#this show ended being such a funny show to watch during commissions!! would recommend if you wanna see some sillies

[humbuns]

a hunter, a vampire, and their emotional support armadillo?

#the vampire dies in no time #kyuuketsuki sugu shinu #draluc #ronaldo #john the armadillo #shoutout to mar beloved mutual who ended tweeting too much about this anime that made me curious enough to watch it lmao #this show ended being such a funny show to watch during commissions!! would recommend if you wanna see some sillies #art tag

[popculturebuffet]

Pinky and the Brain: A Pinky And the Brain Christmas Review or I Just Think Schotzie’s Neat

Christmas Continues on this blog... and getting away from one set of Christmas commissions and into another, I offered my friend Blahdiddy three commissions as a present. The other two we’ll get to eventually, but with Animaniacs on the brain, heh, due to the reboot, he selected two Pinky and the Brains and one Animaniacs for me to cover. And while I intended to cover this one sometime this month anyway, my friend’s recent and sad covid diagnosis meant i’m bumping this one all the way up to the front of the line so he has some christmas cheer during this rough time. So with that in mind let’s talk about pinky, pinky and the brain brain brain brain brain shall we? Of course we can’t really talk about pinky and the brain without talking about Animaniacs. I absolutely love the series, I grew up with it as a kid and reconnected with it as an adult when it ended up on netflix. It was smart, well animated and most importantly really fucking funny. I highly recommend checking both the original and reboot of it out some time if you have Hulu. Speaking of the reboot while I might go on in full about it at some point it’s pretty good, with some creatvie jokes, some nice updates, with Rita Anita Anrita being a great new addition to the warner side of things. It’s only real flaw is it gets a bit reptitious as for the most part there’s only really the warners and pinky and the brain with a few exceptions one of which DAMN well deserved at least two segments and we all know which one that is. 

Bring.. this.. to series. The warners and pinky and the brain segments weren’t bad, but as is inevitible in a screwball comedy some just weren’t as good as others and those fell harder when you’ve already seen 2 or 3 better versions of this sort of skit in the season. They did really find their groove towards the end and if you like both Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, or even just one or the other, it’s worth checking out.  But enough about the reboot let’s talk about those labratory mice whose genes have been spliced. Thanks to wikipedia, I now know the duo were based on Eddie Fitzgerald and Tom Minton, who worked with Tom Rutgeter on Tiny Toon adventures, with menton being the one who came up with Narf, even saying it in one episode of Tiny Tunes. During the creation of animaniacs, Bruce Timm, yes THE Bruce Timm, sketched the two, and Ruetger added mouse ears and the rest was history. Maurice LaMarche was the one who added the Orson Welles to the character, as LaMarche saw the Orson Welles in Brain, ran with it and got the part and a long and storied career in voice acting as a result. In a nice and fitting bit of contrast, Rob Paulsen got the part.. because he was already on the show. Not to downplay Paulsen’s clear talent, I just find it hilarious. 

That’s about what I could dig up on the behind the scenes of the show. From what I can tell it was greenlit because Animaniacs was a massive it, and Pinky and the Brain was the most popular segment, so it just made sense. The show would likewise be a massive sucess with both adults and kids, and go on for three seasons and what should legally be considered a war crime. 

For those of you blissfully unaware yeah, that happened, no no one people actually LIKED from Tiny Toons was in it. And yeah if you want me to talk about it commission it otherwise not going near this one. While I do need to tackle more bad animation... I’ve successfully avoided watching an episode of this show for 22 years next wedsday, I’m not breaking the streak for free. 

But some.. things aside I remembered liking the series as a kid but just never got around to seeking it out as an adult. I had nothing against the animaniacs segments and I even still have a stuffed brain doll I got at a garage sale.. the pinky is sadly missing and persumed dead. I just wasn’t as bit into it as I was the slappy bits rewatching animaniacs and didin’t really see reason to watch the show. Watching this though made me realize I was wrong and I probably watch more of it in the future This special is damn good, i’m pleased ot review it and to revive and old childhood memory. So with all the exposition out of the way let’s talk Pinky, PInky and the brain brain brain brain christmas edition after the cut. 

This was indeed a special: while it was presumably produced with season one of the show and is packaged with it both on DVD and on Hulu, where I watched it, the special was aired in prime time and even put on it’s own VHS.. which I found out and of course, like with my review of the Darkwing Duck Pilot, had to use as the art for old VHS’ tapes for cartoons.. was really fucking beautiful and it’s a nice break from my traditional screencaps.   So we open with a clever Christmas rendition of the theme, frequently sprinkling in bits of other christmas stuff, utterly fantastic. The intro animation is less impressive as it’s literally just the regular intro but with a stock snow effect over everything. In case you thought Ducktales doing that was a new thing. I do not blame the team however, as apparently they only had a week to get the scripts out, so I highly doubt warner was forking out more cash for the animation than they had to. They still forked out enough to make it LOOK really good mind you, something I wish they’d do more often with their DTV Movies but do do with their animated shows still with certain exceptions so good on them, i’m just saying they clearly cared more about money than having a memorable christmas opening. Given a budget to actually make one, i’m sure the animators would’ve come up with something lovely, and i’m sure the same is true of Ducktales and other shows and like i’ve said, i’m highly in favor of shows actuallly doing unique openings for the holidays, especially since Holiday episodes tend to get reaired every year as long as the show is in circulation on the network. Sometimes even if it isn’t. So it’s fully worth the effort to fork out a little extra for this as while you’ll most likely only use it once, you’ll be using the special for years. You can afford to treat yourself networks come on. It’s...

Just like Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain. But onto the episode itself after 80 years. We find Pinky writing his Christmas list to santa, complete with Narf, a gag I like. As usual for a comedy show, I will try to gloss over as much of the gags as possible, to avoid repetttion but yeah this episode is really damn funny and reminded me just how good these characters are. Maurice and Rob just have perfect chemistry. It’s like Tom and Jerry: It’s a very simple premise, that one being “Cat chases mouse and Mouse beats shit out of mouse”, and pinky and the brain of course being “Super genuis mouse and dimwitted but loveable sidekick try and takeover the world eveyr night”. But a simple premise can be used just about anywhere and adapated for anything. To me a cartoon’s premise only has to be as complicated as it needs to be to work. Sometimes you have a vast complex tapestry behind the world like She Ra, Steven Universe or Avatar with lots of planning and ins and outs and deep character stuff.. and sometimes you just have two mice who get into shenanigans because one is a would be dictator who sounds like orson welles and the other’s a loveable british weirdo/moron. Sometimes simple just works. 

Anyways, Brain, noticing Pinky’s distracted and replaces himself with a horrifying poorly made doll of himself called Noodle Noggin, which is both an excellent name and not the only time they’d use the name either, as there was an animaniacs short about Brain making himself a fad to endear himself to the children of the future with the same name. It’s just an inherently funny set of words, but also shows Brain’s genius in a subtle and clever way as he never spells it out, but despite sounding kind of ridiculous for such a buttoned up intellectual like brain... he knows that’s the kind of name kids will eat up. His schemes may often fail, but he’s an objectively brilliant schemer and i’ts often either PInky’s incompetence or his own miscalculation of humanity, either over or underestimating them, that undoes Brain.  Back to the plot, so Brain’s plan is to distribute noodle noggins around the world, make it the hot new toy, and as always, take over the world. Problem is naturally two Mice simply don’t have the resources to make the billions of dolls. But PInky stumbles upon the solution in the paper: a want ad for elves! Everything about that sentence except “pinky stumbles upon the solution” has not aged paticuarlly well, but point is they have a plan and we have our christmas special.  This does bring me to my one problem with the special.. Brain’s weird inconsistency towards Santa. What I mean is he spends the portion doubting Santa can do anything he’s claimed to despite being proven frequently he can. That part is not all that annoying as it’s in character with him and while yes, he is a talking mouse, he’s also a man of science and reason and Santa is the opposite of that. That would be fine... IF it wasn’t for the fact that said magical bollocks weren’t constantly part of his plans. Despite Brain constantly throughought the special doubting Santa... his plans FREQUENTLY rely on everything we’ve heard about him being right. His initial plan here ENTIRELY runs on the fact Santa has a massive workforce to make the toys yet even if that’s true by Brain’s own logic, he wouldn’t be able to deliver them. Later when the boys need to escape, They hide with the Reindeer despite Brain just saying santa can’t be everywhere in one night.. which if he can’t then the odds are slim he’ll wind up at Acme Labs isn’t it? It would be fine if the special acknowledged any of this outside of one bit we’ll get to, but other than that one bit.. they don’t. IT’s just really frustrating and really sticks out since the rest of the special is perfection, so this one failing bit really grates. That being said, it dosen’t last long enough to really drag the episode down as a whole, just to annoy me a bit every so often. It speaks to the episodes quality that the bad part ONLY drags so much because everything else is so well put together.  So our boys head to the north pole with the help of a kooky pilot and a santa dummy, this pilot is voiced by Tress MacNeile and is easily one of the best parts of the special. And naturally given their luck, she asks them to take the wheel so the plane instead jerks and causes them to fall out. Luckily they end up near Santa’s workshop and soon apply for temp work with local head of things and gruff type Shotzie, played by Jeff Bennett. And yes that is his name.  I like Shotzie: he’s a goateed elf and Bennett just plays him well.. hard to explain honestly I may just like his name and Bennett’s voice for him, one he used before in animanaics for various bit parts and in shows after this, it’s just a voice i’ve always liked. 

They get put to work in the mail room, which is the bit I mentioned: Brain earlier scoffed at Santa answering all the letters with Pinky simply suggesting that Santa had his elves go through all of them. Turns out Pinky was right... while he may be a BIT stupid, one intresting thing i’ve found about Pinky after watching the reboot that ironically the friend who comissioned this and I discussed is that he’s not ENTIRELY stupid, it’s just , much like Dan from Dan Vs his knowledge is just random.. he can not know how a lot of things work, but sometimes like in this instance Pinky generally just GETS something. It’s part of why he and Brain are such a good team despite their failures: Brain is all about planning and thought and research, Pinky is about intuition and gut instinct. He just does things and it often works out. This also makes their recently added backstories all the more brilliant as they explain this well: Pinky started life just being told to find the diffrence in cheeses and thus was taught form childhood to trust in himself and his weird brain. Brain was cruelly torturued with an experiment on learned behaviors via electroshock, and was taught to never give up control again, to always know what’s going on and to always control it. It perfectly sums up who the two are and why they are that way.  Brain however quickly pivots, as the mail room ends up being the perfect location to start his plans. Since their job is to file away what each person wants Brain simply adds Noodle Noggin to it and plans to put his plans into the workshop. While Santa and Schotzie are suprised and baffled, Santa quickly adds it to the list. However things hit a snag when Schotzie gets supscious when the two try to sneak into the blueprint room to drop theirs off and he accidently yanks off their disguises leading to a REALLY fun chase scene, as the boys end up in a toy wherehouse and thus try out various toy cars: a barbie dream car that dosen’t have a working motor, a toy truck that dosen’t go very fast, and finally an rc car that while fast naturally just means Schotzie can grab it and capture them. It’s easily my faviorite scene of the episode just for how clever it is and as someone whow as a kid around the time this came out, I applaud the accuracy.. granted I didn’t have any of those personally but I had lots of friends so yeah. 

So our heroes are interrogated.. and again Brain brilliantly pivots. Schotzie assumes since they have the blueprints their spies for the easter bunny or the tooth fairy or Herschel, the Hanukah Goblin. Why Herschel never got his own Hannukah special trying to stop Pinky and the Brain from using it to take over the world, I genuinely do not know and that’s something the reboot really needs to adress in the future. Seriously Hannukah needs a mascot and it’s either Herschel or the Hannukah Zombie. Kwanza already has Kwanzabot. I want to see more of Herschel the Hannukah Goblin dammit!. I love goblins. Especially this one.

And this one

And most of all this one

I likes goblins. It’s a thing. So anyway, point is Schotize has the blueprints taken in while our boys slip out and sucessfully make their way outside, though they have to find a way home to turn on the mind control device. They see Santa and brain being a dick refuses to let pinky hand in his letter.. but does as mentioned earlier have them pose as reindeer.  So our heroes make their way home and in time to be able to activate the device once santa’s route’s finished!

And.. then land directly on the mind control device thing, meaning they now have to scramble to repair it. Oh and Pinky is inconsolable after realizing Santa didn’t get his letter and Brain is a HUGE dick about it. Easily the worst i’ve seen him just far more focused on his machine than his friend’s wel lbeing especially since ALL he needs from pinky is for him to throw one lousy switch. 

But we then get easily the best part of the entire special. As Brain scrambles to rebuild his device while abusing his best friend we get a really nice tense sequence as Brain rebuilds while kids all over the world warmly receive noodle noggin. I mean.. it’s not the creepiest doll I’ve seen a kid enjoy. 

Also Bill Clinton gets one because the series apparently really likes “Bill Clinton is stupid jokes” Oh you poor innocent dears who haven’t had to suffer through the president being revealed to be a sexual predator, the one after him being even dumber if not a predator, the one after that being easily one of the best people around, and the outgoing one being a waking nightmare whose both a preadator and dumb beyond all comprehension ina dangerous and soul crushing way. 

