#Conference series LLC

[dcbbw]

Hidden Agenda

This story is my (late af) submission for #kiaratheronappreciationweek, utilizing Day #3 (diplomat/polyglot) and Day #5 (relationships/friendships).  This is also an answer to an ask: @twinkleallnight requested a portrayal of Kiara’s diplomatic skills.

@ao719 requested a fun/goofy side of Liara (Liam x Kiara) which I will have to answer in another story.

The story takes place within my Liara Arrangement AU; if you wish to catch up/re-read, it can be found on my Masterlist under Liam x Kiara. (It’s incomplete but should be updating soon)

This flashback chapter takes place before the story start, when Kiara realizes that she’s in love with Liam.

I also attempted to utilize Prompt #3 from @choicesflashfics: “I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.” Which I did, but word count … so I’m borrowing it instead.

THANK YOU to all who read this over and assure me it makes sense, and not-so-subtly reminded me I need to return to this series. Your feedback, as always, is invaluable.

THANK YOU to all who will read this story. Your likes, comments, and/or reblogs are appreciated more than you know.

Please excuse any and all typos, missing/extraneous words, and/or grammatical errors. MS Editor rates this story as 98% error-free.

Rating is T for Teen.

All characters belong to Pixelberry

Song Inspiration: Lay Your Cards Out, POLICA

Word Count: 4,127

The Royal Council was in recess, its members milling about the Palace’s East Wing Grand Conference Room partaking of refreshments as they grouped off to discuss the meeting’s progress thus far.

The room was an opulent mix of burnished wood furnishings, brass accents, and marble flooring. Cushions and curtains were a rich, plush burgundy. The Cordonia seal took prominence above the dais, and the country’s flag was strategically placed in corners throughout the space.

Lady Kiara Theron was praised for the effective forward movement of her plan to have Castelsarreillan Wineries, LLC purchase the Ramsford Vineyards. The Lady of House Theron successfully argued that wine export comprised only 12% of Duchy Ramsford’s total revenue, whereas it was 73% of Duchy Castelsarreillan’s.

One wine to represent Cordonia, with grapes picked from various regions throughout the country, would make the libation more exclusive, thus promoting a better demand for it while keeping workers employed and creating new jobs.

Lord Neville Vancouer was only slightly satisfied. While the Council agreed to his request for more allocations to Cormery Isle, they included the friendly amendment that upon completion of a second golf course to accommodate the increase in tourism, Cormery Isle would be subject to a tax increase up to but not to exceed eight percent of its current rate.

The Duchess of Lythikos was in discussion with A. Justin Severus, the Royal Communications and Marketing Director, about promoting her duchy as a year-round ski destination. “May as well make use of constant snowfall,” she pointed out as she sipped lemon tonic water.

Mr. Severus was in complete agreement and offered to set up an appointment to meet within the next two days.

The Queen prattled to Ana De Luca and her press team of the progress she and the King were making as they worked to unify Cordonia across race, political, and class lines.

The King was across the room, talking quietly with Rashad Domvallier, his personal legal counsel, and the country’s Comptroller regarding the upcoming closed session portion of the meeting.

“Are you certain Lady Theron is the correct person to lead the discussion?” Rashad asked, his brows furrowed slightly.

“It’s neither a legal nor a financial matter at this time. Preliminary hearing at best, which requires someone who will best represent and protect Cordonian interests in a sensitive, tactful manner. It requires a … diplomatic touch.”

The King’s eyes surveyed the room as he let his comrades process his explanation. They lit up at seeing Kiara, alone at the buffet table.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me,” he murmured as he began making his way to his lover.

It was the night before Coronation; Liam and Kiara were in the hedge maze, standing beneath a large tree that held a lone wooden swing. Liam’s back was leaned into the tree bark, his hands shoved into his pant pockets. He studied the ground as he spoke.

“Tomorrow night, I’ll choose the Countess to be my bride and Queen,” he muttered in a broken voice.

Kiara’s palm cupped his cheek; it was damp with quietly shed tears. Her heart twisted at the feel; she wasn’t in love with Liam, but she did care deeply for him.

“Ne pleure pas, mon doux Liam,” she whispered. Don’t cry, my sweet Liam. “It’s for the best. I care for you and immensely enjoy our time together, but I’m not ready for duty and tradition. Madeleine is.” Kiara stared at her shoes before speaking again. “Et je suis désolé, mais je ne rends pas tes sentiments.”

And I’m sorry, but I don’t return your feelings.

Liam lifted his head, transferring his gaze upon Kiara. “I don’t care you aren’t in love with me! If I’m marrying for duty, why can’t it be YOU?” he questioned angrily.

There was the slightest impatience in her voice when she replied. “THAT is a question for your father and Duke Karlington! Frankly, I’m GLAD! I want a career, a chance to be free from titles and Court, to see the world and put my skills to uses that DO NOT involve pouring tea and kissing ass!”

“Are you referring to me, or to Court?” he asked tightly as his jaw jumped slightly.

“COURT, LIAM! I’m not HAPPY we’ll be broken apart, but I swear to you … I’m not Queen material at this point in time.” Her arms and hands raised in supplication. “There’s too much I want to do while I’m still young enough to do it.”

The lovers stared at each other, both breathing heavily from the intense emotions flowing through their blood. Liam’s gaze grew thoughtful as he pondered Madeleine’s offer the night before. He held out an arm, entreating Kiara into his embrace.

A pout on her lips, she relented; she inhaled his scent deeply when her head lay on his chest.

“If you’re agreeable, there may be a way for you to have what you want, and still be a part of my life.”

Kiara was a vision: Her long, straight dark hair had ringlet curls at the ends; her dress was an ankle-length black pinstriped affair with a skinny black belt buckled at her waist. A black slub cardigan covered the ensemble; gray snake-skin stilettos were on her stockinged feet.

“Hi,” Liam greeted bashfully when he was beside her.

Kiara was reaching for a plate when she glanced up. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart beat a tad faster.

It’s ridiculous how handsome this man is, she thought.

She returned her attention back to the brunch selections offered, debating between citrus-glazed salmon, beef wellington, and grilled duck.

“Ahem! HI! Say it back.”

The future Duchess giggled at the irritation in her King’s voice. “You are so rude!” She lifted her eyes to meet his.

“You’re the one ignoring me,” Liam grumbled.

“Bonjour, monsieur,” she cooed sweetly.

He leaned in closer to her, his lips at the shell of her ear; Kiara repressed a shiver at his nearness. A smile curved her lips as she listened to his sweet nothings. She felt butterflies in her tummy and a giddiness overtake her.

Kiara Theron was in love. With the King of Cordonia. The married King of Cordonia. She wasn’t sure when it happened, or how. But ever since their return from America last month, Kiara found herself … dissatisfied with their arrangement.

Kiara’s first inclination was to turn down the offer. While Cordonian arrangements were commonplace, they were typically between a couple married to other people. As a single woman in an arrangement with the King no less, the Lady would be branded a gold digger which could bring a certain notoriety upon House Theron.

Liam promised her the utmost discretion; only four people knew of the agreement: Liam, Kiara, Madeleine, and Rashad. The Queen and the Counselor had both signed non-disclosure agreements. The contract drawn up offered something to all parties involved:

Kiara was appointed to the Cordonian Office of Ministries as the Diplomatic Liaison for Governmental Relations and given a Junior Ambassadorship representing Cordonia within the UN’s Alliance of Small Island States. Because her work would keep her in the Capital, a gorgeous three-bedroom, three- bathroom townhouse was purchased through one of the Crown’s many foundations for her in nearby Stormholt. In addition to her salaries, which were determined by the government pay sale, she received a robust monthly stipend for her availability and discretion.

Liam received three overnights a week with his lover; business trips abroad with Kiara where diplomatic services were deemed necessary, or the Queen’s presence was not required; daytime luncheons with the caveat that the couple remain businesslike while in public to avoid rumors and gossip.

The King modified his will so that Kiara would be taken care of in the event of his passing. It wasn’t a requirement of the arrangement, but something he wanted to do.

Madeleine was given the freedom to take a lover, or lovers, of her choosing excluding members of House Theron. The Queen would relinquish such lovers once the monarchs began in earnest to provide the country with heirs to secure the Rys line of succession. She was gifted Duchy Valtoria.

The couple agreed to use contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, and to not bring their romance inside of the Palace, or any of the Queen’s properties.

The day the contract was executed, notarized, and attested, the Queen met with a lawyer outside of Court circles to add codicils that no one else needed to know about.

Liam bought Kiara a black Jaguar XF to celebrate.

It had been a satisfactory arrangement so far for Kiara: She had a career doing what she loved, downtime when she needed it, a gorgeous house, and an attentive lover. But between the overnights, trips to countries she’d never visited, and once-a-month trips to New York City where Liam spoiled her with carriage rides in Central Park, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and shopping sprees … Kiara found herself wanting more.

With Liam.

Only Liam.

She was in love with her lover.

But when to tell him?

“Are you prepared for closed session?” Liam asked as he partook heartily of a western omelet.

He and Kiara were seated at a small round table on the veranda. The King rose when he saw his Queen approach them, a plate of fruit and toast in her hand. He guided Madeleine to the table before pulling out her chair and placing her meal on the wrought-iron tabletop.

“What are we discussing?” Madeleine asked, her emerald-colored eyes darting between her husband and his lover.

Normally the Queen of Cordonia would not care what her husband and his plaything were discussing, but given that there was still more meeting to be had, she felt it best to see if there was any information they were willing to share.

“Auvernal,” Liam replied as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips.

“My research was quite informative,” Kiara offered in answer to Liam’s question before they were interrupted. “I must admit to some … curiosité as to why this task landed in my lap.”

She looked uncertainly between the two monarchs.

Liam’s fork speared another slice of egg, meat, vegetables, and cheese. “Auvernal has approached the Queen and I with an alliance; while they have not outright said it was a marital union they seek, one can only presume that is their agenda.”

“But there are no heirs yet, are there?” Kiara hoped she was hiding the dismay she felt at the thought of Madeleine being pregnant.

“Arrangements and alliances are formed decades, scores …  even centuries in advance. The very makeup of today’s Court, the laws we abide by … all formulated by the politics of our ancestors. Personally, I have nothing against an alliance with our neighbors to the east,” Madeleine said in a tone that suggested she was speaking to a small child.

Kiara’s eyes cut to Liam, who shook his head slightly, silently telling Kiara to ignore Madeleine’s tone. He placed his palm atop the back of her hand. “You’ll do wonderfully, Lady Kiara. Consider this a fact-finding mission, so that all parties have the information needed to make the best decision for Cordonia.”

A bell rang, three times. Madeleine rose. “The meeting is convening.” Her dress swished about her calves as she hurried back inside.

“You’ll do wonderfully.” Liam’s lips lingered on Kiara’s cheek. “I’ll see you this evening at the townhouse?”

Kiara nodded, motioning Liam ahead as she struggled to collect her thoughts, torn between hating him and loving him. Why would he ask HER to research Auvernal for a marital alliance between the Cordonian heir and Auvernal’s?

Why wouldn’t he?

Liam thought he was the only one in love.

She was his diplomat. He asked her to do her job.

Now that her duty was done, when would he begin his?

FUUUUUCCCKKKKK.

The thought made her almost physically ill.

When Kiara entered the conference room, she took in the surroundings: Councilmembers seated on the dais, conferring quietly amongst themselves, palms covering microphones. Kiara wondered why no one bothered to simply turn the devices off.

The monarchs were seated at the conference table: Liam and Madeleine sat beside each other on one side, Bradshaw and Isabella on the other, a seat separating them.

Rashad and the Comptroller sat along the wall, notepads and ink pens in hand.

Taking in a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face, Kiara took her seat at the head of the table. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

Head nods and murmured greetings in response.

Kiara shuffled through papers. “I am Lady Kiara Theron of House Theron, Duchy Castelsarreillan. I will be facilitating today’s discussion regarding a potential alliance between Cordonia and Auvernal, item G.1 on the agenda.”

She looked up, her gaze trained on the Auvernese rulers. “What exactly is your proposal? There’s nothing in writing, and the monarchs have not received any information.”

Kiara noted that Bradshaw was handsome in a feeble way. His body was lithe and held muscle definition, but his chin was weak, and his eyes beady.

“I am of the belief that one gets it in writing, not puts it in writing,” Bradshaw quipped, though there was no humor in his tone.

Kiara arched an eyebrow in surprise.

Beneath the table, Isabella kicked her husband sharply in his shin. Bradshaw winced before glowering at his Queen. Isabella was oblivious as she smiled brightly at both monarchs and the diplomat.

“What my … husband is attempting to say, in an extremely crass manner, is that we wish to have a verbal discussion first before drawing up a proper alliance. We don’t wish for either party to be short-changed in what we hope will be a mutually beneficial exchange.”

“King Bradshaw, how long have you been sovereign of Auvernal?” Kiara asked as she placed her palms flat against the table’s surface.

Bradshaw frowned. “Five years.”

Kiara nodded. “And how long have you and Queen Isabella been married?”

All the monarchs were frowning; the Councilmembers leaned forward ever so slightly in their seats. What the hell was Joelle’s daughter doing, and where was this line of questioning leading?

“Five years. Why?”

“July 26, 2017, to be precise, correct? One week after Isabella’s coronation as Queen of Auvernal following her father, King Renaldo, stepping down due to declining health. A wedding not one member of Cordonian Court received an invitation to.”

Everyone’s attention was focused on the Auvernese monarchs.

“What are you implying, Miss Theron?” Bradshaw growled.

“I am saying that you are not the ruling monarch of Auvernal; the Queen is. You are nothing more than Prince Consort.”

Liam’s eyes, which had narrowed at Bradshaw’s deliberate slight, widened at the revelation although he shouldn’t have been surprised. He recalled sporadic visits to Auvernal in his youth and meeting with Isabella, but never Bradshaw.

He cursed himself for the oversight.

“His title in no way invalidates his power nor his ability to speak for us as a couple,” Isabella interjected coolly.

