#helen boucher

[yokelfelonking]

I'M THE REASON THE SKY IS BLUE, RAYLEIGH SCATTERING IS THE DEVIL!

Why is the sky blue?

[irishmansdaughter]

Source - Helen Boucher

[firstlightinthemorning]

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

The language of flowers

and silent things…

(Charles Baudelaire)

Photo: by Helen Boucher

[ashotasfireandasdeepastheocean1]

...history

.

Hélène Boucher, aviator

World Record holder for aviation speed, 1930

[filmes-online-facil]

Assistir Filme O Rei da Água Online fácil

Assistir Filme O Rei da Água Online Fácil é só aqui: https://filmesonlinefacil.com/filme/o-rei-da-agua/

O Rei da Água - Filmes Online Fácil

Criado pela mãe superprotetora Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. é o rei da água de uma equipe de futebol americano de sucesso treinado por Red Beaulieu. Quando o treinador demite Bobby, ele vai para um time rival liderado pelo técnico Klein, que vê Bobby dando uma surra em um jogador que o caçoava e o escala. Logo, os jogadores de Klein estão na disputa pelo título.

[retrogeographie]

Mont de Marsan, la cité Helene Boucher.

[crypticcodexcreations]

Do it. Do 11 and 13 for all of your Only Human characters. 8) 8) 8)

Ah, so we're gonna have a stuffed D&D party and my own entire pokemon region then, huh? Because, here's the thing. Including William, I currently have 15 named characters for Only Human. Some of them are gonna be minor, but shhhhhhh they get to be here anyways. Needless to say, this is about to be a loooooong post.

Ada - 11. I'm thinking for her an Elven Sorcerer or Warlock. Warlock fits her aesthetic more, but the idea of her needing a pact of some sort for magic is a little odd when she's a witch and thus shouldn't need to pull magic from another source, thus Sorcerer.

13. Grass type gym for sure. Victreebel, Vileplume, Roserade, Gourgeist, Carnivine, and Shiftry I think would be the best team for her. Yes that is half a team of poison types for the person who makes everyone's coffee, no it is not suspicious. She's just a little edgy.

Elias - Ada HAD to be followed by her older brother. 11. Elf to match his sister, but I think Paladin fits him quite well. He has his ideals and he doesn't like them challenged much. He'd rather stick to what he believes is right and wrong, even if he's not always right about it.

13. Bug types without a shred of doubt. His Beedril would absolutely be his ace pokemon. In addition to the Beedril, there's Vespiquen, Butterfree, Beautifly, Galvantula, and Ribombee.

Celeste - 11. Celeste is hard because she's more likely to fit into a D&D universe as a Warlock's patron than any sort of PC type. And if we were to interpret it instead as what kind of D&D character she'd make, I think she'd be more likely to be the DM.

13. Can I just give her MewTwo? No? OK. In all seriousness though, I think she would be a Psychic type leader. Metagross, Galade, Gardevoir, Hatterene, Orbeetle, and Reuniclus I think.

Charlotte - 11. Dark Elf Cleric of the Life Domain, and no, I don't know why lol. She's a character I'm still figuring out, but thinking about this question, it's just the exact right vibes.

13. This one took me a few moments of looking at different pokemon. And then I spottled Alolan Ninetails and knew that Ice Types are perfect for what I'm going for with her. So, Alolan Ninetails, Lapras, Glaceon, Frosmoth, Aurorus, and Dewgong.

Elizabeth - 11. It's hard to imagine Elizabeth as anything other than a ghost to be completely honest, so perhaps a human for race? As for class, I think Wizard might be the best. She's relatively shy and nervous and I could see that working with a book smart wizard.

13. Is it too obvious to give the ghost character ghost types? Should I not let her overlap with William? Well, too bad because here we go, Ghost Types again! Chandelure, Polteageist, Palossand, Mismagius, Drifblim, and Gengar.

Helen - 11. Human Wizard. Honestly, just. I hate to say she's basic, but she'd be really simple. If we're looking at this from a playing a game perspective, she'd probably just take a prebuilt human wizard or take the rule book's advice about what abilities and spells to take to make it quick.

13. Normal types would be her style. Specifically, Persian, Miltank, Blissey, Delcatty, Lopunny, and Stoutland. Once again, I don't want to call her basic, but for the most part the most normal of the normal types would be her style.

John Doe - Oh boy I don't think I've talked about poor John before which is a shame because I love him so much.

