#Sutton Li

[lizshaw]

Louise Jameson, Carol Ann Ford, Caroline John, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Lis Sladen and Janet Fielding (1985)

[zef-zef]

Kara-Lis Coverdale & LXV (David Sutton)

source: tinymixtapes 📸: ???

[kramlabs]

“The West in general and the USA in particular envy Russia for: its natural wealth much of which is still buried under the soil beyond the Ural Mountains. Why should they have all that wealth is the U.S. attitude, part of the justification for its great plot to subjugate Russia and split it up into small states.”

[cannibalcleaver]

Fun marble hornets facts I learned while watching the S3 DVD w/ creators commentary

-Tim Wright works as a short order cook at 15th Street diner

-Joseph, Tim (S) and Troy have all hit trains with rocks at the train tracks in entry #53

-Tim Wright supposedly was playing the part of a construction worker during Alex Kralie's "Marble Hornets", due to where Tim worked at the time and his access to heavy machinery

-Tim Wright can play Beethoven on Ukulele.

-In the music room flashback, there was a bass guitar that's actually Jay's :3!

-The piano Alex messes around with is Tim Wright's (the piano actually belongs to Tim Sutton, and was given to him by his grandma.)

-The Spectrograph in Decay (TTA) is actually Brian Haight, who portrays Brian Thomas.

-Members of the cast got recognized while filming in entry #55, which is just neat

-Joseph DeLage wears Tim's shirt during entry #53

-In Entry #58, when Hoodie appears, he's played by Joseph DeLage

-Joseph DeLage said himself that Alex Kralie isn't the best director

-Troy Wagner stated that Jay Merrick never got better at lying throughout the series, but that writing Jay's excuses and lies was pretty fun.

[nicklloydnow]

“May I be permitted to say a few words? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic & Islamic History under William Montgomery Watt & Laurence Elwell Sutton, 2 of Britain ‘s great Middle East experts. I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge & to teach Arabic & Islamic Studies at Newcastle University . Naturally, I am the author of several books & 100s of articles in this field.

I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs & that, for that reason, I am shocked & disheartened for a simple reason: there is not & has never been a system of apartheid in Israel. That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality should anyone choose to visit Israel.

Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that many students are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, & that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Hating Israel

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I’m not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel . I’m speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies & myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a “Nazi” state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws?

None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel, precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for. It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When?

No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is a way to subvert historical fact. Likewise apartheid.

No Apartheid

For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a day in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous this is.

The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country’s 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha’is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan & elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; or anyone else; the holy places of all religions are protected by Israeli law.

Free Arab Israelis

Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population). In Iran , the Bahai’s (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren’t your members boycotting Iran ?

Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa. They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews — something no blacks were able to do in South Africa.

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews & Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. On the same wards, in the same operating theatres.

Women’s Rights

In Israel, women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid. Gay men & women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays oftn escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

It seems bizarre to me that LGBT groups call for a boycott of Israel & say nothing about countries like Iran, where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.

Intelligent students thinking it’s better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to condemn the only country in the Middle East that rescues and protects gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?

(…)

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel. I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations.

(…)

Israeli citizens, Jews & Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations & call for no boycotts against Libya , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Yemen , & Iran. They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world’s freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the ME that gives refuge to gay men & women, the only country in the ME that protects the Bahai’s…. Need I go on?

(…)

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more.”

[copperbadge]

hi sam! do you have any recommendations for good sources of info for someone who'd like to learn more about cons and con artists? Any format is fine, books, podcasts, youtube, whatever, i'm just having a hard time finding a good source that really digs into and examines the actual techniques and 'mechanics' so to speak.

It is a little bit tough because of course most scammers are also self-embroidering liars :D And my education was very patchwork. For specifically cons and con artists (outside of art crime, which generally doesn't touch the con world directly) I'd advise starting with "Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet On Everything" by Kevin Cook, which is a biography of one of the early 20th century's most preeminent con men; it's a good tale but it also demonstrates the general life trajectory of con men, which can be pretty grim. Most cons end up in prison, and even those that don't or that get out tend to die poor and alone, because they can't stop scamming.

