#i love it for its insight into jeff's psyche

[jeffwingxr]

jeff's "age pills" storyline was so weird. we all know what really happened there, dude.

[thatludicrousdisplay]

PART 1/? (because Tumblr restricts how many images you can post)

THIS, my friends, is my noticeboard.

Since GCSEs were cancelled, my noticeboard was suddenly very empty. I couldn’t handle it: I took my Sherlock print down for this, I need something there!

Then, I accidentally discovered that some paper I had was incredibly see-through, and an idea was born. Why don’t I trace all the covers of my favourite books??? They would be colourful, and would give me something to do!! (I have been in effective lockdown for a week longer than the rest of the U.K.).

Three weeks, 17 covers and 6 fillers later, it was complete.

Here, I am going to show some progress pictures, include reviews of the books and basically I need to get this out so tumblr can have it. ((Before anyone starts accusing me of having artistic talent, these are all traced. The only thing I did was select the right covers, pens and coloured pencils to outline/colour them with)

Enjoy!!

Part 2

Part 3 

Part 4 

Part 5

Part 6

Cover #1: the ‘Dexter’ series by Jeff Lindsay

This was the accidental discovery! This specific copy is the first three books of the series, and I got it for a pound off a car boot sale. Relatively easy to do. Just red, really. For anyone unfamiliar with the books, it concerns serial killer cop Dexter Morgan, who tries to manage his blood lust without getting caught. The first three books of the eight book series are spectacular, filled with twists and turns and offering a decidedly... different look at things. They’re honestly great, and if this is your sort of thing I’d definitely give it a go.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: just for the fact that it can drag in parts

Cover #2: ‘It’s Kind of a Funny Story’ by Ned Vizzini

Another fabulous book. This concerns Craig, a teenager who suffers from depression. After a near suicide attempt, Craig ends up on a psychiatric ward. Ned Vizzini himself spent time on psych wards, and sadly committed suicide in 2013. It was really fun to draw, because it’s so... I don’t know, different. The colours, too, were fun trying to get right.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: a beautiful insight into the workings of a psych ward and Vizzini’s mind

Cover #3: ‘Rivers of London’ by Ben Aaronovitch

I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Aaronovitch at a book signing in Birmingham in February. He was really lovely, but I was honestly too nervous to say much!! I wish I’d told him how much I appreciate his casual LGBTQ+ representation in his books. It’s always so casual, and there’s never a big deal made about it. The book itself can be best described in one of its reviews: “if Harry Potter joined the Met”. It was so fun, if a little fiddly, to trace. I had to freehand all the tiny buildings, as the darker the cover is, the harder it is to trace and the buildings made it very condensed. Even so, I think it turned out okay!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: I love the entire series. It’s incredible and funny and just... perfect. Also Nightingale is my fave character

[televisor-reviews]

Top 10 BEST Films Of 2018

Taking this extra year to look at the film market of 2018 has given me the space to really look at the year as a whole as, what I’d describe as, really extreme. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful, and I wouldn’t really say it was mediocre either. There were lots of movies I loved but just as many I hated with surprisingly few I thought were just okay. Both the best and worst lists were pretty hard to put together because there were so many movies I really wanted to put on them. Cutting Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom from my worst list was a serious heartbreaker for me. But that only means that I’m particularly quite happy with how both turned out, there’s some seriously game changing films on this list. And keep in mind that, despite how much I tried, I still couldn’t watch every movie from the year: so as amazing as I’m sure A Star Is Born and Best F(r)iends are, I just didn’t get around to them. If you’d like a list of every movie from 2018 I have seen (in order from best to worst), it can be found on my Letterboxd here: https://letterboxd.com/animatorreviewa/list/every-2018-movie-ive-seen/

