#Alexa Cahill

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark kickoffs 'Countdown to Christmas' in NYC 

Hallmark Media celebrated its 'Countdown to Christmas' at Radio City Music Hall with a special performance of the Rockettes' 'A Holiday Spectacular' on Oct. 20, 2022. Get into the Christmas spirit as you explore actors enjoy the holiday festivities. 

photo preview 1 of 3

Full article and pics at NY Daily News 

[lgspears]

If both Batman and Wonder Woman were on Smallville, George Stults, Dave Annable or Eddie Cahill and Karen Cliche, Lynn Collins or Alexa Davalos would make a good choice as Wonder Bat.

[nyxnygma]

Pfffft Nerds ~Marko&Paul

[Marko x Fem!Reader x Paul]

Summary: After finding out that your type is the complete oppisite of them, Paul and Marko get jealous when you introduce them to your nerdy friend

Warnings: cursing, sexual innuendos, jealousy, pet names, poly relationship,teasing

!!NOT PROOF READ!!

A/N: I kept nearly making Y/N very northern English (like me) so I will definitely be writing a headcannon with this. I also need a some sort of fruity fic as I’m lookin hella straight.

Masterlist

“Hey Babe,” Paul grinned as he stepped through my bedroom with ease, Marko right behind him.

“Jeez Paul,” I huffed, the loud thud of my window opening frightened me. “One day your gonna give me a fucking heart attack.”

He giggled mischievously in response as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss. Once Marko was also in my room he gave me a wink before kissing my cheek and pulling me into a hug. I was to busy loving Marko to realise Paul found my diary from two years ago.

“Dear Diary. Damien is so cute with his fluffy chocolate hair and nerdy glasses. All I want in life is for him to rant about how Mr Cahill is getting the Science equations all wrong to me all night long,” He was trying so hard not to burst out in a fit of hysterical laughter as he read from the pink fluffy notebook in his hands. “Your grammar is shite in this, Y/N”

“Paul..” I said embarrassed about him finding out about my old crushes. “Gimme the stupid diary.” I let go of the curly blond and started to walk to towards my other boyfriend.

“Hang on a minute!” Marko stepped in front of me. “I would love to hear more about this.”

“No you don’t,” I crossed my arms.

“Wait hang on Marko,” Paul eyebrows shot up in shock, “there’s other people here that babe had a thing for. By any chance did you like the nerdy people?”

My face turned a bright shade of red. It’s true. Marko and Paul were the complete opposite to those I usually go for. They wear leather jackets, flirty, charming, ride motorcycles, listen to rock and have a lot of confidence whereas I usually fall for the dorky, fluffy haired, glasses wearing geeky nerds.

“You really strayed off that path, huh?” Marko commented as he swung an arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek again. “I know nothing about science except there is a guy called Einstein.”

What I failed to mention was who were my friends.

The next night the three of us rode up to the Boardwalk with Dwayne and David, who we then ditched to snoop around some shops. We were walking out the vinyl shop after successfully finding an old Kiss ‘Dressed to Kill’ album when we bumped into a handful of my friends.

“Hello Y/N!” A short girl with orange curly hair greeted as she spotted me.

“Alexa? Hi!” I reciprocated the greeting. “Oh Paul, Marko, meet Alexa, Violet and erm..” I paused as I looked at the six foot tall brunette guy in front of me who was currently pushing up his glasses, “Damien.”

I saw my boyfriends face drop as they stared at the boy in front of me. From the passage in my diary I think they were expecting a acne covered short boy who wasn’t even that attractive but instead they were faced with a tall handsome man in a sweater vest. I didn’t still have a crush on my good friend, it only lasted about a month and I then moved onto this other nerdy person, but I know how jealous the boys can get.

“Hello,” they both responded, obviously trying not to rip the poor boy apart. My friends all smiled and smiled aged back.

