#Richard Hugh Fisk

[deadpresidents]

You used to list the books you've been reading every few weeks but I haven't seen a post like that in a minute. Anything good that you've been reading?

It has been a long time since I last posted one of those lists of recent reads -- probably about six months, so I'm not going to list everything I've read since then. And I don't remember exactly what I included last time, so hopefully I don't double-dip.

•Martin Van Buren: America's First Politician [2024] by James M. Bradley (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) If you want to make me happy, just publish a new book about one of America's more obscure Presidents. And in December 2024, we got a new biography of Martin Van Buren with fresh research from sources not previously available to earlier biographers, resulting in an updated, comprehensive book about Van Buren that now becomes one of the definitive biographies of our eighth President.

•Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents [2024] by Nigel Hamilton (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) I'm also an easy mark for books about Jefferson Davis -- not out of any sort of affinity for him or the Confederacy, of course -- but just because of his unique place in history as an American President who also wasn't really an American President (although, technically, he was.) Throw Lincoln into the mix and you don't have to sell me very hard on this book.

•Night of Power: The Betrayal of the Middle East [2024] by Robert Fisk (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) I wish Fisk had lived to write about the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it doesn't require much imagination to know what he would have thought about it: he wrote honestly, critically, and with deep understanding about the subject for 40+ years while reporting from the heart of the struggle in the Middle East.

•The Garfield Orbit [1978] by Margaret Leech and Harry J. Brown (BOOK)

•The World and Richard Nixon [1987] by C.L. Sulzberger (BOOK)

•John Lewis: A Life [2024] by David Greenberg [2024] (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Land Between the Rivers: A 5,000-Year History of Iraq [2024] by Bartle Bull (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare On How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall [2023] by Eliot A. Cohen (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•A Very Personal Presidency: Lyndon Johnson in the White House [1968] by Hugh Sidey (BOOK)

•The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis [2024] by Michael W. Higgins (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The President: A Minute-by-Minute Account of a Week in the Life of Gerald Ford [1975] by John Hersey (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Lone Star: The Life of John Connally [1989] by James Reston Jr. (BOOK)

•The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky [2024] by Simon Shuster (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great [2024] by Rachel Kousser (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family -- Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth [1992] by Gene Smith (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire [2002] by Tom Chaffin (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders: Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps [2024] by Jonn Elledge (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Eisenhower For Our Time [2024] by Steven Wagner (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy [1996] by Robert D. Kaplan (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat [1983] by Ryszard Kapuściński [Translated by William R. Brand & Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand] (BOOK)

•A Heartbeat Away: The Investigation and Resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew [1974] by Richard M. Cohen and Jules Witcover (BOOK)

•American Roulette: The History and Dilemma of the Vice Presidency [Revised & Updated, 1972] by Donald Young (BOOK)

•Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States [2024] by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Formation of the UAE: State-Building and Arab Nationalism in the Middle East [2024] by Kristi Barnwell (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Iranian-Saudi Rivalry Since 1979: In the Words of Kings and Clerics [2023] by Talal Mohammad (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned [2024] by John Strausbaugh (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

[dalekofchaos]

Raimiverse fancast

My fancast for an expanded Raimiverse fancast

Only recasting Venom since Topher was just not Venom. He wasn't.

Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane Watson

Sadie Sink as Spider-Girl/Mayday Parker

James Franco as Harry Osborn/New Goblin

Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy

Rosemary Harris as Aunt May Parker

JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Bill Nunn as Robbie Robertson

Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant

James Cromwell as Captain George Stacy

Gina Torres as Jean DeWolff

Glenn Close as Madame Webb

Joe Manganiello as Flash Thompson/Agent Venom

Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin/Norman Osborn

Alfred Molina as Doc Ock/Otto Octavius

Thomas Hayden Church as Sandman/Flint Marko

Skeet Ulrich as Venom/Eddie Brock

Matthew Lillard as Carnage/Cletus Cassidy

John Malkovich as The Vulture/Adrian Toombs

Anne Hathaway as Black Cat/Felicia Hardy(I know Raimi originally intended for her to be Vulture's daughter and the She-Vulture, but that was dumb)

Dylan Baker as The Lizard/Curt Connors

Bruce Campbell as Mysterio/Quentin Beck

Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk

Arnold Vosloo as Scorpion/Mac Gargan

Ben Foster as Electro/Max Dillon

Kevin Grevioux as Tombstone/Lonnie Lincoln

Jackie Chan as Mister Negative/Martin Li

Keanu Reeves as Dr. Michael Morbius

Doug Jones as Chameleon

Matthew McConaughey as Hydro Man

Due to tumblr's bullshit 30 photo limit, cann't post anymore

Ben Stiller as Shocker

Russell Crowe as Kraven the Hunter

Vinnie Jones as The Rhino/Aleksei Sytsevich

Brad Douriff as Hobgoblin/Roderick Kingsley

Daniel Day-Lewis as Iron Man/Tony Stark

Brad Pitt as Captain America/Steve Rogers

Karl Urban as Thor Odinson

Eric Bana as The Hulk/Bruce Banner

Milla Jovovich as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

Paul Walker as Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Kurt Russell as Nick Cage

Ewan McGregor as Ant-Man/Hank Pym

Natalie Portman as Wasp/Janet Van Dyne

Rachel Weisz as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff

Jake Gyllenhaal as Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff

Denzel Washington as Black Panther/T'Challa

Charlize Theron as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Cuba Gooding Jr. as War/Machine/James Rhodes

Hugh Jackmas as Wolverine

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey

James Marsden as Cyclops/Scott Summers

Halle Berry as Storm/Ororo Munroe

Ioan Gruffudd as Mr Fantastic/Reed Richards

Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman/Sue Storm

Chris Evans as Human Torch/Johnny Storm

Michael Chiklis as The Thing/Ben Grimm

Laurence Fishburne as Silver Surfer

Oded Fehr as Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange

Ben Affleck as Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Jennifer Garner as Elektra

Thomas Jane as The Punisher

Terry Crews as Luke Cage

Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider

Jim Carrey as Loki Laufeyson

Jude Law as Ultron

Ron Pearlman as Thanos

Ian McKellan as Magneto

Julian McMahon as Dr Doom

Rufus Sewell as Baron Mordo

[incrediblyfastfilms]

INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS (1978) written by W.D. Richter (from the novel by Jack Finney) produced by Robert Solo directed by Philip Kaufman starring Donald Sutherland Brooke Adams Leonard Nimoy Jeff Goldblum Veronica Cartwright Art Hindle cinematography by Michael Chapman edited by Douglas Stewart music by Danny Zeitlin

JAWS (1975) written by Carl Gottlieb (from the novel by Peter Benchley) produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown directed by Steven Spielberg starring Roy Scheider Robert Shaw Richard Dreyfus Lorraine Gary Murray Hamilton Carl Gottlieb cinematography by Bill Butler edited by Verna Fields music by John Williams

