#business transcription UK

[vocisllc]

Provider Enrollment And Credentialing

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[potofsoup]

Happy July 4th, everyone, and good luck to the UK voters out there!

Wow it's Year 11 of doing these!! Here's the AO3 link to the past 10 years, and here's the tumblr link.

Reminder that this is a long game -- some of the judges making decisions were appointed back in the 80s. Many of the cases that were decided this round were from Trump's term. So it's going to take long-term, consistent voting over a decade to start tipping things in the other direction. (Which I talked about in 2018 re: Trump shenanigans and 2022 re: Dobbs).

A lot has been done by the Biden administration (I'm assuming most folks have seen this post by boreal-sea with their very helpful sources), and much of that will be overturned by Trump, especially if he gets the Senate, and especially now that he would have a blank check for anything "official". So let's make sure that doesn't happen.

And even if Trump does get elected, your decisions down-ballot might effect control of the House or Senate, or might make it easier to vote next time, plus the whole plethora of state and local issues. It's Republican state attorney generals who are challenging climate regulations, for example.

Plus, when you really get down to it, only one of the candidates plans on pardoning himself and all his friends if he wins, and attacking the government if he loses. Maybe that guy shouldn't be the President.

If you're new to voting, remember to check voter registration deadlines! I'm a permanent vote-by-mail voter and it's so nice. :)

Transcript under the readmore

Page 1: Sam and Bucky meet up with Steve for a picnic. Steve: Thought you guys were still in Sudan? Bucky: I’m forcing Sam to take a break.

Sam collapses onto the picnic blanket. Sam: Oof, it just never stops, does it? Steve: Nope.

Bucky hands Sam an orange popsicle. Bucky: Eat and relax for a bit, Sam. Sam: Thanks.

Page 2: Bucky asks Steve: How are things state-side? Steve responds: HORRIBLE. Bucky: I thought you’ve been tentatively hopeful about what Biden has been able to achieve? Steve: I was! Student loans, child care, climate regulations, infrastructure, labor, trans rights … he’s quietly done a lot through regulatory improvements and congress bills. But now all people will talk about is how he’s OLD. And then there’s the Supreme Court’s decisions … Chevron and immunity… Steve puts his head in his hands, while Sam and Bucky look on with some concern.

Page 3: Bucky hands Steve a blue/raspberry popsicle: Steve, take a deep breath, and a popsicle. Sam: Sounds like we missed a lot. What’s going on? How bad is it? Steve: Pretty bad. The Supreme Court has made some decisions that give the Court and the President A LOT of discretionary power. Sam: Yikes, that doesn’t sound good. Steve: Well, the Chevron thing means that judges with life-term appointments can override policies made by government agencies. And now it’ll be harder to hold a President accountable because he will have immunity for any “official” actions.

Page 4: Sam: So if the President tries to, say, overturn a democratic election result, he’ll be allowed to as long as it’s in his job description? Steve: I don’t think threatening state electors is “official” business, but that will be decided by federal judges. Who get their jobs by approval from both the President and the Senate. Bucky: Yeesh. No wonder you’re stressed. Any good news? Steve: Well, thanks the Biden and the razor-thin Senate majority, the newer bills don’t rely on the Chevron deference. Still not great but not catastrophic. Sam, squirting ketchup on his hot dog: So what I’m hearing is that it’s now more important than ever to have a President and a Senate who you can trust to appoint fair judges, pass bills, and not commit crimes.

Page 5: Steve: Plus all of the state level offices, now that more and more deciding power has been thrown back to the states — abortion, LGBTQ rights, voting access… Bucky: Hey, at least this is a big election year so we can actually do something! Steve, with his arms crossed, looking surly: Except that all people want to talk about is how Biden is “too old” and “not doing enough,” as if that is on par with Trump’s desire to dismantle basic rights! As if the candidate who doesn’t embody ALL their ideals is not worth voting for! Bucky interrupts with a smart and a loud “PFFT.”

Page 6: Bucky: Um, Steve. YOU were like that in 1940. Sam, nudging Bucky: “Oh, this I gotta hear. Spill, Barnes.” In sepia, Steve is pacing around their apartment while Bucky is sitting and reading a newspaper. Steve: I can’t believe he’s running for a 3rd term! we need a fresh candidate to vote for! This is hardly a choice at all! AND he refuses to engage in Europe! All of Europe under fascist control and we’re just twiddling our thumbs? He’s letting millions die through his inaction! Bucky: Most people don’t want another war, Steve. If he came out for it, he would lose. Steve, indignant: But Buck, it’s your Polish relative who are in danger! Bucky, closing his newspaper and looking at Steve: Yeah, and between FDR and Willkes, I trust FDR to help if he could.

Page 7: Steve, in sepia, looking away: Should he be encouraged to do more? Maybe I should vote for Browder. The Communists have historically be Anti-Fascist.

Sam interrupts off-screen: Waitaminute! STEVE was going to PROTEST-VOTE? Steve: We were in a Blue State, Sam! Sam: But what about the down ballot races?! Steve: RELAX, I did my due diligence down-ballot. I wanted a senate that’s more progressive than the President.Voted LaGuardia for Mayor, too. Steve hesitates: Then, when I got to the President… I realized that the Best case scenario would be that my vote did nothing, versus if it actually spoiled the election. And when I asked myself who I could trust to work with my Senator… well, FDR had a good record with Labor. (sepia shot of young Steve voting) Bucky interrupts: Hold on, Steve.

Page 8: Bucky, eating a cookie, arching an eyebrow: You didn’t vote for Browder? Why didn’t you tell me? Steve: And have you say “I told you so” for the next century? Bucky: Heh.

Steve, with hand on his chin: What’s weird was that, despite everything, I still felt HORRIBLE when I ticked that box. Sam: Sounds like you built up the meaning of that vote far too much in your head. Logically, we know that a single box can’t represent all of the complexity of a whole system, but the desperately WANT it to. Just look at how people have built up so much around the term “Zionis” that it’s made productive conversations difficult.

Page 9: Sam and Steve speak in the background while Bucky reaches into the cooler and pulls out a box. Steve: Sigh. And that’s something that goes beyond the election. Sam: Which is why we need to vote, AND do other things. Bucky, looking at Steve and Sam: Like how Steve works to push organizations on the local level? Or like all the work you do as Captain America? Sam: Exactly. Vote AND.

Sam looks at Bucky fondly: Like how you vote AND make me and Steve take breaks. Bucky, looking stern because he can’t handle compliments: Shush, Sam.

Bucky holds up a cake that has the number “107” on it: It’s time for cake. Happy Birthday, Steve.

[virtuadmin]

Fast Image-to-Text Transcription Service by Manual Touch Typist

Fast Image-to-Text Transcription Service by Manual Touch Typist

What Is Image-to-Text Conversion? Today, every industry is completely going digital. For business marketing, new platforms are being introduced. The majority of us spend our time online looking for new methods to develop our business and make it more user-friendly and accessible. These days a lot of information comes to us in the form of an image and one has to extract that information.…

[royalarchivist]

Phil: We tried to get something sorted, but like, it was way too short notice. [...] The timing just did not mesh, it did not meet up, unfortunately.

Phil: [Missa] said that he wants to come back to the UK and stay for a little bit longer, so we'll probably meet up then. Unless I see him in Mexico first, I dunno which one's gonna be sooner. I have no idea. No idea if he's gonna see me here or if I'm gonna see him– see him there where he lives, so... We'll see, we'll see. But yeah, little bit busy this week.

–

Unfortunately Phil and Missa won't be able to meet up this week, but they'll try to schedule a proper visit in the future – in the UK or in Mexico!

[ Full Transcript ↓ ]

—

Phil: Chat, I got um, I can't remember if I said this or not, but I got a message off Missa asking like, where I lived, and I said "I don't live in London" and he's like "Ah." Like, it's so– this is the second time he's done this. I'm pretty certain I said this on stream, actually, the second time he's done this where he thinks I'm in London, but I'm not. And uh, I tried to like, try and organize something, but was like way too– way too short notice.

