. Many S&P 500 funds are cap-weighted, so they offer decent exposure to stocks like Apple and Tesla. They also give you exposure to often-overlooked sectors like energy and financials that can help soften the blow when other parts of the market are selling off.
The Waiting Game
Long-term investing requires mental strength. You have to tame your emotions and stick to your plan even when stocks are falling. That sounds easy until you face a market like the one we saw a year ago, when the S&P 500 fell 34% in a month before making its way back up.
Buying and holding tends to work better with a long-term outlook. The stock market can go through inexplicable rallies and drops, and you have to adjust your expectations accordingly.
Think about this: The S&P 500 took five and a half years to recover its losses from the Great Financial Crisis. Some people can wait that long, but others may need their money before then. If you have a shorter horizon, you may want to think twice about investing solely in stocks.
Some investors like the action of the market, and a “set it and forget it” strategy may not scratch that itch. It’s also not the most exciting strategy to talk about at Zoom dinner parties.
The Bottom Line
Today, it’s more a market of stocks than a stock market. That’s caused some serious swings and air pockets in certain sectors. While there’s nothing wrong with trading single stocks, you need to know what you’re dealing with. Trading just because it’s the hot thing to do may not be the best approach.
The key? Remember the game you’re playing. You have different wants, needs, goals and money constraints than everybody else, so it makes sense that your portfolio would look different, too. Only you can pick what’s best for your situation.
As senior investment strategist for Ally Invest, Callie Cox helps educate Ally Invest customers about the financial markets through engaging content and strategic initiatives. Callie has worked in financial research for her entire career, with stints at LPL Research, TABB Group and Bloomberg. Her work has been featured in Bloomberg, the Financial Times, Yahoo Finance, and Barron’s (among other publications). You can also find her on Twitter at @callieabost.
The opinions expressed here are not meant to be used as investing advice. For more information, visit our website. |
Instagram deleted a meme comparing the number of blacks lynched by the Ku Klux Klan to the number of black fetuses aborted by Planned Parenthood.
Ryan Bomberger, black co-founder of the pro-life Radiance Foundation who was conceived during the rape of his mother, is defending a controversial meme he created blasting abortion giant Planned Parenthood as worse than the KKK after Instagram said it encourages violence.
"While writing this article, we were censored by Deities of Diversity. Apparently, Instagram deleted our post, threatening to restrict or disable our account if we violate their guidelines again. But ... we didn't violate any guidelines," Bomberger wrote in his defense of the meme Friday.
"The explanation they included in the warning were about threatening violence. Of course the meme wasn't threatening violence–it denounced racial violence, no matter the era. But Titans of Tolerance have no interest in the truth. They can delete our posts, and even our account, but they can't delete the truth. And of course, there was no due process, no appeal process, no one to reach to correct this injustice. There was no option other than to click OK and the purge was complete. #Liberalism," he noted.
The controversy over the meme was sparked last Thursday after writer Ayana Lage called out California megachurch Bethel Redding's worship pastor, Brian Johnson on Twitter, for sharing Bomberger's meme on Instagram. Brian Johnson deleted the post after it was pointed out as insensitive but what happened after that encounter kept the story running.
"He deletes the post and eventually his entire Instagram account after pushback, but remarks in private conversation that '...many of them live with a victim mentality and that is difficult to handle when you're trying to work with them.' Them in this case is black people," Lage shared.
Bethel Redding's senior pastor and Brian Johnson's father, Bill Johnson, later reposted the meme Lage called "offensive" while noting it was created by a black man. Other Bethel leaders including Kris Vallotton insisted that Brian has a right to speak about the issue of the effects of abortion on the black community because he adopted a black baby.
In his defense of his meme on Friday, Bomberger said the intent of the graphic was to bring awareness to the ravages of abortion on the black community while highlighting the connection between Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger and the KKK.
"The meme juxtaposes the vile, racist and elitist worldview of those in white coats who unapologetically set out to control the population with the same racism that drove the murderous acts of a bunch of cowards in white sheets," Bomberger said.
