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honeyleesblog · 1 year

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AUGUST 27 ZODIAC

Horoscope and character for those brought into the world on July 27 Dynamic, useful: They never stop moving and are always working on something useful for themselves or others. They are businesspeople who know exactly what works for them and what doesn't. Incredible energy, solid will and connection are regular attributes of individuals conceived today. They are empathetic, innately noble, and willing to exhibit their best selves to others. They want everyone to like and treat them well. They are curious about religious practice. They are great to watch, but they take a while to reach their own conclusions. Your mind is patient, cautious, foresightful, and logical, and it can put in a lot of effort to make your goals and dreams a reality. Additionally, they exhibit a great deal of self-control, adaptability, vigilance, and diplomacy. They don't surrender to outrage effectively, yet when it appears, they can be truly irksome. Stable in their connections: These people are loyal friends and steadfast foes. Prudent, sage, and savvy: They make a career out of dealing with other people. His life frequently intersects with the lives of great people. You will be successful in life if you are patient and persistent. Nonetheless, they won't forestall excruciating encounters at home. Sicknesses in which they could be in peril incorporate heart and kidney diseases, and febrile ailments. Your body is strong and you can live a long life, but you should avoid depression because it hurts your health. How should a child born on this day be raised? with extreme caution because of their unusually subtle and empathetic nature, which constantly inspires them to emotional imitate others. They need to be taught to control their sensual impulses, excessive arrogance, and sense of greatness more than anything else.

AUGUST 27 ZODIAC

Zodiac sign for July 27th birthdays If your birthday falls on July 27, your zodiac sign is Leo. July 27 - personality and character: profession that is unpretentious, serene, conscientious, exuberant, and inquisitive: musician, agronomist, tailor tones: cream, brown, and pink stone: onyx animal: bison plant: Lucky Wisteria numbers are: Super lucky numbers 7, 11, 13, 30, 40, and 46: 5 Occasions and Observances - July 27 Whistle Day Finland: Philippines: Sleeper Day North Korea's Church ni Cristo Day: Triumph Day, commend the finish of the Korean Conflict Puerto Rico: The Celebrity Birthday of Jos Celso Barbosa is July 27. Who was born on your birthday? 1900: Charles Vidor, Hungarian-conceived American movie producer (d. 1959). 1904: British ballet dancer and choreographer Anton Dolin died in 1983. 1909: Sergio Fernდ¡ndez Larraდn, Chilean legislator (d. 1983). 1910: French author Julien Gracq passed away in 2007. 1915: Mario del Monaco, Italian tenor (f. 1982). 1916: Spanish jurist ngel Escudero del Corral (born in 2001). 1919: Gog3 Andreu, an Argentine musician and actor who died in 2012 1919: Jack Goody, an Africanist and social anthropologist from Britain (died in 2015). 1919: Minister Serrador, Argentine entertainer got comfortable Spain (d. 2006). 1925: Lita de Lდ¡zzari, Argentine TV have (d. 2015). 1926: Television presenter and actress Nelly Prince hails from Argentina. 1927: Colombian television host Gloria Valencia de Castano passed away in 2011. 1927: Berta Riaza, an actress from Spain. 1936: Spanish troubadour Miguel Garca Candiota (born in 2007). 1936: Josep Termes, Spanish student of history (d. 2011). 1938: Gary Gygax, American author and game fashioner. 1939: Peppino di Capri, Italian artist and writer. 1940: German choreographer Pina Bausch, who died in 2009, 1942: Dennis Ralston, American tennis player. 1944: Franco Mescolini, Italian entertainer (d. 2017). 1946: American actress Gwynne Gilford 1948: Betty Thomas, American entertainer and producer. 1949: Argentine actress and screenwriter Liliana Benard. 1949: Canadian actor Maury Chaykin passed away in 2010. 1951: Bernardo Atxaga, Spanish author. 1951: Eduardo Gდ³mez, Spanish entertainer. 1952: Uruguayan essayist, poet, and literary critic Eduardo Milan. 1954: Philippe Allot, a French driver in Formula One. 1957: Matt Osborne, American expert grappler (d. 2013). 1960: Mდ³nica Guido, Argentine entertainer. 1960: Mexican comedian and actor Ricardo Hill. 1962: Tony Leung, Chinese entertainer. 1963: Chinese actor and martial artist Donnie Yen 1964: Rex Brown, American bassist, of the band Pantera. 1965: Soccer player from Paraguay named Jos Luis Chilavert 1966: Bruno Carabetta, French judoka. 1966: Artan Peqini, Albanian stone carver. 1967: American actor Sasha Mitchell 1968: The Italian actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta. 1968: Australian actor Julian McMahon 1968: Ricardo Rosset, Brazilian Recipe 1 driver. 1969: Professional wrestler from the United States, Paul Levesque (Triple H). 1972: Takako Fuji, Japanese entertainer. 1972: Malaysian cosmonaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 1972: Maya Rudolph, an American comedian, singer, and actress. 1973: American drummer for the band Deftones, Abe Cunningham. 1975: Fred Mascherino, American artist of the band Reclaiming Sunday. 1975: Dominican baseball player Alex Rodriguez. 1976: American actor Seamus Dever (1977): Mexican model and actress Mariana Ros (Mexican). 1977: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Irish entertainer. 1979: American professional wrestler named Shannon Moore 1980: American professional wrestler Nick Nemeth, also known as "Dolph Ziggler." 1980: Johnny Woodly, Costa Rican soccer player. 1982: Allan Davis, Australian cyclist. 1982: Neil Harbisson, Spanish-English craftsman. 1982: Footballer Daniel Luduena from Argentina. 1983: Albanian footballer Lorik Cana 1984: American baseball player Max Scherzer. 1985: Lou Taylor Pucci, American entertainer. 1987: Slovak footballer Marek Hamk 1987: Willy Martin, an actor from Venezuela. 1990: Cheyenne Kimball, American artist. 1990: Actress from Australia named Indiana Evans 1993: Jordan Spieth, American golf player. 1998: Canadian dancer, singer, and actor Myles Erlick.

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hopeonmyphone · 1 year

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BTS J-Hope's enlistment, ABC, BBC, Egypt TV, etc. 300 overseas media coverage "World attention"

Jhope joined the 36th Army Recruit Training Center in Wonju, Gangwon-do on the 18th, and more than 300 media outlets around the world reported on it and showed great interest. .

The world's three major news agencies, the AP of the US , Reuters of the UK, and AFP of France, introduced that "BTS has become a global cultural phenomenon by contributing billions of dollars to the Korean economy and building an international fan base "

Special exemption from military service is provided to traditional musicians, ballet and other dancers if they have won a top prize in a particular competition and are judged to have increased national prestige, but K-pop stars and other entertainers are not subject to the privilege.” ABC , CBS , NBC , Fox News, and UPI, the three major American terrestrial broadcasters , also reported on the enlistment news. NBC and CBS also reported on entertainment news programs such as Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight.

CNN reported on the news of their enlistment, saying, " BTS have become global superstars, such as being nominated for a Grammy, and with sales of $4.9 billion in 2019, they account for 0.3% of the country's gross domestic product and have become an important part of the Korean economy."

Major media such as Time, Forbes, Washington Times, Washington Post, USA Today, People, Variety, music media such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound, American Songwriter, radio networks such as iHeartRadio and Ohda, and entertainment Tonight, Teen Vogue, EFE , and IBTIMES also reported the news.

In the United States, even local media such as New York Daily News, SCNOW , Gadget Times, Montana Standard, laprensalatina , Fox LA , and Massachusetts Radio joined the ranks of reporting and showed keen interest. Canada's ET Canada also broke the news.

Brazil's OFuxico , Mexico's daily Diario de Yucatan , la verdad noticias, Peruvian daily la republica , Aristegui Noticias , news es euro , TV channel latina pe , and Chilean publimetro , etc.

Britain's public broadcaster BBC reported on the situation in South Korean politics, saying, "There has been discussion for years about whether BTS should serve compulsory service or whether they should be exempted for their contribution to the arts, but the Ministry of Defense has ruled that they must serve . " "When J-Hope released a photo of his shaved head, fans cheered by clicking more than 8 million likes," the report said.

Daily Mail, a daily newspaper in the UK, NME , a music media outlet , Metro Entertainment, and Forcenet, which delivers news related to defense around the world, also reported news.

In France, news of J-Hope's enlistment was reported by 24-hour news channel BFM TV , state-run international news TV network France 24, and weekly news magazine Paris Match.

Germany's wochenschau , Italy's TV news channel Sky TG24 , Netherlands' TV channel RTL Boulevard , Spain's national daily sports newspaper Marca, Portugal's national newspaper publico , and Russia's Orsk Today also joined in the reporting.

