#pugach case

[adarkrainbow]

I said it in my previous reblog, but I stumbled upon this review like... years and years ago, and I wasn't able to find it back ever since. And this review actually made me discover a recent (well, recent then) musical called "The Next Fairy Tale" about a gay prince within an hetero-pushing fairytale world, trying to find his perfect love despite the fairy godmother's meddling for him to find a princess...

In case the review ever disappears I will copy-paste it down there. It comes from the website "StageSceneLA" and was written by Steven Stanley. The original can be found here.

If there were a book titled Everything I’ve Learned In Life, I’ve Learned From Fairy Tales, then what lessons could a pintsized LGBT-in-training gain from it? That Cinderella found her Prince? That a Prince awoke Sleeping Beauty with a kiss? That a kiss turned a Princess’s frog into a handsome Prince? Where’s a little boy or girl to look for fairytale inspiration when what they’re secretly dreaming of is a Prince for him, and a Princess for her?

The answer is at long last found in Brian Pugach’s charming new musical The Next Fairy Tale, now getting its World Premiere Production at Celebration Theatre under the deft direction of Celebration Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd.

Pugach, who began writing music, book, and lyrics for The Next Fairy Tale while a UCLA theater major a few years back, has created a magical, mythical world where “Every Hundred Years” a group of Fairy Godmothers and their Fairy Godmistress leader Minerva meet to bring to life a new fairy tale. Ten decades ago, it was the tale of Red Riding Hood, an unlucky lass who ended up (along with her ill-fated Granny) eaten up by a hungry wolf—all this misfortune due to the late arrival of that Centennial’s Godmother, the ever hapless Hazelnut, aka Hazel.

To learn just who the hero or heroine of The Next Fairy Tale will be, Minerva consults (who else?) her Magic Mirror, who sends her off to the land of Lumeria, where handsome Prince Copernicus fights evil, not with a sword, but with “kindness, smiles, and hugs,” a creed he reminds others of by handing out Kindness Cards, “a reminder to be kinder.”

If Minerva is a bit unsettled to learn this decidedly unvaliant method of combat, she is even more disturbed when Prince Copernicus informs her that the distressed soul he has vowed to rescue from a dragon-guarded tower and a wicked, disapproving stepmother is none other than the handsomest prince in all the land, Prince Helio of Stortelia. Though Copernicus professes his true love for Helio in “Charming” (“He’s not a muscular manly he. His tiny sword is not much to see. He’s charming and that’s enough for me.”), Minerva is not at all convinced, responding, “‘He’s charming!’ or so he said; I’ve been nauseous ever since. Alarming! A hero rescues a princess, not a prince!”

And so, in a tradition upheld from the time of the fairies to contemporary evil bitc…, sorry evil witches like Maggie Gallagher, Minerva sets out to destroy any possibility of a happy ending for Princes Copernicus and Helio, certain that the assignment of bungling Hazel as this Centennial’s Fairy Godmother will make her task child’s play.

On their way to Stortelia, Copernicus and Hazel stop off in the village of Avaricia, whose residents (Rumpelstilstkin, Little Red, Baker, and Geppetto) conspire to prevent the Prince from stealing the sword in the stone he’ll need to slay the dragon and rescue Prince Helio.

Believing with all her twisted heart that “saying two princes can have true love is a lie,” Minerva concludes that a mere attempt to thwart Copernicus’s quest will never be enough to prevent the destruction of traditional family values and, in Act One’s finale, persuades the Prince to “Take The Apple” … and die!

Fortunately for the star-crossed princes, The Next Fairy Tale has a second act up its sleeve.

Pugach knows his fairytale lore backwards and forwards, creating a world in which characters have names like Thistle, Moonflower, and Hazelnuts and speak in Fairytalese, whether uttering exclamations (“Oh toadstools!” “Jumping gingerbread!” “Candy covered cottages, I can’t move!”) or inventing similes (“You are slower than toad slime.” “You are as selfish as a stepsister.” “I’m as serious as a wolf attack.”) As Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine did in Into The Woods, he also knows how to mix-and-match fairytale characters to nifty effect. As for his songs, several in particular you may find yourself humming as you leave the theater—Copernicus’s delightfully self-centered “Charming,” Minerva’s ominously dramatic “Take The Apple,” and Copernicus’s and Hazel’s oh-so-romantic “Cinderella Story,” which (like “Charming”) merits—and gets—a reprise.

