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tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/the-simpsons-32832/articles The Simpsons – The Conversation 2019-11-06T13:48:42Z tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/126380 2019-11-06T13:48:42Z 2019-11-06T13:48:42Z Why the Hollywood majors have been so slow to take on Netflix at TV streaming

Beat Dis.  DANIEL CONSTANTE

The long anticipated battle royale over TV streaming is finally becoming real: Apple TV+ has just launched in over 100 countries, kicking off with broadcast news drama The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and dystopian sci-fi series See.

Later this month Disney+ will enter the fray, initially in the US and then further afield in the early months of 2020. It will be leveraging everything from the Star Wars back catalogue and The Simpsons to that other Aniston series that some may have heard of – Friends. Meanwhile, WarnerMedia and Comcast/NBCUniversal are to follow in 2020 with their own respective platforms, HBO Max and Peacock.

Much has already been said about this challenge to Netflix, which has dominated the market for almost a decade. Netflix entertains an audience of almost 160m subscribers around the world, while second placed Amazon Prime is now slightly shy of 100m. But while analysts try to second guess how these platforms will be affected by new arrivals, the launches also prompt another question: why has it taken so long for this challenge to finally emerge?

Birds in the hand

Apple's hesitation is understandable given its outsider status to the streaming industry. The delayed entrances of Disney, Warner and NBC are more puzzling, though: these multi-billion-dollar giants have extensive knowledge of the entertainment business and lots of capital to support aggressive entry. They also saw what happened to the music majors when upstarts iTunes and Spotify took charge of downloads and streaming.

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 Harvard professor, Clayton Christensen. Wikimedia

The behaviour of the Hollywood entertainment giants can be explained by an old, sometimes forgotten theory that describes disruptive technologies: the innovator's dilemma. It was documented as early as 1997 by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen in a book of the same name that has become one of the seminal titles in the economics of innovation.

The dilemma refers to the choice that established firms must make between investing in their existing products and innovating to create new ones. For years, Hollywood chose the former. The most likely explanation is that these companies postponed going down this innovation route into TV streaming because they were afraid it would cannibalise their existing businesses.

Cannibalisation is where an established company has to destroy some of its sales and even partnerships to make room for a new product or service. Take the example of Friends: WarnerMedia, which owns the classic sitcom, has received formidable income from Netflix for the past few years for the rights to rerun the show. For 2019 showings alone, Netflix reportedly paid WarnerMedia US$100 million (£90m).

This is the sort of offer that is hard to refuse for a show whose last episode aired 15 years ago. It will be a big revenue loss to Warner when it switches Friends to its HBO Max platform in the new year. Netflix has instead struck a deal to rent Seinfeld, another 90s favourite, from Sony Pictures Television.

Disrupt and be damned

The innovator's dilemma crops up in all businesses where there is substantial technological change. It can be characterised as a choice between the two types of technological innovation: sustaining, where technology improves existing products or services; and disrupting, where it creates a new market.

Sustaining innovation is the path commonly followed by established firms, since they already have the experience, the market share and often the capital to invest in improving current products. An example would be smartphones, in which market leaders Apple and Samsung lead the way in improvements from one generation to the next.

Contrast this with disruptive technologies, where the new entrants are usually the innovators. This might sound like a case of incumbents failing to follow consumer demand – in other words, they have stopped listening to their customers. Instead, they are listening maybe too much. They prioritise defending their existing audience rather than leading these people towards the change that they will inevitably embrace.

Why, then, is Hollywood now changing tack? The answer is presumably that they believe the market has changed, and is moving towards a new equilibrium. This will be partly due to improvements in household internet speeds, and partly from the new supply of customers created by the disruptor, Netflix. WarnerMedia, for example, is betting that streaming has reached the stage where it can earn more from Friends on its own platform than by licensing it to Netflix.

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 Stuck in second gear? Onomatopoeia, CC BY

Yet this is not the way that an established company should have approached this decision. Instead they should concentrate more on the future: once you accept that each product or service has its life cycle and will eventually come to the end, the only way forward is to try and disrupt the market yourself.

As Apple's Steve Jobs once said, "If you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else will". To this day, Apple aims to prioritise disruptive innovations regardless of whether it will damage the sales of some of its other products in the process. By doing this wherever it is appropriate, you avoid the innovator's dilemma entirely.

The TV streaming business – like all other businesses going through technological change – is a game of winner takes all, in which only a small number of players will come to dominate. According to the theory of the innovator's dilemma, it is the innovator that tends to win.

By allowing Netflix and perhaps Amazon to develop such a commanding lead in this space, the Hollywood majors may not now be able to catch them – even with their huge production budgets and content libraries. Either way, it is going to provide a fascinating case study for this whole area of research.

If this is more of a cliffhanger than you can stand, let me end with a consolation: viewers can expect to pay rock bottom prices for all this content until the battle is over. This means that there will be no shortage of distractions in the meantime.

Stavros Poupakis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
 Giants like Disney and NBCUniversal have been locked in the horns of a business problem known as the innovator's dilemma. Stavros Poupakis, Postdoctoral Researcher in Economics, University of Oxford Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/105948 2018-11-04T13:54:10Z 2018-11-04T13:54:10Z Goodbye Apu -- here's what you meant to us

A YouTube producer trying to create a parody of 'The Simpsons' found out that Apu is being phased out of the show. While many will miss Apu, others reflect on what his character represents -- a flat stereotype of South Asian immigrants. The Simpsons

The Simpsons' Apu may be dead, but stereotyping of South Asians most certainly is not. In fact, from the debates that preceded the conflicting report of his demise, we can conclude a few things about Hollywood.

One, Hollywood doesn't know how to address criticism of its racism; two, Hollywood doesn't know how to recognize racism even when it consciously perpetuates it; and three, as audiences, we sometimes perpetuate the cycle of racist portrayals because our options seem so limited.

Even if Apu, the Indian-American convenience store owner who speaks with an exaggerated accent, is leaving, his exit would only signal the end of a character, not the end of what Apu and other South Asian characters on television have signified.

YouTube producer Adi Shankar first announced the end of Apu last week as reported on IndieWire.  Shankar was running a script contest to help pivot Apu's character for a YouTube parody. But as he was about to announce his winner, he said he found out The Simpsons is letting Apu slowly fade away. Simpsons executive producer Al Jean refuted the claim.

From the moment Hari Kondabolu released The Problem With Apu, a 2017 documentary on Apu, The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening and Apu's white portrayer, Hank Azaria, have found themselves under fire for what media scholar Shilpa S. Davé has called "the performance of brownface" and the stereotypical aspects of Apu's character.