But yeah onto the good part, Brain, for whatever reason, reads the letter.. and finds Pinky asked for nothing. He just wanted to give Brain the world at long last, recognizing his friend really and genuinely means well for it and that he’s worked hard to conquer it. And with that goal in reach, with the very thing he’s always wanted his... Brain instead uses the device to wish a merry christmas. He sees through his friend’s kindess and selflessness that he himself.. has been selfish once again turning something into a world destroying plot and being cruel to his best friend... when all his best friend wanted was to selflessly make sure he finally got what he wanted. It’s then that Brain, for all his cold and cynical logic and superiority complex, realized the true meaning of christmas, which i’ve said before and i’ll say again: it’s about giving, about giving someone something with your heart and soul just to be nice with no expectation of something in return. It’s about being selfless for once instead of selfish. I’ts about love. And Brain loves his friend too much to destroy his faviorite holiday. For once the world can wait.. and for once they all join in saying merry christmas to one another and in love and camradire. And I know not everyone celebrates christmas, there are other winter holidays and not everyone in the world would willingly do this. I know all that.. but the special has such a well meaning message, I really can’t be mad at that or get into the weeds too much> This isn’t some jackass making an entire movie, of which there have been several, saying “There’s a war on christmas” which instead equates to them just bitching about not everyone celebrating HIS holiday. It’s about a mouse for one moment truly being selfless and putting ihs loyal and faithful friend over his greatest want to give him a nice christmas and to do something nice for the world instead of trying to take it. And that.. that’s really damn heartmelting.  So we end on the two exchanging presents, with it being a little extra heartwarming as Brain likely already got Pinky something meaning even before his big revelation, he really does care beneath all the dope slaps. Pinky got him a keychain of the world and rather than be frustrated like you’d think.. Brain just takes it in stride. It is christmas after all.. the world.. it can wait. For now it’s just the two of them having one moment in time, this merry christmas.  Final Thoughts: If it wasn’t obvious, I loved this freaking special. It’s funny, clever and has one hell of an ending. There isn’t much more to say other than go watch it if you have Hulu.. you will not regret it and a sepcial thanks to Blah for comissioning this. it was an amazing time and is now a competitor for a spot on my best christmas special list. For now though it’s just really good and I say go check it out. Merry christmas, happy holidays and later days. 

#animaniacs #pinky and the brain #warner brothers #pinky #the brain #santa claus #christmas #blahdiddy #christmas specials #reviews #animation #kids wb

[maiassensibleblog]

Dear theatre people, this is what I mean when I say theatre is elitist...

(All views expressed are my opinion).

I’ve been considering whether now is the right time to post this but when theatre comes back (which it will, it must), it cannot look how it looked before. I love theatre with all my heart, it is the part of my life that heals the most. But the industry drives me crazy.

I want to address the questions: Why don’t people go to the theatre? And why don’t people care about theatre? My perspective is from a West End theatre goer who is working class, not white and not straight. I am not involved in making theatre and do not desire to be involved. 

To answer this huge question, I’d like to start with two definitions:

Elitist: Relating to or supporting the view that a society or system should be led by an elite.

Inaccessible: Unable to be reached.

I often see people asking “why don’t people go to the theatre?” with only responses related to accessibility. When we talk about accessibility, we need to consider barriers such as ticket prices, geographical location and ableism. An awful lot of people are not stopped by accessibility, but they do not go to the theatre. Why? Theatre is elitist.

Elitism is the feeling that you do not belong in a space because the people who are there are different from you and often appear to think they are better than you. In my opinion, this is the reason that the general public do not care about theatre. Elitism is built into the theatre world and this has only been highlighted recently through the BLM movement (I don’t need to go into this here, you’ve all seen it). 

From a personal perspective, I’m privileged to have been going to the theatre since I was tiny. We didn’t have a lot of money but my mum was really good at finding deals on tickets and I grew to love theatre more and more as I grew up.  I go around once a week and see a lot of off West-end stuff. I, a seasoned theatregoer, feel elitism every time I go to the theatre. I will elaborate on these in the sub-topics below but I wanted to point out that I am somebody who is relatively confident around the elitist feeling, imagine if you aren’t. You just wouldn’t bother and that is what we’re seeing. 

Tickets

The first thing I would like to discuss may seem to sit between accessibility and elitism but getting affordable tickets sits in with elitism in my opinion. I am often asked how I can afford to go to the theatre so often and my answer is always I know where to look. Why do theatres feel that it is acceptable to hide their cheap seats? The only thing that is achieved here is keeping theatre for those who know where to look. 

If you have not be brought up around theatre folk, you don’t know that day seats exist. Even when theatres advertise and say something like “£15 day seats available”, people who do not know anything about theatre will not have a clue what that means. They won’t know the difference between a digital lottery and a regular in-person day seat, they won’t know how to press buy now just at the right time on TodayTix to get a rush ticket. Having cheaper options does improve accessibility but the way it has been done doesn’t serve to reduce elitism.

Put yourself in the shoes of somebody who has never been to the theatre before. They see a poster for a musical that looks amazing, they google it, they see decent seats for £100+. They decide to go for the £30 option in the Gods. They feel ripped off and don’t bother again OR they know that those are crap seats and don’t bother at all. There is nowhere on that main booking page that mentions cheaper, good seats. That is telling people that they only deserve good seats if they’re rich. That is elitist. 

Image

My next two points spill into each other, but they are not the same thing. What do you think of when you think of somebody who goes to the theatre. We all just thought of the same old, white couple. They tut at young people who talk at interval? Yeah we all know the type. It’s amazing that these people, who usually have disposable income, go to the theatre and spend money there but they are coming anyway. Why are you therefore using them to advertise? 

Some theatres do this amazingly (Bush, Soho, Young Vic, loves) but most don’t. Some shows have gone too far (looking at you Heathers West End transfer) but think: What is the demographic that you think would want to come, but isn’t? If you’re trying to attract non-theatre goers, they have to see themselves in those who are recommending it. 

Obviously, some known reviewers have to be included to keep the regulars in but theatres must start including a wider range of reviewers, they must be open to criticism from young people, queer people, Black people... Then, they must show the faces of these reviewers in their advertising, they must include their views using their vocabulary. And once you get these voices (and start respecting them), theatres must start taking these views into account. A mainstream producer actually listening (and properly listening) to the views of not the mainstream critics? That is revolutionary. That’s showing you’re willing to change.

Etiquette

This is the big one. Theatre etiquette is elitist. I’m sure many people know what I mean by this: Hushed tones even when the show isn’t on and you’re in the bar, FOH using theatre-y vocabulary to usher people places (even things like “the house is open” mean nothing to people who aren’t in theatre), expected restraint to reactions towards what’s happening on stage. I’ve never been to a theatre that doesn’t use vocabulary that would be alienating to non-theatregoers. Only a few theatres don’t have that feeling of “we’re better than you” hanging in the air. 

I have been told that I do not match up to people’s ideas of expected theatre etiquette twice outside of fandom things. I remember them both. Once, I was laughing at funny moments during a funny play. The second time I was talking to my friends excitedly at interval and had some older theatre-goers tut and ask us to be quiet (hun, it’s the interval). As I mentioned, I go to the theatre all the time, I generally conform (even when I hate it). Imagine how you’d feel if you didn’t know the nonsense rules.

The solution? Dismantle the rules. 

People dismiss panto because is does this and it’s the least elitist theatre out there. Stop getting on your high horse about people openly enjoying themselves. And to those panicking, very few people are actually going to chat their way through a whole show they’ve paid money for.

We need more relaxed performances. We need more for disabled people but we also need more for young people, where they can react to what’s going on during the show and whisper to each other about it. 

We need more sing-a-longs. Musicals can create an amazing fandom this way. Six is doing an amazing job because they’ve fostered this environment. Imagine a Hamilton sing-a-long. Just sit in that for a moment. Imagine a person who had never been to the theatre before and has heard a few songs of the soundtrack getting the feeling of a gig from the theatre. It’s powerful and it needs to happen. 

Shakespeare

Nothing exhibits the elitism of theatre more than Shakespeare. The sheer prevalence of it. And, I’m going to say it: Nobody fully understands what’s going on. 

Why, as an industry, are you all so obsessed with a sexist, racist, homophobe who died in the 1600′s? People alive today are writing plays about stories that people want to hear, in a language that people can understand. Commission them.

That is all on that. 

Secrecy 

There’s certainly something to be said about keeping the magic of theatre alive by keeping tricks a secret. I totally appreciate and love that about this art medium. You watch things happening in real time that look like magic and it’s beautiful. 

However, the secrecy around productions has gone too far. Why are full on HQ recordings of shows being filmed for them never to see the light of day? I have seen the argument that people will not feel the need to watch the show if they have seen a recording but I have only seen that argument from people who work in theatre. Listen to the people who just go to the theatre. I don’t know what I can actually say to convince the industry of this, but theatre people will still come because there’s nothing like live theatre. 

What you will do by releasing a good recording is open the show to the masses (and make money from it). You will essentially be building a fandom. People can watch football on TV but choose to pay for a ticket to go watch live because it is a different experience. People can listen to a band but choose to pay for a ticket to go to a concert because it is a different experience. It is the same thing. You honestly need to get over this because I think this is a massive reason why this elitism still exists. 

Also why not release HQ footage even as a trailer? Stick it on YouTube for free, get ad revenue and advertise.

These are just a few things that need to be taken into consideration when theatres re-open. Theatre must come back better and stronger than it was before and it must get more people in the room. The people will need art. 

This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. - Toni Morrison

#theatre #theatre culture #west end #broadway #elitism #opinion

[yikesola]

But Renee I want you to talk about all the fics! Which is probably not gonna work bc you have 113 of them on ao3 right now!! Have you talked about the breakup scene in odd uneven time I feel like you have but you could do it again? Or could you talk about something in one of your first commissioned fics? Or anything in A Unique Problem? But please, I would rather hear A Lot about any of these than a little about one of them xxx

cal🥺🥺🥺🥺 i’m always happy to ladle up some brain soup for ya!

so the breakup scene in “The Odd Uneven Time” was something i wanted to be v careful and intentional about— it was something that had me big nervous, bc even with the 2009 timeline there’s lots of things that are open to interpretation (like whether dan was single at the time of his emo tweets on Oct9, for example) and though BIG cleared up a lot in terms of dan’s feelings of his own sexuality at the time, the A+ line “Wow, I had a lot fun with many different kinds of people in 2009. Let's just say I got a lot out of my system. Got a couple of things in my system, too. Sorry.” does little to clear up for me when The Breakup happened (information i’m not demanding btw, i only want it for i want my fic to be Accurate and Right reasons and those.. simply aren’t good enough reasons lol) sooooo ,, basically i had to look at myself and say “there’s no way this fic is gonna be 100% and you have to be okay with that.” and i am! now ..... alskfks at the time of writing it i was needlessly stressed. and the breakup scene was one of the more stressful — i wanted it to be clear that dan should’ve done this earlier, i wanted it to be clear that alice is being hurt but also could have done something earlier as well, that they’re both being stubborn and scared and eighteen years old and that at the end of all things, it’s good they’re breaking up and they’ll both be okay. i think i did that ,, i hope i did that.

so my first bundle of commissions were for @oriharakaoru and i had such a lovely time doing them, i’m forever pleased that i was given some v specific prompts but also some “surprise me!” freedom, it was a wonderful balance to learn how to fulfill. i’ll talk about “Resourcefulness” which was my second commission and one without a specific prompt. i’d seen this text post a few months before and tucked it away in drafts bc i was like “this is of course a dnp fic waiting to happen.....” (i almost always have a loop of dan’s face when phil says “you should never go to sleep on an argument, it’s one of the mottos i live by” in one of the dream daddy episodes😩 like.... frustrated dan has been on the end of “let me fucking sleep phil” / “no, we’re not gong to bed angry!” and you can’t tell me otherwise) this combined with my semi-occasional rant with keelin about the Cold Beers Hot Women shirt (godddd i hope that shirt was bought by some manchester lesbian after dan donated it while clearing out his closet..... it’s camp and i half love it, half hate the implications of dan choosing to wear it in these years🥺😭) and that’s..... how i wound up with “Resourcefulness” 👌

i love love “A Unique Problem” for a lot of reasons, one of which is bc i think it’s arguably the spiritual sequel to my very first phanfic baby “Conjuncture” — mostly bc they both have a focus on dan’s depression recovery in how it relates to 1)asking for help, and 2)phil’s role. the radio show moment “A Unique Problem” is based on reminds me of the liveshow moment “Conjuncture” is based on: they’re moments i was introduced to via “cute phan proof complications 🤪🙌” i clicked with general frenzy in my reintroduction to the phandom back in summer2018 (wow..... has it been that long? 🥺 i love y’all) and was just like “okay youtube recommendations, catch me up! what did i miss in the last six years of dan and phil? (the answer is, of course, A LOT). they were moments giggled over, moments with zoom ins and funny comic sans captioning, they were light. and they were also moments that the more i watched them, the more my heart broke. phil’s terror in his eyes when he sees dan left his phone behind? heartbreaking when you have the context that dan would do this during bad days and that phil was really fucking worried about him but had to keep up a face for the rest of the liveshow. dan’s terror in his eyes when phil says the word “boyfriend” on the bbc? heartbreaking when you have the context that they’re live and dan can’t do anything about the fact he’d rather phil not even nudge their plausible deniability right there. i wrote both fics as a way to work though that heartbreak i guess, and to understand these little moments as they fit into the tapestry of dnp’s lives in front of us, mental health and all, as a whole. and i’m pretty proud of them😌

hope this was what you were looking for bb😭💞

#ask #answered #calvinahobbes #ask meme

[ishtarphotography]

Lost & Found Research

1. Dariusz Klimczak 

Dariusz Klimczak is a Polish photographer, born in 1967. He graduated from the Zdunska Wola school, he is a painter, photographer, journalist and drummer in a rock group. He has been practicing photography since thirty years but developed a passion for montage a few years ago. His photos are surrealistic due to his artist montages. Animals and character defy laws of gravity, space and balance. Dariusz Klimczak's photographic work was awarded by several prizes and grants, like the photo of the year by the American online media Pixoto. He has been exhibiting in Poland and abroad, but we can only catch a glimpse of his photos in Canada, USA, France, Australia, Germany and also Sweden.

