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motherloads · 1 year ago

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Right Side of My Neck

Pre! Identity Reveal. Alt. timeline of my first Tim Drake fic ◡̈

Me when me when I see readers fawn over my other fics, asking for pt. 2 but what I give is this: Tim Drake and Spider-Woman! Reader *cheering noises*

Summary: The reader is a new hero in Gotham City, known as Spider-Woman. Despite knowing of the no-meta rule, she continues to patrol the city in broad daylight.

What's to say that the bats are allowing this? At every meeting, they try and stop the unknown woman from fighting their battles. With no idea of who she is, they are struggling to maintain their no-meta rule.

Unknowingly, she forms a friendship with Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown. Shameless flirting ensues when she starts to connect the identity of the bats.

Who is she but not a Spider who captures her prey?

-> Pairings: Tim Drake x Reader

-> Marvel/DC Crossover

->Warnings: None!

not proof read! oops,,,

⋆｡°✩

You looked back at me once. But I looked back two times.

"At some point, you need to realize that maybe, just maybe, you need to start advertising the no meta rule?" Stephanie Brown questions Bruce Wayne. She taps her feet impatiently, watching the man skim through the news reports of Spider-Woman. His separate file regarding the woman is on his other monitor.

"I do not have a no meta-rule," Bruce grumbles as he cross referencing similar heroes who tried to debut in the past. None match up and it was as if Spider-Woman did not exist before. Not in any city, town, or country was she ever sighted. It was as if she was a ghost.

"Technically you do," Duke shrugs, "You always growl about no meta's being allowed in Gotham. I was the exception, remember?"

"I do not growl," Bruce points a glare at Duke who shrugs shamelessly. "Aren't you supposed to be out patrolling? Go find the new hero, only god knows what she's up to."

Duke ignores his comment, deciding to suit up for patrol to escape Bruce's ongoing investigation.

"I thought we agreed to not use feminine pronouns," Steph reprimands, "They haven't revealed their identity. We can't just assume they go by she and her."

"I'm too old for this," Bruce sighs, "But fine. Can someone atleast try and follow their tale? I have meetings back to back today."

"I'll get Tim on this," Stephanie agrees, "But, before that. I think Alfred sent us his grocery list for the week." Stephanie waves goodbye to Duke and Bruce.

⋆｡°✩

"Spider-Woman is a menace!" Her coworker reads out loud, "A menace to society and for the vigilantes in black. God! Jameson is one hell of a woman to be blasting the new hero out this way." He throws the newspaper away, shaking his head in annoyance, "I think they're pretty cool! Their helmet matches perfectly with the Red Hood. I wonder if they have some sort of alliance."

"I don't think so." Another coworker pipes up, bagging the groceries for her customer, "I don't think they have the ability to kill villains the same way Red Hood does. They probably have some moral code? I think they'd match Nightwing the best."

"Definitely not Robin. He's too...aggressive for Spider-Woman to deal with. Plus, he's a kid, so they'd probably argue." Her final and third coworker shrugs, "I honestly like that they're a solo hero."

"What if there is more like them? Like a Spider-Society where they protect the multiverse," She spoke out against her coworkers, grinning shamelessly at her reveal, "Spider-Women in the Spider-Verse."

"Now where do you get that idea from?" A new voice muses. They all turn their heads to see Timothy Drake. His eyes, as tired as ever, make eye contact with the girl. He smiles at her in response to her staring, "Seems like a far-fetched idea."

"I know them," She grins, leaning against her counter, looking at Tim from beneath her lashes. She senses him squirm in response to her look, "Might even know their identity." She teases.

"Care to share? I'd love to know, for research purposes."

Her grin widens at his response, cocking her head innocently at Tim who continued to squirm in her gaze. "Why? Want to ask them out on a date?"

"No-No. I'm just curious! Does that mean you don't know?"

She pushes herself off the counter, continuing to check Tim out. She noticed the array of coffee flavors and things that are normally on her customer's grocery list. She assumed he was doing his own for his butler, Alfred.

"Of course not. I'm just a college student." She shrugs, "50.42. Will that be cash or card?"

Tim mumbles his answer, passing her his card for the transcation. His face still felt hot from her onslaught, but he decided to ignore how fast his heart was beating. Instead, he focused on her hands. Her hands were a light shade of purple as if she was healing from a bruise.

"Hey wha-" He gets cut off when she passes his card back to him. She tilts her head at him, making his heart stop again.

"What?" She asks.

"Nothing, Nothing. I-See you later?" She nods in response, watching Tim walk away from her counter quickly. She felt a laugh bubble up from inside of her.

"God, you're shameless." Her coworker sneered. She only laughs in response.

⋆｡°✩

"If I were a villain, where would I be?" She hummed, moving across the rooftop she was on. Her helmet's eyes furrowed, zooming in on a robbery in a nearby bakery.

"Gotcha," She whispers, moving down to the bakery. She notices the baker being held at gunpoint as customers run out of the store. She paid no mind to the customers who tried to push her aside as she stepped foot into the scene.

"Hey! Mr. Big Bad Wolf! Has anyone ever told you not to huff and puff in a bakery before?!" She paused at her words, suddenly realizing her mistake, "Sorry, Sorry. I think I mixed up my fairytales."

The robber immediately drops his gun and himself to the ground. Shaking like a leaf, the robber immediately starts blabbing out an apology. "I swear I had no bullets! I swear- I just need money! My kid's in trouble! He's sick and I-" She cuts him off, webbing the gun and bringing it to her.

"The shelter across the streets offers monthly emergency grants to 20 lucky folks each month. Luckily, the application opens tomorrow. I'd recommend you apply to it instead and-" She pulls out her wallet, free from any sort of identification. Counting silently, she slides a hundred to the man. "This should cover the medicine until you receive the emergency grant. If not, just tell the clerk Spider-Woman sent you."

The man nods frantically, taking the hundred and running out of the bakery. The baker sighs in relief, sliding down the wall hazardously, "I thought today was my last day, genuinely..." "Not your time yet, I suppose," She begins to skim through the selection, humming to herself as she reads the items out loud, "Lemon Pie sounds good. I'll take a slice." The baker immediately stands, rinsing their own hands from the dirt on the floor. In the blink of an eye, they were packaging a whole lemon pie.

"I said one," Spider-Woman frowns as the baker pushes the box to her. She could smell the lemon wafting off of the pie from where she stood.

"It's a thank you. Also on the house," The baker responds instead, "I'm Felicia by the way. Felicia Hardy."

"Nice to meet you, Felicia," Spider-Woman nods as Felicia smiles warmly. Her smile disappeared when the door jiggled. A person came into the bakery.

She felt no reaction with her spider senses. No imminent danger was presented. When she looks, she is immediately face-to-face with Nightwing, "Funny seeing you here. I swore just yesterday you were at Bludhaven, Mr. Wing!"

"Had some business to take care of here," The man easily grins, nodding at the baker in return as she stares in awe. "A little bird told me you were sighted in a bakery. Wanted to see the situation." The minute he ended his sentence, she felt another presence in the bakery.

"Little Bird? Does it happen to be Robin?" She questions casually, leaning against the countertop. She rested her hand on the bag with her lemon pie.

"How do you always know," A younger voice scoffs. The occupants in the bakery turn to the corner shrouded in darkness. There, stood Robin in his little mighty glory.

"The spider in the corner told me so," She responds instead, "Now...are you both going to take me in?"

"That's the plan," Nightwing grins, "Want to put your lemon pie on the side?"

"No, it's fine," She tightens her grip on the bag, "Got places to be, Mr, Wing. You'd understand, right?"

