#Houston sign company

[vitalsignsolutions]

Crafting Identity: Effective Strategies for Designing Custom Signs that Reflect Your Business

Custom signs play a crucial role in expressing the unique identity of your business and establishing a connection with your customers. By choosing the right types of signs, maintaining a consistent design theme, and ensuring professional installation and upkeep, custom signs will serve as effective tools for your branding.

[signsby]

Transforming Real Estate Sales: The Power of Effective Signage in Telling Your Property’s Story

The real-estate business is bustling in terms of increasing the standard of living and for investment purposes as well. Where people should flow out buying one property quickly, many real-estate agents struggle. It is important to understand that each property tells a story but is often overlooked by various factors. A real-estate agent should know the reason why and what should work on it. Read the complete article: Transforming Real Estate Sales: The Power of Effective Signage in Telling Your Property’s Story

[ussignsled]

The Growing Influence of Digital Sign Companies in Houston

Houston, Texas, known for its thriving economy and diverse cultural landscape, is also emerging as a powerhouse in the digital signage industry. Businesses are increasingly turning to digital signs to enhance their marketing efforts, streamline communication, and engage customers. In this dynamic environment, companies like US Signs LED are leading the charge, offering top-notch digital signage solutions. This article explores the burgeoning influence of digital sign companies in Houston and highlights the pivotal role played by digital sign manufacturers in this growth.

The Digital Signage Revolution

Digital signage has revolutionized the way businesses communicate with their audiences. Unlike traditional static signs, digital signs offer dynamic and interactive content that can be easily updated in real time. This versatility makes them an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, from retail and hospitality to corporate and public spaces. The ability to display vibrant visuals, animations, and videos captures attention more effectively, making digital signs a powerful marketing tool.

Why Houston is a Hub for Digital Signage

Houston's status as a major economic center makes it a prime location for the digital signage industry. The city's diverse business landscape, which includes sectors such as energy, healthcare, and technology, provides a robust market for digital signage solutions. Additionally, Houston's commitment to innovation and technology fosters an environment where digital sign companies can thrive. This combination of factors has attracted numerous digital sign manufacturers to the region, establishing Houston as a key player in the industry.

Leading Digital Sign Company in Houston

Among the prominent digital sign companies in Houston, US Signs LED stands out for its commitment to quality, innovation, and customer service. The company offers a wide array of digital signage solutions, including indoor and outdoor displays, video walls, and interactive kiosks. Their products are designed to meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring maximum impact and engagement.

US Signs LED prides itself on delivering customized solutions that align with the branding and communication goals of its clients. Whether it's a small business looking to attract more foot traffic or a large corporation aiming to enhance its internal communication, US Signs LED provides tailored digital signage solutions that deliver results.

The Manufacturing Excellence of Houston's Digital Sign Companies

Digital sign manufacturers in Houston are renowned for their cutting-edge technology and meticulous attention to detail. The manufacturing process involves several stages, from design and prototyping to production and quality assurance. Companies like US Signs LED employ highly skilled engineers and technicians who ensure that each digital sign meets the highest standards of quality and performance.

One of the key advantages of working with digital sign manufacturers in Houston is their ability to offer customized solutions. These companies understand that each business has unique needs and challenges, and they work closely with clients to develop digital signage that fits their specific requirements. This personalized approach sets Houston's digital sign manufacturers apart from their competitors.

The Benefits of Digital Signage

The benefits of digital signage are numerous and far-reaching. One of the most significant advantages is the ability to update content quickly and easily. Businesses can change their messages, promotions, and graphics in real time, allowing them to respond promptly to market trends and customer needs. This flexibility is especially valuable in fast-paced industries such as retail and hospitality.

Digital signs are also more engaging than traditional signs. The use of bright, dynamic visuals captures attention and makes information more memorable. This increased engagement can lead to higher foot traffic, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, increased sales. Moreover, digital signs can be used to display a wide range of content, from advertisements and announcements to wayfinding information and emergency alerts, making them a versatile tool for any business.

US Signs LED: A Leader in the Industry

US Signs LED exemplifies the qualities that make digital sign companies in Houston successful. The company's dedication to innovation is evident in its continual investment in research and development. This commitment ensures that US Signs LED remains at the forefront of the industry, offering the latest technology and the most effective signage solutions to its clients.

Customer service is another area where US Signs LED excels. The company takes a collaborative approach, working closely with clients to understand their needs and deliver solutions that exceed their expectations. This focus on customer satisfaction has earned US Signs LED a loyal client base and a reputation for excellence.

Supporting the Local Economy and Community

As a Houston-based company, US Signs LED is deeply committed to supporting the local economy and community. The company sources materials from local suppliers whenever possible and provides jobs to skilled workers in the area. Additionally, US Signs LED engages in various philanthropic activities, supporting local charities and community projects. This commitment to the community enhances the company's reputation and fosters goodwill among its clients and partners.

The Future of Digital Signage

The future of digital signage is bright, with new technologies and trends continually emerging. Innovations such as interactive displays, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence are set to transform the digital signage landscape. US Signs LED is at the forefront of these developments, exploring new ways to integrate these technologies into their products.

As businesses continue to recognize the value of digital signage, the demand for these solutions is expected to grow. Houston's position as a leading hub for digital sign manufacturers will strengthen, attracting more businesses to invest in this innovative technology. Companies like US Signs LED will play a crucial role in shaping the future of digital signage, providing businesses with the tools they need to succeed in a competitive market.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the rise of Digital sign manufacturers in Houston, exemplified by leaders like US Signs LED, highlights the growing importance of innovative signage solutions in today’s business landscape. With their commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, these companies are transforming the way businesses communicate and engage with their audiences. As technology continues to evolve, the future of digital signage looks promising, offering even more exciting possibilities for businesses in Houston and beyond.

[peterpetigrew12]

Sign Company Houston TX

Are you looking for a sign company Houston TX? then look no further than Pasadena Sign Company. They are your one-stop shop with all sign services. They do everything from custom interior and exterior signage to vinyl banners, vehicle wraps, and more. For more info call (713) 640-5138.

[just-a-jock]

Get Digitized

Josh is your typical college kid maybe even a little nerdier. He majored in video game development and is a part of the gaming club at school he really didn’t take part in any social life. He was very average-looking, not too skinny but not too fat. Of course, he has some pudge around him One day while waking to his character design class he noticed a new flyer on the bulletin board

“Love video games? Want to earn cash? Come join our trail of Beta testers”

Josh loved the idea as he continued reading. It did pay pretty well and would provide all accommodations during the duration of the trial. He decides to take the pamphlet and heads to his apartment pondering if he is going to do it or not.

