#CONVERSATIONS: BILL D. & MICHAEL H. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

calpalirwin · 4 years

Text

Crush, Crush, Crush

Summary: As if having one crush wasn’t complicated enough.

Word Count: 3.4k

And away and away we go!

Delilah let out a loud shriek, flinching away as an ice cold water bottle was pressed against the back of her neck. “Mikey!” she kept shrieking as the boy burst into a fit of giggles, pressing the bottle firmer against the girl’s neck, water droplets running down into the back of her shirt. “I’m gonna kill you!” she laughed, turning around.

Michael dropped the bottle and ran for his life, Delilah giving chase, their socked feet sliding around on the hardwood floors, both of them screaming wildly. As a last ditch effort to catch him, Delilah pushed off with her right foot, launching herself towards Michael’s back, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck, and his hooking under her legs so they wouldn’t fall.

“Um… wish I could say this usually doesn’t happen… But uh… that’d be a lie,” Calum’s voice sounded from in front of them and both Delilah and Michael snapped their heads to the sound, finding Calum, Luke, and a boy Delilah had yet to meet standing there.

“Didn’t know Mike had a girlfriend,” the boy said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Delilah let out a high pitched giggle as she climbed off Michael’s back, who scoffed, “D’s not my girlfriend.”

“Oh,” the boy said, brightening slightly.

“Yeah, she’s actually my girlfriend. Mike, how could you?!” Calum cried with fake dramatics.

Delilah fake gagged. “Not even in your dreams, Hood,” she told him before focusing her attention on the boy whose name she still didn’t know. “I’m Delilah. And you are?”

“”M Ashton,” he smiled softly.

“Oh, the drummer!”

“Heh,” Ashton giggled nervously, a dimple indenting his cheek. “Yeah, that’d be me.”

“Cool!”

“Yeah, and now that we have a drummer, can we get our other guitarist, and practice?” Luke quipped.

Delilah rolled her eyes at the boy. “I guess you can borrow, Mike. But you owe me one, Hemmings.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

As the group of five made their way into the living room, Michael nudged into Delilah, “Stop staring at Ash,” he teased, low enough so only she heard him.

“I am not staring,” she whispered back. “But if I was…?”

Michael chuckled, understanding her only the way he could. “Two grades above us. Different school. No girlfriend. Good drummer. Definitely sticking this out with us.”

“Fuck, that doesn’t help me not like him, Mike.”

Michael chuckled more. “Yeah, I know.”

~5 Years Later~

Ashton spotted Delilah and Michael already lounging in the sun, sighing internally. How was he ever supposed to think he stood a chance at having either of them, let alone make a move when those two were always joined at the hip? His phone pinged in his hand, and he hoped it was either Calum or Luke saying they were finding parking. Fortunately it was both Calum and Luke. Unfortunately it was both of them saying that something had come up, and they couldn’t make it. “Fuckin’ great…” Ashton muttered under his breath, trudging the last few feet across the sand towards Delilah and Michael. “Hey, guys.”

Both of them shielded the sun out of their eyes as they looked over at Ashton, bright smiles on their faces. “Oh, hey Ash!”

“Hey,” he repeated. “Um, did you see what Cal and Luke said?”

With frowns, they both looked at their own phones. “God damn it…” Michael groaned. “They do this all the time… They wanna hang out, and then they bail on us.”

Delilah shrugged. “Well fuck them. We don’t need them to have fun, do we?” With that, her fingers tugged up the hem of her shirt, to pull the fabric free from her body. “Can one of you help me get my back?” she asked, digging through her bag for a bottle of sunscreen.

Michael almost dropped the bottle, as Ashton gulped, both men sharing a glance. Taking the path of least resistance, they both shared the job of covering the woman’s back in shoulders, Delilah sighing in content as the way their fingers gently massaged her skin. “Thanks guys.”

“No problem…” they mumbled in a rush, their cheeks bright red.

“Um, I can do your guys’ backs if you want…” she suggested.

“Yeah! That’d be great!”

Delilah had to bite down on her lip as both men discarded their shirts, and all three of them took a small moment to clear their throats. “Um… Wanna help me with Mike first, ‘Lila? He might burn quicker than me…” Ashton all but squeaked.

“Good idea,” Delilah giggled, squirting the sunscreen in Ashton’s waiting hand, and then her own. She shared a covert smile with him as they started covering Michael’s back, their fingers knocking into the other’s.

When it was Delilah and Michael’s turn to get Ashton’s back, Ashton shuddered at the way his friends’ fingers carefully went over the tattoo on his neck, before moving to get the rest of his back and shoulders. “Fuck, that tickles,” he giggled airly. “Maybe you should think about getting a spray.”

“Aw, where’s the fun in that?” she started to flirt, then immediately felt bad at the way Michael’s face scrunched. “I don’t have a lot of faith in spray sunscreen. Every time I use it, I get burned,” she added quickly as an explanation.

After they finished applying the sunscreen to the rest of their exposed skin, Ashton glanced out towards the water. “Shall we?”

“Let’s go!” Delilah said, skipping off ahead of them.

“You should go for it,” Michael mumbled to Ashton as they walked together at a slower pace. “You and D… You’d uh… be cute together.”

“What? Pfft… Nah… You think?”

Michael shrugged. “I see the way you look at her. And if I trust anyone with her, it’d be you, ya know?”

“Thanks, Mike. That, um… means a lot. But, I don’t think she sees me that way. Pretty sure she’s into someone else.”

“Shit that blows…”

It was Ashton’s turn to shrug. “Eh, it’s alright. Can’t say I blame her. She has pretty good taste.”

“That she does,” Michael nodded.

~~~

“So, you ever gonna ask him out?” Delilah asked Michael as they sat on the shoreline, watching Ashton still out in the water.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean what do I mean? Ash! When are you gonna ask him out?”

“Uh… never? Cuz he doesn’t like me.”

Delilah snorted, “Yeah, okay. And I’m the Queen of England.”

Michael shook his head, then sighed. “I’m serious, D. Would it be great if Ash liked me the way I like him? Yeah. But that’s not reality.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he likes someone else.”

“Aw, fuck. Sorry, Mike.”

“S’alright. Can’t say I blame him.”

~~~

“You know,” Ashton said to Delilah as they waited for Michael to come back with food for them all. “With Mike, you might have to make the first move.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, c’mon, ‘Lila. You know him better than anybody. You know how shy he can get with stuff like this. Be brave for the both of ya. Make the first move.”

“Waves knock you around a lil too hard there, Ash? You’re talking nonsense.”

“You’re really gonna sit there, and tell me you don’t like Mike?”

“Of course I like Mike. He’s my best friend. But it’s… complicated. There’s a lot of layers that I haven’t figured out. That I don’t think I ever will.”

“You’re telling me…” he muttered under his breath.

Michael approaching with food put an end to the conversation, all three friends sharing a tight lipped smile, more confused than they’d ever been.

~3 Years Later~

Delilah checked the time on her phone, sighing and feeling tears of frustration brim up in her eyes. She had been five minutes early to her date nearly an hour ago. She wasn’t sure which stung more: her messages asking where her date was being left on read, or the look of pity in the waitress’ eyes as Delilah ordered her third glass of wine.

So, rejected, a little tipsy, and unsure of what to do, she called the one person she knew she could always count on.

“Hey ‘Lila,” Ashton’s voice picked up on the second ring that had Delilah feeling even more flustered.

“Oh… H-hey Ash… S-sorry I didn’t mean to call you… um…” she fumbled over her words as she scrambled to hit the end call button.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Aren’t you supposed to be on a date? Are you alright? What’s going on?”

The weight of concern for her in his words was the breaking point. “I got stood up…” she whimpered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Okay. Sit tight. I’m coming.”

“Ash-”

“Shh, it’ll be alright. I’m already on my way.”

“You’re heading out?” Calum questioned as Ashton placed Michael’s phone down on the table.

“I have to.”

“No. Mike has to. She called Mike, Ash.”

Ashton narrowed his eyes pointing into the sound booth where Michael and Luke were laying down tracks. “He’s a lil busy at the moment, and she needs someone now. What am I supposed to do? Not go to her?”

“No, of course not. It’s Del. But… Ash, it’s not a secret that things are all a little complicated between you three. I don’t want to see you get hurt because you played hero to her when it was supposed to be Mike.”

“I’m not doing this to swoop in, and take Mike’s hero moment away from him, Cal. She’s my friend too. And she needs somebody. So you really think I’m gonna let you stop me?”

Calum raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I’m only trying to protect you from getting your heart crushed if this doesn’t match up to the fantasy in your head.”

“And I appreciate that. You know I do. But I got this, Cal. Promise.”

“Alright. Go on then, I’ll explain to them what happened when they’re done.”

“Thanks, Cal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here already.”

Ashton made it to the restaurant in minutes flat, hitting the ground running. He muttered a few apologies and “excuse me”s as he weaved through the people in his way, before finally spotting Delilah staring dejectedly at her empty glass of wine. He steeled himself from the thoughts swirling in his head about how if this had been their date he’d never dare leave her waiting on him. That wasn’t a road he needed to go down right now. “Hey,” he said softly as he took the seat across from her.

She raised her eyes slowly to look over at him, a tearful smile coming to her lips. “Hey…” she whispered.

“C’mon. Let’s get you out of here.”

“I have to pay my bill… Shoulda stuck with water…”

“That’s alright,” he told her, flagging down a waitress. While Delilah got lost in her mind, Ashton settled the bill in hushed tones. “Okay. C’mon,” he said, resting a hand gently on top of hers to get her attention.

“The bill…” she repeated.

“It’s taken care of. C’mon.” He helped her up from her seat, taking off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders, his fingers brushing against her exposed skin.

“You wanna know something?” she asked numbly as they headed for his car.

“What’s that?”

“If I told you how many times I imagined you rushing in to save the day like this… well… your head would spin. And now that it’s real… my head’s spinning.”

“That might be the wine,” he chuckled lightly, opening the door for her. “And uh… I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“How do you not know? Everyone else does…” she sighed, relaxing against the leather of the seat.

“Everyone else knows what?”

“That I like you.”

In his shock, he closed the car door with more force than he meant to. When he got in on the driver’s side, she was giggling. “What?” he asked nervously.

“Well that was dramatic,” she continued to giggle. “I like you, slam!”

“I- Wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. I thought you still liked Mike.”

Delilah sighed somewhat dreamily, and Ashton’s stomach churned. “Yeah. I like him too.”

“Yeah, I kinda gathered as much. I mean… you did call him, not me. I was just the one who picked up. Still not sure why. I just saw your name and...”

“Had to?” she supplied the rest of his thought.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s you. I wasn’t going to not answer, even if it wasn’t my phone.”

“Just because I like Mike, doesn’t mean I can’t like you too, Ash.”

“Yeah, but it’s different kinds of like.”

“Says who?”

“Says the obvious. You two are the closest, you always have been. And look, I get it. I’m not mad. I get what you see in him, because I see it, too. I just also happen to wish sometimes you saw that in me, too.”

“I do! It’s…” she scrambled to find the words to finally lay this all out on the line.

“Complicated. I know. I remember.” The words came out bitter, and they both hated it. Delilah for not having the words to fix it, and Ashton for the crushed look in her eyes when she was already having a shitty night. He let out a slow sigh, collecting himself. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “We shouldn’t be doing this right now. This is a conversation we can have at a different time. I should be taking you home.”

“No,” she pressed. “I want to have this conversation now. Ash… I like both of you. I’ve liked Mike my entire life, and I’ve liked you since the minute I met you. And… the reason I haven’t been brave enough to do something about it is because I also know that you two like each other. And… I like you guys too much as my friends to ruin the dynamic I guess? When I don’t choose, it’s only me who gets hurt. Because I’d rather have neither of you, than have one and the other feel jealous.”

“Oh… Damn… That adds a whole ‘nother layer to this, doesn’t it?”

“Yep… They don’t have books or movies for how to deal with love triangles like this… this is… uncharted territory.”

“Yep… Well fuck. If all three of us like each other, why don’t we all just date?” Ashton suggested.

“How would that dynamic work?”

“No idea. But, if anyone could figure it out, I’d bet it’d be us.”

“And if Mike doesn’t… Would you and me still…?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

“You don’t… feel like that makes us consolation prizes to each other? Like we can’t both have Mike, so we’re settling for each other?”

“Nothing about being with you is me settling for you, ‘Lila. I want you.”

“I want you, too.”

“And we just happen to also want Mike,” Ashton couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of it all.

“Do you think he wants us, too? I mean, I know he wants you. I just don’t know if he wants me.”

“Oh, he does. Trust me, he does. Anybody would be stupid not to.” Ashton let out his next breath slowly, running his hands through his hair. “Can I kiss you now?”

“Please,” she breathed, leaning across the center console towards him. He met her in the middle, his fingers gripping lightly on her chin to guide her lips to his, her own hands coming up to cradle his face. “Thanks for coming to get me,” she murmured as they broke the kiss.

“Of course,” he smiled softly. “You hungry?”

“Starving.”

Ashton giggled and started the car. “Alright, we’ll grab some food, and then I’ll take you home.”

“We should get something for Mike, too. He’ll have known by now that I called, and that you came to get me, so he’ll be waiting for us. Right?”

“If he’s done laying down tracks with Luke, yeah. That’s probably a safe bet.”

They fell silent, Delilah finally breaking the silence only after they had picked up food for themselves and Mike. “Hey, Ash?”

“Hmm?” he hummed, reaching out to lower the volume of the radio.

“Are you scared?”

“Terrified,” he nodded. “It’s uh… not every day you tell the girl, and the boy, you’ve been crushing on for years that you’ve been crushing on them for years, with the follow up being if it’s cool if you can all date each other.”

Delilah giggled, “God, this is fuckin’ crazy…”

“100% certifiably nuts,” Ashton giggled with her as he pulled into her driveway, next to Michael’s car and spotting the man waiting for them on the porch. Ashton shut off the car and turned to look at Delilah. “Ready?”

“God, no.”

“It’s Mike. He’s our best friend.”

“I know. But I’m still…”

“Scared? Yeah, me too. His hands grabbed hers, brushing soft kisses across her knuckles. “But I’ll be right here with you. C’mon,” he coaxed.

They left the security of the car, and walked up to where Michael was waiting. He rose slowly to his feet, eyes locking on Ashton and Delilah’s hands that were clasped together. “Oh… I see you two have uh… that’s great. Happy for you guys…” His gaze flickered over to the food bag in Delilah’s other hand. “And I’m intruding, so I’m gonna head out. Glad your night worked out.”

“Mike, wait,” Ashton said, reaching out to stop the younger man. “There’s something we wanted to talk to you about.”

