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Tag Archives: Valkyrie
Spotlight: Some Under-Used Marvel Heroines, Part 1
One of the most annoying things that I keep encountering on the web is the call for more heroines in comics and the films based on them. I understand that comic books are not everyone's forte – before saving a few from the trash, I had been drifting away from them myself.
But if the actors and actresses who play these characters onscreen have to read the comics to prepare for their parts, I wish at least some of the people who review the films and TV shows they make would do an Internet search about the material, too. If they did this, it would go a long way to improving the dialogue swirling around newly released films and shows.
This is one of the reasons why I started Thoughts on the Edge of Forever, readers. I could not stand running across article after article on the 'Net that either misunderstood something in a Marvel film or which was toeing the "comics need more heroines" line. The overwhelming ignorance/laziness/political agendas of these writers drove me up the walls, and I had to get my two cents out there or burst.
I do not know how good a job I have been doing. All I can say is that I tried my best, first to tell everyone the truth, then to stop the destruction of an entertainment medium I have come to enjoy. Whether or not that has made a difference anywhere is not for me to know.
However, you came here to learn more about under-used Marvel heroines, not to hear me complain! 😉 Today I am listing some Marvel heroines no one talks about in large media circles – even with the debut of the bizarre, dark New Mutants movie and other ongoing projects. While Sue Richards was discussed for some time by the media, since the Fantastic Four movies finished she has sort of been forgotten. Given the fact that she was the first heroine in the Marvel universe, I think she deserves a mention, which is why she is on this list.
Anyway, readers, I hope this two part directory is helpful to you. Marvel has many, many more heroines on its Rolodex. They cannot all fit in a film, which is why we do not see too many of them on the silver screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But they do exist. If you want to know more about them, Google some of the ladies below and see where the links to their friends and acquaintances take you. You might be surprised and excited by what you find.
Mirage/Danielle Moonstar: Danielle Moonstar was introduced in the 1980s as a member of the New Mutants. The New Mutants were a team of mutant tweens and teens being taught regular academics at the X-Mansion, where the X-Men live. In addition, they were trained in the use of their powers, landing them in battles with the baddies from time to time.
A Cheyenne Indian, Dani is an empath with quasi-telepathy. She can scan the minds of those around her and use this scan to project a 3-D image of these people's worst fears or greatest desires.This is where her codename, Mirage, comes from. She can also use this power to communicate with most any animal on the planet, and I know of one off-world creature she can "speak" to by this method as well. This power allows her to live in the woods undistrubed by wild animals and grants her a Jedi-like "danger sense" as well.
When her powers first manifested, Dani could only project images of people's or animals' worst fears. Not knowing how to turn her ability on and off, she ended up alienated from everyone she knew. This was made worse when her parents disappeared, leaving her in the care of neighbors who didn't like her. Eventually, she ran away to live with her grandfather, who was later killed by a member of the villainous Hellfire Club. It was not a great way to grow up.
Life at the X-Mansion was not exactly a piece of cake for her, either, in the beginning. Gradually, Dani learned to control her power and use it to generate images of a person – or an animal's – greatest desire, not just their worst fear. She also went on to make a lifelong friend in a fellow New Mutant from Scotland, one Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair. (Rahne rhymes with "rain," just so you know. ;)) Rahne's mutant power allowed her to morph into a wolf, or to stop halfway between human and wolf, making her look like a werewolf. Because of her ability to "speak" to animals, Dani could talk to Rahne while the other girl was in either of her alternate forms.
It was painful for her to do this at first. Since Rahne is human, her mind is not like an animal's, which meant that Dani's power did not work with her as it did with beasts. After a while, though, "speaking" to Wolfsbane like this stopped being painful, and the two women have been close friends ever since.
Dani is also a Valkyrie. Yes, I do mean Valkyrie, like the one Tessa Thompson plays in Thor: Ragnarok. The only difference is that Dani, while a member of the Valkyrior, is still mortal. And, yes, she's an American Indian.
Mirage became a Valkyrie after finding one of their winged horses out in the woods. This horse, Brightwind, was more intelligent than any other animal she had met to date, though he is still not a rational creature. Not long after finding him, Dani was surrounded by mounted Valkyries out looking for Brightwind. Learning that she could see both them and the horse, they asked her if she wanted to join their ranks. She said yes.
Because she is a Valkyrie, Dani can tell when someone is in danger of death. The person is surrounded by a "deathglow" only she (and other Valkyries) can see. This "deathglow" signals a person's imminent demise, but it does not mean the person will die. Besides being able to see the threat of impending death, as a Valkyrie Dani has the power to tell Death or death deities – like Asgard's death goddess, Hela – to buzz off. She can literally defend a person from death, though this does not grant whomever she is protecting immortality. It just means their death date gets moved forward to an unspecified time. Still, this is a pretty cool power to have, don't you think?
On top of this, Dani is a very athletic woman. She is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and the use of various weapons such as spears, swords, and knives. She is also an excellent archer; she once won some arrows from Hawkeye in a shooting contest. Dani can use a rifle really well, too. She is a good swimmer and horsewoman, a talent she had before she met Brightwind. Danielle Moonstar is one tough cookie, readers – and even with the post-2015 comics, the writers don't give her nearly enough credit these days.
Misty Knight: Anyone who has seen Netflix's Luke Cage, Iron Fist, or Defenders series probably knows something about Misty Knight. Admittedly, I am not an expert on her. What I do know is that Misty is a normal human detective from New York. She was room mates with Jean Grey in college, too.
So in the comics, she came to the aid of the X-Men on occasion, and she did/does work with Heroes for Hire pretty often. Considering Daniel Rand/Iron Fist is her boyfriend, this is not much of a surprise. At some point, I believe she also ran a private detective agency with her friend, Colleen Wing.
While working for the police, Misty lost her right arm. It was replaced with a prosthetic created by Stark Industries, and it hides a number of tricks in it that vary from comic to comic. I think it can cloak itself to look like a flesh and blood arm, too. With this arm, Misty is a lot stronger when she uses that "hand," but only so long as whatever she's lifting is not extremely heavy. The arm itself is stronger than she is, so she has to be careful about what she decides to pick up, or whatever it is could squash her. Or break her back. Or have some other unpleasant result that will lay her out flat on the floor.
Throwing and punching with this arm – well, there's a little more leeway in that regard, I think. At the very least, I would recommend not offending her to the point that she decides to hit you with her mechanical hand.
In addition to her prosthetic arm, Misty is well trained in the use of firearms, making her a good to excellent markswoman. I believe she also knows some martial arts; I could be wrong but her romantic tie to Iron Fist may have been what led to her training in this area.
Despite her line of work, my impression from the one "encounter" I had with Misty Knight in the comics was that she was a generally positive and friendly character. I do not know if any of that makes it into the Netflix shows or if it has been beaten out of her in the comics. All I can say is that it is a shame if she has lost this balance between work and her own personality over the years. I also think it sad that she sided with Tony Stark in the first Civil War event in Marvel Comics, while Iron Fist sided with Cap. Ouch, that is totally not fair, Marvel writers.
Firestar/Angelica Jones: Among my favorite TV shows growing up were reruns of the 1980s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. This series focused on Peter Parker/Spider-Man (naturally), Bobby Drake/Iceman, and Angelica Jones/Firestar. They fought as a team against villains like Magneto, Swarm, the Green Goblin, Red Skull, and several other bad guys every Saturday. I absolutely loved that series.
So it was a surprise when I learned, years later, that Firestar was not original to the Marvel Comics universe(s). As it turns out, she had been created specifically for this TV series and had never graced any page in the books. Luckily, she was so well-received that Marvel decided to add her to the comics in the '90s.
In Amazing Friends, Angelica was introduced as a mutant whose powers manifested at an early age. She could generate heat and, later on, blasts of fire from her body, specifically her hands. Eventually, she learned to use her power to fly as well. Due to her mutant power and the fact that her father, who was raising her alone, had little money, Angelica was an outcast among the neighborhood children during her youth.
But this persecution did not get her too down in the mouth. She had her father, who accepted her strange power, and she experimented with her abilities in order to get them under her control. In the '90s comics, she joined the Avengers as a teenager alongside a fellow mutant who used the moniker Justice. Justice was a nice boy with telekinetic powers. He was greener than grass and gung-ho, while Angelica was a little more nervous and reticent.
A good illustration of her character in the comics came when she put on a costume designed for her by Janet Van Dyne/Wasp. The suit resembled the one she wore in Amazing Friends except that it had a deep V down the front, and no face mask. Angelica felt the V in her suit was highly inappropriate, a sentiment Justice did not exactly share. "Fine!" she retorted when he would not stop goggling at her reflection in the mirror. "If you like it so much, you wear it! I'll wear yours!"
Her sense of modesty eventually won out, and Firestar's comic book costume came to resemble the one she wore in Amazing Friends, complete with the red mask over her eyes. Unfortunately, the writers have let Angelica fade into the background in both the comics and the cartoons since the mid 2000s. As a fan of this character, I think the writers' decision to relegate her to limbo is a mistake. She is an underutilized heroine whom I wish the show writers would bring back – pronto.
She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters: I do not know if Jennifer Walters qualifies as an under-used heroine, readers. I believe she is actually rather popular – though you would not know it, since she has not appeared on television since the end of the Hulk-focused TV series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. If anything, she deserves a mention for being ignored on the small screen following the cancellation of that show.
The cousin of Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters was a tomboy who was outgoing and loved sports. She would stand up to the bullies who pushed Bruce around and tried to do the same to her. It is no wonder, therefore, that she grew up to become a lawyer.
Back in the days when Banner was still a hunted fugitive, he dropped by to visit Jennifer for something/some reason. This was actually fortuitous because Jen's latest court case almost got her killed. She landed up in the hospital after an assassination attempt, and the only way to save her life was with a blood transfusion. As a near relative, Bruce's blood was a perfect match to hers. So Bruce threw caution to the wind and gave Jen his blood secretly.
At first it did not seem to work. Then the bad guys came to finish the job and Jennifer, angered and frightened by their appearance, Hulked out. Unlike her cousin, she kept her mind and remained able to speak coherently when she did this. She knocked the hit men over and went on to win her case in court.
It was not long after this that she entered the superhero gig, of course, keeping a hand in the legal world at the same time. Much more level-headed and calm than her cousin, Jennifer usually has more control of herself when she becomes the She-Hulk. This meant she could transform at will from the get-go, not to mention speak in complete sentences and "smash" things thoughtfully right from the start. Her new power also brought out her zest for life and fun, meaning she laughed a lot when she got into a fight.
Jen's biggest weakness is the fact that her ability to keep her head when she changes means she is nowhere near as powerful as her cousin, the Hulk. Even whipped into a deadly frenzy of rage, one of her other vulnerabilities, she cannot match him in power. That does not mean she cannot kill people in a fury nor do massive amounts of damage to everything around her. It just means that, in a cage match with Big Green, the Hulk would still win the fight.
Her other disadvantage is her susceptibility to mind control. Though not easily defeated in this arena, like Carol Danvers is, Jennifer has a history of being unable to withstand mental assaults/control for extended periods of time. It may be one of the reasons why she has never been on my short list of favorites; she's okay, but I do not typically get excited when she appears on screen or in the comics.
Stan Lee is fond of her, though, and has compared her to DC's Wonder Woman. I do not see the likeness, but that is probably because Jen has never been able to truly impress me. However, I will not take issue with Stan "The Man" Lee on this one. If he thinks She-Hulk is Marvel's equivalent to Wonder Woman, then she is Marvel's answer to Diana – end of debate.
The Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Richards: As I said above, Sue was the first Marvel heroine ever. Part of the "founding family" of Marvel Comics, Susan Storm and her younger brother Johnny were members of a space mission gone wrong. Little did they know that the accident during their flight would put them on the path to becoming that famed and fabulous superhero team, the Fantastic Four.
Sue is a great super heroine. She's one of the few heroines in the Marvel universe(s) who has managed to have and raise children, not to mention be a homemaker, while remaining an active duty super heroine. Jessica Jones Cage has come close to this success, but since the writers lost their minds in 2015 I do not know precisely what has happened to her.
Sue has been wife, homemaker, and mother while maintaining her super heroine career for a good part of Marvel's history. She's made dinner for the FF and put her children to bed after dealing with alien invasions and villainous plots morning, noon, and night. If that does not impress you, readers, I guess nothing will.
One of the most powerful super heroines in Marvel Comics, Sue can bend light to become invisible to the naked eye, and she can create telekinetic shields around herself, her family/friends, or inanimate objects. She can use this same telekinetic power to lift or hold up things. If whatever she is trying to hold up or move is heavy, though, it taxes her strength a fair bit. In this same manner she can "fly" by forming a telekinetic "plate" under her feet and moving it – and therefore herself – through the air.
Sue and Reed Richards
Her power to shield things or people extends to physical attack and energy based threats, too. For instance, if Reed Richards, her husband, ever needs to reach down a long nuclear shaft to hit the off switch for the device, she can shield his arm the whole way to the console, thereby preventing the radiation from harming him. Sue is typically mild-mannered and polite, but you threaten her or her family at your own risk, readers. When the villains make Sue angry, they get hurt – bad.
Faithful to her husband through thick and thin, Sue has been the peacemaker in her super family for years now. Well respected by the superhero community, people listen when she speaks or brings a warning, as outlandish as it might seem at first glance. She's also a great mom to her children, Franklin and Valerie (a recent addition to the family). All of this makes Sue Richards a forgotten Marvel heroine who needs waaaay more time on stage than she has been getting of late.
Princess Ravonna: I do not know nearly enough about Princess Ravonna's history in the comics. I only "met" her in the original comics in my Marvel Masterworks # 3 volume and, briefly, in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. She was feisty and fierce in the comics, refusing Kang's advances from the beginning. That was not hard to do, considering he is the galaxy's conqueror in her time (the thirtieth century). The only reason he did not take hers and her father's kingdom earlier is he fell in love with Ravonna on sight.
Well, after conquering her kingdom anyway, Kang ended up freeing her to save his own empire. One of his lieutenants turned traitor, and Kang needed the help of Ravonna's people to stop him. He couldn't get that help without freeing her, which he would have done anyway because he really, truly was in love with her. Ravonna nearly died (or maybe she did die?) to protect Kang from said traitor's bullet at the end of that adventure.
In contrast, we only see her walking and talking once in Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And here, she was already married to Kang. I do not want to spoil the series, but what happened to Ravonna led Kang to start giving the Avengers trouble in that show. It is a pity the writers have not brought her in to Avengers Assemble. I would like to see some of what she was before she fell for Kang. Maybe he would be less trouble for the team, too, if he fell in love with and married her.
Yeah. Sure.
Songbird/Melissa Gold: While Songbird got to appear several times in Avengers Assemble's third season, the fact is the writers did not allow her nearly enough time there. They also did not bring her back for season four, which has me seriously miffed. I have also totally lost track of Songbird in the mess that is the post-2015 Secret Wars comics, so I think she will fit in my under-used heroines' post rather nicely.
Melissa Gold grew up with an abusive mother. When she was a teenager, she ran away from home and got involved in an illegal women's wrestling ring made up of supervillain girls like Titania. After a stint with this group, known as the Femizons, I believe, she joined up with a bunch of thieves who had been bionically augmented. Her augmentations were in her throat and vocal chords, which is why she took the codename Screaming Mimi, a play on the phrase and her childhood nickname. These enhancements allowed her to generate a high-pitched, earth-shattering, earsplitting scream. When she cut loose, it would be like having a jet engine passing you at five feet of distance – without ear protection.
Melissa as Screaming Mimi
Using these enhancements, Melissa could also achieve a variety of effects against opponents by screaming a different note on the music scale. She could induce dizziness, vertigo, panic attacks, nausea, euphoria, stupor, and even blindness in her opponents by hitting different notes. Rapid oscillation between notes allowed her to combine these effects on a target. Naturally, she was immune to the results of her own power, meaning she never had to worry about being blinded or queasy when she screamed.
Her boyfriend in the gang, Angar the Screamer, had similar implants, and so they were able to combine their powers in battle. But he eventually died when one of the band's heists went wrong. When he died Melissa went into a hysterical fit and screamed her lungs out at the sky – for 43 minutes. This not only burned out her enhancements, it actually liquefied the plant life around her. Her burst of insane screaming formed a large blast crater as well, with her at its center.