"Answer our question first," Robin spits out, stepping forward into the light. His katana, held menacingly and glinting from the lights was pointed at her. "Why did you let the robber go? He could have been lying and you let a man go. He could kill someone!"

"Listen, kid," She sighs, "I don't have to tell you anything- We aren't teammates and in no way, do I want the Bats in my business." She pauses at her words, feeling her nose wrinkle from under her helmet. Stepping closer to Robin, she takes a long, deep breath.

"You have a dog?" Both Nightwing and Robin tense at her words, "A smell lingers from you. You live on a farm?" She turns her head to Nightwing and does the same to him, "Do you like swimming? You have chlorine in your hair." When both of the vigilantes stayed rooted in their spot, both from equal shock, she continued. "You smell like someone I see around here. Are you in contact with Tim Drake?"

With that, she shoots four simultaneous webs at the duo's feet. Rooting them to their spot, she salutes them and runs out of the bakery.

⋆｡°✩

At this point, the constant meetings with the Bat's made her realize the similarities they all hold with one another and a particular person she loved to tease. Nightwing and mini Robin were not the only ones who had that particular scent.

When she met Black Bat, she noticed how the smell was not as intense but still lingered on her person. Specifically to the gadgets she had on her self, they had a combination of metals that had created it and everything that screamed Tim.

When she met Signal, it wasn't the same. He had more of a scent on him compared to Black Bat. Specifically his hands and shoulders, although she wasn't sure why. When she began to do her research and find blurry photos of Signal and pictures she had taken of Tim, she realized Tim stood shorter than the vigilante.

Batman himself never strayed close enough to where she can smell him. He always maintained a distance, as if he knew what she had been researching. But he had no clue, right?

Tim's scent lingered on Red Hood and apparently they likely had many fist fights with one another because of how strong it stayed on the older man's fists. Hell, if she was near him close enough (which was almost always never) she can catch a hint of blood.

Spoiler had the second biggest scent out of all of the Bat's. Tim's scent was everywhere to her hair, skin, suit, and shoulder. This had made her go crazy, but don't tell anyone else that it was embarrassing when she had stumbled into Spoiler's arms to make sure there wasn't anything apparent on her face.

But doing so made her realize how similar she smelled to Stephanie.

Red Robin had been the one who easily dodged her efforts to get anything off of him. If she thought Red Hood was hard, then she was in for quite a shock when Red Robin kicked her helmet, knocking her back a notch.

"I know what you're trying to do!" He shouts at her, "The others have told me you have been taking big sniffs at them, what are you even planning?"

"I'm testing a hypothesis," She grits out, adjusting her helmet's lenses as Red Robin kicked them out of place, "I just need to confirm something, just hold still!"

"No!" He calls out, taking out his grappling hook in a quick motion. He makes no sound of a goodbye as he shoots away. Scoffing under her breath, she easily sticks a web onto the mans shoulder.

Pulling herself back, she launches herself onto the vigilante's back. He yelps in shock, not expecting her to latch on around his waist. Her arms wrap around his neck as she tilted his head back. Taking a hard sniff, her senses went into overdrive when she realized how familiar his smell was.

Sighing in relief, she leans her head further into his shoulder, she is interrupted from her thoughts as he lands on a rooftop. Trying to remove her, he grabs at the arms that would not budge. Then, he tried her legs. It was the same outcome.

"Come on!" He growls, "Get off!"

"No," She spits back, "You're an asshole!"

"I didn't even do anything! You're the one smelling the entirety of all the Bats! What next? Going to sniff Joker?!"

She steps one foot down but immediately goes to kick the back of his legs. Red Robin falters as he falls to the floor. Above him, she sits on his lap. They both stare at one another.

"I was wondering why every single Bat had this one recognizable scent," She begins, her frown masked by her helmet, "It drove me crazy, Red. Absolutely crazy that I thought the person I knew was being stalked."

She sees Red Robin's mask furrow in confusion. Still, he made no effort to move her off of him. "Even smelled the clothes he let me borrow. To see how similar it was."

Removing her helmet, Red Robin stares in shock as the spider's eyes were revealed. A familiar color he couldn't help but feel a blush rise from his face and around his ears. He noticed her eyes shift to his neck, that was most likely red as well.

He could not see her lower half, she had it covered with a mask the same color as her suit.

"Tim, did you know that cologne never truly washes out?" She leans close to his face, brushing a strand of his hair away from covering his mask. Tim felt his breath hitch at the name unroll from her tongue. One syllable and one identity reveal. "I think you need to prioritize washing the smell out." She tilts her head, her eyes crinkling as she smiled under the mask.

"How-" Now, Tim pushed her off of him. Doing his own move, which she made no effort to stop, he landed between her thighs. She was on the floor, staring up at him. He was on his knees as his breathing became uneven.

"Right side of my neck always smelled like you," She muses, "Whenever you gave me a hug, it would always linger. I liked it a lot."

Without a second thought, Tim pulls off the woman's mask.

He stares at a familiar face, who smiles at him. The cute smile he always felt shy about and guilty that he constantly lied to them. The cute smile that was apart of his profile picture of her.

The cute smile of the person who he would have never thought was the vigilante they were chasing after.

He breathes out her name.

"Hey, Tim."

#tim drake x reader #reader insert #x reader #crossover #red robin x reader #identity reveal

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icarus-suraki · 1 year ago

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No, you know what? While I'm all fired up about modern art and outsider art, let me introduce you to the works of James Hampton.

Pictured above is his monumental Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly.

With scant education and no formal art education, James Hampton made these pieces out of his intense religious fervor and his own desire to create:

In 1950, Hampton rented a garage on 7th street in northwest Washington [DC]. Over the next 14 years, Hampton built a complex work of religious art inside the garage with various scavenged materials such as aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, pieces of cardboard, light bulbs, jelly jars, shards of mirror and desk blotters held together with tacks, glue, pins and tape. The complete work consists of 180 objects, many of them inscribed with quotes from the Book of Revelation. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a throne, seven feet tall, built on the foundation of an old maroon-cushioned armchair with the words "Fear Not" at its crest. The throne is flanked by dozens of altars, crowns, lecterns, tablets and winged pulpits. Wall plaques on the left bear the name of apostles and those on the right list various biblical patriarchs and prophets such as Abraham and Ezekiel. The text The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly was written on the objects in Hampton's handwriting.

He constructed all his pieces from materials he found or scavenged himself, "such as aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, pieces of cardboard, light bulbs, jelly jars, shards of mirror and desk blotters held together with tacks, glue, pins and tape."

It's not clear if Hampton himself regarded himself as an artist, a visionary, a prophet, or none of the above. His work, however, is regarded as art in the same way that Michelangelo's Pieta is regarded as art: art of a religious subject or concept.

He also "kept a 108-page loose-leaf notebook titled St James: The Book of the 7 Dispensation. Most of the text was written in an unknown script that remains undeciphered. ... Some of the text was accompanied by notes in English in Hampton's handwriting. In the notebook, Hampton referred to himself as St. James with the title 'Director, Special Projects for the State of Eternity' and ended each page with the word 'Revelation'."

The art was not discovered until after Hampton's death in 1964, when the owner of the garage, Meyer Wertlieb, came to find out why the rent had not been paid. He knew that Hampton had been building something in the garage. When he opened the door, he found a room filled with the artwork. Hampton had kept his project secret from most of his friends and family. His relatives first heard about it when his sister came to claim his body. When Hampton's sister refused to take the artwork, the landlord placed an advertisement in local newspapers. Ed Kelly, a sculptor, answered the advertisement and was so astounded by the exhibit, he contacted art collector Alice Denney. Denney brought art dealers Leo Castelli and Ivan Karp, and artist Robert Rauschenberg, to see the exhibit in the garage. Harry Lowe, the assistant director of the Smithsonian Art Museum, told the Washington Post that walking into the garage "was like opening Tut's tomb."