Phil: So yeah, we try– we tried to get something sorted, but like, it was way too short notice, and unfortunately– like, I could've gone down to see him, but it's like a 2 hour and 50 minute train ride, which isn't cheap. It's like, upwards of 300 - 400£ there and back, right, for a return ticket. Then we would have had to pay for accommodation. Super short notice, crazy prices. Would not have been good.

Phil: [Reading chat] "2 hours on the train?" No, 2 hours and 50 minutes, roughly. It's like nearly 3 hours. It's like nearly 3 hours. So it would have been really expensive, and we had no kind of like, planning beforehand, it was just kind of like "Are you here?" and I was like "Uh, maybe?" and then I was like "Well, I can't, I'm not actually free on those dates either because Sneeg is coming this week" [Laughs] So– So the timing just did not mesh, it did not meet up, unfortunately. But after I said like, "Oh, I'll try, I'll try and make it, I think I can do it," he's like "No no no, don't worry! It was too short notice anyways, don't worry."

Phil: He said that he wants to come back to the UK and stay for a little bit longer, so we'll probably meet up then. Unless I see him in Mexico first, I dunno which one's gonna be sooner. I have no idea. No idea if he's gonna see me here or if I'm gonna see him– see him there where he lives, so... We'll see, we'll see. But yeah, little bit busy this week.

[disappointingcabbage]

TMAGP 26 thoughts, spoilers under the cut

I didn’t early access this one bc Busy so here we fucking go

literally Sam is right though how is it just listed under “dog”, Celia? Like if it’s literally just a dog that’s not a supernatural case lmao

oh fuck oh shit they’re meeting Helen

Sam is scared of running into dead ends. Meanwhile Celia’s probably scared of actually meeting the fucking Distortion

Alice describing Sam and Celia’s shenanigans as “Magnusing” is fucking great actually

Alice: use protection

Sam: ew no that’s not what we-

Alice: like a knife or something

Celia: *pulls out a massive knife* bet :)

Funniest exchange yet

Hearing Sam ask Celia if she’s sure her knife is legal is actually insane to me as an American like damn yall actually have public safety laws in the UK. Wish that was real here.

Chester time!!

Ough running statement

Damn, is that what running feels like for people who are actually good at sports because it does not feel like that for me

This case is taking a while to get to the spooky part which means it’s gonna be good

why is this man running for his life?

is he just like a running ghost or something? He ran THROUGH you?

holy shit is this guy getting [ERROR]’d while running???

[ERROR] straight up calling themself an archivist is wild, actually

ooh Alice and Gwen just got simultaneously confronted by their [ERROR] trauma via this case

Alice is realizing now that she and Sam accidentally set this archivist free

Well, Helen’s still a real estate agent

Sam’s reaction to the archivist shit is unimaginable guilt. Oof.

LMAO THIS UNIVERSE’S HELEN IS JUST PRE-DISTORTION HELEN

Oh damn they’re just straight up asking her about the institute

Oh damn she’s old enough to have been doing real estate while the Magnus institute was still open

Apparently the institute needed a massive basement and a lot of security options, which makes sense.

SHE HAS THE DISTORTION LAUGH (minus the actual audio distortions) AND THE TRANSCRIPT ACKNOWLEDGES THIS DIRECTLY

CELIA AUDIBLY REACTS TO THE DISTORTION LAUGH WE WERE RIGHT GAMERS

omg Sam met Jack!!

lmao he’s mocking Helen and he definitely clocked her as a Tory immediately

Celia to Sam: “Maybe I should be putting you to bed” AYO-

CELIA CALLING SAM ONE OF HER REASONS AAAAAAA

Awwww this is actually very wholesome

I’m gonna call it now that Helen is somehow actually the distortion but like she’s incognito about it for now

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, March 2024

Welcome to my roundup of SEO and marketing news and useful resources for ecommerce businesses, March edition. There is a lot going on with Google, and some really strong marketing pieces this time around, so let's get right to it.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google launched both a core algorithm update and spam updates on March 5, with the spam update ending on the 20th. Core updates now include the Helpful Content algorithm. In early observations, Etsy and Reddit both picked up visibility in the UK. 

The Helpful Content algorithm updates late last year destroyed a lot of sites’ Google traffic. Avoid the things they had in common.  You can read the full study here. 

Ecommerce sites were some of the biggest losers in Google visibility in 2023, with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Target and Best Buy in the top 10 of sites whose Google appearances slipped. 

New to Google SEO? They’ve revamped their SEO starter guide for people like you. And if you are more advanced and want to learn how to optimize your website product pages, this is a good overview. 

This lengthy article on backlinks for ecommerce websites covers pretty much all the angles, including the really difficult ones. 

Reminder that if you want to rank on Google for a search term, you need to look at what is already ranking, and make decisions based on that content. [video and transcript] This works for most search engines, not just Google. 

Yes, Google crawls “high quality” content more often. I used to refer to this as Google thinking the page is “interesting”, so I guess I will need to change my wording...

While Google sends the most traffic to websites, people spend a lot more of their online time elsewhere. Market where people are, not just where your stats say they came from. 

Sadly, Google has stopped providing caches of website pages in its search results. While you can still see the caches of some pages by using the Google search Cache:[page link] as in cache:https://cindylouwho-2.tumblr.com that will eventually stop working as well. Bing still provides caches, but unfortunately both it and the Wayback Machine do not crawl often enough to give really recent results most of the time. 

Missed Google news in February? Here’s your update. And just in case you are really behind, here is January. 

Not Google

Unsure if your website has enough good backlinks? Bing Webmaster Tools will now tell you if you don’t. 

Yandex - the top search engine in Russia - was sold by its Dutch ownership group to a consortium in Russia. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

A US study of social media use found that the most popular site was YouTube, with 83% of adults using it. Two-thirds of American adults use Facebook, while TikTok is up to ⅓ of the US population. 

Because they do change periodically, here are the latest image and video sizes recommended for the top social media platforms. [infographic]

Bluesky is now open to everyone - it was previously invite-only. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta has introduced several changes to its Ad options, applying to Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta had a great 4th quarter in 2023, with revenue, users, and earnings per share up. “Fast-growing upstarts Temu and Shein, which originated in China, have been pouring money into ads on Facebook and Instagram. Li said on Thursday that revenue from China-based advertisers accounted for 10% of sales for the year and 5 percentage points of growth.”

Instagram

An updated post on Instagram's algorithm and how it works. 

Instagram is still beta testing longer Reels for some users. 

If your account is a brand account, you can now run ads on Instagram with coupon codes right in them. (Some Facebook users can already do this.)

LinkedIn

Among other recent changes on LinkedIn, the algorithm is now looking to boost important content longer than just the first day or two after publication. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has its own stats package, called Pinterest Analytics, but only for “Business” accounts. They show how many people clicked on the outgoing links, how many people saw your pin on their screen, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Reddit

Reddit successfully launched on the stock market this past week, but questions remain about how this will change the site. 

Google is paying Reddit to scrape its content through the API instead of from the web. 

Snapchat

Snap was a little later than most tech companies doing layoffs recently, waiting until February 5 to let 10% off staff go. 

Threads

Threads is so new that the algorithm is bound to change a lot in the next year, but for right now, here is how it works. 

TikTok

There is an overwhelming amount of info out there on the US attempt to either ban TikTok or force its sale, and much of it is incomplete, so I will let you Google to your heart’s content if you want to learn more. If you are relying on TikTok to drive sales, this would be a good time to make sure you diversify your promotional strategy. 

You can now track trending terms on TikTok through the Creator Search Insights section. “Creator Search Insights will highlight frequently searched topics, which creators can organize by category (for example, tourism, sports, science) or tailor to their content type with the “For You” option. Additionally, creators can filter for “content gap” topics, which are highly searched but have relatively few videos on TikTok covering them.“

TikTok may be testing a photo app, which would obviously compete with Instagram. 

Twitter

What? Twitter may have lied about its Super Bowl ad performance? I’m so not shocked. 

Tumblr

Tumblr will be selling data access to AI companies. 

