#i’m rooting for you dr glenn

[frankcastlescumslut]

they gotta have a fanfic writer on payroll or something bc what was that (I say choking back sobs)

[musicaldaydreams]

Day 5: Count

When Mina first saw the cats, she didn’t think too much of it.

She was out shopping with Velia, and at first when she saw three cats running past, she barely noticed it. It wasn’t like cats were a rarity in Wrighton, after all, and she was occupied helping her friend choose new materials for her artwork. On their way out of the shop, they saw another pair of cats, running off in the same direction.

“It’s almost like just after the dome appeared,” Velia quipped.

“Oh, sure,” Mina said seriously. “Check your pocket, maybe you can get the jump on Scip this time.”  

Velia laughed, and stuck her gloved hands in her pockets. When she withdrew them, she held only spare change and a couple of roots. “Guess not,” she said, giving an exaggerated shrug. Mina laughed. Neither of them noticed the three more cats that wandered past them.

By the time Mina got home, though, her and Velia’s joking about the cats had become less funny and more unnerving. She had passed several more, including one that looked a lot like Ani’s cat Squip, and had already lost count of how many she’d seen. They had all been heading in the same direction- away from the RETON, which made it even more puzzling. When she discovered that her family’s kitten had gone missing, too, her anxiety got the better of her. She dashed off a text to Atif, and hoped that wherever he was for his conference had good enough signal to answer her.

His response was somehow both reassuring and not. If Captain Ayo didn’t know why the cats were acting strange— and Mina knew they were in town currently— she had even less of an idea what was going on. When she saw another cat trotting out of the Glenns’ yard and across her own, Mina decided that she had no choice but to follow it, and see where it went. She grabbed her phone and a handful of grapes, and hurried out the door.

Fortunately, the cat she was following seemed to be in no hurry, and neither did it mind being followed. Mina talked to it occasionally, and it meowed in response once or twice. But mostly, it focused on its destination, and Mina kept pace.

After perhaps twenty minutes of walking, it became evident where they were headed. There was a strong fishy smell hanging in the air, and a building Mina hadn’t noticed before in the western side of town was surrounded by cats. She noticed Squip, sitting on a window box, and little Elmia trying to worm her way closer through the throng of larger cats. The one Mina had been following scampered off to try to get closer to the building.

A few other people stood nearby, as well. Mina saw Ani and Claire, the latter laughing as her friend tried to reach Squip on the windowbox. Dr. Carter was there, looking extremely dismayed. And a few other people whose faces Mina couldn’t see clearly, scanning the crowd for their cats.

A window in the building opened.

“Are they still here?” A man who looked vaguely familiar to Mina groaned, leaning out the window. “I already told you, this is not a cat food shop- Leo! How can one town have so many cats?” He caught sight of Dr. Carter, and his face fell in relief.

Dr. Carter gave him a sympathetic smile. “Wrighton’s known for them, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, you told me, but I didn’t think they’d flock here,” the man said, half-laughing. He caught sight of the other people watching him, Mina included, and waved. “Ah. Hello, you’re all looking at the future home of Pearl of the Aegean, finest fresh seafood in town. Grand opening’s tomorrow… assuming there’s any room, with all the cats here.” That time he did laugh, and Mina caught it.

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Carter told him. “We’ll get it sorted.” Ani nodded, and there were several sounds of agreement among the people trying to collect their cats. Grinning, Mina dashed off a text to her husband.

‘They smelled fish. Helping get them all home now,’ she sent. And so, tucking her phone back in her pocket, she headed forward to collect her kitten and join the group trying to plan out a way to get the excited cats to leave the poor salesman alone.

[kineticallyanywhere]

idk if you’ve seen it yet, but a few people in the tag seem to be wondering if you’d ever address why you drew nick with blue eyes and blond roots originally? it leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths evidently and although you have brown haired brown eyed nick now, moving past it without addressing the mistakes quickly seems a little misguided?

I'll preface by saying that I didn't see anyone @ me until you brought it up. I don't check my mentions much. Thank you for letting me know

My initial idea behind my Nick design was that he took after his mom, but that he dyed his hair to look like his dad. At the time I made a design for Nick, there was a conversation around being careful with how you make your Nick, because tropes surrounding a kid of color with drug issues is... a lot. It's not a topic or a stereotype I am at all equipped to handle, so at the time I figured making Morgan white and having Nick take heavily after his mom was the safer choice.

Obviously, I don't think this is the better option anymore. I don't like thoughtlessly changing my facecanons overnight and making characters unrecognizable to myself and others, and I don't sit and draw Nick enough to shift everything very quickly. But I'm better aware that many of Glenn's genes would probably take precedent over Morgan's [if she's white], and am trying to do better with skewing Nick's features to his dad's side of the family. I wish this was a move I'd allowed myself to make much sooner, I know I have issues with getting attached to designs I make the first time, and it's something I'm going to keep working on (even and especially with my own OCs). This attachment prevented me from taking advice I'd asked for before, and I regret that.

I'm always working to improve, but that's never going to happen all at once. I know I'm not perfect, I know I still have many areas to improve and shave down my own walls on, and I'm grateful for everyone's patience while I do that. I have two part-time jobs and I'm in school (including over the summer, like right now), so I have to pick which projects I put time into.

The only reason I can give for not having talked about it (more than I already have [x]) is that I haven't really thought to? It's been a while since I've considered myself a chatty poster, I don't engage with much conversation anymore, and have had enough bad-faith encounters online that I don't feel comfortable chatting to the air. I'm a regular person here to have fun, not a celebrity. I'm just trying my best and hoping my best gets better over time.

tl;dr I do regret a lot of the features I originally gave Nick, and I never talked about it because I'm afraid of scenarios like this, where acknowledging your flaws on the internet gets stapled to you for the rest of your life.

I guess I hope somewhere in here is the answers people are looking for. I'm genuinely sorry; I can't change the mistakes I've already made

[kitkatopinions]

While thinking about the flaws of the main four protagonists in RWBY, I realized something. You can pretty clearly trace the flaws of three of the four main characters back to their early roots, whether or not the show addresses them as flaws currently. But with Blake, you can’t really do that.

TL;DR at the bottom

Ruby started the show being over-confident and reckless. She was a combat school student with only two years of learning under her belt when she took on Torchwick (although she may not have known who he was.) She easily assumes her team can handle Torchwick and the White Fang, wanders off alone in Mountain Glenn, charges after Torchwick again in the Fall of Beacon, travels to Haven to fight against Cinder without understanding any of the particulars and seemingly with no plan, and unnecessarily leads her team into stealing an Atlas plane while literally telling Qrow that she doesn’t care what he thinks and basically tells him to go along with it or leave. Any of those events could’ve resulted in her death, and it was often - not always, but often - due to outside forces that she survived (Glynda rescuing her, Oobleck realizing about the underground city, tons of fellow Beacon students + Atlas military taking out Grimm after the train crash, a Grimm eating Torchwick, Qrow taking out Grimm on the path to Haven, Qrow saving them from Tyrian, Cordovin aiding them after their unnecessary actions result in a massive Grimm attack.) So when she refuses to accept a no-win situation, traps a city in the direct line of Salem’s fire, sends out a message to everyone that might cause mass panic directly condemning Ironwood for trying to save as many as he can, and then doesn’t have a plan to actually save anyone in Mantle or Atlas, it’s very frustrating, but it’s not surprising or hugely out of character. It’s easy to track this. Ruby’s over-confidence, recklessness, and stubbornness started small and with her only striving to be a hero whether she was ready or not. And left unchecked, it just continued to grow. Weiss started the show being judgmental, rude, and prone to pettiness. Although she seemed to open up quickly to her team and these flaws seemed to die down considerably in volumes 4-5, it’s not exactly out of left field for her to act the way she does towards Whitley in volumes 7 and 8. In V1 Weiss judged Ruby as a child who didn’t know what she was talking about that had taken something from Weiss (the leader role,) and therefore Weiss acted like Ruby was a nuisance and treated her coldly and aggressively. She was hugely judgmental towards Sun, and Blake as well the minute she learned Blake was a Faunus and a former White Fang member, and even after she decided Blake was fine anyway (so badly handled) she made it clear that she wasn’t accepting Sun just yet. Despite any growth she might’ve had with her team, we never see her change outside of that. It becomes clear it’s still a problem, when Weiss is confronted by her considerably younger brother in volumes 7 and 8. Weiss judged him as a child who didn’t know what he was talking about that had taken something from her (her position as CEO of the company) and therefore, Weiss acted like he was a nuisance and treated him coldly and aggressively. Weiss showed no sympathy to him despite knowing his home life. It’s easy to track this. Her pettiness, judgmental tendencies, and aggressiveness never went away, they just stopped being directed at Ruby, Jaune, or the rest of her friends. Yang’s flaws are always easily tracked. She’s got a big temper, charges into things without thinking, and she’s pushy. We see this from the start as she pushes Ruby to make friends despite her clear discomfort and explodes at Grimm for damaging her hair. This continues on pretty clearly in the first couple of seasons, including Yang refusing to give Blake space, and yelling at her with red eyes and pushing her when she wasn’t listening. The funny thing about Yang is that most of this gets addressed and started getting worked through. Yang charging into battle and over-relying on her semblance are combat driven problems that are pointed out to her by her father and worked on to overcome. Yang is much calmer and patient than she had to be with Raven, continues to be patient and understanding with Qrow and Oz when she finds out they’ve been keeping things from the group in volume five, she listens to and accepts Weiss’s advice, and doesn’t lash out at Blake at all when she returns. Although she was still clearly the same person, she was also clearly working on her flaws and trying to be better. However, this seems to backslide in the latest three seasons, with her acting aggressive and not even trying to understand Oz, acting aggressive and not even trying to understand the Ace Ops, pushing Ren to talk about his feelings and then getting angry at him for expressing ones she doesn’t think he should feel, launching into battle without thinking repeatedly and seeming to not really take the situation seriously sometimes. This is frustrating to me, but it’s easy to track, too. Yang was working on her flaws, but has recently backslid into old habits.

But Blake? Blake’s early flaws were things like taking too much responsibility on her shoulders, being unable to let things go, running from her trauma, and lashing out at her friends. Many of her stronger traits were connected to her flaws, and were things like standing up for herself and others, having a strong moral code, and being responsible. (NOTE: Her arc and the allegories to real world racism were absolutely mishandled, making things like her strong moral code - like ‘stealing is always wrong’ - problematic in context. However, for the sake of this argument, I’m referring to her strong moral code as a strong trait as in it was something distinct about her character that we were meant to see as a good trait.) Blake had firm standards, like ‘stealing is wrong,’ and ‘I can’t wait for others to handle things for me, I have to handle it myself.’ During the course of seasons 4 and 5, her character arc was centered around learning to embrace her strong traits without falling into her bad ones. Like Yang, many of her flaws were directly addressed during these seasons, Sun and her parents helping her see that she can rely on and trust others, Blake expressing herself without lashing out, Blake confronting her past head-on in the forms of Adam and Ilia rather than running from it, and finally letting go of much of her own guilt and self-deprecation at the same time. The funny thing about Blake now is that she’s still showing flaws, they just aren’t the flaws she used to have that all pretty much got tied up in a bow, pun unintended. Instead, many of the flaws Blake seems to be showing now are in direct contrast to her former strong traits. She doesn’t stand up for herself, leaving it to Weiss or Yang to speak up for her. She doesn’t take responsibility, putting it on Ruby’s shoulder and begging her to help her in fights. She doesn’t have the extreme moral code, being one hundred percent fine with stealing, beating up law enforcement officers, fighting against the government, etc. Like, not to say that those things are always bad, just that Blake thought they were always bad, not that long ago. This is why, out of all the main characters, Blake is the most upsetting to me. I can hate what Ruby, Yang, or Weiss do, but Blake doesn’t even feel like the same character anymore. Adding onto that, she doesn’t seem like a powerful or interesting fighter anymore either when she used to be very good and very interesting to watch. This makes her just... Feel like a chess piece that CRWBY has say things every now and again to sound good. She feels like another weapon that Yang can just use sometimes. It’s honestly hard to see, because Blake could’ve been a really great character, and now she doesn’t feel like a character at all.

