#I want to know what happened because that clearly impacted his career destination

[swan2swan]

He left his bro hanging.

As punishment, he must atone by taking children rock climbing for ten years of his life. Only then will Kenji have proven that he can be relied on.

[justenjoythegossip]

CHRIS & ABBA’S LATEST PR STUNT & THE VISIBLE ENDGAME OF THE PR STRATEGY or… “WILL YOU JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY? IT HAS BEEN TWO FREAKING YEARS”…

Recap of recent events: 

Yesterday was the premiere of Red One in Berlin. Go Germany. Chris didn’t walk the red carpet before Dwayne as he was supposed to, arrived late with his wife, walked the carpet (after almost missing it) without her, played with the precious very ostentatiously for the cameras, she and Chris shared a moment together as they hugged and she gave him a look of... disgust(?). Then they were filmed sitting together for the movie and Chris seemed angry/pissed(?) at her as he gestures, seemingly does a nervous tick by pressing on his glasses and she rolls her head… #couplegoals LOL

Side note: kudos to the PR agent sitting next to Abba for her clapping as it seemingly helped indicate to her she was supposed to applaud her loving husband and also served as miraculous blocking from this angle, to show us only what they want us to see. 

She was always going to be there…

I have been asked many times if I thought Abba would show up at the premiere. And I always answered that I was 50/50 on the matter. When we learned that it was actually Justin who arranged that podcast for her, I was leaning towards no. Because why would she feel the need to go on a podcast no one asked for, if she was going to get the exposure of a big Hollywood premiere soon, right? Then we got the Avengers’ PR stunt where they endorsed Kamala Harris and Chris was flashing his ringless hand so ostentatiously. And then I immediately thought, of course she will be there. Her saying her marriage year was terrible coupled with his non wearing his wedding ring was meant to manipulate his fans into thinking the end was near and like always to add shock value to their next PR stunt. 

And of course she was going to be there, this is actually a big part of why he did this PR stunt in the first place. He wanted the world to know he was a married man and there is no better platform than a Hollywood event to push a narrative… even when you push it as discreetly as you can so that you don’t offend your fandom and the general public any further…

Why did we get a remake of what happened at the Ghosted premiere and what does this mean?

If people remember the Ghosted Premiere, they did not walk together as they infamously made their red carpet debut for the Vanity Fair party. At the time, I theorized that the reason they didn’t was because they wanted to ease his fans in as they knew there was quite a lot of backlash from his fans but also from the general public. I still think that was the case but it’s even more obvious after today’s stunt, as this was a win-win for Chris. He gets to sell the married man brand he is craving so desperately while putting his kinda wife in a corner.  Go Berlin! She gets to come but has to make sure she is not seen too much as her presence could offend his fans and a part of the general public and more importantly have an impact on his movie’s box office and his career more generally speaking. And look how his “fans” take this as a victory… 

But it’s not, it’s just more manipulation and gaslighting on Chris and his team’s part. 

Because clearly all the content of the 2 of them was not meant for the general public but destined to his fandom. And as you can see they didn’t make it to the Just Jared article this time. But they did get to sell the “we are real and private/we are just PR” narrative. Badly like always because it’s the point. 

https://www.justjared.com/2024/11/03/dwayne-johnson-lucy-liu-chris-evans-more-premiere-new-holiday-movie-red-one-in-berlin/

But now we finally get a clearer sense of why Abba felt the need to go on a podcast no one cared about for the first edition of a small festival that got little to no media coverage! She is basically reduced to a prop that has basically no voice or agency but is taken out for minimal lowkey PR stunts when it’s absolutely necessary. But since she a Nazi sex worker, I am guessing we should all be ok with this. But more on that later. 

The latest appearance of the precious ring and its use from a PR standpoint… 

I have already discussed the ring profusely and even recently when he went to the walk of fame for Kevin Feige. Here are a couple of posts where I give my 2 cents about it.

Before I dive into the latest shenanigans with the precious, it’s important to note that playing with wedding rings is very “in” right now. And so what Chris did last night was textbook CAA. Just look at what Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck recently did with theirs or even more ridiculously how Dakota flashed her engagement ring during an arranged papwalk. 

Here you can see a video of Chris with the very purposefully loose ring:

As people have pointed out, the ring is way too big, isn’t it? And clearly that’s the whole point since it feeds the “it’s only PR” narrative, isn’t it? But that’s not even the most interesting part about this little clip. Look at where the fans are on this video, then pay closer attention to the camera placement. Can you see how much emphasis the person who is filming (not a fan) is putting on the loose ring and how CURATED this all is?

And now look at Chris playing with his ring so naturally and organically (sarcasm) as the photographers are taking his picture. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Evans Army (@cevans_army)

They want you to see it, they are showing it to you, as ostentatiously as it gets. Even when Chris plays the game of “hide the ring”, it is to draw more attention to it while trying to gain sympathy from fans who are so desperate to see a glimmer of regret in his demeanor. 

The programmed obsolescence of Team Real/Team PR and the endgame of the PR strategy 

I have discussed months ago, how this strategy of “divide and conquer” which was symbolized by the discourse and fighting between Team Real and Team PR was just a starting point. A PR strategy can only be understood and appreciated when it can be analyzed in the long run. Those 2 trolling teams were the loud extremist voices that were obnoxious and repulsive enough (in their tone or rhetoric) to drive fans away from them and the narratives they were selling, paving the way for the more reasoned and rational Team Middle. I wrote a post about it if you want to check it out. 

As Team PR and team Real have become completely redundant, all that is left is the narrative Team Middle are pushing. Notice how they purposefully keep blurring the line to disorient (classic manipulation tactics by the way) and make people accept what they are selling. And today they might distract you with the loose ring, the presence of her relatives, the not walking the red carpet together or taking pictures together (but just you wait for the NY premiere as it is just around the corner), their bad body language around each other, the awkwardness and coolness of their exchanges, her cheap outfit while he is dressed in designer clothes by his scientologist and rapist apologist stylist, or they will point out how over the top and fake he was in his reactions at the premiere and I could go on and on… All of this is true BUT it is all a distraction and misdirection. 

As they have pointed out repeatedly, it has been two years, so you should just accept it or move on. The fandom no longer needs your services if you are not capable of enjoying the content they “so kindly” provide for you. They will feed you the crumbs showing how fake it is to appease you and to distract from Chris’ complicity and manipulation as long as you behave. 

The seemingly counterintuitive promoting of this girl by plants, their vicious trolling and what purposes it serves..

So many plants allegedly hate Abba but talk about her constantly. The amount of attention she is getting from them seems incommensurable. Like posting her numbers religiously or obsessing about what she is wearing and so forth.

If it weren’t for them we would hear very little about her. For example, we would have known she was going to do a podcast in her home country only after she posted about it and not a long time before hand. It's also important to note that most of the time she is mentioned, it is in a very negative way as they usually make fun of her and humiliate her. As you know, “there is no such thing as bad publicity”. But in this instance, it’s interesting to ask ourselves why and also what purposes it serves more specifically.

Well, I have just mentioned that bad publicity is still publicly, but another key rule is: know your audience. And obviously Chris’ fandom dislikes her so intensely that talking about her in a negative way, showing animosity towards her is the smart approach to gain the trust of his fans you want to manipulate. The goal here is to paint her as an absolute villain. I am not defending her by the way as she is an awful person but she has 0 power in this story but she makes for a hell of a scapegoat in this shitshow. And indeed, people can easily project all of their disappointment, anger and negative emotions onto her in order to soothe their frustration. 

You see the industry makes you do things you don’t want to do if you let it, talent agencies are as unethical as it gets and will play an awful game if you let them, the PR wife that you selected (or agreed on) might be a POS… but at the end of the day, it’s all a reflection of your own choices and of who you are… 

NB: special thanks to friends and mods who provided me with content and shared with me their smart observations. If I don’t thank you by name it’s to protect you from being blocked LOL

[mysmegrace]

Heeeey girl.

So I was wondering if I could request an MC (she/her) that has major art-block...... I may or may not have major art block rn and I have no idea what to do about it lol. I keep flipping through old sketchbooks looking for a spark of creativity. Or I end up walking around my house and random places outdoors looking for inspiration lmaoo. (I feel like a Sim aimlessly wandering.)

I dont really have a preference as to what mysme boy you want to write for. Just whoever you feel fits this best!

You are the best!! I love your work!!

hello~ of course! that's relatable lol, although it's more so writers block in my case. it loves to kick my ass every once in a while. i felt like zen would fit this request more, just because of the creative aspect of his career and the overall encouragement he usually gives the mc. thank you so much, i really appreciate it and right back at ya <3

Zen with an MC who has Major Art Block

---

it had been the same routine for the past few weeks.

your days consisted of sitting for hours in various locations trying to find some spark of creativity to get your art done.

and it seemed like no matter what you did, things wouldn’t change.

it was on your mind 24/7, even thinking about it during outings with zen.

you two would walk around the city, visit public gardens, sightsee in the countryside.

but all to no avail.

you couldn’t help but kick yourself down constantly, wondering why you were lacking inspiration.

had it been something you did before? or perhaps you’re becoming brunt out?

the possibilities were endless, but they all didn’t feel accurate.

you loved making art your entire life.

it had been your dream for ages.

so why was this happening?

your inner frustration was coming to a visible point, as zen noticed and questioned you about it one day.

he had taken you out to the place he always went whenever he was struggling.

the place in the mountains many people neglected to visit.

such a shame really, as the area was blessed with comfort and positivity.

he figured to take you here after taking a notice of your feelings since the morning.

leading him to quickly change that day’s plan from the statues downtown to his safe space.

it wasn’t until you two arrived to the destination that he finally questioned you about it.

ever so sweetly, as to not discomfort you, said “are you okay? i can tell something’s bothering you”.

you were too caught up in your own mind and disapointment to realize that your emotions started to reflect in your expressions.

hence why his question caught you off guard.

the last thing you wanted to do right now was worry him, yet clearly it was already too late.

with your silence continuing, he added onto his previous questions.

“you know you can talk to me, i hate seeing you in distress”.

there was no use in lying and saying you were okay, you were already too far gone for that.

taking a breath, you respond saying “i can’t find any inspiration for my art”.

quickly looking up to meet his eyes, hoping to see a sign of approval, you continue “it’s.. so exhausting and frustrating to be so lost when trying to pursue my passion”.

you examined zen’s expressions as he looked down from the fence the two of you were standing at, his face radiating with sympathy.

looking up to meet you with a smile, he said “i understand. i’ve reached many points like that in my career so far, but”.

he takes a breath to straighten his shirt, continuing “it all get’s better soon.”

realizing that the words he had just spoken wouldn’t actually impact you, he rushes to rephrase his sentence.

“i mean, it’s easier than it sounds. but there’s inspiration in everything. in your old artwork, in the words we speak, in societal beliefs, in our hearts deepest desires, this list goes on”.

he got you thinking, but he hadn’t finished yet.

you weren’t paying much attention at this point if you were honest.

processing his words took up most of your brain power in the moment.

making a mental note of following his advice for later, you decided to redirect your attention back to him for a quick second instead of letting his words become background noise.

you heard “but i’ll always be there to help you, please remember that. i want you to become successful in your dreams. i know you have the inspiration in you”.

you were at a lost for words.

quite frankly, part of you wanted to break down then and there.

you had been so overwhelmingly stressed and exhausted for so long and to finally hear some good advice made you feel as if god had come to save you.

as if to thank him for his efforts, you embraced him, looking down over the city as the birds passed by in several forms.

yet during all of this, you managed to muster out a “thank you”.

and while you couldn’t see it, you could feel a smile creeping up on his face when the movements transferred from his face to your cheek.

you didn’t know how much time passed, you could only assume it had been an hour or so.

although there was little conversation being made from time to time, the majority was spent basking in each others bliss.

although your art block wasn’t solved immediately, it was enough for you to have regained your hope.

motivating you to push forward.

