#It's be real funny if the first four had equal number of votes

[twistedtummies2]

31 Days of Disney Villainy - Number 8

The 31 Days of Disney Villainy Continues! I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Villains from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film output. This rogue is Quickest Rat in the Race…but never say that to his face. It won’t end as nicely as that rhyme. Number 8 is…Professor Ratigan, from The Great Mouse Detective.

Remember how I said that Ursula’s status was arguable, among Disney Villains? Well, that’s because this guy came first. Ratigan is basically the rodent version of Professor Moriarty, forever embattled with his rival, detective Basil of Baker Street – the Sherlock Holmes of Mousedom. In this particular film, Ratigan kidnaps a toymaker, planning to use him as part of an elaborate scheme to take over the kingdom, and eventually – you guessed it – the world. So, what makes Professor Ratigan awesome? First of all: Vincent Price. Second of all: Vincent Price. Third of all: VINCENT. PRICE. For those who don’t know, Vincent Price is one of my favorite actors, and I’m pretty sure it was his work as Ratigan that introduced me to his powerful, versatile, and mellifluous voice. (I say “pretty sure” because there were at least three or four other possible contenders there in my childhood, and I’m not sure which came first.) Price named this as one of his favorite roles, and you can tell he’s having a BLAST every second the character is onscreen. And, once again, the voice and the character are totally in concert; as recognizable as Price is, you just never feel that “behind the mic” quality I’ve mentioned. He’s just…right there! He IS Ratigan, and Ratigan IS him! I think perhaps that’s why Ratigan doesn’t get featured as often as other Disney Villains (that and the fact that “The Great Mouse Detective” is a somewhat underrated feature, in my opinion): with other villains, even if their voice actors are gone, dandy replacement actors have been found to take on the mantles of the roles for various spin-offs. But with an actor like Vincent Price, it’s almost impossible to find a perfect voice impressionist who can handle that iconic sound and do it perfect justice. (Lord knows Maurice LaMarche has tried though, recently…if they ever put Ratigan in Kingdom Hearts, I vote using either him or archival audio for the voice.) Price is not the only thing that’s great about Ratigan. As I said before, many point to Ursula as the villain who really set the standard for how Great Disney Villains work. I think several earlier villains had established the concept before, though you could argue Ursula cemented it, simply because others would follow her footsteps…BUT, I, personally, would say it was Ratigan who cemented it. There was a one-film-gap between this and “The Little Mermaid,” and considering the villain of “Oliver & Company” was, in my opinion, one of the most BORING villains Disney has ever put out (in fact, in my opinion, if we’re looking at only “The Great 58,” which is the focus of this countdown, he’s the second worst Disney Villain of all time), you can guess which formula they followed, in terms of how their bad guys worked. Ratigan, like Ursula, is equal parts funny and fearsome. Also like Ursula, this Napoleon of Crime does have ambitions of power, but he makes it VERY clear that the real reason he does what he does is because he legitimately just enjoys doing terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad things to people. Power is just a bonus, a means to an end. On that note, I love how this character is arguably one of the nastiest and most bloodthirsty of all Disney Villains – his song literally describes him drowning widows and orphans, presumably just for fun, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg – yet they actually manage to give him an edge of empathy. You see, Ratigan does not like being reminded that he is, in fact, a rat; it’s never directly stated in the film, but the implication is that he’s been prejudiced because of his species. Rats are typically seen as dirty, treacherous, sneaky, stupid creatures. Ratigan puts on the airs of a gentleman; he has an eloquent vocabulary, a sense of charm and elegance to everything he does, and dresses in fancy clothes that are very obviously too tight for his (relatively, to a mouse) massive framework. He tries everything he can to deny what he is and defy the stereotypes…yet, ironically, it’s his evil nature that only proves him the perfect example of how nasty rats can be. This is even evident in the climax of the picture, as Ratigan gives up the “battle of wits” with his hated enemy in favor of brute force, and lets his inner animal rise to the surface with terrifying intensity. (Also, for those of you on Tumblr: Felicia. I think the influence she has on me liking Ratigan, by extension, speaks for itself. That or I like her by extension because of Ratigan; either way, I think you get it.) Bottom line: aside from a couple of characters from “The Secret of NIMH” or “Redwall,” I defy you to show me a rat quite as menacing as Professor Ratigan. Tomorrow, the countdown continues with my 7th Favorite Disney Villain! HINT: “Now, Here is a Riddle To Guess If You Can…What Makes a Monster, and What Makes a Man?”

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 2283

i did a bunch of work today. kinda exhausted.

i attended and took notes in class, i cleaned my room and went through my wardrobe to get rid of stuff in the first real clothing purge of the last like five years, and then i did all of the assignments that were due for earth science before 6pm, which was weird for me bc i usually do them after everything else during the day. but i had time, so i did them early. i also listened to two sections of math lecture, so i can do homework for that section tomorrow, and maybe get a head start on the rest of my exhaustive list of homework for each day of the rest of the semester. quite literally, i made a list. numbered it, put in all of my assignments and when i'd do them, so i have it all laid out in front of me so i can keep to the schedule, because if i fall behind any more i will not finish the semester. but i have to, and i have to have something to show to my professor tomorrow to let her know i'm not giving up, but that instead it's my mental inertia that is really preventing me from being productive. mental inertia is what i'm calling my brain's unwillingness to do a single fuckin thing on any given day. because of the definition and practical understanding of inertia, it means though that if i want it to move, i have to move it myself. i have to push it. because that's really what i'm dealing with - an unwilling blob of disaster that has a decent ability to function if it ever gets off its ass. so i need the motivation to push that blob until it starts sliding. lots of principles of physics here: inertia, forces, static and kinetic friction. yknow, the drill.

anyway, i'm proud of myself for today, even though it feels like i missed doing stuff. breaking things down into specific details helps me, so having a day-by-day calendar that goes line by line telling me what i need to do on a given day will help me push my dumbass brain into gear. it's a variation, i suppose, on the block method of task organization andrew tells his clients about. sticky notes worked for a semester. a detailed planner worked really well for a semester. so now, straight-up pads of paper will have to work for the rest of the semester. i need to rotate my methods so i don't get complacent and ignore things, like i can easily do if things are uniform and are exactly the same. which is why a list is easier i guess, because yes it's all supposed to look the same, but it's a different visual thing than a wall of brightly-colored sticky notes that end up blending into the faded yellow wall. which is a problem i have. so. i'd like to go back to the planner thing, but that also worked best when i was on campus and not stuck at home for school stuff.

also i talked to joel a little bit today. sort of a normal interaction: he asked me if i wanted to fight, i begged for death, he said no, i said why, he gave some bullshit answer, then we changed the topic. kinda funny tbh, that's sort of our way of checking in on each other. it allows me to actually tell him how i'm feeling, and while he doesn't give up much information himself, a lot of it is supporting me and my nonsense and buffoonery as i simply exist as a ball of Anxiety™ that stress-cleans and vibrates in place as i contemplate the tasks i must complete. today was an anxiety day, so i told him. [it's nice to tell someone things about my emotional state and for them to take me and what i say at face value instead of trying to break me down into pieces of "drama" and "not drama," because that's what my mom does. if i feel too much, her first response is "what's real and what's drama," or "you're being dramatic," or some other equally bullshit gaslighting of my emotional state that's fuckin fragile in the first place. like, listen linda. "what's real" all of it. "what's drama" none of it, you moldy peach pit. i feel what i feel, and you are not allowed to tell me that what i'm feeling isn't real, so shut your mouth and sit the fuck down, you melted stick of unsalted butter.] but yeah. joel actually listens and i love the shit out of him for it.

and lastly, i watched a christmas movie. by myself. before thanksgiving. but. in my defense, it was about a struggling writer at a writing conference who ends up repeatedly unknowingly bumping into the keynote speaker, a published author of whom she happens to be a fangirl in increasingly embarrassing situations at first. and then they're paired as writing buddies for the conference, and he gives her pointers and they banter and work together and it's just really cute and the Drama occurs when he's trying to tell her he's the author but she keeps rushing to go somewhere and it's the keynote and the author walks in and it's HIM. THE DRAMA. THE BETRAYAL. THE YEARNING. and then he comes to her dad's house and surprises her on christmas day with a letter from a publisher bc her revised copy of her manuscript was really good bc of all the help he gave her and the experiences they shared and all the good stuff and she said it was basically a happy ever after, to which he replied, "i guess it is." and then she says, "so kiss me already," and points to the mistletoe above them and it's SO CUTE AND SWEET AND I ALMOST CRIED.

but anyway, i feel like a hypocrite because christmas!! shouldn't!! happen!! before!! thanksgiving!! that's!! a!! rule!! and i HATE IT when people put up christmas decorations in early november, but at this point i'm accepting that it's something that gives people joy so i really shouldn't step on that. it's just. learning to accept that people enjoy certain things and i should encourage them instead of rag on them for it. i'm not perfect. i'm still learning. and i want to be a kinder person to people, more loving and accepting and supportive, and i'm slowly overcoming my own hatred of things as i grow and distance myself further from the shit that made me this way. i'm learning! if i make a mistake please tell me gently, because i want to be better but i also have RSD and i WILL shut down and tear myself down forever if i am told harshly bc that's just how i am. i'm trying to get over it a little at a time by accepting things as time goes on, but in the meantime i need help. so that's all, i guess.

thanks for reading and for caring, i love you guys and i hope you're enjoying things that being you joy, even if other people give you shit for it. i will do my best to support you!

also if you're in the US and are of voting age and are registered and haven't already voted, GO VOTE TOMORROW. some states have same-day registration, so bring an ID and go register if you need to. this election will determine our futures - i know so many of us are in circumstances that would be harmed if we had another four years of the racist orange peel in office now, so i know many others who may straight-up die because of it. we need protections. we need to have our rights protected. we need to have our lives protected. and we can't do that with the damaged candy corn in office for any longer. he'a already fucked with us enough. we can't afford any more of it. now i'm just angry ranting. please, go vote for joe biden. politics is like public transit: if there's no train going exactly where you need to go, you don't just not get on the train. you take the one that gets you the closest, and work your way from there. that's joe biden. and, if biden does indeed win, our fights aren't over. we have people we need to protect from the conservatives and racists and white supremacists that exist goddamn everywhere. we need to keep reminding people that it's our responsibility to take care of one another in every way we can. there's a laundry list of things that needs to be fixed; unfortunately they won't happen all at once. so we have to keep fighting, no matter who's in office. VOTE.

VOTE.

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC - semi-final 2

Hey there, folks. Last week, I published the first part of “Undo my ESC”, a look at semi-final 1 where I took the entrants and made óne change, either minor or drastic, to make the competition better in my eyes. I didn’t need to take out my time-travelling tippex too much for the generally stellar first semi-final, but semi-final 2 is a different kettle of fish altogether. There are a few songs I don’t want to change at all but must, but a lot of songs could do with changing. As always, this is just mý take on things and written light-heartedly. (Some people always unfollow the few times I publish entries relating to my opinion - to those folks, I say, skip the read.)

Norway – We could scarcely get off to a worse start for my tastes, as this unwelcome return is a composite of so many elements that make me cringe – the music, which sounds like a jingle for a new version of Supermarket Sweep; the painfully ironic title “That’s how you write a song”; the lyrics which are nigh beyond parody for their triteness; the cheesier-than-feta visuals and choreögraphy. Nothing really lit up my world in this year’s MGP, but I would have preferred the runner-up, the new Wallmann song or even (for the sake of a guaranteed belly laugh in the final) Scandilove over this abomination.

Romania – From a song being hotly tipped to one, in the death spot, which many people assume will lead to the end of Romania’s qualification streak. Personally, I increasingly enjoy this unloved song quite a lot. It has a personal poignancy and resonance with me, reminding me of conversations with friends lost to suicide or prolonged self-destruction, trying to reach out and help them see the beautiful things in this world. There’s not much I’d change – but since Voltaj were able to do well with a bilingual version, inserting some Romanian would be my little alteration.

Serbia – I was so excited to see the return of Beovizija, and it didn’t disappoint, with a very varied show including wild dances, poignant ballads and the funkiest jazz-rap I’ve heard since Digable Planets, and áll in Serbian. As is often my jinx, most of my support went to the eventual runner up, Pesma za tebe, a gorgeous bit of Balkan blues which I prefer a lot more than the Zajdi zajdi ripoff colliding with a dance mix that ended up besting it. I would send the flawless Saška Janks instead.

San Marino – Trust San Marino to veer into the world of national finals for a bit of credibility, only to make the selection process as risible as possible. I see some value in Who we are, because the combination of its rip-off of Heroes’ chorus, the robots, the dramatic with a capital D hand gestures and the rap make me laugh hysterically. But there were far better songs – Out of the twilight being very reasonably the fans’ favourite, but a bit by the numbers for me. I actually would give the nod to IROL. People say that San Marino doesn’t have enough performers to be competitive but 8 Sammarinese artists signed up to 1in360 and they eliminated all but him. Rap turns off a lot of Eurofans almost automatically, but it would have been heart-warming for a local artist to win such a mercenary NF system.

Denmark – I suppose, if for nothing else, Denmark deserve some props for consistency. How can a country that brought us such mould-busting entries as Disco-Tango, Fra Mols til Skagen and Dansevise be so consistently bland for several years? I don’t dislike Higher Ground, but it feels like an empty attempt to create a tune for a soundtrack for a hokey straight-to-video movie. I’d improve it by translating it into Old Norse.

Russia – On the one hand, I’m glad Russia stuck to their promise to Julia to bring her back for 2018. On the other hand, I disliked Flame is burning, and hate I won’t break even more (except for the hilarious “becoming a mountain” scene at the end of the music video) and so, if I had the liberty, would go back to 2017 and avoid the provocative gambit that led to her having been selected. If not, I would simply give her a song to sing in Russian as she seems rather more confident with her mother tongue.

