#like free alys from the putting things into his mind allegations

[ride-thedragon]

Being in this fandom is so weird. I swear you'd need to come out with a post titled "What Daemon's dreams meant as someone who actually groomed two of their nieces and wanted to fuck their mom" for people to take you seriously at this point. Like not to infringe on author intention, but it's literally his actions and motivations being corrupted into accountability by Alys. Send tweet. It's not that serious.

[noemilayda]

Can theater be an influence on today's politics?

We can all agree that politics are a big influence on theater, on every form of art in general. But what if the roles could switch? Is it possible?

Art is a beautiful way to express any feeling that we have, and art is also a beautiful way to give a message, to raise awareness, but can it be more? Sure thing. So, what do we need to make it more influential is to use the right language towards the right audience.  

Art is for everyone, but it's message is different for every individual. In a world where simple things like a dress color can divide a whole population a far more complicated thing like art can cause a deeper impact.  

Let me explain it with an example;  

There was a play to be premiered in July 2008, a play written in hopes to change the politicians' minds on immigration laws in UK. The play is based on accounts of life inside UK detention centers.  

Benjamin was brought up in Nigeria by a stepfather who had been a hitman for the government. As a boy, his stepfather had forced him to dismember the bodies of his victims, and had also regularly raped and beat him. When political allegiances changed, their knowledge became a liability and men were sent to kill them both. They fled to the UK where Benjamin, now aged 12, was deposited with his natural father. He spent the following decade as an ordinary British Nigerian boy in London, studying hard, getting to university and even having a baby with his girlfriend. A chance immigration check at Belfast airport was where it all unraveled. His family had never cemented his immigration status beyond that of a dependent minor, so he had no legal basis to be in the UK.

The author of the play (Fin Kennedy) met Benjamin earlier in 2008, when he was 22, in Colnbrook Immigration Removal Center (IRC), it is a grim* high-security facilty near Heathrow airport. He claimed that he had been beaten up by guards, and his hands were broken so bad that later he found out that he needed a surgery, regarding that fact, at the time the author met him, medical attention was being repeatedly denied. But Colnbrook denied this when the author put the word out, so it was essentially Benjamin's words against theirs.

Benjamin painted a horrifying picture of life in the UK's removal centers. The use of violence and solitary confinement to subdue prisoners was widespread, he said, while personal effects, including cash, were often confiscated and not returned, and he claimed staff regularly "lost" important paperwork relating to detainees' appeal hearings. Hard drugs were everywhere. Benjamin led a hunger strike while in Harmondsworth IRC. It was reported on Indymedia, nowhere else.

These were part of the author's research for a new play for The Red Room theatre company. The play was called "Unstated", a multimedia theatre installation that documents and dramatizes the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The play made use of testimonials and ponders the value of campaigning theatre. The testimonies also form the basis of several fictionalized scenes spliced into and around the bulk of the action in what is a highly syncretic dramaturgical experiment that draws upon a multiplicity of contemporary performance techniques: documentary, journalistic, verbatim and promenade genres are all melded here in an ambitious spectacle. the venue itself has been transformed into a removal center, complete with an oppressive, prison-like cage in which most of the action takes place, and an airport waiting room from which the audience witness failed asylum seekers being deported.

The director, Topher Campbell, has said that he would like to see real legislative change as a result of this production. It's a terrific ambition.

Fin Kennedy began a letter-writing campaign after meeting Benjamin. He wrote to his MP (Member of Parliament), the management of Colnbrook, to John McDonnell MP (British Labour Party politician), chief executive of Serco plc (the corporation which owns and runs Colnbrook). He got in touch with Benjamin's university student union, who began to mount a campaign. Kennedy then received a handwritten letter from John McDonnell expressing his ongoing concern about Colnbrook and promising to raise the matter with ministers. Serco and Colnbrook dismissed Benjamin's allegations out of hand.

To effect an actual legislative change, a play would have to do two things according to Kennedy. And these would be to gain access to a substantial proportion of the nation's politicians and law-makers, and then proving them that a state of affairs is the either illegal or of such harm to the nation that it can no longer be tolerated. A well-connected theatre company may be able to achieve the first, but he isn't sure drama of any kind will ever achieve the second, as drama is necessarily anecdotal and never truly credible.

John McGrath, founder of radical Scottish theatre company 7:84, argued that "the theatre can never "cause" a social change. It can articulate pressure towards one... It can be the way people find their voice, their solidarity and their collective determination."

There is a long history of performance as activism, from the street interventions of Bread and Puppet Theater to the secret shows of Belarus Free Theater, or Reclaim Shakespeare Company’s protest against the links between the RSC and BP. The artist Judy Chicago once argued that “performance can be fueled by rage in a way a painting or sculpture cannot”.

The Turkish theatre-maker and activist Memet Ali Alabora argued that arts events can certainly contribute to political change. He and others involved in staging the play Mi Minör now live in exile in Cardiff after the Turkish government and pro-government media accused the play of incitement and being a “rehearsal” for the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, and Alabora had threats made against him. As with the Belarus Free Theatre, using performance as a means of protest threatened to become a matter of life and death. It has certainly changed his life.

Rhiannon White, from Common Wealth Theatre, argued that artists working within communities need to adopt the projects those communities really want rather than vice versa. She believes community art will have changed nothing if it doesn’t have the enduring effect of empowering the community to continue what has been started.

So yes, art and especially theater can make a change, it takes time, a lot of courage in some cases, you have to be patient, you have to understand the environment and the community's conditions, you have to work hard. The message will get out eventually, and if you can make a change in a good way in one person's heart it is a win. And the rest can result with a domino effect. I encourage everyone to create something that is good for humanity, because humanity isn't lost until we give up trying to save it.  

[thesinglesjukebox]

KATY PERRY FT. SKIP MARLEY - CHAINED TO THE RHYTHM [3.77] Maybe Katy should take her Jamaican Guy and go back to the Private Life.