---

22:30 AST - 08/12/21

[hopevalley]

Your last post was great food for thought. How would you have written Jack off the show? Personally I think they got the when wrong. Should have got them married end of s3, then written him off going to the Northern Territory and not coming back...

Thanks, Anon!

I’m a bit on the fence about Jack to begin with. On one hand, I agree with you completely: they should have been married before the end of S3, and then Jack’s decision to fight in S4 (after the death of his old pal Doug) would have been huge. They built up this “oooh, he could diiiieee~” narrative, after all. Seeing it come to its (arguably natural) conclusion would be acceptable.

On the other hand, there was something kind of nice about Jack dying when it wasn’t expected. If nothing else drove home that life as a Mountie was not this picturesque landscape of loveliness, that did. Oh, you mean he could die...while just training some men? Doing something in a position that multiple people said he should be honored to be considered for? Oh my!

It was still too contrived for my taste, though. It’s one thing to kill him off in a time of relative peace when he’s just minding his own business, but it’s something else to kill him off-screen and...after making him talk about how safe the job was (which it clearly wouldn’t be, as mentioned before in this series*). Talk about tonal shifts! AJ went to prison, and then there was this weird birthday thing that most of the viewers didn’t care about (where we pretended like Bill’s life wasn’t in mortal danger just days or weeks earlier), and right at the party gets into full swing this just haaaappens to be the moment a Mountie comes into town to tell Elizabeth that her husband died. And of course she’s standing conveniently Right There. Oh, and also, he definitely died a hero, not like a regular guy. How could she live with herself if he died like a regular guy? (/sarcasm, if you couldn’t tell.)

*I might actually be thinking of the When Calls the Heart movie where Edward talks about nearly dying during his own training.

A more convincing and arguably terrible (with positive connotations) way to write Jack’s death off-screen would be to place Bill outside or in the jailhouse when the Mountie comes riding in. He’s still recovering from literally almost dying (a pretty big deal, considering his age) and now he’s just found out Jack has died in some contrived bullshit manner...and it’s his duty to go with this guy and tell Elizabeth, because Bill isn’t the sort of character to shirk duty (neither career nor personal). Elizabeth is family now, after all.

It would at least do something to cement relationships and connections in this show before the actual funeral/grieving episode. Also, seeing Bill’s initial immediate reaction before he clams up and follows protocol he’s been taught from a young adult onward—that’d be delicious character stuff when he has his discussion with Abigail later.

Ideally, though, I’d probably do something more along the lines you’ve suggested (earlier marriage, more expected death). It’s just, by the time they’d decided to actually go through with killing Jack, I feel like it was too late to Take It Slow. If I were in that position, stuck in S5 and having to kill Jack off by the end (10 measly episodes, by the way), I’d do the following:

Jack gets reassigned entirely to train new recruits and there is some kind of set time frame for this. One year, two years: something like that.

Elizabeth and Jack have a rushed wedding that’s not visually impressive but sweet in other ways that have a big impact on the characters. Forgive my language here, but fuck the modern traditions the audience thinks they want (that weren’t even around during this time frame in many cases)! I’d have given them a truly romantic wedding in the church with recognizable faces in the pews and maybe a potluck picnic lunch afterward.

Logically this only happens if the characters worry that it isn’t something they can do later, right? It’s not that he worries he’ll die, but it’s the reality they live in that something could happen to him, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Also, Elizabeth won’t want to wait another year (if we say his placement is for at least that long), so it’s not hard to imagine her insisting on doing it immediately.

One final aside, I think this also gives Elizabeth the excuse to remain a schoolteacher in Hope Valley with the idea being that she can spend her summer with Jack (when she’s not teaching)—something she can’t do if they’re not married. At least, not without scandal.

Their ‘honeymoon’ is something they put on hold but probably a place they both wanted to go that’s not completely out of left field (get my joke?) and meaningful to both of them. (This is set-up for Elizabeth eventually going there alone for a letting-go type of scene when it would feel good/appropriate to see.)

They spend the week or two before he has to leave together, and during this time they discuss their future more seriously. Make it mostly the kinds of things that will feel bad when looked back upon after knowing of Jack’s death, but which still ring of some kind of ‘hope for the future’ at the time. S5 had a lot of bullshit in it, not all of which was bad, but the ‘dreams’ were too focused on tangible sorts of things and not the dreams of a couple madly in love who want to be together forever. 

The house is kind of silly scope-wise. If they’re dreaming about it, a line from Elizabeth to Abigail (or Clara, or anyone) that Jack wants to do it but she knows it’s not feasible on his income would make it seem like sweet dreaming.

This would be a good time for them to discuss where they want to honeymoon when Jack gets some time off and they can manage it financially, too.

While Jack is gone, Elizabeth reads some of his letters to Abigail. Maybe there could be some cute/saucy bits where she says “I’ll skip the next few paragraphs” or whatever, but the idea here is that Jack has arrived to his destination, is doing well, and Elizabeth is not particularly worried about him.

IF POSSIBLE, scenes of Jack bonding with these green bean boys. Young, largely untrained, idealistic... Man, we know Bill did a lot of teaching and stuff like that at one point in his career, too, so this could be a nice segue into Jack starting down a similar path! 

Also it cements his relationship with these men and shows not only that he DOES care about them, but WHY.

If this is NOT possible, at least allude to it in his letters. Mention specific names so that the audience feels a connection, however small.

Also if possible, show Jack’s death, or at least show him making the decision to risk his life for these young men he cares about.

If this isn’t possible: show a scene in the cafe where a patron is reading a newspaper with the date of Jack’s death on it (preferably not a character who had any issues with Jack personally), and Elizabeth is reading Jack’s latest letter to Abigail. It’s not quite as good but I think it would get the point across.

Because Hope Valley isn’t really modern enough for addresses, Bill gets the news first. He goes with the Mountie to speak to Elizabeth. This doesn’t give us tonal whiplash from hell, but maybe occurs during a quieter/less busy time.

Also, there is NO Abigail in this scene. She’ll get her time and I feel like her being a leech on Elizabeth’s character was a huge mistake. Let Elizabeth bond with other people!!!!

We could also really use the insight into Bill’s character and how he reacts “in the moment”—particularly compared to how he acts later. Him keeping his cool (for the most part) and then breaking down in the quiet of his own home/at his desk in the jail (or keeping it together until his conversation with Abigail) would do wonders for his character.

The funeral isn’t shown at length. No speeches. (I’m sorry, I don’t care for those and I don’t think Elizabeth would remember them anyway. They’d just be this massive blur.) She reflects on a hazy view of the casket from her own perspective, and maybe I’d add an iconic scene of the horse walking into the mist with the boots in the saddle facing the wrong way.

You know, the kind of scene that isn’t lovely or anything, but it still feels haunting. Especially if that horse is Definitely Sergeant. 

Elizabeth revisiting the grave (as she did in the final episode) is quiet. No music. Just her in the silence walking over to the grave and kneeling in front of it because that’s what it’s like and I feel as if that sort of deeply personal scene would resonate with a lot of viewers. 

I don’t deny that the original scene was lovely but that’s the issue: it shouldn’t be #aesthetic-based because that’s completely unrelatable. Most of us look mediocre at best when we visit a gravesite.

I also think there should be parallel Elizabeth-visiting-Jack’s-grave scenes in later seasons/episodes to show progress, and rather than going on the anniversary of his death maybe she goes on his birthday (and/or other special days) instead to celebrate his life. These scenes are always quiet and always gentle, and if there is music at all it’s just barely there.

I could also really go for her running into someone else there who is visiting a grave if there was time for it, just for a conversation.

I’m also REALLY uncertain about the gravesite they put him in in the actual show, just because I’m not sure Jack’s wife couldn’t pick where he was buried. I feel like for these characters, if Jack wanted to be buried anywhere, it would be near his father or in Hope Valley’s own cemetery (which isn’t shown after S1, but we know is there).

I’d go with Hope Valley for the #aesthetic if nothing else. Then Elizabeth can visit whenever she wants and we could watch her visits drop off over the course of a season or two.

Also then her running into someone else should be her running into Florence visiting Paul’s grave. She doesn’t get much in the way of sweet dialogue so this would be wonderful.

I chose Florence specifically because she doesn’t seem ready to move on and it’s been a long time, and maybe I’d even appreciate a comment along those lines by her: that she doesn’t feel the need to remarry/etc etc. Having Abigail (who did move on) and Florence then to give us both sides of the spectrum...feels good.

Then in later seasons/episodes, Elizabeth could run into people at the grave/around the cemetery who are there specifically to see Jack.

Bill leaving flowers/just standing there quietly.

Abigail coming to talk to him and keep him updated about all the really little things (but never the big things because those are for Elizabeth to tell). Maybe more of a stop-off after visiting the graves of Noah and Peter.

I don’t feel Nathan needs any sort of connection to Jack, but I think just the idea of Jack’s death would be enough to make someone like Nathan think twice. What kind of man was he? What did he die for? How well did he love this town? Will I ever fill the shoes he left? I could see him going and just thinking about those things.

It’s not a masterpiece and perhaps not even possible due to timing (the episode limit really messes with good plotline ideas), but I like the ideas in concept.

[davidmann95]

Could we get a DCEU One Million film?

…huh. That’s a prospect I have to admit I hadn’t considered in the slightest, and one that opens up some really interesting dimensions, ones not even explored in the original crossover.

When I’d thought in terms of a concrete future for the DC movies, my thoughts had always immediately turned to Kingdom Come. That’s sensible, right? A tragic, apocalyptic end to the age of heroes slathered in biblical allusions and set off by an ideological wedge driven between its most iconic heroes, with Alex Ross’s take on the Justice League clearly being the primary aesthetic influence on the DCEU taken from the actual source comics. Everybody fights over vaguely topical concerns, everyone’s framed as gods and they’re all very sad, there’s a gigantic spectacle ending in a tremendous bodycount, and while the ending is an optimistic one, it also ends the idea of superheroes as we’ve always known them, i.e. them dressing in those silly costumes and not grappling at length with their own geopolitcal implications. Hell, this book pioneered Superman brooding because he’s paralyzed with indecision over his place in the world as a symbol and Wonder Woman killing dudes with a sword; that those were deliberate contrasts meant to show how far astray they’d gone didn’t do jack shit considering this is the biggest comic those two have ever been at the center of. Obviously, if there’s any ultimate fate for the universe that would fit with the DCEU’s tonal, aesthetic, and character priorities and tie them all up in a nice bow, it would seem to be this one.

The issue is Justice League happened, and while it only rebooted the whole enterprise in terms of approach rather than continuity (aside from some lazy writing and/or creators throwing their arms up in the air and deciding “this take sucked, we’re going with a new one, deal with it”) - though a continuity component also seems to be coming to double-down on the new take anyway in Flashpoint, a pretty questionable decision at this point - it’s just not the same world anymore. Superman’s all Superman-ey, Batman occasionally cracks jokes, Flash is a goofball, John Williams and Danny Elfman music have taken back over, and with Wonder Woman as the new lead feature, the franchise as a whole seems to be pivoting towards more straightforward blockbuster fare rather than aiming far beyond its reach to try and make The Dark Knight multiplied by The Avengers with the guy behind 300 at the helm. In that context, all our heroes’ noble aspirations going to hell and climaxing in the US Government nuking a sizable portion of Superman’s friends seems significantly less like the inevitable outcome of the entire enterprise.

