#Really great job Blei!

[snoopctm]

CtM Thursday Thoughts

Call the Midwife Unite--Episode 8x08

Grand Finale 

Hey Nonnatuns! It’s a bittersweet occasion today--the very last Call the Midwife Unite! It’s been a great six weeks, and while in one way it’s sad that there won’t be any more, I’m so incredibly grateful to the entire CtM team and to everyone involved for this wonderful project and the weeks that we did get to join in and rewatch these episodes and hear from almost the whole cast as well as the executive producers. It’s been a great six weeks! Thank you to CtM and the Radio Times! Now, some thoughts about this week’s installment:

About the Episode

This is the most recent episode we’ve watched for CtM Unite, and it’s interesting reflecting on how much the cast has changed over the years. While six original cast members remain, all the rest have joined in series 4 or later. There have been a lot of changes over the years, but there are still some important things that haven’t changed, such as attention to detail, focus on women’s stories, and more. I think the newest additions to the cast, both nuns (Sisters Hilda and Frances) have fit into the show remarkably well, and their roles in this episode highlight the qualities that their characters bring to the show. Sister H’s work with Julie and her family, and Sister F’s role in the story with Val’s gran were important parts of what made this episode so moving. 

There were a lot of stories in this episode, but I think they blended together well. I do think the May story might have been better if it had been given more time, but it provided some memorable moments, concluding in a heartwarming moment at the dance.

I loved the bit of music that played during the father-daughter part of the dance. 

I’m reminded of how well built-up the whole abortion plot was this whole series. The resolution is both thought-provoking and heartwrenching.

Again, it was great to see the cast tweeting along with the fans while everyone was watching. I love the global aspect of this rewatch, and that everyone was watching at the same time no matter where they were in the world.

About the After-Show

This week’s after-show featured Linda Bassett (Phyllis) , Fenella Woolgar (Sister Hilda), Ella Bruccoleri (Sister Frances), and Annie Tricklebank (Executive Producer), hosted as usual by the Radio Times’ Eleanor Bley Griffitths, who has done an excellent job with the interviews every week. 

This week had a few technical issues, especially concerning Fenella’s dropping out of the call for the second half and not being able to get back in. Still, it was great to hear from her while she could participate. She provided some great insights into her role, and her story in this episode especially.

I loved hearing so much from Annie Tricklebank this week. She provided some great background information about how the show is put together. It was fun to learn how she had a key role in Linda’s casting on the show, and how nobody else was really considered for that role. 

I love the casting stories. It was great to hear the story of Linda’s casting from Annie’s side and Linda’s, as well as hearing from Fenella and Ella about their casting and what it was like to join the show so far into its run.

Also, I’ve included the image from the opening credits here because of Annie’s story about that particular picture, as well as about how they’ve assembled the opening sequences and the research done in providing the historical background for the show. These types of stories are fascinating and enlightening. 

I’m continually impressed with how clearly invested and passionate everyone involved with CtM is about the show, as well as how well everyone gets along. It really does seem like a family, no matter how long someone has been on the show. 

Overall, I’m so glad for this project, and for the fact that all the interviews are still on the Facebook page to rewatch whenever the fans want. This has been such a great opportunity to hear from so many of the cast and creative team. Also, the viewers provided some really great questions, as well! Thanks so much to everyone involved! This has been a great six week event!

[myupostsheadcanons]

Books “Read” in 2019

I am going to rank these by how much i enjoyed them vs. any actual literary quality. often well written books aren’t always the most entertaining books.

Note: i listen to many of these books at work, which is why i am able to go through so many of them in a year.

List from 2017 List from 2018

------- My Favs of the Year ----

Novels from The First Law:

Best Served Cold (#1), The Heroes(#3), Red Country(#4), Sharp Ends(#5).

A Little Hatred (#2) (Age of Madness, sequel to The First Law)

I read “The First Law Trilogy” about a year or two ago and finally got around to reading the rest of the books, just in time for a new series taking place in the same world to start up (Age of Madness) and now i am waiting like everybody else for the next two books to come out in 2020 and 2021. A Little Hatred shouldn’t be read as a stand alone, a lot of what goes on is dependent mainly on knowledge from the first trilogy and in The Heroes, then bits and pieces from Best Served Cold and Red Country. So much of your enjoyment of each book is based on what you’ve learned in other ones (character development or seemingly useless information being not so useless later).

Age of Legend (Book 4,  Legend of the First Empire)

This is more-or-less an “aftermath” book where the main characters are still reeling about what happened in the previous book and are trying to make plans for what they are going to do next. I still like the characters and the world/setting it takes place in.

House of Assassins (Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 2)

I’ve been waiting for the next book in this series to come out the second i finished the first book in the series. It is one of those Science fiction in the disguise of Fantasy settings and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see how that plot/revelation comes out (I am certain that the location the story takes place is Earth, more specifically around Asia/India, but in a post-invasion apocalypse setting where nobody remembers anything prior to the invasion). I also really like how much of a badass Ashok is... i have a thing for emotionally stunted badass characters, especially when their flaws are held up to a mirror and have real consequences.

