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cb1617 · 2 years

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Readerly Exploration: Due September 26. #1

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 1, “Defining Balance, Finding Balance”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from Chapter 1 was how to implement a balanced literacy classroom. Students learn to read and write best when teachers balance literacy instruction. There are steps we as educators need to take in order to provide this balanced literacy classroom and just a few examples that Fisher gives us are having your students speak, write, listen and read, build both skill and knowledge, and implementing the GRR framework into instruction.

Nugget: Some new information I learned, besides this entire chapter, was that it is critical for students to listen, write, speak, and read. All four of these are critical processes that combine to ensure that students progress in their literacy balance. While this is new information to me, it makes complete sense. All of them help students make sense of things. There is something reading can do that speaking can't and there are things listening can do that writing can't. Each is vital in the students literacy development.

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 7, “Independent Reading: Practicing, Applying, and Extending Learning”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from Chapter 7 was that independent reading can be more beneficial to students than people might think and should be implemented in the classroom. Students need to spend a concentrated amount of time reading at home and at school. There has been research done between the amount of reading done and standardized reading test scores. Those who read on average 21 minutes, scored significantly higher than anyone who read 5 minutes or below. Reading individually also increases a student's vocabulary. Fisher wants to prove that teachers should implement individual reading into classrooms because of the highly positive impact it has on students tests scores and overall knowledge.

Nugget: I obviously knew that a student reading more would be beneficial to them, however, I did not think reading independently would have such a positive impact on their literacy skills. I always had a negative outlook on independent reading for students in the younger grades because they don't have a wide vocabulary so I thought "How are they supposed to understand or learn what they're reading?". But after reading this chapter, I was proven wrong. Also, after being in literacy class this semester, I understand that children know much more than we think and pick up on cues very easily.

Readerly Exploration:

Readerly Habit: Explore relationships with other people through reading by using texts as a shared experience with another person/other people or to gain insight into the perspective of another person. Practice Readerly Habit: Create a character sketch of someone you know that represents the big ideas of the assigned course reading(s) in some way and share with that person.

For my readerly exploration I drew a picture of Professor Obed Mfum Mensah. After reading both chapters, I looked through the readerly habits and found what I thought would be the most fun for me and also be challenging for me. I've always loved art and thought it would be cool if I could somehow relate it to my course readings. The hardest part was thinking of someone that I could draw. I originally wanted to draw a kid I nannied over the summer who has autism and struggles with reading but is very good at writing. I had a couple of options but I wanted to choose someone that I have personally benefitted from in a literacy aspect. I chose to draw Professor Mfum Mensah because he is one of the few professors that I've read, wrote, spoke, and listened in almost every class I had with him. Because of that teaching style, I was able to learn a lot in his classes. I can relate this back to the readings because speaking, listening, reading, and writing certainly does help with literacy skills and helped me in my essays and presentations for Mfum Mensah's classes. In the drawing, on Professor Mfum Mensah's shirt, I wrote "This Is Balanced Literacy". I decided to incorporate that writing because he did in fact have a balanced literacy classroom.

#This is my drawing of Professor Obed Mfum Mensah.

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kogiopsis · 4 years

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Because I don’t Instagram, I hadn’t seen any of the Murderbot and ART Q&A from Tor until this lovely person posted them and

I have been stuck on ‘Murderbot has never seen a dog’ for the past several hours.

Here’s the thing: maybe it’s because there’s been some kind of shift and domesticated animals as we know them aren’t around anymore but I don’t think that’s it; I think it’s almost certain that this is just a function of Murderbot not having a lot of experience with human habitations that aren’t temporary survey shelters or mining facilities, and people don’t tend to have pets there.

This is an opportunity and now I desperately need to see Murderbot interacting with all kinds of animals. Give me Murderbot meeting cows. Murderbot vs hostile goose. Murderbot being persuaded to play fetch.

But because I am a cat person to my core: give me Murderbot with a kitten.

I may have put some thought into this:

Murderbot is on Ameena-guarding duty on Preservation. It’s not thrilled about it, because planets, but y’know... Mensah asked.

There’s a hissing noise from ground level in front of them. MB may not spend much time planetside but it definitely knows that hissing = bad so it throws an arm out to keep Ameena back (gently) until it can ID the source of the potential threat.

it is not a very serious threat. it is a Very Tiny Feral Kitten.

Ameena ducks under MB’s arm and holds out a hand to it, because of course she does. Kitten takes a swipe at her, but she pulls out of reach.

MB, reflecting on how weird humans are: “Not everything wants to be your friend, Ameena.”

“It’s just scared. Besides, look how skinny it is! We can’t just leave it here; it’ll die.”

Quick feed research indicates: multiple diseases that can be spread to fragile humans by cat claws, especially cats living in unsanitary planetary conditions. Conclusion: Ameena cannot pick up the cat.

Complication: Ameena used Pleading Adolescent Face! It was Very Effective!

(she probably also points out that her family will totally know what to do, Ratthi can help too; he loves cats-)

the probability of Ameena being willing to walk away from the kitten is 20% and dropping

so Murderbot picks it up instead, because it is far less likely to be damaged by doing so.

you know that feeling of holding a tiny kitten in your hand when it’s scared and you can feel its heartbeat on your palm? yeah, that. That’s a weird thing to experience when your entire raison d’etre is violence.

“It’s cold,” Ameena says. “Maybe if you tuck it in your jacket it will calm down?”

At this point, why not? so Murderbot tucks the kitten into its jacket and, for good measure, bumps up the amount of heat its body gives off.

by the time they get home, the kitten is well and truly asleep. The humans take it away to take care of the feeding and bathing and making sure it doesn’t have diseases or parasites. Murderbot thinks this is the end of it.

nope!

because now a) Murderbot is a Known Source of Warm, which cats love; b) it Smells Like Safety and c) cats are innately attracted to people who don’t like cats, especially if these people also like to sit still and not be in the cats’ personal space or making eye contact

(is Murderbot a cat? sources point to yes)

the kitten gets... attached. despite Murderbot’s best efforts, it is now followed around any time it happens to be in Mensah’s family home.

sometimes the kitten will come and sit on MB’s lap or feet (whichever are available) when it’s watching a serial. This is... unwelcome at first. but maybe not so bad. It’s not like a human touching you - the cat just wants to sort of exist in the same space, and sometimes that’s okay.

(and if it’s not, Murderbot attaches a cat toy to one of its drones and keeps the cat out of the way that way)

eventually the humans come to the conclusion that This Is SecUnit’s Cat. MB disagrees, but there is a long process of it coming to terms with the fact that maybe it likes this little creature, sort of, okay.

the next time it talks to ART it asks if, hypothetically, a cat could live on, say, a research transport

ART responds by designing a hoodie with a soft, lined kitty-sized kangaroo pouch and its crew logo, and Murderbot resigns itself to the fact that yes, maybe it does want to bring the cat along on Space Adventures. with appropriate precautions, of course.

#murderbot #listen this gets increasingly improbable as I ramble #but the important part is Murderbot cradling a tiny sleepy kitten #also: Ratthi is clearly a Cat Bi #Overse and Arada are Dog WLW #I am not accepting arguments #if Murderbot deems it isn't safe for the cat to come along it hangs out with Mensah instead

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temeraire · 3 years

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Hello again I was the murderbot anon and I just finished rogue protocol which was also amazing!!! I have a huge soft spot for stories abt AI grappling with what it means to be a person and I am loving murderbot as a narrator so much!! Its difficulties with social interaction n overthinking n dry sarcasm r just too Real and I love how these aspects of its personality never rly change but its character development is much more nuanced, with how underneath all its pessimism and anxiety it rly does come to care abt all the humans n bots it meets?? And on that note, how the story rly shows the inherent tendency of people to care abt others, from dr mensah and the team in the first book to abene and miki in this one… ahhh I have so many thoughts but I just love the deeply compassionate view of humanity in this series!! Plus the action scenes are amazingly written!! I’m gonna start the fourth book now!! I rly like rogue protocol so far, which one is your favourite?

YES YES YES like!!!! it's all about what it is to be a Person vs a Thing. murderbot is a person on its own terms like it is so emphatically not a human but it's not a bot either; it's just. a Person. the way the development is done is so so wonderful like dealing with that depression and anxiety and trauma, and things being done on mb's own terms and highlighting the importance of its agency and how it comes to understand itself as a person and grow without it becoming "human" or "giving in" to what other people want from it. i also love how, like you say, the story emphasises that people Are capable of goodness and caring about each other and that cruelty and that devaluing of agency and violation of personhood is Not the default state of being.

i suck at picking favourites of anything but while i do really adore artificial condition (LOVE art so much, and i love art and mb's interactions and how much they reveal about each other!!) i think network effect is probably my favourite (i won't spoil you though!)

also! you can read fugitive telemetry (book 6) before network effect (book 5, the full-length novel) - FT takes place chronologically before NE and has no spoilers for NE :D i liked saving the full-length novel for last

#ask #anonymous #murderbot #MWAH ANON I AM GIVING YOU A BIG DIGITAL SMOOCH ON THE FOREHEAD PLEASE DO COME BACK !!!!!! TELL ME HOW YOU GO :DDDDD

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amberfawzy · 3 years

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What’s In a Name? | Sibling Para

Featuring: Amber Hernandez & Dr. Bennu Fawzy (mentions of @ceo-miguel & Dr. Mensah Fawzy)

Location: The Hernandez home

Time Frame: Mid-March, 2021

Notes: Amber & their brother spend some quality time together

Amber missed their brother. He hadn’t moved away or anything, but ever since they got married, they had seen less of Bennu. He usually killed two birds with one stone, spending time with Amber and potentially seeing their father back when Amber lived with the man. Since the new year, Amber had seen Bennu only twice before--Demetri’s adoption hearing, and the party that followed--which was dramatically less than they used to. But to their fortune, Bennu had only a couple of early morning appointments and decided to work a half day, spending the other half with his sibling and in-laws.

Knowing their brother well enough, Amber told him to pull his gym clothes from his car so he could do some yoga with her. She rolled out a spare mat for him and carefully worked her way to the floor to start with some breathing meditation before getting into the stretches and poses. After the quiet of their mindful breaths passed and the siblings were getting into the stretches, Amber asked, “So I know I must’ve said it about half a dozen times at the party, but I’m really glad you were there. It meant a lot to me.”

“It meant a lot to me too, which is part of the reason I was there,” Bennu replied, doubling his body over in the downward dog position. “The other part was that I knew it’d mean a lot to you.”

Amber smiled a bit while reaching for their toes. “Yeah. I mean it’s nice that Naomi’s making this effort to connect with me and all, but neither Miguel nor I have much family that we’re close to, so I just really hope that Demetri and the twins get to have a good relationship with you from the get-go, y’know?”

