#benjamin sullivan

[visual-sandwich]

Benjamin Sullivan (bn. 1977) 

My Studio Self Portrait 

[manga-and-stuff]

So I am reading Howl's moving Castle right now and I gotta say... the movie isn't really based on it, more loosely inspired by it.

The movie doesn't even mention that Howl's real name is "Howell Jenkins"... oh, and he's Welsh...

[just-just-gyllenhaal]

BRAND NEW PICS..

Greeting Fans Outside The Ed Sullivan Theatre In New York City(2024) pics..

[goin-down-singin]

I'm playing the Sacristan in Tosca next month, after a lifetime being told I seem like I'd be a good vicar (they're not wrong, it's just a shame I'm not religious). In the spirit of this, here is a list of operatic vicar/priest/general churchy types I might play:

- Sacristan (Tosca)

- Mr Gedge (Albert Herring - done this one)

- Dr Daly (The Sorcerer)

- Fra Melitone (La forza del destino)

Honourable MT Mentions:

- Claude Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

- The Monsignor from Sister Act

Please add to this so I can find other roles which make use of the strange energy I was born with (ideally for baritone, but I'd be curious to hear about other voices too)

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

President Joe Biden announced Friday that Israel has proposed a three-part plan that would ultimately lead to a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of all hostages who have been held there for the last eight months.

Speaking from the White House, Biden said that the proposal comes after intensive diplomacy carried out by his team. The plan has been relayed to Hamas via Qatar, one of the main mediators in negotiations.

Biden’s announcement is notable as he and his administration have battled opposition from the far-left wing of the Democratic Party, especially as the general election is in full swing.

People have demonstrated across the country, including students who set up encampments on college campuses last month. And members of the Biden administration have also quit their jobs in protest over U.S. policy toward Israel.

The plan's first phase would start with six weeks of a full and complete cease-fire, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza, and the release of women and children being held hostage, Biden said during the surprise announcement. This initial stage would also include a surge of humanitarian assistance, with 600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every day.

Biden said that, in that first phase, Israel and Hamas would negotiate a permanent cease-fire and admitted that there could be major hurdles.

"I’ll be honest with you, there are a number of things to be negotiated to move from phase one to phase two," he said.

The president said that phase two wouldn't begin until all agreements are reached. That second stage would involve the release of all living hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

The final phase would be the start of a major reconstruction plan in Gaza and the return of the remains of deceased hostages to their families.

“I’ve urged the leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal, regardless of whatever [political] pressure comes," Biden said.

While Israeli officials did not comment on the specific terms outlined by Biden, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had authorized the government's negotiating team to "present an outline" that included "the return of all our abductees and the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities."

Netanyahu, who has repeatedly promised to not end the war until Hamas is destroyed, has come under intense pressure from the families of hostages, many of whom say he and the government are not working hard enough to gain the return of their loved ones.

Hamas released a statement saying that the group "views positively what was included in US President Joe Biden’s speech today." Hamas also said that it would only deal with proposals if they were based on a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, among other stipulations.

Friday's statement echoed a statement from a day earlier in which the group asserted that if Israel stops its war in Gaza, it would be prepared "to reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive exchange deal."

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement stressed "the importance of creating real political conditions for the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state." Qatar has been heavily involved in mediating between parties during negotiations.

In a statement released after Biden's announcement, former President Barack Obama praised the outlined plan writing that a ceasefire would "save lives" and "lay the foundation for what will be a long and difficult road to a future in which Israel is secure and at peace with its neighbors, and Palestinians finally have the security, freedom and self-determination that they have sought for so long."

Biden's announcement comes after Israeli forces moved farther into the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday, days after an airstrike sparked a major fire that killed dozens of Palestinians.

Biden has grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu in recent months, though the U.S. successfully defended its ally in April against Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel.

In March, Biden warned Netanyahu against Israel launching a military assault in Rafah, with national security adviser Jake Sullivan saying after the two leaders spoke that it "would be a mistake." And in early May, the U.S. stopped a large shipment of offensive weapons to Israel. Despite what seemed to be Biden's red line, the White House said earlier this week that Israel had not crossed it.

