#christines progress report
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rugged maniac OCR 2023
i had the amazing opportunity to join one of my friends for an obstacle course race/mud run for the first time this past weekend! i’ve never run in a race of any kind really, so this was exciting as both a race and an obstacle course! the course was a 5k running course filled with like, 20-30 obstacles including climbing over walls/ladders/fences of many kinds, huge slides, rope net climbing, crawling under barbed wire through mud pits, and so much more.
i stayed with my friends the whole time and i didn’t really train, so we walked a good chunk of it. there were tons of hills, sandy trails, forest paths, and other terrain that made running even harder anyway. safe to say i definitely wasn’t running for time, just for fun!
it was so incredibly fun to push my body and just let myself have fun and go crazy. it was like an adult playground on steroids!! the endorphin rush was incredible and even a few days later i still feel so excited and proud just talking about it. i am 100% doing this again, and would recommend to anyone else who’s thinking about it!
#christines progress report#fitblr#workout#fitness#girls who workout#rugged maniac#rugged maniac 2023#OCR#obstacle course race#mud run
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by Christine Rosen
It’s not as if their readers and viewers are unaware of the problem. According to Pew Research, the percentage of Americans who say Jews face discrimination has doubled from 20 percent in 2021 to 40 percent in 2024. And yet, for some reason, mainstream-media outlets seem to be the only ones who haven’t drilled down on the issue.
In fact, the decision to downplay the anti-Semitic threat from the left is deliberate. Left-leaning media do not like to cover the behavior of their own, as the inconsistent coverage of the Jew-baiting members of the Democratic Party’s “Squad” during the past several years attests. Mainstream reporters at outlets like the New York Times take great pains to provide context and explanations for Representative Ilhan Omar’s blatant anti-Semitism, for example. A 2019 piece gave Omar and her defenders ample space to claim she was being unfairly targeted for criticism because she was a progressive Muslim woman while glossing over the fact that she had repeatedly accused Jews of having dual loyalties.
Amid the current conflict, it’s evident there is tacit agreement among most in the mainstream media that because Israel is defending itself by trying to root out Hamas in Gaza, the behavior of protesters is somehow justifiable and acceptable—but only because it involves Israel and the Jews.
This goes well beyond the deliberately misleading stories and factual errors about the war that have appeared in outlets such as the Washington Post. As Zach Kessel and Ari Blaff outlined in National Review, in a deep dive of the Post’s coverage of the Israel–Hamas war, the newspaper “has been a case study in moral confusion and anti-Israel bias” and has “violated traditional journalistic principles that have shaped coverage of foreign conflicts by American newsrooms for decades.”
Similarly, a recent story in the Free Press by Uri Berliner, a long-time editor and reporter at National Public Radio, described how NPR “approached the Israel-Hamas war and its spillover onto streets and campuses through the ‘intersectional’ lens that has jumped from the faculty lounge to newsrooms,” which meant “highlighting the suffering of Palestinians at almost every turn while downplaying the atrocities of October 7, overlooking how Hamas intentionally puts Palestinian civilians in peril, and giving little weight to the explosion of antisemitic hate around the world.”
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"How a child custody battle becomes an extension of coercive control.
Post-separation control is a form of abuse used by abusive men to exercise control over the woman after the marriage or relationship has ended. It is embedded in a power and control cycle.
Control tactics can include dragging women through expensive litigation, harassment during visitation, gas lighting, legal silencing, isolation, and using children to harass. child contact provides coercive control-perpetrating fathers with opportunities to continue their abuse of children and ex-partners."
Pdf: When Coercive Control Continues to Harm Children: Post-Separation Fathering, Stalking and Domestic Violence
Pdf: The System Had Choked Me Too
If this sounds familiar, it's because a version of this happened to Amber Heard.
This is a tactic that is almost exclusively used by men to punish and entrap women.
#domestic abuse and violence#radblr#radfems#feminist#radfem#radfems please interact#feminism#radical feminist#ipv#intimate partner violence
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By: Gerald Posner
Published: Mar 4, 2024
Newly leaked files from the world’s leading transgender health-care organization reveal it is pushing hormonal and surgical transitions for minors, including stomach-wrenching experimental procedures designed to create sexless bodies that resemble department-store mannequins.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health documents demonstrate it’s controlled by gender ideologues who push aside concerns about whether children and adolescents can consent to medical treatments that WPATH members privately acknowledge often have devastating and permanent side effects.
Yet the US government, American doctors and prominent organizations nonetheless rely on WPATH guidelines for advice on treating our youth.
The files — jaw-dropping conversations from a WPATH internal messaging board and a video of an Identity Evolution Workshop panel — were provided to journalist Michael Shellenberger, who shared the documents with me.
Shellenberger’s nonprofit Environmental Progress will release a scathing summary report, comparing the WPATH promotion of “the pseudoscientific surgical destruction of healthy genitals in vulnerable people” to the mid-20th-century use of lobotomies, “the pseudoscientific surgical destruction of healthy brains.”
‘Arbitrary’ age limits
The comparison to one of history’s greatest medical scandals is not hyperbole.
It is particularly true, as the files show repeatedly, when it involves WPATH’s radical approach to minors.
When the organization adopted in 2022 its current Standards of Care — relied on by the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization and every major American medical and psychiatric association — it scrapped a draft chapter about ethics and removed minimum-age requirements for children starting puberty blockers or undergoing sexual-modification surgeries.
It had previously recommended 16 to start hormones and 17 for surgery.
Not surprisingly, age comes up frequently in the WPATH files, from concerns about whether a developmentally delayed 13-year-old can start on puberty blockers to whether the growth of a 10-year-old girl will be stunted by hormones.
During one conversation, a member asked for advice about a 14-year-old patient, a boy who identified as a girl and had begun transitioning at 4.
The child insisted on a vaginoplasty, a surgery that removes the penis, testicles and scrotum and repositions tissue to create a nonfunctioning pseudo-vagina. It requires a lifetime of dilation. Was he too young at 14?
Marci Bowers, WPATH’s president and a California-based pelvic and gynecologic surgeon who is herself transgender, said she considered any age limit “arbitrary.”
But she would not do it. Why?
“The tissue is too immature, dilation routine too critical.”
In lay terms, that means boys who are too young do not have enough penal tissue for the surgery and the surgeon must harvest intestinal lining to build the faux vagina. Even Bowers admits that can lead to “problematic surgical outcomes.”
She would know since she has performed more than 2,000 vaginoplasties. Her highest-profile patient is 17-year-old Jazz Jennings, the transgender star of reality TV show “I Am Jazz.”
Three corrective surgeries were required to fix problems from the original vaginoplasty.
“She had a very difficult surgical course,” Bowers admitted in a 2022 appearance on the show. “We knew it would be tough — it turned out tougher than any of us imagined.”
Still, Bowers told her colleagues in the internal discussion forum of the best age for an adolescent to undergo surgery: “sometime before the end of high school does make some sense in that they are under the watch of parents in the home they grew up in.”
Christine McGinn, a Pennsylvania plastic surgeon and herself transgender, agreed. McGinn has performed “about 20 vaginoplasties in patients under 18” and thinks the “ideal time in the U.S. is surgery the summer before the last year of high school. I have heard many other surgeons echo this.”
Waiting until teens are older than 18 and in college is problematic, she said: “there are too many stressors in college that limit patients’ ability to dilate.”
Dangers downplayed
WPATH assures patients that surgical and hormonal interventions are tested and safe. It is a different matter in private.
President Bowers, for instance, said publicly in 2022 that puberty blockers are “completely reversible,” although in the internal forum she conceded it is “in its infancy.”
What about children who are infertile for life since they started hormone blockers before they reached puberty?
Bowers told her colleagues the “fertility question has no research.”
At other stages, members talk frankly about the complications for the transition surgery for girls, a phalloplasty in which a nonfunctioning pseudo-penis is fashioned from either forearm or thigh tissue.
It requires a full hysterectomy and surgical removal of the vagina. They also discuss other serious consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease, vaginal atrophy, abnormal pap tests and incontinence.
A 16-year-old girl who had been on puberty blockers for several years before she was put on testosterone for a year had developed two liver tumors that an oncologist concluded the hormones had caused. Another member described “a young patient on testosterone for 3 years” who had developed “vaginal/pelvic pain/spotting . . . [and] atrophy with the persistent yellow discharge.”
Several colleagues described patients with similar conditions, some with debilitating bowel problems or bleeding and excruciating pain during sex (“feeling like broken glass”).
Vaginal estrogen creams and moisturizers as well as hyaluronic acid suppositories “can be helpful.”
One WPATH member seemed surprised: “The transgender people under my surveillance do not complain about this matter. However, I confess that I have never asked them about it.”