Thomas Inskeep: Full disclosure: I came into this not expecting to like it, but trying to keep an open mind. But then Katy decided to show off how "woke" she thinks she is. Ooh, we're "all chained to the rhythm," but clearly should be doing more to change the world, just like Katy Perry. Some of us, however, still haven't forgotten the likes of "Ur So Gay." She can claim she's progressive etc. all she wants, but I don't buy it for a minute; Perry will do whatever she thinks will sell sell sell her records. Bizarrely, she seems to think that a cod-reggae beat is the answer in 2017? (Or more accurately, that could be the fault of co-writer Sia, who's predisposed to such notions.) Because you know what's awesome? When white artists show you how much they know about "rhythm" by featuring -- oh, I know! Let's get a member of the Marley family in here! Great idea! Perry's screechy, barely-in-tune voice doesn't help matters, of course. Here's hoping this is the beginning of the end of her career: she's like the Paula Abdul of the '00s/'10s, only without the half-decent songs and pleasant personality. There is no pop star today worse than Katy Perry, full stop. [0]

Cédric Le Merrer: Katy Perry is my mainstream barometer. When she made "I Kissed a Girl," showy but defensive female bisexuality was totally where people were at. When she made trap-pop, it became the new normal. Now Katy Perry is confusedly woke, and you can't tell me that's not the norm in 2017. Her terribly heavy-footed scansion even works in her favor thematically, as she's completely chained to that stomping rhythm. Incapable of taking any liberty from the beat, she moves around like Link wearing his iron boots. So as usual, it's a bit terrible but it also makes things easy for us weak singers wanting an easy song for karaoke, and whatever my reservations, in the end Katy and Max Martin always win me over. [8]

Megan Harrington: Who but Katy Perry would turn three minutes of arena pop into a very, very, extremely literal call for wokeness? Even her obviousness is obvious. Of course she's pivoted away from the lusty pleasure of her early hits and toward a crude attempt at "real" meaning. "Chained to the Rhythm" is, ultimately, not a very good song, but Perry is familiar, even comfortable, in her clunky movements. We'll never know that utopian future but Perry would be there, no matter the sleight of fate's hand. And "Chained to the Rhythm" in a good year is -- unsurprisingly -- the exact same song as "Chained to the Rhythm" in a bad year. She is a coin with only one side. [7]

Claire Biddles: Like a latterday Daft Punk song that's been cloned over and over again until its defining features are completely flattened out, "Chained to the Rhythm" is so insubstantial that I swear it stops existing after it finishes playing. The lyrics are full of self-drags -- she MUST have known asking "Are we tone deaf?" would be used against her in a review -- and there's something particularly desp about the way she references "your favourite song" knowing that this could never be it. [2]

Maxwell Cavaseno: The inexplicable pivot of the cheesiest, most banal to trying to edge upon wokeness is certainly not the career move you'd expect from Katy Perry off-hand but at the same time, it's been brewing. She's moved from the goofiness into a sea of power-ballads of vague ambition and motivation, so to create an anthem meant to parse through a sea of bullshit by feeding vague lines about utopia and what have you is not improbable. And not for nothing, for all Sia's weird reggae mining and her bullshit fake patois voice she built for playing Trojan RiRi, she's only just recently bothered to put an actual Jamaican on a record or get them writers' credit. And so the awkward promo-featuring of Tuff Gong's grandson is maybe a weird gesture for authenticity from someone so unlikely, but I can't be too upset given this surprisingly rare accommodation. If there's anything to say about this in particular that's a flaw, it's that in many ways it feels too calculated, in a way that Katy Perry used to never bother with. As unflattering or at times infuriating as her lack of foresight could be sometimes, there was something to be said for being so brash. [6]

Anthony Easton: When your entire genre is founded, and continually plays, with notions of black authenticity, does it mean anything that Perry plays with patois, and if it doesn't--why does she have Skip Marley, and if it does, does it mean anything that she doesn't fully commit (rhythm instead of riddim). Minus a point for talking about distortion without having any of it at all, plus a point for sneaking the word empire in. [4]

Alfred Soto: My delight at the "distortion" in a dance pop tune is mitigated by Katy Perry's odd stresses; in this case they land on the last syllable, which has the effect of howling when someone digs a high heel into your big toe. A similar travesty happens in the phrase "to the rhy-THM, to the rhy-THM." Still, the gloss suits her: if any performer would revel in being chained to a rhythm, it's Perry, who in some bars sounds like Toni Braxton. [6]

William John: She did not get away with the grating elongation of "unconditionally", so I have no idea how Katy Perry has been permitted to transgress again with such klutzy abandon; once again, we are faced with an extreme case of the wrong emphasis on the wrong syllable. As to the song's alleged "woke-ness", I proffer no comment save that it's unlikely any slumbering apoliticals will be roused by a track with empty platitudes and such narrow dynamic range. [2]

Will Adams: The trendification of aligning with social justice causes has made it easier than ever for people like Katy "Artist. Activist. Conscious." Perry to market themselves as woke with just a modicum of effort (all while continuing to act as shitty as they always have). The idea that "Chained to the Rhythm" and its vague politics have any potential for significant impact is one of the more insulting concepts the pop machine has lobbed at us in recent memory. But even if Perry had any insight, we'd still have to contend with this torpid mess of recycled Weeknd disco, indulgent Sia-isms, and Perry outdoing the awful scansion on "Unconditionally" a million times over. There's no bite to this, no feeling, and no reason to dandandance. [1]

Katie Gill: American pop music can't be THIS starved for bangers, can it? [3]

Mo Kim: Katy Perry is so bad at being radical that she needed to hire a black reggae artist as a temp for this. [3]