The war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' surprise assault on Israel on Oct. 7 which left some 1,200 dead and resulted in the kidnapping of 240, has killed around 36,000 Palestinians, according to officials in Gaza.

Israel has been sharply criticized and become increasingly isolated during the war.

In recent weeks, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians fled after being forced from their homes.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor applied for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others over alleged war crimes.

In the last week, Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state, a step Israel vehemently opposes.

[plitnick]

Biden works to create plausible deniability as he backs Israel’s assault on Gaza

Even the best media outlets are currently repeating the mantra that the US is trying to get Israel to limit Palestinian civilian casualties. It’s a half-truth. The Biden administration is not thrilled with the optics in Gaza, and they certainly do want to limit the fallout for Arab allies, especially Jordan and Egypt. But they have no serious objections to Israel’s genocidal plans for Gaza now or…

[criminalmindsismyobsession13]

HELP SAVE STATION 19

Please, if you love station 19- or even if you don't and are just willing to help- help save our beloved show!! Sign the change.org petition here: https://chng.it/KfhbhpyPct an follow the save station 19 instagram to show support and find out what else you can do. This show means a lot to me and other people and it has been cancelled to soon. The show is full of representation of minorities and protests against the current treatment of women in the US. Station 19 is home. It is a family. Us fans are a family, the cast and crew is a family, so please please help us save what if for most of us, the best family we will ever have. It can't go yet. Grey's is about to have season 20 and we might not even get a season 8! Its senseless and I know its not the biggest problem in our world right now, but saving it would touch a lot of lives and make things a little bit better. Please, I'm begging you, if you sympathise with my plea or love 19 too, sign the petition to bring it back.

(not my instagram acc, im just in support of it)

[agentfascinateur]

How does the US justify over 26 000 innocent victims?

[johnnyloueydelightsus]

Great Book! 10X is easier than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

https://futureself.com/10xfree/

[spaceteenagers]

Benjamin Sullivan, the honorable and somewhat mysterious court magician was married last Saturday to Lettie Hatter, formerly of Market Chipping. The other court magician was also there, presumably as a guest of the matron of honor, Sophie Pendragon nee Hatter, the bride's sister. They seemed wrapped up in some sort of disagreement for most of the ceremony though.

[time-being]

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/10/16/kamala-harris-israel-gaza-lebanon/

The headline says: "Israel complicates election’s final stretch, an issue Democrats hoped would fade"

The sub-hed continues: "Benjamin Netanyahu’s escalating assaults in Gaza and Lebanon have become a growing vulnerability for Kamala Harris amid her bid for the presidency."

But the framing makes no sense. Why did Democrats expect this issue to fade?

Towards the end of the article, we have this:

But Biden and his top advisers agreed with Netanyahu’s premise that the weakening of Hezbollah could be exploited to reshape Lebanon’s politics and appoint a new president. A limited incursion was backed by Blinken, Hochstein, Austin, Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, said officials familiar with the matter.

Biden and all his top advisors, including Lloyd Austin, Tony Blinken, and Trump superfan/Iraq puppet government operator Brett McGurk approved an invasion this month.

Again, why did Democrats think this issue would go away? They signed off on an invasion, attempting to install a puppet government in Lebanon, a couple of weeks ago. Invasions don't go away in a hurry.

Earlier in the article, even the Washington Post puts it in perspective:

Michigan has 300,000 people from the SWANA region and they strongly disapprove of the genocide and the Biden/Harris genocide and invasion strategy. This is not fresh news.

Politico reported on this in November 2023: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/11/biden-israel-michigan-support-00125320

You can find it in Vox in February of 2024: https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/2/27/24084168/michigan-gaza-primary-biden-ceasefire-arabs

This is political malpractice, in addition to being murderous policy.

It's like they're trying to lose.

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

Becoming an Intelligent Woman

My Dears,

There is no greater goal than being a fine woman who is intelligent, kind, and elegant. As much as we all want to be described with these adjectives, it takes a great amount of discipline to get there. It is very doable only if you are ready to put in the work.

Here are steps you can add to your routine in the next 4 weeks that will make you 1% more intelligent than you were before. This is a process that should become a habit not a goal. It is long term, however, I want you to devote just 4 weeks into doing these steps first and recognize the changes that follow.

