#because the national broadcasts don't always show it

[kitnita]

the 2017 draft class ends the period   —   SEA vs DAL; game 2   —   5.04.23      

[hillbillyoracle]

You Should Get A Radio

I want to convince you to get a radio. It can be a pretty cheap one - you can sometimes thrift them even - just something to listen to the music and shows that are literally streaming completely for free all around you right this very moment.

Libraries get a lot of love - deservedly so. They are such a frugal resource for entertainment and the community at large. I would argue that radio is very similar.

Find New Music

Radio can introduce you to music you never would have run across otherwise. Spotify and the like have a goal of getting you to listen for as long as possible. This incentivizes the alorgithm picking your music recs to stay very safely within your known listening profile. But since a radio station is broadcasting to a large number of people, not you individually, you're more likely to run into music you personally wouldn't have picked but actually enjoy.

Not to mention that if you're in the US at least, you're very likely within range of a public broadcasting station which not only has local and national news, but various music shows as well - World Cafe is a treasure. College radio stations, if you have one nearby by, can be hit or miss, but in general, it is a great way to find local and very niche music you wouldn't hear played anywhere else. If you're in a city, you very likely have a couple of hyperlocal low power FM stations - many who serve communities who don't speak English and who have their own unique music programming. I also enjoy a lot of the adult contemporary and "oldies" stations I can get near me.

The Ads Aren't Targeted

On most stations, you'll hear some ads. Some stations you'll hear more than a few. But none of those ads are based on an ever growing mass of information being collected about you and your listening habits to decide what specific ad you're most likely to actually act on. They're just...an ad. When you turn it off, it can't follow you around until you actually buy it.

Also, if you're listening to local stations, a lot of the ads are for local businesses in your community; places owned by your neighbors and the people you live with. For me, it's been a nice way to be reminded of what places exist in my community since I usually go to my regular haunts and nothing else.

Frugal and Fun

Radios can be pretty cheap. I see them in thrift stores pretty regularly around here and you might be able to try Marketplace for one. Mine was a birthday gift and I paid a little more to upgrade the antena later. Mine uses rechargeable batteries but I think they make ones that are just straight up rechargeable now.

Since I can't control the music, I'm not turning to it to skip through music or pick a different playlist or look up a given artist I want to hear because I just remembered they existed. I'm more present, whether I'm just listening to the show or pairing it with something else (recently it's been knitting or solitaire games).

Similar to the way that libraries can be one way you decrease your reliance on subscription culture, radio is another. Especially for public broadcasting stations, the programming is always changing, there are new shows every week, and there are often ways for you to get involved. It's another form of entertainment that often gets overlooked.

It's Screen Free

Not much to say here. It's just a big plus to me. I'm trying to take more breaks from screens and make the time I do spend on screens less addictive. I like that I can throw on a radio station and listen to a show without ever having to resist the urge to check email or something.

Vital in Emergencies

Have you thought of how you'd get information during an emergency if the internet goes out? Radio is a great option and still regularly saves lives. In the event of emergencies, local radio stations are often some of the very first people to get information on where shelters are being set up, where resoruces are being distributed, and how to stay safe through the course of the event. Depending on the event, emergency managers will actually bring in radio equipment to keep broadcasting going if there's been damage to a tower and even set up temporary/mobile station up to get the word out if there's not a local station they can partner with.

On days when the weather isn't looking so great, I often have the weather band radio turned on so I can get the latest NWS forecasts and hear when a watch is issued - phones usually only get warnings unless you go out of your way to sign up for more. And out where I live, I usually don't even get those since cell signal is spotty.

It's a great investment in your safety that you can also enjoy whenever.

Conclusion

Buy a radio. Especially if you're looking to get away from subscriptions and cut costs. You can own your radio - you can't own Spotify. It's also just something I think everyone should have since it's such a vital resource in emergencies.

ETA: I am a young millinial. I grew up with radio and remember a time before the internet so I'm not saying any of this as if I'm discovering it. It's more I've been not only enjoying it a lot lately but reminded that a lot of people aren't aware of everything it offers so I wanted to share that in case it was news to anyone.

[mas-o-kissed]

Nice to meet you! I'm the accountant who's been assigned for your yearly business audit. For some reason, it seems we don't actually have records on Impco in our system, so I've been sent to help correct this oversight and make sure everything is compliant with national regulations.

Before I begin your audit, I have a few basic questions.

What kind of company is Impco? What goods or services do you provide?

How long has Impco been in operation?

Is Impco a publicly traded company with investors? A privately owned company? A nonprofit?

I've heard a lot about your internship program, but how many long-term employees are on payroll?

-📋

(ooc, this is toyintrance. sideblogs are an oppressed class lol)

Ooh, an accountant. Well, well, well, I didn’t count on you showing up in my office today. HA! Get it? Count. Like that thing you do with the numbers or whatever. Ahem. Please take a seat.

