#at a time when mp came out and with all the comparisons people are making with larry one would think they’d shun this but apparently not?

[lhrry]

x

#gotta say (but not trying to guess or explain even if there are a few theories in my brain) #that everything happening these past weeks really is curious and it’s going to be interesting to see what happens next esp in potentially #looking at why babygate was so terribly ramped up during louis’ promo #because you have that in a quite unparalleled way but then you have Eleanor not being mentioned once like #literally danielled #and then you have the way fitf is queer #and then suddenly it becomes very clear that harry is no longer blacklisted in louis’ interviews and you have a syndicated press release #about louis struggling with fatherhood and few days later there is article upon article about louis on his ‘brother’s’ success #at a time when mp came out and with all the comparisons people are making with larry one would think they’d shun this but apparently not? #and then you have louis saying harry hits too close to home which still was a formulation for the books skmsk #and then you have holivia BUA which we expected around this time but louis’ 1 more day tweet makes it even funnier ngl #and you have gemma and lottie interacting on social media more (although there’s been something here and there before) #and there was even sth about harry on the twins’ igs a few weeks back or sth i dont know i dont follow them #but like no matter whether this is it and they’re just changing up the nemesis narrative or whether there are going to be further #developments #there definitely is some kind of a shift and it may end here or it may not but there definitely is sth happening

[im-constantly-fangirling-backup]

Here Comes the Cavalry

REPOST BECAUSE TUMBLR HATES ME

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Warnings: Swear words

Word Count: ~2.3k

A/N: Thank you so much for requesting this, anon! I had a really fun time writing this and I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Charlie's 10th birthday finds itself the center of a showdown between Thomas and his ex-wife over the new woman in his life.

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Being a friend of the Shelby's- didn’t matter how close or distant- was like walking around with a target on your back. But you didn’t mind. As much violence and chaos that the family attracts, and as much as they try to have power over each other, there was a mutual love and respect between every Shelby that you hadn’t seen anywhere else. For example, when Polly found out Tommy had hidden crucial information, she was pissed; but also proud. It was a bit concerning, if you were going to be honest. Even Grace was kept in the loop after the divorce. Once a Shelby, always a Shelby, you supposed. Grace wasn’t involved in the family business at all, but she and the family met occasionally. Although, as time passed on, it was mostly so Charlie could spend time with his father. Grace was now remarried and her visits were far and in between. She drifted apart from all the Shelbys- not that they minded, as her betrayal was still in their minds all those years later. Thomas started to move on from her as well, now very much used to Grace not being a part of his day-to-day life. Today was the day that Grace and Charlie were making a rare visit to the Arrow House for his 10th birthday. Thomas postponed all of his meetings for the entire week to make time for his son, an action that made you smile when you heard Tom tell his clients of his absence. And they call him heartless, you had laughed to yourself. “Ada! How are you doing!” you said, hugging your best friend before walking into the Arrow House. You took off your coat and hung it on the hook next to the door. “Oh I’m doing great sweetheart,” she said. “Auntie Y/NNNNNN!” you heard a little boy’s voice yell from the stairs. The pitter-patter of their feet running across the wooden floor echoed through the large room and made you chuckle. “Hello, Karl!” you kneeled on your knees and opened your arms for Karl, who ran into them and almost made you topple over. “Someone’s excited to see me!” You squeezed him lightly, resting your cheek on his head. You pulled away from him and reached into your purse, grabbing a chocolate bar that you had bought for Karl. “I got you something!” Karl smiled, his cute crooked teeth on display. “Thank you!” He grabbed the bar from your hand and started unwrapping it, running away from you and towards the living room. “Uncle Arthur, look what Auntie Y/N gave me!” he yelled. “What did I say about the chocolate?” Ada chided you. You laughed. “I couldn’t help it Ada,” you defended yourself. “He’s too adorable to not spoil.” In the background, you heard Karl laugh loudly. “You can’t have any Uncle Arthur, it’s for me!” You chuckled and shook your head, looking down at the floor in mock exasperation. The Arrow House would be nothing without the echoes of Karl’s screams bouncing around the walls from time to time. Even Thomas seemed to brighten up a bit more whenever Karl and Ada visited. You supposed it was because his nephew reminded him of his own son that he barely got to see. At the thought of Charlie, you looked up to Ada. “When are Charlie and Grace showing up?” Ada shrugged. “They should be here in a couple of minutes. Why don’t we head to the living room? Tommy bought a shit ton of food for Charlie so we might be able to steal a bit.” _______________________________________________________________________________________ You and Ada made your way into the living room and smiled at the exquisite birthday decorations. There were balloons of every color bunched up every couple of feet around the room, a large birthday banner hanging proud and true on the wall across from the fireplace. “Hello, Y/N. Ada,” Tom said from where he sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees. You smiled at him. “Thomas.” Tom smirked slightly- which was a fucking bright-ass grin when it came to Thomas. “We’ve been over the ‘Thomas’ shit, Y/n/n,” he said, quirking his brow. You chuckled. “We have,” you said. “Tom. ‘S just fun to be all fucking formal.” Tom pat the spot on the couch next to him while Ada left your side, sensing that you two wanted some

time alone. You walked over to Tom and sat next to him. “You excited?” Thomas nodded, his blue eyes brightening slightly. “I hardly get to see Charles anymore. You bet your ass I’m spoiling me boy when he’s here,” he joked. You laughed. “I’m sure Charlie’s going to like all of this,” you gestured to the decorations around you. “Oh! Before I forget! Where should I put this?” You reached into your purse and pulled out a folded mancala board that Charlie had begged you for the last time he visited. Thomas smiled and took the board from you, leaning down and sliding it under the couch. “We’re going to open presents after cake, so just remember to pick it back up.” From there, you and Thomas began to talk about the family business. Unlike with Grace, Thomas found himself consulting you on many decisions that he made. You weren’t directly involved but your advice was greatly appreciated by the family. Especially since Thomas wanted to get into politics- a field that you knew well because your father ran for MP multiple times before his death- your advice on what not to do gave him valuable insight on how to maintain a favorable public image. “I know your past is something that can’t be erased,” you said in response to Tom’s concerns about the subject. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t be hidden. Or at least left ambiguous enough that people can’t ask the right questions. You keep the public from asking the right questions, and you make sure they can never find the answers.” “It’s a bit unnerving that you know this,” Tom noted, a smirk on his face. In truth, he was impressed. Your knowledge of politics was quite extensive considering your father tried to keep you away from it for most of your life. But you knew how to eavesdrop and read gossip, and so you gained a wealth of knowledge about politics. You laughed. “You’re acting like you don’t already know this.” Thomas took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled. “You got me there.” Your conversation was interrupted by the distinct shrill of the doorbell. Tom perked up and smiled. “Charles is here!” He practically jumped up from his seat on the couch and made his way to the hall. You followed him to the hall, beckoning Karl, Ada, and Arthur- who had been quietly eating food in the corner, thinking Tom hadn’t noticed- to come with you. You and the group walked into the hall to the sight of Thomas laughing and picking up Charlie in his arms and bouncing him up and down, making his son giggle. “Happy birthday Charlie!” you exclaimed, clapping. Arthur, Karl, Ada- and John and Polly, who had been talking in the hall after you arrived- clapped and joined in wishing Charlie a happy birthday. Charlie and Karl shared a hug that resulted in you awing. You looked at Grace and smiled. “Welcome, Grace,” you greeted her respectfully. Grace simply nodded at you and took off her coat. Turning around to put her coat on the coat hooks next to the door, she gasped lightly in shock when she saw your coat resting next to Tom’s. “Whose coat is this?” she asked casually. You apologized profusely. “It’s mine, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to impose. I can find a different place for it-” Thomas waved his hand nonchalantly. “Oh, no need. You’re not imposing, Y/n/n.” You blushed slightly. “Frances can take your coat, Grace. I trust you remember who she is?” He jabbed at her lightly. Grace huffed and nodded. “Alright.” The tension between Tom and Grace was palpable and made everyone make excuses to leave the room. You left as well, saying something about wanting to play around with Karl and Charlie. You knew things were bad between Thomas and Grace. So bad, in fact, that Tom had approached her with a divorce. Tom was many things, but he wasn’t the type of person to reach for a divorce. He believed that marriage lasted for life. But after Tom’s and Grace’s arguments over his ambitions and dreams started to grow from skirmishes to screaming matches littered with threats, Thomas had enough. He told you the night that he decided to divorce Grace that he didn’t want to spend his life with a woman

that didn’t support his political and business ambitions. You found yourself sympathizing with both of them. You understood Grace’s concerns about the target that would always be on her and Charlie’s back because of Thomas’s ambition. But you also understood Thomas’s argument that his ambitions were also the thing that would provide his family with more opportunities than he had. Thomas’s goals were a double-edged sword. Although, Grace had become quite cold to Thomas in retaliation for the divorce, often sending him and his family veiled insults. So you didn’t feel much remorse for her when Tom made barbed comments like the one made in the hall. You sighed while watching Karl and Charlie play. It was going to be a long party. _______________________________________________________________________________________ All of you were eating cake, you talking with Polly about some gossip that you heard when going shopping for groceries. “Apparently Brandon was just using her for her status,” you said, licking the frosting off of your fork. “But then Brandon caught Melissa sleeping with her boss-” “No fucking way!” Polly interrupted, putting her plate down and gasping. “How the hell do these things happen to people!” You laughed. “I know right! My life is boring in comparison- and I hang out with you insane idiots!” “Hey!” John said from across the table, his mouth full of cake. “We’re not that bad!” “Speak for yourself,” Ada muttered from next to her brother, cringing when John stuck his cake-covered tongue out at her. “Honestly, Y/N,” Grace’s refined voice reverberated through the dining room, “You shouldn’t be gossiping this much. It’s a boring pastime.” You quirked your brow. “I’m sorry?” “Oh it’s alright, I understand that some people have nothing better to talk about. I’m just saying, gossip signals a bland personality and I’m sure you don’t have that, hm?” Grace’s implied message was clear. You sat in silence for a moment, surprised. “No?” you said, going along with whatever Grace said. In all honesty, you didn’t care what Grace thought of you. She barely visited enough for you to give a shit. But apparently, Tom didn’t want to let it slide. “Look, Grace, it’s not a big deal to gossip, alright? You’d be a big fucking hypocrite telling Y/n/n not to gossip when pretty much everything you talked about was who was fuckin’ who-” “Thomas!” Grace chided. “What? If you’re going to walk in here and criticize how Y/n/n spends their time, you can fuck off, alright? I don’t need some posh stuck-up woman in me house. So either behave yourself and let Charlie have a good birthday,” Thomas threatened, “Or get out of me house and have fun on the streets for a week.” “You’d let your own son live on the streets for a week?” Grace asked, shocked. “My threat regards only you. Charles is me blood- you make me see blood.” Grace looked down at her plate and picked up her fork and ate her cake again. Tom took that as an agreement to get along with everyone and started eating again as well. You were just thankful that you had sent Karl and Charlie to play upstairs. But regardless of the tense situation, a smile graced your face at the immediacy that Tom defended you with. _______________________________________________________________________________________ “Hey,” you tapped Thomas’s shoulder when you both found yourselves alone in the back room. “Thank you for defending me.” Tom nodded and smiled slightly. “Of course.” “I mean it. No one really defends me so I really appreciate it. Especially since it’s Grace.” Tommy’s brows raised slightly at that comment. “What do you mean?” You shrugged, looking anywhere but at Tom. “I mean, she was the woman that made you the person you used to be before France. I understand there’s some bad blood between you two now, but she’s still special to you.” Tom hummed and walked closer to you, stopping at around 2 feet away from you. “So are you, you know. You’re special to me.” You smiled. “You’re special to me, too.” Thomas’s hand cupped your cheek lightly, his thumb stroking

back and forth. A flush made its way to your cheeks and you smiled shyly at Tom. There was always some unspoken bond between the two of you that you danced around. You were always scared that it was too early after his divorce, but with the way that he was looking at you, he probably got over it a while ago. You don’t know who leaned forward first, but one second later your mouths were connected in a feverish kiss. Tom’s hands were traveling places, touching parts of your body that you caught him eyeing from time to time. Your hands rested against his chest and reveled in the feeling of his heart thumping against his chest as erratically as yours. So you had the same effect on him as he did on you. The kiss was a good indicator of that, but it was nice to have reassurance. Tom pulled away and rested his forehead on yours. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that for months now,” Tom confessed. You smiled, pecking him on the lips. “So have I,” you replied, pulling his mouth back to yours.

#tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #tommy shelby angst #thomas shelby angst #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine

[lezziemanville]

Okay the thoughts no one asked for about BenDeLaCreme in All Stars 3

1. What a redemption arc. I mean she was excellent in her first series (Darienne Lake who?) but I don’t think Ru saw what we did.

2. Cut to AS3 That Anaconda lip sync was insane. So fucking insane. Like, we all thought Aja would win it, she’s one of those glamour queens that are selling sex appeal and had all those dance moves (unpopular opinion probably but I’m over watching drag queens do the splits. The first 100 times I gasped but like... let’s move on from that. Plus I’m old and they were doing that in gay clubs in the early 2000s nightly) Then DeLa just slayed it. Yes it was funny but it was also a nailed lip sync itself and Michelle Visage was literally leaning into Ru she was laughing so hard. DeLa killed it.

3. DeLa’s Julie Andrews. At first I was like “oh fuck why, why give her that?” but then in retrospect it’s probably because DeLa comes off as Mary Poppins on stage (saucy, sassy, Mary Poppins but MP nonetheless). Her dancing was hysterical, her lip sync was phenomenal and just everything about it screamed winner. I was not shocked she won.

4. Then the soup can thing? What a dumb ass challenge but anyways, her voice over was the best. The Michelle Visage thing was hilarious and so to the point because I’ve heard they’re both over that comparison. Even though Ru made that joke herself in the first episode I think it was when she came down the runway.

5. The bitchelor scene just proved what a fantastic talent Ben has and that creating this entirely not-DeLa persona and running with it was only proof of his ability to be versatile. When she rubbed the banana on herself and ate it again and said “Remember I ate this before” — my wife and I just died laughing. Like I could not breathe. It was so unexpected and hysterical. Ugh I LOVE DeLa’s improv (reminds me of the gif set I will be making of her interview with Jinkx and the Turkey ham pronoun thing that had Jinkx literally running off laughing)

6. The “I Kissed a Girl” lip sync. Listen, I can’t stand Shangela. Not because she’s not a good performer, she is. I think her personality is so off-putting (by the way if I heard one more game of thrones reference from her I swear I’d have hurled a bayonet through my tv screen). She constantly accused everyone of playing a game when she herself was playing a game. It was just so exhausting. Plus, it was being shady to DeLa who was genuinely struggling with having to eliminate people constantly (or even just deciding to eliminate someone). She’s never been into drama (remember how Darienne bullied her in the first season and she basically didn’t partake - yeah.) Anyways back to the lip sync. DeLa was adorable. Skipping in those heels? Also jumping in those heels? I don’t get how she hasn’t broken an ankle. But basically Ru’s mouth was open that entire performance. It was such a slay and tbh she was the better of the pair.

