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drivingsideways · 3 years ago

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Seo-ryeong and Tae-eul, allies

She sees her shoes before she sees the rest of her.

Correction: she sees her feet, before she sees the rest of her- the tension of the high arch radiating up to the calves revealed by the thigh high slit of her indigo skirt, as she climbs the stairs ahead of Tae-eul. It's a quick, confident gait: the stilettoes not wavering a centimeter. Tae-eul, slowing down, feels her back tense in sympathetic reaction.

She pauses at the door, hand raised to knock, when she realizes that she's not alone, and turns.

Tae-eul has already realized who it is, so she's able reply with composure.

"Madam Prime Minister, what a surprise."

The stairs give Koo Seo-Ryeong even more of an advantage; she looms, larger than life, than reality itself on Tae-eul's doorstep, her expression guarded.

"Detective Jeong," says Koo Seo-Ryeong coolly. "I'm glad to find you at home."

A pause, an upward curl of lip.

"Your real home."

"I'm sorry it's not fit to greet Your Excellency," Tae-eul says, mildly, as she reaches the landing. Koo Seo Ryeong doesn't step back, so she has to awkwardly move in the small space between the door and the giraffe behind her to unlock her door. Perhaps it was something in the water in Corea, she reflects, but they really did seem to produce people who couldn't resist being unnecessarily dramatic.

Koo Seo-Ryeong waits until the lights are switched on before she ducks her head to step over the threshold. She looks around, taking everything in- there's not much, Tae-eul admits, but it still feels like exposing her underbelly to a predator. But Jeong Tae-eul isn't a fool; she knows which battles to pick.

As does Prime Minister Koo, she thinks, watching her face as her gaze lights on the wall with the photographs. Without a word, she makes her way to it; saunters, really, like a giant, sleek cat strolling the savannah. The tension from the stairs is gone, replaced by indolence; which one is the act, Jeong Tae-eul wouldn't place bets on.

"Would you like something to drink?" Tae-eul says, after a minute.

"Hmm?"

Koo Seo-Ryeong tilts her head, showing off her lovely profile, her porcelain-cheek finely contoured, the elegant line of her neck. Her hair is coiled in a loose bun settled at her nape, a delicate white- jade hairpin holding it in place. She looks like the queen she intends to be.

"No."

"Suit yourself," Tae-eul says, shrugging, as she walks to the counter and turns the coffee maker on. "Personally, I find that caffeine helps speed up my brain."

Koo Seo-Ryeong turns toward her then, a half-smile playing on her cherry red lips.

"What's the hurry," she drawls. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

A pause, then a long, fair hand lifted to cover her mouth, showing off perfectly manicured nails in that same blood-red as her shoes. "Oh, that's right, you must be waiting for His Majesty."

Oh for the love of—

"What do you need my help for?"

"Did I say that I needed your help?"

Tae-eul rolls her eyes, as the coffee-maker hisses behind her.

"Your Excellency," she says, trying to use her best traffic-cop-explaining-rules-to-eighty year old ahjumma-in-a sedan-voice, "I can't imagine anything less than an emergency has brought you to my door. So, let's get to it."

"Where's your mother?" Koo Seo-Ryeong asks.

Tae-eul blinks at her.

"Dead," she says, after a minute. "I was five, it was cancer, there was nothing we could do."

She thinks rapidly, trying to remember the factoids of Koo Seo-ryeong's life that she'd devoured during her brief time in Corea.

"Where's yours?" she asks, but she thinks she knows the answer.

"Lee Lim's got her," says Koo Seo-Ryeong, casually, as though reporting the weather, "Somewhere here, in this world."

"Are you sure?" Tae-eul asks, after a moment. "It's my understanding that he usually—that he doesn't leave any loose ends," she amends, at the last minute, because there's something in the rigid nonchalance of Koo Seo-Ryeong's face that tells her she's not ready to hear the words "dead" and "your mother" in the same sentence.

"Somewhere in this world," Koo Seo-Ryeong repeats, "I'm sure."

"And you want me to help you find her," Tae-eul prods.

Seo-Ryeong shrugs. "You're a detective aren't you- and you and that little hound dog that follows you around- you've been investigating Lee Lim for a while now, so—"

Tae-eul sends up a prayer of thanks that hyungnim isn't around to hear this.

"Why should I, though?" Tae-eul asks.

It's not that she hasn't already made up her mind- taking down the bad guy is the job description, hello, and that's the golden rule even if the person who benefits from the work is a snake—but Koo Seo-Ryeong is a mystery she'd never thought she'd get a chance to solve, and here she was, delivered to her doorstep.

Plus, this was work.

Koo Seo-Ryeong looks bored.

"Do I have to explain the advantages of taking down a common enemy? Are you really the child you look like?"

Tae-eul takes a sip of coffee to hide her grin- but not fast enough, because Koo Seo-Ryeong's expression changes into a storm cloud.

"I see," she says.

Then the expression smoothens out, like a magic wand has been waved.

It was fascinating.

Tae-eul wonders if she'd ever thought of a career as an actor, and then reflects that Koo Seo-Ryeong's makjang style was probably more suited to her current career.

"If those are the games you like," the Prime Minister of Corea is drawling, "I can guarantee that His Majesty is going to bore you to death in two weeks."

"I'll take my chances," says Tae-eul placidly, hopping onto the kitchen counter, and swinging her legs. "Alright, eonni- I can call you that, right? Since we'll be working together and all? Tell me everything you know."

"You may not call me eonni," says Her Excellency, from her throne at the center of Master Jeong's 2 x 4, "And I will tell you what you need to know."

"See," says Tae-eul, slurping her coffee loudly and enjoying the barely hidden wince from the woman opposite her, "That kind of thing isn't going to work. All or nothing, Your Excellency."

"The things that you don't know, and I do, could fill the library of Sungkyunkwan," declares Koo Seo-Ryeong.

A pause.

"I will answer any questions pertinent to the situation."

"Cool, cool," says Tae-eul, "I can live with that. What's your favourite dish, Your Excellency?"

A glare.

"Why is that relevant?"

"It’s relevant to our dinner plans. I can't think when I'm hungry."

A (glorious) sneer.

"Pathetic," says the woman who possibly secretly smoked two packs a day to remain that svelte and run a country.

Tae-eul shrugs, pulling her phone out. "Alright, fried beef dumplings it is, then. I take it you won't mind it spicy?"

They're poring over the files that Koo Seo-Ryeong had brought- intelligence reports, and her own notes from her meetings with Lee Lim, comparing them with the information that Tae-eul has so far on her side, when the doorbell rings.

"Oh yum, food," says Tae-eul springing up and scooting to the door.

It's Jo Yeong, looking like Doom, as usual.

"Oh, not food," she says, disappointed, and steps aside to let him make his dramatic entrance.

Seriously, Coreans.

But hyungnim's right behind him- or would be, if he wasn't leaning against the railing with a put-upon look on his face.

Behind her, she can hear the exchange of artillery fire as Captain Jo Yeong meets the bane of his life in Master Jeong's living room.

She closes the door behind her.

"So, what, you and that crazy woman are allies now?" Kang Sin-jae asks, as he thrusts a bag at her, from which the delicious smell of fried dumplings wafts up.

"Nope," she says, rooting around in the brown paper bag, because she knows a fried food aficionado when she sees one, and if she doesn't get to her share now, it was unlikely that Koo Seo-Ryeong would be considerate enough to leave her any. Besides, for a woman like Koo Seo-Ryeong, ally would rank higher that blood-brother or soulmate for other mortals, and Tae-eul hadn't earned it. Not yet. There was time, she thinks, for that.