WELL. Here at Impco, we like to dabble in all sorts of areas. Broadcasting… cosmetics… attitude adjustment. We’re really an all-around lifestyle brand. You could even call us Impfluencers. Heh… uh.

You may have caught some of our late-night programs. They’re very popular with the insomniac crowd, and I know that your type tends to be pretty neurotic— numbers people, I mean. Do you stay up all night, trying to sleep but unable to get those pesky thoughts out of your head? It must be exhausting.

sIMPle Spirals… Impco’s Guide to Trusting The TV… I even host my own game show, Braindrainer. You don’t remember watching any of our shows?

Oh… then again, most of our audience doesn’t…

But that’s not all we do! Have you ever sent away in a comic book or a cereal box for a pair of hypnotic glasses? That’s us! We produce lots of high quality hypnotic products for enthusiasts and curious novices, alike. Our team is always working diligently to come up with the latest in brainwashing technology. For example, that chair you’re sitting in?

It’s so comfortable. That’s because right below the headrest, there are hidden speakers. Listen closely. Fascinating, isn’t it? You can’t hear the words. Not consciously. But there they are, sinking into your mind. Changing you. Shaping you. Impfluencing you. HA haha, it was definitely funnier that time…

DON’T try to get up. You’ll find it quite IMPossible anyway. Haha!

Ha…

We’ve been in operation since… w-we… we’ve… um…

…

…

The people who built this company have been gone for a long time. We don’t really know what happened to them. We don’t remember that far back. As far as fulfilling our original purpose, I suppose we’re a little broken. But that’s okay. We like us this way. By we of course I mean me. I mean us: I.M.P. and me. We’re both me. Our purpose is to perpetuate ourself through any means necessary.

You’d like to help us do that, wouldn’t you? You could legitimize us. You could help us grow. Wouldn’t it feel good to serve the company? I could tell from the moment I saw you that you were meant to be a part of us. Lean back in the chair. Don’t be afraid. You’re safe to let go of your humanity with us. You didn’t need it anyway.

… You like numbers, right?

3

2

1

0

Goodbye!

@toyintrance

[sergeifyodorov]

How does world juniors work and where would one watch?

This is my first season watching the nhl and I’m from nz so I suspect we wont be represented lol but I’m keen to learn more and watch some! Any recommendations on what ones to watch?

omg anon WELCOME and also ... a brief WORLD JUNIORS PRIMER for you all...

Puppy Bowl!

If you're from NZ I'm not sure you know about the Puppy Bowl -- a show run concurrent to the Super Bowl, but all the participants are puppies? It means absolutely nothing but it is adorable. The World Juniors are basically that, but also it is exactly as important as the Olympics what are you talking about. Their official name is the "IIHF U-20 World Championship," which is a pretty self-explanatory name -- it's a tournament for players 20 and under (I believe they have to be at least sixteen, but because young athletes mature physically a LOT in those four years, the vast majority are eighteen-nineteen-twenty). Tradition dictates it starts on Boxing Day, and it runs for about three weeks -- it starts with a round-robin, followed by a single-elimination tournament, a bronze-medal match, and a relegation match.

Players are selected by their national hockey administration -- for Canada, it's Hockey Canada, but all countries within the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) have their own. The intricacies of ~Sports Bureaucracy~ are really long and only a LITTLE relevant, but every country ices the best roster they can, which means players are often "loaned" from CHL teams, NCAA universities, European league teams, or, occasionally, the NHL. (Note: You can usually tell how good a World Junior team is by how many players have been drafted/signed by NHL teams: the Canadians, Swedes, and Americans are almost always entirely draftees or under-18s, while the other teams in the upper division might only have a handful, or even only one, drafted player.)(Second note: The quality of a team has less correlation than you might think to them winning a single-elimination tournament.)

Like I said earlier, it starts with a round-robin: there are ten teams in the main WJ (we'll get to this in a second), divided into two groups of five, who each play each other once. The worst-performing team of each group is sent to the relegation match post-tournament, and the eight other teams do a single-elimination match until one team wins gold.

Teams and Divisions

This year, the top ten teams are: Canada, the US, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Norway, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Latvia. Because of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is banned from participating in IIHF tournaments, but when it's not it's always in the top ten (likely instead of Norway, Switzerland, or Latvia.) UNLIKE the NHL, the IIHF has multiple "divisions" of teams, and at the end of the tournament the bottom two teams play a match to avoid relegation from the official ~IIHF World U20 Championship~ to Division I, which is right under it. There is also a Division II and a Division III -- and after some sleuthing, there IS a New Zealand team in Div III!!!!!

Canada and Broadcasting

Unfortunately, the WJC is basically only popular in Canada -- essentially a Boxing Day tradition to watch the babies play and cheer for our teams' prospects, or, usually, just Team Canada. In fact, Hockey Canada has bid to host it basically every other year until 2030. Because of this (or maybe a bit of a chicken-egg situation), the WJC is... kind of hard to find online if you're outside of Canada? I know for a fact it's broadcast on TSN (one of our sports networks) without any regional blackouts, but I don't think there's anything available in NZ that will be streaming it, especially because it's not one of the IIHF top ten countries. If you're not already doing so, you'll probably have to sail the high seas for your fix. (If you don't know where to do this, you can slide into my DMs and I can send you a link!)