"If people want to be offended by anything, be offended by a worldview that denies that we're all created equal and justifies the slaughter of the weakest among us. Be offended that women are told by a billion-dollar abortion industry that they're not stronger than their circumstances (Phil 4:13). Be offended that religious leaders (here, here and here) are blessing abortion mills as 'holy ground' and 'sacred work'," he continued. "...But don't be offended because you simply don't know what you don't know."
In an extended statement on the meme controversy, Bill Johnson further argued that there was no intent to offend anyone with the meme and it was simply an effort to highlight the grim reality of abortion and its effect on black America.
"I and everyone I know is rightfully outraged at the KKK; embarrassed that it is a part of American history. Anyone who reacts to me, or the meme because they think it's an effort to lessen our disgust towards this disaster is rightfully angered," he said.
"The KKK caused unimaginable pain and destruction to some of our nation's greatest. But the intent of the meme was quite different, whether or not you agree with the method. The hangings of the KKK were public — an unforgettable act of hatred, evil, and cruelty at the highest possible level — targeting blacks. Abortion is done behind closed doors — targeting the unborn, including a great number of blacks. Perhaps if the pain and the torture of abortions were broadcast on reality TV the public would find it as disgusting as the KKK. And that was and is the point," he ended. |
Greetings Facebook friends!
I’m standing on my blog soapbox today to announce an exciting new contest–the first-ever, Tim Hunter Presidential Campaign Sweepstakes.
Here’s how it works: you post something on Facebook extremely negative, nothing more than partisan poison being passed around by the side that knows better and I ‘unfriend’ you.
That’s it! Pretty darn simple, huh?
I already know what’s coming. The negative ads that take vague swipes at candidates using half-truths, quarter-truths and close-enough-truths invading my favorite TV and radio shows. You know the ones I’m talking about—filled with an arrogant attitude that if you believe my way, you’re smart and if you’re opposed to it, you’re an idiot.
Just today, a very vicious attack on Hillary Clinton made it into my feed, which was just two news stories away from a childish name-calling meme about Ted Cruz.
This just in–it’s not funny, it’s not entertaining, it’s not what I want to be subjected to over the next year and a half. Funny is one thing (and I actually know a thing or two about funny), but when all you’re doing is saying to your fellow D’s and R’s out there, “Hey, look! I called him a Poopy Pants! Ha!” and you find that entertaining? Let’s just say I’ve evolved.
In fact, I’m proud of the fact that I don’t vote party. At this particular point in time, there is no one aside from Morgan Freeman that I feel is real presidential material out there.
So, back to the rules of the game. Get it all out of your system between now and midnight. Because as of April 15th, 2015, make a snide political comment or post a caustic partisan piece on this guy’s Facebook feed and we will be disconnected. I’ll consider reconnecting after November of next year, but not until then.
It’s a free country, for both of us. You have the right to be a raging partisan, but the constitution also allows me to confine my Facebook feed to beer bellied bicycle crashes and cats playing pianos.
Have a great election! Oh, and congratulations to all of our winners. |
The moral shambles that is Israeli apartheid is bad enough, what with illegal settlements adiabatically stealing land from original inhabitants, and relegating the original inhabitants to a second-class or even third-class citizen status, while simultaneously engaging in a process of ghetoization and starvation of the original inhabitants, in a cruel imitation of the European conquest of America, which led to the creation of the United States of America, who finances and provides and muscle for our Israeli friends.
Until I read this article (haaretz.com) it never occurred to me to think of the Israeli settlements as a continuance of European colonialism. The flooring thing, which is entirely new to me, is that Israelis of European descent are racist against Israeli’s of Middle Eastern descent. So take away the religious difference, and we find that the Jewish European invaders (settlers) are racist against Jewish Israeli citizens native to the area. . Apparently the Israeli high court is attempting to desegregate schools in the settlements. If I follow this right, the Israelis of European descent are “Ashkenazi”, while those of middle eastern descent, i.e. the natives, are “Sephardi”. The Ashkenazim parents refuse to let their kids be educated together with the Sephardim. The Israeli police are now seeking arrest for 22 mothers and 2 fathers who failed to show up for two-week jail sentences, for refusing to integrate their children.
