#world conference alerts london

[sparkleofpizza]

The Alchemy

THE 2020 SEASON

WINTER BREAK London, England, 2020 

Formula 1 might be on a break, but university isn’t. I’ve been studying non stop and working all my free time to get extra credit so I’d be able to graduate early, right at the end of spring so I’d have the rest of the year more chilled out. 

But being a 21 year old college student, living alone at an apartment at a college campus meant trouble, obviously, and that’s how after long hours of studying at the library, instead of being in my bed catching up on some sleep, I was at a frat house party. 

The music was blaring and I was nursing my third drink of night, but in all honesty completely tired now that the alcohol had relaxed me. 

I was sitting on the couch, watching my friends dance around me. I grab my phone to get some pictures of them when I notice a new notification. 

Lando: what are u up to on a Friday night as a college student? 

Lando and I have been texting non stop since the end of the 2019 season, our friendship solidified. We even hung out a couple of times in between Christmas and new years. And now he has been bugging me that I’ve been working and studying too much. 

Me: I’m at a frat house party 

He instantly replied back. 

Lando: YOURE WHERE DOING WHAT 

Me: I’m at a frat house party 

I smirk to myself as I texted back the same question then before. 

Lando: no way, you’re messing with me 

I open the camera of my phone, scratching my arm out as I smile hazily before snapping a picture and sending it to him. 

Lando: OMG ARE U DRUNK???? 

Me: yessss 

I expected him to make fun of me, but his answer caught me a bit of guard. 

Lando: are u alone? 

Lando: who’s with u? 

Me: my friends are around here somewhere 

There a few minutes of silence from his since and I wonder if our conversation is over. He probably fell asleep. 

My phone buzzes again. 

Lando: how are u going home? 

Me: I’ll walk back to my apartment, why? 

He’s typing and typing and typing. I bite my lip anxiously, wondering what he’s going to say. Is he going to ask me to let him pick me up? Like in those romance books where the guy picks up the girl from a party when she’s drunk? 

Lando: ok 

My face falls momentarily. 

Lando: I’m not in London  

Lando: be careful and text me when you get home safe 

I smile, so he was considering picking me up. 

Melbourne, Australia, 2020 

The world was insane, and I was going insane with it. I was higenyzing my hand every time I touched something. I was in an alert state of the coronavirus. 

“They should have canceled the race.” I say, taking a seat with Lando, Carlos and Caco at the McLaren hospitality. “They are saying there are employees who got infected.”

I squeeze hand sanitizer on my hand, rubbing it. 

“You’re talking about as if it’s some kind of zombie apocalypse.” Lando chuckles, draping his arm casually over the back of my chair “Relax, they wouldn’t keep up the race if it wasn’t safe.” 

Carlos nods “Lando is right.” 

I scoff with a tense smile “Oh, but they would. FIA doesn’t care about it, they care about the money. They always have and always will.” 

The boys are silent for a moment before Caco nods his head. 

“Hamilton and Vettel said something similar during the press conference.” He says “And they’ve been around the same amount of time you have.” 

My phone rings and it’s Sophie calling. I quickly brings it to my ear, listening to what she has to say. My frown only deepens when she says two McLaren employees tested positive for covid and that there are more people around the paddock with symptoms as well. 

I hang up the phone. 

“The teams principals are gathering together to get FIA to cancel the race.” I tell them, watching as both drivers’ faces fall in disappointment “Two McLaren employees tested positive and there are other people around the paddock who are feeling ill as well.”

We gather our things and start to make our way to the McLaren garage, probably the news will get there first if the race is canceled. 

I hang back on the group and Lando slows his steps to walk beside me. 

“Can’t believe we just got back and we’re already going to leave and be without racing.” He groans, a whine voice a bit high pitched.

“It’s better for it to be canceled and you getting the chance to race again when it’s safer, then getting sick and ending up in the hospital.” 

He sighs, shoulders slumping slightly. 

“You’re right. I was just excited to give my all at this new season.” 

I smile “I know, and you will soon.” 

He smiles back at me, nudging me with his shoulder. 

“So, are you gonna be able to graduate this spring?” 

“I am! I mean, I’ve been doing everything possible for it to happen and I think it will.” 

Lando smiles and for a brief moment his fingers brush against mine in a sweet gesture. 

“That’s great. I’ll make sure to be there cheering for you at your graduation.” 

And my heart flutters at his words. 

PANDEMIC  London, England, 2020 

“Did I do it right? Are you listening to me?” I ask into the microphone I bought. 

Lando’s face show up on the screen of my computer, grinning widely. 

“Hiiii! Yes, you did. Now turn on your camera so I can see your face.” 

“How do I do it?” I ask, completely lost as I had never used the app discord before. “Oh, never mind, found it.” 

“Look at you!” Lando beamed “Are those bunny ears on your hoodie?” I chuckle as I put on the hoodie over my head so he can see the bunny ears “You look adorable! Doesn’t she look adorable, chat?” 

I tilt my head to the side, confused.

“Chat? What chat? It’s just the two of us here.” 

Lando laughed “I’m streaming, muppet.” 

“You’re what?!” I screech “Lando! Why didn’t you tell me we’d be live? I’m in my pijamas!” 

He laughs again “You still look adorable and the chat agrees with me.”

I huff, flustered at his words and at the fact that I’m live for god knows how many people while I’m wearing my bunny pajamas. If people didn’t take me serious before, they never will now. 

“Now, here’s what we’re going to do.” He claps his hand, a mischievous smile on his face “You’re going to play LOL with me.” 

“LOL? But I only know how to play the sims.” 

“Yes, you’re going to play LOL. I think it’s the easiest for now.” 

As I download the game and start to follow the tutorial, all while sharing my screen with Lando and him judging me at how I can manage to keep dying on the tutorial, I wonder how in the holy hell he managed to convince me to play online with him. 

Finally, after an eternity, I finish the tutorial and I start to play with him. Lando keeps instructing me because I don’t even know what buttons to press on my keyboard and he keeps screaming that I’m not running fast enough. 

“Oh my God!” I scream “I died! I died!” 

Lando laughs delighted. 

“My screen is black and white! Why is my screen black and white? Is my computer broken? LANDO!” 

That only makes him laugh harder, that infectious laugh of him as I keep yelling questions of what I should do next. 

My dad opens the door to my bedroom, peeking his head inside, looking concerned as he calls out my name. 

“Are you ok, sweetheart?” He asks, walking further into the room “I can hear you screaming from the living room.”

“Yeah, sorry dad. I’m playing online with Lando and I died.” 

My father chuckles, bending down slightly to look at my screen. He smiles at Lando while waving. 

“Hello, Lando. Have you been taking care of yourself while quarantining?” 

Lando smiles back as he nods “Yes, I have. Your daughter also texts me everyday reminding me what I can and can’t do. It’s like she thinks I will die because I’m living on my own.” 

My dad looks amused at me, but he knows I’m right and Lando would have probably set his house or fire by now if I haven’t been instructing him properly on certain things. 

My dad pats my head as he stands up straight again “I will leave you kids to it. Take care, Lando.” 

“Thank you, Jenson! You too!” Lando smiles. “Now, where were we?” 

Later that night, after four hours of online gaming with Lando, I lied in bed scrolling through my social medias. I couldn’t help to read the comments people were making about our live stream together. 

Jenson Button worried about Lando I CANT

OMG y/n checking up on Lando daily to make sure he survives 

So am I the only one who thinks there’s something there? 

She can’t suck on her dads fame anymore bc he’s retired so now she’s going after Norris 

I sigh, closing Twitter and putting my phone on the bedside table. People are mean. 

Spielberg, Austria, 2020 

July and we’re back at Formula 1. The season is being cut short, there won’t be fans attending, but we’re back at racing. 

I finished my finals a week ago, just in time to go back to traveling. My dad gave an hour-long lecture about safety and health before finally letting me board the plane. 

I haven’t seen Lando and Carlos yet, but I have met uncle Seb who is pissed off at Ferrari for firing him over the phone. I could tell for the way he was talking about meetings and stuff he has to do that he’s plotting something and I couldn’t help but smirk at whatever hell fire he will bring down on Mattia Binotto. 

I enter the McLaren garage and I smile underneath my mask as I see Lando talking to his engineer. He turns his head when he hears my footsteps. 

He basically bonces on his feet until he meets me halfway. 

“Hi!” He says loudly “It’s so good to finally see you in person again!” His eyes are wide “Can I hug you? I want to hug you. I know I probably shouldn’t, but I want to. I haven’t touched anyone in months and and…” 

I cut him off with a laugh as I wrap my arms around his middle, resting my head on his chest. Lando brings his arms around me, squeezing me onto his body. 

“Hi, Lando. I missed your energetic aura.” 

I feel his grin against my shoulder, even with half his face covered in a mask. 

“I missed you.” He says back. 

He detangles himself from he hug, but keep his hands on my shoulders. He analyzes my face. 

“You really do look good with bangs.” 

I chuckle, running my hands over the bangs I cut on my hair after a moment of reflection and desperation when I couldn’t leave the house. 

“Thank you. It was a moment of… insanity, but at least it looks good.” 

He laughs “Oh I know. You texted me like fifteen times saying you did something horrible and it was just bangs.” 

I shake my head “Hey, to be fair you called me at two in the morning to ask me how to kill a wasp and I had to wake up my dad to ask him.” 

Lando's eyes widened in mock sadness. 

“Hey, your dad loves me! I’m sure he was very very delighted to be woken up in the middle of the night to give out instructions on how to kill a wasp.” 

I snort out a laugh. 

Later that weekend, after the race was finished, I watched as Lando parked his car in p3. It was the first podium of his Formula 1 career. He had been screaming on the radio during the last five laps and I was grinning like an idiot behind my mask. 

He got out of the car, helmet still on as he ran to the team, letting them hug him and clap his back. The whole McLaren garage was in a frenzy of celebration. 

I’m waiting for him by the parc fermé, to guide him to the podium and then to the press conference room where they interview the winner, second and third place of the race. 

Lando takes off his helmet and balaclava and I see his whole face for the first time this year. He has a huge smile on his face as he runs to where I am. 

“My first podium!” He yells 

I smile “Congratulations, Lando. It was beautiful to watch.” 

He wraps his arms around me, jumping around and making me jump with him as I laugh. 

“My first podium! Oh fuck! I’m gonna get a trophy!” 

I giggle, letting him jump around with me “Yes, you are, Lando, you’re getting a trophy!” 

He then stop jumping and just gazed into my eyes, the smile never dropping out of his face. 

“Fuck, I’m so glad you’re the one here and not Sophie.” 

My heart leaps on my chest. 

“I’m glad I’m here, too.” 

Silverstone, England, 2020 

It was the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, there were going to be two weekends of races here. My dad had decided to come along since this is his home race and he wants to relive some of the memories. 

I walk inside the McLaren hospitality with my dad who is babbling about my graduation to one of the mechanics that have been working here since his driving days. 

I hear someone yell my name and I know that voice very well. I turn around and there is Lando, no mask on his face, grinning widely. 

“Hey.” I smile back, walking to where he’s sitting 

He stands up fast and lifts his hands up, holding a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers. 

I gasp in surprise. 

“I couldn’t go to your graduation because the attendance was limited, but I couldn’t let it pass by.” He hands me the flowers before enveloping me in a hug “Congratulations, love. I’m very proud of you.” 

For some reason his words and sweet gestures make tears gather in my eyes. It’s probably because I was expecting my graduation to be a big even, full of people who I love and cherish and that didn’t happen because of the pandemic. 

“Thank you, Lan. This means a lot to me.” 

He squeezes me before letting me go. He wipes some of the tears that leaked out to my eyes. 

“I know this is a special moment and you wanted it to be a big celebration. We’ll go out to celebrate once things get better, alright? My treat.” 

I smile, hugging the flowers to my chest. 

“You’re the best, Lan.” 

He winked at me. 

“Only the best for my best girl.” 

My dad stood to the side, watching the scene with a smile on his face. I didn’t know that now, but he took pictures of all of that happening. 

Krasnodar Krai, Russia, 2020 

Carlos broke the news to the team two weeks ago during our weekly zoom calls. Lando had shut himself out the moment his best friend on the grid said he’s leaving McLaren to go to Ferrari. 

He hasn’t been answering my texts or sending me TikToks. He even declined my calls and I was growing not only worried, but annoyed as well. 

I knock on his hotel door late at night. My flight had landed an hour ago, I got to the hotel, showered and now here I am knocking on his door. 

Lando opens the door, his curly hair disheveled and he’s only in sweatpants. 

“You’re not room service.” He says 

I glare at him. 

“You’ve been ignoring me.” I accuse him, hands on my waist. 

