#Corporate Awards Australia​

[3dcrystaltag]

Make a Lasting Impression with Engraved Business Awards

In the world of business, recognition goes a long way. Whether celebrating employee achievements, honoring outstanding clients, or commemorating company milestones, engraved business awards are a timeless and elegant way to show appreciation. Custom awards not only express gratitude but also strengthen professional relationships and boost morale.

Among the many options available, Personalized Business Recognition Plaques stand out as a prestigious choice. These plaques are designed to highlight excellence in a unique and sophisticated manner. If you’re looking for high-quality, personalized awards, 3D Crystal TAG offers a stunning collection of corporate awards that can leave a lasting impression.

Why Engraved Business Awards Matter

Recognition is a powerful motivator in any business environment. Here’s why investing in engraved business awards is a great decision:

1. Boosts Employee Morale

Employees thrive in an environment where their efforts are acknowledged. Custom recognition plaques serve as tangible reminders of their hard work and dedication. When employees feel valued, they are more motivated and engaged, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

2. Strengthens Business Relationships

A well-crafted award is not just for employees—it can also be a great way to honor business partners, clients, or vendors who have contributed to your company’s success. Recognizing their efforts fosters loyalty and strengthens long-term professional relationships.

3. Enhances Brand Image

High-quality, engraved awards reflect your company’s commitment to excellence. When you present custom awards at corporate events, it showcases your brand as one that values success and recognition. This can make a lasting impression on employees, customers, and stakeholders alike.

4. Encourages Healthy Competition

Awards create a culture of excellence by encouraging employees and teams to strive for success. Whether it's a “Top Performer of the Year” award or a “Best Innovation” plaque, employees are motivated to go the extra mile when they know their hard work will be recognized.

5. Adds a Personal Touch

Unlike generic awards, Personalized Business Recognition Plaques add a unique and meaningful touch. Engraving a recipient’s name, achievement, or a heartfelt message makes the award even more special, ensuring it will be cherished for years to come.

Choosing the Right Business Award

Selecting the perfect award can be overwhelming, given the wide range of choices available. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Material & Design

Awards come in various materials, including crystal, glass, acrylic, and wood. Each material has its own appeal:

Crystal Awards – Luxurious and elegant, perfect for prestigious achievements.

Glass Plaques – Sleek and modern, ideal for contemporary office settings.

Acrylic Awards – Affordable yet stylish, offering a lightweight alternative to glass.

Wooden Plaques – Classic and timeless, great for traditional recognition awards.

2. Customization Options

A great award should be customizable with engravings, logos, and even 3D designs. 3D Crystal TAG specializes in laser-engraved Personalized Business Recognition Plaques, ensuring each award reflects the recipient’s achievement in a sophisticated and artistic way.

3. Size and Shape

From classic rectangular plaques to artistic, abstract designs, awards come in various shapes and sizes. Choose one that aligns with your company’s branding and the event’s prestige.

4. Purpose of the Award

Identify the purpose of the award before making a decision. Is it for years of service, sales performance, leadership, or teamwork? Tailoring the award to the specific achievement ensures it has maximum impact.

The 3D Crystal TAG Difference

When it comes to high-quality, Personalized Business Recognition Plaques, 3D Crystal TAG offers an exceptional selection of corporate awards that blend craftsmanship with innovation. Here’s what makes them stand out:

Precision Laser Engraving: Each award is carefully crafted with high-definition laser engraving to create a stunning 3D effect.

Premium-Quality Materials: From elegant crystal to stylish glass designs, their awards are made from the finest materials to ensure durability and sophistication.

Customizable Designs: Add names, logos, and even 3D images to make each award truly unique.

Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s an employee recognition event, a corporate anniversary, or a client appreciation ceremony, 3D Crystal TAG has the perfect award for every occasion.

How to Order Your Personalized Business Recognition Plaques

Ordering custom awards has never been easier. Follow these simple steps:

Browse the Collection: Visit the 3D Crystal TAG Corporate Awards page to explore the available options.

Select Your Award: Choose from a variety of stunning crystal and glass awards that suit your needs.

Customize Your Design: Add engraving details, logos, and messages to make the award personal and meaningful.

Place Your Order: Once you finalize the design, simply place your order and let 3D Crystal TAG handle the rest.

Receive Your Award: Enjoy fast and reliable delivery, ensuring your awards arrive on time for your event.

Final Thoughts

Recognition is one of the most powerful tools a business can use to inspire success. Engraved business awards not only celebrate achievements but also create a culture of excellence and motivation. Whether you’re looking for employee appreciation awards, leadership recognition, or client appreciation plaques, Personalized Business Recognition Plaques from 3D Crystal TAG offer the perfect solution.

Explore the exquisite range of corporate awards today and make a lasting impression that will be cherished for years to come.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee) 1998

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is a song by Italian music group Eiffel 65. It was first released in October 1998 in Italy and became internationally successful the following year. It is the lead single of the group's 1999 debut album, Europop.

The song initially found success in France, where it debuted in August 1999 and reached number one for three weeks. It then found success in other European countries, reaching the top spot on many charts in September the same year. It became one of the biggest-selling songs of 1999, reaching number one in at least 18 countries, charting at number three in Italy, and peaking at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 2000. It reached number one in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the UK, the song initially entered the top 40 purely on import sales; it was only the third single to do this. The song re-charted on 6 May 2013 at number 40 in the UK, following its inclusion in Iron Man 3.

The song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2001 Grammy Awards. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" has also been heavily sampled and remixed in later years.

The accompanying music video for the song was released in 1999 by BlissCoMedia, a computer graphics division of Bliss Corporation, and featured computer-generated graphics that were done in 3ds Max. With very few resources, tutorials and books, and only one editing machine, the video was made between 1998 and 1999 in a garage in about two to three months.

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" received a total of 75,2% yes votes!

