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365days365movies · 11 months ago

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Action January II: Captain Blood (1935)

Part Two: A Colorful Fragment in a Drab World

When you think of the Golden Age of Hollywood, it's hard to get more notable than Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn at the height of his career. One of the most prominent leading men of the time period, succeeding Douglas Fairbanks and alongside Clark Gable, he was a mountebank of talent and action. At least...that was a public image of his. The actual Errol Flynn? Genuinely a drunken disease-ridden criminal who maybe exemplifies the idea of dividing the art from the artist. 'Cause, uh...wow. Not a good person, was Flynn.

If you do not care about Errol Flynn, skip to the break; I'll put my five-point review down there so time isn't wasted. I just really want to talk about Errol Flynn. Ready? OK.

Born in Hobart, Tasmania on June 20, 1909, Errol Flynn grew up in a middle class household. His father was a biology professor, while his mother was...well, in his autobiography, Flynn would say that she had "an itch to live - perhaps too much like my own." And given what we know about Errol's "itches", that's saying something. There's some speculation that she was sleeping with a local movie theater manager,leading to Flynn hanging out there often and watching a lot of movies. Is that true? Well, Flynn is a...somewhat unreliable narrator, so take his statements with a grain of salt. He also claimed that he and his mother were descended from some of the soldiers that participated in the famous mutiny on The Bounty, but that's probably not true. However, keep that factoid in mind for later.

Early life was complicated for Flynn, and bad habits emerged early. By the time he was 17, he'd been expelled from 4 schools for inappropriate acts (of violent and sexual natures); he'd joined a local gang; he'd already started his collection of sexually-transmitted diseases with gonorrhea (and he was, uh, quite the collector); and he was working in New Guinea. In New Guinea, he...um...

OK, look here's what you gotta know about Flynn: dude is nasty, in a lot of ways. Most of those ways are, unfortunately, sexual in nature. Since I'd like to be sensitive to the sensibilities of readers, I won't go into every nitty gritty detail. So, starting with his New Guinea adventures, let's just say that he killed a number of native people during colonization efforts, and then did that other classic thing that colonizers have done, historically. You know, that thing that goes with pillaging?

And to be clear, Flynn wasn't ashamed of this. In his autobiography, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, he describes one of the native New Guineans he encounters in...very unfortunate detail. Flynn was a nasty kid, before and after his acting career began. Speaking of which, while he was working in Australia (after fleeing from New Guinea for murder, etc.), he was spotted by director Charles Chauvel, and was offered to be in a film about the mutiny on the Bounty. Crazy coincidence, huh? Errol accepted, and that was his first film, In the Wake of the Bounty, in 1933. It's now disappeared into obscurity, but that was the beginning.

Flynn's career began mostly in the UK, where he acted as extras while getting professional training. Then he threw a stage manager down a flight of stairs and was fired from his repertory company. Because that's Errol Flynn, apparently. He worked on a few more films, married actress Lili Damita, and eventually got the attention of Hollywood. After a couple of small roles, Michael Curtiz tapped him as a 4th choice for his new movie, Captain Blood. Not only was this the first film with Curtiz and Olivia de Havilland (19 at the time), but it was a smash hit. Flynn was a star, the new Douglas Fairbanks!

1936: he works with Curtiz and Olivia again in The Charge of the Light Brigade. 1937: A dramatic role in Green Light, then another swashbuckler in The Prince and the Pauper, a melodrama in Another Dawn, and a comedy in The Perfect Specimen (with Curtiz again), all before acting as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War. And then, finally, in 1938, he reunites with Curtiz, Havilland, and Basil Rathbone in my favorite of his films: The Adventures of Robin Hood. And if Flynn was famous before, then that movie really did it.

In the meantime, he gets married to actress Lili Damita in 1935, and this would be the first of 3 marriages. And lemme tell you, it would end tragically for Flynn, hilariously for everybody else. From 1935 to 1939, Flynn's career would take off, and he would work with Curtiz and Havilland a few more times, but things would start to change at this point. See, starting all the way back in The Charge of the Light Brigade, Curtiz and Flynn had regular disagreements. In that film, 25 horses actually died under Curtiz' direction, and the animal-loving Flynn got into a legit fist-fight with his director. And this was the second of seven collaborations together. The two hated each other, but they knew good filmmaking when they saw it. Curtiz' career, by the way, includes Casablanca, just so you know what caliber of director we're talking about.

Flynn's career continued, as did his contentious nature. The Sea Hawk in 1940 continued his career climb, as World War II was in full swing. At the same time, he got badly slapped by co-star Bette Davis (yes, THAT Bette Davis) in the face in The Privates Lives of Elizabeth and Essex during an argument in a scene, which he wrote off as "unrequited romantic interest" (ugh); he had more arguments with Curtiz on Virginia City in 1940, and tried to get him off his own picture; and he co-starred with no-name actor Ronald Reagan in Santa Fe Trail, which is probably the only notable thing that dude ever did.

And this, of course, is when the health problems and drinking started. He'd contracted malaria when he was younger in New Guinea, which damaged his heart significantly. And oh, God, the drinking. Flynn was a notorious womanizing, chain-smoking drunk, especially throughout the 1940s. He'd had affairs with everybody (a habit so famous, it's the origin for the phrase "in like Flynn"), and would regularly get into physical fights with everyone else. In the process, he would greatly expand his collection of diseases. By 1942, he had chronic tuberculosis, recurrent malaria, gonorrhea, syphillis, and a host of unrecorded STDs. This, combined with heart damage and back pain, made him ineligible for service during World War II, which had many believing he was a draft dodger (since studios didn't want word of their big star having that many STDs). And that's not all!

See, Lili's getting sick of the whole "constant cheating and STD" thing, so she files for divorce. Said divorce had insane conditions by today's standards, and would essentially had Lili rolling in Errol's money FOR LIFE, while leaving Errol with far less money for the rest of his days. How could this get worse? Easy; he was being sued for statutory r*pe that year as well, and nearly resulted in a 25-year prison sentence. He was acquitted, because Hollywood's always been bullshit, but his reputation was...well, frankly, it was fucked. And at this point, Flynn was only 33 years old. Jesus Christ.

After this, Flynn would never fully recover. Oh, he was still in movies, but his drinking and partying continued, and his reputation somehow got even worse. He would show up blasted to sets, ending his relationships with many directors. His appearance started taking a nosedive due to his health and behaviors. He got married again, in 1943 to Nora Eddington, somehow, but Nora later regretted that marriage. Scandals continued, like the time newspapers found out he'd installed one-way mirrors in his mansion's bathrooms in order to look at his female guests secretly (ew. EW.), and he added hepatitis to his collection of diseases.

Marriage #3 comes along in 1950, and Flynn moves to Europe in 1954 for his films. He's there for a few years, until finally getting a call back in 1957 to star in an adaptation of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Flynn idolized Hemingway, and actually wanted to be an author just like him. Might have accomplished it, if not for the EVERYTHING ELSE he was doing. Still, he accepted the role, which cast him as a pathetic drunk has-been, past his years and prime. What I'm trying to say is, he crushed it. Hard.

Flynn's back, baby! And now, he's being typecast as a drunk. Which, again, is what he was at this point. Also, I should clarify, alcoholism is absolutely a disease, and my issues with Flynn have nothing to do with the fact that he was an alcoholic. However, he was constantly drunk, that's just a fact. His success in The Sun Also Rises revitalized his career in the late 1950s, and things were looking good. He even started up his old journalism ambitions when he traveled to Cuba during Castro's revolution, and was the only journalist there when Castro won.

In 1959, though, Flynn's financial difficulties had become too much, even with his career rebirth. He went to Canada to sell a yacht to a guy, then flew back to Los Angeles on October 14. In the process, his back and legs started acting up. Not unusual for him. The doctor in LA noted that Flynn could barely walk up the stairs, then gave him some Demerol, a massage, and good conversation. Flynn said he "felt ever so much better", and the doctor left. A 17-year-old girl that had been traveling with him (yeah, that sounds horrible) went in to check on him 20 minutes later.

Errol Flynn died on October 14, 1959, at the age of 50. His cause of death was found as a heart attack from coronary thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and severe cirrhosis of the liver, amongst the STDs that plagued him his entire life. Flynn was buried with six bottles of his favorite whiskey at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. He had once said he hated this place, and never wanted to be buried there, so you gotta imagine that his current marriage wasn't going great either. Jesus.

But even after he died, Flynn's legacy continued to degrade. His autobiography came out, which didn't really help him image much. His work as a war correspondent was put into question as illegitimate, and thought to be used only to promote his films. That 17 year old that discovered his death revealed that yes, that sentence was as creepy as it sounded, and Flynn never learned his FUCKING LESSION. He was also possibly outed as bisexual, which is obviously fine (assuming the bisexual community wants to claim this asshole at all), and I only point this out to say that he was described as "super-straight" by Iron Eyes Cody. And who's Iron Eyes Cody? Trust me. Look him up. You don't wanna trust a goddamn word that dude said.

So, with all of that bullshit said and finally done...Errol Flynn was still an excellent actor. Yeah, I honestly mean that. IN fact, I'll elaborate in a minute here in the review below. So, read on if you're interested in that. And if not, honestly, watch Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood yourself, and make your own opinions. Just saying, he could act. Separate the art from the artist, people.

Review

Cast and Acting: 9/10

Just to get our leading man out of the way, Errol Flynn is fantastic in this movie. I mean it; for a guy who'd barely been in movies, and for this being his first leading role, he knocks it out of the park. Suave and debonair, defiant and headstrong when he needs to be, and someone you're charmed by as much as the characters on screen are. Plus, the swashbuckling is fun to watch, and credit should go to Flynn for some of that. Genuinely a star in the making; just forget all that other stuff from above, OK?

And everybody else? Olivia de Havilland, who's only 18 during filming, by the way, is also great in this movie. And again, this is one of her first films. Crazy, huh? Her role is uncomplicated, but she plays it very well! Basil Rathbone isn't in here for long, but he's a scene-stealer...partially because his French accent feels forced, and he's maybe a little over the top. Still, extremely fun to watch. Same could be said for Lionel Atwill, although he sort-of just drops off in the middle of the picture, when he could've been a real commanding antagonist. Missed opportunity, that one. As for the pirate crew, like Ross Alexander and Guy Kibbee, they're not bad! Meant in some cases to be comic relief, which is done well, but also portrayed as a loyal and faithful crew. Throw all of these performances together, and you get my final score. Solid all around, with a little scenery-chewing here and there.

Plot and Writing: 8/10

Honestly, this is both a standard swashbuckling plot (man of high-standing gets plunged into low-standing, then fights his way back to prowess via sword and fisticuffs), but also very different in some ways. It's based off of a novel by Rafael Sabatini, and certainly has a memorable and easy to describe story. However...and this is a soft however...Blood's gonna win. It's not the least predictable plot in the world, since you know Blood's gonna win and get the girl in the end. It also has a surprisingly bloodless ending, all things considered. Yeah, I know there's the battle with the French in the end there, but only one named cast member (Basil Rathbone) actually dies. It's fun to watch and easy to recall, but...kinda toothless in the end. Also, Blood is a bit of a Gary Stu most of the time, which isn't the best character work you can do.

