#ETHEREAL JUSTICE 2009

[thatoneluckybee]

OKAY I ADORE THIS ARTSTYLE SO MUCH

Link! (The art is NOT mine these are screenshots from the Webtoon ETHEREAL JUSTICE 2009 by KYONTARA! ITS SO GOOD I PROMMY CHECK IT OUT)

[capricorndevil15]

🔪 EJ09 Big Murder Essay or Whatever

Ethereal Justice 2009 is a supernatural horror/2000s period piece about very sad Canadian teenagers. It’s also a murder mystery, so in this essay I’ll be walking us through the main suspects and a few theories as to who murdered Freddie, our victim. Since the webcomic has a huge cast of characters to keep track of, I’ll be going over each character and their locations at the time of the murder (don’t worry I also drew a map). The information I’ve gathered comes from the webcomic itself as well as the accompanying fictional blogs run by the characters. The accompanying images were all drawn by the comic's author, Kyontara, unless stated otherwise. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The murder took place at a birthday party. I’ll be discussing each character in the order they arrive at the party. Aside from Freddie, of course, who will go first to set the scene...

FREDDIE VAN DIJK, 18yrs

He’s the one who died. Freddie likes dogs and his boyfriend Nathan. He moved from Holland to Canada as a young teen, and he speaks both Dutch and English. He is notably allergic to gluten, and (according to his boyfriend) he never drank alcohol. Seems like he was a nice, friendly guy.

At some point during Amy Chettel’s party, he died. His body was found by Nathan the morning after the party, lying face-down in Amy’s backyard. He had a traumatic injury to his head, and according to the police report his blood-alcohol content was very high. Officially, his death is recorded as an accident ie: he fell from the second floor of Amy’s house because he was being drunk and stupid. Nathan does not believe this.

AMY CHETTEL, 18yrs

The birthday girl and valedictorian of her soon-to-be graduating class. Amy is throwing the lamest house party ever; she’s not serving alcohol, and no one is allowed to go upstairs. (lol) She’s bookish and very into Canadian politics (she’s a democrat). Seems friendly, and a bit stressed out. Doesn’t seem like the type to typically go around breaking girls’ spines.

She works at the library with her friend Nathan, and they seem to be gossip buddies. She knows most of the other kids in her class, since she invited them all to her house. At the start of the comic, Amy is dating Stacey Hayden. Although she cares about Stacey, she feels they’ve been distant lately. 

It can be assumed that Amy arrived first, since the party is at her house. She spends most of her time downstairs mingling with guests, but she ends the night upstairs.

TOBY ELLISON, 18yrs

Toby is a cool girl. She’s chill, level-headed. She’s fashionable and she likes rock music. She makes her own earrings. She’s great friends with Leah and knows the rest of Leah’s squad by proxy. She is protective of her younger cousin, Lucas, often checking up on him. She also has a crush on Kenji, and the two start dating a few weeks after the party.

It’s unclear when exactly she arrived at Amy’s party, but she is already there and hanging out with Kenji when the comic starts. Later in the night, she leaves early to get snacks with Leah and Stevie. 

KENJI KOBAYASHI, ??yrs

At the moment, we don’t know a lot about Kenji. He’s vegan. Sometime after the party, he starts dating Toby. He doesn’t have his own blog (yet?), but he leaves comments on other character’s blogs, particularly Toby and Lucas’. Seems to bridge the gap between the cool kids and the weirdos.

Like Toby, he is already at the party when the comic starts. We don’t know when he left. Early in the night, he’s hanging out with Toby. He doesn’t go with Toby, Leah, and Stevie though.

NATHAN RAMACHANDRAN, 18yrs

Mean gay boy in a sweater. He’s a preppy nerd like Amy, but he’s a bit “cooler” too. He has a temper and often gets into fights with other kids, both verbal and physical. He’s also a boxer. Nathan seems to regard most people with disdain, aside from the few friends he is close to and trusts. He loves his boyfriend to bits. He has tourettes, poliosis, and he’s colorblind.

At the start of the comic, he’s already at the party making out with Freddie. The boys are together for most of the party, until just after Stacey arrives, when Nathan goes outside to smoke weed with Leah and Stevie. He doesn’t leave with them, though. He crashes on Amy’s couch and wakes up still there the next day. Shortly after waking up, he sees his boyfriend’s dead body through the window. This greatly affects him. In later comic pages, he is seen with bags under his eyes and unkempt hair. He’s desperate to find out what really happened to Freddie.

Nathan is a complicated guy. The Duality of Nathan is strong. Not to completely switch gears, but he’s also a huge bully. In particular, he seems to target Sammy and Ben. He’s gotten into physical altercations with Sammy and injured him pretty bad. He also cyberbullies Ben. Every interaction Nathan has with Ben online involves him making fun of Ben for being gay, or refusing to admit that he’s gay. He even collaborated with Leah to write an NSFW fanfiction about Sammy and Ben. Like. This shit is just mean.

LEAH BAILEY-SANCHEZ, 18yrs

Super cute girl, really into fashion and gossip. A little trashy. Fun. Rich. She’s been dating Stevie for a long time, and she often spends whole days at his house. She’s trans, and her home life has been rough since she came out, so it seems she rarely goes home. Besties with Nathan. Her, Stevie, Nathan, and Freddie seem to form a group. Leah is also good friends with Toby and Stacey, though. Leah used to be friends with Sammy, until they creeped her out majorly, and now she thinks he’s gross. Along with Nathan, she cyberbullies Ben so bad that he stopped using his blog altogether.

It’s not clear when Leah arrived at the party, but she was there before Stacey. After cake time, she’s seen getting high on the porch with Stevie and Nathan. She also leaves to go get snacks with Toby and Stevie.

STEVIE CARTER, 19yrs

Stevie is a stoner and he likes horror movies and baggy t-shirts. He is a year older than most of the cast and graduated one year before them. He seems like a loyal friend, but a bit spacey. He and Leah have been dating for a long time, and she sleeps at his house often. Stevie is trans (they’re T4T), and he’s had top surgery. Sammy has long-standing beef with him over Leah, but if Stevie cares he doesn’t show it. Really, really chill guy.

It is not clear when he arrived at the party, but he was there before Stacey. After having cake, he and Leah smoke weed on the porch with Nathan. He leaves with Leah and Toby to get snacks.

BENJAMIN ANTONI COX, 18yrs

He listens to The Smiths. Ben likes horses a lot and is a fan of the show Heartland, a drama series about farmers with problems. His favorite character is Storm, a horse. He speaks Polish and English. It seems his parents are Polish immigrants, and they only speak Polish. His family is also devoutly religious, and he enthusiastically advertises for the local christian church on his blog. Ben is always pictured with a cross necklace; he even wears it to sleep.

I’m not sure what the situation is with the church or the rest of his family, and I suspect it’s not great, but Ben himself is at least civil towards other queer kids at his school. He acknowledges that Nathan and Freddie were dating (refers to them as “lovers”) and offers his condolences to Nathan after Freddie’s death. Still, it seems like he’s dealing with internalized homophobia about his own crush on Sammy. We’ll put a pin in that.

He’s church buddies with Sammy and seemingly good friends with his sister Anna as well, although he is relentlessly bullied by other students in his class for being an obviously gay closeted church boy.

Ben arrives at Amy's house after most of the other guests have gotten there, but he's on time for cake, and also there before Stacey and Lucas. He’s with Anna and Sammy. The group splits up for some time, but Ben and Sammy eventually meet up again and go to the upstairs bathroom. Putting several pins in this.

SAMMY NGUYEN, 18yrs

Scene boy xtreme. He owns a gir hoodie. He :3. He likes hatsune miku, anime, and waffles. He is autistic and has a verbal stim where he says “nyem” often at the end of his sentences. I won’t pretend he’s not my favorite character. He is a digital artist, and he drew Amy an anime portrait for her birthday. He has cosplayed before and has an interest in crossdressing (notably talks about cosplaying Konata and Kagami from Lucky Star). He watches hentai, owns a figurine of a Gainax bunnygirl, and sometimes he makes weirdly sexual remarks about himself. Don’t know if he’s joking or not.

Sammy is close friends with (and probably has a crush on) Ben. He’s also friends with Lucas and Anna. At one point, he was friends with Leah, until he asked if she wanted to make out with him and was subsequently never invited to her house again. He is bullied at school for being an annoying weirdo, and when I say he’s bullied I mean he’s getting beat up. By Nathan.

Sammy arrives at the party with Ben and Anna. He spends a few hours shilling out his commissions, but no one buys art from him. He hangs out with Ben, and sometime later the two of them wind up alone in the upstairs bathroom doing exactly what you think they’re doing. I’ll get back to this part. Just wait.

ANNA COX, ??yrs

She’s Ben’s sister. She wears a kitty hat. Seems to hang out with Ben and Sammy often. That is all we know about her at the moment. 

She arrives at the party with Ben and Sammy. But at some point she becomes separated from them, and I don’t know where she goes after that.

STACEY HAYDEN, 17yrs

Moody goth. Supremely pissed off at their mom for fucking off to Vancouver and at their dad for being useless at home and transphobic. They also have an older brother who is away at college. They’re basically having a difficult time at home and goin’ through a depressive episode. They often feel that they aren’t able to meet their girlfriend Amy’s expectations, which has led them to resent her. They are also (childhood?) friends with Lucas Katz, and enemies with Nathan.

Stacey’s dad claims he’s too busy to drive them, so Stacey and Lucas have to walk to Amy’s party. They arrive late, after the cake has already been served. They’re the last guests to be shown arriving.

 After an altercation where Amy asks why Stacey has been so distant lately, Stacey winds up crying in the upstairs bedroom with Lucas comforting them. Lucas consoles them and does that really dweeby niceguy thing where he’s like “ohh I’m sorry, you’re so beautiful and you don’t deserve it ohhhif I w as your boyfriend I’d treat you better..…” And Stacey, feeling impulsive and validated for the first time that night, kisses him.

At the same time, Amy is in the kitchen talking with Lola. She hears a THUD from upstairs and, seeing as how there aren’t supposed to be any guests upstairs, she goes to investigate. She walks in on Stacey cheating on her with Lucas, and she’s so mad. She tells them to get out NOW. Stacey is like “Yeah okay fine but first I gotta pee” and has the audacity to use the bathroom before leaving. On their way out, they call Amy a bitch. Amy snaps and pushes Stacey down the stairs, breaking their spine.

