'Very average feeling hire'

Chinese President Xi Jinping assured President Joe Biden

Our top 10 Vertical Horizon songs list looks at the catalog of an American band revered for its alternative rock sound influences. The band was formed in 1991 by rhythm/acoustic guitarist Keith Kane and vocalist/guitarist Matt Scannell‚ the latter being the only lasting original member in all Vertical Horizon’s lineups. Initially‚ the Matt-Keith duo took on acoustic rock playing in local venues and parties‚ exploiting their harmonized vocals during their performances. Matt and Keith went ahead to shape the future of Vertical Horizon‚ particularly after graduating from Georgetown University. However‚ acoustic rock would only get the duo so far in The post Top 10 Vertical Horizon Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Welcome back to Dissecting The Dark Descent‚ where we lovingly delve into the guts of David Hartwell’s seminal 1987 anthology story by story‚ and in the process‚ explore the underpinnings of a genre we all love. For an in-depth introduction‚ here’s the intro post. Fritz Leiber has a gift for marrying the gothic with the mundane. His most famous creation‚ the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series‚ features two pragmatic rogues more interested in the next score than in any grand world-saving designs who nonetheless get involved in numerous dark fantasy escapades. Some of his best stories (“Gonna Roll the Bones” and “The Automatic Pistol‚” for example) are about relatively average people forced to confront the larger insanity of the world around them. “Belsen Express” continues this trend handily‚ forcing an irascible middle-class conservative man into a gothic morality tale where he’s beset by (and eventually meets his demise at the hands of) nightmares of being horribly murdered under a fascist regime. Through the eyes of George Simister‚ an average (but atypical for gothic horror) protagonist‚ Leiber uses a gothic morality framework to indict those who experience the atrocities of the world at a distance but refuse to fully understand‚ process‚ and confront the very real horrors around them. George Simister is a comfortable‚ middle-class‚ conservative man in the 1950s‚ happy to pass judgment on the events of the world from his easy chair by the fireplace. Having avoided most of the horrors of the twentieth century due to his weak heart and self-interest‚ he nonetheless harbors an irrational fear that in the middle of the night he will be dragged out of his bed by the Gestapo. When a mysterious (and possibly misdelivered) package containing books on Nazi atrocities lands on his doorstep‚ Simister’s comfortable life takes a turn for the unnerving‚ his hallucinations and nightmares leaking into his daily life. As his sanity erodes and his walls come crumbling down‚ it might be too late for Simister to avoid his nightmares becoming uncomfortable reality. “Belsen Express” has all the hallmarks of a gothic morality tale. There’s an ambiguity to the horror elements‚ erring mainly on the side that Simister’s torment is one cooked up by his mind‚ but with enough room for doubt. The protagonist is introduced sipping scotch and reading the paper by the fireplace (and engaging in some casual racism as he mutters to himself) when a mysterious package is dropped on his doorstep‚ and there’s an element of morality tale in the way that an irascible man with politically conservative views and prejudices is tormented by hallucinations and ominous figures related to his fears. This is matched by the ambiguity of his death‚ with both the fact of his weak heart (the thing that probably kept him out of direct conflict during the war) and being gassed by spectral Nazis treated as equally possibly explanations for his sudden demise. Leiber even structures “Belsen Express” like a gothic story‚ with Simister’s mental state deteriorating as the horror elements kick further into gear‚ ending with his final breakdown. With that in mind‚ Simister is (as noted above) an atypical target for gothic retribution. He’s an unpleasant man‚ but not an active sadist like Justice Harbottle. Nor is he a sympathetic victim like the protagonist of “The Crowd.” Leiber depicts him as aggressively middle-class‚ with mention that the scotch he’s drinking by the fireplace is cheap and diluted‚ and his house (“the most respectable and best-kept” home on his block) constantly a target for local vandalism from the neighborhood youths. Even his complicity in events is minimal at best‚ since he’s at a remove; He’s introduced as “having survived well through the middle of the twentieth century without getting involved in military service‚ world saving‚ or any activities that interfered with the earning and enjoyment of money.” The closest he gets to any kind of actual political consciousness is bickering with his “friend” Holstrom and his secret fear that he’ll be scooped up by some kind of totalitarian regime and exterminated. He even starts questioning himself when the mysterious books are dropped on his doorstep‚ at which point he’s forced to confront the Nazi atrocities he vehemently tries to ignore. While Simister is unpleasant and acutely self-interested‚ he’s also aggressively average and capable of being emotionally and intellectually swayed when the distance and comfort he enjoys is stripped away.   In this way‚ the story feels like a much nastier version of “Young Goodman Brown.” Simister’s inability to process and confront the realities he’d distanced himself from causes him to spiral into madness and forces his horrors into his daily life. Leiber does an excellent job of meshing Simister’s nightmares with his daily commute‚ with each repeated morning journey growing more sinister (you have no idea how hard it is not to mistype that word in this article)‚ paranoid‚ and totalitarian the further he’s beset by his nightmares. His refusal to confront the horrors of the world‚ knowing that awful things are going on but choosing to avoid them until incontrovertible proof literally lands on his doorstep proves to be his undoing. His fear that he will be rounded up and exterminated—however irrational—is a sign that he knows awful things are happening‚ that “it can’t happen here” is a false statement of comfort. It’s a widening crack in the wall of his unpleasant‚ smugly conservative distance. A lot of “Belsen Express” deals with that level of distance and non-involvement. Simister’s torment begins when he’s sent a series of books confronting him with the horrors of the Holocaust‚ which exacerbate his already existent (if irrational and actively suppressed) fears. Holstrom engages Simister in constant political arguments‚ but neither of the men is directly affected by the issues they argue about. Even the inciting incident that spirals Simister into madness—Holstrom sending him the books—was meant as a prank. It’s important that the moment Simister’s torment by shadowy fascists starts is the moment all distance is removed from his life. When he’s confronted with the reality of the atrocity‚ he breaks down‚ and that’s when the strange knockings‚ suspicious-looking man in the overcoat‚ and threatening guard at the train station show up. By the time he starts to process the horror‚ it’s already too late. “Belsen Express” might be atypical to gothic morality‚ but that’s entirely Leiber’s point. It’s cathartic to watch the privileged get dragged off to Hell‚ but it’s also easy for most people to distance themselves the same way Simister does. There’s an idea that bad things will mostly happen to other people at enough of a remove that the average person internalizes it only as a vague‚ abstract fear. With “Belsen Express‚” Leiber removes that abstraction and tears down the walls‚ forcing the reader to understand that we must confront these things lest we be consumed by the horror we seek to tune out. It’s easy enough to sit someplace and pass judgment‚ to argue and harangue in the abstract the way Simister and Holstrom do. It’s a little harder to bear witness‚ comprehend‚ process‚ and confront those horrors. Leiber’s point is that we must‚ that we can’t live in comfort and abstraction. After all‚ one day the horrors might show up on our doorstep the way they did Simister’s. And now to throw it over to you: For those who’ve had brushes with Leiber‚ comment with your favorite non-Fafhrd and Gray Mouser work of his. Apart from that‚ I’d also like to know your favorite non-traditional gothic morality stories. Please join us in two weeks as we explore the other serial murderer that inspired multiple works from Robert Bloch in “Yours Truly‚ Jack the Ripper” icon-paragraph-end The post A Gothic Morality Tale Meets the Mundane: “Belsen Express” by Fritz Leiber appeared first on Reactor.