11. So, this one REALLY varies because if he had the choice, he would make a human. If it were a D&D AU, the best fit I found is something called an Astral Elf. It was the most alien sounding thing I saw. If making a character, I think he'd make something simple like a fighter because it seems like the normal choice, whereas a D&D AU of Only Human would likely have him as something like an Artificer, like William.

13. OK. So. Hear me out. I can't resist just giving him the Space Pokemon. Which means he doesn't have a single typing, but his team would be Elgyem, Beeheeyem, Clefable, Starmie, Solrock, and Lunatone. It's too perfect though and no one can change my mind that this is the team he should have.

Lilian - 11. Tiefling, for sure, no questions asked. I think she'd be the Eldritch Knight subclass of Fighter in particular. She prefers the punk aesthetic for a reason, that being a willingness to knock someone's teeth in if the need comes so she'd very much be a fighter type.

13. I bounced between Dark and Fire types in my mind a bit before landing on dark types. Having said that, Houndoom, Zoroark, Mightyena, Absol, Hydreigon, and Obstagoon would be the ideal team for her in my eyes.

Freyja - 11. I think a Water Genasi Ranger would be the best option for her. It's kind of hard to imagine her personality as any sort of adventurer, but I think Ranger fits her role as the local fisherman the best.

13. Given the previous question, I think water type as her type was kind of obvious immediately. I'd give her a Tentacruel, Kingdra, Gyarados, Sharpedo, Wailord, and Whiscash.

And now we get into a subset of characters, the group that works on the local farm nearby! I note this because most of these characters are siblings except for Maria, who has basically been adopted as an honorary sibling anyways, and I thought it would be neat to mention that before hand.

Connie - 11. Orc. Barbarian. No, not a half orc. Full on Orc. The most fashionable Orc on the planet, and somehow despite being an Orc Barbarian she has maxed out Charisma, but she is, in fact, still an Orc Barbarian.

13. Now, in stark contrast to her D&D self, her Pokemon self is a Fairy type specialist. Mawhile, Togekiss, Sylveon, Alcremie, Florges, and Wigglytuff. Although, now that I think about it, Fairy type isn't really that different from a D&D barbarian at least power wise.

Benny - 11. I'm torn between making him an Orc to match his sister, or something else. He's either an Orc or Half-Orc I think. He's also one I have a hard time thinking of as an adventurer type, but if he were, he'd likely be your standard sword and shield fighter.

13. Ground type would absolutely be his go to. Specifically the big guys. Steelix, Garchomp, Mudsdale, Gastrodon, Rhydon, and Nidoking. He's more likely to use them for farm work than battling though if I'm being honest.

Charlie - 11. I think Orc like his sister, but Druid. This boy loves growing the plants on the farm so Druid was really the only choice for him. And now I kinda wanna make an Orc Druid because the idea of big beefy Druid is incredibly appealing to me.

13. And we've come back to the grass type! A very different vibe from Ada though with his team being Bellossom, Leafeon, Whimsicott, Lilligant, Lurantis, and Appletun.

Damien - Oh boy, the character who even he doesn't know who he is and is trying to figure it out. I haven't been dreading him on this list at all.

11. Like his siblings, Orc. I think with where he is right now in the story, literally changing his name to Damien in an attempt to be dark and mysterious, Warlock would be the best bet at the moment.

13. I'm thinking Steel types for him, although the why is a mystery to me. Even so, the team I'm thinking would be Scizor, Skarmory, Lucario, Aegislash, Corviknight, and Durant.

Maria - 11. Changeling Rogue. Maybe Changeling is too on the nose for a shapeshifter, but I don't care. It's just what fits!

13. Dragons! The team I'd see her with would be Flygon, Salamence, Haxorus, Dragalge, Noivern, and Dragapult.

And that is the ENTIRE cast of Only Human! (Currently. I have other concepts bouncing around in my head of characters that could be in this. Someone send help.)

[wtf-scientific-papers]

“Bad Bugs, No Drugs: No ESKAPE! An Update from the Infectious Diseases Society of America”

Helen W. Boucher et al., Clin Infect Dis, 48 (1) (2009), pp. 1-12

[studiesof-fandom-primaryblog]

Library Update

Fan Culture Anastasia Salter; Bridget Blodgett - Toxic Geek Masculinity in Media: Sexism, Trolling, and Identity Policing Katherine Larsen; Lynn S. Zubernis - Fan Culture: Theory/Practice Linda Duits; Koos Zwann; Stijn Reijnders - The Ashgate Research Companion to Fan Cultures