In Africa, Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad , Egyptian radio channel Nile FM , Nigerian news agency Peoples Gazette , and Jordanian mediaAl Bawaba et al reported. UAE daily Khalij Times and Gulf News reported the news.

In India, many media such as The Telegraph, India TV , NDTV , Hindustan Times, East Mojo, Fun Times, Delhi Times, Glasham, and Bangalore Times showed interest.

Japan's Oricon News, Billboard Japan, The Japan News, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post Lifestyle Asia, Singapore's Straits Times, Philippine daily Inquirer, CNN Philippines Philstar, ABS-CBN, Indonesia 's CNN Indonesia , Thailand 's Reports from Asian countries followed, including thethaiger daily , Malaysian Insight, Pakistan's Global Village Space , and Vietnam's daily thanh nien .

It is estimated that hundreds of millions of viewers and readers around the world heard the news of J-Hope's enlistment through such news reports. Meanwhile, J-Hope performed ' HUH', a song from Suga's solo album released on the 21st.?!' as a lyricist/composer and featured in the song, giving fans a song gift. J-Hope's scheduled discharge date is October 17, 2024.

Source: Herald Economy

#jung hoseok #hoseok #jhope #정호석 #호석 #제이홉 #방탄소년단제이홉 #방탄소년단 #jhope news #BTS

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cilovesyou · 6 years

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IG : davisebastian

#ballerino #ballet #ballet dancer #balletboy #dancer #guy dancers #dancing #shadows #lines #dance #chilean dancer #chilean

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lgbhistory · 3 years

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Claudio Bravo

Claudio Nelson Bravo Camus was a Chilean hyperrealist painter born in 1936, in Valparaíso, Chile.

His father was a successful businessman who also owned a ranch, and his mother was a housewife. Claudio was one of the seven children in their family.

In 1945, he left the family ranch to join the Colegio San Ignacio in Santiago, Chile, where he excelled in choir, literature and music. In order to raise his grades in math, physics or chemistry, he would give his teacher a portrait. The prefect, Father Dussuel, noticed his self-taught artistic ability and paid for him to study art in the studio of Miguel Venegas Cifuentes in Santiago.

Eventually, Bravo's father granted him permission to take the classes and took over the responsibility of paying for them.

Bravo also studied under Venegas and it was the only formal training he received. Venegas inspired Bravo to develop his hyperrealist style.

He had his first exhibition at the age of 17. The exhibit received good reviews and was considered a great success. All the works were sold, although they went to family and friends.

In 1955, he danced professionally with the Compañía de Ballet de Chile and worked for Teatro de Ensayo of the Universidad Católica de Chile.

Bravo established himself in Madrid in the 1960s as a society portraitist, gaining recognition for his astounding ability to create verisimilitude.

His interest in Renaissance and Baroque works came from his many visits to the Museo del Prado in Madrid where he admired paintings done by old Spanish and Italian masters.

In 1968, Bravo received an invitation from President Marcos of the Philippines to come and paint him and his wife,as well as members of the high society.

In 1969, Bravo met Melvin Blake and Frank Purnell who were in Spain collecting art and they encouraged him to move to the United States and helped him get connected to the art scene. In 1970, Bravo had his first exhibition at the Staempfli Gallery in New York, receiving rave reviews from renowned New York Times art critic John Canaday.

Bravo's relationship with the New York art scene stayed strong, but he began to feel the gray cement and urban setting affecting his work. Bravo decided to spend some time in Morocco. The fact that it was a completely different place in almost every aspect of life was intriguing to him.

He hadn't intended on staying in Morocco, but it was there that he found the colors and light he had been searching for.

Many sources stay silent about it, but Bravo was a homosexual. It is clear even just by looking at his works - multiple paintings of young athletic men, especially dancers and soccer players. Bravo stayed celibate for the past two decades of his life, as he said in one interview :“That (romantic love) was very complicated for me...I’m too passionate and jealous. I decided that my paintings and my animals were my best sources of love. I don’t think I’ve had anyone in my bed since I was 50. I got tired of it.”

Bravo died at his home in Morocco, on June 4, 2011, of two heart attacks.

#lgbhistory #lgbgay #lgbamerica #lgbchile #lgbsouthamerica

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dear-indies · 3 years

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Hi fellow nerd, could you pretty please help me find a fc that could work as an assassin and a ballet dancer. I've got no specifics in mind (gender identity or ethnicity) . Thank you.

Ming-Na Wen (1963) Chinese.

Keanu Reeves (1964) Native Hawaiian, Portuguese, English, Scottish, at least 1/16th Chinese, remote Dutch / English.

Jin Xing (1967) Chinese - trans woman - is a ballerina!

Jaime Murray (1976)

Ivory Aquino (1977/1978) Filipino - trans woman.

Daniel Henney (1979) Korean / Irish, English..

Maggie Q (1979) Vietnamese / Irish, Polish, French.

Kikuchi Rinko (1981) Japanese.

Summer Glau (1981) - before Firefly she was a ballet student (who also studied tango and flamenco) random fact of the day!

Dichen Lachman (1982) Tibetan / German.

Nicky Endres (1982) Korean - they/them she/her - non-binary transfeminine, genderqueer, and genderfluid.

Mahesh Jadu (1982) Indo-Mauritian [Bihari, Gorakhpuri and Kashmiri]

Steven Yeun (1983) Korean.

Iko Uwais (1983) Betawi Indonesian.

Asia Kate Dillon (1984) Ashkenazi Jewish / Unspecified- non-binary - they/them.

Emily Beecham (1984)

Nathalie Kelley (1985) Argentinian, Peruvian [Quechua, possibly other].

Hale Appleman (1986) Ashkenazi Jewish / Irish, English - queer.

Penn Badgley (1986)

Nong Poy (1986) Thai - trans woman.

Sonoya Mizuno (1986) Japanese / English, Argentinian.

Lewis Tan (1987) Chinese / Irish, possibly English.

Arifin Putra (1987) Indonesian [Chinese] / German.

Sen Mitsuji (1987) Japanese / Unspecified Australian.

Jason Greene / Freckle (1988) Unspecified Native Mexican American, Unspecified other - genderfluid.

Robert Sheehan (1988)

Amiyah Scott (1988) African-American - trans woman.

Nico Tortorella (1988) non-binary, polyamorous and queer - they/them.

David Castañeda (1989) Mexican.

Daniela Vega (1989) Chilean - trans woman.

Rob Raco (1989)

Q'orianka Kilcher (1990) Peruvian [Quechua, Huachipaeri] / Swiss-German, Swiss-French.

Regé-Jean Page (1990) Zimbabwean / British.

Ellyn Jade (1990) Ojibwe and Jamaican of Afro Jamaican, Taino, and British two-spirit (she/her) and not straight but otherwise unspecified, and has Nephrotic Syndrome and Celiac’s Disease.

Jade Hassouné (1991) Lebanese - queer.

Jayr Tinaco (1991) Filipino - non-binary (he/him they/them).

Miki Ishikawa (1991) Japanese.

Karen Fukuhara (1992) Japanese.

Hari Nef (1992) Ashkenazi Jewish - trans woman.

Medalion Rahimi (1992) Iranian, Mizrahi Jewish.

Çağla Demir (1992) Turkish.

Omari Douglas (1994) Black British - queer.

Frankie Adams (1994) Samoan.

Song Kang (1995) Korean - ballet dancer in Navillera!

Lulu Antariksa (1995) Indonesian / German.

Ryan Potter (1995) Japanese / Ashkenazi Jewish, Swedish, English, German, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish.

Miguel Herrán (1996)

Aria Shahghasemi (1996) Iranian.

Tati Gabrielle (1996) Korean / African-American.

Chelsea Zhang (1996) Chinese.

Tom Holland (1996) - played Billy Elliot on the West End fun fact of the day #2!

Blu del Barrio (1997) Argentinian - non-binary (they/them).

Nicole Maines (1997) - trans woman.

Manon Bresch (1998) Cameroonian.

Hunter Schafer (1999) - non-binary (she/they).

Okada Kenshi (1999) Japanese.

Sivan Alyra Rose (1999) Chiricahua Apache, Afro Puerto Rican - genderfluid and pansexual (she/her they/them).

Ian Alexander (2001) Vietnamese / White - non-binary - he/they.

Here you go nerdo! Regardless of gender identity or ethnicity, love that!

#fc help #rph #rpc #neverwholelahey

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learningrendezvous · 3 years

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Disability Studies

MUSIC GOT ME HERE

Director: Susan Koch

Music Got Me Here follows the against-all-odds, true-life journey of Forrest Allen - a story of the power of music to heal and transform lives, often in miraculous ways. A snowboard accident leaves Forrest, age 18, trapped inside himself, unable to speak or walk for almost two years. Tom Sweitzer, an eccentric music therapist with a troubled childhood who credits music with saving his own life, is determined to help Forrest find his voice.

