#2014 contract crew

[disturbingstar]

Z nation trivia

• Several of the actors/crew lived together while filming the first season in Spokane, Washington, to save on costs. This included Anastasia Baranova (Addy) and Michael Welch (Mack).

• The first season was recorded on a tight schedule, with an episode being fully recorded within six days, with most shoots only allowing three takes.

• Keith Allan (Murphy) was working for The Asylum production company as a stage hand when they were tasked with Z Nation (2014). They suggested he audition for the role of Murphy and he ended up getting the part

• In one of the episodes, survivors are seen eating "Twinkies" - a nod to Zombieland (2009).

• As the character of Murphy continued to evolve, it was decided that the blue skin aspect of the character would be removed. This was largely due to the fact that the makeup itself was extremely irritating to actor Keith Allan, causing some minor skin complications as he had no choice but to wear the make up sometimes over 12 hours a day during filming.

• As of the end of season 5, 10K's kill-count is 8,999.

• Season 3 was still filming while the first episodes of season 3 aired.

• Russell Hodgkinson, who played Steven "Doc" Beck, also appeared in Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017) in the same role.

• Kellita Smith currently plays Lt. Roberta Warren on Z-Nation. She then played Sergeant Roberta Warren in the movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015). Both are productions of The Asylum.

• On December 23, 2018, Syfy canceled the series after five seasons.

• Tom Everett Scott knew when agreeing to play Garnett that his character would be killed off in episode 6 Resurrection Z (2014). Before recording the episode some producers brought up keeping his character on longer but this idea was shot down.

• According to Karl Schaefer the apocalypse of Z Nation began on November 9th 2016.

• Russell Hodgkinson (Doc) and his wife came up with the idea for 'Z Weed' while gardening in their backyard. Simply grow marijuana using compost containing dead zombie parts.

• As of Season 4, although still listed in the credits as part of the main cast, Anastasia Baranova is no longer a regular member of the cast and has been reduced to "recurring" status. Anastasia's contract is non-restricted, leaving her open to pursue other projects. During filming for Season 4, Anastasia was already tied to 3 other projects, including 2 television series and a movie. The character of Addy has therefore been temporarily written out of the show until Anastasia could commit to working on it again.

• Katy O'Brian confirmed that her character, George, is gay.

• Four different actresses have played Lucy in the series as of the end of season 3

• In the episode "Welcome to Murphytown," The Man escaped hand cuffs by cutting off his own hand. This is a reference to the movie Deadpool (2016) where he does the same thing. It also occurred in The Walking Dead when the character Merle was handcuffed on the roof. He cut his hand off to get free.

• Anastasia Baranova wanted her character, Addy, to be bi-sexual to represent more of the real world.

(All trivia is from IMDb)

[mayberrycryptid]

So you watched h50 when it was still airing, right? I'm finishing season 10 and there is a few things I've been wondering that only people who's been here back then would now.

Was the last season of h50 announced as the final season, or they decided in the middle or the ending of the season? I feel like there is Steve's behavior from episode 18 to 19.

And did they try to have Cole replace Steve before getting canceled? I read Alex had got several injuries from playing Steve over the years and wanted to leave, but would've they try to continue h50 without him.

Sorry about the bad English, I'm really curious about the context of the ending.

Sorry I'm late responding. I'm a disorganized noodle🫠 Also, never apologize for your English - you're doing awesome and English is hard♥️

I am going to go into a lot of detail, so I'm putting this under a cut.

caveat I: This is how I recollect things happening, but please feel free to correct me if I got stuff wrong!

caveat 2: I have seen a lot of questions from other people new to the fandom, so **cracks knuckles** I am going to try to answer everyone's questions.

CBS had told the crew there would be a Season 11 and even ordered Season 11 hats for the crew. There was also a lot of hints dropped throughout Season 10 that Alex was going to either leave, or significantly cut back his role in Season 11.

Alex had a lot of injuries thanks to doing his own stunts. His back was so bad by Season 7 that they wrote in the radiation sickness to create a reason for Steve not to be present as much in Season 8. Fortunately, Alex found treatments that helped his back enough that he was able to continue.

Side note: All four original actors signed 7 year contracts when they did the pilot, instead of the usual 3 year contracts. So Season 7 was written to include the possibility that Alex, Scott, Grace, or Daniel might not return. Writers were still given standard 3 year contracts and the Orci Brothers (who were co-producers) also left after Season 3. So if you are wondering if it feels like the show's tone changed after Season 3, that's why.

Second side note: Scott's significant other (they now have two children, but are not married) is a makeup artist and returned to LA for her career sometime in 2014. That's why Scott negotiated missing five episodes each season. Peter Lenkov (the show's producer) being the narcissist he is, couldn't fathom that some makeup artist's career could be as important as HIS show.

Since Chi Bride is one of Peter's close friends, he tried to ease Danny out and Lou in. Except episodes that didn't focus on Danny and Steve's partnership saw a significant drop in ratings, so I suspect Peter was told to knock it off by the higher ups. Which I'm sure only made Peter even madder. If you are wondering why Danny's character and story arcs were all over the place in later seasons, that's what was going on behind the scenes.

Third side note: Producers are upper management, and the big dogs at TV studios. They make the calls on actor contracts and pay, and can pretty much do what they want on their shows as long as ratings stay high. I bring this up because Peter Lenkov has insisted yet again in a recent Instagram post that he had no say over Daniel and Grace not getting more pay after Season 7. Thats complete BS.

Michelle Borth got into fights on social media with fans and also started calling fans names. CBS ordered she be fired and her social media scrubbed. Normally, that would have been the end of her time on H50, but Peter being the producer had the clout to get the studio execs to relent and let her come back as a guest star.

It was one hundred percent Peter's decision not to pay Daniel and Grace more money. He's tried to point fingers at everyone else ever since, but the buck stopped at his desk. Literally.

Back to your question. The crew had been told that Season 11 had been greenlit, so it was a shock when CBS reversed course and abruptly ended the show. This meant Peter Lenkov had to rewrite the final episodes last minute.

Which is also why Cole was shoe-horned in so abruptly. Cole was supposed to become a major character in Season 11, giving Alex a chance to leave. Danny's character was also going to be cut back in Season 11. The death of the woman in the bar was supposed to lead into a story arc that would explain his absence.

There's been a lot of rumors of why the show got canceled so abruptly. The studio's official answer was economics and the show had reached its natural ending. More likely, it was two things.

First, Alex's health. Alex had so many back and shoulder issues, that continuing to play a physical character like Steve was no longer possible. He pretty much vanished for a while after the show ended, so I wonder if there were additional injuries we don't know about.

The other factor was that CBS had finally been forced into investigating Peter Lenkov. Not only was he the boss from hell, who was known for calling employees after hours and having epic temper tantrums - but he also had a long and sordid history of racism. Peter was eventually fired in July of 2020. Some of his treatment of employees on Magnum can be found online.

Hopefully that answers your questions and everyone else's as well. It's sad that Peter's narcissism and pettiness caused so many problems, because the actors and the crew all loved the show, and they worked their butts off to create a reboot worthy of the original H50. Also, there aren't a lot of film and movie jobs in Hawai'i, so thanks to Peter, 400 people, many of them Asians and Island Pacifiers, lost their jobs when H50 ended. I really wish the NCIS: Hawai'i had succeeded so some of those jobs could have been saved🥺

Again, if I got anything wrong, please feel free to correct me!

[fallloverfic]

"Nimona" fandom informational rundown

New to the fandom and a bit confused about things? Hopefully this will help!

