#nigel atherton

[septembergold]

Nigel Atherton

Red Fort, Delhi

[elisedonut]

Dammit, you've got me thinking about Colin >:( the thing is, because I'm new to this idk who my favourite ship with him is. Like Percy is cute and Harry is too and so is Ginny or Luna but that's it for me. Cute. WHERE'S THE BURNING PASSION WHERE IS THAT SHIP THAT MAKES MY INSIDES CRUNCHY I HAVEN'T READ ENOUGH TO KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT :(

>:)

I love Colin so much obv my favorite is Percy/Colin but I do like Harry/Colin as a one sided crush and am kinda falling into the idea of Luna/Colin as a work place romance ever since I learned of that line he has in a game about wanting to work for the quibbler

I do recommend

Different by Miraphina Atherton (mew_tsubaki)

Its a Nigel/Colin fic and I loved it a ton and think it does well in both its Colin and Dennis portrayals

(Nigel is a movie only character that they used to replace Colin and Dennis because Colin's actor grew too fast to keep playing him so personality wise he's pretty much just another Creevey without the last name)

I feel like Colin just kinda inherently falls into that cute and/tragic category like he has passion but other then his photography it's not tapped into as much as it could be. His type of love just inherently feels very puppy like and obsessive and I love that about him so much

like he would make such a good stalker because he practically already is one but he'd be so nice about it which makes it more fun to me personally

our guy just doesn't understand boundaries much and that's ok he can steal Percy's sweaters and take creepy photos of him when he's not paying attention and know his whole daily schedule and Percy will probably kinda like that about him

Harry's just like "How do you even deal with him."

while Percy's just "Just because you didn't like the attention doesn't mean I don't"

In that soulmate AU

Percy finds a whole album of just him that Colin had hidden away so random people wouldn't see it and a bunch of them don't even make sense on how he took them

Percy unpacks his stuff after his sixth year just to find multiple articles of clothing missing because Colin took them home with him without asking because Percy left it unattended for like five minutes and Colin came into the room and saw it and went swipe without thought because he's going to miss him over the summer.

Colin being physically incapable of keeping the smile of his face when he sees him after Percy graduated that really it's a wonder they've been able to keep their soulmate status a secret at all

just give me all the innocent affections

all the Colin being obsessive and kind of creepy without noticing because he's just so excited about everything

like 'it's not creepy to steal your soulmates sweater just so you can sleep with it over the summer' is his thought process but then he has to explain to his dad why he has a sweater like 3x his size and his dads just like sigh Colin...

[darlingofdots]

Hi!

I think I’m right that you’re a fellow listener of audio books? I was wondering if you had any recommendations for particularly good narrators? I have been spoilt by the awesomeness of Moira Quirk (Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb)& Adjoa Andoh (Anne Leckie’s Imperial Radch) - also Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Ben Aaronovich’s Rivers of london), Robin Miles (N K Jemisin’s Great Cities) & Kristin Atherton (Garth Nix’s Angel Mage). I’m currently listening to the Temeraire series but am always on the hunt for the next good book!

I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this! You have of course already named my top two audiobook recs (Moira Quirk's TLT and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's RoL) so here are some further favourites:

Memoirs of Lady Trent read by Kate Reading (5 books in the main series)

A Crown for Cold Silver read by Angéle Masters (first in a trilogy)

Discworld audiobooks! Personally I prefer Stephen Briggs over Nigel Planer but tbh they're both really good

Lord of the Rings read by Andy Serkis is really fun! my brother got started on this for a long train ride and he a) doesn't really read usually b) isn't that confident with English so I think that is a recommendation all of its own

Graceling Realms but make sure you get the version by Xanthe Elbrick!! (5 books so far but although I've read all of them I've only listened to 2 and 3)

if you already like Kristin Atherton you should check out her performance of Howl's Moving Castle!

and I'm going to rec @ariaste's brilliant book A Conspiracy of Truths read by James Langton, perfectly captures the crotchety old man narrator

I hope you find something you like! I am basically always listening to an audiobook even if I've already heard it a dozen times, but I am also very picky so I have a lot of Opinions about what I like and end up revisiting favourites a lot xD

[d2kvirus]

Dickheads of the Month: August 2024

As it seems that there are people who say or do things that are remarkably dickheaded yet somehow people try to make excuses for them or pretend it never happened, here is a collection of some of the dickheaded actions we saw in the month of August 2024 to make sure that they are never forgotten.  

Better not suggest that bonehead messiah Tommy Robinson is in any way affiliated with the Islamophobic riots across England, as that would be terribly wrong as he's conspicuously hiding in Tenerife to say he can't have anything to do with them

...similarly don't suggest waffling gargoyle Nigel Farage is in any way affiliated with the far-right riots across England, not even when he or his stablemates Richard Tice or David Atherton make obviously inflammatory statements or post patently inflammatory things online in regards to them, after all it wasn't Farage that was misinforming the public it was noted sex trafficker Andrew Tate's fault as Farage was merely repeating what Tate said unquestioningly before deciding an unscheduled trip to Hong Kong might be a good idea

...nor should we blame Sarah Edwards for the migrant-hosting hotel in her Tamworth constituency being attacked by the racist rioters, in spite Sarah Edwards voicing complaints about the migrant-hosting hotel in her Tamworth constituency in Parliament for no logical reason whatsoever, which of course isn't going to be considered a Labour whip-removal offence unlike something truly heinous like voting to feed children

...and don't blame Lee Anderson either, because he says Jess Phillips is to blame for mentioning a migrant hotel which was attacked - while pretending he hasn't been doxxing migrant hotels on his socials for years, though Ashfield was fortunate to not have masses of far-right rioters trashing the place, just like Clacton was fortunate and Basildon was fortunate...

