#Knickerbocker Group

[uwmspeccoll]

Wood Engraving Wednesday

WALWORTH STILSON

The Writers of Knickerbocker New York is an essay on the Knickerbocker Group of writers by American essayist Hamilton Wright Mabie (1846-1916). The Knickerbocker Group included such writers as Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen Bryan, James Kirke Paulding, Fitz-Greene Halleck, Joseph Rodman Drake, Robert Charles Sands, Gulian Crommelin Verplanck, and Nathaniel Parker Willis, all of whom are discussed in Mabie's essay, which was published in 1912 by The Grolier Club of New York in an edition of 303 copies.

For the publication, the Club commissioned American artist Walworth Stilson (1874-1962) to produce these eleven wood-engraved head and tail pieces for each of the book's chapters. Surprisingly little is known about Stilson and his career beyond his immediate family, his 2-year attendance at the Detroit School of Art, his work as an illustrator only up to 1912, a studio fire some time before 1925, and his death in 1962; a remarkable lack of information for a man who lived to be 88 years old. Still, we find these engravings to be quite charming.

Our copy, another gift from our friend Jerry Buff, who is also a Grolier Club member, bears bookplates from two other notable collectors:

The American adventurer and book collector Cortlandt F. Bishop (1870-1935);

and Harold Hugo (1910-1985), longtime administrator and president of the Meriden Gravure Company and a board member of the Stinehour Press since its founding in the 1950s. Hugo's bookplate is a wood engraving by noted South African-born British calligraphic wood engraver Leo Wyatt (1909-1991), who has signed the plate.

View more posts with books donated by Jerry Buff.

View more posts with wood engravings!

[blazefirefox]

BEHOLD, MORE ENA OCS

I was rewatching the Dream BBQ announcement trailer when I noticed one of the spinning ENAs had the exact same colors as ThEna, just swapped, so I got the idea of making ENA OCs based on the other ENAs seen.

Here are my first three, the spooky siblings (based on color scheme), Enette, Enalise, and RegEna (left to right). I created GEna to complete the trifecta lol

Individuals + their "serial numbers"

Extra Info:

This group of sibs work with the ENA seen in Dream BBQ, under Froggy. They're pretty much the closest things she has to friends in her workplace, and they enjoy her company (GEna doesn't show it much tho)

Enatte (ENA-8532-01):

Orange - Efficient; the oldest ENA of any batch is expected to excel and be an example for their sibs, but this was driven into 01 more, as her batch was the first completely functional trio of ENAs that were created for a while. Unlike her sisters, 01 fully enjoys her job, even respecting Froggy a great amount. Her voice headcannon is Ben Balmaceda (specifically Kaveh from Genshin Impact, mostly just Ben himself).

Saffron - Mischievous; after years of conditioning to be a golden example for all Worker ENAs, her desires to be free and do what she enjoys culminated in her troublemaker side, which 01 does a good job repressing until she's off from work. The most important thing her siblings know about this side is that she usually goes along with what shenanigans they do. Her voice headcannon is Brianna Knickerbocker (specifically Hu Tao from Genshin Impact).

RegEna [GEna] (ENA-8532-02)

Purple - Haughty; she loves her older sister, she really does. But 02 hates how seriously she expects them to take this stupid job. Before they matured, 02 was known for her mean streak, often taking out her frustrations of the world on younger ENAs that were unfortunate to come her way. It wasn't until she accidentally hurt her younger sister that she started calming down. Now, she just a normal asshole. Her voice headcannon is Ryan Sean O’Donohue (specifically Demyx from Kingdom Hearts).

Orange - Guilty; when the sibs were assigned to work under Froggy, 02's siblings noticed that her other side became more downcast and self-deprecating, bursting into tears and continually apologizing for how she acts when her dominant side is in control, especially to 03. The youngest ENA in question does not know how to feel about this. Her voice headcannon is Erica Mendez (specifically White Lily Cookie from Cookie Run: Kingdom).

Enalise [Lisa] (ENA-8532-03)

Saffron - Thoughtful; unlike her older sisters, who either love or detest their job, 03 usually doesn't pay any mind to it, and does an average job. She actually is drawn to the oddness of the world around her, what secrets they hold, why things work like they do. She can't help but feel envious of Scholar ENAs since they have the access and knowledge 03 so desperately wants. Her voice headcannon is Khoi Dao (specifically Albedo from Genshin Impact).

Purple - Judgemental; experiencing 02's behavior before their full maturity shaped 03's annoyance into a need to reprimand everything she does and to communicate what 02's problem is in her own way, thus her snappy, but kind of well-meaning side. 03 is less shameful of this side than others think she should be, as the youngest ENA believes that "she was made the way she was, and she's going to let what emotions slip through happen." Her voice headcannon is Brittney Karbowski (specifically Mio from Ghost Stories Dub).

Next is Enaline, based on the ENA in the second picture on the right!

Alt. Outfit + her old Worker look

Extra Info:

Created as a Worker ENA, Enaline would become a Runaway after her other sibs went "missing under mysterious circumstances" and she "saw something she shouldn't have", as she puts it. Not much is known about her past other than this, as she soon becomes unresponsive after giving up too much information. She's mostly seen hanging out in the Karaoke Bar AthEna (ThEna) works at, and is very social, depending on which side is dominant.

Enaline (ENA-7450-03)

Sky Blue - Carefree; after experiencing The Horrors™, Enaline decides that she won't let her past and regrets tie her down, so she up and leaves the Sector she grew up in and ended up settling in the area overseen by The Clown. She is very jovial in this state, being more of an 'act first think about the consequences later' kind of ENA. Her voice headcannon is Kieran Regan (specifically Shikanoin Heizou from Genshin Impact).

Salmon - Existential; despite her attempts, Enaline can never fully leave behind the cause of her upturned life, and when she thinks about that, she becomes unpleasant (at least that's what she thinks). The former Worker feels a constant dread tugging at her in this state, something she can't remedy no matter what she does. All Enaline can do is not think about all of that while she's Carefree, and everything will be fine! Her voice headcannon is Monica Rial (specifically Momoko Koigakubo from Ghost Stories Dub).