She was sent to prison after this, of course, and remained there for some time. Then the Avengers – and most of Marvel's other heroes – got zapped to another dimension after defeating an über villain known as Onslaught. (Long story, very complicated, I don't have all the details, and I find that whole event more than a little stupid.) After this, Baron Zemo broke Melissa and a bunch of other villains out of prison. With most of the hero population in Marvel Comics gone, Zemo figured the time was right to take over the world.
Interestingly, he decided he wanted to be subtle about it rather than glaringly obvious. He outfitted himself, Melissa, and the other villains in his crew with new identities, forming a "superhero" team known as the Thunderbolts. The idea was that they would fill the public's need for heroes and, when everyone least expected it, take over the world. Melissa's new codename was Songbird, and she was given new technological implants that allowed her screams to manifest as "solid sound," which she could shape using her will.
But Zemo did not count on the public adulation his new team received going to their heads and hearts. He also did not think the Avengers or any of the other heroes would return. So he got a doubly unpleasant surprise when the heroes came back from the alternate dimension at about the same time his team of supervillains decided to become real superheroes.
Hawkeye was the catalyst, saying that if the Thunderbolts really liked being heroes, they should make the change right there and then. He eventually had to go to prison to buy their pardons from the government because the Thunderbolts were all still, legally, criminals. After this, most of the Thunderbolts went back to being villains. Clint was apparently the only thing holding them back from their prior evil habits. Without his guidance the Thunderbolts fell apart, to be reformed later on by others trying to make villains into heroes. (It hasn't worked out nearly so well for them as it did for him to date, from what I have heard.)
Songbird was the only original Thunderbolt to make the transition to heroine and stick with it, no matter the personal price. Due to her time in the wrestling ring, she is a good hand-to-hand combatant and wrestler, and she has been physically enhanced so that she is stronger than a normal woman of her height, weight, and build. Her ability to make constructs out of "solid sound" and to fly means she is a tough opponent in a fight. If you want a demonstration, readers, check out the episodes where she appears in Avengers Assemble's third season. They presented her well in that series.
Even so I really, really, really wish they would make her a member of the team permanently. Songbird is a great heroine, and she does not get enough time in the limelight today.That is why she qualifies as an under-used heroine and is on this list, readers.
Mary Jane Watson: Yeah, I know, she is not a super heroine. But MJ is still a cool girl, and she has had a huge impact on Spider-Man/Peter Parker's life. It is too bad, to me, that the writers split them up. I liked having them married, and I liked the MC2 idea of them settling down to have a family together.
The Spider/Parker Family
Funny thing, I also did not mind MJ's interest in being a fashion model. I was rather put out by the writers for Ultimate Spider-Man making her a wannabe reporter, instead of giving Spidey a photography position at the Daily Bugle, a job which he had always held in the past. While I am in no way, shape, or form a fan of fashion models or modeling in general, shoehorning MJ into Parker's act for Ultimate Spider-Man just bugged me (pun intended).
If they wanted to ditch Mary Jane's desire for a career as a model, I think the writers could still have kept her character intact by making her an artist, a designer, or something of that ilk. Mary Jane was tough and fierce, but she was also creative, and I missed that about her in Ultimate Spider-Man. A lot. That's part of the reason why I never wrote any articles about the show here. All I would have done was whine about it. I do enough growling already with Assemble and the comics, so I figured you did not need to hear more of it, readers.
Anyway, this is why Mary Jane Watson makes my under-used super heroine list. She does not have super powers, but she does have a tremendous heart and a quick mind. That is all any woman really needs to be powerful, readers.
Well, I think this will do for the first half of my Under-Used Marvel Heroines' list. I will take a break here and finish up tomorrow. Stay tuned to learn about more amazing Marvel heroines, everybody! You do not want to miss who comes next!
This entry was posted in Marvel Comics' Characters and Stories and tagged Avengers, Avengers Assemnle, Cheyenne Indians, diversity in Marvel Comics, female superheroes, Firestar/Angelica Jones, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Hela, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Hulk/Bruce Banner, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Comics' Characters and Stories, Marvel Female Superheroes, Marvel Masterworks, Marvel movies, marvel tv shows, Marvel's X-Men, Mary Jane Watson, Mirage/Danielle Moonstar, Misty Knight, Princess Ravonna, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Songbird/Melissa Gold, superheroes, superheroines, superpowers, supervillains, The Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Richards, Thunderbolts, Valkyrie, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair on February 8, 2018 by The Mithril Guardian.
Offended, Insulted, and Not Shutting Up
Hey, readers! We regret that we must interrupt this programming with another little piece of criticism aimed at Marvel's Hierarchy of Seneschals.
Yes, I just called them that. Until they either wake up or are replaced by people who actually know what they are doing, I am not changing that moniker.
Marvel announced that in the next season of their animated series, Avengers Assemble (to be re-titled Avengers: Secret Wars), Jane Foster will debut as "Thor." Some of you, certainly, see no problem with this. But several other fans, including me, have had problems with this change since it was made in the comics. See the links below to find out how much we dislike it:
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/thor/4005-2268/forums/i-like-jane-foster-as-thor-but-i-dont-1697781/
http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2014/07/say-it-aint-so-stan-female-thor.html
http://community.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?582-By-the-Gods!-It-s-THOR-Appreciation/page52
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/02/14/female-thor-is-what-happens-when-progressive-hand-wringing-and-misandry-ruin-a-cherished-art-form/
https://voxday.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/men-in-women-suits.html
http://kaimaciel.tumblr.com/post/144803890339/my-honest-opinion-on-jane-foster-as-thor
http://www.comics2film.com/if-she-be-worthy-thor-jane-foster-marvel-101/
While I am not a huge fan of the Prince of Thunder, the fact is that I do like him, and I prefer him as a Prince, that is, a male heir to the throne of Asgard. Jane Foster is an agreeable character, and I would be excited to see her in the TV series. But I would prefer that she debuted as herself: no superhuman powers, no magic hammers, none of the "new" idiocy with which the writers and their handlers have decided to outfit her.
Jane Foster's strength was once her "mortality," her humanity. It would not matter to me if she turned up in the cartoon as a nurse or as an astrophysicist, as she is portrayed in the films. She has carried herself well in both those fields of endeavor; as either of these professions and many others suit her character.
Yet Marvel, in its attempts to stay ahead of the latest fads, decided this was not good enough for her. Someone, somewhere, must have complained about the enchantment on Thor's hammer, which of course read: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall wield the power of Thor." A lot of people are getting hung up on pronouns such as "he" and "she." "He" is what they come down against most vehemently nowadays.
To raise Cain (ooh, how gender-specific of me) over such an inconsequential thing is beyond dim-witted. Mjolnir can be wielded by whoever is worthy. That can be a man, a woman, an alien (remember Beta Ray Bill?), or an android (did we all forget Vision that fast?). The inscription is a generic; if a worthy lady had come along and picked up Mjolnir, the only reason Thor would have been astonished was because he is used to lifting the hammer, not sharing it with others.
Thor has been a male character for more than a thousand years, since he was created by the Ancient Norse. And, as others have pointed out, Marvel's version of Thor has been adored by thousands of girls everywhere right from the get-go. His fan base is not getting any smaller, people, and neither are the crushes on him.
But in an effort to appease the talking heads, Marvel has disregarded the feelings of its fans – you and me – in order to curry favor with the 'elites.' Never mind that we are the ones who have supported Marvel all these years, they are determined to continue flogging dead horses in order to receive the praise of people who otherwise sniff condescendingly at them and their medium.
Yes, you read that right. I called this gender-switch for Thor a dead horse. It is a dead horse. It has been a dead horse for decades, but the 'intelligensia' is so desperate to keep making money off of it that they insist it is still twitching. People continue to scream about women being oppressed in the United States and Europe because, for instance, they "do not make as much money" as men.
Have a look at these links here, readers, and see if you agree with that assessment:
ISIS Burns Caged Women
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/06/06/19-women-burned-to-death-after-refusing-to-have-sex-with-isis-fighters/
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/06/19-yazidi-girls-burned-alive-for-refusing-to-have-sex-with-their-isis-captors.html
http://www.wnd.com/2016/06/isis-burns-19-girls-alive-for-refusing-sex-slavery/
Persecution of Christians by ISIS
http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/nun-pleads-for-christians-raped-sold-killed-by-isis/
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/10/05/report-syrian-christians-cry-jesus-isis-mass-beheading/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3261075/ISIS-sliced-12-year-old-Syrian-boy-s-fingertips-father-Christians-failed-bid-convert-Islam-executed-group-victims-shouted-Jesus.html
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/christian-attacks.aspx
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-crucifies-children-for-not-fasting-during-ramadan-in-syria-10338215.html
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/07/02/isis-executioners-spare-no-one-killing-74-children-for-crimes-including-not.html
Jihadi Brides
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-s-austrian-poster-girl-jihadi-brides-have-changed-their-minds-and-want-to-come-home-9789547.html
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/577347/British-twin-girl-jihadi-brides-want-to-return-to-home
http://nypost.com/2014/10/10/pregnant-teen-girls-who-joined-isis-weve-made-a-huge-mistake/
http://ijr.com/2014/12/220140-150-women-refused-isis-sex-brides-terrorists-responded-heinous-way/
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/08/12/uk-teen-girl-who-went-to-isis-area-syria-reported-killed.html
Rape Abroad
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/10/leaked-document-says-2000-men-allegedly-assaulted-1200-german-women-on-new-years-eve/
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/21/revealed-full-list-of-1049-victims-crimes-committed-during-cologne-new-years-eve-sex-assaults/
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/636944/Cologne-sex-attacks-list-crimes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3684302/1-200-German-women-sexually-assaulted-New-Year-s-Eve-Cologne-elsewhere.html
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/cologne-attacks-on-women?utm_term=.tk5ewAR5Y#.lujLvXlo9
Women in the U.S. do not know how good they have it. That is the truth.
Why is Marvel so determined to gender-switch characters like Thor and Iron Man when they have real-life stories like these, which are far more important and only a few minutes from their fingertips, to incorporate into their comics? In the 1940s they lampooned Hitler, and in the 1950s and 60s, they bashed the Communists. But in this brave new world, they are suddenly afraid to so much as mention the beasts that burn women in cages for refusing to be sex slaves? Why would they rather have us watching Captain America be "revealed" to be a secret HYDRA operative, when the real HYDRA (better known as ISIS) is out and about in the world beheading and crucifying children?
Do they really think that we are buffoons with such banal interests that our only care is why the inscription on Mjolnir says "he" instead of "person"? More to the point, readers, is this how you want the people running Marvel to think of you? It is not how I want them to think about me, that is for sure!
But apparently they not only believe we are navel-gazing twits, they are extremely eager to shove that belief down our throats – along with the notion that they "have" to do this because their universe has "too few" super heroines.
That is guff spewed by people who do not know what they are talking about, and I can prove it. Below is a roll call of some female Marvel heroines that regularly see – or have regularly seen – combat in the Marvel Universe:
Moondragon
Hellcat/Patricia Walker
The Blonde Phantom
White Tiger/Ava Ayallah
Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans
Jubilation Lee
Honey Lemmon
Julia Carpenter
Rescue/Pepper Potts
Echo/Maya Lopez
Firebird/Bonita Juárez
Rogue/Anna Maria
Shadowcat/Katherine "Kitty" Pryde
Boom-Boom
Jessica Drew
Valkyrie/Brunhilde
Yellowjacket/Rita DeMara
Colleen Wheeler
Polaris/Lorna Dane
Phoenix/Rachel Grey Summers
Torunn
Namora
Namorita
Siryn/Theresa Cassidy
Sasquatch/Snowbird
This is by no means a comprehensive list. Still, if this sample inventory has not made your eyes cross, then you should visit this site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_characters:_A. It lists many, if not most, of Marvel's characters. Scanning through it some years ago, I was left wondering why Marvel seemed to be having so much trouble coming up with new male characters, since they were adding more new females than males!
Now what reasonable critic can look at these catalogs and conclude that Marvel has "too few" heroines? Marvel's heroines have always stood with their male counterparts to face down evil. But the fact is that some of these ladies have been and remain more popular than others. This is natural, and their male compatriots have suffered the same ebb and flow of fan admiration over the years. Some characters are simply more popular than others. This does not negate the existence of the less well-known male heroes, so why do people seem to think the reverse is true when discussing Marvel's lesser known heroines?
Marvel has no need to gender-swap its male characters. Avengers Assemble is a perfect platform from which to show their less eminent or forgotten heroines and heroes. They could even use the series as a stage to create new heroines, the way Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends did in the 1980s.
This post was published for two reasons, readers. One, I have had a burning desire to tell off the ignorant critics of Marvel Comics for quite some time. If they want to evaluate Marvel's characters properly, then they should do their research before they open their big, fat mouths. If they are too lazy or indifferent to do that, then they should sit down and shut up, leaving the people who do know and love Marvel's characters to enjoy them undisturbed.
Second, I wanted to make clear to Marvel just how deeply offended and insulted I am, underscoring my latest letter to them. (BTW, thanks for all the views, Marvel. It is sooo nice of you to drop by! 😉 ) They believe that to keep my patronage they have to turn their fictional universe upside-down and inside out.
That is a perfect way to lose my money, not keep it. The Mainstream Marvel Universe which Stan Lee, Don Heck, Jim Romita, and all the others created is my favorite Marvel playground. And I want that universe, with all its flaws and foibles, back. This does not mean that I want the characters wearing their original costumes and hairstyles. I do not want them using radio and '60s slang. I simply want their histories and identities to stay fixed as they were originally conceived and, if possible, built up for the better.
Alternate universe spin-off comics, TV series, and movies are fun (with the exception of the Ultimate Universe). But they are not the universes I benefited from first. That universe – the 616 universe – is the one I love best and will always enjoy more than any other.
If Marvel thinks they have to ruin that world in order to keep my interest, then they have made a grave error. I understand that it is not easy to continue a series that has survived for fifty plus years. That is not the issue. The issue is Marvel's desire to play patty-cake with people who despise them while using them as a tool. Once they are done, they will discard Marvel like a hot potato – and then what will become of the heroes we care for and the ideals for which they stand?
I do not want to see Marvel destroyed. I want to be able to share it with many more people over the coming years of my life. But I cannot follow a bunch of lemmings over a cliff into the ocean, nor will I allow them to lead others over said precipice into said sea. Not without a fight.
Whether you agree with this article or not, readers, think about what you read in the links embedded here. Learning is not simply memorizing mathematic formulae or deciding how to identify yourself. Education is supposed to teach you to how to think, not what you are to think. As long as you can think for yourself, the Enemy will have a more difficult time catching you.
I prefer not to be caught, and so I prefer to think. It is a whole lot harder to escape a trap than it is to avoid it in the first place.
So start thinking, Marvel!
Until the next mess,
This entry was posted in Essay, Marvel Comics' Characters and Stories and tagged "mainstream" Marvel Universe, #theemperorhasnoclothes, Avengers Assemble, Black Cat/Felicia Hardy, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Blink, Boom-Boom, Carol Danvers, Colleen Wheeler, Crystal of the Inhumans, Dagger, Darkstar, Dazzler, Domino, Dust, Echo/Maya Lopez, Elektra, Emma Frost, Essay, female superheroes, Firebird/Bonita Juárez, Firestar/Angelica Jones, Gamora, Go-Go Tomago, Hellcat/Patricia Walker, Honey Lemmon, insult, Jean Grey, Jessica Drew, Jessica Jones, Jocasta, Jubilation Lee, Julia Carpenter, Kate Bishop, Lilandra, Magick/Ilyana Rasputin, Magma, Mantis, Maria Hill, Marrow, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Comics' Characters and Stories, Marvel fans, Marvel Female Superheroes, Marvel films, Marvel movies, marvel tv shows, Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars, Marvel's hierarchy, marvel.com, Medusa, Mirage/Danielle Moonstar, Miss America, Misty Knight, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse, Moondragon, Namora, Namorita, offend, Phoenix/Rachel Grey Summers, Polaris/Lorna Dane, protagonist girl characters marvel, Psylocke, Quake/Daisy Johnson, Queen of the Inhumans, Rescue/Pepper Potts, Rogue/Anna Maria, Sasquatch/Snowbird, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Secret Wars, Shadowcat/Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, Sharon Carter, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Sif, Silver Sable, Silverclaw/Maria Santiago, Siryn/Theresa Cassidy, Songbird/Melissa Gold, Spectrum/Monica Rambeau, Squirrel Girl, Stature/Cassie Lang, Storm/Ororo Munroe, superheroes, Surge, The Blonde Phantom, The Invisible Woman/Sue Storm-Richards, Thor/Jane Foster, Tigra, Torunn, Valkyrie, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne, White Tiger/Ava Ayallah, Wolfsbane, X-23/Laura Kinney, Yellowjacket/Rita DeMara on August 19, 2016 by The Mithril Guardian.