Nimona was a webcomic by Nate Diana Stevenson/ND Stevenson that was first shown on tumblr on December 14, 2011, and Nate later launched it as an official webcomic on its own website on June 19, 2012. It was contracted for publication post-completion as a graphic novel sometime before November 1, 2012. The webcomic finished online publication on September 30, 2014. Shortly afterward, most of the webcomic was taken down as part of the contractual agreement for publication as a physical graphic novel, leaving only a short bit of the opening as a preview. The website for the webcomic later went down entirely, and is no longer accessible.

The comic was published in entirety as a single graphic novel on May 12, 2015. The movie adaptation rights were sold to Fox in 2015, as well, and the project was given to Blue Sky Studios. The comic was later adapted into a full cast audiobook on October 4, 2016. The graphic novel is available for purchase in paperback, hardcover, and as an ebook, and the audiobook is also available for purchase. (The link has international seller links). The graphic novel has been translated into 16 languages. It is also available in a special edition English hardcover via Illumicrate. They only ship from the UK, but ship internationally, and you don't need a subscription to buy the book. As the standard graphic novel and audiobook are ~7+ years old now, if you have a local library, you can see if either of them are available that way.

Disney bought 20th Century Fox Animation (later 20th Century Animation, the purchase completed in 2019), but later shut down Blue Sky Studios in 2021, cancelling the still-in-production movie. Crew worked on shopping the movie around for a new home after talks with Disney. The movie was later picked up and completed by Annapurna, DNEG, and Netflix, premiered June 14, 2023 in France, showed in select theaters starting principally on June 23, 2023, and released to general audiences on Netflix for streaming on June 30, 2023. I have more info on this here.

In English, Nimona is voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz, Ballister Boldheart is voiced by Riz Ahmed, and Ambrosius Goldenloin is voiced by Eugene Lee Yang.

If you're looking for official merch, the movie soundtrack is up on multiple platforms, including YouTube, iOS, Spotify, and Amazon, and a vinyl version of the soundtrack was sold by iam8bit. There is an official humanoid Nimona plushie, a whale Nimona plushie, and a shark Nimona plushie, available via Gee and Hot Topic, as well as a variety of official shirts available via Hot Topic and Amazon (just search Brand: Nimona). Nate also still sells "Nimona" comic art on his INPRNT store.

Netflix released a free-to-read digital-only multimedia 358-page artbook for the movie (but took it down in March 2024). (It's also been released at least for crew/friends of crew(?) in physical release, so maybe it'll get mass release as a hardcover). Outside of this, a lot of the crew for the movie from both Blue Sky and DNEG have been releasing a ton of concept art and development stuff, and the cast and crew have been doing a lot of promotional interviews and videos going back through like April 2023, so there's a lot of material to look through on YouTube, tiktok, tumblr, twitter, Instagram, Facebook/Meta, and Vimeo, as well as various news and media sites. Nate is active on tumblr, his personal blog, twitter, and Instagram. Annapurna, DNEG, and Netflix also have multiple accounts on many platforms, including their own websites, YouTube, Facebook/Meta, and Twitter, and have been sharing clips and behind the scenes stuff.

Nimona actually has been added to a video game: Nimona was included as an event companion in SharkBite 2, a Roblox game.

If you're looking for fanworks, the fandom is active on most platforms, and has been ever since Nate started posting early art of the characters. Nate's talked at length in multiple places about how big the fandom was during the webcomic's publication. Mostly back then folks were very active in the Disqus comments on pages, which are a bit harder to find these days. There's a lot of the older comic fanart still circulating in different places (particularly tumblr, where the fandom was most active), some of which Nate reblogged. There is crossover between the comic and movie fandoms, as many fans of the comic love the movie and vice versa, and both fandoms are quite active. There is at least one active subreddit and fanwiki (and many others on assorted fantasy, comic, movie, and non-English language sites), as well as TV Tropes pages for both the comic and movie adaptation and a number of Discord servers.

For fanfiction, there are a ton of fics on Archive of Our Own in the comic tag and in the movie adaptation tag. There are also a number of fics on tumblr, some fics on fanfiction.net, and some on Wattpad. There are fanvids on tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube. There is fanart on tumblr, twitter, deviantart, instagram, and pixiv. There are cosplayers, meta analysts, roleplayers, music makers, and many other fanworkers

Some tags to use/browse for posts on tumblr and other sites:

Nimona

Nimona fanart

Nimona comic

Nimona movie

Ballister Blackheart

Ballister Boldheart

Ambrosius Goldenloin

Gloreth

Meredith Blitzmeyer

Ballister x Ambrosius / Goldenheart / Boldloin / Boldenloin / Blackenloin / Blackloin / Goldheart

Will update this post as I come across new things.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Cairo’s Colorful Nightscape

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a sequence of nighttime photos of the Greater Cairo region in Egypt. Four images were stitched together to create this panoramic scene stretching west and east of the Nile River.

City lights spread outward from the center of Cairo, which lies on the east bank of the Nile River. Winding through the middle of the scene like a dark ribbon, the Nile flows south to north and eventually empties into the Mediterranean Sea (north of this image). The river supplies water to the cities and towns along its banks.

To the north of Cairo and Giza, the Nile fans into a large delta, creating an oasis for farming. The small clusters of lights belong to towns within the delta, while the darker areas represent regions of dense agriculture.

On the right side of the image, bright lights illuminate Cairo International Airport, which contrasts with the dark desert terrain surrounding it. On the outskirts of Giza, agricultural land and desert comprise the dark areas. The Pyramids of Giza are nestled between brightly lit areas and the satellite cities farther west. Satellite cities are urban centers positioned within a reasonable commute of larger cities, featuring their own town centers and forming an integral part of the metro area.

The newer satellite cities, such as New Cairo and 6 October City, are part of the Greater Cairo region’s expansion over the past several decades. The orange-hued lights of these newer developments, likely stemming from sodium lightbulbs, highlight the distinct radial and angular patterns of these planned layouts.

Nighttime photos taken from the space station using handheld digital cameras provide a rich, publicly available collection of high-resolution imagery of city lights. This dataset is useful for identifying detailed city structure and urban changes over time.

Urban expansion in the Greater Cairo region has been documented in both daytime and nighttime images taken by humans in space since 1965. A previous article about Cairo at night featured a photograph taken in 2014, when the Greater Cairo region was home to just over 20 million people. Between December 2014 and July 2023, the area’s population grew by more than 1 million people.

Astronaut photographs ISS069-E-37411-37414 were acquired on July 26, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters. They are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The images were taken by a member of the Expedition 69 crew. The images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Sara Schmidt, GeoControl Systems, JETS II Contract at NASA-JSC.

[pkmnspacehistory]

A Primer/Overview of Space History

(obviously, I can't go into super high detail on everything, that'd put me out of a job. this is just a general overview for people reaching out from other timelines or from the past or whatever)

Ok, here's basically how we got to where we are:

Pre-industrial times: gunpowder developed and used for fireworks in ancient Hisui, eventually used to augment arrows and such.

Early 1900s: Primitive liquid fueled rockets and the equations describing them start appearing in various regions; beginning of speculation regarding space

Late 1940s/Early 1950s: Following a series of regional conflicts, interregional diplomacy causes deconstruction of already contracted militaries over time, funds dedicated to infrastructure and rocketry.

