Welcome to 'The books that shaped me' - a Good Housekeeping series in which authors talk us through the reads that stand out for them. This week, we're hearing from Andi Osho, a writer, actor, stand up comedian and film maker. She's appeared in shows including I May Destroy You, Holby, Curfew and Death In Paradise. Her debut novel, Asking For A Friend, is out now.

Like with most people, books were my escape. From childhood right into my 20s I devoured fiction - from all genres including fantasy, comedy, romance - I couldnt get enough. Then I went through a phase of consuming all and every self-help book going. At that point, books became transformative, helping me understand myself and the things I was going through. Then I got very into non-fiction and learning about society through the eyes of people much wiser and worldly than me.

More recently, having ventured into writing myself, Ive circled back and started enjoying fiction again. Its reassuringly familiar but at the same time refreshing, especially given the diversity of voices we now have access to. So the impact books have had on me has continually evolved as Ive got older. Im wondering whats next? I sense a lot of gardening books as soon as I get my own garden!

Bears in the Night by Jan and Stan Berenstain

5.35

As a kid there was one book I read time and time again: Bears In the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It's so simple it only has 24 (different) words apparently and is simply about a group of bear cubs who steal out of their beds one night without their mother knowing a thing about it.

As a kid, I was always quite spirited and free-willed. I wanted to do things on my own and have my own way a lot of the time, much to my mothers frustration so a story about little rascals making this midnight bid for freedom is right up my street.

But this book is also a metaphor about the relationship between kids and the safety our parents bring. The bears venture out into the world but the minute they get scared, they dont scatter, or fight, they go straight back to the safety of home. Of mama. Isnt that what we all do? I bought this for my niece. Shes a bit like I was as a kid so I hope she enjoys this book as much as I did.

Asterix and The Roman Agent by R Goscinny and A Uderzo

6.35

I really, really wanted my choice to be highbrow and "important" but the truth is one of my all-time faves is from the Asterix The Gaul series by R Goscinny and A Uderzo. In particular, I love Asterix and The Roman Agent. Even now, the memory of it still makes me smile.

The basic premise is that the Romans have made several failed attempts to conquer the Gauls and in this one, they despatch their new secret weapon, this weedy, little fella whose skill is disseminating lies. The Romans hope this will cause the Gauls to turn on each other.

Ive read this story on multiple occasions and cried from laughter every time. But even though superficially, the series seems like just an amusing David and Goliath story, thematically, its also about friendship, community and in this instance, trust. I also love Uderzo, the illustrator, and his use of the form in the storytelling. For example, when this secret agent speaks, his speech bubble appears in increasingly vivid shades of green, the more egregious his lies become which for some reason, works brilliantly on the page and is hilarious. This particular story also speaks to modern politics and how, often, its not violence that controls or conquers the people but the dissemination of lies.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

7.38

I love Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert because she has such a light yet deep approach to being a creative. Some books on the same topic can be quite worthy and serious but Big Magic is funny and frank, while being a really substantial read.

As someone who loves discussing creativity and has even started a podcast on the subject, I would love to have created this wonderful piece. I aspire to Gilberts level of honesty and authenticity in her work. Whether shes documenting her personal experiences, as in Eat, Pray, Love or sharing insights on her creative processes, shes always so real. Thats my goal with my work, to bring that same truth to it all but also that humour, be it in my books, my podcast or my acting.

Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas A Limoncelli

19.91

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki

11.91

Am I allowed two? The Time Management System by Thomas A Limoncelli and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki. These two books completely changed my relationship with time and money and they are two areas in life that so many of us struggle with.

In my situation, I was squandering both but the moment I read these books, coincidentally around the same time, my attitude, and ultimately my life, changed.

Often, people dont realise how much theyre haemorrhaging both these precious assets. I certainly didnt but these books have the power to recalibrate our outlooks. Both were recommended to me by different people and Im infinitely grateful - though I dont think they realise the impact they had.

The Prophet by Kaglil Gibran

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran was lent to me by a friend and it could not have come at a better time. Perhaps they sensed I needed this. I remember reading it and being blown away by the countless insights and the wisdom packed into this tiny book.

Sometimes, when things get too much, a book that offers a bigger context to experience the world in can really shift our mood. My late 20s were quite a troubled time. I experienced my first bout of depression - at one point I was having constant nightmares and was feeling the fallout from childhood experiences - so this book came at just the right time to help calm my soul. And because its broken down into topics (marriage, love, time, death religion etc) its very dip-in-and-out-able, which I still do from time to time.