Moldova – My word, talk about picking one of the worst songs out of a generally terrible selection. Moldova’s song this year is an infernal throwback to the darkest days of the contest. Its dirty trumpet riff pulsates like a bad headache as the most awkward ménage-à-trois partners this side of the Volga plough their way through some bizarre lyrics. I don’t want to subject myself to listening to the Melodie pentru Europa finalists again, but I’m sure I remember there being something better…

Netherlands – It says something about both this year and the artistry of Waylon that even one of my lesser favoured tracks amongst those he presented for consideration is amongst my top anyway. I’ve come to love Outlaw in ‘em as one of the few upbeat tracks that make me want to dance rather than make me deeply irritated, and I love the lyrical message of everyone finding the strength to be their own person and stand up for themselves. However, I lóve the melancholy and yet equally rousing Thanks but no thanks even more and would have picked it for ESC.

Australia – Four years after their supposedly one-off participation in the contest, and a year after they were sent into the final by the juries despite rightfully getting slated by the public vote, Australia are still here, somehow. There was word of them organising a national final, which could indeed have been an interesting show. Instead, they’ve gone with something so bland that it is nigh offensive, crowned by lyrics that are merely a string of platitudes. When Australia have such a rich musical scene, it’s a crying shame to send something so generic.

Georgia – I’m delighted that Georgia is sending its first song fully in their language, thus overshadowing the couple of lines in Georgian at the start of the hideous I’m a joker several years ago. It’s very authentic and showcases both beautiful vocals and great musicianship. My one worry is that it may seem a bit one-note to some people and fail to qualify – I might try to make a bit more contrast between the verses and chorus.

Poland – A cut-price Alexander Wallman with his cringey uncle behind him throwing shapes whilst pretending to mix, to the musical backdrop that sounds like a knockout coke advert jingle. Not really a recipe for success in my eyes, but somehow this won the Polish national contest. This is background music at best, like much of the songs in Krajowe Eliminacje this year. The only one that didn’t just bleed into those surrounding it for me was Ifi Ude’s Love is stronger; not typically my cup of tea, but a very striking composition and, in my eyes, the most likely of the entire selection to stand out.

Malta – Whilst Denmark provide a heady dose of beigeness from the north, Malta compete with them in the generic national selections stakes from the south. And how can a country where English is spoken natively alongside Maltese consistently come to the contest with criminally, almost laughably bad lyrics, like that of the winner, Taboo? I’d pick Song for dad over it – at least its lyrics were simple but earnest.

Hungary – I’ve come to really enjoy Viszlát nyár, the raw and emotional lyrics and performance and the big personalities of the lads in AWS, especially Aron and Soma trolling Wiwibloggs a few days ago! I do think there were potentially better picks, though – notably Azt mondtad and, for something also on the heavier side, Nem szól harang.

Latvia – This is a hard one. I really do love the sultry yet pensive Funny Girl and can see why Latvia were wowed by Laura’s convincing performance. It is one of my favourites this year – but I must admit to loving Madara’s Esamība even more for its delightfully ethereal feeling that never fails to send shivers down my spine.

Sweden – It’s long become a tradition for me to see a song or songs in Melodifestivalen that I wóúld have considered in my top 10 had it won, but instead it loses to something completely odious for me. Even in this pretty poor year, there were a few songs I think were a lot more interesting, like Dotter’s “Cry”, the woefully undervalued veteran Kikki’s “Osby Tennessee”, but I think my change would be for the runner up to take the winner’s place. Felix Sandman’s poignant Every single day has outperformed the ungodly Bieber-Timberlake hybrid that spawned Dance you off in the Swedish music charts, and I truly do thing it was a case of the better song being bested by the flashier show.

Montenegro – Inje was by far the best of Crna Gora’s short but sweet national selection, and I am over the moon that the country is returning to what has best served it at Eurovision and bringing back the Balkan ballad style that recent years have been sadly bereft of. There is really little I would change, but I’d want to ensure an eye-catching presentation that brings the story of the song to life as well as the music video did.

Slovenia – My initial reaction to Slovenia’s song was “hvala ne” (no thanks.) I found it really obnoxious on first (and second, third, etc) listen – I am really no fan of songs that have no real chorus. Over time, I’ve come to enjoy it as something rather different to the field, but I still would send the stirring V nebo instead.

Ukraine – I know Mélovin has many fans, but his song does little for me. It’s a low-key attempt at an anthemic song that doesn’t really get off the ground for me. That is not helped by the fact that you can (and we have!) asked a few dozen people to listen to it and because of his alien pronunciation, get a few dozen different “interpretations” of the original Mélovinese lyrics. The funky, soulful, playful, melancholy and yet still upbeat Lelja getting pipped to the selection was one of the biggest robberies of the entire year for me!

And the automatic qualifiers in this round:

France – I really do like “Mercy”. Great storytelling, musically very well produced and “Madame” has a lovely voice. The quality of France’s return to national finals, though, was such that it was not my favourite. I think the even more French flavoured efforts that were the heartbreaking, spellbinding, classic Tu me manques and Lisboa, Jerusalem were even better picks. I also loved the almost psychedelic feel of Ciao. Keep this standard up next year, mes amis !

Germany – Well done to Germany for jettisoning the absolutely torturous national final procedure they had last year, where they eliminated two people off the basis off completely unrelated covers and then we heard the same two songs performed over and over again for the rest of the night by 3 people. However, there was not a great leap in terms of quality to match. I preferred “You and I”, but Michael Schulte’s was probably the best song on the night. I fear could be easily forgettable amongst 25 other songs. My change would be to try to make the choruses a little more dynamic.

Italy – Italy hardly ever put a foot out of step at this contest, and that’s in part thanks to the grand tradition that is San Remo, which has even more prestige than ESC itself in the country. There were dozens of great songs in San Remo, but Non mi avete fatto niente, an effecting song with a very strong message, was one of the best for me. My only worry is that the frenetic, breathless pace seems to alienate some listeners – if I had to make a change (as is the premise with this conceit), I may cut one or two repetitions of the chorus and slow down the thunderous, impactful but perhaps sometimes alienating delivery of words just a tad. So those were my thoughts on how I’d change this year’s ESC if I had to make one change. I’m intrigued at what other folks would come up with in this scenario, too!

[theunderdogwrites]

Trout Mouth & Freedom of Speech

The building I currently live in has been having an increase in break-ins to our underground parking. Storage cages are being forced open to gain access to bikes (easy to pawn for quick cash) and car windows are being smashed when valuables can be seen from just looking inside. There is now noise within the complex, with people screaming that they want cameras installed and a security guard to patrol the parkade during the early morning hours.

While this MIGHT help the situation there is no guarantee that it will stop these wanton crooks from their dastardly deeds. One, because they can simply cover their faces from the cameras and avoid the security guard. And two, because the real issue of security isn’t being addressed – people are not taking any responsibility for the safekeeping of their own building. Not waiting for the large parkade doors to close before leaving the property. Buzzing up SkipTheDishes drivers instead of going down and meeting them at the front doors, therefore allowing anyone to follow them into the building and gain access to the parkade. Leaving their key fobs in their cars where they get stolen. And caring only about themselves to the point where they fail to report any strange activity around the property.

The lack of personal accountability is a real problem. And not just in my building.

The definition of Freedom of Speech as given by Dictionary.com is as follows:

“the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.”

Let me Coles Notes a few things here:

-    Wednesday January 6, 2021 Trump gives a “spirited” speech at a rally in Washington that manages to provoke his feistier followers into marching down to the Capitol Building and storming inside using force. Five people died and dozens were injured.

-    Within a week Trump is banned from Twitter, Facebook, suspended by Instagram for two weeks and Parler (social media app used by many vocal extremists, Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists) was booted by hosting services such as Amazon, Apple and Google.

-    Trump is reduced to only being able to use the Amazon product reviews section to intimately reach his supporters

-    Uproar over censorship/freedom of speech begins.

Below is a link to the transcript (and video) of Trump’s “Save America” speech he gave just before the attack on the Capital Building. It’s long of course, but I encourage you to skim through it, or put the video on and listen while you’re doing other things. You may think it’s not significant and you don’t want to hear the ramblings of #45, but it IS important if you care about freedom of speech and the obligation we have to not be total raging assholes with no regard for morality or law and order.

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-speech-save-america-rally-transcript-january-6?cjevent=47b9f152576311eb8162015f0a1c0e10&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww

Since the election Trump has been peddling his theory that the election was stolen from him by way of shifty voting and ballot counting procedures and a conspiracy to turn Trump votes into Biden votes. He’s been pushing this idea hard and without reprieve despite no creditable evidence and despite his hand-picked Supreme Court ruling against his claims. I don’t feel anyone with a brain thought he was ever going to go quietly if he lost. You don’t spend your first term in office talking about how they should allow for three or more terms if your plan is to exit with grace.

I never had a problem with Trump wanting to challenge the election results. Whatever floats your boat Cheeto. I didn’t like that he asked for donations from supporters during all this and managed to gather over 200 million dollars. Something I feel he did just to fill up his own coffers with zero respect for those putting their money behind him. But I digress…

Without tangible proof, Trump is now hawking these inaccuracies to his supporters, of which there are MANY. And breeding within those MANY are the extremists. And within those extremists are those who just love the chaos.

“Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” Alfred Pennyworth, The Dark Knight

Yes, I just quoted a Batman movie.

You can say that Trump has been telling lies for over four years and you’d be right, but the difference now is this latest set of fabrications has inspired some of his supporters to engage in acts of violence (it’s being called domestic terrorism) against their own democracy. These individuals are currently being hunted down and arrested and WILL be charged with a number of offences while Trump throws them under the bus and takes no responsibility for anything. Oh, and he blamed the Democrats for causing all this anger.

Side note: One day people will listen to me about this… one day.

Below is a link to the trailer for a Netflix documentary titled ‘GET ME ROGER STONE’. Roger Stone is a political strategist with over 40 years on the Washington scene. He is credited with inventing negative campaign attack ads among other diabolical maneuvers. He is also partially responsible for Donald Trump’s effectiveness in winning over voters and his ability to seemingly get away with everything. I’ve been yelling about this guy for four years, but he is so slick. He was recently indicted in connection with the Russia investigation. Trump issued him a full pardon. He has this thing called Stone’s Rules (with regards to operating within politics) and one of those rules is:

-          Never admit to any wrongdoing

-          Deny. Deny. Deny.

-          Go on the attack.

Does that sound like anyone you know? Maybe someone who was just impeached for the second time for something he won’t admit to doing, has adamantly denied and blamed on others?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IPyv4KgTAA

I am 100% for freedom of speech. I believe you should be allowed to say whatever you want to say, whenever you want to say it.  If you wish to chant at the top of your lungs, “Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump!” you have every right to engage in comedy. If you wish to strip down to your soft cotton bush pants and yell, “the President personally invited me here!”:

 Then you’re probably this guy who is quickly learning that actions often have consequences, as does freedom of speech.

While you’re allowed to use your voice to express your opinion, there is this little pesky caveat that comes along with speaking freely and that is – you will be held accountable. And rightly so.

Do you remember the old school yard mantra – sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Am I the only one who never bought that baloney? Words can hurt. The power of words is far greater than that of sticks and stones. Words spoken, no matter how hard your try, cannot be taken back. You can’t put them back in your mouth. Or back in your head. Once they’re out, they’re either doing some good or they’re doing some damage. Speak freely and speak often, but know your audience and take some fucking responsibility for the ripple effect your words might create.

Was banning Trump from pretty much all social platforms the right thing to do? Or is it a scary precedent that threatens freedom of speech?

For starters, Trump was banned by COMPANIES, not the government. These companies therefore reserve the right to ban anyone from using their platform who they consider to be in violation of their terms and conditions (user agreement). Within that wordy legal document that we all barely skim over is usually a part about not using the application to abuse and harass others and not posting anything that incites violence or brings harm on groups or individuals. In other words, don’t use a service like Twitter to spread bullshit amongst your unhinged supporters who then get filmed at the Capital Riots chanting “the President sent us!!” as they throw fire extinguishers at the police.

Over the course of four years Trump sent out an estimated 56,000 tweets. I have a Twitter account. I tweeted once then gave up, so I have to give it to the old guy, those early morning toilet tantrums on Twitter really added up. During that time, he was fact checked A LOT and to the surprise of NONE he lied MANY times. My one and only tweet was also a lie. I believe I said something along the lines of “Happy to be here!��.

During the 2020 election year many of his tweets were flagged and labelled as misinformation. He wasn’t banned until after the Capital Riots out of fear he would continue to ramp up his extremist supporters and provoke them into further acts of violence. Without Twitter and Facebook etc. Trump has been deprived of his oxygen – his ability to intimately interact with his followers. Because when you strip back all the yelling and flag waving and crying about the right to say whatever the fuck you want… you are left with a simple lesson we all (should have) learned when we were children. If you choose to behave badly, then the consequences you shall suffer.

Here is a link to a list of all the platforms that have banned Trump. Whether it be hashtags or online shopping stores, companies are taking a serious stand NOW on the spreading of anything Trump: (you should read this as it goes into context as well)

https://www.axios.com/platforms-social-media-ban-restrict-trump-d9e44f3c-8366-4ba9-a8a1-7f3114f920f1.html

It’s funny how some people believe they deserve to be able to use and abuse a free service like Twitter for their personal needs such as attacking others, but don’t believe in things like universal health care, equal pay, unicorns, Covid-19, love, climate change and the possibility that Walter White is still alive.

I personally have never broken any online platform user agreements with regards to abusive speech. In person, most definitely. I’m rarely inspired to battle online people who are looking for a fight because by not engaging with these keyboard warriors I am performing acts of charity for the cerebrally challenged. In the real world, well, you know what they say – it’s hard out here for a pimp.