I assume? The party ended shortly after this, since they probably needed to call an ambulance for Stacey.

LUCAS KATZ, 17yrs

A shy nerd and gamer. And I do not like him. He keeps to himself, but he is friends with Stacey and Sammy. Toby Ellison is his older cousin, and they have a friendly relationship too. The most notable thing about his character so far is that he has a massive crush on Stacey and has been hopelessly pursuing them for years. He helped Stacey cheat on their girlfriend at the party. Wow, what a cool guy. :|

When he first arrives, Toby invites him to go grab snacks with her squad, but he turns her down and goes to comfort Stacey upstairs. For the majority of his time at the party, he’s in the bedroom with Stacey. I suppose we don’t know this for sure, but he probably left soon after Stacey took their fall. 

In later updates, it is revealed that he and Stacey are now dating. He visits Stacey in the hospital often and they watch anime together. Stacey’s cheating and spine-breakage were overshadowed by Freddie fucking dying, so most of the kids don’t realize that he and Stacey are cheaters. The only ones who seem to know are Amy and Nathan.

ALRIGHT SO ABOUT THOSE PINS. I haven’t explained how Sammy and Ben left the party yet. Well! As previously mentioned, there was a THUD upstairs. Amy hears it from the first floor, and Stacey and Lucas hear it coming from the room next to them. The room next to them was the bathroom, where Sammy and Ben were. A few minutes later, when Stacey opens the door to the bathroom, Ben and Sammy walk out quickly without saying a word. Presumably, they leave after this. That’s weird! Pause, we’ll get back to this later!

First, there are a few more characters of importance to review. Most of these are minor characters without much info, but they were guests at the party so I’m documenting them for the sake of being thorough.

LOLA HOFFMAN ??yrs

She’s Amy’s best friend. So far, she has only appeared in one page of the comic. At the party, she urges Amy to break up with Stacey, saying that Stacey doesn’t “compare to your [Amy’s] level”.

It is unclear when exactly she arrived at the party, or when she left. It can be assumed that she arrived in time for cake and before Stacey and Lucas.

JAKEY BOUCHARD, ??yrs 

A freshman who’s antics are frequently gossiped about by the older characters. He seems like a silly guy. Leah definitely hit him with her car that one time.

At the start of the comic, he is already at the party precariously stacking a box of oreos atop a tower of red solo cups. No idea where he goes after this.

ADAM HORTON, ??yrs

He was at the party, pictured next to Jakey, Toby, and Kenji. That is all we know about this character at the moment. He is probably Angel’s brother?

ANGEL HORTON, ??yrs

She was at the party. She finds Lucas to tell him that Stacey needs him upstairs. She is probably Adam’s sister? That’s all we know.

WOLF SCOTT, ??yrs

GREGORY SANCHEZ, ??yrs

A pair of scene kids who were also at the party. They’re dating. That’s all we know.

There are also a few other characters who weren’t in attendance at the party, but they are important to the overall plot and worth mentioning so that we fully understand the world in which this story is set.

ANDREW HAYDEN, 20yrs

Andrew is Stacey’s older brother, who is allegedly away at college. At this time, Andrew has not made an appearance in the comic, and the only information about him can be found through his blog. He seems to really like plants, and he might be a business major. He notably misgenders Stacey several times on his blog and uses their deadname.

The most interesting thing about Andy’s blog is his interactions with a mysterious user named Werd. It seems like Werd has been harassing Andy for some time.

WERD, !?

This is the pseudonym of the user who runs the DEADBRAIN191919 blog. It is very likely that Werd is the alter ego of someone in the cast, we just don’t know who yet. They’re very Jeff the Killer. They go on indecipherable rants on their blog, and they are obsessed with Andrew. So far, Werd has only interacted with Andrew and Lucas. They only have one online friend (and it’s probably Andrew). (Unless it’s Freddie and their friend-count is gonna go up every time someone dies. Only time will tell.) They’re weird. They had something to do with Freddie’s murder (probably), but at this time it’s unclear what they did or who they really are.

THE DEMONS

There are also some demons in this comic, but they weren’t at the party and I really don’t think any of them were the murderer so I am not gonna get into it. For now, just know that hell is real, and supernatural happenings are certainly afoot.

OKAY SO now that we’ve been over all our main suspects, we can put together our timeline. Freddie was with Nathan for most of the party, up until cake was served. After this, the boys separated and Nathan went to smoke weed on the porch with Leah and Stevie. According to Nathan, cake was served between 8-8:30pm and he was outside without Freddie by 8:30pm. Stacey and Lucas also arrived after cake was served, so sometime after 8pm. The party ended around 9pm and most people (presumably) left at that time. I assume this is also when Amy pushed Stacey down the stairs. Given what we know, I believe Freddie must have been killed sometime between 8:30-9pm that night. 

Drawings from Nathan's diary documenting the timeline of the party

Here is a map of characters’ locations during the 8:30-9pm timeframe. The map is bad, but there is a murderer on the loose so we don’t have time to make good maps. Leah, Stevie, Nathan, and Toby are on the front porch (but Leah, Stevie, and Toby are about to leave while Nathan stays the night.) Amy is upstairs, about to walk in on Stacey and Lucas in the bedroom. Next door, Sammy and Ben are in the bathroom experiencing their gay awakening. Freddie's body is found in the backyard the next day.

There are some minor characters who cannot be accounted for, but because we don’t know much about them I also can’t properly speculate on whether they are the murderer at this point.

It’s also important to note that a huge commotion went down around this same time. Stacey is caught cheating with Lucas, Ben and Sammy leave the bathroom together, Amy pushes Stacey down the stairs. And if you’ll remember, all these events were catalyzed by a loud THUD coming from the bathroom. I believe the THUD is really important. I believe this was the moment Freddie died. By now, I’m sure it’s obvious: I think Sammy and Ben killed Freddie. 

Here’s what I think happened: Freddie is somehow drunk. He goes upstairs to the bathroom, accidentally walking in on Sammy and Ben getting it on. Sammy and Ben freak out. Ben isn’t out yet, it’s dangerous for another student to know he’s gay. They might tell his family. They might tell everyone. And worse, this guy is Nathan’s boyfriend, this guy is part of the group of people who have relentlessly bullied Sammy & Ben for years. It could only have been worse if Nathan walked in there himself. 

It’s easy to imagine the boys feeling scared and even angry about this. There was some sort of altercation between the boys and Freddie, and whether it was an accident or on purpose, one of them pushed Freddie out the bathroom window. 

Soon after this, Stacey knocks on the door. Startled, Ben and Sammy leave the party totally stone-faced. They don’t wanna tell anybody. They’re afraid they’ll get in trouble. By the time Freddie’s death is public knowledge, it feels like it’s been too long and now they definitely can’t come forward. So they just…don’t tell anyone. And they’re freakin’ out. To be clear, this is batshit behavior but I fully believe that teenagers would act this way. 

So far, this is the theory for which I have the strongest evidence. Ben and Sammy have a motive to kill Freddie. Of the characters who were upstairs, they’re the only ones who don’t have an alibi. However, it does not explain how Freddie ended up drunk when he never drank and no alcoholic drinks were served. I also don’t believe that Ben and Sammy would drug Freddie. This requires a level of pre-meditation that just doesn’t fit the situation. Even if it was Ben and Sammy who pushed him out the window, there had to be someone else involved in the drugging.

While it’s possible that Freddie brought alcohol and drank of his own volition, it would be out of character for him. Nathan also would have noticed his boyfriend was drunk, and he probably would have drank with him tbh. It seems more likely that Freddie was drugged, or ate something that contained alcohol. This likely happened after he separated from Nathan, so after he ate cake.

 It’s at this point that I’d like to remind us that Freddie was allergic to gluten. He shouldn’t have been able to eat cake. But according to Nathan, he definitely did. Either Amy ordered/baked a gluten-free cake for everyone (which would be in-character for her to do), or there was a separate smaller cake provided just for Freddie that was gluten-free. If there was a smaller cake just for Freddie, it’s possible that the cake simply contained alcohol, like a rum cake. So, the alcohol in his system could be a red herring. But, it’s also possible that someone spiked it, with the intent of drugging Freddie to disorient him.

The problem is I don’t have a clear theory for who would do this. Amy is a suspect since it was her birthday cake, but she has no motive to kill Freddie. Anyone who was at the party before cake was served could be a suspect, so basically anyone but Stacey and Lucas could have done it.

To make things even less clear, EJ09 has supernatural elements to it that haven’t been fully explored yet. There are demons, and the demons can talk to ghosts. It’s possible any number of weird ghost-possession-y things could have been involved in Freddie’s death. Wouldn’t it be wack if he was possessed, and Sammy and Ben just watched their classmate calmly walk past them and jump out the window? That would be wild. Like what the fuck. I love this webcomic.

In conclusion, I strongly believe Sammy and Ben know something or were directly involved in Freddie’s death. There is still a lot that we don’t know, however. We’ll have to wait and see. If you’ve read this entire thing and haven’t read EJ09 yet, you should probably read it. Seems that you’ll like it! This concludes my extremely long essay about how I’m right and the best detective ever. Take it easy!

-Teratoaster <3

[cherrytea556]

Go check out the webtoon 'ETHEREAL JUSTICE 2009'

I haven't seen any content of it on tumblr

[sunwashedsoda]

Ethereal Justice 2009 save me Ethereal Justice 2009

[spillledstardust]

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 Raine's intro , ,

Hai !! My name is Raine ,, I go by they / it prns ,, this is a digital agere diary !!

Big age 14 ,, little age ranges from 3 - 5 !!

I'm a nonbinary aroace lesbian and taken :33

I have no cg :33 ,, I'm also very sensitive, so please interact with care !!

I'm open to making friends ,, but I'm also bad at conversations so please don't take it to heart !!

I have audhd , bpd , gad , and did ,, tone tags are very appreciated !!

Intrests include ;; South park , madoka magica , parkour civilization , ethereal justice 2009 , Needy streamer overload , reverse 1999 , descendants , sonic , gloomy bear , mlp , toh , yaelokre / the lark , nyan cat , invader zim , sanrio , cuphead , ddlc , zenless zone zero , scene subculture , undertale , deltarune , I love amy , Legos , project sekai , care bears , and more !!

