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reasoningdaily · 7 months

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This Black History Month, Feeding America is celebrating the Black inventors who had a profound impact on our mission.

People like George Washington Carver, also known as Mr. Peanut for his revolutionary work creating new products from a single crop, the lowly peanut. And Alice H. Parker, a Black woman who never got the credit, or the fortune, for inventing what we now know as zoned home heating using natural gas. These trailblazers helped America transition to a major agricultural exporter. Their inventions helped farmers increase the harvest to the point that American farmers now feed the world, and those in need. At Feeding America, our work is tied to moving food from farmers to food banks. It is our mission to end hunger in America and many of these Black inventors helped pave the way for U.S. farmers to grow more food.

George Washington Carver (1861-1943)

Born a slave in 1861, George Washington Carver went on to become one of the most prolific agri-business inventors in American history. He invented crop rotation, and more than 300 uses for the peanut. including Worcestershire sauce, cooking oil, and cosmetics. His work is at the foundation of modern farming. It is because of crop rotation and the introduction of grain crops like corn and soybeans, that Feeding America can help our food banks provide for our neighbors in need. Carver helped American farmers feed America.

He was the first African American to earn a bachelor’s in 1894, then a master’s degree in agricultural science from what’s now known as Iowa State University. Carver invented crop rotation. Farmers were struggling to grow anything after years of harvesting a single crop. Carver suggested they plant peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes which would add nutrients to the depleted soil. This method gave farmers a second chance at becoming leaders in agricultural exports.

It would be impossible for the Feeding America network of food banks to get the much-needed food they need to nourish feed our neighbors without the work of this man, Frederick McKinley Jones. He invented refrigerated trucks, which help food banks provide fresh produce and meat to their communities safely. And, because of his work, food banks can rely on our massive distribution network to transport fresh produce from farmers across the country on a regular basis. In fact, our network moved 3.8 billion pounds of dairy, produce, and meat -- perishable foods that wouldn’t be available were it not for refrigerated trucks, trains, planes, and ships.

His work revolutionized global logistics. It’s at the heart of what’s now known as “the supply chain.” That is, he made it possible to transport perishable food safely from one place to the next. He co-founded the U.S. Thermo Control Company (Thermo King) which was worth millions by 1949 and later acquired by Westinghouse.

A self-taught mechanic and World War I Army veteran, Jones received more than 60 patents for refrigeration as well as X-ray machines, engines and sound equipment. He was the first African American to receive the Presidential National Medal of Technology.

A farmer and a free man before the Emancipation Proclamation, Henry Blair invented two devices to increase agricultural productivity. The first was the corn planter in 1834, and the second was the cotton planter in 1836. His goal was to reduce inefficiencies from manual labor. The Mechanics Magazine published August 6, 1836, described it as “saving the labor of eight men.” Blair’s discoveries helped farmers grow more food for the masses, not just their local communities. For Feeding America, farmers are at the heart of what we do. A large percentage of the food our neighbors receive at their local food pantry is packaged right on the farm where it's grown thanks to our partnership with the USDA. Inventions like Blair's are what fuel the heartland.

While not at the heart of our mission, Feeding America often helps people in need who have to make the tough choice between paying for heat or buying food. During cold winter months, there are many who choose to pay their heating bill and forsake food. They turn to their local food pantry as a stop-gap. The Feeding America network of food banks provides a safe, consistent place for families in need to access food.

Alice H. Parker, the mother of modern heating, invented the gas-forced air heating system because she too wanted to provide a safe place for families.

Before her invention of the gas furnace, home heating wasn’t safe. Homes were heated with coal or wood-burning fireplaces. Parker was the first to develop natural gas as a cleaner, more efficient alternative to home heating in 1919.

An unsung hero of home heating technology, she revolutionized how we live today. But Parker didn’t have an easy go of it as a Black female inventor. The Civil Rights Movement had yet to give African Americans their rights and the Women’s Liberation Movement was further off. She never profited from her invention. So, we salute her. We know there are many families that struggle with tough choices these days with the rising costs of home heating. But for those who have a warm place to sleep and the modern advances of zoned heat, the next time you adjust the thermostat, say a silent thank you to Alice H. Parker.

#Black History Month: Feeding America celebrates 4 Black inventors who impacted our mission

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padf00ts-l0ver · 3 years

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300 has come so quickly after my last milestone it’s crazy, i’m so so grateful for each person who follows along with my writing <333 (nav here since it’s not pinned during celebration)

//closed for submissions//

-you can send multiple asks :)

🕯lana del rey give me a character and i’ll give you some song recs of mine that i relate to them <3

🩰 lily-rose tell me some of your favourite music/artists and i’ll give you some song/artist recs

🎧 blair waldorf (moots only) i’ll do a moodboard based on you/your blog

💿 lizzy grant ask me anything about me! (within limits, just yk fun questions about myself!)

🎀 lisbon sisters games; kmk, cym, this or that, would you rather etc<3

moots under the cut <3

@dylwrites @gryffindorwonder @or-ion-sta-r @sluttyzucchini @fairydxll @jamespottersmommy @drayart @ddejavvu @scandalous-chaos @wrathspoet @imabee-oralizard @lilithsecond @viennaschampagneproblems @nevsluvr @moonysdocmrtns @ayeshaikram03 @nevilleismywhore @thesecretwriter @dr4cking @lauralestrange7 @ellescrunchie @fictionalcomforts @ravenclavv @morwap @ronweasleysslut @bukoffski @ambrosialvr @dissociateddaisy @keoghanslover @bisousbabie

#mercury’s 300 celebration <3 #mercury’s milestones <3

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tabloidtoc · 6 years

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Globe, March 11

Cover: Barack and Michelle Obama’s Nightmare -- 20-year-old wild child Malia out of control

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Kim Kardashian, Linda Gray, Justin Bieber

Page 3: Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, Jane Fonda, Danny Bonaduce

Page 4: Cover Story -- Barack and Michelle Obama fear their underage daughter Malia is out of control with underage drinking

Page 6: Jennifer Garner is engaged to John Miller and Ben Affleck is in a deep funk

Page 8: Meghan Markle’s mom Doria Ragland quit her job but has a flashy new wardrobe and SUV and her daughter Meghan may be supporting her

Page 10: 300-lb. Chrissy Metz’s weight explodes, Brigitte Bardot says ditching showbiz saved her life

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Miley Cyrus appeared to have cleaned up her raunchy ways that were everything Liam Hemsworth didn’t like about her to lure him to the altar, three-times divorced Glenn Close is finished with marriage and is instead cuddling with her dog Pip and she’s never been happier, Shannen Doherty reveals her battle with breast cancer has robbed her of her chance to be a mom, Charlize Theron got sweet revenge against two-timing Brad Pitt by declaring she was single on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Katey Sagal, Ted Danson

Page 13: Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen grab a cigarette break, Hook-Ups, Babies & More

Page 14: Kylie Jenner won’t be a billionaire for long if she continues her wild spending ways, Pink and Carey Hart were all hugs and kisses when she got her star at Hollywood’s Walk of Fame but their marriage has been messy, Fashion Verdict -- Jane Seymour, Alison Brie, Halle Berry, Ciara, Shailene Woodley

Page 16: Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp tie the knot

Page 18: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Brie Larson, late bloomer Courtney Cox didn’t lose her virginity until she was 21 after her mom pushed her into it, Lindsay Lohan tried to reunite her divorced mom and dad by setting them up like in her movie The Parent Trap