“I uh… I’ve been busy…” he stretches the back of his neck “a lot of work.” 

“We work together, I know you haven’t been busy.” I glare even harder now “Stop lying to me.” 

He stepped to the side and let me inside his room. I walk past him, going to the middle of the room as I stand there with my arms crossed. Lando sits on the bed and looks at me. 

“What’s going on with you?” I ask 

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” He answered too quickly. 

“Lando… you’ve been ignoring me ever since Carlos told us that he’s leaving for Ferrari.” 

He grows quiet and looks away from me. 

I sigh. “Lando, just because he’s switching teams it does not mean he won’t be your friend anymore. It will be a bit different because you won’t be together all the time like the past two years, but he’s not gonna forget about you.” 

He nods. “I know. Carlos already told me all that.” 

“Then why have you been ignoring me?” I ask confused. I thought he was isolating because he was sad that Carlos is leaving, but if he’s already on good terms with it, than what’s wrong. 

“Because I’m preparing myself from when you leave me as well.” Lando says, he doesn’t look at me, his eyes trained on the carpet floor. 

“Wha- What?” I ask completely dumbfounded “What do you mean when I leave you as well?” 

He runs a hand through his hair “You’re an intern at the communication department and- and you just graduated from uni. I know you will leave me at the end of the year as well. You’ll move on to much bigger and better things. I’m just… trying to soften the blow of being without you.” 

There’s a moment of silence as I process his words. He still won’t look at me and I’m too stunned to speak anything. He’s sad because he doesn’t want to be without me. 

Finally, I snap out of it. 

“Oh Lando.” I whisper softly, kneeling in front of him and peering up at him. “Lando, no.” 

He shakes his head “I know, ok? I’m not dumb…” 

I cup his face in my hands to get him to stop talking. He looks at me in surprise and I can see the broken look in his eyes. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Please, don’t lie to me.” He whispered brokenly “Just rip the bandaid already.” 

“I’m not lying.” I say, catching a stray tear from his eye with my thumb and wiping it away. “McLaren hired me to be their junior PR manager. You would have known that if you haven’t been declining my calls, you muppet.” 

He widens his eyes. 

“You’re not leaving?” 

I shake my head “No. You’re stuck with me.” 

Lando breaths out a laugh, resting his forehead against mine as he closes his eyes. 

“Oh, thank god. I’m not ready to say goodbye.” 

I smile, enjoying our close proximity. 

“You don’t have to say goodbye. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Good… good.” He mumbled. “I don’t want you to leave my side.” 

We stay like that for a few moments longer, before he helps me stand up from the floor. Lando pats the bed and I soon join him. We lay on opposite sides, he covers us up and we stay in silence, enjoining each other's company as we fall asleep. Right now we don’t need to say anything, everything is understood in the comfortable silence that hugs us. 

Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, 2020

It was yet once again the last race of the season. 

Lando had a great finish in p5, and although he had a happy smile on his face we took team pictures and toasted, I could see he was sad. This was Carlos's last race as Lando’s teammate. And I could see Carlos was a bit sad as well. 

The team principals had gathered together and rented out a club in the city so the party would be just the Formula 1 team and drivers. We had been traveling together all year in the middle of the chaos of the pandemic, so we were all kind of in the same boat, if someone was sick, the odds of everyone else also being sick were extremely high. 

I watched from a far as Lewis celebrated his seventh championship. I chuckled as he, Valtteri and Toto started a shot competition between the three of them. Sebastian was chanting chug chug chug and waving his hands around. 

I feel the familiar presence of Lando standing beside me as he nurses his drink. 

“How was your second year as a Formula 1 employee?” He asks me. 

I smile against the rim of my glass. Just one year ago he had asked me the same question, at the rooftop of the VIP lounge at the paddock, hours before the last race of the season began. 

“It was weird. My last year as an intern, next year I will have to reinvent myself to be on top of my game.”

“You’re already on the top of your game.” He nudges my shoulder with his arm. 

“Yeah, but I still haven’t proved myself here.” I point out. 

Lando frowns, turning his body around to look at me. I’m leaning against the wall and now he’s looming over me. 

“Have you been getting hate online?” 

I give him a weak smile. 

“Let’s not talk about this right now. Tonight is about celebrating.”

He’s still frowning and opens his mouth to protest when I cut him off. 

“How was your second year as Formula 1 driver?”

He chuckles, probably recalling the same memory from last year. He rests his forearm on the wall right beside my head. 

“It was good and weird. I got my first podium ever. I also lost my first teammate…” Lando smiles a bit. “And I got you to be here with me one more year.”

I smile, raising my glass. 

“Here’s to another year of Norris and Button traveling around the world together.”

Lando grins, clinking his glass against mine. 

“Together.” He repeats. 

[brokehorrorfan]

Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Torn Curtain, Topaz, and Frenzy will be released on 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray and Digital) on October 31 via Universal. They’ll be available both individually and in The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3 box set.

Rope is a 1948 thriller written by Arthur Laurents, based on the 1929 play by Patrick Hamilton. James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger star.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is a 1956 thriller written by John Michael Hayes. James Stewart and Doris Day star.

Torn Curtain is a 1966 spy thriller written by Brian Moore. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star.

Topaz is a 1969 spy thriller written by Samuel A. Taylor, based on the 1967 novel by Leon Uris. Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, and John Forsythe star.

Frenzy is a 1972 thriller written by Anthony Shaffer, based on a 1966 novel by Arthur La Bern. Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, and Barry Foster star.

The films have each been restored in 4K and presented with HDR. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the artwork for the standalone releases.

Rope special features:

Rope Unleashed

Production photographs

Theatrical trailer

Two friends (Farley Granger and John Dall) strangle a classmate for intellectual thrills and then proceed to throw a party for the victim's family and friends—with the body stuffed inside the trunk they use for a buffet table. As the killers turn the conversation to committing the "perfect murder," their former teacher (James Stewart) becomes increasingly suspicious that his students have turned his intellectual theories into brutal reality.

The Man Who Knew Too Much special features:

The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much

Saving The Man Who Knew Too Much

Production photographs

Theatrical trailer

Re-release trailer

Original multi-directional audio

While vacationing in Morocco, Ben and Jo McKenna (James Stewart and Doris Day) are suddenly immersed in a dangerous situation after a French spy dies in Ben's arms. Discovering that their son has been kidnapped and taken to England, the McKennas are caught up in a nightmare of espionage, assassinations and terror. Soon, all of their lives hang in the balance as they draw closer to the truth that leads to a chilling climax in London's famous Royal Albert Hall.

Torn Curtain special features:

Torn Curtain Rising

Scenes scored by Bernard Herrmann

Production photographs

Theatrical trailer

World-famous scientist Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) and his fiancée/assistant, Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews), travel to Copenhagen for a physics conference. When Sarah mistakenly intercepts a message meant for Armstrong, she believes that he is secretly defecting to East Germany. As Armstrong goes undercover to learn top-secret information, the couple find themselves running for their lives from the enemy agents.

Topaz special features:

Topaz Appreciation by film critic Leonard Maltin

Alternate endings

Storyboards: The Mendozas

Production photographs

Theatrical trailer

Responding to rumors of Russian missiles and a NATO spy called Topaz, an American CIA agent (John Forsythe) hires French operative Devereaux (Frederick Stafford) to investigate in Cuba. In Havana, Devereaux's investigation becomes dangerous, leaving behind a wake of shaken governments, murder, betrayal and suicide.

Frenzy special features:

The Story of Frenzy

Production photographs

Theatrical trailer

A serial criminal known as the "Necktie Murderer" has the police on red alert and the trail is leading to an innocent man who must now elude the law and prove his innocence by finding the real murderer.

Pre-order The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley in the U.K.

Jim Irvin, 'From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye' (Post Hill), May 2018

Excerpted from Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye by Jeff's former manager Dave Lory and former MOJO man Jim Irvin (Post Hill Press).

JEFF BUCKLEY loved British music; the nervous energy in British punk, the wired consciousness of the Clash, the way Siouxsie and the Banshees went from gun-metal moodiness to skies full of fireworks.

He adored the Cocteau Twins, of course, especially Liz Fraser's "impossible voice". He loved how the Smiths called to outsiders and nerds. He loved the textures of Johnny Marr's supple guitar and the mordant presence of Steve Jones's guitar in the Sex Pistols.

Jeff, whose own nervous energy was considerable, became even more wired whenever we went to the UK; he was stimulated by its variety. He also appreciated its compactness – the lack of eight-hour drives between cities was refreshing.

Sony had passed on Live at Sin-é in Europe. We were understandably disappointed, but there was a solution close at hand: Steve Abbott, known to everyone as Abbo, who ran the eccentric indie record label Big Cat and had picked up on many of the promising un-signed bands playing in New York: Pavement, Mercury Rev, Luscious Jackson. He had approached Jeff after Gods & Monsters and Sin-é shows and asked him if he'd like to record with Big Cat, but then Sony stepped in. Jeff felt that he owed Abbo a record, so when Columbia UK passed on Live at Sin-é and Michele Anthony instigated a funding deal with Big Cat, it seemed the perfect opportunity for them to become involved. Abbo jumped at the chance.

Big Cat's small team – Abbo, co-owner Linda Obadiah, Frank Neidlich in marketing, and Jacqui Rice in press – did such a good job that the week it was released in Europe, Live at Sin-é sold over four thousand copies, which was amazing for a complete unknown.

After a Sony conference, where it was clear that a lot of the affiliates were bemused by him, Jeff had a warm-up show at Whelan's in Dublin. By the time he came on, the crowd, several drinks into its evening, had become a little boisterous. Jeff said hello softly, as usual, but no one was really paying attention. Jeff just stood there, waiting. People started to quieten down and watch to see what he would do. There was a pint of his favourite beer, Guinness, sitting on the stool next to him. Jeff lifted the glass to his lips and downed it in one hit. Everyone on the room cheered, and he began the Irish show with the crowd completely on his side.

The audience was more blasé the next night at his London debut at The Borderline, a Western-themed venue under a dubious Mexican diner in Soho, right in the heart of London, a group of local reps for hip American indie labels like Sub Pop and Merge yacking away rather disrespectfully at the bar. In the age of grunge, a lone guy with a guitar softly singing Edith Piaf covers was baffling for some.

"It was an epiphany for me," says Sara Silver, Sony's European head of marketing. "There are some shows where it just feels like you're a voyeur, looking into someone's soul. This was one of those. He was charismatic, but also haunting, and I think because of my particular situation at the time, still suffering from the [loss of my husband], he resonated hugely. This haunting sound was a powerful force, and it was my job to work out how we took it to the world."

A gig the next night in Glasgow meant an early-morning flight back to Heathrow the following morning to catch a session with GLR, London's local BBC station, a slot designed to alert people to the next couple of gigs at the Garage in Islington and at Bunjies, a cute little basement folk club in Central London that dated back to the early 1960s and made Sin-é seem generously proportioned.

Abbo was accompanying Jeff on this run.

"We'd meet regularly at a bar called Tom & Jerry's in New York, hang out and drink Guinness together," Abbo says, "I suppose I became a friend of his, and he didn't seem to have many real friends. I'd only discovered I liked the blues since living in New York, so it was great hanging with him, because he was a huge blues and jazz fan and if there was a guitar around he had to pick it up and show off. He knew every Robert Johnson song, every Muddy Waters tune, Bessie Smith; he introduced me to the physicality of the blues, watching it at close quarters. Everybody talks about his voice, but he was a brilliant guitarist. The guitar was an extension of his body.

"Tim Buckley hadn't really entered my line of vision growing up listening to black music. Singer-songwriters with fluffy hairstyles were not currency on my council estate in Luton! We were in Tom & Jerry's and someone said to Jeff, 'I've been listening to your dad,' and I said, 'Who's your dad?' and he said, 'Tim Buckley.' I knew the name from record shopping; I'd seen the sleeves in the racks, but that's it. But when he came over to Britain there were loads of Tim Buckley fans. And it was a real problem early on, because he really didn't like talking about him."

The traffic from the airport to the GLR studios just off Baker Street was awful. A road accident had slowed everything to a standstill. Jeff's slot on the mid-morning show was fast approaching. "Of course, this was before mobile phones, so I had no way of communicating with the radio station that we were stuck in traffic," says Abbo. "For the last few days on this tour, everyone who'd interviewed Jeff had been asking about his dad. How did Tim write 'Song To The Siren'? Was there stuff in his lyrics that he might have related to? Things Jeff couldn't answer.