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

6.95

The Light Fantastic from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett is pure magic. Im not even sure what prompted me to dive into these books but I loved them from the beginning. The Light Fantastic is so funny, its brimming with great characters and because its set in a fantasy world, is perfect escapism. I particularly loved Terry Pratchetts brilliant way of parodying our myths and mythology, our history and society, taking a playful swipe at a different aspect in each book.

Alongside that, what I ultimately loved about The Light Fantastic was the friendship between the two main characters. It was difficult and beautiful. Though I cried tears of laughter as I read this book, by the end I was so moved. Wow. I think I might have to read it again! In life, friendships are some of our most significant relationships and are also a big part of my book, Asking For A Friend. That could be why I love The Light Fantastic so much.

Asking for a Friend by Andi Osho

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Efficient Foliar Fertilizer Market research report is the new statistical data source added by A2Z Market Research.

Efficient Foliar Fertilizer Market is growing at a High CAGR during the forecast period 2021-2027. The increasing interest of the individuals in this industry is that the major reason for the expansion of this market.

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Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry

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Impact of COVID-19 on Efficient Foliar Fertilizer Market 2021 | Size, Growth, Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2027 | Grasshopper Fertilizer,...

* Ex-minister, a gift to us all, says Osinbajo

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the four books recently published and presented by his former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, attested to details of his administrations effort at ensuring transparency in the oil sector of the economy.

Buhari spoke during the virtual public presentation of the books, even as Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who gave a closing remark, described Kachikwu as a gift to us all.

Anchored by Richmond Osuji, the four books presented Thursday were: Nigeria Petroleum Industry: 2015 to the Future; Gas Development in Nigeria: Legal and Policy Framework; Nigerian Foreign Investment Law and Policy; and Nigerian Law of Contract: Study Companion.

Harping on the essence of Kachikwus new initiatives, Buhari said the books discuss the industry through the policy framework of his administration, adding that when he assumed office in 2015, the oil sector was in dire straits.

According to him, the oil industry at the time he assumed office was obviously in need of reform if it must attract growth hence, the responsibility to act fast and aggressively rested squarely on the shoulders of his government.

He, therefore, contended that the current transparency in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was a function of the administrations conscious decision to combat corruption in the all-important sector of which he has remained the substantive minister.

Buhari, however, said he was confident that the books would give insight into the policy framework and operations of the industry.

On his part, Osinbajo, who largely alluded to his personal relationship with the former minister especially, that he had always been at each of his book launches, the last of which he predicted that he had to present more books at once in his next effort, described Kachikwu as a prolific writer, with interest in romance publishing.

Rounding off after describing him as a gift to us all, Osinbajo added: One day, it would be safe to write your memoires.

In their goodwill messages, former Minister of Defence, T. Y. Danjuma, noted that Kachikwus intellectual pedigree was well known to all from his days at Mobil, adding that he was not surprised that as a true scholar, he took time off to author the four books for posterity.

Kachikwus successor as minister, Timipre Sylva, also held the view that having worked closely with the president to achieve so much in the petroleum industry, the former ministers policies remained at the foundation of their current work in the industry.

Others, who delivered goodwill messages included the Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Sanusi Barkindo; Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbon in Equatorial Guinea, Gabriel Obiang Lima; and Secretary General of Africa Petroleum Producers Organisation, Omar Farouk.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Kachikwu, while welcoming everyone to the virtual book launch, noted that the whole idea was that people, who came after him, could borrow from his wealth of experience through documentation and be guided by some of the efforts of his leadership.

Also, in his vote of thanks, Kachikwu reiterated that the core idea behind the books was to help situate the role of policy and experience in assisting with research in the foreseeable future.

However, while the book, Nigerian Petroleum Industry From 2015 to the Future was reviewed by Dr. Dayo Ayoade and presented by Barkindo, the book on Gas Development in Nigeria: Legal and Policy Framework was reviewed by Dr. Peter Oniemola and presented by Mr. Abdulrasaq Isa.

Subsequently, the book on Nigerian Foreign Investment Law and Policy was reviewed by Dr. Toyin Adejonwo Osho and presented by Mr. Austin Avuru.

In the same breath, the book, Nigerian Law of Contract: Study Companion was reviewed by Dr. Kemi Omotubora and presented by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

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Buhari: Kachikwus Books Attest to Our Governments Transparency in Oil Sector - THISDAY Newspapers

Night Stalker (foto: Netflix) / Wild Wild Country (foto: Netflix) / Blown Away (foto: Netflix)

Saturday and Sunday are the ideal days to relax in bed or on the couch with something delicious to eat and enjoy a series in Netflix. If that is your plan, we have three unmissable recommendations to make: a list of ideal series to marathon and finish on the same weekend.

This Netflix documentary stars Richard Ramirez, known as The Night Stalker (the night prowler), who committed multiple crimes, rapes and robberies.