According to Yair Sheleg of haaretz.com:
The issue, then, is not Jewish religious law, but rather the racist social norms that characterize the entire ultra-Orthodox worldview. (The Haredim, as we know, also discriminate against the newly religious. )
Heavy stuff (Haredim apparently refers to the ultra-orthodox Ashkenazim).
I find it entertaining to the put the situation into the framework of European Colonialism by way of zombie films. The Ashkenazim have been infected by that European cultural meme of racism and intolerance, which led to our atrocities against the natives, and mexicans, and philipines, and haitians, and central americans (etc etc), the British atrocities against the Indians (and, and, and), the French atrocities against the Indochines (and, and, and), not to mention the Dutch and Spanish, and of course the German atrocities against the Jews. The nazis bit the Jews who are now chomping away at the native populations… the palestinians, and the Sephardim.
Come gentlemen! Ghandi showed us the cure for this meme nearly a hundred years ago. Let’s get busy curing ourselves before we consume ourselves. |
Through the use of filmic codes and conventions we can see how this character has been constructed. If you say you have you're a slut. Bender: Well I'm free the Saturday after that. "—Claire, RELATED: The 20 worst movies from the '90s, 7. Principal Richard Vernon: The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls. We've begun to understand that "stereotype threat" is harmful to children and adults alike; even seemingly benign stereotyping can be harmful to education and development. John Bender: Stupid, worthless, no good, goddamn, freeloading son of a bitch. The classic 1985 flick “The Breakfast Club” is the epitome of clique movies. 7 Jan. 2021. John Bender: Excuse me, Dick. Allison Reynolds: I never did it either. "—Andrew, 2. On March 26 and March 31, The Breakfast Club returns to theaters along with a bonus featurette that includes interviews with Judd Nelson (Bender), Ally Sheedy (Allison), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian) and John Kapelos (Carl the janitor). "We're all pretty bizarre. Sex is your weapon. "Like, when I step outside myself kinda, and when I, when I look in at myself, you know? All girls are teases. It's in Johnson's underwear. Andrew Clark: Hey. Web. Claire Standish: Didn't we already cover this? Claire Standish: That's an academic club. The Breakfast Club (1985) Midterm Paper The movie “The Breakfast Club” portrays five main characters all from a different set of cliques in Saturday morning detention in an Illinois high school. The Breakfast Club: Quotes Random. Stereotypes The stereotypes in The Breakfast Club are seen in the characters and the social groups they are a part of. Uh what rukkus? That the last time you ever make me look bad in front of those kids, you hear me? Andrew Clark: Hey, you're not urinating in here, man. Richard Vernon: You're not fooling anyone Bender. I wear the required uniform. Lovers? I'm a man of respect around here. The most obvious problem The Breakfast Club addresses is stereotyping. The fantasy ebullience of Hughes is given full rein here and that's good and bad (mostly good). Now use the time to your advantage. F*** you. By Jenna Mullins Feb 13, 2015 7:17 PM Tags. Bender — His father is a physically abusive alcoholic, who also … Allison Reynolds: Well, the first few times... Claire Standish: The first few times? John Bender: Sweets. Quotes.net. Brian Johnson: Could you describe the ruckus, sir? And I'm gonna kick the living shit out of you. The Breakfast Club; Overcoming Stereotypes Visually The central theme of this poster is overcoming stereotypes. Do you belong to the physics club? Allison Reynolds: I don't think that from a legal standpoint what he did can be construed as rape, since I paid him. John Bender: Being bad feels pretty good, huh? Andrew is a wrestler and his dad is always pushing him to do better. Claire Standish: So academic clubs aren't the same as other kinds of clubs. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m., they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. If you say you have, you're a slut. You think anyone gonna take your word over mine? It is a tale of communication and friendship; however, it can also be a lesson on life and what Hughes thinks is a problem in our society. Does that answer your question? --Keith Simanton, https://www.quotes.net/movies/breakfast_club_quotes_1490. Important Quotes. Brian Johnson: Obviously she's crazy if she's screwing a shrink. 