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Citizen Dame 5: Favorite Rom-Coms
By Kristen Lopez on June 26, 2018 • ( 2 Comments )
With the recent release of Set It Up on Netflix, film fans are asking, "Has the romantic comedy returned?" The genre that dominated the 1990s, the rom-com has suffered of late due to the glut of comic book movies, franchises, and the male-dominated belief that only women watch these movies. (It also helps that Sleepless in Seattle, the film many cite as the best rom-com ever, turned 25 yesterday.) Here are the Dames' top 5 favorite romantic comedies.
Kristen's 5
A confession: I never got on the romantic comedy bandwagon. Sure, I've seen nearly everything oft-considered representative of the genre, but I never had the deep connection to works like While You Were Sleeping and You've Got Mail that other girls my age did. That was probably because I was off letching over Jeremy Irons movies or something, not really sure. Either way, my list goes for the more classical sensibilities of where the genre started – with one movie I just had to include.
Libeled Lady (1936)
Libeled Lady is one of those films I wish I could live in, if only to hang out with the amazing cast assembled. The story follows a newspaper reporter named Bill Chandler (played by the dashing William Powell) tasked with seducing an heiress (Myrna Loy) pushing a libel suit against the paper. The chemistry between Loy and Powell is always evident, whether or not they were playing in Thin Man movies. For me, though, the true hilarity and romance is found in the B-plot between Powell and Jean Harlow as the "mousy" and "nagging" Gladys. Gladys has to pretend to be Bill's wife in order to "prove" the libel suit and this means putting the two in a hotel room despite the fact their characters can't stand each other. Powell and Harlow have wonderful comedic timing – some of their insults to each other are just as hilarious as they are mean – and phenomenal chemistry, no surprise considering they were lovers. Ironically, Harlow's story is all about how her fiance, played by Spencer Tracy, won't marry her, yet in reality it was Powell who wouldn't marry Harlow. I actually get mad that Harlow gets stuck with Tracy at the end. Her and Bill should have gone off into the sunset together.
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Bringing Up Baby shows up twice on this list and it should because it's the best thing ever! Subversive, quick-witted, with some of the most talented performers you're like to see in cinema, past or present. The film has the mother-of-all high concept premises involving an archaeologist (played by Cary Grant), a dinosaur bone, a daffy heiress played by Katharine Hepburn (were there any others back in the day?), and a leopard. I don't think Hepburn and Grant have quite the chemistry Libeled Lady does so I tend to consider it more a comedy than a romance, but Lauren included it so that means I can too!
Here's one of those '90s rom-coms you love so much. I think I love Only You because it adheres and reveres the classic movie tradition with its story of Faith (Marisa Tomei) who goes to Italy in search of a man she believes to be her soulmate. There's an extended moment where Faith and her best friend, played by everyone's "mom," Bonnie Hunt, watch Enzio Pinza perform South Pacific and even though I didn't know that as an adult, I understood Faith was like me. Tomei and Hunt are hilarious while they embark on this manic adventure, but the movie really picks up once Robert Downey Jr.'s character arrives. I know he was probably high as hell when he made this, but him and Tomei are fantastic! I actually included the scene where they re-enact Roman Holiday's "Mouth of Truth" scene on a list of sexiest movie moments. Oh, and let's not forget Billy Zane is in this and he's awesome.
Speaking of sexy, who doesn't love Some Like It Hot? It's romantic, it's comedic, it's easily one of the gayest straight movies to come out of the '50s. I know everyone goes on about the relationship between the characters played by Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, but we know the real rom-com goodness is found in the love between Jack Lemmon's Daphne and Joe E. Brown's Osgood. I mean, we all know every good romantic comedy starts with characters who are opposites, and this entire relationship lives up to the word. And yet for their whole "opposites attract" dynamic, Osgood is willing to do whatever is necessary to secure Daphne's love, adopt children, take up smoking, and change his sexual preference! That's love right there.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
This was a last minute addition and I can't believe I forgot it. I quote The Wedding Singer profusely because it's got great dialogue, but it's also Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore at their comedic best. I'm not saying this would be my de facto proposal, but you can't go wrong finding a man who can sing to you AND bring you Billy Idol.
Karen's 5
I love me a good romantic comedy. A good one. There are so many that just aren't. But when the good ones hit, I can watch them forever and ever. It's tough to narrow it down to only five, and yeah, I'll admit that all of these came out during my lifetime. But these really are the ones that I can always turn on, anytime of the day or night.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
No one can ever dissuade me. When Harry Met Sally is the greatest romantic comedy of all time. With characters we can relate to, but aren't carbon copies of people we really know. Fantastic dialogue. This whole element of wondering how these crazy kids will ever figure out that they're perfect for each other. The frequent references to Casablanca, which is not a comedy but is one of the best romance stories of all time. Meg Ryan is charming. Funny, perfect supporting performances from both Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby (RIP). And Billy Crystal's Harry gets to utter one of the most perfect romantic lines ever written.
I LOVE The Wedding Singer. It embraces everything that was awesome about the 80s, with one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. It's hilarious, and sweet, and nostalgic, and immensely quotable. Plus Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are just so freaking cute. This is the best comedy either of them have ever done. And a rapping granny? And Billy Idol? What's not to love?
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
What's funny about this movie is that, well, who hasn't imagined a romance with someone they don't know? This takes that idea and turns it into a full blown tale of misunderstanding, a little bit of innocent fibbing, and one of the funniest movie families ever. Sandra Bullock is charming and sweet and was clearly destined to be a huge star. Bill Pullman was charming, not so sweet, but dang cute. And Joe Jr.? Well, I hope he found happiness along the way.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Did you know this movie was nominated for two Academy Awards? And it should have. The second of three films to star Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together. What's fascinating is that they only appear in three scenes together, only one of which involves them having an actual conversation. They never kiss. They never even hold hands. And yet, it's so romantic. I adore the references to An Affair to Remember, especially The Scene with Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, and Victor Garbor. Then Rosie O'Donnell says one of the most accurate lines in any rom-com: "You don't want to be in love. You want to be in love in a movie." There are no truer words.
Love Actually (2003)
It's no secret that I love Love Actually. It's full of problems, sure. But my very favorite thing about it is the couple right up there. Colin Firth and Lucia Moniz are so cute as they both fall in love with each other without even being able to have a conversation. And then he learns Portuguese so he can go back and propose and then she learned English "just in cases"?? It's so great. I do. I cry every time and I'm not ashamed. I also really love the unfolding relationship with Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon. And then there's Liam Neeson who is still grieving his wife, and loves her so much that he's raising his step-son. There are problems, yes. But it is still such a sweet movie that I'll never hate it.
Lauren's 5
It's seen as the quintessential screwball comedy now, but Bringing Up Baby was not particularly popular back when it was released. That's a shame, because it has way more than just the central romance between Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn to recommend it. There are dogs and pet leopards and weird psychiatrists and the intercostal clavicle of a brontosaurus. There's Cary Grant in a fluffy negligee. But since we're talking rom-coms, let us note that the entirety of Bringing Up Baby hinges on Kate Hepburn's Susan doing everything in her power to get to know Grant's David, up to and including stealing all his clothes before getting him arrested. That's true love, right there.
When we talk romantic comedies, let's return to one of the originals and credit William Shakespeare. Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's funniest plays and the 1993 film is certainly Kenneth Branagh's best adaptation, turning on mistaken identities, love discovered, and the very just punishment of some slut-shamers. Much of the film's charm is a result of the stellar cast, including Branagh, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale, and Michael Keaton, who can handle the language and the humor without breaking a sweat. The effervescence of this film is just amazing – every frame brims with energy and light and wine-infused hijinks. And although their real-life romance didn't end so well, Branagh and Thompson are still the perfect Benedick and Beatrice.
It Happened One Night hits all of the requisite romantic comedy tropes – a woman in love with the "wrong" man meets the right one on a cross-country road trip, they bicker, battle, and even do the whole "fake married/have to sleep in the same room" bit so popular in fan fiction. It doesn't hurt that both Colbert and Gable have excellent chemistry and comedic timing—their fake married scene is just hilarious. It defined the screwball genre, and It Happened One Night is still one of the best romantic comedies ever made.
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
The Gay Divorcee is my favorite Astaire/Rogers romantic comedy, not least because it spends as much time on the comedy of errors as it does on the dancing. Both leads are in excellent form here, chasing each other around a totally unrecognizable version of Brighton. And the secondary characters are among the best, with Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore lending their formidable comedic talents to a silly and massively enjoyable musical. But The Gay Divorcee also reminds us that Astaire and Rogers can do a combo of passion and humor, as they breathlessly dance to "Night and Day," and then follow things up with an extended comedy sequence that pushes the limits of the Code.
Yes, Marilyn Monroe is glorious in this, and so is Tony Curtis's Cary Grant impression, but let us discuss Joe E. Brown's epic romance with Jack Lemmon. Some Like It Hot pushed the boundaries so far that one wonders how Wilder got away with it, spending almost as much time chronicling the romance between two men as he did the more heteronormative couple. When Jerry realizes that he's actually going to have break Oswald's heart, it's real regret. And the ending is still one for the ages – Oswald really doesn't care about Daphne's gender. He just wants Daphne.
Kimberly's 5
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
When I think about my teen years, I indelibly come back to this movie. As a child of the '90s, this is my ideal teen movie and a sweet romance. I love Julia Stiles as Kat; I wanted to be Kat when I saw this and I still want to be Julia Stiles when I grow up. The movie has a delightful (then) up-and-coming young cast as well as a fun and talented group of adults. Holding everything together is the rich chemistry shared between Ledger and Stiles. Check this one out if you haven't.
Notting Hill (1999)
Yes, I was an anglophile kid in the 1990s and as such there was a lot of Hugh Grant in my life. My '90s was Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. I was all about Notting Hill when it came out. Heck, I'll still watch it when I stumble on it. The film shows both actors at their peak, doing what they do best and they have a very sweet chemistry.
This movie feels like a bit of an outlier in this list since it doesn't involve teenagers or Hugh Grant. However, there's one thing this movie has: Bill freakin' Pullman. My 1994-1997 was all about Bill Pullman. This movie is ridiculously adorable from Sandra Bullock showing just why her career hit (and held) the popularity she has, to her absolutely saccharine chemistry with Bill Pullman. I dare you to not like this movie.
Pretty in Pink (1986)
I'll admit it, I'm Team Blaine (okay, and occasionally Team Spader). While the eighties are very much my weak decade, this movie has been a favorite of mine since watching it in high-school. The sweetness of the entire cast (and Andrew McCarthy's smile) completely pull me in. They're so gosh darn likeable. This is probably the cutest of the "Brat Pack" movies and is definitely my favorite.
I've written about the delightfulness of Love Actually extensively for this site already. Everything about this movie warms the cold depths of my heart and even more than fifteen years later, it is still a go-to viewing for me.
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Categories: Top 5
Tagged as: comedy, featured, romance, romantic comedies, Top 5
Feminist Friday: Gilda (1946)
Episode 39: Jurassic Dames
Published by Kristen Lopez
A freelance film critic whose work fuels the Rotten Tomatoes meter. I've been published on The Hollywood Reporter, Remezcla, and The Daily Beast. I've been featured in the L.A. Times. I currently run two podcasts, Citizen Dame and Ticklish Business.	View all posts by Kristen Lopez
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pajamapopcorn says:
I love so many of these! Great picks!
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Episode 83: Stranger Dames
Join us this week as we discuss: More Kevin Spacey garbage Halle Bailey is our new Little Mermaid and racists are mad The New York Times talks about the future of cinema Is horror a male-centric genre? Listener questions! The trailer for Knives Out Plus we review Annabelle Comes Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Stranger Things 3 Like what you hear? Rate! […]
Episode #82: Dame Story 4
Here's what the Dames are talking about this week: Max Landis is terrible, as if you needed reminding Jill Solloway replaces Bryan Singer on Red Sonja POP TV saves One Day at a Time Paul Rudd joins the Ghostbusters sequel and Lauren can't wait The Dames discuss their favorite films of 2019 (so far) Listener questions Reviews of The Farewell, Annabe […]
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"Just one look at this 1970 'Cuda convertible and you know it's special." those are the first words that describe this car in its sale ad at rkmotorscharlotte.com and we totally agree with that, 'cause our first impression was "oh… wow…".
The RKMC guys say it would take $300K to dublicate this car 'cause every single component was modified in some way. It started as 1970 Barracuda Convertible adn finnished as Sony SEMA car.
It has custom chassis from Art Morrison, 6.1 Hemi from 2006 Chrysler [customized to deliver over 700 HP] with 2.8 Kenne Bell supercharger, 727 Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission, fully custom interior and lots of other updates.