Assuming the original high concept stayed in place - Justice Legion Alpha travels back in time to get the primordial Justice League to celebrate something in the future, shit goes sideways - the surrounding context is different enough as to produce a totally different effect from the original series. The JLA of that book were old hands at travelling through space and time, and the idea that they’d have massive impact in centuries to come: Flash had a nephew from the 30th century, which Superman regularly commuted to after school as a kid. The idea behind One Million wasn’t what the idea of the 853rd century meant to those characters so much as DC as a whole: that everything turns out okay in the end. Here however, this is the first time these versions of the characters have dealt with anything remotely like this, and so they’re all going to be bringing a ton of emotional baggage into play. Wonder Woman, raised to venerate ancient myths and champions, sees herself reinterpreted as one; nerdy scared Flash learns he gives rise to the most prolific and storied superheroic lineage of all time; Cyborg finds his image smoothed over by the tide of history as another platonic champion rather than a guy who struggles with his body and isn’t sure how he feels about this whole superhero thing period; Aquaman having spent his life running from Atlantis is told he’s destined to become its greatest king; Batman after a career of relative obscurity who knows his end is close at hand and who probably thinks of himself as the guy who got the really important people together in spite of his fuck-ups learns his legacy is in fact acknowledged and maintained forever, even as at the same time he can barely restrain his horror at the idea of Batman always being needed. And Superman? He’s not comfortable with the expectation of godhood, and having literally risen from the dead to prevent hell on Earth means people in the DCEU would likely go from thinking “is he…a god?” to “Yes, yes he is God, this is self-evident and the commonly accepted understanding”. So humanity’s ultimate fate being to deliberately remake itself in his image is something he might not actually be altogether comfortable with. Even whether or not you go whole-hog with Superman living at the heart of a star and reviving Lois and Krypton at the end, or the teams collaborating across 83,000 years to create a computerized murder-sun with an insecurity complex, this brings enough to the table in terms of reconceptualizing the ‘heroes as gods’ vibe of the previous movies and introducing the legacy aspect of these characters in the biggest way possible to more than justify the bonkers conceit narratively.

Aside from that, there’s the practical bonuses; as with Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel, this opens the door for doing bigger and weirder stuff in the other movies, especially since the implicit understanding is that everything weird in the 853rd century has or will have some antecedent in the present; hell, you could set up as many future movies as you wanted with throwaway lines about historical events that the League will eventually go through. Plus WB gets a whole new line of action figures and statues and whatnot out of it, and another gaggle of heroes to pad out the ranks when (or I suppose if at this point given how badly the original plans were clearly knocked off track) they try for their version of Crisis. So while the answer is that of course they’ll never do DC One Million - it’s entirely too ridiculous for them to countenance even now, and between the Legion of Doom, a potential showdown with the Suicide Squad, and Flashpoint (which has its own alternate versions of Justice League characters) there’re already several immediate concerns demanding to be attended to in a Justice League sequel, with Darkseid still an all likelihood waiting in the wings for a third if they make it that far at this point, plus it would sort of undercut the Legion if they ever decided to use them - I’d say that they could, and therefore should.

[junker-town]

Chandler Jones is being overlooked yet again

The Cardinals’ Chandler Jones recorded a career-best four sacks in a 27-21 win against the Giants.

Maybe this will finally be the year Chandler Jones is in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

It’s that time of the year again, folks.

You know, the time of the year when Chandler Jones completely goes off in a game and reminds everybody just how cold he is at getting quarterbacks on the ground.

I love it because it gives me an excuse to write about him at least once every season. I hate that it’s necessary, though, to still have to be reminding some folks of just how good Jones is in friggin’ 2019. Like, how is everyone not recognizing the greatness? This guy can, and does, do it all when it comes to the art of pass rushing.

However, when the subject of the best pass rushers in the league comes up, how long does it take before people get to his name? That’s if his name even comes up. Hell, he wasn’t even included on several lists of the top 100 players in the NFL from last year.

Bruh ...

As a reminder, we are talking about a guy who has found a way to notch double-digit sacks in all but two of his first seven seasons in the league. That includes the last four seasons in a row. It’s also important to remember that we are only two seasons removed from Jones leading the entire league in sacks with 17. But even after that big year, has anybody seriously thrown his name around for consideration when talking about prospective Defensive Player of the Year candidates?

Maybe this will put into perspective why excluding Jones in the top pass rusher discussions is so egregious. Since he was drafted in 2012, Jones has by far the most sacks of anyone who came into the league that year or later. According to Pro Football Reference, he is currently ranked 55th in NFL the history in career sacks with 85.5. The next-closest player who came into the league the same year as Jones?

Olivier Vernon, who is tied for 168th on the list with 52 career sacks.

Want to know another fun fact? Jones is also the last New England Patriots player to have double-digit sacks in a season, which he did in his final year with the team in 2015.

I just don’t understand how someone with that kind of résumé continues to be overlooked . That is, until he has another monster game like he did in the Cardinals’ 27-21 win over the Giants in Week 7.

Not only was Jones a one-man wrecking crew, he also saved his best plays for when the Cardinals needed them most.

How Jones’ second sack swung momentum back in the Cardinals’ favor

Arizona jumped out to a 17-0 lead early on Sunday, but the Giants roared back. In less than two minutes, that lead was cut to three points with 9:52 left on the clock in the first half. The game was close for the rest of the day. But time and time again, Jones came up with big plays to help keep the Giants at bay.

However, I want to highlight Jones’ second sack of the afternoon because it was the most significant play he made all game. It happened in the middle of the third quarter when the Cardinals were still clinging to a 17-14 lead. Their defense was showing signs of faltering. In seven plays, the Giants had worked the ball all the way down from their own 32-yard line, to the Arizona 37-yard line. At that range, they looked to be in position to at least tie the game with a field goal if nothing else, while a touchdown would’ve given them their first lead of the game.

The Giants came out with Daniel Jones under center, a tight end and wide receiver to the offensive right side, and two wide receivers to the left. Saquon Barkley was lined up in the dot about seven yards deep directly behind quarterback.

The important thing to know about this play is that it was supposed to be a screen to Barkley. Daniel Jones’ job was to carry out a play-action fake to Barkley as if Barkley might be running a sprint draw.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was the plan, because it’s basically the only way to make sense of the Giants trying to single-block Chandler Jones with tight end Evan Engram. Engram is known as more of a pass catcher, but he is a willing blocker, too. The problem is even good offensive tackles catch hell trying to block Jones one-on-one, so asking Engram to do so was clearly unfair.

But the Giants weren’t expecting Engram to have to block the pass rusher for long. The trouble came when Barkley stepped up maybe one step too many, which allowed Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks to make contact with Barkley and keep him from being available to catch the screen pass. While Hicks was hemming up Barkley, Jones was busy absolutely rag-dolling Engram once he recognized it was a pass.

Daniel Jones, seeing that throwing the ball to Barkley might end in disaster, tried to go to his left to buy time for Barkley to break away from Hicks. On film, it looks like he was just about to give up and throw the ball at Barkley’s feet, but he never got the chance. Now that Chandler Jones had shed Engram’s block, he saw what was happening and completely laid out with both arms fully extended to get to the rookie quarterback and, specifically, to get at the ball.

It appears Jones’ left hand was the one that met the pigskin and knocked the football right out of Daniel Jones’ right hand before he could cock back to throw. The ball took a lucky bounce and landed right into Chandler Jones’ lap to complete the hat trick on the play.

Jones’ sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery not only turned away a Giants drive that seemed destined to at least tie the game with a field goal, it also gave the Cardinals’ offense outstanding field position of their own. Three plays later and Arizona was in the end zone again to extend a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

In addition to that awesome play, I want to point out the influence Jones had on the outcome throughout that game. For instance, after his first of sack of the game in the middle of the first quarter, Daniel Jones threw a pick on the very next play.

The third of his four (!) sacks on the day also came on a play where the Giants were already at the Arizona 25-yard line late in the third quarter. The Giants, who were down 24-14 at the time, ended up missing a field goal two plays later. After his fourth and final sack of the game, the Giants turned the ball over on downs a few plays later.

It just doesn’t get much more impactful than that.

I don’t know what it will take for more people to start fully appreciating Chandler Jones’ dominance, but what I do know is whether anybody recognizes him or not, he just keeps right on balling every year. That dude has been remarkably consistent with his pass-rushing prowess and production since his arrival in the NFL eight years ago and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down a bit.

On Sunday, he showed everyone once again just how destructive he can be to an opponent’s game plan, and Arizona needed every single play of his to pull off that road win.

Oh, and don’t look now but Jones’ big day pushed him up to 8.5 sacks on the season. That’s just behind the current league leaders in the category, Myles Garrett and Shaquil Barrett, who have nine apiece. I should probably mention that he also has four forced fumbles and two passes defensed on the season as well.

Now, let’s see just how long it takes for Jones’ name to be included in upcoming Defensive Player of the Year discussions.

[chapulana]

Bryson Tiller - T R A P S O U L / Album Review

Bryson Tiller’s highly anticipated first studio album, T R A P S O U L, finally saw the light of the day on October 2, just a month ago. With a promising career and envisioning a bright future since his early days, Tiller put a massive effort into an album that sounds incredibly good for this young 22 year old man.

With a hard working background, taking care of a kid and holding two jobs at the same time (both at Papa Johns and UPS), his time for rap was totally trimmed in the past, not allowing him to put full attention to its development. Even with that, he broke into the scene in 2011 with his mixtape Killer Instincts. Now things have changed. Tiller signed with RCA Records turning down Drake’s OVO, and with this his first serious album he’s making an impact that will probably make him last around.

With a melodic sound that clearly displays R&B and trap soul elements, this album has one clear and personal side in it in which Tiller goes all over a love relationships with an alleged girl that appears all over the track list. On top of those thoughtful songs, Bryson sings a few tracks in where he introduce himself and his hometown Louisville in a way much more aggressive, making you know, even if you don’t want to hear it, that he’s here to stay. You have to believe this, because if he was able to pull this album without practically touching any of the beats he worked with, it’s to expect that he’ll crush it even more when he has the time and rights to get over them in future works.

The whole project starts with “Intro (Difference)”, where Tiller introduces himself to a girl telling her that he’s different from everything she knows. The first thirty seconds are enough to know what you’re about to listen through the whole album. It looks promising and Bryson makes it interesting to the listener. Although he has made it clear that this was a project packed with personal songs about love, I took a different route halfway through the second song to translate this girl into music and the rap scene, which makes perfect sense through most of the album.

Tiller wants the music industry to know he’s different. Tiller wants the music industry to know he’s here and that he’s about to become famous, to become the next one. And he’s definitely crazy about music now that he’s fully devoted to it. He doesn’t want to fall in the same errors he once did, and he’s willing to improve and make everything for this girl, which roughly translates to him being full committed to rap after getting rid of the jobs he once find hard to get.

One great line to me in this double-meaning story is when he says “I was scrollin' through the 'gram, girl, I had to follow you ”. In an era where Internet is about everywhere, Bryson found his first huge hit in “Don’t”, which has been played almost 30 million (!) times in SoundCloud and which talks about how this girl (for us music, remember) has never been fully loved and therefore he’s the one to offer her the goods she’s never had.

It’s in the seventh track where Tiller shows his double face. At this point you have a clear concept of the softness of his sounds and melodies, but it all goes off in “Ten Nine Fourteen”. He starts a rant. A rant about how great he is, about how he got in touch with Drake, about how Timbaland contacted him and then signed him, and something less important but equally interesting on how he feels Lil Wayne must had been on acid when he was rapping and selling megatons of tons of Carters.

The rest of the album goes back to his already listened soft sounds, although he maintains his sharpness all the way through it. In back to back songs (“Rambo” and “502 Come Up”) he goes back to the route he followed in his first rant, advising other rappers to be careful about who they’re dealing with because he’s made with an special mold. Bryson is not here to play no games, he’s motherfucking Rambo, so you better watch out. Then after that, he turns into a Drake-esque tone to put Louisville in the map, and he’s nothing but humble putting himself up to the heights of DeVante Parker and D’Angelo Russell, two studs about to crush the NFL and the NBA that, not coincidentally, come from the “Ville”.

