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bonnienapierfilm · 3 years

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FILM NARRATIVE 2

Critical Reflection

When we were throwing all our ideas around, we were very drawn to cowboys in a big galactic battle, however the dreams were short-lived, production would be way too expensive...

I wasn't convinced with the fake detective idea at first, I had a feeling it would be a very back and forth script, just two people constantly questioning each other without much action, and I didn't want a script that relied too heavily on the dialogue.

(I'm not funny, apologies)

However, once we had our plot and character dynamics sorted out, I felt more confident in writing the script. I was excited to be the writer for the group, huge weight on the shoulders but once I got past that fear of ruining the whole project for the whole group, twas all excitement.

Inspiration+Influence

My main inspiration for the Detective was Dwight Schrute from The Office. I wanted the Detective to be quite cocky but also dumb. As well as the mundane dress sense, with lots of beige and brown.

Linking with the bland colour palette, I was also inspired by the set design in Fargo (the series, I haven't seen the film yet). I felt that the cozy late 70s decor would be the perfect type of setting to emphasise that our screenplay is taking place in a house, and not a police station. In addition to the visual elements, I was influenced by the constant tension between characters in Fargo and how they present it in ways other than just dialogue, like where a character stands in a room.

My Process

After writing a first (rough) draft of the script, I was very happy with it and felt it was a great start! We collaborated quite well as a group when redrafting, discussing what we thought worked and what didn't in my drafts. I'd take notes during our calls and get back to writing.

A vital decision we had to make was when we wanted the script to begin, in terms of the timeline. As I was worried we would need to explain how the Detective had gotten Stanley into his interrogation room. However, after a class with Fiann, Leo and Alex, they had explained that scenes don't always need to begin from the moment someone enters a room. We could imply our characters had been here for a while through the dialogue, which is what we did.

As the writer pretty much has to write, I felt I didn't have much to do after the final draft was completed. Anyways, the group did great with all the pre-production documents! Heathers mood board was great (exactly what I had envisioned too!).

Feedback along the way+crit

Some feedback we'd gotten along the way was to make the emotion of our main character more clear, which was Stanley. After this comment I had realised I'd spent a lot of time working out the Detectives dialogue but not much on Stanley. So when redrafting, I took inspiration from The Departed (2006), with the heavy Boston accents, constant swearing and Mafia families. Therefore, Stanley swears a lot, but sadly when our script was graded we were told we had over used the word "fuck", and it wasn't effective if used a lot, but I politely disagree! The Departed has over 200+ fucks and I still think it's great, I feel it tells you a character is confident and unafraid to express themselves.

From the crit, we had a few errors with our organisational skills, with a few wrong submissions resulting in inconsistencies in the work. And we were told that making multiple mood boards for each character would be useful, which I agree with and will aim for in future projects.

Next time, I would be interested in making an animatic. At the time, I felt our storyboards where enough, and they were, however I think making an animatic is a great extra step to take, and it's something I know I would throughly enjoy making! Group 2 had a great animatic with a run through of the dialogue as well as background sound, which really helped me picture what there film would be like, so props to them for this!

What I have learned

I've realised how much work goes into pre-production, I obviously knew roughly what went into it, but even on a small university project it took a lot of work, so my mind will be blown if when I make it to the big leagues (be your biggest fan...or something like that, right?).

I also hadn't thought much about how important story boards and shot lists are. Until we had our groups boards I realised we must of all had pretty different ideas of what the final would look like, linking with how important communication is on group projects!

Group 7

I am proud of all the work we had done by the end of the project. I feel our communication and organisation as a group was always strong, we all gave feedback on others work and helped each other if needed. I am excited for the independent project with this group as I feel we work well together and are all excited to switch roles around.

#filmnarrative2

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cosmonaughty · 5 years

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I recently re-watched Season 1 of Fargo FX and, as is the case with every great show or movie, there were things I noticed that I had missed in earlier viewings. A few of these had to do with the portrayal of hospitals in film, which is another small obsession of mine, so I thought that I would take the time to combine these two interests and talk about the way that Fargo FX depicts hospitals. I will be mentioning the inaccuracies in this portrayal and the way that the liberties that are taken advance the plot and enhance the mood of certain scenes. By pointing out these inaccuracies, I am not trying to criticize the show or its writers, I’m just using my specific experiences to talk at length about something I love.

(Also, this post will contain big ol’ spoilers for Season 1 of Fargo FX, so go watch it if you haven’t yet and then come back.)

There are a few scenes that I wanted to discuss here, and I will bring them up chronologically. In episode 5, Lester is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with what appears to be sepsis resulting from a shotgun pellet lodged in his hand. In the following episode, he sneaks out of the hospital to frame his brother for his wife’s murder. He does this by switching beds with his roommate, whose face is bandaged. As far as accuracy goes, it pretty much goes without saying that this concept is pretty farfetched, but I’ll run down the issues here anyway.

It’s never really clear to me what injuries require intensive care in this show (more on that later), but I will say that Lester recovers from sepsis in what must be record time. When I had more or less the same thing, my body essentially held down its own power button and restarted everything. I was in the ICU for multiple days, though I’m not sure how many because I wasn’t lucid the entire time, and I was pumped full of fluids and antibiotics, as well as hooked up to multiple tubes and wires.

Lester, however, is in excellent condition pretty much as soon as the source of his infection is removed, despite having been delirious, vomiting, sweating, shivering, and all that other fun stuff only the night before. His room seems to be on the general ward and the only thing hooked up to him is an IV, which appears to be dispensing saline and nothing else.

He is also under the care of what may be the least competent nurse I’ve ever seen in any show. Nurse Farber comes in to transport Lester’s roommate to radiology, but if she had checked his bracelet, she would have realized she was transporting the wrong patient. She also moves the entire hospital bed, rather than moving the patient to a gurney or a wheelchair, as has been my experience in the past (those beds are portable, but they’re very heavy and unwieldy).

However, these aren’t “mistakes”. They are deliberate choices that serve to move the plot along. We can’t put the story on hold so that Lester has a couple of weeks to recover and gain his strength back, so that process needs to be hurried along for the sake of the plot. If the nurse had checked his bracelet, his plan would have been foiled and, again, the plot would not be able to progress. If she had moved him to a wheelchair or gurney, he wouldn’t have been able to smuggle a change of clothes with him. So, these choices don’t arise from the writers’ ignorance of hospital procedure, they just need to bend some aspects of reality to advance the plot.

I would also like to point out some things this scene gets right about the hospital (based on my experience).

This room layout is pretty accurate. I like the little details like the plastic cup + bendy straw that everyone always has on their bedside table (even if you can lift a cup to your mouth, a bendy straw is required. It’s like an unwritten rule). I like the detail that the windows don’t open and I really appreciate that they didn’t have Lester pull out his IV like every renegade tv character seems to do. Instead, he simply disconnects the port from the tube so that he can move around, which I’m sure is more difficult than he makes it look but it’s leaps and bounds better than the old rip-em-out technique that I seem to see all the time.

I also like that the nurse uses the pain scale, which is pretty standard but I get a kick out of it. And, believe it or not, I have actually been deposited in the hall and left alone by nurses while waiting for imaging, which is how Lester manages to escape in the first place. Personally, I’ve never made it out the front door, but I haven’t tried that hard.

Now that we’ve talked about how the writers take liberties to advance the plot, let’s look at how similar inaccuracies can be used enhance the mood of a scene. If you want to see me get emotional (you sadist), get me talking about episode 7. In this episode, Molly, having been hospitalized after an emergency splenectomy, makes a trip from her room on the general ward to question Mr. Wrench, who is in custody in the ICU after having been shot twice by her (it’s not clear where he was shot, but he indicates his upper right chest, so somewhere in that area). He uses a white board to ask about his partner (Mr. Numbers) and Molly confirms that he is dead. She makes an attempt to connect with him and asks for his help in finding Lorne Malvo, but he shuts her out by refusing to look at her and she leaves. Later, in episode 8, Malvo shows up to taunt Wrench about having killed his partner, as well as to commend him for coming closer to killing him than anyone else had in the past. He gives Wrench the handcuff key and leaves.

Like I said earlier, it’s not clear what requires intensive care in this show, since Mr. Wrench doesn’t appear to be any worse off physically than Molly is (or than Lester was earlier). He does have more stuff attached to him, which is…good(?), but let’s talk about this ICU room:

This looks nothing like any ICU room I’ve ever stayed in. For one thing, in my experience the bed has always been facing the door, not inward to the rest of the room. I assume this is to make it easier to provide emergency care, which is the function of just about everything in the ICU. For this same reason, there’s very little privacy; the doors are usually clear glass and people come in and out all the time (nobody checks on patients in this show).

As I mentioned above, he has more “gear” (no, that’s not the correct term, but just be glad I didn’t call it “swag”) than either Molly or Lester, but far less than I would expect to see. There are maybe two bags on that IV pole, so probably saline and morphine (no blood/plasma/antibiotics/other medications). He’s got a heart monitor and a pulse oximeter, but no oxygen or bp monitor. Whether I like it or not, I’m always given oxygen in the ICU (which I tend to remove as soon as possible, apologies to my nurses) and if he was shot in the chest, he might actually need it. I’m also not convinced that heart monitor is working, since it doesn’t fluctuate at all when Malvo shows up in episode 8. ALSO: that bed rail should be up; I don’t care if he is handcuffed in place, that looks like a fall risk to me. Who is running this place?

(I’m also kinda jealous, because I’ve never been in an ICU room with this much natural light.)

As I mentioned before, there is specific intent behind these omissions and changes. For one thing, if there were several different machines and wires and lines and the like, the shot would be really busy and it would be distracting, both visually and auditorily, as hospital equipment tends to beep and beep and beep and beep.