Trump has behaved poorly for years now. His Republican party members (looking at you Mitch ‘melty face’ McConnell) hid behind him like the bottom feeders they are and got fat with power in his wake. The GOP will never be the same again. Trump’s grip on this party is akin to that of an uncatchable boa constrictor lost in high rise building’s plumbing. Slithering around deep in the bowels of the structure threatening to re-emerge as something far worse. If you lived in that building, you’d never be comfortable again. Your whole existence would be based on fear. Fear, which just so happens to be an effective weapon when trying to control others.

There is another concern floating around right now and that is the power of the big tech companies to control what we can see and what we can’t see. I’ve not given this enough thought yet to be able to provide any coherent ramblings. BUT it is definitely something we all need to be aware of and watching in our very near future.

I’m left with one question – was Trump responsible for the Capital Riots?

It would be so easy to blame him, as many have. And now that he is literally on his way out, getting those final kicks in is giving many people a stock pile of delight. So, the most satisfying answer is – fuck yes. But let’s not forget all the Republicans that have remained silent for the past four years as Trump went on TV’s around the globe and called Africa and Haiti “shitholes”. Mocked a disabled reporter. Stated that Americans who died in wars were “losers and suckers”.

And all of this:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html?_r=0

If you are a parent or a care taker of children are you prone to sitting silently and allowing those children to run amuck in a restaurant yelling at people and causing havoc in hopes the manager will give you free ice cream to shut that child down? Is it that child’s fault you refuse to discipline them out of fear they’ll replace you with a more agreeable parent? Are you getting my point?

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” — Robert F Kennedy

One final thing…

Let’s not forget not all Trump supporters agree with what happened at the Capital. Over 74 million Americans voted for him because they believed he made their life better. And maybe for some of them, he did. Within those 74 million voters, are good people. Individuals who didn’t vote for insurrection, but for hope for their future.

[d2kvirus]

Dickheads of the Month: November 2020

As it seems that there are people who say or do things that are remarkably dickheaded yet somehow people try to make excuses for them or pretend it never happened, here is a collection of some of the dickheaded actions we saw in the month of November 2020 to make sure that they are never forgotten.

Nobody was expecting Donald Trump to concede defeat gracefully, but bloody hell, between the completely batshit insane conspiracy theory bollocks from himself and the rancid Trump offspring to Rudy Giuliani making complete fools of themselves even before he had to give a press conference from the parking lot of a landscaping firm as nobody checked which Four Seasons it was, before threatening to outlaw Twitter because people made fun of his little table (yes, that sentence does make sense), nobody could have expected just how tempramental toddlers are now thinking it's a bit much

...although somehow the Tory government managed to have an even worse response, because not only did posting a boilerplate jpeg to congratulate Joe Biden for his victory the laziest response possible, but then it turned out that they only had a celebratory jpeg for a Trump victory and hastily edited it on Paint so that Biden’s name was on there, but did a cack-handed job of it even though a.) Common sense dictates you have one for each candidate ready in advance, and b.) Given they had several days to accept which way the wind was blowing, the fact they did the most cack-handed job says everything you need to know 

Smirking cretin Priti Patel has bullied Home Office staff and, having initially tried to bury the report, the best the Tory government could come up with to try and make this go away was claim that she was bullying her subordinates by accident while proven liar Boris Johnson claimed she had done nothing wrong, numerous members of the Tory government either said that as they hadn’t seen her bullying anyone she must be innocent or tried claiming she was “accused” of bullying instead of found guilty of bullying, and to top it all off we had Michael Gove’s wife Sarah Vine accused anyone calling Patel of being a bully racist while Alison Pearson said Patel can’t be a bully as she isn’t tall enough. Also, did I mention this came out during national Bullying Week?

...and just a thought for Jess Phillips after she decided to weigh in, considering it’s on record that you bullied Diane Abbott (and have gleefully said how you told her to “Fuck off” on various occasions) it's not a good idea for you to try and act as you’re above bullying as you will get called out for your hypocrisy

Murderer Amanda Knox thought it would be a really funny joke to suggest that, no matter what the election result, the next four years couldn’t be as bad as the four years she spent studying abroad.  You know, those four years where she murdered Meredith Kercher and got away with it

So it turns out that the moral compass of the Tory government says that it is fine for Dominic Cummings to be happy to sacrifice the elderly if it protects the economy during a pandemic while displaying that he doesn’t know how herd immunity works, purging 21 MPs from the party for not buying into his No Deal Britait Jonestown, siphoning hundreds of millions of pounds into the pockets of his mates in various dodgy contracts, or flagrantly violating the lockdown rules by driving several hundred miles to Durham (where he owns a house he doesn't pay council tax for) after testing positive for Covid - but as soon as he calls Carrie Symonds “Princess Nut Nuts” he’s out the door...for a staged photo op, even though he is remaining in his job until December, which is when he was going to leave anyway

...and we should mention Laura Kuenssberg bullishly stating that Cummings was going nowhere in the wake of Lee Cain being told he could leave when his contract is up in December but they want to make it look like he is being fired, but within twelve hours saying that Cummings would always be leaving in December as a blog post in January stated, which not only asks if anyone has checked the archived version of that blog in case any edits were made in mid-November, but also how she can justify her £290k a year salary if she can get a story that badly wrong that Cummings’ blog disagreed with her

There’s a reason why Lindsey Graham isn't popular in the Senate and it isn’t because he questions if Biden won the election, it's because he’s telling people to “misplace” the votes for Biden which they are counting so that Trump could claim that he won Georgia instead of losing Georgia, demanding a recount, then losing Georgia

Once again proven liar Boris Johnson demonstrated that lockdown rules apply to the little people but not to him or his inner circle, as he met with fellow Tory MP Lee Anderson in person rather than via Zoom as the lockdown rules state, didn't wear a mask as lockdown rules state, and clearly didn’t social distance as a picture of him with Anderson taken during the meetings shows they are not two metres apart as lockdown rules state, which means that he had to spend two weeks self-isolating as a direct result 

Has anyone told Keir Starmer that The Board of Deputies weren’t on the ballot for Labour leadership?  Because by his performative act of refusing to restore the party whip to Jeremy Corbyn after his performative suspension, which he did after the BoD stamped their feet and demanded the whip not be restored, he’s not doing a good job of demonstrating leadership

First of all it was news that Steve Bannon uses Twitter, as surely he should have flounced off for Parler years ago.  But secondly, the real news is how he used his Twitter account to call for Anthony Fauci to be beheaded - at which point he suddenly couldn’t use his Twitter account anymore

According to Iain Duncan Smith putting the UK into a second lockdown is “giving in to the scientific advisors” as if during a pandemic, which the last time I checked was a scientific matter, you should instead be listening to Julia Halfwit-Brewer, Dan Wootton, Alison Pearson or Isabel Oakeshott rather than people qualified to talk about what to do in the face of a global pandemic 

Nice Guy Rishi Sunak proposed a return of Eat Out To Help Out for Christmas.  You know, the thing which has been directly linked with causing a spike in Covid numbers in August?

Tory arrogance was neatly summed up by George Eustace casually saying that, if Lurpak didn’t want to incur the massive price hikes of Britain crashing out of the EU without a paddle, all they have to do is move their entire base of operations to the UK

The fact that Disney have been trying to justify their refusal to even issue royalty statements to Alan Dean Foster for his novelisations of the Star Wars and Alien franchises and have simply been pocketing the revenue made by the books continued sales by claiming they only purchased the license and not the liability, which is a particularly unique interpretation of copyright law

It was only a matter of time before The Daily Mail started trying to create dirt about Marcus Rashford because he has the sheer gall to say that feeding children is not a bad thing, which they did by reporting the horrors of him...buying a house for his mother

Twitter troll Ben Bradley had a stellar month, first by standing up in Commons and asking why there isn't a Minister for Women while also showing a terrifying inability to understand what equality is, and soon followed that up by quoting Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech by claiming that it was about equality - only for Bernice King to tell him that, no, her father’s speech was about eliminating racism from our society

I think that it's time for The Daily Express to admit that, when they're running articles saying that it’s Remainers who are to blame for Trump getting dumped onto the street, that maybe they have a problem

The Streisand Effect still hasn’t reached WWE judging by their continuing to double down on demanding their employees independent contractors stop earning money via third-party platforms manifested in their releasing Thea Trinidad from her contract in spite her Twitch account always being under her real name and not her WWE moniker of Zelina Vega

It was a coincidence that the Jewish Labour Movement decided to hold their annual conference on the Palestinian Day of Solidarity.  Of course it was...

This month it was Fin Taylor who demonstrated just how far from satire HIGNFY has strayed with his “Bomb Glastonbury and kill all Jeremy Corbyn supporters” joke in response to Joan Bakewell lying about Corbyn breaking the law - and, afterwards, Taylor was generally being a smug twat about it on his Twitter - which also serves to show how Tim Davie is fine with booking comedians whose acts have plenty of questionable content contained within it if it guarantees the Tories escape criticism

This month’s example of Steve Baker making himself a walking punchline with no self-awareness came from him howling that further lockdown measures would be a violation of terms set out by the European Convention on Human Rights - yes, the exact same convention that Baker has a.) Repeatedly accused of meddling with British affairs and is an example of the EU nanny state, and b.) Frowns upon things such as Steve Baker repeatedly voting against allowing child refugees to be reunited with their families

Nothing says “worker happiness” quite like GameStop running a competition for their stores to post Tik Tok dances where the store which is voted the winner receives prizes such as an Amazon Echo, a Visa gift card, and the privilege of working an additional ten hours during the week of Black Friday.  Wait, did I say “worker happiness”?  I meant to say “Dickensian shithousery” where employees are expected to compete so they can work more hours

Of course the “We’re not racist”s of Twitter had an issue with Sainsburys Christmas ad because it didn’t appeal to white men due to having a black family, in much the same way that Compare the Market’s ads don't appeal to white men as they’re not Russian meerkats

Professional victim Laurence Fox thought it would be a good idea to get into a slanging match with The Pogues while lying that Fairytale of New York would be banned from the airwaves.  It went about as well as could be expected

It wouldn’t be Remembrance Day without The Sun or The Daily Mail exploiting it for some obvious ragebait, and this year was no exception with both “papers” posting a photo of Extinction Rebellion posting with a banner in front of the Cenotaph protesting climate change - a photo taken two days earlier, but they held off on posting it until the day itself to get the rage flowing, because they needed something as neither Jeremy Corbyn nor Meghan Markle were within a mile of Whitehall

This month it was Ernest Cline who demonstrated a lack of understanding of the Streisand Effect by ordering DMCA takedowns on anyone who posted an excerpt of Ready Player Two online, which mainly served to help the internet realise which the actual excerpts were and which the parody versions were - because it was pretty hard to tell them apart otherwise...

“I’ve been silenced”, shrieked Suzanne Moore in an interview with the Telegraph, fatally undermining her argument in the process.  Funny how the people who have been “silenced” keep doing that, isn’t it?

Because we haven’t heard anything idiotic from Jake Paul in a while, Jake Paul decided to say Covid isn’t real and flu has killed just as many people.  So I give it a week before his older brother Logan feels he has to one-up this and say the Holocaust was fake...

And finally, not for much longer, is Donald Trump and his complicity in trying to organise a coup - but not a very good coup, as his minions at Fox News had to exaggerate how many people were actually protesting about him losing an election and crying about it - which was further undermined by his inability to tell Michigan and Minnesota apart

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: You can't bite the boys of the Bulldog breed

FUNNY that.

The Bulldogs were wooden spoon certainties and in a world of trouble, now we jump off Essendon as quickly, pardoning their victors as we do.

Collingwood wins by four goals against a lowly Carlton and now Buckley is showing something we’ve never seen before?

West Coast kick six unanswered goals in the final term when their travelling opponents had a smaller bench than an inner-city apartment’s kitchenette and they are now on the path to greatness?

Steady on.

 1.       Cricket first - in a sport that desperately could use some PR right about now - why haven't we had a female umpire a men's test match? Has it happened and no-one noticed? Or is it a glaring oversite with other men’s competitions around the world catching up? Cricket Australia needs me. James Sutherland, you have my number, give me a call.

 2.       So the Doggies. Had a significant portion of their best line-up out on Sunday and showed a bit, showed us what we think the 2016 premiers should be playing like. Round One was what it was, and yes they had a stinker to follow up, but these Dogs will be just fine, probably not a top four fancy but certainly a long way from the bottom of the ladder come the end of August.

 3.       As for their opponents, well yes, little excuse. Unlike the winners, Essendon were pretty close to rolling out their best team (Gleeson perhaps the only exception?) and yet were pummelled and lucky to have gotten so close. In that case, on Sunday, that just comes down to a bit of want and desire. Not good. But there’s always a next week so not all is lost at Tullamarine.

 4.       Hasn’t the man love come for Nic Naitanui since Sunday night. He is back, there’s no-one better in full flight, best on ground and probably a Logie, Nobel Prize and a chance to play for the showcase on Price is Right too. However, and this goes somewhat for Stef Martin who also played a ‘blinder’ on the weekend, who were they rucking against? Both Geelong and Port Adelaide did not possess a first-choice ruckman, so for Naitanui and Martin to go bananas is bare minimum. That’s what separates Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy above the others. Gawn defeated an All-Australian ruckman in Todd Goldstein, Grundy took down a pretty handy colleague in Matty Kreuzer too. So, as mentioned above, when it comes to ruckmen dominating games with no equal – steady on.

 5.       Geez the Power run it dicey with opponents they should just be taking care of. Credit to the Lions I guess but Port are so lucky. Yet, a win is a win, they didn’t stuff it up like last year when this would have gone against them, if they ride their luck and make amends, this is still a very positive platform for Ken Hinkley’s men.

