SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 13): Malaysia's national oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd is paying for troubles at a state investment fund.
The yield premium on Petronas's 2022 U.S. dollar- denominated debt over Treasuries has surged 53 basis points in the last six months after the government said it wasn't liable for 1Malaysia Development Bhd's debt and the fund missed a loan payment. That was unfortunate timing for Petronas, which is planning its first dollar bond in five years to raise as much as $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The cost of insuring Malaysian sovereign debt reached a 16- month high on Jan. 13, one week after local media reported 1MDB's missed payment, and is up 27 basis points since Dec. 31. Fitch Ratings said last month it may downgrade Asia's only net crude exporter, citing plunging oil prices and "uncertainty" surrounding finances of the investment fund, whose advisory board is headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Petronas's sale of dollar-denominated Islamic bonds may become its biggest such offer to date. It's working with Bank of America Corp., CIMB Group Holdings Bhd. and Deutsche Bank AG to lead the offering, said the people familiar, who asked not to be identified because the details are confidential.
The last time Petronas sold dollar notes was in August 2009, when it issued $4.5 billion of bonds. Fitch gives Petronas an A rating with a negative outlook, one level higher than Malaysia's A- grade. Earlier this week, Malaysia named Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, a company veteran, to lead the oil producer, handing him the job of dealing with the slump in crude prices that's eating into government revenue.
Natural gas futures dropped to $2.58 per million British thermal units on Feb. 6, the lowest since 2012, while the price of Brent futures is down 49 percent since June. Petronas derived 21 percent of its revenue from gas and an equal amount from crude, with petroleum products being the biggest contributor to its top line, according to its 2013 annual results.
About 30 percent of the government's 225 billion ringgit ($62 billion) revenue in 2014 was oil related, including a 29 billion ringgit dividend from Petronas, according to the finance ministry. Petronas reported 119.4 billion ringgit of cash at the end of the third quarter, compared with 78 billion ringgit of total debt maturing within one year.
A spokesperson for Petronas didn't reply to an e-mail or answer a phone call seeking comment, and a spokesperson for 1MDB declined to comment.
1MDB has its origins in Terengganu Investment Authority, which was created in 2009 to invest oil royalties from the state of Terengganu. When Najib became prime minister that year, it was renamed 1MDB, became a national entity and its funding source became government-backed debt instead of oil income.
In response to questions from opposition lawmakers, the government said Oct. 29 that it wasn't liable for 1MDB's debts if the company went bankrupt. The premium over U.S. Treasuries paid by 1MDB bonds due 2023 climbed 47 basis points over the following seven trading days.
The investment fund failed to repay a 2 billion ringgit loan due in December, Edge Financial Daily reported Jan. 6. The spread on the 2023 notes soared 115 basis points in two days to 417 basis points. It had widened to a record 430 basis points on Feb. 11.
1MDB was given a third 30-day extension last month and the debt will come due at the end of February, people familiar with the matter said on Jan. 27.
"It would be very difficult for the sovereign to walk away from paying if 1MDB were to face issues," Sagarika Chandra, a Hong Kong-based Fitch analyst said by phone Feb. 12.
The spreads on Petronas's 2022 notes jumped 15 basis points over the eight business days after Fitch said on Jan. 21 that 1MDB's financial position "has become a source of uncertainty." Fitch also reiterated its concerns about Malaysia's budget due to dependence on petroleum-linked revenue.


It's that time of year again… reserve March 4th!
AND…this year there will be no concerns about snow.
The great race, as we locals like to call it, is an opportunity to participate in a major athletic event without being an athlete. Kids and adults of all ages have great fun donning race numbers and skiing the 25 kilometer race course through Anchorage's neighborhoods and along the coast line. Just remember to stay to the side for the real athletes as they race to the finish line HOURS before you will arrive!
The Tour of Anchorage is a point to point cross country ski marathon that is at sea level. There are actually 4 races, a 25 k classical race, and a 25k, 40k and 50k freestyle. Beginners to profressionals participate in every one of these races. Click the links for additional information on each race as well as finding how to register in advance. The 40k and 50k start on the east side of Anchorage and go through the middle of town, along bike trails. The 25k race starts in the middle of town and uses the same course. The Alaska Daily News calls it the nation's second biggest ski race – and 2012 is projected to set a record for entrants!
All the races finish at Kincaid Park. It's great fun to simply find a spot along the trail and watch if you are not the racing type. Westchester Lagoon is a favorite of the Alaskan Leopard crew. Parking is easy in the neighborhood, making the access and setup all the easier. Rules for "watchers" are easy. Smile, relax, and have fun! Bring a picnic basket, some warm clothes, a lawn chair, and a hot thermos. Make a day of it.
The informational link is http://www.tourofanchorage.com/ for all things Tour 2012!
This entry was posted in Anchorage Events, Attractions, Things to Do, Winter and tagged Anchorage Events, Attractions, Things to Do, Winter by admin. Bookmark the permalink.
Try the west end of 15th and M Streets. There's always plenty of parking in the residential neighborhood. You may have to walk a few block but it is worth it. Being at the end of the race at Kincaid Park is fun as well as you watch them come in. Parking there is NOT an issue ever. And the added plus is being able to walk down the trail to the point and see the water, the ice flows, and Fire Island.


'Teddy' Petter, designer while at English Electric of the Canberra and the Lightning, penned the diminutive Gnat during his time with Folland Aircraft, later part of Hawker Siddeley. It was a development of the Midge light fighter, built in prototype form but never produced. Indeed, it was as just such a fighter that the Gnat started out, the resulting Gnat F1 serving in Finland and India. Out of that came the Gnat T1 advanced trainer, first flown in 1959. No 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley employed the Gnat from 1962 until its final replacement by the Hawk in 1978. During that period, No 4 FTS established in 1963 the Yellowjacks aerobatic team, the name deriving from the colour scheme worn by the team's aircraft, under the leadership of Flt Lt Lee Jones. For the 1965 season, responsibility for providing the RAF Aerobatic Team passed to the Central Flying School, and the Red Arrows were established, still on the Gnat - but now painted red. The rest is history. Those days are recalled by the Gnat Display Team, part of the Heritage Aircraft Trust and based at North Weald in Essex.


These primary brain tumors grow in the meninges, the thin layers of protective tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord. They are usually noncancerous, slow growing and do not often spread to other parts of the body. They usually do not grow into the brain, but instead push on the brain as they get larger.
The cause of Meningiomas brain tumors are not fully understood and could be linked to genetics, environment or a combination of factors. They are more common in women and are at a higher risk if you have had radiation treatment involve your head.
Symptom include headache, hearing loss and changes in vision. Memory loss, lack of smell weakness in limbs and seizure are also associated with meningiomas.
Treatment isn't always immediately; however, if the tumor is aggressive, or if it is causing harmful symptoms, surgery, radiation therapy or medications could be the best course of action.
Download a brochure about meningiomas.


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Cornell Black Alumni Association
CBAA Annual General Body Meeting
The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, California
CBAA Family Affair: CALC 2023 Edition
Feb 18, 2023 7:00 PM - Feb 18, 2023 10:00 PM
Coin-Op Game Room, San Diego, California

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shop for new vehicles here at Hiley Mazda of Hurst today. We have the 2018 Mazda CX-3, 2018 Mazda CX-5, 2018 Mazda CX-9, 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata, 2018 Mazda Mazda3, and 2018 Mazda Mazda6. Browse our selection of sedans, coupes, and SUVs here.


I love the quality of your beads, but what's even better is the price! I create jewelry for auctions that benefit people with intellectual disabilities. People always "ohhh and awe" over the pretty beads, and we make a lot of money!


text:
Ryan B. Rush, M.D.
Diseases and Surgery of the Retina
Ryan B. Rush, M.D., ("Dr. Ryan") is an expert in ophthalmology with an emphasis on diseases of the vitreous and retina. He earned a college degree from the University of Texas in 2000 and received a medical degree from Texas Tech University in 2004. Dr. Ryan did an internal medicine internship at Ochsner Clinic Foundation, and then went on to complete his ophthalmology residency at Tulane University in New Orleans in 2008.
After residency, Dr. Ryan undertook three additional years of subspecialization in diseases of the vitreous and retina. He completed the first fellowship year in medical retina at the prestigious Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami in 2009, followed by Surgical Retinal Fellowships at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in 2010 and the Sydney Eye Hospital in Sydney, Australia in 2011.
Dr. Ryan is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (2009), and is a member of Southwest Retina Specialists since 2011.


text:
package riso.general;

/** An instance of this class represents the exception
  * thrown when a non-blocking semaphore would block.
  * This file was written by Stephen Hartley, and is
  * released under the GNU GPL by his permission.
  * See <tt>Semaphore.java</tt> for details.
  */
public class WouldBlockException extends Exception {}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Farm Stay UK along with member Catherine Rayner from Hill House Farm in Cheshire are offering you the chance to win a 2 night stay in Chirk Cottage, which sleeps 2 people.
Chirk Cottage is the original Old Cheese Room for the farmhouse which has been luxurious converted into a self-contained cottage. It has a ground floor kitchen diner, with sofa and easy chair. There is a fully-equipped cooking area, with an electric hob and fan oven.
The Cottage is centrally heated by a Biomass Boiler, and has an easy-to-use log burner for cosy winter evenings. All you have to do is throw the occasional log or two onto it.


Inspire chic finesse in your casual line-up with this top from Gipsy. Made from good quality fabric, this top fits your personality so perfectly that you will love it instantly. Featuring a round neck and embroidered pattern, this sleeveless top holds a superlative allure.


I'm getting clicks anf glitches when running in the editor. I'm using this to record audio for a specific purpose so it's a bit of an issue. I havent tried with builds or in unity etc as dont need to right now.
Are there any settings that will prevent this ? Streaming for example? I've noticed that a lot of the time they seem to coincide with the fade / delay indicator going out in the transport. I'm basically starting a Play_All event and it runs, so not attached to any events or triggers when running.
Do you have a very large number of voices running? Are you using a lot of CPU?
Do you have a lot of quick crossfades going on somewhere? Eg. in a blend container?
Have you checked that any loops you may have loop correctly?
Does it happen only when you're recording?
-Nope.... only about 4 or 5 concurrent stereo files running at any one time.
-All fades are over 5 secs.
-All I have going is a combination of Random containers with a combination of delay or crossfade.
-Audio is running of a fast USB 3 drive so no bottleneck issues.
- Happens on playback aswell and record is not a function of wwise. Its external.
I'm pretty much out of ideas then. Does it only happen in this specific project? Have you tried just creating a blank project and putting in a piece of music and see if you get the same issues?