R. R. Haywood’s Worldship Humility & Extinct (Extracted, Book 3)

I love the way Haywood writes characters and dialog. I was at-first iffy about WSH, but was won over after i warmed up to the new characters.

Shades of Magic Trilogy (A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Shadows)

Solid multi-verse and magic system world. Well-written characters, some minor nitpicks on plot points, but can be easily ignored. LGBTQ rep, the gays don’t stay buried.

“Don’t you have enough [knives]?” “You can never have too many.” [me, every time: LOL]

One of the few times when a character deserves a redemption arc, doesn’t really get one, dies, and i am perfectly fine with it because it is done well.

Assassin’s Fate (Fitz and the Fool, Book 3)

I read this one in book-book form, but i already knew most of the emotionally painful parts of the book by spoiling it to myself when it first came out a couple years ago. The main appeal is the inner monologues of the two main characters, even if like 50% of this trilogy is basically spending weeks/months trying to go from Point A to Point B, when many other books would have glossed over the details of travel.. but you can really feel the stress as they dwell in their thoughts and struggles.

Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles & Circe

Re-Imagining of the Iliad and The Odyssey. Focusing not on the characters of Achilles or Odysseus, but on Petroclus (Achilles’ lover) and Circe the sea nymph witch that Odysseus had an affair and child with.

The Spear of the Stars (Cycle of Galand, Book 5)

Still love Dante and Bleys... This is where they really get into the meat of world building and solving the mysteries of the Arawn Cycle (the book/bible) and peel back the layers of their reality.

Dust (Silo Book 3)

A great ending to a good series, it answers whether or not humanity can or has survived what had caused them to be locked away in the silos.

Blackthorn and Grim (Dreamer’s Pool, Tower of Thorns, Den of Wolves)

I like the premise of the books, the two main characters first seeking out revenge, but end up wanting to become better people due to magic shenanigans.... One part Fantasy, One Part Mystery, One Part Lovestory.

The Dispatcher (Audible Free Book) 

I want a whole series based off this novella. It is John Scalzi so he can write a good story. I had previously read Android’s Dream by him, which it didn’t make it into my top-10 that year, but was still decent, even if the subject matter was a bit gross... The Dispatcher world is a Sci-Fi Noir, not quite Cyberpunk, where people don’t die by anything other than natural causes. The Dispatcher’s job is to kill people before something goes does wrong and the person “resets” to when they where safe and sound.

---- this is the “Above Average” Zone ----

All the Pretty Horses & Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West

The master of bleak and depressing fiction. if regular Dark Fiction isn’t enough for you.... there is Cormac McCarthy books. Get use to the “purple prose” that fills up pages with no dialog.

The Golem and the Jinni

Supernatural world of the far past dealing with Edwardian New York and Immigration. It not only is a “fish out of water” story of the two main characters trying to fit in with society but they are among communities that are also new to America and trying to find their own place in the world. There are love subplots but most of those kind of fizzle out.

The Axe and the Throne: Bounds of Redemption Vol. 1.

“Discount First Law” book... it is lacking the dark humor that made TFL series far more entertaining.  This was also the book that was prefaced by warning people about how grim and dark the setting was... Hahahaha. I still found it entertaining none the less, and hope the rest would show up on audible soon.

Black Snow, White Crow (Audible Free Book) 

Another one of those short stories that should have a larger saga to its name. Fantasy Industrial Punk. It has the whole equality role reversal thing going on, it isn’t done quite as well as Left Hand of Darkness (but that book leaned onto the boring side of things).

Stephen King’s IT, Pet Semetary, and Carrie

It’s Stephen King. Classic King. Not much else to say.

Watership Down

Depressing Rabbit Book. Though I did like all the stories and mythology the rabbits had.

Bloody Acquisitions (Fred the Vampire Accountant, Book 3)

A series that is always fun to listen to. I wish the audio books were cheaper because they are rather short.

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike, Book 4)

shuddup, i don’t care if it is Rowling... i have a low-key crush on Cormoran.... he just hits that big-burly tragic-backstory man-shaped soft-spot of mine. These stories are also her “for adults” writings so...  expect more racism and garbage values.

The Eye of the World (Book 1, Wheel of Time)

Classic set up to a long running series, though i am reluctant to go further as the middling books in this series are said to drag out the story too much.... It’s not as self-centered as Wizard’s First Rule and the characters are more relatable and stick to their fantasy tropes. This is the “mold” that other modern fantasy try to subvert by going “darker and edgier.”

The Exorcist

If you like the movie, read the book. There is a lot of back story that the movie wasn’t able to adapt.

---- This is the “AVERAGE, but Still Good”  Zone ---

The Iliad and The Odyssey

Classics. I am still on the hunt for an unabridged version of Jason and the Argonauts story. I also have Virgil’s Aeneid in my wishlist to get too soon.

Phillipa Gregory’s Plantagonate Novels (The Lady of the Rivers, The Red Queen, White Queen, The Kingmaker’s Daughter)

Sometimes it is like reading the same book 5x in a row. other times you end up not liking the previous protagonist in a book you just finished reading because of how the current protagonist sees them from their POV.