Kiara offered a conciliatory smile. “I’m not saying it does. I’m merely getting the facts straight, so Cordonia knows who holds the power within your dynamic.”

“Bradshaw holds every authority,” Isabella affirmed.

“So again, what is the proposal you wish to present?” Kiara sipped from a glass of water.

“We wish to set forth a marital alliance between our children and the Cordonian heir. We have fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Preferably, Cordonia will provide its country with more than one child, and an agreement can be placed for both our children.”

“Where would they rule?” Kiara inquired.

Blank stares from Bradshaw and Isabella; interested looks from the Council, Rashad, and the Comptroller.

The question was an excellent one.

In the modern age, a dual monarchy was a rare occurrence, happening only when two separate kingdoms were ruled by the same monarch, followed the same foreign policy, existed in a customs union with each other, and had a combined military but are otherwise self-governing.

That was not the case with either country.

Silence while the visiting rulers struggled to supply an answer. Kiara took the opportunity to gauge the room. Looks of begrudging admiration from the Council, a huge smile from Rashad. The Lady’s eyes met the King’s; he gave her a covert thumbs up. The Queen stared stoically at Bradshaw and Isabella.

“That would be a discussion to be had at such time we actually enter into an alliance,” Isabella responded slowly.

“This alliance you are offering has been paraded before other countries, no? Hidar, Monterisso, Vallenheim just to name a few. Why is Cordonia only now in your sight lines? Surely you are both aware the King has familial ties to your country, and that we have been neighbors since the unification of the Five Kingdoms. A unification Auvernal resisted.”

Bradshaw drummed his fingertips against the highly polished, massive table. “Precisely the reason we chose alternate avenues; despite our shared history and proximity, Auvernal and Cordonia are merely neutral at best. We have no trade agreements in place, no treaties … we exist peacefully, yet uneasily. When talks stalled between other countries, Isabella and I agreed to extend this olive branch in an effort to at least become allies.”

Kiara settled back in her chair, crossing one leg over her knee. Her foot swung rhythmically.

Liam felt his manhood rise in his pants.

“And what exactly are you offering, Your Majesty?” Kiara put sarcastic emphasis on the moniker.

“In exchange for the marital alliance of at least the firstborns of both countries, and an annual monetary gift of $1 billion US dollars until the desired marriage comes to fruition, Cordonia has unrestricted access to the Auvernese military, free reign and use of our ports, and we will provide you with border protection.”

Liam flushed red, disbelief and anger marring his features. “ONE BILLION US DOLLARS? A YEAR?” he repeated in a voice that bellowed throughout the room.

Madeleine leaned over to whisper in his ear.

The Council watched with wide eyes. The Comptroller began patting his vest pockets for his heart medication. Kiara looked at her monarch with concerned eyes.

“King Liam, do you need to be excused?”

He shook his head. “My apologies for the outburst. The amount took me by surprise.” He glared at Bradshaw. “What the hell do you need with that amount of money?”

“It would be a sign of good faith,” Isabella clarified.

“For far less than that amount, we could assemble our own military, which we are in the process of doing. We plan to have a fully functional army, navy, and air command within the next five years,” Madeleine pointed out.

“Cordonia is prospering at a rapid rate. With prosperity comes growth. And enmity, both within and outside of your borders.  A five-year plan is good, but a lot can happen in that time. Should your country be breached, it’s simply a matter of time before your foes are at our door. The use of our military is a preventive measure, albeit a bit self-serving,” Bradshaw explained.

Kiara followed the exchange carefully. “So, you are asking for the monarch’s firstborn at the very least, an estimated $21 billion dollars, and in exchange we get your military not only infiltrating, but surrounding Cordonia as well?”

Bradshaw nodded in conformation.

Kiara smirked mirthlessly. “Most countries would call that a takeover. Just ask Rivala.”

“It wasn’t like that with Rivala, and it wouldn’t be that way with Cordonia!” Isabella contradicted, her tan complexion paling at the mention of the country.

Kiara uncrossed her legs and pulled her chair back to the table. “Let’s discuss the children, shall we? How old are they?”

“Their names are Isaac and Lyra; they’re four years of age,” Bradshaw replied proudly.

“And yet, there are no medical records in Auvernal or any of your neighboring provinces to corroborate Queen Isabella’s pregnancy or hospital stay. I did find birth certificates for the twins; Bradshaw Achilles is listed as the father, but the mother has the same name as the children’s nanny.”

“Lady Theron, what exactly are you saying here?” Duchess Adelaide demanded.

Kiara kept her gaze trained on the Auvernese monarchs.

“My research has uncovered that Bradshaw’s children are not of royal or even noble lineage. Bradshaw Achilles is a decorated war hero who has never seen combat, and a commoner whose wealth bought him a seat on the Auvernese throne.”

Gasps and the buzzing of muffled conversations erupted within the chamber. Madeleine’s eyes were slits as she glowered at her guests. Kiara calmly sipped her water.

“I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this,” Isabella’s calm tone cut through the cacophony.

“Please, explain to us how you expect to marry off commoner children to the future offspring of our King and Queen, whose noble lineage goes back centuries?” Bertrand questioned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Isabella’s lower lip quivered; she was making the most of the attention paid to her in this moment. “What I am about to say is very private and personal between myself and my husband. I trust that it stays in this room.” She looked around, seeing the nods of affirmation from the Cordonian Court.

“Bradshaw and I tried to conceive, but it just … wasn’t working. We decided to attempt with a surrogate. The procedure was performed quietly, with outside personnel. Neither of us could risk the gossip and scandal. The children share my blood; they simply did not share my body.”

Liam and Kiara met eyes. She shook her head, indicating Isabella was lying.

The Comptroller cleared his throat. “May I inquire what became of King Achilles’ fortune? It is my understanding that the country’s coffers are not as full as they could be, confirmed by the financial assistance Auvernal seeks.”

“I spent my money building the mightiest military in the Mediterranean. Being prepared is expensive,” Bradshaw replied, his eyes shooting daggers at Kiara.

Drake Walker looked around the dais. “I think I speak for all of Council when I say we will not approve an alliance proposal at this time, or any time from Auvernal. It’s simply not advantageous to Cordonia, and quite possibly a threat to our national security.”

Murmurs of agreement from the dais.

Madeleine spoke. “I am willing to consider an alliance, given there are certain … modifications.”

Heads turned and spun in her direction. Madeleine looked around, a scowl on her face.

“WHAT? The King and I have a duty to this country to produce heirs, which we will begin trying later this month to do. It is UNHEARD of to have royal heirs not affianced by birth. Find us another alliance, and I am willing to review their terms. Until then, a revised proposal from Auvernal is welcome.”

Shocked silence as the Queen stalked from the conference room.

The meeting was adjourned.

Liam came to Kiara’s side as Council members gossiped amongst themselves. “Love, I had NO idea …”

Kiara stared up at him, her eyes threatening to spill tears. “You’re going to start a family …”

It was neither question nor answer. It was a realization.

Liam shook his head. “No, no, no …”

Kiara briefly shut her eyes. She had planned to tell Liam tonight that she was in love with him. But she couldn’t. The timing was too suspicious; the day the Queen announces that they were trying for a family, the King’s mistress tells him she loves him?

No.

Appearances were everything.

Her eyes opened and she began gathering her papers. “I don’t want company tonight. I’ll be busy summarizing this research for Rashad to review.”

Liam’s expression was stricken, his eyes wide. “Kiara, don’t!”

“You still have two nights this week,” she answered coolly.

It was breaking her heart, but she had to remember her place in this Court, in Liam’s life.

An arrangement. Strange how it never bothered her before.

Madeleine was his wife. Kiara knew they slept together on rare occasions, but that was just sex. A spousal duty. But now, children would be involved. It was now Cordonian duty.

Even stranger how much that hurt her very soul.

“Lady Kiara!” Rashad called out as he approached the couple.

She looked up, a false smile on her face. “Lord Domvallier! Walk me to my car? We can discuss what you’ll need from me.”

Liam slumped in a chair, watching the woman he loved walk away, upset by the rantings of a tantrum-throwing Queen. Not even Queen; Queen Consort.  He would find Madeleine and have a talk with her to remind her she held no political power, and her title was merely a formality.

A thought struck him as he ran his palms down his face. Was it possible Kiara could actually return his feelings?

No. She would have told him.

Elsewhere in the Palace, Madeleine was escorting Bradshaw and Isabella to the side portico where their car was waiting. She spoke in low tones; although unseen, guards were always around.

“I meant what I said. Provide me with a modified alliance proposal with far less money, and no military subversion and I will review it carefully, but I will have … needs of my own that will need to be incorporated.”

“Such as?” Bradshaw demanded curiously.

Madeleine’s green eyes bore into Isabella’s brown ones. “For starters, how did you fake your pregnancy?”

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#KTAW: @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes @kiaratheronappreciationweek​

[mariacallous]

Following a series of high-profile failures and mass expulsions of uniformed “diplomats,” Russian intelligence has turned to more subtle methods, including leveraging scientific organizations with international ties. One such espionage “front” is the National Research Institute for the Development of Communications (NIIRK), which is led by ex-SVR and FSB officers. In Europe and neighboring countries, the institute organizes numerous conferences and internships. Here, intelligence officers and pro-Kremlin propagandists, under the pretense of promoting good neighborly relations, spread the notion that the West is an enemy, and that prosperity lies in friendship with Russia. The main targets are promising students and young scientists, who are ultimately groomed for espionage activities.

On June 19, 2023, Moscow’s usually quiet Korobeinikov Lane was unexpectedly closed off. Athletic-looking men with radios were bustling around its perimeter. Soon, an honor guard and official cars with flashing lights appeared. People carrying carnations gathered in front of the building that houses the National Research Institute for the Development of Communications (NIIRK). The last to arrive for the festivities was SVR head Sergey Naryshkin, who presided over the installation of a memorial plaque for former SVR director Vyacheslav Trubnikov. Speeches followed: “Vyacheslav Ivanovich worked here for two years,” “an outstanding intelligence officer and diplomat,” “a legend of intelligence,” “a knight of the Cold War,” and so on.

Before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the house was home to actors Alexander Lensky and Alexander Yuzhin-Sumbatov of the Maly Theatre. Later, it was occupied by the NKVD, MGB, and KGB; the mansion hosted clandestine meetings with agents. After 1993, several businesses were based there, but over time, the place fell into disrepair, and homeless people took over the vacant premises. In April 2020, the restored mansion became the new home of NIIRK. Cars belonging to the embassies of Central Asian and Transcaucasian republics began appearing outside.

What kind of institute is this? According to its website, NIIRK’s primary mission is “the development of multilateral dialogue among peoples, cultures, religions, states, international scientific and educational organizations, and civil society to strengthen peace and harmony.” The institute’s expert research and analysis are utilized by the Presidential Administration's Office for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign aid and cultural exchange agency Rossotrudnichestvo, the FSB's 5th Service, and the SVR.

The institute’s first official director was Irina Zavesnitskaya, co-founder of the PoiskSidelki LLC. A year later, she was succeeded by her husband, former FSB general and overseer of the Transcaucasian region, Vladislav Gasumyanov.

Friends of the Kremlin

As per The Insider's findings, over the past eighteen months, NIIRK has organized a total of twelve off-site conferences, forums, and roundtable discussions across various countries including Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Transnistria, Tajikistan, and Slovakia. Moreover, NIIRK has welcomed several delegations from these nations to Moscow for internships, with plans to host approximately ten more this year.

The institute primarily targets young scientists — aged 20 to 40 employed in research or academia. As one Armenian student shared with The Insider, “Throughout the internship, we were constantly reminded that without Russia, we would be doomed to become slaves to the West. Once, they casually asked me if I had relatives in Europe. Upon hearing my negative response, they lost interest in me.”

Key speakers at these conferences include General Gasumyanov, former SVR Academy head Nikolay Gribin, and former Slovak Prime Minister Jan Černogurský, who chairs the “Friends of Crimea” association. Černogurský frequently appears on Russian propaganda TV shows, where he advocates a pro-Kremlin agenda for his country of citizenship while predicting the imminent collapse of the dollar and the subsequent disintegration in the United States.

