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knives-out20 · 4 years

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First Match - Gay Scotch Prequel #3

Fandom: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Pairing: Walter Jordan (OC) Archie Hicox

Warnings: Swearing maybe, Spark at first sight, Lowkey gay, Grumpy Walter, Walter backstory,

Notes: hehehehhehehehe first meet tingz enjoy

Walter grumbled to himself as he trudged into his workplace, rolling his eyes when a woman ran up to him. Working on a day with a foul history behind it (in Walter’s past) was bad enough as is. He didn’t need to be annoyed so soon.

“Mr. Jordan” she greeted.

“Maxine, good morning. Apologies for being late, I contemplated whether showing up today of all days was worth it” he replied.

Maxine pushed up her glasses.”I’m glad you did come, in though. It’s semi-urgent” she told.

Walter groaned, “what is it?”

“Mr. Kipling wants to see you in his office.”

Walter clawed at his face.”Oh good Lord, am I being fired?” He asked.

Maxine shook her head.”No, no! Of course not, he just wants a word with you, that’s all I’m aware of” she explained.

Walter exhaled slowly, looking around.”Alright, Thank you.”

Maxine nodded, rushing off.

Walter slicked his hair to one side, starting his journey to the staircase. He made his way up at his own pace, and down the hall to his boss’ office. Walter knocked on the door, “sir, you wanted to see me?”

Mr. Kipling’s voice boomed from inside.”Jordan, my boy!”

Walter rubbed the bridge of his nose. He opened the door, stepping inside with a frown.”What is it, sir?”

Sitting across from Mr. Kipling was a man, who looked to be a tad bit taller than Walter himself. He spared Walter a glance, obediently turning back to Mr. Kipling.

“Now, boy, you’ve worked at Films and Filmmakers for quite some time now. How you go about your reviews and articles for this publication as a film critic is that of the most articulate that I’ve ever seen” Mr. Kipling praised.

Walter merely nodded.”Thank you, sir. What, am I getting employee of the month?” He sarcastically inquired.

Mr. Kipling laughed.”No, I’m afraid not. I’ve took it upon myself to assign you to help our newest employee. I think he’s from around where you’re from.”

Walter internally cringed in disgust. Now he has to deal with a wide-eyed, dumb, innocent, reckless newbie? Great, absolutely wonderful. He turned around, walking out the door.”Yes, sir. I’ll see them at my desk.”

“Walter-”

Walter closed the door behind him, strutting down the hall. He’ll see to this later.

***

Walter sat at his desk in silence, fidgeting with a lighter. He stood up, ready to complain to his boss about how no new worker had approached him yet.

“Light my cigarette?”

Walter turned his head with dull eyes, seeing a fresh face with their arms full. His eyebrows raised, taken aback by their soft features and timid smile.

The man in question had tamed hair and big, bright eyes, a cigarette between his lips.”If that lighter has any fluid left in it, that is.”

Walter gulped, gaze flickering between the man and his lighter. He nodded hesitantly, careful to light the stranger’s cigarette.”A-And who might you be?”

“I’m, ah-” the man inhaled his cigarette, putting his stuff down on an empty space on Walter’s desk. He held the cigarette between his fingers to talk properly.”I’m Archibald Hicox. You could call me Archie, if you’d like” Archie outstretched his free hand.”I’m the new worker Mr. Kipling assigned you to.”

Rats. He’s cute.

Walter nodded, shaking Archie’s hand. That British accent was like music to his ears.”Walter Jordan, I- I really would just prefer Walter, if it’s all the same to you” he stuttered, hand contact lingering.”You don’t, uhm, sound to be like my lot, as Mr. Kipling suggested” Walter cleared his throat.

Archie took another puff of his cigarette, cheeks hollowing when he did.”And what is your lot?” He chuckled.

“Uh...” Walter’s mind momentarily blanked at the sound, he could’ve sworn his heart was failing him.”Glasgow. Scotland.”

“Scotland!” Archie snapped his fingers in realization.”Scotland, that’s why your accent sounds so familiar. Ah, I’m afraid I’m not of Scottish descent myself. I’m from England” he corrected.

Walter nodded, nervously licking his lips.

Archie tilted his head.”Your mood’s changed since earlier today. I assumed Mr. Kipling caught his ‘most prized employee’ on a bad day?”

“He said that?”

“Well...one of.”

“Of course he did” Walter sucked his teeth.”And, yea. I sort of have a bad history with today’s date. I try not to let it consume me, but I do struggle with it at times. I’d rather not get into it, if that’s alright?”

“Of course.”

Walter’s hands hung at his sides. He coughed, gesturing to his desk’s second chair.”Uh, please-! Sit, I’ll show you the works of Films and Filmmakers” he offered.

Archie blew out a puff of smoke into empty air, sitting down.

“Now, you’ll be writing reviews and articles for this publication. Said boss of this publication is a loud, loud man. If he’s ratting someone out, I swear, the whole building will shake in peril” Walter joked.

Archie grinned.”I shall pack earmuffs, then.”

“You should. Have you met Maxine? Maxine Baker.”

Archie shook his head.

“Mr. Kipling’s secretary. Sweetest woman in the building, pretty wee glasses. All the fellas here have tried to get at her at least once, but not me. I could never see us in that light” he explained.

Archie nodded along as he listened.

“Mr. Kipling’s wife stops by sometimes. Her name’s Clarice, she’s blonde, about my height, and honestly, you’ll know her when you see her. If she invites you to bed her using any array of words you can even think of, decline, and bolt it in the other direction. If you decide to agree to her wishes and make love to her, she’ll flock to Mr. Kipling like a damsel in distress and twist the story to have the poor sod fired” Walter shrugged.

Archie’s eyebrows jumped.”Really? And Mr. Kipling has no idea?”

“None. If you try telling him, he’ll grunt you off for making excuses. Can’t stand that tramp. If a man named Dean asks you to make him coffee during break, don’t. He’ll pretend he never asked you, and fake getting mad to the point where he’ll splash it on you- the coffee, I mean. Straight bastard, he is” Walter ran a hand through his hair.”I-I’d suggest you stick with me, then you’ll be peachy keen. This lot tends to leave me alone because of my name.”

“Walter?”

“Jordan” Walter corrected.”Big name back in the motherland, but not as big as the bloody Margolis family is, here. Aye, if anyone asks you to put a good word o’ them to me, don’t do it, mate, they just want me in for the money, I beg of ya” he shook his head, leaning back in his seat. Walter crossed one leg over the other, resting his arm on the head of the chair.

“Absolutely.”

“Oh, most importantly- favourite movie, go.”

Archie laughed in disbelief, putting out his cigarette in the ash tray.”I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t recall stuttering, mate” Walter answered.”Favourite film, go.”

“Alright, alright, uhm...” Archie furrowed his eyebrows in thought.”Frankenstein.”

“Incorrect! The correct answer is The Kid, with Charlie Chaplin.”

Archie chortled, gesturing a hand at Walter.”Unbelievable! You asked for my personal favourite.”

“Around here, Archibald? The older, the better” Walter tapped his temple.”Got it?” He grinned, looking the new, good-looking employee up and down.

Archie eyed Walter, nodding in utter obedience.”Yes, sir.”