Ancient philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, recognized and wrote about the tremendous power of music. But it's only recently that neuroscientists, using advanced magnetic resonance imaging, have been able to go beyond the anecdotal - and actually document the powerful pathways that exist between music and the brain. Music therapy has the potential to improve the lives of those dealing with some of life's most serious challenges including traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer's, autism, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, mental health issues, PTSD, stroke recovery, pain management, and opioid addiction.

Filmed over five years by award-winning director Susan Koch, Music Got Me Here explores this fascinating therapy through the story of Forrest, featuring interviews with renowned soprano and music therapy advocate Renee Fleming and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins.

DVD / 2020 / 90 minutes

R-WORD, THE

By Amanda Lukoff

THE R-WORD is an intimate look at the history of the word 'retard(ed),' cultural representation, and the challenges and triumphs of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Filmmaker Amanda Lukoff grew up advocating for her sister Gabrielle, especially whenever she heard the word 'retard(ed),' which was far too often. The disparaging word is everywhere â€“ in TV, movies, music, social media, and throughout our public and private communities -- perpetuating negative stereotypes and cultural bias.

THE R-WORD is a humanizing, purposeful, and deeply respectful look into the long-reaching history and lasting implications of derogatory language used to describe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through captivating animation sequences, the personal narrative of four sibling stories, and the first-person accounts of self-advocates, we get an intimate and nuanced perspective of the challenges and triumphs of people living with an intellectual disability.

THE R-WORD is an unflinching, heartwarming, humorous, and hopeful journey through our shared human experience.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2020 / 65 minutes

TO BE OF SERVICE

Director: Josh Aronson

To Be Of Service is a feature-length documentary directed by Academy Award nominated Josh Aronson about veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who are paired with a service dog to help them regain their lives. Returning home for these vets is often wrought with depression and a painful disconnect from the world they once knew. Family, old friends and jobs seem foreign, and newly returned warriors struggle to function and return to a normal civilian life. "To Be Of Service" follows these warriors after they get their dog to see how a deeply bonded friendship restores independence and love for the men and women who have been so traumatized by war. The film features an original song, "Unbroken," written and performed by Jon Bon Jovi.

DVD / 2019 / 88 minutes

THAT WAY MADNESS LIES

Director: Sandra Luckow

What do you do when your brother descends into a black hole of mental instability - starting with falling for a Nigerian email scam but eventually winding up involuntary committed into the hospital made famous by 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'?

Award-winning filmmaker Sandra Luckow unflinchingly turns her camera on her own family as they attempt to navigate the broken mental health system in an effort to save their brother, Duanne, whose iPhone video diary ultimately becomes an unfiltered look at the mind of a man with untreated schizophrenia as well as an indictment of how the system failed.

DVD / 2018 / 101 minutes

DEFIANT LIVES

By Sarah Barton

DEFIANT LIVES is a triumphant film that traces the origins of the world-wide disability rights movement. It tells the stories of the individuals who bravely put their lives on the line to create a better world where everyone is valued and can participate. Featuring interviews and rarely seen archival footage, the film reveals how these activists fought to live outside of institutions, challenged the stigmas and negative image of disability portrayed by the media, demanded access to public transportation, and battled to reframe disability rights as a social responsibility relevant to us all. DEFIANT LIVES is an excellent tool to encourage discussions about diversity and disability for students, audiences and community groups.

DVD (Color) / 2017 / 85 minutes

MADEMOISELLE PARADIS

Director: Barbara Albert

Set in 18th century Vienna, this is the true story of Maria Theresia von Paradis, a gifted piano player and close friend of Mozart, who lost her eye-sight as a child. Desperate to cure their talented daughter, the Paradis entrust Maria to Dr. Mesmer, a forward-thinking-physician who gives her the care and attention that she requires. With the doctor's innovative techniques of magnetism, Maria slowly recovers her sight. But this miracle comes at a price as the woman progressively starts to lose her gift for music. Faced with a heavy dilemma, Mademoiselle Paradis will have to choose: an ordinary life in the light or an extraordinary life in darkness, as a virtuoso.

DVD (German & French with English subtitles) / 2017 / 97 minutes

SHADOW GIRL

By Maria Teresa Larrain

SHADOW GIRL is the extraordinary story of a filmmaker struggling with the prospect of losing her vision. While editing her last film in Toronto, Chilean-born filmmaker Maria Teresa Larrain suddenly begins to go blind. After she's denied disability benefits by the Canadian government, she returns home to Chile. There, inspired by the resilience and wisdom of the blind street vendors she meets, Maria Teresa confronts her fears and steps courageously into her new life while reclaiming her dignity and her voice as an artist. This powerful and poetic film raises complex questions about art and "vision," able and dis-abled, and poverty and privilege.

DVD (Spanish, Color) / 2017 / 75 minutes

BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS

Director: Garrett Zevgetis

Off a dirt road in rural Maine, a precocious 20-year-old woman named Michelle Smith lives with her mother Julie. Michelle is quirky and charming, legally blind and diagnosed on the autism spectrum, with big dreams and varied passions. Searching for connection, Michelle explores love and empowerment outside the limits of "normal" through a provocative sex-positive community. Michelle's joyful story of self-discovery celebrates outcasts everywhere.

DVD / 2016 / 91 minutes

FAREWELL PARTY, THE

Director: Tal Granit & Sharon Maymon

The Farewell Party is a unique, compassionate and unlikely funny story of a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who decide to help their terminally ill friend. When rumors of their assistance begin to spread, more and more people ask for their help, and the friends are faced with a life and death dilemma. Co-directors Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit have tackled an extremely sensitive issue in a vibrant and unique way.

DVD (Hebrew with English subtitles) / 2015 / 95 minutes

ON BEAUTY

By Joanna Rudnick

From Emmy-nominated IN THE FAMILY filmmaker Joanna Rudnick and Chicago's Kartemquin Films comes a story about challenging norms and redefining beauty. ON BEAUTY follows fashion photographer Rick Guidotti, who left the fashion world when he grew frustrated with having to work within the restrictive parameters of the industry's standard of beauty. After a chance encounter with a young woman who had the genetic condition albinism, Rick re-focused his lens on those too often relegated to the shadows to change the way we see and experience beauty.

At the center of ON BEAUTY are two of Rick's photo subjects: Sarah and Jayne. In eighth grade Sarah left public school because she was bullied so harshly for the birthmark on her face and brain. Jayne lives with albinism in Eastern Africa where society is blind to her unique health and safety needs and where witch doctors hunt people with her condition to sell their body parts. We follow Rick as he uses his lens to challenge convention and media's narrow scope of with the help of two extraordinary women.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 31 minutes

DANCE GOODBYE, THE

Director: Ron Steinman

What is life like for a dancer when they can no longer dance? Inspired by Merrill Ashley's departure from the New York City Ballet as an acclaimed principal dancer, this documentary, created by Ron Steinman and Eileen Douglas, captures the poignancy of this life turning point. After a struggle to find her next step, today Merrill Ashley travels around the world teaching Balanchine to dance companies which perform his works as once she did. This is the story of any dancer - or, in truth any one of us - who needs to find their way into a new life.

DVD / 2014 / 56 minutes

MAKING ROUNDS

Director: Muffie Meyer

We spend almost a trillion dollars a year on high-tech tests and yet almost one fifth of patients are misdiagnosed. In Making Rounds we are introduced to the power and superiority of methods of traditional diagnosis based on decades of experience, doctor-patient discussions, physical touch, and personal observation. We follow two prominent cardiologists getting it right, teaching future doctors the 'old-fashion' art and science of a thorough bedside physical exam. "A great many diseases may be diagnosed," they tell us, "just by looking at a patient's hand."

Filmed over one month in the cardiac care unit of a top New York hospital, we see the doctors in action, correcting previous misdiagnoses, predicting outcomes, saving lives, demonstrating - in dramatic real-world situations -that simply looking at and listening to patients remains medicine's most indispensable tool.

DVD / 2014 / 63 minutes

ALGORITHMS

Director: Ian McDonald

In India, a group of boys dream of becoming Chess Masters, driven by a man with a vision. But this is no ordinary chess and these are no ordinary players. Algorithms is a documentary on the thriving but little known world of Blind Chess in India.

Filmed over three years, Algorithms travels with three talented boys and a totally blind player turned pioneer as they compete in national and world championships, and visits them in their home milieu where they reveal their struggles, anxieties and hopes.

