#blackout curtains poll

[conkreetmonkey]

Looking at blackout curtains to replace my current thin-ass regular curtains, hastily purchased at Walmart when we converted what was previously not a bedroom into my bedroom. My comfort would greatly benefit, as the sun shines directly through my southeast-facing window for most of the day, and the way my desk is set up I'm facing it when I'm using my computer, so I have to constantly avert my eyes (as I'm doing right now, lol). At night, there's a streetlight that doesn't shine through as much but still does, and would make sleep impossible if I had no curtains at all.

I'm working on making my bedroom an actual nice place to be, because the other day I came to the harrowing realization that I'm content to wallow in a foul neckbeard nest due to a complete lack of self-respect. For the reasons previously mentioned, I feel like good-quality blackout curtains would be a natural first step.

NOW, I'm conflicted between two options I have come across. One is a cheaper pair from Home Depot, costing $40 with free shipping, that I think should fit my window well (I still have to measure) without any trimming required.

However, I'm not huge on the drab colours, plain fabric and complete lack of patterned options. They're functional, inoffensively coloured and will probably fit my window, but that's about it.

THEN there's a pair from Ikea, certainly much larger than I need in length but available in a pattern I think would look great, with nicer-looking fabric (both are just polyester, though).

Now, the Ikea pair costs $99 before shipping, well over twice the price of the Home Depot set. I'd definitely have to trim them, and this is the only size they come in, so I'd be paying for fabric I don't need and would just be stowing away in the scrap bin. I'm not the best at sewing, either, so the hem would likely be ugly af. Still, despite all this, they are quite alluring... my brain says Home Depot, but my heart says Ikea...

I'm having a hard time choosing. Which do YOU think I should get? I have several hundred bucks in the bank rn and I haven't made a for-fun purchase since last spring at the latest aside from 2 or 3 <$15 Steam sale games, only eating out when the alternative is skipping a meal and not buying any clothes aside from neccesary socks and undies, so maybe the Ikea curtains could be justified? They're the price of, what, 4-6 fast food combo meals? My basement boy bills (only phone and pet food) are about $75 a month, give or take, which I easily overshoot with my part-time job. Still, it's a LOT of money in my world... asking for advice here. Should I stick with the budget option, or splurge on something prettier?

[vole-mon-amour]

am i the only weird person who's brain refuses to work when it's sunny outside, but when it's cloudy, brain suddenly relaxes and agrees to communicate?

i especially have troubles getting out of bed when it's sunny and writing and/or doing chores. sunny weather is for going outside, not doing things. any things. or to think.

like, i love summer & sunlight is definitely needed. I'm miserable during winter when it's cold. but in the summer, i really need a break from sunlight and i especially love watching and listening to rain. best weather ever.

[follow-up-news]

During the summer, Levena Lindahl closes off entire rooms, covers windows with blackout curtains and budgets to manage the monthly cost of electricity for air conditioning. But even then, the heat finds its way in. “Going upstairs, it’s like walking into soup. It is so hot,” Lindahl said. “If I walk past my attic upstairs, you can feel the heat radiating through a closed door.” Lindahl, 37, who lives in North Carolina, said her monthly electricity bills in the summer used to be around $100 years ago, but they’ve since doubled. She blames a gradual warming trend caused by climate change. Around 7 in 10 Americans say in the last year extreme heat has had an impact on their electricity bills, ranging from minor to major, and most have seen at least a minor impact on their outdoor activities, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. As tens of millions of Americans swelter through another summer of historic heat waves, the survey’s findings reveal how extreme heat is changing people’s lives in big and small ways. The poll found that about 7 in 10 Americans have been personally affected by extremely hot weather or extreme heat waves over the past five years. That makes extreme heat a more common experience than other weather events or natural disasters like wildfires, major droughts and hurricanes, which up to one-third of U.S. adults said they’ve been personally affected by.

[eliebee]

i have curtains and my blinds are blackout blinds. so i just wanted to know if i should let light in in the early mornings.

[bellaleighwrites]

Sangue Collina - Welcome To The (Urban) Jungle

All right, I'm doing this. I mentioned (threatened) that I was thinking about it a while back. Then got sidetracked trying to decide if I wanted to do this now, or wait until it had gone through a bit of revision. And realized that the people who had inspired me were posting first drafts, so... Why not? Anyway... this is rough draft. I'm currently working on analyzing it in order to plan a proper revision. I know that a lot will be changing - including plot things. I'll probably repost when it's closer to being ready for betas, too.

One note, included in the things that will change, is the name of the city. I kind of Anglicized it, and am starting to not like that. I have a few ideas on what to change it to, and will probably end up posting a poll for help deciding. But, for simplicity's sake, the tag will stay the same, even after I figure out the real name of this city. So... without further ado... the first scene of Book 1 of The Vampires Of Sangue Collina. Below the cut due to length

Sangue Collina. Its name means blood hill and many a historian has spent far too many hours hunched over old records, trying to find some indication of the battle or tragedy that earned it its name. They looked in vain. Those that know the truth about who founded it have their own theories, though. Perhaps one of them, or even both of them, is correct. Those in the know suggest that it was to the founders what a name like New Hope or New Haven would have been to a human. A hope for a brighter future. For the founders of Sangue Collina, a land flowing with blood would have been a mecca. Others, those who know even more, suggest that the battle it was named for simply hasn’t happened yet.