The next day Josh ends up driving to the address. Some big office parks with multiple buildings. “WAG” said the sign out front. He remembered seeing this developer when taking his Indie gaming class last semester. “We Are Gaming” is what the company was called and they specialized in virtual reality games and development. Josh was excited to see what project he would be helping in.

As he walked into the building he went to the front desk.

“Hello I’m here to be a part of the beta testing program,” Josh asked the receptionist

“Hello, please fill out the form on the iPad and one of our specialists will assist you momentarily”

Josh grabbed the iPad and started to fill out the questionnaire. It had all the reasonable questions you might think Until he got to the end

“What the fuck” Josh winced as the questions got more personal. Cock size, sexuality, perceived popularity. Josh decided to answer as he didn’t want to get disqualified and entered the form. Not that long after a man in what seemed like a doctor's uniform comes out from a secure door

“Hello, you must be Josh. My name is Doctor Houston. I’m the head of the VR department. Please follow me” Houston had a very stern voice with a seriousness that he did not want to mess around.

As he started to follow Dr.Houston Josh asked questions “Wow so you have a Ph.D. in gaming or computer science?”

Dr. Houston chuckled before answering “No, I have a MD in Internal medicine. WRG hired me to head the VR department as they want to see the reactions the body takes to long-term virtual reality gaming… and here we are” He finished saying as he opened a room to some sort of laboratory containing a monitor, sleek white gaming equipment and some sport of large computer. On the other side a window looking into what seemed to be a control room

As Josh walks in he hears a door close and lock

“Hey, what’s going on” he screams while banging at the door. After a moment he notices dr Houston walk into the control room across the room and sit down at a desk facing the main room.

Over the speaker “Dear Josh, I will be monitoring your experience from over here. Please strap onto the center platform near the screen so we can start”

Josh felt like this program was more of a medical drug trial and video game testing but decided to continue with what the doctor said anyway. As he walked up to the platform he put his two feet on the conveniently designated spots and looked at the screen as it turned on.

“Welcome player to your new life”

wait new life what did it mean by that. Before Josh could react clamps came out of the ground and attached to his feet holding him in place

“Hey what’s the meaning of this” he screamed

“Please stay calm as we proceed,” the doctor said over the speaker

Large laser pointers came from the side of the computer. “Beginning digitization” the computer screen announced

“Wait what?? What’s happening”

Slowly two beams from the computer started to travel up his body as everything it touched slowly disintegrated

“AHHHHH FUCK IT BURNS STOP IT STOP IT PLEASE” Josh pleated to the computer and the doctor or anyone that would notice

As the computer continued up his body in a burning pain he noticed on the screen a complete 1 to 1 replica of himself….. wait no not a replica that was him…

The computer finally made it up to his head as he pleaded one last time “PLEASE I DON'T WAN…..” He was caught off as his head was completely overwhelmed by the lights

Suddenly Josh regained consciousness but now he is in some white room with nothing around. He then hears a noise

“Customization available……. Character template chooses… JOCK…….. PROCEEDING MODIFICATIONS”

“What is happening stop this” Josh screamed but no one was around to hear him as his clothes completely vanished out of nowhere.

Slowly his body started to change to correspond to the data inside the computer

First Josh's feet grew from his regular size 9s to a huge size 14 which would be making noise anytime he walked anywhere. As the changes traveled upwards his calfs and leg muscles grew. His thighs ended up looking like watermelons and could easily break one if he wanted to between the two.

“Oh fuckkkkkkkkkk” Josh moaned as the changes continued

His cock and balls were next to change as his penis started to pull outwards slowly inching from a 6….7….8…….9……10 and finally ending at a huge size 11 which would make anyone fucked with It limp for days. His ball felt sore as they grew to baseballs filled with cum ready to fill and breed. The last touch to his groin area was the re-growth of his foreskin and ended with a continues leaky cock.

The changes moved to his torso as his abs started to chisel themselves one by one making a road all the way to the growing mountains that were his pecs. His chest looked like it was being inflated and his pecs were the Mount Everest of the range with a pointed nipple which faced downwards due to the muscle growth onto of his pecs.

“Ughh please make it stop…” Josh moaned as the changes continued

Next, his arms grew with his biceps growing to the size of footballs and his hands matching to be able to palm and grab any ball he wanted. The next set of changes started to settle in as hair started to grow across his body. His armpits started to burst out with hairs so thick that even when he put his arms down they would spew from the sizes. Next hair started to travel across his chest and legs thinking and giving him a nice rug that accentuated his already defined muscles. Lastly, but most importantly his bush started to grow more and more from his groin. Anytime of pants or underwear won’t be able to cover the spillage that will be coming over the top of them.

Josh was in a dazed state as the changes started to subside and finish up. He didn’t know how to feel…. Horny? Confused? Scared? Everything seemed so different as he started to hear the voice again.

“MODIFICATIONS COMPLETE….. STANDARD JOCK REGISTERED…… NAME: CHRIS HERNANDEZ… REGISTERED”

Wait that wasn’t his name why would it say that was someone entering all of this

“GAME WILL BEGIN MOMENTARILY… PLEASE HOLD”

Soon everything went black and it felt like Josh fell asleep.

“Oh god…. where am I” Josh woke up in what seemed to be a house much different to his one. It felt almost generated. Against his will, Josh got up from his bed and started to move to the kitchen where his body made a protein-heavy breakfast.

“Omg stop why can’t I control my body what is happening,” Josh thought in his mind completely scared of what was going on. Unbeknownst to him outside the computer his body was being fully controlled by someone on the outside.

After eating the breakfast his body immediately got up and started to walk to a new room filled with gym equipment. “Oh god no,” Josh thought.. His body started to go through an intensive workout against his will.

by the end of it he was completely exhausted with the last bits of energy he had he was able to take control for a moment and scream out

“HELP IM STUCK” . . .

“Um Doctor, there seems to be an issue,” the voice said

“What seems to be the problem?”

“The character said something weird… “Help, Im stuck” in like screaming pattern” he responded

“Ahh that’s strange don’t worry about that. We can fix that in the next patch. Might just be grabbing from some unused text files. Thank you for pointing it out” The doctor replied as he walked away taking notes and smirking

Josh was now completely trapped inside WRG new game “US” a life simulation game where gamers can be anyone their dreams can be. Unluckily for Josh, he was stuck being the complete opposite of his original self. Now is a template of a stereotypical jock for those who are too lazy to create their own characters in the game.

.

.

I hope you all enjoy. This was a story swap with @axeegliter. Check out their story and blog!