During the four chapters that compose it, this miniseries tells how one of the greatest criminals in the history of the United States was persecuted and brought to justice after accumulating a large list of victims: men, women and children, aged between six and 82 years old, who came from different neighborhoods, racial origins and socioeconomic levels, which puzzled the researchers since they seemed isolated events because there was no pattern.

Know more about Night stalker in this note.

Osho is a guru from India, a speaker who toured his native place expanding his philosophy, determined, years later, to settle in the Oregon desert to proclaim his ideas. It is there that he established, in 1981, his own cult: the Rajnishe movement.

However, once in the United States, their ideology and extreme practices conflict with the local people, especially after the events of 1984, when they launched the first bioterrorist attack in which more than seven hundred people contracted salmonella. To this hostility are added other values such as massive attacks or incitement to rape.

In this Netflix documentary series we meet three members of the cult: Sheela, Jane and George, and figures who try to stop the Rajneesh. Likewise, a divided locality is explored from the perspective of xenophobia and politics: the cunning, intelligent, and amoral members of the group as opposed to the small-town ranchers. These themes are joined by other striking elements such as free love, dark plans and luxury cars.

In addition, all this cocktail of ideas is documented with archive images taken from old local news or from videos that the cult itself recorded.

In this reality show, ten artists specializing in blown glass compete to achieve the most amazing pieces, while showing off their techniques and experience in the field to impress the judges.

As in any competition, alliances, rivalries will arise and there will be a lot of pressure every minute, since whoever stays up until the end will be deserving of the juicy sum of $ 60,000.

Read more from the original source:
3 series to watch in a weekend on Netflix - Inspired Traveler

The UNC Greensboro School of Theatre is pleased to present Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw, for on-demand streaming Mar. 18-20. The story follows the strength and resistance of Joan of Arc and her determination to help France with the word of God. She challenged the cowardice and lack of imagination of the establishment and, against all odds, was canonized as a Saint--but not before being burned at the stake as a religious heretic. Joans story still speaks truth to the world of today as women continue to be treated skeptically when voicing their truths to the powerful men of both church and state.

Director John Gulley hopes that the challenging and funny play will resonate with audiences at UNCG and beyond. While George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan is set in 15th century France, it's surprisingly-and distressingly-relevant to today's world. Gulley said. It's a profoundly moving story about a young woman challenging the establishment: the government, the church, the military. It's a powerful story of a young woman challenging the sexism and misogyny of her day. Lest audiences expect a heavy drama, Gulley reminds us that Shaw, one of the greatest English dramatists in history, was not without his sense of humor: As with all of Shaw's plays, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Shaw makes his message more palatable with a good dose of humor. St. Joan has plenty of laughs in itand even moments of pure farce.

Publicity photos for Spring 21 procession of Saint Joan.

Saint Joan will be performed and filmed with social distancing. Tickets will be available for online streaming March 18-20.

Tickets for on-demand streaming are available online at http://www.uncgtheatre.com, by phone (336.334.4392), or in-person at the UNCG Theatre Box Office located at 406 Tate Street., Greensboro, NC 27412. The hours for operation at the UNCG Theatre Box Office are Monday-Friday 1:00-5:00 pm.

About the UNC Greensboro School of Theatre

The UNC Greensboro School of Theatre educates and trains students as professional artists in a wide range of theatrical specialties. Our programs include technical production, design, theatre education, performance, theatre for youth, and directing. Our rigorous BA, BFA, and MFA programs produce exemplary theatre artists with the applicable knowledge, skills, and vision to work professionally in the performing arts. With the help of the National Theatre Honors Fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega, students are furthering their experiences for service inside and outside our community. The School of Theatre is committed to creating and nurturing a diverse, engaged, and artistically well-balanced body of future professionals, performers, and teachers. Our mission is to strengthen our students goals, enhance their talents, lead them towards success and help them to turn passion into purpose on and off the stage.

Publicity photos for Spring 21 procession of Saint Joan.

About UNC Greensboro

UNC Greensboro, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is one of fifty doctoral institutions recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for both higher research activity and community engagement. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC system institutions, UNC Greensboro isone ofthe most diverse universities in the state with 20,000+students and 2,800+faculty and staff members representing 90+ nationalities. With 17 Division I athletic teams, 85 undergraduate degrees in over 125 areas of study, in addition to 74 masters and 32 doctoral programs, UNC Greensboro is consistently recognized nationally among the top universities for academic excellence and value, with noted strengths in visual and performing arts, health and wellness, nursing, education and more. For additional information, please visituncg.eduand follow UNCG onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

Find us on Twitter: @UNCGTheatre

Facebook: @UNCGTheatre

Instagram: @UNCGTheatre & @UNCGmt

YouTube: @UNCGTheatre

Bios and Headshots: http://www.UNCGTheatre.com

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Saint Joan: Speaking Truth to Power | Music | yesweekly.com - Yes! Weekly

Ron Cole | Fosters Daily Democrat

Happy February to yall. Looks like Mother Nature decided to remind us what winter is like in Dover.