TL;DR It’s easy to track the flaws of Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all throughout the show, but Blake’s recently displayed flaws directly go against her early characteristics. This makes it feel like her whole character is different.

[witchofinterest]

cast your mutuals as your favorite characters

Ohhh, great one! Thank you!!!

@ofbadchoices as dinah laurel lance

runner up: agent carter

@papergirlpapertownn as Bonnie Bennett

runner up: Leonard snart/raven Reyes

@iron-parkr as Scott Lang

Runner up: Cassie Lang / dawn summers

@whindsor as Glenn Rhee

Runner up: Sophie deceraux /Parker (I cant choose I’m sorry)

@twinmasks as: Kira yukimira

Runner up: Sameen Shaw/ Scott McCall

@darknightfrombeyond as Michael Scofield

Runner up: root

@whctsherncme as Winifred Burkle

Runner up: Stefan Salvatore

@randomestfandoms as clarice fong

Runner up: peter petrelli

@cassercole as dr Cassandra railly

Runner up: Paige Mathews

@raging-violets Riley: Brian Finch

Rhuben: Elle Greenaway

@psychchesters as prudence halliwell

Runner up: Nick burkhardt

@abbysarcane : buffy the vampire slayer!

Runner up: nyssa al ghul

@notxjustxstories as Josie saltzman

Runner up: Nancy Drew

@inkoutsidethelines Diana prince

Runner up: Thea Queen

@anotherunreadblog as Barbra Gordon / Penelope Garcia

Runner up: Sam Winchester

@tandybowcns as Tandy Bowen

Runner up: Tyrone Johnson

[crowdvscritic]

crowd // THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

Photo credits: IMDb.com

Note: There’s no particular reason I’m jumping from the 1930s for a brief interlude in the 1990s during this Best Picture Project—please just enjoy the spontaneity!

Even as a self-proclaimed movie lover, some important titles feel like eating vegetables. As a self-proclaimed horror avoider, The Silence of the Lambs is one of those movies—the irony is it’s very much about the opposite of eating vegetables.

This adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an almost-FBI agent. Just before wrapping her training, one of her career role models (Scott Glenn) assigns her an unusual task. She’s to interview Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), who because his nickname isn’t hyperbole, resides in a high security prison. A clear but sturdy wall separates the two as they talk, and a drawer lets them exchange papers. Though she’s kept in the dark, Clarice suspects she’s there for clues in the FBI’s hunt for serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine)—who better to learn about serial killers from than a serial killer like Lecter? But the former psychologist’s mind games are distracting from information he can provide, and Clarice isn’t sure she’ll be able to discover Buffalo Bill’s identity fast enough to save his newest victim.

The Silence of the Lambs is a Best Picture winner I was not looking forward to watching. I have distinct memories from my childhood of being scared by the VHS cover at Blockbuster, which features Foster’s mouth covered by a moth that looks like a skeleton. Now that I’ve seen it, I can confirm my intuition was correct—this movie is not for Taylors (much like Linda Holmes of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour would say something is “not for Lindas”). This movie doesn’t leave its violence off-screen, and if we don’t see the violent act itself, we see the aftermath. And since it’s a mystery, there’s plenty of detailed discussion around what happens to victims. I skipped several scenes and just listened to one with important plot points, but it’s still one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen. I’ve spent the last few nights lying in bed trying to think of anything but this film, to the point I’m writing this during the day while sitting next to a butterfly-covered zinnia garden instead of right before bed, one of my typical writing times.

So this movie is not for Taylors, but is it for you? As queasy as I felt for these two hours, not all my words are grievances. The plot is structured like the best thrillers, and even though I kept the remote handy at all times, I did want to finish—somehow giving up while Buffalo Bill was still out in the world would be worse than confronting him in all his savagery. And Clarice is a heroine to root for, both a humble underdog and whip smart, a rare combination that’s not easy to make believable. This story sucks you in despite the terror of what might happen, which is why I’m glad I wasn’t seeing it in theaters, a scenario I almost certainly would have walked out of.

Bottom line: The Silence of the Lambs is a tense thriller, and if you have a stronger stomach than mine, you might even enjoy the ride.

POPCORN POTENTIAL FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME: 4/10

POPCORN POTENTIAL FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE HORROR: 9/10

[northcountryprimitive]

“I Have at Least Five Albums Worth of Material Yet to Record!” An Interview with Mark Fosson

This interview with the late Mark Fosson originally appeared at North Country Primitive on 25th May 2015

We are very pleased to bring you an interview with the last guitarist John Fahey signed to Takoma records, Mark Fosson. After Takoma was sold, Mark’s recordings for the label remained in his garage unheard for almost 30 years, until they were finally released in 2006 by Drag City. A further archival release, Digging in the Dust, a collection of early home recordings, was released by Tompkins Square in 2012. Fast forward to 2015, and Mark has just brought out his first ever new collection of instrumentals, kY, a paean to his home state of Kentucky, and mighty fine it is too - in our view, his best album yet. Recorded at his home in Baltimore, the album has a timeless, folk-infused quality and features Mark on banjo and dulcimer as well as an enviable collection of guitars…

Can you start off by telling us about the new album, kY? You appear to be revisiting your roots on two accounts: firstly, it has the feel of the sort of pure American Primitivism that could have been put out by Takoma any time in the 70s; secondly, the strong traditional folk themes suggest that you are literally revisiting your roots as a native Kentuckian. I had been trying to record a whole other group of instrumentals that I had written and not getting anything I was really happy with. I was probably trying way too hard to come up with the perfect guitar album and being way too critical, which I’m prone to do. At a certain point I realized I wasn’t having any fun at all and decided to step away from it for a while. So next time I went down to my studio, I pulled out my banjo instead of a guitar and started noodling around and came up with Kingdom Come. I had just purchased a Tascam DR-05, so I made a quick recording of it and was totally pleased with the way it came out. I thought, why not do a whole new album that way? So I would sit and noodle every day till I came up with an idea I liked and record it immediately, while it was still fresh. Most of the songs are first takes, but I never did more than three takes and I think the tunes have a very spontaneous feel because of it. I used the Tascam on quite a few of the songs on the record… Kingdom Come, Kentucky, Cold Dark Holler, Come Back John. All the songs are inspired by my childhood memories of growing up in Kentucky. I recorded it at Pine Box Studios -  a.k.a my basement. What have you been up to recently? It’s been eight years since Jesus on a Greyhound came out. I’m aware of the live sessions you’ve done for Folkadelphia and Irene Trudel, but I guess you’ve been keeping busy in other ways… I moved to Baltimore about six years ago and have been writing and playing every chance I get. Did a short tour with Daniel Bachman when our Tompkins Square records came out… Done quite a few gigs in Philly and New York, some with Don Bikoff, who has become a good friend. A lot of excellent young musicians out there I’ve had the chance to play with… Hope to do a lot more. Were you pleased with the response to Digging in the Dust? Were these recordings what brought you to the attention of John Fahey and Takoma in the 70s? Yes, I was very pleased with the response… it’s good to have it out there after all these years! These are the tapes I originally sent to Takoma. There were also five vocal tracks on that demo which John really liked. I’m not crazy about the way my voice sounded back then… like I was 12 years old! Luckily I’ve learned to sing a little better over the years. There was a song on the demo called Grandpa Was A Thinker, which John and his wife, Melody, liked a lot. I’m pretty sure it was that one and Gorilla Mountain that got me signed. How did you link up with John Fahey and Takoma Records? I had been listening a lot to releases on Takoma… I think I wore out a coupla copies of Kottke/Lang/Fahey. On a lark I sent the tape to them, never dreaming I’d get signed! I remember I had come home from work - I was working in a steel plant at the time - and had fallen asleep in my chair. My wife woke me up, saying, “There’s some guy named Charlie Mitchell from Takoma Records on the phone.“ Then when I got to California, John co-signed for a brand new Martin 12-string. I kick myself nearly every day for selling that guitar later on! As soon as I got to LA, I started opening shows for him… I think the first was McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which was right next door to the Takoma office. His records sounded great, but hearing him live - and that close! - was an unbelievable experience. How did Drag City come to release The Lost Takoma Sessions 29 years after it was recorded? My cousin Tiffany Anders had started listening to Fahey and found out I had been on the label, so she asked for a copy of the recordings. They were gathering dust in the corner of the garage and I was reluctant to let her have them at first, because I figured the stuff was too old for anyone to care about. She proceeded to send it around and before long I had three or four offers from labels to put it out. I eventually decided on Drag City and I think they did an excellent job of getting it out there. What was the musical journey you took to playing solo acoustic guitar? Did you do the whole garage band thing first or were you always attracted to acoustic music? And what were your formative influences, musical or otherwise? Everyone in my family was a total music lover, so I was bombarded with good music of all styles from an early age. When I was in elementary school, Jean Ritchie would come and perform every year… that’s probably the first traditional folk music I was exposed to. I played a festival with her later on and at the after-show jam, I talked her into giving me a dulcimer lesson, which was totally cool of her. My Aunt Rachel sang and played guitar and I was always asking to play her guitar. I bugged her so much, in fact, that she gave me one of hers - a Beltone. What a beauty! That pretty much started me down the guitar road. Also my dad would buy 45s from the guy that stocked the jukeboxes in the beer joints he frequented and was always bringing home the cool, obscure music… lots of blues and extreme hillbilly stuff. Later on I became a Roger Miller fan and pretty much taught myself to play listening to his records. My grandmother was bedridden for a long time and I would go to her house and try the songs out on her. If I got her laughing I considered it a success.

Then at the age of 14, the Beatles broke and that’s when me and probably a billion other teenagers decided to become musicians. That turned into a succession of garage bands. Then in college I started getting more in to the folk music again. My buddy Dan Gore and I would spend hours at the school library listening to the old blues and Folkways records - The Harry Smith Anthology was a big favorite - and we began performing at the school’s coffeehouse every Friday night. It was run by my English teacher, Nancy McClellan, and she also organized some of the big folk festivals in the area. She may have encouraged me more than anyone to be a musician. Then when I was stationed in North Dakota in the Air Force, I began discovering the Takoma artists. I actually bought the Kottke/Lang/Fahey album because of the cool cover - I wasn’t that familiar with the artists at that point - and was blown away by it. I think the most influential album for me, though, is Peter Lang’s Thing At The Nursery Room Window. It’s still one of my top five favorite albums of all time. Which reminds me… I think Daniel Bachman forgot to give me back my Peter Lang CD!