Writing by Casey Robinson, though, is still fantastic. This is a SOLID adaptation of the book, from what I can tell, and Robinson manages to spice up a standard plot with some entertaining and engaging writing throughout. Honestly, this is a fun movie, and the writing helps with that quite a bit. Even got the Oscar nomination that year for Best Screenplay, but lost to The Informer. In fact, it technically wasn't officially nominated by the committee, but was instead nominated by write-in. That is how popular this film's writing was.

Direction and Cinematography: 9/10

Michael Curtiz, frankly, is a legend. And sure, I can't say this is a groundbreaking film in terms of direction in some ways, but good goddamn, does Curtiz still do an excellent job. This is especially notable when looking at the action scenes, like the beach swordfight, or the siege on the French ships (as seen in the GIF below). Seriously, though, this is a great-looking film, both due to legendary director and legendary cinematographers Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr. The former is best known for Gone With the Wind (I hate that movie, but it's admittedly gorgeously shot), while the latter is known for The Phantom of the Opera and...The Jazz Singer. Ooh. Yikes. Moving on!

Production and Set Design: 9/10

Again, kind of standard fare for the time period in some ways, but still a great looking production! You feel like you're on a ship or tropical island for most of the film, despite the entire film being made in California. That ending scene with the French ships? 2,500 extras were in that sequence, making it one of the biggest films ever made at that time. This is impressive production, including the prop work and...well, OK, one problem. The costumes are mildly anachronistic. It's nothing crazy, but keep in mind that this film is meant to take place in the 1650s. With that in mind, this feels far more like a film from the 1800s instead. This is a minor nitpick, but a nitpick nonetheless. Frankly, I've really had to try and find flaws with some of this stuff, because this film is genuinely great.

Music and Editing: 9/10

Music here is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, another film legend and notable composer. His career very much followed Errol Flynn, as this was his first huge picture (not counting 1933's A Midsummer Night's Dream), and he would also score for The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. This booming brass score is your stereotypical swashbuckler tune, meaning that Korngold helped create that stereotype in the first place. It's iconic, it's memorable, and it makes for solid background in a action scene. Even did that thing where the sword-clashes are timed with music sometimes! Again, classic.

George Amy is our editor for this picture, and he's a legend in his own right. A powerhouse for Warner Brothers, Amy was a favorite of Michael Curtiz, and ended up editing the majority of his films (but not Casablanca, funnily enough). He definitely does well here, although I felt like one or two sequences could use a little trim here and there. Nothing really felt unnecessary, but there could have been a little something different in the near-mutiny sequence, for example. That sequence is maybe the weirdest in the film for me, as Blood sort-of gaslights the crew into following him into certain fucking death. Again, kind of a nitpick for me, but it did affect how I saw Blood, and maybe could've been changed to adjust the pacing of the scene.

Verdict: 88%

Pretty sure I've hurt some critic's feelings with that number, so I feel the need to clarify something: this movie's goddamn great. It's the progenitor of the swashbuckling genre for a reason, after all. This is a crazy fun film, but I won't give it an excuse because it's a classic. But would I watch this movie again? Absolutely. Like I said, a hell of a lot of fun.

Time for another classic action-adventure movie to continue the classics train, but let's jump forward a decade for this one, huh? Post World War II, classic director, and a precursor to the true action genre. And as always, one that's been on my list for a long time.

Next: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); dir. John Huston

#user365 #365 days 365 movies #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 movies a year #365days365movies #action january #action #swashbuckling #action movie #pirate movie #errol flynn #captain blood #michael curtiz #olivia de havilland #basil rathbone #biography #action genre

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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OC List 3.0 WIP

(Note: Characters intended for one story, may also appear in other stories as well.

Of Swords and Pens

Owens Family

Jeremiah Owains (Blaise ancestor)

Timothy Owens (Blaise great uncle)

Lewis Owens (Father, deceased)

Eliza Owens (Mother, deceased)

Blaise Owens (first child, Neutral)

Joanna Owens (second child, Frist Responders)

Victor Owens (fourth third child, Neutral)

Mary Owens (née Rivers, wife of Victor / widow of Lawrence)

Lawrence Owens (fourth child, Neutral, deceased)

Connor Owens (Neutral) (Clone of Lawrence)

June Owens (Neutral) (Clone of Blaise)

First Responders

Garrett Bearlitz (Head/Leader of the First Responders)

Dr. Ruby Mortis

Manatena Berrocal

Franz Weißschloss aka “The Hospital Chaplain” (Still unsure)

Obdulio Bravo (formerly Tigris Empire)

Charl Mountebank

Leonid Aksakov / Akdow (joins later)

Army of the Fauna Republic

Arthur P. Bellum (Commanding Officer)

Turner Coats (Lieutenant / Three Star General)

Horace Wings (Lieutenant/Three Star General)

Clover Luckfoot (Private)

Nikolai Akdow (Army Scientist)

Nutmeg Cinnamon (Army Cook)

Dr. Lis Polarny (Army Doctor)

Seren E. Ness (Moral officer)

Army of the Tigris Empire

Cecilio Pryde (Commanding Officer)

Coop D'état (Lieutenant / Three Star General)

Minerva Border (Valorised Private)

Giordano "Cannelloni" Castellani (Army Cook)

Weregeld Schein (Lawyer)

Aeolus Piston aka Soldier 040 (Bodyguard of Weregeld)

Page aka Soldier 404 (Bodyguard of Weregeld)

Vasily Akdow (Assistant Army Scientist)

Ministry of Vision

"Ace" (Minister / Head of the Ministry)

Ian Snapshot (Enforcer #1)

Fed Geeman (Enforcer #2)

Magnus Dandy aka "The Therapist" ("Contractor/Freelancer")

Neutral / Part of no Organization

Tonic Corner (Shop vendor)

Elias Corner (war journalist / I̷̧̠̼̠̤̭̊͒̇͒̉̉̌n��̢̨̣̥̟͚̭̜̙̲͎͍̣̄̾̆̏̈́͋̓̅́̈́͋̄͑͐̚c̶͈̭͌͂̉͊̑̾̃̍̍̚a̷̛͖̘̝͖͌͂̈́̍̀͛͗̏̎̕͠r̷̳̠̖͙̣͙̲̭͕̮̫̬͓̒̎̀̆͐͊̓̿͊͘͜͜͠͝ǹ̵̯͖͎̜̱̬̬ͅā̷̪̣̻̤͈͒̀̉̈̆̈́̀̚͠ͅt̶̡̮̬̺̪̜̦̭͕̹͙̟̅̓́͊͌̿̏͜ͅi̴̡͈͇̜͔̣͓̐͛̐̅̍̄͌̇̐̉̾͘̕͝͝ò̸̖̑͒̂ǹ̶̢̧̹̭͖͓̹̻̋̔̈̈́͛̚͠ ̵͉̮̞̺̱̫̬̠̹̯̖̥͔͔̃̀́̐̄͗̽̑́̊ǫ̵̢̼̟͈̣͚̻̟̜̜̪̙̼̿̀̂̇̈̈́͌͗̀́͑̑̚f̷̧̱̐̉̈̃̅̊̅͐̊̋ ̴̙͍͕̻̆̈́̋̚ͅD̵͔̝̮̦̖̻̳̹̼͆̈e̷͈̮̻̰͂̊̈́̎͆̈̿̾̃̾̌̔͝ͅa̴̢̱̱̝͚̱̤͚̜̼̲̗̍̋͜ṭ̶̡̛̺͈̤̙̃͌͒̍̅́̋̀h̸̛͕͙̮͈̀̎̎͜)

Father Job Fahim (Bishop)

Halyna Aksakov (deceased) (Kathrina's and Nikolai's mother)

Lupus Bytes (CEO and Founder of Lupus Industries)

Other stories and characters

The City / The Walls an Gates of New Constantinople

Jay Mortis (Gravedigger in the City)

Aviso Grand (former Singer in the City)

Keratin Grand (Older sister of Aviso, Hotel Owner in the City)

Kathrina Akdow (Waitress in a restaurant in Trailerpark Town)

Michael "Mike" Melkboer (Milkman in the City)

Charly Doe (Government Worker in Trailerpark Town)

Quintus Imperium (Court Clerk in the City)

Lily Ordnung (Herbalist who lives alone in an isolated hut)

Janus Gates (Singer who lives in Trailerpark Town)

Constance Jacquemart ( The Phantom of the City)

“The Architect of the City” (Founder of the City)

"Father" Jerome Alabaster (City Council Member)

"Father" Urban Bacchus

“Father” Denarius Snooze

“Father” Bartholomew Ekzem

Tinker Cruso (City Council Member)

Rex Imperium (City Council Member)

Albert “Al” Clear / The Launderer (City Council Member)

Fil M. Helmer (City Council Member)

Age Aeon (City Council Member)

Reverend / Pastor Mitchell Canon (City Council Member)

Adam Ordnung (City Council Member)

Castor Montan

CATOS

Robert "Rec" Eiver

Engelbert Mohn (Scientist)

Friedrich Waldmann (Scientist)

Ignaz Gottlieb Färber (Scientist)

Ovid Crows (Oracle)

Rise of the Marauders

Marauders

Gene Corner (Leader)

Organizations

Broken Heart Cult / Cult of the Broken Heart

Marauders

Grey Mane Club

Followers of the Moon

Blood Moorn Order

Church of the Righteous Cross

Lupus Industries

Owens Minerals and Metal Works

Places

Trailer Park Town

The City

The “Peace”

Fauna Republic

Tigris Empire

Misc / For Later / Future stories

Chadli Spox

Claire du Rand

Sasha du Rand

Shade Merango

Bradley Bear

Lukas U. Naris

Dwight Cahoon

Franz (last name yet to be determined)

Thomas Lieberg / Gilgamesh (Broken Heart Cult)

Gotthard Lieberg

Queen Mafalda the III.

Mikhail Shukov

#OC #OC List #OCs #Original Stories #Of Swords and Pens #The City

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dearest-solitude · 2 years ago

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Charles Bukowski, Love is a Dog From Hell; a stethoscope case

#charles bukowski #this is abt olaf and dr mountebank sorry #fic inspo:mercy #poem #a sethoscope case

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unknown-odds · 2 years ago

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↳ FANDOM LIST

𖤐 here is the list of fandoms/characters that i’m interested in.

*ITALICS = my favorite characters

CATEGORIES:

ACTORS

SERIES

TV SHOWS

GAMES

ECT.