...nor should failed gameshow contestant Katie Hopkins be held to account for anything she did, for example literally tweeting a list of locations across England where by complete coincidence one fascist pogrom after another happened to take place on the dats she posted in the locations which she posted

...and failed nepo baby Lawrence Fox absolutely should not be held responsible for geeing up the neo-Nazi looters, even though that;s exact what he was doing online before suddenly legging it to Ireland for no reason given

...yet according to the BBC social media is 100% to blame, which was apparently news to Lee Anderson when, on his GB News show, he alternated between defending the far-right thugs and cheering them on, which last time I checked puts the blame on traditional media

So now billionaire manchild Elon Musk is adding election interference to the list of ventures he dabbles in but not particularly well, creating a PAC which collects user data from a register to vote form which does not register people to vote, but the form certainly does steal their data

...and soon afterwards billionaire manchild Elon Musk decided to voice his definitely-informed-in-any-way opinion about the gammony riots across England by saying that "Civil war is inevitable" - note the quotation marks, as that's his direct quote

...but wait! Another genius idea by billionaire manchild Elon Musk to fix the broken hellscape that is Twitter just dropped! Removing visible counts of any form of interaction, be they likes, comments, reposts or quotes - which of course not only further removes any chance of saying billionaire manchild Elon Musk got ratioed yet again, but also reduces the chances of people seeing the amount of racist and transphobic material which billionaire manchild Elon Musk interacts with on a daily basis

...and in a strop billionaire manchild Elon Musk said he was going to sue every company which removed their advertising from Twitter when it became a far-right hellhole with the owner of the far-right hellhole in particular doing much to signal boost the most hellish of far-right hellions in order to maintain Twitter's status as a far-right hellhole that nobody wants to advertise on

...and because billionaire manchild Elon Musk loves to prove people who disagree with him tend to be this concept known as "being correct every single time", he looked like a stable genius retweeting Britain First leader Ashlea Simon when they posted a fake Torygraph article claiming Keir Starmer wanted detainment camps for the far-right rioters who smashed up the country while generally being racist, fascist, and generally pathetic. Just like Musk, then

...but wait, then billionaire manchild Elon Musk decided to blame the myriad of technical difficulties that blighted his livestream with registered sex offender Donald Trump on a DDOS attack that never happened, rather than the reality that Twitter Spaces has been unable to handle livestreams with more than twelve people watching them due to Musk fucking up the streaming infrastructure and being unable to fix it due to firing the people whose job it was to maintain Twitter's streaming infrastructure

...soon afterwards billionaire manchild Elon Musk was looking to win hearts and minds with a PR blitz...by gifting a Clustertruck to noted Russian war criminal Ramzan Kadyrov

...and then billionaire manchild Elon Musk responded to a summons from the Brazilian supreme court due to Twitter not having legal representation in Brazil ever since Musk closed Twitter's Brazilian office by posting an AI generated image of the Brazilian supreme court chief justice in prison

...and because billionaire manchild Elon Musk is such a thin-skinned bitch, he then went on an unhinged rant accusing the supreme court judge who shuttered Twitter in Brazil due to lacking legal representation ever since billionaire manchild Elon Musk shuttered their Brazilian office of election interference with the quite remarkable tell on himself that he made these accusations - and then asked if anyone with evidence could forward it to him

Hard centre extremist Emanuel Macron is still refusing to meet with the left-wing coalition which won France's legislative election in June, having already used the Olympics as a stalling tactic, but you know who he has met? Marine Le Pen, because centrists gotta centrist

It appears that Angela Carini learned from being eliminated in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, coming back to the Paris Olympics to...retire from her bout against Imane Khelif after 45 seconds after being punched in the face a couple of times, which I'm sure has absolutely nothing to do with the transphobic moral panic about Khelif whatsoever...

...and then freelance snuff photographer Logan Paul decided to voice his ignorant opinion on the situation and be a transphobic turd about Khelif, and when informed that they'd be transphobic about a woman for the engagement grift his response was to literally say "Whoopsie!" which I hope isn't his line of defence when Coffeezilla drags his sorry ass into court

...leading to Lisa Nandy forgetting her talk of how culture wars are over to firmly side with the likes of JK Rowling, Posie Parker, Joe Rogan, Logan Paul and other transphobic pieces of shit

...and then Nicola Adams decided she wanted to be the latest example of a former sportswoman who went full-TERF first by mouthing her patently wrong opinion, and after admitting she was wrong she showed growth by...retweeting Ian Miles Cheong signal boosting some transphobic conspiracy theorist who decided that Imane Khelif was a man because transphobes are noted for their ability to admit they are talking bollocks

...but then Laura Woods decided she wanted a piece of the transphobic dickhead pie and repeatedly made the same brainless comments about Imane Khelif, doubled down on those brainless comments when challenged (not least because by this point only an attention-seeking dickhead would wade into the subject and not expect immediate pushback), and then went crying to the press about being harassed, somehow failing to spot the irony of piling-on to somebody who was being harassed

...but isn't it funny how militant TERF JK Rowling didn't tweet a single word for two weeks which definitely had nothing to do with Imane Khelif's threat of a lawsuit and her lawyers telling her to shut the fuck up, before Rober Galbraith himself tweeted some utterly deranged shit about how Khelif should send her gender test result to Rowling so she could dictate whether she was a woman or not. Because, remember, she's about protecting women...

It looks like Rachel Reeves had to make another one of those "difficult decisions" which she claims to hate making yet consistently makes anyway, this time giving Labour donor Ian Corfield a plum role in the Treasury - but don't accuse her or Keir Starmer's Labour Party of cronyism...