YouTube

This is a pretty decent article on YouTube SEO. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Small and micro-businesses need an email list. An email list is:  

portable (unlike most social media followers or marketplace buyers) 

is available to almost everyone, as we all need at least one email address if we are online

less susceptible to the whims of algorithms (unlike SEO, marketplaces, social etc.)  

I keep seeing people argue that no one opens emails, but the chart in the article above is proof that is still wrong. (My blog email list averages close to a 70% open rate, depending on the topic and the time I send it. My jewellery email list - which I hardly ever send to - still has an over 30% open rate. My click rates are well above the industry averages, usually 30 to 40% of all recipients for the blog list. These are much better numbers than social, and astronomically better than my clickthrough rate on Google and other search engines.)

Gmail and Yahoo both changed how they handle bulk emails such as newsletters in February. Here’s what you need to know on the basics, including authenticating yourself so your email gets through. 

Find out how to get people to read all the way to the end of your content. 

Get ready for April marketing with 5 topical ideas. National Handmade Day is April 6. 

We should all think twice before deciding to use AI to create content. “Circa 2024, generative AI does not produce new ideas or even develop its own conclusions. Rather, it regurgitates information that it has indexed.” Not convinced? Here’s another article. “AI-generated content represents the literal “average of everything online.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google Ads can now be tracked in Google Analytics 4. 

Both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising were up in the 4th quarter of 2023. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Google Analytics 4 tracks organic traffic differently than the previous version. Here’s how to figure it out. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

I’ve probably posted this specific article before, but it is worth another read: how to communicate with customers.  For example, “Mirroring your customer’s tone lets them know you’re on their side. If a customer is formal, for example, hold back on the LOLs. If they’re more casual, relax your tone.”

According to a US study, Generation Z is skewing the traditional marketing funnel. “Per Archrival’s data, 77 per cent of Gen Zs and 79 per cent of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media. When asked where they learn about new brands, products and experiences, video reigns supreme: YouTube is the most popular platform with Gen Zs, followed by TikTok, then Instagram.”

Trend alert: bag charms are back. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Almost all of these 12 video tools are free, and some can be used on your phone. 

MISCELLANEOUS

This is an older piece, but it checks out: IKEA Hacks for Craft Show Displays. A few of these could be done with non-IKEA items. 

Want to stay up-to-date on a nearly daily basis? Follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn, or become a member of my Patreon.

[pigeonwhumps]

In-BBU media

BBU Community Days: Day 10

@bbu-on-the-side

I have been looking forward to this prompt since Sara announced it! This is, predictably, the first of several posts today.

A pet lib magazine article featuring an interview with Anita, Theo and Lea. Transcript is below the cut.

Edit: Agh forgot the taglist. I think half of you at least have seen it already so apologies for this but anyway: @littlespacecastle @whumpymirages @flowersarefreetherapy @painful-pooch

CWs: BBU, pet whump, PTSD, amnesia, implications of BBU, rape, dehumanisation, torture, conditioned whumpees, ableism. Nothing graphic

Feature interview

The Life of a Pet

Hugo and Mia, two so-called pets, talk to us briefly about their lives, both while currently being looked after by Sandip, and while under contract with WRU. All names are pseudonyms for protection. This article contains descriptions of legal torture, rape, conditioning, and dehumanisation.

Hugo and Mia kneel in front of the sofa where Sandip sits, feet crossed under herself. We’ve both tried multiple times to get them to sit on the sofa with Sandip, but neither will. Sandip confided in me that she believes they were trained not to sit on furniture, “like some people train their animals”.

Hugo has been with Sandip for seven years, and with his previous owners for seven years before that. Mia, meanwhile, has been with Sandip for only five years, and eight with her previous owners, with a period of retraining in between. They have both been in the pet system for fifteen years, originally trained as a combined Domestic/Platonic bonded pair, although Mia was later retrained as a Romantic before ending up with Sandip. As you possibly know, there are multiple companies that deal with the business of buying, selling and training pets, but both Hugo and Mia were traded by WRU, the UK’s largest pet trading company, not to mention one of the country’s largest employers overall — that is, if you call pets employees and not what they really are: slaves.

The interview was clearly very distressing for our interviewees, and although we offered to stop at multiple points, all three declined. A brave trait when dealing with a subject of this nature, and even I, with little direct experience of the WRU's worst features, felt ill at times.

WRU wipes the memories of everyone they turn into pets, to prevent them from remembering their families or even realising they're people who can have a life outside of slavery. Hugo no longer remembers his family, or what his life was like before becoming a pet. This creates a system ripe for abuse, where victims can receive no recourse – there are numerous accusations of people being turned into pets against their will, something they’re unlikely to remember. The Drip, as the memory-wipe technology is colloquially known, would serve as a handy tool to wipe witnesses’ minds of the criminal’s activities, or for an abuser to get rid of their victim, to name but two horrific uses that are not, and never have been, well legislated against.

Mia’s memory has been wiped twice, and although some may see this as an indication that her story is untrustworthy, we at Liberation believe it demonstrates the sheer cruelty of WRU workers, to wipe her loved ones from her mind not once but twice. She has photos now, which she shows me proudly – her and her family, her friends, new and old, some she’s found more than once – photos that look like they could be from any normal holiday or day trip, if you ignore the shadows in the former pets’ eyes, or the collar around Hugo’s neck that he wears for the feeling of security it apparently provides.

Hugo doesn’t remember being recruited, although there are photos and articles describing his recruitment during the WRU’s first disability inclusion drive, proving that his involvement, at least, started out as voluntary. But it didn’t stay that way. It turned into fear, and brutal punishment, at the hands of people who didn’t seem to care about his well-being, beyond his usefulness. After his memory was wiped too, of course.

“The first thing I remember is having my barcode tattooed. It was scary. I wasn’t alone for long, but I was alone for that. The training was harsh, I remember that. The handlers had electrified black batons and shock collars to punish us with, among other tools. No scarring. And then once Mia came along, they punished both of us if one of us messed up, because we were bonded. So even though sometimes it didn’t seem important what happened to me, I didn’t want to get Mia hurt."

Mia nods in agreement. “I– I don’t remember my first training exactly, but I– but I remember the feeling of– of not wanting Hugo to get– to get hurt. He was all I– all I had.”

The WRU, if we were to ask, would not even be able to pretend that Mia’s acquisition was voluntary. Between Sandip, Mia, and Mia’s former partner Olu, they’ve put the pieces of her acquisition together — and it isn’t pretty.

“We– we think I was taken on the– on the way home from orchestra practice,” says Mia quietly. “My Romantic handler used to– used to boast about using– using me first. I think– I think he kidnapped me. And then– and then raped me, before my– my memory was wiped. Hugo says I– I defended him from– from a different handler, before we officially met, but I don’t– I don’t remember that.”

And therein lies the problem: Drip-induced amnesia. Although involuntary acquisitions and rape of non-Romantic pets are illegal, without the pet’s memory, who will be there as witness to prosecute? Even if the pet remembers, their legal status is such that they simply can't prosecute for themself.

“It’s not always too bad,” says Hugo. “Our first primary handler, he was fairer. Didn’t give us punishments if we behaved. But he was still scary. He still hurt Mia, just because she was a pet. Mistress tries to help, but we haven’t had control over our lives for fifteen years.”

We couldn’t contact the initial handler for comment, who seems to have disappeared since blowing the whistle on some of WRU’s worst practices (see previous edition for details), but fear’s rampant within those in the community trying to do their best for pets within the confines of such an unjust system. Sandip is one of them, and has already been arrested for her actions.

“Twice. We’ve been arrested twice. Hugo was almost sent to a retraining centre for fighting back after the police caught him unawares while trying to protect me, and nearly killed him through anaphylactic shock. They’ve hated us ever since, and last year I was arrested for suspected terrorism via pet lib offences. I was raped and assaulted by a WRU handler in police custody, and subjected to strip and intimate searches by cops.” Sandip takes a shaky breath and scratches Hugo’s scalp, which seems to calm them both. “They wanted to scare me into confessing to crimes. And poor Hugo was an easy target the first time.”

