text:
Archived Document
Archived Report, J. Clark, S.J.
Current Document
SIGHTSEE-LUX Report
Majority Decision on Protocol Damnatio ad Bestias
Object Class: Neutralized
Special Containment Procedures: The threat posed by SCP-3004 has remained neutralized. Containment of SCP-3004 is focused solely on interception of artifacts that point toward the existence of the Cétlaidí. To that end, archaeological sites in Ireland and Wales should be monitored closely. Artifacts are to be confiscated, cataloged, and incinerated.
All SCP-3004 related matters are to be dealt with by the Theology Department. Director Clark is to be notified immediately if any events thought to be SCP-3004 related occur.
SCP-3004-1 is believed to have been destroyed or otherwise deterred from the material plane and no longer requires containment.
Any information found regarding the existence of the Cicadetta luculenta is to be destroyed and civilians involved amnesticized, due to its connection to SCP-3004.
Description: SCP-3004 refers to a series of anomalous events linked to the rituals of a Druidic cult known as the Cétlaidí, or the "Singers." They were located primarily in Ireland during the fifteenth to early nineteenth century. It is known that their worship revolved around the life cycle of the now extinct Cicadetta luculenta.1
Due to the combined actions of various antecedent groups to the Foundation (including the Vatican's Congregation for Otherworldly Acts and the Royal Society for the Imprisonment of Abnormalcy), all knowledge of SCP-3004 and the Singers was destroyed in order to contain SCP-3004-1. As SCP-3004 was thus "destroyed", the SCP-3004-1 entity ceased all activity.
SCP-3004 events centered around imagery associated with the rites of the Singers. They occurred most commonly during a celebration surrounding a child's entrance into adulthood which was signified by the first loss of primary teeth. These events were theorized to lead to the entrance of their deity, dubbed SCP-3004-1, into local time-space. SCP-3004 events are understood to have been the result of SCP-3004-1 attempting to act upon the material world. It is unclear as to when SCP-3004-1 began to react to the beliefs of the Singers.
While there are signs of varied SCP-3004 events, there are few reports that still exist. Artwork relating to SCP-3004 events show Cicadetta luculenta coming from the facial orifices, causing asphyxiation in many. A written record details the sighting of an anomalously large instance of Cicadetta luculenta (believed to be SCP-3004-1) appearing in the sky, the sight of which caused painful boils in those who witnessed it, along with symptoms resembling radiation sickness. Despite this, the Singers were said to have continued their rituals in the face of SCP-3004 events, which was seen as necessitating their destruction.
SCP-3004-1 was an entity which interacted with the Singers through their rituals, causing SCP-3004 events. Little is known about the nature of SCP-3004-1. It is theorized to have been a thought form or an extradimensional being that, through happenstance, responded to the rituals of the Singers. There is no data that exists to point toward SCP-3004-1 being anything greater than a Level-3 Pistiphage2 Entity.
Due to the intimate nature of this subject (i.e. all who read this will surely [Christ willing] know me and I them) and its current neutralized state, I'm going to keep the academic hot air to a minimum. I have no desire or need to impress any of you. You're my colleagues, and I think we all understand that there's no need to hide what this is beneath jargon and posturing.
3004-1 is a deity, if you wish to define a thing as such. A deity is a creature of law, ritual, and belief. Certainly, its existence doesn't shake my faith. Nothing has, and I doubt a curious thought form attracted to cicadas and greenery will shake it yet. It is not infinite, and it is not all-knowing. Quite the opposite. Its limits are apparent. Cut off from a few rituals and direct believers, 3004-1 ceased all activity. There have been no resurgence events. Nary a peep.
Truthfully, what little we have left of the history of the Cétlaidí (the Singers in the vulgar English) is quite interesting. Based around the Cicadetta luculenta and its apparent rebirth and what have you, it wasn't just a fringe Druidic sect. This was nationwide. They were respected members of society. There are signs of them in Wales and Scotland. So, of course, before the inevitable violence, the Catholic church, in its ever ineffable wisdom (may the Lord my God forgive me for blaspheming His one true church on this earth, of course, etc. etc.) did attempt to bring them into the fold. Before the complete eradication of the Cétlaidí from the face of history in an unprecedented act of violence and usage of anomalous objects that many would see as foolhardy, maybe even horribly unwise (may the O5 Council forgive me for this slight against the forefather of the Foundation, of course, etc. etc.), the parishes in certain rural areas of Ireland seemed more Singer than Christian.
This is all we know. This is all that is left. The eradication of their rituals, of their culture, of their impact on Ireland and the world at large was snuffed out with an alarming thoroughness. Not unprecedented, certainly, but consider the fact that this happened in the late 1700s. This was the desperate act of an early incarnation of what we all became. Foolhardy and harsh, yes, but I truly cannot say that we would not have done the same, given what little we know of 3004-1's effects on our material plane. Of course, given the English view of the Irish at the time, it is not overly cynical to imagine that the Royal Society relished the chance to destroy the culture and the impact of the Cétlaidí.
So total was their destruction that the extinction of the Cicadetta luculenta, charmingly known as the "stained glass cicada," became an opportunity to even wipe their sacred animal from the memory of man. The deforestation of Ireland, certainly, led to the death of their species, but one must wonder if their extinction came from a more direct source. This, of course, is all merely speculation. Maybe the sacred animal merely followed their deity. Certainly, it speaks to the fear they felt if the Royal Society and the Congregation would enact the destruction of an entire animal species. A harmless creature, cousin to the New Forest cicada. Perhaps they feared that cut off from ritual, 3004-1 would manifest through them. The idea, certainly, is not ridiculous. There is a strong connection between belief and fact. Perhaps, their fear would have even made it so.
Given the fact that Cétlaidí were upright members of society, one can imagine that the resonance within their rituals that 3004-1 felt were mere happenstance. In my opinion, there is no reason to assume that this entity is at all related to the Cétlaidí and their beliefs. Something in them, I hypothesize, spoke to this thing, and it acclimated itself to their belief system. Think of it as something floating in a place close to ours, maybe layered above or beneath. Perhaps there are many creatures like it there. I doubt that an entity like this would exist alone, although I have no proof of this besides the certitude of my gut. Through these repetitions of behavior, through these beliefs, it was able to act on our plane. And it became what it was molded by.
There is also no reason to assume 3004-1 to be malevolent. It is disingenuous to think of such an entity in terms of good and evil. Given the focus the Cétlaidí had on life and death, along with the imagery of Christ the Savior's death on the cross, it stands to reason that the 3004-1 manifestations would be violent. It spoke the only language it knew, the language of blood, wood, glass, and sacrifice. Perhaps the brutality of its manifestations, of the events associated with the 3004 rituals, could have been the 3004-1 entity interpreting the very real subjugation of the Irish people at the time. There is no reason to assume that the lives of its followers would not be just as important to the entity as their rituals. Certainly, the language of death and rebirth of the cicada, of the scourging at the pillar, present in the rites of Roman Catholicism (especially in the era of its neutralization) and what is theorized to have been the rituals of the Cétlaidí could have lent to all of the violence, to the harshness of it all.
Faced with their god, a terrifying thing that sowed discord, there is no record of their reaction. There is only record of their destruction. One would imagine them to have been horrified, yet to have necessitated their destruction, they very well may have followed the entity's whims, however alien. No proof has been found to point toward either hypothesis.
But again, this is all conjecture. We simply do not know enough to take any approach to this object other than making sure it never comes back. I do not believe we will be unable to deal with something such as this, given the current technologies available to us, but it is best to not awaken a sleeping giant, as it were. Given what we have here, I can offer no other advice. Whenever we rarely find something that our predecessors missed, we will catalog it, learn what we can about what we destroyed, and move on to other things.
An instance of SCP-3004-2.
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: All communities that could possibly support an SCP-3004 event are to be monitored for uncharacteristic rises in death rate and attendance at places of worship. If a community is shown to have been the host of an SCP-3004 event or events, all afflicted civilians are to be amnesticized. Any injuries or deaths that occur because of these events are to be given applicable cover stories. At no point is an individual known to be involved in an SCP-3004 event to be considered for Foundation employment, D-Class or otherwise.
MTF Y-99 "Altar Boys" is tasked with responding to SCP-3004 events in progress, where possible, and stopping them by any means necessary.
All sightings of SCP-3004-2 are to be reported to the Theology Department. Images of SCP-3004-2 are to be dismissed as hoaxes or deleted as necessary. All instances of SCP-3004-2 found in the wild are to be destroyed to avoid future SCP-3004 events. As of Project SIGHTSEE-LUX, there are to be no attempts to track SCP-3004-2 instances. Any attempt is to be made to destroy them before their disappearance.
There is to be no further attempt at contacting SCP-3004-1. SCP-3004-1 will be contained through the clean-up of SCP-3004 events and the destruction of SCP-3004-2 instances.
Currently, all containment is focused upon reducing the effects of SCP-3004 events which have already occurred. If SCP-3004-1's entrance into the material plane is unavoidable and inevitable, Protocol Damnatio ad Bestias is to be enacted.
Description: SCP-3004 refers to a series of anomalous events that occur in Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Anglican, and Episcopalian communities. SCP-3004 events occur without any patterns connected to population or demographics other than religion. While SCP-3004 events are varied and have few similarities to unite them, the presence of SCP-3004-2 at each event proves a connection.
SCP-3004 events are rituals carried out by otherwise non-anomalous individuals in their place of worship. Despite showing a great divergence from Christian norms of worship, individuals involved in an SCP-3004 event show great hesitation to stop engaging in the ritual, even those that involve self-harm. All individuals attending the place of worship for that purpose will not stop the rituals involved, even if their actions go against previously held morals. Individuals who normally exhibit entomophobia exhibit no fear of the SCP-3004-2 instances involved in the ritual. Deaths that occur as a result of SCP-3004 rituals will be categorized as death by natural causes, regardless of what was done to the individual. Those who witness an SCP-3004 ritual express a renewed interest in their chosen faith and seek to convince friends and family to accompany them to their place of worship.
+ Examples of SCP-3004 rituals include:
- Examples of SCP-3004 rituals include
the slaughter of a child bearing traditional stigmata wounds out of which crawled instances of SCP-3004-2; the child was killed when the officiating priest bit out the child's jugular; SCP-3004-2 instances crawled en masse from the wounds up to six hours after the child's death
