#HUGE contrast with shows in the uk

[thepastisalreadywritten]

With the addition of Saturn, the James Webb Space Telescope has finally captured all four of our Solar System's giant worlds.

JWST's observations of the ringed planet, taken on 25 June 2023, have been cleaned up and processed, giving us a spectacular view of Saturn's glorious rings, shining golden in the darkness.

By contrast, the disk of Saturn is quite dark in the new image, lacking its characteristic bands of cloud, appearing a relatively featureless dim brown.

This is because of the wavelengths in which JWST sees the Universe – near- and mid-infrared.

These wavelengths of light are usually invisible to the naked human eye, but they can reveal a lot.

For example, thermal emission – associated with heat – is dominated by infrared wavelengths.

When you're trying to learn about what's going on inside a planet wrapped in thick, opaque clouds, studying its temperature is a valuable way to go about it.

Some elements and chemical processes emit infrared light, too. Seeing the planets of the Solar System in wavelengths outside the narrow range admitted by our vision can tell us a lot more about what they have going on.

Saturn

As we saw last week, when we clapped eyes on the raw JWST Saturn images, the observations involved filters that dimmed the light of the planet, while allowing light from the rings and moons to shine brightly.

This is so a team led by planetary scientist Leigh Fletcher of the University of Leicester in the UK can study the rings and moons of Saturn in more detail.

They hope to identify new ring structures and, potentially, even new moons orbiting the gas giant.

The image above shows three of Saturn's moons, Dione, Enceladus and Tethys, to the left of the planet.

Although dim, the disk of the planet also reveals information about Saturn's seasonal changes.

The northern hemisphere is reaching the end of its 7-year summer, but the polar region is dark. An unknown aerosol process could be responsible.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere around the edges of the disk appears bright, which could be the result of methane fluorescence, or the glow of trihydrogen, or both. Further analysis could tell us which.

Jupiter

Jupiter was the first of the giant planets to get the JWST treatment, with images dropping in August of last year – and boy howdy were they stunning.

The spectacular detail seen in the planet's turbulent clouds and storms was perhaps not entirely surprising.

However, we also got treated to some rarely seen features: the permanent aurorae that shimmer at Jupiter's poles, invisible in optical wavelengths, and Jupiter's tenuous rings.

We also saw two of the planet's smaller, lesser-known moons, Amalthea and Adrastea, with fuzzy blobs of distant galaxies in the background.

"This one image sums up the science of our Jupiter system program, which studies the dynamics and chemistry of Jupiter itself, its rings, and its satellite system," said astronomer Thierry Fouchet of Paris Observatory in France, who co-led the observations.

Neptune

Observations of Neptune arrived in the latter half of September 2022.

Because Neptune is so very far away, it tends to get a little neglected; you're probably used to seeing, if anything, the images taken by Voyager 2 when it flew past in 1989.

JWST's observations gave us, for the first time in more than 30 years, a new look at the ice giant's dainty rings – and the first ever in infrared.

It also revealed seven of Neptune's 14 known moons, and bright spots in its atmosphere.

Most of those are storm activity, but if you look closely, you'll see a bright band circling the planet's equator.

This had never been seen before and could be, scientists say, a signature of Neptune's global atmospheric circulation.

Uranus

Uranus is also pretty far away, but it's also a huge weirdo. Although very similar to Neptune, the two planets are slightly different hues, which is something of a mystery.

Uranus is also tipped sideways, which is challenging to explain too.

JWST's observations, released in April 2023, aren't solving these conundrums.

However, they have revealed 11 of the 13 structures of the incredible Uranian ring system and an unexplained atmospheric brightening over the planet's polar cap.

JWST has a lot to say about the early Universe; but it's opening up space science close to home, too.

As its first year of operations comes to an end, we can't help but speculate what new wonders will be to come in the years ahead.

Top: Jupiter - Neptune / Bottom: Uranus - Saturn

Credit: NASA

[scoatneyhall]

This news has people saying they'd like to see more from AFC Richmond (obviously) including the creation of the women's team. This is kind of a nightmare idea for me, because one thing I, as a football nerd, need people to understand about the concept of an AFC Richmond Women's Team is that they absolutely definitely already should have had one during seasons 1-3 of the show? Which made the pitch from Keeley in the s3 finale montage land SUPER badly for me. Like, a nice idea, easily conveyed, but nope.

Because the "football canon" of the situation is that every established Premier League club now has an affiliated women's team. And like yeah, Richmond aren't very good. But most other clubs going down the ladder into the Championship, League One, etc, also have women's teams. Richmond, when the show started, had been in the Prem without relegation for a long time. They would not be the only Prem club without a womens team!!! They would have been constantly called out for it, it would have been a huge criticism and pressure point.

(Side note: same goes for a youth academy - clubs are required to have one. So you can imagine that off-screen, AFC Richmond is operating an academy, a Development/ Reserve men's team, and a women's team, it just has nothing to do with the squad Ted coaches and their training may well be housed elsewhere.)

The WSL (womens top tier in the UK) doesn't have as many teams in it as the Prem due to structure (12 vs the Prem's 20), so the levels the men's and women's teams play at can vary drastically within the same club. Not all Prem clubs have the womens team in the WSL. But any club you (or the TL writers) may have compared to Richmond, or based them on? They do have a women's team, whether they play at the top level or not.

So for me, the moment with Keeley works okay as a "don't question it" thing in the context of a harmless series finale montage, but it doesn't work as something to build new stories off, at least not in the simplistic way it was presented. Because any extension of the Ted Lasso Universe, or a Ted Lasso season 4, that would possibly incorporate the "starting of a women's team" would be the show going SO far outside the realm of football realism that it feel like a major contrast to how the show has approached the football element before - including like, what division or tier a newly launched team would even be allowed to start in, and all that. You're not meant to dig into the moment in the finale, just process it as a nice, fuzzy concept. But if there is more show to come, with a plot line that tackles the idea pitched in the finale, it could never match the level of football realism that was applied to the show before, because they've invented a totally fake situation that just doesn't work like that. They would be lowering their own bar. I know that many elements of TL, like Ted coaching, are already extremely fake, but their dedication to most of what counts is very good and very specific. Following through on what the finale implied about the women's team would be a drop in football realism from their existing standards and I am suuuuper not interested in that happening. It would be a quality drop for sure.