Historians aren’t the only ones who scratch their heads over it, though. Architects wonder at the flat roofs that do not seem designed with midwestern winters in mind. And at the number of balconies, not just on houses and apartment buildings, but the upper stories of businesses, as well. Business owners question why so many businesses, from stores to bars, to nightclubs, to movie theaters, have apartments above them. Interior decorators find the number of homes and apartments with heavy-duty blackout curtains fascinating. And, if any of them could remember their own involvement in its existence, there would be a great many people who would question why there is a forge in the basement of a nightclub. Not that any of them would ever guess the truth behind those many mysteries.

The night of the fall equinox begins much the same as every other night in the city. Most of the people go about their usual business, unaware of the two groups of people for whom sunset is either the end of their day — or the beginning. As several people make their way out of the city, heading for the safety of their homes in the forest outside of town, behind those blackout curtains there are others who are just about waking up. As the last of the sun’s rays fade from the skies, the true rulers of Sangue Collina open their eyes and prepare to own the night. Curtains are opened, and men, women, and at least one apparent child leap from balconies. Either down to the streets below or up, turning those flat roofs that architects wonder at into highways. The nightly hunt is on. Not that any of the prey would even know if they had been caught.

There is one house where the curtains are opened, but nobody emerges onto the balcony. For Elijah Cavendish, there will be no hunt. There is no need. Nor is there a desire for it. For him, blood bags work just as well, without the fear of taking too much and accidentally killing someone. And so, his evenings start differently than the others’. With blood drunk, not from a vein but out of a wineglass. Sitting at the desk in his study, staring up at the portrait of the woman he once planned to marry, but who instead was the first person he ever killed.

He finished his glass of blood and set it down on the desk. And then he closed his eyes and Sent his thoughts to his housekeeper. :Good evening, Beverly. Is there anything that needs my attention, this evening?: He smiled when she appeared in the doorway. How she could walk so quietly that even he couldn’t hear her was a mystery. Though, perhaps that had been part of her gift from Nicolaus.

“Nothing at all. The daytime managers of both the Rhiannon and the Athenaeum have checked in and things seem to be running smoothly. As of right now, you can safely take the night off.”

He had to laugh at how well she understood the rest of what he was asking her. Then again, that could have either been in the way he worded the question, or simply because she knew what this night was for him. “I think I will, then. Get some painting in. I’m almost finished touching up Edward’s portrait. Maybe after that I’ll start on something that is more just for fun.”

“It would be nice to see you working on something that wasn’t designed to cause you pain. Maybe a nice landscape? Or the view of the city from the penthouse window?” She came in and picked up his glass. As she was leaving, she turned around. “Happy birthday, Mr. Cavendish. Do try to spend at least some of it doing something other than wallowing in guilt and self-pity.” And with that final jab, she walked out of the room, leaving him alone with his own thoughts.

Too bad what she suggested was easier said than done. He left the room and walked to his studio. And let himself spend a few hours lost in the past. Maybe not the best way to spend his birthday, but in some ways it was easier to think of those who would be long dead even if he had never been born. There were far too many for whom that was not the case.

Though, truth be told, his family did not actually fit that, either. While it was true that they all would have died of old age centuries ago, that was not at all what happened. No, their deaths all came in one blood-soaked night. The night, nearly three centuries ago, that the war between him and Ana started.

Eli would never forget that night. How he had huddled in the wardrobe Edward had hidden him in and tried not to cry as he listened to his parents' and older siblings' screams of pain and terror. Tried to be the brave boy his brother had begged him to be. Tried to block out the noises. All the noises. Not just the screams, but the other noises, as well. Noises he couldn't begin to understand at five years old. Noises that he blocked from his memory as he got old enough to understand what they were. Because they made no sense. Until the night, eighteen years later, that he was made to understand what had caused them. Moans, not of pain, but of the vampire venom induced erotic pleasure they were experiencing even as they were being drained dry.

And, somehow, that was all his fault. It was the opening shot in Ana's centuries-long vendetta against him for some crime he hadn't even committed yet. Two hundred ninety-five years later, and he still didn't know why. Why she had ordered his family killed. Why she had saved him. It was probably why she was still alive. Why he could never bring himself to kill her. Because the night Anastasia Delaney died, would be the night that Eli lost any chance he had of learning why she had hated him so much. What he could have possibly have done to deserve the living Hell she plunged him into. Again and again.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, August 8, 2024

Extreme heat is impacting most Americans’ electricity bills (AP) During the summer, Levena Lindahl closes off entire rooms, covers windows with blackout curtains and budgets to manage the monthly cost of electricity for air conditioning. But even then, the heat finds its way in. Lindahl, 37, who lives in North Carolina, said her monthly electricity bills in the summer used to be around $100 years ago, but they’ve since doubled. Around 7 in 10 Americans say in the last year extreme heat has had an impact on their electricity bills, ranging from minor to major, and most have seen at least a minor impact on their outdoor activities, according new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found that about 7 in 10 Americans have been personally affected by extremely hot weather or extreme heat waves over the past five years. That makes extreme heat a more common experience than other weather events or natural disasters like wildfires, major droughts and hurricanes, which up to one-third of U.S. adults said they’ve been personally affected by.