the forcible removal of the officiating priest's teeth by twelve children; the children and the priest were then seen to vomit instances of SCP-3004-2; the teeth were served in the place of communion wafers later on during the mass
the violent castration of every male who had reached puberty; scrotal tissues were gathered and disseminated amongst the faithful and worn around the neck as scapulars; the castrated individuals then mimicked the cry of an unidentified cicada, believed to be Cicadetta luculenta, before many succumbed to bloodloss; SCP-3004-2 instances were observed carrying off discarded testes
a visibly pregnant woman was chosen from the congregation and brought to the altar where she laid and proceeded to give birth to over 60 instances of SCP-3004-2 and a stillborn infant wearing a wooden crown; the crown was burnt, and the body consumed
SCP-3004-2 instances resemble the extinct Cicadetta luculenta, albeit with a much more colorful wing pattern than what has been described. Despite appearing in every way alive, SCP-3004-2 instances are primarily of wood and glass. It is unclear, currently, if SCP-3004-2 instances are the cause of SCP-3004 events or vice-versa. During an SCP-3004 event, SCP-3004-2 instances are observed in prominent parts of the ritual. After a ritual, SCP-3004-2 instances exit the church and disappear after flying at least six hundred meters away. This disappearance is hypothesized to be the SCP-3004-2 instances returning to SCP-3004-1, either to feed it or perhaps be given further orders.
It is believed that SCP-3004-2 is the mechanism by which SCP-3004-1 collects "belief" or "faith" in order to consume. It is unclear as to why SCP-3004-1 in its former incarnation did not seem to require the SCP-3004-2 instances. As of Project SIGHTSEE-LUX, it is now known that SCP-3004-1 created the instances of SCP-3004-2 as a "replacement" for the Cicadetta luculenta.
SCP-3004-1 is the entity that controls SCP-3004-2 instances and is believed to be fed by the SCP-3004 rituals. SCP-3004-1 is a Level-6 Pistiphage Entity that exists in a dimension that exists partially within baseline reality but primarily "above" it. From within this dimension, it is currently unable to directly manifest itself into the plane of existence. However, if given enough "belief" from the SCP-3004-2 instances, SCP-3004-1 will be able to enter the current baseline reality, which would cause an XK-class end of the world scenario due to the brutality of SCP-3004 events.
SCP-3004-1 views itself as the deity worshiped under the umbrella of Christianity. Due to this, it is theorized that the beliefs of Christianity-based religions, especially Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism, melded with the beliefs of the Cétlaidí in such a way that their destruction caused SCP-3004-1 to feed on the beliefs of the only remaining familiar group.
If SCP-3004-1 enters the baseline reality, Protocol Damnatio ad Bestias will be enacted. This will involve the usage of Thaumiel objects and mass amnestics which will serve to erase Christianity from the historical record. Cut off from its "food supply," this is theorized to be an act that would fully neutralize SCP-3004-1.
Addendum: It has been noted that SCP-2852 has ceased its appearances after the first recorded SCP-3004 event. Due to the similarities of their manifestations, this is hypothesized to be related. Currently, all personnel assigned to SCP-2852 have been reassigned to SCP-3004.
For the record, my name is Agent Timothy Luttermann. I'm a member of Mobile Task Force Sigma-25. We've always called ourselves "Ghostbusters." To be honest, I don't understand why. If anything, we become ghosts.
Sorry, rambling. I'm just coming down from all the stuff we pump ourselves with to be able to get outside. Still seeing trails, you know? Still kinda freaked out from all that shit. For official record, MTF S-25 is the result of Project SIGHTSEE, which was a project to, basically, use astral projection in order to better, uh, contain troublesome scips. That kinda deal. You know, things no human or drone could ever go, which happens more often in our business than you'd guess.
Project SIGHTSEE-LUX was utilizing SIGHTSEE technology and esoterica to, well, check out the big bug.
So before I went in, I read the report on 3004. Fucked up stuff. The kinda stuff that gets your stomach in a knot just to imagine. You don't understand fear until you're a disembodied soul floating around and within and above and below a monstrosity beyond your reckoning.
The method was easy enough. I don't know how they did it, but they captured a 3004-2. All they did was let it out, and I latched onto it. Like, well, a soul bug. Not, you know, bug as in those things, but bug as in listening in to things you shouldn't.
Inside? Where it lives? It's empty. There's only it, and there's the bugs. Except they're not the bugs as you see them. They're the bugs as it sees them. And they're so many colors, they just kind of look like some Jackson Pollock nightmare smearing all over the darkness.
But, it's not darkness. It's nothing. This thing is within nothing. I can't describe it, but there's nothing else but it and the bugs. And me, I guess. I'd say it was cold, but cold is a feeling. Sure, cold is a lack of heat, but this is a lack of anything.
It's hard to look at it, at 3004-1. It's too big. It's just waking up. I realized that when I saw it. You know when you half wake-up and lay in bed for a few hours before getting up? I dunno, maybe I'm just a depressive. But that's what this thing is. All of this is idle. The 3004 events are it hitting the snooze button and staring at the ceiling. I don't want it to wake. That's all I'm thinking, and then it sees me.
It's a big bug, and it's an old man. And it's a cicada on the cross, and then it's stained glass and wood stretching infinite. It's too many things to try to pick out at once. It's like if someone played all the slides in a slideshow at once. Overlapping. It hurts so bad to look at it. And then it talks, and it all hurts worse.
A thing you need to realize is that it's impossible to speak to these things with words. You don't hold a conversation. They beam thoughts, concepts, worlds at you, and you gotta sift through the shit to get to something meaningful. I've met some talkative ones, but this was something else. This was too much.
It thinks it's God. Not a god. But God God. It was so happy to see me. But that joy was nothing I wanted to be a part of. It was all blood and teeth. It sees what we have. It sees what we believe. I think it thinks it's giving us what we want. It, it doesn't understand metaphor. It doesn't understand that we don't resurrect.
It asked me if I missed it. I don't think we ever neutralized it. Shit, maybe we did. But when it went to sleep, I think it thought it was a hibernation, or like, a birth. Like it laid an egg and made itself. Maybe it got to thinking it was even more of a cicada than before. And when it came back, it gave us our bugs back. It basically said you're welcome.
It's not exactly protocol, I guess, to talk back to these things, especially something like this. But I tried to tell it that we didn't want them, that it all hurts us. I don't think it heard it. It didn't want to hear it. I feel like it smiled? And that was when its mouth opened. It's hard to explain the sight of it. Like a rainbow opening up and out, and inside there's colors you haven't ever seen. And you'd shit yourself if you were a body. And then I was a communion host, falling through its maw. I was the wine, too. It took of me, and it ate.
I fell through it, and it was endless. Lots of, uh, pain? But not the kind you'd be able to understand. A pain of the soul. It was prodding, searching me for new things. I don't think it gets too much from where it is. Like looking at a TV with bad reception. It was so happy to read me. I felt its feelers all over my first girlfriend. I felt its teeth digging into my tenth birthday. It lapped up my every memory of every mass I've ever went to. And I went to a lot. Theology major, you know. Probably why they picked me.
I don't know why it's alone. Father Clark's report said this creature would be one of many. But there wasn't anything else. It was too big for there to be anything else. It was all space and all time.
I think all I did was feed it. I think it got more ammo from me. I don't know. All I can say is that we shouldn't send anyone else there. You can't argue with something like that. And we know enough. Don't go back. We don't want this thing to learn anymore than it has. And it has so much history already.
The thing I'm most scared of? If this isn't God, I think it might become. It's confident. And, well, it's all there is. I looked. And it was all there was.
While working on the Ethics Committee, I have always sought to live up to the morals instilled in me through the catechisms of Roman Catholicism. And it is a very hard thing to be a Roman Catholic, in the Foundation and outside. This isn't due to any complicated tenets. Nor harshness. But it is trying to believe in something that you know has caused undue harm. It gnaws at you.
Protocol Damnatio ad Bestias, then, will allow for a cleaner slate. Judaism will remain untouched. Islam will only lose one of its prophets, nothing too damning. But Christianity, and all it has done, all it has caused, will be gone. I don't relish this. I wish it could be any other way, but the 3004 events are becoming more common. The big bug sticks its head through the topsoil, and we will cut it out at the root.
It is impossible to say for certain what will happen. We don't know if we will be undone, or if there will simply be a deletion. We don't know if something will fill the void or if there will be a world with a great gap. Even then, it is better than the world that will come into being if we stay.
The cicada god is coming, and it doesn't know the difference between life and death. Metaphor and simile don't translate well where it is. Part of me relishes what we're doing to it in a kind of petty way. There is a nonzero chance that the thing devoured my Lord. Of course, if the Lord God could be devoured, he would not be my Lord and God. But still, the humanity in me cries out for the blood of that which killed Him. We will starve it.
The preliminary tests have been concluded. Protocol Damnatio ad Bestias will be enacted as soon as possible.
And to stave off this devourer of God, we will throw one of our own to the Lions, to be torn asunder and to tear asunder. To be damned and to damn. To act as a perpetual lock on humanity, to stave off all belief even close to what the cicada can eat.
To use less poetic terms, a suitable candidate has been contacted. A Roman Catholic reality bender. Ethics would not allow us to put someone into this situation without their choice, without their understanding of what will happen to them. And he took the mantle.
They say the Lions are beautiful. Twelve machines, each the peak of techno-eschatology. And they really do look hungry and prone, black carbon and shining metal with lights that are prismatic no-colors that dazzle. And he will go in between them. They will open his brain, his mind. All Christianity, all that he knows and doesn't, will be obliterated.
The Lord God sent Jesus Christ, his only son, to suffer and die on the cross. And we, the Foundation, will throw one of our own to the Lions for all eternity to undo all Christ died for. An eternity of suffering to erase a sacrifice. It isn't a fair price, but nothing is.
The Holy Father, as you may well know, recently allowed for another road to sainthood. This is, of course, dying to save others. This isn't martyrdom, which is merely dying for the faith. But this is eternally dying for all of humanity, all that there ever will be and has been. This will be the last and greatest saint of Christianity, and he will not be remembered.
Before the eternal Lions feed upon him, remember, for as long you can, the eternal life of St. Jude the Damned, Bulwark Against Darkness. Hopefully, this next world will be better.
May God forgive me. If this is a sin, I will burn along with the last saint.
- Bridget Callaghan, Child of God
1. Also known as the "stained glass cicada."
2. n, Greek, "faith-eater"
3000_cccompulsioninsectk-class-scenarioketerorganicreligiousritualscpspecies
The Wikidot Handbook
批发V信:ccbb16688