It certainly appears that Fox News knowingly and willingly colluded with registered sex offender Donald Trump to stage a wholly fake ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery so they could claim that Kamala Harris did not attend a ceremony to honour nobody at all as the whole thing was fake

Interesting how Ed Balls gave Yvette Cooper such an easy ride when interviewing her on Good Morning Britain, which I'm sure has nothing to do with Balls interviewing his literal fucking wife. Of course, he gives all Labour MPs an easy ride, as evidenced a couple of days earlier where he and Andrew Pierce decided to dogpile Zarah Sultana live on national TV in a way that definitely doesn't beg multiple questions about their sneering, bullying approach

Nobody told Rosie Duffield that the Gender Critical cult had been shown their asses by their gibbering rage at a woman winning an Olympic gold medal in boxing, hence she led a meeting which looked either like a cult gathering or like the rally in The Wall

Used car salesman Richard Tice demonstrated how Reform Ltd definitely aren't a bunch of cranks by saying that Keir Starmer should be arrested for encouraging Covid vaccine takeup. In spite the fact he was in opposition at the time. And Tice posted a video to his socials at the time encouraging his source of funding followers to get themselves vaccinated...

How lucky for Lauren Edwards that she didn't vote to remove the two child benefit cap, as that would have had the Labour whip removed - instead she merely has a history of racist, ablest, homophobic and classist tweets that were apparently an "error of judgment" spanning several years, so she gets to stay in Keir Starmer's Labour party

It's funny that the International Olympic Committee were happy to turn a blind eye to Steven van de Velde raping a 12 year old, let alone how Israel continued committing atrocities throughout the games yet weren't banned (though Russia were), but you know what made the IOC act in a matter of seconds? Uploading Gojira's performance in the opening ceremony to Youtube

I'm sure that Jordan Cooper had images of heroically dropping bombs on refugee camps when he decided to fly from the USofA to fight for the IDF - but instead he wound up as the most pathetic casualty of the ongoing genocide after the IDF killed him not by their usual tactics of firing at one of their own side or driving a tank over him, but by giving him peanut butter which triggered his nut allergy

Alleged news channel GB News had the wholly original idea of threatening to sue any advertisers who removed advertising from their channel. Within a day of Elon Musk threatening to sue advertisers who removed their advertising from Twitter. I thought the point was adjusting the statement you were given so it sounds like you were making it of your own free will, not mindlessly repeating the same script?

Professional victims Mark Lewis and Mandy Blumenthal still haven't left the UK due to antisemitism like they claimed they were going to do five years ago, but they did turn up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to wag their fingers at Reginald D Hunter for one joke before immediately running to Sabrina Miller to quickly dash off a Daily Mail piece which bore no relation to how the events unfolded about how they were being harassed for being Israeli when they aren't Israelis, regardless of the Israeli-sounding pseudonyms Miller gave them

Nothing says "change" quite like Jas Athwal being revealed as a slum landlord whose properties are coated in black mould within weeks of Keir Starmer's Labour Party lying their way into power. Just a reminder, Athwal was parachuted in because Sam Tarry broke the most heinous taboo of joining striking workers on the picket lines...

Pure dystopian horror from Disney as they tried to have a wrongful death lawsuit against them due to somebody's wife dying of an allergic reaction at one of their restaurants tossed out because her husband subscribed to a one-month trial for Disney+ which meant that he had arbitrated all disputes with the corporation

Definitely not weird that Matt Walsh and Mike Lindell infiltrated the DNC in disguises which fooled nobody so they could spend the time stalking the convention floor looking fucking weird

The Olympic coverage from the BBC was the absolute worst of English exceptionalism, best summed up by how their coverage focused on whichever English person who won a bronze medal in one event or another while the person who actually won said event was either barely visible in the corner of the shot or, in some cases, not even named and required a trip to Wikipedia

Andrew Tate's Mini-Me Adin Ross demonstrated just how intelligent he is by violating FEC regulations when gifting registered sex offender Donald Trump a Rolex and a Clustertruck live on stream. So did he learn from this? Of course not, he followed it up by streaming himself offering $1m to dig up dirt on HasanAbi...

Apparently we should blame Ticketmaster for using dynamic pricing to charge absurd amounts for Oasis reunion tickets, but we must certainly not blame Liam and Noel Gallagher for shrugging their shoulders about Ticketmaster using dynamic pricing, as the artists can say whether or not Ticketmaster uses it

Noted rapist Andrew Tate thought it would be a good idea to post a video with him wearing nothing but what appeared to be a pair of bikini briefs - which not only served to demonstrate that Greta Thunberg was right about his small dick energy, but also had Tate's own followers start transvestigating him due to his anatomy being not unlike a Ken doll's

Funny how there wasn't a single End Wokeness tweet for the entire time that Jack Posobiec was livestreaming himself harassing people - but as soon as the livestream finished End Wokeness started tweeting yet again. It's almost like there's a connection...

Once again WWE are booking angles solely to skew Google search results, in this case booking a storyline where Logan Paul kayfabe sues LA Knight - which just so happens to have started a few days after Logan Paul threatened Coffezilla with a very real SLAPP suit for exposing his NFT pyramid scheme. But I'm sure it's just a coincidence, just like the sexting storyline last month which coincided with the latest round of allegations against Vince McMahon from the Janel Grant case...

...though I doubt Logan Paul pushing his dog off a boat into the path of the propeller is going to be a WWE storyline, right? Right...?

Can registered sex offender Donald Trump just admit that he fat fingered Kamala Harris' name so it came out as "Kamabla" and not try and make that a thing to the point that members of his campaign are unthinkingly saying the same thing, because that's what happens when you are members of a cult led by somebody who at this point is either a toddler or merely senile. But hey, at least we're not asking questions about why he's using Jeffrey Epstein's jet or when Taylor Swift is going to sue him off the face of the earth for posting AI generated images of her endorsing his campaign...

