#Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

[interiorergonomics]

5 Top Benefits of Accessibility in the Workplace

Workplace accessibility refers to the design and adaptation of work environments to its users and stakeholders. This ensure that all employees, regardless of their physical abilities, can access, navigate and fully participate in the workplace. This includes; Using accessible office furniture Technology Integration with in infrastructures Implementation of policies and practices to support…

[jerrytalbotta]

DMV Human Resource Experts Discuss Adapting Your Organization to the Evolving Expectations of the Workforce

HR, DMV’s top Human Resource consultants, offers actionable strategies to help businesses attract and retain top talent by addressing key areas such DMV Human Resource Experts Discuss Adapting Your Organization to the Evolving Expectations of the Workforceflexibility, diversity, mental health, technology, and leadership. To know more visit http://prsync.com/smart-hr-inc/dmv-human-resource-experts-discuss-adapting-your-organization-to-the-evolving-expectations-of-the-workforce-4291170/

[exitpro]

As the Arts & Entertainment industry continues to evolve, employers adapt retention strategies to address these trends, placing greater emphasis on fostering positive workplace culture, offering stability in work, and providing meaningful opportunities for career advancement. Effectively predicting staff turnover with exit interview software will be crucial for organizations looking to attract and retain top talent in this vibrant and creative field.

[muntitled]

Sweet Hearts

♡ Mark Lee x afab!reader

♡ Summary: Nothing could sway you from finding your producer attractive and you were okay with that fact...Before you knew it, every recording session was filled with stolen kisses that bled into fiery make-out sessions.

♡ Warnings: Language, Producer!Mark, Idol!Reader, Forbidden Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Mutual Pining, Humor Overworked Losers In Love, Smut (+18) Dom!Mark, Brat Taming, Minors DNI, Massive, Praise Kink, Slight Exhibitionist!Kink, Dirty Talk, Sub!Reader, Dom!Mark,

RAHHH, kinda feral writing this, I'm sorry

From the moment you established yourself in the industry, you had been quite comfortable viewing yourself as an independent career woman, thank you very much. Many men had tried and failed to sway you from the retches of your passion projects respectively. Hyuck being onesuch romantic endevour that had failed to shine in the shadow of your work. You had tried to make it work. You really did.

No amount of dick could keep you away from the studio. It was your hapoy place: nestled in a stuffy booth with your notepad opened on your lap filpped with slightly manic notes and lyrics.

No one, before Mark had ever seemed to share that sentiment.

"I'm a busy girl," your words barely left your mouth before being kissed away by Mark's eager lips. He was panting heavily. You both were, as he pressed you up against the wall of some record exec's boardroom. He swiped your braids out of the way, to better reach the expanse of skin by your neck. Both of you pawing at each other's clothes. Both of you overflowing with yearning.

"I'm a busy dude," he whispered back. "We don't have to turn this into anything serious, Sweetheart..." Mark's thumb was rubbing tentatively at your soft hips, as if waiting for the go ahead before he ravished you.

You had both decided this secrecy was enough. You and Mark perused the halls of your record company, greeting amicably as if you hadn't felt his hands around your throat.

He had kissed and kissed and kissed you, until someone inevitably walked by.

You had never met anyone as sonically obsessed as you are, until you were acquainted with Mark. He, would quickly become not only your incredibly talented and driven producer but also a friend with added benefits.

Before you knew it, every recording session was filled with stolen kisses that bled into passionate make-out sessions. You were developing a frankly perplexing habit of overanalyzing how attractive he looked when he runs his hand through his hair during spells of frustration- or when he got the incomparable burst of genius to freestyle over a beat as if it was a long lost friend. Nothing could sway you from finding your producer attractive and you were okay with that fact...

You couldn't retain satisfactory orgasms from your music alone, could you? You weren't inhumane... you needed a companion.

"I just want you..."

And he had you.

So badly it was beginning to mess with your concentration.

"Alright, let's run it from the top-"

It's not everyday a girl falls helplessly in love with her producer.

"Yo, you good?" Mark's voice sounds from the intercom, dragging your eye from your notebook up towards the two men on the other side of the sound glass.

"From the top?!" Haechan cries incredulously. Without looking at him, Mark nods. Wholly unimpressed by Donghyuck's whining. "I think the song's fine," Hyuck runs a hand through his hair. His large feet stomp on the carpeted floors and you fight off a grin.

Mark scoffs in that way that only Haechan gets him to do and you suck on the straw of your mocha from inside the booth. Your disposition screaming, 'the girls are fighting.'

"Yeah you would think the song's fine," Mark before he rolls his eyes, Hyuck petulantly screams, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"She clearly wants us to carry on," your teeth clench down on your straw as you're ripped into the middle of their argument.

"Do you want us to carry on?" Mark asks and your throat goes dry. Behind him, Haechan's palms are clutched together as he mouths 'Please, no, please!'

"I-"

You were at a crossroads.

The urge to people please was gnawing at your insides as your eyes drifted from Haechan, a vocal coach you loved and adored and Mark, a producer you'd just started working with...

The urge to give into them both was hanging heavily on you.

"Remember, Sweetheart, it's okay," Mark's voice sounds from the speaker, eliciting a wave of... something you're not quite sure of yet.

A crush... perhaps.

"I would..." You clear your throat, swing Haechan's eyes, "I would feel better if we polished some things up,"

Mark nods along, a small smile tugging at his lips. A look of betrayal on Hyuck's face.

You knew perfectly well that the song was fine, better than fine, actually. The only thing stopping you from leaving the studio was the boring life that awaited you. Your boring apartment with your boring cat (whom you loved dearly). Everything beyond these four walls was as monotonous as the day is long. No one waited for you out there.

In here though...

"Okay, yeah, no. I can't do this," You watch Haechan gather his belongings with incredulous eyes.

"You're abandoning me? We haven't even gotten to the chorus and you're abandoning me."

Haechan's hair is in complete disarray as he types hurriedly on his phone and you're left to watch from inside the booth. "While you re-record and re-record an already perfect record, my stomach has growled 5 times-"

You roll your eyes, "Haechan, food is for the weak. We can do this."

"I can't," He shook his head, evading eye contact as he pulled on his letterman jacket, effectively stowing away hi will to work and be persuaded to work.

"Let him leave." There's something in Mark's tone to suggest you quit trying to persuade Haechan.

"You psychos can overwork yourselves together."

When Haechan left, he took with him, a sense of platonic ease. Here, with Mark staring directly at you, his presence was stifling.

~

There aren't any actual windows in here... if it weren't for a quick glance af your phone, you would've never known night has already fallen.

"What would really be hot is if you added the last word of the verse, ad libitum. So if you said 'takeoff' but with like a lower pitch in between the chorus and the second verse. I think that would be great," You realize you had taken to swaying in one spot and quickly corrected yourself as you placed your hands on your headphones and nodded, vaguely agreeing but never really hearing anything after the words 'great'. Hearing anything falling from Mark's plump lips at this very moment would send your imagination hurtling into the fiery pits of hell. Him, staring at you so intensely through the glass and behind the soundboard left you unable to focus.

"Sweetheart?" He says, with a finger on the intercom. "Do you get me? If you do, I'm gonna need to hear you use your words, okay?" With his eyes fixed solely on you, waiting patiently for your compliance, you are convinced he was literally and figuratively trying to kill you.

"Sorry," You say, trying to dispute how heavily his words weighed down on you, "I'm thinking about all the babies that die in between you purposely using the words ad libitum instead of just saying ad lib." Saving yourself with swift and easy rebuttal had always been a specialty...

"Sorry, sorry!" Said Mark, "I'll stop with the annoying producer talk," he rolls his eyes behind the glass of his thick-rimmed glasses.

"Dont stop," You find yourself saying, "Its hot.

Seconds pass with Mark's index finger tapping away at the soundboard.

"Continue."

But it was incredibly difficult to continue with your mind and all its unsavory thoughts seeping out of your skull and straight into your lyrics. Perhaps working on the more explicit songs with Mark had been an utterly dire decision, one that practically solidified your downfall.

As you rattle through the dirty lyrics, you make sure to keep a firm gaze on him. Mark maintains eye contact from behind the glass, giving nothing away under his black cap, clad in his short sleeve black shirt and his all black attire.

The dimness of the studio suddenly feels too dim.

This 'mood' that Mark had strived to create in the peroration of your session is suddenly working too well.

Soon, the track is being replaced by Mark's slightly gruff voice echoing in your headphones.

"Sorry to cut you off, Sweetheart," The coolness with which he utters the nickname releases a wave of arousal in your core, and you inadvertently take a seat on the stool closest to you, subtly crossing your legs in front of you.

"I just want you to take note of something for me real quick..." for a moment you’re only nodding slowly, waiting for him to continue but he never does. Mark sits silently staring at you with yet another earth shattering, unwavering gaze. You're confused, which Mark would have found incredibly adorable if you weren't actively being such a brat.

"I said take note of something for me, please." He finally lifts his hand, making vague scribbles into the air.

"Mark. You want me to actually write this down?" He only responds with a succinct, I-dare-you-to-argue-with-me "Please."

You make a petulant display of rolling your eyes. His chuckles bleed into your headphones, disrupting your nonverbal tantrum when he says, "You really are trying it today..."

"Maybe if I had someone to correct this attitude, we wouldn't have found ourselves here, would we?" You mutter the sentence as you're staring into you notepad, completely evading his heated gaze. Silence grows pregnant between the two of you before Mark continues, completely choosing to ignore you.

"I'd like you to take note of the brisk allegro that erupts in the pre-chorus," He spins his pen between his fingers as he reads from his own notes. He looks absolutely worn out and so unmistakably beautiful it makes you want to scream.

"I think that part in particular might be vital in solidifying the overall kick of the actual chorus." Not to mention, seeing him in work mode tickled your ovaries in ways you could never have foreseen. In the studio, you had always been the one wading through the laziness of others, picking up the slack where needed and making it your obligation to ignite your producers with the zeal to work with your meticulous ass. But Mark had turned the tables and for the very first time you find yourself unable to think about work.

"Mark," You send him a bored expression, "I literally make slut music, do you really need to be calling it an allegro?"

He is quick in pressing the intercom to clap back, "Slut music deserves a well mastered allegro too, don't you think?" You're only left to slump your shoulders as he continues.

By this point, you know that he knows exactly what you want for him.

Why you're being particularly difficult to work with.

Why you were fighting him on every term but for some unexplainable reason, he's keeping you from it.

"It's good but I feel like we need a pure unprocessed sound... the song sounds too wet, I dunno,"

You inhale sharply, raising a finger into the air, to which, Mark completely ignores you, keeping his eyes on his notes, his brown locks brushing along his eyes.

"And if you're gonna say 'I could tell you something else that's wet' don't bother, because you'll only get muted."

Your shoulders once again sag and you find yourself audibly whimpering into the mic. That quickly catches Mark's attention, and you're left wading in the scrutiniy of his gaze.