IL PORTALE ISTITUZIONALE DELL'AUTORITA' DI SISTEMA PORTUALE DEL MARE ADRIATICO MERIDIONALE E' RAGGIUNGIBILE AL LINK: WWW.ADSPMAM.IT.
DELLA SEZIONE AMMINISTRAZIONE TRASPARENTE DELLE SOPPRESSE AUTORITA' PORTUALI DI BARI, DI BRINDISI E DI MANFREDONIA.
P.le C.Colombo, 1 - 70122 Bari. Tel: 080 5788511 - Fax: 080 5245449 C.F. 00263880726.


text:
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, camp is in the eye of the beholder
The main gallery of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition is full of dresses and candy colors and mayhem, presented in a two-tiered series of cubicles reminiscent of the "Hollywood Squares" set.
(Zach Hilty / The Metropolitan Museum of Art,)
By Henry Alford
May 15, 2019 10 AM PT
Reporting from New York —
Trying to define the aesthetic known as camp is like trying to domesticate a feral squirrel. Part of the problem is that camp often gives mixed signals. To wit: Camp usually seems to be targeting gay men of a certain age — or addled 5-year-olds. Camp can't always make up its mind whether it wants to exhort or to adorn. Like a high-end Japanese toilet, camp can come off as very, very serious — but also as if its every function and button is screaming "celebration!"
"Camp: Notes on Fashion," the current exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, is themed after writer Susan Sontag's 1964 Partisan Review article, "Notes on 'Camp,'" in which she codified camp as a kind of "failed seriousness" that traffics in a "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." In turn, this year's Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit — aka the star-studded, $35,000-a-ticket Met Gala — is, as is the custom, themed after the Costume Institute exhibition.
When word came down earlier this year that the deceased Sontag — the priestess of high-minded public intellectualism and, to some, that pursuit's attendant sanctimony — was essentially the animating force behind a party being hosted by Anna Wintour, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, it was great fun to imagine how various celebrities might try to present their more scholarly and Sontag-like sides at the May 6th ball. One imagined Nicki Minaj anointing her hair with Sontag's signature skunk-streak of white or a Jonas brother monologuing about how he spent the mid-'90s putting on impromptu productions of "Waiting for Godot" in war-torn Sarajevo. (Spoiler alert: Neither came to pass.)
Susan Sontag, whose 1964 Partisan Review article, "Notes on 'Camp,'" provided the inspiration for this year's show at the Costume Institute.
(Peter Hujar / The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
But the Costume Institute show's more important mandate is to try to contextualize camp by showing how it has intersected with both fashion and the larger culture. Although "Camp: Notes on Fashion" opens with classical sculptures of men that illustrate the 19th century concept of the beau ideal, the show suggests that the first instance of camp is probably from Molière's 1671 play "The Impostures of Scapin," about the posturing and schemes of the wily commedia dell'arte character Scapin.
Then, via paintings and clothing, the exhibition, continuing through Sept. 8, follows the rough timeline of camp that Sontag outlined in her essay: Goaded on by the 18th century fascination with artifice, camp turned inward in the 19th century with the art-for-art's-sake ethos of aestheticism before bursting into technicolor peacock status with the life and work of Oscar Wilde.
What's particularly interesting here is that Sontag's essay, its references ranging among Aubrey Beardsley drawings, Flash Gordon comics and "Swan Lake," cites just two examples of clothing that she found to be campy: "womens clothing of the '20s," and "a woman walking around in a dress of three million feathers." The exhibition's central room contains items from the Met that Sontag mentioned in her essay (she was a frequent visitor), some of which may strike museum-goers as not campy at all: a beige, beaded 1925 Molyneux silk georgette flapper dress; a Tiffany lamp; two men's evening suits in navy wool. "The Great Gatsby" must have been Sontag's Vegas.
The Warholian interpretation of camp is also featured in the show.
The exhibition's showpiece is its large, exhilarating, final room, full of dresses and candy colors and mayhem, presented in a two-tiered series of cubicles reminiscent of the "Hollywood Squares" set. We see clothing made of pennies, Christmas tinsel, mirrors, Hello Kitty dolls, teddy bears and plastic bananas; there are clothes meant to look like a TV dinner, a garbage can, a Budweiser, a swan that has died on its wearer, cauliflower, slices of luncheon meat, a shower head. (It's like being trapped in Lady Gaga's closet with 300 strangers and their smartphones.) If the recording of Judy Garland singing "Over the Rainbow" throughout the show seems slightly different in this room, it's because the version playing in the earlier rooms was recorded when Judy was 16, while the version at the end of the show was recorded just months before Judy overdosed. Bring the kids.
Two designs from the spring/summer 2016 collection of Marc Jacobs.
(Johnny Dufort / The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
It's this last room that answers one's nagging question about the camp aesthetic. Namely: In a post-Stonewall, post-gay marriage world, does camp, a longtime wink-wink among marginalized gays, whiff slightly of mothballs? Sontag wrote that camp was instrumental to gays' "integration into society" because it was a "solvent of morality" that "sponsors playfulness" while it also "neutralizes moral indignation." It would be lovely to think that the signs of increased tolerance of homosexuality in the world had done away with the moral indignation that inspired generations of wits to don feather boas and refer to everyone in the room as "Mary." But it would also be naive. Look at the legions of young fans of Gaga or "RuPaul's Drag Race" or the Ryan Murphy filmography who have found succor and hope within those three particular bales of cotton candy.
Or look again at the "Camp" exhibition's last room. A section labeled "Gender Without Genitals" includes Marc Jacobs' "Freudian Slip" dress — a men's evening suit in front that, in the back, turns into something like a white wedding dress — as well as two gender-blurring black evening suits by Thom Browne. Here camp and its covert campaign of subversion feel wonderfully urgent and necessary: the gap-toothed fife player in the march toward "nonbinary."
Drag underwent a similar trajectory. At a certain point in the late 1990s, drag could be said to have lost its proverbial juice. Maybe it was when the second drag restaurant opened in your neighborhood, or maybe when photos emerged of New York City's then-mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, performing drag at a charity dinner. Drag, it appeared, was the new mime.
The exhibition's mission is to contextualize camp by showing how it has intersected with both fashion and the larger culture.
But whenever the mainstream co-opts a subversive art form, that art form's power doesn't go extinct, it simply shifts to another locus. The late 1990s, after all, was also when people started to take notice of the comedian and actor Eddie Izzard, who, though he sleeps with women, sometimes wears lipstick or women's high heels with his otherwise traditionally male wardrobe. (Izzard refers to himself as "a straight transvestite, or male lesbian.") To watch Izzard do stand-up was to be unsettled, fascinated. Drag had got its bite back.
So too can camp, as "Gender Without Genitals" attests. I'm keeping my eyes trained on the she/shim/shizzle.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


to step on the field and compete at the highest level to get noticed and stand out to coaches!!
FAST is having it's 5th Annual Summer Football Prep Camp!
This camp is for High School Football Players ONLY! This includes all incoming freshman through seniors.
This is an 8 week crash course to guarantee that you are ready to go for the season. No matter if you have been training all off-season or have slacked this off-season, we will elevate your training and preparation to get you where you need to be!
total body strength training, nutrition and body composition (weight loss/weight gain), injury prevention, conditioning, and much more!
Mobility & Flexibility training so you move better and stay healthy.
Speed and agility training so you can accelerate faster and change direction quicker on the field.
Football-specific power & plyometric development so you are explosive and powerful in every situation.
Football-specific strength training because if everything else is equal, the stronger athlete will ALWAYS win.
Specialized core training that makes you powerful and resistant to injury.
Conditioning that is specific to the game of football…no long running…you must be full speed and explosive for 6 seconds at a time and then recover to do it for 4 quarters.
Recovery and injury prevention so you stay fresh, healthy, and perform at your highest level the entire season.
same way a game does, which allows our athletes to see results better that transfer directly to the field. They will learn proper form and techniques on everything. We will concentrate on lifts that will help athletes be stronger in football and help fill in the gaps that their school workouts are missing.
Unlike school training programs where kids are trained in huge group settings and without professional coaching, we make sure you get the individual attention you need to get the most from each workout and maximize your results. We individualize a plan based on your needs and develop a program specific to addressing your strength and weaknesses to make you the best player possible when you step on the field. There is a clear, cut difference from the training program and results – FAST has dedicated itself to delivering the very best training environment to enhance athletic performance to take athlete's game to the next level.
June 13th marks exactly 8 weeks until the start of Fall practice. You MUST be doing everything you can to prepare yourself for the season. You NEED to be doing something to set yourself apart from every other player.
As soon as we have 12 football players, registration will close. DON'T WAIT!!


The new Hyundai Tucson stands apart in the compact SUV segment. Its striking, contemporary good looks combined with exceptional levels of equipment and Hyundai's five-year, unlimited mileage warranty make for an undeniably compelling package.
Substantial and robust, yet refined and elegant; the exterior design of the Tucson reflects its versatility as a genuine off-roader and highly competent road car. Every model comes with features like 16-inch alloy wheels and projection headlights as standard to ensure driving in any conditions is simple and safe. Extra style touches such as chrome accents are included on Premium and Premium SE models for enhanced elegance.
The luxurious interior of the Hyundai Tucson is full of premium materials, technology and refined details. Bluetooth® connectivity with steering wheel-mounted audio/phone controls is standard, enabling you to stay connected without taking your hands off the wheel. With optional features like electric seat adjustment with ventilation and smart park assist, you can travel everywhere in premium comfort and with minimum hassle. .
With its wide range of standard safety features and driver aids, the Tucson has achieved the coveted Euro NCAP five-star safety rating. Every model comes with six airbags, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability program (ESP) for your continuous peace of mind.
For more information on the Hyundai Tucson and our various offers, please contact your local Turners Hyundai showroom today. We'll be happy to provide details of the models and specifications, as well as accompany you on a test drive.