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50 Interesting facts swiss country
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04/11/2014 on ARTICLE, how to set up pt, way of making cv, how to manufacture pt, by establishing pt, how management cv, Cv manufacturing services, Pt manufacturing services, Company incorporation services, business incorporation services, licensing management services, business licensing services, business licensing services, pt stance pma, permit interference, management company license, pt permission management, management of business licenses, pt management, establish requirements pt by Administrator
Negara yang satu ini sangat berbeda dengan – dengan negara – negara Eropa, bahkan Dunia. Swiss memiliki sejarah yang panjang, tempat yang strategis, dan masih banyak faktor lainnya yang membuat negara yang terkenal dengan Produk jamnya memiliki ke khasan suku, Kebudayaan, and other government systems - lain.bagi you who want to know better about the country Switzerland, in the article multitude of facts - a unique and exciting facts about Switzerland.
1. Switzerland is known as a neutral country in the world, but still has a strong international cooperation.
2. Switzerland is the first country and the one - the only system of government that applying direct democracy, involving constitutional initiative and referendum.
3. Switzerland has 26 canton, which - each acting as a state, with the constitution, legislative, self-government and the courts.
4. Assembly Fedral Choose seven men to be "government". Seventh ministerial status, department heads, and one of them becomes president for a year alternately.
5. Switzerland is a country in which most of its territory consists of the Alps.
6. The state capital is named Bern Switzerland.
7. City of Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and has been named the city which has the best quality of life in the world in 2006 and 2007.
8. Swiss city of Geneva in the country to be the location of various international bodies like the United Nations, WHO, ILO, Sn INHCR.
9. The official language of Switzerland there are four, namely German, France, Italy, and Romansh.
10. Swiss name in Latin, Hevetica Confoederatio means confederation Helvetika.
11. Designation in its official language Swiss Confederation Suisse ( French ), Swiss confederation (bahasa Italia), Swiss Confederation (German) dan Confederaziun svizra (bahasa Romansh).
12. Date 1 August 1291 Switzerland is the independence day, follow the history of this country, which is a combined state, then became the alliance since 1848.
13. There is an ancient Swiss Confederation, which is a partnership between the community of Alpine Valley Central
14. Federal Charter 1291 agreed between the rural communes of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden is considered as the founding document of the confederation; though similar alliances may already exist a few decades earlier.
15. In 1803, Napoleon, Emperor of the French, organize meetings to Swiss politicians from both sides in Paris. The result is that a lot of the Mediation Law restoring Swiss autonomy and introduced a confederation on 19 canton.
16. In 2011, Swiss in as the country prosperous in the world based on per capita income.
17. Country Switzerland was ranked into nineteen states with the largest income in terms of Gross Domestic Product.
18. Switzerland received the highest rating in Europe for economic freedom index 2010.
19. Switzerland does not have natural resources that can be relied upon as centrifuges their economies
20. One - the only natural resources are relatively abundant in Switzerland is water because of the contour of the mountains that dominate the geography of Switzerland
21. Switzerland became the origin of several multinational, such as Glencore, Nestle, Novartis, Hoffmann - La Rouche and others.
22. Switzerland is famous for its food products, such as Chocolate and Cheese.
23. Countries Switzerland is famous for the quality of his watch. Lots of companies - companies watches the world come from this country, just call Rolex, Patek Philippe, day, this year, Omega, Corum, and the Swiss Army.
24. Banks in Switzerland is famous for security, monetary stability and law and the quality, to guarantee the confidentiality of bank.
25. The currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF)
26. The population of Switzerland around 8 million.
27. Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross, that's why the Red Cross logo is synonymous with Swiss national flag.
28. Switzerland is a country with the second highest life expectancy rate in the world after Sweden.
29. Swiss flag is one of only two square sovereign - state flags, the other being the flag of Vatican City.
30. Switzerland has more than 1500 lake.
31. Switzerland has the highest consumption of soft drinks in the world.
32. Sixty percent of Swiss electricity is produced by hydroelectric power plants.
33. Marijuana is legal in Switzerland.
34. On 2013, Volkswagen and Audi became the best-selling car manufacturer in Switzerland.
35. Tribe diketahuia Mining, which is a member of Hallstatt culture and Latene.
36. Switzerland was not attacked during the second world war. During World War I, Switzerland became temapt stay Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov (Lenin) and remained there until the year 1917.
37. Switzerland was an important base for the eyes - the eyes of both sides during the conflict and often mediates communication between the Axis and the Allies during the second world war.
38. Throughout the course of World War 2, Switzerland has been detained more than 300000 refugee, 104000 foreign troops, interned according to the Rights and Duties of Neutral Bloc outlined in the Hague Convention.
39. In 2002, Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations - the nation, leaving the Vatican as a sovereign state, last but not join the United Nations.
40. Switzerland was one - the only country to launch a referendum on the EEA.
41. Around 3,8 million people work in Switzerland and 25 % workers to join a union in 2004.
42. Switzerland has a more flexible labor market of the countries - its neighbors and the country's unemployment rate is very low, about 1, 7 % in the month of June 2000 to 4,4 % in December 2009.
43. Imigram akiabt population growth is also quite high, about 0,52% population in 2004. The population of this country ranges foreigners 21, 8 % in year 2004.
44. Switzerland lies between the various European cultures which in turn affects the country.
45. The Federal Government is obliged to use the three official languages of Switzerland, German, France and Italy.
46. Since the number of residents and foreign workers, English is also widely used.
47. Most followed religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholicism embraced by 45 % of the population. There are also Protestants around 35 % and immigration has brought in Islam (2.5 % and Eastern Orthodox (1.5 %).
48. Switzerland is a country which has a land area of about 41.325 sq km, about - about a third of the size of the island of Java.
49. The most famous mountain is the Matterhorn mountain towering 4478 meter.
50. Swiss specialties are Gugelhupf, meringue, and Sauerkraut.
sumber http://www.berkuliah.com/2014/07/50-fakta-menarik-negara-swiss.html,id
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Home | Help | Search | LSE for You
You are here - Welcome to LSE > Calendar > Graduate > Course guides > DV424 International Institutions and Late Development
Not available in 2021/22
DV424 Half Unit
International Institutions and Late Development
This information is for the 2021/22 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Kenneth Shadlen CON.6.07
This course is available on the CEMS Exchange, Global MSc in Management, Global MSc in Management (CEMS MiM), Global MSc in Management (MBA Exchange), MBA Exchange, MSc in Development Management, MSc in Development Studies, MSc in Global Politics, MSc in Health and International Development, MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, MSc in International Political Economy, MSc in Media, Communication and Development and MSc in Political Economy of Late Development. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Please note all students are asked to submit a brief statement of 150 words (max) on why they want to take the course.
2/3 of the spaces should go to ID and joint degree students, distributed on a random basis.
1/3 go to non-ID/joint students, distributed on a random basis.
Everyone else goes on the waitlist, and as spots open the course leader will allocate these, without regard to degree/dept, on the basis of the brief statements.
This course examines the politics of the international economy. We analyse the overarching rules and regulations that structure the international economy, and thereby provide context for development policy, and we assess the role of a range of actors (e.g. governments, firms, non-state actors) in shaping and reshaping the international economic order. We are particularly interested in understanding the ways that developing countries respond to and participate in international regimes and organisations, and how changes in global economic governance affect opportunities for economic development. The first week, which synthesises a variety of explanations of the role that international organisations play in global politics, establishes the theoretical spine for the course. We then examine governance in international sovereign debt and finance, public and private. We analyse the politics of debt relief for the poorest and most heavily-indebted countries, where most of the debt is owed to public creditors; and we analyse the politics of debt restructuring for middle-income countries where significant shares of the debt is owed to private/commercial creditors. The course then turns to the politics of international trade, investment, and intellectual property. This cluster of five sessions is organised around a dialogue between multilateral and regional frameworks for integration into the global economy, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) serving as our principal point of reference. We examine the emergence of the WTO, both in terms of the substance of the Uruguay Round agreements and as an inter-governmental organisation with its own set of procedures for agenda-setting, rule-making, and dispute-settlement. We then examine emerging arrangements for global governance in the areas of foreign investment and intellectual property. And, then we focus explicitly on the resurgence of new, North-South, bilateral and regional trade agreements, considering the implications of such agreements for development and the factors that contribute to their proliferation. In concluding the course, taking a step back and reviewing the term's material from a "birds-eye view," we analyse contrasting trajectories of change in two development regimes, one regarding "industrial transformation" and mobility in the international division of labour, and another regarding "humanitarianism" and poverty reduction.
20 hours of lectures and 13 hours and 30 minutes of seminars in the LT. 2 hours of lectures in the ST.
This includes a 2 hour revision session in the ST.
There will be a reading week in Week 6.
Indicative reading
A detailed reading list is presented at the beginning of term.
Exam (60%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Essay (15%, 1500 words) and essay (25%, 1500 words) in the LT.
2 essays (15% and 25%, each 1,500 words) in the LT. The larger weight goes to the essay receiving a higher mark, thus allowing the first to serve as "formative" for the second.
Essays are based on – and linked to – the questions discussed in the weekly seminars. Details distributed at the start of term.
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Student performance results
(2017/18 - 2019/20 combined)
% of students
Distinction 22.5
Merit 60.6
Pass 14.8
Fail 2.1
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2021/22 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the differing needs of students in attendance on campus and those who might be studying online. For example, this may involve changes to the mode of teaching delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Department: International Development
Total students 2020/21: 58
Average class size 2020/21: 12
Controlled access 2020/21: Yes
Value: Half Unit
Guidelines for interpreting course guide information
Personal development skills
Specialist skills
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text:
Richard Brody
Good Enough to Eat: My Life in Tabletop
David Segal's fascinating report in the Times on "tabletop" directors—those who specialize in closeup beauty shots of food for TV commercials—brought back a flood of memories. My first job after college, from 1980 to 1982, was as a production assistant to the tabletop pioneer Elbert Budin, whose innovations Segal discusses: > He used micro lenses placed two inches from the product, close enough to see individual droplets on a soda can. With the help of a mini jib, he would swing the camera in graceful arcs…. And it is from Mr. Elbert [sic] that we get one of the lasting visual tropes of American advertising: flying food. Ever since he launched an orange through a thin sheet of water for Sunkist—showing in gorgeous slow motion the hole left by the fruit—everything that you can put in your mouth and store in a pantry has been hurtling through the air.
I wasn't there for the Sunkist job; that was a little after my time. But when I worked for Elbert (and that's who he was to all of his employees), he made other things fly—notably, breakfast cereal (Corn Flakes, I think). A spring-loaded arm launched an open box quickly upward while a heavy-duty camera—looking and sounding like an outboard motor as it recorded hundreds of frames per second—captured, in super-slow-motion, each flake's balletic arc.
It was a funny business, one that I landed in thanks to a strange turn of events. It's worth recalling that, to look for work as a production assistant, one went door to door to hand out resumes at the reception desks of production companies and hoped to run into a producer or manager in a down moment. I arrived one morning at Ampersand (Elbert's company), a vast studio in a big-shouldered old industrial building in the West Thirties, drenched to the thighs due to a torrential summer storm. It was a down day—no production—and I was invited to chat with the studio manager when, suddenly, there was panicked shouting from a distant room: someone noticed that water was pouring into Elbert's office through leaky windowframes and soaking his art books and photographs. The few people on hand, including the manager, sprang into action, clearing out and drying off his things—and after a minute of sitting foolishly at the table by myself, I sprang into action, too, and found myself de facto working. I ended up pitching in all day, was paid for it, and was invited to join the crew for the next shoot, later that week.
Elbert was a good-humored, warm-hearted, curious boss (with a flowing mane of white hair and a huge, wire white beard) who spoke freely with everyone who worked under his roof, which is how, over bagels early one morning soon after I started there, I learned from him the story of how he got started in tabletop. He had been a potter, and started taking pictures of his wares for his own ads and catalogues; soon, other potters asked him to do the same for them, and the sideline took over. (This may explain the roots of what his former cameraman and then directorial colleague Santiago Suarez, with whom I also worked, cited as Elbert's great discovery: he "wanted the product to have a three-dimensional feel.")
In addition to my usual duties stocking the juice cabinet, fetching cables, sweeping up, and carrying the day's footage to the lab (and we all marvelled at the idea that the end product of a shoot day that cost more than a hundred thousand dollars was entrusted to a fifty-dollar-a-day runner), I also soon found myself up to my elbows in soybean oil: I opened a hundred cans of tuna fish and spread their contents over the plastic-covered surface of a large workbench and, with tweezers and my gloved hands, chose the largest, most succulent-looking pieces of fish for filming.
There are lots of stories to tell about his extraordinarily talented and colorful staff and crew—which included the late Gretchen Rau, a set decorator and art director who later worked with Wes Anderson on "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and won an Oscar for her work on "Memoirs of a Geisha." But there's a sidebar that says much about the business as such: Elbert had, it seemed, gone to India and shot a documentary film, the innumerable reels of which were said to be sitting in his office, still unedited.
I worked in and around advertising for several years, and found that the underlying story of the field is the frustration that's endemic to its artisans. Those who seemed most contented were those with no other ambitions. But most of the people I knew on the TV-commercial end of things wanted to direct features or documentaries. In 1986, when I was employed at an ad agency, an accomplished and admired senior colleague with whom I went out for a late-night drink after a grueling day in the studio implored me to leave the business before I got used to or dependent on the financial rewards (which, of course, I wasn't getting yet, but which were in the offing). Not long thereafter, that's what I did.
There's no reason in the world for movie artists not to make a commercial, if they're given a free enough hand to do something worthwhile with the genre. (The great recent example is Anderson's American Express spot, which is of a piece with—and worthy of a place beside—his feature-film oeuvre.) But the practice of TV commercials gets filmmakers in the habit of ease of production—huge crews and vast budgets and top-flight equipment and controlled settings, which are hard to replicate when making independent features. I later worked closely with two other commercial directors who had excellent ideas for documentaries or features—in one case, we shot a great deal of material for projects that didn't crystallize; in another, the filmmaker had written a marvellous script that could have been filmed on a low budget but without the range of amenities to which he was accustomed, and he didn't do it.
But there is one thing that a filmmaker can get from spending some time in advertising: exposure to business. Of course, one can get it on Wall Street or in a store just as well, but in advertising one experiences up close the explicit alienation of very particular kinds of talent—people who want to write and end up writing copy, who want to paint pictures and become art directors. It's hard to say whether that alienation is something which, once experienced, one ever truly escapes.
P.S. There is at least one great modern who got his start in advertising: Hal Hartley was an assistant at a commercial studio, and his boss, Jerome Brownstein, put up the money for his first feature, "The Unbelievable Truth."
More:Wes Anderson
The New Yorker Movie Club
Sign up for The New Yorker's Movie Club Newsletter to get reviews of the current cinema, movie listings for the weekend ahead, and more.
The 2023 Oscar Nominations, and What Should Have Made the List
These selections highlight the gap between what's on the Academy's radar and what's going on in the world of movies at large.
By Richard Brody
The Two Best Films I Saw at Sundance
In a strong lineup, Ira Sachs's "Passages" and Raven Jackson's "All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt" would be among my favorites in any year.
Annals of Communications
What Happened to the Washington Post?
After a decade of growth, the paper is laying off staff and was reportedly on track to lose money last year. Its publisher and C.E.O. says it's all part of a bold strategy.
By Clare Malone
The Artist Whose Book Covers Distilled the Nineteen-Eighties
The covers that Lorraine Louie designed for the Vintage Contemporaries series were surreal, stylish, and like nothing else on the market.
By Dan Kois