Speaking of Dover, it is time once again to see what it was like around here almost 400 years ago. On Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., Dover400 will be hosting a webinar by Paul and Denise Pouliot as they present "Dover In the 17th Century: Abenaki Life and History from an Indigenous Perspective." Theyll be discussing the myths, misconceptions and much more of an acculturated and assimilated indigenous people telling, among other things, what relationships were like during colonial encroachment and violence which had a major impact on colonial Dover. You can register for this amazing insight into what happened to life back then atdover400.org.

Lots of things bouncing around the area, so lets get to it:

Remember the old saying those who can, do; those who cant, teach? It is a stupid line written in the early 1900sby George Bernard Shaw for his play "Man and Superman."

The implication being that people teach because they cant function in their chosen occupation. This ignores that fact that most of our high achievers also happen to be teachers. Einstein, Robert Frost, J.K. Rowling are a few (think of a couple of your favorites).

Here are a couple names of local note that you have been affected by and will be honored and recognized hearing more of in the near future: Joanne Houston and Cheryl Richardson. They have been teaching for many years at Spaulding High School. Much of their good work has been related to music: marching bands, chorale groups, many many musicals and much more. If youve ever attended a play at Spaulding, the famous Dover High School Band Show or performances by the Seacoast mixed high school choral groups, You have stood up and given a standing ovation to one of their inspired works. Joanne and Cheryl are retiring this year and hundreds and hundreds of Rochester residents are making plans for some pretty impressive stuff honoring them. And this tell just a part of two awesome human beings. Yeah … for teachers! Wait till you hear some of the comments … Ill keep you posted.

Heres a unique guy hes Hilltop City through and through. Dana Hilliard is a graduate of Somersworth High School, both Plymouth State University and Keene State College. Five times served as state rep (for Somersworth, of course), city councilor, more than 22 years in education, 10 as principal of Somersworth Middle School. Now he gets to use that experience in his new position as director of school district operations. He always said it would take a lot to get him away from the middle school building and now he has all the buildings. Oh did I mention ... hes the mayor, too. Darn those educators. I guess some of them are OK. LOL.

A funny thought entered my mind at just the right time the other day. I was thinking about how impressive it is firefighters are heroic for the jobs they do. They get called out in all weather and to do anything that needs to be done - last week for days with the temp dropping to zero w/wind and then a noreaster on top of that .... it must have been brutal. Lo and behold, one of Facebooks members made a bit of an off the cuff remark that firefighters are not heroes, but well paid employees of the city doing their job. That set the locals off with a vast number of folks disagreeing.

My view:

Now Im 80 years old - when growing up Gloucester had a large number of very old wooden summer hotels that had outlived their value and many (some suspiciously) burned to the ground in horrific conflagrations which I watched on the sidelines (for my parents were big fans of big fires and since I was an only child I went with them). I learned first-hand how dangerous these jobs were. Things are different in the 21st century, but one thing hasnt changed …heat, exhaustion, burns, physical and mental stress and toxic hazards are all part of the job. There are many jobs that one can take and sit in an office every day. Ive covered many fires and many accidents these guys and gals sure arent doing it for the money. One other thing Ive learned: Every firefighter certainly doesnt do it for the money, they do it because they care.

What do you think folks? Let me know. Who are your heroes?

Be kind and empathetic, please

Ron Cole can be reached at mrdoverdoins@gmail.com.

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Dover Doins: Heroes all around in our community - Foster's Daily Democrat

Yes, AA Milne, Im looking at you. For much of my childhood, I wondered at the stupid name you gave that donkey. Photograph: Getty Images

My recent comments on rhoticity the rolling of Rs after vowels, as practised in Ireland and most of the US but not in posher parts of England brought a plea from reader Pat McLaughlin about something that really annoys him. Its the habit, widespread even in this country, of writing er to suggest the hesitation in speech that we actually pronounced eh.

I can accept it from the pen of an English, Welsh, or ANZ person, since they would pronounce er as ehh, he says. But an Irish person pronounces er as err [] This is not the way anyone expresses hesitation here. Pat adds: You may be shocked to learn that I have even come across this aberration in The Irish Times Quelle horreur!