Scott Mildenhall: After all that apocalyptopop a few years ago it's weird that now, with the Doomsday Clock actually closer to midnight than at any point since 1953, Katy Perry doesn't sound that arsed about the walking daymare she's describing. It's not like she's known for her subtlety -- if anything it's like she's trying to undersell the hugely unsubtle "makes you think"-type statements in the lyrics. Weirder still is that "Wide Awake" already did all this without any obvious allusions to infer (and thus better), but at the very least it avoids the weirdest possibility: being completely terrible. As it's akin to an inessential Sébastien Tellier remix, it really isn't that, but it is strangely bloodless. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: One point for every point I'm not giving this: 1. I did not expect Melanie Martinez to be where Katy Perry was positioning herself. 2. If you told me Katy Perry was doing Pleasantville, I would have expected a pinup theme. 2a. Though it's remarkable that the cover art doesn't show her face, and yet still manages to showcase her boobs. 2b. I'm sure Vigilant Citizen is on that photo. God, for the days of obscure cranks. 3. Sia still doesn't do subtext, at all. If she feels zombified, the lyric will have shambling goddamn zombies. 4. Or maybe she does, because this is a subtext-free "Chandelier," down to the isolatable "dance, dance, dance!" and "DRINK!" interjections. 4a. Someone get those ornaments out of her picket fence. Get the lens out too. 4b. Disco balls-and-chains aside, I actually don't think anyone involved was trying to avoid "Slave to the Rhythm." This is the exact kind of tweak-a-word that's Sia's main writing trick, and besides, Katy Perry did "E.T.," she doesn't care. 5. How is Katy Perry one of the few singers who doesn't sound exactly like Sia's demo vocals? Is this a sign of her being a distinctive singer, or too limited to try? 6. I blame Max Martin for the Swedish reggae. Ali Payami probably did the prechorus. 6a. Because they just had to get the funk guitar in somewhere, didn't they? This sounded much better at the Grammys, where it sounded like a more straight-ahead Martin/Payami track. 6b. With a line like "dance to the distortion," would some distortion be too much to ask? 7. I have no idea what Skip Marley is doing here and neither does anyone else. 8. Why does Woke Katy Perry just sound like the late '90s, the time of Fight Club and The Matrix and endless plaints by landfill alternative bands about the pathetic emptiness of our meaningless, consumer-driven lives? Sia was also a product of the '90s; I bet if she released "Chandelier" today that would be called political too. 9. In these days of our Pigmask Putin we're going to see a lot more of these political-shaped but anodyne "protest" songs, aren't we? Please extradite me to wherever it is that I did whatever it was to deserve this. [1]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[newagesispage]

                                                                MAY   2019

PAGE RIB

 ***** Illinois pot growers say that if more licenses aren’t issued to growers, there could be a shortage if recreational weed is legalized. Studies show that medical cannabis demand is under reported. ** Support Senate Bill 7 to legalize recreational marijuana. It is the early stages and has not yet been fleshed out but the bare bones of it passed the committee 12-4. Let’s go!

*****With the presentation of the Peabody award, Rita Moreno will become the third PEGOT winner on May 18. She will join Barbra Streisand and Mike Nichols on that list.

***** Harvard and Yale text book writing U.S. rep in California, Katie Porter is really shaking up the congressional hearings. Go Go Go!!

***** Could Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker have a way of keeping Trump off the ballot? Are the Dems getting as creative as the GOP?  Illinois is looking into forcing candidates to show the last 10 years of their tax returns or their name will not appear on the ballot.

***** Michael Shannon and Audra McDonald are the newest to play Frankie and Johnny on Broadway.

***** Watching the clueless old white politicians on the Sunday morning shows (yea, you John Barraso) makes me a little queasy. ** And I get so tired of the talking heads speaking for the ‘middle of the country’.  Most of the people I know care deeply about the Mueller report. Who the fuck are they talking about? Talk about special rules for our rich President as we remember Nixon and the Clintons. Why should Scary Clown 45 get such great treatment?  I am always hearing about the ‘middle of the country’ worrying about feeding our families and fixing our cars and not knowing or caring about issues in Washington. It is true that so many are living the paycheck to paycheck dream and are burdened with health care and other emergencies they can’t afford but they pay attention to the political problems of this country too. Since citizens don’t have the time or the power or money to be in Washington, they rely on those they voted for to keep each other in line.  Quit letting the shady shit go on. Have some backbone and do not let things slide. Simple rule: DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

***** Word is that Somebody paid off Brett Kavanaugh’s $92,000 country club fees, $200,000 credit card debt and 1.2 mil mortage. Seems like someone might own him.

***** Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months.

***** The Man in the High Castle will end after season 4.

***** I love the way Abigail Disney is standing up to CEO’s.  The points she makes are ones that the corporation heads always hope you won’t think about. Shouldn’t employees be treated fairly? If a CEO is motivated by their own bonus they are far more likely to overlook things like environmental damage, human rights violations and worker’s rights. Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz agrees.

***** When will the press (local and worldwide), give equal exposure to ALL candidates that run for office, especially President? We want to be informed. I do research but not everybody does and needs it to be easily accessible. Sometimes you have to spoon feed but why is it so hard to be fair? Enough with the agendas!!! There also needs to be more places to look for local issues. I hear so many citizens that tell me they don’t know what will be on the ballot. The info can be hard to find but USA Facts helps. Check it out!

***** Four days after confirmation, secretary of interior, David Bernhardt is under investigation for ethical misconduct.

***** Rod Rosenstein is out! His good bye included praise for the Pres and thanking him for all the personal conversations!! What He is the Deputy AG. What??

***** Jordan Klepper did a great gag on comedy central with the Clintons about Hil doing the audio book of the Mueller report. Yes!!

***** The Trumps are suing Deutsche bank and Capital One so they won’t turn over financial records to congress. Aren’t these actions obstruction of congress?

***** Indivisible is getting voters and candidates to sign a pledge to make the primary constructive and support the ultimate democratic winner.

***** Thank you to Tricia Newbold who is the WH whistle blower who let us know about Trump overriding security clearances. Rumor is that to punish her they took advantage of her physical limitations and purposely put files high and out of her reach. Wow! That is right out of high school.

***** Julian Assange was taken into custody and it seems he has turned into some sort of odd Howard Hughes character.

***** Hollywood is putting on a fundraiser for Mayor Pete. The event will be co-hosted by Ryan Murphy and hubby David Miller, Matt Bomer, Jess Cagle and hubby Matt Whitney and Billy Eichner among others. Murphy also hosted Kamala Harris on April 12. Some of Pete’s major donors have been Ryan Reynolds, Jane Lynch, Mandy Moore, Bradley Whitford and James Murdoch.

***** The Webby awards have been announced. Some winners are Billy on the Street, James Corden, Schitt’s Creek, Pod Save the People and Jimmy Kimmel’s mean tweets. Best music video went to Donald Glover for This is America and The Daily won for its onald J. Trump presidential twitter library.

***** Better Call Saul will call it quits after season 6.

***** Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan star in Long Shot, a political rom com out May 3.

*****& Sara Gilbert joins season 3 of Atypical!!!!!

***** Mushroom season is here and it looks like our friend Kavin is sure bringing ‘em home.

***** The shower toga looks like a great get for the festival scene.

***** Barry has been picked up for season 3. Hell yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

***** The state of Georgia wants to make any embryo a fully legalized citizen. An embryo would count on taxes and be able to receive child support.

