#Christian Uhle

[bspoquemagazine]

Urania Berlin: die Highlights im November

Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, Das aktuelle Programm des Urania Berlin e.V. für November bietet eine Vielzahl an Themen – perfekt für kalte und regnerische Tage. Ob Vorträge, Diskussionsrunden oder spannende Gäste, hier ist für jeden etwas dabei. Lassen Sie sich von unserem Newsletter inspirieren oder stöbern Sie gern einmal in unserem aktuellen Programmflyer: Zum Programmflyer Macht Zucker süchtig? …

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[dragon-communion]

So the most recent ask unlocked my academic brainrot and I've gotta say Thiollier is SLACKING.

For the record my area of expertise is ancient Mesopotamia, so I probably have more relevant things to say about the Uhl civilization that predated the Nox, but I digress. A temple was, essentially, a house. The priests were house servants to the god. And I mean that very literally- body servants, musicians, cooks, you name it. There would be a very intricate statue that the priests washed and dressed and symbolically fed, and on holidays they'd put that statue in a symbolic boat or whatnot so the god could go on a little jaunt around the town.

So that's the main perspective I'm coming from when I enter the Lands Between. Marika's whole situation as god-queen makes perfect sense to me, no notes.

TRINA, however. Trina baffles me. Most of the information I can find on her involves people searching for her in dreams and indulging in sleep, which gives me a lot to work with on the practices surrounding her cultus and mythology, but gives me VERY little on how she was actually honored.

Based on some information I got about her name being a Japanese pun on the word tree, I'm assuming her sites of worship are sacred trees. Which would make sense. There's a very constant through-line in the history of the Lands Between of tree worship, from the ancient Uhl ruins and the real-world worship in Mesopotamia of gods manifest as cedar trees, to the obvious Shinto influences in the game. Hell, there's an argument to be made for Christianity as a tree religion.

Regardless, in-game, trees are a Big Deal so a tree being a sacred site is par for the course, and there are at least two trees in Elden Ring that 100% belong to Trina in some capacity. The one in the Albinauric Village, and the one in the Apostate Derelict.

What confuses me about that though is I've been to the Albinauric tree. It's dead, drowning in poisoned water and surrounded by crabs. It is, admittedly, kind of in the center of the Albinauric village- the ravine under the rope bridge- but. Considering the fact that the albinaurics 100% shoot St. Trina's Arrows, and thus know and respect her, it seems weird that there's just nothing around the tree to indicate any kind of worship or even basic maintenance. Just the circle of flowers. And poisoned water.

I'm currently fighting my way towards the Apostate Derelict, so I'll investigate that tree when I get there, but like. There's not a single church or chapel in St. Trina's name. She has no house. She's the saint of sleep, why haven't I found any lilies next to a bed or something? Where's the hospitality??? Where's her HOUSE.

So the fact that Thiollier literally has his living goddess Right There and she looks like she needs five kinds of medical attention (or maybe botanist's attention) just seems Bizarre to me. Where is your devotion, my guy. The hospitality, the chivalry, the acts of service. Water her or something, I don't know. Make her some kind of memorial? Make her cozy. Get her a pillow, come on, this is a travesty.

[swallowtail-ageha]

If we consider elden ring being also a metaphor for the world's progression up until christianity i wonder if the uhl/ancient dynasty were supposed to be the minoans (bull motif, palaces, and one of their palaces being called labyrinth) and the numen/nox immigration was their equivalent of sea people coming/the collapse of the late bronze age

[garudabluffs]

Netanyahu Unveils HORRIFYING Plans For Post-War Gaza

Feb 25, 2024 #TYT#TheYoungTurks#BreakingNews

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released his proposed plans for a post-Hamas Gaza. Cenk Uygur, Jordan Uhl and Ramesh Srinivasan discuss on The Young Turks.

VIDEO 14:28

60 Comments "Who in their right mind could believe in and worship a god who gave the green light to CHATTEL SLAVERY as the Bible god Yahweh did in Leviticus 25:44-46? 44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites so ruthlessly." This passage and others like it from both the Old and New Testaments have been used for centuries to justify and perpetuate chattel slavery. There is ZERO chance an actual, good god would have anything to do with this. Wake up! Christianity and Judaism are EVIL!"

""Palestinians" keep saying nobody cares for them.. but the whole world is obsessed with them because of their hatred towards Jews. Nobody has this type of passion for the Ughurs, Kurds, Tibetans, etc. "Palestinians" are not occupied, they are the occupiers and an invented nation.. not a real nation."

[goalhofer]

Where every player played during the 2004-05 NHL lockout: St. Louis

Czech Extraliga: Petr Čajánek (H.K. Hamé Zlín) DEL: Doug Weight (Frankfurt Löwen) HockeyAllsvenskan: Jamal Mayers (Hammarby I.F. Ishockeyförening) Ligue Magnus: Mark Rycroft (Diables Rouges De Briançon) Liiga: Steve Martins (J.Y.P.) SEL: Christian Bäckman (Frölunda Hockeyklubb) SL: Eric Boguniecki (S.C. Langenthal) Slovak Extraliga: Pavol Demitra (H.K. Dukla Trenčín) EBEL: Reinhard Divis (E.C. V.S.V.) & Eric Weinrich (E.C. V.S.V.) UHL: Barret Jackman (Missouri River Otters), Ryan Johnson (Missouri River Otters), Jamal Mayers (Missouri River Otters) & Bryce Salvador (Missouri River Otters) AHL: Eric Boguniecki (Worcester IceCats), Āris Brīmanis (Worcester IceCats), Johnny Pohl (Worcester IceCats), Peter Sejna (Worcester IceCats), Mike Stuart; Jr. (Worcester IceCats) & Matt Walker (Worcester IceCats) Didn't Play: Dallas Drake, John Finley, Alexander Khavanov, Reed Low, Chris Osgood, Chris Pronger, Brian Savage, Mike Sillinger & Keith Tkachuk

[theyoungturks]

Marjorie Taylor Greene & Tucker Carlson are defending the Pentagon Docs leaker. Jordan Uhl, John Iadarola and Cenk Uygur discuss on The Young Turks. Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://www.mediaite.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-claims-intel-leaker-was-arrested-because-hes-white-male-christian/ "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) defended Jake Teixeira, 21, on Thursday, just hours after he was arrested for allegedly leaking highly sensitive military documents online. Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman serving since 2019, held the highest-level security clearance possible for top-secret information military information and he allegedly shared highly sensitive national defense documents with an online Discord gaming group called “Thug Shaker Central.” The New York Times reported that the group of “about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teenagers, came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and video games.”* *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230414__TA04Pentagon by The Young Turks

[mo-mo-and-porkchop]

Freedom is a state of mind

Vikings Fan Fiction

Chapter 10 (Chapter 9 here)

*I do not own any part of the Canon Vikings characters. It is simply my interpretation. I make no profit off of this.

**I do own the original characters and everything associated with them.

Tagging for updates: @whenimaunicorn , @captstefanbrandt , @kenzieam , @mblaqgi , @wish-i-was-a-mermaid , @microsmacrosandneedles , @babeyouareenough , @youbloodymadgenius , @yourpurplequeen

She finished taking care of him for the night before making her way away from his room, stopping in the doorway. Nervously she glanced back at him.

“If there is nothing else, I will return in the morning to change your dressings,” she added flatly.