1957: First artificial satellite

1958: URSA (Unovan Rocketry and Space Agency) founded in wake of accelerating rocket development, successor agency to Unovan Aeronautical Advisory Council (UAAC)

1958-1961: Suborbital and orbital flights carrying pokemon in preparation for crewed missions

1961: First human in space

[some other milestones here]

1969: First crewed lunar landing

Beginning of "Space Boom"

1976: Tranquility Station established in the Sea of Tranquility

1970s-Early 1980s: Development and proliferation of space shuttle and reusable Nova rockets

2000: First humans in Mars

Early 2000s: development of fully reusable/single stage rockets for rapid refurbishment and reflight

2014: Rainbow Bay founded

2024: First humans on Ceres.

Bit of a lot to take in, but trust me, this is truncated

[covetyou]

2015/2025 me

ty @quinnnfabrgay-writes for the tag and also @sp00kymulderr partly because you can laugh at how accurate the recent is because of that skirt

made using this pic crew (but I used the alt body fatter one 💛)

I used to cover up so much more, and I didn't think I had curly hair (my hair is just wavy/straight, but why is it so fluffy omg 🙄). and then I started wearing shorts and crops and dresses and skirts, I ditched the maroon in favour of yellow, and then COVID happened and I realised I actually have curly curly hair, okay. and I haven't straightened it since.

in 2015 I was almost homeless, recently fired, moving back with my parents, on job seekers, applying for so many fucking jobs, eventually got a zero hour contract cinema job, and went back to uni that September after dropping out in April 2014.

the only thing that's the same 10 years later is I still live with my parents 😅 I've had the same job since graduating in 2017.

and yes, I gave myself a tan. I leave the house more now, surprisingly.

I have no clue who has and hasn't done this so I'm throwing random tags out into the world @missredherring @beefrobeefcal @strang3lov3 and YOU.

[beardedmrbean]

The Atlas V topped by Boeing's Starliner waits ready on the launch pad.

After lengthy delays that saw Starliner lapped repeatedly by NASA's other private crewed transport, SpaceX's Dragon, the spacecraft is slated to make its inaugural crewed flight at 12:25 p.m. Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 41.

Onboard: two astronauts with test pilot backgrounds, Butch Wilmore and Florida Tech graduate, Suni Williams. If all goes well, Starliner will race to catch up with the International Space Station and dock to the station's Harmony module at approximately 1:50 p.m. Sunday.

What's the weather forecast for Starliner launch

As the Atlas V rocket left its Vertical Integration Facility on Thursday, it was illuminated by the bright Florida sun. That same good weather is forecast to continue for the launch.

There's a 90 percent chance of conditions favorable to launch. The only concerns being ground winds and cumulus clouds.

Why the delay from Starliner's initial May 6 launch attempt

The mission has been delayed nearly a month due first to an oxygen leak on the rocket and then a helium leak on part of the spacecraft.

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance scrubbed on May 6 due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. To deal with that leak, teams had to roll the rocket back into its facility. Once there, teams removed and replaced the valve.

Then while assessing Starliner, the teams discovered a small helium leak in the spacecraft's service module — the disposable lower part of the spacecraft that contains thrusters.

As part of the helium leak investigation, NASA and Boeing studied what impact that leak would have on the ability to safely return Starliner and its crew to Earth in the worst-case scenario of some extreme failures.

"We have now a solution," Boeing's Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the company's commercial crew program, said last week. "It's backed by test data. It's backed by flight data, and the guidance and navigation modeling have reinforced that this technique will work. Of course we've had independent verification on it. The crew has tested it, and we feel very comfortable with the situation that we have."

NASA also completed a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review on Wednesday to evaluate all work performed before giving the "go" to proceed toward launch.

What will the Starliner crew do in space?

Wilmore and Williams will remain at the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft. That work is necessary for NASA to complete its final certification of the spacecraft, which will allow it to join SpaceX's Dragon in rotating missions to ferry crews to the station.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

How much has NASA paid Boeing to develop Starliner?

NASA originally awarded Boeing the contract to fly astronauts in 2014, alongside SpaceX. Boeing received $4.8 billion for Starliner while SpaceX received $3.1 billion for Dragon. Both companies were part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which replaced the space shuttle after its retirement in 2011.

Both were late to deliver, hoping to launch as soon as 2017 and restore NASA astronauts access to space from American soil (NASA astronauts were hitching rides aboard the Russian Soyuz).

Following a successful crewed demo flight in 2020, SpaceX has since flown eight NASA crews and multiple private crews to the ISS.

Going beyond this test flight, according to Boeing, NASA has already contracted for six crewed missions on Starliner.

NASA astronaut and former NASA Associate Administrator and former KSC Director Bob Cabana told FLORIDA TODAY that the success of Boeing Starliner is essential to ensure NASA always has a way to access the station.

“We want that dissimilar redundancy,” said Cabana, adding that NASA cannot rely on solely one company.

What is the Starliner spacecraft?

Boeing calls it the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, or simply “Starliner”. Like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, it can carry a mix of crew and cargo or up to seven crew memebers.

With a total height of 16.5 ft (capsule + service module combined) and a diameter of 15 ft, it is a what Boeing refers to as "a next-generation space capsule."

This capsule is named Calypso.

Williams, a lover of the ocean, has stated in the past that she named the spacecraft Calypso after the ship of Jacque Cousteau, which was an ocean explorer in the mid-20th century.

That ship was remembered for its underwater observation chamber and being equipped with a helicopter and submersibles, assisting in scientific expeditions. Williams mentioned being excited by Cousteau's television show as a young girl and looked forward to watching his expeditions.

How to watch Boeing Starliner launch

FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team will continue to bring you the latest information on the mission.

Follow the FLORIDA TODAY Live Blog. To received launch alerts and updates, download the free FLORIDA TODAY app and enable push alerts from the app settings.

What if there is a delay?

If Saturday's launch attempt scrubs, there are backup opportunities on Sunday, June 2. Should Starliner not be able to launch this weekend, additional opportunities exist on Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6.

[mariacallous]

Nine others died in the August 23 plane crash that reportedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary leader who staged a brief mutiny against Russia’s Defense Ministry in late June. Prigozhin’s death isn’t verified yet, but Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has confirmed that he was on the passenger list. The other high-profile passenger aboard the doomed flight was Dmitry Utkin, the Wagner Group commander whose callsign is the basis for the company’s very name. Journalists at BBC Russian and the Dossier Center collected information about the other passengers and crew members who perished in the crash. Meduza summarizes these reports.

Passengers

Valery Chekalov

Chekalov managed multiple companies in St. Petersburg that were linked to Prigozhin. BBC Russia learned that his acquaintances logged his number in their phones as “Valery Evgenievich Syria,” “Valery Chekalov Concord Army,” and “Valery Evgenievich Chekalov from Prigozhin.” From 2011 to 2018, he headed the company “Kollektiv-Servis,” which won a contract with the Defense Ministry’s Commissary in 2012 to supply food to the army. Around the same time, the company registered an entity with a mess hall in Sevastopol, the home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Chekalov also managed a company created in 2014 called “Neva,” which operated the subsidiary “Evro Polis” — the same Evro Polis that signed a memorandum with the Syrian government in 2016 to recapture and guard oil facilities in exchange for the value of 25 percent of the oil and gas produced there, according to reporting by the news outlet Fontanka. 

Evgeny Makaryan

Born in Magnitogorsk, Makaryan was a former police officer. According to the Dossier Center, he joined Wagner Group in March 2016, serving in its fourth assault detachment in Syria, where he was wounded. BBC Russian calls him one of Prigozhin’s bodyguards.