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Janome America Best of Show #714 SERENITY Molly Hamilton-McNally Coto de Caza, California

AQS Best Hand Workmanship Award #409 FULLNESS Yoshiyuki Ishizaki Hyogo, Japan

BERNINA of America Best Stationary Machine Workmanship Award #113 FLORAL SYMPHONY NO. 2, Mariya Waters Victoria, Australia

Handi Quilter Best Movable Machine Workmanship Award #221 AND... (DOT, DOT DOT) Gail Stepanek & Jan Hutchison New Lenox, Illinois

AccuQuilt Best Wall Quilt Award #1423 THE LAST CALL Kestrel Michaud Melbourne, Florida

Coats & Clark Best Wall Hand Workmanship Award #1008 BLUE TONE II Aki Sakai Tokyo, Japan

Brother International Corporation Best Wall Stationary Machine Workmanship Award #1122 WETLAND ROMANCE Kathy McNeil Arlington, Washington

Janome America: Longarm Best Wall Movable Machine Workmanship Award #1318 CIRCUIT BOARD Jen Sorenson Rye, New Hampshire

Superior Threads Best Miniature Quilt Award #1611 TIMELESS Kazuyo Minami Tokushima, Japan

The Nancy Ann Sobel Award of Merit in Hand Quilting #425 WALTZ OF FLOWERS Ritsuko Uchida, Tokyo, Japan

APQS Judges' Recognition Award – Susan Cleveland #312 CONFETTI Diana S. Fox Parker, Colorado

APQS Judges' Recognition Award – Katie Pasquini Masopust #424 TULIPS Chinami Terai Chiba, Japan

APQS Judges' Recognition Award – Ricky Tims #428 KIMONO LOVERS Akiko Yoshimizu Hyogo, Japan

Rowenta Viewers’ Choice Award – Large Quilt #304 LOVE & MUSIC: THE LAST THINGS TO GO Sue Benvenutti Gulf Breeze, FL

Rowenta Viewers’ Choice Award – Small Wall Quilt #1403 TRUST Judy Ward Avant Young Harris, GA

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Friday

SpaceTime 20241227 Series 27 Episode 156

The threat of superflares from the Sun could be as high one per century

New observations suggest the Sun may be far more violent than previously thought and capable of erupting massive superflares capable of irradiating the Earth.

First ever binary star found near our galaxy’s supermassive black hole

Astronomers have detected a binary star system orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy.

NASA's Lucy spacecraft swoops past the Earth

NASA's Lucy spacecraft has successfully undertaken its second close flyby of the Earth as it continues to build up speed for its journey to study Jupiter’s trojan asteroids.

The Science Report

Sea-ice levels in the oceans surrounding Antarctica reach new lows.

Men with enlarged breast tissue at heightened risk of dying before the age of 75.

More evidence that drinking a small or moderate amount of wine could help ward off heart disease.

Skeptics guide to becoming less stressed.

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[scotianostra]

On June 8th 1865 the Glenfarcas distillery was acquired by John Grant, marking the beginning of a period of major expansion.

Glenfarclas means “glen of the green grassland,” or if you want to dilute it fiurther, Valley of the green grassland, Glen being the word we use for Valley.

Over the last hundred years, many family distilleries have been bought up by drinks corporations, and, as with any acquisition, many of the unique signifiers and family trappings have faded and disappeared. Not so here. Robert Hay founded the Glenfarclas Distillery in 1836, but John Grant bought it in 1865 and the distillery has passed from father to son ever since.

The distillery sits in the middle of open farmland at the end of a short road that connects the distillery to the A95. It has to be said that Glenfarclas is not the prettiest of distilleries and it gives the impression of being mainly built in the 1950’s.

The visitor centre is quite a modern building, with lots of tartan, buthas been described as lacking in “soul”. That said, there is a lovely tasting room the “Ship’s Room” that has wood panelled walls and furniture taken from the 1910’s cruiser the RMS Empress of Australia. The Grants were the first to open a visitor centre in a distillery in 1973

Where Glenfarclas scores points is the friendliness of its tour staff. Unlike some of the big name Speyside distilleries, which run tours like a production line, Glenfarclas is a more intimate set up where the tours are for small groups and the people that guide them are not rushing to keep to a schedule.

Six generations of Grants have shaped Glenfarclas, from 1865 until today. This guaranteed a constancy of quality and foresight that a durable product as whisky needs. There is hardly another distillery that has as much high quality and old whiskies in its warehouses as Glenfarclas.

The distillery has approximately 68,000 casks maturing on site, in traditional dunnage warehouses, with stock from every year from 1953 to the current year. Going back before the Grants took over there is evidence that the distillery started production in 1791, it’s first liscence to distill whisky was granted in 1836 when it was run by Robert Hay.

More recently in 2011, the 40-year-old 46% volume malt was named "Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year" in the 17th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Awards.

In 2022 thieves broke into the distillery's visitor center and stole more than £1000,000 worth of whisky. Distillery bosses said those responsible “knew exactly what they were looking for” in a statement posted online after an inventory taken later that morning found some of the rarest items had been stolen. The haul totalled around 20 bottles of whisky, they knew exactly what to take.Last year one of the managers said he believes they have hidden it away somewhere, and that auction houses all over the world are on the look out, if and when it resurfaces.

[mybeingthere]

Joshua Yeldham, born 1970, Sydney, Australia

1989-93 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design. USA.

Born in Sidney, Yeldham studied in the United States, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has exhibited mostly in Australia and China and his work is a part of international private, public and corporate collections including the Australian Stock Exchange and The University of Wollongong. For one period of his life, Yeldham was a very successful filmmaker. For his film Frailejón (1993), he has won a Student Emmy Award, been nominated for a Student Oscar and been a finalist in the Wynne, Sulman and Archibald prizes. His early childhood influenced and directed the rest of his life. When he was eight, Yeldham was sent to the boarding school, far away from home, where he was confronted with everyday bullying. A small and sensitive boy was not popular among friends and teachers. But vestiges of his childhood helped him to create his own world of art. He started to live in fantasy, painting and drawing products of his imagination.

https://arthousegallery.com.au/.../144-joshua-yeldham-in.../

[cognitivejustice]

Meet the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners

Alok Shukla from India, Andrea Vidaurre from the U.S., Marcel Gomes from Brazil, Murrawah Maroochy Johnson from Australia, Teresa Vicente from Spain, and Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu from South Africa.