Charudatta Jadhav discovered chess soon after he went blind as a teen. Convinced of the game's power, he has dedicated his life to develop chess for the blind. Darpan Inani is the most talented and highest ranked totally blind player in India. This idiosyncratic and highly intelligent teenager possesses a wisdom that belies his young age. Sai Krishna is an ambitious rising star of blind chess in India. He is fun-loving, gregarious and makes friends easily, but there is a toughness to Sai's character. Anant Kumar Nayak, a promising new talent, is a gentle boy with an endearing if slightly eccentric personality. With a strong sense of moral duty and responsibility, the totally blind Anant struggles to balance chess and school. This observational documentary moves through the algorithms of the blind chess world, challenging the viewer with a tactile and thoughtful exploration of foresight, sight and vision.

DVD (English, Hindi, Tamil, Odiya with English subtitles) / 2012 / 96 minutes

SERVICE: WHEN WOMEN COME MARCHING HOME

By Marcia Rock and Patricia Lee Stotter

Women make up 15 percent of today's military. That number is expected to double in 10 years. SERVICE highlights the resourcefulness of seven amazing women who represent the first wave of mothers, daughters and sisters returning home from the frontless wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Portraying the courage of women veterans as they transition from active duty to their civilian lives, this powerful film describes the horrific traumas they have faced, the inadequate care they often receive on return, and the large and small accomplishments they work mightily to achieve.

These are the stories we hear about from men returning from war, but rarely from women veterans. Through compelling portraits, we watch these women wrestle with prostheses, homelessness, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma. The documentary takes the audience on a journey from the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq to rural Tennessee and urban New York City, from coping with amputations, to flashbacks, triggers and depression to ways to support other vets. An eye-opening look at the specific challenges facing women veterans with a special focus on the disabled, SERVICE can be used for courses in military studies, women's studies, peace and conflict courses and veteran support groups.

DVD (Color) / 2012 / 55 minutes

YOU DON'T NEED FEET TO DANCE

Director: Alan Govenar

Alan Govenar's intimate new documentary reveals the extraordinary life of African immigrant Sidiki Conde, a man overcoming his disability one day at a time in New York City.

Sidiki was born in 1961, in Guinea, West Africa. At age fourteen, polio left him almost completely paralyzed. Sent to live with his grandfather in a village deep in the forest, Sidiki learned to manage his disability, building his upper-body strength so that he could walk on his hands. When faced with the dilemma of dancing in a coming of age ceremony, he reconstructed the traditional steps by dancing on his hands instead of his feet.

In time Sidiki ran away to Conakry, Guinea's capital city, where he and his friends organized an orchestra of artists with disabilities recruited from the city's streets. They toured the country, striving to change the perception of the disabled. In 1987, he became a member of the renowned dance company Merveilles D'Afrique, founded by Mohamed Komoko Sano. Sidiki became a soloist and served as rehearsal master, composing and directing the company's repertoire. He also worked as a musician and arranger with Youssou N'Dour, Salifa Keita, Baba Maal and other popular musicians.

In 1998, Conde's music brought him to the United States, and he founded the Tokounou All-Abilities Dance and Music Ensemble. In the United States, he has continued to perform and teach, instructing people of all abilities in schools, hospitals and universities, and served as artist in residence at a Bronx public school for children with multiple disabilities.

In You Don't Need Feet to Dance, Sidiki balances his career as a performing artist with the almost insurmountable obstacles of life in New York City, from his fifth-floor walk-up apartment in the East village, down the stairs with his hands and navigating in his wheelchair through Manhattan onto buses and into the subway. Despite the challenges, Sidiki teaches workshops for disabled kids, busks on the street, rehearses with his musical group, bicycles with his hands, and prepares for a baby naming ceremony, where he plays djembe drums, sings, and dances on his hands.

DVD / 2012 / 88 minutes

I CAN BE PRESIDENT

Directors: Diane Kolyer & Michael Sporn

What would it be like to grow up and become president of the United States?

In I Can Be President: A Kid's Eye View, a diverse group of children candidly share their thoughts on the subject, affirming the importance of having dreams at any age.

I Can Be President features interviews with elementary schoolers whose hopes and dreams - both hilarious and touching - come to life in animated sequences created by the award-winning animator Michael Sporn.

A young person's view of civics and ethics, I Can Be President offers simple yet profound observations on subjects like diversity, war, being a leader and becoming an adult. All in all, a promising vision of the nation's future.

DVD / 2011 / 22 minutes

SCARLET ROAD

By Catherine Scott

Impassioned about freedom of sexual expression, Australian sex worker Rachel Wotton has become highly specialized in working with clients with disabilities. Rachel's philosophy â€“ that human tough and sexual intimacy can be some of the most therapeutic aspects to our existence â€“ has made a dramatic impact on the lives of her clients, from improved mental health to actually regaining body movement. SCARLET ROAD follows Rachel as she strives to increase awareness and access to sexual expression for disabled people through her foundation, "Touching Base," which works to gain rights for sex workers and end the social stigma and discriminatory practices that surround their occupation. In addition, she obtains an MS in Sexual Health, all to further her mission to end the stigma placed on two marginalized groups.

DVD (Color) / 2011 / 70 minutes

IN THE GARDEN OF SOUNDS

Director: Nicole Bellucci

From the time he was a child Wolfgang Fasser knew he'd lose his eyesight to the genetic disease retinitus pigmentosa. But as darkness descended, a new world began to open up to him: the world of sound. He marveled at its richness and nuance, at how it moved him and made him connect with nature and with the people around him. Forced to abandon his childhood dream of being a veterinarian, Wolfgang instead became a musical therapist for disabled children.

Tucked away in the Swiss mountains he built a safe haven in which children can explore and create sound through instruments like cymbals, drums and piano, or feel sound vibrations resonate through their bodies on a therapeutic bed of chords. Tension dissipates as they open to the mysteries of sound and music; Wolfgang's empathy, compassion and patience add to an environment in which the children blossom. In his transcendent directorial debut, Nicola Bellucci focuses with quiet reverence on Wolfgang just as Wolfgang focuses on the children in his care.

DVD (Italian and Swiss German with English Subtitles) / 2010 / 90 minutes

MOTHER'S COURAGE, A: TALKING BACK TO AUTISM

Director: Fridrik Thor Fridriksson

Narrated by Kate Winslet, this inspiring film follows one woman's quest to unlock her autistic son's mind. Margret, whose ten-year-old son Keli is severely autistic, has tried a number of treatments to help her son.

Consumed by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about this mysterious and complex condition, she travels from her home in Iceland to the United States and Europe, meeting with top autism experts and advocates. She also connects with several other families touched by autism, whose struggles echo her own: the endless doctor visits and experiments with different treatments, the complication of doing everyday tasks, and the inability to communicate - perhaps the most painful and frustrating aspect of autism.

But as she comes across innovative new therapies with the potential to break down the walls of autism, Margret finds hope that her son may be able to express himself on a level she never thought possible.

DVD / 2010 / 103 minutes

ABE NATHAN - AS THE SUN SETS

Director: Eytan Harris

The nostalgic and exciting story of Abe Nathan ("The Peace Pilot") - the man who became a myth in Israel and around the world for his courageous and endless fight for peace, who broadcasted rock music and messages of peace from his pirate radio station "The Voice of Peace", who organized missions, reaching forgotten corners of the world giving food to starving children, but at the same time could not be a real father to his own daughter.

DVD (Hebrew, English, With English Subtitles) / 2005 / 78 minutes

NITSAN AND SAGI

Directors: Hadassah Benherzel and Jacky Berman

Nitsan and Sagi married in Israel in August 2002. Their wedding was a magnificent and well-attended ceremony. However, unlike other couples, Nitsan and Sagi are young people with Down syndrome, and as such, their path to martial bliss became an ideal for a "normal" existence that many young people with Down syndrome pray and hope for. The film accompanies the couple on their wedding day and to their new home in an emotional, thought provoking and sometimes humorous fashion.

DVD (Hebrew, With English Translation) / 2004 / 58 minutes

http://www.learningemall.com/News/Disability_202101.html

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dance-world · 11 months

Photo

Sebastián Vinet - photo by Carlos Quezada, The Male Dancer Project

#sebastián vinet #carlos quezada #chilean ballet dancers #bailarín #ballerino #dancer #danseur #boys of ballet #ballet men

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artschaser · 5 years

Photo

~ Sergio Martinez Cifuentes, dual Chilean-Spanish nationality, born in Santiago, Chile. As a young man, known for his drawings, which together with its stark poetry and musical compositions, beginning to structure their profile adolescent romantic and existentialist. #ballerina #ballet #dance #dancer #balletdancer #ballerinasofig #ballerinaproject #worldwideballet #ballerinas #balletpost https://www.instagram.com/p/ByYCvb4IGGb/?igshid=hu11bc2lhgl7

#ballerina #ballet #dance #dancer #balletdancer #ballerinasofig #ballerinaproject #worldwideballet #ballerinas #balletpost

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tasksweekly · 7 years

Photo

[TASK 029: ROMANI]

Shout out to anon for inspiring this task! There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 60+ Romani faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. Not to be confused with Romanians. The Romani people originate from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent - presumably from where the states Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab exist today! If you want want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags!