"We were listening to GLR while we waited in traffic and the presenter kept saying, 'We're supposed to have this artist, Tim Buckley's son, turning up, but he's late....Will he or won't he turn up?' This went on and on. She must have said 'Tim Buckley's son' about four times and didn't mention Jeff once. Suddenly, he just kicked my car radio in with his big DMs [Doc Martens], just smashed the fascia and then sat back sulking all the way there. I could get another radio, of course, but I was mostly worried he wasn't going to do the performance. 

"We finally arrived about forty minutes late and they were all so rude to us, and yet they knew what the problem was, as they were broadcasting traffic updates and warnings of delays themselves. If I were him, I'd have walked out. The female presenter was a typical local radio DJ, a bit gushy and knew nothing about him and his music. I had a word with the station manager to ask her to stop mentioning Tim Buckley, and he handed her a note to that effect. Jeff just sat there silently and she said, 'What are you going to play?' and Jeff said, 'A song.' I'm thinking, 'Oh god, here we go.' And he started to play "Grace." He did this long guitar introduction, went on for about a minute, like he needed to calm himself down before he got to the actual start of the song, and then he launched into the most electrifying performance. The best I ever heard him do it.

"There were about six phones in the control room, and they all started lighting up. 'Who is this? Who is this? It's amazing!' And all the time, Jeff's getting more and more into it. The presenter went from being this standoffish woman to...I swear she would have thrown herself on him given half a chance, the second he finished singing. You could see she was totally enthralled."

Presenter: "You looked quite exhausted at the end of the song."

Jeff: "I was getting a lot of anger out. Something happened on the way here..."

"The phones didn't stop throughout the next song. The station manager said that in all his twelve years at the station, he'd never seen a reaction like it."

Abbo thinks this performance sparked Jeff's breakthrough. There were certainly plenty of people in line outside the Garage in North London that night. Inside, the first stars were taking note. Chrissie Hynde and Jon McEnroe were in the audience. Chrissie had been a big fan and a friend of Tim's, had actually interviewed him while she was briefly a music journalist with the NME, and she was obviously curious to see how his offspring compared. They struck up a conversation after the show and she clearly said the right thing, because he went off with her to jam with the Pretenders in a nearby rehearsal room. I wasn't carrying anything heavy because of a recent lung collapse, and I didn't want Jeff to pull any important muscles, so I asked McEnroe if he wouldn't mind. He happily hauled Jeff's amp downstairs to the car. The Pretenders' jam with special guests Buckley and Mac went on all night.

Bunjies, as I've said, was tiny, a basement folk club and coffee bar on West Street in Soho, along from the Ivy, with gingham tablecloths and melted candles in wine bottles on the tables and a performance area tucked into a couple of arches in what must have been a wine cellar at one point. It looked unchanged since it had begun in the early 1960s, and had seen a couple of folk booms come and go. It was more of a cafe with an open-mic policy by this point, which felt like a good place for Jeff. There wasn't really any need for amplification, so when we arrived for a sound check there was very little to do but see where Jeff was going to stand in the cramped space and gauge how his voice reflected off the nicotine-stained ceilings. While Jeff did that, I went outside for some fresh air and was stunned to see a line of people already waiting to get into the show.

I took a look at the guest list and realised we'd be lucky to fit twenty of this assembling crowd in the tiny space. Every time I looked up, the line was getting further down West Street. I went back into the venue and found Jeff talking to Emma Banks, the agent. He was saying how great the venue was and that he'd like to do something like hand out flowers to everyone before he went on.

"Jesus, you won't believe what's happening out there," I said to them. "The line goes about four blocks. There's no way these people are going to get in. Is there any way we can do two sets?" Jeff was happy to. Emma spoke to the club owner and was told they had some regular club night happening later on. She came back and said, "They can't do it but I've had an idea!" She disappeared up the steps onto the street, and I spoke to Jeff.

"What flowers would you like?"

"White roses," he said.

"I'll get them," I said, and went back up to the street, where the line had grown even longer.

I walked around looking for a florist and bumped into Emma. "I've booked Andy's Forge," she said. "It's a little place just around the corner in Denmark Street. He can go on at 10:30."

I bought as many white roses as I could find. Jeff handed them to people waiting outside and those lucky enough to get into the club, as he squeezed himself into the corner that passed for a stage. He sang upward, listening to his voice reflect off the curved ceiling into this hot, crowded, and attentive space. There must have been a hundred people stuffed in there.

When the show was over, Jeff walked up the steps to the huddle of patient people that Emma had gathered, plus anyone from the first show who wanted to tag along, and led this crowd like the Pied Piper toward Andy's Forge. Abbo was alongside me. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" I said.

"Never!" he said. And we laughed liked idiots at the wonderful absurdity of hanging out with Jeff.

© Jim Irvin, 2018

[naresh12-08-2002]

Unlocking the Web of Scopus: A Comprehensive Guide to Academic Research

Introduction:

In the world of academic research, the quest for quality resources is paramount. Scholars and researchers often traverse through vast digital landscapes in search of knowledge, and one such valuable treasure trove is the Web of Science's Scopus database. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the Web of Scopus, helping researchers, academics, and students harness its power for their academic pursuits.

Understanding Scopus:

Scopus is a widely recognized abstract and citation database that encompasses a vast array of scientific, technical, medical, and social science literature. Launched by Elsevier, Scopus has grown into one of the most extensive and multidisciplinary databases globally, making it a critical tool for researchers across a variety of fields. It indexes and abstracts millions of articles, conference papers, and patents, providing an invaluable resource for finding, evaluating, and citing scholarly work.

Key Features of Scopus:

Comprehensive Coverage : Scopus covers a vast spectrum of research disciplines, from natural sciences to social sciences, including journals, conference proceedings, and patents. It provides a holistic view of research from multiple angles.

Citation Analysis : Researchers can gauge the impact of their work through citation analysis. Scopus calculates citation metrics such as the h-index, giving a snapshot of a researcher's influence in their field.

Author Profiles : Every author can create a profile on Scopus, which consolidates their publications, citations, and collaborations, helping researchers establish their academic identity.

Advanced Search Capabilities : Scopus offers powerful search functionalities, enabling users to refine their queries using a range of filters, such as document type, publication year, and keywords. This makes it easier to pinpoint relevant research.

Alerts and Notifications : Researchers can set up alerts to receive notifications about newly published articles in their field of interest. This feature helps in staying updated with the latest developments.

Using Web of Scopus Effectively:

Refining Your Search :To find the most relevant research, start with a well-defined search query. Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine keywords and phrases effectively.

Sorting and Filtering : After running a search, utilize the sorting and filtering options to narrow down results by publication date, document type, or citation count.

Author Searches : If you're looking for a specific author's work, use the author search functionality. You can also explore their collaborative network.

Setting Up Alerts : Stay up to date with the latest publications in your field by creating email alerts for specific search queries or author profiles.

Exporting Citations : Scopus allows users to export citations in various formats for easy integration into reference management software like EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero.

Conclusion:

In the age of information overload, the Web of Scopus stands as a beacon of organization and insight for the academic community. This comprehensive guide highlights its essential features and provides valuable tips on how to make the most of this resource. As researchers, academics, and students navigate the vast sea of academic knowledge, Scopus is an indispensable tool that can guide them to the treasures of scholarly research, enhancing the quality and impact of their work.

27 Old Gloucester Street London, England.

#Research #papers #publish   

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 4.26

1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux. 1478 – The Pazzi family attack on Lorenzo de' Medici kills his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Florence Cathedral. 1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of birth is unknown). 1607 – The Virginia Company colonists make landfall at Cape Henry. 1721 – A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of Tabriz. 1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles (64 km) to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces 1794 – Battle of Beaumont during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France. 1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L'Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist. 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon. 1865 – Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in Virginia. 1900 – Fires destroy Canadian cities Ottawa and Hull, reducing them to ashes in 12 hours. Twelve thousand people are left without a home. 1903 – Atlético Madrid Association football club is founded 1915 – World War I: Italy secretly signs the Treaty of London pledging to join the Allied Powers. 1916 – Easter Rising: Battle of Mount Street Bridge 1920 – Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring seven goals in Canada's 12–1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match. 1923 – The Duke of York weds Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey. 1925 – Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic. 1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established by Hermann Göring. 1933 – Nazi Germany issues the Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities limiting the number of Jewish students able to attend public schools and universities. 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe. 1942 – Benxihu Colliery accident in Manchukuo leaves 1549 Chinese miners dead. 1943 – The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden. 1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt. 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete. 1945 – World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Wehrmacht. 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army are liberated in Baguio and they fight against the Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita. 1954 – The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins. 1954 – The first clinical trials of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine begin in Fairfax County, Virginia. 1956 – SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas. 1958 – Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives. 1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule. 1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon. 1962 – The British space programme launches its first satellite, the Ariel 1. 1963 – In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections. 1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form the United Republic of Tanzania. 1966 – The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed. 1966 – A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye. 1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force. 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery. 1982 – Fifty-seven people are killed by former police officer Woo Bum-kon in a shooting spree in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. 1986 – The Chernobyl disaster occurs in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. 1989 – The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless. 1989 – People's Daily publishes the April 26 Editorial which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests. 1991 – Fifty-five tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak's end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado. 1993 – The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on mission STS-55 to conduct experiments aboard the Spacelab module. 1994 – China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board. 1994 – South Africa begins its first multiracial election, which is won by Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. 2002 – Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot. 2005 – Cedar Revolution: Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon). 2015 – Nursultan Nazarbayev is re-elected President of Kazakhstan with 97.7% of the vote. 2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is convicted of sexual assault.

[williamsanderson123-blog]

Security guard services phoenix

Phoenix Security: Providing Comprehensive Security Solutions

Security is a major concern in today's world, and individuals and businesses alike are increasingly turning to professional security services to ensure the safety of their premises, assets, and personnel. In this context, Phoenix Security has emerged as a leading provider of comprehensive security solutions, with a wide range of services that cater to the diverse needs of clients across industries.

Founded in 2010, Phoenix Security has rapidly established a reputation for excellence, driven by its commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. The company is headquartered in London, UK, but has a nationwide presence, with a network of highly trained security personnel and state-of-the-art technology infrastructure.

Phoenix Security's services encompass a wide range of areas, including manned guarding, event security, CCTV and alarm systems, key holding and response, mobile patrols, and security consultancy. Let's take a closer look at each of these services and how they can benefit clients.

Manned Guarding: Phoenix Security provides highly trained and licensed security personnel for a range of premises, including commercial, retail, residential, and industrial sites. The company's manned guarding service is designed to prevent unauthorized access, deter criminal activity, and respond promptly to any security incidents.

Event Security: Phoenix Security has extensive experience in providing security solutions for a range of events, including concerts, festivals, conferences, and private functions. The company's event security service includes risk assessment, crowd management, access control, and emergency response planning, ensuring a safe and secure environment for all attendees.

CCTV and Alarm Systems: Phoenix Security offers a range of cutting-edge CCTV and alarm systems, designed to provide round-the-clock surveillance and instant alerts in the event of any security breaches. The company's systems are highly customizable, and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of clients across industries.

Key Holding and Response: Phoenix Security offers a comprehensive key holding and response service, ensuring that clients' premises are secure and protected even in their absence. The company's key holding service involves storing and safeguarding clients' keys, while its response service guarantees a rapid and effective response to any security incidents.

Mobile Patrols: Phoenix Security's mobile patrol service provides clients with a highly visible and effective security presence, ensuring that their premises are monitored and protected at all times. The company's mobile patrols are conducted by fully trained security personnel, using state-of-the-art vehicles and equipment.

Security Consultancy: Phoenix Security's security consultancy service provides clients with expert advice and guidance on a range of security issues, including risk assessment, threat analysis, and security strategy development. The company's consultants have extensive experience in security management across industries, and can provide customized solutions that meet the unique needs of each client.

What sets Phoenix Security apart from its competitors is its commitment to innovation and technology. The company has invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, including advanced surveillance systems, mobile apps for real-time monitoring, and AI-powered analytics for threat detection and prevention. This allows Phoenix Security to provide its clients with cutting-edge security solutions that are highly effective, efficient, and cost-effective.

Another key factor in Phoenix Security's success is its focus on customer satisfaction. The company places great emphasis on building long-term relationships with its clients, and works closely with them to understand their unique needs and requirements. This allows Phoenix Security to provide customized security solutions that are tailored to each client's specific needs, ensuring maximum satisfaction and peace of mind.

In conclusion, Phoenix Security is a leading provider of comprehensive security solutions, with a wide range of services that cater to the diverse needs of clients across industries. The company's commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction has earned it a reputation for excellence, and its state-of-the-art technology infrastructure and highly trained security personnel make it a trusted partner for businesses and individuals looking to enhance their security. Read More

[johnnymarkssh]

How to find a job in London as an international candidate 

London is a city that attracts people from all over the world with its diverse culture, bustling economy, and excellent job opportunities. However, for an international candidate, finding a job in London can be a daunting task, especially if you are not familiar with the local job market and the recruitment process. In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to find a job in London as an international candidate.