New Yorkers are warned from the skies about impending danger from storms as city deploys drones (AP) Gone is the bullhorn. Instead, New York City emergency management officials have turned high-tech, using drones to warn residents about potential threatening weather. With a buzzing sound in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker flies over homes warning people who live in basement or ground-floor apartments about impending heavy rains. “Be prepared to leave your location,” said the voice from the sky in footage released Tuesday by the city’s emergency management agency. “If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.” About five teams with multiple drones each were deployed to specific neighborhoods prone to flooding. Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner, said the messages were being relayed in multiple languages. Flash floods have been deadly for New Yorkers living in basement apartments, which can quickly fill up in a deluge. Eleven people drowned in such homes in 2021 amid rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

‘Why Trash Your Own Town?’ An English City Reckons With a Riot. (NYT) Last Friday afternoon, as the pubs in the northeastern English city of Sunderland were filling with young men, Lesley McLaren made a decision: She was closing up shop early. She had heard about the riots in Southport after three children there were killed in a stabbing attack. Now, she worried that trouble might be coming to her own city. Just hours later, a violent mob swept through the streets. Rioters attacked police officers, looted stores, burned buildings and set a car on fire. Elsewhere in England and Northern Ireland the next day, people rioted in about a dozen other cities. In interviews this week, some Sunderland residents were appalled by the violence, even those who said they understood why people might be frustrated by Britain’s sharply increased rate of immigration, most of it legal. “Why trash your own town?” asked Peter Wilson, 69, who works in the Sunderland offices of the Citizens Advice charity, which helps people in crisis navigate debt, legal issues, housing problems and other challenges. Rioters burned some of the charity’s offices, though it was unclear if they were the target since they are next to a former police building that still says “police.” “Ransacking a vape shop in support of families in Southport—how does this help anybody?” Mr. Wilson said, shaking his head.

Migrants struggle to cope with Portugal’s housing crisis (Reuters) Seeking a more comfortable life, 50-year-old carpenter Andreia Costa moved to Portugal from Brazil in 2022, but within months her hopes were dashed, as the country’s housing crisis left her unable to afford accommodation and forced to live in a tent. On a site on the outskirts of Lisbon she was joined by other migrants and some locals, priced out of a city where rents have soared 94% since 2015 and house prices have risen 186%, according to housing data specialists Confidencial Imobiliario. Meanwhile, Portugal remains one of western Europe’s poorest nations with the region’s lowest average wages. The housing crisis is rooted in a chronic shortage of affordable housing, aggravated by the arrival of wealthy foreigners lured by residency rights linked for some years to property investment and tax breaks offered by the state. A tourism boom has seen a surge in short-term holiday lets, further squeezing the housing market.

State of emergency declared as Ukraine launches raid into Russia (BBC) A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region of Russia, as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued for a second day. The acting regional governor, Alexei Smirnov, said the move was necessary "to eliminate the consequences of enemy forces coming into the region". Thousands of people have also been evacuated from border areas, Mr Smirnov said earlier, adding that doctors were being drafted in from other cities. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of launching a "major provocation" after Moscow said hundreds of troops crossed the border near the town of Sudzha, 10km (six miles) from the border, on Tuesday morning. They were supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armoured combat vehicles, the Kremlin added. Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory have been extremely rare since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Nobel Laureate Tapped to Lead Interim Government in Bangladesh (NYT) The president of Bangladesh on Tuesday appointed Muhammad Yunus, a pioneer in microfinance and a Nobel laureate, to oversee an interim government, accommodating demands by protesters and offering a reprieve for a country scarred by violence. The plans for a new government were announced a day after Bangladesh’s authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled the country amid a popular uprising. With the Bangladeshi Parliament dissolved, Mr. Yunus, 84, is expected to lead a temporary government for an uncertain period of time.

Thai court orders dissolution of anti-establishment election winner (Reuters) Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of the anti-establishment opposition party Move Forward, ruling its campaign to amend a law that protects the monarchy from criticism risked undermining the democratic system. The disbandment of Move Forward, which won most seats in the 2023 election, is the latest setback for Thailand's major political parties that are embroiled in a two-decade battle for power against a nexus of influential conservatives, old money families and the royalist military.

