#Jamy Ian Swiss

[scottwellsmagic]

784: Jamy Ian Swiss - The Conjuror's Conjuror

Jamy Ian Swiss is the author of three books and co-author of two other books and consultant or contributor to at least eight other books and magazines, frequent performer at the Magic Castle, co-producer of Monday Night Magic, historian, lecturer, teacher, consultant, Senior Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation, skeptic, and an expert on the intersection of science, magic, and skepticism. He has frequently appeared on television talk and news shows including all the networks with occasional appearances in movies and documentaries.

This discussion was recorded in the Magic Castle when we worked together there in March 2023. In our conversation, Jamy covers the gamut of magic from those who have influenced his life to an esoteric discussion of equivoque and the power of magic has on our audience and a deep dive into a theoretical talk about magic. Nearly everyone who is anyone in magic had their name dropped in this week’s chat by someone who intimately knew them all quite well. Jamy truly is the conjuror’s conjuror.

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[afpwestcoast]

The Observatory North Park, San Diego, 12/9/23

Though we were in a different city the setup for this show was very similar to last night in LA: large, ornate theater with a barricade keeping people back from the stage. But this was no impediment to the band torching through a stellar set.

Amanda calls me Tom the Critic because after shows I have a tendency to skip over the OMYGOD THAT WAS AWESOME part and pick nits over minor issues. It’s a character flaw; I’m working on it.

After this show I took Amanda’s face in my hand, looked her in the eye, and said, “Amanda, you know I love you, but I am about to tell you something that you probably thought you’d never hear me say.”

“Oh god,” she replied, bracing for the worst. “What is it?”

I leaned in close and whispered, “Perfect show. No notes.”

“AWWWW!” she said as she melted into my arms for a big hug.

And it really was a truly stupendous show, but even so it came close to being overshadowed by the after party.

Amanda’s sister Alyson (of forced wedding / gross cake fame) was in town for a hematology conference, and her “book doula” Jamy Ian Swiss lives in San Diego, so they were both there.

I convinced them - and Amanda’s brilliant long-time sound guy Dave - to join us for drinks at Part Time Lover, a nearby combination bar and vinyl record store. As we headed out I snuck up behind Amanda and said, “I think I just convinced your sister to come out drinking.” She said, “Yeah, that tracks.”

The place was jammed with a boisterous young crowd when we arrived, but we closed the place down and there hardly was anyone left by 2am.

I got to learn about Alyson’s efforts to cure cancer with targeted drugs and Dave’s work training the next generation of sound engineers. That was lovely, but Jamy stole the show. Or rather, put one on.

Knowing him primarily from his work with Amanda on her book, I thought the magic was a bit of a side hustle. When I asked, “Are you any good?” his look said, ‘I will tolerate that because you are buying me drinks,’ but his mouth said, “I am much better than good.” And then he pulled out a deck of cards and proved it.

I had never actually seen close magic up close, like literally standing next to the magician. Let me tell you, it is quite an experience. You know it’s a trick, you know he’s doing something, but you cannot see anything, which makes you start questioning your sanity. He really is much better than good.

After we closed the bar Dave and Alyson bailed but Jamy soldiered on and we went to an all-night diner where the spirited (pardon the pun) conversation continued until we finally parted ways around 4am. This was one for the annals.

Annotated Set List:

Good Day

Sex Changes

Gravity

Backstabber

My Alcoholic Friends

Shores of California

Delilah (featuring Veronica Swift) Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover)

Another lengthy intro before launching into a set of new songs, although this didn’t feel like the angsty delay tactic of the previous night but just bringing the audience up to speed on what was about to happen. Mister God

By way of introduction to the next song Amanda said that the friend who was the first person she sent it to when it was finished was in the audience.

“A really dear friend of mine is in the audience tonight … his name is Jamy Ian Swiss and he’s a man of many talents, among them: he’s an incredible professional magician. But he also helped me write a book called “The Art of Asking,” which was kind of a magic trick itself. Over the course of working on this book together he got to know me very very very well.”

And I thought, ‘Oh yeah I need to party with this guy.’

Houdini

Believe it or not, as Amanda was telling the background story of the next song, there was another medical emergency that necessitated bringing up the house lights, same as the previous night in LA. Once again the staff was on it and the band and the crowd were very respectful.

Afterwards Brian said, “It is actually really amazingly rad to have venue after venue’s staff come up to us after shows and go, ‘Your crowd is really awesome; they’re really good people!’”

Whakenewha Amsterdam (Jacques Brel cover)

Another Christmas

Boyfriend in a Coma

The Runner

The Nail (Amanda on synthesizer)

Coin-Operated Boy

“We don’t take for granted that we’ve been a band for 23 years now and without a record out since fucking 2008 and like a thousand people still came to see us play. That does not necessarily have to happen when you’re a band. And so we want to thank every single one of you for just like loving us and believing in us.”

Merch commercial

Astronaut (A Brief History of Nearly Nothing) (Amanda Palmer cover)

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

—

Girl Anachronism

Photo Gallery:

The scene of the crime.

Ready to Rock! (photo by Deanna Aliano)

The Dresden Dolls!

Delilah

Amanda is WAY up on the balcony for Amsterdam

The many faces of Brian Viglione

Merry Christmas motherfuckers

Technicolor Dolls

Beautiful shot of Brian by Deanna Aliano

Big finish!

[poesmagic]

The Magic Spotlight with Jeff Eline

Some of the best magicians in the region will be performing at the Lord Baltimore Hotel! A magician for over 40 years, Jeff has performed for audiences all over the country and in Europe. Specializing in intimate, close-up magic, he’s been a serious student for decades, studying with some of the biggest names in magic including Roberto Giobbi, Jamy Ian Swiss, Darwin Ortiz, and Dani DaOrtiz. Jeff…

[princesssarisa]

Top 12 Snow Whites, Wicked Queens, Princes, and Seven Dwarfs

These are my favorites of all the leading performers in the various screen adaptations of Snow White. I've listed them in chronological order because it's too hard to rank them in exact order of preference.

Maybe later I'll post exactly what I like about each of them, as well as the names of the "honorable mentions," whom I also liked in the roles but don't rank quite as highly as these people.

Snow White

*Marguerite Clark (1916 silent film)

*Disney animation/voice of Adriana Caselotti (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

*Carol Heiss (Snow White and the Three Stooges, 1961)

*Zeynep Degirmencioglu (1970 Turkish film)

*Anna Jo Trowbridge (Seattle Children's Theatre, 1987)

*Nicola Stapleton/Sarah Patterson (Cannon Movie Tales, 1987)

*Nippon Animation/voice of Sakiko Tamagawa (Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, 1989)

*Natalie Minko (Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge, 1992)

*Tatsunoko Productions animation/voice of Yuri Amano (The Legend of Snow White, 1994)

*Laura Berlin (Sechs auf einen Streich, 2009)

*Lily Collins (Mirror, Mirror, 2012)

*Tijan Marei (Märchenperlen: Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerge, 2019)

The Queen

*Disney animation/voice of Lucille La Verne (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

*Patricia Medina (Snow White and the Three Stooges, 1961)

*Suna Selen (1970 Turkish film)

*Herta Kravina (1971 Swiss/German short)

*Vanessa Redgrave (Faerie Tale Theatre, 1987)

*Diana Rigg (Cannon Movie Tales, 1987)

*Nippon Animation/voice of Kazue Komiya (Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, 1989)

*Gudrun Landgrebe (Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge, 1992)

*Miranda Richardson (Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, 2001)

*Sonja Kirchberger (Sechs auf einen Streich, 2009)

*Charlize Theron (Snow White and the Huntsman, 2012)

*Nadeshda Brennicke (Märchenperlen: Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerge, 2019)

The Prince

*Creighton Hale (1916 silent film)

*Disney animation/voice of Harry Stockwell (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

*Edson Stroll (Snow White and the Three Stooges, 1961)

*Richard Browne (Snow White Live at Radio City Music Hall, 1980)

*Rex Smith (Faerie Tale Theatre, 1984)

*James Ian Wright (Cannon Movie Tales, 1987)

*Alessandro Gassmann (Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge, 1992)

*Tatsunoko Productions animation/voice of Takehito Koyasu (The Legend of Snow White, 1994)