To close the album Tiller turns on the girl conversation again, making it clear that he wants no gold diggers around, that he’s so deep into loving her (in “Been That Way”, the song I personally think you have the most chances of end listening in any radio station), and that he’ll be with the girl no matter what happen and what other guys think about it. To close his first project, Bryson goes quite personal (the song is actually a response to his girlfriend after he received a large text message from her he didn’t know how to reply to) and say sorry to his girl.

All through this work he’s fighting, he’s trying, he’s asking for second chances, and both this girl and music industry must give him that opportunity of making it. Bryson Tiller is who he is, and he seems to be the one. The one you’re more than destined to hear about.

[therealestatesparkblog]

Ignore This Principle and You'll Destroy Your Real Estate Career

I admit it. Im a recovering engineer. Truth be told, I should never have gone to engineering school. I didnt know myself at all. I didnt know my strengths and weaknesses, my likes and dislikes. I didnt know I was created to be an entrepreneur and certainly didnt know about the power of real estate investing. So, in my Junior year of high school, I learned that there were no degrees in parapsychology (yes, Im embarrassed to say Im serious). I wanted to do something adventurous, and thats about the time I heard about petroleum engineering. So I signed up. That was my first big career mistake. But I shouldnt lament. I enjoyed a rigorous education, and my (more valuable) MBA degree seemed easy by comparison (no calculus or physics!). And I learned an important Buffettism before Id ever heard of Warren Buffett. I hope you already know about it, in name or in practice, but if you dont practice it, youre sure to come to financial ruin. Its called the margin of safety. This post is the 7th in a series that Bryan Taylor, John Jacobus, and I affectionately call Warren Buffett is my Real Estate Mentor. We hope Buffetts wisdom impacts you as it has us. What is the Margin of Safety? The margin of safety is a principle of investing in which an investor only purchases assets when their purchase price is significantly below their estimate of intrinsic value. In other words, when the purchase price of an asset is significantly below your estimation of its intrinsic value, the difference is the margin of safety. Because investors may set a margin of safety in accordance with their own risk preferences, buying assets when this difference is present allows an investment to be made with lower downside risk. Thus sayeth Investopedia.

Related: What Interviewing 100+ Investors on Failure Taught Me About Losing Money What Sayeth Warren Buffett? Well, if youre driving a truck across a bridge that holdsit says it holds 10,000 poundsand youve got a 9,800-pound vehicle, you know, if the bridge is about six inches above the crevice that it covers, you may feel OK. But if its, you know, over the Grand Canyon, you may feel you want a little larger margin of safety, in terms of only driving a 4,000-pound truck, or something, across. So it depends on the nature of the underlying risk. Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1997 This really did remind me of engineering school. When designing drilling rigs or bridges, we had to design all of the components to withstand all of the forces that could be involved. When all the calculations were done, we had to slap on a margin of safety or safety factor. If the safety factor was 3.2, we had to make it 220% stronger than it needed to be. (That would mean a margin of safety of 2.2, but that is getting technical.) To a 19-year-old punk, this seemed like a needless waste. Wait the biggest semi-truck allowed on this road weighs 80,000 pounds. But we have to design the bridge to withstand 256,000 pounds? Isnt that a huge waste? (I didnt know that one in four U.S. bridges failed in the 1800s.) Thirty-six years later, this makes a lot of sense. But it didnt then. I hadnt thought of this engineering term when making investments, but the widely-read Buffett connected the dots for me. The margin of safety is a key concept for us to understand when making an investment in something that has inherent unknowns. Which is every investment I can think of. The margin of safety is a risk management concept that forces us to think about our purchase price relative to our estimate of intrinsic value. Using non-financial examples, like Buffetts bridge, really drives the point home for me. Having a margin of safety is an intuitive concept when deciding to cross a bridge (unless youre a daredevil), but can be more difficult to see when studying, say, a pro forma analysis of a potential investment. So, What Does This Mean for Real Estate Investors? Real estate has numerous unknowns. Your floating debt may change based on unpredictable factors. Your local economy may suffer layoffs. Your property manager may make bad decisions. Your turnaround plan may suffer from unforeseen tariffs on raw materials. The list goes on. The challenge is to not focus on accurately calculating a margin of safety for all of these unknowns. You just cant do this effectively. (Check out this earlier article on becoming a billionaire by being approximately right on a few key variables.) The key is to purchase real estate at a price that allows for a safety net in the event that some random combination of these currently unknown events occur. Related: 3 Ways to Reduce Risk in Your Real Estate Portfolio Some Practical Examples Ensuring that your investment property has adequate debt service coverage (DSC) is a great example why building in a margin of safety is crucial. You must ensure that your cash flow is sufficient to cover your debt obligations. But should you simply make sure that it covers it by just 100%? Or should you make sure that you cover debt service by more than 100%? You know the answer. You dont want to risk some unknown occurrence which would increase your operating expenses and leave you unable to pay your mortgage. Thats a good way to learn a very hard lesson in real estate. Youll be glad to know your banker wont allow this to happen. They insist on a margin of safety of at least 25% (debt service coverage ratio of 1.25xyou should aim for much higher than this). Another great example is forecasting occupancy and rent rates on multifamily properties. You can easily find data that shows average occupancy and rent rates for comparable properties. When you do, should you simply use those averages for your forecasting purposes? No. When applying a margin of safety, youll want to forecast your occupancy below market averages and the same for rent rates. This is often described as being conservative, but really youre adding a margin of safety in the event your property suffers low occupancy or your forecasted rent rates are not happening. Your investors will thank you, trust me.

Why Im Not Investing in Multifamily Right Now As the author of an arrogantly titled book on multifamily investing, Im frequently asked why Im not (or why Im rarely) investing in multifamily right now. And why our company has expanded to self-storage and mobile home parks. Its a fair question that deserves an answer. My response involves the margin of safety. As Ive said in several recent BiggerPockets posts, most anyone in the multifamily world knows prices are crazy overheated right now. Yet there are still plenty of eager buyers, seemingly eager to overpay. I have some theories on why this is happening, and some insightful commenters on my last post added some more. This is obviously continuing to drive prices higher. I hope youre not one of these overzealous buyers, but if you are, I urge you to STOP IT! My firm is still reviewing multifamily opportunities, but we believe that most of them will be on the other side of a market correction. Correction? When? That would require a crystal ball to predict. And those who live by a crystal ball are destined to eat ground glass. Buffett wont even predict the timing of these downturns. But he has learned to act appropriately at each point in the cycle. And thats what we must do, too. I was at a large conference in Miami two weeks ago, and one of Americas most famous multifamily syndicators challenged my thinking. He has been incredibly successful during this nearly decade-long run-up in prices, and hes earned the right to be heard. He said, Dont worry about overpaying for multifamily. Just find a great property in a great location. He went on to explain his reasons. (Im not naming him because I didnt catch the exact quote, and I dont want to make him look bad.) My friends, my mind drifted quickly to Mr. Buffett, who has been massively successful since about the year this guy was born. Through many recessions, wars and more, Buffett has amassed one of historys most enviable fortunes. And hes given us his wisdom all along the way. Would Warren Buffett ever say this? Would he say, Im fine with consistently overpaying for companies I buy? Not on your life. Buffett clearly looks for companies that are undervalued, with latent potential that is yet unrealized. Buffett had the guts to buy financial equities when the financial markets were in a free fall in 2008. Buffett has consistently said no to buying at the top of the market. Buffett lives by the margin of safety. We would do well to do likewise.

What about you? How do you factor in a margin of safety when investing in real estate? Comment below! https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/ignore-principle-youll-destroy-real-estate-career/

[5hfanfiction]

Leaving All I've Ever Known - Chapter 1

This is a story of what happened to Camila after she left Fifth Harmony. It’s December 2017 & it’s been exactly 1 year since Camila started her solo career. She’s been a success so far, charting alongside Fifth Harmony who’ve just finished their 3rd album & tour.

With all 5 of the girls’ life heading into directions they’d only thought could happen in their dreams, will they ever cross paths again? Or are Fifth Harmony & Camila destined to pursue their already seprate singing careers alone?

Read the next chapter @1000camren on Wattpad

——-

“So something like ’I have always encouraged you to be fearless, to do what makes you happy…’”

“I want to write ’to live your life in the name of love and do what makes you happy.’”

“… Sure. That’s fine. Now mention how excited you are to finally start your solo career and do your own thing.”

I look up at Roger, slightly taken aback but not completely surprised by his bluntness. My eyebrows are furrowed. I’m deep in thought trying to think of the best way to voice the ideas he has for me in my response to Fifth Harmony’s letter.

“How about ’as scary as it is to take the leap’…” I pause, trying to think the best way to address the fans. “I am excited and full of joy because I know that no matter what happens, I am following my heart.’?”

From the corner of my eye, I see Roger pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a better idea than my own for my final goodbye letter to the harmonizers. It’s a tense time. I’ve hardly gotten any sleep. What Roger and I decide to present to the world will impact mine and the rest girls careers. We have to be smart about this.

“That’s good… keep that. Just end it with ’I hope to see you on my journey.‘ We’ve got to keep as many of those harmonizers on our side as we can.” Roger laughs, amused by his comment.

I briefly smile at his response that I knew was a joke. But what if they do abandon me? I know for a fact some will hate me. But will there be enough fans that like me remaining? Am I nothing but a wannabe solo artist that used to be in a girl group?

My breath begins to pick up and the pounding in my head, that hasn’t stopped since last night, intensifies. My anxiety is out of control at this point. Everything from worrying about the fans and their uncertain loyalty to me, to worrying about my family and the repercussions this letter might have on them and to my bandmates… or ex-bandmates. To Fifth Harmony… to Fourth Harmony? To Ally, Dinah, Normani and Lauren.

“Uhh, then put ’yours sincerely, Camil-”

“-Wait, I’m not saying goodbye to the girls?…”

Roger stopped pacing to look at me. I don’t think he expected me to be so serious.  Which I was, very serious. I had been on this 4 year long journey with 4 people that have dictated and moulded who I am today. Waking up with them, eating with them, even being in the spotlight with them changed everything about me.  The least I could do was write a paragraph detailing what I know is an endless list of things I want to share with them. The memories, struggles and bonds I’ve had with them individually. If not for them, then for the harmonizers. Let them see how much I loved every single one of the girls. It’s a love that will in no way ever deplenish. It’s forever expansive because as they grow and I grow separately, the memories that forefront Fifth Harmony will be the good ones, and not the bad ones that have been tainting my recollection of being in the group lately.  I couldn’t imagine a stronger friendship between 5 girls formed from something so plastic.

I looked down, clearly upset that this letter, that’s meant to convey everything my heart had left for Fifth Harmony, for one last time, was being edited and composed almost without my hearts input.

“We would be crossing too many boundaries that me and Fifth Harmony’s management have already worked long and hard for to exist. Distancing you and them is the key Camila.”

That’s what Fifth Harmony’s management seem to be trying to do to with the letter they wrote about my departure from the group.  The girls didn’t write that, I’m certain of it. We had discussed and talked about how I was feeling, way before today. Being in Fifth Harmony became too much for me, not the singing or touring or meeting fans, no, not what the world sees. But the countless hours in the studio, having to regurgitate the same 5 sentences over and over again to press. There was no room for expression. No self expression. The only way I could do that, was during the rare moment I had to myself. Those seemed to reduce over the years, especially in 2016. And I guess management didn’t like our forms or retaliation, or when we confronted them. So getting my own manager and collaborating with other artists, gave them the perfect opportunity to present me as an individual from the group.

I weakly nod my head anyway. This is how things are now. In many ways, this is how things have always been. Management got the last say, but this time, I’m alone to accept and deal with it all.

“Just write ’yours sincerely, Camila.' and post it.

"How about ’love, Camila.’, you know, make it a bit more heartfelt?” I can’t believe I was asking Roger for permission on how to end my letter.

“Okay. Then send it.”