Fandom & Fan Practices Bob Rehak - Materializing Monsters: Aurora Models, Garage Kits and the Object Practices of Horror Fandom Francesca Davis DiPiazza - Fandom: Fic Writers, Vidders, Gamers, Artists, and Cosplayers Joseph Brennan - Queerbaiting and Fandom_ Teasing Fans Through Homoerotic Possibilities Lucy Neville - Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys_ Women and Gay Male Pornography Matt Yockey - Monster Mashups: At Home with Famous Monsters of Filmland Melissa A. Click - Anti-Fandom: Dislike and Hate in the Digital Age Nancy K. Baym - Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community Roos Gerritsen - Intimate Visualities and the Politics of Fandom in India Suzanne Scott - Fake Geek Girls: Fandom, Gender, and the Convergence Culture Industry

Fanfiction Ashton Spacey - The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction: Essays on Power, Consent and the Body Heather Urbanski - Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric

Boys Love & Yaoi Sandra Youssef - Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys: Ethnography of Online Slash/Yaoi Fans

Games Melanie Swalwell; Helen Stuckey; Angela Ndelianis - Fans and Videogames: Histories, Fandom, Archives

K-Pop Crystal S. Anderson - Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-Pop

Specific Fandoms [Buffy] Allyson Beatrice - Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? True Adventures in Cult Fandom [Comic Books] Bill Schelly - Founders of Comic Fandom: Profiles of 90 Publishers, Dealers,Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s [Doctor Who] Matt Hills - Triumph of a Time Lord: Regenerating Doctor Who in the Twenty-First Century [Doctor Who] Paul Booth; Richard Wallace - Fan Phenomena: Doctor Who [Harry Potter] Christopher Bell - From Here to Hogwarts: Essays on Harry Potter Fandom and Fiction [Harry Potter] Travis Prinzi - Harry Potter for Nerds: Essays for Fans, Academics, and Lit Geeks [Jane Austen] Deborah Yaffe - Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom [Jane Austen] Sarah Glosson - Performing Jane: A Cultural History of Jane Austen Fandom [Music] Daniel Cavicchi - Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans [Music] Eoin Devereux; Aileen Dillane; Martin J. Power - Morrissey: Fandom, Representations and Identities [Music] Mark Duffett - Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices [Music] Toija Cinque; Sean Redmond - The Fandom of David Bowie: Everyone Says Hi [Supernatural] Katherine Larsen; Lynn Zubernis - Representations of Fans on Supernatural [Supernatural] Travis Langley; Lynn S. Zubernis; Jonathan Maberry; Mark R. Pellegrino - Supernatural Psychology: Roads Less Traveled [Westworld] James B. South; Kimberly S. Engels; William Irwin - Westworld and Philosophy [Twin Peaks] Marisa C. Hayes; Franck Boulègue - Fan Phenomena: Twin Peaks [Hunger Games]Nicola Balkind; Emma Rhys - Fan Phenomena: The Hunger Games [Mystery] Marvin Lachman - The Heirs of Anthony Boucher: A History of Mystery Fandom [Lost] Jon Lachonis, Amy Johnston - Lost Ate My Life: The Inside Story of a Fandom Like No Other [My Little Pony] Edwards; Chadborn; Plante; Reysen; Redden - Meet the Bronies: The Psychology of Adult My Little Pony Fandom [Shakespeare] Johnathan H. Pope - Shakespeare’s Fans: Adapting the Bard in the Age of Media Fandom [Sports] Adam Brown - Fanatics: Power, Identity and Fandom in Football [Sports] Carrie Dunn - Football and the Women’s World Cup: Organisation, Media and Fandom [Sports] Dağhan Irak - Football Fandom, Protest and Democracy: Supporter Activism in Turkey [Sports] Erin C. Tarver - The I in Team: Sports Fandom and the Reproduction of Identity [Sports] Gary Armstrong; Alberto Testa - Football, Fascism and Fandom: The UltraS of Italian Football [Sports] George Dohrmann - Superfans: Into the Heart of Obsessive Sports Fandom [Sports] Jamie Cleland; Mark Doidge; Peter Millward; Paul Widdop - Collective Action and Football Fandom: A Relational Sociological Approach [Sports] Mariann Vaczi - Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain: An Ethnography of Basque Fandom [Sports] Nina Szogs - Football Fandom and Migration: An Ethnography of Transnational Practices and Narratives in Vienna and Istanbul [Sports] Phil West - The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom [Sports] Radosław Kossakowski - Hooligans, Ultras, Activists: Polish Football Fandom in Sociological Perspective [Sports] Stacey Pope - The Feminization of Sports Fandom: A Sociological Study [Sports] Steve Redhead - Post-Fandom and the Millennial Blues: The Transformation of Soccer Culture [Sports] Tamar Rapoport - Doing Fandom: Lessons from Football in Gender, Emotions, Space [Sports] Younghan Cho - Global Sports Fandom in South Korea: American Major League Baseball and Its Fans in the Online Community

[shegatsby]

Dangerous Game

Pairing: Hannibal x Female Reader

Genre: Romance, Slow burn, Smut in the future.