Pet-related miscarriages of justice are a situation many of us are familiar with after adespeaks’s viral speech on his YouTube channel last month spurred an ongoing deluge of accusations, although an analysis is too long for this interview — see page 7 for details. For now, we will continue with Hugo and Mia’s story. We pick up as they get sent to a new home, fully trained and ready to be an influencer couple’s pets.

“You know boxies are transported in crates, but you maybe don’t realise how rough the couriers are. My box was left upside down on my new owners’ doorstep. I was there for hours while they sorted out cameras, and I couldn’t hear anything obviously, or see anything, I didn’t know where Mia was at all. Anything could’ve happened to her.”

“It wasn’t too bad with our first owners, just a little exposed and humiliating, I suppose, not until the divorce. Mia doesn’t remember it. We were split up, and I ended up with Master. He didn’t want me, they only bought me to look good anyway, because I’m profoundly deaf and they’d get sympathy and virtue points, that’s what he said, and he wasn’t kind or safe at all. I should’ve been safe wearing a collar but I wasn’t. He just hurt and starved me until he got rid of me. He used whips and belts and left me outside to freeze. He made me into an ashtray, and used me as a punching bag, and forgot to feed me and give me water constantly. The scar on my cheek is from him, but earlier. Once, Mia had to wear a tightly-laced corset because she was coughing too much, and she passed out. That was earlier too.” He pauses, seemingly thinking hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give so much detail, it’s supposed to be confidential. I was so scared. He could’ve killed me.”

“I was horrified by all the scars,” interjects Sundip. Hugo nods. It seems that despite the propaganda, becoming a pet doesn’t guarantee you a safe and loving home. Not even during transportation, where you’d expect them to want them to arrive wholly intact at least, are they treated with a modicum of decency.

Mia squeezes Hugo’s hand tightly, looking a little ill, her face pinched as if holding back a headache. “And– and I shouldn’t remember the– the second trip, back to the training centre, but I– but I do now. I– I don’t know why, the therapist says– says my remembering was triggered by trauma. I was– I was thrown around inside my box, and– and not upright, and people were– were screaming, and I– I was raped. Again. And I– I tried to escape, along with another– another pet, but they just– just caught and– and punished me and– and wiped my memory. I didn’t– didn’t remember him until– until recently, let alone know what– what happened to him. Or– or me. It still hurts my head to– to think about.”

It’s a harrowing story, and we have to pause there for Mia to compose herself. Sandip rubs her back soothingly.

“I was caring for Hugo by this point. He came to me by accident, but I wasn't leaving him. We were looking for Mia, Hugo missed her, and when she came up as refurbished on the WRU website we had to buy her. It’s been a tricky few years, I didn't do as well as I should have early on and we discovered an illegal hysterectomy was performed on Mia by WRU surgeons (see page 12 for a full exposé on this horrifyingly widespread practice), but it's been getting better. Mia and Hugo are doing so well.”

Mia and Hugo are a bonded pair, and it’s well-known that splitting up bonded pairs can cause lasting mental damage. Luckily, in their case it doesn’t seem to have been too bad, in large part due to the determination of the ex-pets and those who care for them. And a part of that lies too in Mia’s retraining, or ‘refurbishment’, as WRU calls it, eight years after her original sale.

I ask Mia if she can tell me any more about her training as a Romantic, and she nods, head in Hugo’s lap now.

"My– my handler raped me every day. Sometimes– sometimes multiple times a day, especially– especially early on. He also– also used sensory deprivation to make– to make me more affectionate. I’m not– I’m not sure what’s originally me and what’s– what’s training anymore. His sister raped– raped me too, when he took me home for– home for Christmas. For the– the situational trials as part of– of training. And then I– I wanted to have sex with– with Sandip so she’d– she’d want me. I wasn't– wasn't wanted if I wasn't useful. But it wasn't– wasn't true. It wasn't true. It wasn't true."

Mia repeats that to herself as Hugo pulls her into a tight hug, Sandip’s hand on her shoulder.

Both Mia and Hugo have been through hell together, and although they're getting through it with the help of Sandip and other friends, family and local organisations, gaining independence and discovering who they are, there are thousands out there still suffering, who need our help. These two show that although a recovery isn’t easy, it can be possible, with the right care.

And as for our trio here, any last words and hopes?

“I'd like to go a night without a nightmare,” says Hugo. “Just once.”

“Animals are treated better in law than human pets. And until that changes, any so-called improvements will be nothing but a smokescreen. But they give hope, and sometimes, hope is what’s needed most.”

“I– I never want to lose Hugo or Olu again. No– no part of them. Never again. No-one should– should have to lose someone they love like– like that. And you can– you can help, you don’t have to– have to participate in a system that hurts people, please. No matter your– your past, or who– who you are. You can– you can still help.”

[saintmeghanmarkle]

GMA's Will Reeve and Prince Harry: Full transcript (per the DM) by u/Von_und_zu_

GMA's Will Reeve and Prince Harry: Full transcript (per the DM) For anyone who wishes to avoid hearing his voice....From the DM article entitled: Prince Harry says he has 'other trips' to Britain planned after telling US TV he 'loves his family' and hopes King Charles' cancer diagnosis has a 'reunifying effect'.

FYI - his "other trips" include a trip in May for a service at St Paul's for 10th anniversary of Invictus. Seems to me like an event designed specifically as royal cosplay. He says: I will stop in and see my family as much as I can.'" Will they receive him?

https://ift.tt/6mYNXBZ

Reeve: 'How did you get the news that the King was ill?

Prince Harry: 'I spoke to him.'

Reeve: 'And what did you do next?

Harry: 'I jumped on a plane and went to go and see him as soon as I could.'

Reeve: 'How was that visit for you, emotionally?'

Harry: 'Um, look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I'm grateful for that.'

Reeve: 'What's sort of your outlook on his health?

Harry: 'That stays between me and him.'

Reeve: 'An illness in the family can have a galvanizing or sort of reunifying effect for a family. Is that possible in this case?'

Harry: 'Absolutely. Yeah, I'm sure. Throughout all these families I see it on a day-to-day basis, again, the strength of the family unit coming together. I think any illness, any sickness brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.'

Reeve: 'Just physically being in California, how have you processed the fact that there's so much happening back with your family and where you come from?'

Harry: 'I have my own family, as we all do, right? My family and my life in California is as it is. I have got other trips planned that would take me through the UK or back to the UK. I will stop in and see my family as much as I can.'

Reeve: 'That's my next question, right, your family. How is Harry the dad?'

Harry: 'How's what?

Reeve: 'How's Harry the dad?'

Harry: 'I can't tell you.'

Reeve: 'That's top secret? Really? Making lunches.'

Harry: 'It's top secret. No, the kids are doing great. The kids are growing up like all kids do, very very fast. They have both got an incredible sense of humour and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. So I'm just very grateful to be a dad.'

Reeve: 'How are you enjoying your time living in the US.'

Harry: 'It's amazing. I love every single day.'

Reeve: 'Do you feel American?'

Harry: 'Er, do I feel American? No. I don't know how I feel.'

Reeve: 'Would you think about becoming a citizen?

Harry: 'I have considered it, yeah.'

Reeve: 'Yeah? What would stop you from doing it?'

Harry: 'I have no idea. I'm here standing here next to this with these guys. American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that's a high priority for me right now.'

Reeve: 'Aside from Invictus, what's keeping you busy when you're out of the house?'

Harry: 'Everything. Everything in the house, everything outside the house. The mission continues. Every element of the work continues. Before you know it, February next year, this time of the year, this time we're gonna be right here doing all this again. Hopefully you'll be here. And we're going to have the whole of Whistler and hopefully the whole of Canada screaming these guys on for an epic games.'​ post link: https://ift.tt/t0C4Khp author: Von_und_zu_ submitted: February 16, 2024 at 08:16PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[savebylou]

Recap Simon Cowell on The Ray Foley podcast talking about 1D, his show and Harry calling him.

Simon did another interview, I wanted to share another recap/transcript in case anyone was interested.

