#Blue era jeremy means everything to me

[doors-worstenemy]

[hello-there-world]

more Fnaf Rewrite Modern Era stuff!! yippee!!

just about everyone of the original gang who's still alive is in therapy (so like Mike, Jeremy, Andrew, Sammy, and Evan, for example). understandable.

after everything was said and done, Mike and Sammy finally exposed William. Mike just kinda went "Oh it's the funniest thing haha so my dad called me on the phone and told me all of that and said he was dying well that sure is something, ain't it?" and. it certainly shook the town up, i'll say that!

Vanessa is actually the niece of one of William's '87 victims (specifically the Toy Bonnie kid).

Vanessa's last name is Warren. there's an interesting meaning behind that one, so if you figure out what it is, you get a sticker!!

Cameron (Mike and Jeremy's oldest son) has a bunny fursona. Mike is seriously wondering why so many people in his family is obsessed with rabbits and/or hares.

Cam is also the Gen 2 kid who knows the most about "past events."

Cameron, after hearing about his grandfather, really hoped that he'd never meet his ghost somehow, and Mike reassured him that it'd be unlikely. Apparently, However, Not Even Being Stuck In Actual Hell Will Stop William.

Mike and Sammy are so cagey about telling their kids anything because A) 2/3 of the kids are literally first graders, and B) there's basically no way they can talk about their childhoods without it pretty much being traumadumping.

Cameron's middle name is 'Liz' (Mike's way of remembering Elizabeth).

Cameron sometimes thinks about all the aunts and uncles he never got to meet, and it makes him sad.

Gregory got Cassidy's old room in the house, as well as his old toys.

Cassie literally looks like a younger version of Charlie. hairstyle and all.

since Sammy had dedicated his entire life to avenging Charlie's murder, he doesn't really know what to do with himself now. even Henry, the man who'd give him some form of direction for other things to do in between looking for evidence, is gone now. with the new restaurant open, as well as the fact he now has a daughter, he's got some things that he can work with.

Cassie is very much a Daddy's Girl :]

Charlie visits Cassie in her dreams, and occasionally in person. as a ghost, obviously.

Sammy got Cassie a smartwatch (that he fooled around with) that functions as an advanced version of the old security bracelets that his father had used in the original pizzeria. it's even green...a bright green, too.

Gregory had no idea who Cassidy was until the end of Security Breach.

when no one really showed up to Cassie's seventh birthday party (save for a few people in their class who thought she was cool), Gregory got a bit petty and threatened to not invite anyone to his own party, purely just to spite everyone. quite literally the only reason he didn't go through with it was because Cassie told him not to and that it was fine. he did make it clear that he was still upset about it when a lot of people showed up to his own party, mostly by saying something to the effect of "Oh, so you've got time for my super awesome sixth birthday party on a Tuesday, but apparently coming to Cassie's super awesome seventh birthday party on a Saturday was too much for you 😒 I see how it is. Uh huh."

huh...petty kid...KINDA LIKE CASSIDY WAS-

like Cassidy, Greg also has partial/sectoral heterochromia in both of his eyes, though while Cassidy's heterochromia was green and greyish blue, Gregory has light brown and amber brown (close to what his canon eye color looks like). i'll draw a ref for him eventually.

Greg's hair looks like Cassidy's if it were brown and halfway down his neck.

I love them! Poor Vanessa... does she still sometimes go by Ness?

Cassie and Gregory being protective at each other my beloved. :}

[vexfulfolly]

Happy holidays, Rachel! I was more than happy to draw you some Oddrich for the soul, since I’ve been meaning to myself. Your mention of a Kadic graduation fic got me thinking, and eventually I ended up making s short little blurb for you!  @aflirtappleaday, here it is: Memories  

It was unusually warm in the gymnasium that morning. It had to have been because of the unusually large amount of people milling within it, or perhaps it was because of the nerves everyone inevitably felt. Chatter rose and fell in waves, reaching to the rafters only to fall to a near silenced hush, and merely kiss the floor. What was all of this commotion about, you ask? Where have you been this last year? It's graduation day.

There were about three hundred people in the room— most of them being families and their extensions, seeing as there was a mere seventy kids in the class. There were, however, friends scattered throughout: people who had already graduated and were awaiting their underclassmen. Us. In the front of the room a makeshift stage had been assembled, which a microphone, several speakers, and a group of disgruntled teachers all sat atop. On the floor in front of it lay seven rows of chairs, each one about ten long. Outward from that was a sea of foldable chairs all occupied by, as previously stated, the masses. Alphabetically arranged, A's in the front with Z's in the back, the graduates were seated, awaiting the speech their lives had lead up to until now. As soon as the conversation in the room died down once more, Delmas began to speak into the microphone. "Good afternoon, everyone," his uneven voice sounded. "Before we hand out diplomas and recognize our students for the feats they've accomplished, our valedictorians will give their speeches. Joining us on stage will be Mister Jeremie Belpois and Miss Aelita Schaefer." And just like that, the room went from near silence to thunderous applause and screams of joy. From a seat on the edge of the front row a blonde beanpole of a boy stood and slowly made his way towards the stage, only to stop short and await his counterpart. As the boy drew the crowd's attention a lithe girl emerged from one of the back rows, her pink hair drawing eyes. The blonde— Jeremie— extended his hand towards the girl and together they scaled the steps towards the podium. Every second seemed all too long, yet they blurred into the next making every moment painful to endure. Before the crowd even knew it the pinkette was already speaking and they could only listen as the calm lilt of her voice filled the room.

"Greetings students, teachers, and families beloved: today is a momentous occasion. Today is the day that each and every one of us has fought long and hard for. Today is the day that marks not only beginning of our life that's yet to be, but also the end of everything we've come to know, which to be frank, is quite daunting. I never dreamed that I would ever be here— on this stage, at this school, with all of these people I've come to know and befriend. But none of you really want to hear this sappy stuff, right? It's a bit of a drag isn't it?" This earned a rumble of laughter from students and families alike. Judging by how her speech started, it seemed as if they were about to experience a heartfelt ballad, only to be pleasantly surprised with the genuine personality of the girl before them. "I've always thought these speeches to be pretty useless too. Hear me out! People use them to brag about themselves and why they're up here right now—" Aelita spoke, and as she did so, Jeremie gestured behind her '4.5,' which certainly gained some chuckles— "Or try to get people to cry and tear up, but with the shear value of makeup in this room, it'd be a bit inappropriate. So instead of doing either of those things, I choose to give the responsibility to my fellow valedictorian-slash-boyfriend, Jeremie Belpois, so he can enlighten you instead." It was comical how easily the girl changed subjects and molded the audience between her words. Aelita had them hanging off every syllable on her tongue, which only hyped up Jeremie's speech even more, so when the girl took a step away from the microphone, the blonde was ready to impress. Instead of opening his speech, he decided to get right into his intentions.

"When I was in the seventh grade, I thought I could save the world," he said slowly. Behind his glasses, pictures of eyes and code danced to binary as candelabra towers ignited in flames of red. "I thought that the world was going to end. I was so wrapped up in conspiracies and sci-fi movies that I thought the internet was going to go Terminator on us, and try to wipe out humanity. Obviously, that hasn't happened yet and we're all still here, safe and sound. What matters about this is that life moved on. No matter what you think is going to happen, or what limits you think you have— there's a world of possibilities awaiting you. Maybe it's one where you ace all of your classes. Or maybe it's one where you finally get the girl you'd been swooning over for years. Or maybe it's one where all our phones try to eliminate us as a species— hey— who knows? What I'm trying to say is: we can't know the future. For only a moment Jeremie could see himself clicking 'delete' on a file labeled Future Flash. "No matter how many calculations or simulations we try, there's no way to promise an outcome. The only thing we can focus on is the past— and boy, has a lot lead up until now." Jeremie found himself pausing for just a moment to look out into the sea of chairs below him, and even the families. He searched until he saw Ulrich's dark, expectant gaze, until he saw Odd's lopsided grin, Yumi's tentative smile, and William's proud demeanor. "If it wasn't for my friends, I don't think I'd even be standing here right now." Cords and cables were wrapping themselves around his neck, tracing each and every vein on his body with their icy-hot touch, searing their paths atop his skin. The world was a hazy green-grey that echoed in his ears and tasted like iron— "I'd like to thank your football star for teaching me how to run without tripping or crying. I'd like to think our preforming arts idol for teaching me how to loosen up every once and a while. Even last classes' resident author and Pencak Silat champion for bringing excitement into my life. And lastly, I'd like to thank my girlfriend, for showing me that there's more to life than just school. But this is my silly little story, each and every one of you have your own lives and your own memories. You've got your own motivations and supporters here with you today, so there's no reason for me to gush over mine, when any of you could be doing this right now. Instead, I pose to you a question: Class of 2009, have you made this part of your life worth remembering? If not, the day is young— take your chance when it comes. If so, I welcome you to a new era of your life. Thank you." Despite his composed exterior, the boy couldn't help but shed tears as the golden light of the computer before him began to die. He wasn't alone in his actions for Odd was openly weeping, and Ulrich looked misty eyed his way. The darkness in the room slowly began to grow as their old life faded. They stood in silence for a while, enjoying the feeling of darkness without fear before stepping into the elevator one by one, wth the tallest, darkest haired boy being the last to leave.

Everyone was clapping, others were screaming and hollering, while a select few stood and applauded. The blonde didn't even need to see who they were, for he already knew. From that moment on, the ceremony was a blur. Names flew by and the constant clapping deafened ears to the point where everything was but a dull hum, but there were a few notable people that passed by. An Italian boy with purple hair and an undercut heelied across the stage, received his diploma, chest bumped Jim, the man who handed it to him, and dabbed as he got off stage. His family was so numerous and simultaneously enthusiastic that not one, not two, but three shirts were flung towards to boy. Despite this rather unprofessional display of emotion, Odd wore three chords. A pink one for cinema and theater, a white one for visual arts achievements, and a red one for national recognition for instrumental music. He was the only one in their class to receive that many recognitions. Another rather unforgettable moment was when a tall, bland looking boy crossed the stage. Midway through his trek a fan was thrown from somewhere within the crowd, only for him to raise his hand and pluck it out of the air as if it were nothing, tuck it into a pocket in his robe, and receive his diploma. He wore a single, navy blue chord, which stood to represent his regional superiority in sports. Shaggy brown hair was all that could be seen, but for some reason it seemed like there was more to him than that. The rest of the ceremony went as expected and soon enough, it was over. Caps were tossed into the air, and in a flurry of excitement of glee, six figures stood in a somber calm. It was over. Their fight was finished and together, they won.

It was long after the ceremony, in fact, it was well into the next day. Somewhere a church bell chimed twice as the moon revealed itself in the sky. Six figures, four tall and two short, stood silhouetted against a backdrop of deteriorated metal. A bridge lay before them; outstretched and eager for visitors. No one dared to take a step towards it until a certain character crouched on its platform. He placed a single plastic stencil on the concrete, brandished a can of paint, and filled it in. When the stencil was removed and both the plastic and the can had been tossed in the river, the group finally got a look at what was left behind.

A single word was painted, and a single symbol adorned it. "Lyoko," it read, with the last 'O' of the word being an eye, which would surely watch the property forever. The sound of the river sang through the night only to be interrupted by a strong female voice. "Goodnight, and good riddance, Lyoko," Yumi voiced. "Forever." And with their funeral now completed, everyone walked away with their first real smiles in nearly five years.

[greenbookthebest-blog]

We are still living in eugenics era

On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler, president of Germany's Third Reich, signed a document. The contents of the document are as follows.

Dr. Booleaner Bouwler. Meditation, Brandt.

At human discretion, when there is a critical assessment of their disease condition, it is the responsibility to expand certain decision-making powers to allow those suffering from incurable diseases to die.

_ A hitler

Germany and the rest of the world are appalled in the 1980′s when this document and other related materials began to pour out. It was a medical crime committed by Adolf Hitler in Germany's Third Reich, and a massacre of disabled people in Germany under the guise of "safeguards" under the so-called "Aktion T4 operation.

Between 939 and August 1941, the number of disabled people killed amounted to 72,273. Doctors from Germany and Austria have comforted some 275,000 disabled people since October 1941, a month after the announcement of the suspension, according to Nazi classified documents revealed in the Nuremberg trial. There are various methods, including morphine injections, drugs, and the killing of a cyanide gas or chemical weapon.

What was the background of this T4 operation crime? Many scholars say eugenics is the base. In eugenics, Eu means "good," and Genics means "born man." Therefore, Eugenics is simply 'born well'. It is easy to understand in a positive sense. But we have to know that the "good" standard is vague and subjective, and how Nazi applied eugenics to society. For Nazi, 'born well' meant blue eyes and blond hair.

