text:
Leo Simons, né à le  La Haye et décédé le  à Rotterdam, est un critique dramatique, éditeur et professeur d'art dramatique, issu d'une famille aisée juive mais non confessionnelle.

Il était critique dramatique du  (La Vérité de Haarlem), rédacteur de  (La Scène) et professeur à l'école du , une association néerlandaise pour le théâtre. En 1905, il fonda la . Peu de temps avant sa mort en 1932, il finira son œuvre de référence , une histoire du théâtre. Il écrivit également .

Biographie

Famille, enfance & études

Simons est le fils de Mozes Simons et de Kaatje de Sterke. Il grandit parmi neuf autres enfants issus de cette famille juive, relativement aisée, de la classe moyenne. Bien qu'ayant dépassé le stade de pauvreté, caractéristique du quartier juif autour de la  à La Haye, la famille continua à participer à la vie juive. Ainsi, l'oncle de Leo, Levy, était parnassim et administrateur de l'hôpital juif, tandis que son oncle Jacob siégeait dans le consistoire.

Déjà lors de ses études secondaires, Simons apprit à lire et à apprécier des auteurs tels que Vondel, Potgieter et Multatuli. Après ses études secondaires, il suivit durant une année un cours à l'académie des beaux-arts de La Haye. Puis, il se rendit à Londres afin de s'inscrire à l'École d'art de Kensington pour y apprendre à dessiner. Il étudia aussi, mais pour une courte durée, à l'école polytechnique de Delft. C'est à l'Université de Leyde, où il s'était inscrit en 1884, qu'il obtint son certificat de langues pour l'enseignement secondaire.

Le théâtre et la littérature

Après une courte période comme professeur à l'école publique de commerce () à Amsterdam, Simons fut critique dramatique du  de 1885 à 1893. C'est pour le compte de ce journal qu'en 1893, il assistera au congrès de la langue et de la littérature néerlandaise à Gand, où il fit la connaissance de quelques jeunes nationalistes flamands, y compris Emmanuel De Bom – qui deviendra un ami pour la vie – ainsi qu'August Vermeylen et le jeune Lodewijk De Raet. Observer le mouvement flamand et y apporter sa participation, devint une tâche de sa vie.

Dès 1897 et pendant quatre ans, il sera rédacteur de  (La scène) et de l'organe officiel du , la fédération néerlandaise pour le théâtre, ainsi que professeur d'art dramatique de celle-ci. Vers cette époque, il écrivit lui-même des pièces de théâtre, qui ne furent toutefois ni publiées ni jouées.

Cette même année, Simons arriva à Londres en tant que consultant d'une maison d'édition. Devenu partenaire d'affaires de l'éditeur Henry & Co, c'est là que, dans les années 1893-1897, il apprit le métier. Il y demeura jusqu'en 1899. Compte tenu de son intérêt pour le théâtre, il n'est pas étonnant qu'il y ait épousé une dramaturge originaire de Rotterdam, Josine Mees, issue d'une célèbre famille de banquiers. Malheureusement, la maison d'édition fit faillite en 1897 à la suite de la publication d'une traduction de Nietzsche qui s'était avérée trop onéreuse.

Le , Simons fonda la , une société pour la diffusion d'une lecture à la fois de qualité et bon marché à la tête de laquelle il demeura jusqu'en 1930 et qui deviendra connue sous le nom de  ou bibliothèque universelle. L'objectif qu'avait Simons avec sa collection de la , était d'apprendre au peuple à lire à partir de livres vendus à bas prix. La première année, ceux-ci ne coûtèrent que  (et  lorsqu'ils étaient reliés) mais ils se présentaient néanmoins joliment. Il fallait propager, auprès d'un public aussi large que possible, autant la prose narrative en néerlandais que les classiques de la littérature mondiale. Simons, partisan de la Grande Néerlande, s'intéressa dès le début aux œuvres d'auteurs flamands : ainsi, il créa également, et à partir de 1918, une collection flamande, comprenant entre autres des œuvres d'auteurs tels qu'Ernest Claes ( ou Filasse) et Herman Teirlinck ( ou Le nouveau Till l'Espiègle). Ultérieurement, la  distribuera les ouvrages de l'éminent historien néerlandais Peter Geyl. Même après la mort de Simons, sa bibliothèque universelle continuera à distribuer de la littérature, y compris par l'intermédiaire de son association de membres, dissoute aussi tard qu'en 1986, qui avait de nombreux membres en Flandre.

Hormis ses efforts pour la , Simons contribua au  (Le guide) et publia des études sur Ibsen, Vondel (, 1929), Meredith et Shaw. Les questions sociales et juives obtinrent également son attention : ainsi, en 1925, il publia une brochure sur le sionisme et l'assimilation des Juifs, intitulée .

Le connaisseur de l'œuvre de Spinoza, Nico van Suchtelen, fut attiré comme secrétaire de direction à la  à partir de 1913, pour devenir son codirecteur en 1925 et, avec Pieter Endt, finalement reprendre la direction en 1930, succédant à Simons. Peu de temps avant sa mort, Simons compléta , une étude sur le drame et le théâtre dans leur évolution, publiée en cinq volumes et devenue une œuvre de référence.

Débuts d'un engagement politique

C'est Lodewijk de Raet, économiste et personnalité politique flamande, qui convainquit de la nécessité du principe du pouvoir du peuple, un Simons faisant plutôt preuve de peu d'intérêt pour la politique politicienne. En 1905, celui-ci devint pourtant membre du conseil municipal d'Amsterdam, mandat qu'il occupera jusqu'en 1911 en tant qu'élu indépendant, entre les sociaux-démocrates et les libéraux-démocrates. Il se montrait davantage fasciné par ce qu'il avait appelé le pouvoir du peuple : l'effort collectif pour le bien-être physique, social et spirituel de tous les membres d'une communauté. À partir de 1903, il publiera 24 études sur le pouvoir du peuple (). Cette prise de position idéaliste lui vaudra le soutien de deux âmes frères ; il s'agit de l'auteur et bibliothécaire Emmanuel De Bom et de Gustaaf Schamelhout, diplômé de l'Université libre de Bruxelles, connu plus tard comme médecin et homme scientifique.