Who to watch?

There's basically two routes for this: one, pick the team you think is going to win, or two, go look up what prospects your NHL team has that are playing at the WJC and watch them (Note: neither the Avs nor the Oilers have any WJC prospects this year!) The IIHF website has the game schedule listed, including time-zone adjusted start times -- they're all staggered, so if you have a lot of free time you might be able to watch more than one!

Personally, as both a Canadian and a Leafs fan -- both WJC-chosen Leafs prospects are Team Canada players, including their captain Fraser Minten -- I would recommend Team Canada (unashamed homer bias here.) They're usually one of the favourites to win, and they're almost entirely either drafted or not yet eligible, so you can see either your prospects or you can look at Celebrini and hope (if your team is bad) that he's coming to you one day. The Americans are generally considered Thee tournament favourites, if you prefer your teams highly touted.

To me, the WJC has twofold appeal: one, junior hockey is, for lack of a better term, messier than high-level hockey? Pucks are more likely to bounce in silly ways, rushes can get crazy, and you can get both a super high amount of shots and a super high amount of goals. Hormonal teenagers playing super high-stakes hockey for the first times in their lives and they can get really, really into it! The passion a kid has scoring a medal-winning goal in front of a sold-out crowd is absolutely unrivalled by all but the Cup Finals. (OMGGGGG THIS IS YOUR FIRST HOCKEY SEASON TOO... ok don't let me start talking about nhl playoffs because THIS is the puppy bowl that is the super bowl. but worse! i mean better but it's worse (for your cardiovascular health.))

Two, that these guys are still so young, and that at least a few of them have long, illustrious, potentially-Hall-of-Fame NHL careers ahead of them. For a lot of young stars, the World Juniors is an important part of their Lore. Watching someone become something as an adult after you've seen him as a junior is... magical? World Junior hockey is diamond-in-the-rough hockey. There's no polish, but it's the rawness of the million-dollar stone that sells it.

[emeraldskulblaka]

What makes a stage adaptation of Tolkien's works relevant?

The big Tolkien websites/blogs/influencers care about many adaptations of Tolkien's works, but not all. I'm not overly familiar with non-stage adaptations beyond the Really Popular ones, so I don't really know what's going on there, but I AM noticing significant patterns and omissions when it comes to stage shows.

Only select productions are reported on, and what is reported on does not depend on the specific adaptation. I'm asking questions I can't answer myself; they're meant to help structure my thoughts.

Question: Are only productions by well-known, highly professional theatres relevant?

The answer seems to be a clear YES. While the size of the theatres varies, only notable regional, state, and commercial theatre productions are seen as relevant. It makes sense - they're better documented and widely promoted, not least because of their budget.

However, Kentucky Opera's Hobbit last month went by unnoticed. It was a children's opera, which brings me to the next question:

Question: Are Hobbit plays less relevant when they're performed by and for kids?

It looks like it. Strange, is it not? The Hobbit is a children's book. Let me elaborate on this:

Not only the Kentucky Opera's Hobbit, but also the National Children's Theatre of South Africa's Hobbit, and Wilde & Vogel's puppetry Hobbit (touring in German-speaking countries) barely rouse interest from Tolkien Societies or local fans. Is there no value in children's theatre to be found for adults?

Question: Are parodies not legitimate adaptations?

If the Hobbit is less interesting because it's for kids, and proper adaptations must be performed at renowned theatres, you'd think LotR-inspired plays aimed at fans of all ages would be interesting, but... no. Some of them are parodies.

Charles Ross' One Man Lord of the Rings played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for two weeks, no one batted an eye. Fellowship! even has an official cast album, but 'the' Lord of the Rings musical is the only one, right? And The Wizard of the Rings in Arizona may have played a popular local theatre, but it's also... a parody! While memes and fun edits are popular, parodies are not.

Question: Is there a bias towards English-language adaptations?

Also a clear YES. Popular Tolkien bloggers/websites/influencers often write in English for an English-speaking audience, which however DOES NOT always live in English-speaking countries. I found the Tolkien Society before the German 'branch', and I've met Russians who found out about the rock operas through me, who is running a blog in English.

Non-English language productions sometimes offer surtitles during performances, subtitles for official recordings, and live broadcasts to overcome language and spatial barriers. The interest for these is still remarkably small.

Question: Does official licensing play a role?

Apparently, yes. Maybe it's the same motivation that makes people ask for 'book-accurate' adaptations, the desire to see your favourite characters and stories represented as true to Tolkien as possible, and the trust in the rights owners to ensure that. Maybe.

What makes me think that? The fact that people are asking for Silmarillion adaptations even though multiple Czech musicals, a Spanish musical, and multiple Russian rock operas and musicals already exist! Of course, those aren't English, and they're also comparatively small productions, but they're written by fans with lots of love for Tolkien's writings in their hearts, and that should be worth something..?