Hiroshima governor says nuclear disarmament must be tackled as a pressing issue, not an ideal (AP) Hiroshima officials urged world leaders Tuesday to stop relying on nuclear weapons as deterrence and take immediate action toward abolishment—not as an ideal, but to remove the risk of atomic war amid conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and rising tensions in East Asia. They commented as Hiroshima remembered its atomic bombing 79 years ago at the end of World War II. Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki said nuclear-armed nations and supporters of atomic deterrence “deliberately ignore ... the fact that once people invented a weapon, they used it without exception.” “As long as nuclear weapons exist, they will surely be used again someday,” Yuzaki said in his address at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Israeli minister says it may be ‘moral’ to starve 2 million Gazans, but ‘no one in the world would let us’ (CNN) Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said “it may be just and moral” to starve 2 million Gaza residents until Israeli hostages are returned, but “no one in the world would let us.” In a speech on Monday at the Katif Conference for National Responsibility in the town of Yad Binyamin, the far-right minister said Israel should take control of distributing aid inside Gaza and claimed that Hamas was in control of distribution channels within the strip. “It is impossible in today’s global reality to wage war—no one in the world would let us starve and thirst two million citizens, even though it may be just and moral until they return our hostages,” he said, adding that if Israel controlled aid distribution instead of Hamas, the war would have ended by now and the hostages would have returned. Israel is facing mounting criticism from aid groups and international organizations for restricting food aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. A United Nations statement, citing independent experts, indicated last month that famine has spread across the entire enclave. The experts accused Israel of conducting an “intentional and targeted starvation campaign,” which they termed a “form of genocidal violence.”

Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance (NYT/AP/compiled) Hamas has chosen a new leader after Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s previous head, using an explosive device in Iran last week. The new chief, Yahya Sinwar, is a longtime leader of Hamas’ military planning in Gaza, where he was born. The 61 year-old’s exact location is unknown even to most of Hamas, but he’s thought to be directing his group from the tunnel networks under Gaza. Israel’s foreign minister said his official ascendancy is “yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the earth.” Meanwhile, tensions remain high in the wider Middle East. Both Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Iran’s government have promised to retaliate for Israeli attacks on militant leaders on their soil, with the world waiting to see how the attacks would unfold. In a televised speech yesterday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised that his group’s response to the killing of a top Hezbollah commander would be both “strong” and “effective,” adding that the retaliation would come with or without the help of other Iran-backed militant groups. Iran also has revenge plans in the works, though it’s currently unclear when or where the country would strike. An envoy from Russia visited Iran late yesterday in order to warn Tehran against striking civilian targets in its attack, highlighting just how much the global community is worried that the response will cause a wider war in the Middle East.

In Israel and Lebanon, life goes on even as the region teeters on the edge of all-out war (AP) In Beirut, shops are open and traffic is as snarled as ever. In Tel Aviv, cafes hum with patrons and umbrellas sprout across crowded beaches. Such scenes may seem surreal in a region teetering on the edge of all-out war—and beneath the surface there is plenty of fear and anxiety. But after 10 months of near-daily border skirmishes, strikes further afield and escalating threats, a sense of fatalism seems to have set in. The killings last week of two militant leaders in Beirut and Tehran—attributed to Israel—brought vows of revenge from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Everyone expects that an all-out war would be far more devastating than any previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, including the 2006 war. But in Nahariya, a coastal Israeli town just 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) south of Lebanon, Israelis lounged at the beach and surfers caught waves in the shadow of the hills rolling along the border.

[autumnalwalker]

Now that the poll's ended, time to post the answer. The False statement about Lacuna is "Finds the sight of Eris covered in monster blood and viscera hot." Seeing Eris like that for the first time was actually what killed the crush briefly Lacuna had on her.

It is well and truly night by the time the two of them ascend the stairwell of their building.  Neither of them break the heavy silence as they pass Lacuna’s floor on by up to Eris’s together.  Lacuna strains to keep from grunting as Eris leans on her more heavily than she had been for the last ten minutes - ever since she started limping - while she fishes out her keys and opens the door to her apartment.  It’s Lacuna who quietly flips the lightswitch as they step inside and then gently shuts and locks the door behind them.

It’s not the first time Lacuna’s helped her friend to bed.  That had been about three months after meeting her, and had thoroughly killed the crush she’d had on her at the time but thankfully been too scared to confess.  The fact that Eris took to calling her “sis” not long after had nailed said crush’s coffin shut tight.  But in all honesty, she prefers their relationship this way.

It is however the first time Lacuna’s seen what got her friend into this state for herself.  Sure, even that first time Eris had regaled her with the dramatic tale of the monster hunt that left her tired enough and badly cut enough to ask for help getting home (that one had been something called a “hodag”), but she’d always found her friend already some distance away from wherever the battle had taken place, even on the night when she took Eris to Doc’s instead of home.  And even on that worst night, sitting in the waiting room of the clinic they met at, the reality of what her best and only friend does for fun never truly sunk in until now.

At least going through the familiar motions of it all helps.  Glancing behind them as they cross through the neatly kept living room (far more clean and organized than hers) to check for any mud or blood to clean on her way out.  Checking the bedroom’s blackout curtains to be sure the morning sun won’t interrupt a well earned rest.  Half-dancing through the cumbersome maneuver as they turn around together at the edge of the bed.  Sitting down herself as she lowers Eris down next to her.  Reaching over and turning on the dim orange light of the lamp on the bedside table.

Most people guessed correctly about "Once put up her organs as collateral for a short-term loan." being true, but here's the snippet to go along with it.

“But seriously, are you okay?  You didn’t get in debt to the mob or something when I wasn’t looking did you?  Do I need to break someone’s legs to get your money back?”

“What?  No!  Well, technically there was a kind of sketchy guy that might’ve been mob-adjacent that I took out a short-term loan from, but I paid him back in full three days later, so no debts.  No leg breaking.  You’re joking about the leg breaking, right?”