Cemetery Committee oversees the gravesites that Temple Israel owns at Sharon Gardens and Mt. Pleasant, both of which are located in Valhalla. Members may purchase any number of graves for themselves and their families. The current price is $2500 per grave and payment plans are available if needed. Although purchasing graves is rarely at the top of our to-do lists, it is a great service to do this for our families when we are able to think clearly, when we can consider the needs and desires of other family members and when we can go out and make a site visit, if desired.
Anita Arnoff, Executive Director, would be happy to discuss any questions you may have. It really is an easy process, or for more information please contact Herb Smith, Committee Chair.


The East Ridge Housing Commission met Monday evening at City Hall and took action on a number of crumbling residences and apartments.
The commission ordered the owner of an apartment complex at 513 Donaldson Rd. to make immediate repairs to a leaking roof.
According to city memos, the codes enforcement department received a complaint from a tenant on June 27 concerning the roof leaking. The owner told city officials the problem would be addressed.
on July 10, the tenant called city officials again stating that the ceiling had collapsed in the dining room.
The elderly owner of the apartment was given 10 days in which to repair the roof. Codes enforcement officials will be given access to the inside of the apartment to make sure the ceiling has been repaired.
The commission reviewed actions taken by a local exterminating company in its efforts to eradicate bed bugs in a small apartment complex at 4005 Bennett Rd. At last month's meeting the owner was ordered to immediately address a bed bug infestation. The commission ordered codes enforcement to continue to reinspect the property to make sure it is bed bug free.
A crumbling house that the housing commission has been dealing with for months continues to be a problem. The disabled owner of the condemned home at 3412 Bennett Rd. has yet to pull proper permits for renovation. It was noted that a utility pole has been installed on the property for power. No action was taken.
A home at 3707 Connelly Lane was ordered razed. The owners of the condemned dwelling, a mortgage company, never responded to letters from city officials regarding the property.
The owners of a house at 1312 Pleasant St. that is in the hands of a bankruptcy court, will be given 10 days in which to respond to the City. Action against the property was deferred until the October housing commission meeting.
A home at 605 S. St. Marks owned by Mickey Rymer, was reviewed by the housing commission. The property has tenants living in the renovated garage portion of the house. The house has numerous code violations that must be addressed within the next 30 days. The commission determined the house is uninhabitable and the power will be shut off in coming days. The tenants must find another place to live.
A crumbling house at 606 S. St. Marks where the owner has died was reviewed by the commission. The heirs to the property will be notified to appear before the next meeting. The intent of the commission is to raze the dilapidated structure.
Finally, a structure at 310 East End Ave. owned by Leroy Wanzell was taken up by the commission. The commission ordered the house to be razed by the owner some months ago. Wanzell failed to do so and has put the house along with several acres of commercial property up for sale.
The commission ordered a certified letter be sent to Wanzell to appear before the housing commission at its October meeting. It is the intent of the commission to move forward with the City razing the house and placing a lien on the property to recover the expense of the demolition.