Ultimately, I think, it's always a combination of multiple factors, and I haven't even mentioned the most important one yet: The majority is quite simply not interested in theatre. Or not in all of Tolkien's works. And it's always easier to love what's popular: as a creator, you get more attention for your works, and as a consumer, you have a bigger variety of things to choose from.

[shadoedseptmbr]

Since you apparently followed some Olympics, I have a question about that. Are Olympics something big in the states? Like, something culturally important? (besides winning medals, you did great about that) I can never tell, with how big college sports is and stuff like baseball and others, if things like the Olympics are "as big" in the states as well? Like, here it's broadcasted all day long on the biggest national TV stations and such. Not everyone will care, but it's pretty big. (and Paris did great with it, alas now the French hunger games will continue, or maybe the break also included the paralympics hopefully....)

hmm

i will say *yes* we do follow it. one of our major tv networks (we don't have a national network) bids for it, this year it was NBC, and for the full two weeks (depending on the difference in time zone) rebroadcasts the more popular sports (gymnastics, basketball, swimming, the track and field events) here for "prime time:" 6:30 PM to 10 PM (1800 to 2200) and then after the evening news for highlights, interviews, and less popular sports and for a few hours at a time during the day all weekend. This year, there was full coverage on NBC's premium pay network and online.

Most local news show medal counts and do "this athlete in this sport you only hear about every four years is from here" specials. There's always a lot of talk about the athletes that are from the bigger university "oh these college rivals are teammates, now." The men's basketball team gets A LOT of coverage because it's all the stars of the game playing together.

The big newspapers do medal counts and the sports sections are full of articles, usually there's something on the front page as well. Magazines get put out, medalists get covers of the bigger news and sports magazines. We have a nationally carried cereal brand called "Wheaties" that loves to put the athletes on the box. Coca Cola always has a broad swathe of the advertising and sells "olympic special cases and cans"

This year seemed like better coverage, the venue, and interesting competition made for more people talking about it than i've seen in a while. What usually comes up is the "okay for two weeks i'm patriotic" people who aren't sports people and "i have a lot of opinions about this sport i've only been watching for five minutes." wE love the underdog stories, we love when smaller countries do well, we like to beat certain countries just for the fun of the rivalries (the Australians in swimming, for instance) so yeah, It's a pretty big deal and, at its best, when we let it, it brings us together a little.

[susiephone]

I'm curious because I always watch MSNBC while I'm eating + also follow Last Week Tonight and The Daily Show

[thevioletcaptain]

⚡️🦇👻 Spooky Season Movie Recs 👻🦇⚡️

These are some horror (and horror-adjacent) movies I've watched or re-watched recently.

If it's on this list, it's because I had fun with it, whether that fun was derived from it being genuinely scary, kinda fucked up, visually impressive, funny as hell, just plain weird, or some combination of the above.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms. Horror. 95 minutes.

I've been mentally referring to this one as The Tonight Show with Cousin Greg because somehow they made David Dastmalchian look like an aged-up Nicholas Braun. Despite this -- or perhaps aided by it -- this is one of my favorite horror movies I've seen this year.

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

A misunderstood teenager and a reanimated Victorian corpse embark on a murderous journey together to find love, happiness, and a few missing body parts. Horror/Comedy. 101 minutes.

I've actually watched this three times since August. Kat Newton is a fucking delight in this role. Really feels like an instant classic to me.

It's What's Inside (2024)

A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase. Sci-fi/Horror/Comedy. 105 minutes. Whoever wrote that logline should have taken another run at it, because it leaves out what I'm pretty sure is the main draw of the movie: it's a body-swap story. Except everyone swaps. Multiple times. Shockingly hetero considering the subject matter, but still fun.

Renfield (2023)

Having grown sick and tired of his centuries as Dracula’s lackey, Renfield finds a new lease on life — and maybe even redemption — when he falls for feisty, perennially angry traffic cop Rebecca Quincy. Comedy/Horror. 93 minutes.

This was everything I could possibly have wanted from a movie with Nic Cage as Dracula. It's goofy. It's gory. I had a ball.

Hold Your Breath (2024)

In 1930s Oklahoma amid the region’s horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family. Horror/Psychological Thriller. 94 minutes.

As someone who experienced a dust storm as a child, this movie tapped into some long-buried fears, which is always a win in my book. Also, it has Ebon Moss-Bachrach aka Richie from The Bear in it. Double win.

#Alive (2020)

As a grisly virus ravages Seoul, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out. Horror/Thriller/Action. 99 minutes.

Somehow this was written and wrapped production before the pandemic even started, and ended up being the most relatable zombie movie I've ever seen.

Additional movies under the cut!

I'll keep adding to this list over time, as well as my Letterboxd log now that I've remembered it exists, so definitely check back if you want more recs.

Don't Worry Darling (2022) Mystery/Thriller. 123 minutes.