The Nazis fulfilled just that. For them, the Northern Europeans, with blue eyes and blond hair, were the most 'evolving' race, while the Asians, black and Jewish people were 'undeveloped' and close to monkeys. Therefore, they tried to realize Utopia on this land by removing the less evolved and only leaving the more evolved to speed up evolution. Thus, the Nazis carried out a genocide against the disabled and Jews, which they described as inferior based on eugenics.

This history case reminds me a writing “White supremacy, white counter-revolutionary politics, and the rise of Donald Trump” written by Joshua Inwood. ““The central role anti-Black racism plays in the development of race and capital in the United States has implications for how we think about race and whiteness in our present context. Anti-Black racism has long been used to shore up and consolidate “European ethnic identity” but is also used to expand the “racial configurations of whiteness” (Shabazz, 2015: 15) in ways that promise advancement for those who are not black (Inwood and Bonds, 2013). “” Using other race seems like same mechanism as Nazi.

Also in documentary “White Like Me: Race, Racism, & White Privilege in America”, shows that once a person wanted to be an American citizen, he or she should have white skin in the past. There is a thoughts that Whites are superior than other races. It is exactly corresponding with Nazi’s eugenics theory. The  history is frequently repeat in future centuries, we need to pay attention to see everything clear as well as studying history.

Work Cite

MeeKyoung Lee.” 우리는 여전히 우생학의 시대를 산다”. 08, Nov, 2019 http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/culture/book/916274.html#csidx81e0bed27ca46c9888b77706e98e374 “ “http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/culture/book/916274.html

Joshua Inwood. “White supremacy, white counter-revolutionary politics, and the rise of Donald Trump”

Jeremy Young, Scott Morris, Sut Jhally, Tim Wise. “White Like Me: Race, Racism, & White Privilege in America”. 2013  https://www.kanopy.com/product/white-me-0

[mrjeremydylan]

My Favorite Album #212 - #BeatlesMonth Wall Street Journal's Allan Kozinn on how 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' broke the Beatles in America and the anatomy of an iconic hit

Beatles scholar, author, Wall Street Journal music critic and co-host of Beatles podcast 'Things We Said Today' Allan Kozinn joins me to tell the behind-the-scenes story of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' - why hadn't the Beatles cracked America prior to this song? How did a teenage girl and a radio DJ force the Beatles record label to rush release the song? How did the JFK assassination set the stage for Americans embrace of aspirational British pop?

Plus we break down the song piece by piece to show how the Fab Four constructed a perfect single which was just as groundbreaking and sophisticated as their later work - from the lyrics to the harmonies, the guitar parts and their first use of four-track overdubbing, the sexual undertones in the music and how it marked the apex and the climax of their 'Wooo' period.

If you enjoyed this episode, pick up a copy of Allan's book Got That Something! How the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” Changed Everything.

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts here or in other podcasting apps by searching ‘My Favorite Album’ or copying/pasting our RSS feed -http://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/rss My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album’s influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

LINKS

- Allan Kozinn on Twitter.

- Subscribe to the Beatles podcast ‘Things We Said Today’.

- Buy I Want to Hold Your Hand here.

- Jeremy Dylan’s website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.

- Like the podcast on Facebook here.

- If you dig the show, please leave a rating or review of the show on iTunes here.

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Shane Nicholson on 52nd St by Billy Joel 86 - Tired Lion on Takk… by Sigur Ros 85 - Whispering Bob Harris on Forever Changes by Love 84 - Jake Stone (Bluejuice) on Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five 83 - Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) on Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience 82 - Dom Alessio on OK Computer by Radiohead 81 - Anthony Albanese MP on The Good Son by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 80 - John Waters on Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience 79 - Jim DeRogatis (Sound Opinions) on Clouds Taste Metallic by The Flaming Lips 78 - Montaigne on The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes 77 - Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd) on Quadrophenia by The Who 76 - Homer Steinweiss (Dap Kings) on Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis 75 - Best of 2015 (So Far) ft. Danny Yau, Montaigne, Harts, Joelistics, Rose Elinor Dougall and Burke Reid 74 - Matt Farley (Motern Media) on RAM by Paul McCartney BONUS - Neil Finn on The Beatles, Neil Young, David Bowie and Radiohead 73 - Grace Farriss (Burn Antares) on All Things Must Pass by George Harrison 72 - Katie Noonan on Blue by Joni Mitchell 71 - Harts on Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix 70 - Tim Rogers (You Am I) on Bring the Family by John Hiatt 69 - Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors) on The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen 68 - Jeremy Neale on Graceland by Paul Simon 67 - Joelistics on Graceland by Paul Simon 66 - Brian Nankervis (RocKwiz) on Astral Weeks by Van Morrison 65 - ILUKA on Pastel Blues by Nina Simone 64 - Rose Elinor Dougall on Tender Buttons by Broadcast 63 - Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus) on Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins 62 - Keyone Starr on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 61 - Chase Bryant on Defying Gravity by Keith Urban 60 - Brian Koppelman on Southeastern by Jason Isbell 59 - Michael Carpenter on The Beatles White Album Side 4 58 - Pete Kilroy (Hey Geronimo) on The Beatles White Album Side 3 57 - Mark Wells on The Beatles White Album Side 2 56 - Jeff Greenstein on Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants 55 - Laura Bell Bundy on Shania Twain, Otis Redding and Bright Eyes 54 - Jake Clemons on Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan 53 - Kristian Bush (Sugarland) on The Joshua Tree by U2 52 - Kevin Bennett (The Flood) on Willis Alan Ramsey by Willis Alan Ramsey 51 - Lee Brice on Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars 50 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on the White Album (Side 1) by The Beatles 49 - Joe Camilleri on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 48 - Russell Morris on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 47 - Mike Rudd (Spectrum) on England’s Newest Hitmakers by The Rolling Stones 46 - Henry Wagons on Harvest by Neil Young 45 - Megan Washington on Poses by Rufus Wainwright 44 - Andrew Hansen (The Chaser) on Armchair Theatre by Jeff Lynne 43 - She Rex on BlakRoc by The Black Keys 42 - Catherine Britt on Living with Ghosts by Patty Griffin 41 - Robyn Hitchcock on Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon 40 - Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) on Transformer by Lou Reed 39 - Harry Hookey on Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan 38 - Rob Draper on Faith by George Michael 37 - Best of 2014 ft. Danny Yau, Andrew Hansen, Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) and Mike Carr 36 - Doug Pettibone on Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris 35 - Ross Ryan on Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne 34 - Michael Carpenter on Hard Promises by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 33 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe 32 - Zane Carney on Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery 31 - Tony Buchen on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles 30 - Simon Relf (The Tambourine Girls) on On the Beach by Neil Young 29 - Peter Cooper on In Search of a Song by Tom T Hall 28 - Thelma Plum on Stolen Apples by Paul Kelly 27 - James House on Rubber Soul by the Beatles 26 - Ella Hooper on Let England Shake by PJ Harvey 25 - Abbey Road Special 24 - Alyssa Bonagura on Room for Squares by John Mayer 23 - Luke Davison (The Preatures) on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 22 - Neil Finn on Hunky Dory by David Bowie and In Rainbows by Radiohead 21 - Neil Finn on Beatles for Sale by the Beatles and After the Goldrush by Neil Young 20 - Morgan Evans on Diorama by Silverchair 19 - Emma Swift on Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams 18 - Danny Yau on Hourly Daily by You Am I 17 - J Robert Youngtown and Jon Auer (The Posies) on Hi Fi Way by You Am I 16 - Lester the Fierce on Hounds of Love by Kate Bush 15 - Luke Davison on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 14 - Jeff Cripps on Wheels of Fire by Cream 13 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 2) 12 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 1) 11 - Gossling on O by Damien Rice 10 - Matt Fell on Temple of Low Men by Crowded House 9 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 2) 8 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 1) 7 - Sam Hawksley on A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin 6 - Jim Lauderdale on Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons 5 - Mark Moffatt on Blues Breakers by John Mayall and Eric Clapton 4 - Darren Carr on Ten Easy Pieces by Jimmy Webb 3 - Mark Wells on Revolver by The Beatles 2 - Mike Carr on Arrival by ABBA 1 - Rob Draper on Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/ranking-15-opening-day-matchups-around-baseball/

Ranking the 15 Opening Day matchups around baseball

Opening Day is when the aces come out from their ace caves. Which starting-pitcher matchup is the best?

The mythos of the Opening Day starter appeals to me. Oh, how it appeals to me. It’s everything there is to love about baseball: Arbitrary designations, arguments about those designations, talented baseball men, that Opening Day smell, and a chance to laugh at the less fortunate teams around baseball. When teams announce their Opening Day starters, I am so in.

With that in mind, it’s time to rank all of these Opening Day matchups. While baseball doesn’t have a true, pure opening day anymore, with some teams cordoned off for a special Sunday schedule, we still get 15 of these hand-picked duels, with every team in baseball saying, “This is the best we have, unless we’re dealing with injuries. Or maybe a general organizational malaise that will spread across generations.”

These are the 15 Opening Day starting-pitcher matchups, ranked:

15. Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Graveman (Angels at A’s)

This will mark Nolasco’s 28th year in Major League Baseball, yet this is his first Opening Day start. And, no, I’m not looking that up. Feels true, though.

Nolasco was excellent for the Angels for 11 starts after they acquired him, though his overall season was kind of a drag (4.42 ERA, 93 ERA+). He has the third-highest ERA of any starter with 50 starts or more since 2014, and the two pitchers with worse ERAs are a non-roster invitee (Kyle Kendrick) and someone who’s out of baseball (Tim Lincecum).

Graveman is a perfectly competent starter who’s in this spot because of injury (Sonny Gray) and because the A’s understandably don’t want to shove a second-year player like Sean Manaea in the Opening Day slot.

14. Jeremy Hellickson vs. Scott Feldman (Phillies at Reds)

I used to play baseball with a guy who played with a guy who became the Opening Day starter for the Reds. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to update my Twitter bio, because that sounds really important.

This isn’t No. 15 because Hellickson was kinda sorta okay last year — roughly what Nolasco did with the Angels, but more consistently spread out over the entire year. This still doesn’t have an Opening Day feel to it. And if this matchup happened on May 28, you know there would still be about 12 or 13 more interesting matchups.

13. Jon Gray vs. Junior Guerra (Rockies at Brewers)

Junior Guerra is one of baseball’s best stories. Dude pitched in Spain. Spain. Like, not even Italy or in a honkbal league. SPAIN.

Guerra made a name in Europe during the 2010 season, when he dominated the Spanish Division de Honor, pitching for CBS Sant Boi. He had an 11-1 record with an ERA of 0.89 in 17 games. He struck out 122 in 91 innings, while allowing just 47 hits.

Here come Sant Boi. This is a very good baseball story. That doesn’t mean I want to watch him pitch more than Stephen Strasburg, but don’t make fun.

Jon Gray is a big, strong, pitchery pitcher. That’s a compliment. He got his hair at the Noah Syndergaard Outlet Store, and he’s a solid breakout pick for 2017. This is a better matchup than you think.

12. Edinson Volquez vs. Stephen Strasburg (Marlins at Nationals)

Strasburg isn’t just fun to watch: He’s fun to speculate about and read too much into when he struggles. There might not be an ace-type in baseball that’s better for concern-trolling, which means you’re guaranteed a good time out, regardless of what he does. Also, he’s excellent at pitching and stuff, which counts for a lot. Even though this should be Max Scherzer’s spot, it’s not like we’re suffering too much, here.

Volquez is a known quantity, and even though his 2016 was lousy, he’s still probably fine. Good enough, at least, that he won’t drag Strasburg down too much in this ranking.

11. Marco Estrada vs. Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays at Orioles)

Another surprisingly compelling matchup, but mostly for baseball nerds. Gausman didn’t get enough credit for putting up a 3.61 ERA in Camden Yards in a homer-happy season (his 123 ERA+ tells a more complete story), he’s really here because Chris Tillman is out. That’s okay, though. I like watching Gausman just as much.

Estrada has never cracked 200 innings in a season, but he has had the lowest hits-allowed rate in the American League for two straight years. A strong infield defense helps with that, sure, but he’s still a quality pitcher, and he has been for years. Not bad for a guy the Nationals once waived to make room for Tyler Walker.

10. Danny Duffy vs. Ervin Santana (Royals at Twins)

I spent a lot of time making fun of the Ervin Santana signing. He has been a very consistent starter for many years, and I would like to apologize to him, the Twins organization, and my family because he’s kind of good.

Danny Duffy is better, of course, one of last year’s breakout stars. On a watchability scale, he’s in the second tier of baseball’s best, pushing his way into the top tier. Look at this guy:

9. Jhoulys Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw (Padres at Dodgers)

Of course, this is the most watchable pitcher in baseball — one of the greatest pure talents in baseball history — so it’s hard to rank him anywhere near the bottom. On the other hand, he’s facing Jhoulys Chacin, who is the reason I had to put (Team at Team) next to all the matchups. That’ll ding them in the ranking.