*Nicolás Artajo-Kwasniewski (Sechs auf einen Streich, 2009)

*Jamie Thomas King (Grimm's Snow White, 2012)

*Locus Corporation animation/voice of Sam Claflin (Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, 2019)

*Ludwig Simon (Märchenperlen: Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerge, 2019)

The Seven Dwarfs

*Disney animation/voices of Roy Atwell, Pinto Colvig, Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert and Scotty Mattraw (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

*Arthur Reppert, Jochen Köppel, Georg Irmer, Fred Delmare, Heinz Scholz, Willi Scholz and Horst Jonischkan (Schneewittchen, 1961)

*Mr. Magoo/voice of Jim Backus (The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo: Little Snow White, 1965)

*Billy Curtis, Phil Fondacaro, Daniel Frishman, Kevin Thompson, Lou Carry, Peter Risch and Tony Cox (Faerie Tale Theatre, 1984)

*Douglas R. Mumaw, Floyd van Buskirk, Peggy Platt, David Whitehead, Edward Christian, Sena Merrill and Jeanne Lee (Seattle Children's Theatre, 1987)

*Billy Barty, Mike Edmonds, Ricardo Gil, Malcolm Dixon, Gary Friedkin, Arturo Gil and Tony Cooper (Cannon Movie Tales, 1987)

*Iwan Sabijak, Igor Sanikow, Nikolai Misyura, Atka Janousková, Imre Schnellert, Janos Petrowski, Atilla Vega and Sándor Köleséri (Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge, 1992)

*Tatsunoko Productions animation/voices of Hiroshi Naka, Junichi Sugawara, Nobuyuki Furuta, Kozo Shioya, Katsume Suzuki, Wataru Takagi and Tetsuya Iwanaga (The Legend of Snow White, 1994)

*Warwick Davis, Michael J. Anderson, Michael Gilden, Mark J. Trombino, Penny Blake, Martin Klebba and Vincent Schiavelli (Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, 2001)

*Danny Woodburn, Martin Klebba, Sebastian Saraceno, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo and Ronald Lee Clark (Mirror, Mirror, 2019)

*Locus Corporation animation/voices of Sam Claflin, Simon Kassianides, Frederik Hamel, Nolan North and Frank Todaro (Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, 2019)

*Peter Brownbill, Cem Aydin, Peter Gatzweiler, Jona Bergander, Pavel Ponocny, Michal Túma and Mick Morris Mehnert (Märchenperlen: Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerge, 2019)

@ariel-seagull-wings, @superkingofpriderock, @astrangechoiceoffavourites

[imagineclaireandjamie]

When discussing what they missed about the 20th century with Brianna Claire mentioned messy cheeseburgers with all the fixings. Can we get a scene of Claire and Bree enjoying the previously mentioned meal together in Boston?

Missing moment in 4x10.

Claire tried like hell not to think of what she had left behind in the twentieth century.

Her daughter. Their daughter.

Plumbing.

Motor vehicles.

Radios.

Cinemas.

Electric kettles.

Furnaces.

Toilet roll.

Tampons and sanitary napkins.

Diner food.

Well-constructed undergarments.

But she could not help her mind from drafting a litany of these things when faced with some ordinary task or another.  

As they attempted to slice a piece of roast pork, she could not help but call to mind the ease with which modern cutlery or an electric knife could accomplish the task.  But she would never say it aloud.

Catching Ian’s curious eye when she unconsciously reached for the tap on a faucet that did not exist over the bowl of dishes at the end of a meal, she smiled, shrugged, concentrated on the washing up.  She never provided an explanation.  

As she doubled over in pain, melting into Jamie’s thumbs as they massaged away cramps, she mumbled a plea for a heating pad and an aspirin.  He made a sound, low but sweet, and continued kneading the muscles.

It had been easy to set aside these conveniences on her first trip to the eighteenth century.  

Adrenaline had coursed through her then as she engaged in a series of machinations to maintain her lie (my-husband-he-is-dead-and-I-am-traveling-to-France-please-pass-the-potatoes), and endeavored to stay alive.  For her safety (her brush with a Scottish witch trial had been more than enough incentive to think fast) and Jamie’s, she had tended to keep outward indicia of her modernity under cover.

However, on her second trip to the eighteenth century, her lips were infinitely looser.  With age, isolation on the Ridge, and the sheer boundlessness of the space around them and from others, she let slip seemingly harmless perks of modern life.  Ian’s fascinated, though sometimes doubtful looks, spurred her on.  Emboldened by her nephew’s thousand mile stare, she described such fantastic things as:

Ice cubes in freezers right in the kitchen, produced with abundance.

Matches, their easy strike along the pad and the tangy, elemental burn of them in the sinuses.

Fans on hot days, maintaining an artificial breeze that could wick sweat from the skin.

Stores with everything imaginable in profane volume – meats and cheeses, pickled vegetables and fresh produce, cans of food for family pets (eyes going wide at the thought of Rollo eating dog food from a tin).

Deodorant in pre-formed sticks or aerosol cans.

Showers with seemingly infinite hot water and soap that smelled like springtime or the ocean or tropical fruits.

Produce all year long.

However, Claire again became more circumspect in her mentioning of these things over time.  

The last thing she wanted was for Jamie to think that she prioritized things and stuff and modern conveniences over her connection with him. After all, he was the bedrock of the epic kind of love that she had returned through time to find. She saw the periodic twitch in his upper lip as he fought the inclination to ask if she wanted to return to her time when they argued, woke cross with one another over some misdemeanor or another, or she cursed hotly about this or that being a bother.

But when Bree appeared on the Ridge, Claire felt a certain freeness in letting slip these small things.�� At least to their daughter’s ears.  She was particularly loose about the future and their past when she saw distance unfurl in her daughter’s eyes. All that had happened was an extinguishing Bree’s very life. She could see it in her daughter’s eyes (her husband’s eyes). A pain that had gone bone deep, that she had cause to know intimately. Bree’s mind was meandering on a path far, far away.  

One chilly afternoon shortly after Bree arrived at the Ridge, when the air was not quite crisp enough to make their cheeks sting and go pink, mother and daughter folded linens outdoors.  Then, Claire saw it plain as day in Bree.  The way her daughter’s eyes were weighted, pulled as if by gravity to the task of folding instead of up and into a study of the world around them. After observing her for a series of long moments, Claire made a choice.

To indulge in talk of the home that they had known together.

“Hamburgers,” Claire said plainly, lining the edges of a sheet.  “Messy cheeseburgers. With all the fixings. From Carmie’s.”

Bree looked wistful for a moment before offering, “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

Their game went on for only a minute, but the change in Bree at Claire’s acknowledgment of her longing for home was palpable. 

That night as their dinner wound down (candles close to the nub, bellies full, the glow of intoxication apparent in the apples of Jamie’s cheeks), Bree speared one of the fragrant, bulbous canned tomatoes left on her plate. Closing one eye, she held it up to the low, flickering light.  

“This,” she declared. “Only sliced and fresh.  Grilled mushrooms.  Swiss cheese so thick you really have to chew it or it’ll be all down the front of your blouse.”

A breath, closing the other eye then.  

“And caramelized onions that are almost too sweet.” She hummed, low and content. “Mayonnaise. A thick glob right from the giant, mass-produced jar of it.  And a pickle spear. Two of them. I’ll have yours, mom, you always leave it anyway.”

Tilting her head, she opened her eyes and surveyed her audience. 

“French fries. Lots of ketchup with black pepper shaken into it, stirred with the tip of my fork.”

Claire made an ecstatic sound, sinking back into her chair with her mug of water.  “Keep the Swiss and mushrooms, add lettuce and cheddar.”

“The good white cheddar?” Bree inquired. 

Claire grimaced, rolled her eyes. “Of course. Nothing but. And the chips must be extra crispy. I hate soggy fries.”

“Cheeseburgers,” Bree sighed, eyes almost cloudy with food lust.

Jamie looked between his wife and daughter, brow furrowed, before shaking his head.

That night, Jamie took his wife by the waist as she stripped down to her shift, fingers insistent at her hipbones.

“Cheese burr-gurrs?” he asked, voice halting with unfamiliarity at the words being joined together.