“I had been, but you’re not exactly making me worry less here, sis.”  Eris massages her forehead and lets go of a deep breath while they round a corner.  “Please tell me that you at least didn’t put up anything metaphysical as collateral.”

“No, nothing like that,”  Lacuna says.  “Not even I’m naïve enough not to get involved in anything like that.  I promise you, it’s fine.  Account’s closed, no lingering strings attached.”

She figures Eris doesn’t need to hear about the detail of how if she’d been late on the payment interest would have included an eyeball and a few parts she was hoping to get rid of anyway.  Besides, with everything having gone as planned she would’ve been able to regrow the eye if it had come to that.  Eventually.  Probably.

As for the most voted for statement of "Applied to become one of Santa's elves but chickened out of the interview." that one actually is true. And by implication, yes, Santa is real in the world of Empty Names. Sort of.

“So you’re telling me, that there is actually - literally - a jolly fat man in a red suit who spends all year making toys and then delivers them into children’s homes around the world in one night?  I don’t buy it.  I’m no spellcaster, but even I know that not even the world’s most powerful mage could pull off the kind of mass precision teleports or time manipulation for that.”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Road says, “he’s not actually a ‘man’ per say so much as an interdimensional eldritch god with an affinity for winter and a knack for infiltrating his imagery into existing religious iconography.  And he doesn’t so much ‘deliver presents’ as grant blessings on gifts given in his name in exchange for his cultists creating classically ideal toys and then offering up the fruits of their labor in sacrifice.”

“I think I hate that that sounds more believable.”

“I mean, he’s pretty chill as far as the eldritch go.  Basically benevolent and mortal exposure to his influence tends to manifest as generosity and merriment rather than, well, the usual problems that result from unprotected exposure to alien higher powers.”

Eris runs a hand through her hair and lets out a low whistle.  “You’re actually serious about this, aren’t you?”

“I don’t lie,” Road says.  “Hey, Ashan, you know Santa’s real, right?”

Ashan opens his eyes and finally lowers his arm before turning toward the two of them.  He slowly rolls his shoulder as he answers, “On Orthon we call him the Twelfth Saint of Narva.  The folklore around him is mostly the same as here, but as he takes on the role of saint for that particular goddess there’s more emphasis on the punishing of wrongdoings in balance with the granting of gifts.”

Eris looks from Ashan to Road to Sullivan and back to Road.  “Okay, you got me.  Santa Claus is real in the weirdest way possible.”  She makes a short chortle.  “This is gonna blow Lacuna’s mind when I tell her.”

But, Lacuna's mind was not in fact blown.

“Sis.”

“Yeah E?”

“Santa Claus is real.”

“Yeah, I know.  I considered becoming an elf for a while.”

2 Truths And A Lie Tag

Thank you for the tag, @words-after-midnight.

So, two truths and a lie about Lacuna.

Passing the pressureless tag to @cljordan-imperium, @druidx, @void-botanist, @writernopal, @blind-the-winds, @afoolandathief, and the usual open tag invitation to anyone else who wants to join in.

[insanityclause]

In the longest scheduled extension to date of the blackout of Broadway theaters prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, trade organization the Broadway League announced Tuesday that the 41 top-tier New York theaters that went dark March 12 will remain that way at least through Sept. 6.

That's a full three months beyond the last extension, which bumped back the original April 12 end date for the closure to June 7. However, few pundits are expecting to see theaters open for business Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, which falls on a Monday when most Broadway theaters remain dark. The situation seems likely to be reevaluated as that date approaches, with producers and theater owners adopting a wait-and-see policy in accordance with state guidelines and other safety and economic considerations.

"No one wants to get too far ahead of the governor on this," said one prominent producer who spoke off the record.

"While all Broadway shows would love to resume performances as soon as possible, we need to ensure the health and well-being of everyone who comes to the theater — behind the curtain and in front of it — before shows can return," Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin said Tuesday in a statement. "The Broadway League's membership is working in cooperation with the theatrical unions, government officials and health experts to determine the safest ways to restart our industry. Throughout this challenging time, we have been in close communication with Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo's office and are grateful for his support and leadership as we work together to bring back this vital part of New York City's economy — and spirit."

The League's decision follows last week's announcement from the Society of London Theatres, extending the shutdown of live entertainment venues in the British capital through June 28. Like Broadway, that date appears to be a marker rather than a set plan for reopening. West End theaters have been canceling performances on a rolling basis, which seems certain to continue through the summer.

Broadway was the first sector in New York to impose a blanket suspension of operations on March 12, and most insiders expect it to be one of the last to come back.

In a sign that producers are approaching reopening with the utmost caution, the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, announced Tuesday that it will be pushed back by a full year, with the limited engagement now scheduled for March 19-July 18, 2021, at the Hudson Theatre. Directed by Tony-winning actor John Benjamin Hickey, the comedy was originally scheduled to begin previews March 13, the day after the Broadway shutdown, and was one of the fastest-selling productions of the spring.

"We remain deeply committed to bringing Neil Simon's Plaza Suite to New York as promised and cannot wait to help welcome audiences back to our beloved Broadway," said Broderick and Parker in a statement. "Until then, everybody please stay safe."