"Nah," she says, again, over half a mouthful of crunchy goodness. "just two people working together. Shall we go in before there are bodies to bury?"

"What, again?" mutters hyungnim, but he opens the door for her, and follows her in.

#*offers this up to senpai *#*scurries away *#tkem #the king eternal monarch

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nickgerlich · 4 years ago

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Count Your Pennies

Brick and mortar retailing has been taking it on the chin for a number of years now, but this year has accelerated every trend that was in place before the pandemic set in. Many companies with co-morbidities have either filed for bankruptcy protection, or shuttered completely.

But then there is the case of JC Penney, the longstanding department store chain born in 1902 to one James Cash Penney. No, really. That was his name. With 840 locations in the US today, the chain had lost its relevance and was foundering on its own. The pandemic sent that tailspin into over-drive, only to see the chain be rescued by Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners this last September for $800 million in cash and debt.

That was a hell of a deal for shareholders, who were able to cash out--ahem, in keeping with the founder’s name--before the company could completely tank. But as time wears on, it is becoming pitifully apparent that while JC Penney is trying to survive the holidays and exit bankruptcy, its future still looks grim.

And I can’t help but remember that I called this a few months ago.

The problem is that two companies with zero history in retailing, but both with an immense background in mall ownership and management, purchased JCP. That is a recipe for disaster. It would be like the bank buying McDonald’s if they were ever to fall into financial disrepair. Simon and Brookfield bought JCP not so much because they thought the chain has a future, but instead because of their own self-interest.

They did not want their malls to look empty if Penney’s were to go completely under.

I get it. The absence of Sears in many American malls is bad enough. Stir in some Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Belk, and others, and malls are starting to look like a ghost town. Take away Penney’s, and about all you have left is Dillard’s. Suddenly the neighborhood doesn’t look so attractive.

But this is just a case of good money chasing bad, and I saw this yesterday at the Penney’s in Amarillo. Thanks to a very serious weight loss regime of diet and intense exercise this year, to the tune of at least 50 pounds going by the wayside, I am in serious need of a new wardrobe. Yes. Seriously. My clothes look like they should have come with tent poles. It’s that bad. I have been reluctant to venture out during the pandemic to shop, but at my wife’s coaxing, finally decided to get at least a few new pieces just in case I need to be seen in public again. You know. As in dressed at least business casual.

Since our local Jos. A Bank has closed, and Dillard’s has limited shopping hours, I found myself inside JC Penney at Westgate Mall yesterday morning. I couldn’t believe what I saw, because the last time I had walked through, which was a long time ago, the place looked like a dump with rack after rack crammed together. It was a zoo that screamed disorganized and cheap.

Imagine my surprise when I saw everything spaced out as if this were a high-dollar department store, so much so that I could see many square feet of uncovered carpeting. I had difficulty finding a long-sleeve shirt in my new, svelte size, and actually saw an employee wandering aimlessly.

I asked him for assistance, but before he went to the stockroom, I asked if the lack of inventory was because of COVID. He replied, “No. It’s because we can’t get delivery trucks, and when we do, it’s often wrong.” Wow. In other words, the stark, spare look of the local JCP was not by design, but because they cannot stock their own stores. Now whether their supply chain problems are because of COVID is uncertain, or maybe the newly-purchased company just can’t get its head above water.

Either way, I left there with only two shirts and two pairs of pants, which I could not try on because I couldn’t find a fitting room. I would have bought more, but they simply did not have much on hand. If I were 240 pounds, I would have been able to buy all the pants and shirts I wanted, but we skinny guys--ahem--are just out of luck at Penney’s right now.

Which makes us all question why Simon and Brookfield would divvy up $800 million for a sinking ship, one of which they knew nothing how to manage. It’s one thing for your parents to bail you out when you hit a rough patch; it’s quite another when heavy hitters break open the checkbooks and fork over enough money to run several cities.

I am not holding my breath for JC Penney, and will try on these pants today in case I need to make a return. Because I just don’t see a bright and rosy future for them.

Dr “Saving My Nickels And Dimes“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #retail #malls #JC Penney #bankruptcy #pandemic #COVID-19

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standbyphoenix · 6 years ago

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Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama by Matt Wake

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor.

The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them.

On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music.

At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit. Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig.

“And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving.”

The South Florida native wasn’t the only drummer auditioning that day at Rubin’s house. There were 25 or so “L.A. rocker dudes” at the “cattle call” that day “decked-out in leather, nose rings and tattoos.” In sneakers, jeans, sweatshirt and short haircut, Greenbaum looked more college-kid than arena-ready. In the end, the gig didn’t go to a dude at all. Cindy Blackman, a virtuosic jazz musician who happens to be female, deservedly became Kravitz’s next drummer. Still, Greenbaum says he got two callbacks to jam with Kravitz over the course of a week.

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science.

His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty."

But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

While some actors’ musical projects can be of dubious quality, Phoenix had legitimate singer/songwriter talent. “Music was a need of his,” Greenbaum says. “That’s why he put so much effort into a band, trying to make it in the music business, which of course would’ve come easier for him than anyone else that wasn’t famous already.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s.

Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa - 1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

“We had some successful tours,” says Greenbaum, who’s resided in Maui for more than 20 years. “People showed up because they wanted to hear what River’s band was like, but once they got there they were like, ‘Damn this really is a good band,’ and we had some real authentic fans of the music, for the music, not just because it was River.”

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Back then, Sandee Curry was attending Lee High School and delivering pizzas part-time. She was also "obsessed with anything Hollywood-related." When she and friend Michelle Woodson heard about Phoenix's band's upcoming Tip Top Café show, they resolved to attend. "River Phoenix is coming to Huntsville, my hometown? This doesn't happen," Curry says. As many people who lived in Huntsville then are aware, in addition to hosting touring and local bands, Tip Top was known for being extremely easy to get into under-age, so she'd been to shows there before.

Curry brought her snapshot camera to the show. The camera was freshly loaded with black and white film, and she took photos of Aleka’s Attic that night. When she got the film developed later, mixed in with random friend pics were onstage shots of Phoenix, singer Rain Phoenix (River’s sister), bassist Josh McKay, violist Tim Hankins and drummer Greenbaum.

At the Tip Top that night, River Phoenix played a Stratocaster guitar and sported facial scruff, a white T-shirt and camouflage pants. Curry recalls the famous actor being somewhat withdrawn onstage. “If I’m remembering correctly, he was mostly doing backing vocals,” she says. “The bassist and Rain were doing a lot of the singing.” Although Greenbaum says River Phoenix was the songwriter and lead singer on most Aleka’s Attic’s material, fans interviewed for this story recall Rain Phoenix being the focal point onstage during the band’s Alabama shows.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.”

She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

At the Tip Top, Curry purchased one of the cassette tapes Aleka's Attic was selling at the time. "I listened to that tape a lot and it turned me into a fan" of the band, Curry says. She considered herself "a hippie" and her listening tastes also included The Doors. Curry kept her Aleka's Attic tape until about 10 years ago when she gave it to a friend's young sister who was fascinated with Phoenix: "She was really impressed by this cassette."

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out.

“They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

The Aleka's Attic show had been the talk of the bar for weeks. Vira Ceci was bartending that night at Tip Top. She recalls Phoenix being "so nice" when she asked him to autograph a cocktail napkin for her cousin, and says the actor was "easily the most accessible member of the band." Ceci, currently employed as a technical writer, recalls the Aleka's Attic show being "pretty busy for a weeknight" and thinks the bar probably charged their typical, $5 cover that night.