***** Please let the immigrant children out of their cages!

***** Stacey Abrams has a best seller, Lead from the Outside.

***** Did Harper Lee write ‘The Reverand?’ Oh how I wish I knew!!

***** When will the Bob Geldof story make it to the big screen and can Pete Davidson play him please??

***** Tuca and Bertie from Netflix looks awesome. It has to be good with stars Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish!!

***** John Lithgow is about to release a book with his poetry about the President which will carry the title of his pet name (everybody seems to have one for Trump), Dumpty.

***** The Sultan of Brunei owns the Hotel Bel-Air in L.A. and the Beverly Hills Hotel. His country will now stone gay people to death. BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

***** Tim Ryan is running for President.

***** Seth Moulton is running for President.

***** Joe Biden is running for President.

***** What the hell is happening to Steak ‘n Shake??

***** What the hell is the matter with Senator Mike Lee? He makes a ridiculous presentation with a flying Reagan and all and now he says that babies may be the answer to climate change. He says we need to be free and develop. What is this gut talking about? Why are people like this getting into office?

***** There is a new podcast called Analysis of a killer.

***** Marianne Williamson is running for President.

***** Eric Swalwell is running for President.

***** The notion that Trumps twitter is like a national nanny cam makes perfect sense.

***** Can’t wait to read Seth Abramson’s, Proof of collusion.

***** The question isn’t really collusion. The redacted Mueller report is out and we now see why the team itself did not draw conclusions. All the evidence is there and a sitting President can’t be indicted…. Or can he? There are, however, multiple examples of corruption.  It didn’t cost as much as other independent counsel reports because of all the fines that were charged to Manafort and others pretty much paid for it. Mueller called and wrote to Attorney General Barr and told him he created confusion with his memo and that it didn’t really tell the story.

***** In about 12 years Mueller Probe will be a cool name for a band. –Sarah Silverman

***** Federal appellate judge Maryanne Trump Barry, sister of the President has officially retired at age 82. She was put on the U.S. court of appeals by Bill Clinton. And with that, so ends the investigation into her alleged violations of judicial conduct rules because of participation in fraudulent tax schemes with her siblings in the 90’s.

***** I loved the mash up of Trevor Noah taking over the chair and interviewing Colbert on the Late Show.

***** Oliver North and Wayne LaPierre have been fighting amongst themselves at the NRA. Blackmail? Was North trying to get LaPierre out? The board is standing by the VP while North seems aligned with a public relations firm that some board members disagree with. There are many financial questions as  well. Once again the NRA held its annual convention which does not allow guns. At the end of April North was forced out

***** The Universe is about a billion years younger than we thought according to astronomer Adam Riess. This is causing experts to look into rethinking dark energy and dark matter. Total mind blow!!!

***** People have taken to wearing Free Britney T’s. Her fans held a protest in L.A. to free her from the facility they believe she was forced into.

***** It seems fads lately are all about internet speak like. “felt cute ….” And etc. like that.

***** They are working on a Beauty and the Beast themed bar in Florida.

***** Seymour, Indiana recently uncovered pieces of a mastodon.

***** Mia Farrow has a cute little blue headed bird that visits here every morning. Is it Sinatra?

***** U go Grace Jones, showing us how to do it at 70!!!!!!

***** J Lo and Owen Wilson will star in Marry Me about a pop star who marries a random man in the crowd.

***** Magic Johnson resigned as President of the Lakers. The Owner and general manager were supposedly bad mouthing him.

***** The sweetest moment in the inductions on this year’s rock and roll hall of fame was the love shown for Rick Allen, the drummer for Def Leppard.

***** So twice as many companies don’t pay taxes now thanks to all the tax cuts. Some even get refunds. Scary Clown sure is making it work for the big guys!!

***** Former President of Peru, Alan Garcia shot himself before his arrest for corruption.

***** Wendy Williams and Howard Stern seem to be having a little war of words. She claims he has gone Hollywood and he called her a cunt. She has filed for divorce from this apparently nasty hubby of hers. I thought I heard her say just weeks ago that they were fine.

***** Joel McHale is in the new season of Santa Clarita Diet.

***** Has anybody checked out John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg  ( Wow! Talk about getting the whole treatment) lately ? John F’s only grandson, better known as Jack Schlossberg , has a bright future ahead.

***** Lori Lightfoot has been elected the first black, openly gay woman as Mayor of Chicago.

***** Dave Tilley beat out John McCarty, who passed away in February, to become Spring Bay, Il. Village President.

*****Britney Spears’ Father is in ill health and Britney checked into a facility.

***** Zachary Quinto stars in the new NOS4A2.

***** It’s funny to me that when a true crime story hour begins, you never hear that he (cuz 9 times out of 10 it is the male spouse who is the culprit), was an atheist or an agnostic. No, it is always that he or the family attended church regularly or that they were close to God. This is just a pattern I have observed, totally my own thoughts.  Sometimes it gets way outer limits with the Fathers who sort of run their own cult out of the house. Of course this is not a blanket statement for we see wonderful things being done in the name of the Lord.  It just seems like there is a fine line where religion can be used as a way to hold their power and hide secrets. JS

***** Herman Cain and or Stephen Moore on the Federal regulatory board?  Well, Herman Cain dropped out.

***** Andrew Yang is running for President. Join the Yang Gang!! He wants to free all prisoners with non -violent marijuana offenses, free healthcare for all and every adult gets $1000.00 a month.

***** The Criminal Minds cast is ending their run. I think they should get together one more time and do a sort of Agatha Christie whodunit.

***** Secretary of Homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen is out.

***** Acting ICE director, Ron Vitiello is out.

***** Dislike the elite? Nobody is more elite that Trump. How do so many people not get that?

***** Every woman should be able to tell her truth and who knows what makes a person uncomfortable but I think Joe Biden is going thru some bullshit. I don’t agree with everything he has done thru the years but I trust Biden and think he would be a great President.  I do think, however that his moment has passed.

***** Check out the behind the scenes book of Washington, ‘The Hill to die on’ by Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer. More proof that Trump just looks at everything as just a big show with his quote,“ There are ratings for everything.”