DNI ;; Basic DNI criteria , proshippers / comshippers , ageplay / ddlg , NSFW blogs , non kid safe blogs , minor dni blogs , sh / ed blogs

I block freely !! Pls keep that in mind :33,,

Other links !! :3

Graphic by @/chocoperrito !! >3<

That's all for now !! I'll update this as needed ^_^

[deadangelzz]

(Meee!! All creds to Kyontara on instagram:p)

Sammy!!

18, emotional protector and anchor, he/they/it, I am happily taken!!! I sometimes use a typing quirk where I replace "s" with "z", but I will always provide a translation 4 ppl that cant read it!

Likes: 2000s scene stuff!!, hyperpop music, anything "cringy" tbh :]

My source is ethereal justice 2009 (linked) and my other source is a more personal story of ours so I wont link that one ^_^'

DNI: Mean people, basic DNI criteria, non-traumagenic, you get the point....NO FREAKS ARE ALLOWED ONLY WEIRDOS!!>:(

Thats it!!:3

[multiverseforger]

Edit

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Marc Spector is a Jewish-American rabbi's wayward son. As an adult, Spector had been a heavyweight boxer before becoming a U.S. Marine serving in Force Recon, afterward, he left the Marines to become a mercenary occasionally doing work for the CIA. As a mercenary he befriends the French pilot Jean-Paul DuChamp, whom he affectionately calls "Frenchie". While working for the African mercenary Raoul Bushman in Egypt, the group stumbles upon an archaeological dig whose crew includes Dr. Peter Alraune and his daughter Marlene Alraune. The dig had uncovered an ancient temple where artifacts included a statue of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Intent on looting the dig, Bushman kills Dr. Alraune. In response to Alraune's murder, Spector challenges Bushman to personal combat and is defeated by Bushman and left to die in the sub-zero temperatures of the desert night. The Egyptians who worship the ancient gods find Spector and carry him to their temple. Helpless before the statue of Khonshu, Spector's heart stops. Khonshu appears to him in a vision, offering Spector a second chance at life if he becomes the god's avatar on Earth. Spector awakens, wraps himself in the silver shroud that covers Khonshu's statue, and again confronts Bushman. He defeats Bushman and returns to America with Marlene, Frenchie, and the statue of Khonshu. Deciding to become a crimefighter, Spector creates a silver cloaked costume, based on the silver shroud, and becomes Moon Knight aka "The Fist of Khonshu".[24]

After his return to the United States, Spector invests the money that he had accumulated as a mercenary and develops a small fortune. To distance himself from his mercenary past, he creates the identity of millionaire entrepreneur Steven Grant, using this identity to purchase a spacious estate. To remain in contact with the street and criminal element, he also creates the identity of taxicab driver Jake Lockley and has acquired civilian allies such as Bertrand Crawley, Gena Landers, and her sons.[25]

In the character's first appearance, the criminal organization the Committee supplies Marc Spector with the name Moon Knight, his costume and weapons (using silver) to hunt down Jack Russell. In Los Angeles, Moon Knight captures the Werewolf for the Committee, but then frees him and halts the Committee's plans, fighting Russell again.[26] He battles Conquer Lord,[27] teams up with Spider-Man to fight Cyclone,[28] and fights Lupinar,[29] and his brother Randall, the Hatchet-Man.[30]

His origin of being "created by The Committee" is explained as a ruse set up by Frenchie so Marc can shut the Committee down.[31] He then encounters the Midnight Man[32] and returns to Chicago to prevent the poisoning of its water supply by a group called the Werewolves,[33] encounters Morpheus[34] and teams with Daredevil to fight the Jester.[35] It is around this time that he first encounters Stained Glass Scarlet.[36] Later, he battled the Werewolf once again,[37] battled Bora, and met the X-Men, the Fantastic Four,[38] and Doctor Strange.[39]

Volume 2: Fist of Khonshu (1985)Edit

Spector abandons his Moon Knight, Grant, and Lockley identities after the effects of Russell's bite (lunar cycle-based strength)[40] fade away, and functions as an independently wealthy man opening art galleries around the world, with the help of art historian Spence. Spector's estranged relationship with Marlene ends when she finally leaves him for her ex-husband when he becomes Moon Knight again.

The cult of Khonshu telepathically summons Spector to Egypt and supplies him with a new arsenal of moon-themed projectile weaponry, originally designed by a time-traveling Hawkeye in ancient Egypt. Khonshu himself appears to Spector and enters his body, giving him the same lunar abilities he previously had.[41]

As the agent of Khonshu, he aids the West Coast Avengers, but at the cost of alienating Frenchie and further distancing Marlene.[42] He time travels to 2940 BC to rescue the Avengers, where he learns of his weapons' design by Hawkeye.[43] He officially joins the West Coast Avengers[44] and enters a relationship with Tigra for the remainder of his tenure on the team.

While investigating the Phantom Rider with Daimon Hellstrom, Moon Knight and the Avengers are attacked by soldiers working for Khonshu's rival, Seth, who is invading Asgard. Khonshu abandons Moon Knight to battle Seth after explaining it was his wish to join the team, not Spector's. Moon Knight resigns from the team,[45] and reunites with Marlene and Frenchie,[volume & issue needed] only to die and be resurrected by Khonshu once more.[volume & issue needed]

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989–1994)Edit

This volume introduces Moon Knight's teenage sidekick Jeff Wilde, also known as "Midnight", the son of Midnight Man, a member of Moon Knight's rogues gallery. At this time, Moon Knight first encounters the Black Cat.[46] Midnight is turned into a cyborg by the Secret Empire, then is seemingly killed in a battle with Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Darkhawk, the Punisher, Nova and Night Thrasher.[47]

Teaming up with the Punisher, Moon Knight defeated ULTIMATUM,[48] and during the "Acts of Vengeance", fought Killer Shrike, Coachwhip, and the second Ringer.[49] He then encountered Silver Sable and her allies Sandman and Paladin.[50] As Marc Spector, he was tried for murder in Bosqueverde, South America.[51] Moon Knight teamed up with the Punisher again, as well as Spider-Man against the Secret Empire.[52]

While fighting with his brother Randal Spector over who is destined to carry the mantle of Moon Knight, Marc discovers Khonshu is not the god of vengeance but the god of justice.[53]

Moon Knight eventually upgrades his armor to adamantium armor rather than his original Kevlar costume.[54] This upgrade is critical since Moon Knight needs the armor to hold his body together after being infected by the then-possessed Hobgoblin. The disease is revealed to be the villain known as Demogoblin trying to possess him.[55] With the help of Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic, the Demogoblin parasite is removed. Moon Knight seemingly severs his ties to the Avengers by burning his membership ID card after being brought in by Thor to answer charges in regard to his illegal actions against Doctor Doom.[56] By the end of the series, Moon Knight is killed violently, sacrificing himself to save his loved ones from a computerized villain called Seth and his "Zero Hour" program.[57]

Resurrection Wars and High StrangersEdit

Moon Knight was resurrected in two separate limited series in 1998 and 1999.

Learn more

This section needs expansion.

Minor appearancesEdit

In 1998, Spector uses his Ka to help a critically injured Black Panther through the Kingdom of the Dead.[58]

In 2001 and 2002, Moon Knight joins the "Marvel Knights" non-team to capture the Punisher.[59] After making a brief appearance in the "Avengers Disassembled" story-arc, he makes a minor return in the 2005 Marvel Team-Up miniseries, fighting alongside Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Punisher. He later appears in issue #2 of the Great Lakes Avengers mini-series where Doorman offered to recruit him in the GLA, but he immediately rejects the offer.[60]

Moon Knight Volume 3 (2006–2009)Edit

This volume opens with Marc Spector's early retirement which comes after a brutal battle with Bushman. Although his body is broken after a tremendous fall and both knees shattered, Moon Knight finally defeats his nemesis Bushman by carving off his face with a crescent moon dart. Spector is then haunted by a spiritual apparition of Khonshu, who chose a faceless Bushman as his ethereal representation. Marc Spector's background is updated, so he fought in the Gulf War and that his time as a mercenary was during the 1990s. It is also revealed that Frenchie is homosexual and in love with Marc Spector; which is why he stuck around for so long.

The new Secret Committee then hires The Profile, an amoral character who can analyze a persona past and future habits with a glance, to help them entrap Moon Knight. He escapes after the plan collapses because they authorized a mugging of Frenchie too soon. Profile then becomes a reluctant source of information for Spector himself, even giving him advice on rekindling his relationship with Marlene.

Moon Knight eventually gets drawn into the Superhero Registration Act as he investigates a string of murders perpetrated by Midnight, his former sidekick. Other Marvel heroes take notice of his violent return to vigilantism. Spider-Man attempts to contact Moon Knight but is rebuked.[61] Captain America pays him a visit to deliver a warning and they quarrel.[62] The Punisher and Moon Knight have a lengthy conversation about the nature of their vigilantism and their shared past.[63] Moon Knight is forced into a final confrontation with his cybernetically enhanced former sidekick Midnight, seemingly killing him for good.[34]

Iron Man also investigates Moon Knight's activities by placing him under close surveillance. Finding his mental condition unstable, Iron Man decides that arresting Moon Knight under the Registration Act might make his mental instability worse. Moon Knight begrudgingly applies for registration after much prodding from Khonshu, not wanting the law to keep him from his work. The new law requires him to submit to a psychiatric exam. The psychiatrist controlling the exam, along with the government and Tony Stark, has no intention of granting Marc Spector approval for registration. After speaking with Spector's repressed alter egos Jake Lockley and Steven Grant, the psychiatrist begins the process of officially turning him down, suggesting possible future imprisonment. Subconsciously Spector breaks the doctor's will by speaking in the voice of Khonshu and pointing out the doctor's own antisocial tendencies, as told to him earlier by the Profile. The psychiatrist not only approves his application but bows to worship him as well. However, later on, Marc meets the Profile with their dialogue suggesting that the personalities above were just an act to be approved for registration.[35]

Moon Knight shows little regard for his newly licensed superhero status or any passion to the people around him, further alienating himself. His former nemesis Black Spectre returns. Carson Knowles, recently released from prison, attempts to frame his murders on Moon Knight. He steals some Stark nanotechnology and plans to unleash it on the city. Moon Knight pushes Knowles off a building apparently to his death. Tony Stark, as the head of the Initiative, revokes his superhero registration, but buries the fact that Spectre had stolen Stark Tech.[64]