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[victoriaderegus]

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2004

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2006

«XXP» (advertizing blocks in magazine), Kharkov, UA; 

«KLD» (logo, corporate package, letterhead, brand color, corporate font), Belgorod, RU; 

«Centaur Plus» (logo, corporate package, letterhead, brand color, corporate font) Belgorod, RU; 

«IZOVOL» (booklet), Belgorod, RU; 

«Opti-SM» (design of a logo) London; 

«Expat Media LLC» (design of a logo) London; 

2007

«Magnezitovaja Plita» (booklet, a series of icons)Belgorod, RU;   

«Evrostroy Kharkov» (logo, business cards, booklet, the signs in the booklet, design of website), Kharkov, UA; 

«Gold Ukraina» (design of a logo, corporate press, business cards), Kharkov, UA; 

«Pannochka» (design of a logo), Kharkov, UA; 

«Karavan» (advertising on transport), Kharkov, UA; 

«SPEKA» (design of a logo), Kharkov, UA; 

«Faina models» (design of a logo), Kharkov, UA; 

«Polyplast» (branding plastic bags), Lugansk, UA; 

«STROYGIDRAVLIKA» (quarter calendar), Kharkov, UA; 

«CENTER of WOODWORKING TECHNOLOGIES» (letterhead), Kharkov, UA; 

2008

Corporation «GLAVSTROY Mospromstrojmaterialy» (icons), Moscow, RU; 

«Floria» (development of a new series of labels, price label, leaflets, shelf-taker, banner, t-shirt branding, outdoor advertising, advertising on transport), Kharkov, UA;  

«Suzirya» (labels, price lists, leaflets, shelf-taker, banner, outdoor advertising, advertising on transport), Kharkov, UA;  

«Picnic» (logo, labels), Kharkov, UA; 

«SESA» (business cards, diploma), Kharkov, UA;

«Extra Cola» (logo, the image on the bottle cap, labels, price label, leaflets, posters, design of a bottle), Kharkov, UA; 

«Extra Cola zi smakom moroziva» (logo, image on the bottle cap, labels, design of a bottle), Kharkov, UA; 

«Master Frut» (labels, price label, leaflets, shelf-taker, poster, campaign), Kharkov, UA; 

«Kupava» (logo, labels, design of a bottle, price label, leaflets, poster), Kharkov, UA; 

«PIC» (logo, business cards), Kharkov, UA; 

«SIMEX Group» (design of a logo) Moscow, RU; 

«ATS» (booklet, catalogue), Moscow, RU; 

The plant «Gidromash» (postcard), Melitopol, UA; 

Italian automotive oil and special liquid «Agip» (booklet, poster, banners on website,) Kharkov, UA; 

2009

Menu design for Irish restaurant (list of food, list of drinks), Moscow, RU; 

Advertising winter tyres «Сooper» (board), Kharkov, UA; 

Advertising winter tyres «KAMA» (leaflets, banners on website), Kharkov, UA; 

Advertising of cars Lada (leaflets, board, banners on website), Dnepropetrovsk, UA; 

Different banners on «Losk», Kharkov, UA; 

«OAO VTI» (business card), Kharkov, UA;

Conference GAS. «Reorganization of approaches to the inclusion and certification of participants in the retail service and sales channel in Ukraine», UA - Graphic design conferences; 

Conference «The market of components for cars VAZ in Ukraine. Prospects of development», UA - Graphic design conferences; 

2008 & 2009: 

«Dorozna Karta» (banners, billboards, signboards, signs, pointers, strips, advertizing blocks, postcards, business cards, the content of the company website (pages, design headers on website, buttons, banners on website, scheme of travel), slats, signs, flags, lightboxes, stella, Kharkov, UA;  

2008 & 2009: 

«Omega-Avtopostavka» (outdoor advertising, folder, letterhead, corporate package, cover, badge, souvenirs, graphics on the disk and disc cover, leaflets,  posters, pointers, conduct of corporate identity of the company, design headers on website, banners on corporate website, the content of the site, Kharkov, UA; 

2010

Advertising winter tyres «Сooper» (boards, banners, posters, leaflets, stepper, booklet), Kharkov, UA;  

Advertising winter tyres «Hankook» (bords, banners, stepper), Kharkov, UA; 

The insurance company «Velta» (leaflet), Kharkov, UA; 

«Simex Group» (logo), Moscow - St. Petersburg, RU;  

Publishing house «OSNOVA» (gift certificates, class timetables, calendars, booklet), Kharkov, UA;

Pestaurant «Sherwood» (cocktail menu, children's menu), Kharkov, UA;

Corporation «MOSTINVEST» (folder, design of website, design headers on the website, design of prompt of the site, buttons, site icons, redesign of a logo), Kharkov, UA;

«SVOYA» (poster, sticker), Kharkov, UA;

«TASCOM» (labels), Kharkov, UA;

«Translation agency» (business card), Kharkov, UA; 

Beauty salon «Cleopatra» (business card), Kharkov, UA;  

«La Strada» (a series of outdoor advertising), Kharkov, UA;  

«Terra Infinity Travel» (outdoor advertising), Kharkov, UA;  

«MAFIA» (gift certificate), Kharkov, UA;

Insurance company «Velta» (leaflet), Kharkov, UA;

«Rokfor Market» (outdoor advertising), Kharkov, UA;  

Website «Kinoman» (design headers on the website), Kharkov, UA;

2010 & 2012: Publishing house «Factor» and its branches (posters, leaflets, calendars, covers, cards, icons, advertizing blocks, banners on websites, site business card), Kharkov, UA;

2011

Beauty salon «Beauty Studio» (design of website, banners on website, design headers on website, outdoor advertising, price list), Kharkov, UA;

Company «Bravo» (leaflet), Kharkov, UA;

Publishing house of children's literature and art «PELICAN» (booklet, catalogue), Yevpatoria, UA; 

Online shop women's shopping club «Chocolate» (leaflet), Kharkov, UA; 

«Stroitelnie Materiali» (banners, signs), Belgorod, RU; 

«GAZPROMHOLDING» (online shop), Kharkov, UA; 

«Ukrainian Souvenirs» (lightboxes, billboards, branding of the stands, outdoor advertising), Kiev, UA; 

«Pharmacy 9-1-1» (leaflet, advertizing blocks), Kharkov, UA; 

Сoffee company «VALEO ROSSI» (branding of cars), Kharkov, UA;

«Delmar» (branding of the ceiling), Kiev, UA;

«KosMix» (business card), Kharkov, UA; 

«Vilena» (business card), Simferopol, UA; 

«LUA Crystal» (design of a logo), UA;

«ANVI Fishing» (design of a logo), Kharkov, UA; 

Borispol airport (the New Year's stands, sticker on cash zones, branding of the stand with guides, branding of the chocolate stand), Kiev, UA; 

Сompany «Sandblasting of metal products» (branding of cars), Kharkov, UA;

«RUTEX» (series of packages), Kharkov, UA;  

Publishing house «Micar» (series of covers), Kharkov, UA; 

2011-2012: «SAN FLEX» (labels), Kharkov, UA;  

2012

International Institute of modern medicine «On Clinic» (prepress, banner on website), Kharkov, UA; 

«ORDANA» (label), Kharkov, UA; 

«STO PUDOV» (series of labels, calendar, series of banners for outdoor advertising), Kharkov, UA; 

«FAMILY TRIP» (design of a logo, design of website, design headers on website, favicon), UA; 

«Plaster in the machine way» (branding of cars) Kharkov, UA; 

«English School of Tomorrow» (design of website, design headers, buttons, the festive design of  website), Kharkov, UA; 

«Kharkovsaharsbyt» (working with color package for social survey in supermarkets), Kharkov, UA; 

«ARMA TRADE» (logo), Kharkov, UA; 

2013

«Nad Kapotom» (design of a logo, design of website, buttons), Moscow, RU; 

«LORINA» (design of website, design headers on website, buttons), Kharkov, UA; 

«I-TOCHKA» (logo design, online shop, buttons, business cards), Kharkov, UA; 

«Anita» (corporate cards), Kharkov, UA; 

«Anita Care» (advertizing block), Kharkov, UA; 

2014

«Anita Maternity» (underwear price, swimwear price), Kharkov, UA; 

«Anita Active» (price of sports underwear), Kharkov, UA; 

«Samara-Premium» (drawing, redesign of a logo), Kharkov, UA; 

«TD Auto» (drawing of a logo, business card), Kharkov, UA; 

«SexiShop» (online shop, buttons), Kharkov, UA; 

2015 - present time: Old constant customers & а customers, who expressed desire to not to place the project in a portfolio, not to specify authorship (for confidentiality reasons), Worldwide

------------------

Thank you for you time. I hope for a long and fruitful cooperation.

With love, Victoria Deregus

[recordslomo]

Diligent boards login page

DILIGENT BOARDS LOGIN PAGE UPDATE

DILIGENT BOARDS LOGIN PAGE SERIES

Missouri: Certain limited liability companies (LLCs) must register with the Missouri Ethics Commission before contributing to any Missouri campaign finance committees. ( Johnny Magdaleno, The Indianapolis Star) Indiana: Former Indiana State Senator Brent Waltz was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and fined $40,500 for his role in a straw donor scheme routing illegal contributions from a casino company to his 2015 campaign for Congress. Under the settlement, if Rapert blocks any of the plaintiffs before leaving office in January, he must document the basis for that restriction. Rapert argued he had a First Amendment right to block those whom he said were personally attacking and bullying him. The group claimed that Rapert blocked the accounts after they criticized his position on several issues and argued that Rapert's accounts were a public forum and, therefore, should be accessible to them. ( Chris Bragg, Albany Times Union)Īrkansas: State Senator Jason Rapert must unblock critics from his Facebook and Twitter accounts following a settlement agreement with American Atheists, a group that sued the lawmaker on behalf of its members and four Arkansas residents whom Rapert had blocked from his accounts. While potential fines and penalties could have totaled more than $2 million, the $200k penalty is a blow to the Senate Republicans' efforts to retake control in November as the conference is already lagging behind Senate Democrats' campaign fundraising. Senate Republicans believed that the mailers in question were "issue ads" that did not explicitly advocate for the election of specific candidates.

DILIGENT BOARDS LOGIN PAGE SERIES

Under New York's election laws, housekeeping funds cannot be used to expressly "promote the candidacy of specific candidates." The State Board of Elections alleged that Senate Republicans abused their housekeeping account by funding a series of campaign-style mailers that allegedly crossed the line into expressly seeking the election of GOP candidates. New York: State Senate Republicans' campaign committee will pay a $200k settlement to close an inquiry into the party's alleged abuse of its campaign housekeeping account in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Also, the post-election report filing deadlines for public officials would change from 30 days to 35 days and would clarify that candidates seeking reelection with a personal financial disclosure statement on file would not need to re-file the report. If the preliminary rules are approved, they will limit contributions to school board candidates to $2,500 for individuals and $25,000 for small donor committees.

DILIGENT BOARDS LOGIN PAGE UPDATE

( Rebecca Klar, The Hill) ( Sheila Dang, Reuters)Ĭolorado: Colorado’s Secretary of State is considering new campaign finance regulations to implement contribution limits and update reporting requirements for public officials. For election-related content posted by influencers, TikTok’s internal teams “will monitor for signs” that influencers are being paid to post political content and will also rely on “media reports and outside partners” to identify violating posts. Further, TikTok will label all content from the accounts of politicians, political parties and governments and all election-related content the labels will direct users to enter the TikTok Elections Center, which provides resources on elections and voting access. To mitigate such content, TikTok will publish educational content and host briefings with agencies and creators, and TikTok will remove any political content that was paid for and not properly disclosed. Even though TikTok banned political advertising in 2019, campaign strategists circumvented the prohibition by paying influencers to promote political issues. TikTok will work to prevent content creators from posting paid political advertisements and will label all content related to the midterm elections. If you would like to have these updates delivered directly to your in-box, please click below to subscribe to our Government Relations & Regulation mailing list. Until then, please enjoy this installment of Compliance Notes. If there is a particular subject or jurisdiction you’d like to see covered, please let us know. Our attorneys, policy advisors and compliance consultants are available to discuss any questions or how specific issues may impact your business. Welcome to Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group – a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law and government ethics issues at the federal, state and local level. We read the news, cut through the noise and provide you the notes. RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES

[fairrryprose]

[BOOK TOUR] PENCHANT FOR DARKNESS // J. ELIZAGA

The tour for PENCHANT FOR DARKNESS, a sci-fi/paranormal thriller novella by J. ELIZAGA with ESCAPIST BOOK TOURS has officially begun and I'm thrilled to be hosting a spot on the tour today!!

Book Information:

Penchant for Darkness by J. Elizaga

Published: August 2020

Series: N/A

Genre: Sci-Fi/Paranormal Thriller

Intended Age Group: Adult

Pages: 155

Publisher: Certification Channel LLC (Self Published)

###

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Shown on Page (things clearly told to the reader): 

Infidelity

###

Book Blurb:

A wormhole to hell is one man’s path to destiny.

After seven years struggling to conceive, Miles and his wife, Richelle, escape to an island getaway to try one last time. But instead of enjoying paradise, Miles is swept up in an ancient battle between formless demons and beings from another world. When Miles fights a malevolent entity attacking Richelle, secrets are revealed, ones that cross the universe between Earth and planet Kalumegn.

Three mysterious beings discover Miles’s dormant extraterrestrial abilities. Calling him an Anomaly, they prepare his body and mind for war, for his destiny is about to be fulfilled. To protect his wife and the child they may have, Miles joins the aliens on Clos Friga, a hell planet of chaos holding their common enemy. Lucifer is more dangerous than the fallen angel of legend, and his sinister fascination with Richelle threatens all Miles holds dear. One man must fight an otherworldly battle…or the war for Earth itself may be lost.

###

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penchant-Darkness-J-Elizaga-ebook/dp/B08F7B5V4B

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/penchant-for-darkness-j-elizaga/1137495732

###

My review:

4/5 stars

Thrilling in its sci-fi/paranormal take on the Lucifer vs the archangels, yet warm and cozy in being a tale about the things you would do for the ones you love. The writing is precise, without wasting any words, and so it works very well in crafting this novella.

One line that really stuck out to me:

She's the bravest woman in the universe. Half her heart really saved our asses.

Poignant and heartwarming in the simplicity of its prose, devastatingly impactful in its context.

###

Author Bio & Information:

J. ELIZAGA is a fan of science fiction and science mysteries. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she peered over her father’s shoulders as he watched TV shows such as In Search Of, and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos during the 1970s. 

J. used to write stories but had set aside her hobby for college and career…until she attended a writer's conference in San Francisco in 2010. The experience unsealed a door in her mind that she thought had long closed. She continues to work in information technology by day, and makes time to write stories about humans who face extraordinary circumstances and discover their superhuman abilities. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jelizaga1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.elizaga/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jelizaga1/

Website: https://www.jelizaga.com

###

**GIVEAWAY**

Prize: A Paperback Copy of Penchant for Darkness!

Ends: October 5, 2022 at 11:59pm EST

Link to giveaway:

###

Check out other stops on the tour below!

[literaticat]

Ask the Agent FAQs + How to Search & Get Notifications

I’ve assembled some of the Most Frequently Asked questions here. I’ll add to it as I remember. I strongly suggest that you look at the FAQs *and* try and do a quick keyword search BEFORE asking your question; instructions for that are below the FAQ section.

Please do try to be as concise as you can be and confine yourself to ONE “ask box” - there are a limited number of characters, so sometimes people spread their asks into multiple boxes -- this makes answering them problematic and confusing. 

Please do be civil, and respectful of my time: I allow anonymous asks because I want people to feel they can ask sensitive questions, in the hopes that the answers will be useful for others as well, I’ll turn them off if people get abusive, stalkerish, or generally weird in my inbox.

