Author: bestmedeal

Gwyneth Paltrow is taking the phrase “birthday suit” to a whole new level.

In honor of her 50th birthday on Tuesday, the Goop founder posed wearing goldbody paint — and nothing else — to celebrate her milestone year.

She shared with Goop followers and her fans that the photo shoot was a littledose of fun and a beautiful way to celebrate turning 50.

“All I know is that they’re painting me gold and that I have to be naked,”Paltrow shared. “I feel so good turning 50, and this is about expressing thatsense of energy and optimism that I’m experiencing. It’s more about the femalegaze and just a sense of fun.”

Though it looks like Paltrow simply coated herself in gold paint beforeposing, she actually used several of her favorite Goop products to prep forthe fun photos. She prepared her skin and hair with her favorite products,including GOOPGENES All-in-One-Nourishing Face Cream, GOOPGENES NourishingRepair Body Butter, GOOPGENES Clean Nourishing Lip Balm and G.Tox HimalayanSalt Scalp Scrub Shampoo.

Gwyneth Paltrow Poses Nude Covered in Gold Body Paint for Provocative 50thBirthday Shoot

Courtesy Andrew Yee

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow Celebrates Turning 50 with Bikini Pic: I ‘Let Go ofthe Need to Be Perfect’

Paltrow may just be turning 50 this week, but she started celebrating early —and reflecting on her life thus far.

In a post published to the Goop blog, Paltrow wrote that she’d “hurt people”and apologized for any past actions.

Noting that is she moving into a “new territory” of her life, Paltrow saiddoing that “requires owning my mistakes and finds me prostrate, praying I havelearned from them all.”

“Accomplishments (or things I did), though known and quantifiable, feel partof this linear past, less relevant. My errors, which live in the shadows,slippery and dark, are harder to define,” she added. “Not because I don’t knowwhat they are, but because we keep them hidden, out of the logbooks.”

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RELATED: Brad Pitt Debuts New Skin Care Line, Credits Ex Gwyneth Paltrow forGetting Him to Wash His Face

Gwyneth Paltrow Poses Nude Covered in Gold Body Paint for Provocative 50thBirthday Shoot

Courtesy Andrew Yee

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Continuing her candid blog post, Paltrow then noted that the “transition intothe sweetness requires these be brought into the mind to adjudicate (do amendsneed to be made to anyone or to myself?), then into the heart, to beforgiven.”

“I have hurt people, never intentionally, but I have done so just the same. Ihave let people down by not being who they needed me to be. I have betrayedmyself to keep the peace,” she wrote. “I have crossed lines, the thoughts ofwhich sometimes rip me from sleep and suspend me into the hollowness of shamefor a long, dark night.”

Paltrow, who is mom to daughter Apple, 18, and son Moses, 16, with ex ChrisMartin, also wrote that she is “not sure I believe in going back in time tocorrect mistakes,” adding, “Every one of those sleepless hours that came fromone of these transgressions against myself or others has led to something.”

Paltrow then apologized to “anyone that had a negative experience with me,”writing, “I would like to fully acknowledge myself. I am imperfect, I can shutdown and turn to ice, I have no patience, I swear at other drivers, I don’tclose my closet doors, I lie when I don’t want to hurt feelings.”

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow Gives a Look at Her Luxurious In-home Spa as SheShares Her Self-Care Routine

Gwyneth Paltrow Poses Nude Covered in Gold Body Paint for Provocative 50thBirthday Shoot

Courtesy Andrew Yee

Paltrow also shared a black-and-white photo of herself on Instagram, guidingher fans to Goop’s website to read her “musings on a milestone.” In the photo,she’s carefree and jumping around in the grass in a bikini with a huge smileon her face. She shared an additional glimpse of her bikini look on Goop’swebsite, this time in full technicolor.

Back in October 2021, Paltrow chatted with PEOPLE about aging and how shestill struggles with her body image.

“Unfortunately, we’re always looking at ourselves with a critical eye,” theGoop founder explained at the time. “I would love to get to a place where Idon’t do that anymore.”

She continued, “I want to show up for myself in a more loving way, becauseit’s all going south from here! There’s nothing we can do about it.”

First the street lighting, then most of the living rooms and after a fewminutes the spotlights on the clock tower of the Pieterskerk: at the stroke of10 p.m., lights went out everywhere in the center of Leiden on Sunday evening.Hundreds of people, shoulder to shoulder between the battlements of LeidenCastle, let out a collective cry of surprise as the lights went out. “I’venever seen anything like it,” a bystander told his neighbor a few minuteslater.