Getting rid of Apu may well be the handiest way to end the criticism. After all, while Apu is a cartoon character, South Asian characters, like other minority characters, have frequently been disposed of on television. This is all the easier when they portray sidekicks, comic relief or criminals.

Nerd, terrorist, sidekick: As good as the roles get?

The well-known actor Kal Penn admitted to some apprehension when he accepted a role on 24, where he was a member of a seemingly successful and integrated American family. Of course, this being Hollywood, the family was really a front for a terrorist sleeper cell (spoiler alert: most of the brown people die).

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 Actor Kal Penn addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., in September 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Abhi Sinha briefly played app developer Ravi Shapur and soap star Eileen Davidson's love interest on The Young and the Restless, only to disappear from the screen without explanation, either for fans or for the actor himself.

However, at least Sinha's character had some depth and was allowed the possibility of romance. Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar notes that typical Indian male roles involve being both nerdy and emasculated, although he says that as South Asian artists gain prominence, they are lobbying for change.

Isn't everyone in 'The Simpsons' a stereotype anyway?

Apu, created by a white writer and voiced by a white actor, occupies a stereotypical role as convenience store owner, with reference to his arranged marriage and eight kids. Kondabolu's documentary includes a clip where Azaria notes that he was asked to play up the Indian accent for laughs.

Despite the evocation of blackface and minstrel shows, Groening denies that the intention was racist. The overall defence from writers on the show, and from fans, has been consistent only in its weakness, with claims that everything on The Simpsons is a stereotype. Most recently, that defence has edged towards the discourse of neoconservatives.

   Read more: If you're thinking of doing blackface for Halloween, just don't

In an episode earlier this year, The Simpsons responded to the controversy by having the character of Lisa — generally seen as the smartest, most liberal and most empathetic on the show — decry political correctness.

Many audience members, including those with South Asian heritage, decry political correctness as well. More than 10 years ago, I conducted a study of young Canadians of South Asian descent, curious to know what value they saw in Bollywood films, which circulated widely in the diaspora and contained many offensive tropes, including portrayals of Muslim terrorists, drunken Punjabis and promiscuous Christians.

For Canadian audiences starved to see reflections of themselves, even stereotyped ones can be appreciated.

Some of the interviewees recognized these issues but noted that they had grown up in a Canada, where the media mainly showed whiteness, affecting their identity, sense of self and belonging. Even if Bollywood was problematic, it was still a platform for characters who looked like them.

Media teaches us about the world

This is a familiar experience for television viewers, I would venture to guess, and now some Apu fans who are of South Asian descent are rolling their eyes, dismissing the claims of racism. And yes, of course, there are more significant issues involving racism in North America than pondering whether or not Apu is a racist caricature. However, as so many have argued, representation does matter.

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 Actress Priyanka Chopra is photographed during an interview with the Associated Press in Johannesburg, Saturday, May 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

For many of us, mass media are the way in which we learn about the world around us. If you don't know many people of South Asian descent, or you don't know them very well, you may come to think that the Apus and the Rajesh Koothrappalis offer great insight into what it means to be South Asian.

Luckily, with the success of actors like Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kaling and Hasan Minhaj, the picture is becoming more diverse.

This push for change doesn't invalidate the criticism around Apu, nor does it erase the effect his existence has had on some members of the audience. It is wholly insufficient to say that The Simpsons offered up a brown stereotype because its stock in trade is stereotypes.

A stereotype built upon someone's ethnicity is racist, and therefore, when Azaria says, "they've done a really good job of being, shall we say, uniformly offensive without being outright hurtful," one might want to ask if a white actor performing brownface is in a position to determine who is being hurt by this not-so-uniform offensiveness.

Whether Apu lives or dies, stays or goes, I would suggest that his legacy has been exposing the extent to which racism lives in Hollywood, and that's no laughing matter.

Faiza Hirji does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
 Recent rumours of Apu's demise may be exaggerated but his presence has been slowly written out of 'The Simpsons,' and many feel it is time for the stereotyped Indian-American character to go. Faiza Hirji, Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies and Multimedia, McMaster University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/102128 2018-08-29T12:15:17Z 2018-08-29T12:15:17Z Matt Groening's new show Disenchantment is thoroughly enchanting

  Netflix

As creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening is the man behind one of the most popular television shows of all time. So there was always going to be plenty of interest in his latest offering, Disenchantment.

When I visited the San Diego Comic Con in July 2018, buildings in city were "wrapped" in promotional graphics to advertise the series which was about to launch on Netflix. There was a panel event at the conference, featuring Groening himself, most of the creative team and some of the voice talent. Anticipation and hype were high. So does it live up to expectations?

The ten episode series kicks off with a two-parter, which sets the tone for the rest of the run. Interestingly, there is much more of a story arc running across the series than in Groening's previous shows (The Simpsons and Futurama), so even though there are stand alone episodes, there is a bigger story running through the entire season (which is even slyly referred to in one of the latter episodes).

The setting for the show is Dreamland, a medieval kingdom ruled over by King Zøg, a character brilliantly performed by John DiMaggio. But the main focus is on the king's wayward daughter, Princess Tiabeanie or "Bean", Luci her demonic (or is it catlike?) sidekick, and Elfo, a rather literally named elf from the sickly sweet Elfwood. The kingdom of Dreamland is littered with visual gags and inside jokes (known as Easter eggs) which require your attention (particularly in the "ye olde" signage).

The characters are set up very quickly in the season opener, and the three main protagonists quickly bond, making you feel like you have been already been watching them for a few seasons. Bean is a privileged tearaway drifter, who likes a drink – but as with most of Groening's lead characters, you just can't help siding with her.

Luci's wisecracking one-liners make him feel more like a Seth Macfarlane (creator of Family Guy) character, in voice and actions – but this is no bad thing. Meanwhile, Elfo is the heart of the show – cute, but also the comedy relief. He ends up on the receiving end of some questionable experiments to harness his magical "elf blood" as King Zøg strives to find the elixir of life, one of the overriding plot points of the first season. The gags are not as quickfire as in The Simpsons or Futurama, but this actually gives the plot room to breathe.

As with Groening's other work, there is a strong support cast. There is Bunty, the loyal but dim maid, Sorcerio (played by Futurama's Billy West) the rather useless wizard, and Odval, the sinister (and Game of Thrones-inspired) three-eyed prime minister of Dreamland. The show also makes use of stellar British character actors and voice talent such as Matt Berry, Noel Fielding and Sharon Horgan.

The surprisingly dark and adult themes show a marked departure from Groening's other mainstream work – there is some very graphic violence and even the occasional swearing. It is possible that a lack of interference from a TV network has freed up the creators in this respect.