@anniewuubelike 👀👀👀

[dcdreamblog]

Sorry if this is off track, Is more a question involving you than about you Sammy. Over the years there's been lots of roomers about people with weird powers, some questionable, others extremely questionable, but there are some so specific that they got to be true.

Some say that there are People that can talk to city's, that the city has a Soul, or Genius Loci? (Am I using that right?) Have you interacted with any other embodiments, and if so what do you consider each other (Other than Friends/Old acquaintances that is.)?

US: Everything has a soul if enough people make associations with it. That's how all this works. Me: You mentioned something to that effect for an earlier question US: Yes, there are spirits like me for basically every level of arrangement people have for themselves. The only difference in them is how said group views them, how much power they're given, and the ways they choose to act. Me: Many cultures believe in household spirits, or spirits that watch over particular families US: Spirits like that tend to be the most broadly active, if only because their energy is concentrated and divided over a relatively small number of subjects Me: You'd think a spirit working over a small group would be weaker US: It's not the size of the group, its its energy and cohesion. I take my power from the faith placed by the people of this nation in the American ideal, not its size. A particularly tight knit family could make a spirit that rivals me in raw power, just not in reach. Me: What do you mean by reach? US: A spirit of that kind, whether it be a city, a tribe, a family, however you want to divide it, can only act upon the interests of that kind. Me: You spent plenty of time overseas during the war. US: Because the nation that makes me up was at war, casting that energy of the American ideal outward. And because there was no spirit on the other side to stop me, since the Nazis had pretty thoroughly murdered my German counterpart by that point. Me: On the point of counterparts, the question also asks about your relationship with some of these "city spirits" US: To call them subordinates seems demeaning but we work very closely together these more tightly drawn spirits and I for obvious reasons. Some of them don't manifest physically very often but some do. Me: Do you have an example? US: Well since I've been in New York so often lately, Father Knickerbocker and I have taken to grabbing coffee when he can make the time for it. Me: I'm sorry I'm not familiar with... US: Personification of New York City. Always, ALWAYS on the run you understand. 8 million places to be or thereabouts. Me: Interesting, I'm sure he does. US: Many of the other city or state spirits are much slower paced, very efficient and dedicated all of them though. Especially since I've spent the last century playing superhero.

[gamerkir]

I was thinking of something while writing a W.I.T.C.H. story earlier. Principal Knickerbocker.

She went to school with the former guardians in canon (comics mentioned it I believe) right? So you're telling me she saw the group of five close friends who often ran off or got into mischief together and seemed so close while in school herself. She saw as one friend died, one vanish off the face of the earth at the same time, and the other three drift apart.

And then decades later she's a principal at the school and she sees a new student come in and make friends and she suddenly sees a group of five girls who are close friends and run off or get into mischief together?

You're telling me this woman lived through two generations of Guardians and was nearby enough to know them and she didn't see the similarities? Didn't get flashbacks of C.H.Y.K.N. before everything fell apart while looking at W.I.T.C.H.?

[casualsnickers]

Month of Emmet Quick Write #18

Prompt #18: Dance

Emmet has a tendency to lose himself in his work. Especially if that work involves not having to talk in the slightest. And it just so happens that it's maintenance day for a beaten-up train cab.

Read the whole thing below the cut.

Emmet wiped the sweat from his brow, slowly ensuring that the last bolt was firmly in its position before scooting back to admire his handiwork. The entire day had been spent meticulously pouring over a train cab that had been needing service for some time after suffering an onslaught of ice. And by using his work time to fix the cab, Emmet himself felt well-maintained and ship-shape as though having come fresh off the assembly line himself.

Emmet carefully took a step away from the unfinished cab, laying his tools on the detached cloth seat he’d been sitting on as he carefully stepped through the gutted cab and onto the rocky railyard where the sound of gravel and ballast shifting underfoot quickly lifted his mood. 

Steam and smoke rose in lazy circles from the Anville Railyard. Other locomotive engineers moved back-and-forth across the semi-noisy yard, hearty conversations filtering through the air as they each lugged their toolbags after them. Each worker would stop and raise a welcoming hand to Emmet as he passed them, tipping their hats but without words. After all, Emmet wasn’t a man for words or small talk; he just needed a break before he got back to work.

In the shade of the engine house, Emmet peeled off his backup cap, leaned against the tin wall, and took a deep drink of water, wiping the excess away with an oil-stained sleeve. Today has been a great day. I have been here for hours maintaining the same car. I am making progress! Emmet moved further back into the recess of the engine house, finding a spare chair to sit in as he took off his stained gloves and checked his Xtransceiver, crossing one leg over another.

A message or two from the group chat he shared with Elesa and Skyla. A note from Ingo about his brother potentially departing from his battling line early to buy some sandwiches from a popular deli spot not too far from Nimbasa City. Emails from his subordinates about new paperwork sent in from the mayor of Nimbasa City. Emmet only rolled his eyes and turned off his Xtransceiver, allowing his gaze to rest on the many disconnected freight cars that littered the rail yard.

Things are finally back in order. And. I am not so stressed anymore. Emmet smiled a bit wider when a familiar pokémon lumbered into the engine house, the amber gems studded along its body glowing as the rock-type pokémon clattered over to Emmet and easily lifted him onto its back.

“Boldore. You are not a chair!” Emmet scolded playfully.

Emmet’s Boldore often remained at the railyard and much like its trainer, would spend almost the entire day staring at the trains and studying them when idle. And Boldore, sensing that its trainer had been taking too long of a break, began stumbling out of the engine house with Emmet atop its back. Emmet only rolled his eyes and leaned back, allowing himself to be carried back to the cab he’d been working on without so much as a fuss.