This year’s winners include two Indigenous activists who stopped destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off the Eastern Cape in Africa, an activist who protected a forest in India from coal mining, an organizer who changed California’s transportation regulations, a journalist who exposed links between beef and deforestation in Brazil, an activist who blocked development of a coal mine in Australia, a professor of philosophy of law who led a campaign that resulted in legal rights to an ecosystem in Spain.

“There is no shortage of those who are doing the hard work, selflessly. These seven leaders refused to be complacent amidst adversity, or to be cowed by powerful corporations and governments,” John Goldman, president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said in a statement. “Alone, their achievements across the world are impressive. Together, they are a collective force—and a growing global movement—that is breathtaking and full of hope.

[amnottrak-official]

Sydney Trains T set

Class of electric train operating in Sydney, Australia

The T sets, also referred to as the Tangara trains, are a class of electric multiple units that currently operate on the Sydney Trains network. Built by A Goninan & Co, the sets entered service between 1988 and 1995, initially under the State Rail Authority and later on CityRail. The T sets were built as "third-generation" trains for Sydney's rail fleet, coinciding with the final withdrawals of the "Red Rattler" sets from service in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Tangaras were initially built as two classes; the long-distance G sets and the suburban T sets, before being merged after successive refurbishments.

Quick Facts T set, In service ...

Design

Vestibule

The Tangara is a double-deck four-car set, with the two outer cars being driving control trailers (carrying a D prefix) that are fitted with one pantograph each and the middle two cars being non-control motor cars (carrying an N prefix). All sets are equipped with chopper control.

Unlike most other Sydney Trains rolling stock, the seats on the suburban T sets are fixed, meaning that half the seats face backwards. Former G sets, however, do have reversible seats.

History

Initial delivery

In July 1986, the Government of New South Wales awarded A Goninan & Co a contract for 450 carriages. In 1993, it was decided that the last 80 carriages of the order would be built to a modified design to operate peak-hour services to Wyong, Port Kembla and Dapto. In 1996, five spare driving trailers were ordered.

The Tangara name is of Aboriginal origin, meaning to go.

Two subclasses of Tangara were built, the suburban sets targeted as T sets, and outer-suburban sets originally targeted as G sets. The T sets replaced the first generation of Sydney's electric rolling stock.

The G sets differed from the T sets in originally having manual door buttons, high-backed reversible seats, toilets, fresh water dispensers and luggage racks. Additionally, the G sets were delivered with a revised design at the front and rear of the train, notably an angular cutout in the bottom of their noses. Additionally, the pinstriped grey panels below the cab windows were replaced with light orange panels for improved visibility. All T sets have a number plate below a hundred while all G sets are numbered at or above

T sets

G sets

Original liveries

The first train (set T20) was unveiled at Sydney Central in December 1987, heavily promoted as the "train of the 21st century", operating a promotional service on 28 January 1988 targeted as TAN1, and entering regular service on 12 April 1988. The final T set (set T59, formerly T92) was delivered in February 1994 and the final G set (set T100, formerly G32) in October 1995.

The cars built were:

T set driving trailer cars: D6101-D6284 with additional spare cars D6285-D6289

T set non-driving motor cars: N5101-N5284 with additional spare car N5285

G set driving trailer cars: OD6801-OD6840 with additional spare car OD6841

G set non-driving motor cars: ON5801-ON5820

G set non-driving motor cars with toilet: ONL5851-ONL5870

Set G7 was fitted with an AC drive system for evaluation purposes with the existing DC stock and compatibility with signalling and communication systems on the network. G7 was scrapped in 2005 at Maintrain, Auburn after the Waterfall rail accident, as all four cars were beyond repair.

Upgrades in the early 2000s

Original interior

First refurbishment

When first introduced, the T sets were fitted with passenger door release handles to prevent loss of air conditioning at stations. These were later disconnected (and later removed) due to passengers not getting used to opening the doors for themselves when needed. The seats originally had fabric upholstery, but this was gradually replaced by blue vinyl.

In the early 2000s, all Tangaras were updated with a new CityRail corporate appearance. This involved painting the passenger doors and much of the front and rear ends of the trains yellow. Blue and yellow stripes along the bottom of the carriages were replaced by a single yellow stripe and updated CityRail logos were placed on the driving cars.

In late 2005, 15 V set carriages were suddenly withdrawn due to the discovery of corrosion in their underframes. G sets began to operate more off-peak Intercity services to Port Kembla, Kiama, and Wyong to cover for the withdrawn V sets. H sets started entering service in December 2006. The newer trains feature a very similar level of passenger amenity to the G sets and can be seen as a continuation of the design. Their introduction lead to a change in the role of the G sets. From 2007, the G sets were progressively redeployed to suburban services, providing extra capacity on high-demand existing services such as on the Western line and allowing new services to be introduced. By 2008, G sets were often used on peak suburban services that extended into intercity areas, such as services to Springwood (via the Western line).

Conversion of G sets to T sets

A converted G set

In 2009, the conversion of G sets to T sets began, to improve their suitability for suburban working as H sets took over their outer suburban duties. Conversion work consisted of the removal of toilets and their replacement with additional seating. Other work included the installation of new handrails and hangers and the recoding of cars and sets. The carriage numbers were kept, however the O (outer suburban) prefix was dropped. OD became D, while ONL and ON became N. The set numbers were reclassified from G1-30 to T100-130. G4 was the first to be converted (into T104). In 2010, sets being converted started receiving a full interior refurbishment as part of the program to refurbish all the Tangara carriages. In 2018, sets T14 and T121 (ex G21) both became mixtures of T set and ex-G set carriages, with both sets swapping two carriages with each other.