Rise of ‘de-gender’ surgery
The litany of transition surgery’s side effects did not stop WPATH from endorsing far more radical “nullification” surgeries for patients who do not feel either male or female and identify only as nonbinary.
Several dozen so-called “de-gendering” surgeries are designed to create a sexless, smooth cosmetic appearance that is unknown in nature. There is even an experimental “bi-genital” surgery that attempts to construct a second set of genitals.
In 2017, when tabloids reported a 22-year-old man had spent $50,000 to surgically remove his sex organs so he could “transform into a genderless extra-terrestrial,” it seemed a one-off oddity.
But WPATH has enshrined that concept in its Standard of Care — the same document in which the group endorsed for the time first time chemical or surgical castration for patients who identify as eunuchs. (WPATH even linked to the Eunuch Archives, where men anonymously share castration fetishes.)
These science-fiction-like surgeries are not only reserved for adults.
“How do we come up with appropriate standards for non-binary patients?” asked Thomas Satterwhite, a San Francisco-based plastic surgeon who has operated on dozens of patients younger than 18 since 2014. “I’ve found more and more patients recently requesting ‘non-standard’ procedures.”
What are nonstandard procedures? They include “non-binary top surgery,” a mastectomy without nipples. There are brutal procedures for girls that eliminate all or part of the vagina and for boys that amputate the penis, scrotum and testicles.
The goal, as one San Francisco surgical clinic proclaims on its website, “is a smooth, neutral body that is cosmetically free of sexual identification.” On TikTok the trend is called a “flat front.”
‘Too young to understand‘
A particularly intense subject of discussion was whether minors could understand the lifelong consequences of their gender treatments. Minors are presumed by law to be incapable of making an informed decision about having a vasectomy or tubal ligation.
Gender surgeries are an exception, however.
WPATH’s Standard of Care allows all procedures so long as the minor “demonstrates the emotional and cognitive maturity required to provide informed consent/assent for the treatment.”
In a May 2022 internal workshop, “Identity Evolution,” WPATH members conceded that was all but impossible.
Daniel Metzger, the British Columbia endocrinologist who cowrote the Canadian Pediatric Society’s position paper on health care for trans minors, said, “I think the thing you have to remember about kids is that we’re often explaining these sorts of things to people who haven’t even had biology in high school yet.”
Metzger noted adolescents are incapable of appreciating the lifelong consequence of infertility. “It’s always a good theory that you talk about fertility preservation with a 14-year-old,” he said, “but I know I’m talking to a blank wall. They’d be like, ‘ew, kids, babies, gross.’ Or, the usual answer is, ‘I’m just going to adopt.’ And then you ask them, ‘Well, what does that involve? Like, how much does it cost?’ ‘Oh, I thought you just like went to the orphanage, and they gave you a baby.’ . . . I think now that I follow a lot of kids into their mid-twenties, I’m always like, ‘Oh, the dog isn’t doing it for you, right?’”
There is extensive research showing adolescent brains are wired to have little control over rash behavior and are not capable of grasping the magnitude of decisions with lifelong consequences. It is why society doesn’t allow teens to get tattoos or buy guns. Car-rental agencies set 25 as the minimum age for renting a car, and Sweden sets the same limit for deciding on sterilization.
Detransitioners ignored, shunned
Although many WPATH members privately doubt that adolescents can give truly informed consent to life-altering procedures, they must affirm whatever children say about their gender.
Unless, the WPATH files disclose, the patient wants to reverse course and become a so-called detransitioner.
WPATH members mostly dismiss those cases as insignificant or overblown by the media and question whether minors who want to revert to their birth sex really understand what they are doing.
It’s a question that would never be asked for minors who declared themselves to be gender dysphoric.
One case involved a 17-year-old boy, just graduated from high school, who had been on testosterone for two years. He was reported to be “very distraught and angry. He reports he feels he was brainwashed and is upset by the permanent changes to his body.”
A self-described “queer therapist” did not believe any young person could be brainwashed. “In my experience, those stories come from people who have an active agenda against the rights of trans people.”
WPATH President Bowers said that “I do see talk of the phenomenon [detransitioners] as distracting from the many challenges we face.”
‘Frankenstein files’
The leaked files put a spotlight on the danger of mixing ideological activism with medicine and science. They should serve as an urgent wakeup call for the medical associations and government agencies that rely on WPATH guidance for transgender health.
The files might even prompt investigations into how those with distorted personal agendas seized control of the organization at the expense of science and patients.
Investigating what has gone wrong at WPATH might prove uncomfortable for some gender progressives in the Biden administration, none more so than Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health. Levine, the first transgender four-star military officer, is a WPATH member and has lavished praise on the organization.
She says it “assesses the full state of the science and provides substantive, rigorously analyzed, peer-reviewed recommendations to the medical community on how best to care for patients who are transgender or gender non-binary. It is free of any agenda other than to ensure that medical decisions are informed by science.”
Either Levine is unaware of the hormonal and surgical experimentation the group promotes or refuses to acknowledge it.
“The Frankenstein files.”
That is how a pediatrician described the leaked documents after I shared them with her.
Unfortunately, this is no horror novel.
It is a medical travesty playing out in real time, and the casualties are our children.
#Gerald Posner#Michael Shellenberger#WPATH#World Professional Association for Transgender Health#Mia Hughes#WPATH Files#The WPATH Files#medical corruption#medical malpractice#medical scandal#unethical#gender ideology#gender identity ideology#queer theory#first do no harm#religion is a mental illness
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November fluff prompt 22: clean clothes, good food, warm bed
Chris trudged through his bedroom door, leaving Una to putter around the kitchen. The ship was safe and Zac was in custody, so he and Joseph had ordered each other to eight hours off duty.
A clean set of comfortable clothes was laid out for him on the bed. Una hummed to herself in the kitchen, and Chris spared a small, private smile before heading to the sonic shower.
“Five minutes,” Una said when he emerged from the shower, pleasantly soft and sleepy.
“What are you making?” Chris wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Just heating up leftover soup.” Una stirred the pot, and her limbs were heavy with her own long day. She had insisted that his night in a cage outdid her night of confusion, and she’d had time to take care of herself before they had been able to pick up the away team.
“I missed you,” Chris said quietly, and Una’s spoon went still. She tilted her head against his and sighed.
“You didn’t remember me.” She was teasing; Chris could see the edge of her smile. But he still shook his head and pressed a kiss to her neck, tightening his arms around her.
“I still missed you.” She turned her head slightly, eyebrow cocked. “I knew there was someone out there I had to get back to. La’an felt it too.” He kissed her again and rested his forehead on her neck. “We were lost without you.”
“You managed,” Una said lightly. Her body had tensed at La’an’s name, and Chris didn’t push it. Christine had all but thrown them both out of sickbay to give La’an time to rest. She would be okay, but it had been as difficult as ever to see their daughter lying injured in a bio bed.
Una dipped her pinky in the soup and stuck it in her mouth. “Soup’s ready.”
Chris carried their bowls to the table and Una took the silverware and drinks. The soup was nothing special, but it was warm and well-seasoned, and it settled as a sleepy weight in Chris’s belly.
“I’ve got some reports to go over, how about you go to bed.” Una cleared the table before Chris could protest, seemingly with every intention of settling down with the progress reports from all over the ship.
“Una.” Chris followed her to the kitchen and caught her by the wrist. He tilted his head toward the bedroom and tugged her towards him. “We both need rest.”
“I’m fine, go ahead.”
“Number One, I order you to come to bed.” Una rolled her eyes.
“I could have you investigated for that,” she said, and let Chris lead her to the bedroom. “Harassment.”
“Una Chin-Riley, love of my life and my wife of twenty years, will you please come to bed with me?” That drew a laugh from her, and she crawled into bed beside him.
They gravitated to each other. Spending a night or two apart wouldn’t normally be an issue, especially considering they had gone months without seeing each other when on different assignments. But Chris felt like he hadn’t held her in ages, and her head on his chest told him she felt the same.
Chris pulled the blanket up Una’s chin and surrendered to her warmth.
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3 minute read
More than 10,000 women escaping domestic abuse across England were refused safe housing last year, amid warnings that many could be left homeless or driven back to dangerous partners as a result of a “woeful” lack of safe accommodation.
Official figures seen by the Observer found that almost 8,000 households referred to a safe accommodation service did not receive support because there was no capacity. A further 3,000 were denied places because the shelter “could not meet the needs of the household”, with figures suggesting this was often due to mental health issues, drug and alcohol use or disability.
The concerning figures emerge in the first report by a group set up to monitor progress under landmark laws designed to protect victims of domestic abuse and improve their access to help. Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said it was now “vital that service capacity is strengthened”.