Warnings: None.

TAG LIST IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Summary: Y/N Hobbs an opera singer and also the eldest adopted daughter of The Minnesto Shrike, and her entire life changes after what happened. She will be the object of affection of a certain psychopath, whether she likes it or not.

Hi guys, thank you for liking and commenting. Text me if i forgot to tagg you! Stay safe.

Chapter 6

  It was getting late and Hannibal got a call from the facility, they wanted Abigail to come in an hour. Hannibal and Alana decided to take her back and Y/N offered to stay and wash the dishes. After they left she carried the plates, glasses etc. to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. The wine glasses were thin so she washed them herself. When she was done she came back to the dining room to check if she did a good job and a painting caught her eye. A young woman was lying on her blue bed, she was half naked and her vagina was displayed, there was a swan at the edge of the bed and it's head was turned to the woman's vagina. 

Hannibal came back to his house, it was strange to him to see that there was a woman in his house, because usually he came to his house and found nothing but silence. He saw her looking at a painting, ''It's Leda and The Swan by Francois Boucher. One of my favorites.'' he said coming closer. ''I swear, the only thing one needs to attract Zeus is to have a pulse.'' Her comment made him laugh. She turned to him, it was the first time she heard him laugh. ''Leda was married to King Tyndareus of Sparta, she was a very beautiful young mortal, unfortunately her beauty attracted the attention of Zeus. He transformed himself into a magnificent swan and impregnated her. On the same day she slept with her husband and later she produced 2 eggs. Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux were born.'' He explained, she raised her eyes at his, ''Why unfortunately?'' 

''Beautiful people always attract dangerous ones.'' She felt the air left the room, he seemed so sure of himself it made Y/N wonder that was he talking about someone specific? She decided not to ask. She checked her watch, ''I should go. Thank you for the dinner, it was amazing.'' Hannibal helped her with her coat, ''I can give you a ride.'' he offered kindly. ''No thank you, I'll get a taxi. Good night Hannibal.'' she gave him a warm smile, ''Good night Y/N.'' he touched her shoulder gently, ''Sleep well.''

A day later

It was the night of the opening of the new museum. Y/N was nervous and excited at the same time, she went early to see the back room and feel the vibe. It was enough for her to get ready. She put on a baby pink silk dress, it hugged her body well and it had thin straps on shoulders. She had a thin golden necklace, a golden ring. She had beige leather silk stilettos on her feet. She put on her expensive parfume, she only used that for special events. Her dress and shose were pastel colours that's why she wanted to add a little bit of spice and choose a blood red lipstick. She was looking at herself on the big mirror when the planner of this event came inside. ''Mr. Smith, how do I look?'' Young man smiled, ''Darling you look so fucking hot! I'm here to tell you that the orchestra took it's place and our guests are seated, let's go.'' she took a deep breath, ''Let's do it.'' she was an underground opera singer so this could be a big opportunity for her regarding her future.  She walked with Mr. Smith, he introduced her to the audiance and left. She heard the applause, it was a good feeling. She came to the white stage, all eyes were on her, including Hannibal. He was sitting on his chair, his expensive suit looked shiny and clean, he gave her a small nodd and then the music started.

(this is the dress)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpZoHjNdGUE&list=WL&index=16

(this is the song)

Hannibal was impressed, she was a talented singer. She was singing one of his favorites, he noticed that she wasn't looking at him, her focuse was somewhere else. She was passionate, he watched her movements and how perfect the dress hugged her body. ''She is beautiful in her own unique way.'' He closed his eyes and let her sweet, honeyed voice wash over his sinner body, he felt as if he was being baptised by her. Her voice sounded so holy yet with a touch of hubris, he wondered whether the Greek Gods and Goddesses would punish her for having a voice which goes beyond than them, she sang like a woman who feared nothing. He had to take a deep breath to slow the frantic beating of his heavy heart, and when she was done he felt this urge to open his eyes, he noticed that he shed a few tears. He was the first one to stand up and applause rather violently and later others followed. Y/N couldn't believe her eyes, he was the first to stand up, she smiled at them and left the stage to go back stage and calm herself. 