E r a s e r h e a d (1977) written, directed and produced by David Lynch starring Jack Nance Charlotte Stewart Allen Joseph Jeanne Bates Judith Roberts Laurel Near Jack Fisk cinematography by Frederick Elmes Herbert Caldwell edited by David Lynch sound design by Lynch w/ Alan Splet special effects by Lynch w/ Frederick Elmes

P s y c h o (1960) written by Joseph Stefano (from the novel by Robert Bloch) directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Anthony Perkins Vera Miles John Gavin Janet Leigh Martin Balsam Simon Oakland cinematography by John L. Russell edited by George Tomasini music by Bernard Hermann

A L I E N (1979) written by Dan O'Bannon (story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Sushett) directed by Ridley Scott produced by Gordon Carroll David Giler Walter Hill starring Tom Skerritt Sigourney Weaver Veronica Cartwright John Hurt Harry Dean Stanton Yaphet Kotto Ian Holm cinematography by Derek Vanlint edited by Terry Rawlings music by Jerry Goldsmith

John Carpenter's The THING (1982) written by Bill Lancaster (from the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell) directed by John Carpenter produced by David Foster Lawrence Turman Wilbur Stark starring Kurt Russell A. Wilford Briley T.K. Carter David Clennon Keith David Richard Dysart Charles Hallahan Peter Maloney Richard Masur Donald Moffat Joel Polis Thomas Waites cinematography by Dean Cundey edited by Todd Ramsay music by Ennio Morricone

The Exorcist (1973) written by William Peter Blatty (from his novel) directed by William Friedkin produced by William Peter Blatty Noel Marshall David Salven starring Ellen Burstyn Max Von Sydow Jason Miller Lee J. Cobb Jack MacGowran Kitty Winn Mercedes McCambridge Linda Blair cinematography by Owen Roizman edited by Norman Gay Evan Lottman music by Jack Nitzche "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield

R e p u l s i o n (1965) written by Roman Polanski Garard Brach screenplay adaptation by David Stone directed by Roman Polanski produced by Gene Gutowski starring Catherine Deneuve Ian Hendry John Fraser Peter Wymark Yvonne Furneaux cinematography by Gilbert Taylor edited by Alastair McIntyre music by Chico Hamilton

THE SHINING (1980) written by Diane Johnson Stanley Kubrick (from the novel by Stephen King) directed by Stanley Kubrick produced by Stanley Kubrick w/ Jan Harlan starring Jack Nicholson Shelley Duvall Danny Lloyd Scatman Crothers Barry Nelson Philip Stone Joe Turkel cinematography by John Alcott edited by Ray Lovejoy music by Wendy Carlos Rachel Elkind

Night of the Living Dead (1968) written by John Russo George A. Romero directed by George A. Romero produced by Karl Hardman Russell Streiner starring Duane Jones Judith O'Dea Karl Hardman Marilyn Eastman Keith Wayne Kyra Schon Judith Ridley cinematography by George A. Romero (uncr.) edited by George A. Romero (uncr.) Hugh Daly

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) written by James V. Hart (from the novel by Bram Stoker) directed by Francis Ford Coppola produced by Francis Ford Coppola Charles Mulvehill Fred Fuchs Michael Apted Robert O'Conner starring Gary Oldman Winona Ryder Anthony Hopkins Keanu Reeves Cary Elwes Richard E. Grant Billy Campbell Sadie Frost Monica Belluci Tom Waits cinematography by Michael Ballhaus edited by Anne Goursaud Glen Scantlebury Nicholas C. Smith music by Wojciech Kilar

TWIN PEAKS fire walk with me (1992) written by David Lynch Robert Engels (from the television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost) directed by David Lynch produced by David Lynch Mark Frost Gregg Fienberg Johanna Ray John Wentworth starring Sheryl Lee Ray Wise Moira Kelly Grace Zabriskie Chris Isaak Kiefer Sutherland David Lynch Miguel Ferrer Harry Dean Stanton David Bowie Michael J. Anderson Frank Silva Al Strobel Jurgen Prochnow Dana Ashbrook James Marshall Frances Bay Catherine E. Coulson Kimberly Ann Cole Walter Olkewicz Lenny Von Dohlen Madchen Amick Peggy Lipton Julee Cruise Kyle Machlachlan cinematography by Ron Garcia edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

Let the Right One In (2008) written by John Ajvide Lyndqvist (from his novel) directed by Tomas Alfredson produced by Frida Asp starring Kare Hedbrant Lina Leandersson Per Ragnar Henrik Dahl Ika Nord cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema edited by Tomas Alfredson Dino Jonsater music by Johan Soderqvist

W A R of the W O R L D S (2005) written by Josh Friedman David Koepp directed by Steven Spielberg produced by Kathleen Kennedy Damian Collier Paula Wagner Colin Wilson starring Tom Cruise Tim Robbins Dakota Fanning Miranda Otto Justin Chatwin Amy Ryan cinematography by Janusz Kaminski edited by Michael Kahn music by John Williams

Hannibal (2001) written by Steve Zaillian David Mamet directed by Ridley Scott produced by Martha De Laurentiis Dino De Laurentiis Ridley Scott starring Anthony Hopkins Julianne Moore Ray Liotta Gary Oldman Frankie Faison Giancarlo Giannini Francesca Neri Zeljko Ivanek Hazelle Goodman cinematography by John Mathieson editing by Pietro Scalia music by Hans Zimmer

The Hunger (1983) written by Ivan Davis Michael Thomas (from the novel by Whitley Strieber) directed by Tony Scott produced by Richard Shepherd starring Catherine Deneuve Susan Sarandon David Bowie Cliff De Young cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt edited by Pamela Power music by Michel Rubini Denny Jaeger

DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) written by Allan Scott Chris Bryant (based on the novella by Daphne Du Maurier) directed by Nicholas Roeg produced by Peter Katz starring Donald Sutherland Julie Christie Hilary Mason Clelia Matania Renato Scarpa cinematography by Anthony Richmond editing by Graeme Clifford music by Pino Donnagio

Prisoners (2013) written by Aaron Guzikowski directed by Denis Villeneuve produced by Broderick Johnson Kira Davis Andrew A. Kosove Adam Kolbrenner starring Jake Gylenhaal Hugh Jackman Maria Bello Viola Davis Melissa Leo Terrence Howard Paul Dano cinematography by Roger Deakins edited by Joel Cox Gary Roach music by Johann Johannsson

The Company of Wolves (1984) written by Neil Jordan Angela Carter (from the short story in Angela Carter's book "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories") directed by Neil Jordan produced by Chris Brown Stephen Woolley starring Sarah Patterson David Warner Angela Lansbury Micha Bergese Stephen Rea cinematography by Bryan Loftus edited by Rodney Holland music by George Fenton