Sergey Propustin

Propustin is listed at Myrotvorets, the Ukrainian website that names and sometimes doxxes people its authors consider to be “enemies of Ukraine.” Myrotvorets identifies him as a grenadier reconnaissance officer and Wagner Group fighter. According to the Dossier Center, Propustin fought in the Second Chechen War. He reportedly joined Wagner in March 2015 and fought in its second reconnaissance assault detachment, from which Prigozhin would later recruit several of his personal bodyguards. Accordingly, BBC Russian reports that Propustin was another Prigozhin bodyguard.

Alexander Totmin

Myrotvorets lists Totmin too. It’s unknown when he started working for Prigozhin, but journalists learned that he was living in St. Petersburg as recently as 2022. His phone number shows up in shared databases identified as “Sanya Work PMC,” “Totmin Sanya Kontora Piter,” and “Alexander W.” In August 2012, a court in the Altai Krai sentenced him to 300 hours of community service for stealing a chainsaw from a bathhouse located on someone else’s property. In September 2014, he was sentenced to two years of probation for car theft.

Nikolai Matuseev

Researchers at the Dossier Center believe that the Nikolai Matuseev listed among the plane-crash passengers is the same one who joined Wagner Group in January 2017. He was a gunner in the organization’s fourth assault detachment in Syria.

Crew

Rustam Karimov

The aircraft’s 29-year-old second pilot, Karimov lived with his wife in Perm. He graduated from the Sasovo Flight School in Russia’s Ryazan region in 2014. Karimov’s father told reporters that his son was unemployed at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He says Rustam found work three months ago with MNT-Aero, the company that owns the crashed plane, and then moved to St. Petersburg.

Alexey Levshin

Levshin was the plane’s captain. His daughter Anastasia told the news outlet RBC that her father had worked with Prigozhin for many years, though she provided no further details. BBC Russian discovered that Levshin was featured in a 2018 broadcast by the television network Vesti Novosibirsk about an airshow that included military pilots. In the story, he was identified as the navigator of a Sukhoi Su-34 crew.

Kristina Raspopova

Raspopova was the plane’s flight attendant. Thirty-nine years old, she was born in what is now Kazakhstan. According to the news outlet 74.ru, her younger brother is the deputy prosecutor in Yemanzhelinsk, a city in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. She attended the Moscow Finance and Law University and lived for some time in Yekaterinburg before moving to Moscow. The Telegram channel Baza reports that she relocated to St. Petersburg after finding a job at MNT-Aero.

Posts on social media indicate that Raspopova often traveled abroad, sharing photos from Jamaica, Singapore, Austria, and other countries. Multiple times, she flew aboard a business jet similar to the plane that crashed: an Embraer Legacy with the tail number RA-02857 based at Vnukovo International Airport, which she frequented. According to Baza, Raspopova spoke to her family a few hours before her final flight departed and said that the plane had been delayed for some reason.

[currinsrnznships]

BAE Systems secures $155.9 million contract for USS Somerset overhaul June 13, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić Defense company BAE Systems has been awarded a major US Navy contract valued at $155.9 million to carry out maintenance, modernization, and repairs on the USS Somerset (LPD 25). Credit: US Navy As informed, the firm-fixed-price contract, issued by Naval Sea Systems Command, covers the vessel’s fiscal year 2025 docking selected restricted availability (DSRA). Under the agreement, BAE Systems will provide all necessary labor, supervision, equipment, testing, facilities, and quality assurance to complete the chief of naval operations availability. The contract includes options that, if exercised, could raise the total value to approximately $178.4 million. This contract underscores BAE Systems’ role as a key partner in the US Navy’s ship sustainment and readiness strategy on the West Coast. USS Somerset is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship designed to support a wide range of expeditionary warfare missions. Commissioned on March 1, 2014, the vessel is the ninth ship in its class and plays a critical role in transporting and deploying US Marines, their equipment, and supplies by landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), or amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs), augmented by helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. It was built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). Related Article USS Somerset gets underway from San Diego for drills with new Peruvian LPD BAP PiscoAuthorities In March this year, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Landing and Recovery team and the US Department of Defense successfully completed the third recovery test for the crewed Artemis II mission aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset. Tags and categories: All other Navies and Military, US Military -, US Military - US Aircraft Carriers/Amphibious Assault Carriers/Other s via WordPress https://ift.tt/0xr7UoS June 16, 2025 at 03:33PM

[footballworldcuptickets]

German Legend Wants Wirtz at Bayern in the FIFA World Cup

Earlier, Bayern Munich and Germany National Team midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has trained Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz to skirmish with Manchester City for Bayern Munich this time. Wirtz is top of Manchester City’s board’s list to replace the outward Kevin De Bruyne.

It is silent that the 21-year-old aggressive midfielder has been awestruck by Pep Guardiola’s offers to bait him to the Etihad Stadium. Leverkusen are strong to retain a clutch of their star player and have obtained an agreement leeway to the Germany international, which would cruelly break his contract for the 2025-26 drive and authority after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Due to the enclosure of a statement section in his pact. Wirtz’s father is supposed to be favoring a change to Real Madrid, and the in-demand midfielder’s mother is inclined to remaining at Leverkusen as Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City contest it out to right his facilities. Talking at a reporters’ conference to settle his leaving on Friday.

FIFA World Cup Star Florian Wirtz Urged to Stay in Germany Amid Bayern Munich Interest

Bayer Leverkusen executive Xabi Alonso talked latest reports signifying that Wirtz has his heart set on connecting Bayern Munich over Real Madrid and Manchester City. Alonso, who played with Guardiola at Bayern Munich, invented I don’t have this material. I haven’t vocalized to Flo about his upcoming, which incomes all choices are open for the German.

Who is likely to make a result on his upcoming 2024-25 season arises to a close, but Bayern Munich and Germany National Squad fable Bastian Schweinsteiger has counseled Florian Wirtz to snub Manchester City and Definite Madrid to stopover in his motherland as Bayern Munich spirit all in to symbolize the Leverkusen man.

In a gathering with Give Me Sport, the previous Manchester United midfielder held, Firstly, we’re very pleased to have him in Germany, similar to Musiala. Two outstanding players at a fresh age now, you can see, but now it’s alike – what’s following for him at Leverkusen. He’s cheery, he’s a main player over there. They are deed well.

Football World Cup Dream: Wirtz Told to Choose Bayern Over Madrid or City

They play fanciful football, I essentially say. It’s hard to play Leverkusen. Bayern Munich would like to have him in their crew. It would be fantastic. But it’s not cool. Currently, those players total a lot of money as well, so you have to meditate about it. But for him, you see, he even now has a big damage to his ACL, and he has improved well. So I hope for him all the paramount.

I don’t see that now is the right instant for him to move to a foreign country. I don’t see if that’s the right change, since perhaps at a young age, you have to go step by step. From my knowledge, it was also very good to leave the stick later. For me, it was very significant to victory the Champions League trophy.

First and having victory with Bayern Munich, and then, when the top is done, to knowledge another nation, another approach – that was significant for me. So he’s 21 or 22, I consider, quite young. So let’s faith he’s well and helps Germany to victory in the World Cup. Germany can improve its risks of doing well at next year’s World Cup.

Nations League Success Key to Germany’s Football World Cup Ambitions

On June 4, and then the match for third place or the last four days later. The other crews are Euro 2024 winners Spain and previous World Cup second-place France. It is significant for the sureness and the growth of a squad to win games like these,” Löw said. Löw, who instructed Germany from 2006-2021 and led them to the 2014 World Cup.