The thing is my friends don’t exactly know I’m in a polyamorous relationship, I’m scared on how they would react, and Paul and Marko know about them not knowing and they used to be fine with it but I think they changed their minds after learning about Damien.

“I’m glad your here!” Damien blushed, “I’ve been meaning to get back to you on that book you learnt me and your right, The Damnation Game is such a good book!”

“Yeah. I knew you would like it,” I grinned. Paul wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he looked up at his much taller opponent.

“Wanna go get food with us? Marko and Paul can come along to,” Violet smiles.

“I would love to!” I replied before looking to my boyfriends, “do you wanna tag along to them.”

“Yep!” Marko smiled. Something was definitely off with them.

We all walked along the Board walk until we got the burger place, the blonde boys sticking to my sides like glue. When we are inside I sit next to Alexa expecting Paul or Marko to fill the seat beside me but instead I was met my Damien. I caught a glimpse of annoyance in my boys’ faces as they instead sat in front of me beside and awkward looking Violet.

“So how has your been? It feels like it’s been ages since we all hung out together,” Damien chuckled, stuttering slightly. I don’t blame him for acting scared when there was two bikers staring daggers at him.

“It’s been good, thanks,” I smiled back at him.

I spent the evening laughing and talking with my friends but Paul and Marko were almost silent all night, which was highly unusual for the energetic pair.

We were about to leave the diner to go on some last minutes rides when I asked them to wait for me so I could use the bathroom.

When I was done I exited the room to be faced with Damien looking nervous. “You alright there Damien?” I asked.

“Erm.. I have something to ask you,” he nervously stated as he pushed up the glasses on his face. “Will y-you go on a date with me? Maybe? It’s okay if you don’t want to but-”

“Oh I’m sorry Damien!” I interrupt. “I’m kinda already going out with someone. Believe me, if you told sixteen me I would have said yes but your a bit too late buddy.” I tried to laugh it off.

“Oh-” he began to speak again but was interrupted by to blondes walking up to us.

“Hey Babe,” Paul calls for me.

“We’re came to see if you were okay,” Marko smirked suspiciously as I blushed a bright shade of pink as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a passionate kiss. I was about to give them an angry glare, because they knew what was going on, but was caught on my Paul also pulling me into a kiss.

Afterwards, I looked at the poor boy in front of us who was between us with a shocked face. “I-I’m so sorry. If I had known that the three of you were.. y’know, I wouldn’t have asked.”

I could tell the boys were enjoying watch him panic. “Oh it’s fine don’t worry about it,” I smiled reassuringly. The boys weren’t helping the situation with them both touching me and smirking.

“I-I’m gonna go catch up with the girls,” he smiled sheepishly as he tried not to run out.

“God. Did you really have to do that?” I turn around to look at them.

“Your precious nerd was trying to steal you away, baby,” Marko pouts.

“You both are just a pair of big jealous babies, huh?” I sigh.

[curiositydotcom]

Learn about whether adult neurogenesis can help humans grow new brain cells; the super cool way dolphins learn how to use tools; and how keeping good “zeitgeber hygiene” by sticking to a regular routine can keep you happy and healthy.

Can you grow new brain cells as an adult? by Grant Currin

Yong, E. (2018, March 7). Study: Does Adult Neurogenesis Exist in Humans? The Atlantic; The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/do-adult-brains-make-new-neurons-a-contentious-new-study-says-no/555026/ 

Sorrells, S. F., Paredes, M. F., Cebrian-Silla, A., Sandoval, K., Qi, D., Kelley, K. W., James, D., Mayer, S., Chang, J., Auguste, K. I., Chang, E. F., Gutierrez, A. J., Kriegstein, A. R., Mathern, G. W., Oldham, M. C., Huang, E. J., Garcia-Verdugo, J. M., Yang, Z., & Alvarez-Buylla, A. (2018). Human hippocampal neurogenesis drops sharply in children to undetectable levels in adults. Nature, 555(7696), 377–381. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25975 