What were you up to between the Takoma recordings and Jesus on a Greyhound? Did you keep making music during this period? Can you tell us how Jesus… came about? When the Takoma thing fell apart, I continued playing around Los Angeles, Sometimes solo, sometimes with a small group. I played with a bass and tabla player for a spell - that was a great sounding little combo. Then in the mid 80s, I started a country rock duo called Crazy Hearts with Karen Tobin. We had a song on the A Town South Of Bakersfield compilation, along with Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale and Dwight Yoakam, then went to Nashville to showcase, but Karen ended up getting a solo deal on Atlantic Records and that was pretty much the end of the duo. Then I started a group called The Bum Steers with my good friends Edward Tree on electric guitar, Taras Prodaniuk on bass and Billy Block on drums. We caused quite a ruckus in Nashville: Porter Wagoner personally invited us to play the Grand Ol’ Opry, but I think we may have been a little too left-of-centre for that town. Anyway, after these two full-blown groups, I decided to get back to basics and perform solo again. Jesus On A Greyhound came about because I wanted to write an album’s worth of songs that sounded good with just voice & guitar. And although I did add some extra musicians to the record, the music is still drastically stripped down compared to what I had been doing. And totally acoustic. At the moment there seems to be a veritable swarm of young players influenced by the American Primitive sound. Do you feel any particular affinity for them? Are there any favourite players who particularly stand out for you?  When The Lost Takoma Sessions came out, were you aware of people like Jack Rose and Glenn Jones? I started to become a lot more aware of the newer guitarists when Lost Takoma came out. I did a short tour with Joanna Newsom and she turned me on to a lot of the younger players. Of course I was aware of Jack Rose and was already a Glenn Jones fan. Then, like I said earlier, I did a short tour with Daniel Bachman and was really impressed with his playing. He’s on fire… seems like he puts out a new record every two weeks. Met Nathan Bowles through Daniel and I really enjoy his banjo playing, both solo and with the Black Twig Pickers. I’ve become friends with quite a few of the new pickers: through Don Bikoff I met Matt Sowell, who introduced me to Kyle Fosburgh, who introduced me to Hayden Pedigo. I got to play a duet with Hayden on his new record Five Steps. There is certainly no shortage of excellent young musicians out there! Lots of great records being made…I’m always checking out the new stuff. You play banjo on a couple of tracks on the new album, which sounds fantastic. Are you a big fan of the instrument? Are we likely to hear more banjo excursions from you in the future? Thank you… I love playing banjo! Seems like I don’t do it as much as I would like to, but it’s getting a little more frequent all the time. I keep saying I’m going to get a really nice clawhammer and get serious with it… someday! I was at a songwriter retreat in Stanley, Idaho, a couple of weeks ago and one of the musicians had a killer clawhammer with nylon strings that sounded amazing. So what happens next? Any plans for gigs? Have you got more material up your sleeve? Well I have at least five albums worth of material yet to record, so I’ll just keep plugging along and making new records. Been getting a lot of pressure to put out a follow-up to Jesus On A Greyhound, so that’s probably the next project up. Unless things change…which they do! And of course I plan to keep gigging as long as I can.

Behind kY - Mark Fosson’s Track-by-Track Guide

We asked Mark about the guitars and other instruments he used on kY. He responded by sending us a track-by-track guide to the instruments played and the tunings, as well as a little background on each of the tunes. Jimmy Leg Mule high strung Tacoma Road King [C -G - C - G - C - E] You need to visualize riding this mule as you listen. Loose Change 1995 Martin 00016GT [Standard Tuning] The ‘loose change’ refers more to the chord progression than the amount of coins in my pocket. The way it sort of gets lost at the end and falls in a hole… I meant to do that! When We Were Young 1968 Gibson B-25 12 String [A# - F - A# - F - A# - D] I wrote this one for my grandparents, Harry & Grace Steed. Kingdom Come Deering "GoodTime” banjo [G - D - G - A# - D] Kingdom Come is a real town in Harlan County, Kentucky. Indian Summer Tacoma DM1812E3 12 String [C - F - C - F- F- C] Glenn Jones showed me this tuning and I proceeded to write about seven songs using it. Dogwood Dulcimer was made by Robbie Long, San Geronimo, CA 1976 [A - A - A - D] I often wonder if the fellow who built this dulcimer is still alive? Simpleton 1956 Gibson LG2 [C - G - C - G - C - E] There was a fellow named John in my hometown who would stand on the corner directing traffic & waving to everyone who passed. In the old days he would have been considered the ‘village idiot” but my folks used to refer to him as the ambassador of good will. Cold Dark Hollow 1956 Gibson LG2 [D - A - D - F - A - D] A cold dark hollow is an eerie place when the sun is about to go down… I tried to capture that feeling. Avondale Strut Tacoma DM1812E3 12 String [C - G - C- E - G - C] The part of town where the black folks lived… my romanticized idea of a regular Friday night there. A Drink w/Stephen F 1995 Martin 00016GT [Std tuning] Legend has it that Stephen Foster drank himself to death in the North American Hotel and left this world with 38 cents in his pocket. Which brings us back to the amount of coins in my pocket… let me check… hmmm …39 cents. Bad Part Of Town Deering “Good Time” banjo [G- D - G - B - D] There’s a ‘Bad Part’ in every town… And I’ve been to a LOT of towns Kentucky 1990 Gibson J100 [D - A - D - F - A - D] I’m not sure what this one is about. Come Back John 1968 Gibson B25 12 String [ A# - F - A# - F - A# - D] This is me trying my damndest to write a John Fahey tune… inspired by Sunflower River Blues, which John taught me how to play backstage at Bob Baxter’s Guitar Workshop, 1977.

[moonstone27ls]

Chucky finale...

Spoiler warning...

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....you’ve been warned....

....warningg....

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....warning you...

last warning....

.........

Okay thoughts....

.......welp a lot happened. But mostly felt like Mancini was trying to wrap things up in case this got cancelled/or he’s ending? (again if he choses to end this show I won’t judge.)

Some drama... and some head confusion... a couple of twists.

On the upside Kyle/Andy are still alive.... so if the show ends here I’ll take that as a plus. Thought it was a little rude of Lexy to compare the pair as something bad. I’m like “Uhh kid they saved your ass on a couple of occasions at least be grateful”. And to be fair.... (although Mancini never gives a scene where they all chill/be buds), Andy was the only really obsessed to well be TRAUMATIZED on multiple occasions. Kyle I feel only went to protect him.

I have a couple of issues with the finale not so much issues just tiny nitpicks. Like when the kids reveal to their old teacher about Chucky, they do that while the cops are still in the house. I mean don’t they usually worry someone will hear/and think their nuts? Uhh feel a bit mixed with G.G. Not so much the change/and their new name. More of how and I’m going back as Glenda seemed okay with they mom being a killer/and embraced being a killer. I mean last episodes they were complaining/fighting that issue. And again going back as Glenn, Glenn was fully against killing. Sooo with G.G. being so casual what does that mean? 

Is G.G. going to embrace being a killer? Now that they are “one” being I guess? Or was that the whole point of their travels. Self discovery, find out what their role is, away from their toxic parents. I mean I do give Tiff points for loving and embracing their identities.... but yeahhh still a killer. Improving as a mom but its hard for me to embrace her as an anti-hero. Specifically again even though the show has split her and Chucky (kinda miss them sorry). She’s still very much a killer. I mean I’m sorry but suddenly she cares about how murder effects people? Where was that when literally ANY TIME she’s killed .And she did still willing kidnap Caroline so nah not totally rooting for her.

Though that being said considering how the show ended (not counting breaking fourth wall/meta Chucky)... was that Mancini’s intentions? Heh I dunno I kinda thought Tiff would possess the old doll and she and Chucky would either reconcile (sorry they’re both killers they kinda suit each other) or become rivals as killers

The drama between Jake/Devon felt like it dragged on a bit but heh at least it finished.

Uhh am I shocked that Chucky possessed and kept switching dolls? Not really. Didn’t feel sorry for Dr. Mixter she put herself in that situation, guess it makes sense now why Chucky picked those kids from last season.

Am I shocked Caroline was brainwashed?/or manipulated... uh no. I mean I the kid was literally too quiet through the ENTIRE season with no real change to her personality. Though question does her choosing evil make it bad on people with autism? Not that I know she’s autistic.... I mean felt like the show hinted but I dunno. ANyways back to that... soooo...  if the show is continued what was Chucky wanting from Caroline then? Is she a replacement for “G.G”? Would kinda explain why Chucky told her Tiff was her real mother. 

Dunno how Nica found Tiff or was able to move around so fast but dang a bit obsessed much o3o;. I mean granted I get it. But hmm.. and did G.G. help her find Tiff? Was that why they kinda left? They agreed to help but wouldn’t see it?I dunno was hoping Nica would heal and be with Andy/Kyle. I dunno what with the young three survivors, I figured Nica would be with Andy/Kyle and try to heal.

And then the Belle doll being secretly Chucky... hmm I guess I was surprised. Explained why they kept focusing on that dumb doll. Feel like they ripped that off of Sleepaway camp.

Heh do I have any thoughts? Or hopes for next season if Mancini gets one? I dunno other that the kids and Andy/Kyle/Nica surive. Heh no thats it.

Not interested in Tiff, I mean I love Tilly. But either way unless Manicini’s really okay with saying goodbye to Tilly, I don’t see her being left alone. Cause like Chucky, she’s a KILLER. Any of the 6 survivors would go after her like Chucky too.

And as mean as it is to say I don’t care about Caroline. Heh I just don’t unless next season has her missing Lexy or more sympathic eps. There isn’t much to her. I don’t hate the character just isn’t much to her for me to miss.

[racingtoaredlight]

Profiles in IMDb Greatness: Glenn Fleshler

I love the Internet Movie Database. was that the big boy from Modern Family working the front desk at a hotel in Almost Famous? Sure was. As such I enjoy looking over random performer pages and arbitrarily judging the scope and quality of their careers to determine if they merit entry into my vaguely defined IMDb Hall of Fame. Today’s enshrinee: Glenn Fleshler

Hello old friends, hope everyone is doing well during this pandemic and instead of protesting at state capitol buildings with the shittiest people alive you’re safe at home enjoying wholesome blog content. While riding out quarantine the mind has more time to wander and ponder the deeper mysteries, like what are the moral obligations a government has to keeping its population alive and in the nearly 50 years of HBO has there ever been a more vital figure in its programming than Glenn Fleshler over the past decade?

Much like Gus Frerotte appearing out of nowhere to be every team’s backup quarterback at some point in the last 20 years, Fleshler just strolls from one prestige television set to another covering the gamut from drama to horror to comedy. I considered writing this post months ago when I first realized we were dealing with Mr. HBO here but quarantine boredom was just the propellant needed to get this baby off the ground.

First Listed Role: While fans of the IMDb HOF may remember my affinity for these actors getting their starts in soap operas the true character actor spirit is captured from appearing in network crime dramas so of course Glenn Fleshler opening up with an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street which also featured friend of the HOF Jon Polito! The episode description is simply “The team investigate a woman who appears to be murdering her husbands for the insurance money” so I’ll assume they ripped the whole thing from the plot of Addams Family Values and Fleshler played Uncle Fester.

Newest Role: Of course after calling Fleshler Mr. HBO I’m immediately served up a role on Showtime’s Billions. I didn’t get into that show when it premiered since I don’t trust Showtime original programming anymore and when I tried to start it up a couple weeks ago I made it five minutes before realizing that a show about rich assholes talking about the stock market wasn’t what I was looking for in 2020. I’m sure it’s delightful.

CSI/Law & Order/NCIS Guest Spots: Three episodes of Law & Order and three more of SVU, six different characters. This is legendary stuff. Let’s go in chronological order where I play my favorite game of trying to guess who the character was in each episode.

Don Hamilton, 2/6/02 - A former aide for a state senator has turned up missing and it’s revealed that she was having an affair with the senator and was pregnant. My money’s on Fleshler as the murderous, fertile politician.

Dr. Noah Kamens, 11/1/02 - Yikes, child sex ring episode here. Fingers crossed that Fleshler was just appearing as a child psychologist and not as a predatory pediatrician but as we’ll visit later he can pull off menacingly creepy well.

Rick Kawalchuck, 4/20/05 - A porn star is murdered, safe to assume Fleshler is the corpse and this light-hearted episode is filled with wisecracks about how with his rigor mortis they won’t be able to close the coffin.

Jimmy Curren, 12/3/08 - A man from upstate New York is found dead in Chinatown, a realistic crime based on my knowledge of midupstate New Yorkers and their appreciation of a good Chinese buffet. This crime leads all the way to the governor’s office and since Jimmy doesn’t sound gubernatorial I’ll guess Fleshler is an adviser who kills the victim over the last potsticker.

Corrections Officer Kravitz, 10/7/09 - This game isn’t fun if you do all the work for me, character name.