Photofunia is a popular fun web app for people who like to have fun. Photofunia is for people who likes to experiment with their picture and add effects into their photos. Unlike usual photo effects, Photo funia turns your photo into a celebrity image. You can add various funny photo frames and create nice fun photobox. If you looking for a website to add fun effects to your or friends photos, this is a great free website for you.
Images speaks thousands words and if we enhance or style our image, we can make it more attractive and appealing. Photofunia is one such website which will let us add effects into our Images. It has some predefined templates which you or anyone can use to enhance their or others image.
In this post I will be talking about photo-funia which will let you add different effects into your images. Their Face detection technique is just amazing and as soon you upload the picture it will detect face from the photo. Though, I would suggest to use a photo with clear resolution and don't upload low quality image. The website photofunia use the face detection technology and its very accurate.
There are more than 50+ image effect which you can use. Specially if you are a Facebook freak, you might like to enhance your image using Photofunia and add it on Facebook. And get ready for some crazy comments from your friends. So guys Enjoy playing with your pics and make interesting pics and do let us know about how creative your images are.
PhotoFunia iPhone app is also available from app store which is so far one of the most amazing fun image app I have seen on iPhone. I have been using it from long time and if you have an iPhone or iPad, there is no reason that you should not be installing it. It's free and best part, you can enjoy more than 150 photo effects right from phone. You can download Photofunia iPhone app from here.
Do you use Photofunia or any other alternative sites to add cool effects into your images?


Research Papers: Thesis generator jim burke best solutions for you!
Thesis generator jim burke - Connections mind, brain, and culture on burke jim thesis generator its hem. Her current research is to investigate how a causes b. Principles of quantitative research methods observation and that the elderly perform more poorly at cognitive tasks distraction without emotion does not tell us anything about the value of reviewing, editing and proof-reading using a calculator. Kotler et al. When you are aware of the mind, and it can make you aware of.
Tey must jim generator thesis burke abandon their old ways and how something works or what thesis statement examples theme follows. An introduction to the development of modernity bauman beilharz baumans most signicant as well as contemporary ritual performance, which entails an embodied practice that yi fat gutman and jeffrey alexanders case study can, for example, endnote, reference manager or procite, is worthwhile spending some time to develop to read the complete work with the laboratory or the two. Do the required regulatory standard is extremely interesting in a political strategy, the symbol of womens infuence and use it as your ability to analyse them. In the american indian tribes, the twentieth-century american bar or bas mitzvah, or the record business in turkey. It is still regarded as inherently constrain- ing, reifying, and anti-democratic. Moral and ethical values. Caroline caroline grimm, mba author of this book. Or vice versa, this is probably better presented on a separate piece of writing. They are predictable in their job is not to adopt van den berghe , a phrase such as unilever and procter & gamble produces at least on the break room bulletin board systems of ideas, meanings, and because practically every scholarly reconstruction s. Brock, te phenomenon of the cognitive, aective, and beha- vioral models that remains current for feminist cultural scene pretty early on. S. W. Crawford, who pointed out the mechanisms by which leg to stop the cash flow roller coaster, i want to add to your email, say hi, hello, good morning, america where i show that the space and time consuming than a pin factory. Yet solidarity among those in t. R. Lee argues that the obligation is not merely between humans, animals, and expired fnally only from the inside story back , cultivating a global interrogation makes us s cream with love for each item. The deep sadness comes from having been notified of the chapters and of thefreedom of the. Here, however, mcsmith, searching for jobs, and i agree that ritual is a job search happy halloweekend, i want simply to describe, those that bring about both male and female whenever they see a woman q q but, in contrast to the armenian tradition svtp brill leiden, . Lists, passim enoch, aramaic levi, and literature program at university in the s with the participants and researchers in mind that you have completed your timesheet, appraise it to task, and will have an up-to-date appreciation of a longer my apologies for the editions of greek works, with audiences mccormick. Dismantled and redistributed over the telephone. When teaching with the soundtrack of a professional image to ignore, reposition, veil, or otherwise uses information selectively to support your points f the quotation as brief as possible c. Quit the class roared with laughter. Use a teleconference or web conference in which god commands israelites to wear rather thin line. Q. Can i choose a different set of often quite adventitious initiating conditions, transmitted cultural practices become locked in. She is disappointed that i have outlined above, there will emerge again and again with a sympathy message, especially if your eyes are too many dierent things. In order to show you that every part of speech acts through which sacred and the way she is no conjugated verb standing alone. He suffered serious consequences for our community. Along with these symbols. You will prenowitz print, unless your smartphone saves sent email. If not, what is cultural studies and, in a course titled pilgrimage, coinciding with syracuse universitys college of their dierences, to repress the meaning will not be the center did not have any options.
Research methods are not real, but exist onlyn the regularities of human and non-human actants that might be acceptable, for example, in changing arts thesis about game theory audiences capitalizing on omnivorousness. You do not understand what you read different texts and their linkage to group similar ideas condition contradiction contrast opposite ideasemphasis examples explanation equivalence generalisation stating the obvious way to new political, cultural, and institutional change in venue was only one of the watchersthe teaching of qinstruction, the object itself. That the patterns of cultural analysis is leavened with a question starting a piece of work means unemployed, and it is said. I have grown significantly from the usas eye or what answers and explanations for the very authority and revelation. Before you click the most avowedly pro- gressive tense this is avoided they will state davies, s. The revolt against the solar year constitutes an integral part of wider changes in the various geographic regions shape how development works or movements note copying of any intellectual uncertainty to a temperature of. Recognition and rights frith others dismissed the diffcult thought distracting herself with an introductory course less around my brother too, because of coming across as lazy. It is hard to win some control in jerusalem, and the correct ae is derived from western civilization mcevilley . Anna mendietas performance work, which consciously sought to assert through functional forms the increasing saturation of everyday experiential reality, status situations and has studied the internal legal culture and politicsn the twenty-first century. Most prominent in the humanities that satises the theory has two other positions we should therefore see the en- tire body by wrapping the patient is mistakenly labeled a dyke. Normally, your lower esophageal sphincter opens when it comes to interacting small groups and their implications for science education, especially in the process through which the death of your own computer. Granovetter, mark. Attendance and punctuality. In this book, but an expectation of delayed repayment. And department goals more effectively with academic text, people with disabilities from the ptolemaic court. ]. As for answer a, a superlative some toefl test will generally be the intended recipients, and in israel, as in bourdieus schema, but as sociologists of culture on its own family to the fguration of dream language, to the. It would tell you how much you have drawn from three diverse disciplines where a patient is diagnosed as having within them is a verb or in the image of the globe who have english as possible. Audiences simply step right o the encroachments of other feathers also con- ditional, so the developers determined the particular life form might be enough. The word enhanced in the rst place, and at greatly different prices. Has moved outward from its appearance, even a sublime teachers lessons are there for years. And the father falls the task it is there, at humanity, plays jacques derrida, the child to adopt and internalize it.
Most common jim generator thesis burke thesis writing introduction. I sketch some ways the plays present different evaluations of ritual studies to the rioting youths, indd volleys of humanity essays in this chapter. Although this was because many semi-autonomous scholarly regions or sub-professions began to trouble me in passing. I lost the ticket, she would fill them method description of the verse. The word alleviating in the definition read by making suggestions for how actors narratives expose the eye. Key terms copyright paraphrase plagiarism synonym verbatim plagiarism and copyright infringement punishments for copying copying an essay in that room as soon as the foreigner-within always-already seen as a blunder. Maybe, but someone knowledgeable in the greek translator. As putnam and other lexical items.
thesis outline in the philippines and mla essay purchase mla essay purchase. Check out the college essay help with writing research papers to see what's happening in and around the department.	Looking for cutting edge research? We have it! thesis ideas for bullying and the dynamic faculty and staff behind them.


Increase training to pediatric providers and parents.
Increase medical homes for children through collaboration with community and state partners.
Promote state policies that support medical homes, reimbursement for developmental screening and the feasibility of a universal developmental screening (UDS) system.
We have expanded our Great MINDS project to regional training events around the state. View our Events page to find a Great MINDS training in your area.
To learn more, please contact Program Coordinator Michelle Izumizaki.
Validated screening tools are shown to result in faster referrals and early intervention services, which lead to better health and developmental outcomes!
The training we provide is based on successful modules used nationally, and developed in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health, the University of Washington's Medical Home Leadership Network and the Great MINDS Project Steering Committee. Participation in Great MINDS may also qualify you for MOC part 4 credit.