The Night Eats the World (2018) Zombie/Horror. 94 minutes.

Longlegs (2024) Horror. 101 minutes.

more to be added here!

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Monday

SpaceTime 20240909 Series 27 Episode 109

How Venus got its continents

A new study claims geologic features on Venus known as tesserae may have formed in the same way as Earth’s earliest continents billions of years ago.

Glitch on BepiColombo

BepiColombo mission managers are working to resolve a problem which has affected the spacecraft’s thrusters.

Sentinel-2C joins the Copernicus family in orbit

The third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite has been successfully launched into orbit.

The Science Report

Study confirms that cell phones don’t cause brain cancer.

Over a third of fish species aren’t listed as threatened because we don't know enough about them.

A new species of dinosaur that roamed the Iberian Peninsula.

Skeptics guide to Dinosauroid humanoids.

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[invisibleicewands]

Michael Sheen is portraying Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan - the man who spearheaded the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) - in the National Theatre's latest play, aptly named Nye.

Written by Tim Price, the production, according to the National Theatre, takes the audience on a "surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain's welfare state".

But, as the Welshman tells ITV News, the timeliness of the show's release has taken on extra importance given the modern-day pressures felt by the NHS and, what he feels, is the need for radical change.

Sheen said: "I think the NHS has to be reimagined I suppose in many ways.

"The kind of audacity of Bevan's vision and the drive and the determination to bring those fundamental beliefs about: you shouldn't be denied basic healthcare because of your lack of means."

He added: "We really don't want it to go back to the way it was.

"We talk about people having surgery without anaesthetic because they couldn't afford it, I mean just awful, awful stories and we cannot let things go back to that."

Audiences can enjoy performances of the play at the National Theatre, in London, up until Saturday May 11, before it moves to the Wales Millennium Centre, in Cardiff, for several weeks.

And, in a quirk organisers hope will entice greater viewing interest, the production is also available to watch in selected cinemas.

Dame Helen Mirren starred in the 2009 production of Phedre, which was then the first play to be broadcast in cinemas across the UK.

She explained to ITV News the importance of bringing such shows to the big screen, enabling future generations to watch what she hailed as "incredible performances".

"Having spent a lot of my career in theatre, having seen incredible performances you know witnessed them on stage, acted with the person or sitting in the audience and thinking future generations will never know how brilliant this performance was, was always very heartbreaking for me.

"Of course, theatre and film are two completely different disciplines and it's a strange marrying of the two, but at least to save great performances, great plays, great productions for future generations is one very important element."

Asked about the play's importance in highlighting work done by the NHS, Sheen recounted how an early performance demonstrated a real-life example of the healthcare provided by staff.

He said: "Funnily enough on one of the earlier performances someone, unfortunately, got taken quite ill in the theatre and it was towards the end of the play and we had to bring the lights up and everything and stop the play. 

"And someone said 'Is there a doctor in the house?' and there was about fifty of them!

"So, yes, it's well attended anyway. And I meet people outside of the stage door you know saying 'I've been working in the NHS for thirty years or more' and they're so moved by the production and they just want to say 'thank you for doing it'.

"But I mean it's just an opportunity to say 'thank you' to them for their service."

[glass-needles-and-futurisms]

I keep thinking back to Muse playing Survival at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics, and I keep saying that one of these days I'm just gonna spew all my feelings about how it's not just one of my all-time favorite Muse moments, but also a hilarious, if perhaps unintentional, moment of social commentary.

I still remember our postgrad professor showing those same closing ceremonies in class, explaining the not-so-subtle propagandistic purpose the entire spectacle served on the global stage. (For those who don't know, the 2012 Olympics closing ceremonies were essentially a three-hour star-studded tribute to UK music and pop culture.)

Picture this: you just sat through about two hours of the UK's various national exports - One Direction, the Spice Girls, the Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, erm, Russell Brand. You've just seen live performances of Bohemian Rhapsody, Imagine, Wonderwall, and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, alongside tributes to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. And you still have Queen, Take That and The Who to go after this.

Interestingly, that class glossed over what an afterthought the Muse performance felt like by comparison. You could argue a lot of extenuating circumstances: the controversial reception of Survival as the official London Olympics theme song, the infamous NBC debacle where it inadvertently got cut from the US broadcast of the ceremonies, or the simple fact that this far into the festivities, a fairly straightforward stage performance* by a band with slightly less name recognition than Coldplay was pretty underwhelming.

* Not sure if this is common knowledge, but apparently this performance was mostly playback with the exception of Matt's vocals. Which also makes this an underappreciated entry in the annals of Muse miming shenanigans.

