#Alf Joint

[laderniereseancedecedrique]

GOLDFINGER (1964)

James Bond enquête sur un milliardaire, Auric Goldfinger, pour une simple mission de surveillance. Mais l'adversaire va être cruellement sous-estimé et rien ne va se passer comme prévu.

[letterboxd-loggd]

The Sorcerers (1967) Michael Reeves

February 5th 2023

[kimgmac63]

Stuntmen Marc Boyle(doubling for Jeremy)and Alf Joint(Doubling for Eric Porter)at The Reichenbach Falls for The Final Problem.

[ofbakerst]

David Stuart Davies:

Michael Cox was determined to use this location to the full and show on screen Holmes and Moriarty's fall into the watery depths. Preparations for this stunt were considerable. Local workers were employed to swell the team of Granada technicians to help build the apparatus which was used to suspend and lower the stuntmen down the falls. It took five days to erect this structure and then tests were carried out with sandbags to judge its efficiency and safety. The first attempt saw the sandbags come to grief at the foot of the falls. Adjustments were made and further tests carried out, and one can only imagine the size of the butterflies which were rampaging through the plucky stuntmen's stomachs as the time for the take neared.

It was a large and costly gamble, but it worked brilliantly. Stuntmen Marc Boyle (Holmes) and Alf Joint (Moriarty) were each suspended by lengths of thin steel cable fixed to harnesses under their costumes and run from a specially constructed platform, hidden from view, at the top of the falls. When the cry for action came they were dropped into the foaming spray, spiralling and twisting and thrashing their arms about as though they were really falling. They were lowered at a speed of a little over 30 miles per hour, and Alf Joint reported that: 'It took about 25 seconds to make the fall. We fell about 375 feet and we were stopped by the wires.'

Then there was the painful winching back to safety to be endured. Wet and aching, the two stuntmen were met by Jeremy Brett, who cracked open a bottle of champagne in celebration of their courage and a stunt well done.

[double--hh]

Blabbing/Sharing some of my headcanoned personal info for the Neighbors <3

Roman Stilnsky: Mid 50s, immigrated from Russia in his mid 20's to find better work in the states, cis het, 5'8.

Lois Stilnsky: Mid 50s, southern girlie, has Epilepsy and Narcolepsy preventing her from working, met Roman from some friends :3, cis het, 4'11

Robertsky Peachman: Late 20's, Irish-American, Autistic, cis & bi, 6'5.

Albertsky Peachman: Late 20's, Irish-American, cis het, 5'11, dating Selenne.

Angus Ciprianni: Early 40s, immigrated from Italy before WWII broke out, has hip dysplasia, cis & bi, 5'7, dating Izaack & has something going with Nacha.

Elenois Sverchzt: Mid 20's, of German and Russian decent, cis & gay, 5'8.

Selenne Sverchzt: Mid 20's, of German and Russian decent, Autistic, cis & bi, 5'8, dating Albertsky.

Arnold Schmicht: Mid 40's, African American & Indian, cis het, 5'7.

Gloria Schmicht: Mid 40's, African-American, cis het, 5'6.

Izaack Gauss: Late 30's, immigrated from Germany as a kid, Bulimic and has a God complex, cis & gay, 6'3, dating Angus.

Margarette Bubbles: Late 40's, mid-wesern girlie, widowed & mother of Henry, cis & het, 5'4.

Nacha Mikaelys: Early 30's, immigrated from Mexico as a baby, has GAD, cis & bi, 5'7, has something going on with Angus.

Anastacha Mikaelys: 15, Mexican-American, has ADHD, cis & gay (has yet to realize), 4'11.

Mia Stone: Early 30's, Chinese-American, has Bipolar Depression, demi girl & bi, 5'7, has an open marriage.

Dr. W Afton: Mid 30's, Korean but born in England; immigrated from England as a toddler, has GAD, cis & bi, 5'9, has an open marriage.

Francis Mosses: Early 30's, north-eastern fella, has Insomnia and PTSD, cis & aro het, 5'10.

Steven Rudboys: Early 30's, Native American & American, agender & pan, 6'1.

McLooy Rudboys: Late 60's, southern boy, has PTSD and bad joints, cis het, 5'7.

Alf Cappuccin: Mid 60's, immigrated from England in his mid 30's, cis het, 4'10.

Rafttellyn Cappuccin: Early 60's, northern girlie, has Chronic Fatigue syndrome preventing her from working, met Alf when he was her lawyer, cis het, 5'5.

[zilabee]

Neil arrived at his door late at night with a carton of 12 boxes of cigarettes, a chunk of marijuana and some roll-up papers. “He asked me to make up some joints for the tour. To be honest I didn't really think about the consequences. Had I known how serious this was then, I'd never have agreed. Can you imagine what would have happened had I been caught?” Alf had his work cut out for him. He'd take each pack of 20, split open the cigarettes, add the hash and re-seal them into joints. For each pack of 20, an industrious Alf would replace the contents with 25 marijuana cigarettes. “I sat up practically all night rolling joints for the American tour. I made them all and then carefully placed them in the cartons. Then I got the cellophane I'd peeled off and wrapped it back around the packs. Then I'd use a warm iron to seal the packs, as if they hadn't been opened. “The next day I carried it to the airport under my arm. Neil had asked me to do it. I suppose in my own naive way I was happy to do it.” It was just another little Beatle chore. Little did he know that as a drug courier - carrying around hundreds of joints - he would have faced a lengthy spell inside if caught. In hindsight he is still a bit peeved that Aspinall didn't warn him of the terrible consequences, if he'd been busted. “In the 60s, can you imagine? I'd have probably been put away for 10 years," sighs Alf. "That's what always bugged me. He never said a thing. I'd have been in serious trouble. I've often wondered if he thought that was funny in a perverse way.”

On the way back into England Alf's case does get searched and contains the remaining few joints: “I'll never forget it, [the customs official] started flicking through my shirts and all these bits of joints were popping out everywhere. To my amazement he just looked at me for a second, flipped the case shut again and said 'OK'. There's no question about it, he knew what I was carrying but he let me go. To this day I'll never know why, but boy was I grateful.”)

Ticket to Ride, by Alasdair Ferguson and Alf Bicknell

[wiklm]

hi guys omg i have ocs!!! i have more but these are the ones i’m the most mentally ill about

introducing finnick (white hair!! my oc), alf (black hair w/ purple streaks!! close friend’s oc ) and aadhira (purple hair!! my oc + finnicks niece!!) the close friend and i share joint custody of all three of them. they are my sillies and i adore them so i’m here is all of the art i’ve made of them in the last couple months that i deem worthy of tumblr.com

they go in order from most recent to oldest!!!

[th3sp4rr0w]

Day Twenty-Two

A03 Link <- Starts at Chapter/Day One for those just joining us :))

Prompts For Day Twenty-Two Whipping/Punishment/Stress Position

Alt. Prompt For Day Twenty-Two Nerve Damage

Prompts Used for Day Twenty-Two Whipping, Punishment, Nerve Damage

Tw's; Dubious Medical Accuracy, Blood, Injury, General Child Death (I still have no idea how to tag that)

IMPORTANT; Tomorrow's chapter may be late. I'll try to keep you guys updated on this account :))

Chapter Twenty-Two under the cut :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he woke up, his wrist throbbed. He winced as he tried to sit up, looking at the new scars decorating his skin.