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Rolling Stone:

EARLIER THIS WEEK, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, a European Union-funded research group, announced that last Sunday, July 21, 2024, the daily global average temperature hit 62.76 degrees. It was the hottest day scientists have measured since 1940 — which officially makes it the hottest day ever recorded on Earth by humans. Twenty four hours later, however, Copernicus had to update its report: On Monday, the temperature climbed up to 62.87 degrees. As of now, July 22, 2024 is now the hottest day ever recorded. 

But hey, it’s only Friday. Who knows what the weekend holds? Or the rest of the summer, for that matter.

Are you shocked by news of this record-breaking heat? Does the fact that you lived through two of the hottest days on Earth that scientists have ever recorded make you think differently about the risks and consequences of living on a rapidly-warming planet? Did you pause for a moment and think about the millions of people who sweat through this without air conditioning? Did you mourn the 396 deaths from heat that are under investigation this summer in Phoenix? Did you sell your car and buy an electric bike? Were you inspired to sign up to knock on doors to help Kamala Harris defeat the climate-hoax-pushing-criminal Donald Trump? Are you getting calls from your MAGA-loving uncle in Idaho apologizing for the long lecture he gave you at Thanksgiving last year about how Earth’s temperature moves in natural cycles, or about how higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere is good because more CO2 makes crops and trees grow better?

Probably not.

The problem is not you. The problem is that a broken heat record is just another statistic. The story of the climate crisis is written in broken records that measure levels of CO2 pollution, glacial ice melt, rising sea levels, crop failure, megafires, the spread of diseases, heat deaths, wildfire and insurance costs, and economic losses. But if shocking data and broken records could galvanize people to take action on climate, we’d all be powering our iPhones with solar power from microgrids, and millions of cows and chickens would be liberated from factory farms. We’d have cities crowded with bike lanes and a high speed rail service between Dallas and Houston. We’d laugh at climate-hoaxing politicians and debate whether it is fair and just to charge Big Oil companies with criminally negligent homicide.

[heartbreakprincehbk]

could you write a kerry von erich dating head cannon? i love your stuff

thank you friend! ❤️

Kerry is literally the sweetest person alive. The biggest softest teddy bear with so many hidden qualities.

Kerry would know you from childhood and he probably would have fallen for you in 2nd grade and never let go.

All throughout school he would have been painfully shy around you if you had classes or interacted. He would admire you from afar, never quite able to get you out of his mind.

Once you and Kerry were in high school, he started to get a LOT of attention from girls, naturally. Like his brothers, he was a star athlete with great prospects. Still, he only ever really had eyes for you.

His brothers found out when they found his attempts at poetry in one of his notebooks addressed to you. As a joke, David took the poem and stuck it in your locker and signed Kerry’s name on it.

When Kerry found out, his heart stopped. He figured he would have to move out of the state rather than ever face you again.

You knew Kerry and his family and always thought they were kind, but you never would have guessed homecoming king Kerry was actually in love with you. So, the sweet poem felt more like a prank, no matter how much it made your heart skip a beat.

I love the sound of your voice/ And the way you smile too/ If I never saw your face again/My heart would go blue/ You make my knees go weak/ And my heartbeat race/ If there were a contest for your love/ I would fight for 1st place/ I dream of you and me/ I hope it’s meant to be

The next day at school, any time Kerry sees you, he practically runs the other way. Finally, you’re able to corner him after a class together.

“I’m sorry,” he tells you immediately, before you can say anything. “It was just a joke from my brothers, they thought it would be funny. They were just messin’ around.” “Oh. That’s too bad, it’s really good.” “Wait, really?”

You were his first love and he was yours. You were both each other’s first everything. Then high school graduation came along, and Kerry went off to Houston while you went your own way. Life went on, and you accepted the circumstances that took you on separate paths and told yourself if it was meant to be, it would happen.

Eventually, now into adulthood, you ended up back in your hometown to watch the old WCCW show. You knew Kevin and David were beginning to make quite a name for themselves, but you didn’t realize Kerry was also quickly following in their footsteps.

You hesitated to even approach him, watching girls throw themselves at him. It was just like high school and every girl wanting him, but 10x worse. Finally, you mustered up the nerve to stick around after the show, waiting out back with other people who tried to snag autographs.

Kerry and his brothers were leaving together, bags shouldered and ready to sign autographs. You waited near the back of the crowd, and when Kerry reached you, he didn’t even look up.

“What do you want me to sign?” He asked, pen outstretched and ready and head down. Your sweaty hand was clutching his old poem from years ago, retrieving it from where it had resided safely in your wallet for years.

“How about this?” You offered. His eyes read over the poem before they widened in shock and he looked up at you quickly. His bag dropped as he lifted you quickly into his arms.

The two of you picked up where you left off.

Kerry can get a little jealous, which you find ridiculous considering the shoes you’re in. If he sees a guy talking to you at one of his shows, he’s sure to take his ring jacket off more meaningfully and flex as often and casually as he can. In public with you, he’ll always be touching you somehow—an arm around the shoulder, holding your hand, pulling you on his lap.

He likes it when you spend time with him while he works out. He enjoys your company always, but he likes to impress you with his strength, and he thinks it’s fun to see all the things he can do with you, like push-ups while you sit on his back.

One of his hobbies is photography. You bought him his first camera in high school, and now, you got him an even fancier one. You’re his muse. He takes candid photos of you constantly and has you pose as well. “Oh, baby, you look so pretty today. Let me take your picture.”

You are Doris and Fritz’s favorite. They can see you’ve always made a positive impact on Kerry and like that you’ve been around the family for so long; you’re not an outsider. His brothers treat you like family too.

Kerry gets a lot of pride being seen with you and being with you. He talks about you constantly to anyone and everyone, to the point that the entire locker room knows you before even meeting you. Even Ric Flair knows who you are.

Kerry carries a picture of you in his wallet so you’re always with him when he travels. He’s always quick to take it out and show people. He has pictures of you and you two together everywhere, like the visor in his truck.

He often brings up the future to you, sometimes staying awake late just dreaming and planning out the life he wants the two of you to have.

“Kerry, you have a title match tomorrow, honey. We don’t have to worry about what color we should paint our future kitchen right now.” “You’re right, but I’m still leaning towards some kind of green.”

Kerry is great at randomly buying flowers for no reason and surprising you at the best times.

He plans to propose to you as soon as he can think of the most romantic way to do it. He carries your ring on him for months, nervously waiting and driving himself crazy trying to find the perfect moment.

Finally, one night he’s sitting at the kitchen table all alone, unable to sleep. He has the ring box on the table, and he’s inspecting the ring in his hand under the light when you walk in. He nearly fell out of his chair, not expecting to see you.