Among coin collectors or more technically known as numismatists, a commemorative coin provides a valuable snapshot of a significant event in the annals of a nation's history. They are often minted in precious metals like gold, silver and platinum in 99.99% purity.
Apart from their historical value, some getting museum-grade exhibition quality, they are considered investments that appreciate in value over time. The older it is, the more valuable it becomes. In addition, the more perfect their condition is, the more valuable as well.
Among the countries that have some of the finest minted commemorative coins is the United States. Official commemorative coins are struck by the US Mint office and only the US Congress is empowered to authorize the minting of commemorative coins of the country.
Every US commemorative coin is a legal tender but is not meant for monetary circulation. They are produced in limited quantities and only available to collectors for a short or limited period of time.
Commemorative coins are generally either circulating or legal tender coins of limited monetary duration or special non-circulating ones. Both types celebrate special cultural or historic events and while the former carry its face value, the latter are often priced at a premium well above its face value. Most commemorative coins in Europe and elsewhere have been circulated as legal tender for a limited period of time.
In contrast, US commemorative coins are specially minted coins that have never been circulated to the public as a monetary tender and are sold to collectors at prices well above what's indicated on the coin itself, or its face value. They were minted, as their coin classification clearly indicates, to commemorate an event, an occasion or a person.
It is not uncommon that these historic coins are specially minted to raise government funds for certain projects. Commemorative coins in the US were minted as a government mechanism for raising money instead of raising new taxes.
Since 1982, when the US Mint resumed issuing commemorative coins, the US government had generated well over $418 million in funds that have helped build and maintain museums, memorial and monuments as well as Olympic sporting initiatives.
It is interesting to note that between 1892 and 1954, the US Congress passed various legislative measures authorizing the U.S. Mint to forge non-circulated commemorative coins celebrating 53 different occasions, memorial events and personages. These resulted in 157 gold and silver non circulating commemorative coins of varying design. They remain some of the most sought-after and prized collectors' items that have been appreciating in value over the years.
But there have been cases when US commemorative coins have become so popular that the government would mint more and monetize them. This happened with the US Lincoln Cent and the Washington Quarter which were initially meant to have limited circulation of a year. They proved so popular the US Mint continued issuing them beyond the commemoration term.
Some of the most valuable US commemorative coins date back to the middle or late 19th century. Most numismatic listings start with the half dollar coin minted in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World.
But based on official numismatist listings, the first recognized US commemorative coin as authorized by the US Congress were a couple of coins minted and issued in the same year to celebrate the Columbian Exposition. One was a half-dollar or 50-cent bullion silver coin and another was a 25-cent silver coin featuring Queen Isabella of Spain. Each coin was issued with 100 pieces of proof coinages.
But even older than this is the two and a half dollar bullion gold coin stamped "Cal" and minted to celebrate the discovery of gold in the state of California. It was issued in 1848 and many collectors consider this as the country's first commemorative coin. However, it did not get US Congress nod and was not considered an official release. But it remains one of the most valuable commemorative coins in anyone's collection.
Serious coin collectors can have a field day going through 20th century compendium of commemorative coins in the US as there are many starting with the pure silver Lafayette dollar issued at the turn of the 20th century in 1900. There were more than 36,000 of these coins issued at that time.
Some of the most valuable commemorative coins by today's market valuation have been minted in the early years of the 20th century. And the simple reason is that they were mostly one-dollar denominated coins struck in pure gold.
The cream of the crop of US commemorative coin is the $50 gold coin issued for the Panama-Pacific exposition in 1915. Its rarity is evident with only 483 coins minted in the standard round shape and 645 coins in octagonal shape. The Panama-Pacific exposition also saw the issuance of a $2.5 gold coin with 6,749 minted, a $1 gold coin with 15,000 issued and a 50-cent coin with 27,134 minted.
After the $1 Lafayette coin issued in 1900, the next important commemorative coin in the $1 denomination was issued for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1903 with 17,375 known mints featuring President Jefferson and an equal number featuring President McKinley. The following couple of years saw commemorative $1 gold coins issued for the Lewis and Clark Exposition – 10,000 coins each for 1903 and 1904.
After the Panama-Pacific Exposition coins, 1916-17 released nearly 10,000 commemorative $1 gold coins for the McKinley Memorial and another 10,000 minted the following year. This has been popularly known as the McKinley Memorial Dollar. In 1922, the government issued 5,000 Grant Memorial coins and another 5,000 with the 5-pointed star insignia embossed. This set would be the last $1 commemorative coin minted in bullion gold until 1983 after the US Congress resumed authorizing the minting of commemorative coins.
In 1926, the third and last $2.5 US commemorative coin minted in bullion gold was issued to celebrate the country's Sesquicentennial independence with 46,019 coins minted and sold to avid collectors. There were also 141,120 half-dollar commemorative silver coins issued for the occasion. This would be the last commemorative coin struck in bullion gold until 1983.
Between 1918 and 1938, there have been numerous commemorative coins issued but except for the $2.5 gold sesquicentennial coin issued in 1926, all subsequent commemorative tenders have been in half-dollar or 50-cent denomination minted in bullion silver.
There were no more bullion gold coins minted during this period. Apart from the San Diego California Pacific Exposition which was commemorated with roughly 100,000 half-dollar silver coins minted in 1935, the Cincinnati Music Center establishment with 5000 silver half-dollar coins in 1936 and the Cleve/Great Lakes Exposition with 50,000 coins in the same year, most commemorative coins minted during the period were meant to celebrate memorials, bicentennials, centennials, sesquicentennials and tercentenaries. One commemorative coin celebrated Daniel Boone's bicentennial in 1934.
1920: Maine Centennial with 50,028 coins minted and issued; the Pilgrim Tercentenary with 152,112 coins issued. The following year saw another 20,052 Pilgrim Tercentenary coins issued.
1922: Grant Memorial with 67,405 issues and another 4,256 with the star insignia embossed.
1938: New Rochelle, New York with 15,266 coins.
It is plain that just about every state wants to mark its centennials with commemorative coins and that's understandable. The US Congress has been flooded with pending legislation to get these commemorative coins minted. It is not surprising that by 1939, the US Congress has had enough and promptly put a halt to all commemorative coinage.
It would take another 43 years, almost half a century, for the US Congress to resume authorizing the minting of commemorative coins.
In 1939, the US Congress passed the Public Law No. 278 of the 76th Congress which, as approved in August 5, 1939, prohibited "...the issuance and coinage of certain commemorative coins..." It effectively put an end to the minting and issuance of all commemorative coins even those already approved by that time.
To be sure, there were exceptions made with Exception of Acts signed into law on August 7, 1946 when 50-cent commemorative coins where authorized for minting to celebrate the Iowa Centennial and Booker T. Washington. An amendment to the prohibition was likewise signed in 1951 for the George Washington Carver-Booker T. Washington memorial 50-cent coins.
Minted from 1951 to 1954, the Carver-Washington 50-cent coins were the last commemorative coins for the pre-modern era. After this, the next official commemorative coin would be minted in 1982 for the 250th birth anniversary of George Washington.


text:
import express from 'express'
import apiRoutes from './api/index'

const router = express.Router()   	// eslint-disable-line new-cap

/** API routes at /api */
router.use('/api', apiRoutes)

/** GET - Root Dir */
router.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Welcome to Node Scaffolding')
})

export default router

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Activities During Boarding School As an international student I participated in an International club. Foxhound is a community that cares a lot about international students. A lot of students feel like outsiders or awkward within a new community and environment however Foxcroft was a place that was able to cover all of it with its continuing love and care towards the students. Even the American students were very friendly towards international students and our culture.
First of all this is an all girls boarding school with very rich tradition and uniqueness of the Fox-hound community that creates a very strong between friends and school faculty. This bond forms a family like a community especially with the small group discussion based relationships with a student faculty ratio of 1:7. Also the teachers are very positive with their feedback in various lives and due to the small number in the community there is a bond and warmth that cannot compare to others. Foxhound was a second family to me and gave me the support and love that I could never have imagined.
First of all the fact that I went to a boarding school was a very big challenge for me. From a far country across the pacific I was worried about not being able to blend in well due to language barriers and different races however because it was a boarding school I was able to get to know a lot of more kids and I was also able to communicate very well with people which resulted in my academic skills increasing due to a lot of talking and English improvement.
My one and only advice for kids going to boarding school would be to have courage. Do not be afraid of being separated from your family or your life long friends. Coming to a new community does not mean that you will start out weak and lonely. It is an adventure in life and a precious experience that will never and can never be forgotten. It may seem a challenge and instill fear within you however if you plunge into this adventure you will soon discover another part or characteristic or even new talent of yours that you never thought to seek out.
It was a very eco friendly school with lots of nature experiences. The diverse extracurricular activities and profound care of the school faculty helped me a lot during my college preparation. I was able to share and decrease my worries about college and stress due to this school.
I really recommend the full use of the library because it is the best place to focus and study. There are library deans who proctor the study hall that set a very focused environment and also give a lot of help in regards to report paper research or checking out books. These specific experiences really prepared me for the full-time college life.
Some of the benefits are first of the small number of students because especially in situations where students struggled they are able to get a lot of attention and care. Even with academics if we are going through a book or academic topic we are able to delve deeper into it with depth and width. Even though the work load may be a bit heavy, this is very helpful towards college preparation and it is also manageable with good time management and thought.
Pertaining to athletics, the physical education learning was very intense. There are a lot of facilities to work out in such as the gym which was a very clean and abundant environment. Also our school is known for prestigious field hockey. It also encourages physical fitness through mandatory workout and stretching. There is also a diverse athletic community in which each and every student can find their strengths and push towards a greater physical outcome at the Foxcroft school.
I am an arts student. The first and only reason that pushed me towards this decision was the free and open Art environment. There was no oppression and it provided an environment in which students could really focus on their personal uniqueness and creativity during working on their art works. Also the teachers were incredibly encouraging and there was significant harmony with the work environment and school support. The commitment towards their artworks of the students and the commitment of the teachers is incredible and vast. This must be considered a proud factor of Foxcroft.
First of all there is a wide range of extracurricular activities from which students are able to choose from according to their personal tastes and strengths or talents. This diversity was also another factor that was able to make international students to feel more welcome to the school because they were able to flourish their talents in environments at which they were appraised and are able to increase their confidence.
The best decision of my high school life is going in the dorms. It was a priceless experience and even if I were to make the choice again I would not only go again myself I definitely recommend others to do it. First of all it is way more safe than host families and also it is very close to the school which significantly reduces transport time. Every weekend there are little trips that we have which also supported the dorm bond. I also really liked and have good memories of late night chats with my dorm friends in the lounge.
I especially remember the great food of Mr.B because there were very healthy foods with a great salad bar. And also the dining staff really worked towards a very diverse food choice and it was great to be a community with these very passionate dining families. Also if you stay at school you are very likely to gain weight but because of the good food and healthy balanced diet I feel that I have progressed towards a fitness never before achieved.
Middleburg is a very private town with a rich history. The town has a very unique and strong character which works to preserves this quality. For example fast food places like McDonald's do not exist because they seem to harm the perseverance of this towns character.
I really liked that there were separate rooms for studying and sleeping, such as the sleeping porch. And also there was a lounge at which we could talk and eat and enjoy our leisure time. Also the study room was a very good environment that supported concentration when studying. Everyone knew each other and the grades which once again encouraged a family like community.


