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newagesispage · 4 years ago

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FEBRUARY 2021

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The contents of someone’s bookcase are part of their history, like an ancestral portrait. –Umberto Eco

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The world is about to change with Biden and Harris in office. It is great to have Harris in there. More women in power is so important. Women don’t think with their dicks. I mean, a pussy likes to fuck just as much but we can also get some work done. Men are rarely as good at multitasking. The inauguration went off with high security after the Trump insurrection. 5 were killed as the traitors stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 but Biden still became the President on the 20th. Hooray for Pastor Raphael Warnock and Jon Osoff in Georgia for taking the Senate. We are off to an interesting start with Merrick Garland nominated for AG.** Janet Yellen is the 78th US Treasury secretary and the first woman!**John Kerry is the envoy for climate and Pete Buttigieg is up for secretary of transportation. ** Biden reversed the ban on transgender troops, stopped the Muslim ban and signed many other executive orders.

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Kudos to Bill Maher for giving out his Baldy award and talking about Henry Waxman. And I was glad to see Waxman mention it and the many others who do the hard work, the real work of running this country.

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Elon Musk is now the world’s richest person.

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Did ya see the Wendy Williams night on Lifetime? I have known friends and family with her behavior, this complete lack of self- confidence and yet completely self -absorbed. Yes, she was married to a jack ass and she can be entertaining but whew.. high drama. I learned one thing.. Her Father and brother are HOT!!

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Neil Young sold stake in 50% of his song catalogue to Hipgnosis songs fund in Britain.

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John Mulaney is in rehab.

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The Little things with Jared Leto, Denzel and Rami Malek was tops at the Box Office.

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Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles?? Ooh la la!! What a beautiful couple!!

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Thank you Cleveland Browns for all the hope!!** And..C’mon Packers.. U should have won that!!** Seahawk Chad Wheeler was arrested for domestic abuse.

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Think before you speak, read before you think. –Fran Leibowitz

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The Zodiac killer cipher was solved by amateur codebreakers David Orandak in Virginia, Jarl Van Eycke in Belgium and Sam Blake in Australia more than 50 years later.

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Rebel with Katey Sagal looks pretty good.

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Richard Lewis will not be in season 11 of Curb due to his many surgeries. Miss ya Richard!!

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Elliot Page has filed for divorce from Emma Portner.

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In the ‘some things never go away’ category, there are new shows coming of V.C. Andrews and the Great Gatsby.

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Dylan McDermott is joining Christopher Meloni in Law and Order: Organized Crime.

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Cigarette sales are up.

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Crayola is recycling old markers at colorcycle. Never throw away markers again! Less Waste!

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Days alert: The big reveal FINALLY came on Days about Gwen from Peoria. She thinks she is Jack’s daughter! It looks like the DNA will prove it. The plot will thicken as Laura returns with a secret and bad things happen to her. Susan Banks is also back and gets in the middle of a couple of stories. I am always glad to see Ivan but unfortunately Vivian is close behind. The twins story should come to a head. Please don’t push Rafe and Nicole together!! Word is that Patch and Kayla will remarry on their old anniversary of Valentine’s Day!! Best of all, Ciara is back and has thoughts of Romeo and Juliet. Find her Ben, before you get close to Claire.

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Tom Brokaw has retired from NBC after 55 years. I remember when he retired from the news desk way back when.

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Ex- Chester county Sheriff Carolyn Welsh has been charged with stealing from a K-9 unit charity.

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Succession has added Sanaa Latham, Jihae and Linda Edmond.

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People are filling in for Robert Costa on Washington Week while he is off with Bob Woodward writing their book. Yamiche Alcindor was a great host!!!!

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Some last headlines and thoughts and facts about the end of the worst Presidency in our history. Let’s hope this is the last of the news about the Traitor in chief except for paying for his crimes. Unity does not mean there are no consequences for criminals. Make no mistake Trump and some of his followers are criminals. **Here are a few things I ran across: Vanilla Ice played Mar A Lago for NY Eve.** After the riot many rats started to jump ship like Elaine Chao, Hope Hicks and Betsy Devos. The American Federation of Teachers reaction to Betsy Devos resignation: “Good Riddance.”** Mo Brooks had told the crowd, “Take names and kick ass.” Plans for a Sen. Hawley book were scrapped.** Adam Kinzinger of Illinois was one of the first to call for the 25th amendment that never happened.** People are trying to get to the bottom of the Riot with questions like, “Who paid for the buses?” ** These types of people are the reason we can’t have nice things. ** Scary Clown is off Twitter for good. Funny how it took Senators, companies and voters so long, 2 weeks before he leaves office to make him a pariah. Trump was too dangerous for twitter but not for the nuclear codes?? ** To anyone complaining about a private media co. kicking Trump off their platform: Think of twitter as a Christian bakery and Trump as a wedding cake. _William Cusack**The riot proved that blue lives really don’t matter to them.** U.S. rep for Colorado Lauren Boebert was given $70,500 by Ted Cruz just as he asked for a probe into Netflix. Her husband, Jayson was arrested for exposing himself to a minor and for domestic abuse.** Trump was impeached again.** “Republican colleagues broke down in tears saying that Republicans are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment.- Congressman Jason Crow.** Mike Pompeo cancelled his European trip after Luxemburg’s foreign minister and top European union officials declined to meet him.**232 was the number of votes to impeach him and the number of electoral vote in his loss to Biden.**Trump’s interior secretary had his own flag** Trumps EPA guy made super- secret phone calls in his own phone booth and had 24 hour security.** Toby Keith and Ricky Scaggs received the National medal of arts. ** The Supreme Court tossed out a lawsuit claiming that Trump violated the emoluments clause. ** Dominion voting systems sued Rudy.** Trumps impeachment lawyers, Butch Bowers and Deb Barbier quit. Word is that they refused to say the election was stolen. The new team seems to include Bruce Castor who would not prosecute Bill Cosby and Epstein’s would be lawyer David Schoen. That sounds about right.