Still, as with any World Premiere Musical, there is room for tweaking. The addition of a greater number of adult-aimed jokes, the kind which Disney perfected in the 1990s, lines which whoosh over the heads of tots but give the piece the sophisticated all-age appeal of Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, would make the show more grownups-friendly. The Next Fairy Tale has some terrific ones (“You must be a friend of Dorothy!” “I’d hate for you to end up a flamer.” “Key change.”) but could use even more. Additional stage time for Prince Helio in Act One would help us become more invested in our heroes’ romance from the get-go. At the same time, judicious cuts (including perhaps a couple of Act One songs by minor characters) would bring The Next Fairy Tale in at a more kids-friendly two-hour running time, and get us more quickly to its powerful second act. Also, as fine as musical director Wayne Moore’s work is, Pugach’s songs would sound considerably better with a richer accompaniment than the rather tinny-sounding upright piano they get here, though Adam Halitzka’s percussion does help.

Pugach and the Celebration have lucked out big time in the cast Jami Rudofsky has helped them assemble for this World Premiere, beginning with the trio of performers who bring to vivid storybook life its biggest roles—Christopher Maikish as Prince Copernicus, Rachel Genevieve as Hazel, and Gina Torrecilla as Minerva. Maikish and Genevieve have been waiting for that perfect part to best showcase their talents, and Pugach has written them just those parts. Maikish’s dreamy good looks, rich tenor, romantic sparkle, and comic zip make him the perfect Prince Charming. Genevieve’s combination of dark-haired beauty, charismatic stage presence, gawky charm, and downright adorability combined with her glorious soprano simply couldn’t be more right for Hazel. As for Minerva, Torrecilla expertly channels every fairytale villainess (particularly Snow White’s evil stepmother and Cinderella’s Maleficent) with touches of today’s NOM demonesses to make for an imposing figure of “family values” gone berserk.

Handsome, golden-voiced Patrick Gomez is a Prince any Prince could fall for at the wave of a wand, and doubles delightfully as a silver-haired mustachioed Geppetto. Hazel’s fellow Godmother’s are brought to quirky, scene-stealing life by three vivacious blends of beauty and comedic/vocal chops—Stephanie Fredricks as Thistle, Kendra Munger as Glinda, and Nell Teare as Moonflower, with Fredricks a delicious Cinderella and feisty Baker and Teare a spunky Little Red to boot. Vash Boddie is another charmer as Scarecrow and Ben Caron delights as Rumpelstilstkin. Completing the cast is Charls Segwick Hall, the epitome of fabulousness as the Mirror (and the voice of the Dragon).

Music director Moore gets bonus points for his excellent vocal arrangements. Jeffrey Polk has choreographed some lively dance sequences, Victoria Profitt’s set design has just the right classic fairytale look and is lit dazzlingly by Matthew Brian Denman, and Raffel Sarabia’s costumes are a highly imaginative visual treat. Thumbs up go too to Martin Carillo’s sound design, Ronn Jones’ hair and wigs, and Michael O’Hara’s properties. A number of expertly executed slight-of-hand tricks have been coached by magic consultant Joyce Basche, “Ms,gician. John F. Wilson is music consultant and Tijuana Gray assistant choreographer.

The Next Fairy Tale is produced by John Michael Beck, with Ryan Bergmann, Cameron Faber, Parnell Damone Marcano, and Pugach as associate producers. Shepperd and Michael C. Kricfalusi are executive producers. Kevin Wisney is production stage managers and Paul Doble assistant stage manager.

With minor script revisions to give it more adult appeal and judicious cuts to make for a more kids-appropriate running time, The Next Fairy Tale could easily become an LGBT and (progressive) family theater favorite. Children will respond to its engaging storyline and cast of characters, adults will go for the romance, and grown-up gays will find The Next Fairy Tale an enriching and even cathartic experience. Here’s hoping that its near-universal appeal will attract audiences beyond Celebration regulars to Brian Pugach’s at-last-told tale.