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Circles.Life is first MVNO to launch 5G NSA trial
Aug 9, 2021 circles.life
5G Adoption Achieves Mainstream Breakthrough In Singapore With Circles.Life's 5G Start
Circles.Life becomes the first digital telco to bring 5G non-standalone architecture (NSA) to Singapore, giving users direct access to 5G free for a month, with no conditions, no commitment, and no limit
Singapore, 9 August 2021 – Homegrown telco Circles.Life announced 5G Start* today to users in Singapore, enabling them to enjoy a free 5G non-standalone (NSA) trial for up to one month, with no conditions and no commitments. There will be no limit to the number of sign-ups for Circles.Life's 5G Start trial, giving users the freedom to explore and enjoy the early benefits of 5G, ahead of the launch of Circles.Life's 5G paid add-on service.
As the first digital telco to offer 5G in Singapore, Circles.Life has designed 5G Start with transparency and simplicity in mind, giving users the experience of a 5G network, directly without any cost and lock-ins. All Circles.Life customers with compatible devices can now experience the early benefits of 5G directly. Circles.Life 5G Start will be available as a paid add-on service following the one-month free trial.
"Circles.Life has constantly redefined Singapore's telco industry since we started five years ago. With the launch of5G Start, Circles.Life puts the power back in the hands of consumers, enabling them to experience 5G exactly the way they want it," said Janice Chua, Circles.Life's Head of Growth for Singapore. "Backed by our industry-leading ecosystem of digital services, we are confident that Circles.Life will transform the telco industry once again, significantly moving the needle for 5G adoption in Singapore and ushering in a new era of innovation and connectivity to accelerate Singapore's Smart Nation journey."
Unlimited flexibility, unlimited enjoyment
From 9 to 15 August, new and existing Circles.Life customers can sign up for 5G Start through the Circles.Life app. With no contract in place, Circles.Life 5G Start users can look forward to downloading, streaming, and enjoying high-definition content almost instantly, while enjoying a pristine and lag-free communication experience with friends and family. Circles.Life's 5G Start add-on service will be officially available for subscription after the end of the 5G Start free trial.
Singapore's most customer-centric 5G experience
Backed by Circles.Life's industry-leading telco experience, users will enjoy a taste of early 5G benefits, with instant plan customisation on Circles.Life's mobile app, immediate response by Customer Happiness Experts at any time, total bill transparency and same day SIM card delivery.
"Circles.Life 5G Start embodies our mission and promise to customers – relentless focus on putting our customers at the center of what we do. By giving our customers a simple and straightforward way to experience 5G at no cost, no commitment, and no limit, we give the power back to users, empowering them to connect faster to the people and things that matter most to them, exactly the way they want it," said Circles.Life co-founder Rameez Ansar. "With our track record of driving innovation for Singapore's telco industry, we are confident that Circles.Life 5G will compel our competition to relook at the way they deliver 5G, and the way they create true value for their user base."
5G connection detected on Circles.Life on iPhone 12
Circles.Life might be first MVNO to launch 5G service
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G will be available from S$2,548 and S$1,498 respecitvely from 10 Sept 2021


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package net.zeminvaders.lang.ast;

import net.zeminvaders.lang.Interpreter;
import net.zeminvaders.lang.SourcePosition;
import net.zeminvaders.lang.runtime.ZemObject;

/**
 * while loop control structure.
 *
 * @author Cameron Zemek
 */
public class WhileNode extends Node {
    private Node testCondition;
    private Node loopBody;

    public WhileNode(SourcePosition pos, Node testCondition, Node loopBody) {
        super(pos);
        this.testCondition = testCondition;
        this.loopBody = loopBody;
    }

    public Node getTestCondition() {
        return testCondition;
    }

    public Node getLoopBody() {
        return loopBody;
    }

    @Override
    public ZemObject eval(Interpreter interpreter) {
        ZemObject ret = null;
        while (testCondition.eval(interpreter).toBoolean(testCondition.getPosition()).booleanValue()) {
            ret = loopBody.eval(interpreter);
        }
        return ret;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        sb.append('(');
        sb.append("while ");
        sb.append(testCondition);
        sb.append(' ');
        sb.append(loopBody);
        sb.append(')');
        return sb.toString();
    }
}


We have numerous vacancies that welcome and support Newly Qualified Primary Teacher applications throughout Cambridgeshire.
Apply today if want to get your job search fully underway and have your pick of the excellent opportunities open now. You can also speak to Oli Sloman directly on 01245 806737 for a confidential discussion about your plans and preferences to tailor your search even further.


A corn dog with ketchup and mustard and a side of french fries.
National Corndog Day is celebrated on March 01, 2020. National Corndog Day is a celebration of basketball, the corn dog, Tater Tots, and American beer that occurs in March of every year on the first Saturday of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
A corn dog is a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried in oil, although some are baked. Almost all corn dogs are served on a wooden stick, though some early versions had no stick.
Where is National Corndog Day?
When is National Corndog Day?


XOLO Era X mobile phone online price list is available in the above table.
The best lowest price of XOLO Era X was updated on 24-April-2019 03:10:01.
The XOLO Era X is available in Amazon,Gadgets360.
XOLO Era X mobile phone with best and cheapest price in online and also available in all major cities of India Including Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune.
The best price of .XOLO Era X is Rs.4800 in Amazon, which is 15% less than the cost of XOLO Era X Mobile Phone in Gadgets360 and Price Rs.5489.
Buy XOLO Era X mobile phone online in India for the best and Lowest price. You can avail some features like Cash On Delivery (COD), Credit/Debit Card Payment and EMI on purchase of this product. Best Price of XOLO Era X is available in Black as XOLO Era X Colors across various online stores in India.
XOLO Era X mobile,a Dual SIM, GSM Smartphone.
XOLO Era X runs on Android v5.1 (Lolipop). XOLO Era X contains 5 inch with the screen resolution of HD(720 x 1280) Pixels, results in a pixel density of 294PPI. The mobile phone screen has Gorilla Glass protection features.
XOLO Era Xhas 8 MP and front 5 MP with Auto Focus and LED Flash..
The XOLO Era X supports 3GP,H.264 ,MP4 video player and FLAC ,MP3 music player.
The XOLO Era X device is powered by a Li-Ion Non Removable 2500mAh with capacity for 16hr 5min Talk Time and StandBy Time and also available in Black In the above price list table you can find the best price list for XOLO Era X Mobile Phone in India.


A precious pearl at the heart of Saratoga golden triangle, this stunning brand new construction house meets your every dream of a warm, cozy home! It features 4 bedroom suites, 4.5 bath, and a separate office, formal entry, high ceilings, open floor plans, luxury master suites with spacious walk-in closet, stylish kitchen with custom cabinets and high-end appliances, formal dining room, furnish laundry room, superior hardwood flooring, multi-zone home entertainment system, security/alarm system with multiple cameras, hi-tech Nest heating and cooling system, covered porches, huge walk-out patio, sought-after neighborhood, Saratoga High School. You absolutely do not want to miss this great opportunity!
2 Garage Spaces. 2 Parking Spaces. Gated Parking.
Boat Slip, Private Dock, Fishing Pier, Boat Lift, Satellite Dish.
I am interested in 20355 Franklin Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070.


Is it "douzo" or "dōzo"?
"Wait, is it douzo? In the book it says dōzo..."
It's both. And it's neither!
In the beginning stages I use rōmaji (English letters) to write Japanese in class. This is to give you a head start in learning to speak.
Some people think you shouldn't use rōmaji at all, because it will give you bad pronunciation.
That might be true if you're studying by yourself.
But if you have a teacher to teach you how to pronounce Japanese words correctly, and correct your mistakes, you can learn Japanese correctly using rōmaji.
I'm pretty strict on pronunciation, I think. My students have good pronunciation - even the beginners.
Anyway, there are different systems for writing Japanese in the English alphabet. Depending on which system is being used, a word could be spelled quite differently.
どうぞ (do-u-zo) means "here you are" / "go ahead".
Some writing systems use a macron (a horizontal bar over the letter) to write the long vowel sound: ā ī ū ē ō. Then, it would be written "dōzo".
Another method is to spell out the letters: aa, ii, uu, ei, ou. That gives us "douzo".
Both "dōzo" and "douzo" are correct.
Sometimes, the long vowel isn't written in: "dozo". This is wrong!
You might also see ee and oo used instead of ei and ou: "doozo".
Personally I think "doozo" is just asking for trouble. That's not how the word is spelled in Japanese (it's どうぞ do-u-zo).
Of course, the only truly correct way to spell the word is to write it in Japanese: どうぞ.
But both "dōzo" and "douzo" are fine too. Just don't forget the long vowel!


As of today, light bulbs are officially over. The 100 watt bulb and all its frosted cousins are banned under EU rules. According to the Energy Saving Trust, this is an occasion for jubilation - compact fluorescent lamps (energy saving bulbs, to the rest of us) use 80 per cent less electricity than the Edison versions.
Given our national love of a bargain, and our collective loathing of paying a penny more for our electricity than is absolutely necessary, we should be cheering.
But instead we are, if not incandescent with rage, then certainly flickering with it. Energy-saving bulbs, after all, used to be horrible. They took 20 minutes to reach actual illumination, they were green, and dingy, and could make our homes look like operating theatres in a gulag where patients weren't intended to survive.
Migraine sufferers and epileptics were poorly affected by the flickering quality of the light, too. And in the moral high-ground stakes, a worthy eco-monkey telling you to use less energy and sit in the dark is trumped by someone holding their head in agony or foaming at the mouth.
And how are we supposed to have good ideas if there is a light bulb drought? The eureka moment is traditionally portrayed with an old-fashioned, instant light. If we have to wait for the bulb to warm up, that idea looks markedly less exciting. And how does one dispose of these bulbs responsibly? They contain mercury, so I'm pretty sure I can't just chuck them in the bin. Can I recycle them, even if I live nowhere near a thermometer factory?
Supermarkets and electrical retailers have reported a run on old-style, 100 watt bulbs, as people stockpile them for decades to come. And as these light bulbs become rarer, they'll become increasingly valuable. Light bulbs might be given as wedding gifts or anniversary presents. People will go mining for them, in the light bulb-rich territories of pensioners' cupboards. My mum's garage will be annexed by Rio Tinto.
No one, however, is campaigning to save the frosted or pearl bulbs. With good reason: they are the lighting equivalent of the costumes in George and Mildred. No one buys a frosted lightbulb unless they intend to use it to illuminate the bowl of car keys at a swingers' party. In other words, frosted bulbs aren't just bad for the environment, they're also unhygienic. And pervy.
So perhaps we can learn to embrace energy-saving bulbs, which contain no morally dubious subtext. And they really are cheaper: since I moved to a flat with energy-saving bulbs, my electricity bill is literally a third of what it was before, so I'm happy. Although I haven't had a flash of inspiration since May.