Lance Church owned, ran and booked the Tip Top during its prime. He remembers the motor-home Aleka's Attic toured in arriving early in the afternoon and parked in the gravel lot across the street. There was some advance promotion and local press coverage and Church recalls "parents were bringing kids over to sign their movie posters."

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

In 1991 and several years into his acting career, Phoenix was just 21 years old. Church still keeps a photo of he and Phoenix shaking hands inside the Tip Top. "He seemed like a really good kid to me," says Church, now a manager at a chain restaurant. "He was polite. He didn't come in there like he was too good for the place or nothing. He was humble, a very likeable guy. He was giggly - he was just a kid."

Church says there'd been many phone calls in to the Tip Top in the week leading up to the Aleka's Attic gig, people asking about start time and such. In the end, he thinks about 100 people attended the show, inside the cinderblock building's mechanics-garage-sized interior. The Billiter sisters were among those attendees: Grace, then 18, Becca, 16, and Jo, 14 - all students at Westminster Christian Academy. (Again, the Tip Top was way easy to get into.) That night, Grace drove them to the Aleka's Attic show in her classic pink Volkswagen Beetle. Back at their family's northside Huntsville home, the sisters displayed River Phoenix photos on their bedroom walls, along with images with other hotties of the day, including Mel Gibson and Billy Idol. Other bands back then the sisters liked included INXS.

Expecting to see Phoenix as he'd appeared as a svelte longhaired Indiana Jones in the latest "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sequel, the Billiters were surprised to see him onstage with a haircut Becca remembers as "choppy and punky." Jo says Phoenix's singing voice "sounded good, a little gravely" and had "nice harmony with his sister." But what's really seared into Jo's hippocampus is she was in the same room with "hands-down my favorite movie star." When the band was on break, the sisters got to meet their idol. Phoenix even briefly, sweetly put his arm around Jo. "I think my heart stopped for a couple beats," she recalls. Looking back, Becca says, "I love that it was the three sisters" that got to share resulting, VW-wide smiles that night.

James Dixon, a University of Alabama student then, attended Aleka's Attic's Ivory Tusk show. On the sidewalk out front of the Tusk, he saw Phoenix leaning up against a nearby light-pole, smoking a cigarette. "That was the days before selfies and things like that," recalls Dixon, who works in financial services in Birmingham. "People would say, 'Hey, River,' and the coeds were swooning over him, but he wasn't being hassled. He seemed laid-back."

Inside, the Ivory Tusk was packed. Earlier that day, Kelli Staggs and friend Lori Watts were playing pinball on a machine inside the bar while the band was doing their soundcheck. One Aleka's Attic musician came over and said hello, then Phoenix, recalls Staggs, who now works in Huntsville as a defense contract specialist. Later that night, Staggs says Aleka's Attic performed, in addition to their material, a version of far-out Jimi Hendrix tune "Third Stone from the Sun." After they played their Hendrix cover, the band asked the crowd if they knew that song. "It was like they were trying to weed out who was there for the music, and who was just there to see him because he was famous," Staggs says. Staggs was an art major at University of Alabama, where she'd seen alternative bands like 10,000 Maniacs perform at local venues.

Aleka's Attic drummer Josh Greenbaum recalls the band enjoying their Alabama shows. "I remember good energy, a good crowd. I remember getting treated pretty well." (Greenbaum has a random memory of one or more of these Alabama venues having troughs instead of urinals in the men's room.) He recalls Tip Top as "a dive, and we loved it for that reason. It was very endearing." In Tuscaloosa, he met a friend named Nancy Romine he's stayed in touch with. "During the same Southeast run, Greenbaum says Aleka's Attic did a show in Knoxville, Tenn. that was multitrack recorded and broadcast. In this era, "Lost in Motion," "What We've Done" and "Dog God" went over particularly well live, he says. Greenbaum recalls Phoenix, "loved the creative process of recording. If he had a preference I would say the studio was, probably, because he was a little bit shy and didn't like being in public places so much. But I know he loved playing live too and he did enjoy the touring. He was happy doing both."

Greenbaum was born 13 days before Phoenix. They were just 16 the first time they met, their families were friends. Greenbaum drove his dad's 1977 Chevy van to Phoenix's aunt's house, Phoenix walked out to meet him, then they went inside where Phoenix played him a demo tape of his song "Heart to Get." "It was a cool song," Greenbaum says. "The last of the commercial music that he wrote, as far as I'm concerned." The two teenagers hung out for about an hour then Greenbaum drove back home. A few months later Phoenix called Greenbaum and said he'd met Island Records founder Chris Blackwell backstage at a U2 concert and Blackwell wanted to sign Phoenix to a development deal. Phoenix asked Greenbaum to move to Gainesville - the famously progressive Phoenix family were living in nearby Micanopy - and start a band. He'd get him money each month to help "develop a band, make records and tour." Greenbaum moved to Gainesville in April 1988. He also spent time with Phoenix in Southern California, getting to know each other."

We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents."

At the time, Greenbaum had been playing “Aerosmith-y, commercial blues-influenced metal” in a local group called Toy Soldier, that eventually became semi-famous ’80s rockers Saigon Kick. At one point, Phoenix traveled to South Florida to visit with Greenbaum on a weekend when Toy Soldier was performing. “River had just gotten into (1984 mockumentary film ‘This is) Spinal Tap’ really heavily, and he did a ‘Spinal Tap’-esque video of that weekend, of that gig and the next morning,” Greenbaum says. “It was pretty funny, actually.”

Greenbaum was influenced by populist bands like Van Halen, Bee Gees and Queen. Phoenix introduced him to more quirkier acts like XTC, Roxy Music and Squeeze. As time went on, Phoenix's music became increasingly experimental. "It was deep, for sure," Greenbaum says of his friend's songwriting. "He had a commitment to crafting a masterpiece every time he wrote a song. And it drove me nuts. He was an eccentric person and his method of communication was such he didn't speak in technical music terms. He would speak artistically and metaphorically. He would say things like, 'I want it to sound like a ship on the ocean with the waves crashing up against the hull and birds flying over' or whatever. I would be like, 'OK, can we break that into sixteenth-notes?'"

Aleka's Attic's label, Island Records, was trying to figure out what to do with this music too. Island asked Phoenix to record two new demos to determine if they'd continue backing the project. He was going to be in the Los Angeles area filming the movie "Sneakers" and brought Greenbaum out to help demo songs. The drummer was able to hang on the "Sneakers" set, where he met his friend's costars, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Dan Aykroyd. After Phoenix turned in the new demos to Island, the label deemed the music unmarketable. Aleka's Attic was dropped.

At a certain point, McKay, who’d “butted heads musically and personally” with Phoenix for a while, Greenbaum says, parted ways with the band. Phoenix put together another band called Blacksmith Configuration, that featured Greenbaum and some new musicians, including bassist Sasa Raphael.

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles “Dog God” and “ Senile Felines” were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled “Never Odd or Even,” another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, “an intense night, for whatever reason.” Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend’s downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he’d heard on the radio Phoenix had died. “I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true,” Greenbaum says. “In some way it didn’t surprise me. I didn’t see it coming - I can’t say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme.”