***** The Profiles in Courage award this year goes to Nancy Pelosi.

***** I have seen the pharmaceutical reps while at some recent Dr.visits, buying elaborate catered affairs for the medical staff.  It is a weekly thing. They sure have some money to throw around. No wonder everybody is hooked on something.

***** Real National emergencies: The electoral college, the discrepancies between the rich and the poor which makes it impossible to achieve the American dream, climate change and healthcare.

***** The co- founder of Home Depot, Ken Langone has seen to it that medical school students at NYU are given free tuition always. YEOW!!

***** We should take a lesson from Sudan. They have ousted President Omar al-Bashir, the butcher of Dafur. The protests have led to his indictment for genocide and crimes against humanity.

***** We never stop learning: Archaeologists have discovered an extinct human species they have never known in the Phillipines that they are calling homo luzonensis.

***** Is Cody Fern teasing us on Instagram about season 9 of American Horror Story:1984?

***** Rumple Buttercup by Matthew Gray Gubler hit #1 on the NY Times bestseller list.

***** As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Tarantino’s Palme d’or win in Cannes, he is busy editing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It isn’t clear if he’ll get the film to this year’s event. Word is coming out that it is fantastic though.

***** I am a little bit sickened that the worst cooks show actually has Jimmie Walker and Tonya Harding on the same show.  Can’t the world find something better for a talent like Walker?? Come on!!

***** Is Stephen Miller and Fox news really running this country?

***** R.I.P. Mildred Mercy Tomes, Christine Marie Rinehart, Sen. Ernest Hollings, Dan Robbins, Shag Sheckler, Charles Van Doren, Georgia Engel, victims of the Sri Lanka shrine and hotel bombings, Lyra Mckee, David Brion Davis, MyLecia Naylor, Shelley Lazar, Mark Medoff, Warren Adler , Lori Kaye, John Singleton, victims of the University of North Carolina shooting and Ken Kercheval.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Oscar Predictions 2019: Who Will Win, Who Should Win, and Who Should Have Been Nominated

The craziest awards season in … maybe ever will finally come to a close on Sunday when the winners for the 91st Annual Academy Awards are announced. As weird as the year has been in terms of the actual show (Kevin Hart! Awards During Commercials!), the awards themselves have reflected the WTF nature of the program. Usually, Oscar pundits can look at what are called the precursor awards – the critics groups, the Golden Globes, the guilds – and have a pretty good idea what’s going to win. Not this year. Good luck using the guilds to win your Oscar pool because, for the first time ever, all of them went to a different film. The actors went with “Black Panther,” the directors went with “Roma,” the producers went with “Green Book,” and the writers went with “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “Eighth Grade,” which wasn’t even nominated for Best Screenplay at the Oscars. 

To say this year is unpredictable would be a massive understatement. With that in mind, my predictions below (with some of my thoughts all the way down to technical categories) of what “Will Win” are as conservative as they can possibly be. When things get this haywire, it’s often logical to try to take the only clear route you can see. In other words, some of these will be wrong. Probably more than most years. And if you really want to win your Oscar pool, you should use this as a base and then try to find the 2-3 that go unpredictable. Good luck. 

BEST PICTURE

Most years, this race comes down to two, maybe three, films that could possibly win. Think “The Shape of Water” vs. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” or “La La Land” vs. “Moonlight.” This year? There’s legitimately SIX movies that could win this. A win for “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Vice” would be a stunner, but the other six would not. The Screen Actors Guild has the most in-common body with the Academy and they went with “Black Panther.” The producers loved “Green Book,” and it feels like an Oscar winner from a half-century ago. Could you really deny the possibility that the crowd favorite “A Star is Born” sneaks through and takes the big prize? It’s possible. And yet I come back to the idea that when things are this close that overall quality will win out. I hope so. I’m not strong enough for what it means if “Green Book” wins.

Will/Should Win: “Roma”

Should Have Been Nominated: “If Beale Street Could Talk”

BEST DIRECTOR

For a very long time, it was safest to bet that director and picture would align, although that’s been notably different in recent years. “Birdman” won Director; “Spotlight” won Picture. “La La Land” won Director; “Moonlight” won Picture. If there’s a split here, I suspect it’s to Spike Lee, who Academy members will want to finally recognize, although I think that urge comes more strongly in the writing categories, and we have an old-fashioned match this year with Cuaron’s deeply personal vision winning over voters enough to take the top two prizes.

Will/Should Win: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”

Should Have Been Nominated: Ryan Coogler, “Black Panther”

BEST ACTOR

Of the big six (Picture, Director, and the four Acting ones), this one feels like the strongest lock as the man who played Freddie Mercury has been building up steam to this award for a few months now. The Academy loves it when actors play real people and this award almost certainly comes down to Malek or Christian Bale, and there just seems to be more goodwill toward “Bohemian Rhapsody” than “Vice” at this moment, even with the allegations against the latter film’s director. Play a real person, win an Oscar. It’s a depressingly reliable formula.

Will Win: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Should Win: Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”

Should Have Been Nominated: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”

BEST ACTRESS

If the biopic is the most tried-and-true Oscar narrative, a close second would be the “overdue” award, which has helped people like Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Kate Winslet, and Julianne Moore win their only Oscars for films that practically no one would argue contain their career-best performance. Riding that wave this year is Glenn Close, nominated a stunning seven times, including this year. In a year with no other clear frontrunner, Close will get a Lifetime Achievement Award in the form of a Best Actress one with a wave of support for the very-well-liked “The Favourite” the only thing that could spoil her party.

Will Win: Glenn Close, “The Wife”

Should Win: Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Should Have Been Nominated: Toni Collette, “Hereditary”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

People can’t seem to agree on so many things about Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book,” but they all come to common ground on one thing: not only is Mahershala Ali phenomenal in the film, but he’s handled this controversial awards season with class. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also got a likely Emmy winner unfolding right now on HBO too in the third season of “True Detective.” He’ll barely squeak out a win over who I think should win the award.

Will Win: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”

Should Win: Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Should Have Been Nominated: Steven Yeun, “Burning”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

In years this unpredictable, we often get a total shocker in the supporting categories (think Marcia Gay Harden for “Pollock”), and so there’s a part of me that thinks this goes to Rachel Weisz for “The Favourite” instead of the perceived, well, favorite. As I said in the intro though, I’m sticking with the general consensus picks for this feature, and that seems to be Regina King. Although literally nothing would surprise me here.