#Inglourious Basterds #inglourious basterds oc #male oc #oc #james mcavoy oc #archie hicox #archie hicox x male #archie hicox x male!oc #archie hicox x oc #young jamed mcavoy oc #first meet #first meeting

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chicagocityofclans · 4 years

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Clarisse “Clara” Fields → Margot Robbie → Black Bear Shifter

→ Basic Information

Age: 229

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Born or Made: Born

Birthday: September 3rd

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Religion: Christian

→ Her Personality Clara has for a long time played things close to her chest. She has built walls between her true feelings and those that she portrays in an effort to control her reaction and the reactions of others. Clara finds safety and comfort in control, and is deeply disturbed when it’s taken away from her. The rigidity in the way she communicates has contributed to the somewhat ice queen facade she portrays. She has strict rules for herself and the pack and expects them to be followed. She is difficult to persuade and may hold out just to prove a point.

Clara, in addition to controlling her reactions, also enjoys controlling the way her environment looks. She is always put together, and her homes and the hotel are always immaculate. Her cleaning helps control the anxiety she feels and having beautiful environments put her at ease. Clara is very protective of her pack and has dedicated herself and her life to helping it and its members be as successful and comfortable as possible. Clara often provides support for new members when they come to the city, even helping them find jobs at the hotel or in one of the real estate companies owned by the clan. She is generous and is comfortable in sharing her wealth. She is gracious and always willing to listen, and has a long standing passion for humanitarianism. Clara often goes on environmental charity trips and has dedicated a branch of the pack towards funding them.

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: CEO/Owner of Fields Hotels, Head of Clan Heavy, and Council Member

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Matchmaking and Humanitarianism

Two Dislikes: Her personal space being intruded and People who shirk responsibility

Two Fears: Germs and Losing/Ruining her family’s legacy

Two Hobbies: Equestrianism and Hunting

Three Positive Traits: Neat, Protective, and Dignified

Three Negative Traits: Unbending, Controlling, Anxious

→ Her Connections Parent Names:

Garland Fields (Father): Clara loved her father more than anyone. She idolized him and was constantly at his side. She had her sights on leadership from a young age, and tried to soak up everything she could from her father. Clara took on more and more responsibility as she grew up, taking over the Fields Hotel and running it successfully at the turn of the century. It was at this point that Clara began to see some concerning signs in her father: aggression, random sporadic shifts, waking up covered in blood. Clara paid the human shifters $1,000 over that year to keep her father’s antics quiet. She could see he had hypershift and couldn’t bear to let his reputation be blemished. They went out hunting and Clara killed her father, using the excuse of dementia to cover his and her tracks. She still feels guilty over this at times and will direct her guilt into anger towards Asa.

Annabelle Fields (Mother): Annabelle died before Asa and Clara turned 50. They found part of her body in the woods about 5 miles from their house. It was obvious that hunters of some kind got to her. It deeply affected each member of the Field’s family.

Sibling Names:

Asa Fields (Twin Brother): Clara and Asa have always tended to butt heads, and it's only gotten worse since he has returned from being gone. Clara feels like he’s intruding on the system she’s built and dedicated her whole life towards. She also has a lot of resentment of him not returning home when Garland died. She was entirely alone grieving her father and has felt on her own since then. A part of her is happy he is back and wants to readily trust them like she did when they were kids. Both are damaged, and at the moment Clara is treating Asa as if he were a problem member in her pack.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

None

Platonic Connections:

Taye Black (Pack Member): Taye is one of the people Clara trusts most. He’s able to handle whatever needs handling and she has come to trust his calls in situations that she isn’t there for.

Bryce Holt (Best Friend): Bryce and Clara did not start out friends. She heavily blamed Clara for the exchange that Bryce’s father requested, and loudly shouted that whenever she could. Clara finally sat down and they began talking things out. Clara offered a fraction of her own experiences, and Bryce was willing to finally open up. Their bond grew after that, and Clara considers Bryce her best friend.

Patrick Perry (Pack Member): Patrick is one of Clara’s pack that she finds particularly exhausting. She has frequently seen him talking with the Mist family and believes that he is the one who has given them so much information on the supernatural.

Anna Johansen (Pack Member): Clara has only met a dozen or so panda shifters in her time. Typically they came to be matched and then returned to their homes, so Clara is delighted to have Anna with them. She is hoping to have her take interest in the real estate side of the business, and is glad that Riley is assisting with that.

Michael Johansen (New Pack Member/Interest): Clara has found herself enjoying Michael’s company. She’d met him briefly a few times before he asked to move his pack to the city. She was happy to have a whole new crop of heavies in, but was surprised when she found herself becoming close to the former alpha.

Ezra Schultz (Good Friend): Ezra is the longest remaining pack member in Chicago, having been with the Fields since they were originally founded in New Orleans. She has seen some of the signs for dementia in Ezra and is dreading the day she will have to take care of him. She has always found him to have a “true north” conscience and never knows where he will side in board meetings.

Hollis Sony (Good Friend): Hollis and Clara are close. She has repeatedly backed Clara when tough decisions had to be made and has always been a good sounding board for issues when Clara wasn’t sure what the best path was.

Nathan Cleirigh (Psychiatrist): They rarely get to the root of any of her issues, sticking generally to her compulsions and depression and grief over her father. They have never gone deeper, despite the fact that Clara knows that they should. It embarasses her too much to talk about her other relationships and opinion of herself.

Chris Bialar (Fellow Alpha): Chris and Clara have gotten closer over the recent years when they realized how much they have in common in regards to their packs. They are both facing dwindling numbers with an inability to replace them.

Nick Hamelin (Fellow Alpha): Clara used to think Nick hated her, as she was the constant center of his jabs, but when she confronted him he set her straight. They stay out of each other’s way, generally, and both care greatly about their packs. Clara does actively avoid getting on his bad side, as she knows what the repercussions may be.

Ellis Watts (Fellow Alpha): Clara and Ellis get along fine. They aren’t particularly close, but she respects how he runs his pack and the leadership that he and his higher ups show.

Percy McCormick III (Fellow Alpha): Clara has known Percy since they were children. He has always been a show man and is great at being a person that people think they should follow, but he isn’t a leader. However, no one has pushed against him in the pack, and she would never undermine another leader.

Isaac Baker (Fellow Alpha): Isaac and Clara have very different styles in meetings and they tend to clash. Isaac is short, arupt, and disregards the traditions put in place that have kept everything running smoothly in the first place. That being said she respects his willingness to stand up for his principles even if he is standing alone.

Scorpius Getta (Business Associate): Scorpius bailed the Heavies out, for a steep price that Clara and her pack are still paying off today. However, he has always treated her and the deal with the utmost professionalism and respect, which Clara returns.

Dan Prior (Old Acquaintance): Clara knew Dan from when he was human. His parents were often in talks with her own, and she thinks they even considered the change before he “disappeared”. They still talk when she goes down.

Maxine Vanes (Liaison): Max is on Clara’s speed dial for whenever the rats cross the line with her hotel. She is often able to deal with it well enough where Clara doesn’t have to talk to Nick.

Talia Cleirigh (Former Business Associate): Talia used to put her and Asa to bed and stop the nightmares that they frequently had over their mother. She used her on and off until she made her deal with Getta. That was too private of information to allow someone to see. She still has temporary insomnia, but uses that time to check on the hotel and get other work done.

Hostile Connections:

Sam Thompson (Board Member): Clara has known Sam her whole life. They grew up together, almost like siblings. However, he has always been a challenging force throughout her leadership and recently she’s lost much of her trust in him. He holds the same resentment towards Clara that his father held for Garland. That they were cheated out of a position. It at one point caused Clara great anxiety and sleepless nights, wondering when he was going to challenge her. She finally decided to stop waiting around and began training to fight in her human physical form. She has continued to wait for an attack, especially after she had to kill Sam’s wife four years ago. For all that Clara dislikes Sam, she is incredibly impressed that he held on for his kids, and believes he is genuinely a good father, and even leader at times.