── ACTORS

PEDRO PASCAL

DIN DJARIN

JAVIER PEÑA

MARCUS MORENO

JACK “WHISKEY” DANIELS

EZRA

FRANKIE MORALES

JOEL MILLER

MARCUS PIKE

OSCAR ISAAC

STEVEN GRANT

MARC SPECTOR

SANTIAGO “POPE” GARCIA

LETO ATREIDAS

JAKE LOCKLEY

── SERIES

STAR WARS

DARTH MAUL

ECHO

POE DAMERON

BOBA FETT

TECH

PAZ VIZSLA

BLACK KRRSANTAN

FENNEC SHAND

WRECKER

LEIA ORGANA

CROSSHAIR

AHSOKA TANO

HUNTER

MCU

BUCKY BARNES

OTTO OCTAVIUS

WANDA MAXIMOFF

MATT MURDOCK

ROGUE

FRANK CASTLE

JANE FOSTER

VALKRYIE

DCU

HARLEY QUINN

KILLER CROC

ADRIAN CHASE

ZATANNA ZATARA

JASON TODD

SELINA KYLE

RACHEL ROTH

── TV SHOWS

CRIMINAL MINDS

AARON HOTCHNER

SPENCER REID

EMILY PRENTISS

LUKE ALVAREZ

PENELOPE GARCIA

DEREK MORGAN

TARA LEWIS

MATT SIMMONS

STRANGER THINGS

EDDIE MUNSON

NANCY WHEELER

JIM HOPPER

STEVE HARRINGTON

JOYCE BYERS

ROBIN BUCKLEY

ALEXEI

ENZO

── GAMES

THE LAST OF US

ELLIE WILLIAMS

ABBY ANDERSON

JESSE

DINA

RED DEAD REDEMPTION

ARTHUR MORGAN

CHARLES SMITH

LENNY SUMMERS

KAREN JONES

JOHN MARSTON

JAVIER ESCUELLA

SADIE ADLER

MASS EFFECT

JANE SHEPARD

GARRUS VARKARIAN

TALI’ZORAH VAS NORMANDY

MIRANDA LAWSON

PEEBEE

JACOB TAYLOR

KASUMI GOTO

JAAL AMA DARAV

URDNOT WREX

THANE KRIOS

JAVIK

VETRA NYX

NAKMOR DRACK

JAMES VEGA

LIAM KOSTA

KAIDEN ALENKO

LIARA T’SONI

GRUNT

JACK

EDI

LEGION

MORDIN SOLUS

SAMARA

WATCH DOGS

SITARA DHAWAN

JOSH SAUCHAK

MARCUS HOLLOWAY

HORATIO CARLIN

REGINALD “WRENCH” BLECHMAN

THE QUARRY

NICK FURCILLO

ABIGAIL BLYG

DYLAN LENIVY

EMMA MOUNTEBANK

JACOB CUSTOS

LAURA KEARNEY

MAX BRINLY

KAITLYN KA

RYAN EZRAHLER

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II

SIMON “GHOST” RILEY

KYLE “GAZ” GARRICK

ALEJANDRO VARGAS

JOHN “SOAP” MACTAVISH

PHILLIP GRAVES

── ECT.

SLASHERS

BRAHMS HEELSHIRE

MICHAEL MYERS

JASON VOORHEES

STU MACHER

BILLY LOOMIS

BUBBA SAWYER

PYRAMID HEAD

PIN HEAD

BILLY LENZ

THOMAS HEWITT

YAUTJAS

EXOPHILIA

WERE-CREATURES

ORCS

NAGAS

MER-CREATURES

CENTAURS

MINOTAURS

DRIDERS

LIZARDFOLK

MOTH PEOPLE

ALIENS

DULLAHANS

KELPIES

SELKIES

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typingtess · 5 years ago

Video

youtube

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Ten Rewatch: "Searching"

The basics: The team is in all different places as a DEA Agent and his family are kidnapped.

Written by: Adam George Key and Kyle Harimoto

Adam George Key co-wrote “The Monster” with Frank Military.

Kyle Harimoto wrote “Omni”, “Merry Evasion”, “Chernoff, K”, “Command and Control” (episode 150), “Granger, O.”, “Ghost Gun”, “Kulinda”, “767”, “Se Murio El Payaso”, “Assets”/“Liabilities”, “Venganza”, “Superhuman” and “One of Us” (introducing Lance Hamilton). He co-wrote “Three Hearts”, “Leipei”, “Humbug”, both ends of the “Matryoshka” two-parter and "Smokescreen” Part Two.

Directed by: Terrence O’Hara, who directed “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “The Bank Job”, “Borderline”, “Tin Soldiers”, “The Job”, “Backstopped”, “Crimeleon”, “Blye, K.” Part Two, “San Voir” Part Two, “End Game”, “Paper Soldiers”, “Descent”, “Ascension”, “Fish Out of Water”, “Blaze of Glory”, “Command and Control” (episode 150, written by Harimoto), “Matryoshka” Part Two (co-written by Harimoto), “Belly of the Beast”, “Payback”, “Mountebank” and “Asesinos”.

Guest stars of note: Bill Goldberg as DOJ Agent Lance Hamilton returns from "One of Us". Both India De Beaufort as Alexandra Reynolds and Makai Dudeck as Jake Reynolds return from "Warrior of Peace". Medalion Rahimi as NCIS Special Agent Fatima Namazi is back from "Till Death Do Us Part". Antwon Tanner as Avron Berry, Shane McMahon as Army CID Special Agent Steve Evans, Wilson Ramirez as Ignacio Rodriquez, Nikki McCauley as Cristina Wallace, Taymour Ghazi as James Wallace, Shiloh Nelson as Amanda Wallace, Darone Okolie as Tre Houston and Charles Kim as Myeong, who played the Deputy in "Sirens" who tells Callen about the dead men on his lawn.

Our heroes: Have a day off.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Shot. Sam: Thinking about leaving NCIS but not now. Kensi: Worried she and Deeks are fighting too much about the bar. Deeks: Worried that Kensi is worried. Eric: Nell Jones is a key part of his decision making. Nell: Sick mother moving to San Francisco. Hetty: Not today.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Plays blackjack with children for pretzels. Sam: Teaches oil changes on the weekend. Kensi: Bought Deeks's bar wall shark, which is fake, but told him she caught it. Deeks: Working on his traps. Eric: Job interview in San Francisco. Nell: Doesn't want to pressure Eric. Hetty: Absent.

Who's down with OTP: In perfect harmony in all other matters in their professional and home lives, Kensi is worried that she and Deeks are arguing too much about the bar. Eric and Nell are having deeper conversations about his possible career change and her mother's health.

Who's down with BrOTP: The bromance is strong between Sam and Hamilton, which makes sense. Similar career paths, shared life tragedies. Likely shared wardrobe at times. Callen and Sam banter away after Callen is shot. Sam wants to tell Callen about his day with Hamilton so while Sam is stepping out on his injured partner, he's always returning to G.

Any pressing need for Harm and Mac: Not today.

Who is running the team this week? Nobody it seems. There is nobody official around when the raid with the Army's Criminal Investigation Division. After that, it is Saturday and everyone is on their own.

Mosley watch: Speaking of on their own…, we're in the final quarter of the season and except that big space that was digitally created to remove Mosley from the opening credits working around the collaboration table scene, she is a ghost.

Fashion review: With all the male field personnel wearing kevlar, Callen starts the episode in a his black button down shirt. Dark blue henley for Sam. Kensi is wearing a blonde wig, a blue and white stripped jacket, short demi shorts and sneakers. A light blue long-sleeve tee-shirt for Deeks. Up in Ops, Eric is wearing an eggplant dress shirt (totally approve), that bulky grey cardigan sweater (eh) and long pants. Nell has on a red floral print blouse with a black pleated skirt.

Saturday, Callen checks out of the hospital with a medium blue tee-shirt and a navy blue zip-up hoodie. Sam is back in black – henley that is. Dark blue long-sleeve top for Kensi with multi-color stripes. Dark red long-sleeve tee for Deeks. In San Francisco, Eric is wearing a grey pullover sweater with a light blue dress shirt, long pants and a sports jacket with a pocket square. Nell is in a dark dress, a coat and a Renee Felice Smith style hat.

Guest star fashion note: Fatima's floral headscarf is beautiful.

Music: "We're Not Going to Take It" by Twisted Sister is playing while Deeks is removing the speakers in the bar. "Brian Wilson" by Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos is playing at the fundraiser.

Any notable cut scene: No.

Quote: Sam: "How you holding up?" Hamilton: "I'm pushing through, man." Sam: "Yeah?" Hamilton: "Yeah. I get up in the morning, I drink my pot of coffee, hit the heavy bag, hit the weights, and pray those bad thoughts stay out of my brain for another day. And you?" Sam: "Weights. Ocean. I fight those demons, too." Hamilton: "Yeah. Look, man, I'm just gonna come out and say it. We work well together." Sam: "Yeah." Hamilton: "And the offer still stands. You want a break, you want to do something new, you want to get out of LA, you have an open invitation." Sam: "I think I might just do that. But not yet. It's not time to leave yet." Hamilton: "Got you."

Anything else: Tied to a chair in a warehouse, a man who looks surprising like the WWE's Shane McMahon is taking a beating. The leader of his captors is disappointed – he trusted the man in the chair. The Shane look-a-like tells his captor to just kill him. He's had enough of the beating plus the captor's girlfriend looks bored. Ordering his men to make Near-Shane's death as bloody and painful as possible, the head man turns over the killing duties to a guy with a hammer.

Before the guy with the hammer can strike his first blow, the head man's girlfriend grabs his hammer-swinging arm. The two tangle. Sorta-Shane headbutts one of his tormentors as he breaks free from the chair and goes after the man in charge even with his hands still duct-taped behind his back.

When the girlfriend's blonde wig falls off, it is Kensi. The man she is fighting pulls out a gun. Kensi quickly disarms him and tosses him to the ground. Possibly-Shane has the head guy in a thigh-lock wrestling hold – where did he learn that? The man he knocked out with the head butt comes to and tries to rescue his boss by pulling gun. Kensi grabs the gun, turns it around and has the bad guy shoot himself three times. Kensi takes his gun and knife. Cutting Shane-Adjacent free, Kensi tells him to look for the hard drive. Searching the now out-cold man in charge, the hard drive is found. As reinforcements arrive for the bad guys, Kensi thinks they need to move.

Fatima is running through an alley in the warehouse district. She finds a building and sets up a heat detecting camera on the roof. She is able to provide a live feed to Eric and Nell in Ops. Nell can see where Kensi and Not-Shane but CID Special Agent Evans are in the building. Eric directs Kensi and Evans away from a group of shooters but not before they are seen.

Literally blowing a door off its hinge, Callen, Sam and Deeks lead a team into the building. There is a group of criminals working near the blown door. Much shooting happens. As with the firefight in "Smokescreen" part two, this is louder than usual with the cameras placed in the middle of the fight. Callen, Sam and Deeks largely end the threats (permanently for most) but there is a runner. Eric guides the team to the freight elevator.