Première Guerre mondiale et activisme flamand

En février 1915, des activistes flamands en exil aux Pays-Bas, notamment René De Clercq et Antoon Jacob, publièrent le journal . Simons les soutint tout de suite. Lorsque De Clercq fut licencié en tant qu'enseignant, Simon lui apporta un appui matériel, publiant également ses recueils de poésie.

L'année suivante, Simons est cofondateur d'un comité néerlandais , une initiative originale et militante ayant comme but de fournir de l'assistance aux prisonniers ainsi qu'à leurs familles et à d'autres nécessiteux. Des hommes tels que le  Gust Doussy ou le Professeur Speleers y étaient très actifs ; son président est Leo Meert alors que Simons est son trésorier. Grâce à ses relations continues, surtout avec De Bom, Simons, de plus en plus, vint en contact avec le mouvement flamand. Il fonda le Comité Nederland-Vlaanderen, un comité pour la promotion des relations entre les Pays-Bas et la Flandre, opérationnel jusqu'en 1918, qui instruisait un public néerlandais sur les intentions des flamingants.

Après-guerre
En 1920, l'assassinat de Herman van den Reeck laissa une impression profonde sur Simons. La même année, les premiers symptômes se produisirent chez lui d'une maladie rénale qui deviendra persistante.

En 1921, Simons participa au Congrès des étudiants thiois à Delft : un moment fort du mouvement grand-néerlandais. L'homme, d'apparence si serein et sérieux, très touché par l'idée grande-néerlandaise, jura de s'y investir encore plus. Immédiatement, il devint fort troublé : de nature plutôt modérée, il voyait d'un mauvais œil les différences entre radicaux et modérés, c'est-à-dire, entre un mouvement jusqu'au-boutiste et un autre demeurant loyal envers la Belgique. Jusqu'à ses derniers jours, il continuera à promouvoir le dialogue et l'action conjointe de tous les Flamands conscients. Il ne tarda pas à perdre toute confiance dans l'homme politique Frans van Cauwelaert en qui il ne voyait que peu de résolution et qu'il tenait pour un faible dont les disciples se laissaient réduire au silence. En 1924, il parla du nationalisme et du pouvoir du peuple lors d'une conférence d'étudiants à Louvain, ainsi que face à un public de Flamands en exil aux Pays-Bas. En 1926, Simons s'investit dans une action majeure pour l'amnistie : parrainé par sept personnalités indépendantes de tout parti politique (à part Simons : Frans Daelemans, le président du  Stan Leurs, Jozef Muls, Gustaaf Schamelhout, Felix Timmermans et Lode Baekelmans), environ 200 intellectuels de toute l'Europe signent un manifeste d'amnistie dont la propagation est principalement due à Leo Simons.

Si, dès 1928, ses problèmes de santé s'aggravèrent, ni des hospitalisations répétées, ni la chirurgie ou des congés de convalescence à l'étranger l'empêchaient de s'investir de façon permanente dans trois domaines : la , ses livres sur l'histoire du théâtre et ceux sur le mouvement flamand. Cette année-là, il s'occupa surtout du Fonds Borms, pour lequel il rassemblait des ressources financières jusqu'au niveau international. Auguste Borms, ainsi qu'Antoon Jacobs et Roza de Guchtenaere, demeureront des gens qu'il estime. Lorsque Borms fut relâché de la prison en 1929, Simons le reçut de façon festive dans sa qualité de président du comité du Fonds Borms à La Haye. Toujours en 1929, il lui fut proposé de prendre la parole au pèlerinage de l'Yser. Toutefois, Simons, favorable à l'idée, était malade cette année-là ainsi que la suivante. Aussi craignait-il, et à juste titre, de ne pas obtenir l'autorisation de traverser la frontière belge. La presse francophone le voyait en 1930 comme suit :

Un autre conférencier étranger – le Sud-Africain J. Bosman – sera d'ailleurs arrêté à la frontière belge, puis renvoyé.

En 1930, bien que souffrant de plus en plus de troubles cardiaques, Simons ne renonça pas : jusqu'à la fin de sa vie, il continuera à écrire des articles sur l'abandon du complexe d'infériorité des Flamands et il poursuivra également sa série  (drame et théâtre), dont le quatrième volume sortira des presses peu avant son décès, alors qu'il terminera le cinquième volume sur son lit de mort. Au dernier moment, en avril 1932, il reçut un doctorat honorifique de l'université d'Amsterdam. Jusqu'au tout dernier instant, il demeura fidèle à sa conviction grande-néerlandaise. Ainsi, il écrivit encore en  :

Notes et références

Source
  Steene, Willem van den, , Éd. , 265

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Activisme (Belgique)
 Auguste Borms
 Conseil de Flandre (Première Guerre mondiale)
 Histoire de Belgique de 1914 à 1945
 Marten Rudelsheim

Dramaturge néerlandais
Écrivain de langue néerlandaise
Nationaliste flamand
Nationaliste thiois
Personnalité du sionisme
Étudiant de l'université de technologie de Delft
Étudiant de l'université de Leyde
Naissance à La Haye
Naissance en août 1862
Décès en juin 1932
Décès à Rotterdam
Décès à 69 ans