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Hey Manson didn’t stab anyone. Incitement is a real crime. –Michael Mckean.

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ABC News President James Goldston has resigned.

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Everyone is talking about the SNL Krasinski/Davidson kiss.

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The NRA is bankrupt.

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Lenny Kravitz paid tribute to his Godmother, Cicely Tyson.

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Colbert could take a tip from Larry King. Ask simple direct questions and let the interviewee talk. We are watching to hear what they have to say. The beginning of the show is the host’s moment so shut up later!!

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R.I.P. Dan Dettman, Floyd Little, Pierre Cardin, Phyllis Mcguire, George Gerdes, Joan Micklin Silver, Carl Panzram, Gerry Marsden, Tanya Roberts, Kerry Vincent, KT Oslin, Tommy Lasorda, Michael Apted, Dave Creek, Jamie O’Hara, Dr. H. Jack Geiger, William Link, Neil Shehan, Joanne Rogers, Duke Bootee, Phil Spector, Don Sutton, Siegfried, Sheldon Adelson, Larry King, Ved Mehta, Bruce Kirby, Cicely Tyson and Cloris Leachman.

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nooneelsecomesclose17 · 6 years ago

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I can’t even think of any of Robert’s exes for them to run into, all of Robert’s exes are dead xD

This is quite scary really.Um Elaine Marsden? Is she still alive. In fact was she an ex? I’m not very good on Robert’s history tbh

#Anonymous

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britesparc · 6 years ago

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Weekend Top Ten #375

Top Ten Games That Could be Films

Well. Sonic. That’s a thing, yeah? The last couple of weeks, when not consumed with Avengers-related news and emotions, have seen people on t’net talking about Sonic, and his weird human legs and nice set of teeth. It’s certainly an odd design, although I sympathise with the creatives involved, even the executives who (I’m presuming) were the driving force behind Sonic’s movie look, okaying what the artists and animators were producing and steering them towards something that, I’m sure, they thought would sell. It’s a tough business and, to paraphrase William Goldman, nobody really knows that much when you think about it.

Among the many think-pieces that have sprung up, however, there is one point I disagree with: that it’s pointless to adapt a game into a movie at all. Certainly there should be no attempt to “legitimise” a gaming property with a film adaptation; games are great and will always be great, as games. But there are games with an iconography, storyline, or set of characters that could translate into movies. As it happens, Sonic the Hedgehog is one such game. He’s instantly familiar both to old farts like myself who remember the nineties, and also to the young folk who will be the film’s target audience. As it happens, I think the rough plot of the film – Sonic and Robotnik enter the “real world” – is probably the best storyline to tell, rather than adapting the game’s plot; it gives us a recognisable world, allows for some A-list casting (Jim Carrey as Robotnik, James Marsden as Sonic’s human pal), and following on from the likes of Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Smurfs, Christopher Robin, et al, the notion of CGI characters interacting with humans is a familiar movie trope, so much so that it’s practically a sub-genre of kids’ films (and can end up getting lampooned in adult-oriented films such as Paul or Ted).

No, I think a much worse decision is to try to adapt a game’s plot; to straight-up cart it across from console to movie screen (or, if you’re watching it on DVD, from, er, Xbox to Xbox, I guess). The first generation of game adaptations were especially guilty of this, often trying to graft a more realistic plotline, with character motivations and whatnot, onto games where “story” should really be read as “objective”: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros, Doom, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Whilst some of those films still retain a goofy charm (I will go to bat for Street Fighter being an absolute camp delight), they’re not good, not really. Far better, in my opinion, to take an existing world, one with deep and familiar iconography, and tell stories within it: sort of what the Sonic movie is doing, which we can almost assume is in continuity with the previous games. The best example of this, I think, is Halo; there have been a number of shorts and TV series based on the Halo games, set in the same world, often serving as prequels to the games themselves. And whilst they rarely go beyond a spot of pulpy fun, they do feel of a part with the games themselves. What they don’t do is re-tell the story of the games, and in that, they succeed where other game adaptations have fallen down.

There are examples of games with strong storylines that could be adapted, I think, but they would need care and attention, and should avoid being straight-up ports of the games. Use the storylines, if strong enough, but feel free to chop and change to make it work on film.

Another thing that some games have going for them, that makes them difficult to translate into movies, is that they’re really just film adaptations anyway. I think this is why the Doom and Tomb Raider movies have been less successful than perhaps you’d think; Doom is a sci-fi horror film, not too far away from Aliens (and especially quite close, even though it pre-dated it, to Event Horizon); Tomb Raider is basically Indiana Jones with a woman. The same is true for Red Dead Redemption, which I’m sure has Hollywood types arranging meetings as we speak; it’s a blockbuster, a game with instant name-recognition, a built-in audience, and strong iconography. The problem is that iconography is adapted from dozens of Westerns from The Searchers to Unforgiven to Deadwood to Bone Tomahawk. Quite frankly, we’ve seen that before.