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October is Archives Month!
Home » History Blog » October is Archives Month!
By Kieran Robertson
Did you know that October is National Archives Month? We are ready to celebrate here at the Ohio History Connection Archives/Library.
Each year the Society of American Archivists and the Society of Ohio Archvists declare October a time to celebrate the importance of archives around the country.
Why would we dedicate an entire month each year to celebrating archives? Archives are incredibly important, and they need your support. Archives exist for the benefit of every member of our society. That's a lot to celebrate.
Here's a few services archives provide for our community that are definitely worth celebrating:
1.Archives are the original Google search.
Believe it or not, not everything is on the internet yet (although archives are trying to digitize parts of their collections). Let's say you are a scientist partaking on a study of the importance of fruit flies. Why would you ever visit a dusty, old archive? Maybe you would want to come to the Ohio History Connection to check out the papers of James Stewart Hine, a natural historian who was an expert on diptera (flies). Why reinvent the research that has already been done?
Dr. Betsy June Myers of Ashland, Ohio. An expert in parasitology and tropical medicine, whose research is no doubt still important today. Image courtesy of Ashland University.
Or maybe you just moved into an old home. You are partaking in some renovations and find a photograph hidden in the walls. With a visit to an archive and the help of a reference librarian, you could find out who owned the house around the time this photograph was taken. Using genealogical records available at the archive, you could possibly track down the living descendants of the person in the photograph and deliver a great surprise.
Research is a part of our day to day lives. And it can be really hard. Not everything is on the internet. And even if it is, sometimes it's really hard to get this information to work for us. Librarians are experts at making the available sources tell amazing sources. Often an archive's greatest resource is its staff.
2.Democracy works best when we record it.
One of the most important roles archives can serve is keeping a government accountable to its citizens. The Ohio History Connection is very active in this role, preserving public records created by county and state officials and making these records available to the public.
You know when someone runs for office, and there's a million advertisements detailing exactly how they voted on different hot button issues? Where do you think the advertisers got that information? Government archives can record exactly how our representatives spoke or voted on a certain issue.
Ohio political poster, c. 1970s.
These records create a set of undeniable facts that citizens can use to make informed decisions. We can also use these records to understand how our laws affect us and protect ourselves if we are ever unjustly accused of a crime. If you're in law school, you're probably no stranger to public court records. Archivists are helping to make these records available every day.
3."And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, With a beautiful wife, And you may ask yourself, well, How did I get here?"
Archives help preserve a community identity by preserving stories of our collective past. History is awesome, because it's something that everyone has a part in. Have you ever researched your personal family tree? Why? Did finding your ancestors change the way you view yourself?
How do you define yourself? Are you an American? Are you an Ohioan? What do those things mean? How do you know? Part of how we define our communities is by understanding how they came to be.
The Ohio History Connection has been preserving the history of Ohio's LGBTQ community through the Gay Ohio History Initiative.
Are there things about the way you live today that you think might affect people in the future? Part of being an archivist is making sure that the stories of all communities are preserved in a way that helps build community identity. Records in archives remind us that something important happened. Everyone needs to know that their community is important.
4."Historians Politely Remind Nation To Check What's Happened In Past Before Making Any Big Decisions"
The Ohio History Connection's mission is to "Spark discovery of Ohio's stories. Embrace the present, share the past and transform the future." If you look at the mission statements of historical societies and archives around the country, you will notice that many mention the future.
What business does a history organization have talking about the future? Have you ever been told to learn from your mistakes? Archives are pretty great at helping us do that as a society.
Historians love a trip to the archives.
Using archives to interpret the past helps historians give us a new lens on our present and our future. For example, understanding our nation's legacy of housing discrimination can help us understand why our schools are often still segregated today. Expert Richard Rothenstein suggests that it would be a waste of time to search for a unique problem in today's segregated schools, we only need to look backward to understand the problem(and into the archives as Rothenstein did).
As you can see, archives are essential parts of our society. But they can be a lot of fun too. Sometimes when you're holding a piece of history you've just got to say "hey, that's cool!"
We are looking forward to all of the fun that archives month will bring. Check back to this blog throughout the month of October for some exciting stories about the Archives/Library at the Ohio History Connection!
Tagged with: archivesarchives/librarymonth


Does anyone else actually sit down to eat breakfast on a weekday or is it just our family that runs out the door with a waffle, banana or granola bar in hand? In order to snooze the alarm until the last minute, we save time by laying out an outfit the night before. This is what we ended up with today: a fun floral button-down and bright accessories. Is it spring yet?


text:
Let's Talk About Talent
SAA Careers (selected option)
SAA Careers
Let Your Career Take Flight
South African Airways (SAA) is a multi-award winning airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa, serving 38 destinations globally. We are a key contributor to South Africa's GDP, accounting for about 9.2bn.
This makes us an important part of the economy and a cornerstone of our nation's future success. SAA was established on 1 February 1934, when the South African government took over the assets and liabilities of Union Airways.
Over the next 80 years, we worked hard as an organisation to overcome historical challenges and move with the times. Today, we are a proud member of the Star Alliance group and an aviation force to be reckoned with.
Brag Wall
As Africa's most awarded airline, we are proud of our many accolades.These votes of confidence inspire us to reach greater heights. During the last couple of years, South African Airways was awarded with:
Sunday Times Generation Next Awards - Coolest Domestic Airline (3 consecutive years)
Sunday Times Top Brands 2014 - Domestic Airline
Skytrax - Best Airline in Africa (13 consecutive years)
Skytrax - Best Staff Service in Africa (4 consecutive years)
Skytrax - 4-Star Rating Retention
Skytrax - World Travel Awards - Africa's Leading Airline (21 consecutive years)
Skytrax - World Travel Awards - Sawubona: Africa's Leading In-flight Magazine
Skytrax - Ask Afrika Orange Index - Industy Leader: Africa
Skytrax - STAT Times - African Cargo Airline of the Year (2013)
SAA and Mango hold the number one and two successive spots as South Africa's most on-time airlines
Browse through our careers here.
SAA CareersCurrent Page
Direct Flight to your Career