Y/N pressed her half naked back to the door, ''I did it! Fuck yes!'' Guests were having quality champagne and talking to one another when Y/N came out of the back room. She decided to get a drink and mingle among the rich. A lady smiled at her and she decided to talk to her, to Y/N's surprise Hannibal was there with the lady, ''It's been too long since you porperly cooked for us Hannibal.'' she said. She had a red dress, her black hair was short and she had bangs. Y/N heard their conversation before she approached. ''Come over and I will cook for you.'' Hannibal replied and he noticed Y/N. ''Hello Y/N.'' The lady spoke again, ''I said properly, it means a dinner and a show. Have you seen him cook? It's an entire performance. He used to throw exquisite dinner parties. You heard me. Used to.'' Y/N didn't know that, ''Oh by the way, your performance was good, really good darling.'' she looked much older than Y/N, the lady continued, ''I assume you and Hannibal already know each other.''

Y/N didn't know what to say, she couldn't just say; ''Yeah we met when my dad killed girls.'' thankfully Hannibal spoke, ''We are friends. Y/N your voice is... otherwordly, I'm delighted and honoured that I had a chance to hear you. I hope it won't be the last time.'' Y/N blushed deep red, ''Thank you Hannibal.''                 ''About my dinner parties, I must say I will throw parties again, once inspiration strikes.'' he couldn't help but stare at Y/N, ''I cannot force a feast, a feast must present itself.'' he drank his champagne. ''Maybe you found your inspiration.'' Old lady said with a hint of sarcasm. Two men came to talk to them, one of them was a white man and he said he was Hannibal's patient, his name was Franklyn. The other man was black, and his name was Tobias, he was taller than Franklyn, ''What a coincidence to see your patient here Hannibal.'' Y/N said, drinking. ''Yes, what a coincidence.'' He didn't seem pleased. ''Miss Hobbs, I loved your performance.'' Tobias said, ''Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.'' she smiled kindly, ''I must add, the beauty of your voice matches your personality, pleasure to meet you.'' he took her hand gently and pressed a kiss while looking at her with his dark eyes. Y/N for some reason felt uncomfortable, ''Thank you again Mr.-'' she wanted to be formal but he stopped her. ''Please, Tobias. If you are interested I have a violin shop. You can visit me anytime.'' He pulled his business card and gave it to her. ''I love the sound of violin, I would love to hear you play.'' Tobias looked amused before he could say anything Hannibal decided it was enough because he began to understand what kind of a man Tobias is, ''Who is hungry?'' he said to draw the attention which made the old lady giggle.

Throughout the night Y/N was tired of talking to rich people and hearing their first world problems, they were so fake it made her want to vomit her guts. She decided to walk outside for some fresh air. It was a cold night but peaceful, ''Mind if I join you?'' she heard Hannibal, ''I could use company.'' he put his black coat on her shoulders. ''Don't you like the crowd? They admire you.'' She could smell his scent on the coat, ''I'm done entertaining the rich Dr. Lecter, but I would love to be a part of your famous dinner parties.'' Hannibal was surprised to hear that she was interested. ''Good idea. You can help me because I'm planning to throw one soon.''

''So you found your inspiration?'' She asked curiously, they were standing close and watching the stars above, ''I hope so.'' he said looking at her up and down. ''Would you consider singing in my dinner parties?'' Hannibal was making an excuse to hear her divine voice again. ''I would love that.'' He stared at her, his face a blank slate, but his brown eyes flickered with something like... hope? Maybe. ''Thank you. Shall we go back? I'm sure they would love to talk to you more.'' He offered his arm, ''Let's go.''

Tag List: @alexa4040​ @liadamerondjarin​ @ananriel​ @keeleyella​ @rentheanonymous​ @sweetgoodangel​ @germansarechill​ 

Do you think Tobias will do something to Y/N?

What do you think of the chapter? Let me know *wink*

[redderanddeader]

(cataloging all my characters cause I swear to fuck I had more variety but alas) 

1. First Character I made, face #11. Miranda Morgan, Collector and Trader 

2. Made another one when, for some godforsaken reason, Rockstar turned my first face ugly (I logged on after about a year and her face looked totally different from the one I made). She’s “Miranda” in her early years- heavier, less good at things lol. She’s a bounty hunter (but not a good one). Also face 11 (they are the same person, natch)

3. Jesse Luna, son #1. A soft boy but tough when he needs to be. Fucking excellent at catching wild horses. Gonna go into Trading one day but can’t resist that Madam Nazar and got his Collector bag first. Face #19

4. Teddy Bell (both were sent to live with other families), son #2. Soft cause he was raised spoilt. Dumb of ass, good of heart. Aspires towards owning a moonshine shack for the aesthetic.  ALSO face 19 (well they are brothers)

My next group. 