Anyway: here are ten games (or game franchises, I suppose) that I think could stand to be adapted. Some of them are strong stories, some of them are great worlds. Hollywood, feel free to get in touch.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990): despite banging on about adapting worlds not stories, Monkey Island has a story worth adapting. Sure, it needs adapting, but it has characters, a beginning, middle, and end, and a world that could be seen on the big screen. Pirates of the Caribbean probably stole a bit of its thunder, but that franchise looks like it’s sinking at the moment (no pun intended), so doing a much wackier, almost ZAZ-style take on the pirate movie could be really good fun. My advice would be to put Guybrush and Elaine together for much of the narrative and give them some screwball dialogue.

Command and Conquer (1995): hear me out… the C&C games have a seam of mythology richer than a source of Tiberium, and could lend themselves to a sci-fi war epic. There are characters in there worth adapting – well, Kane, at least – and whilst the risk of it turning into a GI JOE movie is great, if they keep their tongue slightly in their cheek it could be a really good, fun action movie that harks back to ‘80s genre classics. I mean, the C&C cut-scenes are famously hammy, and whilst I don’t think they should quite dial it up to eleven, maybe keeping it a good seven or eight would be good fun. Also: Red Alert, which arguably is funnier (and funner, if that’s a word), but at the moment “comedy Russian bad guys” isn’t quite so benign a concept.

The Legend of Zelda (1986): either as an animation or live-action, I could definitely see a Zelda movie working. For a start, every game is sort of a reboot, a brand new story but still set in the same world as tropes, characters, and events repeat themselves. That means you could tell a story right from the start, drawing on the best plot elements and pieces of iconography from across multiple Zelda games, but it could still be in-continuity with the game series itself. A sprawling fantasy epic but skewing younger than the likes of Lord of the Rings, it could be an absolute winner. Like Monkey Island, I’d keep Link and Zelda together for much of the narrative, however.

Mass Effect (2007): this one might be cheating a bit, because I think there actually is a film in the works (I mean, there’s probably a film in the works for half of these games…). Also it might be cheating a bit because in this case, I don’t think you’d adapt it into a film, but rather a TV series. I’d adapt the story, roughly, but give it a direct narrative thrust. I think if it was a film you’d have to cut too much; it’d feel too propulsive, and risk becoming just another sci-fi action movie. But a series – maybe a 12-episode Netflix affair or something, with a big budget – could allow room to linger, to have the odd episode go off on a tangent to explore the Geth or Rachni or whatever. I’d also look at both men and women for the lead, and cast whoever was best, in a nod to the gender choices of the game itself.

Fable (2004): this is one where I think it’s the world rather than the plot that’s worth adapting: a fun, almost Python-esque version of a fictional fairy-tale Britain. A new recruit to the Hero Academy who is trying to prove themselves whilst also battling Jack of Blades. I’d keep the humour and the bawdy tone, and add in characters from across the Fable series, making it much more of an ensemble. Arguably it’s the gameplay and the emergent storytelling that’s part of Fable’s charm, but I do really think there’s enough there to hang an adult comedy fantasy film on.

Duke Nukem 3D (1996): this is one that could go very badly, but I still think there’s potential. Duke Nukem as a character is a boor, an oaf, a misogynistic pig, a relic of a bygone age worth forgetting. Whilst I think exploring this character in a contemporary setting would be more interesting in a game (especially as you could explore the twenty-year-old gameplay differences, too), you could use Duke as an avatar of the ‘80s, almost, to critique action cinema of years gone by. A washed-up sexist dinosaur who has to be pulled out of retirement, I’d cast an older actor with some comedy chops but also a solid physical pedigree: maybe even Arnie?! You’d have to be careful that if you had a redemption arc for him you didn’t end up justifying the crassness of the original game, however.

Another World (1991): this is one where it’s the world and the style that’s the key, although there’s a vague enough story there to adapt. A scientist is transported to, literally, another world, and has to survive, ending up joining a slave rebellion. The game is all funky graphics and cool gameplay (by 1991 standards, at least), but with the right director you could transfer that brilliantly to the screen, and it allows enough room to explore the psychological effects on Lester Chaykin. One of the things I really like about the game, is that unlike other human-transported-to-alien-world storylines, Lester is way out of his depth; he’s not a superhero, not a revolutionary. He is battered by the elements, hunted by animals, imprisoned, beaten, and ultimately (spoiler alert) saved by one of the aliens. You’d have to keep this element of the game to avoid it feeling like too much of a cliché.

BioShock (2007): this one might be a bit more conventional, and risk being another Doom-style adaptation of a game, trying to follow a story that’s more about gameplay than literary flourish. But there is something there, I think; for one, there’s the steampunk aesthetic of a decaying underwater 1940s utopia, all art-deco and brass, the outside world rushing in and laying waste to such finery. There’s the philosophical discussion at the heart of BioShock, giving filmmakers something interesting to hang it all on. There’s the horror element: the creepy Little Sisters, the shock-horror Splicers, the terrifying Big Daddies. Finally, there’s the twist, which – I’m gonna be honest here – would not work anywhere near as well in a film, but all the same, it’s a twist. It is, perhaps, the most vanilla of the options I’ve laid out here, but I’d still like to see it.