His work is now on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

#james hampton #outsider art

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scotianostra · 10 months ago

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On 19th January 1919: The Sunday Post - home of the 'Broons' & 'Oor Willie' made its first appearance.

The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features. The paper was founded in 1914 and has a wide circulation across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of Northern England which may at some points in its history have reached two to three million readers.

In the 1950s, when the newspaper was confined largely to Scotland, sales of the Sunday Post were so high that it was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the newspaper with the highest per capita readership penetration of anywhere in the world.[citation needed] It has seen a slow decline, in 1999 having circulation of 700,000, dropping to 328,710 in August 2010.

2007 saw DC Thomson launch an advertising drive for The Sunday Post, primarily utilised on buses, in which the exclamation "Strip Sensation!" is seen by a picture of the folded paper displaying its masthead; next to this is the tagline punning on the exclamation: "A thoroughly decent read".

#scotland #scottish #history #publishing #newspaper #oor wullie #the broons

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broadcastarchive-umd · 5 months ago

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#QSLfriday A radio buff in Baltimore, MD, received this postcard from Syracuse, NY, with the message: "We are pleased to verify your reception of our station WSYU (formerly WMAC) on 11/6/33 at 5:15 AM, at which time we were broadcasting a frequency test."

The front of the card featured a picture of Kenneth Sparrnon and his Orchestra. Sparnon, an experienced entertainer, musician, and arranger, came to Syracuse in 1930 to join the staff of RKO Keith's, a local vaudeville and movie theater. He led a group of musicians known as "Ken Sparnon and his merry gang of RKOlians."

Sparnon also performed on radio station WSYR with his orchestra from Keith's. In May 1930, he became the Master of Ceremonies for the "Little Theater of the Air" on Monday and Wednesday nights.

(The National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, holds the Kenneth H. Sparnon Collection, which includes newspaper clippings, photographs, advertising, programs, and broadcast transcriptions.)

Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications | Tumblr Archive

#otr #old time radio #1930s #live music #syracuse

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atotaltaitaitale · 4 months ago

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Not quite a contender for my False Advertising Series but a gorgeous building: the Dundee Courier on Fleet Street.

Fleet Street is synonymous with Britain’s journalism industry, with most of the country’s newspapers having offices or headquarters in the area in the first half of the 20th century. While most of the papers have moved on to less central areas, there still lies some signs of their past in the heart of the City.

Standing at 186 Fleet Street is an old remainder of Fleet Street‘s tabloid heyday. The Thomson family originally started out in shipping before branching out in publishing by buying the Dundee Courier and The Daily Argus in 1886. David Coupar Thomson (1861-1954) established DC Thomson in 1905 as the family’s publishing assets expanded.

Today, the façade of the building features glazed red bricks with stone dressings. Five of DC Thomson’s titles were written across the building in mosaic bands as a form of advertising. Four of the five titles are still in publication, with The People’s Journal having folded in 1986 after a 128 year history. The remaining publications are Dundee Courier (founded 1801); Dundee Evening Telegraph (founded 1877); Sunday Post (founded 1914); and People’s Friend (founded 1869).

In 2014, DC Thomson extensively renovated their London and Dundee offices. However, just two years later, DC Thomson took the decision to close their editorial office, which meant the last journalists to work on Fleet Street were leaving. DC Thomson continues to own the building, with advertising staff remaining on site. (Source)

#CelineIsNotAnExpatAnymore #France life #London #c&jLondon6

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dial-a-dyke · 2 years ago

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THIS MONTH IN QUEER HISTORY U SHOULD KNOW...

Starting back in 1969, The Gay Blade (now The Washington Blade, the longest running LGBTQ+ newspaper) published monthly newsletters serving the queer community. Here we have its December 1971 issue. Advertising Queer friendly Christmas church services, married lesbian support groups, and college credit for being gay, The Blade played an instrumental role in building community for LGBTQ+ people in Washington, DC in the early 70s. In the monthly paper, you might find advertisements for roommates seeking out other lesbian-feminist roommates, college students organizing student-led protests, and legal help should you find yourself caught in a raid of a gay or lesbian bar. Although plenty of LGBTQ+ spaces in this time catered more to the white cis gay man... The Blade was intentional about keeping queer communities in DC inclusive and protected. LGBTQ+ newspapers, like The Blade, helped keep queer and trans folk safe, prepared them for organization and mobilization efforts that confronted the dominant public sphere, and ultimately, helped build the queer community we know today.

Screenshots are from Vol. 3, Issue 3. of The Gay Blade located in the DIG DC archives, The People's Archives, in Washington, DC. View the full collection and more here.

Happy holidays, yall!

#queer community #queer #lesbian #queer history #lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbtq history #herstory #archives

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lboogie1906 · 2 years ago

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Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was the first African American female lawyer in the US. She graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872. She was the first female admitted to the DC Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of DC. Her admission was used as a precedent by women in other states who sought admission to the bar. She opened her own law office, advertising in a newspaper run by Frederick Douglass. She practiced law for only a few years because prejudice against African Americans and women made her business unsustainable. She moved to NY, where she became a teacher in Brooklyn. She was involved in the women's suffrage movement and joined the National Association of Colored Women. She was born in New York City to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Reverend Charles Bennett Ray. Reverend Ray was an important figure in the abolitionist movement and edited a newspaper called The Colored American. She had six siblings. Education was important to her father, who made sure each of his girls went to college. Charlotte attended a school called the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth (now known as the University of the District of Columbia). She became a teacher at Howard University in the Normal and Preparatory Department, which was the University's Prep School. While teaching at Howard, she registered in the Law Department, as C. E. Ray. She completed a three-year program, as the first woman to graduate from the Howard University School of Law. She married in the late 1880s and became Charlotte E. Fraim. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CnWwSYOr8SZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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qlsvn · 4 days ago

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am i allowed to make a dc au

the only interaction i’ve had w/ dc is the animated dc girls show, tumblr posts, tiktok posts, a couple of fanfics, the CW live action Flash+Arrow series, the first two seasons of YJ (animated. not the comics. but i srsly wanna know what OG Tim + Kon + etc were getting up to 😭 cuz the stuff i heard ab them…) the teen titans 03 + GO! animated series, and ab half of the teen titans silver age vol 1 comic + overall general knowledge ab DC (getting into comics is HARD and i dont wanna watch the movies…) but i actually had a rlly cool au idea i wanna share but i don’t wanna butcher it…. so if someone more well versed wants to confer w me on this AU… deliberate over it w/ me… etc. i’d like to see it in action at some point

(for the record cuz i’m obsessed w highschool AUs its a dc highschool au but only the JL are in highschool + all the younger heroes are in varying grades depending on their ages and rankings w/ Diana+Bruce+Clark all being seniors, and Damian+Jon+whoever else is in their generation being in like maybe Kindergarten/1st grade and for the record the batfam are all bruce’s adopted younger siblings Damian + Jon’s stories would b a bit different but i dont know enough ab Jon so 😭 and they’re all still superheroes. but in highschool. in Gotham Academy or smth. The world building is taking a hit in this one ig idk how to explain ppl from different parts of America being in the same school DONT FREAKING ASKKKK.)