Please don’t ask me if your book will sell, or how much money you will make: I don’t know. And truly, EVERYTHING I know about word count has been compiled into the link below under “word count.”

June 2024 update: My agency has new submission guidelines. For more about them click here. Please follow the submission guidelines carefully - I cannot accept queries through email or social media.

BOOKSTORE STUFF, EVENTS & SCHOOL VISITS

What are Returns? Remainders? “Strippable” books? 

Does a book being remaindered mean that it is going Out of Print?

Do you have tips for approaching bookstores to do events?  

Can you give me some nuts & bolts of how School Visits work? And what’s a booking agency?

CHAPTER BOOKS

Here’s a link to a series of posts about Chapter Books - how do you write a CB proposal, why do agents rarely list CB as something they rep, etc.

COMPS

Are comps necessary? Can I use a TV show or movie as a comp? What parameters should I use when choosing comps?

CONTRACT STUFF

What even IS an Option Clause, what does it contain and how should it be limited? 

DEALMAKING

What are the steps between submitting a book to a publisher and getting an offer?

What's an "Auction"? What's a "Pre-empt"?

What’s the story with “Foreign Rights”? Should I keep them?

Which is better, a one book deal, or a multi-book deal?

ENCOURAGEMENT / REALITY CHECKS

Feeling down about being in the query trenches?

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome?

But what are the chances I’ll get out of the slush pile REALLY?

I heard traditional publishing is dying / dead. Is that true???

Everyone says there are “no original ideas” - but agents only want “original ideas.” How can both these things be true?

I know it’s pointless to chase trends -- but my book is not trendy.  Should I write something else?

OK, but now my book is gonna come out and what if everyone hates it????

ILLUSTRATORS

I know somebody who is a talented artist, what should they do to break into kid’s books? Here: A newbie’s guide to becoming a professional book illustrator.

What should ideally be in an aspiring illustrators portfolio? 

What do agents do to “shop” illustrator’s work that is different from authors?

MONEY

How book accounting works 101: Advances, royalties, joint accounting and separate accounting.

What’s the REAL scoop on “six-figure deals”?

How are advances calculated? 

Should a writer start an LLC? 

PEN NAMES

Here are a bunch of posts about Pen Names - can I use one, when do I have to decide, what if I can’t pick one, how do I query with one, etc.

PICTURE BOOKS

What’s your best advice for learning to write Picture Books?

What’s the deal with Holiday Themed picture books? 

Do agents really hate Rhyming picture books? 

Why do so many agents want author-illustrators specifically?

PITCHING YOUR BOOK

What are “best practices” for pitch sessions at conferences and the like?

PUBLICITY, MARKETING & SELF-PROMO

Should I hire my own publicist? 

Social Media Best Practices for Authors who are Scared of Social Media

Dealing with Negative Reviews (Spoiler: Don’t read them in the first place, and definitely don’t respond!)

PUBLISHER 101

What’s an “imprint” and are some better than others?

QUERYING

How do I write a query letter?

How do I address a query? Dear Ms Agent, or what?

Does it matter when I query?

Should I personalize my query letter? (OK, I get it, but tell me more!)

What if I pitch a book “too soon” and it isn’t ready yet?  How much time do I have to reply to a request?

If an agent has my full, when is it OK to nudge? What are the RULES about nudging? What if I get another offer? WHEN SHOULD I NUDGE?

Why are responses soooo slow? (2021 "post-covid-era")

Can I query American agents / get published in America, if I live in another country?

Do I need a massive social media presence or connections or anything else in order to query an agent?

What’s the weirdest query you ever got? 

REVISION

How do you decide what feedback to implement from a critique partner, agent or editor?

Any wisdom about that roller-coaster feeling of “my work is great!” followed by “my work is garbage!” that happens in revision? 

What if an agent or editor wants you to change something that you really love?

SCAMS AND SCHMAGENTS

I’m worried my Agent may be... A SCHMAGENT. How can I tell? 

TITLES

What if my publisher wants me to change my title but I like it?

WORD COUNT

Here's my famous post from long ago containing everything I know about Word Count. It's still accurate, IMO. 

Here's a post about two ways to find out the word count of published books.

WORKING WITH AN AGENT

What is “The Call” with a potential agent like? 

What does a typical author-agent contract / agency agreement look like? Do I need a lawyer to look at it?

How does an agent “sell a book” - is it like a door-to-door salesman sitch, or what?

How do books “go on submission” - like, what is the process?

What's the etiquette around giving gifts to your agent?

What happens if my agent leaves the agency, or leaves the business entirely?

WRITING TIPS

What is the BEST writing tip you have for somebody who wants to break into Children’s Books?  OK, but can you expand on that? 

What are some great books to read to study the craft of writing fiction?

What’s the difference between goals, stakes, and conflict - and are all of them important in a kid’s book?  

Can you open a book with dialogue? (What’s an example of a great opening line?)

**

How To Search 

* SEARCH: Go to the URL/search/keyword -- for example,   literaticat.tumblr.com/search/query -- It's not the most intuitive but it does work!

* TAGS: I have enabled TAGS on the posts. (I used to do this all the time when I had a different theme, but then I got this theme, which didn’t automatically show tags, and then I forgot.) SO, the tags are things like “working with an agent”, “querying an agent”, “scandals”, “contract stuff” etc - and they should show up. Not every ask is tagged, but the most “important” ones generally are. If you click one of the tags, all other posts with that tag should show up. (of course if I forgot to tag, or your question could be in more than one category... it’s not a FLAWLESS system, but hey).

* ARCHIVE: I have added a button to the top of the page that says “Archive” (right next to “ask me anything”) - if you click on that, you’ll see thumbnail images of a ton of questions - this doesn’t show the whole question or answer but if you are like “man, I know it was a question about Hollywood Contracts and it was about a month ago” you can click on that Archive link and very quickly probably find the thing you want. (Additionally, the tags show up on that when you hover/tap)

How to See New Posts

* RSS FEED: You can add this to an RSS feed, such as Feedly, so that you will get to see the most recent questions automatically in that feed as they come. (How? That would be a great question for Feedly, or Google!)

* GET NOTIFICATIONS: In the top right corner, there’s a person-shaped icon that you click for following a blog, etc. It has an option for “get notifications when this blog posts”. It looks like this: 

[boiledeggacademia]

Maya Angelou

Let me tell you one of the most soulful people I've learned about, Maya Angelou. She's an absolute queen with so much perseverance and wisdom. I don't think I've learned about someone with so many quirks in numerous areas from writing to dancing, to directing, to singing; she's amazing so please give this a read.

First, who is Maya Angelou? A brief preview.

An African-American author, a poet, a singer, an activist, a scholar, a scriptwriter, an actress, and a dancer

Best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical style

Born on April 4th, 1928 and died on May 28th, 2014

She was born in St. Louis, Missouri

Maya's Traumatic Early Life

At an early age, Maya was sent to live at her grandmother’s place in Stamps, Arkansas because of her parents tumultuous marriage and eventual divorce

It was her older brother, Bailey, who gave her the nickname “Maya”

Living with her grandmother helped her develop pride and self-confidence

When she returned to her mother’s care briefly at the age of 7, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend

When he was jailed and released not a day later, he was killed

Traumatized by his death, she later said, “I thought my voice killed him; I killed that man because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again because my voice would kill anyone …”

She became mute for 5 years, her usual lustrous personality crushed

She returned to live with her grandma through her teens and during the times she was mute, she holed herself in libraries, memorizing all books line by line like Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, and Poe’s poetry; thought to be the beginning to her love for literature and writing

Her Literary Career/Famous Works

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1969)

Her most critically acclaimed book, spanning her childhood as she and her brother bounced back and forth from her mother's place to her grandmother's

She wrote this during her time with the Harlem Writers Guild, a safe community that supported African writers, in NYC

It narrated her experiences with racism, molestation, rape, and her chronic displacement

“Gather Together In My Name” (1974)

follows after "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" when Angelou was 17-19 years old

the book depicts a single mother's slide down the social ladder into poverty and crime

the title was from the Bible but it also conveyed how a Black female lived in the white dominated society of the US after WWII

its themes were motherhood and family, racism and identity, education and literacy

“Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie” (1971)

Angelou's first collection of poetry

many of the poems were song lyrics, inspired at Angelou's time in her life when she was nightclub singer in her 20s

it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1972

“Mom & Me & Mom” (2013)

her final book and 7 book memoir series that focused on her relationship with her mother

it covered her budding relationship with her mother when she was young with themes of reconciliation and reunion

Interesting Trivia

She was the first Black female street car conductor when she persisted for work at San Francisco in high school; “I loved the uniforms”, she had explained.

She was a civil activist, advocating for African-American rights as the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

After working as a dancer a club in San Diego, she had a short lived personal sex history but quit after she bought her first car, a 1939 pale-green Chrysler convertible

In 1972, she was the first African American to have her screenplay turned into a film, “Georgia, Georgia”; she’s also had a wide variety of singing, dancing, acting, and directing and producing shows and movies

She was besties with Martin Luther King Jr. and after his death, she sent flowers to his wife for more than 30 years until her death

She’s also very close friends with Oprah Winfrey, appearing on her show twice, and giving her life-changing advice during her hardships

Reflection

I had the chance to read Angelou's final book "Mom & Me & Mom" and I think it really showed a lot of how Angelou was the person she was today. Her mother, like her, was a very strong willed woman who had taught her how to be independent, to be courageous, and proud in such oppressive society. They were like two peas in a pod, two women who came together with their stories of experience, and teaching one another how to love themselves, to be empowered, and courageous. I related to the story with my own close relationship with my mother. Like Angelou and her mother, my mother and I were like a student and mentor and best friends all while still being parent and daughter. It made me appreciate and love my mother, and really keep the things she taught me close to my heart. This book was so monumentally relatable, I had to order my own copy to annotate it with my own experiences.

Angelou was a woman who wanted others to be strong, to be courageous, to love themselves, and see their misery and hard times as new opportunities that would being them happiness. Her personality was bright even when she was quite old, and she was so animated and influential, it's hard to be distracted if you watch her interviews. Like many female authors, Angelou's experiences have impacted the way she wrote her books; but her soulful autobiographical style makes her books unique; it doesn't seem like it's about the author, but a character who the reader can relate to and follow along her joys and miseries.

Thank you for reading this far and please give Maya Angelou's books a read. She has wisdom that society needs during these times of turmoil.

References:

A. Spring, Kelley. “Maya Angelou.” National Women’s History Museum, 2017, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maya-angelou.

Edmund, Aiyana. “10 Fascinating Facts About Maya Angelou.” Literary Ladies Guide, 22 Feb. 2018, www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/10-fascinating-facts-maya-angelou.

“Maya Angelou.” Biography, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/writer/maya-angelou.

Gibson, Megan. “A Guide to Maya Angelou’s Most Beloved Books.” Time, TIME USA, LLC, 28 May 2014, time.com/123030/maya-angelou-best-books.

“Maya Angelou Biography - Life, Children, Parents, Name, Story, Death, School, Mother, Young.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, Advameg, Inc, www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Angelou-Maya.html.

[torontocomics]

Announcing Kodansha x TCAF!

TCAF is excited to announce that we will be featuring an EXCLUSIVE online art show in partnership with mangaka Akane Shimizu and her publisher Kodansha. Get a peek behind the scenes of the hit series Cells at Work! this May!

Check out a sneak preview of the upcoming final volume (complete with a look at the virus that’s upended our lives), along with rough sketches from creator Akane Shimizu. Dive into the secret world of the human body manga-style!

We will also be hosting a panel to continue our highlight of Cells at Work!. Join us on Thursday, May 13th, at 3:00 PM EDT (link coming soon), as we examine the dynamic, entertaining, and educational world of the hit manga series. A science teacher, a doctor of medicine, and a manga writer band together to look at the series through their respective lenses, talk about the science behind the stories, and consider the intersection between science literacy and visual storytelling.

Thanks to support from publisher Kodansha, you’ll also get a sneak peek of the upcoming English release of Cells At Work! volume 6! Don’t miss it!

More about Akane Shimizu:

Akane Shimizu was born in 1994, Tokyo. After receiving The 27th Shonen Sirius Rookie Award Grand Prize in 2014, she began the Cells at Work! serialization in the March 2015 issue of Monthly Shonen Sirius. This series saw the end of its Japanese run in March 2021. The English-language editions of Cells at Work! volumes 1 through 5 are available from Kodansha, with the final volume 6 set to debut in June 2021.

More about our panelists:

Deb Aoki writes about manga for Publishers Weekly, and is a co-host on Mangasplaining, a weekly podcast introducing comics from Japan to people who don’t normally read a lot of manga. She’s also an illustrator and comics creator. You can see more of her work at debaoki.com, and find her on Twitter @debaoki.

Dr. Yi Ariel Liu (she/they) is a medical doctor who looks at cells under the microscope and diagnoses diseases. They were the co-editor and illustrator for ThinkSkin.ca, a blog dedicated to discussing common dermatology myths. As a surviving cancer patient, they strive to tell stories through comics to raise awareness in chronic illnesses and improve health literacy. Their work has been exhibited at the Canadian Conference on Medical Education, Vancouver Comic Arts Festival and other medical events. Find them on Twitter @YiArielLiuMD or at artofyaliu.com.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science with a major in microbiology and immunology from McGill, Wen Zhao went on to complete his degree in education with a semester abroad in Japan. For the past four years, he has taught math and science in both Alberta and British Columbia. As a fan of anime and manga, Wen has found both invaluable in fostering connections with his students, and a great way to pique interest in the sciences with educational series like Cells at Work!. He is currently a science teacher in Calgary and an aspiring lawyer who will begin law school at the University of Calgary this fall.