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Immigration and asylum: Ten Minute Rule Motion

Ayes: 74 (97.3% Con, 1.4% Ind, 1.4% RUK) Noes: 49 (59.2% SNP, 16.3% LD, 6.1% Ind, 6.1% PC, 2.0% Lab, 2.0% WPB, 2.0% Green, 2.0% Alba, 2.0% SDLP, 2.0% APNI) Absent: ~527

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (72 votes)

Andrew Lewer Andrew Percy Andrew Rosindell Antony Higginbotham Bill Wiggin Bob Blackman Bob Seely Brendan Clarke-Smith Caroline Ansell Charles Walker Chris Grayling Chris Green Christopher Chope Danny Kruger David Evennett David Jones Dean Russell Desmond Swayne Eddie Hughes Elizabeth Truss Gordon Henderson Graham Stuart Greg Smith Heather Wheeler Henry Smith Iain Stewart Jack Brereton Jacob Rees-Mogg James Davies James Grundy Jane Hunt Jane Stevenson John Hayes John Redwood John Stevenson John Whittingdale Jonathan Gullis Jonathan Lord Julian Lewis Julian Sturdy Karl McCartney Kevin Foster Lia Nici Marco Longhi Mark Pawsey Martin Vickers Miriam Cates Neil O'Brien Nick Fletcher Nigel Mills Paul Scully Pauline Latham Philip Davies Philip Dunne Philip Hollobone Rachel Maclean Richard Graham Robert Goodwill Robin Millar Sally-Ann Hart Sarah Atherton Sarah Dines Selaine Saxby Shailesh Vara Simon Clarke Steve Double Thérèse Coffey Tom Hunt Tom Randall Trudy Harrison Vicky Ford Will Quince

Independent (1 vote)

Andrew Bridgen

Reform UK (1 vote)

Lee Anderson

Noes

Scottish National Party (29 votes)

Alison Thewliss Allan Dorans Amy Callaghan Angela Crawley Anne McLaughlin Anum Qaisar Brendan O'Hara Dave Doogan David Linden Hannah Bardell Ian Blackford Joanna Cherry John McNally John Nicolson Kirsten Oswald Kirsty Blackman Marion Fellows Martin Docherty-Hughes Mhairi Black Owen Thompson Patricia Gibson Patrick Grady Philippa Whitford Richard Thomson Ronnie Cowan Stephen Flynn Steven Bonnar Stewart Hosie Stuart C McDonald

Liberal Democrat (8 votes)

Daisy Cooper Helen Morgan Munira Wilson Richard Foord Sarah Dyke Sarah Green Tim Farron Wera Hobhouse

Independent (3 votes)

Angus Brendan MacNeil Jeremy Corbyn Jonathan Edwards

Plaid Cymru (3 votes)

Ben Lake Hywel Williams Liz Saville Roberts

Labour (1 vote)

John McDonnell

Workers Party of Britain (1 vote)

George Galloway

Green Party (1 vote)

Caroline Lucas

Alba Party (1 vote)

Kenny MacAskill

Social Democratic & Labour Party (1 vote)

Claire Hanna

Alliance (1 vote)

Stephen Farry

[anindoorkitty]

Inside 2020’s London Power 100 list  march 10, 2020

2020’s London Power 100 list has been released and we have the full list for you here!

Newcomers include British billionaire S. P. Hinduja, singer Harry Styles and Tottenham MP David Lammy whilst Dragons’ Den tycoon Tej Lalvani and West Ham United Football Club’s CEO Baroness Karren Brady all made a debut on the list.

2020’s London Power 100 list 1 HM The Queen 2 Boris Johnson MP 3 Stormzy 4 Duke & Duchess of Cambridge 5 Sir David Attenborough 6 S. P. Hinduja 7 Sadiq Khan 8 David Beckham OBE 9 Harry Styles 10 Anthony Joshua OBE 11 Evgeny Lebedev 12 David and Simon Reuben 13 Piers Morgan 14 Lakshmi Mittal 15 David Lammy MP 16 Sir Mo Farah 17 Laura Kuenssberg 18 Lady Scotland 19 Daniel Levy 20 Prince Harry & Meghan Markle 21 Mark Makepeace 22 Stephen Fry 23 Lord Tony Hall 24 Naomi Campbell 25 Zayn Malik 26 Idris Elba OBE 27 Roman Abramovich 28 Jacqueline Gold CBE 29 The Most Revd – Justin Welby 30 Naga Munchetty 31 Davina McCall 32 Diane Abbott MP 33 Kate Moss 34 The Lord Lloyd-Webber

35 Benedict Cumberbatch

36 Jonathan Ross 37 Lily Allen 38 Damian Lewis 39 Dua Lipa 40 Dame Helen Mirren 41 Jameela Jamil 42 Cressida Dick CBE 43 Ella Mai 44 Edward Enninful 45 Shaun Bailey 46 Dillian Whyte 47 Krept & Konan 48 Charles, Prince of Wales 49 Cara Delevingne 50  Baroness Martha Lane Fox 51 Jack Whitehall 52 Jimmy Carr 53 Suella Braverman MP 54 Gavin Rossdale 55 Jeremy Corbyn MP 56 Tej Lalvani 57 Naomie Harris 58 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 59 Tom Parker Bowles 60 William Shu 61 Amit Bhatia 62 Rio Ferdinand 63 Micky Flanagan 64 Baroness Shriti Vadera 65 Gina Miller 66 ‎Santan Dave 67 Dina Asher-Smith 68 Baroness Karren Brady 69 Dame Carolyn McCall 70 Dominic Cummings 71 Young Adz & Dirtbike LB 72 Dan Wootton 73 Lady Michelle Mone OBE 74 Jourdan Dunn 75 Sarah Mullally 76 Micheal Ward 77 Rita Ora 78 Mike Soutar 79 Nigel Farage 80 Mo Gilligan 81 Jamie Oliver MBE 82 Justine Roberts CBE 83 Dame Joan Collins 84 Susie Ma 85 Dele Alli 86 Richard Gnodde 87 Tom Hiddleston 88 Ian Wright MBE 89 Amber Atherton 90 Asa Butterfield 91 Yianni Charalambous 92 Sir Michael Caine 93 Letitia Wright 94 Jess Glynne 95 Anthony Robb 96 Peter Estlin 97 Angelica Malin 98 Nikki Henderson 99 Zayn Bux 100 Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE

What I want to know is where is BC’s CBE title?!   