Phillip Altshuler, 12/6/17 - A true pro still doing these gigs when at this point he’d been in some truly great TV. this episode is about the rape of a social media star so he’s the venture capitalist funding the app and trying to keep the story under wraps.

One of these days I really should watch an episode of Law & Order.

Hall of Fame Ballot Submissions: Just from the HBO division we got Sex and the City (he looks like Charlotte’s type based on the schlubby lawyer she ends up marrying down the stretch), Boardwalk Empire (not the best show but I did love him as George Remus who always referred to himself as “Remus”), True Detective (hope everyone’s working from home in case remembering the “Making flowers” scene gets you understandably horny), The Knick (technically Cinemax but I always thought they were owned by the same crew, if not when a show has a guy taking a shot of cocaine to the dick it gets in here), The Night Of (kind of became a mess at the end and there entirely too much John Turturro foot picking but the pilot was great), Barry (fantastic show, Fleshler should do more comedy) and then he turned up in the best episode of the incredible Watchmen season.

What a run, when Glenn Fleshler passes on down the road I hope this kicks off his funeral.

Miscellaneous Credits: I didn’t think Joker in any way deserved a Best Picture nomination and the conversation around it was embarrassing all around since in the end it was a mostly entertaining Taxi Driver ripoff but hey, Glenn Fleshler can say he was in award nominated motion picture.

Highest Rated IMDb Entry: Kinda surprised that the True Detective finale landed here since I remember there being disappointment with it even though I thought it and that whole season were fantastic (his relative/ladyfriend Ann Dowd would be a good one to cover in the next post so keep that in mind for the next pandemic) but here it is at a robust 9.6. Fleshler is the right kind of unnerving after a season of buildup to who the killer was. I can see how a fella like that would catch on in multiple Law & Orders universes even if he’s appeared enough times for people to question why everyone in New York City looks like Glenn Fleshler.

Lowest Rated IMDb Entry: A 2016 film called The Rendezvous where Fleshler’s the only name I recognize on the cast list. Let’s learn about this movie together, shall we.

Oof, I was rooting for armageddon to come take me less than a minute in to that. My only intrigue in diving in further is to see if the “we work for a higher power” sticks with that Steel Magnolias accent all throughout the movie. And the quips, my god the quips. The “you think?” line is what happens when Marvel movies are oversold for their witty banter, everyone wants a taste of jokes they don’t have to work on.

IMDb Fun Fact: The only three I had to choose from

Off-Broadway, he has appeared in such plays as Measure for Measure and Pericles, Prince of Tyre.

Fleshler studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Performing Arts, from which he has an MFA.

Fleshler's Broadway credits include Death of a Salesman, Guys and Dolls, Arcadia and The Merchant of Venice.

Neat.

IMDb HOF Members: Looking for a Mother’s Day gift for the special ladies in your life? Just send her this list of links and they’ll wish quarantine would never end so long as there are more to read!

Bob Balaban

Jim Beaver

Clancy Brown

W. Earl Brown

Reg E. Cathey

Gary Cole

Keith David

Cary Elwes

Noah Emmerich

Glenn Fleshler

Jami Gertz

John Hawkes

John Michael Higgins

Toby Huss

Allison Janney

John Carroll Lynch

Margo Martindale

David Morse

Joe Morton

Robert Patrick

Bill Paxton

Jon Polito

Alan Rickman

Stephen Root

Matt Ross

Alan Ruck

Peter Stormare

Daniel von Bargen

Next Time: If the pandemic is still ongoing, the monkey from Outbreak. If not, the monkey from Outbreak.

[thefabulousfulcrum]

This is really important, and it's not being said enough. Please pass it around.

Thoughts on The Vegas Shooting (or Why Men Keep Doing This)

article via Medium

Charlie Hoehn

I’ll never forget April 20th, 1999.

I was 12 years old, sitting in art class in middle school. We were playing with clay and making sculptures.

Suddenly, our principal came on over the PA. Her voice trembled.

“I have an important announcement to make. All teachers and students need to hear this. I will wait 60 seconds for everyone to be completely silent.”

The next minute was eerie. My friends and I exchanged confused looks, and nervously laughed. Our teacher held her finger to her lips. Silence.

The principal’s voice came back onto the PA:

“There is a shooting at Columbine high school. All students are to go home immediately.”

Columbine was 15 minutes away from us.

I remember taking the bus home, and walking into my house. My mom turned on the news. I recognized that fence. We’ve driven by that fence.

My mom knew the teacher. Dave Sanders. She’d substituted with him at Columbine.

In the last 18 years, we Americans have experienced too many of these shootings. And I want to share a few of my thoughts on why I think they keep happening.

By the way, this isn’t a political post about guns, or the media. It’s a post about mental health.

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself in the mental health space. And I’ve learned a lot about mental illness. Particularly that men in the United States REALLY struggle in this realm, and have very little support.

I believe mental illness is the single greatest health crisis we will face in our lifetimes. Mental illness affects every single person on the planet, whether we are personally ill or not.

If we have a better understanding of what causes mental illness, we don’t have to be so afraid. We can take better care of each other, and prevent these tragedies from happening.

Sadly, most Americans still fail to address mental illness as a massive problem. It’s still taboo, still stigmatized.

I was watching Jimmy Kimmel’s impassioned, raw speech last night about the Vegas shootings. Like Jimmy, I felt sick and heartbroken by the tragedy. But something he said stood out to me:

“There’s probably no way to ever know why a human being could do something like this to other human beings.”

Sadly, researchers know exactly why human beings do things like this.

There are clear reasons. And they are preventable.

Why mass shootings keep happening.

It’s tempting to call these shooters “psychopaths” and “pure evil,” or to blame the media or guns, but that absolves us of looking deeply at what each of us — as individuals, family members, friends, and community members — could all be getting wrong.

Now, I’m not a psychiatrist. And I don’t know very much about the Vegas shooter. I’m just a guy who studies mental health.

Again, this is not a political post about guns, for the same reason it’s not a political post about weaponized cars. I’m not as interested in the tool as I am in what causes a person to use it so destructively.

Nor is this a post in defense of the shooter. What he did was beyond horrific. He is not excused from this by any stretch (though I truly feel sympathy for the shooter’s brother, who seemed to be totally caught off guard by this behavior, and now he has to deal with the aftermath for the rest of his life).

The goal of this post is simply to shine a light on the root causes of men committing mass shootings.

1- Men in the United States are chronically lonely.

Boys in the United States — just like all human beings — need touch, caring, warmth, empathy, and close relationships. But as we grow up, most of us lose those essential components of our humanity.

What’s worse: we have no idea how to ask for those things, or admit we need them, because we’re afraid it will make us look weak.

As a man, you might be thinking, “Not me, I’ve got drinking buddies. I play poker with the guys. I’ve got friends.”

But do you have confidants? Do you have male friends who you can actually be vulnerable with? Do you have friends whom you can confide in, be 100% yourself around, that you can hug without saying “No homo,” without feeling tense or uncomfortable while you’re doing it?

For most men, the answer is “no.” So, we spend our time posturing instead.

From an early age, we have an unhealthy ideal of masculinity that we try to live up to. Part of that ideal tells us that Real men do everything on their own. Real men don’t cry. Real men express anger through violence.

The byproduct is isolation. Most men spend the majority of their adult lives without deeper friendships, or any real sense of community. Not to mention a complete inability to release anger or sadness in a healthy way.

There is a fantastic documentary called The Mask You Live In, which explains how boys in our society are ultimately shaped into mentally unstable adults. My friend Ryan recommended this film to me, after confiding that he cried throughout the entire thing. I cried, as well. 

Simon Sinek echoed similar insights on Glenn Beck’s show:

“We’re seeing a rise of loneliness and isolation. No one kills themselves when they’re hungry; we kill ourselves when we’re lonely. And we act out, as well.

In the 1960’s, there was one school shooting.

In the 1980’s, there were 27.

In the 1990’s, there were 58.

In the past decade, there have been over 120.

It has nothing to do with guns, it has to do with people feeling lonely.

How do we combat the loneliness that kids are feeling? All of them attacked people in their own community, and all of them attack people they blamed for their own loneliness.”

This loneliness compounds as men grow older.

Without deeper friendships or a strong sense of community, the isolation is soul-deadening and maddening. You are alone.

Any slight from someone you care about can feel emotionally traumatizing. After enough rejections and feeling like an outcast, you begin to believe that people are just cruel and not worth the effort. You perceive people as threats.

Before we ask, “How could he do such a thing?” we have to understand how he felt on a daily basis, and how those feelings grew over the years.

2- Men in the United States are deprived of play opportunities.

You might be offended by this suggestion.

How could this guy talk about play after a shooting?! Play is for kids!

Wrong.

Homo sapiens play more than any other species. It’s impossible to prevent a human from playing. We play shortly after we are born, and the healthiest (and least stressed) humans tend to play for their entire lives.

Play may be God’s greatest gift to mankind. It’s how we form friendships, and learn skills, and master difficult things that help us survive. Play is a release valve for stress, and an outlet for creativity. Play brings us music, comedy, dance, and everything we value.

The irony is that loneliness would not be a problem if we all got ample time to play. Not only would we have deeper friendships, we’d also have better relationships with ourselves. Play allows us to enjoy our own company. If you truly know how to play, you are rarely alone.

But that is not the state of affairs in the United States. We are lonely because we don’t play, and we don’t play because we are alone.

There is a very strong correlation with play deprivation and mental illness.

When you deprive mammals of play, it leads to chronic depression. When you deprive a human child of play, their mental and emotional health deteriorate. Play suppression has enormous health consequences.

“But the Vegas shooter loved to gamble! He went on cruises!”

That’s not the type of play I’m talking about.

To better understand this dynamic, we need to look at the background of another mass shooter.

In 1966, Charles Whitman shot his wife and mother. Then, he climbed up the tower at the University of Texas in Austin, and shot 46 people. In total, he murdered 16 people. At the time, this was the biggest mass shooting in United States history.

Dr. Stuart Brown and his team of researchers were commissioned to find out what “The Texas Sniper” had in common with other mass murderers.

They found the key when they looked at their childhoods.

Brown recalls:

“None of them engaged in healthy rough-and-tumble play. The linkages that lead to Charles Whitman producing this crime was an unbelievable suppression of play behavior throughout his life by a very overbearing, very disturbed father.”

In other words: Healthy and joyful play must be had in order to thrive. Play is how we bond, and form our deepest connections with other human beings.

“It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your kids are?”

Ever since that famous ad aired, parents have shamed each other into watching their kids like a hawk.

If you let your kid walk up the street alone, you’ll either get a call from another parent, or the cops will pick them up. Our kids are stripped of their right to experience life on their own terms.

In an effort to improve our kids’ test scores and beef up their future resumes, we’ve stripped away nearly all of their free play opportunities. Recess has been sacrificed in the name of Scantrons, and pills are prescribed to the kids whose bodies and minds cry out for play.

The result: A generation of the most anxious, depressed, and suicidal American children on record.

This is all in alignment with Dr. Peter Gray’s research, who studied the rise of mental illness and the decline in play:

“Over the past half century, in the United States and other developed nations, children’s free play with other children has declined sharply. Over the same period, anxiety, depression, suicide, feelings of helplessness, and narcissism have increased sharply in children, adolescents, and young adults… The decline in play has contributed to the rise in the psychopathology of young people.

This is why I believe mental illness is the biggest health crisis of our lifetimes. Because those kids will grow up into isolated adults who don’t know how to play, or seek out their friends when they are lonely.

They are alone.

In the most memorable chapter of So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, the author describes the research of James Gilligan, a young psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School in the 1970s.

Gilligan was invited to make sense of the Massachusetts’s prisons and mental hospitals, where he interviewed murderous inmates. He included in his notebook this heartbreaking observation:

“They would all say that they themselves had died before they started killing other people… They felt dead inside. They had no capacity for feelings. No emotional feelings. Or even physical feelings.