Page 20: True Crime

Page 24: Robert De Niro’s $350M divorce crisis -- cheapskate accused of vicious rages

Page 28: Blake Shelton’s other gal Cady Groves dishes dirt that Gwen Stefani doesn’t know

Page 30: Selma Blair fights new MS attack, Mischa Barton’s paychecks from the reboot of The Hills may be garnished to pay the $250,000 she owes to screenwriter Daniel Lief after blowing off her role in his film, Kelsey Grammer is putting together a reboot of Frasier set in Chicago

Page 32: Pamela Anderson marrying for the fifth time, Dolly Parton’s secret advice for avoiding divorce

Page 38: Real Life

Page 40: Health Report -- synthetic pot zaps cancer

Page 45: Miranda Lambert’s quickie marriage doomed

#tabloid #obama #barack obama #michelle obama #malia obama #simon le bon #duran duran #miley cyrus #liam hemsworth

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gigslist · 3 years

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Monsterpalooza Horror Convention 2022

MONSTERPALOOZA – June 3, 2022 – June 5, 2022. Pasadena, CA

The Monsterpalooza Horror Convention is multigenre; focusing on horror, creatures and make-up work. The convention takes place every Spring at the Pasadena Convention Center. A smaller offshoot convention, “Son of Monsterpalooza” is held at the Marriot Burbank Convention Center and Hotel in the Fall.

Be sure to make plans to join the tens of thousands of fans who attend both conventions to see horror celebrities and others from the film industry. Both conventions also highlight presentations, panels and workshops. The spring Monsterpalooza event features a museum. Displays of screen-used props, masks, life-size figures and movie creatures from participating Hollywood FX studios and artists are featured. The workshops focus on the craft; makeup demonstrations and creature effects. The emphasis is on classic horror. Featuring characters from B Movies of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Over the years, Monsterpalooza has hosted famous actors and industry personalities, including Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Jennifer Tilly, George Romero, Martin Landau, James Remar, Sonny Chiba, and Linda Blair.

Director Guillermo del Toro summed it up on his Twitter that Monsterpalooza is “the monster convention I dreamt could be possible as a kid”.[6] Brian Collins from Birth. Movies. Death. calls it the “best horror convention of all”.

At Son of Monsterpalooza, in addition to a selection of incredible artists, the convention floor features creatures coming to life right before your very eyes. Live makeup demos by award winning makeup artists; many of which are responsible for bringing your favorite characters from film, television and haunted attractions to life, will be a real highlight of your visit.

Experience special exhibits showcasing original creations from top film and independent artists. Be sure to sit in on special presentations in the Son of Monsterpalooza Theatre for hours of panels featuring your favorite film stars, directors and artists

Enter the Son of Monsterpalooza COSTUME CONTEST for a chance to win cash prizes. Plus much more all weekend!!

Son of Monsterpalooza features some of Hollywood’s biggest talents and independent artists selling their creations; in most cases only be found at this convention. Exhibitors sell products, such as one of a kind masks, hyper-realistic sculptures, costumes, props, collectibles, toys, model kits, makeup, supplies,m prosthetics, celebrity autographs, DVD’s, apparel, and much more!

MONSTERPALOOZA 2022

Pasadena Convention Center 300 E Green StPasadena, CA 91101 MQY 8-10, 2020

SON OF MONSTERPALOOZA 2022/TBA

The Marriott Burbank Convention Center & Hotel 2500 N. Hollywoodway, Burbank, CA 91505

http://www.monsterpalooza.com/fall/

Tags: Agoura, Beverly Hills, blood, Burbank, collectibles, costume accessories, Costumes, Freddie Kruger, Granada Hills, Hats, horror, horror movies, Jason, Los Angeles, make-up, Michael Meyers, monsterpalooza, monsters, nightmares, North Hills, north hollywood, northridge, Pasadena, Porter Ranch, props, rental costumes, reseda, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, santa monica, sherman oaks, Simi Valley, studio city, Tarzana, Thousand Oaks, West Hills, westlake village, westwood, woodland hills

Contact Info

Anime Expo

ConDorCon

Comic-Con International

Gallifrey One

Gaslight Gathering

Los Angeles Comic Con

Monsterpalooza Horror Convention

MidSummer Scream

ScareLA

Star Trek Convention

Star Wars Celebration

WonderCon

World Con

ADDRESS: 18849 Ventura Boulevard Tarzana, CA 91356 PHONE: (818)343-3701 FAX: (818)343-3593 EMAIL: [email protected]

#theatrical makeup #costume makers #screen makeup #makeup artists

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govergofficial · 3 years

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Panama Papers: 300 names of Indian, world leaders, celebrities, industrialists

A have a look at posted Sunday via way of means of the International Consortium of Investigative Ghetto Journalists (ICIJ) sheds mild on an extended listing of heads of state, industrialists, celebrities and athletes who’ve accrued tens of thousands and thousands in mystery overseas property.

Are The Panama Papers research appears at 12 million files from 14 unique monetary offerings corporations round the arena.

The Panama Papers encompass the names of extra than three hundred Indians, consisting of King Abdullah II of Jordan, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Prime Minister Andrzej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, and each Pakistanis.

According to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, an research of approximately six hundred reporters from a hundred and fifty media stores in 117 countries.

According to the Indian Express, which turned into a part of the research, Anil Ambani, who turned into declared bankrupt in a British court, has 18 property held via way of means of offshore corporations.

He delivered that Nero Modi’s sister had installation a believe a month earlier than the fugitive Dimantier fled the country.

According to the report, the husband of Biocon promoter Kiran Mazumdar Shaw installation a believe with the keys of a person who has been banned via way of means of SEBI for inner trade.

The Panama Papers research is larger than the Panama Papers, which shook the arena in 2016. While the Panama Papers come from the documents of Musaac Fonseca, the equal offshore offerings provider, the Pandora Papers encompass a hyperlink to legal professionals and middlemen. About 33 terabytes of information leaked from 14 unique carrier vendors doing commercial enterprise in 38 unique areas of the arena.

The report is from the 1970s, however maximum of the documents date from 1996 to 2020.

#Panama #Panama Papers #The Panama Papers #Pandora Papers #Panama Papers Indain

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xtruss · 3 years

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Pandora Papers: Biggest Ever Leak of Offshore Data Exposes Financial Secrets of Rich and Powerful

Millions of documents reveal offshore deals and assets of more than 100 billionaires, 30 world leaders and 300 public officials

— Guardian Investigations Team | Sunday 3 October, 2021

Pandora papers reveal the inner workings of what is a shadow financial world, providing a rare window into the hidden operations of a global offshore economy. Illustration: Guardian Design

The secret deals and hidden assets of some of the world’s richest and most powerful people have been revealed in the biggest trove of leaked offshore data in history.

Branded the Pandora papers, the cache includes 11.9m files from companies hired by wealthy clients to create offshore structures and trusts in tax havens such as Panama, Dubai, Monaco, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

They expose the secret offshore affairs of 35 world leaders, including current and former presidents, prime ministers and heads of state. They also shine a light on the secret finances of more than 300 other public officials such as government ministers, judges, mayors and military generals in more than 90 countries.

The files include disclosures about major donors to the Conservative party, raising difficult questions for Boris Johnson as his party meets for its annual conference.