Watch documentaries: This is the easiest step, we all have access to Youtube. Youtube has a great number of content on art, history, technology, food, science etc that will increase your knowledge and pique your curiosity. I really did not know much about world history especially from the perspective of World war 1 & 2, the roaring 20s, Age of Enlightenment, Jazz era, monarchies etc but with several channels dedicated to breaking down history into easily digestible forms. I have in the last 4 weeks immersed myself into these documentaries. Here are a few I watched:

The fall of monarchies

The Entire History of United Kingdom

The Eight Ages of Greece

World War 1

World War 2

The Roaring '20s

The Cuisine of the Enlightenment

2. Read Classics: I recommend starting with short classics so that you do not get easily discouraged. Try to make reading easy and interesting especially if you struggle with finishing a book. Why classics? You see, if you never went to an exclusive private school in Europe or America with well crafted syllabus that emphasized philosophy, history, art, and literary classics, you might want to know what is felt like and for me this was a strong reason. Asides that, there is so much wisdom and knowledge available in these books. In these books, you gain insights to the authors mind, the historical context of the era, the ingenuity of the author, the hidden messages, and the cultural impact of these books. Most importantly, you develop your personal philosophy from the stories and lessons you have accumulated from the lives of the characters in the books you read. Here are classics to get you started:

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Candide by Voltaire

Paradise lost by John Milton

3. Study the lives of people who inspire you: I dedicate one month to each person that fascinates me. I read their biography (date of birth, background, death, influences, work, style, education, personal life) For this month, I decided to study Frank Lloyd Wright because I was fascinated by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I began to read about his influence in American Architecture (Organic architecture, Prairie School, Usonian style), his tumultuous personal life, his difficult relationship with his mentor (Louis Sullivan), his most iconic works etc. By the end of the year I would have learned the ins and outs of people I am inspired by through books and documentaries. Here are other people I plan to learn more about:

Winston Churchill

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ada Lovelace

Benjamin Franklin

Helen Keller

John Nash

Isabella Stewart Gardner

Caroline Herrera

Ernest Hemingway

Catherine the Great

Ann Lowe

My dears, I hope you enjoyed this read. I cannot wait to write more on my journey to becoming a fine woman. I urge you to do this for four weeks and see what changes you notice. Make sure to write as well, it is important to document your progress.

Cheers to a very prosperous 2024!

[shesboundtobruise]

TAG DROP V. (to be continued)

[just-just-gyllenhaal]

Outside The Ed Sullivan Theatre In NYC(2015) pic...

[macrolit]

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

NYT Article.

*************

Q: How many of the 100 have you read? Q: Which ones did you love/hate? Q: What's missing?

Here's the full list.

100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson 99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith 98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett 97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward 96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman 95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel 94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith 93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante 91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth 90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen 89. The Return, Hisham Matar 88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis 87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters 86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight 85. Pastoralia, George Saunders 84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee 83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat 82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor 81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan 80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante 79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin 78. Septology, Jon Fosse 77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones 76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin 75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout 73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro 72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich 71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen 70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones 69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander 68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez 67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon 66. We the Animals, Justin Torres 65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth 64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai 63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill 62. 10:04, Ben Lerner 61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver 60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon 59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 58. Stay True, Hua Hsu 57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich 56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner 55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright 54. Tenth of December, George Saunders 53. Runaway, Alice Munro 52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson 51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson 50. Trust, Hernan Diaz 49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang 48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi 47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison 46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt 45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson 44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin 43. Postwar, Tony Judt 42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James 41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald 39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan 38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano 37. The Years, Annie Ernaux 36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine 33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward 32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst 31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith 30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward 29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt 28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 26. Atonement, Ian McEwan 25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc 24. The Overstory, Richard Powers 23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro 22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo 21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond 20. Erasure, Percival Everett 19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe 18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon 15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee 14. Outline, Rachel Cusk 13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy 12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz 10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson 9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald 7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead 6. 2666, Roberto Bolano 5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen 4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones 3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson 1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

[debaxchery]