#10. Searching Back in 2014, the world was introduced to a new form of filmmaking that told a story via the screen of the main protagonist’s computer in Blumhouse’s Unfriended. Kind of like a modern day found footage film. And while I was one of five people who really liked Unfriended and its 2018 followup Unfriended: Dark Web, I think Searching is the penultimate of what this newfound sub-genre is able to accomplish. Similar to what Cloverfield was able to do for found footage, Searching was able to use the computer screen film style to heighten the tension and breaks down a part of the audience’s suspension of disbelief to create a horrific experience for anyone who witnesses it. Which also puts a ton of pressure on the lead, John Cho, as even a moment of bad acting can break this fragile fourth wall. Pressure that Cho overcomes like it was nothing. All of this combines into an incredible experience that keeps its audience on the edge of their seats and constantly on the brink of a heart attack. I’m almost certain that Searching will be considered an important piece of 2010′s film history. #9. Bad Times At The El Royale In 2011, Drew Goddard set himself apart as a director with a very unique and interesting vision with his landmark piece A Cabin In The Woods. In 2018, he did it again with, in my opinion, an even better film, Bad Times At The El Royale with a fascinatingly put together and complicated story featuring some of the best acting from such a star studded cast I’ve seen in years. From Jeff Bridges playing against the Big Lebowski type most are familiar with to Jon Hamm definitely playing towards his Richard Jewell typecast to Dakota Johnson making up for all three Fifty Shades Of Grey movies with quite possibly her best performance. Bad Times At The El Royale is one of the most uniquely made mainstream movies I’ve seen in a while with several scenes told several times from different perspectives and each character breathed life into them with such interesting backstories. My only real problem is that the whole thing with half the place is in Nevada and the other half is in California doesn’t really go anywhere but it’s made up for as soon as Chris Hemsworth shows up to ham the hotel up. Incredibly entertaining and amazingly fascinating, this is a movie that threatens you with a good time. #8. The Favourite I appreciate that powdered wig period pieces are coming back into style with shit such as Beauty And The Beast (2017), The Age Of Adaline, and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. But among the failures of this once well respected sub-genre are good stuff too, for instance, The Favourite, a movie that actually remembers that British people spell some words with a “u”. One of my personal Favourite cliches of films nowadays is having a cast in which literally everybody is an asshole, see #9 and #1. And what I really like particularly with this is that old time-y movies about royalty can be really intimidating to hurdle, even now I have to hype myself up to watch something like Downton Abbey. But this overcomes it by being really entertaining with some great performances from the entire cast, especially Emma Stone showing once again why she deserves an Oscar! And the directing from Yorgos Lanthimos is so good, it actually makes me want to check out The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. The Favourite is a magnificently smartly fun picture that can satisfy both the most bored audience member and the most pretentious film critic. #7. Love, Simon Look, we all have biases. Some lead people to rave about how BlacKkKlansman is the best movie of the year because of how well it portrays black culture and their relationship with the police and evangelical racists. Some lead people raving about Crazy Rich Asians because it had the balls to fill its cast with Asians and Asian Americans. For me, an (at the time) openly bisexual 18 year old who masks most of my anxiety and fears with a very thin facade of comedy, Love, Simon really spoke to me while also entertaining the hell out of me. The script knew exactly when to be funny and when to be serious, when it should have a heartfelt scene and when it should go on a random tangent, and even when it’s trying to be funny or go on a tangent, it gives incredible insight into the main protagonist’s psyche. And for those moments, the context is everything. I remember cringing pretty hard at the whole “coming out as straight” bit in the trailer, but laughing my ass off when it showed up in the film. And Nick Robinson, who plays the titular character, kills it and I think he’s going to go places very soon. All of this culminates at the end, when the emotion is high and I (along with the rest of the theater) are on the edge of our seats, and Love, Simon got me to shed some tears. #6. Ralph Breaks The Internet Of the two million Disney movies released in 2018, this sequel is the highest one ranking on my list. And of the one million animated films released in 2018, this is actually the lowest one ranking on my list. Which kind of surprises me because you wouldn’t think so on the surface. On one hand, it’s just a sequel to a video game movie that lost Best Animated Picture to Brave, how is Wreck It Ralph 2 doing better than the emotional rollercoaster that was Christopher Robin or the long awaited and ton of fun that was The Incredibles 2. But then again, anyone who knows me knows that Wreck It Ralph is one of my favorite Disney cartoons, so how does it barely creep above the smart while not being funny at all Smallfoot or the only surface level hilarity that is Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation? Well, in some sense it’s much better than the original: with superior animation, a cooler concept, and finally realizing that the focus should be entirely on the real star, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz. On the other hand, it doesn’t even come close to matching up: the humor is a tad sub par, too much is really going on, and considering the very cool concept, it should’ve done more with it. But did I still watch it a ton as soon as I could: absolutely. So who really won here: me for being a little disappointed or Disney who made a very entertaining film? The sixth spot