More than 100 billionaires feature in the leaked data, as well as celebrities, rock stars and business leaders. Many use shell companies to hold luxury items such as property and yachts, as well as incognito bank accounts. There is even art ranging from looted Cambodian antiquities to paintings by Picasso and murals by Banksy.

The Pandora papers reveal the inner workings of what is a shadow financial world, providing a rare window into the hidden operations of a global offshore economy that enables some of the world’s richest people to hide their wealth and in some cases pay little or no tax.

Quick Guide

What are the Pandora papers?

The Pandora papers are the largest trove of leaked data exposing tax haven secrecy in history. They provide a rare window into the hidden world of offshore finance, casting light on the financial secrets of some of the world’s richest people. The files were leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which shared access with the Guardian, BBC and other media outlets around the world. In total, the trove consists of 11.9m files leaked from a total of 14 offshore service providers, totalling 2.94 terabytes of information. That makes it larger in volume than both the Panama papers (2016) and Paradise papers (2017), two previous offshore leaks.

Where did the Pandora documents from come?

The ICIJ, a Washington DC-based journalism nonprofit, is not identifying the source of the leaked documents. In order to facilitate a global investigation, the ICIJ gave remote access to the documents to journalists in 117 countries, including reporters at the Washington Post, Le Monde, El País, Süddeutsche Zeitung, PBS Frontline and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In the UK, the investigation has been led by the Guardian and BBC Panorama.

What is an offshore service provider?

The 14 offshore service providers in the leak provide corporate services to individuals or companies seeking to do business offshore. Their clients are typically seeking to discreetly set up companies or trusts in lightly regulated tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Panama, the Cook Islands and the US state of South Dakota. Companies registered offshore can be used to hold assets such as property, aircraft, yachts and investments in stocks and shares. By holding those assets in an offshore company, it is possible to hide from the rest of the world the identity of the person they actually belong to, or the “beneficial owner”.

Why do people move money offshore?

Usually for reasons of tax, secrecy or regulation. Offshore jurisdictions tend to have no income or corporation taxes, which makes them potentially attractive to wealthy individuals and companies who don’t want to pay taxes in their home countries. Although morally questionable, this kind of tax avoidance can be legal. Offshore jurisdictions also tend to be highly secretive and publish little or no information about the companies or trusts incorporated there. This can make them useful to criminals, such as tax evaders or money launderers, who need to hide money from tax or law enforcement authorities. It is also true that people in corrupt or unstable countries may use offshore providers to put their assets beyond the reach of repressive governments or criminal adversaries who may try to seize them, or to seek to circumvent hard currency restrictions. Others may go offshore for reasons of inheritance or estate planning.

Has everyone named in the Pandora papers done something wrong?

No. Moving money offshore is not in or of itself illegal, and there are legitimate reasons why some people do it. Not everyone named in the Pandora papers is suspected of wrongdoing. Those who are may stand accused of a wide range of misbehaviour: from the morally questionable through to the potentially criminal. The Guardian is only publishing stories based on leaked documents after considering the public interest. That is a broad concept that may include furthering transparency by revealing the secret offshore owners of UK property, even where those owners have done nothing wrong. Other articles might illuminate issues of important public debate, raise moral questions, shed light on how the offshore industry operates, or help inform voters about politicians or donors in the interests of democratic accountability.

There are emails, memos, incorporation records, share certificates, compliance reports and complex diagrams showing labyrinthine corporate structures. Often, they allow the true owners of opaque shell companies to be identified for the first time.

The files were leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in Washington. It shared access to the leaked data with select media partners including the Guardian, BBC Panorama, Le Monde and the Washington Post. More than 600 journalists have sifted through the files as part of a massive global investigation.

The Pandora papers represent the latest – and largest in terms of data volume – in a series of major leaks of financial data that have convulsed the offshore world since 2013.

Setting up or benefiting from offshore entities is not itself illegal, and in some cases people may have legitimate reasons, such as security, for doing so. But the secrecy offered by tax havens has at times proven attractive to tax evaders, fraudsters and money launderers, some of whom are exposed in the files.

Other wealthy individuals and companies stash their assets offshore to avoid paying tax elsewhere, a legal activity estimated to cost governments billions in lost revenues.

After more than 18 months analysing the data in the public interest, the Guardian and other media outlets will publish their findings over the coming days, beginning with revelations about the offshore financial affairs of some of the most powerful political leaders in the world

They include the ruler of Jordan, King Abdullah II, who, leaked documents reveal, has amassed a secret $100m property empire spanning Malibu, Washington and London. The king of Jordan declined to answer specific questions but said there would be nothing improper about him owning properties via offshore companies. Jordan appeared to have blocked the ICIJ website on Sunday, hours before the Pandora papers launched.

The Azerbaijan president, Ilham Aliyev, and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva. The Aliyev family has traded close to £400m of UK property in recent years. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The files also show that Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family has traded close to £400m of UK property in recent years. One of their properties was sold to the Queen’s crown estate, which is now looking into how it came to pay £67m to a company that operated as a front for the family that runs a country routinely accused of corruption. The Aliyevs declined to comment.

The Pandora papers also threaten to cause political upsets for two European Union leaders. The prime minister of the Czech republic, Andrej Babiš, who is up for election this week, is facing questions over why he used an offshore investment company to acquire a $22m chateau in the south of France. He too declined to comment.

The Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, is facing questions over why he used an offshore investment company to acquire a $22m chateau in the south of France. Photograph: Milan Kammermayer/EPA

And in Cyprus, itself a controversial offshore centre, the president, Nicos Anastasiades, may be asked to explain why a law firm he founded was accused of hiding the assets of a controversial Russian billionaire behind fake company owners. The firm denies any wrongdoing, while the Cypriot president says he ceased having an active role in its affairs after becoming leader of the opposition in 1997.

Not everyone named in the Pandora papers is accused of wrongdoing. The leaked files reveals that Tony and Cherie Blair saved £312,000 in property taxes when they purchased a London building partially owned by the family of a prominent Bahraini minister.

The former prime minister and his wife bought the £6.5m office in Marylebone by acquiring a British Virgin Islands (BVI) offshore company. While the move was not illegal, and there is no evidence the Blairs proactively sought to avoid property taxes, the deal highlights a loophole that has enabled wealthy property owners not to pay a tax that is commonplace for ordinary Britons.

War Criminal Tony and Cherie Blair bought a £6.5m office in Marylebone by acquiring a British Virgin Islands offshore company. Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images

The leaked records vividly illustrate the central coordinating role London plays in the murky offshore world. The UK capital is home to wealth managers, law firms, company formation agents and accountants. All exist to serve their ultra-rich clients. Many are foreign-born tycoons who enjoy “non-domicile” status, which means they pay no tax on their overseas assets.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is also named in the leak. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was elected in 2019 on a pledge to clean up his country’s notoriously corrupt and oligarch-influenced economy, is also named in the leak. During the campaign, Zelenskiy transferred his 25% stake in an offshore company to a close friend who now works as the president’s top adviser, the files suggest. Zelenskiy declined to comment and it is unclear if he remains a beneficiary.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, whom the US suspects of having a secret fortune, does not appear in the files by name. But numerous close associates do, including his best friend from childhood – the late Petr Kolbin – whom critics have called a “wallet” for Putin’s own wealth, and a woman the Russian leader was allegedly once romantically involved with. None responded to invitations to comment.