Eliza Meyers (Board Member): Eliza gets the short end of the stick, mostly due to her age. She is young and parrots whatever Sam says, which has led to Clara ignoring her opinion for almost the entirety of her being on the council. She has decided to let her take the lead in this new project of creating the indoor hunting ground.

Pets:

None - Clara has difficulty with animals being indoors, though this is an issue she is working on.

→ History

→ The Present

#Margot Robbie #Clara Fields #Clarisse Fields #Female #Clan Heavy #Taken

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qweenofasadland · 5 years

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you taste like lucky strikes

Harringrove | Bakery AU | Modern AU

Though it was the middle of winter, the weather had been atypically warm. Well, warm for an Indiana winter. It was still cold and worse yet, it was raining. Rain in the summer was refreshing and had that distinctive and intoxicating smell. Any other time, rain was just a disappointment. It didn’t have that whimsical, redeeming quality of snow and yet you were still guaranteed to become cold and uncomfortably wet if you had to venture outside.

Unfortunately for Steve Harrington, he had to be at work early on this dreadful morning. He arrived with a few minutes to spare before he had to open, so he pulled out his cigarettes. He had been trying to quit but after the stress of last semester, he had picked it back up again. He was trying to light one up under an awning but the wind and the drizzle made it difficult.

With his fingers going numb from the cold, he gave up. “Son of a bitch.”

Someone softly chuckled a few feet away. Steve looked up and met the brilliant blue eyes of a stranger. His smile was sharp but his thick-lashed eyes were inviting. Steve silently observed the young man as he reached in his back pocket. He pulled out a black Zippo lighter and asked, “Need a light?”

“Umm, sure?” Steve wasn’t sure why his response came out as a question. The stranger skillfully flicked the lighter open and held the flame close so that Steve could light his cigarette. He leaned in but his eyes never left the stranger.

He dressed like your basic “bad boy”, the type of guy that normally elicited an eye roll from Steve. Dark, tight jeans. A black tee underneath a worn leather jacket. It appeared as though his hair had been slicked back but the rain had caused the natural curl to reappear.

“Thanks,” Steve muttered between the cigarette and his lips. The handsome stranger was far from the kind of guys he was usually attracted to but he could not look away. The golden-haired Adonis leaned against the building next to Steve and pulled out his own pack of cigarettes.

“You work here?” the man questioned him before placing a cigarette between his perfectly pouty lips.

Distracted, Steve fumbled for a response. “Sorry, what?”

The stranger gave him a narrowed glare before momentarily removing his cigarette. He dryly chuckled, ran his tongue against his teeth and upper lip, and then repeated with more bite, “You work here?”

“Yeah, sorry.” He checked his watch. “I should be opening up right now.” Steve took a final drag on his cigarette before tossing it to the ground and putting it out with his foot. He bent down to pick it up so that he could throw it away.

The gorgeous man raised a skeptical eyebrow but stayed silent as Steve unlocked the door and headed inside the bakery. He flipped on the open sign of the small local bakery before heading to the back to grab his apron. Steve greeted the morning baker, Tom, in passing as he took up his position at the cash register.

After a couple minutes, the stranger he’d met outside entered the bakery. Steve swallowed hard and tried to calm his nerves. He gave the man a half-hearted smile as he approached the counter. Steve tried not to let the man notice he was staring as he took his time looking at the menu.

Absentmindedly, or perhaps intentionally, the stranger reached under his shirt to scratch an itch. His action exposed his exceptionally toned stomach. The denim hanging dangerously low on his hips revealed sexy v-cuts. Steve had to prevent himself from making a small noise of pleasure at the sight.

With Steve’s eyes starting to travel south of the man’s waistline, the stranger asked, “How’s the coffee here?”

Steve quickly glanced up. The man was looking at him, wearing a knowing grin. Steve could feel his face redden and quickly started talking.

“It’s okay. Not great but better than Starbucks.”

“Hmm, that’s not really saying much but I guess I’ll have a medium mocha and a cinnamon streusel muffin.”

“What’s your name?” Steve did not normally bother asking, typically because he knew the customer, but he was desperate for any information about the stranger.

“Billy.”

Steve was a little surprised; most guys with the name “William” didn’t use a nickname or went with “Will”. “Okay, Billy, your total is $7.49.”

He pulled out cash and when Steve returned the change, Billy slowly brushed his fingers across Steve’s palm before taking it. “Aren’t you going to tell me yours?”

Distracted by the brief skin-on-skin contact, Steve dazedly asked, “Sorry?”

Billy laughed, “Your name, pretty boy. What is it?”

Steve scolded himself for immediately blushing. “Steve,” he replied as he handed Billy his muffin. “Your coffee will be ready in a moment.”

“Okay. Thanks, Steve.” The way that Billy said his name sent shivers down his spine.

Billy took his muffin and sat down at a table. Steve watched him scroll through his phone as he made the man’s coffee. Billy took a bite of his muffin, which doesn’t warrant any sex appeal but anything he did could probably be considered obscene.

When he was finished making the hot beverage, instead of calling his name Steve brought the coffee over to Billy. The attractive man looked up from his phone with a look of surprise on his face.

“Here’s your coffee.”

“Oh, thank you,” Billy delicately responded.

Steve turned around and began walking back towards the register when Billy called after him, “Hey Steve, wait a second.”

Steve apprehensively turned back around and waited for Billy to tell him what he wanted.

“There’s no one else here, why don’t you sit with me for a little bit?”

“Umm… sure, yeah okay,” Steve anxiously agreed before sitting across from Billy. There was a moment of awkward silence until Steve eventually blurted, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

Billy flashed a razor sharp smile at Steve and simply said, “No.”

After giving Billy some time to elaborate, Steve finally attempted to continue the conversation. “So, where are you from then? How did you wind up in Hawkins of all places?”

He took a slow, tantalizing sip of his coffee before giving Steve an answer. “San Francisco. My sister lives here though. Maxine Mayfield, Max as you might know her. She actually recommended this place.”

Steve’s eyebrows went up. From the description Max had given of her brother, Billy was not what Steve would have expected. Billy suddenly leaned across the table, getting as close to him as possible.

Billy whispered, “Though I didn’t exactly come here for the food.” He bit his lower lip and looked at Steve through sultry heavy-lidded eyes.

Steve could not help but smile and boldly asked, “What did you come for then?”

He softly chuckled and kept his gaze on Steve. “I thought it was obvious, though perhaps not as obvious as you checking me out earlier.”

His comment rendered Steve momentarily speechless. He tried to fight though his embarrassment but was unsuccessful. “I – umm – sorry.”

Billy laughed more heartily. “Don’t apologize. Believe me, I liked it.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “The truth is that Max told me about you and I’ve been stalking your Instagram for weeks. I couldn’t wait to come here and meet you.”

Steve was absolutely taken aback and said with a hint of humor, “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or creeped out.”

Billy’s smile faded and he leaned away from Steve. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything.”

Gathering some courage, Steve reached across the table and placed his hand on Billy’s. “No, you didn’t freak me out. I guess it’s just that I’m not used to guys being that into me. Especially, someone as attractive as you.”

Billy appeared flabbergasted and grasped Steve’s hand. “Are you kidding me? You are gorgeous.”