A Quiet Place (2018) written by Bryan Woods Scott Beck John Krasinski directed by John Krasinski produced by Michael Bay Andrew Form Brad Fuller starring Emily Blunt John Krasinski Millicent Simmonds Noah Jupe Cade Woodward cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen edited by Christopher Tellefsen music by Marco Beltrami

W O R L D W A R Z (2013) written by Matthew Michael Carnahan Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof (from the novel novel by Max Brooks) directed by Marc Forster produced by Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Ian Bryce starring Brad Pitt Mireille Enos Daniella Kertesz James Badge Dale Peter Capaldi Pierfrancesco Favino Ludi Boeken Matthew Fox Fana Mokoena David Morse cinematography by Ben Seresin edited by Roger Barton Matt Chesse music by Marco Beltrami

LOST H i g h w a y (1997) written by David Lynch Barry Gifford directed by David Lynch produced by Mary Sweeney Tom Sternberg Deepak Nayar starring Bill Pullman Patricia Arquette Balthazar Getty Natasha Gregson Wagner Robert Loggia Robert Blake Michael Massee Jack Nance Henry Rollins Gary Busey cinematography by Peter Deming edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

N e a r D a r k (1987) written by Kathryn Bigelow Eric Red directed by Kathryn Bigelow produced by Edward S. Feldman Steven-Charles Jaffe Charles Meeker starring Adrian Pasdar Jenny Wright Lance Henriksen Bill Paxton Jenette Goldstein Tim Thomerson cinematography by Adam Greenberg edited by Howard Smith music by Tangerine Dream

S e c o n d s (1966) written by Lewis John Carlino (from the novel by David Ely) directed by John Frankenheimer produced by John Frankenheimer Edward Lewis starring Rock Hudson Salome Jens John Randolph Will Geer Jeff Corey Murray Hamilton Frances Reid cinemtography by Tak Fujimoto edited by David Newhouse Ferris Webster music by Jerry Goldsmith

Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) written by Werner Herzog w/ Tom Shachtman Martje Grohmann directed by Werner Herzog produced by Walter Saxer Werner Herzog Michael Gruskoff starring Klaus Kinski Isabelle Adjani Bruno Ganz Roland Topor Walter Landengast Martje Grohmann cinematography by Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein edited by Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus music by Florian Fricke Popol Vuh

30 DAYS of NIGHT (2007) written by Steve Niles Stuart Beattie Brian Nelson (from the graphic novel by Steve Niles Ben Templesmith) directed by David Slade produced by Sam Raimi Robert Tapert starring Josh Hartnett Melissa George Danny Huston Ben Foster Mark Boone Jr. Amber Sainsbury Megan Franich Manu Bennett cinematography by Jo Willems edited by Art Jones music by Brian Reitzell

f r e a k s (1932) written by Willis Goldbleck Leon Gordon (from the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins) directed and produced by Tod Browning starring Wallace Ford Leila Hyams Olga Baclanova Roscoe Ates cinematography by Merritt B. Gerstad edited by Basil Wrangell

the M i s t (2007) written and directed by Frank Darabont (from the novella by Stephen King) produced by Frank Darabont Martin Shefer Liz Glotzer starring Thomas Jane Laurie Holden Marcia Gay Hardin Andre Braugher Toby Jones William Sadler Frances Sternhagen Jeffrey DeMunn cinematography by Rohn Schmidt edited by Hunter M. Via music by Mark Isham

Invasion of the BODY SNATCHERS (1956) written by Daniel Mainwaring (from the novel by Jack Finney) directed by Don Siegel produced by Walter Wanger starring Kevin McCarthy Dana Wynter Larry Gates King Donovan Carolyn Jones Jean Willes Ralph Dumke cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks edited by Robert S. Eisen music by Carmen Dragon

[portalplugado]

The founder of the Fisk school died

Richard Hugh Fisk, who was born in the United States and moved to Brazil in the early 1950s, died on Monday, 25, at the age of 96. One of the largest networks of language schools in Brazil, Fisk teaches English and Spanish. More information www.facebook.com/portalplugado

*******

Morreu o fundador da escola Fisk

Richard Hugh Fisk, que nasceu nos Estados Unidos e foi morar no Brasil no início dos anos 1950, morreu nessa segunda-feira, 25, aos 96 anos. Uma das maiores redes de escolas de idiomas do Brasil, o Fisk ensina inglês e espanhol. Mais informações www.facebook.com/portalplugado

[pixiteapps]

There’s a new coloring book by Steve McDonald for Pigment.

We’re thrilled to announce “Home Sweet Home”, our latest artist collaboration and coloring book for Pigment.

Steve McDonald is an International best selling Canadian illustrator and artist. He is the creator of the Fantastic series of coloring books from Chronicle and has also done illustration work for Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Architectural Digest, and Blue Man Group among others. His distinctive and detailed line drawings are recognized around the world. Steve is also known for his fantastical illustrations of imaginary places and vehicles. Steve studied editorial illustration and fine art at The Ontario College of Art and Design. Steve, his wife, and two teenage daughters call Ontario home but have spent time living in India, Italy, Indonesia, and the Middle East. 

We had a few questions for Steve, and he was kind enough to answer them for us. Can you describe the time when you first realized that creating was something you absolutely had to do? I always wanted to be a visual artist. For as long as I can remember. I was lucky that way, I was going to do this no matter what. My grandmother was an artist and when I was little just the site of her paint box full of oils and brushes filled me with awe. It was a sort of magic as far as I was concerned...the ability to capture a scene or person on a panel or canvas with color and lines, to make it your own...I was determined to do this. My tools have changed over the years, I mainly use a tablet and a stylus now, but the same wonder remains. The act of image crafting - whether it be for drawings for coloring books, full-color magazine illustrations, web images or even fine art was always the only option for me - and I consider myself fortunate to do what I love for a living. 

What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever created? My favorite artistic creation would have to be the Fantastic coloring book series from Chronicle. It was an incredibly rewarding experience in so many ways. The series consists of five books - Fantastic Cities, Fantastic Structures, Fantastic Collections, Fantastic Planet and Fantastic Machines. They have become an internationally best-selling series with over half a million books in print. They have been published in more than 30 countries and have been translated into more than twenty languages. The project allowed me to widely showcase and share the work I love doing the most - my detailed line drawings - in a way that so many people could enjoy them and also be encouraged to get creative themselves. The idea that the books gave many people a mindful break from the busy world around them was such a pleasant surprise. I received countless letters remarking on how the coloring books helped people get through various personal challenges. Any kind of creativity is good for the soul, the fact that this project was so successful at helping others be creative has to be the most rewarding part of it all. 