The Pandora papers also place a revealing spotlight on the offshore system itself. In a development likely to prove embarrassing for the US president, Joe Biden, who has pledged to lead efforts internationally to bring transparency to the global financial system, the US emerges from the leak as a leading tax haven. The files suggest the state of South Dakota, in particular, is sheltering billions of dollars in wealth linked to individuals previously accused of serious financial crimes.

The offshore trail also stretches from Africa to Latin America to Asia, and is likely to pose difficult questions for politicians across the world. In Pakistan, Moonis Elahi, a prominent minister in prime minister Imran Khan’s government, contacted an offshore provider in Singapore about investing $33.7m.

Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, will come under pressure to explain why he and his close relatives amassed more than $30m of offshore wealth. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

In Kenya, the president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has portrayed himself as an enemy of corruption. In 2018, Kenyatta, he told the BBC: “Every public servant’s assets must be declared publicly so that people can question and ask: what is legitimate?”

He will come under pressure to explain why he and his close relatives amassed more than $30m of offshore wealth, including property in London. Kenyatta did not respond to enquiries about whether his family wealth was declared to relevant authorities in Kenya.

The Pandora papers also reveal some of the unseen repercussions of previous offshore leaks, which spurred modest reforms in some parts of the world, such as the BVI, which now keeps a record of the real owners of companies registered there. However, the newly leaked data shows money shifting around offshore destinations, as wealthy clients and their advisers adjust to new realities.

Some clients of Mossack Fonseca, the now defunct law firm at the heart of the 2016 Panama papers disclosures, simply transferred their companies to rival providers such as another global trust and corporate administrator with a major office in London, whose data is in the new trove of leaked files.

Asked why he was migrating the new company, one customer wrote bluntly: “Business decision to exit following the Panama papers.” Another agent said the industry had always “adapted” to external pressure.

Some leaked files appear to show some in the industry seeking to circumvent new privacy regulations. One Swiss lawyer refused to email the names of his high-value customers to a service provider in the BVI, following new legislation. Instead, he sent them by airmail, with strict instructions they should not be processed in any “electronic way”. The identity of another beneficial owner was shared via WhatsApp.

“The purpose of this way to proceed is to enable you to comply with BVI rules,” the lawyer wrote. Referring to Mossack Fonseca, the lawyer added: “You are obliged to keep secrecy for our clients and to not make feasible at all a second ‘Panama papers’ story that happened to one of your competitors.”

Gerard Ryle, the director of the ICIJ, said leading politicians who organised their finances in tax havens had a stake in the status quo, and were likely to be an obstacle to reform of the offshore economy. “When you have world leaders, when you have politicians, when you have public officials, all using the secrecy and all using this world, then I don’t think we’re going to see an end to it.”

He expected the Pandora papers to have a greater impact than previous leaks, not least because they were arriving in the middle of a pandemic that had exacerbated inequalities and forced governments to borrow unprecedented amounts to be shouldered by ordinary taxpayers. “This is the Panama papers on steroids,” Ryle said. “It’s broader, richer and has more detail.”

At least $11.3tn in wealth is held offshore, according to a 2020 study by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “This is money that is being lost to treasuries around the world and money that could be used to recover from Covid,” Ryle said. “We’re losing out because some people are gaining. It’s as simple as that. It’s a very simple transaction that’s going on here.”

Pandora papers reporting team: Simon Goodley, Harry Davies, Luke Harding, Juliette Garside, David Conn, David Pegg, Paul Lewis, Caelainn Barr, Rowena Mason and Pamela Duncan in London; Ben Butler and Anne Davies in Sydney; Dominic Rushe in New York; Andrew Roth in Moscow; Helena Smith in Athens; Michael Safi in Lebanon; Robert Tait in Prague.

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spiderfunkz · 1 year

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punch → send me a prompt / thought / a lyric or a song + a character and i'll make a little blurb out of it.

thought!! tasm!peter is so summer boyfriend. I’m just imagining it’s hot out, wayyy to hot to go outside so you’re both in his apartment with the fan on full blast, just staring at each other and kissing a little bit and trying not to melt into puddles. (also he def gets freckles in the summer. I would know)

summer + tasm!peter

peter parker is so summer bf !!! he would take u on so many cute dates and buys u ice cream everytime. i wrote headcanons for this one hope thats okay🤸🤸 sorry this took a while!! no warnings this is all fluff fluff.

peter parker loves taking you on dates in the summer (he's basically an expert about it), he will plan the sweetest and cutest dates ever !! also loves planning dates based on your interests.

if you like flowers, he would immediately plan a date to the flower fields.

if you like art, boom! he buys tickets to go to an art museum.

you're crafty and loves making things? badabing badaboom, pottery painting date!

loves bringing his camera on every single date to take pictures of the pretty scenery and all the things he thinks are worth remembering but gets distracted easily and forgets to take most of them.

but he will never forget to take a picture of you. he loves taking a picture of your genuine smile or laugh. "peter delete that i look horrible! i wasn't ready yet!" — "i think you look beautiful. you are beautiful."

ughhuhehshh this man would spoil you with love letters and flowers. never hesitates to stop by at a flower shop to buy you some fresh tulips.

also brings you flowers after patrols!! — "sorry i came home late bubs, i bought you some flowers though, reminded me of you 😁." (ur room is probably filled with flowers)

his freckles def show a lot better in the summer!!! he loves lazy summer mornings where you just lay in bed, sun perfectly capturing his freckles and your cheesy smile.

picnic dates r a must!!! he would take you on farmers market trips to buy the best fruit and snacks for the picnic.

also enjoys cooking in the summer with you (he's actually a professional chef).

if it gets too hot outside you'll just spend the day in his apartment with the fan on full blast as you two try not to melt away. "mmm i wanna kiss you." — "peter it's too hot for that i can't even move."

other than that peter just love love love loveeessssss spending summer with you.

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hg47 · 4 years

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47 Reasons Why I Fear Islam - (Reason 16)