Bennu looked to his sibling, “Yeah. I know what you mean. And I don’t want you to worry about that. I work hard at my job, sure, but I’m not Dad. ”

“I know. But... thanks, Ben. Or should I say Uncle Ben? I could tell that Demetri was really excited to show you the sets in his room, and the tricks he’s been trying to teach Han. Do you think you’ll still be around here when he gets out of school?”

While changing positions, Bennu said, “Probably. I figured while I was hanging with you today, I’d see if you and Miguel needed help putting anything of the stuff together that you got from the shower. Or did you guys end up doing all of that while we were all snowed in?”

Amber chuckled, “Some of it. The nursery’s ready to go and we figured out how to collapse and re-assemble the stroller Andre got us. Oh! But you could help me with the co-sleepers, and I keep forgetting to make an appointment either at the hospital or with the fire department on doing a car seat check, to make sure they’re both installed properly y’know? But that’s one I might have to work out with Miguel since I’m officially too big to be behind the wheel now.” Their last statement made Amber pout, recalling how they had tried adjusting the SUV driver’s seat, only to be too far back to safely use the pedals.

“Sure, I’ll help with the co-sleepers. And don’t worry about the not driving thing. The twins will be here soon anyway, and you told me you’re supposed to be taking it easy from here on out, so--”

“I know, I know,” Amber relented, following with playfully sticking her tongue out at her brother.

The two siblings chatted some more while going through different poses, meandering from subject to subject before ending up talking about the twins again. While rolling up their mats, Bennu asked, “Have you and Miguel decided on names yet?”

Amber smiled, “Funny you should ask because we’ve picked middle names.”

Chuckling, Bennu said, “Well that’s a step. What’d you two decide?”

“One of the twins will have Miguel’s late mother’s name for a middle name. And the other’s going to have the middle name, ‘Bennu’ after their uncle.”

Bennu stopped in the doorway and looked to his sister, struggling to control his grin. “Wait, really?”

Amber nodded, “Really, really!” She matched his grin, “For most of my life, you’ve been the most important person in my life. After Miguel OK’d middle names, it was a no-brainer for me to make you a namesake.”

Shifting from one foot to the other, Bennu glanced at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, Ambs. Um... I-... thank you. I’m honored.”

She smiled and reached up to playfully pinch her younger brother’s cheek and when he playfully swatted her hand away and muttered, “Way to ruin the moment,” Amber laughed and opened her arms to hug him.

“I love you, Ben.”

“Love you too, Ambs.”

#Bennu #What's In a Name para

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neveralarch · 5 years

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Yuletide reveals!!

Happy New Year! I started writing fic in 2010 and also started doing Yuletide in 2010, so it's now been a decade :) Always one of my favorite things about December. For Yuletide this year I was gifted this amazing fic: How I Spent My Vacation Between Survey Missions (3727 words) by Satchelfoot Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Rating: General Audiences Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Asshole Research Transport (Murderbot Diaries) Summary:What happens when ART reunites with Murderbot during another break between research survey missions? Media gets viewed, of course, but there might also be some bad news for more shady corporations. It's a fun little adventure about two characters who were made by humans but don't entirely understand how humans think, trying to figure out how firendship works. I loved it!! It also looks like Satchelfoot maybe picked me up as a pinch hit, which I so so so appreciate. What a good Yuletide. I wrote 11 fics, as usual - though I'm reconsidering this tradition a little, haha. Christmas Eve turned into a pretty late night for me. My main fic is: Worthy of Attention (2563 words) for Xochiquetzl Fandom: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Gem of Sphene & Zeiat (Imperial Radch) Characters: Gem of Sphene (Imperial Radch), Zeiat (Imperial Radch), Queter (Imperial Radch) Summary: Sphene has a new captain. Ambassador Zeiat isn't sure what to think about that. I struggled with this quite a bit and actually ended up writing half of a different plot before starting over, but I'm happy with what I ended up with :) This is, coincidentally, also a fic of two not-really human people trying to figure out how friendship works. This might be, uh, symptomatic of the whole Transformers thing that's been happening over here all year.

The rest of the fics are under the cut - Gideon the Ninth, Nero Wolfe, lies about baseball, Hustlers, Inspector Chen, JSMN, Rivers of London, Matthew Swift, The Raven Tower, and Murderbot Diaries!

Good Morning (1132 words) for Griddlebone Fandom: Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Gideon Nav & Harrowhark Nonagesimus Additional Tags: getting swole Summary: Gideon's Guide to Doing Some Push-Ups, At Least, Have You Never Used Your Arms, Nonagesimus? Allow me to evangelize for a minute: Gideon the Ninth is a really, really, fun book, and also, very sad. I tried to lean into the fun part more for this, but it maybe got a little melancholy in places, haha. Nero Wolfe's Caffeine Agency (1386 words) for Nestra Fandom: Nero Wolfe - Rex Stout Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Archie Goodwin/Saul Panzer Characters: Archie Goodwin, Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, Nero Wolfe, Fritz Brenner Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés Summary: At five fifty-three AM exactly, I was cleaning the heads of the espresso machine and arguing with Fred Durkin. Normally five fifty-three AM is a time of night that I don't see except to roll over in bed, but that morning I had maneuvered my way into opening the coffee shop for a very particular reason which Fred was obstructing. I think I've spent my entire life preparing to write this fic - or at least all the many hours I spent either reading Nero Wolfe novels or working with an espresso machine. A Narrative History of the Home Run (1031 words) for mayhap Fandom: An Oral History Of The 1998 Major League Baseball Home Run Chase (ClickHole Article) Rating: General Audiences Characters: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds Summary: Willie Mays invented the home run. Please read that ClickHole article, it's SO fun. The Way You Make Me Feel (1379 words) for angelheadedhipster Fandom: Hustlers (2019) Rating: Explicit Relationships: Destiny (Hustlers)/Ramona Vega Additional Tags: Mommy Kink, Lapdance, Vaginal Fingering Summary: Destiny and Ramona have a sleepover. I've been wanting to write Ramona/Destiny sex ever since I watched this brilliant movie. It was still very weird to write explicit fic with real human body parts, I'm so out of practice. Century Egg (1030 words) for james Fandom: Inspector Chen - Liz William Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Chen Wei/Inari/Zhu Irzh, Chen Wei/Inari Additional Tags: Getting Together Summary: Chen Wei is a model detective. He has the favor of a goddess and the blessings of his superiors. He brings packed lunches to work. He loves a demon wife. Zhu Irzh wants that. This prompt pushed me to finish a fic I started forever ago! Or, really, it was a few scribbled lines in a notepad document. But it felt really good to get this out there. Tincture (1069 words) for notkingyet Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke Rating: General Audiences Characters: John Childermass, Gilbert Norrell Additional Tags: Illnesses, Hurt/Comfort, (but only barely) Summary: Childermass was ill. His nose was clogged, his head felt like it was full of cotton, and his throat was full of sandpaper. If he was a wealthy man, he might have rolled over in bed and written the day off as a loss. Unfortunately, there were no days off from being Mr. Gilbert Norrell's right hand. I just. Love writing mild illnesses and people being bad at comforting. Hewn Through the Rock (495 words) for 20thcenturyvole Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Beverley Brook/Peter Grant Characters: Beverley Brook Additional Tags: Post-Book: Lies Sleeping Summary: Beverley runs an errand. I wrote a lot of my old book fandoms this year, because, I consumed almost no new media :p But Rivers of London is always so fun and comfortable to write. Butterflies (415 words) for Seiya234 Fandom: Matthew Swift Series - Kate Griffin Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Rhys Ellis/Sharon Li Additional Tags: Post-Book: The Glass God Summary: One of the odd things about saving the Midnight Mayor, or London, or, possibly, the world, is that life just keeps happening when you're done. See above note, haha. I miss the Matthew Swift books so much!! I want a new Sharon Li adventure... In All Its Guises (487 words) for tangentti Fandom: The Raven Tower - Ann Leckie Rating: General Audiences Characters: The Myriad (The Raven Tower) Summary: Here is a story. Some part of it is probably true. Oh, this one is a new fandom! I really liked the Raven Tower, highly recommended if you like (surprise) non-human characters trying to understand friendship. Rest in the Grass (562 words) for malachibi Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Rating: General Audiences Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries) Additional Tags: AU Post All Systems Red Summary: It was a hard decision, going home with Dr. Mensah after she bought my contract. Murderbot figures out what comes next. I also wrote Murderbot fic! A good bookend to my Yuletide :) I hope you also had fun, if you did Yuletide! And if you didn't, please feel free to ask me more about the exchange - it's my favorite fic event of the year, and I'm always happy to talk about it.

#fanfiction written by me #nero wolfe #murderbot diaries #rivers of london #the raven tower #matthew swift #Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell #inspector chen #hustlers #baseball lies #gideon the ninth #imperial radch #yuletide

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midnighters-texas · 6 years

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Transcript below the cut!

Kim Roots (KR): I’m here with the cast of Midnight, Texas at TV Line’s Comic Con interview suite. Welcome! Yay! *cast cheers* Um, season 2 was not an easy get. It-we had to wait a long time. Were any of you guys sweating, like-like “What’s gonna happen?”

Arielle Kebbel (AK): All good things... come to those who wait? *cast laughs*

François Arnaud (FA): We knew, we knew it was gonna happen. Didn’t we? *cast laughs*

AK: Sure, yeah.

KR: You’re a little bit into season 2, right, a couple of episodes under your belt, here? You have some very exciting news, you have new people coming in. Um, I love that first season was- that Colconnar the demon was the big bad, and now it’s tourists are coming in and (inaudible)

AK: The worst! I’m someone from Florida, we know.

KR: Talk to me a little bit about, um, Kai and... Patience? Is that her name? Um... Nestor Carbonell and Jaime Ray Newman coming in- *cast cheers* Yeah, so exciting! And taking over the hotel. What is that gonna mean for-for the Midnighters? What’s that gonna mean for our group?

Parisa Fitz-Henley (PFH): Well they’re encroaching on Fiji’s territory.

AK: For sure.

PFH: I mean, with their crystals and stuff and, yeah, they’re getting in my way.

KR: Is she gonna be a little less tranquil than normal because of that?

PFH: Maybe... I feel like...

AK: That’s a good way of putting it!

PFH: *nods* Fiji is really sweet but she’s also got a little bit of a petty streak, I think that we might see a little of that.

AK: But per François, they won’t last long ‘cause of the ghosts, so we’ll see what happens.

KR: Oh, right!

FA: The ghosts might just help us get rid of them.