Cartoons for grown ups

The more adult style is carried through to the visuals. The distinctive Groening look is still in evidence, but the colour pallets and the backgrounds are much more muted. The backdrops in particular, have a much more brush-like feel to them, and do not utilise the linear line weight and flat colours of The Simpsons. These elements give the show a much more traditional feel, even though the production is obviously aided by computer generated graphics, which are as seamlessly integrated as they can be, particularly in the establishing shots of Dreamland itself.

So is it any good? For me, the series benefits from the shorter season run associated with Netflix shows. This means the quality of the show stays high across the full run – there is no filler. It also helps that this series is more episodic than Groening's other shows, rewarding the viewer who sticks with the entire run.

The use of cliffhangers (literally, in episode one) and run-ons from previous episodes give a greater sense of continuity, even if it sometimes means the loss of the quickfire gags. Despite this, Disenchantment is still at times laugh-out-loud funny and the writers know how to pull off a twist or two. Special note should be made of the great stylised title sequences, which give you a flavour of the forthcoming episode.

This is a series which is well worth watching and sticking with. And there is more to come. Netflix commissioned a 20-episode run, so hopefully it won't be too long before the next ten episodes become available, picking up from where it left off. And on the evidence of the first half, three decades after he created America's best known family, Groening has not lost his magic touch.

Phillip Vaughan received funding from ESRC.
 Expectations were high for the latest project from the creator of The Simpsons. Phillip Vaughan, Senior Lecturer: Director MSc Animation and VFX MDes Comics & Graphic Novels, University of Dundee Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/99330 2018-07-12T09:01:56Z 2018-07-12T09:01:56Z Why The Simpsons are needed more than ever in the age of Donald Trump

Prophetic?  Image courtesy of Fox UK

Writing on The Conversation in 2016, Travis Holland declared that The Simpsons had lost its way. He suggested the show was living on a legacy and needed to adapt or face growing demands for its cancellation. But two years later, the show is still on air and remains loved and hated in equal measure. Questions about its continuing relevance, however, remain.

Certainly, the show's audience has declined in recent years – but this is in line with a broader pattern of declining American television audiences. Increasing numbers of young people are moving away from television to streaming services and social media. But on all of these platforms, political satire remains prolific.

The Simpsons remains the longest-running primetime scripted television show and still manages to get to the heart of issues which established newspapers struggle to analyse amid the rush of 24-hour news, allegations of widespread disinformation and declining attention spans.

Against this backdrop, political satire has given a lift to civic-minded discourse and has been shown to encourage political engagement and drive young people to seek out more information about current issues. While nightly topical comedy shows are direct and regularly work off of the back of headlines each day, often becoming divisive as they do so, the "slower" form of satire found in shows such as The Simpsons is arguably a more constructive indulgence for contemporary audiences.

Speaking at the Intellectual Forum at Jesus College, Cambridge recently, Harry Shearer – the voice of Ned Flanders, Seymour Skinner and Montgomery Burns among others – was keen to make a distinction between satire and nightly "topical comedy". He noted The Simpsons "digs a little deeper" and "serves as a relief valve" for creators and viewers alike. In our politically polarised times – with no easy solution to bridging the divides in civic life – that "relief valve" is perhaps more significant than ever.

Such a role sits in the minds of many involved in the show. Al Jean, showrunner of The Simpsons, told us:

I think the best satire intelligently exposes all sides of a topic, leaving it to the viewer to draw the conclusion. We have our opinions of course but hope that they're presented in a clever way so that no one knows what they are.

Funny 'cause it's true

The show has evolved from what some in the past called "politically neutral satire". As Shearer explained, those involved in the show "observe the real absurdity, edit out the boring parts, and comically highlight what's left". It allows us to look at authority figures such as Donald Trump and ask about "what these guys are doing and maybe even why". The appeal of the show lies precisely in the fact that it encourages a thoughtful kind of laughter, taking a tip from Homer Simpson himself when he said "It's funny 'cause it's true".

Infamously, The Simpsons warned America of a Trump presidency as far back as 2000. Playing on Trump's repeated suggestions and shortlived push as a Reform Party candidate, Bart to the Future pictured Lisa Simpson as a president who has "inherited quite a budget crunch" from Trump. The episode's vision was not so much a premonition as a depiction of what The Simpsons writer Dan Greaney told the Hollywood Reporter was "the logical last stop before hitting bottom … the vision of America going insane". Shearer also rebutted any prophetic role for the show, saying:

You do 30 years of television and a couple of things are going to come true; the law of averages caught up with us.

It is clear that, where such satire once appeared to push reality out to the point of being ridiculous, the reality of modern America already is ridiculous.

Taking a long view

However, how The Simpsons marks itself out – and what will keep it running – is that it is not about topical news stories. It is about broader societal shifts and trends. With established American press outlets being labelled by the president as the "failing New York Times" and "fake news" outlets, it is not surprising that there has been an overall decline in trust in media, leaving America a deeply fractured society. In the midst of this distrust, topical comedy daily shows certainly have a role in attacking and making fun of the current state of affairs.

But The Simpsons has time to consider the longer trends. With an extended lead time – months if not years per episode – it gives its writers and cast the ability to look from viewpoints across time and the political spectrum. This allows the show not only to be self-referential, but also to speak across a broader section of society.

The recent Apu controversy – a row over the problematic depiction of the Indian Kwik-E-Mart owner and a general lack of minority writers and voices on the show – highlighted that the show still has room to evolve a more culturally diverse and appropriate approach. But despite this, its appeal sits in its ability to adapt to a breadth of topics using a common language with its audience from which to say something about an issue under discussion – from environmentalism to industrial decline to vegetarianism.

This breadth of reference points – and the wealth of characters it can deploy – allows the show to speak to a huge cross section of people. It engages in considered humour, digesting ongoing public debates and expertly lampooning those involved.

It even lampoons itself. Homer Simpson, in Mr Lisa Goes to Washington, drove us to consider the point of animated satirical content stating: "Oh Marge, cartoons don't have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh." Quite the opposite is true.

The Simpsons doesn't just use humour, irony, exaggeration and ridicule to expose and criticise politics and politicians, it asks us "What is the truth?". As Shearer said, satire "has the power to unveil … to unmask these disguises of decorum and dignity that these scandalous power hungry people affect … to rip the facade off and go 'look, look at the writhing… wriggling mass of worms underneath'".