Klimczak has tones of great work out there, so it was hard to choose which one to pick, however I have decided to pick this one as I just love the Idea of this unusual way of presenting a tree house. The way the tree crown is in the shape of a house, there is even a Roda path right next to the ladder which is how you  get to the house. I also think that adding the person in the image makes it more interesting, as well as the fact that the person is carrying bags, which makes me think that the person is just back from shopping. Such a usual thing is such an unusual scenery. There is also a lot of detail in the sky that adds to the overall look of the image. The colour grading makes everything look unbelievable real. 

I highly recommend checking more of his work out for some inspiration:

https://www.artsper.com/gb/contemporary-artists/poland/12274/dariusz-klimczak

2. Jerry N. Uelsmann

Jerry N. Uelsmann (born June 11, 1934) is an American photographer, and was the forerunner of photomontage in the 20th century in America. Uelsmann was born in Detroit, Michigan. While attending public schools, at the age of fourteen, there sparked an interest in photography. He believed that through photography he could exist outside of himself, to live in a world captured through the lens. Despite poor grades, he managed to land a few jobs, primarily photographs of models. Eventually Uelsmann went on to earn a BA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and M.S. and M.F.A. degrees from Indiana University. Soon after, he began teaching photography at the University of Florida in 1960. In 1967, Uelsmann had his first solo exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art which opened doors for his photography career. Uelsmann is a master printer, producing composite photographs with multiple negatives and extensive darkroom work. He uses up to a dozen enlargers at a time to produce his final images, and has a large archive of negatives that he has shot over the years. The negatives that Uelsmann uses are known to reappear within his work, acting as a focal point in one work, and background as another. Similar in technique to Rejlander, Uelsmann is a champion of the idea that the final image need not be tied to a single negative, but may be composed of many. During the mid-twentieth century, when photography was still being defined, Uelsmann didn't care about the boundaries given by the Photo Secessionists or other realists at the time, he simply wished to share with the viewer the images from his imagination and saw photomontage as the means by which to do so. Unlike Rejlander, though, he does not seek to create narratives, but rather "allegorical surrealist imagery of the unfathomable". Uelsmann is able to subsist on grants and teaching salary, rather than commercial work.

I really like his work because every single one of his pieces is in high contrast black and white, T really like how he has morphed the old , probably abandoned house into the roots of an old huge tree.  Looks as if he was making a suggestion that this house is here to stay. 

3. Pierre Duquoc 

Pierre is a self-taught photographer, he has always been attracted to editing, special effects, the art of making what is not real, of opening windows on the imaginary. First captured by shapes and colors, his early work has remained anchored in reality (although each photo reflects the imagination of its author). Thanks to digital tools, he quickly oriented his work towards photo-montage, the first step in a series entitled “Les Minipéripéties”, exhibited several times and which earned him a nomination for the 2011 Arcimboldo prize organized by the association “Gens image ”and the“ Swiss Life ”foundation.

A lot of Pierres work is quite funny stuff, just as you can see above. He has tones of similar images like this one, but for each one its a totally different, original idea, that I wouldn't really think of myself.

4. Erik Johansson 

Erik (born 1985) is a photographer and visual artist from Sweden based in Prague, Czech Republic. His work can be described as surreal world created by combining different photographs. Erik works on both personal and commissioned projects with exhibitions and clients all around the world. In contrast to traditional photography he doesn't capture moments, he captures ideas with the help of his camera and imagination. The focus is on the story and the goal is to make it look as realistic as possible even if the scene itself contains impossible elements. In the end it all comes down to problem solving, finding a way to capture the impossible.

I have watched a ‘’behind the scenes’’ video of him and his team realising this project. Very interesting and inspiring, it shows you how much work is behind this one photograph. 

I absolutely live this image, watching the video made me appreciate it a lot more. Every single part of the image was thought through... the colour grading is amazing as well. 

5. Erik Almas

Erik was born in Trondheim, Norway and moved to San Francisco to study photography at the Academy of Art at the age of 22. He graduated in 1999 with the distinction of Best Portfolio”. In 2004, the Academy awarded him Honorary Degree of Outstanding Alumnus.

After assisting Jim Erickson for almost 3 years Erik became inspired, encouraged and nurtured his own image making and established his a set of working habits that have placed him amongst the top in his field.

After assisting Jim Erickson for almost 3 years Erik became inspired, encouraged and nurtured his own image making and established his a set of working habits that have placed him amongst the top in his field.

Almas works on some of the greatest photography assignments and advertising campaigns for clients including Ritz-Carlton, Credit Suisse, Genentech, Union Pacific, Toyota, Hyatt, Puma, Pfizer, Virgin, Microsoft, and Nike.

The way I would describe his images best is dream-like.  Some of his work looks like something that would be only possible to see in a dream. His photo editing skills are incredible as well. 

#lostandfound

[frecklesandthenerd]

The Calm Between Storms in Hong Kong

We picked a difficult time to visit Hong Kong.

We had booked this trip several months ago, before protests picked up in June, and as the trip grew closer we watched the news carefully and with increasing alarm, especially when the western news stopped covering the protests and it became increasingly difficult to find accurate information about what was going on in the city. But, the entire reason we had wanted to go to Hong Kong in 2019 was to experience the city before it just became the same as the rest of China, which was now threatening an escalated timeline. We decided to go, and we were very glad that we did.

Similarly to all of the places we visited, Hong Kong’s politics are very complicated. The city was a British colony from 1842 to 1997, when it was transferred to the People’s Republic of China. Part of the transfer was the promise of a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong, as well as leaving the current social and economic systems of the city intact until 2047. Early in 2019, the Hong Kong government introduced a bill that would allow certain fugitives caught in Hong Kong to be extradited to China, and the protests kicked off as a reaction. Since the protest movement grew, it has increased its message to five demands of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments that center around maintaining the Hong Kong Basic Law, which grants the city’s autonomy. Regardless of how you feel about Hong Kong’s protest movement, it’s incredibly important for establishing how China will treat its territories as it moves forward with the One China policy.

In the end, we got incredibly lucky with our timing of visiting Hong Kong. Our entire time in the city was between protests, which were generally slowing in preparation for a “big one” for China’s 70th anniversary, which was three days after we left. When we arrived in the city and met up with a local, he let us know that we didn’t have to worry about working around protests, so we were able to visit whatever areas of the city we wanted.

Okay, history lesson over for a minute so that I can talk about what makes Hong Kong special.

Hong Kong is a paradox of a city. It’s a world finance capital, with all the money, glitz, and glamor that comes along with that. It’s a former British colony, and it has the UK’s street signs and buses, as well as a lot of residents with British accents. It has areas where residents live in 100 square foot apartments and shop for everything at their local night markets. It has a younger generation who considers themselves Hong Kongers, and an aging generation who just wants the stability of being Chinese. It has Michelin-rated meals under $2, or over $50.

Our first morning in Hong Kong, we hiked up to Lion Rock. This was a bold move at 11 am - it was about 85 degrees and sunny with high humidity. Like the Elephant Mountain hike we did, and really all the hikes we did in Not China, it was basically just stairs the whole way up. Taiwan had been humid and rainy but not hot, so we were completely unacclimated and struggling. No one else seemed to be sweating on our way up, which just seems ridiculous considering the amount of water we were losing.

Signs to Lion Rock (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Part way up we saw some people who had brought hammocks and were laying down for a nap in the shade, which seemed rather appealing at the time. Finally, though, we made it to the top, and the view was really really stunning. Lion Rock is on the mainland side of Hong Kong, and you look out over the city, Hong Kong Island, and the water. I would highly recommend the hike, but maybe don’t do it during the middle of the day in September. Lots of people hike it in the evening, and there are some great pictures online of the night that the protesters lit up the entire hike.

Hammocks in the shade beside the Lion Rock trail (Photo/Jason Rafal) Jason got this cool picture with butterflies and dragonflies that I didn’t even notice (Photo/Jason Rafal) The view from the top of Lion Rock (Photo/Jason Rafal) A school scene on our walk back from the hike (Photo/Jason Rafal) Hong Kong also has some good coffee culture (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our local guide took us on a tour to experience the different sides of Hong Kong that afternoon. We started in Sham Shui Po, where the original men’s market was (this appeared to mean that it was full of electronics, from tables selling all colors of light strips, to someone selling every remote you’ve ever seen). We walked around for a few minutes before Ed, our guide, stopped us to eat some cheung fun (steamed rice noodle rolls) from a cart. They’re made by steaming a very thin rice batter with toppings, rolling it up, and putting it on a plate with some sauce. We tried BBQ pork and minced beef with cilantro, and both were delicious.

The traditional men’s market (Photo/Jason Rafal) Making cheung fun (Photo/Jason Rafal) A shop filled with various types of noodles (Photo/Jason Rafal) Ed and Nicole walk through the streets of Sham Shui Po (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After finishing our food, we took the metro to the Central area, where all the banks are headquartered. The metro in Hong Kong is famous for being so good, and after spending a fair amount of time on it, I have to agree.

Also, Hong Kong escalators are very fast - getting on and off them is tricky. I kept wondering why they wanted people to hold onto the handrail until I tried it a few times, and then it made sense.

One of the many escalators we rode down to the metro (Photo/Jason Rafal)

At the HSBC headquarters, Ed introduced us to Stitt and Stephen, the bronze lions at the entrance who were named after two of the bank’s early leaders. They’re sculpted in a fairly western style, and are massive - slightly larger than actual male lions. They were commissioned in 1923 and then taken by Japan for scrap metal during the 1940s, when the island occupied Hong Kong. When the war ended before they had been melted down, some random American sailor somehow recognized the lions from pictures and alerted HSBC that their lions were in Japan, safe except for some bullet holes (there is some debate about when the bullet holes were from). Now, they sit in front of the HSBC building again, watching the world go by.

Stitt stands guard (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We also rode on a double decker narrow trolley, nicknamed a ding ding for its distinctive and rather British sound, to the other side of the Central district. I would definitely recommend riding one, on the second story if you can - they are adorable and hilariously narrow and going around corners is an adventure.

A ding ding in the Central district (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We wandered through the trendy expat area for a bit, trying food and talking about Hong Kong. The area is a charming mix of fancy and homey. There are a lot of shops selling paper versions of everything - houses, clothes, food - that can be burned for the dead to provide them with what they need in the afterlife. We also tried some more food, including fish balls, sugar cane juice, and a new kind of soup dumpling. We had to wait for fresh soup dumplings, which put us behind on time, so we took a taxi to the waterfront to get on the ferry back to the mainland side of Hong Kong before the light show.

Colorful apartment buildings (Photo/Jason Rafal) Residents heading home in the dusk (Photo/Jason Rafal) A mural along one of the many staircases between streets (Photo/Jason Rafal) PMQ, which is an old police building turned into a mixed-use art and design space (Photo/Jason Rafal) A pedestrian street lit up at night (Photo/Jason Rafal) Some less traditional lucky cat statues (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Hong Kong waterfront has a nightly light show. I was a little confused about what to expect, and kind of anticipated fireworks, but it turns out that many of the buildings along the waterfront have screens, colored lights, and lasers, and every night there is a city-managed light show over the water. If you’re on a ferry, it will slow down to let you watch from the boat for longer, and if you’re on the mainland side of the city, you can watch from the dock. It’s quite a pretty show.

The waterfront light show (Photo/Jason Rafal) Protest art in a metro station (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The next day we got up and took the tram to Victoria Peak. It’s a cable car up an incredibly steep hill, and it’s pretty fun to look at the crazy angle of the tram in comparison to the nearby buildings. At the top, we struggled for several minutes to get out of the weird mall building (it’s difficult to find exits), and then I led Jason on a bit of a wild goose chase up to the top of the mountain (he was not pleased). It’s a beautiful view, despite the slightly hazy day.

Riding up in the tram (Photo/Jason Rafal) A tram approaching the station (Photo/Jason Rafal) The view from the Victoria Peak station (Photo/Jason Rafal)

When we got back down to the city, we went to the Central-Mid-Levels escalator (Hong Kong loves escalators). It’s a covered elevated walkway, with one side as an upward escalator and one side as stairs, that goes above several streets. It’s weird and awesome. We also got some dim sum in the basement of a mall (surprising amounts of good food in mall basements on our trip).

The Central-Mid-Levels escalator (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Thursday evening was our fancy evening - we went to a classic restaurant to eat roast goose and suckling pig, and then we went to Quinary, which is on someone’s The World’s 50 Best Bars list. The roast goose was excellent - crispy skin, flavorful, great dipping sauce. We immediately wondered why people don’t eat geese in the US, which led us down an entire rabbit hole.

Suckling pig, with roast goose in the background (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Quinary was a funny experience because everything was in English - the menu was English, the people sitting around us spoke English, and our waiter had an Australian accent. The drinks were really delicious - we tried several. One of mine was supposed to be like drinking a pie, and they nailed it.

A very fancy drink at Quinary (Photo/Jason Rafal)

[newyorktheater]

#Stageworthy News.

Every year for the past decade, I’ve written a preview guide to the dozen or so annual summer theater festivals in New York. Most have been canceled this year, at least one (New York Musical Festival) permanently. But several have been reimagined. The She NYC Arts festival begins Wednesday, New Ohio Theater’s Ice Factory Festival is offering a full “digital lineup” that begins Friday. Dixon Place’s Hot Festival continues online through August 1. The River to River Festival, created in the aftermath of 9/11 and normally a raft of outdoor performances in the Financial District, is this year reimagined as Four Voices — basically four art installations. The Corkscrew Festival, while postponing its live shows until next summer, announced “Corkscrew 4.0, a curated collection of virtual experiences,” although it’s not clear when these begin.

And — silver lining? — some of the summer theater festivals that would have ended their runs by now are still available online, including Theater for the New City’s Lower East Side Festival of the Arts. Last week, the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park offered “Richard II” as a four-episode radio drama; it’s now available as a podcast on its website.