7. DeLa’s hair reveal runway. Also all of her runways. She was fucking stunning from head to toe. Her body shape in drag is just - my dream body shape tbh. I want it all.

8. Her talent burlesque number was hysterical but also kind of sexy weirdly? And also so different from everyone else. Though IMO Trixie should have been the other winner that week. With Kennedy as my third choice.

9. Snatch Game was a huge risk for her and she hit it out of the park and became the only contestant to win twice. That’s pretty fucking fierce considering that challenge is used to measure a Queen’s chance at taking the crown and overall talent.

10. She was going to win. She would have won. I’m so sad we didn’t get to hear her Kitty girl lyrics and watch her do the live performance. But my GOD did she make me (a nobody) proud! The drama was too much for her, it visibly upset her so much and instead of pushing it aside and clawing her way to the crown (or tbh just walking up and taking it because she basically won every single week) she chose to give the chance to the other girls. It was hugely unplanned, done in secret and done on the spur of the moment. Then she brought back the girl who literally the day before almost threw her completely off her game by coming for her. I think we can all learn that kind of selflessness and maturity it took to declare yourself a winner for your values and leave with those intact, head held high. I also heard that she didn’t want to do the final episode, or vote, but they didn’t let her leave so she had to. So what did she do?? Turn up in the damn costume from To Wong Foo, look absolutely fucking gorgeous and say fucking nothing the entire time, just applauded her sisters and gave them standing ovations.

TLDR: I came to Rupaul’s drag race 100% a Trixie fan, I discovered the absolutely next level talented Jinkx along the way and then I fell head over heels in love with BenDeLaCreme. What a fucking ride.

#BenDeLaCreme #Trixie Mattel #Jinkx Monsoon #Rupaul #DeLa #rupaul’s drag race

[comrade-meow]

MOST readers of this paper are familiar with Momentum.

Many are probably members and, even if you’re not, you’re likely to share its stated aims of redistributing wealth to properly fund public services and infrastructure and striving for equality and empowerment for the many rather than the few.

If so, you may be wondering how those aims square with a tweet that Momentum put out on Monday boasting of signing up to the DecrimNow campaign to fight against attempts by a Labour woman MP to introduce the Nordic Model approach to prostitution in Britain.

The Nordic Model approach decriminalises those who are prostituted and provides them with support, genuine alternatives and routes out.

It also cracks down on pimps and traffickers, and makes buying sex a criminal offence — with the key aim of changing men’s attitudes.

This approach is founded in the socialist feminist understanding of prostitution as an institution of oppression that has been used for centuries by the capitalist system to co-opt men, and to ensure the subordination of women and the division of the working class.

More recently women have become the locus of wealth extraction as the global capitalists have turned to mining women and girls’ bodies for the primitive accumulation of capital through the industrialisation of prostitution, porn, egg harvesting and surrogacy.

The global capitalists have been so successful in selling the sexual use and abuse of women and girls as entertainment to ordinary men that the global sex industry makes profits so huge that even Amazon’s seem like small change in comparison.

However, the Nordic Model was not developed simply from theory. Rather it came out of practical research.

Feminists in Sweden conducted large-scale research on prostitution — talking extensively to people both selling and buying sex.

The women selling sex told of their paths into prostitution, about the men who bought them, about their relationships with pimps and drugs, about how prostitution affected them and the violence and shame they experienced, and about their survival strategies.

What the researchers found was that prostitution is an extreme, concentrated version of the general relationship between the sexes.

It therefore makes no sense to punish the women — because their choices are limited and getting out of prostitution once embedded in it is hard, and sometimes impossible.

It became clear to the researchers that prostitution exists because men buy sex.

So, if they were to reduce prostitution (and the trafficking and misery associated with it), they realised they must challenge men to change their belief that they have the right to buy sex from another human being.

And that’s the whole point of the law. Just as the law against smoking in pubs is not about demonising or criminalising smokers — it is primarily about changing attitudes and behaviour.

The approach was first introduced in Sweden in 1999 and since then a number of other countries have followed suit. Each country has framed the law slightly differently and with different degrees of commitment and success.

There have been endless attempts to sabotage it — mostly because men, including so-called socialist men, do not want to give up the right granted them by the capitalist elites to sexual access to their more unfortunate sisters — and many women resist seeing the reality of a system that defines themselves as not quite human, as commodities for men’s use and abuse.

The Momentum tweet says, “The evidence shows that criminalising those who pay for sex only puts sex workers in more danger. Proud to have put our name to this important campaign.”

How can they be so naive?

I am sure that the Tories can produce “evidence” that shows that privatising the NHS is better for everyone and that the original socialist model puts people in “danger.”

There’s a long and shameful history of academics and NGOs being bought.

Rather than relying on dodgy “evidence,” we need to consider, what are the alternatives?

A free-for-all for pimps and traffickers, the ever-greater brutalisation of ordinary people, the neoliberal elite scooping up ever more wealth from the suffering of women and children.

That’s the choice we’re looking at.

The DecrimNow open letter says: “Trafficking isn’t caused by the demand for sex, but by people’s poverty and lack of options: people are made vulnerable to traffickers for a number of reasons.”

Sex trafficking is hugely more lucrative than any other form of human trafficking — 10 times more lucrative according to a recent study — precisely because so many men are prepared to pay for sexual access to vulnerable women and girls.

To suggest that the desire to cash in on this bonanza is not a cause of sex trafficking is disingenuous, bonkers even.

Yes, poverty and brutal immigration laws cause large numbers of people, particularly women and children, to be trapped in situations where they are vulnerable to traffickers who want to use them as a meal ticket.

But they wouldn’t be such a great meal ticket if large numbers of men weren’t such enthusiastic prostitution users.

The solution to poverty and brutal immigration laws is not opening up prostitution but tackling these inequities head on.

The open letter’s aspiration to make “sex workers” safe is an oxymoron.

Prostitution in all its forms is inherently dangerous and can never be brought into line with even the most basic health and safety guidelines.

We need to reduce the size of the prostitution system, while providing those caught up in it with a viable transition out.

This is exactly what the Nordic Model aims to do — and can do when implemented properly and with solid support from the working class.

Men, you need to face up to the unsavoury truth that the capitalist system constantly attempts to buy you off with power over women and children, including the power to buy sexual access to them. When you succumb to this, you sabotage the socialist resistance.

Women are human too.

#Anglo.txt

[st-just]

Barely coherent rambling about nation-states, culture, the Hapsburgs, and Canada

Because why have a blog except to occasionally purge one of the essays floating around half-formed in your brain. To be clear, it’s still half-formed, just on tumblr now. 1,666 words, here’s the Deveraux essay mentioned. Book is Martyn Rady’s The Hapsburgs: To Rule The World

So I’ve had like, nationalism on my mind recently.

And so there’s a kind of recurring beat in left-of-centre American political discourse (like, not ‘internet rnados screaming at each other’ discourse, ‘people with doctorates or think tank positions having debates on podcasts or exchanging op eds’ discourse) where you have some people on the radical end list some of the various horrible atrocities the country is built on, the ways that all the national myths are lies, and how all the saints of the civic religion were monsters to one degree or another – this can come in a flavor of either righteous anger or, like, intellectual sport. And then on the other end you have the, well, Matt Yglesiases of the world. Who don’t really argue any of the points of fact, but do kind of roll their eyes at the whole exercise and say that sure, but Mom and Apple Pie and the American Way are still popular, and if you’re trying to win power in a democracy telling the majority of the population that their most cherished beliefs are both stupid and evil isn’t a great move.

Anyway, a couple weeks back Deveraux posted an essay for the 4th of July (which I don’t totally buy, but is an interesting read) about why the reason American nationalism is so intensely bundled up into a couple pieces of paper and maybe a dozen personalities is precisely because it isn’t a nation at all. Basically, his thesis is that in proper nation-states like England or the Netherlands or wherever, there really is a core population that is the overwhelming demographic majority and really have lived in more or less the same places since time immemorial, and that once the enthographers and mythologists finish their work, all those people really do identify with both the same nation and the same state as its expression. America, by contrast, is by virtue of being a settler nation whose citizenry was filled by waves of immigrants from all the ass ends of Eurasia in a historical eyeblink, even before you add in the native population and descendants of slaves lacks any single core ethnicity that is anywhere close to a majority, as well as any organic national traditions or claims to an ‘ancestral homeland’ that aren’t obviously absurd (and we are trying to include the descendents of slaves and the native population these days, to varying levels of success). All this to say that his point is America is a civic state, not a national one, with the identity of ‘American’ being divorced from ethnicity and instead tied to things like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the whole cult around the Founding Fathers, Lincoln, and [FDR and/or Reagan depending on your politics].

Which, like I said, don’t totally buy, but interesting. (to a degree he overstates how homogenus ‘actual’ nation-states are, he makes America sound very special but if his analysis holds that it’d presumably also apply to several other former settler colonies, in the American context there’s a fairly solid case to be made that the whole ‘nation of immigrants’ story and the racial identity of whiteness were constructed to function as an erratz national ethnicity, with incredible success, etc, etc).

But anyway, if we accept that the American identity is bound up in its civic religion and the mythologized version of its political history, it’s absolutely the case that there’s several segments of the left who take incredibly joy in tearing said civic religion and national mythology apart and dragging whatever’s left through the mud. I mean, hell, I do! (reminder: any politician whose ever had a statue dedicated to them was probably a monster). And, well, call it a greater awareness of historical crimes and injustice, or the postmodern disdain for idols and systems leaking out through the increasingly college-educated populace, or the liquid acid of modernity dissolving away all unchosen identities, or a Marxist cabal undermining the national spirit to pave the way for the Revolution or whatever you like, but in whichever case, that critical discourse is certainly much more prominent and influential among left and liberal media and politics types that is was in decades past.

And, okay, so I finished Martyn Rady’s The Hapsburgs a few days ago. And I mentioned as I was reading it that the chapters on the 19th and 20th centuries reminded me quite a bit of courses I’d taken in school on the late Ottoman Empire and Soviet Union. Because all three are multi/non-national states (Empires, in Deveraux’s terminology, though that’s varying degrees of questionable for each, I think. Moreso for the Hapsburgs than the rest) who outlasted their own ideological legitimacy. And in all three cases it just, well, it didn’t not matter, but even as all the ceremonies got more absurd and farcical  and the politics more consumed by inertia punctuated with crises, things kept limping along just fine for decades. Even in the face of intense crisis, dissolution wasn’t inevitable. (The Ottomans are a less central example here, admittedly, precisely because of the late attempt to recenter the empire on Turkish nationalism. But even then, more Arab soldiers fought for the Sultan-Caliph than ever did for the Hashemites, and most prewar Arab nationalism was either purely cultural or imagined the Empire reformed into a binational federation, not dissolved).

But as Rady says in the book – losing WW1 crippled Germany, it dissolved Austria-Hungary. And in all three cases, as soon as they were gone, the idea of bringing them back instantly became at least a bit absurd.

And okay, to now pivot to talking about where I actually live but about whose politics I (shamefully) know significantly less than America’s. I mean, maybe it’s because most of my history education from public school was given by either pinko commies or liberals still high off ‘90s one-world universalism, or maybe it’s just a matter of social class, but I really can’t remember ever having taken the whole wannabe civic religion of Canada seriously (the only even serious attempt at sacredness I recall was for Remembrance Day). Even today, the main things I remember about our Founding Father is that he was an alcoholic who lost power in a railroad corruption scandal.

Really, in all my experience the only unifying threads of national/particular Canadian identity are a flag, a healthcare system, those Canadian Heritage Minute propaganda ads, a bill of rights from the ‘60s, and an overpowering sense of polite smugness towards the States.

And that last one (or, at least, the generally rose-colored ‘Canada is the good one’ view of history) is taking something of a beating, on account of all the mass graves really rubbing the public’s noses in the whole genocide thing. At least among big segments of the intellectual and activist classes, most of the symbols of Canadian nationhood are necessarily becoming illegitimate as Canada is, in fact, a project of genocidal settle colonialism.

But it really is just purely symbolic. Most of the municipalities who cancelled their Canada Day celebrations are going to elect Liberal MPs and help give our Natural Governing Party its majority in the next election, no one of any significance has actually challenged the authority of the civil service or the courts. And, frankly, most of the people who are loudly skeptical of all the symbols of the nations are also the ones whose political projects most heavily rely on an efficient and powerful state bureaucracy to carry out.

(This is leaving aside Quebec, which very much does have a live national identity insofar as the vigorous protection of national symbols is what wins provincial elections. If I felt like doing research and/or reaching more there’s probably something there on how pro-independence sentiment has largely simmered down at a pace with the decline of attempts to impose a national Canadian identity).

I mean, Canada does have rather more of a base for a ‘national’ population core than the US (especially if you’re generous and count the people who mark French on the census as a core population as well). At the same time, no one really expects this to continue to be the case – even back in Junior High, I remember one of the hand outs we got explaining that due to declining fertility most or all future population growth would come from immigration (I remember being confused when my mother was weirdly uncomfortable with the idea when it came up). I suppose our government gets credit for managing public opinion such that anti-immigration backlash hasn’t taken over the political conversation. Which you’d think would be a low bar but, well.

But anyway, to try and begin wrapping this rambling mess up – it does rather feel like Rady’s portrayal of the late Hapsburg empire might have a few passing similarities to the future of Canada. A multinational state whose constitution and political system and built on foundations and legitimized by history that no one actually believes in anymore, or at least no more than they have to pretend to to justify the positions they hold, but persisting because it’s convenient and it’s there and any alternatives are really only going to seem practical after a complete economic collapse or apocalyptic war. (Though our civil service is a Josephist’s dream by comparison, really.)

Or maybe I’m premature, and the dominant culture will just be incredibly effective at assimilating immigrants into that civic identity. Anecdotally, the only people I know who are at all enthusiastic about Canada as an idea are first generation immigrants. I could certainly just be projecting, really – I’ve never really been able to get all that invested in the nation-state as an idea of more moral power than ‘a convenient administrative division of humanity’, and certainly liberating ourselves form the need to defend the past would certainly rectifying certain injustices easier.  

Or maybe I’m just being incredibly optimistic. Half the economy’s resource extraction and the other half’s real estate, so decent odds the entire place just literally goes up in flames over the next few decades. BC’s already well on its way.

#politics #political theory #nationalism #in this essay I will #this is theoretically a writing blog #the hapsburgs: to rule the world

[bciwasinlove]

Hi. I have not been on twitter or even in the fandom long enough so i came here to ask you about something. What's with the song claiming thing? Suddenly ziams are claiming songs that have been claimed as larry song. No I'm not gate keeping. Pardon my word choice.I'm not English. But I'm just curious. As long as i have been in this fandom, no control was a larry song the moment it came out and everyone was ok with it and even ziams never claimed it before.now suddenly they are like oh liam also wrote it? Home has always been larry song considering the timeline, him leaking and all, ziams never claimed it before, now suddenly home is a ziam song too? 18 was taken as a larry song from the moment ed said it was written from 1D perspective and everyone was ok with it considering how Louis used to literally serenade Harry like turning his whole body,changing pronouns etc. No one had a problem untill now. Suddenly in 2020/21 ziams are claiming it. Why didn’t they do it before? Why now? I'm just curious.