Well, no, Im not shocked. I suspect I have myself perpetrated this outrage on occasion, so used am I to seeing it in print elsewhere. But I take the point. It must be another vestige of what I call Flat-r imperialism the assumption by non-rhotic writers and speakers that everyone else in the world thinks as they do.

Yes, AA Milne, Im looking at you. For much of my childhood, I wondered at the stupid name you gave that donkey, until one day it finally dawned that where you live, Eeyore is the sound donkeys make. Where I grew up, they always said Heehaw (yes, even the Protestant donkeys pronounced their haitches).

Anyway, the er/eh issue reminds me of two stories involving Oscar Wilde, one annoying, the other puzzling. The annoying one is a supposed witticism he cracked once at the expense of his fellow Dubliner George Bernard Shaw when they were both making names in London.

Shaw was thinking of starting a journal as a vehicle for his many strong opinions and planned to call it Shaws Magazine, for added self-promotion. Shaw! Shaw! Shaw! he said, thumping the table. Whereupon Wilde asked: Yes, but how would you spell it?

Now perhaps the pun there was on Pshaw!, an old-fashioned expression of impatience, which would make the joke tolerable. But I fear Wilde was instead thinking of Sure (something GBS was about everything, especially himself), which in non-rhotic speech approximates to Shaw, although that would be a verbal atrocity of this side of the Irish Sea.

My suspicions on this are supported by a news story from Australia another Flat-R stronghold a few years ago, about two sporting brothers named Shaw. The headline read: To be Shaw, to be Shaw. Ouch. But whatever about Wilde, thats not how GBS spoke. We have no recordings of the formers voice anywhere, but we have plenty of Shaws, in which he never left an r unrolled. His monologues are rhotic masterpieces.

The other Wilde story concerns an article he wrote in 1887, called The American Invasion. It was a satire on Americans in England and included this (about how US women modified their voices to infiltrate society): Some of them have been known to acquire a fashionable drawl in two Seasons; and after they have been presented to Royalty they roll their rs as vigorously as a young equerry or an old lady-in-waiting.

This implies not only that 1880s Americans did not roll their Rs before coming to England (possible if they were from, say, Massachusetts), but that they did so on arrival in imitation of the local aristocracy. Can this be true? Can R-rolling have been the prestige accent in London society as recently as then, before becoming the opposite? If only we had recordings from the period.

There was a debate on Twitter this week about how Edward Carson, the Dublin-born hero of Unionism, spoke. His voice seems not to be preserved anywhere. All we have are the assurances of historians that he retained a strong Dublin accent all his life, and even exaggerated it in London courts (including the one where he prosecuted Wilde), so that: Theyd think he was a Dublin eejit and then hed make mincemeat of them.

Whether Carson rolled his Rs or not, however, his followers do. Ulster may say no, but it never says Ulstah. Rhotic speech is such a unifying factor in modern Ireland, north and south, its a wonder the DUP havent come out against it yet.

A bigger social divide here, arguably, concerns the pronunciation of vowels before the r. As Ross OCarroll-Kelly demonstrates, corrs are a thing you drive in Dublin, whereas elsewhere theyre good-looking singers from Dundalk.

Still, if Phil Coulters rugby anthem were to be adopted for political use in a future United Ireland, he could do worse that add another verse: Ireland, Ireland/In peacetime or in wars/Shoulder to shoulder/We always roll our Rs.

Follow this link:
To er is human Frank McNally on the scourge of rhotic imperialism - The Irish Times

Sweetheart candy hearts are seen on the shelf at the To The Moon Marketplace on January 29, 2019, in Wilton Manors, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Listen to tales of love and heartbreak. Learn to cook vegan coconut flan. Watch stories of love and friendship at the Reel Love Film Fest. Listen to a panel discussion about the Black women of rock and roll. Kick back at a screening of Minari, the story of a Korean American family that moves to an Arkansas farm. Bite into a half-off pizza deal on National Pizza Day (Tuesday, Feb. 9).

February StorySLAM: Love HurtsThe Moth returns with tales of love and heartbreak. If you have a story to share, prepare a five-minute version for a chance to be featured. The night is hosted by Angelica Lindsey-Ali from the Phoenix StorySLAM community.COST: $10; MORE INFO

Elijah Cummings' MemoirALOUD at the Central Library presents a program that centers around the late congressman's memoir, We're Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy. His widow, Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, will be joined in by James Dale, the book's coauthor.COST: FREE - $33.99; MORE INFO