text:
Category: first impressions
First impressions: Wong's cameos in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' (2021)
"Wong! I always bet on Asian."
This is another post in my "first impressions" series, which focus on current films that I have watched in theaters that include reel librarians and/or scenes in a library or archives. It's been more than two years since I've written a "first impressions" post — the most recent one before this was in June 2019, for 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum' (2019) and its memorable fight scene in the NYPL' — because of, you know, the ongoing COVID pandemic. (Please get vaccinated if you can!) I am still not comfortable going inside a movie theater for 2+ hours to watch a movie with other people, but luckily, we have a drive-in theater nearby, the Rodeo Drive-in. I was sooooo happy they were showing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) on opening weekend, because (a) I really wanted to see the movie sooner rather than later, (b) I want to support a Marvel movie with a primarily Asian cast, hopefully the first of many, (c) I knew that one of my fave reel librarian characters, Wong, would be making a cameo, which I wrote about earlier this summer here, and therefore, (d) I wanted to write up a "first impressions" post for you all.
Please note: My "first impressions" posts are necessarily less detailed, as I don't have the luxury of pausing the movie, taking notes, and rewatching scenes. I do, however, take notes as soon as I can after watching the film.
This also marks the fifth (!) time I've analyzed a reel librarian, library, or archives scene in a Marvel movie, three of which were "first impressions" posts. These past posts include:
Sorcerer librarians of 'Doctor Strange' (April 2018)
First impressions: 'Avengers: Infinity War' (May 2018)
First impressions: 'Captain Marvel' and its archives scene (April 2019)
First impressions: 'Avengers: Endgame' (May 2019)
Below again is the full trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and you can see a glimpse of Wong battling Abomination in a cage fight at 1:51 minutes into the trailer below:
"Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Official Trailer" by
Marvel Entertainment, Standard YouTube License
First impressions of the movie overall
I'm sooooo happy that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a certified hit already after smashing Labor Day box office records — and during an ongoing pandemic! It deserves all its accolades and then some. Everything worked in this movie, as it had great balance with drama, action, humor, casting, direction, and special effects. Tony Leung's performance was particularly epic and grounded this larger-than-life movie in real-world heartbreak.
This tweet really sums up my feelings about the movie, including the final bullet point:
My #ShangChi tweet review…
It does everything Marvel does well and puts it in one movie.
– likable heroes
– fantastic, complex villain
– maybe the best action in the MCU
– at points laugh out loud funny
– pulls at the heart
– expands the MCU for the future
– Wong
— Bryan Ehrlinspiel (@bcspiel) September 4, 2021
As a White person, I know that I cannot fully comprehend what this movie — and its vision and execution of Asian excellence on and behind the screen — must mean for Asian viewers all over the world. But I do know how much representation and visibility matter, and I know this movie matters. As Vox reporter Alex Abad-Santos stated in a review about the movie, "It's fantastic at touching upon the Asian American experience, and it's so buoyant in how it celebrates Asian American culture. I, like [lead star Simu] Liu, would love if we could change the world and smash ceilings and persevere against the nasty stuff — racism, prejudice, hopelessness — that keeps us pinned down. If only it were as simple as buying a movie ticket."
My husband woke me up on Saturday morning with the news that Wong was trending on Twitter… because reel librarian Wong made not one, not two, but THREE cameos – !!! – in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. (Plus, we already know that Wong makes a cameo in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home, and of course, he will return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.) It is quickly becoming the Wong Multiverse, and I'm not the only one who is excited about that!
With all his appearances in the MCU: past, present, future. It's clear that Wong is the actual Sorcerer Supreme who will save the uni(multi)verse at the end of Phase 4. Don't believe me? Just wait until everything goes Wong. 😏 #Marvel #ShangChi #TheTenRings pic.twitter.com/yuTEZll563
— Quan (@quanfused) September 4, 2021
It's crazy that Wong is about to be the connective tissue for the MCU in this phase, but I'm SO here for it like good for him and great for Benedict Wong who deserves the world.
— Evan Von Doom: Rebirth of the Cool (@EvanReadsComics) September 4, 2021
Also, this realization warmed my librarian heart: ❤
Fun Fact: By 2022, Benedict Wong will have appeared as "Wong" more times than anyone in the DCEU as their own characters or the X-Men films bar Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart
This is Wong's world, we only live here pic.twitter.com/MYdPn1OPEi
— Bork 🐉 (@BorkEternal) September 3, 2021
Okay, so let's get into each Wong cameo. And I cannot fully discuss Wong's cameos without getting into major spoilers, so you are heretofore warned. If you haven't already seen this movie, then go and watch it!
*MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT*
We good? Let's go! And by the way, all the movie quotes below are to the best of my recollection. If I need to correct anything, please leave a comment and let me know.
Wong cameo #1
Wong's first cameo comes in at about 30 minutes into the film, when Shang-Chi and Katy travel to an underground fight ring in Macau, which they later learn is run by Shang-Chi's sister, Xialing (played by Meng' er Zhang), who is a total badass. They're led through the club by Jon Jon (played by Ronny Chieng), who takes them to the main cage fight, where Wong is battling Abomination. Abomination lands a punch on Wong, who shouts, "That hurt! Want me to show you how it feels?" Wong then manifests a couple of sling ring circles so that the Abomination punches himself out!
"Shang-Chi Sees Wong and Abomination Fighting! Scene – SHANG-CHI (2021)" video, uploaded by KinoCheck International, Standard YouTube License
My favorite part of this scene? The reaction to Wong winning! The crowd erupts and chants Wong's name. And Jon Jon shouts out the best line in the movie:
My second favorite part of this scene? That Wong thinks his way to a victory in the cage fight. Reel librarian role model. 😀
After the fight, we see Wong offering the Abomination some cream to help him heal. Wong then says something like, "Maybe you'll start controlling your punches, like we talked about?" before they step through another sling ring circle.
My husband and I had slightly different takes on this scene. To me, it seemed like Wong was more like a mentor and helping to train Abomination (perhaps helping him to re-enter the MCU, as Abomination is most likely set to return in the upcoming She-Hulk TV series?). My husband focused more on the fact that the fight was staged, and wondering why trustworthy Wong was willing to participate in a rigged fight. Perhaps this is a Wong from another multiverse? Director Destin Daniel Cretton revealed in this interview that they had gone through many scenarios and pairings for this cameo, and that "we landed on a pairing [of Abomination and Wong] that felt really great, but it was also a pairing that made sense to what's happening in the MCU around the time of our movie."
This Screen Crush video also goes into some of the possibilities behind this cameo:
"SHANG CHI: Wong and ABOMINATION Fight EXPLAINED" video by ScreenCrush, Standard YouTube License
At the very end of the movie, Shang-Chi and Katy are sharing their adventures with a couple of their friends at a bar, and they see a sling ring circle appear behind their friends. Wong emerges, and we can see rows of books behind him. He's back in a library!
And we are are ALL Shang-Chi in this exchange:
Wong [calling out]: Shang-Chi?
Shang-Chi: [raises his hand]
Wong: Shang-Chi? I'm Wong.
Shang-Chi: Yes, I know. I'm a big fan.
Wong then asks Shang-Chi if he has the ten rings, and that they have work to do. He also invites Katy along. And then we are blessed with another meme-worthy bit from actor Benedict Wong as he downs the friend's drink and pulls this face:
Wong in #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!
The movie is out in theaters now 🎬 pic.twitter.com/SQJFFNMuBF
— Doctor Strange 2 Updates (@DrStrangeUpdate) September 3, 2021
Comic gold! Benedict Wong really has perfected the balance of the serious and humorous facets of Wong's character.
In a red-carpet interview at one of the movie's world premieres, Benedict Wong shared that he thinks Wong will be getting out of the library more in upcoming films. You can see the exchange at 1:18 minutes into the video below:
"Benedict Wong on Leaving the Library | Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi Red Carpet LIVE" video by Marvel Entertainment, Standard YouTube License
But my favorite part of these this second cameo — plus the final cameo, which we'll get to next! — is that Wong is back IN the library! It's unclear whether he's in a library at the New York sanctum or back in the main library at Kamar-Taj. My bet is on Kamar-Taj, based on the conversation in Wong's third and final cameo.
Wong's cameo #3
As the film finished, my husband remarked that this movie had focused on the legend of the ten rings — specifically, the legends stemming from Wenwu's thousand-plus reign with the rings — but not the origin of the rings.
Enter Wong's final cameo that slides in during the credits, in which Wong has clearly been wondering the same thing. Katy and Shang-Chi have joined Wong in the library — again, my bet is that he's back in the Kamar-Taj library, where Wong is the master librarian — where Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner (just Banner as himself, not as Professor Hulk) have also joined in via hologram Zoom.
This line about the ten rings from Wong made the librarian side of me squeal in delight:
They don't match any artifact from our codex.
Wong has been researching the ten rings! As Wong is the expert on the Infinity Stones, as demonstrated in a brief but pivotal scene in Avengers: Infinity War, it makes sense that he would be researching the ten rings, as well. And just the fact that the word "codex" is mentioned in a Marvel movie… yes, I am geeking out over that! (In historical contexts, a "codex" refers to a bound collection of handwritten sheets of paper, essentially an ancient manuscript and precursor to modern books. In more modern library science contexts, a "codex" is also used to mean an official list of names, ingredients, definitions, or artifacts, etc., kind of similar to an index. But a codex is complete unto itself, while an index usually accompanies a resource.) Wong could be using either one — or both! — meanings of the word "codex" in this scene.
Also, I loved that Wong is in top reel librarian mode in this scene. He's doing what librarians do best: knowing who to ask for help! There's a saying in the library world, that we librarians do not need to know everything ourselves, we just need to be able to find out who does. 😉 So that's what Wong is demonstrating, that he is researching the ten rings, but he is also reaching out to others for help, such as Captain Marvel (for her expertise and experience in intergalatic technology) and Bruce Banner (for his scientific knowledge).
Wong also says to Shang-Chi that "every time you used the rings, we could feel it in Kamar-Taj." This line is VERY revealing. For example, it reveals that:
the sorcerers could NOT feel the rings for the thousand-plus years that Wenwu controlled the rings, meaning that Wenwu was also accessing only a portion of the rings' power
that Shang-Chi wields the true, full power of the rings, confirming what we saw visually when the rings' aura turned from blue to a golden hue in Shang-Chi's hands during the fight with his father
probably other beings or dimensions felt the rings, too, when Shang-Chi used them (ruh roh)
this is NOT the last we shall see of the rings or or Shang-Chi… perhaps we'll even get a Shang-Chi and the Origin of the Ten Rings movie??
And finally, more comic gold, as Wong then joins Shang-Chi and Katy in singing karaoke! EPIC. 😀 😀 😀
Wong, Shang-Chi and Katy singing "Hotel California" at a karaoke bar has to go down as one of the best post-credits scene in the history of #MCU 🤣 #ShangChi #Marvel pic.twitter.com/CjfeRolUq7
— Migf (@Migf99) September 2, 2021
You can see more of this mid-credits scene and theories in this Screen Crush video:
"SHANG CHI POST CREDITS SCENE EXPLAINED" video by ScreenCrush, Standard YouTube License
Final thoughts and musings
I was surprised — pleasantly so! — that Wong was as impactful a character in this movie as he was, and also what a vital character he is proving to be in the MCU, and potentially in the multiverse. Wong helps set up the continuation of Shang-Chi as a character (and the ten rings as important artifacts), so he is a crucial part of this movie. Wong's not just a cameo.
Wong had to have been aware that Shang-Chi's sister, Xialing, was the one running the cage fight club. But he didn't know who her brother, Shang-Chi, was? There's something fishy about that, especially as you would think Wong would be sure to research who owned the club, plus their family connections. Hmmm….
Wong is very well-connected and knows EVERYBODY, based off his holographic Zoom session with Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner. In my experience, this is also pretty true-to-life to librarians, at least for academic librarians. On a college or university campus, librarians tend to work with a wide range of faculty, students, and staff across various departments and program areas, so we tend to have a lot of connections and personal relationships across campus. It makes sense to me that Wong would also have a lot of connections across the MCU.
Wong is well-known AND well-loved, judging by the crowd chanting his name after his cage fight with Abomination (and the fact that Wong was trending on Twitter the day after the movie's premiere!)
In my post exploring perspectives about Wong's reel librarian character, I noted the criticism about how Wong's character lacks agency or a central, in-depth narrative. In that post, I wondered "Will Wong have more of an independent identity and narrative" in upcoming films? And this film seems to be answering that question with a resounding YES! 😀
And whatever Dr. Strange is up to, Wong is the glue, and the one doing the work out there. Wong is not just Dr. Strange's sidekick; rather, he is his colleague and demands recognition and respect on his own terms. (Also see my post about Avengers: Endgame and how Wong is the one who actually assembled the Avengers.)
Wong serves as both an Information Provider and Comic Relief character types in his cameos in this movie.
Continuing the conversation
So those are my thoughts and first impressions after watching — and cheeringfor ! — Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. What are your thoughts? Did you like the movie? What do you think Wong's up to with Abomination? Please leave a comment and share!
Also, can't get enough of Wong? Here are additional posts I've written about reel librarian Wong:
3 reel librarians who have died in the line of duty (Oct. 2019)
Reel librarians and archivists in 16 sci-fi films (March 2020)
Perspectives about Wong's reel librarian character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (May 2021)
Will reel librarian Wong return in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'? (July 2021)
Hall of Fame (I added Wong in Feb. 2020)
Abad-Santos, Alex. "Why Shang-Chi's Success Matters — and Why It Shouldn't." Vox, 3 Sept. 2021.
Bond, Shannon. "Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' Smashes Labor Day Box Office Records With $71.4 Million Debut." NPR, 6 Sept. 2021.
"Codex vs Index – What's the difference?" WikiDiff, accessed 7 Sept. 2021. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
Davids, Brian. "Destin Daniel Cretton on 'Shang-Chi' and That Post-Credit Scene Cameo." The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sept. 2021.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton. Perf. Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Meng'er Zhang, Benedict Wong. Marvel Studios, 2021.
Snoek-Brown, Jennifer. "First impressions: 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)." Reel Librarians, 8 May 2019.
Snoek-Brown, Jennifer. "First impressions: 'Avengers: Infinity War'." Reel Librarians, 2 May 2018.
Snoek-Brown, Jennifer. "Perspectives about Wong's reel librarian character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe." Reel Librarians, 26 May 2021.
Snoek-Brown, Jennifer. "Will reel librarian Wong return in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'?" Reel Librarians, 28 July 2021.