Queen Elizabeth Drive, on the traffic island. June 21,  2008.
Queen Elizabeth Drive, on the traffic island. May 22,  2008.
The photos were taken on the walking path, opposite approximately 490 QE Drive, April 26, 2008.
elm, nor any samaras in the Glebe.
While other elms can have rough leaves, none has the sandpaper texture of slippery elm.
Birch leaves can resemble elm but are less rough and textured and have symmetric bases.


B-man is supposed to see his developmental neurologist at Children's every 6 months. He saw her in the Spring. Ryan tried to make his next 6 month appointment at the end of that appointment but her schedule wasn't "open that far in advance". So, I'm supposed remember to call and get an appointment when it gets close to 6 months. The first problem is that I never remember. Then when I do it's impossibly hard to get a hold of anyone. If anyone from Children's is reading this: your new online/app system does not work. It says that email requests for appointments will be handled in 24 hours. I have yet to have my email request even handled. I end up having to call someone. I hate calling people. Thankfully, Dr. Golla has moved from the general neurology clinic to the Center for Autism & Development Disabilities. CADD is not as busy as general neurology and I was able to get someone on the phone with the first call. When you call general neurology, you get a voice mailbox which warns you not to leave a second message because you'll just be slowing things down. Anyway, I got someone on the phone and was told Dr. Golla could see B-man in May. MAY!?! That's a year between appointments. I point out that he's supposed to be seen every 6 months. We get a consolation prize - an appointment with a nurse practitioner. I thought this would be ok because usually, the doctor pokes in or is around. I. was. wrong.
When we arrived at the CADD, the waiting room was empty. Definitely different from general neurology. We are taking back fairly quickly. Also different. We have to answer the now standard Ebola questions. The medical assistant balked when I answer that yes B-man has had a fever and has thrown up lately. His allergies are messed up. His sinuses are draining and that causes him to throw up. He coughs. She asks if he will wear a mask. I say maybe then I put one on too so B will keep his on.
When the NP comes in, she is a cheerful older lady. Brennan doesn't want to answer her questions at first but then warms to her. She has print outs. One form to sign to ask the school to send his latest ARD paperwork. The rest presumably his records. She writes on them. The computer is unused in the corner. She asks about his sleeping habits. She says some kids, more severely autistic kids, take a medication to help them stay asleep. I can't remember the name of the medicine. It's not written on his check out paperwork. She asks about school. All standard stuff. Do we have any questions?
Ummm yes we do! What about his past MRIs showing 'spots'? Do we need to do another MRI to check on the spots? It's been a year since his last MRI, are we the only one concerned with these spots. Yes, yes we are. She has no idea about the MRIs. She'll have to ask Dr. Golla. She'll get back to us.
I ask, can you show my husband his MRI scans on the computer? He hasn't seen them. She tries. She shows us scans that don't look like the ones I remember seeing. She doesn't understand my concern. I can very clearly remember sitting in the room at the general neurology clinic with an intern looking at the first MRI and the second side by side. Those pictures are done in slices. They start at his chin and build up. I very clearly remember seeing parenthesis shaped blank spaces on those films. The ones we saw today don't look like those.
So either I remember incorrectly or we saw the wrong films. I don't know what to think. What I do know is that today was a waste. The whole point of having a doctor is that someone knows you. That you continuation of care. Today we saw someone who had no idea who Brennan is or what our concerns are. For that matter, I don't know that Dr. Golla does either. But the problem is that there are very few developmental neurologists. You kinda take what you get. At this point, I don't if we need a developmental neurologist. I need someone to look at B's brain scans and tell us about them. What I do know is that I am frustrated.