All this in the context of ‘Seeing Stars Leiden’, an initiative of artist DaanRoosegaarde in collaboration with Leiden, this year’s European City ofScience. The idea: the less light, the more stars emerge, which otherwiseremain hidden behind the glow of urban light. The hour and a half of darknessrequired months of preparation, ranging from informing and activatingresidents to experimenting with putting out blocks of street lighting.

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The value of this venture is, to a large extent, philosophical: ‘By showingpeople the stars, we want to reconnect them with each other and with thecosmos,’ says Roosegaarde. ‘People have been inspired by the starry sky formillennia, but light pollution is slowly disappearing that connection.’

The relationship between humans and the starry sky is not the only thing thatdeteriorates due to light pollution. Another victim is our biorhythm. Light,natural sunlight, signals the brain to inhibit the production of the ‘sleephormone’ melatonin. As soon as the daylight disappears, this plug is removedand melatonin is produced, resulting in drowsiness.

As far as the regulation of melatonin is concerned, it does not distinguishbetween sunlight and artificial light. This emerged from a playful study bythe American sleep physiologist Ken Wright, who sent test subjects on a week-long camping trip with a strict ban on turning on artificial light in theevening. The result: they got tired on average two hours earlier.

robins

Animals are also confused by artificial light: robins can be found singingunder a street lamp at night, migratory birds continue to circle en massearound oil platforms without reaching their destination and sea turtles losetheir way to the beach, where they lay their eggs. Even the increasingmortality of insects has been linked to artificial light: in the darkness,moths gather under artificial light, where they easily become prey topredators.

Moreover: artificial light is expensive, and also burns in places where it isof no use to anyone. Roosegaarde calls it ‘bullshit light’: light from emptyoffice buildings or billboards, for example. To save money, the LED lamp is onthe rise, but as a result the night is becoming increasingly blue, which manyanimals are extra sensitive to.

More and more people and organizations see the return of darkness as a way outof this cat-and-mouse game. For example, since 2006 provincial environmentalfederations have been organizing ‘The Night of the Night’ when winter timebegins. Also this year, on October 29, lights will go out everywhere in theNetherlands, from restaurants, offices and highways to Ikea stores.

‘Dark Reserves’

In addition, the Netherlands has two ‘dark reserves’ with a strict policyagainst artificial light: Lauwersmeer National Park, on the border ofGroningen and Friesland, and the Boschplaat on Terschelling. In these reservesyou can even see the Northern Lights on a good day. These ‘Dark Sky Parks’ arenationally recognized and designated by the International Dark-SkyAssociation, which is committed to preserving darkness worldwide.

Crowds and togetherness during Seeing Stars in Leiden.Image Raymond Rutting /de Volkskrant

There was no such absolute darkness in Leiden on Sunday. Many living rooms,shop windows and billboards remained brightly lit, and student associationssuch as Minerva also failed to do so. Moreover, the evening was cloudy: onlyhalf an hour pieces of the starry sky were clearly visible. Despite thesesetbacks, the evening’s goal had been achieved: “I now see about as many starsin the middle of the city as I would on any other day in the middle of thePolder,” said Tünde, an astronomy student who observed the stars in a park.showed with his telescope.

Volunteers were lined up in this manner all over town, and long lines ofpeople were waiting at each telescope to take a look as well. ‘In terms ofstargazing, it may not have been the best evening’, said Frans Snik, anastronomer at Leiden University and involved in organizing the event. ‘But itwas a great social experiment. The crowds, conviviality and togetherness werethe success. Everyone in Leiden looked up for a moment.’

Photographers Chris and Marjan led the way Manners Magazine to InternationalBeyoncé Day at Club NYX. They came back with 11 beautiful portraits of whatyou might call super fans.

There are many reasons to admire Queen B. Her music, the fashion and art,Beyoncé the power woman, the beautiful woman, her mega shows, and so on.

International Beyoncé Day at Club NYX, Amsterdam

The most outspoken fans gathered at Club NYX on Friday, September 23. Thismeeting place on Reguliersdwarsstraat is one of the rare clubs in Amsterdamthat is still reminiscent of the open-minded 80s and 90s in the capital. Amelting pot of all cultures, subcultures and sexual preferences is the normalstandard here.

Once a year, the club is filled with Beyoncé fans, in all keys. Chris andMarjan portrayed some of them during International Beyoncé Day. With the keyquestion: what makes Queen B so special?

Sarah

21 years Utrecht

“Beyoncé is the epitomy of black power and female power. She’s gorgeous. Andshe makes a completely different album every year, with a different sound thatyou can just enjoy.”

Sarah (Photo: Chris and Marjan /Manners)

Syfan

24 years Bovenkarspel

“I became a Beyoncé fan when I was nine years old. She has given me a lot ofinspiration during a difficult time in my life. When I was young I lost a lotand Beyoncé helped me with her music. I appreciate what she stands for andwhat kind of music she makes.”