 6.       This column continues to be enamoured with the Freo back six. A solid, in-form and gelling backline is the foundation of good, great sides. The combination of Joel Hamling, premiership player, the assured veteran presence of Michael Johnson and Stephen Hill, the rapidly developing Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan plus one of the recruits of the year in Nathan Wilson, that’s a very good core group. Let alone the fact their mids look great especially their captain and their forward line is functioning and dangerous alike, again, it’s all set up for success.

 7.       Friday night, gee the heat came for Jacob Weitering. Liam Jones had a few brain fades but I’m not sure why the sole focus of the attention for Carlton letting a winless team roll through for nine unanswered goals went on the former no.1 pick? How about some attention for the midfield who looked completely absent leaving the Blues’ defence with little prospects to do anything to stop the wave? Starts with the captain whose getting away with doing the best part of bugger all so far in 2018.

 8.       Their opponents, first win for the Pies, they looked alright. Throw Elliott, Fasolo and Moore with what worked Friday inside 50, the back six is improving and confidence with ball movement can grow into the season – they present ‘some’ chance to be 4-4 after eight rounds where their draw does get easier than the start. Need luck, some they need to create themselves, some the way of good fortune.

 9.       Different role for Scott Pendlebury, essentially ran with Cripps all night, now Cripps did end up with 26 but wasn’t anywhere near as influential as Round One. A big stat: no-one in the competition has tackled more so far this season than the Pies' skipper, not known for the real physical side of the game but leading by example in that way.

 10.   Gold Coast leads the tackle count after three rounds with 250, they did have 98 in Round One though in the monsoonal conditions against North who had 86 themselves and are second for that team stat as you’d expect. Third though, Collingwood, 212.

 11.   Interesting, the teams that have had been tackled the most, North and Gold Coast are high because of Round One, but number one? Carlton, averaging 77 a game where the average is 62. They are really struggling to find space. The best, no surprise, Richmond, averaging 50 a game. Dogs just behind in second best, they actually are playing ok.

 12.   Essendon are the by far the worst team for conceding uncontested possessions so far, a decent margin ahead of second worst Brisbane. That’s down to workrate and team discipline as we said before.

 13.   Last team stat, inside 50s conceded, the worst, Geelong, ahead of North, Gold Coast and Carlton. Averaging over 60 a game conceded the Cats, so once opposition get the ball, it’s too easy to transition, or turn the Cats over and get re-entry. The best, Melbourne, Port and Freo, just over 40 a game, big difference.

 14.   As for Geelong, Ablett goes down and so did their chances coincidentally. He wasn’t the sole factor but once he came off at the start of the fourth the Eagles flicked a switch and ran rampant. Almost immediately he has become their best player and just edges Dangerfield perhaps for their most important. And he ain’t no spring chicken, with an increasingly concerning knack for picking up niggles.

 15.   Sunday saw Clarko almost orchestrate another upset; they will overachieve far too often this year. The Tigers were by far the better outfit but I credit the Hawthorn coaching box and not lady luck for the fact the Hawks were in it almost all the way. Such a genius.

 16.   So the Saints are looking into Dylan Shiel. Josh Kelly stayed, so there’s nothing to suggest that Shiel might do any differently. But given the Saints ‘perception’ right now, other than monster cash – good luck.

 17.   Buddy watch, might not get a vote, only got two goals although one was just mega, but was in the best half dozen on the field easily and is on big time in 2018. Please make sure you get on.

 18.   Want to touch on big Melbourne crowds -  six crowds at the ‘G so far of approximately 55k and above with some over 80k. Three including Hawthorn, two with Collingwood, two with Richmond. A couple 40k+ at Etihad too, both Essendon games. Hawks-Dees will be good this week, two huge games next week Dees-Tigers and Pies-Dons, with those four clubs reverse the Sunday after too. People are turning up to the footy in droves, the game’s going well.

 19.   Let’s have a look at Sydney, their NRL crowds, 19 of the 37 ‘fixtures’ (they've had double headers) so far in the NRL have been in Sydney, a mix of old suburban and big stadium venues. Only two crowds over 30k, averaging 16k, other than Origin or finals not likely to get anything over 40k all year. Yes the money is in TV, but crowds are still a very important revenue source and talks to fan engagement. Yes, the Giants are still too new in a tough environment, the Swans though, two home games, both 34k, the two highest attended football games in town so far in 2018.

 20.   Conor McGregor throws a hand trolley at a bus. Connor McKenna bites Tory Dickson. If you meet an Irishman, named Connor, with a Scottish surname, back away slowly…

(originally published 10 April)

[survivor-tierradelfuego]

Ep. 14: “Make it make sense.” - Aimee

Olivia A

Nobody from my original alliance is left which is really shitty. Maddison was my #1. It’s basically 3-3 now, though. Hoping to win immunity + find an idol lol we can only hope.

Olivia A

Aimee and Pedro are talking a lot about how Sarah, Cody, and Najwah have wronged them and stuff/have been stringing them along. I never actually worked with any of them lol so it doesn’t really matter to me I’m just focusing on my game. Glad that they’re fired up though. My final alliance being with Aimee and Pedro is not what I expected but it’s where I am! Can’t dwell. I’m here! I outlasted everyone who has been voted out to this point. That is significant!

Cody A

https://youtu.be/S_xpQryciN0

Aimee

https://64.media.tumblr.com/dcc04d41bea68cf7257486f42c20d296/fe59555738f2307b-42/s540x810/b4cd40c96bedfe612feed8b8337001dc12fbff8b.gifv Thank you Olivia for making the lol chat with her, Pedro, me and obviously the lovely host Jay. It was a perfect place to come together and just bitch fest. There is no coins between any of us so no buying advantages. Just loving Olivia with all her positive vibes. 🌈💜💙💚💛🧡❤️We really all are on equal footing. Speaking of game tea. Cody must of had one of the pieces of the super idol and gave it to one of the Hanuha left after he won immunity. Wanna know how I know? Sarah is his final two. Najwah is his final two as well. They wouldn’t split it between the two girls, they’d both split it with Cody. But since he is immune he gave part to the girls to share this vote. Then one of them voted Olivia incase Maddison player an idol and Olivia would’ve went home with one. That’s also why they slipped up in the call beforehand saying put one vote on Olivia but couldn’t explain why. Hahah yeah oopsie. Why am I not allowed to be upset that they never told me about it and am an obvious top 4/5 and not 3. Lol it could of been me going home since old Hanuha had no idea who Olivia or Maddison were voting and it could’ve been me. And they would’ve just went oh well we have Pedro we don’t need her next vote. This just further proved there is no wiggle room with old Hanuha and I’m at the bottom of a final 4. This further proves I am not final 2 with any of them, or even 3. They also don’t have to constantly adapt like me or the others had to they can just sit and play all the way to final 3. Every time I lose my closest ally I had to go make another one. And I did, and it was with relationships that I already had established and was personable with. I like all of these people so me playing relationships vs strategy can work at the same time. What would they do if they lost one of their 3? They don’t try to connect with others so how would they adapt? It’s a question I’d really want the jury to ask. Cody apparently told Pedro his only path to the final 3 is with Sarah. So...well....there’s that...and I’m also not in that. Everyone’s talking about oh this is for fun and relationship making and that they don’t care about winning but everything they have done has been calculated and strategic. If we all are truly just playing for fun and making relationships why aren’t they talking to others outside of their group and trying to make friends? Why did they not make much effort to bond with me except days and days after the merge??? All I see is red flags and still even now more little lies here and there that are strategic and calculated. I shouldn’t have been feeling this way or even think about flipping if they were truly handling this right with me. Why did they never just replace me with Zack in the final four chat they had after he left? We all bonded over it and it was the perfect time for us four to come together even strategically. It wasn’t a true reset like I thought, they just sat in their group still and ran with it. They’re truly lucky with their advantages and the super idol or it would’ve cost them. We all know about their group...they could have done that instead of listening to Zacks paranoia about me. I chose Maddison over Sarah at this vote. I have a great connection with both of them and we will both be friends after this. I actually want to play this game like it is Survivor and a Sarah blindside would of made a great resume builder for the end. 

Especially after the Ben blindside and all this stuff I was hearing from Pedro she was saying in order to ensure his vote like a final 3 and that Najwah is a threat and she was coming for her. Like I wanted to protect Najwah too if that was true. Also Sarah lied to Maddison and told her I was on board with the Ben vote and that I was going to vote that way too. And then they all just collectively dropped the girls after the Ben vote and stopped even trying to talk to them. Sarah is a great player and even won touchy subjects for who’s gonna win it in the end. 

I’m glad Sarah and I got to talk about this after the vote. She understands, got a good laugh out of it and we talked about the things her and Pedro have been talking about. Pedro was hearing from Cody that Old Hanuha was voting Maddison. Isn’t it SUSPICIOUS that Pedro hears the vote plan before I do!? And then they act like it’s up in the air for me and that it could be Olivia or Maddison. No it was always Maddison they just gave me a false choice but would’ve never let me sway it off her. Lol Pedro straight up told me no they’re doing Maddison. I’m so happy Pedro and I have put our differences aside after the Grae vote. It really is kill or be killed out here. I have been talking to Pedro since we were first able to. We call ourselves Team Tumblr! So far him and I are the only tumblr survivor people on here at final 6. He has a great sense of humor and just an all around cool guy 💅🏻💜💫☀️And of course anyone that loves Michele as much as I do is top person in my book. We made a pact to never vote for each other before this vote even happened. Everyone else had their little duos and trios and here we were in the middle. Without him these last few days I would’ve went crazy. It’s funny how people try to put morals and this and that on him and think he’s a villain but he’s misunderstood just like anyone here could be. You don’t know who the villain is until you watch back at the end. ALSO WHERE THE NUT IS MY CONDOLENCES ON MADDISON GETTING VOTED OUT?! Why am I always the one crying and apologizing and having to defend myself but I’m the one always blindsided. Why did no one console me after blindsided but expect immediate answers when the shoe is on the other foot? How is this any different? I finally did what they do to me but somehow it gets treated differently. Lol I’m not a bitter potential juror I promise. LMAO. But I also have really good fucking points I need these people to answer if I’m there. https://64.media.tumblr.com/cc160b6ed9bbfd511cfece4b2c96417b/be492fc5cefd11de-88/s540x810/df9747035a2fcb610c818518e41938730ab59a98.gifv

Najwah

I'm always so delayed when it comes to confessions. So last night was a bit crazy. Aimee flipped bc Pedro told her that Sarah wanted me out. Either she's talking BS or she's gullible. I know a smart move would have been to keep my superidol and play it when I really needed it at the top 6 or top 5, but I really wanted Maddison out of the game. So bad. Also, if this was a real game of survivor I would have probably flipped on Sarah too because she's a damn good player. I'd have flipped on her days ago. However, this isn't a real game of survivor and I'd rather just have a friend in the game longer. I had a conversation with Pedro last night in which he accused me of talking shit when I said I didn't really care about winning lol. He's like "you're in the top 6, of course you care"  which is very funny to me. I realised that it's so much deeper for him. He really wants the title of sole survivor. I mean, at this point he deserves it lol but to disregard what I'm feeling when I say I care about the connections I've made more than winning? That makes me laugh and just shows what kind of person he is/that he's never really connected with anyone in this game. That's pretty sad. Look, even if Sarah or Cody blindside me, I'm still okay with that. I don't care. My great aunt is busy dying of covid as I type this, I am going through a bit of a depressive episode after being faced with a life altering decision with regards to my own health. I haven't seen my people in a while. Today was supposed to be our half year anniversary weekend away.i also got another job for extra cash and honestly, this game has been my solace and my fun place. I'm so thankful for the past 4 weeks. I genuinely don't care about winning. I'm just happy I get to do this and experience this and bond with people I never would have known or come across in a million years. Honestly, rather Sarah still in the game than someone who has never even spoken to me ever, Maddison. Why would I work with her at all? Anyway, it's okay. People can think I am a goat lmao. The most sad thing are people trying to create cracks and rifts between Cody, Sarah and I. 

Aimee

Zack’s negative aura really is here to fuck my game left of sideways Najwah told him about the super idol that turned into Cody knowing. Okay. Pause. Yes, you read that right, Najwah told people who just got finished blindsiding her about her super idol. But not me. Then Sarah got an idol and told Najwah hence enabling the super idol. But isn’t that funny that Sarah so freely told Najwah she has an idol for that? Oh yeah because they were all aligned before Najwah was even included in that group. And Zack and Cody told Najwah not to tell anyone. This really put a wedge between Najwah and I on the final count numbers to the end. Najwah and I have never gunned for each other and we will continue to not gun for each other. 💞💗💖 I’m so happy she is still here and we can laugh about the Gen Z / Millennial cultural differences. We are the only Millennials left. I got to video chat with her over my lunch today and really clear the air on survivor. It sucks that she felt like out with Maddison. That tribe swap really painted a target on Maddison’s back. To me it seems that everyone’s nosiness about what Najwah got at the auction is deadass the only reason she is aligned with any of them. ALL THREE OF THEM just blindsided her on the previous Leanne vote (the one Najwah literally voted for Sarah on) and Zack even wanted Najwah out. But my relationship with Najwah is somehow chopped liver and I don’t get included in on an alliance with her?!? Because I respected people’s purchases at the auction and didn’t pry for info??? Because I didn’t blindside her???

Make it make sense. 