My father and I talked about this movie today, by pure chance. I remembered vaugely seeing some of it a long time ago, so we decided to see it again.
It's truly genius in its own way. It's almost more of a documentary than a fictitious movie. The movie is about a government biologist who are tasked to go to Alaska(I think) to do research in the wolfs habits/nature of life.
The movie has some comic relief in the way some of the characters acts, but it's mainly about the researching discovering more than he ever imaging, and his feeble struggles to survive in the wilderness.
So this movie is mostly about nature and the way it cycles. Beautiful, funny and engaging.
Well I guess it shouldn't be a plus, but the fact the this movie is from 1983 and thereby 27 years old made an impression on me. It's almost just the score that reveals its age, and compared to other movies from that time, that is a feed in itself.


text:
Deborah Andrew, Ph.D.
dandrew@jhmi.edu
Academic Titles:
Appointments/Affiliations:
410-614-2645 (Lab)
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
725 N. Wolfe Street, G10 Hunterian
Andrew1.gif
Research Topic: Organogenesis in a model system: Formation of the Drosophila salivary gland and trachea
Tube formation is a ubiquitous process required to sustain life in all multicellular organisms. Tubular organs in humans include the lungs, vasculature, digestive and excretory systems, as well as secretory organs such as the pancreas, salivary, prostrate, and mammary glands. My lab studies the Drosophila trachea and salivary gland as model systems for tube formation to learn how organ size, shape and function are normally controlled. Over the past several years, we have identified many genes expressed in the trachea and salivary gland, and are characterizing the subset required for early tube morphogenesis using a wide variety of genetic, imaging and biochemical approaches.
Among the genes we have characterized are two that encode transcription factors required for internalization of either the trachea or salivary gland, trachealess and fork head. Three other genes we have characterized encode transcription factors controlling tube elongation, ribbon, huckebein and hairy. Finally, several genes encode components of signaling pathways required for organ positioning. Current efforts in the lab are directed toward identifying and characterizing the morphogenetic roles of the downstream effector molecules regulated by these transcription factors and signaling pathways. We also study the mechanisms whereby the salivary gland becomes specialized for secretion and have learned that secretory capacity in this and other secretory organs is largely controlled by a single transcription factor, CrebA. Finally, we are beginning to leverage what we have learned about the Drosophila salivary gland to compromise mosquito salivary glands as one approach to limiting malarial transmission.
Research Interest:
Developmental genetics of organ formation; Drosophila
Biosketch:
Andrew Biosketch (NIH style).pdf
Research Associates and Staff:
JiHoon Kim, Ph.D. Research Associate jkim100@jhmi.edu 410-614-2645
Rajprasad Loganathan, Ph.D. Research Associate rlogana2@jhmi.edu 410-614-2645
Michael Wells, Ph.D. Research Associate mwells24@jhmi.edu 410-614-2645
The Mosquito Salivary Gland: A Gateway Organ for Parasite Transmission (Andrew Lab)
Infective parasites must traverse the mosquito salivary glands to transmit malaria to humans and other animals. The Andrew Lab is leveraging its findings on the molecules required to form and maintain the Drosophila salivary gland to develop strategies to block malaria transmission. Shown is an optical section through the distal lateral lobe of a female adult salivary gland stained with DAPI (blue, nuclei), alpha-tubulin (green, cytosol) and wheat-germ agglutinin (red; chitin/O-GlcNAcylated proteins).
Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography
Wells, M.B. and Andrew, D.J. (2019) The architecture of the Anopheles stephensi salivary gland presents major barriers to transmission of the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. MBio. In press.
Johnson, D.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2019) Role of tbc1 in Drosophila embryonic salivary glands. BMC Cell and Molec. Biol 20:19
Andrew, D.J., Chen, E.H., Manoli, D.S., Ryner, L.C. and Arbeitman, M.N. (2019) Sex and the single fly: A perspective on the career of Bruce S. Baker. Genetics 212(2) 365-376
Manning, L., Sheth, J., Bridges, S., Saadin, A., Odinammadu, K., Andrew, D., Spencer, S., Montell, D. and Starz-Gaiano, M. (2017) A hormonal cue promotes timely follicle cell migration by modulating transcription profiles. Mech. Dev. 148: 56-68.
Wells MB, Villamor J, and Andrew DJ. Salivary gland maturation and duct formation in the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. 2017. Scientific Reports 7:601. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00672-0.
Chung S, Kim S, and Andrew DJ. 2017. Uncoupling apical constriction from tissue invagination. Elife Mar6;6. pii: e22235. doi: 10.7554/eLife.22235. PMCID: PMC5338918
Hanlon CD, Andrew DJ. Drosophila FoxL1 non-autonomously coordinates organ placement during embryonic development. 2016. Dev Biol. 2016 Nov 15;419(2):273-284. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.09.007. Epub 2016 Sep 13.
Loganathan R, Lee JS, Wells MB, Grevengood E, Slattery M, Andrew DJ. Ribbon regulates morphogenesis of the Drosophila embryonic salivary gland through transcriptional activation and repression. Dev Biol. 2016 Jan 1;409(1):234-50
Wells, M.B. and Andrew, D.J. (2015) Salivary gland cellular architecture in the Asian malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi. Parasites and Vectors. 8:617. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1229-z
Cheng, Y.L. and Andrew, D.J. (2015) Extracellular Mipp1 activity confers migratory advantage to epithelial cells during collective migration. Cell Reports. Published online November 25, 2015.
Hanlon, C.D. and Andrew, D.J. (2015) Outside-in signaling - a brief review of GPCR signaling with a focus on the Drosophila GPCR family. J Cell Sci 128: 3533-3542. PMID: 26345366.
Fox, R.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2015) Transcriptional regulation of secretory capacity by bZip transcription factors. Front Biol 10: 28-51. PMID: 25821458
Loganathan, R., Cheng, Y.L. and Andrew, D.J. (2015) Development of the Drosophila Respiratory System. In: Organogenetics. Springer. In press.
Andrew, D.J. and Yelon, D. (2015) Developmental mechanisms, patterning and organogenesisis. Curr Opin Genet Dev. Epub 2015 Jun 4.
Chung, S.-Y. and Andrew, D.J. (2014) Cadherin 99C regulates apical expansion and cell rearrangement during epithelial tube elongation. Development 141:1950-1960. PMID: 24718992
Fox, R.M., Vaishnavi, A., Maruyama, R., and Andrew, D.J. (2013) Organ-specific gene expression: the bHLH protein Sage provides tissue-specificity to Drosophila FoxA. Development. 140 (10): 2160-2171. PMID: 23578928.
Barbosa S, Fasanella G, Carreira S, Llarena M, Fox R, Barreca C, Andrew D, O'Hare P. 2013 An orchestrated program regulating secretory pathway genes and cargos by the transmembrane transcription factor CREB-H. Traffic. 2013 Apr;14(4):382-98. doi: 10.1111/tra.12038.
Ismat, A., Cheshire, A. and Andrew, D.J. (2013) The secreted AdamTS-A metalloprotease is required for collective cell migration. Development. 140 (9): 1981-93. doi: 10.1242/dev.087908. Epub 2013 Mar 27. PMID: 23536567.
Maruyama, R., Grevengoed, E., Stempniewicz, P., Andrew, D.J. (2011) Genome-wide analysis reveals a major role in cell fate maintenance and an unexpected role in endoreduplication for the Drosophila FoxA gene fork head. PLoS One 6(6): e20901. PMID: 21698206
Chung, S.-Y., Chavez, C. and Andrew, D.J. (2011) Trachealess (Trh) regulates all tracheal genes during Drosophila embryogenesis. Developmental Biology 360: 160-172. PMID: 21963537
Andrew, DJ and Ewald, AJ, "Morphogenesis of epithelial tubes: Insights into tube formation, elongation, and elaboration", Developmental Biology, 2010 May 1;341(1):34-55.
Fox, R.M., Hanlon, C.D. and Andrew, D.J. (2010) The CrebA/Creb3-like transcription factors are major and direct regulators of secretory capacity. Journal of Cell Biology 191: 479-492. PMID: 21041443
Chung, S.-Y., Vining, M.S., Bradley, P.L., Chan, C.-C., Wharton, K.A. and Andrew, D.J. (2009) Serrano (Sano) functions with the planar cell polarity genes to control tracheal tube length. PLoS Genetics 5(11): e1000746. PMID: 19956736.
Kerman, B.E., Cheshire, A.M., Myat, M.M., and Andrew, D.J. (2008) Ribbon modulates apical membrane during tube elongation through Crumbs and Moesin. Developmental Biology 320: 278-288. PMID: 18585700
Abrams, E.W., Mihoulides, W.K. and Andrew, D.J. (2006) Fork head and Sage maintain a uniform and patent salivary gland lumen through regulation of two downstream target genes, PH4áSG1 and PH4áSG2. Development 133: 3517-3527. PMID: 16914497.
Abrams, E.W. and Andrew, D.J. (2005) CrebA regulates secretory activity in the salivary gland and epidermis. Development 132: 2743-2758. PMID: 15901661
Bradley, P.L., Myat, M.M., Comeaux, C. and Andrew, D.J. (2003) Posterior migration of the salivary gland requires an intact visceral mesoderm and integrin function. Developmental Biology 257: 249-262. PMID: 12729556
Myat, M.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2002) Epithelial tube morphology is determined by the polarized growth and delivery of apical membrane. Cell 111:879-891. PMID: 12526813.
Bradley, P.L. and Andrew, D.J. (2001) ribbon encodes a BTB-containing transcription factor required for directed cell migration. Development 128: 3001-3015. PMID: 11532922
Myat, M.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2000) Organ shape in the Drosophila salivary gland is controlled by regulated, sequential internalization of the primordia. Development 127: 679-691. PMID: 10648227
Myat, M.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2000) FORK HEAD prevents apoptosis and promotes cell shape change during formation of the Drosophila salivary glands. Development 127: 4217-4226. PMID: 10976053
Isaac, D.D. and Andrew, D.J. (1996) Tubulogenesis in Drosophila: A requirement for the trachealess gene product. Genes and Development 10: 103-117. PMID: 8557189
Bhanot, P., Brink, M., Samos, C.H., Hsieh, J.-C., Wang, Y., Macke, J.P., Andrew, D., Nathans, J., and Nusse, R. (1996) Dfz2, a new member of the frizzled family in Drosophila, functions as a receptor for Wingless. Nature 382: 225-230. PMID: 8717036