The Thunderbolts, led by Norman Osborn, are now on the hunt for Moon Knight. Tony Stark and second-in-command Maria Hill argue with former Avengers government liaison Raymond Sikorsky, now a representative of the Commission on Superhuman Activities, who desperately wants for Moon Knight to be apprehended with extreme prejudice.[65] Marc Spector himself busts up a drug deal while wearing an entirely black costume while going through an internal monologue about how crime-fighting is much easier without the burden of his reputation and "costume recognition."[66]

Several weeks later, after barely surviving an altercation with the Thunderbolts, Spector pleads for Khonshu's forgiveness for turning his back on him and for the god's renewed assistance. Khonshu appears and informs Spector he doesn't need him anymore, as he now has other worshipers. Spector returns to his Moon Knight costume to aid Frenchie DuChamp in gaining revenge on the Whyos gang for attacking his restaurant and injuring Frenchie's lover Rob, only to find the Whyos' attack was designed to draw Spector into another conflict with the Thunderbolts when he is ambushed by Venom.[67] After a brief fight Moon Knight is captured, but escapes when S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up. Frenchie agrees to help Spector, and Ray joins the reformed team as well. Bullseye is released to kill Moon Knight, as Spector prepares to go out with a bang.[68]

Moon Knight is next seen battling Bullseye on the streets of NYC. He eventually leads Bullseye to a bunker/warehouse where he has planted several explosives. Bullseye narrowly escapes as Moon Knight ignites the explosives. Later that day two press conferences are held: one by Norman Osborn to announce the Thunderbolts' success and Moon Knight's death and the other held by Tony Stark who denounces the methods used by the Thunderbolts. At the end of the issue, it is revealed that Moon Knight has faked his death, escapes from the warehouse through a secret passage in the floor, and is hiding in Mexico. It is also revealed that the Marc Spector persona has "died" and that Jake Lockley is now in control.[69]

Now living as Lockley, the Moon Knight escaped to Mexico.[70] Laying low to avoid attracting the attention of the Registration Act any further, Lockley gets roped into a mission involving criminal cartels, two boisterous sibling luchador assassins, and a murderous Toltec avatar. During this stint in Mexico, Moon Knight learns he was being shadowed by The Punisher from the moment he crossed the border. Frank Castle's reasoning was that he knew Moon Knight would find himself somehow involved with the very cartel Frank had been pursuing; however, the Toltec god's avatar made quick work of the cartel.[71]

Eventually, the super-hero Civil War ended with Norman Osborn as director of H.A.M.M.E.R. and with him replacing S.H.I.E.L.D.. Lockley knows that Osborn had been behind the group of Thunderbolts sent to kill him and that a deranged psychotic was not fit to run the U.S.A.'s national security agencies, so using some spoils from the Cartel, Moon Knight decided it was time for a comeback.

[davidmann95]

Another day, another SDCC news roundup/response since that’s made up the bulk of my asks.

* Not official Comic Con news, but obviously the development of the day: James Gunn has been fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to Michael Cernovich digging up rape and pedophilia jokes he had made on Twitter in 2008 and 2009 and marshaling a major backlash against him. I don’t think I’m in a place to make a call as to whether Gunn deserves it - dude absolutely had a reputation as a gross edgelord once upon a time, he seems to have cleared up his act and it was a different time in terms of what kind of shit was considered permissible to joke about, but it really was some heinous shit and there aren’t people I trust who know him claiming he’s changed since then - but the alt-right getting this kind of victory in leveraging their weight against companies, and setting this sort of precedent for the power of their voices in the process, is frightening as hell. Because make no mistake, it isn’t because Disney is appalled - they got Johnny Depp on the payroll - but because enough people made a stink, and now the worst people in the world know that’s something in their pocket that can work on a scale like this.

* Marvel Knights is returning as a line under Donny Cates’ supervision, kicking off with a 20 year anniversary oneshot by him and Mike Deodato apparently starring Daredevil, Punisher, Black Panther, and Blade. The contents of the line spinning out of it are unknown, but we know Cates will be involved along with Tini Howard, Matthew Rosenberg, and Vita Ayala. It’s an interesting prospect and I’m down for Cates, so I’m sure I’ll check out at least some of what spins out of this.

* With some unspecified legals hurdles cleared Miracleman is coming back once and for all in 2019, starting with reprinting those first two issues of The Silver Age and then finally going into Gaiman and Buckingham’s new issues wrapping up Silver Age and concluding the epic with The Dark Age. Not much to say, this is just really good news. Hopefully we get Apocrypha as well.

* Of all the rumors out in the ether, the oddest and most boring of the bunch has come true: Peter Tomasi is taking over Detective Comics with #994 in the runup to #1000 next year, with Doug Mahnke in tow. I guess we at least know James Tynion IV must have left of his own volition rather than being sidelined for a major new thing, because Tomasi ain’t that. This whole thing is just a big question mark, because...just, why? But at least it’ll look good.

* Heroes In Crisis is going to have Mitch Gerads handle a couple issues - while Clay Mann’s going to continue to do the big story, Gerads will do material focusing on individual heroes and more of the day-to-day stuff of Sanctuary as a facility. Obviously there’s only so much space for him to work with in a 7-issue mini, so very curious how much of the book will be his and how his segments will be their own thing while remaining a critical part of the whole.

* Scott Snyder talked more about Justice League, confirming what we all knew in that it’ll lead to an event comic in 2019, and revealing that Francis Manapul will be drawing the next Aquaman/Wonder Woman-centric arc (presumably Jorge Jimenez is coming back for the Superman-centric story after that, since Snyder’s already talked about his involvement in it on Twitter); he also mentioned the other Justice League-mirror Dark Knights will be returning. Perhaps most interesting though was this anecdote, picked up by Newsarama:  “Snyder said Grant Morrison told him he should have Superman fly the entire multiverse to another location, 'and the best thing would be waiting there.' Snyder asked what was there, and Morrison said 'Marvel!' Morrison (perhaps jokingly?) pitched that Snyder should have Superman fly DC to the Marvel Universe.” Obviously the latter half is a goof, but sans context and being able to actually hear Snyder’s voice it’s hard to tell if this is just a hilarious story of Morrison tossing around great weird ideas, or if this is actually a legit tease for an amazing Superman moment down the line given the multiverse is at stake with the long-term plot of the book.

* Speaking of which, forgot to mention in my initial reaction to The Green Lantern yesterday - it’s also weird that Morrison’s doing something non-apocalyptic with Hal, because the IMMEDIATE assumption when Justice League #1 revealed that he had learned about the multiverse dying offscreen was that that was something Morrison was going to be dealing with in tandem with Justice League. You’d think that’d be Hal’s top priority in his own book at the moment, and given Morrison and Snyder are pretty tight at the moment, I have to imagine that’s something Morrison will acknowledge one way or another.

* Snyder will also be doing a 6-issue Batman Who Laughs miniseries with Jock spinning out of Justice League, where he goes about some mission with another Dark Multiverse Batman, one who grabbed Joe Chill’s gun in the alley and shot him, going on to basically be Bat-Punisher. If this were by anyone but Snyder it would be a hard pass with how much I hated the Batman Who Laughs oneshot, but I’m curious to see him do this bizarro take on his favorite comics mythology and maybe flesh out the concept into something as interesting as its potential. Hopefully he’ll get to show some of the interesting Dark Knights ideas he discussed having considered for Metal in interviews, such as a Batman made up of the iconography of all his villains, or a Bruce Wayne raised in Arkham Asylum when he cracked after his parents’ deaths who somehow mystically merged with it.

* Finally, we got the first trailer for Glass. I loved Unbreakable, never saw and never intend to see Split, and Shyamalan’s reputation precedes him (I’ve only seen the one film in his oevure, and while Split picked up solid reviews, that was apparently written around the same time as Unbreakable, whereas I believe this is all modern), so not sure whether I’ll be checking it out. Well, I mean, I will, but I don’t know if that’ll be opening weekend or in five years on Netflix.

[patternsintraffic]

My 100 Favorite Albums of the 2000s: #100-#91

Hi all. As you can tell from the title of this blog post, I am about to take you off on quite a tangent. Music is in the works (both the completion of Lights & Reflections and the first full-length Harsh Lights album), but currently I find myself sitting up into the early morning hours with a newborn while my wife tries to get some uninterrupted sleep. So I am taking the opportunity to finally post this ridiculously long-winded writing project that I embarked on last year. The actual list-making and blurb-penning has been done for many months now, but I never took the time to format and post it. So here I am with some free time, getting around to finishing this undertaking!

As you may have seen, I decided to join in the fun at the turn of the decade and make a list of my favorite albums from 2010-2019. I wrote about my top 20 albums of the decade, and had a blast revisiting those records and sharing a little bit about why they are special to me. However, the most surprising part of the process for me was that choosing 20 albums to represent that ten-year period was...pretty easy? I started my career in late 2009, so the entire past decade I've been working full-time, pursuing my own music in my spare time, and more or less adulting. I've definitely listened to a ton of great albums, but it's hard to find music that truly excites you as an adult the way that it did in your formative years. The whole time I was crafting my list, I was thinking about how much more difficult (and rewarding) a task it would have been to compile a list for the previous decade, spanning 2000-2009.

So of course, not long after posting my 2010-2019 list I got to work compiling my favorite albums of the aughts. That 10-year period starts when I was 12 years old and wraps up as I was starting my post-college career. Pretty much my entire journey of musical discovery and growth occurred during those years. I had little in the way of responsibilities, and for most of the decade I ravenously consumed an absolutely enormous amount of music. Multiple hours worth on an average day. I was still buying physical CDs all throughout those years, so I really focused on each album I purchased, giving them many repeat listens and learning them intimately. And so much of what I heard was new and fresh to my ears. At 12 years old, there were so many sounds and styles of music that I had yet to encounter, and all of those first experiences and coming of age moments left lasting impressions.

Suffice to say, putting together a top 20 list of albums to represent that 10-year period was nearly impossible. I knew I would have to make a larger list to feel like I was doing justice to even a fraction of the albums that impacted me in that decade. What I eventually arrived upon after making an initial list of albums and then cutting it down quite a bit...was 100. Yes, I'm going to write about my favorite 100 albums from 2000-2009. And I'm going to have a damn good time doing it. Most of my favorite albums ever will be contained in this list, and most of them are wildly underappreciated, in my opinion. For the sake of keeping each post to a manageable length, I will be posting 10 albums at a time, starting with numbers 100-91 below. Walk with me down memory lane in countdown form, and I hope you can enjoy me waxing poetic about 100 albums that were staples of my young life. Let's get nostalgic.