In the wee hours of Oct. 31, Phoenix had collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside West Hollywood, Calif. nightclub The Viper Room, then co-owned by fellow actor/musician Johnny Depp. An autopsy determined cause of death to be “acute multiple drug intoxication.” Cocaine and morphine. Jo Billiter, the young fan who watched Aleka’s Attic’s 1991 show in Huntsville, cried when she heard the news her favorite actor died. “It broke my heart.”

Several fans interviewed for this story said Phoenix seemed a little bleary to clearly buzzed when they’d seen his band perform. Asked if he ever saw Phoenix’s partying on tour reach scary levels, Greenbaum says, “It was a typical rock & roll level. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a bunch of guys in their young 20s playing gigs and having fun, just like any other band.”

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller “Dark Blood.” His next role was slated to be the interviewer in “Interview with a Vampire.”

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, “that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn’t follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call.”

In 2019, Aleka’s Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band’s songs “Where I’d Gone” and “Scales & Fishnails” were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River’s) on a three-song collection called “Time Gone.” The record’s cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix’s music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. “At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River’s music out to the world,’” Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. “That’s why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world.”

As of the reporting of this story, Greenbaum says he hasn’t been contacted about usage of Aleka’s Attic music on “Time Gone.” The drummer found out about the release via messages from Facebook “friends” who are River Phoenix fans. “Rain didn’t consult us, she didn’t inform us, nothing,” Greenbaum says.

At one point during this interview, Greenbaum says he needs to call me back, so he can count out change to pay for groceries. He says he still plays drums with different local Maui cover bands as well as a blues-rock trio and by-day works construction and maintenance jobs.

Kro Records, the label that released “Time Gone,” didn’t respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren’t the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum’s father lived in, on the Phoenixes’ Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it’s something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

After counting out coins in the checkout line, Greenbaum calls back. I ask if he thinks pressures of growing up famous led to what happened to Phoenix. “I wouldn’t doubt it,” he replies. “I definitely see how fame messed with his head, his heart. I think fame has that effect on everybody, which is why everybody wants to be famous, but you hear about all these famous people dropping dead and they’re unhappy, depressed and have drug and alcohol problems. Because fame is unnatural.”

— via AL.com, Feb 19, 2019.

#river phoenix #river #phoenix #josh greenbaum #rain phoenix #alekas attic

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rivjudephoenix · 6 years ago

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New Photo and Article: “Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama” on al.com

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor. The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them. On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music. At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit.

Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig. “And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving”

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science. His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty." But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s. Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

Phoenix formed in Aleka’s Attic in 1987. The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa-1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.” She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out. “They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

"We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents."

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles "Dog God" and " Senile Felines" were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled "Never Odd or Even," another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, "an intense night, for whatever reason." Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend's downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he'd heard on the radio Phoenix had died. "I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true," Greenbaum says. "In some way it didn't surprise me. I didn't see it coming - I can't say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme."

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller "Dark Blood." His next role was slated to be the interviewer in "Interview with a Vampire."

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, "that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn't follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call."

In 2019, Aleka's Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band's songs "Where I'd Gone" and "Scales & Fishnails" were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River's) on a three-song collection called "Time Gone." The record's cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix's music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. "At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River's music out to the world,'" Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. "That's why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world."

Kro Records, the label that released "Time Gone," didn't respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren't the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum's father lived in, on the Phoenixes' Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it's something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

#river phoenix #music #aleka's attic #josh greenbaum #lenny kravitz #flea #red hot chili peppers #rain phoenix #josh mckay #rick rubin

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joannawcrwick · 6 years ago

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* / JOANNA WARWICK STATISTICS.

BASICS

FULL NAME: Joanna Mountbatten of York, Duchess of Warwick

NICKNAME: ‘Jo’

AGE: 26

BIRTHDAY: 19 May 1510

NATIONALITY: British

PLACE OF BIRTH: Burgundy, France

CURRENT LOCATION: Hampton Court, Moseley, England

PRONOUNS: She/her

ORIENTATION: Heterosexual (*kim k voice* tragic)

R-ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic (w/the exception of Anne Boleyn)

OCCUPATION: Noblewoman, Duchess, occasional dabbler in writing.

RELIGION: Catholic

LANGUAGES: English, French, Latin

VOICE: Amanda Seyfried.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

EYE COLOUR: Light blue; the open sea.

HAIR COLOR: Blonde; a golden halo.

HEIGHT: 5′2 / 157.4 cm

BODY BUILD: Svelte, short, soft. Her features are rounded, made ample by the birth of three children but throughout she has retained her thin frame for the most part. Her arms are nimble and her legs have some definition, but she is not physically strong in the slightest.

NOTABLE FEATURES: Large, doe eyes, both expressively blue and captivating; sooty lashes and full lips; a freckle upon her cheek; a plump bosom; delicate, adroit hands and fingers; a long, slender throat; pallidness of complexion that easily yields to blushing.

PHOBIAS & DISEASES/FEARS: Gaining the wrath of the crown, losing her children and her husband’s love, her sister’s caprice, being isolated or alone, anonymity, not accomplishing enough in life on the basis of sex, bringing shame unto her house.

PERSONALITY

GENERAL IMPRESSION: Volatile but amiable; tempestuous yet warm; well-spoken and refined, an impression of ‘nobility’ rolls off her like steam, slightly haughty and presumptuous.

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral –– individualist, values liberty, follows whims, resents restrictions & challenges traditions.

ZODIAC: Taurus –– reliable, practical, ambitious and sensual.

MYERS BRIGGS: ENFJ –– active, demanding, impatient, appreciative. (I didn’t take the test bc it’s long af but this is going off my knowledge on the test/types – she’s also slightly more introverted than extraverted, but I digress!)

TEMPERAMENT: Choleric –– leader, controlling, power-hungry.

GREEK GOD/GODDESS: Ariadne –– the daughter of the King of Crete and wife of Dionysus, associated with mazes and labyrinths.

MISC

LIKES: Writing, poetry; music, intricate compositions; the morning dew, honesty, China dishes and warm tea; ancient texts, legal systems, courtly intrigue; romance novels, suspense and thrillers, charity and hospitality; business, entrepreneurship, legality; religious discourse, butting heads, nonconformity, sensuality.

DISLIKES: Patronising, tradition; misogyny, not getting her way; being ordered about, being without freedom and liberties; being underestimated, being mocked, losing trust, cliffhangers.

HOW ADORABLE IS YOUR MUSE ?

WHAT’S YOUR LOVE STYLE ?

You are a caring, kind, and selfless partner. Unsurprisingly, your love style is the most rare. You are willing to sacrifice your world for your sweetie. Except it doesn't really feel like sacrifice to you. For you, nothing feels better than giving to the one you love.

#tudors.task #* / HC.

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wazafam · 4 years ago

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Angela Deem’s latest Valentine’s Day update shows the 90 Day Fiancé’s most glamorous side after her stunning weight loss. Since telling TLC viewers about her new makeover, Angela angered Michael and also somewhat confirmed the rumors of her upcoming solo fitness spin-off. And through most of 2020, Angela has wowed her IG fans with one mind-blowing slimmed-down look after another.

One 90 Day Fiancé star who’s never been shy of sharing her plastic surgery photos is Angela Deem. After countless seasons of break-ups and explosive fights with her Nigerian love Michael, Angela finally married him in January 2020. And while the problem of Michael and Angela having a baby always loomed largely, the Georgia native announced she was getting weight loss surgery on 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?. The news was surprising and shocking for Michael, who advised her not to, but Angela has always been the stubborn one in the relationship.