I've shopped at Luckyvitamin for as long as I've been into clean beauty (+ way before I became a #luckyambassador), about 8 years now. Mainly because, they've always carried a lot of natural brands I've used, in addition, super-competitive prices… plus, the fact that they offer FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49! I get a lot of my beauty staples here + you'll see almost all of them mentioned in my FAVES!
EO Ageless Coconut Cleansing Milk with Hibiscus + Mango Seed Butter – Love, love, love this creamy cleanser! This is probably my 3rd, maybe 4th repurchase of this… which says a lot. I also wear a lot of heavy eye makeup (liquid liner, eye primer, tons of mascara, etc.) + tend not to really re-purchase cleansers simply because – they just don't get the job done for me without irritating my eyes. I'm generally always on this endless hunt for the "perfect" cleanser – one that removes every last stitch of my eye makeup, doesn't irritate my eyes, or my skin, + of course, that has clean ingredients. I've tried using countless brands of makeup removers (oils, + oil mixes), + finally just came to the conclusion that I just can't use them. I've been trying for years! They work well, but my eyes just despise them regardless of the type, or method. However… I've found that I'm ok if the oils are emulsified (into a cream or lotion like this one), so I may sacrifice an ingredient here or there for that reason. This has pretty much been a solid staple in my routine for the past year or so in between trying everything else + I'm pretty happy with it! I massage about 7-10 pumps (they're super-small!) on damp skin + gently wipe away with a warm washcloth. Sometimes I may have to add a few more pumps + do a second sweep, but that's no biggie for me… as long as it works!
Andalou Naturals Perfect Hold Sunflower + Citrus Hair Spray – I've been using this Hair Spray for about a year or two, + love that it isn't super-sticky + gluey, like most of the other truly natural ones on the market! I also can't tell you how much I appreciate that it's not crunchy, white + flaky in my dark hair, feel wet, or dry it out like straw! #JerseyGirlProbs. It actually creates a nice, smooth, medium hold – like the description says, + tames frizzes – making it perfect for daily use! If you're looking for more va-voom, I'd maybe check out the Lavender + Biotin Full Volume one (haven't tried it yet, but it's next up on my list! In the past when going out, where I've really needed a lot of hold + volume for big curls – I've used Alba Botanica's Medium Hold Hair Spray).
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Colorganics Hemp Organics Lip Liner Pencil (Cabernet) – These are typically my go-to Lip Liners since: they're slightly soft, unlike many of the cleaner ones, have a ton of pigment (YAY!), + also go on really smoothly without skipping whether wearing it alone, or over a liquid / powder foundation, lip primer base, etc. Also, if I'm careful… they also last on my lips throughout the day, + longer than my lipstick usually does. My usual faves are Plum or Chestnut, but they were out so I decided to switch it up with Cabernet this time! According to their shade charts Cabernet is supposed to be somewhere between Plum + Chestnut, but in person – it's way more red, + looks nothing like either of the two, FYI. Still a really GORG color though!


Everyone has different views about Earth Day. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, Earth day used to mean "hippies". Now that I am older and wiser, I know it means having a great respect for Mother nature. I am very fortunate, as I grew up in a farming community very close to a big city. So I really have had the best of both worlds. Growing up with farmers taught me not to take food for granted — it does not just magically appear on your store shelf. Growing up with lots of opportunity to go to the City taught me there are a lot of other people in the world with different food tastes other than just meat and potatoes.
When I was growing up, my grandparents lived in the City so there wasn't much of a garden. However, I do remember we did only get fruits and vegetables that were local to our area and they were always very fresh. When I was in my early 20's I had the opportunity to learn from a wonderful woman how to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables. I learned how to can tomatoes and green beans. I learned how to preserve strawberries (which grow very nicely in our area and are delicious fresh off the plant). I learned how to make homemade jelly (you can't buy anything at the store like homemade). From my grandmother, I also can make a killer pie — nothing is better than a cherry pie made with the tart cherries grown around here. By the way, the Midwest grows pretty good apples too.
Now that I am in the second chapter of my life with my new husband, I plan to get back to my early adulthood a bit. This year, my dear husband and I plan to expand our garden a bit more and can all those wonderful vegetables we are growing (some from seed). We are also planting more heirloom vegetables than we have in the past. We are going to expand our herb garden and I am going to really try to dry more of those wonderful herbs this year. We are also going to create a real compost pile this year. It won't be anything fancy, it will not be expensive — but it will get the job done.
We are going to expand the beautiful flowers in our yard. This I am doing all by seed. Yesterday, we dug all his old bird feeders out and filled them to treat our feather friends.
Our plans for the summer and fall include canning tomatoes, salsa and pasta sauce with vegetables grown from our garden. This year I AM going to figure out how to keep cilantro and basil through the winter….
We also love to take Saturday morning and visit our local farmers market. If we are really ambitious, we will drive up towards Michigan and stop at the great local places along the way (particularly during blueberry season). Both of us have done many of these things in the past, but with the two of us working towards the same goal we will be so much more successful.
So to bring this all back to my original topic — Earth Day probably means something different to everyone. For me it is to respect the land, respect our food.


The aim of the programme is to provide graduates with a range of management knowledge and skills, together with a thorough foundation in information management, information technology, and its commercial applications; the programme includes topical case studies, and reflects contemporary developments within the sector.
MBA: A 2.2 Honours degree in a relevant subject, e.g. business or science from a university, or a similar qualification from any other institution is required. Alternatively, possession of a suitable professional qualification and relevant practical experience may also be accepted. In general, however, applicants are judged on their individual merits and age, work experience and other factors are also considered. Whilst work experience is desirable, it is not essential. If the native language is not English, students must provide satisfactory evidence that they have an adequate knowledge and understanding of written and spoken English. IELTS: 6.0 (with no element below 5.5) and Internet-based TOEFL test scores of no less than 75 is required.
Compulsory modules: organisations and people; strategic management; management research; web technologies; finance for managers; databases; technologies for internet systems; information systems; students must complete part 2 by selecting 2 projects from the applied business projects component of the advanced taught programme of summer study, and by writing a computing project. For the advanced taught programme students will choose 4 applied business projects from a list which currently includes the following titles: e-business and value chain; human resource management; international business; investment and private banking; operations management; business planning.