Robin was never supposed to be scared. Robin was supposed to be strong all the time. Laugh in the face of death and still come out the other side, kicking and screaming. That was easy to do when you’d always come out the other side.

As Jason Peter Todd-Wayne, he knew what it felt like to not be able to come out the other side. He’d been scared, but it was okay. He had the bat. Batman had already been too late once, but he couldn’t be late if he was right there, right? He’d had Nightwing and Alf. He had people in his corner, willing to back him up.

Cardinal was born because of their failings. Robin wasn’t supposed to be scared, but he was terrified; Jason was allowed to be paralyzed with fear if he wanted to be because he’d had everyone right there; all he had was another kid in his exact position.

If anything, this had reminded him of something he should’ve already had beaten into his skull; don’t trust anyone. Especially when they’re suspicious.

He failed that. He failed Phantom, and he failed himself. He felt like he failed Catherine.

He pulled his knees to his chest. His hand twitched and pulsated with pain.

He’d wanted to believe that Agent A was a victim. Looking back, it was obvious that it had been by design. The food, the water, the kindness; it had all been a ploy. He supposed he could understand it. Nobody wanted to think a kind person who said pretty words and talked about how mean the others were with you was going to betray you like that.

He’d invented this whole story in his head; that she’d been down on her luck, she had kids, never spoken about a partner. He figured she was a single mother. Needed a nice, cushy government job to raise them comfortably and ended up working with ghosts because it sounded ridiculous; wanted out, now, but couldn’t go knowing there were more people willing to take her spot as soon as she left. Stayed because she wanted to help.

Batman, what felt like years ago now, had taught him that interrogation technique. People are wired to fill in the blanks of an incomplete picture; if you drop little puzzle pieces, they don’t notice the big ones you're holding close. They fill in those parts of the picture on their own. It’s remarkable, really. They don’t even realize they’re being fed bullshit until the after taste hits their tongue. It tasted like defeat and regret.

A particularly stabbing pain made itself known from his elbow all the way down his thumb. It got intense around his joints. He hissed and clutched the offending arm close.

He should’ve died. A shock like that should’ve left him little more than a vegetable. He’d already figured his ghost part protected him from the bulk of it, but the rest should’ve been healed by now. He considered asking Phantom about it.

The other boy lay on the floor. He didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t ask. Living in the same small room together, you started craving privacy; he figured this was his way of asking for space. He’d contemplated crawling into the cupboard before but decided against it in case he was caught by an agent and decided he’d interacted with his surroundings wrong or something and punished him.

What was taking so long? He may not be a damsel in distress, but he was a bat that needed back up. The longest it had ever taken Nightwing to get rescued was a few days, and that was largely because the big bat had been in space and didn’t want anyone to move in until he was there to help. It was mostly because Nightwing developed a tendency to go off on his own and come back 10x more traumatized than he’d left and Batman wanted to provide some sort of emotional support (as much as Batman could be), but still. He’d been there within a few days.

He wasn’t jealous or anything. He was just concerned. If the Bat couldn’t figure out where they were, and soon, then...

He looked over at Phantom. His wrist ached again.

What would it mean for them? They’d eventually either have to escape or die here. They were already working on the first one, but the second was rapidly approaching. If they went full ghost after, they might have a shot of getting out, but they’d already kept them this long. If they went full ghost mode, then they’d probably cut their chances in half. Then, once they ended them for good...

Nothing. Bye. That’s it.

It’s not that he’d already given up. He didn’t want to die, if for no other reason than for spite. Who the fuck were these people to come along and just decide a whole different species is just not sentient anymore? Fuck that. But he also wasn’t optimistic.

He knew that whatever was keeping him alive right now was fading. He could feel it in every little cell in his body; it was like feeling your heart slowly stop bleeding and knowing there’s nothing you can do to fix it. It was terrifying. He suspected Phantom felt it too, after everything.

They didn’t have enough in them to make it out of another fight, not with these people. Their only chance was to run.

But they weren’t ready. He’d made some progress with the collar, but not much; Phantom had been much more successful in that front. He didn’t think they’d be able to get far if they rushed them. He supposed it could work if they were the only three here, but they constantly had people helping out during experiments. It wouldn’t be long before everyone who’d ever helped before was called in to help again, and they’d be right back where they started but worse.

He closed his eyes, trying to breathe through the pain. Different techniques that had been drilled into his head popped up, demanding attention until he realized it wasn’t working and he switched tactics. It was like someone had started touching the nerve itself, gripping it and twisting. It made him squirm, taking over his whole thought process for several minutes. Who could think though this sort of pain?

Eventually, it calmed down on its own. He had little pinpricks of sweat dotted on his forehead; that had sucked. That had sucked hard and he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do that again. What was that, exactly?

He looked down at Phantom, who was still lying on the floor for... unknown reasons. He was going to leave him be for a few more minutes, but he hadn’t moved since the last time Cardinal had checked on him. He... should, right? That was what people did when someone’s on the floor and they haven’t moved?

He slid down and off the cot, next to the other boy, He made his way to the floor, looking at him from where he’d sat down. He could see tear tracks on the boy’s cheeks, his eyelashes fluttering with sleep. When he reached a hand outwards, he could feel warm puffs of hair against his hand. He looked at him fondly for a few more minutes.

His heart ached. When he’d first found out that he had a twin, he hadn’t been interested. He had Nightwing, and he supposed Batgirl counted too. He had the baby bird, who was delightfully unhinged in the way only a baby brother could be. He was fine; he didn’t need any more siblings. But right here?

He couldn’t imagine what his life had been like before Phantom. Memories wrapped around themselves, trying to remember where the boy had been. It was like they couldn’t comprehend a life without him. Imagining the future was much the same; no matter how hard he tried to imagine it, Phantom was always by his side.

This is what that looked like, right? Being by someone’s side no matter what. He had a suspicion that Phantom could probably leave whenever he wanted to by now. He’d been training his collar pretty hard. But he stuck by his side. He couldn’t comprehend it most days; most other people would have turned tail and ran by now.

The other boy started blinking awake, yawning and bringing his hand up to wipe his eye. He watched him as he did so, resisting the urge to tuck his hand in his hair.

He loved his family; all his family. Affection had been something he’d struggled with for a while. He’d gone from a caretaker that was full of gentle touches and temple kisses to being wary of anyone walking within touching distance to being in the manor, where a pat on the shoulder was pretty much it unless it’s Nightwing they were talking about or something bad had happened, all within a few years. It was jarring. Sometimes his body didn’t know whether to tense to run or to stay relaxed.

He’d never had that problem with Phantom. The circumstances were not ideal, it’s true, but it just came easy when he was with the boy. Maybe it was a twin thing and maybe it was a ghost thing, but for whatever reason, they just seemed to click.

Phantom stretched, looking at Cardinal with half-lidded eyes. “What’s uh... mmm, what’s goin’ on?”

He looked at him. “Nothing much. I only just woke up myself when I noticed you were on the flo-oOor-”

His left came forwards to grasp his right. He hissed in pain as Phantom started up to fuss over him.

He grabbed his wrist, looking over it. He rubbed along the scars. “Can you outstretch your hand for me?” He asked softly.

He tried. It was like the fingers had a sudden rebellion, refusing to outstretch like he’d demanded. The other boy looked at him and rubbed his flesh. It didn’t help the pain, but at least he knew he wasn’t alone.