It’s worth noting that New York is not alone. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival,the granddaddy of all modern summer theater festivals, is going online

The Week in Reviews The Week in News

  The Week in Reviews

Amadeus

Historically, “Amadeus” is baloney. Theatrically, it’s a feast. Musically, the National Theatre’s 2016 production of Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play — a recording of which is being streamed online through July 23 — arguably shares something of the same fate as Mozart’s supposed rival Salieri. This “Amadeus” suffers from comparison with the 1984 film directed by Milos Forman, which won eight Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Sound. Perhaps most to the point, the soundtrack of the film Amadeus won the Grammy Award for best classical album in 1985…. Still, under the direction of Michael Longhurst, this “Amadeus” has much to recommend it…

Well that was astonishing. Thank you @Play_PerView, @willarbery, @DanyaTaymor @JebKreager Julia McDermott Michele Pawk, Zoë Winters, John Zdrojeski for#HeroesoftheFourthTurning pic.twitter.com/WMglUsLYxH

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) July 19, 2020

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

So there is Lin-Manuel Miranda, ten years before “Hamilton,” three years before even “In The Heights,” galloping across the street to join his fellow members of Freestyle Love Supreme, a hip-hop improv group, who have just frightened a little girl in a purple coat by spontaneously rapping about her at a bus stop in Greenwich Village….Two observations about that first scene, filmed way back in 2005, of “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme,” a new 80-minute documentary that’s now on Hulu: First, there is something frightening about the talent of this group, who make up rhymes in a rap rhythm on the spot…What this documentary offers is the opportunity to revisit something familiar.

Good As New

In “Good As New,” a funny and pointed 25-minute play that MCC streamed live online, Julianne Moore as Jan is arguing with her daughter Maggie (Kaitlyn Dever) on Maggie’s 16th birthday, while the teenager drives her mother home after plastic surgery. Maggie is “disgusted” at what her mother has done to her face.

“I have no respect for any woman that would allow….”

“Who’s left for you to respect?” Jan interrupts, “This knocks out…” and she lists famous women who have had plastic surgery – Betty Ford, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Taylor.

Tommy Dorfman

Judith Light

Cherry Jones

Homebound Project 4 Review: Promises with Tommy Dorfman, Cherry Jones, Judith Light, Marquise Vilson…

  Tommy Dorfman, in sexy black corset and purple wig, exclaims “I’m a Queen…I’m hot,” does an interpretive dance on the bed, puts on lipstick as if host of a makeup show, plays a tambourine, and curses out someone named Tim – perhaps a jilting lover? Then the telephone rings – it’s Tim, his boss. He takes off his purple wig and changes to his on-the-job voice.

“Assets,” a six–minute play by Diana Oh directed by Lena Dunham, is the funniest of the 11 new monologues in the fourth starry edition of Homebound Project, an online anthology series of original work, whose aim is to raise money for No Kid Hungry, and whose theme for the fourth edition is “promise.” The plays interpret this in various ways.

Book Review: Broadway in the Box: Television’s Lasting Love Affair with the Musical

Before it even opened on Broadway in 1954, the producers of the musical “Peter Pan” had struck a deal with NBC to present it live on television, after its Broadway run, with its cast intact, including the star Mary Martin. It was such a success – 65 million people watched it; one critic marveled at the merging of “the advantages of live theater and live television” – that it was repeated live the following year.

Some six decades later, NBC presented a new “Peter Pan Live!,” created just for broadcast, this time marketed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where viewers commented in real time during the broadcast, largely with snark, helping to coin the term “hate-watching.” The show was viewed (hatefully or not) by 9.2 million viewers. The lead, Allison Williams, has never performed on Broadway.

But the comparison is not meant as nostalgia for the good old days. “Peter Pan Live!” may have gotten fewer viewers, but it was broadcast in the same decade as a rash of popular television series like “Glee” that were labeled TV musicals. In “Broadway in the Box: Television’s Lasting Love Affair with the Musical” (Oxford University Press, 336 pages), author Kelly Kessler, a professor at DePaul University, attempts to chronicle these two eras and everything in-between

Thanks @NYPL_Theatre‘s @DougReside for presiding over the library’s first virtual theater book club just now. We discussed James Shapiro’s Shakespeare in a Divided America (@penguinpress) For those who missed it, my review of this fascinating book: https://t.co/QYFI3aeju3

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) July 17, 2020

The Week in Theater News

New York City reaches Phase 4 in reopening today — “there are no more phases,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “We are all in the final phase of reopening. And that’s great.” — but that doesn’t include theaters….or movie theaters, museums, indoor dining, gyms, or malls. (New York City’s Phase 4, Explained)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art did announce it will reopen August 29, masks required and six-foot distancing

Interesting contrast with the 1918 pandemic ‘Gotham Refuses to Get Scared’: In 1918, NYC Theaters Stayed Open

Instead of closing theaters, health commission Royal Copeland staggered their curtain times, assigning each to a group. The Hippodrome, for example, started at 8 p.m., the Winter Garden at 8:15, the Lyric at 8:30, the Booth at 8:45 and the Belasco at 9.

Camille A Brown

Edmund Donovan

Vinie Burrows

A Strange Loop creative team and ensemble

Obie Awards 2020 Winners

Broadway Barks 2020

Andrew Lloyd Webber has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign over using his song, “Memory,” at political rallies — an action that Betty Buckley had been urging for a while.

Excellent news!! Thanks to you guys!! Hippetyhaw!! : )Andrew Lloyd Webber Sends Cease-and-Desist to Trump Campaign For Using ‘Memory’ at Rallies https://t.co/OXYslqTPcM

— Betty Buckley (@BettyBuckley) July 13, 2020

Black Theater United will hold a Virtual Town Hall, “Our Voices. Our Votes. Our Time.” with Stacey Abrams, Dr. Jeanine Abrams Mclean, moderated by Viola Davis, July 24 at 7 p.m.

Hamilton Star Mandy Gonzalez has written a YA novel, to be published in 2021, which features the ghost of Ethel Merman “Fearless” follows a group of teen performers who must confront the spirit of the Broadway legend.

Playwrights Horizons 2021 season, which will be the company’s 50th and Adam Greenfield’s first as artistic director, includes: Aleshea Harris’s “What to Send Up When It Goes Down,” a ritual-as-play that honors Black lives lost to racialized violence Sylvia Khoury’s “Selling Kabul,” an Afghanistan-set thriller that examines the human cost of immigration policy Dave Harris’s “Tambo & Bones,” described as a “hip-hop triptych” about two characters trapped in a minstrel show and Sanaz Toossi’s dramatic comedy “Wish You Were Here,” which follows best friends who grapple with cultural upheaval amid the Iranian Revolution.

New York Theatre Workshop’s Un-Season

In place of what most theatergoers have come to regard as a “season,” the New York Theatre Workshop — the birthplace of “Rent,” among other landmarks — is offering what you might call a 2020-21 un-season. A programmatic embodiment of the possible, fueled by the percolating brains of more than two dozen playwrights, directors, actors and performance artists. These artistic “instigators” have each been given an initial $2,500 by the Workshop to develop a project over the coming months — and many of the artists will allow audiences to follow along as they build them. For $10 to $125 a month, members gain entree to the instigators’ evolving work, with no guarantee that anything resembling a full stage production will result.

An unforgettable moment, one year ago this evening. Broadway Blackout! Can you imagine the party we’re going to have when we’re back at the Walter Kerr? #BroadwayWillBeBack #SpringWillComeAgain https://t.co/i2PR04GH9X

— Hadestown (@hadestown) July 14, 2020

(What does it say that we’re nostalgic for a blackout?)

Rest in Peace

Phyllis Somerville, 76, Broadway veteran who was last on Broadway in “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

David Rosenberg, 90, director and theater critic

Bill Timms, 62, talent agent

RIP, John Lewis, 80, civil rights leader, Congressman.

55 years after he led famous march in Selma, he found “very moving” the many marchers for #BlackLivesMatter who took to the streets “to speak up, to speak out, to get into what I call ‘good trouble'”https://t.co/GzecOgTYyt pic.twitter.com/X7aCH6ZbqU

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) July 18, 2020

This is the man that taught us all how to get into some #GoodTrouble. One of my heroes. A true legend. Thank you for teaching us how to fight for liberty & justice for all mankind. This photo was taken at the @HRC Dinner in DC 2016 right before the world blew up. RIP #JohnLewis pic.twitter.com/8BPFqCb5eA

— Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) July 18, 2020

If you’re not registered to vote, do so today in honor of John Lewis. #goodtrouble https://t.co/qNv955p6ZL

— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) July 18, 2020

  NYC’s Summer Theater Festivals Reimagined. NYC “reopens” #Stageworthy News. Every year for the past decade, I’ve written a preview guide to the dozen or so annual summer theater festivals in New York.

[aion-rsa]

The Teleprompter Interview: Laura Carmichael ‘Doctor Who Used to Give Me Nightmares’

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Australian thriller The Secrets She Keeps, currently airing on BBC One and iPlayer, takes the audience to a very dark place says Laura Carmichael. Her character Agatha, a supermarket worker who befriends a pregnant blogger, ‘does such unbelievable things, the most irresponsible things’ driven ‘by the impulse of motherhood’.

Building a crime thriller around that impulse makes the series relatable, says Carmichael. At its heart, the show is about ‘wanting to be a mum and wanting to be the perfect mum.’ As her character’s backstory unfolds, ‘you understand her’ says Carmichael, though ‘she absolutely puts people through hell.’ Whether Agatha could ever be forgiven, she says, is a question for the audience to mull.

There’s no talk of a second series as yet for The Secret She Keeps. ‘It was taken from the book, which stands alone,’ Carmichael explains, ‘but it would be great to revisit and see what would happen.’

As the finale arrives in the US on streaming service Sundance Now, the Downton Abbey and The Spanish Princess actor talks Den of Geek through her TV obsessions and memories.

Which TV show inspired you to start your acting career?

I loved all of the Sunday afternoon BBC shows. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and all of the Narnia series, that we had on VHS. I loved Five Children and It and those classic dramas, mixed with MGM musicals. Those big productions always seemed like a dream. From a kid, I was very much spending Sunday afternoons in front of the TV.

What was your first TV love?

I remember loving Pride and Prejudice and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, they were the mad two worlds when I think about what I loved as a kid, watching lots of TV with my sisters.

Was there a TV character you wanted to be when you were little?

Deeply inappropriately as a child I remember being obsessed with Ab Fab. Before I knew anything about what they were talking about or what any of the jokes meant, I wanted to be Patsy and Eddie.

Have you ever done fancy dress as a TV character?

Yes, Ab Fab. We were around 10 or 11. I was Eddie, my younger sister was Patsy. I had a Kangol beret and had curled my hair and wore bright red lipstick with a 70s-style shirt with a crop top over it and a jazzy waistcoat. The outfit was so good, it was really perfect.

And there is photographic evidence which I have shown to Joanna Lumley when she came to do a charity event on Downton and we were able to recreate the pose.

What’s your current TV obsession?

I’m going to struggle to not answer every single question with I May Destroy You because of how brilliant that is. What Michaela Coel’s been able to do is so personal and yet it feels as though the world is just saying ‘yes!’ We are so tuned in to what she is saying and how she is saying it.

When did you last cry watching television?

This morning, watching the finale of I May Destroy You.

And when did you last laugh out loud watching television?

During lockdown, we’ve been watching lots of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We’ve gone the whole way through and back again. It’s just getting better and better as Larry David allows himself to go further and further into Larryisms, and it always makes me l-o-l. ‘Lol’ is a joke in the series, by the way! It really annoys Larry that this woman says l-o-l rather than laughing.

Which TV show has given you nightmares?

I’ve been watching The Sopranos again and I have been having gangster dreams. Because it’s the story of the family, it doesn’t always feel like it’s about violence but then it’ll catch you unawares and you’ll see someone be tipped into a river and I’ve definitely had one of those nightmares.

From childhood, there’s so many things. Doctor Who used to give me nightmares, anything with weird sound effects. Also the film The Water Babies, it’s really creepy. It’s about a kid who drowns and then becomes a water baby and it’s terrifying.

What was the last TV show you recommended to someone?

I really loved Shrill with the brilliant actress Aidy Bryant who’s in lots of Saturday Night Live, and also Lolly Adefope, who I think is hysterical. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer. It’s another great female-led comedy show, very relatable and very funny. Also I’m always telling people to watch Stath Lets Flats, which I think is just genius. This Country, amazing. When you’re doing some heavy drama in the day I really like switching off and just laughing my head off.

Older comedies, French and Saunders again, I have fangirled over them and am a huge fan of their work. Smack the Pony when I was growing up was such a huge thing for me. They were so cool and sexy. When you think of Britpop and cool 90s, I do think of those girls. Sally Phillips is so funny. I have done a comedy film with her and she was very gracious about the fact that I was supposed to throw something at her head and not hit her but I hit her square in the head with a baby monitor and she was so lovely about it! I always cringe when I remember that.

Which TV show have you never seen that everybody keeps nagging you to watch?

I have not seen Breaking Bad, which is terrible. This is a confession.

Straight to prison!

It’s really bad, I know. I find dramas really consuming, and that feels like going into something quite intense and stressful. That’s one I’m working up to.

Which TV theme songs do you know the words to?

I guess that would be The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Does it come out at parties?

Only after several beers.

Is there a TV show from your back catalogue that you think deserves a wider audience?

I really did love Man in an Orange Shirt which was out a few years ago on the BBC. I’m in it a bit, but it’s about these two guys that fall in love during the Second World War and have this amazing love story. You see the characters and their families later and see how it’s affected them. It’s a really beautiful piece of writing and really amazing performances from James McArdle and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

Given the power, which TV show would you commission?