So the super idol just bonded Najwah with Zack Cody and Sarah. That’s it. That’s literally the rest of the game folks. And I guess they never had to worry about bonding with others cause they can just sit on their super idol the whole game. Must be nice. I’m confused as to why Zacks paranoia about me flipping at swap did not apply to Sarah who also swapped with me. Other than the fact that Zack and Sarah were already aligned. Oh yeah okay, right. There it is. So anyways they all just listened to Zacks paranoia not only about me but also about all of Maola and decided to take his word on everyone that he never actually interacted with instead of reaching out and talking to any of those people to get to know them. Or you know, talking to me. It’s the same paranoia Ben got fed to him from Zack about Maola and how much they could be playing me. And I was like where is this coming from and why are you so sure they are all liars and cutthroat savages?! NOBODY knows what went on in new-Maola except for me, Sarah, Grae, Maddison, and Olivia. (And Jay) And if I hear one more person that wasn’t in that tribe try to tell me otherwise, I am going to scream. For the record, I never told Zack anything for any indication I’d flip. I said old Maola was nice. And I didn’t shit talk them like everyone else probably did. I literally had about a two minute interaction with him right after merge before he was kicked out. That’s it. And it was because he couldn’t resist asking me how I was feeling, as always. Thing is, Zack is old news and somehow people did not change anything about those perceptions still. I mean, we are all still playing within the confines of the alliances Zack set up. ......Because?!?!!!?!!! This is one giant self-fulfilling prophecy. They treated me differently, they treated me like I’d flip, so guess what, the flip finally ended up happening. There was plenty of time for all of these perceptions about me and them and Maola to change and they didn’t. No one made any effort. And then touchy subjects came out and confirmed everything I needed to know about where I stood with them. That was FOREVER after Zack left. And yet I still continued voting with them, I even VOTED for Maddison and apparently that wasn’t enough to gain my trust? Or earn my spot in a damn final four chat with them at LEAST. Not even a fake one???? And then the lies day in and day out day after day with those three and just how completely obvious they are about being in a group chat of just them three. As if I’m stupid. And it’s so blatant I sometimes wonder if they want me to know about it. Even now as I write this and since the last few votes I am still being told lies here and there. Lies for no reason and stuff that doesn’t need to be lied about. So what is it?????!! We can’t keep blaming swap and merge stuff if this is still happening to this very minute. FIX IT if you want me to work with you. Otherwise, rocks it is. 🙈🙉🙊

Aimee

Najwah! I love you!!!! Thank you so much for supporting me when I felt left out and just explaining so much game stuff to me. I appreciate you!! ❤️ Hugs to you and I’m always here for you. I cant wait for our friendship outside of this game. Pedro Awe are fucked...honestly cody will lose to najwah, and sarah..and thats the only good thing i see coming out of them being in the final 3

Sarahhttps://youtu.be/2Ls9dB1fNgU

Aimee

https://64.media.tumblr.com/1da555dc795dd40f56a35ddf87a0ab47/a53f344a539857da-3a/s540x810/8139924235547546dd732d4531331e43c68dc1db.gifv YAY!! Way to go Pedro on your immunity win!!! Dang! Some of those answers you put were LEGENDARY!! 😎😎😎Haha he kept saying over and over again how he’s a dead man and “see ya later guys I’m going to jury.” It’s the theme of this season. Haha Olivia and I kept encouraging him. It’s not over until it is over. And this challenge just proves that point. Great job Pedro! jerry ropero feat. jacqueline - Coração https://youtu.be/a54Wap-5cvw The song Pedro, Olivia and I would be jamming to after his immunity win! 

Cody A

https://youtu.be/5t2H-oAv6r8

Aimee

Haha loving this late night “camp” time with Cody and Sarah 🔥 ❤️ 

Najwah

I spoke to Sarah yesterday and she accidentally let it slip that she wants Cody or her to win immunity. I was like WTF?? Also they keep calling MY idol, OUR idol. Like she just assumes I'm going to play my idol for her again? Lol I wanted Maddison out for once and for all because she was brilliant. When I say I care about humans more than winning, I sure hope other humans feel the same but I'm sure not. I bonded with Aimee yesterday. We spoke to each other about life. I sent her what really happened with Maddison and The Ben vote because Maddison played with Aimee's emotions and said "oh I didn't know. I wouldn't have voted Ben if you were left out" etc. But the receipts state a completely different story. I'm not even going to bother trying to stop Pedro. I'm not interested in his BS. He's probably going to make it to F3 and win. I don't like how he's starting to get personal? But I guess big ups to him. 

Olivia A

I was pretty sure this vote was gonna go to rocks. We haven’t found an idol and I’m pretty sure they don’t have any. Buuut, Aimee just told me she’s pretty sure Najwah is willing to flip tonight which would be amazing. Hoping for that. Rocks are scary!!

Olivia A

Pedro is always SUPER paranoid about everything so Aimme and I are nervous about him trusting the idea of Najwah flipping. What we decided to do is have Aimee tell the group chat that she wants to flip. If we can’t convince him to trust that she’s not lying I will present the idea of telling her the wrong name (we tell her to vote Cody but we all vote Sarah) to test if she actually flips while still guaranteeing that we don’t go to rocks. It’s perfect!

Pedro A

I thank the lord ..for this immunity...cause this rocks things...its scaryyyyyyy....but at the end of the day both sides know..that neither of them can make it into the end,..if they flip...........SOOOOOOO  lets pray aimme doesnt flip cause im scared

Pedro A

we are kinda voting cody..so hes safe...cause of the DA....lets hope this works

Aimee

https://tenor.com/view/pokemon-bulbasaur-highfive-gif-5169485

https://64.media.tumblr.com/dc1b6fab90d3be46df5137b345c79761/eb2a62cf794f783c-94/s540x810/8d5d18d147dea390be5bf52e54132feb009dcd45.gifv MY GIRL NAJWAH💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💓💗💝💖🏳️‍🌈Really coming through right now! We are saving each other! I’m just so happy she has finally woken up in the game. Our bond and friendship can be seen from space. I love her so much! I’m so glad my truthfulness, positivity and all around good vibes have proven trustworthy to her. Sarah

I don’t want to vote Aimee out but I feel like it’s all we can do to keep Cody, Naj, and I safe. I hope this plan works. 

Cody A

https://youtu.be/MunX3QJvOOA

Cody A

https://youtu.be/dinc3bJrmvk

Najwah

So my decision to do this vote is basically because yesterday I realised that Sarah has a plan for Cody and her and I'm not in it. Of course it was hurtful. I wasn't going to vote Cody. In fact, I would have rather voted Sarah because after yesterday I don't think they would have saved me when it came down to rocks. Perhaps the paranoia is getting to me. And perhaps I'm believing lies but Sarah made that Freudian slip in a voice message and I don't think having me with them right to the final is part of their plan.  I just hope no one changes their minds or decisions now since we have like an extra 45 minutes to think and review everyone's answers to their questions. 🤞🏽🤞🏽

[psychosunflower-blog]

1-800-237-8522||Daniel Seavey||Imagine 5♡

Summary: You finally realize you aren’t alone

Words:1310

Warnings: Mentions of Depression, Anxiety and suicide.Yes they are strong topics but if no one talks about it than we just pretend they aren't real and thats something I refuse to stand by and do.

Requested: No

A/n:If you didn't watch the VMAs or you haven't seen logics performance or speech please watch this, it is so powerful

Taken from my Imagine book on wattpad, More people need to understand that they aren’t alone♡

This wasn't your first time at the VMA's as "Y/n" The youtuber with just close to 11 million subscribers but it was your first time going as Daniel Seaveys girlfriend and nothing felt more amazing that standing off to the side while he and the boys had their first VMA interview.

They had blown up in the last 11 months and you couldn't have been more proud of them, besides Daniel those four boys were your best friends and just seeing all that they are doing was so amazing.

You and Daniel were living the life right now, watching people you two blasted through the car speakers now perform live gave you such a rush.

"I think Logic is performing next" Daniel whispered in your ear over the loud music. You had actually met Logic a few times when you were working on a black lives matter campaign and the woman's rights movements, he was such an amazing and down to earth person and he happened to be on of your favourite musicians so your face lit up when Daniel said that.

You two always had a running joke, that no boy could ever steal you away from Daniel but Logic and he was married so that was out of the question, of course you never meant that, you wouldn't leave Daniel for the world but you always found it funny when Danny got jealous.

"Every so often a rare and important song in video comes along and let us know how true that is. The moving piece of film and music that is the video for "1-800-273-8255' brought me to tears.The truth is pricing and the truth is what matters and the truth is that no one is alone. It takes great courage to show the venerable side of being a human and we all have that side. Whatever you are going through no matter how dark it may seem there is an undeniable truth and strength in the fact that you are not alone. We all have struggles and as long as you don't give up on yourself light will break through the darkness. The national suicide prevention lifeline is available to you 24/7 if you are in crisis or concerned about somebody who might be.Just dial 1-800-273-8255" Kesha spoke(It took me 10 minutes to look watch a youtube video and type what she spoke but I love it), Your heart started to beat a little faster and that's when Daniel took your hand in his and squeezed it tight, knowing that at some point your tears would fall.

Suddenly the beautiful violins started playing causing your heart to melt, you were already loving every second of it and it had only just started.

Then Logics voice started, singing the words that had made your heart feel heavy as memories flooded back to you.

"I don't wanna be alive, I don't wanna be Alive"

You yourself were a suicide attempt surviver, and when you had heard this new song on his album you started sobbing and now seeing it live was even more powerful than the music video.

But the tears didn't fall down your face until lights fell on people standing around the stage in shirts with the number on the front and 'you are not alone" on the back. All of them being suicide attempt servers as well, you couldn't help but stand up with many others and stand there in shock as Khalid had started singing on the middle of the stage as more people in those shirts stood behind the three musicians.

"I just want to thank you all so much for giving me a platform to talk about something main stream media doesn't want to talk about : mental health, anxiety, suicide, depression and so much more that I talk about on this album,From racism, discrimination, sexism, domestic violence, sexual assault, and so much more; I don't give a damn if you are black, white, or any color in between. I don't care if you're Christian, you're Muslim, you're gay, you're straight, I am here to fight for your equality. Because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight. We must fight for the equality of every man, woman, and child regardless of race, religion, color, creed, and sexual orientation. So I say here and now if you believe in of peace, love, positivity, and equality for all then I demand that you rise to your feet and applaud not only for yourselves but for the foundation we are laying for our children" Logic had said ending the song. By now the boys and everybody else in the stadium were on their feet, most with tears in their eyes and everybody clapping.

This night, more than every other night had shown you that you weren't alone, and that you still aren't. That although you had gotten better since the attempt that your mental health wasn't something to be taken lightly, no ones was.

It also made you want to talk about it more, maybe if someone heard your story they would feel more comfortable telling theirs.

Logics performance had moved you in ways you couldn't begin to explain and Daniel never once left your side.

____

If you don't talk about things; they won't get better. But ending your life is never a solution to a problem, and I hope that everyone reading this book, anyone who struggles with anything, anyone that deals with something they feel that can't handle will call this number, or the number for your country and you will get the help you need. I love you all and I support every single one of you, but please never be afraid to pick up the phone and call that number.

If you ever want someone to talk to,weather you've had a bad day and your feeling down or you are feeling lonely or you just want an idiot to pass time with, MY MESSAGES ARE ALWAYS OPEN.

I will not be offended if you ask me personal things, I will go out of my way to help you or try to find you help, and I will do my absolute best to make that smile go across your face.

You are all so strong and amazing and talented, you are gonna kick ass in life and I know that, but you've come this far and Im so proud of you. Please never make the choice to make today your last day.

 I couldn't think of a better way than to tell each reader that they aren't alone. I want to thank each and every one of you for coming back, with every update and going to check my books out when I tell you I've written a new one 10000 times.

Before I started writing this book I was in a horrible place, and a large part of me still is, I struggle daily, sometimes worse than the last day, but writing this book, seeing all the positive comments, feeling like I belong somewhere has made a huge difference to me and I can't thank you enough for this.

To every single person who was commented,voted, even read half of one chapter, thank you. You've all changed my life in ways y'all won't ever understand and I hope that some how or some way I change yours.

Loving you with all of my heart.

-Coffeemarais

[labourpress]

Sadiq Khan speech to Labour Party Conference

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton today, said:

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

Conference, it's great to be back in Labour Brighton. And it's great to see our Labour Party so fired up under Jeremy Corbyn. Labour confounded all expectations at the general election this year. Let's be clear, Theresa May called this snap election to try and wipe us out. And boy did she fail. It was inspiring to see millions of people vote for the first time - especially so many young people. And it was inspiring to see so many people who used to vote for our Party return home to Labour. We made huge progress in the general election and the credit for that goes to one person – the leader of our party - Jeremy Corbyn.