“No offense to either of you right now, cuz I love this for you guys, I really do. But uh… I’m a little tired and hungry from the studio. I just stopped by cuz I saw you had called, D, and wanted to make sure you were okay. And you are. So um… can we save the ‘we’re dating’ conversation for tomorrow?”

Delilah shook the bag of food. “We picked you up something, too. Please, Mikey?”

~~~

“So… let me see if I got this right. In addition to crushing on each other, you both also have a crush on me?” Michael asked, after Ashton and Delilah brought him up to speed.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Delilah nodded, leaning forward to set the now empty take out food container on the coffee table.

Michael looked over at Ashton with a raised eyebrow, “How drunk is she?”

Ashton giggled, while Delilah gaped at Michael and gave him a small shove with an indignant “Hey! I’m not that drunk. Anymore…”

“Well fuck! So we’ve all just been crushing on each other, and swallowing our pride, so nobody gets their feelings hurt except ourselves?”

“Can’t leave out the stupidest part of how all of us at some point encouraged someone to make a move on someone else.”

“Fuck, no wonder Cal and Luke bail on so many plans with us… This shit is infuriating… But now that it’s all cleared up, what do we do? How does this… work exactly?”

“I don’t know… I have enough trouble figuring out how to date one person…” Ashton admitted, making the other two laugh in agreement. “But if anyone can figure it out, it’s us, yeah?”

“Exactly,” Delilah smiled at him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “We’re all friends first. There isn’t anything we keep from each other.”

“Minus the crushes we all had on each other, that is,” Michael amended. Then, “So… have you guys kissed yet?”

“We did, yeah,” Ashton told him, with a sheepish grin.

“Fuckers…”

“Aw, poor baby,” Delilah teased, leaning towards Michael to press a kiss to his cheek. At the last possible second, Michael turned his head, so her lips locked onto his rather than the intended target of his cheek.

He sighed in content against her lips, tasting the barest traces of wine still leftover, sweet and savory. “Can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” he murmured as they broke apart.

“Well, now you can do it whenever you want,” she smiled.

Ashton cleared his throat. “Still here.”

Michael’s cheeks flushed. “Right. Yeah… erm…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Ashton groaned, hooking his fingers under Michael’s chin to get them to look at each other. “It’s a kiss, dumbass, not rocket science.”

“Calling your boyfriend a dumbass isn’t very nice of you,” Michael teased lightly.

Ashton shuddered as his lips crushed into Michael’s, “Fuck, say that again.”

“Boyfriend,” Michael grinned against Ashton’s mouth.

“My boyfriends,” Delilah beamed proudly at them.

“Our girlfriend,” they chorused back.

Tag List

@aquarius-hood1996 @creator-appreciator @philthepegacorn @myfavfanficsever @cxddlyash @youngblood199456 @stormrider505 @tarltongrl96 @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @hoodhoran @metalandboybands @maybeememez @major5sosstan

#crush crush crush #michael clifford #michael clifford fic #michael clifford x oc #ashton irwin #ashton irwin fic #ashton irwin x oc #mashton #mashton fic #michael clifford x ashton irwin #poly!mashton #5sos #calpal irwin

77 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 4 years

Text

DC FanDome: Schedule, Date, Time, and How to Watch

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Fans hoping for major DC news in lieu of an actual San Diego Comic-Con are definitely going to get just that at DC FanDome, a digital event designed to be watched at home like a real con.

Originally set up as one epic night of panels and reveals, DC announced that it will be splitting FanDome into two separate and distinct events: Hall of Heroes, which will be held in late August, and WatchVerse in mid-September.

The August date still holds most of the big-ticket items. It’s billed by DC as “an epic world designed personally by Jim Lee featuring special programming, panels and exclusive reveals from a wide variety of films, TV series, games, comics and more.” Functionally, it’s the Hall H of FanDome.

This DC FanDome trailer gives fans a good glimpse at what they can expect from the event:

Here’s everything else you need to know about DC FanDome:

DC FanDome Date and Time

The first DC FanDome event, Hall of Heroes, kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1 pm ET. Sign up to watch here!

DC FanDome Schedule

Here’s a rundown of all the panels happening during DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes. The panel descriptions below are courtesy of DC. All times are ET:

1:00 PM – Wonder Woman 1984 Panel

“Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal, and director/co-writer/producer Patty Jenkins join forces with Brazilian hosts Érico Borgo and Aline Diniz to celebrate the fans in a big way. They will answer questions from fans from all over the world, talk fan art and cosplay, and reveal an all-new sneak peek at the upcoming film — plus a few more surprises!”

1:25 PM – WB Games Montreal Announcement

“Gamers! You won’t want to miss this first look at an exciting new game, and Q&A with its developers.”

1:45 PM – The Sandman Universe: Enter the Dreaming Panel

“Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs, G. Willow Wilson and Michael Sheen discuss the legacy of The Sandman comic book series and how it has been expanded with new stories, adapted into new mediums, and enthralled audiences around the world.”

2:15 PM – Multiverse 101 Panel

“Get schooled in this engaging refresher course on the creation of the Multiverse with DC Chief Creative Officer/Publisher Jim Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures President of DC-Based Film Production Walter Hamada, and Berlanti Productions founder/DCTV mega-producer Greg Berlanti.”

2:40 PM – Flash Movie Panel

“This 101-style conversation with The Flash filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, star Ezra Miller and screenwriter Christina Hodson will give fans a speedy rundown on the first-ever Flash feature film.”

2:50 PM – Beyond Batman Short

“The Batman of Swinging Sixties culture clashes with the Batman of the far-flung future when Batman Beyond and his mentor, Old Bruce Wayne, intercept a broadcast of the 1966 Batman TV show!”

2:55 PM – The Suicide Squad Panel

“What else would you expect from The Suicide Squad but the ultimate elimination game? First up, writer/director James Gunn takes on fan questions, then brings out Task Force X for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred Squad Showdown that tests every team member’s Squad knowledge — and survival skills!”

3:40 PM – BAWSE Females of Color within the DCU Panel

“What’s a BAWSE? Find out here as some of the hottest actresses across DC television and film sit down with celebrity DJ D-Nice and Grammy-winning singer/actress Estelle to discuss how they use their confidence and vulnerability to navigate their careers in Hollywood. Panelists include Meagan Good (SHAZAM!), Javicia Leslie (Batwoman), Candice Patton (The Flash), Tala Ashe (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Nafessa Williams and Chantal Thuy (Black Lightning), and Anna Diop and Damaris Lewis (Titans). Catch the entire full-length conversation at McDuffie’s Dakota in the DC WatchVerse.”

4:00 PM – Legacy of the Bat Panel

“Calling all Batman fans! Don’t miss this discussion on the wide scope of the Batman universe, including the Batman Family of characters. Key talent from comics, TV, and games will provide insight into the world of Caped Crusader.”

4:30 PM – Joker: Put on a Happy Face

“Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why the Clown Prince of Crime is universally hailed as the greatest comic book Super-Villain of all time.”

4:45 PM – Surprise DC Comics Panel

TBA

5:10 PM – I’m Batman: The Voices Behind the Cowl Panel

“Everyone has their favorite Batman. But for audiences around the world, their favorite Batman has a local sound. It’s time to meet the voices behind the cowl. Hear what it’s like to be one of the many global vocal actors portraying the Dark Knight when the Super Dubbers, who lend their talents to the Caped Crusader on screens big and small all over the world, come together for the first time ever.”

5:30 PM – The Snyder Cut of Justice League Panel

“Zack Snyder fields questions from fans and a few surprise guests as he discusses his eagerly awaited upcoming cut of the 2017 feature film and the movement that made it happen.”

5:54 PM – The Flash TV Panel

“Executive producer Eric Wallace joins cast members Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton, and Brandon McKnight to discuss all things Flash with Entertainment Weekly’s Chancellor Agard. Team Flash will break down both parts of season six and look ahead at what is to come with an exclusive trailer for season seven. Fans will also get a look at the exclusive black-and-white noir episode ‘Kiss Kiss Breach Breach,’ which will be available on The Flash season six Blu-ray and DVD on August 25.”

6:10 PM – Black Adam Panel

“Star of the first-ever Black Adam feature film Dwayne Johnson sets the stage for the story and tone of the new movie with a fans-first Q&A…and a few surprises.”

6:30 PM – CNN Heroes: Real Life Heroes in the Age of the Coronavirus

“While DC features iconic fictional Super Heroes recognized around the world, CNN Heroes shines a light on real-life, everyday people making a difference in their communities. Now, as the global Covid-19 pandemic has turned all of our worlds upside down, CNN’s Anderson Cooper introduces you to the frontline workers, advocates, neighbors, and friendly strangers who are coming together to help us through this crisis.”

6:50 PM – Titans TV Panel

“’Titans are back, b*tches!’ That phrase kicked off an explosive second season of Titans that culminated with the long-awaited emergence of Nightwing as their leader and the tragic death of one of their own. And as a new mysterious threat looms, season three promises to be the biggest yet! Join executive producer Greg Walker and series stars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Conor Leslie, Curran Walters, Joshua Orpin, Damaris Lewis, with Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly for a preview of the new season as well as a discussion on the ‘Fan Favorite Moments’ of the first two seasons.”

7:05 PM – Aquaman Panel

“Aquaman director James Wan and King Orm himself, Patrick Wilson, take a deep dive into the world of Atlantis that Wan created, revealing their favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the largest DC movie ever!”

7:15 PM – “Ask Harley Quinn”

“She has gone toe-to-toe with Batman and the Justice League, and taken down The Joker and the toughest villains of Gotham City, but at DC FanDome, Harley Quinn faces her toughest challenge yet — answering burning questions from DC’s biggest fans in her own tell it as it is, no-BS style. If you love the Harley Quinn animated series, this is one you cannot f—king miss!”

7:20 PM – Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary Celebration Panel

“As an Amazon and a god, Wonder Woman is truly timeless. So, it’s hard to believe she’s turning 80! Join Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot, along with a very special guest, as they reflect on the character’s influence on them personally, and look forward to the 2021 celebrations!”

7:25 – Tomorrow’s Superheroes with Jim Lee

“DC Chief Creative Officer/Publisher Jim Lee joins Bing Chen, founder of the global non-profit collective Gold House, to discuss the important contributions of Asian artists and writers in comics and comic book–inspired entertainment.”

7:40 PM – SHAZAM! Panel

“Zac Levi and the cast can’t tell you s#&t! Sworn to secrecy on the new script for their upcoming movie, Zac and a few of his SHAZAM! castmates talk with the Philippines’ #1 DC fan, Gino Quillamor, about what the next movie might be about, while commenting on everything from panels to the other Zack’s cut — and even have a few surprise guests drop in!”

8:10 PM – Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Panel

“Will Arnett hosts the highly anticipated video game reveal from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the Batman: Arkham franchise.”

8:30 PM – The Batman Panel

“The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves joins host and self-professed fangirl Aisha Tyler for a discussion of the upcoming film…with a surprise (or two) for the fans!”

You can check out the full DC FanDome schedule here.

DC FanDome Live Stream

While DC FanDome is free for all to enjoy, you will need to create an account on DCFanDome.com in order to watch the event. You’ll then be able to access each panel via the DC FanDome program scheduler.

Following the conclusion of The Batman panel at the end of Hall of Heroes, the Fandome schedule will then cycle back through two more times, giving you three shots to watch in a 24-hour period.

DC FanDome: WatchVerse Date and Time

DC will host a second, on-demand FanDome event called WatchVerse on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 pm ET. While viewers will be able to access all content in any order they please, the event will only be available for 24 hours.

This event will include the previously announced panel on the expansion of “DC’s Watchmen Universe” discussion with Damon Lindelof and Tom King talking Rorschach, a Joker War panel with Batman writer James Tynion IV and Batgirl scribe Cecil Castellucci, a Three Jokers panel with Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, a panel on John Ridley’s exciting upcoming The Other History of the DC Universe, and more.

The post DC FanDome: Schedule, Date, Time, and How to Watch appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/34jSTev

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

2 notes · View notes

hatingwithfears · 5 years

Text

List of books read in 2019

Another year is almost over, and here’s the list of all the books I read. 119 books. 31,512 pages.

David Adam- The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and The True Story of a Life Lost in Thought

Kurt Anderson- Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire

Julian Barnes- The Only Story

Rob Bell- What Is The Bible?

Roberto Bolano- The Spirit of Science Fiction

Charles Brandt- I Heard You Paint Houses

William S Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg- Don’t Hide The Madness

Ernest Callenbach- Ecotopia

Stephen Chbosky- Imaginary Friend

Leonard Cohen- The Favorite Game

Phil Collins- Not Dead Yet

Francis Ford Coppola- Live Cinema and It’s Techniques

JM Coetzee- The Schooldays of Jesus

His Holiness The Dalai Lama- An Appeal To The World

Stephanie Danler- Sweetbitter

Michelle Dean- Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion

Anthony DeCurtis- Lou Reed: A Life

Lean Dieterich- Vanishing Twins: A Marriage

Nick Drnaso- Sabrina

Bret Easton Ellis- White

Dave Eggers- The Parade

Bart D Ehrman- The Triumph of Christianity

Nathan Englander- Kaddish.com

Mark Epstein- Psychotherapy Without The Self: A Buddhist Perspective

Mark Fainaru-Wada, Steve Fainaru- League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the Battle for the Truth

Laurence Ferlinghetti- Little Boy

Pope Francis- The Name of God is Mercy

Pope Francis- Our Father

Mary Gordon- On Thomas Merton

Andrew Grant Jackson- 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music

Allen Ginsberg- Journals: Early Fifties Early Sixties

Laurence Grobel- Al Pacino in Conversation with Laurence Grobel

John Green- Turtles All The Way Down

Edward L. Greenstein- Job: A New Translation

Rita M Gross- Buddhism Beyond Gender

Thich Nhat Hanh- Living Buddha, Living Christ

Joy Harjo- An American Sunrise

Jason Heller- Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded

Don Hertzfeldt- The End of The World

Nathan Hill- The Nix

John Hodgman- Medallion Status

Jessica Hopper- Night Moves

Elton John- Me

Han Kang- Human Acts

Han Kang- The White Book

Chuck Klosterman- Raised in Captivity

Karl Ove Knausgaard- So Much Longing in so Little Space: The Art of Edvard Munch

Herman Koch- The Ditch

David Koepp- Cold Storage

Robert Kolker- A Cinema of Loneliness

Ann Lamott- Stitches

Ann Lamott- Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy

Ursula K. Le Guin- So Far So Good: Final Poems 2014-2018

Mark Leibovich- Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times

Jill Lepore- The Secret History Of Wonder Woman

Jill Lepore- These Truths: A History of The United States

Jill Lepore- This America: The Case For The Nation

Greil Marcus- The Manchurian Candidate

Anthony McCarten- The Pope

Gretchen McCulloch- Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules Of Language

Thomas Merton- The Seven Storey Mountain

Thomas Merton- Life and Holiness

Thomas Merton- Dialogues with Silence: Prayers and Drawings

Stephen Mitchell- Joseph and The Way Of Forgiveness

Sarah Moss- Ghost Wall

Flannery O’Connor- A Prayer Journal

Mary Oliver- Devotions

Robert Olmstead- Far Bright Star

Michael Ondaatje- The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

Elaine Pagels- The Gnostic Gospels

Elaine Pagels, Karen L King- Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and The Shaping of Christianity

Elaine Pagels- Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, & Politics in the Book of Revelation

Elaine Pagels- Why Religion?: A Personal Story

Maria Popova- Figuring

J.R. Porter- The Lost Bible: Forgotten Scriptures Revealed

Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman- Good Omens

Casey Rae- William S. Burroughs and The Cult Of Rock N Roll

Brian Raftery- Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew up The Big Screen

Robert Reich- The Common Good

Jerry Roberts- The Complete History Of Film Criticism

Richard Rohr- The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation

Bill Romanowski- Romo: My Life on The Edge

George Saunders- Fox 8

Peter Schjeldahl- Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light,: 100 Art Writings 1988-2018

Shea Serrano- Movies (and Other Things)

William H. Shannon- Thomas Merton: An Introduction

David Shields- The Thing about Life is that One Day You’ll be Dead