Jess Phillips, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic violence, said the figures were “a clear indicator that more needs to be done”, and that legal duties to provide help for those escaping violence were not yet being fulfilled. “The government must produce a clear plan on their response to the amount of victims turned away and clarity on the standards expected of safe accommodation,” she said.
“Sadly too many of those who are being housed are absolutely not in specialist safe, secure, supportive accommodation, but instead in unregulated sometimes dangerous accommodation. The government should not crow about how much they claim to be doing in this space while the data still looks so woeful.”
The figures were published in the first annual progress report from the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group, which was set up to monitor how councils are meeting their duties under the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021. While the steering group did not analyse the gender of those who were refused support, 97% of the adults who were able to secure safe housing were women.
The figures for households whose referrals were rejected may include some who later found support elsewhere. However, the figures exclude people who were not referred to safe accommodation in the first place because their council knew there was nowhere available for them.
“Anyone who’s facing domestic abuse and who is not assisted to enter safe accommodation is at such huge risk. The consequences are that they’re exploited and abused on the streets, or they are driven back in an abusive relationship,” said Hannana Siddiqui, head of policy, campaigns and research at the women’s rights group Southall Black Sisters. “If they’re not provided with proper housing and support for themselves and their children, then what choices have they got left? A lot of them are very low income or no income.”
Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for women and equalities, said: “Women’s aid organisations across the country have been ringing alarm bells for far too long that the government has been failing to provide the vital funding they need. This report highlights the inner failings of the treatment of victims of domestic abuse, and the government should now match their warm words about supporting survivors with the funding for more refuge spaces.”
The report also highlighted a lack of specialist provision for ethnic minority, disabled, LGBTQ+ and male domestic abuse victims, as well as those needing mental health or drug and alcohol support.
There is also a dearth of places that will accept migrants unable to claim state support. Leni Morris, chief executive of the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop, said: “We see LGBT+ victims of abuse having to choose between staying in dangerous abusive situations or risking street homelessness. We often spend days trying to find accommodation for people we work with – sometimes for that person to arrive at that refuge space and face homophobia or transphobia from other residents and have to flee again.”
Sophie Francis-Cansfield, public affairs manager at Women’s Aid, said: “We share concerns about the number of instances highlighted in this report where a survivor is turned away from a service due to capacity. We know it’s not only refuges struggling to keep doors open, but also counselling, resettlement advice and services for children due to the lack of funding for these vital services.”
The progress report said at least 36,545 adults and children were supported in commissioned safe accommodation services, but data issues mean the true figure will be higher. A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “It is absolutely critical that victims of domestic abuse get support, especially when they are in housing need. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 placed a duty upon councils to provide safe accommodation, and we have been clear they must consider the specific needs of all victims.
“Since April 2021, we have provided £250m to councils across England to make sure safe accommodation spaces, such as refuges, can provide victims with support services including counselling and therapy, children support and advocacy support to access healthcare, social workers and benefits. We have committed a further £257m in funding for the delivery of these duties over the next two years.”
• In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
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PotO Italy (Trieste) review - Act 2
We did enter the intermission with high spirits: All I Ask of You did get us interested and on board, and despite some disappointing or confusing choices the first act was overall enjoyable. The solid vocal and acting performances surely didn't hurt, either.
No pictures this time since I'm at work and can't access Instagram, I'll add them later if I remember. You can find the review for Act 1 here.
The same disclaimer applies: I have not seen other replica productions in full, only pictures, but I have seen the West End production in March. I do consider using Broadway/West End/replica productions as the one and true standard to judge non-replicas unfair in general, but I think it's fair to use them as a comparison to try and understand how these changes affect character dynamics and stuff like that, and to help in trying to understand the reasoning behind the choices made.
My visual memory is VERY poor, so if you've seen the show too and notice I remember something wrong please tell me so I can correct it! Also this is a long post, so please consider how much you want to scroll before clicking the read more.
MASQUERADE/WHY SO SILENT
There are a couple of videos of Masquerade floating around, so I believe everyone interested in this specific scene already has seen them. I have to say that the videos and pictures do not capture just how a light, peaceful and joyous moment it is.
After ending Act 1 with ominous red lighting and a lot of sharp shadows, Act 2 opens with a soft diffused light, slightly yellow as to mimic sunlight. In the beginning they turned on the little constellation lights in the ceilings, and it was absolutely beautiful! Then as the song progressed the lighting got a bit stronger and they also used some of the seating are alights, to create this impression of the stage being bigger and almost overflowing towards the audience. For a split second, it did feel as if we too were part of what was going on on stage.
The scene opens as always with Firmin and André covered by cloaks and recognizing each other. André is wearing a regular fancy suit, and Firmin reveals a super poofy and VERY pink dress. I knew about this going in and tried to keep my opinion neutral, I'm happy to report it's not played for laughs beyond the initial reveal (you REALLY do not expect that after seeing André is dressed in a fancy but uncreative way), it really feels as if Firmin thought "Hmmm a fancy dress party, I don't see why I should not wear a nice, pink, huge dress!" and that's it.
The ensemble is dressed in what look like Venetian masks inspired costumes and they get on stage dancing with similarly attired mannequins. The effect is very nice and just the right amount of creepy, the mannequins move very smoothly so at times you really can't tell which figures are actors and which ones are mannequins.
At one point the sea of masks parts and the named characters appear. Madame Giry is dressed in her usual black dress, Meg is dressed like the music box's monkey, and Piangi, Carlotta, Raoul and Christine are dressed in "regular" elegant clothes. I can confirm Christine's dress is white, it looks pale yellow at times due to the lighting being warm for most of the scene. Christine's dress is actually pretty nice from what I could see, especially the lovely, decorated train. I have not checked but it could also be pretty historically accurate in general! Also, it moves beautifully when Christine is picked up by Raoul, I'm not sold on it being white but
There is a moment where Raoul and Christine are alone on the stage, golden confetti start pouring down from the ceiling and it looks extremely pretty, then you see that the ensemble didn't just leave the stage but spilt over into the galleries and near the orchestra pit! Between this and the lighting effects, it does look like the aim of this scene was easing the audience back into the "theatre world" after intermission, if so it does work quite well.
My one complaint is that the second half of Masquerade sounds very slow and I can't figure out why? For the title song getting sped up I do at least have other elements that help guess why, but here I'm completely stumped and it's driving me crazy!
The atmosphere in the scene is extremely relaxed and airy, so the sudden mood change at the Red Death's arrival is very jarring in a good way. I won't lie, I do miss the "traditional" costume, but considering how complex and time-consuming it must be to create and maintain, I do understand why they opted for a simpler solution.
So, the Red Death is just a red, formless cloak holding the huge Don Juan Triumphant manuscript. I actually liked it, it did remind me of the way Death or Destiny/Fate are often represented in illustrations, and it looks like the cloak is made in a velvet-like fabric that made the red even more intense and blood-like. The slow, ominous advance is still very effective and creepy, and when the ensemble falls over the figure only to reveal the cloak is empty it's a nice moment of old-fashioned stage magic.
But wait, Christine is not on stage, so what about the final verse? It turns out Christine was still in the audience, nearby the orchestra pit, made invisible by darkness and our attention being elsewhere. Then she gets suddenly illuminated and we see that the Phantom is actually standing beside her, he says the "your chains are still mine/You will sing for me!" lines, all very effective. I like this staging because it does make you feel that Christine's safety was all just an illusion, the Phantom can get near her whenever he likes and his illusions and tricks make him hard to stop. It makes it more believable that Christine is later willing to put herself at risk to make it all stop despite the huge emotional toll it takes on her, because we are shown just how Raoul could not help her here even if he wanted, despite his promise and willingness to protect her.
The second complaint I have about this scene is that at the very end you can clearly see and hear the Phantom just... running away from Christine and into the wings, which ruins the overall effect a bit. If they find a way to make him disappear more gracefully, then it'd be a perfect way to end the scene.
There's the interlude between Madame Giry and Raoul, and oh boy is Raoul PISSED. Other people have already commented that he doesn't play a super sweet, naive Raoul, but rather a more serious and mature one, and it's nice to see how Bradley portrays him as capable of great tenderness but also of having a spine. He's not politely requesting or pleading with Madame Giry, he's commanding it. This lady is withholding information that could be used to make Christine's life less scary and he won't allow it!
It's not my favourite portrayal of all time, but it fits well with the overall mood and themes and makes for a more tridimensional Raoul which is good in my opinion.
NOTES II/TWISTED EVERY WAY
This scene is set in the same way as Notes I, but since the mood is quite different I found that it being kinda showed in half of the stage wasn't as much of a problem. The stage set is once again angled to create a wall of the managers' office, but this time it gets used as Christine, more and more overwhelmed, leans against it in a dramatic fashion.