Universal among the violent criminals was the fact that they were keeping a secret. A central secret. And that secret was that they felt ashamed— deeply ashamed, chronically ashamed, acutely ashamed.

I have yet to see a serious act of violence that was not provoked by the experience of feeling shamed or humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed.”

ALL OF US will face difficult times in our lives where we will experience shame, humiliation, disrespect, and ridicule.

Do you know what gets us through those hard times?

Do you know what the difference is between you and a killer?

Friendship: Love and support from the people you played with.

I often think of the final line of Stand by Me:

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12… Jesus, does anyone?”

I don’t know much about the Vegas shooter. Maybe he was a psychopath.

But I’m guessing he wasn’t.

Instead, I am betting that these factors about him were likely true:

He felt deeply lonely. He had no significant friendships to rely on, and very few quality people he could confide in.

He experienced play deprivation. He didn’t have joyful fun with himself, or with others.

He carried with him a deep sense of shame. About what, I have no idea.

Even though we’re in the safest period in the history of civilization, these shootings will keep happening in America. They happen every single day. Guns are a part of the problem, and so is the media. But there is a bigger problem.

We are a culture that continually neglects the mental health of our boys, and our men.

The good news is that you, as an individual, can make a difference. Reach out to someone who you think could be lonely, and go do something fun together. Confide in each other. Be a safe and supportive person to be around.

If you’ve noticed their personality has drastically changed, invite them out for several hours. Be there for them. You could save their life.

And it wouldn’t hurt to have these books in your library, either:

1- Mental Health Emergencies

2- Play

3- Fearvana

[notstatschat]

Haere mai, statistical computing folks.

Later this year, Auckland is hosting the Asian regional meeting of the International Association for Statistical Computing.  For the benefit of conference-goers, here’s a brief introduction to the locale. 

Nomenclature:

The Owen G. Glenn Building (OGGB, or building 260, in university abbreviations) is named after Owen G. Glenn. He’s a New Zealand businessman and philanthropist. 

Auckland is named after George Eden.  The subantarctic Auckland Islands were not named after George but after his father William Eden.

New Zealand is named after the Dutch province of Zeeland; the lack of resemblance is quite striking.

Formally,(Actually It’s more complicated) the country is Aotearoa New Zealand, with Māori and English names of equal status. The city has a Māori name, Tāmaki Makaurau, but its primary name is the English one.

The Māori language (te reo Māori) is fairly easy to pronounce roughly right. The consonants are the same as in Western European languages (or pinyin), except that ‘wh’ is pronounced /f/. The vowels are pure, as in Spanish or German or Italian. The bars above vowels mean they are about twice as long. There isn’t strong stress on any syllable.

People over 30 who grew up in a place with a Māori name may well use an older, anglicised pronounciation for it, but there’s been a trend away from that. In particular, weather forecasts and airport announcements will typically use something relatively close to the Māori pronounciation.

Mountains

Auckland is full of little pointy hills that look like baby volcanoes. They are baby volcanoes. One of them, Maungawhau/Mt Eden is data(volcano) in R. Every few thousand years, a new one pops up at some unpredictable location in the Auckland area, erupts briefly, and then stops. There’s only a few of these volcano fields around the world — another is the (extinct) Boring Volcano Field in Portland, Oregon. The Auckland one is still active and so is less boring.

The most recent and largest volcano, Rangitoto, is just outside the Waitemata Harbour. There are ferry rides a few times a day, and it’s a nice walk to the top. Parts of Rangitoto are still bare rock, parts are pohutukawa forest, and there’s some areas on the south side that have developed proper soil and a variety of plants.

Auckland Domain, just across the motorway from the conference, is the crater of the closest volcano; Mt Eden is a short bus ride away.

Peoples

New Zealand was the last worthwhile land mass to be settled — about 800 years ago, by Polynesians in big ocean-going canoes. You occasionally see people raising alt-theories of earlier settlement by, eg, Celts, but there’s scientific consensus and fairly wide social endorsement for the view that these people are probably racist whackjobs.

The British arrived in increasing numbers in the early nineteenth century, with the usual consequences — though the Treaty of Waitangi was somewhat more successful than most attempts to negotiate with the British. Recently, the NZ government has settled treaty claims with many iwi (tribes, clans).

At the start of the twentieth century, about one in four residents of New Zealand was an immigrant. The proportion decreased to a minimum of about one in six in the 1940s and has been slowly increasing again. What’s different this time is where the immigrants are from: many are from the Pacific Islands and from Asia.  Auckland, in particular, has about 40%  immigrant proportion,  similar to New York and London. The increase in diversity has gone reasonably well by international standards, but there are certainly some people who aren’t happy with things being different from fifty years ago.  

Plants

The trees with dense, gray-green leaves are pohutukawa. Some of them might be flowering by the time of the conference.  Stylised versions of the red spiky puffs of flowers are starting to displace winter-based symbols for Christmas in Auckland. You’ll probably hear people worrying about myrtle rust, a South American fungus that has recently arrived; no-one knows how much damage it will do.

Many of the conifers you see are native: rīmu, tōtara, kauri, kahikatea (native plants are typically known by their Māori names). The things like enormous fake Christmas trees are Araucarias; not native but regional — A. heterophylla, ‘Norfolk Pine’ from Norfolk Island and A. columnaris, ‘Cook Pine’, from New Caledonia.  There are also two conifers from the Monterey area of California: “radiata” (Pinus radiata) and “macrocarpa” (Cupressus macrocarpa). They grow much more vigorously here.

The Dr Seuss trees looking like bunches of grass on top of tall trunks are Cabbage Trees (Cordyline australis). The name comes from the edibility of the new stem and the roots, rather than their appearance.

Tree ferns are native; the Waitakere hills to the west of Auckland are packed full of them. They’re culturally important: the major women’s professional sports teams are named after them, and the unfolding fern frond (the ‘koru’) is a widely-used symbol of growth.

Kauri are massively huge living-fossil conifers that used to be common in Auckland and points north. Sadly, a lot of the nearby ones were turned into houses, and they grow slowly. Some of the ones on the west side of Northland (day-trip distance) are almost as big as redwoods (Sequoiadendron).

New Zealand Flax is known and loved and/or hated by gardeners around the warm temperate world. It was a traditional fibre source, and the nectar was used as a sweetener.  It’s not related to the `true’ flax of the northern hemisphere; it’s a lily.

Birds

New Zealand is famous for its weird native birds. The ones you see around you in Auckland mostly aren’t them.  You can easily see a lot of stupidly-introduced English birds: sparrow, starling, pigeon, blackbird, thrush, chaffinch, goldfinch. The cute urban parrots are Australian, as are the magpies and the tiny green silvereyes. The leggy blue and black pūkeko are ‘courtesy natives’ — they arrived before Europeans but after Māori — but they are the same species as the ones all over Europe and Asia. The large black gulls actually are a native species, but the differences would only matter to another gull.

You might, in the parks near the University, see the kererū, the big native pigeon. It’s about twice the size of the feral pigeons, and colored purple, green, and white.  There’s a few fantails (pīwakawaka) around, which are very cute.

There’s one common, distinctive, native bird. If you walk past a tree that sounds as if it’s full of old 28k dial-up modems, you have met the tūī. They’re about the size of a blackbird, with a puff of white feathers at the throat, and they’re boisterous, musical, and give the impression of being slightly drunk.

If you want to see more native birds, the day trip to Tiritiri Maitangi Island is highly recommended. You still won’t see kiwi (they are brown, shy, and nocturnal, so are essentially unobservable) but you will likely see saddlebacks and kākāriki and black robins and hihi and bellbirds and kēreru and maybe kōkako and takahē.

Death Rays from Space (update) 

Auckland has a relatively mild climate, since it’s surrounded by water, but we’re the same distance from the equator as Las Vegas or the Greek islands.  There’s also less continental dust in the atmosphere here than a lot of places. It is surprisingly easy to get badly sunburned. 

Foods

The best-value inexpensive food in central Auckland is in Asian restaurants, and particularly in Asian food courts. Non-foodcourt examples especially worth mentioning are Selera (Malaysian, in Newmarket) and Chom Na (Thai, downtown). Another inexpensive option is fish and chips, which is as good here as anywhere in the world: it’s worth paying extra for snapper if it’s fresh. A lot of pubs also have reasonable food.

The best Indian food is in Sandringham, about 6km south, but there are some good places at the top of the hill, along K Rd (Satya, in particular)

Mexican food is not recommended: it tends to be either bad or expensive. Pizza mostly isn’t great (with a few exceptions). Otherwise, any restaurant that can survive in Auckland is unlikely to be terrible.

At the higher priced end of the market, there are a number of good restaurants on Fort St. Ima does family-style Israeli food very well. Indochine Kitchen is Vietnamese, a bit noisy but good flavours.  Beirut is posh Lebanese. Cassia is modern Indian food and was the Restaurant of the Year last year. There are lots of well-regarded places in Ponsonby that I don’t know much about.  

At the top: for high-end French-style food, The Grove is really excellent; I’ve heard good things about The French Café, but have never been there; Grand Harbour does Hong Kong-style seafood and is by acclaim the best Chinese restaurant in the country, but I’m not really qualified to judge whether it’s worth it. The revolving restaurant on the SkyTower is expensive because it revolves; unlike some revolving restaurants it does actually have good food.

Finally, Giapo, on Fort St, does absolutely over-the-top decorated locavore gelato. You have never seen anything like it.

[bloodbrothertwo]

“”Mac and Dennis Break Up” Commentary” Commentary

So, I just listened to the entirety of the commentary for the episode “Mac and Dennis Break Up” for the first time (link here). It’s from like 2010 and essentially irrelevant, but that won’t stop me from making this even more irrelevant post. This episode is one of my favorites of the whole series so I was pretty excited, but I had soon come to loathe this commentary far more than any others I’d heard. Likely, this was entirely due to the guest: Dr. Drew.

Now, I have no idea who this guy is, so if he’s some renowned and respected psychiatrist, forgive my insolence, because I’m about to rant about this guy in the most annoying (but imo still justified) way possible. I assume that he’s some kind of Dr. Phil type psychologist turned TV personality who both has the humility to lend his time to a pointless comedy show and believes that he’s better than it. This is evident through his attempts at psychoanalyzing the characters while being mostly wrong and doing it in a /r/iamverysmart fashion. This is especially disgusting since he’s discussing the episode with Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney. While they didn’t write this specific episode, it’s objectively true that they know these characters better than anyone else (save for Glenn Howerton who totally should have been there instead.)

But my main qualm with Dr. Drew wasn’t his dismissive and condescending tone, but his other reddit-like personality trait. That is, his very male perspective on the show. Of course, this perspective has its time and place, but this episode hosts neither. “Mac and Dennis Break Up” is one of the episodes which most explicitly directly explores Mac and Dennis’ relationship. It’s one that, honestly, can’t be viewed under the assumption that both are entirely and completely straight. That isn’t to say that Dr. Drew ever said that they were straight. No, instead he spent the first half of the episode trying to decide which one is gay. The gay one, of course, switched during each scene, if not each line of dialogue. Dennis puts his hand on Mac’s shoulder: Dennis is gay. Mac files a missing person report on Dennis: Mac is gay. Dennis looks at Mac after finding out that he’d filed a police report on him: Dennis is gay again. Unsurprisingly, any discussion of their non-straightness is treated as a joke or insult. That’s not too surprising, given this was recorded around 2010, but still is in stark contrast with IASIP’s relatively progressive nature. 

He did come to the right conclusion at one point though, when he ultimately decided that Dennis is the woman in the relationship. Yes, a man being called a woman in a gay relationship is rooted in homophobia and sexism etc., etc., but I think what he was trying to say is that Dennis bottoms. Which is correct. btw. 