While some have floated the idea of theaters reopening with socially distanced seating plans, few if any producers think that model would work given Broadway's exorbitant running costs. The more likely scenario involves temperature checks for theatergoers along with compulsory masks and gloves, no intermissions and deep-disinfectant cleaning of auditoriums between performances. But many questions remain, including how to provide adequate protection for actors in productions that don't allow for social distancing. 

The famous William Goldman quote about the film industry seems especially applicable to post-pandemic Broadway: "Nobody knows anything." But the smart money seems to point to an early-2021 reopening, with anecdotal estimates ranging from January through March.

In what could turn out to be a harbinger of things to come for many of the country's stages, Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, one of America's largest and most respected nonprofits, last week took the bold step of announcing that operations will resume with a compressed mini-season of just three productions running March-August 2021. That represents a massive reduction from the originally scheduled 11 shows, with a budget slashed from $31 million to $12.6 million. Those drastic measures make necessary allowances for the time required to build and rehearse productions, underscoring the complicated logistics for the theater sector of emerging from lockdown.

A Shugoll Research industry survey this month indicated that only 41 percent of New York theatergoers say they are likely to return when theaters resume activity, while almost 1 in 5 people, or 17 percent, say they are very unlikely. More than half those polled, or 58 percent, said they will wait at least a few months before attending a show.

When theaters went dark, the 2019-20 season was just a little beyond the midway point, with another 16 productions scheduled to open before the April 23 cutoff for 2020 Tony Awards consideration. An announcement was made March 25 that due to the coronavirus shutdown, the Tonys would be postponed to a later date to be set once Broadway resumes activity.

Two Broadway shows that had begun previews when the lights went out — Martin McDonagh's Hangmen and a revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — have already announced they will not reopen after the suspension ends. Other shows from nonprofit producers that were about to begin performances have been pushed back to next season, including Roundabout's Birthday Candles and Caroline, or Change; Lincoln Center Theater's Flying Over Sunset; and Manhattan Theatre Club's How I Learned to Drive.

With Plaza Suite also now postponed, that still leaves nine incoming productions in limbo, some of which had minimal advance sales and muted buzz at the time of the shutdown, even less so now. How many of those will forge ahead with opening plans remains to be seen. Uncertainty also hangs over established shows that had started to see a slight decline in business after the initial boom period — Mean Girls, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and even Disney's Frozen among them.

Many are quietly wondering about the wisdom of coming back to half-empty houses even for long-running behemoths like The Phantom of the Opera, which relies heavily on tourism for the majority of its traffic. Even the most optimistic estimates don't anticipate the return of tourists to New York in sizable numbers before summer 2021 at the earliest.

If most of Broadway's 41 houses do reopen, the likelihood of swift financial casualties and prompt closings could mean many prime venues will sit vacant for the first time since the slump of the 1980s and early '90s. The steady growth since then, which propelled Broadway to a record $1.8 billion in grosses last season with attendance of 15 million, now inevitably seems headed for a major reset. Some industryites are asking whether this will mean renegotiating ticketing price scales, landlord percentages and union rates to bring down the prohibitive costs that put Broadway off limits to many entertainment consumers.

Losses to the sector are difficult to calculate, especially with no certainty about a reopening date, but 2019 box office grosses for mid-March through Labor Day totaled $915 million. Industry analysts generally estimate that factoring in the losses to theater-district businesses fed by the Broadway economy — hotels, restaurants, bars, parking garages, taxis and car services — means multiplying total ticket sales by three. That would peg the overall financial blow for the six-month period at a staggering $2.7 billion. At any rate, the impact on one of New York City's principal economic drivers and job pipelines will be devastating, with the fallout sure to be felt for years to come.

As for the Tony Awards, there are two principal schools of thought about which way to go.

Some are lobbying to put a cap on the partial season and present awards for the shows that opened before March 12. This, however, would handicap recent openings like West Side Story and Girl From the North Country given that not all of the Tony Nominating Committee will have seen them and certainly not the majority of voters. Shows that opened early in the season, on the other hand, like Moulin Rouge! and the limited-engagement, Tom Hiddleston-led revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, would have an advantage.

The alternate plan is to combine the truncated partial 2019-20 season with any shows that open between the resumption of Broadway operations and the late-April cutoff for 2021 Tony consideration, presenting the double awards at a ceremony in June next year. That option also has clear disadvantages for some, however, given that voters have notoriously short memories and shows like Betrayal or The Inheritance that have long closed will be ancient history by then.

Whichever route the Tonys choose to go, there are sure to be disgruntled players. But even a partial ceremony of outstanding Broadway artistry right now could serve as a much-needed morale booster to a sector facing unprecedented challenges.

[ferns]

poll: curtains or blinds? i like blinds because the slatted ones cast cool shadows & blackout blinds=best for creating a restful bedroom but curtains have a Flair to them

[selfcaredoc]

Creating Your Sleep Sanctuary

"“Healthy Sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important determinant in predicting longevity. More important than diet, exercise, or heredity”."  -- William C. Dement

Creating a conducive sleep environment.