text:
Delaware State Parks Wins National Competition for Excellence
Gov. John Carney announced Tuesday that Delaware State Parks won the prestigious 2021 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, which Delaware also won in 2015. The award is given by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration with the National Recreation and Park Association. Pictured with the 2021 Gold Medal Grand Plaque, from left to right, are the Delaware State Parks staff who worked on the award application: Shauna McVey, public information officer; Joe Ulrich, photography/videography manager; Laura Parks, land preservation technician; Martina Adams, special project coordinator; and Elena Stewart, land preservation specialist; and DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation Director Ray Bivens; Gov. Carney; along with Parks section leaders Greg Abbott, manager of Administrative Services; Matt Ritter, manager of Planning, Preservation and Development; and Grant Melville, manager of Operations, Maintenance and Programming; and DNREC Deputy Secretary Lisa Borin Ogden. DNREC photo.
Gov. John Carney joined Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin today to announce that DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation has won the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) and National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) 2021 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. This is the second time Delaware's state parks received this prestigious award, having won it previously in 2015.
In May, Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas state parks systems were selected as finalists in the State Parks Division. This biennial Gold Medal award has only been given 13 times since its establishment in 1997. Delaware and Florida are the only state park systems to win the award more than once.
"To be awarded the National Gold Medal is a testament to the dedication of the Division of Parks and Recreation and our state's natural and cultural resources," said Governor Carney. "Delaware State Parks provide refuge for millions of Delawareans and visitors each year, and were critical to the public's mental and physical health as we navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to the Division on this well-deserved national honor."
"Our entire state is incredibly proud of this significant national recognition of Delaware's first class park system," Secretary Garvin said. "I get the opportunity to see daily that the passion, dedication and commitment of the Division of Parks and Recreation team (staff, volunteers and partners) that is second to none in stewardship of our award-winning state parks."
This year is also the 70th anniversary of Delaware State Parks. The division does not know the exact factors that set Delaware apart in the competition, but believes multiple items played into being selected as the 2021 Gold Medal state park system. Under the leadership of Director Ray Bivens, the Delaware State Parks system has seen tremendous growth and broken records in numerous areas, including camping/cabin stays, volunteer hours, park attendance and revenue. Bivens, named Delaware's eighth state park director in 2013, received the 2021 National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) Conference Distinguished Service Award Sept. 10 during the NASPD's annual conference. Other distinctions that undoubtedly contributed to the Gold Medal recognition include:
Delaware State Parks welcomes more than 6 million guests annually and has seen record breaking growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, campground nights booked grew by 57% from 70,880 nights in 2012 to 111,376 nights in 2020.
The division is committed to innovation, including creative public private partnerships such as the Fort Miles Museum, Big Chill Beach Club and the establishment of Auburn Valley State Park from one of the most contaminated and flood-prone sites in the state.
The division's impact on the economy includes support for more than 6,000 jobs through concessionaire and partnership agreements.
The economic impact of visitors to the state includes $319 million in spending generated from Cape Henlopen, Killens Pond, Lums Pond, Delaware Seashore and Trap Pond state park campgrounds.
Despite being 20 times smaller than any other finalist state, Delaware boasts a diverse and robust state park system featuring ocean parks like Fenwick, Delaware Seashore and Cape Henlopen, urban parks such as Wilmington, Alapocas and Bellevue, historic parks such as Fort Delaware and First State Heritage Park and a variety of other amenities including Deerfield and Garrison's Lake golf courses, Brandywine Zoo, Killens Water Park and the Indian River Marina.
"Our 2021 Gold Medal recipients show a remarkable resilience as well concern for their constituents and staff in continuing to provide critical services during this COVID pandemic," said AAPRA Executive Director Jane H. Adams. "The pandemic has shed light on the essential services provided by park and recreation agencies."
Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of community members, staff members and elected officials. The National Gold Medal Awards program, sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC, honors communities in the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.
The award is given in coordination by the AAPRA with the National Recreation and Park Association. To learn more about the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.aapra.org.
Additional photos are available for download and publication at this link.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state's natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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This jQuery weather plugin is free of cost.
It is a weather widget plugin that can display the current weather of the user based on his browser's geolocation. Thus it can be used to display the weather conditions of multiple cities/countries in the world.
The plugin also provides a set of different icons and background image like snowy, mountains and hot desert. It displays automatically these images depending upon the weather.
You can toggle between Fahrenheit and Celsius depending on the format you want to showcase on your website.
The plugin also has multiple location search options.
This jQuery weather plugin does not charge any amount for the lifetime.
Now you've read some of the best jQuery weather plugins through which you can display weather forecasting info on your website.
Most of these jQuery plugins offer a customizable weather widget to showcase them on sidebar or footer of your website.
Do you have more recommendation for the jQuery weather plugins? Let us know in the comments!


text:
Litlington or Littlington can refer to:

People
 William of Littlington (died c. 1310), English Carmelite friar

Places
 Litlington, Cambridgeshire
 Litlington, East Sussex
 Litlington White Horse

See also
 Lillington (disambiguation)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Our desks at PLSR are filled with jars of all sorts: pens, paperclips, flowers, you name it, it's most likely been put into a jar of some sort. Yet when we have meetings, interviews, or anything else where a guest is in our office we wanted to add a jar that was for them. That's why we turned to Extra® Gum packages which contain 35 pieces! We picked up a few of these & threw them in a jar for guests to enjoy while they're hanging with us. Ok fine, we'll admit we've snuck a few pieces ourselves! The Spearmint & Polar Ice® flavors are just too good to pass up. Plus with the 35 pieces we know we'll still have plenty for others to take. We created a simple DIY tag saying "Take Me" so guests know they're welcome to enjoy the new Extra® 35-stick pack while in our office. Follow along with the simple steps below to create this tutorial yourself!
We easily found everything we needed at Walgreens. The Extra® Gum 35-stick packages in both Spearmint & Polar Ice® we're located in the Gum & Mint aisle as seen above. They can also be found in the checkout line at Walgreens. We love the fact that this product features durable, recycled packaging. This packaging makes it super convenient to keep on your desk as shown here or in your purse on-the-go. Check out more from Extra® Gum here!
Step 1: Fill jar with Extra® Gum 35-stick packages.
Step 2: Punch hole in top left corner of index card. Write "Take Me" on index card. Insert bakers twine through hole & wrap around the top of the jar. Place on desk for others & yourself to enjoy!
Such a cute idea! I always have a pack of gum in my bag!
This is too cute, I love!