Author JenniferPosted on September 8, 2021 September 8, 2021 Categories Character Types, Class IV, Comic Relief, first impressions, Information Provider, Special librarianTags special library2 Comments on First impressions: Wong's cameos in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' (2021)
First impressions: 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum' (2019) and its memorable fight scene in the NYPL
This man had no time to waste, and neither did the librarian.
I was NOT planning to write about the new film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum when I went to see it a couple of weeks ago during its opening weekend. I'd seen the two previous John Wick installments in theaters, so this outing to its third chapter was planned as a fun date night out. But when John Wick hails a cab within the first 5-10 minutes of the movie and directs the taxi driver to the New York Public Library, I knew my next post HAD to be about this movie.
And yes, a little bit of me felt like saying, "Dammit! There's going to be a library scene, so now I have to really pay attention to this movie!" This happens to me ALL the time, y'all. Librarians and libraries pop up everywhere in movies, just when you least expect it.
What's a "first impressions" post?
First things first, "first impressions" posts focus on current films that I have watched in theaters that include reel librarians and/or library or archives scenes. The resulting posts are necessarily less detailed — hence the "first impressions" moniker — as I don't have the luxury of rewatching scenes and taking notes in the movie theater. I do, however, take notes as soon as I can after watching the film. I also was able to rewatch most of this library scene and grab some (grainy) screenshots, thanks to a few YouTube videos.
***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD***
John Wick's reference interview
Now, back to the movie… when John Wick's cab gets stuck in traffic, he runs to the NYPL's central branch and then up the center aisle to the front circulation counter. A white, female librarian with a no-nonsense attitude asks if she can help him. She is older, has short brown hair, and is wearing glasses and a cardigan; her character displays all of the (stereo)typical visual cues of a reel librarian, except for the bun. Susan Blommaert is credited as the Librarian, and she mirrors John Wick's impassive facial expression.
John Wick's taciturn reference request?
Russian Folk Tale, Aleksandr Afanasyev, 1864.
The librarian doesn't ask any follow-up questions in this brief reference interview. Instead, we hear her typing (I'm assuming in a library catalog search screen) and then writes something on a slip of paper (I'm assuming a call number). John Wick stares down at the slip of paper, then back at the librarian, who then points her finger to the right.
Her equally taciturn response?
Level 2.
This is the barest-bones reference interview I think I have ever seen onscreen. And one of the most successful, as we next see John Wick walk down a row of books, straight to the book he needs. This man had no time to waste, and neither did the librarian. To my mind, she is a highly efficient Information Provider in a Class III film.
Side note: Is real life like that? Not quite… Slate's Natalia Winkelman wanted to see if she could replicate this reference request at the NYPL, and you can read her real-life reference interview experience here. Winkelman also answers the question of whether this book really exists. Bless. ♥
Shhhh! This library book has a secret
When John Wick slides out the exact book he needs and opens it up, we find out that he has hollowed out the inside! He has stashed valuables in this book's hidey-hole, including a large token, a rosary with a large cross, a few coins, and a photograph of his dead wife.
Library book prop!
At this point, five thoughts flashed through my head, in this order (it took me longer to suss them out completely on the page):
A book published in 1864 would be out in the main circulating stacks? I don't think so! That kind of book would probably be super valuable and in an archives or rare books room somewhere. (And this is one of the things that Winkelman found out in the article I referenced above, hah!)
The idea of carving out a hidey-hole in an actual library book — and a rare one at that! — made my librarian heart gasp in dismay. And it is likely to be an actual library book he mutilated, rather than a book he brought from the outside and just placed on the shelves, because otherwise the book wouldn't have come up in a library catalog search. Unless he swapped a copy of the library book for the real book, which is possible, but he would had to have made a replica call number. It's also possible I'm overthinking this point… next!
It's condescending to think that NO ONE would be interested enough in Russian folk tales to check this book out and discover its secret. Every subject out there has its dedicated researchers, and in my experience, folk tales are perennially popular. And if the book were not popular and had no check-outs whatsoever, then it would have been a prime candidate for librarians to (eventually) weed from the collection.
I did mentally pause to appreciate the fact that this scene was filmed in a library — or at least uses or mimics real library book props — because all of the books on the shelves have… say it with me, now… CALL NUMBERS! 😉
Alas, I could not make out the actual call number on the book John Wick slides out or the call numbers in the books around it. If the propmaster wanted to be accurate, the call number would most likely be in the 398.2 call number range, as that's the Dewey Decimal call number for folk tales and folklore. (And yes, afterward I searched for "Russian folk tales" in the NYPL online library catalog, and that's the general call number used. I am thorough, y'all. Goes with the librarian territory. 😉 )
Side note: This scene was actually filmed at NYPL's main branch, as they are thanked in the film's credits and acknowledgments.
Fight scene in the library!
As John Wick prepares to reshelve the book, a fellow hitman walks around the corner, quoting Dante. This hitman, named Ernest, is played by 7-foot-3 Boban Marjanovic, an NBA player. He towers over Keanu Reeves by more than a foot.
Ernest towers over John Wick
Ernest has come to kill John Wick and claim the reward money. (Context: Wick broke the rules at the end of Chapter 2, so he was given an hour of freedom before the contract to kill him went live. Chapter 3 starts off, time-wise, immediately after the events of Chapter 2.) No rest for the 'Wick'-ed! 😉
John Wick: I still have time.
Ernest: It's almost up. Who's gonna know the difference?
Ernest then pulls out a knife, and the fight begins in earnest. (Pun intended. I couldn't help myself! Again. 😉 )
At one point during the fight, Ernest shushes Wick. THE NERVE.
Shushing John Wick
The entire fight scene lasts about a minute, and John Wick eventually defeats his foe with the SAME book he came to the library for.
I admit, I was thinking about this scene's similarity to a fight scene in 2004's The Bourne Supremacy, in which Jason Bourne fights off a fellow assassin with a rolled-up magazine.
Fight in the library stacks!
Don't try this at home the library
And then the kicker. John Wick stands up, walks back into the stacks, and then REPLACES THE LIBRARY BOOK on the shelf, bloodstains and all.
John Wick goes back to replace the library book
This detail is lauded in several reviews and articles:
Wick's respect for library protocol is made plain, however — after using a book (Russian Folk Tale, Aleksandr Afanasyev, 1864) as a deadly weapon, his first instinct is to replace that book where he found it. Great work.
Shannon Connellan, Mashable.com
Eventually John kills him by utilizing the book he's holding as a weapon. That part is great, but the moment of true inspiration comes next when he goes back and replaces the book on the shelf where he found it. This detail works not because it is funny, but because it fits the character so perfectly that it would almost be weird if he didn't do it. In a genre where impersonality is the name of the game more than ever, it's a delight.
Peter Sobczynski, RogerEbert.com
This detail is admittedly clever when it comes to reinforcing Wick's character. OF COURSE he would replace the library book! He is a disciplined man. And he might need the book again. I get all that, and I chuckled myself in the movie theater during this scene.
HOWEVER. I could not be a self-respecting librarian without pointing out that in real life, please DO NOT re-shelve books on your own. You are not doing librarians a favor when you do this. In fact, you're doing the opposite. Why? Because we like to scan the barcodes of books that are used in the library but not checked out, so we can get a sense of how books are used in the library, even when they're not checked out or not able to be checked out, like reference books. (This is referred to as "in-house usage.") So you replacing that book on your own means that you're depriving that book of its potential in-house usage stats. Also, library staff workers like pages and clerks are trained to re-shelve books, as it's a major part of their jobs. So those library carts you usually find beside the stacks? Those carts are there for you to put books that need to be re-shelved. Use them, please.
Soap box time over. Thanks for sticking with me!
What about library patrons?
After John Wick replaces the book on the shelf, we next see him rushing down the library steps and into the street. So there seems to have been no consequences — or even acknowledgment! — of there being a very loud fight in the library stacks, which resulted in a dead body.
I can hear you asking, "But if he's on level two, and there's no one around, then this is theoretically possible." Books do, indeed, insulate noise very well. That's why quiet zones in libraries are often located beyond stacks of books, since they serve as natural sound barriers.
However, the two end their fight outside the stacks, where the tables are, which means the sound would carry. And there are angles in the fight scene that clearly show that there ARE library patrons on level two. Below is an example of what I'm referring to (you can also click the photo to open it in a larger size):
Library patrons in the background of the fight scene
And these patrons, who are listed in the IMDb.com credits but are uncredited in the movie, do not move or react at all to the carnage happening behind them.
Odd, right? Why include patrons at all in this scene? It would have made a lot more sense in this scene for the level to have been deserted.
Why the library?
One of John Wick's earliest and most imaginative kills in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum occurs at, of all places, the New York Public Library.
Natalia Winkelman, Slate.com
Why did the director, Chad Stahelski, choose to stage one of the fight scenes in a public library? I figured the main reason is the juxtaposition, that we expect libraries to be quiet, so a noisy fight scene in such a quiet space would feel jarring and unexpected and fresh.
Stahelski confirmed this in a Los Angeles Times interview, that he spent a lot of time thinking about how "to be non-repetitive" in the fight scenes that the John Wick films are famous for. It's important to note that Stahelski has directed all of the John Wick films, and he is a former stunt performer.
Library bookcases, when there are rows and rows of them, are often visually compelling onscreen. This is also the case in this film, as you can see in the screenshot below:
Rows of bookcases are always visually compelling onscreen
What I found really interesting is that Stahelski was inspired to do this fight scene in the New York Public Library WHILE actually being in the New York Public Library. So meta! And the fact that Stahelski is a library user? ♥
"I spent a lot of time in the New York Public Library trying to do some work because it's quiet," Stahelski says. "One day, I was down in the stacks and I thought, 'This would be a great place for a fight scene.'"
In an interview with Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times
Stahelski was also inspired by the constraints of filming a fight scene in the library:
"A lot of people would avoid using the stacks because it's difficult to shoot in and it would limit their choreography — you can't do big flying kicks and stuff like that," Stahelski says. "We're kind of the opposite: We think, 'What's the hardest situation you can put someone in? And are we smart enough to figure it out?'"
And they did indeed figure it out. Well done!
And they did this scene so well that it took me more than FOUR HOURS (!!!!) to draft this initial post. For a scene that lasts less than two minutes. My initial notes, the ones I jotted down on the notepad app on my phone, were pretty brief. But once I started to unpack, er, unshelve the scene, there was a lot more there to analyze and think through than I had originally thought! And of course, I spent time looking up reviews and articles and cross-checking details and citing sources. All part of the service, y'all. 😉
Are you a fan of the John Wick trilogy? Have you seen Chapter 3? You would alert a librarian or call 911 if you witnessed a fight scene in a library, right? Please leave a comment and share!
Connellan, Shannon. "'John Wick: Chapter 3' Fight Scenes, Ranked by Animal Involvement." Mashable, 24 May 2019.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Dir. Chad Stahelski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Asia Kate Dillon. Summit, 2019.
Rottenberg, Josh. "How the 'John Wick 3' Team and an NBA Player Pulled off That Fight in a Library." Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2019.
Sobczynski, Peter. "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum." RogerEbert.com, 17 May 2019.
Winkelman, Natalia. "So, What's That Book John Wick Uses as a Lethal Weapon?" Slate.com, 16 May 2019.
Author JenniferPosted on June 12, 2019 December 19, 2019 Categories Character Types, Class III, Favorite posts, first impressions, Information Provider, Public librarian, Reference interviewTags call numbers, New York Public Library, Public library3 Comments on First impressions: 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum' (2019) and its memorable fight scene in the NYPL
First impressions: 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
"To Wong, thanks for everything"
This is another post in my "first impressions" series of posts, which focus on current films that I have watched in theaters that include reel librarians and/or library or archives scenes. The resulting "first impressions" posts are necessarily less detailed, as I don't have the luxury of rewatching scenes and taking notes in the movie theater. I do, however, take notes as soon as I can after watching the film.
This also marks the fourth (!) time I've analyzed a reel librarian or library scene in Marvel's Avengers movie series. Past posts include: First impressions: 'Captain Marvel' and its archives scene ; First impressions: 'Avengers: Infinity War' ; and Sorcerer librarians of 'Doctor Strange'.
First things first:
Here's a trailer to get you pumped for watching (or more likely, rewatching) Avengers: Endgame.
"Avengers: Endgame Trailer #1 (2019)" video uploaded by Movieclips Trailers is licensed under a Standard YouTube license
My overall impression of the movie? LOVED IT. Except for one nagging question — which I will get into soon — I really can't imagine how this film could have been done better or done more justice to the myriad characters and storylines. Masterful plotting, pacing, acting, and directing by all involved. I knew it was going to be 3 hours sitting in a movie theater seat, but the time went by quickly for me. Really, really well done.
But of course, I'm realllllly here to talk about Wong (Benedict Wong), the sorcerer librarian character we first got to know and love in 2016's Doctor Strange. And I cannot talk about Wong's role in Avengers: Endgame without spoiling the finale.
So y'all know the drill…
SPOILER ALERT.
We good? Good.
Why didn't they ask Wong?!
I knew Wong was going to be in Avengers: Endgame. There were several clues, including:
Benedict Wong's name getting added to the cast list on IMDb.com.
Benedict Wong's name included in the credits in the official movie poster reveal.
Wong getting his own poster in the movie character poster series — in color! (Characters who survived got full-color posters, while characters that didn't survive got black-and-white posters.)
Benedict Wong sharing a photo of himself on the Endgame set last September.
There was some hype and anticipation about the importance of Wong's character to the Endgame finale:
As the surviving heroes are sure to attempt to use the Infinity Stones to undo the effects of the Mad Titan's snap, they will need to someone to teach them about each of the Stones, and Wong is the leading candidate. More than a bookworm, Wong has also proven himself a formidable warrior in his own right, helping Iron Man and Spider-Man subdue Cull Obsidian during their initial fight in New York City. With Doctor Strange perhaps putting up the strongest fight against Thanos with his extensive magical knowledge on Titan, Wong will need to step up to take his place.