About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC:

A subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan’s largest publisher, Kodansha USA Publishing is the English-language publisher of some of the world’s most recognizable manga properties, including Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA and Naoko Takeuchi’s Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, along with a robust catalog of English-language Japanese novels, cookbooks, craft guides, historical and cultural literature, and more. Today, thanks to recent fan-favorite and critically acclaimed hits like Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Witch Hat Atelier, and the popular MONOGATARI novels, Kodansha USA Publishing is one of the best-selling manga publishers in the United States. Kodansha USA Publishing’s print offerings are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, and their digital manga and select digital books are available across a number of digital comics, manga, and book vendors. For more information, visit kodansha.us.

[billehrman]

Putting the Pedal to the Metal

Putting the Pedal to the Metal

The domestic economy is recovering sooner and is more robust than we anticipated a few months ago. First-quarter corporate revenues, earnings, and cash flow reported so far are nothing short of sensational, especially for the FANG stocks, such that their comparisons will get more difficult for them as the year progresses.

In contrast, year-over-year results will continue to improve sequentially for the economically sensitive companies as we move through the year into 2022 and even 2023, supported by overly accommodative monetary and fiscal policies. We expect growth overseas, with some exceptions, to lag our recovery by several quarters as it is taking them longer to get their arms around the coronavirus.  We then expect a robust synchronous expansion as we move through 2022, which could last several years as long as global monetary bodies remain accommodative. They want their economies to run hot despite expected higher near-term inflation. Putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror with all that excess liquidity, pent-up demand, and woefully low inventories out there combined with accommodative monetary and fiscal policies will lead to a supercharged global economic expansion, even in the ECB. Earnings will surprise on the upside, especially for the economically sensitive companies, as we expect record levels of operating margins along with tremendous free cash generation that will lead to much higher dividends and record share buybacks. If liquidity drives financial markets, just imagine that we had over $6 trillion in personal savings reported for March and a 27.6% savings rate compared to a norm closer to 5%. Need we say more? Yes, we can have corrections at any time, but they should be bought, as the next few years look great.

The number of vaccinations continues to increase sequentially, and over 1.1 billion doses having been administered across 174 countries so far. In the United States, approximately 237 million doses have been given, averaging now close to 2.64 million doses per day. We continue to believe that we could reach herd immunity in the United States by early summer and globally before next winter, which gives us confidence in the sustainability of the economic recovery. Pfizer and Moderna can produce several billion doses in 2021 and over 5 billion doses in 2022. Pfizer hopes to have a new at-home pill to treat Covid by year-end, which is remarkable. We are pleased to see New York fully reopen by July. All good news for sure.

The Federal Reserve met last week and left interest rates near zero and maintained the pace of asset purchases at $120 billion/month. Powell reiterated at the follow-on press conference that the Fed would wait for inflation to moderately exceed its 2% target for some time before moving to curb its expansive monetary policy. He also noted that “the economy is far away from the Fed’s goals, and it is likely to take some time for substantial further progress to be achieved.” He concluded by saying that “we expect to maintain an accommodative stance to monetary policy until these employment and inflation outcomes are achieved.” This is the same message that we hear from the Bank of England, BOJ, and the ECB. All monetary authorities are willing to let their economies run hot before even considering first tapering and, secondly, hiking rates.

President Biden addressed Congress last Wednesday and presented his American Family Plan, which includes $1.8 trillion in new spending and taxes over ten years for workers, families, and children. That’s on top of the $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan that he released at the end of March. This new plan includes $225 billion towards child care; $225 billion to create a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program; $200 billion for free universal pre-school for all three and four years old’s; $109 billion toward ensuring two years of free community college; $85 billion toward Pell Grants; $62 billion grant program to increase college retention and completion rates; $39 billion for subsidized tuition; $200 billion for lowering health insurance; and making permanent some child care credits, earned income credits and other tax credits included in the Covid Relief Bill. He would pay for this by hiking the top tax rate of the “very” wealthy to 39.6%, closing a series of tax loopholes, increasing collections, and increasing the capital gains rate to 39.6% for the “very” rich.

Cutting to the chase, we do not see anywhere close to this proposal being passed by the Senate, nor do we see anywhere close to his $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill raising corporate taxes to 29%. We continue to see water-downed, more traditional infrastructure bills closer to $1.8 trillion with corporate tax rate hiked to 25%, increased collections and user fees, and some additional social programs passed in 2022 hiking the individual and death tax for the very wealthy plus closing loopholes and growing collections. We feel that Democrats run the real risk of losing the House in 2022 if they insist on pushing too hard their far-left agenda. Recent redistricting does not help their cause, too, as conservative states gained while liberal states lost.  One way or another, we will gain several trillion of additional stimulus in 2021 and 2022 on top of the $6 trillion already passed that will all boost economic growth.  

Recent economic data points have been off the charts; jobless claims fell to 553,000, a pandemic era low; Chicago PMI rose to 72.1; April Consumer Sentiment increased to 88.3; Current conditions rose to 97.2; index of consumer expectations increased to 82.7; personal income increased $4.2 trillion in March with a 27.6% savings rate(yep!); durable goods orders rose 0.5%; regular shipments increased 2.5% as unfilled orders rose 0.4%;  home prices soared the most in 15 years; and finally first-quarter GNP gained 6.4% boosted by consumer spending, fixed residential and nonresidential spending along with more government spending. It is interesting to note that excluding the trade and inventories component of GDP, final sales accelerated to a 10.6% pace in the quarter. Don’t forget that more stimulus is coming too. If excess liquidity drives the economy and financial markets, the best days are clearly ahead. And this will be a global phenomenon too!

That’s putting the pedal to the metal.

Investment Conclusions

Our global, top-down macroeconomic view has never looked better for 2021 and 2022. Excess liquidity will continue to drive prices higher for financial assets. Interestingly, our bottom-up analysis looks outstanding, too, as corporations are managing their businesses exceptionally well. So far in this earnings season, over 88% of the company’s reporting are beating on both the top and bottom-line plus generating much more free cash flow, which is being designated for dividend hikes and buybacks as balance sheets have never been stronger. We expect to see record levels of M&A, too, as most deals are for cash and are therefore non-dilutive as cash on balance sheets earns virtually nothing.

We continue to emphasize in our portfolios companies leveraged to the upcoming surge in global economic activity as their earnings growth will be accelerating going forward while the pandemic beneficiaries, like the FANG stocks, are seeing their best days now, and incremental gains are likely to slow ahead from their current torrent pace.

Areas of concentration include global capital goods, machinery, and industrials; financials, as we expect the yield curve to continue to steepen; technology at a fair price as we certainly are in a technological revolution; industrial and agricultural commodities as we expect shortages for several years; transportation; and several unique situations.

We suggest listening to Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Meeting today to gain insight into the global economy while hearing investment advice from two of the most successful investors in our lifetime, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

Our investment webinar will be held on Monday, May 3rd, at 8:30, am EST. You can join by entering https://zoom.us/j/9179217852 in your browser or calling +646 558 8656 and entering the password 9179217852.

Remember to review all the facts; pause, reflect, and consider mindset changes; look at your asset mix with risk controls; turn off your cable news; listen to as many earnings calls as possible; do independent research and…

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prosperite LLC

Paixetprosperite1@gmail.com

917-951-4139

[haddocktree]

Dean DeBlois Talks the Care and Feeding of Flying Reptiles

The writer-director of DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar-nominated ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ reflects on his long and loving journey creating the epic animated trilogy.

By Jon Hofferman and Dan Sarto | Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 11:29am

In 3D, Awards, CG, Films, People, Virtual Reality, Visual Effects | ANIMATIONWorld | Geographic Region: All

Oscar and Annie Award-nominated ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,’ the final chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s epic animated feature trilogy, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Images © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

At this point, neither the How to Train Your Dragon animated feature film franchise, nor its longtime writer-director Dean DeBlois, needs much of an introduction. The epic adventure series, which debuted in 2010, has been both commercially successful and critically acclaimed, with the first two installments garnering an immense number of Annie Award nominations and wins, as well as being Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominees for Best Animated Feature. (How to Train Your Dragon 2 won the Golden Globe in that category in 2015.)

This time is no different: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has been nominated for an Academy Award and eight Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and has won accolades from the National Board of Review, the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences, and the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, among others. Produced by Brad Lewis and Bonnie Arnold, The Hidden World delivers a heartwarming message about overcoming intolerance wrapped inside a tale about growing up, facing the unknown, and learning to let go. It also answers the burning question of what happened to the dragons that once populated the earth and lived in cooperation with humans.

So, as awards season rounds into the home stretch, and DeBlois faces his third round of Dragon-mania, it seemed like a good time to talk with him about this reptilian saga that’s become such a central part of his life.

AWN: In a presentation that you gave at the VIEW conference in October, you said that in general, you’re not very enthusiastic about sequels because, if you've done a good job, your story is told, and a follow-up can feel like an unnecessary add-on. What about How to Train Your Dragon made you feel that it provided an opportunity to do sequels the way they should be done?

Dean DeBlois: Well, I think it was a combination of three things. One is that I was a Star Wars kid and I loved the expansiveness of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I felt they took characters that I loved, expanded their worlds and increased the adventure, the peril. The characters were kind of maturing and growing up, and it had a big impact on me. And I saw in the Dragon world and its cast of characters the potential to do something similar. The world could be expansive, and we could grow up with the characters. In the time that it takes to make an animated movie, our fan base could be aging with the characters, which wasn't really something that I'd seen done before – where you take a cast of friends and then grow up with them. We would leap five years into the future and find a new organic problem that felt important and universal. So, that was part of it.

Then, I think it's also the conversation that I had with [Dragon books author] Cressida Cowell. Even though the narratives are quite different in the films and the books, I loved the idea that she was taking on this challenge of explaining what happened to dragons and why they aren't here anymore. I thought that was really intriguing, but also kind of gripping and emotional. The opening line of her very first book is, "There were dragons when I was a boy." That suggests they're gone. What happened to them? So, I loved taking on that challenge.

Finally, just being able to explain certain mysteries that were inherent in the first film. What happened to Hiccup’s mother? Is Toothless the last of his kind? If so, why? Just the idea that we might be able to take organic questions that we didn't have time to explain in the first movie, or didn't feel the need to, and make them into important questions in the context of the trilogy. As if we'd gone back in time and planted them there.

AWN: The emotional center of the storytelling in the films is the growth of the characters, their becoming adults and taking on adult responsibilities, even though they're still young. That’s really the best part of the films.

DeBlois: Yeah, it felt organic to me because I was thinking about what problem I could graft onto 15-year-old Hiccup that felt important. He now has his father’s love and admiration, he has the respect of the town, he has the attention of the girl he was secretly pining for, he has an amazing dragon that he could fly around on, and he ended an age-old war. It doesn't feel like a character who could have a problem until something really eventful enters his life. We needed to go to another rite of passage, which just naturally led to a 19-year-old in search of himself, when you've got two domineering parents of contrasting philosophies. A character who's on the run from his destiny at home, only to return to it with a renewed sense of self, was an appealing tale to me.

AWN: There's a large number of characters in the films, and they play pretty central roles. How do you ensure that you give them enough screen time and develop them enough so it feels that they really belong and have a reason for being there?

DeBlois: It's really tough and I don't know that we did, to be honest. I think that a lot of our characters are underserved. If we had a longer movie, if we could make a 120-minute movie instead of a 90-minute movie, we might be able to explore them more. But oftentimes the characters do become support characters. We do our best to give them moments, give them a laugh here and there, or give them a starring turn. But when you have an unwieldy group of characters, it’s really tough because you're always fighting the ticking clock of budget and time.

AWN: Speaking of characters, what makes a good villain and how do you determine how villainous to make your villain?

DeBlois: That is a very good question and I don't know that I have a very good answer. I struggle with villains. I find them boring if they just want power or money. Unless there's a bit of empathy in their desire, it just falls flat for me. Drago was meant to be a really interesting villain in How to Train Your Dragon 2. There was going to be a sea story that followed his survival and how he became marooned on an island that was home to a very aggressive dragon. He had to befriend this thing in order to fly off the island and get back to his armada. It was a very touch-and-go relationship because they were both very headstrong, but in the end, they established a mutual trust, and it changed him. Even with all of his heinous crimes, when he arrived in the third-act battle, he took the side of the dragon riders, fighting his own former cohorts. I liked that idea because it took what was admittedly a one-dimensional character and gave him complexity. But we didn't get to do that because, again, taking the time to do that story properly would have compromised Hiccup’s story. I regret it since I really wanted to do something interesting with that character.

We channeled some of that frustration into the development of Grimmel [in The Hidden World] and making him a villain for the times – an intolerant elitist who’s trying to crush blossoming ideas of peaceful coexistence. But he’s also a character who’s fun to watch onscreen – he has a kind of playful sensibility and likes the sound of his own voice. Enjoys the hunt, enjoys cornering his prey and forcing it to make desperate decisions. He’s a character without empathy, but he has a sense of humor.

Dean DeBlois.

AWN: To turn to the production side, did you use any virtual camera work or any tools that helped you visualize how you wanted to shoot this?

DeBlois: Yes, [cinematographer] Gil Zimmerman and his team – the layout team who provided us all the previs and the final layout of the movie – would go down to our mocap stage and pull up rough versions of our sets and don the outfits with the little ping-pong balls and actually work out a lot of their own choreography. So, if it wasn't a flight scene, if it was something that had a physical space where they could really block for action, they would come up with ideas that way. It's always dispensed with when it gets to animation, but the ideas are there and then the animators start from scratch.

AWN: How extensive was the previs? Were you using it more for storytelling or was it used more for camera and layout?

DeBlois: On this film, we started to invite the layout department into the storytelling. In other words, if there was a sequence that depended on visceral, kinetic movement – something that's hard to suggest on drawn storyboards – we would talk out the beats of the script pages with Gil Zimmerman and the assigned previs artists, and they would go off and develop it. If we knew there was going to be flight involved or some kind of complex set, we would either hand the sequence entirely to the previs artists or involve them really early.

I found I really liked this step and how far it has come in recent years, where so much of the finished idea can be represented quite clearly and closely in the previs. It used to be awkward to look at – characters that would slide across floors, and blank expressions, and robotic movements. It’s come such a long way that it’s something you can include in test previews with audiences, because it's full of color and it has lighting… it’s a very exciting new tool to use.