Additionally, the shots are very clean, which effectively communicates a sterile environment to the audience; the natural light from the window compliments the Season 1 aesthetic really well and it also contributes somewhat to the coldness of the scenes in this room.

Speaking of which, this is as good a time as ever to bring up something I only consciously noticed very recently. Let’s go back to episode 7 and take a look at the difference between his room and Molly’s.

It’s very subtle, but the light above her bed is a warmer tone; her bedding is also comprised of warmer, lighter tones. Additionally, there’s some framed artwork on the wall, and most importantly she is surrounded by people (and flowers) in every shot.

Even in reverse shots of her, the frame contains color and warm tones. Contrast this with a similar OTS shot of Wrench in his hospital room. The temperature of the scene is a lot colder and the frame surrounding him is empty, which is excellent shorthand to communicate loneliness and alienation.

His room also has some kind of mesh over the window, the practical purpose of which (if there is one) eludes me. As I mentioned earlier, hospital windows don’t open, something the writers are obviously aware of, and I’ve personally never been in a hospital room that had a grate or bars over the windows. Regardless of its practical purpose, this is another detail that contributes to the theme of isolation that is present in the design of these scenes. Being in the hospital can be a lonely, alienating experience, which is something I feel is communicated really well here.

These are subtle decisions that make a huge impact on the mood of the scene. I’m gonna be real with you right now, Mr. Wrench is my favorite character and this scene breaks my heart every time I see it. A good deal of that is owed to the quality of the show’s writing and the amazing talent of Russell Harvard and Allison Tolman, but it is always fun to see how my emotions are being relentlessly manipulated by the cinematographer as well. Good job, you guys.

I want to conclude with a proposed alternative to the staging of that last scene.

As you can see here, this scene is set during the day, with daylight clearly visible from the window. However, imagine how the emotional intensity might be different if the scene was set at night.

In my experience, nighttime in the hospital can be the most difficult, emotionally speaking, and it’s something I’ve even come to dread as a patient. For the most part, visitors have to go home, the room is dark but the lights are on in the hall and the nurses’ station. You can’t sleep because you’re uncomfortable and people keep coming in to take vitals and blood, and overall it’s very lonely.

So, imagine this scene exactly as it is played out in Season 1, but now instead of a closed off room with daylight coming through the window, the lights in the room are dimmed, it’s night outside (maybe street lights are visible through the window, but not too much). There is a soft glow coming from the heart monitor. Molly is sitting beside the bed with her back to the open door rather than the window. In the background the lights are on in the hall, you can see hospital staff going about their routine in the background. His life is falling apart in this scene, but it’s business as usual for everyone else. Even Molly, as sympathetic as she is, is just doing her job here.

I’m not saying that this staging would have been better, but it would have had a different emotional intensity. I like to see how the environment of the hospital could be used to enhance the mood of a scene, rather than simply act as a back drop because hospitals are deeply personal places, but can be so alienating at the same time. That said, I think that the way they used the environment to impart that sense of loneliness was excellent, and I support the decision to omit certain specifics that might compromise the mood or the flow of the plot.

Oh, and, if you still haven’t done it: go watch Fargo FX.

#fargo fx #fargo season 1 #lester nygaard #lorne malvo #mr wrench #molly solverson

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letterboxd · 5 years

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Villains in Love.

“That’s how we like to do drugs. Non-judgmentally.” Letterboxd talks ‘couples on the run’, moral relativism and Bill “handsome as the day is long” Skarsgård with Villains writer/directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen.

In Villains, the new thriller from Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, who wrote and directed together, we join a couple of young lovers on the run: Jules (Maika Monroe) and Mickey (Bill Skarsgård).

Their car breaks down following a gas station robbery, so they take refuge in a nearby suburban home. After making a disturbing discovery in the basement, they quickly realize they picked the wrong house. Their situation becomes drastically more perilous when the owners, the outwardly folksy George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (Kyra Sedgwick), return home and turn the tables on Mickey and Jules.

From the title on down, the darkly comedic Villains clearly wants to play with cinematic notions of what constitutes “good” and “bad” characters. Berk and Olsen are assisted in this by four actors doing great work, but Donovan (Fargo) must be singled out for such effective use of his delightfully insincere smile.

We sat down with Berk and Olsen following the film’s world premiere earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival.

‘Villains’ co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen.

Did the concept for this film come to you first or did you start with the characters and go from there? Dan Berk (co-writer/director): I think probably the first thing, if we’re being completely honest, was a little bit more practical. We knew we wanted to make a film in a single or a limited location because our first film Body, which we had at Slamdance in 2015, we shot that entirely in one location and it was a shoestring budget, $50,000. We shot it in eleven overnights. It was really kind of insane, but we came away from that realizing that if you own a location, you can leave your gear up, get in, shoot your day, get out, come back the next morning, turn your lights on and keep shooting.

Robert Olsen (co-writer/director): And that’s a big realm that you can fit a lot of different ideas under. We were wanting to do a kind of “lovers on the run”; a couple of amateur criminals, like in the style of Bonnie and Clyde or Badlands. We had been circling that for a while and then it kind of became like, okay, well, if it is this young couple, this inept Bonnie and Clyde, what do they run into in this single location of ours? And that’s where George and Gloria came from. What if it was this bizarro, older version of themselves? Because you look at those different movies and the couples are treated differently, morally, in different ones. Like in True Romance, you’re very much sympathizing with them throughout, whereas Natural Born Killers, they get to a certain point where you’re like: oh my god, these people have problems, it’s not good. And so we were like, well, what if Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek didn’t stop at the end of Badlands and grew up—what would they be like? And wouldn’t that be funny to see these people run into the evil version of themselves?

DB: Once we had the practical location component and the characters, the thematic framework came next. This idea that was sort of obvious once we laid all the pieces out on the board, of this moral relativism. The idea that if you saw Mickey and Jules on the street, you’d go, like, oh those are the villains right? They just robbed a convenience store. Those people are not good people. And if you saw George and Gloria at the grocery store, you’d go, those are good upstanding citizens, look how nice their hair is. It’s tough really that that’s how we operate. And it’s sort of a “don’t judge a book by its cover” thing. RO: And just like how love plays into it where both couples have a genuine loving relationship. They are truly in love with one another, but it’s like, how much can your love for one another forgive the sins that you commit? And also love as this razor’s edge tightrope that you fall on to one side or the other. Are you going to be on the good side of love which drives you to be empathetic and imagine yourself in somebody else’s shoes? Or are you gonna fall on the bad side of love, which is like, obsession and letting love become a corrupting influence on you. So that was where we wound up and then we just got in there and started writing.

Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Donovan in ‘Villains’.

The film invites comparisons with previous “lovers on the run” movies, especially with Bill’s character being named Mickey (evoking Mickey and Mallory from NBK). Were you hoping that audiences would link these characters to that tradition? DB: We certainly didn’t wanna hide from it. We’re not running from the Bonnie and Clyde ancestor of this, and True Romance and Natural Born Killers and Badlands and all that stuff. We’d be delusional if we thought we invented the idea of young lovers. We wouldn’t go so far as to say the entire thing is an homage.

RO: We wanted there to be enough references that we were showing that we didn’t think we were the first people to ever have this idea, and at the same time you don’t want so many references that your movie’s just this clip show.

We hear a lot about the “contained thriller” as a genre these days. How did you feel your film would set itself apart from all the others? DB: I think it’s about the space that you’re in. Something we wanted to do differently here was get a sense of mood. We wanted the basement to feel different from the living room and feel different from the kitchen and feel different from Gloria’s room, so that the movie does not become visually repetitive.

RO: Had our resources been more limited, we might’ve been forced to do a situation where we were looking at white walls the entire time and I really don’t think the film would’ve worked had that been the case because the production design, the set decoration, buttresses this tone so effectively. I would say that if you removed that buttress, the entire tower would fall down. You can’t make this movie that exists in this slightly elevated lane above reality without the backdrops of your scenes; they need to get the memo too that we’re existing in a weird world. The dining room needs to have that fiery orange palm tree wallpaper. The other room needs to be cool blue. You would never design two rooms together like that but George and Gloria do. And it’s a signal, it’s a code to the audience that yes, this is a bit surreal.

DB: You can have a unique tone, but if you don’t establish it until 45 minutes into the movie, then you’ve failed. You need those visual markers to let you know that wallpaper’s just too perfect for this to take place in the exact same reality I live in.

Drug use in films is usually pretty didactic, but you have your protagonists take them in what feels like a non-judgmental manner here. RO: That’s how we like to do drugs. Non-judgmentally. [Laughs.]

DB: That was one of the first things we conceived at the script level because it’s so in line with that theme of moral relativism. We’re not sitting here saying eleven year olds should be doing coke, but we wanted to paint a portrait of characters that were levelled and had good intentions and you’d feel comfortable sitting and having lunch with them and talking about their lives, but you also see them doing things that are perceived by most of society as evil.

RO: It’s playing with the idea that you mentioned where normally, that is a signal to an audience member that this person is bad. That’s just not how real life works. There are people who do drugs that are perfectly good people. And yes, if your son is thirteen years old and his friend is trying to get him to do coke, that’s evil in your mind in that relative situation. But it’s not the same thing as murdering somebody. It’s not the same thing as keeping a person chained up in your basement.

DB: It was also a way to compartmentalize these characters, to show that their identities were very multi-faceted, that George could both have done incredibly evil things, but he’s doing all these things because he loves his wife and he actually is a good husband.

You’re keying into something that was really important to us: it’s so easy, and it’s part of the common language of film, to put a character in a box. You’re either a protagonist or an antagonist. You’re either an evil person or a good person. And it’s a challenge both for us as filmmakers and for an audience when they’re digesting this story, to try to carry both of those things in your head at once. “This is a character that is doing something I morally disagree with but I love them though. What’s going on here? This is making me feel weird.”