Will/Should Win: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk"

Should Have Been Nominated: Claire Foy, “First Man”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

It’s finally time for Spike Lee to get that Oscar, nearly three decades after he should have won every prize for which he was eligible for “Do the Right Thing.” I expect him to give one of the best speeches of the night too. Don’t miss that one.

Will/Should Win: “BlacKkKlansman”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Burning”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Some people seem to think this is where “Green Book” gathers steam, and if it does win here, there’s reason to be nervous that it has enough support to take the top prize too. However, I think the last couple of weeks of bad press were enough to sink it, and allow a film that even its detractors agree is strong in this department to sneak in and take it.

Will Win: “The Favourite”

Should Win: “First Reformed”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Eighth Grade”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

For most of the year, it looked like Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” would be a slam-dunk winner here. Not only was it a relatively weak year for animation, but the Pixar hit made a bajillion dollars on the back of rave reviews. And then a little movie about Miles Morales came along. Since the release of “Spider-Verse,” the narrative has changed so much that it would actually be a surprise to see Disney take this prize this year.

Will/Should Win: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The non-fiction category at the Oscar remains one of the toughest to predict. Honestly, you could throw a dart here among the three most widely-seen nominees, “Free Solo,” “RBG,” and “Minding the Gap.” I’m going with the safest pick, but crossing my fingers for Bing Liu.

Will Win: “Free Solo”

Should Win: “Minding the Gap”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Bisbee ‘17”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Would I be surprised if something really weird happened and “Roma” won Best Picture but lost here to “Cold War”? Nope. People putting Cuaron and his film at the top of their ballot may also want to spread the wealth to another clearly-loved film. It could happen – but I’m not quite ready to predict it.

Will/Should Win: “Roma”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Burning”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The winner of the American Society of Cinematographers Award has matched up with Oscar five of the last eight years. That would mean that this goes to Łukasz Żal for “Cold War.” Again, that wouldn’t surprise me, but I can’t go there. I just think there’s too much love for the look of “Roma,” and fellow directors will take the chance to give this award to the director of his own film for the first time in Academy history.

Will/Should Win: “Roma”

Should Have Been Nominated: “First Man”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Never count out Sandy Powell, especially for a film as gorgeously designed as the one by Yorgos Lanthimos. Not only did she win the “Excellence in Period Film” award from her guild this week, but she’s won the Oscar for costume design three other times, but not since 2009’s “The Young Victoria.” She’s been nominated a stunning 14 times, including twice this year. Oh, that’s the third time she’s been a double nominee in a single year, by the way. She’s a legend and she’s getting her fourth Oscar.

Will/Should Win: “The Favourite”

Should Have Been Nominated: “If Beale Street Could Talk”

BEST FILM EDITING

It’s eye-rolling to consider that the two frontrunners here are films that most critics derided for their shoddy editing. Even the Twitterverse lost their mind over the quick-cut approach of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and I personally couldn’t stand the rhythm of “Vice.” However, it’s likely one of them wins here. Why “Bohemian”? A narrative has built up in Hollywood that John Ottman had to save the film when Singer walked away. This will be his prize for doing so.

Will Win: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Should Win: “BlacKkKlansman”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Widows”

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Will Win: “Vice”

Should Win: “Border”

Should Have Been Nominated: “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Will Win: “The Favourite”

Should Win: “Black Panther”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Hereditary”

BEST SCORE

Will/Should Win: “If Beale Street Could Talk”

Should Have Been Nominated: “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Will Win: “Shallow” from “A Star is Born”

Should Win: “All the Stars” from “Black Panther”

Should Have Been Nominated: Anything from “Vox Lux”

BEST SOUND EDITING

Will/Should Win: “First Man”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Mission Impossible: Fallout”

BEST SOUND MIXING

Will Win: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Should Win: “A Star is Born”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Annihilation”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Will Win: “Avengers: Infinity War”

Should Win: “Ready Player One”

Should Have Been Nominated: “Annihilation”

from All Content https://ift.tt/2SjAbdt

[jotawakening-blog]

6 Septober, 5A 169: A Fistful of Coins

Another hot, desert day.  With the morning, I leave my quarters at the guesthouse and keep up the search for Ali Morrisane’s nephew, this time in the southern part of town.  My first stop is actually a kebab shop off the main square, where I stop by for breakfast.  The shopkeeper prides himself on the spiciness of his kebabs and persuades me to try one of his really spicy ones, the ones he’s apparently got a corner on the market on.  As far as I can tell, there’s nothing actually different about the spicy kebab except for the sauce the guy uses, but that sauce is basically liquid fire!  With a bit of gagging, frantic drinking from my waterskin, and cursing myself for a fool, I eventually manage to down my breakfast and move on.

North-west of the main square, there’s a single house up on a hill, which might be worth checking out.  I trek up to it, and find that it’s owned by an old, old woman, cackling to herself beside a bubbling cauldron.  Now, I’m no expert in the local culture, but up north a woman like that would probably be a witch!  A brief conversation with her confirms this to be the case, but she’s not the talkative sort, and asks me not to disturb her potion making, else she’ll turn me into a frog.  Okay, I get the hint!  (Side note: even she is named Ali— short, in this case, for Alice.  The challenge of finding Ali Morrisane’s nephew seems to grow more daunting with every person I talk to!)

Leaving the hag’s house, I go down the hill and head to the Asp and Snake, the pub on the far side of the main square, in the hopes that I’ll be able to get some information over there.  The pub is surprisingly well-stocked, and even seems to sell exotic liquors and pure rot-gut like pirate grog.  I strike up a conversation with the bartender: he’s helpful enough, though he won’t talk about the gangs because both sides in the feud are paying customers and he has no wish to rock the boat.  When I ask about Ali Morrisane’s cousin Ali, however, the conversation runs aground, because as it turns out the vast majority of the townsfolk seem to be named Ali!  After some frustrating back-and-forth, it turns out he doesn’t know anything about the specific Ali I’m looking for, which is a downer.  So, to end the conversation on a positive note, I ask about the name of the pub: isn’t an asp a type of snake?  The bartender explains that it’s a great name: if he were to change it, it would be just another business called Ali’s, and that would get very confusing!  Um, he has a point.