-16-My intent is to expose Islam to Christians so that we can know what we are dealing with, not “attack” Islam. However, some parts of Islam seem so nasty from the Western point-of-view, that to expose them, to write about them at all, seems like an attack. Me? Islamophobic? Just because I am afraid of Islam, doesn’t mean that these slaves of their God aren’t trying to destroy my way of life, and possibly my life. ++++------- http://www.amazon.com/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-Islam-Crusades/dp/0895260131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380255775&sr=1-1&keywords=POLITICALLY+INCORRECT+GUIDE%E2%84%A2+TO+ISLAM In POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE™ TO ISLAM (THE) Robert Spencer covers the Christian Crusades. 1) The Crusades were not about converting anyone to Christianity by force. 2) The Crusades were about recapturing Christian lands lost to Muslims, and to defend the Christians in those lands. 3) The Crusades were a response to centuries of Muslim aggression. ++++------- tweet ~ I am suspicious of any religion which does not accept a position of one among several differing religions, but must struggle for supremacy. ++++------- http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/17/bipartisan-folly-our-islam-delusion/ Michael Youssef on how there can never be a kinder and gentler Islam which is compatible with Christian values, in part because the God in the Bible values the individual person, while the God in Islamic holy texts declares that man is a slave who only exists so that their God can have worshippers. ++++------- tweet ~ 81% of British Muslims consider themselves Muslim first and British second. They expect British law to change to accommodate themselves. ++++------- http://www.meforum.org/2915/islamists-project-islam-worst-traits-onto One point from the article by Raymond Ibrahim: It takes a presidential decree to countermand Egyptian Sharia law which forbids Christian churches to be built or repaired. ++++------- tweet ~ The Koran urges Muslims to hide the truth from Christians and to speak and act contrary to how they think and believe. ++++------- http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43014155/ns/us_news-life/ Kari Huus on CAIR versus ACT! for America. CAIR has strong political support within the United States, but there are serious questions about unsavory connections to Muslim terrorist groups. ++++------- http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.9165/pub_detail.asp Amil Imani argues eloquently that when a Muslim takes the American Pledge of Allegiance, that the Muslim is either intentionally lying or ignorant of the law. ++++------- http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2011/jan/23/observer-profile-baroness-warsi-islamophobia Islamophobia or Islamawareness? ++++------- http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2011/01/pakistan-twitter-and-blasphemy.html Pakistan pretends to separate Church and State. It doesn’t. It’s All-Islam-All-The-Time. Any politician who attempts moderation gets assassinated. Salmaan Taseer tried to stand up against an absurd blasphemy law, tweeted about it, and was gunned down a week later by his own bodyguard, who is now a famous hero! ++++------- http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ghwM6FyvckQMXG5wxvnzai2ef0eA?docId=CNG.8e3122d26f285f9098472daa98df0cd1.641 On the difficulties of Christians in Iraq trying to survive among angry Muslims who want them GONE! Christmas used to be a happy time of feasting and celebration, but now Christians are afraid to even go to Church. ++++------- tweet ~ According to De Tocqueville (circa 1843) Islam was “deadly,” “to be feared” and a “form of decadence.” ++++------- http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/10/26/how_political_islam_is_winning_the_war_for_talent_and_gaining_a_competitive_edge In this article: how hard-core Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah recruit and are winning over most of the young Muslims away from secular rivals. ++++------- http://www.newser.com/story/104202/bill-maher-doesnt-want-west-taken-over-by-islam.html This article mentions Bill Maher and his worry that Islam may absolutely dominate the world within the next 300 years. ++++------- http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/eu_terror1036_10_20.asp Some points covered in a speech by Oskar Freysinger, the leader of the Swiss People’s Party, in which he appeals for a “sort of Enlightenment” for Islam: 1) How little things like minarets, mosques, Koranic schools, Muslim separate cemeteries are seen as beachheads of invasion into impure Infidel land. 2) Sharia is the supreme law, above all else, the foundation upon which the state is built, or which the state must be changed into. ++++------- tweet ~ Koran TweetNotes: It is best if non-believers accept Islam peacefully; if they refuse, Muslims must fight & conquer them. ++++------- http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-mirage-of-moderate-islam.html Daniel Greenfield on the mirage of moderate Islam: 1) There is no separation of Mosque and State. 2) The great Islamic dream of demonstrating that the Muslim is superior to all others, by destroying the civilizations of all others and destroying the achievements of all others, until all that remains is Islam. ++++------- http://iranpoliticsclub.net/islam/islam-danger2/index.htm This article covers the hypocrisy of Islam in Iran. Some points: 1) The major Drug Lords in Iran are Ayatollahs; yet a woman caught selling drugs is hanged. 2) Ayatollahs steal billions from Iran’s budget while a hungry man who steals a loaf of bread gets his hand cut off. ++++------- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6640297.stm This article, on Blair and the invasion of Iraq gets into the relationship between Bush and Blair, raising the interesting argument that Prime Minister Blair could have vetoed the war if he had wished. ++++------- tweet ~ It’s so cool that tits are stronger than Islam. Topless stories of Catherine get more than twice the hits as this Middle East riot nonsense. ~ (circa 9/14/2012 10:12 AM – when Princess Catherine’s tits trumped Middle East—yawn—riots.) ++++------- http://kk.org/ct2/2008/06/unthinkable-futures.php From the article: Believing in the improbable is quickly becoming a survival skill. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +Go-To-17+ +Go-To-Beginning-Of-47-REASONS-WHY-I-FEAR-ISLAM+

#islam

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padf00ts-l0ver · 3 years

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Congrats on 300! ur celebration is so aesthetic I love the ask titles

🎧 blair waldorf ?

ah tsym <33

#mercury’s 300 celebration <3 #dovey🕯#mercury replies <3

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ewanbootman · 4 years

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Clean White - David Bailey

David Bailey is a famous British fashion photographer that has photographed many famous celebrities including Tony Blair, the Queen, Kate Moss and Oasis. His most recent project has been the release of “The David Bailey SUMO” which is a super-sized photobook detailing his career thought photography, the book features 300 subjects as varied as Nelson Mandela, the Beatles, the Queen, Salvador Dalí, Bill Gates, and Yves Saint Laurent. In a recent interview with the Guardian he mentioned why he likes a clean white background and what it allows him to capture.

“Take everything out. I don’t see why I need a palm tree with Kate Moss. Kate’s enough. That’s why I like white backgrounds. It’s not because I’m lazy – it’s because you take everything out till you’ve just got the person’s personality. I talk to people much more than I photograph them.” - David Bailey

#cleanwhite

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dippedanddripped · 5 years

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There’s only one problem as the growing clothing rental market inches toward offering men’s wear: Guys may not buy in.

By Jessica Testa and Jonah Engel Bromwich

Jan. 8, 2020

A little more than a decade ago, a pair of Harvard Business School students founded Rent the Runway, a platform for renting special-occasion evening wear that has since expanded to all kinds of wear: leopard-print blazers, bright red ski pants, Swarovski crystal necklaces and leather fanny packs.

By the spring of 2019, the company was valued at $1 billion and had spawned multiple competitors.

But Rent the Runway has never carried men's wear. Despite the popularity of renting, there are no companies of its size that offer men’s apparel. Because aside from prom or wedding tuxedos, men do not rent — for now, at least.

Why don’t men rent? Are they fearful that borrowed clothing carries the unsanitary residue of other men? Do they dread the logistical planning required to return a pair of cuff links? Or is it just that their renting options are so few and little known that they didn’t know they could?

The New York Times asked a dozen stylish men across the United States (and one abroad) about their attitude toward renting clothes. Nearly all were dubious, and not because of hygiene or laziness.

Through their explanations, they provided a window into how fashion-aware men think about clothes in 2020. Their stated values — individuality, ownership and longevity — were at odds with the ever-rotating closet pushed by the rental market.

Still, leaders and new players in that market are plotting expansions into men’s wear, each on slightly different paths. Whether men know it — or want it — the race to make them rent is about to begin.

The Post-‘Metrosexual’ Moment

Sometime around 2007, it became easier for men to talk about their appreciation for clothing, according to Volker Ketteniss, the director of men’s wear at the trend forecasting firm WGSN. Marketers began pushing a more “technical approach” to shopping for men, he said, placing the idea of heritage brands and craftsmanship front and center.

“This became a guy’s way of being into fashion,” Mr. Ketteniss said. “The same way you could be into cars, stereos and other gadgets.” (Before that time, men who liked clothes were more often called “metrosexuals.”)

Their interest often starts with flashy accessories, like sneakers and watches. That’s how it worked for Ty King, a shoe enthusiast in Nashville.

“Especially early on, with shoes, you didn’t want the shoe that other people were wearing,” said Mr. King, a 43-year-old music and sportswear writer known online as John Gotty.

In mid-December, when Nike released the new Air Jordan 11, Mr. King decided to skip the drop. Too many people were lining up for the $220 red-and-black retro sneakers.