text:
Merkel to give cash to flood victims
Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised €100 million to victims of Germany's worst flood.
Chancellor Angela Merkel. Picture: AFP
German chancellor Angela Merkel
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkels government
PRAGUE - Chancellor Angela Merkel promised €100 million to victims of Germany's worst flood in a decade on Tuesday as she toured areas devastated by the deluge, which has killed 12 people across central Europe.
In the Czech Republic, swathes of Prague's suburbs were under water but metal barriers along the Vltava River shielded the historic centre as the floods shifted north to Germany.
In Germany's Saxony state, about 10,000 people were forced from their homes and thousands more were evacuated in Bavaria.
The 12 deaths occurred in the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Germany since the weekend.
Forecasters said receding rains would help water levels to drop across the Czech Republic but that parts of Slovakia and Hungary, as well as Germany, would be affected in coming days.
Conservative Merkel, who faces an election in September and hopes to win a third term, was keen to show she was helping those affected as she visited the Bavarian city of Passau, where soldiers had been piling up sandbags and clearing mud.
"Even if the water level is slowly retreating, the effects will be felt for a long time," she told reporters.
"Therefore €100 million of emergency aid is available from the state of Bavaria and the federal government. Now it is a matter of getting the aid quickly to people."
Meteorologists predicted the worst might be over for cities such as Passau but warned of flooding in Dresden and nearby Meissen, both devastated by floods in 2002.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, returning from a helicopter flight over threatened areas, said he expected the River Danube to reach its highest level on Thursday. Slovakia had taken the necessary measures to prevent the water from breaching flood barriers, he said.
More in World
Tonga cut off by volcanic blast, fears grow for coastal towns
Ladysmith flood victims call on government to move them from area