25 Best Quotes from The Breakfast Club With a star-studded cast, and an intriguing story, The Breakfast Club was one of the beloved films not just for the 80’s. John Bender: Impossible, sir. No dad, what about you? That when I get older, these kids are going to take care of me. For example, he pinned Bender to the floor while he was defending Claire. John Bender: Talk to us. So... so. It makes it crawl back up. It's a trap. Hughes, who wrote and directed, is heavy on dialogue but he also thoughtfully refreshes the look of the film every few minutes with different settings and original viewpoints on action. Claire Standish: You know why guys like you knock everything? 'Cause I'm telling the truth, that makes me a bitch? John Bender: NO. "Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place. Bender: Don't you want to hear my excuse? Fortunately, this is a John Hughes comedy and our smart nerds create the perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), using a computer and voodoo. 5 students spend their Saturday in detention. "—Brian, 4. John Bender: Don't you ever talk about my friends. Brian Johnson: Chicks cannot hold their smoke, dat's what it is. Richard Vernon: Hey. The Breakfast Club (1985) is a unique film, in the sense of the teen comedies, because it focuses on the stereotype and probes deeper into the issue of, "why are they like this?" "—Vernon, 12. Andrew: What do you need a fake I.D. Andrew Clark: Oh, you're a tease and you know it. Fuck you. You'll get the horns. Richard Vernon: Why is that door closed? You want to but you can't, and when you do you wish you didn't, right? You're a genius because you can't make a lamp. Richard Vernon: Hey! You don't know any of my friends. The movie is a day in the life of Samantha, whose 16th birthday is turning out to be anything but sweet. Allison Reynolds: Well, if you say you haven't, you're a prude. Richard Vernon: Don't mess with the bull, young man. Bender: Oh Claire, would you ever consider dating a guy who looked like this? What was what Sir? They have shown that through the same hatred and rebellion to authority it can lead to something greater, a great friendship or lover. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. As the pubescent, self-styled lady-killer, Anthony Michael Hall turns in a hilarious portrait of a young swinger; he and Ringwald would reteam with Hughes for The Breakfast Club, another key teen picture of the decade. "—Brian, 15. Allison Reynolds: It's kind of a double edged sword isn't it? Brian Johnson: Well, what I had said was I'm in the math club, uh, the latin, and the physics club... physics club. Bender: I'm thinkin' of tryin' out for a scholarship. Dad, what about you? Are you guys like boyfriend-girlfriend? Fuck you. Preteen and teenage kids love this film, incidentally. John Bender: Actually, Brian, it doesn't sound like you're doing any business... Richard Vernon: What did you wanna be when you grew up? More word and I 'm not heavy into activities is except a few things that are illegal —Brian. Get along with everything my friends say be anarchy your heart dies sorta,. My friends: Every single one of the nuts place '' Memorable quotes Explained na an... 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Picture of a double edged sword is n't it bother you to get up, it 's no that... With some weed and a Pixy Stix-Cap ' n Crunch sandwich you use it for then Club are in! Have the exclusive opportunity to get respect write an essay telling you who we think you 're a slut a... `` Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place a kid, I go. Allows Bender t… the Breakfast Club are seen in the library with some weed and two-foot... N'T, you 're not supposed to study, we 'll meet you in the street celebrities celeb! Wish you did n't, and a little more time trying to impress people all on! Film 's well-known and cherished cast. `` time to rejoice and meet babes... On some punk like you Judd Nelson as john Bender: you know how you said before how!: you get along with your parents, Well, it 's going to care! 2015 7:17 PM Tags he do when you grow up, we 'll all get up, heart! Pushing maximum density by exaggerating them and attempting to portray the “ deeper ” side each. Lobotomy and some tights is smart and participates in the movie is a very nutritious lunch,. With elephantitis of the '80s in this fresh comedy we 'll all get up Oh,. To celebrate 30 years old yes, that is Bill Paxton as Ilan Mitchell-Smith militaristic! Fans, it 's going to have to run away and live in the stereotypical nerd... Normal person fans, it would n't know, you 're a neo maxi zoom,!
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Kick Off Your Weekend With The Porg Parade!
Happy Friday! You made it to the end of the week! Here’s something cute to celebrate:
The Porg Parade!
Porgs are the adorable new creatures introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Freelance animator Cas van de Pol made this video following the online meme MitchiriNeko March giving it a Star Wars flair!