Jet Set Willy (1984): there are quite a few relatively obscure (compared to, say, God of War) 1980s games that could make good films. The first Maniac Miner; Skool Daze; Dizzy. But I’ve plumped for the surrealism of Jet Set Willy. Picture it: cast someone who broke through in the ‘80s – Pierce Brosnan, Richard E. Grant, Adrian Edmondson – and get someone like Danny Boyle or Edgar Wright to direct. The tale of a drunken gone-to-seed former celebrity who starts out trying to clean himself up after one party too many – possibly in some vain attempt at a comeback – only for the film to just get crazier and crazier as he ventures deeper into his bizarre stately home, discovering hidden treasures, secret rooms, occult shenanigans, and much more. Is it “real”? Is he losing his mind? A freakish, twisty, deeply surreal black comedy ensues. It’d probably make no money but be a cult classic!

Worms (1995): most of these I’ve imagined as being live-action, often big-budget affairs; Hollywood blockbusters. But who’s to say we can’t adapt a game into a cartoon? Certainly, it’s been done before, and with degrees of success: obviously on TV, but there’s also the Angry Birds movie, which I’ve not seen and which doesn’t strike me as being overly impressive, but which was clearly a big enough deal to warrant a sequel. There’s an animated Mario movie in the works, animated Pokémon has been a staple for twenty years, and there are those who’d argue that animation was a better route for Sonic, too. So why not apply that logic to Worms, a great British success story? There could be different clans of Worms warring over a piece of land (perhaps a garden that, from their view, is an epic battlefield); that would allow the different Worm voices to come into play. But something means they have to unite for a common cause. Inject it with a dose of British humour, a splash of surrealism, and a some satirical social commentary, and you’re onto a winner.

There you are. Seemingly-obvious suggestions like Metal Gear, Gears of War, or Half-Life I have quietly shifted to one side, and other adventure games with good stories (Grim Fandango, Thimbleweed Park, Life is Strange) I sort of feel had their box ticked by Monkey Island. But somewhere in this list I’m convinced there’s at least one great, great film. In the meantime, I’m off to see Detective Pikachu. Who knows? Perhaps that will be the film that breaks videogaming’s cinematic duck (or at least Psyduck).

#top ten #movies #games #sonic #detective pikachu #game adaptations #videogame movies #fillums

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lizabethstucker · 6 years ago

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Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore

Edited by Paula Guran

Twenty-three tales of fantasy and science fiction that contain libraries and librarians as well as the magic of books. An absolutely wonderful collection, only one disappointment. And that was more about style of writing than the premise of the story itself. 4 out of 5.

“In the House of the Seven Librarians” by Ellen Klages

When the old Carnegie library was closed and much of its newer content moved to a brand-new library across town, seven librarians remained behind, moving into the library to stay. Their lives are changed when a baby is left as payment for an overdue book. A suspension of disbelief leads to a strange yet satisfying read. 4.5 out of 5.

“The Books” by Kage Baker

The Show traveled around the badly decimated U.S., providing entertainment and trade. In one larger city, three kids explore, stumbling on a library. All of them are determined to take books back with them, but it might not be that easy. This was almost like a section of a longer story, one that I'd love to read. Very intense. Baker does a marvelous job with atmosphere. 3.5 out of 5.

“Death and the Librarian” by Esther M. Friesner

Death has come at last for Miss Louisa Foster. Yet even Death can be surprised. This one came close to tearing my heart out, slamming it on the floor, and stomping on it repeatedly. 5 out of 5.

“In Libres” by Elizabeth Bear

Despite her thesis being complete, Euclavia is directed to the Library Special Collections to read another source. Accompanied reluctantly by her centaur friend Bucephalus, they dare to visit the dangerous place. Definitely dangerous! There’s a chill tap-dancing along your spine, especially for those readers who have been deep in the bowels of huge, older libraries. 4 out of 5.

“The King of the Big Night Hours” by Richard Bowes

Memories and suicides in the library. I’m not certain how I feel about this one. The writing is exquisite, the plot is intriguing, but the emotions invoked are not comfortable. If that was the author’s intent, mission accomplished. 3.5 out of 5.

“Those Who Watch” by Ruthanna Emrys

The library marks Elaine on her third day of work. Already dealing with various health and emotional issues, she must find a way to adapt or leave. Unusual and intriguing. Definitely deserves further exploration. 3.5 out of 5.

“Special Collections” by Norman Partridge

He went to work at the library as suggested by his court-appointed therapist. He started taking Library Science classes as suggested by the college archivist where he met Daphne. But there are secrets, deadly secrets swirling around the library and the narrator. More horror than fantasy, not one of my favorites. Despite ticking off some loved trope boxes, I struggled to finish. 3 out of 5.

“Exchange” by Ray Bradbury

Working in the library for forty some years is getting to Miss Adams. Too many children, too many books, too much noise. Then a former patron arrives after hours looking for a final goodbye before shipping out. There is no finer writer of fantasy on this planet. Or maybe it is more accurate to call him a weaver of magic. 5 out of 5.