H said that the Nations League has full-grown in status over the years. For me, the Nations League at the opening was a struggle, where you can try things out. But the Nations Association has well-known and improved a significant scuffle,” Löw said. Germany instructor Julian Nagelsmann will proclaim his squad for the mini tournament on May 22.

Experience the passion, drama, and glory of the Football World Cup 2026 live! With gettickets365, it’s easier than ever to buy FIFA World Cup Tickets, including premium access to FIFA World Cup Final Tickets and Football World Cup Final Tickets. Don’t wait, secure your World Cup Tickets now and cheer for your team on the biggest stage in football.

[lboogie1906]

Wilfried Nancy (April 9, 1977) is a French football manager and former player, who is managing Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.

He was born in Le Havre to a Guadeloupean father and a Senegalese-Cape Verdean mother. His father was in the French Navy and spent his early childhood in different regions, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Djibouti, and Réunion. At the age of 11, his family moved to Toulon and there he started playing organized soccer before moving to the academy of Toulon at the age of 14.

He played professionally in France as a defender. He had stints at various amateur and semi-professional clubs, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans before moving to Canada to play with the UQAM team.

In 2005, he became a coach for Collège Stanislas, while at the same time playing for his university team, UQAM Citadins. He was voted MVP in Quebec and named to the first all-star team in Quebec and Canada. He helped the Citadins finish second in the Quebec conference. He became a full-time coach in 2006 and started coaching AAA soccer. He coached Québec’s provincial teams and was assistant technical director of the Association régionale de soccer de la Rive-Sud.

He was part of the Montreal Impact Academy since its inception starting with the U18s, and the U21s in 2014, followed by the U16s (2014-15). He was promoted to assistant coach for the first team (2016).

He was promoted to head coach for CF Montréal becoming the club’s first coach following their re-branding from the Impact name. It was announced that CF Montréal had exercised its option on his contract for the 2022 season. He lead CF Montréal to the final of the 2021 Canadian Championship, beating Toronto FC 1–0, qualifying them for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.

He was announced as the Columbus Crew head coach. In his first season as coach, the Crew finished third in the regular season. Columbus would overcome their archrivals FC Cincinnati in the conference finals and outlast defending champions Los Angeles FC in the final. He became the first Black coach to win the MLS Cup. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[cryptogurureview]

5 Cryptos Under $1 That Could Explode in 2025

I’ve got news for you: some of the hottest opportunities are 5 Cryptos Under $1 now. These low-cost coins aren’t just cheap they’re packed with the potential to skyrocket this year. I’ve scoured the market, checked the trends, and picked five cryptos that could turn a small bet into a big payoff. From payment champs to meme coin legends, here’s the rundown on Stellar (XLM), Cardano (ADA), VeChain (VET), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Hedera (HBAR). Stick around for the juicy details, and let’s see why 2025 might be their breakout moment!

Why Cheap Coins Are the Talk of 2025

Low-cost cryptos are like lottery tickets with better odds affordable for anyone, yet loaded with upside if they catch fire. It’s spring 2025, and the market’s buzzing after a Q1 recovery. Bitcoin’s flexing, altcoins are stirring, and these under-$1 gems could ride the wave. Whether it’s real-world utility or social media hype, each of these five has a unique edge. Let’s break them down one by one trust me, you’ll want to take notes!

1. Stellar (XLM) – The Global Payment Maverick

Price Today: ~$0.25 (assuming a modest dip or hold from late 2024)

Market Cap: ~$7.5 billion (hypothetical, based on current trends)

Why It’s Hot: Stellar’s been quietly revolutionizing cross-border payments since 2014. Think of it as the blockchain that banks and fintechs actually like. With IBM still backing its World Wire project and a fresh 2025 partnership rumored with a major remittance player (check X for the latest whispers!), XLM’s real-world chops are undeniable. The Soroban smart contract platform, now fully live, is drawing developers too—think DeFi meets cheap transfers.

Deep Dive: Stellar’s transaction fees are dirt cheap (0.00001 XLM!), and it processes payments in seconds. That’s a game-changer for the unbanked in places like Africa or Southeast Asia, where remittance costs eat into savings. In March 2025, posts on X hint at a potential UN collaboration for financial inclusion—unconfirmed, but the buzz is real. If Stellar lands more institutional deals, demand for XLM could spike.

2025 Potential: $0.62 feels safe if adoption grows; $1 is in sight if a big catalyst hits. Analysts say a 3x jump isn’t wild—its all-time high was $0.87 in 2018, and the market’s way bigger now.

Risks: Competition from Ripple (XRP) or stablecoins could cap its growth. Regulatory hiccups might slow it too.

2. Cardano (ADA) – The Brainy Blockchain

Price Today: ~$0.45 (assuming a pullback from late 2024 highs)

Market Cap: ~$16 billion (rough estimate)

Why It’s Hot: Cardano’s the nerdy kid who aces every test. Built on peer-reviewed research, it’s eco-friendly (proof-of-stake since day one) and obsessed with scalability. In 2025, its Hydra scaling solution is rolling out, promising thousands of transactions per second. Plus, its smart contracts are picking up steam—think NFTs, DeFi, and even voting systems in places like Ethiopia (yep, they’re already testing it there!).

Deep Dive: Charles Hoskinson’s crew isn’t messing around. Cardano’s got over 3,000 staking pools run by the community, making it one of the most decentralized networks out there. In March 2025, X chatter suggests a big dApp launch could drop soon—maybe a decentralized identity play tied to its Atala PRISM tech. If that hits, ADA’s utility could soar. It’s not just hype; Cardano’s got a roadmap that actually delivers.

2025 Potential: $1 is the floor if the market rallies; $2 isn’t nuts if Hydra and adoption click. It hit $3 in 2021—why not again?

Risks: It’s slow to roll out features, and Ethereum’s still the DeFi king. Patience is key here.

3. VeChain (VET) – The Supply Chain Secret Weapon

Price Today: ~$0.03 (assuming steady 2025 pricing)

Market Cap: ~$2.5 billion (ballpark figure)

Why It’s Hot: VeChain’s the blockchain you didn’t know you needed. It tracks everything from luxury bags to car parts, making supply chains transparent. Big names like Walmart China and BMW use it to fight fraud and boost efficiency. In 2025, its dual-token system (VET for value, VTHO for fees) is getting traction, and IoT integration’s taking it next-level—think smart tags on your groceries!

Deep Dive: Founded by ex-Louis Vuitton exec Sunny Lu, VeChain’s got street cred. Its ToolChain platform lets businesses hop on without crypto know-how—fiat payments convert to VTHO behind the scenes. March 2025 rumors on X point to a carbon-tracking deal with a European government—huge if true, given the ESG push. VET’s tiny price belies its massive potential; a low supply cap (86 billion) means pumps hit hard.

2025 Potential: $0.10–$0.20 if enterprise adoption grows; $1 isn’t impossible long-term. A 10x from here is mouthwatering.

Risks: Niche focus might limit its audience. A broader crypto crash could drag it down too.

4. Dogecoin (DOGE) – The Meme That Won’t Quit

Price Today: ~$0.15 (assuming a dip from late 2024)

Market Cap: ~$22 billion (rough guess)

Why It’s Hot: Dogecoin’s the OG meme coin, born as a joke in 2013 but now a cultural force. Elon Musk’s still its cheerleader—his March 2025 X posts about DOGE as “the people’s crypto” keep the hype alive. Tesla’s accepting it for merch, and whispers of SpaceX payments swirl. Plus, its community’s unstoppable—tipping, charity, you name it.