TLDR: He said that he and 1D had the best time working together and he really missed it, he made a deal with the company that made Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Box to Box Films) and is going to a streamer plataform. He is doing promo so more people audition because he think is the best way to get in to the music business (even though he said he is not going to offer a record deal and he will own the name), he wants to invite Louis Walsh to the auditions, last but not least according to him Harry call him just to say hello.

Below is the more detail recap with a few quotes.

Simon was on The Ray Foley podcast, it was a zoom interview of almost 13 min [20.06.24].

-According to Simon because there hasn' t been a successful UK band or Irish band since 1D, so he thought about a year ago to do his show to create a new boyband. He thinks is the only way to do it.

-What he is looking for? The best example is One Direction. He thinks is the best boyband of all time.  "There is something about each of them, they were all individually talented, collectively they were just brilliant, it was fun, talented and we had the best, best time working together and I really, really missed it and that is why I decided you know what? I'm gonna risk it and I'm just gonna do it."

-He then talk about his memories of the band. That when One Direction didn't win he was so unhappy and that the next day they come to the label and he said they are gonna sign them. After he says "I think if we could find a group of people like that again, with those kind of records, I really, really think there is a massive opportunity here, I can just feel it".

About his show he comment:

- "I'm working with a company who made drive to survive"[Note: I check the production company was Box to Box Films, the program is Formula 1: Drive to survive, that is a documentary series of F1 that aires on Netflix]. He went to see them and he said he was gonna do this [boyband] "with or without cameras, do you think it would make a good documentary? And they went are you prepared to show everything?" He said yes, so they make a deal. "Is going to be a documentary for one of the big streamers."

- He is doing promo so more people audition because if it works it's worth it, is fun and "it's the best way on getting in to the music business, because right now they just aren't enough new people being sign for whatever reason, and that's depressing." [Important to remember that the band that is going to be created will not have a record deal, they will have to find it on their own and Simon is gonna own the name, see recap of that here].

-He said that the person that records a video and sharing on social media they are competing with so many people, so the odds are not in their favor, record labels are not watching their videos, they have a departament checking with algorithms, he believes that if you wanna find people he needs to met them and they need to met him. His advice for artists is always to start in a band because they will find their lane and they got a better shot. He used to do this 30 years ago, go month after month in auditions.

About Louis Walsh (X Factor judge)

The interviewer mentions that Louis has a boyband and Simon comment he will call him and drag him to be in the auditions and that they will always be friends. [Note that Louis said that he hadn't talk with Simon in years and Sharon Osbourne comment how Simon got rid of their contract they had for the new season of The X Factor for 2018, this when they add it Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and Ayda Field ].

-He talk about what happened with Westlife that Louis created and Simon rejected them, they change members and he sign them.

Harry calling Simon.

"It was very funny because Harry Styles call me the other day just to say hello, and that night I said [to his son] I was talking to Harry Styles the other day. Son: No you didn't. Simon: Yes I did, he call me. Son: Why he will call you? Simon: To say hello, people do that."

Let me know if you want me to record and upload audios of any of this parts. I can share them.

[a-room-of-my-own]

There's been a bit of news coverage about the 80th anniversary of D-Day here in the US, and I was wondering how it's covered in France.

Since it's unlikely there will be any surviving veterans to tell their stories for the 85th or 90th anniversaries, it's important to record their stories and commemorate the sacrifices of those who fought and died that day while there are still survivors.

I couldn't find an English transcript of Macron's speech, but when I compare Biden's speech with King Charles', Biden's comes off as very political by involving Russia's attacks on Ukraine. I don't disagree with the sentiment, but time and place! Especially since there are still surviving veterans of D-Day in the audience.

I think the difference is because the United States is only 248 years old, and WWII, in general, has become foundationally important to our national myth. In the US national story, WWII started because the US refused to intervene in Europe's affairs but it eventually got so bad that we had to swoop in and save the day world. WWII has became so important to US identity that both the left and the right use it in their rhetoric: The right generally focus on the atrocities committed by belligerent dictators in allusions to the Holocaust, and the left focus on the authoritarianism of domestic politicians. The Invasion of Normandy is seen as the day that we stepped up to our 'responsibility' of being the world's police superhero.

I think that US politicians use D-Day and the associated imagery as a platform to reaffirm their commitment to this national story and the ideals they feel that story represents, which is why Biden felt it was appropriate to call out Russia during a memorial at a cemetery and Charles and Macron did not (at least I'm assuming Macron did not).

In comparison, France has over 1,100 years of shared history and identity. WWII was obviously horrific and the Nazis needed to be defeated, but was D-Day itself a drop in the bucket of French history?

Compared to all the other battles of WWII by Free French forces and members of the Resistance, how is D-Day seen in modern France?

I’ve been living at the office these last few days so I didn’t watch the news but usually it’s rather positive. And it’s definitely not seen as something akin to an anecdote, on the contrary I think everyone is still extremely grateful. It’s really presented as our allies swooping in to save us.

Even if historically, if you look at the cold facts, the US and UK pretty much intended to occupy France, change its money and put a candidate they had chosen as the new president - all that didn’t happen basically thanks to De Gaulle - the average soldier didn’t know that and that’s not why he fought. And first thing first, the UK and US still had to kick the Germans out and then move as quickly as possible towards Germany or all of Europe would have been in the USSR.

At the end of the day, what the American and English soldiers did was extremely brave and for most of them selfless. And as much as it hurt our collective pride, we do still very much need the US. Europe is still a conglomerate of small, old sovereign nations in a world that is increasingly globalized.

Russia is comprised of many different people, so is China, so is India. In Europe, the EU’s jurisdiction is already seen as too heavy. We’re literally unable to speak with one voice. Nobody recognizes Ursula Von der Leyen as our president for example. And we don’t have an army or a way to associate our armies under one command.

When you look at what’s happening in Ukraine, it’s basically Europe, as an entity, being unable to defend its borders and needing heavy military aid from the US to stall the Russian invasion. The fact that Putin wants to bring back the USSR should worry us but we’re too busy with our own internal affairs.

The problem isn’t that the US acts as the world’s police per se but that the world savior mythology was used to invade and destroy sovereign countries, or to interfere in local politics to the point of supporting dictatorships that made thousands of victims.

[mia-studyhaus]

5 Minutes, 5 Words - #119

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Calumny /ˈkæləmni/ (n.) - the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander.

Rodrick's elaborate plans to defeat his business rivals using calumny and deceit ultimately failed.

Compunction /kəmˈpʌŋkʃᵊn/ (n.) - a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.

I used to be a bully as a child until I felt a deep sense of compunction one fine day after making one of my victims cry really loudly. I changed immediately after that incident.

Dour /ˈdʊ��/ (adj.) - relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance.

Mrs. Payton, usually known for being kind and cheerful, was unusually dour while teaching my class Mathematics today.

Intimation /ˌɪntɪˈmeɪʃᵊn/ (n.) - an indication or hint.

The humid air was an intimation that a long thunderstorm was approaching this afternoon.

Surfeit /ˈsɜːfɪt/ (n.) - an excessive amount of something.

I have a surfeit of skateboards that I would love to give away to other people.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Definitions from: Oxford Languages.

IPA Phonetic Transcription (UK English) from: tophonetics.com

Sentences are fictitious, though they may be based on real issues that occur across the world.

Follow @studyhaus for more vocabulary content!

[jamiebamberdaily]

TV Times Interview - Issue 12 [18-24 March 2023]

Tap/click ‘Keep Reading’ to view the transcript.

Jamie Bamber is no stranger to crime dramas, having played detectives in gritty ITV1 series Law & Order: UK, Marcella and DI Ray. But for his current role in BBC1’s sun-dappled whodunnit show Beyond Paradise, the actor is enjoying a rather different beat as dashing vineyard owner Archie Hughes, who is far more interested in sampling fine wines that solving complex cases! As the Death In Paradise spin-off continues this week, Archie and his business partner - and ex-fiancée! - Martha Lloyd (played by Sally Bretton) welcome a food critic into their cafe, hoping it could boost the fledging enterprise’s fortunes. All the while, it’s clear that Archie is harbouring feelings for his former flame, who is now happily engaged to DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall). Here, in an exclusive interview, Jamie, 49, tells TV Times why he’s relishing causing a stir in the (fictional) Devon town of Shipton Abbott...