“Paper Cuts Scissors” by Holly Black

Justin struggles to find a way to rescue his girlfriend Linda from the book she put herself into after they had a fight. His best hope is Mr. Sandlin, a man who can bring characters out of books. Thanks to another, as well as Sandlin, Justin finds answers and a possible solution. An intriguing premise handled with a delicate touch. Lovely. 4 out of 5.

“Summer Reading” by Ken Liu

When mankind left Earth for the stars, the planet was turned into a museum overseen by robots. CN-344315 was the robot docent of the library. It had been five thousand years since he last had human visitors. The servers are gone, but CN-344315 had a tiny room filled with his favorite treasures: a selection of books protected behind an airtight glass. A visitor reminds CN-344315 of why books are important. Wow! I’ve come across Liu’s work in my SF magazines over the years and have always enjoyed his stories. I do believe this might be one of my favorites. Short, sweet, and wonderful. 5 out of 5.

“Magic for Beginners” by Kelly Link

I’m not certain how to explain what this story is about. There’s a TV series and the characters in this story watch the series yet are also an episode of the same series. Gave me a bloody headache. There was so much potential, but it twists around itself until I finally gave up trying to understand it as a bad deal and just slogged through. Weird beginning, no real ending. Just a mess. 2.8 out of 5.

“The Inheritance of Barnabas Wilcox” by Sarah Monette

Booth is surprised to hear from Barnabas Wilcox, a former classmate and bully. Wilcox needs someone to catalog his late uncle’s library. Booth senses something twisted at Hollyhill, the uncle’s estate. Creepy, horror of the emotions rather than blood and guts. In other words, my kind of horror tale. 4 out of 5.

“The Midbury Lake Incident” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

When the Midbury Lake Public Library burned to the ground, librarian Mary Beth Wilkins was upset, not only because of the fire, but that she wasn’t notified. Grief would come later, once Mary Beth has left for a new life. Very nice, just enough backstory to intrigue the reader. I do wish there had been more. 3.5 out of 5.

“With Tales in Their Teeth, from the Mountain They Came” by A. C. Wise

After she loses her lover in the War, she goes to the Library on the Mountain, becoming an acolyte now named Alba. She stries to find solace in the quiet, but mostly struggles. Then she meets a novice named Eleuthere who hides secrets beneath his robes. Very magical, almost dreamlike. 4 out of 5.

“What Books Survive” by Tansy Rayner Roberts

When the Invaders came, every electronic device died immediately, even battery-run ones. Katie Scarlett Marsden was almost halfway through Wuthering Heights when her Kindle died. Once the town built a barricade, she was separated from the school library. Wanting more to read, Katie slips past the barricade one night, finding more than she expected. A very weird dystopian story, enthralling and filled with twists. 4.5 out of 5.

“The Librarian’s Dilemma” by E. Saxey

Jas was hired to bring libraries into the 21st Century. Saint Simon’s librarian Moira doesn’t mind the security measures he can provide, but she isn’t interested in sharing the contents of their Special Collection outside the library’s walls. I understand the dilemma in this story and, frankly, I’m not certain which side I would support in regards to the sharing of dangerous material. 4 out of 5.

“The Green Book” by Amal El-Mohtar

There is little that I can tell you about the story without spoiling it, so I’ll live it with that it is a story about a mysterious green book and its contents. I mostly liked it. I think. Yet it felt like it was more a rough sketch than a complete story. 3 out of 5.

“In the Stacks” by Scott Lynch

Magical student Laszlo Jazera discovers the dangers of the final assignment for Fifth Year, one he must pass to make it to Sixth Year. It seemed simple enough, return a book to the Living Library. The task will be more frightening and intense than he could ever have expected. There is a tragic sadness throughout this story, but the universe created is horrifyingly compelling. 4.5 out of 5.

“A Woman’s Best Friend” by Robert Reed

On Christmas Eve, Mary sees a stranger stumbling through the snowy streets of her town. George is confused and frightened, soaked from head to toe. Mary impulsively takes him back to her home in the library. A strange retelling of a classic Christmas film, a mixture of fantasy and science fiction. Interesting, a bit strange at the end. 3.5 out of 5.

“If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler” by Xia Jia

A lonely librarian discovers a book of poetry that might expand his world. There is magic about this tale that touches the reader’s soul. I loved how the people who wanted the poetry read and appreciated on its own merits, not for the possible backstory of the author. 4 out of 5.

“The Sigma Structure Symphony” by Gregory Benford

Ruth is one of many librarians mining for useful information in recordings from the SETI project. After the death of a fellow librarian, Ruth is asked to take over his task, mining the Sigma Structures. Math and music, language and love. Are they simply human-based? Weird. Confusing. Engrossing at the time yet left a sour aftertaste. 3 out of 5.

“The Fort Moxie Branch” by Jack McDevitt

Mr. Wickham, in the process of disposing of his privately published novel, is caught in a blackout. During that darkness, he sees a strange glow in a long empty house. I love the idea of this story. A fascinating premise from start to finish. 4 out of 5.

“The Last Librarian” by Edoardo Albert

Books, actual physical books, have been ignored in favor of uploaded versions or neural inputs. The librarian at the British Library finagles a way to direct traffic physically into the building. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go well. In today’s world, I fear this could happen. Maybe not now, but very soon. I was surprised that the narrator remained at the end. 4 out of 5.