David Shields- Nobody Hates Trump more than Trump: An Intervention

David Shields- The Trouble With Men: Reflections on Sex, Love, Marriage, Porn, and Power

David Small- Home After Dark

Charles Simic- The Lunatic

Charles Simic- Scribbled in the Dark

Danez Smith- Don’t Call Us Dead

Patti Smith- Auguries of Innocence

Patti Smith- Year of The Monkey

Rebecca Solnit- Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities

Rebecca Solnit- The Mother of All Questions

Rebecca Solnit- Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays)

Jill Soloway- She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling The Patriarchy

Nic Stone- Dear Martin

Donna Tart- The Goldfinch

Tegan and Sara- High School

David Thomson- Sleeping With Strangers

Chogyam Trungpa- The Path of Individual Liberation

Jeff Tweedy- Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back)

Loudon Wainwright III- Liner Notes

Ossian Ward- Look Again: How to Experience the Old Masters

John Williams- Stoner

Damon Young- What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker

Ed. Marcus Borg- Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Saying

Ed. Peter Catapano, Simon Critchley- Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments

Ed. Jonathan Weinberg- Art After Stonewall

2 notes · View notes

art-of-manliness · 6 years

Text

A Peek at The Strenuous Life: October 2018

Last year we launched The Strenuous Life: an online/offline platform that’s like a scouting program for grown men. Each month, members receive The Strenuous Life Bugle, a newsletter that highlights what’s been going on at TSL. We thought AoM readers might enjoy a peek at it every now and then. If you’re interested in becoming a member yourself, sign up for updates here; the next enrollment opens in January. Congratulations to Those Who Completed 52/52 Agons! With another cohort of Classes passing the year mark of their membership, a select group of elite men have again succeeded in doing every single Agon for an entire year. Congratulations to the following members for this supremely strenuous accomplishment (I’ve included some members of Class 001 who were not included the last time this list was announced): * Jon F., Class 001 * Zachary S., Class 001 * DJ H., Class 001 * Mike W., Class 001 * Zachary L., Class 001 * David H., Class 004 * Justin H., Class 004 * Dan D., Class 005 * Jared M., Class 005 * pirate4hire, Class 005 * Ray B., Class 005 * Matthew A., Class 005 * John D., Class 006 * JJ G., Class 006 * Lachlan M., Class 006 * Michael P., Class 006 * Tyler M., Class 006 * Chad M., Class 006 * Brandon D., Class 006 * Richard H., Class 006 * Shane T., Class 006 * Bill B., Class 007 * Neil T., Class 007 * Alex J., Class 008 * Hobie F., Class 008 * Thomas J., Class 008 * Adan M., Class 010 * Sidney K., Class 011 * Stephen H., Class 011 * Steven C., Class 011 * Matthew W., Class 011 Geographic Group Meet-Ups Here’s a look at some of the meet-ups that happened on September’s Strenuous Saturday (the third Saturday of every month): New Jersey Meet-Up @tapcall and @rwpatterson met up to perform a fireman’s carry conditioning event that @tapcall hatched himself. It consisted of: * Warmup, short jog * 40yd fireman’s carry – 3x each * 3 min rest * 40yd fireman’s carry – 3x each * 4 min rest * 40yd fireman’s carry – 3x each * 6 min rest * 50yd fireman’s carry – 1x each * 100yd 100lb sandbag carry – 1x each The men also practiced the ranger roll (a way of getting an unconscious or immobile person into a fireman’s carry) from a prone position, and got fairly decent at it. After their activities in the park they headed to a local burger joint for some tasty grub, refreshing seltzer, and engaging conversation. Love the strenuosity of this meet-up, fellas! (And, @rwpatterson, that is a truly good-looking mustache.) Denver, CO Meet-Up Denver members @taylor, @amalgam, @dan32, and @samuraiiamori hiked 7 miles at the North Table Mountain in Golden. Sacramento, CA Meet-Up The TSL men of Sactown met up at the Hop Gardens tap room to enjoy some beers and work on the Knotsmanship Badge. They were able to work through all of the knot requirements during their 3.5 hour meet-up. Props to @standaman7 who’s shown great leadership in planning meet-ups and welcoming new Sacramento members both online and off. Springfield, MO Meet-Up Missourian members @jutt_jones, @thomasmurphy, @aj-lee2277, and @kadesandlin rucked/hiked a 5-mile loop at Busiek State Wilderness Park. The men spotted plenty of wildlife: snake, coyote, rabbit, lizard, and dozens of spiders blocking the trail. When their own four-legged companion got spooked in making a water crossing, she was carried across. The men also picked up trash and cleared debris along the way. After the hike, the men practiced picking locks together, ticking off requirements for the Lock Picker Badge. Austin, TX Meet-Up Austin, TX TSL-ers planned and executed an awesome, epic Strenuous Saturday. @themarkus, @prometheus, @pnewman7, and @jason-wilkes met at Weber’s Guns in Troy to shoot some skeet in the morning. Jason, who is on active duty in the Army, showed the others how to shoot, helping them complete many of the requirements for the Sharpshooter Badge. Later that day, the men cut down and bucked trees with both axes and chainsaws, felling some requirements for the Lumberjack Badge. After 3+ hours of lumberjacking, the men had built up a powerful thirst and hunger and grilled some steaks, which Jason’s wife Karlyn generously accompanied with some sides and suds. With their bellies full, the men retired to the back porch for some Old Fashioned cocktails and conversation, digging into military history and discussing whether the Spartans were truly a great military power, social hierarchies in East Asian cultures, and how historian Victor Davis Hanson’s The Western Way of War is codified in the military doctrine of Mission Command. @themarkus writes: “Everyone came away glad for the opportunity to do badgework and spend some great time with like-minded men.” Badge Work Here’s a look at some of what our TSL members have been up to: For the Community Service Badge, Belgian member @nassimj volunteered with the Red Cross, and @ahussain served as Camp Leader for his Scout group’s weekend-long camp. @rontrenum completed an online class in digital art for the Art Badge (for which he made this cool Hemingway portrait), and @blursch treaded water for 20 minutes with his clothes on for the Frogman Badge. @batmangelo made a workbench (with this AoM instructional) for the Craftsman Badge. For the Music Badge, @jeff-more dusted off the banjo, an instrument he had been decent at playing, but had dropped 16 years ago: “After 10+ years of guilting myself to dust it off and start back up, TSL finally got me going.” For the Fighter Badge, @billphillips260 competed in a jiu-jitsu tournament; he’s been practicing jiu-jitsu for less than a year, is 55, figured he was one of the oldest guys there, and, had an absolute blast; @rphillier completed the Fighter Badge, saying: “Such a great experience completing this badge. It’s given me a lot of confidence and I learned a lot too about defending myself and how to strike if the need ever arises. Thanks @brettmckay for putting this badge together. I would never have done this kind of thing otherwise. Of all the badges this is definitely one of the most challenging, stretching, and humbling.” Great work, Rich — congrats! @kyledavis43 practiced holding his pen properly for the Penmanship Badge. For the Fire Builder Badge, @bedsheetghost made his own char cloth (while doing some related reading) and then used it to make a fire for his family. For the Gearhead Badge, @brianseattle changed all 8 spark plugs on his 1990 Silverado and said it was unexpectedly fun: “I never thought I would do this. Thanks TSL.” @trapshooter made homemade pizza (with 3 different homemade sauces) for the Kiss the Chef Badge. @joe-zimmerman whipped and fused frayed rope ends for the Knotsmanship Badge, @grimbart not only walked 50 miles in 20 hours, but did 62 miles (100km) in less than 24(!) for the Rough Rider Badge, and @bbryhall held a family meeting once a week for 8 weeks for the Pater Familias Badge; he reports on the experience: “Just finished our 8th weekly family meeting. I am so glad for these meetings and coming across the idea while working on this Badge. I have three kids ages 10, 9, and almost 2. Our meetings are usually Sunday night prior to starting the week. It helps us all come together as a family prior to starting our busy week. During this 8-week process (that we will definitely continue weekly), we have had really good meetings and some that really required a lot of me. We have kids at different stages and I’m sure if someone was watching us would think it was comical trying to go over important information while trying to keep our 2-year-old out of everything and keeping my 9-year-old son with ADHD focused. I am seeing how important these meetings are for our family culture.” For the Satoralist Badge, @raymondfeliciano put together a sharp-as-heck outfit for a classical quartet benefit concert gala, @skooks shined all his shoes, and @franz had a garment tailored, making this report: “On the left, a sad, dejected excuse for a man swimming in enough corduroy to earn the Frogman Badge. On the right, a gentleman who had a tailor bring the waist in, narrow the sleeves, and make him look like he knows what he’s doing. This coat was a gift from a few Christmases ago, and it sat in the back of my closet. I had never had something tailored before, and this experience was so beneficial that I think I will gradually have my suits altered as well.” Finally, a shoutout to @rahorst81 who likes to track his badge progress — as well as his weekly Agons — offline in a bullet/dot-grid-style journal; just some nice looking pages there. Class Callouts Class 027 finalized its motto/logo, designed by @rontrenum: @chaserchap, a member of Class 027, is working on the Penmanship Badge. Since the badge requires sending 3 handwritten letters to 3 friends/loved ones, he organized a Class pen-pal collective, pairing up the almost 20 guys who wanted to participate with two other members with whom to exchange letters. A really fun idea! Nothing better than getting some snail mail. If you don’t already, follow The Strenuous Life (@strenuous.life) on Instagram; you may see your badge work or meet-ups featured there! Keep on living strenuously, everyone! “Now let each man here look back in his life and think what it is that he is proud of in it — what part of it he is glad to hand on as a memory to his sons and daughters. Is it his hours of ease? No, not a bit. It is the memory of his success, of his triumph, and the triumph and the success could only come through effort. Is that not true? Let each one think for himself. Look back in your career, and if you have not got it in you to feel most proud of the time when you worked, I think but little of you.” —Theodore Roosevelt The post A Peek at The Strenuous Life: October 2018 appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/QmxCTs

2 notes · View notes

shyuris · 7 years

Text

in my dreams (chapter one)

wc: 2158

notes: hey guys! this is a story i’ve been working on for IT. it features multiple pairings and also an original character! hope you enjoy! it’s very gay whoops

warnings: cursing, mentions of comas/unknown illnesses

The soles of Mike’s combat boots pounded against the cement of the driveway as he sprinted to the shed, pulling out his rusted silver bike from under a mound of gardening equipment.

“Mike, hurry the fuck up!” He heard Eddie yell from the road.

He finally got his bike untangled, hopping on and pedaling down the driveway. Eddie had already started moving when he saw Mike had hopped on his bike, and was already crossing the intersection at the end of the road.

The two boys sped through the quiet streets of Derry, racing towards their designated meeting place in the forest, an old abandoned shed that no one ever visited except their group.

The two boys skid to a stop in front of the small brick house, their bikes joining the group already resting on the ground as they sprint across the grass and into the backyard. The shed door is already opened and the two boys quickly enter, slamming it shut behind them.

“F-finally.” Bill sighs as the two boys take their seats.

“Took you long enough.” Stan mumbles, moving over so Mike could squeeze onto the seat next to him.

“Guys! Can we stay focused, please?” Bev snaps, her forehead creased in stress. The boys nod solemnly, directing their attention to Bill.

Bill takes a deep breath, preparing to deliver the news to the six teenagers in front of him, similar looks of stress and fear on each of their faces.

“Lili’s in the h-h-hospital.”

“Is something wrong? Is she okay?” Bev asks almost immediately after the words leave his mouth, practically jumping out of her seat in her need for information.

Bill stares at the stressed girl, whose eyes were swimming with tears, the small drops of sadness balancing on her thin eyelashes, preparing to pepper her cheeks.

Usually Lili would be the one to calm everyone down when something particularly stressful was occuring, placing a warm hand in theirs and offering a soft smile that could melt your heart.

But, Lili wasn’t here right now.

Bill wonders if he should sugarcoat his response, offering a little bit of solace in the rough times to come. He decided against it. No point in offering false hope.

“They duh-don’t know.”

“What do you mean they don’t know?” Bev demands, her tone rising, “What’s wrong? Why is she in the hospital?”

“Bev, please.” Eddie begs, voice small as he shrinks in fear, the stress in the room getting to him. But Bev is too riled up to care, her green eyes wide as she stares at Bill.

“They’re n-not sure what’s wuh-wrong with h-h-her,” Bev’s about to pipe up again but Bill sticks out a hand, gently silencing her, “They t-told me the duh-doctors have never s-seen ah-anything like it before. It’s like she’s in a-a coma, but every cuh-couple hours, she’ll b-b-burst out into f-fits of screams.”

It takes a bit for Bill to force the words out of his uncooperating mouth, trying to bridge the disconnect between his voice and brain. His stutter gets ten times worse when he’s stressed.

Bev gasps, letting out a strangled moan as the tears begin spill out of her eyes at the thought of her Lili in such a state. Eddie shrinks further into his seat, until he’s managed to squeeze his body into the corner of the couch, resembling a turtle receding into its shell. Stan sits stock still, and Bill can see the gears in his brain whirring as he processes this information.

“But, she’ll be fine, right?” Richie asks tentatively, pushing his coke bottle glasses up the bridge of his nose, a nervous habit of his.

Bill pauses before answering quietly, “They d-don’t k-k-know.” Bev begins crying harder, but still silently, her tears staining Richie’s Fredo’s t-shirt. Eddie looks like he’s going to be sick.

“Can we go see her?” Mike asks. His hands grip the end of the couch, scrunching the ripped fabric between his fingers.

“Not us.” Stan answers solemnly, brown eyes staring straight ahead, “She didn’t tell her parents about us, remember?”

Mike does remember. How Lili had come to them that night, eyes sparkling with tears as she told them her parents had forbid her from seeing them, too scared of protecting their own reputations to allow their daughter happiness.

The members of the Losers Club (as their classmates had dubbed the group of friends) had many ‘negative’ things surrounding their group that Lili’s parents did not prefer to have their daughter being associated with. There was Bev’s alleged promiscuity, Richie’s foul mouth, Stan’s religion, Eddie’s sexuality and Mike’s race .

“But, you can, Bill.” Bev murmurs, her voice still thick as she wiped away tears.

Lili’s parents did not dislike the entire Losers Club. They liked Bill. He was nice, respectful, friendly. A good influence on their already perfect daughter.

Bill nods slowly, not denying their statement. I mean, that was the reason he had been the one to call Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs and not any of the other Losers.

“You need to go see her.” Bev insists, “Please, Bill.”

Bill stood there awkwardly, the worn sneakers on his feet shuffling against the dusty floors of the shack. He had never liked hospitals, and now he had even less of a reason to like them now that one of his closest friends could be on her deathbed in one.

But, he nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.” Because Bill wanted to make everyone happy. He wanted to fix this.

“Hello?”

“H-hi, Mrs. Jacobs. It’s Bi - William Denbrough.”

“Oh, yes, Michael. Hello.” Delilah Jacobs’ voice was weak as she spoke with her daughter’s friend, thick and sore, like she had been crying all day. Bill guessed she had been.

Bill felt bad for calling. He didn’t want to bother the grieving parents, but the group had asked him to and he didn’t want to upset them...

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I would be able to visit Lilith in the hospital?”

“Oh, yes, please come!” Mrs. Jacobs’ exclaimed, though her voice was lacking the same sort of life and energy as it usually did, “Does tomorrow work? After school?”

“Um, yes, it does. Thank you, Mrs. Jacobs.”

Bill hung up the phone after Delilah responded with a wet thank you, and Bill could tell she was about to start crying again.

He sighed, running his hands through his copper colored hair. Everything had been fine just a few days ago. Yet it had all been ripped away from him, leaving a frayed mess for him to deal with.

“The blue lights look stupid, Richie! They’re not festive.”

“You wanna know what’s not festive, Stan? The stick up your ass!”

“Richie!” Bill had interrupted, placing a hand on the tall boy’s shoulder, “I t-think Bev needs some help with the decorations outside, could you go help h-h-her?” Richie bites his lip before nodding, glancing back at Stan before walking out of the front of the house.

Stanley continued hanging his red and green lights up in peace, humming softly as he tacked the string to the wall with a pin. Bill wandered into the small kitchen area, where Lili was sitting on the counter, singing along to the radio. as Mike placed a tray of cookies into the oven, smiling as he listened.

