#joseph blumenthal

[uwmspeccoll]

It's Fine Press Friday!

To end the first week of 2024, a little pastoral: Phillida and Coridon, with poems by early-modern English writer Nicholas Breton (c. 1545/53–c. 1625/6) with prints made from drawings in pale color by American artist Ernest Fiene (1894-1965), printed in New York by Joseph Blumenthal at his Spiral Press in 1927 in an edition of 425 copies. We love the typography, greenish initials, and lithe illustrations. We hope you enjoy.

View more work from the Spiral Press.

View more Fine Press Friday posts.

[clouseplayssims]

Humbly, Joseph Hartman approaches the throne. He wishes for his family to advance in society, which means purchasing the title of baron. But this must be approved by the crown - something Katinka thinks is a no brainer - and thankfully, Arndt sees no issues with the Hartman family becoming nobility.

The cost will be $50,000, which goes directly to the Blumenthal family.

[lesser-known-composers]

Joseph Marx (1882-1964) - Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano (1913): I. Bewegt und frei im Vortrag

Tobias Ringborg, violin

Daniel Blumenthal, piano

[thethirdman8]

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Christopher Murphy, Representative Joseph Courtney stop supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people! Now!

[pseudonym-lux]

THE CAST OF DEAD RINGER (ACT ONE)

MORRIGAN BAUDELAIRE portrayed by lily james

ELIJAH MIKAELSON portrayed by daniel gillies

LIN BAUDELAIRE portrayed by daniel dae kim

MARA BAUDELAIRE portrayed by brie larson

DIANA BAUDELAIRE portrayed by zoey deutch

TERESA BAUDELAIRE portrayed by britt robertson

JULIET BAUDELAIRE portrayed by maia mitchell

ALAN BAUDELAIRE portrayed by michiel huisman

DAISY BLUMENTHAL portrayed by samantha logan

HANNA MIKAELSON portrayed by crystal reed

KLAUS MIKAELSON portrayed by joseph morgan

REBEKAH MIKAELSON portrayed by claire holt

DAMON SALVATORE portrayed by ian somerhalder

STEFAN SALVATORE portrayed by paul wesley

ELENA GILBERT portrayed by nina dobrev

JEREMY GILBERT portrayed by steven r. mcqueen

BONNIE BENNETT portrayed by kat graham

CAROLINE FORBES portrayed by candice king

reading links wattpad | ao3

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Brainwaves Bios: Jacob Blumenthal (1984)

C.U.P.S' Resident Party Animal Jacob Blumenthal

One of the most notable students in the C.U.P.S group, Jacob is a former student of Doctor Stantz, Doctor Spengler and Doctor Venkman, and currently studies under Doctor N. Teufel, Doctor G. Teufel and Doctor R. Teufel, as well as Doctor Keaton, Doctor Wada, Doctor Nieto-Jorge, Doctor Mutton, Doctor Freud, Doctor Aue, and Doctor Ljunggren. Jacob enjoys the college party life, and is often found drinking and having food fights or just causing general chaos instead of studying.

"Why'd they shutdown the Parapsychology department?"

Name

Full Legal Name: Jacob Japer Cassidy Blumenthal

First Name: Jacob

Meaning: From the Latin 'Iacob', which was from the Greek 'Iakob', which was from the Hebrew name 'Ya'aqov'.

Pronunciation: JAY-kab

Origin: English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, Biblical

Middle Name(s): Jasper, Cassidy

Meaning(s): Jasper: From Latin 'Gaspar', perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word 'Gizbar' meaning 'Treasurer', derived from Persian 'Gabzabara'. Cassidy: From an Irish surname, which is derived from the byname 'Caside' meaning 'Curly haired', from Irish 'Cas' 'Twisted, Curly'

Pronunciation: JAS-per. KAS-i-dee

Origin(s): English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend. English

Surname: Blumenthal

Meaning: Derived from German 'Blumen' 'Flowers' and 'Thal' 'Valley'

Pronunciation: BLOO-men-tal

Origin: German, Jewish

Titles: Mr

Nicknames: Blue, Blue Man, Cas, Cassie, Coby, Jack, Jake, J.J

Characteristics

Age: 30

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: American Citizen. Born in America

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: January 24th 1954

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Christian

Native Language: English

Known Languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese

Relationship Status: Single

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Actor: John Belushi

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Humboldt Park, Chicago, Illinois

Current Residence: Central Park West, New York, New York

Appearance

Height: 5'8" / 173 cm

Weight: 222 lbs / 100 kg

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: Hairy

Facial Hair: Stubble

Tattoos: (As of Jan 1984) 1 (Smiley Face on his left butt-cheek)

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Occasional Drinker, Smoker

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed (Likely Has ADHD of ADD)

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Affiliated Groups: Columbia University (Student), Columbia University Paranormal Society (Member)

Friends: Romulus Teufel, Raymond Stantz

Significant Other: None

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Alexander Blumenthal (60, Father), Deborah Blumenthal (62, Mother, Née Christian)

Parents-In-Law: None

Siblings: Joseph Blumenthal (25, Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: None

Nieces & Nephews: None

Children: None

Extras

Level of Education: Currently attending Columbia University

Occupation: Student

Employer: None

Expertise:

Charismatic

Persuasive

Polyglot

Energetic

Open-Minded

Athletic

Faults:

Lazy

Eats in Classes

Dislikes Work

Backstory: Born and raised in Chicago, Jacob 'Jake' Blumenthal moved to New York at 18 to start his studies at Columbia University, attending every class at least once, many that he didn't sign up for. He quickly befriended Raymond Stantz and tried to keep in touch all throughout his time at Columbia, even joining C.U.P.S after Doctor Stantz recommended it.