Related: 90 Day Fiancé: Angela's Friend 'DJ Doug' Wooten Arrested For Murder

Along with being an Instagram queen, 90 Day Fiancé star Angela has also been quite active on TikTok lately. The Hazlehurst-based meemaw has been wowing her followers by posting cute videos of her grandkids, lip-syncing, and looking like Angela’s “mini-mes.” In her recent TikTok shared by Angie to her Instagram stories, reposted by 90dayfiancefanatics2, she showed off Valentine’s Day presents sent to her by her sister Jo-Jo Disney. “Look what my sissy sent me.. Thank you,” wrote 90 Day Fiancé celeb Angela as a caption.

While not revealing the nature of her surgery, Angela spoke of it helping her lose a few hundred pounds, and was also spotted with fitness expert Natasha Fett off-screen. But ever since, fans have kept their eyes glued to Angela’s Instagram, with her followers growing as she keeps on losing oodles of weight. After showing off her fancy-styled Christmas look in a family portrait with 90 Day Fiancé fan-favorite daughter Skyla and her grandbabies, Angela has shocked fans again with her Valentine’s Day makeover.

But what was really worth looking at apart from the “Be Mine” balloons and the bouquets of multi-colored flowers, was Angela’s svelte, slimmer frame. Sporting sleek, straight hair, Angela wore fresh-faced makeup and a pretty navy and floral dress. Sure, 90 Day Fiancé personality Angela tried her best to hide her trim figure with the text on the video, but fans agreed in the comments that Michael’s wife certainly did look stunning. Angela seems to be dropping weight and revealing her transformation by looking more stunning with every IG upload. It looks like her 90 Day Fiancé solo spin-off may not be too far away.

Next: 90 Day Fiancé: Angela Deem's Daughter Is 'Scared To Death' Of Mean Mom

Source: 90dayfiancefanatics2

90 Day Fiancé: Angela Deem Is Slimmer Than Ever In Cute Valentine's IG Video from https://ift.tt/2Necir5

#Blogger

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t-baba · 4 years ago

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A lot of questions for JavaScript developers

#492 — June 12, 2020

Unsubscribe | Read on the Web

JavaScript Weekly

153 JavaScript Questions (With Their Answers Explained) — Want to test your JavaScript knowledge? Whether for fun or a job interview, this is an interesting set of questions, complete with explanations of the answers. We first linked to this a year ago when it only had about 40 questions, so it’s grown a lot!

Lydia Hallie

An ECMAScript Proposal: Logical Assignment Operators — Dr. Axel covers another proposal in the pipeline for the language that would let us do things like a ||= b or a &&= b as you might in, say, Ruby or Perl.

Dr. Axel Rauschmayer

New Course: React Native — Leverage your JavaScript and React skills for mobile iOS and Android platforms using React Native – ship your very own native mobile applications.

Frontend Masters sponsor

Node Weekly: Our Sister Newsletter for Node Developers — Earlier this week I was speaking with a long time JavaScript Weekly subscriber who hadn’t heard of Node Weekly, our Node-focused weekly newsletter, so I thought I should invite you all to check out the latest issue as we cover a lot of Node things there that we don’t include in JSW :-) Be sure to check out the “7 Interesting Node Modules and Tools” section at the bottom!

Cooperpress

⚡️ Quick bytes:

JSGrids is a handy compilation of the best spreadsheet and data grid libraries so you can compare and pick the right one for you.

VS Code May 2020 has been released with a preview of editor setting syncing between multiple machines, CommonJS auto imports, preserved newlines during JS/TS refactorings, and more.

Excited for Vue 3? There's now an 'awesome' list for Vue 3 resources, links, videos, etc.

MDN has introduced a new front-end development learning pathway to add an opinionated and curated set of tutorials to guide you through learning things like CSS and JavaScript.

There's a JavaScript game you can play in your browser's title bar. Yes, it's open source.

💻 Jobs

JavaScript Developer at X-Team (Remote) — Join X-Team and work on projects for companies like Riot Games, FOX, Coinbase, and more. Work from anywhere.

X-Team

Find A Job Through Vettery — Vettery specializes in tech roles and is completely free for job seekers. Create a profile to get started.

Vettery

📚 Tutorials, Opinions and Stories

An Old School Doom Clone (in 13KB of JavaScript) — I have no idea how we missed this last year, but wow, what a neat piece of work. You can even grab it and play with the code yourself.

Nicholas Carlini

Type Assertions in TypeScript — A way to temporarily override a type, a little like lightweight casting.

Dr. Axel Rauschmayer

How to Deploy a Gridsome App on Azure Static Web Apps — Brings together the Gridsome Vue.js site generator with Azure’s new static app deployment service.

Gift Egwuenu

Bitmovin Magazine 5th Edition: Shaping the Future of Video — Get the latest overview of our products, recent feature releases, current video trends, and customer case studies.

Bitmovin Inc. sponsor

Using Higher-Order Components in React — Learn about higher-order components, the syntax of higher-order components, as well as use cases for them.

Shedrack Akintayo

How to Compare Objects in JavaScript — Compares a few different levels of what ‘equality’ actually is when it comes to JS objects.

Dmitri Pavlutin

Svelte, Why So Much Hype? — A closer look at the component-based library.

Anthony Le Goas

Improving the Rendering Performance of a Large List View in AngularJS 1.2.22 — You’re probably not doing this, but this is a pretty neat look at approaching performance issues in legacy apps.

Ben Nadel

🔧 Code & Tools

njt (npm jump to): A Quick Navigation Tool for npm Packages — njt is a tool you can either use locally (npm install njt first) or on the Web site and it acts as a way to quickly reach a package’s issues, homepage, pull request, and numerous other things. Clever idea.

Alexander Kachkaev

Math.js 7.0: An Extensive Math Library for Node.js and Browser — Work with complex numbers, fractions, units, matrices, symbolic computation, etc.

Jos de Jong

Stream Chat API & JavaScript SDK for Custom Chat Apps — Build real-time chat in less time. Rapidly ship in-app messaging with our highly reliable chat infrastructure.

Stream sponsor

Quotebacks: Embed Quotes Without Losing Context — This is a small library that can embed a quote in an attractive format within the source context. Can also be used as a Chrome extension that saves to local storage.

Tom Critchlow and Toby Shorin

Johnny Five 2.0: A JavaScript Robotics and IoT Programming Framework — If you’d wondered why you haven’t seen much about Johnny Five lately, don’t fear, because… Five is Alive! v2.0 is primarily an internal rewrite release rather than boasting lots of new features, though.

Rick Waldron

Karma 5: A Multiple Real Browser Test Runner for JavaScript — A popular way to test your code in multiple, real browsers at once. GitHub repo.

Karma

React Date Picker 3.0: A Simple and Reusable Date-Picker Component — A mature option that continues to get frequent updates. Demo here.

HackerOne

ModJS: A JavaScript Module for KeyDB and Redis — This isn’t for using Redis (or the KeyDB fork) from JavaScript but for taking JavaScript into the popular data structure server in case you prefer JavaScript to Lua for scripting it.

John Sully

Getting Started With OpenTelemetry In Node.js

Lightstep sponsor

Lightweight Charts 3.0: Canvas-Powered Financial Charts

TradingView, Inc.

tsParticles v1.15.0: A TypeScript Library for Particle Effects — Lots of neat demos in this announcement post. It’s basically Particles.js, but ported to TypeScript. GitHub repo.