KR: That’s cool, um, if only the resident medium weren’t bleeding from the ears all the time. *cast laughs*

FA: I mean... they were bleeding blood, and not black goo.

KR: Oh yeah, yeah that’s true. So-

Jason Lewis (JL): How does that stuff taste?

FA: Uh, it’s really sweet and minty, actually, I quite like that.

KR: It’s minty?

FA: It’s minty, yeah.

Nicole Snyder (NS): We’re gonna gargle with it.

KR: How’s he doing as we come back into season 2?

FA: He’s, y’know, slightly more troubled than usual. Um, I mean, not great. He has, uh, demonic cancer, to put it lightly.

KR: Okay.

AK: (to Nicole Snyder) Are we allowed to say that? *Nicole shrugs*

FA: No? What are we allowed to say then? *cast laughs*

KR: Okay, so let’s table that for a second. Um, he and Creek had just kind of gotten together at the end of last season and cemented it. Um, Sarah Ramos is not a series rgular this season, but I know she’s going to be around.

FA: She’s around.

KR: So what does that relationship look like?

FA: Manfred’s coming to terms with the fact that maybe Creek deserves better than Midnight, I-I mean as a- *cast scoffs* no, no, no, different. I mean sh-she has more um...

JL: Are you deflecting off of your own character, like maybe deserves better than Manfred? *cast laughs*

FA: I think she has higher hopes for herself than just being a waitress in a small town and I think she wants to pursue, um, studies, and uh, literature studies, because then she has to become Charlaine Harris and write Midnight, Texas.

KR: Oh, that’s true!

JL: Well maybe possibly a place where she’s not constantly in threat for her mortal life.

PFH: Eh, I mean...

KR: Setting the bar really high. *cast laughs* There was kind of a band-aid stuck on all the cracks in the town, right? Like they stuffed the demons back and sealed it up, but that’s not gonna last forever. Can you guys tell me a little bit about how soon into the new season are we in mortal danger again?

AK: I mean, like, 30 seconds?

NS: I mean, yeah, pretty much ten seconds in.

Eric Charmelo (EC): Yeah, I-I mean, last season we played with the conceit that the threat to Midnight was lurking under the streets and this season the threat is amongst the Midnighters, so it’s kind of ferreting out, uh, who that threat it, and what the endgame is.

FA: It’s me. *cast laughs*

KR: Alright, so Josh Kelly’s character, Walker Chisum, who is... and there’s no way to say this in- he’s a gay demon hunter, but he does not hunt gay demons, he is gay-

EC: Correct, he is a gay cowboy demon hunter, he is.

JL: And he doesn’t necessarily hunt cowboys either.

AK: And he’s from Unreal, which we both worked on. *points to Joe Lewis*

KR: Yes, yes.

AK: So it’s all in the family, we had Breeda last season, from Unreal, so it’s a fun crossover.

KR: I need some webisodes of like, some like, bachelor-type (inaudible) Midnight show.

PFH: Oh my god, please.

AK: That would be funny.

KR: Walker has some attraction to Joe, I’m hearing. How is Chuy feeling about that?

JL: Chuy doesn’t know a damn thing. *cast laughs*

EC: That’s the way he likes it. *points to Joe Lewis*

KR: Wow. I mean, is this a thing, is it kind of, like, does Joe pick up on that, like, right away?

JL: No, I think, you know, Joe’s going through his own thing. He was hiding in Midnight for forever and hiding from Breeda’s character, uh, forever, and I think it’s kind of indicative of any of us that suppress a fundamental part of ourselves. It’s gonna come bubbling out and so, I’m bubbling.

KR: Are there any lasting effects from the vampire blood that Lem gave Olivia at the end of last season?

AK: I don’t wanna be a vampire, if that’s what you’re asking. *laughs* Love Lexi, I did it, no offense *motions toward Peter Mensah*, love Lem. *cast laughs* To be honest, I think that there’s a lot more that Olivia and Lem are going through than just the... are the effects on the vamp-sucking his blood. So season 2, uh, Olivia and Lem have a psychic connection, literally, so it quickly goes from, like, every woman’s dream to like, “Back the F off!” *cast laughs* So there’s a lot of that, you know? Like we had-there-there’s a nice little song and dance we have to work out.

FA: And maybe they’re thinking of, uh, expanding the family, aren’t they?

AK: *nods* A threesome. *cast laughs*

KR: How is Lem dealing with the psychic connection?

Peter Mensah (PM): Lem is busy shaking his head and wondering what the hell he got himself into (inaudible)

AK: Like every married man!

KR: Exactly, I love that. So it’s like not just like, “Oh honey, you’re, like, leaving wet towels on the floor” it’s like “You’re literally encroaching on my psyche”.

AK: It’s lit-I mean you wanna take this one since you know my thoughts? *motions to Peter Mensah* *cast laughs*

PM: Well I’m aware-I can’t say everything you’re thinking. *cast laughs*

AK: True!

PM: But yeah, it’s like y-you know, um, what do you do if you can literally hear someone’s thoughts, and feel their feelings.

KR: Oh, and feel their feelings too.

PM: And so, it’s a little bit more complicated than just, sort of, connected because emotionally, you’re going to react to the things they react to.

KR: My, like, not so smooth segue was “So like, speaking of connecting, over on the end here” that was like hot, sensual that just built to insanity at the end of last season between Fiji and Bobo. I mean, I watch TV, I know that when couples are that good, there’s always stuff that’s coming up for them. I’m very worried for you two, please put my mind at ease if you can.

Dylan Bruce (DB): Well at the beginning of season 2, they’re kind of like 21-year-olds again, when you first fall in love. Uh, very amorous, uh, they’re-

PFH: What do you mean 21 again? *cast laughs*

DB: They’re doing things-they’re doing things that Sting the singer would look at and go “Hm, haven’t tried that one before.” So, I’ll leave it at that, um, but yeah.

AK: Wow, he threw Sting in the mix.

DB: How could you not throw Sting in the mix?

FA: Is Sting famously adventurous? *cast nods*

DB: Yeah, but of course couples that are happy on TV can’t stay happy for too long so they’ll definitely- something could be happening to them down the road. It’s kinda scary, and uh, lovely, and-

PFH: Heart-wrenching, it’s heart-wrenching.

BD: Yeah. Sweet, cute, sad. Yeah.

PFH: Yeah, and surprising. I mean, that was the thing, you know. I thought “Okay, well this-this can’t possibily work out, like something’s gonna happen”. Nothing that is happening is anything I would’ve expected. Like I was like “Wh-What?! *gasps* Oh my god!”

DB: I’m always like “When’s Bobo gonna get to fight?” and Jason’s like “He’s a lover this season.” (inaudible) *cast laughs* I’m like “I wanna fight, man!”

AK: He’s gotta conserve energy.

NS: (inaudible) there’s nothing left in him to fight. It’s all love. *cast laughs* Oh! Oh! I didn’t mean it like that!

AK: Welcome to season 2!

JL: Bravo. *pats Nicole Snyder’s shoulders* Yes, you did.

KR: I hate to end this on a down note but where’s Mr. Snuggly, why does he not come to Comic Con?

AK: We hired my cat instead. *cast laughs* I’m just kidding, but I’m still fighting for her.

PFH: Why would you want him here?

KR: I feel like he’s like-he may be like, the outlier. Does he like, does he have his own trailer and he like, slams the door and smokes cigarettes in there between (inaudible).

PFH: He’s mean. If he shows up at all! He’s the biggest diva, he’s so rude, do you see him on Twitter? He-he won’t leave me alone, he’s-he trolls me constantly. *cast laughs* What is the cat version of bitch? Like I know that’s like a f-dog thing, but like he’s-

KR: I think it’s just cat. *cast laughs* I’m a dog person. Um, there’s no way I can wrap this up in a concise way, so thank you guys so much for coming.

#midnight texas #season 2 #midnight texas spoilers #SDCC 2018 #sdcc2018 #Arielle Kebbel #François Arnaud #parisa fitz-henley #jason lewis #Dylan Bruce #Peter Mensah #nicole snyder #eric charmelo

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johnboothus · 4 years

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At D.C.s Domestique Rebekah Pineda Is Working to End Inequality in Wine

When you first step foot in Washington D.C.’s premiere natural wine shop Domestique, bottles of Fuchs Und Hase Pet Nat and biodynamic sparkling wines like Bianco Frizzante and Kmetija Stekar’s “IZI” Sparkling Rebula will likely catch your eye. The enchanting decor almost seems to whisper, “Look around, and stay for a while,” and when you do (surely, you’ll be inclined to), it’s the staff that stands out the most — employees are an ensemble of natural-wine aficionados from a range of backgrounds. That’s largely thanks to Domestique’s manager, Rebekah Pineda.

As Domestique’s manager, Pineda oversees the store’s daily operations, staffing, and social initiatives. Along with co-manager Eric Moorer, she ensures that every person who walks through the doors feels welcome and wanted, starting with the very people who work there.

In an industry that’s given far too small a space to people of color, Domestique prides itself on being a frontrunner for diversity and inclusion. Domestique is the retail love child of Jeff Segal, who launched the shop in partnership with New York’s Selection Massale in 2018. This year, Pineda has played a pivotal role in the shop’s commitment to taking even bigger steps to make the wine industry more accessible and equitable; most recently, by spearheading The Major Taylor Fellowship. The fully funded apprenticeship aims to help industry hopefuls, specifically people of color, break into the wine industry by teaching them the tricks of the retail trade. In August, Pineda named Kayla Mensah, a Bronx-born child of Jamaican and Ghanaian immigrants, the program’s inaugural fellow.

VinePair chatted with Pineda about her and Domestique’s shared mission, and how the shop is leaving an imprint for change in the wine industry.

1. How did your career in wine start?

Like most people, I was working in restaurants when I became interested in wine. I couldn’t really afford to buy wine, so I asked a friend at a wine store if I could help break down boxes, stock shelves, and things like that so I could buy wine. Getting into retail early helped my knowledge and growth exponentially. Retail is a good way to access really great wine. You get to try lots of wine and meet distributors and importers.

2. How did you end up managing at Domestique?

I emailed Jeff [Segal, owner] that I wanted to work at the store part-time. When I started, I loved the spirit of the store, and I felt really connected to it. Over time, my role grew.

3. What’s the mission of the wine shop?

It’s a natural wine store. Everything we sell is organically farmed, and everything we do is in support of the producers — there’s a strong connection to who makes the wine, and we try to communicate that to customers who come in. Before Covid-19, we had a lot of producer visits in our store and partnerships with importers. It’s not just about knowing how the winemakers make the wine — customers also got to learn who these people are, about their kids and families, the whole story. That really impacts how you communicate wine to customers, and how it informs their buying decisions.