[newrww]

The U.S. ranks as the worst performer among 10 developed nations in critical areas of health care, including preventing deaths, access (mainly because of high cost) and guaranteeing quality treatment for everyone, regardless of gender, income or geographic location, according to the report, published Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group.  

Based on the new findings, people in the U.S. die the youngest and experience the most avoidable deaths, even though the country spends nearly twice as much — about 18% of gross domestic product — on health care than any other nation ranked.

Surveys indicate that health care is among the top priorities for voters in the November presidential election.Vice President Kamala Harris has pitched building on the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Former President Donald Trump has given little detail about his health care vision; his running mate, JD Vance, has suggested deregulation.

Thursday’s findings show, the researchers say, that the U.S. spends the most but gets the least from its investment.

“No other country in the world expects patients and families to pay as much out of pocket for essential health care as they do in the U.S.,” Dr. Joseph Betancourt, the president of The Commonwealth Fund, said on a call Wednesday discussing the new findings. 

Ironically, the steep price people pay doesn’t guarantee superior care.

“We are undersupplied with the things that people need most,” including doctors and hospital beds, Dr. David Blumenthal, the former president of The Commonwealth Fund, said on the call. “That’s one of the reasons why you have to wait so long in the United States for specialty care and one of the reasons why no one can find a primary care physician.”  

---

AND THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO BAN ABORTIONS/INCREASE IMMIGRATION!!!!

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 18apr24

Amusing point by National Review

Senator Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and other Senate Democrats are broaching an uncomfortable suggestion: Sonia Sotomayor should retire while the party still has the White House and 51 senators. They have a point, if a coldly calculating one: Sotomayor, who will turn 70 in June, may not be that old, but she requires a nurse to travel with her, and it could be years before Democrats have both the presidency and the Senate majority again. If Republicans were to replace Sotomayor with a conservative, they’d have a seven-justice bloc that could take a very long time to flip back to majority-liberal. But Supreme Court justices do not like to be told what to do, and identity politics is impeding Machiavellianism. Representative Nydia Velázquez (D., N.Y.), for example, railed against “forcing the only Latina on the Court to retire.” Pressure from the White House is unlikely because it would require Joe Biden’s team to acknowledge his vulnerability in this election—and the actuarial tables.

Let me know how that works out for you....

***

***

Kill a few people, destroy a bridge on an interstate, and people will notice

The FBI has opened a federal criminal probe into the March 26 bridge collapse in Maryland, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The investigation will at least partly focus on the Dali cargo ship and whether its crew left the port in Baltimore knowing the ship had serious problems with its systems, the Post said. Representatives for the FBI could not be immediately reached to comment on the report.*** https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/maryland-bridge-collapse/2024/04/15/id/1161028

***

At what point did that seem like a good idea?

***

What's the worst that could happen with bail reform? YOLO!!

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — More details are coming out after Memphis Police Officer Joseph McKinney was shot and killed while responding to a call early Friday morning.  According to court records, the man accused of killing him had previously been released from jail on felony charges without bail by a Shelby County judge. 18-year-old Jaylen Lobley was identified by the Memphis Police Association as the suspect who was shot and killed early Friday morning after Memphis Police said he shot and killed Officer McKinney, also shooting two other MPD officers in the incident.  Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said the suspect shot McKinney and the two other officers with a Glock switch, a device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully-automatic sub-machine gun.  Lobley was arrested in March 2024 for possessing such a switch while stealing a car, admitting to stealing both an Infiniti Q50 and Dodge Charger, reported stolen March 2 and March 3 respectively.  Officers found the handgun after arresting him on March 5. The 18-year-old told investigators he took the gun from a car he was trying to steal about six months prior.  He was charged with two counts of motor vehicle theft, unlawful possession of a weapon, prohibited weapon and two counts of vandalism. On March 7, Lobley was released on his own recognizance — with conditions that included agreeing to weekly call-ins and curfew — approved by the General Sessions court. However, the judge who released the suspect without bond was not named in the Shelby County judicial system. *** https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/crime/man-mpd-officer-killed-shooting-released-from-jail-by-shelby-county-judge/522-42482bcb-d8b3-4124-a32c-855c48a807f1

***

Babylon Bee

***

Shotguns make great attention getters

A group of thieves smashed up an Oakland jewelry store, stealing valuables from the broken glass cases before a man with a shotgun chased them off ... and, it was all caught on video. Eight people ran into Phuong Jewelry in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood Wednesday ... bashing cases with hammers and making off with a ton of the store's pieces. Check out the vid ... the first person walks in holding what appears to be a gun and aiming it at the store's owner, Diane Trinh, and another person, forcing them to drop to the ground -- before the other assailants start to smash in the cases. After a few seconds, Diane runs to the back to get her 76-year-old husband ... who comes into the store with his own gun, chasing off the robbers who'd already grabbed a ton of jewelry. Diane and her son, Tony, spoke with KGO-TV about the attack ... reportedly telling the outlet the robbers made off with between 85-90% of their inventory in the quick strike.*** https://www.tmz.com/2024/04/12/oakland-robbers-ransack-jewelry-store-wild-video-shows-crime-gun/

They have no insurance.

***

Go granny!!

The 85-year-old mother of a disabled son committed a "justifiable homicide" in Idaho when she shot an armed burglar who snuck into her home and threatened to "kill her multiple times," a county prosecutor said.

Christine Jenneiahn presented "one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation" that Bingham County prosecutor Ryan Jolley has ever heard of when she shot and killed 39-year-old Derek Condon, according to an incident review written Tuesday.***

She did the world a favor.