Upgrades in the 2010s

T sets

Ex-G sets

Second refurbishment

In 2010, a refresh of the Tangaras commenced with the interiors repainted, and new seating upholstery and handrails fitted.

In July 2013, Sydney Trains trialled rearranging the seating on the upper and lower decks of two carriages. There were 16 fewer seats per carriage; 3x2 seats were replaced by 2x2 seats in one carriage (N5134 on set T78) while in the other carriage (N5131 on set T77) there are double seats on one side and a bench style seating on the other. Both carriages were later returned to the normal 3x2 arrangement.

In 2014, phase one of a technology upgrade program, aiming to improve reliability and upgrade ageing components, was underway. A contract for phase two of the program, aiming to extend the life of these trains and bring technology into line with newer trains was awarded to UGL Limited in August 2015. This was expected to be completed by July 2018. The expected completion date was revised to 2019, however as of February 2023 only 2 sets have entered service with the second phase upgrades.

The first phase of the program involved upgrading the passenger doors to cut down on vandalism, as the steel panels on the original doors were prone to being kicked out by vandals. The door kicking incidents often led to unnecessary delays as the guard had to lock off the affected carriage. The new lightweight passenger doors have a similar design to the doors on the M sets. This phase of the project was completed at the end of July 2016. The first set to receive the new doors was T96, in October 2014.

The second phase of the program was initially set to include destination indicators and digital voice announcements, which were installed in T72 and T106, were not installed in other sets due to delays and issues with the DVA system. The upgrade still went ahead however, with vestibules given modifications including marked priority seating and Automatic Train Protection (ATP). The first sets with this revised phase 2 upgrade, T52 and T73, re-entered service on 12 November 2021. As of 26 February 2022, sixteen sets have entered service with the upgrade.

The program includes overhauling air conditioning units, Static Inverter upgrades, and modifications to the Driver's desk/cab.

Other anti-vandal improvements included the introduction of 'Mousetrap' sensors. Trialed in 2015, these sensors are able to detect vapors from strong permanent markers and spray paint; triggering an in-built camera feed which is relayed to Sydney Trains staff as well as the Police Transport Command. They were then installed in most converted G sets.

Service

Lines serviced

The Tangaras usually operate on the following lines:

T1 North Shore & Western Line: Emu Plains to City via Parramatta, City to Berowra or Hornsby via Gordon

T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line: Bondi Junction to Waterfall & Cronulla via Hurstville & Sutherland

T7 Olympic Park Line: Lidcombe to Olympic Park

T9 Northern Line: Gordon to Hornsby via Strathfield

South Coast Line: Waterfall & Thirroul to Port Kembla

Since 2013, their operation on Sector 2 has ended timetable services with all of them being displaced to Sector 1 since A sets do not operate on that sector.

Incidents

Wentworthville derailment

Driving trailer car D6127 and motor car N5127 were both involved in the Wentworthville train derailment on 27 December 1989, the first major accident involving the Tangara fleet. D6127 was written off, having collided with the platform. N5127 was sent to Dunheved on the Ropes Creek line for training fire fighters, along with S Set car C3866.

Vineyard collision

On 10 February 1994, set T99 travelling from Richmond towards Blacktown collided with a van at the level crossing at Vineyard. The first 3 cars derailed in a zig-zag format, starting a nearby grassfire.

Unanderra derailment

On 24 January 2009 at 2:35 AM, set G4 (now T104) was departing from Unanderra towards Wollongong and derailed due to the train passing a signal at Danger, and the catch-points derailing the train to avoid a collision with a freight train. The first 2 cars and the front bogie of the third car derailed and stopped safely 50 metres from the signal. Subsequently because of this incident, G4 was the first G set to undergo conversion to suburban T set T104.

Carriage pierced by guard rail

During evening peak on 15 January 2014, motor car N5222 on set T10 was pierced by a guard rail near Edgecliff railway station while on a service to Cronulla. Issues with the train were already developing on the previous run, triggering wheelslip sensors on the train multiple times. As the train entered the Eastern Suburbs Line, a strong burning smell was reported at several stations. It was later revealed that an incorrectly repaired axle on N5222 led to the force of the 440-tonne train picking up the piece of guard rail.

Kembla Grange derailment

On 20 October 2021 at 4:09 AM, Tangara set T42 derailed near Kembla Grange station on a level crossing. It was caused by a motor vehicle that was stolen and driven up the rail corridor near the railway crossing. Car D6212 fell onto its side and car N5212 also derailed, while cars N5211 and D6211 did not derail and only had minor damage. There were no serious passenger injuries or deaths as a result of this incident, however two passengers, as well as the guard and the driver, were hospitalised to be checked. The Driver was badly injured during the rollover of the Driver trailer carriage. T sets usually don't operate through Kembla Grange, however due to industrial action on the day of the incident banning the usual H sets, they were used.

4D

4D at Spencer Street

Main article: 4D (train)

A train bearing strong resemblance to a Tangara, known as the 4D, was built by A Goninan & Co in 1991 for the Public Transport Corporation. Although outwardly similar to the Tangaras it was mechanically very different being built to be compatible with the Comeng trains operated in Melbourne. It was included in the sale of Hillside Trains to Connex Melbourne in August 1999. It wasn't successful and after spending large periods out of service, being withdrawn in December 2002 and stored at Newport Workshops. The 4D was bought by CityRail for parts and then scrapped in March 2006 by them at Sims Metal, Brooklyn, Victoria. The G sets' cab ends have a design similar to the 4D, with the bottom part being bent inwards.

Notes

Former G sets are 81.21 m (266 ft 5 in).

Former G set cars are 20,385 mm (66 ft 11 in).

Former G set cars are 53 t (52 long tons; 58 short tons).