Warning selfies have been a thing with Louis for years. Now suddenly it is linked with liam too? How? Did he do it before or something? I genuinely don't know. So let me know plz.

The whole devlin thing, devlin album came out in 2017 i guess and they comparing Louis tweet with zayn tweeting that is from 2016. How does that make sense?

Also some people say larry closeting didn’t work but ziam did...awful thing to say. If it didn’t work then there wouldn’t be so many antis and they are still going through so much. People wouldn’t believe Harry dates every woman that breaths around him. And they claim there are two bbg in ziam relationship right? Why did they need two bbg if it worked? I mean if the closeting worked? Bbg has nothing to do with relationships.

Idk if ziam was real or not but I'm sure gigi was pregnant, she had that symptoms, pregnancy glow,tired face and all. Now whoever the father may be..idk.

I'm not convinced about ziam and how does that make me hypocrite? Also there are some "if this counts(larry),this counts too(ziam)" thread. what's with the comparison?

Sorry about the rant.

Hello anon wow this is long a lot to unpack so I'll start with your song questions.

Idk why ziammies are suddenly trying to claim songs that have ALWAYS been larry related. Especially when Liam said in an interview that Louis and him were a song writing duo for 1D BUT that he wrote the melodies and it was Louis who wrote the song lyrics. Last I checked melodies don't equal meaning of a song so how are these songs about ziam?

Some examples of this....

They are trying to claim Home but Liam said the song was personal to Louis and how when he read the lyrics he didn't want to change them. Home is also a direct response to If I Could Fly with ONLY Harry on the credits. Home was leaked by Louis the night of Belfest when Larry found out BG was being taken pasted the birth of a kid and it pissed off Louis so he leaked Home as payback bc it was clearly a loud song management didn't want on the album.

They are trying to claim 18 but the song was written by Ed who said [compared to other 1D songs he wrote for them] he wrote 18 with a 1D member in mind. [That is why we claim the song at all.] Ed was closeted in the band to Harry next being Louis and Niall he was the least closeted to Zayn and Liam. Side note Ed has a song called Friends that he said was about 2 friends of his who fell in love and when a fan yelled L&H he laughed/smirked and said init so it makes the most sense 18 was written with Harry in mind. Plus 18 is about meeting/loving someone sense they were 18 and it was only Louis who was 18 when they all met and it was Harry who would scream NO 16 when singing the song. Also larry changed the lyrics to HIM and would stare directly at each other when singing 18 livem According to ziam MPs ziam weren't a couple until at least 2 years into the band so why would 18 make sense for them also given they were both 17 when they met & none ever went NO 17 when singing it.

They are trying to claim No Control but that song as we know is about the morning after sex and the second round they end up having. Like stated before Louis wrote the lyrics to 1D songs and Niall plus Larry always made it DAMN CLEAR what that song was about. Also remember when Harry would always jam out hard core when Louis would sing his part in No Control aka majority of the song. Yeah that song is Louis song no doubt.

They try to claim Alive which makes no sense bc Zayn nor Liam is on the credits at all only Louis. They say it's bc Liam said he related to the song ok I see that but still he didn't write it and still how does this song equate to ziam? Alive is more a song used as proof Louis isn't straight bc it's about self exceptance of who you are even tho others around you for along time made u feel there is something wrong with you. It's about Louis who is more confident part way through the story being told and then helping his lover [who seems to be a bit insecure about themselves] except and love who they are. Since Liam didn't write on it the relationship aspect couldn't be about him and Zayn. Since he said he just relates to Alive at BEST it could mean he might not be straight but it can't be used as proof of who his partner is when he didn't write on it.

There's others but I think you get the point they have always been larry or hinting at Louis sexuality songs so I don't get why or how they are suddenly saying their ziam songs? Myself @lovemylarents and @fearlessmoon09 think bored people in quarantine is what happened to change the landscape.

To your next question warning selfies...

So warning selfies was something Louis did everytime something BG stunt related was going to happen. He started it and did it a ton back in 2016/17 when BG stunting was massive for him. Liam never had anything to do with warning selfies and Louis warning selfies were ALWAYS like I said BG related so suddenly ziammies going Liam does warning selfies for things involving Maya or Gigi makes no sense. It was ALWAYS a Louis thing.

For the Devlin thing...

You hit the nail on the coffin with that one the album with the song Cold Blooded that had the lyrics "so is it true XXXX fathered a baby? I don't really think so, if you ask me he don't like ladies. Could have been HARRY, yeah, I bet it was HARRY" [emphasis on Harry bc I saw a ziammie change the lyrics to Liam] came out in 2017 while Zayns tweet was done in 2016. Unlike Louis tweet which was specifically about this album not just the artist and tweeted during the height of BG stunting. So not the best comparison. They really should fact check before making these "larries are hypocrites" threads bc veteran larries know and fact check everything.

Next thing you mentioned what I call their slogan "larries closeting didn't work but ziams did that is why less talk about/believe in ziam then larry" piss me off so much and what you said it right. If larry's closeting didn't work then we wouldn't be here complaing about how the GP sees Harry as a queerbaiting womanizer, how solo henries who want to have sex and suck Harry's dick exist and how some locals don't want to join Louis fandom bc they think Louis and his fans are homophobic or that twarries exist thinking Louis is a deadbeat dad. Tell me again ziammies how their closeting didn't work? It is so invalidating to everything larry has been put through. Also if larry's closeting didn't work but ziams did then why did they need 2 BGs for Ziam and only one for Larry? Myself @kaybutlarry @babyhoney-28 and @onlythebravestan are still waiting on an answer to that question haven't gotten one.

As you said about Gigi yes she definitely looked more pregnant then Briana ever did. The reason I don't believe in their BG with Gigi is bc their story is inconsistenent. Side note back when Liam had a kid no one besides a few on tumblr ever said it was BG 2.0 they didn't start saying BG 2&3 until Gigi happened. Back to inconsistenences so their original story when we first learned Gigi was pregnant was it's fake just like Briana there's no kid, then when Gigi did the livesteam showing she had a bump and a round face you get when pregnant the story changed to she's pregnant the kid is just not Zayn's.

Then I recently saw some who [after the kid was born] went back to the story the kid is fake there is no kid OR they are using a child actor. Unlike Louis BG they don't have a consistent story that makes sense. Also the kids are never shown unlike with Louis kid F gets posted every damn day with creepy and bad photoshop, and a million articles about how he is Louis twin to shove it down our throats the kid is Louis. The situations have NEVER been the same with Louis vs even just Liam kid.

To your last point ziammies keep calling and making threads about how larries are hypocrites bc we don't believe what they do which is damn annoying bc they constantly say just leave us alone why do you care we exist but then constantly make threads like that getting mad we aren't all ziammies. If your going to make threads against us then yeah were going to say something and respond to your threads the way we would to a debunking larry anti thread. Their threads like that are either using funny coincidences of larry that we don't use as concrete proof to compare to ziam OR their ziam version of our proof has been debunked already like the Ziam Levine Stylinson sticker on the bears. [If you want more info on that ask @lovemylarents.]

They constantly take what is a larry proof and say it's also about ziam [Example the songs] or have a ziam proof that mirrors a larry proof. [Example the devlin thing or selfies] In their threads they always compare miniscule larry things that aren't our MAIN proof. See the miniscule proofs are the house and the big proofs are the concrete foundation that without it those miniscule things would not be able to really count as proof of larry and the larry house would fall. Ziammies ONLY have miniscule proof not a very solid foundation so I'm unsure how long their house will last.

I have been in this fandom for 10 years I have seen MANY ships come and go [Examples: Ziam, Ziall and Narry] but the one ship that has always been here was Larry. Larries have been here for 10 years, Larries are the ones who are talked about in the media, Larries are the ones constsntly gaslighted, Larry is the one ship that needs to be denied a bunch [poorly might I add] there's NEVER been any other ship or ship group people have hated, gone against or talked about this much besides Larries/Larry.

Funny [not for us] but funny that Liam goes through all the trouble of gaslighting Larries and talking about EVERY Louis stunt but he never mentioned Ziam which is a ship that actually involves him or the Ziammies who say Bear isn't his kid. Why did he talk about US and not THEM which involve him? Also funny Liam can easily say the word Ziam but Louis can't pronounce an EASY @ just bc it has the word Eroda in it.

My mutrals and I all agreed we didn't give af that ziammies existed until they kept talking shit about how we aren't ziams to and then go why are larries acting like antis hating us. First off it was NEVER larries hating on them it was toxic solo Zsquad and solo Liam stans who were. We didn't get involved until the entire tl was LARRIES ARE HATING US AND BEING HYPOCRITES. Second off and my last thought it's easy if you don't want us in your replies then don't make threads about us being hypocrites and use easily debunked ziam proof or miniscule larry proof to mirror bc we will point it out bc you think were hypocrites thank you.

#twitter ziammies #ziammies think larries are hypocrites #stop stealing larry songs #stop stealing larry proof #larries

[kyndaris]

A Hero Lies in You

On April Fool’s Day 2019, a video was released showing the latest game in the Yakuza franchise. Many thought it was a prank. The reason why? The sudden change in combat. Gone was the brawler beat-em-up that was associated with the series. In its stead was a turn-based system reminiscent of role-playing games. Characters waiting for their turns before utilising special skills? In a franchise known for its hard gritty storylines about gangs duking it out in the streets of Japan? ‘Haha Ryu Ga Gotoku. You thought you could fool us, but we see right through you. This isn’t our first rodeo and you’re not Square Enix,’ was many a thought when the footage had been viewed by thousands online.

What gamers did not know was that this was no gag. Fast forward several months to August 2019 and it was confirmed that Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, starring new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban, would actually incorporate turn-based battles. There would even be JOBS! 

As I had just finished playing through Kiryu’s story, as well as Judgment, in 2020 I was eager to see what new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban would bring to the table. From trailers, I could already see how much livelier Ichiban would be in comparison to the more stoic Kiryu. And, in contrast to Yagami, he was definitely more of an idiot. A lovable idiot, to be sure, but an idiot nonetheless.

Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon released in a huge week for video games. While I would have preferred to play it earlier, I had other huge titans to wrestle into submission first. Once I had managed to satiate my Ubisoft open-world needs with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, I dived head first onto the streets of Yokohama, ready to bust some heads.

The game opens on a play. For a moment, I thought I had somehow purchased the wrong game. But as the lengthy prologue progressed, it was very clear that this was most definitely a Yakuza game. It just needed to set up a little bit of the tale, starting with Arakawa Masumi - father figure and role-model for our erstwhile hero. It isn’t long before players are introduced to Kasuga Ichiban with his trademark ‘punch perm.’ Born in a soapland and raised by those that lived on the fringes of society, Ichiban, rather than being hardened by his experience, is empathetic and not afraid to show emotion. Tasked with collection, he interprets his orders in a way to benefit those that are struggling. His goofball attitude immediately makes him a character one can connect to. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a bit of a nerd, having played Dragon Quest during his childhood and likening many of the people around him to things in the game.

It’s not long before the plot escalates and Ichiban volunteers to give himself up to the police. Sentenced to fifteen years in prison, he inadvertently extends his sentence when his Patriarch is insulted by one of the fellow inmates. After nearly two decades spent in prison for a crime that he did not commit, Ichiban is released with little fanfare and no waiting convoy. Disappointed, he takes it in stride. The first thing on his order of business: to get his signature punch perm and reconnect with his second father-figure and Patriarch of the Arakawa family.

Along the way, he is dogged by a former policeman: Adachi. At first, it isn’t made clear why Adachi seeks Ichiban for help. After all, Ichiban had supposedly killed another yakuza in Kamurocho, Tokyo. Adachi, on the other hand, was a detective in Yokohama. Why would he have any interest in uncovering the truth behind what had put Ichiban behind bars?

After a few shenanigans are had in and around Kamurocho, our protagonist is shot and left for dead - waking up in a homeless shelter in the heart of Isezaki Ijincho. Climbing his way from rock bottom, Ichiban embarks on a journey to uncover the truth, stumbling upon a series of events and unearthing a vast conspiracy in which he was to serve as a pawn.

Many of the earlier chapters felt a little contrived. In particular was the death of Nonomiya. While it served to move the narrative forward, it was most assuredly a means to an end that didn’t highlight any significant character growth. Poor Nonomiya was fridged just to bring Ichiban into conflict with the Liumang branch of the Ijin Three.

It was only in the later chapters that the story picked up steam - with the confrontations with Bleach Japan and the encroachment by the Omi Alliance. Joined by a menagerie of characters like Zhao, Saeko, Han Joon-Gi, Nanba and Eri, there was a lot to keep track on as the plot barrelled forward at a breakneck pace, connecting Ichiban’s past with his current present and all the while setting up a juicy conflict between two men that could have been brothers. And honestly, the ending with Arakawa Masato and Ichiban got to me. I loved how that Ichiban was finally able to reach his old charge by being vulnerable and finally letting out a little of his resentment at the life Masato led, despite the fact that he could not use his legs.

The characters were superbly written and their motivations were a good reflection of the human condition. The themes of family and finding a home were evident, right from the start, even though a lot of it was glossed over by Ichiban’s desire to be a hero in a video game.

(I also really liked Seong-hui and would love to see her be an actual playable character in possible future instalments. On a side note, Arakawa...you cannot simply say: ‘See you tomorrow, Ichi,’ and expect to walk away. You basically wrote your own name into the Death Note with that line!)

As far as aping Japanese role-playing games go, however, Yakuza: Like a Dragon falls woefully short. While the Tendo twist was a good one - it was pulled a little too early. Worse, there was no world-ending threat. Everyone knows that a Japanese role-playing game MUST HAVE A VILLAIN/ EVIL GOD FIGURE THAT INTENDS TO DESTROY THE WORLD. Yakuza: Like a Dragon was too focused on old childhood rivalries to extend it further afield. I mean, yes, Aoki Ryo hoped to pull the strings of the Japanese government as chair of the CLP, but WHERE WAS THE METEOR HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH? 

Honestly, 1/10 for holding true to Japanese role-playing games.

Other than that, the summons with Pound Mates was amusing. As were the side stories. Honestly, there can never be enough side stories to flesh out the wacky world of the Yakuza franchise. So many old favourites made their return. From Pocket Fighter (now dubbed Dragon Fighter) and Gondawara Susumu with his baby fetish.

Also, I didn’t think I’d be so obsessed with it, but I think they cracked property management this time round. Ichiban Confections, later known as Ichiban Holdings, was a blast to manage and accrue juicy money for.

The bartender of Survive also looked very familiar. I mean...what with the huge scar across his face. My suspicions were confirmed when I searched up Kashiwagi up on the Yakuza wiki page and was awarded with the fact that HE MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE ASSAULT HELICOPTER FROM YAKUZA 3!!