Return of the King (Lord of the Rings, Book 3)

Read the other books last year and didn’t get around to this one for a few months.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Fuck... I’m a janitor... why can’t i afford a house?   If you liked Stephen King’s “IT” go back and read this book.

Alien Franchise Dramatizations: Alien: Sea of Sorrows, Alien: The Cold Forge (Audible Free Book) Alien III (Audible Free Book)

I don’t mind that they all are done with a full cast. Though often I end up wanting to find the actual book and listen to them with just one narrator and descriptions.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia, Book 1)

I would like to get the rest of the books in this series, but for books that are only 5-7 hours long they want 20$ a book for them. It needs to go into an omnibus.

Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets (Audible Free Book)

It’s Stephen Fry... he’s funny and a good narrator.

Wizard’s First Rule (Book 1, Sword of Truth)

I don’t like Richard. He started off alright, but even before he got tortured 2/3rds into the book, i was starting to dislike his personality.  Other than that, the side characters and world are solid, but it was like taking an R-rated movie and cutting it down for TV. There is somethings that are vaguely described when i am use to harder fiction like ASoIaF, The First Law, Dresden, and McCarthy books actually describing those things.

Halloween (2018, movie novel)

Like I said when i first read the book, it would’ve benefited by a second re-write before being published. But, i like the movie and so I liked the book.

Don Quixote

Another classic read. I did find it hilarious that the Author spent a good chunk of the second book complaining about Fanfiction of his own book... in the 1600′s.

The Princess Diarist

I listened this book instead of going to see TROS. worth it.

Smoke Gets in Your eyes: And other Lessons from the Crematorium

Non-Fiction, If you want to know the ins and outs of the funeral business and get told in an informative yet non-clinical way with lots of tidbits and history facts tossed in as well as a semi-autobiographical account of the Author’s life.

--- These Books are “Alright” ---

Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz books

I ligit got into an argument with a 70yo man in a comic book shop about how Canon the other Oz books were post Baum’s death. He was looking for Oz comic books and I brought up reading the first 14 books, and he’s like “There’s over 100 of them” and i was all “but all those are written by somebody else.” and he got all “they are still canon...” 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

If you want to know about the In//cel ideology in a classic literary form, this fits the bill. So much man pain.

A Christmas Carol (Tim Curry) (Audible Free Book)

Tim Curry, guys.....

The Poetic Edda (Norse God Mythology)

I listened this book twice. I bought two Edda books thinking I’d get some extra content, but no... same book just different production teams and readers. Returned the one with the worst translation.

Treasure Island (Audible Free Book, dramatization)

I need to read the actual book sometime, but i did like the cast and thought they did a good job.

Wally Roux, Quantum Mechanic (Audible Free Book)

A YA coming of age story about diversity and acceptance... with wacky science fiction. 

Carmilla (Audible Free Book, dramatization)

The vampire before Dracula. Victorian Lesbian love story.

Even Tree Nymphs get the Blues (Audible Free Book)

A novella from one of those “love on the Bayou” romance series with supernatural creatures. Could practically take place in the same world of either True Blood, Dresden, or Fred the Vampire Accountant.

Mystwick School of Musicraft (Audible Free Book)

Harry Potter lite. For 10yo girls.

A Grown-up’s Guide to Dinosaurs (Audible Free Book)

I like dinosaurs.

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

Interesting way on telling us about the Fossil Wars and Puma vs. Adidas.

True-Crime from Audible: Body of Proof (Audible Free Book),   Midnight Son (Audible Free Book), The Demon Next Door (Audible Free Book), Killer By Nature (Audible Free Book)

Why is True-Crime or YA fiction the only halfway-decent things Audible is giving us? But yeah, these are basically the type of reporting that the two journalists from Halloween were trying to do. Where they go around and gather up information about semi-famous cases and present it in a Podcast-like format.

---- Meh... ---

Camp Red Moon (Audible Free Book)

Would’ve been better if they were actually written by R. L. Stein.

More Bedtime Stories for Cynics (Audible Free Book)

No... half of these aren’t written very well.

The Darkwater Bride (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

The setting is nice, but it is far too .... Soap Opera Dramatic.

Junk (Audible Free Book)

A cross between Alien Invasion and Zombie outbreak, read by John Waters and written as if it was a bad version of a Philip K. Dick Novel.

Rip Off!! (Audible Free Book)

Most of them are duds and boring. I don’t even remember half of them without having to look them up. The two that stood out the most for me where the “Other Darren/Bewitched” and the “Dark and Stormy Night” stories, the rest were rather garbled.

--- Garbage... ---

Dodge and Twist (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

No, you are not being edgy or kool.