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading is one that I don't remember vividly but I did write a review of here, and I think it's another good starting place. (All the links following are to reviews I did.) If you've ever watched The Sting, which is a movie about con artists and also kind of a good primer, it's based on The Professional Thief by Edwin Sutherland, which is an anthropology of professional crime in the early 20th century. While technically it was written less by him than by an anonymous contact of his in the criminal underworld, that doesn't mean it's accurate per se; we only have that writer's word that any of it is true, so again, read skeptically.

I'd have to look up which piece it was because there's been a lot about her, but if you give Doris Payne a google she's another great example of a fascinating person who is just a giant liar. She paints a very vivid picture of her own career, but if you read about her later years you do realize that she's still conning everyone (she attempts to swindle at least one journalist working with her) and has nothing to show for her career, which may be a pack of lies to begin with. A lot of her stories have been fact checked and found wanting. I'd read up on the life of Victor Lustig as well; he's most famously known as the man who fraudulently sold the Eiffel Tower (twice) but I don't have a good biography offhand.

In your reading you will probably run across Han Van Meegeren, who forged Vermeers and ripped off the art world with them, then was tried for colluding with Nazis because he sold Nazis many "Vermeers" -- he had to paint a Vermeer while in prison to prove he'd forged the ones he sold the Nazis. This is a charming story but until very recently it was not widely noted that Van Meegeren was ABSOLUTELY A BIG NAZI HIMSELF. I was suckered by the story for years and I know most people were, so if you encounter media about him that does not include this fact, and you're interested in his story, look for newer scholarship.

There's a tangentially related book, "Where The Money Was" by Willie Sutton and Edward Linn, that is the semi-autobiography of a bank robber and it's very fun and funny, so despite not being directly about crime, I'd recommend that one.

The Napoleon Of Crime by Ben MacIntyre is a biography of the man who Moriarty was purportedly based on; it's sort of related rather than direct, but I recall enjoying it and there's a fascinating example of the VERY rare times when art heists are for a specific piece rather than for a specific goal.

There's a podcast called Scam Goddess that I found...enjoyable and informative, but also not very well-researched. In particular some of the earlier episodes are really poorly fact-checked. That said, she reads out letters from people writing in to discuss their scams and she talks about a lot of famous scam stories, so as long as you listen with the knowledge that she's neither a researcher nor an expert you should be okay.

Provenance by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo is what I'll close with, because it's about the interplay between art crime and con artistry, but it's also a strong argument for not valorizing cons; it's a documentation of how a couple of criminals out for nothing more than a quick buck really fucked up the entire system by which we authenticate art, and did insane levels of damage to genuine art scholarship. This isn't a little guy punching up against millionaire art collectors or fat cat museums, the way the narrative is often framed; art crime like this, involving forged or altered provenances, really harms art historians and the study of art.

I think the study of confidence crime and art crime is absolutely fascinating. There's a lot to learn about social engineering and society itself. But I think if I can impart to you one piece of wisdom, it's that con men are never, ever out for anyone but themselves and have no qualms or hesitations about hurting you to get what they want. The romance of con artistry often fools journalists and sophisticated researchers as well, so it's very easy to get swept up in it, but you should approach the entire genre with the attitude that everything you read has a 75% chance of being a charming work of total fiction.

On that note -- you may enjoy the short stories of O. Henry, some of which are about confidence men; I can't recommend specific titles but his fiction is very enjoyable generally, at least in my opinion.

[radiantlight9]

CHITRA

Chitra is the 14th Nakshatra in the sidereal zodiac and is ruled by the planet Mars. Its ruling deity is Tvashtar, the celestial architect, responsible for fashioning the outer persona of individuals. Chitra is associated with the constellation Spica (Alpha Virginis) and falls under Virgo and Libra in the sidereal zodiac.

Chitra Nakshatra paints a portrait of individuals deeply entrenched in the material world yet bound by a yearning for something greater. Initially, they may find themselves consumed by appearances, complexity, and the allure of glamour, often grappling with feelings of frustration and angst. This obsession with form and structure reflects their innate connection to Maya, illusion, and aesthetic appeal.