(The villains??? in highschool too. Where do they go??! idfk some shit like Arkham Academy except like Lex Luthor or Ra’s. whyre u beefing w/ a bunch of teenagers ??! 🤨🤨🤨)

also my knowledge on different heroes + villains is limited pls i’m sorry 😭😭 i’m trying to learn but getting into comics is hardddd and ik to be skeptical of twt + tiktok + tumblr + fanficiton i may as well be interacting w/ a wholly different source media BUT I WILL EVENTUALLY GET THE FULL (mostly) CANON PICTURE!!!!! Just give me 5 years… 😓…… i’m slow.

also wouldn’t it be funny if clark + bruce interacted a lot bc bruce was popular + in student council + clark was in the school newspaper so they worked tgth to advertise school fundraisers + clark IMMEDIATELY clocked Bruce, popular playboy himbo Brucie Wayne, as the emo secretive vigilante Batman ?? Like what huh !??? i’m not surprised u were always a little off BUT !!!????

anyway. i’ll leave now bye. 😔

#no tags cuz idk if i WANT ppl to see this hahahahahahahah #haha. ha..

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newspaper-advertisement · 2 months ago

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Deccan Chronicle Classifieds: A Cornerstone of South Indian Society

#dc classified ads #deccan chronicle classifieds #deccan chronicle classified ads #dc classified ad booking #deccan chronicle newspaper classified ads #dc classified advertisement #dc classified advertising #book dc classified ads online #dc classifieds #deccan chronicle classified #deccan chronicle classified advertisement #deccan chronicle classified advertisement booking #deccan chronicle classified advt #deccan chronicle classified booking

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dankusner · 1 month ago

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Wright v. Dallas Voice DC-14-01398 — 2/12/2014

E. Facts 10. Mr. Wright already was a seasoned journalist and editor when he joined the Dallas Voice in March of 2007 as a salaried news reporter.

DC-14-01398

During the next six and a half years, Mr. Wright served as an exemplary employee.

His work and work ethic earned him a number of promotions with accompanying raises in salary at the Dallas Voice, journalistic awards, and national recognition for the Dallas Voice and for himself.

While on staff, Mr. Wright broke local, state and national stories that addressed the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (“LGBT”) community.

His stories covered key court decisions and legislation, politics, community diversity, business and health issues.

11. In 2008, Mr. Wright was promoted to news editor.

He was named Dallas Voice’s online editor in 2010, and senior political reporter in late 2011.

In January of 2012, he was promoted to senior editor, and remained in this position until he was discharged on September 16, 2013.

Mr. Wright also maintained the Dallas Voice's Facebook page, and at the encouragement of management, his own Facebook page as a venue for topical discussion.

12. In his various positions, Mr. Wright traditionally had been given great latitude in his choice of stories and style of writing, and in expressing his position when writing editorials.

This also applied to Mr. Wright’s responding individually to those who used the Facebook pages of Mr. Wright or the Dallas Voice to express opinions, raise questions, or attack him, the paper, or the paper’s publisher.

Indeed, publisher Robert Moore instilled in Mr. Wright that one of the roles of the paper – and one of Mr. Wright’s roles – was to engage the public in a debate of contemporary issues, and to be open to communicating with the public, whether it be through print, an online blog, or in the offices of the Dallas Voice.

13. From 2001 until April 1, 2013, Robert Moore, one of the original founders of the Dallas Voice, had served as the sole owner, president and publisher of the Dallas Voice.

Beginning in 2009, Mr. Moore was away a full month at a time, twice a year.

When he was away, Director of Advertising Leo Cusimano served as acting publisher.

As such, Mr. Wright reported to Mr. Cusimano when Mr. Moore was away.

At the Dallas Voice, as had been the case throughout his journalism career and is traditional the case in print journalism entities, Mr. Wright always reported to the publisher.

14. Several months after he began working for the Dallas Voice, Mr. Wright needed to take two brief medical leaves for treatment for a condition recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).

Many who have worked and continue to work for the Dallas Voice on every level have various conditions and disabilities covered by the ADA.

Yet in Mr. Wright’s case, however, he was placed under certain restrictions and singled out through discipline, measures not taken with others who have worked and continue to work for the company.

Despite this probation which violated Mr. Wright’s protections under the ADA, Mr. Wright rose in position and responsibilities throughout his tenure with the newspaper.

15. In March 2013, Mr. Moore announced that he was selling Voice Publishing, Inc., and all subsidiaries, including the Dallas Voice, to Mr. Cusimano and to Mr. Moore’s former paramour and spouse, Terry Thompson.

Mr. Moore announced he would become the "media consultant" for the Dallas Voice.

16. In April 2013, Mr. Cusimano was named publisher.

At the same time, former office manager and promotions director Mr. Thompson was given the title of president.

These management changes were announced on the Dallas Voice website on March 25, 2013. 17.

By March of 2013, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Moore were divorced.

18. Mr. Wright had been considering buying a home, but following the sale and change in management, wanted to make sure his position was secure before doing so.

During or about early June of 2013, approximately two months after the announcement of the sale, Mr. Wright talked with Mr. Cusimano about his wish to purchase a home in the Dallas area.

Mr. Cusimano encouraged Mr. Wright to purchase the home, saying he thought it was “a great idea.”

Based on Mr. Cusimano’s encouragement, Mr. Wright closed on a home during or about July of 2013, and signed a mortgage contract in August of 2013. 19.

Although Mr. Wright was salaried, he was always a non-exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

He worked an average of 50 hours a week throughout the time he was at the Dallas Voice.

This fact was confirmed by current publisher Mr. Cusimano in his sworn testimony during a hearing on October 28, 2013, before the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

20. Mr. Wright was never compensated for any of the overtime hours he worked. 21.

The Dallas Voice, as a weekly newspaper has to have everything set and ready to print on Thursday evening for its Friday morning distribution.

On a Thursday afternoon in May of 2013, a key member of the art department left without completing important art work due for that night’s printing of the paper.

22. Mr. Wright had no authority over the art staffer, and already had concerns about what seemed to be a negative attitude, so he brought the matter to the publisher’s attention.

Over the years, the Dallas Voice had informally established certain procedures and policies.

When any substantive internal issue or personnel matter arose that could not be easily and amicably resolved, the standard was to call a meeting with management and those involved in the matter.

They would discuss the issue and possible solutions, and determine the action.

23. However, when Mr. Wright took the matter to Mr. Cusimano, who called Mr. Thompson and the art department employee into the meeting, they instead claimed that Mr. Wright was to blame for the incident, presenting false statements that Mr. Wright had somehow “bullied” the art department employee.

Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson did not believe they had grounds to write up the employee, and left it there.

Mr. Wright was frustrated over the potential harm to the product, but lacked the authority to do anything about it.

24. The following Thursday, Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson allowed this art department employee to leave work early.

Every week up to this point, this art department employee was in charge of the newspaper layout.

However, management allowed this employee to create a special situation that was not allowed of any other employee at the Dallas Voice on newspaper production day.

Later that evening on May 23, 2013, in an email sent by Mr. Wright to Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson, Mr. Wright said his complaints were “strictly performance-based” and being senior editor, he was “fully justified” to make these complaints.

Further, management was rewarding this employee’s “poor performance” with preferential treatment.

The art department employee in question was the only full-time African-American employee at the Dallas Voice at that time.

Mr. Wright stated that he believed management was committing reverse discrimination.

25. In the October 28, 2013 TWC hearing, management of the Dallas Voice endeavored to present this situation as yet another false disciplinary issue against Mr. Wright.

26. During his tenure at the Dallas Voice, Mr. Wright was subjected to an environment of sexual harassment by Mr. Moore, Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson, the publication's owners and managers.

27. On numerous occasions, Mr. Moore used the messaging on his iPhone and the company's iChat internal instant messaging system to send Mr. Wright unsolicited nude and suggestive photos of Asian boys.