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brookstonalmanac · 3 years ago

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Events 9.6

394 – Battle of the Frigidus: Roman Emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills Eugenius the usurper. His Frankish magister militum Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later. 1492 – Christopher Columbus sails from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, his final port of call before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. 1522 – The Victoria returns to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition and the first known ship to circumnavigate the world. 1620 – The Pilgrims sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower to settle in North America. (Old Style date; September 16 per New Style date.) 1628 – Puritans settle Salem which became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1634 – Thirty Years' War: In the Battle of Nördlingen, the Catholic Imperial army defeats Swedish and German Protestant forces. 1642 – England's Parliament bans public stage-plays. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Groton Heights takes place, resulting in a British victory. 1803 – British scientist John Dalton begins using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements. 1861 – American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, giving the Union control of the Tennessee River's mouth. 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate forces evacuate Battery Wagner and Morris Island in South Carolina. 1870 – Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807. 1885 – Eastern Rumelia declares its union with Bulgaria, thus accomplishing Bulgarian unification. 1901 – Leon Czolgosz, an unemployed anarchist, shoots and fatally wounds US President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. 1930 – Democratically elected Argentine president Hipólito Yrigoyen is deposed in a military coup. 1936 – Spanish Civil War: The Interprovincial Council of Asturias and León is established. 1939 – World War II: Britain suffers its first fighter pilot casualty of the Second World War at the Battle of Barking Creek as a result of friendly fire. 1939 – World War II: South Africa declares war on Germany. 1940 – King Carol II of Romania abdicates and is succeeded by his son Michael. General Ion Antonescu becomes the Conducător of Romania. 1943 – The Monterrey Institute of Technology is founded in Monterrey, Mexico as one of the largest and most influential private universities in Latin America. 1943 – Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train derails at Frankford Junction in Philadelphia, killing 79 people and injuring 117 others. 1944 – World War II: The city of Ypres, Belgium is liberated by Allied forces. 1944 – World War II: Soviet forces capture the city of Tartu, Estonia. 1946 – United States Secretary of State James F. Byrnes announces that the U.S. will follow a policy of economic reconstruction in postwar Germany. 1952 – A prototype aircraft crashes at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England, killing 29 spectators and the two on board. 1955 – Istanbul's Greek, Jewish, and Armenian minorities are the target of a government-sponsored pogrom; dozens are killed in ensuing riots. 1962 – The United States government begins the Exercise Spade Fork nuclear readiness drill. 1962 – Archaeologist Peter Marsden discovers the first of the Blackfriars Ships dating back to the second century AD in the Blackfriars area of the banks of the River Thames in London. 1965 – India retaliates following Pakistan's Operation Grand Slam which results in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 that ends in a stalemate followed by the signing of the Tashkent Declaration. 1966 – Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, is stabbed to death in Cape Town, South Africa during a parliamentary meeting. 1968 – Swaziland becomes independent. 1970 – Two passenger jets bound from Europe to New York are simultaneously hijacked by Palestinian terrorist members of the PFLP and taken to Dawson's Field, Jordan. 1971 – Paninternational Flight 112 crashes on the Bundesautobahn 7 highway near Hamburg Airport, in Hamburg, Germany, killing 22. 1972 – Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day. 1975 –Tawny Elaine Godin, an eighteen year old pianist from Yonkers, was crowned Miss America 1976, at the 49th Miss America pageant, at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 1976 – Cold War: Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot Viktor Belenko lands a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate in Japan and requests political asylum in the United States; his request is granted. 1983 – The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that its operatives did not know that it was a civilian aircraft when it reportedly violated Soviet airspace. 1985 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crashes near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing all 31 people on board. 1986 – In Istanbul, two terrorists from Abu Nidal's organization kill 22 and wound six congregants inside the Neve Shalom Synagogue during Shabbat services. 1991 – The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 1991 – The Russian parliament approves the name change of Leningrad back to Saint Petersburg. The change is effective October 1, 1991. 1995 – Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that had stood for 56 years. 1997 – The Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place in London. Well over a million people lined the streets and 21⁄2 billion watched around the world on television. 2003 – Mahmoud Abbas resigns from his position of Palestinian Prime Minister. 2007 – Israel executes the air strike Operation Orchard to destroy a nuclear reactor in Syria. 2009 – The ro-ro ferry SuperFerry 9 sinks off the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines with 971 persons aboard; all but ten are rescued. 2012 – Sixty-one people die after a fishing boat capsizes off the İzmir Province coast of Turkey, near the Greek Aegean islands. 2013 – Forty one elephants are poisoned with cyanide in salt pans, by poachers in Hwange National Park. 2018 – Supreme Court of India decriminalised all consensual sex among adults in private, making homosexuality legal on the Indian lands. 2021 – Labour Day in Canada and Labor Day in the United States

#Events

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bobbie-robron · 4 months ago

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Young ‘Punchbag’ Sugden 🫣…

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penninepete · 4 years ago

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Millstone Edge Circular

Date: 05/09/20 Distance: 6.0km Ascent: 147m Conditions: Windy Weather: 8C

We started this walk, simply because grandson was annoyed that his grandparents had been to Millstone Edge without him.

Elaine was working so I drove up to the Car Park on Standedge, assuming we would take the short route to the Trig Point and return to the car after an hour. Little ‘un had other ideas though - as soon as he got out of the car he noticed the steps up to the east and started to climb them. Rather than curb his enthusiasm I followed and we took the Pennine Way south for about a kilometre.

