#theater oper exhibition

[sufrimientilia]

Research Log #P5-00436

FACILITY: [REDACTED] DATE: [REDACTED] CASE: #E2756895 ATTENDING: [REDACTED] UNIT: WARD 92 OBJECTIVE: Behavioral Compliance Induction

TIME: [09:45:00]

SUBJECT #1138-B7 was brought to the operating theater, prepped and draped in the usual fashion. Intravenous access was established using a 20-gauge catheter inserted into the left antecubital vein. Electrodes were placed on the scalp for continuous EEG monitoring. Additional sensors were attached to record heart rate, respiratory rate, and galvanic skin response (GSR).

Subject presents as a 25 year old male, physically healthy, baseline vitals recorded WNL. Subject exhibited signs of anxiety and resistance, which were managed by the use of sedatives (2 mg Midazolam IV).

[09:53:11]: Subject questioned to establish baseline cognitive and physiological parameters. Orientation, recall, and basic comprehension intact.

[10:00:00]: Infusion of proprietary psychotropic agent PCA-35 initiated at a rate of 5 mL/min.

[10:03:48]: Subject displays signs of restlessness. Cortical activation indicated by increased uptake on EEG. Subject gives responses to verbal stimuli and reports a sensation of lightheadedness.

[10:04:25]: Subject complains of stinging sensation and bittersweet taste. Noted slight tremor in extremities and increased heart rate. GSR indicates heightened anxiety.

[10:05:13]: Subject questioned to establish cognitive and physiological parameters. Noted delayed responses. Subject struggles to follow simple instructions, becomes distracted, provides incoherent explanations of surroundings, misinterprets questions.

[10:09:32]: Subject begins to exhibit signs of altered perception, including auditory hallucinations and delirium. EEG shows increased theta wave activity. Physical agitation observed; restraints effective in maintaining Subject's position. Subject too agitated for cognitive and physiological testing.

[10:14:45]: Administration of compound #GS-P5R initiated at 12 L/min via inhalation mask to reduce anxiety and stabilize neural response. Infusion of PCA-35 increased to 7.5 mL/min.

[10:19:48]: Subject's responses to verbal and physical stimuli decrease significantly. Continued monitoring shows stable vitals but increased physical rigidity. Administered 1 mg Lorazepam IV to reduce muscle tension.

[10:24:22]: Subject’s speech becomes slurred and incoherent. Noted disorientation to stimuli, increased muscle laxity. Decrease in heart rate and blood pressure.

[10:33:14]: Subject enters a semi-catatonic state. Eyes remain open but unresponsive to visual stimuli. Pupils equal but dilated. EEG shows dominant delta wave activity.

[10:42:28]: Subject displays signs of decreased neural responsiveness. Decreased pupillary reaction, continued slow rolling movement of the eyes, jerky movement of the whole body (hypnic jerks). Persistent drooling noted.

[10:45:04]: Infusion of PCA-13 reduced to 1 mL/min. Administration of compound #GS-P5R reduced to 2 L/min via nasal cannula.

[10:50:34]: Subject engaged with repetitive commands in accordance to Behavioral Compliance Protocols. Verbal cues, electronic conditioning, and multi-sensory stimuli reinforcement prove ineffective. Subject remains largely non-reactive.

[10:57:55]: Subject’s eyes remain unfocused with significant drooping. Attempts to direct gaze result in brief eye opening, followed by rapid drooping. Subject mumbles incoherently.

[10:58:06]: Speculum applied to maintain eyelid retraction for continuous observation and responsiveness testing. Subject demonstrates minimal resistance; remains in stuporous state. Droplets of propriety psychotic #3A administered to each eye. Immediate increase in pupil dilation and noticeable twitching observed.

[11:00:17]: Visual stimulus presented. Subject's eyes remain fixed and extremely dilated. Noted tremors in hands, erratic breathing patterns, increase in heart rate. Subject occasionally mumbles with extreme delay in response latency to verbal and physical testing.

[11:05:23]: Subject engaged with repetitive commands in accordance to Behavioral Compliance Protocols. Verbal cues, electronic conditioning, and multi-sensory stimuli reinforcement prove insignificant. Subject displays significant cognitive impairment, involuntary reflexes, significant drooling, and uncoordinated movements.

[11:10:19]: Increased auditory and visual stimuli introduced to enhance command comprehension of Behavioral Compliance Protocols. Subject displays signs of severe neural suppression. EEG findings variable and nonspecific, low voltage and slow irregular activity nonreactive to sensory stimuli.

[11:15:52]: Subject engaged with high-intensity visual stimuli (rapid flashing) and continuous auditory commands. Subject shows brief eye fixation on visual stimulus, with occasional facial twitching. Overall response is characterized by slow, inconsistent movements and frequent confusion. Subject’s attempts to respond are sporadic, sluggish, and incoherent.

[11:20:14]: Administered low-frequency auditory tones and ambient lighting. Subject displays intermittent eye tracking and reflexive vocalizations. Eyes lubricated to prevent irritation; speculum remains in place. Despite the high level of impairment, occasional partial compliance with commands noted.

[11:30:31]: Subject provided with 500 mL saline IV to maintain hydration. Subject engaged with repetitive commands in accordance to Compliance Protocols. Verbal cues, electronic conditioning, and multi-sensory stimuli reinforcement prove moderately effective as demonstrated by increased uptake seen on EEG. Noted severe motor function impairment, persistent drooling, disorientation.

[11:37:48]: Visual and auditory stimuli calibrated to induce deep trance state in preparation for Hypnotic Compliance Protocols. Subject's head and neck stabilized to ensure alignment with visual stimuli. Monitored vital signs remain stable but indicate persistent sedation effects. Subject remains largely unresponsive, exhibiting only involuntary reflexes and intense eye fixation on visual stimulus.

[12:00:00]: End of Behavioral Compliance Induction log. Subject's transition to hypnotic phase officially logged and observed.

TRANSFER OF CARE: [REDACTED]

[emeraldspiral]

Zim episode where Membrane takes the kids on their annual vacation to Disneyworld. Except this is Invader Zim so it'd probably be like "Meatworld" or something and literally all the face characters, locations, rides, and exhibits would be meat-themed. But I digress.

The plot would be the Membrane family goes on vacation to this meat-themed amusement park and Zim shows up just like he did in the ski trip comic. While Dib and Gaz are in the bathroom puking after chugging some nasty meat milkshakes from some terrible on-site restaurant, Membrane waits outside and spots his son's "little foreign friend", about to be kicked out of the park for being an unaccompanied minor. Zim claims that his parents are at the hotel, sick in bed, and they gave him permission to go into the park alone, but park security says he MUST be accompanied by an adult guardian. Membrane steps in, believing that Zim is from a poor/working class family who would've had to save up a lot to afford a vacation to Meatworld and it would be a terrible shame if his vacation was ruined. So he claims that actually his and Zim's families are traveling together and Zim's parents have left him in his care for the day, and uses his clout as a world famous scientist to pressure security into accepting the story.