Cooking with LACMAJocelyn Ramirez of Todo Verde, a plant-based Mexican food company, holds a live cook-along of vegan coconut flan inspired by Frida Kahlo's painting "Weeping Coconuts (Cocos gimientes)!" The ingredients are listed on LACMA's website. The program starts with an introduction by LACMA educator Vivian Lin who discusses Kahlo's work and others who have portrayed her. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Suspiria: Drive-In Dine-Out Mess Hall at FLIGHT1705 Flight Way, TustinThe Frida Cinema teams up with the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival for a pop-up screening of Dario Argento's 1977 horror flick. When the young dancer Suzy (Jessica Harper) attends a prestigious ballet school in Germany, she finds that it holds a dark secret. Bring your own food or purchase from one of the Mess Hall's restaurants before the film.COST: $25 per car; MORE INFO

Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and RollIn her book Black Diamond Queens, Maureen Mahon documents the history of Black women in rock from the 1950s to the 1980s. She's joined for a panel discussion by Daphne Brooks of Yale University,Gayle Wald of George Washington University and visual artist Nikita Gale. They'll also discuss the history of performance as it impacts the California African American Museum's exhibition, Nikita Gale: PRIVATE DANCER. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Heartbeat Opera: Breathing Free The indie opera company's latest work, Breathing Free, is a filmed song cycle dedicated to the celebration of Black artistic voices. It builds on Heartbeat's collaboration with 100 incarcerated singers in six prison choirs. Live opening remarks, a post-screening panel discussion and an audience Q&A will accompany each presentation. This is the work's West Coast Premiere and is presented online by The Broad Stage. COST: $10 - $75 (pay what you can); MORE INFO

Reel Love Film FestJust in time for Valentine's Day, this virtual film fest focuses on new love stories, from romance to family and friendship. Opening the festival is the punk-rock misfit love story Dinner in America. Several diverse short and feature films round out the schedule. Complementary programming includes podcasts, live storytelling and open mics. These include Alie Stewart's Never Sent, featuring participants reading from past letters, emails and texts they didn't send.COST: $10 - $85; MORE INFO

Major Rewrite Theatre Forty presents a Zoom reading of a new comedy by Michael Halperin. Based on true events, several film stars Charles Laughton, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Glynis Johns, Eli Wallach, Burgess Meredith gather in Boston in 1956 for George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara. Between their egos, personal crises and pressure from the House Un-American Activities Committee, they reach a boiling point when Herman Wouk, brought in to edit the play, throws everyone off-balance. COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Welcome to Your FantasySpotify's latest true crime podcast premieres this week and it focuses on the story of the male "exotic dancers" of Chippendales in the 1980s. Beyond the g-strings and oiled pecs, host and historian Natalia Petrzela uncovers a story of greed, corruption and murder in eight episodes. The podcast follows how two men an immigrant from India and a children's TV producer from New Jersey transformed a seedy L.A. nightclub into a global phenomenon.COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

California LiteJulie Rico has curated an online art show for the nomadic New York-based gallery Arcade Project Curatorial. The exhibition brings together 26 multicultural artists living in California to present their interpretations of light and life under the California sky.COST: FREE; MORE INFO

MinariWE Drive-Ins302 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica The new drive-in space (in the Sears parking lot) opens this week with a screening of last year's Sundance darling about a Korean American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American dream. COST: Tickets start at $30; MORE INFO

Stars of JazzThe UCLA Film & Television Archive presents a screening of two newly preserved episodes, with improved audio, from the Stars of Jazz, a television series that ran from 1956 to 1958 on KABC. Hosted by musician and actor Bobby Troup (the songwriter of "Route 66"), it showcased the jazz music and musicians at a time when few Black artists were seen on TV. Historian James A. Harrod, author of the book Stars of Jazz: A Complete History of the Innovative Television Series, 1956-1958, joins TV archivist Mark Quigley for a post-screening conversation.COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Boys State Virtual Live Q&AThis Apple original film follows the annual immersive program in which 1,000 Texas high school seniors gather for a mock exercise in building their own state government. Even at this age, the film shows that differing personalities and politics don't often mix. Join filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss as well as student Steve Garza for a live, post-screening Q&A.COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

This Album Saved My BreakupKCRW holds an anti-Valentine's Day event for the sad, the single or those in a sentimental mood. KCRW DJs Anne Litt, Novena Carmel, Anthony Valadez, Chris Douridas, Travis Holcombe and Jeremy Sole celebrate our love/hate relationship with the Hallmark holiday as they chat about the albums that got people through their breakups. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Mr. Wash & Ikechukwu OnyewuenyiThe Hammer Museum presents a conversation between Fulton Leroy Washington (aka MR. WASH) and Ikechukwu Onyewuenyi focusing on Mr. Wash's painting practice. He creates portraits of public figures and individuals that he met while wrongfully incarcerated for more than two decades. You can see Mr. Wash's works at both the Hammer and The Huntington. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Art Past Present with Meleko MokgosiThe Wende Museum's online series continues with a Zoom conversation with Meleko Mokgosi, an artist and assistant professor at Yale University. His work includes large-scale paintings that explore themes of colonialism, democracy, nationalism and life in Southern Africa. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