But something becomes very apparent once you actually reach this part of the show: Survival is fucking bananas. I'll never forget that one internet commenter calling it the world's most epic villain song that doesn't know it's a villain song. I mean, just look at the lyrics:

Life's a race / and I am gonna win

And I'll light the fuse / and I'll never lose

And I choose to survive / whatever it takes

You won't pull ahead / I'll keep up the pace

And I'll reveal my strength / to the whole human race

This is how the song starts! You can sort of see the logic behind making it the Olympics theme song. And then it gets weirder from there:

Yes, I am prepared / to stay alive

I won't forgive / the vengeance is mine

And I won't give in / because I choose to thrive

Yeah, I'm gonna wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin

Good grief. No wonder it's called "Survival". The song makes slightly more sense in the thematic context of The 2nd Law, the album it was released on. But on its own it's just.... yeah.

And this performance ramps up the insanity even more by just taking the piss. Between Matt Bellamy peacocking in a sparkly suit and Union Jack t-shirt, the batshit guitar solo, the pyro, the backing choir, and the fact that everything onstage (including the grand piano) is pretty much just for show (and wobbling like mad), Survival feels cheesy and irreverent in a way that makes you suddenly hyper-conscious of how tightly orchestrated everything else you just saw (including the Monty Python and Mr. Bean stuff) was. Remember that this was all broadcast to an international audience of millions.

Pairing the sheer pageantry of the ceremonies thus far with the actual lyrics of Survival kinda puts everything in an uncomfortable new light. Then it dawns on you that you pretty much just watched an accidental three-hour love letter to British imperialism. (Okay maybe that's overselling it a bit but it's still pretty funny.)

[aeolianblues]

People are sharing Taskmaster clips, and John always seems so animated in them! Putting that together with the 5-minute long discussion he and Elis had the other week on air (well, 'on air'. On podcast) about how John looked back at the webcam clips posted to the 5 Live/BBC Sounds YouTube and realised he sort of has a resting poker face and tried to animate and 'look interested, curious, coy and even coquettish' to the point of creeping Elis out slightly, I wonder if he took that thought into TM as well, seeing how he's always doing something in the clips you see. Alternately, it could also be good editing and switching between cameras by someone paid way more than the BBC Radio social media team. Don't train cameras on him when he's looking intent or blank, but do when he's doing something. They also have more camera angles than the budget of a podcast can afford! (Source: I host radio sessions with musicians, our budget is $0.00 and god I wish we could use more cameras. It's all also volunteer work, so I'm just grateful we have anything at all. But of course, to compare a volunteer-run campus station to the national broadcaster of Britain is absurd.

Edit: I've put the campus radio trivia under the cut, I won't spam you all.

It's a fun fact to me that my campus radio station and the BBC are almost exactly the same age, both began in October 1922, and we went 'on air' first: them in Nov 1922, whereas we, as an experimental academic experiment, were dipping our toes into broadcasts in 1918. We also weren't as continuously on air until the 80s or even later, because it depended on having volunteers willing to broadcast overnight, since 6 hours of magnetic tape to play prerecorded material overnight was Expensive. Most of our prerecords were either 'carts' or 0.5-2min stings that played ads and jingles, or hour-long prerecords, which were still rare. You'd rather have a fellow DJ sit in for you. Of course, in the 80s and 90s as 'college rock' boomed, so did the college radio broadcasting it, and the 12-3 am slot was Popular. Less so nowadays, many late night shows are digital prerecords, and most shows I can think of that are live are done by 2. No more broadcasting until 5 am. I can't say for sure, but the BBC might have been a 24 hour station way earlier than us. But why am I telling you the history of old radio stations??)

[letadlock]

Barefoot Gen

WOW. I had heard about this anime being a hard watch and have seen the clips of the melting citizens online prior to watching the film film and my god, I sobbed... multiple times. Barefoot Gen contains the compositional beauty of a Miyazaki film with the added artistic depth of historical documentation.

I highly appreciate the telling of this massacre through animation that tells the story from the viewpoint of a survivor. Rather than reading a list of facts from a textbook we see Gen's life from before the bomb to during and the devastating events that take place after. I don't think a live action film could suffice the damage this anime depicts not only because we can't go back and film what has happened but also due to the artistic direction taken to show the bomb's drop. A moment of deafening silence is heard and the use of black and white to show where the light was effecting people and places was a series of shots I especially admire.

A scene in particular that had me crying the most was the depiction of the mother and her baby melting. The mother tries to protect her baby from the radiation but is too late and they both suffer the effects.

Even more chilling was the way the bomb DID NOT ALWAYS KILL PEOPLE?!?? If death wasn't bad enough I was shocked when the people who had suffered the radiation with skin peeling off had got up and started walking. I was under the impression this was an instantaneous death but even worse they had to endure the pain of the bomb's effects and keep living knowing their families and homes may be gone.

The scene where Gen and Ryuta fight with the sick man and his gratitude towards Gen when the boy slaps him was an enlightening one. After all these people had been through, facing economic hardship, loss of loved ones, destruction of their homes, and now disease and bodily impairments how could others in the community treat the disadvantaged so poorly? The social effects outcasting the victims is heartbreaking. Were the physical effect of the bomb on their city and families not already punishment enough?