Other than that, my few other gripes involved the implementation of the levelling system and the way area of effect skills were handled. In particular, the pathing for how characters moved around the battlefield proved, at least to me, a bit of a frustration. Often, characters would be blocked by a knee-high fence or a corner. Sometimes they would be able to go around, but other times the game (after several seconds of watching them fail to walk through a solid building) warp to the enemy that I had targeted to launch their attack.

And even though the combat is turn-based, most of the enemies tend to walk around the battlefield - either clumping together or distancing themselves from each other. What truly annoyed me was when there were moves that could be used as an area of effect, with the MP cost to go along with it, but were limited by their effectiveness when the enemy combatants were too far away. Yes, it makes sense, but golly gosh, how much of a pixel measurement does it have to be for it to not hit?

Besides that, the levelling was also a bit of a tedious chore. Were it not for the invested vagrants, I feel like I might have put the game down with how much grinding there was - particularly when it came to the various jobs. The biggest hill to climb was from 20-30. Without the exp (experience point) boosting items, it would have been a torturous slog. I know that in the original Japanese release of the game, the cap for jobs was level 30, but if you change it to 99, please, for the sanity of all the gamers out there, tweak the requirements to make it easier. And maybe give normal trash mobs a bit more experience points for the playable characters to munch on. 

Goodness, imagine having to grind on level 55 Ornery Yakuza and receiving a paltry 1000xp for each battle (when, in order to level up a job, you needed almost a million).

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a break from the traditional formula that’s been a staple of the franchise for many years. Much like Ichiban, it’s a bit of fresh air to liven up the experience that might have gone a bit stale after I slogged through the whole Kiryu arc last year. With a few tweaks, and a few more Persona 5 CD soundtracks, I’m eager to see how the story evolves and whatever contrivances Ichiban will somehow force him into.

Although, to be fair, is it still appropriate to call this franchise Yakuza when the game literally saw the dismantling of the two biggest clans? Then again, Civilian: Like a Dragon 2 just doesn’t have the same ring to it. In any case, I hope the next one comes soon and we’ll be able to have Seong-hui in our party. I feel like she’d be wielding a gunblade.

(Did I just use a lyric from Mariah Carey? You bet I did! I had been tossing up the idea between this line and ‘I need a hero.’ Why? Well, I think that would be self-explanatory after knowing Ichiban’s proclivities. And it fits so, so, so well!) 

#yakuza 7: like a dragon #yakuza #video games #i need a hero

[oysterspace6]

Apple's Hottest Smart Phones are Fabulous

Users quite possibly agree with me personally that iPhone X design was one of the very best, and that is exactly why Apple decided to keep the identical look for their next pair of exclusive cell phones. Presented a year earlier, it is the first Apple smart phone to remove the single button. From another, I held its fresh successor, '' the Iphone Xs. My eyes squeezed shut, I passed them back and forth between my hands, rolling each telephone over, feeling the curves, glass backs, double lens camera lumps, and radar vents. I understood that I couldn't tell the difference between both phones. This isn't a criticism. It's just a fact of S version years, where Apple locks at the iPhone design and focuses, instead, on upgrading key internal components. As such, the largest changes to the 5.8-inches iPhone Xs and its big brother, the 6.5-inch Iphone Xs Max, each of which I tested, can be located in performance (thanks to this new A12 Bionic CPU), photographs and movies, (brand new cameras and a brand new ISP endorsed by the A12), and performance (iOS12, the last version of that came pre-applied on my evaluation units). The outcome is a set of brilliant, elegant, and high-performing gadgets that can please Iphone lovers and capture over a couple of glances out of Android adherents. It has the exact same rigid surgical steel frame wrapped into a new glass substance that Apple said was formulated to be scratch tolerant and durable. I gave the phones a couple half-hearted drops on a thin-pile carpet but was not prepared to let them slide away on concrete. Thus far I have discovered exactly one very nice scratch on your iPhone Xs Max. So let us think about them scratch-tolerant, however nevertheless not scratch-proof. The bigger Iphone Xs Max enjoys each of the iPhone X's substance and design characteristics, but does this at a 6.2-inch x 3.05-inch x 0.30-inch human anatomy. At 208 grams, it's considerably heavier than the Iphone Xs. The Xs Max is really a hair shorter (0.04 inches) and thinner (0.02 inches), but it's also a few grams heavier than the Iphone 8 Plus, the big-screen phone that from a distance the iPhone Xs Max most resembles. Button positioning power/sleep, quantity controls, ring/silent change -- are exactly the same. However, there is one minor chassis gap. On the bottom edge of both phones sits the lightning connector. It is book-ended by means of a set of drilled holes which accommodate one half of their stereo speaker system and one of their phone's microphones. There was six openings on either side. Now the correct side includes 6 openings, but the left, which just houses a mike, has only three. This small change was done, in part, to adapt the new inner antenna setting that contains 4x4 MIMO and License Assisted Access, which uses unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum to deliver 1 Gbps broadband over LTE. Apple upgraded the water along with dust-resistance evaluation to IP 68, that contrasts into the handsets surviving in two meters of water for up to half an hour. I didn't get to go swimming together with the Iphone Xs or even Xs Max, but did operate the latter phone below normal water, milk, and juice. After that, as advocated, I dried and shut off the cellphone. I had been careful to not plug it into a lighting cable (that's a no-no after a dowsing) but didn't place it onto a wireless charging base where it had no difficulty accepting a fee. Apple, by the way, said it put some effort in making the wireless charging system (essentially the hidden coils in the phone) more pliable. This is good news, because I have, on more than 1 event, woken up to find my iPhone X did not charge because I placed it a small off-axis on the charging base. I never ran into this problem with the Iphone Xs or even Xs Max. The Iphone Xs and Xs Max bodies are somewhat stiff and strong-feeling, but torqueable, particularly the larger telephone, which actually makes a tiny clicking noise once I attempt to spin it. Obviously, I've only had these iPhones for a week, but according to a calendar year's encounter with the original iPhone X (allowed, mostly in a thin situation ), I believe this design frame tough and ready for the long run. Even as Samsung trolls Apple to its dense black cutout near the top of the Iphone Xs and Xs Max, Apple reveals no traces of going back from the multi-option technologies, which grew nor shrunk in the newest iPhones. Just like the original TrueDepth Module, this one remains packed with all the very same elements (none of which, so much as I can tell, have been updated). There's a 7 MP camera, scatter projector for thickness sensing, infrared camera (thickness sensing), flood illuminator (yes, also for depth-sensing), proximity sensor, ambient light detector, the second half of the stereo speaker program, along with a mic. On the backs of the Iphone Xs and Xs Max, there is more of the customized glass, the Apple Logo, the word iPhone (however no"X" or"s"), and also the 12 MP dual camera system. This vertically-oriented, pill-shaped camera module looks exactly the same as it did in the last Iphone X. It's still a prominent bump, but it did not get any larger. In the module is new hardware supported by new picture technologies, but more about this later. I have always considered the 5.8-inch Iphone X an exceptional tradeoff between a big-screen telephone and hand-friendly ergonomics. The screen is big and immersive, however, the body is comfortable to hold pocket. The iPhone Xs Max in comparison can, particularly if you're utilised to holding a more compact phone, feel large. It is not embarrassing to hold, however people with smaller hands will fight with one-handed usage and will probably want to turn on Reachability, which using a swipe back on the flat bar moves all halfway down the display, making it more accessible. Nonetheless, the trade-off could possibly be well worth it. I forgot just how much I like the larger iPhone screen, and also on the Iphone Xs Max, you receive a lot more screen without contending with a bigger phone (there is just that 0.04-inch height gap between the Iphone 8 Plus and also the iPhone Xs Max). Apple's full-stack management of the iPhone layout, development, and manufacturing process pays dividends during the shiny handset. Nevertheless, it's most clearly in the silicon, which can be designed and developed in conjunction with the software and hardware components that will rely upon it. This past Year, Apple revealed the A11 Bionic, a strong mobile CPU with built-in Artificial Intelligence Power. The new A12 Bionic builds on that short legacy with a more strong Neural Engine and much more impressive graphics functionality. Anytime I review a brand new iPhone, I start using Geekbench 4 to check out the raw CPU performance. To ensure there are minimum background processes moving, I usually conduct the test before I have installed a single app. I conducted the Geekbench CPU routine and (together with understanding that Apple stuffed an extra gig of memory in the brand new Xs course iPhones) found the single core scores had improved marginally between the A11 Bionic and A12 Bionic. On the other hand, the multi-core score was strangely lower. Not by a good deal, but I hadn't ever seen that occur. The numbers were still much higher than what I made from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, however a lower result on the brand new Iphone did not make sense. However, once I reran the Geekbench CPU test a day or so later, the A12 multi-core numbers defeat people of the A11. My guess is that, even though I set up the iPhone Xs and Xs Max as new iPhones, there might still have been some background setup process happening that dragged down the CPU numbers. The bigger leap in performance is at the Geekbench Compute Metal Score, which jumped from 15,145 to the Iphone X to 22,245 about the iPhone Xs and Xs Max. Apple's done a lot of effort to beef up images performance, particularly for the raft of ARKit 2 (and Surface 2) software heading to the stage, a few of which will support multiplayer gaming. When there aren't a lot of ARKit 2 programs in the app shop, I'd get a hands-on time with an iPhone Xs operating Galaga AR, the identical demo Apple showed off throughout the Iphone Xs unveiling. To perform, me and a couple of other journalists stood on a table and pointed our telephones at the virtual Galaga video arcade game console. Soon, alien attackers began streaming from the movie game screen and from all round us. I swung the telephone from side-to-side up and down and up to view and then shoot the incoming assault. It had been swift and cool. In the same way, I have seen how, together with ARKit two, the phone can place, say, a very realistic digital pressure stove or sneaker on a real table or at my feet, the illusion broken only when I slid my hand into the frame and, on the iPhone Xs display, it looked like my digits were stuck under the kettle. You can't support these kinds of real-virtual mixes without ample images horsepower, thickness mapping, along with the AI required to identify the surfaces, shadows, as well as reflections will work on virtual items in a real space. This processing power also helped amp up more ordinary operations like Face ID. While the process of registering my head was unchanged from the first iPhone X, starting either phone with my head, in addition to using Face ID to access password-protected programs and solutions, is substantially faster than it was on the iPhone X. Overall, in real world applications, both iPhone Xs and Xs Max perform properly. Apple put tremendous amount of work into enhancing the photo and video experience to the iPhone Xs and Xs Max. Along with new lenses along with a larger detector, the cameras (rear and selfie) are backed by a fresh image signal processor. The specs on the dual cameras are unchanged from the iPhone X (and would be the exact same on either iPhone Xs and Xs Max). There is the 1.8 wide angle lens along with the f 2.4 2X telephoto. Both of those comprise optical image stabilization and may shoot up to 4K video at 60 fps. They still take slow-motion video in up to 240 frames per second. If you'd like insane 960 fps super-slo-mo, you will need to visit Samsung. In the pure-play photography race, however, Apple takes the guide. Its Smart HDR uses detector, ISP, and neurological enhancements to capture a number of the best high-dynamic range photographs I've ever seen. The gap between that which was possible on the first iPhone X along with the Xs and Xs Max is magnificent. Apple assembled a system able of shooting 2 frames every thirtieth of a second, and instantly analyzing and merging them into a single image that maintains not only foreground and background detail, but can freeze actions without presenting tremendous grain. In multiple pictures, I watched that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max find colour and detail in shadowy spaces without blowing out the brighter areas. The Samsung Galaxy Notice 9 is also an superb low light shot, however I feel the Xs lineup is a little better. I'm particularly impressed by how Apple's built upon its position position in Portrait Mode digital photography. Apple created Portrait Mode in 2016 with the iPhone 7 Plus (the applications lagged from the hardware). Since then, Apple's elegant the concept, including items such as Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. All of these features remain, and have been somewhat enhanced. What I love and also, as an amateur photographer who regularly performs with f-stops for just the right depth of field effect, is the brand new Depth Control. Depth Control allows you to take a Portrait Mode photograph and correct the Bokehdepth or depth of field attention, when you shoot the photos. This works with both the front and back cameras, which means that the image chip is using two unique sorts of thickness information. On the trunk, it's the advantage of two lenses to find stereoscopic details. The front camera counts on the depth-sensing electronics. I know, Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 offers the capability to correct background focus as you're shooting the picture, as well as after. However, there's a crucial difference here that's evident from the iPhone Xs and Xs Max Depth editor. It's a slider that allows you adjust smoothly from a virtual f 1.4 aperture to a virtual f16. In a real camera with a mechanical aperture, even high figures translate to sharper focus in the backdrop and reduced numbers mean the focus thickness is significantly shallower. About the Galaxy Notice 9, Live Focus basically sees the images as two planes: the foreground and background. The slider blurs the background plane. The iPhone Xs's thickness slider relies on all the depth information to decrease or improve background focus through all the airplanes between the very front of their subject and the desktop. Combined with the improved Portrait Mode stitching (tackling how the topic and a blurred background match together), the subtlety of this effect through the range of virtual f-stops is remarkable and, Apple's told me, is modeled on how actual lenses using hardware apertures would impact each picture. For the majority of people the smart phone camera is their sole camera. This places a pro-level control at the hands of millions of people, who are going to start taking some absolutely stunning face images. After shooting normal shots, movie, and even 4K, I remain stunned with the quality of videos and photos coming from this iPhone Xs and Xs Max. Sure, it's strange that the bigger Xs Max doesn't, as could be tradition, have any enhanced image capturing attributes, however I doubt anyone is going to be dismayed with the picture quality delivered by either new mobile phone. There are a few other equipment-related enhancements, such as the promised dual-sim technology that permits multiple telephone numbers (believe work and individual numbers of one phone) through the aid of eSIM technology. Unlike ordinary SIMs, you do not need a carrier card only for the carrier to support it and enable it on your mobile phone. It's a wonderful attribute which, for evident reasons, I could not test. For audio fanatics, there's also the newest stereo recording and wider-stereo playback. This can be somewhat hard to check, and that I sometimes worry my ears are not sufficient to notice what could be a more nuanced difference. But, I'd find a method. I recorded, in landscape style, some cars traveling by. They begin on the left of this screen and drive to the right. In video I recorded with the iPhone Xs, the noise travels from one side of the telephone to the other. Playback on the iPhone X is loudly yet lacking in the exact same amount of separation sounds. Evidently, films with a lot of sound engineering are not only great showcases for the wonderful screens, but emphasize the brand new, wider stereo playback abilities also. As hardware/software unions go, you can not do much better than the Apple iPhone Xs and iOS 12. I've been running betas of this new mobile OS for weeks on my iPhone X and found it impressively smooth and stable. On the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, it becomes even better partners. Along with butter-smooth and lighting quick operation (in matches, video, and internet browsing), the enhanced reality abilities released into iOS 11, ARKit, along with the iPhone X are more polished and tailor-made in iOS 12 along with the Iphone Xs. The intelligent assistant is a much better listener than ever, and becoming smarter. Her speech is much more conversational and she's asking follow-up questions. Siri is also more proactive, putting connections between benign items like schedules and locations and offering them in advance. Additionally, there are a range of third-party programs tapping into Siri, letting you use only your voice to get program features and information without even opening the app. You can install iOS 12 on your older Iphone (down into this iPhone 5s), however not all attributes, especially those between AR, will operate on the old devices. Still, I seriously advise the upgrade with at least anyone conducting an Iphone 7 and up. It's simply a better, more polished, educated, and smart user experience and, to be fair, I've hardly scratched the surface of all the updates and feature enhancements you'll find. Apple asserts 30 minutes longer battery life involving the Iphone X and Xs and 90 minutes longer with all the Iphone Xs Max. In my experience, both brand new mobile may get you through the majority of the afternoon on a single charge. I spent one day using only the iPhone Xs Max. I retained the brightness and conducted all sorts of apps and processes. It lasted a strong 10 hours. Maybe just a bit less than I expected, but still sufficient for me through the majority of the day. Seriously, with less than a week under my belt, it's hard to provide a complete evaluation of battery life performance. There are so many variables and, clearly, battery life will be great on new smart phones. Talk to me 6 months or twelve months, and we'll see if I am still happy with battery life. It's hardly surprising that Apple did not lower the cost for the new $999 Iphone Xs (or perhaps hold onto the initial version and sell it at a lower price). I'm not shocked that we now have an almost $1,100 version or that we're able to pay a whopping $1,449 for the 512 GB iPhone Xs Max (which happens to be the model that I tested). Apple's already demonstrated that people will pay almost anything to get their hands on the most current iPhone. Is $1,000 or more too much to pay for a smart phone? Maybe, however many of us think of the complete price rather than monthly payments? I am, however, a little annoyed that Apple stopped the lightning -to-3.5 millimeter adapter. It is as if, in the previous 12 months, we have gotten rid of our audio and Bose headsets, like it is a solved issue. Memo to Apple: It's not. What I will say is that all these are the iPhones you desire. The iPhone Xs does not mess with what I now consider a timeless design, and also the Xs Max only takes all that is wonderful about the iPhone X also enlarges it. As a pair, they're just as amazing as the original home-button-free iPhone X. The plan looks particularly tasteful in a golden finish. Participants will love the newest camera, and players and content customers will want the big-display screen Iphone Xs Max. Should you currently have the iPhone X, I still would not update unless you absolutely need more realistic augmented existence and also full depth control on your portraits. For iPhone 6s, 8, 7, and even 8 Plus associates, the iPhone Xs and Xs Max will appear like a gigantic leap to the future.