100. Paris Texas - Like You Like an Arsonist (2004)

There are hundreds of albums that I could have picked to round out my list here in the final spot, but I wanted to shine a light on this poppy punk rock record from 2004. It doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, but it's a really fun take on the genre and it didn't get the recognition that it deserved. "Bombs Away" and the title track are absolute barnburners. What a shame that the band broke up shortly after this album was released. I remember reading a review of Like You Like an Arsonist around the time of its release that criticized it for sounding like a collection of songs that could blend seamlessly into the soundtrack of a blockbuster action movie. Looking back, I agree with the reviewer's assessment, but I see it as high praise.

99. Greenwheel - Soma Holiday (2002)

In 2002, you could throw a shoe and hit a band that sounded much like Greenwheel, a radio-ready alternative rock outfit with some heavy riffs and a throaty lead singer. But these guys stood above many of their contemporaries on Soma Holiday, their only major label release. (Their independent EP Bridges for Burning and never-released second full-length Electric Blanket both hinted at a sustainable career that didn't come to fruition.) This album had enough muscle for the rock kids ("Shelter" and "Strong") and enough sweetness for the emo kids ("Dim Halo" and "Breathe," which was later recorded and popularized by Melissa Etheridge). What could have been.

98. Sleeping at Last - Ghosts (2003)

It's been almost 10 years since Sleeping at Last became a solo project for Ryan O'Neal, releasing themed singles that make up overarching concept albums and EPs. Though the output from the current incarnation of the band is beautiful and soothing, the minimalist and orchestral style is a far cry from Ghosts, Sleeping at Last's one major label album. At the time they were a three-piece featuring guitars, bass, and drums alongside O'Neal's piano and distinct vocals. Ghosts features an uncommon blend of cinematic, ethereal, and earnest indie rock that just seemed to go deeper than its peers in 2003.

97. Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be (2004)

I've never been a huge fan of Taking Back Sunday, though of course I rocked the singles from Tell All Your Friends like any self-respecting high-schooler in 2002. It was the follow-up, 2004's Where You Want to Be, that really got its claws in me after I picked it up on release week. With a killer opening trio of "Set Phasers to Stun," "Bonus Mosh Pt. II," and "A Decade Under the Influence" giving way to ballads like "New American Classic" and "...Slowdance on the Inside," this is just a great rock record.

96. Sherwood - A Different Light (2007)

A Different Light is a bright, summery, buoyant pop album full of smooth vocal harmonies, glistening guitars, and shimmering synths. Sure, the lyrical content isn't all rainbows and butterflies, but if you could capture the sound of pure positivity and optimism, it would sound a lot like this record. Between the singalong melodies, handclaps, and "whoa-oh"s, if you don't have a good time listening to A Different Light then music might not be the right medium for you.

95. Young Love - Too Young to Fight It (2007)

I'm fairly certain that Young Love, the dance-rock side project of beloved post-hardcore band Recover's frontman Dan Keyes, was not at all well-received. But for someone with no preconceived notions or attachments to Keyes' previous work, I thought this album was a hell of a lot of fun. In a world where Young Love made a mainstream impact, alternate-universe Kyle can be seen storming the dancefloor to the title track or "Discotech." Too Young to Fight It also gives us the smooth R&B of "Tell Me," the indie rock of "Take It or Leave It," and the experimental and apocalyptic "Tragedy." This is so much more than a dance album, and if it hadn't been released by a musician with strong ties to the hardcore scene it would have had a fighting chance of being recognized as such.

94. Vendetta Red - Sisters of the Red Death (2005)

Vendetta Red frontman Zach Davidson has one of the most dynamic hard rock voices I've ever heard, and Sisters of the Red Death is one of the catchiest rock records I've ever heard. Despite those facts, I have a complicated relationship with this album because of its often-horrifying lyrical content, which details acts of sexual violence and gore. That's usually a dealbreaker for me, but I won't completely write off this record since it is a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Apparently female empowerment is at the core of the message, so it's not like Vendetta Red are condoning the acts that they're singing about. It's still a bit unnerving when you get the urge to sing along to one of the plethora of earworm melodies throughout this album and then realize exactly what you're singing. While I may not have the stomach for Sisters of the Red Death in 2021, I can still wholeheartedly recommend "Silhouette Serenade," which contains all of the awesomeness with none of the gross-out lyrics.

93. Ours - Distorted Lullabies (2001)

Now 20 years into his career, Ours frontman Jimmy Gnecco is surely tired of being compared to Jeff Buckley. But damn, he really does sound like Jeff Buckley. And when you're being compared to one of the all-time great voices in rock music, that's not such a bad thing. Distorted Lullabies is the first proper Ours album, and it's filled with melodic rock songs that highlight Gnecco's incredible range. As the saying goes, I could listen to Gnecco sing the phonebook (those were still around in 2001!), but put his powerful and emotive voice on dynamic rock songs like "Sometimes" and "Meet Me in the Tower"? Yes, please.

92. Armor for Sleep - What to Do When You Are Dead (2005)

This here is an emo concept album about a boy who commits suicide and his experience in the afterlife. Despite the overwrought subject matter, the songs on What to Do When You Are Dead are carefully crafted and interesting. "Car Underwater" is a scene classic, and my favorite track might be the keyboard-centric interlude "A Quick Little Flight." Armor for Sleep seemed a bit more thoughtful in their songwriting and arrangements than many of their contemporaries.

91. Cauterize - Paper Wings (2005)

The single "Something Beautiful" led me to Cauterize's 2003 major label debut So Far from Real, but upon purchasing the album I found that the rest of the tracks didn't live up to that song's high bar. Not so with the independently-released follow-up Paper Wings, which was just full of emo rock songs that I absolutely devoured in 2005. This was actually the first album that I had to order online because it wasn't sold in stores. I remember the surreal feeling of the CD showing up in the mailbox, and that first experience attached some additional meaning to Paper Wings. It doesn't hurt that it features propulsive songs like "Wake to the Sun," "Closer," and "Tremble." Cauterize later signed to another label and re-recorded most of these songs for Disguises, which rejiggered the tracklist and added a few new tunes. Even though the production might be a little better on Disguises, I always preferred the Paper Wings versions and the flow of the original tracklist. There's nothing like the first time.

[coinprojects]

New Post has been published on https://coinprojects.net/powers-on-broker-disintermediation-and-unregulated-crypto-exchanges-cause-major-concerns/

Powers On... Broker disintermediation and unregulated crypto exchanges cause major concerns

Powers On… is a monthly opinion column from Marc Powers, who spent much of his 40-year legal career working with complex securities-related cases in the United States after a stint with the SEC. He is now an adjunct professor at Florida International University College of Law, where he teaches the course “Blockchain, Crypto and Regulatory Considerations.”

More and more, governments are fearing that they will lose control over aspects of their respective legitimate financial systems, including capital raising and trading, to the hundreds of unlicensed, unregulated centralized and decentralized crypto exchanges worldwide.

There is a clear rising chorus of alarm in statements by government regulators in the United States, England, China, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, which are focused now more than ever on the unregulated exchanges that offer trading of derivatives and spot markets in numerous cryptocurrencies. These efforts follow regulators having tamped down on the rampant initial public offering of cryptocurrencies in the form of initial coin offerings, simple agreements for token contracts, and security token offerings during the 2016–2020 period.

Some of the cryptocurrencies trading on exchanges such as Binance, Poloniex, Coinbase, KuCoin and Kraken — to name a few — are, indeed, currencies in the form of stablecoins. Others are likely securities as defined by United States federal securities laws, under the expansive interpretation of “investment contracts” by U.S. courts and the SEC. Other cryptocurrencies are commodities, such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Their futures are one of the few cryptocurrencies traded on licensed U.S. exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Bakkt.

Related: It is time for the US to create a ‘Ripple test’ for crypto

In some measure, these fears are justified — to the extent that investor protection is compromised by allowing unacceptable risks to investors who may not understand or appreciate the downside of their trading activities. An example of this is margin trading that allows significant leverage based upon only a small deposit of funds or tokens in an account. Binance, until recently, allowed 125x leverage on futures purchases of Bitcoin. (It reportedly reduced leverage down to 20x in July, presumably due to pressure from various international regulators.) In other words, if you had $10,000 in assets in your account, you could purchase up to $1.25 million worth of cryptocurrencies! That is insane leverage, filled with potential problems for both the exchange and the customer.

Given the extreme volatility in the prices of various cryptocurrencies, this could be a major problem for the customer if prices drop and they are forced to come up with adequate reserves for their account. If they do not have the funds, their positions will be liquidated by the exchange, which will likely result in substantial losses for the account. There might be a large debit balance created in the account.

Broker-dealers, disintermediation and the securities laws

The exchange has to fulfill the trades ordered by customers, and even with liquidations, it might be stuck with the customer’s losses if they do not have the funds. In periods of market disarray, this can have a cascading effect on various exchanges worldwide. All one has to do is remember the 2008–2009 financial crisis, which was brought about in part by the failure of Lehman Brothers. Here in the U.S., most retail customers can not leverage more than 60% to 75% of their account’s value. That’s not even 1x. The U.S. Federal Reserve’s Regulation T and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s margin rules require licensed brokers to monitor the extent of customer leverage to ensure it does not exceed a certain level.

Related: Broker licensing for US blockchain developers threatens jobs and diversity

There are also net capital rules for brokers, known technically as “broker-dealers” under securities laws, which require them to maintain a certain level of capital representative of the asset value of their customer account. These rules seek to ensure that they maintain minimum levels of liquid assets and are set forth in Rule 15c3-1 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If the SEC-registered broker-dealer holding the customer’s assets in an account goes out of business, there is up to $500,000 in Securities Investor Protection Corporation, or SIPC, insurance to protect the customer’s account. Worse, there are continuous efforts by criminals to hack these platforms and steal investor funds.

Moreover, some exchanges — not likely the ones mentioned above — may unknowingly allow market participants to engage in trading patterns or activities that are manipulative. Many such manipulative practices are defined and prohibited by statute, in Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) of the Exchange Act. These include spoofing, front-running and insider trading.