Figuring out Analyst Reports — What's In Stock?
When doing investment research, analyst reports can be a good place to start. These reports usually summarize an analyst's position on a stock; their recommendation, growth drivers, industry trends and price targets. For the seasoned investor these reports are easy to sipher through but for investors starting out they can be a nightmare to get through. When I started investing - I constantly struggled with these reports and found it hard to find some good resources (besides professional courses) to help me with my investment research. In this article, I am just going to touch on a few common terms. Its important to note that even though these reports provide a good amount of information - more research is necessary when you are investing.
One term that is for sure to appear on all analyst reports is the analyst's price target or (PT). This is the analyst's prediction of where they believe the stock to be in x number of months. The price target is usually estimated with a series of calculations involving cash flows, dividends and price to earnings ratios.
It is also important to note that analysts reports also contain many other terms sometimes related to the sector the stock is in (manufacturing, technology, health), the term is in relation to a benchmark portfolio (an index for example like the Dow Jones) or the stock itself.
Outperform/Underperform: The "perform" related terms are usually in relation to other stocks in that company's index and or the overall index. An outperform signal indicates that the analyst believes that the stock will provide superior returns that another holding in the index. Similarly, an underperform signal indicates that the holding is anticipated to generate inferior returns compared to the index.
Oversold/Overbought: When people refer to panic selling they are referring to oversold conditions. Oversold conditions are times when excessive selling pressure (and high volume) drives the stock down below its true intrinsic value. Sometimes this represents a buying opportunity from a value perspective. Overbought is similar but represents excessive craze around the stock driving the value of a stock higher for no reason. Overbought conditions create overvalued securities until the buying pressure eases or the market corrects.
Overweight/Underweight: These are two specific terms that are specifically related - which related to the concentration of a security in one's portfolio. The weight is the percentage a security represents in a certain benchmark. Overweight means that the analyst is suggesting to increase the weight of that holding compared to others.
A final note, while these terms might be useful for preliminary research they should not be your only outlet for research. Other aspects such as catalysts, growth drivers, financial statements and other tools should be used.
Disclaimer: All of the above is my own personal opinion. It should not be used as investment advice. Please do your research when making any investment decision and consult with a licensed representative.
Oct 29 What's the Deal with Dual Class Shares?