“I think the electricity damaged your nerve,” he said quietly. “I go through the same thing,” he added, holding up his left hand.

Cardinal stretched out his right arm, bumping the other boys hand against his one. “At least you damaged your left,” he said.

Phantom snorted. “If I had to damage either of my hands, I would’ve preferred my right. I’m left-handed.”

Cardinal laughed with him. “Somewhere, somebody is laughing their ass off at us,” he said.

“Oh, undoubtedly,” he said. He started popping his knuckles, one by one, “We both damage our writing hands in the same way almost exactly a year apart? That’s wild.”

He hummed. “If we get anymore freaky shit like that here I’m suing,” he joked.

“Honestly, I think we should,” he said lowly. “We’re young and cute enough the court would probably eat this up,” he pondered.

Cardinal thought about it. “My adoptive father is an A-list celebrity,” he said, equally quiet. “We’d probably be able to do it.”

The other boys eyes lit up. “We could destroy them mentally one at a time until they’re nothing but a shell of their former selves!”

He leaned away from him slightly. “We could totally do that, buddy, but you’re scaring me a bit,” he said, amusement evident in his voice.

He looked back up at him, a somewhat manic gleam in his eyes. “I run off of spite and caffeine, dude. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had caffeine? I was supposed to get a coffee after I met with the spirit of Gotham and got kidnapped by your brother instead. Then I got kidnapped by the GIW.”

“Oh my god-”

“I know!”

Cardinal looked at him for a moment. “They’re never going to let us out of their sight again,” he said. “Batman’s going to put me on a fucking leash-”

Phantom laughed brightly. “That’s fine. My older sister will absolutely join him. Think they’ll take us on walks together?”

He startled out a laugh. “As long as they don’t start feeding us off the floor- do you want food?”

He snorted. “Sure- what do you want?”

He hummed. “Something with protein.”

He chucked some sort of protein poptart at him. He tore into it the wrapper with his teeth, eventually gaining access to the sweet treat. He took a bite.

It wasn’t bad. It definitely wasn’t a poptart, but it was something with a decent amount of protein, and it was poptart-adjacent. It was good enough.

Phantom sighed as he looked in the cabinet. “Man,” he started, “I would kill for some zesti.”

Cardinal laughed. “No fuckin’ way,” he said. “Nightwing drinks that shit. I swear it’s going to come out one day that they put addictive chemicals in the crap.”

“You know what? It could have the same dark secret as slurm and I’d still drink it. I’d debate it-”

“The fuck is slurm?” He wrinkled his nose.

“Fucking- you remember Futurama?”

“OH- that stupid show ‘Wing watches?”

“I guess? Anyways- one of the episodes they figure out the drink the main character drinks all the time is slug-”

“Nope. Don’t, I know what you’re talking about. You’d fucking drink that, what is wrong with you?!”

He watched as the other boy laughed, coming out of the cabinet with some water. “Look-”

“Don’t ‘look’ me as if-”

“Dude, it’s good. Just trust me.”

“Nightwing’s made me try it, I do not trust you. You’re all going to get some horrible disease and I fear I’ll get it too just from that sip.”

“Stop,” he wheezed.

“This isn’t funny, you have a problem-”

“I only overdosed on caffeine ONE time!”

“You did what-”

He laughed. Cardinal vaguely wondered how it would sound if they were out. If they weren’t on the floor of some government facility, trying to survive some shit that sounds like the plot of one of Nightwing’s shitty shows.

He took a deep breath. He looked away.

He might’ve picked up a few dramatics, but hey, he earned it. This was a situation to be dramatic about.

Phantom looked at him. “Hey, what’s up?"

He tried not to look like he was some damsel looking for her husband that had gone off to war. “I just... I’m missing my family right now.”

Phantom nodded, coming up beside him. He noticed his left hand was cramped up at his side. “I get it,” he said softly. “I miss my family, too.”

He put his leg over Phantom’s. For whatever reason, it soothed something inside him to be linked in some way. He assumed it was a ghost thing.

“What’s the psychiatrist like?” He asked.

Phantom got an easy grin on his face. “She’s bossy. And she keeps trying to psycho-analyze strangers at the grocery store when she notices they’re buying a different milk than usual, because she’s the psychiatrist and she notices that type of thing. She slightly loses her head in a stressful situation, but the second anybody, especially me, Ellie, or any of my friends are in trouble, she’s a total badass. One time she noticed I was getting hurt on patrol and followed me out there with nothing but a thermos and a pipedream.”

“No gear?” Cardinal asked.

Phantom snorted. “Nope. Not even a good pair of boots; she wore her flats.”

“Oh my god.”

He smiled fondly. “Yeah. She burns water in the kitchen; one time she tried to make pancake mix batter and, even though you don’t need to do anything except add water, it had unmixed baking soda in it.”

“You’re fucking kidding,” he replied, looking at Phantom in slack-jawed horror.

“Nope,” he laughed. “But she’s my sister. I love her. And she’s good at a million other things. I honestly believe that she’ll be able to tame Arkham, if for no other reason than she wants to try. She’s really smart, dude, and I think she could do it.”

Cardinal whistled. “What about the Joker?”

“She’s already said she refuses to work with him in particular,” he said immediately. “She said she wants to help those that want to be, and Joker’s more akin to a ghost now. I can tell he’s been brought back a couple times, right?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, he’s... he’s too far gone. J says there’s a certain point where there’s really no coming back from the damage you’ve caused, and that fucker passed it a long time ago. She also says that considering the damage he’s done to previous psychologists, they need to stop trying.”

Cardinal nodded. “Your sister’s pretty smart.”

He smiled. “Yeah, she is. What about Nightwing? What’s he like?”

He got quiet. “He’s... I think he’s angry. Not at me, I don’t think it was ever really about me. But I think Batman didn’t do everything he should’ve with ‘Wing. He’s sensitive, and always has been. I don’t think that Batman knew how to be a dad yet, and trying to figure it out as he went along wasn’t really the best thing to do. I think I’m supposed to forgive him for being angry and taking it out on me. I mean, that’s what they always say, right?”

“Dude, if you’re not ready to forgive him, don’t. He might be doing better now, but you deserved to be protected all along. Especially since he knew how Batman was.”

He sighed. “I know. I just... he is doing better now. He checks in with me, asks how my day went, treats me like I’m his brother. I don’t want to ruin that. I like what we have going on and I’m so worried that I’m gonna screw it up.”

He hummed. “I’ll help you figure it out. It’s okay to be angry, redbird.”

He snorted. “That’s sticking now?”

He smiled at him. “Why not?”

He gave a soft smile of his own. “Yeah. Why not? But um, to answer your question. I think Nightwing would burn the world down if he thought it’d keep me safe. I think growing up with Batman does irreversible shit to anyone’s psyche, so we all have a funny way of showing we care, but I think he does. Always did. He doesn’t like admitting it, but he’d probably set himself on fire to keep everyone else warm.”

“What do you mean?”

“In a way, I think he might’ve been trying to protect me by staying away.”

“That’s dumb as shit,” Phantom replied, deadpan. “How would-”

“He’s... I don’t want to call him dumb but he’s fucking stupid. He can solve just about any puzzle you put in front of him, but he’ll still convince himself he hasn’t done anything for the community. He solved, like, 7 cases of Batman’s while he was sick and injured one week and cried because he couldn’t follow up in the field.”