As she waited for him to break the silence she felt as she would be sick. Her stomach did flips and her heart raced. Her fingers trembled as she held to the frame of the door. The memory of the raids and what she'd lost had gripped at her heart, squeezing it mercilessly. She hadn't been hit with such grief since the tragedy had struck and desperately wished to be relieved of her duties for the night. Thankfully he waved her off in dismissal.

He shifted an arm up under his head as he laid in bed after she'd left. He still felt that initial tug in his gut every time she was near. It was a puzzling feeling. One he had neither felt nor understood any better as the months passed. He couldn't help but wonder what it was that pulled him to her the way that it had.

His mind wandered over the possibilities as sleep began to weigh against his eyelids. Ivar's eyes fell to the doorway as he rolled over and for a fleeting moment she stood before him. A smile tugged at his lips as slumber washed over him.

------

Ivar's brothers couldn't help but notice he, more often than not, was off in the forest and that she was also m.i.a. along with him.

"Where do you think he goes?" Hvitserk asked Ubbe, nodding in the direction of their brother as he caught sight of him crawling from town.

Ubbe watched until he disappeared among the trees. "I don't know," he offered simply.

"He is different, yes?" Hvitserk asked turning back to his brother, his curiosity getting the better of him.

He couldn't deny the change in Ivar's behavior. One most would never notice, but the sons of Ragnar were brothers and saw things hidden to the rest of the world. It hadn't taken him long to notice Ivar's calmer demeanor. There had been no outbursts. No instigation. Not even an arguement between him and Sigurd.

"He has been much more quiet lately, yes," Ubbe agreed.

A wide grin spread itself across Hvitserk's face. He'd been wanting to figure out the mystery ever since the air had begun to change around Ivar. Asking Sigurd was out of the question, the youngest brothers' relationship already shaky at its best, but he wanted help.

This was his chance.

Ubbe's eyes finally found Hvitserk. Whenever he got that glint in his eyes they always ended up in trouble. He doubted now would be any different.

"No," Ubbe said firmly, though it was hard to resist the urge to go along with whatever scheme Hvitserk was planning.

His grin deflated immediately. "No what?" Hvitserk asked feigning ignorance to Ubbe's presumptive denial.

"No to whatever it is you are plotting," Ubbe said definitively.

"What are you denying our brother now?" Sigurd asked casually as he came upon his brothers at the market.

"Nothing," Ubbe lied, his eyes staying with Hvitserk a moment longer. Regardless of Hvitserk's involvement in any mischief, the eldest son of Aslaug knew absolutely nothing good would come from Sigurd finding out about Hvitserk's offer and tagging along.

"Then let him do whatever it is he wants to do," Sigurd offered in defense of Hvitserk.

Hvitserk's eyes caught sight of a familiar, raven-haired slave headed off in the same direction and quickly sided with his older brother.

"Ubbe is right," he said with a quick smile. "It is nothing."

His brother looked at him quizzically, but declined to dig further into his sudden change of heart, hopeful he had listened to him for once.

"I have found something much more entertaining to do anyway," he lied with a sly smirk, motioning to Maragrethe as she walked past through the crowd.

Sigurd and Ubbe followed where he pointed; Sigurd smirking deviously and Ubbe's jealousy creeped up knowing what the two would end up doing. Hvitserk left in her direction, but changed his path for the woods as soon as he was clear of his brothers' sight

------

"No. Like this. Ég er Glohg-ving-uhr ehld-hoos-feef-uhl pah-kah-roif."

"Ég er Gløggvingr eldhúsfifl bakrauf," she repeated with a prideful smile. Ehrlana felt she now knew enough to pass for any other Northerner thanks to Ivar. Surprisingly.

"Good," he said with a slight chuckle.

"What?" she asked growing suspicious.

"It means I am a stingy good for nothing ass," he admitted letting his laugh grow.

"Ivar!" she said feigning offence.

She pulled a bit of grass out and tossed it his way, but laughed all the same. He batted the blades away, his laugh dying down.

"You know enough. What else is there to teach you?" he asked with a shrug.

"I guess nothing," she said convincingly with a sigh, lying back on the ground. "You are useless now."

"I am not useless," he started angrily.

She didn't fight verybhard to contain her laughter.

"That is not funny," he said with a slight pout in his voice.

She shifted an arm under her head and watched as the clouds drifted by in the early evening sun. "I was only joking," she admitted.

Ivar was the one thing that kept her safe among Kattegat and its residents. Everyone feared his wrath and wouldn't dare touch what was his. Including her. But it wasn't his protection alone that made him useful to her. It was their unspoken friendship. He was the one person who, ironically, made her feel normal. Declan was a friend and an ally, yes, but he still treated her as her father's daughter - as a fragile princess. Ivar simply let her be and she returned the favor.

"I know that. I am not stupid," he countered; though a smirk tugged at his lips.

Their ease had been an unexpected side effect of his lessons. One he hadn't fought. He wouldn't deny it felt good to have at least one person seemingly accept him. He also wouldn't let it cloud his judgement of her however. She was after all a slave. He knew what levels they would stoop to in order to gain their freedom. Ehrlana hadn't yet tried anything near as disgraceful as Margatethe, but he wasn't letting their budding friendship distract his knowledge that one day she would. They all did eventually.

-----

The scene unfolding before Hvitserk was far from what he had expected - though he hadn't been one hundred percent sure of what he would have found, but Ivar getting along with her was the last thing he'd imagined.

-----

Ehrlana watched the clouds as they drifted by. "You could teach me the ways of your Gods," she offered as a solution to their educational plateau.

Ehrlana had been watching as the others participated in the celebrations. She’d always been warned about the pagans and their violent nature. While the sacrifices were brutal, she began to understand why they did the things they did. She wasn’t sure if it was the shock to her system at such brutality or the passion they all seemed to share for their rituals, but whatever the reason, their steadfast belief in the Gods fascinated her.

"Won't your Christian God become jeslous," he added with a laugh.

Her family, their people, the neighboring countries…all of them practiced Christianity. But Ehrlana was different. She always had been. As she grew, her need to question her path in life had grown along with her. A non-believer was valueless to her father and he had been furious with her after voicing the curiosity; making sure to keep her aversion well hidden and contained - never surpassing the initial defiance.

"This my home now, yes?" she replied, ignoring his mocking inquiry.

Unexpectedly his heart jumped with her words. Excitement sent a slight chill over him. "Is it?"

She sat up and looked directly in his eyes. It had been long enough that she knew she was here indefinitely. Even with the scare of being discovered, her family had yet to show. If Kattegat was not her home by now it never would be.

"I have not left." Though they both knew as a slave she had no power to decide on travel plans. "I have been here long enough to accept your city as my own. Kattegat is home. You have taught me your tongue well. Now I wish to learn your customs. Of your Gods. The harvest celebration will soon be upon us and I want to be a part of it. I can think of no one better to show me how," she added playing to his ego.

He forced the smile that attempted to show itself away. He would never allow her to see how excited he was to convert a Christian; even if it was just Ehrlana.

"I will think about it," he said with a shrug and slid from atop his rock to leave.

Ehrlana smiled, knowing he would eventually agree. "Then I will wait eagerly for your decision," she said playfully as she stood and followed him. Both unaware of his brother's prying eyes.

-----

As the weeks turned to months Ehrlana’s paranoia over discovery relaxed more and more, eventually fading away. But it would soon return.