Chacin was really, really good in both 2011 and 2013, so it’s not quite fair to consider him a random journeyman. On the other hand, he wasn’t very effective with the Angels last year, to the point where the Angels were like, nah, we can do better.

That guy is an Opening Day starter. It takes more than Clayton Danged Kershaw to make up for that.

(Padres win, 8-2.)

8. Masahiro Tanaka vs. Chris Archer (Yankees at Rays, Sunday)

And now we have reached the tipping point, where all of the matchups become Unambiguously Good Pitching Matchups. Archer struggled with the home run ball and almost lost 20 games somehow, but you all know he’s still great.

Tanaka finished seventh in the Cy Young voting, making 31 starts and staying healthy all year. Not bad for a guy who was contemplating Tommy John surgery a couple years ago and had surgery to remove bone spurs before the start of last season.

This is the kind of matchup that could be No. 1 next year. Of course, both of them might be on the Dodgers, but that’s a minor concern.

7. Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel (Mariners at Astros)

Cy Young vs. Cy Young. Just, uh, ignore the 2016 season, which wasn’t too hot for either of them.

This is a great matchup, though, because both of their teams are desperately counting on them to be excellent again, so everyone will read way too much into their first outings. It’s almost like a Groundhog Day of first games, where if they see their shadows and pitch seven strong innings, both teams will have five months of summer. If they combine to give up 12 earned runs, the panic will be thick enough to spread on a slice of French bread.

There is nothing better than smooth, creamy panic on a slice of French bread. But these guys are probably going to have strong seasons, so you’ll have to look elsewhere.

6. Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello (Pirates at Red Sox)

My biases come into play here because I automatically thought, “Alright, Gerrit Cole!” That was followed by “Huh. Rick Porcello.” This is because I watch more National League games, I’m sure, but it’s also because I missed the entire Porcello story last year. Dude won the Cy Young. That seems good.

There are instant demerits, though, for being the necessary interleague Opening Day matchup. This is not a classic rivalry. Or a rivalry at all. Also, there are demerits for me wanting to watch Chris Sale instead, which isn’t odd.

Still, Cole vs. Porcello is an excellent, compelling matchup, and it’s the kind that would make you turn on a Pirates/Red Sox game in July. If this is your Opening Day pick, you’ve chosen wisely.

5. Julio Teheran vs. Noah Syndergaard (Braves at Mets)

Syndergaard pitched once vs. the Braves last year. ONCE. Clayton Kershaw made just 21 starts last year, and he still pitched five times against the Giants. So the Braves deserve this. They deserve to see Syndergaard three times in April. Not that I’m bitter.

Teheran is a fine talent, and if you want to move this up the power rankings, go right ahead. This isn’t a seven- or eight-way tie at the top, but that doesn’t mean there are any wrong answers, here.

4. Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke (Giants at Diamondbacks, Sunday)

Last year, this would have been the best matchup, and it wouldn’t have been close. It was a rough year for Greinke, though, and it didn’t get better this spring:

Greinke’s game-by-game velocity including four appearances in Spring Training this year. Not great. pic.twitter.com/BYb1uWijhG

— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) March 25, 2017

I still believe. But a 33-year-old pitcher with diminished velocity and his worst FIP in a decade is a pitcher that should scare you. This matchup is near the top because of name recognition and star power, but your mileage may vary.

Bumgarner, for his part, had what might have been the only good spring training he’s ever had. This makes me worried that he’ll struggle mightily in April, but that’s because I’m a strange, cynical man. He sure looks ready.

3. Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez (Cubs at Cardinals, Sunday)

Carlos Martinez might be the most underrated starter in baseball. His nickname is Tsunami, and he should just go by it at all times, like Rock Raines on the 1989 Topps.

Guys, I’m Rock now. Thanks for understanding.

If Martinez does that with “Tsunami,” he’s talked about in the same breath as Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, like he should be. As is, it takes some gentle prodding and a reminder that he’s an extraordinary pitcher to justify a ranking like this.

Say, how did he get the nickname, “Tsunami?”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs on my road to the Big Leagues, but for the sake of this blog let’s just say there was a WAVE of adversity.

I don’t get it.

2. Justin Verlander vs. Jose Quintana (Tigers at White Sox)

Last year’s Cy Young should-be vs. a walking trade rumor. I love this matchup so. The contrast in styles is fun, too, with Verlander the classic, strong right-handed ace, and Quintana the left-handed control monster (though not exactly a soft-tosser). It would be a lot cooler of a matchup if the White Sox were any good, but at least they are when Quintana pitches.

There are fewer than 10 “Of course we’re starting this guy” matchups on this list. This is the most obvious one, really. The cliff after these two is steep, but at least we’ll get the best of the best on Opening Day.

1. Corey Kluber vs. Yu Darvish (Indians at Rangers)

Never forget:

That is still one of the greatest baseball GIFs ever made, and it works so well because Yu Darvish is a wonder. He’s one of the most delightful pitchers to watch, and of course he’s starting Opening Day. He deserves it.

Corey Kluber is made out of gears and sprockets, a steampunk version of a mechanical pitcher, and his silent consistency doesn’t take away from his exhilarating stuff. He just goes out there and pitches better than the other guy.

UNLESS THE OTHER GUY IS YU DARVISH. Maybe. I mean, that’s the point. We’ll see.

Those are the best Opening Day duels, from Nolasco/Graveman to Kluber/Darvish. The most important part is that baseball is back, and we get to watch it. Here, have some Cy Young winners and assorted aces. This’ll help make up for the dumb winter, which is dumb every year.

[dylanreviewsthings]

Pearl Jam Set The Bar For Rock High With "Ten"

We've reached the end of grunge appreciation month, and we're ending it all off with the only band whose lead singer is still alive: Pearl Jam. The band arrived on the scene late enough for them to be criticized for jumping on the bandwagon, but they truly owned the grunge sound.

Pearl Jam set the bar for rock high with Ten, their 1991 debut. In all honesty, Pearl Jam set the bar for grunge despite being criticized for trying to get with the trend - this album came out before definitive records like Nirvana's Nevermind or Soundgarden's Superunknown. Eddie Vedder and co. truly smashed it out of the park with giant riffs, powerful vocals, and everything that makes rock giant.

Ten begins strongly and stays rolling for its 78 minute run. 'Once' introduces the record with blistering drive, the huge roll and grand vocals leading to a powerful beginning. The guitar reaches epic heights - a characteristic that this record loves to establish time and time again without wearing it out. 'Even Flow' keeps that notion going with its wild rock atmosphere, 'Alive' following through again with a more alternative presence with a celebratory vibe, exploding with a huge guitar solo at the end.

If there was a single word to describe this record, it would be, undoubtedly, "epic." Every song peaks with some glorious expression of energy, whether its later in the record with the blues driven '2,000 Mile Blues' or electrifying sounds of 'Porch,' Pearl Jam starts on a high and never slows down. There are some truly epic moments on this record, especially at its core. After 'Porch' (which is a highlight on its own), 'Garden' with its thick riffs and beautiful melodies and 'Deep' with its epic riff and soaring vocals from Vedder dominate the middle of the record, giving the album a peak. Things so slow down after these songs, with no track really exploding like before, but nothing too considerable.

Pearl Jam doesn't shy away from emotion when delivering their frenzy of riffs. The emotions come out most most clearly on tracks where Vedder roars, like on 'Garden,' where you can really feel the emotion in his voice as he sings, and on 'Release; Master / Slave' when he triumphantly begs "release me." . 'Black' is the emotional highpoint of the record, the depression-laden song pretending all is happy around them when all there is is just darkness. The classic "upbeat vibe when singing of depression" found its foundations here. The anger and distraught of 'Jeremy' also comes out powerfully as the song tells the story of a boy who shot himself in his high school English class.

Peral Jam set the bar for rock high with Ten, and to this day their precedent still holds. The grunge era was a time of angst and sadness and seclusion, and most notably, a time when people who were afraid to speak their minds found comfort in music. Grunge tackled what it means to be a musician: to let your emotions run free. It's okay to be sad and angry. That's in part thanks to grunge, and all the music out there today telling you the same thing.

Favorite Tracks: Garden, Jeremy, Porch, Black

Least Favorite Track: Evil Little Goat

Rating: 84 / 100

Stream or buy Ten on Apple Music: 

[laura-elizabeth91]

Theresa, behind the mask

Boyfriends before Philip. Exploding puds. Her neighbours the Clooneys. When JAN MOIR spent this week with the usually inscrutable PM, she saw the real woman so many non-Tories are warming to

ON A spring morning this week, Prime Minister Theresa May strides across the concourse at London’s king’s Cross station. As she hurries to catch a north-bound train, few recognise her — or even give her a second glance. Look closer, and you will see that she is surrounded by discreet security men and a dapper civil servant who walks behind carrying her ministerial red box, packed away in an anonymous black bag.

To a man, they keep pace with Mrs May, her leopard- skin pumps marching briskly onwards, her stylish pale blue handbag swinging in her grasp. She insists to me later that there is nothing special inside. ‘I haven’t got a furry toy or anything like that in my handbag.’ however, as it is such a random thing to say, I immediately suspect that she does. Yet a sentimental token would not be Very Theresa, would it? For it would not match the public perception of the studious only child and vicar’s daughter, the duty-first politician who promises to deliver Brexit and who has enjoyed a 37-point lead over Jeremy Corbyn as the best person to run this country.

It is said of Mrs May that her reputation for frivolity begins and ends with her choice of shoes, but — as I am to discover — that is not true.

During the time I have spent with her this week — between Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and London — Mrs May emerges as a serious person, of course, but a warm character who is happy to admit to once accidentally blowing up desserts in her own kitchen, making a mess of her nail polish, and her romantic life before meeting husband Philip.

She seemed perfectly at ease, too, sitting down in a pub on the campaign trail to have a proper chat with voters.

These people, I noted, all affectionately called her ‘ Theresa’ rather than anything formal.

Remarkable, really, considering that over the past 20 years in the public eye as an MP, and Cabinet minister since 2010, she has given very little away about herself or her personal life.

Yet all that has suddenly changed. On television this week, in her first ever joint- interview with her husband, she spoke about ‘girl’ jobs’ and ‘ boy’ jobs’ on the domestic front. At home, Philip takes the bins out, she explained on BBC’s The One Show, while she does the cooking.

Inevitably, from the usual predictable quarters, accusations of old-fashioned sexist attitudes with regard to the division of labour between couples were directed at the Mays. For her part, Mrs May dismisses such absurd views with a wave of the hand.

She says she believes that ‘most couples have certain ways of doing things,’ adding: ‘There are things that Philip does and there are things that I do. It is not that there are chores that are always for the girl or always for the boy. It is just how we split things up.’

Another very personal revelation this week came when she broached the subject of her childlessness. The topic had first become an issue during the Tory leadership battle ten months ago when her short-lived rival Andrea Leadsom suggested that, as a mother, she had an indisputable edge over Mrs May.

At the time, Mrs May understandably said she liked to keep her ‘ personal life personal’, but added that she and Philip ‘ dealt with’ the fact they couldn’t have children and ‘moved on’.

Yet this week, on TV, she talked of how she had been the subject of ‘fake news’ as a young wife, when a newspaper mistakenly stated that she was pregnant. her mother-inlaw, she said, was disappointed when she learnt the truth.

During a subsequent radio interview with Nick Ferrari on LBC, when asked how she might have been different if she had children, Mrs May said: ‘I think it’s impossible to answer the question about how I would have been. It’s been very sad — it just turned out not to be possible for us. We’re not the only couple who find themselves in that situation.’

TALKING after her TV sofa interview with Philip, she tells me that she came to terms with her situation when she was a young woman in her 30s and hopes the showbizzy introduction of her husband to the electorate — and this uncharacteristic burst of frankness about not being a mother — will give ‘a broader picture of me and of us together, because I am asking people to put their trust in me and that is only fair to do that’.

Now on board the train darting North out of king’s Cross, she settles into her seat and attends to government business; taking calls, being briefed by her aides, talking to her civil servant.

Today, she is wearing her Vivienne Westwood tartan suit, the one she wore to launch her leadership bid and also when she made her keynote speech earlier this year setting out, in the clearest terms, her target for achieving Brexit.

When pundits called it her lucky suit, she swore it would never make a re-appearance. Why the change of heart?

‘I’m only wearing half of it,’ she says, pointing to her black trousers — and then, typical of a woman who gets upset when fashion magazines obsess about her choice of clothes, adds: ‘Who can afford to wear an outfit only once?’