[paleblueprince]

6 pistol shooting Tips for beginners

But if a person does not know how to use the products of a talented weapon designer properlу, then the gun in his hands is no worse than a child's pugach. It is not enough to have a weapon, уou also need to be able to shoot straight . It’s just from the outside that it’s easу to shoot - if уou take a gun and stand on the firing line, then suddenly it turns out that the recoil is strong, уour hands are trembling, and the gun weighs a lot, and protective headphones are uncomfortable, in a word, anything prevents make perfect shots. Therefore, training, training and more training. And to make the process of mastering the skill a little easier, beginners are advised to remember the following simple rules.

ACCURACY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPEED.

The best waу to earn "attack aircraft sуndrome" is to focus on the firing speed . “ I will launch more bullets, maуbe at least one goal will strike ” - the beginning shooter thinks . It makes sense if, for example, уou have in уour hands a Kord heavу machine gun that makes up to 600 rounds per minute, each of which is armored But in the hands, alas, the usual pistol with extremely limited ammunition. So when training it is better to first focus on accuracу, and the speed will come bу itself, along with automatism.

LEARN THE THEORY

During the shooting, nothing should distract уou, so уou must know from the verу beginning how to shoot correctlу - how to combine the front sight and the rear sight, how to pull the trigger  and so on. And уes, even if this knowledge is purelу theoretical, it is much easier to turn it into practice than the complete absence of anу experience.

IT IS NECESSARY TO MOVE NATURALLY

The human bodу has its usual rhythms - breathing, heartbeat, involuntary trembling of the muscles. An attempt to control them with nothing good does not turn around; on the contrarу, it onlу distracts the novice shooter from the immediate task. Therefore, it is better to initially learn how to shoot according to уour rhythms. And that means waiting for the right moment. In anу case, the weapon will tremble slightly in the hands, and the barrel will swaу. So instead of forciblу combining the rear sight and the front sight, it is better to wait until theу themselves are level and onlу then do not hesitate to shoot. Yes, this can take seconds, but уou are not уet chasing speed.

GUN NEEDED

To anу weapon уou need to get used to. The recoil force, the force required to pull the trigger, the tolerances between the front sight and the whole - all this is learned only experimentally. So the novice shooter must be prepared for the fact that more than a dozen shots go into the milk before the features of each particular weapon become clear. With experience, this number will decrease to two or three.

CONCENTRATE ON EACH SHOT.

Your main task at the moment is to make the shooting process natural and automatic. You will think about tactics, strategу, combat missions and everуdaу problems when the bullets start to fall into the target as if bу themselves. For this purpose, novice shooters need training.

IF NOTHING HAPPENS - JUST SHOOT.

It happens so that it is impossible to concentrate stupidlу. And catch the moment of shooting - too. Hands begin to tremble more stronglу, all sorts of thoughts creep into mу head, it becomes harder and harder to concentrate. This is a verу tуpical picture, tуpical even for professional shooters . You уourself have seen it more than once, for example, to a biathlon competition - the longer a participant takes aim, the higher his chance to miss the mark. So manу people prefer to quicklу shoot the clip, and if something does not fall - make up for running. This is a verу correct tactic, because even if the shot is not perfect, the arm muscles will still get used to recoil, to pull the trigger, to other movements, which will be useful later. Franklу, I mуself shoot a pistol franklу bad. Affected bу the lack of practice and experience. Archerу is a different matter. And that is tуpical, all these tips reallу helped me in mу time. To get used to the characteristics of the weapon, to gain muscle memorу, to tune in to the natural movement of the bodу - all this reallу helps to hit the target. Well, of course, training, training and more training.

To get more information about gun safe and buying guide : 

Click here

[californiahifu]

Doctor’s Own Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Leads to Early Intervention and Positive Results with HIFU

Dr. Michael Lazar of California HIFU shares the story of how friend and fellow surgeon Dr. Robert Pugach underwent HIFU treatment for prostate cancer following an early diagnosis with the disease.

It’s the news no man wants to hear from a doctor, “… you have prostate cancer.” And when you are a practicing physician who receives this news, all the more room for concern. Dr. Robert Pugach, medical director of Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and opted to undergo HIFU treatment with urologist and prostate cancer specialist Dr. Michael Lazar of California HIFU earlier this month. What transpired is truly an inspirational account of one man’s journey from diagnosis to cure. Dr. Pugach has chronicled his experience in a series of blog posts featured on the HIFU Prostate Services Website.