AWN: Like many top animation directors, you're going to be moving over into the live-action world. Have you always wanted to go this route? You've been directing animated films for a long time.

DeBlois: Yeah, after Lilo and Stitch, I took a look at my personal hopper of ideas that I was working on and I would say three-quarters of them were live-action. They felt like live-action films. I decided to go out there and just see if anyone was interested. I sold three of them. It got close with a start date on one of them, but they all kind of went on ice when there were administrative changes both at Disney and Universal. It was an exciting and frustrating period and it just feels like an itch that I didn't scratch. So now I have that opportunity to return to the world of live-action and hopefully get a movie going. I do so with caution because I know that so many things can fall apart very quickly in live-action, whereas in animation we tend to commit to the idea of making the movie, even if you have to change out people in the process.

AWN: Do you feel that your experience in animation gives you specific skills that you can apply in live-action production?

DeBlois: I think my storyboarding background definitely gives me the ability to communicate ideas clearly and visually represent them. Having spent so much time on the story side of things, writing as well, I feel as though I can clearly communicate the story we're telling and engage other people in contributing ideas and making it better. I think in any sort of filmmaking enterprise you need somebody who's going to be the guardian of the story, but still be open to great ideas, and I feel like I've been honing that skill over the years.

AWN: Last question. How does it feel to say goodbye to dragon world – after three really well-done, well-received, expansive, beautifully animated features? You completed the trilogy, you told the story as well as it could be told. What are your thoughts looking back on this huge body of work?

DeBlois: I'm very proud that we were able to reach the goal that we had set for ourselves, that we didn't have to creatively compromise much, and that we did it with largely the same team over the course of a decade. It's bittersweet because not only have we come to love the characters and the world, but we really like working together. We don't know if we're ever going to be arranged as that crew again. People have gone on to different shows, some have left the studio. It was a bit of a gamble to dedicate so much time to a trilogy, especially in the ever-changing landscape of studios. There were five changes in leadership on Dragon 3 alone. With every person that comes in, they have their own sensibility and their own tastes. And so, learning to work with each person and also giving them ownership can be tricky. Luckily, we were able to keep our North Star in sight and deliver the ending that we wanted.

[blackkudos]

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former basketball player who played professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thomas has also been a professional and collegiate head coach, a basketball executive, and a broadcaster.

Thomas played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore and declaring for the NBA draft. He was taken as the second overall pick by the Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft, and played for them his entire career, while leading the "Bad Boys" to the 1988–89 and 1989–90 NBA championships.

After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. In early May 2015, amidst controversy, Thomas was named president and part owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas's former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.

Early life

The youngest of nine children, Thomas was born on April 30, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the city's West Side. He started playing basketball at age three and would dribble and shoot baskets as the halftime entertainment at Catholic Youth Organization games.

He attended Our Lady of Sorrows School and St. Joseph High School in Westchester, which was a 90-minute commute from his home. Playing under coach Gene Pingatore, he led St. Joseph to the state finals in his junior year and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.

College career

Thomas was recruited to play college basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. Although he received mail saying Knight tied up his players and beat them, he did not believe the rumors. When Knight visited the Thomas home, one of Isiah's brothers, who wanted him to attend DePaul, embarrassed him by insulting the Indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. Nevertheless, Thomas chose Knight and Indiana because he felt that getting away to Bloomington would be good for him, as would Knight's discipline.

Thomas quickly had to adjust to Knight's disciplinarian style. At the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, Knight got so mad at Thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. Knight recalled yelling at the freshman-to-be, "You ought to go to DePaul, Isiah, because you sure as hell aren't going to be an Indiana player playing like that." Prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979–80 season, Knight became so upset with Thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. According to Thomas, Knight was making a point that no player, no "matter how talented, is bigger than Knight's philosophy."

Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. His superior abilities eventually caused Knight to adjust his coaching style. Fans displayed bedsheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah ("And a little child shall lead them") and nicknamed him "Mr. Wonderful." Because of Thomas's relatively short stature for college basketball at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), coach Knight would call him "Pee Wee". Thomas and Mike Woodson led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen.

The next year, the 1980–81 season, Knight made Thomas captain and told him to run the show on the floor. Thomas responded so well that, as the season unfolded, Knight and Thomas grew as friends. When a Purdue player took a cheap shot at Thomas during a game at Bloomington, Knight called a press conference to defend his star. And 19 days later, when Thomas hit an Iowa player and was ejected from a game, Knight refused to criticize him.

That year, Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the school's fourth national title. The sophomore earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and made himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft.

NBA playing career

In the 1981 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the No. 2 pick and signed him to a four-year, $1.6 million contract. Thomas started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game and made the All-Rookie Team.

In the opening round of the 1984 NBA playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Thomas scored 16 points in 94 seconds to force the game into overtime, but then fouled out, and the Knicks held on to win.

In the 1985 NBA playoffs, Thomas and his team went to the conference semifinals against the 15-time NBA champion Boston Celtics led by future basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Detroit would not shake the Celtics in their six-game series, eventually losing.

In the 1987 NBA playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the Celtics again. It was the furthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne. Detroit was able to tie the Celtics at two games apiece, but its hope of winning Game 5 at Boston Garden was dashed by Larry Bird with just seconds remaining: Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Bird stole the pass and hit Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

In 1988, the Pistons' first trip to the Finals in 32 years saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Before the series, Thomas and Johnson exchanged a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip-off as a sign of their deep friendship. After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6.

One of Thomas's most inspiring and self-defining moments came in Game 6. Although he had severely sprained his ankle late in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter, an NBA Finals record. But the Lakers won the game 103–102 on a pair of last-minute free throws by Abdul-Jabbar, following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer. With Thomas unable to compete at full strength the Lakers were able to take advantage and clinched their second consecutive title in Game 7, 108–105.

In the 1988–89 season, Thomas, along with teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a 63–19 record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "Bad Boys". First they defeated Boston, which had been suffering persistent injuries. Michael Jordan and the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls fell next in the Conference Finals, setting up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time the Pistons dominated, sweeping the Lakers in four games to win their first of back-to-back championships. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in Detroit's victory over Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons continued to play well between 1991 and 1993, but found their road back to the NBA Finals blocked by the emerging Bulls dynasty. An aging and ailing Thomas tore his Achilles tendon on April 19, 1994, forcing him to retire a month later.

As a point guard, Thomas was a dangerous scorer and effective leader. He was known for his dribbling ability, prowess driving to the basket, and often spectacular passing. Thomas was named to the All-NBA First team three times and is the Pistons' all-time leader in points, steals, games played and assists. He ranks ninth in NBA history in assists (9,061) and 15th in steals (1,861). His No. 11 was retired by the Pistons.

National team career

Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic team, but like all American athletes he was not able to play in Moscow due to the Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the "Gold Medal Series", a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic gold medal team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5–1 record (losing only to the Seattle SuperSonics). Thomas shot 22–55 from the field and 14–17 from the line. He led the U.S. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game. In 2007, Thomas received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.

Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with Michael Jordan. In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.

After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury, Thomas was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that eventually led to his retirement. He was replaced by Kevin Johnson.

Post-playing career

Businessman

Isiah Thomas is the founding Chairman and CEO of Isiah International LLC, a holding company with a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments. Gre3n Waste Removal, Re3 Recycling, and Eleven Capital Group are three of the primary businesses in the Isiah International family of companies. The mission of Isiah International is to become a business incubator for the minority community.

In addition to these business ventures, Thomas is involved in real estate projects in Chicago and the surrounding region as the owner of Isiah Real Estate. Thomas said he is putting money in distressed areas and reinvesting: "I'm hoping I can be a catalyst for change in those areas, to get the population back into those communities and be a catalyst to make a difference." Thomas is also involved in a $300 million development deal for a mixed-use complex at the Illinois Medical District Commission. Isiah Real Estate partnered with Higgins Development Partners, Thomas Samuels Enterprises, and East Lake Management & Development to develop 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of land that would include retail space, a hotel, apartments and parking areas.

Thomas's business career began during his career with the Pistons. Planning for life after the NBA, Thomas invested in a host of ventures through his private investment company out of Michigan, Isiah Investments, LLC. His primary investment was a large chain of printing franchises, American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. Thomas took a very hands-on approach at American Speedy, helping lead the company out of bankruptcy to become profitable and one of the largest printing franchises in the world.

He was also one of the founding members of the advisory board for Marquis Jet Partners and a partner of Dale and Thomas Popcorn.

In April 1999 Thomas became the first African American elected to the Board of Governors of the Chicago Stock Exchange. He served until 2002.

Thomas often speaks to students and professionals around the country about his business experiences.

Toronto Raptors

After retiring, Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and high schooler Tracy McGrady.

Broadcasting

After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for the NBA on NBC. He also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins.

CBA

Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. He founded Enlighten Sports Inc, a full-service web development group specializing in sports marketing, in 1999.

When at the Continental Basketball Association, Thomas launched partnerships with Enlighten Sports and the University of Colorado and the CBA. The new websites allowed fans to watch live game webcasts, use live shot charts, chat with players and more. Thomas said the internet was "and integral part of [the CBA's] strategy to provide engaging and entertaining content for fans." Thomas also launched a partnership between the CBA and SEASONTICKET.com to bring personalized video highlights and scores to fans across the country as well as be a portal for All-Star League voting. Thomas foresaw that streaming video would be the future of news and entertainment.

In 1998, Thomas founded Isiah.com, a company serving consumers, retailers, and corporations with online gift certificates and other i-commerce products. Isiah.com's first venture was i-gift, a one-stop, online shopping service center for gift certificates. i-gift was praised as unique because it could drive e-commerce while supporting and expanding brick-and-mortar merchants. He brought the next generation of gift certificates to The Somerset Collection in Michigan, which houses exclusive department stores and retailers. Isiah.com's mission was to "harness internet technologies and leverage business transformation processes to create new business ventures that both produce profits and benefit under-served sectors of the community." Isiah.com also had a partnership with the NBA store.

Thomas purchased the CBA for $10 million, and in 2001 the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to create his own development league, the NBDL, to replace the CBA.

Indiana Pacers

From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers, succeeding Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the Eastern Conference title. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. But under Thomas the Pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team to a younger, less experienced team. In Thomas's first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, both of whom eventually made the NBA Finals.

In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided them to a 48–34 record in the regular season and coached the Eastern Conference team at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of Reggie Miller, some perceived Thomas's lack of coaching experience as the Pacers' stumbling block. In the off-season, Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle.

Halls of Fame

In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Two years prior, Thomas was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

New York Knicks

On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joakim Noah.

On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas on the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired.

During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets that Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint. He was not fined or suspended; NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments. Later in the season, nine months after Dolan had demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract. After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.

During the 2007 NBA draft, Thomas made another trade, acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary-cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play.

Despite the constant criticism he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around, and predicted he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.

On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Walsh did not comment definitively on whether Thomas would be retained in any capacity.

One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Thomas had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially "reassigned" on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal." Thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the Knicks, fifth lowest in team history. As part of the reassignment agreement, Thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to Walsh and banned from having contact with Knicks players on the rationale that he could undermine the new head coach.

FIU

On April 14, 2009, Thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of FIU, replacing Sergio Rouco after five losing seasons. Thomas announced that he would donate his first year's salary back to the school, saying, "I did not come here for the money."

After posting a 7–25 record in his first season at FIU, on August 6, 2010, Thomas announced that he was taking a job as consultant to the New York Knicks, while keeping his position as head coach at FIU. According to the New York Daily News, "nearly every major media outlet panned the announcement of Thomas' hire", and it led to a "public outcry" among fans. In a reversal on August 11, Thomas announced that he would not be working with the Knicks because holding both jobs violated NBA bylaws.

Thomas finished his second season at FIU with an 11–19 record (5–11 in conference games). On April 6, 2012, FIU fired Thomas after he went 26–65 in three seasons. Under Thomas, FIU never won more than 11 games in a season.

Back to broadcasting

On December 19, 2012, NBA TV announced that Thomas would begin work on December 21, 2012, as a member of the studio analyst panel. It was also announced that Thomas would become a regular contributor for NBA.com.

New York Liberty

On May 5, 2015, the WNBA New York Liberty hired Thomas as Team President, overseeing all of the franchise's business and basketball operations.

On June 22, 2015, the Liberty and the WNBA agreed to suspend consideration of Thomas's ownership application. He remains president of the team.

Under Thomas's leadership as team president and his former Pistons teammate Bill Laimbeer as head coach, the Liberty finished first in the Eastern Conference during the 2015 season.

Cheurlin Champagne

In 2016, Thomas announced that he was the exclusive United States importer of the Cheurlin Champagne brand through ISIAH Imports, a subsidiary of ISIAH International, LLC. Cheurlin Champagne made its debut in the United States at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Other activations have included a private luncheon honoring former President Bill Clinton. Cheurlin recently debuted at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the final season of the Detroit Pistons at the historic arena. Cheurlin produces two champagne categories: Cheurlin's Brut Speciale and Rose de Saignee and Cheurlin Thomas' "Celebrite" Blanc de Blanc and "Le Champion" Blanc de Noir. In August 2017, Thomas brought his Cheurlin Flagship Collection portfolio of Champagnes to the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Players Only

Since 2017, Thomas has been a regular panelist during NBA on TNT's Monday coverage Players Only, which features only former NBA players as studio analysts, play by play announcers, and color analysts for games.

Education

Thomas finished his college degree at Indiana University during the Pistons' off-seasons and received his Master's in Education from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2013. At UC Berkeley, Thomas studied the connection between education and sports, specifically how American society makes education accessible (or inaccessible) to black male college athletes.

Philanthropic work

During his playing career, Thomas paid college tuition for more than 75 students. When he was a Piston, in 1987 Thomas organized the "No Crime Day" in Detroit. He even had the help of Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to call for a moratorium on crime in the summer of 1986.