I looked down, typing out the last words that I’ll ever be allowed to direct to Fifth Harmony.

C - a - m - i - l - a.

That’s it. Goodbye Fifth Harmony.

“One minute, let’s me check if everything’s correct.”

Roger began scanning the text that I feel like I’ve wrote and rewrote 1000 times already. “Frozen yogurt, blah blah blah… live your life… my journey, love Camila. Good. That’s good, now post it.”

My finger hovered over the publish button. Once this is out, it’s out.  There’s no doubt people are going to scrutinise and pick on everything I said. They’ll manipulate my words. They’ll do everything they can to ruin me.  By 'they’ I mean my ex-management. Maverick will make up false rumours. I’m calling them out, and to retaliate, they’ll try to ruin me.

Maverick and our labels ruined everything I’ve ever cared about in the group. They completely cut our creative outlet, we barely got a choice to what outfits we wear. They’ve ruined friendships… relationships.

They will do as they please, so why not push it that extra bit further?

When Roger turns away, I add in an extra 4 letter long word after 'love’. A final middle finger to management and the label. They know exactly what the word means to me.

o - n - l - y

*click*

I press send and wait for the world to react.

——-

Hi! Thanks for reading my new fanfic! To read chapter 2, go to @1000camren on Wattpad :)

[justforbooks]

Why Mandy Patinkin Is Furious ?

Mandy Patinkin is angry. Not the sort of simmering frustration he exudes while playing Saul Berenson on "Homeland," but something far more visceral and candid.

"There's real fear and there's made-up, false fear, OK?" he said, jabbing his finger. "Real fear is when your house is on fire, or a bomb's coming through your living room."

The "false fear," he said, is when politicians in America or Europe say: "You need to be afraid of refugees, and we have to ban all of these people because they are a threat to our safety."

The 64-year-old sat down to speak with NBC News Monday after traveling with the International Committee of the Red Cross along one of Europe's migrant routes.

It's a perilous path on which hundreds of thousands of people have fled, escaping war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa and risking death in search of better lives in Europe and beyond.

After a four-decade career — with highlights including "Homeland," the 1980s cult classic "The Princess Bride," and a Tony-winning Broadway career — the actor turned to refugee activism in 2015, when he first traveled to the Greek islands. "Donald Trump is, first and foremost, a human being. And human beings have hearts and compassion and morality and ethics and I believe, at Donald Trump's core, he too has that."

Like Trump's promise to build a wall on the Mexico border and curb immigration, Europe's leaders have begun tightening their own controls.

The mountains of life jackets, the desperate families, the children plucked from dinghies — all of it had a profound impact on Patinkin. He calls global mistrust of refugees "a tragic cancer of fear that is growing in epidemic proportions — based on falsehoods."

That falsehood is the allegation that refugees are dangerous, when in fact Patinkin points out that the facts suggest otherwise.

Of 3,024 deadly terrorist incidents by foreign-born attackers since 1975, only three were refugees — all Cubans who committee their attacks in the 1970s before more thorough screening was introduced in the next decade — according to a report by the Cato Institute last year.

The chance of an American being killed in a terror attack perpetrated by a refugee is 1 in 3.64 billion, the study said.

"I will repeat these facts until I have no more breath," Patinkin said of the disparity between evidence and public opinion.

Last week, he traveled to the Greek island of Lesbos, where people land on flimsy, overcrowded boats, and others wash up drowned. He went to the Serbian capital of Belgrade, a choke-point along the transit route, and then to Germany, the destination many people are trying to reach.

It's no coincidence, the shared themes between his activism and the plot lines of "Homeland," a show he co-produces while playing an emotionally tortured CIA chief.

"It is a privilege to try to hold the mirror up to nature," he said of the show. "And the nature of the world is burning and on fire all around us … All I wanted to do … was to connect with reality, not the fictional world I was making my living in, but reality."

His connection to the crisis is also rooted in his own family history. Patinkin is a Jew whose grandfather fled the Nazis in Poland, and whose grandmother escaped the Russian pogroms.

"I wouldn't be sitting here if America hadn't opened its arms to refugees," he said.

And while Europe has been rattled by a border crisis over the past three years, Patinkin is most animated by the mention of President Donald Trump.

Does Patinkin believe that he could change the president's mind? Would Trump be swayed if he were to travel to the Greek islands and witness the human suffering firsthand?

"I know it would get through to him. I believe it," Patinkin said. "I believe it because Donald Trump is, first and foremost, a human being. And human beings have hearts and compassion and morality and ethics and I believe, at Donald Trump's core, he too has that."

He added that, for all the people he reaches through his activism, "the man I want to get to more than anyone" is Trump.

After challenges by the courts, on Monday the president signed a revised version of an executive order banning people from Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Iraq was removed from the list.

The president's view appears to be a popular one. In January, a poll by the Pew Research Center found that 46 percent of Americans thought that "a large number of refugees leaving countries such as Iraq and Syria" was a major threat to American security.

Patinkin has no doubt where the blame for that lies: politicians scaring people to bolster their own support.

"The biggest tool of this fear game is what you're watching with Donald Trump and his administration right at this moment," he said. "He's trying to pay back the people who voted for him. And how did he win their vote?... [he said], 'I'll put up a wall. I'll ban Muslims to make you afraid of them. And I will keep you safe.'"

Patinkin continues to mockingly assume Trump's voice, now shouting and pointing across the table: "'I will fix your fear. I will fix you. I will make you safe. You vote for me … even if it's not based on fact or necessity.'"

But while Patinkin is clearly angry about their direction of travel, he is careful not to demonize people who back Trump's agenda.

"I put my feet in their shoes every minute that I possibly can. I have great empathy for them," he said. "If you don't have a job, or healthcare or opportunity for god-knows how many years because the government isn't working for you, you need a change. And if you want that change to be something that's outside of the status quo, you vote for the one available person that was there and that guy's name was Donald Trump. I get it, OK? These are my neighbors, these aren't my enemies, these are my fellow citizens."

His solution?

"We talk. We listen to each other," he said, decelerating his tone from fiery sermon to almost a whisper. "That's one of the big cancers that happening in the world: People don't listen to each other."

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[torentialtribute]

Wales boss Warren Gatland piles pressure on experimental England line-up by picking strongest side

On Friday evening, Warren Gatland and his Wales assistants would meet Eddie Jones for dinner. On Sunday, their strong side can get England & # 39; s head coach thinking on the eve of appointing his World Cup team.

What awaits can be clearly indigestible for England. In Twickenham, an experimental home team will collide with a Welsh juggernaut after Gatland revealed his strongest line-up in the search for a record 15th consecutive Test Win at the expense of the old enemy.

The bigger picture is all about the World Cup next month and in that respect the Kiwi leading the visitors wants to disrupt the plans of his Australian opponent.

Warren Gatland has chosen its strongest side to be in England on Sunday play on Twickenham

England & # 39; s tournament team of 31 will be announced Monday in Bristol, only Gatland knows that a Welsh victory could have an impact that goes beyond the usual bragging. He is aware that Wales will be favorites to beat this specific set of red roses.

Gatland said: & # 39; External expectations of us will be imposed, we must embrace that and enter the competition with confidence.

& # 39; Hopefully we can spoil their party and make it difficult for them on Monday in terms of selection. & # 39;

These countries are potential quarter-final opponents in Japan, so there is a broader context of what happens during the double-header this and next weekend in London and Cardiff.

The Welsh are training in Switzerland and are going to increase their World Cup prep

When asked about Jones who named his squad tournament so far before the September 8 deadline, Gatland said: & # 39; He must be very clear in his own mind what he thinks his squadron is going to be.

& # 39; I am sure they will have more than 31 in training. They have the option to bring in others before they go to Japan or during the tournament. I didn't make too much of it. They have their own approach. & # 39;

Review of the Wales team by tomorrow, Gatland added: & # 39; We need to force ourselves and bring some physicality to ask them questions because they are not the largest back line

& # 39; It is probably not the largest forward pack either. & # 39;

England is led by George Ford, equipped with permanent captain Owen Farrell. They have an uncovered vice captain in Kiwi scrum-half Willi Heinz, while Bath's right wing Ruaridh McConnochie is another debutant.

George Ford starts for England and is also the leader of an experimental set-up

There are three players without limit on the bank. Among those in audition mode is Anthony Watson, back after a 17-month international exile caused by a serious Achilles tendon injury. Asked about Te & o 39 yesterday, defense coach John Mitchell suggested about a recent injury, but refused to say if that was the reason for his absence.

His inclusion in the last 31 was assured and there is a mystery surrounding his omission.

Sportsmail understands that I had a calf injury, but there is an unconfirmed report that he was involved in a confrontation with a teammate that led to his removal from the team.

It is not even clear where Te & # 39; o, 32 is training because he left Worcester at the end of last season and his next destination is unknown.

Piers Francis stepped from Northampton into the void, highly regarded by Jones.

Piers Francis has Ben Replaced in the team and Ford likes to play with him

Not just Jones, actually. Ford was enthusiastic about the man who will start next to him and said: & # 39; Piers has played quite a bit 10, he is playing at 12 and I am pretty sure he can also play 13.

& # 39; He is good at

& # 39; He is dedicated and quite decisive, which is great because you sometimes need a clear phone call or someone to target you. . He has great skills.

& # 39; He can kick and fit, he is a good communicator. & # 39;

There will be pressure on Jones to make the right phone calls Monday, especially if the Wales game has left him with a mountain of indigestible food to think about.

Mitchell, who served as the head coach of the All Blacks at the 2003 World Cup, said: & # 39; It's a difficult time for a head coach. You make major decisions about the career of young men. They all want to go to the Rugby World Cup. "For some, the dream unfortunately has to end quickly.

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7 Types of Love You’ll Experience Before You Meet “The One”

You might assume that if you fall in love, it’s with “The One”.

But by this point in your life, you’ve probably loved a few men…and none of them has worked out. You remember feeling like you loved them…were you wrong? Not at all. There are actually different types of love and each is good in its own way, and you gain great experiences from each.

Why does no one tell you this?! It would be helpful to understand that not every man you fall in love with is meant to be the one you end up with.

We need a manual on love, I think.

Why Different Types of Love are Good For You

You remember being in your teens or twenties and falling head over heels for a guy. Maybe you even dreamed of that big wedding and all those kids you’d have. Now you’re older and wiser and can’t believe you ever thought you’d end up with Davey from your typewriting class.

But that doesn’t mean you didn’t love Davey. It was genuine…for that phase of your life and who you were at the time. Both your experiences and where you are in your life can impact the types of love you have, as well as your relationship with a man.

Experiencing different types of love expands your experience and helps you understand both what you want…and what you don’t want in a lasting relationship.

Let’s dive into the seven types of love you may experience. Some of them are less healthy than others, but I firmly believe that you can learn something from every type of love and every relationship you have.

1. Infatuation

Also known as puppy love, this may feel real (and super intense), but ultimately it is fleeting. It usually happens within the first few weeks of dating someone new. You’re drunk on that feeling of infatuation. You can’t get enough of the guy…and he can’t get enough of you. You may hole up in his bed for an entire weekend and your friends think you’re dead in a ditch somewhere.

But you’re having an incredible time. You’re seeing nothing but possibilities. After all, this guy could be Mr. Right, couldn’t he? You’re already thinking about the summer getaway you’ll take…and maybe, if you’re honest, about what your wedding would be like.

And if you’re having sex, this feeling of infatuation will only be magnified. But in reality, most of that is just lust.

But then…maybe you start to notice how loud his laugh is when you’re in public. Or how it’s really not all that awesome that he has no car and you have to drive him everywhere. Some of that glitter fades and you realize you have nothing in common with this man.

The bloom is off the rose, as they say.

You quickly move from being completely gaga and unable to think of anything but this man to seeing all the reasons you’re not right for one another. And that’s a good thing because you’re realizing early on that this isn’t the guy for you.