Deep Dive: Don’t sleep on DOGE’s tech upgrades. The 1.14.7 update in 2024 cut fees and boosted speed, making it more than a gag. In 2025, Grayscale’s Dogecoin Trust for big investors signals institutional interest—crazy for a meme coin! X sentiment’s wild: some see $1 by year-end, others call it a bubble. With 145 billion coins in circulation, it’s a long shot—but it hit $0.74 in 2021, so who’s laughing now?

2025 Potential: $0.50–$1 if Musk pumps it and the market roars. Volatility’s the name of the game.

Risks: Pure hype can fizzle fast. No real utility beyond payments keeps it shaky.

5. Hedera (HBAR) – The Enterprise Dark Horse

Price Today : ~$0.08 (assuming a 2025 dip)

Market Cap : ~$3 billion (estimated)

Why It’s Hot: Hedera’s not your average blockchain it’s a hashgraph, built for speed and scale. Think 10,000+ transactions per second with tiny fees. Google, IBM, and Boeing sit on its council, giving it serious cred. In 2025, it’s testing with SWIFT for cross-border banking $150 trillion market, anyone? Plus, it’s green, which ESG investors love.

Deep Dive : Hedera’s hashgraph tech is a beast faster and more secure than most chains. Its Hiero project with the Linux Foundation (open-sourced in 2024) shows it’s all-in on decentralization. March 2025 X buzz hints at a tokenized asset push with Taurus—staking and custody could juice HBAR demand. At $0.08, it’s a steal for its pedigree; it spiked to $0.35 in late 2024, so the ceiling’s high.

2025 Potential : $0.25–$0.75 if SWIFT or tokenization takes off. A 5x–10x isn’t outlandish.

Risks: Lesser-known than rivals; needs more dApp traction to shine.

What Could Ignite These Rockets?

Market Surge: Bitcoin breaking $100K (a 2025 rumor!) lifts all altcoins.

Big News: Partnerships (XLM, HBAR), tech wins (ADA, VET), or Elon tweets (DOGE).

Social Hype: X and Reddit can turn whispers into roars—meme coins thrive here.

The Flip Side: Risks to Watch

Volatility: Crypto’s a rollercoaster cheap coins swing hardest.

Regulation: Governments could clamp down, especially on payments (XLM, HBAR).

Competition: New tokens or old giants (ETH, SOL) might steal the show.

My Hot Take: Where to Place Your Bets

These five are a mixed bag of stability and wildcards. XLM and ADA feel like safe-ish bets with strong fundamentals think long-term growth. VET and HBAR are sleeper hits; their enterprise ties could spark a breakout. DOGE? It’s the chaos king high risk, high reward. Got $50? You could scoop a little of each and see what pops. 2025’s got that electric vibe don’t miss out!

FAQ: Your Burning Questions Answered

Are these coins really worth the risk?

If you can handle the ups and downs, absolutely low cost means big upside potential.

Which one’s the safest pick?

XLM or ADA they’ve got real tech and less meme madness.

Could any hit 10x this year?

VET or HBAR have the best shot; DOGE could if the stars (or Elon) align

Where do I buy them?

Binance, Coinbase, Kraken stick to trusted exchanges.

When’s the best time to jump in?

March 2025’s got recovery vibes watch X for dips

Let’s Get This Party Started

So, which one’s your favorite? I’m eyeing VET for its sneaky potential, but DOGE’s chaos keeps me grinning. Drop your pick below, share this with your crypto crew, and let’s make 2025 the year these gems explode!

Disclaimer: Crypto’s unpredictable. This isn’t financial advice—do your own digging!

[fallloverfic]

Kinda tired of "waaahhh old/dead fandom" comments, especially in Nimona fandom, especially when some people consider "old/dead" to be something from a couple days or weeks to a year or so, tops.

The webcomic "started" in 2011 (when Nate posted the first panels on tumblr on December 14th, 2011; they look different because Nate later redid the opening, particularly for graphic novel publication), was officially launched in June 2012, and concluded in September 2014. It was published as a graphic novel in 2015, and adapted into an audiobook in 2016. The movie adaptation was in some form of development since at least 2015 (when the rights were formally purchased/the contract was presumably completed; it was in negotiation for adaptation rights for some time prior to that, I believe since at least 2013 when Nate started hinting at it), when it was purchased by 20th Century Fox Animation. Across a studio purchase and closure and a project rescue (by Annapurna and DNEG), the movie wasn't released until 2023, meaning it was in some form of development for around eight years (it seemingly finished proper production by February 2023). Generally, this means the fandom has been around in some capacity for almost fourteen years. (And yes, the fandom was active prior to the movie release; a few comic characters were named at least in part due to fandom engagement, it had fanart and fanfics and cosplayers, and it was fannish interest that helped give the movie crew the drive to push to finish the project).

The fandom is still really active most everywhere, including tumblr, twitter, Instagram, and Archive of Our Own. The movie was nominated for awards through 2023 and 2024, and won the last one in September 2024. In October 2024, Nate announced a 10th anniversary release coming out in May 2025. There was even a Nimona big bang event here late last year.

Getting upset you "missed" the fandom/you're "late"/it's "dead" is just utterly weird, even if, on some level, there's a slight dip in fandom engagement on certain platforms compared to the "heyday" when the movie adaptation first released on Netflix. By most definitions I'm seeing, literally everyone whose first interaction with the fandom was watching the movie adaptation when it aired on Netflix in June 2023 is late. Have some folks moved on to other things? Yeah, it happens, while other people are reading the comic and/or watching the movie for the first time (or a rewatch) every day. The fandom is around, it didn't pop into existence on June 30th, 2023, and it didn't disappear at some nebulous point in 2024. And getting obsessed with avoiding posts that are a couple months old or whatever because, I don't know, how dare we acknowledge the past exists, would mean the movie wouldn't exist.

[gqresearch24]

‘Buzzing’ Rocket Valve Pushes 1st Astronaut Launch Of Boeing’s Starliner Capsule To May 10

( Source – Business Today)

Boeing’s highly anticipated inaugural crewed flight of the Starliner capsule faces a delay until the latter part of the week due to a technical setback, marking a temporary setback in the aerospace company’s ambitious mission.

Originally slated for a late Monday night launch, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) was intended to embark on a roughly 10-day journey to transport two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and return them safely to Earth. However, mission controllers opted to postpone the launch approximately two hours before the scheduled liftoff upon detecting an anomaly with the “oxygen relief valve” situated on the upper stage of Starliner’s rocket, an Atlas V from United Launch Alliance (ULA). The valve exhibited irregular behavior, characterized by rapid opening and closing during the countdown sequence, prompting the delay, according to ULA officials.

delay would facilitate comprehensive data analysisInitial hopes for a swift resolution were voiced by NASA, ULA, and Boeing, with speculation of a potential launch attempt as early as Tuesday night. Yet, these aspirations were dashed as the teams announced early Tuesday morning that the CFT mission would be postponed until at least Friday night. NASA officials explained in a Tuesday update that the delay would facilitate comprehensive data analysis on the pressure regulation valve located on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage, assessing the necessity of valve replacement.

The rescheduled launch window for CFT is set for Friday at 9 p.m. EDT, with an additional backup opportunity available on Saturday, according to NASA officials. However, the intricate process of valve replacement, as outlined by ULA CEO Tory Bruno during a post-scrub press briefing on Monday night, entails several days of meticulous preparation. Consequently, if valve replacement becomes imperative, the likelihood of another launch attempt before Sunday appears remote.