Adequate, restful sleep is one of the most, if not the most important aspect of self-care for a healthy life. Dr. William C. Dement, the father of sleep medicine, explains, “Healthy Sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important determinant in predicting longevity. More important than diet, exercise, or heredity”.

Sleep loss impairs task performance and post-physical activity recovery, cognitive performance, and mood heightens fatigue, decreases vigor, and impairs decision-making. Lack of sleep has also been associated as a major risk factor for many chronic diseases such as heart disease, weight gain, diabetes, anxiety, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.  

We each need seven and a half to eight hours of deep restful sleep each night. Creating a bedroom environment that is conducive for falling asleep and staying asleep is a key part of sleep quality. Cultivating a relaxing ambiance for sleep involves both visual design and practical setup, including lighting, sound, and smell.

Creating a bedroom environment that is conducive for FALLING ASLEEP and STAYING ASLEEP is a KEY PART of sleep quality.

Studies have shown people sleep better when their bedroom is optimized for light and noise levels, temperature, and comfort. Given that sleep quality and duration are directly related to other aspects of human health, a bedroom environment that promotes sleep can also improve how you feel while you're awake. The ideal sleep environment is cool, quiet, and dark. Even shift workers can maintain such an environment with enough effort. Avoid light from computers or televisions close to bedtime and a 30- to 60-minute "wind-down" period may also enhance sleep.

Let There be Dark

Light is the most important environmental factor affecting sleep. Our bodies follow circadian rhythms, which signal waking hours (when it’s light) and sleep time (when it’s dark). When ambient light is bright, melatonin levels are minimal, and you stay more alert. Darkness triggers the brain to slow down and promotes melatonin, a crucial hormone for sleep.

To enhance darkness, use dimmer switches in your bedroom or nightlights. If you need to get up in the middle of the night, avoid turning on any lights because your brain will think daytime has arrived. A nightlight in the bathroom is a great way to avoid having to turn on your main light.

What color light helps you sleep? Warm light is better for sleep because the eyes are less sensitive to the longer wavelengths in warm light. Light bulbs with a yellow or red hue and are best for bedside lamps. Blue light, on the other hand, is the worst for sleep, which is why reading on electronic devices and TV should be avoided while going through your pre-sleep routine. Limit televisions and other digital devices, which bring unwanted light to the bedroom. Charge your phone in another room and use blue light–blocking filters on devices to limit your exposure in the evening. If you usually use your phone to set an alarm, buying an alarm clock can be a great alternative.

You can use a sleep mask or consider blackout curtains to block out bright light. Remember, even a small sliver of light shining through can interfere with your sleep. 

 Mama Bear Had It Just Right

The temperature of your bedroom can make a significant difference to your sleep quality. A National Sleep Foundation poll found that cool room temperature was one of the most important factors in getting a good night’s sleep, with as many as four out of five respondents saying this was important to them. The best bedroom temperature for sleep is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). This may vary by a few degrees from person to person, but most health professionals recommend keeping the thermostat set between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius) for the most comfortable sleep.

Skin temperature, rapid temperature change, and sweating during sleep can significantly reduce sleep quality. Hence, the thermal properties of bedding and sleepwear are important factors.

The ideal sleep environment varies with the individual. Obviously, it should be comfortable. Each person should determine his or her sleeping environment considering the temperature.

Tune Out

It is no surprise that a quieter bedroom is better for sleep than a louder one. Loud noise disturbances can cause severe sleep fragmentation and disruption, which in turn can have negative impacts on your physical and mental health. Research suggests that noise, even at low levels can cause you to shift to a lighter sleep stage or wake up intermittently.

You should strive to keep your bedroom as quiet as possible by blocking outside noises. The whir of a fan or a soothing white noise machine can effectively mask other sounds and help you fall asleep. Some people also enjoy listening to music when they go to bed. Ambient sounds or soothing music, which may also alleviate anxiety and ease discomfort. Noise-blocking curtains are also widely available. The use of earplugs has helped many blocks out sleep disruptive noises.

Keep It Cozy

Your bedroom can play a very significant role in healthy sleep. Make sure your bedroom is decluttered and a place of sanctuary in your house. Your bedding should also cocoon you in natural fibers that help to release heat and maintain a comfortable temperature. A pillow and pillowcase that incorporates ceramic reflective technology to help keep your head a couple of degrees cooler than the rest of your body is essential for a good night’s sleep. Our favorite mattress topper is Nikken’s Kenko Naturest® Fit. The Naturest combines advanced scientific technology and natural materials, in a design that does the work for you in promoting healthy and refreshing sleep. The Naturest features advanced sleep innovations — including a radical new design in magnetic technology, bio-ceramic reflective materials for temperature regulation, and renewable materials that are not only environmentally responsible but help you sleep soundly and wake to feel relaxed and energized.

We need sleep to be healthy, happy, and productive. Without it, we suffer consequences both physically and mentally. Sleep is the most important determinant to being healthy by choice, so, choose to get enough quality sleep. Sleep Matters. 

Be Healthy by Choice.