"Fuck, I cant work with you like this." He rakes his fingers through his hair, forcing you to rub your exposed thighs under your miniskirt together for the umpteenth time. "Tell me what you need."

"You know what I need..."

He curses under his breath before sending a worried gaze over his shoulder and you realize you have won. It was custom for Mark to send a worried gaze over his shoulder at the door, as if terrified that Hyuck might storm into the studio, face crimson and finding his best friend not only fucking the object of his interest but dominating her.

"I think you need it too." You're quite literally the snake tempting Eve in the garden and he sends another helpless glance at the door before complying.

"A-Alright. Come out here for me real quick," this is what excited you most about Mark. Hearing the trepidation in his voice mixed with Mark's innate nervousness made you dizzy with desire. His anxiety yet still a need to be dominant... it drove you wild.

"Where is this attitude coming from?" He asks, once you appear by his side, inching towards him as if terrified by your own creation. He does not bother to get up, does not bother to tell you stand in front of him, in between his legs. You just do.

It's as if he's saying 'Do what you want. You're your own person.' Knowing full well how effortlessly you tended to submit to him.

"How wet are you?" He asks then, letting his hands graze your hips as you stand before him. His eyes squeezing shut as he rests his head on your abdomen. Your hands come up to pat down at his hair. Overgrown and brown.

"Why don't you find out?"

Mark is slow to closing the notebook on his lap and putting it vaguely near the soundboard without ever taking his eyes off You.

You can see the dark half moons underneath his eyes, stabbing at, not only your arousal, but your innate need to just take care of him. His eyes remain focused on you as he moves to clamp his hand on your exposed thigh, watching your lips part ever so slightly.

"Consider this a brief, very brief recess."

"Yes sir," You had intended for the words to come off more teasingly than it actually did, but it runs straight through to Mark's dick and he's removing his hands from your skin like you have mustered the ability to spontaneously catch on fire.

"Fuck," he replies, sending one more gaze at the door before looking at you once more. With a shaky breath escaping through his lips, he looks utterly wrecked and completely conflicted. You let him wade through the motions without any input.

You just stand there, waiting patiently for his next command.

Mark sits back in his seat, running both hands down his face before saying, "Fuck, alright. Take your underwear off for me..." You speedily oblige as your hands delve underneath your denim skirt. Mark watches with bated breath and clenched teeth as he rubs his fingers along his lips like he's thinking very deep and very hard about something. You hook your fingers into the sides of your pink laced panties, slowly dragging them down as you and Mark both watch each other with steel gazes.

"Keep the skirt on," His resolve melts, his sight set on your ruined underwear. He notices far too quickly that it's his favorite pair, eliciting another wavering breath from him as his other hand clamps around your thigh to pull you impossibly closer.

"You planned this, didn't you?" You can feel the warmth of his shallow breathing as he places his forehead on your abdomen, while he brings his fingers up to your lips.

"Open your mouth for me..." You automatically obey, bringing your mouth around his middle and index fingers. For a short while, his face remains hidden in your dress as you suck, almost petulantly on his fingers. Perhaps he feels a mixture of shame for enjoying this entire scene far too much and soon, he feels he has to peel his face away from your dress to watch you suck so prettily on his fingers.

"F-fuck, baby," His voice is strained between a mixture of a coo and a moan as he pulls his fingers out of your mouth, almost immediately delving underneath your skirt, slotting them inside your drenched cunt. He is utterly ruthless as he sits on the edge of his seat, one hand claimed around your thigh as his fingers fuck in and out of you with absolute vigor. The man is utterly overcome with lust, sporting his own hard on in his joggers as he looks up at you, "Come on, baby... tell me you feel good, you know you want to."

His voice is dripping sex and your mind is completely blown with pleasure as you throw your head back. It is a mystery how you're still standing, but Mark's grip on your hip is concrete.

"Oh God- your fingers feels so good inside me, Fuck." He rewards you by letting his fingers drift over your swollen clit, racking another torrid moan from your throat as he begins to circle it with purpose. You clamp your head against Mark's hunched shoulders, his face once again buried in your dress.

"I just need'a take care or my little angel, don't I?" He's an incoherent, mumbling mess, his words as sloppy as the hands sliding against your clit, "But she makes it difficult when she's being a stuck up little brat," Your head is still craned back while his face is buried against your abdomen and it is as if you both cannot stand to truly see yourselves in such a depraved, animalistic state.

"You're squeezing my fingers baby- Fuck, is this how bad you needed me?" Mark finally cranes back to look up at you. His cheeks are ruddy and his hooded eyes are blown into saucers, "It's so fucking distracting having you so close to me." Your hips cant against his hands until soon, your legs begin to quiver. Mark brings his arm around your waist, forcing you to stand and take everything he gives you.

"You know when you're really needy like this, all you have to do is ask, baby. You know I love taking care of my baby, don't you?" You nearly cum then and there.

"Please Markie-"

"F-Fuck I didn't plan on fucking you today, least of all here. But I really need you right now, alright, pretty girl?" Your body shudders at the lost of his fingers inside you, one more flick against your clit and you would have came all over his fingers.

"Bend over for me, yeah? Mind the sound board." Mark finally rises from his chair, immediately cupping your face with his hands as he bows his head down to you, "I just wanna feel my baby girl squirm around me-" that particular string of words has you whimpering incoherently as Mark crowds behind you, pushing you up against the desk. Your hands grip the edge, careful not to temper with any sonic equipment as Mark raises your skirt lightly. His hand grazes your bare ass and you're sent reeling as your own anxieties begin to set in. You're made strikingly aware that you had never actually had sex in the studio. Lightly touching and horny pawing at each other is the most that has ever been achieved within these four walls but going all the way...

"Daddy- I m-mean, Mark, can we-"

"Shh- it's okay." He says, as if reading your thoughts, "It's totally fine, barely anyone's here. They all left-" while he coos in your ear, you feel Mark lightly push you over the desk before lifting your skirt. He tries to brush over the 'daddy' thing for the sake of your own pride but he can't help the way his cock twitched at your slip of the tongue.

"Holy fucking shit." His curses bring your mind to unholy places, being someone that rarely ever swears. Mark is absolutely far gone as he is quick to bring his cock out of his sweat pants and ease into you without a second thought.

"I need you to call me daddy again." He admits as he begins fucking you with absolute fervour. His hand is on your hip, forcing you to take each and every bit of him.

"F-fuck," is all you're able to say as he bottoms out inside of you. Your walls contract around him, stopping him for pulling out too far, and only swallowing him deeper until the head of his cock is pushing up against a bundle of sensitive nerves. You're left to squeeze your own breasts as Mark fucks you from behind, lost in the haze of chasing his own orgasm.

"Baby, if you want me to cum quick enough I need you to call me Daddy in that sexy fucking voice of yours. Tell me how good I make you feel."

"F-Fuck daddy you make me feel s-so"

"F-Fuck, I'm not gonna last long-" He warns.

You'repanting, as Mark begins to rut against you with little to no more constraint.

"No one slese can make you feel this good, baby?" His eyes are half crescents as he says, "Tell me you love me baby,"

"I love you, daddy- I fucking need you-"

Oh-fuck I'm going to c-cum" He exclaims, eyes squeezed shut before forcing them open.

"Oh-god, oh fuck,"

His orgasm, sparks your own. Mark hisses as he drags his cock out of your cunt before spilling his seed all over your ass. He's shaking so bad, some even reaches your skirt but he's too far gone to care.

Soon, your orgasm blazes through you like a million suns burning in your core all at once. Mark is absolutely enamored. "Back to work."

"Mark- my underwear."

"Just..." he sughs, his lips pressing against your cheek in a lingering kiss, "Get back in the booth."

[astroamorsworld]

Part of Fortune in the houses part 1

This is something a little different from what I usually post and I wanted to just try something new and also go down the route of lots and asteroids eventually. So, with that being said, I hope you enjoy!

What is Part of Fortune?

The part of fortune, also called the Lot of Fortune or Pars Fortuna, is a calculated point on your birth chart that reflects areas where you might find luck and success.

Part of Fortune in the 1st house

Having your Part of Fortune in the 1st house is a pretty lucky placement to have imo. You may be a naturally lucky person, and are just always in good mood, stemming from having a lot of confidence within yourself and high self esteem. These traits, on top of being naturally lucky, will attract even more good luck and opportunities your way, so you’re most definitely blessed with this placement. This placement may indicate that you have a lot of determination and willpower when it comes to getting things done, so you’re definitely a hard worker too. Your personality shines through in your everyday life so in work fields that rely on you having a vibrant personality would really work best for natives with this placement. If you want to really get the most out of this placement, i’d say you need to take initiative and persue your dreams!! If you put yourself out there you will get what you want!! (As someone with this placement, I need really take my own advice🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

Part of Fortune in the 2nd house

With this placement you may too, have high esteem. You may also tend to attract or create material abundance. You might find that your talents and skills translate well into financial security and that you have a good eye for things of value or things that can become valuable. This placement could also give you the ability to thrive in careers that involve finances, like accounting, investing, or sales, could be particularly fortunate for you. Success can also find you in fields utilise your creativity and resourcefulness, like entrepreneurship, crafts, or the arts. So in terms of getting the most out of this placement, i’d say develop your talents and show people your worth. Dont let them take advantage of it though. Take risks and use what resources you have wisely.

Part of Fortune in the 3rd house

With this placement, it’s possible that you have lucky siblings, cousins and even neighbours, or when you’re around them you become luckier. You’re also likely to have good relationships them too. Your education experience may have been one to remember, as you may have had a good experience there. You may be naturally smart, and find it easy to retain information, so school may have been a breeze for you. School trips may have been fun and better for you than the average ones. You are probably a good communicator, and know how to communicate in a healthy way. So this could mean that you excel in public speaking, teaching and writing. Short trips may be good for you also. So if you wanna get the most out of this placement, USE YOUR VOICE and maintain the relationships (i mentioned before) with those around you.

Part of Fortune in the 4th house

With this placement, you’re likely to have a good relationship with your mother, and with your family. Just a good home life in general. You may be in tune with your family background and culture, and take a real interest in your roots. It’s also a possibility that you may have been born into some sort of wealth, whether its from your entire family, or on your mothers side or your dads side, the point being that someone you’re related to is likely to be wealthy. You are also probably in tune with your emotions and feelings and know how to manage them quite well. Most definitely emotionally mature. You may also be a bit of a homebody, since you may love your home so much. Interior design or gardening may be hobbies or careers you want to persue. You could also excel in social care, therapy, or childcare. Working from home is where you probably do your best work. So if you want to get the most out of this placement, invest in your home and nurture your relationship with your family. Get in touch with your roots!!

I would’ve done this all as one big post but i’ve had to split it into 3 parts because i’ve had issues with saving my work to drafts and don’t want to risk losing 1 big piece of work. But i will post part 2 and 3 in the coming days. :)

Check out my pinned post for more observations!💖

If you enjoy my content and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee here :)

If you would like a reading, you can DM me or order one through my fiverr page here or my ko-fi page here.