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
 In an era of fast news, The Simpsons' slow satire continues to reveal new truths about America. Sarah Steele, Senior Research Associate, Jesus College and Affiliated Researcher, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge Todd Gillespie, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge Tyler Shores, PhD Candidate, social media and online culture, University of Cambridge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/77951 2017-05-23T05:03:22Z 2017-05-23T05:03:22Z Mr Burns: post-apocalyptic Simpsons musical shows theatre's future is dazzling

The Simpsons, but not as you know them. Jude Henshall in Mr Burns Tony Lewis

There has been a nuclear event. The grid is down. The radio is out. Most are dead, and those who remain huddle in groups with rifles cocked, or wander, gasping, through the apocalypse. Survivors are counted and named in travelling ledgers. Campfire stories are making a comeback.

This self-described "post-electric play" Mr Burns, written by US-based playwright Anne Washburn and directed by Imara Savage at Belvoir St Theatre begins mid-memory, as a group of survivors recall a Simpsons episode. The episode, Cape Feare, references Martin Scorsese's 1991 film Cape Fear, a remake of a 1962 film of the same name, which in turn was based on a 1957 novel. The original episode was a parodic thriller, evoking irrational, seething terror in disenfranchised middle America.

In the play's traumatised, post-electric world some "can't manage the dread" that comes with the ache of radiation sickness, some are in wordless despair that cities have "burned through". Others declare rage at the incompetence of power. The Simpsons appears for these survivors less as a pot of humour in dark times, and more as a glowing screen memory whose words and ideas acutely chart how they got to be where they are.

Others have noted the uncanny prediction of The Simpsons in forecasting Donald Trump would become president; the prophetic Mr Burns feels similarly uncomfortably close.

 <img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170489/original/file-20170523-8889-17thuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 After the apocalypse. Tony Lewis

The work traverses forms in three acts, inviting us to make connections across large gaps in time. The first act envisages the realism of an aftermath. The second act ("seven years later"), with the same characters, shows us a rehearsal of a repertoire that seems central to the new economy. Simpsons' lines have value. Episodes, well remembered, draw a crowd. Theatre is once again important! It is thrilling to see theatre put into the centre of things in such a deliriously dystopian way.

And yet, everything here is a little off-key. The players work at commercials which seem more like sitcoms. Their stage mechanics are almost slapstick, evoking the ventriloquy of early sound film, or the inherently theatrical logic of early TV. While The Simpsons popularised parody and pastiche as hallmarks of the 1990s, in Mr Burns, theatre replays that mash-up in a live reboot, taking it to a different kind of endpoint. Scenes mix iconic jingles with hit anthems: Lady Gaga meets McDonalds meets the "zoom zoom zoom" of Mazda. Everything is a mis-memory, a partial account. Even dancer Maddie Zeigler's signature blonde hair appears and disappears without context.

This stoic, desperate nostalgia of the players realises biblical proportions when Act Three casts us 75 years forward into a scene of monastic reverence. The stage, created by Jonathan Oxlade, transforms into a kind of religious showspace. Humanity appears to be thriving. What began as a drama becomes a dazzling, sequined musical, with a score by Michael Friedman, which combines medieval imagery with a futurist bent to unsettling effect. While it does seem ridiculous, it is also fitting. The work is dizzyingly off-kilter in exactly the right way. Part ritual, part spectacle, theatre appears as the salve for the end-of-things.

 <img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170492/original/file-20170523-8900-ma037a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 Esther Hannaford in Mr Burns. Tony Lewis

The actors are collectively on pace throughout this work, and here their excellence rises to a new level of camp. Brent Hill's depiction Matt as one of the survivors in Act One was witty early on; later, Paula Arundell's solo as Quincy, Esther Hannaford's vocals as Bart, and Mitchell Butel as Mr Burns energise this world. It is equal parts nostalgic and ironic. At times it is hard to place the tone of what we are in fact seeing, and harder to catch all the pop culture rip-offs – but entertainment seems to be the point. As one character puts it, "Meaning is everywhere. We get meaning. It's for free".

Marvin Carlson famously wrote about theatre as a kind of memory machine, haunting us with what has come before it by re-enacting and reworking the past – that play, done before; that role, played by another actor. Carlson published The Haunted Stage in 2001, and even then he possibly didn't anticipate the speed with which the digital would change how we view and consume entertainment. He also didn't consider just how useful theatre can be for re-purposing those other televisual archives that underpin our cultural memories in ways that are not always apparent.

The timeliness of a play like this in the midst of the Trump era shouldn't be understated. It is ironic that this fictional post-apocalyptic society hearkens back to a TV series that satirised the Middle America that the Trump administration now appears to so heartily champion. In this sense, The Simpsons on TV may be well and truly over for the characters in Mr Burns, but its future is here, now. We are in it.

Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play is at Belvoir St Theatre until 25 June

Bryoni Trezise has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.
 Mr Burns is a dazzling meditation on the meaning of theatre through The Simpsons. Bryoni Trezise, Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/67845 2016-11-02T19:08:26Z 2016-11-02T19:08:26Z Why The Simpsons has lost its way
Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, will speak at the Sydney Opera House this weekend on the secrets of the show. Now in its 28th season, The Simpsons is one of the mostly widely lauded, and enduring series in TV history. But has it peaked creatively? Is it time to draw the adventures of Homer, Bart, Marge and the gang to a dignified close?

A significant body of fans (including this one) think The Simpsons peaked decades ago. They argue its writers regularly recycle plots - which are becoming increasingly incoherent - and the biting satire has paled. Add to this complaints about the increasingly bizarre behaviour of Homer and fawning guest star appearances and the stage is set for a revolt.

A small but vocal group of fans are actively calling for the show to be cancelled. They trace its steep decline back to the late 1990s. Any episode after that they call "Zombie Simpsons". These fans can be found, mostly, on the website Dead Homer Society. It argues that "today [The Simpsons] is a hollow shell, over animated, under thought out, and thoroughly mediocre." Indeed: "The sooner it ends the better off we'll all be."

A chief exhibit of the "Zombie Simpsons" phenomenon is the show's 500th episode, which aired in 2012. In it, the titular family is exiled from Springfield because other townsfolk are fed up with its members' boorish behaviour. Later, the rest of the show's massive ensemble cast joins them, relocating the town of Springfield in the process.

This episode was highly derivative, repeating plot points from earlier seasons - including season 9 episode Trash of The Titans and 2007's The Simpsons Movie.

Another piece of evidence offered in support of the Zombie Simpson hypothesis is the emergence of what fans have dubbed "jerkass Homer". The author of the Dead Homer Society website, who goes by the pseudonym Charlie Sweatpants, writes that:

Jerkass Homer is invincible and totally self confident, the evil doppelganger of the Homer that had originally been on the show.

He has a point. Where Homer was always loud-mouthed, he's become positively abusive. And while clumsy, he was still a loveable oaf. Now, instead of being simply dumb, he's thoroughly stupid.