What’s the best advice you ever had about how to be more creative? Don't be so critical. Have fun. Create what you want. Experiment. The act of creation can be a personal one. Try not to think about the result but the process. I truly believe we should all draw more. Play more music. Write more poetry. About what? Whatever it is about the world that resonates with you. Document it. Record it. Paint it. Write it down...your view is valid and interesting. So much of life is 'creating'...the clothes you wear, the way you decorate your house, your hairstyle, even the way you lay out your desk...enjoy those acts of creation and let yourself be original or singular. In the world today we are so busy and online so much of time that any act of creation becomes a challenge. Sometimes we need to turn off the noise, get offline, take a walk outside and let your true self emerge in order to find that creative center in ourselves. Are there other coloring book artists or illustrators that inspire you? There are so many coloring book illustrators that I admire. Carlo Stanga is wonderful at architecture. He has such a beautiful nostalgic style. The coloring books of Kerby Rosanes are amazingly imaginative and detailed. I think you have to give Johanna Basford credit as well...she was really the first to recognize a market for adult coloring books and her work is really wonderful. As far as other illustrators that I admire, there are so many. I've been spending a lot of time looking at anime lately. I love the artwork from Tekkonkinkreet by Taiyō Matsumot - It was directed by Michael Arias, which established him as the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film. The story was based on the homonym three-volume seinen manga series by Taiyō Matsumoto, which was originally serialized from 1993 to 1994 in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits. I'm also a huge fan of the wonderful art of Teikoku Shônen Aka Imperial Boy. His cityscapes are so rich with life and detail. You can look at them for hours. I also love good traditional painting. The work of William Fisk, he paints super realistic huge canvases of everyday objects, is mesmerizing in its detail but still quite expressive. I love the interior spaces and figurative work of Zoey Franks - her use of color is so bold and brave. Speaking of figurative work, the paintings of Daniel Hughes are worth exploring. His subtle style of playing with light on the human form is so effective. Nathan Walsh's architectural drawings/paintings are super fun to contemplate.

Richard Hind is an illustrator/artist I follow on instagram, I love his line drawings. Vera Berezina is another. Her architectural drawings are a delight to look at. Roman Maklakov's work is also really amazing...I could go on and on here. I do love the fact that social media (especially Instagram) has allowed so many artists to exhibit and share their work with a wide audience. There is so much inspiration to find there. It's worth exploring.

+++++

Find Steve online: https://sdmcdonald.com/

https://www.instagram.com/stevedmcdonald/ https://www.facebook.com/fantasticcities/ https://www.facebook.com/artbysteve/

Purchase Fantastic Cities:

https://www.chroniclebooks.com/fantastic-cities.html

Interested in Pigment? You can find everything you need right here.

Happy painting! Team Pixite

[practicesmilinginthemirror]

♕

♕ ━ which fictional characters are your favorites? 

Okay, I believe this sort of list can say a lot about a person, so I’m gonna list a good many of them… hence the cut below.

Caveat:  This list is long, but still not exhaustive–I’m CERTAIN I’m forgetting important entries.  I tried to think of the characters that most affect me, that make me FEEL things, or that make my brain light up in some way.  Or, they’re just satisfying somehow.  The list below spans many years.

***Dick Grayson is my ALL-TIME fave***

Other DC Faves:

Barsad

John Blake (I GUESS >__>)

Alfred Pennyworth, TBH

Oswald Cobblepot & Fish Mooney (Gotham-verse only)

Marvel Faves:

Bucky & Sam & Steve & T’Challa (MCU)

Black Widow & Peggy Carter (MCU)

Clint Barton

Frank Castle & Karen Page

Jessica Jones & Luke Cage (Netflix)

Loki (MCU)

Wolverine / Gambit / Jubilee (xmen cartoons)

Deadpool

Groot (MCU)

Fisk/Westley/Vanessa & Ranskahoes

Animated Faves:

Hiei, YYH

Kurama, YYH

Vash the Stampede, Trigun

Wolfwood, Trigun

Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha

Cliffjumper, Transformers Gen1

Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow, GI Joe (old stuff)

Haku, Spirited Away

Desperaux Tilling, The Tale of Desperaux

Maya the Bee

Skeeter, Doug

EVERY YELLOW MINION EVER BUT MOST OF ALL STUART

Random Movie Faves:

Casey Jones, 90s live-action TMNT movies

Arkin O’Brien, Collector series

Max Rockatansky, Mad Max series

Furiosa & Nux, Mad Max: Fury Road

Rusty Ryan, Ocean’s 11

Han Solo, Star Wars

Gary King, The World’s End

Arthur & Eames, Inception

Bondurant brothers, Lawless

Leto II, Children of Dune (SciFi TV movie)

Book Faves:

Crowley & Aziraphale, Good Omens

Roiben, Tithe

Gavriel, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Haplo & Hugh the Hand, Death Gate Cycle series

Nicci, Sword of Truth series

Legolas, Lord of the Rings trilogy

Mara Jade, Star Wars Expanded Universe

Dallas Winston, The Outsiders

Random TV Faves:

90% OF THE SENSE 8 CAST, but Wolfgang most

Jim Hopper, Stranger Things

Shawn & Gus, Psych

Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel the Series

Will Graham, Hannibal

Moriarty, Sherlock BBC

Stiles & Isaac & Danny & Peter, Teen Wolf

AC Slater, Saved by the Bell

Shawn & Eric & Topanga, Boy Meets World

Will Banks, Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Joey & Phoebe, Friends

Dylan McKay, 90210

Ted/Brad/Danny/Melody, Hey Dude

Philip & Marcy, Travelers

BEATY MCFIST-HANDS, Glitch (he’s got a name but eh)

Charlie Thompson, Glitch

Eliot / Hardison / Parker, Leverage

Duncan MacLeod & Methos, Highlander series

Mary Richards, The Mary Tyler Moore Show

[blackkudos]

Gwendolyn Brooks

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. She was the recipient of many awards for her work and influence; including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, making her the first African American woman to receive that award.

Throughout her career Brooks received many more honors. She was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, a position held until her death, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985.

Early life

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born on June 7, 1917, in Topeka, Kansas, and died on December 3, 2000 in Chicago, IL. She was the first child of David Anderson Brooks and Keziah (Wims) Brooks. Her father was a janitor for a music company who had hoped to pursue a career as a doctor but sacrificed that aspiration to get married and raise a family. Her mother was a school teacher as well as a concert pianist trained in classical music. Family lore held that her paternal grandfather had escaped slavery to join the Union forces during the American Civil War.

When Brooks was six weeks old, her family moved to Chicago during the Great Migration; from then on, Chicago remained her home. According to biographer Kenny Jackson Williams, Brooks first attended a prestigious integrated high school in the city with a predominantly white student body, Hyde Park High School, transferred to the all-black Wendell Phillips High School, and then moved to the integrated Englewood High School. After completing high school, she graduated in 1936 from Wilson Junior College, now known as Kennedy-King College. Due to the social dynamics of the various schools, in conjunction with time period in which she attended them, Brooks faced racial injustice that over time contributed to her understanding of the prejudice and bias in established systems and dominant institutions in her own surroundings as well as ever relevant mindset of the country.

Brooks began writing at an early age and her mother encouraged her saying, ''You are going to be the lady Paul Laurence Dunbar."