Dib is livid when he gets out of the bathroom, but Gaz intimidates both Dib AND Zim into behaving so her vacation isn't ruined by their antics. Zim attempts to ditch them a few times, but Membrane is watching too closely and security is ready to kick him out anyway if he does manage to sneak off, so eventually he just resigns himself to blowing a whole day intended for some evil schemes just visiting the park as a regular tourist. After touring several rides and exhibits together with gritted teeth Zim and Dib start to loosen up and actually enjoy the day. They see some VR motion simulation ride documentary on the history of meat packing that they actually both find fascinating and informative, watch a dinner theater show where meat-mascots wrestle and actually get invested in rooting for one of them, and although Zim trash talks every ride as "pathetic" and primative" he's clearly actually getting genuine thrills.

Throughout the day, the group tries to get onto a particularly popular river raft adventure ride, but every time they get a notification from the park app that the queue time has been reduced, a huge crowd always beats them and increases the wait time to several hours. In their last hour at the park, they think they're finally about to get on, only for the ride to malfunction and get shut down. Zim really wants to experience this ride, so he fixes it just so they can go on. The ride seats everyone on little two-person boats so Zim and Dib have one to themselves while Gaz and Membrane ride in another one behind them. The ride takes them through a simulated battle being fought by a brave group of ranchers, butchers, and frycooks defending their meat against a savage group of vegan hippie zombies who've been mutated with soy and tofu DNA.

Zim and Dib both enjoy the ride a lot and at the end a photo is snapped of them going down the meat river waterfall at the exciting finish. The operator at the end of the ride asks if they want to keep their photos, which they're both quite embarrassed of. Membrane is incensed that they've added an exorbitant fee when photos used to be free, but the more Zim and Dib insist it's okay, they really don't want them, the more Membrane is convinced that they really do, so he caves and pays the outrageous fee.

Membrane lets Zim ride with the family back to the park hotel and after a long, exhausting day, Dib, Zim, and Gaz all doze off in the back seat together.

Zim and Dib both say they're going to destroy their photos, but when they get back home, they both end up tucking them away somewhere instead of tearing them up.

[handeaux]

Cincinnati Was Fascinated By Talking Machines Whether Good, Bad Or Bogus

Professor Faber’s amazing “talking machine” arrived in Cincinnati to great fanfare in 1872 when that contraption shared a bill at Wood’s Theater with the famous Bandmanns, Daniel and Millicent. The celebrity thespians presented “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Corsican Brothers.” The talking machine recited whatever the professor told it to.

As early as 1844, the Cincinnati Enquirer carried reports of Austrian Joseph Faber’s progress in developing a mechanical device that could replicate human speech. The original “Professor” Faber, unhappy with progress on his own invention, killed himself in 1850, but the project was taken on by his nephew, also named Joseph Faber, who perfected the device and took it on tour. The Enquirer [25 January 1872] described it in some detail:

“On looking at it you see a table, on one end of which is a key-board with a number of levers similar to the hammers of a piano leading to an upright beam. At the front of this beam you see a mask from which you hear, in tones that remind one of a child’s trumpet, the measured enunciation of words. Back of this beam stands a pair of bellows which is operated by a treadle, and furnishes the air that is required to supply the instrument.”

Faber’s device was a sort of analog speech synthesizer, an ancestor of the Vocoder and similar electronic devices of the Twentieth Century. The operator, by pumping pedals and pressing keys, generated sounds resembling human speech. The Enquirer’s reporter, imagining no “practical utility,” was nevertheless impressed with the machine’s performance.

“During the exhibition the machine was made to speak in English, German, Greek and Hebrew. It beats the Professor speaking English, and but for the example of broken English he sets would speak almost as closely as anyone. It pronounced such words as Mississippi, Cincinnati, Chicago, Philadelphia with ease and clearness. Although it speaks with a decided German accent, one has less difficulty understanding it than the average German who has been three or four years in this country.”

While touring the United States, Professor Faber impressed impresario Phineas Taylor Barnum so much that the great showman renamed the machine as The Euphonium and engaged it and its operator for six months on a contract worth $20,000. Barnum brought the newly christened Euphonium back to Cincinnati in July 1872 as a highlight of his “Great Traveling World’s Fair.” That extravaganza also featured four giraffes, sea lions, herds of trained elephants, Fiji cannibals, American Indians, various dwarves and midgets and three rings of continual circus acts. Barnum’s Fair occupied the Union Baseball Grounds for four summer days at a time when Cincinnati had no professional baseball team. Reports indicate that Barnum got his money’s worth as his show became the hottest ticket in town. Barnum did well enough that he extended Faber’s contract for at least another year. The Euphonium continued to receive star billing when Barnum’s circus returned to Cincinnati in 1873.

Professor Faber continued to exhibit his talking machine well into the 1880s, several years after a very different sort of talking machine made its debut. Thomas Edison, the Genius of Menlo Park, unveiled his phonograph in 1877 and Cincinnati shifted its attentions to the new gadget in town. The Cincinnati Commercial dispatched a reporter to Edison’s laboratory and he filed [3 April 1878] a breathless dispatch:

“I saw the talking-machine, talked to it, and it talked back. You have heard about it, of course, but the story can not be an old one for years to come, and although the phonograph is as simple as a jackknife, it excites the awe of the beholder as a telegraph wire stirs up an Indian’s superstition”

It was another year before an actual phonograph arrived in Cincinnati, almost simultaneously with an early telephone. The Enquirer [5 June 1878] announced the dawn of a new age:

“The phonograph now on exhibition at Greenwood Hall had an increased number of visitors yesterday, our most prominent citizens leading what must become a rush to witness this real wonder, which, with the telephone, marks an era in science. It is impossible to describe the sensation created by this ‘talking’ machine, which gives back to one his own very words and tones in either speaking or singing, and which, many believe, is to revolutionize many things in social and business life.”

Edison’s mind-blowing machine inspired a couple of Cincinnati con artists to offer talking machine service to the great unwashed. At a time when phonographs cost the equivalent of $500 and cylinders the equivalent of $15 per in today’s coin, the opportunity to try out this revolutionary device for one thin dime was irresistible. According to Frank Y. Grayson’s wonderful book, “Pioneers of Night Life on Vine Street,” the flim-flam men set up shop just south of the canal.

“Across the front of the dump, spread a canvas which bore these words: ‘Come In and for a Dime Hear the Most Amazing Invention of the Age – the Talking Machine Extraordinary.’”

The dupes who fell for the pitch surrendered their ten cents and were handed a rubber mouthpiece attached to a long hose. They said their piece while the operator furiously cranked a large wheel, waited a moment and – voila! – their words of wisdom emerged from a rubber bulb sprouting a tin funnel.

“News of the wonderful invention flashed up and down the good old avenue, and the come-ons fell all over themselves getting into the place. The crooks made hay while the sun shone.”

Their demise came when the local beat cop stopped by and tested his elocution. He shouted, “What am I?” into the mouthpiece, the customary pause ensued and “What am I?” emerged faintly from the funnel – followed by a sneeze. “I didn’t sneeze,” said the cop and descended into the basement where he found a fat man in shirtsleeves, managing the other end of a couple of rubber hoses.

Talking machines so excited the imagination of Cincinnati’s residents that they infested the hallucinations of our cranks. The Enquirer [21 October 1900] related the case of Mrs. F.C. Lykins of Walnut Hills, who sent letters accusing a young man residing at the Union Bethel of annoying her with his talking machine. A detective determined that there was no such resident at the Union Bethel, and no one by that name living in the area. Mrs. Lykins insisted that voices from a talking machine filled the air around her head. The detective just smiled, closed his notebook, and headed back downtown.