Next part

[thetimesofindia]

As US shuts doors to global talent, India must open its own wider

America’s strength has long come from attracting the world’s brightest minds and backing them with deep pockets and bold research institutions. But in a stunning act of self-sabotage, President Donald Trump is dismantling that advantage—visa by visa, budget cut by budget cut. For India, this could be a turning point. For the US, it’s a slow-motion collapse of one of its greatest engines of innovation.Harvard University, long considered a global leader in education and research, has had its authority to enrol international students revoked. Over $2.7 billion in federal research funding has been frozen. MIT has cut back on graduate admissions and laid off research staff. The University of California system is suing to protect funding. Projects in cancer research, climate science, and quantum computing are being disrupted or shut down entirely. Although a federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration’s actions against Harvard, the chilling effect remains. The message to international students and researchers is clear: they are no longer welcome. And it’s not just about visas—this is about dismantling the infrastructure that made the US a science and technology superpower.

This decline is especially tragic given the historic accomplishments of American research institutions. Public investments in university science have given us not just medical miracles and digital revolutions, but entire industries. Funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) helped spawn biotech, cleantech, and nanotech. DARPA grants for defence R&D gave us GPS and the early internet.

These are the roots of the US innovation economy. Undermining them is like ripping out the foundation of a skyscraper mid-construction.More than half of Silicon Valley’s startups had at least one immigrant founder. A third of those were Indian. My research at Duke, Harvard, and UC-Berkeley documented that Indian entrepreneurs have founded more Silicon Valley startups than immigrants from the UK, China, and Taiwan combined. These companies didn’t just create wealth—they created entire industries and hundreds of thousands of American jobs.That pipeline is now shutting down.

Years of restrictive immigration policies, chronic green card backlogs, and now open political hostility have driven away many of the world’s best minds. Enrolment by international students is in steep decline. Top-tier researchers are heading for friendlier shores.Now, Trump is gutting the very universities that have fuelled America’s innovation economy for generations. The same institutions that gave birth to Google, GPS, and gene editing are laying off faculty and cutting lab budgets. NIH and NSF grants—the lifeblood of American science—are being frozen or slashed. And students who once saw the US as the pinnacle of opportunity are looking elsewhere.The economic cost is massive. International students contribute over $40 billion annually to the US economy.

They pay full tuition, rent housing, buy food, and many go on to launch companies and file patents. Research funding supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across every state and underpins the industries of tomorrow.The strategic cost is even greater. America’s lead in artificial intelligence, biotech, and clean energy depends on its ability to attract and retain global talent. Undermining this system doesn’t just weaken universities—it threatens the US’s position in the global economy.And it’s not just the research funding that’s under attack—it’s the people who bring that research to life.

For decades, the US enjoyed the greatest free lunch in the history of education and entrepreneurship as the smartest students from India, China, and across the globe came to study here. They didn’t just learn—they stayed, built companies, and created jobs. Now, Indian students are rethinking whether the US is still the best place to study or build a future. With its increasingly uncertain immigration policies and declining openness, it is no longer the obvious first choice.India, in contrast, is becoming more capable of absorbing and advancing global talent. Its research institutions are demonstrating world-class capabilities. The country has produced affordable vaccines, pioneered frugal engineering, and launched space missions on a fraction of Nasa’s budget.

It has a growing startup ecosystem, access to global capital, and one vital asset China lacks: a democratic system that supports openness, debate, and collaboration.India is not yet ready to replace the US as a global research superpower—but it is well-positioned to inherit the talent and energy America is turning away. But seizing the opportunity will require more than goodwill. India will need to invest in its research infrastructure, improve its regulatory environment, and incentivise public-private collaboration. It will need to create pathways for Indian-origin scientists abroad to return—and for foreign researchers to come. Most importantly, it must treat research not as a luxury, but as a national priority.Trump could help make India great again.

[mayerfeldconsulting]

Why a strong employer brand matters 👇🏻

Attracting top talent is more competitive than ever.

Job seekers are no longer just looking for a paycheck...they are looking for purpose, growth, and a company culture that aligns with their values.

Studies show that companies with strong employer brands receive 50% more qualified applicants and experience lower turnover rates. Without a compelling employer brand, businesses struggle with longer hiring times, higher recruitment costs, and difficulty retaining top talent.

Building an employer brand is not just about marketing, it’s about creating a workplace that employees want to be part of. This means investing in employee experience, career development opportunities, and workplace culture. When employees feel valued, they naturally become advocates for your brand.

At Mayerfeld Consulting, we help companies create authentic employer brands that resonate with job seekers and employees alike. Are you proactively shaping your employer brand, or are you leaving it to chance?

[mirai-e-jump]

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger Character Book: Trails of the Kings and Retainers Gira/Douga, Yanma/Shiokara, Hymeno/Sebastian pages Other pages

This is the story of the kings and their retainers who protected the peace of Chikyu… It's unknown who said it, but there's a prophecy:

"After 2,000 years, a miraculous story will be revived!"

Humans and Bugnarak living hand in hand… It was not just the power of the 6 kings who stood up to the threat that created such a "miracle." It was the presence of the king's retainers that made it possible. I'll write down how it happened here. Let us pass it down for all of eternity.

Shuggodam, King: Gira Husty The "strongest country," possessing many strong soldiers, and his retainer, Douga, is also very skilled. The Husty family has inherited the throne for generations, and when they ascend to the throne, they visit the Kingdom of Death, Hakabaka, in order to greet their ancestors. The previous king was Gira's older brother, Racules Husty.

N'Kosopa, King: Yanma Gast The country of technology, where the current king, Yanma, built a system in just a few years. The country was devastated by Hilbil Leech, one of the Uchu Five Jesters, but is now on the road to recovery, led by Yanma, who is skilled in creating 1 from 0, and his retainer, Shiokara.

Ishabana, King: Hymeno Ran The country of beauty and medicine. The people, including the queen, Hymeno Ran, were infected by an unknown disease caused by Kamejim Unka of the Uchu Five Jesters, but Hymeno's advanced medical skills, nobility of caring for her country, and cooperation with her retainer, Sebastian, enabled her to successfully take back the country.

Gokkan, King: Rita Kaniska An extremely cold country where it snows throughout the whole year. Criminals who commit crimes in Chikyu are tried at the international court, located in Zaiban Castle, and imprisoned in the castle's jail, where they are required to shovel snow in front of the castle. Rita's retainer, Morphonia, tends to be intimidated by the many criminals who curse at her.

Toufu, King: Kaguragi Dybowski An agricultural country with a thriving food culture, it's known as "Chikyu's Kitchen." The king's retainer, Kuroda, is an excellent cook. The ultra high grade and rare rice, "Suzume no Namida" was produced with the secret milling method of the Dybowski family, and was endorsed by the previous king, Iroki.

Earth Empire Bugnarak, King: Jeramie Brasieri For a long time, they've hated and fought against humans due to the schemes of Dagded Dujardin, the Uchu King, but they've reconciled thanks to the efforts of Jeramie, the current king, and the Royal Sentai. Gradually, they've come to be accepted by the humans of Chikyu. It's located just below Gokkan.

Profile of Gira: Armed with the KuwagataOhger royal armor, he is a kind hearted young man who's willing to work for the sake of his people. He's a life form born from the power of the Uchu King, Dagded. Due to the influence of the "Rainbow Jururira" that was served to Gira as a child, he lost his past memories of his childhood with the Husty family, but is gradually regaining them.

Profile of Douga: Guard for the king of Shugoddam. He carries a real sword, and when the country is in danger, he goes to the battlefield and fights bravely against the enemy. When the former king of Shugoddam, Racules, was dethroned, he quickly left Shugoddam, but he has remained loyal to Gira, who was inexperienced as a king, and pledged his loyalty to him.

Profile of Yanma: Armed with the TomboOhger royal armor. Born in a slum, he's a talented engineer who has made his country wealthy by making full use of the computer skills he was taught by his foster father, Gin. His core strength, his pride in his own wisdom, his masculinity and commitment of being on top have attracted many people.

Profile of Shiokara: Yanma's retainer who has a friendly personality. He has the utmost respect for Yanma. Until a few years ago, he was a member of a delinquent organization that was in despair over the ruined country, and was involved in the manufacture of counterfeit money, but when he met Yanma, he fell in love with his manly spirit, and is determined to serve him, even if it means losing his life.

Profile of Hymeno: Armed with the KamakiriOhger royal armor. She has an appreciation for aesthetic that sees beauty not only in appearance, but also in the essence of people and their way of life. She is also a skilled doctor, and has an altruistic heart that prioritizes saving the lives of others, even if her entire body is wounded. She invites her close friends to tea and enjoys her time with them.

Profile of Sebastian: Hymeno's retainer. His true identity is a young man named Romane Dearborn, heir to a ducal family. When he was worried about hurting people because of his overly beautiful appearance, Hymeno saved him, and changed his appearance and voice to become her retainer. For the sake of Hymeno, his benefactor, he will listen to any selfish request.

[wrestlingwiththoughts]

30 Most Intriguing Wrestlers Under 30 Years Old - 2025 Edition

As I've noted before, many prominent professional wrestling companies seem to be going through a youth movement at the moment. This emphasis on presenting new talent and getting viewers invested in their development is a great way to attract and retain viewers, and it's just exciting to me to think about who the next wave will be. (Future potential can be more interesting than present action because the mysteries of possibility allow imaginations to run wild.)

While I was not and am not a participant in the Voices of Wrestling 30 Under 30 project, I was intrigued enough by the concept of identifying the 30 most intriguing wrestlers under 30 years old in the world. I do not pretend that I am intimately familiar with all of these wrestlers, but I can say that I've seen at least one match featuring each of the wrestlers I've named below.

So, we can assume whom I have slighted is someone I have not seen or someone for whom I just do not care. For example:

Other caveats to note:

You won't find any WWE or WWE ID wrestlers on my list. I find the company abhorrent and refuse to acknowledge its existence.

I could not verify two wrestlers' ages, so I am leaving them off of the list: Super Machine J and Zozaya. If I could verify their ages, they would bump Nick Wayne and MAO from the list.

I don't have it in me to write a blurb for every wrestler, but I'll try to write one where the spirits have moved me to do so.

This is in no way definitive, nor is it finalized for me. It is, however, my list for now. You will have your own list, and we will likely have some similarities and differences.

I encourage you to make your own list. See where you put these names!

In considering placement, I tried to balance their age (and how much potential they have in their 20s) against what they've accomplished already.

I'm grouping the 30 wrestlers in tiers.

Tier One: The Young and the Restless

30. Nick Wayne (19 years old) - it's unbelievable that he's only 19, which means he still has a long way to grow to make the most of his potential. He hasn't been given much to do so far in the Tony Khan Universe of Wrestling Companies (ROH and AEW), but he showed what he could do in his teens in the indies, and I thought he was pretty good in the match against Hook that they taped for the final AEW Rampage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in 2024.