Spalding, K. L., Bergmann, O., Alkass, K., Bernard, S., Salehpour, M., Huttner, H. B., Boström, E., Westerlund, I., Vial, C., Buchholz, B. A., Possnert, G., Mash, D. C., Druid, H., & Frisén, J. (2013). Dynamics of Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Adult Humans. Cell, 153(6), 1219–1227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.002 

Mo Costandi. (2012, February 23). Does your brain produce new cells? The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2012/feb/23/brain-new-cells-adult-neurogenesis 

Dickinson, K. (2020, June 26). Adult-made neurons mature longer, have unique functions. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/adult-neurons-unique 

Cole, J. D., Espinueva, D., Seib, D. R., Ash, A. M., Cooke, M. B., Cahill, S. P., O’Leary, T., Kwan, S. S., & Snyder, J. S. (2020). Adult-born hippocampal neurons undergo extended development and are morphologically distinct from neonatally-born neurons Prolonged development of adult-born neurons. The Journal of Neuroscience, JN-RM-1665-19. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1665-19.2020 

Shohayeb, B., Diab, M., Ahmed, M., & Ng, D. C. H. (2018). Factors that influence adult neurogenesis as potential therapy. Translational Neurodegeneration, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-018-0109-9 

Dolphins use tools — and they learn how from other dolphins by Cameron Duke

Starr, M. (2020). Dolphins Are So Smart They’re Learning Tool-Use From Their Friends. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/clever-dolphins-can-pick-up-fishing-tricks-from-their-friends 

Dolphins learn unusual hunting behavior from their friends. (2020, June 25). Dolphins learn unusual hunting behavior from their friends. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/dolphins-learn-unusual-hunting-behavior-their-friends 

Shelling out for dinner: Dolphins learn foraging skills from peers.  (2020, June 25). Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-shelling-dinner-dolphins-foraging-skills.html 

Wild, S., Hoppitt, W. J. E., Allen, S. J., & Krützen, M. (2020). Integrating Genetic, Environmental, and Social Networks to Reveal Transmission Pathways of a Dolphin Foraging Innovation. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.069 

To stay happy and healthy, maintain your routines -- aka "zeitgeber hygiene" by Kelsey Donk

Migala, J. (2020, June 22). Quarantine Health Tip: Form a Routine | Elemental. Medium; Elemental. https://elemental.medium.com/a-rigid-routine-is-key-to-a-healthy-life-bcb0ba3c912a 

Quante, M., Mariani, S., Weng, J., Marinac, C. R., Kaplan, E. R., Rueschman, M., Mitchell, J. A., James, P., Hipp, J. A., Cespedes Feliciano, E. M., Wang, R., & Redline, S. (2018). Zeitgebers and their association with rest-activity patterns. Chronobiology International, 36(2), 203–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2018.1527347 

SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and physical distancing: risk for circadian rhythm dysregulation, advice to alleviate it, and natural experiment research opportunities. (2020). Chronobiology International. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07420528.2020.1772811 

Coronavirus Disruption Project finds differences in behavior and views between men and women during the pandemic - Center for the Digital Future. (2020, May 21). Center for the Digital Future. https://www.digitalcenter.org/coronavirus-men-and-women/ 

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY 

[watchinghallmark]

This Weekend on Hallmark

Saturday:

The Secret Ingredient starring Erin Cahill and Brendan Penny is on Hallmark Channel.

Sunday:

Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds starring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega is on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

[thecraggus]

Professor Martson And The Wonder Women (2017) Review

Professor Marston And The Wonder Women (2017) doesn’t bind itself to the truth in search of a love story. #Review

It may be that you’d need the Lasso of Hestia itself to separate truth from speculative fiction when it comes to “Professor Marston And The Wonder Women”. Presented as a true story, although much of it is disputed by the Marston family, the origin of Wonder Woman turns out to be as captivating and enchanting as the character herself, without the need for sculpting anything from clay. “Professor…

[soisialta]

A White Horse - Award Winning Irish Short Film from Shaun O Connor on Vimeo.