“Do you think we could manipulate him into getting therapy?”

He paused. “Maybe?”

Phantom snorted. “It really sounds like all of you need it, dude.”

“Look who’s talking Mr. I Died In My Parent’s Basement.”

“Okay, so we could all benefit from a session.”

“Alf’s gonna love you,” he said, shaking his head. “He’s been teaming up with Canary to get Bat and ‘Wing into therapy for years.”

He grinned. “I want it on the record that if I didn’t know my sister and what she’d say about this very well, I probably wouldn’t have said anything.”

He grinned. “I- oh, ow, oh my god, what was that-”

Phantom dropped his smile, looking over the other boy. “What’s wrong, what happened-”

“Pain- ow-”

“In the recent wound or the old ones?”

“Like- legs and shit, ow-”

Phantom winced. “Okay, just breathe through it,” he said, beginning to rub his back and lay him down. “It’s your death wound acting up, you’re gonna be fine-”

“Death wound?!”

“It’s okay!” He said, putting his hands in front of him. “They act up during important events and things. You’re gonna be okay,” he said, starting to pet his hair. “It’s going to suck, and you might scream a little bit but you’re going to be okay by the end, I promise.”

He looked up at Phantom. He trusted him completely.

Maybe it was dumb, especially after everything he’d gone though. He... he still wanted to believe victims.

Out of everything they’d taken from him, he didn’t want this to be one. People deserved to be believed. At the end of the day, he might not be Robin, but the one thing he never wanted to lose was the trust he had with the people they saved. He didn’t want to be the type of person to doubt every detail of the story. That wasn’t how he was raised.

Catherine wouldn’t have wanted that for him.

He breathed through it, Phantom helping him. Eventually, he calmed down.

They didn’t go back to talking. They sat there, just going through the motions. He drank water. Phantom eventually ate something. They didn’t speak for a long time. They didn’t need to.

It was the moments of waiting that felt the hardest. The not knowing, the exhaustion, the uncertainty. He had no idea what was going to break first; if he’d crack and give in, giving these assholes exactly what they wanted and cracking under the pressure of being the perfect prisoner, or if they were going to snap over nothing and kill them. That was what they were gearing up to, right?

Even if they mentally broke them and brainwashed them into the perfect soldiers, they’d never be trusted. They could never look at them and say, honestly, that they didn’t think they’d run given the chance. Their options had always been escape, rescue, or death. With every passing hour, it looked more like death was the only option.

He still didn’t know why being a ghost was so bad. What had they ever done to anyone to deserve this sort of fate? It’s not like they’d ever done anything wrong outside of their own raw need for survival. He normally agreed with Bruce’s rule, but there are a few exceptions he’d be willing to make. These people?

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull the trigger, but God if he wasn’t tempted. He wondered if Nightwing would do it if he asked.

He scolded himself. Nightwing... he was going through something. He could see it in his eyes. The way he carried himself and the dark circles under his eyes. He was deep into... something and he wasn’t sure if he should ask this of him.

“Jason, sweetheart, I want you to promise me something,” she’d said.

Her 9-year-old looked up at her. “Yes, mommy?”

Some of the other kids picked on him for continuing to call his mom ‘mommy’. He didn’t care. She was sick and he loved her.

He’d do anything she asked.

“If it ever comes down to you, or someone else, I want you to choose yourself.”

He’d been confused. “What?”

“Someday,” she’d said, carding her gentle fingers through his hair, “Someone’s going to want to hurt you. And they won’t stop at anything to do it. It’ll come down to a decision; them, or you. I want you to choose you. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

The memory tore its way through his brain. He’d forgotten about that day.

He hadn’t known what she meant then. Even though he’d been far from innocent as a nine-year-old, entirely against his will, he hadn’t known. But he was 15 now, 16 that August.

He sure as fuck knew now.

… He’d never disobeyed a big order like this from Bruce. The thought made his stomach sour. But.

Isn’t that the thing? There’s always a ‘but’ involved.

These people would stop at nothing to hurt them. They’d stop at nothing to kill him if given the chance. It was something he was now painfully intimately aware of.

It’s such an awful feeling, knowing that one day, you didn’t come back home the same. He’d been avoiding processing it fully for Phantom’s sake, but it ripped something out from him now. Was this how Nightwing felt that night? When he’d shown up, uniform ripped, something unidentifiable in his eyes and sat on the couch, staring at nothing for hours? Sobbing in Batman’s, no, his dad’s  arms?

How had he gotten through it? How would he, so far from home? He swallowed, hard.

He was not Jason Todd. He was not Robin. He was Cardinal, and he was totally in control of this situation. That’s what he had to keep telling himself.

He was totally in control of the situation. He could have whatever crisis he needed to about it later. Right now, he needed to keep a level head and focus on Phantom.

He looked over at the other boy. He could still feel pain rocking down his body, nearly overwhelming him. If he hadn’t been trained by the best of the best, he probably wouldn’t have been able to breathe through it. The bat himself would’ve been better at it, but he still wasn’t half-bad.

Phantom looked at him like he’d just watched him do something impressive. It didn’t feel very impressive, but he smiled at him regardless.

“Dude,” he whispered. “You gotta show me how to do that.”

He laughed a bit. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

They’d finished their food and water. Cardinal shoved the empty bottles into his hoodie pocket for later, shoving the wrappers back into the cabinet. It was getting to be uncomfortable just how routine it felt.

The keys jingled shortly after. Just a bathroom break.

One of the agents that would be called in if they thought they needed to be held down took them to the bathroom. The usual crowd of lower levels were there, looking at them and waving. They never tried to speak to them; they couldn’t, or they’d be yelled at. But they always waved, and usually-

One of them pressed something into Phantom’s hand. He smiled at them, mouthed thank you, and kept walking. Cardinal himself felt something being slipped into his hoodie. He looked up at the person who did so. He winked, pressing his finger to his lips.

Out of all of them, they thought they were the coolest here. He wasn’t willing to trust them; they were still working for the GIW. But, in a weird way, he thought they were being more genuine than Agent A was.

They went into the bathroom, did what they needed to in the stalls, then walked out to the sinks. It was vaguely unsanitary, but now more than ever they trusted the water from the bathroom more than any unsealed bottles Agent A stuck in the cabinet. She’d already shown her true colors. He didn’t care that she was ‘concerned’ afterwards.

Going back was also an uneventful affair. Phantom had started letting out pulses of ectoplasm after they came back to kill any bugs they planted- it was actually really nice, not being worried about whether or not they’d missed one. He was still vaguely concerned, however, that they were going to come back one day and find them in the ceiling. He really needed to learn to control his powers so they could move the stash somewhere.

No. He needed to learn how to use his powers so they could escape.

They hadn’t dared look to their prizes until they were safely back in the room. Phantom had some candy- Cardinal had a note with a single word.

“Soon."

It was dated June 4 th . They had no idea what it meant. It wasn’t signed. Was June 4 th the date today? Was it a date in the future? Had it already passed?

He had no idea. He wasn’t used to having no idea. He took a deep breath.

If the note was any indication, he’d find out... soon. He could live with that.

Phantom got his passion project out of the ceiling. He’d done a remarkable job on it so far; it only needed a few more finishing touches.