Understand the job market

Before you start your job search in London, it's important to understand the job market and the industries that are in demand. Some of the fastest-growing industries in London include finance, technology, healthcare, and creative industries such as media, advertising, and design. Research the companies and industries that you are interested in and learn about their hiring process, job requirements, and qualifications.

Use job search websites

There are many job search websites that are specific to London, such as Indeed, Reed, and Jobsier. These websites allow you to search for jobs based on industry, location, and salary. You can also create job alerts to receive notifications when new jobs are posted.

Networking

Networking is crucial when it comes to finding a job in London. Attend industry events, conferences, and job fairs to meet professionals in your field of interest. Join online groups and forums to connect with like-minded individuals and potential employers. LinkedIn is also a powerful tool for networking in London, so make sure to create a strong profile and connect with professionals in your industry.

Tailor your resume

When applying for jobs in London, make sure to tailor your resume to the specific job and industry. Highlight your relevant skills and experiences and include any relevant achievements. It's also important to format your resume in a way that is easy to read and visually appealing.

Apply for a work visa

If you are an international candidate looking to work in London, you will need to apply for a work visa. The type of visa you need will depend on your qualifications, experience, and the industry you are working in. You can find more information about work visas on the UK government's website.

Work with a recruitment agency

Working with a recruitment agency can be a great way to find a job in London. Recruitment agencies have access to a wide range of job opportunities and can match you with jobs that are a good fit for your skills and experience. They can also provide advice on the job market and the recruitment process.

Be patient and persistent

Finding a job in London as an international candidate can take time and effort, so it's important to be patient and persistent. Keep applying for jobs, networking, and improving your skills and qualifications. Remember that rejection is a part of the job search process, so don't give up.

In conclusion, finding a job in London as an international candidate can be challenging, but it's not impossible. With the right mindset, skills, and resources, you can find a job that is a good fit for your career goals and aspirations. So, keep these tips in mind and start your job search today!

[emailencryption]

RPost Receives Accolades from its Optimize!22 Hybrid Month-Long User Conference

November 10, 2022 – Los Angeles, Calif and London, England

RPost opened October with its Optimize!22 hybrid global user conference, themed “SMARTR Email Security”. This new “hybrid” format combined weekly expert web sessions with a 15-location customer tour with RPost expert teams meeting with customers, crisscrossing the Americas and the United Kingdom.

“It was refreshing for our teams to be able to listen to our customers in person; and we recorded industry tech insights that we will continue to share with our community,” states Zafar Khan, RPost CEO. “Not only were our teams enthused with the opportunity to engage with our customers in person once again, but we heard time and again that our customers cherished the experience to get away from the video meeting screens and discuss issues and insights with our experts humanly.”

From the many insurance user group sessions, we recorded the 5 top industry insights (read more). As for within the international legal tech community, we noted their top 5 challenges and tech requests (read more).

Within the real estate, mortgage, and settlement services community, we discussed what our customers found most useful within our technology (read more); and, we have one last showcase webinar to share live, next week. Join the Real Estate Services Providers Council (RESPRO) hosted, RPost sponsored cybersecurity web briefing on November 16 (click here to register).

Many of our customers appreciated our approach to e-signatures – and our discussion of RSign as a tech inflation hedge (read more).

And most spoke about their newfound appreciation for the elegantly easy RMail email encryption user experience — especially for recipients. “What we heard many customers tell us is that not all email encryption is alike. While some like to “check-the-box” by enabling Microsoft encryption, or other clunky ones, eventually they all come back to RMail,” added Khan. “Why? They said, because business today requires more correspondence to be encrypted for security reasons, and it is just not practical to have recipients jump through hoops just to get the sender’s email with each back-and-forth emailed comment. RMail means elegantly easy encryption. Period.”

The greatest shift that we experienced at this year’s conference as compared to the last, is the realization that cybercriminals are really acting as organized criminal gangs, and there is no one tech tool that can thwart all of the ways they try – successfully more than not – to get their hooks in.

“Our PRE-Crime targeted attack pre-emption technology adds unique layers to identify business email compromise lures and alert the sender, recipient, or IT staff so as to stop the ‘in-progress’ steal,” concludes Khan. “The most popular combination of RMail tech, a combo that received accolades wherever we went and with whomever we spoke, was RMail Gateway outbound email encryption automation coupled with our newest Email Eavesdropping™ alerting service. The comment we heard was, why not! Who would not want to know in real time if their email sent was being eavesdropped on by cybercriminals?”

Learn more at RPost’s upcoming product webinars (register here) or click here to try RMail and RSign free.

About RPost:

We’re the global leader in premium, feature-rich and more affordable eSignature and cybersecurity services, and we’ve been continuously innovating for our customers the world over since 2000. From within our three main platforms, RMail e-security, RSign eSignatures, and Registered™ e-compliance, we’re everything our customers need when it comes to email, document and form security, compliance, and workplace acceleration — track, prove, eSign, encrypt, share, certify, control. We do what no other company does — all in one.

We thrive on ensuring that we are artisans and experts in everything we do: secure and certified email encryption for privacy and compliance; eSignatures and web forms to ease digitization of workflows; e-delivery tracking to prove important communications; managed file transfer to simplify secure sharing of large documents and sets of files; document-level digital rights management to empower control of document access even after transmission; and AI-infused apps to prevent data leaks by minimizing human e-security errors. This is why more than 25 million users have enjoyed our RMail, RSign, and Registered services for over two decades across 193 countries. Learn more at the RPost website.

[tsnship]

TSN tour with Jesse & Andrew

*Doing some notes and collecting the interviews and videos. Still ongoing.

2009

2010/07/01

[PIC] The Social Network Press Conference in Mexico

[VID] The Social Network: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake - Buzzine Interviews

2010/09/11

[PIC] 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | Arrivals & Show

[VID] Эндрю, Джесси и Джастин на церемении награждения MTV Video Music Awards 2010

2010/09/23

[PIC] 48th New York Film Festival "The Social Network" After Party

2010/09/24

[PIC] 2010 New York Film Festival

2010/09/??

[AUDIO] THE SOCIAL NETWORK Press Conference

2010/09/29

[VID] The Social Network: Cast Interview | Entertainment Weekly (Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5)

Andrew: He(Jesse) had to repress a lot of his sexiness as well, which I think he found very difficult.

Jesse: I thought it was a great failure. The repression.

Andrew: It’s okay.

Jesse: Nearly worked. But um...

Andrew: Sue me.

[VID] A Conversation With Jesse Eisenberg

[VID] A Conversation With Andrew Garfield

Andrew (on Eduardo’s relationship with Mark in this film): ...So to me, Jesse had to be the person that I would never expect it for. And that was incredibly easy. As soon as I met him, I fell in love with him. I projected every single one of those things onto him, because he’s...you know, he’s so vulnerable as a human being and he’s so kind of open, and just wildly funny, and his way of seeing the world is so unique. And that was another aspect, I had to be in awe of him. I had to support him, support his genius, and to be protective of him and want him for myself. To, to be his boyfriend, really, in every way but a sexual way. So that was...It was all very very easy because I think Jesse is a genius. I think he is brilliantly inteligent, brilliantly funny, intuitive, sensitive. But yeah, he has this incredible innocence and naivety about him in terms of the people that he meets constantly and the way that he sees the world. So, you know, it was very very easy for me to wanna spend every moment of every day with him and steal ideas from him. I love being around incredibly creative and gifted people. I don't want to get too jealous. I usually want to just be in all of those people and wanna just feed of the energy that they create. So that was a piece of cake to fall in love with Jesse.

2010/10/01

[VID] Jesse, Andrew and Justin - "The View" (2010)

[VID] MTV Filmmaker Roundtable: Part I

Interviewer: How many friends do you have (on Facebook page)?

Andrew: Oh, I’m not going to go into personal things but um...

Jesse: But six.

[VID] MTV Filmmaker Roundtable: Part II

[VID] MTV Filmmaker Roundtable FULL version in HD (made by weibo user KuriharaAyako)

2010/10/02

[PIC] 'The Social Network' Paris Premiere & Photocall

2010/10/04

[PIC] 'The Social Network' Photocall in Berlin

2010/10/05

[PIC] 'The Social Network' Premiere in Madrid | 1 & 2

2010/10/06

[PIC] 'The Social Network' Photocall in Madrid | 1 & 2 & 3

2010/10/07

[PIC] The Social Network Photocall in London

2010/10/09

[PIC] Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield talk ‘The Social Network’ on Radio 1

[VID]  Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield & Justin Timberlake: T4 | Part 1 & 2

2010/10/23

[VID] 'The Social Network' | Unscripted | Justin Timberlake, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield

Jesse to Justin: How did you fall in love with me on camera and off?

Andrew：*alert*

[VID] 'The Social Network' Unscripted Bonus Clip - Andrew on Working With Jesse

Andrew to Jesse: There’s something about your face that kind of um...engenders...kind of...a well of...joy...springs um...from my soul.

Justin：*wtf*

[VID] 'The Social Network' Unscripted Bonus Clip - Jesse Speaks About Filming the Movie

Jesse: We had a great time on set. Everybody we worked with was lovely...with one exception.

Andrew: Who was that? Justin?

Jesse: I don’t remember.

2010/10/24

[PIC] 14th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala | Show & Backstage

2010/11/04

[PIC] AFI FEST 2010 Presented By Audi | Los Angeles Times "Young Hollywood" Roundtable

[VID] L.A. Times Young Hollywood Roundtable Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Interviewer: Is it important to you to feel that connection with the character you’re playing? Do you often get that involved with them?

Jesse: Yeah. My favourite thing to do is like improvising character as rehearsal. Andrew and I...(To Andrew) Remember we did that fun thing and we...we...Remember that? Do you remember?

Andrew: Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that thing!

Jesse: Andrew remembers this time that we, uh, we had a very long conversation. You remember? And it was like in character and it was so much fun. With you.

Andrew: Which one?

Jesse: Remember in the room? Remember in the room at the table?

Andrew: Oh, yeah, yeah. The table room.

Jesse: Yeah. You were sitting...

[VID] uploaded by user Up and Comers:

Andrew Garfield on whose career he would like to emulate

Jesse Eisenberg on what made him think he could act for a living

Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield on playing real people

Jesse Eisenberg on what Mark Zuckerberg thought of The Social Network

Andrew Garfield on David Fincher's shooting style

Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield on what keeps their jobs exciting

2010/11/13

[PIC] Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences Presents 2nd Annual Governors Awards

[VID] Jesse Eisenberg & Andrew Garfield - Governors Awards

2011/01/05

[PIC] Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's "The Social Network" Blu-ray & DVD Launch Event

2011/01/07

[PIC] 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala | Ballroom & Presentation & Backstage

2011/01/10

[PIC] 2011 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Gala | Inside Arrivals & Outside Arrivals

[NEWS] Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield at the NBR Awards

The Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield answered questions together on the red carpet at the National Board of Review Awards earlier this week, and they were delightful while doing so. Here’s some solid banter just about what kind of phones they have.

“I send everything by carrier pigeon,” Eisenberg told us. “But it’s Verizon. Verizon carrier pigeon. And what is the deal with Verizon carrier pigeon service? Like, I take my carrier pigeon down to the subway, and it’s just gone. Off the map. [Laughs.]”

“It goes and hangs out with its friends, the other pigeons,” Garfield chimed in. “There are pigeons in the subway, right?”

Eisenberg: “Right.”

2011/01/11

[VID] Aaron Sorkin + TSN Cast on Today Show

(Interviewer showed a page of newspaper with title THE BEST PICTURE OF THIS YEAR and there were medias’ names all over Jesse’s picture.)

Andrew: Jesse’s body is the best picture of all.

2011/01/14

[PIC] 16th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards

[VID] 美国影评人选择奖 社交网络

[VID] 'Social Network' team back stage at the Critics' Choice Awards

[VID]  Social Network Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake in LA

2011/01/15

[PIC] Sony Pictures Classic 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards Party

2011/01/16

[PIC] 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards

2011/01/29

[PIC] 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

2011/02/13

[PIC] British Academy Film Awards Winners Boards | 1 & 2

[VID] Jesse Eisenberg & Andrew Garfield accepting BAFTA Award for Director

Andrew: Oh, yeah, I'm gonna say something first...

Jesse: Okay. I'll go second.