THE TASK

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

SOME ADVICE FROM US:

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite Romani faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by a Romani artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on Romani culture and customs.

LINKS:

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

Links:

Romani Terminology by biggadjeworld

Romani Terminology by rrojasandribbons

Romani Tropes 101: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing a Romani Character by writingwithcolor

Females:

Rosa Taikon (90) stated as “Swedish Romani” - silversmith and actress.

Karen Finley (60/61) of Native American, Romani, and Jewish ancestry - singer.

Isabel Pantoja (60) described as “Spanish Romani” - singer.

Lolita Flores (58) Romani - actress & singer.

Iva Bittová (58) of Hungarian-Romani descent - violinist & singer.

Remedios Amaya (54) Spanish, Romani - singer & flamenco dancer.

Tracey Emin (53) of Romanichal descent - artist.

Louise Doughty (53) described as “from a Romani background” - writer.

Rosario Flores (52) Romani - singer & actress.

Oksana Fandera (49) Ukrainian, Romani / Ashkenazi Jewish - actress.

Jill Hennessy (48) Irish, French, Swedish, Italian, Ukrainian, Austrian, Romani - actress.

Sibel Can (46) of Romani heritage - singer.

Edyta Gorniak (44) Polish, Romani - singer.

Caren Gussoff (43) of Romani heritage - author.

Fairuza Balk (42) Romani and Cherokee ancestry / Irish and French - actress.

Sofi Marinova (41) of Romani descent - singer.

Marica Barandyai-Rani (41) stated as “of Romani Origin” - actress & model.

Blanca Romero (40) Spanish, Romani, Peruvian - actress.

Nikita Denise (40) Romani - pornographic actress.

Jasmine Tatjana Anette Valentin (40) described as a “Finnish Romani singer” - singer.

Ayọ (36) Yoruba Nigerian, Romani - singer.

Natalia Jiménez (35) Portuguese Romani / Spanish - singer.

Irini Merkouri (35) Romani - singer.

Róisín Mullins (34) of English Romany and Irish Romany Gypsy descent - TV presenter, judge & dancer,

Jentina Rose Rees (32) of Romani descent - singer & model.

Neon Hitch (30) described as “English Romani” - singer - Neon is bisexual!

Didem Kınalı (30) Turkish, of Romani descent - belly dancer and singer.

Alina Serban (29) Romani - actress.

Nicole Polizzi (29) Chilean, of Romani, Jewish, Iberian (of unspecificed ethnicity), Middle Eastern (of unspecificed ethnicity), South Asian (of unspecificed ethnicity) descent.

Elena Furiase (28) Spanish, Argentine, Romani - actress.

Vierka Berkyová (25) described as “of Romani origin” - singer.

Cher Lloyd (23) of Romani descent - singer.

Gigi Radics (20) Romani - singer.

Delaine Le Bas (?) described as “of Romani background” - artist.

Franciska Farkas (?) of Romani descent - actress.

Kristen Stamper (?) Romani - model.

Amber L. Hollibaugh (?) of Romani descent - writer.

Oksana Marafioti (?) of Armenian and Russian Romani descent - writer.

Male:

Hank Marvin (75) Romani - singer.

Victor Heredia (70) Argentine , French , Quechua, Romani - singer.

Robert Plant (68) of Romani descent - singer.

Tony Gatlif (68) described as “of Romani ethnicity” - film director.

Billy Drago (67) of Chiricahua Apache and Romani ancestry..

Leonard Whiting (66) of Romani ancestry - actor.

Nikolai Noskov (61) of Romani descent - singer.

Joe Longthorne (61) described as “of Romani ethnicity“ - singer.

Emeric Imre (52) mother was half Romanian Romani half Polish and his father was half Hungarian, half Jew - guitarist, musician, vocalist and composer.

Džej Ramadanovski (52) Romani, Macedonian - singer.

Ștefan Bănică Jr. (49) stated as “of roma people origin from his father side” - singer.

Joaquín Cortés (47) Romani - ballet and flamenco dancer.

Antonio Carbonell (47) of Romani heritage - singer.

Eugene Hütz (44) Ukrainian, Romnai - singer, composer, disc jockey and actor.

Óscar Jaenada (41) Romani - actor.

Rafael Ojeda Rojas (39) described as “Spanish Romani” - singer - Falete is part of the LGBTQIA+ community and stated that he “embraces it as part of his lifestyle and his sexuality.”

Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (38) of mixed Turkish and Roma descent - singer.

Boris Pelekh (35) of Romani descent - singer.

Michael Costello (34) Italian, Hungarian, Russian, Greek, Romani - fashion designer.

Bin Bella Al-Hunteer (33/34) Lebanese Romani, from a Romany Middle Eastern ethnic group that Gadjos call the “Nawar” in Arabic - singer.

Yavor Dimitrov Yanakiev (31) Bulgarian, Romani - rappers.

Radžis Aleksandrovičius (29) Romani - singer.

Amadeus Lundberg (27) described as “Finnish Romani” - singer.

Kendji Girac (20) Catalan Gitano/Romani - singer.

Saša Barbul (?) Romani - actor.

Sani Rifati (?) Romani - activist.

Diego el Cigala (?) described as “Spannish Romani” - singer.

Antonio Rayo (?) described as “Spanish Romani” - singer.

Sotis Volanis (?) described as “Greek Romani” - singer.

Those stated as possibly of Romani descent - feel free to research them!

Miguel Bosé (60) Miguel’s grandmother María is described as a “gitana” (Romani) from Tíjola, Almería, Spain - singer & actor.

Tracey Ullman (57) an Express.co.uk article stated that Tracey’s mother was of part Gypsy (Romani) descent although it is not clear if this is accurate - actress.

Noomi Rapace (37) said that her father may have been of part Romani descent, and though she is “not sure if it is true” - actress.

Nonbinary:

N/A

Trans:

N/A

#romani fc #roma fc #fc help #rph #task: 029 #task: romani

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popmusicu · 5 years

Text

My mom's experience in a folklore group

I decided to share my mom's experience while she was in the folklore group Bagual...

When she was in university she also had to take CFGs, just like this one, but she took "Baile Folklorico 1" and she loved it! In that CFG they learned dances from different parts of chile and then they did a show in the end of the semester where they showed everything they learned.

She liked it so much that she also took "Baile Folklorico 2" there her professor noticed her singing while the other groups where dancing and encouraged her to do an audition for a Folkloric group, and she did it, she song "El Rabel" and they accepted her in their group.

The group was called Bagual which means kinda means wild foal and it was based in the university. It consisted of 4 dancer, a guitarist/singer, a guitarist/charango/singer, a singer and my mom that played bombo, "caja nortina" and tambourine, and she also was a singer.

There she learned the difference between a Folkloric group and a Folkloric ballet. A Folkloric ballet presents a stylized and very coordinated dance, the musical part is presented in a very formal way and every song is presented by the host of the show. While in a Folkloric group the dances are also very technical but every couple gets to have it's own vibe and have fun, the idea with the musical part was to transport people to the place where the song was originally from, they emulated the accent and tried to have a sort of preshow talking about the place and it's people where they presented the song.

With this group she got to present in the university, in municipalities and various schools but for her the most beautiful experience was when they got to do the show in Curitiba, Brazil. This trip was made to cheer up chileans that lived in brazil on "Fiestas Patrias". They presented in a school, a theater and a open sky festival for more than 10000 people.

Chile is a country so long and has a lot of different cultures which makes it so unique and interesting to explore, and music it's one of the ways we can appreciate the differences and embrace them even more in this season. My mom absolutely loved getting to represent all of those parts of chile and also making people happy by doing so.

-Amapola Salvatierra

#I love this #submission

0 notes

rosedamion113 · 6 years

Text

The Crew of the Peregrine: Chapter Two

Read Chapter One Here: http://rosedamion113.tumblr.com/tagged/crewoftheperegrine

The screeching of the tilt lever drove a dagger through Jo’s eardrums as she heaved it forwards. That sound was probably one of the worst she’d ever experienced, and yet she came back to make it daily. In a strange way, it was comforting. It kept her alert as she steered The Peregrine down towards the clouds. They enveloped the aircraft on all sides. She didn’t care much for clouds either, but she could navigate through them without much trouble. Her father used to tell her how much he loved sailing through the clouds. He always felt there was a certain peace and solitude about it; she just found it dangerous from not being able to see.