This is a bit of a rant and I am possibly the only fan who cared about this, but that Keeley and Rebecca scene was honestly one of the worst finale moments for me just because it implies something soooo wroooong.

HOWEVER, there's a pretty easy fix, and it would be cool if they went in this direction: the only reasonable explanation is that Rupert ran the women's team into the ground/never funded it, just met the bare minimum requirements, and they were currently playing below FA level, like in the 5th tier with only semi-pro players who don't get a professional wage - basically hobby players, and Keeley’s pitch was about reviving them and getting promoted up the tiers ASAP, Welcome to Wrexham style, with new funding, recruiting etc. Sucks that they got no attention from Rebecca before now but they may not have had money to spare for it during season 2 or before Rebecca sold shares in the club... dealing with that, and the fact that Rebecca had to knowingly leave them on the back burner and neglect them... that could be interesting. There's a story to be had about the women's team, don't get me wrong, but it isn't as simple an idea as the finale implied and that the fans have since run with.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

I agree with that other anon but I do think that what alot of people on Tumblr were saying at the time was right. I think the jubliee went over like a lead balloon in their household. I think this is where the fighting hit a point where it was hard to come back from. At the time they were filming for their reality show (which no one knew a premier date for). And there were a tone of rumors about spotify and what meghan would do on her own.(given that up until that point meghan hadn't pulled in any deals on her own) At that time she was pumping out articles about the balcony and photo with the late Queen. The rumors were flying about what harry would write in the book and what would Meghans book be about?

both meghan and harry were on a bit of a trip thinking that people would wait for what they product because they're THE best, you know? The power couple so in love fighting his family for love. Behinds the scenes I think there were a number of internal discussions about Netflix being uphappy with the footage filmed so the pressure was on to film at frogmore.

The reaction from the crowd leaving the church spooked them, they didn't want Netflix cameras in England any longer than they had to be. So they left, asap. The fighting got worse when they got home, all of the polo outings were awful. They didn't help rehab the image and didn't exude the glamour they needed after a very sour UK trip. I think they likely made the decision to separate not to long after (around July). She interviewed with the cut, the pod tanks, the queen passes away and suddenly they are back in place they are no longer welcomed and now are outranked by his brother. That whole week it was easy for harry to fall back into his old ways but not meghan. The walk about for her was rough, she didn't let harry take the lead. At the time alot of people were speculating that it was super awkward, but I think meghan just didn't know how to support harry because by then they'd been taking time apart for 3-4 months. Meghan was focused on her own brand. As the rest of the world knows December and January were even worse. To the point where they enter survival mode for their own separate brands by saying they'll focusing on different things. Thus here we are..

I agree with your timeline, particularly the significance of The Cut and Variety interviews. Another anon suggested that there might have been a breakup then if those interviews and the podcast had been more successful.

But I suspect what really spooked them about the Jubilee was not getting a picture of the kids with The Queen and royals not attending Archie’s birthday. A lot of it was the lack of Netflix footage, as you say. But there was also the personal aspect, as these two had never faced the consequences of their actions. Even after Megxit, they lived in their tiny bubble where they thought they were the victims and the royals would eventually come around and offer the half-in-half-out option. Heck, even after Philip’s funeral Harry was still in denial. I bet the Jubilee was the first time Meghan realized exactly what their position was.

The polo! Thanks for reminding me. It was the polo that triggered it for me. There was such a huge contrast between their behavior at other polo events and these ones. That’s when I started to think there was something going on. Also, they didn’t get the celebrity attendance I would have expected, and even Rebel Wilson complained about how they treated them.

Edited:

This was the photo that made me suspicious:

[popsicle-stick]

I don't know anything about England but I'm interested in how the characters' locations inform their characters like Seward's. I'd like to know more about the implications of being from Purfleet/Essex for example (Though iirc Stoker immigrated from Dublin well into adulthood so I don't know how well he knew all the cities.)

there's so much to be said! i really don't think that stoker meant much intentionally, but the placement of the asylum in purfleet specifically is interesting.

long post so i'm cutting this!

the asylum at purfleet, essex, is an example of the common 19th-early 20th century phenomenon of establishing psychiactric hospitals in the rural counties surrounding london - simultaneously serving as a 'tranquil' location away from the city, while also serving the dubious, cruel purpose of squirelling away would-be patients into residences away from the city - out of society, out of sight, out of mind.

in terms of jack seward himself, purfleet is a kind of an in-between, nothing place - things and people pass through, not much stays. (there's a reason why whitby is remembered as 'the dracula place', and not purfleet.) it's quite literally on the edge of london - of society - and in that scene where jack's looking despondently towards the sun setting west over london, his own isolation becomes palpable - from society and from the world as a whole. the endless, transient, liminal feel of the essex saltmarshes just....gives the vibe. this was a scene that felt particularly gothic to me - jack is the custodian of his very own haunted house, here, in all its bleak, isolated glory.

It was a shock to me to turn from the wonderful smoky beauty of a sunset over London, with its lurid lights and inky shadows and all the marvellous tints that come on foul clouds even as on foul water, and to realise all the grim sternness of my own cold stone building, with its wealth of breathing misery, and my own desolate heart to endure it all.

this is an fascinating parallel with the count's situation in transylvania, which is NOT the topic du jour here so i'll stop before i ramble but compelling nonetheless! like the count, though, he's a liminal figure - in london, but not quite in london. in the group, but not in the group. alive, but not really living. wide awake in the witching hour, unsure how to re-integrate with society.

it's also worth noting that the opening of dickens' great expectations has pip in his childhood home on the kent marshes - which would pretty much be the opposite bank of the thames from purfleet. in great expectations, pip's village serves a similar role - the quiet, bleak, nowhere-place directly placed against the bustling cosmopolis of london.

in terms of other characters and locations, i've written a bit before about jonathan (and mina possibly) hailing from exeter, devon, in the south west of england - which is much further from london.