Symbolized by the pearl, Chitra represents the journey of breaking through barriers to reveal one's true self. Just as the lustrous pearl lies hidden within a hard shell, so too does the authentic essence of Chitra natives remain obscured until they undergo significant transformation. This process is not without its challenges, as individuals must confront layers of egoic illusion and endure the pains of shedding their old identities.

In the realm of Tamasic energy, Chitra Nakshatra finds its footing, characterized by activities mired in the gross physical plane. Here, individuals may experience bouts of darkness, inertia, and suffering, tethered to illusions that cloud their perception of reality. Despite these struggles, Chitra's journey remains grounded in the pursuit of authenticity, even amidst the complexities of mundane existence.

As the celestial architect, Tvashtar, molds the outer persona of the individual, Chitra natives undergo a process of refinement akin to shaping a raw stone into a beautiful statue. This transformation may be painful, as the ego is chiseled away to reveal the inner light within. Yet, through perseverance and resilience, Chitra individuals navigate the intricacies of life, striving to uncover the brilliance that lies beneath the surface.

Chitra Nakshatra serves as a reminder of the human capacity for growth and self-discovery, transcending illusions to embrace the essence of one's being. It is a journey marked by both turmoil and triumph, where individuals confront their higher nature amidst the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

References:

Sutton, Komilla. Nakshatras: The Stars Beyond the Zodiac. The Wessex Astrologer, 2014.

Pijan, Barbara. Barbara Pijan Lama (year unknown) . Available at:

https://barbarapijan.com/bpa/Nakshatra_radical/14chitra.htm

Holliday, Mike. Mike’s Sleeping Dod website (year unknown). Available at:

https://mikessleepingdog.com/2022/01/14/14-chitra-nakshatra/?amp

Tridevi, Prash. The Book of Nakshatras: A Comprehensive Treatise on the 27 Constellations. Sagar Publications, 2005.

[anecdotal-acorn]

I AM A CHANGED WOMAN. OH MY G-D. I can't think coherently. But here are my thoughts on Sweeney Todd (3/30/24 matinee)

Act I

- I almost jumped out of my skin when they said “swing your razor high, Sweeney,” in Ballad of Sweeney Todd, like if that was possible I would have done it lol; the ensemble was so scary, there was a bright white light change, and the music got super loud, it was awesome

- Seeing Joe Locke in that opening number, something about him made me realize “oh he's gonna be great,” like his really intense pained vibes, his Toby really wears his heart on his sleeve

- WHEN AARON JUMPED OUT WITH THE SPOTLIGHT ON HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! I think my soul left my body (& it's still in the theater)

- Aaron’s weird cockney accent that he clearly has so much pride in, like King you could've just done a normal voice but no, he chose to do his own strange thing and it was giving Prince James One Royal Holiday (his Hallmark movie, iykyk) tbh

- When Mrs. Lovett threw flour across the stage at Sweeney to get his attention in Worst Pies

- The shadow/silhouette projections going through the story in Poor Thing, they were so tantalizing they actually managed to distract me from Aaron lol

- AARON’S MY FRIENDS WAS LIKE HEARING AN ANGEL SING FR

- It really didn't seem like he snapped when he said “my right arm is complete,” it seemed like he was a depressed man who finally found passion and drive again, not someone who was going crazy

- Maria was IMMACULATE as Johanna, the most gorgeous voice and acting…her halting, jerky movements really showed how damaged Johanna is, yet she still had this grace about her underneath, true beauty that couldn't be stamped out of her, even with all she endures

- Joe Locke was so light on his feet in Miracle Elixir (also he seemed to be having a great time, which goes for everyone during the whole show honestly)

- The lights changed color with each line of the song, like there was orange, white, then blue

- Aaron leaned over when he was standing by his little razor table and Sutton’s Mrs. Lovett ate that shit up, she crouched down to check out his butt for a solid twenty seconds

- When the Judge came into the shop Aaron had this huge grin on his face, he was so excited to kill him and he just spent too long relishing the moment

- Epiphany was a full-body experience I swear

- When Mrs. Lovett stared at his package in A Little Priest

- And then Aaron laughed when he pointed down at her cupped hands and said “what's that,” you could tell it was a genuine laugh from Aaron and not a Sweeney thing