***

bootcamp leave

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A member of the United States Marine Corps has been arrested and charged with several jewelry store heists after investigators say he stole more than a half million dollars worth of expensive goods.*** "He was being taken into custody and his dog tags fell out. He did tell us he was in the U.S. military," says Constable Herman. Marcelo Hernandez is just 18 years old. Investigators say Hernandez would wear black and burst into these stores overnight when they were closed. Yurman was hit days after the young Marine returned to town. "Actually, he just recently finished his boot camp in the Marine Corps about a week before one of our cases," the Constable adds. When the teenager was arrested, Constable Herman said three handguns, $11,000 in cash, and $500,000 worth of jewelry including diamonds and other precious stones were found in his car, a Mercedes-Benz GLA.*** https://www.fox26houston.com/news/u-s-marine-arrested-for-several-jewelry-store-heists

***

You may think you went to a bad public HS, but

HOUSTON - A Houston teen and her mother spoke exclusively to FOX 26 after seeing Kedria Grigsby, a former Klein ISD cosmetology teacher, was arrested for solicitation of prostitution and sex trafficking on April 8. The young woman, who we'll refer to as Jane Doe, says she was a victim in the 2022 case that led to the arrest of Grigsby's son, Roger Magee, on similar charges and would interact with Grigsby often during her time with Magee. Doe, who was 15-years-old at the time, says she met Magee through a mutual friend while out shopping and told her Magee would take care of her and give her money. "She left out the part that I had to sell my body," she said. "When he (Magee) picked me up from the front of my apartment, he was running everything down to me. He basically told me I had no way out." Doe said she started out walking along the Bissonett track with other prostitutes. A week later, her pictures were placed on websites. She and two other young women would each have sex with at least 10 different men each night in various hotels, one of them being Hotel Royale off FM 1960. The young woman says she and her mother were arguing at the time of her disappearance. Oct. 7 2022 was the last time her mom says she heard from her. While searching, she gained access to her daughter's Instagram messages and reached out to a man she'd never seen before.*** [When people complained, the school district] said those claims were false. A spokesperson from the district stated they immediately contacted the Sheriff's office after the complaint was filed last year, and were told by investigators that Grigsby was not a suspect. They also stated action was immediately taken after Grigsby was arrested on April 8, and they take matters involving their students very seriously. Similar statements were made in a Friday morning email to all Klein ISD parents. "Kedria Grigsby continued to have a clear background check and clear criminal record until she was arrested on Monday, April 8, 2024," Klein ISD Superintendent Dr. Jenny McGown stated in the message. "We will continue working with the Harris County Sheriff's Office in their ongoing investigation, and we implore the criminal justice system to take every appropriate action to protect our children."*** https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-teen-victim-former-klein-isd-teacher-son-sex-trafficking-case

***

Alec, you're next

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Hannah Gutierrez Reed to 18 months in prison after a jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The "Rust" armorer was responsible for the firearms on the Western film set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on Oct. 21, 2021. Hutchins had been preparing a close-up shot when a gun Alec Baldwin was holding discharged. The 18-month sentence was the maximum time Gutierrez Reed could serve. She has currently spent about a month behind bars.*** Sommer slammed Gutierrez Reed's jailhouse calls, pointing out that the armorer spoke to someone about how "this is messing up her modeling career."*** Special prosecutors included summaries of Gutierrez Reed's phone calls in which she referred to the jury as "f---ing idiots." "Hannah says the jury was so f---ing stupid and they couldn't tell what was happening," Kari Morrissey wrote. "She calls the jury f---ing idiots."*** The prosecution largely focused on Gutierrez Reed's behavior as an armorer, alleging she didn't do her job correctly. "Hannah Gutierrez knew that Baldwin was loose. She knew it," Morrissey said during closing arguments. "She didn't do anything about it, even though it was her job. It was her job. It is her job to say to an A-list actor, if, in fact, that's what you want to call him, 'Hey, you can't behave that way with those firearms.' That is her job. That is what they pay her for. That is the job that she applied for. That is the job that she accepted."***

***

About time

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is closing a women’s prison in California infamous for rampant sexual abuse against inmates. Federal Correctional Institution Dublin is set to close due to a violent reputation that contributed to its nickname as the “rape club,” the embattled BOP announced. The Associated Press exposed the prison’s problems in an investigation that revealed “rampant sexual abuse by correctional officers and even the warden,” where inmates said they “were often threatened or punished when they tried to speak up.”  Other issues such as hazardous mold, asbestos, and poor medical care, also plagued the prison.  Despite the federal agency’s attempted rehabilitation of the facility, which included moves to “address culture, recruitment and retention, aging infrastructure — and most critical — employee misconduct,” it still chose to close the prison. “Despite these steps and resources, we have determined that FCI Dublin is not meeting expected standards and that the best course of action is to close the facility,” BOP Director Colette Peters said in a statement to the outlet. “This decision is being made after ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of those unprecedented steps and additional resources.”***

***

California, not surprising

For a state that wishes to be one of the nation’s agenda-setters and serve as a model for the country, California is woefully weak when it comes to protecting children from sex crimes. GOP state Sen. Shannon Grove has introduced a bill that would make it a felony to purchase or solicit a child for sex. As you can assume based on that sentence, purchasing a child for sex in California is just a misdemeanor right now, with a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of $10,000. Grove’s bill would make it a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $25,000 fine, and it would require offenders to register as sex offenders for 10 years. Efforts to do this have failed in California since 2014, meaning that for the past decade, California has considered the possibility of upgrading purchasing a child for sex to a felony and chosen against it. Even now, Grove said she is getting pushback from state legislators who are worried about giving more prison time to people who are found guilty of purchasing a child for sex.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/2966768/why-is-california-so-slow-to-protect-children-from-sex-crimes/