Sam Stone, CBR.com
However, Wong's encyclopedic knowledge of the Stones — which was highlighted in Avengers: Infinity War — was not utilized AT ALL in this film. SIGH.
About a third of the way through the film, the remaining members of the Avengers & co. (Black Widow, Captain America, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Rocket, War Machine, and Nebula) are trying to piece together their memories of when they came into contact with the stones. They've figured out time travel, so now they need to figure when and where they need to travel back to, in order to steal the stones back in time. There is then a montage of them talking together and identifying dates, locations, and stones from their collective memories. (Minor rant alert: During these scenes, Natasha/Black Widow seems to be the ONLY ONE TAKING NOTES WHAT IS UP WITH THAT DUDES HELP THE TEAM OUT AND PICK UP A PENCIL OH MY GOD SIGH.)
And now for a MAJOR rant alert:
As this montage of scenes started playing, I literally said out loud in the movie theater:
It SERIOUSLY bugged me that NO ONE thought to call Wong and ask if he could help them piece together the history of the Stones. And there is no good reason for this oversight, because Wong had explained the history of the Infinity Stones to Tony Stark AND Bruce Banner in Avengers: Infinity War. And as BOTH Stark and Banner survived and were in the room helping to assemble memories, then one or both of them should have remembered that Wong could be helpful in this instance, especially after Natasha figured out that New York was key. After all, the last time Stark and Banner saw Wong was in New York, and he left them to guard the New York sanctum.
And sure, Wong was probably busy — after all, he was one of the only remaining sorcerers left, if not THE remaining sorcerer, after the Vanishing — but they still could have called! That's what librarians are here for, to help with research and answering questions! And it could have been a small thing, like, "Hey, let's call Wong. He'll know." "Oh, he's not available?" "Okay, gang, let's try and figure this out ourselves." IT'S NOT THAT HARD.
A major oversight and the only major flaw in the movie, in my opinion.
No, I'm not letting this go.
#WongForever
To Wong, thanks for everything:
But not all is lost. Wong still proves crucial to the final battle and, you know, saving humanity.
Right as Thanos and his army prepare to wipe out humanity, Doctor Strange and Wong show up via a portal. Across the sky, dozens of portals appear, each revealing more beloved Avengers and their allies, brought back to life by the Hulk's recent turn in the Infinity Gauntlet. Then there is this pivotal exchange:
Strange: "Is that everyone?"
Wong: "What, you wanted more?"
This exchange demonstrates the camaraderie between the duo, as Wong looks humorously exasperated at Strange's question. (And Wong is still visually on Strange's right side — from the perspective of the audience — keeping up his role as Strange's right-hand man. I first pointed out this visual trend in my Doctor Strange analysis post.)
But why is this two-line exchange of dialogue vital to the movie? Because it reveals that Wong is the one who actually assembled the Avengers! (Even though Captain America got to say that iconic line, it was Wong who did the ACTUAL WORK. Just sayin'.)
"While Doctor Strange was coming back from Titan, Wong took it upon himself to unite the world's heroes and bring them to the Avengers HQ for the final battle against Thanos."
Mansoor Mithaiwala, Screenrant.com
Strange had to have brought the Avengers who were with him on Titan to the final battle, but it's clear that Wong brought everyone else.
Wong remains Strange's "right-hand man" ; Still from 'Avengers: Infinity War' trailer
We then see Wong fight in battle and conjure a protective shield, larger than the ones seen in the screenshot above, when Thanos's ship fires down on the battlefield. Wong remains center screen during this quick clip in the battle, visually positing Wong as a leader of his force. Other protective shields pop up across the battlefield, indicating multiple trained sorcerers. And that got me thinking that Wong probably has been spending a major part of the past 5 years training more sorcerers.
Yep, you can depend on librarians to get. Shit. DONE.
We next see Wong at Tony Stark's funeral (sob!), standing beside Doctor Strange (again, from the audience's perspective, on his right side).
And then that got me thinking about Stark's last words to Wong in Avengers: Infinity War: "Wong, you're invited to the wedding!" Did Iron Man ever actually get married to Pepper? If so, did he invite Wong?!
Alas, these will remain unanswered questions… 😉
Continuing the conversation:
Do you have any unanswered questions about Avengers: Endgame? Have you seen the film? Did you enjoy it? Are there more Avengers movies I need to revisit for this blog? Please leave a comment and share!
Acuna, Kirsten. "The New 'Avengers: Endgame' Poster Reveals a Surprise Character We Weren't Sure Would be in the Movie." Insider, 14 March 2019.
Breznican, Anthony. "Valkyrie Returns! Wong Lives! Shuri… Doesn't — What We Learned from the Avengers: Endgame Posters." Entertainment Weekly, 26 March 2019.
Dominguez, Noah. "Avengers 4: Benedict Wong Shares Bizarre Photo From the Set." CBR.com, 22 Sept. 2018.
Mithaiwala, Mansoor. "Avengers: Endgame – Every Character In [SPOILER]." Screenrant.com, 26 April 2019.
Snoek-Brown, Jennifer. "Sorcerer Librarians of 'Doctor Strange'." Reel Librarians, 25 April 2018.
Stone, Sam. "After Ghosting Everyone in Infinity War, Wong Could Be Crucial to Endgame." CBR.com, 28 Jan. 2019.
Author JenniferPosted on May 8, 2019 December 21, 2020 Categories Character Types, Class III, Comic Relief, first impressions, Information Provider, Librarians of color, Special librarian4 Comments on First impressions: 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
First impressions: 'Captain Marvel' and its archives scene
Cue the chase-and-fight scene in the archives!
Kicking off our now twice-monthly posting schedule (new posts go live now on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month — sign up for email updates!) is a new "first impressions" post. If you're unfamiliar with this series, let me remedy that: these posts focus on more current films that I have watched in theaters that include reel librarians and/or library or archives scenes. The resulting "first impressions" posts are necessarily less detailed, as I don't have the luxury of rewatching scenes and taking notes.
*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*
I recently enjoyed watching Captain Marvel, the next movie in Marvel's Avengers movie series, starring Brie Larson in the title role. I straight-up and unapologetically LOVED this movie. LOVED LOVED LOVED. How much? Let me count the ways:
Larson's easy camaraderie with Samuel L. Jackson as a younger, pre-eyepatch-wearing Nick Fury (the digital erasure of Jackson's naturally age-lined face was seamless, and I honestly didn't even think about it while watching the film)
The '90s setting with its cheeky pop culture references and soundtrack
Larson's warm friendship with fellow pilot Maria Rambeau (played by Lashana Lynch) and her daughter, Monica (played by Akira Akbar) — I'm realllllllly hoping for Monica's character returns as a character in the next Avengers movie!
Ben Mendelsohn's rogue-ish charm evident even under several pounds of makeup in the character of Talos
The sight of Annette Bening looking bad-ass AF in a leather jacket
That last scene between Jude Law and Brie Larson
The film's unapologetically feminist focus
That the film was co-directed and co-written by women
And last but not least, I felt SO SEEN whenever Nick Fury fell all over himself cooing and petting Goose the cat. This is the correct behavior around cats, and I am here for it. #FlerkensForever
I also was surprised — and appreciative! — of an archives scene that popped up about halfway (?) through the film, and you can spy glimpses of the archives scenes starting at 1:26 into the trailer embedded below:
"Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel – Trailer 2" video uploaded by Marvel Entertainment is licensed under a Standard YouTube license
This scene is vital to the plot, as it provides clues to the essential question of the film: Who is Carol Danvers? This question is the center of the film's second-released trailer, seen above, when you hear Ben Mendelsohn's voice asking:
"Would you like to know what you really are?"
And over the flashes of the archives scene, you can hear Brie Larson's voice say:
"I think I had a life here."
Using bits of fractured memories, Vers/Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and Fury go to a U.S. Air Force base to look up "Project Pegasus." In the archives — which feature rows and rows and rows of neatly organized archival boxes — Vers easily finds the file she's looking for. (I think she pulled down a box labeled "P" for "Pegasus," but it might have been "L" for Bening's character Wendy Lawson, but regardless, it was super easy to find — and further evidence for why an organizational system MATTERS, y'all!)
Archival boxes in the records scene in Captain Marvel (2019)
Nick and Carol go fact-finding. Thank goodness for clearly labeled archives!
In that archival box — props to the propmaster for highlighting proper storage of archives, as this type of archival box would look familiar to any archivist or librarian — Fury and Vers discover evidence that she was a pilot presumed to have died in 1989 while testing an experimental jet engine designed by Lawson. This helps trigger more memories, as she starts putting together the pieces of her long-lost identity.
Photograph evidence of Carol Danvers as a pilot on Project Pegasus
After this pivotal fact-finding scene in the U.S. Air Force Archives base, a S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by Talos (in disguise) tries to capture them. Cue the chase-and-fight scene in the archives! I also appreciated the automatic lighting used in the archives setting, as this detail is not only realistic to large archival collections (automatic lighting saves money), it also provides cinematic DRAMA during the entire scene, as Fury can't move without triggering the lights and revealing his hiding spot. Long rows of bookshelves are always cinematic in scope, but adding automatic lighting is the cherry on top of this archival sundae. And they used this lighting effect in the trailer, too, set to beats of music.
Dramatic lighting in the archives
Alas, there is no archivist in this scene — I guess they didn't need one since the archives were so well organized?! 😉 Therefore, this film lands in the Class V category, films with no identifiable librarians and/or archivists, although they mention them and/or have scenes set in libraries/archives.
To sum up, a library/archives scene — once again — provides pivotal clues to propel the plot forward. Just one more reason to love this action movie!
Have you seen Captain Marvel yet? What are your thoughts? Did you perk up during the archives scene? Are you #TeamFlerken? Please leave a comment and share!
Captain Marvel. Dir. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Perf. Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Lashana Lynch. Disney, 2019.
"Captain Marvel (film)" via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
Author JenniferPosted on April 10, 2019 April 11, 2019 Categories Class V, first impressionsTags archives, library scenes without librarians, no librarian3 Comments on First impressions: 'Captain Marvel' and its archives scene
First impressions: 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)
Letting out some steam in the Records Room
I have done a few "first impressions" series of posts over the years, which focus on more current films that I have watched in theaters that include reel librarians and/or library or archives scenes. The resulting "first impressions" posts are necessarily less detailed, as I don't have the luxury of rewatching scenes and taking notes, but they turn out to be some of my more consistently popular posts.
A little over a month ago, I was able to watch Spike Lee's latest film, BlacKkKlansman, at The Grand Cinema, which is an awesome, independent, arthouse-type movie theater in Tacoma. The film is based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, and John David Washington (the son of Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington) is perfectly cast in the title role.
Basic plot and trailer:
In the early 1970s, Stallworth is hired as the first black officer in the Colorado Springs, Colorado police department. Initially assigned to work in the records room, he requests a transfer to go undercover and gets reassigned to the intelligence division. While reading the newspaper, he finds an advertisement to join the Ku Klux Klan. He calls and pretends to be a white man, and eventually becomes a member of the Colorado Springs chapter. Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) acts as Stallworth in order to meet the KKK members in person.
This is a film that punches you in the gut, and keeps you thinking and feeling and reacting. It is VERY timely. Highly recommended.
Below is a trailer for the film:
"BLACKkKLANSMAN – Official Trailer [HD] – In Theaters August 10," Focus Features, Standard YouTube License
So what does this film have to do with reel librarians?
Records room scenes:
As mentioned in the summary above, Stallworth is initially assigned to work in the records room. There is a small nameplate on the front of the shelving units that says "Records librarian" (which is visible in the screenshot below), although the records room is essentially the archives of the police department. Stallworth is really bored working in the records room, and it's clear that the records room is like a "right of passage" for rookie cops. It's not a prestigious job, and the "real" cops look down on their co-workers stuck behind the desk.
(Never mind that detectives could NOT do their jobs or background research without those records and archival materials, and someone to help them locate those records, but WHATEVER. SIGH. >( )
There are two major scenes set in the records room, scenes in which Stallworth endures racial slurs and harassment from his co-workers, particularly from patrolman Andy Landers, a corrupt, racist officer in Stallworth's precinct. Stallworth lets out some steam after his initial encounter with Landers, as seen in this screenshot from the above trailer:
Don't mess with records librarians!
We also see another records room officer, played by Jeremy J. Nelson, in one of the records room scenes.
Library research scene:
There is also a very brief scene — perhaps two-thirds of the way through the movie? — where the president of the Black Student Union (Laura Harrier as Patrice Dumas) goes to what looks to be an academic library and looks up microfiche. In that brief library research scene, you can catch a glimpse of a reel librarian, played by Elise Hudson, who helps set up the microfiche machine for Patrice.
Patrice is researching materials and photos for an upcoming speaker (Harry Belafonte as Jerome Turner), and in a later scene featuring Turner's moving speech, you see the archival photos she found and used displayed around him.
Reflecting on BlacKkKlansman, I realized that this film falls into the Class II category, films in which the protagonist or other major characters are librarians, but the librarian's occupation does not directly affect the plot. This is because John Stallworth, the lead character, worked as a "records librarian" — but more accurately, the records archivist. I would say his character reflects the "Liberated Librarian" character type pretty well, as he is literally liberated from the Records Room and promoted into the intelligence division.
There are two other reel librarians/archivists in the film as well, Jeremy J. Nelson as another Records Room Officer and Elise Hudson as a (more traditional) librarian, although we only see them collectively for a few seconds on screen. They function as your basic Information Providers, there to establish the library/archives settings of specific scenes.
Want more "first impressions" posts?
First impressions: The Amazing Spider-Man
First impressions: 'Avengers: Infinity War'
First Impressions guest post: 'Columbus'
First impressions: 'Hidden Figures' and its library scene
First impressions: 'It' (2017) and its library scene
First impressions: 'The Librarians' (TV show)
First impressions: Monsters University
First impressions: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
BlacKkKlansman. Dir. Spike Lee. Perf. John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier. Focus Features, 2018. Based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth.
"BlacKkKlansman" via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
Author JenniferPosted on November 7, 2018 December 21, 2020 Categories Archivist, Character Types, Class II, first impressions, Information Provider, Liberated Librarian (male), Librarians of colorTags archivesLeave a comment on First impressions: 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)