“…You weren’t supposed to see that.” He manages to get out before you let out a laugh and fly into his lap. “Yes!” You say as you hug his neck and he immediately puts the ring on your finger.

[mariacallous]

X has locked and suspended the accounts of journalists and researchers who shared the alleged identity of a neo-Nazi cartoonist known as Stonetoss after the cartoonist appealed to site owner Elon Musk.

The incident, critics say, highlights once again how Musk has not only welcomed extremists onto his platform but has repeatedly boosted their conspiracies, engaged with their accounts, and seems to have protected them from scrutiny.

A lengthy X thread posted by the antifascist research group Anonymous Comrades Collective last week claimed that Stonetoss is a man named Hans Kristian Graebener from Spring, Texas. Stonetoss cartoons, which feature simple and colorful imagery coupled with racist, homophobic, and antisemitic language, have become hugely popular among right-wing communities since they were first published at least seven years ago.

In its telling, the antifascist research group linked the Stonetoss cartoonist to another anonymous racist cartoonist known as Red Panels by comparing their voices from appearances on extremist podcasts. The researchers say they found an email address linked to Graebener that was used to register the Red Panels accounts on the far-right social media platform Gab. Then, the group says, it was able to match up comments made by Stonetoss with events in Graebener’s life. In one case, Graebener took a trip to Japan in 2019 with a Houston IT company he then worked for; at the same time, Stonetoss posted a picture on X of a “welcome to Japan” sign with the comment, “Finally made it to the ethnostate fellas.” The research group has been doing this kind of work for years and has been credited with unmasking numerous other extremists, including those involved with a neo-Nazi homeschool network.

Graebener has not disputed anything the researchers uncovered. He did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED to his personal email address nor to the email address on the Stonetoss website, and he did not pick up calls from phone numbers associated with his name.

The Anonymous Comrade Collective thread got a lot of attention on X, racking up at least 13.5 million views. On Thursday, the Stonetoss account appealed to X users who have “a direct line” to Musk, X’s owner, to help to get the thread deleted. Musk has, in the past, shared an altered version of a Stonetoss cartoon about the collapse of society. “If Elon's idea of a ‘free speech’ website is one where people can be intimidated into silence, the outcome will be a site where the Stasi will drive out all dissent,” Stonetoss wrote. The account also tagged Musk and offered to share a list of people to target.

In a subsequent post, Stonetoss said this appeal was not about him but about other “artists.”

“This is about others I know personally,” Stonetoss wrote. “There is a whole ecosystem of artists out there who cannot (or have stopped) making art because of people on twitter organized to punish them IRL for doing so.” The cartoonist also added that sales of his plush toy were “going gangbusters” since his alleged identity was revealed.

Hours later, the account associated with the Anonymous Comrades Collective that posted the thread was deleted, and the account was suspended. On Friday, dozens of users, including a number of researchers and journalists, began discussing the incident and posting some of the details of the research, including Graebener’s name.

X locked down many of these accounts and ordered them to delete the offending tweet to get full access to their accounts back. Among those targeted were Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, who covers right-wing extremism; Hannah Gais, a senior research analyst at Southern Poverty Law Center; and Steven Monacelli, an investigative journalist for the Texas Observer. (WIRED has also published Monacelli’s work.)

X also imposed a ban on sharing the link to the Anonymous Comrades Collective blog detailing its research. WIRED verified this on Monday morning by attempting to post the link, only to be met with a pop-up message that read: ‘We can't complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful.”

Even with the crackdown from X, people kept sharing details of the Stonetoss investigation.

“We all just started posting his name; it was like a Streisand effect,” Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, tells WIRED. “They're just trying to censor his name, and then everyone started getting their accounts locked.”

Caraballo, who shared screenshots of the messages she received from X with WIRED, managed to circumvent the initial ban by appealing it and claiming, ironically, that she was the victim of mass reporting from antifa who were attempting to silence her right-wing viewpoint.

While that appeal was successful, Caraballo was quickly locked out of her account again when she changed her username to “Hans Kristian Graebener is stonetoss.” That resulted in a 12-hour suspension, and when her account was reinstated she was soon punished for earlier posts that shared screenshots of information about Graebener. Caraballo’s account has now been suspended for seven days. Shortly after this article was originally published, Caraballo’s account was restored by X, without an explanation.

An X representative says that the company, following a review of the actions taken against the accounts of Anonymous Comrades Collective, Holt, Gais, Monacelli, and Caraballo, stood by its decision.

“The posts that were removed were all actioned correctly,” says Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, adding that the posts violated the company’s “posting private information policy” for “outing the identity of an anonymous user.”

While X does have a policy around sharing private information, the company’s terms of service on March 20 did not mention a policy related to outing the identity of an anonymous user, and Benarroch did not respond to a request for clarification. On March 21, after WIRED published this story, X updated its privacy policy to specifically prohibit posting the ”the identity of an anonymous user, such as their name or media depicting them.”

“According to X’s terms of service, posting someone's name does not constitute doxing, but, many accounts, including my own, have been made to delete posts that merely mention the name of the racist and antisemitic cartoonist Stonetoss,” Monacelli told WIRED before the change. “I've never seen enforcement like this before.”

This policy change could possibly be in response to a post last month from Musk when he wrote, “Any doxxing, which includes revealing real names, will result in account suspension.” Still, in an interview with Don Lemon released on Monday, Musk said that moderation of hate speech is akin to “censorship.”

There are now hundreds of posts on the platform which name Stonetoss as Graebener. There are also numerous accounts on the platform that changed their profile name to “Hans Kristian Graebener is stonetoss”—and they haven’t all been suspended.

“This is completely arbitrary and under Twitter's own community standards it says that a name is never considered private information,” Caraballo tells WIRED. “There's an immense double standard here of the neo-Nazi comic guy being protected” by X. But then, she says, “The people that do this to anyone on the left are not only followed by [Musk] but are boosted by him. It's completely inconsistent.” To her, it seems that whoever Musk favors gets protected, and anyone else is banned. “This is also a pretext for them to be able to go after anyone that they dislike,” Caraballo says.”

Caraballo and others have pointed to accounts like Libs of TikTok and far-right troll Andy Ngo, both of which have shared private information about trans people but have not had their accounts suspended. Musk has also engaged with posts that doxed individuals on X, with seemingly no recourse for those accounts.

For anyone who has tracked Musk’s actions since taking control of X in October 2022, this incident is no surprise. Musk has systematically removed the guardrails the company had put in place to prevent hate speech on the platform and has welcomed back racists, antisemites, and transphobic posters who had been previously banned.