***

Free Press makes good points

It’s been a week since we published NPR veteran Uri Berliner’s essay detailing how the broadcaster has lost its way, and the fallout continues. NPR CEO Katherine Maher is still being haunted by her old tweets. A former senior NPR executive has said Berliner identified a “real problem.” And yesterday, NPR’s own media reporter revealed that Berliner was suspended without pay for a week and issued a “final warning” as punishment for writing for The Free Press. Oh, and the (second?) richest man in the world is keeping tabs.  The ongoing saga at NPR is of a piece with a growing closed-mindedness across the West, as are two other stories this week, one in Brussels and one at USC in L.A. Let’s start with Brussels, where police yesterday shut down a gathering of prominent European right-wingers after the local mayor banned the event to “ensure public security.” 

continues

Speakers at the National Conservatism Conference included Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, Brexit standard-bearer Nigel Farage, French politician Éric Zemmour, and Suella Braverman, who was, until recently, Britain’s home secretary. In other words, this was not a group of brownshirted goons planning a street fight, but major figures on the European political right, ranging from the mainstream to the more radical.  In a farcical-sounding standoff, a group of cops entered the event as Farage was speaking, then retreated. It was less of a shutdown and more a blockade: attendees were banned from entering or reentering. By all accounts, there was no violence, but a mighty media scrum at the door, major disruption, and understandably outraged attendees trapped in the building.    Look at any case of contemporary censorship and you will almost always find the same justification for silencing an unwelcome voice—safety. The rationale will invariably be light on specific threats—and is, in reality, a cowardly cover for an ulterior motive. 

continues

Yoram Hazony, the event’s organizer, said there was “no threat to public order” at the gathering. And I believe him. Belgian authorities have cited no specific threats. And as someone who has covered National Conservatism gatherings in the past, I find the idea that this tweedy crowd would get into any scraps difficult to believe. The only risk to my safety was nearly dying of boredom at a breakout session on common good constitutionalism.  But of course, public safety isn’t what this is really about. Hazony’s event was targeted because of objections to the ideas being discussed there.  Hazony takes it as a sign that he and his ideological comrades are onto something. “They tried to shut down this conference because they know that national conservatism is the greatest threat to the totalitarian, liberal NGO-cracy in Brussels,” he told The Free Press. (Note how such bans flatter the ideas they target: NatCon opponents should be among those most frustrated by this censorship.) 

continues

The second day of the conference is due to take place today and Hazony was adamant that the show would go on. “NatCon Brussels will continue undeterred.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali notes that Emir Kir, the mayor who ordered police to shut down the event, is no stranger to extremism. He was expelled from Belgium’s Socialist Party after he met with a delegation that included representatives of a far-right, ultra-nationalist Turkish party.  Hazony’s politics could hardly be more different to those of Asna Tabassum, an undergraduate at the University of Southern California, but she faced the same cowardly excuse for censorship this week: “safety.”

continues

Tabassum was selected as USC’s valedictorian, but as well as having a top-notch GPA, Tabassum appears to possess some, shall we say, robust views on Israel. Several student groups complained about her selection and pointed out that Tabassum’s Instagram bio links to a post full of noxious anti-Israel rhetoric, including a description of Zionism as a “racist settler-colonial ideology”—in other words, the sort of thing professors are teaching college kids at top schools across the country. One group, Trojans for Israel, said that by choosing Tabassum as valedictorian, USC had turned commencement into an “unwelcoming and intolerant environment for Jewish graduates and their families.”  USC is not famous for its commitment to free expression—it once suspended a professor for simply saying a Chinese word that sounded like a racial slur. And the school had a decision to make. Administrators could have said they had made a mistake in picking Tabassum because her views were at odds with USC’s values and stripped her of the role. Or they could have stuck by Tabassum and ridden out an uncomfortable commencement day in the name of free speech. Instead, they opted for a weaselly fudge, keeping Tabassum as valedictorian but preventing her from speaking. 

continues

“Tradition must give way to safety,” said Provost Andrew T. Guzman in a letter to the USC community. It made references to the “alarming tenor” of the response to Tabassum’s selection and “substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement” but was light on specifics.  Tabassum called the decision “cowardly” and accused the school of “succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”  USC had no constitutional obligation to select Tabassum as valedictorian. It does have a duty to be straight with students and faculty about its decision-making. 

continues

Alex Morey, director of campus rights advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told The Free Press she thought USC’s decision was “a very calculated move” designed “to avoid censoring the student or yanking her valedictorian status, instead blaming ‘safety concerns.’ ”  “The suggestion is that authorities are concerned about true threats, but rarely is that the case,” says Morey. “If there are genuine safety concerns that local authorities simply can’t handle, the school must be as transparent as possible. The alternative is that they end up looking like censors trying to cover their tracks. That, of course, can chill campus speech.”  In Brussels and Los Angeles, the targets of censorship could not have been more different. But the insincere justification was the same. ***

+++

→ Why I fear FISA—and you should too: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is facing fresh scrutiny on the Hill as lawmakers consider its renewal. FISA is touted as a vital tool for national security. Its use, we’re told, is to gather intelligence on foreign governments and terrorist organizations to prevent another 9/11 from happening. That is all true. But the law has also enabled government agencies to wiretap and collect vast amounts of data on American citizens without any real oversight or transparency.  Last week, the House of Representatives voted not just to renew but vastly expand these surveillance powers, reauthorizing Section 702, which will enable the collection of communications of noncitizens located outside the U.S. without a warrant. It might seem like a common sense measure in theory, but in practice the FBI has misused its authority from Section 702 hundreds of thousands of times, targeting everyone from BLM protesters to January 6 rioters.  It gets worse. The proposed Turner-Himes amendment would allow, with very few exceptions, the government to compel any entity or business with “access to equipment that is being or may be used to transmit or store wire or electronic communications,” to fork over data. Have a phone or a Wi-Fi router? Sorry! You’re now obligated to help the federal government spy on Americans.  Even if you’re not too worried about the pesky Fourth Amendment, you should know that this law will continue to be used against American protesters, journalists, and political actors. If this vote passes the Senate and is signed into law by President Biden, we all have good reason to be afraid. —Isaac Grafstein ***