Matteo Bruni

Josh.js: A Library to Animate Content on Page Scroll — This effect feels a little overdone nowadays, but this library is small, efficient, and it feels performant to me too.

Al Mamun

SVGuitar: Create SVG-Based Guitar Chord Charts — Very flexible and customizable and you can have a hand-drawn effect as well.

Raphael Voellmy

🗓 Upcoming Online Events

JS Nation (June 18-19) — This free two-day remote conference features over 25 speakers, including Jen Looper, Max Stoiber, John Papa and others.

OpenJS World (June 23-24) — Speakers at this 'virtual experience' include Nicole Sullivan, Prosper Otemuyiwa, Cassidy Williams and more.

CascadiaJS 2020 (September 1-2) — This upcoming online conference is set to take place in September.

by via JavaScript Weekly https://ift.tt/2Yu0uCP

#Javascript Branding #Javascript Weekly

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nt1 · 7 years ago

Text

L’homme moderne

C’est quoi un homme aujourd’hui ? Des références, du style, de l’aplomb, directeur ou chef de quelque chose, des dents qui rayent le parquet. Faut dire que les bonhommes ont bien évolué, on est en 2017, faut vivre avec son temps : t’as un hand spinner tandis que Pokemon Go est has been, c’est l’époque « quinoa, crossfit et vapote », celle qui a remplacé « sexe, drogue et rock’n’roll ». Début des années 2000 fallait être homosexuel ou métrosexuel-jean-slim pour être à la mode, en 2010 c’était hipster barbu tiré à quatre épingles avec des tatoos graphiques téléchargés sur Google image. Aujourd’hui dans un monde global et médiatisé, il faut être trendy, il faut de la disruption, de la réactivité, il faut être flex, un homme moderne dans un présent permanent.

Il est à l’heure. Il va chercher les enfants à l’école car c’est planifié. Il participe au foyer (afin de soutenir la « charge mentale » de sa femme), il commande la livraison des courses. Il connait tout : les bagnoles, le sport, la politique, le cinéma, la littérature, la pêche, la chasse, la mode, la tendance, l’informatique, la cuisine, l’éducation, la résilience et la main dans ta gueule. Tout je te dis. Aujourd’hui il faut tout savoir sur tout. L’homme moderne est svelte, propre, schizophrène et obsédé sexuel. Bon, faut dire que l’obsession pour le sexe traverse les époques. Il est modéré politiquement car il a bien vu que socialistes ou capitalistes, à la fin tout obéit au fric. Il est ouvert d’esprit, arriviste, désabusé. Du coup c’est un hédoniste mélancolique, un social matérialiste, un activiste silencieux. Disons que l’homme moderne fait 50h par semaine pour rembourser son crédit de 35 ans, mais sa maison assoit son statut social, il est chez lui même si techniquement il est chez sa banque. Il roule dans une voiture de 2 tonnes pour transporter 75 kilos. D’ailleurs il transporte ses 75 kilos dans des salles de sport où il pédale sur place. Il fait attention à sa tenue de sport : ses baskets sont assorties à son short. Il tente par tous les moyens d’avoir l’air d’un pro, en toute situation. Il fait attention à ce qu’il mange mais a pleins de petits excès : l’huile, le sel, l’alcool, le tabac, la drogue, le doliprane, le citrate de bétaïne, l’aspirine en microdosage pour le cœur, le malox, le sucre, le canard gras, la côte de bœuf et les haribos. Parce que vieillir en bonne santé ça rend neurasthénique et qu’il faut bien se rattraper sur quelque chose. L’homme moderne est concerné par les problèmes géopolitiques, la pollution et la disparition des espèces, mais il s’en occupera plus tard car il regarde une nouvelle série Netflix.

L’homme moderne est joignable 365 jours/an, 24 heures sur 24, via téléphone, Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook, Messenger, Gmail, Snapchat et l’appli Intranet de sa boite. Le matin, il va aux toilettes avec son téléphone et check toutes ses notifications. D’ailleurs, il se sert aussi de son téléphone aux toilettes pour regarder des vidéos porno et se masturber. Mais ce n’est pas très pratique car il ne sait pas où le poser, et par terre l’image est trop petite. Il répond à ses mails dès 6h30 et jusqu’à 23h pour le plus grand plaisir de sa famille. L’homme moderne est porté par la ferveur marketing des grands évènements : Star Wars, la coupe du monde, Marvel, les JO. Il avale à grandes bouchées les scénarios simplistes qui lui offrent, par procuration, l’impression d’être un héros s’extrayant de sa condition. Tous les 5 ans, l’homme moderne s’exprime politiquement : il vote. Nourri par ses réflexions manichéennes, en bleu blanc rouge Spiderman ou bleu blanc rouge Superman, il vote bleu blanc rouge selon sa bonne conscience. Il écoute sérieusement l’invité politique du journal et les propos des experts télé. Ces gens ne sont pas là par hasard, ils connaissent déjà l’homme moderne de demain, et l’augmentation de résultat de 0,5% en légère hausse. Il débat souvent avec ses amis sur l’opportunité du transfert de Neymar pour gagner la Champion’s League, ou sur le dernier Iphone 24 qui permet de checker ses notifications dans son sommeil.

L’homme moderne a choisi d’être différent des autres. Il a sa propre identité, il achète des vêtements de marque, il pense par lui-même, il écoute la mode, il assume sa position, il commande le vin, il est digne, il ne mange pas de plats préparés, il est fort, il sait faire la pâte à pain, il a du courage, il va chez speedy pour ses pneus. Il représente l’aboutissement de l’évolution humaine et la dignité morale de son époque. Sa vie est planifiée sur Google agenda, chaque jour lui apporte son lot de bip-bip pour remplir les objectifs de son existence. Bip-bip le téléphone, bip-bip la voiture, bip-bip la ceinture, bip-bip l’ascenseur, bip-bip la machine à café. Il croit en sa carrière comme au bien fondé de son action, il espère vivre vieux et a beaucoup d’amour pour son prochain, parce qu’aimer les autres c’est bon pour se faire du réseau. Dans sa boite, l’homme moderne conçoit ses projets grâce à des benchmark, des diagrammes de Gantt, du management participatif et du team-building. Ses conf-call avec la filiale de Hong-Kong sont toujours réussies car il a normalisé les process et obtient le feed-back des groupes de travail. Bientôt il espère devenir Responsable des Opérations Asie-Pacifique (ROAP) et pouvoir obtenir le niveau 2.4 sur l’index de la boite, ce qui lui ferait une augmentation de salaire de 1.2. Il développe de son côté une spé en marketing opérationnel avec des Moocs de l’ESC Paris, ça lui permettra de monter les plans de diffusion de promo pour la fin de l’année : faire du push sur le catalogue Noël. Il pensera à acheter les cadeaux de ses enfants sur Amazon le 10 décembre et à les faire livrer chez ses parents. Avec sa femme, il passera le jour de l’an à Sydney, parce que prendre l’avion c’est cool et ça permet d’actualiser son statut. Il mettra ses photos de shopping et de burgers sur son Insta, en montrant bien qu’il est en t-shirt parce que là-bas c’est l’été. Il aurait bien aimé passer Noël en famille mais Sydney est une opportunité qui ne se représentera pas. Sa mère ne lui en veut pas : il a mieux réussi que le fils de Josy, et mieux réussir que les autres c’est vraiment ce qu’il y a de plus important.