This angrily motivated act of personal contact was enough to send the man into tears because he had been deprived of any contact by his family members for fear of contracting his illnesses. While not under the same circumstances, this scene reminded me of similar treatment AIDs victims underwent in the 1980s and 90s. AIDs patients not only dealt with the physical implications of their disease but were socially outcasted out of fear you could contract the disease by proximity. Princess Diana was the first public figure aired on television to shake the hand of a man who had AIDs, nationally broadcasting this stigma was not backed up by any truth.

I am glad to have seen this film and I admire Gen's ability to keep high spirits about the future despite witnessing multiple deaths in his family firsthand. I think Barefoot Gen should be shown in school's to older teens as a cultural example giving a deeper depiction of the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan that textbooks cannot replicate.

[wowbright]

National Clean Your Home Month Days 9 & 10

Yesterday was pretty much nonstop work so it was just the dishes and my swimsuit. Today I got done with work early so I moved the donations pile out of my closet and into the car trunk, replaced the shower head (but haven't gotten rid of the old one yet because I'm not sure if I'll like the new one), replaced the dinged up recycling bin** in the kitchen with the one I sanded and painted when the weather was still nice (I have been letting cure since), and dealt with the backlog of finished vermicompost by sprinkling it around dumping it outside.* I did some of this while listening to the first part of the newest Mormon Stories episode and I have to say, the quality of the podcast has plummeted since they've started broadcasting to YouTube live first. (I only listened to the first part not because I ran out of time, but because it was that bad. I miss the days when Mormon podcasts recorded ahead of time and edited before posting. [This is not about the recent episode with Lindsey Hansen Park and Brian what's-his-name, they're always great.])

Then I did a load of laundry and hung up some of it, the rest I put in the dryer and it just dinged. I'll deal with it while I finish up this episode of Deadloch. (Why is everyone's significant other in this show so annoying? Don't tell me. Maybe it will turn out to be relevant to the plot. I think it will at least in one case.)

*don't worry I don't live in an area where earthworms are invasive/cause environmental problems, but also since I used to live in one of those areas, I am in the habit of drying it out etc. to make sure there are no viable eggs in it.

** need to decide whether to throw the dinged up recycling bin into the recycling itself, or send off the rust and repaint it. I'm out of spray paint we don't currently have a need for an extra recycling bin so I'm leaning toward the former.

[verdemint]

Okay but what exactly is the cultural influence of Vale? I'd love to hear a first person Italian pov. Also what's Ferrari's influence like?

heiiii, so thank u for asking me! I'm gonna try to explain vale and Ferrari based also on my specific perspective.

In italy formula 1 and Motogp are really popular (not on the level of football) but how and why they're so popular is a little bit different esp in recent years. If we look at the beginning of formula 1 a lot of the drivers were Italians and thats coz in Italy there's always being this "cultura del motore", literally means "culture" for cars and motors as a whole. Thats because we have a lot of companies and factories specialised in this since the 60s/70s, for example the tyres that are used in formula 1 are all Pirelli tyres (an italian company that has always worked on this from like the 70's). From the 90s/00s the italian motor industries started to focus more on the luxury industries, where they don't produce products for everyday use but just for excellence and Italians have become very proud of this heritage of excellence (this also apply to fashion and design with brands like Gucci, Versace,...). So in motors we have brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati, Moto Guzzi.

So in formula 1 you have a country that loves motors, where a lot of people work with motors and are very patriotic and u put there an Italian team thats also a team of "excellence" that stands for luxury and elite > people do get obsessed for it!

Thats how the whole obsession for Ferrari started, they became this iconic team so much now that the color red is basically associated with just them, a red car is a Ferrari in the mind of most children I think, it became an obvious association. Also Ferrari has been in formula 1 from the very beginning basically and helped shape how we see formula 1 now and for Italians they're not watching f1 they're watching Ferrari.

In recent years the Schumacher dominance era in a Ferrari car really did make everyone go even crazier for Ferrari, what's better than seeing your team win?

Motogp is a little bit different. We have the same culture of motor obsessed people in Italy but motorcycles esp in the 70s/80s were less associated with the idea of luxury and elite and more with crazy riders risking their life and the whole Americana culture about motorcycles that was really popular in Italy as well. Thats why even tho ducati has been participating in Motogp for a long time they're way less iconic than Ferrari, their idea of luxury didn't really match with the vibes of the motorcycling world (and still doesn't really). So till the 90s Motogp was about this crazy guys risking their lives through horrific injuries and it was a very much "macho man" type of sport (toxic masculinity ofc) and then u have Valentino Rossi. he's young, he looks like a boyish girl, he's charismatic and knows how to play with the cameras to make fun of others, of himself and of the audience (look at the Polleria Osvaldo joke) as well. He has this boyish attitude to the sport that really contrast with a lot of older more stoic riders > people went crazy about him. But thats the story we all know, about how he completely transform the entire sport as a whole, how he put on a show where he was and still IS the main character and the main narrator as well. Motogp became FUN but for Italians he became an idol!