The fourth episode feels like a turning point for Archie and Martha’s business, but he seems very distracted by his feelings for her, doesn’t he?

Yes, Archie is someone who’s living with regret. Martha is the one that got away, and it has taken him a fair few years to realise that that was the opportunity of his life. He’s a very successful guy with a lot of options; he’s been privileged from birth and he’s made the most of that. But I think the one thing he feels he maybe didn’t appreciate when he had it was Martha. And lo and behold, there she is!

When Archie originally offered to invest in Martha’s new cafe, was he genuinely trying to help or was there an ulterior motive?

A lot of times in life, we’re not entirely clear what our motivations are for different things that we do - they don't necessarily have to be one thing or the other. I think Archie enjoys the fact that she’s come back to Shipton Abbot, and he likes her and is attracted to her, he he likes Humphrey, too. When he met Humphrey, he was pleasantly surprised! Archie wants to be part of Martha’s new life, but whether he's planning to somehow come between the two of them, I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as that.

Are you worried about how viewers might react if Archie does cause probelms for much-loved couple Martha and Humphrey?

Obviously, the character is treading a fine line, but I am very secure in the knowledge that Beyond Paradise is an extremely well-put-together, accomplished piece of television writing. It’s still a ‘will they, won’t they?’ story in some regards, and Archie is a part of that dynamic. It depends on who you side with as to who you root for!

We hear there’s a big storyline for Archie in next week’s penultimate episode. Can you share any teasers with us?

It’s really fun! Like most of these multi-arc TV formats, each episode stands alone but there are various intrigues that last the series, so the nearer you get to the end, the more there is at stake. Episode five is great, because Archie is involved in the case of the week - and he is a suspect...’

Intriguing! Did you enjoy working with the other cast members on the series?

Yes, it was an absolute pleasure. And Sally and I got on very well from the first moment we met, which is important. Barbara Flynn [who plays Martha’s mum, Anne Lloyd] is a legend - she’s cheeky and has a glint in her eye that’s great fun to bounce off! It’s the same with Sally and Kris, too. They’re all accomplished comedic actors, and that was a real boon for me.

The show was filmed on location in Devon and Cornwall. Were you able to fit in any sightseeing?

Yes, I fell in love with Looe, in Cornwall, in particular,which is the main stand-in for Shipton Abbot; I thought it was beguiling in every way. My wife [Bad Girls star Kerry Norton] happened to e shooting a thing on the north coast of Cornwall, so she came down to Looe and we were able to do some walks along the coast and go out for meals. I played quite a bit of golf, too, because I was put up in the lovely [village of] St Merryn, which has some great courses!

Talking of filming in beautiful places... Would you like to see Archie pop up in Caribbean-set sister series Death In Paradise for a crossover one day?

That would be fantastic! I’m not overly familiar with Death In Paradise, having lived abroad for the bulk of it’s run, but I’ve seen enough to know that it’s a global success, and it’s super-fun to be part of its little baby sister show here. I couldn’t be prouder to be involved, and if that involvement continued in any way, I would be delighted for a crossover. And on a ‘Jamie and family’ level, a trip to Guadeloupe [Where Death in Paradise is filmed] would be great!

Last year, you played DCI Martyn Hunter in police procedural DI Ray, and before that Sam Wright in ITV1’s 2021 drama Innocent - both characters who seemed lovely but were later found to be harbouring dark secrets. Do you like taking on roles that shock viewers?

I really enjoyed both of those shows, and, yes, I spotted the same pattern - and it goes back even further to Marcella [Jamie played DI Tim Williamson in the first two seasons of the drama, from 2016 to 2018]. There’s clearly a thing going on with me and telly! I don’t know how much of that is move systemic in terms of casting and tropes, but any time you get to play ambiguity and wrong-foot an audience is always fun! But I’m not going to give anything away about where Archie ends up...

What are your next projects?

I’ve got two things that haven’t come out yet. One is Netflix thriller Who Is Erin Carter?, which I’m really excited about, and the other is Cannes Confidential, a kind of screwball cop show in the mould of [1970s action comedy] The Persuaders! That’s coming out on Acorn TV, and on French TV. It’s English-language, but we’re currently dubbing it into French, so that’s what I’m doing most weekends - getting on a train to Paris and putting my performance from English into French. I’m a pretty fluent French speaker, but it’s still a real challenge!

[doomsdev]

In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ (Ancient Greek: 'doom, fate') is the personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate.

name: dev krishna rajput age: soon to be thirty-eight

parents: vedant rajput, human journalist & the greek god of fate and doom moros

traits: fearless, selfish, determined, arrogant, cunning, moody

alignment: chaotic neutral

profession: former economist & investor

education: graduated in economy & philosophy, mba in investment management

former place of residence: london, uk

transcript.

As Dev knew it his parents had met in a divided Germany, an assignment foolishly cooked up to keep his father from angering more people in both Britain and India with his writing. It did not work.

His father–the mortal one, that is, had always called out disaster before it struck. Call it foresight, or just reading the fucking signals. Whenever he went, whatever he wrote, disaster soon followed. They never did listen…That’s what attracted him. That’s how their love came to be.

Dev was not his father. Cursed with his foresight, blessed with visions of doom, he stopped talking when people would not listen. Should he be surprised by his godly parent, when he heeded the call? When he saw what was coming for him? The impeding doom that haunted him made real…

...

Unsettling. Weird. Head in the clouds. The gift left by the god of doom to a man haunted by the future who could do nothing to save himself or anyone else. Shadows that haunted Dev Krishna, child of fate, harbinger of doom, from day one… He grew up watching it all, death and misery, broken dreams, broken lives. Fate wasn’t cruel he thought–it was worse than that, fate didn’t care.

From Germany, to Palestine, to India. Wherever his father went there was doom, hanging like a veil of pain and misery in the faces of people Dev would never see again. His father was an idealist, his father wanted to save the world. Dev wondered if it wanted to be saved.

Haunted by dreams of ruin, it seemed like there was nothing capable of thriving under his hands. Was it following him, or was he the one causing it? Wherever they went, chaos followed, either by the hands of his journalist father or a disaster that happened to hit. Another death, another coup, another people starving. Each city, each country, nowhere was safe. No one was safe. Relationships fell apart as easily as broken promises, as easily as a panic attack, as all the possibilities of suffering–car accident on a monday, earthquake on a tuesday, heart attack on wednesday, drowning, crushed under a building, terrorist attack on… breathless, gasping for breath, watching them leave, watching them die. Nightmares… that followed. Warnings, never heeded, always resented, pain never avoided, advice never taken. Until he stopped talking, listening, dreaming. Wake up, drive, ignore it ignore it ignore it. Isolated, afraid but safe. Safe?

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Get money, make yourself comfortable, easy to take the money from warning unheeded from his father and make it grow, watch the world burn knowing the flames will get you eventually, eventually, not now. Not yet anyway. Sometime, known it the whole time, didn’t he? Almost a relief when the calling comes, when the monsters are made real, when there is something to punch and kill. He gets an axe, easy to hold, easier to throw, gets a bow. He gets another father, one that was never there, one that–it seemed–had always been close in a way, almost like they kept chasing each other. One that is cruel, or uncaring, or too fucking busy, but one that gives him power now. 

Is that enough? Will it save him? Can he save anyone, even himself? Well, he’s going to fucking try. 

[run-aled]

RED VALLEY: WHILE YOU WERE HYPERSLEEPING‘Part Three’

[transcript]

SCENE 1

GORDON IS IN THE MESS ROOM, PLAYING HIMSELF AT POOL. MUSIC PLAYING FROM THE JUKEBOX IN THE DISTANCE. HE LEAVES THE TAPE ROLLING A LITTLE WHILE.

GORDON: Hello. It's umm… day 13. I'm in the mess. I am playing myself at pool and winning. Oh… I fixed the jukebox. Just another easy fix by Gordon Porlock...Warden of the Valley.