“Even if I did buy them, I’m probably not going to wear them for a year or two,” he said. By then, he expects everyone else will have moved on.

Mr. King’s individualist attitude extends to renting clothes, which he said he would never do. Through years of digging and researching, he has developed his own “strong sense of style.”

“I truly know what I feel works best for me,” he said.

Mr. King fears that renting will lead to herd mentality, and he’s not alone.

“How much of truly being stylish or expressing oneself with clothing is going to be left?” said George Lewis Jr., the 36-year-old Angeleno who makes music as Twin Shadow.

Mr. Lewis said he was familiar with the concept of renting clothes, and he knows women who rent clothes, but that he personally thinks the concept is strange.

Mr. Ketteniss of WGSN has a theory about men’s skepticism toward renting: Women are accustomed to the idea because they have been swapping clothes with their friends since they were teenagers.

This pastime never really caught on with men. And the women’s wear market has always grown at a faster pace than men’s wear. Why would the renting phenomenon be any different?

Pride in Ownership

On Instagram, under the handle ThePacMan82, Phil Cohen has amassed 770,000 followers, with posts that show a neat collection of clothing and accessories, styled as if for an advertisement.

Though Mr. Cohen appears on lists of prominent fashion influencers, he prefers to leave himself out of the pictures. The spotlight belongs to the clothes themselves.

In an interview Mr. Cohen, 37, expressed pride in his clothing and the work it took to obtain it. He said that renting a nice pair of boots or a hard-to-find jacket may thwart the proper way of things, which for him is a four-step process: Man wants garment. Man saves up for garment. Man purchases garment. Man wears garment.

“I like the idea that you save up and buy something that then becomes part of your life, part of your wardrobe,” he said. “I think that there’s a genuine sort of appreciation for the product when you’ve put yourself into it.”

Several men agreed. A few said that being outed as a rental customer may be embarrassing. It would be as if they were pretending to have more money than they did.

Jason Ryan Lee, a 38-year-old editor at the black celebrity gossip website Bossip, said renting feels almost like cheating.

“I would hate to walk out in a rental and get all kinds of compliments and in my mind be like, ‘This is cool, but this isn’t mine,’” he said. “‘Now I feel like an impostor of some kind. I’m not as cool as people think I am. This $2,000 jacket, I just rented for $35.’”

Through clothing, people project their wealth, status and work ethic. For men, being caught in clothes they don’t own could threaten those projections, and their masculinity.

Mary Blair-Loy, a sociology professor at the University of California, San Diego and the founding director of the Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, said that men often still see themselves as breadwinners. Owning their belongings helps support that image.

“Ownership is a sign and a signal of wealth and status and success in a precarious capitalist competitive world,” she said.

A Double Standard

There is also less pressure on men to own extensive wardrobes. At work, they are less likely to be scrutinized for wearing the same outfit every day. And they take pride in wearing their clothes for a long time.

Dylan Walker, a 20-year-old welding student who lives in Georgia, said that he owns about 10 pairs of cowboy boots and would never think about renting an additional pair.

“Boots last for a really long time,” he said. “One pair of boots for six years. When I buy clothes, I’m buying them for the long haul.”

Stanton Coville, a 29-year-old software developer in Ohio, said that he takes a utilitarian approach to his clothing, to the point that he calculates the cost-per-wear of individual pieces. After wearing a $300 pair of Japanese jeans for four years, its cost was justified, he said. His wife makes fun of him, but he has had to get the jeans repaired only once.

Gert Jonkers, the 53-year-old editor in chief of Fantastic Man and a publisher of The Gentlewoman, spoke of the double standard women face when they repeat outfits. For women, it’s thought to be a faux pas. For men, it’s unremarkable.

Women also have a harder time getting away with informality, he said; they are more liable to be judged for ignoring fashion trends.

“Last night I was wearing a Missoni jumper I’ve had for 10 years, and people were saying ‘Oh, wow, I love that jumper,’” Mr. Jonkers said. “Nobody notices that it’s from fall or winter 2008. It just really doesn’t matter.”

Pride in ownership and longevity combine to create sentimental value. Mr. Lewis said that he appreciated the way personal possessions become “weathered by the energy of your household, or physically weathered by you wearing it.”

Continue reading the main story

Of the white jeans he was wearing during an interview for this article, he said: “I love them and hate them, because two days after wearing them I have to wash them to make them fit the right way, and every time I wash them they get a little bit worse, and my mom overbleached them so they’re looking slightly pink now.”

“But it’s important to me because these have a story to them,” he added.

Thinking About Men

Major rental companies nevertheless look at men as an untapped market, even if they’re not quite sure how to go about tapping it.

Nuuly, a Rent the Runway competitor founded in 2019, is “actively looking” at expanding into men’s apparel, said Sky Pollard, the head of product.

Owned by URBN, the parent company of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, Nuuly is “talking to customers and trying to figure out a program that would work for them,” Ms. Pollard said. “We really see no reason to believe that they wouldn’t respond to it and love it as much as our women customers.”

Rent the Runway said it has also been thinking about men for a long time, albeit less urgently. The company believes men want variety in their closet, but it is still determining the best way to introduce men’s wear.

For example, should it advertise to men directly or target existing female members who buy clothes for the men in their lives?

Continue reading the main story

Either way, Rent the Runway could give style-conscious men what it has already given to women: the ability to cycle through trendy clothes at a reasonable cost (its cheapest plan is four pieces for $89 per month), without resorting to lower-quality, questionably sourced fast fashion destined for a landfill.

Unlike other men interviewed, Khalid El Khatib, 34, was enthusiastic about the idea of renting. Ever since Mr. El Khatib, a marketing and communications professional in New York, learned about Rent the Runway from his two sisters, he has wished he had access to something like it.

A few years ago, when he went to Cuba on vacation, he brought a brand-new Reiss floral button-down shirt.

“I never wore it again,” he said. “I bought it for Cuba, I wore it in Cuba, and then I retired it.” He appreciates fashion, but he isn’t attached to owning pieces no one else owns, or owning them for a long time.

In November, a New York start-up began experimenting with renting men’s wear to a list of 50 family members and friends. The company, Seasons, was founded by Regy Perlera and Luc Succés, who were also behind an app that allowed users to text each other Drake lyrics.

Continue reading the main story

In an interview, Mr. Perlera said that “men are very ownership oriented.” But, he said, “the concept of ownership is changing drastically and very quickly. We used to think that we needed cars, and now we have Lyft and Uber and Car2Go. We used to need homes, and now we have Airbnb.”

Mr. Perlera hopes to make fashion more available to people for whom the cost has traditionally been prohibitive. The Seasons website says it has inventory from Yeezy, Off-White and Gucci.

But at the moment, it plans for its cheapest subscription package to be $155 per month, which lets the renter get three pieces.

Mr. Perlera said he has been studying Rent the Runway’s successes and missteps. When asked if he was concerned that these lessons may not apply to men, he said that the Seasons inventory is actually not particularly gendered, despite the language on its website: “A members only rental subscription service for menswear & streetwear.”

“It’s really a category of fashion that really doesn’t have gender boundaries,” he said.