text:
My 2016 vote
Simon Varwell / Saturday 23 April 2016
Politics seems like a blur these days. At times a horrifically depressing blur. Hence the fact I've not blogged anything for a long time about Scottish politics. Since the referendum, in fact.
Much has happened since then, including the Tories' surprise victory in the 2015 General Election and the forces of hell that unleashed, the SNP's surge, Corbynmania and of course the EU referendum (more on that last one in another blog post coming soon).
But one other thing that has happened since then – and, frankly, it had been happening for some considerable time before – is my slow drift towards a desire to vote Green in the Scottish Parliament elections next month.
The independence referendum reinforced in my mind that the Greens were a principled, straight talking and radical party that wasn't afraid to think big and think different. And as the referendum sparked – on the Yes side, at least – an unparalleled level of optimism, creativity and vision in Scottish politics, the Greens played a big part in selling a convincing, diverse and fresh case for independence.
Two things struck me about the Greens' contribution to the referendum debate. Firstly, they made a case that was explicitly non-nationalist. Now, there's a perfectly valid civic nationalist case for independence, but what the referendum campaign helped prove was that the argument was no longer owned or characterised by nationalism or the SNP, but by a diversity of voices.
(And the fact that there are nationalist, Green, socialist and many other approaches to a case for independence is one of the main successes of the referendum campaign: one of the key arguments in Scottish politics today is not merely independence versus the Union but lots of different parties' and individuals' competing views about the different routes to and benefits of independence. More and more, independence seems to be becoming a given, the starting point for discussions; meaning the key question now is what we could do once we're there. That perception is a bit of a tangent for this post but something I would love to expand on in the future if I have the time and energy.)
The second thing that impressed me about the Greens during the referendum was that they were quite honest about their party's divisions on the matter. There was a substantial minority – but minority nonetheless – in the party opposed to independence, their spokesfolk would frequently say. And this was due to the fact that independence was not the party's raison d'être but merely a model of governance that they believed make their policies more achievable. There's something extra-persuasive about a group who say they've not just gone for independence due to some inherent, unarguable instinct but as the result of a evaluation of the facts as they see them.
Of course, the Greens were, in the grander scheme of things, not among the bigger players in the referendum. The SNP and the major Unionist voices dominated on the whole. But the Greens, like the SNP (if not on the same scale) enjoyed something of a post-referendum bounce, and as their membership has rocketed so has their profile, their impact and their perceived chances in next month's vote. There's an optimism about the party, and they are now talking about providing a principled, constructive opposition to the SNP – something that would be refreshing in the face of the dogged, ideological "SNPBAD" messages being repetitively heard from the Unionist parties.
So far, so very political and so very referendum-shaped. My drift to the Greens is not just about all that, however. It is, thankfully, down to their policies too.
The Greens, more than perhaps any other party in Scotland, appear to have not only a vision that appeals to me, but one that seems more than with any other party to be is holistic and integrated – it's not a collection of individual policies focus grouped to death but policies that all have their routes in a strongly-rooted, consistent, coherent philosophy. That philosophy is, in short (and as far as I can express) nothing short of a complete rewrite of how we do pretty much everything – from our economy to our environment, to our view of the planet and our view of our neighbourhoods.
Here's what I mean.
I've seen a couple of talks and read plenty articles by Green candidate Andy Wightman. He's second on the Lothians list and, it seems, is on a knife-edge in terms of whether he will be elected or not. He's perhaps better known as a writer, campaigner and researcher on land reform issues, and his website on such matters is well worth a read. The stuff I've heard from him has convinced me of a couple of things.
One is that land is interesting. I'd never really understood or dwelt much on the politics of land (surprising, perhaps, given where I grew up), but Wightman's powerful analysis has really got me thinking about why so much of our land is owned by so few people, what the impact of that is, and the benefit of it being different. An example of this is the idea of a land value tax (LVT) – a Green policy considerably shaped by Wightman's research.
The idea of LVT is that you pay tax on the value of your undeveloped land. So it's not a property tax or an income tax – it's purely about what your land might be worth irrespective of what's on it: in effect, imaging if there was nothing whatsoever done to it or built on it. One advantage of this is that it becomes no longer economically viable to leave land unused – whether that's a sporting estate stripped bare for a few deer shoots a year, or an urban wasteland left empty or ruined due to negligence. If you own land, it's in your interests to make it economically useful (as a home, or for businesses etc) or sell it to someone else. The second advantage – obvious, but worth stating – is that you can't hide land. As we're learning in the news lately you can easily hide money offshore. Land is a bit trickier to electronically wire to someone.
Thinking about this hammers home the point to me that land is – or should be – hugely important in politics. Indeed, you could almost argue that it is the figurative as well as literal foundation to everything a society rests on. It seems astonishing to think, for instance, that there is no single database of who owns land in Scotland. It could be literally anyone, hiding behind all sorts of companies and fronts, that owns vast swathes of the country without us easily knowing. Yet a register would highlight the inequality, make people accountable, and raise the question of why it's like this.
This has a consequence for the principle of community ownership, which in turn allows for locally relevant and locally controlled economic activity. It makes people realise that the land around them is an asset that can and should be exploited, whether for affordable housing, for business, tourism or whatever.
That in turn links to the question – one of Andy Wightman's favourite topics – of local government (1|2). In Scotland, he persuasively argues, our councils are huge, with average populations of over 100,000 people – whereas in parts of Scandinavia an authority might just cover a few thousand or even a few hundred people. That creates intimacy, accountability and relevance. It makes people connect more with where they live and the decisions made around them. My council for instance, is Highland Council. Something that is four hours' drive from top to bottom and west to east cannot in any sense of the word be described as local. And can it even be described as government when councils' hands are so tied (not least with the council tax freeze)?
That Greens stand for having smaller local authorities with real powers and freedoms is, I'm realising, important to me. In an age when decisions seem to be centralised more and more in the hands of rich elites, the idea of communities being reignited with powers that could make a real difference strikes me as terrifically exciting.
I'm waffling now, but basically I've been realising the more I look into all this just how much land is the central aspect of a Venn diagram that includes taxation, wealth, government, community development and, obviously, the environment. To rethink and reorder the country in such a fundamental way is appealing, exciting and urgent.