Snorting, Claire turned in his arms. She smoothed the ditch of a furrow from between his brows, carefully gathering her encyclopedic explanation. “Ground meat, either seared on a flat top or grilled over a flame.  Bread.  Melted cheese. Ketchup.  Mustard. Mayonnaise…”

(He had tasted mustard. He had heard of course of mayonnaise – cream and eggs, tangy on the finish - but never tasted it. He let slide Bree’s mention of “ketchup” without a request for further elaboration.  He had seen enough of his daughter to know when lightness was acting as a barrier for some other pit of emotion.  He had been there intimately enough to know the purpose of diverting oneself from what really laid beneath meaningless banter over this or that.)

“Eating that kind of diner food… it’s a nostalgia thing for Bree.”

Raising an eyebrow, he said, “Oh, aye?”

“Every time she got a good report card from school with good marks, the two of us would go to a diner down the street from our house.  We would sit at the counter and order cheeseburgers, chips, and ice cream sundaes.”

Claire’s heart skipped a beat before she said what she said next, but she had to say it to put the experience into context for him.

“Frank never came along.  It was our time. We bonded.”

Jamie pushed aside the curls that were acting as a veil over her neck and nestled his face close to her throat. It was as if by absorbing with his lips the vibration of his wife’s words, he would have the memory for himself, feel the nostalgia bubble in his veins at the mention of cheeseburgers.

“Bree would tell me about school, what she wanted to be when she grew up.  It varied significantly over time, of course, as young children are wont to change their young minds.  A pediatrician.  A veterinarian.  A violinist.  A race car driver.  A physicist.  A historian.  When she was older, we talked about her plans for university.”

“Ye think fondly of those times.”  

“I do.” A pause, a breath, her pulse flickering under his mouth. “She talked about boys only once. I told her about the birds and the bees.  She grumbled and rolled her eyes and hissed, insisting she already knew all of it.”

Claire faded away for a moment before Jamie took her chin.  “Those moments are dear to ye, are they no’? Ye’ll no’ ever forget the times with her at the diner with the… cheese-bur-gers.”

Claire could almost taste hot fudge and whipped cream, the cherry on top. She could sense her teeth breaking through the light char of the meat and tongue absorb the grease exploding across her tongue. She could see Bree clutching the yellow slip of paper on which a series of A’s were listed with comments about her meaningful contributions in Social Studies and her thoughtful commentary on a Robert Frost poem in English Literature.  She could feel the chrome of the counter against her bare knees and smell the hot oil.  She could picture Bree.  Her toothy grin, locked down in a cage of orthodontia, and a pimple quietly growing under concealer filched from Claire’s cosmetics bag.

Claire turned and carded her hands into Jamie’s hair, drawing his face close.  She studied him for a time, the blue earnestness in his eyes.  He wanted to know, even if it meant that he would never have those moments.  

“I’ll never forget.”

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Mr. Gaiman! I just finished reading American Gods in preparation for season two (and let me just say... wow, I did not see that plot twist coming. I love the ending!) I was curious where you learned the names and explanations of all of Shadow's coin tricks. Do you do coin tricks yourself? Did you have a book of coin tricks for reference? (And if so, is it a title you'd recommend to someone interested in learning how to do coin tricks?)

It was and it is: 

With additional coin magic advice from Jamy Ian Swiss.

https://amzn.to/2PeGA9A

[travsd]

R.I.P. Max Maven

We only just got the memo that mentalist, magician, and author Max Maven (Philip Goldstein, 1950-2022) has passed into the great beyond. Appropriately we heard it through the IG feed of Jamie Ian Swiss, who passed on the illusionist’s last words: It was a brain tumor that took him, ironic given how widely Max Maven was admired for his brain, and even more for what he seemed to be able to use it…

[thephantomprojectionist]

Review: Death Match (1994)

“Go ahead, if you and your friends want to look like Swiss cheese”

SOURCE

My opinion regarding kickboxer/actor/activist Ian Jacklin is a little more complicated than with most karate stars, but in a nutshell, I thought the guy was pretty cool until I realized that he spends his life promoting quackery to cancer patients. Nevertheless, I enjoy his acting career and see it as a microcosm of a successful B-movie trajectory, with Death Match being the climax. Created outside of the major video studios, it has an unambitious story but a good production with a huge amount of martial talent. It’s required watching for fans of the subgenre and easily the best of Jacklin’s film career.

The story: An ex-fighter (Jacklin) goes undercover in a deadly fighting circuit to rescue his kidnapped best friend (Nicholas Hill).

I need to emphasize the state of the production, even though it may seem odd to praise a film for looking average. Keep in mind how easy it is for indie movies to turn out like crud. By all rights, Death Match should’ve been interchangeable with a typical Cine Excel production (underpopulated vistas, dubbed dialogue, etc.) but it’s actually indistinguishable from most Pepin-Merhi or Shapiro-Glickenhaus actioneers. As a matter of fact, it would be pretty aspirant for a PM or SG production, given the impressive list of names in the cast. To be fair, we sometimes only get a little taste of them – cult stars Richard Lynch and Jorge Rivero have only one scene apiece as Mafia bosses – but the list of talent goes on. Martin Kove and Matthias Hues are good as the lead villains, with Kove supplying the drama and Hues most of the fighting. Steven Leigh, Eric Lee, and Benny Urquidez don’t have any fights but do well in their dramatic scenes. Michele Krasnoo, Butch Togisala, Randall Ideishi, Ed Neal and Peter Cunningham partake in some of the highlighted brawls, and many more show up elsewhere. If these names aren’t clicking, you haven’t been watching movies like this long enough. The sheer accumulation of performers with reputations in the genre is amazing, especially since your average PM production sometimes wouldn’t even spring for half.

Of course, presence isn’t as important as utilization. The real question is how good the 16 fight scenes are, and the answer is that they’re a mixed bag. On the bright side, there are no downright bad matches and the choreography is nicely varied – some street-fighting, some shoot boxing, and even a lone stick fight. There are some some surprisingly long shots highlighting lengthy exchanges, and a few performers have standout moments of action. (I really enjoyed the Matthias Hues-Dino Homsey bout.) However, for the most part, nobody performs the best work of their career. Michele Krasnoo is made the least of, being introduced as a fighter but then only engaging in half a match. I have the impression that the choreographers were simply stretched too thin by crafting this many fights on a limited schedule. If so, then I wish the number of brawls had been cut in half and the remaining ones given more flair.

Socially, the movie has good points and bad points. Where the latter is concerned, the fact that two women are cast in fighting roles is undermined by the female lead (Renee Allman) abandoning the sparks of characterization to play a formulaic love interest. Additionally, a sexual harasser (played by Bob Wyatt) is inexplicably made a supporting character. However, I like that the movie seems to be championing an anti-capitalist message, using organized crime and fighting as metaphors. The villains trap fighters in a system that depends on their toil while devaluing their lives, and the same villains consider theft against them to be the single greatest crime. Threatening their income by refusing to fight by their rules is likewise punishable. The protagonist sets himself apart from this system by having abandoned organized fighting and claiming to compete solely “for the competition” - not exactly a fair outlook in light of all the pro fighters in real life who earn their income via competition, but it’s nevertheless a repudiation of the metaphorical wage slavery in the feature. Death Match isn’t The Godfather when it comes to allegory, but it’s effective in delivering its message.

There’s a moment in the film when Jacklin’s character is weirded out by Martin Kove’s belief in the supernatural powers of crystals. Retrospectively, it’s funny to see Jacklin in the role of the skeptic (even though crystal power seems to be one of the few areas of nonsense that Ian hasn’t stated a belief in), but I have to admit that he does well enough as the lead. He doesn’t have quite the charisma of, say, Don Wilson, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t have made a good star in the long run. Indeed, I wish he would’ve been handed another top role before the end of the martial arts genre’s video golden age. Nevertheless, his undisputed high point here is worth hunting down if you’re a collector. Death Match encapsulates many of the essentials seen in movies like this and adds just enough of an inspired touch earn a recommendation from me. Check it out wherever you can.