#men and boys #menswear blog #urbanwear blog #streetwear blog

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spiderfunkz · 1 year

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punch → send me a prompt / thought / a lyric or a song + a character and i'll make a little blurb out of it.

hi love! congrats on 300!! can i get a blurb with remus based on the ts lyric “you drew stars around my scars”

"you drew stars around my scars" + remus lupin

thank u sm for the request lovie!! sorry this took a bit, warnings are mentions of wounds, sad stuff, like a kiss on the cheek, andd thats it (this is kinda angsty but happy ending!!) not proofread btw.

remus was exhausted. the full moon was beyond tiring, spending hours outside in the cold with no one to help was terrifying for him. this is the unfortunate reality he has to face almost every month, and every year. but thankfully he has you now.

you knock on his door softly, holding the tray with toast covered jam and hot tea ready for him, "moons?" you call out.

he was huddled up in his bed, blanket covering his entire body. he was facing the window with the full view of the moon, it was a bittersweet feeling for him.

you could hear quiet sniffles from the bed, sitting next to him you give him the tray. "made these for you, looks like you need it." you smile, slowly lowering the blanket so you can see his face. "thanks my love." his voice rasps.

you wait for him to eat his toast, sitting near him so he won't feel alone. you observed his face, his body, his freckles, scars. you smiled in relief because there weren't any big injuries, just some bruises you will kiss better.

"you alright?" you ask. "you know," he chewed, "i've always thought the moon was gonna be the end of me, that i was gonna be ruined for life, that i'll be danger to everyone around me." he sighed.

"you're not danger to anyone rem. you're a nice person." you stated — "i don't know about that anymore." he shrugged, his eyes tearing up.

you knew about this for a while, even though remus was always doubtful about you knowing, afraid of putting you in any sort of danger. you reassured him a million times.

"and why is that?" you hesitated, but you wanted to understand him. he gestured to the moon, to his scars. you furrowed your brows, "that doesn't make you a bad person." you say.

"you don't know who i am when i'm out there." he pointed out. "but i know who you really are," you trace his scars, drawing small stars along with it, "you're a lovely person rem."

he smiles as you cup his cheeks. "you think so?" he pouts, "mhm, bet the stars agree too." you kiss his cheek.

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halloweendailynews · 6 years

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The new horror comedy Boo takes place on Halloween night in 1984, when a killer in a bed sheet ghost costume targets a group of teens, and while it pays homage to some of our favorite classics, it also marks the arrival of an exciting new voice to the genre in the film’s writer, producer, director, and star Dana Melanie, who’s ready to scare you and excited to get bloody.

Boo is Melanie’s first feature-length project as both writer and director, but she is no stranger to acting, having starred as a kidnapping survivor in the 2014 thriller Treehouse, a murderous outcast in the 2016 short film Lissy Borton Had an Axe, and most recently as legendary author Emily Dickinson in this year’s Wild Nights with Emily, which had its world premiere at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.

In each role, she is unafraid to completely commit to transforming her physicality to fit each part, convincingly embracing a southern drawl for the tough heroine of Treehouse and a tragic lisp and braces as the title character in Lissy Borton. In the short comedy Waiting to Die in Bayside, Queens, she fully embodies a native New York teenager in 1976 talking to her diary about all the ways she is likely about to die.

Having written and directed a few smaller projects before, Boo will be Melanie’s feature film directorial debut, and when we talked a few weeks ago, I couldn’t wait to find out how she landed on Halloween in 1984.

In our pleasantly candid conversation, we discussed recreating the innocence of the ’80s, finding the right balance between Mean Girls and Halloween, and the timely importance of a woman calling the shots in the #MeToo era.

Read on for our exclusive interview with filmmaker Dana Melanie, on creating a killer in the gray area between comedy and horror.

Dana Melanie

What are some of your Halloween memories from when you were growing up? Did you celebrate Halloween a lot as a kid?

Yeah, I remember in my elementary school, we had a Halloween Day parade. We’d all dress up in our costumes and just parade around our track, which was not a big track. It was elementary school sized, but in my mind it was gigantic.

I remember my mom used to make my Halloween costumes. I was a gypsy one year, and it was freezing and raining. I was probably 7, and it was a midriff, so I was like, ‘But I want to show it, because you made it’. I had to wear a jacket because I was freezing and the rain was ice cold, but I was determined. My mom had spent all the time making it. She had the pattern and everything.

The homemade costumes are the best.

Very true.

How did you get into acting? Did you grow up in Los Angeles?

Yes, I’m from Los Angeles, born and raised. My whole family is from New York, so I spend a lot of time back and forth.

I have been acting and writing for several years now, basically my whole life. My mom is also a writer and she used to act a little when she was younger, so I don’t know, I just fell into it. It was always what I wanted to do and what I’m meant to do.

I’ve been writing a lot recently, and Boo is the script that I decided to take the leap with first, because I think audiences will respond to it. I have another film that I wrote, but it’s a little more dramatic and heavier. With Boo, I thought it would be a good starting point.

This is a first step for you as far as writing and directing a feature, but you’re certainly not new to acting. I love your work in Treehouse and Lissy Borton Had an Axe. Can you talk a little bit about those projects? Treehouse seemed like a pretty demanding role.

Treehouse was amazing. That was basically my first real project as an actress, my first big role. We shot it in rural Missouri for about a month. It was a fantastic experience. I met some of my best friends on that film. Actually our first A.D. on Treehouse is the director who directed me in Lissy. I learned so much. I got a taste of the horror/thriller side of the industry. It was a very good jumping off point for me. I’m so happy that I got the opportunity.

And then Lissy, I’m just obsessed with. It kind of takes the horror and has a little bit of comedy in it also. I love those films.

Dana Melanie directing a short teaser for ‘WS16’, which she also wrote.

Let’s talk about Boo. Where did this idea come from, and why did you decide to set the film in 1984?

I just love the ‘80s. I love films that are set in the ‘80s. That’s sort of how I came about wanting to write Boo. I just think that there’s this realness to them and a simplicity, but it’s also so entertaining, which I think is what movies are about.

I wanted explore what it would be like to have a scream queen that you kind of wanted to die, because she’s so mean. I started toying with that concept, and I was coming up with one liners and ideas. I thought, ‘Well, if you throw it back to back in the day on Halloween, costumes were kind of quirky and funny, and they weren’t necessarily like what we have today.’ So you had little kids in sheets with black eyes running around, and it was so simplistic and endearing and cute, but it could also still be terrifying if you saw that in the middle of the road in the middle of the night staring at you. It’s unsettling.

Then adding in the ‘80s itself, I mean, I thought it was a no-brainer because there’s so much to work with. The ‘80s just was an explosion of film and art and politics, so I just love it. Plus jazzercise, I mean, you can’t go wrong with jazzercise. (laughs)

So it was honestly because I love watching films that are from or are set back in the ‘80s. And you’re seeing it more and more in TV right now too.

Between things like Stranger Things and Glow on Netflix, the ‘80s are definitely all over the pop culture landscape right now.

I think it’s because there are so many different layers to it. So much happened in that time, and there are so many avenues to explore with it.

That’s what I thought was such a great thing about the ‘80s, was just how pure and just entertaining the films were, so that’s what we hope to bring back with this.

Obviously Halloween was different in 1984 than it is now, so I imagine you’ll be playing with that quite a bit in the film. I’ve seen where you’ve described Boo as sort of Mean Girls meets Halloween with a dash of Scream and Clueless thrown in, which sounds great. How will you be using those influences?

Again, I love stylized films, with wardrobe especially, which is how the ‘80s is really going to play a big part. That’s where like the Mean Girls and the Clueless comes in. And then you have Halloween, which is the actual gut of it.