He mobilised our movement. He motivated our activists and reached voters we hadn't reached before. Thanks to the hard work of Labour members and trade unionists, London elected four fantastic new Labour MPs. We now have a Labour Member of Parliament representing Battersea, Enfield Southgate,Croydon Central, and, yes, Labour Kensington. Let’s hear it for our Labour gains in London. Our new MPs: Marsha de Cordova; Bambos Charalambous; Sarah Jones and Emma Dent Coad. And by the way - hasn’t Emma been an amazing advocate for the neglected residents affected by the terrible Grenfell fire? As a united Labour family we're on the march. This year’s election came during an unbelievably difficult time for London, our capital,the city I love so much. It’s been one of the darkest times in London's recent history. We’ve been through too much suffering, too much horror, and too much loss. The terrorist attack on Westminster - the heart of our democracy. The attack on innocent people, enjoying a night out in London Bridge and Borough Market. The horrific fire at Grenfell Tower. The attack on innocent people near Finsbury Park Mosque during Ramadan. And the attack at Parsons Green station on Londoners, as they travelled into work and school. Nobody expects such tragedy. And no one should tolerate it. We prepare and practice for the worst, but we hope and pray it will never happen. Keeping Londoners safe is my top priority. And in all honesty, it’s hard - by far the hardest part of my job. It really does keep me awake at night. Fearing the call in the early hours that came too often this summer, to say the worst had happened. More innocent Londoners, who have experienced unimaginable horrors to help and console. More funerals to attend of those who have been killed. And always, always more to do to keep Londoners safe. But Conference - there are some people who spend their entire lives trying to stop these terrible events and who lead our response when they happen. Whose job it is to put themselves in harm’s way, every day, to try to keep the rest of us safe. And who do it with dedication, professionalism and heroism. Conference, please stand and join me to show your appreciation to our amazing emergency services. Thanks to our police officers, community support officers and staff. Thanks to our firefighters and control room operators. Thanks to our frontline NHS staff, and all who support them - our paramedics, nurses, doctors  and health workers. And thanks to our transport staff who are so often on the front line. On behalf of all Londoners - and the entire Labour Party - thank you for everything you do. You truly are heroes. In the darkness of this year the bravery of our emergency services has been a beacon of hope. We have witnessed incredible courage and self-sacrifice. Like PC Keith Palmer, who was tragically killed in the line of duty while protecting Parliament. Although he was unarmed, he didn’t hesitate before confronting the attacker. Rarely has a St George’s medal for bravery been so deserved. And our thoughts and prayers will always remain with his family and friends. Or take Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor at St Thomas’ Hospital. When she saw the attack from the hospital window, she rushed across the river to treat people lying injured in the road. Or Wayne Marques, the British Transport Police officer who, single-handedly, took on three armed attackers at London Bridge. Despite suffering terrible wounds, he fought them off until help arrived. Or the hundreds of firefighters, who went far above the call of duty to save lives during the fire at Grenfell Tower. Who took extraordinary risks with their own safety. And I want to say a special thank you to Dany Cotton - our London Fire Commissioner. Dany led the rescue operation at Grenfell Tower - going into the building and taking those risks alongside our firefighters. I want to thank Dany also for the honesty with which she talked about those awful scenes - and for being so open about receiving counselling after the fire. She’s encouraged many of our emergency responders and ordinary Londoners to do the same. And we should thank the brave Transport for London staff, who calmly helped during the attack at Parsons Green station - evacuating the train and leading people to safety - regardless of the risk to themselves. There’s no doubt that we face a growing threat. Experts say that the number of terrorist attacks this year is not a spike, but a long-term shift. And crime is on the rise again. The types of crime we see are more complicated and harder to tackle. Violent crime is rising even faster - with too many killed or maimed as a result of knife crime or acid attacks. And ever more young people are being groomed and radicalised by evil extremists - whether here or abroad. But Conference it doesn’t have to be this way. This all feels very familiar. A weak and divided Tory Government, refusing to face up to the challenges ahead. Bickering and infighting over Europe, putting our jobs and economy at risk. Chronic underinvestment in public services causing a crisis in our schools and hospitals. And crime on the rise. But Conference, this isn’t the 1990s. This is now. It’s like Back to the Future, but it isn't funny. Tory cuts to our emergency services have made it harder to keep us safe. A billion pounds cut from the Met Police - a billion pounds less for London’s policing budget. The result? Fewer police officers on our streets. Police stations closed. And neighbourhood policing under attack. Even police counter-terrorism funding has been cut in real terms. The same goes for our fire service. Fewer fire engines. Fewer fire stations. And fewer fire fighters. The same story is true in our National Health Service, our councils, our transport network and in every one of our public services. Conference - we simply can’t go on like this. The brave men and women of our emergency services can’t do their job when the Tories are cutting their funding every year.

 It must stop. The Government must give our emergency services the real-terms increase in funding that they desperately need - and right now. You know, the Tories used to describe themselves as the party of law and order. Well that sounds like a bad joke today. And frankly, as a former Home Secretary, Theresa May should be utterly ashamed of her record. Labour is the only Party with a plan to tackle rising crime. Labour is the only Party standing behind the men and women of our emergency services. And Labour is the only Party already making a real difference in towns and cities across the UK. A Labour Government will finally put an end to years of Tory cuts to our emergency services. And a Labour Government, led by Jeremy Corbyn, will finally give our emergency services the proper pay rise they so desperately deserve. Not the insulting offer made by the Tories. It’s Labour - in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Wales - that has a real plan to tackle violent crime - like gun crime, knife crime and acid attacks. It’s Labour that’s finally making social integration and community cohesion a priority so we can put a stop to the grooming and radicalisation of our young people.

 It’s Labour that’s finally made hate crime and violence against women and girls a top priority for the police. And it’s Labour that’s restoring community trust in our police, and making our emergency services more reflective of the communities they serve. You know it made me so proud to be the Labour Mayor when Cressida Dick was appointed as the first woman Met Commissioner in 188 years. And when Dany Cotton was appointed as the first woman Fire Commissioner in the brigade’s history. And you know what? They were both appointed on merit as the best people for the job. Conference, despite the challenges we’ve faced over the past year - I’m optimistic, positive and hopeful about our future. I’m so proud to call myself British and to call myself a Londoner. I’m confident that both London and the UK have bright futures ahead. That we can become a more prosperous, safe and equal country. And, Conference, I’m optimistic about Labour’s future too. Optimistic that we’ll build on the success of Labour in power in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Wales. That we’ll make more progress in the local elections next year.That we’ll make a huge difference to the lives of millions. That we can build a fairer Britain. A more prosperous Britain.  A safer Britain. And that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn will win the next general election. Thank you.

[spermdonorgrace]

Sperm Donor Dace

Grace Holden, twenty three and already voted New York Lifestyle Magazine’s Small Business Success of the Year, is opening her third location in Soho this August. Her brand ‘Little Apple’ has become it’s own chain store in a matter of months since the twenty something entrepreneur opened a store front to sell her products. You can still find all the brand’s products online on their website, including an original line of clothing, cribs, personalized baby blankets and organic baby food.

Grace was happy, she was; she was successful and had an apartment with working air conditioning for the first time in her life, she owned her own business like she’d always wanted to, she had friends in the city and she was settled. She was happy. The only thing missing was what her life practically revolved around: a baby. Grace was surrounded by babies all day long, she saw them in strollers down the street and in her apartment building and on every commercial as soon as she turned on the television. It was baby overload and Grace knew exactly why: she wanted to be a mom. Ever since she was a kid Grace had carted around baby dolls, pushed mini strollers through the park and played mom to all her friends, it was her dream long before she dreamed of moving to the city, and long before she dreamed of starting her own company. Being a mother, that was what Grace had wanted from the very beginning. The only thing standing in her way was finding a father. She had this problem that her friends like to explain simply, like it was obvious. Everywhere you go you find the worst man possible and attract him like a magnet. It was sort of true, so Grace never argued. She had the worst luck, never once coming close to settling down, and by the time Grace was twenty three, everything else in her life falling into place, she decided she’d had enough. She wanted a family, to be a mother. She was going to have a baby. So Grace did it herself. She moved into a new apartment with two bedrooms, found a fertility clinic and bought her own sample, donor number 3728. He was her age, no family history of heart disease, and he did something with art. Talented, Grace decided, and she picked him based on a feeling in her gut. Four months later she found out she was pregnant with a baby boy. Liam James was seven pounds when he was born, healthy and beautiful and hers, and the name just sort of fit. She couldn’t even quite explain why she picked James for his middle name. It was her grandfathers middle name, sure, but they weren’t that close and she never brought that up when people asked. Mostly, Grace just liked the way it sounded. As soon as she’d thought of the names together they just fit. Liam James. He was beautiful, with dark hair straight away and big, hazel eyes that Grace couldn’t stop staring into, even when she was rocking him in the middle of a conference call about a mew product line. It was hard, harder even than anyone said it would be, and Grace had always just assumed they were exaggerating. But her parents lived just outside the city and she had a best friend she could call any time of night and she would come over, just like that, and Grace was okay. She did it, all on her own when everyone said she couldn’t, and even after all the sleepless nights and dirty diapers and showing up to meetings with spit up on her jacket, Grace was the happiest she’d ever been. Liam was her family, and she didn’t regret not waiting around to be happy. The only downfall was dating. It took about a year for her friends to start badgering her, to claim that she looked better than ever and it was time to get back out there, but Grace refused. It was after Liam turned three that she finally gave in, agreeing to go on a few dates now and then if they set them up but never promising more than that. Because sure, the idea was nice, and she might have missed the connection, but she had all she needed already, just her and Liam. Until Liam’s daycare was out for a week and Grace had to stay home with him and she realized that without another adult around to talk to she was slowly losing her mind. It was perfectly fine again when she went back to work but it was still in the back of her mind. So she was trying, and mostly failing, to date.

“Why can’t I come?” By three, almost four, a fact he made sure to remind everyone of every time he had the chance, Liam never whined questions or demands like the other kids in preschool. He just asked questions, point blank like his thoughts were completely rational. It was hilarious, he was like a thirty year old caught in a toddler’s body. “'Cause a date is for grown ups.” Lacey answered easily. Lacey had been Grace’s friend since college, wild and a little loud and the only fun thing about three hour lecture halls. She moved around after school but always gravitated back to New York, claiming it was the only logical answer to give her career in fashion a chance. So Lacey stayed put and never once bothered Grace when she decided to get pregnant. She was the only one to never poke her with preachy speeches or questions like do you really think this is a good idea? She was supportive, always, and Grace’s best friend because of it. So, naturally, once Liam was born Aunt Lacey became one of his favorite faces, and that night, his favorite babysitter. “Why?” He was still planted firmly in the why phase, and it usually got to Grace after ten minutes if nonstop asking but Lacey never showed the same weakness. She was really good with Liam, but she’d only laugh if Grace ever told her so. “Because they’re boring. Wouldn’t you rather stay here with me? We can watch cartoons and eat ice cream for dinner.” Grace shot her a look then and sighed when Lacey winked in response. “Batman!” Liam was up and scrambling, headed straight for the television after that. “Hey, wait a minute, don’t I get a goodbye? A 'love you mom,’ anything?” Liam was giggling when he took off back across the room to her, Grace getting down to balance on one knee. It was hard to do in tight jeans but she managed. “It’s real funny to break your mom��s heart, huh? Did batman ever change your stinky diapers?” Liam was a fit of giggles when she pulled him closer to hug him, tickling him until he was screeching. “Give mom a kiss, Li, she’s gonna be late.” Grace tapped her cheek after that and smiled when he smacked his lips there, laughing when she did the same, a loud raspberry on his skin. “Alright, have fun.” She tossed when she got up, grabbing her bag and fishing through it. “Call me if-” But Lacey was already cutting her off, waving her towards the door. “Yeah, go, go have a life, we’ve got it covered.” So Grace left, and it only took her two tries to stop hovering at the top of the stairs and actually go down them, running out of her building to find a cab. She was meeting the guy there, something she decided would be a rule when she started dating again. That way she could keep strangers far away from her actual world and find out all about them first, figure out if they were even worth actually dating before she mentioned Liam. So far, none of them had been even remotely close. But for some reason Grace had still agreed to go out with Matt, a guy Lacey knew from work and insisted she at least go out with once. Apparently, he was nice. When she met him, she realized just how nice nice was. Too nice. He was polite and boring and even the input se managed to get from him over dinner was about as interesting as her tax forms. And he was an accountant. By the time they got to the basketball game they had tickets to Grace was wondering if he even liked the Knicks at all or if he was just trying to impress her. Lacey must have mentioned she liked basketball, because he looked as out of place there as she expected him to. He probably preferred the opera or something equally as dull and beyond her depth. Either way, Grace was settled in her seat and ready to watch the game even if he didn’t say a thing. She probably said enough for the both of them anyway, shouting and groaning when she couldn’t help herself. She only noticed the guy sitting next to her when she bumped his leg with her shoe when she shifted and glanced over to apologize, smiling briefly until she looked back at the court. It wasn’t until halftime that the date boiled to a head. The kiss cam was always the beginning or the end of a relationship, no matter how short, so Grace shouldn’t have been surprised when it landed on them, her cheeks going red with the heat of every eye on her. She wasn’t really embarrassed though, if anything it could have been a good story later, a first kiss caught by thousands, but Matt wasn’t having it. He outright refused right in front of everyone, shook his head and looked at Grace like she was crazy, and she knew right away he was the exact opposite of the kind of guy she was looking for. So before Grace could let herself feel the full force of humiliation, the sound of people groaning at Matt’s reaction all around her, she turned to the stranger on her left and raised her eyebrows in a silent question, hearing Matt make an indignant noise behind her. “Okay.” she drew the word out. “What about you?” When he didn’t disagree Grace leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, laughing as soon as the crowd cheered them on. When she looked back to Matt he was red faced and angry, getting up in a huff, but Grace just laughed harder, waving goodbye to him before looking back at the stranger she’d kissed in spite. She could have done a lot worse. “I hope your girlfriend isn’t jealous.” she told him over the sound of the crowd, glancing past his shoulder and tacking on, “Or your boyfriend.” Grace was still giggling, nodding in the direction of the guy sitting next to the stranger with her eyes bright and amused.

[thekrazykeke]

Title: Daddy’s Most Lovely Girl

Fandom(s): DCEU, Suicide Squad

Relationship(s): Joker x reader. 

Summary: The world could burn and it would’t matter one bit as long as he has you.

Warning(s): Body image issues. Interracial relationship. Out of character Joker behavior.

Normally, I wouldn’t mix politics in fiction but this is my fic. No one requested it. 

Part I

~

"Who did you vote for?” The words came out of your mouth with the usual bluntness and Joker, who was propped up on his pillow, ready for bed, grunted but said nothing. “J. Who did you vote for?” And you nudged him for good measure. “Weren’t you the one telling me it’s impolite to ask another person who they voted for?” J retorted sarcastically. You said nothing, merely staring intently at the green haired crime lord and he stared back at you. 

The staring contest was broken by the cheering sounds on TV. 

Rolling your (e/c) eyes, you turn to see the results of the 2016 election, expecting it to be Hilary. That’s what you had been hearing all day, that she had this in the bag, she was going to be the first female President. Your world was turned on it’s axis when you saw the results. Paling rapidly, you leaned backwards against the headboard, hand lifting to your forehead. 