feels about right to me. #5. Annihilation Between J.J. Abrams’s batshit crazy Nazi-zombie experiment Overlord, Steven Spielberg bringing his amazing talent to Ready Player One, Netflix throwing their hat into the “ripping off Big Hero 6″ ring with Next Gen, and do I even need to mention Marvel, 2018 was a damn good year for sci-fi in the middle of a decade that was, as a whole, great for the genre. And while Annihilation isn’t the last we’ll see from science fiction on the list, it is the one that’s here largely because of that. Flatly, I love how the science in this movie works; in general, I tend to prefer my sci-fi very grounded and that is how Annihilation works. I could kind of see how something like this bubble can exist and everything inside it really working this way. But what I really love about this film’s science is that it is a borderline horror flick. Once Natalie Portman walks through into the anti-Wizard Of Oz, the shit that goes down is horrifying. All of a sudden: up is down, left is right, and nobody knows what time it is and I loved it! This kind of gaslighting horror that I don’t see a whole lot of lately really throws the audience through a loop because for once, we don’t know what’s going on either. And for a film to really go so far just to confuse people, I have to at least respect. And to do it so well with some amazing acting on just about everybody’s part, I must love! Annihilation is a serious experience that I wished I was able to catch on the big screen. #4. Sorry To Bother You In 2018, Donald “Childish “Lando Calrissian” Gambino” Glover released his major #1 single, This Is America. Whether you love it or you hate it, you have to admit that it was saying a lot in such a unique way. The world that music video took place in was a nonsensical cartoon to somehow represent the plight of African Americans in the United States. I’m not gonna pretend like I totally understand because I definitely don’t; the point is that the portrayal struck a nerve with a lot of people and, personally, it did feel like a proper way of showing it. And Sorry To Bother You does something very similar, portraying the African American plight in a humorous, cartoonish, and unrealistic way to counteract the very serious, down to earth, and realistic parts. Do black people need to completely show themselves as white to get anything done; maybe not but we all know that people in general are much friendlier and nicer to those who sound like their ideals, usually meaning white. Are we, as a nation, (spoilers) turning poor (and considering how blacks are predisposed to being lower middle class because of reasons relating to how capitalism works, most of the blacks of the world) people into horses; I sure hope not but big companies and better off citizens do tend to think of the working class as just objects to do shit for them. Sorry To Bother You brings up a lot of the problems prevalent in modern society, especially those that directly relate to African Americans, in a palpable and entertaining way is ingenious and amazingly well done thanks to the overwhelming talent of Boots Riley and I cannot wait for his next big project. It’s definitely the best racial relations film of the year, beating out other great films like Monsters And Men, If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Oath. #3. Isle Of Dogs 2018 is a year that really threw me through a loop as far as films went. When I went to see Isle Of Dogs, I was certain that it’ll be the best movie of the year, absolutely no competition. Then, later on, when the #1 film came out, I was certain that would be it. Then the #2 spot came out and made me question everything all over again. Anyway, Isle Of Dogs is Wes Anderson being very Wes Anderson-y while combining it with the same kind of claymation he used in the fantastic Fantastic Mr. Fox and the traditional culture of Japan that’s oh so lovable. And as much as I love the Anderson style, the animation used here, and how Japanese culture is portrayed, involving my favorite animal brings my appreciation over the top. I am so down to get a million more films in which the theme of the picture is that dogs rule. This really is the kind of film that I love just about every aspect of, and though it might mostly be on a surface level way, I really don’t have anything bad to say about this film. It’s almost boring how much I enjoy this, I don’t have much to say except please watch it. It’s so good! #2. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Back in 2012, the world as a whole was introduced to a pair of directors mostly known for animation named Phil Lord and Chris Miller when they directed the surprise hit 21 Jump Street and its followup 22 Jump Street. The world then got to know them a little bit better when they seemingly single-handedly jumpstarted the beloved The Lego Movie franchise. Then in 2018, everyone learned that no matter how crazy, Lord and Miller know what they’re doing when their firing spelled doom for the financial flop that was Solo: A Star Wars Story. So when the pair brought their producing and writing talent to a Sony Animation made Spider-Man movie just a year after The Emoji Movie, I think most people were expecting to enjoy it if only because that snippet at the end of Venom was really well animated. But I don’t think anyone was expecting an Academy Award winning film. Whenever I went onto my Twitter for a solid month, all I saw were people exclaiming how Into The Spider-Verse was their favorite movie of the year and then again for another month after the Oscars took place. All of a sudden, Disney Marvel, Warner Bros. DC, and Fox X-Men (rest in peace), have a brand new and major competitor... and for good reason, this movie is incredible. I immediately accepted it as easily the best Spider-Man movie ever, but took a few watchings for me to accept it as the second best film of the year and a few more to accept it as my Phil Lord and savior. It is so much fun, so entertaining, so enjoyable with such great characters, amazing writing, and hilarious comedy all wrapped with a brilliantly animated bow. Another film I really have nothing bad to say about, this is just a fantastic film through and through. Before we get to #1, here’s some Runners Up:

Black Panther This was the year I got a little spent on superhero movies. Considering how I still put Into The Spider-Verse as my #2, clearly not that much, but I just wasn't super amazed by what Marvel, DC, or X-Men had to offer. But I don’t think I even disliked any: Avengers: Infinity War was fun but incredibly unfocused, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies was hilarious but was still just a poor child’s version of Teen Titans, and Deadpool 2 had some great action but not nearly as entertaining as its predecessor. Black Panther was the only one that really left a real mark on me, but even still, it’s not the best film of the year to handle black culture. Even as far as Ryan Coogler films go, I think I’d rather watch Creed or its sequel Creed 2. It’s good but I don’t think it deserved a best picture nomination. Instant Family Hear me out, the movie in which Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne adopt Dora The Explorer and her two bratty siblings directed and written by the same guys behind Daddy’s Home 2 and Horrible Bosses 2 is the feel good movie of the year, is incredibly hilarious and underrated, and even got me to shed a tear by the end. There is no excuse to let Daddy’s Home flourish and this beauty and die, I implore you to please watch it. You will not regret it, let it get big on home media, get more of these made! Vice I get that not everybody gets the Adan McKay style of making a dramedy like in The Big Short or Bombshell, but I do and I love both Christian Bale and Amy Adams so Vice was really up my alley! I just thought of it as a really enjoyable movie with a message I was predisposed to agree with. What really throws this into being a great movie to me is that Christian Bale really is that good in this, maybe one of the best performances in his career. I don’t know, I thought it was funny so I enjoyed it well enough. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? I think most people agree that this was easily the best documentary of the year. As much love as I have for Fahrenheit 11/9 for being my first theatrical documentary and Behind The Curve for being one of few docs that are incredibly entertaining, I had to eventually break down and admit that Won’t You Be My Neighbor (once again) made me cry because I grew up loving Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that much. Especially now that we’re past A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood leaving not nearly as big of a mark as people were expecting and we’re still watching and talking about this documentary, I think this actually has the lasting impact it earned. Green Book It won best picture, I guess I’ll talk about it. As a movie, Green Book is fine. It’s well made with some good acting, I’ll allow it being considered good. Is it racist? I’d say probably not but it does definitely feel racist. Kinda like that scene from The Office where Michael Scott does his Chris Rock impression; you know he’s not racist and he doesn’t mean for it to come across as it but it still absolutely does. Considering the message of the story is “don’t be racist/homophobic,” I’m pretty sure that it’s not racist/homophobic, it just doesn’t know how to say it without coming across as such. My real big issue is with it winning the same year that had Roma and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, it had no business even being nominated. But outside of all of that, Green Book is an okay movie. Mid90s The 2010s owes a ton to Jonah Hill and I don’t think most people realized that. He told studios how to translate old properties to a modern audience with 21 Jump Street, showed how comedians can combine their sense of humor with the serious setting around them in The Wolf Of Wall Street, and most importantly to this entry, showed how coming of age stories should be told in this day and age with Superbad. Ever since, for better or worse, coming of age films have been trying to recreate that magic. The closest to get it right, in my opinion, is The Edge Of Seventeen but still goes wrong by being much much better, but Mid90s does some really great stuff as well. I appreciate any theatrical film that’s willing to be filmed in a way that doesn’t look theatrical at all. And I also appreciate the likable but very flawed characters portrayed. Mid90s really left a mark in my mind and is a great start to Jonah Hills directorial career. Aggretsuko: We Wish You A Metal Christmas And for my pick of short film of the year, let’s talk about what might be my favorite Netflix series, Aggretsuko! As a cradle between season one to season two, this does a great job at portraying these super relatable characters in a very entertaining scenario all set during Christmas! Maybe it’d make more sense to give this honor to something more impactful like A Sister or clever like��I’m Poppy: The Film or even a nice surprise like Harvey Birdman, Attorney General, but no. I refuse. I enjoyed A Very Merry Aggretsuko Christmas much more. Book Club Considering how I’ve spent literally every Worst Of list talking about how awful Fifty Shades Of Grey is, even that year it took off I ended up watching and bitching about Fifty Shades Of Black, I’d like to talk about what is easily the best film to come out of this franchise. Book Club is basically a bunch of old lady celebrities getting together, reading the Fifty Shades books, and talking about their sex lives. It’s like a feature length Gilmore Girls movie and I loved not only the idea, but the film itself was hilarious. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch As a die hard Black Mirror fanatic, of course I was excited for a full Black Mirror movie with, from what I’ve heard, five hours worth of footage. Especially since its story was told in such a fascinating and unique way, I was interested as hell into this and I loved it! I’ve loved select your own adventure books and games for a long time now, from Detroit: Become Human to Gravity Falls: Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates' Treasure!: A "Select Your Own Choose-Venture!". So one set in the well established and amazingly well put together world of Netflix’s British Twilight Zone, sounds incredible and it was! It’s just so cool! Bumblebee Laika didn’t have a movie in 2018, but I feel like we still did with Bumblebee. Getting Travis Knight, the director of Kubo And The Two Strings, objectively their best picture, to do a Transformers entry is ingenious! If anyone should know how a creature like this would move and how to differentiate any one robot from another robot, it’s an acclaimed director from Laika. Now that we’ve finally pried this franchise from Michael Bay’s claws and Paramount playing it smart with their directors, maybe we’ll finally get a series of good Transformers films... or maybe Transformers 7 is cancelled and all hope is lost. #1. Hereditary I think the 2010s get a bad wrap when it comes to horror. All too often I hear Gen X-ers proclaiming how, “there’s no good scary movies anymore!” Completely forgetting hits like The Cloverfield Paradox, A Quiet Place, and The First Purge. Every new trend of a certain genre can usually be traced back to one major film: 1930s had Frankenstein, 1980s had Halloween (BTW, the 2018 one is also great), 2000s had The Blair Witch Project, etc. I think this new trend of mixing slow and suspenseful with big jump scares and everything is dark can be thanks largely to The Conjuring. While that franchise might have started the trend, I feel pretty certain that Hereditary perfected it. Every scare is at least mildly horrifying, the loops it throws you through is abundant, at no point are you sure what’s going on, and by the end, you find yourself breathing much heavier than you remember doing. Hereditary is a trip and a half that I loved going through again and again. I think when people think back to what was the best horror film of each decade: 1930s Dracula, 1980s The Shining, 2000s The Ring, 2010s Hereditary. I loved this movie in all its horrific glory.