[lboogie1906]

Georgette Seabrooke (aka Georgette Seabrooke Powell; August 2, 1916 – December 27, 2011) was a muralist, artist, illustrator, art therapist, non-profit chief executive, and educator. She is known for her 1936 mural, Recreation in Harlem at Harlem Hospital, which was restored and put on public display in 2012 after being hidden from view for many years.

She was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the only child of George and Anna Seabrooke. Her family moved to New York City in 1920. George, a restaurant and hotel owner. Her mother was a domestic housekeeper. She studied at the Harlem Art Workshop.

She was admitted to the prestigious Cooper Union School of Art in New York, where she received the school’s Silver Medal, its highest honor, for a painting entitled “Church Scene.” She had been painting and drawing images of “Black American lifestyles and African symbolism”. Cooper Union denied her her diploma for what it said at the time was incomplete work, it invited her back to honor her achievements. She was presented with a lifetime achievement award, the school considers her a member of its class of 1937.

She was chosen by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration as one of four “master artists” to paint murals at Harlem Hospital. She received a WPA commission to paint a mural at Queens General Hospital.

She married Dr. George Wesley Powell (1939-1959). They had three children. She illustrated calendars and magazines and she studied theater design at Fordham University.

She founded Operation Heritage Art Center. She became a registered art therapist, she earned her BFA from Howard University She was very active in combining art with mental health therapy, teaching at a series of events known as “Art in the Park”. She painted a series of portraits of homeless men and women which emphasized their plight. She traveled to Lagos to represent the US at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.

Her work appeared in 72 major exhibitions (1933-2003) in the US, Senegal, Venezuela, and Nigeria. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[teine-mallaichte]

The Facility - overview

(World building for my living weapon OCs) CW: living wepaon, dehumanisation, warfare, tortour, extreme conditioning.

Before the outbreak of the global conflict, the Facility was a small-scale organisation known for its expertise in psychological research, interrogation techniques, and psychological warfare. Initially hired by governments for extreme situations, the Facility’s role evolved dramatically as the war escalated.

From a niche contractor, it transformed into a dominant global entity with an expansive network of semi-autonomous complexes.

Evolution of the Facility

With the onset of the global conflict, the Facility transitioned from a third-party service provider to a central force in global affairs. Its operations expanded from dealing with prisoners of war and training operatives in psychological warfare, to capturing and conditioning children - often starting before their 10th birthdays. These children are then molded into specialised roles for the war effort, including front-line combatants, medics, infiltration specialists, engineers, and assassins.

Each Facility complex had its own methods, but the core processes of indoctrination, training, and conditioning remained consistent across the network.

Complex 27: A Closer Look

One of the key facilities in this network is Complex 27, a sprawling, isolated complex designed for discretion and security. Located in a remote rural area, Complex 27 is characterized by its stark, utilitarian design, reflecting the Facility’s emphasis on control and uniformity.

A Block: Dedicated to severe corrections, reconditioning, and decommissioning of assets. It is a place of fear and pain, where assets face their harshest punishments and psychological manipulation.

Purpose: Dedicated to severe corrections, reconditioning, and decommissioning of assets.

Characteristics: Known for its harsh conditions and psychological manipulation. A Block is designed to evoke fear and maintain control over assets who have failed to meet expectations or exhibit signs of disobedience.

Features: Includes isolation cells, sensory deprivation rooms, the "pit", and areas for physical punishment.

B Block: Here lies the medical wing, handlers' offices, briefing rooms, and logistics operations. It’s where the operational side of the Facility functions, managing the flow of assets and ensuring they are prepared for their assignments.

Purpose: The operational hub for the Facility, managing medical care, handler operations, and logistics.

Medical Wing:

Purpose: Provides routine health checks, injury treatment, and management of physical and psychological conditions. The focus is on maintaining functionality rather than long-term health.

Facilities: Equipped with basic medical equipment, examination rooms, and a small operating theater for minor procedures.

Staff: Includes Facility-employed doctors and medics, who prioritize immediate needs and are often viewed with distrust by other assets due to their dehumanized training.

Handlers' Offices:

Purpose: Spaces for handlers to oversee their assigned assets, review performance, prepare mission briefs, and conduct evaluations.

Facilities: Functional and austere, with desks, computers, and communication systems for encrypted coordination.

Interactions: Handlers maintain detailed records, plan development, and manage deployments according to established protocols.

Communication: B Block serves as the central communication hub with encrypted channels to ensure security and prevent unauthorized access.

C Block:

Purpose: Training grounds for younger assets. It focuses on education, conditioning, and isolation from the outside world until assets are ready for their roles.

Characteristics: A place of intense indoctrination, psychological conditioning, and early skill development.

D Block:

Purpose: The residential area where assets and living weapons are housed.

Features: Identical, sparsely furnished quarters, and the mess hall.

Asset Quarters:

Walls and Flooring: The walls are pale grey, contributing to a clinical and sterile atmosphere. The flooring is tiled in the same grey color, easy to clean and maintain.

Sleeping Area: Each quarter contains a small cot with a thin grey blanket. The cot is minimalist, offering just enough for basic rest without comfort.

Storage: There is a metal locker for personal items, though assets are typically limited in what they can keep. The locker is plain and functional, reflecting the lack of personal space or autonomy.

Bathroom: The quarters include a small adjoining bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. The bathroom is utilitarian, with minimal features designed to meet basic hygiene needs without any luxury.

Desk and Table: A small desk and bedside table are present, serving practical functions but lacking personal touches. These pieces of furniture are simple and unadorned.

Lighting: The lighting in the quarters is bright, designed to keep the space functional and to prevent any shadowy corners where assets might hide or escape. It is on an automatic timer across all quarters, dimming at night and glaring in the day.

Overall Design: The design is uniform across all quarters, with no personalization allowed. This uniformity reinforces the Facility’s control over the assets, eliminating any form of individuality or personal expression.

Training and Conditioning:

Stages of Training: Assets undergo a rigorous, multi-staged process involving indoctrination, specialization, handler training, and advanced training as living weapons. Each stage is designed to strip away personal identity and mold assets into highly effective tools for the Facility’s objectives.

Stage 1: Indoctrination

Focus: This stage involves erasing the asset’s prior identity, using isolation and psychological conditioning to create a blank slate. At the end of this stage, assets receive a number designation, which is tattooed on their neck.

Stage 2: Specialization

Focus: Assets are trained in their specific roles, with severe punishments for any deviation from standard. Complex 27 distinguishes between even-numbered assets (front-line combatants) and odd-numbered assets (who specialize in various other combat based).

Stage 3: Handler Training

Focus: Assets begin working under handlers, integrating into operational roles while being closely monitored and corrected when necessary.

Stage 4: Living Weapons

Symbol: Marked by a brand on the arm, this stage is the pinnacle of an asset’s conditioning, where they become high-priority, specialized weapons. These assets are often deployed in pairs to optimize effectiveness in complex missions.

Defects and Reconditioning:

Criteria for Defects: Includes serious injury, emotional breakdown, or signs of humanity. Defective assets may face 'correction' in A Block, intense reconditioning, or decommission (termination) if they cannot be restored to compliance.

Reconditioning: Involves severe psychological and physical methods to correct defects and restore obedience.