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
require 'rubyshift/version'
require 'rubyshift/configuration'
require 'rubyshift/error'
require 'rubyshift/request'
require 'rubyshift/api'
require 'rubyshift/client'

module RubyShift
  extend Configuration

  def self.client(options={})
    RubyShift::Client.new(options)
  end

  # Delegate to RubyShift::Client
  def self.method_missing(method, *args, &block)
    return super unless client.respond_to?(method)
    client.send(method, *args, &block)
  end

  def respond_to_missing?(method_name, include_private = false)
    client.respond_to?(method_name) || super
  end

  # Delegate to HTTParty.http_proxy
  def self.http_proxy(address=nil, port=nil, username=nil, password=nil)
    RubyShift::Request.http_proxy(address, port, username, password)
  end

  # Return an array of available client methods
  def self.actions
    hidden = /endpoint|username|password|access_token|user_agent|get|post|put|\Adelete\z|validate|set_request_defaults|httparty/
    (RubyShift::Client.instance_methods - Object.methods).reject { |e| e[hidden]}
  end
end


text:
Madonna's #secretprojectrevolution and #ArtForFreedom
When I found out that Madonna's long-trailed 'secret project' was going to tackle 'human rights' I was, it must be said, apprehensive. Having finally watched it tonight, I sadly think I was right to be. Here I'll focus on its broad message, though the accusations of hypocrisy re: Madonna endorsing products and partnering with an organisation part-owned by Rupert Murdoch while decrying branding and corporations are hard to combat.
Everything I write about Madonna comes from a place of love. Amongst friends (and enemies) I have a reputation as a Madonna nut, someone who is incapable of objectivity towards her and loves everything she does. I plead guilty to the former charge: objectivity is for chemistry, not pop music. I've written here countless times about how important Madonna has been and remains to me. I've also expressed my admiration for her outspokenness and willingness to involve herself in issues which most other pop stars shy away from. This remains the case. Even though I think #secretprojectrevolution is enormously flawed, I'd rather she was doing something like this than another perfume or gym launch; particularly as she must surely know that she'll be torn to shreds for it and has little to gain. In the accompanying interview you are given the sense of someone who continues to try and seek some 'truth' and publicly work through the issues she cares about. So yes, to re-iterate, this comes from a place of love.
The film itself looks fabulous, continuing the aesthetic of the MDNA tour and producing some of the most arresting visuals of Madonna's career. As a political statement it's almost certainly too opaque to have any effect on the non-converted but as the launch for a new website/campaign called 'Art For Freedom', it piques interest. It also feels like a serious work worthy of our attention, albeit one which will be dismissed out-of-hand by many because of Madonna's infamy.
I wrote earlier in the year about Madonna's speech to GLAAD and how it found her firmly ensconced as an 'archetypal American liberal'. Rather incongruously this saw me labelled as a 'Madonna hater' for possibly the first time in my life – some really do seem to think that being a fan means loving everything an artist does. The one message from #secretprojectrevolution's somewhat rambling voice-over which jumps out to me, however, is the 'revolution of thinking for yourself, of having your own opinion…of inquiring further'. That message reminded of a graphic I saw earlier today on the Progressive Development Forum:
For all her talk of a 'revolution of love' it seems to me that Madonna actually wants people to be more politically conscious and more capable of critical analysis. This is by itself a great message but it's one which means accepting/realising that these issues are more important than any pop star. This 'revolution' cannot possibly mean fawning over Madonna for 'saying something' and swallowing everything she says; if we buy into this message, we have to parse her words.
Indeed, there are times when her words demand to be challenged. Consider the following:
I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution, but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade, would you take me seriously? If I was wearing combat gear and I had an AK-47 strapped to my back, would you take me seriously? Instead, I'm a woman. I'm blonde. I have tits and ass and an insatiable desire to be noticed.
Now, if Madonna wants to say that she's taken less seriously as an artist because of her gender, her use of sexuality and her notoriety, that's fine…but that's enormously different from what she actually says. Her words invoke the black civil rights movement, the struggle to 'free' Palestine and armed struggle in general: none of these things are Madonna's to claim. She is an enormously privileged, wealthy, famous American and it's flat-out offensive to draw parallels between her being booed at some shows or torn apart by some critics and the systematic oppression of an entire race or an entire people. People don't dismiss Madonna speaking of 'revolution' because she's a woman but rather because a) her class makes it difficult to take her use of the word seriously and, following on from that, b) she strips the word of most of its meaning.
We see the latter in her repeated assertion that 'the enemy' lies 'within' ourselves. Sure, we all have issues we have to deal with and a lot of hatred in the world surely does stem from personal problems. We do not, however, exist in a vacuum. Our beliefs and ideologies don't just appear within us like hairs upon our head; they come from our engagement with the world. Politics, the media, popular culture and more all shape us and people with agendas manipulate all of these to try and encourage us to think certain things. Failing to understand this makes demands to 'do something' little more than self-help speak encouraging us all to 'be nicer'. Instead any artistic statement for 'freedom' must surely be a didactic one, encouraging people to think about the structures of society and the operation of power – it must be something which actually enables people to identify targets rather than leading them to believe that the world's problems all arise because some folk are just dickheads.
Madonna's failure to grasp this is evident in the interview where she keeps speaking about touring the world, seeing problems everywhere and feeling like everything was 'collapsing'. She talks about it as if some black cloud just descended one day, complaining about people's 'consciousness not evolving' and even seeming to blame the internet at one point. Aside from one throwaway comment in the film (drawn from her L'Olympia speech) she doesn't draw links between the world's unrest and the massive economic crisis which it is still going through. She certainly doesn't draw any links between unrest and global capitalism (or neoliberalism).
The shallowness of her analysis is sharply illuminated when she gets onto geopolitical specifics. As she did at GLAAD and has done elsewhere, she points the finger at a series of acceptable 'bad guys'. What is happening in Iran 'breaks her heart' but she insisted on starting her tour in Israel even when she thought the latter might be about to bomb the former. There is no hint of a notion that Israel could be at fault in that situation and certainly no consideration of Israel's own diabolical human rights record when it comes to Palestine. She again speaks of Russia and Pussy Riot, complaining about Putin's censorship and record on gay rights; nothing about Obama's unprecedented persecution of whistle-blowers or the fact that America's own gay rights record leaves much to be desired in many states. She again mentions Malala Yousafzai, a shooting which rightfully horrified her; nothing about the many shootings of children which have taken place in America even in the past year, let alone the drone killings of children (and others) led by the US. She again speaks of Le Pen in France, labelling her a 'fascist' and expressing bewilderment that France should ever be unwelcoming of 'difference'; she has nothing to say about Obama's record deportations or the fact that, under the guise of the 'war on terror', America has ramped up its own persecution of Muslims both at home and around the world.
It's when Madonna explicitly speaks about America that her facileness simply becomes unavoidable. Her big problem with the Americans she encountered on tour? That they take 'freedom' for granted and many weren't going to vote (and weren't going to vote for Obama). She thinks you become complacent when 'you can have whatever you want', something which must be news for the millions of Americans living in poverty in one of the world's most unequal countries. More unequal, even, than many of the South American countries which are, she says, riddled with 'corruption and poverty' (once again, an easy target). At one point the interviewer is clearly inviting Madonna to articulate some disappointment with Obama, asking her why so many were disillusioned by his first time. Her response is just embarrassing: he was left a bad situation by Bush (which didn't stop him appointing some of the people responsible for that situation to his administration) and people didn't trust him on the economy. Then, astoundingly, she says that she doesn't want a 'warmonger' for President. For a second I took this to mean Obama, especially given her recent admirable stand on Syria. In the context of her continued defence of the current President and a comment about saving money for everybody, however, it would seem that she's continuing her blinkered argument and criticising Romney.