These were typically accompanied by suggestive comments.

Because Mr. Moore owned and ran the publication, Mr. Wright had no supervisor to whom to complain about what he considered offensive and inappropriate actions by Mr. Moore.

28. In 2011, Mr. Cusimano called Mr. Wright into his office to show him nude photos of a former employee.

During that meeting, Mr. Cusimano stated that he had a collection of nude photos of former employees that he had collected over the years.

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He did not say how he obtained these photos.

Based on the content and context of Mr. Cusimano's statements as well as the manner in which he made them, Mr. Wright inferred that Mr. Cusimano was keeping the photos as insurance against adversarial actions by the former employees.

Given that Mr. Cusimano was at times Mr. Wright’s supervisor, and that Mr. Moore had fostered such an environment, Mr. Wright had no one to whom he could issue a complaint.

29. By May 23, 2013, when Mr. Wright was alerting management of their acts of employee favoritism and retaliation against Mr. Wright, he had endured sexual harassment by two of the three managers of the Dallas Voice.

Mr. Wright neither invited, reciprocated nor appreciated these advances.

30. A few weeks after Mr. Thompson was given the title of president, sometime in June or July 2013, he entered Mr. Wright's office, closed the door, and proceeded to show Mr. Wright photos of nude men in suggestive poses.

Given the fact that Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Moore had engaged in the same behavior, that Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson were the ostensible owners of the publication, and that Mr. Thompson had been named president of Voice Publishing, Inc., Mr. Wright had no one to whom he could issue a complaint.

31. A year prior, during or about August or September of 2012, the entire editorial staff was forced to take a 10% cut in salaries, which created economic hardship for a number of employees.

In the summer of 2013, after Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson assumed ownership and management of the Dallas Voice, Mr. Wright submitted a series of procedural measures that would save the paper more than $10,000 per year.

Additionally, the changes would have no detrimental effect on the quality of the paper.

Mr. Wright submitted these proposals in hopes that the editorial staff could gain back some of the salaries that had been cut a year prior.

These cost-saving measures were in fact implemented by Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson.

However, Mr. Wright received no acknowledgment for his efforts, which were done on his own time, nor did the editorial staff see any reinstatement of their lost salaries.

32. When Mr. Cusimano announced, during or about August of 2013, that online visits, print circulation figures and revenues from advertising were all significantly improving, Mr. Wright requested of Mr. Cusimano that the paper reinstate the employee salaries that had been cut a year before.

Mr. Cusimano replied he would review the matter to look into the cost and to see if the funds were available. He took no action.

33. Approximately two to three weeks later, Mr. Wright pressed Mr. Cusimano on the salary reinstatement, adding that the paper should be able to afford it with online circulation and advertising revenues up as much as stated.

Mr. Cusimano again replied he would have to check on the costs and would discuss it later.

This confused Mr. Wright, given that restoring a 10 percent increase to a handful of employees should take little more than applying a simple formula.

Mr. Cusimano took no action.

34. The Gay Pride Week ("Pride") edition is one of the most important editions for both the print and online versions of the newspaper.

Of note is the fact that Mr. Wright believes strongly that diversity issues are important to cover and reflect.

On or about August 26, 2013, when Mr. Cusimano presented the 2013 cover for the Pride edition to Mr. Wright, Mr. Wright pointed out that the cover lacked diversity.

Mr. Cusimano stated that “the black LGBT community is not our market.”

35. In an email exchange on August 26, 2013, Mr. Wright expressed concerns about the cover and asked, “How can we better reflect the rainbow that is our community?”

Mr. Thompson responded condescendingly to Mr. Wright, stating, “By finding a better image. You need to come to me with solutions, John. We chose this photo specifically because it addresses both race and age diversity. Good luck with your new project!”

36. In Mr. Wright’s response to Mr. Thompson’s message above, Mr. Wright politely and professionally explained that, historically, he was never involved in selecting the Pride cover, nor was his opinion asked for on the 2013 cover.

Following up this email, Mr. Wright went to Mr. Thompson’s office to further explain.

Mr. Wright told Mr. Thompson that he was merely restating concerns frequently expressed to him by African-American LGBT leaders, who believed there was little diversity in the marketing materials of the Dallas Voice.

37. Mr. Thompson replied that he would ask the art department to darken one of the faces in the image using Photoshop.

38. Through this and other episodes, Mr. Thompson demonstrated he lacked a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the senior editor, as well as those of the publisher, art department, news/editorial department, and others.

It also represented both an insensitivity by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Cusimano to the diversity of the community that the Dallas Voice ostensibly is intended to serve, as well as a lack of integrity and truthfulness which should be represented in any newspaper.

39. During the week of September 8, 2013, Mr. Wright was working to prepare the paper's Pride edition.

40. On Friday, September 13, 2013, Mr. Cusimano sent an email to all Dallas Voice staff, praising the editorial staff for the work performed over the course of that week, for the coverage, for the ad sales, and for stirring up controversy.

The content was directed by Senior Editor John Wright.

41. The morning of Saturday, September 14, 2013, Mr. Wright posted an editorial comment on his Facebook page criticizing how another publication had covered an issue that emerged during Pride.

Essentially, Mr. Wright stated the other reporter had done a superficial job of researching and of finding a source to quote on behalf of the gay community, and that the story was untimely.

11 42. This sort of commentary was a traditional part of Mr. Wright's position, as can be seen historically on his Facebook.

Another typical part of his job was following up in email communications or in face-to-face meetings at the Dallas Voice offices to discuss the opinions and positions held by members of the community, including policy makers.

43. However, Mr. Wright’s critique drew an angry response from the quoted source purported to represent the gay community, Mr. Cooper Smith Koch.

Mr. Smith Koch owns and runs a competing online media company, Gay List Daily, based in Dallas, that provides advertorial content to its subscribers via email and web access.

Mr. Smith Koch is also the owner and managing principal of The Cooper Smith Agency, a public relations and social media agency, also based in Dallas.

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Mr. Smith Koch apparently misunderstood and took personal offense at the way Mr. Wright characterized the reporter’s reliance on Mr. Smith Koch as speaking for the gay community.

44. Mr. Smith Koch already had established a history of instigating comments on the Facebook pages monitored and managed by Mr. Wright.

Over the previous months, the two had communicated at least twice on Facebook.

45. On this occasion, Mr. Smith Koch posted his reaction on his Facebook page, complaining about “some reporter for Dallas’ gay newspaper” who allegedly was saying negative things about Mr. Smith Koch personally.

46. This was not the case.

However, Mr. Smith Koch posted a general call for all of his connections to “defend” him by reacting against the reporter (Mr. Wright) if they saw the posting and “it gets out of hand,” presumably on Mr. Wright’s Facebook page or that of the Dallas Voice.

47. In contrast, Mr. Smith Koch’s other business, The Cooper Smith Agency, a public relations and social media agency, has at least five negative reviews posted on Yelp and Google which were posted as late as June 2013 – 3 ½ months before Mr. Wright posted his brief editorial comment.

Examples of some of these negative community reviews include:

“Don’t trust Cooper Smith with your PR.”

“Very irresponsible management.”

“Would you like your PR agency to create bad PR for you? Then you are at the right place!”

“These jokers can’t be trusted.”

48. Mr. Smith Koch has declined to respond to or publicly address any of these negative reviews, which are the only reviews of The Cooper Smith Agency that exist on the Internet.

49. Another complaint was filed against The Cooper Smith Agency with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on May 30, 2013.

Mr. Smith Koch failed to even respond, despite the fact that he was given two opportunities to do so.

50. As a result, The Cooper Smith Agency earned an “F” rating on or about August 15, 2013, which is the lowest rating available from the BBB.