29. Kosei Fujita (22 years old) - I was impressed by his performance against El Desperado in February, and he feels like the future of the junior heavyweight division in NJPW.

28. AZM (22 years old) - AZM's been wrestling since she was 11 years old, so it's no wonder that it feels like she's been around forever. However, even though she's a veteran at 21, she still has tremendous upside. She was a key component to the tag match from Sareee-ISM Chapter IV that felt like a hidden gem in Sareee's tremendous 2024.

27. Bozilla (21 years old) - BOZILLA IS...very young and still fairly raw. Sareee got a great match out of her in October 2024, so you can discount the performance slightly, but the charisma and personality are undeniable.

26. Mochizuki Jr. (22 years old) - The match against his father was just that impressive, and I feel it with him more than I do with some of the other members of the Dragongate young guard. (Kota Minoura and Yuki Yoshioka, I'm looking at you.)

25. Leon Slater (20 years old) - I'll have more to say about Leon Slater in an upcoming series.

Tier Two: Staring the 30s in the Face

24. MAO (28 years old)

23. Yuki Ueno (29 years old) - DDT is not a company I follow regularly, so I only know of MAO and Ueno through the matches that float up to the top of discourse. They're good wrestlers, but I'm not their biggest advocates.

22. Adam Priest (29 years old) - One of the shining stars of the American independent wrestling scene and, in particular, its highest profile company, Deadlock Pro Wrestling. He broke through with DPW last year, so I'm including him in his last year of eligibility.

21. Yuma Aoyagi (29 years old) - As a smaller company, AJPW needs to always have an eye toward building the next generation of stars. After surviving on the backs of Kento Miyahara, SUWAMA, Shuji Ishikawa, and Joe Doering, AJPW fostered its next set of potential stars, starting with Yuma Aoyagi. His current persona isn't really my speed, but he's just one change away from becoming a wrestler closer to my preferences.

Tier Three: Wanna Be Startin' Something?

20. Daniel Garcia (26 years old) - I sometimes think I am much lower on Garcia's ceiling than others. I think he's a fine wrestler, but I don't see the same sky high potential that others insist is there. AEW is currently giving him an opportunity to shine by pairing him with Adam Cole in a feud for the TNT championship, but I don't get a great sense of Garcia's character even in this feud. Is it possible that AEW's already missed its window with Garcia?

19. Hologram (26 years old) - On the flip side of Garcia, we have Hologram, who will be a focus of the company. The former Aramis is capable of great stunts in the ring, and he has a lot of physical charisma. I hope he starts to put the elements together in the ring; we saw in the 2 out of 3 falls match with the Beast Mortos that he can excel in the ring, but we also saw in the tag match with Komander against Blake Christian and Lee Johnson that the control isn't always there. Hologram needs to be consistently picture perfect to maximize his potential.

18. Luke Jacobs (24 years old) - The slugging star of the British independent scene, Jacobs was at one point the main champion of both (a greatly diminished from its heyday) PROGRESS and Revolution Pro. (He's still the PROGRESS World Champion at this moment.) His match against 1 Called Manders at GCW's You Wouldn't Understand last year saved the night for me.

17. Ryohei Oiwa (26 years old) - I was certainly tempted to flip Oiwa's spot in this list with Kaito Kiyomiya's, but I couldn't justify it to myself since Oiwa is currently an understudy in Zack Sabre Jr.'s faction in NJPW. Nonetheless, I want to see more of Oiwa whereas I'm not sure that Kiyomiya has much more to show me after their match last year.

16. Utami Hayashishita (26 years old) - Undoubtedly the focus of Marigold after Giulia departed, the pressure will be on Hayashishita to return on Rossy Ogawa's investment in her. While she wasn't the focus of Marigold's first main event, she has been a secondary character of focus while Sareee stabilized the company as its champion, and I suspect that we'll see more of Hayashishita in this space soon.

15. Miu Watanabe (25 years old) - I became a believer in Watanabe last year after diving into her championship reign. I thought she was a believable, credible, charismatic champion who showed definite growth from her title win to the two successful defenses that we checked out. I was also disappointed when she lost the title to Mizuki, who is not as convincing to me, and she seems to be floundering in TJPW since. However, I think the potential is there, and I am hopeful that TJPW will call her up to be the focal point of the company again soon.

14. Jacky Kamei (25 year old) - The formerly funky Jacky Kamei always seems to be in the thick of it when you see discussions of the best of Dragongate, but he has yet to be the focus of the company. However, he's such a compelling good guy that I think he just needs to be given a chance.

Tier Four: The Lucha Section

13. Komander (26 years old) - When he first debuted in AEW, I was just wowed by Komander's balance and high flying. However, he's developed as a wrestler, and his matches are now more than just waiting for him to run the ropes and dive. He might never become the complete wrestler who can wrestle and talk that the American wrestling audience needs, but that doesn't mean he's not a great wrestler with tremendous potential.

12. Atlantis Jr. (26 years old)

11. Mascara Dorada (23 years old) - Do you want the scion of a wrestling family in Atlantis Jr., or do you want the younger luchador who was so impressive that he dropped the "2.0" and became the primary Mascara Dorada? Do you want the steadier wrestler who seems to have it all together, or do you want the one who is capable of spectacular feats in the ring?

Tier Five: The Top Ten

10. Kris Statlander (29 years old) - Is it just me, or is Statlander underrated and seemingly forgotten about in the discussions of the state of American women's wrestling? In her last year of eligibility, I wanted to highlight that Statlander is very, very good, as one could witness in the matches she had with Mercedes Mone in 2024.

9. Kaito Kiyomiya (28 years old) - Just because I don't find him particularly appealing doesn't mean that we have to put aside the fact that he is Pro Wrestling NOAH's best chance to build a generational star, one who could bear the weight of the company on his shoulders for years. Kiyomiya's skill and opportunity in NOAH outrank my personal vibes about how fake his character and presentation feel.

8. MJF (29 years old) - I hated the Brochachos, and MJF played a large role in driving me away from AEW. Nonetheless, he seems to have found his footing as a despicable villain again, and he is probably a cornerstone for AEW for years to come and someone I'll have to make my peace with if I want to continue to watch AEW.

7. Kyle Fletcher (26 years old) - Even AEW has to continue to build new heroes and villains, and AEW has invested wisely in elevating Fletcher as a key villain for years to come.

6. Toni Storm (29 years old) - I still find the Timeless Toni character unnecessarily exaggerated, but I'll have to concede that some things are just not for me. Nevertheless, I couldn't deny her prominence and importance to AEW and to American women's wrestling right now.

5. Gabe Kidd (27 years old) - All that praise about Kidd's performance against Kenny Omega must mean something. And even though the story that Kidd and Omega told in their match didn't work for me, it's hard to deny the intensity and athleticism that Kidd brought to the match. Kidd's other high profile matches, such as the bruising matches against Tomohiro Ishii and Yota Tsuji, are much more my speed and the evidence for Kidd's high placement.

4. Shun Skywalker (28 years old) - Consistently the best part of Dragongate (at least when they're in Japan), Skywalker is the straw that stirs the drink in that company. He plays an evil, petty little troll so well, and he can back it up in the ring.

3. Yuma Anzai (25 years old) - The other one (and I'd argue, more successful) of AJPW's youth movement projects, Anzai followed his successful reign as the Triple Crown Champion with his run as half of the All Asia Tag Team Champion. His future is bright, and the question becomes does he stay the big fish in the small pond.

2. Konosuke Takeshita (29 years old) - Simply one of the best wrestlers in the world. If I were to start a wrestling company today, I'd pick him first to be my foundation.

1. Sareee (29 years old) - I think I've spent enough words talking about how great Sareee is.

[sunshinesmebdy]

Asteroid Wage Enters Gemini: Tips for Thriving in the Whirlwind

Brace yourselves for a celestial shift that’s set to shake up the market: asteroid Wage is setting foot in the nimble, ever-curious sign of Gemini. Buckle up, because the next year promises volatility, adaptability, and yes, even potential financial gains for those who navigate this transit wisely.

What is Asteroid Wage in Gemini?

Think of Wage as the cosmic paymaster, highlighting areas of earning potential and value exchange. In Gemini, the realm of communication, information, and versatility, Wage gets supercharged. Expect dynamic shifts in labor markets, evolving payment models, and a renewed focus on skills and flexibility over tenure.

Impacts for Businesses:

Embrace the gig economy: The Gemini Wage favors agile operations and independent contractors. Consider outsourcing tasks and diversifying your workforce to adapt to changing demands.

Ditch the nine-to-five and hello, dynamic duo! Gemini Wage thrives on adaptability and short-burst projects, so tap into the gig economy to fuel your flexibility. Outsource tasks, embrace a diverse team of independent contractors, and watch your business pirouette through changing demands with the grace of a celestial ballerina. This isn’t just cost-effective, it’s a cosmic recipe for agility and growth.

Invest in communication: Clear communication is key to attracting and retaining talent. Streamline internal processes, refine your marketing message, and invest in technology that facilitates collaboration.

Make your message a megaphone under Gemini Wage! Crystal-clear communication is your golden key to talent, both attracting new stars and keeping your current team in orbit. Polish your internal processes to gleaming, hone your marketing message to a razor-sharp point, and invest in tech that fosters collaboration like a cosmic chatroom. Remember, in this whirlwind transit, the loudest, clearest voices soar highest.

Upskill your team: Be prepared for rapid changes in technology and market trends. Encourage continuous learning and invest in retraining programs to keep your employees relevant.

Equip your team for the cosmic roller coaster! Gemini Wage craves adaptability, so prioritize continuous learning and upskilling programs. Encourage tech-savvy side hustles, invest in retraining that flexes with market trends, and watch your employees morph from cogs in the machine to versatile, innovative problem-solvers. Remember, in this whirlwind, the sharpest minds reap the richest rewards.

Rethink traditional compensation: Bonus structures, profit-sharing models, and performance-based incentives become more attractive under Gemini Wage. Consider adopting alternative salary structures to motivate and retain talent.

Toss out the dusty old salary spreadsheets and embrace the dynamic dance of Gemini Wage! This transit demands agility, and that extends to how you compensate your team. Think beyond the rigid monthly wage. Bonus structures that reward quick wins and innovative ideas become gold under this celestial influence. Consider profit-sharing models, where your team’s success directly translates to their pockets, fostering a culture of ownership and shared goals. Performance-based incentives, tailored to individual strengths and contributions, light a fire under even the most seasoned employee. Remember, in the whirlwind of Gemini Wage, a little creative compensation can go a long way in attracting and retaining top talent. So, ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and get ready to tango with a compensation system that’s as adaptable and exciting as the cosmic twins themselves!

Investing and Finance:

Focus on agility and diversification: Gemini favors short-term, high-growth investments and sectors like tech, media, and communication. Don’t be afraid to experiment and spread your bets.