[pauldeckerus]

Jeff Mermelstein is a F***ing Anthropologist

Jeff Mermelstein’s photographic practice of making presumably private text conversations public by photographing people’s phones while they are texting and then posting the results on Instagram has made a splash recently. Of course the highlight that ran in Business Insider was framed as a question in a PetaPixel article: is Mermelstein’s practice ethically sound?

First, I think it’s important to note who Jeff Mermelstein actually is: a photography giant who has influenced generations of Garry Winogrand’s disciples with his work. He’s faculty at the International Center of Photography in New York, which would also suggest some level of thought is going into this enterprise. He’s not some dick with an iPhone 6 chasing a runaway gimmick.

#nyc

A post shared by Jeff Mermelstein (@jeffmermelstein) on Mar 26, 2018 at 5:46pm PDT

Mermelstein is a photographer’s photographer for the “In-Public” set. His photography of other people’s publicly visible smartphone text conversations, from the mundane to the scandalous, is made on New York’s sidewalks and subways, and if not aesthetically, it is very much in the spirit of not only his seminal photobook, Sidewalk, but of a whole strain of street photography. It’s a series that gives insight from a master about where to look if you really want to capture the essence of our society today.

Just like everything else in this age, it’s never been easier or more direct to reveal something about a person’s immediate state through photography — instead of getting at how people are feeling and expressing themselves by reading into the subtleties of urban movement and human interaction we now can go right to the source these days and get the goods wholesale — they’re spelling it out in a new way that is utterly universal.

The impulse to reveal something true about someone by just pointing a camera at them, by just being there with them, close enough to take their picture, is the spirit of wide swaths of the street photography genre. There is perhaps an unspoken faith street photographers have that their work will somehow reflect the current zeitgeist by its inherent nature but this doesn’t always bear out. Jeff Mermelstein seems to be the only one concentrating on accumulating the most relevant cultural artifacts of our time.

The arguments against Jeff Mermelstein’s work (see this PetaPixel article and its comments) seem to be on grounds of privacy, which should be part of a larger nuanced questioning on the ethics of shooting street that many wrestle with already. There is I believe a knee-jerk reaction to this series simply because it goes so far in pushing the boundaries of an art form and documentary practice. It’s also likely being conflated with the serious privacy exploits of digital institutions like Google, Facebook, and Apple.

But back to the merits of the work beyond the displaced bashing it received. I’ve secretly thought to myself for awhile now that many of the most talented people working in the genre today are missing something fundamental about life on the streets of the 21st century, and that Jeff Mermelstein is the only one who’s found it. Many of us might as well be out there trying to remake Jeff’s 1990s era work, using cameras from that time even. Jeff Mermelstein, the legendary street photographer who of course shot his classic stuff on film Leicas, is now making this important work about a smartphone society with his smartphone and it’s searing.

#nyc

A post shared by Jeff Mermelstein (@jeffmermelstein) on Oct 13, 2017 at 4:44pm PDT

One thing the active street photographers here in New York City love is that we get to share the streets with Jeff Mermelstein, even if he sometimes seems aloof or (I’m projecting here) borderline freaked out when we cross his path and take a photo of him (the universal street photographer’s show of affection to other street photographers). We sometimes share the photographs we’ve taken of Jeff in the wild when we’re all together in a digital backroom somewhere — Jeff stalking the streets like an alien investigating unknown lifeforms, following his oversized cellphone in perfect traction — and we have a laugh, always well-meant. O sweet brush with greatness!

If there’s any mischievous feeling of having caught the old man at his own game when we get a candid snap of him the reality is as cold as a wet duck. The truth may be that Jeff Mermelstein is the only one doing real work in New York right now and that we’re chasing his old dragons while he’s got his sights on what’s really going on.

Twenty years, fifty years, a hundred down the line, whose photographs will they go to to map the psyche of this generation?

About the author: Frank Multari is a photographer in New York and a member of the NYC Street Photography Collective. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can see his work on his site and on Instagram. This article was also published here.

Image credits: Header photo of Jeff Mermelstein at work by Frank Multari

from Photography News https://petapixel.com/2018/07/07/jeff-mermelstein-is-a-fing-anthropologist/

[advertphoto]

Common Law Marriage

Probably any family law attorney or divorce lawyer in Utah will tell you: there is no such thing as a common law marriage in Utah. There is a such a thing as a marriage like relationship in Utah. You have to go to court to get this done. You need evidence that you have held yourselves out as a married couple. Call us to talk about how it’s done.

Unsealed Court Records Reveal Insights

The high-profile case of death-row inmate Ron Lafferty just got cracked wide open, with records and court documents from the trial now available to the public thanks to a federal judge’s ruling.  The article in the Deseret News explains why case details, professional opinions and psychiatric evaluations were originally sealed and why opening these records to the public helps to keep our judicial system transparent.