#fermetagueule

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ablanariwho · 7 years ago

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Life Out of the ‘Idiot’ Box – Part I

Box TV Set

It was the post ‘Hum Log’ phase and we stepped in to the mesmerizing world of ‘soaps’ called ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Sri kaant’, ‘Ye jo hai zeendagi’, ‘Rajani’, ‘Nukkad’, ‘ Wagle ki duniya’, Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne” and many others. Suddenly we had a wholesome platter of entertainment at our disposal.

Hum Log

Buniyad

Programmes such as ‘Chitrahaar’(based on Hindi film songs), ‘Phul khile hain gulshan gulshan’ and ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfaam’ (based on interviews of celebrities), “Darpan’(based on short stories), ‘Sandip Ray Presents’(based on short stories written by Satayjit Ray), ‘Tamas’(a telefilm directed by Govind Nihalni, based on the partition of India), ‘Yatra’ (directed by Shyam Benegal), ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ (based on Discovery of India written by Jawaharlal Nehru) and cultural show ‘Surabhi’ appealed to all. Although I was way beyond my childhood, still I enjoyed shows such as ‘Didi’s comedy show’, ‘Malgudi Days’, ‘Tenali Rama’, ‘Byomkesh Bakshi’, ‘Karamchand’, ’Vikram aur Betaal’, ‘Katha Sagaar’, ‘He man and the master of the universe’, ‘Faerie Tale Theatre’, ‘Sherlock Homes’ and Disney cartoon shows such as ‘Mickey & Donald’, ‘Denice the menace’.

Collage from various sources

Disney Cartoon Show Micky & Donald

Tamas

Vikram Aur Betal

Malgudi Days

Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne

Nukkad

Karamchand

Wagle Ki Duniya

Ye Jo Hai Zindagi

During my early teens, my favorite English comic character was Phantom. He was the superhero of our times. I was fascinated by his wife Diana’s hourglass figure and gorgeous mane. Their life at the Skull Cave at the Deep Woods in Bangalla was a fantasy world for me.

Phantom

On the other hand, ‘Handa Bhonda’ and ‘Batul the Great’ were my most favorite comic characters in Bengali.

Handa Bhonda

Batul The Great

Nonte Phonte

By the time the Tintin series came, I had overgrown the ‘comic’ age.

Tintin

Countdown shows such as Superhit Muqabla’, where viewer’s polls were sent by post card in place of today’s ‘sms’ or ‘Tweets’ on hashtags, comedy shows such as ‘Jaspal Bhatti’s Flop Show’ and ‘Ulta Pulta’, ‘Zabaan Sambhalke’, ‘Tu Tu Main Main’, ‘Srimaan Sreemati’, ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’ were thorough entertainers whereas ‘Circus’ and ‘Fauji’ (launching Shahrukh Khan), ‘Shaanti’(launching the spaghetti girl Mandira Bedi), ‘Swabhimaan’ , ‘Airhostess’(launching slim and svelte Kitu Gidwani) and ‘Lifeline’ etc introduced us to the second generation genre of Indian TV shows.

Fauji

#indian television serials #comics #cartoon shows #Disney cartoon Shows #shahrukhkhan #fauji #micky & donald #Ramayan #mahabharat #Buniyad #Malgudi Days #R K Laxman #Mungerilal ke haseen Sapne #Tintin #Superman #Heman #Phantom #Superheros

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tiredtief · 4 years ago

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You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

Does your character find it easy to make friends? What do they value in a friend? What immediate trait about a person makes your character want to befriend a person?

Aw!

For this I’ll use Jo since he’s been on the mind lately.

Jo is a very charming and charismatic fellow so he definitely makes friends easily, but these are by and large just acquaintances. To get really close with Jo you need to share a lot of interests, like makeup, biking, pastels, fashion, etc. And if you’re too blunt or square, he is not gonna want to spend time with you. But if he sees you’re also a man not afraid to wear what you want, he will definitely want to chat you up.

#mailbox #random-oc-questions-fairy #children #jo svelte

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yahoo-the-dagger-blog · 8 years ago

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Bracket Lames: Kentucky to have backers feeling blue

yahoo

Traverse the aisles of any store and you’re immediately drawn to it – the colors, the packaging, the lettering … the brand.

Familiarity is what enhances product popularity. They’re often synonymous with quality, consistency and delectability. Even though knockoffs and generics may offer similar experiences, it’s the high regard that explains why we consume over and over again.

[Fill out your NCAA tournament bracket here | Printable version]

In the e-commerce world of brackets, Kentucky is that trademark. This year, similar to seasons past, it’s marketed as a top-shelf contender, a true threat to not only dance in the desert, but also cut down the nets.

Due to multiple concerns, Malik Monk and Co. could be shown the door early in the NCAA tournament. (AP)

After all, history paints a rosy picture. Alongside Duke, North Carolina, UCLA and Kansas, Kentucky owns a corner in the game’s Pantheon. Iconic coaches – Adolph Rupp, Rick Pitino and John Calipari – and All-Americans – Dan Issel, Tony Delk, Jamaal Mashburn, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl Anthony-Towns and Anthony Davis – walked the hallowed halls of campus landmarks Memorial Coliseum and Rupp Arena. It’s why the basketball institution boasts 55 NCAA tournament appearances – the most of any school – 120 wins, 17 Final Fours and eight national titles.

Smart money, however, encourages you to resist the narrative.

Kentucky will be the biggest NCAA tournament bust this year.

Apologies Ashley Judd.

Here are five reasons why Big Blue Nation won’t measure up to its lofty expectations:

Late-season scoring woes. Kentucky lives and dies with Malik Monk. The future NBA lottery pick is an outstanding, multidimensional scorer who, when on, can drop 30 on a team with ease. Those occurrences, though, were sporadic at best over February and early March. Yes, the freshman buried Florida and Vanderbilt in home bouts, but droughts logged against inferior Missouri, Georgia and Texas A&M nearly caused humiliating losses. De’Aaron Fox, the school’s star point guard, missed the game against the Bulldogs, but efforts in other contests, with Fox on the floor, mystified. If Monk doesn’t exceed 20 points in a given night, it places enormous pressure on Cal’s less explosive and more unreliable complementary options. The ‘Cats need his takeover abilities to shine in order to survive and advance.

Three-point troubles. Outside Monk, Kentucky isn’t a team that routinely rains down on opponents from beyond the arc. Yes, Derek Willis and Mychal Mulder are effective, at times, but they only sporadically cash in. Collectively, the ‘Cats shoot 35.3 percent from distance, 162nd-best in the category nationally. In fact, less than one-quarter of their points come from threes. Zone-heavy teams that can pack the paint are a major matchup problem. Even against strong man defenses they’ve struggled. Scoring in variable ways is fundamental to tournament success. Kentucky, though tremendous around the basket, simply doesn’t possess enough arrows in the arsenal to compete in the later rounds.

Average interior D. Coach Cal, one of the most brutally honest, and refreshingly so, voices in the game today would probably admit his team often looks disinterested on defense. It was apparent when his club was schooled by Florida in Gainesville Feb. 5, a lopsided defeat Calipari described as “rock bottom.” Worked on the boards 54-to-29, UK surrendered an almost unfathomable number of second-chance points and, unsurprisingly, 1.14 points per possession. It tightened up a bit down the stretch defensively, but in SEC play it conceded the fifth-worst two-point percentage. Edrice Adebayo, Willis and Wenyen Gabriel are willing paint defenders, but foes with size and athleticism to match present challenges. The Louisville, UCLA and Kansas losses earlier this season serve as reminders.