But the space above them was a different story. To her, the sky was a thousand times more magical from a thousand feet in the air. Dusk was her favorite time to fly. She never got tired of the rainbow of color, from the red bleeding out of the setting sun to the dark purple silhouette behind the stars. That was peace for her. While some people fear the vastness of the cosmos for the way it makes them feel small, it relieved Jo to remember that the world did not revolve around her. Not everything rested on her shoulders, which was ideal as she had enough of her own problems to deal with.

The bow of the ship broke through the clouds and the city of London unveiled itself beneath her. The first thing to draw her eye was the towering Big Ben, the symbol of the great city itself. The humongous clock face glowed in the twilight, and soon countless streetlights ignited around it like fireflies, surrounding the beautiful, golden tower. She adjusted the controls and began heading east to the outskirts of the city: the only place to land a seven-ton airship and not be searched by the royal guard. The ship’s cargo wasn’t harmful by any means, but the Elite would still refuse a few caskets of Chilean fireweed being dropped in the middle of their fair city.

She aimed for a shipping yard that was a few miles outside the city proper, where His Majesty’s security was scarce and the black market reigned supreme. She pulled her watch out of her pocket, wincing as her bandaged hand contorted to grasp the dingy, copper clock. She was in need of a new one, but wouldn’t give this one up for anything in the world. Her sister made her promise to keep it safe. It sprung open to reveal the second hand clicking into place on the twelve. 9:03 pm London time, exactly. She groaned. The Baron was not going to be happy.

Jo slipped the timepiece back in her pocket and prepared to land. She slowed down the ship as they neared an empty space in the yard and lowered it to the ground with all the grace of a ballet dancer. No sooner had she touched down than Matt came through the door, stifling a yawn.

“Another productive day, sir?” she asked, a smile touching her lips.

“Maybe it’s time for a change. A respectful, non-judgmental crew for starters.”

“You couldn’t find one that would work for what you pay them.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. There’s not enough money to go around.”

His tone made Jo turn. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

She waited.

“You’re just not the first person to complain about their salary today.”

“Kate?”

“…yep.”

“You know she’s only messing with you, she’s not really worried about money. And she certainly wouldn’t leave, especially after everything you’ve done for her.”

“I’m not worried about her leaving, I’m worried that it will be awhile before we can all leave together.”

“Meaning?”

“The ignition system had an accident.”

“Again: Meaning?”

“We can’t fly again until we make some more silver. And The Baron’s job isn’t gonna cut it.”

“So let’s make more money in town.”

“That’s the plan, but I’m worried it’s going to be a long time, and the crew gets restless pretty easily if we’re not on-the-go—”

“Matt, no one’s going anywhere. We’re here and ready to help you get this bird in the air again, soon as possible.”

“You can’t speak for everyone.”

“Maybe not, but I can speak for myself. You’ll still have a pilot when the engine’s up and running. And really, what more do you need?” she added, presenting herself.

“Mechanics and a strong-man certainly help.”

Her smile briefly faded. “Take the encouragement, Matt.”

He laughed. “I’ll try, thanks. Go ahead and settle her down. We might be here awhile. Soon as you’re done, pack your weapons. We’ve got a shipment to deliver.”

He headed out the door and Jo set about shutting down the ship. She heard a quick, “And it’s ‘Captain’,” from down the hall, but ignored it and continued working. As she flipped the switches and pulled back the levers, she smiled at the thought of her first encounter with Matt.

* * *

The streets were far too crowded as she slipped out from the alley and onto the main road. She ran past the overpriced suits that adorned the over-privileged citizens of Greenwich Village. She struggled to weave in-between the dozens of excessive petticoats that blocked her way. Behind her, she heard the faint shout of the local constable, but didn’t dare turn around—fearing she’d trip on someone’s giant, ruffled dress. She continued to shove her way past, ignoring the indignant huffs of the women around her, and hoped that no one tried to get in her way. Her head only came up to the chest of most of the people in the crowd, and if someone tried to grab her, she wasn’t sure she could throw them off.

A left, a right, a shortcut between two town homes. She ran for what felt like miles, and still could hear the officers shouting behind her in the distance. A park came into view and she aimed to cut across it. The crowd began to thin as she neared the other side. A gate let out onto a cobblestone street, and Jo could see the start of the docks towards the end of the block.

Just as she made the gate, an officer on horseback pulled up in front of her and aimed his sword at her chest. “Hold it!” he shouted. She froze. “You’re under arrest, by order of the—”

Jo dropped and rolled under the horse’s belly, drawing a knife from her boot as she came up the other side. She slashed the restraints that kept the policeman in his saddle. Before he’d even turned around, she smacked the horse’s hide as hard and she could and he reared up. The officer slid off the other side of the horse and hung by his left leg as it took off through the park. Jo was already halfway to the dock.

She slid to a stop at the water’s edge. Nowhere to hide, and she definitely couldn’t swim fast enough to get out of range of the constable’s pistol. She turned to the airships parked on the docks. The closest one had an open cargo door. She took her first step to run towards it when an ear-shattering crack echoed on the street behind her and a white hot pain encompassed her side. She let out a cry and fell to the ground as another gunshot resounded and whizzed over her head. Behind her, the constable reloaded his pistol as he ran, followed by three other officers with swords drawn.

Jo heaved in a breath and forced herself onto her feet, biting back a cry as she bolted for the open cargo door. Spotting the door controls on the wall to the left, she smacked the button and made for the flight of stairs in front of her which led up to a catwalk. The ramp began to retract and the door was sliding closed as she reached the top. She looked back to find the constable jumping through the door just before it cut off the light from outside and left the room in darkness. A rush of fear surged through her as she heard another shot ricochet off the nearby wall, and a cry escaped her throat. She bit it back and ran for the door at the far end of the walkway, furious at herself for being weak at a time like this. Her hand felt increasingly warm and sticky as the blood from her wound seeped through her fingers. Her head was feeling light and her breath was faster, but she made her way towards what she hoped was the front of the ship.

When she finally climbed up the stairs and stumbled into the cockpit, she slammed the door behind her and bolted it shut before slumping against it, heaving breaths in and out. Tears burned behind her eyes and her throat threatened to close off as she restricted it from sobbing. She stopped. Five seconds of weakness, that was all she was going to give it. She counted: One, Two, Three, Four—

Another shot rang against the door, and a small hole ripped open beside her. She gasped and scrambled away. The constable’s voice bled through the door as he boomed, “Forget it! Back-up is on the way and we will blow open this door if we have to! Give up now or the consequences will be fatal!”

Jo’s head spun around and her eyes scanned over the controls. “We’ll see about that.”

She started flipping switches and powering up the engines. She grabbed the power thrust and shoved it forward. It screeched like a banshee and the ship jumped into the air. Taking hold of the directional levers, she aimed for the open, glittering sea. She grabbed on tight to the hand rail and threw the throttle up to full speed. The ship tilted up and zoomed forward, and she heard a loud thump from outside the door and the officer swore. She steadied herself as she heard the constable again. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Shit, this guy is slow, Jo thought to herself as she banked a hard right and sent the officer slamming against the opposite wall. For a second, she was sure she’d knocked him out, but then another shot fired through the door. How much ammo does he have? she worried.

Another shot went off, and then a new voice came through the door. “I swear to God, if you fire one more shot through my door, I will drop your ass in the middle of the ocean!”

“Back away, sir! I’m in pursuit of a fugitive!”

“You’re in pursuit of your own damn death sentence if you don’t stop firing your weapon in this ship! If you damage any of the instruments in that room or in these walls, we’re all going for a swim!”

There was a moment of silence. “Fine, you open this door and I’ll take care of the prisoner!”

“Thanks.” There were a couple loud thumps, and then a crash outside the door. Jo began to panic and black spots started appearing in the corners of her eyes. She looked for a weapon, anything she could use to fend them off, but there was nothing. She tried sharply turning the ship again, but this time no one fell outside. For a minute, all she could hear was the roar of the engines. Then another crash sounded directly behind her. She screamed and whipped around to find a vent cover clattering to a halt on the floor. She glanced up and found a messy head of red hair and a pair of dark brown eyes peering at her upside-down from a shaft in the ceiling.

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

She stayed silent, eyes wide.