I would never argue that people should ignore abuses and injustice around the world. I do however think that any starting point for this should be that old saying about throwing the first stone – we have a duty to speak out about the abuses and injustices in our own societies first and foremost. Avoiding this while proclaiming a desire to 'give these (foreign) people a voice' as Madonna does is at best misguided orientalism and at worse a path to brutal imperialism. This is why the critical thinking and political consciousness – the ability to think for oneself – is the best message which anyone could take from #secretprojectrevolution. Simply lifting its agenda whole-heartedly is missing the point. It remains to be seen how the Art For Freedom project develops but in its conception as a social media platform devoted to 'freedom' it's certainly potentially exciting (the current 'daily feature' depicts a Palestinian man escaping from the Gaza Strip "about a mile from the northern Israeli border fence and under the watchful eye of an Israeli destroyer vessel in Beit Lahia", already filling in a big gap in Madonna's words). Madonna speaks of wishing to inspire others to thought and action; as a fundamental this is impossible to argue with, even if Madonna's own thought and action here leave a lot to be desired (personally). At the very least, I've seen people discussing some of these issues on internet forums throughout the day. You wouldn't get that from Celine Dion now, would you?
Activism, Feminism, Media, Politics, Social Media
artforfreedom, Iran, Israel, madonna, MDNA, MDNA Tour, Palestine, Politics, President Obama, Putin, revolution, Russia, secretprojectrevolution, steven klein
The MDNA Tour
More than ever, it seems, we live in an age where you're not supposed to take pop music seriously. This isn't difficult to comprehend – we do, after all, live in an age where taking almost anything very seriously is frowned upon – yet it's easy to forget that there are artists who have been working on the premise that 'pop music will never be low brow' (as Lady Gaga put it, prior to a massive backlash which has led her to already describe her next album as lacking 'maturity') for decades. In my 17 years of gig-going I've learned that there really is no other pop show quite like a Madonna one. Sure, the 'theatrical' influences of her tours (themselves heavily influenced by David Bowie's work) hang heavily over shows by scores of other artists, yet a big production and 'themed segments' is typically as far as it gets. Make no mistake about it: at times Madonna's shows are performance art on a grand scale.
Previously this was perhaps most pronounced on the Drowned World tour, a dark, violent and largely classic-free show which demanded a lot from its audience. It's rare for pop shows to demand much. For all of their merits, today's pop superstars tend to deliver hit and after hit, quickly skating over lesser-known album tracks. Whatever the cause and effect of the situation this has coincided with audiences which have become lazier and more obnoxious, refusing to indulge songs they are unfamiliar with and seemingly determined to ruin things for those who do wish to listen by screeching loudly throughout.
This is more pronounced in stadium gigs, where many clearly go along expecting to hear classic hit followed by classic hit. This has never been Madonna's style and the MDNA tour is no exception. In terms of its tone and themes it reminded me heavily in places of Drowned World – a dense, spectacular and steely show which took it as given that pop shows can be high brow. Perhaps the crucial difference, however, is that Drowned World played to the 19,000 capacity Earls Court while MDNA played to 70,000 people in Hyde Park.
The venue was definitely the problem here: Hyde Park's volume limit (due to it being a residential area) meant the sound never packed a punch while its flat terrain saw scores of people around us building mounds out of wood chips in order to try and catch a glimpse of the lady herself. The curfew also meant that the show, clearly intended to begin under the cover of darkness, had to begin in daylight. A casual listener expecting to hear selections from Celebration for the evening would already have had to alter their expectations – these problems could only have further alienated them. Saying that, anyone attending a show called MDNA who hasn't listened to the album of the same title probably deserves everything they get
For a big fan such as myself, the show was an absolute treat. The opening section stretching from 'Girl Gone Wild' to 'I Don't Give A' was simply stunning. There was a lot going on, both physically on stage and thematically, with a dark, aggressive and violent exploration of a 'girl gone wild'. The symbolism of Madonna emerging from a confessional booth in a cathedral, dressed in a funereal take on her wedding dress, is difficult to beat. The following songs, imagery and choreography saw her celebrating her position as a feminist icon while linking her failed marriage to her status as a lapsed Catholic. 'Revolver' saw her surrounded by female dancers, celebrating sexuality before being boxed in and fighting off male assailants in the demented 'Gang Bang'. 'Papa Don't Preach' and 'Hung Up' were re-interpreted as a communique to God, a plea for Him to send a sign as Madonna tries and repeatedly fails to 'walk the line' before finally accepting her identity and proclaiming 'I Don't Give A'. Transgression is undoubtedly one of the most truly theatrical sections of a music concert I've ever seen and I can't wait to see it again.
Flowing neatly from her 'acceptance' of herself, Madonna returned to the stage to perform a truly joyous version of 'Express Yourself'. This old classic united the entire park in song, so much so that the sly dig at Gaga with the snippets of 'Born This Way' and accompanying video of 'little monsters' eating mass produced product was almost unnoticeable. The production of this section was just incredible, with drummers suspended in mid-air for 'Give Me All Your Luvin' and a visual assault on the senses.
The third section was the most interesting to me, as a fan. It kicked off with an imperial take on 'Vogue', possibly her most iconic song and certainly one of the most iconic songs in pop. Given what followed, it seemed as if she was reminding everyone of her unassailable position in the pop pantheon. The following three songs were, quite simply, a massive 'fuck you' to those who take glee in attacking her these days – for her age, for her sexuality, for her music. The performance of 'Candy Shop', the much-ridiculed opening track to the maligned Hard Candy, seemed pointed enough but in following it with the defiant 'Human Nature', Madonna made the message clear: no regrets, no compromises. The point was rammed home with an odd, mournful version of 'Like A Virgin' which saw Madonna stripped and on the floor just as in its legendary MTV Award performance in 1984. Unlike then, however, this Madonna was aged, tired, emotional. It was a rare glimpse into the psyche of an artist who has been on the pop treadmill for 30 years and still receives many brickbats for it. The segment ended with Madonna being strapped tightly into a corset – constrained and back in character, ready for another performance.
It was a pleasure to hear 'I'm Addicted' live but this was definitely one which needed the music to be LOUD. 'Like A Prayer' of course managed to overcome this problem – again, the entire park was as one for a truly euphoric sing-a-long which is definitely one of my all-time favourite gig moments. A brief, playful rendition of 'Celebration' (featuring one of several appearances from Rocco, clearly having the time of his life) and it was all over.
Madonna was definitely on form – she looked, moved and sounded better than on Sticky & Sweet. The tour passes suggest that the tour will continue into 2013, which raises the hope that (as with her last tour) she will return for an arena date. Fingers crossed as this intelligent, often-subtle show would work much better in such an environment. It's nonetheless remarkable that, 30 years into her career, Madonna can remind you of the transcendental brilliance of pop at its best and its unifying power – both before and after the gig, the streets and bars of central London had an air of celebration, packed as they were with people wearing Madonna t-shirts. It may not be fashionable to take pop music too seriously or to earnestly proclaim your love for it – with Madonna, I'm unable to do anything else.
Media, Music, Reviews
madonna, MDNA, MDNA Tour, music, pop