HITS A SHOT. POCKETS IT.

GORDON: Ahh… Boom. Warden of the Valley. That deserves a badge. Hey Blue, that deserves a badge, right?

BLUE SKY: I didn't quite catch that.

GORDON: That's what she says when I deserve a badge.

TAKES ANOTHER SHOT.

CUT.

GORDON: I thought I better take some of these duties seriously. The caretaking duties I mean. I remembered what the manager of the Overlook Hotel said to Jack Nicholson. Not the bit about the guy who went crazy and murdered his family, the boring stuff about going around the hotel and warming different parts of it, making sure the pipes don't freeze. So I've done that. I've systematically gone through all the radiators, and checked all the light switches, and most of them work, and when I find one that doesn't, I make a little note of it, and then I remember I have no idea what to do about any of that stuff so I just shut the door to that room and don't go in there again.

CUT TO GORDON IN THE TOILET AND READING A BIRD BOOK.

GORDON: I'm reading more too. The pink footed goose, or Anser Brachyrhynchus, doesn't breed in the UK but, probably Iceland or Greenland, and is just wintering here. Anyway, if they're going to shit on me every day, I thought I should at least be able to address them by their full scientific names.

HE GETS UP AND FLUSHES.CUT TO: GORDON WASHING UP IN THE FARMHOUSE. IN THE BACKGROUND AN ANCIENT RECORDING OF A CHRISTMAS CHOIR.

GORDON: Well I've really come to love this farmhouse. It's so peaceful. There's a.. a record player and lots of old Christmas records. And it's November so seems appropriate. Hey Blue, tell me something interesting about Christmas.

BLUE SKY: Hi Gordon, did you know that not only did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas pudding and mince pies in the 17th century, the law was never officially rescinded, so technically it's still illegal to eat them.

GORDON: Awesome.

CUT TO: GORDON IN THE CORRIDOR UPSTAIRS IN THE BASE, MOVING BOXES.

GORDON: So, a lot of the archiving I think is just literally moving boxes of tapes. I mean, sure, I'll need to go through them some time, but there's no rush.

SUDDENLY A PHONE STARTS RINGING, SOME DISTANCE AWAY. GORDON STOPS IN HIS TRACKS.

GORDON: What the hell is that?

BEAT AS HE THINKS.

GORDON: Hmm.

BLUE SKY: The phone is ringing.

GORDON: I mean I'm really busy, with these-

BEAT. THE RINGING IS INCESSANT.

BLUE SKY: The phone is ringing.

GORDON: For God's sake.

BLUE SKY: The phone is ringing.

HE PICKS IT UP. SOMEONE IS EATING ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE.

GORDON: Hello?

CLIVE: Alright sugartits.

GORDON: Clive? Oh… Um., Bryony isn't here right now…

CLIVE: I know. Just wanted to check in on you.

GORDON: Oh er… Normally Grace or Pam would do a check in-

CLIVE: I know that too Gordon. Cos they work for me. Like you do.

GORDON: Of course, yeah, sure.

CLIVE: So how are you, Gordon?

GORDON: Oh, I'm great. Yeah… Great.

CLIVE: You doing what we're paying you to do, right?

GORDON: What do you mean?

CLIVE: Bryony asked you to look after the place and sort out the archives, didn't she? You know, the archives of the work we do at Red Valley. The world-changing, potentially limitlessly lucrative work that, frankly, is the only reason that gloomy little shithole hasn't been flattened by a giant Monty Python foot.

GORDON: Yes, yes, I'm on it.

CLIVE: You're on it.

GORDON: I'm on it.

CLIVE: You're sure you're on it? You're not just playing yourself at pool and listening to power ballads on the jukebox you repaired?

GORDON SCOFFS IN EMBARRASSED CONFUSION.

CLIVE: You know a Blue Sky unit is a microphone as well as a virtual assistant right?

BLUE SKY: Hello.

GORDON: I, uh. I did not know that actually.

HE PUTS HIS HAND OVER THE SPEAKER AND HISSES TO THE BLUE SKY UNIT.

GORDON: I thought we were friends!

CLIVE: I mean. It's kind of...I've already turned up on your doorstep once before after spying on you...

BLUE SKY: I found this on Friends. Friends is a situation comedy-

GORDON: Oh, don't even get me started on that.

CLIVE: What are you doing, Gordon?

GORDON: Oh er… Nothing, nothing, I'm just...I'm here.

CLIVE: That's just it. You see, I need you to do more than just be there, Gordon. I need you to work through those archives, mate. In fact- that's not even true. I don't give a liquid shit about the archives actually, I just need you to get everything on Warren Godby looking ship fucking shape. Because he's the ticket. For me, for you, for everything. If I find out you've been leaning back enjoying that ex-rental copy of Passion of the Christ, we're going to have a problem.

GORDON: I'll get on it, Clive. Right away.

CLIVE: Adda boy. Off you trot then.

GORDON: Yeah. Oh, Clive?

CLIVE: What?

GORDON: There's no one...else, around here, is there?

CLIVE: What do you mean?

GORDON: No one else around, any neighbours? Or Overhead people, who might want to visit, you know, in the middle of the night, then change their mind and drive away?

CLIVE SIGHS.

CLIVE: I don't give a shit if you're haunted by local sprites or some Highland bumpkin is plucking up the courage to invite you to the next caber tossing festival, keep your eyes on the cryonically preserved prize.

CLIVE HANGS UP.

PAUSE.

BLUE SKY: Is there anything I can help you with, Gordon?

GORDON: You and me are done professionally.

CUT.

MUSIC BREAK.

CUT TO: WARREN TURNS ON THE RECORDER AND PUTS IT DOWN. HE IS EXTREMELY OUT OF BREATH.

WARREN: Hi. Warren Godby here. Just got… back from a run. 8 o'clock in the morning, already done a run. Haven't even had breakfast. All 6 of us, along with umm…what’s his name Doctor umm… Doctor Mister Motivator. I don’t know. Do you know what, I started this too soon, give me a minute.

CUT.

GORDON: Blue Sky, save the project.

BLUE SKY: Remember you can call me Blue?

GORDON: We're not on first name terms anymore, Ms Sky.

BLUE SKY: Project saved. Would you like to play the next recording?

GORDON: Have you checked it already for my muted words and phrases?

BLUE SKY: There are no mentions of specific crimes or details relating to the sentence of Godby, Warren.

GORDON: Okay, go ahead.

THE NEXT RECORDING.

WARREN: Hello, hi. So I don't need to be so sycophantic. Apparently, there are no bonus points for obsequious behaviour or indeed, brown nosing, as Dr Halbech calls it, of any kind.

WARREN: Now that I'm in my little bedroom, and I've got my three minutes, erm… I do have a few thoughts about the induction day, you know that I could share. This is clearly a second hand induction pack. The main clue is the massive cock and balls that have been doodled over the contents page. Unless that’s your new Overhead watermark or something.

WARREN PULLS THE BLURB FROM HIS INDUCTION PACK.

WARREN: Right let's look at this. 'Congratulations from everyone at Overhead Industries! Here at Red Valley, our state of the art facility, you're about to join our team of expert clinicians and researchers, supported by our humm…caring, dedicated and highly qualified hospitality team that will make this experience closer to a rural retreat than a scientific study!'

WARREN: I take issue with the term 'state of the art', I suppose. My expectations for Red Valley were quite high. Er… I knewit was a laboratory underneath a military station in the wilderness, so of course I imagined, not unreasonably I think, Area 51 from Independence Day. White lab coats, stuttering science nerds played by Star Trek actors, maybe something like that crossed with the Dolph Lundgren training montage from Rocky IV, I don't know.Now, disappointment I can handle. I'm used to that. But I guess I was expecting, as a minimum, the kind of security that one might find in a highly guarded penal institution, like the one I just left, because, at the end of the day, all the new guests are hardened, violent convicted criminals after all. So when, at the end of today's induction session, Harry Reed decides to brain Stephens over the head with a fucking metal chair for making eye contact with him, I was somewhat surprised when absolutely fucking nothing happened, apart from Stephens being dragged by the feet out of the room leaving behind an oil slick of blood coming out of his head and Harry staring at us all with a look that could cut diamonds while folding and unfolding his arms every 3 seconds like a fucking maniac, which is exactly what he is.