“Cardinal,” he was holding it up. “We can’t shoot it in here, for obvious reasons,” he rolled his eyes, “But this is yours. If I bond it to my ectoplasm, you won’t be able to use it. I’m not opposed, but I wanted to give you the option.”

He nodded. He took the gun. He stared at the little connector that had recently ruined his life. “What do I do?”

He hooked it to his wrist, being gentle and watching his reactions. He pressed a button.

The whole thing started glowing green. “Okay,” he said quietly, “You need to keep that connected for a bit, so it can get used to you. If you need a break or to disconnect it, press this button-” he pointed to the button in question- “First. If you don’t, you might mess the whole thing up. That, obviously, is not good.”

He nodded. “And I just pull the trigger and it goes off? How do I cock it?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know who designed this initially, but it’s pretty advanced. You don’t need to cock it; it doesn’t even have a safety on it.” He rolled his eyes, exasperated. ��It’s like they wanted this thing to go off on a random Tuesday. No wonder it was abandoned; the whole design is unsafe.”

“But it’s the best we’ve got.”

He got quiet. “Yeah. It’s the best we got.”

They were quiet. Phantom checked over the gun on occasion, and eventually deemed it ready to go. They stuck it safely back into the ceiling, along with the note and the candy. No sooner were his feet on the ground did the jingle of keys catch their attention.

Agent V stormed in. “You unpicked his stitches,” she said dangerously.

He looked at her. “What?”

“I stitched that one’s-” she pointed at Jason, “Mouth shut yesterday. And now it’s undone. Why?”

“Because I wasn’t going to do anything and there was a scalpel sitting there? Why does it matter, his blood-”

“Shut up! You had no right to do that!”

“Didn’t I?” He asked, baffled.

“You do not take that tone with me, do you hear me, maggot? You do as I say, or you don’t do anything at all!”

“What did I do wrong here?! You never said I couldn’t take out his stitches-”

She stalked forwards, grabbing him and pulling him up. “You things are so fucking needy. You wanna know what we do too needy? I’ll fucking show you.”

“You can’t-!”

“Shut up, dog, unless you want to get punished, too,” she growled. He looked at him, still gripping Phantom’s shirt. She looked at Cardinal for a few more moments. “Get up,” she demanded.

He did as she said. He was tempted to hit her, but she beat him to it.

She stepped forwards and slapped him, her hand landing right over his ear, hard. As much as he tried not to be afraid, the loud ‘Pop!’ and the rush of blood terrified him.

He fell to the floor. Phantom looked at him with wide eyes.

Before either of them realized what her intention was, she had Phantom out of the room. He tried to run forwards to follow them, but they were already out the door. She had replaced the locks. He could hear Phantom still screaming obscenities, Agent A making threats. He was terrified of what was about to happen. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

He thought of what his mom said. He thought of the note.

… If he weren’t curious about the note and its contents, he’d be planning their escape for tonight. He would’ve thought it sounded sinister if it weren't for the group that wrote it. He didn’t trust them, but you know what they say. Satisfaction resurrects cats killed my curiosity, and all that. Besides, he knew they couldn’t live like this. Sooner or later, and he had a feeling it’d be sooner, something would give, and they’d never be able to get it back. He had the sickening feeling that he knew they wouldn’t be able to escape on their own.

Waiting was hell. Both for ‘soon’ to happen and for Phantom to come back, because he had to come back. A million different thoughts ran through his head. His right ear was weird, and he couldn’t hear out of his left at all. It was like someone had shoved some earplugs into him. He felt bile rising in his throat at the thought.

Before he knew it, Phantom was thrown back into the room. His shirt was off and bundled in his arms. He had tears and snot in his eyes. His back looked like someone had whipped him, over and over again like a broken record.

They said nothing. They didn’t need to. It was obvious enough what had happened, and it was obvious he was embarrassed about it.

He took down the first aid kit, cleaning his back methodically. He hadn’t dressed the wounds yet when they heard more keys and footsteps. They halfway expected Agent A to be there to ‘care’ about them. Instead, they found Agent J with new clothes, ordering the pair to follow them to take a shower.

They went obediently. Cardinal helped Phantom walk, and when they got to the shower, he helped carefully wash his back a bit more thoroughly, taking his time to avoid the lacerations and cuts that had formed. When they got out, their shoes and his gloves, masks, and belt were still there, along with the new clothes. Nothing was missing out of his belt; he assumed that they assumed he didn’t have it on. He put on the red sleeveless hoodie over his belt, along with the tighter-fitting black sweats. Phantom threw on a gray hoodie with blue, loose sweats.

When they got back to the room, Cardinal methodically dressed Phantom’s wounds and tried to talk to him.

If something really was happening soon, they needed to be prepared. They made a mental list of things they can carry on them. Phantom grabbed everything out of the hidey hole that he could. Cardinal stuffed his belt to the gills with food and medical supplies stolen from the kit, the gun and dull baterang in the pocket on his left. He watched Phantom stick the journals in his torso; he was slightly jealous. That was so cool.

He smiled as best as he could. He could tell Phantom was tired. He was, too.

Being here was like having your soul sucked out of you. He could feel it in every moment he spent worrying about the future, worrying about their present, if they were going to survive. They were so tired of surviving.

Soon. That could mean so many things.

He closed his eyes and thought of Batman. He’d already done everything he possibly could to ensure Cardinal’s survival. He wouldn’t just throw him away the moment he made a questionable decision. Breathe in. Breathe out.

… Nightwing was likely going to burn this place to the ground, though. He was going to help him.

He’d waited this long to see what would happen. They were so close. Being impatient now could wreck everything they had built.

He focused on Phantom, making sure he was as comfortable as they could get him on the cot. He handed him a bottle of water and a snack, telling him to eat it.

He asked for the red journal. Living with the bat definitely damaged your psyche in some way; he began making contingencies, different plans for different scenarios. They didn’t have much to work with.

They had enough. They had a gun. They had each other. They had the information they’d overheard from the group of lower ranked agents and from passing conversation between the agents.

They got this. They had to have this. The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how serious this all was. This wasn’t just them they were talking about; what if there were more people like this? Ones they didn’t know about? The pits were everywhere; they could have created more people like him.

Their quality of life mattered. All the ghost’s lives mattered. At this point, he didn’t care for the motivations of mad men. This was a genocide. And it was the hero’s job to stop it.

Could he even be considered a hero anymore?

[dzthenerd490]

File: Casper the Friendly Ghost

SCP#: AGF

Code Name: Casper, the Friendly Ghost

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-AGF is allowed to roam freely within Site-AA and often makes for good conversation with Foundation staff. Similar to SCP-ALF, he has unlimited access to common areas of Site-AA. Though unlike other anomalies allowed to wander freely he is simply told to stay away from restricted areas. Unlike other anomalies he has proven to be trustworthy and never disobeys Foundation law. 

In the event of a containment breach SCP-AGF has proven as a great ally in finding missing personnel and escorting them to the nearest and safest area. As such it is essential every Foundation staff member maintains a good relationship with him. If any Foundation staff have a bad relationship with SCP-AGF they are to be transferred to another Foundation site immediately. There are no exceptions.

Description: SCP-AGF is a ghost class anomaly with the unusual ability to be semi-transparent to the naked eye and be able to interact with any physical object. It should be noted it is possible for other ghost class anomalies to achieve this, but they normally need an "anchor" of some kind first. How SCP-AGF has so much spiritual power without needing any kind of assistance or being metaphysically no different to the average ghost is unknown.