She was back at the market restocking ingredients for another batch of Ivar’s balm, it now a part of their nightly routine. And even though he never admitted it, she saw how well it was working. His had pain visibly lessened and she’d been forced to wake him each morning. It was a small victory, one unacknowledged, but a victory nonetheless.

Addis caught sight of her familiar face and followed Ehrlana from stall to stall. His breath nearly caught when she turned his way. He'd been right. Ehrlana was in alive. And here, in Kattegat.

As she made her way to the next stall his voice called out her name, just as Ivar crawled around the corner of a nearby building. The unknown man rushed over to her spouting off something about raids on her homeland and her father. Declan's warning of her discovery and the fear she'd felt came flooding back.

This is who Declan had warned about!

She desperately wanted the man to stay quiet. She grabbed him by the arms to stop his excited movements. He continued rambling on as her eyes darted around looking for Ivar. He had slowed to a stop, hidden and watching. “Ní rachaidh do chabhair ar aghaidh,” she said with a rushed smile.

Speaking her native tongue was the only way to ensure Ivar wouldn’t understand anything if he was near. Her voice was soft and feminine, but there was a ferocity behind it that conveyed her seriousness.

"Ach ní féidir linn labhairt anseo. Buailfimid anocht. Seolfaidh mé focal. Anois téigh.” Her gaze eventually left him and found Ivar. “Téigh!”

Her chest tightened. She could feel the heat of her skin as it flushed with fear.

Her eyes found his and she wrestled it into control and tried her best to prepare for what was to come next.

She glanced over her shoulder at Addis while he rushed from the square. She couldn’t help but notice he left in the direction of Declan’s as he disappeared behind one of the many buildings. When she turned back she fully expected to be met with a barrage of questions from Ivar, but he'd continued on toward the Blacksmith's. Strangely he had decided not to confront her, though she knew he'd seen them.

------

Addis fled to find Declan to tell him of his news. "Declan! Declan, she is here!” he said between breaths when he’d caught up with him. “Ehrlana….I have found her,” he finished, closing the gap between them.

His voice fell to a whisper. As if the two were conspiring against the Queen of Kattegat herself. But this was their way out of this place. This was their way home. He didn’t need listening ears to ruin his plans of leaving.

Declan’s heart dropped. His mind went blank, desperately trying to find a way around all of this. “In a few months time you and I will be in the King's hall, feasting on our behalf,” Addis continued excitedly before Declan could speak. "I’m sending word tonight."

Then, just like that he’d gone, leaving Declan more worried than ever. He had no idea what to do. He'd tried his best to keep Addis from seeing her. He'd run circles around the two for weeks now. The man had no clue just how much danger he could be putting her into. Declan knew Addis was only thinking of the wealth and fame that would come along with such a rescue. He knew the man would spin a tale of some damsel in distress that he valiantly saved. He may have been his father's friend, but he was a storyteller first. Addis could make shoveling manure sound impressive. Especially if it would give his reputation a boost.

-----

Ivar's attention was grabbed with the initial shouting Addis had done. It was the same man who'd been with Ehrlana earlier. He met with someone Ivar had never seen before. His watchful gaze remained focused on the two men when her name was mentioned. From his perch in the blacksmith's he could see everything. He only wished he could hear them.

Sparks flew from the blade he was sharpening, landing in nearby piles of hay unnoticed. Smoke slowly began to rise.

"I do not wish to burn alive today," Sigurd said to his brother as he handed his axe to the smith. Only Sigurd's irritating voice could pull him away from the scene unfolding before him. "Perhaps you should stop staring at your boyfriend and pay attention to your work," he added pointing out at the two men.

Ivar sneered at his brother. Only Sigurd could manage to pull him from the scene. Thanks to him he missed most of their conversation.

"Jealous?"

Sigurd huffed and turned his attention to the smith, watching as his axe was sharpened. Ivar's eyes went back to Addis and Declan, but they had already disappeared. He would simply have to ask Ehrlana later who he was and what exactly he was up to.

[helloandwelcometomariasblog]

Review #57-61

Old Review #57: 500 Days of Summer Written 31/08/18

Directed by Marc Webb Written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

I was really, really surprised. I honestly thought they’d showed us the ending at the very beginning, so even when Summer was getting married, I had the confidence that things would turn out well in the very end. But no. She actually did get married to someone else and they didn’t end up together. I LOVED THAT. It was heartbreaking but I LOVED IT. It’s so unique! So unconventional! Even the very last scene was unconventional, how Autumn declined when he first asked. It was both funny and unexpected. This entire movie was full of unexpected twists and turns and I absolutely loved that.

Now, about how I could relate to the film. I think I could really relate to Summer. Not in terms of attractiveness and all that, but the difficulty she had in commitment and how private she was. And it’s weird but Summer’s right, you can just tell. You know when you fall in love.

All in all, a great movie. I loved the twist in the end. I also loved the message. It made me kind of sad though. The message is true, but it made me a little sad. That there really isn’t something like fate and in the end, even the most painful breakup, even the most compatible relationship, even the most unforgettable person, can be replaced by someone new. Christians tend to believe that God has prepared someone special for them. But that’s probably not true.

Old Review #58: The Dark Knight Review Written 20/07/17

Directed by Christopher Nolan Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Bob Kane

Just finished The Dark Knight, then had a brief squeal fest over the fact that Netflix had the sequel as well. I’d really wanted to rewatch it. I loved it so much when I first saw it. I still can’t forget that well scene. I personally think it’s one of the best I’ve seen in any Hollywood film.

As for The Dark Knight, amazing, amazing, amazing. THE AMOUNT OF SUSPENSE. Honestly, if anyone wants to learn how to write suspense, they should study this film page by page, beat by beat. I’m just going to jot down the amazing bits in bullet points cause I can’t think straight to write full paragraphs right now. But one thing – the Joker wasn’t as terrifying as I thought he’d be. Harvey Dent’s face was much more terrifying.

The amount of choices. CHOICES. CHOICES!!!!

The choices were always equally DIFFICULT. The balance was astounding. Rachel or Harvey? The wife or the boy? The ship full of civilians or prisoners?

The amount of TWISTS. You honestly never knew what was going to happen. I loved that so much. I absolutely loved the scene where that one prisoners gets up and throws the detonator out the window. He was a better man than the police officer. Those kinds of scenes. Where you think someone will be a certain way, and then they totally surprise you.

The Joker was smart. I loved that. I love a smart villain. When you don’t know what the villain is going to do and how, that’s when it gets amazing.

I also love how Harvey turned into a villain too. I also love how they used the two-face concept. That was great. Terrifying, therefore great.

I LOVE HOW THEY KILLED RACHEL. Look, it was great. It was one of the best things the film did. How many times in a superhero film does the hero save the damsel in distress? ALL THE TIME. It was refreshing seeing that NOT happen for once. It was new and positively shocking to see the death of an important person ACTUALLY happen. It was the best motivator, the best trigger for the story to be pushed forward. There was so much force now. The story, the characters, their motivations, became rich and meaningful. Rachel had to die. It was good that she died. (I’m talking about this all from the point of view of a screenwriting freak. Of course I didn’t ACTUALLY want her to die.)

I just love how the film presents choices, and then actually ACTS ON THOSE CHOICES. There are so many films where someone’s in danger, or something terrible is about to happen, and then the film saves it in the last moment. It’s kind of like a cheat. They build up the tension immensely, and then destroy it by making everything all well in the end. ‘Oh, were you scared? Hehe. It’s okay now!’ They’re teasing us.