[danbenzvi]

Recently listened to: “Doctor Who: The Eighth Of March”

Scattered through all of space and time, there are many women whose paths have crossed that of the Doctor.

Some were once fellow TARDIS travellers, some staunch allies defending the Earth, and one was the Doctor’s wife…

From Victorian London, to an intergalactic convention, from the offices of UNIT, to an impossible university library – on the 8th of March, four very different adventures will unfold.

Featuring the following stories:

The Diary Of River Song: Emancipation by Lisa McMullin

When River Song crashes a Galactic Heritage convention, posing as the wrong Time Lord, Leela is sent by Gallifrey to investigate.

But before the canapés are cold and the champagne becomes warm, they find themselves embroiled in a royal kidnapping.

Starring Alex Kingston as Professor River Song and Louise Jameson as Leela.

Also starring Lucy Pickles as The Hanovari, Julie Teal as The Royal Magnificat, Catherine Skinner as Princess Myrahla and Lewis Rae as Compere.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  Doctor Who - The New Adventures: The Big Blue Book by Lizzie Hopley

With the Doctor AWOL, Benny and Ace are left to their own devices, going native in a Liverpool university.

Benny accepts an invitation she really shouldn’t, and Ace meets a very strange collector.

An alien library is about to gain a big, blue book… but where’s the TARDIS?

Starring Sophie Aldred as Ace and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice Summerfield.

Special Guest Star Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor.

Also starring Orlando Gibbs as Harvey, Rosemary Ashe as Vassa and Robert Gill as Lycurgus.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  The Patnernoster Gang: Inside Every Warrior by Gemma Langford

The Great Detective, Madame Vastra, aided by her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint, and loyal valet, Strax, is looking into a series of mysterious break-ins.

An eccentric scientist and his put-upon assistant are the latest victims. Evidence mounts, with animal footprints and a trail of destruction.

Starring Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny Flint and Dan Starkey as Strax.

Also starring Julie Atherton as Hodge, Nigel Fairs as Dr. Cornelius Pinch, Tom Bell as Percy and Louise Faulkner as Laeticia.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  U.N.I.T.: Narcissus by Sarah Grochala

When one of their own goes missing, Kate Stewart and the two Osgoods decide to investigate.

Narcissus is interested only in the most beautiful people, but as the UNIT operatives are about to discover, its true purpose is something far from desirable.

Starring Jemma Regdrave as Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, James Joyce as Josh Carter and Tracy Wiles as Jacqui McGee.

Also starring Alix Dunmore as Female-Jordan Love and Dan Blaskey as Male-Jordan Love.  All other parts played by members of the cast

Plus a bonus disc of Behind the Scenes interviews. 

All stories directed by Helen Goldwyn.

[katiewattsart]

TASK : COMPETITION OPPORTUNITY

Amateur Photographer of the Year ‘Perfect Portrait’ 

OVERVIEW/REQUIRMENTS

For this round we are looking for images containing people, whether that be in the form of a portrait, candid street scene, or carefully considered selfie. Bear in mind that there are expectations attached to portraits that can be somewhat intimidating. Drawing out the hidden qualities or character of an individual is not always easy. There are a number of things to consider, such as ensuring the correct focus and making sure that your images are not full of superfluous background detail that ends up fighting with your subject for attention. Great people pictures can be found in all walks of life, from family and friends to local shopkeepers as well as strangers.

I trust that this specific theme goes well around my ambitions and my contextual output as my main focal point within my practice is the individual and what story they can convey within an image. 

Images I would enter: 

‘Pretty in Plastic’

JUDGES 

Nigel Atherton

Group editor – photography titles, TI Media Limited

Nigel studied photography at Plymouth College of Art & Design and the University of Westminster and worked as a professional photographer for over 10 years before joining Amateur Photographer magazine in 1994. He was appointed editor of What Digital Camera in 2002, and Group Editor of the IPC Media photography portfolio (including Amateur Photographer) in 2013.

Amy Davies

Features Co-Editor – Amateur Photographer magazine, TI Media Limited

Amy has been working in the photography industry since 2009 working across a variety of photography titles. Currently one of the Features Editors for Amateur Photographer, she also freelances for many other publications, using and reviewing all of the latest photography equipment. She has been a photographer for just over 15 years, and has had her images published in a wide variety of magazines and books, as well as exhibiting her work in a number of exhibitions.

Ailsa McWhinnie

Features Co-Editor – Amateur Photographer magazine, TI Media Limited

Ailsa’s first job in photography magazines was back in 1994. Since then, she has gone on to work on a number of titles, and she edited Black & White Photography magazine for its first seven years. She has also authored and edited a number of books, including bestseller The Complete Photography Manual. Although she still harbours a love of film photography and darkroom printing, she has recently (finally) dipped her toe into digital.

Geoff Harris

Deputy Editor – Amateur Photographer magazine, TI Media Limited

Geoff is the Deputy Editor of AP and a veteran photography journalist with over 20 years magazine experience. He is the former editor of Digital Camera and PhotoPlus magazines, and is also a keen photographer. Geoff reached the finals of the 2016 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition, and also runs a successful wedding and portrait photography business in his spare time.

Hollie Latham Hucker

Technique Editor – Amateur Photographer magazine, TI Media Limited

Hollie joined Amateur Photographer in 2016 and now works as Technique Editor. Prior to working at AP, she worked on PhotoPlus magazine for nearly five years as a Staff Writer and then Technique Editor. She also has a 1st Class BA(Hons) degree in Photography from the University of Plymouth, where she studied from 2007-2010.

Andrew Sydenham

Studio Manager – Amateur Photographer Magazine, TI Media Limited

Andrew studied photography at West Surrey College of Art and Design and spent 30 years as a Studio Photographer specialising in food before joining AP in 2011. As well as product photography and lab testing for AP Andrew’s work appears in magazines across the whole of Time Inc’s Specialist Portfolio.

I would hope to gain publicity and feedback from entering this competition. 