Related masterlists:

Asset 84

On The Run

[more-than-a-princess]

Closed, plotted starter for @quickdeaths !

With a frustrated groan, Sonia yanked open the double doors to the Jabberwock Island's movie theater. The third island, barring the hospital, was a mostly quiet, deserted sort of place: the majority of their day-to-day activities were confined to the main and second islands. So she had expected to have one of the three places she could most often be found on the collection of islands that made up Jabberwock to herself.

Crossing over the threshold and greeted by the faint scents of mold, caramel, and curry, she was in desperate need of it. Each week, the awakened and healthy (at least moderately: they could clean, feed, and dress themselves) former remnants were assigned meeting times with a member of the Future Foundation. What amounted to be part-therapist, part-guidance counselor, the Future Foundation were meant to advise them on how to navigate the state of the world, cope with the atrocities they'd committed virtually and in reality, and come up with a plan for after Jabberwock Island. While in theory the option was there, to live their lives out on a secluded island for the rest of their days, the Future Foundation could not assist them indefinitely. Supplies would become scarce and help would be nearly non-existent: it was better, they thought, that the former Remnants of Despair be instilled in society and begin repaying their debts and embark on the most normal lives they could possibly have.

Everyone, it seemed, except Sonia.

"Who does he think he is, the head and final say of the entire organization!?" She spat to no one in particular. "He never actually considers that I might be an asset to the Future Foundation's operations." Letting the doors slam shut behind her, she glared down at the paper in her hands before tearing it into strips, crumpling them into a ball, and throwing it into the rubbish bin. It was excessive, yes, but she didn't often have a vehicle to exhibit how much she despised her weekly sessions. Each Remnant was paired with a member of the Future Foundation for the duration of their stay, and it was Sonia's utter misfortune that, apparently, only Byakuya Togami could stomach dealing with her. Aoi Asahina had been too soft-hearted, taking pity on the former princess and her reliance on various substances, her insomnia, and how useless she felt at anything beyond being royalty. Kyoko Kirigiri had given up when she hadn't been able to reason with her, and Makoto Naegi was often too busy to speak to any of the Remnants besides Hajime.

In turn, that left only Byakuya Togami. Seemingly devoid of a proper beating heart in favor of efficiency, duty, and responsibility, he was the only one willing to chastise Sonia for her habits and unwillingness to embrace what she was: Queen of Novoselic. He was also the only one to, time and time again, deny her requests to join the Future Foundation. The crumpled-up ball of paper strips had been the most recent incarnation, where she had detailed the various services she had to offer the organization: translation, interpreting, a vast knowledge of law and economics, leadership experience. Anything that involved her not being sent back to Novoselic.

Something that, no matter how hard she pleaded her case, the Future Foundation insisted there was no place for her. Fuyuhiko, she heard, had experienced the same, though he seemed to accept it. But she was adamant: she was certain that sending her back to Novoselic would be sending her to her death, if the news reports from Europe were anything to go by. She would've gladly signed away all of her family's wealth to those already there, looking to rebuild, but the constant reminder that it wasn't just money, it was guidance and an understanding of how the nation was run, was crucial. Frankly, Sonia didn't think any amount of guidance would be useful if there were daily protests demanding the Future Foundation deliver her home, or at least her severed head.

Beyond the threat of her own life, she had her reasons: the reason being, apparently, very close to awakening from his pod. Torn between anger and anxiety, she'd decided upon the few things that could distract her in a state of sobriety: a film in the theater, a visit to the library, and something terribly indulgent from the Hotel Mirai kitchens, in precisely that order.

What she didn't expect was that she wasn't alone. Traipsing up the stairs to the projection room for the theater's sole screen, she stopped short at the doorway: Yaguchi, either selecting one of the reels from the shelves or debating about how to put it in the projector.

"Y-Yaguchi," Sonia half-stammered, half-coughed. There would be little she could do to hide how she'd flung the door open with a firm slam, her hands in balled, clenched fists, or her brows that, for the past hour at least, appeared to be permanently furrowed into an irritated expression. "I am sorry, I did not know someone was intending to use the theater. No one really comes here, especially during the day. I can find a film on disc in the library to take back to my cabin instead, so you may watch your film in peace."

Peace was precisely the last thing she felt, anyway. But she'd find something to lose herself in, so that, for a little while at least, she wouldn't scream something she didn't mean to the entire Future Foundation. "If you need assistance with the projector though, I can help you," She sighed. She'd turned her heel and then remembered that, out of everyone, only she and Hajime had figured out how to set up the reels precisely, to best preserve the film inside. "You will not be able to watch any of the films in this theater otherwise."

[taylor-on-your-dash]

12-year-old performs at 76ers game

Taylor Swift of Wyomissing Hills was invited to sing the national anthem.

By Jeremy Carroll

Conduct date: April 5, 2002

Taylor A. Swift, 12, of Wyomissing Hills, thought her 10-year-old brother, Austin K., might have been playing an April Fool's Day joke on her when he told her the Philadelphia 76ers invited her to sing the national anthem at an upcoming home basketball game.

But Austin was telling the truth, relaying the information from their father, Scott K., who phoned with the thrilling day-after-Easter news.

"My mom and I were just jumping up and down we were so excited," said Taylor, who sang the anthem just before tip-off of the Sixers game against the Detroit Pistons on April 5.

"I just really love doing that sort of thing," she said. "It is an adrenaline rush for me."

Swift, a sixth-grader at West Reading Elementary Center, sang the national anthem at a Reading Phillies game several years ago.

Last month she did another rendition at a basketball game at Wyomissing High School in which the Harlem Wizards played against the Wyomissing Heroes, made up of school faculty and other members of the community.

It was her performance at the Wizards' game that gave her the chance to sing at a much larger venue, Philadelphia's First Union Center, where 20,754 fans came to see the Sixers and Pistons play.

Scott Swift sent in a video of his daughter singing the anthem to the 76ers, hoping the team would recognize her talent.

Sixers manager of game operations Kathy Drysdale, who said she gets hundreds of videotapes from perform ers interested in singing the anthem at one of the team's exhibition games or 41 regular season home games, sat up and took notice of Swift.

"She has this fantastic voice that catches everyone's attention," Drysdale said. "Her voice is so strong and powerful at 12 years old. You look at her and think, 'Did that come out of her mouth?"

Swift left for Philadelphia right after school on April 5 with her parents, brother and a friend of her brother. They encountered lots of traffic and wound up making it to the arena just in time for her sound check at 5. Shortly after their arrival, team officials presented Taylor, Austin and Austin's friend with duffel bags full of 76ers merchandise, including basketballs, jerseys and hats. Taylor also received a jersey signed by some of the Sixers players.

After getting ready in a private dressing room, Swift was escorted by a security guard onto the court, which was adorned with a red carpet.

Her mother, Andrea F., admitted she was very nervous leading up to the anthem.

"They had a number of cameras all focused right around her and she was up on the big screen," Andrea said. "It's very, very scary as a mom to see your child out there."

Taylor was much more relaxed about the whole thing, experiencing few butterflies even as the lights were dimmed just moments before her performance.

"I was just practicing the first note over and over in my head," she said. Swift, who sang the final words of the anthem in the midst of deafening cheers from the crowd, said the whole experience was a big thrill. "All of these NBA players and all of these other people were looking at me," she said. "It was really a wonderful feeling."