But this film actually follows through, and that’s what makes it so terrifyingly good. With other superhero movies, whenever a threat is introduced, of course I’m scared at first, and tense, but after a while I’m like, “The hero’s going to save the day anyway.” And it happens.

But with this film, no. If time runs out, the hero doesn’t get to save the day. No deus ex machina. He can’t get there on time? She dies. It’s that simple. They don’t cheat the audience by suddenly presenting a miracle. Things go to plan. How come the good people always get a second chance? Keep things real.

The coin. Leaving it up to chance, Harvey’s coin was the most suspenseful token I’d seen in a film. AND AGAIN, HE FOLLOWED THROUGH. I really love that. That’s honestly what makes the film truly suspenseful. It follows through. So when the next decision making moment comes up, you KNOW they might actually die. The stakes are high and the stakes are fucking REAL. They actually will die. Decisions HAVE to be made, actions need to be taken.

I love that.

Review #59: Fight Club Written 18/07/17

Directed by David Fincher Written by Jim Uhls Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk 

I want to, no, need to, talk about Fight Club.

It’s a fucking crazy movie. I really don’t like this movie. I can’t stop watching it, but I really, really don’t like it. I guess as a viewer, I could be told the same thing: Just stop caring and let go, and watch the fucking movie for what it fucking is.

But I CAN’T. I’m typing furiously right now because I just really can’t. I can’t bear to see all this crazy insane yoloness. I want it to stop. I want them to stop fighting and I want them to stop doing crazy shit and get their FUCKING LIVES TOGETHER.

I want the main character (do I even know his name?) to honestly get a grip and stop making a mess out of his life. He knows it’s wrong. But he’s so affected by Tyler’s words and his useless charisma all the time that he thinks it’s cool to be so crazy.

I think the movie is kind of glorifying Tyler, putting him up on the same level as a god. There was even a crucifixion moment. And the main character is trying really hard to look good to Tyler (like all his other 꼬봉s) and honestly it’s all a matter of self-esteem. Main character, you don’t need to do all that insane shit to feel like you’re worth it. So Tyler is a charismatic dude. So what. He’s not worth all that effort for you to feel accepted and appreciated. I just can’t with this film.

Review AFTER the film ended:

My mind… is blown away. Has been blown away. Not literally. Thank goodness not literally. I’m really amazed. I wasn’t really surprised at the split personality twist, for some reason. I was just sitting there going meh a little. It was a nice save, though, is what I thought. It was the right move to make in order for us to start understanding and liking the main character. A good move. A redemptive move.

The last 15 minutes? or so? were pretty amazing. Full of tension, and I had no idea what would happen. I loved it when the gun shifted from Tyler’s hand to… uh… Tyler’s. The movie turned out to be so much more different to what I thought it would be. At first I thought it was about fighting, and letting it go, and then it got way too much and I started feeling really uncomfortable, and then it turned out to have some fantasy aspects and got really good.

I’m kind of shaken right now, and I have to go home. But uh, let me talk briefly about what I think the message was.

Don’t FAKE IT. You are who you are. Even if you’re going through hard times. That’s who you are. Don’t hide yourself, don’t fake yourself. Don’t create a fake personality to slip into whenever you feel vulnerable. Let yourself be vulnerable. 강한 척… 하지 말자. I’m really shaken by the film right now. I can’t believe that gun shot didn’t blow his head off. Wtf.

Review #60: Catch Me If You Can Written: 13/07/17

Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Jeff Nathanson Based on the book by Frank Abagnale Jr., Stan Redding

It’s a really good film. It made me think a lot, and I was never bored. I was always kept in suspense, and I was emotionally moved. I think that’s pretty much enough for it to be a great film. All around amazing in terms of action line and relationship line and character depth and development.

Frank was such a great character. He just felt so multi-dimensional and real. That’s the amazing thing about great characters. You never get the thought that they’ve been made up. You never get the thought that some writer sat at their desk for hours on end developing this “character”. I guess DiCaprio’s acting made it more realistic, but in general, Frank’s character was just really raw. I really loved him. He was interesting, dynamic, and had an intention behind everything. He was really active, he led the story. He was always making decisions. Argh. Amazing. He was always pushing the story on by making decision after decision. Even though he was the one being chased, he was the one making all the decisions and leading the story. Isn’t that amazing? You’d think that the person being chased would be the passive one, reacting to the fact that they’re being chased. Running away and escaping all the time. But no, even his escaping seemed like a feat, a beat, an extravagant decision.

And underneath all that, was his broken soul. That was the most amazing part about his character. He was doing all that because he was broken inside. All he wanted, was for his dreamy, perfect life to be put back into place. And he thought money could solve that. He thought if he tried hard enough, he could get his parents back together. He thought he could give them money, and the three of them could live as a happy family again. He always, always had fantasies of happy families – you see it so clearly and deeply in his eyes when he’s staring at his parents dancing, or when he sees Brenda’s parents washing the dishes together. That was his dream, deep deep inside. And he tried to achieve that and failed. He became disappointed with himself and his life, and came face to face with the fact that he couldn’t save anything – never could turn back time and put things right again – and made the decision that the real life wasn’t worth living. And so he began running away, living a lie. Remember what Carl says in the end. It’s easier living the lie (I think?).

I was so glad Frank came back in the end though. I’m glad he made that decision. See? Until the end, Frank is very much a strong, active character. HE makes the decisions.

I learned a lot. I think this just became one of my favourite films. (2020 me: Really?)

Review #61: Beauty and The Beast (2017) Written 18/03/17

Directed by Bill Condon Written by Stephen Chbosky, Evan Spiliotopoulos

The main problem I had with this film was some of the dialogue. It felt forced, cheesy, too economical. I know that each line of dialogue needs a purpose and you should only write what is needed, but I felt that it was a bit too much here (for example, the scene where Belle talks to her dad for the first time).

However, other than that, I was more than happy about what I saw on screen last night. It was truly enchanting. That is the perfect word for it. It reflected the animated film enough to feel joyfully and uncontrollably nostalgic, but also challenged several aspects of the original to create a more logical, credible, interesting story. It was a perfect adaptation.

When we see Belle for the first time in that small provincial town, in her blue and white dress, we are completely floored and can only watch mesmerized as she walks through the town, the townspeople singing one of the most famous Disney introduction songs.

Said simply, I gained immense pleasure from two things:

Recognizing things from the original film. Seeing how they made it into live action.

The things they did differently. They added bits and pieces to the story to make it perfect.

I'd love to watch it again just to jot the differences down. Also, I was holding my breath during the ballroom dancing scene. Perfect. And when she picked up the plate to drink from it. That was perfect. She didn't teach him to use the fork and spoon. It was like she got down to his level and tried to understand him while also showing him a better way to do things.

It had just the right amount of difference to make people wonder what might happen next. And that's amazing for an adaptation.

[stormclouds-chainmail]

Image descriptions

Image 1

A tweet by The Irony Giant @Pretty BadLefty

Some of my best ideas for leftist policies come from the irrational fears shared by conservatives on twitter tbh

They be like "Leftists want the post office to also sell weed and make mail carriers deliver it" and you gotta jot that down

Image 2

A tweet by Riley@kayraisabitch

It's so weird being raised by christians and spending your entire childhood being told to care about others then one day they're just like you're not actually supposed to care about others you stupid socialist

Image 3

Tweet by jordan yule log @JordanUhl

A drawing of White Jesus knocking on a door with the text, "open up it's jesus you got any refugees in there? they need to go through extreme vetting first."