SCP-AGF is able to phase through walls, possess objects as if they are his body, and make objects levitate like a normal ghost. However, unlike a normal ghost SCP-AGF is able to eat anything, change his shape without limitations, and even has a purifying touch on demons he encounters. How it's possible for a ghost anomaly to have an anomalous ability that's normally lethal to ghost anomalies is unknown. 

SCP-AGF was discovered in 1945 thought he wasn't contained until 1960. SCP-AGF was originally in the captivity of several vile and trickster ghosts that tried to make SCP-AGF evil. Why they wanted to achieve this is unknown. Thankfully the Horizon Initiative and the Global Occult Coalition had several joint operations over the years to exercise and exterminate these hostile entities. Unfortunately, after they were done, they tried to get SCP-AGF as well thinking he deserved the same fate. One HI exorcist however met with SCP-AGF and sympathized with him. Against the councils orders he helped SCP-AGF get into Foundation custody for protection.

The exorcist and SCP-AGF helped show off SCP-AGF's anomalous abilities while also showing he was not a threat of any kind. As such, when the exorcist left, the Foundation helped cover for his disappearance to the HI. The Foundation also agreed to protect SCP-AGF form the GOC.

SCP-AGF has proven to be very loyal to the Foundation and even values all forms of life especially human life. Every time during a containment breach SCP-AGF has saved lives by directing Foundation staff where to go and how to avoid hostile SCP's. SCP-AGF is even has a friendly relationship with SCP-ALF as they often have breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner, and desert together. SCP-AGF has also proven helpful in testing with paranormal based containment and weaponry. But of course, Foundation staff are forbidden form doing anything that will harm SCP-AGF even if slightly. 

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[ultimate-007]

GOLDFINGER 1964

James Bond (Sean Connery) and Capungo (Alf Joint)

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2003: The Scoreboard

The one thing this year that isn't made out of modelling clay is the scoreboard. It's yellow and green, yes, but the lines are rigid and there are no flowers anywhere to be seen. It's less curvy that 2002 even though it's ensconced in the sweep of a huge yellow arch.

When we are introduced to the spokespersons, the clay and the flowers return. The contrast between the soft, non-computer generated graphics - even in 2003 highly unusual - and the spreadsheet of the scoreboard is incongruous. The colour are drawn from a different palate. It feels like trying to animated the scoreboard was a step too far and they had to go with plan B. Somewhere in the archives of LTV I'm sure there's a proof-of-concept tape with a fully clay animated scoreboard somewhere.

2003 Spoilers below - watch out if you haven't seen it and I really recommend watching this one...

2003 is one of the all-time classic voting sequences. It's enhanced by the investment of the entire watching audience specifically wanting one of the songs not to win. Belgium, Türkiye and Russia go head to head, swapping positions at the top of the scoreboard over the course of the vote. Every time Russia get points, there are boos and cheers for the other two. Another delightful wrinkle is that the two other countries would have been relegated this year if the EBU had stuck to their initial decisions.

With two countries left, Türkiye are in third on 149 points, Russia on 150 points with Belgium having their lead eroded but still 12 points clear on 162. Technically any of those three can still do it.

Then Sweden blank Belgium. And then they only give Russia 2. Türkiye get 8. Türkiye move up to second, five points behind, Russia are ten points behind, seeing their chances recede.

Slovenia are the last country giving points and the tension builds throughout the poorly time cringe of Slovenia's spokesperson Peter Poles's jokey disappearance from the screen. When he returns to deliver the points, he kills off Russia's chance almost immediately by giving Belgium three points. But Türkiye can still do it and the crowds murmuring audibly increases as he approaches the bigger points. When Peter announces that Slovenia give Türkiye ten points and thus confirm the shock come from behind victory by two points for Türkiye, no one notices that they give Russia 12 and thus they're only a single point behind Belgium in third.

All of this is heightened by having the entire green room not only fully in view of the cameras but in front of the whole audience in the Skonto Hall. It's truly one of the best scoring sequences ever. Unless you're Belgian.

Or from the UK. Famously, this is the contest when not only do the UK finish last for the first time ever, but also end up with that rarest of scores, zero points. As their are 26 entries for the first time, the UK are now the only country to have ever finished as low as 26th in the Eurovision Song Contest. This results shock the whole UK so badly that it took two decades for the country to come to terms with it.

The last note is that two separate point ties this year, one for 8th place between Iceland and Spain and one for 11th place between Ireland and Germany.

That full final table:

Türkiye - Sertab Erener - "Everyway That I Can" - 167 points

Belgium - Urban Trad - "Sanomi" - 165 points

Russia - t.A.T.u - "Ne ver', ne boysia" - 164 points

Norway - Jostein Hasselgård - "I'm Not Afraid to Move On" - 123 points

Sweden - Fame - "Give Me Your Love" - 107 points

Austria - Alf Poier - "Weil der Mensch zählt" - 101 points

Poland - Ich Troje - "Keine Grenzen – Żadnych granic" - 90 points

Iceland - Birgitta - "Open Your Heart" - 81 points

Spain - Beth - "Dime" - 81 points (joint 8th)

Romania - Nicola - "Don't Break My Heart" - 73 points

Ireland - Mickey Harte - "We've Got the World" - 53 points

Germany - Lou - "Let's Get Happy" - 53 points (joint 11th)

Netherlands - Esther Hart - "One More Night" - 45 points

Ukraine - Olexandr - "Hasta la vista" - 30 points

Croatia - Claudia Beni - "Više nisam tvoja" - 29 points

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Mija Martina - "Ne brini" - 27 points

Greece - Mando - "Never Let You Go" - 25 points

France - Louisa Baïleche - "Monts et merveilles" - 19 points

Israel - Lior Narkis - "Words for Love" - 17 points

Cyprus - Stelios Constantas - "Feeling Alive" - 15 points

Estonia - Ruffus - "Eighties Coming Back" - 14 points

Portugal - Rita Guerra - "Deixa-me sonhar" - 13 points

Slovenia - Karmen - "Nanana" - 7 points

Latvia - F.L.Y. - "Hello from Mars" - 5 points

Malta - Lynn Chircop - "To Dream Away" - 4 points

United Kingdom - Jemini - "Cry Baby" - 0 points

[industrynewsupdates]

U.S. Assisted Living Facility Market Size, Trends, Statistics and Analysis, 2030

The U.S. assisted living facility market size was valued at USD 91.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.53% from 2023 to 2030. 

Major factor driving the market growth is the growing geriatric population seeking companionship, security, and assistance with daily activities, are residing in ALFs. The rise in the geriatric population due to increased life expectancy is expected to grow rapidly in the future. According to National Institute on Aging (NIA), globally, around 8.5% of the population is aged 65 and above. As per data published by Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 years & above is projected to reach 95 million by 2060, from 52 million in 2018.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the U.S. Assisted Living Facility Market

The rise in the geriatric population due to increased life expectancy is expected to grow rapidly in the future. According to National Institute on Aging (NIA), globally, around 8.5% of the population is aged 65 and above. As per data published by Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 years & above is projected to reach 95 million by 2060, from 52 million in 2018.

Technological developments for ALFs are expected to propel its U.S. market. The development of sophisticated & easy-to-use devices and services, such as Internet-enabled home monitors, telemedicine, and apps for mobile health, is likely to boost the market over the forecast period.