It’s interesting to see Bill Skarsgård give such an “all-American” performance here. RO: We had this idea in our head of this young Johnny Depp, this River Phoenix, late 80s/early 90s heartthrob that they just don’t make anymore, and we just couldn’t find it. And then here comes Bill. We had seen him in these sort of more genre-based roles and things like that. We’d never seen him be charming like he is in this.

DB: He’s usually the opposite of charming. Like in Castle Rock and It.

RO: As soon as we Skyped with him, we were like. that’s it! He’s got it! He’s like, long and lanky but handsome as the day is long and everything too, he’s the perfect guy.

DB: Bill takes the craft very seriously but he’ll do a [comedy] bit with us for five minutes. He’s very jokey as well. We’re in love with him. RO: And he is so built for it. He has these big eyes. He has this, like, “hot Steve Buscemi” thing going on. I’m sure he and his team discussed this and [thought] ‘you’ve got nothing else like this’. So if it’s bad or whatever, we’ll slip it under the rug, but if it’s good, who knows what this could get you? He shouldn’t just play the boogey-man. There’s a lot more to him.

DB: There’s so much more to him than the scary clown.

‘Villains’ is in US cinemas now. Comments have been edited for clarity and length.

#villains #bill skarsgård #dan berk #robert olsen #maika monroe #scary clown #letterboxd

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maimagazineblog · 6 years

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MAI Wonder of the World - Michael Wilson

Today we turn our gaze to Australian creative director & photographer, Michael Wilson, who shares some of his hot tips on how to become a harder worker, what it is about cityscapes that makes them feel so darn special, and we find out if he would be at the front or the back of the line if life outside of earth were a viable option.

Read on for our full #interview

Hi Mike, so you mentioned that you began taking photographs as a way of capturing locations while you were working as a TV commercial director & that you are completely self-taught. Could you share with us one of your earliest on the job work experiences?

Sure thing. So one of the things that I learned pretty early on is that the more prep you do the less nervous you are. Simply visiting locations multiple times in diﬀerent lighting conditions, or looking at the scenes with and without a lens, and pre-visualising scenes by sketching and shooting test frames all helped me feel more confident and focussed come shoot day. On one of my first big jobs - think 45 person crew, multiple locations, months of post-production required - I’d prepared an extremely detailed, visual shot list with exact angles, lensing recommendations, performance cues etc. This level of prep not only gave the 15 clients on set confidence but also gave the crew a clear roadmap for each setup. It’s pretty standard stuﬀ, I know, but every job deserves it. And from that I learned that when everyone knows where you’re heading it’s easier to get their support and trust. Further to that, when you have a plan and capture it, it opens up the opportunity to creatively explore other options.

How long did it take you to start gaining recognition as a creative director and as a photographer, and what do you believe has most helped set you apart?

When I first started out I was told that you can’t always ‘out-think’ people but you can ‘out-work’ them. It might be a boring and unpopular thing to say, but hard work is what helped me get noticed.

“ I figured that focus, perseverance, dedication and a little obsession would eventually pay oﬀ.”

I’m also my own harshest critic, so when people told me my work was good I’d go back to the drawing board and try to make it great. It sounds cliched I know, but it got me into a mindset that was constantly focussed on improving my work. I was also lucky enough to be surrounded by great people who were willing to share their collective wisdom. All I had to do was put my ego in my back pocket and be willing to listen and learn.

You live and work in Australia, but a lot of your cityscapes have a real universal likeness to them… What is it about these types of locations that particularly attracts you?

Oh thank you, that’s really kind of you to say. That’s exactly the feeling I’m trying to capture. The cinematographer Roger Deakins (Fargo, Blade Runner 2046), director David Fincher (Se7en, Gone Girl) and photographer Nadav Kander are all major influences on my work. They create scenes that evoke a feeling, an atmosphere, and ultimately a reaction. This is my/the ultimate goal and what attracts me to certain locations over others. I’m aiming to create images that have a cinematic quality to them, moments that are bedded in a world that have a universal connection and are not merely documentation. To do this I rest heavily on light, shadow, time of day, mist and fog, reflected sunlight and the structure and design of modern-day canyons in our cities.

Something that caught our attention recently on your Instagram account is your primary use of yellow, orange, and black color palettes… What has been drawing you to this particular color spectrum and how much of your work is photo manipulated?

This all started after I read a quote from Stanley Kubrick - and I paraphrase badly here - but apparently primary colours evoke primal moods. That notion resonated with me, after-all I’m less interested in documenting a building and more excited by my ability to evoke a mood. As I mentioned earlier, Roger Deakins has a major influence over my work. His use of silhouette, primary colours, and scenes drenched in colour and atmosphere is inspirational and the gold standard as far as I’m concerned. So with those colour cues in mind

“I developed a series based on the idea of ‘would you miss me when I’m gone?’ i.e. what if the places you pass by every day were about to disappear - hence the apocalyptic colour palette - would you look at them diﬀerently?”

So this particular spectrum was born out of the concept and designed to serve the storytelling. Truth be told, the more I worked with these warm tones the more I felt I was creating a distinct point of view. To bring these tones to the fore I start by shooting in warm light - most often dusk - and I adjust my in-camera white balance to as warm as I feel necessary. This usually takes care of those warmer tones. In terms of the use of black, dusky light generally delivers lots of deep shadows. Therefore, a large majority of my image creation is taken care of in-camera. If I get this right, then my time in Lightroom is minimal. In general, I spend no more than 10 minutes on a image. Most of it is taken up balancing the desire to see detail in shadows versus creating a slightly surreal world full of simple silhouettes. If you scroll through my Instagram feed you’ll see a variation of orange and yellow tones. This shows how each image is a response to the time of day it was shot, light values and atmospheric conditions. I do get a lot of questions asking if I ‘build’ the cityscapes in Photoshop, or add fog etc.

“Part of the challenge for me is working with the elements in front of me - the light, the city, the weather - and so adding elements in post-production takes that challenge away.”

In some ways I wish I could add more fog or rain or other atmospheric items - it’d save me having to shoot in bad weather - but I just don’t have that level of expertise.

Do you have a preference to digital over analog photography and why?

That’s such a tough question. On one hand I absolutely love shooting on film. It’s sharpened my technical skills, helped me shoot less but better images, taught me to slow down and really think about each frame. Further to that, shooting with film cameras has a certain ‘feel’ to it. I love the solidity, the mechanics and the weight of them.

“I tend to shoot my more personal stuﬀ on film”

Rroad trips, portraits of friends and family, important moments in life, times that already have a certain nostalgia attached to them. And on the other hand, digital gives me certainty.

Name something weird or defining that only where you live has?

I’ve had the opportunity to live in London, Amsterdam, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide and now Melbourne. All of which have pretty defining quirks. But as a photographer whose work relies heavily on the weather, Melbourne is easily the most dynamic I’ve experienced. It embodies the ‘four seasons in one day’ notion and is predictably unpredictable. And this is a good thing, for me at least. Anything that brings drama and atmosphere to my images is welcome.

Now for some quick questions for fun...

Who is your favorite family member and what’s so good about them?

I have two boys, so if I pick a favourite I’m sure that my life expectancy would be greatly reduced.

If they discovered life on another planet meaning that you could feasibly move there, would you be one of the first or one of the last to head over and check it out?

As much as I’d like to be first, I’m not so keen on being the canary down the mine.

What television series are you streaming right now?

I just finished the incredible Sharp Objects and the very tense second series of Ozark. So now I’m on the hunt for a dose of Nordic Noir.

To more Mike follow him on:

Instagram

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rugeon · 6 years

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Learning to butterfly the videogame chicken breast

New year new potential projects. For final year project 2018-2019. Might as well start with the new ‘ideation document.

Ideation Document

Contexts:

Systemic gameplay - systemic narrative, and otherwise

Gamefeel/ Player Satisfaction/ Juicing

Strong unusual sense of place and people

Unique methods of interactive media storytelling (NITW Text boxes)

Coziness in games

Non traditional methods of mechanical interaction ie. traditional control methods, with more unique player expression

Having an Interesting failure spectrum (Tom Francis thoughts on why MGSV is a fun stealth game, due to its wide array of failure states)

Analogue/varied means of expression within one mechanic or activity (jumping in mario, building a snowman in NITW prologue game, Lost Constellation)

Ethos of messy fast prototyping iterartion and production (inspired by Jenny Jiao Hsia talk about prototyping)

Affecting audio

Techniques

Interaction Design

Branching Narratives + Dialogue

Games AI

Procedural Generation

Advanced Audio and Visual Processing

Inspiring Works

Heat Signature - Suspicious Developments, Tom Francis

Roguelike, top down action/ stealth/ heist game where you play as different intergalactic heist/bounty hunter people that breaks into spaceships. Extremely systemic game that encourages players to find interesting solutions to problems by providing a wide variety of interesting sci-fi tools to the player. Systemic gameplay+ systemic player narratives as told through gameplay plans being made and then changing/going awry as well as conditions constraining players to be creative.

Hotline Miami - Dennaton Games, Jonatan Söderström. Dennis Wedin

Surreal, hyperviolent top down action game about the trancelike sprees that a masked killer enacts, that strongly highlights the violent obsession of videogames and culture. Has several factors that contribute to a sense of good gamefeel, and making what should be a frustrating experience instead induce a flow state.

Sid Meier's Covert Action - MPS Labs, MicroProse

Interesting systemic narrative that the player experiencing by foiling and interacting with various agents and stages of a spy plot. Systemic narrative that is expressed by the gameplay systems. Feeling of the ai acting irrespective to the player. Narrative experience of player feels quite systemic.