jonathan and mina, in terms of the group dynamics, are outsiders: they're very much lower middle class, hyper-aware of the importance of money and societal etiquette as a means for survival and social betterment. this is a personal hc of mine, but i like to think of jonathan as having the long supressed remnants of a devon accent. south west accents are often the subject of a lot of ridicule and mockery in the UK (akin to a southern US accent) and hiding that regionalism, in both the 1890s and today's britain, would be a means of survival and progress for him - i think the fact that he's always given a standard home counties RP accent in adaptations cuts out a major aspect of his character. he's a devon boy!

in contrast to all this, lucy's hampstead residence shows her affluence. it, too, at risk of breaking my social isolation metaphor, was on the edge of london at the time - but was known more as a wealthy suburb with huge areas of greenery at hampstead heath and highgate. there's something to be said, though, about a place like highgate cemetery - a liminal place between the dead and the living, between city and country, haunted at night by a vampire - and the same could be said for purfleet.

arthur is hard to pin down - for the life of me i CANNOT work out where 'ring' is supposed to be - at first i thought it might be a shortening for ringwood, hampshire, which could work! but i just don't know. his character does scream privileged southern/home counties though, and if anyone has any followups on 'ring' and its wherabouts i would LOVE to know because this has been bugging me for ages. lmao

tl;dr, psychology and sociology as informed by place is SO fucking fascinating to me like it just. it affects so much. from the liminality of certain places lending themselves to the supernatural, to characters being mirrored by their surroundings and vice versa, to the social implications of where you call home. it's just!!! interesting!!

[cornyonmains]

Finished The Eclipse. I honestly feel like I had the right instinct to tune it out the first time, but I do think it's interesting in that you can really see the baby steps GMMTV was taking to grow up a little bit.

You can really look at The Eclipse and see a show where it's clear GMMTV really diminished its potential with a lot of its own standards, and to their credit, I think they stood back and took a hard enough look at it, the BL environment in general, and how absolutely hard fans were calling out their bullshit and decided to get real with Only Friends.

The Only Friends cast is heavily indicative of this being the case. GMMTV was gunning for elevated talent that knew how to play ball, and Neo, First, and Khao were all shining stars in The Eclipse, that blasted their scene partners out of the water. Force and Book are intensely unique, as they've always been shafted with bad scripts and sexually repressed directors, despite the fact they came into the game with a lot more professionalism and comfort with the material they were handling. The director didn't wind up sobbing in the corner because they refused to move their mouths when they kissed. They're also a much more 'modern' ship, that doesn't default on yaoi contrasts and that weird seme/uke binary. After the success of KinnPorsche, and popularity of MileApo, I think GMMTV finally saw the potential in this pairing. About time.

But the casting is very indicative of GMMTV kind of telling fans, "We've been listening, we hear you, and we're making changes." Only Friends corrects a lot of complaints the fandom has been having.

Adults, for example, don't have much in this genre. Part of the reason The Eclipse fell short for me is it's just another damn coming of age drama. Great for the baby gays, but the adults are over it. GMMTV gave us Neo eating Mark's ass like groceries then getting godless with Force in the backseat of a car, and I'll live 10 years on that alone.

The plot contrivances they have to cook up to keep everyone from doing anything but doing a cutaway kiss with no tongue in the final episode is no more, people are fucking nasty, so now there's room for actual plot, which is hilariously ironic. But also, it's not, because I mean the desire women have for horny softcore erotica with good plots and high production value is not unknown.

Queer women and bisexuals have been complaining about a lack of representation. At the core of these yaoi tropes is a world where bisexuality has no meaningful distinction from being gay, which is really annoying, because bisexuals have a much different experience in the queer community, and that's not reflected in a world where X amount of interpersonal communication can magically turn anyone gay. Queer women just don't exist in BL. Women are all straight virgins trying to steal your man. Only Friends has lesbians. Actual FDA approved lesbians. Are they fucking nasty? No, but it's something. We are allowed to exist in the world of Only Friends and that's HUGE.

People have been complaining about the cringe. Only Friends removed that and replaced it rage provoking stupidity by the characters, and I approve of that.

Anyways, analysis is what I do for a living. TV is well within the ballpark. So while I'm only basing my thoughts on what I've observed and not cold hard numbers, there's only so much insight I can provide, but it's insight backed by years of experience. With Only Friends posting absolute numbers, we can expect to see some structural changes at GMMTV on the horizon, because this is going to create growth. Probably even stimulate a search for new actors to get on their roster, since they have a lot of actors that won't be able to deliver going into the new era. I also think this is going to help them land sponsorships from atypical brands, which is BIG. Mile getting Maserati on board for KinnPorsche is part of what allowed it to exist in an elevated form.

I also think the success is going to result in a shake-up with the quality of writers they hire, because that's at the core of a lot of issues in BL. They adapt these novels from these absolutely unhinged lunatics, these lunatics have WAY too much creative power despite the fact they're low brow porn writers, and it kills the quality of a finished product. America doesn't do that. Directors have the power to elevate material, and that's important. GMMTV got a proper writer for Only Friends, and it paid off in a big way. Mame is one of the names I hate in BL the most. Her goo-goo gaga shit is creepy, I hate it, it makes queer people look bad, and I'm hoping writers like Jojo just drive her out of the scene.

Anyways, I'm going to end things here. I just wanted to share some random thoughts I had.

[sussex-newswire]

"This huge display of love and support for the Duke is a stark contrast to the well-documented way that the British press has treated him and his wife, Meghan Markle, in recent years — not to mention the reported issues between him and his brother.

"As a result, people were left feeling pretty emotional by the whole thing and took to social media to share their reaction.

"One person quoted part of Charles’s oration from Diana’s funeral, where he promised his sister: 'I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned.'

...

"This struck a chord with people and quickly racked up thousands of likes and retweets, with one person writing: 'Brought tears to my eyes knowing that #GoodKingHarry is well supported by his mother's family!'

"'The Spencers are H & M's family, too. I was so happy to see them there today. I'm still smiling about it,' another wrote. 'I remember so well Charles Spencer speech in W.A. that day. A man who has kept his promise and family in the Spencers H can rely on.'