Adapting and responding

Still, The Simpsons endures - the latest season is averaging 4.6 million viewers in the United States – and continues to have adoring fans. The first of Groening's talks this week rapidly sold out. The show ambles on in part due to the way it adapts and responds to events around it.

For instance, the creators release short (often online-only) clips relating to current affairs. For several US election cycles, The Simpsons has released videos of Homer attempting to vote. In 2008 it was for Barack Obama. This year it was for Hillary Clinton - although he was thwarted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Another recent short shows Homer at the Sydney Opera House advertising Groening's visit to Australia.

The show's "couch gag", which is part of the opening credits but changes for each episode, is often acclaimed by critics. During this year's 600th episode, the gag was made available in virtual reality. You could view the VR portion through a cheap Google Cardboard device and on YouTube.

Another attempt to generate interest saw Homer answer viewer questions "live" in May this year - a first for an animated show. A pre-animated Homer sat at a desk while Dan Castellaneta (the actor who provides his voice) ad-libbed answers to pre-selected questions. Castellanata was motion captured while answering and animated automatically to merge with the existing footage.

 <img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143985/original/image-20161031-15783-8jrv8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 A screenshot of The Simpsons 600th episode couch gag, which was available in virtual reality. Twentieth Century Fox/Google Spotlight Stories

Still, while The Simpsons continues to engage with current events, it does so in a more limited way than previous seasons. The weight of legacy makes it harder for the show to find new and innovative takes on old topics.

How will it end?

After 28 seasons, it is unclear if or how The Simpsons will ever end, despite the efforts of the Dead Homer Society.

Several actors who have voiced recurring (though not central) characters have died over the years. Their characters were retired, but the show went on. Phil Hartman, who voiced ambulance chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and film-star Troy McLure, died in 1998. Marcia Wallace, the voice of Bart Simpson's teacher Edna Krabappel, died in 2013.

Last year, a provocative tweet by Harry Shearer, the voice of Homer's boss Mr Burns as well as the Simpsons' neighbour Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner (among others) sparked rumours he would be leaving the show. But he remained. The Shearer scare followed rounds of wage disputes in 2008 and 2011, both of which were said to imperil the show - but didn't.

Showrunner Al Jean (the series' executive producer) has given several suggestions as to how The Simpsons could end. One of them has involved creating a "continuous loop" by ending the final scene of the final episode just where the first scene of the first episode began.

In the recent live segment, Homer himself claimed "The Simpsons will never end." When asked directly, Groening tends to duck the question, or offer conflicting answers.

My favourite Simpsons episodes stem from two very early seasons. The local politics evident in Marge vs the Monorail (season 4) offered a rich and enduring view of small town life in the face of increasing corporatisation.

And the writers' treatment of Edgar Allen Poe's classic poem The Raven in season 2 showed care, but not reverence, while introducing a new audience to the poem. In this episode, the poem was narrated by James Earl Jones and the action of it played out by Homer and Bart.

It is this subtlety laced with satire that is missing from recent seasons, replaced instead by a brash, careless approach to the audience and their world.

Unless The Simpsons can recover these seemingly lost elements, calls for its cancellation will only grow. You can't live on legacy forever.

Travis Holland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
 The subtlety laced with satire that graced earlier shows has been replaced by a brash, carelessness. And Homer, while always loud-mouthed, is now positively abusive. After 28 seasons, is it time for The Simpsons' creators to call it a day? Travis Holland, Lecturer of Communication and Digital Media, Charles Sturt University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.