Night in the Woods (NITW) - Infinite Fall, Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry + Finji Adam Saltsman, Rebekah Saltsman, Em Halberstadt

Anthropomorphic animal narrative, platforming, adventrue game that tells the story of a 20 year old that comes back to her home town and and friends after leaving college. Tells an emotive story unconventional by games standards in a very playful way that has some traditional gameplay elements (platforming) but also makes interactive more unusual verbs (a pizza eating section, and pretzel stealing microgame). Creates an extremely strong, cozy sense of place. Expressive within the limits of its digital medium+storytelling (wide variety of personality conveyed through text box animation).

Minit - Vlambeer, Jan Willem Nijman, Kitty Calis, Jukio Kallio, Dominik Johann

Small, short adventure game where you die and every minute and respawn at the same space, learning about the world, optimising your route and changing the world slightly with each successive run. Very polished game with superb gamefeel (all vlambeer games have great gamefeel+juice)

Kentucky Route Zero - Cardboard Computer- Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy, Ben Babbitt

The great american novel in game form. A magical realist story about debt to the past. Extremely important and affective narrative game. ‘The Entertainment’ - Interlude, elucidates relationship and interplay between player and developers that creates the game experience. Creates a powerful atmosphere + utilises branching narrative

I also wrote down a bunch of other stuff I’ve been thinking about in a big jumbled list for help during ideation process. This is just junk floating around, mood board of my head.

Yakuza, Moby Dick, Dark Souls/Absolver, Atom Zombie Smasher+Brendon Chung, Papers Please+Return of Obra Dinn, FTL+Into The Breach, Hylics, High Hell, devolver, Hyper Light Drifter, Flinthook, Jalopy, Jet-Set Radio, Mark of the Ninja, MGS V, Luftrausers, Shadow of Mordor, The Norwood Suite, Small radios, big televisions, The Endless Express, Alan Wake+remedy games, Assassins Creed 1, Banner Saga, F.E.A.R. , Helldivers, invisible inc. , Monaco, Westerado, spectacle fighters dmc, thomas was alone, reigns, evil dead, sorcerer, valhalla rising, a field in england, hard to be a god, stalker, man with a movie camera, bomb city, taking of pelham 123, assault on precinct 13, escape from new york, fruitvale station, playtime, drive, thief, collateral, taxi driver, lost in translation, tekkonkinkreet, ki-ki delivery service+ghibli, REDLINE, cagliostro, 2049, che, motorcycle diaries, man with movie camera, koyaanisqatsi,VVitch,Sacco e Vanzeti, nocturnal animal, die hard, ghost in the shell, atlanta, twin peaks, fear and loathing,only god forgives,donnie darko, mad max, satoshi kon films, eyes wide shut, dog day afternoon, seventh seal, whiplash, brazil, t2 trainspotting, hellboy comic, fargo, rocky horror, gozu, juno, clerks, slacker, daria, almost famous, lady bird, frances ha, fury, wes anderson colour+ framing, NOIR + lighting, there will be blood, no country for old men, unforgiven, dollars trilogy, run lola run, phone booth, die hard, dr strangelove, apocalypse now/heart of darkness, the wire, adult swim+space ghost stuff, home movies+squigglevision, hannibal, bojack, flcl, true detective, desert punk, QOTSA, them crooked vultures, grunge, idles, talking heads, wu, green kingdom, lizard gizzard, acoustic wizard, tobacco, diiv, mbv, spooky+ over the garden wall, bowie, clash

Initial Ideas

A game where you play as a witch exploring a modern magical realist city at night. Should have an interesting traversal mechanic. All about traversal, dancing and screaming in a city at night, strong sense of place + atmosphere: inspired by films such as playtime, thief, drive, collateral, fruitvale station, lost in translation as well as games like NITW. Thought about more in this doc: one pager section on 2nd page: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O3NC8HqwmERq57Dcqqc2d2Ih34ZVO4-vEQPnVTKRyOk/edit?usp=sharing

Some kind of game themed around the desert/stoner rock music genre which includes acts like Red Fang, Kyuss and Sleep. Make use of AAVP to have a dynamic soundtrack responding to gameplay that impacts the visuals. The game’s mechanics should be directly inspired by the theming, and common features of the genre, could be action oriented, with rhythm game influences. One game that would probably be worth looking at in relation to this is the recently released Tetris Effect, while I would not be as interested in a game as abstracted as tetris, how they achieve a flow state, and have music and visuals informed by gameplay would be worth looking in to. I feel this game is more likely to involve rapid prototyping.

Create a languid game about chilling out on a ship with crew and passengers. Setting could be sci-fi or more historic - chatting on computer to far flung galactic friends and doing menial space jobs/ tasks aboard ship. The setting and experience of the place can draw from ideas about coziness in games + make use of Branching Narrative/Dialogue. Potentially also think about how procedural narrative could be a factor. Inspired by Moby Dick, NITW and Purgatory

Hotline Miami/Goap/Diehard - ‘Create a systemic top-down stealth action game where the player is asked to foil a developing plot/heist by a group of AI agents whose plan and activities respond to the players attempts to derail it. The focus should be on the player feeling like they are responding to the AI’s adaptations to the player interrupting their plot. Each level would be one plot/ situation the player is thrust into. The project is inspired by the evolving plots of covert action, the setting/circumstances of Die-Hard and the gameplay/perspective of hotline miami. This project will involve development of a complex AI system that could be implemented via a GOAP method.

Walkie talky/radio gameplay mechanic to solicit/disseminate information

Research into the effectiveness of procedural vs authored content in games, as large games increasingly find themselves trying to use procedural generation to meet the demands of growing content demand they are finding it difficult to reconcile this with a desire to create quality, curated content, narrative or otherwise. I propose research into the various ways procedural vs authored content has been divvied up in games, the amount of people working in each area, how much curated work is required for procedural work to be effective and the reception/perception of these two methods to create content for games. The means by which this could be investigated is perhaps by creating some data sets of very simple different possible mechanical games in Unity or more narrative ones in twine, that are sorted into different groups of procedural / authored games. We would then measure the level of player engagement over the course of their time with the games and within the context of how long it took to make the given games. Context + techniques: procedural generation + branching narratives

#gamedev #gameswithgold #IS53007C (18-19)

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theblondegoesabroad · 3 years

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Day 376

Thursday 11th February 2021

This morning I got up early ish and headed down stairs with Benoit, while he got ready for work, I made myself a tea and chatted with him. It was a nice to have an English breakfast. Generally when we have tea in bed, it is with the teas we have in our room, generally earl grey, or black cinnamon (which is delicious by the way!). Since Benoit doesn’t like English breakfast, I keep it in the kitchen for afternoons and the occasional morning like today and once again it was delicious! When Benoit headed to work, I headed up to the office in the attic to start my work day. Once again it was a busy day, it started off with a bit of frustration from the commercial team, but once I got over that, it was a busy day. We have evaluations coming up soon, and I think it has spurred everyone into action as I am finally getting responses that I have been waiting for for a while! So it was a good productive day, and I like productive days so even better. Benoit came home and lunch time, and we did a suspension session together (literally just hanging from a finger board to strengthen the tendons in our forearms), so not the most active exercises but still a good one as it will hopefully help me not loose my climbing form! I try do do it once a day with Benoit and so far I have been enjoying it. After that I headed back up to my attic and this time, Benoit joined me to study. He has a test coming up for his certificate that he is doing in a few weeks, so he is now in full time study mode when he is not a work. Getting back into the study mood is a bit stressful as all the stresses of uni have come back, so I am doing my best to help him out and be less negative hehe! This evening we made a carabonara (Jamie’s of course) and once again, it was simple and delicious! Then to bed for a episode of Fargo!

One: Blue skies – once again, as long as they are here, I am grateful to them. Today during our workout, I was able to be in the sunshine during the breaks and golly it was bliss Two: Laughing with Benoit, today he explained how he adapts to certain situations and gosh we laughed Three: Gone with the wind, in every spare moment I pick up this book and am transported into the 30s, honestly, such a good read. But I recommend getting it on a e-reader as if you saw the size of the book, you could feel slightly discouraged. Honestly, initially I didn’t love the book but after persisting for a few chapters – I am in love and don’t want it to end!

Love Kate xxx

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aestheticaltcow · 3 months

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Mood Board Masterlist

Last Updated: 3/31/2024

Gator Tillman Vibes - I started watching Fargo and reading Gator Tillman fan fiction. North Dakota seems bleak and the fandom says Gator is a bit kinky...

Dating Carmy - Our favorite neurotic chef, being a solid partner.

Girlfriend Wall - Eddie Munson, just a lil simpy for his girlfriend.

Galentine's Day - Syd works so hard; she deserves to be treated like a queen at least once a year.

First Valentine's Day - A last-minute thrown-together Valentine's Day moldboard with our favorite neurotic chef.

Social Media Manager - Potential series mood board?

Berzatto Wedding - Carmy is a handsome groom, but you could still kick his ass if you needed to.

Baby's First Easter - Carmy didn't like holidays until he met you and your functional family.

#the bear #stranger things #fargo s5 #aestheticaltcow #aestheticaltcow masterlist

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godsheadangel · 5 years

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GLOBAL SHADOW BANKING🏦INDUSTRY🏦[IT WILL BE A GLOBAL MELTDOWN CRASH] NOT SEEN BEFORE CAUSING MASS PANIC!!! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS A MAJOR PROBLEM COLLECTS MONEY💰💰WORLDWIDE FROM [FOOLISH PRIVATE INVESTORS] AND STUPID INVESTMENT BANKS🏦

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ WHAT THESE [GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS] DO DAILY WAS BANNED/ RESTRICTED AFTER THE STOCK MARKET CRASH IN 1929 AND WAS THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IN 2008 FROM [SHADOW BANK 🏦 LENDERS] IN THE [HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL] MARKETS JUST LIKE WHAT'S OCCURRING RIGHT NOW IN 2019! DO NOT LET THE DEMONS IN FLESH [LIE TO YOU AGAIN!] PAY ATTENTION WAKE!!!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

REMEMBER LTCM? WALL STREETS DARLING💵 [LONG TERM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT]💵 CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE WAS RESULT A NY BAILOUT TOOK PLACE JUST LIKE IN 2008 WHICH INDIVIDUALS🇺🇸PAID A HEAVY PRICE!