Last fall, several local media filed a petition to unseal the records that would open dozens of documents to the public and lawyers in Utah alike. The federal judge in the current case agreed to unseal the records because he believes that Lafferty is indeed of sound mind and does not suffer from a mental illness “that impedes his ability to communicate and help his lawyers in Utah prepare his case. ” Many of the documents contain medical and psychiatric opinions about the condemned criminal’s mental health and legal arguments over whether he was fit to stand trial and competent to move ahead with a federal review of his case. Sixty-nine documents and 17 formerly secret docket entries have been sprung wide for all to see.

Salt Lake City media attorneys argue that access to the records and documents  promotes accountability and confidence in the judicial process – ideals that are integral to a working justice system in the US, especially in cases such as Lafferty’s, where the penalty is death. With such high stakes, it is imperative that these decisions and rulings not be held in a vacuum of closed courtrooms and secret meetings between privileged judges and lawyers in Utah.

The petition to open the records was filed last October on behalf of the Deseret News, KSL-TV, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Utah Headliners chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The records had been sealed in 2009 at Lafferty’s attorneys’ request when questions about their client’s mental competency began. The attorneys argued that they shouldn’t be forced to disclosed attorney-client information and that Lafferty’s privacy concerning his mental health should be respected. At the time, the judge agreed to seal the records. Salt Lake City media attorney Jeff Hunt didn’t necessarily agree with the move, noting that closing the court records as a default position runs contrary to the First Amendment, which assumes that court proceedings will be open to the public. Lawyers in Utah may claim attorney-client privilege, but the proceedings brought out in a courtroom don’t necessary fall under that designation.  In a case where the defendant’s life is at stake, Hunt saw opening the records as a way to promote responsible decision making. He also said that it would hold the judicial system accountable for its proceedings – a very American ideal, indeed.

Lawyers in Utah look on as this case and its records can now be unpacked by the media, your next door neighbor, and anyone else who wants to weigh in – and most everyone wants to. The case itself is one of extreme notoriety. Claiming that they were directed by God, Lafferty and his brother have been found to have been responsible for the deaths of their sister-in-law and her fifteen-month old daughter in 1984 by slashing their throats. Having exhausted his appeals in state court, Lafferty and his attorneys will prepare for a federal review.

Free Consultation with Divorce Lawyer in Utah

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More Divorce Information

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Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/common-law-marriage/

[cover2covermom]

Happy Sunday bookworms!

Did you miss me?  You may have noticed that things have been fairly quiet around the blog these past two weeks.  Maybe?  Well if you did, thanks for noticing!  For those of you who didn’t notice, are you wondering what I was up to?  No?  Well I am going to tell you anyways….

*Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogosphere, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, and what I will be reading next.

Personal Update:

The reason I’ve been MIA for the past 2 weeks is that my family and I were on vacation in Florida.  Of course we visited my happy place, Disney World.  If I could visit Disney World EVERY year, I totally would, but my husband won’t allow it.  We compromised on every other year.  And yes, I am already planning our 2019 Disney World trip :)

And for those of you who are fellow Disney World fans, I give you some pictures from the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade…

  On the blog:

Monday 2/13

Book Event: Brit Bennett, Author of The Mothers

Friday 2/24

Kids’ Corner: Buy, Borrow, or Pass – Children’s Picture Books (February 2017)

Bookish/Blog happenings:

» So Cover2CoverMom actually turned 1 this past Friday the 24th and I completely forgot about it.  Who does that?!  Pre-vacation I was really looking forward to celebrating my one year blogiversary, but I grossly underestimated the amount of prepping and recovering from our vacation, so I never got around to drafting a post to celebrate.  I actually went back and re-read my post celebrating my 6 month blogiversary, and found that this post is still very relevant → 6 Month Blogiversary: Reflection + Future Goals.  I did realize that a few of the goals that I listed are STILL not being met.  I still am not posting regular discussion posts and am not active on bookstagram.  I do believe I have accomplished diversifying my reading and stepping up my book photography game… now only if I would post them to Instagram… Some things never change apparently.  Anyways!   I would just like to say a huge THANK YOU to all my book blogger friends and followers.  I truly appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

Around the blogosphere:

» Sammie @Bookshelves & Biros shares some alternate Valentine’s Day reads → Awesome alternative Valentine’s Day reads *Special appearance by yours truly*

» CW @Read Think Ponder shares some book recs of books by black authors → Book Recs: Books by Black Authors

» Casey @Adoptabookaus  asks where all the hype is for YA books with disabled characters → Its 2017… Where is the hype for disabilities in young adult books

» Drew @The Tattooed Book Geek shares reasons to love fantasy → Reasons To Love Fantasy

» Gretcchen @ChicNerdReads  reveals the cover for her poetry book. #SpoilerAlert It’s freaking amazing! → Cover Reveal of My Poetry Book “love, and you”

» Millie @MillieBot Reads shares why she loves Jane Austen’s works → 5 Reasons Why I love Jane Austen’s Work

» Megan @bookslayerReads discusses character lists & maps → Discussion || Character Lists & Maps

» Danielle @Books, Vertigo and Tea shares another pairing teas with reads feature → Pairing Teas & Reads

» Marie @drizzle & hurricane Books talks about blogging goals → Pageviews, Followers, the Community: Goals in Blogging

» Reg @SheLatitude gives us a book look (an outfit inspired by a book) for A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab → Book Looks: A Conjuring of Light – V. E. Schwab

» Naz @Read Diverse Books features a book subscription box that focuses on Black Literature → Call Number: A Library-Inspired Book Box That Celebrates Black Literature!