A couple of things I noticed: André does a long-ish pause after the first "But why not?" as if he needs a second or two to realize that something's wrong with Christine's refusal, it's a nice touch. Christine starts having her breakdown when everyone is asking her questions, Raoul gets all protective, and when he sings "They can't make you" he's GLARING at the others and physically putting himself between them and Christine (you can hear the quiet menace in his voice perfectly in the audio I took, it's amazing how much emotions Bradley puts in that line). Carlotta has a dark orange dress, which I like less than her green one in Notes I but it would be pretty with a bit more texture, chile Christine is wearing a cute green dress (the colour is a bit of a mix between sage and mint green, similar to the cloak she wears in Wishing).
After the Phantom's letter has been read (Madame GIry keeps silently mouthing the words throughout), Christine says "I can't. I won't do it" in a frankly panicked but determined tone (I don't remember if it's something in the current West End version, but I don't have it on my Original London Cast CD). It's pretty clear during the scene that what happened to the end of Masquerade shook her to the core, and now everything that reminds her of the Phantom or, worse, having to face him directly is a big trigger for her. Amelia has some truly great anguished and conflicted expressions in this scene.
The next part has some nice details: one of the managers (I don't remember who, sorry) bangs his hand on the table during the "We make certain our men are there!" verse, Raoul flips through the Don Juan Triumphant manuscript trying to find something to be used against the Phantom, and there is another perfectly timed longer pause before Raoul, André and Firmin ask Madame Giry to help them during which the three men exchange a meaningful look. Just before Madame Giry's cry of "Madness" turns the attention on her, Carlotta can be seen approaching a very strained Christine and opening her mouth as if to speak to her in a more regular, non-diva way, but then she gets interrupted and nothing comes of it.
Thanks to the way AIAOY has been changed, Raoul's bits in Twisted Every Way sound very sincere and not manipulative as sometimes they risk doing. His change of heart clearly comes 100% from realizing that this is a dangerous plan but Christine clearly can't be happy or even just serene knowing the person she rightfully fears can get to her whenever he wants. Christine's "I know I can't refuse" is truly heartbreaking, there's a sharp, painful intonation that really makes you feel her desperation and how trapped she must feel in this moment.
SITZPROBE
This one plays pretty close to what you can expect, there's not much that can be changed. BUT! Do you remember that Reyer is never seen? In this scene the piano is turned so you don't see him, apart from an admonishing hand when Piangi keeps missing his note. So when the creepy music starts and the piano turns revealing there's no longer anyone behind it, and it's playing on its own... let me tell you, it felt pretty chilling even knowing that the moment was coming!
WISHING YOU WERE SOMEHOW HERE AGAIN
Ok, this and Wandering Child are the scenes in Act 2 that need some work to be more than a vehicle for some nice singing.
Christine is wearing a mint green cloak with sleeves, I don't hate it BUT the sleeves make it bulky and a bit goofy at times. I think a sleeveless cloak works better for this scene since it allows for some more dramatic swishing and looks more elegant, but the one used is serviceable. Oh, no red scarf, but Christine has a red rose she puts...where?
The big issue here is that this scene is painfully empty, there's a projection of silhouettes of tombstones in the background but otherwise, there is NOTHING. Now, listen, I'm not a fan of the giant sarcophagus used in the West End, but having some tasteful fake tombstones, some weeping angels, etc., would go a long way to add visual interest to the scene and make it clearer that Christine is paying homage to her dead father, instead of just leaving a rose on the ground seemingly at random. Have her father's tomb be decorated with, say, an angel playing a musical instrument, maybe a violin, and you're set! and this would also be useful in the next song, so it's a 2x1 deal! Also, it would be nice to see this specific production lean into this scene's gothic aesthetic.
Vocally, as I said elsewhere, Amelia Milo's voice could use a bit more strength but she's not bad at all, and she does put a lot of emotion into the song. She starts mournful, but quickly ramps up the energy and you can really feel that this Christine is so ready to stop clinging to the past and face the future, a new life, that will be different from the one she knew but can make her just as happy if not more.
WANDERING CHILD/BRAVO, MONSIEUR
Ok, we have to talk about the angel wings. I tried to avoid this as long as possible, but the moment has arrived.
Why why why WHY does the Phantom hover while sporting a pair of black angel wings.
I suspect this... thing happens because there are no pyrotechnics in the scene. The use of flames, sparks and the likes in performances is STRICTLY regulated in Italy, especially in indoor venues, so I think these were added to have the Phantom do something "cool" in the scene instead of using the skull cane spray sparks everywhere.
The issue is, they are so random and don't fit the aesthetic of the rest of the musical at all! I would LOVE if there was a suggestion of wings: the Phantom appearing in front of an angel statue, or the wings being a shadow, so you're left wondering if this is Christine's suggestion showing itself to us. As it is now, it is something that throws you out of the show's immersion and that's the second worst crime a musical can commit in my eyes (the first one is being boring).
And another thing is, it is a nice effect, and it works well, I can see it fitting in nicely if they went in a different direction when it comes to themes and overall aesthetic. It's not bad per se, it's just misplaced.
The start of the scene, before the wings appear, isn't bad. Apart from still being empty, the fact that Christine is in a confused emotional state due to the stuff that happened between the end of Masquerade and now and so she falls again under the Phantom's influence is made quite clear, she even falls on her knees similarly to how she did in The Mirror. But then the wings come out, the Phantom starts to hover, Raoul arrives and everything gets confused. I admit I really don't know if something happened and I missed it, or if I was just confused by the scene in general. you could even tell the audience's applause sounded a bit uncertain.
So yeah, that's two other scenes that will need a bit of work to be made good. Luckily Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again just needs a proper background, and that in turn can help a bit with Wandering Child.
DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT/THE POINT OF NO RETURN
There are some interesting changes in this one, so first let's get the small stuff out of the way.
There is only one "Secure!" being shouted, and while there is the usual Phantom's projected voice effect you can tell that it's achieved differently since there are no speakers scattered across the theatre. The second one is a technical limitation so it's understandable and it's still cool, just a bit less impressive, but having 2-3 "Secure!" coming from the main doors is a very cool effect that I absolutely loved in London, it helps so much with the immersion and I wish they'd kept it. Also, the sharpshooter is not in the orchestra pit, but rather in one of the other boxes of the prop stage, which makes sense given the staging.
Sooo, let's get to the Don Juan Triumphant bit and the infamous cloak. First of all, I want to make clear that I've never been 100% on board with the classic disguise. It always looked to me out of place in the play-within-a-play, it is definitely something that the Phantom would use in the "real" world, but clashes with the clothing of the other characters we see in DJT and doesn't really make sense if you assume that Aminta is expecting yes a secret meeting, but not to be deceived. One could argue that the Phantom insisted the costume be this way, but then this would be suspicious and I'd find it strange that no one suspected it would be needed for something. So, in short, I don't dislike the classic costume but I don't really love it either because it's clear it's a costume made for us, the real audience, instead of the fictional audience/play.
I don't love the hat+cloak combo, either, but it makes sense in the way the scene is set. The atmosphere is quite convivial, the ensemble is not only setting the table but some folks (Passarino included) are sitting at it, it looks like they all just finished conspiring and laying the plot. The costumes aren't super elaborate, but I think they worked well in conveying that in the scene there are folks of different social extraction and ways of life.
Passarino's hat and cloak work well to signify that he's a dashing young man, yes, but he's also a working servant: these are believable attire for someone who has to travel or spend time outside, they do tell you something about this character that we see for a handful of seconds, but if we were watching the actual play it would be important to get a nuanced portray of the character!
So yeah, while I don't love this costume? It does look like something made for the play-within-the-play, not something made for PotO, if this makes sense. I do have some issues with the colour, it does work well with Aminta's red and white and it's an ochre yellow that does photograph horribly but isn't too bad in person. And yes, it's very wide and in a stiffer fabric than the classic cloak so it looks clumsier when the Phantom is standing still, but it looks fine when he's moving. Maybe making it in black and a lighter fabric could work, I'd personally love for it to be a dark red similar to Red Death's cloak but then it would be too similar in tone to Aminta's dress (where the red or pink paired with the white is Symbolyc and thus important).
So, yeah, it's not the best, it is a bit weird at first if you're used to the classic black cloak, but it makes so much sense if you consider this is a costume diegetic to the DJT play! Aminta's dress is also simple, a bit of a "generic young country girl", but it has a silhouette that's quite flattering on Amelia and it does its job of representing the young, innocent girl ready to embrace passion etc.
Ok, I think that's enough words spent talking about something that's not the actual music and singing of this piece! The Point of no Return starts sung by Paingi up until "You've decided, decided", then the Phantom takes over and Ramin does his "singing imitating Piangi's accent" thing for a while, before dropping it. I saw people complaining about this, it looks like during the first night the switch was a bit later, but as it is now it works. I think it could be improved by making the change a bit more gradual as it is for the various notes. I did see a lady that was clearly at her first viewing of the show making an "Oh!" surprised face when the voice change happened, so I think it works especially well for first-timers that don't know what will happen, but only that something is bound to happen.