And there's little to suggest the SNP are heading in that direction themselves. That's not to criticise them unduly. I've voted for them in every election in my adult life (with the exception of the 2015 General Election when I voted Green for the first time). The SNP are a (mostly) left of centre party with a real commitment to making Scotland work. Nicola Sturgeon is a fine, principled politician and the SNP's administration since 2007 and been, on the whole, about sound, stable management with a healthy dose of compassion, humanity and internationalism. That we finally got a referendum on independence, and all the optimism that unleashed, was an amazing achievement on top of that.
But since then, the SNP have seemed cautious – about (ironically) managing the status quo as safely as possible until… until what? I don't know. The result of the EU referendum? A shift in independence support emanating from the disastrous government in London? I stand by my prediction that there'll be a second independence referendum soon, but we shouldn't simply sit and wait for that, and keep things ticking over nicely til then. The SNP will be a good government after this election (not to mention an entirely inevitable one, if polls are to be believed). But I do believe it's important to have more Greens in parliament.
Of course, all this is not to say the Greens are perfect. They're not. Far from it. There are a few policies of theirs I disagree with, not least in transport – their opposition to the upgrades of the A9 and A96 is thunderously bonkers for a start.
Yes it's great that the Greens (mostly) support independence. But more than that they seem to have an energy and passion for making Holyrood work much better than it does in the meantime. Which it needs to. I'll not regurgitate their manifesto and the parts that really make me excited for what Holyrood could be – instead, I'll just direct you to it online and you can read it for yourself.
Nothing in politics is perfect. The Greens aren't, the SNP aren't, and this blog post – started weeks ago and eventually finished in a rush – most certainly isn't. The SNP will make a fine administration in the next parliament. But I do think a hefty Green presence in Holyrood will help continue the move to make the Scottish Parliament dynamic, radical, and a place where conventional views of politics are turned on their heads.
And boy does politics need turning on its head these days…
So on May 5th I'll be voting SNP in my constituency vote and for the Greens on the list.
(If you've made it to the end of this post, congratulations on your powers of endurance. Any constructive comments are very welcome.)
Saturday 23 April 2016 in Scottish politics. Tags: greens, holyrood, scottish green party, Scottish Parliament, SNP
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Dumpster Rental Atlanta has roll off dumpsters in a wide variety of sizes, many of which will fit in the average driveway and essentially bring a massive waste container straight to the house. Fill it up with your project waste or old junk, and we'll come and pick it up and dispose of it. Other than tossing your waste into the dumpster – you won't need to lift a finger!
As much as we would all like to have the time to do a full house cleaning and remove all of the old junk every spring – it simply doesn't happen. Most families tend to build up nice stockpiles of rubbish in closets, the attic and the basement that eventually needs to be thrown away.
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text:
Playboy, Fanboys, and Olivia Munn
Kotaku has a post up about G4 television personality Olivia Munn's recent Playboy shoot. Apparently Munn had agreed in advance that it would not be a nude shoot, but was pressured otherwise at the shoot itself. She did stick to her guns, though, and complete a clothed shoot as planned. Said Munn, "It ended with my publicist and the stylist screaming at each other."
I was particularly interested in writing up a quick post about this piece because of the last few paragraphs:
Munn's knows that part of why Playboy came calling, and was cool with her not doing nudity, is she has a fan base that's highly coveted by advertisers. Gamers are easily separated from their dough, after all. But the positive response she's gotten for not taking it off tells her that her fans do care. "They're not going to say, 'Oh, titty! Oh, that's Olivia's vagina, let's go buy it!'" she said. "They're supportive, not just because it gets them off."
But she doesn't worry about being typecast for the geek demographic. To the contrary, it gets her plenty of work. She's just finished up a role in Iron Man II, and got an offer for another from producers who said they wanted someone who isn't the kind of pedestalized-hot that Megan Fox represents.
"I love this world I am in," Munn said. "If I could stay in this world forever, the nerd world, I'd be happy. I've been here for three years, and I can confidently say this is a world I feel comfortable and welcomed in."
I thought it was really nice that she describes her fans as supportive and welcoming. Predictably, Kotaku's comments on the article include many crude responses, though I was interested to see several people commenting that this makes them respect Munn even more. I'll leave further commentary aside for now (must focus on more pressing writing tasks), but I thought this might be of interest to some readers here.
Posted on June 20, 2009 Posted in Games, Miscellanea
Where'd My Key Go? (And Other Game Design Annoyances)
If Mating Were a Math Problem
7 thoughts on "Playboy, Fanboys, and Olivia Munn"
Actually, I was hoping for a nude shoot precisely because she's not the 'pedestalized-hot that Megan Fox represents.' (Oddly snarky way of putting it.) I am happy that she's getting more film offers on that basis, though.
zandperl says:
On the one hand, I'm glad she stuck to her guns and didn't strip off.
On the other hand, I think the description of her "not stripping off" is deceptive – did you see the free photos?
http://www.playboy.com/girls/celebrities/features/olivia-munn/index.html
Her continual use of the word "vagina" and nicknames for it amused me. This isn't specific to geekdom, but why is it that we can talk about penises and scrotums (scrota?), but we can't talk about vaginas and clits?
Scrotum is second declension (um), so you're correct, its scrota. Though a quick trip to the etymology dictionary tells me that its a cognate of Old English scrud, which seems an unfortunately underused slang term for scrotum.
This cover shoot seems rather strong evidence that television and gaming enthusists are the mainstream demographic of right now. This is today's us pop culture, finestkind. Makes me wonder who I'd beat up if I were 10 years old again.
I don't know who this woman is really, but if I was asked by Playboy to show my scrud, I'd probably do it. But then again, I'd probably ride a unicorn as well; rare and unlikely opportunities shouldn't be passed by.
@zandperl
Interesting photos: I wonder how she could have avoided a clever photog catching a few 'candids.' Unless she had contractual approval. In which case, why did the stylist enter into it.
I must confess I didn't look at the photos myself before posting this. I suppose she was specifically concerned about clothing that shows her vagina..?
I really have nothing to offer at present on the topic of genital slang and/or unicorns, though. I'll get back to you on that when work eases up a bit.
Chris Collins says:
Jacob, if I had to guess who'd you'd beat up it would probably be those slow witted football players, you know the one's that spent all their time in the gym and hours running formations.
Also, I'd love to hear where were got the term "boobies" from if you have a moment.
I'm not so sure that it's nerds now in a position to beat up other kids so much as that now the kids who do the beating up just also happen to play Halo (hence the teabagging incident).
I know neither of you are actually eager to beat up kids, but I suddenly remembered that weird teabagging story and wanted to share.