text:
POP INTERVIEW: Mary Rolph Lamontagne Explains Food Waste and Why Celebs Care
Since 2005, Chef Mary Rolph Lamontagne has worked with food waste prevention in South Africa. Catch her here on PopGoestheWeek.com before her upcoming USA media blitz promoting her book, EATS, as we quiz her on what social activism means for celebrities…and if it is real.
Every flip of the channel, some celebrity promises to "give back to the community." Little is explained about more than the sound byte. How does one prevent food waste? What does food waste mean? What does Angelina Jolie do for charity? You know you wondered about it.
Since 2005, Chef Mary Rolph Lamontagne has worked with food waste prevention in South Africa. Catch her here on PopGoestheWeek.com before her upcoming USA media blitz promoting her book, EATS, as we quiz her on what social activism means for celebrities…and if it is real.
Why do so many celebrities act like they care about the environment? I feel it's a weird trend. Many are genuine but some make you want to rip out your hair with their artificial view. Why is this in style?
I think that there are lots of celebrities that have joined the environmental train because they truly believe in the cause that they support. Perhaps having a new family, a tragedy or finally enough star power to make a difference propels them to get involved. If celebrities buy into any cause by creating foundations, putting their personal money into the charity and donating their time and energy then they are truly genuine and I believe that at a certain point the public can tell the difference between a genuine person and a fake….even in Hollywood it never pays to lie! The fake ones slowly go by the wayside or eventually self-combust.
One of the basic rules of marketing is that for something, or someone to stay relevant, they need to follow the trends. Perhaps environmentalism has become a hip trend to promote but I don't think any value is added by questioning people's motives. At the end of the day I am an optimist and like to look at the good that comes out of something like protecting the environment becoming a 'cool' trend to follow.
Who in Hollywood seems to be most genuine about the environment and food waste awareness?
Food waste is not as glamorous as some of the other environmental causes out there so it unfortunately has not gotten as much attention as the others but there are still some great advocates out there. Cheryl Crow and Drake for instance are great examples of celebrities working towards reducing waste. They have both been known to use biodiesel, recycle, buy local and use compostable tableware for themselves and their crews.
Another great advocate of waste reduction is Mayor Bloomberg. Although not actually in Hollywood his name does carry a certain weight. He has created a big buzz with his Food Waste Challenge, which is why I stopped by NYC over the summer to see how things are going at the grass roots level. I camped out with Inside Edition in front of some compost heaps and met with some real people coming to dump what they thought was trash. Mayor Bloomberg's initiative has had a slow start in terms of touching the general public but I am hopeful that as time passes and the project gains traction more celebrities will recognize the importance of reducing waste and help raise awareness.
The Feed bag does well with Saks clientele and the fashion set of celebrities. Everyone is snapped out on errands wearing the purse! Is this a good way to help food waste prevention and food availability overseas, or is it a gimmick?
I think there is a big difference between food availability and food waste prevention. North Americans have not yet joined the dots about food security and food waste. The Feed bag is a great concept that has helped to feed many people and children around the world, including here in the US. Celebrity endorsement of products is hardly a new concept so I am hesitant to call this a gimmick. The bags are trendy and people get to sleep better knowing that by doing something so small as buying and using one bag, they are working towards making the world a better place. Perhaps it is time we find a way to make reducing food waste trendy and endorsable!
Why is Angelina Jolie a powerful role model in social awareness in Africa? Whenever I ask anyone about socially concerned people, they skip world leaders and go right to her. Why would an actress' words resonate more than a president's support?
The public yearns for authenticity and although politics are an integral part of our every day lives, politics and hidden agendas often go hand in hand in people's minds. Angelina Jolie however has proven otherwise with her track record. She actually lived in Namibia, created a foundation and has worked tirelessly with the UN over the years. Angelina Jolie has learnt how to translate her celebrity status into a commodity and has applied it to the causes she is passionate about. For example, having People magazine donate $500,000.00 to charity to get the rights to photograph her pregnant was a brilliant move. A win win for everyone.
Does most of the money at any of these famous causes really go to helping people? How can people weed out good charities from scams?
Transparency is key here so it is up to the donor to do the proper due diligence on a charity and weed out the scams from the honest charities. Sometimes when we see a natural disaster either at home or abroad, we want to help by making an immediate donation to have immediate gratification but sometimes, as we saw in Haiti, those funds were not properly spent because there was not the proper infrastructure in place to deal with the influx of money. I truly believe that finding the best group with a proven track record is the best solution. Do a little research and often that will be more effective than quickly donating for instant gratification.
For me, it is about "I am giving time rather than just money." I learned about a charity in Rwanda called Gardens for Health (http://gardensforhealth.org) when I was visiting Rwanda a few years ago. It is a charity that was created by 3 then university students, back in 2007, to reduce the level of malnutrition in the country through the prescription of gardens rather than pills. Last year, I had the chance to visit the charity in both Rwanda and Boston and I was impressed with what I saw. This year, in mid-November, I will be going to Rwanda to visit the NGO and actually cook with the mamas to teach them how to preserve rather than possibly loose the produce they have learned to grow to feed their families.
People often forget that time can be just as valuable as money for many of these charitable organizations. It is nice to find celebrities who understand how valuable their time is and put it to good use. You know that they are truly committed if they are using their checkbooks as well as their personal time to make a difference.
Why is Western culture obsessed with food: either eating too little and dieting or Paula Deen type splurging? What are we misunderstanding about food waste and our entire relationship with food?
There are so many angles we can take when looking at our food problems that it is hard to decide where to start. Sadly, I think that we have moved so far away from food feeding our body and soul that it is not surprising that there is a problem of obesity, dieting and so much more. We all want a quick fix because we are all so busy that fast food, packaged prepared food, unhealthy growing conditions, big business, globalization, lack of education and so much more are all responsible for our present situation.
Since most people have no idea where their food comes from, it is not surprising that there is no interest in where it goes after it has been thrown out. There is a new trend to educate children about food, teaching them how to grow and cook their treasures. The renegade Lunch Lady, chef Ann Cooper (http://www.chefann.com) and Chef Alice Waters, who started the Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org) should be credited for getting governments to realize that all levels of society should have a right to healthy food. States such as Maine and Delaware are just two of many that are now offering food stamps that are redeemable in farmers' markets. School cafeterias are offering healthier choices and there is a growing trend with consumers wanting to know where their food is coming from. 1 out of 6 Americans have no idea where their next meal will come from. Soup kitchens are filled to capacity and yet supermarkets are rejecting ugly produce and fields are rotting away with fruits and vegetables that could not find a way to market. The system is clearly broken and a quick fix won't solve it. Once we all start to view our food differently we can start to appreciate it. Only then will real solutions begin.
How can we prevent food waste here and abroad?
Food waste is a problem that is rampant at all levels from farming to distribution to markets to restaurants to our own homes. I think we need to concentrate on what we can control. For the average person, this means starting in our own kitchens. There is no need for this process to be overwhelming so long as people start out small, working their way up to some bigger steps in time.
Reducing waste starts with realizing that we are creating too much waste. You need to ask yourself, how much do you really throw out a week? Does it go in the bin or do you try to recycle and compost. Would you go that extra mile and set up a compost bin in your backyard or on your balcony. Would you walk those extra few blocks to leave a bag of compost in a bin? If the answer is no, then why not start with" what can I not throw out this week?". Perhaps repurpose the braised carrots into a soup or take that extra ½ cup of wine and freeze it up in an ice cube tray to use in future sauces. Making one change, once a week is like collecting drops of water in a glass. In the beginning it does not look like much but as with everything, this too will grow to make a difference.
Once one gets into the swing of things, that little difference rolls into another until your habits take a change for the better. Doing, then sharing with other,s is the first step to being part of a greater good. I believe that this is the way to influence change and that is why I wrote my books EATS: enjoy all the seconds.
HILARIOUS VIDEO: This Man's Wheel Of Fortune Introduction Will: A) Make him a viral star. B) Lead to a divorce. C) Potentially both.
Blair Davis started out nice enough. Then he was asked about his family…
We appreciate a stark sense of humor. 😅 Last night's contestant Blair had us all laughing. pic.twitter.com/jwVXHSNWH0
— Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) October 15, 2019
He's clearly kidding, but ouch!
"I've been trapped in a loveless marriage for the last 12 years to an old battle-ax named Kim. She cursed my life with three stepchildren: Star, RJ, and Ryan, and I have one rotten grandson."
I'm sure this family loves his crazy sense of humor, and Wheel Of Fortune scores a great PR moment.
The College Admissions Scandal Now Has A Sexy Halloween Costume
If there's one thing we can expect each year, it's that a current news story will be translated into a comical Halloween costume. In this case, the college admissions scandal did not go unnoticed by costume maker Yandy, who knows a thing or two about creating sexualized costumes based on news events. Check out the costume being branded as "YANDY COLLEGE SCANDAL COSTUME."
A take on the mothers involved in the scandals (Felicity Huffman has already been sentenced, and Lori Loughlin awaits her hearings) the outfit is a tight fitting prisonwear look. A sleek reddish orange crop top reads "INMATE" with "Mom of The Year" crossed out.
Currently 69.95, the company also knows how to get PR!
Kygo and Whitney Houston's "Higher Love" Video is Full of 80's Fun
An eighties inspired dance number, a gorgeous ensemble, and the incomparable Whitney Houston come together for a fun flashback in the new video!
Houston had often performed Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" during her concert tour, and recorded the song thirty years ago. This summer, a new version re-mixed by Kygo hit the top of the dance charts.
The video stars Vanessa Morgan and Mason Cutler, both of whom are absolutely stunning to look at. See for yourself!
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Get Hit With A Minty Snowball!
POP in the Kitchen! The Perfect Snack and Cocktail Pairings.
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Well Hold Me In Contempt, Judge Judy's New Hairstyle Is Adorable!
VIRAL: Uhm…A Lot Of People Think This Cat Looks Like A Coughing Child
FUNNY VIDEO: Cats Seeing Their Owners In Cat Filters Is Laugh Out Loud Funny.
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Wendy Williams Has Some Hot Talk with Melissa Knowles, Brian Balthazar and Heather McDonald
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Financial Operations Analyst
- 📅
- 19004955 Requisition #
- 📅
- Feb 08, 2019 Post Date
Performs routine analysis of processes and metrics to identify areas where team productivity and efficiencies can be improved within the financial operations team using Lean Six Sigma tools including time/motion studies and other techniques. Manages projects, implementations and training sessions related to process improvements, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for financial operations team.
Gathers data on transactional activities and functions including vendor invoice processing, 1009 and tax processing, lease administration and cash receipt applications.
Performs analysis for identified process improvement initiatives and provides results to leadership.
May make recommendations to management based on information gathered.
Troubleshoots and resolves complex inquiries and requests from internal customers related to analysis and metrics collected.
Responds to inquiries from internal customers who are given instruction on action to take related to a process improvement initiative.
Analyzes and troubleshoots issues related to internal and external processes.
Implements process improvements by utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodology and time/motion studies.
Trains staff on new approved business processes (e.g. Manual bill upload initiative, etc.).
Performs other duties as assigned.
No formal supervisory responsibilities in this position.
May provide informal assistance such as technical guidance and/or training to coworkers.
May coordinate work and assign tasks.
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE
- High school diploma or General education degree (GED) required.
- Associate's degree with concentration in Business or Finance preferred.
- Minimum of four years experience in administrative or financial transaction support; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
CERTIFICATES and/or LICENSES
- Lean Six Sigma formal training preferred.
- Ability to comprehend and interpret instructions, short correspondence, and memos and ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding.
- Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
- Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from clients, co-workers, and/or supervisor.
- Ability to effectively present information to an internal department and/or large groups of employees.
- Requires knowledge of financial terms and principles.
- Ability to calculate intermediate figures such as percentages, discounts, and/or commissions.
- Conducts basic financial analysis.
- Ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret documents.
- Ability to solve problems involving several options in situations.
- Requires intermediate analytical and quantitative skills.
OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES
- Intermediate to advanced knowledge of computer software and hardware (i.e. Microsoft Office Suite Products).
- Must work well under pressure with proactive approach to routine and non-routine occurrences.
- Advanced organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work in multiple accounting software applications.
- Decisions made with thorough knowledge of procedures and company policies to achieve set results and deadlines.
- Responsible for setting own project deadlines.
- Errors in judgment may cause short-term impact to co-workers and supervisor.
Thank you for your interest in CBRE. This position is being published in an effort to build our candidate pipeline for our upcoming opportunities. If an opportunity opens that matches your qualifications, we will reach out to you at that time. We are building a world-class organization with a world-class team and appreciate your interest in CBRE.
US Company Profile
About CBRE (NYSE: CBRE): At CBRE, you are empowered to take your career path into your own hands. Enjoy workplace flexibility in a global organization with tremendous scale. Work in an inclusive and collaborative environment with supportive teammates. Come experience the employee advantage at CBRE.
CBRE has a long-standing commitment to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, political belief, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
As a Fortune 500 worldwide leader in real estate services, CBRE's more than 90,000 professionals provide exceptional outcomes for clients in over approximately 480 offices worldwide. When it comes to real estate, CBRE sees potential everywhere. We turn scale into strength, expense into performance, and property into prosperity. Visit cbre.us.