SOURCE

Death Match (1994) Directed by Joe Coppoletta (The New Adventures of Robin Hood) Written by Curtis Gleaves (story & screenplay), Bob Wyatt, Steve Tymon (Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel) Starring Ian Jacklin (Kickboxer 3), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid), Matthias Hues (Bounty Tracker), Renee Allman (The Stoned Age) Cool costars: Martial arts regulars Steven Vincent Leigh (Sword of Honor) and Eric Lee (Ring of Fire) appear in acting roles but don’t fight. Similarly, kickboxing hall of famer Benny Urquidez (Wheels on Meals) is limited to a training montage but offers his Jet Center studio as a filming location. Sexy pro wrestler Stevie “Puppet” Lee appears as the arena gong beater. Richard Lynch (Puppet Master III) and Jorge Rivero (Centennial) have one scene apiece as non-fighting Mafiosos. Onscreen fighters include Nicholas Hill (Bloodsport II), Michele Krasnoo (Kickboxer 4), Ed Neal (Breathing Fire), Butch Togisala (Firepower), Dino Homsey (Deadly Bet), Randall Shiro Ideishi (Black Scorpion), Debra “Madusa” Miceli (Shootfighter II), Jamie Krasnoo (Full Contact), and Nick Koga (Red Sun Rising). A performer called Hector Pena appears in a stick fight, but I’m not sure whether he’s the actual Hector “Aztec Warrior” Peña, world champion fighter. Also, kickboxing legend Peter Cunningham is inexplicably credited as “Peter ‘Sugarfoot’ London” - leading to a snafu on IMDb where the film credit goes to porn actor Peter London. Cool crew: Composer Marco Beltrani – who’d go on to earn two Oscar nominations for his work on The Hurt Locker (2008) and 3:10 to Yuma (2007) – makes his feature composition debut with this one. He is directly heard on the soundtrack playing guitar and keyboards. Content warning: Group violence, violence against women, violence against children, sexual harassment, sexual assault, ableist dialogue, graphic description of an execution Title refers to: Either the main attraction of the underground fight ring or the fights-to-the-death taking place at the end of the film. A “death match” also refers to a hardcore pro wrestling contest – a fact which may be relevant in light of stunt coordinator Brandon Pender’s history as a World Championship Wrestling producer. Cover accuracy: Different covers exist, but the most widely-distributed one is dominated by an image of Matthias Hues. Hues is one of the two lead villains, but relegating leading man Ian Jacklin to a teeny-tiny graphic is misleading. Heck, Jacklin can’t even get top billing, with Hues and Martin Kove claiming the large print. Number of full-length fight scenes: 16 Crazy credit: “No music by Giancomo Puccini was used in connection with this picture” - even though Richard Lynch’s character specifically mentions the composer’s works. Copyright Horseplay Productions, Inc.

[bee-kathony]

That’s Amore | Tales From Fraser’s Ridge

This is a collection of tales about characters that live on Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina. Most stories are set after or during the book ‘Drums of Autumn’ by Diana Gabaldon. Missing moments I thought would fit in nicely, mostly a look into the domestic simple days of our favorite characters, it’s the little things isn’t it?

Part 1: Tell Me About the Bicycle | Claire & Jamie Part 2: A Song From the Past | Roger & Bree Part 3: Let Me Wash You | Claire & Jamie feat. Bree (briefly) Part 4: Reminiscing | Claire & Bree Part 5: Happy Birthday Sassenach | Claire & Jamie feat. Jenny, Ian, Rachel, Roger, Bree, Jem & Mandy Part 6: By the Fireside | Jenny & Bree Part 7: Saturation | Claire & Jamie (wee bit of Roger & Bree) Part 8: That’s Amore | Claire, Jamie, Roger, Bree, Jem, The Bug’s

PART 8: THAT’S AMORE

I sank down on my knees, careful not to get too much dirt on the hem of my newly washed dress as I started plucking tomatoes off the vine. Bree wanted to make pizza, she said her and Roger had missed it and that she thinks she could make a good version of it in this century. With only a few modifications to the ingredients like sheep’s milk for the cheese, as it would melt easier than the cheese we usually kept. I put five large tomatoes in my basket and found the fresh basil that would help enrich the flavours. She asked for garlic too, I had plenty of that already somewhere in my surgery as it was helpful for dressing wounds.

Jamie was up at the makeshift distillery where we brewed our own whiskey, gathering a barrel of cider he had made a few weeks ago to pair with our pizza. I let Bree be in charge of the crust, she had already started kneading the dough when I came out to collect the rest of the ingredients.

I stood up, grabbing my basket and checking to make sure I had what I needed. It was Jamie, Bree, Roger, Jem and I, along with the Bugs who would be eating pizza tonight. I calculated that between Jamie, Roger and Arch Bug we would most likely need three large pizzas to feed us all.

“Sassenach!” Jamie called, meeting me on my way up to the Big House, his arms wrapped around the barrel of cider. “What exactly is Bree cookin’ tonight… this ‘pizza’?” The way that ‘pizza’ sounded coming out of Jamie’s mouth made me laugh, his thick Scottish accent making it sound more like ‘peesa’.

“It’s basically a bread base, covered with a tomato sauce and then topped with cheese that melts when you cook it. You can put almost anything on pizza like different meats, vegetables and some people even put pineapple on it! Although I find that rather disgusting… who puts pineapple on pizza?” I stuck my tongue out and pretended to gag, making Jamie look at me with a worried expression. “I dinna know what pineapple taste like Sassenach but from the look on ye’re face, I may never want to taste it.” Jamie said as I opened the door, smelling the wood that had begun to burn in the small oven.

I walked into the kitchen, Jamie following closely behind, “Oh pineapple by itself is very good, sweet and juicy. Just not with pizza.” I said, setting down my basket and letting Bree take a look. Jamie set down the cider on the table and walked back over to me.

He patted my bum and leaned in, whispering “I do know what else is sweet and juicy Sassenach and I think I shall be wantin’ that for dessert.” I pursed my lips at him and hit him playfully on the arm, “We’ll see about that.”

“Mama, these tomatoes look great! Can you start crushing them to make the sauce? And then Da would you mind checking that Roger found the cheese alright? I asked him to get it about ten minutes ago.” Bree ordered us to our stations, Jamie departed with a quick kiss to each of our foreheads and I crushed the tomatoes, mixing in a few spices like salt, pepper and oregano I had got while trading for medicine the last time we where in Cross Creek.

“This was a very good idea Bree, the pizza. It will be a treat to eat something that hasn’t been simmering in a pot all day.” I grimaced, the amount of stew and soups I had consumed this past winter was astonishing and I would be glad to never eat it again.

Bree turned to me, hands dusted in flour, “It was Roger’s idea really, we were thinking of things we missed like coke and beer and what goes better with those than pizza?” She smiled and started forming the dough into a large round circle. I was so grateful to have Bree here but often when she spoke of our own time it brought sadness to my heart. If only there was a way to bring all the good things from our century to this one, mixing the best of our times together.

I brought the bowl of crushed tomatoes over to Bree, hoping it would work for the sauce. Just then Roger and Jamie walked through the door, Jamie holding the sheep’s cheese and Roger with guitar in hand.

“Singing tonight are we?” I glanced at the guitar as Roger placed it leaning against the wall. “Oh I have a song in mind.” He grinned a devilish grin and walked over to Bree, placing one arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.

“Jem is with the Bug’s down in the cabin, they said they’ll bring him up in time for pizza. Although they weren’t quite sure what to make of what I told them pizza was.” He clicked his tongue, grabbing the remaining dough and helping Bree form another circle shape.

“I hope this cider will be alright, it was brewed only a few weeks ago so it may not be ready yet.” Jamie said, resting his arm on top of said cider. I walked over to him and stood in between his legs, placing my arms on his shoulders. “I’m sure it will be fine Jamie, it always is.” I gave him a quick kiss and went over to help Bree finish up the pizzas.

It took us some clever thinking but eventually we got the pizza into the oven. Without something flat like a spatula to transfer the pizza in the oven, we ended up all putting our hands under the dough and carrying it. The smell began to waft through the house, making my stomach growl.

“Did that sound come from ye mo nighean donn?” Jamie asked, placing his large hand across my belly. “Yes, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” I laughed.

“Dinna eat my horse Sassenach, but take a shot at Clarence if ye must.” He joked and began to rub small circles against my stomach. “Hey, I like Clarence, even if he greets everyone a bit too loudly, he’s the best mule there ever was.” Jamie kissed me, licking my bottom lip. I pulled away just as the Bug’s came in with Jem running to jump in Roger’s arms.