Nell warns Kensi and Evans about three shooters coming their way. They take cover behind some dumpsters and engage with the shooters. Kensi asks Nell for directions to an exit. Now taking fire from gunmen above, Kensi is told there is an exit near the west corner of the building. Agent Evans sees there is a gate by the exit. Handing Kensi his weapon, Evans wants her to "light 'em up" while he tries to open it.

In a Ziva David movie - two guns, two hands, shooting in two different directions - Evans walks behind her as she light's them up moving to the gate. Evans is able to knock open the door. With Kensi safely inside the gated area, Evans pushes large objects in front of the gate, keeping the others out.

Just as Kensi and Evans are out of ammo, Callen, Sam and Deeks arrive with plenty of firepower. While the shooting is going on, Evans talks about how much he likes LA. Weather is nice, good restaurants. Kensi suggests the shopping – "the shopping is good." A gunman makes his way down a stairwell behind them. Kensi grabs his long barrel gun before he even sees her, pulling him down the final few steps. With the man out cold, Kensi relieves him of both his rifle and his handgun. Passing the handgun to Evans, the two look for another way out.

In the level above Kensi and Evans, Callen, Sam and Deeks finish their long gun battle. Deeks's rifle is out of ammo, he's using his handgun. Kensi and Evans take out the remaining gunmen on their floor. Everyone is yelling clear and they're good. Well, not the look on Deeks’s face. With the light on his rifle, he points at Callen's leg. Callen was shot in the calf. "That's not good,” Deeks says. Sam calls Nell asking for an EMT.

In the ambulance, Callen is trying to talk his way out of a trip to the hospital. He was grazed, he's fine. Expressing how much he loves his partner, Sam asks Callen if he does pass away, could he have Callen's comfortable dad shoes? Telling the EMTs to use the siren, Sam sends Callen off to the hospital.

Deeks is briefing LAPD while Kensi and Fatima are hanging with the gear by the Audi. Agent Evans joins them with a few butterfly bandages keeping his cheek together. The hard drive they recovered in the operation had the stolen spy plane plans from Lockheed Martin (who like Microsoft gets a credit at the end of most episodes). Evans asks about Callen – who he thinks is tough. Sam says Callen is fine, he's more worried about the EMTs who have to treat Callen. Evans is grateful for all the help NCIS provided. He thanks "Chief" Sam, Agent Fatima and offers Kensi any help she needs in the future.

Sam picks up Callen from the hospital. He's going to miss a week of work – stitches and all – but is otherwise fine but he is walking with a cane. Sam jokes about carrying Callen into the Hellcat. Not joking is Callen, who got a call from Alex – she wants him to watch Jake, Callen's nephew. Sam sees this as a good thing. Callen guess he does as well. He hasn't had any contact with either of them since their father – Callen can't even finish the sentence. Jake is going to stay with Callen at the apartment.

Eric and Nell are on their way to San Francisco. Eric has an interview at a top tech company because, according to Nell, he is "an incredible genius of a man." Eric wants to cancel – he is training to be a special agent, he isn't sure he wants to leave NCIS. Nell wants to know what is really going on. Saying that his dream in college was to go to San Francisco and become a tech titan, he was recruited by NCIS and while he wasn't happy there at first, he grew to love it and to love Nell. Nell adds cute to "amazing genius of a man." Nell wants him to hear what the tech company says and for the two of them to enjoy a few days in San Francisco.

Callen's apartment has furniture. A studio, he has a bed, a couch, a chair where he can read, a couple of lamps, a couple of trunks for storage and used as night stands and a stand for a large screen TV. Behind the couch is a kitchen area. There is a ton of exposed brick and natural light (this is easily a $3K to $4K a month by me). Alex is sorry she had to call, all of Jake's usual caretakers are unavailable. Asked about the cane, Callen explains he "got shot a little." With a work emergency, Alex has to travel to Pomona for a day. She can be reached by cell if Jake needs anything. Callen suggests a sleepover if Alex gets stuck in Pomona. "That's not going to happen."

Fatima meets Sam at the docks. She's got a fairly new motorcycle – 2015 – with just 2,000 miles. It was a steal. It is also loud – Sam jokes she's not sneaking up on anyone. He was supposed to show her how to change the oil but with all the excitement of the prior night, he forgot. Fatima is fine with him rescheduling – she was part of the evening's excitement.

Sam is fine too – happy to help. He's off to get his tool bag from the boat when Lance Hamilton arrives. Sam provides intros between Hamilton and Fatima. Sadly, Hamilton is not enjoying a Saturday off. A kidnapped family from the Valley is Hamilton's case. That is a surprise to Sam – Hamilton only does high-level, special circumstances cases. He has one. James Wallace, former border agent as part of a task force "righteously shot" the son of Raul Ortega, Dallas's biggest drug dealer. Wallace and his family have been hiding – the missing family is believed to be Wallace's.

Sam is familiar with Ortega, who has been at the heart of brutal gang wars in both the US and in Mexico. DoJ wants to make sure the Wallace family, who have been living under the name Harris, are safe. They also want Hamilton to make sure Dallas's drug war does not become a Los Angeles drug war. Hamilton got clearance to bring Sam in but he understands it is an off-day. Sam asks "how can we help."

Sam drives Hamilton and Fatima to the NCIS motor pool. Hamilton is excited to see an Lenco BearCat – an armored vehicle. Sam explains that's not how they will be getting around and show the two the taco truck. Fatima is working her tablet with a list of Ortega's known associates in Los Angeles. Opening the back of the truck by putting her hand on a logo, Fatima is ready to work.

After asking about the truck's "bubble" – it covers a high-res camera – Hamilton fills in Sam about the Wallace house. No blood or gunshot residue at the house. If this was a straight act of revenge, all that would be found in the house. A kidnapping is dangerous – gets men like Sam and Hamilton on the case. Sam wonders if the Wallace family is going to be moved to Texas to Ortega can carry out the revenge himself.

Noticing an odd seam on the truck, Hamilton wonders what is in a specific panel. Sam is impressed. Putting his hand on another logo, the panel opens with all sorts of tactical gear and weapons. Hamilton wants his own taco truck. Fatima comes out of the front of the truck. He has a Chevy Suburban rented to top Ortega enforced Ignacio Rodriguez.

Hamilton provides the background on Rodriguez – been with Ortega since he was ten, tied to at least five murders, highly loyal. Fatima has him pulling up to a location in Van Nuys but there is a blind spot in the surrounding cameras. She sends the address to Sam and Hamilton's phones. Sam's idea that the family was kidnapped so they could be brought back to Texas to be killed is looking stronger by the minute.

Callen offers to make lunch for Jake or order in sandwiches from Bay Cities. Callen suggests ordering a movie on TV, maybe watching a Clippers game. Jake isn't interested in much.

The taco truck is at the last known location of Rodriguez's Suburban. There is the Shalom Bodega but little else in the area. With no access to security cameras in the area, Fatima starts to investigate the bodega. Sam is on the other computer in the truck and has a full rundown on the owner, Avron Berry including a long history of drug and gun charges. Fatima is stunned – she though only Eric and Nell could run background that quickly. Sam stops her. Just because he knows how to run a background check doesn't mean he want to do it.

Hamilton asks Fatima to zoom in using the high-res camera on the awning of the bodega. Seeing a security camera, Fatima can't find a wireless signal to download and monitor what's being recorded. Stating the hard drive is ancient and probably closed circuit, all footage is probably recorded to a hard drive. They need the footage and to make sure the Wallace family are not being held in the bodega.

Fatima volunteers. Rightly, she explains she can walk in to a bodega without attracting too much attention. The 500-pounds plus of Hanna-Hamilton looking like cops muscle will likely draw a crowd. Hamilton is disappointed – he was wearing his "dope streetwear." Sam asks him not to use the word "dope" again.

Taking speakers off the wall at the bar is how Deeks is spending his Saturday off. That and some faux drumming and air guitar to Twisted Sister. Kensi arrives and is entertained by Deeks shaking his blonde locks like when he was wearing a Twister Sister costume. Deeks objects to the term costume, it was Dee's performance attire and the photo Kensi is talking about was from when he was 10. He showed her that photo believed their love and trust would stop her from using it to make fun of him. Kensi says he was "so wrong."

Deeks is taking down the speakers and after replacing the old TV’s in the bar because the bar is closed. He thinks today is a good day to modernize . He has new equipment, the wireless speakers are in and he's going to hook up new TVs. Kensi is freaking out. "Project Bar Modernization" is on hold. The bar is closed to host a Heal the Bay fundraiser. They discuss the bar scheduling app that Deeks wanted Kensi to download – she did not. Deeks is fine, he'll rehang the speakers, Heal the Bay and then start "Project Bar Modernization".

Fatima walks into the bodega. Packages of food are on the ground, Berry has been beaten. After being told the store was closed, Fatima offers to help – asking if the first aid kit is in the backroom. She's walking there before Berry can stop her. What can stop her, Berry's brother – also beaten - and his gun. Fatima is going nowhere.

The brothers want to pat Fatima down but she keeps backing away from them. Sam and Hamilton arrive. The brothers drop their weapons when ordered. Fatima is off to the backroom to find the security hard drive while Sam and Hamilton speak with the Berry brothers. Fatima finds the hard drives and is taking them to download on the truck.

Still trying to connect with Jake, talk of baseball turns into Jake preferring Fortnite. Callen suggests cards. After Jake turns down the opportunity to play "kids games" (Go Fish, Crazy Eights, War), Callen is teaching his nephew Blackjack.

The Berry brothers are not interested in cooperating. With two different agencies looking into their business, Sam suggests cooperating – the brothers are in big trouble. They do not want to go to jail labeled as a snitch. Sam reminds them of the life choices they've made. Avron Berry says as a black man and a Jewish man with "both sides" not interested in calling the Berry brothers their own, he didn't have a lot of choices in his life. Hamilton speaks about his Jewish background and not fitting in. He thinks the Berry brothers need to get over it.

They do. Rodriguez was looking to buy whatever the brothers had to sell – six AR-15's and a GMC Denali. When the brothers got the guns and vehicle, Rodriguez realized the brothers had no muscle and took it all. Sam promises to put in a good word with the DA.

Walking through the armory, Eric is worrying about checked bags versus carry-ons. Nell has news. Starting to cry, she's worried he is going to think she manipulated him and the situation. Mama Jones hasn't been feeling well and doesn't doctor regularly. Finally, Mrs. Jones visted the doctor at the insistence of Nell's father. She has coronary heart disease and it is in an advanced stage. The family found the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine where they mix Eastern and Western treatment practices. The Osher Center is in San Francisco. The Jones are moving there. Nell is thinking of moving there as well. Eric asks why Nell kept this from him. She does not want him to feel pressured. He hugs her as she cries.