A tricky one. I think it might have to be something to do with dogs. I have a hilarious Jack Russell and since getting him, I find myself watching more dog programmes because I get a kick out of him watching it as well, so maybe just a Dogs Behaving Badly compilation.

What was the most fun you’ve had making television?

Oh man. Probably the finale of Downton. It was a real riot because it was the end of a really happy job. The day that we shot [Michelle Dockery] Mary’s wedding to Matthew Goode, it was really sunny and there wasn’t lots of dialogue or a lot of heavy lifting but everyone was in. I’ve got lots of funny photos on my phone of Michelle and Matthew just messing around. We were just all being quite silly and giddy, sitting in the gardens laughing our heads off. That’s a very happy memory.

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[180abroad]

Day 186: Last Day in Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum and Sweets. Lots and lots of Sweets.)

Our week in Amsterdam had flown by, and today was our last chance to cross any items off our must-see list. The biggest line item was the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands' answer to the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. We also had a canal boat tour to cash in, as well as some more edible works of art to enjoy.

Our first stop of the day came at the recommendation of one of Jessica's friends, who had insisted that we absolutely had to try some Dutch poffertjes from a food cart at the Alberg Cuyp Street Market. A sort of fluffy miniature pancake, poffertjes can be popped out hot and fresh by the dozen thanks to a clever contraption that pours the batter into a specialized pan

We got them with sea salt and caramel sauce, and they were the creamiest, fluffiest, most delicious things we could remember tasting on the entire trip.

As we walked over from the street market to the Rijksmuseum, we stopped for coffee at an espresso bar that one reviewer claimed to be the best in Europe outside of Italy. It was just okay, at best.

The Rijksmuseum is beautiful and massive. It resembles a cathedral from the front, with its twin spires, tall arched windows, and engraved images---not of saints and martyrs, but of artists and scholars.

Inside, we ran yet again into our old friend Laocoön one last time. Note how in this depiction,  Laocoön's right arm is extended horizontally outward instead of bent back at the elbow. As we'd learned back in the Vatican archives, that means that this statue (or possibly the copy that it was a copy of) was made before 1906, when the original statue's missing right arm was finally discovered. Before then, most experts believed that Laocoön's arm had been extended in the way we see here. Given the aesthetic principles of Greek and Roman sculpture, it seemed obvious.

But Michelangelo had known better.

Four hundred years earlier, when tasked by the Vatican to reassemble the recently unearthed statue, Michelangelo could tell that the right arm was supposed to be bent. Just by looking at the musculature of the one-armed statue, he deduced that, 1) the original Greek sculptor was as much a master of human anatomy as he was himself, and 2) that the way the muscles in the sculpture's back were flexed meant that the model posing for the statue had to have had his arm bent back at the elbow. And he was right. It's like something out of Sherlock.

Bypassing the rest of the museum for now, we headed straight upstairs to the main event: the Gallery of Honor, a purpose-built grand hall exhibiting the best of the best of the Dutch Golden Age.

The museum's cathedralesque motif resumed at the top of the stairs. Light poured into the gallery's antechamber through stained glass windows venerating the great artists and thinkers of Western civilization.

The Rijksmuseum's Gallery of Honor is a brilliant idea that I think more museums should embrace. It consists of a long, vaulted corridor lined with alcoves dedicated to the greatest works of the greatest Dutch artists from the Golden Age. Even if you only had one hour to visit the museum, you could spend the entire hour here and leave contented that you made good use of your time.

The previous day, we'd been so impressed by the Mauritshuis in The Hague for its impressively manageable collection. In a way, the Gallery of Honor does an admirable job of creating the same effect in a much larger museum---it makes the unmanageable manageable.

Rather than rushing around trying to see all the most important stuff---our visit to the Louvre in a nutshell---the Rijksmuseum brings all the most important stuff to you in one easy room. Then, if you have more time, you can relax and explore the rest of the museum's fantastic collections at your leisure, free to guiltlessly explore whichever exhibits happen to tickle your curiosity.

But enough about design theory; let's get to the art.

One of our favorite artists featured in the room was Jan Steen. A natural comedian and storyteller among the Golden Age artists, Steen made paintings that were colorful, fun, and lowbrow with a snarky undercurrent of social commentary.

Many of Steen's paintings feature large families or groups of revelers, and the level of detail is amazing. His faces are brilliantly emotive, and every person exudes a sense of story. One of my favorites is Prince's Day, which shows a raucous tavern scene. There are over twenty characters in the picture, and every one of them feels fully alive and engaged with what's happening---even the barely visible couple whispering to each other in the background.

But the real punchline is a barely-there portrait of the prince hanging in the murky recesses of the ceiling. These people couldn't care less that they're supposedly celebrating the prince's birthday; they're just happy for any excuse to drink and be merry. And the primly dressed little girl looking straight out at you from the middle of the scene seems to know it, too.

It's no surprise that Jessica and I both loved the work of Van Ruisdael, the Golden Age's master landscape artist. I was particularly struck by his painting of The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede. It shows a picturesque windmill standing near a river. The nearby town is just discernible by the roofs of the local church and castle peeking up in the distance. Late afternoon sunlight beautifully illuminates the windmill at a dramatic angle, and at first the scene seems idyllic. Looking closer, however, you can see the clouds are becoming ominously dark, and the surface of the river is marked by a noticeable chop.

I may be overthinking it, but with the way the windmill dominates the scene while the castle and church fade into the background, it seems as though Ruisdael had something to say about the relative positions of industry, government, and religion in Golden Age Dutch society. Perhaps even about which way the winds were blowing, so to speak.

Another of the honored greats was Frans Hals, with his ability to create portraits that are remarkably heartwarming and instantly likeable.

And of course, there was Vermeer---the once-nearly-forgotten master of light and color whose slow and fastidious technique (along with his relatively early death) left him with remarkably few paintings to his name. As we'd learned the day before at the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum has the largest collection of paintings by Vermeer in the world: four. And while the Mauritshuis has the iconic Girl With a Pearl Earring, the Rijksmuseum has some classics, too, including The Love Letter, The Milkmaid, and Woman Reading a Letter.

At least, usually. When we visited, however, Woman Reading a Letter was on loan to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Luckily, Jessica and I had already been there and seen that.

Another particularly interesting canvas came in the unlikely form of an angrily defecating swan. The life-size Threatened Swan was painted by Jan Asselijn as a straightforward nature scene, showing the drama of a swan defending its nest from a curious dog. But that's just the beginning of its story.

Over a hundred years later, simple nature paintings had gone out of style. People wanted art to be rich with symbolism---whether or not the artist actually intended it. The Threatened Swan was therefore "improved" by the addition of allegorical labels, effectively turning it into a glorified nationalist political cartoon. The swan's eggs were labelled "Holland," the dog was labelled "enemies of the state," and the swan was the Dutch government defending the people of Holland from their enemies.

Last but not least was Rembrandt, the big daddy of the Golden Age painters. Rembrandt was a master of pretty much every genre of painting, but his trademark was large-scale group portraits. It was a mark of pride during the Golden Age for professional organizations to commission group portraits of their members. And Rembrandt had a unique talent for turning what would normally have been a dull lineup of doctors or lawyers into a lively and interesting scene.

The ultimate room at the end of the Gallery is dedicated to Rembrandt's massive Night Watch. The room was designed specifically to showcase it, and the rest of the Gallery grew from there.

Today, at least, the painting is considered a spectacular masterpiece. But as soon as he finished it, Rembrandt’s group portrait commissions immediately dried up. Whether this was the result of dissatisfaction with the painting or an unfortunate coincidence caused by an economic downturn is a matter of speculation. In any case, this painting represents the high-water mark of Rembrandt's career.

Another funny story about The Night Watch is that the name is a total misnomer. The painting's actual name is the more accurate but less catchy Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. Due to the improper use of a dark varnish, the image became so dark that people mistook it for a night scene.

It was only in the 1940s that the varnish was finally removed to reveal the truth. And just over a month after we saw it, the Rijksmuseum began a new restoration project that will hopefully reveal even more lost details. The painting is still on display, though---it is being worked on in public, behind a glass wall that has taken over the center of the room. You can even livestream it on the Rijksmuseum's website.

Having finished our tour of the Gallery of Honor, we were free to wander the rest of the museum to see what we could see.

A nearby room on the same floor was dedicated to Dutch naval art and history. Above the door hangs a trophy that we found as hilarious as it was interesting. For everyone else, it will take a bit of explaining.

Thanks to our travels in the UK, Jessica and I were able to immediately recognize the emblem on this ship’s stern carving as the British royal crest. So, what was a piece of a royal British ship doing hanging in a Dutch museum? The bulk of the room is dedicated to explaining the story.

 In a daring raid, Dutch captain Michiel de Ruyter sailed his fleet up the English River Medway and captured over a dozen English warships, including the English flagship HMS Royal Charles. He towed the Royal Charles back to Amsterdam, where it was put on display as a tourist attraction---to the great annoyance of its namesake King Charles II of England.

The ship was eventually broken up for scrap, and this stern piece was kept as a trophy of the catastrophic embarrassment they had wrought upon the British navy.

That was what Jessica and I found so hilarious.

De Ruyter became a national hero in the Netherlands, and even King Louis XIV of France---with whom the Dutch were not on particularly good terms---honored De Ruyter just for sticking it to the English.

Another nearby room was filled with landscape paintings, including one that Jessica and I recognized instantly for its style as the work of our favorite artistic discovery of the trip: Claude Lorrain. A nearby plaque explained that, much like Claude, many of the great Dutch landscape artists honed their skills while studying abroad in Rome.

We also saw some truly insane dollhouses. Apparently, it was popular among a certain class of wealthy Dutch merchants to show off buy commissioning absurdly opulent dollhouses. The houses were incredibly detailed, with miniature recreations of real paintings on the walls. One of these dollhouses on display was as tall as a person and cost more than an actual house in its day.

And of course, once a merchant had spent a considerable fortune on completing their dollhouse, it was only natural for them to then commission an artist to do a painting of it.

One of the larger rooms was dedicated to the famous ceramic pottery made in the Dutch city of Delft.

We learned that the tremendous success of "Delft Blue" pottery industry is partly due to Queen Mary II of England, wife of William of Orange. Mary loved the blue-and-white ceramics that the Dutch were importing from China and Japan. Naturally, this started a craze among well-to-do Dutch and English women who wanted to copy her style. There were only so many imported ceramics to go around, however, so it was only a matter of time before a group of Dutch artisans cracked the secret and began making their own domestic versions.

Delft Blue pottery ended up becoming so renowned that it was even exported back to China and Japan.

There's even an artistic offshoot dedicated to creating illustrated Delft Blue tiles as an alternative to canvas paintings.

Downstairs, we saw some impressive Post-Impressionist paintings, including self-portraits by Van Gogh and his friend Emile Bernard.

Before leaving the museum, we made sure to see one last highlight of the museum---a massive floor-to-ceiling painting by Jan Willem Pieneman of the victorious Dutch and British forces after the battle of Waterloo. The painting was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington to celebrate his victory, and he can be seen in the center of the painting, illuminated with a shaft of light as if by God. But the Dutch King William I saw the painting and liked it so much that it bought it out from under Wellington and gave it to his son Prince William II. The prince is also featured in the painting, in the lower left corner, being carried off the battlefield on a stretcher.

After leaving the museum, we took another stroll through Vondelpark, which we'd visited before after seeing the Van Gogh Museum. It's a big park, but trees and canals do a nice job of dividing it into cozy-feeling sections where you can almost feel alone with nature.

It was beautiful and serene, except for one mildly horrifying sight we came upon when we had to cross under an overpass.

Our next goal of the day was to find some oliebol, a sort of Dutch doughnut hole that Nic was determined to try. We found a highly rated bakery, but we were sadly informed that oliebols are only really made around Christmas. So instead, we made do with some raspberry-redcurrant tarts that were to die for.

(Don’t ask about the potato…)

The tarts had an unusually thick, cookie-like crust. Jessica tried to wheedle the secret out of the man behind the counter, but he either didn’t know or just played dumb.

With nothing better left to do, it was finally time to cash in the canal boat tour vouchers that we'd gotten in a package deal with our Van Gogh Museum tickets and the windmill countryside tour. It's no less touristy than any of the big City Sightseeing bus tours, but we still had fun and learned a bit.

We learned that the three U-shaped canals that belt the center of Amsterdam were dug during the Golden Age, when Amsterdam’s population quadrupled in size and necessitated a major city expansion. The inner ring was for royals and nobility, the middle ring was for wealthy merchants, and the outer ring was for the working class and warehouses.

Today, even the outer ring is such valuable property that only things like banks and high-end boutiques can afford it.

As much as any of the other amazing sights, we were also impressed by how daringly close the drivers of Amsterdam park their cars to the edge of canals.

We also learned the story behind Amsterdam’s city crest---a red shield with a vertical black bar and three white X's (more formally known as crosses of St. Andrew). The red shield symbolizes the city, the black line symbolizes the Amstel river that runs through the city, and the three crosses of St. Andrew represent divine protection from fires, floods, and plagues.

The use of red and black to represent the city and the river seemed odd at first, but as we talked about it after the cruise, we soon realized that we were walking on red brick streets and looking out at a shimmering river that looked like glinting obsidian in the sunlight.

We decided to end the day with a meal at Europe’s oldest floating Chinese restaurant. Another thing we'd learned on the canal tour was that Amsterdam has the oldest Chinatown in continental Europe. (Jessica and I had already learned that Liverpool has the oldest Chinatown in all of Europe.)

Well, we almost ended the day there.

Nicolas wouldn’t be satisfied with our stay in Amsterdam until we'd had some of the churros we’d seen in bakeries and chip shops around town all week.