“Hey, Bill!” Lili had greeted him, smiling wide as the boy entered the room. Bill returned the greeting, patting Mike on the shoulder as he leaned against the counter next to Lili.

Soft music played in the background, playing some version of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ Lili seemed to know. “I feel bad for not helping.” Lili confessed to him, toying with the lace of her boot.

“Y-you need to r-rest, Lil.” Bill had replied, “Y-you were sick as a duh-dog just a couple days ago. You shouldn’t have e-even come out w-wuh-with this horrible weather.”

“And miss Christmas decorating? No, thank you.” She replied easily.

Shaking the memory away, Bill started getting ready for bed, taking a quick shower and changing into his pajamas. He climbed under his plaid duvet, closed his eyes, and laid still, hoping sleep would take him. It didn’t.

Little did he know, a girl just a couple blocks down the road was in the same position, her ginger locks tousled as she tossed and turned. Beverly Marsh could not focus on anything except Lili and the mental image of her tiny frame shaking as doctors pinned her down to a cot.

Bev forced her eyes shut, willing the thought out of her head, just to have it be replaced with more, equally as bad ones. It was a never ending cycle.

Abandoning sleep, she stood up, pulling on a hoodie, some pants and shoes. She climbed out her window and slid down the roof, her converse hitting the ground with a thud. She pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her as she hopped on her bike, taking off down the street.

Left, right, down the straight-away and she was there, the tall, white house looming in front of her, looking as empty and desolate as it had just a few hours before.

Bev threw her bike on the grass, the same place it had been this afternoon but without the five other bikes surrounding it. She walked across the front lawn, the dry grass crunching under the soles of her shoes.

She shimmied up the gutter, pulling herself onto the roof and carefully creaked open the window. It looked the same as it had when she visited the night before, except one thing was missing.

Lili.

Bev clambered into the bedroom, the familiar soft gray walls surrounding her. She loved it here, the room filled with good memories and a peaceful vibe.

The only light in the room was the red, yellow and blue christmas lights Lili had tacked up to the wall the day after Halloween. Bev remembered it well as she dragged her yellow painted fingernails across the thick wire.

“Christmas isn’t for another two months!” Bev exclaimed, watching the girl stand on the tips of her toes to pin the festive lights above the window.

“Right around the corner!” Lili sung back, and Bev could hear the smile in her voice, “Don’t be such a grinch, Bev.”

“I’m not a grinch.”

Lili had laughed, dropping the rest of the lights on the floor as she approached the girl sitting on her bed, standing between her knees and pressing a light kiss to her nose.

“Then help me put up these lights, you’re much taller than me.” Bev had grumbled, but complied after her girlfriend offered her a dazzling smile that made Bev’s heart stop.

Bev walked away from the lights as she felt tears pricking at her eyes. She wished she could visit her, hold her hand, press a kiss to the space between her eyebrows.

But, she couldn’t.

Lili’s desk was clean, a few leftover homework papers with her neat script scrawled on them left for her to pack up for school, which she had thought she would be attending the next day. A yellow marble notebook was balanced on the corner of the desk, a sticker placed square on the front of it, reading Lilith Jacobs.

She couldn’t help but smile at the last -th in her name crossed out. Lili hated her given name, thus why she went by ‘Lili’, but her parents insisted on calling her ‘Lilith’. One day at lunch, Richie had taken a red marker and drawn right through the two letters, and Lili had smiled so wide.

Bev cracked open the notebook to a random page, met with Lili’s delicate handwriting spelling out, ‘October 2nd, 1994’. Lili always carried this specific book around, tucked away in her backpack, but she refused to let anyone read it, including Bev. Anytime they brought it up, she would blush and shake her head, clamming up, so they would drop it.

Bev closed the book, knowing it would make Lili upset and not wanting to intrude on her girlfriend’s privacy.

She ran her hand over the crisp white sheets on her bed, remembering the times Lili and her would squeeze onto the twin bed, holding tight onto each other to keep from falling off. Bev had cried here on many occasions, turning to Lili for solace after particularly harsh words from her father or a bad day at school.

She wanted Lili here now, to hold her as she cried and let out all the emotions that had been boiling inside of her the whole day. But she supposes if Lili were here, she wouldn’t have a reason to cry.

Realizing that being in this room was only reminding her of the fact that Lili was most definitely not here and possibly in danger, Bev left, leaving the room exactly as it was when she arrived, quiet and abandoned.

#it 2017 #it 1990 #it film #it movie #richie tozier x eddie kaspbrak #reddie #eddie kaspbrak x richie tozier #bill denbrough x stan uris #stan uris x bill denbrough #mike hanlon #my writing #i've been wanting to post this for a while #so thought i would #i have like. 4 or 5 chapters written out #so maybe i'll post more #if u guys want #hope you enjoyed!!!! :)

11 notes · View notes

bakwoodzman-blog · 6 years

Text

The Daily Sheeple Dial T for Tyranny: While America Feuds, the Police State Shifts Into High Gear

“Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours. There is no need for wardens or gates or Ministries of Truth. When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; a culture-death is a clear possibility.” — Professor Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Discourse in the Age of Show Business

What characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting and disingenuous curtain of political theater. And what political theater it is, diabolically Shakespearean at times, full of sound and fury, yet in the end, signifying nothing.

Played out on the national stage and eagerly broadcast to a captive audience by media sponsors, this farcical exercise in political theater can, at times, seem riveting, life-changing and suspenseful, even for those who know better.

Week after week, the script changes—Donald Trump’s Tweets, Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, Michael Cohen’s legal troubles, porn star Stormy Daniels’ lawsuit over an alleged past affair with Trump, Michelle Wolf’s tasteless stand-up routine at the White House correspondents’ dinner, North and South Korea’s détente, the ongoing staff shakeups within the Trump administration—with each new script following on the heels of the last, never any let-up, never any relief from the constant melodrama.

The players come and go, the protagonists and antagonists trade places, and the audience members are forgiving to a fault, quick to forget past mistakes and move on to the next spectacle.

All the while, a different kind of drama is unfolding in the dark backstage, hidden from view by the heavy curtain, the elaborate stage sets, colored lights and parading actors.

Such that it is, the realm of political theater with all of its drama, vitriol and scripted theatrics is what passes for “transparent” government today, with elected officials, entrusted to act in the best interests of their constituents, routinely performing for their audiences and playing up to the cameras, while doing very little to move the country forward.

Yet behind the footlights, those who really run the show are putting into place policies which erode our freedoms and undermine our attempts at contributing to the workings of our government, leaving us none the wiser and bereft of any opportunity to voice our discontent or engage in any kind of discourse until it’s too late.

It’s the oldest con game in the books, the magician’s sleight of hand that keeps you focused on the shell game in front of you while your wallet is being picked clean by ruffians in your midst.

Indeed, while mainstream America has been fixated on the drama-filled reality show being televised from the White House, the American Police State has moved steadily forward.

Set against a backdrop of government surveillance, militarized police, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, eminent domain, overcriminalization, armed surveillance drones, whole body scanners, stop and frisk searches, roving VIPR raids and the like—all of which have been sanctioned by Congress, the White House and the courts—our constitutional freedoms have been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded.

Our losses are mounting with every passing day.

Free speech, the right to protest, the right to challenge government wrongdoing, due process, a presumption of innocence, the right to self-defense, accountability and transparency in government, privacy, press, sovereignty, assembly, bodily integrity, representative government: all of these and more have become casualties in the government’s war on the American people.

All the while, the American people have been treated like enemy combatants, to be spied on, tracked, scanned, frisked, searched, subjected to all manner of intrusions, intimidated, invaded, raided, manhandled, censored, silenced, shot at, locked up, and denied due process.

None of these dangers have dissipated.

They have merely disappeared from our televised news streams.

The new boss has proven to be the same as the old boss, and the American people, the permanent underclass in America, has allowed itself to be so distracted and divided that they have failed to notice the building blocks of tyranny being laid down right under their noses by the architects of the Deep State.

Frankly, it really doesn’t matter what you call the old/new boss—the Deep State, the Controllers, the masterminds, the shadow government, the police state, the surveillance state, the military industrial complex—so long as you understand that no matter who occupies the White House, it is a profit-driven, an unelected bureaucracy that is actually calling the shots.

In the interest of liberty and truth, here’s an A-to-Z primer to spell out the grim realities of life in the American Police State that no one is talking about anymore.

A is for the AMERICAN POLICE STATE. A police state “is characterized by bureaucracy, secrecy, perpetual wars, a nation of suspects, militarization, surveillance, widespread police presence, and a citizenry with little recourse against police actions.”

B is for our battered BILL OF RIGHTS. In the cop culture that is America today, where you can be kicked, punched, tasered, shot, intimidated, harassed, stripped, searched, brutalized, terrorized, wrongfully arrested, and even killed by a police officer, and that officer is rarely held accountable for violating your rights, the Bill of Rights doesn’t amount to much.

C is for CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE. This governmental scheme to deprive Americans of their liberties—namely, the right to property—is being carried out under the guise of civil asset forfeiture, a government practice wherein government agents (usually the police) seize private property they “suspect” may be connected to criminal activity. Then, whether or not any crime is actually proven to have taken place, the government keeps the citizen’s property.

D is for DRONES. It is estimated that at least 30,000 drones will be airborne in American airspace by 2020, part of an $80 billion industry. Although some drones will be used for benevolent purposes, many will also be equipped with lasers, tasers and scanning devices, among other weapons—all aimed at “we the people.”

E is for ELECTRONIC CONCENTRATION CAMP. In the electronic concentration camp, as I have dubbed the surveillance state, all aspects of a person’s life are policed by government agents and all citizens are suspects, their activities monitored and regulated, their movements tracked, their communications spied upon, and their lives, liberties and pursuit of happiness dependent on the government’s say-so.

F is for FUSION CENTERS. Fusion centers, data collecting agencies spread throughout the country and aided by the National Security Agency, serve as a clearinghouse for information shared between state, local and federal agencies. These fusion centers constantly monitor our communications, everything from our internet activity and web searches to text messages, phone calls and emails. This data is then fed to government agencies, which are now interconnected: the CIA to the FBI, the FBI to local police.

G is for GRENADE LAUNCHERS and GLOBAL POLICE. The federal government has distributed more than $18 billion worth of battlefield-appropriate military weapons, vehicles and equipment such as drones, tanks, and grenade launchers to domestic police departments across the country. As a result, most small-town police forces now have enough firepower to render any citizen resistance futile. Now take those small-town police forces, train them to look and act like the military, and then enlist them to be part of the United Nations’ Strong Cities Network program, and you not only have a standing army that operates beyond the reach of the Constitution but one that is part of a global police force.

H is for HOLLOW-POINT BULLETS. The government’s efforts to militarize and weaponize its agencies and employees is reaching epic proportions, with federal agencies as varied as the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration stockpiling millions of lethal hollow-point bullets, which violate international law. Ironically, while the government continues to push for stricter gun laws for the general populace, the U.S. military’s arsenal of weapons makes the average American’s handgun look like a Tinker Toy.

I is for the INTERNET OF THINGS, in which internet-connected “things” will monitor your home, your health and your habits in order to keep your pantry stocked, your utilities regulated and your life under control and relatively worry-free. The key word here, however, is control. This “connected” industry propels us closer to a future where police agencies apprehend virtually anyone if the government “thinks” they may commit a crime, driverless cars populate the highways, and a person’s biometrics are constantly scanned and used to track their movements, target them for advertising, and keep them under perpetual surveillance.

J is for JAILING FOR PROFIT. Having outsourced their inmate population to private prisons run by private corporations, this profit-driven form of mass punishment has given rise to a $70 billion private prison industry that relies on the complicity of state governments to keep their privately run prisons full by jailing large numbers of Americans for inane crimes.

K is for KENTUCKY V. KING. In an 8-1 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that police officers can break into homes, without a warrant, even if it’s the wrong home as long as they think they have a reason to do so. Despite the fact that the police in question ended up pursuing the wrong suspect, invaded the wrong apartment and violated just about every tenet that stands between us and a police state, the Court sanctioned the warrantless raid, leaving Americans with little real protection in the face of all manner of abuses by law enforcement officials.

L is for LICENSE PLATE READERS, which enable law enforcement and private agencies to track the whereabouts of vehicles, and their occupants, all across the country. This data collected on tens of thousands of innocent people is also being shared between police agencies, as well as with fusion centers and private companies. This puts Big Brother in the driver’s seat.

M is for MAIN CORE. Since the 1980s, the U.S. government has acquired and maintained, without warrant or court order, a database of names and information on Americans considered to be threats to the nation. As Salon reports, this database, reportedly dubbed “Main Core,” is to be used by the Army and FEMA in times of national emergency or under martial law to locate and round up Americans seen as threats to national security. As of 2008, there were some 8 million Americans in the Main Core database.

N is for NO-KNOCK RAIDS. Owing to the militarization of the nation’s police forces, SWAT teams are now increasingly being deployed for routine police matters. In fact, more than 80,000 of these paramilitary raids are carried out every year. That translates to more than 200 SWAT team raids every day in which police crash through doors, damage private property, terrorize adults and children alike, kill family pets, assault or shoot anyone that is perceived as threatening—and all in the pursuit of someone merely suspected of a crime, usually possession of some small amount of drugs.

O is for OVERCRIMINALIZATION and OVERREGULATION. Thanks to an overabundance of 4500-plus federal crimes and 400,000 plus rules and regulations, it’s estimated that the average American actually commits three felonies a day without knowing it. As a result of this overcriminalization, we’re seeing an uptick in Americans being arrested and jailed for such absurd “violations” as letting their kids play at a park unsupervised, collecting rainwater and snow runoff on their own property, growing vegetables in their yard, and holding Bible studies in their living room.

P is for PATHOCRACY and PRECRIME. When our own government treats us as things to be manipulated, maneuvered, mined for data, manhandled by police, mistreated, and then jailed in profit-driven private prisons if we dare step out of line, we are no longer operating under a constitutional republic. Instead, what we are experiencing is a pathocracy: tyranny at the hands of a psychopathic government, which “operates against the interests of its own people except for favoring certain groups.” Couple that with the government’s burgeoning precrime programs, which will use fusion centers, data collection agencies, behavioral scientists, corporations, social media, and community organizers and by relying on cutting-edge technology for surveillance, facial recognition, predictive policing, biometrics, and behavioral epigenetics in order to identify and deter so-called potential “extremists,” dissidents or rabble-rousers. Bear in mind that anyone seen as opposing the government—whether they’re Left, Right or somewhere in between—is now viewed as an extremist.