Steve blushed and it seemed as though Billy was about to lean in for a kiss when suddenly the door opened and a customer walked in. Steve quickly let go of Billy’s hand and gave him an apologetic look before heading to the counter to serve the regular.

“Hey Chief Hopper, the same as usual?”

He nodded before looking back at Billy with suspicion. “Who’s that?” he whispered to Steve.

“Max’s brother from California.”

Hopper’s eyebrows shot up and he nodded. “Oh, okay.” Hopper’s adopted daughter and his girlfriend’s son were friends with Max. Steve placed Hopper’s pastries into a to-go bag and handed him a black coffee. After he had handed Hopper back his change and had bid him goodbye, Steve turned his attention back to Billy’s table.

It was empty.

Though he was saddened by his departure, Steve tried to brush it off. Two customers walked in and he gave a little sigh as he got back to work. When they had left, Steve went around and cleaned up their table as well as Billy’s.

Billy had picked up most of his trash, leaving only his plate and coffee cup sleeve. As Steve went to toss the sleeve into the garbage, he noticed that there was writing on it.

Meet me at 16 Dearborn Street. 8pm.

Steve wore a grin for the rest of the day. By the time 5pm rolled around, he was buzzing with excitement. He tried to relax when he got home but nothing worked. Finally, around half past six, Steve took a shower and prepared for his date or whatever his meeting with Billy could be.

He left a little early and drove around the block until it was close to 8. Steve nervously approached the door before ringing the bell. Billy answered clad in the same dark jeans that he wore earlier but he was no longer wearing the black tee and leather jacket. Instead, he only wore a navy blue cardigan. It was only buttoned half way up, his tanned and bare chest exposed.

Steve stood with his jaw agape and Billy lightly laughed before he pulled him inside.

AO3

#harringroveweekoflove #prompt #bakery au #modern au #wip? maybe

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someguyscaliforniavoterguide · 6 years

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Select L.A. County Races - November 2018

Select L.A. County Races

Broadly speaking: vote for the Democrat. I am not going to give super detailed explanations for a lot of races unless they are warranted. Where they are, I have footnoted them. I live in the East Valley so a lot of what I looked at was Valley related. I also looked into Santa Monica because Measure SM is a big deal.

State Board of Equalization 3: Tony Vazquez

In 2017, the State Board of Equalization was largely stripped of its powers and duties and gutted from 4800 staffer to 400 staffers. Still, it remains a constitutionally mandated agency that administers Property Taxes, Alcoholic Beverage Taxes, and Taxes on Insurers programs. The point of the board is to ensure that taxes are assessed fairly statewide. Yeah, it’s weird. Anyway, the GOP candidate in the race has used his platform to attack the SB60 Gas Tax (more on this later). Forget that. Tony Vazquez is a former Santa Monica mayor and while his platform for the BOE is thin, it’s better than actively destructive.

Los Angeles County Sheriff: Alex Villanueva

I’m not thrilled about either candidate in this race, to be honest. Both have ties to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) but both pitch themselves as reform candidates who will address years of endemic abuse and corruption within LASD. Neither seems to be up to the job. I’ve heard some people say that Jim McDonnell, the acting sheriff, should be given a chance to put his mark on the department. I have also watched as rank and file have swung to Alex Villanueva as McDonnell has tried to enact reforms. McDonnell has ties to the former sheriff, Lee Baca, who was convicted of obstructing an investigation into jail abuses by the LASD. McDonnell has endorsements from politicians but Villanueva has the support of the local party clubs. It’s really a coin toss for me, but since I’m picking, I guess I’ll go with Villanueva - he’s the slightly more outside candidate for now, and I’ll keep an eye on this for 2022.

Los Angeles County Assessor: Jeffrey Prang

Jeff Prang is endorsed by Kamala Harris and is the incumbent assessor. His opponent is literally listed with the name John “Lower Taxes” Loew on the ballot and couldn’t even get a website together for this election. This is a pretty easy call.

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; Second District

Electing judges is dumb but since we do it, here’s some thoughts. Look: these are all qualified and smart jurists. I base my endorsements here on a mix of reviewing various endorsements with a critical eye to judges who score too high on conservative groups’ questionnaires about judicial philosophy. The L.A. Times endorses “yes” on all these candidates as a show of judicial independence, but I don’t hang with that. Judges make political choices and while I believe we shouldn’t have the power to vote on them, if we do then we might as well use that power to vote for judges who reflect our Democratic values. Certainly the GOP votes for judges that will enact their visions.

Division 1

Helen Bendix: No

Victoria G. Chaney: No

Division 2

Elwood G. Lui: Yes

Victoria Chavez: No

Division 3

Luis A. Lavin: Yes

Hamlin Dhandina: Yes

Anne Egerton: Yes

Division 4

Thomas Willhite: No

Nora Manella: No

Division 5

Lamar W. Baker: Yes

Carl Moor: Yes

Dorothy Kim: Yes

Division 6

Arthur Gilbert: Yes

Martin J. Tangeman: Yes

Division 7

John Segal: Yes

Gail Feuer: Yes

Division 8

Tricia Bigelow: No

Los Angeles Superior Court

Personally, I feel too often we see prosecutors elevated to judgeships, it’s like a pipeline from the DA to the Superior Court. To me, it’s best that a candidate have some sort of judicial experience before they get the post - as a Judge Pro Tem or as a mediator of some kind. All respect to my prosecutor friends out there, but being a judge is a different job. That said, if nobody in the race has that experience - a not uncommon event - it’s worth looking at what else they bring to the table.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 4: Veronica Sauceda

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 16: Patricia “Patti” Hunter This is the one judicial race that I really want to highlight. Hunter’s opponent - Sydne Michel - has a lot of ties to the gun industry. Her kid and her dog are both named after guns, her husband is an NRA lawyer, and the pro-gun website calguns.net made it clear that voting for her was important to advancing their interests. Vote for Hunter here folks. We don’t need pro-gun voices packing our courts.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 60: Holly L. Hancock I like that Ms. Hancock is a Public Defender - we don’t see enough PDs become judges.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 113: Michael Ribons

California State Senate

SD 18 – Bob Hertzberg Sen. Hertzberg was officially reprimanded by the California State Senate in March of 2018 for his habit of hugging colleagues and constituents. In accepting the reprimand, Hertzberg stated ”I understand that I cannot control how a hug is received, and that not everyone has the ability to speak up about unwelcome behavior. It is my responsibility to be mindful of this, and to respect the Rules Committee's request to not initiate hugs." SD 20 – Connie Leyva SD 22 – Michael Eng SD 24 – Maria Elena Durazo SD 26 – Ben Allen SD 30 – Holly Mitchell SD 32 – Bob J. Archuleta SD 34 – Tom Umberg

California State Assembly

AD 36 – Steve Fox AD 37 – Monique Limón AD 38 – Christy Smith AD 39 – Luz Rivas AD 41 – Chris Holden AD 43 – Laura Friedman AD 44 – Jacqui Irwin AD 45 – Jesse Gabriel AD 46 – Adrin Nazarian AD 47 – Eloise Reyes AD 48 – Blanca Rubio AD 49 – Ed Chau AD 50 – Richard Bloom AD 51 – Wendy Carrillo AD 52 – Freddie Rodriguez AD 53 – Miguel Santiago AD 54 – Sydney Kamlager AD 55 – Gregg Fritchle AD 56 – Eduardo Garcia AD 57 – Ian Calderon AD 58 – Cristina Garcia AD 59 – Reggie Jones-Sawyer AD 62 – Autumn Burke AD 63 – Anthony Rendon AD 64 – Mike Gipson AD 65 – Sharon Quirk-Silva AD 66 – Al Muratsuchi AD 70 – Patrick O’Donnell