Venturing back into the streets, we found a hole-in-the-wall ice cream joint near the Red Light District called Sweetness. We ducked inside and soon found ourselves ordering something called the Red Light Special, which looked like a sort of churro sundae in the pictures on the overhead menu.

It wasn’t until the server turned out the lights and shouted “Are you ready?!” that we began to wonder whether we had ordered something we hadn’t intended to.

It was a churro and ice cream extravaganza, complete with red sparklers and a powdered-sugar fireball.

As ridiculous as it was, it was also delicious and just the right size for the three of us.

With our stomachs full of sweets, it was finally time for us to head home and start packing up. Tomorrow we would be flying to Iceland for a 48-hour cherry to cap off our six-month adventure. It’s been an amazing ride, and it’s hard to believe it’s already almost over.

#180abroad #amsterdam #netherlands #rijksmuseum #canal cruise #churros in the red light #museum #art #history #travel

[hsews]

So why can’t our beloved Powerhouse Museum have two campuses, avoiding the need to move Locomotive No. 1, the Catalina flying boat and the other large objects? – Dick Pollitt, Mosman

Illustration: John Shakespeare

Photo:

Why can’t this government abandon Baird’s grand design and restore some sanity to what is really needed for Parramatta. – Garry Horvai, Pennant Hills

The destruction of the Powerhouse Museum is an act of cultural vandalism without comparison in the modern world. Rather than extend the collection over two iconic sites as has been done in London with the Tate and Tate Modern, or in the USA over several sites with the Smithsonian Institute, the NSW government has opted for ongoing debasement of the state’s cultural, historical and environmental heritage.

What a soulless, vapid city politicians are creating. The old joke about a bridge and an opera house for sale is no longer funny. I expect to see them listed in Domain any day now. – Marie-Louise Dreux, Petersham

After all of the expense of the Darling Harbour revamp, the added attraction of a world class museum within easy walking distance of the hotels and the revamped area would make the museum a cash cow.

Does the government think tourists are going to get on a train or ferry out to Parramatta when the city is the centre of tourism? – Robin Humphrey, Springwood

If Gladys Berejiklian is confident that the electorate agrees with the rebuilding of the stadiums and the moving of the Powerhouse Museum, she should put both proposals on hold until after the next election.

This would allow all people to decide on the future of these major issues, something they are currently denied. – Tony Re, Georges Hall

The papers the government released reveal what we always knew about the proposed move of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta: it was never feasible.

Oh well, all is not lost: I’m pitching the storyline to the producers of Utopia. – Irma Havlicek, Umina Beach

Australia needs to go its own way in the world

Your editorial was most candid and sounds a clarion call for us in Australia (“Summit of illusions has a clear message”, June 14) .

Our future focus should be towards our neighbours in the Asia/Oceania region of the world.

America reflected in the persona of Donald Trump has for too long now sounded like the spoilt child who has had its lolly taken away.

They were once great contributors to the planet, but a culture of expected rights and freedoms has them now moving towards being takers rather than givers.

The foundations of the planet earth we once knew are being shaken. This is admittedly discomforting.

If we don’t point ourselves in our own chosen direction then the bully boys of the world will drag us in their direction, which is ultimately self-defeating.

Australia’s coming of age might well start with us recognising our First Nations peoples in our Constitution. There’s a solid foundation stone to move us forward creatively. – Neville Williams, Darlinghurst

Many times I thought Trump would never be elected President of USA (Letters, June 14). I watched every minute of the three debates and came away convinced that he had no hope of victory, especially when he refused to say he would accept the will of the people in the event of he not winning. I was dumbfounded on election day.

So who is to say he will not succeed now? Time will tell. I have learned not to write him off. And for world peace, I wish him well. – Michael Kennedy, West Pymble

Of all the comments on the Singapore Summit, Michael Kirby’s informed and compassionate assessment seems the one most worthy of reflection (“A long way to right the wrongs”, June 14). Beware those who “mock the time with fairest show” when a false face hides what the false heart knows. – Meredith Williams, Dee Why

Even the most ardent supporter of Trump admits he sometimes presents poorly, but if he succeeds in denuclearising the Kim regime, who cares about his demeanour and modus operandi – unless you are one of those elitists for whom the “sizzle is more important than the steak”. – George Fishman, Vaucluse

Trump has now verified that he is not the great negotiator that he like the world to believe that he is. Kim has neither ceded nor agreed to anything remotely close to denuclearisation. Trump’s new nickname? Steinway. Kim is playing him like a piano. – Alan Garside, Raglan

I await the announcement of the biggest, most expensive Trump Hotel project to date – in Pyongyang. – Patrick McGrath, Potts Point

Energised by school funding

The state election is only nine months away and we now have news of a huge boost in funding for schools (“Huge boost in funding for schools”, June 14).

The Treasurer Dominic Perrottet claims the government’s strong economic management has allowed for heavy investment in schools.

It was encouraging to read all new schools and schools being upgraded will be designed with sustainability in mind. Does this mean all these schools will be fitted with solar panels?

Schools are the obvious buildings to make use of solar energy as very few schools are open at night. An initial outlay for solar panels could save schools an enormous sum of money due to lighting, heating, cooling and computer networks.

If there is as much spare cash as the Treasurer claims surely there will be enough for solar panels. –Robyn Lewis, Raglan

Guarantee there will be no indoor swimming pools, orchestra pits or heated horse stables in the “necessary” upgrades earmarked for a number of public schools in NSW. – John Cotterill, Kingsford

Times are changing

Christian churches must forgo the right to keep silent on child sexual abuse, both as educational institutions and as hearers of confession (“Bishops still don’t get it, things have changed”, June 14).

If not, they must forgo the right to work with children in line with the rest of the community who are banned from working with children if they fail to report abuse. – Vanessa Tennent, Oatley

Whether the Catholic bishops “get it” or not, the Pope has publicly stated what they have to do. The Pope said, in reply to a journalist’s question, that there is zero tolerance of sexual abuse; bishops must remove all powers from priests who offend; and they must support victims including in the pursuit of civil claims.

Moreover, some of the things recommended by the royal commission and mentioned by Joanne McCarthy are simply not within a bishop’s power to change. They are matters for Rome. – Greg McCarry, Epping

My bet is that Malcolm Turnbull will take all the credit for the royal commission into child abuse during his apology on October 22 rather than thanking Julia Gillard for initiating it (“Tougher laws months away”, June 14). – Judy Hungerford, North Curl Curl

An undersea cable for neighbours

Congratulations to the Turnbull government for financing the undersea internet cable to the Solomon Islands (“‘It’s business’: talks with Chinese telco ongoing”, June 14).

As a wealthy nation, Australia should be very proactive and generous in helping our less well off neighbours in any way we can. Be proactive not reactive. – Graham Russell, Clovelly

Will the internet cable connection promised to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea be better than the internet cable connections Turnbull promised to Australians? To where will their cable be connected? The home, curb or corner? They should check their contracts now for download speeds, data limits and ever-extending connection dates. – Ian Campbell, Newington

The political relationship between Brian Burston and Pauline Hanson has been destroyed.

Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Turnbull’s double dissolution stunt

It’s no surprise that One Nation and the rest of the hard-right fringe is fracturing (“Senate scramble as Burston quits One Nation”, June 14). Five senators on the right no longer represent the party of their election.

This alone damns our democracy or what is left of it. But the carnage is partly due to Malcolm Turnbull’s double dissolution election stunt which meant more fringe-dwellers were elected than in a normal half-senate election. – Nick Wilson, Palm Beach

Training students for jobs that don’t exist

Recent findings seem to go against the current thinking that we are helping students by training them for jobs that don’t yet exist and that future workers will undertake a variety of jobs in response to flexibility in the job market (“Early career choice pays off over lifetime”, June 14).

With this type of thinking espoused by leaders in government and education, is it any wonder that children no longer have a clear sense of career direction? It would also be interesting to know if this is contributing to the lack of engagement with education in our young people. – Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

For universities to boast about their student culture and the variety and volume of their degrees and not show where people end up after graduating means that adolescents aren’t to blame for having an uncertain career path. Being in year 12, I know what courses I want to do, I just have no idea where it will land me or who I will be working for. – Naosheyrvaan Nasir, Quakers Hill

Data entry is not teaching

Just what do we want from our teachers and students that we are subjecting both to such extremes of testing and data collection (“Teachers win data entry reprieve”, June 14). Imagine the stress put on little children by such testing no matter how good, kind, caring and wonderful the teacher may be. Imagine multiplying the collection of 1000 pieces of data for one child by 28 or 30.

Do the people who dream up these schemes ever think about what the rest of the class is doing while the teacher is finding and entering the data? No wonder teachers are complaining about workload.  – Augusta Monro, Dural

A final solution for refugees

Congratulations Australia, you’ve finally been recognised and acknowledged in the world (“Australia an inspiration for boat halt”, June 14).

Your treatment of refugees has been adapted by Italy and will forever be known as “The Aussie Solution”. Doesn’t have the same ring as “Final Solution” but the treatment of the oppressed is from the same page.

Hang your head in shame.  – Tony Redmond, Wyong

Italy is a beautiful country but now not for refugees.

Italy was wrong to refuse the shipload of refugees. Spain showed a kinder heart and a stronger character and acted to help the unfortunate souls. This is only one example of an issue that is going to be ongoing.

Let’s work on making life better for all. – Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill (Vic)

Beware the private lives of politicians

C’mon all you finger pointers! Barnaby Joyce is a top politician whose personal life should be private but a sad play of events made it prime-time news (“Joyce due for icy welcome at Nationals conference”, June 12). If we investigated the morality of all our pollies, Parliament House would make R-rated films and websites look like Sunday school picnics. – Cecile Hunt, Paddington

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[newssplashy]

“I suffer, okada don jam me so many times” – Hushpuppi Tells ‘Success’ Story

Hushpuppi, who has been alleged to be one of the most popular and richest internet fraudsters from Nigeria rarely talks but his upscale lifestyle has been doing the talking for him. This time, he seems to have a story to tell after being irked.

A former director of social media of the People’s Democratic Party and self-acclaimed human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju recently recommended Hushpuppi (real name Ramoni) for investigation and prosecution by the anti-graft body, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He made the controversial recommendation while commending the EFCC for the arrest of six internet fraudsters popularly known as Yahoo Boys in Abuja.

Adeyanju believes Hushpuppi who serially flaunts his uncanny wealthy on social media is into internet fraud which the young man has also not denied. This is second time Adeyanju is recommending Hushpuppi for arrest by the EFCC operatives but the body appearing unconcerned.

His recommendation which happened via Twitter went viral thereby necessitating responses from Hushpuppi. Hushpuppi is one of the most flamboyant Nigerian youths on social media. He strictly wears mostly expensive Gucci wears and holidays at the exotic locations across the world. He once expended a whopping sum of N11.5 million at one of the classiest club houses in Lagos State identified as Quilox, owned by socialite Shina Peller. Overtime, his presence on social media has intimidated hundreds of local celebrities whom he has accused of wearing fake designer clothes, shoes, wristwatches and others at different occasions. Musicians namely Phyno, Ice Prince, Kcee have had skirmishes with him over what they wear.

 Hushpuppi once lived in Malaysia and has reportedly moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates where he basks in luxury doing what nobody knows. The social media tells us he is into high-profile internet fraud and the bearded young man whose mother hails from the Niger Delta region has refused to debunk the criminal stories trailing him. He seems to love the identity. He has over 1 million followers on Instagram and on his bio, you are welcomed with the bold message; The Billionaire Gucci Master”

Hushpuppi who has lived outside Nigeria for 8 years has threatened to drop his citizenship as he makes a response to Deji Adeyanju’s apparent attack on his personality.

He made a video yesterday with mixed emotions detailing his journey from poverty to luxury. Just like other picaros across the world like Pablo Escobar of Colombia, Joaquin Guzman aka El Chapo of Mexico and Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini of Nigeria, there is a touching story about their stand against the law.

He spoke about the spate of poverty in his family stemming from several generations before his parents who wallowed in poverty. He recalled how his sister died of typhoid fever as well as his personal struggles as a man to make it from nothing. He regarded the Nigerian state as a failure which has disappointed the millions of her citizens.

It should be noted Adeyanju also challenged Hushpuppi to a debate in front of the EFCC office in Abuja which he has accepted but he gave his conditions. Ridiculously, Hushpuppi would also love to engage in a physical fight with Adeyanju during the death during which he hopes to do some damage on his face and make an impression of his source of money through vast injuries.

“Yes, I accept your debate challenge. First you have to know to invite me to Nigeria; it comes with a cost just like other people who have been inviting me for appearances in so many different countries worldwide. It comes with a cost which you have to discuss with me if you want to see me, I dont care about you. You have to realize it comes with a first class ticket, a 5-star hotel, on ground security since the country is not safe it is well known for kidnapping people and all these things, you have to provide me with my meals, I have my own preferences, you know the kind of meals I eat” he said.

Hushpuppi also wants the debate location to be shifted from the vicinity of the EFCC office in Abuja and taken to the people since Adeyanju claims to fight for them. Hushuppi hopes to debate with him at the Oyingbo Market in the Ebute Metta area, Idumota market and Yaba area which is close to the psychiatric hospital where he believes Adeyanju will end up as his mother opined.

Funny enough, Adeyanju’s source of income is also unknown but some believe he is a professional protester. It is not clear if that is a paid job anywhere in the world. Deji has been involved in several protests for and against the ‘enemies of the state’. He has been accused of benefitting from the financial corruption orchestrated by members of the then ruling party, PDP.

 Well, back to the issue at hand; after a series of threats to Adeyanju’s life, Huspuppi gave clues about what the debate points would look like. He wants to debate on the spate of poverty in Nigeria as it riddled his family.