Winner: Best Irish Short Film -- Foyle Film Festival (Oscar Qualifying)

Winner: Best Irish Short Film -- Kerry Film Festival

Winner: Best Overall -- Richard Harris International Film Festival

Winner: Best Production Design -- Kinsale Sharks

Winner: Best International Short Film -- Underground Film Festival

Winner of ARRI Alexa Take/Screen Directors Guild of Ireland Script Award

Nominated: Best Irish Short Film -- IFTA Awards

Cast: Brigid: Amber Deasy Mam: Cora Fenton Dad: Jack Healy Danny: Darren O’Connell Doctor: Paul Cahill Nurse: Dolores Dermody Nurse: Alan O’Riordan

Writer: Paul Cahill Director: Shaun O’Connor Producer: Sinéad Barry DOP: Jass Foley Production Designer: Kate Howard 1st AD: Niall Owens Costume Designer: Kate Howard Hair Make/Up: Gill Brennan Sound Recordist: PJ Rankin Gaffer: Mark O’Rourke Electrician: Jack Ferguson 1st AC: JJ O’Sullivan 2nd AC / DIT: Gosia Zur Camera Trainee: Muru Walters 3rd AD: Stuart McGrainor Production Assistant: Anna Bates Dressing Props: Evin Dennehy Trainee AD: Cian Casey

Camera Equipment: ARRI, c/o 24-7 Drama Lighting Equipment: Teach Solais Grip Equipment: Film Equipment Hire, Jass Foley Insurance: MIB Radios: TVF

[hallmarkfanatic]

May Hallmark Prpjects

Now let’s see what Hallmark brought up this month! Like always, all the information/speculation I put in this is based off of factors such as social media posts from different Hallmark actors/actresses, general social media info and/or a production website I look at often. Things such air dates, airing networks, co-stars, movie titles, etc, are always subject to change.

Honeymoon Pact - Director: Jason Bourque; Writer on 1 Hallmark movie; directed 4 other movies for the network, 3 of which were Christmas. 

Love on Your Doorstep - Director: Ken Friss 

The Loving Spoonful - Director: Jim Cliffe. His connection to Hallmark is being a Production designer for 2 Christmas movies from last year. Basically a bit of a stretch but still worth noting

Carlos and Alexa Penavega  - Love in the Limelight - Carlos posted on socials a BTS photo of director Ron Oliver as well as recently mentioned music in the movie. Oliver described the movie as “ex teen pop star and ex child movie star, written by ex tv teen idol based on his own life story” Carlos being the teen pop star and Alexa the teen movie star. Not sure the writer as it’s someone who was a tv teen idol.

Untitled Lacey Chabert Movie - Katie Lee Biegel is having her novel “Groundswell” turned into a movie. Apparently filming is taking place in Hawaii and Lacey Chabert is the leading lady of the film. Also Alison Sweeny is seeming involved with the project as well.  

Christmas Disconnect - Director Paul Ziller; The story is about a struggling married couple who head to a holiday retreat on the advice of the therapist to rediscover their love for each other amid a cast of colorful characters

When Christmas was Young - Director:  David Weaver/Monika Mitchell

Must Love Christmas - Director:  Martin Wood; Seemingly start on network back in 2013. Most of his word has been directing one the Hallmark shows. A few actual Hallmark movies he directed.

Old Friends at Christmas - Director: Kevin Fair; Well known Hallmark director. Starting with the network all the way back to 2014. Mostly Christmas and Mystery Hallmark projects.