Syfan (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners

Marc

48 years Amsterdam

“I saw her concert in New York in 2013. Then I became a fan. I don’t likeDestiny’s Child, only Beyoncé. Jay-Z is good too by the way. And that Jay-Zsong with Alicia Keys too.”

Marc (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners)

Stefano

24 years Rotterdam

“I grew up with her music because my cousins ​​were big fans of her. And Ilove the music she still makes. Always groovy, always vibey, always somethingnew and that just attracts me.”

Stefano (Photo: Chrisand Marjan / Manners)

Keo

32 years Amsterdam

“Beyoncé stands for freedom for me. Thanks to her music I can be as expressiveas I want and express all my feelings. Beyoncé is a platform.”

Keo (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners)

Reuben

27 years Amsterdam

“I’ve been giving an annual Beyoncé party for five years now. It’s kind of anunofficial pre-party for this party. She is the greatest entertainer alive. Ireally like the way she makes music, how she makes art, how she lives herlife. And I’m also a big fan of marketing. I wish I had that grain of thought,how she positions herself in the music world and in the world itself.”

Reuben (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners)

Vanity

27 years Rotterdam

“There are several reasons why I am a fan of Beyoncé, but I will give one: shecompletes me. My drag is also partly inspired by her. I saw her for the firsttime when I was seven. I thought she was a goddess with so much power. Ithought I want to be like that when I grow up and here I am.”

Vanity (Photo: Chrisand Marjan / Manners)

Josephine

20 years Flushing

“Actually, I don’t really like her music. But because my best friend and alsoex-brother-in-law is a huge Beyoncé fan, I can’t ignore it. partition Ireally like it, that’s just a horny song.”

Josephine (Photo: Chrisand Marjan / Manners)

Vincent

21 years the Hague

“She is inspiring, every song is a new inspiration, every album is somethingdifferent, she reinvents herself every time. The first song I heard from herwas Crazy in Love or Naughty Girl. I was a fan right away.”

Vincent (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners)

jewel

25 years the Hague

“I think her strength is very strong. As a black woman, she is one of the mosticonic women of the past fifty to a hundred years.”

jewel (Photo: Chris andMarjan / Manners)

Themida

21 years Amsterdam

“Beyoncé empowers women, I appreciate that about her. And of course herlooks.”

Themida (Image: Netflix)

Also view the artwork of Renaissance , Beyoncé’s most recent album. Thosephotos were shot by the Dutch photographer Carlijn Jacobs.

Colombian pop singer Shakira could face up to eight years in prison in a casewhere Spanish prosecutors have accused her of tax fraud.

Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is facing sixcharges alleging she failed to pay the Spanish government nearly $15 millionin taxes between 2012 and 2014. The prosecutors said they would also seek afine of $24.5 million.

The singer “trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the handsof the law,” her public relations firm Llorente y Cuenca said in a July 27statement.

Here’s everything to know about the pending tax fraud case:

Will Shakira go to trial for tax evasion?

A Spanish judge on Tuesday approved a trial after Shakira rejected asettlement deal offered by prosecutors. A trial date has not been set yet.

Prosecutors in Barcelona said on July 29, 2022 that they would seek a prisonsentence of more than eight years against global music superstar Shakira.

If she is convicted, prosecutors are asking the court to hand down a sentenceof eight years and a hefty fine.

A judge can waive prison time for first-time offenders if they are sentencedto less than two years behind bars.

Tax fraud case: Spanish prosecutors seek 8-year jail sentence for singerShakira

When was Shakira charged or tax fraud?

Prosecutors charged Shakira with tax evasion in December 2018, alleging shefailed to pay millions in taxes to the Spanish government between 2012 and2014.

Shakira listed the Bahamas as her official residence for tax purposes duringthose years, but prosecutors say she was in fact living in Spain with her now-ex partner, Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, father of her two children.

Shakira charged: Spanish court hits singer with multi-million dollar taxevasion suit in Spain

What has Shakira said about the tax fraud trial?

Shakira tested before a judge in 2019 as part of an investigation into heralleged tax evasion and denied any wrongdoing. Her PR firm said sheimmediately paid what she owed with interest once she was informed of the debtby the tax office.

The case hinges on where she lived during the years in question.

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Previously: Shakira denies any wrongdoing in Spanish tax fraud case

The court denied her appeal in May and recommended trial.

Spanish Judge Marco Juberías wrote that his three-year probe found thereexisted “sufficient evidence of criminality” for the case to go to trial.

What is Shakira’s tax dispute about?

Experts think this case is about the meaning of the word “resident” underSpanish tax law.