“When you are coming to this debate, please be well prepared to answer some very good questions that I have for you and Nigerians. You have to explain to me personally why is it that my elder sister, the one I was immediately born after had to die of just Typhoid in Nigeria in Gbagada General Hospital (Lagos)? Why did my sister have to die because my parents didn’t have enough money? Why did she have to die cos they didn’t attend to her quick in the hospital? You have to answer these questions that give me pains that I go through all the time, everyday in my life.

You have to be able tell me why my parents have to suffer so much and they can’t be proud of N1,000 that has been given to them by the federal government. My mother is from the Niger Delta part of Nigeria where Nigeria’s oil comes from. She has never benefitted one dollar from the Niger Delta, the oil-producing part of Nigeria where she comes from and she is over 60 years old” he harped.

He went on to explain that many generations before his parents have been stricken by poverty and he is the only one who has escaped by the whiskers. He narrates that his father has worked harder that Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo and yet there is nothing to show for it. According to him, only him among the children of his parents has been so far successful in life. He attributed the recent attacks on him to envy as he has been through so much hardship in life.

 “I suffer, okada don jam me so many times, motor don jam me for the same Nigeria. I don nearly die. I come escape, I come escape una country, just few years I don dey enjoy. This enjoyment never even mature. Just this small enjoyment wey I dey enjoy never dey equilibrium with the suffer wey I don suffer. I don suffer for decades, I never enjoy reach 5 years sef. Una dey look say no, dem suppose bring me back make I come suffer, say na must say I must suffer” he lamented in Pidgin English.

Hushpuppi believes the government owes him an explanation as to why his father languished in penury for so long. He revealed that his father’s second wife also passed away in the course of his father’s travails.

He lamented on the general sufferings in Nigeria specifically mentioning the deplorable state of people living in Badagry which is at the outskirts of Lagos, Agege, Iyana Ipaja as well as Ebonyi and Nassarawa States which according to him have been starved of developmental projects. He believes negligence on the part of the government has further impoverished the people.

Hushpuppi said his story must be used as documentary to give hope to the youths.

“My papa when im dey 4 years old, him papa die. At the age of 7 them put am inside motor wey carry yam and cow dey go north. My papa follow motor go north.

At the age of 8, 9, my papa don dey work for bakery for north from Ijebu. My papa suffer. E acquire many things, e get to where him want you know. My papa really go through a lot you know. I nor fit dey remember so many things. I nor fit open my eyes down dey talk my papa story because e dey cause me so many pains. Una know go understand.”

He said he travelled to Ethiopia and slept with donkeys in an uncompleted building in his first trip out of Nigeria. He recalled how he suffered in Ghana and Ashimota where he sold phones.

Hushpuppi believes ‘God’ answered his prayers a few years ago and alot of Nigerians believe he doesn’t deserve the opulence he is basking in. He said Nigerians should be more concerned about the less-privileged in the country who are looking for opportunities to leave the shores of the country for better opportunities abroad.

His story has appealed to the hearts of thousands of Nigerian youths who have turned against Adeyanju despite been left in the dark about the source of income of Hushpuppi. Rumours have it that Hushpuppi is worth over $20 million dollars which beggars belief.

Watch a video of Hushpuppi making these revelations below:

-Gistreel

The post “I suffer, okada don jam me so many times” – Hushpuppi Tells ‘Success’ Story appeared first on INFORMATION NIGERIA.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/05/i-suffer-okada-don-jam-me-so-many-times.html

#News

[loycereiber]

SEC Proposed Inline XBRL Filing

As a lawyer in Utah, we regularly go over new developments in the law. The Securities and Exchange Commission recently voted to propose amendments intended to improve the quality and accessibility of data submitted by public companies and mutual funds using eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL).

SEC PROPOSES INLINE XBRL FILING OF TAGGED DATA

The proposals would require the use of Inline XBRL, which has the potential to benefit investors and other market participants while decreasing, over time, the cost of preparing information for submission to the SEC.  The recommendations are part of the SEC’s disclosure modernization initiative.

“While XBRL technology has made disclosures easier to access for investors, there are legitimate concerns about the burdens smaller companies face when preparing their filings,” said SEC Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar. “Today, the SEC is asking comment on a way to streamline this process to ensure usability for the public while keeping compliance costs down.”

The SEC will seek public comment on the proposed rules for 60 days.

FACT SHEET (SEC Open Meeting)

Highlights

The proposed amendments would require the use of Inline XBRL format for the submission of operating company financial statement information and mutual fund risk/return summaries.  The proposal would also eliminate the requirement for filers to post XBRL data on their websites.

Among additional potential benefits:

Inline XBRL allows filers to embed XBRL data directly into their filings instead of as attachments, reducing the likelihood of inconsistencies.

Inline XBRL would give the preparer full control over the presentation of XBRL disclosures within the HTML filing.  In addition, tools like the open source Inline XBRL Viewer on SEC.gov can be used to review the XBRL data more efficiently.

For mutual funds, the proposed amendments would facilitate efficiencies in the filing process by permitting the concurrent submission of XBRL data files with certain post-effective amendment filings.  The proposed amendments also would improve the timeliness of the availability of risk/return summaries in XBRL by eliminating the current 15 business day filing period accorded to all filings containing risk/return summaries.

Under the proposals, requirements for operating company financial statements would be phased in over a three-year period.  Requirements for mutual funds risk/return summaries would be phased in over a two-year period.

Background

In 2009, the Commission adopted rules requiring operating companies to provide financial statement information in registration statements and periodic and current reports in XBRL by submitting it to the Commission in an Interactive Data File as an exhibit to these filings and posting it on their corporate websites, if any.

In 2009, the Commission also adopted rules requiring mutual funds to provide risk/return summaries in XBRL by submitting them to the Commission in Interactive Data Files as exhibits and posting them on their websites, if any.

There is a wide range of users of XBRL data, including investors, financial analysts, economic research firms, data aggregators, academic researchers, filers, and Commission staff.  Machine-readable financial market data, including XBRL-formatted data, enhances the Commission’s rulemaking and market monitoring activities by allowing staff to efficiently analyze large quantities of information.

SEC’S OFFICE OF THE INVESTOR ADVOCATE TO HOLD EVIDENCE SUMMIT, LAUNCH INVESTOR RESEARCH INITIATIVE

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Investor Advocate today announced it will host an Evidence Summit to discuss strategies for raising retail investors’ understanding of key investment characteristics such as fees, risks, returns, and conflicts of interest.

The March 10 Evidence Summit will mark the official launch of the SEC’s new investor research initiative led by the SEC’s Office of the Investor Advocate, dubbed ‘POSITIER’, also known as Policy Oriented Stakeholder and Investor Testing for Innovative and Effective Regulation.

POSITIER seeks to inform the rulemaking process with evidence obtained from surveys and specific testing projects. Under this initiative, the SEC’s Office of the Investor Advocate has launched a specific study program to examine the topic of Retail Disclosure Effectiveness. This study program seeks to identify and test interventions that increase investor awareness of key investment features and, in turn, improve investment outcomes.

“I am excited about the launch of POSITIER,” said Investor Advocate Rick Fleming, “because it has the potential to make a significant contribution to evidence-based policymaking at the Commission. With this new tool, we can gain better insights into the potential benefits to investors from proposed rule changes, and we will be able to help identify the best options amongst competing policy choices.”

Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar and Commissioner Kara Stein will speak at the event, as well as an interdisciplinary group of leading scholars in household and behavioral finance, psychology, marketing, and law. Although the focus will be on disclosure in the context of investment funds, the insights on improving the cognitive salience of information will be relevant to other financial disclosure contexts.

MORGAN STANLEY SETTLES CHARGES RELATED TO ETF INVESTMENTS

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has agreed to pay an $8 million penalty and admit wrongdoing to settle charges related to single inverse ETF investments it recommended to advisory clients.

The SEC’s order finds that Morgan Stanley did not adequately implement its policies and procedures to ensure that clients understood the risks involved with purchasing inverse ETFs.  Among the order’s findings, Morgan Stanley failed to obtain from several hundred clients a signed client disclosure notice, which stated that single inverse ETFs were typically unsuitable for investors planning to hold them longer than one trading session unless used as part of a trading or hedging strategy.  Morgan Stanley solicited clients to purchase single inverse ETFs in retirement and other accounts, the securities were held long-term, and many of the clients experienced losses.

The SEC’s order further finds that Morgan Stanley failed to follow through on another key policy and procedure requiring a supervisor to conduct risk reviews to evaluate the suitability of inverse ETFs for each advisory client.  Among other compliance failures, Morgan Stanley did not monitor the single-inverse ETF positions on an ongoing basis and did not ensure that certain financial advisers completed single inverse ETF training.

“Morgan Stanley recommended securities with unique risks and failed to follow its policies and procedures to ensure they were suitable for all clients,” said Antonia Chion, Associate Director of the SEC Enforcement Division.

Free Initial Consultation with an SEC Lawyer

When you need help from an SEC Lawyer, call Ascent Law for your free consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: [phone]

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Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/sec-proposed-inline-xbrl-filing/

[lauren-nabors]

it’s been a long time, tumblr. how’s it going everyone? 

in the spirit of transparency and honesty, (and because really, if you can’t be honest on your own blog that you’re pretty sure no one reads anymore anyway in your own private corner of the internet, then where can you be honest?) this spring has sucked. like a lot. every couple of weeks I think, surely life can’t get any harder, but then it does and i’m always left reeling a little with anger and frustration and exhaustion. but also it has started to make me think that this is just the new normal. comparing life to new york city three years ago doesn’t work anymore. so anyway, here i am in the mid-west (missouri, misery) just trying to take it one day at a time, often wondering why I’m here and what does God have up his sleeve that’s taking us down this frustrating road in the first place?

anyway! other than that, we’ve had some visitors come to stay with us, which was fantastic and such a breath of fresh air to have our nyc friends here. two of the visits were plagued with a bit of hardship, which i’ll share below. 

sarah jo & peterson were our first visitors, back in mid-april. they came during the middle of the week as they did a road-trip all the way from nyc and back. if i didn’t hate being in the car so much i would totally want to recreate their roadtrip adventure! we were pretty crazy at the restaurant those days, with big catering orders and wholesale deliveries, but we still managed to squeeze in some fun things. we grilled out, got in the hot tub, made margaritas, took them to Bass Pro and Sam’s Club (ha!) and got Pineapple Whip AND Andy’s Frozen Custard in the same day. i feel like we got to know Peterson really well this visit and they are just so funny and easy to be with, it was great! 

a week and a half later, our dear friends Alice and Kyle flew in. they used to live in our old neighborhood in harlem but have recently moved to Connecticut, though they’re both still commuting into the city for work. unfortunately heavy rains and storms delayed their flight and they missed their connection in Chicago. they were lucky to get re-booked on another airline and made it in the same night, just much later than expected. the next day they came to the mill and we got to show them around and have breakfast and lunch there with them. that afternoon we visited Bass Pro (truly, this is the only place we have to take people) and that night we hung out at Brew Co. the next morning I woke up with the worst back-ache I have ever, ever experienced. it had been bothering me off and on all that week and i just kept thinking it would go away but when i bent down to feed our cats that morning something just spasm’ed (sp?) throughout my whole body and i fell over and couldn’t get back up. i yelled at clif and he had to jump out of bed and carry me back to the couch. it was the most excruciating pain i have ever felt in my life, no joke. i was probably at a 9 or 10 on the pain scale throughout the day. i could not walk and could barely put any weight on it. of course, Alice and Kyle were here which made me feel even worse because I didn’t think I could muster up the strength to walk or even get out of the house. they were so sweet and patient and offered help and advice. clif and kyle got out to get lunch and icy hot and pain killers and all that good stuff while alice and i just sat in the living room and talked pretty much all afternoon. later that day we grilled out and they set me up on the patio with a chair so i could be part of the group. i kept thinking i had slipped a disc or something more serious but was relieved to find out i didn’t have any of the symptoms of a slipped or torn disc. Alice and Kyle left early the next morning and, as much as i hated that i was pretty much out of commission their entire last day here, we got to spend a ton of time just chatting and catching up and that’s what their visit was all about anyway. they are such dear friends to us and we were also so thrilled to find out at the beginning of their visit that they’re pregnant! 

the next day my back felt a lot better but i still had this plaguing pain in my lower left side of my back. our friend Shelby who is a family practitioner suggested some acupuncture (Alice also recommended it when she was here and said she’d had great results) and some light stretching. I made an appointment for acupuncture the next day and I am delighted to report that after two sessions my back felt 100% better. I don’t know that I would go all the time, but I can definitely get on board with some of the benefits of it. I felt significantly less stressed (this helped a lot for what was to come the following weekend) and even noticed my cramps were almost non-existent during my next period, as my acupuncturist mentioned that was a possible added benefit from the treatments. 

the previous week our friend Adrian (clif’s first roommate in NYC and the person responsible for introducing me to Clif) emailed to say he had a client meeting for work in Jefferson City, MO and would like to come a few days early and stay with us before his meetings. of course we were like “YES! COME ON!” he came the following weekend after alice and kyle were here, resulting in three visits back to back to back. Adrian arrived Saturday afternoon amidst torrential downpours and lightening storms. how his flight actually landed I am amazed! it had been raining nonstop all week and my mom sent me a text saying that the local news station was reporting on all the flooding around town, some in our neighborhood. we stayed for dinner at the restaurant with Adrian and then headed home. we checked our basement immediately and everything was fine, so we settled into the living room with some drinks and began visiting with Adrian. it had been almost two years since we’d last seen him! about 45 minutes later our cat FDR wandered into Clif’s lap and Clif noticed his paws were wet. we bolted back down to the basement and sure enough, water was pouring in from every crack and crevice imaginable. the guys took off for Home Depot to try and find a sump pump (every place in town was sold out) and eventually came back home with a shop vac, which helped out a little but couldn’t keep up with the rapid rate the water was coming in. we went to bed feeling extremely on-edge and worried, but knowing the reality was that there was nothing we could do about it. we woke at 3:30am and our hearts broke when we saw 8″ of standing water in our basement. our basement was partially finished with a wood-laminate flooring throughout. we had a lot of storage stuff down there, as well as clif’s guitars and a couch and desk and ALL of the Christmas decorations we had put up at the mill this past year. there was nothing that could be done, we just had to wait for it to recede. i got back in bed and literally prayed for a miracle - i didn’t know if it would recede on it’s own and since we knew the sump pumps were currently sold out around town i wasn’t sure how we would get all the water out on our own. i also was afraid it would keep rising and start to come up the staircase to our main floor, as it was still raining and rain was forecasted to continue for the next day and a half. at 7am I woke up and checked the basement - in nothing short of a miracle, the water was all completely gone. completely. we knew there was a ton of work to be had in our future, but luckily we didn’t have to tend to it right then and were able to spend our last day with Adrian by not dealing with standing water in our basement. thank you, Lord. 