Emperor Georgiou fans‚ it is officially our time. Star Trek: Section 31‚ which stars Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou‚ has begun filming. The movie—a spinoff of sorts from Star Trek: Discovery—will eventually appear on Paramount Plus. The film will follow Georgiou as she joins the titular secret division of Starfleet‚ which protects the United Federation of Planets. But being that she’s a temperamental former emperor‚ naturally she must also “face the sins of her past.” Paramount finally announced that the movie will‚ in fact‚ star people other than Yeoh. Omari Hardwick (Power)‚ Kacey Rohl (The Magicians)‚ Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso)‚ Sven Ruygrok (One Piece)‚ Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim)‚ Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny &; Georgia)‚ and James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry) have come on board the great ship Star Trek. Hardwick is probably best known for the series Power‚ but SFF fans may recognize him from Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead or Boots Riley’s brilliant Sorry to Bother You. Rohl is the name I’m most excited about here; she was incredible as The Magicians’ prickly Marina‚ and also excellent on both Hannibal and Arrow. Sam Richardson faced shapeshifters in Werewolves Within and has done a ton of voice work‚ including roles on Harley Quinn and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Kazinsky is‚ depending on whether your tastes run to robots or vampires‚ best known for being a pain in the ass in Pacific Rim‚ or Sookie Stackhouse’s creepy love interest on True Blood. James Hiroyuki Liao appears in the upcoming Orphan Black: Echoes‚ while Humberly Gonzalez appeared in two episodes of the original Orphan Black. In short‚ the filmmakers have assembled an impressive cast of stars and actors-on-the-rise. Star Trek: Section 31 is written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi‚ a producer and frequent director on Star Trek: Discovery. The movie is expected to arrive next year. [end-mark] The post <;i>;Star Trek: Section 31<;/i>; Adds Kacey Rohl‚ Omari Hardwick‚ and More to Cast appeared first on Reactor.