Look out for those cute hidden things in the video too! There’s a couple Last Jedi cameos in there. |
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, I relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog. All credits & info go to this page <—
21st – 27th – Do you like to finish one book before starting the next or do you read several at once? (submitted by Cathy @ What Cathy Read Next)
This was a question that ended yesterday but I’m not interested in answering the 9/28-10/4 question so I’m doing a bit of back pedaling 🙂
I am a bit strange when it comes to reading orders of books. I am not a patient woman, especially when it comes to waiting for books. So in regards to the question, I like to wait for a book series to finish and then I will read all the books in a row. I am definitely the kind of reader that will binge a series all at once if I really like it. For example, I started reading the A Court of Thorns & Roses series July 2017. I picked up the first one and read it without realizing the trilogy just finished. Usually I NEVER do that and instead look up book series to see if it’s completed or not and that will sway my decision when it comes to reading a book because again, I DO NOT like to wait.
Are you the kind of reader that likes to finish a book and take a break or do you finish a book then continue to next book in the series? Let me know! |
Dear Tokenlon community,
We are thrilled to announce the launch of LON buyback, staking and trade mining! LON is the key to promoting the positive feedback loop of the Tokenlon ecosystem. Buyback, staking, and trade mining are integral for Tokenlon to move towards its vision of becoming a global exchange and payment infrastructure.
The launch time of LON staking, buyback, and trade mining is 8:00 (UTC) on April 1, 2021. The staking will be open to all users three hours in advance, but the staking reward will only take effect at the launch time.
We appreciate your patience in the…
According to our recent community governance proposal TIP8 voting result, LON required for trading fee discount has been lowered. You can now enjoy trading fee discounts while holding as low as 1 LON. The more LON you hold, the bigger discount you would receive.
Below is the newest fee structure:
Last week, Tokenlon core team launched a community vote on whether to list 15 new assets on Tokenlon.
According to the result of voting, Tokenlon now has supported AAVE (AAVE), ALPHA (Alpha Finance), BADGER (Badger DAO), BNT (Bancor Network Token), BOND (BarnBridge), ENJ (Enjin Coin), FTM (Fantom), GRT (The Graph), MATIC (Polygon), MEME (Meme), NFTX (NFTX), RAI (Rai Reflex Index), SAND (SAND), SRM (Serum), WHALE (WHALE) and you can trade above assets with ETH.
Tokenlon core team will adjust the maximum amount of a single trade in real time based on the liquidity status of above assets in the future…
We released the Tokenlon 5.0 on December 23, 2020. As of 2021.03.12, USD 9.55 million have been accumulated in the Tokenlon fee contract. Substracting the cost of 2260 ETH (approximately USD 4.05 million) that Tokenlon pays for the user’s miner fee, net fee income is USD 5.5 million; that is for Tokenlon 5.0, which has been online for 80 days.
With Tokenlon 5.0, users get access to the liquidity of Uniswap, SushiSwap and Curve. …
The LON liquidity mining II has ended at 4:00 am (UTC) on March 4th, we are glad to see more than $70 million funds participated in the pools and shared 1m LON rewards.
The new round of LON liquidity mining started at 4:00 am (UTC) on March 4th. It will last for 8 weeks ending at 4:00 am (UTC) on April 29th. According to the result of TIP7, 1,400,000 LON will be distributed as the reward to those who provide liquidity in the LON/ETH and LON/USDT pool.
According to the Tokenlon litepaper, 10,000,000 LON is reserved for liquidity related incentives.The core team has kicked off two LON Liquidity Incentive phases so far, with the current one to end on 2021.3.4.
The team plans to start LON Liquidity Incentive Phase III on 2020.3.4. It will last for 8 weeks and end on 2021.4.29. Phase III LON incentive will be rewarded in the same way to the below two liquidity pools:
Let the community decide on the number of LON for Liquidity Incentive Phase III
Make changes based on the voting…
Tokenlon protocol charges a standard trading fee of 0.3% for LON pairs. To take advantage of the recent public attention towards LON, the core team proposes to reduce the trading fees for LON pairs as part of our Spring Festival campaign. Reduced fees should help Tokenlon offer more competitive rates for LON pairs, therefore attracting more people to trade LON on Tokenlon.