Unread:

Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth. Book 4)

Triumphant (Genesis Fleet, Book 3)

Earthsea (Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea, i am going to re-listen to the first three before i get to these)

Into the Wilds (Warriors, Book 1)

Pout Neuf (Audible Free Book)

House of Teeth (Audible Free Book)

Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons (Audible Free Book)

The Other Boleyn Girl (Phillipa Gregory)

[aaronbleyaert]

Hey, Bley. Hope you're doing well. I have a bit of a dilemma. In May, my friends and I decided that in mid-August we'd all move out to Colorado together (we're from Michigan). At the same time we made those plans, I had just started a new summer job. I ended up meeting a guy, hitting it off, and we've been dating for almost two months. I fly out to Colorado in a week, and he leaves for college this Friday. We want to do long-distance, we're just hesitant because...well, it's long-distance.

There’s this movie. It’s maybe my favorite movie of all time. If not, it’s certainly up there. And regardless, it’s one of the movies that I’ve seen the most in my life. It’s called “Kicking and Screaming”. No, it’s not the piece of shit Will Ferrell soccer movie - it’s a movie about these four guys and how they choose to spend the first year of their lives after college. It’s great. I can’t recommend it enough. One of the funniest, weirdest, and somehow most honest movies I’ve ever seen. 

At the end of the movie - and I’m going to spoil something for you, here - the main character, Grover, whose girlfriend moves to Prague after the first scene of the movie and he spends the entire movie missing her and not listening to her messages - Grover is dropping someone off at the airport, and suddenly has an epiphany: He’s going to finally, FINALLY go to Prague and see his girlfriend. It’s a big moment; he runs to the international flight counter, and tries to buy a ticket. The woman behind the counter tells him they’re all sold out. Undeterred, Grover gives a big speech - one he’s been working up to for the last year (and the last two hours we’ve been watching him) about how much he finally understands that he wants to go to Prague, how he needs to go to Prague, how he must go to Prague. The woman looks at her computer again. The tension builds. She smiles. She has a ticket. Grover, elated, pulls out his ID and a credit card. The flight leaves in an hour. He’s finally made a breakthrough. He finally is taking steps to make his life right. He is finally going to Prague. The woman asks for his passport.

He doesn’t have it.

Grover is devastated. We, the audience are devastated. The woman who works for the airlines is devastated. He doesn’t have his passport. He can’t go to Prague.

But then she says something. Something obvious, really: “You can always go tomorrow.” Grover smiles, and takes his ID back.

I’m going to say two things. 

1.) I don’t believe that long distance relationships are relationships. I’ve said this a hundred thousand times before, both on here and to people in real life. Some harsh Real Talk: I’ve missed out on a great relationship and an amazing woman because she lives in a different state. A LDR is just not something I think can happen (or rather, it can, but you have to have some sort of plan to eventually NOT live apart). So, yeah. Y’all ain’t living in the same state for the foreseeable future? Y’all ain’t goin be in a reelashunshep.

2.) “You can always go tomorrow.” Grover takes the entire movie to get to the point where he wanted to go see Jane in Prague. The reality? He didn’t really want to go to Prague. All Behavior is Purposeful, after all - if he wanted to visit her, he would have (and maybe he still does & will). There’s nothing stopping you two from seeing each other. Save up money. Visit when you can. Talk on the phone. Text. Send dirty pics (but never include your face, obviously). The reason why most long distance relationships don’t work is because most people, like me, are not willing to MAKE them work. So put in the work. If this guy is worth it, the feeling is mutual, and you two have a real connection, go for it. Don’t let the arbitrary rules of this sad old man stop you from chasing something that could be great. But be honest with yourself: Be self aware and cut it off if it’s not working. 

Put another way: If it takes you a year to work up the courage to go to Prague, you never really wanted to go to Prague.

[investmart007]

SEATTLE | Barbs for Bezos but Bill Gates largely admired in Seattle

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/usd29u

SEATTLE | Barbs for Bezos but Bill Gates largely admired in Seattle

SEATTLE — The Seattle region is home to America’s two richest men, but their local legacies to date represent two very different eras for the city.

While Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is blamed by some for rising rents and clogged city streets, Bill Gates is largely admired for helping lead the computing revolution and donating billions through his philanthropy.

The Microsoft co-founder’s legacy here includes opening the world’s largest private charity across the street from the Space Needle, creating housing for homeless families and supporting charter schools.

Microsoft was the first tech company to dramatically change the region’s economy as it grew quickly in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, Seattle is booming again with housing prices skyrocketing thanks to online retail giant Amazon’s explosive growth that has added tens of thousands of well-paid workers to the area.

Bezos has been a flashpoint in the tension that has come with success. The City Council recently passed — then quickly rescinded — a tax on large employers to combat homelessness, which Amazon opposed and successfully worked to strike down. A city councilwoman organized protests in front of Amazon buildings featuring people carrying “Tax Bezos” signs.

Meanwhile, Gates has largely escaped the criticism directed at Bezos and other tech leaders as Seattle loudly debates how to respond to the advantages and downsides of being the United States’ fastest-growing big city.

Observers say Gates benefits from being a local and the world’s leading philanthropist.

Margaret O’Mara, a historian and University of Washington professor, said Gates came from a prominent Seattle family, arising in the public eye at a time when there was less anxiety about online privacy.