U.S. House of Representatives

CD 23 – Tatiana Matta CD 25 – Katie Hill CD 26 – Julia Brownley CD 27 – Judy Chu CD 28 – Adam Schiff CD 29 – Tony Cardenas Post-2016 I have often wondered what it would take for me to vote to give a seat up to a Republican - is there a figure as odious as Trump in the Democratic party? This is the race that currently comes closest for me. Tony Cardenas - my rep - has been accused of rape and is facing a civil suit from a Jane Doe; he has denied the charge and asked for a House ethics investigation. I’m begrudgingly going to vote for him, but I am hoping he either a) clears his name in the next year, b) steps aside, or c) is faces a legitimate primary because the Dems have to do better than having an accused rapist on the ballot in 2018. CD 30 – Brad Sherman CD 32 – Grace Napolitano CD 33 – Ted Lieu CD 34 – Jimmy Gomez Kenneth Meija is a longshot Green candidate in this district - I don’t like his take on SB1 and his call to repeal it, but I would imagine a lot of people I respect might disagree with me on him overall. CD 35 – Norma Torres CD 37 – Karen Bass CD 38 – Linda Sanchez CD 39 – Gil Cisneros CD 40 – Lucille Roybal-Allard CD 43 – Maxine Waters CD 44 – Nanette Barragán CD 47 – Alan Lowenthal

County Measure W: Yes

This is a 2.5¢ per acre parcel tax on impermeable land (i.e. the parts of land that doesn’t absorb water) to raise funds that will be used to fund projects to capture stormwater, clean it, and percolate it into underwater aquifiers. This money would double the amount that the County Flood District (if you’re in L.A. county you’re almost definitely in it, unless you’re north of Palmdale) captures and help us reduce dependence on water from outside sources.

L.A. City Charter Amendment B (Public Bank): Emphatically Yes

This charter amendment would give the city the power to establish a public bank. A public bank is a government owned bank that holds the city’s deposits and can be used to make loans to projects the city supports. North Dakota has a public bank that is extremely profitable and which funds public works projects throughout the state. Additionally, debt service payments and institutional fees can be reduced when the city has its own bank, saving us all in the long run. To be clear: Amendment B would not actually establish a bank - this would take legislative action and involve a lot of detailed analysis and rulemaking. This is just the first step in a long process, but a necessary one.

L.A. City Charter Amendment E (Realign City Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign the city’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should do this.

LAUSD Charter Amendment EE (Realign LAUSD Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign LAUSD’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should also do this.

Burbank Measure P (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

The city will experience a $20M revenue shortfall, this is a 0.75¢ sales tax to close that gap. Yes, sales taxes are regressive, but until we address Prop 13 its one of the few tools cities have to close budget gaps in California. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.

Burbank Measure QS (Parcel Tax for Schools): Yes

A parcel tax differs from a property tax in that the parcel tax is applied based on a characteristic of the land while a property tax is based on its value. Here, Burbank proposes to tax each piece of improved land at 10¢ per square foot to raise $9M for schools. On a side note, this will require 2/3 of voters to confirm.

Glendale Measure S (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

Much like Burbank, Glendale proposes a 0.75¢ sales tax to generate about $30M annually. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.

Santa Monica Measure SM (Require Supermajority Council Approval for Floor Area Ratio and Height Limit Changes): NO NO NO NO

This Charter amendment would require 5 of 7 council members to approve any changes to the downtown community plan for ten years. Folks, this is slow growth nonsense. The city charter already requires a majority vote to approve any changes, requiring a supermajority simply makes it more difficult to address any projects that might be slightly out of compliance. Don’t make it harder to build things.

Santa Monica Measure TL (Term Limits for Council Members): No

This would limit any council member to three terms, whether consecutive or not. I just fundamentally disagree with the idea of term limits, and encourage you to vote no on this.

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coralshort · 4 years

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Last January I did a workshop a performance at Fresh Festival in San Francisco as a part of Ponderosa On the Road curated by Adi Brief. Thank you to all my brave workshop participants and performers who did the somatic release of Choir of Emotions. We unfortunately don’t have a lot of documentation of this but here is some documentation I found on line of the project which I also did in Athens Greece at the wonderful festival Sound Acts. I’m so glad they documented this project so well!

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I took over Betonest for the last incarnation of my artist residency program there. Caitlin Fisher was my steady collaborator and many waves of artists came throughout the month including our largest residency called THAW. I hope to create residences in Germany again COVID healing allowing, but next time I will be doing them at a smaller space called Quecke. This location is located near a forest and a beautiful Creek. I have collaborated with these hard working queer feminists before and their space is gorgeous.

Here are some photos of this residency time period April 2019. I don’t think I have worked so hard in my entire life, but giving time and space to the artists was worth it. To carve that space and time for conversation, collaboration and pure creation is so valuable. I just wish there was more resources given to what I do. My gardening actually funds these residencies! Canada Council for the Arts has told me that there is no funding for running residencies. If you have any ideas around this let me know. It’s been four years now of running successful incredible international artist residencies with no funding.

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Also my dear friend E Hearte helped me apply to be a Media Artist, A Visual Artist and a Curator on the new Canada Council for the Arts portal. The curator bit was the most exciting for me to be acknowledged by Canada Council as a curator after over ten years of radical curations at all sorts of venues all over North America and Europe. Most queer artists have heard of me or I have curated them, so it was nice to finally get some professional recognition. Now I just need to get a grant! In all these years of art making Canada Council has yet to offer me one, so if you are a proofreader let me know.

A beloved curator to many of us Mary Macdonald from Eastern Edge created these pins ART = WORK which I wore for many years until it eventually fell off. But now her foundation has now created these toques! Buy one here and support artists in Newfoundland and Labrador. She was a shining human full of support and love to all who knew her. I am sad she has left this world.

Last April I was in this curation by my longtime friend Kimura Byol.

This is the work that was screened. I filmed it in my kitchen holding a black sheet and my sweet ex boyfriend Logan Curley is the model.

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While I was in silent retreat my partner and my distributor gave permission for my film Arrangement to be screened in Korea a country that I lived in and love dearly.

FLORAL SLEEP grows and grows!

2 radio shows, 2 WORKSHOPS and 2 SHOWS last year!

Last July Ryan Backer and I performed our project Floral Sleep at my work’s 10 year Anniversary party in July. And then we performed in October for True North Insight’s Birthday party for our founders Daryl Lynn Ross and Pascal Auclair. And then I gave a workshop for adults with Winnie Superhova and one for kids with Lari Jalbert. Thank you Studio XX for paying us well and giving us an ample budget for supplies. Goddess bless that feminist organization! And a huge thank you to my dear friend Lucas Crawford for writing about my work. Thanks also to xx files for interviewing us about the work which you can listen to here.

WELLNESS is the Watchword

“This word appears everywhere as the reason for us to slow down, most often attached to a product that promises to save you hours of time via speed. Paradoxically, if today’s wellness discourse were a slogan, it might be: hurry up and slow down!

Coral Short’s new project engages ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), in which exposure to everyday stimuli (usually noises, eg. nails tapping; eating sounds; whispering) induces tingling sensations and euphoria. ASMR seems built for speed, given its extreme popularity on Youtube. But where high-tech folks seek the latest watch to capture their running speed, Short’s technology of wellness here is like good BBQ cookery: “low and slow.” They move plant boughs around a circle of laying participants, stimulating them gently with plant sounds.