text:
Q: Barcode Scanner (ZXing) crashing First off i want to tell you i have done all i can. Followed like 10 tutorials on internet and 10 threads on stacked. Still no success.
I know guys that you recommend using scanning via intent,but in my case its not an option and i need to have it native in my app.
I have downloaded the zxing library (2.1) and followed this tutorial
When i run this code on my Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Tab 10.1 as debug, the program crashes, after freezing for like 20 seconds, when i click the button that should start intent for result: com.google.zxing.client.android.SCAN or com.google.zxing.client.android.CaptureActivity.
Note that i have copied all the resources from Barcode Scanner app like beep sound, xml files and other.
Crash Log
My code is below:
MainActivity.java
package com.example.philipscan;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.View;

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
        getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
        return true;
    }

    public void scanNow(View view)
    {
        Log.e("test", "button works!");

        Intent intent = new Intent("com.google.zxing.client.android.CaptureActivity");
        startActivityForResult(intent, 3);
    }

    public void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent intent)
    {
        Log.e("xZing", "Back");
        if (requestCode == 3)
        {
            if (resultCode == RESULT_OK)
            {
                String contents = intent.getStringExtra("SCAN_RESULT");
                String format = intent.getStringExtra("SCAN_RESULT_FORMAT");
                Log.e("xZing", "contents: "+contents+" format: "+format);
                // Handle successful scan
            }
            else if (resultCode == RESULT_CANCELED)
            {
                // Handle cancel
                Log.e("xZing", "Cancelled");
            }
        }
    }
}

Android Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.philipscan"
    android:versionCode="1"
    android:versionName="1.0" >

    <uses-sdk
        android:minSdkVersion="8"
        android:targetSdkVersion="17" />

        <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera"/>
          <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" android:required="false"/>
          <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.flash" android:required="false"/>
          <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.screen.landscape"/>
          <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.wifi" android:required="false"/>
          <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen" android:required="false"/>

        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FLASHLIGHT"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_CONTACTS"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="com.android.browser.permission.READ_HISTORY_BOOKMARKS"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE"/>
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE"/>
    <application
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
        <activity
            android:name="com.example.philipscan.MainActivity"
            android:label="@string/app_name" >
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.google.zxing.client.android.SCAN"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
            </intent-filter>

        </activity>
        <activity
            android:name="com.google.zxing.client.android.CaptureActivity"
            android:label="@string/app_name" >
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
            </intent-filter>
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="com.google.zxing.client.android.SCAN"/>
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
            </intent-filter>

        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

My SRC folder

I'm very thankful for all the help i can get.

A: Try to create Intent another way
Intent scanIntent = new Intent("com.google.zxing.client.android.SCAN");
scanIntent.putExtra("SCAN_MODE", "ONE_D_MODE");

then startActivityForResult() as usual. ONE_D_MODE is mode to scan 1D barcodes like Code39.

A: Remove all this code you copied from our project. It's not necessary, you're not understanding it, and it's not supposed to be reused this way under the license: https://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/LicenseQuestions
In particular you are not supposed to copy the manifest, and not allowed to copy the UI.
Instead, it is much simpler, since you seem to be trying to use Intents anyway: https://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/ScanningViaIntent

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to declare two $actsAs variable instances when using multiple plugins in Cake 2.x Iam using both the 'cakedc search' and 'meioupload' plugins, I currently load them using:
CakePlugin::load('MeioUpload');
CakePlugin::load('Search'); //in the bootstrap.php file.

I need to be able to make one model use both of these plugins simultaneously, can anyone suggest a way to declare the $actsAs variable twice in the same model, to avoid getting the follwing error in the 'error.log' file:
Error: Fatal Error (64): Cannot redeclare Event::$actsAs

Thanks in advance.

A: you can use as many behaviors per model as you want:
public $actsAs = array('Behavior1', 'PluginName.Behavior2', ...);

I don't quite see what your problem is.


text:
//
//  Copyright (c) 2016 Terry Seyler
//
//  Distributed under the MIT License
//  See accompanying file LICENSE.md
//

#include <core/factory/proto_tcp_text_server_factory.hpp>
#include <core/server/proto_tcp_text_server.hpp>

namespace proto_net
{
    using namespace server;

    namespace factory
    {

        proto_tcp_text_server_factory::proto_tcp_text_server_factory(proto_net_pipeline &ps_pipeline,
                                                                     unsigned short port_num /*= 80*/,
                                                                     size_t buffer_size /*= 4096*/) :
                proto_tcp_server_factory(ps_pipeline, port_num, buffer_size)
        { }

        proto_service_ptr
        proto_tcp_text_server_factory::ps_factory_create(bool start_on_creation)
        {
            proto_service_ptr ps_ptr(new proto_tcp_text_server(port_num_));

            proto_tcp_text_server* server_ptr = dynamic_cast<proto_tcp_text_server*>(ps_ptr.get());
            if (server_ptr)
                server_ptr->ps_start_accept(ps_pipeline_, buffer_size_);

            // start the server service
            if (start_on_creation)
                ps_ptr->ps_start();

            return ps_ptr;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


12 World at War silver proof coins in new condition with original packaging and information booklet and guarantee. The item "The World At War Set Of 12 Silver Proof Coins In New Condition With" is in sale since Saturday, September 16, 2017. This item is in the category "Coins\Coins\Collections/Bulk Lots". The seller is "annemojacar" and is located in Newcastle upon Tyne.


Live From New England: Vineyard Music EXTRA!
For years, the Spirit has been moving, touching, and embracing the people of New England. The grace poured out through Jesus Christ is overflowing in all our hearts. This album captures only but a glimpse of the shouts of gratitude and praise to a God that spared no expense to save our souls.
When I first listened to "You Are God" on the Touching the Father's Heart series, I felt the song lacked a little zeal. But after giving it another try on the Winds series, I immediately felt the simple but powerful reverence for God. Scott Underwood also leads the other songs such as "Come and Fill Me Up " and "Whatever Is True ". He also does an outstanding jazzing up oldies. He adds a groovy bass line to "You are the Vine" and a modern yet humble version of the hymn "Blessed Assurance ".
Cindy Rethmeier 's "Abba Father " and "Your Presence " contributes a soft and genuine touch to the album along with an "Alleluia, He Is Coming " which conveys the reality and celebration of Christ's return. Yes, He is coming! Let 's celebrate!
NortelX is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. I'm currently a member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The Lord brought a revival to my heart in freshman year in high school. And I've been worshipping Him ever since.


text:
Малый Кугланур  — деревня в Оршанском районе Республики Марий Эл. Входит в состав Шулкинского сельского поселения.

География
Находится в северной части республики Марий Эл на расстоянии приблизительно 29 км по прямой на северо-восток от районного центра посёлка Оршанка.

История
Деревня была основана поселенцами из деревни Колянур Яранского уезда. В 1848 году в деревне Малый Кугланур числилось 4 хозяйства, проживал 41 человек. В 1866 году в деревне в 11 дворах проживали 130 человек, в 1891 25 дворов и 195 жителей (152 мари и 43 русских). В 1925 году в деревне насчитывалось 207 человек и 44 хозяйства, в 1940 187 и 43 соответственно. В 2003 году в деревне оставалось 10 хозяйств. В советское время работали колхозы «Маяк», им. Молотова, им. Горького и позднее СПК "Колхоз «Кугланур».