U.S. Assisted Living Facility Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the U.S. assisted living facility market report based on age and region:

Age Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030)

• More than 85

• 75-84

• 65-74

• Less than 65

Region Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2030)

• West

• South

• Midwest

• Northeast

Browse through Grand View Research's Medical Devices Industry Research Reports.

• The global pulsed field ablation market size was estimated at USD 116.6 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 37.7% from 2024 to 2030.

• The global retinal imaging devices market size was estimated at USD 3.74 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR 7.9% from 2024 to 2030.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The U.S. market for the assisted living facility is consolidated with a presence of a few large and various medium & small service providers. Sunrise Senior Living, Brookdale Senior Living, and Kindred Healthcare, LLC are some of the established ALF providers in the U.S. Service providers are taking initiatives such as the construction of new facilities to strengthen their market presence. For instance, in January 2021, Kindred Healthcare, LLC and Tampa General Hospital initiated the construction of a joint rehabilitation facility as per their joint venture in May 2020.

Some of the key players in the U.S. assisted living facility market include:

• Kindred Healthcare, LLC

• Brookdale Senior Living Inc.

• Sunrise Senior Living, LLC

• Atria Senior Living, Inc.

• Five Star Senior Living

• Capital Senior Living

• Merrill Gardens

• Integral Senior Living (ISL)

• Belmont Village, L.P.

• Gardant Management Solutions 

Order a free sample PDF of the U.S. Assisted Living Facility Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research. 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Could the Communists make an electoral breakthrough at the Lakehead in 1926? The CLP [Canadian Labour Party] leadership was drawn exclusively from Southern Ontario, but within the Lakehead region the party had such high-profile supporters as William Bryan…. In the days leading up to the [federal] election, however, the simmering unrest in the lumber camps in Northwestern Ontario erupted in a series of strikes. According to Ian Radforth, “preparation had begun in the summer, when joint meetings of Wobbly and LWIUC [Lumber Workers Industrial Union of Canada] camp delegates met to decide on wage demands.” Following the rejection of the workers’ demands by a number of companies, a “test of strength ensued.” From newspaper interviews and reports, Alf Hautamäki and Bryan appear to have been the strike leaders, representing a joint LWIUC and IWW [Industrial Workers of the World] committee. When the strikes finally ended eight weeks later, over thirty companies and 3,000 men across Northwestern Ontario had been embroiled in the conflict. In the Thunder Bay District, roughly 2,500 workers had been involved, with protests occurring both in the twin cities and in the camps.

While the sheer number of participants makes the strike stand out, it was also a pivotal moment for the nature of socialism in the region. Described as “almost unique in the history of Canadian unionism,” the sheer number of participants in the strike (over 3,000) was felt to be a “splendid illustration that where the rank and file has the will, a united front of two union organizations can be satisfactorily made.” The Worker suggested that the strike in the Port Arthur District provided the clearest example yet of what could be accomplished by “the unorganized mass of workers,” if only they would unite.

The participation of the LWIUC, in what appears to have been its first industry-wide strike, demonstrated its continued willingness to form a united front with the IWW in the district. Initially, the CPC viewed the cooperation between the two organizations as an example of the strength and success that solidarity could achieve following the Comintern’s policy. During the first few weeks, for example, the mass organization committee had unprecedented success in persuading strikebreakers to join the strike. The fact that Wobblies held the most important positions on the joint strike committee, however, concerned the CPC [Communist Party of Canada] leadership as they entered into the arrangement on equal footing and often took the lead. The growing influence of the IWW at the Lakehead was evident in a petition by LWIUC members to the CPC Organization Committee, asking to be allowed to hold joint membership in the syndicalist-oriented Lumber Workers Industrial Union (LWIU) linked to the IWW.

Not surprisingly, the petition was rejected and, sensing the danger posed by the IWW, the CPC began a campaign to undermine the role of the IWW despite the fact that during the strike its “claim to leadership was not disputed by the Communist Party’s paper the Worker.” During the final days of the strike, the CPC leaders were convinced that their party had become the preferred voice of socialists in the region. Certainly, the CPC had made gains. At the same time, as William Moriarty’s reception at the Lakehead would confirm, many lumber workers were not averse to subjecting CPC policies to skeptical examination. Many seemed convinced that they benefited when the CPC and IWW cooperated and lost when the two organizations struggled with each other for political supremacy.

Such dreams of left unity proved evanescent. The inherent contradictions within the organizations and the desire of the LWIUC to control the camps led to increasing bickering on both the picket lines and in the joint strike committee meetings. Tensions between the two organizations even spilled onto the streets when one drunken Finnish Wobbly reportedly stabbed a Finnish Communist in the face over ideological differences. On 28 October, the joint committee abruptly ended when the IWW moved that the strike take on a more active fight “in the IWW tradition,” but lost “the vote to those supporting [CPC] affiliation.” Under the leadership of Communist organizer Alf Hautamäki, those remaining decided to enter into negotiations, resulting in an end to the strike shortly afterwards. The thirty-six-day strike did result, however, in improved conditions and increases in pay for both monthly wages and piecework. Despite the inter-left squabble during its final days, “in the years following the 1926 breakthrough,” Radforth has observed, “no other strike involved as many pulp cutters or brought the unions such favourable results."

- Michel S. Beaulieu, Labour at the Lakehead: Ethnicity, Socialism, and Politics, 1900-35. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2011. p. 117-119.

[docrotten]

THE LOST CONTINENT (1968) – Episode 180 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“Silence! Am I not El Supremo, the direct descendant of Jose Quintero? And was not Jose Quintero the Almighty’s right hand when Cortez carried his word to the Mexican heathens? In interrupting me, you are interrupting God!” You never know when you or someone you’re with might want to signal someone by lighting a match. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr with guests Richard Klemensen (Little Shoppe of Horrors Magazine) and Bill Mulligan – as they take a leaky boat on a perilous, Hammer-sponsored trip to The Lost Continent (1968)!

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 180 – The Lost Continent (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

The captain, crew, and passengers of an old freighter – all with dark secrets to keep – find themselves adrift in a mysterious land full of monsters, conquistadors, and killer seaweed.

  Directed by: Michael Carreras; Leslie Norman (uncredited)

Writing Credits: Michael Carreras (screenplay) (as Michael Nash); Dennis Wheatley (novel, Uncharted Seas, 1938)

Produced by: Michael Carreras (producer); Anthony Hinds (executive producer) (uncredited); Peter Manley (associate producer)

Music by: Gerard Schurmann (as Gerard Schürmann); Carlo Martelli (uncredited)

Cinematography by: Paul Beeson (director of photography)

Editing by: Chris Barnes

Special Effects by: Robert A. Mattey

Selected Cast:

Eric Porter as Capt. Lansen

Hildegard Knef as Eva Peters

Suzanna Leigh as Unity Webster

Tony Beckley as Harry Tyler

Nigel Stock as Dr. Webster

Neil McCallum as First Officer Hemmings

Ben Carruthers as Ricaldi (as Benito Carruthers)

Jimmy Hanley as Patrick, the Bartender

James Cossins as Nick, Chief Engineer

Dana Gillespie as Sarah

Victor Maddern as Mate

Reg Lye as Helmsman

Norman Eshley as Jonathan, the Prisoner

Michael Ripper as Sea Lawyer

Donald Sumpter as Sparks, the Radioman

Alf Joint as Jason, a Crewman

Charles Houston as Braemer, a Crewman

Shivendra Sinha as Hurri Curri

Darryl Read as El Diablo

Eddie Powell as The Inquisitor

Frank Hayden as Sergeant

Mark Heath as Customs Man

Horace James as Customs Man

Maxwell Craig as Crewman (uncredited)

Sylvana Henriques as Traveller on Boat (uncredited)

Cynthia Myers as Native Girl (uncredited)

A bit of a Hammer oddity, The Lost Continent (1968), directed by Michael Carreras, is a blast! Richard Klemensen, publisher/editor of Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films, and the voice you hear in the commentary track of the Scream Factory Blu-ray of this film, joins the Classic Era Grue Crew for this one. Bill Mulligan, co-host of DoH 70s and DoH 80s will also make the cross-DoH jump. Now we’re talking fun! The composite crew covers everything from seaweed to monsters to El Supremo to balloons, including Dana Gillespie. 