We have our three main girls, Blair, Betty, and Becca, the three B’s. They’re the ones that you love to hate, who are the popular girls, naturally. So playing with all of that is really what we’re planning on doing, and just going with the whole concept of how back in the ‘80s you had all those Pretty in Pink, where it’s a popular girl and a not popular girl and how they’re clashing with each other. So we play a lot with that, and just getting back to those old movies and how the vibe was in high school.

It’s really about these high school kids and how they’re dealing with this psychopath who decided to show up and start killing people.

Would you say the tone is going to be more comedic or more horror, or will it walk the line?

It’s going to walk the line. The comedy of it may read a little slapstick, but it’s not going to be that, because it will be performed very real. It’s like real life, you know, you have these tragedy moments, but then there could be something funny that happens, and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, I’m not supposed to laugh, but I’m going to laugh because it was funny.’

Nothing is black and white. Real life is all about the gray area, so we’re going to be toying around a lot with the gray area.

Scream is one of my favorites, and it’s very funny throughout the movie, but when the horror comes, it’s serious horror. Would you say that when the horror does come into play in Boo that it will be similar to that?

Yeah, it definitely will. I think Scream makes fun of the whole concept of horror films a little bit more than we are going to, but when it gets down to the horror, I mean, it’s definitely going to be a murderer after these kids, and that’s scary.

‘Boo’ promo image

How did you decide on the look of your killer, using just a simple ghost sheet?

You know, I think it goes back to what I said before, being back in the day and having these simple costumes. I was thinking, ‘How could I make a monster that people wouldn’t necessarily find scary, but then make it scary?’ I think a sheet that you have on your bed, everybody’s got one, is a great way to play with that, and be like, ‘Well, you don’t think ghosts are scary, but wait until you see our film. You might change your mind.’

And it’s such an iconic old school, classic costume idea too.

Exactly, (we can) kind of bring it back.

You mentioned that a lot of what’s going to bring the ‘80s feel is in the costumes. Are you doing things like trying to find vintage Halloween décor of the time to incorporate?

It’s great because the location where we’re shooting is a school that’s actually been abandoned for a few years. We just location scouted for it the other day, and it looks like it was locked in that time. So the location itself is going to be so incredible and really add to the aesthetic of it.

And the language, some of the lines that we have are going to cater to the slang that was used back then. And yeah, of course the decorations also, and the ghost himself in the sheet.

It all sounds great. You’re running a crowd funding campaign now, but the film is definitely going into production, regardless if the Indiegogo goal is met or not, is that right?

Yes. We’re talking to investors right now, so that’s where the majority (of our budget) is coming from. But we wanted to start our Indiegogo because we wanted to start hype and we wanted to engage with our audience as soon as possible, and allow them to give us feedback of what they’re responding to, and allow them to be involved. It’s a great way to engage with an audience, and it’s not just giving us money, you’re buying a perk that’s going to give you a download of the film the day it premieres.

So we thought it was just a great opportunity for everybody to learn and engage, and to see what’s working and maybe what’s not working.

The more money we raise, the more blood we can have, the bigger name actors we can have, the more extensive our stunts can be. Every bit helps, especially when it’s on an indie film like ours.

What are some of your other influences as far as filmmakers?

I’ve been heavily inspired lately by the directors that I’ve recently worked with. I’ve done a lot of independent films, and each one is a completely new experience.

You know, indie films, they’re hard. You’re working against the elements to make this art, and hope that people respond to it and see it, so all of these directors and writers that I’ve worked with really inspired me to push forward and create my own stuff, and especially now. As a woman writer, my voice I think is important in its own unique way, so I want to be heard.

I’ve just been learning by watching. I love being on set. I don’t hide away in my room or trailer, I like to be there (on set) asking questions and learning, and figuring out as much as I can. Honestly that’s where I’ve been really heavily inspired, by all the directors that I’ve been working with recently and in the past.

Dana Melanie at the premiere of ‘Waiting to Die in Bayside, Queens’ in 2017.

Can you talk a little bit about the significance of the fact that you are a female writer, director, producer, and star of your own feature film in the current #MeToo era?

I just got back from South by Southwest, because my film Wild Nights with Emily premiered there. Our director, Madeleine Olnek, wrote and directed it, and she did an outstanding job. It’s a really artistic piece of work. I was inspired by her. And there was another film there that had a male who wrote, directed, and starred in his film, and I thought, ‘I can do that. Why don’t I just do that?’

It’s terrifying. I’ve never done this before. I’ve written before and I’ve directed a little short before for a script I did. I think I’m starting to gain enough experience. And because I’m so terrified, I think that means that I absolutely have to do this. I think what scares you is something that is – you need to take that leap. Otherwise, what’s worth it in the end? It’s the things that scare you which have the biggest rewards.

And then being a woman. Blair, the main character, I didn’t want her to be just your typical scream queen. In my opinion, she’s deeper than that. She’s got layers. She’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s an alpha woman girl who’s figuring all this out on her own. I think as a woman writing a female lead in a horror character, I think it’s important, and I’m excited to see how audiences respond to her and to the whole film itself.

So when do you begin shooting Boo?

Filming is going to take place this October.

So you’ll be filming right during Halloween season and getting those real October vibes, which is awesome.

Exactly.

And you’re filming in Minnesota, right?

Yes, Kiester, Minnesota.

How did you pick that location?

Actually, our producer, Mike, is from Kiester, Minnesota. It’s this extremely small town. Hardly anybody’s heard of it. Their claim to fame is a Preparation H commercial was filmed there I think last year. So we’re bringing Hollywood to Kiester. (laughs)

We originally assumed it was going to be filmed here in Los Angeles, because that’s where we’re all based, and our producer, Mike, was just telling us stories one day about his childhood in this small town. And I went on Google Earth and was just going through the streets and everything, and I thought, ‘Hey, this would be a great location for Boo to be filmed.’ The script wasn’t even finished yet. It was just kind of sitting there, because I was working on other things.

When I saw the town, it sort of just put everything into full gear, and I finished it and decided we’re going to do this now.

We’re shooting for 12 days in October. Then we’ll go into post production. And hopefully we can make a deal and get this out for October 2019.

I can’t wait to show it to everybody. I’m so excited.

‘Boo’ writer/director/producer/actor Dana Melanie

What else can you tell us about Boo?

Let’s see. I’m trying to think of how many people die. There’s a lot, actually. (laughs) I want to say that there’s going to be seven deaths.

Are you excited about shooting those scenes?

I’m so excited. I can’t wait to start killing people and get that blood gushing everywhere. Yeah, it will be really fun. And we’re playing with it. We’re going to get a little Hitchcock with it, where you don’t necessarily see things, but you will.

I assure you, there will be blood and guts. (laughs)

Boo is currently raising a portion of its budget through an Indiegogo campaign running until July 11, which you can contribute to in exchange for some sweet perks here.

Keep watching Halloween Daily News, as we are excited to cover the development of this fun new Halloween film.

Dana Melanie

For more Halloween news, follow @HalloweenDaily.

'Boo' Writer/Director Dana Melanie [Interview] The new horror comedy Boo takes place on Halloween night in 1984, when a killer in a bed sheet ghost costume targets a group of teens, and while it pays homage to some of our favorite classics, it also marks the arrival of an exciting new voice to the genre in the film's writer, producer, director, and star Dana Melanie, who's ready to scare you and excited to get bloody.

#Boo #Dana Melanie

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