2011/05/06

[PIC] New York City

[bartxnhood]

incomplete

| platonic!avengers x fem!reader (hints of non-platonic bucky x reader)

| summary: during a very tricky mission of rescuing disappearing people, you save natasha from getting killed.

authors note: hi omg it’s been a while since i updated. so sorry. this is my first avengers fic in a long long time, i’m sorry if it isn’t any good. if you want more avengers just lmk !! enjoy <3

being one of the avengers was amazing of course, you got to experience things that normal people don’t. you visit different countries, meet all kinds of different people. even from different universes. you were thankful for the family you had become. though, it came with a cost. losing your family, getting hurt, arguing, disagreeing, etc. you had expected it, considering you guys had saved the universe. it still hurt, but it was simply the business you were in. when you were young, you knew natasha and that’s how you found yourself working for the avengers.

with the newest addition of spider man and bucky, it was definitely hard to adjust. you had a hard time getting comfortable around bucky, he did try to kill you but you knew steve would soon figure out what to do, and he did. now, you and bucky were best friends. on missions you and him always had a plan of attack, you both knew each other’s moves so well. sometimes even natasha would come in and help you two. on special missions when you’d have peter, he would do a surprise attack on whoever you were fighting. his swinging and webs really helped.

you sat around with vision and wanda and the two of you were snacking on some cheese and crackers while vision read. “okay, listen up everyone!” tony chimed coming around the corner. your ears perked up and eyes fell onto him as he clapped his hand. “there have been reports of random disappearances of people in london. now, i know this isn’t our usual mission but nick has some suspicions of hydra” wanda took a drink of her water giving him a confused look. “i thought hydra went down in washington” you remember it vaguely, you weren’t supposed to be on that mission but it was you. you had gotten a concussion so you barely remember it.

tony shrugged, “i wasn’t given a lot of information. i’ve called the rest of the team. they will be here shortly.” you watched him disappear behind the door, you relaxed back in the chair. your eyes followed over to wanda who had the same concerned look on her face. this wasn’t good. you thought the last of hydra was demolished in washington. you couldn’t help but wonder if they were experimenting on civilians.

a few minutes later natasha came up the stairs alerting the three of you of the arrival of the rest of your groups. “everyone else is here. tony wants us to have a meeting” her eyes quickly landed on you. you’ve known her for a long time, very long. you knew that look. the ohmygoditsbad look. you stood up from the chair heading in the direction of natasha, vision, and wanda following.

as you entered the conference room you saw the familiar faces of your friends but a few were missing. you saw clint, you tilted your head. “thought you retired big guy” you hummed, standing next to him and wanda. he chuckled, “i retire for five minutes and the world goes to hell” you shook your head giving him a half-smile. you all stood around, looking at the pictures and videos fury provided. along with some people who seem to be behind the master plan. “do you think they’re experimenting on people?” you asked, crossing your arms. eyes narrowing to tony. “it’s the only reason they’d be active again” steve answered. “it’s very likely. but it isn’t about that. we need to get the civilians out of there and take down hydra all over again” tony added after steve. “we leave in an hour. get ready.”

as the other avengers began leaving to get ready you noticed clint and bucky talking. you sensed fear so you went over to check on them. “is everything okay?” you hummed, coming up behind clint who was in front of bucky. “buck..what’s wrong?” you asked. his eyes avoided you, he shook his head. “just..hydra.” he muttered, you looked at clint who gave you a sad look. “i think they’re doing this because of me. if i wasn’t the winter solider then they wouldn’t be creating an army” you crossed your arms. “it isn’t your fault.” you assured. “don’t worry, we’ll kick their assess, come back and celebrate.” you forced a smile. “now cmon. we need to get ready”

—-

when arriving in london you were greeted by nick. okay, well not greeted but he was there when you landed. you stood around his makeshift conference room and you all worked out a plan. most of the team couldn’t make it. banner, peter, thor, and sam wouldn’t be on this mission. you weren’t worried, you had done it before with steve and nat. so you felt pretty confident.

“you guys need to get there, rescue the civilians that haven’t been changed. we’re working on ways to fix the ones who have been changed” fury spoke with his arms crossed looking over all of you. you nodded, “sounds good with me” you shrugged. tony nodded, “let’s suit up”

when arriving, you decided to team with natasha to rescue the people while bucky and clint dealt with the ones who had already been tormented. your suit was similar to nats, though yours was grayer. you slipped your gloves on ready to head off the jet with your team. “hey, kid” tony spoke up, putting his hand on your shoulder. you looked up at him giving him a half-smile. “what’s up?” he patted your shoulder before speaking. “you gonna be okay in there? i know you haven’t been on a mission in a while but if you need one of us we’ll be there” you smiled placing a gun on the holster. “thanks, tony. i’ll be fine. if it gets too bad i’ll call for wanda or vis” you chuckled. “good luck kid” he finished.

fighting beside your long-time friend was something you looked forward to each time you were partnered up. you had trained with her multiple times, she’s your usual sparring partner. after being around someone for so long you both started to pick up on fighting styles. it came in handy during fights, knowing each other’s next move and working together to take down the enemies. you and natasha had finally evacuated all of the innocent people and got them to safety.

“cap, come in” you spoke into your earpiece following behind nat, you both thought you had cleared the floor but as more guards started appearing, you hadn’t. “nat!” you warned her, she quickly whipped around to the man coming out behind the corner and took him down. you turned around seeing three other guards ready to shoot at you. with the adrenaline rushing, you took a few blows at them. knocking one down and you reached for your gun on your side but the guy on your left knocked it from your reach and got you on the ground. he started kicking your ribs as the other guy targeted your friend. you managed to get up in defense, grabbing the enemy's arm, twisting it and pulling him to the ground, and breaking his arm.

now you were being sandwiched between a few enemies as they tried to take a blow on natasha who is unarmed, out of instinct you knock the guy in front of you down and pushed the girl behind you taking the stab to your gut.

“y/n!!” you heard nat scream but the pain was the only thing occupying your mind. your knees gave out and you fell to the floor, staring at the man who just stabbed you. he soon fell to the floor after you, standing behind him was barton. “y/n” he breathed quickly coming to your side. “y/n, what the hell? i had that!” natasha yelled coming to grab your hand. “not now, nat” clint warned, he brought his hand up to your face pushing hair from your face. you ripped out the knife letting out a scream of pain. using your left hand you tossed the knife away while your right hand was keeping pressure on the wound.

“tony, y/ns been hit. we need to get her out now!” natasha yelled over the earpiece, you closed your eyes trying to hold in your screams of pain. sure, you’d been hit before but never stabbed. this was a different type of pain. it was sharp and a burning sensation. “y/n..y/n keep your eyes open” you heard clint, you opened your eyes and looked at him. every breath you took was inflicting a sharp pain, you whimpered closing your eyes tightly again. tears began escaping your eyes as the pain was unbearable. “just breathe, the rest of the team are on their way.” nat brought your head to her hands petting your hair, she always looked after you like a little sister. she couldn’t stand to see you in pain.

“it hurts..” you breathed opening your eyes to look at her but everything was spinning. you started to feel lightheaded, “how deep is it?” you asked. clint moved your hands away from the wound so he could look. he sighed, “it looks pretty deep” he looked up seeing steve and bucky running. “i’ll go grab the jet, nat. stay with her” he said and stood up. you closed your eyes again and attempted to shift your body but failed. “nat..am i dying?” you asked. “no-no, hey. y/n. stay awake, keep your eyes open. they’re getting the jet ready” she looked down at you, tears welling her eyes. she brought your hand to her heart. “feel my heart beating? just focus on that.” she hummed. you tried your best, counting the beats while looking at the lights above.

“what happened?” wanda asked coming to your side looking over your body. steve and bucky stood above her waiting for the arrival of tony, and vision. “we got trapped, she got in front of me” nat explained, looking back down at you. “y/n..?” you barely opened your eyes seeing steve and bucky. bucky. your best friend, you had managed to get him out of his shell and he soon became your favorite. you wouldn’t say you had a slight crush on him? okay maybe but work is more important. you caught glimpse of him, should you tell him now? what if you’re dying. you feel like you’re dying. you opened your mouth to say something but only a breath came out and your eyes rolled back. wanda heard your loud thoughts, she wanted to comfort you more. she heard you debating your words to bucky.

—

your eyes began opening slowly. you were met with the obnoxious fluorescent lights and bright walls of what you assumed to be a hospital room. you tried bringing your hand up to block the light, but the sudden movement caused your body to ache and you let out a soft groan. “y/n?” you heard natasha mumble. looking to your side you saw her. “you’re awake” she smiled reaching for your hand. “how do you feel?” you kept blinking to adjust your eyes to the annoying light but forced a tired smile. “awful..” you started, looking down to your abdomen which was tender to the touch. “did we rescue everyone?” you asked. she nodded, “everyone is safe. hydra is gone for good. now” you felt relieved. “am i back at the complex?” she nodded. “i’ll go grab everyone. they’re worried. especially buck”

“hey, there she is!” you heard tony chime from the entrance, your head shifted on the pillow to look at him. “how ya feeling?” he asked. you shrugged, “like i’ve been stabbed” you attempted to keep it lighthearted so the crew wouldn’t feel so bad. but seeing their expressions, it didn’t work. “i’m okay. really.” you have your friends a smile to assure your worries. “you scared us, y/n” you heard clint say from your other side. he grabbed your hand, holding it softly. “i’m sorry.” you looked around the room, searching for bucky. “where buck?” you asked, eyes landing on steve. “he’s feeling guilty..he thinks this is his fault” he crossed his arms standing at the foot of your bed. you sighed. of course, he did. “this team would be incomplete without your, y/n. i’m glad you’re okay” vision added.

it was already past midnight by now. you sat in the same bed staring up at the ceiling. thoughts running wild. ‘what if i did this. what if i hadn’t done this. what if i left her.’ that sums up what you had been constantly thinking about. and bucky, you hadn’t seen him. you were worried, he shouldn’t be beating himself up for something you did. you had become very close with him in this short time, you were with him the most. and nat. “your thoughts are loud, y/n” you jumped hearing wanda. you must’ve been out of it if you didn’t hear her. “we made an agreement, wanda.” you held your abdomen looking at her as she entered. a sheepish smile plastered on her face. “i’m sorry. i just wanted to check on you. you aren’t asleep” she walked over to your bed, taking a seat. you have her smile,” yeah. just a lot i’m thinking about right now” you answered. you were tired, yes. but you just couldn’t sleep. you were still in a lot of pain, and very uncomfortable.

“so when are you gonna tell him?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. you blinked, giving her a puzzled look. “tell who what?” you had hoped she hasn’t been snooping in your mind, even if you were ‘loud’. “bucky” wanda answered. you closed your eyes, letting out a tired and aggravated sigh. “wanda..there’s nothing. i thought i was dying…” she took your hand tenderly, giving you one of her iconic smiles. “it’s not nothing. there’s something. you love him” you only glared at her, you weren’t up for her interrogation. “he doesn’t even feel the same way, so it doesn’t matter.”

“oh but he does” she answered.

[my18thcenturysource]

On International Women's Day we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and economic achievement of women, but I would not call it a happy or quite celebratory holiday. Today we also highlight the current work towards equality, and raise awareness against bias, and this years' theme is #ChooseToChallenge (because a challenged world is a world in alert, so challenge and call out gender bias and discrimination when you see it.)

Today's post (hey! I'm back!) is a little timeline for International Women's Day, for all of us to take a look at what we have achieved, and what the road ahead looks like. So, here we go:

1909 - the Socialist Party of America created the "National Women's Day" held in February 28th in New York City. This was a the original idea of activist Theresa Malkiel.

1910 - The International Socialist Women's Conference takes place in Cophenhagen, Denmark. 100 women from 17 countries agree on an annual Women's Day to promote equal rights (including the vote), but no date was specified.

1911 - International Women's Day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19th. On March 25th the fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City took the lives of 146 working women, most of them immigrants, this drew attention to working conditions and it became a main focus on the next International Women's Day events. James Oppenheim published a poem in The American Magazine, quoting "bread and roses" from a 1910 speech by Helen Todd calling not only for basic rights and equality, but also for beauty and dignity, creating the "Bread and Roses" slogan that became representative of the women's fight, but also key for the 1912 Lawrence mills strike.

1914 - International Women's Day was held on March 8th for the first time. In London was held a march from Bow to Trafalgar Square in support of women's suffrage, and Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested.

1917 - On the last Sunday of February (March 8th on the Gregorian calendar) women in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg) began a strike for "bread and piece" for the end of WWI, this demonstration eventually covered the whole city, and days later forcing the Czar to abdicate and women were granted the right to vote by the provisional Government. This marked the start of the Russian Revolution.