"'There is something incredibly beautiful about Princess Diana’s family showing up for Harry today,' somebody else tweeted. 'He is still loved and supported by so many. He still has family who uplift and adore him.'"

[paalove]

hey! random ques but can you recommend some bls to me? please and ty

i'm a huge gl fans but i'd to give bls a try. something that has an interesting plot like pluto w good pacing would be nice!!! ty

hi! you sent this a few days ago, but i've finally got my laptop on wifi haha.

okay so firstly if you want "plot like pluto" i have to shoutout not me, what with that being the first show where film plays the recent-ex of an identical twin who is now in a coma, while their twin impersonates them (and suspects everyone, including film's character, of causing the coma). if i had a nickel for every time etc etc etc- (it's heavy on the social commentary, the main couple are one of the bl great imaginary couples, and the only straight side pairing will actually make you want to commit murder.)

first show i saw film in, and it made me fall in love with her instantly. its the show my header image is from! (my header image and icon being film and love is secretly a reference to the sidepairing-that-wasnt in 2gether, earnpear-)

but otherwise, if we're thinking interesting plot, i'll rec exactly three more, so it's an achievable start:

until we meet again. reincarnation and angst, lots of people will tell you the main pairing is stereotypical seme-uke but i think that's massively overblown! this was the first bl i finished watching (and the second i started) and it's got a really interesting plot! if you care about plot do not watch the sequel series between us - the actors are good but there's nothing there. this one has the main pairing's fluffy sweetness in contrast to the angst of the plot that's attacking them, which i SUSPECT is where pluto is going!

laws of attraction. this show is shorter than uwma, but it's incredibly, incredibly tightly written - you asked for "good pacing" and this show is absolutely perfect in that respect. a little darker than i suspect pluto is going to get, a little heavier, but genuinely an amazing piece of art. and there's background lesbians! so for someone coming from gl that should be nice haha.

finally, the eclipse. i have a tattoo about this show, so-

no wait, i have more to say! people have criticised the pacing, especially in the second half, and there's something in that, but i think a big part of it is actually what the show is trying to do - no spoilers, but the part where the pacing seems weird is exactly because the characters themselves are ignoring... something. and i think the plot is amazing. (obviously. as i have a tattoo about it.)

[grimogretricks]

JKR has ruined things in my country

TW/CW: Transphobia, homophobia, Scotland and the UK being a transphobic hell hole right now. Brief mention of sexual assault.  Also this is a depressing rant.  

 JKR has ruined things in my country.

 That sounds pretty hyperbolic, but, it's, surreally, unfortunately probably true.

 The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has long been one of the few UK politicians who could provide an articulate, progressive, well argued voice in support of important left leaning principles against a prevailing right wing tide. In complete contrast to the total mealy mouthed nonsense spouted by the likes of the labour leader, who's afraid to stand up for anything at all lest he do a poor job of pandering enough to tory ideas to get voted in. She's the closest thing the UK has had to an opposition to tory principles, standing up for worker's rights, equality and the NHS.

 And now, she's resigned. And regardless of what she says, I do believe it's because of the rampant transphobia stirred up by JKR, who personally made Scotland's gender reform bill an ignition point for anti-trans hate in the UK. Transphobia from the media, transphobia stirred up in her OWN party, transphobia from all sides, is causing rifts and schisms due to the deeply morally regressive panic JKR gave so much voice to.  

 Now Nicola Sturgeon has resigned, and it's like a mask has fallen off the SNP. What had seemed to be a progressive party, with commitment to LGBT rights and equality, now shows itself as riddled with transphobia and homophobia. Because among those slated to replace here, there are.. a right wing religious lunatic who doesn't believe in gay marriage, and a woman who supported 'Alba' - which was Alex Salmond's transphobic, Russia pandering party (the ex SNP leader, a man who could not be left alone with women without sexually harassing and groping them). Granted, there is also Humza Yousaf, who is pro-LGBT rights, and hopefully will become our leader, but that these people even exist in the party, let alone want to become the leader, is alarming in itself.  

 It was fun for five minutes to think that maybe transgender rights would split the UK  but what's this fuss from the media against Nicola Sturgeon has  actually done is removed one of the last progressive and articulate voices in British politics willing to actually call the tories out on their bullshit. And now this has also created articles saying things like 'maybe joining with the greens and trying to be progressive about trans rights was a mistake from the SNP as trans rights aren't popular'.

 Apparently, it's not worth sticking up for Scotland's own ability to put bills into place in its own country and stopping Sunak from trying to block our reforms if it's about transgender rights.

 It's despair inducing, that fighting for trans rights has been made into such a divisive issue, and genuinely, that JKR has actually been at the forefront of a massive wave of senseless and cruel moral panic that is diverting people in Britain away from actually caring about actual massive, huge problems in the UK. Like people dying due to NHS waiting times, like the massive inflation, like the unprecedented cost of living increase, like tories actually proposing further reducing our human rights, our rights to protest, and worker's rights, and various disasterous consequences of Brexit. Things are DIRE right now, and hating transgender people has been whipped up into a fury not solely by JKR, but SHE made this gender bill into an ignition point for UK anti-trans hate.

 The tories meanwhile, are loving this massive diversion in attention, especially since to 'fix' it requires that they do literally nothing except get in the way of further progress. They found a way to curb Scotland's right to determine their own bills without upsetting the majority of Scots by counting on people to be transphobic, and it worked.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

[prettyoddfever]

do you think brendon was pretending to be straight in presplit yaers or is he pretending to be pan now?

Uhh ok. so I'm going to breeze past a whole lot of problems with this question and just skip right to explaining a few things...

I think most of us were well aware that Brendon wasn’t straight by 2008, but we weren’t really searching for a label… some fans thought he was gay & still figuring everything out, while others guessed that he was probably bisexual. It really wasn’t a big deal. We just knew that Brendon was definitely into both girls & guys nbd.