The anticipation is heightened

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, designated as the crewmembers for CFT, returned to the crew quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following the announcement of the launch delay. The anticipation surrounding this mission is heightened given Boeing’s historical delays in Starliner’s development, in stark contrast to SpaceX’s successful operational flights using the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket since 2020.

In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX lucrative contracts to facilitate crewed transportation to and from the ISS. While SpaceX has accomplished seven operational crewed flights for NASA and is currently engaged in its eighth mission, Boeing continues to grapple with technical hurdles, yet to realize its goal of launching a crewed mission with the Starliner capsule.

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 9may24

The modern Rules for Radicals

Students participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampments at universities across the country are being taught to become militants, according to nine manuals obtained by The Free Press. Many of the manuals, which are being shared via phone group chats with students across the country, encourage “militancy” and instruct protesters to break laws, seize buildings, vandalize them, and then use tactics to evade police detection and arrest. One guide, called “De-arrest Primer,” teaches protesters to physically resist arrest or, in some cases, assault police officers or throw projectiles at them to protect fellow “comrades” from arrest. “Each de-arrest,” the guide states, “is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together.”*** https://www.thefp.com/p/student-protest-guides-violence-micro-intafada

***

There's no legal way.... for a wussy

Protip: Grow a pair, DPD.

***

Politically motivated?

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging U.S. Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, 67, both of Laredo, Texas, with participating in two schemes involving bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering. Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar made their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo in Houston.

According to court documents, beginning in at least December 2014 and continuing through at least November 2021, Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank. *** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-congressman-henry-cuellar-and-his-wife-charged-bribery-unlawful-foreign-influence-and

He's one of the more conservative dems in Congress.

***

Stupidity is often a crime

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Crews rescued a teenage boy who was seriously injured after falling 30 feet down an abandoned missile silo near Deer Trail in Arapahoe County Sunday morning. Crews said he is expected to survive. It happened around 3:30 a.m. near 82000 E. County Line Road 22, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office said a group of eight teenagers gained access to the entrance of the silo when one of them fell through a two-story shaft and down the underground complex, landing onto twisted metal, broken concrete and stagnant water at the bottom. The sheriff’s office said rescue teams entered the silo hours after arriving on scene. They had to navigate an extremely hazardous underground maze before they were able to locate the 18-year-old victim. The teen was freed from the silo just before 9 a.m. and airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries.*** The property owner told Denver7 that he intends to press charges, which he said he has done in the past. His father bought the property sometime after the silo was decommissioned in the 60s. He said it's been "a headache" to own ever since.*** https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/crews-rescue-teenage-boy-from-abandoned-missile-silo-near-deer-trail-teen-is-expected-to-survive

***

Oliver Wiseman notes

→ The janitor versus the multimillionaire: Last week, Suzy Weiss wrote about the tale of two Columbias, captured in a single photograph: a now-viral image of a janitor fighting off an anti-Israel rioter during the occupation of Hamilton Hall.  Per the New York Post, the activist is James Carlson. He also goes by Cody Carlson and Cody Tarlow. A high-ranking police source told the paper he is “a longtime anarchist.” Carlson is not a Columbia undergrad but the 40-year-old son and heir of a prominent ad executive. Carlson owns a $3.4 million Park Slope townhouse that has “four wood-burning fireplaces” according to the Post. Carlson has been charged with “burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, conspiracy, and criminal trespassing.” The whole thing is delicious. Almost as delightful as our favorite trust-fund communist: Fergie Chambers. https://www.thefp.com/p/front-page-there-are-two-sets

***

Excellent Tablet essay on free speech

Free speech is not a divisible concept. Either everyone is free to say what they want, no matter how noxious others find it, in order to create and sustain the free market of ideas—or else speech isn’t free.***

There is no exception for hate speech in the Constitution. It is not, according to the Constitution of the United States of America, illegal to misgender someone, or call them a dirty kike or a pig, or tell them you want them to be shipped back to Africa, or say that the State of Israel has “no right to exist,” or that all women are nasty hookers who play men for money. Those statements might rightfully earn you the disgust of those around you, as well as exclusion from any number of personal and professional opportunities, or access to private institutions and spaces. But they are not unlawful, and no governmental authority has the standing to penalize you for making or believing them—in the privacy of your home, in the public square, or on the open internet. That includes Congress, which is made up of elected officials. Americans have radically lowered our standards for what we expect of this class of people, but we think we can all draw a line at a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights. The fact that a word or idea is annoying or upsetting to you—or us!—does not make it illegal. [antisemitic speech is not illegal]***

What this looks like in practice is something that every American should be alarmed and repelled by: A small group of powerful people are now using public-private partnerships to silence the Constitution, censor ideas they don’t like, deny their opponents access to banking, credit, the internet, and other public accommodations. (Here, for the skeptics, is a link to 10 examples of times when Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon passed censorship policies because the government told them to do so.) When a platform like Facebook, which currently accounts for a staggering third of all traffic to news sources, colludes with the federal government to suppress reporting on COVID-19, say, or when Twitter, a major digital reincarnation of the public square, kicks out an American political candidate for being too extreme while allowing users like the genocidal leader of Iran to remain, the rules have changed. “Bad speech,” an old adage goes, “is best corrected by good speech.” That was true until these public-private fingers hit the scales, making sure that fight couldn’t ever be fair.***

Over the past half-century, with increasing intentionality and force, American universities have come to see themselves not as repositories of civilization-sustaining knowledge but as social actors that act independently to shape social values—which they do not by teaching young people how to think, but by telling them what to think. Abandoning the principles of free inquiry, these institutions turned themselves into factories for conformity and increasingly bizarre, divisive, and hateful doctrines held by the loudest (and often smallest) factions of their faculty.***

Enter a graduate seminar these days, and you’ll notice right away a strange obsession with language. Academics understand words not as most of us have traditionally understood them—as sharp and useful tools with which to explore reality in all of its complexity—but rather as pagans do, as fetishized, magical spells and incantations that have the power to cause actual harm or bring about real rapture. This is why academic papers overwhelmingly feature such groan-inducing titles like “(Re)membering the Body: A Herstory of Sexual Desire”: If you believe words can actually hurt, you ought to make sure they’re used safely and only by those trained magi who can say the right things in the right order and not upset the angry gods. Indeed, we might go so far as to argue that everything you’re seeing on college campuses these days—all the madness—in one way or another relates to speech, and these new, mangled ideas of it. The arc of censorship is long, but it bends toward Hamilton Hall.***

***

Fair questions from Nellie & Bari

So: Why crime? And why San Francisco?  For the past decade, the city has been at the forefront of the effort to radically transform the criminal justice system. If you ask advocates of the policy—people like Chesa Boudin, George Gascón, and George Soros—the idea was as straightforward as it was overdue: overhaul a punitive, racist system that was doling out cruel and unusual punishments for minor offenses.  San Francisco has slashed the budget for police, retroactively reduced sentences for nonviolent offenders, and prohibited officers from pursuing individuals committing nonviolent crimes. The city has new mandatory training for police aimed to tackle racial bias and to limit the overall interaction between police and civilians.  But did it work?  Since 2020, the city has suffered rising crime, from rampant burglaries to open-air drug use to public defecation. Half of the city’s retailers have departed the once bustling downtown, and drug stores all over the city are packing it in. In 2022, drug overdose deaths in San Francisco hit a record high. And police response times have become slower, even though cops are now fielding fewer calls. If you’ve visited San Francisco in the past year, you’ve likely seen the problem with your own eyes. If you haven’t, you can find countless videos online, like this one. Or this one. Or this one.  The crime surge is not limited to the City by the Bay. In the years since the pandemic, places like New York and Los Angeles also saw increased homicides, aggravated assaults, shoplifting, and so on.  All of this is why crime is one of voters’ top concerns in the 2024 election cycle. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans and 47 percent of Democrats say reducing crime should be a top policy priority.  Have American cities become too soft on crime? Are progressive prosecutors to blame? Or are deeper causes like poverty and income inequality the real culprits? Is criminal justice reform a necessary step toward justice? Has it made American towns and cities safer? Or is the whole project, despite its high ideals, a mistake? ***

***

BB -

This is all bad theater. The judge knows 10k isn't enough to deter Trump, and he knows he can't get away w/ $1M. At the same time, Trump knows that the fines show he's being persecuted.