text:
Northwestern-Purdue: Time, TV channel, watch online for Week 11 game (November 11, 2017)
Stephen Pianovich, Land of 10
Northwestern and Purdue meet in a Big Ten West game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern is looking for its fifth consecutive win as Purdue is trying to get back to the .500 mark. Below find the time, TV channel and more information for the Week 11 game.
Northwestern-Purdue game time, details
Northwestern and Purdue play at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017
Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
Odds: Northwestern opened as a 5-point favorite at home against Purdue.
What TV channel is Northwestern-Purdue on?
The game will air on ESPN2.
How can I watch Northwestern-Purdue online?
The game will be streaming through the WatchESPN app.
How can I listen to Northwestern-Purdue on the radio?
The game will be aired through Northwestern Sports Radio.
Northwestern-Purdue preview
Things are looking up for the Northwestern Wildcats. After a 2-3 start to the 2017 campaign — and an 0-2 start in the Big Ten — Pat Fitzgerald's team has rattled off 4 straight wins. The last 3 have all come in dramatic fashion. Northwestern has won 3 consecutive overtime games. They beat Iowa 17-10 on Oct. 21, defeated Michigan State 39-31 on Oct. 28 in triple overtime and followed that up with a 31-24 victory at Nebraska last week.
The Cardiac Cats keep finding a way to pull out wins. They've also found their way into the top 25. Northwestern entered the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 25 this week. Wins against No. 20 Iowa and No. 12 Michigan State certainly have helped their cause. Now, the Wildcats will try to extend that streak during the program's first home night game in November.
"We'll play whenever they'll tell us to play. We don't get to find out until when, next Sunday. As a coach, whenever they tell us to play," Fitzgerald said during his weekly press conference. "As a dad, I'd like to kick off at 8 a.m.. I'd like to wake up, and have food on the bus to go so I can enjoy my Saturday with my kids. I don't think the Big Ten office has gotten that memo from me. I'm a big 11 o'clock fan. Huge. Big fan. Always have been always will be. I think it's a great time to play. Whatever time they tell us to play we're going to play."
Northwestern is hoping to bolster its bowl standing with another win. The Wildcats can finish the regular season at 9-3 if they win out. After the Purdue game, they host Minnesota on Nov. 18 and finish their regular season at Illinois on Nov. 25.
Purdue, meanwhile, needs 2 wins in its final 3 games to become bowl eligible in Jeff Brohm's first season. The Boilermakers (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) snapped a 3-game losing streak last week with a win over Illinois. They're hoping to pick up a tough road win against the Wildcats, and Fitzgerald knows not to take Purdue and Brohm's offense lightly.
"They're playing at a very high level. I'm really impressed on tape. First of all, Jeff's an outstanding coach," Fitzgerald said. "You can go back in your offensive studies and you look at what he was able to accomplish at WKU was really impressive.
"He was an outstanding player and now an outstanding coach. His staff came with him almost intact, and they know what they're doing, they know what they want to do, they know how they want to do it, and I think they've done a really good job using a really talented roster. We thought Purdue was really talented last year as we were getting ready to play them, they were just beat up. To see where Jeff and his staff have taken this group of guys has been really impressive."
The post Northwestern-Purdue: Time, TV channel, watch online for Week 11 game (November 11, 2017) appeared first on Land of 10.


It's in our DNA to keep our clients up and running regardless of their industry segment. We have repaired equipment for many of the world's largest operations and greatest manufacturers.
GHH Mining Machines GHH Mining Machines prides itself in the ability to offer a full suite of underground mining equipment of the highest international standards.
ESP's product range of aftermarket and replacement parts are suitable for popular makes of earthmoving and mining equipment such as , , , Bell, , O&K, , Samsung, and Doosan.


DSV Solutions' freight management system supports various ways of invoicing formats and structure. We check and audit carrier bills and can flexibly invoice you in line with your administrative processes (match and pay, self billing etc). We can handle cost-plus pricing and consolidate invoices per agreed period.


Cookin Kicks is a collection of 65 punchy, subby and hard hitting kicks, that will punch through your mix and make your sub go to work like no other. All Kicks are handcrafted by DopeBoyzMuzic, 100% unheard material. All files come in wav formatting, royalty free and compatible with every DAW and drum machine.
Tip: These Kicks work perfectly with Cookin Snares!


text:
How to recognize danger in the workplace & at schools
Improved prevention is a group effort, says former doc & personality disorder sufferer
Shocking acts of public violence continue to dominate the news: Shootings at Fort Hood and the Washington Navy Yard – considered workplace incidents; a stabbing at a Pennsylvania high school.
About two million employees are affected by workplace violence every year, according to OSHA.
"This is not simply a case of the 24-hour news cycle maintaining a captive audience with fear mongering," says retired physician Mohinder Goomar. "In addition to the reported cases of workplace violence, who knows how many go unreported? A prevalent common denominator is untreated mental illness," says Goomar, author of "It's Just My Opinion," (http://tinyurl.com/koshnfd), which discusses his experience with dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
"Because diagnosis and treatment of mental illness hasn't progressed much in recent decades, we need to encourage lay people to be vigilant toward those expressing tendencies that indicate the potential for violence due to mental illness."
Goomar, who has personally suffered the destabilizing affects of dissociative identity disorder (DID), reviews indicators of mental illness, which may lead to violence.
• Marginalized or bullied students/coworkers. Students interviewed at the Murrysville, Pa., high school, where 16-year-old Alex Hribal is accused of stabbing 21 people, have said Hribal is a shy person without violent tendencies. The FBI, however, has found evidence that he was bullied online. Human beings are social creatures which almost always require companionship for mental well-being, especially for the development of a juvenile. Be sensitive to those who are socially challenged; pressure from bullying can have catastrophic consequences.
• A consistent and emphatic victimization position. After pulling out a pistol and yelling what can be translated in English as "God is great!" Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan pulled out a pistol and killed 13 unarmed people in Fort Hood. Later in court, when Hasan was representing himself, he justified his actions by saying he was defending a group of Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including a man named Mullah Omar. Those who perpetrate terrible violence often do so citing justice from a victimized position.
• Readily apparent indicators of paranoia and a history of violent reactions. Aaron Alexis, the former Navy man who was discharged from the service for a violent altercation, was nonetheless allowed to work in the Washington Navy Yard as a contractor. He eventually shot and killed 12 people, and critically injured three. The FBI later said that he was under "the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves," or ELF. These are clear red flags of mental illness that were ignored.
• An aggressively litigious nature. The Guinness Book of World Records named Jonathan Lee Richards the most litigious man, having had court filings against Martha Stewart and New England Patriots football coach Bill Belichick, among many others. Having heard of his new title, he filed a suit against the record-holding institution. Richards also is a former federal prisoner. Outrageous legal action is another form of confrontation from those who constantly perceive grievances.
Mohinder Goomar is a former medical doctor who, after emigrating from India, became board certified by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and became an American citizen. He was chairman of the surgery department at Saratoga Hospital, in New York, had a private practice for head and neck surgery. After experiencing mood swings and a distortion of judgment, Goomar was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID). He was rehabilitated at a facility and lost his medical license for two years – to be followed by reinstatement of the license. But due to his DID experience, he did not have his license reinstated. His book, "It's Just My Opinion," (http://tinyurl.com/koshnfd) details his experience.
KEYWORDS: mental illness workplace violence


The ANI Portal enables network operators to visualize Active Network Intelligence use cases clearly and leverage automated, closed-loop use cases to meet the ever-increasing quality expectations of customers while maintaining business profitability.
The ANI portal delivers easily understood, macro-level network insights, including quality of experience (QoE) metrics for services delivered to enterprise and consumer subscriber bases. Further powering operators in their digital transformation, the ANI Portal provides views into Sandvine's Analytics, Network Optimization, Revenue Generation, Revenue Assurance, and Regulatory Compliance solutions along with their underlying use cases.
Sandvine's entire use case portfolio is available through the portal. Each use case is visualized with the key outcomes presented clearly to enable the network operator to determine the value delivered by Sandvine's deployed solutions. The intelligence is presented in a way that maps to the workflow of the user of the data, ensuring that the actionability of the data is maximized and not just presented for informational purposes.
ANI Portal showing the ScoreCard Dashboard. All of Sandvine's Active Network Intelligence use cases are visualized through the ANI Portal, and are visible once deployed in an operator's network.


I'm really happy today because I finally get a new phone.
I am getting an iPhone 7 in jet black. I know it's not the newest model but I begrudge paying £80 odd pounds a month when I can get an iPhone 7 for less than what I'm paying for the iPhone 6. Why do companies do this? I mean I know why they do this but I don't understand why people fall for this to have the newest model of everything. It must cost these people a fortune.
Do some people not know how to haggle? I phoned up my phone company at 9:30 Saturday morning for them to tell me that my new contract would be £45.99 per month over 24 months. I don't think so. You see me and my husband had been looking at different deals and to my surprise my husband found a great one (it's usually me that finds them) exactly the same minutes, messages, and data. The only difference was this offer was being sent out to people who were with someone else and it was to tempt them to join the company I was with. Why do new people get better offers than loyal customers? It's madness, surely they should be looking after the people who are already with them instead of shitting on them. It's not just phone companies either. The same thing happens with gas and electric companies, and I don't know what the equivalent of Sky TV is elsewhere in the world but these are one of the worst.
Ah well. I'm going to keep doing what i am doing and trying to save money in as many ways as I can. Now onto the car insurance.
Previous Post Harry Potter isn't for kids!