5. Belle le Fleur. Bad Ass Bounty Hunter. Kicks 90 different kinds of ass. I thought maybe if I made an ‘unattractive’ character I could make them be without honor somehow. It was working, then she gave all that up to save the girl from ugly old Tumbleweed man (every time). She’s working her way down though. Face #16

6. Jackson Cody. Feral with a heart of gold? Same theory as with Belle, but he’s a fucking cinnamon roll. Also working his way down. Also face #16. (One day I’m gonna clean him up and he’s gonna marry Belle and they WILL live happily ever after) 

7. Lucky Rose was from a Western au I was a part of and I had to make her, my beloved adopted dotter. I love her so much. She looks like a sweet little princess but she’s my only bab who WILL pull out a gun and shoot a motherfucker in a race (only if they shoot first) and then laugh over your corpse as she crosses the finish line. Yesterday some brawny player decided to sit on her horse and she beat the shit out of him right in front of God and everybody right there in Blackwater. Have I mentioned I love her? Face #3 because. 

8. Cayo was a challenge I did with my nephew- we were each going to make a character to honor my dad, who would have been such a bad ass in the Old West. He is def a bad Mo-Fo - my first to reach low Honor and working his way through Sam Finch’s stuff. Number 19 AGAIN. 

(omg I’m samefacing my boys the way I do when I draw HELP) ANYWAY

OK. So then I forced myself to do some things different. 

9. Helene Boucher, who is the Rhodes Bounty Hunter lady’s sister (headcanon ok?). Father started out as a butcher, then spent a spell in California mining for silver where he found a pocket that made him quite wealthy. He quit while he was ahead and turned his earnings into a meat processing plant in New York. She was sent to Europe to be educated (as they’d given up on her rebellious sister) and came home to save her kin from the dirty nasty Wild West. Only her sister didn’t need saving... Now she’s working on being a Bounty Hunter herself though she spends a lot of time playing piano at Moonshine shacks and might end up doing that too. Face #4

10. Billie is the daughter of a scam artist preacher Missionary and his kidnapped woman wife. Her mother was among the first wave of Koreans who came to the United States via Hawaii. The missionary had gone to try and convert the native Hawaiians to his hair-brained version of his religion and ended up being run out but taking a souvenir in the form of a person (I don’t like him either). Unlike literally everyone else in the Old West, he failed at gold mining AND converting natives and headed east to the “more civilized” new England. When her mother realized she was pregnant, she escaped to Saint Denis, finding work at a restaurant, leaving Billie to roam the streets, dressed as a boy (for her protection). Billie pickpocketed, to bring money home for her mother, and it often landed her in jail, which angered her mother- who wanted better for her. When her mother remarried and was finally secure and happy, Billie took off to find adventure and get into trouble and stuff. Face #15 

11. Antonio started as an attempt to make a certain celebrity, but when he got in the game looked nothing like what I wanted so I wiped him and started fresh. (ironically, people tell me this one looks like three different celebs, none are the one I was aiming for). Anyway I have no backstory for him other than he’s Italian, just a whole Himbo, and left New Jersey to find a wife but only seems to find trouble. Due to his always being matched with villianous bastard types, he is the lowest level honor I have. He has to do each Sam Finch quest numerous times cause he is JUST. SO. DUMB. I love him though. Face #2

12. Max is the son of an Japanese immigrant who came to Chiapas, Mexico, to grow coffee, and a Mexican woman (she lived on a neighboring farm). They eventually came to America and tried to run general stores across the Heartland but did not feel very welcome there and did not do well. They ended up in Saint Denis where they run a successful restaurant and Fish market. Max did not have a lot of supervision and was often bullied, but when he hit puberty all the work hauling fish nets made him huge and people quit pickin on him. None of this had an effect on his character. His momma taught him well and he is def my one character who will die to protect someone calling for help. People think him dull because he keeps his mouth shut but he knows four languages and is incredibly perceptive. I might make him a moonshiner for funsies. Face #20

(wow why did they get so much backstory? Trust me they ALL have a novel’s worth I was just inspired to get it all down while it was in my head.) 