Image 4

Tweet by jordan yule log @Jordan Uhl

Drawing of White Jesus standing over a sick, kneeling man. Text says, "ha, nice try. healthcare is about consumer choice. get a job and enroll in a market-based plan."

Image 5

A tweet by jordan yule log @JordanUhl

Drawing of White Jesus walking on water near a boat and another man in waist deep water. Text says, "no peter i won't help you that will only create dependency pick yourself up by your own sandal straps it's called personal responsibility."

Image 6

A tweet by jordan yule log @JordanUhl

White Jesus is talking to a man whole 5000 hungry people look on. Text says, 'sorry, feeding you would be a waste of resources. i'm just not seeing results.'

Image 7

A tweet by jordan yule log @JordanUhl

Drawing of White Jesus standing holding something while people are around him. Text reads, 'i would love to give you this, really i would but the richest israelites actually need this more so they can stimulate economic growth!'

End description.

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: CT HOCKEY OFF SEASON VOL 10 PT 2

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The chase for a championship at all levels of hockey starts with roster selection. The number of signings this week picks up to a breakneck pace. Ex-Hartford Wolf Pack, Greg Chase, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler, Kelly Chase, signs with the Maine Mariners (ECHL). Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Yannick Turcotte, signs a one-year, two-way (AHL-ECHL) deal with the Hershey Bears. Charles Curti (Yale University) departs the Rapid City Rush (ECHL) to sign back with the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL). AHL TO EUROPE SIGNINGS Eight more AHL players sign in Europe this week. Gregor MacLeod leaves the Grand Rapids  Griffins for Nuremberg (Germany-DEL). Tyler Groavac leaves the Manitoba Moose for Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL), becoming the 17th player heading to the KHL. Then Veini Vehviläinen leaves the Toronto Marlies for Brynas IF (Sweden-SHL). This signing makes seven players going to Sweden. Jalen Smercek of the Tucson Roadrunners heads to Donbas Donets’k (Ukraine-UHL). He's the first AHL’er to head to Ukraine. Defenseman Reece Willcox departs the Hershey Bears for HC Val Pusteria (Italy-IceHL), becoming the first player to head to Italy. Chase Berger of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signs with HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL). Nicholas Welsh leaves the Rochester Americans and signs with Nuremberg (Germany-DEL). Jeremy Roy of the San Diego Gulls signs with HKM Zvolen (Slovakia-SLEL). 56 AHL’ers to date have signed overseas. Additionally, 25 of 31 AHL teams have lost at least one player. MORE MOVES Ex-Wolf Pack, Travis Oleksuk, splits from EC Graz (Austria-IceHL) and signs with the Sheffield Steelers (England-EIHL). Ex-Sound Tiger, Ty Wishart, departs from HC Cszilkscereda (Romania-MOL) and arrives at Unia Oswiecim (Poland-PZIHL) for the 2021-22 season is taking the import spot on the team from another ex-Sound Tiger, Victor Bartley. Former Yale Bulldog, Denny Keaney, switches French teams from Grenoble to HC Cergy-Pontoise (France-FREL). Another ex-Sound Tiger, Darren Nowick, who played with Skellefteå AIK (Sweden-SHL), announces his retirement. Riese Zmolek, the son of former NHL’er Doug Zmolek, finishes at Minnesota State-Mankato (NCHC) signs with the Iowa Wild (AHL). Brandon Schultz of Northern Michigan (WCHA) signs with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL), making 80 Division-I players signing in North America and 113 total college players (Division-I and Division-III) signing pro deals. The conference breakdown is as follows; Hockey Eart 25, Big 10 has 21, NCHC 15, AHA seven, ECACHL has six, the WCHA now CCHA has four and two from NCAA Division I independent Arizona State. In NCAA Division III, just three players thus far and 30 skaters have signed in Europe. EVEN MORE MOVES Aidan Metcalfe, a defenseman with the NAHL Robertson Cup champion Shreveport (La) Mudbugs, has committed to UCONN (HE) for the fall, the last for the Huskies. Christian Yersich transfers back home from Colorado College Tigers (NCHC) to the brand-new University of St. Thomas Tommies (CCHA) program. Zach Pellegrino (Gunnery Prep-Washington) leaves Bentley University (AHA) and transfers to Division-III independent Albertus Magnus College in New Haven who start play this fall, making 66 in-school transfers and 51 grad transfers for 116 college players to move this off season. A FIRST In a historic first, the NCAA has granted a major junior player the right to play in the NCAA. Austen Swankler commits to the Bowling Green University Falcons (CCHA). He played for the Erie Otters (OHL) for two years and didn’t play anywhere last year. He played US junior hockey for the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) three years ago. In a release, it was stated Swankler petitioned the NCAA directly before making his commit. Usually, one second of play in a major junior regular season game wiped out any chance of playing NCAA hockey. The NCAA has historically considered major junior as a professional league. This crack in the door likely means petitions will be handled on a case-by-case basis and not lead to a flood of applications. BACK TO TRANSACTIONS Sam Anderson of the Philadelphia Hockey Team (NCDC) and the Tim Manning Valley Jr. Warriors (EHL) commits to the Albertus Magnus (New Haven) College Falcons. After five seasons at Lake Superior State (CCHA), ex-Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Ranger Michael York signs a multi-year extension along with fellow assistant Zack Cisek. Both were given promotions of the title Associate Head Coach. The Holy Cross Invitational tournament scheduled for October 8-9 to kick off the college hockey season in the Northeast has been moved to the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, from the 1,600-seat renovated Hart Center Arena on the campus of Holy Cross. The Crusaders, the Northeastern Huskies, the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, and Boston College Eagles are slated to participate. The 56th annual Christmas Holiday Great Lakes tournament between Michigan, Michigan Tech, Michigan State, and Western Michigan will be held at the campus arenas of Michigan (Yost Arena) and Michigan St. (Munn Arena) on December 29-30. The Yost Arena will likely undergo a name change in the fall after an internal review found legendary football coach Ned Yost conducted unfair conduct against black athletes during his tenure as AD. Munn Arena just received a $1.5 million donation for arena upgrades. BLANCHETTE RETURNS Adam Blanchette (Berlin/CT Clippers-MetJHL/Danbury Whalers-FPHL) returns from overseas to become the new assistant coach with the Danbury Hat Tricks (FPHL). Blanchette spent four years in New Zealand playing and then coaching the Sky City (Queenstown) Stampede (formerly Southern Stampede) of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League (NZIHL). The team won three consecutive Birgel Cup titles (2015-2017) in the short-season league. He was also an assistant coach for the New Zealand National Team that took home silver at the IIHF Division 2 Group B Championships held in Grenada, Spain, in 2017. He also played two years in the Netherlands, a year in Australia, four years in the defunct Central Hockey League with the Rio Grande Valley (TX) Killer Bees, Tulsa Oilers, and New Mexico Scorpions. He also played major junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts, Moncton Wildcats and Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL. CONNECTICUT CONNECTED PLAYERS Matt Graham, a former Danbury Titans (FPHL) player, was named the new Head Coach/GM of the Port Huron (MI) Prowlers (FPHL) and had been a playing assistant coach the last three seasons. Former New Haven Senators Harijs Vitolins was named by the Latvia Hockey Federation (LHF) as the Head Coach for the Latvian National Team a month before their IIHF Group E Olympic qualifying tournament games at the Arena Riga August 27-29. The teams in that group vying to get an invite to the Beijing Games in February 2022 are France, Italy, Hungary, and Latvia. Latvia is seeking its sixth Olympic appearance. They took part in the 1936 Games and were then annexed by Nazi Germany and then by the Soviet Union. They made it in their first year back as an independent nation in 2002 and then in 2006, 2010, and 2014. They missed out on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Vitolins replaces former NHL coach Bob Hartley, who was with the team for the last five years. He is now the head coach of the defending KHL Gagarin Cup champs Avangard Omsk team. In addition, Vitolins has been an assistant coach with Spartak Moscow (Russia-KHL) for the last two years. PACIFIC RIM The ALIH (Asia League Ice Hockey), because of the COVID-19 outbreak over in the Pacific Rim region to decide to move the start of their 2021-22 season to December from September. NHL HOME Read the full article