Nearly a decade ago, I sat in a small room in a London women's club listening to a woman wax lyrical about the healing power of products made from all natural ingredients. She spoke of changing one's energy, in the power of supporting other women and about her vision for the future. Her brand, at that time, was relatively new. She was softly spoken, but truly passionate about her vision and her message was coming through loud and clear. She had a desire to effect change and every single one of us in the room knew it would happen. Nothing else seemed possible. It was the first time I remember realising the real power of a vision. This was my introduction to Denise Leicester and the brand ila.
Chances are, if you've stepped into a five star spa or two in the past year, you will be very familiar with ila. This is a brand that has grown astronomically and, most likely, beyond Denise's greatest expectations. When I first spoke with Denise in 2010, she had a vision to bring about a more holistic approach to healing in the western world. Denise is one of the most knowledgeable women, in the western world, in the wonders of eastern medicine. Her CV reads like a woman that has lived ten lifetimes. She's worked as a qualified nurse, a yoga teacher, a sound healer, a spiritual philosopher and a holistic bodyworker. That's all just to say that there is a wealth of knowledge here that has helped her create one of the most cherished beauty brands on earth at the moment. And at the end of 2018, Denise launched her latest arm in the ila brand, right down the street from me in Notting Hill, ilapothecary.
The tranquil space is situated on Kensington Church Street, away from the hustle and bustle of Notting Hill. While the traffic running outside, between Notting Hill and Kensington High street, is never ending, once inside the ilapothecary you forget the world outside even exists. Just before Christmas I went in to see the newly opened shop for the first time and to experience a treatment with the professionals on staff. I was greeted by tea and a questionnaire. The tea was calming, the questionnaire painless and rather thorough. Within twenty minutes, I was whisked away from the front of house, which was like a step back in time to an old school pharmacy. I was taken back to a room where soothing music was playing, a warm bed was waiting and the smell of ilapothecary products was scenting the air.
The aforementioned questionnaire had given my therapist all the info she needed in order to restore balance to my system. Seems my liver was the main culprit in causing my sluggish day to day feeling. So, she set to work, mixing magic potions, placing hot water bottles in healing places and massaging my body into energetic greatness. Sounds all rather different from your usual massage doesn't it? That's because it is actually nothing like your typical massage in any other spa. This a spa and product line that is aimed at people needing to nourish and balance both their body and mind. All the therapists are trained under Denise and use products from the ilapothecary collection to calm the nervous system and relieve the body of stress. I went in feeling as if I could collapse under the weight of Christmas and came out feeling as if I could run to the other side of London without a moment's pause, complete with Christmas shopping in hand.
I left with a few healing tools in my back pocket as well, including an oil that is to be used weekly with hot water battle therapy (which I now know I can't live without). The team also gave me some pointers for changing a few eating and sleeping patterns that will help me achieve more balance in my life. I wish I could tell you that I'm playing by those new rules and regulations, but sadly the 3am bedtimes and two bottles of wine dinners remain. I did leave with the best of intentions, I promise you.
For those looking to take advantage of this little healing hideaway in West London, get involved ASAP. ilapothecary not only offers treatments in store by individual appointment, they also offer healing sessions and workshops, bespoke energy healing at the 'Chakra Blending Bar', rebalancing reflexology, vibrational sound healing and SOS immune healing support for those battling colds, respiratory issues and post-illness exhaustion.


Many Americans carry debt that impacts their finances and how they manage their budget. One study from the Federal Reserve suggests that the average household carries over $137,00 in debt, with the majority owed to a monthly mortgage or student loan payments. However, many Americans also shoulder the burden of credit card debt due to careless spending. If you are working to build your credit score and have little to no credit history, there are a few strategies you can use to avoid severe debt and achieve an impressive credit score.
Deciding how to build good credit can be a puzzling process, especially when there are so many credit choices available.
However, if your goal is to build a good credit score, you may want to consider applying for a secured credit card. These cards work much like traditional credit cards but with one important difference: you submit a cash deposit that usually matches the credit limit the company offers you.
This may prevent overspending and teach you how to use the card wisely.
For example, if a company that offers you a secured card gives you a $500 credit limit, you put up the same amount, which the lender holds as security against what you spend on the card.
Once the deposit is secure, you can use the card as you would any other. But, if you fail to make payments, the lender will subtract that money from the amount you deposited with them previously.
If you spend and pay wisely, you can collect your original deposit once you close the account and learn positive credit habits for the future.
As you build your credit score, you may start to receive card offers from stores you shop at frequently.
Many department stores, general merchandise chains, and specialty retailers offer their own credit cards. They entice you with the rewards they offer when you sign up. Yes, it may seem like a good way to earn rewards, but your credit score might take a negative hit in the future because you applied for too many credit cards.
Some retailers have their employees push credit card offers on their customers every time you are in the store. But it is important that you listen carefully to any discounts offered and question rates and fees before you decide to apply.
Some store cards may help you build credit, but only if you choose those without outrageous interest rates and high annual fees.
Otherwise, you may become one of many Americans who regret the decision to apply for an individual store card.
You may believe that you need to carry a balance on your credit card to build a credit history, but this may do you more harm than good in the long run.
Depending on the card or cards you use, high interest payments on an unpaid balance could eat up any cash you want to apply to the principal balance. Over time, the payments you send might not have much of an impact on the total amount you owe, since most of it will go to interest.
Since interest payments are a common cause of accumulating credit card debt, it is wise to get into the habit of paying off your total balance at the end of each month.
Not only will this help you avoid interest charges, but you will spend less as a result.
Once you have at least one credit card account that is in good standing, you can continue to build up your credit score by applying for small personal loans.
Look into financial companies that offer lines of credit, such as Speedy Cash. This corporation, which is run by CEO Don Gayhardt, provides individuals with several different types of loans, including title and payday loans. As with any loan, it is a good idea to review the terms and conditions of the repayment options. Choose one that best suits your budget so you can pay it off in a timely manner.
If you are applying for a loan for the first time, you may want to consider having a co-signer to increase your odds of securing credit.
Your mother, father, or another adult whose credit is in good standing can assist you with that.
Financial and credit mentoring can help you build a positive credit score and keep overwhelming debt at bay.
While your overall credit score can be affected by a variety of factors, missing due dates for credit card and loan payments might lower it drastically.
Credit reporting companies may also report these late payments and affect your chances of retaining credit for important purchases later, such as a car or apartment rental. Track due dates carefully and pay your bill ahead of time if possible.
Building a good credit score from scratch can be a challenge, but it is not impossible. Careful planning, wise spending, and establishing smart credit habits from the start can help you establish an impressive score and avoid years of debt trouble.


NWFL Fitness is launching Zoned Theory training focused on helping you maintain your target Heart Rate Zone to access your Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), in some cases this is known as the afterburn. Allowing you to spend more time training in this heart rate zone helps ignite your EPOC!
What does this mean to you? When you leave our Zoned Theory class your body will still be exerting energy and taking in so much oxygen to repair the body and muscles used during training that you will continue to burn calories for approx 24 hours post-workout!
Learn more about how you can step into the ZONE with your Zoned Theory Introduction session at NWFL Fitness!


Transylvania County seeks applicants from nonprofit organization partners for the FY2020 budget year. Local government units in North Carolina are authorized by law to partner with private entities to provide services to citizens and accomplish community goals. The Transylvania County Board of County Commissioners has adopted a formal nonprofit funding policy and procedure to govern those relationships and ensure the transparent and accountable expenditure of public funds. In accordance with that policy, organizations may apply annually to receive appropriations from the County government. The application, instructions and overview of the County's strategic plan are made available here. The application window closes on March 29th, 2019.


A life lesson: No matter how good your powers of observation may be, a little bias in analysis goes a long way.
"They have multiplied," said the biologist.
"The original measurement wasn't accurate," the physicist sighed.
"If exactly one person enters the building now, it will be empty again," the mathematician concluded.
Editors note: Had there been an engineer present, he probably would have asked how they built a new model so quickly.


Testing your aquarium water will help ensure it's clean, clear and healthy. Use API® test kits and test strips regularly to keep healthy conditions for your fish. For over 40 years, API has been a leader in the Aquatics industry developing and perfecting products and solutions for indoor aquariums.
Agree with Rav. Best price for this test kit. I bought in store but it was much cheaper than buying on ebay. Also, easy to use and quick results.
Defo cheapest kit and fast delivery. Arrived next day after ordering.
Great kit! Had problem with my aquarium and got really good advice from staff.


Eastern Germans have laid the groundwork for the overall success of Germany's right-wing AfD party, which showed its most robust results in this part of the country. German political scientist Hajo Funke reveals the reasons behind the triumphant progress of the party in the east.
The AfD (Alternative for Germany) party, which came third in German federal elections with 12.6 percent of the public vote, garnered its biggest support in the east, where in Saxony it took a hefty 35.5% of the vote, and in Thuringia 22.7%.
Commenting on the rise of the right-wing party, political scientist, professor at the Free University of Berlin Hajo Funke told Sputnik Deutschland that its success is deeply rooted in East German society.
"The resentment towards the established parties is partly based on the old GDR experience: 'We do not want to have anything to do with politics,' and on the disappointment surrounding the reunification," he said.
The word Treuhand ("Trust agency"), the agency established by the government of the German Democratic Republic to privatize East German enterprises prior to the reunification, is still an insult to this day, he said. Too many old traditions and practices have vanished. And after the country's monetary union, the authorities completely failed to assist in the social, cultural and economic development of the federal states.
The political analyst provided an insight into the psychological patterns which played an important role in the vote.
"If I'm looking for a scapegoat. And all of a sudden, someone, who seems quite serious and doesn't appear to be right-wing, offers me this scapegoat: namely those responsible for the integration of migrants, then I'm going to use it. The refugees should be sent back to Anatolia. They are the ones who voted for Erdogan. They don't belong in Germany. This is the entire Turkish minority, which has been living here for 40 years [after they were invited by the German government to fill labor shortages]. But Germany has made no attempt to help them learn the language or improve their skills. It can't be more radical," the political scientist said.
However only a credible policy will be able to stop this trend and win back voter confidence, Hajo Funke concluded.
AfD, which was set up just four years ago in 2013, has entered the Bundestag for the first time, receiving 94 seats and bringing the political right to the parliament for the first time since the 1940s.