CRITICAL FEEDBACK ON OPPORTUNITY

Whist looking for an appropriate opportunity, I was drawn to entering a competition. I thought of limitations within my head, such as, money, requirements and themes in which competition structures supply. I came across a competition  held by ‘Amateur Photographer of the Year’ and the category chose to be most suitable to my practice was ‘Perfect Portrait’. I had a browse at the previous years winners to judge whether or not I was along the right lines in relation to the photographs I would be entering. The only negative to this experience was the fact there was an entry fee to this competition depending on how many images you wished to enter, which unfortunately  put me off of entering the competition. I trust when I next scout for opportunities I will enter free competitions as then you ultimately have nothing to lose and hopefully get your work viewed and published by a range of individuals. 

References: 

https://www.photocrowd.com/photo-competitions/photography-awards/apoy-2019/judges/ 

[starlingsrps]

now it’s tumbling down

julia expects more fuss in george's final days. he'd lived so loudly that it seems strange that he should fade so quietly.

it's a chill on top of consumption and nothing to be done for it, the doctor had told his brother (who had told her in turn). in the end, it's simple really. he lingers a week, long enough for her family and his to descend and wait. he asks that she not be in the sickroom so she does her waiting elsewhere. this last rejection should hurt more but she knows that she wouldn't be allowed, even if he were her beloved husband rather than the man she simply happens to be married to.

his temper has turned dark in these last months as death creeps up on him and she doesn't care to spend any more time than necessary with him. he hasn't become cruel precisely - merely sharper and more critical. her hair is untidy, the meal had been inadequate, couldn't something be done about the wine cellar with greater haste? even now as he struggles for each breath, he's angry and moody.

she's a wicked, wicked person and a terrible wife for not wanting to be with him in these last hours.

her mother and sarah sit with her in her sitting room and julia wishes she could send them away. her mother has brought with her the accoutrement of mourning and takes over the running of the house so that the moment george passes, everything will be in readiness. armbands appear like magic and a black dress waits for julia in her dressing room and she hates it already. it seems deeply unfair that she should have to mourn for a husband who has been lost to her for so long already. she did her mourning as a new bride, unable to puzzle out how to please a man who suddenly seemed utterly uninterested in her.

the moment comes on a bright spring morning. nigel, george's younger brother and the new viscount atherton, appears in her sitting room with a grim expression and a black arm band and she knows. nigel, like his departed brother, doesn't deliver news well and he haltingly tells her that george passed peacefully from this world into the next a short while ago and is now with his maker.

julia has to bite her tongue to avoid calling that a heap of rubbish.

she gives nigel her blessing, such as it is, and he gratefully leaves. her father enters through the open door and folds her into an embrace, murmuring his condolences in her ear and smoothing her back.

she expected to feel sadness, some sort of emotional cousin to sorrow.

instead, all she feels is relief.

[jobsearchtips02]

Olympus shutters electronic camera service after 84 years

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Olympus was a major gamer in the film and early digital days, with products like this 1970 s 35 mm video camera.

Olympus, once one of the world’s greatest electronic camera brands, is selling off that part of its organisation after 84 years.

The firm stated that in spite of its best shots, the “extremely severe digital electronic camera market” was no longer profitable.

The arrival of mobile phones, which had diminished the market for different video cameras, was one significant factor, it stated.

It had taped losses for the last three years.

The Japanese company made its very first camera in 1936 after years of microscope manufacture. The Semi-Olympus I featured an accordion-like fold-out video camera bellows, and cost more than a month’s earnings in Japan.

The business continued to establish the camera company over the decades, becoming one of the top business by market share.

” There’s a substantial quantity of love for Olympus, going right back,” says Nigel Atherton, editor of Amateur Professional photographer magazine.

The 1970 s was a high point, with their cams promoted on television by celeb professional photographers such as David Bailey and Lord Litchfield.

” Those cameras were revolutionary – they were very little, really light, they were perfectly developed, had truly good quality lenses,” adds Atherton.

A cult following stayed with the firm, in spite of teething problems with brand-new technologies such as autofocus, Atherton says. The firm had a second wave with digital video cameras, where they were early adopters.

However they targeted their later variety of mirrorless electronic cameras at a middle market – “individuals who weren’t severe photographers – they desired something better than a point-and-shoot video camera, but they didn’t desire a DSLR cam”.

” That market very quickly got swallowed up by smartphones, and turned out not to exist.”

The marketplace for standalone cameras has fallen considerably – by one estimate, it came by 84?tween 2010 and 2018

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption This 2-megapixel video camera from 2000 could connect to a mobile phone to send out images.

” Olympus I find a very aggravating company,” Atherton says. “Constantly over the last couple of years, they have actually continuously got it wrong, made incorrect decisions, taken incorrect turns, and decreased cul-de-sacs.”

One example he mentioned was the lack of development in video efficiency, where rivals have made strides.

The company also dealt with a significant financial scandal including senior executives in 2011

Olympus is now looking for to strike an offer to carve off the camera part of its organisation so that its brands – such as Zuiko lenses – can be used in brand-new items by another company, Japan Industrial Partners.

In a declaration, the Japanese company stated that it was organisation as normal till then.

” We believe this is the right step to maintain the legacy of the brand,” the statement said.

On social media, nevertheless, its UK team accepted that fans “might have lots of questions”

” We ask for your persistence … Olympus sees this prospective transfer as a chance to enable our imaging business to grow and delight both long-time and new photography enthusiasts,” it said.

Olympus Corporation, nevertheless, will continue.

The business never stopped making microscopes, and has actually turned its optical innovation to other clinical and medical devices such as endoscopes.

%.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/olympus-shutters-electronic-camera-service-after-84-years/

[tipsoctopus]

"Please please please", "Great news" - These Leeds fans react to fitness update from Phil Hay

Leeds take on Luton on Saturday but it is a fixture which may come a little too soon for two key players, although Stuart Dallas is available.