Население
Население составляло 50 человек (мари 88 %) в 2002 году, 46 в 2010.

Примечания

Населённые пункты Оршанского района Марий Эл

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We have an assortment of high productive skip stranders that are widely used in manufacturing wires and conductor. These skip stranders have bobbin hold on bearing pintle, which provides smooth running. Diameter compensating mechanical device keeps constant tension all along the process within the entire adjustable tension range. Our range provides high speed process and is available in various specifications.
We have an assortment of medium productive tubular stranders that are widely used in manufacturing wires and conductor. These tubular stranders have bobbin hold on bearing pintle, which provides smooth running. Diameter compensating mechanical device keeps constant tension all along the process within the entire adjustable tension range. Our range provides high speed process and is available in various specifications.
aluminium allay. Aluminium cable steel reinforcing wires to produce the following power cables sector shaped conductors round compacted, Single core presiralled.
In multiple of 12/18/24 & 30 bobbins for ACSR Conductors of 61 & 72 wires Construction with multi speed & variable drives.


Billions of photos are shot every year, and about the toughest thing a photographer can do is invent an original, deeply personal, instantly recognizable visual style. — Jerry Saltz.
Welcome to a new post of Lebanese POW, gathering photos from Ashura, Beirut International Marathon, and other remarkable things that happened this week.


There has never been a better time to join NT . We're a dynamic company with a strong vision in emerging market. At the time when customers are demanding more and more from their technology, we're changing the way the world manages IT, to help customers better perform, compete and grow. That's why the majority of leading companies across industries worldwide use our services. It's also why you'll find a wealth opportunity for important and rewarding work. Come to NT and build the career you want.


text:
Chinese university develops state-of-the-art software tool for Integrated Energy System planning
New cloud-based software for Integrated Energy System (IES) planning and analysis has been developed by researchers at Southeast University (SEU) in China, led by Dr Suyang Zhou and Professor Wei Gu.
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China has been promoting the development of IES to achieve a high proportion of renewable energy penetration and energy usage efficiency in recent years.
In 2019, the State Grid Corporation of China proposed the strategic goal of establishing a world-class energy Internet enterprise, which brings IES further into focus.
In order to build an affordable and high-efficiency energy network, including electricity, gas, heating and cooling, appropriate planning and control strategies need to be developed at the outset.
To conquer such a challenge, the SEU team has developed cloud-based software – the Integrated Energy System Planning Software (IES-Plan) – which is funded by the State Grid Corporation of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
[image_library_tag 7607390c-0090-4641-8683-8102f8dcee0e 500×350 alt="rizegiving in eneva " width="500″ ]Prize-giving in Geneva
The IES-Plan software integrates the modelling of multiple forms of energy, and provides an intelligent one-stop solution, for multi-carrier energy system planning and design.
Multiple kinds of demands (electricity, heating and cooling) can be modeled automatically using three provided methodologies. The IES-Plan also provides 28 categories of key IES equipment that help stakeholders or designers build-up their personalized IES schemes.
In addition, historical data from more than 700 weather stations has been embedded into the database of IES-Plan, to support renewable energy generation forecasting.
Along with the aforementioned functionalities, the core planning algorithm of IES-Plan, developed by the SEU team, is able to plan the model, capacity and amount of the equipment used in IES, and present an hour-by-hour simulated optimal operation schedule of the system.
The analysis module of IES-Plan can also cover the total investment amount, payback period, internal rate of return, carbon reduction and other key factors for system planning.
Compared with conventional electrical power or energy planning software, IES-Plan is unique and advantageous, benefiting from its advanced algorithm and parallel computation infrastructure, which can plan a number of Integrated Energy Systems in parallel, and calculate optimal results in seconds.
The IES-Plan has been used by Xiexin Energy, the Anhui Electric Power Design Institute and the Yangzhou Power Supply Company as a daily software tool to provide a planning service to their customers.Multi-index and multi-dimensional evaluation results can also be presented in a visual report automatically generated after optimization, which is helpful for stakeholders to make planning decisions and for IES operation strategies.
IES-Plan won the bronze prize at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva(see photo, above). In addition, the head of Jiangsu Power Supply Company, the State Grid of China and the mayor of Yangzhou city council have all given high praise to IES-Plan after a trial of the software tool.
energy modelling
Cadent backs launch of major bio-CNG HGV refuelling station
Gas network's £250,000 infrastructure investment ensures supplies to existing connected customers have not been impacted
Editor's blog: The biggest tests of resilience are yet to come
Network content director Jane Gray reflects on the industry's coronavirus response to date and the challenges still to come.
From the front line: Chris Garside and Andy Simcoe, Northern Gas Networks
Key workers across the power and gas networks are playing a critical role in the national response to Coronavirus. Network has committed to profiling their stories.
'Learning by doing' on the road to net zero [test product]
DSO director Andrew Roper discusses 'Learning by doing'


Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds - Fan Question: Any plans to tour in SC or north GA?
Any plans to tour in SC or north GA?
Yes indeed! Lots of Southeast plans in the works for Summer and Fall. Stay tuned - we're getting close to announcing.
Hello! Hope I find all well. Late request, but none the less, would love to arrive early and meet with Jackson. My friend Tommy Lepson will be playing in opening act. I am Eli, and play harmonica. I have heard Jackson before and love his playing, and particularly use of pedal effects. I know no one else doing this and am playing with it but a novice with no one to advise.
I normally play in the SF Bay area. I am very good friends with Will Scarlett, also Joe Filisco, and David Barrett. I sometimes play when here with GD Tribute bands but generally with Memphis Gold, blues. If Jackson is open I'd arrive early and eat dinner upstairs and join him for a short time. It would be a great pleasure.
I am an 'old head' and have about a foot long white beard, so easy to recognize.
Please do more shows in Brooklyn and NYC. We miss you guys!


text:
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
РЏ░ What It's About
This book follows Tom Ripley as he travels (all expenses paid) from NYC to Italy in hopes to convince Dickie Greenleaf, whom is a very loose acquaintance, to return home to New York.
Upon arriving in Italy and meeting Dickie it becomes clear that Tom has no intention in returning to the US anytime soon. From Day 1 abroad, Tom devises ways to make his money last as long as possible.
Tom, who ran low-level scams in NYC, turns to whatever means necessary to remain on his travels, no matter what the cost.
ЪћЇ How I Discovered It
I found this book on the New York Public Library "most popular fiction" page.
ЪДа Thoughts
What I Liked About It
Man - what a ride this book was. A little slow to start with but really picked up steam as Tom lands in Italy.
I loved being in Tom's head as he works through the minefield of potential traps.
I liked, as a fellow traveler, that as Ripley moved to a new city he could completely reinvent himself and tell whatever origin story he wanted to tell.
Highsmith really keeps you guessing throughout which was fun.
What I Didn't Like About It
Not much I didn't like, other than the slow start that took a little while to get into.
Some of the story dragged a bit as Tom went around Rome, but not enough to be a huge complaint.
ЪЦ░ Who Would Like It?
Anyone interested in travel, thrillers, or mysteries. Especially those interested in travel and being able to blend into a place where no one knows who you are.
ЪЌЃ№ИЈ Kindle Highlights & Favorite Quotes
Nothing he took desperately seriously ever worked out. HeРђЎd found that out years ago. HeРђЎd let a few days go by, he thought. The first step, anyway, was to make Dickie like him. That he wanted more than anything else in the world.
He wanted to kill Dickie. It was not the first time he had thought of it. Before, once or twice or three times, it had been an impulse caused by anger or disappointment, an impulse that vanished immediately and left him with a feeling of shame. Now he thought about it for an entire minute, two minutes, because he was leaving Dickie anyway, and what was there to be ashamed of anymore?
This was the clean slate he had thought about on the boat coming over from America. This was the real annihilation of his past and of himself, Tom Ripley, who was made up of that past, and his rebirth as a completely new person.
The main thing about impersonation, Tom thought, was to maintain the mood and temperament of the person one was impersonating, and to assume the facial expressions that went with them. The rest fell into place.
Anticipation! It occurred to him that his anticipation was more pleasant to him than his experiencing.
He hated going back to himself as he would have hated putting on a shabby suit of clothes, a grease-spotted, unpressed suit of clothes that had not been very good even when it was new.
If you wanted to be cheerful, or melancholic, or wistful, or thoughtful, or courteous, you simply had to act those things with every gesture.
Being Tom Ripley had one compensation, at least: it relieved his mind of guilt for the stupid, unnecessary murder of Freddie Miles.
He loved possessions, not masses of them, but a select few that he did not part with. They gave a man self-respect. Not ostentation but quality, and the love that cherished the quality. Possessions reminded him that he existed, and made him enjoy his existence.
His stories were good because he imagined them intensely, so intensely that he came to believe them.
Рєљ┬аView all notes
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Walk into The Hat Shop and step into another world. Be inspired by our colour wheel of facinators, hatinators, feathers and veil. Whether it's the perfect wedding hat, a stunning accessory for the races, or something more casual, you'll find it here. Browse our beautifully curated range of designer brands, experience our unparalleled customer service and enjoy shopping in our modern, elegant store.