“Ooh ye’re getting heavy Jemmy” Roger huffed, swinging Jem back and forth by the arms, his legs dangling and threatening to hit anyone in close proximity. Bree gave Roger a side eyed glance and Roger promptly stopped swinging Jem and placed him on the bench in front of the table.

“We must behave Jem,” Roger grinned, his back ramrod straight and he crossed his eyes, making Jem burst into a fit of giggles.

“The pizza is almost ready everyone! I’m just waiting on the last one to finish cooking and then we can eat.” Bree said, looking into the oven one more time to check the progress. “Da, do you mind filling everyone’s cups with cider?”

Jamie nodded and walked over to the barrel, I followed behind him and handed him glass after glass until everyone had a drink in front of him. Jem of course had milk, he was a bit young to drink the cider obviously although I had caught Jamie giving him a sip or two out of his cup a few too many times in the past.

Mrs. Bug helped us carry the pizza over to the table and Bree pulled out her Swiss Army knife, “This should do the job, since we don’t have a pizza cutter.” She said proudly and started slicing the pizza into eight even slices. I had to hold back my laugh as I watched the curious gazes and “oohs and aahs” from the Bugs and Jamie as they watched Bree slice up the pizza. Who knew pizza would be such an interesting thing?

I picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite, instantly regretting it as it was still piping hot from the oven and scalded my mouth. “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!” I shouted and stuck my tongue out. Everyone at the table gave me odd looks and then eyed the pizza with sudden disgust.

“Oh no! The pizza is delicious, nothing wrong with it except the temperature. Eat up everyone.” I said reassuring the table, “It’s really alright” I said to Jamie as he picked up the slice and bit off the smallest bite ever known to man.

“It is good Sassenach, well done Brianna.” He smiled and then took a normal sized bite, finishing another two slices in quick succession. We drank and ate until there was nothing left but crumbs on the table, pizza had now become a Ridge favourite and I suspected we would be making it more often.

Roger stood up from the table and picked up his guitar, adjusting his hands on the strings he began to play a familiar tune.

“What’s that song Mackenzie?” Jamie asked, pouring more cider into everyone’s cups.

Roger grinned at me and Bree and began singing, “When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore, when the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore…”

[foldingstars295]

Watching First Wife again

When Claire is taking the pellets out of Jamie's arm, young Ian is so adorable!! "Did it penetrate the art-er-ee" 😁 and he calls Claire Auntie....aww ❤

Oh and the line from Jamie I missed yesterday "I don't ken what Swiss cheese is but if it looks like that I dont want it oh my bread" haha 😁

[scottwellsmagic]

475: Jamy Ian Swiss with Stan Allen and Tom Gagnon - Three-Fer

While attending the 2019 MagiFest, I posted daily updates for each of the three days of the event and featured short conversations with talent, registrants, dealers, and organizers. Two of the conversations were longer than I normally like to include with such updates but shorter than the usual one hour of content for a “normal” podcast. So this week we feature the two conversations that were each less than a half hour but make for a satisfying hour podcast filled with different subject matter and points of view.

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:44 - First up was a conversation I was having with Stan Allen about the upcoming MAGIC Live! convention then we started talking about critics in our craft and the lack of good critics. As fortune would have it, Jamy Ian Swiss was walking by when we cornered him to talk about giving advice and constructive criticism. How fortuitous.

00:26:38 - Later that evening (much into the late night actually), we had a conversation with Tom Gagnon who talked about his projects both old and new and his passion for continuing to learn and move forward with innovative card ideas. He also talks about his friendships and passing relationships with notable magicians like Ed Marlo and Jon Racherbaumer.

01:03:11 - “Card on Ceiling” by Jamy Ian Swiss: This DVD includes three different versions created and used by professionals including Scotty York, J.C. Wagner and Jamy Ian Swiss. On this DVD Jamy includes the history of the trick, nods to those who have made it a signature piece of their shows, performances of all three methods by Jamy at the W.C. Fields Bar at the Magic Castle, plus a thorough explanation of the methods of each. It also includes a great idea by Jamy for having this effect always ready and where and how to hide the “secret stuff”. Excellent. This is a “must-have” for anyone wanting to perform this trick. Highly recommended.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

[jessica-wong]

Week 9: Postmodernism

Postmodernism is the climate of cultural change, which means the clarity of modernism was challenged to different depths. Designers that expanded the parameters, were Siegfried Odermat, Steff Geissbuhler and Rosmarie Tissi.

Rosmarie Tissi, an acclaimed Swiss graphic designer defined for having a change in Modernism, her characteristics towards functionality and neutrality displayed individualism to form a graphic language through dynamic layouts, vivid colours, and type experiments. Overall, her projects contribute towards the Swiss graphic design heritage. 

Wolf Weingart, a graphic designer and typographer, taught a new approach to typography, experimenting with type and typographic, mainly because of the restrictiveness of Swiss typographic style that he felt. In result, the new style that he approached was the influenced of a new composition that also helped to develop the New Wave, Deconstruction and graphic designs in the 1990s. In which, leading the new generation of designers to approach typographic design differently in a diverse manner, which ranks himself as one of the most personal and expressive designers in typographic history.

Post Modernism in Britain 

In 1970s Britain, postmodernism flourished through punk, anarchy, and technology. Postmodernism imported a new era gave designers a sense of freedom. The confrontational and controversial styles that gave a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ style reflected on the self-awareness of style itself, in result, of expressing with no form of characteristics. Especially designs that were created for the media. This includes the likes of Barney Bubbles artworks being influenced by Wassily Kandinsky - taking high-quality styles of art to convey own sense of meaning. To Jamie Reid, known for defining the image of punk rock through Sex Pistols album artworks, and David Carson, pushing boundaries of typography in his works in magazines.

(Ian Dury & the Blockheads: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (1978) - Barney Bubbles)

(God Save the Queen (1977) - Jamie Reid)

(Gun Ray Magazine - David Carson)  

[thisdaynews]

Dundee United 0-0 St Mirren: play-off final finely poised after stalemate

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/dundee-united-0-0-st-mirren-play-off-final-finely-poised-after-stalemate/

Dundee United 0-0 St Mirren: play-off final finely poised after stalemate

Dundee United’s Paul McMullan forced a good save from Vaclav Hladky in the first half

St Mirren and Dundee United scrapped out an absorbing goalless draw in the first leg of their Scottish Premiership play-off final at Tannadice.

With the hosts longing to end their three-year exile in the Championship, and St Mirren equally desperate to preserve their top-flight status for a second season, it was a tense, error-strewn contest.

Paul McMullan and Pavol Safranko had the best chances for the hosts, and the two Kyles – McAllister and Magennis – went closest for the Premiership side.

Neither side could edge ahead, though, meaning the fate of both is distilled down to what will be a nerve-shredding second leg in Paisley on Sunday.

Reaction: United and St Mirren ends goalless

Who was your man of the match?

Tension the only winner on scrappy night

St Mirren were unbeaten in their previous six, with manager Oran Kearney insisting his side were far better than when the two met in the Scottish Cup last 16. And, with only five of that team that lost 2-1 on show here, they performed with far superior resolve and organisation than in February.

The Paisley outfit’s threat mainly came from set plays, even if it was not necessarily their own men causing consternation. One Kyle McAllister free-kick was so tempting that United defender Mark Reynolds could not resist snapping a header straight at his startled goalkeeper, Benjamin Siegrist.

McAllister’s guile was a flickering presence. The on-loan Derby County winger was deployed on the right of the St Mirren attack, but chopped inside with menace. On one such occasion, he buffeted Jamie Robson aside and unleashed a fizzing shot that Siegrist clawed away from his top right-hand corner.

The Swiss goalkeeper did even better a minute after the break to thrust a hand at Kyle Magennis’ close-range back-post effort in a portent of what was to be a second-half that the Premiership side edged.

United had enjoyed the better of the first but struggled to create clear openings. For all that they rattled three past Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the second leg of the semi-final, Robbie Neilson’s side have founds goals a relatively rare commodity for large chunks of the campaign and so it was again here.