- Aaron’s buttery voice when he sang “the history of the world, my pet”

- And he did a little growl too (don't look at me. DON'T)

Act II

- his voice was SO well-suited for Johanna Act II

- SUTTON FOSTER’S FEET IN BY THE SEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping SO HARD that she would do that, and she did and it did not disappoint; Miss Foster how does it feel to be living out my dreams, thank you queen for letting me see that and live vicariously through you <33333333333

- she struck a pose like she was taking photos for Playboy when she said “me in stripes”

- “Not While I’m Around” was emotional af, Joe Locke did not have to go that hard but he fucking did

- For some reason I was the only one who clapped when Johanna shot Fogg? Is that not an applause-worthy moment??

- He was so giddy when he finally killed the Judge

- Aaron actually scared me when he was gonna kill Johanna, and esp when he chased down the stairs after her like a hulking monster

- the scariest thing was that even as things unraveled, he didn't seem to be “losing it”; he seemed to be getting even more intent on his revenge, stronger, more deft and precise, more confident, more powerful in his evilness

- he was scary af when they were looking for Toby too, so menacing

- his growl when he said “you lied to me”

- how he crawled towards Mrs. Lovett like an animal and scrabbled at the floor to grab her

- How loud the fire roared when he put Mrs. Lovett inside

- his body language (hunched shoulders, limp limbs/posture) seemed maybe almost remorseful once he threw her in the fire? Like as if he was thinking I'm glad I did that, I had to, but I'm exhausted and can't exactly process that she’s actually gone because of me

- The way Johanna held Anthony close when she saw the bodies

- Aaron’s acting when Toby killed Sweeney—he didn't fight him off, he just looked so sad and tired, like he wanted to be dead (what a wonderful interpretation of the lyric “she was his reason and his life”)

- UGH when Sweeney and Lovett hold hands and step into the pit, finally weightless, they’ve got each other, Sutton and Aaron are right, it IS a love story, oh my g-d my heart

I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop thinking about this. It was SO GOOD!!!!! Anyway thanks for reading my rambles if you got this far hahaha, hope you have a lovely day

[happy-lemon]

LOLA GOES OFF

Lola: Hey, Stonks, you got a second?

Sutton: It's Stockwell, not Stonks.

.

[Owen Fitzpatrick overhears this and sends a group text to all his friends.]

.

Lola: And the girl you made out with at the bonfire is Jacqueline, not Madeleine. Can't remember her name. Lied to her about prom. Why didn't you just tell her the truth?

.

Sutton: I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

.

Lola: So instead you let her think she has a chance? You suck.

[abigailxiang]

Looking around the living room, Abigail scratched the chin of the tortoiseshell cat that had hissed at her when she'd entered the apartment. It hadn't been hard finding the address, or getting in. A bump key was a simple enough trick and didn't require any of the annoying lock picking needed. And Fangxiangshi strength made the "bump" bit of getting the door open quite easy.

The apartment was incredibly normal, by simple human standards. Not that Abigail knew what she expected from a monster masquerading in human skin. A dungeon filled with victims? Mementos of past kills? Blood and viscera speckled across the walls? Honestly, that all sounded closer to a hunter's home.

No, this place was... comfortable. Cozy, even. Tasteful decorations had been arranged around the apartment, with art pieces hung on most walls. String lights decorated the ceilings and the color scheme was a consistent pink and white. The designer furniture in the living room downplayed the price tags-- but even the apartment itself told her that this was the home of someone from wealth. What kind of MFA student could afford a two bedroom apartment and live alone? The creature hadn't lied about being a Bradbury, that much was certain. Abigail wondered if they knew they had a leech instead of a daughter.

Running a gloved hand over the backs of the books in the living room, she read the titles. Nothing heavy hitting. Light reads for fun and a few coffee table magazines. Not all that interesting or out of the norm. She thumbed through one of the, just on the off chance that there were hidden messages. Of course there were none.

Abigail let out a sigh. A den of depravity and evil this was not. She heard the scraping of shoes across the floor and the jingling of keys outside and remained still, still turning the pages of the book. She hadn't expected Sutton to return so soon, but it hardly bothered her.