[tammymazzocco]

NPR News: Experts Help Listeners Make Tough Choices During The Pandemic

Experts Help Listeners Make Tough Choices During The Pandemic Infectious disease specialist Dr. Helen Boucher and professor of economics Emily Oster help listeners make tough decisions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more on NPR

[mirrorontheworld]

La doctrine “voilà une classe qui se tient sage” continue de sévir à l'Éducation Nationale.

[smileyfaceofchild-blog]

How the new crown epidemic is making Americans poorer

The ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic on Americans' health are becoming clear.

According to reports, the new crown pneumonia has killed more than 1 million people in the United States, and the death toll is increasing by about 350 people on average every day. Data shows that during the pandemic, people have missed disease screenings, interrupted routines, experienced losses and quarantines, all of which have exacerbated the health threats of many chronic diseases and other emergencies.

Some setbacks may be reversed relatively quickly, while the full impact of others may take years to fully materialize, U.S. health experts say. Here are some of the public health challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic:

Heart disease and stroke (bold) The overall death toll and death rate from heart disease and stroke have risen sharply during the pandemic, leaving the United States struggling to deal with its own country, according to a study published in March in the journal JAMA Network Open. Progress on these two diseases has reversed. Many people missed medical appointments early in the pandemic, or avoided hospital visits. Some later died at home or missed the best time for consultation when they arrived at the hospital. Studies have shown that contracting the new coronavirus also increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Medical workers treat a COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., January 7, 2022.

People have also been more stressed and less active over the past few years; some have gained weight, or have had more difficulty managing their chronic diseases.

Drug use and alcohol use (black) According to preliminary data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of deaths caused by drug overdose has been increasing unabated before the epidemic, and will soar to a record of more than 107,000 in 2021. people. What prompted the crisis, officials said, was the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Alcohol consumption and excessive drinking also increased during the first few months of the outbreak, the survey showed. A study published in March in JAMA estimated that alcohol-related deaths increased by about 25% between 2019 and 2020, an increase that was faster than in the years before the outbreak.

Mental Health (Black) The World Health Organization says more people around the world are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United States, clinicians and public health experts are warning about mental health problems, especially those of children and adolescents. In a survey conducted by the CDC in the first six months of 2021, more than a third of about 7,000 U.S. high school students surveyed reported poor mental health during the pandemic.

Gun-related fatalities in the U.S. rose nearly 35 percent from 2019 to 2020, reaching the highest level since 1994, according to a May CDC report. CDC officials pointed to economic stress, service disruptions and social isolation during the pandemic as potential factors. While the overall suicide rate in 2020 was down 3 percent from the previous year, gun-related suicides rose slightly.

Superbugs (Black) The United States has also regressed in tackling antibiotic resistance, which makes infections harder to treat. Cases of drug-resistant infections that started in hospital settings rose by at least 15% in 2020 from the previous year, and the number of deaths associated with them also rose. Helen Boucher, interim dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine, said that in 2020, antibiotics were overused in the early days to treat patients with new coronary pneumonia. In an overwhelmed hospital and medical environment, infection prevention measures have also been neglected as resources are focused on fighting the disease, she said.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (Black) According to the CDC, some people likely restricted sexual activity at the time of the outbreak. But the CDC notes that reduced access to disease screening and treatment could lead to longer periods of untreated STIs and increased disease transmission.

Childhood Vaccination Rates (Black) The CDC said that during the 2020-2021 school year, the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination rate among U.S. kindergarteners was about 94 percent, a decrease of about 1 percentage point from the previous year. Some states saw even bigger declines in routine vaccination rates. Reduced vaccination rates can give highly contagious viruses like measles a chance to spread. According to the WHO, during the pandemic, the global childhood vaccination rate saw the sharpest sustained decline in about 30 years.

[televinita]

"Harmony” (2020)

I have finally cracked the seal on this particular Josh Groban album, after more than a year of looking at a tracklist of mostly-covers so peppered with songs I hate that I didn’t even want to try the others, and now I am here with my final verdict: going by the 18-song deluxe version, it is 45% solidly enjoyable -- honestly better than I expected -- and lands as my second least favorite in his discography. (Nothing can disappoint me more than “Stages.” Nothing).

Let’s discuss!

(If it helps, the good songs are really good, and I put those first, so you can skip the negativity by simply not reading further. If you want.)

The Good: Tracks 1, 2, 4-6, 12, 14 and 15

“Over and Over (The World We Knew”) inherently should not please me, because Josh Groban is not a person I in any way associate with the James Bond sound this has -- side note, my slapdash Googling seems to indicate this actually was NOT used as a theme for any of those movies? really?? -- but his voice is deep enough to give it really cool gravitas on the lower notes and classes it up.