Ian Harkes had an early effort deflected wide after McMullan smuggled him into space with a cute pass, then McMullan himself scorched past his man in pursuit of a Nicky Clark lash forward but was denied by Vaclav Hladky.

McMullan, so influential in the semi-final, remained central to anything good about United’s work. When not panicking defenders by boring down on them with the ball at feet, he linked adroitly with Clark, and skidded across a couple of teasing deliveries that deserved more appreciation.

United lost at this stage to Hamilton Academical two years ago, and faltered in the semi-finals against Livingston last term, but the lingering memories of those disappointments did not dull the enthusiasm inside a Tannadice heaving with a little over 11,000 fans.

The noise cranked up a little more when, after consecutive corners, Ryan Flynn was forced to scramble away a goal-bound Peter Pawlett effort. Then, as stoppage time loomed, Safranko got a toe on to Robson’s low cross, but his jabbed effort was thwarted by an alert Hladky and the ball was scrambled clear.

And with that, it was done, leaving tension as the only winner on the night.

Over 11,000 were inside Tannadice for the tense first leg

A toss of a coin & lack of real sniffers – analysis

BBC Scotland’s Brian McLauchlin at Tannadice

The tension on the Tannadice pitch was evident from the first whistle with neither side able to get a grip on the game with passes going astray and chances at a premium.

The home crowd were doing their best to settle their team and arguably had the better possession but never really threatened the Saints goal.

But while St Mirren will be happy to head into Sunday’s second leg with the tie all square they will also have the expectation from the home crowd that they will now be favourites to retain their place in the Premiership, however, United will still fancy their chances.

Once again there will be nerves and chances of a free-flowing game are slim but someone will become a hero and with that will come adulation. For the losers it’s a season in the Championship and a long, hard summer before the task of gaining promotion lies ahead once again.

Read More

[caveartfair]

See the Venice Biennale through the Eyes of an Artist, Curator, and Collector

It’s hard to fathom what it’s like to visit the Venice Biennale until you experience it firsthand. Art is ubiquitous, from the two main venues—the Giardini and the Arsenale—to ornate palazzos and churches across the city. And particularly during the opening week, the art-world crowd is ubiquitous, too.

For artists, art professionals, and collectors, the Venice Biennale is an opportunity to scope out the current state of contemporary art on a global scale, to catch up with peers and colleagues, and to celebrate the exhibiting artists.

As the 58th Venice Biennale opened its doors last week, we asked attendees to capture the sprawling, international event through their own perspectives. We gave Polaroid cameras to an artist, a curator, and a collector—Chloe Wise, Larry Ossei-Mensah, and Tiffany Zabludowicz—and asked them to share a day at the Biennale through a series of snapshots.

Chloe Wise

New York–based artist

During her first visit to the Biennale, Chloe Wise made the rounds at the Giardini and the Arsenale. Some of her favorite pieces in the central exhibition were by Korakrit Arunanandchai, Nabuqi, and Henry Taylor. And at the Giardini, she took snaps at the Nordic pavilion, the Serbian pavilion, and the American pavilion. She also caught up with friends and peers, like fellow artists Ed Fornieles and Alex Da Corte, as well as art advisor Dan Oglander and curator Michael Bank Christoffersen.

Oh, that’s me (yes, my aura is sepia) proudly serving up lunch and looks. Here we have a buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato, puntarelle, and micro spinach salad with the cutest snap peas and a lemon vinaigrette. I know what you’re thinking: “Chloe, you literally haven’t had time to respond to one email, or shower really, and there’s a bajillion pavilions, how did you have time to find a farmer’s market in Venice and make such a beautiful lunch for your loved ones?” Well, I just did. Get over it.

Oh, that’s nice.

Korakrit’s multimedia installation work is always outstanding and stresses me out in a good way. Do you guys think we should briefly date by the way? I think it would be a look. Maybe a Swiss moment for Art Basel. Let’s workshop this.

Alex Da Corte (whose video was my absolute favorite thing I saw in Venice), crouching Thor Shannon, and hidden Sarah Hantman.

A scenic moment to consider.

Henry Taylor’s vibrant hues and painterly textures are by no means aptly represented in this photo, but that’s not my fault. It really isn’t. And even if it was, can we just focus on what a beautiful painting this is?

Ed Fornieles hijacking my camera and blessing us with his cheekbones in a rare non-toxic masculine selfie moment.

A sculptural installation featuring natural elements with industrial materials in the Nordic pavilion.

Holy cow! ;-) Nabuqi’s installation really moo-ved me :-)

“Venetian Vere” or “the Verechant of Venice.” Note: Not only will I take credit for art direction and photography of this beautiful and possibly iconic image, I also will assert, humbly, that I did Vere’s eyebrows on this day.

Me and Michael Bank Christoffersen! Get ready for us! Coming to a Danish contemporary art museum near you! (Well, probably not that near to you, unless you live in the Danish countryside, but in any case, here we are.)

Dan Oglander’s new Raya profile photo. Don’t worry, I invoiced him for it.

Larry Ossei-Mensah

Susanne Feld Hilberry Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; independent curator; cultural critic; co-founder of ArtNoir

Larry Ossei-Mensah took us into a day of seeing art, peers, and artists at the Arsenale and Giardini. In the morning, he attended the inauguration of Ghana’s first-ever national pavilion. There, he caught up with artists including Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, John Akomfrah, Ibrahim Mahama, and Arthur Jafa. After, he ventured through the two venues of curator Ralph Rugoff’s “May You Live in Interesting Times.” He was drawn to works by Kahlil Joseph, Michael Armitage, Henry Taylor, Martine Gutierrez, and Soham Gupta. The day wound down at the American pavilion, with the sculptures of Martin Puryear.

A view from walking to the Arsenale in the morning.

Jon Gray and Chef Pierre Serrao of culinary collective Ghetto Gastro Bx Flexin’ in front of El Anatsui’s masterful installation at the Ghana pavilion. The exhibition, “Ghana Freedom,” was curated by Nana Oforiatta Ayim and designed by David Adjaye.

Longtime friends, artists John Akomfrah and Arthur Jafa (who won the Golden Lion for best artist in the central exhibition), at the Ghana pavilion.

Artist Ibrahim Mahama in front of his incredible installation at the Ghana pavilion.

Photographs by Felicia Abban, whose career spans almost 50 years and who is considered Ghana’s first female professional photographer.

Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist in front of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s work at the Ghana pavilion.

Jon Gray of Ghetto Gastro and artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye celebrating and catching up.

Detail of a painting by Michael Armitage in “May You Live in Interesting Times.” Michael’s presentation was one of my favorites. I can’t wait for his “Studio Museum at MoMA” exhibition this fall, curated by Thelma Golden.

A mesmerized crowd gathered around Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS (2018–present) in “May You Live in Interesting Times” at the Giardini.

Photographs by Martine Gutierrez in “May You Live in Interesting Times” at the Giardini.

A photograph by Soham Gupta in “May You Live in Interesting Times” at the Giardini. Soham’s work was one of my favorite discoveries during the Biennale. I was captivated by Soham’s visually arresting images.

Henry Taylor’s painting of David Hammons in “May You Live in Interesting Times” at the Giardini.

Martin Puryear’s Big Phrygian (2010–14) at the American pavilion in the Giardini.

Tiffany Zabludowicz

Collector and founder of Times Square Space

In addition to attending celebrations of artists showing in the Biennale, Tiffany Zabludowicz takes us through the main exhibition venues and beyond. In the central exhibition, her highlights included Alex Da Corte’s video Rubber Pencil Devil (2018) and installations by Liu Wei and Korakrit Arunanondchai. She also loved Naiza Khan’s Pakistani pavilion, Anna K.E.’s Georgian pavilion, and the Golden Lion–winning Lithuanian pavilion, featuring an indoor beach opera.

Good morning, Venice! A dreamy view to wake up to.

Jon Rafman and friends at a lunch held by Barbara Gladstone, Monika Sprüth, and Philomene Magers in honor of artists Ian Cheng, George Condo, Cyprien Gaillard, Cameron Jamie, Jon Rafman, Rosemarie Trockel, Kaari Upson, and Anicka Yi.

The view from lunch!