It comes down to counting how many days in a year a person has lived in Spain– one day, 50 days, 365 days? – before being considered a “tax resident,” saysDouglas S. Stransky, a partner in Boston-based firm Sullivan & Worcester whopractices international tax law.

“Is one considered a resident of a country by buying a house in that countryeven if that person is only there for four days?” Stransky says. “I think inthis case it is true that Shakira did spend time in Spain, but the realquestion is whether she spent enough time there so as to be considered a taxresident of the country.”

How do other entertainers avoid international tax issues?

.

Tax lawyers help Shakira and other global performers figure out where they owetaxes based on their citizenship, where they live most of the time and wherethey perform in any given year, says international tax law expert **** KevinE. Thorn, managing partner of Thorn Law Group in Washington.

Thorn thinks Spanish authorities may not fully understand the complexinterplay between different countries’ laws and international treaties when itcomes to taxes.

“They’re rushing to judgment without all the facts and without understandingall the laws that could come into play here,” says Thorn, a former IRS lawyer.”They’re trying to pressure her to come to the table without all the factsbeing out there.”

Why is Spain threatening Shakira with prison?

So far, Spanish authorities have not presented any evidence publicly tosuggest Shakira committed a tax crime as opposed to a tax mistake.

Thorn says he believes prosecutors haven’t helped their case for a quicksettlement by publicly threatening Shakira with prison before a trial. “If amistake was made (about her taxes), her lawyers will fix it, but I’m not sureit’s a criminal matter,” Thorn says.

As in the US, Stransky says, most tax disputes in Spain are civil matters, notcriminal matters.

“Most of the time in cases like this, the government doesn’t go the criminalroute,” Stransky says. “My guess is that (Spanish authorities) are trying topressure her into settling the case by (deploying) the bad publicity and thethreat of jail.”

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shakira ‘s tax fraud case goesto trial: Your questions answered

MovieThe new print ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ has been plagued with negativepublicity and gossip in recent weeks. For example, it would reportedly notclick between lead actress Florence Pugh (26) and director Olivia Wilde (38).The latter would have picked up with Harry Styles on the set, much to thedismay of his co-star. The crew and production members now debunk all rumors.”The allegations are false,” it says in statements that ‘Page Six’ and’People’ got their hands on.

The rumor mill has been running at full speed lately regarding the new HarryStyles print. For example, there would be bad blood between actress FlorencePugh and the director on duty, Olivia Wilde. A source told ‘Page Six’ that therelationship between Wilde and Styles was not well received by Florence. “Ican tell you with certainty that Florence was not in a good mood when she sawOlivia on set with Harry. She blames Olivia for hooking up with Harry beforeshe broke off her engagement.” Pugh was also unhappy that Wilde seemed to paymore attention to Styles than to the film itself and sometimes seemed todisappear without a trace. The icing on the cake was the much-discussed pressconference in Venice, where the cast members seemed to avoid each other, Wildeturned around during interviews and on top of that the bizarre ‘spittingincident’ took place between Harry Styles and actor Chris Pine. More thanenough food for the gossipers.

But Wilde can now count on support from unexpected quarters. “We are so proudof the work Olivia Wilde has put in making this incredibly beautiful andentertaining film and look forward to working with her again,” Warner Brosexecutives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy told Page. six’. “The studio is deeplygrateful for Olivia’s tireless support in bringing her vision to life fromproduction to release. Any suggestion of a conflict between the studio andOlivia is simply untrue.”

On the defensive

The crew members of ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ are also more than tired of thegossip. As many as forty crew members and members of the production team told’People’ the following: “As a crew we have avoided responding to the absurdgossip about the film that we are so proud of, but we still feel compelled togive the so-called ‘ anonymous sources’.” The employees strongly deny therumours. “All allegations of unprofessional conduct on set are completelyfalse.” Furthermore, Wilde was credited as an “incredible leader and directorwho was present and involved in every aspect of the production and did so withclass and respect for everyone involved.”

They went on to say that there were never any fierce fights on set. “We arehappy to put our name to this as real people who have worked on this film andwho have witnessed the collaborative and safe space that Olivia has created asa director and leader.”

The film ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is now in cinemas.

Florence Pugh and Harry Styles in Don’t Worry Darling. © Warner Bros.Entertainment via AP

Also watch:

Is Harry Styles spitting in fellow player ‘s lap here?