“Y/N?” Joker called your name but you didn’t answer him, instead blindly reaching for your cellular device. “Y/N, what’s wrong?” He tried to touch your shoulder but you shrugged his touch off and he drew back, offended and hurt. 

“So, what, my hand is good enough to touch you when I’m eating you out but not any other time?” Lips twisting in a sneer, like a wounded animal, he lashed out, trying to salvage his shredded pride.

“What’s going on right now is more important than you trying to bust a nut.” Never one to back down, not even from him, you continue to sass and challenge, finally, your fingers find the phone on the bedside table, quickly you type in the lock screen code. You were about to type in a number and send a text message but he snatched the phone from you. “Give it back, J.” You say in a deathly calm tone. 

“No.” he said in an equally calm tone, which was scary in and of itself. If you’d been in a more rational mood, you would have sat the hell down, but. Still you held your hand out, a wordless order. “Tell Daddy what’s going on right now, princess.”

“Did you vote for Trump, is that why you won’t tell me, huh, J? That would be just like you, to do something horrific and think its funny--” Like bile, the words spilled from your mouth and God, you wanted to stop. This entire thing was just escalating and escalating. 

“Ooh ho ho! Nooooooow, we’re getting to the good stuff. The real deep, personal thoughts. Don’t stop now, princess.” He smiled at you but it was really a sneer. “Come on!” He yelled. “Tell me, tell me, tell me, TELL ME!”

“GIVE ME MY PHONE, JOKER. GIVE ME MY FUCKING PHONE!” 

“YOU WANT YOUR PHONE? YOU WANT YOUR PHONE? YOU WANT YOUR PHONE!?” His eyes widened and their was a glint of madness that unsettled you. A deep sinking sensation in the pit of your gut moments before J launched your cellphone into the wall. “THERE’S YOUR FUCKING PHONE.” Pointing at the shattered plastic and electric bits on the floor. 

Not a single word left your lips. You could only stare at him with eyes that felt too large for your face.

In an agitated way, he ran his fingers through his hair. 

“If you think for one second...” he exhaled heavily through his nose. “That I would deliberately disrespect you, purposely hurt you, then Y/N, you have not been paying attention. If my behavior repulses you, if who I am scares and disgusts you, then, well...” He splayed his hands out, letting a hollow laugh escape his lips. “You are a better actress than I gave you credit for.”

You didn’t like the way that this was going. “J, please...”

"I think it’s best that I leave you alone.”

~

Being away from J, in any capacity at this point of your relationship, hurt. Pathetic as it may be to admit, even if only to yourself, he was crucial to your being. Every step of the way, for months, he’d paid you a compliment, dirty and sincere, that had healed your wounded spirit. He had given you the tools to love yourself. It hadn’t even been a full twenty four hours since he was out of your life to make you realize that you loved him. That you were in love with him and you had driven him away from you. 

“It’s better this way.” You mutter out loud, the words ringing in the silence of the apartment. “The Joker doesn’t love anybody.” Picking up the remote, you flicked the TV to a different channel than Tyler Perry’s the Haves and Have Not’s. 

“What the fuck...?” Riveted, you read and re-read the news headlines which reported that an assassin had snuck undetected into the hotel that the President-elect and his VP were, and executed them while they were sleeping. “Oooh, my God.”

Knock-Knock! 

Muting the TV, you called out, “Yeah, who is it?” One could never be too careful, especially in Gotham. 

“It’s me.” 

Heart fluttering, you felt ill prepared and dinghy in your sweats and matching sweat shirt. Shaking your head, you tried to dislodge the thought. J had never cared how you dressed up or dressed down, as it were. Still, although you were certain it was the Clown Prince, you went into the kitchen, retrieving a knife, well aware of metahumans and the threat that they represented.

Fingers on the chain, you inquired, “Where did you take me to eat on our first outing?”

“It was a date.” You thought you heard J mutter. “And that shitty Chinese restaurant around the way on 3rd Street and West Ave, because you wouldn’t let me spoil you, take you to an authentic eatery.”

“I like that buffet.” You huffed, opening the door. There he stood, looking just as sexy and put together the first time you met him in black slacks and a burgundy dress shirt, rings adorned his fingers, gold watch on his wrist. “...What are you doing here?” Leaning against the doorway, you tried not to let your eyes drift up to his neck where you could see the deck of cards tattoo peeking out from the fabric of the shirt. 

Wordlessly, he pulled out a brand new cellphone, not even opened yet, from behind his back. The very same cellphone that you’d wanted for Christmas but hadn’t asked for because you didn’t want to be greedy. Bright blue eyes darted to the knife held loosely in your grip and faint approval was seen in his gaze, even as he said, “Still think I would hurt you, huh?”

“No. Um, this isn’t...” Words dying, you clear your throat. “Do you want to--” 

Apparently Joker couldn’t handle the way you awkwardly made small talk, or he noticed the way you kept glancing at his lips and then giving him a once-over, because he abruptly leaned in and kissed you, grabbing the knife before it could slip from your grip and with a flick of his wrist, embedded in the hallway wall, placing the cellphone onto the nearest counter as he backed you into your apartment, kicking the door shut with his foot. “Daddy didn’t mean what he said, princess.” Breaking the kiss temporarily, he whispered in your ear. “So can we just--” His ringed fingers drifted underneath the sweat shirt, caressing your round stomach by habit and caused a blush to light your cheeks as always, arousal getting even stronger and you were soaking your underwear, but you gave a tiny nod. He backed off, only to pull the sweat shirt over your head and threw it aside, doing the same to your bra after unsnapping it, flinging the material away. Followed by yanking your sweat pants down with your underwear. 

Embarrassment for standing naked underneath his roving eye was forgotten as he leaned in and took a nipple in his teeth, biting down, which caused you to whimper. Joker lifted you with ease, pinning your back against the wall, lifting his head from your breast to kiss you hard. Your legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and you returned the kiss as best you could, but eventually just gave in, letting him do what he wanted. He rewarded your compliance by easing a finger into your soaking core, finding a steady rhythm.

“Oh fuck.” You moaned and his lips find your neck, adding another finger.

Right on the cusp of orgasm, he withdrew his fingers, which made you whine. Your throat felt dry as he set you on your feet and then sank down to his knees, his mouth lined up with your sex. Your fingers find his hair, tightening and releasing as he expertly flicked his tongue up and down your slit, kissing your folds, teasing you with a finger here and there, but what sent you over the edge is when his teeth grazed your clit. He brought you to the edge a few more times before straightening up, licking his lips free of your juices and undoing the fly of his pants. He lined himself up with your entrance, nuzzling your neck as his cock nudged against you. In one sharp thrust, he sank through your wet folds. He growled, teeth grinding and you held onto his shoulders, an intense wave shuddering through you both and spurring him to action.

His hips started moving, quickly escalating to fast and rough. His grunts matched your groans with every thrust. 

“Don’t stop Daddy, please don’t stop!” You cried out just before you finally came, your muscles were a vice on his cock, nails raking down his clothed back. He snarled, hips rocking deeper and faster, before they locked tight, his release spilling deep within you. 

[guardiandae]

OKAY it’s time for that write up about my trip to Boston

aka Why I’m Glad I’m Still Alive and also Dae Makes Bad Life Choices And Needs To Be Grounded :c 

(long, long post)

okay so, my friend H takes a trip down to Boston every year to visit her friend D who goes to college there. She invited me to go a few days beforehand, and as luck would have it I managed to arrange to have Friday & Saturday off work, and Sunday closing shift, so I could make it down there and back.

Of course, I had a runny nose and stuff beforehand... and then the night before (Thursday night, I think) I had a really hard time at work bc I felt feverish... I got home and my temp went up from 99.6 (which is already 100% a fever for me, my temp runs low) to 101.3 during the night. I kept waking up every three hours, and I had to get a bag of ice to press against my head. I went to bed early but slept in longer than I expected so I got like 13 hours of sleep and felt a lot better in the morning, aside from a sore throat. Actually, my throat does this fun thing where from time to time, it will close up on me and I can’t breathe. It can happen even from drinking water. So I took cough syrup and my throat closed up. Yikes. No more cough syrup for me, just cold & flu tablets! I can’t remember the other incident, maybe I drank something harsh, but I remember it did that twice, two times in two days. So, yeah. Gotta be careful what I drink with this sore throat.

Friend wants me to spend Friday night at her house so we can leave at 3am Saturday. So I go to H’s house, with her boyfriend T. My throat is like, raw as fuck. We hang out, they pack, and we all take a nap before we leave. I get like another 3 hours of sleep, then we all get up and hit the road.

We pick up T’s friend, S.  My friend H keeps trying to hook me up with S despite the fact that I am 1. gay 2. asexual 3. not interested in douchebags. And she’s been teasing me about the fact that, S and I will have to share a bed at the hotel. My god. Mind you, the plan she has in Boston is to take me to a strip club and I’m like, sdgkdfkgjd. No? Maybe. No.

We stop at a gas station and I get myself a big powerade for my RAW AS FUCK throat. Swallowing is seriously painful at this point. My friend swaps seats to sit beside me in the back, so now T and S are in the front. THEY FUCKING START CHAINSMOKING ALL THE WAY DOWN. So they have their windows cracked, freezing cold air pouring in, secondhand smoke making my eyes water and lungs burn, all the way down. Maybe at most they would stop for two minutes and then, boom, another FUCKING cigarette. On top of that, they listened to really gross rap music on the way down, like violent, sexually-explicit, drug-endorsing songs that were just honestly annoying lyrics aside, total crap, lol.

My friend and I show each other memes (she pronounces it me-me and I think it’s too funny to correct her) all the way down. We arrive at her friend D’s campus at about 6am. He has keys to all the buildings and has to make rounds, so we’re going to walk with him all across his campus.

D is a really interesting dude. My friend H told me, “he’s a bible-thumper” beforehand and I was like, eh. great. But he’s this 40-ish year old guy going to a religious college studying to be a minister. He’s super friendly and considerate as soon as we meet him. It’s 6am in January, fairly warm considering the time of year, but I’m still in just my hoodie and SICK, so while I was kind of excited for the experience, my body is so not. We’re going from building to building, up flights of stairs and back down again, and I am wheezing. My voice is pretty rough at this point too.

But let’s talk about the school, and the setting, because... I love it.

In Maine (my state) the trees here are mostly pines, maples, oaks, etc.

But in Boston, I’m not sure what kind of trees they might be, but my gosh. It’s a grey, chilly day (my favorite weather 100% honestly, too bad I was sick) and the trees are bare. Their branches are all twisted in different directions, like the fingers on an old man. Ever seen those kind of forests from creepy horror movies? They are just like that and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Most of the buildings on campus are very old, so some of them still have old fashioned latches, like the thumb-latches in my grandfather’s house.

The other thing I really loved about the campus, is that the students attending are actually very liberal and diverse, despite the religious focus. As D put it later, the other three people in our group, H, T, and S, doubled the population of straight (and cis) students by being on campus. Haha.

Anyway, I survive running around campus, and then we head down to catch the Green Line subway into town. At this point, I really wish I had realized we were going to be gone from the car for several hours, because I would've at least grabbed my hat. :c

This is the first time I've ever been on anything like a subway and I'm so glad that we had D with us to be our guide, because it was so confusing. The car was packed with people because of the Women's March going on. I don't know how this compares to other subways, but this went pretty fast and had a lot of hills and turns, and with every change in momentum I'm hanging onto the rail for dear fucking life trying not to fall over. My friend H has a lot of anxiety, especially around crowds of people, and riding this subway itself, so she is SHAKING and trying really hard to just hold on and get through the ride, and so am I. We get off a big station and decide to go up and walk the rest of the way instead of waiting for the next car, because my friend and I are curious to see the march going on.

We ended up walking around a lottt down all of these different side streets. H, T and S wanted to find a big tall building to go all the way to the top floor and take pictures, so we kept trying to enter different buildings at random, and most of them were locked and one we were politely told to leave, lol.

The whole walking around event was kind of more random than planned... we ended up at Bruins arena which I think was my friend's only actual goal, so she could buy her brother a gift. We saw tons of protesters everywhere and I got one of the pink hats from a nice lady who brought extras. But after that, our wandering was pretty aimless. We headed towards Boston market (still trying to find tall buildings) and accidentally stumbled onto the Holocaust memorial.

H and I were like 'oh... damn' and of course, I had to go in. The memorial consists of four towers made of panes of glass, with steam inside rising up. When I walked into the first one, the panes of glass had quotes from survivors of the Holocaust written on both sides in side, and on every single pane of glass, going up to the sky, there were the serial numbers the nazis tattooed onto people. I took a few pictures, but once I entered that first tower I put my phone away because it just didn't feel right. We walked through and read each quote... I was trying not to cry because the two guys with us (D excluded) were pretty douchey and I wasn't sure they even would, y'know, care. But when I read one of the quotes about the homosexuals being put into the death camps, I definitely cried and I was like, yeah. This is why we fight. This is why we can't stop fighting.

When we left, H was pretty shaken too (the quotes about children were the ones that got to her the most, I think) and D suggested that we head to the farmer's market to try to lighten up the mood. While we were walking there, S decides to ask a question, in a suspiciously condescending tone of voice, "I wonder what the founding fathers would think about all of this."

The rest of us were like, ???  "Think about what?"

S: "You know, the protests that are going on right now."

Guys, my voice was half gone but you know I clapped back.

"They'd probably think that they're exercising their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS??? What do you think the founding fathers did against the British???"