Swift has been performing practically all of her life in local theater productions.

Next Friday and Saturday she will perform in Wyomissing High School's production of "The Sound of Music." Swift, whose maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, Wyomissing Park, is a retired opera singer, has been pursuing a country music singing career. The aspiring singing star, who also plays electric guitar, performed with the Pat Garrett Band at last year's Bloomsburg Fair and has cut a country CD.

Late last month the Swifts traveled to Nashville, where they distributed the CD to record companies in the hope of landing a recording deal. When she is not busy performing. Swift enjoys spending time with her friends.

Release date: April 19, 2002

[jimin-bangtan]

BTS’s Solo Chapter CONTINUED - Part 6

Even Jung Kook, (JK), who had ended the solo album releases for phase 1 of the solo period, still had more to offer.  In addition to featuring on JHope’s 2nd album song, I Wonder…, he also released a song for fans, Never Let Go, for Festa 2024. Likely due to time restraints, he wasn’t able to release the dance video that would have explained some of the lengthy lyrical skips, but that means fans can look forward to that performance when he returns. In addition, there was still more planned toward JK’s 1st album that was now extending into phase 2 of the solo period. That is somewhat understandable timewise, since he was the last to release work in 2023.  JK not only has an exhibition (called GOLDEN: The Moments) traveling to global locations, but he also had his documentary, I Am Still, being released in theaters globally, not once but twice. The 2nd release included an added singalong segment to the original footage. It really was a well-planned, extensive promotional plan, and it brought the results and achievements it was designed to do.  Of course, JK also released the travel series along with Jimin, which was filmed in July, September, and November of 2023. The trips occurred over three long weekends during JKs promotional period and during Jimin’s 2nd album preparations. Some people have complained that it pulled them away from their busy work, but that was the point, or at least one of the points. It gave them restful mini-vacations to relax and enjoy themselves away from the heavy lifting of doing so much work before departing for their military service. They both remarked about having the chance to create memories before taking a pause in their careers to do a restrictive, difficult obligation. I’m glad they had the chance to do it, and it looks like (and they said) they had an enjoyable time through it all. 

As mentioned, RM released a 2nd solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person. In fact, we found out, during that clever MMM1 conversation, where he and Jimin discussed their 2nd albums, that RM had delayed his enlistment to complete this project. He was previously planning to enlist on the same day as JHope. Now I understand more what he and JHope meant in JHope's enlistment day footage, when gloomy RM said, “I don’t know.” and JHope responded, “I don’t either.” It seemed RM was hoping his decision to change plans for this album was worth it, and boy, was it! RM's 2nd album stunned even BTS fans.  It was different, raw, creative, revealing, and stylistic - all the things some fans had expected from his first solo album. He still had collaborators but fewer than he had on the 1st album. He chose to operate differently and worked mostly with songs given to him, while he focused more on the lyrics and performance. RM’s first album was very good, and it was successful, but he even seemed unsatisfied with it and perhaps with its lesser achievement than he had hoped. It turns out that the 1st album also might not have expressed all the deep, gritty feelings he needed to let out. RM’s 2nd album also got more company-led promotional effort, and its achievements were also far greater than his first album. He has landed higher on charts and is being acknowledged for awards and recognition that eluded his first album, even though both are critically acclaimed. While fans did not get a documentary for RM’s first album, a very artistic, cinematic documentary (called RM: Right People, Wrong Place) was premiered at the Busan International Film Festival for his 2nd album. We now have word that it will be released globally in December 2024. Early reviews have remarked about how very honest and raw the footage is, that shows more of who RM is and the process that went into creating the very expressive album. After RM’s album release and promotions, he also was featured on a song with previous BTS collaborator, Megan Thee Stallion, called Neva Play, where RM finally declared that BTS “paved the way” for other Asian artists. Speak that truth, RM. 

Presently, at long last, Jin has announced his 1st solo album. Happy will be released in November 2024 along with the (hopefully) improving promotional experience. His album is said to lead listeners through his journey to find happiness. In line with the happy theme, Jin first released Super Tuna 2.0, which was an updated, extended version of the original song and video. Although it is not included on the album, the silly, but joyful, song, about his love for tuna, was the right tone to kick off the release of an album that has happiness as its theme. Fans are excitedly looking forward to Jin’s solo debut. (By the time I posted this, Jin's pre-release song was presented. It is a fun, pop-rock song called I'll Be There. He looked and sounded great. He's off to a very good start.) To tide us over until the group comes back and until his album is released, Jin has been entertaining fans with show appearances, fashion pictures, and RunJin episodes that are full of Jin’s madcap chaos and humor. Now that JHope is out of the military too, I can’t wait to see if (when) he and Jin will produce a subunit project as I had hoped for. There is no doubt that it would be hysterically entertaining. Since Jin’s return, he has also fully capitalized on BTS’s opportunity to have individual ambassador deals now. He hadn’t been able to engage in any business contracts until after his enlistment, and he is wasting no time in catching up on lost time. 

Here is a list of BTS’s individual ambassadorships presently: Jin - Gucci, Alo Yoga, Fred Jewelry, and Laneige Suga - Valentino and NBA JHope - Louis Vuitton RM - Bottega Veneta Jimin - Dior and Tiffany & Co. V - Celine, Cartier, Compose Coffee, and SimInvest JK - Calvin Klein

PHASE 2 CONCLUSION

During this solo experience, we have had the pleasure of watching BTS members grow and develop as individual artists. We have seen them learn a lot from the experience, gaining knowledge that we are excited to know they can bring back to the group activities.  It’s difficult to imagine what the next chapter of BTS will look like with all that we have seen, but we’re excited to find out. Normally, Hybe and/or BigHit Music do put a lot of advanced planning into their efforts. This military situation was entirely new, and an innovative plan was certainly needed. While there were some parts that were clever and very well done, some parts of this plan unfortunately did not meet up with expectations at all. I have made my feelings clear on how the company initially managed the solo projects. Suga had said that each member was expected to manage their own solo tasks and promotions. Therefore each member chose different entities to help them accomplish their work. I explained each project in more detail in my Phase 1 solo period posts (specifically parts 2 & 3). The differing amounts of assistance given to each member, and the apparent, inequitable effort provided for promotions will sting many fans for quite a while. It caused a crack and disturbance in the fandom that will likely exist for a long while, if not forever.

JK, in honesty and in fact, did receive a much larger piece of the promotional pie, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was solely because of the group he chose to work with. Time seemed to be his only limiting factor.  I’m glad he was able to get that level of promotion. He did an awful lot in an awfully short amount of time. I only hope that going forward, all of the members receive that level of care and investment. They all were responsible for the success that built the company, they all worked extremely hard on their solo projects, and they all deserve the same level of care and attention (with reasonable adjustments) to support their individual careers. The support may not look exactly the same, but it should look like equal effort. It should not stink of neglect and have missing necessary and available items or actions that some promotions received but others did not.

It is sad to see conversations from fans and the public, in which they compare the promotions of BTS, the most successful KPop group in history, to promotions given to artists from other companies. The comments express that they are surprised about how differently BTS is supported by its own wealthy company that their hard work built.