Kensi and Deeks are fighting over rehanging the speaker. When Kensi pulls the speaker wire out of the wall – too far out, completely out of the wall – rehanging the speaker is out. Deeks isn't worried – at least they have the new TVs. Plugging in the TV over the bar causes Deeks to be shocked and the building's circuits to be blown.

Kensi wants to cancel the event. Deeks doesn't – they need to heal the bay. Kensi thinks running the bar is crazy. They have been through so much, survived all these life-threatening situations. And they're always fine. Deeks agrees – "life-threatening scenarios are sort of our forte." But with the bar they are fighting all the time. It isn't working. They can't agree on the name, the food, the staff. It is a constant source of stress. They're also losing money. As a perfect team in all other aspects of their lives, it is time to rethink the bar.

While Hamilton is very complimentary of Fatima's undercover work in the taco truck, she nitpicks the errors she made on her first impromptu undercover. Comparing undercover work to martial arts, Hamilton says it is practice that makes people better and better. Fatima is grateful for the support. Sam moves to the back of the truck – he was driving them away from the Berry brothers' bodega. Hamilton gets a text message from the Dallas PD Gang Unit – five men have been sent to Los Angeles. Now Sam knows why Rodriguez needed the AR-15's.

On the security video, Fatima sees Christina Wallace – James Wallace's wife being held by Ortega's men. Sam realizes that the gang isn't going to kill Wallace, they're going to kill his wife. Wallace killed someone Ortega loved, Ortega is going to do the same. The extra firepower from the Berry brothers is likely to protect themselves from Wallace – a highly trained border agent who could pick them off.

Fatima asks about the Amanda Wallace – James and Christina's daughter. If they were on the run, Sam thinks the safest place for Amanda would be with her father. With James hunting Rodriguez, they have no idea where he would hide her. On Fatima's computer screen, Rodriguez's Suburban is located near a house in Chatsworth. Team Taco Truck is on their way.

Betting with pretzels, Jake is learning the finer points of blackjack wagering from Uncle Callen. A knock on the door is "Deeks, don't shoot me." Callen mentions the lack of power. Deeks knows. He's also wondering if bar ownership is for him. Listing all the things that are going wrong, Jake can help Deeks with the non-working streaming TV's – "it's not hard." Overlooking the salt being poured in his wound, Deeks just got a helper. Callen wants to help but with his leg injury, Deeks will call him only if he and Jake take out the Westside electrical grid.

Thinking Rodriguez and his men are in a short-term vacation rental home that is supposed to be vacant, heavily armed Sam, Hamilton and Fatima are going in. In a pool and patio area that looks exactly like Stan King's pre-blown-up back yard, Sam, Hamilton and Fatima find several dead gang members. Fatima finds a middle school sweatshirt – the middle school where Amanda Wallace is enrolled. She likely saw the killings.

Hamilton realizes that the gang was not staying at the house, Wallace and his daughter were. Rodriguez's men found them and tried to kill them. Sam is not so sure if it is found or lured. Looking at the position of the dead men, Sam thinks the gang members were lured to the house, two were shot immediately, the third was tortured. "With his daughter here," Fatima notes. Sam realizes that Wallace is looking for his wife and nothing is going to stop him.

Jake has the bar back in business – wifi rebooted, TV's streaming. He's even connected the wireless speakers to the TV's. Deeks thanks Jake for saving his bar and his marriage. Kensi realizes she and Deeks need to hire professionals to help them with the bar and passes an very happy Jake $20.

At the Chatsworth house, Fatima found a Gilly – which is an Alexa without having to get clearance from Amazon. The Gilly will record certain conversations – which is why they probably couldn't get clearance from Amazon. Hamilton is stunned people have things like a Gilly in their homes. The shooting was recorded. Wallace's voice was matched using cell phone recordings. Amanda Wallace was with her father when the shooting happened – he had Amanda close her eyes.

The man who was tortured gave up the location of Wallace's wife by neighborhood, not exact address. Sam figures the home was likely known to the task force. Searching for homes owned by Texas residents in the area, Fatima finds a home owned by the brother of an Ortega gang member. Sam is driving the taco truck to the house.

Fatima approaches the house on foot, looking into vehicles parked on the street. In a pick-up truck she finds a terrified little girl with a gun. Announcing she's a federal agent, Fatima apologizes for startling the girl. Amanda demands to see Fatima's badge while not putting the gun down. Fatima shows Amanda her badge, explaining that she is with NCIS and with her partners, they are going to help Amanda and her dad rescue Amanda's mom.

Amanda has Fatima toss her badge into the truck. Looking at it, Amanda says her father warned her that people would pretend to be the police and she was to shoot anyone who approached her. Fatima tells Amanda that her father wanted her to be safe. She knows it is hard to trust but she asks Amanda to trust her. Amanda puts down the gun. Fatima gets in the car and comforts the girl.

Sam and Hamilton are entering the property through the backyard. Hamilton comes across a gang member who is shot but still alive. Inside the house, Sam finds two men again both shot but alive. All of them have had the magazines in their weapons removed. The men can hear Wallace demand his wife be released.

Making their way to the stairs, Sam and Hamilton take out one of Ortega's men. Entering a bedroom, they find Rodriguez holding Christina Wallace as a human shield. James Wallace is in the corner – armed. Wallace wants to end this – Ortega's men are going to keep coming after him and after his family unless he ends it. While Hamilton keeps a gun firmly aimed at Rodriguez, Sam tries to talk Wallace down. As he starts to lower his gun, Wallace yells "mule kick" to his wife. She kicks Rodriguez like a mule, breaking free. Sam and Hamilton end the threat.

Fatima brings Amanda to her parents. James Wallace is proud of his daughter. Sam and Hamilton share smiles with Fatima.

Nell is waiting for Eric in San Francisco on a street where kids are on skateboards. Eric arrives, asking if he is officially old if he thinks a kid on a skateboard should be wearing a helmet. Nell thinks that's tough when you're "rocking a Supreme cap."

The job interview as amazing – leading a team with cutting edge home security capabilities. He never dreamed he could have such a position. There is something he has to tell her about the job that will drastically change their lives. Nell is concerned. Eric explains they'll be rich – "stupid rich." With the money he has been offered, Nell could take some time off and take care of her mother. Nell makes it clear, she does not want her situation impacting his decision. Eric makes it equally clear, Nell Jones has had an impact on every decision he ever made. If Nell is going to be in San Francisco, Eric will be there too.

Bringing the HellCat to the bar, Fatima is going in – she's cold. Hamilton asks about food. Fatima suggests beers at the bar, Leo's Taco Truck after. When Fatima leaves, Sam asks about Hamilton. He's doing the best he can, as is Sam. They are both fighting demons. Hamilton asks Sam again if he wants out of LA, Hamilton would be happy to work with Sam. Sam wants to go but not yet. Hamilton understands.

Jake is now learning to play pool with Uncle Callen. Sam and Hamilton join Kensi and Fatima at the bar – Deeks is bartending. He's also changed his workout – more time spent on his "traps." Hamilton is impressed. Kensi would normally be handing beers to Sam and Hamilton to free but since it is a fundraiser…. The men are generous. Looking at the bar, Hamilton wants to know if it is legal to have a shark on the wall. Kensi says it is fake but Deeks thought she caught it in Mexico. Deeks repeats that falsehood.

Sam is about to tell Callen about his day when Alex arrives. She's furious that Jake is in a bar. Deeks explains it is his fault – don't be "mad at your brother" – but Jake fixed all the electronics in the place so they could host a fundraiser. Alex is a little impressed by the Heal the Bay fundraiser.

Callen wants to earn his way back into his sister's and nephew's life. Jake wants that too. Alex is undecided. They leave and Callen is alone.

What head canon can be formed from here: While this is certainly a better episode than "One of Us" or "Born to Run", it is another missed opportunity episode. Nobody knows what James Wallace was going through more than Sam and that wasn't even implied. Again, the episode was well done, Bill Goldberg's Lance Hamilton was much better in this hour but this could have been a great episode, not just a good one.

Episode number: 235 overall, episode 19 of season 10.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

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elcorreodetorreon · 6 years ago

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“IQ is largely a pseudoscientific swindle”, Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Background : “IQ” is a stale test meant to measure mental capacity but in fact mostly measures extreme unintelligence (learning difficulties), as well as, to a lesser extent, a form of intelligence, stripped of 2nd order effects. It is via negativa not via positiva. Designed for learning disabilities, it ends up selecting exam-takers, paper shufflers, obedient IYIs (intellectuals yet idiots), ill adapted for “real life”. The concept is poorly thought out mathematically (a severe flaw in correlation under fat tails, fails to properly deal with dimensionality, treats the mind as an instrument not a complex system), and seemed to be promoted by

racists/eugenists, people bent on showing that some populations have inferior mental abilities based on IQ test=intelligence; those have been upset with me for suddenly robbing them of a “scientific” tool, as evidenced by the bitter reactions to the initial post on twitter/smear campaigns by such mountebanks as Charles Murray. (Something observed by the great Karl Popper, psychologists have a tendency to pathologize people who bust them by tagging them with some type of disorder, or personality flaw such as “childish” , “narcissist”, “egomaniac”, or something similar).

psychometrics peddlers looking for suckers (military, large corporations) buying the “this is the best measure in psychology” argument when it is not even technically a measure — it explains at best between 13% and 50% of the performance in some tasks (those tasks that are similar to the test itself), minus the data massaging and statistical cherrypicking by psychologists; it doesn’t satisfy the monotonicity and transitivity required to have a measure (at best it is a concave measure). No measure that fails 60–95% of the time should be part of ��science” (nor should psychology — owing to its sinister track record — be part of science (rather scientism), but that’s another discussion).

Some argue that IQ measures intellectual capacity — real world results come from, in addition, “wisdom” or patience, or “conscientiousness”, or decision-making or something of the sort. No. It does not even measureintellectual capacity/mental powers.

If you want to detect how someone fares at a task, say loan sharking, tennis playing, or random matrix theory, make him/her do that task; we don’t need theoretical exams for a real world function by probability-challenged psychologists. Traders get it right away: hypothetical P/L from “simulated” paper strategies doesn’t count. Performance=actual. What goes in people’s head or reaction to a screen image doesn’t exist (except via negativa).

Fat Tails If IQ is Gaussian by construction and if real world performance were, net, fat tailed (it is), then either the covariance between IQ and performance doesn’t exist or it is uninformational. It will show a finite number in samplebut doesn’t exist statistically. Another problem: when they say “black people are x standard deviations away”. Different populations have different variances, even different skewness and these comparisons require richer models. These are severe, severe mathematical flaws (a billion papers in psychometrics wouldn’t count if you have such a flaw). See the formal treatment in my next book.