A Gingerbread Christmas - Director: Pat Kiely - Filmed both a Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movie last year so while it’s still early, could go either way network wise when it comes to these two

*Christmas Bedtime Stories (Update) - Stars Erin Cahill as of right now. Actress Tegan Moss shared a photo with Erin on set on social and tagged it as a Hallmark Christmas movie

[barbaryhq]

RESERVAS VIGENTES

alexa demie

dua lipa

angus cloud

lee felix

yoon jeonghan

jodie comer

CUENTAS QUE ESPERAMOS

stanton carlisle

paloma de la cruz

molly cahill

daiane araujo

olimpia marques

vienna husser

woori moon

jinseo “chase” cha

dante reviello

bellamy han

ezekiel liu

COMIENZA A SEGUIR

@svkirbns

​@remvys

@minjvvns

ROSTROS LIBERADOS

timothée chalamet

dominic fike

lizeth selene

kim taehyung

CUPOS LIBERADOS

7

9

14

31

EMPLEOS LIBERADOS

camarero en sky bar & nightclub (1 cupo)

vendedora en bloom room (1 cupo)

FEMENINOS: 13 + 3 reservas = 16 personajes MASCULINOS: 11 + 3 reservas = 14 personajes TOTAL: 30 personajes

¡buenas noches, inquilinos! con este nuevo recuento nos despedimos por éste día, agradeciendo una vez más y queriendo recordarle a aquellas personas que aún nos deben su formulario que mañana muchas de las reservas finalmente caducan. para las cuentas tendremos un poquito más de paciencia de la pautada pero recuerden que si surgió alguna complicación, pueden acercarse a pedirnos veinticuatro horas más tanto para su audición como para enviar la cuenta. mañana estaremos informando sobre la apertura de conexiones y lanzando una encuesta para pactar finalmente la apertura del grupal. recuerden de unirse al canal de discord para no perderse ninguna notificación y que todas las listas ( rostros, cupos de apartamento, cupos de empleo, usuarios y triggers) han sido actualizadas. ¡que tengan buena noche!

GOLDEN & GATE.

[etjwrites]

Hi Nonny! Yes, there are some great Booktube channels. My Go-to is Alexa Donne - she has some of the best writing advice all compiled into one place on very organised playlists. There's hours and HOURS worth of content.

Then there's Sarah Cahill, she used to be a lot more active here as @igotablankpage but now does a lot of writing streams and such.

I have some writing advice vids as well; most recently my 3-part series on how to write when or if you get blocked.

Check out the rest of the playlist, and feel free to ask if you have questions! 😊

Your twitter recommendations are just amazing! I 💞loved them a lot. How about writing YT channels? I tried to find some, but almost to no avail.

I'm not on YouTube a lot, but I highly recommend Brandon Sanderson for writing advice! Some writeblrs also have YT channels (like @etjwrites), so try asking around <3

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

[siothishere]

Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29

Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29

They also have the album sales to blow your ridiculous comment out of the Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29. Laughable!Beatles before my time, but their music is amazing. Better than some of the tripe today.Natasha Alexa Kemball Mary Cahill ~ Do you honestly believe that or are you just a miserable human being who needs attention today — even if it’s negative attention?Mary Cahill if you had…

[thuethamtuuudam]

Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29

Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29

They also have the album sales to blow your ridiculous comment out of the Top shirts on Rexshirt on 2020/02/29. Laughable!Beatles before my time, but their music is amazing. Better than some of the tripe today.Natasha Alexa Kemball Mary Cahill ~ Do you honestly believe that or are you just a miserable human being who needs attention today — even if it’s negative attention?Mary Cahill if you had…

[larryland]

A Mother’s Legacy

by Barbara Waldinger

In keeping with its mission to revive “great but unjustly neglected works,” Bridge Street Theatre is daring to present The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds in a haunting and powerful production that gives literal meaning to the term “punch lines.”  Winner of the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the 1970 New York Drama Critics’ Circle and Obie Awards for Best Play of the Year, Paul Zindel’s play, written when he was twenty-five years old, recalls his life as a teenager, living in various ramshackle locations with his sister and divorced mother, whose failed “get rich quick” schemes fueled her hatred of herself, her children and the world.