We call this striking piece our Freedom Necklace for a good reason! From choker style to a long and elegant drop, the sterling silver snake chain gifts you a myriad of looks, depending on where you finish the ball slider. It's a must-have, and it's duty bound to be coveted by all.


It is possible to bundle multiple SSD devices in one cache. This is very useful to increase capacity and speed of the cache. With 2 SSD´s you can expect double capacity and almost double speed. In fact it works so good that even hardware vendors use this technique in some of their SSD products! This chapter explains how it can be achieved by software only. You need at least 2 unused SSD devices, preferably they should have about the same size when you create a Stripe Volume. Open Disk Manager and right click on one of the unused SSD´s, you will see a context menu showing options. We will create a stripe Volume here. So Click on "New Striped Volume".
The Select Disks Window opens, the volume you clicked on is already selected. Now click on Disk 2 and then "Add".
This window might appear. Click "Yes".
The creation starts, takes a few seconds. After a while the formatting is ready and you can use the Volume D: as a cache with MaxVeloSSD™. Please refer to the chapter "how to add a cache" for informations on how to continue with this task.


COBB MAP sensor adapter for WRX and STI with a cast manifold. For use when converting to Speed Density tuning strategy. Electronic Boost Controller for your 2008 - 2014 Subaru.
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CJG5 Series 27" 16:9 Curved 144 Hz LCD Monitor is rated 3.3 out of 5 by 4.
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text:
Here We Are, All Alone
When Holy Motors was released to quite a bit of fanfare and praise in 2012, it was writer-director Leos Carax's first feature film since 1999's Pola X. The film is an anthology of sorts, following an actor played by Carax stalwart Denis Lavant as he goes through his day playing a huge variety of roles, not in films or on stage, but in the lives of, well, whoever...it's a strange movie. Anyway, at the time I remember reading that the concepts behind each short section, each story, in Holy Motors had come from ideas for films that Carax had been unable to make for one reason or another. I've since gathered that this isn't precisely true -- the individual stories in Holy Motors do not each represent a specific failed project -- however Carax has said that the film was borne out of his inability to get a number of projects off the ground since Pola X. The point being that either way, Holy Motors, for all its apparent confidence and inventiveness, carries with it a certain amount of regret and melancholy. I'm not trying to speak for Carax, of course, but I imagine that those thirteen years must have been filled with frustration, a creative desperation. Of course, one of Carax's stated intentions in making Holy Motors was to put himself back in the international cinema discussion, and this he inarguably accomplished.
One of the byproducts of this success has been that Carax's previous four features are being rediscovered, and re-released on home video. Last week, Carlotta Films and Kino Lorber released on DVD and Blu-ray Carax's first two movies: Boy Meets Girl from 1984, and Mauvais Sang (aka Bad Blood, aka, for reasons unknown to me, The Night is Young) from 1986. Holy Motors was the first Carax film I ever saw, and until now going back to see how Carax got to that film wasn't always the easiest thing to do. So this is a good thing.
After watching Boy Meets Girl yesterday, to begin with, I was left wondering how its release coincided with the rise of American independent films in the 1980s, specifically the release of Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise. Jarmusch's second film is obviously one of the key inclines in that rise, but Boy Meets Girl, though it is plainly quite different, just feels like Stranger Than Paradise, looks like it -- if the two don't share the same sense of pace, they seem to share a rhythm, and certainly a looseness. Boy Meets Girl begins with a woman in her car, breaking up with her boyfriend, or husband, over the phone, and shortly thereafter asking a man what the date is. This man turns out to be Thomas, and soon he is approached, on the banks of the Seine where all of this has taken place so far, by his best friend Alex (Lavant), who gradually reveals that his girlfriend has been cheating on him, and that he knows she's been cheating on him with Thomas. Upon announcing this, Alex attacks Thomas, almost killing him. Later, back in his apartment, Alex will update the sort of biographical/geographical chart of his mostly minor criminal history that he writes and draws on his wall, with the words "First Attempted Murder," with that day's date and a mark indicating where in Paris this took place. This all strikes me as if not exactly the kind of thing Jarmusch would do, then the sort of thing he might see in a movie and then be inspired to make Mystery Train or something.
As it happens, Boy Meets Girl and Stranger Than Paradise both came out in 1984 -- if I had a better head for dates I suppose I would have known that. This doesn't change the fact that, however many rampant Godard comparisons may be made, Carax's early work seems entirely of a piece with that era in American independent cinema, with, of course, certain European particulars thrown in, an admittedly simplistic description, but one that could also apply to Jarmusch, now that I mention it. Boy Meets Girl is black and white, and very nocturnal. It's about romantic relationships and the end of them, as well as the beginning of them, although of course, and despite the film's title, it's never that general. Along with Alex, the film's other main character is Mireille (Mireille Perrier), a suicidal dancer who, like Alex, has recently suffered a breakup, and who Alex meets by chance at a fancy, satirically so (the sense of humor here is not unlike the fashion photography stuff in the Mr. Merde section of Holy Motors), party (their meeting is slightly more complicated and protracted than that, but let's keep it simple). Mireille is not suicidal in an "indie" way, which would mean she either didn't mean it or, if she did mean it, she, or Carax, romanticized these tendencies. So that's not it, but nor is Mireille a fully realistic portrait; Carax's style and imagination are too fantastical for that. But I'll tell you this: there are times in this film when Perrier, a striking woman under any circumstances, very strongly resembles Maria Falconetti. I'm hesitant to dub this a coincidence, even if it is.