Now, don’t get me wrong: infatuation is a healthy and necessary part of finding the perfect fit. You’re bonding to one another emotionally, physically, and biochemically. And if feels freaking fantastic, doesn’t it?

What You Learn From This Type of Love: If you’ve been through a divorce or it’s been eons since you last tumbled into love, infatuation provides a useful service: it makes you feel desired and attractive again. Your memories of your marriage might be fights and his put-downs, but here’s a guy who can gaze into your eyes and make you feel like the only woman in the room. There’s definitely value in that, even if he doesn’t end up being the one you end up with forever.

2. Friendly Love

You care for this guy…just not romantically.

On paper, this guy has it all. He likes the same music. He’s got a great career. He’s kind to everyone. He treats you like a queen. He’s a great guy and you want to love him…but honestly, you feel something more like brotherly love for him.

You try to force a relationship at first. After all, what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you feel passion and attraction for this amazing man?

The thing is, no matter how “perfect” for you a man seems to be, that doesn’t make him right for you romantically. There’s a lot at work when it comes to physical, emotional, and romantic attraction, and this man clearly doesn’t check all the boxes, no matter how much you want him to.

In a study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers found that men and women who were friends were more likely to stay that way than become romantically involved. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

This type of love is a great base for friendship, and who couldn’t use more friends?

What You Learn From This Type of Love: It’s a fact: you can’t force romance. Sometimes being friends is what you were destined to be, and having a male friend provides so many perks. You can better understand the opposite sex, which can help you in dating and relationships. You can get his opinion on men you’re talking to, to see if they’re genuine and good potential suitors. You can learn how to be a better communicator, and you’ll always have a plus-one for events when you don’t have a date! And you never know: if you relax and be yourself around him as a friend, things might melt back into romantic love down the road.

3. Obsessive Love

via GIPHY

This type of love might start out like infatuation, but it quickly takes a wrong turn.

You freak out when he doesn’t text you back immediately…

You wonder where he is when he’s not with you…

You get upset when he doesn’t do what you think he should.

If you admit it, you feel a bit unbalanced and unlike yourself with him. Normally you’re the one being chased in a relationship, but you are desperate to have all of his attention, and you’ll do anything to get it.

Is your attachment style anxious-preoccupied? Probably. You may spend a lot of time being anxious about this relationship. Any time he gives you attention, you feel like the sun is shining on you. When he doesn’t, you feel like things are doomed.

In an obsessive love relationship, you may have low self-esteem, jealousy, and/or a need to control, even if these aren’t your normal ways of being in a relationship. There’s just some cocktail of chemicals and emotions with this guy that’s making you completely out of whack.

Pay attention, because obsessive love can be a serious disorder that needs to be treated with medication or psychotherapy. But it doesn’t have to be to that degree for it to negatively impact your life.

What You Learn From This Type of Love: This isn’t love! Any man that you look to for your source of happiness isn’t the right one. You may need to spend some time alone so that you learn how to be happy by yourself before getting into your next relationship.

It’s also a good lesson that you can’t control anything in life.

4. Codependent Love

You may make each other miserable, but you think you need one another.

Here’s another type of love that isn’t necessarily good for you.

With codependent love, one or both of you have unhealthy behaviors that the other is fostering. Shawn Meghan Burn, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, defines codependent love like this:

“I prefer to think of codependent relationships as a specific type of dysfunctional helping relationship. Broadly speaking, in dysfunctional helping relationships, one person’s help supports (enables) the other’s underachievement, irresponsibility, immaturity, addiction, procrastination, or poor mental or physical health.”

You may have explosive arguments. Drug or alcohol use. Abuse. Lying. Cheating.

Despite all of this negativity, you feel like you won’t find better. That you need this person to survive. That, in some twisted way, you’re good for each other.

This isn’t love, either. It’s drama, and believe me, sexy, confident lady, you can and will find better.

What You Learn From This Type of Love: There’s a lesson in everything, isn’t there? I think the lesson in codependent love is that you need to feel needed…just not like this. Whatever the bad behavior is, it masks bigger issues in the relationship that you need to work on by yourself before moving into your next healthy relationship.

5. Unrequited Love

He’s put you in the friend zone…but you want more.

I think we’ve all experienced this at some point in our lives: you have feelings for someone who doesn’t return them.

You aren’t in a relationship, but might be friends. It might be the Harry to your Sally, and you’re wondering when you’ll turn into a couple just like they did in the movies (I curse rom-coms for giving women an unrealistic expectation of romance!).

He seems perfect for you…so why doesn’t he feel the same?

Realize that you may be inflating how great this guy is simply because you can’t have him. It’s the whole “grass is greener” thing. Because he isn’t interested, he’s the more appealing. Try to step back and look at him for who he is. You might realize that he’s not all that compatible with you.

You may never even tell the object of your affections that you have feelings for him, though if you do, at least you know whether he feels the same or not. Otherwise, you’ll always wonder.

What You Learn From This Type of Love: This type of love teaches you what love shouldn’t feel like: it needs to be two-sided to thrive.

6. All-You Love

You give, give, give and get nothing in return.

Here’s another one-sided kind of love. You’re in a relationship, but you’re the one giving everything.

You sacrifice, you compromise. He takes.

You let him pick the restaurant whenever you go out because he’s pickier than you about where you eat.

Or, when he tells you he has a job offer across the country, you swallow your sadness about uprooting your life and leaving your friends and go to support him.

Your friends don’t understand why you’re with him because they don’t see him sacrificing or giving anything to you. But you’re so in love that you don’t see it.

Sadly, this relationship won’t last forever because eventually, you will run out of things to give. Just like a plant, you need things to thrive. Instead of sunlight, air, and water, you need love, affection, and selflessness. Without him giving those things, you will wither and your love will die.

What You Learn From This Type of Love: It’s beautiful to give in a relationship, but it needs to be balanced. You will realize your own self-worth and that you deserve someone who is just as eager as you are to contribute to the relationship.

7. Healthy Love

This type of love is worth waiting for!

Ahh, finally! The crème de la crème of love. Healthy, true love is worth waiting for. It means you’re in a relationship where you are partners, where you equally give to one another.

There’s no jealousy. No lying. No obsession.

He never makes you feel dumb or out of your league. There’s no drama.

While infatuation probably happened on your journey to healthy love, things have settled down a bit now. While you adore spending time with your man, you also balance it with alone time and being with your friends. You’re able to be genuine with him and have opened up to him in ways you haven’t in past relationships.

All these other types of love helped you get here, but now you see what the big deal is and how it’s different from all others. It’s that moment that you think, “OH! I see what the big deal is!”

You’ve learned lessons on your journey to true love so that you know what is and isn’t acceptable in a relationship. You’ve learned a ton about who you are, and have found happiness within rather than looking for it from another person. That makes you whole and completely ready for a real relationship that is right for you.

What You Learn From This Type of Love: You may have struggled to try to be yourself with a partner in the past, which is understandable, since none of them were right for you. Now you can relax, knowing that this man truly sees you for who you are.

Conclusion:

I don’t want you to discount any man you ever thought you loved as being irrelevant. I truly believe that every relationship we are in, every emotion we feel, is valid and useful. Sure, you might have been 15, 20, or 30 when you thought you were in love but did your age make those feelings irrelevant?

Think of it like this: right now, whatever age you are, you are the smartest you’ve been and have had more life experiences than you ever had in the past. But in 10 years, you’ll have even more and be even smarter. Does that invalidate what you feel today? Of course not.

Rather than thinking that there is one true love for you in your life, be open to the fact that you’ve probably loved many men in different ways. And those experiences led you to where you are and how you are capable of having a healthy love today.

Talk to me! Which of these types of love have you experienced? Have you found a healthy love yet? Leave a comment below.

Still looking for that healthy love? Sign up for my Attract the One online workshop to discover the three steps to get the right man to pursue you and only you!

The post 7 Types of Love You’ll Experience Before You Meet “The One” appeared first on Sexy Confidence.

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[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Colin Miller Signing, Who Is Jan Kovar? (July 8)

Colin Miller Signing, Who Is Jan Kovar?

Hey there, I’m back after spending a few days at the lake. So although I was able to follow what was generally happening on Twitter, I still feel like I need to get my game legs back after getting out the car just a few hours ago. So for lack of other topics, I’ll focus on some general news topics from the last day or two.

Saturday’s most significant news was of Colin Miller signing a four-year, $15.5 million contract to stay in Vegas. A cap hit of $3.875 million per season seems very reasonable given his production in one season in Vegas, even if that means a $2.875 million raise for salary cap leaguers.

Back on April 8, Miller was the feature in our weekly Geek of the Week feature. In the article, Scott pointed out that Miller was the 46th-most valuable skater in a league that counts goals, assists, shots on goal, power-play points, and hits. Miller’s goals and assists total wasn’t nearly as high as the players he was ranked near (Vladimir Tarasenko, Johnny Gaudreau, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Artemi Panarin). But his hits total (160) boosted his value in that particular league format.

Perhaps why Miller seems like such a bargain for a 40-point defenseman is that prior to 2017-18, he had never scored more than 16 points in a season over his previous two seasons (only 61 and 42 games played in those two seasons). If he can maintain this production, then this contract could be a steal for Vegas as they attempt to build on their unusually successful first season. Upon being selected by the expansion Golden Knights, Miller’s icetime increased about three and a half minutes per game, with a power-play icetime increase of over a minute per game.

Of course, one ongoing concern for Miller owners is the growing presence of Shea Theodore on the first-unit power play. During the playoffs, Theodore averaged more power-play time (3:01 PP TOI/GP) than any other Vegas skater, including Miller. Theodore possesses higher offensive upside, so I’d lean toward him as the blueline option should Vegas go with a 4F-1D format on the first-unit power play. Still, Miller should be a solid option again next season now that he is a fixture on the Vegas defense, particularly in multicategory leagues that count hits.

Having said that, the potential acquisition of Erik Karlsson would significantly cut into the value of both players (assuming neither is part of the return package – wait, maybe they would lose value if they went to the mess that is Ottawa, although players can still post big numbers on bad teams – I won’t go any further on that hypothetical, though).

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Speaking of which, unless you’ve been living under a rock or way out in the wilderness, you’ll already know about the Karlsson trade rumors. In yesterday’s Ramblings, Cam does fantastic work in breaking down what the fantasy impact would be should Karlsson be traded to what are considered his three most likely destinations (Tampa Bay, Dallas, Vegas). If you don’t have time to look, both Victor Hedman and John Klingberg could lose value, particularly Klingberg, should either team use a 4F-1D format on its first-unit power play.

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In other news:

Filip Zadina has signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings. You can check out his Dobber Prospects profile here.

Dmitrij Jaskin has avoided arbitration and signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Blues. In four NHL seasons of at least 50 games, Jaskin has yet to reach the 20-point mark. Much of that has to do with a lack of icetime (career average 12 minutes per game) and power-play time (career average 23 seconds per game). With the Blues bringing in just as many veteran forwards as they lost, don’t expect much to change unless there are a rash of injuries.

The Flyers have signed RFA goalie Alex Lyon to a two-year extension. Because of the Flyers’ issues with injured goalies, Lyon managed to get into 11 games for the Flyers. He figures to start the season in the AHL, although don’t be surprised if you hear from him again in 2018-19. Michal Neuvirth is a Certified Band-Aid Boy and Brian Elliott hasn’t played 50 games since the 2010-11 season. But before you get too excited about Lyon, remember that the Flyers have Carter Hart (Dobber Prospects profile), who should get a long look in the AHL this season.