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Denise's Daring Daydreams for 02-16-17
I had never heard the term "Emotional Hygiene" until I began reading A Force for Good by Daniel Goleman. The term refers to a process that is similar to the physical hygiene taught in schools today.
Most of us were taught that there are certain things our bodies need to stay healthy and free of disease. The main objective would be to stay clean so that we will not be subjected as easily to those things that cause disease in our bodies.
Those of us who have studied New Thought and writers like Louise Hay know that dis – ease in the body is not necessarily caused by outside pathogens. Many times dis – ease is caused by our own thoughts and emotions, hence the need for Emotional Hygiene.
The Dalai Lama states that our emotions, when taken to the destructive level, can become emotional pathogens causing us as much difficulty as what we have labeled 'dangerous viruses'. Our schools teach physical hygiene, why not emotional hygiene? Why were we not taught these things? Why are we not teaching our children to label, express, and release emotions?
Our personal emotions are somewhat etched into our brains. Each of us as humans has a certain set point of emotions that seem to be genuinely "us". These are the emotions that we regularly visit. The visiting is not the problem. It is the destructive emotions that we may choose to live in for years that cause struggles in our lives and in our world.
What if that fact did not have to be the case? What if we learned how to be more mindful of all emotions? What if we were so connected to ourselves, and the world, that we saw the wonder of it all in every situation we encountered and allowed it to pass through us? What if as meet someone having a negative experience we remember our oneness knowing that they are our brother or our sister?
In using the Laws of the Universe the Law of Attraction states that what I put out into the universe will come back to me heaped up, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Whether you want to call that the Law of Attraction, the Law of Increase or the Law of Cause and Effect, it is really saying the same thing. I am responsible for my personal experience in this thing we call life.
So here's the 200,000 dollar question: If what I put out there comes back to me, doesn't it make sense that if I reach out to others in being a force for good then when I need it, someone will reach out to me also?
Sunday February 19th will again be a day to experience 7 more words from the Season of NonViolence. These 7 Words, when used together, provide a backdrop for us to begin looking deeper at those emotions that may have kept us stuck and to release the things keeping us separate from God and each other.
Let's all become a Bridge Over Troubled Water for those in our world that seem to be weary and feeling small.
Rev. D
Denise's Daring Daydreams for 02-09-17
Can we reinvent the future? The great Henry Ford stated, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't so a thing, you're right". Sounds like he believed thoughts in mind reproduce after their kind.
I know, I know . . . many of us are spending our time pointing fingers and cursing the darkness; blaming others for what we perceive to be wrong with the world. If you go back and read the Dalai Lama's statement, he very clearly says, we must become the counterforce of the force that created what is if we want to create something new.
I hope you realize he did not say push against what is or complain about what is. He did say become a new energy or a new force. We do that by paying attention to our own consciousness and by adding those things that will assist in creating and possibly releasing things that stand in our way.
I am excited about Sunday morning. The amazing and inspiring Sherrie Phillips will be back with us as we look at the next 7 Words that we will be adding to our minds and hearts during our 64 Days of Nonviolence: Healing, Dreaming, Faith, Contemplation, Groundedness, Faith, and Humility. I hope to see you on Sunday as we meld our energies together to "Reinvent the Future".
Rev. D