Beatrice Hunsdorfer, a bitter, angry alcoholic played to perfection by Roxanne Fay, has led a life of disappointments, having married the wrong man who subsequently left her with “two stones” around her neck:  her daughters Tillie (Lindsay Cahill), a quiet, frightened child whose unique science project lends its title to the play, and Ruth (Kalia Lay), an epileptic, emotional wreck.  Broke, Beatrice is forced to take in elderly tenants whom she abuses, as she does her daughters, often forcing the girls to miss school in order to clean the house, empty the pet rabbit’s droppings, or, her latest scheme:  turning their home into a tea shop.  Much of the play is composed of Beatrice’s monologues—on the phone with the high school, verbally attacking her children, bemoaning her life, or telling stories, while Tillie’s imaginative inner life and love of science (Zindel was a high school physics and chemistry teacher) are expressed in the form of voiceovers.   Ruth’s running commentary (spoken by Lay with manic energy) about her life at school and her pride in her sister’s project, is punctured by an unhealthy love/hate relationship with her mother

This play is not for the faint of heart.  To be sure, Beatrice’s shocking lines can be funny, especially in the hands of Fay, who delivers them matter-of-factly:  dubbing the rabbit “an Angora manure machine,” and a “cottontail compost heap,” or comparing the serving of tea to her tenant as “feeding honey to a zombie.” Still, we cannot help but be upset by her behavior towards her fragile daughters, despite the fact that the playwright, with the help of this emotionally available actress, allows us to see into her dark heart.  Beatrice confesses:  “I spent today taking stock of my life and I’ve come up with zero.” Fair enough.   But no one—not even the amazing Roxanne Fay–can justify the damage she has done to her suffering children.

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Although Fay, who has frequently worked with Bridge Street Theatre as both actress and playwright, is the most experienced performer onstage, director Steven Patterson has managed to assemble a cast that works beautifully together.  He encouraged Cahill and Lay to explore the physicality of their characters,   which is especially important for Cahill, who rarely speaks. Her whole body expresses the tension she holds within, only relaxed by her poetic, fantastical voiceovers describing her love for tiny atoms that explode and reinvent themselves in new forms.  In contrast, Lay is always moving, perching on chairs, fixing her sister’s hair, searching for makeup, and jerking convulsively when terrified. In a final confrontation with her mother, Lay is chilling as she unleashes the cruelty she has been taught. Nanny, their very old and unresponsive tenant (Doris Siepel), has a lovely moment at the table with Tillie:  Nanny is drinking beer instead of her usual “hotsy water” while Tillie holds Peter, her rabbit. (Yes, Peter is a real white rabbit who lives in a cage onstage.  How brave of Patterson and the cast! ) With a gesture and a smile, as Siepel reaches over to pet the rabbit, she and Cahill share a quietly loving glance, uninterrupted by Beatrice’s high decibel volume when addressing Nanny.  Janice Vickery (Alexa Powell), playing another finalist in the Science Fair, anxiously describes her project to the judges, giggling and lovable in her insecurity.

Set and lighting designer John Sowle created a “room of wood which was once a vegetable store” owned by Beatrice’s father.  A splendidly detailed picture of deterioration, the room features wooden slats on the walls, fabric curtains covering the entrances to the bedrooms and bathroom, a dilapidated old couch, a tiny working kitchen, paper-covered windows, and a staircase with landing that figures in the most dramatic moments of the play.  The lighting was most effective when it lingered on a single character, usually Tillie, during her voiceovers.  The wildly colored flowers, which used to be marigolds before being subjected to gamma rays, evoked the freakish beauty of the damaged plants, a symbol of hope for the damaged daughters of Beatrice.

Costume designer Michelle Rogers’ ridiculously large pink bow for Tillie’s big presentation spoke volumes about why Ruth was so sure her sister would be laughed at, but the fuzzy slippers worn by Beatrice were oddly out-of-character for this cold-hearted woman,  and the supposedly tight sweater worn by Ruth did not seem as inappropriate as it might have been.