text:
Q: Robot Framework Appium: Implicit wait is ignored I am using Robot Framework-AppiumLibrary to test an Android hybrid mobile app (webview elements) and during implicit wait, the timeout I set is being ignored. For example, I set 5 seconds to wait for a text/element but it extends the time to ~35 seconds waiting time before it fails the test case if element is not found. I need the timeout to be precise on my tests.
Here is an example script:
Wait Until Page Contains    Stackoverflow    timeout=5

Have tried the following ways:
 1. Set Appium timeout
 2. Set Desired capabilities timeout: newCommandTimeout, autoWebViewTimeout, and any other timeout i can find.
 3. Set Wait Until Page .... keyword timeout=0
How can I make a Appium Library Wait until... keyword follow the implicit wait timeout? Thanks!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home » The Music » Music of 'The Americans' FX – Phil Collins 'In the Air Tonight'
Music of 'The Americans' FX – Phil Collins 'In the Air Tonight'
In the first episode of The Americans FX TV show, we see the sexual sides of Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell) set to Phil Collins. This is why so many love The Americans.
Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" was the perfect choice to score Phillip and Elizabeth's disposal of Timosheev's body, and the lovemaking that followed. The two of them have seen each other every day for years, but Elizabeth finally has an answer to the question "I don't know if you know who I am," and Phillip's finally knows "the reason why you keep your silence up, oh no you don't fool me / Well the hurt doesn't show, but the pain still grows / It's no stranger to you and me." – Alyssa Rosenberg, ThinkProgress.org
Music of 'The Americans' FX - Fleetwood Mac 'Tusk'
Music of 'The Americans' FX - Quarterflash 'Harden My Heart'
Pete Townsend Writes Song for The Americans
The Music of The Americans
Listen To The Americans Music Online
Music of 'The Americans' FX – Quarterflash 'Harden My Heart'
Music of 'The Americans' FX – Fleetwood Mac 'Tusk'