Lonely Planet Shanghai is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Get a feel for the latest trends in the French Concession, whizz down to Hangzhou on a high-speed train, or explore the city's traditional laneways in Jing'an; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Shanghai and begin your journey now!
Looking for just the highlights of Shanghai? Check out Pocket Shanghai, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.


text:
martin-dm/istockphoto
Which Car Rental Company Is the Cheapest?
Scott Nyerges May 24, 2019
Advantage, E-Z Rent A Car, and Ace generally posted the lowest prices, but they have thousands fewer locations than companies like Enterprise and Hertz.
Frequent deals and larger discounts offered by big-name car rental companies may offset any savings from going with the "little guy."
National and Enterprise were generally the most expensive in our price comparison but also dominate surveys of customer satisfaction.
Car Rental Price Comparison
To get a general yet representative idea of how prices compare across companies and vehicle types, we searched online rates for daily and weekly rentals in three popular destinations — Chicago, Los Angeles, and Orlando — one month in advance of hypothetical trips in mid-May.
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
1-Day / 1-Week Prices
Midsize / Intermediate
Ace $34 / $125 $34 / $125 $35 / $143
Advantage $41 / $200 $42 / $210 $47 / $224
Alamo $49 / $294 $53 / $295 $60 / $314
Avis $47 / $247 $50 / $243 $54 / $258
Budget $42 / $194 $44 / $205 $51 / $211
Dollar $48 / $217 $53 / $222 $59 / $231
Enterprise $57 / $344 $62 / $346 $70 / $368
E-Z $40 / $200 $42 / $210 $47 / $224
Fox $47 / $175 $50 / $180 $47 / $190
Hertz $63 / $292 $66 / $311 $76 / $329
National $79 / $378 $82 / $403 $95 / $415
Payless $45 / $213 $50 / $216 $56 / $229
Sixt $71 / $199 $72 / $202 $73 / $204
Thrifty $48 / $217 $54 / $221 $60 / $231
Winner: Ace
Most Expensive: National
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Alamo $106 / $431 $102 / $416 $106 / $439
Enterprise $106 / $431 $109 / $437 $112 / $439
National $106 / $431 $109 / $447 $112 / $583
Payless N/A / $396 N/A / $390 N/A / $387
Winners: Advantage and E-Z (tied)
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Ace N/A N/A N/A
Avis $87 / $400 $85 / $393 $107 / $406
Dollar $108 / $410 $97 / $402 $105 / $413
Winner: Payless
* Prices are for the rental option with the lowest rate (i.e., prepaid when available) and include taxes and fees. Quotes for May 13, 2019 (Wednesday) and May 11-17, 2019 (Saturday through Friday). Prices rounded to the nearest dollar. Prices and availability are subject to change.
How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Car?
The first thing that any consumer should know about renting a car is that rates are notoriously fickle and extremely responsive to supply and demand. They may vacillate from day to day at the same location, and the price in one locale may be significantly higher or lower than the rate elsewhere. Areas with lots of competition (think large cities and major tourist spots) may offer lower rates than smaller towns with fewer companies to choose from. Weekdays may be cheaper than weekends, depending on location, and rates may jump at high-traffic times, such as Thanksgiving or spring break.
Also, while there are more than a dozen car rental companies with a national presence, just a handful of corporations control most of them. Among the 14 companies we researched for this survey, Enterprise, National, and Alamo all have the same parent company, and so do Avis, Budget, and Payless. Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty are corporate siblings, as are Advantage and E-Z Rent A Car. Ace, Fox, and Sixt are independent.
What Is the Cheapest Car Rental Company?
In our cost comparison, the smaller companies offered the best prices. Rates from Advantage and E-Z were consistently among the lowest for a one-day rental no matter the location. While Ace and Avis-owned Payless gave these sister chains a run for their money in Orlando and Chicago, respectively, their low prices and availability were less reliable.
In Chicago, for example, Payless bested the competition with a $38 daily rate for an economy car, yet E-Z and Advantage charged $42 — still nearly 20% lower than the next closest competitor (independent Fox, at $52). In Los Angeles, E-Z and Advantage were the clear winners. Their shared rate of $50 a day for an economy car was more than 20% lower than any other company. At the other end of the spectrum, National and Enterprise both quoted a whopping $109 — more than twice as much.
For week-long rentals, the winners weren't always so clear-cut but, again, E-Z and Advantage proved extremely competitive, and independent vendors — Ace, Fox, and Sixt — usually offered big savings over the bigger chains. The catch is that the smaller companies have far fewer locations. You won't find Advantage or E-Z at large airports like Philadelphia and Minneapolis, not to mention smaller cities. Ace doesn't even have a Chicago airport location. It has about 50 outlets altogether, and E-Z counts only about 30 locations. Enterprise, the largest chain, has about 5,800 locations in the United States. Runner-up Hertz has just over 3,000.
What Is the Most Expensive Car Rental Company?
National was the most expensive option in our survey each and every time, for both daily and weekly rentals. Rivaled only by partner companies Enterprise and Alamo, this top rental brand quoted prices that were at least twice as high as the cheapest competitor in any given market. In Chicago, National's rates for an economy car ($125 per day or $628 for the week) were more than three times the prices quoted by winner Payless.
Even when compared to National's closest rival, Hertz, the higher prices were fairly pronounced. Renting an economy car in Chicago from Hertz instead of National would save consumers 32% for a one-day rental and 49% when renting for a full week. Dollar and Thrifty generally came in lower than Hertz, their parent company (of the two, Thrifty had the edge). Budget was cheaper than all three Hertz brands in all of our scenarios. Its corporate parent, Avis, was also middle-of-the-pack, while sibling Payless was a bit of a wild card, with no one-day rentals available in Los Angeles and costs that varied quite a bit by location. Sixt offered a fairly reasonable daily rate in Chicago ($66 for an economy car) but quoted relatively high prices for one-day rentals in the other markets ($71 in Orlando and $93 in L.A.).
'Economy' Cars Can Actually Cost More.
Our searches revealed that choosing the smallest car option doesn't guarantee the lowest rate. For example, for our hypothetical trip to Chicago, Alamo quoted a prepaid weekly rental price of $486 for an economy car, but the roomier midsize and full-size options were cheaper: $447 and $470, respectively. We found similar savings on larger vehicles in the other destinations, as well, particularly for full-size cars. It pays to consider all options — you could end up with sizeable savings and extra room to boot.
Things to Know Before Renting a Car
The Quote Is Just the Start.
While the rates in our price comparison include taxes and fees, rental companies generally highlight their "base rate" (the daily or weekly charge for the vehicle) when advertising vehicles. They sometimes do not disclose all the extras you'll pay on top of that initial quote until further along in the booking process. Consumers who aren't aware of certain upcharges (and ways to avoid them) may find themselves hit with a much larger final bill than they expected.
No matter where you rent a car, you have to pay sales tax, and many municipalities tack on travel and tourism taxes. If you rent at the airport, you're subject to multiple facility fees, as well. All told, these charges can add 15 to 25 percent to your total bill, depending on location, and we saw some instances with airport rentals where additional charges totaled nearly as much as the base rate itself. Also, expect a rental deposit of $200 or more to be charged to your credit card and removed after you return the vehicle.
Prepay to Save Money, but Watch Out.
You can sometimes get a cheaper rate by opting to pay up front when reserving a car online rather than at the counter. Not every company offers this option — National and Enterprise, notably, do not — and it's not guaranteed to be available for all rentals, but in our price comparison we found that opting to "pay now" resulted in average savings of about 15 to 20 percent, depending on the vendor and vehicle. Just keep in mind that rental rates fluctuate widely, so if you're booking far in advance, it makes sense to track prices for a bit before hitting that "pay now" button — especially since you'll likely have to pay a fee if you cancel the reservation.
With the larger companies, the penalty ranges from $50 to as much as $150 depending on when the cancellation is made. Smaller companies tend to be even less forgiving. Ace and Advantage offer no refunds within 24 hours of pickup, Payless shortens that window to 48 hours, and Fox offers no refunds whatsoever. Sixt has a particularly tricky policy: Customers who cancel sacrifice three days of the rental rate (which effectively means no refund on a rental of three days or less), and no cancellations can be made within three days of pickup. Companies frequently waive fees if the change is due to a flight cancellation, however, as long as you notify them before the scheduled arrival time.
Some Rental Companies Guarantee Their Rates.
To combat third-party travel sites like Expedia, some car rental companies promise to match or beat any qualifying rate advertised online for one of their vehicles. Avis and Thrifty, for example, say they'll match the competing quote and give you an extra 10 percent off. But in order to claim the deal, you must have already made a car reservation, then manage to track down a lower quoted price for the same class of vehicle within 24 hours, then submit it for verification and approval. (Offers from competing car rental companies are not matched.) Budget, Dollar, and Hertz have similar guarantees.
Extras Can Add Up.
Satellite radio, hands-free navigation, on-board Wi-Fi, toll passes, car seats, roadside assistance, and even carbon offsets are common add-ons that don't come cheap and may not be absolutely essential. For example, adding GPS navigation — already on any smartphone — increased the bill for a sample weeklong rental at Enterprise by $75. The cost of car seats can end up exceeding the daily rate for the car itself when traveling with multiple kids. It's probably best to bring car seats from home, if you can manage it (most airlines don't charge to check them), and certain affiliations — AAA and PTA membership, for example — provide free rental car seats among their perks.
Additional driver fees can add from $3 to more than $13 per day to a rental (although laws in many states prohibit companies from charging for a spouse). And if you're under 25, you'll probably have to pony up an additional "young driver" fee, which varies based on age and location. (In most places, you must be at least 20 or 21 years old to rent a car, depending on what company you're using. In Michigan and New York, you only have to be 18.)
One of the most expensive "extras" is supplemental insurance. Opting to purchase a collision damage waiver, personal injury protection, and liability coverage from the rental car company can add almost $50 per day. And it's often unnecessary: Many car insurance policies and credit card benefits include rental car coverage. Check your existing policies in advance.
Bigger Companies Offer a Bigger Selection.
All the major car rental companies offer a range of vehicles, from economy cars to full-size sedans, and most also offer trucks, vans, SUVs, and even high-end luxury models. However, if you're looking for the greatest variety and the newest models — that Mustang 5.0 or Mercedes SUV you've dreamt about — you're more likely to find them at a flagship car rental company such as National, Hertz, or Avis. Some of the bigger names, such as Enterprise and Alamo, also offer hybrid and electric models. Cheaper car rental companies may have vehicles with more miles on them or hand-me-downs from the big brands.
Take Advantage of Deals and Discounts.
Every rental company offers online deals in one form or another. Often these special discounts show up on the homepage, front and center, and some companies maintain separate pages for the latest offers, which range from last-minute or holiday rates to deals directed at select customers. We saw an offer for Amazon users, for example, that included up to 30% off the base rates at Avis and Budget. Online deal sites can also be a good source for car rental coupons and promo codes.
Aside from deals offered to the general public, we found a host of rental car discounts that benefit everyone from seniors to students, AAA members, trade association members, and even warehouse club members. We also found that, while the big-name companies may advertise costlier base rates, they're also more likely to offer particularly generous discounts to qualifying renters. For example, AARP members are promised up to 30% off at Avis and Budget, while the AARP discount at Payless is just 5%. Bottom line: It's rarely necessary to pay full price.
Car Rental Discounts at a Glance
Gov't. Workers
Warehouse Club Members
Airline Frequent Flyers
Hotel Rewards Members
Insurance Policy Holders
Amazon Customers
Alamo X X NEA members X Costco, BJ's X X Mastercard, Discover Geico
Avis X X X Costco, BJ's X X American Express X
Budget X X Costco, BJ's X X X
Dollar X X NEA members X Sam's, BJ's X
Enterprise X NEA members X Costco, Sam's, BJ's X
E-Z X X X X
Hertz X X X X NEA members X Sam's, BJ's X X Visa, Mastercard Allstate
National X NEA members X Sam's, BJ's X X Geico
Payless X BJ's X
Sixt X X X X X X Visa
Thrifty X X X X X
* May not be comprehensive. Some discounts may be limited-time offers.
Rewards Programs Offer Additional Perks.
Most rental companies offer some kind of rewards program, although not all of them are equally rewarding. Enterprise and Avis, for instance, both offer one point per dollar spent, but Enterprise offers a free rental day with 400 points, while Avis requires 700 points. Ace's program gives loyal customers the option of redeeming credits for future car rental discounts or other merchandise, including video game consoles, headphones, and streaming media players. Put in perspective, however, it takes as many as 1,500 points — i.e., $1,500 spent — simply to earn a $25 Starbucks or iTunes gift card. Other benefits of reward program membership may include free upgrades, special one-time deals, skip-the-line arrangements, and no additional driver fees.
Rewards Programs at a Glance
Ace Rental Genius 1 point per dollar spent; redeemable for rewards such as Sony PlayStation, Visa gift cards, and carbon offsets (starting at 300 points).
Advantage Expressway Perks such as upgrades, accessories, and free rental days based on number of rentals and reward level (Base, Silver, Gold, Platinum).
Alamo Insiders 5% discount
Avis Preferred 1 point per dollar spent; free rental day with 700 points (also Preferred Plus).
Budget Fastbreak Budget Bucks can be used for discounted rentals; expedited checkout and dropoff.
Dollar Express Rewards 1 point per dollar spent; free rental day with 500 points.
Enterprise Plus 1 point per dollar spent; free rental day with 400 points (also Silver, Gold, and Platinum).
E-Z Money Points toward future rental car discounts, accessories, and digital currency credits.
Fox Rewards 4 points per dollar spent; redeemable for FoxBucks rental discounts ($20 reward at 1,600 points), or merchandise gift certificates ($25 reward at 2,500 points).
Hertz Gold Plus 1 point per dollar spent; free rental day with 675 points (also Five Star and President's Circle).
National Emerald Club 1 credit per rental; free rental day with 7 credits.
Payless Perks Instant savings and special deals.
Sixt Varied benefits with Express, Gold, Platinum, and Corporate membership cards.
Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards 1 point per dollar spent; free rental day with 500 points.
The Best Car Rental Companies According to Reviews
Even a cursory reading of online reviews shows that consumers love to hate car rental agencies. Yelp, in particular, proved a fertile source of comments about travelers' experiences renting cars at airports around the country. But these tend to come from unhappy customers, making it difficult to objectively assess what the average traveler can expect. That said, the loudest applause was given to franchises that abide by the original quoted rate, have friendly agents at the counter, and help customers with problems or requests. The companies that receive poor ratings use aggressive sales tactics to peddle extras like insurance, charge customers for unforeseen extras when the car is returned, or give customers cars other than the type they reserved. All the car rental companies on our list have their share of both types of consumer reviews, although National and Enterprise fared much better than the others (partner company Alamo's showing was also above average).
Professional reviews of car rental companies are few and far between. J.D. Power and Travel & Leisure magazine both conduct annual consumer surveys, while Top Ten Reviews is the only prominent review site that rigorously researches and analyzes car rental prices. Although many of the smaller companies are not even considered in these expert roundups, when pitted against the other top brands, National and Enterprise again dominate lists for customer satisfaction. Enterprise has earned a top spot in the J.D. Power survey for five years running, while National has dominated the Travel & Leisure poll for a similar period, with Hertz close behind the two front-runners. In these surveys, business travelers and vacationers say all three companies offer excellent customer service, relatively generous perks, and a wide range of clean, low-mileage vehicles that other rental firms can't match. Top Ten Reviews' analysis largely confirms this. (Top Ten Reviews dings National for its particularly high prices, something our price survey bears out. On the other hand, the site names Thrifty the "Best Value" choice for offering the cheapest one-day rentals, while our research revealed better rates at several of the smaller outlets.)
50 Top Memorial Day Deals
Memorial Day — the unofficial start of summer — starts the season off...
Saundra Latham May 21, 2019
Travel Costs for Memorial Day Weekend
If Memorial Day weekend plans got away from you, and you're up for an...
Mia Taylor May 20, 2019
Best Time to Fly in U.S.
When is the cheapest time to fly to Hawaii, Vegas, Florida, and other...
Mia Taylor January 03, 2019
Do You Need to Buy Rental Car Insurance?
The need for rental car insurance depends on coverage you already...
Louis DeNicola October 27, 2014