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Ogrody Stiftera
Stifter's Gardens
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: ogród; Adalbert Stifter; garden; Adalbert Stifter
Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the motif of garden in the work of Adalbert Stifter (1805-1868), an eminent author of Austrian Biedermeier prose, but also an inheritor of German classicism. Pictorial garden space plays a very important role in the plot and characters' configurations in several Stifter's short stories and novels (among others: {Colorful Stones}, {Brigitta}, {Two Sisters}, {The Wanderer in the Forest}, {Indian Summer}). The Garden, natural border-space between nature and civilization, evocates the condition of mental and primary ethical order, which is typical of Biedermeier style. Three dimensions of the motif are to be discussed: garden as the icon of development and inner growth of an individual ({Bildung} tradition); garden as love scenery and place of decline (Bible allegory) and garden as {oeconomia divina} (i.e. divine order of natural wildness, which can be destroyed by man's {hybris} - or human order of artificial wildness, which represents existential and metaphysical harmony of human life). There are plenty of classical, biblical, romantic and modern topoi that create poetical topography of Stifter's garden, among them: Arcadia, {locus amoenus}, Eden, {hortus conclusus}, Rose's Garden of Love, Utopia, idyll, pantheistic and contemplative vision of nature, "atmosphere" and impression, ecology idea. Due to this, the garden motif in Stifter's work corresponds perfectly to his philosophical conception (known as Gentle Law, {das sanfte Gesetz}), which explains the world as a kind of natural and cultural unity.
Journal: Prace Filologiczne. Literaturoznawstwo [PFLIT]
- Issue Year: 2011
- Issue No: 1 (4)
- Page Range: 247-268
- Page Count: 22
- Language: Polish


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See Also


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JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections implemented a lockdown Friday across the entire state prison system after three state inmates escaped from separate facilities.
Suspended visits and privileges apply not only at the state prisons but at private prisons, regional facilities and community work centers.
The order came hours after an inmate escaped from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman and two inmates got away from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility near Jackson.
Corrections officers noticed the inmates were gone during an inmate county Friday morning.
North Mississippi has no state prisons, but there is a private prison in Holly Springs.
Regional facilities are located in Corinth, Houston, Louisville and Vaiden, and there's a work center in Macon.
Related Content
- Lockdown ordered in state prison system after inmate escapes
- Two inmates with local connections escape from state prison
- Inmate escapes from Parchman
- UPDATE: Regional jails in the state prison system no longer on lockdown
- Inmate escapes from Alabama prison for elderly and sick
- Inmate escapes Marshall County jail
- State inmate with Alcorn County ties escapes custody
- Alabama inmate captured hours after escape
- THE MIKE FILES: How do inmates escape?
- Law enforcement search for escaped inmate


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Thought I'd fit in a quick post about my latest day trips before I set off for Munich tonight (and fill my mind with a lot of new great exploring-based memories). I took time this week to explore a few museums on my own and ended up having a super spiritual journey by visiting Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) and de Oude Kerk (The Old Church). These are two of Amsterdam's most famous tourist spots located RIGHT in the Red Light District… go figure. Not surprised to find where Rembrandt's wife was buried right next to a brothel. Welcome to Amsterdam!
Our Lord in the Attic is a tour through a winding canal house that happens to have an entire Catholic church built into it. When Catholics were prosecuted, they could come to this hidden church to worship. Priests live in the house (technically two houses) and then the church occupies a large middle portion of the house. The house also included a confessional and dressing room. I'm not sure if all canal houses are built like this, I'll have to go to the canal house to museum to investigate, but I found there is basically one route throughout the entire house that you have to take. There are tons of tiny staircases to climb up and down and around, and none lead to you a common room of sorts, but new higher rooms. How exhausting, but it makes for a fun maze. I loved seeing the box beds where the priests slept (basically bed-rooms) and their kitchens were completely decked out in blue and white Dutch tile. This house had a room just for washing clothes and dishes, which is an excellent idea. So smart and condensed here!
The Old Church was equally incredible and nothing like I had seen. I don't spend too much time in big old churches but I feel like this one was special. First of all, the floor is made up entirely of tombs. You walk around literally on where people are buried. Rembrandt's wife, Saskia, is buried in the Old Church and you can go stand on her grave too. The stained glass windows were detailed and beautiful, and I was particularly impressed with the wood carvings. My favorite part by far was the choral section that had all of these little seats with little people engraved in them called misericords. Maybe these are common in churches, I'm not sure, but these ones enacted Dutch proverbs that were quite funny. I couldn't help but laugh at the one of a little man "excreting" coins with a description along the lines of "I don't have money coming out of my arse," only at a Dutch church!
These museums only make me want to study more Dutch history, so I'm getting more and more excited about my Dutch Culture and Society class next block. There are so many museums to see that I'm a little overwhelmed, but I'll get time. Annie, a friend from Hockaday that is studying abroad in Florence, came into Amsterdam last night and we met for drinks at my favorite bars. I lent her my museum card for the weekend and I'm jealous she's seeing the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh before even I get to! I hope she enjoys them, who wouldn't!


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1. Indian Immigration and the United Arabs Emirates
Introduction Human movement has a significant role in making our world one dynamic society. When human movement occurs, human integration and disintegration are interwoven together. ... And, that is why human movement is also referred as a global phenomenon. Different scholars and institutions have defined human movement in various ways because of its versatile features. ... " Castles and Miller noted diasporas as a powerful tool for the economic development of a country and successive movement of immigrants make this process more efficient. ...
- Word Count: 6062
- Approx Pages: 24
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate


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Sandie Bacon - Silver Brush Educator
Territory: Chicago, Illinois
Sandie Bacon is a classically trained, versatile artist who resides in the Chicago area. Her artwork is informed by a thorough understanding of acrylics, combined with knowledge of a full range of other media. From paintings to commissioned murals and painted sculptures, her artwork is based on a very real draughtsmanship, with emphasis on texture, movement and color, and inspired by direct observation/gesture with layers of images of the human imprint. She is a founding member of the Silver Brush Educator™ program, and generously shares her enthusiasm and knowledge in her lecture/demos and workshops. She has a BA in fine arts/literature from University of Redlands( Ca,) and an MFA from Maryland Institute Graduate School of painting. She lived in NYC for 12 years. Bacon's artwork has been commissioned and shown nationally and internationally, and is in many private and corporate collections.
Contact Info
Website: sandiebaconfineart.com
Instagram: @sandie.bacon