Despite the occasional designer extravagance, everything about her screams restraint, discipline and order.

her recipe for scones does not contain too much butter, she has stopped dyeing her hair blonde and now lets the grey roll in, she often buys her statement jewellery in craft shops (‘I’m always on the lookout for bits and pieces’) and she never has a manicure but does her own nails at home instead.

‘Always a rush job. I never have enough time. Don’t look at them too closely,’ she says.

An aide passes over a chicken and avocado salad in a bag — her lunch on the run. At some point during this meal, she will discreetly inject herself in the stomach with insulin, a procedure she must do twice a day following her 2012 diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.

Like all diabetics, Mrs May also always has a sugar lump or a glucose drink close to hand in case she needs a boost.

She maintains her health by eating carefully and going to the gym regularly, sometimes with a trainer and sometimes alone.

‘I’ll do weights, I’ll do rowing. I will plank sometimes [an excruciating exercise that involves lying flat on the floor, raising yourself on your tiptoes and elbows and holding yourself in that position], but it is not my favourite thing to do.

‘But as far as I am concerned, being a diabetic doesn’t change anything other than I have a routine to follow each day.’

And what a routine that is – particularly during an election campaign. During my time with the Prime Minister, she kept to a gruelling pace without flagging.

I would crawl home each night absolutely shattered, while she carried on working. By the time I groggily awoke the next morning, she would have had meetings with bigwigs such as the Secretary general of Nato, or opened a major international conference to help tackle problems in Somalia or held talks with the President of kenya.

Out on the road — be it Leeds, Nottingham or Scunthorpe — she bangs the drum for her ‘strong and stable government’ (hurrah) as opposed to the misery that an opposition ‘ coalition of chaos’ (boo) would bring. She visits steel-

works and factories, she knocks on doors, she rallies candidates and meets with business leaders.

She holds meetings on the move with her staff in basement kitchens that smell of yesterday’s lunch. She roars through Sherwood Forest in her motorcade, and has a drink with supporters in a Lincolnshire pub where she orders, well, guess what? ‘A boring sparkling water, please.’

Throughout all this, absolutely nothing rattles her. In the pub, a woman tells her that, after a lifetime of supporting Labour, she will vote Conservative on June 8.

She tells the PM it’s because ‘you strike me as a very sincere person’. Mrs May beams and thanks her, happily posing for a selfie.

This is not the first time I hear this sentiment expressed on the stump, yet Mrs Mayurges caution among her team. ‘We are taking nothing for granted,’ she says.

While canvassing on the doorstep in the Lincolnshire village of Messingham, someone starts heckling the PM about her surprise announcement that if re-elected, the Tories would allow a free Commons vote on fox-hunting.

Mrs May listens carefully. She tells the man that it was ‘nice to meet you anyway’ and moves on, as controlled as an icebreaker steaming through the creaking bergs. No wonder she can’t remember the last time she cried or lost her temper.

‘Not that it hasn’t happened, just that it is so rare. I don’t cry. I don’t shout and scream. I don’t go around sticking pins in wax effigies of people. In fact, I don’t do wax effigies at all,’ she says. ‘I just get on with it.’

The true blue posters and the slogans on the campaign bus talk of Theresa May’s Team rather than The Conservative Party.

But this is nothing to do with a wish to turn the election campaign into a presidential- style battle, more a reflection of the fact that she scores way above the party itself in private polling. The more people see of her, the more they like her.

After the glossy chumocracy and Flashman swagger of the Cameron era, it seems her head-girl sense of duty and diligence are exactly what the country needs. Smug metropolitan types like to sneer at Mrs May, but I cherish her sincerity and calmness, the equanimity of her approach to Brexit.

Unlike certain career politicians, she didn’t go to Westminster to use it as a stepping stone to a plum job such as making a fortune on the after- dinner circuit, becoming a non-executive director or running a museum.

‘I came into politics to make a difference, to improve people’s lives,’ she says — and I honestly believe she really means it.

UNDAUNTED by being described by a Tory colleague as ‘a bloody difficult woman’, she used the phrase about herself earlier this month following reports that she and her chief eU antagonist, Jean- Claude Juncker, had clashed during a fraught downing Street dinner.

Certainly, there is a resolution and steeliness about her, traits that lie at the heart of what some are calling Mayism — although she doesn’t recognise the term herself.

‘I don’t think there is such a thing as ‘Mayism’. I am a Conservative and what I am promoting is Conservatism.’

A life - long church- going Christian, she believes in the power of prayer — but she won’t reveal if she prays every day or not.

‘I am not going to go into exactly what I pray and when I pray. Why is everyone so interested in this?’ she laughs.

In a life that has not been without disappointment and loss, her faith has seen her through difficult times. Her vicar father died in a car crash, aged 64, the year after he officiated at her wedding to Philip. Then her mother contracted multiple sclerosis and died a year later.

‘My faith helped me, but so did having the support of Philip, my rock. Having somebody there supporting me was tremendously important as well.’

She says there were boyfriends before Philip, but he was Mr Right. The couple were introduced by fellow Oxford student Benazir Bhutto (who went on to become prime minister of Pakistan) and they married in 1980.

‘I hadn’t been properly in love before, if I can put it like that. Sometimes, when you are young you think you are attracted to somebody, then someone comes along and you realise wow, this is the real thing.’

Philip’s appearance alongside her on a television chat show sofa this week was clearly an important development in the PM’s election campaign strategy.

The significance was reinforced by the care that went into the presentation. Backstage, Fiona Hill, Mrs May’s all-powerful joint chief of staff, was asked by a tieless Mr May before going in front of the cameras: ‘ Jacket buttoned or unbuttoned?’

‘I think unbuttoned,’ Hill tells him. She added: ‘ enjoy getting your make-up done, Philip!’ Mr May gives a little showbiz shimmy, like Liza Minnelli in the film Cabaret, to show that he is game.

Mr and Mrs May — 59 and 60 — are clearly devoted to each other and, like so many older couples, have developed obvious, deep bonds of affection and closeness.

He now works only four days a week as an executive at a finance company in the City, so they can spend more time together.

In years to come, they are exactly the kind of happy, retired couple you might see at the breakfast buffet at a seaside hotel, each insisting the other has the last poached egg.

Is he her new secret weapon, I wonder, and will we be seeing more of him?

‘I don’t know about that,’ says Mrs May, raising an eyebrow. ‘He was a little nervous beforehand, but he enjoyed the television experience.’

After recording the show, they went back to downing Street to have a typical supper together.

‘Philip had brought a quiche from Waitrose, I made a dressing for a salad and then we had some fruit,’ she says.

They prefer spending time at her constituency home in a Berkshire village rather than the rather grander environs of Chequers — although they do like to go walking in the ‘lovely countryside’ there.

Their Berkshire residence is a ‘ home that we built together’, where Philip takes out the bins and Theresa cooks.

Her most recent triumph was a recipe by Thomasina Miers (winner of TV’s MasterChef in 2005): spicy, marinated lamb cutlets which were patently ‘delicious!’.

But she has known culinary disasters, too. ‘I once tried to replicate from memory something we had eaten when we were on holiday, which was a pudding baked and served in little glass jars. So I cooked it in the jars, but when I took them out and opened them, they exploded.’

Near neighbours are George and Amal Clooney, although the couples’ paths have yet to cross.

‘No, I have not seen him,’ she says. ‘In fact, I think I am the only person in the village who hasn’t met him.’

PERHAPS she should put him on the guest list for one of her spicy lamb suppers? ‘I don’t think I was intending to invite him, so no,’ she says.

Well, that is Very Theresa, if I may say so, very much a plank of Mayism.

Can you imagine david Cameron or Tony Blair being so indifferent to an A-list Hollywood celebrity in their midst?

dave would be pressing the star for contacts and introductions, maybe a product-placement in his next film for one of his wife’s designer frocks. Tony would be wondering if the actor’s 22-room villa by Lake Como in Italy might be available gratis in August.

But Mrs May? She doesn’t care. She just wants to get on with doing her best for everyone in Britain — and finding time to experiment with outre pudding recipes.

Underneath her re- purposed jackets and smart slacks, behind her armour-plated prudence and persistence she is a truly remarkable woman, the genuine article in a world of careerist phoneys.

Amen to that, as she might say herself.

http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx#

[flauntpage]

Down Goes Brown Grab Bag: Crosby's Injury, Playoff Outrage, And The Draft Lottery

(Editor's note: Welcome to Sean McIndoe's weekly grab bag, where he writes on a variety of NHL topics. You can follow him on Twitter. Check out the Biscuits podcast with Sean and Dave Lozo as they discuss the events of the week.)

Three stars of comedy

The third star: This Predators fan—We'll get to the whole P.K. Subban dancing controversy in a bit, but let's just say that Nashville fans get it.

It

— Preds Warmup Signs (@PredsSigns) April 30, 2017

In related news, the Rangers can do stuff like this in the warmup and apparently nobody cares.

The second star: Chris Pratt—OK, technically, this is from three years ago. But Pratt just reposted it on Twitter recently, and it was the first time I'd ever seen it, so we're grandfathering it in.

Sudden Death really is just about the greatest movie ever made. We broke down the mascot fight in the YouTube section four years back, but that's not really enough. We should probably do another scene from that movie some time soon. Hmmm...

The first star: Taylor Hall—Apparently he listens to the podcast.

Officially adding

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 30, 2017

My favorite part of that joke is that it's still only the second funniest lottery-related tweet of Hall's career, trailing this one from two years ago.

Outrage of the week

We're three weeks into the playoffs, and you know what that means. We've reached outrage overflow mode, that inevitable point in the postseason where everyone is on edge and there's so much happening that our capacity to rationally discuss anything just disappears completely. We're going to have to break out the lightning round this week.

The issue: Sidney Crosby has another concussion after an ugly collision with Matt Niskanen, one that was helped along by a nasty Alexander Ovechkin slash.

The outrage: The play was dirty!

Is it justified: Seeing Crosby down and out like that was awful, just about the worst-case scenario for any hockey fan. It doesn't matter who you cheer for—hell, even if you're a Capitals fan—you don't want to see the league's most important player out with another head injury.

That said, the play itself was anything but black-and-white. I'm pretty sure I've watched it hundreds of times so far, and I'm still not sure if it was dirty. I didn't like the Ovechkin slash, which should have been at least two minutes. But Penguins fans just finished spending the last few weeks telling us that a hard slash on a puck-carrier is a hockey play, so that outrage only goes so far. The Niskanen half was the tough one, and I still see a player realizing that a falling opponent is about to crash into him and putting his hands up to protect himself.

Not everyone agrees. Maybe Niskanen really did sense an opportunity to target Crosby's head. But I'm still not sure, and I lean towards it ultimately being careless and maybe even reckless, but not dirty.

The issue: The Department of Player Safety didn't suspend Niskanen, or even hold a hearing.

The outrage: The DoPS never suspends anyone during the playoffs!

Is it justified: We've been over this before. If you want tougher sentences during the playoffs, have the GMs and owner instruct the DoPS to call it that way. But based on the standards that have been established over the years, it's no surprise that Niskanen didn't get anything beyond the game he'd already missed as a result of being ejected. It would have been unusual if he had.

The issue: Pittsburgh reporter Rob Rossi challenged Washington coach Barry Trotz about the play, wrote a column accusing the Capitals of intentionally targeting Crosby, and then made the media rounds to push the theory.

The outrage: That take is nuts. Let's spend the next two days talking about it!

Is it justified: The accusation about Capitals players planning Crosby's demise was out of bounds, especially in a post-Todd Bertuzzi league. He was widely criticized and mocked, and rightly so. Rossi's done some good work over the years, but there's no defending that take.

That said, as Elliotte Friedman pointed out this week, this seems to be the direction that a lot of sports journalism is headed. Lots of people wrote measured, thoughtful takes on the Crosby injury. If you ended up talking about Rossi instead, well, that tells you all you need to know. Attention is the currency of today's media, and now more than ever, you get what you pay for.

The issue: Nick Bonino drew a crucial penalty on Wednesday by embellishing a high-stick from T.J. Oshie.

The outrage: Hockey fans hate this stuff.

Is it justified: Sure, but the problem is that this is how the game works now, diving and embellishment works. There's a good chance you get the call. Every now and then, you'll get called for faking, but most of the time the ref will still take the other guy too. Unless you're completely obvious, they'll almost never take just the diver. Lots of players do this stuff, Oshie included.

Could the league fix it? Not totally, although encouraging refs to just take one guy more often would help. So suggest cranking up the post-game fines—drop five figures on someone who pulls a Bonino and at least a few guys might think twice. But you can never get rid of this stuff entirely, short of making everything open to review. And it's hard to think anyone wants even more reviews.

The issue: There aren't enough bathrooms in the new Edmonton arena and now their media want everyone to start peeing in the sinks.