The HeadThe international thriller The Head premiered last week in the U.S. on HBO Max. The six-episode survival saga is set in an Antarctic research station where the winter team must remain for six months, until spring. When the relief crew arrives, they find most of the winter team either dead or missing. It's up to Johan Berg (Alexander Willaume) to find his missing wife and uncover the killer. Yes, it's bleak but it's intriguing. Produced in Spain, it is in English, Danish, Swedish and Spanish. Watch on HBO Max.

Who doesn't miss going out to eat or stopping by a bar for a drink? Here are a few options from restaurants and bars as we work our way back toward normal.

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Fabulous Online And IRL Events This Week: Feb. 8 - 11 - LAist

An image of Christ in the Aya Sofya, Istanbul. Getty Images

The English writer Richard Ingrams will be remembered by Irish readers as the author of the foreword to The Ulick OConnor Diaries: 1970-1981. Among his many other publications is a book called Authors Take Sides, an anthology of the reflections of well-known writers on Jesus Christ some positive, some negative. George Bernard Shaw, for example, was not overly impressed: It is quite clear from the Gospel narrative that Jesus connived at his own death in the belief that he would rise again . . . History has not confirmed his belief.

Conan Doyle thought differently: But the wonderful thing is that by devious paths we have got back to Christianity once more and that the Christ figure appears more beautiful and understandable as ever, He has ceased to be a miracle. He has become our friend and brother.

What is interesting about the book is the common acceptance of the goodness of the man Jesus, his life and his teaching. This probably represents the view of many today who relate easily to this down-to-earth man who the Bible tells us went about doing good; they admire him as such but may not be too sure about anything beyond that.

St Paul, who is remembered for his dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus, began writing his epistles about 20 years after the death of Jesus and, it is worth saying, before the earliest gospel. In these letters he very often uses the name/title Christ rather than Jesus. It is as if for him Jesus died and Christ rose; a way of saying that there is much more to the Jesus story than we might think; that what was revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who is also the Christ is not confined to first-century Palestine but is of universal and timeless significance.

His letter to the Colossians which provides tomorrows epistle reading implies that our Jesus is too small; that the one we are comfortable with as Jesus of Nazareth is in fact the Cosmic Christ:

He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers all things have been created through him and for him.

In other words, he is not a denominational or cultural Christ, not a Christ domesticated by any church; nor is he defined by what humans say about him or want him to be; he is God in action.

Tomorrows Gospel reading makes the same point: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

It is difficult to express the Jesus/Christ relationship in simple language, but could it be otherwise?

We are grappling with profound mystery beyond words and beyond human understanding.

Brother Roger of the Taiz community acknowledged the difficulty: Together with the whole people of God, from all over the world, you are invited to live a life exceeding all your hopes. On your own, how could you ever experience the radiance of Gods presence? God is too dazzling to be looked upon. He is a God who blinds our sight. It is Christ who channels this consuming fire and allows God to shine through without dazzling us. Christ is present, close to each one of us, whether we know him or not. He is so bound up with us that he lives within us, even when we are unaware of him. He is there in secret, a fire burning in his heart, a light in the darkness. But Christ is also someone other than yourself. He is alive; he stands beyond, ahead of you. Here is his secret: he loved you first. That is the meaning of your life: to be loved forever, loved to all eternity , . .

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Thinking Anew A universal and timeless significance - The Irish Times

John Heilpern.

The NY Observers drama critic, a Brit, brought an outsiders inquisitiveness to the American theatre, as well as principled grouchiness.

John Heilpern, longtime theatre critic for theNew York Observerand author ofJohn Osborne: The Many Lives of the Angry Young ManandConference of the Birds: The Story of Peter Brook in Africa, died on Jan. 7. He was 78.

I didnt know John Heilpern well, and I spent very little time with himtwo facts that I regret very deeply now that he is gone. I saw John mainly at the theatre, where we would often find ourselves seated near one another at press performances. Our conversations consisted mainly of a few words of greeting before a show, and an occasional bit of chat at intermission.

This was rare for me: I am something of a hermit by nature, and I was never wholly comfortable with the New York critical fraternitys old-time habit of clustering together and muttering comments on the piece under review that evening. In my lumpish and socially reclusive manner, I tended to adhere more to the rubric that Bernard Shaw once laid down: A critics hand should be against every man, and every mans hand against his.