51. Each of the negative reviews of The Cooper Smith Agency is still available on the Internet and have yet to be addressed as of the filing of this petition.

However, Mr. Smith Koch saw fit to make an issue out of Mr. Wright’s criticism of what Mr. Wright believed was another reporter’s inadequate research in finding sources for quotes and information.

This criticism was written on Mr. Wright’s personal Facebook page, which is far less visible than anything that appears on Google, Yelp or the BBB.

52. Mr. Wright later learned of Mr. Smith Koch’s call for others to “defend” him, then saw that Mr. Moore publicly criticized Mr. Wright’s post on Facebook.

Mr. Smith Koch, who was out of state at the time, directly contacted former publisher Mr. Moore to complain about Mr. Wright.

53. Mr. Moore later called Mr. Wright.

54. Mr. Moore had ceased to be Mr. Wright's supervisor when Mr. Moore left his position as publisher.

Even though the former publisher still worked with and kept an office at the Dallas Voice, Mr. Wright had been told not to contact Mr. Moore directly to discuss newspaper-related matters, but to communicate exclusively with the new publisher Leo Cusimano.

For this reason, as well as the fact that the Dallas Voice’s senior editor saw this as a relatively insignificant issue, Mr. Wright was surprised to hear from Mr. Moore on the matter.

55. During their phone conversation, Mr. Moore asked Mr. Wright for background on what had transpired.

The two discussed the matter as they had discussed countless matters in the past.

Mr. Moore essentially said he understood, and Mr. Wright believed the matter was settled.

56. Mr. Smith Koch contacted Mr. Thompson, the newly named president, to press the matter with him.

Mr. Smith Koch sent Mr. Thompson, via smartphone text messages, what he posted on Facebook upon hearing of Mr. Wright’s comments.

57. By his own admission, Mr. Smith Koch had not actually seen Mr. Wright’s comments.

Mr. Smith Koch explained this by saying he had blocked Mr. Wright’s access to his page because Mr. Wright had been “harassing” him on his page and posting inappropriate comments on Mr. Smith Koch’s page.

58. Mr. Smith Koch’s accusation was false.

Mr. Wright had done nothing of the sort.

59. Mr. Thompson forwarded the post as a screen capture via smartphone text, to Mr. Wright, and asked Mr. Wright to explain the situation.

Mr. Thompson had been with the paper long enough to correctly predict that Mr. Wright would view Mr. Smith Koch’s comments as an incendiary attack both on him and on the Dallas Voice, and likely would respond.

60. The two men discussed the matter, exchanging their thoughts and opinions on the situation, and on Mr. Smith Koch and his reaction.

Mr. Wright expressed frustration over Mr. Smith Koch’s history of disruptive actions, especially in light of the fact that Mr. Smith Koch ran a competing media operation.

61. Mr. Thompson commented that he thought posting opinions in response to Mr. Smith Koch was a waste of time, and “like it or not, the straight community” viewed Mr. Smith Koch as “a mainstream centrist, reliable, intelligent source.”

Mr. Thompson then texted his belief that Mr. Wright’s posting opinions would “only encourage them (the straight community) and increase his (Mr. Smith Koch’s) political caché.”

62. It should be noted that Mr. Wright had never reported to Mr. Thompson.

Following general newsroom tradition and the Dallas Voice’s common practice, as a member of the news and editorial staff, Mr. Wright reported to the publisher, a position now held by Mr. Cusimano.

Mr. Thompson had never been Mr. Wright’s supervisor.

This would be considered appropriate, given that Mr. Thompson had never held a position as a journalist or an editor, nor had he ever studied journalism or editorial writing.

Thus, Mr. Thompson was understandably unaware of Mr. Wright’s full range of responsibilities as a journalist and editor, and apparently unaware of the procedures that had been informally set in place over the years that Robert Moore acted as publisher of the paper.

63. Mr. Wright and Mr. Thompson commiserated for a few more texts, Mr. Thompson commented that he understood Mr. Wright’s position and that he had made some interesting points, and the discussion seemed to end amicably.

Mr. Wright did not dwell on the exchange.

64. However, it was unusual for Mr. Thompson to communicate with Mr. Wright outside of the workplace, so Mr. Wright was surprised that Mr. Thompson had contacted him on such a seemingly minor and mundane matter.

65. It also struck Mr. Wright as odd that Mr. Thompson would be using phone text messaging to communicate with him.

Mr. Thompson disclosed his reason during a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) hearing on November 18, 2013.

When asked why he would not converse with Mr. Wright by telephone, Mr. Thompson replied, “So we would have documentation.”

66. During the morning of Sunday, September 15, 2013, in reaction to the incendiary comments and call to action by Mr. Smith Koch, Mr. Wright sent Mr. Smith Koch an email intended to clarify his comments and position.

67. The tone and content of Mr. Wright’s response was consistent with responses to similar adverse matters or attacks Mr. Wright had addressed during his 6 ½ years with the Dallas Voice.

Being a newspaper that represented the LGBT community, it was a nearly daily responsibility for Mr. Wright to manage adverse situations from both within and outside of the LGBT community.

Mr. Wright was doing what long since had been established as part of his job as a member of the Dallas Voice's news and editorial staff.

In this case, he also believed he was defending the Dallas Voice against a competitor.

68. Furthermore, Mr. Thompson had expressed the opinion that it was not worth Mr. Wright’s time to engage Mr. Smith Koch in a discussion that could increase his “political caché,” possibly only through a public conversation.

Thus, Mr. Wright acted to quell further public debate on the matter, as he believed he was responsible to do, and did so through a private email.

69. Compared to the far more combative situations Mr. Wright, Mr. Moore and the Dallas Voice had regularly found themselves the center of, the issue with Mr. Smith Koch was relatively insignificant, and had become catty and petty.

Mr. Wright was attempting to stop the ongoing posts by Mr. Smith Koch.

70. The following day, Sunday, September 15, 2013, Mr. Smith Koch again contacted Mr. Thompson, this time to complain about the email sent by Mr. Wright, and to pressure Mr. Thompson to take action against the Dallas Voice’s senior editor.

71. At approximately the same time, Mr. Smith Koch posted on his Facebook on September, 15, 2013 at 11:02am, “I don’t even know what the drama is about! I can’t see any of it, but obviously I hit some sort of nerve! Frankly, I’ve got bigger things on my mind these days.”

72. Mr. Thompson responded by sending more text messages via smartphone to Mr. Wright. Mr. Thompson used hostile and patronizing phrases, claimed he had “ordered” Mr. Wright to have no further contact with Mr. Smith Koch, and that Mr. Wright had “disobeyed” that order.

Mr. Thompson’s assertion was and is demonstrably false.

73. When Mr. Wright attempted to clarify the fact that Mr. Thompson had never issued any such order, Mr. Thompson became condescending and insulting, and ended the discussion soon thereafter.

74. Later on September 15, 2013, Mr. Wright called Mr. Thompson in an attempt to explain both the email he had sent and that this always had been Mr. Wright’s job.

Rather than discuss the matter as had long been the standard established by Mr. Moore, Mr. Thompson hung up on Mr. Wright

75. Later still the same day, via smartphone text, Mr. Thompson sent a series of texts to Mr. Wright demanding that Mr. Wright locate and gather together a voluminous amount of documentation and have it all ready for a meeting the following day.

Mr. Thompson did not state the purpose of the meeting, but indicated it would be attended by Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Moore, both of whom were included in the texts.

76. At this point, Mr. Wright had worked seven days straight, several of those days for 12 hours.

77. Mr. Wright explained that he was in the midst of covering that day's Pride activities.

Mr. Thompson was apparently unaware of the schedule of events and issues Mr. Wright was covering for his newspaper.