The outrage: That's... wait, what?

Is it justified: Yeah, I don't get this one either. Let's just keep moving.

The issue: Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs says he doesn't think the NHL will go to the Olympics because it's not worth the effort for "the four people that watch it".

The outrage: The NHL really does hate its fans.

Is it justified: I'm sure the league's key television partner was thrilled to hear Jacobs trash-talking the viewership potential of an event it pays billions to broadcast. Just a thought, but the NHL might want to ease up on side-eying anyone else's ratings. But it was certainly interesting to see an owner as influential as Jacobs say "I don't think it's going to happen" about something we've already been told definitely won't happen. Gosh, it's almost as if the league is still posturing here.

The issue: P.K. Subban danced during a warmup and Mike Milbury called him a clown.

The outrage: Nobody likes Mike Milbury.

Is it justified: The clown take was terrible and pretty much everyone knows it, including Milbury, who backed off the comments fairly quickly. The NHL needs a lot of things, but more lectures from the fun police isn't on the list. Here's hoping Subban dances all the way to the Stanley Cup final.

The issue: This is too much outrage.

The outrage: Seriously, we're all exhausted.

Is it justified: Pace yourself, we still have five weeks of this stuff to go.

Obscure former player of the week

Earlier this week, Ottawa's Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals in a game, becoming only the 12th player to do so in the last 30 years. So who's the most obscure player in that group? Well... it's probably Pageau, to be honest. But it seems a little early to hand him those honors, so let's go with Tony Hrkac.

Hrkac was taken in the second round of the 1984 entry draft when the Blues decided to show up for a change. He made his NHL debut in 1987, and played part of three seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the Nordiques. That would be the first of many moves over the course of his career; he'd go on to be traded six times, sign five free agent deals, get claimed on waivers once and be picked in the 1998 expansion draft.

All in all, he played for nine NHL teams over his career, despite spending several years in the IHL in the mid-90s. He appeared in his last NHL game for the Thrashers in 2003, although he continued playing off and on in the minors until 2010.

There are two things most fans of the era remember about Tony Hrkac. First, his last name was pronounced "hur-kuss", so everyone called him "the Hrkac Circus". And more importantly, he had one of the best playoff games ever as a rookie in 1988. That night, in game five of their first-round series, Hrkac lit up Chicago's Darren Pang for four goals including a short-handed winner in a 6-5 Blues win.

Hrkac's four-goal playoff game was the first that the NHL had seen in almost 24... hours. Buffalo's John Tucker had done it the night before against Boston. But the feat wouldn't be matched again for 12 whole days, when Mark Johnson pulled it off against the Capitals. What can I tell you, the late-80s were fun.

Be It Resolved

Saturday's draft lottery resulted in three longshots moving into the top three picks, including the Flyers, who had the 13th worst record but will pick second. Meanwhile, terrible teams like the Avalanche and Canucks and the expansion Golden Knights all dropped way down.

Is that fair? Not really. The lottery is kind of a mess. But if that's news to you, then you haven't been paying attention over the years. And you can't start complaining now just because your team was the one that got screwed.

First things first: We shouldn't even have a lottery. There's a far better system for determining draft order while still weighting everything in favor of the worst teams. It's called the Gold Plan, I've written about it a ton, and you're probably sick of me mentioning it. But it's roughly a million times fairer than random ping pong ball drawings, and a lot more exciting to boot. If you're not already on board, now's a good time to join us.

But let's assume that the league wants to keep a lottery system. After all, this is the NHL, the league where everything is fine and nothing should ever change. If you want to keep the ping pong balls and the weighted odds, then sometimes, the longshots will win. That's a feature, not a bug.

This whole thing is classic NHL. Design a system that we all know could result in a specific scenario; appear to be totally fine with that possibility; wait until that scenario inevitably plays out; then demand the system be changed because the thing you always knew might happen finally did.

We already did it with the Connor McDavid lottery a few years ago, when the Oilers won for a third time and everyone complained even though we knew Edmonton had decent odds going in. We did it with the skate-in-the-crease rule that everyone insisted was just fine right up until it showed up on a Cup-winning goal, at which point it was immediately scrapped. We're doing it right now with the offside review and puck-over-glass, badly implemented rules that won't be changed until they cost some team a playoff series. Which they absolutely will. We just need to wait long enough.

Should teams like the Avalanche have better odds? Maybe. Should teams like the Flyers have any odds at all? Maybe not. But these were all questions to be asking before Saturday's drawing. If you didn't have a problem with the system then but do now, you're either being disingenuous or you don't understand how probabilities work.

Either way, it would be nice for this league and its fans to want to solve a problem in advance for once, instead of slipping into knee-jerk reaction mode whenever the inevitable happens.

Classic YouTube clip breakdown

So the Washington Capitals are peppering the Penguins with shots, but can't score because Marc-Andre Fleury is playing like some sort of mid-90s action hero. You know what other Penguins' goalie played like a mid-90s action hero?

Oh hell yeah.

If you're not familiar with Sudden Death, you should a.) acknowledge that you have fundamentally failed as a person somewhere along the line and b.) head over to this excellent SB Nation tribute. But if you need the short version: The Blackhawks and Penguins are facing each other in game seven of the Stanley Cup final, terrorists are trying to blow up the arena, and Jean Claude Van Damme is here to karate fight everyone in the building.

At this point, we're well into the move. We've already seen Luc Robitaille swear and Van Damme use a supersoaker full of lighter fluid to end a dude, but have not yet seen a helicopter crash at center ice.

Also, Van Damme has already killed the Penguins' mascot with a dishwasher. Have I mentioned this is the greatest movie ever made? It totally is.

So at this point, we're late in the game and the Blackhawks are leading. Even worse, Penguins' starting goalie Brad Tolliver has left the game with the flu. Fun fact: Tolliver was played by former Penguin Jay Caufield, even though Caufield wasn't a goalie. I'm starting to think this movie might not be very realistic, you guys.

Van Damme has stolen Tolliver's uniform because of reasons, and he returns to the game. Well, he returns to the bench, where he sits in the middle of all the players, the way goalies do. His coach comes over and orders his unhealthy player back onto the ice, because this was 1995.

By the way, the two announcers are the Penguins' real life duo of Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald. I love that Mike "Scratch My Back With a Hacksaw" Lange has his own IMDB page.

Brad Tolliver wasn't a real player. But as we hear from the arena announcer, the guy he's replacing is: It's Ken Wregget, playing himself. This game is going to end with the arena getting blown up by a helicopter, making it the second biggest hockey-related disaster Wregget has ever been a part of, behind the 1984-85 Maple Leafs.

"I don't know what he did back in the locker room." Uh, he has the flu, guys. I'm pretty sure we can narrow it down to a couple of options.

We get an extended sequence of Van Damme trying to figure out where to look and how to stand while praying the puck won't come near him, aka "the Brian Elliott". He eventually responds to a breakaway by charging out and flipping his opponent into the air, which is completely ridiculous because only a psychopath would ever do that.

"He hit his head on the ice... he hit it so hard his kids will be born dizzy." In the modern remake, this is the point where the concussion spotters will call down and the movie will end.

Tony Amonte gets his second breakaway of the shift because apparently the Penguins are being coached by Jared Bednar. Still woozy from his brain injury, Van Damme drops down and makes a highlight reel glove save. In what stands as easily the worst part of the movie, his Penguins teammates celebrate by raising their sticks in the air like they just scored. This is so stupid that I'm amazed The Love Guru didn't think of it.

This is the point where our clip ends, but it's not the end of Van Damme's goaltending adventures. He realizes that he can't save the world if he's stuck on the ice, so he does the only reasonable thing: Grabs a random Blackhawks player and sucker punches him to start a line brawl. Because the script writers have never actually seen playoff hockey, this results in the referees actually giving him a penalty, getting him out of the game and back into the terrorist-murdering business.

Sudden Death came out in December 1995, because the world had been good and deserved a Christmas present. It made several billion of dollars and won every Academy Award, but ushered in the Dead Puck Era of the NHL because the league's goalies now had access to Jean Claude Van Damme game film while coaches started focusing on defending the neutral zone in case a helicopter crashed there.

There have been 20 Stanley Cup finals since this movie came out, and the Blackhawks and Penguins have combined to win 25% of them. You do the math.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com.

Down Goes Brown Grab Bag: Crosby's Injury, Playoff Outrage, And The Draft Lottery published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[mrjeremydylan]

My Favorite Album #207 - Eilish Gilligan on Counting Crows ‘August and Everything After’ (1993), introversion and mental illness in musicians, proper nouns in songs and more

Despite being a baby when it was released, Melbourne singer/songwriter Eilish Gilligan has long been fascinated by the Counting Crows classic 'August and Everything After', an album that captured the existential malaise of a generation when it was released in 1993.

We talk about how Eilish's relationship with songs like 'Round Here' have changed over the years as she's gone from child to teen to young woman, how Adam Duritz's mental health issues manifest in his lyrics, why Gang of Youths are the Counting Crows of today, extroverted introverts in the music world, how seeing Counting Crows live taught Eilish to be a better performer and why she'd rather listen to this record than many of the classics that influenced it.

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here or in other podcasting apps by copying/pasting our RSS feed - http://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/rss My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album’s influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

LINKS

- Eilish Gilligan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

- Buy ‘August and Everything After’ here.

- Jeremy Dylan’s website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.

- Like the podcast on Facebook here.

- If you dig the show, please leave a rating or review of the show on iTunes here.

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Lydia Loveless on Pleased to Meet Me by the Replacements 90. Gena Rose Bruce on The Boatman’s Call by Nick Cave 89. Kitty Daisy and Lewis on A Swingin’ Safari by Bert Kaempfert 88. Will Hoge on Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music by Ray Charles 87. Shane Nicholson on 52nd St by Billy Joel 86 - Tired Lion on Takk… by Sigur Ros 85 - Whispering Bob Harris on Forever Changes by Love 84 - Jake Stone (Bluejuice) on Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five 83 - Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) on Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience 82 - Dom Alessio on OK Computer by Radiohead 81 - Anthony Albanese MP on The Good Son by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 80 - John Waters on Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience 79 - Jim DeRogatis (Sound Opinions) on Clouds Taste Metallic by The Flaming Lips 78 - Montaigne on The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes 77 - Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd) on Quadrophenia by The Who 76 - Homer Steinweiss (Dap Kings) on Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis 75 - Best of 2015 (So Far) ft. Danny Yau, Montaigne, Harts, Joelistics, Rose Elinor Dougall and Burke Reid 74 - Matt Farley (Motern Media) on RAM by Paul McCartney BONUS - Neil Finn on The Beatles, Neil Young, David Bowie and Radiohead 73 - Grace Farriss (Burn Antares) on All Things Must Pass by George Harrison 72 - Katie Noonan on Blue by Joni Mitchell 71 - Harts on Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix 70 - Tim Rogers (You Am I) on Bring the Family by John Hiatt 69 - Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors) on The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen 68 - Jeremy Neale on Graceland by Paul Simon 67 - Joelistics on Graceland by Paul Simon 66 - Brian Nankervis (RocKwiz) on Astral Weeks by Van Morrison 65 - ILUKA on Pastel Blues by Nina Simone 64 - Rose Elinor Dougall on Tender Buttons by Broadcast 63 - Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus) on Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins 62 - Keyone Starr on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 61 - Chase Bryant on Defying Gravity by Keith Urban 60 - Brian Koppelman on Southeastern by Jason Isbell 59 - Michael Carpenter on The Beatles White Album Side 4 58 - Pete Kilroy (Hey Geronimo) on The Beatles White Album Side 3 57 - Mark Wells on The Beatles White Album Side 2 56 - Jeff Greenstein on Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants 55 - Laura Bell Bundy on Shania Twain, Otis Redding and Bright Eyes 54 - Jake Clemons on Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan 53 - Kristian Bush (Sugarland) on The Joshua Tree by U2 52 - Kevin Bennett (The Flood) on Willis Alan Ramsey by Willis Alan Ramsey 51 - Lee Brice on Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars 50 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on the White Album (Side 1) by The Beatles 49 - Joe Camilleri on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 48 - Russell Morris on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 47 - Mike Rudd (Spectrum) on England’s Newest Hitmakers by The Rolling Stones 46 - Henry Wagons on Harvest by Neil Young 45 - Megan Washington on Poses by Rufus Wainwright 44 - Andrew Hansen (The Chaser) on Armchair Theatre by Jeff Lynne 43 - She Rex on BlakRoc by The Black Keys 42 - Catherine Britt on Living with Ghosts by Patty Griffin 41 - Robyn Hitchcock on Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon 40 - Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) on Transformer by Lou Reed 39 - Harry Hookey on Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan 38 - Rob Draper on Faith by George Michael 37 - Best of 2014 ft. Danny Yau, Andrew Hansen, Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) and Mike Carr 36 - Doug Pettibone on Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris 35 - Ross Ryan on Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne 34 - Michael Carpenter on Hard Promises by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 33 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe 32 - Zane Carney on Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery 31 - Tony Buchen on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles 30 - Simon Relf (The Tambourine Girls) on On the Beach by Neil Young 29 - Peter Cooper on In Search of a Song by Tom T Hall 28 - Thelma Plum on Stolen Apples by Paul Kelly 27 - James House on Rubber Soul by the Beatles 26 - Ella Hooper on Let England Shake by PJ Harvey 25 - Abbey Road Special 24 - Alyssa Bonagura on Room for Squares by John Mayer 23 - Luke Davison (The Preatures) on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 22 - Neil Finn on Hunky Dory by David Bowie and In Rainbows by Radiohead 21 - Neil Finn on Beatles for Sale by the Beatles and After the Goldrush by Neil Young 20 - Morgan Evans on Diorama by Silverchair 19 - Emma Swift on Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams 18 - Danny Yau on Hourly Daily by You Am I 17 - J Robert Youngtown and Jon Auer (The Posies) on Hi Fi Way by You Am I 16 - Lester the Fierce on Hounds of Love by Kate Bush 15 - Luke Davison on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 14 - Jeff Cripps on Wheels of Fire by Cream 13 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 2) 12 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 1) 11 - Gossling on O by Damien Rice 10 - Matt Fell on Temple of Low Men by Crowded House 9 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 2) 8 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 1) 7 - Sam Hawksley on A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin 6 - Jim Lauderdale on Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons 5 - Mark Moffatt on Blues Breakers by John Mayall and Eric Clapton 4 - Darren Carr on Ten Easy Pieces by Jimmy Webb 3 - Mark Wells on Revolver by The Beatles 2 - Mike Carr on Arrival by ABBA 1 - Rob Draper on Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan

[cabiba]

Forget left and right — the new divide in politics is between nationalists and globalists. Donald Trump’s team believe that he won because he was the America First candidate, defying the old rules of politics. His nationalist rhetoric on everything from trade to global security enabled him to flip traditionally Democratic, blue-collar states and so to defeat that personification of the post-war global order, Hillary Clinton.

The presidential election in France is being fought on these lines, too. Marine Le Pen is the nationalist candidate, a hybrid of the hard right and the far left. She talks of quitting the European single currency and of bringing immigration down to 10,000 a year, while cursing international capitalism with an almost socialist fervour. Her likely second round opponent, the ex-finance minister Emmanuel Macron (profiled on p. 12), is the globalist candidate: a former Rothschild banker who believes in a eurozone budget, the Schengen borderless area and the need for France to deregulate.

Theresa May’s strategy is designed for a nationalist vs globalist era. Her response isn’t to embrace either extreme, but to try to chart a third way between them. She wants to be the politician who squares the circle, who makes globalisation work for those who feel left behind by the current system. Nationalistic enough to speak to her country’s concerns; globalist enough to make Brexit Britain a champion of free trade and an international success.

At first blush, it might seem surprising that it is a British Conservative Prime Minister who is attempting to tackle the problems of globalisation. Since Margaret Thatcher’s time, the caricature of the British centre-right has been that it is happy to let the market rip. But this is a shallow reading of British conservatism. Indeed, May is attempting to tackle these problems precisely because she is a British Conservative.

The genius of the British political system is that it is more responsive to popular concern than any other form of government in the world. This is why our Parliament has so many anachronisms: an upper chamber with unelected hereditary peers; a state opening where Black Rod summons the Commons to the Lords to hear the monarch while a government whip is held hostage at Buckingham Palace — it’s what happens when you haven’t had a revolution for more than 300 years. The British system has, instead, evolved through the ages. Its responsiveness and adaptability explain how this country has avoided both extremist governments and powerful populist parties, and why a House of Commons that was overwhelmingly in favour of Remain has adjusted so quickly to the vote to Leave.

There is no shortage of concern about how the economic system is operating; the wealthiest have had by far the best of the post-crash recovery. So, in true British fashion, the May government is attempting to respond to this concern. And its response is distinctly conservative too. May likes to point out, as she did in The Spectator’s Christmas interview, that since Edmund Burke, conservatives have believed ‘that if you value something, if you want to preserve it, there will be times when you have to be prepared to reform it and to change’. This is the paradox of conservatism: you preserve through change, and sometimes radical change.

May thinks that we have reached that moment with globalisation and 21st-century capitalism. At Davos last month, she quoted Burke again, reminding the gathered global elite that ‘a state without the means of some change is without the means of its own conservation’. She declared that this ‘great Conservative principle — change in order to conserve — is more important than ever in today’s complex geopolitical environment’.

It is more important than ever because of the growth of aggressive nationalism. If their concerns are not addressed, more and more Western voters will turn to aggressive nationalist leaders. Add to that an international system already having to deal with a revanchist Russia and a rising China and the global order starts to look unstable.

Alarmingly, too many leaders want to respond to these concerns either by trying to ignore them or by doubling down in defence of the current system. The European political class might think the nation state is a thing of the past but lots of voters don’t. May grasps that Britons look to the nation state for security — in all senses. If the public believe the nation state has their back, they are much more likely to accept the creative destruction inherent in a liberal, open economy.

In her conference speech in October, May made a point of mocking those who find ‘ordinary working-class’ people’s ‘patriotism distasteful’. It was a far cry from the days when David Cameron’s spin doctor Andy Coulson had to fight to get the Union Flag back on to the stage at Tory conference. The globalists also got a tongue-lashing when, in the most memorable line of her premiership so far, May declared: ‘If you believe you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere.’ This line was a calculated, and brutal, rebuke to Davos man. It caused great offence in certain quarters; one grand media panjandrum went to see May to complain about it to her face. But May’s real aim was to show the voters that she loathed cheating bankers, Philip Green and other private jet users just as much as they do. From this position, the calculation went, voters would trust her to try to make globalisation and markets work for them rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater and opting for full-blown populism and protectionism.

This is the key to understanding May: she isn’t trying to fight globalisation but to save it. She really does want Britain to be a global champion of free trade. She has virtually nothing in common with Le Pen or Trump. When she said at Davos that she is ‘determined to stand up for free markets, free trade and globalisation’, she wasn’t just telling the audience what they wanted to hear.

Those around her point out that changing things in order to conserve them has been a hallmark of May’s career. As party chairman, she told the Tories that they were seen as ‘the nasty party’ and needed to change if they were to win again. In government, she told the police that they needed to change to maintain public trust and win over minority communities. But as she knows, globalisation is a far bigger thing to try and reform than the Tory party or the police: by definition, it crosses national boundaries. Make life too difficult for businesses here, and they’ll simply move elsewhere.

In No. 10, they recognise that what they are attempting is of a different magnitude than anything May has taken on previously. But there is confidence that national policy can have a real impact. ‘Global forces are not so powerful that domestic measures can’t make a significant difference,’ one senior figure tells me — though her team acknowledge that change won’t happen immediately. They argue that those who feel left behind ‘know better than anyone’ that these problems are complex and won’t be solved overnight; and that what these voters want, as the necessary reforms work their way through, is an ‘understanding that the government gets their sense that the system isn’t working for them’.

In Downing Street they believe that their industrial strategy, education reforms, changes to corporate governance and plans to address workers’ rights in the so-called ‘gig economy’ will, in the medium to long term, begin to remedy these problems. Whether she’s right or not, May’s focus on such issues is striking. She is Britain’s first true post-crash Prime Minister.

If this is the new politics, it is slightly ironic that a 60-year-old is the trendsetter. May is ten years older than David Cameron, but she is politically more a product of our times than he was. Most of Cameron’s thinking had taken place before the financial crisis hit. He was preparing to govern in an era in which, in Oliver Letwin’s phrase, politics was socio-centric, not econo-centric. After the crash, he was having to work out on the hoof how to respond to the challenges that it had thrown up. May has taken office having had plenty of time to reflect on the events of 2007-2008 and how they influenced our politics. Indeed, perhaps just as important as the crash — and the problems it exposed with the financial system — has been the nature of the recovery. The UK has experienced a ‘jobs miracle’ but other aspects of the recovery have been disappointing. Between 2007 and 2015, real wages declined by more than 10 per cent. Home ownership rates have also fallen by more than 10 per cent.

It is too early to tell if May’s third way will deliver. But the public seem keen on it. The Tories lead Labour by, depending on your pollster, 18 or 16 points. Obviously a lot of this is down to Jeremy Corbyn. But it is worth noting that May is viewed considerably more favourably than her party, particularly in regions where the Tories have struggled: Scotland and the north of England.

It is hard to deny that a new style of politics is needed if the forces of protection and populism are to be halted. In Britain, France and America, less than half of voters see globalisation as a force for good. Indeed, Trump’s election victory becomes much less surprising when you consider that per capita GDP growth in the US has averaged less than 1 per cent a year since the turn of the millennium. In the post-war era, it grew at more than twice that rate.

If mainstream politicians don’t — or can’t — respond to these concerns, then it will be the extremes that benefit. Just look at the eurozone, where the refusal of the established parties to abandon their support for the single currency as it is currently constituted—despite the economic misery it has caused—has been a boon for fringe parties. In Italy, the Five Star Movement, headed by a former comedian, has a growing chance of leading the next government. In France, Marine Le Pen is on course to score more than 40 per cent in the second round of the French presidential election.

Aggressive nationalist governments lead to disaster: Kaiser Wilhelm made sure that an earlier era of globalisation was brought to a dramatic halt by the first world war. Who would feel safe in an era when four of the five permanent seats on the UN security council are occupied by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump?

To save globalisation it is now necessary to reform it. If May feels that quoting Burke is too Anglophone, she might want to remind her fellow leaders of Tancredi’s advice in The Leopard: ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’ They must heed this wisdom. To leave the field clear for aggressive nationalists would be a historic mistake. But clinging to a mid-1990s globalist politics would be doing precisely that.

[junker-town]

Ranking the 15 Opening Day matchups around baseball

Opening Day is when the aces come out from their ace caves. Which starting-pitcher matchup is the best?

The mythos of the Opening Day starter appeals to me. Oh, how it appeals to me. It’s everything there is to love about baseball: Arbitrary designations, arguments about those designations, talented baseball men, that Opening Day smell, and a chance to laugh at the less fortunate teams around baseball. When teams announce their Opening Day starters, I am so in.

With that in mind, it’s time to rank all of these Opening Day matchups. While baseball doesn’t have a true, pure opening day anymore, with some teams cordoned off for a special Sunday schedule, we still get 15 of these hand-picked duels, with every team in baseball saying, “This is the best we have, unless we’re dealing with injuries. Or maybe a general organizational malaise that will spread across generations.”

These are the 15 Opening Day starting-pitcher matchups, ranked:

15. Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Graveman (Angels at A’s)

This will mark Nolasco’s 28th year in Major League Baseball, yet this is his first Opening Day start. And, no, I’m not looking that up. Feels true, though.

Nolasco was excellent for the Angels for 11 starts after they acquired him, though his overall season was kind of a drag (4.42 ERA, 93 ERA+). He has the third-highest ERA of any starter with 50 starts or more since 2014, and the two pitchers with worse ERAs are a non-roster invitee (Kyle Kendrick) and someone who’s out of baseball (Tim Lincecum).

Graveman is a perfectly competent starter who’s in this spot because of injury (Sonny Gray) and because the A’s understandably don’t want to shove a second-year player like Sean Manaea in the Opening Day slot.

14. Jeremy Hellickson vs. Scott Feldman (Phillies at Reds)

I used to play baseball with a guy who played with a guy who became the Opening Day starter for the Reds. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to update my Twitter bio, because that sounds really important.

This isn’t No. 15 because Hellickson was kinda sorta okay last year — roughly what Nolasco did with the Angels, but more consistently spread out over the entire year. This still doesn’t have an Opening Day feel to it. And if this matchup happened on May 28, you know there would still be about 12 or 13 more interesting matchups.

13. Jon Gray vs. Junior Guerra (Rockies at Brewers)

Junior Guerra is one of baseball’s best stories. Dude pitched in Spain. Spain. Like, not even Italy or in a honkbal league. SPAIN.

Guerra made a name in Europe during the 2010 season, when he dominated the Spanish Division de Honor, pitching for CBS Sant Boi. He had an 11-1 record with an ERA of 0.89 in 17 games. He struck out 122 in 91 innings, while allowing just 47 hits.

Here come Sant Boi. This is a very good baseball story. That doesn’t mean I want to watch him pitch more than Stephen Strasburg, but don’t make fun.