“It’s a really, really different public persona,” O’Mara said. “He recognized the importance of this responsibility, this broader civic responsibility, that he had great power to be incredibly influential, to deploy his intellect and persuasive powers for good.”

Early on, there was some criticism that Gates and his company could be better corporate citizens as Microsoft blossomed. But thanks to the billions he now gives away each year, Gates has managed to shed his reputation as a laser-focused, sharp-elbowed tech billionaire, though his controversial philanthropic work focused on changing America’s school systems hasn’t gone unnoticed at home.

Microsoft has been headquartered in Seattle’s once-sleepy eastern suburbs since 1979. The company is seen as the game-changer that allowed the region to shed its infamous “Boeing Bust” 1970s-era recession when the aircraft manufacturer laid of tens of thousands of workers during an economic slump.

Amazon is far more visible near downtown since starting as an online book-seller in 1994. It emerged as one of the success stories from the 1990s dot-com boom and is now the city’s largest private employer with more than 45,000 workers. Bezos, who grew up in Houston, moved to Seattle to launch his startup in part because of Washington state’s favorable tax structure.

Amazon declined to comment on Bezos’ behalf.

Bezos — who in the past year surpassed Gates as the world’s richest person — recently hinted he too would take on philanthropy in a big way. He said on Twitter that he would announce his plans later this year. Locally, Bezos has been on the board of the Bezos Family Foundation that is run by his parents, which focuses on education nationally.

In January, Bezos also personally gave $33 million in college scholarships for young immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. He hasn’t signed The Giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Gates encouraging billionaires to commit to giving away most of their wealth.

Where Bezos has been criticized for not being present enough, Gates’ nonprofit since 2000 has dedicated resources to helping local community issues. Food banks and domestic violence victims’ assistance are among the modestly funded and lesser-known work of the powerful, globally focused Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates is also credited with delivering a Washington state charter school law through campaign contributions and his foundation’s support of the movement.

David Bley, who leads the foundations’ Pacific Northwest unit, said his team is the only one that functions in a more typical family foundation fashion by giving to local causes.

Officially, just 1.5 percent — or almost $70 million — of the $4.6 billion the foundation gave away in 2016 benefited the needy in the Puget Sound region and Washington state, according to the foundation’s annual report.

The Gates Foundation estimates it contributed $1.5 billion into the Seattle economy in 2015. It reports supporting 9,100 local jobs, including 1,200 people at the foundation itself and many more at Seattle-based organizations doing global work. For example, it gave about $270 million to six local organizations in one four-year span as part of its goal to eradicate malaria worldwide, which in turn fuels Seattle’s biotech and health research sector.

Still, Gates is not without local critics. One thing the hometown hero can’t escape is his national reputation as the leading funder of U.S. education reform. Some of the controversial ideas he’s prioritized have floundered in the state over the years.

Washington state defied federal authority when it refused in 2014 to use test scores in teacher evaluations. The concept of tying teacher performance to student test scores was part of a signature Gates initiative but was vehemently opposed by teacher unions.

Gates also gave millions to pass a state charter school law after it failed three times at the ballot. He’s had a hand in supporting each of the state’s 12 privately run, publicly funded schools even though the law is still being challenged in the courts after its narrow 2012 approval.

“Teaching in the shadow of Bill Gates is, I think, a very ominous experience because we know that his foundation is organized around the principal of privatizing our schools, of getting rid of the very institutions that we’re working in,” said Jesse Hagopian, a Seattle high school teacher and Gates critic.

Teachers have also protested at the foundation’s Seattle headquarters over his national schools agenda. The Gates Foundation has said it has an “up-and-down” relationship with Seattle Public Schools. The district wouldn’t comment on the matter.

The foundation said it’s unapologetic about the urgency it feels is needed to transform school systems that consistently leave behind poor and minority kids.

“We’re a funder. We’re not government. They have way more money. They have authority,” Bley said. “We only have influence and catalytic amounts of money to help people try out new things.”

By SALLY HO ,Associated Press

[creationsitewebnice]

CO: Denver International Airport is Working to Become a Destination — with Ice Skating and Goat Yoga — In and of Itself

Jan. 21–On any given day at this Denver landmark, there could be goat yoga, ice skating, beer tasting, live music and fine art.

You might even meet former Broncos quarterback and Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning.

This isn’t some all-inclusive Rocky Mountain vacation or a VIP state tour. It’s Denver International Airport — and in some ways, airports the world over — in the year 2018.

Air travel is surging globally, and DIA and other airports that are spending billions of dollars to lure more flights and revenue are also embracing far-flung ideas designed to make passengers feel less like cattle and ease the stress of flying.

"Airports have changed," said Stacey Stegman, DIA’s vice president of communications, marketing and customer service. "It’s a competitive field for airports. It’s not like … we’re competing for local people to fly out of Denver. We know that we are their hometown airport. But what we are seeing is we compete for people who are connecting, we compete trying to get more flights here. If we’re offering things that are exceptional and more fun, that makes us more appealing."