Sloppy handles. On several occasions this season, the Wildcats pulled a Plaxico (or Talib) shooting themselves in the foot with costly turnovers. Witnessed in close shaves against Mississippi St., Missouri and, to a lesser extent, in their rematch versus Florida, they coughed it up at an alarming rate, Isaiah Briscoe in particular. Down the stretch, Fox, too, came unhinged. Over his final seven games he tallied an unappealing 21:21 assist-to-turnover split. Cinching up the belt on offense is vital for Kentucky to prevent an early exit.

The mediocre SEC. If you believe the SEC is even in shouting distance of behemoths the ACC, Big 12 or Big East, yours truly could defeat a wolf one-on-one with bare knuckles. By most analytics, the SEC checked in at either No. 5 or No. 6 in overall strength. Similar to the Big Ten, it was a mishmash of mediocrity from top-to-bottom. It’s why only five teams (Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas and Vanderbilt the others) earned bids. The Gators are a legitimate deep-run threat, but the other conference reps won’t likely survive the first weekend. Critics slung mud at Gonzaga for playing in a wimpy league. Based on the SEC’s performance, a similar sentiment should apply to Kentucky. Did the regular season truly prepare the Wildcats? Only time will tell.

To be fair, Kentucky is a balanced team on paper, one of three teams that rank inside the top-15 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Still, despite its NBA-level talent in Monk and Fox, it has glaring limitations. Bounced from the Big Dance by Indiana in the Round of 32 last year, it could suffer an all too familiar fate.

Don’t be seduced by the brand name.

BRACKET LAMES Here are four additional letdowns (No. 4 seeds or higher) from that could bloody your bracket.

Oregon Ducks (29-5, No. 3 seed, Midwest region) – When Chris Boucher suffered a torn ACL in the Pac-12 tournament a dark cloud draped Eugene. Oregon’s Final Four promise, likely and terribly, ceased with the setback. Pre-injury, Boucher was arguably the nation’s best shot-blocker. His dual paint presence and ability to step out and drain wing threes provided Dana Altman with a multidimensional matchup nightmare. That dream, though, is dashed. Kavell Bigby-Williams is the tourniquet. His defense is on point, but his limitations on offense are apparent. Unless the import from England suddenly excels, the burden will fall on Tyler Dorsey, Dylan Ennis, Jordan Bell and, most especially, Dillon Brooks. The electrifying combo forward is a steely Swiss Army Knife who lights the world on fire offensively. He’s terrific off the dribble, drains triples, owns sick handles and defends. However with the added pressure, he may need to average 25 points per game for Oregon to overachieve. Statistically, the Ducks quack. They rank inside the top-25 in offensive and defensive efficiency, share the rock beautifully and are experienced, but Boucher’s absence thins an already svelte roster. For fellow Midwesterners, Rhode Island, Michigan and Louisville, foie gras is on the menu.

Baylor Bears (25-7, No. 3 seed, East region) – College Basketball’s Care Bears won’t be all rainbows and Funshine. Throughout February and early March they struggled in several facets. They finished 5-6, surrendered an uncharacteristic 1.04 points per possession and turned the ball over at an obscene rate. When humming along, Baylor is a nasty bunch. It features a premier post player in Jonathan Motley, shot disrupter in Jo Lual-Acuil and quality floor general in Manu Lecmote. Additionally, it ranks No. 3 in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage and, from a cursory view, offer balance on both ends. Again, though, it’s fallen hard. The Bears should coast through out-matched and untested New Mexico St. in opening round action, but a potential Round 2 throw down against SMU looms. The Mustangs, loaded with long, athletic and versatile assets who score the ball inside and out and defend stoutly would exploit Baylor’s weaknesses. Even if it were fortunate enough to survive to the Sweet Sixteen, Duke, unquestionably, would put Scott Drew’s club out of its misery. With it sputtering at the wrong time, let someone else believe in the “Belly Magic.”

Kansas Jayhawks (28-4, No. 1 seed, Midwest region) – Put down the silly sauce, Evans. That’s going to be a common statement uttered by citizens from Lawrence to Los Angeles to Lancaster who see the Big 12 giant on this list. Look, the Jayhawks are darn good, but they’re far from invincible. They are the ninth-most efficient offensive team in the country, showcase Wooden Award frontrunner Frank Mason III, dropped only four games the entire year and have displayed a never-say-die attitude when pushed into high-leverage situations. By most “expert” accounts, Kansas will run roughshod through the Midwest and hang its 15th Final Four banner in Phog Allen’s rafters. This loudmouth, however, disagrees with that perspective. The Jayhawks are immeasurably tough and boast tournament experience, but they have visible fleas. Too often down the stretch they played with fire by falling behind late in games. If not for furious rallies, they would have another blemish or three on the resume. More concerning, this is the worst defensive team in the Bill Self era. They only sporadically force turnovers, get pummeled often on the defensive glass and stretch to the perimeter poorly. Toss in its limited depth, particularly in the frontcourt, and Kansas’ shine dulls. Josh Jackson’s off-the-court issues are also an ongoing distraction. With a number of potential barriers to hurdle in its region (e.g. Iowa St., Louisville and Michigan), it is the most vulnerable top seed.

West Virginia Mountaineers (26-8, No. 4 seed, West region) – Enigmatic and unpredictable best describe this year’s Mountaineers. Sound familiar? Recall last season WVU, a highly thought of No. 3 seed, was ousted by Cinderella Stephen F. Austin in Round 1. That scenario could play out again. The Mountaineers are relentless on defense, like a horde of flesh-hungry zombies they continuously attack. That’s why they rank No. 1 in turnover percentage defense and top-five in points per possession allowed. No pushovers on offense, they often track down errant shots and turn defense into offense converting on a number of high-percentage shots. Still, if you can slow WVU down and contain it in a half-court setting, it’s beatable. It’s below average from distance and generally anemic at the charity stripe. The toughness and tenacity of Jevon Carter and Co. cannot be overestimated, but as witnessed in losses against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas, protect the basketball and break the press and you’ll be richly rewarded. Escape the clutches of Bucknell in Round 1 and West Virginia will be awarded the “pleasure” of playing Notre Dame, a team that commits the fewest turnovers in the country. In other words, avoid.

TOURNEY TIDBITS Fun facts/trends about the Big Dance:

• Since 2006, 60 percent of teams seeded No. 11-15 that advanced beyond Round 1 ranked inside the top-75 in offensive efficiency. Defense may win championships, but offense springs Cinderella.

• Excluding 2009, at least one No. 2 seed has been eliminated by Round 2 every year since 1997. Last year, Michigan St. and Xavier fell victim.

• Sixteen 8/9 seeds have upended a No. 1 since 1985. North Carolina St. was the last to accomplish the feat knocking off Villanova in 2015.

• No. 5 seeds have lost 35.9 percent of their first-round matchups since ’85.

• No. 3 and No. 6 seeds beware. Eight No. 11 seeds have reached the Sweet Sixteen since 2010. Gonzaga reached the regional semifinals last year.

Follow Bracket Brad on Twitter @YahooNoise

More on Yahoo Sports: • March Madness: Yahoo experts pick NCAA tourney winners • NBA bust Milicic: ‘I thought I was sent by God’ • Why the Patriots are already winning the offseason • Ranking the 68 best players in the 2017 NCAA tournament

#_uuid:edccdc0b-a75c-306a-8c74-0e030938c914 #_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL #_revsp:497660ab-6a82-4a53-b16c-6a93638f82dc #_author:Brad Evans #_category:yct:001001076

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