Also read:

Bitchy feuds, layoffs and now bad reviews: it all went wrong on the set ofHarry Styles’ new film (+)

“We’ve been waiting for five hours”: fans await Harry Styles for ‘Don’t WorryDarling’ premiere

Shia LaBeouf denies being fired by Olivia Wilde: “You and I both know the realreason for my departure”

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While in Europe Russia has started a direct war with neighboring Ukraine forthe first time since WWII, which pays a lot of attention to the heroism ofUkrainian soldiers, and the atrocities and destruction by Russia, worldwideaudiences of millions are turning the attention to fantasy series such as TheRings of Power (Amazon) and House of the Dragon (HBO). The first is aprequel to the successful Lord of the Rings adaptations of the books by JRRTolkien, and in this classic tale of the struggle between good and evil, it isnot difficult to see similarities with the struggle in Ukraine.

There is, also in NRC attention for The Rings of Power but also for thecriticism about skin color and women in combat roles that the series hasfaced.

Martijn Vos is a software engineer with an interest in fantasy and SF.

Galadriel

That criticism is unfortunate, not only because the complaints are superficialand largely unfounded, but also because the racist and sexist sound of thecriticism hinders the more substantive criticism of this most expensivestreaming production ever. Because there is quite a bit wrong with the series,and that is not about skin color or the role of women, on the contrary thesomewhat browner skin of the Bruives ( Harfoots in English) is precisely howTolkien distinguished them from the other hobbit peoples. The same goes forGaladriel: according to Tolkien, she was as big and strong as a male elf, andwas second to none in athletic prowess.

No, where The Rings of Power The flaw is not in the looks or in thosedetails, but in the big picture: the history as written by Tolkien, and theactions of the main protagonist, Galadriel. In Tolkien she is one of the threemost powerful elves with King Gil-Galad and master blacksmith Celebrimbor, butin the series she comes across as a relatively young elf who is sent away fromMiddle-earth by Gil-Galad (Tolkien’s second cousin). . Her inseparable husbandCeleborn is not even mentioned in the books.

Also read: ‘ The Rings of Power’ will have to do even more to justifyitself

But all that is forgivable if the writers of the series had a good reason forit and they told a good story with it. So it was my surprise that Galadriel,arriving on the fantastically rendered island of Numenor (visually the seriesis an absolute delight), comes into contact with Elendil, a character thatTolkien only situates some 2,000 years later. Two stories from completelydifferent eras are mixed up in the series, and after the fourth episode I seecoming that the fall of the underground dwarf kingdom of Moria will also beadded, which should take place with Tolkien again 2,000 years later. find. Aperiod of 4,000 years is squeezed into one season, so if you find the story abit crowded and difficult to follow, then that’s not a bad thing. It’s likehaving Julius Caesar meet Napoleon, while medieval knights fight a crusadeagainst the pyramid builders.

And it could have been so much better, especially with the huge budget thecreators had. The storylines could have been better divided over the differentseasons. That would have made history much more dramatic. Show the passage oftime, how the humans change, and the elves don’t. All working towards thepoint where the Lord of the Rings movie story begins. I don’t know why thecreators didn’t take that big, epic approach and instead try to cram as muchhistory into a season as possible. With fewer storylines at the same time, theseries could have had more focus. It’s a missed opportunity for greatness.

As fast as Harry Mack can rap, no, Mark Rutte didn’t save that. But it didn’tmatter much. ‘s guest The Evening Show with Arjen Lubach was an Americanrapper on Monday evening, that is Harry Mack. A freestyle rapper, which inthis case means that he quickly devises and recites a text while improvising.Recitation sounds a bit stale, you could also say vomit or vomit, but thatwould give the impression that what he raps is complete nonsense or somethingcompletely incoherent, but it is not.

Arjen Lubach – he is “a big fan” – asked Harry Mack to demonstrate his art.Five people from the audience were allowed to write any word on a sign, andMack would come up with a text on the spot. Lubach himself kicked off with_face mask deal. _space biscuits, Hogwarts house and Evening show were theother words. I give it to you to make some sense out of that, but damn itworked.

Also read: Prime Minister Rutte at Op1: vague, technical and a strikingmoment

Applause, credits, quickly to the commercial and then came the specialbroadcast of On 1 at the Cat House. A one-on-one by Sven Kockelmann withPrime Minister Mark Rutte, because Sven’s regular co-presenter Fidan Ekiz wasnot there. For whose undisclosed reasons that was, I have no idea. Just likeguessing at the answer to a few more whys. Why did Rutte want a live interviewon television of just under an hour that lasted longer than sixty minutes? Whynow? Why with Sven? Halfway through the conversation, the prime minister saidhe had considered giving a Tower Room speech on Monday evening, as he didtwice during the corona crisis. But, he said, the disadvantage of this is thatno one can say anything back and he liked it so much that Sven immediatelyasked him “firm and critical” questions. He also said exactly as he knew him.For a firm, critical interviewer that must feel like a wet kiss to death.