Another thing that American independent films used to do, albeit more popularly about a decade later, was take certain genre tropes, preferably crime tropes, and add whimsy, or irony, or in any case some sort of self-consciousness, played for laughs or otherwise (eventually this impulse would be motivated by, or could be chalked up to, a misunderstanding of what Quentin Tarantino was doing). This wasn't new to films in general. Godard had laid the foundation with Breathless and Band of Outsiders, just to begin with. But however you look at this vein of independent genre filmmaking, when I'm watching Mauvais Sang, Carax's second film from 1986, the temptation is to think that the post-Godardian branch was kicked off here, by Carax. Leaving aside those things about which I am ignorant and which would defeat the argument, I actually don't think that's what is going on with Mauvais Sang. I think Mauvais Sang only feels like it's part of this self-conscious tradition because it's so unusual -- if you get too creative, people begin to wonder how much of it you really mean.
There is so much that is strange about Mauvais Sang. It is essentially a crime film, of particularly classic sort ("formulaic" some would say, but try applying that here) -- Michel Piccoli and Hans Meyer play, respectively, Marc and Hans, two aging criminals who owe a lot of money to The American Woman (Carroll Brooks), a powerful gangster Marc believes recently bumped off their partner Jean. Certain they're next unless they find a way to pay up, they concoct a plan to rob a pharmaceutical company. Needing someone younger and more physically skilled on their team, they rope into this scheme Jean's son Alex (Lavant). Alex didn't talk much with his father, but over the years had learned a lot of tricks of the trade, and had developed strong gifts as a magician and con artist, making him the kind of fast, young, nimble thief Marc and Hans need. While preparing for the robbery, Alex moves in with the older men, having first broken up with his deeply devoted girlfriend Lise (Julie Delpy). There he meets Marc's girlfriend Anna (Juliette Binoche), much younger than Marc but as seemingly in love with the old man as Lise was, and is, with Alex. Alex, you gather, is beginning to fall in love with Anna. Perhaps Anna is falling in love with him. Something along these lines is to be expected.
So there's that, but then there's also the reason they've decided to rob a pharmaceutical company, of all things, and what they plan on stealing, which isn't money. They plan on stealing a virus the company has managed to isolate, a deadly virus that is ravaging mostly young people, infecting them when they have sex with someone they do not love. The vial with the virus will be sold, and so on and so forth. This idea, this virus, seems at first glance to be a science fiction conceit, but of course there's no science in there -- it's pure magic, pure romanticism. Even so, you'd think the concept would place the setting of Mauvais Sang in the future, but again, no. Though again, like Boy Meets Girl it would be wrong, not to mention impossible, to view the film as a work of realism, there are no clues that I picked up on that would indicate the setting was anything other than France in 1986, or perhaps more accurately "France" in "1986." Of course, those quotation marks could set Mauvais Sang within the realm of science-fiction, so maybe that is what's up, in a way, but if so we've now found ourselves among the works of science fiction that belong to no tradition or subgenre, because they are personal and impulsive.
Mauvais Sang is an impossible film to summarize, even though as a crime story it goes along about how you'd expect. That element is part of a tradition, that of the young criminal prodigy discovering that the life he imagined is less romantic and more morally compromising than he'd believed (which is sort of the inverse of the "retired thief pulling one last job" concept, something this film also almost is). But much of the film, save the beginning section and the ending, which even includes car chases and gunfights, has little to do with those traditions. Almost the whole middle is taken up with Anna and Alex spending an evening talking -- this mirrors Alex and Mireille at the party in Boy Meets Girl more than a little -- and possibly, probably, falling in love, while also allowing Carax what I might call his bursts of digression, such as Alex dance-running down the street to David Bowie's "Modern Love," as well as a curious moment involving a baby, and a cameo by Mireille Perrier as the baby's mother, that seems to exist to highlight the childishness of Alex, though not in a way that mocks or insults or even criticizes him. The audience is also given the opportunity during this portion of the film to marvel at the gray-and-blood-red color design, red being life, and Anna, gray being almost everything else, good and bad, except Alex, who is neither, until...well, why spoil it?
Mauvais Sang is one of those films about which you might say "That was just the damnedest film." Its crazed romanticism might be a tad much at times, to some -- hell, to me -- but if you ever find another film like it, you let me know. That's not nothing, and the drive to create in ways that are this individualistic can lead to gaps of five, six, eight, thirteen years. This is a pity, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Labels: Boy Meets Girl, Carlotta Films, Denis Lavant, Hans Meyer, Juliette Binoche, Kino Lorber, Leos Carax, Mauvais Sang, Michel Piccoli, Mireille Perrier
John Magwitch said...
Mauvais Sang is one of those films about which you might say "That was just the damnedest film."
Perhaps, but I suspect those would not be my exact words.
Not a fan? Or suspect you wouldn't be a fan?
Well, only saw bits and pieces of Holy Motors, may even have laughed once, I think when the nutty little guy bit a girl or something, but too much more of that sort of thing might make my brain bleed.
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