[kccproductions]

Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 8:  South Florida JAZZ, the area’s preeminent jazz society, presents Stefon Harris and Blackout, featuring saxophonist Casey Benjamin. Passionate artistry and astonishing virtuosity have propelled the Albany, New York native mallet player, Stefon Harris, to the forefront of the invigorated jazz scene. Following his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, he has been heralded as one of the most important artists in jazz. In addition to his four Grammy ® nominations, he also is the recipient of the prestigious Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center and has been named “Best Mallet Player” by DownBeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalists Association. He also has fared extremely well in other polls that have been dominated reflexively for so long by now-retired Gary Burton.

“The standout vibraphonist of his generation.” – The New Yorker

ARTISTIC PERSONNEL Stefon Harris – vibraphone & marimba Casey Benjamin – alto saxophone Marc Cary – piano Ben Williams – bass Terreon Gully – drums

Bailey Hall is located on the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus at 3501 SW Davie Rd. in Davie and offers free parking.  Tickets are $40-$50; $10 for students under 25 with valid I.D.; they are available by visiting southfloridajazz.org or baileyhall.org or contacting the Bailey Hall box office at (954) 201-6884. The box office and phone lines are open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 7:00 p.m. until curtain time.  All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=_FwOL3s46zc

[csisn-blog]

Did You Know ... French Election Media Blackouts

Two days before the French Election, there is a media blackout for anything political. This is supposed to provide a few days of uninterrupted consideration of the candidates, without the distraction of big news headlines, scandalous revelations, or campaigning last minute. Similar things are done in other countries. In the UK, for example, on the day of an election news can't be about anything that could potentially favor a particular party. The parliament, as soon as it is dissolved before an election, enters a state of "purdah" (a Persian word for "curtain") and can't announce any controversial or contentious legislation. Spain, although it does not have a media blackout, does have a "reflection" period after official campaigning ends the day before the election, and no more electoral acts are performed. They also forbid news to publish polls in the week leading up to an election.

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2qDU3xY

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Frequent Crossers of U.S.-Mexico Border Fret Over Threatened Shutdown (Reuters) Workers and students who frequently cross the U.S. border with Mexico worried over the weekend about the impact on their lives if President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to shut entry points used by hundreds of thousands of people every day.

Venezuela’s Rival Factions Rally as Power Struggle Persists (AP) Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido took his campaign for change to one of the country’s most populous states on Saturday, while supporters of the man he is trying to oust, President Nicolas Maduro, held a rival demonstration in the capital after another nationwide blackout.

6.2-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Coast of Ecuador (Reuters) A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the city of Santa Elena on the coast of Ecuador on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Warmly Received by Netanyahu in Israel (AP) Israel’s prime minister has warmly welcomed Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on his first state visit to Israel.

UK’s May Risks ‘Total Collapse’ of Government in Brexit Impasse: Sunday Times (Reuters) British Prime Minister Theresa May risks the “total collapse” of her government if she fails to get her battered Brexit deal through parliament, the Sunday Times newspaper said, amid growing speculation that she might call an early election.

Eiffel Tower Goes Dark for Earth Hour (Reuters) The Eiffel Tower was plunged into darkness late on Saturday as the city of Paris switched off the lights on its best-known tourist attraction to mark this year’s Earth Hour.

Turks Begin Voting in Local Polls Which Erdogan Could Lose in Big Cities (Reuters) Turks began voting on Sunday in local elections that President Tayyip Erdogan has described as a matter of survival for the country.

Comedian in Front as Curtain Rises on Ukrainian Presidential Election (Reuters) Ukrainians will cast their ballots in a presidential election on Sunday in which a comedian with no political experience and who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series is tipped to win the first round.

China Plant Explosion Kills Seven; Second Blast in Jiangsu Province This Month (Reuters) A plant explosion in China’s Jiangsu province has killed seven people, state media reported on Sunday, 10 days after a blast at a pesticide plant killed 78 people in the province and triggered a nationwide safety inspection campaign.

Proposed Hong Kong Extradition Law Changes Spark Concerns (AP) Business and human rights groups are expressing concern over proposed changes to Hong Kong’s extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China where they say they could be subject to torture and unfair prosecution.

Philippine Police Kill 14 Men Rights Groups Say Were Farmers (AP) Philippine police said Sunday that 14 suspected communist rebels were killed after they opened fire during raids in a central province, but rights groups countered that the men were farmers and the latest victims of extrajudicial killings.

Afghan Vice President Narrowly Escapes Death for a Second Time (Reuters) Afghanistan’s vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, escaped unhurt from an attack that killed one of his bodyguards on Saturday, dodging death for the second time since returning from exile last year.

Thousands rally in Gaza but Hamas mostly restrains crowds (AP) Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of their mass protests along the Israeli border, as the territory’s Hamas leaders largely restrained the crowds ahead of a hoped-for cease-fire deal. Demonstrators largely kept their distance from the border, though small crowds of activists approached the perimeter fence and threw stones and explosives toward Israeli troops on the other side. The forces responded with tear gas and opened fire, killing two Palestinians and wounding 64.

Pope, Morocco’s King, Say Jerusalem Must Be Open to All Faiths (Reuters) Pope Francis and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI called on Saturday for the protection of Jerusalem’s multi-religious character, saying the city’s sacred sites must be accessible to worshippers of all faiths.