What have I been reading?

*Book titles link to Goodreads

Recently finished reading:

» The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

This book was way outside my comfort zone, but I am so glad I gave it a go!  Despite the fact that this book made me very queasy at times (blood makes me faint), I am shocked at how addicting this book was.  How can I describe this book to you?  I would classify this one as a “post-apocalyptical psychological thriller wilderness survival story”… is that a genre?  As you can tell, this book doesn’t fit into a specific genre, but has elements of multiple genres.  Review to come!

» The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

I absolutely adored this middle grade book, though I think this book would appeal more to a older middle grade – YA audience.  Since this book only just came out in January, and it is a debut novel, I have not seen anyone else talking about this book yet.  I’m going to need SOMEONE to pick this one up soon.  I would recommend this book to fans of Thanhha Lai and Grace Lin.

» Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

My second Thanhha Lai book and I enjoyed this one just as much as Listen Slowly.  I really enjoyed reading a refugee experience, especially since Thanhha Lai went through this herself and states that she shared many of the same experiences that our main character Hà experienced as an immigrant to the U.S. during the Vietnam War.  This was my second book in verse that I read this month, the other one being Brown Girl Dreaming.   Review to come!

» Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

I picked this one up hoping to learn what exactly what gender fluid meant.  You all know how much I sometimes struggle with the YA genre, but I am here to tell you that Symptoms of Being Human is YA done right!  Not only was I educated about all kinds of LGBTQIA+ issues and terminology that I didn’t previously understand, but I was also highly entertained while I was learning.  This book also goes into some deeper issues like suicide, hate crimes, bullying, etc etc, but also has some lighter moments with a touch of romance, friendships, and family relationships.  Review to come!

Currently reading:

» Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I am about 40% through this one.  Much like State of Wonder, this book is interesting enough to keep me entertained, but I am not loving it yet.  I hope that things will pick up in the second half.

» A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

I began A Gathering of Shadows last night in order to prepare for the A Conjuring of Light book tour that I am attending next Saturday!!! I had been putting off reading this one until closer to the release date of A Conjuring of Light, but when I heard that V.E. Schwab was coming to Kentucky on her book tour, I knew I wanted to wait and read this one the week before the event to get myself psyched up.   I literally cannot wait.

»Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Since discovering Neil Gaiman last year, I’ve been making my way through each of his books.  Neverwhere was the next one up to bat.  I am 40% through this one thus far and of course I’m loving it.  Honestly I do not think NG could do any wrong in my eyes.  I just love him so much.

On deck:

» The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

Moving right along with my SOKY Book Fest TBR, the next author on my list is Cinda Williams Chima.  I’ve never read any of her work before, so I hope this is a good place to start.  Anyone have any insight into this author/series?  Let me know :)

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week, and happy reading

I explain where the hell I've been the past 2 weeks in my #WrapUp post! #BookBlogger #Bookworm Happy Sunday bookworms! Did you miss me?  You may have noticed that things have been fairly quiet around the blog these past two weeks. 

[champignonsmagique]

Psilocybin and Ego Death

What is Ego?

From the perspective of many modern psychologists, “the ego” can be thought of as the culmination of three components of the human psyche: the view an individual holds of themselves (self-image), how much value is placed on themselves (self-esteem), and the many beliefs, ideologies and affiliations that an individual holds (self-identity). This sense of self helps us to classify and quantify our reality, and can affect our thoughts both in the moment and in memory. Therefore, the ego may serve as a gatekeeper of consciousness, admitting into awareness only those thoughts that conform to our self-image.

All of these keystone components of the mind begin developing at approximately age five, when activity in the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) becomes distinct from other networks. The DMN is crucially important to the development of social functionality, the perception of time, remembering the past and simulating the future, and the separation of “self” and “other”. Writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley, in his famous and widely quoted book The Doors of Perception, coined a theory on why the DMN evolved to be so intertwined with the ego, and consciousness as a whole: “In order to make biological survival possible, the vast amounts of incoming sensory data must be quickly and efficiently categorized and funneled through a reducing valve."

The DMN, and therefore the ego, according to Huxley, act as this reducing valve, shutting out thoughts and sensory input that doesn't fit neatly into our self-image or self-identity, or which could potentially harm our self-esteem. While some filtration is necessary to prevent us from being overwhelmed by a mass of largely useless and irrelevant data, it often results in the formation of cognitive bias, and the perception of life through a lense of duality. Duality is the opposite of true (i.e. not self-constructed) reality: the division of all aspects of life into opposing forces such as love/hate, good/bad, right/wrong and holy/sinful.