Please don't ask me to tell you stuff about the blocking because I was distracted by everything going on to really take note of it beyond lots of touching, very sensual vibes overall, and a nice bit of leg from Christine at one point. A notable difference is that Christine does realize what's going on only at the end of the song. I do like the timing because it matches with the last "We passed the point of no return" and the music's shift. The song doesn't end abruptly because the Phantom has been unmasked, but quietly and sadly because now Christine knows and the Phantom has to choose what to do. And the Phantom chooses to reveal himself to her (not the unmasking, just taking off the hat).
Raoul jumps onstage, along with the police officer, and Christine moves in order to protect the Phantom. She's clearly terrified but still doesn't want to see him shot dead. What follows is, simply put, one of the saddest All I Ask of You reprises I've ever heard or watched.
I always kinda wondered, what exactly is the Phantom's aim here? Does he just want to share the stage with her? Does he plan to kidnap her again? Does he believe that if only Christine sees the (creepy) opera he's written for her and sings the (creepy) longing song he's written she'll just fall for him as if nothing ever happened? Does he have a plan at all?
I am happy to report that in this staging there is one, simple reply: this Phantom is utterly, completely broken. His music is no longer enough, he needs/wants his music AND Christine to perform him. He wants her to see him, to acknowledge him, yes she does recognize him first in the scene, but he still has the chance to just get out of there. Instead, he reveals himself because he so desperately hopes, against all odds, that singing again together with Cristine the music he composed for her will have changed her mind, made her see how much he cares, made her feel how he feels for her etc. It was honestly a heartbreaking moment to witness, but yeah reading "the Phantom reveals himself at the end of PonR" and seeing it in context is VERY different.
The impression I got is that the Phantom spent six months spiralling into depression and THIS is the best he could come up with to try and make Christine speak to him again. He's desperate, and he knows it. You can feel it in his voice, you can see it in the way he's calm, almost resigned until the unmasking. For him, it all boils down to Christine's reply, to her accepting him or not. I don't think he's even stopped to consider what to do after she replies because that will be such a defining, world-changing moment. and I think that just for a moment the Phantom allows himself hope, the tiniest bit of it. Christine is clearly scared to death, but she's not running away. She's even protecting him, in a way. And then she unmasks him.
DOWN ONCE MORE/TRACK DOWN THIS MURDERER
The gondola does not disappear in the wings, so there's no quick change and Christine is in her AMinta dress. The Phantom does give her the veil, putting it on her head when he sees she's not doing it herself, and gives her what looks like a wedding dress but Christine is understandably thinking about her current predicament and when the Phantom sees she does not intend to wear it he just tosses it away and gives her the bouquet instead. I do like that there's no implication of Christine being forced to change, and it does keep intact the fact that the Phantom did have a wedding dress, veil and bouquet prepared for her.
When singing "A mask, my first unfeeling scrap of clothing" Ramin raised a hand to touch the disfigured side in a way that is just heartbreaking. I know I'm using this word a lot, but I feel it's true for this portrayal: a very physical Phantom with a lot of self-loathing, a lot of repressed emotions that get directed inwards with no way or no one to help express them, accompanied by the occasional outburst when they get simply too much to be repressed any longer. Isolated and emotionally stunted is the name of the game here, but in a way that makes you see just how deprived of regular socialization and company he was during his life.
Another interesting thing I noticed is that when Christine sang "It's in your soul that the true distortion lies", in the split second before noticing Raoul's arrival the Phantom raised a hand and was starting to reply to Christine, and I'd really, really like to know how he'd try to get himself out of that one! It was a blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it moment, but I found it interesting that this Phantom's reaction to Christine's accusation was not dismay or anger, but rather trying to talk it out.
Then our boy Raoul appears in all his damp, well-toned and bare-chested glory! Bradley Jaden is quite ripped, I think by now we've all seen the pictures, and let me tell you they do not do him justice. He's also barefoot, and he stumbles on the scene while very convincingly gasping after the swim in the underground lake.
The suspenders are still on because they are clearly used when he gets hanged by the Phantom, since in this scene he is literally hanging, his feet a good 50 cm or so from the ground. My guess is that the "Y" part of the suspenders on the back latches onto some kind of support built into the Phantom's bedframe to take pressure off the neck or something like that. It still looks extremely uncomfortable, and Bradley was clearly tensing a lot of muscles to maintain the position. So yeah, apart from the eye candy, it looks like a challenging thing to do while you're also singing and acting. I still have no explanation for why they did this instead of dampening his shirt, I guess they took a good look at Bradley Jaden's pecs and thought "Oh people will love that!" and asked him if he minded spending the last 10 minutes onstage half naked? I really don't know.
Raoul was convincingly rational (as much as possible) in this scene, he did get angry but it was also clear he was trying to keep his cool and reason if possible because his #1 priority was: to help Christine get out of there. And I think this creates a beautiful dynamic in this scene, where Christine starts angry and scared but then sees that Raoul is trying to keep his promise and jumped into a freezing lake to reach her and be at her side despite the danger. And this in turn gives her the strength to face her fear, which is now not just hypothetical but becoming very real, and find the will she needs to save Raoul in turn. They can save each other because they have built a reciprocal trust and do actively support each other during most of the second act.
Unfortunately, there is the choking. For those who don't know what I'm referring to, when Raoul comes in Christine tries to run to him and the Phantom stops her, and ends up choking her a bit before realizing what he's doing and letting her go. I really didn't like it in this instance. I think there are some actors that can make it work if they play a very aggressive, wounded Phantom that lashes out at the world, but I am having trouble fitting it in this portrayal where his negative emotions are clearly almost all directed inwards and where the Phantom tends to be quite gentle with Christine. Also, not only is he a murderer (twice), kidnapper, damaged property, and maybe kinda drugged Christine, but he's also physically abusive. Cool cool cool. I'd rather like it if they removed it.
When the Phantom realizes what he's doing he immediately lets Christine go (at least) and Christine tries to run to Raoul's side but he gets hanged by the Phantom. Christine gets PISSED in this version, while the Phantom is a bit more on the cooler, controlled side, and Raoul seems to sincerely regret his actions since they only made the situation worse. I have to say that even despite the distracting shirtlessness of Raoul, having him actually hanging instead of just… being mildly inconvenienced by a noose clearly big enough for his head to pass through does make it all a bit more believable. I do buy that this guy is really in a situation where he can't free himself.
I also really liked the "Angel of music, you deceived me /I gave my mind blindly" delivery: it's not angry but rather deeply mournful and regretful, since now it's Christine's turn to realize that her trust in the Angel of Music because of her clinging desperately to any scrap of her father's presence/memory is what led to all of this. In a way, this version underscores Christine's growth as she tries to become her own person without the influences of her father or of the Phantom guiding but also limiting her, it's one of the main themes and I liked how her realization is delivered here connects it clearly to All I Ask of You and Wandering Child conceptually.
So the big moment, the choice, arrives. In the preceding moments Raoul struggled even more frantically and now is losing consciousness, so when the Phantom delivers his ultimatum (a very weary, exhausted ultimatum) Christine just looks at Raoul one last time (she thinks) and this gives her the strength to decide and act.
After the kiss, the way the Phantom stands still for a while before sloooowly walking to Raoul and cutting the lasso is… I don't really know how to explain it. You take all the defeat, resignation and brokenness of when he revealed himself to Christine at the end of PonR and double or triple them, then add in all the self-loathing he displayed during the rest of the musical. He does now realize with crystal clear certainty that he'll never, ever have what he wants in the way he wants it, and this time he can't blame the world but only himself and his actions. He's beyond broke, beyond everything really. Weary and with nothing left to look forward to.
Raoul collapses to the ground, and Christine runs to him and physically helps him up and to the boat. No elegant, composed sitting: here Raoul and Christine are physically and psychologically exhausted, so there's no time for all of that as they almost stumble into the boat and it's the Phantom that shoves it away, sending them towards their freedom and out of the stage.
The Phantom sounds so distressed in the bit just before this, and the fact that the last "go now and leave me" is sung when he's alone on stage, having physically pushed away the one person that, despite everything and despite making the choice under extreme duress, was capable of staying beside him… ooof. You really feel that he has nothing left now, and maybe for the first time ever he truly wants to be alone, to disappear completely. Which of course makes the brief Masquerade reprise even more devastating than usual.