Former G set cars are 45 t (44 long tons; 50 short tons).

This person sent the same ask 3 times in a row and I read all three just to make sure they were all the same

yay train facts! I have a fun train fact: they are very yummy to eat 😋

[xpuigc-bloc]

Toni Hamel

Born (1961) in Italy. Lives and works in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Toni Hamel describes her work as “an illustrated commentary on human frailties“. Rooted in story-telling, her art practice draws from personal experiences and outward observations to create thematic bodies of work that reflect on and interpret the psychological unease of this anthropocentric age. Virtues and vices, the holy and the profane, the good and the bad all share equal weight in her work and supply an infinite source of material for her investigations. Pointing to historical references, popular culture and our current conceptual standing, Hamel’s satirical narratives ultimately seem to question our behaviour while alerting us about the repercussions of our current thinking models.

Hamel is the recipient of three Ontario Arts Council grants (2011, 2012, 2014). Her work has been exhibited in public and commercial galleries in Canada and abroad, and is included in the art collections of J. J. Abrams, Whoopi Goldberg, the Government of Ontario, the Omer DeSerres Corporation, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and many other private collections around the world.

Hamel’s work is regularly featured in Arts & Culture publications including Colossal (March 7, 2023 – September 16, 2020), My Modern Met (April 24, 2022), CBC-Arts (Canada, short-doc; Season 3/Episode 20, 2018), Hi-Fructose (September 16, 2017 / August 8, 2015), Lowdown (Germany, Issue #98, 2018; print and online); Courrier International (France, October 2017; print), Colossal and BOOOOOOOM (digital), Frankie (Australia, October 2018; print), The Affair (Taiwan, July 2018; print), Efflorescence Culturelle (France, September 2016), Mud Season Review (USA, Issue #28; print – online see art and interview) and many other print and digital outlets.

Hamel holds a BFA from the Accademia di Belle Arti of Lecce (Italy, 1983), a post-graduate Certificate in Computer Graphics from Sheridan College (Canada, 1991), the Golden Key National Honour Society Award from the University of Toronto (Specialist Programme in Psychology, 1997). She is the recipient of the Lubiam Prize (Milan, 1983) and many other awards.

New works for a solo exhibition titled “In lieu of better days” at CK Contemporary in San Francisco, CA USA. Opening July 6, 2024

#Toni Hamel #ilustration painter

#original art #artist painter #art

#xpuigc

[johndpg]

SPANKING ON TV #3

Flirting (1991) d. John Duigan

A six-stroke caning over pyjamas for Danny Embling by his Housemaster. At least one member of his dorm has already been dealt with; the rest are nervously lined-up outside the study. Later, the boys compare stripes after lights out. The film is set in Australia in 1965 and deals with the burgeoning romance between the socially-isolated Danny, who has a stutter, and Thandiwe Adjewa, a Ugandan-Kenyan-British girl he meets at a school rugby match. Between them they confront the authoritarian regime in their respective boarding schools.

The film is a coming-of-age melodrama and is a semi-autobiographical piece by the director. It’s the second in an intended trilogy that wasn’t completed. Noah Taylor who plays Danny also starred in the first film: The Year My Voice Broke (1987). It marks the film debut of Thandiwe Newton; Nicole Kidman is in it too, before Hollywood and mega-stardom.

The school is shown as a harsh, uncompromising place where the boys are caned regularly. They bully each other too, and Danny is frequently the butt of their jokes. Even his nickname mocks his stammer. His romance with Thandiwe is something of a revelation to them, then, especially when he sneaks her into the dorm and later hides her in the boys’ showers.

The Housemaster in particular is vindictive and sadistic. As well as the caning at the start of the film, he’s heard caning another boy during prep. It’s telling that he has to chalk his cane, which suggests he enjoys terrorising the boys and inflicting the pain of a caning but isn’t all that expert at it. He always gives out six of the best, too, which shows no discretion or understanding of justice.

The canings we see/hear are massively exaggerated, especially the audio. If a boy was beaten that severely in real life, I doubt he’d just get up and walk off with a nod to the next boy in line.

There is an ongoing joke of one boy, Green, saying or doing the wrong thing and being told to report to different teachers for a caning.

Despite being set in Australia in the 60s, the boys wear long grey trousers throughout, although some wear shorts for rugby and tennis.

Noah Taylor, Thandiwe Newton and Nicole Kidman are all still acting (fancy that). You might recognise Noah from Game of Thrones amongst other things. Thandiwe has won various awards, including a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for Crash (2004) and an Emmy; she was made an OBE in 2019. Nicole, meanwhile, bagged a Best Actress Oscar and a BAFTA for The Hours (2003), and is also the recipient of two Golden Globes, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Noah was 21 when he filmed this. Australia ended corporal punishment in 1985, so it's not inconceivable that he was caned at school. I wonder if shooting these scenes brought back any memories?

[hi-ma-ni]

BPO Companies: How to Choose the Best BPO Company in India?

Today, business process outsourcing has become a growing trend. With so much data and consumers to manage, corporate confidence in Best BPO Company has grown over the years. India's IT and BPO services sector has grown rapidly since its inception in the mid-1990s and today has a turnover of US$37.6 billion. The Indian BPO market has grown due to economies of scale, reduced business risk, cost advantages, improved utilization, and superior experience. Among competitors such as Australia, China, the Philippines, and Ireland, India is now the world's leading hub for the consumption of BPO services. India's immense popularity as a global outsourcing destination is due to the country's low labor costs and a large pool of skilled and skilled workers gave an opportunity to companies like Ascent BPO to provide better services at reasonable prices.

But since many organizations in India offer quality data entry services, companies only need to choose the best ones after they have done their homework. Look on our website to learn how to choose the Best BPO Company like us.

What is business process deploying or outsourcing (BPO)?