As per the rule of Palworld being a building game‚ people are bound to make some incredible base structures while hard at work in Palworld. Here are some incredible player bases in Palworld that have been built and displayed so far. Creative Palworld player base builds I personally still have my base at the bare minimum‚ meaning builds with a lot of effort easily enchant me. So‚ in no particular order — because greatness doesn’t need to be ranked — these are some standout builds posted on the Palworld subreddit. An entire little village behind stone walls Screenshot: Reddit I didn’t realize just how much area bases cover until I saw builds like this one. Presented by Lightless_meow in video tour form‚ this base looks like a little medieval village with a little protective watch tower‚ and it’s adorable. I want to live in one of the houses and explore the stone buildings! This chateau aesthetic with a regal interi...

One of the more underused Work Suitability types is Generating Electricity‚ but which are the best Pals for this job in Palworld? If you’re looking for certain Pals to help run your electric-powered base‚ here is a list of the best Pals for Generating Electricity. Palworld: Best Pals for Generating Electricity As you may have guessed‚ these Pals have to be Electric-type. But depending on their level of Work Suitability‚ they may be either subpar or excellent at their job. The best Pals for Generating Electricity in Palworld are Grizzbolt and Relaxaurus Lux‚ but here’s a broader list of the best picks. Level 1: Sparkit‚ Jolthog‚ Dazzi Level 2: Univolt‚ Beakon‚ Rayhound‚ Mossanda Lux‚ Dinossom Lux Level 3: Grizzbolt‚ Relaxaurus Lux Image: Pocketpair During the early game‚ your best options for Pals with the Generating Electricity skill would be Jolthog and Sparkit. Sparkit is easily found near the spawn area aro...

Once you progress far enough in Palworld‚ you will need Electric Organs to make different items that use electricity. How to find Electric Organs in Palworld Screenshot: PC Invasion The easiest way to get an Electric Organ in Palworld is by killing or capturing any Electric-type Pal. There are 12 Electric Pals in Palworld right now and almost all of them can drop an Electric Organ if you manage to defeat or catch them. However‚ we would recommend you to catch the Pals‚ as it would increase the number of Pals in your Paldeck and also grant you enough EXP to level up fast in the game. Another way to get an Electric Organ in Palworld is to buy it directly from the Wandering Merchant. The Wandering Merchant located at the Small Settlement on the northeast of your base sells Electric Organs in exchange for gold. However‚ this might seem a bit costly as it will cost you 200 gold coins for each Electric Organ. How to farm Electric Organs in Palworld...

Graphics cards are pushing the envelope of what is possible with every new series and release. In the past decade‚ we have really delved into the world of DLSS‚ Ray Tracing‚ and unbelievable resolutions with each new technological push. Now‚ with the impending release of the RTX 4080 Super‚ only Nvidia knows what we have in store. Nvidia RTX 4080 Super specs Without the public’s stress tests and hands-on reviews‚ we only have what Nvidia have given us to base our specifications on. In the past‚ their predictions and humble brags have usually been pretty much on point. Following their history of releases‚ we can usually estimate just what we can expect to see improvements-wise also. Nvidia A broad look at performance Looking at the performance graph released by Nvidia‚ we can expect to see their latest and greatest GPU running rings around the previous flagships. The RTX 4080 Super is promised to more than double the performance on the major...

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a co-op game at its core‚ but you can play the game solo with AI companions at your side if you want. These bots use your own weapons and skills‚ but you can pull other players’ characters into your game for some help. What is Social Squad? Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a unique feature called Social Squad. This lets you use your friends’ Suicide Squad characters on your team when you’re playing by yourself. You can even pull characters from the global leaderboards if nobody on your friend list has the game. If you use somebody’s character‚ they’ll get a portion of the loot and rewards that you earn in your session whenever they log back into the game. The Social Squad feature is activated by default and will autofill your Suicide Squad team with other players’ characters if you’re in a clan‚ but you’ll have to manually make additions to your squ...