First of all, people didn’t talk about their sexuality as openly in 2007 as they do now. It usually wasn’t part of an identity that you put in your bio or whatever. (Things are totally different now, but I just want to add that not having a public label still doesn't make you any less valid. I completely relate to Brendon now on the “sure, you can call me pan if you need to” concept). The important point is that your sexuality wasn’t really a common or easy-to-discuss topic in the mid-2000s. So even IF Brendon never said a single thing about it or just focused on talking about liking girls in interviews, that still would've been a pretty normal approach.

But Brendon was unusually open about liking guys if you were paying attention. I’m not talking about how a lot of people online called him gay during the Fever era because he “carried himself like a girl,” did the stage gay stuff with Ryan just to make fans lose their shit, wore mostly girl’s clothes, or spontaneously broke into dances like this onstage. That is not "evidence." I’m talking about actual info that Brendon intentionally chose to convey to fans (btw this is super weird for me to look back as an adult and try to talk about how people were sexualizing an 18-year-old, so please keep in mind that I’m just like trying to outline the fandom and events here ok).

So the band’s first UK tour in late January 2006 was when I started to notice that a large amount of gay teens seemed to be in the fandom purely for Brendon (more specifically, for Brendon’s butt). There were absolutely stories of guys hitting on Brendon that season, but it mostly sounded like Brendon was just embarrassed & shy like usual with that kind of attention. Yes, he claimed he was straight in interviews in spring 2006 and we’d get gems like this Kerrang cover (the actual quote from Brendon was “I support it, but I’m not gay”):

I got the sense that many of those types of answers later that year were out of frustration with the assumption that the guys must be gay if they were defying gender stereotypes. For example, this October 2006 interview in Munich asked if the guys were gay because they wore makeup and Brendon answered “that’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” He seemed to have had enough of that kind of assumption at that point. However, Brendon was still comfortable giving answers like this one in August 2006 (he didn’t shut up about his love for Freddie Mercury from the start). 

Anyways, by summer 2006 there were some rumors about guys who’d approached Brendon and hadn’t been visibly turned down (I’m trying to stick with facts here and not get into rumors… but I think it’s worth noting that those types of rumors existed by that summer and that the rumors over the years didn’t reflect negatively on him in any way). And then on July 19th Brendon intentionally chose to wear this bandana out to greet a huge crowd of fans after the show. This picture became really popular along with a screenshot of the gay hanky code (which you can google on your own):

When the Pretty. Odd. era started in early 2008 Brendon was actually telling the occasional crowd that he was into guys. He struggled throughout that year to gain autonomy and regain some control onstage, so I was proud to see how he was able to defiantly make it clear that he liked guys at the final show of the Pretty. Odd. era. Here's a contrast I made a while ago of the same part of the show during the first and last tours of the Pretty. Odd. era just because I think the growth is neat:

He was also a lot more comfortable in interviews when the topic came up... like on this interview around July 10, 2008 he just laughed and basically said he’d seduce guys with the same song he picked to seduce girls:

I also thought it was interesting how in 2008 Spencer went out of his way to make a point in multiple print interviews that Brendon could be gay. He left space for that valid possibility and showed that Brendon would have his total support... but he also made it clear that he wasn’t going to say anything certain until Brendon did. This could've easily been because Spencer was just trying to voice his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Maybe I read too much into some comments at the time simply because Spencer seemed to be quietly watching out for Brendon in other ways that year and was often visibly tuned into how he was doing. I don't really want to project any motivation onto Spencer now so I'll just leave his determined silence here instead lol.

Anyways, this is by no means a comprehensive list. It’s just a few points that came to mind right now and I’m mainly focusing on stuff that Brendon chose to share with fans as he was figuring out life. He wasn’t hiding with those actions or statements. They were noteworthy for that time period, and the part of the fandom that paid attention to the irl band understood that Brendon was also into guys nbd.

[houseofbrat]

1 of 2: I wonder what will happen with the Charles/Camilla hating contingent when Charles shows his balls at his coronation and doesn't hand over the keys to the Commonwealth or anything else of value to his son and his wife. That not everything is a PR move. That Camilla is his freaking queen and will people respect that, please? That Bermuda's government diss and showing a bunch of well-wishers behind a chainlink fence is NOT due to Charles or Camilla, but to a failure of W&K's advance team.

2/2 Remember the begrudging acknowledgment that Charles didn't screw up the Queen's funeral. That the Jubilee went off without a hitch. Do people think a woman suffering from bone cancer was behind all that planning? That Charles is stupid (I've just read this). The cash grab for charities is, of course, an issue, but what I've read over the last week has me thinking that there should now be a name for the Charles haters because this level of delusional vitriol is now similar to Markle's sugars.

Yup!

What gets me about the Cambridges'/Waleses' Caribbean tour last year is that it wasn't really that bad. Yet certain hardcore fans/stans acted as if the UK press reaction was reality, which therefore could only have been the fault of Charles & everyone working at Clarence House.

I'd give that tour grades like this: Belize A-, Bermuda Jamaica B, Bahamas A. Overall tour B+.

My only gripe with Belize was that the first planned stop was cancelled due to a small protest. I don't think it was ever confirmed who made the cancellation decision. If it was the government of Belize, then I'd raise them up to an A.

But that Bermuda photo with the chain link fence? OMG. That photo is such a huge pr fail. It can be brought out to haunt them for the rest of their lives. It doesn't matter that the people on both sides of the fence are happy with smiling faces. It's not a good look. And no one working for KP took the time to move Will & Kate away from the fence! The 2019 Pakistan tour was a smashing success! Did everyone from that tour quit before spring 2022? The contrast is just gobsmacking.

But back to the crazy stans. I don't know what to call them. It seems clear to me that they cannot handle anyone else being treated favorably other than their faves. As if it should only be legal to fawn over Will & Kate, never the current King & Queen of the UK.

It's why I posted that reddit comment about Kate & Pippa being friends with Camilla's daughter, Laura. I read that comment when it was posted a couple of months ago. (Didn't bookmark it but I had to search forever to find it yesterday.) That comment explains so much. Laura is close in age to Kate, and both ran in the same friend circles. It's not surprising that they would be friends. It easily explains why Kate and Camilla get along so well. Kate was friends with Laura. Laura is only four years older than Kate, so not a huge age difference there. But Laura has worked as an art curator. Kate has her degree in art history. They have common interests!