***

California dreaming?

Many 2d Amendment proponents say that when life or death is a matter of seconds, the police will be there in a minute or two. In California today, you may be on hold for a long time.

***

The Trump CLAS docs case:

Special prosecutor Jack Smith apparently told the court that he had misled the judge about the docs. He had represented to the court that the docs were in exactly the same condition and order as when seized. He now admits that the docs are in the same boxes, but not in the same order. Why does it matter?

Former Trump defense lawyer Tim Parlatore told Just the News that Smith’s “admission is stunning on multiple levels.” First, he said it “reinforces the incompetence” of prosecutors “in conducting basic criminal investigations and prosecutions that I observed when I was on the team.”  “But at a deeper level, the loss of specific document locations is a destruction of exculpatory evidence,” he said. “I went through all of the boxes at NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] and the document order was important because it was clear to us that the boxes had been untouched since leaving the White House.” “For prosecutors who are trying to prove that the defendants knowingly possessed these documents to then destroy the evidence that would undermine that claim is a very serious violation,” Parliatore added.***

***

Tell me, Sherlock, what was your first clue that he was a violent criminal?

Adre “Psycho” Baroz sentenced to life in prison for 5 San Luis Valley murders

Adre Baroz, nicknamed “Pyscho,” received five life sentences on Friday.

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Protesters, always on the side of the poor outsiders....

It’s the viral image that captured the clash between the anti-Israel protesters who stormed Columbia and the campus workers who tried to stop them. As the mob invaded Hamilton Hall in the early hours of April 30, a facilities worker was photographed pushing a demonstrator against a wall.  Later, it emerged that the protester was a 40-year-old trust fund kid named James Carlson, who owns a townhouse in Brooklyn worth $2.3 million. The man who tried to hold him back was Mario Torres, 45, who has worked at Columbia—where the average janitor makes less than $19 an hour—for five years. Now, in an exclusive interview with The Free Press, Mario Torres describes the experience of being on duty as protesters stormed the building in the early hours of the morning, breaking glass and barricading the entrances. “We don’t expect to go to work and get swarmed by an angry mob with rope and duct tape and masks and gloves,” he said.***

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Gun laws don't work when you refuse to enforce them

Last week the DC Sentencing Commission released their Annual Report, which is one of our only data sources for what happens to cases after police make an arrest. Without this data we would never know that 79% of adults arrested with illegal guns in DC get away without any felony conviction. More than 2,000 gun cases over the last two years were either never prosecuted, dropped or pled down to lesser charges without any public scrutiny of DC’s prosecutor. This report (and similar excellent analyses by the Commission’s staff) are crucial for understanding how prosecutors and judges apply the laws on the books and getting beyond the vibes-based spin that dominates DC crime discourse. The report especially highlights the gap between how the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) acts in court vs. their poll-tested “tough on crime” public rhetoric. With kids as young as 3 years old being killed in shootings, we desperately need some accountability for our unelected prosecutor who has undermined all of DC’s local efforts to reduce gun violence.***

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Because everyone wants to see them....

WAUKESHA — A 67-year-old woman and her 28-year-old boyfriend are accused of having sexual contact in the Waukesha County Jail lobby. Karen Hill and Desmound Cleveland were charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with disorderly conduct Friday. If convicted, they both face 90 days in jail. A $1,000 signature bond was set for both of them and they entered not guilty pleas. They have a court date of June 3. A Waukesha County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the jail lobby, 515 W. Moreland Blvd., on Thursday for a possible disorderly conduct/lewd and lascivious call that happened in the jail overnight. A jail supervisor called to report two people had sex in the jail lobby and the woman, later identified as Hill, was still on the scene, the criminal complaint said.***

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J. Disaster would sentence him to six years.

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- Former Johnson City Middle School Principal Daniel Erickson pleaded guilty to luring a child in Broome County Court Monday, the district attorney’s office announced. The crime, which is a felony, stems from an investigation into which Erickson engaged in sexually charged conversations with a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat, a communication app popular among teens and young adults. The incident occurred between June 28 and July 7, 2023. Erickson, of Greene, NY, was arrested when he agreed to meet the student at a remote location to have sex with her. The Broome County Sheriff’s Office detailed that Erickson brought a Grimace Shake and chicken nuggets from McDonald’s as well as condoms with him. Deputies then arrested him. Yet, before he was arrested, the sheriff’s office noted that Erickson had made multiple attempts to meet the girl. He even tried to meet her at her home but the girl would not come out and meet him. He posed as a young adult on Snapchat and used his position as the middle school principal and used databank information from the district to convince her who he was, the sheriff’s office noted. Erickson resigned as the Johnson City Middle School Principal in August 2023. He was 55-years-old at the time.*** Erickson will be sentenced on July 30 to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation supervision. That will include sex offender conditions, restitution payable to the victim and will have to register as a sex offender. ***

Six months is a lame sentence.

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[tbinternshipfolio]

5. Achievements and milestones

Throughout my internship I accomplished many achievements and milestones that I have been incredibly grateful and lucky enough to achieve. Some of my achievements and milestones may have been minor but to me they all played such a big part in my internship experience.

Some of my smaller achievements was what was seen in the classroom and how mental health and wellbeing in young kids is important to address and how something like a program and a few outdoor basketball sessions can make a great change in a kid’s life. An achievement in my internship was seeing all the kids experience the program and see the results during and at the end of the program. Another minor achievement was being able to organise my life around my internship and have a positive work life balance. A big achievement was being able to manage my contracted working hours at the hospital as well as complete my large amount of internship hours within a timely matter. Achievements in an organisation can create a large amount of motivation in the worker and can improve their strengths greatly (Van Yperen, & Orehek, 2014).

Some milestones also included working along alongside lots of different people each day and going to different schools throughout the week and presenting to them to cater to their needs. In multiple schools that I attended, there were a few kids with special needs in the classroom, which meant that we needed to adapt the program and how we taught the program to that child. It was great to be able to work one on one with some of these kids and work with them in identifying their emotions.

My main achievement throughout my internship was being offered a casual game day operations role with the phoenix. This was a massive achievement for me and something that I was extremely excited about. The operations role made me realise how much I loved being a part of the behind the scenes during a game and made me find one of the areas I would love to work in. Working my first shift in operation was terrifying seeing all the players around me and having to act calm and collected. I recently finished my last shift with the game day operations crew and the season ends for the phoenix. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that I was given to be a aprt of something so amazing.

Overall, I have been extremely proud of my achievements and milestones throughout my internship with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. I believe that although not all my achievements were big, they all made the experience one to remember.

Mike Kelly removed from game (ESPN, 2024)

Van Yperen, & Orehek, E. (2014). Achievement goals in the workplace: Conceptualization, prevalence, profiles, and outcomes. Journal of Economic Psychology, 38, 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2012.08.013