Stop flaps between breaths

It cannot be compared entirely with Harry Mack’s performance, because MarkRutte could pretty much think in advance which words would be written on hisplate. In any case, a lot of compositions with crisis. Climate, asylum,energy, gas price, Ukraine. Furthermore, there was to be expected listeningtour (invented by Sigrid Kaag), trust and who knows, something with rotting orrubbing up. Words that don’t rhyme very well, but he did a lot better than youwould expect from someone with a 3.3 on his report card.

The crux of à l ‘improviste scribbling a text is that you have a few stoppieces at your disposal that you can always throw between breaths, or just usewhen you are short of text. Think of: “That is decided by the voter”, “If Imay for a moment”, “Let’s go back to the beginning”, “Here I have to pull twothings apart.” Then you can start your own storyline. Asking yourselfrhetorical questions is also a brilliant move and as far as I know there is noword for that style yet. “Mark, where have you been all this time?” “Mark, youshould be with us for a while now.” “What can you blame me for?” Sentenceswithout a question mark, because of course there is no real answer. Oh yes,smart too, casually plait a claim of authority into your sentence. So talk,talk, talk – “I called Zelensky this afternoon” – talk talk talk. For thechorus you can always say something like “financially healthy and strong”,“all together”, “because I like to work together” (rhymes!).

Is it incoherent what Mark Rutte said? I would say: quite the contrary. Hedidn’t let himself be fooled and whistled his own tune. It was not a sing-along, and here and there he forgot a note. But one thing you have to givehim, this European Prime Minister can do without a dog whistle.

De Placemakers sees a future for Backbone on the Travertijnstraat. Thisbecame apparent on Saturday afternoon during a meeting in ‘t Vinkhuys. PeterLoef is one of the entrepreneurs in Backbone, and he was amazed.

Hi Peter! A lot has been written and said about Backbone in the past year.How are you currently? “It’s going well in itself. However, concerns are growing. As it seems now itwill stop in this building on December 31st. Then the lease ends. The futureis uncertain. And there’s a lot of talk about that. You also see the stressand panic among the entrepreneurs. They now have an affordable space wherethey can set up their business. But what will happen next? Can they go on andon after December 31? And where? Backbone is a breeding ground where beautifulthings arise, where beautiful things happen. That should never go away.”

Backbone is located at Travertijnstraat 12, a former school building. It hasbeen said that it will be demolished to build houses… “I can tell you that yesterday afternoon was a big surprise. Because indeed,what you are describing is also the story we always heard. De Placemakers hasbeen hired by the municipality of Groningen to make a plan for this area. Whatshould be done with it? Residents have been able to submit plans, but thepeople from De Placemakers have also looked at it themselves. Yesterday duringa meeting in ‘t Vinkhuys it became clear that they think it is very importantthat people can live and work in the new district. That something must arisewhere people can meet, but which can also serve as a connection. In otherwords, what we have in Trav 12 should actually be continued.”

What exactly does that mean? “In the eyes of De Placemakers, there must be a future-proof neighborhood,where there is space and space for the neighbourhood. It must be possible towork, it must be possible to meet, but it must also be possible to organizethings for the district. That’s exactly what we do. We received the advicefrom De Placemakers to make our concept future-proof. And that the building weare in can last for years to come.”

Now I have heard the retired alderman Roeland van der Schaaf (PvdA) say thatthe building is unsafe… “Correct. But we have always questioned those words. It is clear thatsomething has to be done about the building. There is still single glass init. That must be replaced. It contains asbestos. That must be removed. Thepiping must be replaced. And the outside really needs to be refurbished. Butthose are things that can be financed and realised. And such a meeting alsomakes you think, doesn’t it? You said we’re in an old school building. Forexample, the entire computer network is still there. If you remove that, youmay be able to earn money with it so that you can already start certainactivities. We really have to think in terms of opportunities, how we can keepour pants up ourselves. Actually, the concept for the RKZ complex would beideal. There, people can take care of themselves, but a housing associationwill sign for the maintenance of the building.”

What is the value of the judgment of De Placemakers… “We do not know that. But this is a very nice boost. The Placemakers have beenhired by the municipality of Groningen to make a plan for theTravertijnstraat. So yes, there are houses. But if they say so clearly that aconcept such as Backbone fits in perfectly with the plan, then I expect thatit will simply be preserved in the presentation, and that the municipalitywill also have to do something with it. The municipality cannot ignore this.”

Until now we have often talked about the Travertijnstraat 12. But there isalso a Travertijnstraat 6 … “That is the building that used to house the Alfa College. Very nice thingsare happening there too. Just like in our building, this is a breeding groundwhere entrepreneurs can start a business at a low price. For example, there isa very large workshop there where new things are made from old materials. Verynice. And those things happen to us too. Gea’s Weggevenwinkel, for example,has become big with us. The Northerners have been here for a while. The FreeCafé is still here. The festivals of tomorrow are conceived here, thecompanies that everyone will be talking about next week will see the lighthere.”