THERE ARE NOW [5] SHADOW BANKS 🏦 ABOUT TO [MELTDOWN] IT ONLY TAKES [1] TO CAUSE GLOBAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE! SO, BE WISE AND BE AWARE OF WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO YOUR MONEY💰💰

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

📢 GLOBAL ALERT WARNING GET READY!!!!! FOR 👁GOD💫WILL EXPOSE THE EVILNESS OF THE SHADOW BANKING INDUSTRY🏦THAT INVOLVES MANY CORRUPT👹BANKS

👉👉👉BANK OF AMERICA BANKS🏦👈👈👈

👉👉JP MORGAN CHASE BANKS🏦👈👈👈

👉👉👉👉👉CITIBANK BANKS🏦👈👈👈👈

👉👉👉👉WELLS FARGO BANKS🏦👈👈👈

MANY OTHERS ALSO IN CHINA🇨🇳, RUSSIA🇷🇺 THE U.K. 🇬🇧, ISRAEL🇮🇱, ITALY 🇮🇹 FRANCE🇫🇷 AND GERMANY🇩🇪 SHALL BE SO NAMED!!!!! FOR THEIR EVIL👹GREED IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL AND 👁GOD💫SHALL TRULY RESTORE ORDER FROM THIS EVIL👹CHAOS

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

THERE IS [NO RESOLVANCY REGIME] FOR [CLEARING HOUSES WORLDWIDE🌏🌎🌍]👈 THUS, THE DAILY VERY [HIGH RISK] OF THE CURRENT MELTDOWN ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!! AWAKEN🌄BEFORE ITS TOO LATE OR DO SO CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO THEIR EVIL👹LIES!

REMEMBER THIS DAY GOD💫WARNED YOU!1929, 1987, 2008. 2019? TAKE UR 💵OUT!!! DO GET READY GLOBALLY IT'S COMING!!!

👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁

SHADOW BANKING🏦INDUSTRIES WORTH $160 TRILLION!!! THEY WILL FEAR 👁GOD💫

REMEMBER THIS [POWER MILLENNIALS] IT WAS DEMONTRUMP👹WHO ROLLED BACK☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 STIFF REGULATIONS TO PREVENT ANOTHER CATASTROPHIC RECESSION REQUIRING ALL HARD WORKING TAXPAYERS TO BAIL OUT THE EVIL SHADOW BANKING 🏦INDUSTRY!!!⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

ASK YOURSELVES, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MANY 👉💵BILLIONS💵 OF DOLLAR$👈 THAT THE BIG AUTO AND BIG REAL ESTATE COMPANIES SUDDENLY LOST?

THEY LOST FUCKING 💵BILLION$💵 AND NOBODY KNEW WHERE FUCKING BILLIONS AND BILLION$ OF DOLLARS WENT!!! [WTF!!!]

THE FUCKING MONEY JUST DISAPPEARED!!! AND HARD WORKING AMERICANS 🇺🇸 HAD TO [BAIL THEM OUT!!!] THINK ABOUT IT✔

THATS LIKE YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN DIDN'T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVED!!! YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR HOUSE OR APARTMENT IS! YET, YOU WORK A FULL DAY GET IN YOUR CAR AFTER WORK AND ENDLESSLY DRIVE NOT KNOWING WHERE YOU LIVE? YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN DON'T KNOW YOUR ADDRESS WHAT HAPPENED? YOUR MEMORIES INTACT BUT YOU SAY YOU DON'T RECALL WHERE YOU LIVE! GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!!! YOU KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!!

THE SHADOW BANKING 🏦INDUSTRY MADE LIFE MISERABLE FOR MANY WORLDWIDE🌏 WITH LOAN SHARK COMPANIES CHARGING OUTRAGEOUS INTEREST RATES ON LOANS TO HOME BUYERS, STUDENTS AND FAMILES WHO USE PAY DAY LOANS TOO [SURVIVE!!!]

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

WHY DO YOU THINK AROUND THE WORLD THEY RISE THE INTEREST RATES TO FORCE YOU 👁GODS💫CHILDREN INTO FINANCIAL [SLAVERY] WHILE PRESENTING YOU NEW JOBS GLOBALLY?

TO HIDE THE FACT A GLOBAL RECESSION IS COMING FAST! ESPECIALLY IN AMERICA🇺🇸

LISTEN JUST BECAUSE DEMONTRUMP👹PRESENTS [A FEW JOBS] TO YOU AT YOUR FRONT DOOR TO PUT YOU IN A GOOD MOOD TEMPORARILY!!! DOESN'T MEAN HIS HEAD DEMON👹ASS AIN'T ROBBING YOU BLIND BY HAVING [HIS SHADOW BANKING🏦 FRIENDS] 👉ROB YOUR ASS'S BLIND!!! JUST LIKE THE LAST TIME BUSH JR DID IT EXCEPT THIS TIME 👉[TRUMPRECESSION👹]👈 WILL BE MUCH WORST!!! [GET READY WORLD] A BIG [GLOBAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE IS COMING] ~GODSCRAZYHEADANGELOFDEATH!!!

👉DO NOT SAY 👁GOD💫DIDN'T WARN YOU!

👉DON'T BELIEVE THE DEMON👹LIES FOR

THEY PLAN A WAR TO ADVERT YOUR MINDS STAY IN SPIRIT💫WITH GOD💫PRAY 🙏DAILY 🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸JOE 'COOL' BIDEN🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸JOE 'COOL' BIDEN🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸JOE 'COOL' BIDEN🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WILL BE NO ANGEL NAMES POSTED THIS COMING WEEK/WEEKEND MAY 6TH - MAY 12TH

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦MANY WILL LOSE EVERYTHING WHEN THEY SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN [QUANTITATIVE] TIGHTENING TAKES OVER THE PLACE OF [QUANTITATIVE] EASING!!! 👉INEQUALITY👈

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

👉MONDAY MAY 6TH 2019 0500 HRS PST 👈

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN ⚓ STRIKE GROUP DEPLOYED!

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

CHINA🇨🇳HAS POLITICAL LEVERAGE💪OVER THE [UNITED STATES OF AMERICA🇺🇸]

BECAUSE THE CHINESE 🇨🇳OWN $1 TRILLION OF U.S. DEBT

IF, CHINA🇨🇳SOLD PART OF ITS U.S.🇺🇸 DEBT HOLDINGS [WALL STREET📊] KNOWS THAT THE U.S.🇺🇸 INTEREST RATES WOULD RISE☝SLOWING U.S.🇺🇸 ECONOMIC GROWTH!!!!!

SO, [WALL STREET📊] IS [SCARED] OF THE POWER OF CHINA🇨🇳AND WHAT THEY KEEP [THREATENING TO DO!] WALL STREET📊 IS ALSO [SCARED OF THE LUNATIC IN OFFICE] 👉[SEEKING A TRADE WAR WITH CHINA🇨🇳]

👉AS THE [BLESSED ICE CUBE] WOULD SAY, 👉["HURRA UP"]👈 SO, I SAY, [HURRA UP!!!!!]

👉BOW DOWN TO CHINA DEMONTRUMP👹

GODSAYS💫IT WOULD BE PURE IDIOTIC FOR CHINESE PRESIDENT🇨🇳 XI JINPING TO EVER [AGREE TO REVISIONS OF CHINESE LAW🇨🇳] 👉TO MAKE A DEAL WITH DEMONTRUMP👹

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

💣2 MORE LONG DAYS💥UNTIL FRIDAY'S💣💣 DEADLINE ISSUED TO THE CHINESE🇨🇳💣💣THEN POSSIBLY 💥A WHOPPING[ 25%]💣💣TARRIF WAR INCREASE💥ON BILLION$💣

👉DEMONTRUMP👹HAS SAID IN THE PAST 👉HE WOULD GO AS FAR AS 45% INCREASE!

🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪GODSAYS💫[THEY SHALL] TRULY CAUSE A MELT-UP☝ BY THEIR [CURRENT ACTIONS] OF PRINTING TRILLIONS IN 'FUNNY MONEY' OF THEIR OWN [COUNTRIES CURRENCY] AND THEN PUMPING THAT EVIL👹MONEY💵INTO THE [🌎GLOBAL STOCK MARKET🌏]📈

👉WHICH HAS CAUSED THE GLOBAL STOCK 👉MARKET TO REACH 25,000 THE LAST 2+ 👉YEARS!!!

👉BUT THIS IS NOT THE GOAL! THEIR GOAL👉IS 40-50,000 AS FOOLS WORLDWIDE🌏🌎👉RUSH IN TO BUY! THIS WILL RESULT IN A👉BIG CATASTROPHIC GLOBAL COLLAPSE!!!

THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANKS🏦 OR [EU] ALONG WITH AMERICAN🇺🇸 AND CHINA'S🇨🇳 CENTRAL MAJOR BANKS🏦 ARE CREATING [A FALSE GLOBAL MARKET📈 FOR FOOLISH [INVESTORS] WHO WILL LOSE👈 FAR MORE THAN ANY DID DURING [THE DOT.COM] OR [HOUSING AND AUTO CRASH!!!]📉📉📉📉📉

GLOBAL RED FLAG🚩WARNING PEOPLE🚩⬛DO NOT INVEST💵FOR YOU WILL LOSE⬛ EVERYTHING YET THE CENTRAL BANKS 🏦 SHADOW BANKS🏦AND BIG BILLIONAIRE💰 INVESTORS WILL MAKE AWAY LIKE BANDITS

THE WORLD IS IN ITS [LAST END DAYS] TAKE HEED MY CHILDREN FOR [FOOLS RUSH IN!!!]

👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁

ASK YOURSELVES👁

WHY FOR THE 1ST TIME IN MAN'S HISTORY

👉WOULD WORLD🌎CENTRAL BANKS 🏦 INVEST TRILLION$ IN THE STOCK MARKET?

👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁

THIS WILL BE THE [BIGGEST CRASH] IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!!! DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THE TORNADO🌪OF A GLOBAL CRASH!!!! ~👁GOD💫CREATOR OF ALL OF MANKIND!!!!!

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛🔥👹🔥🔥👹🔥🔥👹🔥🔥👹🔥🔥👹🔥🔥👹👉FRIDAY MAY 10TH 20[19] 1005 HRS PST👈

👁GODSAYS💫I AM HE, THY LIVING GOD!!!

PRESIDENT XI JINPING🇨🇳 I HAVE SPOKEN TO IN HOLY💫HEAVENLY💫SPIRIT FOR HE KMOWS [THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS TOO BE!!!]

HE, KNOWS MY REAL HEAD POWER ANGELS I HAVE PUT SO IN CHARGE OF THEE EARTH FOR THEY ARE MY REAL BROTHERS IN HOLY HEAVENLY💫SPIRIT MERCY AND DEATH!!!

MY CHILD, I DID SO CREATE XI JINPING🇨🇳 HAS A REAL FRIENDSHIP AND DIALOGUE WITH MY [HEAD] ANGEL KING OF MERCY👑44BARACK OBAMA AND TRULY KNOWS FROM EXPERIENCE MY HEAVENLY WAYS! THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR DO NOT LET THE HEAD DEMON👹DICTATE YOUR COUNTRIES FUTURE FOR IF YOU DO IT WILL COST YOU DEARLY! MY BLESSED CREATED CHILDREN IN CHINA🇨🇳HAVE PUT YOU IN CHARGE FOR A REASON, TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND TRULY, I AM HE, THY LIVING 👁GOD💫 HAVE PUT YOU IN CHARGE TO FIGHT EVILNESS👹

DO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING FOR IF YOU STAND UP☝FOR ME, THY 👁GOD💫I SHALL BE WITH YOU AS CHINA🇨🇳PROSPERS💫 YET, [THE DECISION BE YOURS] XI JINPING!

FOR IT IS THE SPIRITUALLY AWAKENED🌄WHO LISTEN AND OBEY THE WILL OF GOD! FOR OUR MIGHTY 👁GOD💫IS IN CONTROL!!!

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩TARIFF HIKE DEADLINE APPROACHES!!!🚩

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

👉FRIDAY MAY 10TH 1430HRS CHINA 🇨🇳👈

👁GODSAYS💫CLEARLY IN THE LIFE VISION THE INNOCENT CHILD SHALL BE BITTEN BY THE FRIENDLY YET [ANGERED DOG,] WAGGING HIS TAIL SHOWING FRIENDLY SIGNS YET [HE WILL BITE THE LEG] AND SO WOUND BRINGING TEETH MARKS AND WET BLOOD AS HE LAY ON THE GROUND LAYING ON A [WHITE SHEET] THEN THE CRY''S FOR HELP ARE HEARD AND ONE ADVANCES AND RUNS THE [DOG] OFF WITH A BOARD AND 1 NAIL!

MY CREATED INNOCENT CHILD WILL BE SO BITTEN TRUSTING THE FRIENDLY ACTING 🐕 BUT HE, THE DOG IS FAR FROM FRIENDLY!!!

PAY ATTENTION CHINESE🇨🇳 DELEGATION!!!

PRESIDEN XI JINPING = 🐍 BORN 15/6/53

DEMONTRUMP👹 = 🐕 BORN 14/6/46

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

♦♦MOTHER'S DAY🌹MAY 12TH 2019♦♦

CHINA🇨🇳[HAS ACKNOWLEDGED]👁GOD💫FOR THEIR PRESIDENT XI JINPING HAS LIKE

🇰🇷NORTH KOREAN 🇰🇷 SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG-UN. SPOKEN IN HOLY💫SPIRIT💫WITH HIM AND HE HAS TOLD THEM WHAT TO EXPECT FROM EVIL👹DEMONTRUMP👹

AFTER RAISING TARIFFS ON $200BILLION💵OF CHINESE GOODS! THE DEMONTRUMP👹HAS SAID ON RECORD IN THE PAST THAT HE WOULD EVEN GO AS FAR AS 45%!!! TRULY EVIL👹 MADNESS AND PURE EVIL LUNACY!!!👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆

🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

[THE STRING OF PEARLS] SHALL BE YOUR GOLDEN KEY 🔑 PRESIDENT XI JINPING💫FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND OBEDIENCE OF ME, SHALL ALWAYS BE REWARDED WITH 👉[MANY BLESSINGS POURED DOWN]FROM THE GRACEFUL💫WINDOWS OF HEAVEN💫ANCIENT STRING OF PEARLS I WILL BLESS!YES, THE WATERS 💦OF THE INDIAN OCEAN🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

A CHAIN OF SEAPORTS🚢FROM THE SOUTH CHINA🇨🇳SEA TO AFRICA🌍THAT DIRECTS TRAFFIC TO AND FROM CHINA🇨🇳 TRULY A [💵WIN-WIN💵] FOR ALL [UN] COUNTRIES✔ WHO DO BUSINESS IN [GOOD FAITH] WITH CHINA 🇨🇳 AS LONG AS CHINA🇨🇳OBEYS ME FOR MY HEAD ANGELS MERCY AND DEATH MY REAL BROTHERS IN HOLY💫HEAVENLY SPIRIT SHALL GIVE THEE MESSAGES FROM ME! ~👁GOD💫CREATOR OVER MANKIND!!!!!

📖📖📖📖📖[PSALMS 91:11 KJV]📖📖📖📖📖 FOR HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER THEE, TO KEEP THEE IN ALL YOUR WAYS.

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

👉👉👉👉👉 [PAY ATTENTION] 👈👈👈👈👈

👁GODS💫[POWER MILLENNIALS] FOR YOU ARE THE AWAKENED🌄ONES HOLDING THE

[SWORD 🗡 SELLING OFF GLOBAL STOCKS!]

[SWORD🗡 OF VOTING🇺🇸POWER!!!]

[SWORD 🗡 OF PURCHASING POWER!!!]

[SWORD 🗡 OF IMPEACHMENT POWER!!!]

👉ITS YOUR FUTURE HE'S SCREWING WITH!!!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

AMERICAN🇺🇸IMPORTER'S WILL PAY HIGH 👈👉TARIFF PRICES👈 FOR PRODUCTS FROM CHINA🇨🇳BECAUSE OF DEMONTRUMP👹✔

PASSING ON MUCH HIGHER☝PRICE$💵 TOO ALL HARD WORKING AMERICANS🇺🇸!!!!!

6,000 ITEMS FROM CARS, FOOD LIKE BEEF, STEEL, WASHING MACHINES, FOOTWEAR AND MUCH MORE WILL GO WAY UP☝NOW BECAUSE OF LUNACY OF DEMONTRUMP👹

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷*🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷CATCH THE BIG BLUE TIDAL WAVES TODAY!!!🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🇺🇸 JOE 'COOL' BIDEN 🇺🇸🇺🇸2020🇺🇸🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊www.my.democrats.org PARTYOFTHEPEOPLE

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

👉HEAVY WEEK IN HOLY💫SPIRIT NO POSTS THIS WEEK MY BEAUTIFUL ANGELQUEENS

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵TRADE WAR 2019 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳 VS 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

CHINA🇨🇳TARIFFS ON 4,000+ AMERICAN🇺🇸

IMPORTED PRODUCTS INTO CHINA🇨🇳 25% TARIFFS ON $60 BILLION💵💰💵DOLLARS!!!!👉👉👉 [STARTING JUNE 1ST 2019! ]👈👈👈

📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉📉

MORGAN STANLEY *WARNS TARIFFS COULD LIKELY LEAD TO ECONOMIC RECESSION📉 🚩🚩🚩[10:07AM EST 🚩 7:07AM PST]🚩🚩🚩EVIL👹[GOP SENATE SUPPORT TARIFFS💰]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

U.S.🇺🇸 FARM🚜 BANKRUPTCIES ON RISE☝SEE YOUTUBE: CGTN AMERICA✔

[AID FOR FARMERS COMING TOO LATE!!!!!]