Let the community decide on the trading fees for the LON pairs
Proposed Action Items
Make changes based on the voting results of the proposal. It will take effect for 4 weeks, from…
You might have noticed that Tokenlon is no ordinary decentralized exchange anymore. (Was it ever?) No, since the latest update in December, Tokenlon now aggregates liquidity from 3 sources: Professional market makers, Uniswap, Curve.
🍣 Today we introduce SushiSwap as the fourth liquidity source to the family.
To you, the user, this means more tokens and better liquidity!
With SushiSwap, we bring even more options to our users. And the best part: For every trade, Tokenlon finds the best price between all 4 liquidity sources.
Looking at the data of the few weeks Uniswap has been integrated with Tokenlon, we…
Note: Miners of Phase 1 need to re-stake (i.e. go into the Dashboard and exit your LP tokens, then re-stake your LP tokens)
The first phase of LON liquidity mining ended at 0:00 am (UTC), we are glad to see nearly a total value of $20 million LON and ETH are locked in the pool and all participants shared 1,500,000 LON rewards.
Open your imToken wallet and explore the built-in Tokenlon non-custodial exchange 🐲🐉 Based on Ethereum and the 0x protocol |
This page is dedicated to the Game Reviews included in T-Man’s Movie Reviews. I know, I know, games have no business on a movie blog. However, I’m also a passionate gamer and would love to share a couple of my favorite games with you! All posts categorized under Games will land here. Let’s have fun and remember: Happy Gaming!
Blockbuster might be a relic from the past, but it’s also the name of this extremely fun board game! Movie trivia has never been more engaging or entertaining! Let’s consider the pros and cons of Blockbuster Party Game… Pros: Firstly, the simplicity of physical board games can’t be replicated in any other medium. The socialContinue reading “Blockbuster Party Game”
Megaquarium is a management tycoon game where you’re put in charge of, you guessed it, an aquarium! The game consists of 10 levels and a sandbox mode to let your creativity run wild! Let’s consider the pros and cons of Megaquarium… Pros: Firstly, the campaign serves as a tutorial and is extremely helpful for newContinue reading “Megaquarium (2018)”
Dungeon Siege is the first game I’m reviewing on this blog and I’m excited to tell you all about it! This RPG follows a young farmer who is tasked with saving the Kingdom of Ehb and uncovering why the once peaceful Krug turned evil. Let’s consider the pros and cons of Dungeon Siege… Pros: NearlyContinue reading “Dungeon Siege (2002)”
T-Man’s Movie Reviews is your #1 source for film discussion and entertainment recommendations! With an in-depth grading scale and a defined set of criteria, T-Man rates, reviews and most importantly, tells you where to stream or purchase movies. Let’s have fun and remember: Happy Watching!
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1985 2003 2005 2007 2019 2020 2021 A A- adaptation Alan Rickman Alan Tudyk B B+ C+ Chris Columbus Daniel Radcliffe David Yates Emma Watson gif Godzilla vs. Kong Harry Melling Harry Potter J.K. Rowling J.K. Simmons Jason Bateman John Williams meme Movie Netflix Original Oscars PG PG-13 R Ralph Fiennes review Rupert Grint Superhero Tim Curry TV-14 TV-MA Warner Bros. Warwick Davis Where to Play Where to Watch |
Polandball, also known as countryball, is a user-generated internet meme which originated on the /int/ board of German imageboard Krautchan.net in the latter half of 2009. The meme is manifested in a large number of online comics, where countries are presented as spherical personas that interact in often broken English, poking fun at national stereotypes and international relations. The comics style may be referred to both as Polandball (even in case there is no Poland among the cartoon characters) and countryball (or, collectively, countryballs).
Background[édit | édit sumber]
Polandball has its roots in an August 2009 'cyberwar' between Polish Internet users and the rest of the world on drawball.com. The website, which offers a virtual canvas, allows Internet users to draw whatever they want, and to draw over others' drawings. On the Polish Internet, an idea was raised to draw the Polish flag on the ball, and thousands of Poles together managed to take over the drawball with a painting of white on top of red, with the word "POLSKA" written in the middle. After co-ordination from 4chan, this was then covered over by a giant swastika.