Meanwhile, the end of the year is approaching. Are you going to wait it out? “No. What we heard yesterday was a nice boost. But we have to move on. We allknow about the real estate market. There are no affordable spaces. And that iswhy we must cherish and preserve Trav 6 and 12. We really have to fight forthat. And the buildings can easily be part of a new neighbourhood. In fact, itcan be a reinforcing factor. And that is why we will be making a lot of noisein the near future. We also want to seek contact with Groningen politicians.”

Last night Prime Minister Mark Rutte was a guest at a special broadcast of On1. There he was put to the test by Sven Kockelmann. Or well, put on fire?According to many viewers, that was not so bad and there was a meaninglessinterview.

Mark Rutte was interviewed for an hour last night from the Catshuis, theofficial official residence of the Prime Minister. Such an interview outsidecampaign time is rare. But yesterday he made special time for interviewer SvenKockelmann, and he discussed, among other things, the criticism that he wouldbe too ‘invisible’ during crises.

Criticism of invisibility was ‘usually justified’

That criticism was “usually justified,” said Mark Rutte. He acknowledged thathe was repeatedly criticized during the nitrogen crisis, the allowance affairor around the gas quakes in Groningen. Now Rutte wants to show himself more.”That’s why it’s so good that we’re here,” he said to Sven Kockelmann.

The Prime Minister considered giving another speech from the Torentje. “Butthe disadvantage is that no one can say anything back.” The fact that theprime minister asked people from the Torentje to stay at home during thecorona crisis was also “a very intense moment”. But Rutte did not want to ruleout the possibility that a Torentjes speech “will be necessary again”.

According to Rutte, the criticism of the cabinet in times of crises is often”that it sometimes takes too long”. For example, it took a very long timebefore the cabinet could reassure people about the expensive energy bill. Butthe problems, also in the field of asylum and nitrogen, are “extremelycomplex”, Rutte said.

Mark Rutte: election win in Italy ’cause for concern’

Rutte also discussed the election win in Italy of Giorgia Meloni’s radicalright-wing Fratelli d’Italia. These developments are a “reason for concern”,Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. Her party and the right-wing parties withwhich Meloni wants to work “have said and done things that make you say: thereis reason for vigilance,” Rutte said in the statement. On 1 -interview.

The prime minister has not yet congratulated Meloni on her victory, butaccording to him that is customary only when she is actually prime minister.He will also try to work with Meloni. “You shouldn’t be naive, but you shouldgive her a chance,” said the prime minister.

Reactions viewers after ‘interview’: ‘Almost over, thank God’

Watching the interview for an hour has not been sustained by everyone. Manypeople thought it was meaningless, hot air and an hour of airtime forpolitical parties. “Mark Rutte wanted to show himself on Dutch televisionafter mountains of criticism. He succeeded. Disappointing for the genuinelycurious viewer, because a meaningless interview,” writes one viewer.

Prime Minister @markrutre wanted to appear on Dutch television after> mountains of criticism. That’s him thanks> @scockelmann success.> Disappointing for the genuinely curious viewer, because a meaningless> interview.> #Op1npo>> — Jan Leune (@JWCLeune) September 26,> 2022

Others also criticize the broadcast.

I missed this after the> ‘interview’#op1npo> #rutte> pic.twitter.com/QkCAoMCmke>> — René Kemp⭐ (@rkemp59) September 26,> 2022

Almost over, thank goodness. I have no idea what he was talking about and> what I’ve been> watching.#npo1> #Op1npo>> — Kitsune (@Silver_Fox75) September 26,> 2022

In the end, there has been a lot of talk and little said.> #Op1npo>> — Eva Brandemann (@evabrandemann) September 26,> 2022

We work hard on that, we do everything we can, we have to solve that, we> think about it, we study on it, I can’t say anything about that right now.>> Rutte’s meaninglessness in a nutshell.#on> 1> #Op1npo> #wnl> pic.twitter.com/cCwTuqyelR>> — Ⓜ️🅰️❌ (@MadMax_010) September 26,> 2022

Rutte blames himself for everything – ‘you can blame me for that’ – but> that’s about it. There is no action perspective or vision and that is a> problem in view of the crises in our country.> #Op1npo>> — Welmoed Vlieger (@WelmoedVlieger) September 26,> 2022

According to viewers, interviewer Sven Kockelmann could have been a bit morecritical of Mark Rutte.