“Angels” feels a little bit Hallmark-cheesy in the way that this album cover looks, but I like it. It’s very pleasant and piano features prominently, which always helps.

“Shape of My Heart” (duet w/ Leslie Odom Jr.) -- here we go, now we’re getting somewhere. I think I’d like it even better if it wasn’t a duet, but both music and lyrics are extremely cool.

“Your Face” is one I initially skipped over because I associated it with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” but one time I forgot to skip ahead to track 6, and out of nowhere I was surrounded by Classic Josh Groban sound (I was pleased with my ability to recognize that sound when I found later it was one of two originals on the album). See, this is what I wanted; I just want more this. So jubilant and triumphant in its message of optimism.

“Both Sides Now” (duet w/ Sara Bareilles) is wonderful. I can never decide if I actually like the original -- it seems like I should, but it’s never fully clicked in my heart -- but these two gorgeous voices really let the incredible lyrics shine while creating beautiful harmonies.

“The Fullest” is probably my favorite on the CD. I really don’t love Kirk Franklin’s rap-like interjections and gospel choirs are hit or miss with me, so it wasn’t instant love, but I’ve ended up playing it on loop the most because it’s just so JOYOUS. (I was not surprised to find this was the other original.)

“I’ll Stand By You” (duet w/ Helene Fischer) is excellent. I was a little unsure about it being a duet, because I’ve always loved this song -- despite Glee doing its level best to create the worst cover ever -- and him covering it alone would have been amazing...but it turns out the harmonies they create are even better.

April Come She Will: I don’t know this song, but I immediately like it. Lovely music and I like the way it walks through various months. (update: what do you mean it’s Simon & Garfunkel?! Damn, now I really wish he’d put this on Bridges, a 90% perfect album, instead of overdone snoozefest Bridge Over Troubled Water. I don’t care about album title connections btw.)

The In-Between --

Almost in the tier above, "I Can't Make You Love Me" is decent, if not invigorating -- if this album were good enough to play through, I’d let it play, though I wouldn’t listen to it on its own -- but every time it starts I just mentally switch over to “I Can’t Make Me Love You” by Butterfly Boucher instead. Which is a very minor track on her album and I’m sure its title was meant as a play on this more famous song originally, but hers is the superior one.

And "Nature Boy” has such extreme song-from-a-musical vibes that I was frankly baffled to find this is not the case. It has some cool music and interesting lyrics, but the fact that it feels like it needs context to really enjoy it keeps me from fully attaching. What do you mean popularized by Nat King Cole; with this arrangement I half expected to hear it was from “The King and I.”

As for the rest...

"Celebrate Me Home" sounds like it was written specifically to be sung in a cheesy Thanksgiving/holiday TV special for charity on CBS.

"She" and “The Impossible Dream" put me to sleep.

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is just...I listened to 30 seconds and I was overwhelmed by Rage because I don’t know what its context was on Glee exactly, but I know that I hated it*, and also it’s not an enjoyable song in the first place, so that’s enough of that. (*update: ah yes. 3x10; it was a bunch of the girls mooning over love interests in ships I couldn’t stand)

“It’s Now Or Never” makes me feel like singing waiters with instruments are swarming me at an outdoor Italian restaurant, while simultaneously making me pine for his far superior song “Now or Never.”

I cannot take “I Can See Clearly Now” seriously because I have grown up hearing it as a song from commercials, and therefore not a real song any more than the average jingle is.

“Con Los Años Que Me Quedan” is Nothing to me except another tally in the column “please sing more songs in other languages again NO NOT BORING ONES*.” (update: did not know this was a Gloria Estefan number. sorry, but still no)

And finally, “Solitaire” is back to giving me “is this from a musical?” vibes, except way more boring. While simultaneously giving me word associations with his superior cover “Anthem,” from the musical Chess.

*Fortunately for me, today I learned that his original album has a 20th anniversary “deluxe,” edition, which in practice just means two new previously-unreleased songs, but they’re both in Italian and they’re both EXTREMELY GOOD. My craving, my need for him to return to these roots, has at last been satisfied. Somewhat literally.

[nas84-blog]

Bac 2022 : les épreuves de spécialité reportées au mois de mai en raison du Covid-19

Bac 2022 : les épreuves de spécialité reportées au mois de mai en raison du Covid-19

High school students take the philosophy exam, the first test session of the 2021 baccalaureate (high school graduation exam) on June 17, 2021 in the high school Helene Boucher, in Paris. / AFP / MARTIN BUREAU (more…)