Before we get started, we want to give our audience an overview of what a BPO is. Business process outsourcing companies provide services that allow companies to focus on their core business. Let us consider this problem in detail. You may not have the time or resources for a separate organization that you can trust to handle other aspects of your business. These other aspects can be anything from call center operations, marketing, SEO, finance to human resource activities. The sky is the limit. Now that business process outsourcing has sparked some interest, let's explain what to look for in the Best BPO company.

Some Best BPO company are given below:

Tata Consulting Services:

Tata Consulting Services (TCS) is the second-best outsourcing firm in India. TCS is an organization based in Mumbai in Bangalore. TCS provides trading services, platform solutions, analytics, information services, and more. TCS has more than 400,000 employees in India and thousands of employees in other parts of the world. Tata Advisory Services will generate revenue of approximately $23 billion in 2020.

Wipro:

Wipro is a leading multinational company providing IT services, consulting, and business operations. They serve their clients by applying their expertise in cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics, and emerging technologies.

Ascent BPO

Ascent BPO manages multiple streams such as data entry services, data entry projects, data entry processing, web research, financial accounting, and call center services. Get the best outsourcing service at the lowest possible price here. Wide access to major Indian metropolitan areas such as Delhi and Mumbai, as well as other major cities in India such as Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata.

First source solution:

Firstsource Solution is a leading provider of customized Business Process Management (BPM) services to the banking and financial, customer service, telecom, media, and health industries. It is headquartered in Mumbai, and also has operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and the Philippines. In addition, Firstsource Solutions recently won Gold and Silver Awards at the UK Complaint Management Awards 2020.

UrbanTimer:

UrbanTimer is a VA company based in Kolkata. Believing that your experience will be "the best in your business," the company offers administrative support, customer service, content creation, graphic design, project management, QuickBooks services, startups, and more.

Professional BPO Qualifications: What To Look For?

Companies considering working with a BPO company should know what to look for in potential partners. If you're wondering how to find the most qualified BPO company like Ascent BPO, a few key qualifications are good indicators that you're doing business with experienced professionals:

1.    Proven experience:

Your business processes should not be executed by ordinary people. One of the most important qualifications for Best BPO company is proven experience in the industry. Excellent customer testimonials show that your business has been treated similarly.

2.    Specialized Services:

We offer a variety of functions and processes, and specialized services demonstrate expertise. If you're wondering how to find the most qualified BPO company, it's a good sign to find a company that specializes in a field similar to yours.

3.    Reliability and Security:

Because Ascent BPO handles confidential and proprietary company information, you want to ensure that your BPO company's data security measures are in place. If you can tell that a BPO company values ??reliability and security, you know your data is safe.

4.    Focus on Metrics:

Being data-driven is one of the most important skills a BPO company should look for. A metrics-driven BPO company tests and shows clients how it is performing.

5.    Transparency:

Transparency is an important factor if you want to know how to find the most qualified BPO company. If a BPO company doesn't seem honest or transparent, you won't be satisfied with their work.

You should browse through the above-given details about BPO companies to find the most qualified BPO company. These elements will help you determine which BPO company is the best fit for your business.

Resource:https://www.ascentbpo.com/bpo-companies

Useful Links:

[tigermike]

🇺🇲 1948 Tucker Torpedo Model 48 4-door sedan

One of the greatest automobile designer of all time Alexander Sarantos Tremulis

Civil Engineer. He is considered by most as one of the greatest automobile designer of all time. Best known as the sole designer of the ill-fated 1948 “Tucker Torpedo”, he had many other automotive, railroad, aircraft and spacecraft designs to his credit, including the original design for what evolved into today's space shuttle, and very possibly being the inventor of the term "flying saucer".

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1914. At the age of 19, and without any formal training in art or engineering, he landed a job on the design team for the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company in 1933. Among his projects there were the now famous and classic “Cord 810” and “812” series, as well as a custom Dusenberg roadster having both convertible and hardtop options.

He became Chief Stylist for Auburn-Cord-Deusenberg in 1936 at the age of 22, and remained in that role until the company failed in 1937. He then went to General Motors, and subsequently to Briggs-Le Baron, who was the coach builder for Chrysler at the time. In 1938 he worked for Custom Motors in Beverly Hills before consulting with Crosley and American Bantam in 1939. His designs for American Bantam remained in production until the firm switched over completely to the production of military Jeeps prior to World War II. Tremulis’ next work was on the 1941 Chrysler “Thunderbolt” concept car, and the production Packard “Clipper”. He enlisted in the United States. Army Air Corps after Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. There, he worked on advanced aircraft concepts at Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force base), and developed a concept, which in the 1970s became known as the Boeing “Dyna-Soar”, a gliding re-entry space vehicle. This project evolved into the present day space shuttle. Also during his tenure in the Air Corps, he made the first speculative drawings of what extra-terrestrial life forms would use as transportation to visit the Earth.

His concept drawings were the first saucer shaped spacecraft drawings documented. This concept generated much controversy, following which (in 1947) the even more famous Roswell "UFO incident" occurred. Freelance writer Deke Houlgate speculated at a 1990 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) tribute to Tremulis: "Do we have Alex Tremulis to thank for 40 years of speculation over space visitors?" After World War II, he worked with the design firm of Tammen & Denison until Preston Tucker hired him to design the 1948 Tucker “Torpedo”. The radical design was considered by most to be as beautiful as it was innovative, and is unquestionably Tremulis’ masterpiece. The ill-fated car was one of the first ever to adopt rear engine mounting, air cooling, hidden fuel fillers, the precursor to the current cornering lights found on luxury cars (a “cyclops eye” third headlight that turned with the wheels), seat belts, pop-out safety glass, padded interiors and several other innovations.