***

NY Post core competency

A transgender woman who identifies as a vampire has been convicted of sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled girl — while already under investigation for allegedly strangling a man “possessed by a demon.” Adam Hetke, 35, who goes by the name “Sabrina,” was convicted in Wisconsin last week of first-degree sexual assault by threatening the use of a dangerous weapon and second-degree assault of a mentally ill victim, GMToday reported. Hetke was already a convicted sex offender — and under investigation for a homicide, with charges only filed since the disturbed attacker was busted for the sex assault. Hetke met her latest known victim — a 16-year-old girl with cognitive disabilities — at a gas station in July 2021, went to her home and sexually assaulted her while threatening to use a knife, according to the outlet. The girl said Hetke “told her that he was a vampire and that he would bite her if she didn’t do what he wanted,” according to a criminal complaint cited by GMToday that did not use the abuser’s preferred pronouns. The convicted sex offender, who was released from prison in November 2020, also faces charges in an open homicide case in Milwaukee, GMToday reported. She was arrested on a tentative charge of first-degree intentional homicide in the April 2021 death of Vydale Thompson-Moody, a 28-year-old who had a cognitive disability, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The victim was strangled with a cord inside a home in the Concordia neighborhood on Milwaukee’s west side, the news outlet reported.*** https://nypost.com/2024/04/16/us-news/trans-woman-who-identifies-as-vampire-sexually-assaulted-teen-charged-in-death-of-disabled-man/

***

Nice BB dig at Sydney Powell -

Kind of a dig at Trump regarding his interest in young, attractive, blonde women.

***

Cell phone videos are evidence

A North Carolina high school student was charged after he allegedly slapped his teacher multiple times during a viral profanity-laced classroom rant earlier this week. The rage-filled youngster, identified only as a minor, confronted the educator inside Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, where he violently attacked her, according to video posted to social media. After the initial impact, the teacher seemed unfazed by the slap as the student continued to run his mouth.*** “The f–k’s wrong with you, what you gonna do, still sit in that chair ’cause you a bitch. Ain’t nobody even coming, you got slapped,” says the student, seemingly singing and dancing. “Bitch go back to teaching.” Students behind the camera reacted to the slaps with laughter amid the classroom assault.*** He was charged with one count of communicating threats and two counts of misdemeanor assault, the Forsyth Sheriff’s Office announced.*** https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/us-news/north-carolina-high-school-student-charged-with-assault-after-slapping-teacher/

***

Free Press -

+++

On Our Radar

→ Antisemitism and ��Liquid Ass’ at Columbia: Columbia’s president Minouche Shafik and other university leaders were called to Washington yesterday to testify on how the school has become one of the country’s worst “hotbeds” of antisemitism. *** Lawmakers at the hearing also tackled the alleged “chemical attack” on anti-Israel protesters on Columbia’s campus in January. Victims claimed they had been attacked by fellow students with ties to the IDF, who they alleged used a chemical weapon called “skunk.” The Intercept jumped on the story, reporting that dozens of students said they experienced “burning eyes, nausea, headaches, abdominal and chest pain, and vomiting” in the wake of the “attack.” But in a lawsuit filed against the school on Tuesday, one of the students suspended for the alleged attack stated the smell came not from a “toxic chemical substance,” as Rep. Ilhan Omar described it, but rather from a “fart spray” purchased on Amazon called, um, Liquid Ass. ***

***

FBI needed another black eye

The Department of Justice is close to reaching a settlement with the sexual abuse victims of former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ is expected to pay roughly $100 million to 100 victims of Nassar. The settlement was reportedly reached last fall, but the details are still being finalized. The settlement is in response to administrative tort claims filed by the gymnasts over the FBI’s failure to properly investigate the abuse claims against Nassar.*** Among Nassar’s victims included in the settlement with the FBI are star gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman. Nassar abused dozens of gymnasts over his decadeslong career. Michigan State, the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and the FBI were heavily criticized for covering up or failing to address complaints properly. The Justice Department’s inspector general found several failures in the FBI’s handling of the investigation, with Indianapolis agents failing on multiple levels.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2970224/doj-nearing-settlement-victims-larry-nassar-fbi-failures/

***

Now it's only ok for Google to spy on you

The House passed a bill from Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) on Wednesday that prohibits the federal government from purchasing U.S. citizens’ data from third parties, a win for privacy hawks that brings an end to House Republicans’ uphill battle to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill, introduced by Davidson and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (R-NY), would force federal agencies to obtain a court order to purchase commercially owned data of U.S. citizens, such as their online activity and location information. It was championed by Judiciary Committee members and their allies as an amendment to Section 702 of FISA, but it failed to make it into the final legislation that passed last week. A vote on Davidson’s amendment comes after months of infighting within the Republican Party over how to reform the key surveillance program, with House Judiciary and House Intelligence Committees at the center of the arguments. *** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/2969992/house-fisa-saga-passage-fourth-amendment-not-for-sale-act/

***

You can't recruit/retain bus drivers b/c of crime, and you do this?