4. What makes Domestique different compared to traditional wine shops?

When the store opened — and this is really all Jeff — it was designed a bit differently. In D.C. and a lot of places, wine retail can be really unattractive. The setup can sometimes be not-so pretty or customer-friendly, just kind of like a grocery store. We have a seating area in the front, beautiful windows. Most bottles are at eye level, so you don’t have to hunt through shelves. We have a tasting bar. It’s really meant to be a place you can spend some time browsing. Also, the people who work there look different: There [are] so few people of color in wine, especially in retail. In D.C., it’s definitely a white-male-dominated industry, but we have a very diverse staff at our store.

4. What do you love the most about your experience working at Domestique?

We have such an amazing staff. We’re really diverse, and I mean that in a very broad sense: Women, all different types of people with different backgrounds, people of color. Taking my experience from restaurants and other wine stores that maybe haven’t been that inclusive and being able to be a part of a place like this has helped me grow. And to be able to be in a position to give an experience opposite of mine to my employees and other people interested in wine is a blessing. That’s what I love the most — even if it’s just someone who’s worked for us for three months — having a workplace that is really geared to support people from all walks of life in wine.

5. How did the Major Taylor Fellowship get started?

The store has always been very conscious about the inequity in our world, and also the wine world. As a primarily POC staff, it’s something all of us, on some level, experience in our daily lives all the time. It’s really hard to break into retail, and it’s one part of the industry that isn’t really diverse. So we wanted to do a fellowship that gave someone the tactical skills to start their own thing, or get into wine with the hope that it launches them into a role of management or ownership. The goal of it is to provide a platform like the one I was given at Domestique, to make decisions and create impact in our field. And really, it can’t happen if it doesn’t start with someone in a position of leadership.

The fellowship utilizes Domestique as a tool to provide really practical information about running a retail store, and we’ve partnered with a couple of different organizations that will teach the fellows what it means to work in wine. There isn’t a lot of diversity in wine [making], but there also isn’t a lot of diversity in people who own wine stores. We want to share that knowledge that sometimes is just not accessible.

6. How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted the store?

Very early on, we closed the shop, I think because Selection Massale is in New York, and the fact that we’re on a corner where there’s a lot of foot traffic all the time — we just wanted to be very cautious. Since we can do delivery, and we have an online store, it seemed crazy not to close the shop. The first month and a half was extremely challenging. Almost every wine store in the country was really, really busy, and because we are a young shop, I don’t think we were prepared for how busy we were. But it also helped us realize all the things we needed to put in place to do delivery and shipping at a much larger level. It was a lot of work the first few months, on top of everyone just being stressed about the virus and our friends and family being laid off. It was a really challenging time, but we also felt lucky to be working.

7. Since working at Domestique, do you find yourself drinking mostly natural wine now?

I want to try everything that we have, so if a customer asks me what something tastes like, I’m not like, “Oh, I don’t know.” I buy a lot of wine from the store, but I’ve always liked natural wine. At the store we buy wine from different regions and I tend to buy a lot of the natural wines from the Loire Valley. That’s my favorite region.

8. Are there any misconceptions about natural wine that you’d like to see cleared up?

There are a ton of them, but I don’t really care that much about the misconceptions of natural wine. I think the industry is so insular, and I just want people to start drinking really good wine. There’s a million things to nit-pick and complain about, but natural wine is such a small, niche thing. We should really just be focused on how to reach consumers outside of this tiny, insular, elitist group. If you come in and say something crazy about natural wine, I’ll just send you home with a bottle that’s really good and organically farmed.

9. What are your hopes for Domestique going forward?

As we become bigger and busier, I hope we continue to figure out ways to implement everything we’ve learned in these last two years. I think we’ll look at more education, things that will enable people to pick great wine, and better tastings, where we provide everyone with information to learn more about wine; figuring out things to implement that will allow us to provide a nurturing learning environment as the business grows. Through Covid-19, we’ve found a lot of opportunities for that, and ways we can still be connected with an internal goal of reaching a diverse audience.

The article At D.C.’s Domestique, Rebekah Pineda Is Working to End Inequality in Wine appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/domestique-rebekah-pineda/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/at-dcs-domestique-rebekah-pineda-is-working-to-end-inequality-in-wine

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doctorpariahdax · 7 years

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Dishonored Fancast - Dishonored ->Brigmore Witches

Angela Bassett as Jessamine Kaldwin She’s just very professional and strong and she has a powerful presence on stage so I think even for a small part she’d be a really strong pick for Jessamine, someone who commands power and respect just with her voice.

Anson Mount as Corvo Attano Mostly because he has the beard and long hair game down. The first time I saw him was on Hell on Wheels, and I haven’t watched much of that show, but for being someone who I would usually dislike simply because of the background of the character he did a really good job at showing a caring and friendly side of a rough skinned man. I think he would be amazing at being everyone’s favorite deadly vengeance/family driven assassin while also showing compassion for Emily.

Carol Kane as Granny Rags Aside from the fact that I think she’s a terrific actress and very funny/scary Carol Kane always seems to make her characters more realisitc than just being acted for the sake of existing. Even in funny roles like her role on Kimmy Schmidt she’s far more entertaining and believable than any of the other actors in my opinion. I think she would do a terrific job at scary us and empathize with her as Granny Rags.

Jeff Bridges as the High Overseer Jeff Bridges is an amazing actor. I can’t even describe how flexible he is as an actor. And maybe it’s just his stature, voice, and talent but he makes a terrifying villain.

Mads Mikkelsen as Daud Unabashedly biased on this one but it’s for a good cause! He is probably my favorite actor because of his micro-expressions. He’s notoriously been cast as a villain in ‘Hollywood’ movies like Le Chieffre in James Bond and Hannibal Lecter. Beyond being a great villain, in his Danish and French films he’s a superbly empathetic actor. He doesn’t overact, he doesn’t yell, he doesn’t have to physically force his way through a scene because he does wonderful micro expressions that show us accurately feelings of rage, pain, loneliness, despair...etc. The guy is amazing and I think that Daud should have a cold and calculating actor who’s an expert at subtle acting. P.S. Go watch his Danish films.

Sir Patrick Stewart as The Lord Regent/Spymaster Sir Patrick Stewart is amazing (starting to sound like a broken record) but like Jeff Bridges he adapts excellently and flawlessly to practically any role he is given. I picked the picture above from the film adaptation of Macbeth because he did an amazing job at being devious and unhinged. (And I did not like the movie....like I was mad that I had to watch it, I just really didn’t dig the dystopian cold war adaptation to the play, but Stewart was FRIGHTENINGLY convincing as Macbeth) And you can’t have a spymaster without that nose, you know? :P

Gal Godot as Delilah Copperspoon I haven’t really seen anything that Gal Godot is in but I love her as Diana Prince and she is really a strong presence on screen. I think that for a character like Delilah that was confident and extremely independent Gal wouldn’t be a bad choice and I think she’s far more capable of actually appearing in a macabre characterization of someone and usual typecasts like Eva Green. She has a very beautiful voice too and I think an essential part of Delilah should be that she’s alluring, even when she’s speaking to you through statues.

Cillian Murphy as Treavor Pendleton Cillian Murphy, to me, is just really good at playing slimy, evil, devious people. I don’t really like him as an actor, but I think that’s mostly because I can’t stand the characters he plays. He’s really a good actor but I think he would fit a perfect niche of being enigmatic, devious, and someone who you can call a friend but never really trust - aka the epitome of Treavor Pendleton.

Christoph Waltz as Teague Martin Christoph Waltz was a frightening and alluring character in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’, and as Blofield in James Bond. In Hollywood he’s played snake like people such as Walter Keane in ‘Big Eyes’ and as August in the film rendition of ‘Water for Elephants’. Despite that, he’s really a charming gentleman in person and he has played roles from a cute, scheming, pet shop manager in ‘ Weihnachtsmann gesucht’ to the infamous Hans Landa in ‘Inglorious Bastards’. Making him, in my mind’s eye, a great Teague Martin - capable of being very charming and quite frankly very sarcastic and funny to straight up terrifying and murderous.

Peter Mensah as Thomas I really wish I could see more of Peter Mensah in movies. In what little I have seen of him on television he’s always found a way to be my favorite character, even if he’s only a side character or a very minute villain. (Remember when he was kicked into a well in ‘300′? ...Literally my favorite character) His portrayal of the Doctore on ‘Spartacus’ was really emotional, even when you didn’t know much of his character. He’s a very strong and powerful actor who, on the flip of a dime, can be intimidating and calloused and then suddenly quiet and warm, compassionate.

Gary Oldman as Samuel Beechworth Like with Jeff Bridges and Patrick Stewart Gary Oldman adapts to all of his roles without flaws. I really like Oldman’s performances in practically every movie/play he’s done and I really like him playing ‘calmer’ characters. I think if he was Samuel a lot of fans of the game would immediately feel more connected to the character and love him more than we already all do for being LITERALLY our only friend in the whole game.

Lupita Nyong ‘o as Billie Lurk I can’t describe how much I love Lupita. She’s an empowering figure for women and she exudes confidence and strength. It was a tough pick between her and Laura Mvula (wonderful singer, go check out her songs). I can’t help but see her as Billie when I think about Billie’s character development - being abused and belittled and mistreated by the world around her, then finding a family and making a niche for herself through dedication and skill, always looking forwards, always being ambitious and adventurous, with a healthy dose of hubris and care for others’ well being, but not afraid to get her hands dirty for those who harm the ones she loves.

Amandla Stenberg as Emily Kaldwin She straight up tore my heart out as Rue. I know it’s been a couple years but I loved her in Hunger Games and I think she’d be a great Emily. I can totally see her being quiet, shy, and looking out for Corvo at the Pub and also totally fighting back and really giving the Whalers a tough time as she throws punches and makes a run for it at every chance she gets. Also kicking the shit out of the Pendleton Twins

Steve Buschemi as the Older Pendleton Brothers, Crispus and Morgan I don’t think I really need to say anything on this. Steve Buschemi is amazing and scary. I think he’d be great at the Pendleton twins. Like really great...and really scary.