After these early educational experiences, Brooks never pursued a four-year degree because she knew she wanted to be a writer and considered it unnecessary. "I am not a scholar," she later said. "I'm just a writer who loves to write and will always write." She worked as a typist to support herself while she pursued her career.

She would closely identify with Chicago for the rest of her life. In a 1994 interview, she remarked on this,

"(L)iving in the city, I wrote differently than I would have if I had been raised in Topeka, KS...I am an organic Chicagoan. Living there has given me a multiplicity of characters to aspire for. I hope to live there the rest of my days. That's my headquarters.

Career

Writing

Brooks published her first poem, "Eventide", in a children's magazine, American Childhood, when she was 13 years old. By the age of sixteen she had already written and published approximately seventy-five poems. She received commendations on her poetic work and encouragement from James Weldon Johnson and later, Langston Hughes, both well-known writers with whom she kept communication with and whose readings she attended in Chicago. At seventeen, she started submitting her work to "Lights and Shadows," the poetry column of the Chicago Defender, an African-American newspaper. Her poems, many published while she attended Wilson Junior College, ranged in style from traditional ballads and sonnets to poems using blues rhythms in free verse.

Her characters were often drawn from the inner city life that Brooks knew well. She said, "I lived in a small second-floor apartment at the corner, and I could look first on one side and then the other. There was my material."

By 1941, Brooks was taking part in poetry workshops. A particularly influential one was organized by Inez Cunningham Stark, an affluent white woman with a strong literary background. Stark offered writing workshops to African-Americans on Chicago's South Side, which Brooks attended. It was here she gained momentum in finding her voice and a deeper knowledge of the techniques of her predecessors. Renowned poet Langston Hughes stopped by the workshop and heard Brooks read "The Ballad of Pearl May Lee." Brooks continued to work diligently at her writing and growing the community of artists and writers around her as her poetry began to be taken more seriously. She and her husband frequently threw parties at their apartment at 623 E. 63rd Street and it was in the kitchenette of that apartment that Brooks hosted a party for her friend and mentor Langston Hughes. Once he unexpectedly dropped in and famously shared a meal of mustard greens, ham hocks, and candied sweet potatoes with Brooks and her husband Henry Blakely.

Brooks' published her first book of poetry, A Street in Bronzeville (1945), with Harper and Row, after strong show of support to the publisher from author Richard Wright. He said to the editors who solicited his opinion on Brooks' work:

"There is no self-pity here, not a striving for effects. She takes hold of reality as it is and renders it faithfully.... She easily catches the pathos of petty destinies; the whimper of the wounded; the tiny accidents that plague the lives of the desperately poor, and the problem of color prejudice among Negroes."

The book earned instant critical acclaim for its authentic and textured portraits of life in Bronzeville. Brooks later said it was a glowing review by Paul Engle in the Chicago Tribune that "initiated My Reputation." Engle stated that Brooks' poems were no more "Negro poetry" than Robert Frost's work was "white poetry." Brooks received her first Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946 and was included as one of the “Ten Young Women of the Year” in Mademoiselle magazine.

In 1953, Brooks published her first and only narrative book, a novella titled Maud Martha, which in a series of thirty-four small vignettes, follows the life of a black woman named Maud Martha in detail as she moved about life from childhood to adulthood. It tells the story of "a woman with doubts about herself and where and how she fits into the world. Maud's concern is not so much that she is inferior but that she is perceived as being ugly," states author Harry B. Shaw in his book, Gwendolyn Brooks. Maud suffers prejudice and discrimination not only from white individuals but also from black individuals who have lighter skin tones than hers, something that is direct reference to Brooks' personal experience. Eventually, Maud stands up for herself by turning her back on a patronizing and racist store clerk. "The book is ... about the triumph of the lowly," Shaw comments.

In 1967, the year of Hughes' death, Brooks attended the Second Black Writers' Conference at Nashville's Fisk University. Here, according to one version of events, she met activists and artists such as Imamu Amiri Baraka, Don L. Lee and others who exposed her to new black cultural nationalism. Recent studies argue that she had been involved in leftist politics in Chicago for many years and, under the pressures of McCarthyism, adopted a black nationalist posture as a means of distancing herself from her prior political connections. Brooks' experience at the conference inspired many of her subsequent literary activities. She taught creative writing to some of Chicago's Blackstone Rangers, otherwise a violent criminal gang. In 1968 she published one of her most famous poems, In the Mecca, a long poem about a mother's search for her lost child in a Chicago apartment building. The poem was nominated for the National Book Award for poetry.

Brooks' second book of poetry, Annie Allen (1950), focused on the life and experiences of a young Black girl as she grew into womanhood in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. The book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry; she also was awarded Poetry magazine's Eunice Tietjens Prize.

Her autobiographical Report From Part One, including reminiscences, interviews, photographs and vignettes, came out in 1972, and Report From Part Two was published in 1995, when she was almost 80.

Teaching

Brooks said her first teaching experience was at the University of Chicago when she was invited by author Frank London Brown to teach a course in American literature. It was the beginning of her lifelong commitment to sharing poetry and teaching writing.

Brooks taught extensively around the country and held posts at Columbia College Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago State University, Elmhurst College, Columbia University, City College of New York, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

On May 1, 1996, Brooks returned to her birthplace of Topeka, Kansas. She gave the keynote speech for the Third Annual Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council's "Women of Distinction Banquet and String of Pearls Auction."

Archives

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) acquired Brooks' archives from her daughter Nora. In addition, the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley has a collection of her personal papers, especially from 1950 to 1989.

Family life

In 1939, Brooks married Henry Lowington Blakely, Jr. They had two children: Henry Lowington Blakely III, born on October 10, 1940; and Nora Blakely, born in 1951.

From mid-1961 to late-1964, Henry III served in the U.S. Marine Corps, first at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and then at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. During this time, Brooks mentored his fiancée, Kathleen Hardiman, today known as anthropologist Kathleen Rand Reed, in writing poetry. Upon his return, Blakely and Hardiman married in 1965. Brooks had so enjoyed the mentoring relationship that she began to engage more frequently in that role with the new generation of young black poets.

In the year 1990, her works were given a permanent home when Chicago State University established the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing on campus. On her eightieth birthday, in 1997, Brooks was honored with tributes from Chicago to Washington, D.C. Gwendolyn Brooks died of cancer at her Chicago home on December 3, 2000.

Honors and legacy

1946, Guggenheim Fellow in Poetry

1946, American Academy of Arts & Letters Award

1950, Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

1968, appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois, a position she held until her death in 2000

1976, the Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America

1985, selected as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, an honorary one-year position whose title was renamed the next year to Poet Laureate

1988, inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame

1989, recipient, Life Time Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

1989, awarded the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement by the Poetry Society of America

1992, awarded the Aiken Taylor Award by the Sewanee Review

1994, chosen as the National Endowment for the Humanities' Jefferson Lecturer, one of the highest honors in American literature and the highest award in the humanities given by the federal government.