Corporations market WELLNESS as a series of inward-looking products. But Short’s work redefines wellness as the connective, outward-looking potential of queer pleasure. The tingling of Short’s plant-based ASMR isn’t about a romanticized notion of stopping to smell the roses – even if it is about listening to the breeze of leaves. The tingling is literal; ASMR is often described as arousing, and Short describes this project as “eco- sexual.”

We buy cutting-edge quick-fixes. Short’s project is slower and more direct: it provokes bodies to feel better on the smallest scale. This is wellness redefined as feeling good, undertaken at the level of the goose bump.

Coral Short has long thought about wellness in exciting ways. Where foodie blogs luxuriate in the slow self-care of “stress baking,” Short tuned up queer rhythms via an experimental band, Women With Kitchen Appliances. WWKA didn’t take up the ‘time- saving’ kitchen tools of gendered domestic labour as escape, but instead as slow public experiment.

Where fitness media often dangle a fat-phobic wellness carrot – the self-pride that supposedly follows when we can wear the new (smaller) shirt or new (sexier) boots – Short has again flipped the game in advance. They have sculpted and wore “Butter Boots,” aptly named. Similarly, at a Vancouver arts show, Short and their team of servers moved through the crowd, offering the show-goers fudge: “How would you like your fudge packed?”

Whether laughing or crying – witness “Crying Machine,” in which attendees sit next to Short while they chop onions – connection and wellness happen queerly in Short’s work.”

Lucas Crawford

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Coral Short (Montreal) makes art with landscape, performance, film, costume, and bodies.

Lucas Crawford (Fredericton) is a trans/fat/queer academic and poet.

Here are some photos of Floral Sleep.

During the pandemic my much anticipated spring residency BELTANE at Ponderosa has been canceled much to the dismay of myself and the 20 artists who had bought plane tickets to come. Looks like we may have to skip a fall residency with COVID and return hopefully in a year for our next residency.

During the pandemic Winnie and I created an online performance experimentation curation from the visual arts and dance communities we are a part of internationally. There was no audience just creators creating for each other – trying to process what is happening in visual and movement based practices.

You Do You

Zoom Screencap by Kimura Byol

Alexis O’Hara (Montréal) Cait Fisher (Berlin) Cindy Baker (Lethbridge) Coral Short (Montréal) Eddy Levin (Berlin) Eshan Rafi (Toronto) Eva Wǒ (Philadelphia) Holly Oakley (Chicago) J’ean Park (Berlin) Joachim Magdalena & Gambletron (L.A.) Kimura Byol (Montréal) Lailye Weidman (Turner Falls, MA) Londs Reuter (NYC) Magdalena Hutter (Berlin) Rebecca Ladida (Eastern Townships, Québec) Sarra Bouars & Kristianne Salcines (Berlin) Winnie SuperHova (Montréal) Andrew Tay (Montréal) Lara Oundjian (Montréal) Sasha Kleinplatz (Montréal) Justin de Luna (Montréal) Nien Tzu Weng (Montréal) Lenore Claire (Montréal) Zi Ro Buch (London) Thea Patterson & Jeremy Gordaneer-Paintings/Sculptures (Edmonton) Anouk Thériault (Montréal) Aisha Sasha John (Toronto) Kinga Mi (Montréal) Pam Tzeng (Calgary) Maxine Segalowitz (Montréa) Moe Clark (Montréal) Ralph Escamillan (Vancouver) Nate Yaffe (Montréal) Benoît Lachambre (Montrèal) Victoria Hunt (Australia) River Halen Guri (Montrèal)

A year in the life Last January I did a workshop a performance at Fresh Festival in San Francisco as a part of…

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neverscreens · 1 year

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— GINNY & GEORGIA S02 TRAILER.

Find in GALLERY. Like or reblog the post it was useful. Your interaction shows me that I should keep making screencaps. And if you want me to post some in separate posts, tell me! ♡

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fabledenigma · 1 year

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In the Source Link, you will find a gif pack of Felix Mallard in Ginny and Georgia Season Two.

Felix plays the role of Marcus Baker, the twin brother of Maxine and former boyfriend of Ginny.

*This is a work in progress

Trigger Warning - anger, drinking, depression, drug use

Source - FabledEnigma

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mexicodish98-blog · 5 years

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By appearing to buckle to Trump on rates, is the Fed chief creating problems down the road?

© Zach Gibson/Getty Images North America/TNS Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell arrives to testify during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. Powell is testifying on monetary policy and the state of the economy.

WASHINGTON — In signaling that the Federal Reserve is almost certain to cut interest rates at the end of this month, Fed Chairman Jerome H. Powell may have given President Trump what he wants.

But the central bank now looks more vulnerable to criticism that it is caving to political pressures that will only grow as the election cycle heats up.

Powell, in testimony to lawmakers Wednesday, essentially argued that heightened uncertainty, from trade tensions and slowing global economic growth, along with low inflation, was enough to justify a cut in interest rates.

Historically, the Fed has lowered rates to ward off recession or when it sees substantial risks of a downturn.

The U.S. economy expanded at nearly 3% pace last year and, although it has slowed in recent months, the Fed and most private forecasters see growth continuing at a decent rate. The latest jobs report for June showed hiring remains strong, and Trump recently agreed to a ceasefire in the trade war with China, tenuous as it may be.

© Zach Gibson/Getty Images North America/TNS Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. Powell is testifying on monetary policy and the state of the economy.

For those reasons, Powell’s remarks Wednesday came as a pleasant surprise to financial markets. Stocks rose to record highs.

Lowering the rate by a quarter point later this month may help borrowers a little. The Fed’s main rate is a benchmark for credit cards, auto loans and other short-term consumer lending, but long-term rates such as mortgages already have dropped in anticipation of a Fed rate cut, meaning it’s unlikely to provide much of a boost to the housing market or the broader economy.

“We’ve already gotten 90% of the benefit; it’s already priced into the market,” said Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Investors are expecting at least one more quarter-point rate cut after July, and some even two. Powell and his colleagues at the Fed will have their hands full managing investors’ expectations on future rate reductions, so they don’t set themselves up for a sharp fall.

“The issue that the Fed is going to run into … is just like parenting,” said Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. “They can’t bend every time the markets throw a tantrum. At some point, you’ve got to put your foot down.”

Market expectations aside, Powell’s bigger challenge is likely to come from Trump. The president has been publicly hammering Powell to lower interest rates. Trump has criticized the Fed for raising rates four times last year, and no one thinks he will be satisfied if the Fed drops its benchmark rate by a quarter point on July 31, as it’s now expected.

Trump and his economic team have pressed the Fed to slash rates by a full point, and Trump isn’t likely to stop jawboning the Fed in the coming months.

Some economic experts think Trump already has succeeded in getting into the heads of Fed decision makers.

“Powell does seem to be going a little bit out of his way to reverse the rate hikes made last year,” said Chris Rupkey, managing director and chief economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York. “The president’s like another active member of the Fed board in the room. I wouldn’t tell him no, would you?”

Rupkey and some other Fed watchers say Powell is moving a bit too early in readying rate cuts, especially with job growth still running very strong. Only a few months ago, the Fed’s stance on interest rates was to wait and see.

“Should they cut rates at this time? Absolutely not!” said Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at Economic Outlook Group. “There is no economic justification to take that step now.