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theafrodeity · 5 years

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Church Belles - Part 4

What a ridiculous place to have a beauty spot! Everything about her didn’t make sense but neither did the loud thumping in my chest every time I glanced at her. An afro comb was dangling from the wefts of her loosely coiled hair which had droplets of water from her shower, glinting as they caught the light from the fluorescent bulb above her. I prayed we wouldn’t lock eyes but if it were to happen, I wished it would last for an eternity. The kind of reluctance you felt before taking a shower on a cold evening, instantly disappearing as the warm water bounced off your skin, then keeping you hostage for an hour as you dreaded the assault of freezing air when you inevitably made your exit. Her eyes were so inviting, so generous. Her curls were so big that I could see her scalp and that beauty spot. She threw her head back, hit her desk and laughed till she snorted, the afro comb dangerously close to falling out of her hair. It made me furious to know that I wasn’t the object of her amusement. Instead it was fucking Sena! Sena who knew nothing about her, who had no idea that Carla liked to cock her head to the side whenever she didn’t believe a story. That she liked to take off her sandals and rub her feet together during difficult elective math tests. Clueless Sena, who had no respect for Catholicism but subscribed to whatever esoteric nonsense was in fashion each term. Sena lacked depth in my opinion yet she always seemed to captivate Carla with her schemes.

She was still talking in that obnoxious tone of hers, perhaps hatching another rule-breaking plot with my Carla. I had caught them sneaking food out of the dining hall earlier that evening but I couldn’t bring myself to give them yet another punishment. Carla was always good-natured about it and teased me for being such a stickler for the rules but I needed her to see another side of me. The kind that was fun and adventurous, not the uptight school prefect character who was always calling people out. The kind that was…in love with her! I looked around frantically to see if anyone had heard my thoughts. I didn’t even allow myself to think it. This is crazy. Looking back, I don’t know what drove me to rip out a page from my notebook and scribble down the word “Mrs. Jessica Jeho-Mensah” in cursive at that moment. Yet another thing that didn’t make any sense. Women didn’t marry other women! Especially ones that were on their way to joining the order of St. Francis.

“What are you busily writing?!” Carla asked leaning over my desk. Her supple breasts threatened to burst off the buttons of her night uniform as they strained against the edge of the table. But my eyes were immediately drawn to her vaselined cupid’s bow lips. Since lip balm had been outlawed at the school, students now resorted to slapping on wads of petroleum jelly on their lips to fight off the cracks inflicted by the dry Harmattan air. I imagined what hers would feel like against my much thinner wide lips. Instinctively, I ran my tongue over my lips suddenly feeling parched and self-conscious about their ashiness. How had I not seen her walking up to my desk? Before I could stop her, Carla snatched the piece of paper out of my hand.

I was seated at the teacher’s desk in the front of the class facing everyone else to make sure they didn’t get distracted during prep time. The desk sat atop a raised wooden structure resembling a stage of sorts. Behind me was a large piece of cardboard with the world DANGER scrawled in red, covering a bunch of tangled exposed electric wires which jutted out of the walls. It was as though the words were attempting to caution the class to stay silent, but were failing miserably. Perhaps a gallon of gasoline next to the wires would make the scene more intimidating and do the trick. Also hidden behind the cardboard were orange peels from students who were too lazy to put their rubbish in the trash bins behind the class. This was the dumpster fire of a scene in which I was about to be outed. The devilish grin on Carla’s face began to wear off and transformed into bewilderment. Her eyes kept darting back and forth as she read the four words over and over again. Each passing second was torture.

“What is it? Is it apor[1]?” Sena’s squeaky inquisitive voice carried across the classroom.

“What else could it be? She’s writing names of talkatives.” Carla rolled her eyes in Sena’s direction. She twirled around to hand me back the piece of paper. My trembling hands had gotten cold and stiff from fear. Time stood still as she looked me dead in the eyes and…winked. “…and my name is on it.” That evoked a loud chuckle from Sena. “Oh, give us a break Jessica! Is mine there too?”

Mortified, I stood up abruptly and stormed out of the classroom, not waiting to hear Carla’s answer. Choosing instead to mask my embarrassment and fear with anger. This is so unlike me. If any one else heard about this I will be ruined, expelled with zero chance of becoming a nun and hiding away from these disgusting feelings. As I turned the corner to the dormitories, I could hear Carla’s footsteps behind me so I picked up the pace. Why on earth was she following me? Her footsteps were now in lockstep with mine so I turned around to confront her but she was already inches away and held me up against the old walls of St. Anne’s house, the crenulations digging into my back. We were no longer in earshot of the class; the only sounds were of crickets chirping and frogs croaking in the distance. “You weren’t going to leave without a kiss good night, were you?” she quipped, right before she planted a wet kiss on my lips. I thought my chest would explode from the sudden surge in my heart rate, rivaling the rhythm of atumpan[2] drums. Before I could regain my breath and compose myself from the shock, she was already skipping back to the classroom.

“Amina, don’t touch Sister Jessica’s things without asking!” Carla gently chastised her daughter, grabbing the little statue of the Virgin Mary from her tiny hands and planting it back on my impeccably organized desk. She smiled at me nervously and shuffled her feet. “She can already recognize a few words and counts up to a hundred.”

“Impressive! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I replied, offering back a reassuring smile and patting Amina on the head.

“Hahaha, who are we kidding? Carla was terrible at math.” Sena chimed in, earning herself a sharp jab in the side from Carla’s elbow.

“I so was not.” They both erupted in a fit of giggles.

“Regardless, I’ll give her a simple test to make sure we’re placing her at the appropriate reading level and setting her up for success.” I interrupted their playful banter which was already starting to irritate me. I’m not sure why Carla had chosen to bring Sena along. Clearly, Sena didn’t have anything interesting going on in her life and was tagging along as always. Who could blame her? I would follow Carla anywhere in that short sleeveless yellow flowery sundress. It was ruched from the sweetheart neckline all the way down to the cinched waist, hugging her bosom like a corset. The bottom half of the dress was cut in a flare, swishing around her with each step. When she crossed her legs, it revealed the side of her smooth hairless thighs. I reminisced about straddling those thighs and gyrating against them until I came.

From the moment they had walked in, I had completely ignored Sena but she did not seem at all bothered by it. Sena was dressed in the most boring skirt suit I had ever seen, making my habit look like a party dress in comparison. “So what are you up to these days, Sena? It’s been a while.” I asked out of a mixture of politeness, pity and defeat.

“I’ve been working on a bunch of interesting projects but nothing close to the important work you must be doing here. I have to say; this is exactly what I pictured you’d be doing when we were in school.”

I was losing my patience with Sena’s pointless sarcasm sometimes. She seemed utterly incapable of saying anything of substance or conveying anything that would interest her audience. “I see.” I said unable to keep the iciness from my tone. “We’ll be commissioning a new building for the new Senior High School block in six weeks but we ran into some issues regarding ownership. Does your firm handle land disputes?” I enquired by way of desperate conversation. We already had well renowned lawyers in our congregation who were handling the case pro bono but I didn’t want Sena’s presence in my office to appear to have been completely useless.

“My department doesn’t handle those types of cases but I can definitely recommend someone.”

“Swell. On that note, let’s begin the test. Amina come with me.” The next hour was spent asking Amina questions in the next room which she answered with enthusiasm and beamed with delight when I praised her for getting them right. Her final score was a few points below the qualifying mark but I couldn’t bring myself to fail her. Carla might never speak to me again. Besides, Amina was extremely adorable and seemed eager to learn.

“How did she do?” Carla asked anxiously when we returned.

“She’s ready for kindergarten!” I announced. That triggered a high-pitched shriek and hug from Carla, almost knocking me off my feet. Impulsively I held her back tightly, her body warm, toned and familiar in my arms. I cleared my throat and stepped back when I saw Sena’s mischievous smile out of the corner of my eye. What was she, twelve?

“You should come over for dinner tomorrow night. Amina, do you want Sister Jessica to visit us at home?” Amina nodded bashfully and vanished behind her mother. Sena was grinning from ear to ear at this point.

“That would be lovely. Sena, I suppose you’d be joining us as well?”

“Oh no! I’m sure you both have a lot of, ahem…. catching up to do.” I instantly regretted asking and fantasized about slapping the smug look off her face. Perhaps I wasn’t being fair to Sena. She was smarter than I gave her credit for and was more attractive in the traditional sense than Carla & I, although I found that look boring. She and I also had a lot in common, both unmarried and without children. It was as though the whole world had been playing a game of musical chairs, and Sena and I had been left standing after the music had stopped. Me, because I refused to play a game that dictated which chairs I was allowed to sit on. And Sena, because she never quite got the rules or had been more interested in the music than the point of the game. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the realization that Carla’s invitation had set a new comic in motion. The monotonous routine that had insulated me from the harsh outside world had been disrupted. The spark I’d always felt for Carla now reignited into a raging fire.

[1] A set of questions from a test/exam that hadn’t yet been conducted

[2] Akan talking drums

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updcbc · 7 years

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April 30, 2017 - “God, Our Delight” Psalm 103

I-click ang “KEEP READING” para basahin ang buong mensahe.

Kenneth Scott Latourette (1884-1968), the esteemed Christian historian, gives an honest portrait of his life:

“In conclusion I want to say my life has been a guided life. Many things I wouldn’t reveal to you. God has to forgive a lot. The older I grew the more I am aware of his mercy. As I look back the more I am convinced, in spite of all the sins...not just blunders...that the good Lord has been forgiving and using me.”

It is worthwhile for us to pause for a moment and reflect on his words. This portrait of life serves as a mirror to our souls. It is worth to digest every well-chosen word, phrase and statement.

We may choose the personal pronoun “my.” It takes much grace to reveal who we really are. We may focus on the phrase “a guided life.” It takes much conviction to acknowledge the sovereign hands of God at work in our spiritual journey. And we may dwell on this thought, “God has to forgive a lot.” It takes much courage to unveil the sinfulness and brokenness of our hearts. Latourette made a good confession. Isn’t this the hidden cry of our hearts? In his divine mercy, may God be our pure delight.

What does it mean to delight in God? Delight in God is best understood by men and women who acknowledged the depravity of their souls. From a broken and contrite heart, we yield our whole being in the hands of our merciful God. And from the depths of our hearts we offer a song of prayer to our God.

This is the essence of the book of Psalms. A song of prayer is an intimate language of the heart. A prayerful song keeps our souls in tune with the heart of God. King David, the beloved singer of Israel, invites us to one of his living psalms. Let his song be our prayer, “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name” (Psalm 103:1). This soothing psalm calls us to delight in God for good reasons. We are called to cherish the blessings which God our Father provides for our personal lives (vv. 2-5). We are called to declare his wonderful works as the Good Shepherd to his people (vv. 6-18). And we are called to exalt his dominion as our sovereign Lord who rules over all of creation (vv. 19-22).

A. Cherish His Blessings (The Father to his Children)

Worship is the sublime expression of our devotion to God. To delight in the Lord is to praise him with our whole being. And we praise him by acknowledging that he is the very source of every spiritual blessing he richly poured on us. We join King David with his song of praise, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (103:2). What are these blessings we need to cherish?