In recent months, Musk has repeatedly endorsed racist conspiracies like the great replacement theory and has engaged with numerous accounts spreading disinformation and hate speech. Just this weekend, Musk interacted with Martin Sellner, the founder of a white ethnonationalist group in Austria who previously communicated with and accepted a donation from the man who shot and killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.

After they deleted their posts, most of those restricted for sharing Graebener’s name have had their accounts unlocked. However, the Anonymous Comrade Collective account that shared the details about Graebener is also suspended, and a representative tells WIRED they are unsure when or if it will come back.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/2/2024

in which i try to clean two different boxes with varying success

new people: hello! the tuesdaypost is a weekly roundup of stuff i've been listening, reading, watching, playing, and making. it is NOT a recommendation series, although i sometimes dabble in critique. when im firing on all cylinders i ask "what is the core concept of this? does it succeed in what i think it's trying to do and what it says it's doing?is it well-made but i dislike it/beautiful but not for me? why? what parts Really Work?"

if you are into purity culture, yelling at other people about the problematic media they consume, or are under 18 i am going to have very little patience for you.

listening

now that i live in houston i am legally obliged to loop the new beyonce album 24/7. there is absolutely truly nobody fucking doing it like her. every song is a multimedia art piece. goddamn do i miss the album as a tool to convey a specific concept/listening order/flow. sometimes (chappell roan most recently comes to mind, although it does feel unfair to compare anyone to beyonce) every individual song is pretty good but the listening experience if you sit down and listen all the way through the album is unpleasant and choppy. not so here. NEVER here.

my favorite like Dance Number is YA YA (it samples nancy sinatra's boots! and the beach boys' good vibrations! wildly different tones despite coming out a year apart!)

the one that goes on four different character/tone playlists is BODYGUARD.

great early roundup of influences, samples, and collaborators. delighted to see five fingers for marseilles listed, a rocky but underrated south african neo-western free on tubi rn for americans

-

reading

also very texas-relevant with the recent pornhub lawsuits! pornhub and sex tech (among other things) have been samantha cole's beat for almost ten years. i trust her to report sensitively and not for like. shock clicks

this site has a free paywall (sign up with your email for a link to the full article) so bots have a harder time scraping articles: this is a journalist-founded site with only the four founders running it and writing articles. while annoying i do think this is a reasonable measure

The platform still has problems, but after years of critical reporting and a litany of legal and reputational consequences, Pornhub is now more heavily moderated than any other porn platform, and most major social media platforms, for that matter. A growing list of age verification laws has put Pornhub in a position where it is compelled to block access to its site in seven states and counting. In theory, these laws are designed to prevent children from being able to access pornography online. In reality, what is going to happen is that children are going to end up on pornographic sites that don’t care what the law says, and where some of the most harmful content that exists online is actively promoted to them.

she's also got a new limited series podcast with CBC about the rise and fall of pornhub, which was fascinating and kept me company during an extremely early morning drive

-

watching

i'm lukewarm about this one but i spend a lot of time getting there, much like this movie

ive been watching a lot of frankly dogshit thrillers, which has made me wonder: what's the deal with supervillans? where did they come from? and thence arrived at the prototypical film Dr Mabuse the Gambler (1922, dir. Lang). the four and a half hour cut on Kanopy is two normal-length movies superglued together, which makes sense as a streaming product but it is sort of a terrifying runtime and took me three days to get through.

sometimes, as we know, i get a real bee in my bonnet about visiting the early versions of things. dr mabuse is the blueprint for every james bond and mission impossible villain, or really any shadowy supervillain with power over [INDUSTRY] or [THE MARKET]. it is a four and a half hour long cat and mouse game through lavish, eccentric sets between mabuse and prosecutor wenk. it has some trouble sustaining itself bc it is four and a half hours long but does deliver on the cat and mouse aspects. this letterboxed review has interesting things to say about the political climate of 1922 germany and how lang subverts the formula of the pulp serial.

really the film opens with mabuse yelling at his cocaine-addicted assistant, but the film properly gets going with mabuse's henchmen stealing a trade agreement (nothing really carbon dates a movie more than a missing trade agreement. vanishingly few post-early-30s movies have missing trade agreements as plot points) and then he crashes the stock market. for fun and profit.

however. i think every time you see an evil man who is a banker or stockbroker or generally uses money as power you have to interrogate whether it's antisemitic. the answer here is "maybe" but i'm not sure if intent matters when contemporary nazi critics were eager to hold mabuse up as "this is the typical jewish criminal". (sorry about the link directly to wikipedia, it's been touch finding online sources for this section). mabuse is not specifically jewish, but there are certainly elements of stereotype. i am still not good at being presented with "this movie has a shadowy behind the scenes figure manipulating the government and all the money ever" and going "hey wait a minute".

after that tremendous glaring caveat, for which i read more contemporary reviews and reviews in general than i ever read for movies in these posts, is it good? eh. a contemporary VARIETY review remarked (and i largely agree)

The direction of Fritz Lang has moments – but Lang somewhat negates his good technical effects by twenty forty-word captions of a ludicrous unconciseness.

the night scenes are particularly well done, and imo are better than many modern night scenes--other contemporary reviews remarked

In this film the techniques of the film camera (Carl Hoffmann’s brilliant photography) are brought to perfection. The problem of how to film lit-up streets at night has been solved for the first time. It is unbelievably impressive to see the glaring lights of speeding cars flash through the night or the rapid passing of an elevated train of the initially blurred, then gradually focussed glimpse through a pair of opera glasses on to the variety stage, the nuances of light and shade—these things alone prove the value of film documentary.

look at this shit! filmed from within the cars! in 1922!!!

this film asks you to believe hypnotism is real and really effective, so i don't think it's that big of a leap when it asks you to believe in ghosts. i don't understand that quibble from contemporary viewers. there are several on screen suicides with like. specific methods. which is not currently regarded as good filmmaking practice. im curious to know what contemporary audiences thought but couldn't immediately turn anything up, and wading through masters’ theses on cinematic suicide is a little beyond my current mental health.

if i were a more content-minded woman this would turn into a clickbait video essay about the antisemitic origins of every supervillan. however i am unqualified and untalented at video editing and i'm sure there are forty theses on this already. this movie is a hard sell to anyone jewish or employed. it is also a stunning example of cutting-edge film technology and part of the genesis of the modern supervillan. Fritz Lang films tend to fall in the category of “movies i am happy to see once and feel no need to revisit”.