NO PATIENCE START VIDEO AT 1MIN 17 SECS STOP AT 1MINUTE 40 SECS!!!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳ HU XIJIN [EDITOR IN CHIEF] GLOBAL TIMES

CHINA🇨🇳MAY STOP PURCHASING U.S.🇺🇸AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND ENERGY, BOEING ORDERS AND RESTRICT U.S.🇺🇸SERVICE TRADE WITH CHINA🇨🇳 MANY CHINESE 🇨🇳SCHOLARS ARE DISCUSSING✔👉 THE POSSIBILITY OF [DUMPING] U.S.🇺🇸 👉👉TREASURIES AND HOW TO DO IT👈👈 👉SPECIFICALLY.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

🚩 [U.S.🇺🇸 TREASURY TO AUCTION OFF] 🚩$237 BILLION DOLLARS💵 OF U.S.🇺🇸 DEBT THIS WEEK AND CHINA ITS BIGGEST BUYER WILL NOT BE PURCHASING ANY U.S. DEBT🇺🇸🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

GODSAYS💫A WISDOM MOVE IS BEST KEPT A SECRET UNTIL ONLY [AVAILABLE SIGNS] SURFACE THEN MOVE TOWARDS SUCCESS BUT MOVE YOU MUST OR LOSE IN MUCH DISGRACE! TRUST IN THE HOLY💫SPIRIT💫

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

💥U.S.🇺🇸 /CHINA🇨🇳 G20 DEAL BREAKERS💥

#1. DEMONTRUMP👹WANTS CHINA🇨🇳OUT OF THE ARCTIC TO STOP A POSSIBLE NEW TRADE ROUTE FROM EUROPE TO ASIA NOT DEPENDENT UPON THE SUEZ CANAL OR THE STRAITS OF MALACCA AREAS THAT THE U.S.🇺🇸 CONTROLS

[THE CHINESE🇨🇳ARE NOT COWARDS] THEY 👉[WILL NOT BE BULLIED] INTO LEAVING A PART OF THEIR ECONOMIC FUTURE DREAM

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

#2. DEMONTRUMP👹[DEMANDS] THAT A DEAL ONLY BE MADE WHEN CHINESE🇨🇳 PRESIDENT XI JINPING TOTALLY AGREES TO ELIMINATE REVISIONS IN CHINESE LAWS🇨🇳

[WHICH ANCIENT CHINESE ANGELS😇] IN HEAVEN💫WOULD GREATLY CONSIDER A WHITE FLAG🏳 OF DISHONOR FOR CHINA🇨🇳

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

#3. DEMONTRUMP👹WANTS PRODUCTS FROM CHINA🇨🇳TO BE [CHEAP] LIKE IN THE PAST! THE WORLD🌏HAS CHANGED AND CHINA🇨🇳IS A POWERFUL COUNTRY THAT IS [NO LONGER DEPENDENT] UPON WESTERN WAYS OF TRADING! THE CHINESE THINK IN TERMS OF [ECONOMIC PREPARATION] FOR [FUTURE GENERATIONS]

[DEMONTRUMPS👹RISKY THINKING IS OF DEALS MADE FOR MONTHS/ A FEW YEARS TO BENEFIT THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS]

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST THEN GO TO WAR, [WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS] GO TO WAR FIRST AND THEN SEEK TO WIN.👈👈SUN TZU

🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

SOME FOREIGNERS WITH FULL BELLIES AND NOTHING BETTER TO DO ENGAGE IN FINGER POINTING AT US.

FIRST, CHINA🇨🇳 DOES NOT EXPORT REVOLUTION. SECOND, IT DOES NOT EXPORT FAMINE AND POVERTY. AND THIRD IT DOES NOT MESS AROUND WITH YOU. SO WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY? [2009]

PRESIDENT XI JINPING🇨🇳 THEN VP

NO MATTER WHO [WAS, IS OR WILL BE] THE U.S. PRESIDENT🇺🇸 IN THE FUTURE IT IS SO VERY CLEAR XI JINPING'S VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST CONFIDENCE! MEN WHO ARE SPIRITUAL LIKE HIM USUALLY ARE PRESIDENT XI JINPING HONORS HIS WORDS

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

THESE ARE [NOT OUR FRIENDS] THESE ARE [OUR ENEMIES] THESE ARE [NOT PEOPLE] WHO UNDERSTAND NICENESS THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO [WOLF] TO GET THEIR ATTENTION IS TO SAY. WE'RE NOT GOING TO [TRADE WITH YOU ANY FURTHER] OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE WE'RE GOING TO TAX YOUR PRODUCTS AS THEY COME INTO THE UNITED STATES🇺🇸

DEMONTRUMP👹PHONE INTERVIEW WITH CNN'S WOLF BLITZER TALKING ABOUT DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA🇨🇳 [2011]

CLEARLY GOES TO WAR FIRST THEN SEEKS TO WIN.

♦THIS IS A TRADE WAR PURE AND SIMPLE A PERSON IS ONLY GOOD AS THEIR WORDS UNLESS THEIR KNOWN WORLDWIDE🌎 AS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!!!

THINK TWICE ABOUT ANY DEALS WITH HIM!

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roxtless-tree · 6 years

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( DYLAN O'BRIAN, 24, BISEXUAL ) that must be CASPER FERGUS . i heard HE is here because they suffer from SUBSTANCE ABUSE/ADDICTION, BIPOLAR DISORDER (MIXED SPECIFIER). they came all the way from FARGO+ NORTH DAKOTA. i heard they can be WITTY but also STUBBORN. the staff have labeled them as BLUE level.

The first time Casper was drunk, he was a eleven years old and things really didn’t stop there. When he was thirteen he started smoking pot and by the time he was sixteen he’d tried mushrooms, acid, coke, heroin and did a mix of these things whenever possible.

When Casper was seventeen he was barely going to school because of this he needed to redo his twelfth year. He dropped out on his second try at eighteen.

At eighteen Casper smoked crystal meth for the very first time. He was addicted from the the first puff. It didn’t take him long to move straight into injecting glass.

His family was perfect. Wealthy, happy, loving, kind, helpful and on and on. His two younger half siblings are literally perfect. He has stolen from his parents, robbed there house blind a few times, and used to crash there every time he was tweaking.

When he was nineteen Casper was in rehab for a week before walking out the front door and straight to his deal.

Six months ago, Casper attacked said dealer and killed him when he would sell to Casper anymore. Mostly because he owed his dealer more money than most people made in a year.

After a trail he was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, mixed specifier, and was placed in Saint dymphna.

He would literally kill his own mother if she stood between him and a hit.

Casper is still very much going through withdrawal. A fun fact about Methamphetamines is that it takes up to a year for someone to completely withdrawal from it.

He has done just about everything you can imagine a person doing in order to get his hands on his drug of choice. Sold himself, robbed stores/houses and mugged people on the street. He will do it again.

Being sober and bipolar is something that he’s super not used too and he doesn’t do well when his mood swings from up to down or the other way.

His mood does swing often. When he’s up he can be crazy violent if the wrong shit happens.

Other times he’s generally focused on getting his needs meet. Either via drug, sex, or literally anything else that would get him off and high.

He is board ninety-eight percent of the time.

#drug use tw #drugs tw #saintd:intro #casper

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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Your Wednesday Briefing – The New York Times

U.S.-China ties in a free fall

Sanctions over Hong Kong and Xinjiang. A campaign against Huawei. Challenges to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.

For a long time, historians dismissed the idea of a Cold War between the U.S. and China. But the relationship between the superpowers is increasingly imbued with deep distrust and animosity.

The disagreements span cyberspace and outer space, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, and even the Persian Gulf. Beijing and Washington are pushing other countries to take sides. The coronavirus pandemic has turned existing fissures into chasms that could be difficult to overcome, no matter the outcome of this year’s U.S. presidential election, our correspondents write.

Quotable: U.S. policy toward China is “fraught with emotions and whims and McCarthyist bigotry,” China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said last week. “It seems as if every Chinese investment is politically driven, every Chinese student is a spy and every cooperation initiative is a scheme with a hidden agenda.”

Go deeper: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that China’s expansive maritime claims across most of the South China Sea were “completely unlawful,” setting the stage for potential American military confrontations with Beijing.

Britain bars Huawei from 5G network

In a major reversal, Britain announced that it would ban the use of equipment from the Chinese telecommunications giant in the country’s high-speed wireless network. The decision was a big victory for the Trump administration, which had blacklisted Huawei.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had faced growing political pressure at home to take a hard line against Beijing, and the move signals a new willingness among Western countries to confront China.

The announcement came as President Trump’s national security adviser was in Paris for meetings about China with representatives from Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

Response: Huawei has long rejected claims that the Chinese government could use the equipment for espionage. The company described the announcement on Tuesday as “bad news for anyone in the U.K. with a mobile phone.”

A fuller picture of Covid’s economic toll

Reopenings have happened in fits and starts, and the U.S. earnings season, which kicked off on Tuesday, is a first chance for investors to hear from businesses about how the coronavirus pandemic has hurt profits.

The reports showed struggles: Banks and airlines reported losses. More shutdowns are likely to come in the next months amid a recent surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S.

In Britain, new data showed that the economy did not grow as much as expected in May, which was supposed to be the first month of the country’s economic recovery. Some economists had predicted the economy would grow by 5.5 percent, but the data showed just a 1.8 percent increase from the month before. The outlook for the rest of the year is bleak.

Details: JPMorgan reported that its earnings had halved in the second quarter, while Wells Fargo had its first quarterly loss since 2008, and Delta Air Lines said revenue plunged by 88 percent.

But some good news: Consumers in Europe are going on a shopping spree as their economies reopen, offering hope that a recovery may be taking hold. Investors were initially worried that people would be too shaken to spend, as happened with consumers in China. Imports in China also rose for the first time since the virus took hold, another good sign.

Here are the latest virus updates and maps.

In other virus developments:

If you have 6 minutes, this is worth it

A new way of seeing race in France

The killing of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis is leading more people to think differently about race in France. Discussion of race and religion there has taken a back seat to a colorblind ideal that all people share the same universal rights.

With an eye on the U.S., children of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean are bringing race into the public discourse. “Here, they want us to melt into a single body and put aside our cultural diversity,” said Almamy Kanouté, above, who is leading protests against police violence in France. “With us, that’s not possible. We’re French, but we don’t forget what makes us whole.”

Snapshot: Above, French Air Force jets fly over the Arc de Triomphe during a Bastille Day celebration in Paris on Tuesday. The traditional parade was canceled because of the pandemic, but public health workers were honored as heroes and will soon receive pay raises.

What we’re reading: This Interview magazine Q. and A. with the writer Jia Tolentino. “What really struck me about this interview is Jia’s ability to synthesize such broad, weighty topics and current events into crystal clear, thoughtful responses,” says Sanam Yar, from the team at The Morning briefing.

Now, a break from the news

Cook: This eggplant and zucchini pasta with feta and dill is packed with vegetables for a simple yet hearty weeknight meal.

Listen: “Richard II,” a four-part audio play rises to the challenge of telling a story solely through speech and sound effects.

Read: In “Blue Ticket,” Sophie Mackintosh presents us with a dystopian tale of a woman desperate to have a child in a place that affords only certain women that privilege.