1. Forgiveness

We cherish being forgiven by God. “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (103:3). In the mind of David, as expressed in the parallelism of each verse of his song, sin is the worst spiritual disease any fallen human being can ever bear; likewise, forgiveness is the greatest spiritual healing a sinful soul can ever receive. Forgiveness is the greatest gift God can ever give to a sinner. This is an irreversible act of grace. When the Lord has forgiven us, he will never count our sins against us for they are good as forgotten. In deep gratitude, we remember how God had fully forgiven our sins and how he provides inner healing to our souls.

Whenever we are tempted to always associate King David with his adultery and murder, our conscience will remind us that we too have our own sins. We are all sinners. David will never forget when the prophet Nathan confronted him, “You are the man!” And those fingers of the prophet could be pointed to anyone of us. But why was David called “a man after God’s own heart” despite all his grievous sins? In his darkest moment in life, he desperately cried to God as he wrestled with the deceitfulness of his heart. He learned that sin is the greatest offense against God. When the Lord had forgiven him, he took sin seriously. And he resolved to live in utmost care not to break the heart of the Shepherd of his soul.

Why are we so hard and harsh against those who have fallen as if we have not committed any sin? When we do this, we may have taken for granted being forgiven by God or have taken lightly the gravity of our sin. If we cherish being forgiven, should we not become more compassionate to anyone who has fallen into sin? And should we not become more serious of not committing any sin?

2. Redemption

Having been forgiven of our sins, we likewise cherish of being redeemed. We use the same refrain, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits”—and we add—“who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (103:4).

Redemption, as pictured by David, is an act of God rescuing a helpless sinner from the deep pit of sinfulness and crowning him with divine love and compassion. This is a wonderful imagery of saving grace. The redeemed sinner becomes a beloved child of God.

Redemption comes with a great price. In the Old Testament, a sinner can be redeemed through the blood of animal sacrifice. It should be understood that this sacrificial offering in the Old Testament served as a shadow and pointed to the reality and fulfillment in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. King David had prophesied in his songs about the redemptive act of God. In light of the Scriptures, the God who created us by the power of his word is the very God who redeemed us through his precious blood—in the person of Jesus Christ. We were redeemed with an invaluable price! And let us never forget that each one of us has equal value in the sight of God.

When we are tempted to measure one another with any human standard—title, possession and achievement—may we remind ourselves that we have nothing to boast except the cross of Christ. And if we are redeemed by the blood of Christ—we have no right to despise others in our thoughts, malign someone with our words and destroy anyone by any means. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to be peacemakers and guardians of souls.

3. Satisfaction

Having been forgiven and redeemed, we cherish our fulfilment in God. In gratitude we sing, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (103:5). Like an eagle with outstretched wings gliding restfully up on the sky, so we can find our rest in God who alone can fill the vacuum in our hearts.

Every morning, I usually wake up at five o’clock. I have to do this because there are three dozens of “friends” waiting for me early in the morning. In case I would be late in waking up, these friends make their presence known by becoming a delightful choir. It is soothing to listen to their loud refrain and it serves as my waking call every morning. For several years now, it had been my ritual to wake up early morning and prepare handfuls of grains and spread on the open ground in our dwelling place. I do this with a delightful greeting, “Good morning, friends! Enjoy your day!” And the birds settle down and pick up their grains. Are we not more precious than the birds of the air?

B. Declare His Works (The Shepherd to His People)

In our delight for God, we cherish every blessing we receive from above—from our Heavenly Father who cares for us, his beloved children. And as we delight in him, we declare his wonderful works as the Good Shepherd to his own people.

1. Righteousness and Justice

God is absolutely right and just in all his ways. We sing with King David, “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” (103:6). Who are the oppressed? They are usually the poor and powerless who are crushed and burdened by those who abuse their power and authority. David as the king of Israel had learned his lesson on righteousness and justice the hardest way. When he destroyed a marriage and murdered an innocent life to cover up his sin, he suffered an inconceivable pain. God had forgiven David but the consequences fell heavily on his home. He lost his child from Bathsheba. His daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon. Amnon was murdered by Absalom, Tamar’s brother. And Absalom was killed in a battle when he rebelled against his own father and almost took the kingdom from him. David’s heart was ripped apart as a father and a king.

What does it mean to delight in God? For us who are in authority and in power, it means to do what is right and just and to defend those who are oppressed. And for us who are oppressed, it means to cry out to God who is the righteous judge of all the earth. In the sight of God, there is no mockery of divine justice. A man reaps what he sows. The guilty will be punished and the innocent will be vindicated.

2. Shepherd to His People

The Lord as king is right and just over the affairs of humankind. And as shepherd, he is both loving and compassionate to his own people. In this particular psalm, King David remembered the journey of his own people being led by Moses in the wilderness. David included this theme in his song, “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel” (103:7).

a. The Lord’s Loving Kindness

The following passage is one of the most comforting writings in the Scriptures. Like Israel, we can rest in the loving kindness of God.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (103:8-12)

One may say that Moses was a failure in shepherding Israel. Why not? He failed to lead his own people to enter the Promised Land. Instead, that generation whom he brought out from Egypt wandered in the wilderness for forty years and perished in the desert. We may say that those forty years were the most heartbreaking years of Moses as a pastor to his ungrateful and defiant congregation. Did he abandon his countrymen? Did God forsake his own people? Moses with his Lord journeyed with them to the end. What sustained Moses through all those years? It was the Lord himself—the very delight of his heart. The glory of God rested upon Israel despite her stubbornness. Every day, they have sufficient bread on the table. Fresh water gushed from the rocks and a spring flowed in the desert. The soothing shade of the cloud by day covered them under the scorching heat of the sun. There never was a black out at night as the fire from the Lord lightened over their camp and path. In their entire journey, their sandals did not wear out. All these blessings were daily provided for forty years despite their waywardness. In the vast desert was poured the sea of God’s grace. Moses proved himself a faithful shepherd to his flock in spite of the most adverse circumstances. And he was able to mold the next generation to delight in God and prepare them enter the Promised Land.

At times, we may see ourselves a failure. We are disheartened to see our own flaws and shortcomings. We are discouraged to see the ingratitude and indifference of those whom we are serving. Yet, despite every pain and tear, what really sustains us to be steadfast and remain true to our calling? It is because we set apart God as the very delight of our hearts. Once we enthrone God in our lives, in whatever circumstance, no one and nothing can ever take away the joy in our hearts. And even if we may fall along the way, the Lord will never leave or forsake us. Our footprints on the sand may easily be lost and forgotten. But those invisible footprints of God who journeys with us in our wilderness will ever remain.

The love of God for us is beyond measure. It is as high as the heavens are above the earth! And the forgiveness of God is far reaching out. As far as the east is from the west, thus far, he removes our sins from us! The Lord opens his heart and extends his arms to anyone who fears him. And what does it mean to fear the Lord? In the book of Proverbs, to fear the Lord is to hate every form of sin and to shun from every form of evil—it is reverence to God translated to godliness.

b. The Lord’s Unfailing Compassion

As we rest in the loving kindness of God, we are secure in the Lord’s unfailing compassion. So we sing with David.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. (103:13-18)

A flower is one of the wonders of God’s creation. Its natural beauty is greater than the finest royal robe. Its beauty that captivates our eyes is imprinted in our souls. Yet, a flower lasts for a while. It is here today and tomorrow it is gone.

Human life is like a flower. The miracle of human life is awesome and astounding. Yet life—in all its wonders—is short and shorter than we can ever imagine. And regardless of its glory and grandeur, it will soon pass and fade away. Before our eternal God, we see our own mortality. In our mortal state we agonize with our fallen nature. Yet, in our sinfulness and brokenness, God pours upon us his unfailing compassion so we can find wholesome peace for our restless souls.

Why did the Lord care for his own people in the wilderness despite their stubbornness? The Lord was compassionate to them. And why does our Heavenly Father care for us in spite of all our sins? He is compassionate to us. His steadfast compassion draws us to delight in him and never a license for us to dwell in sin. For us who delight in him and fear him, the Lord embraces us with his compassion and he extends his loving arms to bless our children and grandchildren.

C. Exalt His Dominion (The King Over All)

We delight in God. He is our Heavenly Father who is the source of every blessing. He is our Good Shepherd who cares for us his beloved people. And we delight in him as our sovereign King who is the Lord of all.

1. The Lord Rules over All

With David we sing this majestic song and exalt our God who rules over all his creation: “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (103:19).

Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest pagan king who ever reigned in ancient times. He subdued nations including Israel. In his pride he thought he was invincible. Yet God dethroned him from his kingdom and made him wander like a wild beast in the forest for seven years. On the seventh year, he came to his senses and acknowledged the Lord of all. Listen to his words.

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”....Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:34-35, 37)

The great confession of King Nebuchadnezzar is a dreadful proclamation to all royalties and every human being. Every one of us, great and small, is accountable to God. We will give account to him to every careless thought, word and deed.

What is the practical significance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives? There is a familiar hymn that makes us uncomfortable whenever we sing it as we seriously weigh the lyrics of the song. Any guess what this hymn is? Right, it is “Take My Life and Let It Be.” This was written by Frances Havergal in 1874. Ponder on the very thought of this hymn.

Take my life and let it be; Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in endless praise. Take my hands and let them move; At the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet and let them be; Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my voice and let me sing; Always, only for my King. Take my lips and let them be; Filled with messages from Thee. Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use; Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour; At Thy feet its treasure store. Take myself and I will be; Ever, only, all for Thee.

If we really mean every word of this hymn—and every word we say—what a godly difference it will create in us and the people around us will take notice of it.

2. The Lord is Worthy of All Praise

For us to delight in the Lord is to enthrone him in our hearts. Our sovereign Lord who rules all of creation is worthy of all glory. With King David, we join with him and all of creation in the heavens and the earth to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

“Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.” (103:20-22a)

God alone is to be worshiped! And may this glorious worship ascribed to the Lord of the universe—by all the angelic hosts and all of creation—be the very song of our hearts: “Praise the Lord, my soul” (v. 22b). Worship must be our way of life.

Conclusion

What does it mean to delight in God? It means for us to have a grateful heart and cherish every blessing we receive from our Heavenly Father. It means for us to have an obedient heart and yield our all to the Shepherd of our souls. It means for us to have a heart of worship to exalt our sovereign King who is the Lord of all.

God is our delight. For God to be our delight in our hearts and our homes, how then should we live? In our sinfulness, we cry out, “Oh, God have mercy on my poor and wretched soul!” In yielding our souls to our Heavenly Father, we allow his Holy Spirit to sanctify our lives so we can be transformed in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does this mean? It means for God to change our hearts! Like gold purified under fire, we all need the Lord’s painful disciplines of grace. May our Lord straighten our crooked paths, smoothen our rough edges, break our unwholesome lifestyles, cleanse our lustful thoughts, bridle our unruly tongues, purify our deceitful hearts, uproot our bitterness and redeem our straying souls.