Q is for QUALIFIED IMMUNITY. Qualified immunity allows officers to walk away without paying a dime for their wrongdoing. Conveniently, those deciding whether a police officer should be immune from having to personally pay for misbehavior on the job all belong to the same system, all cronies with a vested interest in protecting the police and their infamous code of silence: city and county attorneys, police commissioners, city councils and judges.

R is for ROADSIDE STRIP SEARCHES and BLOOD DRAWS. The courts have increasingly erred on the side of giving government officials—especially the police—vast discretion in carrying out strip searches, blood draws and even anal probes for a broad range of violations, no matter how minor the offense. In the past, strip searches were resorted to only in exceptional circumstances where police were confident that a serious crime was in progress. In recent years, however, strip searches have become routine operating procedures in which everyone is rendered a suspect and, as such, is subjected to treatment once reserved for only the most serious of criminals.

S is for the SURVEILLANCE STATE. On any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears. A byproduct of this new age in which we live, whether you’re walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the corporate trackers that monitor your purchases, web browsing, Facebook posts and other activities taking place in the cyber sphere.

T is for TASERS. Nonlethal weapons such as tasers, stun guns, rubber pellets and the like have been used by police as weapons of compliance more often and with less restraint—even against women and children—and in some instances, even causing death. These “nonlethal” weapons also enable police to aggress with the push of a button, making the potential for overblown confrontations over minor incidents that much more likely. A Taser Shockwave, for instance, can electrocute a crowd of people at the touch of a button.

U is for UNARMED CITIZENS SHOT BY POLICE. No longer is it unusual to hear about incidents in which police shoot unarmed individuals first and ask questions later, often attributed to a fear for their safety. Yet the fatality rate of on-duty patrol officers is reportedly far lower than many other professions, including construction, logging, fishing, truck driving, and even trash collection.

V is for VIPR SQUADS. So-called “soft target” security inspections, carried out by roving VIPR task forces, comprised of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers and explosive detection canine teams, are taking place whenever and wherever the government deems appropriate, at random times and places, and without needing the justification of a particular threat.

W is for WHOLE-BODY SCANNERS. Using either x-ray radiation or radio waves, scanning devices and government mobile units are being used not only to “see” through your clothes but to spy on you within the privacy of your home. While these mobile scanners are being sold to the American public as necessary security and safety measures, we can ill afford to forget that such systems are rife with the potential for abuse, not only by government bureaucrats but by the technicians employed to operate them.

X is for X-KEYSCORE, one of the many spying programs carried out by the National Security Agency that targets every person in the United States who uses a computer or phone. This top-secret program “allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals.”

Y is for YOU-NESS. Using your face, mannerisms, social media and “you-ness” against you, you can now be tracked based on what you buy, where you go, what you do in public, and how you do what you do. Facial recognition software promises to create a society in which every individual who steps out into public is tracked and recorded as they go about their daily business. The goal is for government agents to be able to scan a crowd of people and instantaneously identify all of the individuals present. Facial recognition programs are being rolled out in states all across the country.

Z is for ZERO TOLERANCE. We have moved into a new paradigm in which young people are increasingly viewed as suspects and treated as criminals by school officials and law enforcement alike, often for engaging in little more than childish behavior. In some jurisdictions, students have also been penalized under school zero tolerance policies for such inane “crimes” as carrying cough drops, wearing black lipstick, bringing nail clippers to school, using Listerine or Scope, and carrying fold-out combs that resemble switchblades. The lesson being taught to our youngest—and most impressionable—citizens is this: in the American police state, you’re either a prisoner (shackled, controlled, monitored, ordered about, limited in what you can do and say, your life not your own) or a prison bureaucrat (politician, police officer, judge, jailer, spy, profiteer, etc.).

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the reality we must come to terms with is that in the post-9/11 America we live in today, the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned.

We have moved beyond the era of representative government and entered a new age.

You can call it the age of authoritarianism. Or fascism. Or oligarchy. Or the American police state.

Whatever label you want to put on it, the end result is the same: tyranny.

Delivered by The Daily Sheeple

We encourage you to share and republish our reports, analyses, breaking news and videos (Click for details).

Contributed by John W. Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute.

Since 1996, John W. Whitehead has taken on everything from human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, protection of religious freedom, and child pornography, to family autonomy issues, cross burning, the sanctity of human life, and the war on terrorism in his weekly opinion column. A self-proclaimed civil libertarian, Whitehead is considered by many to be a legal, political and cultural watchdog—sounding the call for integrity, accountability and an adherence to the democratic principles on which this country was founded.

Time and again, Whitehead hits the bull’s eye with commentaries that are insightful, relevant and provocative. And all too often, he finds himself under fire for his frank and unadulterated viewpoint. But as he frequently remarks, “Anytime people find themselves under fire from both the liberal left and the conservative right, it means that that person is probably right on target.”

Mr. Whitehead’s commentaries have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times and USA Today.

Save The People... Read The Sheeple!Join over one million free thinkers who read our newsletter monthly. Stay up to date with breaking news, trending videos and important information sent to you a few times a week.Privacy Assured: We will never share your email address. Wake The Flock Up! Please Share With Sheeple Far & Wide:

Post navigation

Previous Post: University Of Texas Stirs Up Controversy After Offering ‘MasculinUT’ Program

Next Post: Drivers Get Quite A Surprise As Giant Duck Rolls Towards Them [VIDEO]

1 note · View note

bongaboi · 4 years

Text

Joe Biden: 46th President of the United States

President-elect Joe Biden is planning to quickly sign a series of executive orders after being sworn into office on Jan. 20, immediately forecasting that the country’s politics have shifted and that his presidency will be guided by radically different priorities.

He will rejoin the Paris climate accords, according to those close to his campaign and commitments he has made in recent months, and he will reverse President Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. He will repeal the ban on almost all travel from some Muslim-majority countries, and he will reinstate the program allowing “dreamers,” who were brought to the United States illegally as children, to remain in the country, according to people familiar with his plans.

Although transitions of power can always include abrupt changes, the shift from Trump to Biden — from one president who sought to undermine established norms and institutions to another who has vowed to restore the established order — will be among the most startling in American history.

Biden’s top advisers have spent months quietly working on how best to implement his agenda, with hundreds of transition officials preparing to get to work inside various federal agencies. They have assembled a book filled with his campaign commitments to help guide their early decisions.

Biden is planning to set up a coronavirus task force on Monday, in recognition that the global pandemic will be the primary issue that he must confront. The task force, which could begin meeting within days, will be co-chaired by former surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy and David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

There has also been a recognition of those around him that he may have to lean more on executive actions than he had once hoped. He can reorient various federal agencies and regulations, and he can adopt a different posture on the world stage.

But pushing major legislation through Congress could prove to be a challenge.

Although the Democrats will hold a narrowed majority in the House, the final makeup of the Senate is not yet clear. That will be decided on Jan. 5, with two runoff elections in Georgia. Democrats would need to win both races to effectively have control of the Senate — with Vice President Kamala D. Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote — while Republicans would retain a narrow advantage by winning at least one.

“The policy team, the transition policy teams, are focusing now very much on executive power,” said a Biden ally who has been in touch with his team who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. “I expect that to be freely used in a Biden administration at this point, if the Senate becomes a roadblock.”

A Republican-held Senate — or even one with a narrow Democratic majority — probably will affect Biden’s Cabinet picks given the Senate’s power to confirm nominees.

One option being discussed is appointing Cabinet members in an acting capacity, a tactic that Trump also used.

“Just by virtue of the calendar and how many positions are filled, that’s always a possibility,” the person said. “Because the Senate moves so slowly now, so much more slowly than it used to.”

On Saturday afternoon, about two hours after networks called Biden the winner of the election, the president-elect had a brief call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who called to congratulate Biden on a “tremendous victory,” according to two Democratic officials.

Schumer called while en route to a celebration in Brooklyn, holding his flip phone out the window so that Biden could hear the cheering crowd.

If Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stays as majority leader, he would be trying to manage a conference torn between two factions with different interests, but neither necessarily eager to help Biden — one with senators running for reelection in swing states in 2022, and another with those seeking the national spotlight as they vie for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“In the old days, the mandate meant that the other side would be more amenable, or feeling they had an impetus to work,” said Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.). “I’m not sure that applies any longer.”

It is unclear whether Biden has communicated with McConnell yet directly; aides have not commented on any conversation.

A closely divided Congress could hamper Biden’s efforts to do sweeping legislative actions on immigration changes. He has also said he would send a bill to Congress repealing liability protections for gun manufacturers, and close background-check loopholes. He has pledged to repeal the Republican-passed tax cuts from 2017, an effort that could be stymied if Republicans hold the Senate majority.

Without congressional cooperation, however, Biden has said that he plans to immediately reverse Trump’s rollback of 100 public health and environmental rules that the Obama administration had in place.

He would also institute new ethics guidelines at the White House, and he has pledged to sign an executive order the first day in office saying that no member of his administration could influence any Justice Department investigations.

Biden has long pledged to rejoin the Paris climate accords by executive order, but he has also said that he would attempt to persuade other nations to adopt higher standards in an attempt to curb the impacts of climate change.

Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a longtime Biden ally who holds the seat Biden had for 36 years, offered a broad overview of Biden’s initial agenda: “Get us out of this pandemic that’s been made far worse by Trump’s bungled mishandling of it, rebuild our economy in a way that’s more sustainable and more inclusive, and deal with division and inequality.”

He noted that Biden’s style will be quite different, saying that Trump and Pelosi haven’t spoken in more than a year.

Coons suggested that Biden would promptly begin reaching out to leaders in both parties.

The coronavirus response has been foremost on Biden’s mind, and it is seen inside his campaign as a chief reason for his victory. He has previously said that even before the inauguration he would reach out to Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s top infectious-disease expert, asking him for advice.

Biden also wants to quickly appoint a supply commander to oversee production and distribution of testing — and, when ready, vaccines — as well as materials such as masks and gowns.

The coronavirus — and Biden’s response to it — could also significantly impact the traditional spectacle that surrounds the transfer of power. Inaugural balls could be altered. And while Biden has previously said he wouldn’t envision wearing a mask while being sworn in, he has said they could try to limit the traditional throngs that fill the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Much of Biden’s early agenda — including which pieces of legislation to prioritize — will be determined in the coming weeks as his transition team begins taking on a far more prominent role.

Biden’s transition effort is being overseen by Ted Kaufman, one of his closest advisers. Kaufman, who was appointed to replace Biden in the Senate when Biden became vice president in 2009, also helped co-write an update to the law governing the transition process, which was passed in 2015 and signed by President Barack Obama.

Biden’s transition team has been given government-issued computers and iPhones for conducting secure communications, and 10,000 square feet of office space in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, although most of the work is being done virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. His advisers have been granted temporary security clearances and undergone FBI background checks to fast-track the processing of personnel who can receive briefings on intelligence.

But one important next step is for the head of the General Services Administration to rule that the election results are final, enabling Biden’s transition team to expand its work and gain access to government funds. Biden officials are prepared for legal action if that administrator — Emily W. Murphy, a Trump political appointee — delays that decision, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Trump has so far not conceded defeat, falsely claiming Saturday that he won the election.

Pamela Pennington, a GSA spokeswoman, said that Murphy would ascertain “the apparent successful candidate once a winner is clear based on the process laid out in the Constitution.” Until that decision is made, she said, the Biden transition team would continue to receive limited access to government resources.

The transition from Trump to Biden would have few historic parallels, rivaled perhaps only by 1860-1861, when southern states seceded before Abraham Lincoln took office, and 1932-1933, when Herbert Hoover sought to undermine Franklin D. Roosevelt and prevent him from implementing his New Deal policies.

The last time there was a prolonged delay in a transfer of power was in 2000, when uncertainty over the results in the contest between then-Vice President Al Gore (D) and then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) stretched out until the Supreme Court ended a Florida recount that gave Bush the victory on Dec. 12.

The Bush administration’s sluggish start and lack of qualified personnel in place was cited by the 9/11 Commission Report as a critical vulnerability to U.S. national security for the attacks that occurred less than eight months after the inauguration. That prompted changes to the law and the granting of access at an earlier date following the political conventions.

“When George W. Bush left he made clear to his Cabinet that this is going to be the best transition of power that’s ever occurred. Because we weren’t treated very well when we came into power,” said Michael Leavitt, who at the time was the outgoing secretary of Health and Human Services. “Barack Obama to his credit said the same thing. There was a spirit of cooperation that went on and needs to continue. Whether it will or not I don’t know. But we’re better prepared.”

Chris Lu, the executive director of the Obama-Biden transition in 2008, said that within two hours of the election being called in 2008 he had a formal letter beginning the transition process.

“We literally at 9 a.m. the next morning walked into a transition office and had access to it,” he said. “It was the model for the smoothest transition of power.”

Making a clear break from the Trump administration's adversarial posture toward the civil service is also a top priority for the Biden transition team.