The music, by sound designer Carmen Borgia, heard at the beginning and during all transitions was a highlight of this production.  It sounded like strange piano arpeggios or the notes on a celesta, fading in and out, delicate, mysterious, fragile, signaling that all was not right.

Patterson and his team have brought to life a disturbing yet poignant piece of theatre that will not soon fade from memory.  Zindel is the author of novels for young adults that aim at teenagers’ “continuous battle to get through the years between twelve and twenty—an abrasive time.”  The teenagers we meet in his play face terrible demons but we still hold out hope that they will flourish and bloom.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds runs from July 6-16 at the Bridge Street Theatre.  For tickets call 800-838-3006 or online at http://effect.brownpapertickets.com.

Bridge Street Theatre presents The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel.  Cast:  Lindsay Cahill (Tillie), Roxanne Fay (Beatrice), Kalia Lay (Ruth), Doris Siepel (Nanny), Alexa Powell (Janice Vickery).  Director:  Steven Patterson, Scenic and Lighting Design:  John Sowle, Costume Design:  Michelle Rogers, Sound Design:  Carmen Borgia, Stage Manager:  Caedmon Holland.  Running Time:  ninety minutes including intermission; at the Bridge Street Theatre Mainstage, 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm, from July 6; closing July 16.

REVIEW: “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” A Mother’s Legacy by Barbara Waldinger In keeping with its mission to revive “great but unjustly neglected works,” …

[itmanco]

Apple's latest acquisition could help Siri understand what you're saying The battle between AI voice assistants continues to rage on, and now Apple has acquired a tech firm, Voysis, that is all about helping computers understand natural language. As reported by Bloomberg, the firm's now-deleted website said it could produce search results from phrases like "I need a new LED TV, my budget is $1,000." In 2017 TechCrunch interviewed CEO Peter Cahill, who pitched his company's approach as not a competitor to Siri, Assistant or Alexa, but a more general platform that businesses could use to build their own customer service bots on. Voysis is now just one of many AI startups Apple has bought in the last few years, and hopefully users will see benefits from its technology son. https://ift.tt/2UF6Iim By Samy Morsy

from I.T MAN https://ift.tt/1cjthd7 via IFTTTBy Samy Morsy

[calmgrove]

We’re excited to have this guest post from Marlyn Beebe, a west-coast (USA) librarian with Canadian roots. We thought a librarian would know of some fantasy books that would be new to us, and she did. With her permission, we’ve added two books to her suggestions, to make this a perfect Top-Ten list. Interesting side-note: these are all first books in series. No doubt about it, readers love a good series.

Marlyn grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where she graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Library and Information Studies. Not being a fan of frozen water falling from the sky, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, Tod, and their cat, Puck. She works part-time at multiple libraries and spends the rest of her time reading, reviewing, blogging, and watching hockey games. Marlyn reviews books for School Library Journal, as well as for her blog Stuff and Nonsense. Head over to her blog to see what else she enjoys reading.

About her list, Marlyn writes:

I’ve always loved literature about strong women, whether realistic or speculative fiction, historical or contemporary. By the time the books below were published (yes, even the ones from the last century!), I was already an adult, and wished passionately that I could have experienced them as a child or teen. I’m grateful that these books, and so many more like them, are available for me to share with today’s young people!

Just to make things interesting, we (Lizzie, Chris and Marlyn) have added a tiny spin to this list. Way back in 2009, The Alan Review published “Dragon-Slayer vs Dragon-Sayer”, an article analyzing female fantasy protagonists.¹ The authors argue that when fantasy writers give their female protagonists active roles (as opposed to waiting to be rescued by and then married to the hero), the characters tend to take one of two roles: Dragon-Slayer (basically the heroine acts just like a hero, using a sword to “overpower and conquer” villains) or Dragon-Sayer (the heroine uses feminine skills to nurture and take care of the villains’ needs, thereby de-fanging the villain). Marlyn, Lizzie and Chris have identified where we think all but two of the heroines fall within this (imperfect) dichotomy. If you disagree, let us know! And if you can decide about the two we didn’t identify, let us know that as well.