Jon Gray is a big, strong, pitchery pitcher. That’s a compliment. He got his hair at the Noah Syndergaard Outlet Store, and he’s a solid breakout pick for 2017. This is a better matchup than you think.

12. Edinson Volquez vs. Stephen Strasburg (Marlins at Nationals)

Strasburg isn’t just fun to watch: He’s fun to speculate about and read too much into when he struggles. There might not be an ace-type in baseball that’s better for concern-trolling, which means you’re guaranteed a good time out, regardless of what he does. Also, he’s excellent at pitching and stuff, which counts for a lot. Even though this should be Max Scherzer’s spot, it’s not like we’re suffering too much, here.

Volquez is a known quantity, and even though his 2016 was lousy, he’s still probably fine. Good enough, at least, that he won’t drag Strasburg down too much in this ranking.

11. Marco Estrada vs. Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays at Orioles)

Another surprisingly compelling matchup, but mostly for baseball nerds. Gausman didn’t get enough credit for putting up a 3.61 ERA in Camden Yards in a homer-happy season (his 123 ERA+ tells a more complete story), he’s really here because Chris Tillman is out. That’s okay, though. I like watching Gausman just as much.

Estrada has never cracked 200 innings in a season, but he has had the lowest hits-allowed rate in the American League for two straight years. A strong infield defense helps with that, sure, but he’s still a quality pitcher, and he has been for years. Not bad for a guy the Nationals once waived to make room for Tyler Walker.

10. Danny Duffy vs. Ervin Santana (Royals at Twins)

I spent a lot of time making fun of the Ervin Santana signing. He has been a very consistent starter for many years, and I would like to apologize to him, the Twins organization, and my family because he’s kind of good.

Danny Duffy is better, of course, one of last year’s breakout stars. On a watchability scale, he’s in the second tier of baseball’s best, pushing his way into the top tier. Look at this guy:

9. Jhoulys Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw (Padres at Dodgers)

Of course, this is the most watchable pitcher in baseball — one of the greatest pure talents in baseball history — so it’s hard to rank him anywhere near the bottom. On the other hand, he’s facing Jhoulys Chacin, who is the reason I had to put (Team at Team) next to all the matchups. That’ll ding them in the ranking.

Chacin was really, really good in both 2011 and 2013, so it’s not quite fair to consider him a random journeyman. On the other hand, he wasn’t very effective with the Angels last year, to the point where the Angels were like, nah, we can do better.

That guy is an Opening Day starter. It takes more than Clayton Danged Kershaw to make up for that.

(Padres win, 8-2.)

8. Masahiro Tanaka vs. Chris Archer (Yankees at Rays, Sunday)

And now we have reached the tipping point, where all of the matchups become Unambiguously Good Pitching Matchups. Archer struggled with the home run ball and almost lost 20 games somehow, but you all know he’s still great.

Tanaka finished seventh in the Cy Young voting, making 31 starts and staying healthy all year. Not bad for a guy who was contemplating Tommy John surgery a couple years ago and had surgery to remove bone spurs before the start of last season.

This is the kind of matchup that could be No. 1 next year. Of course, both of them might be on the Dodgers, but that’s a minor concern.

7. Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel (Mariners at Astros)

Cy Young vs. Cy Young. Just, uh, ignore the 2016 season, which wasn’t too hot for either of them.

This is a great matchup, though, because both of their teams are desperately counting on them to be excellent again, so everyone will read way too much into their first outings. It’s almost like a Groundhog Day of first games, where if they see their shadows and pitch seven strong innings, both teams will have five months of summer. If they combine to give up 12 earned runs, the panic will be thick enough to spread on a slice of French bread.

There is nothing better than smooth, creamy panic on a slice of French bread. But these guys are probably going to have strong seasons, so you’ll have to look elsewhere.

6. Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello (Pirates at Red Sox)

My biases come into play here because I automatically thought, “Alright, Gerrit Cole!” That was followed by “Huh. Rick Porcello.” This is because I watch more National League games, I’m sure, but it’s also because I missed the entire Porcello story last year. Dude won the Cy Young. That seems good.

There are instant demerits, though, for being the necessary interleague Opening Day matchup. This is not a classic rivalry. Or a rivalry at all. Also, there are demerits for me wanting to watch Chris Sale instead, which isn’t odd.

Still, Cole vs. Porcello is an excellent, compelling matchup, and it’s the kind that would make you turn on a Pirates/Red Sox game in July. If this is your Opening Day pick, you’ve chosen wisely.

5. Julio Teheran vs. Noah Syndergaard (Braves at Mets)

Syndergaard pitched once vs. the Braves last year. ONCE. Clayton Kershaw made just 21 starts last year, and he still pitched five times against the Giants. So the Braves deserve this. They deserve to see Syndergaard three times in April. Not that I’m bitter.

Teheran is a fine talent, and if you want to move this up the power rankings, go right ahead. This isn’t a seven- or eight-way tie at the top, but that doesn’t mean there are any wrong answers, here.

4. Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke (Giants at Diamondbacks, Sunday)

Last year, this would have been the best matchup, and it wouldn’t have been close. It was a rough year for Greinke, though, and it didn’t get better this spring:

Greinke's game-by-game velocity including four appearances in Spring Training this year. Not great. http://pic.twitter.com/BYb1uWijhG

— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) March 25, 2017

I still believe. But a 33-year-old pitcher with diminished velocity and his worst FIP in a decade is a pitcher that should scare you. This matchup is near the top because of name recognition and star power, but your mileage may vary.

Bumgarner, for his part, had what might have been the only good spring training he’s ever had. This makes me worried that he’ll struggle mightily in April, but that’s because I’m a strange, cynical man. He sure looks ready.

3. Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez (Cubs at Cardinals, Sunday)

Carlos Martinez might be the most underrated starter in baseball. His nickname is Tsunami, and he should just go by it at all times, like Rock Raines on the 1989 Topps.

Guys, I’m Rock now. Thanks for understanding.

If Martinez does that with “Tsunami,” he’s talked about in the same breath as Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, like he should be. As is, it takes some gentle prodding and a reminder that he’s an extraordinary pitcher to justify a ranking like this.

Say, how did he get the nickname, “Tsunami?”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs on my road to the Big Leagues, but for the sake of this blog let’s just say there was a WAVE of adversity.

I don’t get it.

2. Justin Verlander vs. Jose Quintana (Tigers at White Sox)

Last year’s Cy Young should-be vs. a walking trade rumor. I love this matchup so. The contrast in styles is fun, too, with Verlander the classic, strong right-handed ace, and Quintana the left-handed control monster (though not exactly a soft-tosser). It would be a lot cooler of a matchup if the White Sox were any good, but at least they are when Quintana pitches.

There are fewer than 10 “Of course we’re starting this guy” matchups on this list. This is the most obvious one, really. The cliff after these two is steep, but at least we’ll get the best of the best on Opening Day.

1. Corey Kluber vs. Yu Darvish (Indians at Rangers)

Never forget:

That is still one of the greatest baseball GIFs ever made, and it works so well because Yu Darvish is a wonder. He’s one of the most delightful pitchers to watch, and of course he’s starting Opening Day. He deserves it.

Corey Kluber is made out of gears and sprockets, a steampunk version of a mechanical pitcher, and his silent consistency doesn’t take away from his exhilarating stuff. He just goes out there and pitches better than the other guy.

UNLESS THE OTHER GUY IS YU DARVISH. Maybe. I mean, that’s the point. We’ll see.

Those are the best Opening Day duels, from Nolasco/Graveman to Kluber/Darvish. The most important part is that baseball is back, and we get to watch it. Here, have some Cy Young winners and assorted aces. This’ll help make up for the dumb winter, which is dumb every year.

[mialipsky-blog]

John Carter Cash Weds Ana Cristina Cash, Johnny + June Remembered

Ana and John, you’ve officially raised the wedding bar for me. Not only because your love radiates like no other—but because every single inch of your sunny fall fete is woven with powerful meaning, and that’s what we live for here at Style Me Pretty. From the Lily of the Valley bouquet to the sweet infusion of musical talent and of course, the moments of beautiful remembrance. Perry Vaile captured it all with such heart, as she always does—soak in all the beauty here in The Vault.

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  From the Bride… John Carter and I happened to be in Los Angeles in July 2015, and I have friend who works at the Magic Castle, a private magicians club, who invited us to spend the evening there. What I didn’t know earlier, is that John had called my father over the phone and asked for his blessing first. When we arrived at the Magic Castle, John had to think quickly on his feet and coordinate the proposal with management without looking suspicious. They suggested that a magician by the name of “Jimmy H” do the honors of helping with the proposal. Jimmy H offered to do a few tricks for us in the upstairs area of the castle. He started by holding a deck of cards face down and asking each of us to each pick one randomly and had us sign our names on them with a sharpie. I got the Ace of Diamonds and John got the queen of spades.Then he had us merge our cards together with each others hands and magically turned the two separate cards into one card. Then, for a second trick, Jimmy H started waving his hands back and forth and in what was seemingly out of thin air, made a diamond ring appear! He handed it to John who got down on his knees and asked: “Will you Marry me?” …I was crying with happiness and excitement and of course said “Yes.”

For the ceremony at The French Huguenot Church, my niece Sabrina sang “Ave Maria” while my niece Gabriella played the violin and my other niece Abigail played the cello. John and I love to watch the show “Outlander” so we chose for my nieces to play “The Skye Boat Song” that is featured on the show on strings at the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, John had surprised me by having Scottish bag pipe players play a special arranged version of “The Skye Boat Song” outside of the church. Prior to my wedding, I had a dream of bagpipes playing outside the church, but I have never told anyone, not even John. It was so beautiful.

We had three of 1950’s vintage school buses in the colors of coral, mint and cream that transported all of our guests from the French Huguenot Church in downtown Charleston to Middleton Place, where the reception was held. I arrived the the church with my father in a vintage white car from the late 1930s, John and I took that same car to go to the reception together. For our getaway car, we let in a mint 1950s Chevy Bel Air. All of the vehicles were provided by Low Country Valet in Charleston. Having these vehicles as a part of your special day made us feel like we were in a different era.

For the ceremony, I chose to carry a delicate lily of the valley bouquet. That was one of the things I really wanted. I chose it because they symbolize purity, humility, and the “return of happiness.” We had a good 30 minutes of the reception where we had the MC play some of my favorite Latin music, lots of it Cuban music which was a nod to my heritage. The majority of the entertainment at the reception was provided by The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra of Savannah , who also sang a beautiful rendition of John’s father’s song “Ring of Fire” which was written by his mother, June Carter Cash. Earlier during the cocktail hour of the octagonal garden at Middleton Place, a string quartet provided by Charleston Virtuosi entertained the guests under the Spanish moss filled oaks. Our signature drink was the “Ring Of Fire Mojito” which was a nod to both of our families. It was a mojito with mango nectar and had a rim of cherry pop rocks.

Since John has a special affinity and passion for collecting honey, our wedding favors were whipped honey by Savannah Bee Company. His grooms cake was also a honey bear that was playing the guitar next to a tree trunk with our initials and wedding date carved at the top of it. It was chocolate and had honey buttercream filling in it.

Since it was a fall wedding, I chose a deep dark cabernet for my bridesmaids dresses. We wanted our wedding to have an elegant and timeless feel. Our event planner, Ashley Rhodes of Ashley Rhodes Event Designs did an amazing job of executing mine an John’s vision for wedding. The bridesmaids flowers as well as the flowers on the reception tables had white, pink, and hints of cabernet to go along with the theme. There were lots of gold elements interspersed throughout our reception. From the large gold and crystal chandeliers hanging from our sailcloth reception tent, to the gold napoleon chairs and vases holding the centerpieces. We had three different kinds of textured and metallic linens in blush tones and ivory. Our wedding cake, designed by Minette Rushing of Savannah Custom cakes was four tiers with sugar flowers and had our gold custom made wedding monogram on it which was designed by Emily McCarthy. Our custom monogram was also on our wedding invitations, ceremony programs and napkins. Our wedding cake had alternating layers of red velvet and white chocolate raspberry for each tier. It also had a design that mimicked the church windows that were also featured on the wedding invitation at the bottom of it in white.

I wore my sisters wedding tiara as my something borrowed, the inside of my shoes were blue, as well as the garter I was wearing which was ivory satin with a blue ribbon (for my something blue) ,for my something old, I clipped a turquoise costume ring that was John’s mothers to the inside of my dress for good luck, and my diamond cross necklace was my something new. We had a “family table” that displayed various custom framed photos of mine and John’s parents at their respective weddings , including photos of our grandparents .