“For one, there is little to suggest this business cycle (is) struggling. The softness we see in some data points have little to do with economic fundamentals. The trade war with China and the havoc it has caused to global supply chain are the primary reasons those sectors have weakened.”

But other analysts argue that there’s good reason for the shift in the Fed’s posture. According to minutes from their last meeting in June, released Wednesday, Fed policymakers were feeling that the downside risks to the economy “had increased significantly over recent weeks.”

And in his testimony Wednesday to the House Financial Services Committee, Powell said that since May, crosscurrents that seemed to moderate earlier in the year “have reemerged, creating greater uncertainty.” Among other concerns, he said, business spending, trade and manufacturing activity have slowed.

“The issue really is more now on the business side where we see business confidence and business investment weakening a bit,” he told lawmakers, adding that there’s rising risk as well to consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of U.S. economic activity. “Household confidence has remained high, but over time uncertainty can cause households to hold back as well.”

Powell, sensitive to the political pressures bearing on the Fed, took pains in his prepared remarks to defend the integrity of the central bank and the basis for its policymaking.

“Congress has given us an important degree of independence so that we can effectively pursue our statutory goals based on objective analysis and data,” Powell said as he began his testimony.

Trump has reportedly considered firing Powell or demoting him, although it’s not clear whether the president has the legal authority to do so. Powell reiterated Wednesday that the law is on his side and that he intends to serve the full four-year term as Fed chair, which he assumed in February 2018.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have cautioned Trump against taking steps to remove Powell as Fed leader. And on Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers sought to drive home that point.

“Mr. Chairman, if you got a call from the president today or tomorrow, and he said I’m firing you, pack up, it’s time to go, what would you do?” asked Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Financial Services Committee.

“Well, of course I would not do that,” Powell responded, to which Waters added, “I can’t hear you,” eliciting laughter.

But the president’s unusually persistent and heavy pressure on the Fed is anything but a laughing matter.

Alan Blinder, a Fed vice chairman in the mid-1990s, said the concern about the bank’s independence stemming from the president’s attacks was such that it could legitimately be a factor in a Fed decision not to raise rates.

Apart from the potential harm to its credibility, a more immediate risk for the Fed in cutting rates is that it could limit the central bank’s arsenal in fighting the next recession. The Fed’s main benchmark rate is less than 2.5%, low by historical standards.

In response to lawmakers’ questioning, Powell said the resumption of trade talks between the United States and China was a “constructive step” but that doesn’t really change the outlook.

“I would say that the bottom line for me is that the uncertainties are around global growth and trade continue to weigh on the outlook.”

———

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/by-appearing-to-buckle-to-trump-on-rates-is-the-fed-chief-creating-problems-down-the-road/ar-AAE8KMP?srcref=rss

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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getyourgossip0-blog · 6 years

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Funny Cow review: Maxine Peake is wonderful as a female comedian

New Post has been published on https://getyourgossip.xyz/funny-cow-review-maxine-peake-is-wonderful-as-a-female-comedian/

Funny Cow review: Maxine Peake is wonderful as a female comedian

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Maxine Peake plays her role beautifully

“I can’t do what everybody else does,” she declares, “I can’t be a civilian, I’ve got no backbone. I’ve got a funny bone instead.”

With Paddy Considine playing her lover, Alun Armstrong playing the old-school comic who mentors and manages her, and ex-Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley providing the music as well as appearing with Corinne Bailey Rae as a mixed race double act called Coffee And Cream, it’s a serious production about funny people and tragic lives.

Add Liverpudlian comic John Bishop playing an Elvis impersonator, Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves) as a ventriloquist and a straight acting role for Kevin Rowland of Dexy’s Midnight Runners and it’s quite a cast.

Working in clubland was tough, even more so if you were a woman.

The punters were heading back and forth to the bar with trays of drinks.

If one was dropped, with broken glass and beer everywhere, a comedian needed to know how to turn it into a joke.

A turn could be in the middle of a complicated joke or a heartfelt ballad but if the pies arrived they didn’t stand a chance.

Playwright Alan Plater recalled that if Hull club audiences didn’t take to an act, they wouldn’t heckle.

They would simply and devastatingly ignore them.

A few funny women held their own in this unforgiving arena: Hylda Baker of Nearest And Dearest fame; Lynne Perrie, sister of The Comedians’ star Duggie Brown, who would go on to become Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street; Sheffield- born Ricki Lee, whose superb double act with her husband Ronnie Dukes is now almost forgotten; and most notable of all, the great Marti Caine.

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The film Funny Cow was loosely based around Marti Caine

In looks and on-stage manner, Peake’s character most closely resembles Caine, who died in 1995.

Tall and glamorous, her looks belied her sometimes bawdy material and her ruthless way with hecklers.

Born Lynne Shepherd in Sheffield in 1945, Caine modelled as a teenager and won beauty contests but an unexpected pregnancy meant she married at 17 and gave up dreams of showbusiness.

However, when she was 19, Caine’s mother died and Marti needed money for the funeral.

She auditioned at a local club and began doing gigs as a singer.

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The transition into comedy came naturally, as she began to put jokes into her patter between the songs, and her stage name came from her stick-thin physique, being a pun on tomato cane.

“I call myself a stand-up comic who likes to sing,” she said in 1979.

“If I had anything to offer as a singer, I wouldn’t have been a comic in the first place.”

Her TV break came in 1975 when she won the final of talent show New Faces.

Before that, she’d spent 10 years honing her technique in northern clubs, particularly with regard to hecklers.

“Someone once shouted ‘Gerremoff!’, to which I replied, ‘If your wallet is as big as your mouth, you’re on’,” she recalled.

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Funny Cow is about a female comedian making her way in the northern clubs of the 1970s

“I didn’t have to think about that one. The adrenalin did it.”

Her slow rise to stardom meant that she never took fame for granted or became a diva.

In TV studios, she was as likely to be nattering with the camera crew over a cup of tea as hob-nobbing with her guest stars.

“She was a very down-to-earth lady,” says her BBC producer, Stanley Appel.

But being famous helped bring Caine’s first marriage, to Malcolm Stringer, to an end in 1979.

“He never liked the idea of me being the breadwinner,” she told reporters at the time, adding “It’s a terrible role for a man to play.”

Britains Best Loved Comedians

Thu, September 18, 2014

Some of the UK’s favorite comedians in pictures.

WENN

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Peter Kay – “I met a Dutch girl with inflatable shoes last week, phoned her up to arrange a date but unfortunately she’d popped her clogs.”

She found happiness again with drama director Kenneth Ives, whom she married in 1984.

From 1984 to 1986, she starred in her own sitcom, Hilary, and when New Faces was revived in 1986, Caine was the perfect choice to host it.

However, in September 1988, she was told by doctors that she had lymphatic cancer and had maybe five years to live.

Caine met it head on by going public early the following year and talking about her treatment and her fears, then getting back to work.

An ITV Christmas special in 1989 with Joan Rivers guesting was followed by memoirs and a BBC game show called Joker In The Pack.

Caine lived to become a grandmother but died in November 1995, a fortnight before she was to receive an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University where she is commemorated by a sculpture.

ITV/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Marti Caine passed away in 1995 after being told she had cancer 7 years previously

The series of New Faces that Caine won was rich in talent, with Lenny Henry and a very different sort of northern funnywoman, Victoria Wood, being other contenders.

Wood’s brief early club experience would prove more of a source of material than a baptism of fire.