Kate and Laura are adults and act like it. Some of Kate's crazy stans...not so much.

[randomvarious]

2 Unlimited - "Get Ready for This" 1991 Eurodance / Eurohouse / House

Yuuuuup. Outside of that nutty megamix that was literally called "The Jock Jam" that fused together pieces of, like, 30 jock jams in total, this 1991 debut single from Belgian-Dutch dance project 2 Unlimited is the king jock jam of all other jock jams. And what I've always found to be most baffling about this group in particular is that, despite them being maybe the most overplayed act in US history–thanks to their permanent residency on sports arena playlists for about three decades now—most Americans would never be able to recognize either member of 2 Unlimited if they saw them in public. And that's really kind of wild to think about, considering the fact that, basically since Elvis, the music industry has operated on this truism that you will always need a face to sell the music. But in the case of this group that was easily one of the single-most popular in the world during the early-to-mid-90s, that standard clearly didn't fully apply to 2 Unlimited in the US.

But it's not that they ever wanted it that way. It's just that MTV was very averse to letting dance music bleed out of their niche programming into their regular video rotations. So, when this song was out, the only place on TV that you really could've caught the video for it was on MTV's own Club MTV show.

So, with that in mind, over the next handful of days, I wanna revisit a bunch of the music videos that 2 Unlimited put out when they were huge, since Americans were hardly ever exposed to them in the first place. You don't have to love their music—not even I will ever cop to that much—but a lot of their videos were cool and fun, and each one was really a vibe unto itself.

But first, some good 2 Unlimited history!

2 Unlimited started as a partnership in 1991 between a pair of Belgian guys named Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul de Coster. In '89, they released a couple dance hits as Bizz Nizz that were particularly popular in the UK: "We're Gonna Catch You" and "Don't Miss the Party Line." But no amount of listening to those hits could've prepared you for what they would unleash just a couple years later as 2 Unlimited, with "Get Ready for This."

This silly raver banged against European club walls in 1991, as it catchily cycled through happily revved-up string synths and acid-dotted comedowns. And you could have some fun in attempting to replicate its lead melody too, by repeatedly scratching your nails across your very own beautifully multi-colored 90s nylon tracksuit, because that's what it kind of sounded like 😅.

But as 2 Unlimited at that point was only just a couple producers, outside of a pair of samples, including that of rapper The D.O.C.'s "It's Funky Enough" to get the iconic "y'all ready for this" line, the original version of this Euro-club hit was just an instrumental. And Wilde and de Coster knew that if they wanted to be a more popular act, and succeed in America, they would need to recruit a vocalist. So, they enlisted someone that they'd already had a relationship with: a Dutch MC named Ray Slijngaard, who had performed on a Bizz Nizz track that ended up going unreleased.

And this is where the overall trajectory of 2 Unlimited both suddenly and drastically changed. Wilde and de Coster gave Ray a tape of "Get Ready for This" for him to rap over, and when he came back to them with the finished product, there was unexpectedly a woman named Anita Doth singing on it too. And the contrasting dynamic between Ray's intense and inane Euro-rapping, and Anita's soothing singing that managed to relieve all the residual tension that he had built up, showed Wilde and de Coster a vision from Ray that they hadn't seemed to seriously entertain before: that 2 Unlimited could have more than one star vocalist; and they could also be of different genders.

And that moment is when the floodgates opened. This new vocal version of "Get Ready for This" would make its way Stateside, and by September of 1992, it would finally enter the Billboard Hot 100. Then, the following month, its corresponding album, Get Ready, would reach its peak position on the Billboard 200 at the 197th spot, which is definitely very low, but through the years, as countless Americans would continuously be exposed to "Get Ready for This" by way of their local tastemaking sports arena playlist compiler, the album would eventually achieve gold status, and the single would reach its #38 peak by April of 1995 as well. And perhaps the song's biggest point of American pride: it also served as the anchor track to open that aforementioned "Jock Jam" megamix!

So, now the video, which was a pretty electric one, as the cameraperson kept employing frantic and jostling zoom-ins and zoom-outs that transmitted a feeling of chaos while Ray and Anita danced and took turns playing the nearby synthesizer. And I'm also not sure exactly how 2 Unlimited became a fixture of seemingly every sports arena in the US, but maybe the very weird Los Angeles Kings visor that Ray was rocking here encouraged it. You have to remember that, because Wayne Gretzky was on the team, the Kings were one of hockey's biggest spectacles back then, and maybe Ray's donning of that...hat...was 2 Unlimited's way of trying to get the NHL's attention? 🤔

Anyway, the number of times that I've heard at least a snippet of "Get Ready for This" in my lifetime probably numbers somewhere in the quadruple digits by now, so, naturally, at this point, I've become pretty unflinchingly numb to it; but watching this music video for it really has me hype for this song in a way that I haven't been in an extremely long time, which should tell you just how enjoyable it is! 🤩

Yeah!

More fun videos here.

[pinktinselmonstrosity]

books i read in june!!

woooo another book post! once again under a readmore because i have Thoughts. are we excited i'm excited

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's about a woman who wakes up one morning to find a huge invisible wall separating her, in a cabin in the alps, from the rest of the world, which seems to have been destroyed by some apocalypse. This is a fascinating concept, but the way it is actually treated was lacking for me. It focuses on the day-to-day life of the woman, the things she does to survive, and her growing contempt for humanity and her previous life as she becomes used to living among animals.

It was interesting as an assessment of the position of humanity within the larger ecosystem of the world; the way she becomes another cog in nature, co-existing with it rather than trying to dominate or destroy it (which was really thrown into contrast by the ending). I really liked this theme but I found myself frustrated with the narrator for her utter lack of curiosity about the wall and the fate of the world behind it. I think it was ruined slightly for me by already having read I Who Have Never Known Men, which has a similar concept (a woman living alone in a dystopian world) but was, in my opinion, a much better book with a far more compelling protagonist. Slightly disappointing but I still enjoyed it.

Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis

This was brilliant, the kind of book I wished I'd read years ago. It's non-fiction, a study of the intersection between abolitionist/anti-racist movements and women's rights movements across US history. I think it's interesting that we think of intersectional feminism as a recent idea (the term was coined in the 2010s) but the ideas behind it have been around as long as organised campaigns for the rights of marginalised groups have existed. Davis examines the failings of early women's rights to align themselves with black rights movements and with black women specifically, especially since women's rights campaigns in the US came out of women organising for abolition. She also discusses the intersection of class with these movements, how women's rights campaigns have generally been lead by white, middle-to-upper class women and have generally focused on the concerns of this group and ignored those of working class and black women. The last couple of chapters show how this issue has continued into Davis's time (the book was written in the 70s - I agree that it's still an issue now, but the book doesn't go that far). My only criticism (and it's not really even a criticism) is that it is completely focused on the US - I would be really interested in learning more about this history in the UK! One other thing I learned is that I really don't know anything about the American Civil War lmao I am definitely going to have to read some more about it

Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga

This book is set in an elite girl's school in Rwanda, in the year before the genocide in 1994. It focuses on the girls in the senior class, and key events in their lives in the year leading up to the genocide. As it is an elite school many of the girls are the daughters of politicians and military officers who were key figures in the civil war, and so we see the wider politics of the country mirrored at the school, with the two Hutsi girls in the class becoming increasingly victimised. It was a really interesting look at how this tragedy affects individuals, and it was actually a lot less heavy than it sounds. It feels weird saying I 'enjoyed' a book about genocide but most of it was about the girls themselves and the more 'normal' scandals of such a school, so parts of it were genuinely enjoyable and even fun (which only serves to emphasise the innocence of the girls and the terror they experience later in the novel). Really good, I would highly recommend!

Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados

I absolutely loved this book! It's about two women in their early 20s who move to New York for a summer. They have no money and basically get by doing odd jobs which pay in cash and getting men to buy them dinner. It has a wonderful quality of being at once shallow and also incredibly deep - their only pursuit is glamour and joy, and they'll do almost anything to maintain their lifestyle. The narrator questions whether this is a worthy way to spend her life, or if she should try to live a more 'normal' life by societal standards and forgo happiness. It's a really good discussion of the meaning of life, and whether or not it really needs to have one. It's also incredibly stylish and fun. I really loved it!

Three by Valérie Perrin

This book is translated from French, and in my experience that means it's going to be insane - I was not disappointed. It follows three childhood friends, inseparable and basically completely co-dependent. It's told mostly in flashbacks to their past, growing up in the 80s and 90s, and then, in the present day, where none of them talk to each other. They're brought back together by the discovery of a car in the lake of their small town, with a body inside - the car was stolen the same day one of their classmates disappeared. Obviously the main hooks for a story like this are 1) finding out what could have happened to make them stop talking to each other and 2) whether or not that relationship is going to be repaired by the end of the book. I don't want to give too much away, but I found the ending very narratively satisfying on both counts. I didn't love the writing style (it uses lots of very short sentences, which I don't like) but that might be a result of it being translated, and ultimately didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the book. Heavy trigger warnings for domestic abuse, miscarriage, transphobia, suicide, alcoholism, child abuse, and probably some other things I forgot (that's French literature for you!).

Currently reading + books on my radar:

I just started The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo and am really enjoying it so far - it's about an old woman who is a contract killer, which I love as a concept, and I really like the protagonist so far. We need more books about old women!! On my radar for July....... I don't know!! I'm doing really well with my book-buying ban so I'm just going to work my way through what I've got on my shelf. My dissertation is due in early August so I might also read less in general 😔 if you read this far tell me the last book you read and how you felt about it pleaseeeee ok ily ❤️

[louisupdates]

Review: Louis Tomlinson Braves Texas Heat At ‘Faith In The Future Tour’ In Austin

PETER STAVROS | JULY 8, 2023

[📸 Mariana Garcia]

Louis Tomlinson said “I’m f-ing boiling, honestly I might pass out up here” as he prepared to give his audience, mainly composed of girls and women in their late teens and early 20s, another taste of nostalgia with a second song from his time in One Direction. Despite it being a scorching hot Texas summer night, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” was screamed, not sung, by the nearly sold out crowd at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas last night (July 7).

The difference in enthusiasm from the crowd between his solo songs and the ones from his time in the mega group was clear. ‘Night Changes,’ which he gave a brilliant rock twist, had a much better reaction than even his biggest solo single ‘Kill My Mind’ – a clear indication that the longing for a One Direction reunion remains intact.

Not selling his music short, Tomlinson stuck to mainly his own discography. Other than the two aforementioned 1D tracks and a cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ ‘505,’ his 23-song setlist was made up mostly of songs from his recent album Faith In The Future with a few fan-favorites from his debut Walls. The title-track from the latter being a highlight of the night as it showcased his crisp, well-controled vocals. He was never a strong singer when put next to the likes of Harry Styles and Zayn Malik, but Tomlinson’s voice has improved tremendously in comparison to when he first came to prominance on the X-Factor UK in the early 2010s.

Throughout the show, Tomlinson looked uncomfortable – perhaps the heat was getting to him; at one point, sweating profusely, he sat down mid-song to drink some water. Even though he is known to be a very charismatic dude, his stage prescence lacked a bit. The few times he did address the crowd though, his smile awakened and his humble-nice persona was present. “This is the best part of the job,” he said about being on stage in front of his fans who “allow him to make the music he wants to make.”

And sure enough, Tomlinson has strayed away from the mostly pop spectacle that One Direction was. He has leaned more on the Britpop meets punk rock sound while still maintaining his meaningful, personal lyricism. After all, he was known to be the One Direction members most-involved with the songwriting.

Before the show, music from bands like The Killers, Nirvana, and the Pixies rumbled on the speakers. His likeness for that type of music is clear, yet it still seems like he holds back sonically. It could be that he does not want to fully lose the pop-infused anthems that have his fanbase on a stronghold. But deep down, it feels like he wants to lean on the rock moments even more.

Songs like the angsty, euphoric “Out Of My System” and the more catchy “Face The Music” turned up the heat even more. Production-wise the show was impeccable. For a tour mainly hitting amphithetaers and larger theaters here in the United States, there was a lot happening behind the 31 year-old singer: moving set pieces, massive strobe lights, and pyro put a huge contrast on the show against his very casual pants, sneakers, and sleeveless tank outfit. His look manifesting that Louis is all about the music.