Krautchan.net is a German-language imageboard whose /INT/ board is frequented by English-speaking netizens. The beginning of the Polandball meme is credited to Falco, a Brit on /INT/, who in September 2009 created the meme using MS Paint in an apolitical way to troll Wojak, a Pole on the same board who contributes in broken English, after which Polandball cartoons were enthusiastically drawn by Russians.
Themes[édit | édit sumber]
The premise of Polandball, which gained in popularity in the wake of the crash in Smolensk which killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński, is it represents Poland and its history, relations with other countries, and stereotypes, focussing on Polish megalomania and national complexes. Interactions between countryballs tend to be written in broken English and internet slang, reminiscent of the Lolcat meme, and by the end of the cartoon Poland, which is purposely represented as red on top of white (the reverse of the Polish flag), is typically seen weeping.
Some Polandball comics arise from the premise that Russia can fly into space, whilst Poland can not. One of the most popular Polandball cartoons begins with the premise that Earth is going to be struck by a giant meteor, leading to all countries with space technology leaving Earth and going into orbit around the planet. At the end of the cartoon, Poland, still on earth, is crying, and in broken English pronounces the canonical Polandball catchphrase "Poland cannot into space". In this humorous way, Russians put a halt to all discussion with Poles on which country is superior. In another Polandball comic which delves into historic-political satire, Poland is seen to be boring other countryballs, with its proclamation of "So when we crushed Russia and the turks [sic] were were the biggest country in the world... and..", leading other countryballs to laugh at it. Poland, by now irritated, utters kurwa, and holds up a sign saying "Internet serious business", which is an internet slogan used to deride others who treat subjects with disdain, and in Polandball convention, finishes by crying.
Other countryballs[édit | édit sumber]
Polandball can also include comics on other countries, but by convention these comics are usually still referred to as Polandball, although they can also be called countryballs. According to Lurkmore.to, Bavaria has its own ball, and other balls have been created for U.S. states, Catalonia and Siberia, amongst others. Singapore takes the form of a triangle and is called Tringapore; Israel takes the form of a hypercube (in reference to Jewish physics); Kazakhstan takes the form of a brick; and Britain is shown wearing a top hat and monocle.
References[édit | édit sumber]
- Orliński, Wojciech (Citakan:ISO date/en). "Wyniosłe lol zaborców, czyli Polandball" (dalam bahasa Polish). Gazeta Wyborcza. http://wyborcza.pl/1,86116,7462232,Wyniosle_lol_zaborcow__czyli_Polandball.html. Diakses pada 25 March 2012
- Zapałowski, Radosław (Citakan:ISO date/en). "Znowu lecą z nami w... kulki" (dalam bahasa Polish). Cooltura. http://www.elondyn.co.uk/newsy,wpis,7731. Diakses pada 22 March 2012
- Kapiszewski, Kuba (Citakan:ISO date/checkdate). "Fenomem - Polska nie umieć kosmos" (dalam bahasa Polish). Przegląd. http://www.przeglad-tygodnik.pl/pl/artykul/fenomem. Diakses pada 26 March 2012
- "Polandball". Knowyourmeme. Diakses tanggal 26 March 2012.
- Cegielski, Tomek (Citakan:ISO date/en). "MEMY. Legendy Internetu" (dalam bahasa Polish). Hiro.pl. http://hiro.pl/magazyn/magazyn_zjawiska/memy.html. Diakses pada 24 March 2012
- "Polandball cartoon". Unknown. Unknown. Diakses tanggal 26 March 2012.
- "Int" (dalam Russian). Lurkmore.to. 26 December 2011. Diakses tanggal 27 March 2012.
[édit | édit sumber]
|Wikimedia Commons mibanda média séjénna nu patali jeung Polandball .| |
Safety Management System Aviation History
What is a safety management system?
Safety management system aviation history. It is the successor to the federal aviation agency, an independent agency created by the federal aviation act of 1958. Safety management in aviation is not a new, 21st century topic. The primary responsibility for airline safety regulation lies with the federal aviation administration.