Please excuse the technical issues we struggled with, but after rescheduling twice, we decided to forge ahead, We hope you have as much fun viewing/listening as we had recording!

At the time of this writing, The Lost Continent is available on physical media as a standard Blu-ray format disc from Scream Factory.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Daphne, is I Vampiri (1957, Lust of the Vampire), directed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava. Bill Mulligan from Decades of Horror 1970s and 1980s will join us because, well… Bava!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!” 

Check out this episode!

[1aorthodontics]

Straighten Smiles by Guiding Growth with Functional Orthodontics

What is Functional Orthodontic Treatment?

Functional orthodontic treatment takes a more holistic view of the oral cavity and face. Rather than just looking at the position of the teeth, functional orthodontics examines the relationship between the teeth, jaws, tongue, lips, and airway. The goal is to guide the growth of the facial bones to allow the teeth to naturally fall into proper alignment. This approach addresses underlying issues like airway problems or jaw discrepancies that may be contributing to malocclusion.

Traditional functional braces merely move the teeth into proper position. Functional appliances, on the other hand, use light forces to mold the growing bones of a child's face. This helps properly align the jaws and allow enough room for all the teeth. Functional orthodontic treatment leads to a balanced facial profile, healthy airway, proper jaw alignment, and straight teeth.

Functional Appliances Used in Treatment

There are several types of functional appliances we may use here at 1A Orthodontics:

Functional Appliance Braces

These fixed braces apply light pressure to the teeth and jaws to gently guide growth. Examples include Forsus appliances or Jasper Jumpers worn in conjunction with traditional braces.

Removable Functional Appliances

These removable plastic oral appliances are worn to reposition the jaw. Types include Twin Block, Bionator, Frankel, and Herbst appliances. Patients wear them a prescribed amount of time each day and night.

Oral Myofunctional Appliances

These devices help train the tongue and lips to properly rest against the teeth. This helps guide erupting teeth into proper alignment. Myobrace and ALF appliances are examples.

Specific Functional Appliances We Use

Functional orthodontics utilizes several types of oral appliances to guide jaw growth and teeth alignment. Here at 1A Orthodontics, we commonly use the following effective Functional Appliances Orthodontics:

Twin Blocks

Twin blocks feature upper and lower removable plastic plates that glide the jaw forward to stimulate growth. Patients wear these appliances for 12-14 hours per day, including while sleeping. The twin blocks reposition the mandible forwards into an ideal position. This prompts the temporomandibular joints and muscles to adapt and grow.

Frankel Appliances

Frankel appliances use a wire mechanism to guide the lower jaw into an ideal position. This wire framework attaches to upper and lower teeth via metal bands. Patients initially wear the appliance for 2-4 hours per day. Wearing time is gradually increased over 6-8 months until reaching up to 12-14 hours daily. The Frankel appliance uses light forces to prompt targeted growth changes over time.

Herbst Appliances

Herbst appliances have a telescopic mechanism that holds the jaw in a protruded position. These fixed appliances are attached to upper molars and lower molars using metal bands. Adjustable metal rods connect the upper and lower parts to constantly maintain the mandible in the optimal protrusive posture. This constant forward positioning stimulates jaw growth.

MARA Appliances

MARA appliances also protrude the jaw using a screw mechanism to reposition the mandible forward. Patients wear this removable plastic appliance for 10-14 hours per day, including while sleeping. The MARA holds the lower jaw in the ideal position using gentle constant pressure from the screw expansion component. This guides proportional jaw growth.

EZBite Correctors

EZBite correctors help redirect jaw growth by setting the mandible forward. These appliances use elastics worn inside the mouth to maintain a forward protrusion of the lower jaw throughout the day. The patient changes to a new set of elastics each month as treatment progresses. The continuous light forces influence optimal jaw positioning.

Benefits of Functional Orthodontic Treatment

Some key benefits of functional orthodontic treatment include:

Addresses underlying jaw discrepancies for complete realignment

Guides facial bone growth to make space for straightened teeth

Lowers the risk of impacted teeth and the need for extraction

Corrects poor oral habits that contribute to malocclusion

Creates a balanced facial profile and smile

Reduces risk of relapse after treatment

Improves airflow for enhanced breathing

Explain how functional appliances stimulate bone growth in the jaw, which expands narrow palates or corrects overjet. This bone development mirrors natural growth patterns.

Note that functional orthodontic treatment may reduce the need for or duration of jaw surgery in some cases.

Explain that functional appliances can help guide erupting permanent teeth into more favorable positions.

Mention the improved facial aesthetics, including a more proportional side profile and balanced facial features.

Functional appliances can stimulate underdeveloped maxillas to grow, expanding narrow, constricted upper jaws. This creates space to align crowded front teeth.

They redirect the eruption path of permanent teeth so they emerge properly positioned, minimizing rotation or crowding.

They prompt key growth sites in the mid-face, which enhances facial symmetry and aesthetics. This leads to more proportional facial features.

When started early enough, they can reduce the need for extraction of permanent teeth in crowded cases.

They prompt the tongue to rest in the proper position against the palate, which further guides normal development.

Treatment times are often shorter as well, since the appliances take advantage of the child's natural growth patterns.

Functional Braces Cost

The cost of functional orthodontic treatment is comparable to traditional functional braces cost. Since functional appliances address the underlying causes of misalignment, rather than just the symptom of crooked teeth, they provide complete correction and better value in the long-run.

At 1A Orthodontics, we provide personalized treatment plans and flexible payment options. We accept most dental insurances and offer zero-percent financing plans.

Conclusion

Functional orthodontic treatment takes a broader approach to realignment by guiding facial growth and oral habits. This method straightens teeth while enhancing facial aesthetics, breathing, and long-term dental health. The devices are comfortable to wear and treat malocclusion at its source. Emphasize that early intervention with functional appliances produces optimal results during childhood growth spurts.

Suggest readers schedule a risk-free initial consultation to learn more and get a professional recommendation. To learn more about functional orthodontics and whether it's right for your child's needs, schedule a dentist consultation with 1A Orthodontics in Wandsworth, London today.

[mariocki]

The Prisoner: Free For All (1.4, ITC, 1967)

"Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages."

"Keep going, they love it."

"The rest of you have gone over to the side of our keepers. Which is which? How many of each? Who's standing beside you now? I intend to discover who are the prisoners and who the warders. I shall be running for office in this election."