#cellphone

[niamheliza-performanceandmedia]

Defining a Plague...

https://youtu.be/N0qgPqemdPM

Above you will find a link that will take you to my Monologue entitled ‘Defining a Plague’ which shows you my take on the coronavirus pandemic and what it means to me.

What is the meaning behind my monologue?

My monologue is entitled “Defining a plague” and it gives a comparison of what we would have perceived a plague to be before the coronavirus pandemic vs how we would perceive a plague now. My main inspiration for the monologue was ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus. Whilst reading the play I came across words such as ‘Quarantine’ and ‘Self-Isolation’ which shocked me considering the play was first written in 1947 and those words only became part of my vocabulary in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic (Camus and Bartlett, 2017). This sparked the realisation that we are living through a plague and although the pandemic has been labelled as many things, a plague has not been one of them. That entire thought process brought the realisation that perceptions really do change through experience and I wanted my monologue to be a true reflection of that (Gaarder, 2015). Instead of creating a new character I decided to perform the monologue as a version of myself looking back on my past opinions and experiences. My main reasoning for this was to actualise the reality of the pandemic to accentuate the seriousness of the situation in order to really engage the audience.

How was my monologue structured?

I open my monologue by reading out of a history book; this was to show how I was reflecting on the past, almost in mockery of how simple I thought it was to define a plague. I reference a timeline to emphasize how the concept of a plague is usually held in the past and isn’t something I thought would resurface or live in the present (The Great Plague 1665 - the Black Death, 2021). As part of a transition, I get rid of the history book and replace it with a mask, this was to symbolise how the term has redefined into something we now use every day and is no longer just a part of history. When I wear the mask, I introduce the present to the audience; I chose to show footage of moments that people have believed to be the most fundamental to the pandemic. The videos I chose were: an explanation video of social distancing (Foster, 2020), NHS staff swept off their feet (Morgan, 2020), the annunciation of a Christmas lockdown (Burns, 2020) , the West End going dark (The Telegraph, 2020), along with a Boris Johnson Speech (Johnson, 2020). These videos were chosen in order to connect the audience since they all showed something that we had all been affected by as a nation; from a performer’s’ perspective I hoped this would strike a chord and engage them even further. The final part of my monologue was all about visualisation, I incorporated my own personal videos to create empathy but to also show how the small gestures we have done throughout the various lockdowns could have potentially saved someone’s well being without us even thinking about it; I hoped this would bring a sense of joy and pride to my audience.

Was my monologue inspired by any specific practitioner?

My whole concept was Brechtian based. Since I didn’t create a new character but performed as myself learning from experiences, I felt I had a duty to make my monologue informative and visual- for this reason I found Brecht’s performance techniques most fitting. The most evident technique can be found in the middle section where I combine the use of signs and technology. It was so important for me to use signs because during the monologue I never actually use words such as ‘Coronavirus’ or ‘Covid-19’ as I wanted to keep the concept of a plague in the forefront of the audience’s mind. As a result of this I needed to find a way to affix the 2 concepts for the audience. Another technique I used was breaking the fourth wall, through the screen, in order to magnify how much I wanted this monologue to be a personal experience and reflection for both myself and the audience. When I had my mask on I chose to use narration as opposed to sacrificing the quality of the sound and have a muffled voice through my mask in order to create a more pleasurable performance for my audience. As a result of not being able to perform in person, I think these techniques allowed me to create an atmosphere that was just as effective through a screen (The Brechtian Method - Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access, 2021).

What research did I do for this monologue?

Despite performing the monologue as myself I wanted the idea to be collective and relatable to most people. For this reason, I decided to do a lot of research and take the majority of the points I made from the people around me.

The questions I needed answering in order to make my monologue effective were:

·      How would you define a plague?

·      What do you perceive a plague to be?

·      How would you define the Coronavirus?

·      What was the hardest part about lockdown?

I Firstly took a lot of information from one of our Wednesday sessions where I was able to interact with the class and ask them the first 2 questions: How would you define a plague? and What do you perceive a plague to be?

I used this set of responses to form the beginning of my monologue and used their definitions as my definition of a ‘plague’. Since these responses came from my first intended audience, I hope they felt a personal connection during my live performance.

I also used Instagram polls to inspire my ‘curing a plague’ section. I asked the question- What was the hardest part about lockdown? and then used these responses to understand how the solution to the things that we miss the most would be the things that could cure this ‘plague’. I decided to use Instagram as I knew I could reach a wide audience, including some of my closest friends, and pick out some of the most common responses that would be relatable to most people. This worked in my favour since a lot of my responses were unanimous making it easier for me to choose topics to focus on.

How did my workshops help me?

There were 3 specific workshops that helped and inspired this performance. The first and most influential was ‘The Plague’ reading with Michael Carklin in which we did a read through of the play by Albert Camus. Not only did this spark the inspiration for my monologue but also changed my perspective on how I viewed the pandemic and world as a whole, for this reason I had a burning passion to share the message I understood with a wider audience. Despite only reading the play in the session, the time we had for self-reflection influenced my main ideas for this monologue and performance.

The next influential session was my ‘Loitering with intent’ workshop with Hillary Ramsden. The workshop really helped me to understand how sometimes your best ideas come from just walking and taking in your surroundings, therefore whilst preparing for this monologue I took a lot of time away from my computer screen and just went on walks. I found that whilst walking I was able to create some of my most poetic lines.

Finally, a fundamental session for my research was the Elevator Pitch with Sarah Crews. This was the session where I was able to ask questions to my fellow course mates in order to incorporate them personally into my monologue. In addition to this I was able to listen to other people’s ideas which is always helpful when you have such a wide brief to fulfil.

What have I learnt from this experience?

The entire creative process of this monologue has given me new skills that I will keep with me throughout my 3 years at the University of South Wales and beyond. I have learnt that reading things that you wouldn’t usually gravitate towards can teach you some of your most important lessons and give you your most creative ideas. Before my workshop, I would never have read ‘The Plague’ but after reading it I have a whole new perspective on certain subjects and influenced an entire 2 minute performance. I have also come to understand how to use different practitioner’s techniques to emphasize your skills as a performer; since I couldn’t perform live, I had to research who’s practice would best to use in order to give an effective performance through a screen. Additionally, although research has always been important, I have come to realise that we can use our social media platforms for good. By using Instagram polls for a section of my research, I was able to incorporate a personal aspect to my monologue that I couldn’t have accessed from a website or generic YouTube video.

Most importantly I have learnt that ‘A plague doesn’t come in the form of a pin or a needle’ so tell people you love them and stay safe.

Niamh Eliza

Bibliography

Camus, A. and Bartlett, N., 2017. The Plague. UK: Oberon Books Ltd.

Gaarder, J. (2015) Sophies World. 20th Anniversary Edition. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Historic UK. 2021. The Great Plague 1665 - The Black Death. [online] Available at: <https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Great-Plague/> [Accessed 20 December 2020].

Foster (2020) Coronavirus: What is social distancing? - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYQjssb7xdk (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Morgan (2020) Scale of impact of Coronavirus outbreak on NHS health and care staff heard by MPs | ITV News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMoKgj0jv0k (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Burns (2020) UK new coronavirus variant “out of control” as countries announce travel bans - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5HtKtGijY (Accessed 20 December 2020).

 The Telegraph (2020) Coronavirus: Theatre closures leave London's West End deserted on a Saturday night. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8aBboLIGU (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Johnson (2020) Boris Johnson unveils alert system for England - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQcVUaowTbg&t=1s (Accessed 20 December 2020)

Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access. 2021. The Brechtian Method - Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access. [online] Available at: <http://brechtinpractice.org/theory/the-brechtian-method/> [Accessed 19 December 2020].

[augustwash1]