This latest outing is a big step up for the singer from Doncaster, England. Tomlinson might not be the biggest star in the world, but his following remains strong and loyal. The spotlight he puts on his real craft, which is the music, is what is most important. He has carved out a special place in music for himself and his live show is solid proof of it.

The Faith In The Future World Tour continues through the end of July with shows in North America before heading to Europe through November.

Show Score:

4/5

[This review is a music blog]

[lgbtpolitics]

I'm not sure I even have any UK followers but it is imperative that people put pressure on the Labour Party specifically to show support to Palestine.

Labour are not in government. But their huge loss in 2019 was due in large part to Jeremy Corbyn's pro Palestine position (alongside Brexit). Labour are predicted to win the next election, this time with a leader who is adamantly pro Israel, who said Israel has the right to restrict water to Palestinians - and then said he didnt mean that but provided no clarity on what he meant, with himself and many spokespeople simply repeating "Israel has a right to defend itself" on a loop.

Labour is split on Israel and Palestine in a way that the Conservatives are not, several MPs support Palestinian freedom, coucillors have actually resigned since the latest wave of pro Israel statements from the leader. The votership is also split while Conservatives generally support Israel and even those who don't are as invested as Labour voters. We can see the effects of this in the leadership, Keir Starmer has at least given some lip service to civilians here and there and at least making certain points about what is happening to Palestinians specifically*. These things seem trivial but they're not; what they show is that the Labour Party know they are in a more precarious position on this issue than their counterparts.

Its worth noting though, that the Conservatives have also made some very small concessions to the notion that Israel might be in the wrong, for example Sunak making a big point of saying that he urged restraint when visiting Israel (to insist they have the UKs full support). This post is not saying "ease up on the Conservatives because its pointless".

If Keir Starmer wins a landslide - which he is likely to do - hot on the heels of everything he's done and said over the last few days, in contrast to the shocking loss in 2019, it sends a message clear as day that Labour voters and by extension the UK are largely pro Israel, that being pro Palestine is a much bigger vote killer than being pro Israel.

And before you say "Okay but vote for the lesser of two evils!" this is not about voting, the election is not even called yet, put the pressure on NOW, before deciding whether this would deter your vote, even if you've already decided, have been decided since you knew what voting was, don't let them be complacent, don't let them take you for granted.

*This is edited from what it said before, yes, mostly because it didn't make a lot of sense out of context and I didn't want to detract from the point by adding the relevant context, also there has been more than one occasion so a general point is arguably better.

[disappointingyet]

Variety

Director Bette Gordon Stars Sandy McLeod, Luís Guzman, Nan Goldin USA/West Germany/UK 1983 Language English 1hr 40mins Colour 

Weird but absorbing indie noir

What kind of film is this? When it begins with a conversation between Christine (Sandy McLeod) and Nan (Nan Goldin) in a locker room, it feels like this could be an early example of the young-woman-trying-to-do-something-arty-in-NYC-and-struggling microgenre, and that would be fine. Instead, a rather weirder plot is set in play when Christine surprises her friend by saying she would take the one job that Nan knows is available: working the ticket booth at the Variety, a cinema that shows dirty movies.

Christine initially seems pleased with the job, but it seems to have some unsettling effects on her. During conversations in public places with her earnest, somewhat uptight boyfriend Mark (Will Patton), she’ll break into long monologues describing erotic scenarios. 

Then she starts following the besuited middle-aged regular at the Variety who has invited her out. It’s clear he’s involved in dodgy stuff, which might be connected with the corrupt fisherman’s union Mark is doing an investigative report about. Less clear is what Christine is up to, and whether she grasps how much danger she might be in.

Contrasting with the thriller elements are scenes in the bar where Nan works, with groups of women just talking about their lives. 

So what we’ve got is part offbeat noir, part psychological drama and part slice of life. I’m not sure all of that fully gels, and there were occasionally bits where I thought I had missed something but the film works nonetheless. 

I think the thriller elements are surprisingly effective (some other reviews seem to disagree). Like the film as a whole, they gained from being shot in the real world. We get the assorted filth-industry locations of the type so carefully recreated in the David Simon series The Deuce, but these are actual working peep shows etc. We also get the crumbling boardwalk at Asbury Park, a huge fish market and even Yankee Stadium (I was wondering if they had permission to film there or somehow snuck a camera in - not easy to do with the equipment they had in those days.)

There’s an interesting mix of folks involved, some then experiencing their moment, some whose time would come later. Writer Kathy Acker – whose work was daring or notorious, depending on your perspective – gets a script credit. I don’t generally like a sax-driven score, but this one is excellent – it’s by John Lurie, who around the same time was starring in Jim Jarmusch’s breakthrough Stranger Than Paradise, which was shot by Tom DiCillo, who (yes) was one of the cinematographers on Variety.

There are a couple of character actors making early appearances here who are still busy in the 2020s. I’ve already mentioned Will Patton – the other one is Luís Guzmán, who plays Christine’s co-worker at the cinema. I’m here to report that Guzmán arrived in the movies fully formed – to say he’s easily recognisable in Variety is an understatement.

But I’m guessing it’s Goldin’s presence that meant I could see this in a cinema in 2023. Clips from Variety appear in All The Beauty And All The Bloodshed, the recent critically beloved documentary about Goldin’s life and work. She seems to be playing herself: the character is called Nan, she’s a photographer and she works in a bar, as Goldin did at the time. (I'm assuming the bar she worked at and the one in the movie are the same place, but don't know that for sure.)

Variety had a slightly strange origin – Bette Gordon was an underground New York-based  film-maker offered a chance to make a bigger film by a German TV channel (Britain’s recently established Channel 4 contributed too). Gordon came up with idea and asked Acker to write it – but three other people get a credit for the screenplay and I think I can guess which bits are left from Acker’s draft.

It’s very much a snapshot of a moment in early 1980s New York, but it’s also an involving and fascinating movie. I like it a lot.