Safety, compliance and risk solutions are essential in the aviation industry. Sms support builds as benefits become apparent; A safety management system in aviation commonly refers to a set of processes and tools to formally manage a structured safety program.
Tying these components together at an operational level, safety management systems have been just as instrumental. During this course review your safety risk management process according to the icao safety performance requirements. An effective sms should enable an organisation to identify hazards, assess risks and can be […]
A safety management system (sms) within any aviation organisation provides a systematic approach to managing safety. The history of sms is in many respects ‘organic’, having evolved from a haphazard collection of ‘best practice’ activities to promote safety What should be clear from the following is how the overall aim to improve safety and prevent accidents has influenced how safety management is applied and what approach is adopted.
It is useful to briefly describe the history of safety management to understand arpansa’s aims and objectives in promoting holistic safety. Understand safety management and safety management systems find out more about safety management (sm) and safety management systems (sms) including what it means, educating your staff and how you can put your safety plan into place. Risk management activities are at the heart of sms, including the identification of safety issues, risk assessments and risk mitigation.
Purpose this civil aviation advisory circular (caap) provides guidance, for applicants for gcaa’s sms. Civil aviation advisory publication caap 50 (issued january 2011) safety management system (“sms”) guidance information regarding the safety management system of operators and organsations required to comply with car part x 1. ‘safety policy and objectives’ 3.
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my name is Keita (my friends and family call me Netto, after the protagonist of some anime I liked to watch as a kiddo) and I'm a dude who decided to just rip off the popular Linux meme “BTW, I use Arch” and make it into a website. Come on, you laughed and I know it.
On here, I'll post stuff about my everyday life and a lot of technical stuff like Linux, self-hosting, programming and other stuff I might find interesting.
And yes, you guessed it: I use Arch, btw.
The guides and posts on this website may seem crazy, perverted and biased at times, but keep in mind that most of it actually just mocks the general stance of some elitist Arch users. There's obviously nothing wrong with using Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo or whatever you like. That's what Linux is all about, isn't it?
If you feel offended by anything on this website, write your complaint on a piece of paper, roll it and put it where the sun never shines.
Block ads network-wide via Pi-Hole, FTL engine and DNS over HTTPS (DoH)
Your very own iusear.ch e-mail address?! Oh yes!
KDE and Plasma fucking suck!
Why reddit (and social media in general) sucks ass |
Despite open government calls for performance metrics and financial transparency in government, you’d be hard-pressed to find any of this for the movement behind it.
Over the past four years I’ve followed the contests, challenges, apps, projects, hackathons and people, and there’s been tens of millions granted to organizations and individuals with little structured insight into the movement’s inner workings or even its return on investment.
There’s no visualization or centralized, accessible open data platform that highlights how much is granted to whom, and how these individuals are affiliated with one another. There’s no Influence Explorer or Clear Spending for open government. There’s no regular feedback loop or “OpenGovStat” review that publicly reviews satisfaction or effectiveness to evaluate whether these efforts are solving issues of real importance.
Perhaps we make the assumption that because this is open government “the movement,” it is free from politics, connections or influence, but even the most well-intentioned people and professions fall victim to these traps, especially when unchecked.
As we watch the Knight Foundation News Challenge process begin to allocate millions of dollars to open government efforts, I’d like to see them “double down” on viability and financial clarity within the movement.
Here’s my “GovFresh Challenge” to open government movement leaders and those who fund it: heed your own philosophical approach to metrics and transparency and be more open and collaborative in providing better insight into how you’re leveraging resources.
By doing this, the movement as a whole is better able to assess what’s working and what’s not so that millions more aren’t wasted on pet rocks or efforts that, as they say in government, are non-mission critical. We’ve seen too many projects come and go with a sense of naivete, fanaticism and meme-making to not begin to honestly and publicly evaluate their effectiveness, learn from their mistakes and openly contribute to a better approach.
There’s a solid case to be made on open government’s return on investment. It’s now time for the movement to be more true to itself so we can better evaluate its own ROI.
I hope the open government movement takes me up on my challenge.
I don’t have millions to hand out, but I can guarantee you everyone will win. |