This is a heartbreaking and humbling process. Is there any better way? There is none. To delight in God is a lifetime journey for a broken and contrite heart. This calls us to search our souls. For those who yield their lives and all to the Lord, nothing in the world could ever take the inexpressible joy from their hearts! This is all by the grace of God. Kenneth Scott Latourette is right.

“My life has been a guided life. Many things I wouldn’t reveal to you....The older I grew the more I am aware of his mercy. As I look back the more I am convinced, in spite of all the sins...not just blunders...that the good Lord has been forgiving and using me.”

This honest confession is the cry of our hearts. Truly, “God has to forgive a lot!”

#sermon #englishservice #God #church #forgiveness #psalms #satisfaction #worship #redemption

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airadam · 4 years

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Episode 131 : Strange Times

"History repeats what you refuse to learn about."

- Planet Asia

Another month inside, which I'm sure is a test of patience for many. It's been an odd one, which feels like it hasn't been any less busy than normal, and so the rhythm of podcast production has pretty much been as usual. The selection ranges from some of my earliest, brokest vinyl purchases to the latest releases of the digital age - hope you all find something in there that makes you rewind (and then buy an album)!

Rest In Power to Arch Stanton of Mothership Connection, Bill Withers, Ebow of Foreign Beggars, Fred the Godson, and Stezo...

As mentioned in the show, I'm now on Twitch : twitch.tv/airadam13

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Kam ft. Xzibit and Maskerade : Nowhere

I was looking for Kam's debut album "Neva Again" on Spotify and had no joy, but this turned up and has been getting a lot of play since then! 2016s "Mutual Respect" clearly needs an end-to-end listen if this is the standard - a quality song, dark and brooding, castigating the fairweather friends who gas young men up into committing all kinds of crimes but then abandon them to a life in the system. The production from Jmyth and Tariqbeats - who as far as I know, have no credits anywhere else at all - is perfect for the theme.

Jake One : Dawkinss

It's hard to find good instrumentals in this speed range that aren't heavy synth/trap-based (which is sometimes what you want, but not in this spot), but Jake One's free "#prayerhandsemoji" has come through a few times on that score!

UGK : Use Me Up

The first of the month's Bill Withers inclusions, Pimp C shows that he knows not to mess with a good thing as he lifts the groove of the 1972 hit single "Use Me" from the "Still Bill" LP, as well as the theme! C was always a producer with a deep love and appreciation for soul and funk, who wasn't afraid to bring in live instruments when he needed to, and he adds a little guitar and organ flavour to this tune from their 1992 debut "Too Hard To Swallow".

GQ : Rated Oakland

Low and slow (J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and 8 Bars on the beat), no hook, no wasted time. No-gimmick emceeing from a no-nonsense city, as GQ says what he has to say in barely two minutes on the title track from his debut album. The title track is often the big centrepiece, so it shows a lot of confidence to keep it so brief and concentrated.

Kid Frost : No Sunshine

This is a track from my early vinyl buying days, when I was pretty broke and if I saw something in the bargain bins from someone that had been mentioned in Hip-Hop Connection, I picked it up! Kid Frost (now Frost) was already ten years deep into his career at the time 1992s "East Side Story", from which this is drawn, was released, and he represented hard for his Mexican heritage at a time when Latino rappers were rare. This track reflects a side of the gang culture that is such a significant part of LA life for many, participants or otherwise; the other side of an explosion of anger is more often than not a lifetime of regret.

RZA : My Lovin' Is Digi

The Wu's takes on love songs are always a little different! The "RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo" LP is 22 years old this year, but this is the first time we've gone to it on the podcast; it won't be the last, though. Classic 70s soul sampling on this one, self-produced by RZA as you'd expect.

DJ Quik : Quik's Groove II

Every album, DJ Quik gifts us an instrumental number that shows off his level of musicality - this one was released all the way back in 1992, as part of his second LP "Way 2 Fonky".

Brand New Heavies ft. Gang Starr : It's Gettin' Hectic

We step outside the Gang Starr catalogue for a track that may have passed you by if you didn't happen to be listening deeply in the early 90s. The 1992 "Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol.1" album saw BNH, the London acid jazz and funk group who were getting big respect after their debut, slightly alter course and collaborate with Hip-Hop crews for their sophomore release. This was a pioneering album, which even preceded Guru's "Jazzmatazz" series. He's the perfect MC for this collaboration, and sounds more than comfortable doing his thing over a live band!

Voodoo Black ft. Leaf Dog : Fall Back

Played them last month, but had to give you one more taste of Voodoo Black in case you hadn't got the "Sitting At The Table" album yet! The mic killers from Manchester bring in Leaf Dog from The Four Owls, who complements them well on some straight Hip-Hop business. I love how DJ Cutterz has the kick drum and bassline working on this track, and the scratch work is polished too. Big ups!

Prince Po : Mecheti Lightspeed

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'd never included the vocal version of this before! Madlib is on the beat, giving this often-overlooked half of Organized Konfusion some smooth heat. This is from the B-side of the "Holla" 12", but both tracks are also on the 2006 "Prettyblack" album.

Maffew Ragazino, Action Bronson, and Torae : Avatar

Pete Cannon on the beat! Blackpool may not be the first place you'd expect a fierce Hip-Hop producer to emerge from, but he's been doing his thing for years and has worked with some highly respected artists. This 2014 single from "Brownsville's Jesus" is wall-to-wall NYC on the mic - and for my money, Torae was the right choice to bring it home on that third verse.

BoomBaptist : Razzle Dazzle

Agent J of Groovement put me up on this Texas-based producer when he announced his "Boom Shakalaka" LP, all about the beloved video game "NBA Jam" - I certainly remember emptying my shallow pockets into that one as a teen :) BoomBaptist lives up to his name with the vibes, so if you like good beats and/or remember the 90s well, check the album!

Levelz : LVL09

If you're not used to hearing some of the MC styles on this record, prepare to have your face blown back! This Manchester crew is made up of a ton of artists who are stars in their own right, and the combination over the Metrodome-produced beat here is devastating. When the rapid spitting happens, what should strike you is the clarity - you can hear every word, every syllable even. Get this as a "name your price" on Bandcamp, and don't be shy to put a little something in!

Curren$y : Empire Monopoly

Short, but a better track in my opinion than Max B's "We Got Doe", which was the source for the Dame Grease-produced beat. It runs at a perfect pace for Curren$y, who spits a mix of his trademark lifestyle rap, street business, and Boardwalk Empire references on this standout from the "Return To The Winner's Circle" mixtape.

Ty ft. Mpho : Brixton Baby

Get well soon Ty! I thought I'd dip into his most recent album "A Work Of Heart" for this episode, and we have a ode to his place of birth as well as the adopted home of Mpho, the guest vocalist. Ty also built the foundation of the beat, then built on by Drew Horley, Akwasi Mensah and Julien Siegel. The combination of all the artists give the neighbourhood the love it deserves!

Planet Asia & 38 Spesh : God Degree

I can't even remember what lead me to this one via Spotify, but it's always good to hear new Planet Asia. The new "Trust The Chain" album is completely produced by 38 Spesh, and I love his beat here, regal dopeness that gives Asia's conscious rhymes a fitting backdrop.

Leavv : Valley (Original Mix)

Germany's Leavv is no joke when it comes to the "chill-hop" vibes that have become popular on long streaming Youtube mixes over the last few years. His work is crisp, clean, and refreshing as a nice tonic water on this track from the 2018 "Mind Garden" album!

Bill Withers : Grandma's Hands

Some of you will know this song very well, while others will have had a flash of realisation from the very first bar! Yes, this was famously sampled for Blackstreet's "No Diggity", but it's a truly great record in its own right. A single from 1971's "Just As I Am", this is just raw soul, and a record many of us can relate to - if not about grandparents, perhaps other elders who are no longer with us.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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criticsofcolour · 5 years

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‘“It feels like there are no barriers”: David Webber and Maynard Eziashi on life in the Barber Shop Chronicles’ by Jenna Mahale

Inua Ellams’ Barber Shop Chronicles is a new kind of theatre. This theatre scoffs at the stuffiness of the old guard. It flings its arms wide open to newer audiences, younger audiences, blacker audiences. Between sound bites of Skepta and J Hus, Barber Shop Chronicles takes us on a whistle-stop tour through Lagos, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda, and Peckham; we gain a piercing insight into the inner lives of black men, and the importance of community hubs in shaping them. As such, the production holds a very special place in the hearts of its actors, many of whom are thrilled at the opportunity to explore their culture and identity in a setting as vibrant and lovingly-crafted as the one Bijan Sheibani has created for them.

David Webber and Maynard Eziashi are two such actors. As the gloom of the early evening pushed through the windows, I sat down with them pre-performance in the café of the Roundhouse to talk about their experiences with the show and its strikingly original material.

Tell me a bit about your characters.

David Webber: I play Abram, I play Ohene, and I play Sizwe. Abram is a barber in Ghana, Accra, and he has a really sweet scene with a young man who is about to have a baby. It's one of the quieter, more intimate scenes. Then there’s Ohene, who is very opinionated and sometimes a bit loud. He's a Ghanian again, and he's in the London scenes. I also play Sizwe, who's an older gentleman. He's Zimbabwean, but he has scene in London towards the end. He's a bit nostalgic, always looking back.

Maynard Eziashi: I play three characters. There’s Musa, a Nigerian man from the Hausa tribe, who is a linguist. He's just come back from Mexico, where he's written a dictionary translating Swahili to Spanish. I also play Mensah, who is a Ghanian man who's very interested in football and getting his hair cut. And I also play Andile, who is a South African barber who is fulfilling his role as a kind of therapist to Simphiwe, who comes into his store slightly agitated: it's to do with the relationship that he has with his father.

Do you have any favourites?

Maynard Eziashi: Andile is probably my favourite character. I like the fact he's a very knowledgeable elder gentleman. He listens to people, but he doesn't judge, and hands out little nuggets of advice that people can choose to take or not.

David Webber: It's very hard to pick a favourite. It's like asking, 'Which is your favourite child?' I love them all, I love them equally, but I would say I feel a lot of love for Sizwe. I think the only time he gets to speak to people is when he goes into the barber shop. I find that very poignant.

Lots of critics have praised Barber Shop Chronicles for itsdiscussion black masculinity. Have your conceptions of masculinity changed at all since doing the show?