Sitting in a corner of the pub is an older drunk guy (wow, a bit early to be drinking so heavily, eh?) who overheard my conversation with the bartender and offers me a deal: if I buy him a drink, he will tell me about the strange occurrences that have been happening in town lately.  That sounds like exactly what I need, so I throw aside qualms of encouraging the guy’s drinking problem and buy him a beer.  The man opens up briefly, telling me he knows whom I’m looking for and where he’s located, but requests another beer before he’ll continue.  I do so, wondering meanwhile whether extreme drunkenness will completely undermine the veracity of the information he has to provide.  This time, I get as far as specifying that what I care about is Ali Junior’s whereabouts, at which point the guy clams up and asks for yet another drink.  Gritting my teeth, I buy him one and finally, after some threats to wring a beer from his body and squeeze it out into a tankard for him to drink, I learn pretty much the same thing the street urchin told me for free: Ali Junior has gotten himself into a fix with one or both of the gangs and disappeared as of last week.  Okay, great, that’s super useful.  Thanks for nothing, old drunkard.

I leave the bar in frustration and head into the southern area of town.  The first place I stop by over that way is Ali’s camel store, whose owner tells me it is his mission to sell discounted riding camels to the common man.  Since I’m not in the market for a camel, I turn the conversation toward politics and the question of the gangs.  Ali the camel seller is quite voluble on the subject, cursing the gangs for a pest on the town and lamenting that, Pollnivneach lying just outside the influence of both Al-Kharid and Menaphos, there is no higher authority to kick the bandits out.  With some prodding, I get the camel seller to share with me his solution for dealing with the menace: he would like to see a truce brokered between the gangs, perhaps via a mutual exchange of token gifts.  If that fails, perhaps the gangs could be subverted from within.  Finally, I ask whether the camel seller knows anything about Ali Junior, but run into the same screen of confusion caused by seemingly everyone in town being named Ali.  Figuring he might have some more to say if I’m interested in his camels, I ask him whether he’s got any stock on sale.  Unfortunately not, he says: the two out back are already sold, but he should have new stock coming in soon.  So much for that idea, then…

Nothing to do but to keep going and see whether I can find out anything in the south of town.  The sights there are much the same as up north, with a few exceptions.  First of all, the bandits who have taken over this part of town are snazzy, not scruffy, with ornate purple-and-gold regalia.  However, they’re just as uncommunicative as their northern fellows.  Besides them, there’s a snake charmer practicing his craft over by the Asp and Snake (where else?), who’s too absorbed in what he’s doing to talk to me, and a Menaphite scholar who’s engrossed in his research and also too busy to talk.

Finally, on the outskirts of town is the purple-and-gold pavilion of the Menaphite gang leadership’s.  Since I haven’t been able to find out anything about Ali Junior’s whereabouts from the townsfolk, it looks like I have no choice but to deal with the gangsters.  And that means talking to the one in charge, or as close as I can get, meaning Ali ‘the Operator’.  I run across the leader outside the tent, minding his business.  He’s surprisingly willing to talk to me, but blames any trouble that’s been going on in town on the desert bandits.  When I tell him I’m aware of his own group’s misdeeds, as well, he tells me that may be so, but the Menaphites do the whole stealing and killing thing so much more effectively than the desert rubes, and besides, it’s they who started!  I ask him to explain, and he reveals that the current feud started when the desert bandits stole a camel from the Menaphites, a grave offence around these parts.  Aha!  So I ask whether he would agree to peace with the desert bandits if they gave back a camel of equal value.  The Menaphite captain tells me he would, but the desert bandits would never agree to such a deal, not least because they’re so bad at banditry that they can’t afford even a crappy camel, much less a top-of-the-line one.  Lastly, about Ali Junior, he has nothing to say.  Perhaps he’s too worked up thinking about the competition.

So, that’s the Menaphites’ side of the story… what do the desert bandits have to say?  I try in vain to look for their leader in the north of town, so I try the opposite tactic: picking on the weakest and most cowardly of them I can find and getting him to spill the beans.  A crossbow in the face is all it takes, and none of his friends bother to help out.  I ask him about the origins of the feud between his gang and the Menaphites, and he says it goes back generations, decades before the mayor of Pollnivneach called them in to deal with their nemeses.  They, too, allege that their rivals stole a camel from them, and they as well would be happy to stop fighting if I brought them a worthy camel.  Huh— I guess I’m not finding anything out until I get each gang a camel.

Logically, my next stop is the camel seller’s shop off market square.  True, he doesn’t have any camels for sale right now, but he did mention new stock, so I ask him about that, and he gives me the details.  It would seem that he’s got two camels due in from the finest stable in Al-Kharid, both very fine beasts, one named Sandy and the other Lumps.  I cut off his sales pitch when he starts going into way too much detail about their qualities, and ask how much the beasts are.  The merchant objects to such a crass approach, telling me one cannot put a value on life like that (I’m sure he’s just trying to get me to name a price more than the camels are worth…); I counter with an offer of 500 coins.  This turns out to be a fair price, and the merchant writes me out receipt for the two camels, so that I can pick them up when they come in.  Of course, my plan is to give one receipt each to each gang and see if that won’t make them stop feuding.  So far, it seems to be working like a charm!

Thinking I’ve solved things neatly, I take one receipt to the desert bandit I spoke with earlier, and tell him the Menaphites have offered his gang a fine camel in exchange for peace.  The guard, thinking the Menaphites have completely folded, scoffs at this offer, and tells me to tell his rivals that if the Menaphites are so scared, they should offer ten camels, not just one.  Damn it, why do I even bother!?

It’s the same story with the Menaphites: Ali the Operator, when confronted with this ‘proof’ of the desert bandits’ cowardice, likewise demands an outsize number of camels in exchange for peace.  Just when I think I’ve failed, however, he offers me a deal.  Reasoning that the desert bandits are weak, and therefore in a position to be toppled, he offers to hire me to drive them out of town.  Ah, now I’m getting somewhere.  I agree to the offer, figuring if all else fails I’ll have at least given one gang their just deserts.   Unfortunately, Ali the Operator doesn’t trust me yet, and demands that I go through probation before he can entrust me with the key role in his master-plan.  The task seems simple: I am to pick the pockets of three villagers.  Right, I’ve done that before, shouldn’t be an issue at all!