Eddie Nketiah has been missing in recent weeks, last featuring at the end of October, whereas Liam Cooper sustained a groin injury in the last match against Blackburn – the same problem that kept him on the sidelines a few weeks earlier against Millwall.

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There is a chance he could aggravate the tear once again if he returns to action too soon, and that is a fear some Leeds supporters have.

With Ben White at the back it is unlikely Marcelo Bielsa or fans will be too concerned by the captain’s absence, and given Luton occupy 21st place in the table it is a very winnable game with or without their skipper.

The absence of Nketiah is a little more troubling as he provides a very useful option off the bench when the Whites are in need of a goal, and though his return is anticipated soon, it is likely he will miss out given Phil Hay’s suggestion.

Here is some of the reaction to the injury update.

please please please let Cooper be available

— Joe Atherton (@joetmatherton) November 21, 2019

leave cooper out imo don’t want him getting the same injury again but worse by being out longer especially with the amount of games coming up

— Callum Wainwright (@CallumWainwri20) November 21, 2019

Could be worse with our luck haha. Hopefully Cooper pulls through and Dallas turning out fine is great news. Hope Forshaw isn’t too long now as we defo have missed him.

— RyanC🌹 (@RazzaC91) November 21, 2019

Leave Cooper on bench – at best. Last thing we need is him aggravating it yet again.

— Turd Ferguson (@DLDST1tman) November 21, 2019

What actually happened to Nketiah to keep him out for so long. It must have been one hell of a challenge

— nigel sullivan (@SullivanNigel) November 21, 2019

Good news. We need to step up a gear now. MOT

— Allan Fawcett (@AllanFawcett2) November 22, 2019

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2qCTZRf via IFTTT from Blogger https://ift.tt/2KNMCgH via IFTTT

[roastpotato]

... of Chester's Sticky Walnut, acclaimed chef Paul Heathcote, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal's Ashley Palmer-Watts and Nigel Haworth of Northcote.

[canonwatch]

https://ift.tt/2EnSnvY

Amateur Photographer editor Nigel Atherton had a talk with three top Canon executives to discuss the EOS R. In the excerpts below it’s Mr Shingo Hayakawa, Deputy Group Executive, ICB Optical Business Group, Image Communications Business Operations, to answer. The…

[katherinelee3122]

Stunning sea views win national photography prize

The competition was judged aboard the Cutty Sark in London, by a prestigious panel of media and maritime experts, including the picture editor at the Sunday Times, Ray Wells, the head of pictures at the Independent, Sophie Batterbury, the editor of Amateur Photographer, Nigel Atherton, and the chief executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Commodore Malcolm Williams.

http://www.discoverbritainmag.com/stunning-sea-views-win-photography-prize/

[cookingawe]

Stuart Procter returns to the Staffor...

New Post has been published on http://cookingawe.com/stuart-procter-returns-to-the-staffor/

Stuart Procter returns to the Staffor...

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The Stafford London, one of London’s most established luxury hotels, located in the heart of St James’s, is enjoying a new lease of life since the return of Stuart Procter as general manager. Janet Harmer reports on how he is successfully combining a modern approach to hospitality with traditional hotelkeeping.

The Stafford London may have been established as a hotel in 1912, but today it’s enjoying something of a renaissance. The hotel’s restaurant, the Game Bird, was one of London’s most successful launches in 2017 and this, along with the creation of a number of stylish new suites, has brought a new vibrancy and glamour to the Stafford.

Back in 2008, the 105-bedroom hotel was very much at the top of its game – it was named Hotel of the Year – Group at the Catey Awards and was promoted from a four- to a five-red-AA-star property – but in the years after that, it lost its way. The departure of general manager Stuart Procter in 2011 heralded a succession of incumbents in the role – Leon Baum, Christine Hodder and Spencer Yeo – and in 2014 a management agreement between the hotel and Kempinski ended abruptly after just four years. Alongside a struggle to maintain stability in the management team, the hotel’s performance also dipped.

The Stafford

So the news in October 2015 that Procter was returning to the Stafford was initially greeted with surprise. His stint of nearly five years away from the hotel, when he headed the management team that created the Hotel and Café Football concepts, had taken him into a totally new territory of hospitality. It had been expected that he would remain with Manchester United football legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville as Hotel Football parent company, GG Hospitality, of which he was managing director, looked to expand. However, with his wife Claire and two teenage children, Archie and Florence, living in Surrey, Procter no longer wanted to be based in Manchester, where Giggs and Neville were working on the development of two new city centre hotels. He also missed working within the luxury hotel sector. So when he was offered the challenge of turning things around at the Stafford, he jumped at the chance.

Back for good

Procter’s return to the hotel, in retrospect, makes absolute sense, but there are no regrets about his five years away – in fact, he believes it was the best thing for his development as a general manager and that it has benefitted the Stafford. “I learned how to set up a hotel from scratch, which covered everything from creating the branding to being involved in the physical building of the property and setting up the operational side of the business. I did things I had never done before and I can now approach what we are doing at the Stafford from a different point of view.”

During his first stint at the Stafford, which ran from 2006 to 2011, Procter was unable to change what had become an institution under the tenure of Terry Holmes. But gradually, things started to evolve as he gained the trust of the team and Holmes’ seal of approval, and the owners started to realise that increased competition in the capital’s luxury hotel market meant change was necessary. The renowned American bar trebled in size and its age-old dress code was dropped. “We had to wake up and realise that you can no longer insist on a jacket and tie in the bar,” explains Procter. The hotel expanded with the addition of 26 bedrooms, created in the adjacent mews building.

The Stafford London’s new Gatehouse suite

“Without sounding arrogant, I was not fazed by taking on the general manager role at the Stafford at the age of 29. Terry had virtually allowed me to run the hotel for 12 months before he left, presenting me with all the financials and introducing me to the key players, particularly those in the US.”