@s-bradburiedalive

[eaglesnick]

Misplaced Faith

Our right-wing Conservative government has issued a press release entitled “Government to Lift Cap on Faith School Places”.

At the moment, faith-based free schools are legally forbidden to select more than 50% of their pupil intake on the grounds of religion. The reason behind this cap is to stop schools becoming isolated islands of a single worldview, thereby disadvantaging their pupils by subjecting them to racial and religious segregation, disadvantage and discrimination. At a time when society is fracturing and increasingly at war with itself we need policies that bring people together not ones that further divide them.

Putting aside the fact that most of the world’s bloody conflicts have their origins in religious differences, is it really correct for Gillian Keegan, the Secretary of State for Education to state that lifting the cap on faith school places will "create more good schools"?

Keegan, a devout Roman Catholic, went to a succession of Roman Catholic schools, of which she says:

“They basically all of them, because all of the teachers, all of those faith schools which were fantastic schools, they got me where I am today, but they also instilled faith in me and it’s a core part of who I am today.”

(www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/stories-blogs-and-features/rt-hon-gillian-keegan-mp-secretary-state-education : 27/01/23)

As a child, Keegan, by her own admission, absorbed the beliefs and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church to a point they  became a “core part" of who she is.

 Some might call this brainwashing, and therein lies the problem. Religious education and practice, and I mean ALL the different religions, are very good at indoctrinating children into thinking in a particular and narrow way. If children are denied interaction with children of different faiths and believes, then how will they ever integrate into wider society as adults?  We hear constant criticism of our failure to listen to the other person’s point of view, but if we subject our children to faith indoctrination as part of their day-to-day education, then expect this problem to get worse not better.

Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society has stated:

“Our state schools should bring children from different backgrounds together, not divide them along religious lines. Abandoning the cap to pave way for more religiously selective schools will exacerbate the discrimination, division, and disadvantage that faith based schools encourages.”

(www.secularism.org.uk/news/2024/05/nss-appalled-at-plans-for-more-discriminatory-faith-schools (01/05/24)

There are other problems attached to this proposed move by the government. Allowing 100% section of pupils on religious grounds acts as a recruitment sergeant for that particular religion. What’s more,  the taxpayer will fund that recruitment drive, and that is not the best use of taxpayers money. A third problem concern’s Keegan's premise that “high performing faith school providers will be able to create more good school places and create strong multi-academy trusts around the country where there is demand.” (GOV.UK: “Government to Lift Cap on Faith School Places”, 01/05/24)

Whereas many faith schools DO produce good examination results, (and we we leave aside the argument that education is about more than examination results) these schools not only select pupils according to region but also according to the  socio-economic  status of their parents. The Sutton Trust found that 19 of the top 20 most socially selective schools are faith schools, where eligibility for free school meals (FSM) was used as a selective criteria.

The “FSM gap” is the difference between those pupils eligible for FSM’s in a defined catchment area and those who actually attend a school. Faith schools had a “significantly larger” (more negative) FSM gap than did non-faith schools in the same area. In short, faith schools are selecting pupils not only on religious grounds but on perceived academic ability as determined by their families economic circumstances. Is it any wonder they perform better than some non-faith schools!

What Roman Catholic educated Keegan is proposing is a continuation and strengthening of a two-tier state system of education, whereby the best pupils are admitted to  faith schools while the remainder are placed in non-faith schools. The rich and powerful are already insulated from the common herd via their almost exclusive access to private schools. Now we are witnessing the creation of a second layer of social apartheid via the creation of state funded 100% faith schools.

[chestnutelm122]

Slime tutorials I’d probably be willing to pay for just to have a copy of:

Jessie Mueller:

• Waitress final performance (video, as I already have the audio)

• Waitress (with Charity Angel Dawson and Caitlin Houlahan — this duo too with Sara Bareilles)

• The Minutes

• Guys and Dolls (2022)

• The Music Man

• Carousel (as Julie Jordan)

• Any full P-Town concert videos

Sara Bareilles:

• Waitress (final performance on Broadway, reopening on Broadway, and any West End performances)

• Into The Woods (preferably opening or final performance, but I’d take any dates as long as it’s with the original cast of the revival)