What is fascinating to me about all this is the fact that blockchain “disintermediation,” the mantra of crypto enthusiasts and supporters, is here — at least for the brokerage community. The buying and selling of crypto are occurring directly by the customer with the exchange, with no broker in between to facilitate the trade. The middleman has been cut out of the process. There is no broker to check on the suitability of the trading activity — no broker to be there to hold and protect the digital assets. These digital assets are held directly with the exchange where one trades or delivered out to a personal digital wallet of the investor. If the exchange fails, the investors could lose everything. There is no SIPC to reimburse the investor. Nor, as of now, is there any federal or countrywide regulator to examine the books and records of the exchange, to receive reports on the financial health and activities of the firm, or to ensure liquidity and that it is not allowing what most people consider bad behavior, such as market manipulation and insider trading.

Yes, Coinbase and Gemini have BitLicenses issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services to operate a crypto exchange, and other licenses by regulators for the various businesses of their subsidiaries and affiliates. And that state agency’s crypto group has supervisory and examination rights. but the size of that group of maybe a dozen or two dozen people pales in comparison to the size of a federal regulator like the SEC, which has over 4,500 employees. Also, many other centralized and decentralized exchanges are not regulated. Thus, many of the safeguards for our financial system and investors, which have been the responsibility of the brokers, are now missing. Nor do the exchanges have any single country of globally consistent requirements like net capital rules, anti-manipulative prohibitions, margin rules and suitability rules to protect investors. Organizations like Global Digital Finance is one organization, of which I am a member, which is seeking to establish these protocols and rules globally working with regulators in over 30 jurisdictions. And yes, these exchanges also may have Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering compliance efforts on their own, but that is more to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to stop criminal money laundering and terrorism, not to protect investors on their platforms.

Related: DeFi regulation must not kill the values behind decentralization

Crypto exchanges are under close watch

It is no wonder, then, that Binance has been the target of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom and of other countries in Europe and Asia — or that the new SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, is voicing concerns. Back in late June, the FCA ruled that Binance was operating an unregistered exchange for U.K. citizens. Following that announcement, a number of British banks stopped allowing their client accounts to send funds to Binance or buy crypto using credit cards.

Related: Binance in the crosshairs: Are regulators paying attention to crypto?

According to May reports, the exchange is also under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and IRS, which may be looking into money laundering violations and tax offenses. It is also an ominous sign that the former acting comptroller of the currency, Brian Brooks, resigned from his position as CEO of Binance.US after only four months. Knowing Brooks, I speculate that his departure arose because he was not willing to put his reputation on the line for an organization that he found beyond redemption and that flouted numerous rules and regulations of various countries.

Related: DEXs could see demand boost as regulators target centralized exchanges

Another centralized exchange, BitMex, was sued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and FinCen last year in federal court for allegedly operating an unregistered derivatives exchange from 2014 through October 2020 that allowed American residents to trade crypto futures. According to an Aug. 10 press release, BitMEX has agreed to settle the charges and pay a $100 million civil monetary penalty.

On Aug. 9, the SEC announced it had commenced and simultaneously settled an administrative proceeding against the centralized exchange Poloniex, which agreed to pay over $10 million in disgorgement, interest and civil penalties. The settlement order alleges that Poloniex’s trading platform met the definition of “exchange” under federal securities laws and its failure to register as a “national securities exchange” was in violation of Section 5 of the Exchange Act (not to be confused with Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, which involves unregistered offerings of securities). Of note in the order is that Poloniex followed the industry practice of seeking out a legal memorandum from a third-party law firm analyzing whether any of the tokens seeking to list on the exchange were “investment contracts” or securities, and even delisted some tokens in 2018 that seemed to pass the Howey test. In addition, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce wrote, effectively, a public dissent, noting the slow pace and lack of clarity with which the commission has moved in determining how entities can interact with crypto.

Also this month, the SEC went after a purportedly decentralized exchange called DeFi Money Market, which used smart contracts and issued two kinds of tokens. One of the tokens, issued by the company Blockchain Credit Partners, promised interest payments, and the other promised voting rights and a portion of the profits from the exchange’s activities. Fraud charges were based upon the company and its principals allegedly misrepresenting what assets would be used to pay the promised yield. In settling the action on Aug. 6, the SEC stated: “Here, the labeling of the offering as decentralized and the securities as governance tokens did not hinder us from ensuring that DeFi Money Market was immediately shut down and that investors were paid back.”

While it seems that DeFi Money Market did not operate in the same way as many decentralized exchanges out there, it might be advisable that any platforms that solicit U.S. investors do a thorough analysis with their counsel of any potential registration issues — among them, registration as an exchange, broker-dealer, investment adviser, custodian, money transmitter or issuer under various laws. Otherwise, one may find themself in the crosshairs of governments and their regulatory bodies — or worse, criminal authorities. In this regard, it would be worth reviewing the first SEC case against a crypto exchange, EtherDelta, from November 2018.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Marc Powers is currently an adjunct professor at Florida International University College of Law, where he is teaching “Blockchain, Crypto and Regulatory Considerations” and “Fintech Law.” He recently retired from practicing at an Am Law 100 law firm, where he built both its national securities litigation and regulatory enforcement practice team and its hedge fund industry practice. Marc started his legal career in the SEC’s Enforcement Division. During his 40 years in law, he was involved in representations including the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, a recent presidential pardon and the Martha Stewart insider trading trial.

The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph nor Florida International University College of Law or its affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

Source link By Cointelegraph By Marc Powers

#Altcoin #Binance #Bitcoin #BlockChain #BlockchainNews #BNB #Crypto #CryptoExchange #ETH #Etherium #Kucoin #RippleNetwork #XRP

[thatoneluckybee]

How did she do that. How did she speak in glitter graphic. Can I obtain this ability

[payprosalaska]

Reacting to the Next Recession

​AUSTIN, TEXAS—It’s the tightest labor market in 50 years, but fear of a looming recession is out there. Even though no one’s really certain about when it may happen or what might cause it. So is talk of a recession a false alarm?

No, according to Jed Kolko, chief economist for job search engine Indeed.

“It’s when, not if,” he said, speaking to attendees at Indeed Interactive 2019, a conference for recruiting professionals held May 13-15. “The reason why is that the economy we’re in today is not sustainable. The unemployment rate is lower than what is believed to be sustainable long-term, and the rate of job growth is much more than what we need to keep up with population growth. There are currently not enough job seekers for all the available openings.”

People were already forecasting a downturn last year. And scary headlines about a coming recession continue to be prevalent. So is a recession likely any time soon?

“I don’t know,” Kolko said. “And no one else does ether. Economists are not very good at predicting recessions, and everybody else is worse.”

He added that one of the sources for a “best guess” comes from The Wall Street Journal‘s routine survey of top economic forecasters. That group said there’s currently a 23 percent chance of recession in the next 12 months. It was 15 percent this time last year.

“The odds of recession are low, but they are rising,” Kolko said.

[SHRM members-only platform: SHRM Connect]

Reason to Worry?

The employment data is all positive at the moment. In addition to the very low 3.6 percent unemployment rate, wage growth is at 3.2 percent year-to-year, a robust 263,000 jobs were added last month, and 80 percent of prime working age adults are working.

“There’s nothing flashing yellow and nothing alarming red when looking at the data,” Kolko said. There are some risks to consider, however:

*The economy can’t run hot forever. “The economy is not a precision instrument,” he said. “It’s more like a bad shower—when it gets a little too hot, you turn the cold on a bit and maybe it maybe it works, or maybe you get too much cold water. We often overshoot, going from an economy that’s too hot to one that’s colder than anyone wants.”

*There is a lot of political uncertainty, which could negatively impact the economy and the labor market, including trade conflicts with China and other nations; immigration policy that limits talent for high-skilled industries; and global shocks like a slowdown in demand for U.S. exports, and volatile energy and commodity prices.

“Then there are long-term trends in the U.S. like the aging population and lagging productivity,” Kolko said.

He explained that the last five economic recessions in the U.S. were all precipitated by different circumstances. The 2007-2009 Great Recession was centered on the growth of sub-prime mortgages granted to risky borrowers who couldn’t pay them off and financial institutions that acquired the mortgages as investments; some of the hardest hit places were boom towns like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando.

In the early 2000’s, the dot-com bust impacted technology hubs like San Jose and San Francisco. A recession in 1992 hit southern California and the aerospace industry the hardest. The recession in 1982 was the result of an energy crisis and high interest rates, and the rust belt region suffered the most.  

But Kolko said that while every slump is different, certain workers and sectors tend to be more at risk through all of them, while others have more resiliency.

“Booms tend to help the disadvantaged most,” he said. “Wage growth today is highest in low-wage industries. Unemployment has fallen the most for people with the least education.”

He said that economic gaps between people close during a boom, whereas during a recession, gaps widen. Traditionally disadvantaged workers—the lowest paid and least educated—often bear the brunt of the pain.

Interestingly, certain sectors tend stay level during economic recessions: health care, education, local government, and food production and food retail among them.

“These are all sectors that serve local consumers and are things that people need even when bad economic times hit,” he said. “In a recession, you can cut back on electronics and tourism, but you need to eat and go to the doctor.”

What Will a Recession Mean for Recruiters?

First of all, there’s no need to panic, Kolko said. The odds of recession this year are still low, and the economy remains strong. But when recession does hit, it isn’t great news for recruiters, who will not be immune.

“Hiring ends up being more volatile than employment overall,” he said. “When employment dips, hiring plummets. In 2009, employment fell by about 5 percent in the U.S., and hiring dropped by 20 percent. That means less demand for recruiters and recruiting.”

Recessions are no fun for HR in general, Kolko added. Employment in HR goes through big swings during boom and bust cycles. “HR also must do some of the hardest work during these tough times,” he said. “But some things do get easier—there are more job seekers and qualified candidates available.”   

At the height of the Great Recession, there were more than six unemployed job seekers for every open job, Kolko said. Right now there’s less than one.

“Retention also gets much easier in a recession,” he said. “Fewer workers quit their jobs. In 2009-2010, roughly about 1 percent of workers quit each month in the U.S. Today, it’s double that. The quits rate is about 2 percent, and there are lots of options for people looking to move.”

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[lenawin4]

Urgh, lost my draft and had to start this again.