Ditch the tortoise, embrace the hummingbird! Under Gemini Wage, agility reigns supreme. Invest in short-term, high-growth ventures, particularly in the tech, media, and communication galaxies. Spread your bets like cosmic confetti, experimenting with diverse projects and sectors. Don’t be afraid to pivot and adapt, for in this whirlwind market, nimbleness is your golden ticket to stratospheric returns. Remember, diversification is the secret sauce, so keep your portfolio a constellation of possibilities, ready to catch the next supernova of opportunity.

Stay informed and adaptable: Be nimble enough to react to sudden market shifts. Embrace news apps, financial forecasts, and astrological timing (yes, even!) to make informed decisions.

Become a cosmic chameleon under Gemini Wage! Stay nimbler than a celestial ninja, ready to dodge and weave through sudden market shifts. Embrace financial forecasts and news apps like your personal oracle, but don’t underestimate the whispers of the stars. Align your investments with astrological timing, tuning into energy shifts for informed decisions. Remember, under this whirlwind transit, knowledge is power, and a sprinkle of celestial awareness can be the secret weapon that sets you apart from the herd. So, keep your ear to the ground, your eyes on the charts, and your mind open to the whispers of the cosmos — it’s the recipe for navigating the financial galaxy with grace and prosperity.

Look for the hidden value: Gemini’s sharp eye can uncover undervalued assets and innovative opportunities. Think outside the box and explore emerging markets and disruptive technologies.

This transit sharpens your eye to spot undervalued assets lurking in plain sight, like diamonds in the rough. Think beyond the obvious, explore emerging markets where innovation ripples like a sonic boom, and embrace disruptive technologies that could rewrite the financial rulebook. Remember, under Gemini’s curious gaze, the unconventional can become your goldmine. So, ditch the herd mentality, channel your inner maverick, and unearth the treasures waiting just beyond the edge of the financial map. The rewards for the adventurous investor are written in the stars!

Tips for Thriving with Gemini Wage:

Sharpen your communication skills: The more effectively you communicate your value, the more opportunities you attract. Honing your negotiation and presentation skills will pay off.

Network like a pro: Gemini thrives on connections. Build relationships with potential partners, clients, and collaborators. Your network is your net worth under this transit.

Embrace change and flexibility: Don’t get stuck in outdated models. Be open to new ideas, explore diverse perspectives, and adapt quickly to market shifts.

Focus on learning and adaptability: Invest in personal and professional development. Hone your skills, upgrade your knowledge, and stay ahead of the curve in your field.

So, entrepreneurs and financiers, are you ready to dance with the whirlwind? Let’s see what fortunes await under the sign of the twins!

[sihasah]

Attracting Top Talent: The Ultimate Small Company Benefits Package

In the competitive landscape of today's job market, small businesses often face the challenge of attracting and retaining top talent. While they might not have the financial resources of larger corporations, small companies can still create a compelling benefits package that appeals to prospective employees. A well-crafted benefits package not only demonstrates a company's commitment to its employees but also fosters a positive work environment and enhances employee engagement. In this comprehensive article, we delve into the essential elements of a small company benefits package and provide actionable insights to help small businesses build a competitive offering. https://sihasah.com/attracting-top-talent-the-ultimate-small-company-benefits-package/

[paralleljulieverse]

70th anniversary of Cinderella London Palladium, 122 performances (24 December 1953 - 6 March 1954)

This month marks the 70th anniversary of a milestone in the early career of Julie Andrews: the opening of Val Parnell's lavish Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, at the London Palladium on 24 December 1953. Cinderella would be Julie’s fifth and final UK pantomime, following earlier runs in Humpty Dumpty (1948), Red Riding Hood (1950) Aladdin (1951), and Jack and the Beanstalk (1952). It was the biggest theatrical production Julie had yet undertaken and it would prove a turning point in the young star's career.

'No Pigtails for Julie'

By 1953, Julie was turning 18 and fast outgrowing the "infant prodigy" label of her early career. Efforts had been made for some time to update Julie's star image with a more mature look and an expanded musical repertoire. Much was made in the press about the new "[g]rown up now (or almost) Julie Andrews" (Bendle 1953: 2). "The tiny pigtailed schoolgirl who at age 13 sang in a Royal Command Performance," remarked one newspaper commentator, "is now a long-limbed attractive young lady who is wearing her first strapless dresses" (Pearce 1954: 6). As an archetypal tale of girl-to-woman metamorphosis, Cinderella was an ideal vehicle with which to advance these transformative ambitions. It not only gave Julie titular 'principal girl' status, but called on her to assume a role of emotional nuance and adult sophistication.

Even Julie's mother, Barbara, is reported to have exclaimed:

“Julie, this is the perfect part for you at the perfect age. It couldn’t have come at a better time in your career" (Andrews 2008: 156-57).

Val Parnell presents...

Underscoring the significance of Cinderella was the fact it was a Val Parnell production. Dubbed 'Britain's Mr. Show Business', Parnell was a hugely influential impresario who dominated the British entertainment scene for many decades. He had started in provincial variety management before progressively rising up the ranks to assume control of the prestigious Moss Empires theatre chain (Bullar & Evans 1950: 219). Later, Parnell would go on to play a significant role in the expansion of the British television industry as General Manager of ATV, the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom (Sendall 1982: 250). Renowned for his astute promotion of new talent, Parnell had been instrumental in launching Julie's career when he cast her in her first professional show at just 12 years of age: the now legendary  Starlight Roof at the London Hippodrome in 1947/48 (Alldridge 1954: 1). Cinderella would bring the two together again for the first time in six years. To hear Parnell tell the story, it was a reunion long in the making.

"From the moment [I] first heard her sing," he declared, I "made a mental note that one day [I] was going to present Julie Andrews as Cinderella." As he explained:

"So many child performers are inclined to be precocious...But Julie was not. She had that appealing simplicity which she still retains. It struck me at the time that she had all the qualities of an ideal Cinderella -- youth. freshness, charm" (Lanchbery 1954: 1).

At the London Palladium

Of all the theatres managed by Parnell, none was more celebrated than the London Palladium, a 2200 seat theatre noted for its opulent architecture and state-of-the-art stage facilities (Woodward 2009). Parnell's adept leadership propelled the Palladium to international acclaim as the most famous variety theatre in the world and a top drawcard for international stars. "To appear at the Palladium is the goal to which every artist strives," noted a 1957 newspaper commentary, "to appear at the Palladium is to have achieved star status!" (Hoddinott 1957: 4). The Palladium was also an important venue for Christmas pantomimes. Under Parnell, the Palladium "became the home of spectacular pantomime" with audiences eagerly anticipating each year's offering (Baker 2014: 219). Parnell applied the same triumphant formula to the humble British panto that he used in his variety revues: a blend of star power, spectacle, and money.

Writing in 1952, Ian Beven chronicled Parnell's studied approach to his annual pantomime at the Palladium:

"Each year...Parnell has tried to produce something bigger and better than the year before...He starts in midsummer, with a bare stage. By the third week in December, he has spent about £25,000 on scenery, costumes, musical arrangements, script, and rehearsals...Running costs of the show are high, as Parnell is prodigal with talent and fills his stage with people, and there are only about 140 performances on which to make a profit; but there is no disguising the fact that pantomime in this manner is a highly remunerative proposition, for there is rarely an empty seat throughout the run" (Seven 1952: 223).

Val Parnell's Magnificent 'Cinderella'

Cinderella would be Parnell's sixth pantomime at the Palladium. It would also be the only fully-staged panto in the West End for the 1953 Christmas season. In a sign of the rapidly changing post-war theatre scene, most of the other major London houses were tied up with long-running musicals and plays, largely imported from America. In addition, arena-style ice spectaculars were increasingly in vogue with a slew of new-fangled pantos "on ice" scheduled for suburban venues, leading some wags to quip that Parnell should call his show "Cinderella on Wood" ('Old fashioned Val' 1953: 6).  While many lamented it as a sign of "the decline and fall of the honoured institution" of the traditional panto, the absence of competition gave Parnell a distinct commercial advantage ('At the Pantomime', 1954: 4). When pre-sales for Cinderella opened in the autumn of 1953, the booking office was inundated and the show would become the theatre's most successful pantomime to date (Alldridge 1954: 4).

It also spoke to Parnell's innate sense of theatrical traditionalism. Though he was certainly not averse to innovation and was quick to adopt state-of-the-art technologies, Parnell was a producer of the old school. He believed in sticking to the tried-and-true and giving audiences what they expected. "Audiences haven't changed at all," he opined, "Certainly not the Palladium audiences. It's the same as it ever was. People go the the theatre to enjoy themselves...My job is to give it to them in bigger and better shows" (Hoddinott, 1957: 4)

True to this crowd-pleasing philosophy, Parnell determined to make Cinderella his most spectacular panto yet. Planning for the show started early in 1953. "I always start pantomime with a bare stage," he declared, "Everything must be new" (Fagence 1958: 4). Heading the production team were two influential figures who were something of righthand men to Parnell: Charles Henry and Charles Reading. Henry was Chief of Production at the Moss Empire chain for over thirty years. During his tenure, he would produce over 200 revues and pantomimes, as well as fourteen Royal Command Performances (Born & Frame 1960: 4; 'Charles Henry' 1959: 1). Known as a canny talent-spotter with an encyclopaedic memory -- Bud Flanagan famously called him "a blinking card index of comedy" -- Henry was fondly remembered by Parnell at his passing in 1968 as "one of the theatre's greatest backroom boys" and "my closest associate" (Evening Standard Reporter 1968: 17).

Reading was an equally trusted majordomo for Parnell. A true theatre polymath, Reading trained as an actor before expanding into production, direction, writing, and design. It was the latter talent that brought Reading initial fame with a series of innovative opera and ballet designs for Sadler's Wells and the Old Vic. He subsequently moved into designing more commercial fare in the West End and, in 1947, was contracted by Parnell as resident designer and production assistant at the Palladium (Barker 199: 20; Vallance 199: 36).

Together Parnell, Henry, and Reading set about staging Cinderella as an unparalleled spectacular. Set and costume design alone was budgeted at over £20,000, which equates to almost £700,000 in today's money (Webster 2013). Reading designed an intricate series of progressively spectacular sets, including a palatial Ballroom, a Cave of Crystal Lustres, and a Palace of Porcelain for the grand finale (V&A 2015).

Famed stage couturier, Robert St John-Roper, designed a complementary suite of costumes including a dazzling ballgown and bejewelled wedding dress for Julie. In her 2008 memoir, Julie recalled the breathtaking splendour of it all:

"Everything about that 1953/1954 production of Cinderella had a certain elegance...The production values on the show were terrific; there were revolving stages, and real white ponies pulling the spectacularly gilded coach...In the grand finale wedding sequence, my crinoline was so huge that I had to arrive backstage dressed in my bodice, sleeves, and petticoat, and walk into the crinoline skirt, which was braced on a stand because it was so bejewelled and cumbersome. The company, Prince Charming, and I were brought up from below stage on a hydraulic elevator, to be revealed in a sparkling white set and costumes for the final tableau" (Andrews 2008: 155-57).