Anyway. 

I’m not one to criticize people for psychoanalyzing the gang. I definitely do it. rcg devoted a whole episode to it (though I’m not sure if they wrote “The Gang Gets Analyzed”. They better have.). That said, Dr. Drew’s psychoanalysis was so completely off base that I was ready to get analyzed myself to check if his commentary left any lasting brain damage. First he perpetuated the tired observation that Dennis may be a sociopath. Bravo. Despite its popularity, I was actually surprised to hear it in this episode’s commentary because I feel that it didn’t explore that part of Dennis’ personality at all, but rather delved into his need to not be in control (to BE bound, if you will). Aside from that, he said the reason that Mac was cleaning up Frank’s apartment was because...he was on meth. ....What? Luckily he realized his mistake and corrected himself. In fact, he noted, Mac is cleaning up Frank’s apartment because he’s gay. Still...what? As he does numerous times in this commentary, RMac comes to the rescue to explain the actual reasoning behind this (impose his will upon Frank to reflect what he has been doing at his and Dennis’ apartment to demonstrate what Dennis has been putting up with/is used to/wants...all pretty obviously implied). 

Most surprisingly, one of my main problems with this commentary was with his interpretation of Dee. I don’t usually think about Dee at length nor do I have any firmly held beliefs about her character, but I was truly disgusted with all of his commentary on her. He repeatedly talked about how she was actually jealous of macdennis the entire goddamn time. Not touching on any actually intellectual points such as her wanting approval from Dennis, her twin brother, but instead essentially agreeing with what Mac and Dennis were saying to her. He was a few turns of phrase away from agreeing that she’s a lonely spinster. Apart from that, during his rant about how all the characters are actually sociopaths, he excluded Dee for no other fact than that she is a woman. I’m not exaggerating or even assuming anything as he did explicitly state this. He also kept talking about how Dee must have some kind of life online. Not sure what he was talking about there and neither did Charlie or RMac, so at least I wasn’t alone. He definitely wrote her off as a character because of her gender. I’m not going to deny that I do the same sometimes, and for that reason people doing this, especially men, usually doesn’t bother me. But the fact that he was aware of his bias and still kept toting his sexist analyses as fact just seemed especially disgusting. 

However, I should have known early on that his analysis would be unadulterated garbage because one of his first statements was that his favorite relationship is between Frank and Charlie. Terrible taste.

[mythandritual]

"I Have at Least Five Albums Worth of Material Yet to Record!” An Interview with Mark Fosson

This interview originally appeared at North Country Primitive on 25th May 2015

We are very pleased to bring you an interview with the last guitarist John Fahey signed to Takoma records, Mark Fosson. After Takoma was sold, Mark's recordings for the label remained in his garage unheard for almost 30 years, until they were finally released in 2006 by Drag City. A further archival release, Digging in the Dust, a collection of early home recordings, was released by Tompkins Square in 2012. Fast forward to 2015, and Mark has just brought out his first ever new collection of instrumentals, kY, a paean to his home state of Kentucky, and mighty fine it is too - in our view, his best album yet. Recorded at his home in Baltimore, the album has a timeless, folk-infused quality and features Mark on banjo and dulcimer as well as an enviable collection of guitars...

Can you start off by telling us about the new album, kY? You appear to be revisiting your roots on two accounts: firstly, it has the feel of the sort of pure American Primitivism that could have been put out by Takoma any time in the 70s; secondly, the strong traditional folk themes suggest that you are literally revisiting your roots as a native Kentuckian.  I had been trying to record a whole other group of instrumentals that I had written and not getting anything I was really happy with. I was probably trying way too hard to come up with the perfect guitar album and being way too critical, which I’m prone to do. At a certain point I realized I wasn't having any fun at all and decided to step away from it for a while. So next time I went down to my studio, I pulled out my banjo instead of a guitar and started noodling around and came up with Kingdom Come. I had just purchased a Tascam DR-05, so I made a quick recording of it and was totally pleased with the way it came out. I thought, why not do a whole new album that way? So I would sit and noodle every day till I came up with an idea I liked and record it immediately, while it was still fresh. Most of the songs are first takes, but I never did more than three takes and I think the tunes have a very spontaneous feel because of it. I used the Tascam on quite a few of the songs on the record... Kingdom Come, Kentucky, Cold Dark Holler, Come Back John. All the songs are inspired by my childhood memories of growing up in Kentucky. I recorded it at Pine Box Studios -  a.k.a my basement. What have you been up to recently? It’s been eight years since Jesus on a Greyhound came out. I’m aware of the live sessions you’ve done for Folkadelphia and Irene Trudel, but I guess you’ve been keeping busy in other ways... I moved to Baltimore about six years ago and have been writing and playing every chance I get. Did a short tour with Daniel Bachman when our Tompkins Square records came out… Done quite a few gigs in Philly and New York, some with Don Bikoff, who has become a good friend. A lot of excellent young musicians out there I’ve had the chance to play with… Hope to do a lot more. Were you pleased with the response to Digging in the Dust? Were these recordings what brought you to the attention of John Fahey and Takoma in the 70s? Yes, I was very pleased with the response… it's good to have it out there after all these years! These are the tapes I originally sent to Takoma. There were also five vocal tracks on that demo which John really liked. I’m not crazy about the way my voice sounded back then… like I was 12 years old! Luckily I’ve learned to sing a little better over the years. There was a song on the demo called Grandpa Was A Thinker, which John and his wife, Melody, liked a lot. I’m pretty sure it was that one and Gorilla Mountain that got me signed. How did you link up with John Fahey and Takoma Records?  I had been listening a lot to releases on Takoma… I think I wore out a coupla copies of Kottke/Lang/Fahey. On a lark I sent the tape to them, never dreaming I’d get signed! I remember I had come home from work - I was working in a steel plant at the time - and had fallen asleep in my chair. My wife woke me up, saying, “There’s some guy named Charlie Mitchell from Takoma Records on the phone." Then when I got to California, John co-signed for a brand new Martin 12-string. I kick myself nearly every day for selling that guitar later on! As soon as I got to LA, I started opening shows for him… I think the first was McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which was right next door to the Takoma office. His records sounded great, but hearing him live - and that close! - was an unbelievable experience. How did Drag City come to release The Lost Takoma Sessions 29 years after it was recorded? My cousin Tiffany Anders had started listening to Fahey and found out I had been on the label, so she asked for a copy of the recordings. They were gathering dust in the corner of the garage and I was reluctant to let her have them at first, because I figured the stuff was too old for anyone to care about. She proceeded to send it around and before long I had three or four offers from labels to put it out. I eventually decided on Drag City and I think they did an excellent job of getting it out there. What was the musical journey you took to playing solo acoustic guitar? Did you do the whole garage band thing first or were you always attracted to acoustic music? And what were your formative influences, musical or otherwise? Everyone in my family was a total music lover, so I was bombarded with good music of all styles from an early age. When I was in elementary school, Jean Ritchie would come and perform every year… that’s probably the first traditional folk music I was exposed to. I played a festival with her later on and at the after-show jam, I talked her into giving me a dulcimer lesson, which was totally cool of her. My Aunt Rachel sang and played guitar and I was always asking to play her guitar. I bugged her so much, in fact, that she gave me one of hers - a Beltone. What a beauty! That pretty much started me down the guitar road. Also my dad would buy 45s from the guy that stocked the jukeboxes in the beer joints he frequented and was always bringing home the cool, obscure music… lots of blues and extreme hillbilly stuff. Later on I became a Roger Miller fan and pretty much taught myself to play listening to his records. My grandmother was bedridden for a long time and I would go to her house and try the songs out on her. If I got her laughing I considered it a success.  Then at the age of 14, the Beatles broke and that’s when me and probably a billion other teenagers decided to become musicians. That turned into a succession of garage bands. Then in college I started getting more in to the folk music again. My buddy Dan Gore and I would spend hours at the school library listening to the old blues and Folkways records - The Harry Smith Anthology was a big favorite - and we began performing at the school’s coffeehouse every Friday night. It was run by my English teacher, Nancy McClellan, and she also organized some of the big folk festivals in the area. She may have encouraged me more than anyone to be a musician. Then when I was stationed in North Dakota in the Air Force, I began discovering the Takoma artists. I actually bought the Kottke/Lang/Fahey album because of the cool cover - I wasn’t that familiar with the artists at that point - and was blown away by it. I think the most influential album for me, though, is Peter Lang’s Thing At The Nursery Room Window. It’s still one of my top five favorite albums of all time. Which reminds me… I think Daniel Bachman forgot to give me back my Peter Lang CD!

What were you up to between the Takoma recordings and Jesus on a Greyhound? Did you keep making music during this period? Can you tell us how Jesus... came about? When the Takoma thing fell apart, I continued playing around Los Angeles, Sometimes solo, sometimes with a small group. I played with a bass and tabla player for a spell - that was a great sounding little combo. Then in the mid 80s, I started a country rock duo called Crazy Hearts with Karen Tobin. We had a song on the A Town South Of Bakersfield compilation, along with Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale and Dwight Yoakam, then went to Nashville to showcase, but Karen ended up getting a solo deal on Atlantic Records and that was pretty much the end of the duo. Then I started a group called The Bum Steers with my good friends Edward Tree on electric guitar, Taras Prodaniuk on bass and Billy Block on drums. We caused quite a ruckus in Nashville: Porter Wagoner personally invited us to play the Grand Ol’ Opry, but I think we may have been a little too left-of-centre for that town. Anyway, after these two full-blown groups, I decided to get back to basics and perform solo again. Jesus On A Greyhound came about because I wanted to write an album’s worth of songs that sounded good with just voice & guitar. And although I did add some extra musicians to the record, the music is still drastically stripped down compared to what I had been doing. And totally acoustic. At the moment there seems to be a veritable swarm of young players influenced by the American Primitive sound. Do you feel any particular affinity for them? Are there any favourite players who particularly stand out for you?  When The Lost Takoma Sessions came out, were you aware of people like Jack Rose and Glenn Jones? I started to become a lot more aware of the newer guitarists when Lost Takoma came out. I did a short tour with Joanna Newsom and she turned me on to a lot of the younger players. Of course I was aware of Jack Rose and was already a Glenn Jones fan. Then, like I said earlier, I did a short tour with Daniel Bachman and was really impressed with his playing. He’s on fire… seems like he puts out a new record every two weeks. Met Nathan Bowles through Daniel and I really enjoy his banjo playing, both solo and with the Black Twig Pickers. I’ve become friends with quite a few of the new pickers: through Don Bikoff I met Matt Sowell, who introduced me to Kyle Fosburgh, who introduced me to Hayden Pedigo. I got to play a duet with Hayden on his new record Five Steps. There is certainly no shortage of excellent young musicians out there! Lots of great records being made…I’m always checking out the new stuff. You play banjo on a couple of tracks on the new album, which sounds fantastic. Are you a big fan of the instrument? Are we likely to hear more banjo excursions from you in the future? Thank you… I love playing banjo! Seems like I don’t do it as much as I would like to, but it’s getting a little more frequent all the time. I keep saying I’m going to get a really nice clawhammer and get serious with it… someday! I was at a songwriter retreat in Stanley, Idaho, a couple of weeks ago and one of the musicians had a killer clawhammer with nylon strings that sounded amazing. So what happens next? Any plans for gigs? Have you got more material up your sleeve? Well I have at least five albums worth of material yet to record, so I’ll just keep plugging along and making new records. Been getting a lot of pressure to put out a follow-up to Jesus On A Greyhound, so that’s probably the next project up. Unless things change…which they do! And of course I plan to keep gigging as long as I can.