Now, the other big controversial change: the ring return. The Phantom is facing the other way when Christine comes in. It looks like she's debating whether to approach him or not, and then when he sings "Christine, I love you" she just leaves the ring and silently leaves. The Phantom hears something, turns, sees the ring and picks it up, and in that moment from off stage the All I Ask of You final reprise is heard, accompanied by a soft, golden light coming from above showing that Raoul and Christine are making their way to the surface and to the (metaphorical) light.
Why no interaction during the ring return? In this production, they are leaning a lot on the Phantom as being a toxic influence/relationship for Christine, not without its allure and charms, but also very dangerous and controlling. And when Christine sees him kill because he didn't get his way… well, she gets it quite quickly and actively tries to avoid him, but realizes that she's still pretty vulnerable to him and his influence. And I think not interacting with him at the very end represents her cutting off a toxic person, at this point any interaction would be dangerous to her, and an unkindness to him.
She knows she's still vulnerable to him, that despite everything he did she can still care about him because she's just that kind of person. At the same time, the Phantom did the morally right thing by pushing her away from him and it's clear it took him every ounce of willpower he had and he might not be able to do so again. So, when Christine hears him declaring his love to an empty room, she doesn't risk wasting all the effort they BOTH put in (plus Raoul, who literally risked his life for her) to say one last goodbye.
It's a big change, it does change the ending and their dynamic a lot, so I get it if you don't like it. But it makes sense, it has its place in the narrative of this specific production, and since it makes such a difference I think if you're used to the "regular" ring return you need to experience it after getting through all the previous emotional beats in order to be in the right mind space to accept it.
When the Phantom realizes that Christine is truly gone, he slowly makes his way to the bed and covers himself with the sheets as the ensemble (led by Madame Giry) bursts in. Meg approaches the covers and pulls them away, revealing an empty bed save from the Phantom's mask, which she brings to her mother who looks at it somberly, and they both raise it for the classic final "shot".
I am ambivalent about this choice. On one hand, I think it looks a bit silly and could probably be implemented better, on the other hand I think it's meant to be a reference to the Phantom letting himself die in the book, and I did like it as a metaphor for his death, and having the ensemble kinda witnessing it and him not being so alone in his final moments.
I've decided to make a different post for my opinion about the singing performances and my overall opinion about what works, what doesn't, and so on, which can also be a TL;DR of sorts since I realize not everyone is interested in a song-by-song comparison.
For now, I'll just say that if you go in expecting West End or Broadway levels of opulence you will be disappointed by the stage sets, costumes, etc., which are rarely memorable, at times flops, more often are ok and serviceable (meaning they are not distracting and don't get in the way of the performance, even if they're not anything special).
If you want to see the story and characterization you already know, then you can watch one of the tens of bootlegs available and enjoy the subtle changes each actor brings to the characters (I know I do!), but if you'd like a different take on the main characters and key scenes then this will get your brain going.
If you go in with a preset idea of what you want to get out of the experience, chances are there'll be areas where it underdelivers and interesting stuff you might not notice while if you go in without trying to force your expectations on the show, then you'll probably come away with some stuff you liked, some stuff that you're not so sure about but is interesting or might work with a change or two, and yes, some stuff you didn't like at all, or left you confused, or is just plain weird.
Overall it was a fun and interesting experience, the vocal performances were great, the acting choices captivating and I went home with some new interpretations of the main characters while thinking about if I can make a trip to Milan in October to see it again. Despite some major flaws, it is doing something interesting and engaging in its own way and I'd love to see it again knowing what to expect.
#poto italy#phantom of the opera#long post#phantom of the opera italy#ramin karimloo#amelia milo#bradley jaden
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Ok, first time ever doing this but I fell down the same rabbit hole as every person writing Namor/Ku’kul’kan fics. So here’s my contribution. The original is on my Ao3 account if anyone wants to check that out. Lorein_nur.
Summary:
Clara Alcázar is a world renown archeologist and author, known for her professionalism and composure. After another successful exhibit inauguration, one centered on Northmen and Vikings to be precise, she decides its time to shed some light on a culture a little more close to home, Mesoamerican.
Moving back to México, and even further from her home town all the way to the peninsula of Yucatan will bring forth a new sense of adventure and unveil a secret of such magnitude the world has never known.
Chapter 1: Señorita Alcázar
The flash of camera lights followed her as she exited Edinburgh Castle, microphones and voice recorders were shoved her way as she walked down the carpet that had been drawn out in order to draw an even path up the stairs she now descended and through the sturdy wooden doors that lay at her back. She kept a steady pace, the fine tips of her heeled stilettos leaving the faintest of indentations on the well kept velvet, the skirt of her dress barely brushed the floor in a parody of a chaste kiss. Voices intermingled with the chords of a professionally strung violin, the orchestra the event organizer had hired was starting anew precisely after a 15 minute pause.
“¡Señorita Alcázar!”
“Miss Alcázar!”
"Mademoiselle Alcázar!”
The calls for her attention never stopped, and neither did she, all that had needed to be discussed had been within the stone walls of the castle at her back.
“Señorita Alcázar, por favor Señorita Alcázar espere un momento!”
"Miss Alcázar, please Miss Alcázar, hold on a moment!"
The use of her native tongue gave her pause, and with that one minute of hesitation the vultures flocked in, effectively surrounding her and blocking her sole exit from that night's event. A stifled groan was hastily swallowed, though she found herself unimaginably tired self composure still had to be kept, she’d practically built her reputation from that iron like control with which she held herself, so instead she smiled. Mauve painted lips parted in an upward grin, the whites of her teeth peeking from in between, the movement stretching the softness of her powdered cheeks.
More flashes followed, and with them more microphones, recorders and questions pertaining to the new archeological exhibit shed helped establish.
A slick recorder clutched in a well manicured hand was quickly thrust centimeters from her face, had she not been used to this form of treatment she would have blinked or worse taken a step back from surprise. “Christine Everhart from WHIH World News, Miss Alcázar, how hard was it to arrange a meeting between you and New Asgards reigning king?”
“Not hard at all if you know who to call.” She primly answered, a little cheekiness slipping into her words. She took a step forward, fully intending on continuing her trek from the castle to her hired driver and car no more than a few feet away when her progress was once again stopped this time by a microphone and a recording camera in her face.
“Cecile Lavigne from France24, Mademoiselle Alcázar, was this a difficult project to collaborate in with her majesty the king?”
“Heavens no, her majesty was wonderful all throughout.” She was quick to reply, the words slipping out with ease from the sincerity behind them, she flashed the camera and its reporter another charming smile before beginning anew her trek towards the car. Her driver now waited outside the vehicle with the backdoor open.
“Señorita Alcázar, ¡un momento de su tiempo!”
"Miss Alcázar, a moment of your time!"
And there it was, the voice that had halted her quick escape from the masses.
“Señorita Alcázar, por favor.”
"Miss Alcázar, please."
Please, he’d been the onlyone to ask now not once but twice for a moment of her time. Having the leather seat of the car not only in sight but one carful step away she found herself secured enough in her escape to turn and hummor one final reporter. The silk of her dress turned with her, the powder blue material hugging and curving over her figure, she cocked her head to the side and with a fleeting smiled invited the reporter to ask his question.
“¿Si?”
"Yes?"
“¡Muchas gracias Señorita Alzázar!” was enthusiasticly exclaimed before all matter of seriousness returned to the man whose words they belonged to. “Julian Herrera de La Octava TV, Señorita Alcázar, ¿cuál vendría siendo su siguiente proyecto? ¿En qué cultura se planea enfocar ahora que ha concluido su trabajo en Escocia?”
"Thank you, Miss Alcázar!" -" Julian Herrera from La Octava TV, Miss Alcázar, what would your next project be? What culture do you plan to focus on now that you have completed your work in Scotland?”
“En casa, creo que es hora de regresar y enfocarme en las culturas que formaron gran parte en la creación de nuestro increíble país. Es hora de darles el reconocimiento que se merecen y alzarlas al mismo estatus de importancia, de interés que las otras religiones y mitologías que son frecuentemente estudiadas tienen. ”
“Home, I think it's time to go back and focus on the cultures that played a big part in creating our amazing country. It is time to give them the recognition they deserve and raise them to the same status of importance, of interest that the other religions and mythologies that are frequently studied have. ”
It was the longest reply yet, and the one most fuled by passion, a fact Mr. Herrera had taken note of, his unmasked grin being a slick tell at that. Alcázar nodded in passing before turning once again and taking the final step into the car, the door shutting and shrouding her from the constant lights was a definitive sign that the end of the night had finally arrived. As the car moved on and made its was towards the castle exit, Clara Alcázar fulled from the shallow depths of her evenings clutch her phone, with nimble fingers she tapped and unlocked the screen tapping once more to open her go to messaging app.
“Nos vemos pronto! <3” Was typed and sent.