we headed to Hotel Vandivort for brunch and then I had to run off to prepare for a managers meeting at our restaurant that afternoon. the rain continued, so we ended up lounging on the couch watching a marathon on HGTV and Clif cooked us all dinner. Adrian is just the best, he is such an interesting and caring guy and we were both so thrilled he was actually able to come to our home for a few days and see our restaurant, too. he and his wife Audrey will soon be re-locating to Toronto full-time, so who knows when and how we will coordinate seeing them again. 

everything has been a bit of a whirlwind since then. we spent a few days stripping the flooring out of our basement and getting it dried with fans and a dehumidifier. we still aren’t sure what to do next, but now that we know the house is capable of flooding again we certainly aren’t going to spend a lot of money to fix it back up. we’ll probably just leave the floor as exposed concrete and invest in getting a sump pump permanently installed. 

as soon as my back felt 100% again, my allergies kicked in. i’ve spent the last two weeks with a stuffy nose and sore throat and haven’t had a day off for a week and half. we’ve had some work-related fires to put out and have both been so exhausted we haven’t felt up to doing much. i finally got some planters around our house planted with flowers but i doubt we’ll get anything planted in our garden this season. we just ran out of time and now it’s summer-time-hot already. where did this year go?! 

we are *fingers crossed* planning some sort of getaway in June, most likely to Chicago. we need some time away again - Puerto Rico feels like it was just yesterday but that was more than three months ago already! 

Here are just a few pictures from the last few months to remember what we’ve been up to that’s been good. sometimes you have to force yourself to think about the good things, so that you don’t just dwell on the negative things, am i right? until next time... 

beautiful peony in our backyard 

GIVE OZARKS DAY where we helped raise funds to support Ozarks Food Harvest and then took a picture with this giant fork, because duh. 

my MUG DAY at Brew Co was last Sunday!

went to see our friends’ kids Grant and Mason in their school talent show, where they did a totally improvised hip hop dance and it was fantastic 

just me and Fred 

Hotel Vandivort bathroom selfie with Adrian 

i’ve read some great novels this spring, including this one below that i devoured in just a few days 

we made a new tv commercial with KY3, then I went in to help edit it and took this screenshot where i look like a true moron.

Parker and his parents came up to Springfield, where we had lunch together and Parker hung off our furniture like a little monkey :) 

Alice and Kyle and this big bear at Bass Pro

when you ask your breakfast grill employee to make you a special breakfast and they spell “hi” with the bacon 

playing corn hole with Sarah Jo and Peterson 

...but Sarah Jo mostly just watches and laughs and drinks her wine 

just the four of us, outside of Brew Co on a beautiful April afternoon 

an election day beer, Clif was so thrilled when Dogfish Head finally got distribution here in MO! 

had a hold on this Harry Potter for almost a month so I was thrilled when it came in and I could go check it out from the library! 

at the beginning of April we took our staff out for bowling and pizza and had a great time! 

#real life #spring 2017 #springfield mo #flooding

[loycereiber]

Stop Repossessions with Bankruptcy

Vehicle repossessions are unfortunately quite common as many people are still struggling to gain a foothold in the unsure economy. Falling behind on vehicle payments can occur for a variety of reasons, with medical hardship and job loss as two of the biggest contributing factors. You should contact your friendly neighborhood bankruptcy lawyer who will help you.

How Your Vehicle Can Survive the “Repo Man”

Contrary to popular belief, repossessions can happen even if you’re a single day late on a car payment. While the amount of time varies depending on the lender, falling behind on car payments is risky because banks and finance companies are often trying to squeeze as much out of consumers as possible. Bill collectors are usually paid a commission based on a percentage of what they collect, so they have a very strong incentive to either obtain payment or repossess the vehicle. But that’s just the beginning of the collections process; just because they got their vehicle back doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Repossessions usually involve all kinds of extra fees tacked on along the way in addition to the remaining balance of the vehicle after it’s auction (which is virtually always less than market value). You might expect the collections efforts to get even more intense.

Debt collectors are notorious for bending the rules and being unethical, with upwards of 130,000 complaints filed against them with the Federal Trade Commission in the last year. The truth of the matter is that bill collectors have one goal: to collect. They rarely (if ever) inform consumers of their rights under federal law and the options available to them. Scare tactics are often used instead because the consumer’s best interest is not really that important to a bill collector. If no payment is made a lawsuit can be filed and a wage garnishment can be applied to the debtor.

That’s why it’s important to speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney as soon as you know there’s an issue. Filing for bankruptcy will stop repossessions and other collection activities immediately. In fact, in most cases you can maintain possession of your vehicle through the bankruptcy process! Of course, in some cases it isn’t worth keeping a car if it’s unneeded. In those cases, a voluntary surrender in bankruptcy means you give the vehicle back to the lender, but the debt can be wiped out completely (including any fees they’d love to tack on).

If you’re behind on your payments, contact the bankruptcy team at the Lincoln Law to learn about your options and come up with a plan of action in the event you can’t catch up on your payments. Facing repossession and other collection tactics can be frightening, but with the power of the bankruptcy code on your side, it doesn’t need to be. By choosing an experienced bankruptcy law firm, you can protect your valued property and stop debt collectors in their tracks.

Do I Need A Lawyer To File Bankruptcy?

If your financial struggle is causing you to consider filing for bankruptcy, you might be wondering if you must hire a lawyer to represent you.

The Risks with a Lawyer

While technically there is no requirement to hire a lawyer, it is important to recognize that the rules governing bankruptcy, called the Bankruptcy Code, are extremely complicated. A bankruptcy petition listing your assets, debts and other pertinent information is at least 35 pages long (and often longer). Errors in the petition could result in a dismissed (or unsuccessful) case or even loss of property you thought you would otherwise keep. It’s also important that all the information is prepared properly and accurately, because information perceived as misleading could land you in jail for fraud or perjury.

Qualifications of Bankruptcy Attorneys

Attorneys go to school for several years to obtain a juris doctorate degree. With their J.D. behind them, they take on the challenge of their state’s bar exam – if they pass, they are licensed to practice law in that particular state. However, since bankruptcy laws are written by the U.S. Congress, lawyers also need to familiarize themselves with the federal bankruptcy code specifically, which isn’t generally a focus on the bar exam. But even once all of these obstacles have been overcome, it’s important to remember that not all lawyers are the same – experience and focus in bankruptcy matters tremendously.

Our Recommendation for Bankruptcy

Although it’s not technically required, it’s most definitely prudent to hire a bankruptcy attorney who is extremely knowledgeable and experienced to assist you along the way. A relatively small expense earns you years of legal experience and the understanding of the bankruptcy code. Do some investigation about the attorneys you are considering working with. Are there complaints about them on government or review websites? You can also check county court records to see if the lawyer has ever been arrested or charged with a crime. One of the best resources for finding a trusted lawyer is simply ask your friends and family members if they know someone who can help you. But ultimately you’ll want to meet whoever you are considering working with to ensure they are knowledge, trustworthy and considerate of your goals.

Free Consultation with a Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you have a bankruptcy question, or need to file a bankruptcy case, call Ascent Law now at [phone]. Attorneys in our office have filed over a thousand cases. We can help you now. Come in or call in for your free initial consultation.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: [phone]

Ascent Law LLC

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[loycereiber]

Employee Lawsuit Protection

Asset Protection Tips for entrepreneurs, medical practice professionals and small business owners. As a lawyer for entrepreneurs, I work hard to make sure our clients are protected. This post discusses how to put a plan in place for protection from employee lawsuits. We also cover common employee lawsuits, protecting business and personal assets, avoiding lawsuits, and termination tips.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) receives over 100,000 employee claims filed in a fiscal year. The result is nearly half a billion dollars that employers paid out in EEOC claims. A full 10% of wrongful termination and discrimination cases see employees awarded $1 Million+ settlements. The average is $40,000 per settlement. Legal fees for court trials in these cases average $45,000 in defense costs.

No matter how well prepared you are, you can still become victim to a Robin Hood judge. Many members of the judiciary delight in transferring a business owner’s wealth to an employee looking for an easy buck. So, do what it takes to protect yourself. For example, you can establish an asset protection trust. It one of the most effective tools to shield your hard-earned wealth. Then, divide your business empire into a series of properly filed and maintained companies. When someone sues one of the companies, the lawsuit does not affect the others. Do this before the bullets start to fly is a good start. That said, below we will discuss some additional warnings and corresponding precautions you can take.

Common Employee Lawsuits

The most common employment claims are wrongful termination, discrimination (age, sex, religion), sexual harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing and more. Race discrimination used to top the charts, however retaliation has become the top cited form of discrimination claim.

Unfortunately these figures are on the rise. We assist more and more business owners and medical practice owners who are concerned with employee lawsuit vulnerability. There are many reason why this is happening, both socially and economically, however it means that it’s never been more important to protect yourself and your business from an EEOC claim.

As soon as an employee files an unemployment claim, his or her mailbox is filled with mail from law firms offering free consultations boasting big payouts. It would cost a person nothing to try because a majority of these firms offer services on a contingent fee basis.

Business Protection

Insurance is not enough. Carrying EPLI (employment practices liability insurance) offers limited protection to the business depending on your state and insurance policy. Depending on how you structured your business, your business entity may not shield your business assets. The secret? Set up one corporation or LLC to operate your business. Set up another company (preferably an LLC) that owns business equipment. Your operating company simply leases the equipment from company number two. Both, in turn, protect you from personal exposure.

Personal Asset Protection

Finding yourself in an employee lawsuit could be big and costly, not just in legal fees, but in your time as well. You can take your wealth off of the lawsuit radar for good with a proper asset protection strategy. Set up an asset protection trust. Inside the asset protection trust is an LLC. You are the manager of the LLC. You make investments. As the manager you are the signatory on the bank and investment accounts. When the “bad thing” happens, the trustee steps in as LLC manager. This puts you in a position of impossibility when ordered to release the funds.

Your home goes into a land trust for privacy. Income property also goes into individual land trusts. Then, for anything but a personal residence, an LLC owns each land trust. The land trust provides a shield to keep your name and company names out of the public records. The LLC gives asset protection. For example, you and your spouse own the LLC. When someone sues you, legal provisions protect your company membership and anything inside of it.

Avoiding Lawsuits

The best outcome you could wish for is that nobody hits you with a lawsuit. The problem is that you don’t control the other guy. Any employee can sue you at any time, whether justified or not. The only thing you can do is to protect your assets from lawsuits and be clear about employee and management policies.

Managing employees is challenging because we all want to be a nice person and for others in the workplace to like us. Unfortunately that’s where most of the problems arise. The most problematic management responsibility, in a legal sense, is hiring, firing and discipline in proper and effective ways.

Employee Firing and Discipline Tips

Have written job descriptions with responsibilities and performance expectations

Communicate clearly how you enforce your requirements

Encourage and enable employees to communicate any issues in the workplace or their performance

Establish a specific discipline process and high standards

Firing an employee is a process in which you, the business owner, are responsible. Here’s a four-step discipline plan for employees that can help you avoid an EEOC lawsuit.

Initially, deliver constructive criticism, further instructions and feedback (good or bad) verbally. This is as simple as communicating to your employee that there is a performance issue or conflict in the workplace that he or she needs to assess.

If an employee’s subpar behavior or performance persists, you write down exactly what the performance issue is. Then reference the job description that they interviewed for with your performance expectations, discipline process and responsibilities clearly defined. Provide a copy to the employee. This all becomes a pillar in your case against an EEOC charge.

Before firing your employee, the final management discipline action is to provide an affirmative written agreement. It should generally specify the performance or behavior that the employee needs to improve. The agreement will tie everything together, the employee agreement with employee responsibilities, performance expectations as well as your discipline plan. In the agreement the employee should agree to specific changes in his or her performance and behavior.

More Asset Protection Information

The most common mistake made by managers is not keeping records of underperformance or bad employee behavior

Verbal warnings and discipline often ends up into a hearsay battle

With detailed documentation of repeat offense with an employee signature would leave little chances of losing a lawsuit, or even finding a lawyer to sue

When it comes time to terminate an employee after all of your management efforts have failed, you must have this process defined. Start with security; you should first address access, keys, passwords, entry cards or other security items such as alarm codes. HR experts recommend that you have a witness during this process. It should include a final interview that you document, if possible. If the employee has compensation coming, write a check on the spot (if you can), including any severance or other offering you may have at the time of termination. Finally, encourage feedback, either at the time of the final interview, or in writing later with a form that you provide.

You cannot avoid the lawsuit threat. However you can minimize your vulnerability. Communicated and enforce strong practices and policies. Most importantly, protect your business and personal assets from lawsuits.

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When you need help protection your assets and your business, call Ascent Law for your free consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

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Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/employee-lawsuit-protection/