• full ATC tour concert

• full Radio City Music Hall concert

Prima Facie:

• West End (opening/final performance)

• Broadway (opening, and when it gets available: final performance)

• WE or Broadway performance from any of the alternates

Fleabag:

• Any Phoebe Waller-Bridge performance (West End and/or Off-Broadway)

Wicked:

• Kristin Chenoweth’s vicodin show

Not a priority but would be nice to have:

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (original West End or OBC)

• Jagged Little Pill

• A Doll’s House (with Jessica Chastain)

• &Juliet (esp ones with Betsy Wolfe)

• SIX (I’ll take any of the OBC but generally looking for Abby Mueller’s final performance)

• The Play That Goes Wrong

• The Vagina Monologues (off-Broadway)

• Funny Girl (with Beanie Feldstein and/or Lea Michele)

• The Music Man (with Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman)

• The Grey House (with Tatiana Maslany)

• Kimberly Akimbo

• Flower Drum Song (with Lea Salonga)

• God of Carnage

• The Thanksgiving Play (with D’arcy Carden)

• Camelot Revival

• Here Lies Love (with Lea Salonga)

If anyone can point me to the right direction, pleaaaaaaaaaaase do so. I’m accepting gifts ofc but I don’t mind paying a bit for my favorites, especially anything Jessie Mueller, Sara Bareilles, and Jodie Comer.

[vox-ex]

hi!!! your supercorptober works are so amazing and i loved seeing them on my dash every day, thank you for an entire month’s worth of treats!!!

for the wip title ask game, can i ask about the archaeology au!? :D

thanks so much!

hi back!! and thank you so much for following along on the adventure that was supercorptober :)

The archeology AU idea is one that has had a home in my head since I read and then saw the adaptation of the novel "The Dig" by John Preston a couple of years ago. I always thought it would be fun to do a story loosely based on that narrative.

It would remain set against the backdrop of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo but would shift away from some of the novel's historical accuracies to allow for integration of Lena and Kara's backgrounds, some plot points from canon, and of course their romantic arc. I also think I would change what happens with the discovery itself since I have some complicated feeling about museums these days haha.

This is the working summary I have saved...

Lena, seeking solace and an identity of her own away from the tarnished Luthor legacy after Lex's arrest, retreats to land inherited from her birth mother. The land, rich in history, is rumored to hold a secret deep beneath the soil, waiting to be unearthed.

Kara, is an American archaeologist with a position at a local university and the two are drawn into each other's worlds when Lena hires her to excavate the property.

The excavation becomes a metaphor for their exploration of each other — Lena's unravels the veil of darkness that underlies Kara's hope and optimism and Kara discovers the layers of Lena's intellect and emotions.

In the end, the dig reveals less about the mysteries of the past and more about the possibilities of all that lies ahead.

[jellicle-chants]

@ride-a-dromedary Since you asked, here's my beef with Hugh Jackman Meredith Willson's The Music Man Sutton Foster. (No really, that's what the soundtrack album cover looks like.) Basically, I think the revival did a terrible job of capturing the soul and energy of the original show. If you want to read my protracted rant about it, then by all means, continue below.

(Note: I'm mostly going off of the movie adaptation to count for the "original" since it's the version I'm used to, but I also listened to the OBC recording occasionally to see what was shortened for the movie.)

I think the first big thing I should mention is that Hugh Jackman is simply a terrible choice to play Harold Hill. No offense to him, but in my eyes he's always been better at playing a character who seems very charismatic but is actually a bumbling fool (i.e. PT Barnum). Harold Hill might be a conman, but his whole livelihood revolves around getting people to believe that he means what he says and then believe that, too. You need an actor with an incredible amount of charisma and presence to be able to pull that off, and IMO, Jackman is not that actor.

He's also (again IMO) really just snoozing his way through this recording, especially on 76 Trombones! He's dropping R's left and right (to the point where it almost sounds like he's making the effort to sound Southern) and they had to add in a trombone sound behind his mimicking one because it sounds SO dull. Then he mispronounces "Creatore" somehow?? I know that's the littlest thing to get upset over but it also just shows how little this show's creatives know or care about what this musical is all about (more on that later).