Spectacle, Humour, and Charm

Careful attention was equally paid to the other production elements of Cinderella to ensure a well-wrought work of quality theatrical entertainment. To write the script, Parnell commissioned a trio of talented young writers who were only then beginning to make a name for themselves but who would go on to become giants of British comedy: Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan, and Mike Bishop. Their original treatment hewed closely to the core elements of the well-known fairy story but embroidered with innovations and, true to panto style, comic flourishes.

In the Sykes et al script, the story opens with Baron Pastry of Stoneybroke Hall lamenting that he has fallen on hard times (Stoneybroke...get it?!). He lives with his beloved daughter, Cinderella, and their faithful but hopeless retainer, Buttons who carries an unrequited flame for Cinderella. The Baron announces he has just married a wealthy widow in the vain hope of restoring his fortune. She comes to the Hall with her two unloved and unlovable daughters -- the Ugly Stepsisters, of course -- and they set about making Cinderella's life a misery. The requisite Royal Ball, benevolent Fairy Godmother, and Glass Slipper hunt all ensue before the inevitable happily-ever-after ending (Sykes et al. 1953).

Woven around these well-worn plot points were a series of comic interludes designed to accomodate the pantomime conventions of audience participation and novelty acts. These ran the gamut from a demonic door and a bomb-toting spaceman ("it's behind you") to jive singing footmen and a giant electric washing machine that tumbled a hapless Baron Pastry along with an assortment of oversized clothes (Sykes et al. 1953).

Song and Dance

No pantomime would be complete without music and dance and Cinderella served both in abundance. Overseeing the musical side of things were another pair of Palladium panto stalwarts: Phil Park and Bobby Howell. 

Park had been a star cinema organist during the picture palace era but, following the war, he turned his attention to composing and arranging. It was in this capacity that Park worked frequently for Parnell on his Palladium pantos which he "tailored to the stars appearing in the shows but always preserved the time-honoured tradition" ('Obituary: Phil Park' 1978: 6).

Bobby (aka Bobbie) Howell was a prominent band leader of the inter-war years, touring the cinema and dance circuits. After the Second World War, he became a musical director in the West End, working on a string of successful shows such as Strike a New Note, The Lisbon Story, and Piccadilly Hayride. He also worked as musical director and conductor on many of Parnell's pantomimes, including Cinderella ('Bobby Howell' 1962: 3).

In crafting the musical score for Cinderella, Park and Howell followed typical pantomime form of mixing existing well-known tunes with bespoke compositions. Many of the latter were written by Park including a humorous duet between Cinderella and Buttons (played by Max Bygraves). In this duet, Cinderella fantasises about a romantic future with the Prince, while Buttons humorously interjects with sardonic quips:

Cinders: There's a lady -- and she curtseys, Who she is, I cannot guess. She might be me, except that she Has such a pretty dress. And there's her handsome partner, Who is he, do you suppose? Buttons: All I see's a turkey, With a whopping parson's nose! Cinders: Now I see him very clearly, With a smile upon his face; I'm certain he's a Prince, Because he bows with royal grace. See now he takes her hand, And lifts it gently to his lips! Buttons: He looks like George Dawson, With a plate of fish and chips!

In addition to the duets, Julie had two showcase solos in Cinderella: "Chasing Shadows", a 1935 torch song by Silver and Davis, and "Is it Any Wonder," a lilting pop ballad by Bob Hayes and Roy Rodde which had been a recent chart hit for Joni James. 

Interestingly, both solos were modern pop standards and, thus, a marked departure from the light classical repertoire that had been Julie's stock-in-trade. She did get to do some limited coloratura trilling in the extended Transformation Scene at the climax of Act 1 where Strauss waltzes formed the musical accompaniment, but the strong emphasis on popular tunes was indicative of the strategic shift in Julie's image mentioned earlier.

A number of reviewers remarked that Julie didn't seem to do as much singing in Cinderella as they were expecting. She did, however, compensate with quite a bit of dancing -- more dancing in fact than she'd ever done in a professional context. 

Not only was there the mandatory waltz with the Prince, but Julie had a solo dance early in Act 1. She was also a key part of the pre-intermission ballet sequence. Choreography for Cinderella was provided by Pauline Grant with whom Julie had worked so happily the previous year in Jack and the Beanstalk. Pre-show publicity photos showcased Julie's dance rehearsals with Grant, underscoring her now mature lithe figure and womanly style. 

A Who’s Who of Cinderella

Alongside Julie, the cast of Cinderella was a roster of star names and variety notables:

Max Bygraves as Buttons: Born in 1922 in London, Bygraves was a versatile entertainer known for his Cockney persona, humorous storytelling, and sentimental singing. His endearing catchphrases and relaxed chummy style made him a beloved figure in British entertainment. Growing up in a modest family, he showed early signs of showmanship, encouraged by his prizefighter father. Bygraves left school at 14 and served in the RAF during WWII, where he began entertaining troops. His career took off post-war with various stage and radio appearances, including Educating Archie where he first performed alongside Julie. He made several films in the 1950s and his recordings, often nostalgic or comedic, were hugely popular. He continued performing internationally for many years, eventually settling in Australia. Recognised for his contribution to entertainment, he was awarded an OBE in 1982. He passed away in 2012 (Leigh 2012: 37).

Richard Hearne as Baron Pastry: Born in Norwich in 1909, Hearne came from a family with deep roots in music hall and circus arts, and he started performing on stage as a child. Hearne's career in variety and revue culminated in the creation of the beloved Mr. Pastry, a bowler-hatted, walrus-moustached character that brought him success in West End shows, pantomime, and TV, both in the UK and internationally. His role in Cinderella was effectively an adaptation of Mr Pastry complete with his signature comic dance, "The Lancers". A dedicated philanthropist, Hearne was a very active supporter of handicapped children and was honoured with an OBE in 1970 for his charity work. He passed away in 1979 ('Obituary: Richard Hearne', 1979: 27).

Adele Dixon as Prince Charming: Born in South London in 1908, Adele Dixon was a versatile performer known for her roles in London and Broadway musicals, Palladium pantomimes, and Shakespearean plays. After training at the Italia Conti Academy and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she joined the Old Vic company. There, she shone in roles like Juliet and Ophelia. Dixon's transition to musical comedy in the 1930s made her a celebrated figure in the West End, admired for her red-gold hair, expressive brown eyes, and clear soprano voice. Her noteworthy performances included leading roles in Lucky Break, Anything Goes, and Over She Goes. Additionally, she appeared in the film Calling the Tune and became the first female performer on BBC Television in 1936. Dixon continued her success in post-war years with major hits like The Fleet's Lit Up and All Clear. She was also highly acclaimed as a Principal Boy in pantomimes, performing in these trouser roles 14 times throughout her career. Her portrayal of Prince Charming in the 1953 production of Cinderella marked her last appearance on the West End stage. While she continued to perform in provincial roles, health issues forced her into early retirement in the late 1950s. Dixon passed away in 1992 (Thornton, 1992: 29).

Joan Mann as Dandini: Welsh-born Mann trained as a dancer and started touring the variety circuit in her teens where she appeared on bills with stars including Max Miller and Tommy Trinder. A tall attractive brunette with a pleasant voice and shapely dancer’s legs, Mann was a perfect pantomime boy. She played opposite Julie in Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) and also toured with her as part of the musical revue, ‘Cap and Belles’ in 1953 (Andrews 2008: 146). Though she wasn't Principal Boy in Cinderella, Mann played the other leading pants role of Dandini, the Prince's Squire. Mann’s greatest fame came later as part of the celebrated Fols-de-Rols variety troupe with whom she performed for almost two decades. She also starred opposite Dame Anna Neagle in the hit West End musical, Charlie Girl in the late-1960s. Mann died in 2007 aged 87 (P.N., 2007: 53).

Jon Pertwee as Buttercup: Born in 1919, Pertwee was a versatile actor who left a significant mark in television, radio, theatre, and film. Educated at Sherborne, he belonged to a family of distinguished artists and made his acting debut in 1939 in Brighton. His notable wartime service on the HMS Hood led to a fruitful collaboration with Eric Barker in comedy writing and radio. Pertwee became a household name with his long-running role in the BBC radio series, The Navy Lark. He gained even greater international fame on television as the third Doctor Who from 1970 to 1975, and as Worzel Gummidge. Pertwee's career spanned over 100 films, including two Carry On movies, and numerous stage productions. In Cinderella, Pertwee took on the comic drag role of Buttercup, one of the Ugly Sisters. Pertwee passed away in 1996, leaving a legacy as a unique and memorable actor (Newley, 1996: 38).

Tony Sympson as Dandelion: Born in East London in 1907, Tony Sympson had a dynamic career in music and theatre. Initially trained as a choral scholar at St Clement Danes Church Strand, he made his stage debut as a specialty dancer in Dear Love. A mainstay character actor in West End theatre, he appeared in plays, musicals, revues, pantomimes, and operas. Sympson also featured in television ads where he earned a reputation for well-conceived characterisations. A pantomime regular, Sympson played the second of the Ugly Sisters, Dandelion, in Cinderella, a role he would repeat in subsequent productions. Sympson died in 1983 at the age of seventy-six (Marriott, 1983: 7).

Cyril Wells as Baroness Pastry: Born in Belfast in 1907, Wells' entry into acting was fortuitous. Initially a bank clerk, his passion for dancing led him to become a rehearsal partner for actress Jessie Matthews. This collaboration resulted in Wells being cast as her dance partner in the 1936 film It's Love Again, his only appearance on screen but a stepping stone into show business. He then featured in West End musical comedies like Order to View (1938), Here's Looking at Them (1939), and The Charcoal-Burner's Son (1939). Post-war, Wells shifted to comic roles in theatre and variety, notably in pantomime. In Cinderella, he played the Dame role of the blue-wigged Baroness. Wells passed away in 1958 in Southport, Lancashire ('Obituary: Cyril Wells', 1958: 9).

Ted and George Durante as the Broker's Men: One of several novelty acts to appear in Cinderella, the Durantes were a popular acrobat comic duo who found popularity on the post-war variety circuit. Contrary to their billing as brothers, the duo actually comprised two unrelated individuals, Ted Aston and George Mooney. They met in 1946 while performing as part of an acrobatic troupe and decided to branch out as partners, adopting the Durante surname at random. Their act ran for nine years till the late-1950s when Ted married and formed a new double act with his wife, becoming 'Ted and Hilda Durante'. This husband-and-wife team continued for many decades, becaming regulars on TV variety shows in the sixties and seventies (Wilmut, 1985: 182).

Elaine Garreau as the Godmother: Anglo-French actor Garreau, born in 1903, had an extensive and diverse career in British theatre, film, and television. She trained as a dancer, starting on the London stage at age 11 with a company of child artists. At 16, she was principal dancer at the Théâtre des Ambassadeurs in Paris and, at 20, understudy to the legendary Mistinguett. Returning to the UK, Garreau transitioned to acting and performed for many years in various London and provincial troupes across drama, comedy and musicals. Throughout the 40s and 50s, Garreau appeared frequently in pantomimes. In Cinderella, she took on the role of the magical Fairy Godmother. A few years later in 1958, Garreau would play again opposite Julie as part of the original London production of My Fair Lady, in the role of Lady Boxington. Garreau would remain with the show for over 10 years in both the Drury Lane and touring productions, racking up over 3,000 performances which was a world record. In her later career, Garreau increasingly appeared as a character actor in film and television. Garreau died in 2000 at the grand age of 97.