Mr. Thompson told him to continue with his reporting instead.

78. However, during a TWC hearing on November 18, 2013, Mr. Thompson stated under oath that Mr. Wright “refused to comply” with his demands of gathering and supplying the stacks of documentation.

Mr. Thompson’s statement was demonstrably false.

79. The afternoon of the following day, September 16, 2013, and after Mr. Wright had worked all day to complete the Dallas Voice’s coverage of Pride, Mr. Thompson called Mr. Wright into Mr. Cusimano’s office.

Mr. Cusimano gave Mr. Wright the choice of signing a letter of resignation and receiving a good reference, or being terminated for insubordination.

Mr. Wright refused to resign.

80. Without any warning or discussion, and without providing Mr. Wright the opportunity to correct the record and defend himself – which had been established as protocol at the Dallas Voice by common practice and conduct – Mr. Cusimano then terminated Mr. Wright.

Officially, Mr. Cusimano terminated Mr. Wright “for cause,” citing “insubordination” and “unprofessional behavior.”

81. The “insubordination” charge was based on the claim that Mr. Wright had been “ordered” to have no further communication with Mr. Smith Koch, and that by sending the followup email, Mr. Wright had disobeyed the order.

82. This claim is unsupported and contradicted by the facts.

There was no such order.

Mr. Wright was attempting to fulfill the spirit of the opinions expressed by Mr. Thompson by fulfilling his job responsibilities and to quell further public discussion through a private email to Mr. Smith Koch.

83. According to Mr. Cusimano, the claim of “unprofessional behavior” was based in part on the fact that Mr. Wright sent the follow-up email from his Dallas Voice email account.

As the senior editor of the Dallas Voice corresponding with a citizen about a matter dealing with news coverage of an LGBT issue and with the Dallas Voice, and given that the discussion resulted from his position with the Dallas Voice, it was appropriate for Mr. Wright to send the email to Mr. Smith Koch from his Dallas Voice email account.

Historically, this was completely consistent with the way it had been done at the Dallas Voice for years.

84. The other offense constituting “unprofessional behavior” was a comment Mr. Wright texted to Mr. Thompson regarding Mr. Smith Koch’s post and his claim that Mr. Wright had been harassing Mr. Smith Koch.

Because the reverse was true, Mr. Wright described Mr. Smith Koch’s claims as “bullshit.”

Mr. Thompson’s claim that this was unprofessional behavior ignores his own use of the phrase, “No shit!” in the same exchange.

It also ignores coarse language that was often used in the newsroom, as well as coarse language and sexual innuendo that frequently appeared into texts, instant messaging, and oral communications by management to Mr. Wright.

85. On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, Mr. Wright learned that the management at the Dallas Voice had discussed the issue with members of the staff.

To support the claim that Mr. Wright had committed insubordination, Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Thompson showed staff a copy of the email Mr. Wright sent to Mr. Smith Koch.

86. Following his discharge, Mr. Wright filed to collect the unemployment insurance payments to which he was entitled.

Mr. Moore, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Cusimano had acted in concert to block this by maintaining, while under oath before a hearing officer with the TWC, that Mr. Wright had been insubordinate.

Mr. Thompson and Mr. Cusimano each offered inaccurate and false statements regarding Mr. Wright, his job history and his job performance.

This has placed Mr. Wright in even further financial distress.

87. In the October 28, 2013 TWC hearing, Mr. Cusimano stated that Mr. Wright had been placed on probation in late 2007.

Although this probation was a direct violation of Mr. Wright’s rights under the ADA, he fulfilled all of the requirements of said “probation” and had a successful career during his years at the Dallas Voice.

88. Mr. Wright was also assured at the time by Mr. Moore that this probationary status would be private and without any written record.

In addition, Mr. Moore and the Dallas Voice are required by law to have kept Mr. Wright’s health matters private.

89. However, Mr. Cusimano, Mr. Moore and Mr. Thompson violated Mr. Wright’s HIPAA protected privacy by making it a matter of record in the TWC hearing.

If Mr. Wright is to clarify this matter, he must reveal medical matters that should be protected by federal statute.

90. In addition, Mr. Cusimano misrepresented the matter as a “disciplinary” issue.

91. In contrast, when questioned under oath by Mr. Wright’s attorney during the second TWC hearing on November 18, 2013, Mr. Cusimano was forced to acknowledge that he had never known Mr. Wright to lie.

F. Facts - Conclusion 92.

The manner in which the Dallas Voice discharged Mr. Wright violated the policies and procedures established over years by conduct through the routines in the course of daily business instituted by management and practiced at the company.

93. Any actions taken by Mr. Wright prior to his discharge were fully within his established authority to take.

94. Mr. Wright alleges the claims offered as the reasons for his discharge were pretense to disguise the actual reasons the Dallas Voice sought to remove him from his position.

95. Furthermore, these defamatory claims enabled the Dallas Voice to discharge Mr. Wright in a way that would damage Mr. Wright's reputation, his credibility and his career, prevent him from collecting unemployment, and potentially drive him from the Dallas market and from the practice of journalism altogether.

96. Mr. Wright was a highly competent and loyal model employee of six and a half years who was performing his job and performing it well.

After enduring the constant environment of sexual harassment, innuendo and bullying; always reporting to work early, never complaining about the hours, and being denied compensation for overtime; being one of the handful of employees forced to take two pay cuts over the years as costsaving measures; and dedicating himself completely to the quality and thoroughness of the product; Mr. Cusimano, Mr. Moore and Mr. Thompson fabricated the justification for ending his career at the Dallas Voice.

97. Mr. Wright was left stunned, confused and traumatized.

He was forced to seek therapy to deal with the cumulative effects of how he had been treated for 6 ½ years, exacerbated by the manner in which he had been discharged.

G. Respondeat Superior / Vicarious Liability and Participatory Liability

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filectory · 11 months ago

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#BDS #FCPS #JobsinPunjab #JobsinRawalpindi #MBBS

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mattohonbung · 1 year ago

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sisters thai

🇹🇭 thai

📍 a little north of old town alexandria, virginia

📅 lunch; July 2023. 1st time (eating in-person at this location).

😋 overall: this restaurant chain never fails to surprise me. this was a delicious lunch and I'd def come again.

food pix + detailed review under the cut!

🥟 crispy wontons - can anyone tell me why the portion of ground chicken in the wonton was the size of a QUARTER 😐 bffr!!!! couldn't even taste enough of it to have an opinion on it. at least the wonton was crispy as advertised lol i kinda wished it was a little spiced or something cos each piece is literally 80% wonton wrapper.

NAWT getting this again lmaoooo i only got it because the lunch special came with an appetiser. def should've gotten the crispy spring rolls

🥘🐖 ka prow w/ pork - now THIS was 80% meat!!!! each piece of pork was sooo tender and the bell peppers were cooked just right- still had a slight bite to them. I forgot to specify my preferred spice level so I was expecting a super mild dish, but the kick that i got with every piece of jalapeño was PERFECT. honestly I think this move was really smart of the kitchen: those with low spice tolerance can easily avoid the peppers, and those who can take the heat can happily eat them. and the SAUCE.... peppery, umami (not like Salty idk it's hard for me to explain how they're different. idk. trust me), complex, only the slightest hint of sweetness

I would absolutely get this again!