David Webber:It's not necessarily changed how I see masculinity, but it's maybe reaffirmed some things in a wonderful way. There are 33 black characters on stage, played by 12 of us. I'm really happy that the audience gets to see such a range of African masculinity, and hopefully it will mean people find it more difficult to put us into boxes. I think this show is a good way of looking at our culture and seeing it in a broad and diverse sense.

Maynard Eziashi: Although we're dealing with men's barbers, I think a lot of the topics are universal. They're about identity, they're about belonging, they're about dating! I think those things extend to everyone, really.

Obviously, the ethnic make-up of the cast is quite revolutionary for a show of this size. Tell me a bit about what it’s been like to work in such a large cast of black men.

Maynard Eziashi: One of the things that it's meant is that I no longer have to censor myself, or put myself through a filter. Because we all have a kind of shared experience. So if I come in and say, 'Oh, someone in a shop looked at me funny', people aren't going to turn around and say: 'Were you just imagining that though?' or, 'Are you sure that really happened? Maybe they were just having a bad day!' Instead, there is that understanding. It's wonderful to be in a company where we can share stories and experiences. It feels like there are no barriers.

What was the audition process like?

David Webber: I was called in to meet Bijan [Sheibani], and Inua [Ellams] and the casting director at the time at the National Theatre for a read-through. To be perfectly honest, I can't remember what characters I read. All I remember is that we had a big laugh about barber shops and stories, and how I'd share stories with my barber. I've got a Jamaican barber in Manchester where I'm from, who’s full of stories, and I've had a barber in London for a few years now, called Ninjaman. He'll be cutting your hair and then go off to the bookies in the middle of it, and leave you with half a haircut so you can’t leave. You meet characters like that over the years. We just laughed about our barbershop stories, and it didn't really feel like an audition, it just felt like sharing stories with friends.

How does this role compare to the other characters you’ve played?

Maynard Eziashi: It's probably not so much the role, but this story is quite different from a lot of the other stories that I've helped portray before. It's a story that shows you 33 different characters, none of them stereotypes, and they all have the same hopes, dreams, and fears, as all of us. It kind of shows a normality, but also the breadth of character. Because we often tend to get put in a box where we can only be one sort of person, which tends to be angry, violent, or highly sexual. In other shows I've been in, that breadth hasn't been there. Although the character I've played will have an arc, because you have many characters here, you can show much more.

David Webber: A lot of the things I've seen about black men have focused on quite negative things. And they're sometimes the plays or stories that get highlighted. The plays that are often produced feature black men in crisis, black men leaving their kids, black men stabbing each other, murdering each other, violence, that kind of thing. And that's very sensational, and those shows often make headlines. This show is not about that. I think that's a very powerful thing.

What would you like people to take away from the show?

David Webber:I'd like people to take away the fact that sometimes the differences between the races are actually smaller than the similarities. We have many, many things in common as human beings. I think that's why the show works for everybody. It's a celebration and an affirmation of humanity.

Maynard Eziashi: I suppose I'd like them to walk away, and perhaps question their notions of blackness. To look inside, and think, 'Do I make certain assumptions? Do I judge unfairly? How can I rectify and change that?' That's what I want.

Jenna Mahale is a freelance journalist and editor from London

Twitter: @jennamahale / Contently: https://jennamahale.contently.com/

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fmlfpl · 7 years

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Lineup Lamentations - GW1

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s.

OKKKKKKKKK,

first lambs of the season lads holy fuck. Great to be back. For those newcomers Lineup Lamentations is a thing we post before the deadline of every gameweek (usually post on Friday when games are on Saturday) going over our starting 11s for our individual teams and who we’re captaining and shit. And everything is very subject to change (especially when we’re doing it before the pressers like this one!!!) Anyway... let us go:

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

N/A

GK:

I'm still in on Flappyhands Fabianski and Nordfeldt. I like spending 8.5 at the GK spot and I very much want to have a team with a 4.0 backup to ensure if I suffer an injury I won't have to spend a transfer there. So that eliminated the likes of Begovic. Clement had organized the defense very nicely at the end of last season and they have pretty decent fixtures to start off. He also seems a pretty good shout for some save points...something I don't feel very much the same way about Foster. Will roll out with Swansea between the sticks and see how it goes.

DEF:

The only place I had a little tink around since the pod.

Dann stays - obviously. Should still be in the middle of the back three, but Fosu-Mensah is interesting. Should be a nailed 4.5 route into the Palace defense there. Not sure if he's fit enough to feature GW1 though

I'm still on Stephens. There could be a question over his place if Soton do reinforce and VVD goes, but, I'll take that chance. I like him as a bap magnet and I don't feel amazing about Cedric so fuck it.

Mee also remains as I'll look to start him in some of their easier home games although I really do expect Burnley to struggle mightily this season. They have shown the ability to keep cleans at home though so at 4.5 Mee feels a safe bet.

Danilo & Lejeune have come in. I am too tempted by the allure of Danilo while Mendy is out injured I wanna have some fun and get a short term punt. I have an eye towards swapping him to Trippier when that time comes but maybe I get lucky and Danilo comes in with some big scores in GW1 or 2. He is virtually playing OOP.

LeJeune seems like a safe be into the Newcastle defense and their fixtures are pretty great. He might be good on baps and I like him more than Dummett and don't want to risk Clark. Rafa knows how to set a defense and they have very, very good opening fixtures. And for those reasons, I have Lejeune.

MID:

Going without Kane so I am still sat with Alli & Eriksen. Still think they are great value at 9.5 and hopeful that they give me a steady stream of points in the opening few games. We'll see how long I can go without Kane for. TBD.

KDB & Daveed Silva also still remain. Kevin speaks for himself, and I'm still happy with the punt on Silva. Hopefully he hits the ground running and I have a nice little differential there at a reasonable cost. Late runs into the box and shit...creating chances...love him.

Finally, Wilf who has not left my team for 1 second since the game opened. Essentially playing as second striker in Frank's new formation I'm big on him to take another step forward.

FWD:

Still in with Lukaku, Gabbi, and McBurnie in the 352.

Lukaku just a safety pick at this point but I'm sure he'll turn into a City striker before long. Or Kane. We'll see how it goes.

Very light with Gabbi there as the 2nd guy but I like him + 1.5m more than going with Firmino after playing around more. I like the heavy midfield and I like having a solid defense .Hopefully with Southampton's fixtures he can continue his good form from preseason.

CAP:

I'm going to play safe with Rom. He could realistically go in with a 13 pointer against West Ham. I kinda like Kevin slightly more just because I think they could roll 5 past Brighton whereas United I'd be surprised if they do bag more than 3 goals. Will just follow the herd with captaincy GW1 and that feels fine.

STARTING 11:

Fabianski Danilo / Stephens / Dann D. Silva / KDB / Alli / Eriksen / Zaha Gabbiadini / Lukaku (c)

ALON

TRANSFERS

N/A

GK:

Been on TOM (Heaton) since day 1 of the game opening and haven’t budged. Most people are on flappy-bird or Foster or Forster or even big spenders on DDG but I don’t see any of them matching Heaton’s PPG. He’s played exactly two FPL seasons and been the goalkeeper god in each one. No one else really touches his types of scores so I hope that that continues.

I switched off Elliot just to avoid potential price drops since his ownership is so fucking high and I’m starting Tom every week anyways... Speroni? Sure whatever.

DEF:

For those of you that do not know I have a fetish and my fetish is for classy as fuck left-backs. Hi Ryan Bertrand future Liverpool great. Have loved Berty for many years he’s actually been in my team at some point in each of the last three seasons and starting with him feels best. Southampton with the fucking insane fixtures and Ryan with the attacking intent. Match made in heaven.

I’ve tinkered in Sir Philip of Jones on Manure. It’s a risky shout no question about it - this is the pressure point of my team where things could break down a little - but I feel good about it still. All of the everything I’m seeing leads me to believe that Phil Jones will partner Bailly at CB for Manure. He started 18 out of 19 games when he was fit and in the matchday squad last season. Plus Mou has made comments about Lindy needing more time etc, and he fucking hates Smalling so Phil is who’s left. I think at 5.0 there’s a chance Phil is a nailed on starter all season for the maybe top defense in the league and that’s fucking crazy.

Naughton I’ve liked for a while too, similar sentiments to Walsh’s RE: Flappianski up above. Clement really tightened up the Swans defense and they have pretty good fixtures out the gate. He’s a good and nailed 4.5 guy.

Simpson I believe is also nailed and aside from GW1 is a fantastic rotational partner with Naughton. That’s my rotational pair du jour for my third defender spot.

Mariappa last and least my fodder 4.0 guy. This could change to anyone I don’t know but this spot will not be a starter. Like I said earlier - pressure point.

MID:

Kevin and Daveed joining my pod partner and BFF Walsh up above. Kev is auto nailed best thing of life but Daveed, Walsh really sold me on on the latest pod. It feels great to have double city attack - they’re the best team in the league - and Daveed feels like the cheapest way in for a “nailed” guy... Nailed in quotes because Pep.

JWP has joined the team. Hello guy. He is very much the soup du jour in the FML FPL slack channel and I’ve decided to dippeth my balls in said soup. According to everything I can find he is nailed to an attacking midfield position, and if he’s nailed up there, with his skill set + set pieces + their fixtures, I think that he will return MASSIVE value on 5.5. Let’s fuck.

Gini Wijnaldum you already know isn’t going anywhere after I vouched for him and pushed for him heavy on the last pod. I don’t need to say everything that I’ve already said on there but what I will do is point you guys to the Gini Wijnaldum song / chant which is the best thing ever.

Last and absolutely not least is Tom Carroll the easy best 4.5 in the game. He’s nailed, he doesn’t suck, he kind of can attack sometimes, and if (when) Siggy goes he should be on set pieces. Racking up preseason assists for fun.

FWD:

Heavy front line. Ready to ding and dong.

Lukaku has been nailed for a bit now since his ownership and therefore captaincy percentages went over the line of sanity it just had to be. At this point just playing a little defense with Rom to make sure I’m not fucked over early. And then we’ll go from there.

Kane is another obvious move but maybe not as obvious as I thought with his ownership at 37.8% even a little below Alli. Kane is the best player in FPL and has been for while now. I think 12.5 is a fair price for him and I think he will continue to probably golden boot his life away.

Bobby Firm obviously the love of my life and maybe now on pens? Signed, sealed, delivered. No thought required.

CAP:

Also sticking with Rom. The fixture and the nailedness and everything is too good to pass in this moment. Pretty hard to imagine him blanking against a very leaky West Ham. Go on.

STARTING 11:

Heaton Bertrand / P. Jones / Naughton D. Silva / KDB / Wijnaldum / JWP Kane / Lukaku (c) / Firmino

#FML FPL #FMLFPL #Fantasy Premier League #FPL #Lineup Lamentations

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