In the past three or four years, airports around the world have been boosting their amenity offerings — from miniature horse therapy at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, to the movie theater at Portland International Airport in Oregon and nature trails and a planned indoor forest at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

DIA and other airports are busy — and getting busier

More than 60 million travelers started, continued or ended trips at DIA last year, the airport’s busiest ever. And worldwide, air passenger traffic in 2029 is expected to be double what it was three years ago, the Airports Council International says.

Add to that shrinking seat sizes aboard airplanes and more fees, and that’s where stress-reducing amenities can make a difference.

"Having things like a pet pig or a llama, those things give a humanity to the airport and to the travel experience," said Michael Taylor, who analyzes passenger satisfaction for J.D. Power. "Today there is just so many people going through airports — every airport sets a new record each month. There’s just more of a crush of people and the more you can introduce a human element and treat people like humans, that helps with the experience."

DIA and the "art of airporting"

DIA officials say these extras are also a way to lure new airlines and flight routes, create incentives for passengers to connect through Denver and even attract local residents who aren’t getting on a plane.

"Our primary focus is on passengers first," said Stegman. "We want to make sure we are meeting their needs. But if we can be great for the community as well and be a place where they want to come and spend time, that’s a good thing for Denver, and for the whole region."

DIA even has a catchphrase for this all-things-to-everyone approach: "The art of airporting."

These initiatives helped North American airports reach an all-time high in overall passenger satisfaction, according to a 2017 J.D. Power survey of more than 34,000 passengers. Denver ranked fifth among U.S. airports that have 32 million or more passenger visits a year, according to the survey, behind Orlando, Detroit, Las Vegas and Phoenix. (Newark’s Liberty International Airport was at the bottom of that list.)

Grooming another customer: The one who isn’t flying

But in Denver, air travelers aren’t the only people who’ve taken notice of the changes. According to DIA, about 20 percent or more of people who attend special events — such as beer tastings and the temporary ice skating rink — aren’t even there to fly.

Two days after New Year’s Day, DIA’s skating rink outside the Westin Hotel was booming, even at midday.

Lisa Hillman, of Denver, was there with her two sons for their second recent visit. They had no flight to catch but decided it was worth the 20-minute drive from home.

"We thought it was kind of odd at first to come ice skating at the airport," she said as her boys laced up their skates. "But I think the way they have set it up is really nice."

All of these things, of course, come at some cost: The ice rink came in at about $150,000, a limited run for goat yoga cost some $7,100 and uniforms for the Canine Airport Therapy Squad run roughly $130 a piece.

Those tabs are minuscule compared with DIA’s planned $1.5 billion gate expansion and $162 million operations and maintenance contract for the airport’s underground trains. Those are on top of a $650 million terminal building renovation that will significantly change the campus’ layout.

But airport officials say the amenities can more than pay for themselves and note that they are covered by revenues, not tax dollars. For instance, the ice rink had paid sponsorship and goat yoga, DIA officials say, had a $1 million-plus media value.

And the therapy dogs? DIA officials say you can’t put a price on relieving passenger stress.

"You’re definitely seeing a trend across the broader airport community," said Scott Elmore, vice president of communications and marketing for Airports Council International — North America.

DIA’s amenities convey a "sense of place"

Elmore’s trade industry group, of which DIA is a member, recently did a survey of airport amenities and found a sharp rise in recent years. At the top of the list were nursing rooms for new mothers and pet potty areas (Denver’s airport has both.)

"Each airport is going to be doing things that show off their unique sense of place," he said. "The one thing I can say about Denver is they do a great job of showing off what it feels like to be in the Denver area without having to leave the airport."

That includes the booming Root Down restaurant in Concourse C, plans for a Denver Central Market and even a popup business called Yoga on the Fly, where travelers can get a quick zen fix.

"We’ve been really well received," said the yoga shop’s owner, Avery Westlund.

The all-volunteer therapy dog squad might best capture Denver’s character, though, with nearly 100 canines (and one cat) it’s become the largest such airport program in the nation.

Gretchen Dirks’ young poodle Halston was a big attraction as passengers made their way through Concourse A on Jan. 3. As a wave of people stopped to say hello — "Can I touch him?" asked a Mexico City-bound man — Dirks remembered a time when the dog calmed a toddler on the brink of a meltdown.

"It’s a great way to kind of give back," Dirks said.

Popular In the Community

Sponsored

Sponsored

Trump’s immigration comments and questions of racism (7 letters)

Allen E

10h

Calling the current occupant of the White House a racist is neither a distraction, nor an unfair assessment. He has, since a very young age, made his feelings known. The book entitled Trump Revealed did an admirable job of describing his unwillingness to allow blacks working in certain administrative functions, his unwillingness to rent to blacks, and his frequent characterizations of black as being inferior.

Democrats, GOP try to dodge blame for shuttered government

Mcs Vette

18h

Problem is… Democrats can’t evade from the fact that this was only done to protect Illegals… EVERYONE in the world knows this.. They are selling out their country for illegals is treasonous…

Democrats were wrong to go public with Trump’s language

Jason Patron

2d

Trump was wrong to use the language. The end.

