Latest news with #Jester
Newsroom
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
An Ode to .. David Seymour
Joker is King Jester Seymour and King Lux stroll on the railway platform. 'You'll look after the place when I'm away,?' Asks King Lux anxiously. 'Of course,' replies the stable, reliable and sensible Jester. King Lux chuffs away on his train to Erewhon. Jester Seymour walks up to Lord Winston, Keeper of the Keys. 'Hand them over,' says the Jester with a wink. Lord Winston glowers, and hands over a huge bunch Of rusted keys for the Grand Palace To the mature, reasoned and inclusive Jester. A crowd of scribes rush up to Jester Seymour As he stands on the marble steps of the Grand Palace. 'Are you really capable of leading the Kingdom,?' Heckle the scribes. 'I'm a little quirky, but at heart I'm an affable good guy!,' Answers the morally sound, straight up, safe as houses Jester. The Jester lets himself into the Grand Hall with his key And closes the great doors behind him. The Jester is alone. He carefully takes off his sober suit and folds it away. He climbs into a sequinned sparkly jumpsuit. He fastens a massive stripey bow tie to his neck. He carefully paints on the mask of a harlequin, And places on a bright red frizzy wig, Then he picks up the Golden Crown, takes a seat, And looks out from the Throne of Power. He shakes his jingle jangle stick. The Jester's lips start to curl. He sniggers, then he chuckles, then he chortles. Then he cackles, then he guffaws, then he slaps his thighs. Then he howls, then he roars, until he weeps with hilarity: And the dusty, deserted Grand Hall echoes With the crazed lone hooting of the Jester King.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas ranks first-place in election security, according to conservative group
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – From number eight to number one, Arkansas has moved up in the Heritage Foundation's Election Security Scorecard. Secretary of State Cole Jester says it's all due to eight recent key changes, including policies from his office. 'We're partnering with the federal government to get DHA, Homeland Security data on illegal immigrants who might be on our rolls and using credit agencies to flag addresses that may be industrial or just don't exist,' Jester said. Arkansas coalition submits proposed ballot initiative to overturn legislative changes to referendum law Arkansas is now sharing voter registration data with other states to check for people registered in multiple states, along with implementing other new policies. Recently passed laws have also contributed to the new ranking. 'One, getting data from federal juries so we can eliminate people who shouldn't be on our voter registration list, two, requiring a witness for absentee ballots,' Jester said. Gennie Diaz, with the democracy rights advocacy group Protect AR Rights, said they would like to see policies that make democracy more accessible, not less. 'It's a really interesting contrast, if you will, from where we rank in voter participation and then this declaration that our state is number one in voter integrity. I think there is a big chasm there,' Diaz said. While the Heritage Foundation does not have a ranking category dedicated to the petition process, Jester said one of the eight changes includes mandating a photo ID for signing initiative petitions. There are 100 factors that determine the ranking based on a point system. Arkansas League of Women Voters files federal suit, calls changes to voter referendum process 'Unconstitutional' Protect AR Rights is proposing the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment, which aims to block existing laws they believe interfere with the right to sign petitions and collect signatures. 'How can we find ways to, of course, protect the voting process and the petition process, but also make it easier for people to vote? Because in our state it's just incredibly difficult, and often fewer than half of our registered voters turn out for elections,' Diaz said. Jester said these are common-sense laws and policies, while Diaz questioned the practical benefit of the ranking for voters. 'What does this number one ranking for election integrity actually mean for the voters of this state? Is this just simply a ranking that we get because we check off certain boxes with this particular think tank, or is this something we're actually working toward as a state?' Diaz said. 'Things like when a ballot is damaged and remade, procedural checks to make sure it's done correctly, things like nursing homes requiring two witnesses, two assisters when you're helping someone fill out their ballot, just common-sense steps everyone can get behind,' Jester said. Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions To view the scorecard, please visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
North Wales Chronicle
30-05-2025
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Flog It! expert's collection ‘most comprehensive set of York silver to be sold'
Baggott's death aged 51 in hospital after a heart attack, which followed a stroke in October, was announced earlier this year. The collection, expected to make more than £200,000, comprises hundreds of lots, including an extensive selection of York silver, as well as items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. Highlights include a George IV gilt sideboard dish from Birmingham silversmith Sir Edward Thomason, with an an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000; a rare George II provincial mug by Liverpool silversmith Benjamin Brancker, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; and a Robert Hennell-produced Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot dating from 1868, with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500. There is also a tankard by Benjamin Cartwright, who was London-based, which could go for between £1,500 and £2,000, and a rare George IV provincial Gibson-type medicine spoon, which was named after the doctor who designed them, with an estimate of £600 to £800. Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: 'The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market. 'It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th century to the closure of the (York) assay office in 1858.' Another item is a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box, bearing the words 'Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824', which is believed to be a reference to 16th-century English vessels sent to find a northern sea route to Asia. Baggott, born in Birmingham, was an authority on antique silver, specialising in early spoons, boxes and provincial and continental silver. His interest in antiques began in his early years, and he progressed to work in Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst for a number of years, before becoming a private consultant. Baggott was also a published author, having written An Illustrated Guide To York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and As Found: A Lifetime In Antiques. He joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver objects. Earlier this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described him as as one of Flog It!'s 'most memorable characters', and an 'expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver'. The Antiques Roadshow-style programme – which saw members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction – began in 2002. The corporation announced in 2018 that the series was being axed in a shake-up of BBC One's daytime schedule. The Baggott sale begins on July 15 at 10am. The estimates do not included buyer's premium, which the auction house said was 26% on top of sales.