But the “intelligence” in IQ is determined by academic psychologists like the “paper trading” we mentioned above, via statistical constructs s.a. correlation that I show here (see Fig. 1) that they patently don’t understand. It does correlate to negative performance (as it was initially designed to detect learning special needs) but then any measure would work there. A measure that works in left tail not right tail (IQ decorrelates as it goes higher) is problematic. We have gotten similar results since the famous Terman longitudinal study, even with massaged data for later studies. To get the point, consider that if someone has mental needs, there will be 100% correlation between performance and IQ tests. But the performance doesn’t correlate as well at higher levels, though the psychologists will think it does.(The statistical spin, as a marketing argument, is that a person with an IQ of 70 cannot prove theorems, which is obvious for a measure of unintelligence — but they fail to reveal how many IQs of 150 are doing menial jobs).

It is a false comparison to claim that IQ “measures the hardware” rather than the software. It can measures some arbitrarily selected mental abilities (in a testing environment) believed to be useful. However, if you take a Popperian-Hayekian view on intelligence, you would realize that to measure it you would need to know the mental skills needed in a future ecology, which requires predictability of said future ecology. It also requires the skills to make it to the future (hence the need for mental biases for survival).

Real Life: In academia there is no difference between academia and the real world; in the real world there is. 1) When someone asks you a question in the real world, you focus first on “why is he/she asking me that?”, which shifts you to the environment (see Fat Tony vs Dr John in The Black Swan) and detracts you from the problem at hand. Only suckers don’t have that instinct. 2) Real life never never offers crisp questions with crisp answers (most questions don’t have answers; perhaps the worst problem with IQ is that it seem to selects for people who don’t like to say “there is no answer, don’t waste time, find something else”.) 3) It takes a certain type of person to waste intelligent concentration on classroom/academic problems. These are lifeless bureaucrats who can muster sterile motivation. Some people can only focus on problems that are real, not fictional textbook ones (see the note below where I explain that I can only concentrate with real not fictional problems). 4) IQ doesn’t detect convexity (by an argument similar to bias-variance you need to make a lot of small inconsequential mistake in order to avoid a large consequential one. See Antifragile and how any measure of “intelligence” w/o convexity is sterile edge.org/conversation/n…). To do well you must survive, survival requires some mental biases directing to some errors. 5) Fooled by Randomness: seeing shallow patterns in not a virtue — leads to naive interventionism. Some psychologist wrote back to me: “IQ selects for pattern recognition, essential for functioning in modern society”. No. Not seeing patterns except when they are significant is a virtue in real life. 6) To do well in life you need depth and ability to select your own problems and to think independently.

Functionary Quotient: If you renamed IQ , from “Intelligent Quotient” to FQ “Functionary Quotient” or SQ “Salaryperson Quotient”, then some of the stuff will be true. It measures best the ability to be a good slave. “IQ” is good for @davidgraeber’s “BS jobs”.

Metrification: If someone came up w/a numerical“Well Being Quotient” WBQ or “Sleep Quotient”, SQ, trying to mimic temperature or a physical quantity, you’d find it absurd. But put enough academics w/physics envy on it and it will become an official measure.

Notes And Technical Notes

“IQ” is most predictive of performance in military training, with correlation~.5, (which is circular since hiring isn’t random and training is another test).

There are contradictory stories about whether IQ ceases to work past a threshold, since Terman’s longitudinal study of “geniuses”. What these researchers don’t get is these contradictions come from the fact that the variance of the IQ measure increases with IQ. Not a good thing.

The argument that “some races are better at running” hence [some inference about the brain] is stale: mental capacity is much more dimensional and not defined in the same way running 100 m dash is.

I have here no psychological references for backup: simply, the field is bust. So far ~ 50% of the research does notreplicate, and papers that do have weaker effect. Not counting poor transfer to reality (psychological papers are ludic).

How P values often — rather almost always — fraudulent: my paper arxiv.org/pdf/1603.07532…

The Flynn effect should warn us not just that IQ is somewhat environment dependent, but that it is at least partly circular.

Verbalism: Psychologists have a skin-deep statistical education & can’t translate something as trivial as “correlation” or “explained variance” into meaning, esp. under nonlinearities (see paper at the end).

The “best measure” charlatans: IQ is reminiscent of risk charlatans insisting on selling “value at risk”, VaR, and RiskMetrics saying “it’s the best measure”. That “best” measure, being unreliable blew them up many many times. Note the class of suckers for whom a bad measure is better than no measure across domains.

You can’t do statistics without probability.

Much of the stuff about IQ of physicists is suspicious, from self-reporting biases/selection in tests.

If you looked at Northern Europe from Ancient Babylon/Ancient Med/Egypt, you would have written the inhabitants off... Then look at what happened after 1600. Be careful when you discuss populations.

The same people hold that IQ is heritable, that it determines success, that Asians have higher IQs than Caucasians, degrade Africans, then don’t realize that China for about a Century had one order of magnitude lower GDP than the West.

Mathematical Considerations

CURSE OF DIMENSIONALITY A flaw in the attempts to identify “intelligence” genes. You can get monogenic traits, not polygenic (note: additive monogenic used in animal breeding is NOT polygenic).

The Skin in the game issue

How social scientists have trouble translating a statistical construct into its practical meaning.

Psychology

Data Science

Black Swan

Racism

Alt Right

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I’m surprised no one has mentioned the book, “IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea,” by Stephan Murdoch. I read it recently and recommend it. Even without Taleb’s math prowess excoriating it, IQ’s legitimacy is unconvincing.

Taleb drives a stake through the IQ corpse and helps unveil the shame of 20th

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mr-rushforth · 2 years ago

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Look, it has to be said, Mr. Rushforth is sorry about your poke bowl or whatever it is you have instead of a decent breakfast, but ever since word got out that a majority of Tory M.P.s, including our Prime (pork and cheese) Minister-in-waiting, Liz Truss, voted against amending a bill to stop water companies dumping raw sewage into Britain's rivers and seas, then the so-called, ‘woke’ community of Britain has lost its mind over what Mr Rushforth can only describe as a trifling, fecal matter. Why, in Charles Dickens’ time, our scatological sketcher opines, piles of human excrement, three storeys high, were a common sight in every borough of London and provided gainful employment for all manner of nightsoilmen, mudlarks, apothecaries, mountebanks and children and it is typical of the negativity that abounds in our contemporary culture that a return to a time when Brittannia and other buoyant objects ruled the waves should be decried. The country is in a parlous condition; tackling all that currently besets us, through no fault of the government, requires bold steps and it is our stool-bound sketcher’s humble opinion that we should heed our leaders. If spreading the contents of British bowels upon British beaches will get this nation back on its feet, then he is all for it. It is, then, in a spirit of hope, that Mr Rushforth offers his latest portrait of the valiant Truss, mainstay of our nation, emboldened by the pressing needs of her people, riding into a new, golden (or perhaps, brown) dawn. As The Speaker of the House of Commons might say, “Ordure, ordure!”

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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How did Lis first meet Charl?

Greetings Anon ^^

I think they met when Charl started to work at the same hospital as Lis did, the polar fox was hired by the very same hospital not too long ago himself.

They understood each others very well, and where very good friends, both as colleagues and in private.

However Lis was concerned about Charl defending the usage of lobotomy, while Polarny opposed it, and when Charl was ready to do his first Lobotomy, Lis refused to approve it, which ultimately lead to the incident.

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Roadkillerz OC #RKZ OC #Lis Polarny RKZ #The Surgeon RKZ #Charl Mountebank #Ask #Anonymous #Anon

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midautumnnightdream · 7 years ago

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Petition of Classicists against Romanticists.

In preparation for La Bataille d’Hernani group watch (TODAY at 4PM GMT!), here’s one of the more ludicrous examples of the way things were heating up in the theatre fandom, which also gets a direct reference in the film. Not long before Hernani took the stage, seven classical authors submitted a petition to Charles X, with the explicit purpose of banning Romanticism from Comédie-Française. The full text is under the cut for length, but I definitely recommend reading it all, just for the sheer hilarity.

We can thank Alexandre Dumas for bestowing us with the full text of the petition, as well as his own summary, containing enough snark to toast way more than seven classicists.

(From “The memoirs of Alexandre Dumas (pere)”)

The situation was complicated by an event as novel as it was unexpected. A petition to the King appeared, supplicating His Majesty to do in favour of Corneille, Racine, and Moliere — who, upright on their marble pedestals in the lobby, had no concern at all in this question — what His Majesty's august predecessor had done in favour of King Ferdinand VII, when banished by the Cortes, namely, to re-establish them on their throne...

It is incredible, is it not, that there could have been found seven men-of-letters sufficiently intolerant, sufficiently bigoted, sufficiently ridiculous, to address themselves to a King, and to pray this King that he would proscribe a class — that is to say, a thing which is invisible, intangible, almost indefinable — saying outright and boldly to him, — " Sire, we are the representatives of Art; we alone understand what the Beautiful is; we alone have knowledge, taste, and genius. The public hisses us, it is true, directly we appear; our tragedies draw no one, it is true, when they are represented; the actors perform our works with a repugnance which is, we allow, conceivable, since, while they incur the same outlay upon our pieces, they do not get the same profits from them. But no matter! — it is hard for us to die and to be forgotten: we had rather be hissed than buried. Make a decree, Sire, that we shall be played, and we alone, for we are the sole heirs of Comeille, of Moliére, and of Racine, while the new-comers are but bastards of Shakspeare, of Goethe, and of Schiller!" ...

But indeed, as the thing is not credible, we will place before our readers' eyes the petition of these gentlemen:

" Sire, — The glory of letters is not the least splendid of French glories, or the glory of our theatre the least brilliant of our literary glories.

" Thus thought your ancestors when they honoured the Théâtre-Français with a special patronage; thus thought Louis XIV., to whom it owed its first organization. Persuaded that the great masterpieces to which his reign had given birth could not be represented with too great perfection, that King and patron of letters willed that the best actors, scattered about among the diverse companies which the capital then possessed, should be united into one single company, under the title of "Players-in-Ordinary to the King."

" To this select band he gave regulations, he granted rights, and, among others, the exclusive privilege of performing tragedy and high comedy; and to these favours he added an endowment. His object in this — as you. Sire, know — was not merely to reward such actors as had the good fortune to please him, but also to encourage them in the practice of a style of play which, by its elevation, was in harmony with his royal soul, and further to perpetuate the prosperity of that style, and to establish on solid bases a theatre which should be a model alike for actors and for authors.

" For a long time the intentions of Louis XIV were carried out under his successors, who did not degenerate from him either in taste or in liberality; and the two kinds which he loved, and to which the French stage owed its dignity and its superiority, enjoyed an almost undivided reign.

" Such was still the state of things at the epoch of your august brother's decease; why must we make the avowal that it is no longer so to-day?

" The death of the actor who, in talent, could rival the most accomplished actors of any age, has brought with it more than one loss to the noble species of which he was the mainstay. Whether from depravation of tastes, or from a consciousness of their powerlessness to replace him, some members of the Théâtre-Français, protesting that the line in which Talma excelled cannot any longer be profitably developed, have exerted themselves to banish tragedy from the stage, and to substitute for it plays composed in imitation of the most motley dramas offered by foreign literatures — dramas which, before this period, none would have dared to produce save at the very lowest of our theatres.