A Democrat-controlled city announced $45 million in funding for programs to help deal with the skyrocketing number of migrant arrivals it is facing, resulting in over $8 million in budget cuts for the police department.  Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced last week a package of $45.9 million to fully fund programs for "newcomers" for 2024 and avoid worst-case scenarios projected by the city. That’s in addition to $44 million in spending already secured for the program through previous budget moves. *** https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-city-mayor-defunds-police-force-more-than-8-million-aid-migrants

[molekularnegotowanie]

Nauka o gastronomii molekularnej

Niezależnie od tego, czy miałeś przyjemność zjeść posiłek w jednej z wielu znanych na całym świecie restauracji kuchni molekularnej, czy po prostu oglądałeś program kulinarny na początku XXI wieku, w którym szefowie kuchni tworzyli bąbelki, pył, puszyste chmury lub rozbity lód, prawdopodobnie zetknąłeś się z niektórymi technikami tej eksperymentalnej kuchni. Ale czy wiesz, że kuchnia molekularna jest w rzeczywistości dyscypliną naukową? I że nauka za nią stojąca wyrosła z naturalnej ciekawości samego gotowania?

Gastronomia molekularna to naukowe badanie żywności i gotowania, ale w przeciwieństwie do tradycyjnych badań nad gotowaniem, wykorzystuje sprzęt laboratoryjny, aby lepiej zrozumieć, jak działa żywność i metody gotowania. Jej przodkowie to między innymi XVIII-wieczny francuski chemik Claude-Joseph Geoffroy, który badał olejki eteryczne w roślinach; oraz francuski fizjolog Anthelme Brillat-Savarin z 1825 roku Physiologie du gout (Fizjologia smaku), który starał się zrozumieć przyczyny niektórych smaków.

Dzisiejsi najlepsi szefowie kuchni molekularnej łączą zaawansowane szkolenie kulinarne z głębokim zainteresowaniem fizyką i chemią. Do tych naukowców kuchni należą znani szefowie kuchni Ferran Adria z hiszpańskiej restauracji El Bulli w Roses i Heston Blumenthal z angielskiej restauracji The Fat Duck w Bray.

Chociaż kuchnia molekularna jest ogólnie uważana za bezpieczną, istnieją pewne obawy dotyczące składników stosowanych w tej metodzie gotowania. Niektóre potrawy mogą zawierać emulgatory i inne hydrokoloidy, które mogą być niebezpieczne dla osób uczulonych na gluten lub soję. Istnieją również pewne obawy dotyczące bezpieczeństwa stosowania ciekłego azotu do błyskawicznego zamrażania żywności. Jednak większość przepisów wykorzystuje tylko niewielkie ilości tych chemikaliów, a ponieważ ludzie jedzą kreacje kuchni molekularnej tylko od czasu do czasu, jest mało prawdopodobne, aby wystąpiły długotrwałe skutki uboczne.

[kingdomofedirann]

Basic Information

Name: Lionel Stramacchia

Age: Empty Nester (Adult)

Sexuality: Straight

Gender: Male

Mortality State: Human

Location: Edirann City

Position in Society

Title: n/a

Class: Merchant

Heir: n/a

Personality

Primary Aspiration: Family

Secondary Aspiration: n/a

LTW: Have 6 Grandchildren

Zodiac: Aquarius

Personality: Sloppy, Shy, Lazy, Playful, Niceouchy/Nice

Traits: Slob, Weak Constitution, Swordsman, Angler, Big Spender

Preferences

Likes: Culture, Food, Politics, Money, Environment, Crime

Dislikes: Animals, Fashion

Hobby: Nature (Gathering Flowers)

Addictions: None

Religion: None

Favorite Color: Brown

Favorite Material: Paper

Aesthetic: Traditional

Favorite Clothing Style: Tudor

Favorite Location: City

Genetics

Skintone: Deep Dark Brown

Eyes: Lavendar

Hair Color: Red

Hair Texture: Textured

Hair Thickness: Thick

Height: 5′4

Body Type: Body Builder

Body Hair: 1

Other: None

Relationships

Father: None

Mother: None

Spouse: Padraigin Stramacchia

Siblings: None

Children: Naomhan Stramacchia (son), Caoilfhionn Stramacchia (daughter), Kennedy Stramacchia (son), Murchadh Stramacchia (son), Ronan Stramacchia (son), Tadghan Stramacchia (son), EOghan O'Niall (brother-in-law), Acacia O'Niall (sister-in-law), Quinn O'Niall (brother-in-law), Devika O'Niall (sister-in-law), Roisin Blumenthal (sister-in-law), Alojzy Blumenthal (brother-in-law)

Other Relatives:

Allies: Joseph Hartman

Rivals:  

Other:

History

Birthplace: Kingdom of Edirann

Place of Death: n/a

[rbolick]

Books On Books Collection - Heavenly Monkey

Books On Books Collection – Heavenly Monkey

Francesco Griffo da Bologna: Fragments and Glimpses (2020)

Francesco Griffo da Bologna: Fragments and Glimpses (2020) Rollin Milroy H234 x W159 mm, 114 pages. Edition of 50, of which this is #32. Acquired from Heavenly Monkey, 4 November 2020. Photos: Books On Books Collection.

Several collections of Aldine volumes made themselves known around 2015, the 500th anniversaryof the death of Aldus…

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

On this day, October 30, 1811, Jane Austen’s (1775-1817) Sense and Sensibility was published anonymously as written “by a Lady.” Austen's brother negotiated the printing with publisher Thomas Egerton who agreed to publish the book on commission at Austen’s financial risk. With presumed great relief, Sense and Sensibility received favorable reviews and the first printing of 750 copies sold out in 1813. A second printing was run later that year, and the novel has been in continuous publication ever since.  