WARREN: I think there are literally only 3 people working here. And there are six of us. That is bananas. This is going to end like Straw fucking Dogs. Goodnight.

CUT.

GORDON: Right. Well then.

BLUE SKY: There is a short addendum.

GORDON: Oh. Er… Go ahead.

PLAYS.

WARREN: Quick update. Little group meeting just now to inform us that Stephens and Reed are leaving the programme. Infact, they've apparently already left. Which is weird, cos there's only one way in or out of this valley and no one’s come or gone all day. So that's definitely not disconcerting whatsoever. I'm going to go and stare at the ceiling for the rest of the night. Bye.

CUT.

FOOTSTEPS ALONG THE CORRIDOR IN THE LOWER LEVEL, REACHING A DOOR. GORDON OPENS IT AND WALKS INTO A ROOM- THE CRYO SUITE. EVENTUALLY HE REACHES HIS DESTINATION.

GORDON: Evening Warren.

GORDON PLACES HIS RECORDER ON THE METALLIC CRYO POD.

GORDON: Apologies I haven't been down to see you much. You look well. I can't actually see you. I thought they would've put windows in a cryopod. So people could see you floating about. But, I guess it's nice to have privacy, isn't it?

PAUSE.

GORDON: I've been struggling Warren. With what's going on here. The truth is I have to make a choice. To be a friend to you or not. I'm going to keep listening to your tapes. But I'm not going to find out what you did. I'd like to say it's because I'm respecting your privacy, but the truth is I recognise the guys on these recordings. He doesn't sound too different to me. He's scared, he's lonely, he hates exercise. Look… maybe you're not who I think you are. But given the company we keep, you might still be the least awful person I currently work with. So, let’s be friends. I'll be back tomorrow. And maybe I’ll bring Top Trumps or something.

END.

[paramorearchived]

August 24, 2010

Transcript:

PS

it's been long enough...

lordy, where do i start!? miss you guys. the honda civic tour has been one of the coolest tours that we've ever put together. not only because of the size of the crowds but the fact that we have been able to pull off a bigger show, with all the fancy production (never thought it'd happen!) as well as having a line up that is so diverse, i feel like there's a band for anyone and everyone who comes out to the show. we've been having a blast. 

right now, we have about a week off of it. and i'm sitting on my living room floor gawking at the TV and everything that is blowing my mind on the new season of True Blood. total vampire anarchy. that's what's going down in my house today! if i could count all the times i've heard "f*** authority" in the last couple hours i'd be so punk rock, i'd hurt. but anyways, this season is intense. i can barely keep up! between this and dexter coming out in a month my spare time is all booked and busy. which shows are you into right now? anything i should check out? (ps, chad is buying the box set of Lost and i'm going to start that sometime soon!)

the weather at home is so perfect right now. i feel really lucky to come home to a place that is so beautiful. sometimes it's sad to leave and go out on the road, missing everything that happens here - but honestly, it's nice to miss the things that you love once in a while. so you never forget to appreciate it. hopefully, i can say this without sounding like a preacher but... remember to enjoy EVERYTHING. the things that feel good, the things that hurt, rejection, acceptance.. it's all going to make you better. stronger. and more like yourself. every once in a while i get a reminder of how much i'm okay with just being me. i know that sounds ridiculous. cause i'm in this band. we're lucky. we got successful. but who i am is still this nerdy, silly, flamethrower of a person. and it took me 20 years to see that and get it and love it. now, that i'm home for a few days, seeing some friends and spending some good time alone... with myself... i got one of those reminders:

found one of my old journals. from right around the time we were heading out on tour with NFG in the UK early 2008. i started reading it and couldn't help but cry a little bit. cause that person was really confused. and very lost. and as it went on, the person behind the pen seemed to get a little bit stronger.. that part felt good. it was the reminder that i needed that right now i'm as strong as ever. there really isn't a point to telling you all of this. except maybe i want to thank you. cause you are a constant reminder. that i'm not as lost as i once was. 

okay, Hoyt from True Blood is cute and distracting. so i'm going to finish watching this episode. hopefully i'll be back soon! but definitely follow my tumblr if you want more consistent updates. it's easier to post pictures and what not from the road. ok. Hoyt. gotta run!

love you guys. SEE YOU AT READING AND LEEDS! hayley

[theyearsnews]

Conman Gaurav Srivastava caught lying to Google over corruption expose

A leading investigative journalism publication has accused Indian businessman Gaurav Kumar Srivastava of lying to Google in order to de-index a story that exposed him as a conman and fraudster who abused the American secret service’s name to defraud a Dutch oil trader.

Project Brazen, which describes itself as the ultimate destination for fearless journalism, published a detailed story revealing how Gaurav Srivastava posed as an operative of Central Investigation Agency (CIA) to run international scams on several successful businessmen, including the Geneva-based Dutch oil trader Niels Troost.

Project Brazen is run by two respected former Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and Tom Wright, a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

It was revealed that Srivastava used a creative lie to complain to Google that the award-winning investigative journalism site had stolen the contents of story on Srivastava from another blog site. By using Google’s copyright policy to his advantage, Srivastava used a fraudulent technique to get the story on himself de-indexed by setting up a fake site and publishing the same content to claim it as his own – and then claimed copyright.

One of the reporters on the investigative story, Soobin Kim, tweeted:

“Our @WhaleHunting_ story was removed from Google's indexes due to copyright complaints. The complaints, saved on @lumendatabase, claim that we copied a backdated blog post, all content of which was lifted from our story. This is how fraudsters curate their online reputation.” https://x.com/soobinskim/status/1722747471888064525?s=20

Project Brazen from its official verified handle revealed the full scale of shocking fraud run on Google by Gaurav Srivastava to remove his expose from Google. In a thread, https://x.com/brazenFM/status/1722563387983351948?s=20 revealed:

“Our @WhaleHunting_  team recently reported on an alleged serial con man named Gaurav Srivastava, who masquerades as a CIA operative to swindle gullible business owners. Less than a month after the story ran, it disappeared from Google’s indexes. Instead, there was a note saying that search results had been removed due to complaints.

“On @lumendatabase, which collects online content removal notices, we found two complaints submitted to Google by someone named Sherrie Hagen, claiming that our story had infringed the copyright of a blog post on Tumblr.

“The post purporting to be the original had republished the text from the public preview of our story on @WhaleHunting_ , word for word. It was backdated to Oct 8th, two days before our date of publication, but the blog’s archive reveals that it was actually posted sometime in Nov.”

This US-based Sherrie Hagen in fact filed four copyright complaints to Google in November 2023, with one even claiming she was based in the UK. The Tumblr blog post that was apparently the original source of this information has now been altered to a completely different story – a move that leaves little trace of reports on Srivastava’s fraudulent activity.

“Our @WhaleHunting_ team reviewed multiple court documents, transcripts, correspondences and more to report and write this story, which the blog claims as its own in the complaints submitted to @Google to get it de-indexed. It even lifted the image made by @ProjectBrazen’s creative director – a photo of Gaurav Srivastava with swords in the background, inspired by the ceremonial swords he pretends to have received from various heads of state, when he actually bought them for himself.”

“When you google “Gaurav Srivastava”, you can only find fawning articles that he likely paid for calling him a “philanthropist” and a “loving parent.” This is a glaring example of how copyright laws are abused to launder the reputations of fraudsters, and bury damning information.”

In January 2023 Srivastava and his wife Sharon were the subjects of a flurry of articles that appeared on websites like LA Weekly and The Ritz Herald. Despite their heritage-sounding names, these sites are little more than content mills for paid promotions. The articles had vapid titles, including “Five Ways to Get Involved in the Local Los Angeles Community” and “6 Lessons to Teach Your Kids Gratitude”, which is often a sign of a search-engine optimisation (SEO) program used to manage – or manipulate – the subject’s online profile.