" That inferior actors should put forward this plea — one so well in accord with their inferiority — and that, not being able to raise themselves to the height of tragedy, they should desire to lower it to the level of their own powers, — this is indeed conceivable; but what one can hardly conceive, Sire, is that this pretension should be encouraged by those in authority, whose duty it is to resist it.

“ Not only do they violate rights which are founded on the regulations, in order to favour, on every occasion, the style of play which is the object of their predilection; but to satisfy the exigencies of that style — one which aims less at elevating the soul, appealing to the heart, and interesting the intelligence, than at dazzling the eyes by material means, such as startling scenery and brilliant spectacular effect — they are exhausting the funds of the theatre, they are increasing its debt, they are working its ruin. And, moreover, as tragedy, in spite of all these attacks, still struggles with some advantage against her ignoble rival, not content with refusing the necessary funds for the accessories which she demands, the patrons of the new fashion make it their practice to mar the harmony of tragic representations, by assigning, to support the principal actors, only those persons whom the public dislikes; furthermore, in order to render every performance of tragedy henceforth impossible, anticipating the time when our two leading tragedians, Mdlle. Duchsenois and M. Lafond, will in the natural course retire, they purpose to compel these two to undergo — under the name of a holiday — a year's exile, during which they flatter themselves that they will consummate the complete destruction of the theatre of Racine, Corneille, and Voltaire.

" Sire, are the agents to whom your confidence entrusts the care of watching over and directing the theatre, fulfilling rightly your intentions as its patron? Have the keys been given into their hands, in order that they may favour this usurpation on the part of Melodrama, and deliver over to it the stage of Tragedy? And the funds which your bounty places at their disposal to be employed in the interests of good taste — ought these to be lavished in the interests of their particular taste, a taste which aims at subjugating the domain of these great masters to the Melpomene of the Boulevards, and reducing their sublime art to the condition of a vile trade?

" Convinced, Sire, as we are, that the glory of your reign is concerned in seeing that none of the sources of French glory be impaired, we believe it our duty to call your attention to the degradation with which our leading theatre is threatened.

" Sire, the evil is already great! A few months more, and it will be past remedy; a few months more, and — closed completely to those works which once gave pleasure to the most polished of Courts and the most enlightened of nations— the theatre, founded by Louis the Great will have fallen beneath the level of the most despicable mountebanks, or rather, the Théâtre-Français will have ceased to exist.

(Signed) "A. V. Arnault, K. Lemercier, Viennet, Jouy, Andrieux, Jay, 0. Leroy."

We have said that, under a Minister of good sense, every one is sensible— even the King. The King replied to his petitioners: —

" Gentlemen, — I can do nothing to meet your wishes : I have only, like other Frenchmen, my place in the pit"

#don't lick neoclassicism #Alexandre Dumas #Charles X #the treasure trove #classical theatre #Hernani relevant #theatre hjinks #just romanticism things

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blackkudos · 8 years ago

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P. B. S. Pinchback

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (born Pinckney Benton Stewart May 10, 1837 – December 21, 1921) was an American publisher and politician, a Union Army officer, and first African American to become governor of a U.S. state. He was born free in Georgia. A Republican, Pinchback served as the 24th Governor of Louisiana from December 9, 1872, to January 13, 1873. He was later elected to the state legislature, serving from 1879 to 1880.

Nicholas Lemann, in Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, described Pinchback as "an outsized figure: newspaper publisher, gambler, orator, speculator, dandy, mountebank – served for a few months as the state's Governor and claimed seats in both houses of Congress following disputed elections but could not persuade the members of either to seat him." Congress was then controlled by Democrats.

Early life

He was born free as Pinckney Benton Stewart in May 1837 in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. His parents were Eliza Stewart, a freed slave, and Major William Pinchback, a white planter and his mother's former master. William Pinchback, who also had a legal white family, freed Eliza and her children in 1836; she had borne six by that point and two had survived. She had four more with him.

Pinckney Stewart's parents were of diverse ethnic origins; Eliza Stewart was classified as mulatto, and had African, Cherokee, Welsh, and German ancestry. William Pinchback was ethnic European-American, of Scots-Irish, Welsh, and German American ancestry. Their mixed-race children were thus of majority European-American ancestry. Shortly after Pinckney's birth, his father William purchased a much larger plantation in Mississippi, and he moved there with both his white and mixed-race families.

Pinckney Benton Stewart and his siblings were considered the "natural" (or illegitimate) children of their father. But they were brought up in relatively affluent surroundings and treated as his own. The children were raised as white children. In 1846, Pinchback sent Napoleon and Pinckney north to a private academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1848, when Pinckney was eleven, his father died.

Fearful that the Pinchbacks might try to claim her children as slaves, Eliza Stewart fled with the children to Cincinnati in the free state of Ohio. Napoleon, at 18, helped to keep the family together but broke down under the responsibility. At 12, Pinckney left school and began to work as a cabin boy on river and canal boats to help his family. For a while he lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he worked as a hotel porter. During that time, he still identified himself as Pinckney B. Stewart. He did not take his father's surname of Pinchback until after the end of the American Civil War.

Marriage and family

In 1860 at the age of 23, Stewart married Emily Hawthorne, a free woman of color. Like Stewart, she was "practically white" in appearance. They had four children: Pinckney Napoleon in 1862, Bismarck in 1864, Nina in 1866, and Walter Alexander in 1868. Two others had died young. Bismarck's name reflected his father's admiration for statesman Otto von Bismarck of Germany, whom he considered to be one of the world's greatest men. His mother Eliza Stewart lived with Pinchback and his family from 1867 to her death in 1884.

They had a fine house in New Orleans. Usually, in the summer, the whole family traveled to Saratoga Springs, New York, a resort town, where they would stay for several weeks. Pinchback liked to gamble on the horse racing during the summer season.

Military service and Civil War

The Civil War began the following year, and Stewart decided to fight on the side of the Union. In 1862, he quietly made his way to New Orleans, which had just been captured by the Union Army. He raised several companies for the Union's all-black 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment, which was garrisoned in the city. A minority of men were Louisiana free men of color, part of the educated class before the war who had participated in the state militia, but most of the Guards were slaves who had escaped to join the Union forces and gain freedom.

Commissioned a captain, Stewart was one of the Union Army's few commissioned officers of African-American ancestry. Like Stewart, the officers were mostly of mixed race. Most of them were drawn from free people of color in New Orleans before the war; unlike him, they were usually of colonial French and African descent. He became Company Commander of Company A, 2nd Louisiana Regiment Native Guard Infantry, made up mostly of escaped slaves. (It was later reformed as the 74th US Colored Infantry Regiment, of the United States Colored Troops.)

Passed over twice for promotion and tired of the prejudice he encountered from white officers, Stewart resigned his commission in 1863. In a letter of April 30, 1863, his sister Adeline B. Saffold wrote to him from Sidney, Ohio, urging him to follow her example:

If I were you, Pink, I would not let my ambition die. I would seek to rise and not in that class either but I would take my position in the world as a white man as you are and let the other go for be assured of this as the other you will never get your rights....

After the war, Stewart and his wife moved to Alabama, to test their freedom as full citizens. Racial tensions during Reconstruction resulted in shocking levels of violence as whites tried to re-establish social dominance and suppress voting by blacks. Stewart returned with his family to New Orleans.

Political career

After the war in New Orleans, Stewart took his father's surname of Pinchback. He became active in the Republican Party. The exact moment Pinchback decided to enter politics is described by George Devol on page 216 of his book "Forty years a gambler on the Mississippi." In 1867, Pinchback organized the Fourth Ward Republican Club in New Orleans soon after Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts. That year, he was elected to the constitutional convention.

In 1868 Pinchback was elected as a State Senator. He became senate president pro tempore of a legislature that included 42 representatives of African-American descent (half of the House, and seven of 36 seats in the Senate). (At the time, the population of African Americans and whites in the state was nearly equal.)

As Senate president pro tempore, in 1871 Pinchback succeeded to the position as acting lieutenant governor upon the death of Oscar Dunn, the first elected African-American lieutenant governor of a US state.

Pinchback also contributed to the political discussion after acquiring the biweekly newspaper, the New Orleans Louisianan. He published the paper until 1879. He was appointed as director of the New Orleans public schools, established by the state legislature for the first time during Reconstruction. Pinchback had a long-standing interest in education of blacks and was appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Education where he served from March 18, 1871 until March, 1877.

In 1872, the legislature filed impeachment charges against the incumbent Republican governor, Henry Clay Warmoth, over disputes over certifying returns of the disputed gubernatorial election, in which both Democrat John McEnery and Republican William Kellogg claimed victory. Trying to support a centrist fusion government at a time of divisions among Republicans, Warmoth had supported his appointed return board, which certified McEnery as winner. Republicans opposed this outcome and appointed their own returns board, which certified Kellogg. The election had been marked by violence and fraud. State law required Warmoth to step aside until his impeachment case was tried. Pinchback took the oath as acting governor on December 9, 1872, and he served for about six weeks, until the end of Warmoth's term. Warmoth was not convicted, and the charges were eventually dropped by the legislature.

Also in 1872, at a national convention of African-American politicians, Pinchback had a public disagreement with Jeremiah Haralson of Alabama. James T. Rapier, also of Alabama, submitted a motion that the convention condemn all Republicans who had opposed President Ulysses S. Grant in that year's election. Haralson supported the motion, but Pinchback opposed it because Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts would have been condemned for opposing Grant. Pinchback admired Sumner as a lifelong anti-slavery fighter.

1870s congressional elections

After his brief governorship, Pinchback remained active in politics and public service in Louisiana. From 1868, campaigns and elections in Louisiana were increasingly marked by Democratic violence. Historian George C. Rable described the White League, started in 1874, as the "military arm of the Democratic Party." The paramilitary group used intimidation and violence to suppress black voting and run Republicans out of office.

As an outcome of the controversial 1872 election, four US seats from Louisiana were also contested, including Pinchback's seat in the at-large position. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Louisiana. In early 1873, both the Republican William Kellogg-allied state legislators, who had a slight majority, and the Democrat John McEnery-allied legislators elected US Senators. Pinchback was elected by the Republicans and presented the Senate with his credentials. The Democratic candidate also presented credentials. As the 1872 gubernatorial contest had involved the national government, Congress was initially reluctant to assess these issues. The contested claim was not settled for years, when Democrats controlled Congress.

Holding out for the Senate seat, Pinchback conceded the House seat to his Democratic opponent, but the 45th Congress (1877–1879), which finally decided the issue, had a Democratic majority and voted against Pinchback. The Senate gave him compensation of $16,000 for his salary and mileage after his protracted struggle to take his seat.