At the fork, we carried on the Standedge Trail past Warcock Hill then took the footpath north along the banks of a stream to Redbrook Reservoir. Despite the temperature, there was a lady swimming in the reservoir! Passing the sailing club, we crossed the road and headed west on the footpath across Thieves Clough, before rejoining the Pennine Way north along the Millstone Edge. With the promise of a Tunnock we made it to a very windy Trig Point where the obligatory photos were taken.

We then headed south along the Pennine Way back to the car park for a quick scoot into Marsden for some lunch. At this rate he’ll have done all the Pennine Way by the time he turns six!

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bonniesrg · 6 years ago

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Robert really is that bitch who crashes the car he's driving with his girlfriend in, because he's horny af. Then drags her unconscious body across to the driver's seat so he doesn't get in trouble.

Son, I can't even with you. 🤦‍♀️

#robert sugden #emmerdale #elaine marsden #classic emmerdale #2003

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theredandwhitequeen · 7 years ago

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emmerdale thoughts

Robert and Aaron around car/plane/helicopter crashes

Robert’s mother died when he was 4 months old swerving to miss sheep -1986

Robert almost loses his grandmother to the village plane crash and loses his cousin Mark in that same crash -1993

Kathy Sudden almost died in a car crash when Graham Clark tried to kill her. 2000 -14

Night out with Ollie, Marc, Andy, Eve and Donna ends up with them stealing a car and running over their head mistress 2001 -15

lies about who is driving when in an accident with girlfriend Elaine Marsden -2003 -17

Game of chicken with Andy results in Max King’s death and Robert being sent away from the village - 2005 -19

helicopter crash started by Chrissie that ended in 3 deaths including Ruby and Val Pollard. Robert was there. -2015

game of chicken #2 with Andy because they were fighting and angry with each other -2015

Robert and Aaron are in road accident started by James Barton being pushed off the viaduct and they end up in the quarry. - 2016

The Whites in crash caused by Lachlan and because they are chasing Robert. Lawrence and Chrissie die, Lachlan and Rebecca injured -2018

Aaron and Adam get run off the road -2009/2010

Jackson crashes his car and then a train crashes into him while Aaron watches -2010

Aaron drives angry and almost crashes car, with Chas in the car. -2011

Aaron steals cars with Ross -2014

With all those accidents Robert must have nightmares about all of them. It’s so traumatic.

#emmerdale thoughts #robert and aaron

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tasksweekly · 7 years ago

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[TASK 054: THE ANISHINAABE]

Shout out to @olivaraofrph for inspiring and helping compile this task! There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 100+ Anishinaabe faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. While often used as synonymous to 'Ojibwe', 'Anishinaabe' refers to six culturally and linguistically similar Native American/Canadian tribes: the Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Chippewa Cree, Mississauga, and Algonquin. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite Anishinaabe faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by a Anishinaabe artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on Anishinaabe culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Note: If you’re using this masterlist for casting purposes please do further research before casting any of the following because some pages only listed their nationalities!

Ladies:

LuAnn de Lesseps (52) French-Canadian, Mi’kmaq/Algonquin (unconfirmed) - television personality, model, author, and singer.

Annie Galipeau (born 1979) Algonquin - actress.

Jennifer Podemski (43) Saulteaux, Ojibwe, Israeli, and Polish - actress.

Cheyenne King (41) Ojibwe - actress.

Dana Jeffrey (?) ¼ Ojibwe, ¼ Thai, unknown amounts of Afro Guyanese, Indo Guyanese, and Mexican with distant English - actress.

Tamara Podemski (39) Saulteaux, Ojibwe, Israeli, and Polish - actress.

Sarah Podemski (36) Saulteaux, Ojibwe, Israeli, and Polish - actress.

Inez Jasper (36) Sto:lo, Ojibwe, and Metis - singer-songwriter.

Sandra Hinojosa (33) Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Mexican - actress.

Cara Gee (33) Ojibwe - actress.

Amberae Wood (32) Chippewa Cree - model.

Young Kidd (28) Ojibwe and Jamaican - rapper.

Brook Power (27) Ojibwe and Unspecified Other - model.

Mariah Watchman (26) Umatilla, Modoc, Mandan, and Ojibwe - model.

Erica Moore (24) Otoe, Osage, Missouria, Pawnee, Sauk, Meskwaki, and Potawatomi - model. Also known as Erica Pretty Eagle and Erica Pretty Eagle Moore.

Eugenie Bouchard (23) French-Canadian, some Irish, distant Scottish and English, 1/128th Algonquin - tennis player.

Madisyn Wright (22) Seminole, Black/Afro Seminole, Ojibwa, English, Irish and Scottish - actress.

Genevieve Fisher (21) Ojibwe and Italian - singer.

Crystal Shawanda (born 1983) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Thirza Defoe (born 1982) Oneida and Ojibwe - actress and performing artist.

Tara Gill (born 1990) Algonquin and Mohawk - model.

Rachel Seenie (?) Ojibwe - actress.

Jenny Marlowe (?) Algonquin - actress.

Loma Lyns (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter and tv personality.

Nitanis “Kit” Landry (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Stacey Thunder (?) Ojibwe, French, English, and German - actress and tv host.

Jaisey Bates (?) Algonquin and Huron - actress.