Experts agree that the Obama administration is acquiescing to Iran's destruction of order in the Middle East in the hope of preserving a personal "legacy" for the President.
The President's own party slams his inaction in the face of multiple Iranian abuses.
We told you so. In October.
A roundup of the many ways the Iran Deal has rewarded us since the Senate filibuster waved President Obama's deal through.
Does the deployment of a second carrier, combined with increased spy satellite coverage of Israeli airfields, indicate a planned military strike to prevent an Israeli attack on Iran?
"I am confident in the extraordinary benefits to our national security and the peace and security of the world," says President Obama, as Qassem Suleimani is photographed leading armies near Aleppo.
As the President made his speech to the United Nations, Iranian Americans rallied nearby to protest the intensity of human rights abuses and the pace of executions under President Rouhani.


text:
Tennis Architecture from Newport to the Bronx
By Tom Stoelker • July 3, 2012
The multi-level Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the Bronx is decidedly democratic. (Courtesy Peter Gluck and Partners)
Teddy Roosevelt once remarked on the commercialization of sports: "When money comes in at the gate, the game goes out the window." With Wimbledon in high gear and tennis at the Olympics looming, tennis is getting more than its share of commercial attention lately. Just last month the United States Tennis Association announced it would spend a half billion dollars to upgrade the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Queens, where the U.S. Open is played. The project is linked to the $3 billion Willets Point project.
The proposed Grand Stand Court at the National Tennis Center by Rossetti architects seeks to compete globally.(Courtesy Rossetti)
The unabashedly commercial enterprise is somewhat countered by a decidedly democratic project well underway at Crotona Park in the Bronx. There, the nonprofit New York Junior Tennis League, founded by the late Arthur Ashe, and the Parks Department are midway through completing a $22 million international tennis center designed by Peter Gluck and Partners. The Bronx and Queens projects are graphic examples of how a historically exclusive sport has become populist.
Nevertheless, McKim, Mead and White's lawn tennis clubs, like the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia, still court old-school patrons with club rooms for bridge and a menu featuring turtle soup. And Dattner Architects' designs for Cordish Family Pavilion at Princeton University brings its own brand of up-to-date elegance back to the game.
Regardless of the project, whether its big business in Queens, public/private in the Bronx, private in Princeton, or very private in Philadelphia, tennis architecture seems to have always found a way to allow money in at the gate.
The sunken courts at the Cary Leeds Center keep Crotona Park's view corridors clear. (Courtesy Peter Gluck Architects)
An aerial view of the Leeds Tennis Center. (Courtesy Peter Gluck Architects)
The interior of Dattner's Cordishi Family pavilion overlooking the courts at Princeton. (Courtesy Vanni Archive)
Side view of the Cordishi Family pavilion. (Courtesy Vanni Archive)
A zinc roof folds down the back of the Cordishi Family pavilion. (Courtesy Vanni Archive)
Detail of the ballroom from McKim Mead and White's Germantown Cricket Club. (AN/Stoelker)
The Germantown Cricket Club courts at dusk. (AN/Stoelker)
The Grand Poobah of tennis clubs, also McKim Mead and White's first collaboration, the Newport Casino. (Courtesy Library of Congress)
Dattner Architects McKim Mead & White Peter Gluck tennis US Open
July 3, 2019 ROSSETTI designed a partial-pop-up tennis stadium for the Miami Open
January 24, 2019 Over 80 architect-activists join Women's March on NYC
January 17, 2019 Dattner Architects organizes campaign for Saturday's Women's March on NYC
September 6, 2018 The US Open starts a new chapter in its architectural history


text:
Letter to the Prime Minister
Published: 18 Mar 2019 15:10
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has today written to the Prime Minister about the role of the devolved administrations in talks on the future trade relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Full text of letter:
Dear Theresa,
I recognise that this is a critical week for Brexit, ahead of the European Council at the end of the week. It is therefore with concern that I have read press reports over the weekend about offers you may be making to the Democratic Unionist Party, upon whom you rely for a working majority in the House of Commons. As a consequence I wanted to seek clarity and assurance from you at the outset.
Since the EU referendum in 2016 there has been sustained and consistent damage done to the devolution settlement, and to the idea that the UK is a partnership of equal nations. As you are aware, like Northern Ireland, Scotland voted to remain in the European Union.
In the past two years however, Scotland's wishes and national interests have been roundly ignored and at times treated with contempt by the UK Government.
I now have three further major concerns over what appears, from reports, to be your strategy for securing a majority for your Brexit deal. By according the DUP disproportionate influence, it seems clear that maintaining your majority in the UK Parliament comes before respect for the properly constituted governments across the UK.
Firstly, there must be no question of one political party - the DUP - being represented in talks on the future trade relationship between the UK and EU when other political parties and Devolved Governments are not. As you are aware, in August 2018, the Scottish Government published a paper in respect of our role in International Trade negotiations. There has been no indication that the UK Government is taking these proposals seriously, although there has since been support for a greater role for devolved administrations in trade negotiations from both the International Trade and Scottish Affairs select Committees in the House of Commons. In addition, there have been no meaningful moves to ensure the devolved governments have a properly enhanced role in the next phase of EU-UK negotiations.
Secondly, the UK Government's proposals to the DUP appear to involve a serious curtailment of the powers of the Scottish Parliament. Indeed in seeking to obtain support for your deal in December the UK Government committed, in the event that the Protocol on Northern Ireland is required, "to ensure that there would be no divergence in the rules applied in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in areas covered by the Protocol". Many of the relevant rules fall within devolved competence and therefore it is not in the gift of the UK Government to unilaterally constrain the powers of the Scottish Parliament in order to strike a deal with the DUP. Continued alignment can only be guaranteed with the full support of the Scottish Government and Parliament. As you will be aware, the Scottish Government continues to be concerned that Scotland will be placed at a disadvantage if your proposals take effect.
Finally, we continue to see decisions from the UK Government which undermine and discredit the existing UK funding framework and which short-change Scotland. In 2017, The UK Government provided an additional £1 billion to Northern Ireland as part of the confidence and supply agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party and recently it allocated another £140 million in Northern Ireland's 2019-20 Budget. These funds were allocated to devolved matters and it is completely unacceptable that these decisions did not result in additional consequentials for Scotland. The UK Government's actions mean that Scotland has lost out on equivalent funding of around £3.3 billion. The UK Government cannot continue to favour Northern Ireland over the other devolved administrations for short-term political gain and we expect any future funding to be allocated in a fair and transparent manner.
I have said and will continue to say that while there is no broad consensus in the UK Parliament for your Brexit deal, the decision ought to be put back to the people in a second EU referendum - that is the responsible and democratic thing to do. However should the UK continue on a path to exiting the EU, then there must be fair and equal treatment of the four nations of the UK in relation to influence over and a role in the negotiations of the future relationship through the properly constituted devolved institutions.
At present, far from ensuring such fair treatment you appear to be pursuing a path that privileges one political party, further constrains the powers of the Scottish Parliament and short-changes public spending in Scotland. This approach would not be acceptable.


We're going on holiday next weekend (yay!) and I'm currently packing the cases and making sure we have everything we need.
I'm quite organised and usually get everything ready early but am still always really worried we'll forget something. I like my lists and make a checklist to try and stop any last minute panics on the way to the airport.
I'm not talking about clothes or toiletries, those kinds of things you could buy quite easily if you forget anything. I'm thinking more of the show-stopping items that might stop you from getting on the plane, or anything that would be expensive to buy abroad.
Check these when you book your holiday! Luckily we booked six months in advance so had plenty of time to get Little H a new passport when we realised it was about to run out.
Make sure you have boarding passes, visas and your driving licence if you're renting a car. It's also useful to print off your hotel booking details and anything else you have booked such as excursions.
Don't forget to book travel insurance before you go. I use a comparison website to get the best deal. Make sure you print the details off as well, could really speed things up if you need to use a hospital in an emergency.
Another good use of a comparison site, the rates offered vary massively. It's always cheaper to get your money before you travel – airports and hotels offer ridiculously low exchange rates.
You probably won't forget your phone but you might forget to pack a charger. You might be hard pushed to find a compatible charger if you're just on a beachy holiday and don't want to be without your phone.
My holiday would be ruined if I forgot my GHDs – think Monica in Barbados!
If you have a 'proper' camera you don't want to forget to pack it. Holidays are the perfect opportunity to use your photography skills.
You don't want to get to your hotel and realise you can't plug in your phone charger or hair straighteners! These are cheapest in the supermarkets and stupidly expensive at the airport.
If you have kids you'll definitely need one of these stocked with plasters and Calpol. Depending on where you're going on holiday you might also want to pack sickness & diarrhoea tablets!
Don't forget to take any prescription medications – for me, this is my inhaler.
Last year I forgot to take my prescription sunglasses to Florida which meant I was quite blind for most of the holiday! So annoying as I left them in the car at the airport.
If you want to read by the pool don't forget your Kindle or tablet, especially if you've downloaded lots of books beforehand.
Hopefully, this checklist will stop us (& you!) from forgetting anything important. Have I forgotten anything?
I've done the glasses thing on a ski trip. I ended up having to buy new goggles to fit over my glasses, because I'd forgotten my contact lenses. I can never sleep the night before a holiday for worrying that I'll forget my daughter's insulin. It has to be kept in the fridge or it degrades, so it's always the last thing to be packed. I'm sure one day we're going to end up abroad without it!
Fab list! We're going abroad for the first time with the kids and my list is getting huge!