My final, previously stated, point on promotions for now is that even if the differences in promotions were due to the members having to handle their own promotional activities and make their own choices, it was all of their first solo projects! I feel the company should have provided a better framework of guidance for the projects, including promotions, to be sure the members knew how to roll them out fully and knew what tools and information - or additional assistance - was needed to make sure they not only had quality music but also quality roll outs. It seems this would have been a company priority, especially seeing that their primary money makers would be absent for a while. It would have maximized company profits, but perhaps the goal was instead for the members to learn from the process, regardless of everything else, including peace in the fandom.

With that said, the company has seemed to have grown or at least hopefully learned a lot from the experience too, for which I’m glad. We saw changes and improvements during the solo period from phase 1 to phase 2. Perhaps the members did learn and made changes and/or the company realized the flaw in their original tactic. It was a new experience for both sides. (Sadly, we’ll never know what could have been, since you cannot get a 1st time debut back.)

BTS is a unique band in a unique situation. Where most KPop groups disband at about the 7-year mark - if they make it that long - BTS is still thriving and successful into their 11th & 12th years. The members have recently signed a rumored 10-year contract, together, in advance, with the same company, which is also uncommon. Hybe is new for a corporation’s age, and BigHit Music is still learning as they go. As Suga has said many times, BTS is experiencing things where there is no roadmap because no other group has traveled this path before them, so it is expected that the company will have some missteps as they go. I certainly didn’t expect this type of misstep, or the extent of the misstep, but learning and growing from mistakes is far more important than attempting to never make a mistake, which is unrealistic.  Provided they do course-correct and do better going forward, progress can be made and wounds can be healed. As with every step of BTS’s journey, we all will continue to watch and see - right along with them.  APoBangPo - Army forever, BTS forever

RELATED POSTS

**See my Updated BTS Solo Chapter Wishlist.** ***Refer to my BTS Official Content & Social Media Links post that is a directory of links, which leads you to all of the mentioned activities and solo work on official pages. ***

<- BTS Solo Chapter CONTINUED - Part 5 - opening post for this update

[yourhotmezz-tea]

THE RAILWAYS MUSEUM AMBARAWA

by : Nurul Fatika Jati

Initially it was a station called Willem I Station. This station was built by the Nedherlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NISM) which was inaugurated on May 21 1873 at the same time as the opening of the Kedungjati-Ambarawa route. 1907. At the beginning of its operation, Willem I Station was used as a means of transporting export commodities and military transportation around Central Java. After being deactivated in 1976, Ambarawa Station was declared a Railway Museum by the Governor of Central Java at that time, Supardjo Rustam. This plan aims to save the remains of the steam locomotive and make it a tourist attraction in Central Java. Ambarawa Station was chosen because Ambarawa has a strong historical background in the struggle for independence, namely the Battle of Ambarawa, apart from that, Ambarawa Station at that time still had ancient technology that could still be operated.

The Ambarawa Museum or Indonesian Railway Museum (IRM) displays a collection of railways from the Dutch East Indies period to pre-Indonesian independence which includes facilities, infrastructure and administrative equipment.

Several collections of heritage railway facilities such as:

21 Steam Locomotives

4 Diesel Locomotives

5 Trains

6 Carriages

Antique Telephone

Telegram Tools

Turntables

To support tourism, PT KAI organizes tourist train transportation. In this museum there are two train services, namely the Ambarawa–Bedono and Ambarawa–Tuntang  tourist trains. The trips are only made regularly on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, for other days it can only be done using a rental system. The Ambarawa–Bedono tourist train is a train that uses cog rails. The museum itself then branded this service as the Ambarawa Mountain Railway Tour. The route is from Ambarawa–Jambu–Bedono and back to Ambarawa. The journey to Bedono can only be made by a geared steam locomotive (B25) because none of the diesel locomotives are equipped with gears. In addition, steam train ticket reservations can only be ordered through the rental system. As a result, Bedono and Jambu stations are only open when there are train trips. The Ambarawa–Tuntang tourist train runs regularly using diesel locomotives, but can be rented using either steam or diesel locomotives. For regular trips there is a train schedule that departs at 10.00, 12.00 and 14.00.

Guided tours are available, providing historical insights into the development of railways in Indonesia, the significance of the museum, and details about the locomotives and other exhibits. The museum’s vintage locomotives and scenic surroundings make it a great spot for photography enthusiasts to capture historical and picturesque moments. The museum offers the opportunity to rent the vintage train for special occasions, providing a unique setting for events such as weddings, corporate gatherings, or educational trips.

for more information you can click on link above :

There you can also enjoy snacks found along the road to the station. Inside the station there is also a cafe and also a mini train to get around. film theater to find out the history of the formation of the Ambarawa train station and other history of Indonesia. You can rent a traditional clothes as well for new experiences

Thank you for reading my blog, always be happy and have a nice day!

[jordi-gali]

Michel François, Theater of Operations, Installation view, Bortolami, New York, NY, 2006 https://www.bortolamigallery.com/exhibitions/theater-of-operations

[vincentstefan]

[lisagiaandrews]

Shanghai Bucket List: 20 Epic Things to Do in Shanghai, China

Take a night walk along the west bank of the Huangpu River or take a night cruise to admire the stunning city lights of The Bund.

Climb up iconic skyscrapers such as the Shanghai Tower or the Oriental Pearl TV Tower for a panoramic view of the city.

Visit the Shanghai Museum in Huangpu to learn about ancient Chinese art and history. The museum has a large collection of exquisite bronzes, ceramics, paintings and other cultural relics.

Explore the French Concession area to experience local life and uncover hidden historical treasures.

Explore the world of science at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, which is especially suitable for learning and entertainment with children.

Visit City God Temple, in addition to Yu Garden, the surrounding City God Temple is also a popular place for tourists, where there are many traditional arts and crafts shops and food stalls.

Experience the nightlife of Xintiandi and enjoy a night out in Shanghai at the bars and clubs in the area.

Experience the alley culture of old Shanghai in Tianzifang. This is an old alley converted into an art and shopping area, full of literary atmosphere.

Visit Disneyland for a family-friendly trip and a day of theme park fun.

Go to the shopping paradise - Nanjing Road, where you can choose from a variety of products.

Taste the authentic Shanghai food, such as Xiaolongbao, Sheng Jian bao, crab bean curd, etc., to feel the food culture of Shanghai.

Walk along the Suzhou River, where the renovation shows the renewal and development of Shanghai. There are art installations and leisure Spaces along the river.

Watch a Peking Opera or Yue Opera performance and feel the charm of Chinese opera in a traditional theater.

Ride the maglev train, the world's fastest commercially operated train, from Pudong Airport to the city in just a few minutes.

Visit the Shanghai Grand Theatre in People's Square, a modern building that is one of Shanghai's iconic cultural facilities and regularly hosts world-class shows and concerts.

Visit Xujiahui, one of Shanghai's commercial centers, which is home not only to modern shopping malls, but also to historic Catholic churches and museums.

Visit the Expo site. Although the Expo has ended, many national pavilions have been converted into museums and exhibition halls and are still worth seeing.

Visit the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium: Located in Lujiazui, it displays Marine life from all over the world and is especially suitable for families.

Take a day trip to Zhujiajiao, a water town near Shanghai, to admire its canals, ancient Bridges and classical architecture.