"See you soon! <3"
#black panther#wakanda forever#namor the sub mariner#namor fanfiction#namor x oc#namor x reader#namor x you#tenoch huerta namor#kukulkan
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Chapter 4: Pergite (Forward) Part 2
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47442772
Previous / Masterlist / Next
‘‘There’s no need to be nervous, Sergeant’’
‘‘I’m not nervous, ma’am. It’s a habit’’
Christine Vega kept avoiding the doctor’s gaze, looking around the office, pretending to be interested in the decoration on the walls. Sitting on an armchair in front of her, Dr. Heather Green kept her gentle smile, hands calmly resting on her lap, observing the younger woman’s attempts to disguise her nervous tick. It was Sergeant Vega’s third therapy session already, and only now she was starting to see progress.
‘‘I must say, it’s refreshing to see that you’re taking your therapy this seriously. Not everyone here in base does that, and it’s a shame’’
‘‘We’re trained to keep our mouths shut and keep going with no complaints. That doesn’t always agree with your feelings’’
‘‘An insightful observation’’
The two women fell silent, with the psychologist waiting patiently, and the sergeant finally turning her blue gaze to her, studying her. Dr. Heather was an attractive woman in her mid-to-late thirties, with long silky raven black locks and the greenest eyes Vega had ever seen. Like sage. She had been patient and understanding in the two previous sessions, in which Riot barely had said anything other than confirming details from her file, or previous reports.
‘‘Are you ready to speak about Transnistria?’’
Riot’s eyes turned cold and distant instantly.
‘‘You read the report. There’s nothing to say’’
‘‘I read the report, yes’’ Dr. Heather nodded, her calm smile always present, comforting. ‘‘That doesn’t mean all your feelings are in there’’
Sergeant Christine Vega stared hardly at the woman in front of her, hating her smile, hating her smugness, hating the bright, homely office, the white walls, the nice paintings, the soft armchair she was sitting in, her knee that couldn’t stop jumping.
Hating Transnistria.
Hating Rico.
Hating herself.
She knew she was drowning. In her head, at night, when she wasn’t focused on training, or paperwork, she was drowning. She wasn’t stupid.
She wanted to breathe again.
‘‘What do you want to know?’’
*
‘‘Sweetheart, I’m home’’
Heather smiled when she heard the door opening and her husband’s voice calling for her from the hall of the house they shared on base.
‘‘In the kitchen, love!’’
Heavy steps and a thud followed when her husband left his boots at the door and followed the smells that came from the kitchen, leaning against the door to watch his wife taking out a shepherd’s pie from the oven.
‘‘That smells nice, dear’’ Captain John Price smiled, still unable to get used to the feeling of stepping inside a home, his home, with his wife. Heather smiled at him after setting the pie on the table, and turned to leave the oven mitts on the counter.
His enormous arms engulfed her from behind and she chuckled, feeling the coarse beard of her husband brushing her skin below her ear.
‘‘Long day?’’
‘‘Long day’’ He nodded, sighing, and then sat down with her to have dinner together, for the first time that week. He always arrived late, when she had already eaten and was waiting for him on the couch watching the telly with a cup of tea, but today he had rushed home as soon as he had been able. ‘‘Any of my kids been to therapy this week?’’
‘‘Only Gaz, as usual, and Christine Vega’’
Price looked at her, mouth full of delicious shepherd’s pie, and chewed slowly, thinking about the recording he had seen that very morning. He swallowed before asking.
‘‘Anything I should know?’’
Heather laughed softly, her hand moving over the table to pat his tenderly.
‘‘You know I have to keep doctor-patient confidentiality’’ She laughed more when he groaned before adding ‘‘but she is getting there. Today we spoke about Transnistria and…’’
Price left the fork when his wife’s voice turned a bit quieter, listening to her with all his attention.
‘‘John, it must have been horrible. She was talking about it as if it had happened to another person. And then, when we got to the point when she was telling me how she got captured, she… just stood up, said she had things to do, and left’’
‘‘Does she wear the mask during your sessions?’’
‘‘Yes, I haven’t seen her face yet. Of course I read her file and the description of her injuries, but I haven’t asked… have you seen her?’’
Price nodded slowly, holding his wife’s hand, brushing her fingers with his thumb.
‘‘In all honesty, it doesn’t look that bad, and probably can be fixed with surgery. I worry that it’s deeper than just physical appearance’’
‘‘I worry about that too’’ Heather smiled, moving from her chair to her husband’s lap, glad to know she had married such a thoughtful, intelligent, wise man that could see more than others. ‘‘There’s one comment she said, right before we started…’’
‘‘What did she say?’’
Dr. Heather thought for a second, recalling the moment, kissing softly her husband’s forehead before looking down at him.
‘‘She had commented about meeting a friend of a friend tonight for drinks, and I tried to get her to open up and said maybe she could flirt with someone and have a good time… I know, John’’ she defended herself when he heard the deep sigh of her husband ‘‘I was just trying to be friendly. She just snorted but… not in a good way, and said… who would want a marked bitch like me?’’
#cod mw2#cod oc#cod original character#cod fanfic#cod modern warfare#cod price#price x oc#call of duty fanfic#call of duty original character#call of duty modern warfare#call of duty#captain john price#captain price#captain price's wife
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Ok sorry red area anon again bc we're struggling to make inroads at the college towns bc the "progressive" students are being egged on by bernie &co and the rest of the students are happily joining proto-fascist christian orgs and you seem to have insight: Like. Do you think there has been ANY soul searching going on w the beltway press???? Like i hate to attack them bc that starts to go down the die luegenpresse road but like ???????????? During these hearings....the coverage..........like even the aftermath of johnny depp v amber heard we're hearing some rumblings of conscience but im still waiting for all these smart ivy league journalists to like. Come together as an industry lol
Lol I’m the wrong person to ask because I hate the Beltway media a LOT. I think they’re by and large craven opportunists who thrive on sensationalism and drama, which is why they loved the Trump admin. It’s a lot more fun to report on Trump seriously pondering whether to annex Greenland than report on Biden signing a bill to help veterans’ families or having a diplomatic meeting with a world leader without even calling their wives ugly for some entertainment, like how dare he?
Journalism has become an industry of elites and it’s so blatantly obvious who’s a leftist, who’s a liberal, and who writes for the Bulwark since there are very few Paul Ryan Liz Cheney type Republicans writing for mainstream publications let alone Trump Republicans. The press is just not representative of the country at large since almost half the country votes Republican, whether or not I like that they do, and it’s not good for the sanctity of the press and the nature of our democracy.
I think we need a dominant center-left media institution since even “liberal” publications like the NYT or WaPo, whose editorial boards overwhelmingly voted for Clinton and Biden, often openly shit on Democrats (see: BUT HER EMAILS) in the name of “unbiased journalism” even if the reality is like “Republicans are afraid Democrats will help Americans, Democrats are afraid Republicans will incite insurrections and kill them,” since the media makes more money when covering politics like a competitive horserace. And, that doesn’t even get into leftist publications like The Intercept and Jacobin, which are by and large run by freaks who think doxxing random college professors (see: Ryan Grim with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford) is fine if it means that a “centrist” Democratic senator (Dianne Feinstein) looks bad, or touting a fake rape allegation by a notorious grifter (Nathan Robinson and Ryan Grim with Tara Reade) to take down a presidential candidate is totally okay to do and then memory hole 2 months later when it’s revealed she’s a huge liar.
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The development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by the European Central Bank (ECB) faces pushback from European lawmakers.
According to an Oct. 5 report by DL News, member of European Parliament Stefan Berger confirmed there will be no imminent decision by the ECB on implementing a digital euro. Berger stated that numerous open questions must be clarified before the ECB can ultimately decide whether to move forward with a CBDC.
A group of EU parliamentarians recently wrote a letter urging the ECB to delay its decision on launching a digital euro. The lawmakers expressed concerns about potential costs for commercial banks and uncertainty around the value a CBDC would provide to ordinary users.
ECB President Christine Lagarde has tried to assure lawmakers that a digital euro won’t be released yet. However, some members of the European Parliament remain wary about potential privacy and mass surveillance risks posed by a central bank digital currency.
Even if the ECB wants to move to the next phase of the digital euro project soon, opposition within the EU parliament could delay further technical development and prototype testing. Lawmakers like Markus Ferber believe the political process should conclude before diving into details of the next phase.
The challenges reflect a tension between innovation desires at the ECB and hesitation among policymakers about implications of a digital currency controlled by the central bank. For now, progress towards an EU CBDC faces roadblocks from local lawmakers with unresolved concerns.
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05.18.2023 - A1
Smith machine back squat (T1): 5x3 worked up to 35lbs added (25lb bar) with a final set of 5 reps
DB Bench press (T2): 3x8 30lbs
Lat pull down (T3): 3x8 75lbs
sharing my workout for posterity! let’s see how much i can bring these numbers up!