-

playing

playing what is effectively the same game three times back to back (breath of the wild, tears of the kingdom, genshin impact) has sort of burned me out on open world games with a focus on battle skill progression and stumbling across little puzzles in the overworld. i have to get itch.io up and running on this pc and find the most linear jankiest possible one-sitting indie thing. or several of them. i might try the solo ttrpg Gentleman Bandit i seem to have acquired in one of the giant charity bundles

brief breath of the wild update bc i don't want to pull screenshots off my switch: i have gotten to the boss fight for the gerudo and goron regions, have not completed them bc my focus in this game is NOT hearts, and am in the middle of the zora temple. despite the quality of life improvements and new regions in totk i think i prefer botw: progression is a bit easier, there are fewer mmo-style hub quests and repeatable quests. things like the stable photos are cute but very repetitive, so are the sign bracing puzzles, and the sky crystal quests for sky shrines feel VERY samey. also dislike how the CLEAR OUT: [REGION] quests with the monster suppression squads reset at the blood moon.

anyway! to genshin! there was an exceptionally fun little event with a surprisingly involved management sim tacked onto the game??? you make and sell potions fulfilling different requirements, and can eventually stock travelling merchants all over the continent. the actual act of making the potions was this block-filling 1010! style thing (screenshot from polygon)

the new region, a port town and tea-growing area called Chenyu Vale, is maybe the prettiest one in the game so far? it's the one that feels the most picturesque and Designed, like this is one huge mansion garden studded with follies. they also added background chatter and noise in the cities and towns, which really startled me and makes them feels much more lived in! this is a fun trick to avoid putting in a thousand NPCs and making everyone's framerate crash. the less stuff in your game, the less shit can go wrong.

also pulled for and got chiyori, a geo-aligned seamstress (and sometime spy???) swordswoman who has what i can only call domme voice

-

making

ok now we'll talk about boxes. i was rearranging my kitchen, as unemployed women are known to do, and noticed this recipe box i picked up back in mass was disgusting. the finish is starting to fail but it was genuinely grody and last summer i packed my kitchen in a blind panic inside an hour and did not have time to address it. i have never seen a recipe box at an estate sale before or since and it made me desperately sad.

it was full of a lot of stuff.

i went at it with a somewhat inadvisable combination of things: wood soap didn't budge it, so i dampened a paper towel in vinegar and wiped it down in the vain hope it would do something. the thing that worked, and would be inadvisable for anything veneered or less densely textured, was baking soda paste and the scrubby side of a sponge. it still smells Very musty even after 48h of loose baking soda inside with several changes, but that might be partly the recipe cards' fault. i would like to refinish this at some point but i don't have polyurethane on hand and the fun little project budget is empty until further notice/i get a job.

the hinge did rust a bit despite my best efforts but that has since been lightly steel wooled and oiled. a well loved object! it's possible the lady who died just fucking sucked and that's why literally her entire estate including many other things families usually keep was on sale, but i would like to think perhaps she simply had no other family? a well loved/used object even if all the recipes are for semi-horrifying fifties new england recipes.

the other box, pre-acids but post-washing: this topp trading card box with seven episode one packets of cards was intact with the original seal. i have verified it was not worth much more than the $5 i paid for it with the trading card obsessed man in my best friend's husband's friendgroup. i bought this three months ago but the man was unavailable to open it until uhhh last week. some sort of liquid got inside it at some point and it was super corroded. i was going to store embroidery floss in here but even with all my powers (barkeepers friend. brasso.) i cannot completely remove the corrosion. it's not corroded Through but it looks bad and feels rough. so it goes. it'll probably hold the tiedown straps in my car bc that plastic bucket is rapidly failing

[vitalsignsolutions]

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[todaysdocument]

Deposition of George Rheims

“while I was swimming I looked over my shoulder and saw the "Titanic" go down.”

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United StatesSeries: Admiralty Case FilesFile Unit: In the Matter of the Petition of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Limited, for Limitation of its Liability as owner of the steamship TITANIC

Received Copy UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK I n T h e M a t t e r of The Petition of the Oceanic Steam Navi- gation Company, Limited, for Limitation of its liability as owner of the S.S. "TITANIC" Original DEPOSITION OF GEORGE RHEIMS. HUNT, HILL & BETTS Proctors for Claimants Frederick K. Seward et al, 165 BROADWAY NEW YORK CITY Direct Cross Re-Direct Re-Cross GEORGE RHEIMS, 2 17 25, 27 27. Exhibits: Page Claimant's Exhibit A, (drawing of ice berg) 9 Petitioner's " " ( diagram ) 19 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : I n T h e M a t t e r : of : The Petition of the Oceanic Steam Navi- : gation Company, Limited, for Limitation of its liability as owner of the S.S. : "TITANIC". : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : Deposition of GEORGE RHEIMS, taken pursuant to notice before Robinson Leach, Esq., Notary Public, at No. 165 Broadway, New York, on November 14, 1913, at two o'clock P. M. Present: Hunt, Hill & Betts by Mr. Betts and Mr. Kinnicutt, for claimants, Frederick K. Seward, et al; Mr. Houston; Mr. F. R. Smythe; Mr. F. L. Robbins; Mr. Church; Mr. Hency C. Quinby; Mr. Frederick A. Stroh, for other claimants. Mr. Burlingham and Mr. Leach for the petitioner. IT IS STIPULATED that the deposition may be taken by a -2- stenographer, signing, filing and certification waived; steno- grapher's fees taxable in lieu of notary's fees; copy to be served on the petitioner's proctors. GEORGE RHEIMS, being duly sworn, testified as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. KINNICUTT: Q Will you give your full name? A George Lucia Rheims. Q And your residence? A Paris, France. Q Were you a passenger on board the "Titanic"? A Yes. Q Where did you embark? A Cherbourg. Q Where did you buy your ticket? A At Martin's in Paris. Q Was anything said to you by the person who sold you your ticket with regard to anything on the back of the ticket? MR. BURLINGHAM: Object to. A Nothing. Q On the night of the 14th of April, 1912, where were you at about 11:40 o'clock? A I was coming out of the bath- room. Q On what part of the ship? A On the forward part of the ship. Q What deck? A Deck A. Q Did anything peculiar happen about that time? A Just the time of the accident, the shock. Q Just state what your felt? A Why I was coming out of the bathroom and I felt a slight shock, and I turned to see what had happened and in looking to the right I saw through [full document and transcription at link]

[ussignsled]

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[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Victoria Spivey

Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976), sometimes known as Queen Victoria, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and record company founder. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid-1960s, she worked with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell, Lonnie Johnson, and Bob Dylan. She also performed in vaudeville and clubs, sometimes with her sister Addie "Sweet Peas" (or "Sweet Pease") Spivey (August 22, 1910 – 1943). also known as the Za Zu Girl. Among her compositions are "Black Snake Blues" (1926), "Dope Head Blues" (1927), and "Organ Grinder Blues" (1928). In 1961, she co-founded Spivey Records with one of her husbands, Len Kunstadt.