Latest iPhone Phones Continue Getting Significantly Better

Users more than likely are in agreement with me personally that iPhone X design was among the very best, and that is exactly why Apple decided to keep the identical look for their next set of exclusive cell phones. Introduced a year ago, it's the very first Apple cellphone to take out the main button. In the other, I held its own brand-new successor, the Iphone Xs. My eyes squeezed shut, I passed them back and forth between my hands, rolling each phone above, feeling the curves, glass springs, dual lens camera bumps, and radar vents. I realized that I couldn't tell the difference between the two phones. This is not a criticism. It is just a simple fact of S version years, in which Apple locks at the iPhone design and concentrates, rather, on upgrading key internal parts. Therefore, the biggest changes to the 5.8-inches Iphone Xs and its big brother, the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max, each of which I analyzed, can be seen in functionality (thanks to this new A12 Bionic CPU), photographs and movies, (new digital cameras and a new ISP endorsed by the A12), along with functionality (iOS12, the last version of which came pre-applied in my test units). The outcome is a pair of fantastic, tasteful, and high-performing devices that will please iPhone enthusiasts and receive over a few glances out of Android smartphones. It still has the exact rigid surgical steel frame wrapped into a brand new glass material which Apple stated was devised to be scratch resistant and heavy duty. I gave the phones a couple half-hearted drops on a thin-pile rug but wasn't prepared to let them slide away . So far I have discovered just one very nice scrape on your iPhone Xs Max. So let us consider them scratch-resistant, however still not scratch-proof. The bigger iPhone Xs Max shares all the iPhone X's substance and layout attributes, but does this in a 6.2-inch x 3.05-inch x 0.30-inch human anatomy. In 208 grams, it is substantially thicker than the Iphone Xs. The Xs Max is really a hair shorter (0.04 inches) and thinner (0.02 inches), however, it's also a couple of grams bulkier when compared to the Iphone 8 Plus, the big-screen telephone that from a space the Iphone Xs Max most looks like. Button positioning power/sleep, quantity controllers, ring/silent switch -- will be exactly the same. However, there is one minor chassis difference. At the bottom edge of the telephones sits the lightning connector. It's book-ended by means of a pair of drilled holes that accommodate one half of their stereo speaker program and among the telephone's microphones. There was six openings on either side. Now the ideal side includes six slotsbut the left, that just houses a microphone, has just three. This small change was done, in part, to adapt the new inner antenna configuration which includes 4x4 MIMO and License Assisted accessibility, which utilizes unlicensed 5 GHz range to provide 1 Gbps chip over LTE. Apple updated the water and also dust-resistance rating to IP 68, which translates to the handsets residing in 2 meters of water for up to half an hour. I did not get to go swimming with all the iPhone Xs or Xs Max, but didn't run the latter phone below normal water, juice and milk. Afterward, as advocated, I rinsed and dried off the smart phone. I was careful not to plug it back into a lighting cable (that is a no-no after a dowsing) but didn't put it on a wireless charging foundation at which it had no problem accepting a fee. Apple, incidentally, said it put some effort in making the wireless charging platform (basically the hidden coils within the phone) more forgiving. This is great news, since I have, on more than 1 occasion, woken up to find that my iPhone X did not charge because I placed it a modest off-axis about the charging base. I have never ran into that issue with the iPhone Xs or Xs Max. The Iphone Xs and iPhone Xs Max body frames are somewhat rigid and solid-feeling, but torqueable, particularly the bigger telephone, which actually creates a tiny clicking sound once I attempt to twist it. Apparently, I've just had those iPhones for a week, but based on a calendar year's experience with the original iPhone X (granted, mostly in a thin instance ), I consider this design framework tough and ready for the long run. Even now as Samsung follows Apple to the dense black cutout at the peak of this iPhone Xs and Xs Max, Apple shows no traces of going backwards in the multi-option technology, which neither grew nor slipped in the most recent iPhones. Just like the original TrueDepth Module, that one is still packed with all the exact components (none of that, as much as I can tell, have been updated). There is a 7 MP camera, dot projector for depth sensing, infrared camera (depth sensing), flooding illuminator (yes, too for depth-sensing), proximity detector, ambient light detector, the second half of the stereo speaker program, plus a mic. On the backs of the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, there is more of the custom glass, the Apple Logo, the word Iphone (but no"X" or"s"), along with the 12 MP dual camera system. This vertically-oriented, pill-shaped camera module appears exactly the same as it did to the last iPhone X. It is still a prominent bulge, but it didn't get any bigger. Within the module is new hardware backed by new image technologies, but more on that later. I've always considered that the 5.8-inch Iphone X an fantastic tradeoff involving a big-screen phone and hand-friendly ergonomics. The screen is large and immersive, however, the body is comfortable to hold and pocket. The iPhone Xs Max in comparison can, particularly if you're used to holding a more compact phone, feel big. It is not embarrassing to hold, however people with smaller hands will probably fight with one-handed use and will likely want to turn Reachability, which with a swipe down on the flat bar moves all halfway down the screen, which makes it longer accessible. Still, the trade-off might be worth it. I forgot just how much I like the larger iPhone display, and about the iPhone Xs Max, you get much more screen without contending with a bigger phone (there is just that 0.04-inch height difference between the Iphone 8 Plus and the iPhone Xs Max). Apple's full-stack management of the iPhone layout, development, and production process pays dividends throughout the handset. However, it's most clearly from the silicon, which can be designed and developed in conjunction with the software and hardware components that will rely on it. Last year, Apple revealed the A11 Bionic, a powerful cellular CPU with built in Artificial Intelligence Power. The newest A12 Bionic assembles on that short legacy with a more powerful Neural Engine and much more impressive graphics performance. When I discuss a brand new Iphone, I begin using Geekbench 4 to check out the raw CPU operation. To ensure that there are minimum background processes going, I usually run the exam before I've set up a single app. I ran the Geekbench CPU benchmark and (together with understanding that Apple stuffed an additional gig of memory within the brand new Xs course iPhones) found that the single core scores had improved marginally between the A11 Bionic along with A12 Bionic. However, that the multi-core score was inexplicably lower. Not by a good deal, but I hadn't ever seen that happen. The amounts were still much higher than what I obtained from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, however a lower result on the new Iphone didn't make sense. However, once I reran the Geekbench CPU evaluation per day or so after, the A12 multi-core numbers beat those of the A11. My guess is that, though I set up the iPhone Xs and Xs Max as fresh iPhones, there may nevertheless have been some background setup process going on that dragged down the CPU amounts. The bigger leap in functionality is in the Geekbench Compute Metal Score, which jumped from 15,145 on the Iphone X into 22,245 about the Iphone Xs and Xs Max. Apple's done a great deal of work to beef up graphics performance, particularly for the raft of ARKit two (and Surface 2) software heading into the stage, some of which can support multiplayer gaming. While there aren't a lot of ARKit 2 programs in the program store, I did get a hands-on time using an Iphone Xs operating Galaga ARthe identical demonstration Apple showed off during the iPhone Xs unveiling. To play with, me and a couple of other writers stood on a desk and pointed out our telephones at the Galaga video arcade game console. Soon, alien attackers began streaming first from the video game display and from all round us. I swung the phone from side-to-side up and up and down to watch and then shoot the incoming assault. It had been fast-paced and a lot of fun. In the same way, I've seen how, together with ARKit two, the telephone can set, say, a very realistic digital pressure stove or sneaker to a real table or at my toes, the illusion broken only when I slid my hands to the framework and, about the iPhone Xs screen, it looked just like my notes had been stuck beneath the pot. You can't encourage these kinds of real-virtual combinations without ample graphics horsepower, thickness mapping, and the AI required to identify how surfaces, shadows, and even reflections will work on virtual shapes in a real open space. This processing ability also helped amp more ordinary operations such as Face ID. While the procedure for registering my head was unchanged from the original iPhone X, opening either phone with my face, in addition to utilizing Face ID to access password-protected apps and services, is significantly faster than it had been about the iPhone X. Overall, in actual programs, both Iphone Xs and Xs Max run reliably. Apple place massive work into enhancing the photo and movie experience on the Iphone Xs and Xs Max. Along with brand new lenses and a bigger sensor, both the cameras (rear and selfie) are all backed by a fresh picture signal cpu. The technical specs on the double cameras are untouched by the iPhone X (and would be the same on either the iPhone Xs and Xs Max). There is the 1.8 wide angle lens along with the f 2.4 2X telephoto. Both of those comprise optical image stabilization and will shoot around 4K video at 60 fps. They still take slow-motion video in up to 240 frames per second. If you'd like insane 960 fps super-slo-mo, then you are going to have to look to Samsung. In the pure-play photography race, though, Apple requires the head. The Smart HDR uses detector, ISP, and neural engine enhancements to catch a number of the finest high-dynamic range photographs I've ever seen. The gap between what has been possible on the first iPhone X and the Xs and Xs Max is stunning. Apple produced a system suitable of shooting 2 frames each thirtieth of a second, and immediately analyzing and combining them into a single image that preserves not only foreground and background detail, but that can freeze actions without presenting tremendous grain. In multiple images, I saw that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max find colour and detail in dark spaces without wasting out the lighter areas. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also an excellent low light shooter, however I think the Xs line is a little better. I'm particularly impressed with how Apple's built upon its own position position in Portrait Mode digital photography. Apple created Portrait Mode in 2016 using the iPhone 7 Plus (the applications lagged from the hardware). Since that time, Apple's elegant the technology, adding items such as Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. All these attributes remain, and are somewhat enhanced. That which I love and, as an amateur photographer who regularly performs with f-stops to get just the perfect depth of field effect, is that the newest Depth Control. Depth Control lets you choose a Portrait Mode photo and correct the Bokeh, or depth of field attention, after you shoot the photographs. This works with both front and rear cameras, which means that the image chip is using two different types of depth details. On the rear, it's the benefit of two lenses to find stereoscopic info. The front camera relies on the depth-sensing hardware. I understand, Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 gives the capability to correct background attention as you're shooting the image, as well as after. But, there is an essential difference here that is evident in the iPhone Xs and Xs Max Depth picture editor. It's a slider that lets you adjust smoothly from an electronic f 1.4 aperture to a virtual f16. At a real camera with a mechanical aperture, higher numbers interpret to sharper focus from the background along with reduced numbers imply the focus thickness is significantly shallower. About the Galaxy Note 9, Live Focus basically sees the pictures as two planes: the foreground and background. The slider blurs the background plane. The Iphone Xs's depth slider is based on all of the depth advice to reduce or enhance background focus through all of the planes between the very front of their subject and the background. Together with the enhanced Portrait Mode stitching (handling how the subject and a blurred background fit together), the subtlety of this effect through the selection of virtual f-stops is remarkable and, Apple's explained, is modeled on how actual lenses together with hardware apertures would influence each image. For most people the smartphone is their only camera. This places a pro-level command from the hands of millions of individuals, who are about to begin taking some really awesome portrait photographs. Just after capturing normal pics, movie, and even 4K, I continue to be stunned with the standard of photos and videos coming out of their iPhone Xs and Xs Max. Sure, it is strange that the larger Xs Max doesn't, as might be tradition, have any enhanced picture capturing features, however I doubt anyone is going to be dismayed with the photo quality delivered by either new mobile phone. There are a couple of other hardware-related enhancements, such as the guaranteed dual-sim technology which allows for multiple telephone numbers (believe work and individual numbers of one phone) via the support of eSIM technology. Unlike ordinary SIMs, you don't require a carrier card just for the provider to confirm it and allow it on your phone. It's a wonderful characteristic which, for obvious reasons, I could not test. For sound aficionados, there's also the new stereo recording and wider-stereo playback. This can be relatively hard to check, and I occasionally worry my ears aren't good enough to notice what could be a more nuanced difference. However, I'd find a method. I recordedin landscape mode, a few cars driving by. They begin on the left of this screen and push to the right. In video I recorded together with all the iPhone Xs, the noise travels from one side of the telephone to the other. Playback about the iPhone X is loud but lacks the identical degree of separation noise. Clearly, films with a great deal of sound engineering aren't just great displays for the amazing displays, but highlight the new, wider stereo playback abilities too. As hardware/software relationships go, you can not do better than the Apple iPhone Xs and iOS 12. I have been running betas of their new mobile OS for months on my iPhone X and found it incredibly smooth and stable. About the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, it becomes even better spouses. In addition to butter-smooth and lighting fast operation (in matches, video, and internet browsing), the augmented reality abilities first released into iOS 11, ARKit, along with the iPhone X tend to be far more refined and easy to customize from iOS 12 and the Iphone Xs. The smart assistant is a much better listener than ever, and getting smarter. Her address is much more conversational and she is requesting follow-up queries. Siri can also be more proactive, putting connections between benign items such as locations and schedules and offering them beforehand. There are also a number of third party programs tapping into Siri, allowing you to use only your voice to access program features and data without even launching the app. You can set up iOS 12 on your older Iphone (down into this iPhone 5s), however not all of attributes, particularly those involving AR, will operate on the older devices. Still, I clearly advise the upgrade with anyone operating an Iphone 7 and up. It is simply a much better, more polished, educated, and smart user experience also, to be fair, I have hardly scratched the surface of all of the updates and feature improvements you'll find. Apple claims 30 minutes more battery life involving the iPhone X and Xs and 90 minutes more with the Iphone Xs Max. In my experience, either new phone might get you through the majority of the afternoon on a single charge. I spent one day using only the iPhone Xs Max. I retained the brightness high and ran all types of programs and procedures. It lasted a strong 10 hours. Perhaps a tiny bit less than I expected, but still enough for me through the majority of the working day. In all honesty, with less than a week under my belt, it is difficult to give a full assessment of battery performance. There are so many variables and, obviously, battery life will be good on new mobile phones. Talk to me in 6 months or one year, and we're going to see if I am still satisfied with battery life. It is not strange that Apple did not bring down the cost for the brand new $999 iPhone Xs (or hold onto the original model and market it at a lower price). I'm not even shocked that we finally have a nearly $1,100 version or that we're able to cover a whopping $1,449 for the 512 GB iPhone Xs Max (which happens to be the version that I tested). Apple's already proven that individuals will pay almost anything to get their hands on the latest iPhone. Is $1,000 or more to cover a mobile phone? Perhaps, however many people think about the entire cost instead of monthly payments? I am, however, a little annoyed that Apple stopped the lightning -to-3.5 mm adapter. It's as if, in the last 12 months, we've gotten rid of our audio and Bose headsets, such as it is a solved issue. Memo to Apple: It is not. What I will say is that these are the iPhones you desire. The iPhone Xs does not mess with that which I consider a traditional layout, and also the Xs Max simply takes all that's amazing about the iPhone X and expands it. As a set, they are just as beautiful as the original home-button-free Iphone X. The plan looks especially elegant in a gold finish. Photographers will love the new camera, and gamers and content consumers will want the big-screen iPhone Xs Max. Even if you own the iPhone X, I still wouldn't upgrade unless you absolutely need more realistic augmented reality and full depth control on your portraits. For iPhone 6s, 7, 8, as well as 8 Plus owners, the iPhone Xs and Xs Max is going to feel as a massive leap to the foreseeable future.

#smartphones

[buddha-in-disguise]

A full of fucking swearing long post about the shitstain that is Dominic Cummings. Plus where I can find them, at the end I will link fucking sources, just in case anyone wants to try and say otherwise.

Also, if you do start @ me over him, I'm blocking your fucking cunt of an arse. Clear enough?

Good. Then let's begin.

As a nation, we can be a fairly mild mannered lot. At least collectively. But as of now, the majority of Britons are a mass of anger. So much so, I've even agreed with pundits like Piers Fucking Morgan! That alone is distressing enough, but Dominic Cummings has pissed off just about everyone.

But first a little background on this heaping pile of shit.

Dominic Cummings was one of the main instigators of Leave Campaign in regards Brexit. Now for those who don't know or haven't cared until now, not only were they found to be in breach of the electoral law, Dominic himself was also found in contempt of Parliament when they tried to find out if Vote Leave used fake news to help achieve their goal.

To add to this, he took around 200k of subsidies from the EU for his properties. So a known lying fucking hypocrite.

Even before that, he was advisor to Gove, that spineless fucking weasel who has been out today spouting even more fucking bollocks over this. Funny that.

Don't think for a minute being Gove's Special Advisor meant Cummings was liked by others in the Tory Party. Cummings was pretty much despised by a lot in Government at the time. David 'Pig fucker' Cameron called him a career psychopath.

Fast forward to 2019. Cummings is now Special Advisor to another spineless fucking cunt known as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. BJ was never in control. Anyone watching what was going on knew that the moment Cummings had Javid's one aide uncermoniously marched out of her job, using armed police no less.

Only problem was, he had no authority to do that.

But never fear, BJ decided to change the rules, so lo and behold, he didn't break any rules (seeing a pattern here yet?)

So fast forward to the last few days. Now newspapers were reporting that Dominic Cummings drove his COVID-19 symptomatic wife, with a 4 year old in the same enclosed vehicle, some 260 miles to his parents location in Durham.

Oh now comes the fun part, and why as a nation we are all beyond extremely miffed, and fucking pissed off!

The offical guidance was anyone in a household with someone displaying symptoms (tested or not) was to stay the fuck at home. There was one exception to this rule. One. Extreme risk to life.

So Cummings took the decision to go and drive for fucking childcare reasons.

A man with his wealth, privilege and even with family in fucking London, couldn't do it at his home, but had to drive (thus risking his own child because of viral load you're going to get in an enclosed vehicle), himself and others (because he had to stop. Tell me of anyone with a 4 year old in the car they wouldn't be stopping anywhere?)

So anyway, they take a fucking jolly jaunt up to his parents.

But hold on, a Minister recently resigned for breaking lockdown rules. So why in the ever loving fuck was Cummings not resigning or being fired?

I don't know what Cummings has on BJ, but I suspect it makes wanting to fuck a dead pig seem like child play. Because not only isn't he fired, good old Jolly BJ comes out and fully defends and supports his senior advisor (who is unelected as well, just to add salt to that wound).

So by following his fatherly instincts (the fucking laughable defence given, when BJ couldn't even say how many fucking kids he has) and acting with integrity, (someone please give these fucking morons a dictionary), Cummings was given a free pass.

And then a load of fucking MP's including cabinet ministers all piled in saying how great a father he is, how it was exceptional circumstances that made him do it, you're all overreacting you terrible ingrate you, blah, blah, more horse shit, blah!

So, now all of those families who actually followed the fucking rules, and did what the government said are now being told, oh sure. You could've attended the funeral of your loved ones. Gone halfway across country to get child care for your kids, and so on and so fucking forth.

So basically saying, hah the jokes on you.

A few grumbles came out from the odd Tory, who might not have grown a spine, but were looking less like jelly (jello) being nailed to the wall, and more like thick fucking custard. A little more substance to them, but still slopping around with no spine.

We have a bank holiday coming up, and unusually good weather forecast, because as every Brit knows, Bank Holidays are normally shit weather wise. And a lot of people saying, fuck me if Cummings can do this, so can we. And all pile into cars for days out as if nothing had changed! No masks, no social distancing. Zilch. Great innit.

No it fucking isn't! The virus doesn't take a holiday you fucking morons!

So back to the other mess. Cummings now gives a press conference in the fucking rose garden of No.10. Also likely in breach of the rules, but as we know, he really doesn't give a flying fuck about rules now does he.

First of all he was 30 minutes late (you would've been sanctioned , therefore getting no money, for weeks, probably months if on benefits and did the same thing thanks to this government). But he eventually rolls up, looking slightly less like he's been dragged through a hedge backwards, but still looking like a dogs arse. Actually sorry dogs, you don't deserve that comparison. I'm really sorry!!

Anyway, here he is, about to fill us with more bullshit.