Ride or walk around Chongming Island to enjoy the natural scenery and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

[thefallenangelsgang]

Seeing as I just got tagged again in something similar by the lovely @victoriouscabaret, I probably should wrap this one up lmao. Unfortunately I'm about to show y'all how horrifically baby I am (as if the incessant Gen Z style posting and vocabulary wasn't telling enough 😭)

-------------------

Do you make your bed?

NO. The most I do is straighten the sheets (because I have yet to meet a sheet or life hack secure enough to beat my slumbering form. It's actually comical how easily I can pull a sheet off the corners) and shake out my blankets when they have more than the usual amount of cat hair on them. Sheets and pillowcases go on after wash and blankets get dumped in a pile on the foot lmao.

Favorite number?

Anything devisable by 5. Looking back on it actually a miracle no one diagnosed me with OCD sooner. I have childhood memories of compulsively counting things by fives and I have an abnormal interest in the way time breaks down by fives. The fact that you can use the analog clock face to do 5s multiplication tables is also a fun fact that still amuses me to this day. That probably only marginally has to do with OCD though.

What's your job?

I'm a student in university for History and Theater and maybe Poli Sci (except for this last semester, which I took off to reign in the burnout I've been nursing since I was way too young to be experiencing burnout on that scale). I have a summer job as a Housekeeper at a local nursing home. It is far from my first pick but the pay is very good for my area and it puts the compulsion to sterilize everything to work relatively well. When I'm on campus I work in the Theater's Costume Shop.

What I want to do is a different matter. My dream will always be to Act but the stressors are a lot and I am far from marketable to a common audience. I am aiming for a day job in Museum work (exhibit design or educator) with contract night work in Theater Tech (lighting, sound, or costume design) or even finding a way to fully do tech work in a stable manner.

Can you parallel park?

Yes but in nothing bigger than a small SUV and only in spots that are obviously much bigger than my car. I refuse to putz around with tight spots. I'll walk my disabled ass if I have to.

Do you think aliens are real?

I have no strong opinions. I am never going to say "absolutely not" cause history is full of hypotheses being disproven. This is also my rule when dealing with the concept of god and cryptids. Oral histories and folklore meets phenomena our brains have trouble comprehending and I am never going to say something is impossible just because our meaty overlords (that being the brain) fills gaps.

And also shit gets weird in the Appalachian Mountains. Between the chemical poisoning from generations of mining operations, waste sites, the dense vast forests, and unmapped cave systems, I'm never going to 100% say "that cannot happen."

Can you drive a manual car?

This is the one that babies me significantly. No. Though I am interested in learning!

What's your guilty pleasure?

I love taking pitch black showers. In the cooler months (before every day gets up to 70°F+) I like them piping hot. It drives my father up the wall because he's a 5 min shower kinda guy and I need to take 45 minutes in the sensory deprivation chamber or I am a bitch.

Tattoos?

None yet. I want some, I've got plans for at least 4, but I am weary of getting them right now. It's a pipe dream, but I filmed a short film that will be hitting major film festivals in 2025. I don't want to commit to the map of the Shire thigh piece I want or the vertebra on the back of my neck on the minuscule chance something big happens. The other 2 are smaller but I'm struggling with placement because I do want them to be hidden.

Favorite color?

Deep jewel tones. bonus points if the word "velvety" describes them. Real slut for royal blue and forest green. Also the washed out sort of khaki green color.

Favorite types of music?

Folk, both traditional and the stylized modern stuff, and Alternative, mainly from the 2000s to the 2010s. I am also into Musical Theater. Anything with a solid rhythm pattern or an emotional sound can very quickly become my favorite.

Do you like puzzles?

Logic games, yes. I don't find traditional puzzles all that relaxing. I am okay at Sudoku and word games. I have the white man hubris that i would kill at escape rooms despite never having done one.

Any phobias?

Spiders. IRL spiders I can mostly handle. They gotta be fuzzy though, those smooth bitches are not friend shaped. The reason I hate smooth spiders is because any kind of fake spider or spider-adjacent creature from any kind of visual media, but specifically very large cgi spiders in film and video games, are my main trigger. Giant painted spider in a fantasy book? no thank you. Spider in video game? Please god let there be an arachnophobia mod/setting. Spider-like creature done in CG or with practical effects? Tell me when this bit is over I feel like I'm going to be sick.

I genuinely think this stems from my childhood fear of real spiders (I was much more weary of them as a tot) and my parents showing me LotR at way too young an age. Shelob was not a suitable visual for a 7 year old to see in the dark.

Favorite childhood sport?

I played Basketball in middle school. I was not very good handling the ball outside of passing but I was very good at seeing and widening openings. I usually played one of the wings on offense and covering the wings on defense.

I was a little terror on defense but you had to be in my area. For some reason the local girls basketball scene was full of teams who fought almost ridiculously dirty. Nearly got in a fist fight with a girl on the court because she was literally two-handed shoving me while we were running a play and I gave it right back. She did not take it well. To highlight how normal that was, the Ref clapped his hands and simply said "Okay girls, fight club is on Tuesday" and didn't do ANYTHING else.

Not to mention my very first year, the girls team only had 5 people on it (that is the MINIMUM number you need). I was a 4th grader playing full games with our only breaks being the hard baked ones (half-time and the short breathers between quarters) and our Time-outs. We once had a difficult game where we were neck and neck with the other team and in the last quarter (so we were in no position to just forfeit) and the Refs saw my tiny ass and the rest of my poor teammates absolutely dying and started using their timeouts (which is a rare occurrence, refs only do that if they have a call to discuss). I think we won that game too.

I miss it from time to time but I'm no longer as spry or are there teams that play that kind of game around me.

Do you talk to yourself?

All the time. Too much probably and some of it barely makes sense lmao. I'm sure it drives my family up the wall.

What movies do you adore?

Oh boy. I don't even know where to begin. The Sound of Music has been a favorite since I was a child and my eyes just recently been opened to the majesty of The Birdcage and To Wong Foo. The LotR movies are up there. Rocky Horror, A League of Their Own, It's A Wonderful Life, and White Christmas.

Essentially anything that celebrates something that society tries to ignore for various reasons (Dumplin' is another example), or is nostalgic to me (Bedknobs and Broomsticks! I can't believe I forgot that movie!), or is made with so much love it bleeds out of the screen. I have a soft spot for old Hollywood films that feature some of the greats of dancing at the time.

Coffee or Tea?

Tea. I despise the taste of coffee. I'll drink espresso on occasion and have suffered through a heavily doctored cup of joe when I need the kick of caffeine but I am a tea person through and through.

I don't like anything particularly bitter and prefer fruity and herbal flavors. I REALLY like mint tea.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

Labor and Delivery Nurse like my mother. We would visit her before bed when she was on night shift and I remember the nurses station of that unit like it was yesterday. Those are some of the only pleasant memories of a hospital ward I have and I've been in a LOT of hospitals and a LOT of different units over the years.

-------------------

Tagging some people I want to know more about <3 (no pressure though!)