[themoderngothicheroine]

Gothic Operas

The opera loves the tropes of the Gothic: innocent fair maidens, the tormented Byronic heroes, the tragedy, the romance. About eighty percent of the time you attend an opera, you will find yourself watching an Gothic epic unfold on the stage. The other twenty percent is the Barber of Seville. Here is a list of five famous Gothic tragedies of the opera world, and one that is up-and-coming.

Lucia di Lammermoor

In a strange turn of events for the Gothic Romance genre, this opera was written in Italy but takes place in Britain, as opposed to many famous Gothic novels which are vice versa! Lucia di Lammermoor takes place in Scotland, focusing on the feud between the Ashtons and the Ravenswood and the pair of lovers who are caught in this feud. In the most famous scene of the opera, Lucia loses her mind and murders her forced groom Arturo Bucklaw, before stumbling down to the wedding party in her bloodied white gown and singing her famous aria “Il dolce suono… Spargi d'amaro pianto”.

Here is “Il dolce suono,” sung by a favourite of Miss A, the wonderful Natalie Dessay.

Otello

The famous play written by Shakespeare has inspired numerous adaptions, but Miss A is very fond of Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic version. The love of Otello and Desdomona is passionately proclaimed throughout the beginning, but the machinations of the villainous Iago, who hates the noble Moorish general Otello, leads him to murder his devoted wife. The final death scene of Desdemona allow’s the soprano’s beautt to shine through as she fearfully awaits her manipulated husband, dressed in her nightgown, aware that her beloved husband will soon kill her.

Here you may watch “Ave Maria” from Otello, performed by Mirella Freni.

Der Vampyr

Can’t have a list of the Gothic without including a vampire, can we? Heinrich Marschner wrote this opera based on a German adaption of John Polidori’s short story “The Vampyre”. It has Lord Ruthven, the vampire (or more famously known as ‘Lord Byron’), being told that he must sacrifice three maidens to live another year. When his first sacrifice goes awray and he is injured, he is saved by his dear friend Aubrey, who discovers Ruthven is a vampire but is sworn to secrecy for twenty-four hours - but Aubrey struggles to break his word when his love is promised in marriage to Ruthven.

“Leise dort zur fernen Laube,” sung by Cristina Ferri and Rodion Pogossov, shows the young Emmy, a friend of Malwina, Aubrey’s love, being lured into the woods by Ruthven

The Flying Dutchman

The famous story of the Flying Dutchman is from the 1600s, when the Dutch East India Company roamed the seas, but has traveled through the ages, from literature to music to cartoons. It was said that seeing the ghostly ship on the high seas was an ill portent. Wagner’s nineteenth-century opera takes the legend, but adds a beautiful and pure young woman, who falls in love with an image of the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, and eventually sacrifices her life to bring him peace and release his soul.

Manuela Uhl sings “Senta’s Ballad” in Belgium’s Opera Royal de Wallonie.

Faust

Ah, Faust. Such a famous story of the dead, the living, of romance, and of the Gothic. The original story from Germany is of a man who lays aside the Christian theology to pursue worldly knowledge, summoning a demon to grant him all the knowledge in the world, as well as the pleasures of the world. Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, wrote the first English version of the text, but the most famous reworking of the legend came from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe’s work would inspire Charles Gounod to create the operatic Faust, with the beautiful Marguerite being seduced and ruined by Faust and the demon Méphistophélès.

The Met Opera produced a rendition of Faust in 2011, with Jonas Kaufmann and Marina Poplavskaya in the lead roles.

Les Feulettes

This opera was only debuted in 2016, so it is impossible to find recordings anywhere, but good God… Miss A had the opportunity to see it last spring, and she wept throughout the show, something that is an incredibly rare occurrence. The opera is about three young men in rural Quebec, two of whom are in love, and one who seeks to gain the love of one of them. Framed as a performance in a prison where one of lovers has been since he was accused of his love’s murder forty years before, he puts on the performance for a bishop, the third young man, and we watch the unraveling of romance, the mystery, and the tragedy that tore them all apart.

Alas, there are only snippets and trailers out there on the internet - but if you ever have the opportunity to see this opera, you must absolutely do so.

Do you enjoy the opera and the Gothic tragedies within?

Your doting

Miss A

[dragon-communion]

Now that I've caved and made an entire St. Trina sideblog, it's time for me to truly become my final form: an unhinged anthropologist with the power to make headcanons to fill in the gaps of life and times in the Lands Between.

Fittingly for a story with intense Christian themes, the early stages of Marika's empire are intensely Roman. As such, I think it's safe to pull ideas from various sites around the Mediterranean. While there's little to no Egyptian influence, or indeed much from the northern edge of Africa period, Elden Ring manages to hit every other point from Spain (Lionel's armor, St. Trina's sword) all the way over to Iraq (Uhl= Ur).

So while figuring out what worship of St. Trina looked like on a wider scale, I've been tempted to utilize the concept of folk saints- saints not approved of or canonized by the Pope, typically having roots in an indigenous culture. While I don't think anything about her directly conflicted with Marika's goals, she's notably worshipped by factions that generally want nothing to do with the Erdtree (albinaurics, merchants).

At the same time though, Miquella and Mohg look like a BLATANT Hades and Persephone reference to me. Hades even wields a spear, and Mohg has set up shop in a distinctly Greek-looking temple. Miquella, flowers and youth and essentially springtime personified, getting kidnapped for marriage by a man who lives in a temple under the earth and has rarely seen the light of day? I can work with that. I can do some insane things with that.

Let's talk Greek mystery cults, and the most famous one of them all: the Eleusinian Mysteries.

As the name implies, historians really don't have a lot to go on when it comes to the content of mystery cults. What happens during initiation stays in initiation, and so on. We can draw a few conclusions based on scattered textual references of guys that broke the oath, but nothing as solid as a playbook of events. We can say this much: there was a very long pilgrimage on foot that included singing and fasting, there was alcohol when they finally got to the destination, and whatever happened beyond the doors of their destination was utterly soul shaking. Mystery cults seemed to rely on the achievement of altered states in order to induce and/or emulate a kind of death and rebirth, which in several cases seems to have outright removed the participant's fear of death after the experience.

Because I am neurodivergent and this hits all of my hyperfixation buttons, I know way too much about agrarian cults of death and rebirth as well as the inducement of altered states, and this would already be prime ground to build headcanons on. But let's talk Eleusis.