First, the Arsenale! So many friends with incredible installations at the exhibition! Mind blown by Korakrit Arunanondchai’s installation, a world of stories and spirits.

Alex Da Corte’s video is an epic compilation of 57 short videos, each one wittier and more wonderful than the last! And this one had the Statue of Liberty peeping through the window of our house made by Richard Woods in Finland!

Liu Wei’s elegant, giant Microworld (2018).

On to the best pavilion! Lina Lapelytė won a Golden Lion for the Lithuanian pavilion and I couldn’t be happier! So deserved! Epic singers on a Venice beach.

The first-ever Pakistani pavilion was so intricate! Artist of the pavilion, Naiza Khan, with Haroon Mirza. Loved this ambitious installation so much!

So proud of Anna K.E. and New Museum curator Margot Norton for the Georgian pavilion! Taps into the shapes of a hidden and forgotten Georgian language, dotted with videos of performances.

An exhibition of works by Kate Groobey at Ikon Gallery! Me being silly with her mannequin.

Then dinner for Darren Bader! Heading over with my art bestie Michael Xufu Huang! #tifxufuontour.

We sat with artist Hannah Perry, with ASAI.

Lovely Zabludowicz Collection Invites artist, Jake Elwes!

from Artsy News

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Flood my Mornings: A King on a Throne

@anne-hedonia said: ...I started wondering about Jamie’s reaction to more of the nuts and bolts of 20th century life, particularly the hygiene. (I know he’s way past that now, but maybe he and Claire could reminisce.) What did he think when he first saw a toilet? Did he think it was as great an invention as I would if I were stuck in the 18th century without one? (I’m not sure I could do the no-toilets-and-wiping-with-leaves thing, I’m just saying.)

This story takes place in an AU in which Jamie travels through the stones two years after Culloden and finds Claire and his child in 1950 Boston.

See all past installments via Bonnie’s Master List

Previous installment: Cozy  

(throwing all the way back to Ch 2 on this one) 

October, 1951 

“Mummy??!!! Mummy!! Mummm-meeeeeeee!!???”

“What-ee-what-ee-what-eeeeeee?” I chorused back from the kitchen. 

I’d had the brilliant idea, in a burst of uncharacteristic domesticity, to try my hand at swiss roll this afternoon. It was NOT going well, so I was more than happy to turn from my own personal disaster area toward the pitter patter (well, more of a thundering) of little feet behind me. 

“Mummy!!” Bree crowed as she zoomed across the linoleum and leapt into my arms, “I poo-pooed in the potty all-by-my-SELF!!!” 

“You DID?” I cried, swooping her up. “Darling, that’s wonderful!” 

“Uh-HUH! And Daddy didn’int even hafta tell me to!!!” 

I kissed her exuberantly on both cheeks. “Well DONE, sweetheart!!” This wasn’t feigned enthusiasm on my part, not in the slightest. Trying to get Bree out of nappies had been something of a saga over the last six months in the Fraser household. 

I’d taken a high-minded notion, while pregnant, that under no circumstances were we going to have two children simultaneously in diapers; and two-and-a-half was a perfectly natural age to make the transition in any case. And so Jamie, Penelope, and I had all thrown massive energies into the imperative of getting Bree using the toilet before Ian was born. 

Some children, as it turned out, though, were simply late bloomers when it came to changing their voiding routines. My child specifically seemed to be of the “I will die on this hill unbloomed from pure spite” genus. 

It had been a constant rotation of ‘lessons,’ coaxing (read: bribes), endless sit-and-wait sessions as chaperone on the edge of the tub, cheerful reminders, tantrums, eagerly trying new strategies from books and friends, and the inevitable tearing out of our collective hair when she would have yet another accident, usually with impeccable cosmic timing, in public. To think we might actually have the knack of things now, then, would be a genuinely spectacular early birthday gift, and so I was just about as radiant as Bree at the news. 

“I’m so proud of you, lovey!” 

“FANKS!!!” 

Apparently done with congratulations, she wriggled down from my arms and went mrooooming back from whence she’d come, nearly careening into Jamie’s legs as she turned the corner into the hall. 

He made her a leg with a courtly flourish to let her pass, shaking his head and grinning as he stepped through the doorway. “It’s almost a wee bit sad, to have her grow past it, no?” 

“HA! NO! I’m over the moon!” I declared as I turned to see if I could salvage my failed roll. “Here’s hoping Ian is a tad more precocious, when it comes his time.” 

We both snorted as a ‘Poo-pee-poooooo! Pee-poo-peeeeee!’ sounded out from across the house, to the jaunty tune of ‘Jingle Bells.’ 

“I still can’t for the life of me decide what it is that had her so hung up in the first place,” I lamented as I checked the backup sponge I’d prepared for just such eventualities. “I mean, she’s well ahead of most children her age in so many other aspects!” 

“Well, and if she didna take to it at once, it’s no’ entirely without basis. It is a fearsome device, after all.” 

“What, the toilet?” I laughed, taken aback, grinning at him over my shoulder as I tidied up a bit, waiting for the second sponge to cool. 

“Aye, of course,” he said soberly with an eyebrow raised, as though taken aback in turn. “Do ye mean to say that you yourself were never afraid of the sound when it whisks away?” 

“I mean, not that I can recall....What, are you scared of the flush?” 

“Well, none so much NOW,” he said with a defensiveness that made my cheeks twitch with glee, “but it’s relatively fresh in my mind, aye? I’ve been using one little more than a year, after all.” 

“I suppose that’s right! Erm...How did you come to use one the first time, might I ask? Did you figure it out on your own?” I tried to make it a serious question and only half-succeeded. My voice trembled absurdly as my lips quivered. “Or did you have to have someone —show you—how?”

“T’was on my own merits, thank ye kindly,” Jamie said with a good-natured glare as he plunked down into a chair and put his feet up on the table. “Though I did have a bit of help to point me in the right direction, ken?”

“I don’t ken, but I’m ALL ears.” 

“Let’s see, then...” He stretched luxuriously and ran his hands through his hair as he settled in for the tale. “I suppose it would have been....Aye, it was in Inverness. I’d come through the stones, and the American lads had given me a ride into town, some clothes and such. Early that next morning, there was the kind priest who counseled me and gave me help to get to Oxford.” 

He’d told me the story, of course, and I found myself uttering a silent prayer for Jamie’s savior, whoever he was. 

“Well, he could see that I hadna anything by way of means, and that I was out of my element, forbye. So, in addition to giving me money and a meal, he took me to an inn and arranged for me to have access to the facilities to wash and shave. The keeper showed me to the washroom and handed me a towel, and I thanked him, and he closed the door, and—” He laughed. “I think I just stood wi’ my gob hanging open for a time. Wasna sure where to begin in the great, shining place.”

I could just imagine Jamie Fraser, bedraggled and bewildered, trying to process all that tile and porcelain and gleaming metal with an eighteenth-century mind. 

“My bowels must have taken the measure of the place better than my brain, though, for I quite suddenly found myself needing to, erm, well.... Let us say that urgent necessity prompted a verra rapid leap of faith.” 

“Jolly good thing you didn’t shit in the sink! That would have been a bit awkward to explain to the innkee—” I stopped and turned from my task of slathering filling on the cake. “You didn’t, did you?”  

“Got it on the first try, thank Heaven. It was a matter of deduction, mostly. I could see that the tub was likely for washing the body (a good bit larger than those I’d used before, but still, it recalled the shape of a proper copper tub) and that the sink might resemble a basin on a washstand; so as for the toilet, it was more a process of elimination—no pun intended.” 

“Victory!” I cried as the roll finally rolled without cracking. 

“A small one, but a great relief it was, to be sure,” he agreed. 

I rubbed my upper lip in an effort not to laugh. “So, what did you think of it? Once you’d, erm.... leapt?” 

“Didna like the feel of the cold seat on my arse. I think I ended up squatting over it, more like...” He ran a hand over his stubbled chin, giving him the air of a professor, musing over some weighty theorem. “But, to be fair, I do recall a goodly sort of satisfaction in watching and hearing my offerings hit the water—like that lovely thunk when ye drop a stone in a deep pond.” 