In honor of Sense and Sensibility’s publication anniversary, we’re looking at both of the Special Collections copies! The first was published in 1856 by Richard Bentley (1794-1871). Bently purchased the copyrights to Austen’s work after her death and began publishing her novels as part of his Standard Novel Series in 1833. He hired illustrator Ferdinand Pickering (c. 1811-1882) to create an engraved frontispiece as illustration for each novel. This was the first time Austen’s work was released in collected editions and the first time her novels were illustrated.  

Sense and Sensibility has since been illustrated many times over, shedding a contemporary light on Austen’s characters, including our second holding published by the Limited Editions Club. Limited Editions Club printed 1,500 copies of Sense and Sensibility in 1957 for its members. It includes a contemporary introduction by novelist Stella Gibbons and distinct pen and ink illustrations by Caldecott Medal honoree Helen Sewell. The edition was designed by Joseph Blumenthal and printed by him at the Spiral Press in New York. Our copy is from the collection of long-standing LEC member Austin Fredric Lutter of Waukesha, Wisconsin.   

View other Milestone Monday posts here.

– Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

[clouseplayssims]

Alojzy, the Earl of Blumenthal, is petitioning for more regular patrols of the Edirann borders. He asks that all travelers provide paperwork when traveling between Penrith, Tenby, and Edirann to ensure any troublemakers and criminals are preventing from entering their kingdom.

His passionate plea was sparked by the kidnapping of his wife, a topic of heated debate among commoners and nobles alike, and there's a murmur of agreement amogst the waiting crowd.

Bernike thinks this is an excellent idea - and it's her immediate assent that almost guarentees that Arndt's temper doesn't flare up. He agrees to provide more soldiers for patrols and to begin the discussion of traveling papers with his future son-in-law Taliesin Kenton.

Reluctantly, he'll also need to speak with Daega Oriol of Penrith, but it will be done.

I was worried Arndt would be grumpy, because he's a brooding loner with three whole nice points, but he seemed all too happy to agree! As a reminder Alojzy is Arndt's first cousin.

[joseph-marc-blumenthal]

The path that François Pinault followed

The path that François Pinault followed is worthy of admiration - from a simple worker at his father's sawmill, to a world-famous entrepreneur and art collector. Today, the Pino family's fortune is estimated at billions of dollars. He is one of the few people who had a personal phone number for French President Jacques Chirac. And he, according to rumors, provided comprehensive support to the business person - after all, Francois once saved his life.

Wood business

François Pinault was born on August 21, 1936, in a small French village in the province of Brittany, in the family of a timber merchant. The boy's studies were of little interest. In addition, in college, he was often teased because of his rural accent and peasant origin. At 16, he stopped attending classes and helped his father.

In 1956, François enlisted in the army - uprisings began in Algeria, which was a French colony. In the military service, he earned start-up capital to start his own business, but the money came in handy only after a few years. Two years later, after returning home, Pino, on the recommendation of his father, got a job in a company selling timber.

In 1962, François married Louise Gaultier, daughter of the owner of the company, and soon ran the business himself. The company was renamed the Pinault Company, and they made large financial investments into it, including by Pino himself. However, the marriage did not last long: the couple divorced five years later, although they already had three children - François-Henri, Dominique, and Lawrence. Pino had to pay compensation to the Gaultier family, but he remained with the company.

In the early 70s, he began buying dozens of small firms on the brink of bankruptcy across the country in order to expand his concern. The takeover scheme was simple: he waited for the company's value to fall to a minimum, then bought it. He used the same principle later for market giants.

In those same years, Pino made a deal that brought him impressive profits. He unexpectedly sold his successful company for 25 million francs but kept 20% of the shares. While in the position of CFO, François placed a gigantic order for timber, which caused a real collapse in the market. Material prices plummeted, but to cancel the awful order, the new owners of the company would have to pay an extortionate fine. Since they did not have the named amount, they agreed to sell the Pinault firm for 5 million francs.

And this is not the only example of François Pinault's entrepreneurial ability. In 1974, he predicted or received from reliable sources information about the change in the price of sugar. Pinault invested 300 thousand in the business and earned 10 million francs on it.

Around the same time, François remarried. His chosen one was Maryvonne Campbell, an antique dealer. She introduced the future billionaire to the art world. Pino became interested in this area of investing money and bought world masterpieces of painting.

Abrupt course change

François Pinault's logging business was on its feet when, in 1988, he decided to radically change direction and began investing in various retail companies. He bought a majority stake in several companies: the CFAO distributor in Africa, Conforama home furnishings chain, Printemps department store, La Redoute mail-order store, and books and electronics firm FNA. In 1993, they renamed Pino to Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, and in 2005, PPR.

A year earlier, in 1992, the business owner created the holding company Artémis to manage the investments of the Pino family. They the news magazine Le Point in 1997, Christie's in 1998, and the Ponant cruise line in 2015. Now the holding also controls wine production in Château Latour, Clos de Tart, Domaine d'Eugénie, Château Grillet, Eisele. Another investment Pinault - football club "Rennes", winner of the French Cup: they bought him in 1998.

By the end of the 90s, the luxury industry became the primary interest of Francois Pinault. So, in 1999, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute bought a controlling stake in Gucci Group for $3 billion and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2000, Pinault gained the French jewelry company Boucheron, 2001 - Balenciaga, and the British fashion house Alexander McQueen. In the press, the business owner has even nicknamed the octopus: he bought up any companies and brands that seemed promising to him.