Eleusis was a town near Athens where the Eleusinian mysteries took place. These particular mysteries and their initiation were focused around the story of Demeter and Persephone- the horror of Persephone's metaphorical death, the horror of the world beginning to die as Demeter denied the world the fruit of crops in her grief, the relief of a daughter returned coinciding with the relief of famine breaking.

What's interesting about this in the context of Elden Ring is that we have the metaphorical winter, but we don't get any spring. Just the promise of one, eventually, when Miquella returns as a god. In his absence the Haligtree withers, and in his absence his followers languish like abandoned dogs staring at the door. But he never comes home. There is no relief.

Likewise, Trina's entire cult by the time we enter the game seems fixated on "journeying to the underworld"- they are looking for Trina endlessly like Demeter combing the earth for her child, but Trina (like Kore) is nowhere to be found. Not in the land of the living, at least. So we have the preparatory stages of the mysteries- the journey, the mind-altering substances- but without any payoff. Potentially just escalation of both behaviors.

Before Miquella's journey to the Lands of Shadow, I do think Trina was still in communication with her followers, and that she only stopped because she was physically incapable of contacting anyone. So before the Shattering, and particularly before the war in Aeonia, Trina's cult would have had a very much present deity in the same way that Miquella, Malenia, and Marika were all physically available to tend their cults. Not that Malenia wanted hers at all, but nevertheless she had it.

The key difference between Trina and the other Empyreans is that they are being of flesh, and she functions more as a spirit, able to quite literally speak to her followers directly without intercession from priests or bodyguards or the iron wall of classism. She would've been accessible in a way the other Empyreans weren't, which is something particularly of interest since Elden Ring's story kind of metaphorically hinges on the real world events of the rise of Christian monotheism and the subjugation of polytheistic paganism. Part of the reason Christianity became so popular was because anyone could approach God, not just his priests.

Notably, worship of the Erdtree seems more comparable to a kind of imperial cult than a religion fully accessible to the common layman. Your average farmer probably couldn't talk to Marika. Your average farmer probably could talk to a saint though, and Trina might even answer directly.

I am going to have so much fun coming up with weird little rituals for the Church of Cozy In Bed.

[isitandwonder]

Okay, jemand auf Twiter hat netterweise eine Liste gemacht mit denjeniegen, die meinten, sich an diesem Scheiß beteiligen zu müssen:

Richy Müller * Volker Bruch * Peri Baumeister * Ken Duken * Felix Klare * Nina Gummich * Martin Brambach * Kathrin Osterode * Miriam Stein * Jörg Bundschuh * Inka Friedrich * Cem Ali Gültekin * Trystan Pütter * Meret Becker * Maxim Mehmet * Nadine Dubois

Nina Proll * Samia Dauenhauer * Nicholas Ofczarek * Jan-Josef Liefers * Heike Makatsch * Ulrich Tukur * Katharina Schlothauer * Kostja Ullmann * Tina Maria Aigner * Bernd Gnann * Markus Gläser * Wotan Wilke Möhring * Ben Münchow * Werner Eng * Gianna Valentina Bauer 

Joseph Bundschuh * Nadja Uhl * Claudia Rippe * Christian Ehrich * Ulrike Folkerts * José Barros * Manuel Rubey * Karoline Teska * Thorsten Merten  * Christine Sommer * Pasquale Aleardi * Kea Könneker * Jeana Paraschiva * Ramin Yazdani * Jens Wawrczeck

Dietrich Brüggemann * Monika Anna Wojtyllo * Roland Düringer * Alexandra Marinescu * Hanns Zischler

Ich kann es echt nicht fassen! Einige von diesen Menschen habe ich echt gemocht... Tja, in der Krise zeigt sich wohl der wahre Charakter. Schade.

Ich kann gar nicht so viel essen wie ich kotzen möchte 🤮😡

Was für absolut ignorante Arschlöcher!

[gmitchell91]

Taking all the Christmas decorations down at the church today got me to thinking... It's funny how your opinions of things change as your life changes. After we decorated the church for our Christmas wedding, last year, MANY from the church requested that we decorate the church again this year because they loved the look of it so much. That’s a huge compliment that we were very proud of. But nobody wanted it done again more than Tim Uhls. He flat out insisted that we decorate the church again. So, despite how much work it is, we (rather begrudgingly) agreed, as long as he would help us. So Tim, Abby, myself, and a smattering of other wonderful helpers decorated the church for Christmas the best we could, and Tim was so happy to have it decorated again. Christmas was his favorite time of year, just like it is mine, and I could see in his eyes how happy he was with his work. Now as we take it all back down, I reflect on that time, just a few short weeks ago... and I am SO THANKFUL for that time with Tim. We talked about so much together during that time, all while having a lot of fun because it's a chore that both of us love to do. We sure didn't have any idea it would be our last time doing it together. So thank you, Tim Uhls, for your insistence. I'll forever cherish those memories together. (at First Christian Church) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6vxtgRJ0GV/?igshid=5371gqdecvs2

[netzpalaver]

Philosophische Betrachtung der Technologie „Was erhoffen wir uns eigentlich von neuer Technologie?“ – Christian Uhle (Philosoph) im Gespräch mit Enghouse Interactive auf der VISION 20XX in Leipzig.

[cinefiles-ithaca]

A Film Trail to Pittsburgh

As Silent Movie Month rages on for another week, I’m back at Ithaca College from a trip home to Pittsburgh for Fall Break.  While there, I popped in to the Senator John Heinz History Center, where I worked last summer, to interview Lauren Uhl, Museum Project Manager and a curator at the Center, about her love of silent film actress, director, writer, and producer, Lois Weber (1879-1939). Weber, often considered to be one of the first American female directors, was born in Pittsburgh and spent the first twenty years of her life there. Last summer, the city celebrated Lois and her accomplishments in the film industry by putting up a historical marker in front of the Allegheny Carnegie Library where Weber’s house once stood.

Senator John Heinz History Center

When I showed Wharton Studio Museum's executive director Diana Riesman the first draft of this blog post, she was excited to let me know that Lois Weber figured somewhat prominently in Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache, the critically-acclaimed documentary directed by Pamela B. Green that WSM showed this past Wednesday night at Cinemapolis for Silent Movie Month.  Alice Guy was making films in Paris in the late 1890s for Gaumont Studios, before coming to the States in the early 1900s, establishing her own studio --  Solax --  in Fort Lee, NJ, and writing, directing, and producing hundreds and hundreds of films, working with her husband Herbert Blache on numerous productions.  Alice Guy's path coincided with Lois Weber's -- Weber acted in a number of Solax films, and allegedly had an affair with Herbert Blache. Weber is sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Smalley" in the documentary, since she was married to a director named Phillips Smalley.

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache, (Pamela B. Green, 2018)

But back to Lois Weber... Throughout our conversation Lauren makes it clear what drew her to Weber, why Weber is such an important person in the history of cinema, and why having communities claim these under-represented people in this industry is important. And she describes how the historical marker came to be plunged in the ground of Pittsburgh’s Northside:

Lois Weber

Rachael Weinberg: What was the process like of creating a historical marker for too many, an unknown person?