@helena-bug (shhhh I know we've known each other over a decade stfu lmao)

@fablewritesnonsense

@just-another-wasteland-merc

@tcustodis

[handeaux]

A ‘Wireless Wizard’ Showed Cincinnati Driverless Cars; He Really Wanted A Death Ray

It was Monday, 23 January 1928 on Court Street in Cincinnati. Three Willis automobiles rumbled around the Courthouse Square, flashing their lights, honking their horns, starting and stopping, shutting off and restarting their engines, turning this way and that. Not one of the three cars had a human in the driver’s seat. All were controlled by a wooden crate mounted on the running board, receiving radio signals from a “Wireless Wizard” manipulating a small radio transmitter. According to the Cincinnati Post:

“The wizard would fling a radio spark from his toylike transmitter. There would be a responsive click in the wireless apparatus on the auto. The wheels would move in any direction.”

The Wireless Wizard was a young man named Maurice J. Francill from Toledo, Ohio. Francill arrived in Cincinnati under the auspices of the Post to demonstrate the power of radio to transform modern life. Francill spent a week in town, not only driving automobiles in circles, but sending a conductorless streetcar eight blocks up Sycamore Street. Each evening, he amazed crowds at the local Wurlitzer shop on Fourth Street:

“In addition to playing all manner of automatic music instruments by remote control, he will make a radio broadcast phonograph record and play it back to his audience in the flash of a moment. He also will offer light and sound wave experiments on the music store program.”

While wowing the crowds by demonstrating his radio-control box, Francill opined about the future of American life, once radio had saturated the nation’s infrastructure.

“The wizard, Francill, says that someday every woman will carry a wireless dual-phone in her handbag – that she not only can talk over it with the maid at home, but that she can see through it exactly what is taking place there.”

Francill predicted that every household appliance will one day be operated by radio, with vacuum sweepers operated at the touch of a button and basement laundry machines controlled from the lady’s boudoir. (Francill was less than forthcoming about how the dirty clothes would find their way to the laundry and how the clean clothes would return to the closet, but who is quibbling?)

In Cincinnati, Francill was a decided sensation, Over the course of his six-day visit to the Queen City, he presented 18 driverless automobile exhibitions, a sold-out demonstration of radio-controlled appliances at Keith’s Theater and inspirational visits to local high schools.

On top of whatever the Post paid him for this week-long residency, Francill earned some financial icing by endorsing local products. The Veazey-Miller Willis dealership on Gilbert Avenue provided the Willis automobiles for his experiments, with full tanks of Caldwell & Taylor’s “Original Benzol Gas,” lubricated with Pennzoil products and relying on Prest-O-Lite batteries. The Electric Shop contributed appliances for use on stage, and Wurlitzer touted Francill’s approval of the company’s home entertainment consoles.

Who was this “Wireless Wizard” and where did he come from? Although identified as an engineer, none of the newspapers suggested he had actually studied engineering anywhere. Records for anyone named Maurice J. Francill are sparse and sometimes contradictory.

That’s because Maurice J. Francill was the stage name of a man named Francis Cowgill, born in Marion, Ohio around 1896. Cowgill worked for a time in the factories around his hometown. The 1920 census records him as a foreman and inspector at an automobile factory. In 1918 the Marion Star announced that Francis Cowgill was “putting Marion on the map” by designing weaponry for the United States Navy. In particular, the newspaper reported that Cowgill had developed contact mines for the Navy that were “in actual use,” and was now pitching two types of aerial bombs to the U.S. War Department.

After the war, Cowgill launched a career in show business as a one-man vaudeville act juggling and wire-walking. He began adding magic tricks to his repertoire and started tinkering with remote control devices to enliven his show. That’s when he created the “Francill” name by chopping off the end of his first name and the beginning of his surname and splicing them together. Pretty soon the radio component of his act became the centerpiece and he was off on a decade of remote-control exhibitions – milking cows, baking bread, operating a laundry and running entire factories in addition to running driverless autos through their paces.

As World War II loomed, Maurice/Francis went back to his earlier career in creating armaments and created his electronic triumph – a Death Ray. According to the Cincinnati Post [2 March 1940], Francill offered his homicidal device to Ohio Governor John W. Bricker as a quicker, more humane, method of execution than the electric chair, but state law mandated the chair in Ohio. Francill claimed that his Death Ray had killed rats in preliminary tests.

Twenty-two years later, Cowgill was still trying to sell his Death Ray and told the Columbus Dispatch [29 April 1962] that, if he didn’t build one, somebody else would, Cowgill claimed “four or five others in this country” were working on one.

“It’s quite possible that the ray could operate off of a couple of flash-light batteries.”

Cowgill told Dispatch reporter Dan Clancy that the Death Ray he envisioned could do much more than simply kill people. It could cut down the Golden Gate Bridge, for example.

“You could just slice it off at each end and take another cut up the middle for good measure.”

Cowgill told Clancy that his Death Ray worked by disrupting the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen. Rats struck by the Death Ray fell paralyzed and then died. Cowgill claimed he never killed any people with his Death Ray, but confessed he’d thought of doing so.

The man born Francis Cowgill died in 1974 and is buried as Maurice J. Francill in Marion Cemetery. He appeared in court to fight a Marion traffic ticket as Francill in 1953, suggesting he had legally changed his name. However, the Ohio Bar Association sued Francis Cowgill in 1970 under his birth name for practicing law – advising inventors about patent regulations – without a license, so maybe he hadn’t.

Adding to the mystery is the outcome of his research on a Death Ray? Do plans exist? Was a prototype constructed? Were any more rats sacrificed? The answers are out there somewhere.

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

School starts here August 15th. Seems like it just starts earlier & earlier. I've already having dreams about going back to work. The 25th is when I'm schedule.. if they push it back again I'm going to have to tell them to wait until December period by that time the operation will have been pushed back an entire year..

I guess I used up all my nerves the first time around because I don't seem near as nervous this time I just want to get it over with.

The school already sent us our list of about 50 videos that we have to watch and take quizzes over. Every year it's just about the same thing. This year they added a video on head lice. Lol

Luckily I have seen these videos 7 years running now, and I can pretty much answer the questions without paying a whole lot of attention to the videos. Which is good because some of those videos are so triggering.

We watch videos about active shooters, teen suicide, trauma and children, different forms of abuse and how to spot it, and of course all that does is serve to remind me that when I was a kid I was abused and nobody had a freaking clue about it. I'm sure I exhibited all the science we're supposed to look for but it was a 70s and nobody cared back then.

We are back to our 110° days which are going to continue until the end of the week. It hasn't been a bad summer --- I have gotten tons of rest and have watched lots of movies and red lots of books. But them rescheduling that surgery without a doubt ruined any plans I had of doing anything this summer.

By the time I am healed up it will be time or past time to go back to work.

Ah well.

I was able to get in touch with a fellow teacher who had been having some severe vision problems of her own and went as far as Los Angeles to get them fixed. She is facing two more procedures in El Paso and then she will be back at work

and I cannot wait to see her. I have been so worried about her and I've been praying for when I can remember. You're so many people that I need to pray for that I can't always remember all of them. But I am so glad she is going to be okay.

I dreamed about Chris last night. It was a short dream. I dreamed I was back in Corpus Christi looking for one of the first Apartments I ever had. And then I was in the living room with him my husband and someone else and we are watching movies and looking at all the movie posters that I used to have when I worked at the theater. Among those movie posters I had posters of Davey havoc and we were supposed to be watching a movie that he was in. And that was the whole dream. I dreamed about my sister Tony, I dream about her and her husband a whole lot. And of course I dreamed about work.