The Trump administration's suspicion of career officials and early calls for them to “get with the program” or “go” created tensions with incoming political appointees that never dissipated. Biden officials are hoping to create a positive atmosphere by avoiding some of the terminology and labels they think contributed to the mistrust.

The teams of campaign staffers and other aides that first embed themselves into government agencies after an election have historically been called “landing teams” and “beachhead teams,” summoning the memory of the storming of Normandy during World War II.

To avoid any associations with war, some Biden aides are sticking to soberingly bureaucratic terms, referring to landing teams as “ARTs” or Agency Review Teams, and beachhead team members as “temporary employees.”

So far, Trump administration officials have reviewed succession plans for department officials, planning for which civil servants would take on acting roles amid vacancies. Briefing materials are slated to be delivered over the next several days to Biden’s transition team.

Leavitt, who oversaw transition planning in 2012 for Republican nominee Mitt Romney and has worked with Kaufman to change the law governing presidential transitions, said there are a range of moves the Biden team could make even without cooperation from Trump’s campaign. Cabinet members and other top White House staff could be picked, and key priorities for the start of the administration could be lined up.

“The current moment always seems like it’s the extreme, and often they are. But we get through them. The country survives,” he said. “The internal strength of the United States allows us to get through these things.”

John Hudson contributed to this report.

#2020 #washington post #joe biden #election 2020

0 notes

ourdallasvideofestthings · 5 years

Photo

Bart Chat 9.10.19 Greetings all, Well, new iPhones will be announced today, a new apple tracker to help you find your belongings, and who knows what else. It’s kind of funny that there is so much buzz about how disappointing these phones will be, yet everyone is talking about it. We shall see. There is a one-night democratic debate on Thursday night, which should be interesting. Did any of you catch the Climate Town Hall? It was long but delved into issues in a way that the debates usually don’t, mostly because they have real questions from the audience that were specific, and the candidates actually had time to answer. This might be more helpful when choosing your candidate. Now, back to the world of VideoFest. We have two episodes of Frame of Mind this week. When Bill Young passed along 9/11 Voices of the Aircraft Dispatchers, I knew we needed to show this on 9/11, so we created a special episode NOT on Thursday night, but in this case Monday, Sept 9th (9:00 PM) and Tuesday, September 10th (10:00 PM). This is a diffident kind of story about 9/11. Jake Zelman learned how to make a documentary, so he could tell this story. Zelman, who works at Southwest Airlines, met many people who were working in airlines operational centers as airline dispatchers and had them tell their stories. These five people tell their powerful stories about that fateful day in a simple but powerful way—no visuals other than the faces of the people telling their dramatic story. On Thursday, we are showing Ingrid, a story about fashion designer, Ingrid Gipson, who was popular in Dallas in the ’80s who retreated to the woods of Oklahoma where she lives a creative life of solitude. Filmmaker Morissa Maltz, beautifully tells this story of a quiet, but fulfilling life. All this is on KERA TV. We’ve had some great press about the show from Michael Granberry in the Morning News and then Peter Simek from D Magazine really got the heart of the show. Thanks so much to both of you. So, set your set DVR to record the whole season. There are many great shows ahead. Speaking of ahead, please mark down October 3rd-6th, as our DocuFest will be at the Angelika Theater, we will be releasing our first 8 or so films any day now. I have been watching and watching and watching. There are films out there for you to watch this week. The Texas Theatre, on Thursday night, is showing ZZ Top: The Lil old Band from Texas, so put on your fake beard and check that out. On Friday night, they have a really cool program. I’m a big fan of found footage and The Texas are bringing Found Footage Episode 9 on Friday at 4:00 PM. The guys who are coming to town to do this are from the Colbert Show and The Onion, so you know it will have a special kind of humor. They also have Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Mountain, which screened at the OCFF. The Angelika has Margaret Atwood Live on Tuesday and Thursday. Some of the Alamos are having a free screening of the classic Rear Window for free if you are a member of their Victory Program. The Great Molly Ivins doc is playing at The Magnolia, some Alamo Theaters and North Park. This is a great way to have one on one conversations with people that can guide you on this journey. The same day the Dallas Historical Society is hosting John Slate, Dallas city archivist and published scholar of Texas film history, who will talk about the film industry in the Lone Star State, in The Hall of State in Fair Park from 12-1:00 and it’s free. Bart Weiss Artistic Director Dallas VideoFest

0 notes

movietvtechgeeks · 7 years

Photo

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/2017-comic-con-must-see-tv-panels-plus-westworld-comes-alive/

2017 Comic Con: Must See TV Panels plus 'Westworld' comes alive

Comic-Con can easily become overwhelming if it's your first time, or even if you've been here numerous times! There are so many panels to check out and things to see, that it seems impossible to get everything all done in just a few days. To help you wade through those endless number of panels, we've laid out the ones you absolutely must check out below. Game of Thrones (Friday, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Hall H) The hottest show on television returns for what's likely to be an artful display of avoiding spoilers. With the season-seven premiere having already aired, the panel will not offer SDCC attendees an early look at episode two. Still, that's an hour of Q&A — moderated by what's being billed as a "special guest from Westeros" — to allow stars Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos Seaworth), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) a chance to offer up enough of a cryptic tease to go viral. Stranger Things (Saturday, 3-4 p.m., Hall H) Netflix's surprise breakout makes its Comic-Con debut to tease the highly anticipated second season and even unveil never-before-seen footage. In addition to creators (and brothers) Matt and Ross Duffer and exec producer Shawn Levy, returning stars Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer will be joined by new additions Sadie Sink, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser and Dacre Montgomery for what will no doubt be an animated panel. Westworld (Saturday 4:15-5:15 p.m., Hall H) Now that the show is a proved hit, could the cast and creators of HBO's Emmy darling Westworld offer a tease about the highly anticipated Samurai World? Or will spoiler-phobe Jonathan Nolan keep the cast tight-lipped about the mysteries of its sophomore drama? Still, expect a lively discussion from stars including Ed Harris (the Man in Black), James Marsden (Teddy), Thandie Newton (Maeve), Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores) and Jeffrey Wright (Bernard/Arnold), among others, in a panel moderated by Reggie Watts. The Walking Dead (Friday, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Hall H) In keeping with the show's annual SDCC tradition, the cast and creators of AMC's zombie drama will debut the season-eight trailer and announce a premiere date. And given the timing, expect exec producers including Robert Kirkman and Greg Nicotero to pay tribute to the late George Romero and, possibly, lead the cast in a moment of silence for late stuntman John Bernecker. Set to appear are stars including Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira and Melissa McBride, among others. (We'll miss you, Steven Yeun, Michael Cudlitz and Sonequa Martin-Green.) Timeless (Thursday, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Room 6BCF) How does a show get canceled and renewed in less than a week? A very vocal fan base. While production on season two of the NBC drama hasn't even begun, stars Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter and more join creators Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke to say thank you the right way: in person. (And maybe Ryan and Kripke will outline some broad strokes about season two.) Star Trek Discovery (Saturday, 2:30-3:15 p.m., Ballroom 20) Welcome back Sonequa Martin-Green! The actress moves from The Walking Dead to the CBS All Access drama as the cast and producers make their debut at Comic-Con — without former showrunner Bryan Fuller, who exited months ago. Following multiple production delays, will the drama — launching in the fall on CBS before moving exclusively to its digital platform — offer another trailer or screen something more substantial? Here's hoping it's more footage than this lackluster trailer. Still, a seal of approval from the Trekkie-filled ballroom will go a long way as the series faces its biggest mission yet. Guest star Rainn Wilson moderates. Outlander (Friday, 5-6:30 p.m., Ballroom 20) Series showrunner Ronald D. Moore, author Diana Gabaldon and fellow exec producer Maril Davis join stars Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin to preview season three of the time-traveling romance. Judging by the length of the 90-minute panel, moderated by series fan and actress Jenna Dewan-Tatum, it appears as if fans may get an extra-long look at the new season. Once Upon a Time (Saturday, 10-10:45 a.m., Ballroom 20) The rebooted ABC fairy tale drama brings superfan Yvette Nicole Brown to moderate a panel with producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz with what's expected to be the Comic-Con debut for a handful of new cast members. (And yes, we're expecting some familiar faces to be there, too.) Marvel TV (Legion and Inhumans: Thursday, 5-7:15 p.m., Ballroom 20; The Gifted and Defenders: Friday, 3:45-4:45 p.m. and 5-6:15 p.m., Ballroom 20) With several new series debuting in the coming months, the comic book company looks to make a big splash at the annual convention with panels for Netflix's The Defenders,ABC's Inhumans and Fox's The Gifted and season two of the X-Men-inspired FX drama Legion. In addition to offering a sneak peek at the series premiere, The Gifted will release a new trailer. Meanwhile, Legion may make some news at it's first-ever San Diego Comic-Con panel. DC TV (Saturday, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Ballroom 20) As the DC Universe expands again with the upcoming addition of black superhero drama Black Lightning, The CW's entire team of vigilantes will, again, touch down at Comic-Con to tout their upcoming seasons. Expect casting announcements at the panels for Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow and (potentially) Lightning as well. "Westworld" comes alive this week at Comic-Con, but the fans who visit will have to make the ultimate choice: white hat or black? (Watch the exclusive LA Times video above to see which one this reporter picked.) HBO's immersive, theatrical, and 21+ only "Westworld: The Experience" runs Thursday through Saturday here at the San Diego pop culture confab, offering treats far more intimate than the deluge of marketing that lines every square inch of Comic-Con. A limited number of fans will have the chance to visit "Westworld" this week at the Comic-Con activation, located just outside the convention center, which runs about 30 minutes long and in small groups of only a half dozen guests at a time. Greeted by two hosts dressed all in white, guests are first led through the Delos Destination offices and into a slick gallery stocked with costumes, props, and weapons. "I like things that I can easily conceal," our hostess offered with a smile. "Because we all have secrets." As you enter the personality assessment area, you are told to ignore a door marked “Research and Development.” The door also happens to bear a logo that looks like “SW,” most likely a nod to the Samurai World that was briefly teased at the end of Season 1. After a brief (and surprisingly accurate) personality assessment, a Delos employee decides whether you should receive a white hat or a black hat. With your new hat in hand, you are taken down a dark hallway where you are prompted to watch a brief introductory video, similar to the one first-time attendees watch on the show, though this one features quite a bit more blood. You head down a hallway lined with the ghoulish heads of Ford's previous models and into your own one-on-one personality assessment session. It's meant to determine just what sort of "Westworld" experience it is you've come to find, but like the sorting hat at Hogwarts, the decision has serious consequences. Even before you get to "Westworld," it's a dream come true for fans of the show. Easter eggs teasing the upcoming second season are planted throughout the space. Guests have the chance to interact with several of the park's "hosts" and staff as they're transported to Sweetwater to sip handcrafted libations in the Mariposa Saloon. And at times, it's also just as nightmarish as you'd expect. Keep your eyes open at all times and you might get a surprise or two, some stimulating conversation with the bar's resident hostess (our fave topics: consciousness and robots) -- even a glimpse of the Man in Black. Appointments will be taken in the lobby of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m., and the experience runs through Sunday. If you can't get it, don't forget to check out the Westworld panel on Saturday in Hall H at 4:15 p.m. PT and then those autograph signings at the Warner Bros. booth on the convention floor right around 6 p.m. PT.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

#Comic Con #Featured #Game of Thrones #Timeless #Walking Dead #Westworld

2 notes · View notes

allbestnet · 8 years

Text

And 116 more

Confessions of a Public Speaker - By Scott Berkun

Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger - By Peter Bevelin

Poke the Box - By Seth Godin

Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything - By Joshua Foer

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work - By Steven Pressfield

The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? - By Seth Godin

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - By Scott Adams

Self-Reliance - By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Choose Yourself! - By James Altucher

Town Inc: Grow Your Business. Save Your Town. Leave Your Legacy. - By Andrew M Davis

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading - By Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren

The Greatest Salesman in the World - By Og Mandino

How to Win Friends & Influence People - By Dale Carnegie

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind - By Joseph Murphy

Quantum Leap Thinking: An Owner's Guide to the Mind - By James Mapes

Body Language - By Allan Pease

The Art of Acting - By Stella Adler

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - By William B. Irvine

Build Your Resilience: How to Survive and Thrive in Any Situation - By Donald Robertson

You 2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps - By Price Pritchett

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game - By Michael Lewis

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine - By Michael Lewis

House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time - By Martin Kihn

Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?: Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change - By Louis V., Jr. Gerstner

Get Back in the Box: How Being Great at What You Do Is Great for Business - By Douglas Rushkoff

Networking with the Affluent - By Thomas Stanley

Nuts! - By Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg

Non-Manipulative Selling - By Tony Alessandra

The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story - By Michael J. Lewis

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days - By Jessica Livingston

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action - By Simon Sinek

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers - By Geoffrey A. Moore

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life - By Alice Schroeder

Atlas Shrugged - By Ayn Rand

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - By Tony Hsieh

The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways To Use Social Media to Drive Social Change - By Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith

The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century - By Thomas L. Friedman

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable - By Seth Godin

Liar's Poker - By Michael Lewis

The Soul of A New Machine - By Tracy Kidder

Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - By Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company - By Andrew S. Grove

Living on the Fault Line: Managing for Shareholder Value in Any Economy - By Geoffrey A. Moore

The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win - By Steven Gary Blank

Leadership - By Rudolph W. Giuliani

Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else - By Geoff Colvin

The Seven-Day Weekend: Changing the Way Work Works - By Ricardo Semler

The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management - By Jack Stack

Words That Change Minds: Mastering the Language of Influence - By Charvet Shelle Rose

Figuring Out People: Reading People Using Meta-Programs - By L. Michael Hall and Bob G. Bodenhamer

NLP: The Essential Guide to Neuro-Linguistic Programming - By Tom Dotz, Tom Hoobyar, and Susan Sanders

Persuasion Engineering - By Richard Bandler and John LA Valle

Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence - By Lisa Cron

Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World - By Roger E. Axtell

The Power of Eye Contact: Your Secret for Success in Business, Love, and Life - By Michael Ellsberg

A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul - By Leo Tolstoy

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose - By Eckhart Tolle