1927 - There's a march in Guagzhou, China, of 25,000 women and male supporters. Even though the Women's Day was commemorated in China since 1922, it was until 1949 that it was declared an official holiday and women would be given half a day off.

1936 - Dolores Ibáuri led a women's march in Madrid on the eve of the Spanish Civil War.

1967 - Women's Day is taken up by second-wave feminist, and it stops being perceived as a "communist holiday". It is now a day of activism and its sometimes refered in Europe as "Women's International Day of Struggle".

1975 - International Women's Day is celebrated by the United Nations. During the 70s and 80s, women's groups were joined by leftists and labor organizations in calling for equal pay, economic opportunity, legal rights, reproductive rights, child care, and prevention of violence against women.

1996 - The UN announced the first annual theme: "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future", each year there's a new them and 2021's is "Choose to Challenge".

2007 - Violence sparked in Tehran on March 4th, when police beat hundreds of men and women who were planning a rally, arrested dozens of women and some were released after several days of solitary confinement and interrogation.

There is of course so much more to say about this day, but this post is getting LONG, and of course I added at the bottom links for further learning.

Finally, this is a day to take action. And the marches are not the only option, you can:

Support female-centric charities.

Raise awareness of women's struggles.

Pressure your local government to achieve gender parity.

Share and celebrate women's achievements.

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

Learn more:

International Women's Day

Remembering Theresa Serber Malkiel, the forgotten woman behind International Women’s Day, Adrija Roychowdhury, The Indian Express, 8th March 2019.

International Socialist Conferences of Women Workers, Alexandra Kollontai, International Socialist Conferences of Women Workers, 1918.

The roots of International Women’s Day are more radical than you think, Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, 2020.

Death in the Afternoon Podcast, ep 11: The Least Worst Death, 2019. MAJOR CONTENT WARNING this episode talks about the tragedies of 9/11 and the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, and it might be VERY disturbing for some. Please take care while listening if you choose to.

Uncovering the History of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, David von Drehle, The Smithsonian Magazine, 2006. - Again, CONTENT WARNING for fire, mass death, suicide,

Bread and Roses: the origins of a Mount Holyoke tradition, Rachel Nix, 2019.

Bread and Roses poem, by James Oppenheim, 1911.

From the archive, 11 June 1914: Arrest of Miss Sylvia Pankhurst, The Guardian

The Strike that Shook America, Christopher Klein, History.com, 2012.

Russia’s February Revolution Was Led by Women on the March, Carolyn Harris, The Smithsonian Magazine, 2017.

In China, Women’s Day Marches On Despite Decline, Chen Yan, Sixth Tone, 2018.

Memories of Resistance: Women Activists from the Spanish Civil War, Shirley Mangini, Signs (vol. 17, no. 1), 1991.

Iranian Police Clash With Women's Day Protesters, 2007.

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

Images from top:

Poster for Women's Day, March 8, 1914, demanding voting rights for women, Karl Maria Stadler.

Female tailors on strike, New York City, February, 1910.

The Bread and Roses strike, 1912.

Women's demonstration for bread and peace – March 8, 1917, Petrograd, Russia

Alexandra Kollontai with Clara Zetkin at International Women's Conference, 1921.

A Tehran University female student protesting against the government of Iran, December 9, 2007, Tehran University in Tehran.

[astrhae]

ok pls hear me out i know you have a gazillion things to write and i cant wait for them but the pic chris just posted of him and dodger is too cute so what about when peter left for MIT, the idiots adopted dodger??? and cue dog shenanigans or tony being jealous that dodger keeps stealing his place on steve's chest!!! *dies*

this took a gazillion years to write and it doesn’t have much of peter in it, but enjoy 1.8k of stevetony shenanigans plus some instagram edits just because :) 

see it with the lights out

also on ao3

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

Tony scowls into the camera. "No."

In the hologram, Steve's grin turns into a laugh as Dodger's head nudges at his beard, their dog settling heavily on Steve's chest and rumpling his white tee up.

His tail wags harder when Tony's voice comes through, head swivelling with an air of cautious excitement.

"He misses you too," his husband has the gall to say.

"That dog is not sleeping in our bed," Tony huffs, pointing to himself for emphasis, "and your chest is my pillow."

"Come over here and claim it, then."

He's tempted, he really is.

A week away from home on a world trip of Stark Industries Offices left him tired and aching for the softness of their bed, the steady tenderness of Steve's touch.

It's stupid to be jealous of their dog, childish and unmanly, and – ah, dammit, a man has needs, alright?

The hotel suite had felt too hollow and too quiet to stay in alone - God knows how much worse it would've been if Tony had chosen to stay in one of his London mansions - hence why he's still here in the conference room, whiling away the hours between meetings with a glimpse of home.

He has to remind himself that this is the final stop. One last meeting tonight, a facility tour in the morning, and then a jet back.

Or the Iron Man suit, if he really wanted to cut the flight time in half.

"When I get back, I'm keeping you for a whole week, Avengers alert be damned," he threatens.

Dodger barks, as if in protest, which makes Steve laugh harder. "I think our child disagrees."

Tony wants to kiss that laugh, but he refuses to be sidetracked from his true purpose for calling: the Instagram posts of Dodger taking over their bedroom and his husband.

With his own bedroom and a plethora of bot dogs to play with, their rescue dog is more than spoiled. Yes, fine, Tony will admit that he does an equal share of spoiling as his husband, but the entire internet seems to have gone crazy over by Captain America's Instagram suddenly blowing up with posts every morning.

It bears repeating that Tony isn't jealous of their dog, thank you very much. He had even been the one to take Steve to the shelter as a second anniversary surprise.

He also misses Dodger a lot.

Steve had endearingly infuriatingly been able to train their dog to jump on Tony if he forgot to take a drink for more than an hour, playing fetch together with DUM-E in between each hour.

And, most importantly, Tony knows that it's his account that has more posts about their long journey to and after marriage, preferring to have control over what the world sees than keep things so private for paparazzis to hunt.

Because some days, he felt so full of awe and affection that Steve really was his, so much that he needed to shout it from the rooftops and tell the world, because wow.

Steve’s account was most often filled with political post that set fires beneath the asses of complacent Senators, and he had his reasons for wanting to keep his personal life private.

Tony respected those reasons, which was why it was jarring even to him that Steve had taken rabidly to posting about Dodger, but the number of times he's stared at Steve's only post of them, a picture taken three days after he had proposed to Tony –

Had that really been the only time Steve felt so full of affection for him?

"Stop it."

Tony swivels in his spinning chair, shaken. "What?"

Steve shoves Dodger away to presumably get a proper grip on his phone. "You're doing that frowny face that means you're thinking too much, honey," he says even as he pats their dog consolingly, "did the investors do something wrong?"

"No, I just - " I'm just, okay, I'll admit it, jealous of our dog cause he's spending the day with you and I'm not? "I'm just tired," Tony finishes lamely.

The video feed shakes as Steve adjusts himself again. He must've seen through Tony's slip. "Why aren't you in your hotel?" All business, the need to protect surging. It was the Captain seeing a problem and mapping out solutions. "I thought you still had two hours before your next thing?"

His husband voluntarily memorising his jumbled schedule when JARVIS was perfectly capable of providing every detail had always been something that sent Tony into a bubbly mess, and even now, the welcome warmth spreads through him.

"I'm saving the environment," he feels himself smile, "less travelling, less gas."

"All your cars are clean energy, and you could walk for once, Mister Billionaire," Steve teases, relaxing slightly despite the concern still clear in his pinched face.

"JARVIS, define 'tired' for our dear Captain, would you?"

"The Oxford Dictionary definition or your personal definition, sir?"

A muffled laugh from Steve. Traitors, the both of them.

"I'll call you tonight, if that helps?" Steve offers. "Or I can try convince Pepper to let you off the hook."

"'Try' being the keyword," his mood growing less sour for every minute he spends talking with his husband. "I do want to meet the young minds working at my facilities, though."

Something softens in Steve at that. "Of course you do." A beat, then, "I love you."

"Love you too," Tony replies, almost an instinct.

It's the promise of a call later that carries Tony through the rest of the day, and when his alarm rings the next day, it's the maddening expectation of seeing Steve and Dodger again that gives him the strength to throw off the blankets – sue him for using more than one blanket, it was always colder without a supersoldier heater in bed with him.

The rest of the morning passes in a blur. He spends longer than planned in the labs, caught in a discussion of superstellar travel with Monica Rambeau, a name he remembers to give to Jane, but eventually he's escorted back to his car with Happy on the wheel, their bags packed in the trunk.

Except, Happy takes a left off Knightsbridge –

"Hap, aren't we going to the City Airport?"

"New instructions from the High Boss, Boss," Happy cheerily replies, or as cheery as he could be with his professional no-nonsense look that Tony hadn't managed to train out of him yet.

"Pep didn't tell me about any change." He rubs his ring anxiously, the metal a grounding touch.

"She said a very high-ranking UN representative is waiting in your office. She'll be very upset if you ghost him."

Tony groans, just in time for the car to slide smoothly into the SI Building's lobby. "Keep the car running," he doesn't bother putting his tie back on, leaving it draped over the seat, but he does reattach his cufflinks.

The gold stars on the small red-and-gold shields Steve had given him wink back, a reminder of the reward that laid beyond this one last hurdle.

When he steps out of the car, he knocks on the bulletproof window until Happy rolls it down.

"I'll be fifteen minutes at most, if I take longer, fake an emergency and get me out of the room."

Happy salutes him. "No problem, Boss."

Tony takes the lift, making it all the way to his floor before he realises he has no idea who's waiting, or more importantly, what exactly was so pressing that Pepper deemed it critical enough to prolong his Steve-deprivation.

"J, details on meeting agenda?" he asks his watch.

"You will be conversing with a certain Mr. Stark, member of the United Nations Superhuman Response Team."

He squints up at the nearest camera, rounding the corner to his office. "Did Peter mess with your speech patterns again?"

"Mister Parker has done nothing of the sort, sir," JARVIS sounds scandalised.

Tony rolls his eyes fondly. "Nevermind," he pushes the door open, "I'll fix you la – "

He blinks.

Walks out.

Walks back in.

Still there. Some sort of vivid hallucination then?

"Hey, darling," Steve stands, because apparently, somehow, by some miracle - ah, Pepper, you sneaky, sneaky little minx - Tony's husband is in his London office, cleanly shaven and wearing that blue, very well-fitting jacket Tony loves to take off of him.

"Steve," Tony says, still holding onto the door just in case, "when - why - "

"This morning, because I missed you, and," by now Steve's steps have taken him right in front of Tony, his warm breaths puffing against him, "also because I wanted to do this."

He presses a kiss on Tony's lips.

Which, oh.

Steve's hand curls around his neck, thumb brushing a path along his jaw, and okay, Tony's brain, mushy as ever when it gets near Steve, finally clicks.

His husband really is here.

Only then does Tony finally surge forward, leaning up to drag Steve even closer, because he smells like home and tastes like it, too.

"I love you," Steve murmurs between kisses.

"I missed you," Tony breathes back.

When Steve pulls away, Tony doesn't let him get far, clinging close to him. "Did you leave our rascal alone?" he has enough sense to ask.

"Dodger's staying the night with Buck and Sam," Steve ducks his head, cheeks pinking, "I thought you'd find your flight back more bearable with extra company."

"You didn't have to," Tony chides, but he knows his smile says otherwise. "And are those," he peers at the large riot of colors on his desk, "are those flowers?"

"Thought they'd scent up your place real nice," Steve's smile tips up into a smirk, "I took care of all Avengers business stateside. You deserve a good vacation after a week of hard work."

"Is that so?" Tony kisses Steve's cheek.

Then his nose, and his lips again for good measure.

"And you've got several houses here that we haven't destroyed the sanctity of yet," Steve adds with an air of utter seriousness that sends Tony cackling, feeling all the exhaustion of the past week sliding right off him.

"Take me home, then, soldier," Tony winds his arm around his husband's waist.

In three days, Dodger would be flown over to London with a disgruntled note from Bucky that their child had hogged Sam too much, and Steve would melt the entire internet with the video of Dodger barreling Tony to the ground.

In six days, they'd take their dog on a walk, visiting the spots Steve had been to way back when in the forties, writing new, brighter memories over his grief.

In ten days, the jet would take them back to New York, Tony's head on Steve's chest as the sun set beneath the clouds, Dodger tucked in next to them.

But that was later.

For now, he lets Steve hand him the bouquet of carnations and lilies, thanking him with yet another kiss.

And if he spends the rest of the next day smiling after a night of life reaffirming sex and a certain alert on his phone, well.

He loves his husband.