text:
HOME > Newsroom > Campus wide > CSU to finish spring semester online
Campus wide, COVID-19
CSU to finish spring semester online
By Jenna Johnson | March 23, 2020
After much prayerful consideration regarding the COVID-19 pandemic's apparent course over the next few weeks, Charleston Southern University has decided to finish the spring semester online. Consistent with accreditation mandates, faculty are modifying certain experiential learning requirements when necessary, including those for student teachers and nursing students.
"We know our traditional students will be deeply disappointed, as are we, that our on-campus activities are ending much earlier than we hoped. But this move is the best option to protect our students, faculty, staff, and the greater community from the ill effects of the public health pandemic," President Dondi Costin said.
The May graduation ceremony is postponed and will be conducted on a future date to be determined. Degrees will be conferred on May 8 and placed in the mail for all seniors who complete their degree requirements. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our graduates and their families in a meaningful way when it is considered safe to do so.
"Making this decision now also allows our students the opportunity to make plans in the best interests of themselves and their families," Costin said. "Amid the difficulties we all face during this challenging season, Charleston Southern is committed to creating memorable experiences for our Bucs and recognizing their hard-earned accomplishments, including a future commencement event for the Class of 2020."
University Operations
At present, only essential university employees are required to report to work on campus. All other employees should continue working remotely unless mission requirements or supervisor direction allow otherwise. For the safety of our staff and guests, all on-campus events are canceled until further notice.
Residence Life will launch an orderly two-week move-out process that will begin on April 1, 2020, a start date chosen to honor the federal government's current 15-day stay-at-home recommendation. The move-out process will allow students to gather their belongings in a convenient, timely fashion while maintaining safe social distancing. Students will be given several options to return to campus to check out within a two-week period. In extenuating circumstances, other options may be provided on a case-by-case basis. More information, including details on the process and schedule, will be released to residential students in the next few days.
The university is researching possible housing and dining plan refunds and is conferring with federal and state officials to ensure all guidelines are met. The university will communicate details to affected parties as soon as university operations return to normal. We appreciate your patience as we evaluate all aspects of this developing situation.
Registration for summer and fall 2020 will continue as scheduled. All holds have been removed for now to allow students the opportunity to register. The federal government requires prior-year balances to be paid in full before the fall semester begins. All charges incurred prior to the fall 2020 semester must be paid in full by August 1, 2020. For more information, please contact studentaccounts@csuniv.edu or financialaid@csuniv.edu.
Despite social distancing, we are still building community through a variety of virtual opportunities, including:
CSU Campus Recreation is hosting daily workouts on Campus Rec social media. Workouts can be done with little or no equipment from the comfort of one's home (i.e., kickboxing and PiYo). Follow them on Instagram.
Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms is encouraged to use MUSC Health's free Coronavirus Virtual Health Screening. Please continue to follow the CDC's recommendations for social distancing and hygiene, as well as the CSU Health Resources page for updates and helpful tips.
The CSU Counseling Services team is available for consultation and referral to ALL currently enrolled students via phone or video conferencing Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Appointment requests may be made here. In the event of an emergency, please contact 911, 211, the National Suicide Hotline at 843-744-HELP (4357) or visit your nearest ER.
Daily devotionals from our scattered campus community are available on social media as a way to keep our Bucs connected and uplifted. Look for our BUCkle Up posts each evening on YouTube, Facebook stories and Instagram stories.
Brief chapel services will be conducted each Wednesday at 11 a.m. online beginning March 25 through April 22. Elevate services will also be available online every Thursday night until final exam week.
The campus community is encouraged to join CSU in daily prayer at 10 a.m. View the list of prayer topics and/or submit a prayer request for the Campus Ministries team at charlestonsouthern.edu/prayer.
Look for online chat options available soon on the CSU website. This is a great option for current students, prospective students, parents and families who may have questions regarding the admissions process, financial aid, degree program information, and more.
Chapel Credits
All students will receive chapel credits for the two remaining chapels originally scheduled for the spring 2020 semester. May 2020 graduates who still lack the number of chapel credits required to graduate should email Laurie Diel, executive assistant to the dean of students, at ldiel@csuniv.edu as soon as possible. We will work with students to develop a plan for them to graduate on time.
Our CSU Enrollment Team will be communicating with incoming students in the days ahead, and more information on preregistration for new students will be coming soon. Current student registration is proceeding as scheduled.
Please note that as of March 21, ETS unveiled a GRE and TOEFL that can be taken at home. The tests, which are open for registration, are available in the United States, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong and Macau (China). Learn more at https://www.ets.org/s/cv/important-update.
Campus visits are limited to individual appointments only when it is safe to travel again. We will host a virtual Open House in the next two weeks. Live virtual campus tours are available this spring, with livestream dates coming soon. In the meantime, visit the campus virtual tour here.
Stay Connected & Encouraged
"I continue to be proud of and inspired by the way our Charleston Southern family has chosen to make the best of a bad situation. But I am not surprised because that's exactly what I would have expected from a community committed to integrating faith in learning, leading, and serving. We remain steadfast in the rock-ribbed sufficiency of a rock-solid Savior who transforms the overwhelmed into overcomers every single time," said Costin. "In troubled times, it doesn't get any better than that."
In an effort to provide continued campus connection, President Costin will share weekly videos for the remainder of this semester via social media. Follow along at CSU main accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Access to on-campus healthcare at CSU
Charleston Southern University continued its partnership with Fetter Health Care...
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How to be earthquake-ready in SC
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Explore Art: Denver
An independent website
Past reviews
Recognize where I took this selfie? It's a famous piece of Denver public art.
Hello, and thanks for joining me in exploring the visual art scene in Denver and the metro area. Check here for regular posts about Colorado-based artists, gallery shows, and museum exhibitions.
I'm a Colorado-based freelance writer specializing in the visual arts. I have created this website for the sheer enjoyment of sharing my explorations of a vibrant and growing visual art community.
I'm a Denver native and journalism graduate from the University of Colorado. I lived for many years in Phoenix, Arizona, where I was a reporter, high school teacher and freelancer. Explore Art: Denver is an offshoot of my longtime website Explore Art: Phoenix.
To see my freelance clients and various publications, please go to my Portfolio.
deborahross36@gmail.com Instagram LinkedIn
Southwest Contemporary / THE Magazine
Boulder Country Arts Alliance
Denver Arts & Venues
Soundbites from the art world
"When I first saw Christo's work I thought, 'What is this? He's just wrapping things up? Why?' But I soon realized that is exactly the kind of confrontation you want with art: trying to make your own way to the actual answer to the question of why. To me, that's what his work provokes."
— Artist and photographer JR in an obituary for Christo in the June 15, 2020, issue of TIME
"This work allowed me to channel my righteous anger at not only the great loss of MLK Jr., but at the lack of representation of black artists, especially black women artists. I transformed the derogatory image of Aunt Jemima into a female warrior figure, fighting for Black liberation and women's rights. Fifty years later she has finally been liberated herself. And yet, more work still needs to be done."
— Legendary artist Betye Saar in a Roberts Projects media release when asked about the June 2020 decision by Quaker Oats to retire its Aunt Jemima brand
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DIGITAL DELIGHT: Instagrammers Lauren Bath, Garry Norris, Corby Brown, Pei Ketron, William Patino, Rhea Hepburn, Danial Rochford (WMDL), Racheal Klitscher (TEQ), Matt Glastonbury, Mia Sutami Bongaji, Masay Suzuki, Jewels Lynch, Pauly Vella, Sonia Carroll, Christoffer Collin and Angie Wallace, at last week's inaugural Airlie Beach Instameet.
THE photographic phenomenon of Instagram was brought to the Whitsundays last fortnight when 10 key Australian and international social media influencers attended an Instameet in Airlie Beach.
At the three hour event last Thursday, local Instagrammers mingled with the group of professional photographers sharing knowledge and tips while capturing the beauty of the Airlie Beach foreshore for a global audience of 2.5 million followers to see.
Cannonvale instagrammer Rhea Hepburn said she was thrilled to finally meet some of her Instagram idols such as Jewels Lynch, Lauren Bath and Pauly Vella.
"It was great to hang out with them and show them my town and to meet other local Instagrammers as well," she said.
Ms Hepburn said as a result of the Instameet she had started up a community based Instagram group@whitsundays_ig to enable locals to meet up for regular photo walks and further Instameets.
Meanwhile, hosted by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in partnership with Whitsundays Marketing and Development Limited (WMDL), the group of professional Instagrammers went on to explore the Whitsunday islands and coast.
WMDL's chief executive officer Danial Rochford described their itinerary as a taste of "some of the best the Whitsundays has on offer".
"As a result, the Whitsundays Instagram account as well as the #loveairliebeach and #lovethewhitsundays hashtags have been flooded with stunning Whitsundays images captured by the professional photographers," Mr Rochford said.
Instagram is a social photo-sharing application with around 100 million followers from around the globe.
To engage with the Whitsundays and see some of the content, follow @whitsundaysqld or search the #lovethewhitsundays and #loveairliebeach hashtags.


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Emma Watson's Book Club April Title Is Here
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
By K.W. Colyard
With 121,000 members at the end of its first quarter, Our Shared Shelf has been a resounding success. On Monday, Emma Watson's book club announced its April title early to give members the chance to buy their books before the new month rolls around. Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman is Our Shared Shelf's April read, so grab your copies now.
Moran broke onto the literary scene with The Chronicles of Narmo in 1992, when she was just 16 years old. She launched a journalism career, then published 2011's How to Be a Woman, an irreverently funny, feminist memoir, in which observations on the contradictions of modern womanhood mingle with snippets of her life story. Her latest book, Moranifesto, hit store shelves earlier this month.
How to Be a Woman is the second memoir Our Shared Shelf has read. In January, Emma Watson's book club kicked things off with Gloria Steinem's My Life on the Road. For the remainder of March, Our Shared Shelf members have time to finish up bell hooks' All About Love.
If you aren't already in the loop, visit Our Shared Shelf on Goodreads to join for free. The group's message board stays blown up, so you'll always have someone to talk to about intersectionality, gender studies, and world events.
Our Shared Shelf begins reading How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran on April 1.