So it’s time to do that tag game thing @easkyrah and @winged-defender-of-deltora asked me to do. Thanks friends/mom~~~

relationship status: Single, with my husbands Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson, Tobias Eaton, James T. Kirk, Anthony DiNozzo, also plenty of other fictional characters---you know the drill.

last song listened to: I had to make up an essay and was sleepy, so I chose mY FAVORITE PIECE OF ALL TIME ALSO BY MY HUSBAND, SERGEI RACHMANINOFF. That’s right---Piano Concerto No. 2. Did you know that Sergei was depressed for quite some time after many criticized his previous symphony and he felt lost after his role model, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky passed away? Did you know that he wrote his way out with music, out of the dumps and into the light? Did you know he blew the audience away with this concerto, and showed them all what music is, with its swells and excitement and anger and disappointment and dreams? Sergei is me, I am Sergei---we are such grand dreamers, travelling to a distant world that only exists for ourselves, then coming back down to Earth and attempting to explain it in words---but, this is not possible. The only way to describe the ethereal, captivating magic that is true to us is through music.

last book read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (cries because for @easkyrah and @winged-defender-of-deltora, it’s also The Great Gatsby because school). We are all Gatsby, reaching out to that distant dream, fingers almost grasping it as we realize dreams never come true, not the way we over-romanticized it with our wild imaginations. Lost Generation and hopelessness feels are strong.

favorite color: Purple, mainly because of the Lakers ever since I was a child, but also because dark purple is aesthetically pleasing to me.

top 3 ships:

Oh.

Oh my.

@easkyrah, @winged-defender-of-deltora, you knew this was coming.

~~~~BEWARE: TIVA RANT ALERT~~~

1)Anthony DiNozzo/Ziva David, Tiva, NCIS.

I marathoned NCIS in the summer of 2009 and began watching it live every Tuesday (that’s right, before I got a DVR and could record stuff) at quite a young age. I remember it distinctly---my favorite episode to this day is that one. 

That’s right Tiva shippers.

That one.

Truth or Consequences, Season 7, Episode 1. 

“Are you alright, McGee?”

“I’m just glad you’re still alive.”

“You thought...I was dead?”

“Oh...Oh yeah. Huh.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Well...McGee didn’t think you were dead...McGee...”

“Tony. Why are you here?”

“Couldn’t live without you, I guess.”

So I grew up shipping Tiva, majorly. As I grew older, I could see why these characters were so compelling: they are both so amazingly complex and their chemistry is so special that it is impossible not for them to love each other. They choose not to, to obey Rule 12 (which was broken by Bishop with her just simply asking, which made me quite mad, but that is a different subject). But in the end, they chose each other in that orange grove, Ziva so deep in self-hatred, guilt, disgust, and exhaustion, Tony so deep in love, desperation, and need. Ziva is so lost in herself and blinded by the belief that she will never be enough, that she will never do enough good to balance her sins and the blood on her hands; Tony is so loving, patient, kind, and desperate for a woman to stay with him like she has---brought back by a terrorist who kept her in his camp for months, brought back by finding her over and over again (Cobb, the elevator, the post-elevator us, Tali and the opera). Who loves him as she has---someone who understands fatherly issues, someone who understands dead mothers, someone who understands choices that were made to put them on their path they are right now (Tony’s college basketball injury, the fire where he saved the little boy but couldn’t save his sister; Ziva’s choices to please her father, Tali’s death, Ari’s murderous fall, dead from her finger).

They are also defying the stereotypical role: Tony may be the playboy who went to boarding school and loves movies, but there are reasons behind his fears of commitment (Wendy, Paula, Kate, Jeanne---all the women who leave him or die) and unending love for film (his mother). Ziva may look like the badass woman, heartless assassin---but she has such a large heart for NCIS, for Gibbs, for Abby, for McGee, for everyone; for her sister, her mother, her father, her brother, as well as a strong sense of individuality and justice. Her father left her to die in the desert---and yet she forgave him, and loved him. His death broke her. Her brother was a terrorist, and she forced herself to kill him---to protect the innocent (Gibbs).

My point is: Tony and Ziva complement each other so well that over 8 years, they became dependent on the presence of their partner. We’ve seen what happens when one leaves the other: both of them fall into disarray (of course, not with Tali, their daughter).

They’ve done so much for the other---he jeopardized his entire career, and for what? For you.; he went to desert to die for vengeance, no, for love; she went to the desert to die for guilt, penance at what she did to him, to Michael. He was willing to fight for her---he was fighting for you, Ziva; she couldn’t let him in because---the ones who get too close always end up dead. These two have been through everything together and they always come back to each other to strengthen the other, to love the other.

And they deserved SO MUCH BETTER. I really, really don’t like that Ziva didn’t tell Tony about their child----I thought that was very inaccurate of her character. Nevertheless, I wanted to see them happy, not matter what fan theories say. I think Ziva David deserved so much more than just one episode concerning her death, and more than just a few clips to remember her---because she was so much more than just a regular Jewish female character.

But, I am extremely happy that it is finally, finally canon.

“I loved her , Tim.”

“I know you did.”

They are just THE ULTIMATE, PERFECT SHIP.

Anyway. Moving on.

~~~TIVA RANT OVER~~~

2)Sherlock Holmes/Irene Adler, Adlock, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

I mean, what can I say? Irene Adler is the only person in the entire Holmes universe who outsmarts him. The dialogue, the choreography in Sherlock, the legendary strong, feminine, sneaky traits of Adler---Sherlock is intrigued by her, and obviously is interested in her, romantic or not.

These two, in my opinion, are as iconic as Watson and Holmes are because of the dynamic and the chemistry between them. I think BBC Sherlock portrayed their relationship the best---the need to impress her, the desire to play this cat-like game, pouncing on each other with each chance. The acting was amazing---Lara Pulver and Benedict Cumberbatch, thank you very much. It’s golden, and I love it.

3)Jyn Erso/Cassian Andor, RebelCaptain, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

I fell in love with these two halfway into the movie, and I still am (as of right now, stuck in a RebelCaptain fanfiction overload). The chemistry between Diego Luna (isn’t he adorable?) and Felicity Jones was on fire (as they soon were---too soon?).

They also have similar childhoods---having to fend for themselves at a very young age, putting walls upon walls up, but only needing a few days with each other to make a connection, to see themselves in each other, and make a choice to trust the other despite their reservations, their anger, their fears.

What other ship has one of them climb up an elevator, shot, to make sure the other is okay? What other ship has an intense scene in an elevator, descending toward their doom (Well...see #1.)? What other ship dies in each other’s arms, turning into Stardust?

“Your father would have been proud of you, Jyn.” 

(You could hear me screaming in the movie theatre.)

So there you have it. I don’t have anyone to tag, so, oops. Thanks again for tagging me so I could Tiva rant randomly @easkyrah and @winged-defender-of-deltora!

[deadangelzz]

(Photos of me, all credits for these drawings go to Kyontara on instagram, he made my source as well.)

Stacey "Stace" Drew Hayden

17, Main host, protector, and BPD symptom holder, she/they

Likes: re-animator, serial experiments lain, goth fashion, bats, my source, talking about the sys, cannibal corpse, any metal and/or goth music honestly lol

my source is ethereal justice 2009 (linked)

DNI is the same as the pinned post.

[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: Legendary Singer-Songwriter JUDY COLLINS Among the Honorees at the 34th ANNUAL BISTRO AWARDS Gala

Legendary Singer-Songwriter JUDY COLLINS

Among the Honorees

at the 34th ANNUAL BISTRO AWARDS Gala

Monday, March 11 at Gotham Comedy Club

Frances Ruffelle, Lee Horwin, Luba Mason, and Sidney Myer

Also Recognized Among the 15 Winners

Photo of Judy Collins: Miller Mobley

(New York City, January 31, 2019) — Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and Grammy Hall-of-Famer Judy Collins will be honored, along with a diverse group of 14 other outstanding artists, at the 34th Annual Bistro Awards on Monday, March 11 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St. As is the Bistro Award tradition, the evening will feature performances by the winners.

Ms. Collins is receiving the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bistro Award’s highest honor, in recognition of the artist’s six decades of musical accomplishment. The award is presented by returning sponsor ASCAP, the performing rights organization. Ms. Collins is a longtime member of ASCAP.

A classically-trained pianist, self-taught guitarist, and singer, Ms. Collins possesses a soaring, ethereal-yet-earthy soprano and eclectic taste that have allowed her to move back and forth easily through folk, pop, rock, standards, cabaret, and show tunes in her 60 years of recordings and performances. Her own writing skills have produced songs that rank with the iconic songs that she has covered. She has created a musical legacy second to none and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Frances Ruffelle, who received a Tony for her performance as Éponine in Les Miz on Broadway, gives a dazzling performance in her ambitious and remarkable solo show in a run that has been extended into 2019. The Bistro Awards Committee celebrates this run with an award for Major Engagement. Lee Horwin, one of the best and most interesting singers to have emerged during the resurgence of New York cabaret in the 1970s, returned last year to play the iconic singer-actress Libby Holman. She is receiving a Bistro for her compelling Musical Portrayal.

With extensive Broadway and television credits, Luba Mason's cabaret, jazz, and concert experience, both in the U.S. and internationally, is equally impressive. Her Vocalist Bistro is a testament to her beautiful fluid voice, her cool-to-fiery dramatic range, and her assured but charming stage presence. Sidney Myer is being recognized for Unique Artistry because there is no one else like him on the current cabaret scene. Reminiscent of a small handful of great comic artists, he can have the audience laughing with glee at a spoken or sung line delivery or an eloquent facial expression, then a moment later have them in tears with an understated but heart-wrenching rendition of a ballad.

This year's Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award—given to an outstanding performer on the rise and named after Back Stage's co-founder, co-publisher, and first nightclub critic—goes to Patrick Swailes Caldwell, a "renaissance clown" who is fully entertaining at mime, magic, music, mimicry, and mayhem, all of it hilarious.

True to the Bistro tradition of honoring outstanding work whether performed by a veteran artist or a relative newcomer, the Bistro Awards pays tribute to cabaret favorite Ricky Ritzelfor his delightfully entertaining Musical Series, Ricky Ritzel's Broadway, and to singer Sierra Rein for Debut. Rein made her first solo appearance last year with an impressive performance that covered the gamut from humor to drama, but with a strong emotional undercurrent that turned her show into a deeply moving experience.

Writer and performer Daniel Alexander Jones will be honored for Performing Artistry for his alter-ego, the glamorous Jomama Jones, who shares both witty and serious stories and songs that explore easily identifiable and important issues of our times. Almost certainly the first banjoist to receive a Bistro Award, Singer-Instrumentalist-Bandleader Cynthia Sayer is not only a fine musician, she is also a wellspring of musical joy.