And it's nice to be loved back.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley in the U.K.

JEFF BUCKLEY loved British music; the nervous energy in British punk, the wired consciousness of the Clash, the way Siouxsie and the Banshees went from gun-metal moodiness to skies full of fireworks.

He adored the Cocteau Twins, of course, especially Liz Fraser's "impossible voice". He loved how the Smiths called to outsiders and nerds. He loved the textures of Johnny Marr's supple guitar and the mordant presence of Steve Jones's guitar in the Sex Pistols.

Jeff, whose own nervous energy was considerable, became even more wired whenever we went to the UK; he was stimulated by its variety. He also appreciated its compactness – the lack of eight-hour drives between cities was refreshing.

Sony had passed on Live at Sin-é in Europe. We were understandably disappointed, but there was a solution close at hand: Steve Abbott, known to everyone as Abbo, who ran the eccentric indie record label Big Cat and had picked up on many of the promising un-signed bands playing in New York: Pavement, Mercury Rev, Luscious Jackson. He had approached Jeff after Gods & Monsters and Sin-é shows and asked him if he'd like to record with Big Cat, but then Sony stepped in. Jeff felt that he owed Abbo a record, so when Columbia UK passed on Live at Sin-é and Michele Anthony instigated a funding deal with Big Cat, it seemed the perfect opportunity for them to become involved. Abbo jumped at the chance.

Big Cat's small team – Abbo, co-owner Linda Obadiah, Frank Neidlich in marketing, and Jacqui Rice in press – did such a good job that the week it was released in Europe, Live at Sin-é sold over four thousand copies, which was amazing for a complete unknown.

After a Sony conference, where it was clear that a lot of the affiliates were bemused by him, Jeff had a warm-up show at Whelan's in Dublin. By the time he came on, the crowd, several drinks into its evening, had become a little boisterous. Jeff said hello softly, as usual, but no one was really paying attention. Jeff just stood there, waiting. People started to quieten down and watch to see what he would do. There was a pint of his favourite beer, Guinness, sitting on the stool next to him. Jeff lifted the glass to his lips and downed it in one hit. Everyone on the room cheered, and he began the Irish show with the crowd completely on his side.

The audience was more blasé the next night at his London debut at The Borderline, a Western-themed venue under a dubious Mexican diner in Soho, right in the heart of London, a group of local reps for hip American indie labels like Sub Pop and Merge yacking away rather disrespectfully at the bar. In the age of grunge, a lone guy with a guitar softly singing Edith Piaf covers was baffling for some.

"It was an epiphany for me," says Sara Silver, Sony's European head of marketing. "There are some shows where it just feels like you're a voyeur, looking into someone's soul. This was one of those. He was charismatic, but also haunting, and I think because of my particular situation at the time, still suffering from the [loss of my husband], he resonated hugely. This haunting sound was a powerful force, and it was my job to work out how we took it to the world."

A gig the next night in Glasgow meant an early-morning flight back to Heathrow the following morning to catch a session with GLR, London's local BBC station, a slot designed to alert people to the next couple of gigs at the Garage in Islington and at Bunjies, a cute little basement folk club in Central London that dated back to the early 1960s and made Sin-é seem generously proportioned.

Abbo was accompanying Jeff on this run.

"We'd meet regularly at a bar called Tom & Jerry's in New York, hang out and drink Guinness together," Abbo says, "I suppose I became a friend of his, and he didn't seem to have many real friends. I'd only discovered I liked the blues since living in New York, so it was great hanging with him, because he was a huge blues and jazz fan and if there was a guitar around he had to pick it up and show off. He knew every Robert Johnson song, every Muddy Waters tune, Bessie Smith; he introduced me to the physicality of the blues, watching it at close quarters. Everybody talks about his voice, but he was a brilliant guitarist. The guitar was an extension of his body.

"Tim Buckley hadn't really entered my line of vision growing up listening to black music. Singer-songwriters with fluffy hairstyles were not currency on my council estate in Luton! We were in Tom & Jerry's and someone said to Jeff, 'I've been listening to your dad,' and I said, 'Who's your dad?' and he said, 'Tim Buckley.' I knew the name from record shopping; I'd seen the sleeves in the racks, but that's it. But when he came over to Britain there were loads of Tim Buckley fans. And it was a real problem early on, because he really didn't like talking about him."

The traffic from the airport to the GLR studios just off Baker Street was awful. A road accident had slowed everything to a standstill. Jeff's slot on the mid-morning show was fast approaching. "Of course, this was before mobile phones, so I had no way of communicating with the radio station that we were stuck in traffic," says Abbo. "For the last few days on this tour, everyone who'd interviewed Jeff had been asking about his dad. How did Tim write 'Song To The Siren'? Was there stuff in his lyrics that he might have related to? Things Jeff couldn't answer.

"We were listening to GLR while we waited in traffic and the presenter kept saying, 'We're supposed to have this artist, Tim Buckley's son, turning up, but he's late....Will he or won't he turn up?' This went on and on. She must have said 'Tim Buckley's son' about four times and didn't mention Jeff once. Suddenly, he just kicked my car radio in with his big DMs [Doc Martens], just smashed the fascia and then sat back sulking all the way there. I could get another radio, of course, but I was mostly worried he wasn't going to do the performance. 

"We finally arrived about forty minutes late and they were all so rude to us, and yet they knew what the problem was, as they were broadcasting traffic updates and warnings of delays themselves. If I were him, I'd have walked out. The female presenter was a typical local radio DJ, a bit gushy and knew nothing about him and his music. I had a word with the station manager to ask her to stop mentioning Tim Buckley, and he handed her a note to that effect. Jeff just sat there silently and she said, 'What are you going to play?' and Jeff said, 'A song.' I'm thinking, 'Oh god, here we go.' And he started to play "Grace." He did this long guitar introduction, went on for about a minute, like he needed to calm himself down before he got to the actual start of the song, and then he launched into the most electrifying performance. The best I ever heard him do it.

"There were about six phones in the control room, and they all started lighting up. 'Who is this? Who is this? It's amazing!' And all the time, Jeff's getting more and more into it. The presenter went from being this standoffish woman to...I swear she would have thrown herself on him given half a chance, the second he finished singing. You could see she was totally enthralled."

Presenter: "You looked quite exhausted at the end of the song."

Jeff: "I was getting a lot of anger out. Something happened on the way here..."

"The phones didn't stop throughout the next song. The station manager said that in all his twelve years at the station, he'd never seen a reaction like it."

Abbo thinks this performance sparked Jeff's breakthrough. There were certainly plenty of people in line outside the Garage in North London that night. Inside, the first stars were taking note. Chrissie Hynde and Jon McEnroe were in the audience. Chrissie had been a big fan and a friend of Tim's, had actually interviewed him while she was briefly a music journalist with the NME, and she was obviously curious to see how his offspring compared. They struck up a conversation after the show and she clearly said the right thing, because he went off with her to jam with the Pretenders in a nearby rehearsal room. I wasn't carrying anything heavy because of a recent lung collapse, and I didn't want Jeff to pull any important muscles, so I asked McEnroe if he wouldn't mind. He happily hauled Jeff's amp downstairs to the car. The Pretenders' jam with special guests Buckley and Mac went on all night.

Bunjies, as I've said, was tiny, a basement folk club and coffee bar on West Street in Soho, along from the Ivy, with gingham tablecloths and melted candles in wine bottles on the tables and a performance area tucked into a couple of arches in what must have been a wine cellar at one point. It looked unchanged since it had begun in the early 1960s, and had seen a couple of folk booms come and go. It was more of a cafe with an open-mic policy by this point, which felt like a good place for Jeff. There wasn't really any need for amplification, so when we arrived for a sound check there was very little to do but see where Jeff was going to stand in the cramped space and gauge how his voice reflected off the nicotine-stained ceilings. While Jeff did that, I went outside for some fresh air and was stunned to see a line of people already waiting to get into the show.

I took a look at the guest list and realised we'd be lucky to fit twenty of this assembling crowd in the tiny space. Every time I looked up, the line was getting further down West Street. I went back into the venue and found Jeff talking to Emma Banks, the agent. He was saying how great the venue was and that he'd like to do something like hand out flowers to everyone before he went on.

"Jesus, you won't believe what's happening out there," I said to them. "The line goes about four blocks. There's no way these people are going to get in. Is there any way we can do two sets?" Jeff was happy to. Emma spoke to the club owner and was told they had some regular club night happening later on. She came back and said, "They can't do it but I've had an idea!" She disappeared up the steps onto the street, and I spoke to Jeff.

"What flowers would you like?"

"White roses," he said.

"I'll get them," I said, and went back up to the street, where the line had grown even longer.

I walked around looking for a florist and bumped into Emma. "I've booked Andy's Forge," she said. "It's a little place just around the corner in Denmark Street. He can go on at 10:30."

I bought as many white roses as I could find. Jeff handed them to people waiting outside and those lucky enough to get into the club, as he squeezed himself into the corner that passed for a stage. He sang upward, listening to his voice reflect off the curved ceiling into this hot, crowded, and attentive space. There must have been a hundred people stuffed in there.

When the show was over, Jeff walked up the steps to the huddle of patient people that Emma had gathered, plus anyone from the first show who wanted to tag along, and led this crowd like the Pied Piper toward Andy's Forge. Abbo was alongside me. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" I said.

"Never!" he said. And we laughed liked idiots at the wonderful absurdity of hanging out with Jeff.

Jim Irvin, 'From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye' (Post Hill), May 2018

Excerpted from Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye by Jeff's former manager Dave Lory and former MOJO man Jim Irvin (Post Hill Press).

[budzdorovanatasha]

Half and Half: CH 1

A bit of a setup chapter to everything! You can expect the next chapter tomorrow. 

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

“Another day, another mission,” you said as you joined Natasha in the hallway on her way to the conference room. 

“Well, that is our job,” she responded playfully, a smirk on her lips. You rolled your eyes, prompting her to quickly lean over and peck your cheek.

“Hi.”

“Hi, baby,” you smiled. “And how was your morning?”

“Well, my workout was tough, but I did appreciate your gift in the shower after.”

You bit your lower lip to keep from looking cocky.

“How was your morning, Y/N?”

“The same,” you shrugged. “I was thinking a lot about us during out workout.”

“Oh?”

You tried to speak quickly when you realized how close you two were to the meeting room. “We haven’t had a vacation in so long, either of us, and you know, we’ve been together for a while now and I was thinking- wondering- if you, I don’t know, if you wanted to maybe think about-”

“That sounds really nice, Y/N,” Nat interrupted. “We will just have to find the perfect time to go and make sure we take the days off. And we’ll have to know that if the world needs saving, we’ll just have to cut our trip short.”

You grinned widely, happy with her answer. You couldn’t wait to start planning your trip. Both of you entered the conference room, sitting into conference chairs across from each other. One by one, the other Avengers filed in, chatting with each other until Steve strode in.

“Afternoon,” he greeted. “I’ll get right to the point so we can all get out of here as soon as possible. The new mission is an undercover one, involving Y/N and Natasha undercover as girlfriends, meaning the rest of us will be on high alert watching as they gather intel and get close to the targets.”

You raised your eyebrows at Nat, who smirked a bit. This mission was going to be fun.

“When?” you asked the captain.

“Two weeks from now, you’ll be in London. You’ll be there for about a week, going out to dinners, running into the targets- the goal is to get close to them- catch them drunk at dinner-”

“Or dancing in the club,” you muttered, winking at Natasha.

“Or dancing in the club.” Steve agreed, making you turn to give him a shocked look. “That might happen, as will potentially getting yourself into other situations.”

“Oh god,” Nat sighed, refusing to look at Steve. “So what do we want from them?”

“Locations they visit frequently. It’ll tell us where their base is. Anything else you can get about their line of work. Pretty much anything you can get. We don't know much here.”

“Leave it to us,” you replied confidently. Nat and you had only gone undercover a few times, but the two of you had proved to be an unstoppable force. You were funny, quick-witted, sexy, and everyone seemed to want to be your friend, making for good conversation, and a lot of spilled secrets.

“I’ll send the files to everyone. Make sure you read them by next Friday.”

Everyone agreed, actually excited about this mission.

“Baby,” you said thoughtfully as the two of you remained sitting at the table as everyone filed out of the room.

“Hmm?”

“What if we went early to London?” you proposed. Natasha hummed thoughtfully. It was the perfect opportunity for a vacation, especially since you didn’t have a mission before this one, and you’d already be prepared for the one you did have.

“I can’t think of a reason as to why not,” she replied. “It might actually help us on the mission too.”

You practically squealed in your seat, excited at the thought of a vacation with your girlfriend.

“I can’t wait to plan it.”