“Stupid question.” For a moment he disappeared, then dropped down from the hole and landed in front of her. As he stood to full height, he looked a lot less threatening. He was tall and lanky, with a sleek, red vest and a holster strapped to his hip carrying a .45 Colt. He briefly fixed his hair and dusted his jacket. “It’s really disgusting up there. I tell my mechanic to do a spring-cleaning or something every once in a while, but I guess he just failed his workspace inspection.” He looked up and smiled at her. His eyes darted to her side, and the smile fell away. “Were you hit?” he asked, his tone deadly serious. She nodded and her head swam. She started slumping to the floor.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said running forward to ease her down. “Just take it easy, we’ve got a doctor on board. She can patch you up.” He reached over her head and eased up on the controls, slowing the ship down to hover in place.

As he turned and ran to unbolt the door, Jo protested, “No, wait! The officer—” The door flew open to reveal the constable crumpled on the floor, eyes fluttering beneath his eyelids.

The man ran to the end of the hallway and shouted down the stairs, “Vinny! Get in here!” before turning around and running back to her. He kneeled down, pulled a handkerchief out of his vest pocket and held it against the wound. Jo cried out. “I know, I’m sorry, but we gotta stop the bleeding. You’re already turning white…Not that I know what you looked like before or anything, I just assume you’re…Lavinia! Where are you?”

Jo felt her head start dropping and began to close her eyes. To her surprise, she felt the pain fading, and the darkness at the edge of her vision didn’t seem so scary now. After all that, all she wanted to do was sleep.

“No, no, no, no. Wake up, come on,” she heard, and a hand whacked her across her face.

Her eyes flew open again. “Um, OW!” she screeched as she cupped her cheek and glared at the man in front of her.

He just smiled back. “That’s what I like to hear. You gotta stay awake for now. Doctor’s coming.”

A girl with long blonde hair and bright eyes appeared at the door, took in the scene with a glance, and knelt down beside Jo. Lavinia, she assumed, pulled her black bag close and took out of pair of scissors. She quickly cut away the cloth around the wound and examined it. “Just a graze, but it still needs stitches. You’ll be fine, sweetie! Use this staunch the blood,” she said, handing the man some white, sterilized cloth. He knelt down and did as she told him.

As Lavinia turned to pull more supplies out of her bag, the man said, “I’m Matt, by the way…So, is this your first time attempting to hi-jack an advanced aircraft?”

Jo side-eyed him. “You mean this hand-me-down from your grandmother?”

“That’s an awfully mean thing to say to someone who’s currently saving your life.”

“She’s the one saving my life.”

“Technicality. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Would I tell you if it wasn’t?”

“Hear that, Lavinia? You’re sewing up a repeat offender.”

“What else is new?” she responded, not taking her eyes off of the needle she was sterilizing. She stuck the needle in Jo’s arm, and almost immediately Jo felt herself getting tired.

“That’s the spirit. So, we’ve established you’re sassy, you don’t get along with the cops, and you know how to fly.”

A mischievous smile spread across his face before everything went blurry. And right before she fell asleep, she heard him ask:

“How’d you like a job?”

* * *

Jo finished shutting down the controls, grabbed her pistol and strapped it to her side. The weapon was a little over the top, but she found the golden insignia of the lighting strike on the side of the barrel caught the eye of anyone she came up against. It was a sign that told them she was not to be messed with.

She headed for the cargo room and walked in to find Matt and John loading the fireweed into bags and throwing them onto the transport vehicle while Kate pumped fuel. As the guys threw the last bag onto the car, Kate and Jo hopped into the front seats and Kate revved the engine. The guys climbed in back while Emerson hit the loading door button and lowered the ramp. Kate steered the vehicle out onto the grass and aimed for the cobblestone street at the edge of the shipping yard, weaving around small cargo ships and people transporting boxes in and out of them. No one made eye contact, but everyone was watching each other out of the corner of their eyes. Jo checked behind them to make sure Emerson closed the hatch. They didn’t have much worth stealing on the ship, but they didn’t want to appear too inviting either.

They hit the street, where makeshift stalls lined the sidewalk selling everything from knockoff jewelry and pocket watches to guns and ammo. None of the shops were permanent, and all could be struck in a matter of seconds should the call come out that the cavalry was on its way. The houses beyond the shops were pretty run down, but even the richest townspeople could be found wandering these streets, looking for some cheap fakes they could pass off as the real thing. Some people came here to hide, some to find others, and some to get a fix of whatever poison they chose to keep their mind out of the real world.

The crew headed northwest, and it wasn’t long before they came upon the one building in the whole quarter that truly didn’t belong. The Baron’s white mansion protruded from the dank shanty-town like a crystal from a cave. It was three stories high and four times as long as the widest house in the district. Ornate, rounded windows adorned the upper floors and a spiked iron gate surrounded the premises. Several years back, The Baron had the brilliant idea to buy a huge chunk of cheap land in the middle of a place no one wanted to live. He used the rest of his fortune to build the perfect home with the even cheaper labor of the local, unemployed residents. To ensure that the treasure within the house didn’t tempt the neighboring criminals, he established the kind of security that never fired a warning shot. Deaths were inconsequential as The Baron was a friend to the British court. The gates were eight feet high and at night, surged with the power of Edison. Windows were only built on the upper floors so as to discourage anyone who got past the fence, and the patrolling guard was managed by London’s finest. No one stole from The Baron. At least, no one who did had ever made it back over the gate.

Luckily, the crew of The Peregrine wasn’t in the business of stealing. Today, at least.

Kate coasted up to the guards at the gate entrance. They searched the vehicle for anything out of the ordinary. As they attempted to open the bags, John waved them off. “No one but The Baron gets a look at the cargo.”

“No one gets in without getting searched.”

“Come on, Ben, you know who we are,” Kate interjected. “We come by every few months. You know the system: only the guards inside get to inspect the cargo.”

“Not today. Open the bags.”

“What’s so special about today?”

Ben paused for a moment before saying, “There have been some attempts on The Baron’s life in the past few weeks. We’re not taking any chances.”

John glanced at Matt, who nodded assent. He undid the bags and Ben searched through every one of them. When he had finished, Kate suggested, “Do you want to burn some of it too just to make sure it’s not actually explosive?” Ben gave her an icy glance and waved them through.

They parked the car on the lot near the front door, grabbed the bags and were escorted inside. Of course, the inside was ten times as lavish as outer perimeter, and when Jo walked in she was reminded of the house she grew up in, even though her parents were never quite as well off as The Baron was.

The man himself stood poised at the top of the stairs, greeting them with a booming voice and a sweeping gesture. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t my adorable little band of errand boys! And girls, excuse me ladies.” Jo stopped herself from rolling her eyes. There were some days when she couldn’t decide whether The Baron was a genius or an idiot, but today was not one of them.

“You’re looking well, sir.” Matt responded with a smile, not daunted by the undermining words of the master of the house. They were used to being talked to like subordinates by him, rather than business partners. It was probably one of the reasons he liked them.

“Why, thank you! I have been trying to get in shape. I was thinking about buying a zeppelin to race in the national competition, but I decided I should be in top physical condition before I tried.”

“Sir, I don’t think athletics are required in a zeppelin race.”

“Oh, hush, don’t take away my excuse to doing something good for myself. Either way, I see you have what I ordered.”

“Yes, it’s all here. If you’re ready, you can come down and take stock, give us our settlement and we’ll be on our way.”

“Oh, there will be time for all of that. For now, why don’t you come up and enjoy a drink with your favorite employer, hmm?” He turned around and started heading for the parlor behind him.

Jo exchanged a look with Matt. While The Baron was usually pleasant (in his own way), he was never this hospitable, and had definitely never extended a glass of his expensive liquor. Matt glanced back up to where The Baron had just disappeared. “That’s very kind of you, but unfortunately we have some other business to take care of, so we really need to—”

“If you want your money,” he called, “You’ll take the invitation.”

Matt hesitated. Jo was equally suspicious, but they couldn’t turn down the money; they had no means of making more while the ship was inoperable. “Drop the bags and come join me!” he called again.

Matt set down the bags and made his way up the stairs. The rest of the crew followed suit.

Inside the parlor were a number of couches and cushy ottomans, along with several polished cabinets full of exotic, useless trinkets that only the ridiculously wealthy would buy. Maps were mounted on the walls of all the places The Baron preferred to do business, from his favorite cities in the Southern Americas to the encampments just south of the Sahara Desert. Most were places Jo recognized—they had been sent all over to pick up other illicit supplies—but there were a few maps that were unfinished. They had no titles and only a few scribbles on the legend, and though the drawings were detailed, there was scarcely a word on them. She’d almost taken them for paintings.

The Baron picked up a bottle of brandy from the liquor cabinet seated below the maps, pulled out five crystal glasses, and began pouring a cap into each of them. “Come in, sit down. Normally, I’d have one of my maids serve us, but they’re a little busy at the moment.”

“What with?” Matt asked, placing himself carefully onto a nearby chair. The group took other seats around him, and Jo perched on the armrest of the chair Kate chose. She wasn’t about to let down her guard.