Behind kY - Mark Fosson's Track-by-Track Guide

We asked Mark about the guitars and other instruments he used on kY. He responded by sending us a track-by-track guide to the instruments played and the tunings, as well as a little background on each of the tunes. Jimmy Leg Mule high strung Tacoma Road King [C -G - C - G - C - E] You need to visualize riding this mule as you listen. Loose Change 1995 Martin 00016GT [Standard Tuning] The ‘loose change’ refers more to the chord progression than the amount of coins in my pocket. The way it sort of gets lost at the end and falls in a hole… I meant to do that! When We Were Young 1968 Gibson B-25 12 String [A# - F - A# - F - A# - D] I wrote this one for my grandparents, Harry & Grace Steed.  Kingdom Come Deering "GoodTime" banjo [G - D - G - A# - D] Kingdom Come is a real town in Harlan County, Kentucky. Indian Summer Tacoma DM1812E3 12 String [C - F - C - F- F- C] Glenn Jones showed me this tuning and I proceeded to write about seven songs using it.  Dogwood Dulcimer was made by Robbie Long, San Geronimo, CA 1976 [A - A - A - D] I often wonder if the fellow who built this dulcimer is still alive? Simpleton 1956 Gibson LG2 [C - G - C - G - C - E] There was a fellow named John in my hometown who would stand on the corner directing traffic & waving to everyone who passed. In the old days he would have been considered the ‘village idiot” but my folks used to refer to him as the ambassador of good will.  Cold Dark Hollow 1956 Gibson LG2 [D - A - D - F - A - D] A cold dark hollow is an eerie place when the sun is about to go down… I tried to capture that feeling. Avondale Strut Tacoma DM1812E3 12 String [C - G - C- E - G - C] The part of town where the black folks lived… my romanticized idea of a regular Friday night there.  A Drink w/Stephen F 1995 Martin 00016GT [Std tuning] Legend has it that Stephen Foster drank himself to death in the North American Hotel and left this world with 38 cents in his pocket. Which brings us back to the amount of coins in my pocket… let me check… hmmm …39 cents. Bad Part Of Town Deering "Good Time" banjo [G- D - G - B - D] There’s a ‘Bad Part’ in every town… And I’ve been to a LOT of towns Kentucky 1990 Gibson J100 [D - A - D - F - A - D] I’m not sure what this one is about. Come Back John 1968 Gibson B25 12 String [ A# - F - A# - F - A# - D] This is me trying my damndest to write a John Fahey tune… inspired by Sunflower River Blues, which John taught me how to play backstage at Bob Baxter’s Guitar Workshop, 1977.

[fluxwire]

RWBY series Hogwarts sorting.

[WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ALL SEASONS AIRED]

This… ended up a lot longer than I imagined. Anyway, I started writing this a while back so here you go! A sorting post of RWBY using @sortinghatchats sorting system. I highly recommend you read their overview post here to make sense of this longass analysis. But in case you go tl;dr on that your primary is why you do things, and your secondary is how you do it.

TEAM RWBY  ONLY (read under the cut)

I. Ruby

Our very young Ruby Rose is a Gryffindor primary. In fact, hers is the classic case of a Gryffindor hero - she wants to be a huntress because she wants to like the great heroes in fairy tales. She doesn't train to be a huntress because she values human life, she trains to be a huntress because she wants to save the day. And she sticks to this goal - she is adamant to the point of being comfortable in her ideals, never questioning the path she's chosen even as it gets difficult to trek.

Her Gryffindor secondary is seen in the way she charges into a battle, much like her semblance which is speed, she is quick and impulsive. While she seems to have adopted a more strategic style of combat when taking on bigger foes with her team, when left with her own devices, she charges without a second thought. You see this in the way she tries to speed her way out of Torchwick's hold, and in the way she tries to charge at Mercury in an attempt to escape. You even see this in the way she tries to convince Penny that it's alright for the Atlasian guards to see her and Penny together, because she doesn’t understand why there’s a need for them to be dishonest.

She's got a Ravenclaw secondary model, that really works well when she’s able to balance it with her Gryffindor Secondary. She has an extensive knowledge of weapons and she raves about them being extensions of a human. She uses her model to strategize group attacks. In ‘Players and Pieces’ when they take down the Nevermore, Ruby plans out their very first group attack and when she tells Weiss about her very flamboyant (and might I add, quite Gryffindor in nature) plan, Weiss comments, “of course you would come up with a plan like this.” Even when she’s planning, she doesn’t lose touch of her Gryffindor secondary for a single moment.

II. Weiss

Our dear snow princess is a Slytherin primary, which isn’t surprising considering how she was born into aristocracy. I know people will say that her leaving her family to train as a huntress doesn’t seem like Slytherin move, but Weiss’ loyalty is to the Schnee family name. Not necessarily to the members of the family itself (as you can see by the way she avoids her father), but much of Weiss’ motivations and actions are related to the Schnee family name and its preservation.

In ‘The Shining Beacon’, she gets furious over Ruby hitting her suitcases full of Schnee Dust by the Schnee Dust Company. In ‘The Stray’, when she fights with her teammate Blake over her views of the White Fang and Faunus, her defense is rooted in the violence the Schnee family name has received from the White Fang. When she and Blake make up in the episode after, Weiss decides she doesn’t need to hear Blake’s winded explanation about the White Fang because Blake’s part of her inner circle now and it doesn’t matter what crimes she’s committed in the past.

In ‘Mountain Glenn’, when team RWBY sans Ruby discuss why they actually became huntresses, Weiss says she knows that her family’s company has done terrible things and feels responsible to make up for it. She wants to make things right, not necessarily because it needs to be right but because it’s her family name who has done wrong. If she were a Gryffindor, she would’ve dropped her family name immediately.

She’s ambitious and wants to be the leader of the team right off the bat, she befriends Pyrrha with the idea of  “getting good grades and ruling the school.” I think it’s pretty safe to say that she’s Slytherin primary through and through.

Weiss’ secondary on the other hand is a nice Ravenclaw secondary. What’s interesting about RWBY is a lot of their semblances and combat styles reflect their personalities, and by extension, their houses. Weiss’ semblance are her glyphs which she can use as launchers, accelerators, etc. Her semblance allows her to plan out her moves during a fight just a little in advance.

Weiss is also a constant perfectionist. At the start of the series you hear her constantly reminding herself before combat, “You can do this Weiss, remember your training,” and proceeds to correct her posture down to the very last inch before striking. And before the Vytal Festival, she drags the team to the docks so she can spy on the competition and learn their skills beforehand. Weiss plans in a similar way Hermione’s Ravenclaw secondary does.

III. Blake

Blake’s a Stripped Gryffindor primary. In fact, Blake’s primary had already started stripping long before the series started.

In Black and White, Blake explains that when the new administration of the White Fang had started organizing attacks, Blake realized that although they were being treated as equals it wasn’t out of respect but out of fear. Being a Gryffindor primary, she had an idealistic vision of achieving equality without causing more violence, and upon seeing that violent methods could ironically give them a better position in society, her purpose for fighting and her moral compass end up clashing with each other. She decides that her vision doesn’t involve inflicting violence upon others and leaves the White Fang (or more accurately, runs away from the White Fang.)

Blake even details that her semblance mirrors how she always runs away from conflict and judging by her recent visit to her family, she probably ran away from them too. This is extremely common for Stripped Gryffindors because even though Blake knows what the “right thing to do is”, she’s not sure if she can keep doing the right thing anymore, even if she wants to. When she doesn’t run away and feels the need to charge, like in Welcome to Beacon and Extracurricular, she is visibly out of control. She doesn’t eat, sleep, or try to socialize with any of her members because all she can think of is that she should be doing something about it, even though she knows she can’t.

As for her secondary, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t pinned this down yet. I’m thinking she’s likely to be an improvisational house which would either make her Slytherin or Gryffindor. I’m a bit more inclined to believe she’s Slytherin secondary. Do message me if you have any ideas?

IV. Yang

Finally! The last member of Team Ruby. Yang Xiao Long, like Weiss Schnee, is a Slytherin primary. I knew right off the bat Yang was a loyalist house. I originally sorted her as Hufflepuff primary because of her sociability, the instances she’s shown compassion towards the Faunus, and her willingness to give Blake the benefit of the doubt when they found out she was from the White Fang. But upon looking closely at her character, it’s pretty easy to see that Yang really only cares about a few things: her hair, her sister and family, and her team. These are things she considers hers, which is classic Slytherin.

Unlike Weiss who is visibly selective of people she befriends, Yang is generally friendly to everyone, as seen in ‘Shining Beacon Pt. 2’. However, this doesn’t mean that Yang doesn’t have an inner circle. Yang simply doesn’t treat anyone any nicer or meaner compared to how fiercely caring she is of her sister Ruby, exhibiting lots of patience to help her - patience which at that point of the series did not extend to Blake just yet as seen when Yang tells Ruby to leave because Blake is a “lost cause”. As the series progresses however, we see Yang expanding her inner circle to include her teammates, with Yang going as far as sharing her personal story about her quest to find her mother to calm Blake down.

Yang isn’t necessarily as ambitious as Weiss career-wise, but she is just as competitive over things she has interest in. She gets pissed over losing at a board game, she jokingly insults her uncle when she beats him at video games. She’s confident of her looks and skills and is not afraid to boast.

Yang’s secondary is obviously Gryffindor. She’s brazen and outspoken and appears to enjoy thrill-seeking. I’m thinking she probably resembles the Weasley twins when it comes to surface level personality.

Much like the rest of team RWBY (sans Blake) her combat style resembles her secondary house. Yang charges through everything. Her father points out in ‘Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back’ that in combat, she’s extremely predictable. This is because her secondary is inherently not a situational one like the Slytherin secondary. She doesn’t adapt, she charges head first. Her semblance is also plenty inspirational in nature. Being able to draw strength from every hit she gets is a pretty good metaphor for how Gryffindors often take hits they don’t even need to take to win a battle because they’re charging without thinking, but winning after looking badly beaten gives hope to the “underdogs.”

In ‘Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back’ Yang starts to show signs of building what might be a Slytherin or Ravenclaw secondary model/performance, so that’ll be something to look forward to!

SEMI-FINAL SORTINGS:

Ruby Rose: Gryffindor Primary, Gryffindor Secondary with Ravenclaw Secondary Model.

Weiss Schnee: Slytherin Primary, Ravenclaw Secondary

Blake Belladonna: Gryffindor Primary, undecided secondary (most likely Slytherin or Gryffindor)

Yang Xiao Long: Slytherin Primary, Gryffindor Secondary

[ncmagroup]

by Lindsay Tigar

Let’s be honest: There’s tons of advice out there about best practices for interviews. From what you should (and shouldn’t) wear to the most strategic ways to prepare, everyone aims to perform at their highest professional level when they’re going for a gig they really want.Once you make it through the first couple of rounds, you’re often sent straight to the top, where the CEO will make or break your invitation to join the company. This can be even more nerve-racking since you hope to impress your could-be manager or boss’s boss. The most effective way to set yourself up for success — and earn that offer letter — is to take it straight from influential leaders themselves.

Here, CEOS who have interviewed hundreds to thousands of applicants shed insight on what catches their attention in an interview:

How you greet them — and leave them

CEO and co-inventor of the Electronic Alchemy Dr. Chance Glenn says he’s not too concerned with appearances, as he is with personality. This starts from the second you walk through the door: How do you greet the people you meet?

“The body language, the confidence, the level of charisma demonstrated. This is an indication of how successful this potential employee will have within a team environment, as well as their ability to move upwards within the organization,” he explains.

And it isn’t only about the foot you start off on, but the one you end on, according to Dr. Glenn. It’s important to him that when you exit the interview, he’s impressed. “Leave the interviewer with something that makes them go ‘hmmm!’,” he adds.

How passionate you are

You hear this keyword a lot when people talk about a career they adore — but what is often forgotten is the actual definition of it. The CEO of Amobee, Kim Perell explains “passion” derives from the Latin root for pain. In other words: someone must be so ignited by something they are willing to suffer for it. This pushes them to go above and beyond to be accomplished.