In his memoir of Reconstruction, former Louisiana governor Henry Clay Warmoth wrote that the federal government was reluctant to seat people representing the Kellogg-Pinchback faction. He had a personal interest, as he had been forced out of Louisiana after allying with white conservatives in the 1872 election certification. Historian John C. Rodrigue notes that the Committee on Elections was dealing with its own internal issues. It had accepted Pinchback's claim to the House seat, but he was holding out for the Senate seat, and then complications arose after the Democrats controlled Congress and upheld election of his opponent.

Overall, the mid- to late 1870s marked an acceleration of the reversal of the political gains which African Americans in Louisiana had achieved since the end of the Civil War. In 1877, Democrats fully regained control of the state legislature after the withdrawal of federal troops, as a result of a national Democratic compromise marking the end of Reconstruction. Republican blacks continued to be elected to state and local offices, but elections were accompanied by violence and fraud. Most blacks were totally disfranchised by a new state constitution in 1898 and were effectively excluded from politics for decades.

Pinchback served as a delegate to the 1879 state constitutional convention; he and two other Republican African-American delegates, T. T. Allain, and Henry Demas, were credited with gaining support to establish Southern University, a historically black college in New Orleans, which was chartered in 1880. Pinchback was appointed as a member of Southern University's Board of Trustees (later redesignated the Board of Supervisors). The college relocated to the capital, Baton Rouge, in 1914. He was a delegate to the 1880 Republican National Convention.

In 1882, the national Republican administration appointed Pinchback as surveyor of customs in New Orleans, a politically significant position in which he served until 1885. It was his last.

Later life

In 1885, Pinchback studied law in New Orleans at Straight University, a historically black college later known as Dillard University. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1886, but never practiced.

Continuing to be active in the African-American community, Pinchback had joined the Comité des Citoyens (Citizens' Committee), which set up the New Orleans civil rights challenge of Homer Plessy to state segregation in public transportation. Interstate trains were covered by federal legislation and supposed to be integrated. The case went to the Supreme Court of the United States as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled in 1896 that the state's providing "separate but equal" accommodations to African Americans was constitutional. This was a setback for African Americans; in practice, white-dominated legislatures and authorities generally underfunded black facilities, from train cars and waiting rooms to everything else.

Pinchback moved with his family to Washington, DC, in 1892. Wealthy from his positions and settlement on the Senate seat, he had a large mansion built off Fourteenth Street near the Chinese embassy. At the time, the oldest son Pinckney was established as a pharmacist in Philadelphia; the younger three ranged in age from 26 to 22 and were still living at home. The Pinchback family was part of the mixed-race elite in Washington; people in the group had generally been free before the war and often had formal educations and had acquired property. The Washington Post covered his housewarming reception and many high-ranking guests.

Later, he worked for a time in New York as a US Marshal.

By his death in 1921 in Washington, DC, he was little known politically. His body was returned to New Orleans, where he was interred in Metairie Cemetery.

Legacy

Pinchback and his wife Nina were the maternal grandparents of Jean Toomer. Their daughter Nina Pinchback Toomer returned to live with her parents after her husband abandoned her and Jean as an infant. They helped raise him, and he started school in Washington, DC. After his mother remarried, they moved to New Rochelle, New York. He returned to his grandparents after his mother died in 1909, and went to high school at the academic M Street School. As an adult, Toomer became a poet and writer who was prominent as a modernist in New York during the Harlem Renaissance.

It was not until 1990 that another African American served as governor of any U.S. state. In 1989, Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the first to be elected to office (and the second African-American state governor). Deval Patrick of Massachusetts was elected governor in 2006 and served from January 2007 to January 2015. David Paterson of New York became the fourth African-American governor on March 17, 2008, when he succeeded to office following the resignation of Eliot Spitzer.

Wikipedia

#P. B. S. Pinchback #05-10 #12-21

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typingtess · 6 years ago

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Tiptoeing through the guest cast of “Searching”

Searching for Nia Long in the press release – not there.

Expect a delay due to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Bill Goldberg as DOJ Agent Lance Hamilton Last seen in "One of Us" – episode seven this season. Goldberg’s set photos.

India De Beaufort as Alexandra Reynolds Makai Dudeck as Jake Reynolds TV mother and son were last seen in "Warrior of Peace" in season nine. De Beaufort gave birth to her first child last May, Crosby James Beaufort-Grinnell. She is married to One Day at a Time's Todd Grinnell.

Medalion Rahimi as NCIS Special Agent Fatima Namazi Back from "Till Death Do Us Part". Fatima has appeared in four episodes. Mosley has been physically in three for those updating your scorecards.

Antwon Tanner as Avron Berry Played Michael in Moesha, Hakim in 413 Hope Street, Kevin Jackson in Boston Public, Antwon "Skills" Taylor in One Tree Hill, Lyle in Get Shorty and Jason in Black Jesus.

Had guest roles in The Client, Dangerous Minds, Crisis Center, Sister Sister, Nash Bridges, Touched by an Angel, City of Angels, The Parkers, NYPD Blue, The Tick, The District, Skin, CSI, Chase, Rizzoli & Isles, The Carmichael Show, Rosewood and The Rookie.

Tanner’s set photos.

Shane McMahon as Army CID Special Agent Steve Evans Shane McMahon is the son of Vince McMahon, owner of WWE Wrestling. McMahon is both talent – he was a referee, wrestled and runs wrestling alliances – and part of the organization's management. This is his first non-WWE television acting gig.

Wilson Ramirez as Ignacio Rodriquez Guest starred in episodes of Scorpion, Viceroy, Workaholics, Rush Hour, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, Shameless and will be in the Netflix season of Lucifer.

Set photos 1; set photos 2.

Nikki McCauley as Cristina Wallace Appeared in episodes of Love Inc., The Office, The Singles Table, Ghost Whisperer, Veronica Mars, Til Death, Happy Endings, Georgia, Maron, Fall Into Me, New Mommies, Better Things and First Love.

Taymour Ghazi as James Wallace Guest starred in episodes of CSI: Miami, Days of Our Lives, The Forgotten, Criminal Minds and was Det. Roger Aubrey in the "NOLA Confidential" season three episode of NCIS: New Orleans.

Ghazi’s set photos.

Shiloh Nelson as Amanda Wallace Young actress. Plays Keia in Puppy Dog Pals. Was in episodes of General Hospital, Two and a Half Men, About a Boy, CSI: Cyber, Another Period, How to Get Away with Murder, Timeless and Criminal Minds.

Darone Okolie as Tre Houston Played Marion in About Him and guest starred in episodes of Black Lightning, Queen Sugar and ATL Homicide.

Okolie set photos.

Charles Kim as Myeong A rare reappearance by an actor in a different role. Kim played Deputy Bennett in "Sirens", the LA Sheriff's department deputy who told Callen and Sam the dead deputy on Callen's lawn wasn't a real deputy.

Written by: Adam George Key and Kyle Harimoto

Adam George Key co-wrote "The Monster" with Frank Military.

Kyle Harimoto wrote “Omni”, “Merry Evasion”, “Chernoff, K” and “Command and Control”, “Granger, O.”, “Ghost Gun”, “Kulinda”, “767”, “Se Murio El Payaso”, “Assets”/“Liabilities”, “Venganza”, "Superhuman” and “One of Us”. He co-wrote “Three Hearts”, “Leipei”, “Humbug”, both ends of the “Matryoshka” two-parter and "Smokescreen" Part Two.

FYI: Off next week for The Academy of Country Music Awards. Back on the 14th and likely delayed due to the Masters Golf Tournament. That should be the final delay of the season.

#tiptoeing #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

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dk-thrive · 7 years ago

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Satan in a Sunday Hat

You can’t transform mountebanks into menschen. Character is like concrete: You can make an impression when it’s freshly poured, in its youth, one could say, but when it sets, it’s impervious to alteration.

~ Charles M. Blow, Satan in a Sunday Hat (NY Times, July 31, 2017)

#character #Charles M. Blow #Honesty #integrity #Leadership #Quotes #Scaramucci #trump #Truth

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christsbride · 7 years ago

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"Little" People, "Big" People

1 Corinthians 15:58

God makes some people large, others moderate in stature. Still others are small in size. We frequently make the mistake of calling small folks "little," but that is an unfortunate and unfair tag. I'm not picking at terms . . . there is a great deal of difference between being small and being little. If you don't think so, just ask someone who is less than average height. They won't hesitate telling you they may be small, but they're definitely not little.

Being "little" implies much more than being short. It suggests being petty, lacking in great-heartedness, having a mind that is restrictive, suspicious, envious, spiteful. "Little" people (regardless of their physical size) find it extremely difficult to applaud another's achievement, especially if the accomplishments bear the marks of success and excellence. While there are many who are big enough to appreciate outstanding work, there is always the "little" world comprising those who frown, depreciate, question, doubt, criticize, and forever search for the flaw.

Many years ago there was a young, small company in Detroit, Michigan. The odds against its surviving were heavy. But this struggling firm was determined not to lower its standard. Excellence and quality craftsmanship would not be compromised—period. There would be no tolerance for mediocrity, no winking at a cheap and shoddy "let's-just-get-by" philosophy. At that time it wasn't part of a huge corporation (that came later), and even though it was eclipsed by much larger and more powerful competitors, this resilient, independent company stayed by its standard. Interestingly, it slowly gained recognition as a leader. The company published an advertisement in The Saturday Evening Post, January 2, 1915. Here is what it said:

The Penalty of LEADERSHIP

In every field of human endeavor he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone—if he achieve a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging.

Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done.

Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by.

The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy—but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions—envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains—the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live—lives.

I am aware that all sorts and sizes of people will read this piece. A few of you are "little," hard as it may be to face it. But I'm convinced that many more of you are "big," which, being translated, means visionary, courageous, bold, secure, productive, unafraid of hard work, and unintimidated by the odds. Good for you! Press on. Grow even bigger. Stand tall. Run hard as you set a new pace. Refuse to reduce your stride. Embrace quality and excellence and determination. Without fudging one inch on integrity and humility, push on . . . lead on. Ignore the "little" world of onlookers who are too petty to produce, too suspicious to affirm, too envious to acknowledge greatness. Go hard after your goal, get on with it!

Isn't that the essence of Paul's charge to the Corinthians?

My dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG)

It's certainly what the apostle had in mind when he challenged young Timothy to "take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself . . . persevere" (1 Timothy 4:15–16).

Regardless of your stature, in spite of your current circumstances, age, status, occupation, location, limitations, or background, aim high . . . way up there where the ranks are as thin as the air. And the next time you're tempted to listen to those who would penalize you, remember that little company in Detroit, determined to succeed over eight decades ago. Oops, not "little," small.

Come to think of it, I've never heard anyone call the Cadillac Motor Car Company "little."

Excerpt taken from Come Before Winter and Share My Hope, copyright © 1985, 1988, 1994 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. For additional information and resources visit us at www.insight.org.

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