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Crisis in Syrian City Exposes Fissure in Obama's Anti-ISIS Coalition
By Michael Crowley
A United Nations official warned Friday of a coming massacre in a Syrian town along the Turkish border as the slowly unfolding tragedy there exposed a crucial fissure within President Barack Obama's international coalition to fight the militant group ISIS.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday, the U.N.'s special representative for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters that, despite days of U.S.-led air strikes in the area, fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) have virtually surrounded the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani. Mistura estimated that some 700 residents remain in the town—most of them elderly and unable to flee like tens of thousands of other local residents already have.
Those people will "most likely [be] massacred" if the town falls to ISIS, he said.
Turkish troops just across the Syrian border from Kobani could likely rescue the town. But Turkey has a fraught relationship with the region's Kurds. More ominously for the Obama Administration, Turkey appears unwilling to join the direct fight against ISIS unless the coalition's strategy dramatically expands to include taking on the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
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In an Oct. 6 interview with CNN, for instance, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu argued that a campaign which solely targets ISIS is a futile pursuit. "We believe that if Assad stays in Damascus with this brutal policy, if [ISIS] goes, another radical organization may come in," he said.
Though it may be the most vocal, Turkey is not the only major U.S. ally convinced that Assad is a more important target than the radical militants of ISIS.
"There are two competing objectives within the coalition. Some countries are more interested in removing Assad, while other countries are more interested in addressing the extremist threat," an Arab government official said. "The challenge the US will face is how to keep the coalition together and functioning given these divergent goals."
While Saudi Arabia and Qatar have joined in some American air strikes against ISIS, those Gulf Arab countries have long urged Obama to take bolder action against Assad. Their Sunni monarchs detest the Syrian dictator, a key ally of Shi'ite Iran, and whose fight to retain power has transformed into a Shi'ite-Sunni religious war that has both spawned ISIS and given it safe haven.
"They've always been of the mind that their participation in this coalition is really a prelude to a broader campaign against Assad," said Frederic Wehrey, senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Both countries have supplied Syrian rebel groups—including factions with extremist ties—and have pressed the U.S. to arm the rebels with advanced weapons such as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. The Saudis were particularly upset when Obama decided not to follow through with planned air strikes against Assad last September in response to his regime's use of chemical weapons.
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Obama never relished the prospect of a head-on fight with Assad. Military action aimed at toppling the Syrian ruler could spoil Obama's intense efforts to win a nuclear deal with Tehran, which would be furious over such an intervention. Toppling Assad by force would also create an unpredictable political vacuum that could be filled by extremists—Obama need look no farther than anarchic Libya for an example.
But U.S. allies determined to see Assad go argue that getting rid of him is the highest priority, and that extremists can be dealt with later.
Obama disagrees. In his Sept. 10 address announcing military action against ISIS in Syria, Obama repeated his longstanding policy of seeking a "political settlement" for the Syria's civil war, in which ISIS is just one actor. Obama plans to provide more training and aid to moderate Syrian rebels in the hope they'll pressure Assad to negotiate a power transition that would require him to leave the country.
Assad has so far shown no interest in cutting a deal to surrender his power, and multiple rounds of peace talks in Geneva over the past year have produced no significant results.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Assad serves as a de facto ally in the fight against ISIS, although Obama officials insist they are not coordinating military action against the radical group with Damascus.
But Obama may find it increasingly difficult to battle ISIS without coming into conflict with Assad's forces. "Sooner or later the linkage is going to be forced," said Paul Salem, vice president of the Middle East Institute. Salem wonders how Obama would react if American-trained rebels come under aerial bombardment by Assad's air force: Would U.S. forces pounding ISIS targets elsewhere in the country refuse to intervene? (That would hardly inspire goodwill among the rebels.)
How should the U.S. respond Assad's forces move to claim territory cleared by ISIS after coalition attacks? And will Obama tolerate Assad's infamously brutal attacks on civilian populations now that U.S. fighter-bombers are mere minutes away from the scene of such crimes?
"The U.S. will soon be in a very public situation where Syrian helicopters are throwing barrel bombs at civilian populations, like in Aleppo, and the U.S. is gallivanting around and leaving them be," Salem predicted.
Under those scenarios, Obama would face extreme pressure from coalition members like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to take on Assad's forces directly — perhaps enough to threaten the coalition he and Secretary of State John Kerry so proudly assembled this fall.
For now, Obama officials won't entertain talk of shifting their sights to Assad. During a Friday briefing, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf was asked whether "is it still the U.S. position that you are not going after [Assad]."
"Correct," she replied.
President Obama clearly hopes to maintain that position while also holding together his anti-ISIS coalition. Whether that is possible remains to be seen.


Cambridge Springs and Springboro libraries also have been honored.
Local libraries have been honored by the Pennsylvania Library Association for their efforts to promote literacy.
Erie's Blasco Library, the Cambridge Springs Public Library and Springboro Public Library won first-quarter PA Forward Star Library awards announced during National Library Week this week.
Blasco Library earned three silver stars for its work in the five literacy categories in the PA Forward program: basic, information, civic and social, health, and financial.
Cambridge Springs and Springboro libraries each earned a bronze star.


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Геннадий Николаевич Герасимов () — советский и российский тренер по боксу, заслуженный тренер СССР.

Биография
Занимался боксом в чебоксарской спортивной школе молодёжи. Был чемпионом Чувашской АССР, Украинской ССР, являлся победителем Всероссийских соревнований и турниров Военно-морского флота СССР (1954, 1955).

Являлся одним из родоначальников развития бокса в Чувашии. Тренерскую деятельность в Чувашии Геннадий Герасимов начал с середины 1950-х годов, после окончания службы на Черноморском флоте. Работал тренером общества «Динамо» (Чебоксары), подготовил 20 мастеров спорта СССР. Среди его учеников: первый и единственный чемпион Олимпийских игр 1968 года по боксу из Чувашии, чемпион Европы и неоднократный чемпион СССР Валерьян Соколов, обладатель Кубка мира 1983 года, чемпион Европы и Советского Союза Владимир Мельник, мастер спорта СССР, обладатель Кубка мира, чемпион Европы и СССР Валерий Лаптев.

После завершения тренерской работы являлся консультантом главного тренера Чувашии по боксу.

Награды и звания
 За подготовку чемпиона Олимпийских игр Геннадию Николаевичу было присвоено звание «Заслуженный тренер СССР» (1968),
 вручена медаль «За трудовую доблесть» (1969).
 Кавалер ордена «За заслуги перед Чувашской Республикой» (2011).

Литература
 // Чувашский государственный институт гуманитарных наук.

Источники
 http://rusboxing.ru/?ait-grid-portfolio=gerasimov-gennadij-nikolaevich
 http://www.chv.aif.ru/incidents/osnovopolozhnik_boksa_v_chuvashii_umer_na_85-m_godu_zhizni
 В Шумерле проходит Республиканский юношеский турнир по боксу

Примечания

Боксёры СССР
Тренеры по боксу СССР
Тренеры России по боксу

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This Louisiana log home was built to stand the test of time and to provide immense enjoyment and pride of ownership.
A typical Sunday afternoon at Larry and Sandi Lott's log home feels like something out of a classic movie that's set in the South. Sipping sweet tea and enjoying a beautiful, 360-degree view of Cyprus Black Bayou Lake, the Lotts, along with their friends and family, relax and unwind on a one-acre peninsula where the couple built their log cabin home in 2009.
The Lotts, who are both retired and the owners of several homes, built their three-bedroom Benton, Louisiana, log home with the intention of replicating the time they'd spent together at Big Cedar Lodge, a popular vacation spot located about 10 miles from Branson, Missouri.
After talking to the log producer for that home, Wisconsin Log Homes, Inc., of Green Bay, the Lotts worked with the firm to "start breaking down the original design and revamping it to meet our needs," says Larry. Key elements the Lotts wanted to incorporate were an oversized great room with a lake view, an abundance of windows ("there's not one curtain in the house," he says), and a 25-foot-high stone fireplace in the great room to serve as a focal point for anyone who is in the home's dining room, kitchen, or sunroom.
Intent on incorporating as many green elements as possible into the home, Larry and Sandi insisted on addressing the environmental issue early in the game. They selected a DuPont Tyvek® weatherization system; R-39-factor insulation for the walls and ceilings; tankless water heaters; and a two-stage, variable speed air conditioning and heating system (the latter operates on 90 percent LP gas).
Those early decisions have resulted in a home that's "incredibly inexpensive to heat and cool," says Larry. In the home, all fixtures are water-efficient and all commodes are low-flow. One of the Lotts' biggest points of pride is the 102-year-old pine lumber that was salvaged from a demolished school building, and then used as flooring for the home's first floor. Hard as steel and impossible to replicate, this one-of-a-kind floor is one of the first things guests notice when they walk in the door.


Efficient traffic control and management is a fundamental and urgent challenge in our ever-growing cities. Evolving traffic light controller systems are playing an important role in these architectures by adaptively and dynamically coordinating individual traffic lights to achieve city-wide objectives of traffic operations. The integration of such systems with vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication techniques could easily be the next step of this evolution. In this poster proposal a proof-of-concept implementation of V2X-integrated traffic light controller systems is presented.