And then: they do the MMM thing from Cats 2019. AKA, where they drop out all of the orchestra and sing the biggest song, probably the song that the most people in the audience will know, in a really annoying, slow build-up that entirely kills the flow of the piece. Speaking of killing the mood, the dance break in the middle of the song really does that as well. "76 Trombones" is about the farthest you can get from broke, so I have no clue why they tried to "fix" it in this way.

My least favorite Hugh Jackman song from this soundtrack, however, is not 76 Trombones, but Marian the Librarian. Just from the off, this is one of my favorite musical theatre vamps ever and they absolutely ruined it by playing it at like twice the normal speed. It also starts in the wrong key and then keys up again (???) before he starts singing, and from there it only gets worse. He basically gets every single vowel he possibly could wrong (my favorite being the classic Brit-as-American "Watt can I do") and just trips and falls through the entire song extremely uncharismatically. He says "li-berry" at one point, for goodness' sake! Please, if you haven't listened to the original Robert Preston version of this song (either from the movie or the show), go do it now and then listen to the mockery Hugh Jackman makes of it. It's so obvious that Preston has such a better command over his voice and sound that it makes Jackman sound like he has no clue what he's doing.

Sutton Foster is not nearly as bad as her co-star, although I think she's also miscast. Obviously a Shirley Jones-style voice is really hard to recreate these days, but she's just got such a bright singing and speaking voice that if you had told me in 2021 that she was going to be playing Marian I would've thought you were bad at fancasting. I think she still does a fine job with the poor directing choices she was given — a true professional.

OK, some quick things before I get to the most infuriating part of this revival.

It was also very bold of the creatives to not only keep My White Knight, which is one of my always-skips of the original, but to also add another one in in "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean".

Why the hell is Pick-A-Little so slow??? It's a patter song, folks, it's supposed to be peppy.

I guess they directed the poor kid playing Winthrop to exaggerate the lisp as much as possible (could they have considered maybe just hiring an actor with a lisp instead?) because it straight up sounds like he's putting it on as a joke most of the time. 😬

I think the new lyrics to "Shipoopi" are cringe. Is it that hard to suspend your disbelief that people in 1912 had antiquated views on relationships? Is "hussy" really even that bad of an insult anymore? This song also gets the slowed down + long-ass dance break treatment, God save me.

So, if you're familiar with The Music Man, you might have noticed that I haven't yet mentioned a few key songs/moments. This is genuinely the part of the story of this revival that makes my blood boil. If you're unaware, 4 side characters in The Music Man make up a barbershop quartet, played in the original Broadway production and movie by the Buffalo Bills, a pre-existing quartet who Willson had become friends with even before writing the show. The Bills get multiple songs in the show, all sung in the barbershop style, and they all show off the iconic barbershop effect known as ringing chords, created from the quartet's just tuning. (I don't know enough about music theory to get into the weeds about this, but suffice it to say that barbershop singing and musical theatre singing are not interchangeable).

Apparently, when the revival was first being produced before the pandemic, a barbershop quartet called Category 4 was approached to play the quartet members. Great! Then, allegedly, post-pandemic, it was, to quote a spokesperson for the revival, "in the best interest of the show" for them to suddenly cut ties with Category 4, which would have broken contracts Category 4 said they signed. Less great. Instead, the 4 men credited as playing the quartet are Phillip Boykin, Eddie Korbich, Daniel Torres, and Nicholas Ward. I say "credited," but keep in mind that the OFFICIAL cast recording on Spotify does not credit Nicholas for "Sincere" AND "Lida Rose" (where Phillip's name is also misspelled), and on the two songs he is credited for, Spotify seems to have him confused with a violinist/conductor of the same name.

I bring this up to say that I don't blame these men for the situation Category 4 was put in — it seems the producers or someone else behind this production is extremely sloppy and willing to cut corners, including casting four musical theatre singers as a barbershop quartet. Because of this mindset, the songs are distinctly missing those ringing tones that are present in the Bills' versions, replaced with what I can only describe as "tricks" to make it seem like the harmonies are ringing, like a heavy overuse of dynamic changes, especially sforzandos. There's also at least one moment where one member (I think it's the tenor?) straight up sings the wrong note and completely changes the chord. Obviously I don't blame him for not being good at a singing style he literally isn't a professional at, but if there were at least one person in the booth familiar with barbershop or the original song, it hopefully would've been re-recorded.