Silvia Ashmole as the Fairy Queen: Born in 1926, Ashmole enjoyed an idyllic childhood, travelling through Europe with her affluent parents and attending Cheltenham Ladies College. A trip with her mother to the ballet in London inspired Ashmole to take dancing lessons and, at age 16, she enrolled in the Cone-Ripman School of Dance, where she quickly excelled. Soon thereafter she secured a place in the coveted Royal Ballet (Sadler's Wells) and toured with them for several years. During a season at Glyndebourne, she met and eventually married the renowned Anglo-German opera director Peter Ebert. Ashmole continued her career as a dancer, often performing in operas at Glyndebourne and Edinburgh. She also worked frequently with choreographer Pauline Grant who contracted her to appear as the Fairy Queen in Cinderella (Wigglesworth 2018).

The Casavecchia Troupe as the Clowns: Billed as the "World's Greatest Comedy Tumblers," the Casavecchia Troupe was a team of acrobats who had worked individually in circus and variety before combining their talents. They toured widely in the UK variety circuit during the late-40s and early-50s. In Cinderella, they appeared as part of the Harlequinade sequence where their slapstick routine offered well-received comic relief.

William Barrett and Edna Busse as Harlequin and Columbine: Barrett and Busse were a pair of classically trained ballet dancers who danced the classic roles of Harlequin and Columbine in the Act 1 Harlequinade. Barrett was born in 1919 in Staffordshire and joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet company in the late-40s, touring with them to the US ('From Farm' 1954: 11). In the 60s and 70s, he performed in theatre and TV as a resident member of the Black and White Minstrel Show. He later retrained as a drama teacher and passed in 1995 (Jevons 1995: 29). Edna Busse was born in Melbourne in 1918. A protégé of Edouard Borovansky, she later honed her skills in London with Mathilde Kschessinska. Returning to Australia, she continued to perform, before transitioning into a revered ballet teacher. She passed in 2019, aged 100 (Yeo 2019).

The Aida Foster Babes: One of many companies of dancing juveniles popular in the era, the Aida Foster Babes were students of the Aida Foster Academy in Golders Green, London. Established in 1929, the Academy trained several generations of young hopefuls till ists closure in 1970, including several famous alumni such as Jean Simmons and Barbara Windsor ('End' 1970: 43). For Cinderella, Foster provided a group of 12 ‘babes’ who performed in several of the show’s lavish dance sequences.

Critical and Popular Reception

Cinderella was very well received by audiences and critics alike. The following excerpts give a sense of the uniformly glowing notices earned by the show, with particular mention of Julie:

Daily News: "Mr. Val Parnell has really done us proud. There can hardly be two more endearing comics than Max Bygraves and Richard Hearne. Julie Andrews, less operatic than I would have expected, is just the girl for Cinders, and she dances gracefully...a most spiffing pantomime" (E.F. 1953: 4).

The Tatler: "Cinderella has taste, beauty and elegance...But if there is more spectacle than of other good things who will complain, since the result...is so giddily splendiferous. The lighting and the costumes and the scenery could not better done...The principals are worthy of their splendiferous surroundings. Miss Adele Dixon has the right princely strut and Miss Julie Andrews, though she is less vocal than she was expected to be, makes Cinderella a young lady of character and charm" (Cookman 1954: 10).

Daily Mail: "Star names may shine all over the programme -- Max Bygraves and Richard Hearne here; Adele Dixon and Julie Andrews there -- but spectacle is the real star of Val Parnell's typically sumptuous pantomime. Instead of scuffling through the usual sleight-of-stagehand transformation scene Cinderella escapes from the kitchen by way of magic force, fairy spinning wheel, and luminous flying ballet to the cave of crystal lustres: a silvery-white vision as glittering as a wedding cake brush to life" (Wilson 1953: 4).

The Guardian: "Pantomime, though represented only by a single Cinderella in Central London, still flourishes...Cinders (Julie Andrews) croons before the dying kitchen fire...Max Bygraves and Richard Hearne use routine 'biz' to good effect...But what is really remarkable and characteristic of Pantomime 1953 is the standard of the ballet: the scene before Cinders goes off in her glittering coach is as smart, fast, extravagant and excitingly danced as a finale at the Moscow Opera" (F.B. 1953: 3).

The Observer: "The new Palladium Cinderella is magnificent to the eve and its Transformation Scene has fine taste as well as sumptuosity...Julie Andrews is a most attractive Cinderella but not so vocal as I expected" (Brown 1953: 6).

Daily Telegraph: "Cinderella...is up to the best Palladium standard. Elaborate spectacle and attractive dancing combine to delight one's eye. Adele Dixon is an admirable Prince Charming -- she has always been able to fill a big stage with her personality -- and Julie Andrews, kept oddly short of chances to sing, makes Cinderella a young lady of character and charm" (Darlington 1953: 7).

The People: "This is a grand and glamorous show with Julie Andrews as Cinderella. But it would have been grander still had they let her sing more. Adele Dixon constantly charms as the Prince. Max Bygraves and Richard Hearne provide a crescendo of laughs" (Shepherd 1953: 5).

The Times: "It is a hard fact for traditionalists to swallow that there is only one pantomime on the grand scale in the West End...yet if the dismayed traditionalists go the Palladium..., they will soon be cheered up....Here, it seems to say with complete confidence, is one of the few things in a changing world that have remained constant...The humour...is received with every sign of enjoyment and the romantic side of the show is from the first in good trim...Miss Adele Dixon and Miss Julie Andrews belong to the order of unobtrusively pleasant principles. They are an appealing pair, and they have in Mr. Max Bygraves an affable Buttons" ('The Palladium' 1953: 8).

The Stage: "Mr. Parnell has thrown everything into a demonstration of faith, assembling a director's dream of a cast and applying it to all the skill, experience and efficiency that have set the Palladium high in the world of entertainment. He lavishes talent and creative art, he employs every device of lighting, mechanical contrivance and novel effect that the theatre possesses, underlines it all with a defiant and traditional Harlequinade, and the result is the pantomime of pantomimes...Julie Andrews's fragile charm graces Cinderella's rags and raiments alike, and Adele Dixon's slim figure and are of intelligent humour are a delight" ('Christmas Shows' 1953: 5).

The Sketch: "It is the happiest panto-subject, and this is as happy a version as I remember. Richard Hearne in the bowels of a washing-machine, Adele Dixon and Julie Andrews to end rightly as Prince and Princess, Max Bygraves to chant 'Bighead!' -- here they all are, and Val Parnell has never had a spectacle more satisfying than the magical creation of coach and gown." (Trewin 1954: 18).

A Real-Life Cinderella

In many ways, Cinderella signalled something of a pinnacle for Julie's early British career. She was now a young woman in a starring role on the West End stage and, in professional terms, could scarcely go much further. Julie herself writes that "I felt that with Cinderella, my career had peaked" and whatever future she may have would be a continued cycle of "radio, vaudeville and pantomime" (Andrews 2008: 157). 

But the theatre gods had other plans and a real-life Fairy Godmother materialised to change the course of Julie's life forever. Midway through the run of Cinderella, Julie was paid a backstage visit by Vida Hope, the producer of the smash hit London musical, The Boy Friend. There were plans to take the show to New York with a new company, but the producers were struggling to cast the lead role of Polly Browne. At the suggestion of Hattie Jacques, Julie's former co-star in Educating Archie, Hope went to see Julie in Cinderella and offered her the role. 

It is part of theatrical lore that Julie was initially reluctant to accept the offer, but she was eventually persuaded to seize the opportunity (Andrews 2008: 157-58). Five months after the close of Cinderella, Julie flew off to New York and the rest, as they say, is history...

References:

Alldridge, John (1954). 'Oh, for another Gracie! says Mr Show Business.' Manchester Evening News. 12 October 1954: 1.

Andrews, Julie (2008). Home: A memoir of my early years. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

'At the Pantomime.' (1953). Belfast Telegraph. 30 December: 4.

Baker, Richard Anthony (2005). British Music Hall : An Illustrated History. Stroud: Sutton.

Barker, Dennis. (1999). 'Obituary: Charles Reaaing.' The Guardian. 19 May: 20.

Bendle, Alan (1953). 'Keeping a Straight Bat on a Sticky Wicket.' Manchester Evening News. 15 August: 2.

Bevan, Ian (1952). Top of the Bill: The Story of the London Palladium. London: Frederick Muller Ltd.

'Bobby Howell.' (1962) The Stage and Television Today. 8 February: 3.

Brown, Ivor (1953). "At the Theatre: Not on Ice." The Observer. 27 December: 6.

Bullar, Guy R. & Evans, Len (1950). The Performer: Who's Who in Variety. London: The Performer Ltd.

Cameron, Don (1958). 'The Val Parnell Story Parts 1-4'. The :

Chanticleer (1953). 'People: Old Fashioned Val.' Daily Herald. 3 November: 6.

'Charles Henry Resigning.' (1959). The Stage. 2 April: 1.

'Christmas Shows: The Palladium "Cinderella'".' (1953). The Stage. 31 December: 5.

Cookman, Anthony (1954). 'At the Theatre: Cinderella (London Palladium).' The Tatler and Bystander. 6 January: 10.

Cottrell, John (1968). Julie Andrews: The Story of a Star. London: Arthur Barker.

Darlington, W.A. (1953). "Christmas Shows: Modern Twist to Cinderella, Elaborate Show at Palladium." Daily Telegraph. 28 December: 7.

Double, Oliver (2012). Britain Had Talent: A History of Variety Theatre. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

E.F. (1953). 'A Most Spiffing Pantomime." Daily News. 28 December: 4.

Even Standard Reporter. (1968). 'Ex-Palladium Showman Dies.' Evening Standard. 28 February: 17.

Fagence, Maurice (1958). 'Curtain Up on Mr. Palladium'. Daily Herald. 17 February: 4.

F.B. (1953). "From a Nose in Egypt to Abandon in the Outer Suburbs." The Guardian. 28 December: 3.

Frame, Colin & Boorn, Bill. (1960). 'Palladium Nights.' The Birmingham Evening Mail. 9 November: 6.

Hoddinott, Derek (1957). 'Val Parnell Speaks". The Stage. 29 August: 4.

Lanchbery, Edward (1954). 'Teen-age Cinderella task to the CN: Julie Andrews' dream comes true.' Children's Newspaper. 16 January: 1.

Leigh, Spencer (2012). 'Obituary: Max Bygraves.' The Independent. 3 September: 37

Marriott, R.B. (1983). 'Obituary: Tony Sympson'. The Stage and Television Today. 21 April: 7.