Bonnie Couchie (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (?) Mississauga - musician.

Jamie Everett (?) Ojibwe - model.

Chelsey June (?) Metis of Algonquin descent - singer-songwriter.

Rachelle White Wind (?) Ojibwe/Cree - actress.

Morningstar Angeline (?) Navajo, Blackfoot, Chippewa Cree, and Unspecified European - actress.

Michelle Latimer (?) Algonquin and Metis - actress and director.

Madeline Terbasket (?) Syilx, Ho-Chunk, and Ojibwe - actress.

Tracy Bone (?) Ojibwe - singer.

Lisa Cromarty (?) Chippewa Cree - actress.

Savanna Thunder (?) Ojibwe - actress.

Lisa Marie Naponse (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Annie Humphrey (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Riva [Farrell-Racette] (?) Algonquin - singer-songwriter.

Elaine Bomberry (?) Cayuga and Ojibwe - singer and film/tv producer.

Lena Recollet (?) Ojibwe - actress and singer.

Ali Fontaine (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Mary Spencer (32) Ojibwe - boxer and covergirl model.

Binaeshee Quae (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Lynda Wink (?) Metis of Ojibwe, Cree, French, Irish, and Scottish descent - musician.

Sandy Poitra (?) Metis of Ojibwe, Cree, French, Irish, and Scottish descent - musician.

Tara Williamson (?) Chippewa Cree - musician.

Male:

Randolph Mantooth (71) Seminole, Cherokee, Potawatomi, Scottish, and German - actor.

Kevin Locke (born 1954) Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux and Ojibwe - musician.

Eric Schweig (50) Inuit and Ojibwe - actor.

Tristan Thunderbolt (born 1980) Mississauga - actor and performing artist. Also Deaf!

Jason Behr (43) Around 75% Ojibwe, with the remaining around 25% composing of Mexican, Italian, and German - actor.

Wesley French (38) Ojibwe - actor.

Mic Jordan (33) Ojibwe - rapper.

Chase Manhattan (28) Oglala Lakota Sioux, Ojibwe, and Muskogee - rapper.

Brian Firkus/Trixie Mattel (27) Ojibwe and Unspecified Other - drag queen, singer, and actor.

Tall Paul (26) Ojibwe - rapper.

Cody Coyote (25) Ojibwe and Irish - rapper.

David Treur (born 1970) Ojibwe and Austrian Jewish - author.

Deejay NDN (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Dyami Thomas (?) Klamath / Ojibwe - actor and model.

Emcee One (?) Potawatomi, Osage, Lenape, and Puerto Rican - musician.

Gregory 'Dominic' Odjig (?) Ottawa - actor.

Meegwun Fairbrother (?) Ojibwe and Scottish - actor.

Will Rayne Strongheart (?) Ojibwe and Lakota Sioux - actor, model, and rapper.

D Thought (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Plex (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Anthony Wakeman (?) Potawatomi and Oglala Lakota Sioux - musician.

Jimbob Marsden (?) Mississauga - musician.

Marcus Denny (?) Menominee, Potawatomi, and Oneida - musician.

Billy Joe Green (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Robbin Ranger (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Poz Lyrix (?) Ojibwe and Lakota Sioux - rapper.

Q Rock (?) Ojibwe - rapper.

DJ RawSkillz (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Young Jibwe (?) Ojibwe - rapper.

Luke Sharp (?) Ojibwe - rapper.

Vince Fontaine (?) Ojibwe - guitarist and songwriter.

Stone Mathers (?) Oneida and Ojibwe - musician.

Delno Ebie (?) Cherokee, Lenape, Ojibwe, Sicilian, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh - actor.

Dom Lafontaine (?) Algonquin - singer-songwriter.

DJ Kakekaze (?) Chippewa Cree - musician.

Classic Roots (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Jake Chegahno (?) Ojibwe - singer-songwriter.

Mark LaForme (?) Mississauga and Don’t know their exact tribe but he’s from the Six Nations Reserve so they’re one of the 6 of the Iroquois - musician.

Doug Bedard (?) Ojibwe - actor.

Pete DePoe (?) Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ojibwe, Siletz, Tututni, Don’t don’t know their tribe but one of the 6 of the Iroquois, French, and German - musician.

Ryan McMahon (?) Ojibwe and Metis - comedian and actor.

Migizi Pensoneau (?) Ojibwe and Ponca - member of comedy group, the 1491s.

Eddie “King” Johnson (?) Metis of Ojibwe, Cree, French, Irish, and Scottish descent - musician.

Boogey The Beat (?) Ojibwe - rapper.

Sean Conway (?) Mississauga - singer-songwriter.

Leonard Sumner (?) Ojibwe - musician.

Nadjiwan (?) Ojibwe and Finnish - musician.

NB:

Jade Willoughby (27) Two Spirit - Ojibwe and Jamaican - model.

Ziibiwan (?) Two Spirit - Ojibwe - musician.

Melody McKiver (?) Two Spirit - Ojibwe, Scottish, and Lithuanian - musician.

Grey Gritt (?) Genderqueer - Ojibwe and Metis - musician.

Raven Davis (born 1975) Two Spirit - Ojibwe, Scottish, and Irish - artist.

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Two Spirit - Mohawk, Ottawa, French, and Irish - actor.

#rph #underused fc #fc list #native fc #task: 054 #task: the Anishinaabe

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