“Let’s eat dinner first and then we can do all of that,” she laughed, though you could tell she was excited too.

You’d wanted a vacation, and you were getting one in London, one of the best cities in the world. You could hardly contain your excitement. You knew it was going to be incredible. Next week couldn't come soon enough.

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

CH 2

[naresh12-08-2002]

Navigating the World of Medical Scopus Journals: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

The realm of medical research is constantly evolving, with groundbreaking discoveries and innovations happening every day. For researchers and scholars, it's essential to have access to high-quality publications to stay updated with the latest findings and to contribute their own work to the global scientific community. In this article, we delve into the significance of Scopus-indexed medical journals and how they play a pivotal role in advancing medical research and knowledge.

Understanding Scopus Journals:

Scopus is a vast bibliographic database that covers a wide range of academic disciplines, including medicine and healthcare. It is a valuable resource for researchers, providing access to a comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and patents. Journals indexed in Scopus are considered prestigious because they meet stringent quality and editorial standards. These journals serve as essential platforms for disseminating scientific knowledge and facilitating academic collaboration.

Why Medical Scopus Journal Matter:

Credibility : Being indexed in Scopus is a mark of credibility for medical journals. Researchers and institutions look for this designation as an assurance of the journal's quality and adherence to rigorous publication standards.

Global Reach : Scopus journals have a broad international readership and authorship. This global perspective is crucial for medical research, which often requires a diverse range of expertise and experiences to address complex healthcare challenges.

Research Impact : Articles published in Scopus journals tend to have higher visibility and impact due to their broad audience and accessibility. This means that the research reaches a larger community, making it more influential in the medical field.

Access to Cutting-Edge Research : Scopus journals feature the latest research and advancements in various medical fields. Researchers can stay up-to-date with the most recent developments, which is crucial for informed decision-making and innovation.

How to Find Medical Scopus Journal :

Searching for Scopus-indexed medical journals is relatively straightforward:

Scopus Database : Access the Scopus database through your institution's library or directly through the Scopus website. You can search for journals in the medical category or narrow down your search by specific medical subfields.

Academic Databases : Many academic databases, such as PubMed and Web of Science, also indicate if a journal is indexed in Scopus. You can use these databases to find relevant articles and then verify the journal's Scopus status.

Consult Colleagues : Reach out to colleagues and mentors in your field for recommendations. They may suggest well-regarded Scopus-indexed journals that align with your research interests.

Journal Websites : Visit the websites of medical journals. Many Scopus-indexed journals proudly display their status on their websites, making it easy to identify them.

Use Scopus Alerts : Set up alerts in Scopus to receive notifications when new articles in your field are published in Scopus-indexed journals.

Conclusion:

Medical Scopus journal are a cornerstone of the scientific community, providing a reliable platform for the dissemination of cutting-edge medical research. Their global reach, credibility, and influence make them essential for researchers and institutions seeking to contribute to and benefit from the ever-advancing world of medical knowledge. By staying informed and actively engaging with these journals, researchers can play a significant role in shaping the future of healthcare and medicine.

27 Old Gloucester Street London, England.

#Research #papers #publish

[theuniversitychallengereview]

UC 51.03 - London Business School vs Hertford, Oxford

Since it was introduced at the 1988 Olympics, every single Gold Medal in the Women’s Team event in the Archery has gone to South Korea. Including yesterday’s win that’s nine straight victories, and their period of unparalleled dominance continues. The men’s team have also won six of the nine they have contested, and a mixed team won the first staging of that event in Tokyo too. Adding their success in the individual events, South Korea have won 26 gold medals, and 42 in total, in the 43 archery events which have been thus far staged at the Olympic Games. 

As Twitter’s own @tarequelaskar pointed out in the brilliant article which alerted me to this story, this is a perfect example of specialisation, an economic concept whereby countries or companies focus intensely on one particular aspect of a given industry and come to serve that niche in such a specialised fashion that they become the ultimate experts and nigh-on irreplaceable. This is done in government and business by providing companies with incentives to specialise, and supporting those who succeed at it. 

With respect to Korean archery, similar forces are at play. There are a bunch of professional teams and leagues in the country, giving archers financial stability while they focus on their training, something not as common across the world. Said training involves such things as practicing in live baseball stadiums and replicas of the Olympic venues, to mimic first the atmosphere and then the conditions that will be present on the day of the actual tournament. 

This philosophy of marginal gains - the same system used by Team Sky and Chris Froome to win multiple Tour De Frances on the trot - puts their preparation miles ahead of the competition, which goes some way to explaining their dominance. It is not the only reason. Before the fine-tuning of the elite shooters comes the discovery of the promising young ones, and the inspiring nature of past success (along with a historic national love of the sport) helps to create a virtuous cycle which give Korea a far larger number of archers to choose from than any other country. This greater choice means that there is a greater chance of finding the next Gold medallists.

Making the argument that professional footballers are at a higher level than other elite sportspeople, Michael Cox used this same argument in a recent article for The Athletic. To summarise, he stated that because there are a far higher number of people who wish to become professional footballers, that must mean that the ones who do make it are at a higher standard than those who make it in other sports. Initially, I was drawn in by the pure maths of this point, but having thought about it some more I’m no longer sure to what extent I agree. 

Now, the fact that hundreds of millions more people play football than rugby, or basketball, will certainly confer some level of “eliteness”, but only up to a certain point. Because football has been so popular for so long, the general standard of the play, relative to what it used to be, has had longer to improve. In the same way that if you transplanted a 100m runner from the Olympic final in the early 20th century to now they probably wouldn’t even qualify for the games, a footballer from the 80s would stand less of a chance of making it were they playing today. Many other sports don’t have that level of natural progression, afforded by decades of technical and tactical advancement - at least not globally. 

But the numbers argument only goes so far, as can be demonstrated by the Korean archers. Yes, there are more archers in Korea than anywhere else, relatively, giving them a higher chance of uncovering those with a natural aptitude, but the reason behind their bow and arrow dynasty is the specialisation. The hyper-detailed level of training and focus which allows them to be the best they can possible be. 

Now, archery is unique in that there is a theoretical maximum score (I understand that this is to some extent arbitrary, and related to the rules of the game as defined by some human being, semi-randomly, but it works in terms of this argument, because it gives a percentage score of how good the archers are based on the agreed-upon parameters of the sport), which, at the Olympics, is 720. The Olympic record is 700 (held by Korean Kim Woo-jin, giving an implied “eliteness level” of 97.2%. 

The best player in the history of football (don’t @ me) is Lionel Messi, and few would doubt that he operates at or above that level of perfection in his sport. But I also don’t think you could doubt that Novak Djokovic, or Serena Williams in her pomp, were similarly magnificent at tennis. Cyclists on the Tour De France put their bodies through more in three weeks than most people endure in a decade, and have every aspect of their training and diet strictly controlled so as to bring them as close to perfection as possible. There will certainly be a higher number of these elite performers in football, because there are a higher number of paying jobs for said elite performers, and because more people attempt to become elite performers, but I don’t think that it follows on from that that they are better at their sport than other elite athletes, all of whom have undergone years and years of specialised training to get them where they are.

Does any of this matter, in terms of how each sport should be enjoyed? Probably not, but its interesting to think about, and kind of awe-inspiring to try and appreciate just how good those at the top of their respective games are. And if there is some discrepancy in the level of eliteness between the different sports it doesn’t detract from the fact that they would handily dispatch any civilian challengers without breaking a sweat. The joy comes from watching people who are good at stuff doing that stuff - and, as evidenced by the crowds which gather for non-league football, it doesn’t matter whether or not they are at the absolute pinnacle of said stuff. They’re still going to be much better than the rest of us. 

Competitive quizzing is different from the activities previously mentioned in that any normal person can have a guess at pretty much any question, with a chance that they’ll get it right. What sets the contestants apart on shows like University Challenge is the speed of their recall under pressure - the quickness of their knowledge as well as the knowledge itself. But there are plenty of armchair quizzers who think they could wipe the floor on the show, so just how good are the actual contestants? (Compared to an elite footballer or archer on an imaginary scale that accounts for relative skill in all disciplines?). I don’t know (and in case you hadn’t noticed by now I’m just fascinated by people who are really good at anything, and wanted to share some of that fascination with you all), but I’ll try and have a go at answering it anyway. 

So, the World Quizzing Championships have been dominated by British and Irish quizzers since its inception in 2003, with 16 of the 18 winners coming from either Britain or the Republic of Ireland (who have four wins courtesy of The Egghead Pat Gibson). This, in my mind, makes this neck of the woods comparable to South Korean archery. It is a hotbed of talent, and the infrastructure is in place to encourage and aid talent maximalisation. Indeed, if you scroll down the list of highest ranking players at the WQC in any given year you can see a significant cohort of UC alums, so clearly there are a number of elite quizzers who have passed through the show. 

This specialisation can be seen in microcosm with the preponderance of top-level quizzers produced by Oxford and Cambridge, who both have a long-standing culture of competitive quizzing far beyond other Universities. The debate is there to be had on the fairness of each institution having so many teams, but clearly they produce enough elite players to compete with far bigger Unis when entering as (sometimes tiny) colleges. 

In conclusion, I think it is pretty obvious that UC is a breeding ground for world-class quizzers, and though no one has won a World title straight off the bat after appearing on the show, there are top-50 and top 100 finishes abound, which is still greatly impressive, and helps to give an idea of just how good these students really are. 

Hoping to justify the 1000 words I’ve just written about their exceptional talents are two teams from the London Business School and Hertford College, Oxford. The Oxford side have never made it beyond the second round, but LBS reached the semi-finals in 2006, their only previous appearance on the show. Anyway, there is quite literally no time for me to recite the rules; here’s your first starter for ten... 

Paxman mentions that LBS were in the show in 2006, but doesn’t mention that they reached the semi final, which is lazy imo. A bunch of them are studying for MBAs, which makes sense. He doesn’t mention Hertford’s previous appearances either, but that’s more understandable.

Hertford’s Hitchens takes the first starter with Kennedy, and the Oxonians added a full set of bonuses on words made up by authors - including a couple of educated guesses. LBS hit back with the next question, but can only manage one bonus on famous scientists. One of the two they miss is Rosalind Franklin, and Paxman teases them for not spotting an apparently obvious clue within the question.

The first picture round is on national emblems, and LBS are first to recognise that of Vietnam for the starter. They don’t know Laos or Belarus, but do know that Mozambique has a machine gun on its one. Butterworth then jumps the gun with argon on the next starter, giving his answer just as Paxman says it in the question. Butterworth makes up for it with the music starter, recognising Fat Boy Slim before anyone else, and LBS know Primal Scream and Wu Tang Clan too. They’re still fifty points behind though, and will need a big second half to turn things around.

This task gets more difficult for them, as Hitchens takes another starter. Lloyd adds a second in a row for Oxford and they are nearly one hundred points clear. LBS really need to get some points on the board, and Ruess duly obliges, knowing that there is a massive sculpture of a spider called Maman, which sounds needlessly scary, to the extent that I’m not even going to google it.

The comeback is ended before its even begun as Oswald takes a starter for Hertford, which gives them the picture bonuses - the starter having been dropped by both teams. Lloyd produces another excellent guess of Reuben, demonstrating how useful it is to have vague knowledge as well as specific knowledge. This is one of probably five questions he has answered in a throwaway manner, but which turned out to be correct. 

By this point LBS seem to have accepted defeat. Ruess takes another starter, but there is little to no urgency on the bonus questions. They’re right, granted, to have none, they have no chance of winning, but if they gave it a go they might scrape a high scoring loser spot. Ruess is the only one who seems bothered, and bags himself ten more points. They have an amusing discussion about methods of poisoning in Agatha Christie novels (’it was used as a curry ingredient?’, Ruess wondered aloud, trying to figure out which spices could be poisonous, before Butterworth pointed out that it wasn’t something commonly used as a curry ingredient, prompting respectful mirth from the audience) on the bonuses, but still languish miles behind. 

Lloyd grabs the last starter of the night for Hertford, who win by eighty at the gong.

Final Score: London Business School 100 - 180 Hertford, Oxford

At the end, Paxman mentions Hertford’s stellar guesswork, which means I wasn’t chatting nonsense (at least on that front, the jury is out on the rest of it), and says that they’ve done a really good job. Incredibly effusive praise for a score of 180. He really is going soft in his old age.

Phew, that was a long one. If you made it through the intro you deserve a prize. And that prize is that you get to come back next week for the next episode of this blog!! Woop woop! 

And if this wasn’t quite enough UC content for you then you can subscribe for extra blogs on my Patreon, which features Retro Reviews from the 2015/16 series of the show. Ta x