Also in 1987 Thomas posed for a poster sponsored by the American Library Association with the caption "READ: Isiah Thomas for America's Libraries". Thomas is shown dressed in a Sam Spade type outfit while reading a detective novel.

Thomas founded Mary's Court, a foundation that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children in the communities of Garfield Park and Lawndale on the West Side of Chicago. The charity is named for Thomas's mother, who he credits with instilling in him the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. Mary's Court has teamed up with another Chicago-based charity, Kids off the Block, to serve meals to Chicago children and families during Thanksgiving.

While at FIU, Thomas and Mary's Court donated $50,000 to FIU's First Generation Scholarship and organized a sell-out charity game during the NBA lockout featuring NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with proceeds benefiting Mary's Court. A street on Chicago's West Side was named in honor of his mother.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club of Chicago recognized Thomas's philanthropic work in March 2012 and honored him with the organization's King Legacy Award at their 24th Annual King Legacy Awards Gala. The award is given annually to individuals who have fostered the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through their community contributions.

In July 2012, Thomas joined The Black Men's Roundtable in Florida along with other national and local black leaders to discuss issues that directly affect black males.

The Peace League is an annual community basketball league that brings together young men and women from surrounding communities within the Chicago area and provides a safe haven growth and development; it was established by Thomas and Father Pfleger in 2011. In September 2012, Thomas co-hosted the Ballin' for Peace Tournament at St. Sabina Church in Chicago. He joined with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, the Chicago Bears' J'Marcus Webb, pastor Father Michael Pfleger, and others to produce this event, in order to reduce gang violence through communication and basketball. Thomas also stressed the value of education for those in poverty.

The Peace League initiative has expanded into a program which now offers GED classes, employment training, and internship opportunities. The surrounding Auburn-Gresham neighborhood has seen a drastic drop in violence since the league began.

Most recently, the Peace League Tournament was expanded to New York City during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. The New York City Peace Game featured over 50 players from across all five Boroughs that competed in a tournament as well as a brief speaking program with some special guests, supporters and participating organizations at the Harlem PAL that included Harry Belafonte of Sankofa.org, Help USA, Cure Violence, and Connor Sports.

In March 2013, Children Uniting Nations, an organization that focuses on advocacy/awareness and provides academic and community-based programs for at-risk and foster youth, presented Thomas and Mary's Court with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of children.

In partnership with the Marillac Social Center, Thomas and Mary's Court hosted its Third Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway. Each year Mary's Court provides gifts, clothing and educational items to hundreds of children in Chicago at this signature event.

Humanity of Connection Award

On February 13, 2017, Thomas was presented the AT&T Humanity of Connection Award during its annual Black History Month celebration in honor of Lewis H. Latimer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He was honored for his historic achievements in sports and his countless contributions to the African American community as a leader in the sports, business and philanthropic industries.

Personal life

Isiah Lord Thomas III was the son of Isiah II and Mary Thomas, the youngest of seven boys and two girls. Isiah's father was an army veteran wounded in the Battle of Saipan. He later attended trade school, eventually becoming the first black supervisor at International Harvester in Chicago. When the plant closed, the only work he could find was as a janitor and the family fell into hardship and Isiah II left when Isiah was a young child. Thomas grew up in the heart of Chicago's West Side ghetto. After his parents' separation, he lived with his mother. Born a Baptist, Mary turned the family toward Catholicism.

Thomas was a basketball prodigy from age three and was tutored by his older brothers, some of whom were good players in their own right. Although most coaches in the Chicago area considered him too small to have any significant impact on a basketball program, Thomas's brothers persuaded coach Gene Pingatore of St. Joseph High School to arrange a sports scholarship for Isiah.

Thomas met his future wife, Lynn Kendall, the daughter of a Secret Service agent and a nurse, in the early 1980s while they were both attending Indiana University. The couple married in 1985.

Thomas graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in 1987. Isiah Thomas and Lynn Kendall had a son, Joshua, in 1988, and a daughter, Lauren, in 1991. Thomas has a third son from an earlier liaison, Marc Dones, born in 1986.

Thomas founded Isiah International LLC, an investment holdings company with Thomas as Chairman and CEO. It runs five companies: Isiah Real Estate, a development firm specializing in commercial properties; TAND Properties, a property management firm, private equity and asset management firm; Isiah Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations; and GRE3N Waste Removal. Thomas also co-owns the waste removal's sister company, RE3 Recycling, with his daughter, Lauren Thomas.

Isiah Thomas was involved in allegations about gambling, an accusation outlined in the 1997 book Money Players.

Paternity case

Two months before Thomas's marriage to Lynn Kendall in 1985, Jenni Dones, a woman from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, filed a paternity lawsuit against Thomas claiming that she was pregnant after having had a three- or four-month "intimate, exclusive, ongoing relationship" with him. Her child, Marc E. T. Dones, was born in 1986. After a long-running legal dispute, Thomas agreed to pay a settlement of about $52,000 and provide a monthly payment of $2,765 until Marc Dones reached 18, with Marc getting a final lump-sum amount of $100,000 at 18. In a case Dones filed in 1995, she was able to get additional financial support for her son and his college education. Marc Dones is an aspiring writer and poet who has been described by the literary site thedetroiter.com as "a talented writer and poet".

Sexual harassment lawsuit

In January 2006, Anucha Browne Sanders, a former female executive with the New York Knicks, filed an employment and harassment lawsuit against The Madison Square Garden Company, alleging in part that Thomas had sexually harassed her in the workplace and that she had been fired in retaliation for complaining about the harassment. The case was then settled for $11.5 million.

Drug overdose

On October 24, 2008, Thomas was taken to White Plains Hospital Center near his New York City area home after accidentally taking an overdose of Lunesta, a form of sleep medication. .

In an interview with ESPN, Thomas explained that he was so quiet about his hospitalization because he was focused on his family at the time.

Rivalries

In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Thomas was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by star rookie Michael Jordan. Jordan wound up attempting nine shots, relatively few for a starting player. Afterward, Thomas and his fellow veteran East players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" Jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of spite over the attention Jordan was receiving. No player involved has ever confirmed that the freeze-out occurred, but the story has long been reported and has never been refuted by Jordan. Thomas has ridiculed the idea that he masterminded the supposed freeze-out as "ludicrous", pointing out that he was a relatively young player on a team that included Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Moses Malone. During Jordan's Hall of Fame induction, in which Thomas introduced John Stockton, who was also being inducted, Jordan dismissed the claims about a freeze-out having taken place, saying "I was just happy to be there, being the young guy surrounded by all these greats, I just wanted to prove myself and I hope that I did prove myself to you guys."

In 1987, following a playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, Thomas was asked if he agreed with Dennis Rodman's comments that Larry Bird was overrated because he was white; Thomas agreed that if Bird were black he "would be just another good guy" instead of being portrayed as the league's best player. Thomas later said he was joking and just supporting his teammate.

In the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons faced the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Pistons had defeated the Bulls in each of the first three meetings, but this time they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Bulls (who would win the first of three consecutive, and six overall, NBA championships between 1991 and 1998). The series was marked by a number of verbal, physical, and match-up problems. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Laimbeer organized a walk-out and Thomas and all of his teammates—except Joe Dumars and John Salley—walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the Bulls. In 1992, Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team apparently because of his strained relationship with Jordan.

In September 2009, during Jordan's Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Jordan thanked Thomas and others for giving him the motivation he needed to compete in the NBA.

[nomadicism]

Your recent post talked about the Classic Media library that DreamWorks owns, so am I right to assume that whomever owns the licensing rights can do what they want with the story without WEP getting involved or focibly changing something?

Hi Anon, thank you for the Ask!

Questions regarding the Voltron IP, and who owns what, are on a lot of folks’ minds right now, and they are questions that I’ve discussed in private with others quite a bit.

The first thing to clear up is that owning licensing rights are not the same as owning the intellectual property (IP). Copyright is a form of IP that protects the expression of the IP in visual or audio form. The phrase “All Rights Reserved” that appears in copyright notices means that the copyright holder reserves all rights for their own use, all the rights provided by law.

An IP holder can enter an agreement (money is involved of course) with another entity to grant them: (1) An exclusive license; (2) A sole license; (3) A non-exclusive license. There might be other forms of these types of IP licenses, but those are the basic types that I’m aware of. Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics under DreamWorks Animation) has the rights to manage-and-oversee the licensing of IP for the Voltron franchise. That is not the same thing as owning the IP itself. Thus, owning the licensing rights does not mean that the one who owns those rights can do whatever they want with the story.

Here are examples of copyright notices from different Voltron things that I own:

“Voltron Defender of the Universe™.™ and © 1984 World Events Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.”

“© World Events Productions 2008. All Rights Reserved”

“Voltron Collection One: Blue Lion. © World Events Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Under license by AnimeWorks 2006.”

“Beast King GoLion Collection 3. © World Events Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Under license by AnimeWorks 2008.”

“Voltron: A Legend Forged. April 2009. Published by Devil’s Due Publishing, Inc. Voltron and its logo, all associated characters and their respected likeness are ™ and © 2009 World Events Productions, Ltd. Used with permission.”

“Voltron® Vol 2: Ten Lions. Voltron ™ & © World Event Productions. Under license to Classic Media. DYNAMITE, DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT and its logo are © and ® 2013 Dynamite. All Rights Reserved.”

“Voltron TM and © WEP, LLC, under license to DreamWorks Animation LLC. © 2018 DreamWorks Animation LLC. TM World Events Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. BANDAI 2018.”

“DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender © 2018 DreamWorks Animation LLC. TM World Events Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.”

The copyright notices above are chronological, and you can see the changes in how they are worded over time. You’ll note language like “under license to” with respect to Classic Media and DreamWorks Animation.

#8 is a little different, as “under license to” does not appear, and that might be because that copyright notice was for a thing that is specifically Voltron Legendary Defender, whereas the preceding one, #7 was for this:

Above: a re-packaged and re-branded GoLion SuperMiniPla set by Bandai released in the US in 2018. In Japan, the packaging used the GoLion branding. In the US, they put the Voltron Legendary Defender logo on the box even though this is the DotU Voltron. The copyright notice in the lower left corner of the box reads as described in #7 of the list above.

Now, the matter of “forceably changing something” isn’t quite clear, nor is the line where DreamWorks Animation’s copyright begins and WEP’s ends. Same goes for Dynamite and Devil’s Due Publishing when they published Voltron comics. In those comics, new characters and concepts were introduced, but whether or not they are owned fully by the publishers isn’t clear without knowing more about their licensing agreement. One can look at the long history of artists and writers getting into court fights with Marvel and DC to see how complex creative control and licensing is. WEP has gone to court a few times over rights as well. Toei’s letter to WEP over a live-action Voltron film, and what happened when the film producer looked into Toei’s claim is hilarious.

So the long answer? Sure, the licensee could get creative, lawyer up and fight “forceable changes” (which is too vague but I get what you’re going for here), and it will probably go to court in order to more clearly define the initial agreement. Is it worth it? Probably not if the licensee ever wants to work with WEP’s IP again.

In the example of VLD—if their agreement allows for it—then at the very least, anything wholly new created by DreamWorks Animation for VLD is theirs. Their agreement may not allow for this, but it seems short-sighted of DW to not have something like that. Owning the right to license the IP of the franchise isn’t enough because that is not a copyright.

Hypothetically, if DreamWorks wanted to do a MFE spin-off series, then—if their agreement gave them ownership of new characters/concepts/etc created for VLD—they should be able to do so without interference so long as nothing of WEP’s IP appears. That means no logos, no Voltron robot, no legacy characters, and no references or concepts of any kind that could be construed as conferring WEP’s permission and approval of the content.

The minute anything related to Voltron, legacy or otherwise appears, that’s when WEP has to be involved. There’s no way around that unless you want to risk a court fight. If DW and WEP have a good relationship, then, as owners of the licensing rights, DW might be able to do what they want without needing to get permission for every thing that they do, but that seems legally risky. Everyone involved needs to cover their ass.

In a traditional licensing agreement, permission/approval is granted after designs/concepts/plans/etc are submitted to the IP holder. If approved, then the licensee has to execute what they submitted in good faith. The licensee can’t drastically change what they submitted, even though changes do happen. It’s a matter of how different the changes are, and if those changes could damage the IP. If the licensee is “slipping something past the higher-ups”, they better pray damn hard that the IP holder likes what was slipped by when they’re surprised to see it and wonder why it wasn’t shown to them to begin with when they gave their approval.

For their part, as IP holder, WEP has to abide by the agreement and approval they’ve given as well, or else they risk a court fight. Showing up 6 months after giving approval during production and saying “Sike! We want to make changes!” isn’t going to go over well, and they’d have to prove that what was being produced is different enough from what they approved to be a legal issue of some kind. That doesn’t mean that they can’t ask for changes, or make noises of disapproval, and really, as IP holders, that’s their right—Voltron is theirs. It doesn’t matter if the licensee has a better idea, if WEP doesn’t like it, too damn bad. Others are not entitled to do whatever they want with WEP’s IP, if they have a license, they have to abide by the agreement in the license and honor the integrity of the franchise. That’s a big responsibility, and the licensee needs to do their part to not damage the reputation of the IP or drastically alter the perception of the IP.

It would be like Mattel granting a license to someone involved with Heavy Metal magazine (or whomever owns the right to Taarna) to design a Taarna Barbie doll, using the classic Barbie mold, with the Barbie logo and everything.

Above: Taarna and a Beach Bikini Barbie.

Could it happen? Yes. But how’s that going to look for Mattel and their Barbie brand?

If a Taarna Barbie figure is marketed as a convention or online-exclusive for a collector’s audience (and using the classic Barbie mold would be a selling point for that), and if the marketing and so on is tailored for that audience, then it probably wouldn’t impact Mattel and Barbie’s image.