     CRUEL LAUGHTER SLIPS PAST BENJAMIN’S lips as jude brings up the fact that sullivan would likely volunteer to help if he were accepting audience participation. “ i don’t know that our boy sully here would know how to handle my girl, ” he responds, his hand still casually groping at one of harper’s perfect breasts. benji finds sullivan’s almost hero-worship of him to be amusing. warranted, but amusing, nonetheless. he does have a great life. he’s got the job, the house, the girl. who wouldn’t want to live like that ? luckily for the other male, benjamin has taken sully under his wing. and that comes with perks. “ baby, why don’t you take off your shirt and let him play with your tits a bit ? he’s had a long day and needs the stress relief, ” benji explains, though the ‘ long day ’ in question amounts to nothing more than the slight inconvenience of getting a flat tire on the way to work. still, he believes in sharing his wealth with his friends, and his wealth happens to come in the form of a beautiful woman who will do anything for him. and, by extension and at his command, his friends.

     WHEN BENJAMIN MAKES THE COMMENT about sullivan likely not being able to handle harper, he can’t help the way his cheeks light up in a heated blush. he could handle her. he could handle her just fine, actually. still, he keeps those thoughts to himself. sully understands that part of being in benji’s orbit is accepting the ribbing and deprecation. luckily, the benefits of being his friend far outweigh the negatives. such benefits include being thrown the occasional bone in the form of getting to feel up benjamin’s hot girlfriend. when the other male suggests that she remove her shirt and let him play with her tits, he eagerly bobs his head up and down in agreement. “ it’s been a really long day, ” he replies, laying it on thick. so what if the only real inconvenience in the day was a flat tire ( that was easily fixed by aaa in no time at all ) ? if it gets him the chance to grope his good friend’s girlfriend’s tits, he’ll play it up for all it’s worth. “ i think squeezing on your tits would make everything better. ” his tone is serious, despite the outrageous claim. then again, sullivan is pretty sure touching harper’s tits would end wars and bring peace to the land, so how outrageous is it, really ?

     “ REALLY ? ” JUDE ROLLS HIS EYES, exasperated. “ and i suppose i’m just… what ? chopped liver ? ” shaking his head in exaggerated annoyance, he returns his attention to the television and the game that’s still taking place on the big screen. “ game’s going great, harper. thanks for asking. we’re in the lead. three an’ oh. i think we’re going to pull it out on this one, ” he supplies, a smirk tugging up the corners of his lips. “ though i don’t suppose you know anything about pulling out, do you ? ” it’s a crude comment, but he doesn’t apologize or attempt to take it back. unlike sullivan, he doesn’t worship the ground that benjamin walks on. no, the pair grew up together, and have experienced each other’s ups and downs, highs and lows, and everything else in between. it’s hard to worship someone you wore diapers with. having shared multiple women with benji in the past, jude is not surprised that he’s allowing sullivan to play with his girl. what he is surprised about is that it’s taken this long to happen. usually, benjamin is eager to share. he likes to brag about the whores he’s so easily able to pull. and he does frequently pull the very best.

DOESN'T EVEN BAT AN EYE AT THE HAND PAWING AT HER BREAST. so enamoured by her boyfriend, overwhelmingly grateful to be his choice of girl and flaunted around, harper will do just about anything to keep him happy. it doesn't matter who's around or what they're doing, if benjamin desires her, he has every permission to claim her. no refusal or protests will ever leave her plumped lips. in a strange way, the femme takes pride in being the prized girlfriend, and despite having no friends of her own, more than makes up for it with all the attention she receives from the males. benji is her main and only priority anyway. "it feels so good," blonde answers sullivan, tearing her bright crystal blues away from her lover to shoot a dazzling smile his friend's way. just sweetly stares at him a while, making it clear she doesn't mind his curiosity despite jude's comments, not even caring that her buds have clearly started to poke through flimsy shirt from the casual groping she's experiencing. "my man knows exactly how to touch me." momentarily meets jude's gaze before she giggles and turns back to benji, her eyes widening adoringly as they always do when he fills her vision. grinds ass teasingly against his lap as another kiss is offered to his cheek, her own brow arching as she searches his features for an indication of what the plan is tonight. finding none, she innocently chirps up, "how's the game going? exciting?"