“Passion is the top quality I look for in individuals that I interview because it often translates into hard work, innovation, and loyalty,” she continues. “Passion is what drives you through times of challenge and allows you to thrive despite adversity and a dynamic environment such as adtech where change is the only constant. Disruption creates enormous opportunity.”

How self-aware and flexible you are

Most of the time, the ability to be constructively critical of yourself comes with age and experience. But this skill set is a top priority for many executives, including the president and founder of Notion Consulting, Christine Andrukonis. When you are confident in yourself and understand your own struggles, you innately become more adaptable, too.

“To be successful, candidates need to be able to maximize their strengths, address their development needs and do it with confidence. We live in an increasingly dynamic world, and professionals really need to be able to have a vision and a point of view but also be able to adjust and adapt that perspective to address each specific situation,” she explains.

How respectful you are

You’ve been instructed to mind your P’s-and-Q’s from the time you could speak — and the Golden Rule is forever trendy. The CEO of Globoforce Eric Mosley explains he values a person’s ability to respect not only others, but themselves, too. “In a workplace full of humans, respect is the first step toward social connection and the highest levels of collaboration among colleagues,” he continues.

The first test happens before you open your mouth to introduce yourself, Mosley shares. It begins with being on time and fully prepared for the interview.

“If a person doesn’t have enough self-respect to position themselves for a successful meeting by being on time, informed about the company and position for which they’re applying, can you really expect they’ll operate with the utmost respect for their work or their colleagues?” he shares.

How comfortable you are

In your own skin, in the room, in your ability to perform the job at stake. A strong — yet humble — sense of self goes a long way in the interviewing process, according to the founder of hello products, Craig Dubitsky. It’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, but he notes ‘comfortable’ signals a deeper understanding and appreciation for what the candidate can offer.

“They can’t feel truly comfortable unless they’ve done some research on the company, what they feel the company needs, and how they are just the right person to bring the magic. If they aren’t really sure, they’ll never feel comfortable, and then they’re likely not the easiest, smoothest fit,” he continues.

Another aspect of wearing your resume well is in the same advice you’d hear before going on a first date: make eye contact. Dubitsky says this is a clear sign of connection and ease. “If they feel comfortable with themselves, their abilities, their purpose that their potential fit, they want to engage. And the easiest, quickest way is to look someone in the eyes, and really engage,” he shares.

How you answer the “what’s your weakness?” question

It inevitably will come up more than likely — but are you prepared to answer this tried-and-true inquiry. You better be if you want to get on the CEO of 100% Pure Ric Kostick’s good side. This means not giving a cop-out answer, but actually digging deep and being honest.

“If asked about their biggest weakness, an answer might be ‘I work too hard that I forget to take time for myself’ or ‘’I get into the details too much.’ If a candidate cannot find or admit fault within themselves, they will also not be as receptive to criticism on the job,” he explains. “I’m not looking for a perfect person. I’m looking for a person that will take risk, make mistakes, and be open to constructive criticism to help them grow. A humble person will truly speak to a real weakness.”

How specific you are

While being able to provide succinct yet thoughtful answers is important, the CEO of Care/of, Craig Elbert stresses the importance of details. He doesn’t only want to know what you’ve done from a high level, but the nitty-gritty steps you took to move numbers.

“I notice when candidates speak to specific things they’ve done to execute and actually achieve objectives, rather than just describing theoretical approaches and best practices,” he continues. “There are a lot of smart people out there who know all the answers, but have they actually been able to go out and motivate people to do the work? I want to see them really dig into the minutia of a project in a way that shows they were clearly involved in the results.”

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

7 executives on what they notice the most on job interviews by Lindsay Tigar Let’s be honest: There’s tons of advice out there about best practices for interviews.

[airadam]

Episode 122 : Drop It Heavy

"Scripture tell me no one excluded when rain drippin'..."

- Tobe Nwigwe

This month has been a rough one, but here we are once again with a brand new selection for your headphones and speakers! We remember the great KMG, and then sprinkle the selection with some strong UK tracks, overlook gems, rapid genre jumping, and one absolutely amazing remix. While individually there aren't many obscurities in the mix, I'll be impressed if anyone already knows every track on here...

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Above The Law : V.S.O.P (Remix)

Been waiting a long time to play this one - it was quite a few years of looking to find a decent 12" copy (thanks Discogs!), and then it was one I was determined to save for an anniversary of KMG's passing. The original from the excellent "Black Mafia Life" is proto-G-Funk, but this version puts a just a touch of extra chaos (and bass) into the mix, courtesy of Cold 187um on both occasions. An ode to late-night partying and cognac, but still bringing the battle edge to the second verse, this has KMG handling the hook solo but going back and forth with Cold 187um on the mic. A much underrated tag team from the west!

Jigmastas : Too Ill (Instrumental)

I love the fact that the "Resurgence" album came with a complete set of instrumentals, just so you can get that DJ Spinna flavour undiluted - here's just a taste!

Tobe Nwigwe ft. FAT : PEEP GAME

Another #GetTwistedSundays killer! I'm bringing this Texan back for a second appearance in the last four months, with a track I think a lot of you will really enjoy. The producer Nell brings a fresh style, with some great change-ups in the beat - and the other half of the bargain is held up with skills galore. Tobe absolutely crams meaning (and syllables) into his devastating monotone flow, and his wife FAT provides a great spoken-word-like breakdown in an efficient eight-bar appearance. This is a trio of brilliant artists (along with their video crew) doing amazing things.

BADBADNOTGOOD ft. Kaytranada & Snoop Dogg: Lavender (Nightfall Remix)

Canada's BBNG first released the original version of this track on their "IV" album, but Snoop Dogg heard it and somehow knew it could benefit from his own unique enhancement! This version ended up as an inclusion on his 2017 "Neva Left" album; his added verse addressing police brutality, in addition to the controversial video, thrust it into the consciousness of a much larger audience. 

DRS : All Time High

I was reminded of this track from the new "From The Deep" LP when DRS performed it live at a Manchester International Festival event recently. He's one of the most important artists the Manchester scene has ever had, with his influence spreading far and wide - whether fully acknowledged or not. While he's now mostly known for his drum & bass work, he was of course one-third of Broke 'n' English (alongside Strategy and Konny Kon) and this album has him displaying his Hip-Hop skills over the production of Pitch 92. 

Lowkey : Hand On Your Gun

If you like politics in your Hip-Hop, then Lowkey is someone you should definitely be checking for - a British MC of Iraqi descent, he brings his worldview to the mic with strength every time. His second album, "Soundtrack To The Struggle" gives us this stinging condemnation of some of the big players in the global arms trade, with ShowNProve providing the Wild West-themed track.

Kaytranada ft. Karriem Riggins and River Tiber : Bus Ride

A nice instrumental from the "99.9%" album. The guest star Karriem Riggins gets busy on the drums in a subtle way through most of the track before showing out right at the end with a little double-time flair!

Children of Zeus : Respect Mine

"Travel Light" is now a year old and it's still getting just as much play as it did on release! Juga-Naut on production, Mr.Thing on the sharp cuts, and Tyler and Konny Kon putting it down on the mic make up a major league quartet.

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Norah Jones : Let It Ride

As strong as this track is, it's not even one of my top three from "Black Radio 2", which speaks to just how good that album is! Mark Colenburg earns his money on the double-time drumming that you'd think had to be a programmed drum machine, setting a furious pace that the rest of the groove languidly follows. The bass and piano are low-key and do their thing without upstaging Norah Jones on the vocal of this classy cut.

Janelle Monáe : Cold War

This is an absolutely furious cut. The video is definitely worth a watch - similar to the one for Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", it stays focused on her face for the entire running length and is packed with emotion, as are the lyrics. Clearly one of the standouts on "The ArchAndroid", with the themes of isolation and struggle articulated by one of the best artists of this era.

OutKast : B.O.B

I've been wanting to do the blend from "Cold War" to this for ages! One of my favourite tracks from this duo, this pretty much made my brain explode when I first heard it back in 2000. I was surprised to find out recently that this wasn't a big hit even on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, but they were actively trying to go against the grain and a lot of the audience probably just wasn't ready. To me, this is Andre and Big Boi at the peak of their lyrical games, keeping up with a track that really would fit the name "organised noize" - but was actually produced by the group themselves alongside Mr.DJ. That's a real gospel choir you're hearing on the hook and the outro, a really serious guitarist letting loose all over the track, and a real MPC being beaten into submission for those drums. Stone classic from the "Stankonia" LP. Oh, and "got a son on the way by the name of Bamboo"? Well, time flies...

[The Alchemist] Cam'ron : Wet Wipes (Instrumental)

This fit the bill here as something electronic-sounding that was also half the speed of the frenetic OutKast track, allowing us to come back down to earth a bit. The Alchemist cooked up a thudding, menacing beat for what was a typically disrespectful Cam'ron track from 2006's "Killa Season". This was actually Alchemist's first MPC beat (he was a devotee of the ASR-10 up to this point) and has the chopping and aggression that is very reminiscent of a track he did years later, Raekwon's "Surgical Gloves".

The Lady of Rage : Raw Deal

I finally sat down to listen to the "Necessary Roughness" album from front to back for the first time recently, and I can confirm that it was indeed slept-on. This was probably a consequence of it being pushed further and further back by Death Row, until it finally got a very quiet release in 1997. If you'd forgotten about the skills that made her a people's favourite, here's a reminder over a Daz Dillinger and Tyrone Wrice beat, laid-back enough to give her the space to get busy. 

Glenn Lewis : Don't You Forget It (Curtis Lynch Remix)

FIRE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥! The original Glenn Lewis cut from "World Outside My Window") has always been a favourite of mine, and it's one you don't want to mess up with a clumsy remix - for example, the Desert Storm attempt with the most "missing the point" guest rap verse in music history. I can't remember how I found this one, but it stunned me - the re-interpretation is perfect. Lewis is from Trinidadian and Jamaican roots, and the move to connect with someone like London's Curtis Lynch for this remix was a natural but also an inspired move. It sounds like this one has been re-voiced rather than just swapping instrumentals, and it's a rootsy dancehall masterpiece with the drums, bass, and every single accent on point. Turn this one all the way up!

London Grammar : Non Believer

I'm not even sure what genre you'd count this as - Wikipedia claims "indie pop", but even that doesn't quite hit the mark. For me there are definite vibes of what they used to call "trip-hop" - I can imagine previous eras of Portishead or Massive Attack doing a tune like this. This track from "Truth Is A Beautiful Thing" is itself a melancholic beautiful thing, with Hannah Reid's crystal-clear vocals soaring over the moody beat.

Sean Price & Illa Ghee : 2Pac by the Locker

If you know "Juice", you know what this title is all about! I'd describe the track as "short and sweet", if there was anything remotely street about it. Sean P and Illa Ghee come through like a pair of brass knuckles as they do on every other cut on the "Metal Detectors" EP - just beasting.

Jake One : Gangsta Boy (Instrumental)

Coming through slamming like a new take on Dre's "Lyrical Gangbang", this is a monster of a beat from Jake One's "White Van Music Instrumentals". It had to be, since the MCs on the vocal version are the rugged neva smoove M.O.P.

Raekwon : Canal Street

Raekwon is one of the greatest picture painters in Hip-Hop history and this is an absolute art masterclass. From the first lines "All of our fathers is bank robbers, holding TECs/Eights of hero'n, shooting in the steps" he grabs your mind's eye and never lets it go until the track ends. Flawless street imagery all the way from "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt.II" to such an extent that the video actually takes away from it! Icewater Productions bring a fairly well-used sample in that brings the crime-flick menace the lyrical content demands. One nice touch on the production side - the sudden turn up of the volume in a matter of a beat or two in the transition from the intro to the first verse - definitely makes it hit you in the chest.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

  Check out this episode!