So I go down to the market square and limber up my fingers for reaching into pockets.  The first villager whom I try to relieve of money proves an easy mark, but there my luck ends.  The vast majority of the town’s residents, having spent years in the crossfire of the Menaphites and the desert bandits, are too situationally aware for me to steal from them.  After trying and failing a good number of times, I decide I need to consult with an expert, and so go back to Ali the Operator to ask for advice.

One would think that he would have fired me right on the spot, but no: he’s perfectly willing to make allowances for an outsider who doesn’t know the finer points of thieving in this tough town.  He suggests that I try using a distraction to create a moment of inattention in which I can pick another pocket.  The most obvious distraction is one that I didn’t even plan: a cat sauntering in with a postbag in his teeth and a postman’s cap on his head!  As sure as I am that this will shock the natives, though, it appears that the cat is a regular courier, carrying post between Menaphos and Al-Kharid.  Weird!!

So I need some other distraction.  Simplest, I decide, is best, so I pay one of the local street urchins a few coins to insult a passing villager and use that chance to slip in and out of the guy’s pockets.  The gambit works, but it’s one of those strategies that only works once: the instructions I gave the urchin were too obvious in the execution, and the villagers all know something is up.  So, it’s back to Ali the Operator for more advice.  This time, he says, I should dispense with all the niceties and use a bit of brute force.  To let me know what he means, he gives me a stout oaken club.  Oh dear, this is getting more and more ethically dubious as I proceed, but the life of Ali Morrisane’s cousin may be at stake, so I brush off my qualms and steel myself for what I’m about to do.

Specifically: I go down to the market square and hide behind the big cactus near the mayor’s house, which grants me a good degree of concealment from the crowd.  Then, when a villager comes by, I reach out and thwack him on the head, conking him out.  While he’s out cold, I rifle through his pockets and return with news of my success to Ali the Operator.

Ali is quick to dispel any illusions that my three successful pickpockets are the only trial I shall have to pass.  No, there’s another task as well: I need to prove myself as a burglar, and that means robbing the mayor’s villa for the mayor’s wife’s jewels: the only thing really worth stealing in this town.  Ali has a bit of advice for me before throwing me to the wolves: I should stake out the place before committing to anything and I should probably have some disguise.  Oh, and he’s considerate enough to give me the key to the front door, too!

About the disguise: I’ll need something that will blend right in with the townsfolk: my armour is far too conspicuous.  Suddenly, inspiration strikes: wasn’t the guy at the market stall selling typical Kharidian headdresses and fake beards?  If I combined the two, I could look like an old Kharidian man to anyone who doesn’t bother to examine me too closely!  I go up to the store, buy the disguise, put it on, then head down to the mayor’s mansion for the stakeout.  On the way there, I realise that my gloves aren’t right for the job: they’re too rigid, and taking them off would leave fingerprints.  It’s an annoyance, but I think I’ll have to go back to Shantay Pass for some simple leather gloves— and use the opportunity to take out some money, too, because I’m likely to need it and have barely any on me.

Having gone there and back again, I go back to the mayor’s mansion and, determining that the coast is clear, slip inside.  The place isn’t that ornate, and is in fact quite sparsely furnished, which makes the search easier.  I first check the mayor’s study, going through his desk, but all I find there that may be of interest is a brief note describing a well-known mathematical sequence.  The upstairs part is a bit more well-appointed, but the decor interests me little.  Instead, I search the nooks and crannies of the room for the jewels.  Underneath the bed, I find another jotted reference to the same mathematical sequence, which makes me think something is up with it.  My search for the jewels, however, seems fruitless, until, that is, I look behind a painting hung on the wall and discover a small safe!  It’s locked with a combination lock, so I dial in the sequence described by the two notes I found and note with satisfaction the click the safe makes as it opens!  Inside are the mayor’s wife’s jewels, all right: I take them with me and go back with them to Ali the Operator.

Ali is surprised to see me back so soon, and expresses his doubts that I actually cracked the safe myself, without any help.  So I tell him about all the hints the mayor left behind, and he has a laugh at the mayor’s foolishness.  Once he’s done chuckling, he gives me my final task.  He tells me there’s a traitor within his gang, and he wants me to root them out.  I ask Ali why he’s chosen me for this task— after all, we’ve only known each other for a day— so Ali explains that he trusts me on this, precisely because I don’t have all the baggage that comes with a life of crime.

I begin the investigation by asking some of the gang members about there being a traitor in the gang, and whether they could specify the traitor’s identity.  The gang members give me a name straight away: Traitorous Ali, who is such a backstabbing double-dealer that he would betray his own mother— twice— for barely any payment at all!  I return with this information to Ali the Operator, and after a moment’s thought, seems totally convinced that this is the traitor he’s looking for.  So, he tasks me with killing him quietly, without raising a fuss.  Well, after the horrible things he put his mother up to, I’d say he kind of deserves it.

I go around town looking for Traitorous Ali, but he’s neither among the Menaphites nor with the bandits.  At the bar, however, I get lucky: he was drinking there just a short while ago, and even left his beer on the table!  Aha— if I had some way of poisoning the beer, that would do the trick!  But I don’t have any poison on me— blast and blast again!  Perhaps someone in town might, though: how about the witch?

I go up to Ali the Hag’s house, and find to my surprise that she’s more than happy to help me get rid of someone, when that someone is Traitorous Ali, at least: looks like he double-crossed her as well, sometime in the past!  The witch concurs with me that poisoning is the way to do it, but requests that I bring her the ingredients for the poison, since she doesn’t have any with her.  The main ingredient, she tells me, is snake venom.  Now, since I have no idea how you extract venom from a snake, she asks me to bring her a whole, live snake with fangs in its head.  The snake-charmer’s pet won’t do, she says: it’s about as dangerous as a rubber knife!

That may be so, but perhaps the snake-charmer could tell me how to charm a more dangerous snake?  I go down to the bar, where he continues to practice, and grab his attention by throwing a few coins his way.  I ask him whether he can let me try charming a snake; he grunts, hands me a spare basket and snake-charming flute, and tells me to go away.  Okay, now I need to figure out how to use this thing.  But it’s getting late: I think I’ll spend tomorrow practicing, and see what that gets me.