Working with engines and cabs was mindless. Fun, even. Emmet saw the work not like he saw battling. Battling came down to strategy, luck, and power. But assembly and engineering? Those were based on skill. Intellect. Patterns. Emmet knew every tool that could be used to both deconstruct and reassemble the axle and undercarriage of a Knickerbocker. He knew the blueprints of the wirings of a Juniata like he knew the back of his hands. Emmet had memorized the unique coupling mechanisms of the Saluki and he knew exactly what kind of oil worked best for engines like the Shavano and the Steel King.

Emmet usually performed best without talking. And on his days spent at the railyard, he let his hands do all the talking, the way he could seamlessly work and twist and reach, performing intricate but mindless dances with his hands and fingers as Emmet never faltered or forgot the smallest of screws. Each silencing of a creaky joint through the application of oil was like music to his ears. He counted faraway train whistles and nearly skipped when he heard them, listening idly when new beaten up cabs were dragged in and the pistons of the dragging train surged against the metal of the train tracks, audible for miles around.

Metal clacked. Rocks shifted. Emmet turned, his smile widening as he sighted a familiar Klinklang float over to the door of the cab he was situated in. And then came a familiar man.

“Boss Emmet! It’s time to start wrapping things up!” Emmet paused as a familiar face pokéd into the cab he was working in, the depot agent tipping his oil-stained hat to Emmet as the man took a careful step inside. The man then whistled. “Nice job, boss! At this rate, you’ll have this old cab up and running by next week!”

“Thank you verrry much, Josh!” Emmet grunted as he got to his feet, grimacing upon hearing something in his back give. “...Not a word.”

Depot Agent Josh laughed heartily at the notion, reaching down to grab Emmet by the backstrap of his suspenders. “Not to worry. Your secret’s safe with me, bossman. But really. We should get going.” Josh gestured at a clipboard he’d been carrying under his arm, tapping one chewed-up pen at the clipped paper. “It’s almost midday and we’re supposed to be on the car back to Central Unova no later than noon.”

Emmet nodded, setting one hand delicately upon his Klingklang’s sturdy frame. His pokémon shuddered and whirled, giving a hearty clack before retreating back to its pokéball. “I guess. It is time to report back to Gear Station.”

“Good. Nice to know you’re on board for once. Almost thought you had left already,” Josh commented, patting the excess dust from his stained uniform. “Kept calling and calling for you- no response.”

Emmet paused, cocking his head. “Really? I did not hear you.”

“I know.” Josh shrugged. “You tend to get lost in your work whenever you’re here, boss. It’s like you’re completely deaf to the world whenever you’re working with the cars.” Josh then nudged Emmet with his elbow, grinning mischievously. “I sometimes think you’d rather be here with the broken cars than back at the station.”

“That is… not true.” Emmet crossed his arms and turned up his nose, his eyes crinkling when he noticed Josh struggling to keep pace with him. “I simply enjoy the break.”

“Right, right. Says the man that hums and whistles when he’s elbow-deep in months-old oil.”

[xariarte]

some rpf thoughts and perspectives on the knickerbockers

warning my opinion tw donte on wolves tw phoenix suns mention

-OG and KAT have a group chat, and in the group chat, they send each other various memes, make each other laugh, make plans for dinner, meet up to explore NYC and discover that they have a lot in common. 🏙 -On thoughts of KAT being paired up, I do really enjoy KAT/Ant, and while I do enjoy OG/KAT, I'm like...hmmmm...KAT/Wiggins is kind of right there. I gotta do more research though. -[redacted thoughts about villainzing mikal. yk maybe i'll air out my thoughts about him- *gets shot*] -I do like the idea of Cam J moving onto someone else after the trade, but I’m still thinking about who exactly that would be (Cam P but at the same time he's kind of eyeing Mikal bc they're teammates). Perhaps he returns to someone from the past instead of a Nets teammate??? 🤔 -Cam Payne is kind of just hanging out on the team but there's that Phoenix Suns team with Mikal, Cam J, Cam P, Booker, CP3 (and so forth), that I'm like yk what there's just so much history there. There's gotta be something there but I just don't know what because I haven't dug in deep enough in the articles. I'm starting to, though. -I do think there is a dog story to be told here between Payne and Bridges. Like what do you mean they walked their dogs together...that's adorable. One day dog walking fic (I'm KIDDING I don't have time 😔). -I think an interesting tangent would also be exploring how Donte feels to have Mikal take his place, and to have Mikal think that he is kind of taking a fraction of Donte’s place in their Nova Knicks hierarchy, only to discover that Jalen and Josh are so interconnected with each other that without realizing, they exclude others without meaning to. I would write this fic but I keep realizing I have a million other wips I should get to, but I do think about this one concept sometimes.

[jules-has-notes]

2017 Kettering A Cappella Festival — VoicePlay live performances

Three years after their previous appearance, VoicePlay returned to the stage in Dayton as professional headliners for the Kettering National A Cappella Festival. Their recent schedule hadn't allowed as much educational outreach as usual, so they enjoyed what time they had with the kids.

.

[Here is another recording from the side of the stage with more of their entrance.]

A toe-tapping tune with an audience participation element is a fantastic way to kick off a show. With a performance like this one, it's not surprising that the crowd treat them like the rockstars they are.

Details:

title: Mr. Blue Sky

original songs / performers: "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO (Electric Light Orchestra); [1:10] "Blue Skies" by Ben Selvin & Charles Kaley (as The Knickerbockers)

written by: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Jeff Lynne; "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 11 November 2017

My favorite bits:

the crunchy harmonies on ♫ "sun shines brightly" ♫ ☀

J.None working the front row, and the kids' resulting excitement

Layne looping back for his mic stand without missing a beat

"So far, you've been helping us… not so much." 😆 (Very diplomatic.)

the smooth transitions into and out of the "Blue Skies" section

Geoff giving Layne's arm a friendly bump as they cross on the riser

using the mini megaphones to replicate the voice distortions from the original song

the build up to the lovely ending chord

Trivia:

The guys performed this arrangement for a little over a year more before they finally filmed a video for it as the first entry in the second round of their PartWork series.

The mini megaphones later made an appearance in the music video for their cover of "You're My Best Friend" by Queen.

.

There's a ton of overlap between a cappella kids and theater kids, so it was an easy choice for VoicePlay to include a song from the biggest musical of the 21st century in their setlist. It's interesting to see how their new member and a live setting led to adjustments in the arrangement from the recorded version.

Details:

title: My Shot

original performers: cast of Hamilton: An American Musical (2015)

written by: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Alex Lacamoire

arranged by: Layne Stein

performance date: 11 November 2017

My favorite bits:

shifting the vocal roles with J.None taking on both the Hamilton and Burr lines

all the audience members singing along

the projections on the backdrop

Earl's fantastic French accent and that dip into his lower register

the moment of silence after ♫ "you're gonna get shot" ♫ and Layne's gunshot sound effect

the building tension during Geoff's repetition of ♫ "When are these colonies gonna rise up?" ♫

harmonized fast patter lyrics

J's big old belt leading into the ending section

Trivia:

VoicePlay had released their video for this song a year and a half earlier, shortly before the 2016 Tony Awards.

This video was originally posted to Facebook by the Western Brown Choirs from Mount Orab, Ohio.

.

Every performance of this piece is unique. It's also one of the best demonstrations of their group name, a chance for the boys to play together for everyone's amusement, including their own. Unfortunately, this clip is only the first two verses and one chorus, but it's still fun while it lasts.

Details:

title: Elvira

original performers: The Oak Ridge Boys

written by: Dallas Frazier

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 11 November 2017

My favorite bits:

troublemaker Eli nudging Earl to take center stage

pouty Geoff sitting on the edge of the riser, and the ensuing gesture conversation between him and Earl

J.None's smooth runs

Eli's big old riff

Trivia:

This fan favorite tune was a staple of VoicePlay's live shows for many years, including on the 2015 Sing-Off tour, but they've never made a music video for it because the audience response is so integral to the humor of it.

Their buddies in Home Free enjoyed this arrangement so much that they asked to use it as a starting point for their own version recorded with The Oak Ridge Boys.

.

Additional photos

.

The crowd was pretty excited for the post-show meet and greet.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FloVoice (@flovoice)

[mariana-oconnor]

Black Peter pt 2

I still maintain that Captain Carey shot himself with a harpoon. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Alighting at the small wayside station, we drove for some miles through the remains of widespread woods, which were once part of that great forest which for so long held the Saxon invaders at bay—the impenetrable “weald,” for sixty years the bulwark of Britain.

A mini history lesson from Watson for us. Was not expecting that. Thank you. This is very informative. And also an interesting little critical aside about industrialisation and deforestation in the Victorian era.

Stanley Hopkins [...] introduced us to a haggard, grey-haired woman, the widow of the murdered man, whose gaunt and deep-lined face, with the furtive look of terror in the depths of her red-rimmed eyes, told of the years of hardship and ill-usage which she had endured. With her was her daughter, a pale, fair-haired girl, whose eyes blazed defiantly at us as she told us that she was glad that her father was dead, and that she blessed the hand which had struck him down.

Firstly, good for her. Secondly, do these ladies not get names? No names available for them? They have to be immortalised only in their relationship to an abusive dead man. Although I supposed the daughter is described as 'her' daughter rather than Carey's.

Clearly they aren't viable suspects if they don't have names. Pity. They deserved to do it.

Stanley Hopkins drew the key from his pocket, and had stooped to the lock, when he paused with a look of attention and surprise upon his face. “Someone has been tampering with it,” he said.

Someone wanted their book back, perhaps? But apparently someone not very good at picking locks. Sucks to be them.

"Let us walk in these beautiful woods, Watson, and give a few hours to the birds and the flowers."

He does love his walks through the countryside.

It was past eleven o'clock when we formed our little ambuscade.

Excellent word. This is the second time it has arisen. Means 'ambush' and last time we saw it, I believe, was when the poor cook in Wisteria Lodge was arrested for a crime he did not commit, that the police officer in charge of arresting him knew he did not commit. That's an unfortunate connotation for a good word.

What savage creature was it which might steal upon us out of the darkness? Was it a fierce tiger of crime, which could only be taken fighting hard with flashing fang and claw, or would it prove to be some skulking jackal, dangerous only to the weak and unguarded?

Watson's really getting into this. We're back with the tigers again, but also Jackals. Rude, btw. Anubis might want a word. Jackals hunt bigger animals in groups. Honestly, I wouldn't want to meet a tiger or a jackal in the middle of the night.

'Tiger of Crime', though. What a phrase.

The nocturnal visitor was a young man, frail and thin, with a black moustache which intensified the deadly pallor of his face. He could not have been much above twenty years of age. I have never seen any human being who appeared to be in such a pitiable fright, for his teeth were visibly chattering and he was shaking in every limb. He was dressed like a gentleman, in Norfolk jacket and knickerbockers, with a cloth cap upon his head.

This was all very atmospheric until we got to the word knickerbockers, which just isn't a word I can ever take seriously. Honestly the problem with knickerbockers is that when you actually see a picture of them, they're really very boring looking. They shouldn't be. It's such a comedic word.

He returned with a large book, one of the log-books which formed a line upon the shelves. Leaning on the table he rapidly turned over the leaves of this volume until he came to the entry which he sought. Then, with an angry gesture of his clenched hand, he closed the book, replaced it in the corner, and put out the light.

OK, so not after the book they found, but just after some information from one of the books. Hmmmm.

“First of all, what is your name?” “It is John Hopley Neligan.”

Well now you've got a name, you're definitely a suspect. Luckily for you it has the same initials as in the book they found, which officially makes you Too Obvious.

“Can I speak confidentially?” “No, certainly not.”

At least they are being honest with him.

"It has always been said that my father stole all the securities and fled. It is not true. It was his belief that if he were given time in which to realize them all would be well and every creditor paid in full. He started in his little yacht for Norway just before the warrant was issued for his arrest."

...

Bye! I'm off to Norway, but I'm totes innocent and not stealing any money. See you!

"He left us a list of the securities he was taking, and he swore that he would come back with his honour cleared, and that none who had trusted him would suffer. Well, no word was ever heard from him again. Both the yacht and he vanished utterly."

... John... I hate to break this to you, but I don't think he was going to Norway to work things out.

Like, maybe in the story he was, but this is just such a fake death. "Daddy's gone to Norway to make everything better, little Johnny!" Mmhmm. The only way this could amuse me more is if he were in a canoe.

"We had a faithful friend, however, who is a business man, and it was he who discovered some time ago that some of the securities which my father had with him have reappeared on the London market."

You astonish me.

The entire framing of this story makes me feel like in the story Neligan Sr. is as innocent as his son believes and was done dastardly by Captain Carey in some way, but this story is so unbelievable. Gonna just nope out of there and sail to fucking Norway and that will totally solve all our problems? The logic. The reason. The chivalry of leaving your wife and child behind to deal with the disgrace and your disappearance alone. Daddy was a dickhead, Johnny boy.

"It struck me that if I could see what occurred in the month of August, 1883, on board the Sea Unicorn, I might settle the mystery of my father's fate."

Yes, I am going to put a narwhal gif whenever the ship name comes up. If ACD didn't want this to happen, he should have named the ship something else.

“You have nothing else to tell us?” He hesitated. “No; there is nothing.”

“Then how do you account for that?” cried Hopkins, as he held up the damning note-book, with the initials of our prisoner on the first leaf and the blood-stain on the cover.

Hopkins is really channelling Holmes here with his dramatic reveal.

And it seems like Neligan Jr here really should have been coming back to get his own book. He just didn't realise he'd dropped it. Which is weird. If I had been at a murder site earlier and then found out I had lost something, my mind would immediately spiral into 'oh shit, you dropped it at the murder site, you utter numpty', but apparently John Neligan does not doom spiral like I do. Apparently this possibility hasn't even occurred to him. Not a thought between those ears, huh?

“That is enough,” said Hopkins, sternly. “Whatever else you have to say you must say in court."

Or... you might say... You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say can be given in evidence.

Or... something like that. Eventually. When the official Police Caution comes in.

"As it turns out your presence was unnecessary, and I would have brought the case to this successful issue without you..."

Ah. Hopkins. You were doing so well up to this point. But now you've gone and cursed yourself. Sorry. I don't make the rules.

And then they all went to tea at the Brambletye Hotel and had lashings of tea.

But no... there is still another part. Obviously, because we all know Captain Carey was killed in a (not so) tragic Harpoon cleaning accident, so Mr Neligan has to be freed.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Baby Boomer Classics: Dance Sixties 1985/1988 R&B / Soul / Rock & Roll

Marking my return to my glorious music blog with a whole batch of feet-movin' classics from yesteryear. Here we have Dance Sixties, a dispatch from the California-based JCI label's Baby Boomer Classics series that gives us a brief glimpse into some old, uptempo gold.

But before we get right into it, there's a couple things that need addressing: firstly, there is more than one iteration of this comp that's floating around out there. The original one came out in 1985, and then a newer version surfaced a few years afterwards that replaced a couple tracks. And what I have here is a combination of both of those albums.

And second—and I don't know how on earth I keep running into such fundamental errors with releases like these—this album purports to be comprised of nothing but 60s dance hits, but that's not entirely true. For example, Ike & Tina Turner's Grammy-winning cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" is not a 60s song. It was recorded and released in 1970. It's a terrifically infectious R&B number and all, but it really has no business being on this release.

Speaking of covers, though, this overall selection is pretty interesting, because a whole bunch of these songs were actually made more famous by other people. And in a couple of cases, those artists who made those songs more famous are on here, but the songs that they supply are different hits.

For instance, this album's excellently noisy closer, Cannibal & The Headhunters' #30 US hit, "Land of 1000 Dances"—which is actually a cover in and of itself of Chris Kenner's 1962 version—was made far more famous by Wilson Pickett. But Wilson Pickett's offering here is another one of his biggest hits, "In the Midnight Hour," which happens to kick off this whole Dance Sixties affair.

And the same goes for Aretha Franklin too. It would've been perfectly understandable for her cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" to be on here, as it's one of the single-most important entries in the American songbook, with both its soundtracking of the civil rights movement throughout the late 60s and its assertive reversal of traditional gender roles in its lyrics; but it's Otis' original that appears on here, while Aretha's also sublime "Think" is supplied as well.

And to the untrained ear, one might think that there's another Aretha song on here too: "Rescue Me," which was by the unfairly blackballed Fontella Bass, but has been assumed by many over the years to have been an Aretha song itself, so much so, that Aretha actually performed it in an ad for Pizza Hut back in the day as "Deliver Me" 😭.

How can you not get a kick out of this silly shit?!:

And another song that people often confuse for being by a different act is The Knickerbockers' "Lies," a mid-60s burner by a garage band from New Jersey that sounds an awful lot like The Beatles!

OK, a couple more things before I sign off here: it's ultimately hard for me to pick a favorite among all of these tunes, but I think it might have to be The Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man," which has the same name as a song by Bo Diddley that was also famously covered by The Yardbirds, but is actually a completely different composition. In truth, the star of the Spencer Davis Group was not Spencer Davis himself—the only real reason why they decided to go with that name in the first place seems to be because no one else in the band was keen on doing interviews and press junkets, and it was assumed that the group's namesake would naturally have to be the one to fulfill those duties 😅. Undoubtedly, the one who shone most brightly in this band was a teenaged Steve Winwood, who possessed a distinctly powerful voice and was a total monster on the Hammond organ too. And on "I'm a Man," which comes with a whole lot of different bits of percussive rhythms and howling backing vocals, Steve manages to energetically strut it all.

And for a tune that's a bit more obscure than a lot of the rest of these, there's one-hit wonder Pacific Gas & Electric's "Are You Ready," a psychedelic soul-rock groover that was criminally left off of the 1988 version of this comp. This tune, like Ike & Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," was also released as a single in 1970, but because it originated from PG&E's self-titled album from the year prior, I'm willing to not lodge a complaint about it. If you love a song with a good, extended guitar solo that uses a delayed echo in one of its channels, then boy, is this #14 US hit worth a listen for you! Really fantastic stuff.

Happy to be back with a high-quality crop of songs such as this. I don't know what the rest of this big series has in store, but if it's anything like this particular release, then I'm definitely looking forward to it. An album where I don't even get to fawn over a personal favorite like Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" should give you a good indication of just how top-notch this whole thing really is. A very well-put-together compilation, even if not every song on it is actually from the decade that it claims to represent 😅.

Highlights:

Wilson Pickett - "In the Midnight Hour" Ike & Tina Turner - "Proud Mary" Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - "Devil With the Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly" Eddie Floyd - "Knock On Wood" Fontella Bass - "Rescue Me" Jackie Wilson - "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher" Rare Earth - "Get Ready" Spencer Davis Group - "I'm a Man" Knickerbockers - "Lies" Aretha Franklin - "Think" Otis Redding - "Respect" Pacific Gas & Electric - "Are You Ready" Archie Bell & The Drells - "Tighten Up" Cannibal & The Headhunters - "Land of 1000 Dances"

[dankusner]

Spoliation Of Evidence Is A Risky And Shortsighted Strategy

Spoliation, often incorrectly referred to as spoilation, is a scary word, especially if your client is, or even worse you are, accused of not preserving evidence.

But it also creates a conundrum for litigants and courts.

Spoliation of evidence, or allegations of spoliation, have become more prevalent in recent years, including in some high-profile cases.

For example, on April 18, former New York Knickerbocker great Charles Oakley, in his lawsuit against MSG Networks Inc., Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. and Sphere Entertainment Group LLC, filed a motion for spoliation sanctions arguing that, inter alia, MSG "failed to preserve and can no longer find the corporate cellphones of two critical witnesses" and "has also lost years' worth of emails from numerous witnesses."

On May 9, MSG opposed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, urging the district court judge to reject the request for spoliation sanctions, arguing that the missing emails were lost due to a technological glitch in Microsoft Purview.

In another recent example, on April 7, the city of Los Angeles admitted to destroying and modifying evidence tied to homeless residents' lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of encampment sweeps.

In Janet Garcia v. City of Los Angeles, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the city admitted that it "unequivocally made mistakes during discovery" and that it "does not try to justify them or provide excuses as to why certain documents were created, modified, or lost after the litigation began."

Moreover, the city recognized "the seriousness of its spoliation and agreed that commensurate sanctions must be imposed."

It obviously did so with the hope that the court would not impose terminating sanctions, arguing that they would be unnecessarily punitive.

First, a word to the wise.

In every matter that ultimately could result in litigation, be sure not only to send a litigation-hold letter to other potential parties or their counsel, placing them on notice of their obligation to retain information that might be relevant to the litigation or that reasonably could lead to the discovery of admissible evidence, but also send a similar letter to your own client.

The last thing you want to hear when your client failed to preserve key information is that you, the attorney, failed to notify them to do so.

Such a prophylactic letter will go far to protect you from a legal claim.

Not only is it a part of best practices in litigation, but also paramount to ensuring that justice is served.

Second, if you have any suspicion that the opposing party has spoliated evidence, it is advisable to retain a forensics expert to assist with an investigation of the opposing party's devices — e.g., cellphone, laptop, tablet — so that the forensics expert can determine whether any relevant documents or other information have been deleted and when.

Steven Adler Grant Petrosyan

The expert will also be able to ascertain whether any antiforensic software, such as CCleaner or CleanMyMac, was installed and utilized by the spoliating party.

In addition, if there is any indication that a party has spoliated evidence during the litigation, courts may order that party to turn over its devices for inspection more than once.

This will allow the other party's expert to conduct a forensic investigation of the devices on separate occasions and compare the data stored on the devices at those times.

As a result, the expert could establish that the party deleted data from its devices after the first image was taken but prior to the second image.

Accordingly, a forensic team could provide valuable information and assistance in determining whether spoliation has occurred.

Spoliation does not have to involve intentional misconduct.

To be sure, under New Jersey law, the level of intent of the spoliator, whether negligent or intentional, does not affect the spoliator's liability.[1]

A party remains subject to sanctions even when the failure to retain documents or other evidence was negligent.

However, the spoliator's intent has a bearing on the remedy to be administered for the spoliation.[2]

The panoply of sanctions likely to be imposed is somewhat narrower when the spoliation merely was negligent or where the evidence not retained appears less relevant to the issues being litigated.

For example, courts will consider the timing of the spoliation as well as what types of documents or other information have been deleted to determine whether the spoliation was willful or intentional.

Moreover, if the court enters preservation orders during the course of litigation, requiring the parties to preserve all potential evidence, and then finds that a party deleted, or failed to preserve, information from its devices, the court may find willful or intentional spoliation on that basis alone.

Here, however, is a conundrum.

Where a court has found intentional spoliation of highly damaging information that likely would prove a plaintiff's causes of action in a litigation and, depending on the claims, potentially also expose a defendant to punitive or treble damages and an award of attorneys fees and costs, it may be hesitant to find in favor of a plaintiff on some or all of the asserted claims.

This may be the case even where the court, after finding spoliation, draws an adverse inference on key issues or even a default judgment on those claims.

Furthermore, by not ordering a default judgment on all claims, courts may potentially limit the extent of damages that could be awarded.

Hence, a conundrum:

Is a defendant with self-incriminating evidence likely better off taking its chances on a spoliation claim and destroying that evidence to avoid a potentially larger judgment and punitive damaged?

Does the court award potentially less than complete relief because a plaintiff did not prove to its satisfaction all claims or damages due to spoliated evidence?

Finally, how does the plaintiff's counsel overcome this gap in evidence due to spoliation?

The answer is really left to the trial judge's discretion.

If the judge, after considering all the proofs at trial, finds intentional spoliation of likely key evidence, the court should not hesitate to utilize adverse inferences or enter a default judgment, and come down hard when deciding the appropriate relief and sanctions.

Both of these are among the remedies available to trial courts when a party spoliates evidence.

Upon finding spoliation, courts may infer that the evidence destroyed or otherwise concealed would have been unfavorable to the spoiliator, may impose discovery sanctions, and may enter a default judgment or directed verdict.

As the New Jersey Supreme Court held in 2001 in Rosenblit v. Zimmerman, it is the trial court's responsibility "to make whole, as nearly as possible, the litigant whose cause of action has been impaired by the absence of crucial evidence; to punish the wrongdoer; and to deter others from such conduct."[3]

Indeed, trial courts may use more than one spoliation remedy if circumstances warrant it.[4]

Accordingly, while spoliating evidence might seem like an attractive option for a defendant trying to evade liability, it is a risky and shortsighted strategy given the various stringent and potentially case-terminating remedies afforded to the nonspoliating party.

It is also important to note that the act of spoliating evidence is not just a legal violation; it also exposes the spoliating party to a direct assault on their credibility, and will likely harm the party not only with regard to their defenses but also any affirmative claims they may have brought.

In short, litigants who believe that spoliating incriminating evidence might be in their best interests should realize that it is difficult to know whether all such evidence has been deleted and is unrecoverable.

More importantly, being caught invites potentially significant consequences.

Indeed, courts should not hesitate to go there in appropriate cases.

Thus, the best course of action for all parties involved is to adhere to the rules of evidence preservation, ensuring that the legal process remains transparent and fair for everyone.

[summerrobertsonteam]

Discover your dream retreat in this beautifully updated 5-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom gem! ✨ Modern finishes and stylish updates seamlessly blend comfort and flexibility to suit any lifestyle.

🏡 Highlights include:

- Spacious layout with room for everyone

- Sleek kitchen with stunning countertops & contemporary tile work

- Versatile lower level for extra bedrooms, a media room, or home office!

- A large fenced backyard with a brand-new concrete patio—perfect for summer BBQs! 🍔☀️

- Extra parking for your vehicles or recreational toys!

Don’t miss out on making unforgettable memories in this must-see home! 5106 Knickerbocker Ave, Gillette, WY 👉 https://ow.ly/kKIN50V4Bo0

Call Summer Robertson at Team Properties Group to take a look 📲307.250.4382

[teampropertiesgroup]

🎈Open Houses🎈Join us at these great home this weekend!

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲:

59 Montgomery Rd 👉 https://ow.ly/nhWt50UYPIT

5106 Knickerbocker St 👉 https://ow.ly/STW150UYPIU

3309 Sutherland Dr 👉 https://ow.ly/uVfK50UYPIV

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲:

48 Bryan Ln 👉 https://ow.ly/xE5U50UYPIW

Call our agents at Team Properties Group for more info📲307.685.8177

[teddy-collects]

🍇 His name was Lelo, I had him since I was a baby (he was replaced a few times due to incidents such as being yote out the window of a car by 2 yr old me I'm sorry Lelo). I slept with him every night and accidentally made him bald as I have trichitillomania, he went all over the house and on trips/overnight stays, and he was my main comfort object until I was 16. Then my parents dog got a hold of him in my room somehow (I closed my door often as their dog got into my stuff) and my mom found him in the basement as I came home from school and was searching for him, and she threw him away. Ever since I've been asking for a replacement every birthday and Christmas and trying to find one myself too.

🍈 I spend time with them and see what name feels right, or sometimes their colours or patterns on their fur help me decide

🍉 I tend to pick older stuffies, especially ones I had as a child (my parents got rid of pretty much all of them so I'm hoping to find them), well-loved or damaged plush that I worry won't find a home/have been there a long time, or ones that are really cuddly or stand out to me

🍊 In a pharmacy parking lot, I found a TY Beanie Boo unikitty that had been run over by a car. She was stained and soaked/a bit frozen as it was winter, she had some tears, her nose was broken and coming off. She needed a lot of love and help so I put her in my jacket and took her home, her name is Hope

🍋 I love taking them out on trips with me and taking photos of them, cuddling them and making kandi for them

🍌 I would love to own a huge Jellycat Lavender Dragon, a Jellycat Cosmo Monster,Jellycat Bartholomew Bear, a Charlie Bear, St. Louis Zoo Okapi Build-A-Bear, WWF Fennec Fox Build-A-Bear, Possum Build-A-Bear, a Nosey Bear, Jungle Joe's Safari Friends Longfellow Lion (my Lelo) and Zippy the Zebra, 1984 The Last Unicorn Plush, Quackers Beanie Buddy by TY, Whimsy Dragon Webkinz, Zombie Dog Webkinz, Black and White cat Webkinz, 1988 Littlefoot from Land Before Time by GUND and a lot more lol

🍍 One is my Purple Hello Kitty Build-A-Bear, I found her on FB Marketplace for $50 ($35 plus $15 for delivering her to me). Another is a childhood plush I didn't think I'd ever see again as she was destroyed by my babysitter's kid in front of me, I went thrifting and found her by accident, I started crying in the thrift, needless to say Winnie is home where she's meant to be

🥭 I love collecting older plushies from the 2000s or further back, I have a few 80's plush and even a little clown friend from the 70's made by Knickerbocker

🍎 I don't really organize them but we have shelves near my apartments front door that I display a lot of my toys, plush, and my books on, an Ikea book shelf full of plush, toys, and art supplies on the wall across from the bed, in that corner between the shelf and bed is where we keep a big stuffie pile, some are in storage in another room due to how small this place is and the rest are on the headboard/down my side of the bed. We also have a couch that has a group of plush next to it and along the back, and a shelf of squishmallows that one of the cats likes to hide in

🍑 I have a couple, my main one is a bunny named Haru, she's from Walmart I got her on clearance after Easter for $1.75 about 4 years ago. I sleep with her every night and she is in desperate need of a restuffing and a good brushing. Another is Jupiter Bear, he is a 2010 Limited Edition Star Wars Build-A-Bear, I found him at the thrift. He had a cigarette burn on his face that left a hole, and a few tears and looked very sad and lonely. I took him home and now take him everywhere with me, we do everything together and he also sleeps with me every night

🍒 When my partner and I went to their parents for Easter we got to go to the beach for a walk and to find some cool rocks, Jupiter Bear came with us and helped find some cool rocks and some little shells too

plushblr asks

🍇 what is the story of your very first comfort object?