With John things were different. Socially forthright and articulate in a way that I was not, he came from the British journalistic tradition, in which collegiality does not exclude or gloss over disagreements about ideas. As a result, his social conversation at press performances was very different from the superficial sociability and gossip that too often pass for conversation among some of New Yorks more cynical daily and weekly reviewers.

In the first place, being from a different country, where theatre practice and theatres place in the larger culture are very differentdecades of transatlantic interchange have not made New York and London all that much like each otherhe had questions about the how and the why of New York theatre, and particularly of Broadway. What drove people to put on a given play, and what drove audiences to like it, were subjects of fascination to him.

This was rare in my experience; far too many of our critics are interested in the profitability of a production, and not in the motives behind its success. John put his questions gruffly but succinctly, never with hostility to the play at hand (though he made no bones about his displeasure when he felt put off or let down by the work), but with the honest puzzlement of a serious traveler striving to grasp the customs of an arcane foreign world.

I remember on one occasion, at the intermission of a very long and incident-crammed play with a large cast, finding myself in a corner of the lobby with him, while he begged me, in a tone of almost anthropological curiosity, to explain how such a play could have the acclaim this one was audibly receiving. Disliking the work every bit as much as he did, I remember trying to explain to him, rather lamely, that Americans had become habituated to soap opera; when that clearly wouldnt wash, I recall going on, still more lamely, to say something about the national fondness for all-you-can-eat restaurants. The expression that crossed Johns face made clear what he thought of my comparison.

His intellectual curiosity, always attempting to evolve answers to the puzzling questions America posed, gave his reviews in the New York Observer a special cachet for me. They were not like any other critics reviews. They gave an Englishmans viewpoint of American workand certainly not a typically English viewpoint, either, for Johns personality, both in person and on the page, was distinctive. Though sociable and gregarious by instinct, he was also something of a groucha temperament that comes naturally to theatre critics, who have to sit through much that is second- or third-rate while waiting and longing for the first-rate work with the astonishing streak of brilliance that will make the whole procedure of nightly theatregoing seem worthwhile. John was not a snarky negativist but an honest and fair-minded grouch, who kept his patience until some event came along that made him lose it. (I am trying very hard here not to mention the name of the TV star whose solo performance on Broadway drove John to a comparison with the drunken party behavior of an elderly relative.)

In his reviews, John had no hesitation about finding some gem of goodness in even the unhappiest theatrical mishap. But he was watchful for, and unyielding about, any attempt to palm off the shoddy on unsuspecting audiences. Most particularly, he was infuriated by facile attempts to shock. When he felt he had ethical justifications to wax grouchy, he did not hold back. It was not always easy to agree with him in such cases, and on one or two occasions I found myself openly arguing with him over the matter, but I always came away admiring the absolute forthrightness of his moral stance.

Even when disagreeing, I found this aspect of Johns writing particularly admirable. With rare exceptions, I had largely given up expecting my colleagues to think beyond easy platitudes, politically or morally. John would seize on a plays politics and, if he saw fit, slam them down violently. On one of these occasions, he paid me a most startling compliment. At least, I think it was a compliment. John and I had both attended the revival of a well-known play that I had found thoroughly repellent. Because the playwright and his work were valued in many quarters, some close to home for me, I had tried to convey an objective view of the plays substance while expressing what I thought was a thoroughly negative view of it.

Imagine my surprise when Johns review, in the next weeks Observer, quoted a phrase from my low estimate of the work, while adding that I viewed the play far more generously than he did. I was dumbfounded. But I had only been negative about the playwilling to give its theatrical strategies some credit while condemning its overall outlook. John, having seized on the latter and belabored the playwright for it, had been ferocious. So I suppose in that sense I was taking a more generous view of the work than he was, though I doubt that it seemed so to the unfortunate playwright.

Among my minor regrets is that I never asked John about the origin of his email address. Some misinformed person, on some occasion or other, must have addressed him, or perhaps introduced him, as John Hatpin, and Johns sardonic sense of humor, perhaps seasoned with a touch of defiant bravado, led him to select hatpin as his email address. I sometimes addressed him in emails, joshingly, as Dr. Hatpin, but I never asked him where the joke originated.

Now I wish I knew, for I miss both the sardonic humor and the bravado, along with the fervent passion for principle, that lay behind them. I respected John most, I see now, because he was a believer. The theatre for him was something more than a diversion; it was a cultural expression that invited and challenged thought. He had no patience with those who would cheapen it or use it as a vehicle for glib ironies. Sometimes, when I think I am being too easy on such transgressors, I regret not being more like him.

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AMERICAN THEATRE | The Sardonic, Curious, Unyielding John Heilpern - American Theatre