Born in Houston, Texas, she was the daughter of Grant and Addie (Smith) Spivey. Her father was a part-time musician and a flagman for the railroad; her mother was a nurse. She had three sisters, all three of whom also sang professionally: Leona, Elton "Za Zu", and Addie "Sweet Peas" (or "Sweet Pease") Spivey (August 22, 1910 – 1943), who recorded for several major record labels between 1929 and 1937, and Elton Island Spivey Harris (1900–1971). She married four times; her husbands included Ruben Floyd, Billy Adams, and Len Kunstadt, with whom she co-founded Spivey Records in 1961.

Spivey's first professional experience was in a family string band led by her father in Houston. After he died, the seven-year-old Victoria played on her own at local parties. In 1918, she was hired to accompany films at the Lincoln Theater in Dallas. As a teenager, she worked in local bars, nightclubs, and buffet flats, mostly alone, but occasionally with singer-guitarists, including Blind Lemon Jefferson. In 1926 she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she was signed by Okeh Records. Her first recording, "Black Snake Blues" (1926), sold well, and her association with the label continued. She recorded numerous sides for Okeh in New York City until 1929, when she switched to the Victor label. Between 1931 and 1937, more recordings followed for Vocalion Records and Decca Records, and, working out of New York, she maintained an active performance schedule. Her recorded accompanists included King Oliver, Charles Avery, Louis Armstrong, Lonnie Johnson, and Red Allen.

The Depression did not put an end to Spivey's musical career. She found a new outlet for her talent in 1929, when the film director King Vidor cast her to play Missy Rose in his first sound film, Hallelujah!. Through the 1930s and 1940s Spivey continued to work in musical films and stage shows, including the hit musical Hellzapoppin (1938), often with her husband, the vaudeville dancer Billy Adams.

In 1951, Spivey retired from show business to play the pipe organ and lead a church choir, but she returned to secular music in 1961, when she was reunited with an old singing partner, Lonnie Johnson, to appear on four tracks on his Prestige Bluesville album Idle Hours.

The folk music revival of the 1960s gave her further opportunities to make a comeback. She recorded again for Prestige Bluesville, sharing an album, Songs We Taught Your Mother, with fellow veterans Alberta Hunter and Lucille Hegamin, and began making personal appearances at festivals and clubs, including the 1963 European tour of the American Folk Blues Festival.

In 1961, Spivey and the jazz and blues historian Len Kunstadt launched Spivey Records, a low-budget label dedicated to blues, jazz, and related music.

In March 1962, Spivey and Big Joe Williams recorded for Spivey Records, with harmonica accompaniment and backup vocals by Bob Dylan. The recordings were released on Three Kings and the Queen and Kings and the Queen Volume Two. Dylan was listed under his own name on the record covers. A picture of her and Dylan from this period is shown on the back cover of the Dylan album, New Morning. In 1964, Spivey made her only recording with an all-white band, the Connecticut-based Easy Riders Jazz Band, led by the trombonist Big Bill Bissonnette. It was released first on an LP and later re-released on compact disc.

Spivey married four times; her husbands included Ruben Floyd, Billy Adams, and Len Kunstadt.

Spivey died in New York on October 3, 1976, at the age of 69, from an internal hemorrhage.

[fromthedust]

John Margolies (American, 1940-2016)

John Samuel Margolies was an architectural critic, photographer, and author who was noted for celebrating vernacular and novelty architecture in the United States, particularly those designed as roadside attractions. For almost forty years, he documented the most remarkable examples he found, publishing some of his discoveries in books and consigning the rest to an archive, which has now been purchased by the Library of Congress who, in a wonderfully gracious move, have lifted all copyright restrictions on the photographs. (see link below)

Gatorland Zoo alligator statue - Route 1, St. Augustine, Florida - 1979

Deschwanden's Shoe Repair (The Big Shoe) - 10th & Chester, Bakersfield, California - 1977

Wigwam Village #2 - office teepee and several teepee cabins - Route 31W, Cave City, Kentucky - 1979

Wigwam Village #6 - Route 66, Holbrook, Arizona - 1979

Jantzen sign - Stamie's Beachwear - Ocean Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida - 1990

7-Up Bottling Company (two views) - NE 14 & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon - 1980

Coca Cola Bottling Company (two views) - 14th & Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California - 1977

Coca Cola Bottling Company (detail view of door) - 14th & Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California - 1977

It'll Do Motel (office) - Jonesborough, Tennessee - 1987

Joy Theater marquee - San Antonio, Texas - 1982

White Castle - Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio - 1980

Mammy's Cupboard (two views) - Route 61, Natchez, Mississippi - 1979

Dependable Used Cars sign - Division Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan - 1982

Stan The Tire Man statue - Broadway, Mount Vernon, Illinois - 1988

Bomber gas station - Route 99 E., Milwaukie, Oregon - 1980

World's Largest Redwood Tree Service Station (1936) - Route 101, Ukiah, California - 1991

Peach water tower - Frontage Road, Gaffney, South Carolina - 1988

Christie's Restaurant sign (cowboy shrimp) - Houston, Texas - 1983

Roadside flamingo statue - Frog City, Route 41, Florida - 1980

www.publicdomainreview.org/collection/john-margolies-photographs-of-roadside-america/

addendum: seen (not photographed) in a 2007 trip to Garibaldi/Nehalem/Manzanita Oregon — The Wheeler Inn with a wheelbarrow on the roof with a clothed female mannequin loaded into it . . .

[lonestarbattleship]

Battleship Texas much closer to securing permanent home in Galveston

The first step is a ten-year lease with the port, coming in at $20,000 a month or more depending on the weather

By Chris Gray

"This artist's rendering projects what the USS Texas could look like once it is safely housed along the heart of Galveston's waterfront. "

"Battleship Texas cleared an important hurdle in its quest for a permanent home this week. During its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Galveston Wharves board of trustees authorized the creation of a lease between the Port of Galveston and the Battleship Texas Foundation, which operates and maintains the historic warship.

'It’s a big step for us,' said Tony Gregory, the foundation’s president and CEO. 'We feel like it's a big win. It’s taken a while to convince the port that we should be where we're going to go, but in the end their leadership responded. We think we have a good agreement, and we're excited to move forward on it.'