Newley, Patrick. (1996). 'Obituary: Jon Pertwee'. The Stage. 23 May: 38.

'Obituary: Cyril Wells' (1958). The Stage. 17 April: 9.

'Obituary: Phil Park' (1978). The Stage and Television Today. 23 November: 6.

'Obituary: Richard Hearne' (1979). The Stage and Television Today. 30 August: 27.

Pearce, Emery (1954). “No Pigtails for Julie.” Daily Herald. 11 January: 6.

P.N. (2007). ‘Obituary: Joan Mann’. The Stage. 6 December: 53.

Ray, Ted (1956). 'Palladium Nights.' The Liverpool Echo. 27 October: 3.

Sean, Neil (2014). Live from the London Palladium: The World's Most Famous Theatre in the Words of the Stars Who Have Played There. London: Amberley Publishing.

Shepherd, Ross (1953). "London Holiday Shows." The People. 28 December: 5.

Sykes, Eric; Milligan, Spike; Bishop, Michael; and, Park, Phil. (1953). Val Parnell's Cinderella: For production at the London Palladium Xmas 1953. Moss Empires Ltd. [Manuscript held in the Lord Chamberlain's Plays Collection, British Library].

"The Palladium: Cinderella." (1953). The Times. 28 December: 8.

Thornton, Michael. (1992). 'Obituary: Adele Dixon.' The Stage. 4 June: 29.

Trewin, C.W (1954). "At the Theatre: Cinderella (Palladium)." The Sketch. 13 January: 18.

V&A (2015). 'Charles Reading.' V&A Theatre and Performance Collection. https://collections.vam.ac.uk.

Vallance, Tom. (1999). 'Obituary: Charles Reading.' The Independent. 17 June: 36.

'Variety Stage: Palladium Plans' (1953). The Stage. 17 September: 3.

Webster, Ian (2013). 'U.K. Inflation Calculator.' In2013dollars.com. https://www.in2013dollars.com/UK-inflation.

Wilmut, Roger (1985). Kindly leave the stage! : the story of variety, 1919-1960. London: Methuen.

Wilson, Cecil (1953). "Spectacle gets the star role." Daily Mail. 28 December: 4.

Woodward, Chris (2009). The London Palladium: The Story of the Theatre and its Stars. Huddersfield: Northern Heritage Pub.

©2023, Brett Farmer. All rights reserved.

[hyperfixationsstation]

https://www.tumblr.com/hyperfixationsstation/759550867869433856/whether-they-have-a-draft-or-not-its-a-lose-lose

What makes you think every player have autonomy over their careers? In terms of free agency yes, but with drafts no and not all trades.

Even the best leagues like the NBA, doesn’t have no trade clauses for all the players. LeBron and Bradley Beal are the only two I can think of off the top of my head (I’m sure there is more) and Beals performance last year along with his trade clause makes impossible for teams to bring in assets. The team can’t get any new talent because there isn’t any good cap space. I’m sure someone is going to say “work with what you have” but if the player isn’t performing to what everyone thought, this means coaches, teammates, fans, front office, why isn’t anyone looking at the player and their inability to perform like expected. Now, as the front office, I’m in a position where I have to deal with you because you don’t want to leave and pray for the best outcome of the team and the attraction of the team.

Look at Lauren holidays husband Jrue for example. Jrue got traded and didn’t have a choice and his league is better than the NWSL. Lauren made a whole post about players not having a choice or being blindsided and being uprooted from the community they were growing in. This shit is no different in any US leagues. Y’all want to compare this to Europe and say players can sign wherever when they have youth club teams everyone. They are already in the system, so the draft isn’t necessary. If the NWSL had youth programs or whatever Europe is doing, then maybe it makes sense to eliminate a draft, but right now, NO.

You may not have the chance to go to your preferred team, but guess what. You never know what can happen and get the opportunity of a lifetime.

brother literally what are you talking about bc i didn’t say that the nba had player autonomy and if you are referring to what @reminiscingtonight said they are talking about other leagues in other parts of the world and not the us…..

and alsooo like i said theres a reason the nba mlb and other us leagues players association were congratulating the nwsl pa bc what the nwsl achieved in suree these other players in these other us organizations wouldnt mind changing

also the nwsl doesnt need a youth system for players to have autonomy over their career??? that literally doesnt matter?? several teams have academies though… and im suree actually this could cause teams to invest in and create their academies to retain players that they develop

like this really made no fucking sense and actually doesnt prove that the nwsl should keep the draft

[bjrcrecruiting]

Finance Recruitment in Toronto: How to Attract the Best Candidates

The financial sector in Toronto is one of the most competitive in North America, attracting top talent from across the globe. However, as the demand for skilled finance professionals continues to grow, companies are facing increasing challenges in attracting and retaining the best candidates. With so many opportunities available, job seekers are more discerning than ever, making it essential for businesses to refine their recruitment strategies.

Successful finance recruitment in Toronto goes beyond offering competitive salaries. It’s about crafting a compelling employer brand, understanding the needs of modern candidates, and leveraging the expertise of specialized recruitment agencies. Here’s how your organization can stand out and secure top-tier finance talent in a crowded market.

The Competitive Landscape of Finance Recruitment in Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s financial hub, home to leading banks, investment firms, fintech companies, and multinational corporations. This vibrant ecosystem creates a highly competitive environment for employers, as candidates with expertise in areas such as financial analysis, compliance, and risk management are in high demand.

To stay ahead, companies need to adopt innovative strategies to differentiate themselves from competitors. Partnering with Toronto finance recruitment agencies is one of the most effective ways to gain a competitive edge. These agencies not only understand the local market but also have access to a vast network of qualified candidates, making them invaluable allies in the recruitment process.

Why Employer Timing and Transparency Matter

When it comes to hiring, speed and communication can make or break your chances of securing top candidates. Today’s finance professionals are not only in high demand but are often exploring multiple opportunities simultaneously. To stay competitive, employers need to streamline their hiring processes and maintain open communication with candidates throughout.

Timely Responses: Delays in providing feedback or moving to the next stage of the recruitment process can cause candidates to lose interest or accept other offers.

Clear Expectations: Outline the role’s responsibilities, growth opportunities, and compensation early on to set clear expectations and reduce uncertainty.

Honest Feedback: Candidates appreciate constructive feedback, even if they’re not selected. This level of transparency enhances your reputation and encourages them to reapply in the future.

By prioritizing speed and transparency, businesses can keep candidates engaged and position themselves as reliable, efficient employers.

Broaden Your Search to Uncover Hidden Talent

In the search for top finance professionals, it’s easy to focus on traditional candidate pools. However, broadening your approach can reveal hidden talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Non-Traditional Backgrounds: Look for candidates with transferable skills from other industries, such as tech or operations, who can bring fresh perspectives to finance roles.

Diverse Talent Pipelines: Actively seek candidates from underrepresented groups to enrich your team with varied experiences and viewpoints.

Passive Candidates: Many highly qualified professionals aren’t actively job hunting but may be open to the right opportunity. Proactively reaching out to these candidates can give you access to untapped talent.

By thinking outside the box, Toronto's finance recruitment agencies can help organizations identify and secure professionals who offer unique value and potential.

Build a Strong Employer Brand

Your employer brand plays a crucial role in attracting top finance talent. Candidates are more likely to apply to companies they perceive as innovative, inclusive, and supportive of their employees.

Here are some ways to enhance your employer brand:

Showcase Employee Success Stories: Highlighting the achievements and career growth of your team members demonstrates that your company values and invests in its employees.

Engage on Social Media: Share company updates, employee spotlights, and thought leadership content on platforms like LinkedIn to showcase your company culture.

Highlight Benefits and Perks: Clearly communicate the benefits you offer, such as mentorship programs, wellness initiatives, and flexible work options.

A strong employer brand not only attracts top talent but also helps retain your existing workforce, creating a positive cycle of growth and success.

Embrace Proactive Recruitment Strategies

In a competitive market, waiting for candidates to come to you is no longer enough. Proactive recruitment strategies are essential to securing the best talent in finance hiring in Toronto.

Build Talent Pipelines: Maintain relationships with potential candidates, even if they’re not immediately available for a role.

Engage in Industry Networking: Attend finance industry events, webinars, and conferences to connect with professionals and expand your network.

Offer Referral Programs: Incentivize your employees to refer top talent by offering bonuses or other rewards for successful hires.

By staying proactive, your organization can stay ahead of the curve and be ready to fill critical roles as they arise.

Attracting the best candidates in Toronto’s competitive finance market requires a multifaceted approach. From maintaining transparency in your hiring process to broadening your search for hidden talent, companies must adapt to meet the demands of today’s workforce.

BJRC Recruiting specializes in finance recruitment in Toronto, helping organizations find exceptional candidates who drive success. Whether you need help refining your hiring strategy or accessing top-tier talent, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Contact BJRC Recruiting today and discover how our expertise can help you secure the finance professionals your organization needs to thrive.

Know more https://bjrcrecruiting.com/2024/12/29/finance-recruitment-toronto-attract-top-candidates/

[chaos-and-recover]

#you guys don't know how software development works and it Pains Me

Could you expand on that?

I think the post sums it up well, that there are physical servers that need to host the platform and that costs money so there's truly no way to have a totally free website (that's why AO3 has fundraising drives, because the alternative is ads and nobody wants that on the Fandom Porn Site).

But also in the recent announcements about restructuring and large parts of the Tumblr team being reassigned to other teams within Automattic and Tumblr essentially being left with a skeleton crew is... not great? Like everyone is celebrating the fact that Tumblr Live is probably going to die soon and ignoring the part that they also won't be shipping many if any new features but instead focusing on the ones they have. And when that part is acknowledged the reaction seems to be that they're gonna fix a bunch of shit and like... they probably aren't.

Development is slow and it requires people and direction. I don't know the details of what staff currently looks like or who's going where but in my experience, "we're focusing on improving the features we have" means "whoever is left will be focused on keeping the lights on." Like, maintaining vital infrastructure and maybe fixing bugs here and there if they have the capacity for it.

Plus not having shiny new features as often if at all makes it really hard to drive new users to the platform, and that makes it less enticing for investors and/or advertisers.

I work for a SaaS company with a significantly smaller userbase than a typical social media site would have, even a relatively underused one like Tumblr (bc we're B2B so our customers are other businesses in a niche-ish field) and just one of our platforms has two distinct product teams, with each team consisting of a product manager, a designer, a handful of developers and a QA team, and that doesn't include the site reliability team who keep the whole thing running and solve database and server issues.

And it'll be hard to attract or retain top talent in any of these roles if your company just isn't putting the resources into the platform.

It takes a lot of people to keep a website functional, and I don't want to be doom and gloom because it might all be fine, at least for the foreseeable future, but it takes a lot of people to keep a software platform running.

I'm just glad it seems like no one at Tumblr is actually losing their jobs at this point.

And lbr I'm still gonna be here til the wheels fall off.

[bankingpk]

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