Leader Live
30-05-2025
- General
- Leader Live
Flog It! expert's collection ‘most comprehensive set of York silver to be sold'
Baggott's death aged 51 in hospital after a heart attack, which followed a stroke in October, was announced earlier this year. The collection, expected to make more than £200,000, comprises hundreds of lots, including an extensive selection of York silver, as well as items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. Highlights include a George IV gilt sideboard dish from Birmingham silversmith Sir Edward Thomason, with an an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000; a rare George II provincial mug by Liverpool silversmith Benjamin Brancker, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; and a Robert Hennell-produced Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot dating from 1868, with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500. There is also a tankard by Benjamin Cartwright, who was London-based, which could go for between £1,500 and £2,000, and a rare George IV provincial Gibson-type medicine spoon, which was named after the doctor who designed them, with an estimate of £600 to £800. Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: 'The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market. 'It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th century to the closure of the (York) assay office in 1858.' Another item is a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box, bearing the words 'Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824', which is believed to be a reference to 16th-century English vessels sent to find a northern sea route to Asia. Baggott, born in Birmingham, was an authority on antique silver, specialising in early spoons, boxes and provincial and continental silver. His interest in antiques began in his early years, and he progressed to work in Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst for a number of years, before becoming a private consultant. Baggott was also a published author, having written An Illustrated Guide To York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and As Found: A Lifetime In Antiques. He joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver objects. Earlier this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described him as as one of Flog It!'s 'most memorable characters', and an 'expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver'. The Antiques Roadshow-style programme – which saw members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction – began in 2002. The corporation announced in 2018 that the series was being axed in a shake-up of BBC One's daytime schedule. The Baggott sale begins on July 15 at 10am. The estimates do not included buyer's premium, which the auction house said was 26% on top of sales.
Rhyl Journal
30-05-2025
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Flog It! expert's collection ‘most comprehensive set of York silver to be sold'
Baggott's death aged 51 in hospital after a heart attack, which followed a stroke in October, was announced earlier this year. The collection, expected to make more than £200,000, comprises hundreds of lots, including an extensive selection of York silver, as well as items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. Highlights include a George IV gilt sideboard dish from Birmingham silversmith Sir Edward Thomason, with an an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000; a rare George II provincial mug by Liverpool silversmith Benjamin Brancker, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; and a Robert Hennell-produced Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot dating from 1868, with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500. There is also a tankard by Benjamin Cartwright, who was London-based, which could go for between £1,500 and £2,000, and a rare George IV provincial Gibson-type medicine spoon, which was named after the doctor who designed them, with an estimate of £600 to £800. Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: 'The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market. 'It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th century to the closure of the (York) assay office in 1858.' Another item is a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box, bearing the words 'Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824', which is believed to be a reference to 16th-century English vessels sent to find a northern sea route to Asia. Baggott, born in Birmingham, was an authority on antique silver, specialising in early spoons, boxes and provincial and continental silver. His interest in antiques began in his early years, and he progressed to work in Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst for a number of years, before becoming a private consultant. Baggott was also a published author, having written An Illustrated Guide To York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and As Found: A Lifetime In Antiques. He joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver objects. Earlier this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described him as as one of Flog It!'s 'most memorable characters', and an 'expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver'. The Antiques Roadshow-style programme – which saw members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction – began in 2002. The corporation announced in 2018 that the series was being axed in a shake-up of BBC One's daytime schedule. The Baggott sale begins on July 15 at 10am. The estimates do not included buyer's premium, which the auction house said was 26% on top of sales.