We had several favorite moments during our wedding. A few of the biggest ones were when we said our vows and when they pronounced us as man and wife. Another big one was when John and I were finally able to perform our choreographed first dance during our reception. We had been taking ballroom dancing for several months and we did a medley of Ella Fitzgerald and Lou Armstrong’s “The Nearness Of You” and the song “Hell” from The Squirrel Nut Zippers which holds a fun and special meaning to us. The dance incorporated Rumba, Swing and Tango moves. We also really enjoyed our sparkler send off at the end of our reception and getting into the mint colored 1950’s Chevy Bel Air get away car provided by Low Country Valet which had a beautiful “Just Married” sign on it created by Jessica Peddicord of Simply Jessica Marie.

Some advice for other brides and grooms… It is so important to actually take the time to enjoy and soak everything in on your actual wedding day, because it goes by so incredibly fast. I would also advise wearing comfortable shoes for both ceremony and reception. Usually, the ceremony requires the couple to stand for a certain amount of time so it is important to be comfortable. John and I also each chose to purchase a perfume and cologne that we had never worn before until our wedding day. I wore ‘Empressa’ from Penhaligons and he wore ‘Quercus’ also from Penhaligons. We plan to wear theses scents again on anniversaries so that we can remember our wedding day.

“… You’d know I need you every day that rolls around / Your feet would walk on velvet with gold all over the ground. / Your trails would be downhill, a soft breeze at your back / your skies full of diamonds / your nights would not be black. / Yes you would really love it, then if you’re ever down / I’d give you rows of roses – And gold all over the ground. / I pick you up and carry you ‘cross every stream I see. I’d bundle you in kindness until you cling to me. We’d sit beneath strong branches, my arms would twine around …” – Johnny Cash

Photography: Perry Vaile | Videography: Hart to Heart Media | Floral Design: Em Creative Floral | Cake: Minette Rushing | Ceremony Venue: French Huguenot Church | Reception Venue: Middleton Place Plantation | Catering: Cru Catering | Hair & Makeup: Bride's Side Beauty | Lighting: Technical Event Company | Band: Jeremy Davis & The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra | Tent: Sperry Tents Southeast | Additional Music: Charleston Virtuosi | Car: Lowcountry Valet | Ceremony Entertainment: George Hiatt | Draping & Linen: Party Tables | Just Married Banner: Simply Jessica Marie | Planning & Design: Ashley Rhodes Events | Rehearsal Dinner: Poogan's Porch | Stationery/Paper Products: Emily McCarthy | Tables, Chair, Lounge: EventWorks

© Style Me Pretty, 2017. | Permalink | Comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Celebrity, Celebrity Wedding, Southern Wedding Post categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

John Carter Cash Weds Ana Cristina Cash, Johnny + June Remembered published first on their blog to my feed

[samboine123]

John Carter Cash Weds Ana Cristina Cash, Johnny + June Remembered

Ana and John, you’ve officially raised the wedding bar for me. Not only because your love radiates like no other—but because every single inch of your sunny fall fete is woven with powerful meaning, and that’s what we live for here at Style Me Pretty. From the Lily of the Valley bouquet to the sweet infusion of musical talent and of course, the moments of beautiful remembrance. Perry Vaile captured it all with such heart, as she always does—soak in all the beauty here in The Vault.

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  From the Bride… John Carter and I happened to be in Los Angeles in July 2015, and I have friend who works at the Magic Castle, a private magicians club, who invited us to spend the evening there. What I didn’t know earlier, is that John had called my father over the phone and asked for his blessing first. When we arrived at the Magic Castle, John had to think quickly on his feet and coordinate the proposal with management without looking suspicious. They suggested that a magician by the name of “Jimmy H” do the honors of helping with the proposal. Jimmy H offered to do a few tricks for us in the upstairs area of the castle. He started by holding a deck of cards face down and asking each of us to each pick one randomly and had us sign our names on them with a sharpie. I got the Ace of Diamonds and John got the queen of spades.Then he had us merge our cards together with each others hands and magically turned the two separate cards into one card. Then, for a second trick, Jimmy H started waving his hands back and forth and in what was seemingly out of thin air, made a diamond ring appear! He handed it to John who got down on his knees and asked: “Will you Marry me?” …I was crying with happiness and excitement and of course said “Yes.”

For the ceremony at The French Huguenot Church, my niece Sabrina sang “Ave Maria” while my niece Gabriella played the violin and my other niece Abigail played the cello. John and I love to watch the show “Outlander” so we chose for my nieces to play “The Skye Boat Song” that is featured on the show on strings at the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, John had surprised me by having Scottish bag pipe players play a special arranged version of “The Skye Boat Song” outside of the church. Prior to my wedding, I had a dream of bagpipes playing outside the church, but I have never told anyone, not even John. It was so beautiful.

We had three of 1950’s vintage school buses in the colors of coral, mint and cream that transported all of our guests from the French Huguenot Church in downtown Charleston to Middleton Place, where the reception was held. I arrived the the church with my father in a vintage white car from the late 1930s, John and I took that same car to go to the reception together. For our getaway car, we let in a mint 1950s Chevy Bel Air. All of the vehicles were provided by Low Country Valet in Charleston. Having these vehicles as a part of your special day made us feel like we were in a different era.

For the ceremony, I chose to carry a delicate lily of the valley bouquet. That was one of the things I really wanted. I chose it because they symbolize purity, humility, and the “return of happiness.” We had a good 30 minutes of the reception where we had the MC play some of my favorite Latin music, lots of it Cuban music which was a nod to my heritage. The majority of the entertainment at the reception was provided by The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra of Savannah , who also sang a beautiful rendition of John’s father’s song “Ring of Fire” which was written by his mother, June Carter Cash. Earlier during the cocktail hour of the octagonal garden at Middleton Place, a string quartet provided by Charleston Virtuosi entertained the guests under the Spanish moss filled oaks. Our signature drink was the “Ring Of Fire Mojito” which was a nod to both of our families. It was a mojito with mango nectar and had a rim of cherry pop rocks.

Since John has a special affinity and passion for collecting honey, our wedding favors were whipped honey by Savannah Bee Company. His grooms cake was also a honey bear that was playing the guitar next to a tree trunk with our initials and wedding date carved at the top of it. It was chocolate and had honey buttercream filling in it.

Since it was a fall wedding, I chose a deep dark cabernet for my bridesmaids dresses. We wanted our wedding to have an elegant and timeless feel. Our event planner, Ashley Rhodes of Ashley Rhodes Event Designs did an amazing job of executing mine an John’s vision for wedding. The bridesmaids flowers as well as the flowers on the reception tables had white, pink, and hints of cabernet to go along with the theme. There were lots of gold elements interspersed throughout our reception. From the large gold and crystal chandeliers hanging from our sailcloth reception tent, to the gold napoleon chairs and vases holding the centerpieces. We had three different kinds of textured and metallic linens in blush tones and ivory. Our wedding cake, designed by Minette Rushing of Savannah Custom cakes was four tiers with sugar flowers and had our gold custom made wedding monogram on it which was designed by Emily McCarthy. Our custom monogram was also on our wedding invitations, ceremony programs and napkins. Our wedding cake had alternating layers of red velvet and white chocolate raspberry for each tier. It also had a design that mimicked the church windows that were also featured on the wedding invitation at the bottom of it in white.

I wore my sisters wedding tiara as my something borrowed, the inside of my shoes were blue, as well as the garter I was wearing which was ivory satin with a blue ribbon (for my something blue) ,for my something old, I clipped a turquoise costume ring that was John’s mothers to the inside of my dress for good luck, and my diamond cross necklace was my something new. We had a “family table” that displayed various custom framed photos of mine and John’s parents at their respective weddings , including photos of our grandparents .

We had several favorite moments during our wedding. A few of the biggest ones were when we said our vows and when they pronounced us as man and wife. Another big one was when John and I were finally able to perform our choreographed first dance during our reception. We had been taking ballroom dancing for several months and we did a medley of Ella Fitzgerald and Lou Armstrong’s “The Nearness Of You” and the song “Hell” from The Squirrel Nut Zippers which holds a fun and special meaning to us. The dance incorporated Rumba, Swing and Tango moves. We also really enjoyed our sparkler send off at the end of our reception and getting into the mint colored 1950’s Chevy Bel Air get away car provided by Low Country Valet which had a beautiful “Just Married” sign on it created by Jessica Peddicord of Simply Jessica Marie.

Some advice for other brides and grooms… It is so important to actually take the time to enjoy and soak everything in on your actual wedding day, because it goes by so incredibly fast. I would also advise wearing comfortable shoes for both ceremony and reception. Usually, the ceremony requires the couple to stand for a certain amount of time so it is important to be comfortable. John and I also each chose to purchase a perfume and cologne that we had never worn before until our wedding day. I wore ‘Empressa’ from Penhaligons and he wore ‘Quercus’ also from Penhaligons. We plan to wear theses scents again on anniversaries so that we can remember our wedding day.

“… You’d know I need you every day that rolls around / Your feet would walk on velvet with gold all over the ground. / Your trails would be downhill, a soft breeze at your back / your skies full of diamonds / your nights would not be black. / Yes you would really love it, then if you’re ever down / I’d give you rows of roses – And gold all over the ground. / I pick you up and carry you ‘cross every stream I see. I’d bundle you in kindness until you cling to me. We’d sit beneath strong branches, my arms would twine around …” – Johnny Cash

Photography: Perry Vaile | Videography: Hart to Heart Media | Floral Design: Em Creative Floral | Cake: Minette Rushing | Ceremony Venue: French Huguenot Church | Reception Venue: Middleton Place Plantation | Catering: Cru Catering | Hair & Makeup: Bride's Side Beauty | Lighting: Technical Event Company | Band: Jeremy Davis & The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra | Tent: Sperry Tents Southeast | Additional Music: Charleston Virtuosi | Car: Lowcountry Valet | Ceremony Entertainment: George Hiatt | Draping & Linen: Party Tables | Just Married Banner: Simply Jessica Marie | Planning & Design: Ashley Rhodes Events | Rehearsal Dinner: Poogan's Porch | Stationery/Paper Products: Emily McCarthy | Tables, Chair, Lounge: EventWorks

© Style Me Pretty, 2017. | Permalink | Comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Celebrity, Celebrity Wedding, Southern Wedding Post categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

[mrjeremydylan]

My Favorite Album #192 - Kingswood on The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (1967)

Kingswood are one of Australia's hottest rock bands, and I sat down with frontman Fergus and axeman Alex on release day for their new album ‘After Hours, Before Dawn’, to talk about why "everything comes back to the Beatles", studio experimentation, finding their own George Martin, mellotrons, the music teacher that made them appreciate the Beatles and the art of the album and translating dreams into songs, with horrifying results.

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here or in other podcasting apps by copying/pasting our RSS feed - http://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/rss My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album’s influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

LINKS

- Kingswood on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Get their new album ‘After Hours, Before Dawn’ on iTunes here.

- Buy ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ here.

- Jeremy Dylan’s website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.

- Like the podcast on Facebook here.

- If you dig the show, please leave a rating or review of the show on iTunes here.

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER EPISODES

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Danny Yau, Andrew Hansen, Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) and Mike Carr 36 - Doug Pettibone on Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris 35 - Ross Ryan on Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne 34 - Michael Carpenter on Hard Promises by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 33 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe 32 - Zane Carney on Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery 31 - Tony Buchen on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles 30 - Simon Relf (The Tambourine Girls) on On the Beach by Neil Young 29 - Peter Cooper on In Search of a Song by Tom T Hall 28 - Thelma Plum on Stolen Apples by Paul Kelly 27 - James House on Rubber Soul by the Beatles 26 - Ella Hooper on Let England Shake by PJ Harvey 25 - Abbey Road Special 24 - Alyssa Bonagura on Room for Squares by John Mayer 23 - Luke Davison (The Preatures) on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 22 - Neil Finn on Hunky Dory by David Bowie and In Rainbows by Radiohead 21 - Neil Finn on Beatles for Sale by the Beatles and After the Goldrush by Neil Young 20 - Morgan Evans on Diorama by Silverchair 19 - Emma Swift on Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams 18 - Danny Yau on Hourly Daily by You Am I 17 - J Robert Youngtown and Jon Auer (The Posies) on Hi Fi Way by You Am I 16 - Lester the Fierce on Hounds of Love by Kate Bush 15 - Luke Davison on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 14 - Jeff Cripps on Wheels of Fire by Cream 13 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 2) 12 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 1) 11 - Gossling on O by Damien Rice 10 - Matt Fell on Temple of Low Men by Crowded House 9 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 2) 8 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 1) 7 - Sam Hawksley on A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin 6 - Jim Lauderdale on Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons 5 - Mark Moffatt on Blues Breakers by John Mayall and Eric Clapton 4 - Darren Carr on Ten Easy Pieces by Jimmy Webb 3 - Mark Wells on Revolver by The Beatles 2 - Mike Carr on Arrival by ABBA 1 - Rob Draper on Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan