#Pandora Summer 2017 collection

[pochapal]

rank every year of the 2010s from best to worst i want some pochapal lore

[warning for discussion of my fucked up mental health and my myriad traumas. we’re really opening the pandora’s box here gang]

ok time for me to overshare on the internet again! super long post because i can’t shut up and you asked for it. anyway, by objective ranking: 

#1: 2012 - halcyon era, my personal peak. spent the whole year writing hunger games oc fics with my deviantart fanfiction besties whom i still think about all the time and always hope are having the best possible day. if you were here for this era understand i still hold you so closely and dearly in my heart <3. 

#2: 2013 - god i was such a good example of a human being back then. was the year my writing like actually took off and i had a healthy balance between creative stuff and a social life (said social life consisting of spending lunchtimes at school breaking into classrooms and discussing fandom shit with five other people. reading homestuck updates in the music room on one person’s really shaky mobile data...legendary). highlight of the year and maybe my life was in the april of 2013 when i got out of failing to submit a hard deadline essay by telling my english teacher i wrote a whole novel over the two week break and then producing said novel. god i wish i had that level of like. fucking confidence back me back then knew what i wanted and how to get it. 

#3: 2010 - the last year of childhood. i was 12 and played pokemon all the time with my friends and went places and had a moderately successful youtube channel and it didn’t matter that i was bullied so badly at school because i was basically high off life. summer of 2010 was so good specifically. i’d used to get the bus with a friend and go see movies and break into historical sites and get into normal childhood mayhem and maxed out my pokewalkers twice a month and i was buzzed because i had two (2) whole friendship groups to choose from and that was such a huge deal to me the terminal social outcast. it was so simple and carefree and even though everything and everyone involved in this era grew up to suck except for one specific person i kinda really miss it.

#4: 2018 - this was the first year i wasn’t depressed to the point of nonfunctioning. it was 20gayteen, i was on antidepressants, i was as close to thriving as i got at uni (going into town with people once a week, attending art and culture events, getting good grades across the board), i started to write for fun again, i got my cat whom i love dearly, i was exhibited in my uni’s city’s literature festival, GOD i actually nearly attended a pride event that year can you imagine. this year was basically my life’s second peak. miss getting the 8am train and daintily sipping on a cherry coke to keep me from passing out. wish this time could have lasted longer.

#5: 2019 - kinda absolute middle of the road year not for lack of anything happening but because the overwhelming amount of good and bad things cancelled each other out. so like there’s the fact that i was at the top of my uni game this year, was basically making the first steps into a professional writing career (covid i will never forgive you for killing all that dead </3), finally saved up enough to buy myself a gaming pc, and the summer after the homestuck epilogues, but equally 2019 was the start of the Pochapal Gender Fiasco which is by far the most horrible thing i am still currently undergoing and i burnt myself out mentally about halfway through the year (being stuck overnight in a hospital for a panic attack absolutely horrible horrible irredeemable) and then got like super death plague flu that i was sick with for three months (literally recovered less than a month before rona hit. god’s cruel karma.). so like...it kind of averaged out? the good shit was good but not as great as other years and the bad shit was awful but nowhere near as terrible as it could have been. gotta give a shoutout to 90% of my current mutual cohort for following me in 2019...omelette route gang make some noise !!

#6: 2014 - oof. this year essentially marked the start of a four year long downward mental health spiral because everything fell into awful alignment. i’d just turned 16, finished secondary school, had all my friends up and ditch me at once, was home alone for a whole summer, and was hit with Sudden Intense Body Image Issues that i couldn’t explain until uh. after very recent developments lmao. this one goes out to the me of july 2014 who did nothing but lay in bed and listen to the same two marina albums on a loop because fuck i’m attracted to men and also my facial and body hair are really starting to come in and if i think about this for too long i will literally kill myself because oh god i can’t handle getting older which is clearly and definitely the issue going on here. my brain fucking broke super hardcore and it’s a miracle that an overeating disorder was like the worst thing i walked away with. 

#7: 2015 - downward spiral year two!! i was so volatile this year it was such a mess. i was totally socially isolated after a brief stint of falling in with a group of people at the start of my first year of sixth form until january where in quick succession a) it turned out every single one of these people was friends with the person who sexually assaulted me whom i obviously had a lot of complicated feelings towards and b) baby’s first crush came out as bisexual but in the “women and also trans women” kind of way which tore me up so terribly in ways i couldn’t begin to understand. no words for the experience of seeing a girl kiss a boy and crying so hard at night you threw up because you could never be her no matter how much you wanted it. actually kinda get the sense what was going on there was bigger than just some crush lmao. then after that i was so mentally ill i basically attended school less than half the time and it was the only year in my life i failed my exams. i ended up having to resit my entire set of first year a level exams because jesus christ was i in such a bad way it was a miracle i even showed up to them. all i did was either have anxiety attacks or enter bedbound depressive slumps for weeks at a time. but it’s okay because it gets worse.

#8: 2016 - downward spiral act iii: the spiralling. prefacing this by saying that i actually had two whole good months (april - may) in that i was functioning enough to do my exams and finish school with decent grades. the rest was super extra mega terrible. my school attendance for year 13 dipped below 65% and literally the only thing that kept me from being kicked out was the fact that i was naturally smart at the subjects i took and also because the school would have a lot to answer for after letting me get to that state despite having a hefty file on how damaged i was. keep in mind every single part of this was fully untreated btw - i was just floundering around and letting it all fester. i spent three solid weeks going to school but locking myself in the bathroom all day every day and having mental health episodes then going home like nothing else happened only to continue the breakdown that night. then things got kicked into fucked up overdrive when i moved out to uni and was cut off from what little support structures i did have. it was so bad all i did was cry all the time and never went anywhere to the point where three separate sources recommended me to the wellbeing and crisis counselling service that i stopped going to after two sessions because i was fucked up in ways cbt techniques could not even touch. at least i tried to make an effort for the first two months of uni which like. good for me?

#9: 2017 - what lieth at the base of the spiral. helltrench year. i was at literal rock bottom. i stopped going to class, i didn’t hand in a single piece of work. i lied to my parents and would book trains each day only to go back to my student flat and sit there and contemplate suicide. like i would just slump on the floor in a catatonic state and vividly contemplate one of four or so ways i could end my own life. i only didn’t because i wanted to wait until the summer to collect my last student loan and transfer it to my parents as an apology for my death which obviously didn’t end up happening. honestly i can’t remember much of the first half of 2017 that’s how bad it was. i remember taking a gender studies class and the teacher made it Weird that i was the Only Male Student in the room and then she sent me a scolding email after i walked out halfway through a class and never returned. apparently i got into a lot of online discourse in this year but i don’t remember anything other than being put on a blocklist by the milkfic author over ace discourse which is funny if you have the context. mostly i just baited terfs and weirdo freaks to get them to say horrible things to me as what i guess amounts to some kind of digital self harm. anyway breaking point came in late august when i got kicked out of university and then nobody could ignore it any more so there was no choice left but for me to seek out help and recover enough to function which luckily i did. i really Do Not remember 2017. you could tell me anything about that year and i’d probably believe you.

#10: 2011 - extra circle of hell for this little fucked up gem of a year. on the surface it wasn’t actually that terrible, until the Summer 2011 Domino Effect Of Bad Shit. up until like may/june it was a pretty all right year! i was 13 and had a surprisingly successful youtube channel uploading pokemon soundfont remixes to an audience of i think ~350-400 subscribers at my peak? anyway then i got hit with the early summer triple combo of childhood friends moving away, cute and quirky sexual assault at the hands of a person in my friend group, and then having some Really Great and Super Appropriate interactions with adults on deviantart. like obviously there’s the actual ptsd-inducing event which totally disrupted and killed the person i was right up until that moment and reshaped every facet of my life for better or worse (there’s an alternate timeline where that didn’t happen and i got into electronic music and/or coding instead) but really it’s the events that followed in its wake which were kind of more fucked up. so like all of a sudden i was super aware of my body and me growing my hair out and being mistaken for a girl in class suddenly became this Less Innocent thing and i ended up spending hours overnight going to transgender questioning forums and looking up hrt timeline videos and having the wikipedia article on tracheal shaving saved because it was a life raft to me whose voice was imminently gonna deepen and i was simultaneously reeling with constant trauma flashbacks and the whole thing was so so fucked up. then i was on deviantart and i don’t remember exactly how but a small group of furry guys ten to fifteen years older than me started messaging me and encouraging and requesting me to produce nonsexual fetish stuff for them and talking to me about stuff like if i’d ever thought about growing up to be gay and i didn’t think anything of it for a long while because they called me a very talented writer and it felt so good to have someone be nice to me after being so alone and isolated for months on end. anyway the only reason i got out of that before it got bad was because they invited me to one of the big furry sites and i was weirded out because i thought it was a porn site and thinking about sexual stuff was a huge trauma trigger so i just ended up blocking them all and pretending like it didn’t happen. at the time half this shit didn’t bother me but in retrospect holy fuck 2011 was such a damaging year. to think if like three events didn’t happen i wouldn’t be the fucked up mess you see before you today.

god fuck this turned out super long but i’m not apologising because this was a therapeutic exercise for me and also constitutes as one of the biggest pochapal lore dumps of all time. come get your food or whatever.

[morapandora]

Review: Mint Glitter murano from Pandora Summer 2017

Today brings my first Pandora Summer 2017 review, with a closer look at the Mint Glitter murano!

Today’s post brings my first review from the Pandora Summer 2017 collection, with a closer look at the Mint Glitter muranos! These were a day one purchase for me, with their gorgeous  sea colour and sand-like glitter. No matter what you might think about Pandora’s changing style in relation to other charms, I think that their murano glass is an area in which they consistently show innovation,…

[measuringlife]

Measuring Me: An Ode to My Love of Music

This Bob Marley quote has always resonated with me: “One good thing about music. When it hits you, you feel no pain.”

I must confess I am not musical. I can’t carry a tune, play an instrument, or read music of any sort. I think because I am not personally musical, I deeply appreciate music. I feel music with every fiber of my being. Music is my drug of choice.

It calms me down.

It picks me up.

It comforts me.

It’s something I can lose myself in.

I really started my love affair with music during my tween years, but those were all the years of the end of my parent’s marriage and my Dad moving out. Music was a good escape. I then turned to music to help ease the heartbreak of unrequited love in college. Music to help calm the stress of grad school. Music is where I turned for comfort after my Dad died. Music kept me going when I first running and continued to motivate me through thousands of miles over the years. Music helps me focus on work in the office or make a tedious task more enjoyable. Music drives the choreography of BODYPUMP and other Les Mills workouts.

I both hate and love how accessible music is in this day and age. I’m actually listening to the best of Broadway from Amazon Music as I type this thanks to yelling for Alexa to play “showtunes” for me. I remember creating my Pandora account in August 2005 and thinking WOW! Actually at one point in my life just after grad school circa 2008 the most expensive thing I owned (aside from my car) was my iTunes library. I would argue in my early high school years the most expensive thing I owned was my cd collection. For the record I still have all my CDs - I’ve just removed almost all the jewel cases and keep them in books or on a spindle. I also have ALL my early iTunes music saved to 2 different iPods.

Thinking back I remember certain songs from my childhood like “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys or “I would do anything for love” by Meatloaf or “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen or various broadway showtunes ranging from Jesus Christ Superstar to Phantom on the Opera to Grease and Rocky Horror. My Dad and my Aunt who were my stronger early musical influences had a penchant for Andrew Loyd Webber and campy shows! I also remember one of the first CDs our family purchased as a “hits of the 50s-60s” two-disc collection - it has a sad song I loved called “Tell Laura I love her” by Ray Peterson that I particularly loved. Spoiler alert the more heartbreaking the song the more I tend to like it.

CDs gained widespread popularity when I was in junior high school which was perfect for an angsty teen. Some early teen year CDs of the late 90s I loved were Eve6, Bush, Hootie and the Blowfish, Limp Bizkit, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox 20. I really REALLY loved “Outside” by Staind and Fred Durst, I remember listening to that track from the 1999 Family Values Tour CD on REPEAT. However I also was a total teeny bopper with an eternal flame for Hanson, but also loved all things boys bands like Nsync, BSB, 98 degrees, 5ive, O-Town, and the “fake” boy band 2gether.

I went to my first concert in 2nd grade to see teen pop sensation Debbie Gibson! I didn’t go to another concert until 9th grade when I saw Backstreet Boys. From there I went to concerts as much as my mom would let me. Once I got my license my concert going really picked up. Jones Beach Outdoor Amphitheater was THE venue as a teenager, so many amazing summer concert memories there.

My love of music took another turn in college. Right away I joined the college radio station and all of a sudden had access to all these new artists on the rise. I remember my first semester of college in Fall 2001 getting a cd and small-time merch from this up and coming singer-songwriter who had Connecticut roots. You may have heard of him, his name is John Mayer. I honestly have COUNTLESS bands that I discovered through my college radio days (shout out WQAQ - the soundtrack of Quinnipiac). There is so much music I associate with college that it’s hard to recall when I was first introduced to them - like Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World, Something Corporate, Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper to name a few. I also recall listening to quite a bit of “screamo” back then like The Used and Hawthorne Heights. The band I will forever associate with QAQ is the Spill Canvas and they are still of my favorite bands. In fact, I’m seeing them in concert later this month!

I also went to a ton of concerts in college, one band I haven’t mentioned is Incubus. They are also one of my all-time favorites. I saw Incubus a number of times in college, most memorable were two tour stops in 2002. One at the Garden in NYC and one at the Hartford Civic Center. They started the shows playing full blast electric then they changed the vibe of the stage and did a couple of acoustic songs before switching back to full electric. The crazy thing is that so many of their songs work just all acoustic as they do full blast.

Going to concerts was also a great way to discover music through opening acts. I’ve always been a person to get to a show to see the opening act. The all-time best chain of introduction to music was when I went to my first John Mayer show in November 2002. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and we all arrived back to college that afternoon with the concert that night. The drive up we listened to John Mayer the whole ride. The venue, the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford CT was small (I just looked it up the capacity was 4,800) and so intimate. Everyone there were passionate John Mayer fans, the opening act had their work cut out for them. Enter: Maroon 5 as the opening act. They melted my face off. They had the most unbelievable energy and hot damn could they shred on guitar. John Mayer even came out before his set to shred with them on one song. My best memory of that set was when Adam Levine covered Nine In Nails “Closer.” Holy hell, still one of the best performances I’ve seen. Ever. Just to be clear the John Mayer show was also amazing, the best one of his I’ve ever gone too because of how small it was I think. However, I walk away from a stellar John Mayer show still buzzing from Maroon 5. I could write a whole blog post of my Maroon 5 fandom in their early days (like how I was part of their “street team” and was invited by their management to go to their first Total Request Live performance because they wanted fans who could sing along to every word in the audience). Anyway back to the chain of amazing artist introduction. October 2003 I was going to NYC for the night to see Maroon 5 and low and behold their opening act was a newcomer named Gavin DeGraw who stole the show, his cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get in On” is yet another top concert memory. I should also note 30 Seconds to Mars opened for Incubus when I saw them in Hartford in 2002. 

Another note from the early 2000s history books, during my college years Kazaa and Limewire were at their height. Plus being on a college ethernet that was not yet “wireless” we were able to log into a campus-wide music portal some smart computer programming major kid set up where you essentially made you music public for others to copy and you were able to search and copy other people’s music. SO MUCH MUSIC. I was particularly obsessed with ripped live versions of songs.

Looking back at the top 10 performances/shows I’ve seen - not including festivals - because that could be its own category. If there is a particularly noteworthy song I’ll note it.

Incubus - 11am acoustic (2002 - Hartford Civic Center)

John Mayer (2002 - Oakdale Theatre)

Maroon 5 - Closer (2002 - Oakdale Theatre)

Third Eye Blind - (2003 - SPB Concert at Quinnipiac - Josh Kelley opened and was awesome)

Gavin DeGraw - Let’s Get it On (2003/2004 - NYC and Hartford - both were amazing)

Spill Canvas - All Hail The Heartbreaker (2004 - The Attic, Hamden CT)

Maroon 5 (2004/2005 at two tiny Long Island venues)

David Cook - Permanent (Night for Hope 2012 - State Theatre, Falls Church VA)

Jimmy Eat World - A Praise Chorus (2017 - Bristow VA)

Hanson - (2017 - The Fillmore - Silver Spring - also 2018 - Wolf Trap they played Yearbook for the first time ever on tour during their String Theory shows)

Top 10 influential albums by a single artist/band listed chronologically - not including any soundtracks, showtunes, or festival albums which each could be its own categories. You may notice there are some artists where I can’t choose one either due to both being amazing or discovering them around the same time and listening to them digitally in a shuffled mix. 

Hanson - Middle of Nowhere (1997)

Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (1997 self-titled debut)

Eve 6  - Eve 6 (1998 self-titled debut)

Incubus - Make Yourself (1999)/Morning View (2001)

John Mayer - Room for Squares (2001)/Any Given Thursday (2003)

Dashboard Confessional - The Swiss Army Romance (2000)/The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001)

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane (2002)

Gavin DeGraw - Chariot (2003) / Chariot: Stripped (2004)

Spill Canvas - Sunsets and Car Crashes (2004)/One Fell Swoop (2005)

David Cook - Analog Heart (2006)

Honorable mention all of David Cook’s albums from his old band Axium

[nazaninlankarani]

Baselworld Jewelry Watches

Springtime of Desires

Our selection of some new bejeweled watches dressed in springtime colors and brimming with feminine charm.

This year’s edition of Baselworld got underway on the day of the vernal equinox under sunny blue skies as winter gave way to spring in what has been a year of seismic transitions for the annual watch and jewelry trade show.

Starting last summer when the Swatch group announced its exit, the fair has seen its roster of exhibitors steadily melt away – like snow on the distant peaks – and tumble down to about 500, a third of what it once boasted in its glory days a decade ago.    

Thankfully, despite the troubling erosion, there was no scarcity in the category of high jewelry timepieces as some of the show’s most storied brands, having answered present to the rollcall, turned out some stunning new bejeweled watches dressed in springtime colors and brimming with feminine charm.

At Jacob & Co., the power of flowers in bloom Since it first debuted at Baselworld in 2014, the Astronomia Tourbillon has helped to propel Jacob & Co.’s ambitions into higher spheres, including the outer edges of space when the New York-based jeweler launched its Solar Planets model in 2017.  

This spring, the high-flying timepiece has returned to earth to spawn a new version of the Astronomia, in a charming flowering garden where it has blossomed into Fleurs de Jardin.  

“This is a feminine version of the Solar that had the sun on the center and the planets going around,” said Jacob & Co. at the launch of the timepiece.   “We have transformed it into a flower garden with new details that make it ultra-feminine.”

Astronomia Solar Fleurs de Jardin © Jacob & Co.

Notwithstanding its vertically stacked movement, Fleurs de Jardin is unmistakably “ultra-feminine�� thanks to 11 different flowers in varied cuts of citrine, tsavorite, amethyst, orange garnet and ruby, all blooming gloriously under the high sapphire-glass dome of the watch that doubles as greenhouse.  A “Jacob-cut” citrine globe with 288 facets, firmly planted in the center, observes the seductive languor of the movement that turns around a central axis and completes a full revolution every 10 minutes.  A gem-set, butterfly-shaped folding buckle adds a final pretty touch to Fleurs de Jardin and completes its girlish looks.

Still, like the woman you think you know, she is never quite the same.  “The watch is constantly changing its look because the elements on the dial turn nonstop,” Jacob & Co. said.

Available in an edition of 18 in blue and rose, it is an Eden in full bloom, priced 360,000 Swiss francs.

At Kerbedanz, hope springs eternal Kerbedanz’s timepieces are ripe with symbolism, and this year, the promise of spring was illustrated by “Hope,” one of the three virtues right alongside “Faith” and “Charity.”  

With those good words, Kerbedanz, based in Neuchâtel, introduced its new version of hope in pink sapphires, in the form of an Esperanza Classique, presented as symbolizing an “attitude of the mind,” but also flinging much attitude from the wrist.

“Hope is an attitude of the mind to consider the possibility, the belief or the faith in a better future,” Kerbedanz said.

The backstory of the Kerbedanz’s Esperanza timepieces relates to Greek mythology, and the tale of Pandora and her jar from which all the evils of humanity escaped while hope was kept safely unboxed.

Esperanza Classique © Kerbedanz

The new Esperanza Classique, expression of a hope for a bright future, boasts an 18-carat yellow gold case, decorated with nearly 10 carats of pink sapphires.  The crown is set between 1 and 2 o’clock and the lugs made to bear 0.37 carats of diamonds.

Limited to 41 pieces priced 65,000 Swiss francs, with this pink Esperanza Classique “the light of hope continues to shine, thus ensuring the future salvation of humanity,” even with the lights dimmed.

At Bulgari, the art of serpentine seduction The new Serpenti Seduttori collection, the highlight of this year’s women’s watches at Bulgari, builds on the Roman jeweler’s love affair with snakes which started in the 1940s when the coiled “Serpenti” motif first appeared in its watch repertoire.  

Since then, the motif has been revisited many times, but this year, the snake appears to have shed its old skin, morphing into an ardent instrument of reptilian seduction.

Serpenti Seduttori © Bulgari

In the fully-pavé rose gold version, Serpenti Seduttori is particularly well-poised to redefine the tenets of desirability.  Its “drop-shaped” case is thinner than that of the Serpenti Tubogas, its predecessor, despite the 50 brilliant-cut diamonds set on its bezel and the additional 166 snow-set diamonds on the case itself.  With a scale-like pattern, its slinky, articulated bracelet - a more figurative design than seen at Bulgari in previous versions - now slides smoothly on the wrist.  Its crown is topped with a cabochon-cut ruby, a nod to Bulgari’s jewelry heritage.

Priced at €88,200, Serpenti Seduttori exudes the confidence of a snake slithering with charm.

At Chanel, the illuminations of a ruby On this year of Chanel’s revival of the J12, new versions of the Code Coco were serious competition to what became two decades ago an instant bestseller for the fashion house.

Since 2017, Chanel’s Code Coco watch, as the name suggests, has captured some of the Maison’s signature design codes, from the quilting on the watch strap to the clasp of the 2.55 handbag that has become the face of the watch.  

This year, Chanel has added five new versions to its Code Coco lineup, all with diamond-set dials on a choice of bracelet in stainless steel or ceramic and, for the first time, a beige-gold option.

Code Coco © Chanel

Among those, the most stunning spring-hued iteration is a ruby-set pièce unique Code Coco displayed under a glass dome.  Its case and bezel, both in 18-carat white gold, stand out against a wrap-around bracelet, a bright pigeon-blood red, set with 315 baguette-cut rubies from Burma and Mozambique weighing at 62.81 carats, all invisible-set from end-to-end.  Its two dials are set with 60 brilliant-cut diamonds, while a single princess-cut diamond sits in the center of the top dial.  

This crimson Code Coco, with a unique €1.75 million price tag to match, will not be going gently into the night.

[Source]

[perfectirishgifts]

Betye Saar’s Sketchbooks At Morgan Library And Museum, Jenny Saville Paintings At Gagosian, Highlight New York’s Holiday Season

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/betye-saars-sketchbooks-at-morgan-library-and-museum-jenny-saville-paintings-at-gagosian-highlight-new-yorks-holiday-season/

Betye Saar’s Sketchbooks At Morgan Library And Museum, Jenny Saville Paintings At Gagosian, Highlight New York’s Holiday Season

Betye Saar, Spread from Mexico sketchbook, June 1975. Gouache, watercolor, and pencil. Courtesy of … [] the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.

Betye Saar’s The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972) skewers America’s history of using overtly racist imagery for commercial purposes. The assemblage represents one of the most important works of art from the 20th century.

This summer, at the height of nationwide protesting related to a string of racially motivated attacks at the hands of police against Black people, Quaker Oats “liberated” Aunt Jemima as well, finally removing a caricature of the Black mammy figure from its line of pancake mix and syrups after over 130 years, admitting to its offensive, racist underpinning. Uncle Ben was similarly “liberated.”

The Liberation of Aunt Jemima can be found in the permanent collection of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, in Berkeley, CA, presently closed due to COVID.

A revealing look into its maker’s mind, however, can be seen now at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York through January 31, 2021. “Betye Saar: Call and Response” makes history as the first exhibition to focus on Saar’s (b. 1926) sketchbooks and examine the relationship between her found objects, sketches and finished works.

This exhibition offers the first public opportunity to view Saar’s sketchbooks—illuminating, in the artist’s words, “the mysterious transformation of object into art.”

While the assemblages in the Morgan’s exhibit feature from later in Saar’s extraordinarily long career, echoes of The Liberation of Aunt Jemima are apparent.

Betye Saar, “Supreme Quality,” 1998. Washboard with stenciled lettering, soap bar with printed paper … [] label, metal figurine with toy guns, tin washtub, fabric, clock, and wood stand. The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Mortimer and Sara Hays Acquisition Fund. Photography by Tim Lanterman, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. © Betye Saar.

“In the late 1990s, Saar made a concerted return to the image of the mammy in a group of works incorporating vintage washboards,” Rachel Federman, who curated the Morgan’s exhibition, told Forbes.com. “We have several of these works, and their corresponding sketchbook pages, in the show. Other works, like Serving Time (2010), extend the critique of The Liberation of Aunt Jemima to male figures and the crisis of mass incarceration.”

Saar emerged in the 1960s as part of a wave of artists, many of them African-American, who embraced the medium of assemblage.

Her creative process starts with a found object: a piece of leather, a cot, a tray, a birdcage, an ironing board. The objects she chooses are ordinary, used, and slightly debased—things most people would pass by, many acquired at flea markets and secondhand stores. After identifying a primary object that “calls” to her, Saar surveys her stockpile of other found materials for use in combination.

Once she has arrived at a vision of the final work, she “responds” with a sketch laying out her ideas for the finished piece.

Hence the show’s title, “Call and Response.” The objects call, Saar responds.

“The sketch is to remind me how [a piece] is going to look when I get it put together,” Saar has said.

Saar kept such sketchbooks throughout her career. She has also kept more elaborate travel sketchbooks containing exquisite watercolors and collages from a lifetime of journeys worldwide.

“Betye Saar: Call and Response” presents Saar’s sketches and corresponding assemblages alongside approximately a dozen of her travel sketchbooks. Selections cover a broad span of her career, from the 1970s through a sculptural installation made specifically for this exhibition.

The sketchbooks allow guests a peek inside of Saar’s creative mind, providing a level of intimacy with the artist not always available from finished works.

“Most of the sketchbooks were not created for public display,” Federman notes. “They are drawn roughly in ballpoint pen or pencil, and accompanied by notes, like a reminder to herself to order the printed labels for A Loss of Innocence (1998). The travel sketchbooks are more finished, but they chronicle her impressions of the places she’s visited; Saar is an avid traveler.”

These gems alone are worth going out of one’s way to see.

Betye Saar, Page from Haiti sketchbook, July 24, 1974. Watercolor, ballpoint pen, and ink. Courtesy … [] of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.

The exhibit additionally displays collages from the Morgan’s collections that have never before been displayed. As a supporter of Saar’s work, the Morgan acquired a series of six collages in 2017 now on view in full for the first time. A Secretary to the Spirits (1975) is the outcome of an invitation by author and activist Ishmael Reed (b. 1938) to create a series of collages for his poetry book of the same name.

Saar’s input on the exhibition, organized by Carol Eliel at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, was extensive throughout. Eliel worked closely with Saar to develop the checklist and Saar visited the Morgan in 2018, corresponding with Federman over the course of the planning for the Morgan’s exhibition. The two discussed the gallery design, colors and changes to the checklist which included A Secretary to the Spirits.

“Despite being assembled from found objects, Saar’s assemblages and collages are so expertly crafted and formally impressive that it can be difficult to imagine the process behind them,” Federman said. “The sketchbooks show her putting the pieces together on paper, trying out titles and sometimes rejecting them, or calling on a memory–like ‘an old blues song’–to guide her. Her process is both intuitive and formally rigorous, and the sketches provide a window.”

As the 94-year-old Saar and The Liberation of Aunt Jemima prove, her and her work are timeless.

“I’ve gained a greater sense of Saar as an artist very much of her time–the Black Power and feminist liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s played a formative role–but also one who speaks urgently to the times we are in right now,” Federman said.

Jenny Saville, “Prism,” 2020. Pastel on linen. 78 3/4 x 63 in 200 x 160 cm. © Jenny Saville Photo: … [] Prudence Cuming. Courtesy Gagosian.

New York’s museums and galleries always put their best foot forward during the holiday season. While COVID has muted the museum blockbusters (one exception being the Mexican muralist exhibition on view now at the Whitney Museum of American Art) a number of gallery shows merit close attention. Benny Andrews at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, Thorton Dial at David Lewis gallery and an exhibition of new paintings by Jenny Saville (b. 1950) at Gagosian (980 Madison Avenue) titled “Elpis.”  

“Elpis” refers to the Greek personification of hope left behind at the bottom of Pandora’s box.

Saville has firmly established herself as one of the most important, exciting and critically acclaimed painters working today. Saville’s monumental portraits explore the human body, capturing a unique kind of realism specific to the 21st century.

Saville’s painting is steeped in a multitude of times and places. Working with expressive and energetic brushstrokes, she creates dramatic juxtapositions of color and shimmering light effects that recall Byzantine icons and mosaics. Saville also illuminates some of the works in “Elpis” with gold oil bar, invoking the precious metal’s association with divine embodiment, a tradition dating back to the ancient Egyptians.

The raw, chromatic vitality of Saville’s new works was largely inspired by her recent travels to Australia, where she encountered the luminous, fleshy palette of Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s virtuoso paintings. For the fiery-toned pastel painting Prism (2020), Saville combines her tribute to the Indigenous Australian artist with another: she created this work using a set of crayons purchased from Henri Roché’s La Maison du Pastel, a famous art supply store in Paris once frequented by Edgar Degas.

“Elpis” will be on view until December 22.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[swanandcmiprs]

U.S. COSTUME JEWELRY MARKET ANALYSIS (2019-2027)

U.S. Costume Jewelry Market 2017–2027

Costume jewelry is also referred to as imitation jewelry and fashion jewelry and is primarily worn as a fashion statement. It is mainly produced with inexpensive materials such as metals, glass, beads, ivory, plastic, synthetic stones, and semi-precious stones. Some of the other materials used to make costume jewelry are glass, semi-precious stones, leather, metal, terracotta, silver, and aluminum. Bangles, necklaces, earrings, rings, and anklets are some of the types of costume jewelry. Moreover, pearls and semi-precious metals are also used to make costume jewelry. These products give an extremely impressive look and appearance to the person and are also cheaper than jewelry made from expensive materials such as gold and diamond.

The U.S costume jewelry market is projected to reach around US$ 22.3 billion by the end of 2027, in terms of revenue, growing at CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period (2019-2027).

Drivers

A rising sense of fashion among the population of the U.S. is primarily fueling the market growth of costume jewelry. Changing dressing sense coupled with the evolving fashion trend is another major factor expected to foster the market growth of costume jewelry. Growing consumer preferences of costume jewelry as they are an inexpensive and available wide variety that easily get a match with the costume is further projected to propel the market growth.

An emerging online platform that offers a wide variety of costume jewelry and also covers international patterns is expected to augment the market growth of costume jewelry. Moreover, online stores offer jewelry at affordable price along with the other attractive offers and discounts is further anticipated to fuel market growth. All these factors are expected to fuel the market growth of the costume jewelry over the forecast period.

Figure 1. U.S Costume Jewelry Market, Revenue Share (%), By Product Type, in 2018

On the basis of product type in 2018, the earrings and finger rings segment has accounted the largest market share of 34.6% in terms of value, followed by necklace & pendants and bracelets & bangles.

Market Restraints

Increasing prices of raw materials such as silver, gold, and platinum, which are mainly used for plating purposes is projected to negatively impact the growth of the U.S. costume jewelry market over the forecast period. Moreover, lack of supply chain of raw materials infrastructure which leads to steep hikes in raw material prices is further expected to hamper the market growth of U.S. costume jewelry.

The U.S. costume jewelry market is highly competitive due to the presence of a high number of global and local producers. Additionally, various luxury and clothing brands are also penetrating into this market in order to utilize potential benefits such as high profits, and quick return on investment which is increasing competition in the market. This is expected to hamper the market growth.

Market Opportunities

Many manufacturers are targeting kids segments for gaining a competitive edge in the market and this will favor the market growth over the forecast period. Zales The Diamond Store unveils exclusive new Enchanted Disney Fine Jewelry designs. The new jewelry collection is an important addition to the existing Zales Enchanted Disney Fine Jewelry collection, and features styles from the film’s Cave of Wonders that are available exclusively at Zales.

Growing middle-class people in the U.S. country is anticipated to fuel the market growth of costume jewelry. Growing middle class people and rising disposable income are increasing the purchasing power of the people. Moreover growing focus of manufacturer to lunch affordable costume jewelry is another major factor propelling the growth of the U.S jewelry costume market.

Figure 2. U.S Costume Jewelry Market– Opportunity Analysis

Market Trends

Growing demand for branded products due to evolving social media platforms is expected to fuel the market growth in the U.S country. Major players such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton are popular for their premium quality costume jewelry because they spend a substantial amount of money on advertisements and brands online as well as other channels for creating high visibility. Therefore, increasing branded product visibility is creating demand for the branded product and this is expected to propel the market growth.

The growing popularity of pop-up stores at locations such as malls or airports etc. is projected to accelerate the market growth. This format is gaining popularity in the U.S., and various companies are also following this trend. For instance, in December 2016, David Yuman opened a pop-up store in Printemps Haussman, France, in order to expand customer base during the Christmas season

Figure 3. U.S Costume Jewelry Market – Value Chain Analysis

Competitive Section:

Key players operating in U.S. costume jewelry market are Chanel S.A, Guess Inc., Gianni Versace S.p.A, Alex and Ani, LLC, Pandora A/S, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Hermes International SA, Hennes & Mauritz Ab, ZARA ESPANA SA, and Gucci

Few Recent Developments1. Chanel S.A.

Key Developments:

In January 2017, the company participated in Spring/Summer 2017 show at Paris, France in order to showcase its costume jewelry and expand its customer base

In December 2016, the company opened a new Chanel boutique in the Hotel Camelot de Bisexual at le Marais, Paris in order to expand its presence in the domestic market

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Download PDF brochure : https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/3711

About Us:

Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions.

 What we provide:

Customized Market Research Services

Industry Analysis Services

Business Consulting Services

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Address: 1001 4th ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154, U.S.

Phone: +1-206-701-6702

Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com

   Source:  https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/us-costume-jewelry-market-3711

[sanandalight]

Archangel Metatron via James Tyberonn, February 9th, 2018

Greetings Masters, I am Metatron Lord of Light, with Tyberonn of Crystalline Service, and we greet each of you, individually, lovingly, in a vector of timeless space. We embrace you in the ‘Now’ time that you read these words, and surround you in an energy of Unconditional Love.

The world remakes itself in 2018, and whether or not humanity is prepared for expansive change, is truly a moot point. For the forward inertia of time accelerates more quickly today than it did yesterday. Accordingly, will 2018 impel the expedition of light acceleration and your lucid interpretation of consciousness. With this surge, your cognitive expression of life, will in-kind shift into a higher tempo. You see, all is quickening, time is accelerating as the ‘New Earth’ of 2018 and beyond draws nigh. So as time reshapes itself it will also reshape the experience of mankind, of visible and invisible forces of nature and that of the face of the Earth itself. Ahead are challenges to be faced, but you have the tools to absolutely meet the challenges.

Dear Ones, the years of your physical experience, from birth to death, compose the table of contents in the ‘book’ of your life….and now, the page has turned. 2017, for better and worse, has now yielded to the next ‘annual’ chapter. It is ‘2018, Year Six of the New Earth’.

2018 The Year Ahead

And so we speak of 2018. Indeed it is a supra-energized year of invigorated time and will be a period of intense quickening. An unusual & opportune time of re-calibration will occur thru the first two months of the newly arrived year. All planets will be in forward motion, none in retrograde, for 65 days, from January 2nd, 2018. This is the only phase of 2018 in which no planet is in backward flow, and is thus an extraordinary time for clarity & creating harmony. Within this time of ‘smooth flow’, are 2 eclipses, to amplify the forward movement….amplified by 2 ‘Super Moons’. This phase from January thru early March, represents a time of a reprise, a phase of recharge and preparation.

Now, make no mistake, 2018 will be a challenging year. But fear not, most of you will find it a bit easier to manage than 2017. Is this not a testament to your sequential growth? Indeed, 2018 contains within it, the extremely potent energy amplifications phases that you are now becoming more accustomed to, but understand that these magnifications are part and parcel of your accelerated growth process. Indeed you must learn to operate at higher frequency, and so the years ahead are in a sense a rigorous training program that will allow you to strengthen and increase your auric fields as the ground-zero inertia of the ‘Human Ascension’ nears in two decades (2038).

Forward Entry into 2018

The intense winter solstice which ended 2017, is now being followed by two unusually gentle perigees ‘Super Moons’ in January. The second of these will occur on the Jan 31st full moon, total lunar eclipse. This total eclipse is tandem, the total lunar is followed in February by a solar eclipse. This benevolent amalgam of ‘coded’ astronomical events will surprisingly provide an interesting, soft entry into 2018, relative to the tumultuous final quarter of 2017.

Indeed, this beginning is influenced by a lunar induction of deep contemplative energy that will span the earth and flow forward into a 65-day phase in which all planets are moving forward, none in retrograde! This will be a rare and welcome wave of benevolent energy. It will provide a time of relative rest, underpinned by periods of profound ‘moon-driven’ inward reflection. A perfect time to review the year past, and the year ahead….and a clear energy to recalibrate your emotions. And actions!

Communication, after the sluggish, Mercury retro end of 2017, is now much clearer, indeed even sparkling for the first 11 weeks of 2018. It is an opportune timing for repairing past miscommunications & provides avenues for re-negotiating conflicts.

This period from January thru mid-April (when Saturn goes retro) is also a time improving the quality of major relationships. A vibration is projected in which relationships Can & will be reviewed, in a frequency conducive to opening the heart. This provides a clear opportunity to analyze your shortcomings in close relationships & make considered and concerted efforts to improve. All genuine efforts in this energy will reap positive results. It is a perfect time to express love, re-express friendship, caring & loyalty to key players in your life.

We also tell you the timing between the first perigee moon and the January total lunar eclipse is a perfect time, a powerful time for initiating new projects, new goals.

Coded Eclipses of 2018

2018 will have an extremely rare aggregation of complexly coded eclipses. There will be a total of 5 eclipses in 2018, and 3 of these will occur in a 30-day phase between July & August. This period will be amplified & intensely punctuated with the June 21 Solstice & Mars retrograde into Capricorn. In fact 7 planets, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto will all be in backflow, retrograde between June & August.

Accordingly, the 3 months of summer (northern hemisphere) and 3 months of winter (southern hemisphere), from June thru August will be a very intense, rather unsettling phase of 2018….indeed, this Astro gravity amalgamation will be the most trying 90 day period of the year.

2018, five eclipse, 3:2 combination of solar and lunar eclipses in a single year is quite potent. We tell you that the 2018 Eclipses are opportunities for energizing change. Masters the eclipses are an offering to make necessary shifts that you discern appropriate in your individual and collective lifestream. These are best afforded by synergizing through deep contemplation and self-review windows, which are uniquely available on equinoxes and solstices.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE – 2018 January 31 8:26:39 11 Leo 37

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – 2018 February 15 16:05:07 27 Aquarius 08

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – 2018 July 12 22:47:47 20 Cancer 41

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE – 2018 July 27 16:20:15 4 Aquarius 45

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – 2018 August 11 5:57:38 18 Leo 42

The ancient savants of enlightened eras always recognized such power-filled events and utilized them as days of prayer, meditation, and inward search and mobilized the eclipses to turbo-charge the changes they desired toward higher good.

Equinoxes & Solstices of 2018

The Equinoxes and Solstices of 2018 are exceptionally powerful and multi-purposed. These are in fact Ascension catalyst and triggers. These potent days should be used for group prayer and meditation and indeed deep self-review. The solstices and equinoxes remaining in the next two years are complex and flamed with multiple hologramic inserts for the Ascension of both mankind and the planet. We assure you that these astrological events are infinitely more powerful than the equinoxes and solstices in the past several millennia. We urge each of you to discern and utilize them as suggested. Gather on these days, and the power of Group Consciousness will flower exponentially.

MARCH EQUINOX – March 20, 2018 – 12:15 P.M. EDT

JUNE SOLSTICE – June 21, 2018 – 6:07 A.M. EDT

SEPTEMBER EQUINOX – September 22, 2018 – 9:54 P.M. EDT

DECEMBER SOLSTICE – December 21, 2018 – 5:23 P.M. EST

Every solstice & equinox is potent. Each is important. But it is equally important to understand that solstices & equinoxes are affected to no small degree by the adjoining planetary gravities, which you term as astrological influences. With this in mind, we tell you that the most powerful & most beneficial of the four in 2018 is the September Equinox.

The September Equinox occurs after the final 3 of five eclipses, into an energy of much greater clarity, with 6 of 9 planets in forward motion, the 3 retros are the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It occurs in the crystalline meteoric influxes of the final trimester and is an extremely powerful and serene energy. The September equinox will code the continuing bio crystalline transition of humanity.

Politics, War & Unrest

In the energy of 2018, there is an astrological phase of tension, terrorism & political imbalance, especially during the Mars & Saturn retrogrades. This is a period in which ongoing conflicts & terrorism are more likely to occur & indeed escalate. This will be a time in which shadow is revealed, and ‘Pandora’s Box’ is figuratively open. It is a timing rife for polarization, riots, scandal, political upheaval, even assignations. Travel to conflicted areas, including the Middle East & parts of Europe should be carefully considered during late July to 19 August, in which Mercury, Mars & Saturn are all in powerful angles of retrograde.

Political unrest & polarization will continue thru 2018, and for two 7-year cycles afterward. You are in a requisite cycle of cleansing, in what the channel has termed as ‘Crucible Astrology’. All unresolved energies are not only surfacing but polarizing in the shifting crysto-dynamics.

The unrest, violence, terrorism & religious extremism will continue. Saber rattling will heighten, ebb & flow, in the North Korea scenario, but will not result in a nuclear war.

The 2018 Economy

It is not our role to speculate on your economy, per sei. We will simply say that markets & economies are indeed influenced by fear, media, and extensively manipulated by governments, currency brokers, privateers, financial power groups, corporations & conglomerates.

Dear Ones, while the economic system must and will change, a total collapse into global chaos would not serve the New Earth. A total breakdown will not occur, will not be allowed to occur. A breakdown will not be prevented by the power-brokers for any altruistic purposes, rather because those consortiums, corporate conglomerates & ‘1st-World’ countries controlling global economies will not allow it for their own purposes of power, control and greed. The change into a new, more equitable system will require time, but in time, will take place. Indeed, in 2-3 decades, significant changes will begin to take root. It will be a gradual process, led by the ‘milleniums’, as the new generation grows into greater position & voice. We assure you, the drivers are already in place to bring about a more equitable system.

The Eclipse Effect: Hurricanes & Earthquakes

Masters, an important word regarding the natural disasters’ that are occurring. These occur as a natural sequence of planetary balance and will continue, as they always have throughout your planetary history. Although extremely difficult, the silver lining and underlying side result is that hurricanes, fires & quakes, however painful, also serve to bring out the better aspects of humanity. These are absolutely not punitive, are not by any means a retribution.

The hurricanes (and quakes) are not, as some conspiracy theorists may assert, artificially created by science nor secret governments. They are not the result of HAARP. The required technology to manipulate & control the weather is truly not developed, not available as yet in your present.

What must be understood, and should be studied with academic funding, is the connection between eclipses, tectonics & gravity and what follows in their wake. The eclipses can spawn what you term as ‘natural disasters’, including earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, tornadic winds & hurricanes.

Indeed, all solar eclipses create interesting gravitational distortions, in what is termed the Majorana & Allais effects. Just as a full moon can bulge the tides and oceans into expansive tension, so can solar eclipses….to a much more complex degree. When the sun and moon are eclipsically aligned, the earth-crust will actually ‘bulge and stretch’, stirring magma & destabilize tectonic plates.

Earthquakes are 3 to 4 times more likely during & in the wake of total eclipses. Although your earth geo-scientists are not yet able, with any time specific accuracy to predict earthquakes, it is currently possible to determine the more likely places they may transpire. There will be, in the not so distant future, a re-discovery of the sciences and technologies to accurately predict quakes. By combing data received from further advanced technologies in ground penetrating radars, satellite infrared, subsurface sonar, proton magnetometers, & super-high resolution aerial photography your geoscientist will be able to pinpoint location & timing of volcanic & tectonic events.

Be especially wary during the 2nd phase of eclipses in July & August of 2018. Quakes are more probable in this timing.

Unity Program

Masters, although 2018 has its challenges, it is also laden with points and facets of benevolent energies and favorable astronomical waves. And let us be clear, although the science which you term as astrology is in your present largely misunderstood, and greatly ignored, gravity waves & celestial angles do in fact influence you to no small degree.

Editor Insert- Edgar Cayce Readings on Astrology

“Astrological urges …. yield, or wield, an influence upon individual application of spiritual or mental truths or laws, as they are brought into material manifestations.” — Edgar Cayce reading 2132-1

“Yet no influence of any nature-astrologically, hereditary or environmental-surpasses the will of the entity, the birthright of each and every soul.” — Edgar Cayce reading 2505-1

“Then, as to the influences from the astrological aspects or sojourns during the interim, know that these are merely urged. As to what one does with or about an urge is oft dependent upon what an entity holds as its ideal-and then the application of will as respecting same.” (1842-1)

In truth, the energies leading to 2038 are merged in one program, and as such from our higher perspective the events of 2018 are part of the same process of the coming ‘Return of Light’, leading into the Ascension of Humanity. It is our purpose here to focus on the aspects of 2018 that lie so near to your unfolding. Indeed Masters, the heralded ‘Human-Ascension’ it is not an abstruse complexity of the prophetic biblical script, but rather a natural and requisite expression of accelerating planetary consciousness.

As such, all of you on the earth-plane is now within the field of an incredible crystalline energy. The result is that your own auric fields and Mer-Ka-Na Light Bodies are, through induction, becoming extreme energy in motion. It is energy as desire expressing itself and so your work calls forth now an even finer frequency. Imagine that if you will take vitamins for your physical body they must be such that they can be absorbed by the body to generate wellness, well-being, and better health. And so it is the same with the Crystalline Transition, its crysto-geometric frequencies and energies are indeed benevolent ‘vitamins’ of catalytic expansion for the light body.

The crystalline resonance now surrounds you in ways that allow you to absorb their pristine symmetries into your energy fields, transferring them, converting them, and amplifying them into your own work, into your desires, into your fulfillment and into all ways that touch earth and humanity.

All humans are individual crystals of brilliant light, each unique, no two like, but of the kindred source, analogous origin. In the present, you yet struggle against opposing duality poles of diversity and uniformity. Still largely unaware that in the source, you are a crystalline particle of vast plurality consciousness, truly of one family, of one divine source. In time you will come to terms with the meaning of this.

In the present dawning of the new crystalline era of the Earth plane, of the 144 Crystalline Grid, the earth has upshifted and calls for you to transition in kind. Remember the very fabric of the Cosmos is sacred geometry. The crystalline vibration is defined in human terms as ‘impeccability’, walking ones talk.

Priority Reformation

Dear Humans, in the next two decades, leading into 2038 the love of power will begin to be displaced by the Power of Love. It will take time, but do not doubt it, for it is already in motion. It begins initially inside each of your hearts, and Dear Ones, that is happening now. The final trimester of 2017 was marked by a mega Total Solar Eclipse in North America, triggering earthquakes and hurricanes in its potent wake. The influence of the mega solar eclipse will continue well into 2018….and we tell you that the advent of natural disasters, hurricanes, earthquakes and such, will play roles in the reprioritization of humanity.

Closing

Dear Ones, in closing, let us express unequivocally that we of the Angelic Realm are in a special role of supporting you, far more than you may realize. For you too are Gods in creation, sparks of the Divine becoming again as divine crystal stars of the All That Is. For indeed you are begotten as the morning stars!

We love each of you, all of you, and beyond the veils you are part of us. We spin a light vortex of great honor and appreciation to you! We are sending this energy to each one of you in the ‘NOW’ moment that you read or hear these words.

Can you feel it, open your heart and receive what we send forth in love.

We sincerely honor you as you move into the final years of Earths Crystalline Ascension. And we tell you it is the Ascension of the Earth that will spawn the critical mass movement of physical humanities Ascension in two to three centuries. All in free will, all by choice.

It is a future of Ascension that you are creating…and we tell you that this period of fewer than three centuries is the blink of an eye. We salute you. You are on the appropriate path!

I am Metatron with Tyberonn of Crystalline Service, and we share with you these Truths. You are Beloved!

And so it Is…And it is So…

All Copyrights Duly & Fully Reserved 2018 to J Tyberonn & Earth-Keeper.

[frankwallace]

Meet the Composer | summer workshop in Vermont

MEET THE COMPOSER

Frank Wallace shares his own new works with Frank Wallace and Christopher Ladd July 20-26, 2020 at Stone Church Arts: music, art & spirituality at a retreat and conference center in a Vermont village. 12 Church St, Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101 | 802-460-0110 | just blocks from The Vermonter, Amtrak from DC and NYC.

Spend a week immersed in the music and expertise of master guitarist/composer Frank Wallace and Christopher Ladd, professor of guitar at the University of Hartford Hartt School of Music. Chris has been a longtime advocate of Wallace’s compositions and will record a CD devoted to those works early in 2020 with violinist Asa Guojonsdottir. Frank and Chris will share insight into the interpretation of Wallace with participants in daily master classes, private lessons, workshop presentations and informal discussions. Frank will consult with each student upon registration to choose appropriate repertoire, then send scores and links to blogs and videos about the music and exercises that will be presented in the technique and ensemble classes.

Limited enrollment of ten participants. Each will receive two private lessons, two masterclass lessons and participation in technique class, lectures and concert.

Room and board

Tuition, Single Rm B&B, Dinners – $1035 (4 available) Tuition, Shared Rm B&B, Dinners – $885 (8 available) Tuition, Commuter, Dinners – $710 Tuition, Commuter, No Meals – $500 $50 discount for early registration paid in full by July 1, 2020. REGISTER NOW** Thanks to my Patrons at Patreon scholarship money is available for a portion of tuition. Please describe your need in an email to wallacecomposer@gmail.com.

Schedule

Arrive Monday afternoon July 20 Greetings and short concert by Frank Wallace and Nancy Knowles. 7:00pm dinner Tuesday-Saturday 7:00am  Yoga in studio (informal and optional!) 8:00-9:30  Breakfast 9:30-10:30  Technique class* 10:30-1:00 Free practice time and 45 minute private lessons 1:00-2:00  Lunch 3:30-5:00  Masterclass 5:30-6:45  Rehearsal of ensemble works by Frank Wallace 7:00 Dinner

Saturday night will be an optional performance for all participants, TBA, with Frank, Chris and mezzo Nancy Knowles playing as well. Sunday morning departure after breakfast.

*Technique Class

Each day will focus on different musical concepts from a technical point of view. With guitar in hand, we will work through: how true legato is achieved, how to render polyphonic lines on the guitar, clearly expressing melody and accompaniment, the subtleties of articulation, etc. Both original compositions by Frank and historical works by Bach, Sor, Narváez and others will be used for technique class as well as masterclass lessons.

Frank Wallace

Long known as an elegant and virtuosic performer with Duo LiveOak, Frank Wallace is one of the most prolific composers for guitar solos and ensembles of the past two decades. Wallace is currently focused on solo performance of the repertoire he has known and loved for decades as well as his own new works. Wallace plays and sings 16th century Spanish and Italian works for vihuela de mano and lute in Orpheus’ Lyre. He shares his love for old guitars from his personal collection in Three Spanish Guitars, and performs his own exciting virtuosic guitar solos and songs in Father Said. He has toured widely throughout the U.S., Europe and South America since 1976. Performances include the Holland Festival, Regensburg Festival, Música en Compostela, Taxco International Guitar Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Barcelona Festival, International Guitar Festival of Arequipa, the Festival of Spanish Song of Granada, and Guitar Foundation of America. Frank Wallace founded and directed for four years the Boston Classical Guitar Society’s Festival 21, celebrating 21st century guitar. He served as the Society’s director from 2007-9. In New York City he founded, and with John Olson co-directed, the Second Sundays Guitar Series run by the New York City Classical Guitar Society and Roger Smith Hotel. He has served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, Guitar Foundation of America, Lute Society of America and various universities in New England. He holds a B.M. in classical guitar performance from San Francisco Conservatory.

Christopher Ladd

Award winning and internationally renowned classical guitarist Christopher Ladd is recognized throughout North America and abroad as one of the most promising classical musicians of his generation.  Fingerstyle Guitar hails his performances as being“… rendered confidently and expressively.” Praised as“… an exercise in extremes.” by Soundboard Magazine, he is highly sought after as a soloist and chamber musician. Most recently Mr. Ladd was a featured performer at the 2017 Sarajevo International Guitar Festival.  Noteworthy performances include appearances at the Vijećnica in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzgovina, Mengi and the Kaldalon Theater at Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland, the DiMenna Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Viennese Opera Ball hosted by the Austrian Embassy, the historic Byrdcliffe Theater in Woodstock, NY and for former vice-president Al Gore at his residence in Washington, D.C.  Active also as a chamber musician, Mr. Ladd is a founding member of The Pandora Duo which features acclaimed flutist Janet Arms, and The Amaranth Duo with Icelandic violinist Asa Gudjonsdottir. In addition to performing pieces of standard repertoire, Mr. Ladd has premiered numerous new works by composers such as Kenneth Steen, Robert Carl, Nolan Stolz, Lief Ellis, Kathryn Swanson, Ty Alan Emerson, Ernst Bacon, Phillip Houghton and Frank Wallace.  Recently he had the opportunity to work with GRAMMY and Academy Award winning composer John Corigliano, in a performance of his work Troubadours for guitar and chamber orchestra conducted by Edward Cumming. Mr. Ladd currently serves on the faculty of The Hartt School in West Hartford, Connecticut, as an Artist/Teacher, Director of The Hartt School Guitar Festival, and as the Chair of the Guitar and Harp Program.

**Register and Pay: There are three ways to register and pay:

send payment to frank[at]gyremusic.com

By check payable to Stone Church Center, mailed to 12 Church St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101. (Please write “Meet the Composer” in the memo line). Please include your name, dietary preferences (if applicable), and your choice of single, shared, commuter or commuter no meals (your payment amount should reflect this choice), or

By phone. Call 802-460-0110, select option 1, and you will get a live person who will take your registration details and credit or debit card over the phone.

Meet the Composer | summer workshop in Vermont was originally published on FRANK WALLACE

[erraticprojectjunkie]

Currently: September 17, 2017

These weeks are going buy too quickly. We're inching closer and closer to winter. Gah. Summer went to dang fast. I demand a redo. Come on...just four more weeks. No? How about two? Please...I'm being reasonable. Ugh. Fine. I'll soldier along and try to get all of my outside work done before the inevitable snow arrives. Weather:  The chill has arrived. Our little glimpse of Indian Summer was apparently just a tease. We dropped 30 degrees like it was nothing. Today it's hovering between 50 and 60. The sun finally came out this afternoon and made it slightly better, but I'm wearing jeans and a hoodie. It's a sad state of affairs. I already miss shorts weather. Watching: I've always been a sucker for British comedies. It's my quirky sense of humor I guess. I loved The IT Crowd and am terribly sad that there weren't more seasons. This week, Netflix wisely recommended Black Books. It's been fantastically awkward and weird and lovely. Reading: I finished Tatiana De Rosnays' A Secret Kept earlier this week. It was a decent read, but just didn't have the power that her Sarah's Key carried. Still, it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it. I'm now reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It's my initial read for the RIP (R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril)Challenge XIII. I'll be posting an official sign up post for the reading event tomorrow. Listening: It was mostly a quiet week. I had Netflix running in the background while I did canning this week. No Pandora or Spotify, unfortunately. Learning: Well...out of necessity, my fence repair skills are improving. I woke this morning to a cow mooing outside my bedroom window. I got out of bed and looked outside to see...nothing. So I wandered into B's room. I looked out his window and found myself staring Southern Belle directly in the face. I bribed her back in the pasture with a bucket of corn and went back inside. Not five minutes later, I heard Gunner growling upstairs. Tada...cow in the front yard. Same cow. Ugh. I got her back in once again and went to find the spot where she piled through the fence. She had gone under the barbed wire and pushed through the tensile net. I don't know what motivated her...she's huge...but her escape was marked by hair lodged into the barbs for a good three foot stretch. I did a quick fix with the existing wires while holding B. It was decidedly awkward. Then I headed in to shower and get ready for the day. Hmm...nope. Cow. I called her around the garden and coaxed her in yet again while making sure the horse didn't take advantage and let himself out. That done, I went into the garage for some pliers and wire. I tightened up the fence in four spots (admittedly it's nothing perfect thanks to my wimpy hands, but it should do the trick) and wound twine through the spot to act as a visual deterrent. Thus far, no cow in the yard again. Thank goodness. Making: The canning continues. I processed so many beets this week that my kitchen looked like a grisly crime scene. In the end, I yielded 17 pint jars of sliced beets along with 4 half-pint jars and 34 cubes of puree. The truly sad part...that was only half the beets. Gary has been feeding them to the pigs for the last couple of weeks. Root vegetables are up next. I now have a laundry basket full of turnips sitting on the front step ready for processing. Yesterday, I pulled the Brussels sprouts that were ready and got them processed and bagged for freezing. I also cut up the watermelon and pureed some cubes. I'm behind of where I wanted to be this week, but at least there was progress. I have absolutely got to get through the turnips and rutabagas this week. I also need to pull the onions and potatoes and start them curing. The good news is that we aren't forecasted for a freeze yet, so I still have some time to keep this endeavor moving forward. Thinking/Feeling: Old. Seriously. I turn 39 today. Gah. I never had issues with my birthday until I turned 36. Something about being closer to 40 than 30 has made me just feel...ugh. I had honestly come to terms with 38, but now I have to reconcile myself to a new number. The saving grace is that I have a good handful of friends turning 40 this year, so they're helping me to feel better about it. After all, they all look pretty wonderful and are still having fun at 40. Wanting/Needing: We started cleaning the garage this week and Gary has begun constructing shelves along the back wall. It will be so nice to start organizing things. The plan is to get everything that's in boxes gone through and sorted (keep, toss, sell) and put those items we're keeping into organized totes that will go on those new shelves. Once the garage is sorted, we'll attack the basement. We have a couple of metal shelving units that will go down there so that I can organize things that will stay inside (like fabric). It will be so incredibly fantastic to be able to access things again. With any luck, we're also hoping to create a small informal sitting area downstairs. Things to look forward to for sure. Loving: I like weird things. Seriously. But when I like something, I really like it. For example, when I buy clothing, I buy multiples of the same item if I really like it. My jeans are all the same. My shorts...same. The shirts I bought last week? Different colors of the same brand and style. Well...apparently it's no different with my cosmetics. A few years back, I picked up some Burt's Bees lip balm. Nothing special, just something for my poor chapped lips. But...they come in different flavors. So...obviously I now have a small collection. Out of the thirteen shown in the picture above, I own nine of them. In addition, I have Pumpkin Spice and their newest, Cucumber Mint (it's delightful). I also have their Flavor Crystal Lip Balm in Sweet Orange and Tropical Pineapple (spoiler alert, I'm not a fan). Seriously...what kind of person needs that much lip balm??? But hey, I like variety I suppose. Planning: We're moving forward on the flooring plans. The new downstairs carpet gets installed in ten days. We ordered our tile on Friday. I should have a call tomorrow to schedule when they will come out to measure for the upstairs hardwood estimate. I'm ridiculously excited about floors. Adulthood is weird. And now, if you'll excuse me, my child has decided that my shoulder and elbow are chew toys and Gary has walked through the door with a cake. I'm going to go enjoy Sunday evening with my family. What about you? What does your "Currently" look like?This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[loropechika]

starter for @powerpuffs​ { with karen } location: beach outfit: bikini

summer time always had it’s ups and downs for a woman as busy as karen. especially because during the end of it she had scheduled to begin working for her winter collection. however, just before she would lose all the time for herself she wanted to relax for a few weeks and think about nothing else but enjoying the weather and her beach house. bought by selling five of the cheat-rings her husband had bought to be ‘forgiven’. four years of karen’s life were a nightmare. forcing herself to live by pretending that everything was okay until he would give her a reason to chase him around the house with marushk’as broomstick or breaking vases at his feet, forcing him to sleep in the garden during the cold paris winter then acting like she was okay with everything.

three years ago though, when she was finally free from the lies, sadness and misfortune her life changed. finally she was broke free from that toxic man’s grasp and made a life for herself that she had always wanted. all the tears and pain she had experineced from the tender age of 19 were finally fone with the wind. and it was three years ago that she met ‘him’. although one couldn’t really say that there was a written agreement between them he was someone who filled her less busy days with passion and intense feelings. yet, after she would go back to her life, everything was put behind. it was a process were she would package everything i an imaginary pandora’s box and finally the next summer that box would open releasing every heartbeat, hope and pleasant delights.

however the 2017 summer was different because she didn’t think they would see each other again. there was no guarrantee from him and that small hope she had each year that maybe it wouldn’t be just a summer game, was minimized. having not expectations for something more she went for her vacation bringing along her most recent ‘adventure’. his name? ryo, he was one of the models who worked for a photoshoot with the female models she had hired. the least she could say about him was that he was a refreshing man with nothing but praises for her. somehow he had managed to grab her attention and the fact that he was attractive made it much more easier for her to flirt with him. she had invited him along but he could only stay for five days but her expectations for those days to be delightful were high.

the petite female was lying down on the chair wearing her strapless floral patterned bikini by dolce and gabbana as well as the most recent eyewear designed by them. ryo was sitting on the sand under the umbrella and he was spreading the sunblock on her pale back. once he had finished she sat up smiling gratefully to him and when he mirrored her smile she poked his side. “let’s wait a few minutes and we can go swimming.” and that moment she saw him passing by in front of her. that was when her brain froze and she had no clue what to say or do. should she greet him and act like they were just acquantainces or should she just hide behind ryo?

[satoshi-mochida]

The next game from Takeyasu Sawaki, the director and character designer of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, is The Lost Child, a turn-based RPG with command-style battles due out this summer for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in Japan, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reveals. It is published by Kadokawa Games.

The Lost Child is based on the world that is the mythical concept of El Shaddai. Lucifel (voiced by Ryota Takeuchi), who appeared in El Shaddai, will also appear in The Lost Child. The game is set amidst a conflict of demons in modern day Japan.

Watch the teaser trailer below. Visit the teaser website here.

Update 8:40 a.m.: More information has come in.

Story

Magazine writer Hayato Ibuki was chasing the story of the suicide a person who jumped in front of a train in Shinjuku Station. In the middle of his pursuit, he falls onto the platform as if he was pushed by a mysterious black shadow. A mysterious, beautiful woman named Barcia (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro) saves him by the skin of his teeth, and hands him a suitcase. It was a Pandora’s Box that should not have been be opened. Inside was the “Demon Gun Gangour,” a tool that can capture and enslave demons and fallen angels. Using this ability, Hayato successfully took on his own demon subordinates. Together with a woman named Rua (voiced by Rikako Yamaguchi), who calls herself an angel, Hayato will pursue the mysteries that occur in various places and find the beautiful woman who gave him the suitcase.

Tidbits

The story is connected to El Shaddai.

Enemies are villainous creatures called “Astrals.” There are several types of them.

During adventure parts, you’ll gather information and collect data from various places, then head into the dungeon where the Astrals await.

You can capture and enslave demon, angel, fallen angel, etc. Astrals as allies.

Development is 90 percent complete.

[marvilus-magpie]

Getting to Know You

Tagged by @the-dubstep-strawberry. Thank you :)

The rule is to tag 9 people you want to know more.

Relationship status: Married

Favourite colour: This changes daily, I just really love color. Currently I’ll go with aqua blue.

Pets: Two kitties, brothers who are opposites. One is clever, one is dumber than a box of rocks, but I love them both. And a bearded Dragon named Odahviing (because I’m a nerd)

Wake up: 6:30 on weekdays, as late as I can get away with on weekends.

Cats or Dogs: Hmm, I think in general cats, but I’m more of a judge them by their personality person. I’ve had cats that I just didn’t click with and Dogs that I loved fiercely.

Coke or Pepsi: As a kid, I liked Pepsi, but now I’ll choose Coke every time.

Day or night: Night. If I didn’t have to get up in the am and lead a normal life, I’d probably become fully nocturnal :)

Text or call: Text. I hate talking on the phone, I have no idea why, just always have.

Chapstick or lipstick: Chapstick. Don’t get me wrong, the right lipstick can make me feel all kinds of sexy, I just don’t wear it very often. Chapstick, on the other hand, I’m practically addicted to. I need to have a tube at arms length at all times.

City or country: To live, country. To visit, city. I currently live in a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest and mountains and it’s amazing. I love visiting the city though, having access to so much is awesome.

Last book I read: Hmm, it’s been a shamefully long time since I read an entire book (I blame the excess of writing talent in the Fallout 4 fanfiction community for this). Last summer I was in a book club though and we were working our way through Jane Austen. I think the last one we read was Sense and Sensibility.

Last song I listened to: Pandora is currently playing No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine. So, that!

Five facts about me:

1. I was in a car accident when I was 16 and am missing part of my middle finger on my right hand as a result.

2. My stumpy finger used to really bother me and I would hide my hand. I started painting my nails as a way to get over it/myself. Now I collect nail polish (don’t ask how many I have, there are too many to count) and my nails are always painted :)

3. I have always loved art and drawing, but prior to 2017 I hadn’t so much as picked up a pencil in 3 years. The inspiration for  it just...went away. It took a video game?? of all things to make me want to draw again. I’m out of practice, but I love finding joy in it again.

4. My Tumblr has been around for a few years, I only ever thought I’d use it to lurk (yes, I’m a lurker). For some reason last month I decided to start posting, not sure why, but it’s been fun so far!!

5. Fallout 4 is the first fandom I’ve actually participated in...ever.

OK, now for the tags. Obviously if you’ve already done this, or just don’t want to, no worries.

Tagging: @pickledpotato, @dreadbythesea, @rainbowpatterns, @belleroo, @zolamoonshadow and anyone else wants to

(quietly shushes anxiety that tells me I’ve tagged someone who doesn’t want to be or left someone out that wishes they were) Anyone else do this? Just me? OK.

[mrdaps]

DISNEY TWENTY-THREE EXPLORES PANDORA – THE WORLD OF AVATAR, OPENING THIS SUMMER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT  

THE CREATIVE MINDS BEHIND DISNEY’S NEWEST LAND GIVE DISNEY TWENTY-THREE AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE SPECTACULAR ADDITION TO DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

PLUS, EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH THE NEW CREW OF PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, THOR: RAGNAROK’S CHRIS HEMSWORTH, AND THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND CARS 3

  PRESS RELEASE: BURBANK, Calif. – May 1, 2017 – Disney twenty-three will take readers 4.4 light years away to visit the breathtaking Pandora – The World of Avatar. Opening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 27, this new land will transport guests into the epic creations first seen in James Cameron’s 2007 blockbuster, Avatar. Readers will set out on a behind-the-scenes look at Pandora with the creative team responsible for this unprecedented project, including Walt Disney Imagineering’s Joe Rohde, Cameron, and Avatar producer Jon Landau. “We didn’t build sets of all this stuff when we made the movie. It was all in a computer,” James Cameron remarked in an exclusive interview with Disney twenty-three. “So, to be able to walk around it in full-scale? It’s unfathomable. We’re literally on Pandora! I’m on Pandora! It was a pinch-me moment to ensure I was really awake and actually in the world we had created.”

In addition to the cover featuring Pandora – The World of Avatar, the summer issue, exclusively for Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, has a second, spine-tingling cover with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Javier Bardem and Kaya Scodelario reveal what it was like to join the Pirates crew, as they set sail on an all-new adventure with Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Orlando Bloom. Cars newcomer Cristela Alonzo talks about joining the high-octane franchise. And Chris Hemsworth shares what it’s like going head-to-head with Hulk in this fall’s Thor: Ragnarok.

Walt Disney Imagineering’s Steven Davison and Kim Irvine give readers a first look at the triumphant return of Fantasmic! and Disneyland’s Rivers of America; enjoy a tour of Duckburg with the creative team behind the upcoming reimagined DuckTales for Disney XD; and return to the beautiful art of Bambi in honor of its 75th anniversary year, created by Disney Legend Tyrus Wong and other influential Disney artists.

Also included in the summer issue of Disney twenty-three:

A tour of Golden Oak Ranch, one of Disney’s most storied filming locations

Popular Disney myths busted

A celebration of Disney’s most innovative films, attractions, and experiments

A toy-filled edition of “From the Desk of” as we tour John Lasseter’s office at Pixar Animation Studios

Regular features including A Walk with Walt, D Society, and Ask Dave

Plus, all D23 Gold Members will receive a Na’vi translator card featuring the Shaman of Songs, the character featured on the attraction Na’vi River Journey. This card is a collectible on its own and, when used with the Na’vi language translator device (available at Pandora this summer), will tell the guest how to say the words in the Na’vi language.

Disney twenty-three, which is delivered directly to fans’ doorsteps, is offered exclusively to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members as a benefit of their membership. The latest issue will begin arriving in mid-May.

About D23

The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($74.99), Gold Family Membership ($99.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

Disney Twenty-Three Explores Pandora – The World of Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Duckburg, Fantasmic!, and more! DISNEY TWENTY-THREE EXPLORES PANDORA – THE WORLD OF AVATAR, OPENING THIS SUMMER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT…

[staticid-blog]

My pandora stacking rings

I brought my pandora stacking rings daughter the Mickey Mouse petites and a locket and she said mum Pandora should make a locket shaped as Mickey Mouse. Kleio, I don't know if there is a dangle version of that adorable fish, but I can make out in one of Urban Diva's photos that the one button-style charm (I know these are not popular with everyone) with the turquoise enamel does indeed contain that same fish (with some additional pave details on the charm). I'm trying to figure out what is on the the button-style charm that appears to have some turquoise and pink pave. I'm thinking it could be two palm trees and a flamingo? As cute as they are I have found them difficult to style so they have spent most of their time in a plastic pouch. They are really great and so easy to tailor to your specific collection, especially if you can't get hold of the official Pandora boxes! Hi Judie, I have not noticed any scratching on my Essence beads - but then I don't wear them with the Moments bracelets very often these days. I wish so, because I won't add any button-like charms on my summer bracelet. Wonder what petite I should get? It will be my first, so I will give it a lot of thought. Do you think the 17 cm bangle would be too loose then? I am planning of wearing my Disney charms on it (so far Eeyore, Tink and the 2 castles).

MiscellaneousThis charm reminds me very much of a Pandora Essence charm, with its abstract, spherical design and the word ‘Sacrifice' written on it. I haven't used the service, but The Art of Pandora has used it, and says it works great. Here's a run down of some of the best Pandora-loving channels on YouTube. The rest of my purchases consisted of the Pink Sparkling Strands Bracelet, the Summer Fun charm, the new Green Cosmic Stars Clip, and two of the Clear CZ Shining Elegance Clips (which I bought because my leather bracelet recently pulled apart when I was taking off one of those silver stopper beads from Amazon as they can be tricky to take off the bracelet, so I'm now afraid to continue using those on my leathers but hate when my charms slide around). Nonetheless he is still cute, just that I'm getting more selective these days with charms. As nice as it is to celebrate Women's Day, I don't find the design of this charm particularly interesting, not in comparison with all the lovely Spring beads that we've got to look forward to pandora infinity ring in a week's time, so I think I'll pass on it for now. As usual, it can be difficult to make out the pieces in a lot of these shots, but I think weve got a rather comprehensive grounding as to what sort of thing we can expect this season, especially in terms of the Pandora Summer 2017 collection! I have never done the UK bracelet promo, I just always do the US/Canadian one as it works out so much better. I love how nice and casual it looks compared to my other charm bracelets - so I'm glad to hear that you like it too! My leather bracelets are all size medium.

I will be wearing my Wild Flower Tribute bead tomorrow as well - I also wear it on a red leather!I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the review - your ideas were a great read, as well! Thanks so much for commenting, Lisa! Aww... I'm sad to see that they are retiringall those gold murano beads. I have been wanting to get at least 2 but i haven'tbeen able to because they are so expensive. I willhave to save up to get them before they are gone.I have noticed they are retiring a lot of beautifulgold charms. Do you know if they are making newones to replace them? I sure hope they are notplanning to get rid of their gold pieces altogether. This murano does not have any bubbles inset into the glass, unlike the other Fizzle/Effervescent muranos. Yay! I absolutely know the feeling about not being to wait on launch day. Even if I'm waiting for a later GWP, I have to buy a little something to tide myself over. Today it was the Filled with Romance heart, which is gorgeous and (relatively :P) inexpensive! I would have bought the Wild Hearts murano but the store I went to didn't have it in it was the only thing missing from their shipment. I haven't heard of any widespread problems with, so hopefully they were just unlucky. Glad to hear you love yours - I can't wait to see it for myself! I am blown away! And not in a good way. I wrote a whole comment but decided not to post it because it was pretty bad. I will try instead to say something positive, like the orchid is very nice and will probably go on my wish list, even though I am not a pandora tiara ring fan of enamel. I wish they made an all silver version with just a little stone or enamel touch for the middle. The prices of the turtle, dolphin, and snake are really ridiculous though. I think Pandora is has some really greedy people in charge right now. I was in Pandora Heaven for a few minutes!!! Hi Rachelle! Yes, I've had many questions about that bead since posting it on Instagram etc. It seems like it would be a sure hit worldwide, so perhaps Pandora in Copenhagen will pick it up and think about doing a proper charm on those lineshaha, you're not crazy, it's just a very nice bead haha! Your idea for a design sounds lovely - it would go great with the existing globe, and be a nice contrast to it. You can feel better about it being your twentieth bracelet if I tell you that I hit twenty some time ago and haven't looked back haha! You’re very wise, Natalie! :P The number of times I’ve done a u-turn on pieces I thought I didn't want.