Then, in 2009, the Stafford was acquired for a reported £77.5m by Britannia Hospitality, owned by the Egyptian El Sharkawy family. The sale of the hotel after 14 years of being operated by Shire Hotels, which was owned by brewery business Daniel Thwaites, came about largely due to the smoking ban – introduced two years previously – which badly affected the 500 pubs within the group.

“The only asset the Yerburgh family [major shareholders of Daniel Thwaites] had of any value was the Stafford,” says Procter. “They were very sad to sell – Mrs Yerburgh said it was like getting rid of the family silver.”

Soon after the sale, Procter decided to explore other ventures, which led to discussions with Giggs, who was a regular guest at the Stafford. “He was still playing for Manchester United at the time and he introduced me to Gary [Neville]. Initially, they wanted me to open a boutique hotel with them in London, but at the eleventh hour the deal fell through.”

It was then that the Hotel Football concept was born and Procter entered the world of hotel development for five years before returning to the Stafford. Since coming back, just over two years ago, he hasn’t stood still.

Through his introduction of a proper revenue management system, overhaul of the sales and marketing function (including the introduction of a New York-based PR team, a UK-based food PR team, new website and social media strategy) and move away from a reliance on corporate accounts, the performance of the hotel has improved dramatically. Revenue has grown by 44%, with EBITDA increasing by 40% over the past two years.

Additionally, occupancy in 2017 reached 81% and the average room rate has grown by £85 over the past 18 months. The strong reliance on business from the US – initiated by Holmes and his very personal approach to American travel agents – has continued and today accounts for 53% of all room bookings.

Flying high

The most significant and visible boost to business has undoubtedly been the launch of the 32-seat Game Bird. Procter took advice from chef-restaurateur and fellow Acorn award-winner Jason Atherton to create an all-day restaurant with an energy and vibe that matched the hotel’s perennially busy American Bar. The appointment of James Durrant as executive chef was an inspired choice. His contemporary take on a traditional British menu is very much what the diners who now flock to the Game Bird want to eat. Ten months on, the Game Bird has increased the Stafford’s food and beverage revenue by more than £2m.

The Game Bird

With a more vibrant restaurant in place, it has been easier for Procter to attract a younger clientele to the hotel, something which he has achieved by working with what he describes as “influential ambassadors with phenomenal networks”, such as former English rugby player Mark Tindall, the husband of Zara Phillips.

Experience and enthusiasm

Meanwhile, Procter has worked hard at inspiring and stabilising the 162-strong team by carefully blending a plethora of stalwarts, including master sommelier Gino Nardella, who has worked at the hotel for 42 years, and telephonist Christianne Brown (44 years), with the newer recruits, among whom are three Acorn Award winners. Procter himself is a holder of the accolade, which recognises employees under the age of 30 who are identified as being the brightest prospects in the hospitality industry. Other former Acorns include Durrant, hotel manager Mark Surguy and marketing manager Cassie Delaney-Brown.

Ultimately, over the past two years Procter has been working towards a more hospitable environment for guests and staff alike. He may have put all the procedures in place behind the scenes to make the business more profitable, but he is also a hotelier in the old-fashioned sense: he is highly visible, providing guests, who include royalty and high net-worth individuals, with exactly what they want – recognition and a personal welcome.

“It is no good having all the gizmos in place if the coffee is not served hot and you don’t know your guests’ names,” he explains. “It has to be about the hospitality. That is why 60% of our business is repeat.” And the improvements are ongoing, so look out for news of a refurbished American bar, additional suites and a spa in the year ahead.

Stuart Procter’s early career

Stuart Procter has come a long way from the 15-year-old, part-time waiter at Northcote – or Northcote Manor as it was then known.

The fact that he started his career at Northcote in Langho, Lancashire, was a significant factor in propelling him to the top of the industry. Working for co-owners Craig Bancroft and Nigel Haworth gave him a work ethic, an insight into a genuine style of hospitality and the ambition to reach the top.

Stuart Procter with Craig Bancroft outside the Stafford London

Procter was born in Whalley in the Ribble Valley and brought up in Blackburn. Once he knew he wasn’t good enough to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer, he realised that hospitality was where his future lay. “I loved the buzz of the service and the energy of the kitchen,” he says.

It was during his time as Northcote’s first apprentice, which involved working at the hotel four days a week and studying for a BTEC national diploma on day release at Runshaw College in Leyland, that Procter decided he wanted to run the Stafford. He was only 16 or 17 at the time and he was told about the hotel by Bancroft’s mother (then Sue Bancroft, who upon remarrying became Lady Sue Purvis), who was responsible for the Stafford’s sales and marketing.

Procter then moved on to work for Shire Hotels. Serendipitously, the Yerburgh family – the owners of Shire – bought the Stafford in 1995 soon after Procter arrived to work at the group’s Oaks hotel in Burnley. “It was the summer and I told Ian Harkness, the managing director of Shire Hotels, that come the staff Christmas party, I wanted to be seated next to the general manager of the Stafford, Terry Holmes,” says Procter. “I was immediately told in no uncertain terms that was not how things worked. However, when Christmas came, I was seated next to Terry. I was only 18, but I questioned him all night and told him I wanted his job.”

Procter’s cheekiness served him well. At his next role, as general manager at Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey, he found another mentor in Jeremy Rata, the managing director of the business. “Jeremy let me make mistakes and made me more financially astute. He taught me that if we made the figures, we could spend more on the hotel.”

The Devonshire Arms was named Country Life Hotel of the Year and Procter also received an Acorn Award. After four years in North Yorkshire, Procter told Harkness and Ann Yerburgh, chairman of Daniel Thwaites, the parent company of Shire Hotels, that he was keen to work for the Stafford. Again, luck was on his side. Succession planning was being put in place to replace Holmes, and Procter was offered the job of his deputy.

“I was told that I may be able to replace Terry, but there was no guarantees,” says Procter. “I would have to prove myself first.” Within two years, his dream was realised and Procter was appointed general manager.

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