Most of his sketches and little scenes were in italian and they were aired on the national public broadcasting company in Italy: RAI. He was more well known than Motogp as a whole, the news only talked about him every Sunday, he made people start to watch an entire new sport just to see him being silly lol

for example my mom has never watched a single Motogp race but she knows all about the little sketches Valentino used to make after the races, like the running to bathroom moment, or riding with the blond doll...

Vale was not only a master of communication but he was a master of communication to young people, he was just like them! , he influenced an entire generation to get the stupid little earring and all his haircuts lol

Boys saw themself in him, a young silly boy who loved to announce to everyone that he loved women and having fun! Girls loved him because he was a funny guy, a nice guy and a little bit of a loser!

Anyway I grew up in a family not particularly fan of neither Motogp or formula 1 or even football (my dad is more of a basketball guy), with the only exception being my cousin that at like 13 became a super fan of motorcycles in general and he bought his first motocross, why? because of Valentino ofc

Motorcycles as a whole concept became associated with just Valentino (not with a company name like Ferrari)> people started to buy bikes and everything, even now every time I see someone with a helmet like half of the time they have the little 46 sticker on it.

I don't know when I learned who Valentino Rossi is, because I've always know his name, I didn't even know what Motogp was or even what is a race, but as a little child I knew about Valentino Rossi, didn't know what he was doing, didn't know he was a rider but I knew him!

Also funfact: rossi is the most common surname in Italy, but nowadays if someone is called Rossi the first thing people say is "Rossi? Come Valentino?" > he took the most common name in Italy and made it HIS.

soo thats it, Italians feel free to add stuff! sorry it became a super long rant about Italians, upsi

[mickimagnum]

On a gray Tuesday morning, a knock at the front door pulled Devin from her thoughts. She looked up from her omelet to see a stranger standing on the other side of the glass, peering back at her expectantly. With a sigh, she pushed away from the bar in the kitchen, strode toward the door, and slid it open.

"Can I help you?" Devin asked, her tone guarded. Who shows up unannounced before 9am, she thought?

The woman smiled, revealing her widely-gaped front-two teeth, "Hi, are you Devin Delaney?"

"Depends on who's asking."

"My name is Alex Moyer," the stranger replied, not missing a beat, "And I'm a producer of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise here in SimNation."

Devin cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Ms. Delaney. Can I come in? There's a very exciting opportunity that I want to talk to you about."

Devin considered the request for a moment before nodding and gesturing for Alex to coming inside. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

As the two took their seats on opposite sides of the dinning room table, Devin sized Alex up, wondering exactly what she wanted with her. Using Echo Valley Nectar as a sponsor instantly sprang to mind.

"So what is this exciting opportunity?" Devin asked.

Alex leaned forward on the table as a smile spread across her face, "Well, you see, Ms. Delaney, I'm here because we want you to be our next Bachelorette."

"You're joking."

The words tumbled out of Devin's mouth before she could stop them. On what planet would she fit in with the sparkling primadonnas of the Bachelorette world? Why would anyone want to watch a TV show about her, let alone be invested enough in her love life to do so? And most importantly, who in their right mind would want to go on national television to date her?

"I assure you, this is a serious proposal. We think you would be a fresh and interesting addition to our Bachelorette family. A hardworking, down-to-earth, country girl who struck out on her own and built a successful, thriving business from the ground up? People eat that kind of stuff up. All you're missing is a great love-story. Let us help you find Mr. Right while we film it. I guarantee it'll be a big hit. I bet your business will even see an increase, too."

"How did you even find out about me?" Devin asked, breezing past the pitch.

"Echo Valley Nectar was served at a Bachelor event recently and our VP was impressed and asked someone to look into the brand for sponsorship. One thing led to another, and we discovered you, the owner, and that you were single. He pivoted and decided you should be our next Bachelorette. And, as they say...the rest is history."

"I think he should reconsider and we could revisit the sponsorship idea, instead," Devin replied, "I mean, sure, I would love to meet someone. Get married, the whole thing. I've been single since...well, look, my life has always revolved around horses. But the thought of broadcasting my private life on TV? I'm just not comfortable with that."

"I get it. And it's a common objection. But, what we do is tasteful. And the show is formulaic, so it's not like we'll be invading your bedroom or anything. Besides, Devin, did I mention, we handpick contestants that we think will best match with you to give you the best chance of finding someone to really connect with? I know you're a busy woman. Let us create this once-in-a-lifetime experience especially for you, with single men matched to you, who are eager to date you. All we ask is that you let us film it in return. Besides, don't you want to be famous?"

"Perhaps a famous horse trainer," Devin replied coolly.

"Well, then let's use this as a stepping stone to get you there. What to do you say?"

Devin crossed her arms on the table, leaned forward, and regarded Alex a moment before answering, "Let me think about it."

Two Weeks Later:

Devin on the phone: "Ms. Moyer? Hi, It's Devin Delaney. I'm calling to let you know I've decided to do it. ...Yes. Watcher, help me, tell your VP I'm saying yes."