Elements of Wit: Mastering the Art of Being Interesting - By Benjamin Errett

The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over - By Jack Schafer

Find Out Anything From Anyone, Anytime: Secrets of Calculated Questioning From a Veteran Interrogator - By James Pyle and Maryann Karinch

One Million in the Bank: How To Make $1,000,000 With Your Own Business Even If You Have No Money or Experience - By Michael L. F. Slavin

The Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons - By Napoleon Hill

Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success - By Napoleon Hill

The Science of Being Great - By Wallace D Wattles

The Science of Getting Rich - By Wallace D. Wattles

Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed - By Brian Tracy

Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling - By Edgar H Schein

Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World - By Bob Johansen

The 7 Levels of Change: Different Thinking for Different Results - By Rolf Smith

Before You Think Another Thought: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding How Your Thoughts and Beliefs Create Your Life - By Bruce I. Doyle

Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques - By Michael Michalko

Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World - By Dudley Lynch

The Dinosaur Strain: The Survivor's Guide to Personal and Business Success - By Mark Brown

The Art of Public Speaking - By Dale Carnegie

Public Speaking & Influencing Men In Business - By Dale Carnegie

How to Develop Self-Confidence And Influence People By Public Speaking - By Dale Carnegie

The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking - By Dale Carnegie

Your Voice and How to Use It: The Classic Guide to Speaking with Confidence - By Cicely Berry O.B.E.

Perfect Phrases for Icebreakers: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases to Set the Stage for Productive Conversations, Meetings, and Events - By Meryl Runion and Diane Windingland

Love Your Voice: Use Your Speaking Voice to Create Success, Self-Confidence, and Star-Like Charisma! - By Roger Love

Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless: How to Make Customers Love You, Keep Them Coming Back and Tell Everyone They Know - By Jeffery Gitomer

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty - By Patrick Lencioni

Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It - By Jill Griffin

Secret Service: Hidden Systems That Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service - By John R. DiJulius III

Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service - By The Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni

The Thank You Economy - By Gary Vaynerchuk

What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience - By John R. DiJulius

Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love - By Marty Cagan

Raving Fans!: Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service - By Kenneth H. Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad - By Leslie Yerkes and Charles Decker

The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experience - By Shep Hyken

The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary - By Joseph Michelli

Managing the Customer Experience: Turning customers into advocates - By Shaun Smith and Joe Wheeler

Strategic Customer Service: Managing the Customer Experience to Increase Positive Word of Mouth, Build Loyalty, and Maximize Profits - By John A. Goodman

Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization - By Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon

Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience - By Jonathan M. Tisch

The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty - ByMatthew Dixon, Nick Toman and Rick DeLisi

The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company - By Joseph Michelli

Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions - By Jon Taffer

The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results - By Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon and Pat Spenner

Customers for Life: How to Turn That One-Time Buyer Into a Lifetime Customer - By Carl Sewell and Paul B. Brown

Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us: Customer Service and What It Reveals About Our World and Our Lives - By Emily Yellin

"I Love You More Than My Dog": Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad - By Jeanne Bliss

The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value - By Frederick F. Reichheld and Thomas Teal

The Best Service is No Service: How to Liberate Your Customers from Customer Service, Keep Them Happy, and Control Costs - By Bill Price and David Jaffe

Anything You Want - By Derek Sivers

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust - By Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work - By Shawn Achor

Innovation and Entrepreneurship - By Peter F. Drucker

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams - By Deepak Chopra

The Power of Myth - By Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers

The Incredible, Unforgettable Adventures of Jaxby - By Rose DeNaro

Food and Western Disease: Health and Nutrition from an Evolutionary Perspective - By Staffan Lindeberg

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life - By Jen Sincero

The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness - By Jeff Olson and John David Mann

Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World - By Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. Daniel

#And 116 more

4 notes · View notes

ladystylestores · 4 years

Text

Michael Jordan Style Inspired by ‘The Last Dance’ – WWD

https://pmcwwd.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/michael-jordan-report-card.jpg?w=640&h=415&crop=1

“The Last Dance,” the ESPN docu-series that has captivated the quarantined nation since it began airing in April, warrants a look at Michael Jordan’s style through the decades.

1988: Michael Jordan poses alongside his likeness on a box of Wheaties during an unveiling ceremony in Chicago. Mark Elias/AP/Shutterstock

He was able to incorporate jersey-wearing into off-court style in a way that would become influential for decades to come for the streetwear market. Looks like this propelled the glamorization of the NBA and his own style legacy.

A-

1993: Michael Jordan grimaces after a putt as former Boston Celtic Bill Russell watches during the Rose Elder Invitational celebrity golf tournament in Leesburg, Va. Stephen R Brown/AP/Shutterstock

Golf was another favorite sport and he brought flair to the course with baggy golf-pleat trousers, conversational silky polos and wingtip golf shoes. The overall look feels very glam Forties American.

B+

1996: Promoting the release of Michael Jordan cologne. Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Shutterstock

Nothing screams Nineties uber-cool fashion like this boxy black suit with high-waisted pants and tucked-in athletic tank top. The pocket square and statement belt only add more sophistication to the overall effort.

1999: Michael Jordan at the launch of his new fragrance Jordan at Bijan in New York City. Globe Photos/Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Some looks don’t age well. He really favored the ultralong, high-buttoned blazer trend that at times felt a little too forced. Even though this was not one of his best looks, the blue pin-striped pattern and silver tie do have a timeless quality.

B-

2004: Michael Jordan waves to his fans during an event to promote his brand-name sportswear, in Taipei, Taiwan. Jerome Favre/AP/Shutterstock

The Air Jordan track pant with matching polo and bucket hat epitomized what cool was in 2004 — and today and for sure tomorrow, for that matter. Not to mention, the Air Jordan brand continues to dominate.

A-

2011: Michael Jordan and Yvette Pietro at the 10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament reception, Las Vegas. Shutterstock

A pistachio colored blazer is not an easy piece to pull off for anyone — not even MJ. Adding distressed baggy jeans and a tent-like white shirt doesn’t help. The result is an air ball.

1995: Michael Jordan with cartoon character Bugs Bunny from “Space Jam.” Marty Ledrhandler/AP/Shutterstock

Who would’ve thought a cartoon bunny playing basketball in space would become such a period classic? On the style front, Jordan brought back the Art Deco tie for a lot of the “Space Jam” red-carpet appearances. Let’s see what LeBron can do in “Space Jam II.”

1992: Michael Jordan with Sergey Bubka at a news conference for Nike in Barcelona for the Summer Olympics. Eric Risberg/AP/Shutterstock

Who knew that what this bright pink track pant needed was a playful coogi-print-inspired Jordan T? And by adding a USA Olympic baseball hat, he defined a new type of American style. We love it.

Source link

قالب وردپرس

from World Wide News https://ift.tt/2YXjLyf

#World Wide News

0 notes

bountyofbeads · 5 years

Text

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/rudy-giulianis-two-indicted-associates-could-have-a-lot-to-say?utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter&utm_brand=tny&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Rudy Giuliani’s Two Indicted Associates Could Have a Lot to Say

By John Cassidy | Published October 11, 2019 | New Yorker | Posted October 11, 2019 10:11 PM ET |

What's the most arresting detail that’s been unearthed so far in the unfolding scandal of Rudy Giuliani and the Ukrainian grifters? The more you delve into the story, the more it reads like something Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen cobbled together after a guys’ getaway to Kiev. To make the selection a bit easier, let’s make it a multiple-choice question:

(a) Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, whom the Wall Street Journal politely describes as “Florida businessmen who are U.S. citizens born in former Soviet republics,” were both carrying one-way tickets out of the country when federal agents arrested them at Dulles International Airport, on Wednesday night, and charged them with breaking campaign-finance laws by disguising donations from foreign entities.

(b) Parnas, a forty-seven-year-old native of Ukraine who arrived in the United States in 1976, owns a company called Fraud Guarantee. Evidently, it’s some sort of fraud-prevention advisory service. According to the Times, this company paid Giuliani hundreds of thousands of dollars for “business and legal advice.”

(c) According to Buzzfeed News, Parnas has in the past “worked for three stockbrokerages that were later expelled by regulators for fraud and other violations—though he was never individually charged—and racked up nine court judgments for failing to pay loans and other debts.”

(d) Parnas once tried to produce a movie called “Anatomy of an Assassin.” It didn’t go well. “Mr. Parnas is a con man, he is a crook,” Dianne Pues, a New Jersey woman who invested in the project, told the Miami Herald. “He conned us from day one. . . . He financially ruined us.”

(e) As he travelled around doing whatever he did, Parnas didn’t stint on expenses. “There were bills running to hundreds of dollars at exclusive restaurants such as Novikov in London and BLT Prime in Washington,” Buzzfeed reported. “During one of his many trips to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, there was a $657 charge at Tootsie, the popular strip club in the heart of the city.”

(f) Fruman, a fifty-three-year-old native of Belarus, apparently runs an import-export business that ships goods to and from Ukraine. He also reportedly owned, or owns, a beach club in the Black Sea city of Odessa, which has long been a stronghold of organized crime. The name of the club: Mafia Rave.

(g) In the spring of last year, after the dynamic duo donated three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to America First Action, a super pac that supports Donald Trump, they were invited to the White House, where they had dinner with the President and got their pictures taken with him. “Thank you President Trump !!! Making America great !!!!!! incredible dinner and even better conversation,” Parnas posted on his Facebook account.

(h) On Thursday, Trump said, “I don’t know those gentlemen.”

As I said, it’s a tough choice. On human-interest grounds, I’m choosing Option D, but the grip-and-grin picture of Parnas and Trump at the White House is also priceless—as is a picture of him having coffee with at Giuliani the Trump International Hotel in Washington last month. And let’s not forget the shot of Fruman and Parnas having breakfast in Beverly Hills last year with Donald Trump, Jr., and Tommy Hicks, Jr., a friend of Trump, Jr., who was then running America First Action.

But humor and Schadenfreude aside, this is a deadly serious matter. While there is still a good deal of murk surrounding the activities of Fruman and Parnas, we do know that they were two very busy and well-connected fellows. In addition to doing some of Giuliani’s bidding in Ukraine, as he sought to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter, Parnas got hired by a law firm run by two other Trump supporters and frequent Fox News guests, Joe DiGenova and Victoria Toensing. According to the Wall Street Journal, the law firm “hired Mr. Parnas in July to serve as an interpreter related to their representation of Dmitry Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch, who was detained in Vienna, in 2014, on corruption charges filed in the U.S.”

Meanwhile, Parnas and Fruman were also representing, and acting at the behest of, at least two Eastern European parties who haven’t yet been identified. The indictment says that their political donations, some of which were routed through shell companies to hide their identities, “were made for the purpose of gaining influence with politicians so as to advance their own personal financial interests and the political interests of Ukrainian government officials, including at least one Ukrainian government official with whom they were working.”

Who was this Ukrainian official, and what did he or she want? That’s one of the things we don’t know yet, but the indictment says that Parnas met with a U.S. congressman, widely believed to be the former Texas Republican congressman Pete Sessions, and sought his “assistance in causing the U.S. Government to remove or recall the then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine”—Marie Yovanovitch—and these “efforts to remove the Ambassador were conducted, at least in part, at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials.”

We also know that the other Eastern European who was employing Parnas and Fruman is Russian. The indictment says that some of the donations that Fruman, Parnas, and two other individuals made in 2018 were really funded by a certain “Foreign National-1,” with a view to obtaining licenses for a recreational-marijuana business in certain U.S. states, including Nevada. One of the other conspirators is quoted in the indictment, and he says Foreign National-1’s identity was kept hidden because of “his Russian roots and current political paranoia about it.”

What does all this add up to? Although Parnas and Fruman hardly appear to fit the bill of men of international intrigue, they clearly played significant roles in the Giuliani-inspired effort to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate the Bidens, get rid of Yovanovitch, and help Donald Trump get reëlected. That means they are potentially important witnesses in the Presidential-impeachment inquiry.

The House Democrats who are investigating Trump will most certainly want to hear what Parnas and Fruman have to say. (At least one House committee has already served a subpoena on them.) And, according to ABC News, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which brought the campaign-finance case against Parnas and Fruman, is also investigating their business relationship with Giuliani. That’s not good news for Rudy or Trump.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Virginia ordered the pair to be held in detention until they secure a bail bond of a million dollars each. Right now, they are being represented by John Dowd, a former lawyer for Trump, which would suggest they aren’t about to turn on their former associates and spill. But, like Michael Cohen, they could always have a change of heart.

0 notes

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

The Republican lawmaker rattling Silicon Valley

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/the-republican-lawmaker-rattling-silicon-valley/

The Republican lawmaker rattling Silicon Valley

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley embodies the rising threat facing some of the world’s most powerful companies, as political leaders of all ideological stripes sign on to rein in online giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon.

technology

‘This town has valorized the tech industry,’ says Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.

Josh Hawley arrived in the Senate this year as a conquering Republican hero, after wresting a Democratic-held seat on a platform of religious liberty, low taxes and fights against “Washington overreach.”

Six months later, the former Missouri attorney general’s emergence as the chamber’s most relentless adversary of the tech industry has placed him at the center of a curious coalition of Democrats and Trump allies. But he’s confounding many of the libertarian Republicans who helped elect him — who say his proposals to rein in Silicon Valley’s accumulated power areverging into assaults onthe free market and the First Amendment.

Story Continued Below

Hawley embodies the rising threat facing some of the world’s most powerful companies, as political leaders of all ideological stripes sign on to break up or otherwise rein in online giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon. And it reflects how in the U.S., the modern GOP’s reluctance to tread on business can give way to larger worries about how major corporations are transforming society.

The Republican freshman’s anti-tech leadership has been “unbelievable,” says unlikely admirer Matt Stoller, a former aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and a fellow at the advocacy group Open Markets, which is pushing for Washington to crack down on the industry’s biggest players. “He’s definitely the most aggressive and assertive anti-monopolist on the Republican side — and, frankly, the entire Senate,” Stoller says.