1994, Recipient of the National Book Foundations's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

1995, presented with the National Medal of Arts

1995, honored as the first Woman of the Year chosen by the Harvard Black Men's Forum

1995, received the Chicago History Museum "Making History Award" for Distinction in Literature

1997, awarded the Order of Lincoln award from The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, the highest honor granted by the State of Illinois

Brooks also received more than 75 honorary degrees from colleges and universities worldwide.

Legacy

1970: "For Sadie and Maud" by Eleanor Holmes Norton, included in Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women's Liberation Movement (1970), quotes all of Brooks' poem "Sadie and Maud"

1970: Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois

1995: Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School, Aurora, Illinois

1990: Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, Chicago State University

2001: Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, Chicago, Illinois

2001: Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, Harvey, Illinois

2002: Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, Oak Park, Illinois

2003: Gwendolyn Brooks Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois

2002: 100 Greatest African Americans

2004 Gwendolyn Brooks Park named by the Chicago Park District, 4542 S. Greenwood Ave. Chicago IL 60653

2005: Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, Bolingbrook, Illinois

2012: Honored on a United States' postage stamp.

Wikipedia

[angelfireeast]

Favorite Shows & fandoms

A list of some of favorite shows & fandoms (just naming a few of the many I love)

The Flash:  Characters: Barry Allen, Iris West, Cisco Ranom, Harry Wells (Earth 2), Joe West, Wally West, Jesse ‘Quick’ Wells, Cecile Horton and Eobard Thawne(Fake!Harrison Wells), Cynthia, Linda Park, and so many more. Ships: Westallen, Joe/Ceclie

Black Lightning:  Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, Anissa Pierce/Thunder, Lynn Stewart, Jennifer Pierce, Grace Choi & Gambi

Doom Patrol: Crazy Jane everyone but the Chief 

B99: Everyone Ships: Jake/Amy, Ray/Kevin

Lost in Space: Everyone (new series)

Lucifer: Almost everyone. Love Maze

One Day at a Time: Everyone

Stargirl: Beth, Rick, Yolanda Everyone including the IJA like Icicle. I love Icicle

Star Trek: Discovery: Michael Burnham, Captain Philippa Georgiou, Sylvia Tilly, Emperor Georgiou, Captain Pike, Gabriel Lorca, Paul Stamets, Hugh Culber, Sarek, Saru,  Ash Tyler. Ships: Culmets       

Star Trek: Picard

Stranger Things: Everyone but Billy

This is Us: Everyone 

The Good Place: Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye, Tahani Al-Jamil, Janet,  Jason Mendoza, Michael Ships: Eleanor/Chidi & Janet/Jason

The Mandalorian: Din Djarin, Baby Yoda, Cara Dune, Kuiil, Greef Karga, The Armorer

Previous Fandoms

Anne with an E: Everyone

Arrow: Characters: Laurel Lance/Black Canary, Black Siren, John Diggle, Lyla Diggle, Thea Queen.

Avatar: The Last Airbender & Legends of Korra: Characters: Aang, Katara, Toph Beifong, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Korra, Asami Sato, Tenzin, Bumi II, Jinora Lin Beifong, Suyin Beifong, Vaatu, Zhu Li, Suki and Zaheer.

Being Human UK Characters: Mitchell, Annie, George, Nina, McNair, Tom, Hal, Alex and baby!Eve. I don’t like grown-up Eve.

Community: Everyone.

Doctor Who, Torchwood & The Sarah Jane Adventures: Characters: Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Jack Harkness, Clyde Langer, Rani, Luke Smith and so on. I haven’t watched 12th doctor.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Everyone

DC Movies: Aquaman, Birds of Prey, Shazam, Superman WW etc

Elementary: Characters: Joan Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Marcus Bell, Captain Gregson, Kitty Winters, Lin Wen, and Jamie Moriarty (one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptions)

Farscape: Characters: John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Ka D'Argo, Chiana and Scorpius

Fringe: Characters: Walter, Peter, Olivia, Astrid, Etta, Lincoln, and Walternate (in the changed timeline)

Galavant: Characters: King Richard, Izzie, Gareth, Galavent, Madalena, Sid

Harry Potter: Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Sirius Black, Severus Snape (not as woobie hero), Draco Malfoy, The whole Weasley family, the list goes on and on.

Highlander: Characters: Methos, Joe, Duncan, Amanda, Fitz

Jane the Virgin: Characters: Jane Villanueva, Xiomara Villanueva, Petra Solano, Alba Villanueva, Rogelio De La Vega, and Michael Cordero Jr.

Jessica Jones & Daredevil: Characters: Jessica Jones, Trish Walker, Malcolm Ducasse, Jeri Hogarth, Kilgrave (as a great villain), Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Frank Castle/Punisher, Claire Temple, James Wesley, Wilson Fisk

Luke Cage: Luke Cage, Claire Temple, Misty Knight, Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, Shades, Mariah Dillard, Pops. Ships: Luke/Claire & Mariah/Shades  

Legend of the Seeker: Characters: Kahlan Amnell, Cara Mason, Richard Cypher & Zedd Books & tv shows totally different and I like each.

Legends of Tomorrow: Characters: Jax Jefferson Jackson, Martin Stein, Amaya Jiwe, Zari, Sara Lance, Leonard Snark, and Mick Rory, Ray Palmer & Nora Darhk

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Good Omens: everyone

Once Upon a Time: [A show I use to love] Characters: Regina Mills, Henry Mills, Lucy Mills, Ella Mills, Snow White, Rumple, Belle, Wish Hook/Officer Rogars.

Orphan Black: Characters: Helena, Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, Felix, Cosima, Krystal, Rachel Duncan, Mrs. S. and Donnie Hendrix, Art Bell

Primeval: Characters: Connor Temple, Abby Maitland, Captain Becker, Jess Parker, Matt Anderson, Emily Merchant, and James Lester

Psych: Everyone.

Pushing Daisies: Everyone.

Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis & Stargate Universe: Everyone but my faves are Characters: Jack O'Neill, Sam Cater, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Janet Frasier, General Hammond, Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Nicholas Rush, Camile Wray, Tamara Johansen, Eli Wallace, & Chloe Armstrong.

Star Trek Series/Movies: Who don’t I like is the question.

Star Wars: Finn, Rey, Poe, BB8, Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, K-2SO, Cassian Andor, Bodhi Rook, Jyn Erso, Han Solo, Leia Organ, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi and many more. I HATE KYLO REN/Ben

Supergirl: [A show I use to love] Characters: Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers/Supergirl, Alex Danvers, James Olsen, M’gann M’orzz, J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter, Nia Nal, Brainy, Kelly Olsen

SyFy’s Tin Man and SyFy’s Alice Characters: Wyatt Cain, Gitch, Raw, TG. Alice, Hatter/David, and Charlie. 