Even after the demise of the Tucker Motors Corporation, and after Tucker’s acquittal on all counts of fraud, Preston Tucker commissioned him to design a revival intended to debut in the late 1950s as the Tucker “Talisman”. However, Tucker died in 1956 before he could put Tremulis’ design into production. Actor Elias Koteas portrayed Tremulis in Francis Ford Coppolla’s 1988 academy award nominated film “Tucker: A Man and His Dream”. He went on to style for the Kaiser-Frazer automotive company from 1950 to 1952. From 1952 through 1963, he worked as the Chief of Ford Advanced Styling. There, among his projects, he was assigned (in 1957) to “design the car he believed we would be driving in the year 2000.” The result was his design, on paper and a small model, of the Ford X-2000.

The design was so enthralling to one Australian (Andy Saunders) that he actually built a running prototype of the car in 1999 and showed it at car shows in Australia in 1999 and 2000. Among his’ designs was the Gyronaut X-1 streamlined motorcycle, which won the land speed record of 245.66 miles per hour from a 90 horsepower engine at the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah in 1966. The Gyronaut got its name from the fact that it was stabilized by gyroscopes. In the 1960s he continued in a consulting role to attempts at automotive world land speed records.

His designs included the "Goodyear Wingfoot Express" (the first rocket powered automobile to reach 520 miles per hour) and the “Green Monster” (which failed to set a record after losing a wheel at approximately 600 miles per hour).

He was commissioned by NASA to submit a design for the lunar rover, though his two-wheeled, gyro-stabilized design was not chosen. Among Tremulis’ last designs were the 1978 to 1987 Subaru “Brat” and the Subaru “X-100”, a three-wheeled, 150 miles per-gallon concept car. He was a frequent contributor to “Road and Track” Magazine, and was elected to the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1982. He died in 1991, after suffering several strokes, one of which had blinded him.

[artistiqworld]

Crafting Excellence: The Art of Customized Awards, Medals, and Badges by Cash’s Awards

Cash’s Awards, a leading provider of customized recognition products in Australia, offers a diverse range of awards, medals, and badges tailored to meet various needs and occasions. With their commitment to quality craftsmanship and innovative designs, Cash’s Awards has become a trusted name in the industry. Whether it’s recognizing outstanding achievements in sports, academics, or corporate excellence, their customizable products serve as timeless symbols of appreciation and accomplishment.

According to their official website, Cash’s Awards utilizes state-of-the-art technology and premium materials to create bespoke awards, medals, and badges that capture the essence of each recipient’s achievements. From intricate engraving to vibrant color options, their products are designed to reflect the unique significance of every milestone. With a wide selection of customization options available, customers can personalize their awards to match specific branding guidelines or thematic preferences, ensuring a truly memorable and meaningful recognition experience.

As reported by Business News Australia, Cash’s Awards has garnered praise for its exceptional customer service and attention to detail. Their dedicated team of professionals works closely with clients to understand their requirements and provide personalized recommendations that exceed expectations. Whether it’s a one-of-a-kind trophy for a championship event or a commemorative badge for a corporate anniversary, Cash’s Awards remains dedicated to delivering excellence in every aspect of their craft.

Sources:

Cash’s Awards Official Website: https://www.cashsawards.com.au/ Business News Australia: https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/

[msclaritea]

Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell. Jerry and the couple's sons Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben were the original "Five Guys". The Murrells had a fifth son, Tyler, two years later. Today, all five sons, the current "Five Guys", are involved in the business: Matt and Jim travel the United States visiting stores, Chad oversees training, Ben selects the franchisees, and Tyler runs the bakery.

The first Five Guys was in Arlington's Westmont Shopping Center. Buns were baked in the same center by Brenner's Bakery. This location closed, in favor of another in Alexandria, Virginia, at the intersection of King and North Beauregard Streets, which closed on September 21, 2013.

More followed in Old Town Alexandria and Springfield, Virginia, making five locations open by 2001. Their success encouraged the Murrells to franchise their concept the following year, engaging Fransmart, a franchise sales organization. Former American football player Mark Moseley, who had gone to work for Fransmart after his football career, played a key role in Five Guys' expansion and went on to become the company's director of franchise development after it ended its business relationship with Fransmart. In early 2003, the chain began franchising, opening the doors to rapid expansion which caught the attention of national restaurant trade organizations and the national press. The expansion started in Virginia and Maryland, and by the end of 2004, over 300 units were in development through the Northeast. Over the next few years, the chain rapidly expanded across the entire United States and into Canada, reaching over 1,000 locations by 2012.[needs update][citation needed]

The first location outside North America opened in the United Kingdom in July 2013, in London on Long Acre in Covent Garden. The chain now has more than 150 restaurants in the UK. Five Guys also has locations in the Middle East and has continued to expand in Europe. In late 2017, Five Guys opened its first restaurants in Germany, with a branch in Frankfurt and another in Essen.

Five Guys, one of the top three burgers in the U.S., opened its first Korean store in Gangnam, Seoul, at 11 a.m. on June 26, 2023 with a countdown shout. As of 2024, there are a total of four branches in Seoul.

Five Guys Enterprises has several affiliated companies that are not part of a consolidated group, but are under common ownership. Five Guys Operations was founded in 2012, Five Guys Holdings was founded in 2007. Five Guys Foods UK Limited was incorporated on March 12, 2013. FGE International, FGO International BV, and FG Coöperatief U.A. are based in Amsterdam. FGH International C.V. is located in Bermuda.

Five Guys had a 39,900 square feet (3,710 m2) headquarters in Lorton, Virginia, overlooking the Occoquan and Potomac Rivers, that was specially designed to convey the corporate brand. According to the architect, "The lobby mimics the typical Five Guys restaurant with red and white tile, tall tables, Freestyle Coke machine and signature peanut boxes." In 2023, they moved their headquarters to a new location in Alexandria, Virginia.

On September 24, 2020, the first Five Guys location with a drive-through window opened in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. The franchisee retained it from the former business in the building in light of COVID-19 pandemic safe practices.

In September 2021, Five Guys opened their first location in Australia. The chain also has plans to expand into New Zealand. In November 2022, Five Guys announced the relocation of their headquarters to the Carlyle neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia.