Lauren Uhl: Would you like the background? The Heinz Heinz History Center curators have been interested in documenting the film industry for so many years, and it was probably about five years ago I ran across the name Lois Weber. I found that she was one of the first female American directors and she was from Pittsburgh. I just couldn’t believe, I had never heard of her before. I love silent film, and I have been in the Pittsburgh history business for 30 years, and I never heard of her. I found that really fascinating and, at that time, even five years ago, there wasn’t a lot of information about her really anywhere. But, not long after that, I heard through the grapevine that Pitt [University of Pittsburgh] was hosting some women in Silent Film Program, and someone named Shelley Stamp was coming, and she had been in the process of writing a book. I asked if we could go, they agreed, and Shelley said in passing, “I’ve always wanted to get a historic marker for Lois in Hollywood.” When she said that I thought, “Jeez, we should do that here.” That is something the History Center could sponsor, that I could work on, and nobody in Pittsburgh knows who she is. It became a tangible thing to do for this anamorphosis project, this documentation project that we are trying to do. I talked to a few people to my colleagues and boss, because it would cost some money, and I got the green light. I contacted the state about paperwork, and to see what I needed to do and how much money it would cost, but I kept on getting green lights. And that was sort of the genesis of the idea of it. It seemed like a tangible thing, it would last beyond program. It would be a permanent fixture in the city and something we could turn too, and it seemed like a good starting space for the project.

Shelley Stamp

RW: So you say you, “kept on getting these green lights”, but were there any issues along the way?

LU: Surprisingly there weren’t. I think it was because it went under the radar, so it flew over the heads of those in a lot of power. Plus, the cost of the marker was only $1,600, which was not inconsiderable, but in the scheme of things, it wasn’t major money. It was just kinda me sitting in a corner in my spare time. Fortunately, by the time it started to roll out, Shelley’s book came out. I used it as my background source, so I read that as fast as I could. Then I could write about Weber and her importance.

Scene from Suspense (Lois Weber, 1913), showing a custom vignette

RW: Shelley Stamp and Illeana Douglas were the two keynote speakers, what was it like working with them and how did you get that to all come together?

LU: It was marvelous. I look back and call it my Lois Weber day, where everything goes right. Shelley Stamp was the obvious one, because she was the academic and she wrote the book. When we first saw Shelley she was doing an academic lecture on Lois’s film. We wanted this to be a conversation and not a lecture, about not only Lois and her importance in the film industry, and I wanted it to reach beyond that. I had seen Illeana a number of times on TCM, she is an actress, director, and producer as well. But also she is such a good interviewer, that it would be more of the conversation than lecture. I knew Illeana would come with a price tag. I figured that Shelley would just need to come here, but I knew Douglas would come for a pause. I wasn’t sure how much it would cost and how to get in contact with her. I went to her website, I called her personal appearance person and they never responded. A few days later,  I emailed her agent and one night he called, and I had a nice conversation with him, and he gave me a price tag, which wasn’t outrageous. I went to education, and said that there was this price tag and they said, “okay, we will give you the money.”  So then it was just logistical: making sure they could both come at that time. But she was available to doing it. So everything worked out as best as I could recommend.  

Illeana Douglas

RW: How did watching Weber’s work influence you? She is a revolutionary.

LU: She truly was. But it was, at first, hard to find. What I was impressed with was that she was an amazing filmmaker. You always say the first, but she wasn’t just the first she was really good. She was a really good filmmaker. Her films had a lot of heart to them, which is unlike today. She had a way of taking moral tales and  thoughtful stories, and hard subjects like abortion or wage inequality and have you think at the end of them. Because they were good stories and good films. She was able to package all of these things I love and lift them up cinematically, and they were silent. She didn’t have sound. And she was able to blaze a trail in how to create film. I was even more amazed that she grabbed this medium and made it her own. By god, she was going to do the stories she wanted to tell, own a studio, and she had this matronly personality that made her easy to love. She was getting her point across, but in a matter that was not offensive, even if you disagree with her. 

RW: For sure. She was born in Pittsburgh, but she never worked in Pittsburgh, right?

LU: Yes, she never filmed in Pittsburgh, but she did grow up here. She spent the first 20 years of her life here, so she was formed in Pittsburgh, but never created here. 

Poster for The Blot (Lois Weber, 1921)

RW: What does that tie all the way back to the silent era mean to your project?

LU: She is foundational, but she is not the only one. We claim the Nickelodeon, the Warner Brothers get their start in Western Pennsylvania. They figure out that distribution is where the money is. Then as Edison and his patent people come here, they move west. Edwin S. Porter was born here (Great Train Robbery). So it is lovely to have a woman, because it provides balance, but there were a lot of these greats getting their starts here.

RW: That leads me to my next question… Yes, we have all these men, but what does it mean to have a woman. Especially a woman who was talking about sobriety and sex and prostitution, what does it mean to have that voice?

LU: It is interesting to me, because, personally, I am a Christian, so is comes from that world view. She was a missionary and Christian, so that comes into her world view. My understanding was that she was a missionary in Pittsburgh and New York, what that also brings to the table is it gives us an understanding of what Pittsburgh was like when she grew up here. That falls through the cracks of history. It is easy to talk about Andrew Carnegie and immigrants, but Lois could take these real life problems in Pittsburgh, which I’m sure happened everywhere else, but putting them on the forefront. She was able to use her Pittsburgh background to tell these stories. In some way it leaves Pittsburgh into these tales without explicitly saying “Pittsburgh”.

RW: What else are you doing to keep Lois alive in house?

LU: For Lois, physically, nothing in particular, but whenever I have the opportunity, I will try to invoke her. Especially since next year was the centennial for women getting the right to vote. So I will try to fit Lois whenever she fits. The other thing I would love to do, is i would like to honor her on an annual basis by having a lecture or conversation. In my mind it is two things: One would be with a Pittsburgh filmmaker, and the second would be a person who isn’t from Pittsburgh but exemplifies Lois. So that would be the way that we would keep her name in front of the people. 

RW: You named a lot of other silent players. How are you incorporating those?

LU: When people say exhibit they think of large objects, but the other curators and I would love to do other things for the exhibit, like blogs and films and events. But right now we are also looking for the tangible pieces of these people, but we also thing “Can we find a photograph? Can we find a lobby card? What are other ways to incorporate these people?” And past. I don’t just want this to end either. I want this to grow into something larger whether that is traveling or putting pieces in our permanent collections. We just want to grow and allow for this to keep spinning. 

RW: Why is it important for us to remember these women and these marginalized people in film to allow for their stories to be told, or retell their stories?

LU: I can think of two things. The first was when I was in college and I was working in the Henry Ford Museum. It was still old school, and they just had aisles and aisles of objects. I remember sitting there and thinking, these are my people. What do you learn in history class? Washington, Lincoln, the Depression? And I’m thinking, “My people aren’t even completely marginalized. They’re the German Irish, but they aren’t in the history books.” So I want to tell these stories of all of these marginalized people and give them a sense of belonging. The second part comes down to the fact that other people came before you, and it goes back to something that Shelley said. When Illeana asked Shelley something similar she said, “I’ve got this girl in my screenwriting class who thinks that she nobody has ever done it before, and that she needs to blaze the trail. She doesn’t. Women have been writing for over 100 years. It’s going to be harder for you as a woman. It always will be, but there are people who came before you and people who will come after you.” That’s one of the fascinating things about history. You don’t have to feel bad about being the cog. Lois did this 100 years ago meaning that you can do this too. So let’s keep honoring them and keep reminding people of them, so they can also see how this industry and any industry hasn’t always just been part of hegemony.

Scene from Suspense (Lois Weber, 1913)

-Rachael Weinberg, Museum Division Intern