Some of Hawley’s past supporters, though, are warning him that he’s going too far. They include Americans for Prosperity, the advocacy powerhouse backed by industrialists Charles and David Koch, which spent $2.1 million in ads helping to elect Hawley in 2018.Now, the group is opposing some of his legislative proposals, including one that would have federal regulators vet online platforms for political bias. In March, AFP ran online ads targeted at Hawley that warned against flirting with the idea of breaking up big tech firms.

“Both his rhetoric and his legislative proposals have been pretty disappointingly incompatible with the Constitution’s principles of limited government and very likely to be ineffective at making life better for innovators, entrepreneurs, and everyday Americans,” said Neil Chilson, a senior research fellow at Stand Together, the umbrella network for AFP and other Koch-backed groups.

As Hawley sees it, the Washington political establishment has for years been co-opted by Silicon Valley’s corporate lobbying army, forgetting about regular Americans while propping up what he branded in his fiery first Senate speech in May “the new aristocratic elite” running the country’s tech companies.

And he’s here in Washington, he says, to force a conversation he hears back home in Missouri about the tech industry’s destructive effects — from the vanishing of personal privacy to the resulting social isolation.

“This town has valorized the tech industry,” said Hawley in an interview with POLITICO in his Senate office, its bookshelves still largely bare. But he says voters in his state and across America are sending a different message: “We are tired of big government and big corporations who, by the way, we think don’t really like America that much.”

Hawley’s tired of them too, and he doesn’t shy away from saying it: “Maybe we’d be better off if Facebook disappeared,” Hawley mused in a May op-ed in USA Today.

Hawley’s passionate and frequent condemnations of Silicon Valley are winning him fans among cultural conservatives, particularly those who see social media companies as unfairly biased against them.

In a recent op-ed, Donald Trump Jr. praised Hawley’s “clear-eyed assessment of the ongoing affront to the freedoms of conservative speech and expression,” adding: “It’s high time other conservative politicians started heeding Hawley’s warnings.” The president retweeted his eldest son’s opinion piece.

Hawley, 39, has roots in Silicon Valley. He attended Stanford as a history major in the late 1990s. There was, he says, a lot of “big talk” of the greatness the internet was going to unleash. But it hasn’t panned out: “What they’ve given us in the last 20, 21 years, I think it’s really — it’s not much. They don’t have a whole heck of a lot to show for their efforts.”

Hawley went on to attend law school at Yale, and at 28 wrote a book about Teddy Roosevelt, called “Preacher of Righteousness,” which studied the one-time president’s antitrust record. Roosevelt, said Hawley, would be alarmed by Silicon Valley: “I think he’d be really worried. He’d be worried about the size, he’d be worried about the power, he’d be worried about the lack of accountability.”

In 2016, Hawley was elected attorney general of Missouri, going on to launch investigations into Google and Facebook on privacy, data handling and antitrust grounds. The probes, begun amid his Senate bid, were high-profile, with his office reaching out to national reporters. Other states followed suit. “We helped blaze a trail,” he says.

Chilson, of the Koch group Stand Together, says Hawley’s work on tech as attorney general didn’t raise concerns at the time because those were targeted cases within the traditional purview of the job. “That’s the job of an AG, to look at such issues,” Chilson says.

Hawley says that he can’t comment on those ongoing investigations but that what he learned about how the tech companies operate encouraged him to keep going once he reached the Senate. “Is Google and Facebook and Twitter in violation of antitrust laws? I don’t know the answer to that,” Hawley says. “But I think there’s a lot of smoke. So there may well be fire. So we need to look.”

He has stopped short — for now — of echoing Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s call to break up the biggest tech companies. “This is why we go through the process of having investigations, gathering data,” said Hawley. “Should we break them up? Maybe.”

That sort of talk alarms many in the tech industry.

“I think the critiques miss the overwhelming value that our companies and industry bring both to Missouri and the entire country,” said Michael Beckerman, CEO and president of the industry group the Internet Association. “When you just look at negatives and talk about making companies disappear, that would be a huge, huge disadvantage to Missouri and our entire country.”

Hawley himself is a user of social media, including Twitter and Facebook. Asked about it, Hawley says, “This is what happens when you get monopolies. It’s almost impossible to escape them.”

Still, he takes a different approach with the two sons, ages 4 and 6, that he is raising with his wife, Erin Morrow Hawley, a law professor and fellow former clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts: “No social media. Zilch. And they don’t do phones. We don’t even have an iPad.”

Hawley has partnered with an array of Democrats to push legislation addressing the online privacy rights of kids and other tech topics, including Senate Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), Senate Judiciary Committee top Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California and long-time privacy hawk Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Together they’ve rolled out bills ranging from a proposal that would require companies to disclose how much money they make from user data, to another that would ban video services like YouTube from automatically recommending videos involving children.

Another of his Democratic legislative partners, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, praises the Republican as a fellow former state attorney general. “I think he has the mindset of a law enforcement official who is intent on protecting consumers and the public,” Blumenthal told POLITICO. “We have some common approaches and we’re going to try to do more about it.”

“We disagree a lot on a lot of things,” Hawley says about his Democratic allies. Hawley has called for building Trump’s proposed border wall, celebrated the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear treaty negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and brandedRoe v. Wade“one of the most unjust decisions” in the history of U.S. courts. “I think you see people who take tech very, very seriously, who are who are very knowledgeable, have worked to educate themselves and who want to actually get something done,” he says.

But the bills those partnerships have produced, coupled with Hawley’s anti-tech rhetoric, have raised alarm among some conservatives and tech industry representatives.

“He’s one of the smartest people in the legislature and he’s somebody who, when he puts his mind to something, is incredibly driven,” said Carl Szabo, general counsel for right-leaning industry group NetChoice. “This is why I’m as disheartened as I am to see him put a lot of his effort into attacks on America’s businesses and harms to America’s freedoms that we enjoy today.”

NetChoice, like the Internet Association, counts digital heavyweights like Google, Facebook and Twitter as members.

The move that has most riled up industry and some on the right is a bill, rolled out in late June, that would require online giants like Facebook and YouTube to get a Federal Trade Commission certification of their political neutrality to qualify for a prized liability shield. That measure would amend Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects platforms from lawsuits over user-generated content.

Hawley has billed the plan as a crackdown on “censorship” by Silicon Valley companies, which he and other Republicans accuse of stifling conservative content on their platforms.

But the proposal has drawn fire from both sides of the aisle. Critics say it would trample on the First Amendment right to constitutionally protected political speech, and would undermine companies’ ability to combat dangerous material, such as terrorist content and hate speech.

Former FTC Commissioner Josh Wright, a Republican, unleashed a 14-part tweet thread condemning Hawley’s social media proposal. The bill “quite literally injects a board of bureaucrats into millions of decisions about internet content,” one read. “This is central planning. Full stop.”

Hawley says he doesn’t get the critique. He argues that the federal government gifted the tech sector a tremendous advantage by giving it Section 230 protections, so it’s not overstepping to consider dialing them back. “I think the question we should be asking is, ‘What do we need to do to make these markets truly competitive, to protect people’s privacy, to make sure that there are open channels of communication when it comes to social media?’”

Hawley says his views on corporate consolidation align with those of voters in places like Missouri. “You’ve got Republican voters in one place and then you’ve kind of got Republican establishment in another place, and you’re seeing that tension in the tech debate,” he says.

As for falling out of favor with groups like Americans for Prosperity, says Hawley, “I’m a little puzzled by them, because I thought these groups who consider themselves libertarian, typically they consider themselves pro-free market. And so I’m surprised that there’s a lack of concern about market competition.”

Does he worry about losing the backing of the libertarian and establishment wings?

Hawley smiles and says no: “It was never my ambition to have a political career. So if I’m going to be here, I want to actually get something done.”

#Foreign #Politics #Silicon #Valley

0 notes

docrotten · 6 years

Text

Apostle - Episode 296 - Horror News Radio

NIGHT OF THE COMET, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE top the horror news of the week and we remember the prolific character actor James Karen. The Grue-Crew review APOSTLE (2018) from director Gareth Evans who hides something far more supernatural than a dangerous cult in his harrowing period film. Join Dave Dreher, Doc Rotten, Christopher G. Moore, and Vanessa Thompson as we discuss Horror News of the Week and review the latest horror offerings.

As always, the HNR Grue-Crew would love to hear from you! Reach out via email at feedback(AT)horrornewsradio(DOT)com. Also, please like us on Facebook and join the Horror News Radio Facebook Group.

Horror News Radio Episode 296 - Apostle Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HNR Is brought to you by the generous contributions to our Patreon account Thank you to our patrons

NEW YORK CITY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL: Thursday, November 29 - Sunday December 2, New York, New York

HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK

R.I.P James Karen (Return of the Living Dead, Poltergeist) https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3529434/r-p-return-living-dead-poltergeist-star-james-karen-died/

Night of the Comet remake on its way from Director Roxanne Benjamin https://www.slashfilm.com/night-of-the-comet-remake/

Hmmm. A 3-D conversion of Dawn of the Dead (1978) exists... https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2018/10/23/a-talk-with-richard-p.-rubinstein-on-the-3d-version-of-dawn-of-the-dead

Trailer: The Possession of Hannah Grace https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/284475/284475/

Adam Scott takes on the Shatner role for Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone https://www.slashfilm.com/twilight-zone-reboot-cast/

NECA sends Valek (The Nun) set to haunt your toy shelf https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3529969/exclusive-neca-brings-demon-valak-toy-shelf-upcoming-nun-figure/

Not scary enough: Howzabout It! https://bloody-disgusting.com/toys/3529533/neca-reveals-ultimate-well-house-pennywise-action-figure/

FEATURE TOPIC: Apostle (2018)

In 1905, a drifter on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island.

Director: Gareth Evans (The Raid/The Raid 2, "Safe Haven" V/H/S 2) Cast: Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Lucy Boynton, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, Paul Higgens, and Mark Lewis Jones

SUPPORT HNR:

THIS MONTH ON PATREON http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon HNR T-SHIRTS http://horrornewsradio.com/tees

FEEDBACK: [email protected]

EXIT

Thanks to Rocky Gray for our killer new HNR theme song Next Week on HNR: Suspiria (2018)

Check out this episode!

0 notes

steenpaal · 6 years

Text

Long take - Wikipedia

In filmmaking, a long take is a shot lasting much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera movement and elaborate blocking are often elements in long takes, but not necessarily so. The term "long take" should not be confused with the term "long shot", which refers to the distance between the camera and its subject and not to the temporal length of the shot itself. The length of a long take was originally limited to how much film a motion picture camera could hold, but the advent of digital video has considerably lengthened the maximum potential length of a take.

Examples of long takes

When filming Rope (1948), Alfred Hitchcock intended for the film to have the effect of one long continuous take, but the cameras available could hold no more than 1000 feet of 35 mm film. As a result, each take used up to a whole roll of film and lasts up to 10 minutes. Many takes end with a dolly shot to a featureless surface (such as the back of a character's jacket), with the following take beginning at the same point by zooming out. The entire film consists of only 11 shots.[1][a]

Andy Warhol and collaborating avant-garde filmmaker, Jonas Mekas, shot the 485-minute-long experimental film, Empire (1964), on 10 rolls of film using an Auricon camera via 16mm film which allowed longer takes than its 35 mm counterpart. "The camera took a 1,200ft roll of film that would shoot for roughly 33 minutes."[3]

A handful of theatrically released feature films, such as Timecode (2000), Russian Ark (2002), PVC-1 (2007), and Victoria (2015) are filmed in one single take; others are composed entirely from a series of long takes, while many more may be well known for one or two specific long takes within otherwise more conventionally edited films. In 2012, the art collective The Hut Project produced The Look of Performance, a digital film shot in a single 360° take lasting 3 hours, 33 minutes and 8 seconds. The film was shot at 50 frames per second, meaning the final exhibited work lasts 7 hours, 6 minutes and 17 seconds.[4]

The police procedural series The Bill used long takes to achieve a documentary style effect.[5] Other examples include The X-Files episode "Triangle" (season 6, episode 3), directed (and written) by the series creator Chris Carter. The technique is also frequently used in ER, which fits with the show's use of Steadicam for the majority of shots. An episode "The Inheritance / C.I.D. 111" of the Indian suspense drama C.I.D., broadcast on 7 November 2004, is a 111-minute-long single take. It currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest single shot for TV.

Sequence shot

A sequence shot is a long take that constitutes an entire scene. Such a shot may involve sophisticated camera movement. It is sometimes called by the French term plan-séquence. The use of the sequence shot allows for realistic or dramatically significant background and middle ground activity. Actors range about the set transacting their business while the camera shifts focus from one plane of depth to another and back again. Significant off-frame action is often followed with a moving camera, characteristically through a series of pans within a single continuous shot. An example of this is the first scene in the jury room of 12 Angry Men, where the jurors are getting settled into the room.

Another notable example occurs near the beginning of Antonioni's The Passenger, when Jack Nicholson exchanges passport photos while the audience hears a tape recording of an earlier conversation with a now dead man, and then the camera pans (no cut) to that earlier scene.

Another example is the famous "Copacabana shot" featured in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), in which Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) takes his girlfriend to a nightclub passing through the kitchen.

Average shot length

Films can be quantitatively analyzed using the "ASL" (average shot length), a statistical measurement which divides the total length of the film by the number of shots. For example, Béla Tarr's film Werckmeister Harmonies is 149 minutes, and made up of 39 shots.[6] Thus its ASL is 229.2 seconds.

The ASL is a relatively recent measure, devised by film scholar Barry Salt in the 1970s as a method of statistically analyzing the editing patterns both of individual films and of groups of films (for example, of the films made by a particular director or made in a particular period). Film scholars who have made use of ASL in their work include David Bordwell and Yuri Tsivian. Tsivian used the ASL as a tool for his analysis of D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (ASL 5.9 seconds) in a 2005 article.[7] Tsivian also helped launch a website called Cinemetrics, where visitors can measure, record, and read ASL statistics.

Directors known for long takes

Continuous shot full feature films

A "one-shot feature film" (also called "continuous shot feature film") is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression that it was. Given the extreme difficulty of the exercise and the technical requirements for a long lasting continuous shot, such full feature films have only been possible since the advent of digital movie cameras.

Find a list of examples on the "one-shot feature film" page.