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If unearthing viable options in your deep keeper league is a difficult undertaking, you might be interested in the following:  

Czech born center Jan Kovar (one of the top scorers in the KHL over the last several years) has received multiple offers from NHL teams. He will be making a decision soon. Some video of this dynamic player here- https://t.co/L7j0qgyj83

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 5, 2018

Agent Walsh then goes on to post the following:  

We have a Jan Kovar update. Jan is evaluating and considering various NHL offers and will be making a decision tomorrow. #EHSHockey ##OctagonHockey https://t.co/dBqjcR1g2q

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 7, 2018

So who is Jan Kovar? With player transactions clearly slowing down, I thought I’d take the time to investigate. He is a 28-year-old center, coming off a bit of a down year with just seven goals and 35 points in 54 games in 2017-18 (Hockey DB). But as Walsh said, Kovar has been a point-per-game player over his five KHL seasons. The KHL stats page doesn’t provide the ability to display points-per-game aggregate stats over the last five seasons, but I managed to pull out that Kovar has been a top-10 scoring option in four of his five KHL seasons.

For a comparison to Kovar, Ilya Kovalchuk has also played his last five seasons in the KHL with similar point-per-game numbers (370 points in 367 games) if you take into account both regular season and playoffs. Do the math above and Kovar’s total for the exact same sample is 377 points in 368 games.

Kovar’s declining production is a bit of a concern, and at 28 he’s too old to be considered a prospect. But while fantasy owners target the now-35-year-old brand name Kovalchuk, Kovar is a player that could fly completely under the radar. So he could be worth taking a flier on, depending on where he lands. At the very least, pay attention to where he signs.

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If you’re into hockey podcasts, you’ll want to check out the latest 31 Thoughts Podcast. Although I haven’t had time to listen to the entire podcast, there are some interesting takes on the various player transactions over the past week. Many times are listed, so you can also pick and choose the ones you are the most interested in. For example, if you’re a Canucks’ fan, you can find out why in the world they would sign both Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel to four-year contracts. There’s also a tidbit on how the James van Riemsdyk signing (fantasy take here) could affect both Wayne Simmonds and Ivan Provorov. And oh yeah, lots of Leafs talk, including an interview with Kyle Dubas.

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For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-colin-miller-signing-who-is-jan-kovar-july-8/

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Puck Daddy Bag of Mail: Avs' dominant No. 1 line, and what's fair for JVR?

How good has the Avalanche’s top line been? (Getty)

I saw my first “If the playoffs started today dot dot dot” tweet of the season and that means the playoffs are now perilously close. They do not, however, start yesterday or today or indeed even tomorrow. They start in like three and a half weeks, and a decent amount is going to change between now and then.

However, that does mean we now live firmly within the shadow of the playoffs, and every result is filtered through, “Well what does this mean for so-and-so?” I guess this isn’t true of games in which two non-playoff teams are competing — shout out to tonight’s Chicago/Vancouver tilt! — but nonetheless, they might be impactful if those teams are then playing another team on a back-to-back or something like that.

Point is, tight races, whether it’s for home ice in the first round or the last wild card spot, are pretty much everywhere and pretty much all anyone is talking about. So you’ve got questions and I’ve got answers and I’m pretty sure that’s a car store thing?

Let’s go:

Trevor asks: “Is the Landeskog/MacKinnon/Rantanen line really one of the top lines in the NHL? Also, how valuable is that in the playoffs?”

I mean I think you know the answer to the first question pretty clearly. Of course it is. Mainly through MacKinnon, they’re pouring in more goals per 60 minutes of full-strength hockey than any heavily used line in the league. Only 21 groups of three forwards have played at least 400 minutes together this year and they’re about a third of a goal per hour ahead of the next-highest-scoring trio (Nylander-Matthews-Hyman).

They do allow a decent amount of goals per 60 as well (15th out of 21 here) but they’ve outscored their opponents by 23 this season, so I don’t know what else they could really be doing.

It is, of course, vital to have a dominant first ine in the playoffs. Look at what happened to the Predators last season; they were a buzzsaw through the Western Conference, then Ryan Johansen went down with an injury. Suddenly a tough-but-reasonable matchup of Crosby vs. Johansen became Crosby vs. Fisher, and we all know what happened next. Pittsburgh ran over the Predators in the Cup Final in what would have otherwise been a much tougher series.

A good top line is not, however, going to guarantee you anything. Look what happened with Boston, which routinely has one of the best top lines in the game (it’s ninth in adjusted expected-goals percentage this season, and that’s probably something of a down year for them) but they lost to the freakin’ Senators in the first round last year. Bad stuff can happen even to teams with elite talent, but it’s still super-important to have it.

And now, a very related question.

Sam asks: “Just how big a hole is the No. 1 center position for teams that don’t have it?”

Ask yourself this: How often does a team without a No. 1 center who was not only clearly a No. 1, but widely acknowledged as a top-tier No. 1, won a Cup or even made a Cup Final?

Pittsburgh/Nashville, Pittsburgh/San Jose, Chicago/Tampa, LA/New York, Chicago/Boston, LA/New Jersey, Boston/Vancouver, Chicago/Philly, Pittsburgh/Detroit (twice), Anaheim/Ottawa, Carolina/Edmonton.

Of that group, how many teams didn’t have incredibly elite centers? The Rangers and Devils probably. Maybe you say Philly. Definitely the Oilers. But otherwise, it’s just a list of teams with truly elite No. 1 guys, and usually a pretty damn good No. 2 as well.

In theory there are, of course, 31 No. 1 centers, but given the way talent is distributed in the league, there are plenty of teams that don’t have a true No. 1. For instance, Pittsburgh has three of the 31 best centers in the world right now, so that means two teams go without. Nashville probably has two. You can go on like this.

That means there are plenty of teams that simply go without and the gap between them and the elite clubs in this league is sizeable. But honestly, don’t discount that need for a good No. 2, because look what happened in Edmonton this season with the best player in the world.

Hannah asks: “The Blue Jackets have been on the up and up for the past few seasons, but they’ve flopped in the postseason. Do you think that’ll be the case this season?”

Let me put on my If The Playoffs Started Today hat: Right now Columbus seems destined to play either Pittsburgh, Philly, or Washington, which is to say they’re probably going to play a division rival.

The kind of tear they’re on right now would obviously make it hard to pick against them, but anything can happen in the last eight games of the season.

In good conscience and all things being equal, I would feel fine picking them over the Caps or Flyers. I think those would be more or less weighted coin flips, but I think Columbus is just a smidge better than both of them, not that the results necessarily reflect it right now.

I’d have trouble picking them over Pittsburgh, though. Not just because, “Ah well the Pens are the reigning Cup champs,” but also because I don’t like how Columbus’s depth (which is fine) matches up with the Penguins’ (which is scary). I love (most of) Columbus’s defense and maybe I like about half of their offense. I love Pittsburgh’s offense basically right down to the fourth line but obviously the defense is a bit suspect. Who knows what the goaltending situation looks like for Pittsburgh, but obviously the Blue Jackets have a star.

I think it’d be a fun series and everything, but I also think I just talked myself into Columbus over Pittsburgh too. Hmm. I guess it wouldn’t surprise me.

That was weird though.

JJ asks: “When the league expands to 32 teams, should the number of teams to make the playoffs also increase?”

No. I’ve seen talk of a play-in game for the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds but honestly who cares. There are too many teams in the playoffs as it is. The NFL is 32 teams and only 12 teams get into that. And that feels like a good number! It makes total sense!

Obviously the NFL is less gate-driven than the NHL is by a factor of what I would estimate to be about a trillion. So it helps the NHL to just pack 18,000 into a rink (or 15,000 if you’re Ottawa ha ha ha) for the extra rounds. I get it and I guess it’s fine, especially because teams would hate to sit out the extra week if they started getting byes. And frankly, eight teams in the playoffs is too few.

So if the NHL, over the course of a few years, goes from getting 53 percent of the league into the playoffs to just 50 percent, that’s progress I’d take happily.

Michael asks: “Do you think there will be significant coach turnover in the offseason?”

It’s interesting. The reason no coaches were fired in the regular season (“yet,” I suppose) was that so many either had good seasons or were just hired in the past two years or so.

No joke: 16 coaches have been hired across the league since the 2016 offseason, and before that Mike Sullivan was added in mid-December 2015. All but seven of the league’s coaches were added since the 2015 offseason, so changes there are probably unlikely as well.

The only guy I can really see losing his job in that group is Todd McLellan, but the Oilers’ problems certainly aren’t his fault. Maybe Jeff Blashill too, but I’d tend to doubt it.

So let’s talk about the other seven. A few of the longer-tenured guys will probably stick around regardless of what happens in the postseason (Cooper, Laviolette, Maurice). So that whittles it down to four others, and they’re all deeply interesting.

Bill Peters might or might not survive whatever’s going on in Carolina. Barry Trotz is out of contract this summer and I haven’t seen any updates about what that means. Alain Vigneault is almost certainly gone as the Rangers rebuild. Chicago could go either way with Joel Quenneville.

I can, however, see some teams getting a little more aggressive with their changes if a guy like Quenneville or Trotz hits the market. If Quenneville in particular goes, one can easily imagine half the teams in the league at least kicking the tires on a change just because, “Well, he’s Joel Quenneville.”

David asks: “I could see Winnipeg or Nashville as Cup contenders in the Central but are there any teams in the Pacific that look threatening, or should I just pencil in whoever wins the inevitable NSH/WPG series?”

Yeah I think I said it on Twitter the other day, but I really do see the Central second-round matchup as the Western Conference Final. I’m not saying LA or Vegas would be a total pushover or anything, but it’s just tough for me to see either one winning four games out of seven against either Winnipeg or Nashville. Those teams are just too powerful!

Mike asks: “What’s a fair contract for JVR this summer and which team is most likely to give him a contract they’ll regret?”

I think there’s a difference between what’s “fair” for a soon-to-be-29-year-old having a career year shooting 15-plus percent, and what’s “fair” within the marketplace.

However, since we’re obviously talking about the marketplace, someone is going to overpay him, both in terms of years and dollars. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of time for James van Riemsdyk as a going concern, I just don’t see him as a consistent 50-point guy for even the next four years, let alone the next five or six, which is what I think someone’s going to give him this summer.

As for the salary, well, when you’ve scored 60-plus goals over the previous two seasons and you’ve pretty much always been good for 25 to 30 goals, teams are going to be willing to pay for that. The probably will, in fact, be willing to pay something like $6.5 million for it. That’s on the higher end, I think, but the cap might go up as much as $7 million this summer so it’s not as much as it probably sounds like right now.

As with any other forward who will be turning 30 before the first year of his new contract expires, I wouldn’t want my team to be the one giving it to him unless we really only had like one more or two more kicks at the can before we had to make hard decisions. But it’s not like he hasn’t earned that contract to some extent, right?

Chris asks: “Is Minnesota men’s hockey still a desirable job for top coaches?”

First of all, thank you for asking a college hockey question.

Second, yeah of course it is. This is probably the premier college hockey job in the country, at least in the same stratosphere as North Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

With this job opening up, Minnesota has the time to wait for the NCAA tournament to come to an end, then they can interview pretty much anyone in the sphere of college hockey, high-level Junior A, and probably even a handful of guys in the AHL or NHL assistants. This is that big and important of a job, and one assumes the pay was commensurate (Lucia’s most recent contract, which ended this season, paid him a base salary of more than $600,000, though some of that money was deferred for retirement).

So if you have, say, half a million to throw at a coach, you can hire just about anyone. Minnesota will certainly kick the tires on higher-end guys. But if one of the big criticisms of Lucia was that he wasn’t a Minnesota alum (and weirdly, that was indeed one of the big criticisms) then you have to think the search at least priortizes a guy like that. Someone who immediately springs to mind in that regard: first-year Northern Michigan coach Grant Potulny, who plaed for Minnesota in the early 2000s, played a handful of years as a pro in the AHL and overseas, then became an assistant under Luica, and more recently also at World Juniors the last two years.

Potulny took over at Northern just this past summer and they were probably better than anyone would have expected; they went from 17 wins to 25. So if you want a Minnesota lifer with a decade of experience behind the bench in various positions, Potulny seems like a natural fit. Might not be the flashiest hire, but it might not matter.