#christines progress report#gzclp#weight lifting#fitness#workout#fitblr#girls who workout#exercise#gym
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Christine Geige, owner of Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City, Michigan, apparently took the wrong lessons from recent SCOTUS decisions. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss on The Young Turks. https://shoptyt.com/collections/justice-is-coming Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article277196783.html "The owner of a Michigan hair salon said she is refusing service to some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Christine Geiger, who owns Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City, said in a Facebook post she is exercising her free speech by only allowing certain customers. Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article277196783.html#storylink=cpy" *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230713__TB03_Hair_Salon_Owner by The Young Turks
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"If Republicans win the race for Oregon governor, it will be down to one man: Phil Knight.
Knight, of course, is the 84-year-old co-founder and chair emeritus of Nike, the house that Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods built. And in this race to govern Oregon, a bastion of west coast liberalism, Knight has thrown full support behind the Republican Christine Drazan, an anti-abortion, tough-on-crime former lobbyist pushing “election integrity”. In a rare interview with the New York Times, Knight made his motive clear: Oregon’s next governor can be anyone but the Democratic nominee, Tina Kotek.
Knight’s lavish support of the right would seem to betray Nike’s own pursuit of social equality and environmental protection. After all, this is the “Just Do It” brand that champions Serena Williams, that kneels with Colin Kaepernick, that featured Argentina’s first trans female soccer player in a recent advertisement.
Over the years, the company has pledged millions to organizations dedicated to leveling the playing field in all spheres of life. But it has also come under fire for crafting a progressive PR image as cover while manufacturing products in Asian sweatshops with forced labor practices. A 2019 study by the Clean Clothes Campaign gave Nike its worst rating, stating: “The brand can show no evidence of a living wage being paid to any workers.” Worse, a 2020 Washington Post report sourced some Nike products to a Chinese factory “under conditions that strongly suggest forced labor” among Uyghurs, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute thinktank..."
Not surprised that Nike is two-faced, just like some of their spokesman or that they pulled the Trans person as spokesperson crap that Budweiser and Oil of Olay also pulled. In the current environment the only possible reaction is going to be loudly AGAINST. Fuck Nike, and their shoes.
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Heightened tensions between the U.S. and China will mean that risk sentiment remains fragile this week, while the highlight of the economic calendar will be Friday’s May non-farm payrolls report. Ahead of that, investors will have the chance to parse other economic data, including initial jobless claims and factory orders. The European Central Bank is widely expected to top-up its emergency asset purchasing program and the UK and European Union are to hold another round of virtual Brexit talks. Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
U.S. unemployment seen soaring to near 20%Friday’s U.S. jobs report is expected to show that the unemployment rate rose to 19.7% last month with employers forecast to have cut 8.25 million jobs, compared with the record 20.5 million jobs lost in April.
While some encouraging signs in the employment picture have emerged in recent weeks as some workers rejoin jobs with businesses starting to reopen in the second half of the month, these changes are unlikely to be reflected in the May data.
Any positive surprise, however, is likely to be cheered by stock market bulls eager to grasp at signs of a rebound from the coronavirus induced economic slump.
Jobless claims, ISM dataWhile Federal Reserve officials are now in the traditional blackout period ahead of their next policy meeting in June the calendar this week features ISM manufacturing data Monday, Thursday’s jobless claims report and reports on factory orders and private sector hiring.
In the euro zone investors will be looking at figures on German factory orders for April while the UK calendar has the final manufacturing PMI on Monday and then the final services PMI on Wednesday.
U.S.-China standoffThe standoff between the worlds two largest economies over Beijing’s new security legislation for Hong Kong, which investors fear could erode the city’s freedoms, looks set to continue this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to end Hong Kong’s special status if Beijing imposes new national security laws on the on the Asian financial center, but China’s state media has pushed back, saying this would hurt the United States more than China.
Whether Trump goes so far as to scrap his Phase 1 trade deal with China or merely takes some symbolic steps around sanctions and visas for Hong Kong citizens could determine how long the latest global stock market rally will last.
ECB to boost stimulus programWhile on the face of it the announcement of the 750 billion euro EU plan to prop up economies hit by the coronavirus pandemic has eased some pressure on the ECB, officials are still expected to unveil fresh stimulus on Thursday.
The EU recovery fund will take time to set up and will likely face hurdles on the way and the ECB is burning through its emergency asset purchases, which will likely run dry by October – unless expanded.
The ECB is widely expected to announce a 500 billion-euro ($555 billion) increase to its Pandemic Emergence Purchase Program and extend is duration until mid-2021.
The central bank will also publish updated economic projections which could confirm President Christine Lagarde’s assessment that the bloc’s economy is in the midst of a much-deeper downturn than initially believed.
Brexit talksAnother round of Brexit talks get underway on Tuesday ahead of the June 18-19 EU summit by which time London needs to make up its mind about asking for an extension to the transition agreement.
There’s not much time left until the December 31 Brexit deadline, when the two sides will part ways – with or without a trade deal in place.
Negotiators have not made much progress and the EU has urged Britain to make a bigger effort and be more realistic about what it can achieve in talks.
The resulting uncertainty has pinned sterling close to its lowest levels in almost 30 years. And as if a potentially messy Brexit was not enough, the British currency is also battling with the prospect of negative interest rates and a prolonged recession.
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While Governor General Mary Simon believes the way her catering expenses for her March trip to the Middle East were portrayed in the media was "unfair," she says a review is underway to reduce the cost of future trips.
"I have no idea what the meal orders are. But I do know one thing: our meals on these trips aren't exactly lavish. They're similar to airline meals and I thought the way they were portrayed in the media was quite unfair," Simon stated this in an interview that will air on CBC's The House on Saturday.
The cost of the Governor General's trip, which included stops in London, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, was first reported by the National Post. According to the Department of National Defence (DND), which is in charge of organizing catering on official diplomatic flights, the total catering cost for the eight-day trip was around $80,000.
Simon told host Catherine Cullen that her office shares Canadians' concerns about the cost of the trip and is working with Global Affairs Canada and the Department of Defence to reduce costs in the future.
Stewart Wheeler, Canada's chief of protocol at Global Affairs Canada, stated last month that some aspects of the flights were "problematic." MPs expressed concern about the cost, with Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus asking if there were any "excesses."
Rideau Hall was also surprised and concerned by the costs, according to Christine MacIntyre, deputy secretary to the Governor General.
"The costs were shocking to all of us," she explained. "We ate eggs. We had omelettes for breakfast." DND said in a statement to CBC that an interdepartmental working group would be formed to draft policies "in pursuit of the best possible value going forward."
Simon told The House that the prime minister directed her international travel.
"I don't just pack my suitcase and go wherever I want," she explained. "Every trip must be meticulously planned. The trip's objectives must be very clearly defined."
Simon stated that she anticipates another parliamentary committee meeting on the subject and hopes that MPs can continue to clear up the misunderstanding. "People need to understand that, first and foremost, I don't take my job lightly, and secondly, I'd like to do it in the most conservative way possible. However, the amount of travel we do is enormous, and it is an essential part of the job," she stated.
Simon said she had no role in the logistics of trip planning but was focused on the purpose of her trip.
"I'm involved in discussions about global peace and Canada's role in it. And travelling to different countries to talk with our partners about how we can work together to strengthen our position on world peace is critical for Canada and the rest of the world," she stated. "As a result, I take that responsibility seriously."
The Governor General addressed The House from Reykjavík, Iceland, where she was attending the Arctic Circle Assembly, a gathering to discuss Arctic issues and challenges.
According to Simon, Russia's invasion of Ukraine poses a significant risk to cooperation and progress. The Arctic Council, the region's leading intergovernmental forum, is largely on hold while Russia holds the presidency. Russia's invasion poses "a risk to the world," according to Simon.
Simon is the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada. She was born in the northern Quebec Town of Kangiqsualujjuaq.
"In the Arctic region, we've always understood that this is our homeland, and it should stay our homeland," she said. Simon also stated that, while the Arctic is certainly viewed as a strategic area, it is also important to recognize that peaceful collaboration and development are important to those who live there. Simon, who has long worked on Arctic issues, said collaboration in the region has advanced significantly over the last several decades, with a greater acceptance of Indigenous people's role.
"You can see that change, but it has to be embraced in a way where we're not just talking about the role of people, but actually involving them in the discussions and decision-making process of how different issues affect the Arctic," she said. While she maintains her apolitical stance, Simon has stated that she can use her "convening power" to spark conversations with the prime minister and others to share her advice.
Simon described her role as multi-level, citing her background as a northerner, her role as Governor General and her commitment to addressing reconciliation. "I'm deeply involved in that work and I stay focused on my mandate, but my past always guides me."
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