The shit now isn't just hitting the fan. In the immortal words of Terry Pratchett, The Midden has now hit the Windmill.

Cummings is trying to explain why he did what he did, oh and now we have the added delight of him being caught going out to a location some 30 miles from the family home, which is another breach of the law!

He sat there, and said, the public aren't angry at me, they're angry because of how the media have reported it. Woe is me, they're making me out to be the bad guy in all this .... blah fucking boo hoo blah.

This was supposed to calm us down.

Dear reader.

It. Did. Not.

So journalist after journalist (Beth Rigby gave a fucking masterclass) actually didn't let him get away with it.

These weren't just questions or accusations. They threw proof at him! Despite the collective rage, it was glorious to see them do it. If this was when stocks were still in use in the town square, Cummings would've been covered in excrement and anything else to hand. That shit was blown back so fast, it was hard to keep up.

Anyway, without going into too much here, his excuses ranged from he didn't feel safe because of demos outside his home (unverified and strangely enough, no neighbours reporting any disturbances either. Funny that),

Then, having gone to great lengths to say he drove up to his parents to keep his kid safe, he explains the additional trip he got caught out on was taken to test his eyesight, which had been affected because of being unwell with Covid19.

So not only is it highly fucking illegal to drive while impaired (including if eyesight is impaired) in this country, you decided to take your wife and kid, who you wanted to protect, not for a little jaunt down the road, but on a 60 mile fucking round trip.

Oh, and he hadn't stopped on the 260 mile trip up there, but his kid needed a stop on the way home, so a less than 60 mile trip required a stop. Yeah. Strange how that works.

He still kept blaming the media. Still kept up the woe is me, it was exceptional circumstances, and so on. Must get sore lips there Cummings, with the amount of smoke you try to blow up peoples arses.

So, to end it all, he has flatly refused to resign. No need to even consider it. The public will be jolly good chaps in all of this and see my side of things.

No we won't, you motherfucking cunt!

So this morning, various people including Gove are still making excuses for this fucking shitstain.

I now wish Cummings is fired, but better yet, thrown out of our universe, so he can never ever be seen again. But I've seen more spine on a fucking snake that I have Boris Johnson, who is just as much to blame in all this.

Before I end, we also had an infamous Tweet from someone in the Civil Service, who knew they were torpedoing their career. I'm including a screen shot. It was taken down, but it was genuine. Whoever they were, you deserve all the applause and a fucking medal!

Oh and a few sources for this and the cuntface Cummings. But you know, just Google the fucker. You can find this and much more.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44856992

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47712040

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/10/dominic-cummings-owns-farm-got-eu-subsidy

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/18/david-cameron-dominic-cummings-career-psychopath

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-boris-johnson-cabinet-minister-aides-civil-service-sajid-javid-a9109836.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52782913

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52553229

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-52792200

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52793991

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/dominic-cummings-trip-county-durham-18306147

https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

[pennblogs]

The sad demise of a ‘controversial’ statue

The sad demise of a controversial statue

After ten years of living in Bristol, the destruction of the Edward Colston statue has definitely had the most profound impact on me.

You see, Bristol crops up rather often in Stephen Pinker’s The better angels of our nature because for a long time now, it has statistically been the safest City in Europe and in his evidence and argument it would therefore be reasonable to conclude that it is one of the most civilised. Yet to witness the angry, leaderless mob shouting, cheering, whooping as they tore down the long-standing statue of Edward Colston in the city centre one might be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

The images of the statue coming down reminded me a little of the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Iraq. It was a symbol that the people had conquered the very man who, by fascist dictatorial rule and chemical weapons tests on his own people, had conquered them.

So it seems a little odd that this statue, about 200 years old and depicting a man from the 1600s has been toppled in 2020. If there needed to be a revolution of this sort, it already happened in 1833 with the abolition of slavery in the UK. or perhaps in 1965, with the introduction of the race relations act to the UK, which achieved equality, in the eyes of the law, between all races. The equivalent acts happened in the USA in 1865 and 1964 respectively. 

But even judging Edward Colston by today’s standards, what makes this man any different from the Zuckerbegs and Bezos’ in this world? Very wealthy and in no small part down to paying over-worked employees minimum wage or close to. Colston was still responsible for bringing commerce to the country, founding a school and acting as an MP for the area under a Conservative government, leaving large sums to charities in his will. Just as Zuckerberg, Bezos and others dip into their pockets for philanthropic gestures and endeavours.

Another point that immediately came to mind is just how these rioters have tried to whitewash Bristol in the name of judging the people of the past on the morals and laws of today, practicing zero empathy in the process, something one would have assumed to be integral to their purported cause.

If they only stopped to think for a moment, to have a discussion with somebody who disagreed, there are so many things they might have realised; The comparison with modern day tech giants which is a real problem that exists today and is much more worthy and deserving of our attention, remains unresolved and we can define clear goals to work towards involving these issues, something the statue made me think. And it’s a thought that may not be had again, because the reminder, the provoker of dialect (something which is sorely needed during the current age) may no longer be there for others to learn from.

They might have realised that they would be denying future generations a right to knowledge, instead making them ignorant of their city’s History and even architecture. They might have realised that the petition they started, as a democratic act and right, would have achieved their results, at the very least, it would have given us an idea of the views of the 500,000 inhabitants of this city.

If they paused for a moment and stopped to see other people’s opinions, they would realise that such prominent figures as Morgan Freeman and Lil Wayne were opposed to the protests full stop.

If they stopped to think, they might remember the outcomes of the peaceful protests orchestrated by Ghandi, Mandela and most obviously, Martin Luther King. They had a clear grievance, clear evidence and a clear goal. They were non-violent, they succeeded.

At the risk of more statues being pulled down, I would like to point out that the first name mentioned was a racist, the second was responsible for the creation of the AMC’s armed wing and thus much violence, resulting in a lengthy prison sentence and the final name on the list was an abuser of women.

They might have realised that a better celebration of the city’s ethos of diversity and equality might better be represented by the erection of a contrasting figure nearby, like the Paul Stephenson plaque, Pero’s bridge, or the statue of poet Alfred Fagon. This was successfully achieved in America by The Satanic Temple when they had a satanic statue, representing equality and diversity of belief erected by one of the ten commandments, representing the fact the city was in fact multicultural and did not consider itself exclusively Christian. They did so with yet another peaceful and legal act.

There are so many things that made this act indisputably wrong; The disregard of public opinion. The disregard for the law, both in the context of damaging property and breaking lockdown rules to an irresponsible degree. The opportunism of using events in another country to perpetrate crimes in the name of a cause that is specific to that country, in one of the safest and most tolerant cities in Europe, if not the world, within a country that is probably the most diverse and least racist in Europe, for their own ideals. You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, but to paraphrase Orwell “where’s the omelette?”

At the very least, hopefully this has drawn more people’s attention to the figure of Edward Colston and they will have the opportunity to learn something new about the city of Bristol and its history. Unfortunately, they will also have to learn about the total ignorance of certain people over 400 years on. Unless Marvin Rees’ value of democracy is greater than his seemingly emotion-driven bias on the matter, I doubt he is going to open up this issue to Bristol’s inhabitants. Instead deciding, like the protesters-come-rioters, he knows what’s best. Unfortunately we won’t be able to have the nuanced discussion it so clearly deserved, with so many people feeling strongly either way. 

By Penn

#blacklivesmatter #edwardcolston #edwardcolstonstatue #bristol #politics

[ava-candide]

Here’s your problem. You are in charge of Poldark, one of the UK’s most successful TV series of the past five years. A huge hit in the US, the show made its leads, Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson, stars overnight. Last year’s fourth series was watched by 6m UK viewers at the height of a World Cup summer. (The final series of Game of Thrones, by comparison, reached just 3.39m viewers, and most soaps average 5m.) The series is based on 12 hugely popular books, of which you have adapted just seven. So there are five further novels to plunder. But...

“The first seven books are set in the 18th century and finish at the end of 1799,” explains the writer Debbie Horsfield, whose problem this actually is. “But then Winston Graham stopped writing — and when he came back for book eight, The Stranger from the Sea, he left an 11-year gap in the story and changed almost everything. We leave Ross in series four a frustrated MP. When we meet him in book eight, he’s basically a spy for the British government. Dwight [Enys, the doctor] is helping George III with his madness. Graham doesn’t really explain how any of this happened.”

None of this would matter if the latest TV adaptation of the books, like the 1975 version, simply gave up at the end of the first seven. There is, however, an informal agreement between cast and creative team that — if everyone is still around and available in 10 years — they will reunite to finish the final novels. “There’s nothing on paper, but everybody has said yes,” Horsfield says. “Why wouldn’t we?”

So she set about trying to fill in that 11-year gap for the fifth and perhaps final series, and turned, as the show has often done, to the ferociously radical politics of the time. There she found a real-life Ross Poldark in the shape of a radical war hero who had married one of his servants — Colonel Edward “Ned” Despard. (It’s tempting to say that desperate times call for Despard measures.)

“The parallels between him and Ross are quite astonishing,” Horsfield says. “They were both military men — Despard was a hero of the American Revolutionary War and his wife, Kitty, was originally a Jamaican servant in his kitchen. I asked Andrew Graham whether his father had based Ross on Ned, but he hadn’t heard of him. Despard’s history doesn’t end well, so it seemed that he could become the ‘There but for the grace of God’ figure for Ross.”

Vincent Regan, who knows how to buckle a swash, with roles in the BBC’s The Musketeers, Troy, 300 and Clash of the Titans, brings a rugged determination to the role. He roars his way through the first two episodes like a force of nature, and in this Horsfield has stayed true to the real-life Ned. After the American Revolutionary War, he was made superintendent of what became Belize, until he fell in love with Catherine (Kitty) and set out to give freed slaves the same rights as white settlers. This did not go down well in London — Despard was recalled and jailed. When he was released, he joined the London Corresponding Society, a radical organisation inspired by Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, and agitated for the end of slavery.

“Ross was clearly an abolitionist, and there has always been a political thread running through Graham’s books,” Horsfield notes. “Period dramas shouldn’t be clean, neat and tidy — they should matter as much as contemporary stories.” To illustrate this, she sketches out what seems at first an improbably modern storyline: Luke Norris’s character, Dwight, the troubled Royal Navy doctor, develops a form of PTSD treatment for the villainous George Warleggan, played with chilling power in this series as a man driven literally mad with grief at the loss of his wife, Elizabeth.

“Graham mentions in passing in book eight that Dwight went to France to study with a Dr Pinel,” Norris says. “He was a real historical figure who pioneered humane ways of dealing with mental health issues, at a time when we locked people in Bedlam, plunged them into icy water, whipped them, beat them, locked them in cages, sedated them and purged them to rid them of demons or animal spirits.”

“It made sense,” Horsfield adds. “By book eight, Dwight has become the go-to expert on mental health, being called in to consult over George III.”

We forget there was a strong possibility of an English revolution at that time. There were serious food shortages and measures to suppress any kind of dissent, including trade unions. “The beauty of the novels is that the dashing Byronic hero makes thrilling drama out of the dullest school history lessons,” Horsfield says. “Ross opposes the greed of bankers and wealthy industrialists, so it made sense for him to have served with Ned, and for Ross and Demelza to be caught up in the story of Ned and Kitty.”

The idea of a radical mixed-race couple cutting a swathe through London at that time is almost certain to incite adverse comment. In fact, there were black Londoners in Roman times, the first settled black community in the capital was in the Elizabethan era, and by the time Despard was recalled to England, about 2% of London’s population was black.

It’s also true that in the early 19th century, the British secret service was headed by William Wickham, a civil servant busy infiltrating radical groups such as the London Corresponding Society. By gradual steps, Horsfield leads Ross and Demelza through the first two years of the missing 11, gradually wrapping Ross in the plots and skulduggery of political espionage.

For Turner, the arrival of Poldark’s old commanding officer provided a couple of welcome changes. “It was nice that Ross finally had a friend,” he says with a grin. “I got on great with Vince — he was an English actor doing an Irish accent, and I’m an Irish actor doing an English accent, so we do good impressions of each other.

“And it felt like there was a lot more action in the series, with Debbie given free rein. There’s much more sword-fighting, that’s for sure. We’ve had pistols, riding and swimming in previous seasons, but you can’t beat fighting with real steel swords. You can’t fool around with them. You just have to commit and go for it, and hope everything will be fine.”

Turner famously does his own stunts, except in the scenes where Poldark gallops along the cliffs. “For insurance reasons,” he points out hastily. “But they put me on a horse on the first day of shooting, back when I was such a young and innocent man. I was pretty nervous, I was on a horse and Debbie says I was quite fierce...” He pauses. “But I think I was a little bit nicer than that.”

He will miss the show, he admits. “We had pretty much the same crew for the entire job, so it was like a proper family, and I’ll miss everyone a lot. You hope to keep in touch — you tend to with the actors, but not so much with the crew.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Turner found his final day of shooting very emotional. “It’s always been amazing working alongside Eleanor, we get on great, and the last day was just the two of us doing some bedroom scenes,” he recalls. “That was quite lovely, and it seemed to make sense that it was just the two of us. It was poignant to leave things there.”

Leave them there? What about the talk of reuniting in 10 years? “I wouldn’t rule it out,” he says, then tacks a little to the left. “I mean, I wouldn’t rule anything out. That’s for other people to decide. It depends if it’s something the audience wants to see.”

Horsfield can’t see why the audience would have changed by then. “When I started this adaptation, people were asking how I was going to make it relevant for now,” she says. “But you don’t need to update it, because the concerns of the time and the concerns of Winston Graham are still the concerns we have now.

“Things actually don’t change. We all want to find a sense of community and not be exploited. That Europe, surveillance, terrorism and immigration are still hot topics may be a shame, but it’s really no surprise.

“If we are to come back in 10 years, dealing with mental health and continental politics — I mean, you’d be crazy to say that they won’t be hot topics in 2030. Constant conflict around the same ideas may be depressing for me as a person, but as a drama writer, it makes my job a whole lot easier.”

#aidanpics

[viciousgold]

What was your childhood home like? Can you cook? What are you most proud of? What other fictional characters would you get along with? What do you do when you are upset? What was your wedding day like? Did you have nightmares as a child? Did you have a favourite toy? Are you a light sleeper? Is there anyone who scares you? Do you have a sweet tooth? What is your favourite city to live in (AU?)? Did you go to public or private school? Do you swear? What would be your job in Will´s world?

What was her childhood home like?

It was very strict and rigid. Marisa’s mother was very set on her ideals for her children. Marcel immediately went into a position of power and status at a much younger age than Marisa, and despite being her younger brother, he was already more powerful than her before he even turned eighteen, which Marisa has always resented them both for. Where as her mothers expectations for Marisa were, especially because of their lack of wealth and status; get married to someone with wealth, high status, maybe have kids. Along with that though, she was trained to be a “good” wife, her mother expecting nothing less than perfection. Anything less than perfection was immediately punished. She also incredibly lacked affection. Her mother was cold and distant and for the most part refused to give her children much physical affection at all, barely any physical touch either apart from her reprimanding her children. 