The Terror

[artigojuridico-blog]

Veja em Artigo Jurídico

https://artigojuridico.com.br/2017/09/03/stf-acolhe-reclamacao-da-fisk-e-determina-que-tj-sp-observe-imunidade-tributaria/

STF acolhe reclamação da Fisk e determina que TJ-SP observe imunidade tributária

O ministro Alexandre de Moraes cassou decisão da 15ª Câmara de Direito Público do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo (TJ-SP) e determinou que o colegiado profira nova decisão, observando o decidido pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) no Recurso Extraordinário (RE) 767332, no qual o Plenário reafirmou a imunidade tributária de imóveis pertencentes a instituições de educação e de assistência social sem fins lucrativos quanto ao Imposto Predial Territorial Urbano (IPTU), ainda que de lotes vagos.

Moraes julgou procedente pedido feito pela Fundação Richard Hugh Fisk – mantenedora de cursos de idiomas e informática – na Reclamação (RCL) 28012 contra a decisão que não reconheceu seu direito à imunidade tributária prevista no artigo 150, inciso VI, alínea “c”, da Constituição Federal, por considerar que a causa em exame seria distinta do caso julgado no RE 767332, por se tratar de terreno sem edificação, o que demonstraria “o desinteresse da fundação em usar o bem para a consecução de suas finalidades estatutárias”.

Em sua decisão, o ministro Alexandre de Moraes observa que no julgamento do RE 767332, analisado sob a sistemática da repercussão geral, o Plenário do STF entendeu que a imunidade do IPTU alcança lotes vagos de propriedade de instituições de educação e de assistência social sem fins lucrativos. O relator acrescentou que fato de os lotes estarem temporariamente sem edificações, por si só, não é razão suficiente para afastar a imunidade prevista no artigo 150, inciso VI, alínea “c”, da Constituição Federal.

Fonte: STF.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1151

Monday, February 13, 2017

 Ottawa got about 20 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours. I heard the grader go by at about 2 AM and I was out there before 5 AM clearing the near meter high snow bank plugging our driveway so that Penny could leave. I should have been more careful. Forgot that it's the thirteenth. Went to throw a big shovelful of snow and my back seized so bad the pain put me on my knees. I was a little over half done then. Did the rest very slowly in a lot of pain and managed to get it all cleared away. Stupid back.

 Kingpin #1 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I almost didn't take this book off the rack to read because the Civil War II: Kingpin mini didn't thrill me. I'm glad I had a change of heart and read this. Here is a Wilson Fisk trying to change the public's perception of him as a brutal crime lord. Matthew makes him more like the sympathetic character that was on the first season of Netflix's Daredevil TV show. That portrayal by Vincent D'Onofrio was very convincing. There is a scene next to a town car in this issue that flashed me back to the show where the Kingpin kills someone with a car door. The other main character is a beautiful writer who Wilson wants to hire to write his biography. Ben's art is really good, and he drew Sarah in a red haute couture gown that made me weak in the knees. This is being added to my "must read" list.

 Justice League of America #1 - Steve Orlando (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Joe Prado & Oclair Albert (inks) Marcelo Maiolo (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I almost didn't take this book off the rack to read because Steve did not impress me with the Monsters story in Batman and Detective recently. I gave him another chance and I'm sorry I did. I don't like this team that Batman is putting together. His reason for gathering these characters is to show that a team of super humans can protect the Earth just as well as the other League that has a couple of gods on it. I get that but Steve belabours the point. Some fans might think it's cool to have Killer Frost, Black Canary, Lobo, the Asian Atom, the Ray and Vixen on a team but I think it's a stunt to create conflict within this team for drama. I'm taking a pass on this for now.

 Death Be Damned #1 - Ben Acker, Ben Blacker & Andrew Miller (writers) Hannah Christenson (art) Juan Useche (colours) Colin Bell (letters). The title should give you a clue to what this 4-issue mini is about. We're looking at some frontier folks what can't die. It's 1873 in Wyoming and a farmer's wife is looking for the men who killed her and her family. She doesn't realize that she can't be killed, but the undertaker finds out soon enough. This isn't simply a story of revenge however. There is some Native American Indian lore and rituals involved that makes for some spooky goings on. I found the art to be crude but serviceable so if you like old west ghost stories this may raise the hairs on your arms.

 Ms. Marvel #15 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This Troll villain just got a lot more interesting. Kamala thought she found the hacker that could expose her secret identity but she was wrong. I can't wait for the next issue.

 Wonder Woman #16 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (pencils) Bilquis Evely, Mark Morales, Andrew Hennessy & Raul Fernandez (inks) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). A new story starts this issue. "Godwatch" starts six months after Diana left Themyscira with a corporate C.E.O. being blackmailed by Gemini twins Phobos and Deimos. The C.E.O. Veronica Cale reminds me of the old Lex Luthor. Some high tech mind melding machine goes haywire and off we go.

 Moonshine #5 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art & colours) Cristian Rossi (colour assistant) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). There's a full moon. Let the werewolves out.

 Black Widow # 11 - Chris Samnee & Mark Waid (writers) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). A S.H.I.E.L.D. facility is under attack by the Red Room Runts and Natasha makes it her mission to stop them and try to save the girls at the same time. There are some cool fights scenes in here.

 Detective Comics #950 - James Tynion IV (writer) Marcio Takara (art) Dean White (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). This giant sized anniversary issue starts off with the prologue to "League of Shadows" which features Cassandra Cain, my favourite Batgirl, who is now called Orphan. The last page made me happy we only have to wait two weeks before the next issue hits the racks. In "Higher Powers" by James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters), Azrael and Batwing have a discussion about the power of faith and Jean-Paul's connection to the Order of Dumas. It ends with the activation of Ascalon and I'm itching to find out more about this new character. The final short by James Tynion IV (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters), flashes back a few months ago to show Red Robin asking Batman what he's gearing everyone up for. This ties into what Batman is up to with his Justice League of America as well as his Detective Comics team. The big DC event of 2017 will be "Dark Days" so don't miss it.

 Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #4 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a quick read. Lots of explosions and storm troopers shooting and missing.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #14 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). This issue has one of my pet peeves about comic books. One of the covers has Hal yelling at a Blue Lantern "You crazy fool. Your abuse of blue power destroyed every person on Earth". So a fan would see that and think "I want to read that comic book", only to find that the story inside is totally different. I hate that. Plus it's Kevin Nowlan swiping a Gil Kane cover. It's not even original. This issue is still worth reading though. The Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps are joining forces so that's new. Kyle and Hal are sent on a mission by Ganthet and that's where the Blue Lantern comes in. Just ignore the hype.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #16 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodward (colours) Cory Petit (letters). I like this impromptu team that Amadeus has found himself in. The alien invasion takes a turn for the worse as they are whisked away into space along with some civilians. If you know what Soylent Green is you'll know what the threat is.

 Action Comics #973 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Patch Zircher & Stephen Segovia (pencils) Patch Zircher & Art Thibert (inks) Arif Prianto (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I love a good mystery and now they are going to solve the one about the human Clark Kent. Part 1 of "Mild Mannered" has Lois Lane on the case. Meanwhile, Superman and Steel try to save Superwoman/Lana Lang's life. There's plenty going on to keep this book interesting.