Staying safe at home is easier when you have plenty of things to read, cook, watch and do. At Home has our full collection of ideas.

And now for the Back Story on …

When the virus strikes at home

Edgar Sandoval, a reporter on our Metro desk, wrote about the calamitous sweep of the coronavirus through New York City before volunteering to cover the outbreak in his hometown on the Texas-Mexico border. In that outbreak, it turns out, his family became part of the story. Here’s what he wrote.

The day before I boarded a plane from New York, my youngest sister sent me a text message that froze me in place. “Brother, it looks like all of the Sandovales have Covid,” it read in Spanish.

Five in my family, including my mother, Arcelia; my father, Filiberto; two sisters; and a nephew all had symptoms, she said. By the time my plane landed the next day, that number had doubled.

I did not worry much for myself — I had come down with the virus earlier in New York, and had antibodies that might fend it off.

On July 1, I hurried to my parents’ home and found my mother — I usually call her “Ama” — in the living room, gasping for air.

By the time my sister and I got her into the emergency room at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in McAllen, her blood oxygen level had reached a paltry 80 percent, and a nurse quickly connected her to an oxygen supply. X-ray images showed her lungs nearly covered in what resembled pale spider webs.

Less than an hour after a nurse administered a coronavirus test, he announced that she was positive. “No surprise there,” Ama said.

Two attendants arrived with a stretcher to transport her into a Covid wing at another location, where she would not be allowed to have visitors, I knew. My throat tightened.

I fought the urge to reach for her and say something profound. Should I say I love you? Was it time for a heartfelt farewell? What if this was the last time I would see her alive?

I decided that if I said something poignant, she might interpret it as a final goodbye and give up. Instead, I decided to act as casual as possible.

Nearly a week after I had dropped her at the emergency room, her mood and breathing had significantly improved. She was able to sit upright and hold a phone conversation for five minutes. We began talking about preparations for her eventual return home.

I wanted to say I loved her. But again I choked. Don’t make it sound like you’re saying goodbye, I told myself.

After we hung up, I sent her a GIF of a white bunny that shoots hearts every time it hugs.

“I love you,” the message flashed, over and over.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh wrote the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode includes an interview with a doctor in Italy who reflects on triaging care at the peak of the pandemic. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Cool and distant (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “Father Soldier Son,” The Times’s first feature documentary on Netflix, debuted its trailer last week and will premiere this Friday, July 17. It follows a single father injured in combat and his sons as they try to heal.

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olko71 · 5 years

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New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2019/04/how-wells-fargos-regulators-and-employees-drove-out-its-ceo

How Wells Fargo's regulators and employees drove out its CEO

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The day after former Wells Fargo & Co Chief Executive Tim Sloan told U.S. lawmakers he was transforming the bank’s high-pressure culture, Federal Reserve officials met privately with bank employees.

FILE PHOTO: Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing titled: “Holding Megabanks Accountable: An Examination of Wells Fargo’s Pattern of Consumer Abuses” in Washington, U.S. March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo

At the assembly on March 13, which has not been previously reported, Fed officials were told by four bank employees that little had changed within the bank’s culture since the scandal that engulfed Wells Fargo nearly three years ago.

Among those present at the assembly was Fed Governor Lael Brainard, who is overseeing a decree requiring that Wells Fargo fix its risk management before it can resume growing, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. The employees belonged to an advocacy group, Committee For Better Banks, which confirmed the meeting.

Brainard told the group she was there to listen & obtain insight into the mood among Wells Fargo staff yet declined to say whether or how the Fed would respond, the sources said.

While regulators occasionally meet with consumer advocacy or industry groups, it is strange for a Fed board member to meet with an individual firm’s employees. It is not clear who asked for the meeting.

Sloan abruptly departed the bank final month, making him the moment CEO to leave Wells Fargo in the wake of its sales practice scandal. Sloan, who declined to comment on this story through a representative, has previously said he stepped down because he felt the external attention on him had become a distraction.

His departure was at least partly the result of the board’s conclusion that Sloan had failed to convince regulators that he could transform the bank & rally a staff that had low confidence in its leadership, according to a source with knowledge of the board’s thinking.

Wells Fargo spokesman Mark Folk declined to comment on regulatory things yet disputed the employee group’s characterization of the bank’s culture.

Sloan’s struggles underscore the challenges faced by the bank’s next chief executive. They will not only have to convert the bank & its sales practices, yet in addition persuade regulators & its 260,000 employees that they have done so.

Finding a new CEO who can win over the bank’s employees is as meaningful as finding someone who can charm regulators & Wall Street, said Russell Raath, president of management consulting firm Kotter.

“The whole bank needs to know that this person cares approximately their contribution to the top & bottom line,” he said.

STRAINED RELATIONSHIP

Wells Fargo’s relationship with regulators has been strained since 2016, when employee whistleblowers revealed the bank had opened potentially millions of unauthorized accounts.

Internal & regulatory probes have since discovered other issues in the bank’s businesses, resulting in billions of dollars in fines & penalties.

In February 2018, Wells Fargo signed a Fed consent order that required the bank to fix its risk-management & governance problems before it could grow its balance sheet.

Two months later, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Wells Fargo’s other key regulator, ordered the bank to make similar fixes & repay customers to whom it had improperly sold mortgages & auto insurance.

In December, Reuters reported that the Fed had rejected the bank’s initial remediation plan, putting it behind schedule. Days later, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress the Fed would not lift the asset cap until it was convinced that Wells Fargo had fixed its risk problems.

LOW MORALE

An internal company-wide survey around that time in addition pointed to low morale, according to the Committee For Better Banks & other Wells Fargo employees.

The bank internally published a write-up approximately the survey, saying Wells Fargo found itself at a “challenging & interesting” crossroads. Some employees felt that the description sugar-coated the findings, sources said.

That sparked dozens of comments from workers criticizing management for being out of touch, according to the sources & screenshots of the internal site reviewed by Reuters.

A consumer loan underwriter complained on the internal site that the concerns approximately pay & employee benefits were falling on deaf ears.

“For years (team members) have been expressing their concerns & frustrations,” the employee wrote. “The only response (if any) are canned answers & talking points which we all know is baloney.”

An analysis of the survey Wells Fargo published publicly showed only 38 percent of employees felt senior management understood obstacles faced by frontline workers.

Wells Fargo’s Folk said the company seeks & values input from employees, & that the bank has already made a number of improvements based on the feedback.

He pointed to other categories in the survey that showed employees believed in the bank’s values & were satisfied. For example, 72 percent of employees said they believe Wells Fargo is a satisfactory place to work.

REGULATORY REBUKE

Sloan testified before Congress on March 12 in a hearing approximately the bank’s progress since 2016.

As a gesture of goodwill, Wells Fargo took the strange step of offering the OCC the opportunity to review his testimony in advance, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. It is unclear how the OCC responded.

In his testimony, Sloan detailed Wells Fargo’s extensive transformation efforts, yet regulators remained skeptical.

Sloan had barely finished speaking when the OCC said it was still “disappointed” by the bank’s remediation efforts.

The next day, after Wells Fargo disclosed Sloan had gotten a 5 percent pay raise, the Fed responded that it expects boards “to hold management accountable.”

Slideshow (2 Images)

A week later, Powell told reporters the bank had suffered a “remarkably widespread series of breakdowns” that needed to be addressed in a “fundamental” way.

These rebukes undermined Sloan’s position at the bank, the source with knowledge of the board’s thinking said.

On March 26, Sloan told the board he had decided to resign, according to a regulatory filing. Three days later, he publicly stepped down.

Reporting by Imani Moise in New York & Pete Schroeder in Washington; additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York. Writing & additional reporting by Michelle Price; editing by Neal Templin & Paritosh Bansal

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flauntpage · 5 years

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New Wells Fargo Center Upgrades include Open-Concept Dining Area and Craft Beer Boutique

The $250,000,000 renovation project at the Wells Fargo Center is rolling right along.

You’ve probably experienced the revamped concourse and new food and drink options. You’ve probably heard the new sound system reverberating though your skull.

Here’s what’s next, via Comcast-Spectacor press release:

The next phase of the $250 million, multi-year initiative surrounds significant upgrades throughout the arena’s Main Concourse level, which will deliver an impressive and energizing welcome to every guest who enters the venue. To be completed by the Fall of 2019, the next wave of enhancements embody the largest investment and most impactful improvements since the arena first opened its doors in 1996.

Among the many exciting developments include a re-conceptualized approach to dining and social interaction throughout the arena’s Main Concourse level, 8,000 brand new seats within the lower bowl, a concierge-style box office and a dynamic LED video and lighting system that reacts in real time to carry the energy of the game to every corner of the Wells Fargo Center, including the concourse.

Here’s a photo of what the new box office will look like:

Comcast says the box office will be relocated and remodeled to provide a “hotel concierge-style setting.” This new “North End Box Office” will be located next to the Broad Street entrance.

More info and photos after the jump:

The culinary scene within the Wells Fargo Center’s Main Concourse level is set for a major upgrade. Whether a guest is in the mood for an upscale offering or a traditional fan treat, the reimagined dining experience will offer something for everyone. Drawn from Philadelphia’s blossoming list of topnotch eateries and gastro-pubs, new and returning favorites include: P.J. Whelihan’s, Lorenzo’s Pizza, Shake Shack, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Federal Donuts, Campo’s, Chick-fil-A and more.

Perhaps the most noticeable enhancement will be the expansion and redesign of the Main Concourse level’s central plaza, which will transform to adopt a “bistro meets marketplace” feel. An additional 4,000 square feet of open concourse space and an abundance of new seating will make way for an expansive social gathering area where all guests can enjoy a myriad of dining experiences.

A couple of photos of what that area is soon going to look like:

I dig it.