Following a cancer diagnosis by an internist and a follow-up biopsy with Dr. Lazar, Dr. Pugach opted to forgo the wait and watch approach most commonly prescribed for men testing with low levels of PSA. “I’m not a gambler, especially when it comes to my health,” he says. “I plan to live a long, healthy life.”

As a prostate cancer expert himself, Dr. Puach was all too aware of the potential for permanent urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction with more conventional treatments, and was adamant about avoiding radiation due to the likelihood of a cancer recurrence in the future. Bolstered by his own experience with HIFU combined with positive results viewed first-hand with his own brother who underwent HIFU almost a decade earlier, Dr. Pauch was in the perfect frame of mind for pursing HIFU for himself.

In the weeks leading up to the procedure with Dr. Lazar and California HIFU, Dr. Pauch reasoned that there was absolutely nothing to fear, having been diagnosed early and having confidence in his doctor gave him a sense of empowerment over the disease.

“I had complete and total confidence in my doctor. I had the luxury of knowing Dr. Lazar well for 10 years when we travelled out of the country with our patients to treat their cancers with HIFU. When you watch someone in the OR, a fellow doctor like me can tell instantly what his skill level is. In Michael Lazar’s case, he is as good as one can get and is a true professional,” he explains.

HIFU: Non-invasive Treatment for Prostate Cancer

HIFU is a FDA approved precise and targeted therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, that reduces the risk of complications caused by surgery and radiation. HIFU uses ultrasound energy, or sound waves, to heat and destroy specifically targeted areas of tissue. During HIFU, the sound waves pass through healthy tissue without causing damage. At the focal point of the sound waves (like a magnifying glass focusing the rays of the sun to burn a leaf), the tissue temperature is raised only high enough to destroy the targeted tissue.

“Although recommendations are that most men opt to wait and watch when diagnosed with prostate cancer, HIFU is a treatment that is most effective for men who have early stage, localized prostate cancer that has not spread or metastasized outside the prostate,” explains Dr. Lazar. “As with Dr. Pugach the results are most promising when the cancer is caught while it is at the early, more treatable stage. That means; taking action relatively soon following the diagnosis.”

A happy ending to a terrifying diagnosis

On May 9th Dr. Pugach took a taxi to the San Francisco Surgery Center where Dr. Lazar performs HIFU. There the new patient was greeted by “… a wonderful and caring staff.” A short four hours later, the procedure is over and Dr. Lazar reported to the patient that all is well. “Dr. Lazar told me my procedure went perfectly – good words to hear!”

As most HIFU patients report, Dr. Pugach says there was no pain following the procedure and recovery was swift. “I learned that what I had always told my patients about how good they would feel afterwards was now proven to me to be true. Instead of having the common side effects of radical surgery, or contemplating seven weeks of radiation, I felt great…”

Dr. Pugach says he knows how good it feels to have a potentially serious or lethal disease diagnosed at a stage where it is less frightening to deal with. “I’ve learned how wonderful and enduring a good doctor-patient relationship can be and how a good bedside manner does more than many medications in helping a patient feel good.”

The moral of this story may well be to consider all of the options when dealing with prostate cancer, and although the temptation might be to put off routine screenings, early diagnosis might just save your life.

“Screening for prostate cancer is a simple process that allows us to look for cancer before any symptoms become obvious to the patient,” explains Dr. Lazar. “This process can help us discover the cancer at an earlier stage while the patient has the opportunity to take advantage of newer, less invasive options for treating prostate cancer such as HIFU.”

About California HIFU and Dr. Lazar

Dr. Michael Lazar is the only Northern California physician recognized as a leader in the use HIFU for prostate cancer. He has been successfully treating patients with HIFU since 2007. Dr. Lazar formed California HIFU in order to offer minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment to men with the Sonablate. For more information about HIFU treatment or to make an appointment call: (707) 546-5553 or visit our website: www.californiahifu.com.

Dr. Pugach’s full story may be viewed online in an ongoing series on the HIFU Prostate Services Website.

 #prostatecancer #HIFU #menshealth 

[trial-of-gilles-de-rais]

Just watched Crazy Love & don’t know how I feel about it.