Two singers are being honored for their outstanding work. Winning for Vocalist, Lisa Viggiano explores the hidden crevices of a song, and with her expressive voice delivers nuanced interpretations of great depth. In the Bistro's choice for Tribute Show, Marnie Klar Sings Bobbie Gentry, Marnie Klar demonstrated that she has both the talent and the sensibilities to do justice to Gentry's rich body of work. The Award for Director goes toTanya Moberly, who in the past few years has guided not only these two performers, but other award-winning artists as well.

Both Shirley Crabbe and Philip Chaffin are being honored for their Recordings. Crabbe's new CD, Bridges, proves that she is a powerful jazz singer with solid musicianship and the ability to live inside the story of a song. The premise of Chaffin's Will He Like Me? is to sing some of the best Broadway songs as a gay man's love story, but this conceit quickly becomes secondary to his warm and personal vocals and the beautifully orchestrated songs.

For the seventh year in a row, Shellen Lubin is directing the Bistro Awards show. A theatre director, playwright, songwriter, and vocal and acting coach, Shellen is also in the forefront of attaining parity for women in the arts.

The gala event will be held on Monday, March 11 at 7:00 pm at Gotham Comedy Club. 208 W. 23rd Street. Sherry Eaker, the former longtime Editor-in Chief of Back Stage and the producer of the event since its inception, heads up the Awards Committee, which includes BistroAwards.com critics Gerry Geddes, Roy Sander, Robert Windeler, and Mark Dundas Wood. Sander is the award show's associate producer; Wendy Lane Bailey is the assistant producer.

Tickets range from $80.00 to $350.00. Ticket-buyers in all categories are invited to the "After-Bistros" supper party as guests of the Bistros. For details about the various ticket categories and early-purchase prices, visit www.BistroAwards.com. For additional information, call 917-239-5467.

Following is a complete list of the winners being recognized for their outstanding work:

Judy Collins / Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award presented by ASCAP

Frances Ruffelle / Major Engagement

Luba Mason / Vocalist

Lee Horwin / Musical Portrayal – Libby Holman in Blues, Ballads & Sin Songs: The Legend of Libby Holman

Patrick Swailes Caldwell / Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award

Sidney Myer/ Unique Artistry

Daniel Alexander Jones / Performance Artistry

Ricky Ritzel / Musical Series – Ricky Ritzel's Broadway

Cynthia Sayer / Singer-Instrumentalist-Bandleader

Lisa Viggiano / Vocalist

Marnie Klar / Tribute Show – Marnie Klar Sings Bobbie Gentry

Tanya Moberly / Director

Sierra Rein / Debut

Shirley Crabbe / Recording - Bridges

Philip Chaffin / Recording – Will He Like Me?

###

The BISTRO AWARD has been recognizing, encouraging, nurturing, and educating cabaret, jazz and comedy artists for 34 years through its insightful reviews and annual awards. It is the oldest award of its kind in the industry. It was established by Bob Harrington in 1985 in his "Bistro Bits" column in the trade weekly Back Stage, then under the editorship of Sherry Eaker. For the first few years, the awards were merely listed in Harrington's column as notable performances he had seen during the calendar year. The first formal presentation of the awards was held in 1990 at Eighty Eight's, a popular cabaret venue in the West Village. From there, the show moved on to The Ballroom in Chelsea, and then relocated to the Supper Club in the Broadway District, where it remained for many years. This year marks the 12th year at Gotham Comedy Club.

The guidelines that Harrington set up for himself to determine the first winners have become the basic philosophy behind the Bistro Awards, which recognize achievement in a wide variety of categories — from outstanding performances to outstanding contributions by members of the cabaret community. The object is not to choose the "best" of anything of the year, but to recognize and congratulate the accomplishments of those who have done something special. Accordingly, categories can easily be created from year to year as they best fit the year's distinguished work.

The Bistro's special honorees have included André De Shields, Sheila Jordan (2018), Darlene Love (2017), Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross (2016), Ben Vereen (2014); Lainie Kazan, Maurice Hines (2013); Kaye Ballard, Melissa Manchester, Dee Dee Bridgewater (2012); Dionne Warwick, Carol Channing (2011); Mitzi Gaynor, Elaine Stritch (2010); Charles Aznavour, Liza Minnelli (2009); Marilyn Maye (2008); Betty Buckley (2007); Steve Ross (2006); as well as Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt, Barbara Cook, and many others.

###

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is the title sponsor of the Bistro Awards. ASCAP is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. With more than 690,000 members representing more than 11.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2U5Prwc

[intherearviewmirror]

Revisited: The Devil’s in the Details (DS)

7 January 2019

“The Devil’s in the Details (DS)” was originally posted on March 16, 2009, almost 10 years ago, when the secret world of exclusive investing for the uber-wealthy had a spotlight cast upon its dark side.

The inspiration behind this Dream Sequence was the Bernie Madoff scandal, for obvious reasons, and because it encompassed so much more than the bottom falling out of an aristocratic pyramid scheme.

On the surface, we saw a high profile money manager convicted of staging an elitist “invitation only” Ponzi scheme, replete with a double set of books and unnatural rates of return. Beneath the surface, we were offered a glimpse into the upper level psyche of narcissism and greed, replete with double-standard deceptions and psychopathic programming.

So how close to reality were we?

The implosion of Bernie Madoff’s notorious operation was clearly a sign of the times. Just ask Lehman Brothers and Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide Financial. Madoff seemed to be merely a micro within the macro - a micro reflection of how the macro has been running things behind a myriad of micro frontmen for eons.

After decades of profitable manipulation, it’s possible that Bernie could have simply succumbed to the consequences of his greed and the insurmountable task of trying to polish a turd trapped in the sphincter of the 2008 great depression. It could be just as possible that Bernie was chosen in advance to be the scapegoat for this particular market down cycle, not unlike a sacrificial lamb offered up to appease the programmed demands for social justice from the sleeping masses.

The greatest irony of all in this bait-and-switch is that some of Madoff’s highest profile investors were the very nameless ones who picked him to run Their lucrative gains game in the first place. He couldn’t have done it and gotten away with it for as long as he did without this covert backing from beyond the highest levels.

By sacrificing Bernie as the face of greed - thereby permanently removing him from the game board – They made it possible to protect Their anonymity as the game moved onto another board already established behind another group of frontmen.

This strategy could only work as long as Bernie kept his mouth shut.

The very fact that Bernie Madoff is still alive in prison today is a testament to his ability to maintain complete silence, even in the face of losing his wife to divorce and the death of both of his sons, leaving him quite alone and friendless.

It would also stand to reason that the secret second set of books the authorities presumably used to convict Bernie and attempt to remediate investor losses was in all likelihood not fully accurate, at least when it came to the naming of those who were to remain nameless.

What we really want to know now is with whom did Bernie do the dark deal when he began his lucrative enterprise in the 1960s? And was his sacrificial downfall his reminder that privilege comes with a price and 2008 was his time to pay the dealmaker for privileges rendered and favors granted?

Which brings us to the deeper question going forward: When it comes to the business of the devil being in the details, it’s been said that few can hold a candle to the Nazis and their anal-retentive demand for detailed record keeping. Historians have even suggested that the real power in Nazi Germany was held by the administrative clerks for it was their meticulous recording of every detail that made many of the post-war criminal prosecutions possible.

We would venture to guess that little has changed in the bookkeeping practices of the post-war continuation of the Third Reich, known to many as the Fourth Reich. Could it be that history is about to repeat, or perhaps reveal, itself?

ORIGINAL POST: The Devil’s in the Details (DS)

We had a dream……and in that dream we saw Bernie (see definition below) stretched out on his bunk after suiting up in the standard issue baggy brown uniform of his new Metropolitan Correctional Center home. His arms were folded beneath his head as he stared blankly at the empty mattress resting on the bunk above him, barely two feet from his face. He was waiting for the cell doors to release for the Center's pre-dawn breakfast call, and the start of a new day on the inside.

Unquestionably, Bernie’s current situation was a far cry indeed from the $7 million Upper East Side penthouse apartment he’d been accustomed to. Lifestyle adjustments needed to be made, especially since his new home work detail assigned him to Biffy Patrol.

In our dream, we could see confusion ripple across Bernie’s face when the prison Custodial Super slapped a large rolling mop bucket and toilet brush into his hands. Without expression, Bernie walked into the janitor’s closet to collect whatever else he thought he might need to properly clean something he’d never cleaned before in his life.

Bernie was clearly ignorant to the world of cleaning products, and before anyone would even suspect what he was unwittingly capable of that day in the janitor’s closet, he’d whipped up a chlorine bleach-ammonia cleaning concoction which rapidly created a noxious gas that overpowered and expeditiously knocked him to the floor, thus ending his physical life here on Earth.

Bernie briefly lay unconscious before the ethereal lights began to flicker as his life force separated from the 70 year old body with finality. Out of nowhere appeared Charles Ponzi, Bernie’s personal escort and Angel of Death, with outstretched hand.

Ponzi ushered Bernie through a misty elevator door and pressed the button going “down.” Bernie would now be answering to a new overlord, the Prince of Darkness, in a personal hell of his own creation. Mr. D (as the Prince liked to be called) had a friendly chat with Bernie as they walked down a deep corridor lined with doors on both sides. Every door they passed was numbered “666.”

When Mr. D finally stopped at the door numbered “666” belonging to Bernie, he opened it and extended his arm in a welcoming gesture of entry. Bernie’s mind swirled with déjà vu’ as he found himself walking right back into the very 7-1/2’ x 8’ janitor’s closet he’d just died in. His new work detail would keep him busy for an eternity for he was to spend it counting out $65 billion dollars, one penny at a time.

And then we woke up and realized that the IRS has collected tax revenue for decades from Bernie’s investor clients based upon illusionary gains reported for investments they never even had. We suspect hell will need to freeze over before the IRS offers to give any of that revenue back.

But what we really want to know is which one of Bernie’s little helpers will be the next to follow his lead?

BERNIE defined: Bernard L. Madoff:

Chairman and Founder of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, 1960. Arrested on December 11, 2008 and sentenced to 150 years of quiet meditation, Bernie currently (2009) awaits his formal induction into the Ponzi Hall of Fame. AKA: the Jewish Treasury Bill and the new face of Greed. He was formerly a philanthropist, a regular family man about town, and a prominent leader in the financial services industry who gave everyone he was screwing the big KISS (keep it simple, stupid) of financial, and sometimes literal, death.