Five Guys has received numerous awards in D.C. area publications, including "Number 1 Burger" by Washingtonian Magazine for seven years.[citation needed] The former US President Barack Obama is reportedly a fan, buying lunch for himself and his colleagues at the Washington Five Guys branch in 2011.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Monday SpaceTime 20250113 Series 28 Episode 6

How the Pluto-Charon dwarf planet binary formed

A new study suggests that the formation of Pluto—Charon dwarf planet binary system may parallel that of the Earth-Moon system.

BepiColombo swoops low over the planet Mercury

The BepiColumbo spacecraft has undertaken a close flyby of Mercury swooping down to within 295 kilometres of the Sun scorched planet’s grey crater covered surface.  

Taking a look at the year ahead in astronomy

2025 promises to be another big year in astronomy and space sciences with the Sun’s 11 year solar cycle destined to reach its peak at solar max – assuming it hasn’t just happened already.

The Science Report

The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that 2024 is the warmest year on record.

Study shows people who drink coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying.

New computer modelling suggests that indoor vertical farming could help future-proof food demands.

Sequencing the genetics of Australia’s marsupial mole.

Skeptics guide to the Hexham Heads

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[talenlee]

Pride Month 2023

In the major English-speaking parts of the worlds I’m familiar with (which weirdly, is not Nigeria, despite it having four times as many English speakers as my home country and Canada combined), June is Pride Month. This is because a number of inter-linked corporate interests have been able to maximise sharing economic value by treating England, Australia, Canada and America as if we all operate on roughly comparable time scales and interests. For this reason, June is the month where America celebrates Pride, in the ways America does, and the rest of us are already buying your t-shirts, so your rainbows show up on all our soda cans anyway. Happy Pride! Buy something.

The obligatory response is of course, ‘well, why?’ and not just why do we do Pride in June, but rather, why do we need Pride at all? After all, isn’t homophobia solved and fixed and now we’re just kind of tidying up around the edges? Of course not, and if you’re reading this you know that’s not true, because I am not some general access explainer, I’m the blog of a weirdo who likes board games and anime and has somehow captured an audience just barely larger than a really suspect church congregation. But why not talk about it anyway, in the specific vein of Hey I’ve been thinking about this a lot.

Jim Parsons is gay.

You probably don’t remember that name, but here’s a jog to your memory:

Jim Parsons is the 50 year old actor who played Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory for twelve years, starting in 2007. During the run of this series, he was the highest-paid TV actor in the world, earning a rate of 26 million dollars an episode. And trust me I’m trying so hard to not make cheap pops about how much I do not care for The Big Bang Theory. This is just a simple, clearly visible, and extremely high profile actor in a well-known, well-regarded role in the middle-of-the-road, approachable TV slush that everyone knew. I watched a bunch of The Big Bang Theory, certainly enough to have negative opinions about it.

Jim Parsons was outed as being gay in 2012.

That is to say, before 2012, despite being an incredibly public person in a public position, Parsons was not comfortable being openly and presently gay. He was a rich white guy, who in 2012, came out, at the age of 39. And when The Big Bang Theory was brand new, in 2008, interviewers were wondering…

Hey, is Johnny Galecki gay?

In 2010, Galecki responded – very gracefully, in a way – to questions about if he was gay, which was probably tied to the fact that he was probably aware of Parsons being gay and had maybe had a conversation with at least one gay person before. In that, he argued that he didn’t feel a need to address the question, because it wasn’t anything that needed addressing. Being gay was unremarkable. That’s pretty cool, it was a different attitude you were likely to get at the time.

It was 2010.

You might be right now having a thought about how you maybe remember seeing gifs of this. You might be remembering seeing The Big Bang Theory start and realise that you cared about the way it ended, in 2018. 2018, which was five years ago, which means that chances are good, if you’re like me, you blink and go ‘oh jeeze, that was that recent‘ followed by ‘hang on, that was that long ago?’ because our brains are mush and they don’t work right and the things that are familiar come to the memory easily. It feels like The Big Bang Theory is a reasonably recent show, and not something that’s been gone for five years. It won awards that people thought should be going to 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother and those three shows being contemporary should also send a bit of a shiver through you about what the culture was like only a few years ago.

I know it can be hard to handle time right now. There’s a sort of brain rot around 2020 that’s made the already relentless advancement of time get stranger and worse. It feels like we’re in 2020 part 3, but that doesn’t make 2010 nearer than it was now. It was 13 years ago, so if you’re say, 21 years old, you maybe remember when The Big Bang Theory started, and ended, and in your lifetime Jim Parsons wasn’t comfortable coming out. Part of why, though was because he was scared of ocming out to his mother. Jim Parsons isn’t a millenial. He was born in 1973, which means his parents are what, from the 1950s?

The average age of Parliamentarian in Australia is 51. The average age of a Senator in America is 63. The average age of the house of Lords is dust.

I did not expect to spend my forties, as a bi adult, arguing with twenty-five year olds who believed they’d somehow been born into a world where homophobia was over and only the dreadfully old people that didn’t matter was part of their lives. I did not realise that I was going to watch these youths reinvent traditional catholocism from first principles out of misguided pieces of DNI and trigger warning lists. I did not realise at some point in my life, I was going to hear someone tell me that I was bad for mentioning that I’d been called a faggot.

But the fantasy that homophobia and queerphobia and transphobia are things of the past and we just need to sort things out and we’re done is not just fanciful (because I mean, look at the immense threat trans people are under, especially trans youth, especially trans youth of colour) but it also seems to think that at some point since say, oh, 2012 and now, every person older than me winked out of existence and did not in fact spend their time calcifying and corroding and reinforcing and recruiting in the name of maintaining their connection to the things that made them feel okay, and the only thing that makes that kind of person feel okay is power and how to exert it.

We have Pride month because corporations want to sell us rainbows.

We need Pride month because we always, always, always need to be ready to start another riot.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Diary #Meta #Politics #Queerness