“We have a special guest in the house, and unfortunately they are very needy. Taking full advantage of my hospitality, I assure you.” An annoyed edge crept into The Baron’s voice, but when he turned around, he was his usual cheery self.

“Who’s the guest?”

“No one important. Why is it only you talk to me, Matthew? Why are your companions always so silent and stern?” The Baron handed out the drinks and settled luxuriously on the couch facing them.

“It’s an agreement we have. I do the talking.”

“Well, let’s dispense with the formality. I want to hear what they have to say,”

“About what?” Jo cut in.

“Well, there we go! They’re not dumb after all! Young lady, do relax, I’d just like to know about some of your…adventures.”

“We don’t talk about other jobs,” Matt stated.

“Humor me. Where have you all been that I haven’t sent you?”

“I believe he just said that it’s none of your damn business.” Kate interjected.

“Kate…” Matt warned, always the one for professionalism.

“It’s quite alright. She has a point. Tell you what: We’ll do an exchange. I’ll ask you a question, you answer honestly, and then vice versa. Sound fair?”

“That’s not—” Jo started.

“Deal.” Matt agreed. Jo flashed him a sideways glance, but didn’t continue.

“Fantastic! First question: Where else have you gone in the world besides where I’ve had business deals?”

“North America, Australia, Japan, Italy, and a few parts Asia.”

“Which parts?”

“You owe me a question first. Why do you want to know about us all of a sudden?”

“I have a friend who is interested in you. Which parts of Asia?”

“Mostly in India, a bit in Taiwan, and a particularly strange place in Mongolia. Who’s your friend who’s asking about us?”

“The guest in the other room. Do you have contacts in all of these places?”

“Pretty much. Who is the guest in the other room?”

“How about I introduce you?”

Before anyone could move, a hoard of Elite guardsmen came crashing through the doors and had them surrounded, guns loaded and aimed. Jo’s hand flew to her pistol but as her hand touched the grip, a double-barrel flintlock appeared right between her eyes, and a voice said, “Bad idea.”

Her eyes followed the gun up to the hand, the arm, and came to rest on the dark brown eyes of the woman in front of her.

The Baron scoffed as he crossed behind the woman. “Why Commander Sterling, I do believe these are the ones you are looking for.”

#writing #creative writing #the crew of the peregrine #crew of the peregrine #story #short story #oneshot #chapter two #new work #new writing #steampunk #steampunk stories #steampunk fiction #Steampunk Short Stories #original stories

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cubaverdad · 7 years

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Newly found letters offer glimpse into life of US dancer married to Cuban spy chief

Newly found letters offer glimpse into life of US dancer married to Cuban spy chief BY NORA GÁMEZ TORRES [email protected] She was a Connecticut-born American ballerina and the wife of the notorious chief of Cuba's intelligence and subversive operations — Manuel Piñeiro Losada, better known as Barbarroja, or "Red Beard." And now a trove of Lorna Burdsall's recently discovered letters are on sale, offering a rare glimpse into the life of Cuba's ruling elites in the early days of the Castro revolution. Piñeiro directed Cuba's intelligence, security and subversion apparatus for nearly three decades, first from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and later from the Americas Department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. His death, in a car accident in 1998, aroused suspicions at the time because he had just revealed that he was writing his memoirs. A trusted aide to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro since their days in the Sierra Maestra mountains, Piñeiro was best known as the architect of Castro's efforts to export his revolution by training and arming guerrilla groups from virtually every Latin American country. But in 1955 he was a student at Columbia University in New York who married Burdsall, a ballet dancer who was studying at the prestigious Julliard School and was member of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Piñeiro was the son of a Bacardí rum representative in the Cuban province of Matanzas, so Burdsall probably had little idea of what would happen after he joined Castro's guerrillas and earned the rank of comandante when they seized power on Jan. 1, 1959. A few days later, Burdsall, who was in the United States at the time, received two telegrams from Piñeiro telling her to return to Cuba. A third telegram sent from Miami and signed "Fifo" told her that she was booked to return via the Key West-Havana ferry on January 6. One of Castro's nicknames was "Fifo" although it is not known if the telegram was sent on his behalf or was from someone else with the same nickname. What is known is that Castro was in Cuba at the time. "You will receive money this day if you want to return," said the telegram, which included a contact address and telephone in Miami. The address on the telegram is the same as a three-story apartment building in Little Havana. All the telegrams were sent to Burdsall at the home of her sister, Nedda, known as Ned, in Lexington, Ky. Documents from Nedda describe the hurried preparations and emotions surrounding Burdsall's return to Cuba, and ask about the dress she wore to the wedding of Castro's brother, Raúl, to Vilma Espín. Photos of the wedding appeared in Time magazine. Two years later, Burdsall's mother wrote to the State Department to report that she did not know her daughter's whereabouts and ask that the U.S. embassy in Havana make inquiries. The embassy replied that it had no information on Burdsall or her son Manuel Khalil Piñeiro, born in 1957. Both had been registered at the embassy as U.S. citizens. "Her application states that she is married to Major Manuel Piñeiro and her address is the residence of Major Raúl Castro, Camp Liberty, Habana. Raúl Castro is the Chief of the Cuban Armed Forces. Major Piñeiro is a high official in the intelligent service of the Cuban Armed Forces. For the above reasons, Mrs. Piñeiro has had little contact with the Embassy and her present whereabouts are unknown," the embassy replied. The telegrams and Burdsall's letters are part of a collection of 20 documents on sale by antiquarian Joy Shivar. Two boxes of Burdsall's correspondence were obtained by the University of Miami's Cuban Heritage Collection after her death in 2010. "This collection provides a rare glimpse into the chaotic period of the Cuban Revolution through the eyes of an American woman who was deeply involved and dedicated to the cause," said Shivar. "Ostracized by her father and possibly other family members (as exemplified by her personal letters), her critical commitment to Cuba and her husband, Manolo, often placed her in dangerous situations." Shivar discovered the documents in the hands of another antiquarian who had bought them at an auction held by the Burdsall family in Lexington. Family members who were contacted showed no interest in buying back the documents, she said. The documents offer few details about the secret work of Piñeiro in Latin America, but do provide examples of the privileged life the ballerina and her husband led as members of Cuba's ruling elite. A rally on July 26, 1964 in Santiago de Cuba — marking the anniversary of the attack to the Moncada Barracks, considered the birth of the Castro revolution — was preceded by a swim in a pool and later a lunch of roast pork. One Piñeiro birthday was celebrated in Havana's famous Tropicana cabaret. In the 1970s, years marked by shortages and austerity, Burdsall wrote about her husband's preference for a fancy sweet made with cottage cheese. The documents also make occasional mention of Fidel Castro, his government and policies and Cubans in general. "Yesterday was the big day, 4 and a half hour-parade, then Fidel for 2 and a half hours — Cubans have more stamina than most people it seems. Cuban coffee is very stimulating," she wrote about the May 1st celebrations in 1965. "This year's May 1st was a very great success—everybody was happy that we cut more cane (59,000 tons more) than the 5,100,000 quota." The letters between Burdsall and her family showed that members of the revolutionary elite were not greatly affected by the end of direct mail services between Cuba and the United States in 1963. It's not clear from the stamps on the envelopes if the letters went through third countries, but they reached their destination in two to three weeks. Burdsall and her U.S. relatives also managed to exchange food shipments and gifts, including some cigars "of the same kind that Fidel smokes." In one letter to her mother, the ballerina reported that she was gathering goods for a shipment, some bought by her and others "gifts from Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, Korea, etc." Dance filled many of her letters, as she helped to found the National School of Dance and created the Contemporary Dance group as well as the experimental Asi Somos group — "That's How We Are." She became an advisor on modern dance to the Ministry of Culture in 1977. Burdsall appears to have been no fan of Cuba's prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, who gave the National Ballet of Cuba great prestige abroad but blocked efforts to modernize its style and repertoire. "Now that she's not dancing, she's turned into a choreographer," Burdsall wrote in 1974. "The ballet will have its big night on Wednesday with a new version of The Sleeping Beauty — poor Petipa," she added, referring to the classic's original choreographer, Marius Petipa. Piñeiro ultimately divorced Burdsall and married Marta Harnecker, a Marxist Chilean sociologist. Burdsall remained in Cuba, although she traveled to the United States occasionally. A granddaughter, Gabriela Burdsall, lives in Havana and is a ballerina in the same dance company founded by Burdsall. FOLLOW NORA GÁMEZ TORRES ON TWITTER: @NGAMEZTORRES Source: New letters illustrate life of US dancer married to Cuban spy chief | Miami Herald - http://ift.tt/2mOdJha via Blogger http://ift.tt/2meKst6

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