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💲 price - lunch special was $16 i believe? not bad but def pricier than the lunch specials at other thai restaurants. but also it's old town alexandria lol

🗒️ other notes - ok so. given their decor, location, and amount of times their desserts have disappointed me at magnolia vienna, I was expecting a totally mid, mild, too-sweet lunch with skimpy meat portions- everything that many other thai restaurants do to their food when they're in whiter, higher-income areas. I'm genuinely surprised at how good my lunch was. the sisters group is obviously effectively chasing that bag but I'm so relieved to know that they aren't compromising the quality of their savory dishes. that being said... I wonder if their desserts at the alexandria location are better

their cocktails were looking sexy as hell but I reminded myself that it was only 1pm and I had work to do afterwards. maybe next time I eat here, I'll come with someone, and then we'll ogle over the menu together and order 1 each and I'll feel less bad about the fact that they're charging dc cocktail prices ($16-18).

also the style of their menu as a newspaper is cute but they gave me a copy with grease and food stains on it :^/

#thai #alexandria #virginia #lunch

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larrydempsey · 1 year ago

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“Jack Kirby: The King of Comics”

Captain America! The X-Men! The Fantastic Four! The Incredible Hulk! You know the names, but how many of you know the artist who created these memorable Marvel Comics characters? Read on, faithful funny book fans, and find out! Jack Kirby was born Jacob Kurtzberg in New York City on August 28, 1917. His artistic career began in 1935, when he got a job working on Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons for Max Fleisher Studios. He then moved on to drawing comic strips for the Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate, including “Socko The Sea-Dog,” “Abdul Jones,” and “Black Buccaneer.” He also made money by freelancing for pulp novel illustrations. Kirby joined the Eisner-Iger Studio in 1938, and his first comic book work appeared in Jungle Comics and Jumbo Comics. Shortly after, he worked on such characters as Blue Bolt, Blue Beetle, Red Raven, and Captain Marvel (more commonly known today as Shazam). And it was in 1941 that Kirby debuted one of his first and greatest creations: the patriotic hero Captain America. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Kirby resumed his career and contributed his talents to several different comic book publishers, including National Periodicals (later known as DC Comics), Harvey, and Crestwood. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, he, along with Captain America co-creator Joe Simon, helped produce such titles as Young Romance (the world’s first romance comic), Black Magic (one of the most highly-regarded horror comics of the 1950s), Boy’s Ranch, Boy Commandos, and Star Spangled Comics (which featured Simon and Kirby’s “Newsboy Legion”). In 1954, Simon and Kirby formed their own comic book company, Mainline Comics. Together, they published Bullseye, In Love, Foxhole, Police Trap, and Fighting American (which was a parody of their earlier creation, Captain America). However, their company and partnership ended in 1956. After a social backlash made parents believe comic books were a bad influence on children, Simon left the industry for a career in advertising. Kirby stuck with comics. After a brief return to Prize Comics (formerly Crestwood), Kirby went back to work for DC Comics. While there, he illustrated numerous sci-fi and mystery titles, most notable of which was one of his latest creations, the non-superpowered superheroes, the Challengers of the Unknown (who made their debut in Showcase #6 before moving onto their own title a year later). Kirby divided his time between doing comic work and working on the “Sky Masters of the Space Force” newspaper strip to try and make enough money for his family to live on.

In 1961, Kirby didn’t need to worry about money anymore. Writer and editor Stan Lee hired Kirby to help him create a line of characters for a new comic book publisher called Marvel Comics. Kirby (nicknamed Jack “King” Kirby by Lee) created, along with Lee, such classic characters as The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, and the Silver Surfer. The only title Kirby didn’t work on was The Amazing Spider-Man (not that he didn’t have a hand in creating the character, but that's another story). Never before, and never since, has any comic company, or creator, created so many original and important characters as Marvel and Kirby during the 1960s. Even though Kirby created some of the world’s best-known comic characters, he wasn’t happy. After almost a decade of feeling he wasn’t receiving as much credit as he should have, he left Marvel in 1969. Soon after, he returned to DC Comics for a third time. He joined DC again because they promised him complete control over the titles and characters he created. 1971 saw the debut of Kirby’s epic trilogy of Mister Miracle, The Forever People, and New Gods (which revolved around the father-son conflict between the epitome of evil, Darkseid, and his noble son, Orion). Also included in the “Fourth World” saga, and used as a link to connect these books to the rest of the DC “universe” was Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Even though they sold moderately well, they were canceled after a couple of years. It was rumored that since Kirby couldn't recreate his huge success with Marvel, DC thought the books shouldn’t continue. Though disappointed by DC’s cancellation of his grand epic, Kirby continued on with the company. He created more mainstream titles like The Demon, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, and O.M.A.C. (One Man Army Corps). However, these titles failed to attract much attention, either, and Kirby left DC once again. 1976 brought Kirby’s triumphant return to Marvel and, more importantly, his return to one of his earliest creations: Captain America. But this time, Kirby was not only drawing Cap, but he was also writing the star-spangled hero’s adventures. Other titles that Kirby wrote, drew, and created during his return included The Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, Black Panther, 2001: A Space Odyssey (based on ideas and concepts from the movie), and Machine Man (which was a spin-off of the 2001 comic). Around 1979, Kirby vanished from comics for a few years. He went back to working in the field of animation, providing storyboards and character designs. The most notable cartoons he worked on were “The Fantastic Four” and “Thundarr The Barbarian.”

In 1981, Kirby returned to comics. Avoiding the two big companies (Marvel and DC), he began working for a new independent publisher called Pacific Comics. His creations there included Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers and Silver Star. The titles and the company were short-lived. Some of Kirby’s last comic work was once again at DC Comics. In 1984, besides working with all the major DC characters in two “Super Powers” mini-series, he was invited back to finish the saga of his Fourth World characters. The resulting graphic novel, entitled The Hunger Dogs, was released. Editorial control ran rampant, and the book was a mess of redrawn and rearranged story pages. Kirby’s final word on the New Gods was nowhere near his original vision. Resentful from the experience, Kirby’s career was nearing its end. After a brief stint creating a line of superhero books (called, appropriately enough, “The Kirbyverse”) for another new company in the early 1990s, Topps Comics, Kirby’s final comic, Phantom Force, was for Image Comics in 1993. It gave new, younger artists a chance to work with one of history’s greatest talents. The series only lasted eight issues, ending shortly before Kirby’s death on February 6, 1994, at the age of 76.

With a career that spanned seven decades, Jack Kirby was the most prolific comic artist in history. He is credited with being one of the most influential creators in the industry, and his influence can be seen and felt in nearly every comic book published today. Every comic book reader8and creator owes him a debt of gratitude.

Commentary for “Jack Kirby: The King of Comics”

–This was the seventh assignment for my “Writing for Children and Teenagers” correspondence course, which I took through the Institute of Children’s Literature.

–My teacher called my article a “good, clear job” and said that it “is nicely organized and engaging.” He also remarked that I had “an enticing opener” and a “good close.”

–My teacher also said, “I feel you have a submittable item with your Assignment 7 piece on Jack Kirby. It reads well, and you seem to cover the subject nicely. You engage the reader well by talking to him and asking the occasional question. Good!”

–I never submitted my article to a magazine for publication. My teacher said I needed to include a bibliography, but since I was too lazy to go back and track down all of my sources again, I let it slide. It’s a shame. I probably could have made a little money doing a series of biographies of famous comic book creators. Missed opportunity.

–For the most part, I don’t like writing non-fiction. I don’t like having to cite sources and check for accuracy. I feel too restricted. I also fear I might accidentally include something inaccurate, either by citing an unreputable source or for whatever other reason. I like writing fiction better, where I can do whatever I want without having to verify anything. Maybe I just like it better because, again, I’m lazy. Nah. I like writing fiction better because I get to use my imagination. Yeah. Let’s go with that.

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