That marketing and packaging still needs to avoid things like nudity and gore from the movie, and then what you’ll end up with is a white-haired Barbie wearing a bikini with a sword. Barbies have worn bikinis before, no big deal. But if the Taarna Barbie figure is positioned in the packaging like her nude scene on the rack when captured by the barbarian chief, with the barbarian chief’s severed head as an accessory, then that’s going to damage Mattel and Barbie.

May as well skip working with Mattel and make your own mold for a Taarna doll.

[womenintranslation]

April 6–7 in NYC:

Teaching Translation and Interpreting Conference April 6-7, 2019 Hunter College of the City University of New York Hunter West, 8th Floor ​ Organized by Margarit T. Ordukhanyan (Hunter College) Co-sponsored by American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association, with the participation of the National Language Service

With a growing demand for professionals in the language support services, teaching translation and interpretation is quickly becoming an educational imperative. By bringing together representatives of the industry and the academe, the conference aims to bridge the gap between the way translation is taught and the way it is practiced outside academic institutions. The conference addressed the need for new and innovative approaches to teach aspects of translation and interpretation at all levels of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. While addressing various perspective and methodologies, the conference seeks to elevate the profile of translation pedagogy as an independent academic discipline and explore its impact on other professional fields.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

9:00-10:15

Opening Remarks

Robert Cowan (Hunter College)

Keynote Address

“Emerging Contexts In Translation Pedagogy: Challenges and Opportunities”

Brian J. Baer (Kent State University)

Location: Faculty Dining Room, Hunter West 8th floor

*Coffee and light refreshments provided starting 8:45

10:30 – 12:00

Translation Curriculum: What the Profession Needs

Chair: Margarit Ordukhanyan (Hunter College)

“Teaching Translation and Interpretation: What the Profession Needs”

Caitilin Walsh (American Translators Association)

“Training Translators to Work for International Organizations”

Mekki Elbardi (United Nations)

“Cultural Mistranslation and the Big Business of Faith-Based Non-Profits in the USA”

Adrian Izquierdo (Baruch College)

12:00– 13:00

Lunch Break

*Lunch served in Faculty Dining Room

1:00-2:30

Panel II: Intercultural Communication in Translation

Chair: Margarit Ordukhanyan (Hunter College)

​

"Crossing Cultural Borders in a Digital World"

Annalisa Nash Fernandez (Because Culture LLC)

"Teaching Culture and Intercultural Communication to Future Translators and Interpreters"

​Monique Roske (University of Maryland)

1:00-2:300

Workshop: Russian Translation Assessment

Facilitated by Annie Fisher (University of Wisconsin-Milwakee)

The workshop uses actual student assignments to discuss effective feedback, codification of errors, and other aspects of teaching Russian-language translation courses.

​

Location: Hunter West B126

2:45-4:30

Panel III: Translation and Technology

Chair: Annie Fisher (University of Wisconsin-Milwakee)

"Gauging and Establishing "Best" Practices in Online Translation Course Design

Andrew Tucker (Kent State University) and Erik Angelone (Kent State University)

“Leveraging Technology to Deliver Feedback in the Online Translation Course”

Annie Fisher (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)

"Enhancing Localization Graduate Employability Through Skill-Driven Curricula"

Loubna Bilali (Kent State University)

"Using and Integrating Large Institutional Websites in Translation Courses"

Françoise Herrmann (University of Maryland)

4:45-6:15

Translation, Community, Integration

Moderated by Julie Van Peteghem (Hunter College)

“The impact of interpreting education on the psychological effects of language brokering”

Aida Martinez Gomez (John Jay College)

The presentation is followed by a round-table by Hunter College students

6:30-9:00

Keynote and Reception

“Translation, the Liberal Arts and Global Humanities”

Aron Aji (University of Iowa)

Sunday, April 7 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Brian James Baer is Professor of Russian and Translation Studies at Kent State University. He is the author of the monographs Other Russias (2009) and Translation and the Making of Modern Russian Literature (2016), as well as the editor of several collected volumes, including Beyond the Ivory Tower: Re-thinking Translation Pedagogy with Geoffrey Koby (2003), Contexts, Subtexts, Pretexts: Literary Translation in Eastern Europe and Russia (2011), Researching Translation and Interpreting, with Claudia Angelelli (2015), Translation in Russian Contexts, with Susanna Witt (2018), and Queering Translation, Translating the Queer, with Klaus Kaindl (2018). He is founding editor of the journal Translation and Interpreting Studies and co-editor of the Bloomsbury book series Literatures, Cultures, Translation. He is also the translator of Juri Lotman's final monograph, The Unpredictable Workings of Culture (2013), and a forthcoming collection of essays by Lotman on cultural memory. He is the current president of the American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association.

8:45-10:30

Panel 1: Bringing Translation to the Classroom

Chair: Margarit Ordukhanyan (Hunter College)

​

"Starting from Scratch: Developing an Introduction to Translation and Interpreting Courses"

Garrett Bradford (University of Maryland)

​"Pre- and Post-Translation Tasks in Translation Pedagogy"

Laura Ramirez Polo (Rutgers University)

“Community Engagement in Translation and Interpreting Courses”

Cristiano Mazzei (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

“Teaching Translation as Situated Learning: Benefits of Engaging Translation Students with Refugee Communities”

Laurence Jay-Rayon Ibrahim Aibo (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Coffee and light refreshments served starting 8:30

10:30-12:15

Panel IIA: Serving Spanish-Speaking Communities

Chair: TBD

“Serving Low-Vision Spanish-Speaking Community in the US”

María José García-Vizcaíno (Montclair State University)

“Spanish Translation for Community Based Organizations"

E. Diana Biagioli (Independent Professional)

“Designing a Concentration in Translation for a Four-Year College”

Reyes Lazaro (Smith College)

10:30-12:15

Panel IIB: Teaching Russian Through Translation

Chair: Brian J. Baer

"Cultural Mediation: Teaching Russian Poetry to Russian Heritage Students"

Julia Trubikhina (Hunter College) and Christopher Czubay (Hunter College)

"Teaching Translation as an Advanced Language Course"

Ainsley Morse (Pomona College)

​

"Bridging the Divide: Anton Chekhov’s “Sleepy” and the Challenges and Rewards of Literary Transposition"

Nadya Peterson (Hunter College)

12:15-1:00

Lunch Break

1:00-2:30

Panel III: Bringing Translation to Non-Translation Classrooms

Chair: Esther Allen (Baruch College)

"Teaching Translation from All Languages: Evaluation, Integration, and Relevant Readings (for the Professor Who Knows Only Some of Them)"

Sibelan Forrester (Swarthmore College)

“Possibility of the Impossible: Comparing Translations of Osip Mandelstam’s Epigram to Stalin”

Ian Probstein (Touro College)

“Comparative Translations in the Intermediate Hindi Classroom”

Jason Grunebaum (University of Chicago)

​2:45-4:15

Panel IV: Roundtable – Reading like a Translator

Chair/Discussant: Julie Van Peteghem (Hunter College)

Karen Emmerich (Princeton University)

Anne Janusch (University of Chicago)

Jennifer Zoble (New York University)

4:30-5:30

Panel V: Issues of Inclusivity, Gender, and Diversity in Translation

Chair: Esther Allen (Baruch College)

​

“Teaching Translation through Gender Topics: Adapting the Instructional Design of an Introductory Translation Course”

Iván Villanueva-Jordán (Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas)

“The Gender Gap in Translation: Translator Advocacy and Curricular Applications”

Margaret Carson (Borough of Manhattan Community College)

5:45-6:00

Continuing Conversations: Looking Ahead

Margarit Ordukhanyan (Hunter College)

Aron Aji is the Director of MFA in Literary Translation at University of Iowa. A native of Turkey, he has translated works by Bilge Karasu, Murathan Mungan, Elif Shafak, LatifeTekin, and other Turkish writers, including three book-length works by Karasu: Death in Troy; The Garden of Departed Cats, (2004 National Translation Award); and A Long Day’s Evening, (NEA Literature Fellowship, and short-listed for the 2013 PEN Translation Prize). He also edited, Milan Kundera and the Art of Fiction. Aji leads the Translation Workshop, and teaches courses on retranslation, poetry and translation; theory, and contemporary Turkish literature. He is also the president of The American Literary Translators Association.

[takeoffphilippines]

COMCO marks 6th Anniversary with its new global headquarters, Middle East & Africa branch full rollout, and major account and metal wins

Coming from its groundbreaking Blazing Sapphire milestone, COMCO Southeast Asia (SEA) celebrates its Sweet 6th year this 2022 with the unveiling of its global headquarters, the full rollout of its COMCO Middle East & Africa (MEA) branch, major account wins, and awards from prestigious international award-giving bodies.

COMCO Southeast Asia’s growing team during the unveiling of the COMCO Mundo global headquarters

COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises Unveils New Global Headquarters

This year brings yet another milestone for COMCO SEA as it opens its global headquarters in Makati’s Central Business District as part of its expansion. The new headquarters will house COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises’ current and upcoming ventures - COMCO Southeast Asia (SEA), COMCO Middle East & Africa (MEA), Camp COMCO Alumni Society, Citizen COMCO Advocacy Program, SEA Wave Pop Culture Studio, and Taro Digital AOX. Each area is inspired by different pop culture references rooted in COMCO’s love for movies, series, music, books, and all the emerging platforms out there. The COMCO SEA workstation is called the “Millennium Falcon” while the executive office is dubbed the “Cerebro”. The rest of the areas are “Rivendell” for the Corporate Services Unit, “Black Castle” for the Digital and Multimedia Arts Unit, “Watch Tower Hall” for the conference room, “Bifrost Bridge” for the reception, “Room of Requirements” for the stock room, and “Wooley Hall” for the lounge area.

COMCO Middle East and Africa in Full Swing

Following its launch during COMCO SEA’s Blazing Sapphire anniversary event last year, COMCO Middle East and Africa is now in full blast servicing various brands in the market. In its first year, COMCO MEA has already worked with notable brands in the Middle East such as Buono Buono, Nolte, Open Thrill, Paus, POPC Live!, Red Shrimp, TruCARE, Victor, Yas Plaza Hotels, Belcanto Restaurant, Empire Movies, Central Park Towers, Dubai London Hospital, Electric Pawnshop, GESS Education, R&B Kids, Playbook, Universal Trading Company LLC, MaKiRa Dubai, Hudson Tavern Dubai, Katsuya, Najah Connect and Middle East Film & Comic Con. COMCO MEA, together with COMCO SEA, also recently conducted the property roadshows for Phiippine property firm RLC Residences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as among the group’s first of many synergy initiatives.

COMCO Southeast Asia’s Major Account Wins

The Agency also continued to strengthen its client portfolio for its 6th year, winning major accounts in recent inter-agency pitches for premiere brands/organizations such as MR. DIY, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Lenovo, Skechers, Takeda, ASEANA City, Lalamove, and Philusa Corporation together with its wide range of brands - Rhea Generics, Cleene Cotton, Cleene Clio, Babyflo Baby Care, and Love My Honey, Phinma Education, Remy Martin, AXA Philippines, and European Union.

Harvest of Metals Across the Globe

In its 6 years, COMCO Southeast Asia has won recognition garnering a total of 135 awards from various prestigious local, regional and international award-giving bodies with the most recent wins and citations from PR Awards Asia-Pacific, PRCA APAC (Public Relations and Communications Association Asia-Pacific) Awards, CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Excellence Awards, The Gold Standard Awards, Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards, Stevie Awards, and IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Quill Awards.

The Agency made the cut in this year’s PR Awards Asia-Pacific organized by Marketing Interactive Asia held in Singapore. COMCO Southeast Asia’s Regional Integration and Chief Executive Director, Mr. Ferdinand L. Bondoy, bagged the Gold Award for the PR Champion of the Year (Agency). COMCO SEA’s initiatives “Dear Survivor: The COMCO Southeast Asia Write to Ignite Blogging Project Season 2" and "Blazing Sapphire: The COMCO Southeast Asia 5th Anniversary Celebration” received finalist citations in the Best Use of Micro / Niche Influencers and Best Anniversary Campaign categories respectively. The Agency is also a finalist for the PR Team of the Year (Agency) award.

COMCO Southeast Asia's flagship initiative "Dear Survivor: The Write to Ignite Blogging Project Season 2" is the big winner of the much-coveted Purpose Award of the PRCA APAC Awards, besting other campaigns in the Asia-Pacific region. COMCO SEA also received finalist citations for the Medium Consultancy of the Year Award, Workplace Champion Award, and Strategic Communications Award for the Blazing Sapphire 5th Anniversary Celebration campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Bondoy is among the top five finalists for the PR / Communication Leader Award.

COMCO SEA also received finalist citations in The Gold Standard Awards for Professional Excellence for Mr. Bondoy and APAC Tambuli Awards for Eastern Communications. Ultimately, COMCO SEA emerged as among the top five finalists in the highly acclaimed global CIPR Excellence Awards for Small PR Consultancy of the Year, organized by the United Kingdom-based Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Last but not the least, COMCO SEA bagged a total of 30 awards including 4 top award nominations from the prestigious IABC Quill Awards. COMCO SEA is also a nominee for the Agency of the Year, Top Award in Communication Management for Corporate Social Responsibility as well as for Media Relations for “Dear Survivor: The Write to Ignite Blogging Project Season 2”, and Top Award in Communication Training and Education for “The Force of Learning in New PR and Smart Social: The Camp COMCO House Wars”.  

Mr. Bondoy shared, “When you are with like-minded and like-hearted people, when you create masterpieces and accomplish great things together when you slay 'monsters' and do the impossible as a team, and when you enjoy exploring the world and celebrating life with the people you belong to, you won’t realize six years have passed so fast. And with the rollout of our 10-year master plan, we can’t help but get excited about what else we can do for our partner brands and organizations, our industry, our growing teams in SEA and MEA, and the communities and advocacies that we support.” To know more about COMCO Southeast Asia, visit comcosea.com. Follow them on social media: facebook.com/comco.southeastasia on Facebook, linkedin.com/company/comcosea, and @comco_sea on both Instagram and Twitter.

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