 Jessica Jones #5 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Whoa, what an existential issue. I'm glad to see us getting back to the Alison Greene mystery woman storyline though.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #17 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Gamora grounded is an opportunity to show what she's got. Here she tries to break into the Triskelion to get at Thanos. She's sort of successful. I love the way Valerio draws Sasquatch.

 Inhumans vs. X-Men #4 - Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule (writers) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). So Gorgon isn't in a wheelchair anymore? One of the things I love about reading these massive crossover events is learning about characters that I don't read about all the time. This issue made me appreciate how Jeff and Charles take the time to use the names of each character and show their super powers. They also gave the unfamiliar characters (at least to me) personalities that made them more interesting. This came close to making me want to read Inhumans and X-Men comic books again. We know that both teams survive this was because they are already promoting new books for them so now I just want to find out how they all get along or don't.

 All New Wolverine #17 - Tom Taylor (writer) Djibril Morissette-Phan (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Did you see who's going to be in Hugh Jackman's last Wolverine movie? It's Laura Kinney/X-23, our girl right here. I'm actually excited right now. This issue tackles the problem of Laura's uncontrollable killing sprees brought on by a special pheromone. It's used when her enemies want her to eliminate their rivals. Kimura used it recently but Laura's friends arrived to save her from killing. I would have benched this book because of the art but Tom's writing made it possible for me to enjoy this issue anyways.

 Unworthy Thor #4 - Jason Aaron (writer) Olivier Coipel with Kim Jacinto (present day art) Frazer Irving (Young Thor art) Esad Ribic (Worthy Thor art) Russell Dauterman (Unworthy Thor art) Matthew Wilson, Matt Milla &  Frazer Irving (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I loved the flashbacks showing the Odinson's history with Mjolnir as he struggles to retrieve Jarnbjorn from the Collector's collection. I can't wait to see if Jason makes the Odinson worthy of wielding a hammer again.

[blackkudos]

John Oliver Killens

John Oliver Killens (January 14, 1916 – October 27, 1987) was an American fiction writer from Georgia who wrote novels on African-American life.

Early life and education

Killens was born in Macon, Georgia, to Charles Myles Killens, Sr, and Willie Lee Killens. His father encouraged him to read Langston Hughes' writings, and his mother, who was president of Dunbar Literary Club, introduced him to poetry. Killens was an enthusiastic reader as a child and was inspired by writers such as Hughes and Richard Wright. His great-grandmother’s tales of slavery were another important factor in his gaining knowledge of traditional black mythology and folklore, which he later incorporated into his writings.

Killens graduated in 1933 from Ballard Normal School in Macon, a private institution run by the American Missionary Association and at the time one of the few secondary schools for blacks in Georgia. Planning to be a lawyer, he attended historically black colleges to study further at the college level and focus on law: Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida, Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Howard University in Washington DC, and in 1939 the Robert H. Terrell Law School in Washington, D.C. In his final year, he left in order to study creative writing at Columbia University in New York.

Killens enlisted in the army during World War II, serving as a member of the Pacific amphibious forces from 1942 to 1945. He spent more than two years in the South Pacific, and rose to the rank of master sergeant.

Literary career

In 1948, Killens moved to New York City, where he worked to establish a literary career. He attended writing classes at Columbia University and New York University. He was an active member of many organizations, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Around 1950, Killens co-founded with Rosa Guy and others a writers' group that became the Harlem Writers Guild (HWG).

His first novel, Youngblood (1954), dealing with a black Georgia family in the early 1900s, was read and developed at HWG meetings in members' homes. His second novel, And Then We Heard the Thunder (1962), was about the treatment of the black soldiers in the military; it was named by critic Noel Perrin as one of five major works of fiction of World War II. His third novel, Sippi (1967), focused on the voting rights struggles by African Americans during the 1960s.

The Cotillion; or, One Good Bull Is Half the Herd (1971) explored upper-class African-American society. (1971). In addition to novels, Killens also wrote plays, screenplays, and many articles and short stories that appeared in publications as diverse as Black Scholar, the New York Times, Ebony and Redbook.

He taught creative-writing programs at Fisk University, Howard University, Columbia University and Medgar Evers College. In 1986, he founded the National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College.

Personal life

In 1943 Killens married Grace Ward Jones. They had two children together: a son, John Charles, and a daughter, Barbara.

In 1987, Killens died of cancer in Brooklyn, NY, aged 71.

Bibliography

Novels

Youngblood (1954), novel

And Then We Heard the Thunder (1962), novel

Black Man's Burden (1965), essays

Sippi (1967), novel

The Cotillion; or, One Good Bull Is Half the Herd (1971), novel

Great Gittin' Up Morning: A Biography of Denmark Vesey (1972)

A Man Ain't Nothin' But a Man: The Adventures of John Henry (1975)

The Great Black Russian: The Life and Times of Alexander Pushkin (1989)

As editor

Black Southern Voices: an anthology of fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and critical essays (Meridian, 1992)

Wikipedia

[artigojuridico-blog]

Veja em Artigo Jurídico

http://artigojuridico.com/2017/09/03/stf-acolhe-reclamacao-da-fisk-e-determina-que-tj-sp-observe-imunidade-tributaria/

STF acolhe reclamação da Fisk e determina que TJ-SP observe imunidade tributária

O ministro Alexandre de Moraes cassou decisão da 15ª Câmara de Direito Público do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo (TJ-SP) e determinou que o colegiado profira nova decisão, observando o decidido pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) no Recurso Extraordinário (RE) 767332, no qual o Plenário reafirmou a imunidade tributária de imóveis pertencentes a instituições de educação e de assistência social sem fins lucrativos quanto ao Imposto Predial Territorial Urbano (IPTU), ainda que de lotes vagos.

Moraes julgou procedente pedido feito pela Fundação Richard Hugh Fisk – mantenedora de cursos de idiomas e informática – na Reclamação (RCL) 28012 contra a decisão que não reconheceu seu direito à imunidade tributária prevista no artigo 150, inciso VI, alínea “c”, da Constituição Federal, por considerar que a causa em exame seria distinta do caso julgado no RE 767332, por se tratar de terreno sem edificação, o que demonstraria “o desinteresse da fundação em usar o bem para a consecução de suas finalidades estatutárias”.

Em sua decisão, o ministro Alexandre de Moraes observa que no julgamento do RE 767332, analisado sob a sistemática da repercussão geral, o Plenário do STF entendeu que a imunidade do IPTU alcança lotes vagos de propriedade de instituições de educação e de assistência social sem fins lucrativos. O relator acrescentou que fato de os lotes estarem temporariamente sem edificações, por si só, não é razão suficiente para afastar a imunidade prevista no artigo 150, inciso VI, alínea “c”, da Constituição Federal.

Fonte: STF.