Trump campaign ad calls Dems "complicit" in officers’ deaths

snarkee

5h

Trump is right, the Dems will have blood on their hands.Or should I say more blood, since they have been coddling and protecting illegals for decades.How refreshing to have a president who actually puts Americans first.

Trump’s love of tabloid gossip complicates his denial of affair allegations with Stormy Daniels

Pablo Meelar

12h

One look at that Uglyugly porn star proves Trump wouldn’t get within a mile of that. Get real.

Federal shutdown enters Day 2 amid blame game on both sides

Derpver

7h

99% of the blame belongs to Democrats, who care only about Illegal Aliens and themselves, and not American citizens.

Michael Malone wants Denver Nuggets’ offense to return to up-tempo style

Mathlete

1h

Get back to? Malone obviously hasn’t established his philosophy within the team’s culture. The reactionary approach and daily excuses for underachieving have gotten very old. If fans are weary of the message, just think of how weary the players must be of the message.

In spending fight, Republicans embrace Trump’s hard-line stand on immigration

jgd777

10h

Unbelievable! We have a political party willing to shutdown the government and punish the military and their families in order to protect a group of illegal aliens. Shameful is what that is. Watching the funding for innocent child come to an end, strictly for political reasons. If the Democrats want open borders and allow just anybody and everybody to come and mooch off American citizens, then just say so. Put that in your political platform and run on it,, but don’t try behind the lie you are just being compassion. Democrat could care less about the DACA individuals as people they see them as necessary voters in the future. PERIOD!

Denver Public Schools announces delayed start for Monday, multiple crashes on I-25

eCurmudgeon

3h

Alternate headline: People in Colorado Lack Proper Winter-Driving Skills.

Democrats, don’t veer left if you want to win

peterpi

1d

Says the rigid conservative.

Highlands Ranch student bites into Tide pod during school after online challenge goes viral

eCurmudgeon

21h

Charles Darwin was unavailable for comment.

DIA reporting more than 180 flight cancellations as a result of Sunday snow

windbourne

6h

For this little bit of snow? Give me a break.

120 turn out to protest Planned Parenthood clinic that organizer calls frontline of anti-abortion battle

Barry Bley

1d

Don’t like cannabis? Don’t use it.Don’t like abortion? Don’t have one.MYOB, busybodies.I have 4 daughters and two granddaughters of child bearing age, and it’s none of your business what the future of their pregnancies might be.

Why Electoral College trumps national popular vote plan (2 letters)

peterpi

58m

Spot on, Mr. Oyler! Intellectually dishonest describes what the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is.The NPVRC’s proponents want to do an end run rather than work hard and persuade 2/3rds of both houses of Congress and 3/4ths of the states to approve the popular vote, .I’m in favor of the popular vote, but I understand the history of the 1787 constitutional convention, the wrangling between the small-population states and the large-population states, and the grand compromise that emerged. The debate between small states and large states continues to this day, and the small states’ concerns are valid, IMO.If I’m doing my math right, there have been 57 presidential elections since the US Constitution was ratified. Of those elections, Wikipedia says in only 4 elections (1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016) has the popular vote differed from the electoral vote. That’s less than 10%.The fact liberals don’t like Trump is no reason to play fast and loose with the rules.Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both knew the electoral college ground rules. They both had seasoned advisors. If Trump’s campaign picked up more but smaller states and Clinton picked up fewer but larger states, and Trump won, that’s the way the game was played. Perhaps Clinton should not have considered her blue firewall to be so solid.Maybe advocates of the popular vote for president consider theirs to be a losing cause, and therefore want an end run. I’d suggest they simply fight harder in 2020.

Stronger together: More than 50,000 show solidarity against a shifting culture during Women’s March 2018

Gerald Brindamour

20h

I’m sorry, did something happen today?

___ (c)2018 The Denver Post Visit The Denver Post at www.denverpost.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Source Article

Read full post at: http://www.creation-site-web-nice.com/co-denver-international-airport-is-working-to-become-a-destination-with-ice-skating-and-goat-yoga-in-and-of-itself/

[aaronbleyaert]

Bley, as a guy who has been on a couple of dating sites, what do you look for? I find myself not have traction and I'm wondering if it's just me, my job(strong woman in a job that normally male dominated) , or is dating online just not for me?

I get on and off them like some sort of lunar cycle. Right now I’m back on. It’s a nightmare. It’s depressing. It’s the worst. And it’s also, no surprise, horribly addicting. 

But maybe you’re right: Maybe it’s not for you. It’s certainly not for everybody.

I dunno, dude. What attracts me to people on the apps? Sometimes it’s looks, sometimes it’s a funny costume, sometimes it’s a witty written bio. Sometimes it’s just that they’re from the Midwest or went to the same school as me. 

I’ll tell you what gets me most excited, though: Someone who’s DIFFERENT.

Someone who has written witty things on their profile is like a fucking breath of fresh air. And if they look like an actual fun human being? Pssssssh. I can’t swipe right hard enough.