Can Marisa cook?She can, absolutely, but she’s more trained at hunting and prep than the actual cooking part. She’s really good at survival; she can hunt a walrus, skin and de-bone it entirely and make really good cuts of meat from it, but then when it comes to the actual cooking part... I mean, she doesn’t burn it. But she doesn’t really know how to do things like technical cooking, seasoning, any of that, so her food doesn’t really taste good, it’s more so she cooks for herself when she needs to, when she’s on an expedition in the North and she’s in survival mode, she’ll cook herself something so that she has something to eat but it’s not that good, like, at all. Asriel is probably a better cook than her, so I could definitely see them like, on an expedition together and they make a deal like “hey, I’ll do the hunting and preparing the meat if you do the cooking of it” and together they actually have a decent meal. What is she most proud of?She is honestly truly proud of how far she’s come at such a young age. Granted, her brother has her beat, he was in a position of power at sixteen or so, but in comparison to the majority of people, Marisa began involvement with the Magisterium at twenty and rose to complete and full power even surpassing her brother in the ranks and authority by age thirty, and plus she was the first woman to ever become a member of the Royal Arctic Institute, so overall she is extremely proud of all she’s accomplished at such a young age. 

What other fictional characters does she get along with?So funny thing, I’ve been talking with @paracosmicvoid and she has a character named Linda who is such a parallel of Marisa, it’s crazy. They definitely get along so super well. There’s also @redlied‘s Abaddon from Supernatural who comes to an understanding with Marisa through using each other to each other’s benefit and they learn to get along in the process. 

What does she do when she’s upset?She takes it out on herself, immensely. Whenever she’s upset, it’s usually because of something she either did wrong or failed to do. And she punishes herself for it. This goes back to how her mother raised her and treated her where she was punished harshly for the smallest of things like using the wrong silverware, or crying when she was told not to, so when she makes big mistakes, she is extremely hard on herself and unforgiving of herself. It’s also very hard for her to try cheering herself up. Usually when she is upset, she doesn’t really even start to feel better until days or sometimes even weeks later. Sometimes she’ll try. She’ll drink chamomile tea, she’ll listen to music, but for the most part when she’s upset she does seclude herself to make herself suffer for what she believes was her failing at something yet again.

What was Marisa’s wedding day like?Honestly, it felt more like a graduation to her than a wedding. She had basically found an entrance into the Magisterium for herself and she was happy to finally have it. She was focused that day on what this marriage would bring for her life, how it would benefit it, and so she put on a facade of being in love with Edward, but the part that wasn’t a facade was her genuine happiness and excitement; it just wasn’t for the sake of entering into a marriage for Edward because she loved him, it was happiness and excitement for all of the benefits she would gain from the marriage. Did she have nightmares as a child?Oh yeah, all the time. She’ll still have nightmares to this day. Often times as a child, her nightmares were of disappointing her mother, or her mother hurting her again, or both. She grew up, at least at first, very terrified of her overbearing, controlling mother, and then into adulthood she decided that she was no longer going to be afraid of her; she was going to disobey her and be everything she wanted her brother to be, but better and even more powerful. The nightmares of her mother were consistent until probably about seventeen or eighteen and then later on in life, her nightmares didn’t stop, her mother just stopped being the monster in them. Her nightmares now actually consist of herself as the monster, usually. The ones that don’t are nightmares of her losing everything, and then later her nightmares of losing what she truly realizes matters most to her; her nightmares are of losing Lyra.

Did she have a favorite toy?

Yes, she did, she had a doll that she would dress up in lots of pretty outfits. They didn’t have much money during her childhood, but she would make dresses and scarves and hairbows for the doll using spare bits of fabric she could find around the house and of dresses she outgrew, which her mother was fine with since they all knew she didn’t plan on having another child past Marisa and Marcel. 

Is she a light sleeper?

100%. If a literal pen falls, she will wake up. Marisa is always on high alert and has been since a young age, and if I’m really thinking about it, this was probably due to her childhood as well of always needing to be on guard when it came to her mother. But now it’s for the sake of she knows that there are constant dangers everywhere around her, she’s very intensely aware of everything that could go wrong. The only time she’s really blinded is when she’s distracted by her motherly instincts towards Lyra, and this has caused her to make quite a few mistakes and let certain things slip up. 

Is there anyone who scares you?

She’ll deny it with every fiber of her being, but her mother does still frighten her. She won’t admit it, but it’s the reason she left her mother as soon as she could and then never went back. She doesn’t financially support her mother like Marcel does, she doesn’t visit her, doesn’t speak with her, doesn’t associate with her or even acknowledge her existence. Her mention of her to Lyra was likely the first time in years she even mentioned her mother at all in any context. 

Does she have a sweet tooth?Yes, sweets are probably Marisa’s absolute favorite guilty pleasure. She loves chocolatl, cake, pie, cookies, like anything really delectable and sweet, she adores. She and her brother weren’t really allowed to have sweets as a child, so she didn’t really experience much of them until her adulthood.

What is her favorite city in an AU?

She really enjoys Monte Carlo. Monaco is one of her favorite places to visit, mainly because it just feels elite and beautiful, and Monte Carlo especially. The grandeur there combined with how many fun things there are to do in the city, like different cafes, the yearly Monaco Grand Prix, all of the beautiful architecture there. 

Did she go to public or private school?Marisa had a private tutor growing up. They were poor, but her mother put so much of their funds into educating Marisa and Marcel because she wanted them to have every advantage that children of higher wealth and status had. So Marisa grew up very educated and intelligent, focused on studies for most of her childhood and then once she was eighteen she became a member of St. Sophia’s college.

Does she swear?She tries not to in polite society or within the Magisterium, but when she’s alone with friends or a lover, a swear once or twice might slip out. Apart from that, the only other time she swears is when she’s incredibly angry. 

What job would she have in Will’s world?

Well in Will’s world, she wouldn’t be as restricted by her gender as she is in her own world. With her ambition, determination and skills, Marisa would likely be something like a Senator, a Governor, or a high ranking CIA operative if in America, or if in England, she would likely be an MP, Prime Minister, or some form of high ranking MI5. 

#headcanon; #onceiworeatrenchcoat

[letterboxd]

Divas.

“You have to know what you’re willing to fight for or die for.” Angelina Jolie goes head-to-head with Michelle Pfeiffer in the Maleficent sequel, Mistress of Evil. The megastars talk to Letterboxd about their new Disney blockbuster, their favorite villains, and learning to let go of your children.

We haven’t done specific data on this, but it’s no secret that, from Tinkerbell and Wendy to Mother Gothel and Rapunzel, Disney in particular excels at pitting women against each other and messing with concepts of motherhood. Times change, however, and in 2014, with Angelina Jolie in the title role, the studio’s live-action blockbuster Maleficent revisited the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, taking a refreshing spin on the villain from Disney’s 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

It worked: Maleficent became Jolie’s highest-grossing film, and holds a particular kind of appeal for the Letterboxd members who love it. For Rookie Bear, it is “…a journey from girlhood to motherhood and maturity, and in many respects, is exactly the film I would have liked Sleeping Beauty to be.” Aly C agrees: “I love that so many distinctly feminine themes are layered into this story, from non-traditional motherhood to recovering from sexual assault. It’s so smart; [writer] Linda Woolverton is a genius, and that must be part of why Angelina was so enthusiastically behind this project (besides looking absolutely iconic). I hope the sequel stays on this same path.”

Pedro Paixão is a little more succinct: “I have a weakness for bad bitches in leather.” He’s gonna love the follow-up, which sees dark fairy Maleficent (Jolie) drawn out of the moors, a verdant land in which fantasy creatures flourish, by the impending nuptials between surrogate daughter Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty herself, played by Elle Fanning) and her beloved Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson, replacing the original’s Brenton Thwaites).

But this is Disney. With Maleficent and Aurora happy in their non-traditional family unit, the sequel needs a new bad bitch. Cue Michelle Pfeiffer, the ideal grande dame to go head-to-head with Jolie in lavish new sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Pfeiffer plays Aurora’s mother-in-law to be, Queen Ingrith; outwardly welcoming of Maleficent, but secretly plotting against her, setting the stage for an epic showdown in which expensive special effects are entirely outshone by two of Hollywood’s most legendary actors throwing down. It’s misunderstood-villain versus actual-villain, and the star power on display is truly something to behold.

Jolie and Pfeiffer recently joined press in Beverly Hills to talk about the film, and we took the opportunity to ask them for any iconic movie villain performances that they may have taken inspiration from.

Angelina Jolie immediately named the performance given by her co-star in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns: “I like Michelle as Catwoman,” she told us.

Pfeiffer brought up a different Batman film, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, in her response: “I think the first thing that came to mind was Heath Ledger as the Joker. I didn’t take that as inspiration, but that’s my favorite villain.”

Read on for highlights from the rest of the conversation.

On being associated with the character of Maleficent: Angelina Jolie: The strange thing as an actor, you’re kind of always figuring out who you are, how people see you. Now with social media, everybody has an opinion. As an actor, it’s strange, you put yourself forward [for a role] and somebody says: “Oh, that’s very you.” And you think: ‘Really, is it?’ When I got a call and they said: “We thought you’re the only person who could play Maleficent. It was so obvious.” I was like: “What was so obvious?” I’m never quite sure how I’m supposed to take that.

And yet, I love her. So maybe I just need to fully embrace it at this time in my life. Maybe when I first did it I thought I needed to find the other aspects of her; she’s a bit wild and full-on and a bit much. Now I have different things in my life and I’m just so happy to feel strong again and have some fun. I adore being her.

On whether or not she was channeling screen legend Bette Davis in her performance: AJ: When I was little, I saw the animated film. Clearly she was drawn with that inspiration, and the original voice, and the original way she was, and I was so drawn to it. All of those women. There’s so much to learn from them. Any comparison I’m very grateful for.

On how the film plays with notions of good and evil: Michelle Pfeiffer: It’s a very unusual fairy tale, which I also loved about the first film, it was so surprising. What I loved is that it played in this grey area and it talked about good-versus-evil, and how all of us have a little bit of everything in us. I think in terms of strength, and how that manifests itself, it’s different in everyone. One of the things we loved about Aurora is that in many ways she is ultimately the strongest and wisest of all of us. My character is really brilliant and diabolical, but I wouldn’t consider her terribly wise.

I mean, everybody has vulnerability, and I think, [Queen Ingrith is] damaged. Nobody behaves that way unless they’re incredibly damaged on some level. She just doesn’t wear it on her sleeve, I guess. And it some ways, what she resorts to is really, truly out of a very deep fear. On the central themes of the film: AJ: It is about family. Aurora and Maleficent were brought together and they became a family and they weren’t really expecting it. Maleficent was harmed in her life and she lost herself and lost her ability to, I think, be soft and feel love. Being a mother brought out something in me that really transformed me. But we’re different creatures in the film. There are metaphors in the film, not to be heavy about it, but always I think a good film for young people has these messages, and I think there’s real questions in the film: [Aurora and Maleficent] get pulled apart, people tell us, because we’re not the same. “Because you’re not exactly like her, you’re not gonna love her.” That certainly strikes a chord with me. I think Maleficent does wonder if she’s good enough to be a mother.

Then there’s a real push to say “this is not how it should be, and this is not how to live”. Diversity makes us stronger. There must be a better way forward, and we have to come together. We do that in the film with the humans and the creatures and moor-folk coming together. We do that as a family, we come together and we fight against this separation. We unite and we say “this is the world we choose to live in”. I think that that is a really important message.

On Aurora and Maleficent’s relationship: AJ: I see her exactly as she is, and I don’t want her to be any different than she is. And she sees me as I am, and she accepts me as I am. It is to say to everybody: “Be yourself, be your true self. You don’t live forever.” Say to children: “No matter how people see you and how they say you should be, you’ll suffocate. Be your true nature, whatever that may be, and you’ll find acceptance, because you have to.”

On the film’s elaborate dinner scene, when Maleficent and Ingrith first encounter each other: MP: Tension-wise, nobody wanted to be the one to wreck the take, because it was so long. Every angle, every shot was a master. The tension is really good, you’re kind of just being there for each other.

AJ: I was just happy we were sitting. I felt like I was having dinner with friends for a week. I thought it was great. On the challenge of performing inside such gargantuan costumes: AJ: You get so supported in these roles with the magic, everybody working towards this idea of [bringing together] costumes, visual effects and make-up to help bring you into a creature. It’s a big team. Some of my costumes were half there, and we had to be flying with rigs and things. The trick with Maleficent sometimes is that I need to look stronger on the ground, but then I have to float when I’m up in the air.

On what the film has to say about self-sacrifice: AJ: When you talk about love, we spoke about knowing your true self, but really I think the core of is: we’re not here just to exist. You have to know what you stand for. You have to know what you’re willing to fight for or die for. If you live that way, then whatever pain comes with it and whatever sacrifice comes with it, you embrace it and it actually fills you with purpose. That’s hopefully represented in the film.

On whether or not she was trying to top her previous villain performances: MP: I didn’t actually look at it that way. I certainly enjoyed playing this, I was really delighted and surprised when I read the script. I was excited just by the notion of working with [Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning].

You approach them all differently. I had a lot of fun doing this. I felt like I had a lot of freedom to try and bring some other colors, you know, try to play the humanity. It may not appear at first blush that Ingrith is willing to sacrifice anything, but she’s willing obviously to sacrifice her son. I think that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love him. (Laughs.) It’s complicated.

On relating to Maleficent having to let go of Aurora, given that she just sent her oldest son off to college: AJ: To be very honest, Maddox was so ready and he’s doing so well. He spent these days with me as I thought I was preparing him to go. You work so hard as a mother, you think: ‘I’m really helping him.’ And then at the airport, he could’ve left but he stayed with me a bit longer, I kept thinking: ‘He wants to be with me a little longer.’ And then at some point he looked at me and said: “Are you okay?” and I said “Yeah I’m fine” and I realized the entire week was all for me. He was just making sure I was okay. And he gave me a really big hug because he knew that I needed it, and I knew that he was okay because he was the kind of man who knew what I needed and he gave it to me in a loving way. So I left feeling really proud. I did cry a few times.

There’s a part of this movie where I have to let [Aurora] go. It wasn’t in the script, but I didn’t quite let her go. And Diaval (Sam Riley) has to come in and say: “Let her go.” And that got me every time. Because I would think of… all of the kids. That moment of having to let them go. But it’s also exciting.

Related content

Everything on Disney+: a list of all the films that will feature on the studio’s new streaming service, launching in the US on November 12.

Rara’s list of films with both female heroes and female villains.

Mommie Dearest: the Letterboxd Showdown of misunderstood movie matriarchs.

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ is in cinemas from October 18. Comments have been edited for length and clarity.

#maleficent #angelina jolie #michelle pfeiffer #sleeping beauty #elle fanning #disney #fairy tale wedding #blockbuster #letterboxd

[rutledge60hviid-blog]

Lenovo Ideapad Y700 Assessment.

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