Late 20th Century

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (Atheneum Press, 1983). The first of the 4-book Song of the Lioness series, in which Alanna pretends to be a boy in order to work as a page in the royal court of Tortail. DRAGON-SLAYER

The Hero and the Crown by Robin Mckinley (Greenwillow Books, originally published 1984). The story of Aerin of Damar, and her evolution from a shy princess to the heroic queen who saves her country from invaders (and a dragon!). McKinley’s novel won the 1985 Newbery Award, and is the prequel to The Blue Sword, a Newbery Honor winner published in 1982. DRAGON-SLAYER

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (HarperCollins, originally published 1986). Sophie, the eldest of three daughters, unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, who puts her under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. (Two more books in series: Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways.) DRAGON-SAYER

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede (Jane Yolen Books/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990). The first of the 4-book series The Enchanted Chronicles, which tell the story of Princess Cimorene, who leaves her boring kingdom to become assistant to the dragon Kazul. DRAGON-SAYER

Early 21st Century

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (Little Brown, 2009). To save her village from a devastating drought, Minli goes on a quest to find and petition the Old Man of the Moon for help. Along the way, she gains companions. A revisioning of The Wizard of Oz, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was a Newbery Honor winner. Two more books complete this series. DRAGON-SAYER

Soulless by Gail Carriger (Hachette Book Group, 2009). The first book in The Parasol Protectorate series introduces us to Alexa Tarabotti, a bluestocking living in a steampunk version of Victorian London, populated by werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. Carriger has written several series and stand-alones which take place in her “Parasol-verse”.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (Speak/Penguin Random House, 2011). Sunny Nwazue returns to Nigeria, the country of her birth, and has to adjust her New York attitudes to her new life. Soon after learning she has magical powers, she teams up with three other students to fight a powerful criminal. A sequel (Akata Warrior) was published in 2018. DRAGON-SLAYER

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (Penguin Putnam, 2012). Cate Cahill is the oldest of three sisters whose mother died when she was 14. All three sisters are witches in a world where witchcraft is feared. There are two more books in the Cahill Witch Chronicles, each focusing on one of Cate’s younger sisters.

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin (Tor Teen, 2015). In the early 1800s, intractable upper class girls are sent to Stranje House “finishing school”, to be turned into proper society women. Each of the (so far) three books in the series focuses on a different student, who becomes entangled in espionage. This is more Regency romance than fantasy, but the alternative history slant tips the scales to qualify it for inclusion on this list. DRAGON-SLAYER

Borderline by Mishell Baker (Saga Press, 2016). Millie Roper, physically disabled with a personality disorder, is recruited by a mysterious organization, The Arcadia Project, which acts as liaison between Hollywood and Fairyland. So far, there are three books in The Arcadia Project series. DRAGON-SLAYER

OK, Dear Readers, that’s Marlyn’s list. Have you read any of these? What faves need to be included (and are the heroines Dragon-Slayers or Dragon-Sayers)?²

¹ Keeling, Kara K. and Marsha M. Sprague (2009), The ALAN Review, Summer 2009, pp. 13-17. Available online here: https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v36n3/pdf/keeling.pdf

² Lizzie Ross is too retiring and diffident to mention her own Kenning Magic (Saguaro Books 2013) which does indeed feature a kick-ass heroine and dragons; I’ll leave you to discover if Noni is a Dragon-Slayer or Dragon-Sayer! Chris

Witch Week Day 1: Ten Kick-Ass Heroines We're excited to have this guest post from Marlyn Beebe, a west-coast (USA) librarian with Canadian roots.