#Op1npo> @SvenKockelmann> Nice try but completely fell through the ice.> @MinPres has rarely had> it so easy. Stop interviewing, this makes no sense…>> — Curl_G (@Curl_G5) September 26,> 2022

#Op1npo> You really never get that Rutte crazy. Sometimes I also have my criticisms.> But here I am again happy. Kockelmann is completely wrapped up. Beautiful.>> — Rineke 💙💛 (@TonneDer) September 26,> 2022

According to journalist Maarten Hopman of The pin would it have been a goodreason for On 1 to broadcast from Ter Apel. “This would have been a perfectoccasion for” On 1 to broadcast from Ter Apel once so that Rutte can seewith his own eyes how many people have to sleep on chairs or in the open air.”

This would have been a perfect reason for Op1 to broadcast from Ter Apel so> that Rutte can see with his own eyes how many people have to sleep on chairs> or in the open air. (Can also be done at any station square in the major> cities)> #Op1npo>> — Maarten Hopman (@maartenhopman94) September 26,> 2022

Watch the Op1 interview with the Prime Minister here.

Research collective Bellingcat uses public information sources that can beconsulted and checked by anyone, mostly online. The Dutch investigativejournalist Christiaan Triebert, currently working for The New York Times_believes that this form of investigation is conducive to confidence injournalism, which has been damaged in some quarters. _Backlight presents aportrait of Triebert, who in the past conducted research for Bellingcat intothe Turkish coup attempt in 2016.

The Shining

SBS 9, 8.30 pm

(Horror, Stanley Kubrick, 1980) In this masterful Stephen King adaptation withwife and son, writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gets snowed in at thegigantic, remote Overlook Hotel and continues magnificently, in the spirit ofthe hotel keeper who preceded him many winters ago. The hotel serves as aninscrutable labyrinth that constantly changes shape, for both the maincharacter and the spectator. The model used to be the Stanley Hotel inColorado: in this neo-Georgian, allegedly haunted building, King is said tohave devised his novel. Incidentally, the author himself could only moderatelyappreciate Kubrick’s adaptation: cleverly made but empty, King thought.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Just 5, 8.30 pm

(Adventure, Jake Kasdan, 2017) Director Jake Kasdan hits the mark with hisupdate of Jumanjic (1995), a 1990s blockbuster about an enchanted boardgame, on a different note from predecessor Joe Johnston. While the rathercreepy original was all about the special effects and the comedic talent ofRobin Williams, the 2017 version is a cheerful ensemble film that places theprotagonists in a computer game. The screenwriters shifted attention to therelationships between the characters and especially to the fantasy: what wouldit be like to suddenly be a character in a computer game?

Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black in Jake Kasdan’s ‘Jumanji: Welcometo the Jungle’.

Inside Man

BBC 1, 10pm

From the pen of Steven Moffat, who earned his spurs with BBC series such as_Doctor Who_ and Sherlock comes the new series Inside Man. The storyrevolves around four characters who become entangled and asks what it takes toturn someone into a murderer. David Tennant plays a priest who goes to thestation to pick up his son’s tutor (Dolly Wells). Meanwhile, a journalist(Lydia West) is looking for a good story and a death row inmate (StanleyTucci) awaits his execution in America.

Fault lines

NPO 2, 22.18 hours

In the series Fault lines Sinan Can takes stock in the banlieues of Europe.Not only in Paris, but also in London, Brussels and Stockholm. In these so-called Sharia neighbourhoods, unemployment is high, poverty is high and thegap between migrants and the native population is unbridgeable. Caninvestigates what is going on and wonders what the Netherlands can do toprevent the creation of such no-go zones. Today Can is in Clichy-sous-Bois,where African immigrants say that life was better in the slums they escaped.

Evil by Design: Surviving Nygård

Canvas, 10.55 p.m.

The successful Finnish-Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygård has enjoyedgolden times with his fashion brand over the past twenty years. That came toan abrupt end when an investigation into him was opened in 2020. Dozens ofwomen accuse Nygård of raping them at his vacation home in the Bahamas. Inmost cases, the victims were minors. In the first episode of Evil by Design:Surviving Nygård it turns out that stories of Nygård’s misconduct had beencirculating much earlier, but that the victims were intimidated.

The Conjuring 2

SBS 9, 10.55 pm

(Horror, James Wan, 2016) When paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warrencome to the aid of a single mother and her brood in their gloomy Londonterraced house, English haunted houses are also cracking doors and paleteenage girls fall into demonic cursing. Fortunately, director Wan uses theclichés with flair in this excellent sequel, and sometimes comes up withsomething new. Cool, the scene where the possessed daughter turns into a long-dead old man, while the camera work keeps her out of focus, so you’re neversure what you’re seeing.