Point is: They almost certainly have their pick of the litter, but Potulny is a guy who probably checks a lot of boxes for them.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

All stats via Corsica unless noted otherwise.

More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports: 

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Note: This post is the expression of my opinion and experience only and is not meant to give a statistically accurate representation of work at all consulting companies or all jobs at large companies. It’s one specific case, to take in consideration along with others. -- also posted a similar version of this story on Medium with nice illustrations (https://medium.com/@jeancharlesgasche/8-things-i-learned-while-leaving-a-startup-to-go-work-at-a-big-firm-7a9ce524313).Deep inside, all indie hackers, entrepreneurs and others working at startups have a big question. The source of much FOMO and hesitation. “Given my resume, shouldn’t I join one of these large, prestigious, well paying companies and just chill?”I could find a million stories over the internet of people explaining why they left consulting to go work at a startup, but much less explaining what it’s like to do the opposite.In August last year, I made a radical change in my career. I had just decided to leave ForestAdmin, a company building a spectacular product with an actual product/market fit, at the moment we were raising a €3M seed round, also spectacular by European standards, and where I was the business counterpart to the founder.Having never worked in a company of more than 30 employees, I was facing many more questions and options than I had anticipated. Not knowing whether I should start over a new business from scratch, join an early team, or join a more mature startup.My curiosity, the hope to learn a lot of different things, and probably some part of FOMO about the idea if just having a regular, simple job made me give a shot at another option I had always dismissed: joining one of the “prestigious” fortune 500 juggernauts. A few weeks and an offer later, I was starting at the very attractive Digital service line of a major consulting company.[0] I’ll start with the good things that I learned, from both Consultants, but also Americans in general, which I think are two subsets of humans that are unconsciously obsessed with a process-ization habit. The US is based on repeatability and mass production, no need to look far to see that: everything man-made here looks and feels the same anywhere you go. In a way even people here were made this way. Let’s call these things out by their names: process and framework. They’re everywhere. In practice, this means that you won’t just find a way to get something done well and fast and move on, it’s never the goal. Instead, work consists mostly of designing a set of instructions for each task, defining responsibilities and documenting everything extensively, so that not one person can do it once, but many people can repeat this task many times. They have come up with some pretty elaborate ways of designing repeatable tasks, a lot of which you can find online, and this is a brick I might have been overlooking when thinking about scaling a business.Well done America! ... But work doesn’t feel the same way:[1] As I started working, I quickly realized that I was clearly an outlier. My work habits, my intuitions about what was right to do just seemed to be off, and the underlying logic behind it wasn’t even understood. Starting right away with the biggest issue: Working hard or smart is useless. Promotions are the only good outcome you can expect (apart from ridiculously unappealing yearly bonuses of a few thousands — at least that’s not what thrills my life), and they happen based only on your seniority in the firm*. Doing more just feels like trying to swim faster in a vacuum by moving more.If you get more things done than planned, you’ll receive a nice congratulation award PDF by email from your manager with eventually a gift card. Do like me and if you receive one of these, print and gold-frame your PDF to remind yourself that you have no impact.[2] You have to live up to the expectation that consultants are busy. Everyone works really hard and you clock in incredible hours that are all billed to the client. You’re billed at least $400 an hour, so that’s $4,000 on a normal day. Everyone creates things to do, email threads with problems that don’t matter, and inefficient 20-people skype meetings to keep themselves busy. Drinking a lot because you have a passion for wine is very different from drinking a lot because you have nothing better to do or are expected to. The same goes for work.[3] When you’re at a startup in a team of 10, you represent 10% of the output of the company. Your everyday decisions and work determine if you will be in business in a few months. In a bigger company, you represent 0% of the total output. You’re as important as a high-end secretary making powerpoints.[4] You don’t make friends at work, you network. You’re just one of 60,000 employees, people don’t have to get along or create a connection with people around them. So people usually don’t. You’ll be on another engagement in a few months anyway, so why would you bother? Just like you wouldn’t invest to improve an appartment that’s temporary, no one invests in a team that’s temporary.[5] In a startup, you lovingly care about your product and the features you’re responsible for. In a big company, few people have any personal goal, vision and passion for the work they’re doing. The temporary nature of consulting takes this next level. The biggest chunk of time in your life provides no excitement. I’ve never run to work in the morning a single time (after the first day) because I was excited to get started early.[6] There are no metrics that everyone is constantly watching to assess how amazing, well, fine, or terrible we’re doing. Once the project is sold, there is no good or bad work, there is only one indicator: done or to do. No one is going to come up with an elegant solution or creation that others will notice and compliment. There is no empathy for your users in your work. Because there is “so much work”, managers always bring in more people that need to be put up to speed and synched with. A week after bringing more resources, you’re not further along, and not going faster. You’re just more people with more overhead now.Here is how I'd tell the truth about all this: "Nice Powerpoints but a startup would get the same outcome with 1/10th of the resources and finishing work at 4PM every day."Working at a startup for me has felt like being the pilot of an F-15, while consulting felt like being in the economy class of a 747. F-15 pilots always fraternize over their war stories, they go fast and agile on a battlefield on which they know they might not get to see tomorrow. The 747 is more comfortable than the F-15, gets everyone to its destination without a risk of being shot down, but you’re surrounded with people you don’t really want to talk to. You might also be seated next to a smelly guy.Consulting companies provide real value to their clients, which are already really above-average companies that can afford that kind of service. I’m in no way implying that hiring consultants isn’t even the best thing for these client companies: for many of them consultants provide a structure and practices that they’d never be able to come up with, being too focused on their day-to-day emergencies. I’m mainly sharing my experience for people working in small or on their own business, thinking of going to work in a bigger company. If you’ve never worked at a startup, you probably don’t agree with everything I said. You’ve probably always been satisfied with all the points I mentioned, and maybe wouldn’t enjoy more a world with different rules. You may even love every one of the folks you’re working with on your engagement. My point is to say that it feels quintessentially different when you’re not on an engagement, but on a mission with everybody else.For substantiation, you’ll like this very well written story of someone very satisfied of everything in consulting who made the move to a startup and only then realized: https://blog.keen.io/why-i-left-consulting-and-joined-a-startup-bea26a93a8a7Coming from a different world, having priorities ranked differently, I’ll quote Ali Mese, who 3 years ago encapsulated in a few sentences in his story the feeling of going the other way around, from consulting to starting his own business:“Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week. It all started by little wake-ups in the middle of the night. At the beginning, it was because I was too excited about my ideas and I had so many of them. I simply couldn’t wait for the morning to arrive so that I could start working again. Then came the exaggeration phase. I was working too much because I never had enough of working for my idea and I wanted to do more.” (https://medium.com/swlh/how-quitting-my-corporate-job-for-my-startup-dream-f-cked-my-life-up-3b6b3e29b318)If you feel like you wouldn’t enjoy going from being the pilot of your F-15 over hostile territory to being an economy passenger on a regular 747 flight, don’t leave your startup.What big firms will never provide as perks of working the job is vision, passion and empowerment. No matter what social pressure and FOMO might make you believe, there is real excellence coming from building something out of nothing, and you know what you’re doing at your scale much more than they have figured their things out at their scale*. They’re just confidently riding a 747.Don’t make the opposite mistake of thinking you know it all. We all know nothing, but we’ve seen things and patterns in our field.

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High Achievers Are the Ones Who Make the Most Mistakes

The impact mistakes have had on most people’s lives is tremendous.

At school, you were taught to answer questions with model answers. At home, you were taught to be disciplined, have good manners and follow social etiquette. And at work, you’ve become accustomed to a constant expectation that you operate in a mistake-free manner!

The problem with all the above scenarios is that they punish mistakes. A teacher deducts marks for a wrong answer – a supervisor scolds people for failing to take the right action.

It’s no surprise, then, that from a very young age, people have been made to feel bad about making mistakes. Some have even felt like a complete failure. This constant negative feedback leads to most people desperately trying to live their lives without making any mistakes. It can actually become a compulsion. It may even lead to them trying to hide or lie about their mistakes.

But there is more to making mistakes than most have been led to believe.

The Unexpected Positive Side of Being Wrong

The truth is, by forever seeking to avoid mistakes – we actually end up making more mistakes!

It’s time to start looking at mistakes from a different perspective. They aren’t the monster they’ve been made out to be. They’ve the remarkable ability to help bring about powerful and rapid personal growth.

If you try to avoid mistakes, then you’ll also be missing opportunities to experience something different from what you planned or expected. Imagine that you miss a connecting flight while traveling to an exotic location. By missing the flight, you are forced to stay for 24 hours in a destination that you’d never been to before. To your surprise, though, you find that the nearest city to the airport is picturesque, cosmopolitan and friendly.  In fact, during your time there – you begin to fall in love with everything the city has to offer. When you finally have to leave the city to go back to the airport, you feel genuinely sad. The city captivates your interest and warms your heart.

Clearly, if you hadn’t missed your flight, you would’ve never visited the city – and never discovered your immediate liking for it.

Life can be like that. Mistakes can lead to adventures and opportunities. And beyond that, mistakes can help you to understand how to make better decisions in future situations.

Making Mistakes Does Not Fend off Success, Avoiding Them Does

Unsuccessful people put the bulk of their focus and energy on avoiding mistakes, whereas successful people put the bulk of their focus and energy on making continual attempts at reaching their goals.

Jim Carrey, on his debut comic stand-up at a club called Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto, he was booed off stage. However, he didn’t let this break him. Instead, he used the experience as a wake up call to improve his performance. This wasn’t the only set back he endured. When auditioning for the Saturday Night Live 1980-81 season, he failed to land the part.[1] Again, he didn’t let this destroy his confidence or ambition, but instead he kept on pursing his dreams until he finally broke through to the mainstream in 1994 with the blockbuster movie “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

▲ Jim Carrey wasn’t so successful as a comic stand up at the very beginning.

And then there is Michael Jordan. His profile on NBA’s website describes him as “the greatest basketball player of all time.”[2] And this is how most people think of him. However, Jordan himself said that:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life.”

But he clarified this statement by adding some vital information: “And that is why I succeed.”

Each attempt they made was open to mistakes. With more attempts made, the more feedback they received, and the more chances they gained to do better.

So, if you really want to avoid mistakes – attempt nothing and take no risks. Your record may remain clean, you’ll make few mistakes, but you’ll also have few achievements to write home about. In other words, avoiding mistakes is the easiest way to become and stay unsuccessful.

From Making Mistakes to Mastering Mistakes

Failed attempts are only futile if you don’t learn from them.

Let’s say that you expect that mistakes will happen after you’ve made a choice. This is natural. You’re aware that choices come with risks, and risks can lead to mistakes. However, if you allow the same mistakes to occur time and time again, then you’re not learning or evolving – but instead are stuck in a rut. Albert Einstein said it well:

“The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting different results.”

A much better approach, is to analyze your mistakes, and to see if you can work out how to avoid them in the future. Put another way, make every attempt count and learn from it. By doing this, you’ll quickly overcome foolish mistakes, and begin to make real progress in your life.

As a hard-hitting example for you to think about, if you know that drunk driving can kill, and you still do it because you think it’s about “making more attempts and mistakes,” that’s a foolish act – not an attempt that will help you grow.

On the other hand, if you plan a business project with some risky ideas, but expect there will be mistakes, then even if these efforts turn out to be unsuccessful, you’ll learn from them.

A mistake is just a mis-take, start over by learning from your last mis-take.

Making mistakes doesn’t equal failure. Not making any, however, will mean that you miss out on tons of attempts and learning opportunities. This guarantees failure.

Be brave, be bold, and be prepared to make mistakes.

Reference

[1]^Wanderlust Worker: 12 Famous People Who Failed Before Succeeding[2]^NBA: Michael Jordan

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