Reaction from fans when I first published my sneak peek of this charm was a bit mixed, which surprised me a little. I love the crown, where the abundance of pave makes design sense. My friend want to split the bill with me now. It's a shame that this wasn't on offer with the charm elsewhere. Not sure if I completely understood what you meant by the silicone rings - the black ones or the new clips and putting a cut in the silicone lining? Sounds interesting. Since I am not Canadian that is where it will stay! I guess I am lucky when I hear their prices are higher. At first I don't consider the Signature heart at all but I change my mind after I see it. The pearlescent Abundance of Love pandora flower ring spacer is gorgeous, and goes with just about anything. It looks especially nice when paired against the bolder pinks of the Wild Hearts murano and the In My Heart charm.I've added my In My Heart charm to my pink-and-blue bracelet, which you can see here in this shot from my sparkly new Instagram page. This is a more unusual colour combination for me, but I really like how it's turning out. Those Cinderella blues look great with so many different combos!

[sualkmedeiors]

SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer: Audio is Thriving Like Never Before

It’s been an eventful quarter for SiriusXM, attaining their highest ever quarter of revenue at $1.47 billion and their highest ever adjusted EBITDA at $589 million.

In the earning call SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer talked about adding 300,000 net new self-pay subs in the third quarter, Amazon partnership, Pandora Acquisition, Connected Vehicle initiatives paying off, and how it’s going with Automatic Labs, which they acquired last year.

SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer opening statement during 2018 Q3 Earnings Call:

Thrilled With Third Quarter Results

I can’t think of a more exciting time for all of us at SiriusXM and I’m thrilled with the results we were able to deliver in the third quarter.

With this momentum, I’m once again pleased to increase our guidance for 2018 subscribers, revenue and EBITDA growth. We are driving more subscribers through a bigger enabled fleet and maintaining our strong content lineup as you would expect us, both of which position the company for tremendous future success.

But we’re going even further with our proposed acquisition of Pandora Media, our investments in 360L, our next-generation in-vehicle platform and our vastly expanded push to drive engagement outside of the car with better streaming apps, including our new marketing agreement with Amazon.

Added 300,000 Net New Self-Pay Subscribers

SiriusXM added about 300,000 net new self-pay subs in the third quarter, similar to the level we attained in last year’s third quarter. We overcame the headwind inherent to a bigger base by achieving one of our lowest ever churn rates for any third quarter and our self-pay base now stands at 28.5 million subscribers with total paid subscribers reaching 33.7 million.

I’m thrilled we attained our highest ever quarter of revenue at $1.47 billion, our highest ever adjusted EBITDA at $589 million and our highest ever EBITDA margin, reaching 40% for the first time. We attained this margin by coupling strong revenue growth with equally impressive expense management.

Auto sales continued at a high level in the third quarter, with a SAAR of about 16.9 million and I’m hearing in my conversations with the OEMs, they expect solid numbers to finish out this year. Our OEM relationships remain strong. Since the start of the third quarter alone, we extended agreements with Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. As you might expect, with these OEMs and others, we are planning the future of our service in their vehicles well into the 2020s.

We are receiving higher penetration commitments at some OEMs, more firm 360L deployment schedules and in some cases, improved financial terms. Car buyers love SiriusXM and OEMs have recognized this by agreeing to prominently place us in the dash for many years to come.

Next year, we will make meaningful progress on additional 360L rollouts as we cycle into the 2020 model year. We prefer to let our OEM friends make their own announcements and I expect they will be doing that as we approach these higher deployments in the back half of 2020.

Making Tangible Progress with Connected Vehicle Services

A few years ago when SiriusXM began to invest in the connected vehicle services business, I told you it would be a marathon, not a sprint. And now, you can see us making tangible progress in ramping our CV services unit, which provides safety, security and convenience features to consumers at 12 different automotive brands. We are now achieving strong double-digit revenue growth here and seeing positive cash flow contributions from this business.

Several OEMs, including Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota, are ramping penetration of our CV services in their vehicles and we can’t be more thrilled at how this long-term investment is now paying off. This is yet another way that we also remain important to OEMs as they assess their entertainment and connectivity ecosystems.

At Automatic Labs, which we acquired last year, we have an aftermarket solution to enable smart services in almost any car on the road. And here, we are also following a very deliberate strategy. Automatic recently launched a new Dealer Program to significantly grow our distribution and it’s already live at several pilot dealerships. This program enables dealers to offer car buyers three years of free crash alert and connected main services as well as free premium services like roadside assistance for six months.

We expect dealers will recognize the opportunity to improve their long-term relationships with their customers and hopefully encourage repeat buyers. I’ve always been a student in the importance of a good distribution model. For years, the OEM market has served SiriusXM extremely well, first in the new channel, then in the used and significant growth opportunities still exist for us with the OEMs. But with the ubiquity of smartphones and the growing population of connected devices like smart speakers, enormous new opportunities to consume audio are being created.

Audio is Thriving Like Never Before

Audio is thriving like never before. This has created opportunities for many new businesses to flourish and for existing businesses like ours to evolve and grow in new directions. And let me reiterate, this is not a zero-sum game. The entire pie of audio consumption is actually growing. Clearly, we remain focused on extending our winning position in the vehicle, but we are also following through on our efforts to drive engagement and subscribers out of the car as well.

When SiriusXM’s existing subscribers use our service elsewhere, it’s bound to increase the value proposition and make our relationship stickier. And by deploying our unmatched content lineup across improved apps and ever more connected devices, we now have an opportunity to grow with customers who may want a subscription that isn’t tied to a vehicle.

There’s More to Come Between SiriusXM and Amazon

In June 2017, we first launched the SiriusXM Alexa skill set to enable our service on Amazon’s Echo devices. It’s clear to me that audio on these smart speakers just clicks. It works beautifully. We immediately found traction with hundreds of thousands of our subscribers rushing to use the service on Amazon’s devices via the easy-to-use Alexa’s voice interface.

As we began to contemplate a further push out of the car, part of our Bring Us Home campaign, we knew that collaborating with a skilled distributor like Amazon could drive a significant lift to our service outside of the car. And Amazon knows that diverse audio program is probably the biggest value driver today in the smart speaker universe.

Last week, we announced a new promotion that allows existing Echo owners to easily obtain a free trial of SiriusXM. We are also bundling a free third-generation Echo Dot with six months or greater service commitments to our streaming-only or All Access plans. We are thrilled to be working with a dynamic company like Amazon. And importantly, we’re not just present on their platform, but actively cooperating with them to cross-promote and market to their base.

I’ve always said I just want people to listen to our service wherever they want, however they want and it has to be easy. There’s more to come between SiriusXM and Amazon as we think of additional ways to extend this relationship. So, stay tuned.

Creating the Best Audio Programming Available

All of these efforts in technology and distribution would be for naught without our creative team, all of whom who work tirelessly for our subscribers, casting a wide net to capture and create the best audio programming available. We continue to launch specially created music channels from major artists that have proven to be a hit with our listeners such as Dave Matthews Band Radio. We presented fiery live performances just for subscribers like The Killers in the Hamptons, curated a special channel all summer long from The Beach Boys and then topped it off by reuniting them for the first time in years for a Town Hall in Hollywood.

We’ve added provocative talent in talk and sports with a daily show from CNN’s Chris Cuomo, where callers can reach him directly, a new show from Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, the return of Brett Favre’s very popular show on our NFL channel and we’ve added a new program highlighting women in sports.

And while we know that sports fans love us, we work harder than ever to get them closer to the teams they follow. For that, we have just launched two exclusive sports channels, SiriusXM Big Ten Radio, and SiriusXM Big 12 Radio, that will deliver fans and alumni across the country in-depth access to Big Ten and Big 12 focus sports, talk and news plus extensive live game coverage.

These channels join SiriusXM’s unparalleled lineup of college sports programming, which now features the all-college sports channel, ESPNU Radio, plus 24/7 channels focused on each of the Power Five athletic conferences, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. Quite honestly, with the result – with the recent addition of these conference channels, we dominate college sports coverage.

A Business That is Humming Along and Throws Off Cash

SiriusXM clearly has a great collection of content to match its excellence business model. The company’s high monetization and high variable margins let us make more and more cash flow as we grow bigger. This is a business that is humming along and it throws off cash in a highly predictable way that investors love and we continue to give that cash back to stockholders, $334 million of share repurchases in the third quarter plus nearly $50 million of dividends because after all, it’s your money.

Let me be crystal clear about this. Nothing is changing in our capacity or our commitment to continue making significant capital returns to our stockholders for years to come, but we’re also investing in future platforms, hiring talented data scientists and software developers and constantly seeking out new content our subscribers will love. All this we do and we’ll keep doing.

Goal is to Link Non-Converting Customers Back to Pandora

This quarter, I’m pleased we were able to make a much bigger step towards setting the future path of our company with our proposed acquisition of Pandora Media. Over the years, Pandora has built a huge user base of approximately 70 million Americans and scaled $1-billion-plus advertising business.

Over the past year, Roger Lynch and his team have taken important steps, so that Pandora’s business will thrive in the future. By sitting on the board for the past year, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about Pandora’s business and we have concluded we can do many things better together versus apart. Number one is the ability to cross-promote across the two platforms that could come from sharing of listening data and contact data.

In addition, at SiriusXM, we are running about 23 million trials in new and used cars this year. And the truth is the flip side of our conversion statistics will tell you that most people don’t want to pay for radio at the end of the day. I feel there is a strong opportunity if we can link non-converters back to a Pandora or maybe a Pandora with a bit more content in a way that makes our combined business bigger, better and more profitable. There are many ways we believe that one plus one will exceed two very quickly and we plan to give you additional color on that over the next few months.

Last Thursday, we filed for Hart-Scott approval of the Pandora acquisition. This morning, the go-shop period of our deal with Pandora expired uneventfully. We’re planning to get together and sharpen our pencils on our integration plan very soon. We and Pandora expect to file our S-4, which includes the proxy statement and prospectus with the SEC in the next few days as Pandora moves towards a stockholder vote later this year. We continue to expect to close in the first quarter.

Last week, while I was out in Oakland for a Pandora board meeting, I had the privilege of speaking with a large group of Pandora’s talented employees. It was fantastic to talk about our shared future, what we can do with all of our financial resources, vast troves of data, unmatched content, enormous user bases and some of the most talented people in radio and technology. I am confident that together, these two companies will be even stronger.

In the meantime, it’s full speed ahead at SiriusXM with a laser focus on reaching or exceeding our new higher 2018 guidance, exactly as you would hope and expect.

The post SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer: Audio is Thriving Like Never Before appeared first on WebProNews.

from https://www.webpronews.com/siriusxm-ceo-jim-meyer-audio-is-thriving-like-never-before/

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