As a function of this duality, the ego erects boundaries that can lead to us feeling isolated from the people around us, and disconnected from nature and even ourselves—which is why some seek states of ego dissolution, such as those produced by psychedelics or deep meditation. In this state boundaries created by the ego are utterly dissolved. You are fully "in the moment" and able to see things from a macroscopic, more objective perspective. You are no longer an individual isolated from life as it takes place around you, but rather feel interconnected with the universe and all its inhabitants, experiencing intense feelings of love, euphoria, and unity while the self is temporarily forgotten. This state of selflessness and subsequent feelings of connectivity with the universe are often referred to as “ego death.”

Ego Death

From a philosophical standpoint, ego death can be described as a temporary transformation of the fundamental pillars of thought that comprise the psyche—shifting from self-centred to completely unbiased, and allowing for a novel perspective unclouded by the lens of duality cast by the ego over our ‘sober’ consciousness. From a scientific standpoint, ego death is hypothesized to be the result of dampened activity in the Default Mode Network. This temporary quieting can act as a “reset” or “rewiring” of the network, and consequently the rewiring of thought patterns, which are otherwise constrained by the ego. "If you do the same thing repeatedly, it is like you are walking down the same path all the time" says psychologist Dr. Matthew Brown. "Dampening of DMN activity (and the experience of ego death associated with it) 'mows the lawn' so that you can walk down a new path a little bit more easily."

Ego death experiences can often increase traits like openness and empathy. Ego death can show us a true, unbiased reality—therefore illustrating where our egos have “lied” to us in order to preserve self-image, self-identity, and self-esteem. The brief amalgamation of self and other also serves to grant the realization that we are all connected, which often leads to drastic shifts in personality and even “spiritual awakening.”

Ego Death and Spiritual Awakening

The word “spiritual” is often used in a religious context, however a more apt definition is “beyond the physical or material domain of existence.” Given this definition, it is easy to see how an ego death experience, in which the illusion of self is shattered, may foster the realization that the entire universe is connected, and that consciousness in its true unbiased form transcends death.

Because it is commonly associated with darkness, decay, and sadness, the word death carries a lot of negative connotation. Naturally most individuals avoid thinking about it and live in fear of their inevitable physical death, perhaps equating it with an eternity of nothingness. However, ego death experiences can prove (at least subjectively) that this is not the case. The continuation of awareness while the ego is dissolved underscores the theories of both ancient and modern philosophers: When our identity and everything we identify with and hold dear is gone, something—some form of consciousness—remains. Realizing the immortality of consciousness (despite the fact that time living in our bodies is temporary) can be paradigm-shifting and enlightening. Those who have heard anecdotally about the experience, or are reading this article may be wondering, "how can I experience this?"

How to Induce Ego Death

Ego death has pervaded human consciousness for millenia. Ancient Buddhist monks sought what they called enlightenment, while Sufi Muslims pursued a similar state of consciousness they dubbed Fana. There are numerous ways in which this state can be occasioned, such as deep meditation, childbirth, near-death experiences, or (the quickest way) through the use of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) and numerous places where you can buy psilocybin mushrooms online. It is important to note that significant risk can also be present with the utilization of this method, and that psychedelics should be treated with healthy respect and caution.

A psychedelic-induced ego death can be terrifying if you are not prepared to let go of the ego, if you're not ready to accept your thoughts as they truly are (i.e. not filtered through the bias of ego), or if you attempt to fight the ego’s dissolution. Those who fight against ego death, under the influence of a psychedelic, may think they're dying or becoming psychotic. Indeed, this is partially true, since your sense of "you" is dying, albeit temporarily. In hindsight, this could benefit your outlook on life, traits like empathy, and your overall well-being. If you find yourself in a situation of ego death, the best thing you can do is surrender to the experience and let yourself exist ‘in the moment’ soaking up the feelings of unity and connectedness that so many of us desire, but are suppressed by our egos. It's also a great time to take advantage of this completely objective perspective, and analyze your own psyche. You can trust that you will return to “yourself” as a more empathetic, understanding, and open minded person.

The Ego is Not the Enemy.

Despite its proclivity to filter the world in a dualistic fashion and confine our thoughts to predetermined pathways, the egos should not be thought of as an enemy, but rather as something akin to a necessary evil. Ego is crucial in order for us to be able to quantify our experiences as human beings. While ego can be detrimental, reinforcing negative thought and amplifying psychological conditions like depression and anxiety, it can also be the force that drives us to survive and prosper. The temporary experience of ego death can give deep personal insight, even enlightenment, but the ego perpetually seeps back into and places its filter over our consciousness. Ego death experiences can be thought of as a tool through which to view our thoughts and actions from an objective perspective. Once we can appreciate that ego is reactively developed, we can relinquish ourselves of its control over our thoughts and emotions.

Jeff - Champignons Magique