I choked on the scrap of cake I’d just popped into my mouth. “Glad it—” I wheezed crumbs into my windpipe and had to pound my chest and wipe my eyes. “—was a recreational experience, on top of—educational!” I shook with unbridled delight as I swallowed and leaned against the counter, grinning at him. “What did you think of the toilet paper?” 

He sighed, enraptured. “I felt like a proper king. Most luxurious thing I’d ever heard of, using paper to wipe my arse! And SUCH paper—I thought it was fabric, at first! So soft, and gentle as a rose petal,” he intoned with a look of unequivocal bliss. “There are a good many things I miss about my own time, Sassenach, but cleaning myself wi’ leaves and plant matter isna one. I’ll always insist upon paying more at the shops for the thickest, softest stuff, even if I have to live on bread and water to accommodate such lavishness.” 

“No need to give up steaks and fried potatoes just yet, don’t worry.” 

He crossed one ankle over the other. “Mind, any enjoyment vanished rather quickly when confronted wi’ the question of what to DO wi’ the new contents.” 

“Oh NO!” I groaned. “Oh, Jesus H Christ, tell me you didn’t—” 

“Well, and I’d lived twenty-five years of my life emptying chamber pots, had I not? Or else seeing to my business in a privy or outdoors, at which point ye simply walk away! But it didna seem right to simply leave it thus, so stark against the white! There wasna a window in the room, thank God, else I might have tried to chuck it out by hand, but I did spend several minutes trying to see if I was supposed to detach the bowl in some way. It’s a true wonder I didna break it and flood the room! But finally,” he said, ratcheting up his volume to be heard over my cackling, “I ended up pushing down the lever by accident, and had I not recently voided thoroughly, I might have wet myself over again from the shock of it! I still hate that sound when it echoes about the walls!” 

It was a considerable passage of time before I was able to speak normally again, and even then, it was more of a hacking cough between sobs of laughter. “Quite an adventure you had, my love!” 

“Indeed. The bath, though—that was an unmitigated delight.” 

Roll cooling, I came over and melted onto his lap, triumphant on two fronts. “And HOW many times did I tell you so, back in the olden days?” 

“Endlessly,” he conceded, pulling me close and kissing my neck, “and ye were perfectly right. Pure heaven.”

“I had to sit at the stones, that first time, and seriously think about hot baths—whether I could give them up forever, for you.” 

“Well, I’m most flattered,” he said, pressing slow, warm kisses along my jawline. “Though, I willna lie to ye: I would give YOU up in a heartbeat if it meant I could have toilet paper forever.” 

“Arse,” I murmured against his lips, which were tight with a grin, like mine. 

“Aye, the very one.” 

[bobwilsonme]

10 REAL Cases Of Time Travel That Cannot Be Explained Today we're talking about we cases of time traveling from a time traveler who passes a lie-detector test to a man from the future who earned a fortune on the stock market join us as we take a look at ten real cases of time travel that can't be explained in February 2018 a man who claimed to be a time traveler underwent a lie detector test on camera the man only known as Noah said he was from the year 2030 and made several predictions for the near future among them he said that Donald Trump would be re-elected for a second term of presidency in 2028 time travel will be invented and the first humans will visit Mars he also claimed that Bitcoin will be used as a currency but the cash money also still exists noah also claims to have some sort of futuristic technology implanted in his wrist that is somehow involved in the time-travel process an x-ray confirms that there is in fact some sort of device embedded under the skin but he refuses to have it surgically removed several days after the lie-detector test no one was reported to mysteriously vanish during the livestream it was then revealed that he contacted the channel via email stating that he was briefly taken back to the year 2030 for interrogation but is now back in our time in 1932 journalist J Bernard Hutton along with photographer Yocum brand was sent to do a story on the Hamburg shipyard for a German newspaper the pair claimed that shortly after they arrived at the shipyard bombs started raining down from the sky and they had to scramble to safety when they emerged they took several photographs of the devastation before returning to Hamburg when the pair told their story no one believed them has there not been a bombing of any sort determined to prove that our not crazy they developed the photographs they had taken to their shop the photographs showed no signs of an air raid whatsoever eleven years later Hutton was living in London when he opened a newspaper and read that an air raid had taken place on the Hamburg shipping yard the bombing was part of the Allied attack codenamed Operation Gomorrah to his amazement the photographs in the newspaper looked just like the ones he thought he and Brandt had taken years earlier did the pair slip through some sort of time rip had they actually witnessed an event that was yet to occur in 2016 a mysterious photograph surfaced on Icelandic social media it showed downtown reykjavik in 1943 at the height of world war ii in the foreground a group of American GIs can be seen standing outside a taxi station as well as a man leaning against a window who appears to be talking on a mobile phone long before they even existed originally posted to a Facebook group by Kristian Hofmann it quickly began to attract attention across the Internet the photo was so convincing that many people said it was irrefutable proof that time travel must exist while others thought that it showed that the mobile phone must have already been invented in the in use in Iceland by the 1940s what do you think is this man from the 1940s really using a cell phone there's been several recorded instances of people seemingly using technology that shouldn't exist at the time many believed it to be evidence of time travel this footage of a woman exiting a DuPont Factory was taken in 1928 if you look closely it appears that she's talking on a mobile phone this footage was taken from the opening of a Charlie Chaplin film in 1928 as the camera pans in a lady can be seen walking past chatting on another mobile phone what do you think does this footage really prove that time travel exists this now famous black-and-white photo was taken on the day Southfork bridge reopened in Canada in the early 1940s take a look at the man in the middle right of this image he's wearing a pair of modern sunglasses or who - jumper and a logo printed t-shirt if this is a real time traveler why has he traveled to the 1940s to witness a bridge reopening in Canada now I know some of you are thinking that you've seen this photo a million times before the way to the number one spot where we'll reveal an extra piece of shocking information his photo was taken after Brazil's triumph over Czechoslovakia in the final of the 1962 FIFA World Cup the man holding the trophy is Brazilian player Garrincha who was voted player of the tournament if you look directly below him there's a man who appears to be taking a photo of Garrincha using a mobile phone could this be evidence of a time traveler who's traveled back in time to witness this historical sporting occasion in 1901 and mobile Ian Allen ordained two professors from San Hugh's College in Oxford England travelled to France to visit the Palace of Versailles as they were walking around a small chateau within the grounds known as Petit Trianon the pair claimed that something very strange happened they said they were suddenly surrounded by people dressed in 1780s period attire and that Mary Antoinette herself was sitting on a stool in the gardens seemingly impossible as antoinette the last queen of france was found guilty of high treason and beheaded by guillotine in 1793 the pair then claimed that everyone mysteriously disappeared just as a tour guide approached them in 1911 the two professors wrote a book titled an adventure under the aliases of Elizabeth Morrison and Frances Lamont that described in detail their bizarre experience because of the credibility of the authors and the grounded accounts of which they told their story it is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of evidence that Timeslips may actually exist deep Mobilia Jourdain experienced a time slip or was it some sort of strange hallucination let us know what you think could have happened in the comment section below in 2008 archaeologists opened a sealed tomb in guanxi China that supposedly hadn't been disturbed for more than 400 years inside the coffin they discovered a small wristwatch with the time frozen at 1006 on the back the word Swiss was engraved the first wristwatch however was not made until the 1800s which makes the discovery in Wong G so baffling was the watch left behind by a clumsy time-travel era could it just be an elaborate hoax in a video published in February 2018 a man by the name of Alexander Smith claims to be a time traveler that's visited the Year 21-18 in the video he says that he's actually one of the first people to ever use time travel technology as part of a top-secret CIA mission in 1981 he goes on to say that a group of unnamed people were looking for him and that he was living in hiding among other things Smith claims that by the mid 21st century it's become widely known to the public that intelligent alien life exists he goes on to say that they've been visiting earth for a long time and that the government has been keeping it a secret he also says that while walking around in the year 21 18 he came across a statue of a man named Jamie Oliver back who he later found out would become President of the United States and he's somehow assassin at the end of the interview Smith reaches into his jacket and produces a photo of a city he claims he took while visiting the year he then mentions that the reason the image is slightly distorted is due to the time travel process in 2003 a newspaper reported that a man by the name of Andrew Carlson had been arrested on insider trading charges according to a report by the Security and Exchange Commission Carlson had turned an initial investment of just 800 dollars into a portfolio worth around 350 million u.s.