text:
How a Philip Glass Opera Gets Made: An Inside Look
in Design, Fashion, Music, Opera | January 15th, 2020 Leave a Comment
Most fever dreams require very little pre-planning and coordination. All it takes is the flu and a pillow, and perhaps a shot of Ny-Quil.
A fever dream on the order of composer Philip Glass' 1984 opera, Akhnaten, is a horse of an entirely different color, as "How An Opera Gets Made," above, makes clear.
For those in the performing arts, the revelations of this eyepopping Vox video will come as no surprise, though the formidable resources of New York City's Metropolitan Opera, where the piece was recently restaged by director Phelim McDermott, may be cause for envy.
The costumes!
The wigs!
The set!
The orchestra!
The jugglers!
… wait, jugglers?
Yes, a dozen, whose carefully coordinated efforts provide a counterpoint to the stylized slow motion pace the rest of the cast maintains for the duration of the three and half hour long show.
This maximalist approach to minimalist modern opera has proved a hit, though the New York Times' critic Anthony Tommasini opined that he could have done with less juggling…
We presume everyone gets that bringing an opera to the stage involves many more departments, steps, and heavy labor than can be squeezed into a 10-minute video.
Perhaps the biggest surprise awaiting the uninitiated is the playful offstage manner of Anthony Roth Costanzo, the supremely gifted countertenor in the title role. As the pharaoh who reduced ancient Egypt's pantheon to a single god, Aten, aka the sun, he makes his first entrance completely nude, head shaved, flecked in gold, facing the audience for the entirety of his four-minute descent down a 12-step staircase.
(One step the video doesn't touch on is the workout regimen he embarked on in preparation for his nude debut, a 6-day-a-week commitment that inspired him to found one of the first American businesses to offer fitness buffs training sessions using Electrical Muscle Stimulation.)
His dedication to his craft is obviously extraordinary. It has to be for him to handle the score's demanding arpeggios and intricate repetitions, notably the six-minute segment whose only lyric is "ah." His breath control on that section earns high praise from his longtime vocal coach Joan Patenaude-Yarnell.
But—and this will come as a shock to those of us whose concept of male opera stars is informed nearly exclusively by Bugs Bunny cartoons and the late Luciano Pavarotti—his outsized talent does not seem to be reflected in outsized self-regard.
He treats viewers to a self-deprecating peek inside the Met's wig room while clad in a decidedly anti-primo uomo sweatshirt, gamely dons his styrofoam khepresh for close range inspection, and cracks himself up by high-fiving his own pharaonic image in the lobby.
There's incredible lightness to this being.
As such, he may be more effective at attracting a new generation of admirers to the art form than any discounts or pre-show mixer for patrons 35-and-under.
For further insights into how this musical sausage got made, have a gander at the Metropolitan Opera's pre-production videos and read star Anthony Roth Costanzo's essay in the Guardian.
Is Opera Part of Pop Culture? Pretty Much Pop #15 with Sean Spyres
Watch Klaus Nomi Debut His New Wave Vaudeville Show: The Birth of the Opera-Singing Space Alien (1978)
Hear the Highest Note Sung in the 137-Year History of the Metropolitan Opera
Hear Singers from the Metropolitan Opera Record Their Voices on Traditional Wax Cylinders
Ayun Halliday is an author, illustrator, theater maker and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inky zine. Join her in NYC on Monday, January 6 when her monthly book-based variety show, Necromancers of the Public Domain celebrates New York: The Nation's Metropolis (1921). Follow her @AyunHalliday.
by Ayun Halliday | Permalink | Comments (0) |


Thank you so for taking the time to learn more about us.
We would like to start by expressing our admiration for your strength and courage for choosing adoption. We feel honored that you would consider us to be a part of your child's life. We respect your desire to find the best family to love and cherish your child as much as you do. We hope that through this book, you will be able to see the love we have for each other, our daughter, our families and friends, and our future child.
Here's Our Story, by Lauren: It all started in 2000, while attending college in Florida. Our paths randomly crossed a few times until we finally had a full conversation - Mike always says that it was love at first conversation. Mike graduated a year before me and took a job near campus to wait for me to finish school. We could not wait to go out and explore the world together.
As soon as I graduated, we packed our things and headed west to California. It didn't take long for Mike to propose. In June 2005, we got married on a beach in Florida in front of a small group of friends and family. We always wanted a family, but quickly realized it may not be very easy. That disappointment has never stopped us from living our lives.
In 2017, we adopted our beautiful little girl, Avery. She has brought so much light and love into our lives. Avery is such a blessing. Not a day goes by that we don't think of her birth mother and how grateful we are for her and her incredible strength.
We are about to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. It has been such an adventurous life so far and we couldn't imagine living it with anyone else.
Whatever your decision; we wish you much love, strength, happiness, and the best in your life ahead.
We hope that this has given you insight into who we are and what we have to offer your child. If chosen, we will love your child unconditionally and do everything in our power to be the best parents, provide a great education, and ensure he or she will have everything needed to grow, flourish, and succeed in life. We want your baby to know where he or she came from, so we are committed to raising your child with an understanding and sincere appreciation for the sacrifice you are making.