The proposed lease would be for 10 years with two additional 10-year options, explained port director and CEO of Galveston Wharves Rodger Rees. Once it has been drafted and signed, which Rees said could happen at the board’s next meeting later this month, the foundation would pay the port $20,000 per month in rent; plus $1.2 million (another $20,000 a month) in case an extreme-weather event or other dire scenario forced the port managers to take drastic measures with the ship like towing her out to sea.

Now, 'there's some hoops they've got to jump through but not ours,' Rees said. 'What we did is try to help them with their permitting process by giving them a home.'

The ship, which served with distinction in both World Wars, was towed from the San Jacinto Monument to a dry-dock facility in Galveston's harbor in August 2022.

Greg Eckmann Photography/Battleship Texas Foundation

According to Gregory, now that the foundation has struck a deal with the port, it can finalize its agreement with Landry’s, Inc. for the multibillion-dollar company founded by island native and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta to manage the ship’s day-to-day operations, effectively adding it to a portfolio that also includes Kemah Boardwalk and Pleasure Pier. The foundation plans to permanently berth the ship in the area around Piers 19 and 20, the most commercial area of the port and property already controlled by Landry’s.

'Landry’s is excited about the positive progress made to secure a permanent home for the Battleship Texas in Galveston,' said Landry's deputy general counsel Dash Kohlhausen in a statement. 'We look forward to continue working with the City, the Wharves Board, and the Battleship Texas Foundation to make this a reality for Galveston.'

The next step for the foundation, which towed the USS Texas to Galveston from its longstanding home at the San Jacinto Monument in August 2022, is to secure the necessary permits from the trio of agencies which share jurisdiction over the waterway: the U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Galveston Texas City Pilots, an association of ship captains whose boats escort larger vessels in and out of the port. It could take up to a year for those permits to be approved, Rees said.

Meanwhile, the ship, which served in both World Wars — notably off Omaha Beach during D-Day and as part of Operation Torch in North Africa — has been undergoing an estimated $60 million in dry-dock repairs since arriving at the Gulf Copper facility on Pelican Island. According to Gregory, those repairs are scheduled to be completed next summer. The foundation has already started a capital campaign to raise another $15 million for construction of its permanent housing, including the necessary mooring plus a ticket-sales building, public restrooms, and exhibit space.

Finally, hovering over all this is the not-insignificant question of whether the old battleship will sell enough tickets — about 283,000 a year, according to the foundation’s math — to offset the necessary maintenance, restoration, and marketing costs. On this count, at least, Gregory is confident she will.

'We feel like the reason our agreement with the port is such a big step is because we are in the best spot to attract the most tourists on the waterfront,' he said. 'We have two cruise terminals to our West, one cruise terminal to our East, with another being negotiated. We're near the restaurants, the Elissa, the bars; we’re near the Strand.

It could take another $15 million to prepare the necessary facilities to house the ship along Piers 19 and 20, foundation CEO Tony Gregory said.

Battleship Texas Foundation

'It’s a little bit like the real estate agent said: ‘Location, location, location' Gregory added. 'It’s the best location in Galveston for being successful in attracting people to come onto the ship.'

For the foundation, which took over upkeep of the ship from Texas Parks and Wildlife in 2019, the end is now in sight. The extraordinary patience necessary to steward the Texas through this painstaking and expensive process finally seems to be yielding tangible results.

'I tell people all the time, if you get involved with the Battleship Texas, whether you're a vendor or a regulatory agency, it's a legacy project and you need to be a little more patient and a little more committed to get it done, because she's an old ship and she needs a lot of care,' Gregory said.

'So we're confident,' he added. 'Believe me, there's always regulatory obstacles, and we've overcome a lot of them in the past couple or years. We’re optimistic that we can address whatever else needs to be addressed.'"

Article from the Houston Chronicle: link

[broadwaydivastournament]

Bernadette and Christine: Hey, Old Friends

Yes, yes, once again, Good Fight costars, but Bernadette and Christine go way, way back to 1982 and a little off-Broadway play called Sally and Marsha, written by Sybille Pearson and directed by Lynne Meadow, who remains Artistic Director at MTC to this day.

Bernadette is Sally (no, not Follies Sally just yet), a 30-year-old waif and New York transplant who is your quintessential all-American housewife. Contrast against Christine as Marsha, the tall erudite wise-cracker, cynical and neurotic. Can we say 'typecast?' (Oh, my god, this is just Summer, 1976 with Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht, except set in New York.)

Anyone else getting a fruity vibe from this? You can't convince me they didn't explore each other's bodies during all those long tension-filled talks...

As you'd expect, Sally and Marsha butt heads over their innumerable differences, but eventually realize they're really not so dissimilar deep down as they discuss sex, marriage, children, and everything but the kitchen sink. (Or maybe that too, I don't know. I wasn't seeing shows in 1982. They're wearing aprons, so...)

Bernadette reportedly joined the production four days before rehearsals began after a frantic and unsuccessful search for a Sally to match Christine's Marsha. Christine had read with dozens of actresses who fit the bill, but no dice until Bernadette signed on, having loved the script. This marked Bernadette's return to the stage after an eight-year absence.

The play received mixed reviews for its writing, but general warmth for its actresses. By this point, Bernadette was a two-time Tony nominee, and Christine still a relative newcomer to the New York stage. Coincidentally, they'd both go on to receive Tony nominations in the same 1984 season, Bernadette for Sunday in the Park (Leading Musical), and Christine for The Real Thing (Featured Play). Bernadette would lose to Chita Rivera for The Rink, while Christine would win her first Tony.

And speaking of Sunday in the Park...

Fresh off the middling success of Sally and Marsha, both actresses would join forces with some composer named Steven Sondheim to do the Playwrights Horizons workshop of Sunday in the Park with George in the summer of 1983. The show did not perform the second act until the last three performances, and the entire show was still largely in development.

It starred, as we know, Bernadette Peters as Dot/Marie, and featured Christine Baranski as Blair Daniels/Clarisse (later named Yvonne). Christine did not transfer with the company to Broadway the following year in 1984, having instead chosen to do Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. Tony Award, so great decision on her part. This was also notably the play where she's Cynthia Nixon's mother, despite not being old enough to do that. Showbusiness, eh?

Oh, and one more thing. Bernadette and Christine were also both Cinderella's Stepmother in separate movie musicals. Bernadette in the 1997 Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston (the superior Cinderella, the only one that matters, the one that made me a lesbian). Christine in the 2014 Into the Woods movie adaptation that we here at BroadwayDivasTournament do not talk about under any circumstances except to say how hot Christine was.

The obvious answer is both, but we here at BroadwayDivasTournament do not allow fence-sitters. Make a choice, dammit. Commit to something.