🍈 how do you choose names for your plushies?

🍉 if you thrift plushies, how do you choose which ones to take home?

🍊 what’s the coolest /most unexpected place you’ve ever found a neat plush?

🍋 what’s your favourite way to interact w/ your plushies?

🍌 what’s your list of dreamies right now?

🍍 tell me about a plush you thought you’d never own but found! 

🥭 tell me about your favourite category of plush to collect

🍎 how do you organize / store / display your plush collection? 

🍑 tell me about your current favourite comfort object 

🍒 tell me about a cool adventure you’ve taken your plushie on!

[robertkhodadadian]

Piece of Cake Moving Scores Major Lease-to-Buy Deal at Long Island City Property I Robert Khodadadian | Commercial Observer

Piece of Cake Moving & Storage has scored a lease-to-buy deal at First Pioneer Properties’ 33-02 Skillman Avenue in Long Island City, Queens. The Midtown-based moving company signed the 69,183-square-foot lease for part of the building, according to Knickerbocker Realty Group’s Vincent Lopez, who brokered the deal for Piece of Cake. Asking rent was $24 per square foot, Lopez said. The lease is…

[opera-ghosts]

"Oh Promise Me" Marie Rappold (composer Reginald De Koven for "Robin Hood") lyrics by Clement Scott

Marie Rappold sings "Oh Promise Me."

This song composed by Reginald De Koven was once famous.

It was first sung in 1887 in a musical show titled Robin Hood.

This performance on Edison Amberol 28029 is from 1913.

Lyrics are by Clement Scott.

Oh, promise me that someday you and I Will take our love together to some sky Where we may be alone and faith renew, And find the hollows where those flowers grew, Those first sweet violets of early spring, Which come in whispers, thrill us both, and sing Of love unspeakable that is to be; Oh, promise me! Oh, promise me!

Oh, promise me that you will take my hand, The most unworthy in this lonely land, And let me sit beside you in your eyes, Seeing the vision of our paradise, Hearing God's message while the organ rolls Its mighty music to our very souls, No love less perfect than a life with thee; Oh, promise me! Oh, promise me!

Oh Promise Me is a song with music by Reginald De Koven and lyrics by Clement Scott. The song was written in 1887 and first published in 1889 by G. Schirmer, Inc. as an art song. It is believed that De Koven based the melody of "O Promise Me" partly on "Music Proibita", a popular song by Italian composer Stanislao Gastaldon. In 1890, De Koven wrote his most successful comic opera, Robin Hood. After opening night, the contralto playing Alan-a-Dale, Jessie Bartlett Davis, demanded a song to better show off her voice, threatening to walk out of the production. De Koven inserted "Oh Promise Me" into the score for her.

The sheet music sold over a million copies in 1890 and continued to gain popularity for several decades, being performed by many artists. The song remains popular as a wedding song both in America and in the UK. In 1957, American vocal group The Platters recorded a cover of the song, with authorship credited solely to the group's manager Buck Ram, with no mention of the original composers.

Robin Hood is a comic opera by Reginald De Koven (music), Harry B. Smith (lyrics) and Clement Scott (lyrics of "Oh Promise Me"). The story is based on the Robin Hood legend, during the reign of King Richard I (1189-1199 AD). The opera was composed in Chicago, Illinois during the winter of 1888-1889.

The opera was first performed at the Chicago Opera House on 9 June 1890. It was produced by the Boston Ideal Opera Company, also known as the Bostonians. The opera opened in New York at the Standard Theatre on September 22, 1891 and was produced in London at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1891 with a new title, Maid Marian. It was revived at the Knickerbocker Theater on Broadway on April 30, 1900. Other Broadway revivals were in 1902 at the Academy of Music, in 1912 at New Amsterdam Theatre with Walter Hyde in the title role, in 1918 at the Park Theatre, in 1929 at the Casino Theatre and Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, in 1932 at Erlanger's Theatre, and in 1944 at the Adelphi Theatre.

Marie Rappold (17 August 1872 – 12 May 1957) Opera Singer. She was a dramatic soprano who sang in many of the world's leading opera houses. Born to a German family that moved to Brooklyn, New York City, New York when she was about five, she studied voice with Oscar Saenger, and sang with the Amberg German Opera Company. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was on November 22, 1905, in Karl Goldmark's "The Queen of Sheba". From then until 1920, she sang 198 performances of 23 different roles with the company, being particularly known for the title character in "Aida". Her first appearances in Paris, France were in 1908, and she made her Milan, Italy debut in 1911. Early in her career, she was an exclusive artist with Edison Studios during the World War I years, which ran a marketing campaign in which they would set up a top-of-the line Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph, have a live singer present, darken the theatre, and ask the audience to guess which was which; Madame Rappold was the "live" singer for the first demonstration, at Carnegie Hall, on April 28, 1916. In 1922, she appeared in a short film made by Lee De Forest using his Phonofilm process, an early experiment in linking sound to video. She sang in the world premiere of Frank Patterson's "The Echo" in 1925, and once performed "Aida" in Yankee Stadium. She left a large legacy of recordings, made with both Edison and Victor.