Hylda Baker, admired greatly by Wood, was another wonderful female northern comedian and although her career extended into the club era she was first and foremost a relic of the variety Born in the Farnworth district of Bolton in 1905, Baker was a child prodigy and toured as a singer and impressionist from the age of 10.

She was a regular on radio from the 1930s and developed the act that made her famous, playing a busybody given to malapropisms like, “I can say that without fear of contraception” as she relayed gossip to mute stooge Cynthia.

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Hylda Baker, admired greatly by Wood, was another wonderful female northern comedian

Baker was 4ft 11in and the gormless Cynthia was played by a series of tall men, including a young Matthew Kelly.

In the 1960s, she moved into television situation comedy with Nearest And Dearest, in which she played Nellie Pledge, co-owner with brother Eli of a pickle factory. The show was a hit but was complicated by the profound mutual loathing that sprang up between Baker and co-star Jimmy Jewel.

Relations became so strained that the pair would no longer speak to each other directly or even look at each other, which required diplomacy and clever camera angles from the show’s director.

In later life, Baker developed Alzheimer’s disease and died in a psychiatric hospital in Epsom in 1986.

The female northern comedians of today like Sarah Millican might seem a world away from Marti Caine, with her songs and sequins, or the caricatures of Hylda Baker but they owe these pioneering ladies, who braved a very male world, a great deal.

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chicagocityofclans · 3 years

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Henry Dean → Shamier Anderson → Rat

→ Basic Information

Age: 78

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Born or Made: Born

Birthday: July 6th

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Religion: Deism

→ His Personality Henry has always excelled at falling in line. Not a true leader in his own right, but a solid dependable man at someone’s back. His skills lie in his ability to stay open minded, especially during tense and fraught situations. As a former field agent in Cincinnati for BAKER, Cincinnati’s version of BOND. He was also briefly on BOND, Henry was always able to think on his feet and look for alternatives that most others missed. He’s also open minded about the world around him. Henry isn’t one to hold grudges, evident by his willingness to join Clan Rat in Chicago, despite the deaths of many of his clan mates. He is flexible and willing to adapt to what he needs to. Flexibility and open mindedness aside, as the head of weapons for BOND, Henry is a frank and serious individual. He knows that he is responsible for the rats out on their own in BOND and does not take that lightly. Henry also tends to be frank and is unafraid to say exactly what he is thinking.

Despite his often professional and collected demeanor while at work, Henry transforms to a playful and romantic guy when he is out on a date. He likes flirting and teasing and finds much of his joy from hanging out with those he loves. Henry enjoys figuring out the perfect date, and showing his woman a good time. Henrietta drilled into his head how to treat a woman, and he busts out everything he knows to impress his date.

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Weapons Master for BOND

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Going on dates and Fireworks

Two Dislikes: Tomatoes and Science Fiction Movies and Books

Two Fears: Never being allowed in the field again and Having to start his life over in a different pack

Two Hobbies: Billiards and Swimming

Three Positive Traits: Playful, Open Minded, Romantic

Three Negative Traits: Sharp tongued, Self-Critical, Frank

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Peter Dean (Father): Peter was the 2nd of the Cincinnati Pack and one of the rats who fought against the Chicago Clan. He was killed during the invasion, having gone down fighting. It took Henry about a decade to truly come to a point of acceptance over his father’s death. They were never particularly close, but his death and the guilt Henry felt over joining the clan was something he has dealt with ever since.

Henrietta Dean (Mother): Henrietta left the Midwest entirely and moved to Georgia to be with Henry’s sister, Jean. She has always said she didn’t blame him or his brother for joining the clan, but she has never been up to visit him and they haven’t seen one another in about 4 years. Henry was the youngest of his siblings, and hung close to his mother for most of his childhood and teen years. The awkwardness of their relationship is a sore point for him, and even Max doesn’t know the full story there.

Sibling Names:

Joseph Dean (Brother): Joseph also resides in the Chicago Clan. He is an international member of BOND and was residing in Bordeaux for the past 15 years. He is coming back with the majority of BOND and Henry is excited to see him.

Jean Garland nee Dean (Sister): Jean moved away from Cincinnati when Henry was first starting BOND. She met and married a rat from Georgia, and moved down to join his clan. She convinced their mother to move down to her and leave the bad memories of Cincinnati behind. Jean has made comments to him and Joseph about their choices, making it clear she does not approve.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Maxine Vanes (Ex-Girlfriend): Max and Henry had known of each other for years. He wasn’t blind and clearly saw how attractive she was, but they never really had a chance to speak until about 5 years ago. There was some fluke with BOND and the two were pulled in to deal with the situation. They hit it off, and he asked her out for dinner at the end of the case. They dated for 3 years before he asked her to marry him and she replied no. Max wanted to continue their relationship but Henry decided it would be best to end things completely.

Platonic Connections:

Dakota English (Friend): Dakota has been hanging around his office a lot more since she lost her eye and was pulled off of active duty. At first her presence was confusing, then distracting. But he figured her out after a while; usually West was gone and apparently GOLD wasn’t holding enough of her attention. He has sympathy for her situation, and has been inviting her to help him clean and perform maintenance just to let her live a little bit of her old life.

West Freeman (Friend): West is a bit of a wild cannon in the field, but Henry can admit he has skills. He’s a great shot, and when he’s home he, West, and Dakota have taken to going target practicing. He’s closer to Dakota, but a friendship with West is something he’s willing to explore.

Jax Idris (Friendly): Henry likes Jax, they’ve gone out and grabbed drinks a few times, but like many of the rats he can be singularly focused. He wouldn’t be against more of a friendship, but knows the younger rat just doesn’t have time.

Sam Whitney (Coworker): Henry did some training with Sam before she was permanently stationed away, but they didn’t talk until after she was in London. She was not only an asset to BOND, but she was able to secure a new weapons source that had been alluding Henry.

Neaera Jayweed (Friend): Despite Henry never physically meeting Neaera, he considers her a friend. They began talking after she was recruited to BOND, and found a lot of similarities between their situations. Both had packs who were overtaken, both have brothers, and both have the same sense of humor. He is excited that she’s coming to the US.

Nick Hamelin (Boss): Despite the initial struggles he had to come to terms with when joining Chicago, Henry took a liking to Nick quickly. This came in handy especially when Carl Anderson outed him to 3 major hunter families. It made him unable to leave Chicago and basically destroyed any chance of his burgeoning BOND career. Nick went with Henry to kill Anderson’s wife and has been understanding of a situation most leaders wouldn’t be.

Ray Hamelin (Friend): Despite his initial dislike for Ray due to his overtaking his clan, he’s grown to respect and enjoy his company. He has a good balance of always being in the know and letting those on BOND follow their instincts.

Hostile Connections:

Rebecca Stone (Annoyance): There’s only 60 Stone members in Chicago at the moment. Why their buyer feels the need to snatch up nearly every weapon that filters through the blackmarket, he’ll never understand.

Carl Anderson (Pure Hatred): Carl outed him among a group of hunters that included the Sanchez, Garcia, and Jenkins families. His face is out there and it is generally unsafe for him to leave Chicago. He and Nick got their comeuppance however, when they cornered him and his wife on a hunting trip. They killed her, and explained what would happen to his children and grandchildren if he ever even spoke the word rat again. CAMO’s surveillance has ensured that he hasn’t, but Henry went and visited him in his retirement community to remind him what was at stake.

Pets:

None

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Shamier Anderson (Henry Dean) [1][2][3][4]

#Henry Dean #Shamier Anderson #open #OMR #OM #OMAS

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