Granted, LA is full of douches - both men (including myself) and women - so the app game out here is probably pretty different than wherever you are. But here are some things I see a LOT that I am really sick of seeing - and by the way, I have TERRIBLE luck at this stuff, and have been single for like the past 4 years, so take all of this stuff with a huge grain of salt. I am not, in any way, god’s gift to 1.) dating, 2.) women, or 3.) any dating app. 

That said, here’s shit that gets an immediate left swipe from me:

Stuff in bios:

“I’m a unicorn”

“I’m looking for a partner in crime”

“Haters to the left”

“I just love to travel” (or they exhaustively list everywhere they’ve been)

“I love wine/pizza/the outdoors/the beach/going on adventures/any other obvious shit that everyone loves”

“People tell me that everybody lies on here, so… I invented post-it notes”

“I can drink/eat/do X more than you/better than you” (Congratulations?)

“I just swiped you for your dog” (You want to have sex with my dog?)

“I enjoy every day to the fullest” 

If the bio is all emojis

If the bio is just a quote (that isn’t some sort of joke)

If there’s no bio at all (only boring people have nothing to say, kids)

If they are really into religion (I don’t hate on people who are religious in any way, I’m just not a religious guy so I swipe left because I would only disappoint them)

Special Mention: If there is any paraphrasing or permutation of the Marilyn quote “If you can’t handle me at my worst you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best”, I not only swipe left as fast and hard as possible but also make a silent wish for you to get caught in a fire.

And oh my god - everyone’s photos are the fucking same. EVERYONE’S. It’s the worst. Here’s a bunch of photo shit I swipe left on:

If the profile has MORE THAN ONE photo of: 

A headshot, a headstand, any kind of yoga (unless they’re a yoga teacher), a gym photo, a photo at Burning Man, a photo performing onstage, a photo at a wedding, a photo of them on a red carpet, or more than one photo of them doing something “crazy” (I don’t need to see that you went skydiving, went snowboarding, went surfing, AND went to a lion preserve all in one fucking profile. Just pick your favorite photo of something cool and leave the rest for drinks.)

Any photo of them with a celebrity

Any photo with an award (that isn’t some sort of joke)

If they are LAUGHING SO HARD IN ALL THEIR PHOTOS OMG U GUYS LOOK HOW MUCH I LOVE TO LAUGH HA HA HA I DO IT WITH MY WHOLE MOUTH WIDE OPEN LIKE SOME SORT OF FUCKING HUMAN/SHARK HYBRID 

A photo of someone in great shape eating a piece of pizza/a donut/some ice cream proving that they’re “just a regular person who eats pizza/donuts/ice cream so don’t worry I’m soooo normal hahaha!” 

If all the photos are from the same angle (this tells me that you are 100% either a murderer or are very possibly hiding a horrible Two-Face style facial burn which isn’t even a dealbreaker for me so you might as well show it off)

If the first photo is more than one person, or - and this happens all the time - if every photo is a group photo?! I shouldn’t have to cross reference your photos CSI style to find out who you are.

Also, and this is specific to LA, but anyone who has a photo in front of the Angel City Brewery Wings or the LACMA streetlights…. That’s a left swipe. (Which is basically one in three LA photos.)

And one last thing: When we match and she sends me naked pics BEFORE WE EVEN MEET, I am out. That’s an unmatch. Don’t do that. You might think it’s cool… It’s not cool. Guys also do not like getting whatever the female equivalent to a dick pic is. (A flap pic?)

***

Now look: I know that this post makes me come off as an asshole. And you’re right: I am an asshole. A sad, lonely, forever single, asshole. If you ever see my profile on a dating app, you’ll have a good laugh; My shit is terrible. It’s awkward. Cringe inducing. Sad. And so many other adjectives that all equate to me dying alone.

But regardless, do me a favor and don’t do any of the above things. Okay? Just don’t. Please. Be different! There’s no need to try so hard to get matches - the whole point of dating apps is to find someone to date, right? So your profile should represent the real you. The true you. Not who the rest of the herd is, or someone who you think you should be. What’s the point of trying to be somebody else? If you end up dating someone, your partner will find out who you are anyway, and the jig will be up. The reason why I hate everything on the above lists is because it always feels like those are people who are trying to be like everyone else - or worse, people who feel like they need to pretend to be to get guys to like them. Maybe I’m off base here, but that’s just how it comes off to me.

Put your best foot forward, sure - but also realize that (at least for me), the weird & interesting stuff about you is also what’s most attractive. The flaws are what make the diamond unique. So be yourself. Always. And don’t be afraid to let whatever dating profile you make reflect that. 

(Unless you’re me, of course… Because “being myself” never turns out well). 

[aaronbleyaert]

Hey Bley, I've been watching the streamings you've been making from there in Mexico so far and they're amazing! Just want to say that you're doing a great job. Please, keep them coming! Have fun in there! Can't wait to watch the whole episode!

Thanks so much! We’re having an absolute blast down here - everyone has been incredibly nice, the food is amazing, and we’ve been shooting some really great stuff. I’m super excited for you guys to see this episode! It’s gonna be a fun one.