In 2003, the elderly billionaire handed over the management of his companies to his eldest son François-Henri, who is no less famous in business circles. The successor of the family business did not deviate from the planned course and gained the brands Brioni, Girard-Perregaux, and Pomellato. In 2013, PPR changed its name to Kering. The entrepreneur's son is also famous for his marriage to actress Salma Hayek.

Billionaire personality

Joseph Marc Blumenthal described François Pinault as a very tough and domineering leader. For example, after buying another company, he could not hesitate to cut almost all staff, and the first to cut its top managers. In such situations, the interests of business, not people guided solely by the entrepreneur.

Pinault was always very proud of his friendship with French President Jacques Chirac. Back in the 60s, the business person met a junior official, Jacques, and after that, while in prominent government positions, François provided tangible support. So, in 1981, Pinault gained a state-owned timber processing company for only 1 franc. All this is because the entrepreneur dissuaded Chirac from a dangerous trip on the train, which was later blown up by terrorists.

After handing over the management of the companies to his son, François focused on art. Now his collection includes about five thousand works of famous masters - Pablo Picasso, Pete Mondrian, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. However, Pino approaches collecting from the point of view of benefits - investments should bring income. The billionaire even conceived of creating a large museum to house his art collection. The collection will be on display at the Paris Bourse, and the exhibition is scheduled to open in the spring of 2021.

The Pino family is also involved in charity work. In 2019, they allocated 109 million dollars for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire, in 2018 - contributed significantly to the restoration of Victor Hugo's house. Earlier, in 1990, the billionaire took part in the restoration of Burned down French forests, in 2000 he provided financial help to the islands of Brittany, affected by a spill of hazardous substances after the sinking of the oil tanker "Erica".

The figure of François Pinault causes the most controversial rumors in society. On the one hand, he is a successful entrepreneur who built a business empire, although he himself was from a simple peasant family. They say that in order to achieve success, Francois did not disdain dubious and even illegal transactions. In 2020 the Pinault family is ranked 27th on the Forbes list. Her fortune is estimated at $27 billion.

Quotes

"My competitors will either die themselves or I'll eat them."

"My only diploma is a car license."

[armoredsuperheavy]

Resources for Bookbinding

Here’s a big list of resources. If anyone has further suggestions please send me a message and I can add it to the list (and enhance my own knowledge!)

Bibliography

How to Make a Book ArmoredSuperHeavy - Self-Published - 2019 This is document is still in development but you can read the entire thing for free This is a service I am offering to fandom and part of the fandom gift culture.

Physical book construction

Introduction To Bookbinding & Custom Cases: a Project Approach For Learning Traditional Methods Tom Hollander-Cindy Hollander - Schiffer Publishing - 2019 ISBN 9780764357350

Bookbinding & Conservation By Hand Laura S. Young - Oak Knoll Press - 1995 ISBN 1884718116

Fonts, Typography, & Layout

Better Type: Learn to see subtle distinctions in the faces and the spaces of text type. Achieve legible, beautiful, and expressive type every time. Betty Binns - Watson Guptill - 1989 ISBN 0823004848

The Complete Guide to Typography: A Guide to Setting Perfect Type James Felici - Adobe Press - 2003 ISBN 9780321127303

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts Simon Garfield - Gotham Books - 2010 ISBN 9781592406524

Contemporary Book Design

Bookmaking: Design/Edit/Production Marshall Lee - W. W. Norton & Company - 2004 ISBN 0393732967

Notes on Book Design Derek Birdsall - Yale University Press - 2004 ISBN 0300103476

Historical Book Design

The Book: The Story of Printing and Bookmaking Douglas C. McMurtie - Dorset Press - 1943 ISBN 0880293489

Modern Book Design: From William Morris to the Present Day Ruari McLean - Essential Books - 1959 (no ISBN)

Book Typography 1815-1965 in Europe and the United STates of America ed. Kenneth Day - University of Chicago Press - 1965 (no ISBN)

Victorian Book Design and Colour Printing Ruari McLean - Faber & Faber - 1963 (no ISBN)

Art of the Printed Book 1455-1955: Masterpieces of Typography Through Five Cecnturies from the Collections of the Pierpoint Morgan Library, New York Joseph Blumenthal - Pierpoint Morgan Library - 1973 (no ISBN)

Illustrierte Geschichte der Buchdruckerkunst: mit Besonderer Beruecksichtigung Ihrer Technischen Entwicklung bis zur Gegenwart Karl Faulman - A. Hartlebens Verlag - 1882

Supplies

Talas Online Talasonline.com - huge selection of archival, library, bookbinding, includes heavy equipment and things like real vellum.

Hollander’s Hollanders.com - best selection of decorative paper; also different bookcloths, offers Davy board custom cutting service which is worth it

Etsy Etsy.com - search Bookbinding Supply, you can get deals on things, also decorative papers.

Blick Art Supply DickBlick.com - Stocks some essentials; if you have a brick and mortar near you it’s great for emergencies like if you run out of glue in the middle of winter.

Affordable Binding Equipment by Jim Poelstra https://affordablebindingequipment.com/ His “simple sewing frame” and “simple book press” are very similar to my homemade ones. They do the job.

May 24th, 2020

[met-european-paintings]

The Golden Age, Joachim Wtewael, 1605, European Paintings

Purchase, The Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection, Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Bequest; Lila Acheson Wallace Gift; special funds; and Gift of George Blumenthal, Bequest of Lillian S. Timken, The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, presented by his daughter Giulia, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Spear Jr., Gift of Mrs. William M. Haupt, from the collection of Mrs. James B. Haggin, special funds, gifts, and bequests, by exchange, 1993 Size: 8 7/8 x 12 in. (22.5 x 30.5 cm) Medium: Oil on copper

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437955