And that's what hurts me the most — Meredith Willson was a huge fan of barbershop music and the Buffalo Bills especially, and now the music he wrote for them is being butchered by people 60 years later who want to make a quick buck. This revival has "cash-in" written all over it, from stunt casting the leads regardless of how well they fit the roles to not bothering to get actual professional barbershop singers to play a barbershop quartet. It's a soulless attempt to resurrect a great musical that didn't need to and shouldn't have happened.

[amagi2000]

Scholar Drops Truth Bomb on Ignorant, Protesting Students

Dr. Denis MacEoin was a British academic, scholar and writer with a focus on Persian, Arabic, and Islamic studies. He was an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and was a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly.

The following is an open letter of rebuttal that he wrote to The Edinburgh Student's Association who voted to boycott Israel based on a claim that  Israel is under an apartheid regime.

TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association.

May I be permitted to say a few words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain 's great Middle East experts in their day. I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle University. Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am shocked and disheartened by the EUSA motion and vote.

I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel.

That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student, should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I'm not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel. I'm speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a "Nazi" state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel, precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.

It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I can think of. 

Likewise apartheid. For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.

That a body of university students actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country's 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha'is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population).

In Iran, the Bahai's (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren't your members boycotting Iran ? Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa . They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews - something no blacks were able to do in South Africa.

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank.  On the same wards, in the same operating theatres.

In Israel , women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid.

Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

It seems bizarre to me that LGBT groups call for a boycott of Israel and say nothing about countries like Iran , where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.

Intelligent students thinking it's better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to condemn the only country in the Middle East that rescues and protects gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?

University is supposed to be about learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence, to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these things, then the future is bleak.

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel. I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it's clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes that fight back by killing their own citizens.

Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran. They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world's freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai's.... Need I go on?

The imbalance is perceptible, and it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask for some speakers. Listen to more than one side.

Do not make your minds up until you have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument.

They are not at university to be propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a single Jewish state in the 1930's (which, sadly, there was not), don't you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil, simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence.

It's up to you to find out more.

Yours sincerely,

Denis MacEoin

[sidhewrites]

Here's the first of many ghost writeups I plan to put between a few chapters in the story, featuring the DMV ghosts, Rosella and Jeremiah Jr.

Project Info

All Graveyard Lesbian Ghost Files

The Kramer Twins aka the DMV Ghosts

Rosella and Jeremiah Kramer

1912-1918

As the placard in the Sutton Municipal Offices will tell you, a church once stood on that very spot 100 years ago. Jeremiah Kramer, a Sutton native, was a fire-and-brimstone preacher who looked down upon anyone who failed to meet his impossibly high standards. In 1912, his wife Margery gave birth to their first and only surviving children, twins Rosella and Jeremiah Jr. At the time, Sutton was plateauing from its population boom in the latter half of the 19th century, meaning multiple children called the town their home for the twins to befriend.

However, the children were two of the many tragic deaths that came from the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. When the first few cases broke out, Jeremiah isolated his family in their home connected to the church, refusing to let them leave. He took on all outside duties, including buying groceries. However, his children still contracted the illness and passed away, leaving Jeremiah and Margery to live the rest of their long lives, later dying in the 1960s.

The twins' spirits remained active on the church grounds, dutifully attending services every Sunday. Individuals would report feeling a presence next to them when they came to pray alone, as well as seeing figures out of the corner of their eye and hearing children laughing at odd hours.

The church was torn down in the 1940s due to structural instability, and the grounds were built up into Sutton's new city hall, which later became the all-purpose Municipal Offices, including the Sutton DMV, which is where the spirits are most active. 

People have reported hearing laughter and feeling a mischievous presence occasionally, but the most noteworthy encounters are all similar. Someone either lies, cuts in line, or otherwise behaves poorly and ends up being scratched or feeling an impending sense of doom that follows them until they leave the building. It is suspected this comes from the Kramer twins, who loved and obeyed their father to the end.

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