Then he said something about how, people keep pushing and pushing for more rights, and he thinks that's a bad thing because it just ends up dividing people into more and more different groups and takes away rights from others. At this point I was like, HOLY SHIT, this fucking white boy is one of those people who thinks that EQUAL RIGHTS means his rights are somehow being TAKEN AWAY from HIM. Like, you DO realize that my great-great grandmother and your great-great grandmother didn't have the fucking right to vote??? and in MY lifetime, I had to go fucking vote on my  right to get MARRIED??? It didn't take away SHIT from poor helpless straight white men, it just GAVE more people the SAME FUCKING RIGHTS. HOLY FUCK.

So anyway we headed on to the market area, checked out the Newbury Comics store and I was exciiited bc I found a cute pair of knee-high socks to buy (my new aesthetic). But while in pursuit of my knee-highs, I wandered too close to the Dick's bar, and at this point everyone was ready to drink/eat and had been searching for a bar for a while. There were sooo many to choose from, including really nice looking Irish bars, and historic old bars, which I actually wanted to check out. But which bar did we go to? The fucking cock-themed bar.

They ordered drinks. I just sat by them kind of uncomfortably bc everything is not only "I love dicks" but the mascot is a sleezy overweight balding man and the waitress makes fart jokes. Like. For real. But I'm watching the tv, making small talk with D (who is awesome) and H, while S and T get drinks and fries. Some guy brings his CHILD into this establishment, and is apparently very familiar with their theme bc he plays right along with the waitress's fart jokes like he sees her every Saturday or something. What the hell. Then the party at the opposite end starts putting on these huge condom hats made out of white paper. I can hear a child crying on the other side, maybe the same kid. Why the fuck. And then the waitress starts kind of badgering ME now, like, "Why are you just sitting there without a drink?" I tell her, in my really hoarse voice, "If I have any alcohol I'm pretty sure I will stop breathing" and she's just like "Well it's not like you can't have a water or a juice"  (me: where the fuck is there water or juice advertised ANYWHERE on this shitty menu??? also the food was ridiculously overpriced otherwise I would've been happy to order >_< )  and then I look over and realize that, S has already had two beers, but he JUST ordered a fucking THIRD. Now I'm angry and I tell my friend I don't wanna sit in this (shitty) bar all day, so I'm going to head to the comic store again.

Comic store is right across the street.... but... I'm legitimately pissed off right now, so as soon as I step outside I'm like, actually, lol, fuck off, bye, I'm gone.

And I just keep walking, back the way we came in. I sit down at a bench for a while, half thinking that D or H had followed me, but nobody had. So I'm like, cool, and contemplating actually buying a train ticket home if I had to. But I'm sick as fuck and my legs are killing me and my lungs are wheezing and it's cold and I know that no train goes all the fucking way home, so I'm like, :)))

I decided to go and see something that *I* wanted to see so I looked at my phone and saw the Samuel Adams statue was nearby. They texted me "where are you" and I told them Sam Adams (of course, knowing them they probably looked for a damn bar). But I got lost getting to the statue, lmao, bc it was RIGHT BESIDE ME and I was expecting something larger and headed towards a crowd of people instead. By the time I circled back, I hung up on like three phone calls and ignored several texts, just texted back again "sam adams" when they asked where I was. Took a picture of the statue, then sat down again and waited. Still more texts and calls to not respond to. Finally I was really annoyed but got up to go back to the bar and was thinking, if they aren't here, I'm fucking off again, lol. But they were there and ... my friend H was in tears.

Uh oh. Nice going, Dae.

I put my frustration aside and just fell back into step... she didn't talk to me for a little while. I felt like such an asshole. It was only later I saw some texts that hadn't come through then... half of them already had their phones dead, the others were almost dead, and they'd texted me that they were going to head to the car without me and pick me up in a couple hours. Of courese, my phone was low battery too. I almost fucking stranded myself in Boston, extremely sick, with no cellphone, please ground me.

We went back to the subway (there was another station right near to us, thankfully, so no long walk), and rode all the way back to our original station. Then we had to trek back UP the hill we came down from the campus... I was wheezing hard.

Everyone crashed in D's room for a while. I collapsed on the couch and they all went into the bathroom to smoke pot. I considered leaving to the car to get my phone charger but was like, if I do they'll probably think I bailed again. and then I could literally hear them talking about me, and S saying, "I bet when we come out, she'll be gone again" and I just... felt so angry at him but also like such an asshole bc I'm sick and having a miserable time when I WANT to have fun but instead I'm being a bitch and I can't help it. And they want to drink and get high and I don't like either of those things even when I'm NOT sick as a dog and barely able to breathe, so fuck no I'm not doing that, thanks.

I think after that we finally went to our hotel bc it was check in time (3pm). My friend had reserved the room but they wouldn't let her pay because her card didn't have her name on it, and the others only had cash, so I stepped up to put the room on my card. It made me feel better about being there at all, because they literally wouldn't have had a place to stay (this was a fairly long drive away from Boston).

We went out to eat and this is where S shows once again how much of an asshole he is...

I'm not sure WHERE this came from, but out of the blue while we're sitting in this restaurant, S says something like, "If a drunk girl tells me to fuck her and then she passes out, I can tap that without getting in trouble."

Yeah... I'm positive I didn't remember that right but the statement he made didn't make ANY sense.

All four of us (D, H, T, and myself) were like, ???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. That is RAPE.

D and I start trying to explain, for one, UNCONSCIOUS = no, and two, in this hypothetical she gave her "consent" while drunk, and you cannot legally consent while drunk!

"But what if we're both drunk"

We're trying to explain that technically neither could consent, it's a risky situation, and then he goes,

"So what if my ex texts me and says 'come tie me up and have your way with me'."

D is like, "I can't even begin with how many variables there are in that situation."

Me: "It depends. Is she sober? Is it actually HER texting? Is she going to say no when you get there?"

S: "She'd have to prove that it wasn't her texting..."

We kept talking about this and trying to explain like, the limits of consent and finally T is like, "Why are we talking about this?"

D and I: "Because it came up and it's worth talking about! There are a lot of people who don't understand."

But anyway, we pretty quickly dropped the topic, but I cannot get over the fact that S randomly said that he'd fuck an unconscious woman. And I am expected to share a bed with him at the hotel.

I was super super pissed with S at this point like, this actual FUCKBOY, first he thinks that equal rights means his rights get taken away, now he's stated that he'd rape somebody?? like?? get the fuck away from me, permanently.

We had to drive D back to his room and it's dark outside now.

I haven't yet mentioned, but as beautiful as Boston is to walk around, the roads are crazy and driving is a fucking nightmare. There are some normal streets but almost everything connects directly onto a highway (at least where we were... and I'm not sure if highway is the right word bc fuck if I know anything about driving but they are SCARY multi-lane roads). The highways are like 4, 3, or 5 fucking lanes of people driving like there's no speed limit, cars constantly switching lanes and assholes flying past us.

All of that is scary enough, but worse is that:

- T is the one driving, because H is too scared to drive in Boston traffic. - T does not have a license. - The car's left blinker doesn't fucking work, so switching lanes to the left is a deathwish. - Did I mention the drinking and getting high? Yeah. - Also, the chainsmoking resumes and I am in fucking misery.

We manage to drop D off, and they had mentioned the fact that they HAVE the lightbulb for the back blinker, but didn't take the time to install is before leaving. D had mentioned that he could probably do it. So I'm like, hey, how about we do that?  D takes a look and realizes that it'd take some time to take apart, but he'd be able to do it with some assistance. T is like, nah it'd take some work, and I'm disheartened (bc I want this car to be as legal as fucking possible bc if we get pulled over I'm 100% sure that I'm fucked on getting home, best case scenario. Worst case scenario, I might charged with something just for being with these guys. Idk if that's even rational but honestly.) but they agree to just deal with it later.

We get back to the hotel and H and I decide to go swimming in the pool. It's honestly one of the highlights of the trip for me bc I rarely get to go swimming, so we enjoyed ourselves for a while, talking about how T and S were kind of annoying both of us. The guys were getting alcohol and stuff while we swam, and they drank some and then joined us. It was kind of funny bc H had worn her bikini bottom but also swim trunks over them, and S didn't have anything to wear to swim in, so she gave him her trunks. They fit him so tightly lmaoo. The guys were splashing around, goofing off, and at this point I'm less angry and more just like, letting it all go, I know I don't like S whatsoever, he's fucking dumb, but I don't want to be hostile and I'm trying as much as possible to not be a huge bitch and a wet blanket, so it's whatever. We joked around a lot, and had fun, and finally got out of the pool when it was closing. But it was really awkward bc they had to go to change and T had gone into the women's room with H so I had to stand outside and wait to change my clothes... and I could hear H yelling at him about... peeing wildly everywhere? Oh my god. I don't even wanna know. It was one of those moments where I was like, there is nudity beyond both of these doors and I am probably forever going to be not comfortable with that. It's kind of a bizarre and shitty realization that everyone else is on a different plane of existence. Like, I'm the weird one because I don't wanna see dicks flopping around. Huh.

Rinsed off, changed clothes, went back upstairs, blow dried my hair and flopped onto the bed. At this point, I'm physically worn down but.... not.... tired. So I'm not sure if I'm going to fall asleep. But they want to run around, and ask about the strip club plans, and my friend is like, "Dae said she didn't want to go" (which is true, I told her no because I'm very sick and felt uncomfortable about the whole idea anyway) but the guys are like, "You're killing us, we're not going?" and she's like, "Are we?" and I'm so sick and tired at this point that I'm like, "Actually yeah let's go" and get up and get dressed again, ready to impress, ready to jump in and see some ladies and titties and see how uncomfortable I feel about it all.

We get into the car, and all of us have been trying to see what the nearest strip club is... there really isn't one. What the nearest bar is... eh. We're trying to find something really close by, because the guys have been drinking and T has no LICENSE and the car blinker is broken so instead I'm like, "Where's the nearest Walmart?"  over 100 miles away jfc. "Where's the nearest target?" Less than a mile away. Awesome! My mood is UP bc we're going to Target, now this is my idea of a good time.

Yeah, no. My phone is a piece of SHIT and they refuse to even look at it, but their phone won't update fast enough while we're driving and we CAN'T FUCKING MERGE LEFT because we'll be killed in this traffic, so we have to go to the right. We see other stores and want to go to them, but the problem is, when we turned right we already missed that opportunity. And this road merges directly into a fucking interstate. And we cannot turn off of it. And now we are going 80 mph in the wrong direction and have to take the next off ramp.

For the next fucking 30 minutes at least, we are desperately trying to get our fucking phones to tell us where we are and where we need to go. Everything loops in circles, because of the highways and off ramps. We keep missing fucking turns and ending up in even more of a tangled mess. Our phones did not charge up much at the hotel and are on the verge of dying once again and we cannot fucking turn LEFT. T and S are getting frustrated, I'm convinced I'm going to fucking die, and H is having an anxiety attack, texting me like, "This is my car and if we crash everyone is going to get hurt and it's my fault" and I'm like... can we please fucking stop somewhere and just fix the fucking light.

By the time we finally make it back to where we belong, we just go straight to the hotel. So fucking much for strip clubs, or bars, or even Target. Fuck that noise. We aren't driving anywhere after all, we all agree on that and we're all really frustrated and stressed.

I ask again like, even if it takes a while we should really fix the light bc driving down to Mass we had the same problem, and we're going to keep having that problem until we fix it, but the guys are like, we'd have to take apart the whole back end, if it were a quick fix we'd have done it already. In the daylight it'll be okay, it's really just at night that's the worst because all they see is our tail lights, and a lack of left blinker means someone might get killed. So I'm like, alright and let it go.

We get snacks from the vending machines, and crash in the hotel room again. Despite all the hyped talk from the guys about drinking and drugs (seriously, S was like, "Let's go  get some ecstacy or heroin" before we left on that horrific ride, and H was like "UHHHH NO, NOT HAPPENING."  He also talked about forcing girls to choke on his dick, so if anyone was wondering if he learned anything from the Consent Discussion, the answer is, probably no. And people wonder why I have sex anxiety jfc.)

Thankfully, I crashed on one bed, and H, T, and S all crashed on the other bed... probably bc they didn't want to catch my germs tbh. I heard S saying "bacterial pneumonia" to his phone.

Sleep was... hellish. I woke up at 4am, SHAKING uncontrollably and had to turn up the heat for a while. I think I was running a fever so it didn't help me at all.. after that I had to press a cold drink against my forehead and didn't fall asleep again until 6am, and we all get up around 8:50am.

Btw, the hotel was pretty shitty... a bunch of ants were under my shoes at the indoor pool when I picked my shoes up... they were coming up from the vents because I guess I stepped in something sugary. H freaked out a bit. Then in our 3rd floor room, there was another of those ants on my pillow. Nice. The breakfast service was shitty. The only edible thing for me was the apple juice, the rest of it was awful cheap stuff. We went to burger king instead, which H had wanted for breakfast anyway. My voice was nearly gone at this point and I had to type my order onto my phone and let the cashier read it. The burger king was also super shitty lmao it was under construction but the bathrooms were just, awful and unkept. We realized we had to head straight home now in order to get back in time for everything H and I had to do, so we got straight onto the highway.

Once again... terrifying traffic, and the difficulty of merging to the left. Every time T had to merge, I had to close my eyes and post facebook statuses like "pray for me because I am going to die." At this point, T and S are like, "We should've just fixed the light before we left" and I am like, internally fucking screaming BECAUSE I SAID THAT ALREADY OH MY GOD. Also, CUE THE CHAINSMOKING AGAIN.

I got dropped off directly at my work a couple hours before my shift, and then worked my closing shift.

Remember, at this point I've had very little sleep and fevers every night since Friday... my voice is just a whisper, I spent hours walking around Boston, hours awake at night, I should be exhausted but I am wide the fuck awake. By the time I finally got home, I still didn't even fall asleep until almost 2am.

So yeah.... I'm not even sure how to summarize my trip to Boston and how it made me feel. Everything was really random and accidental. It took a long time for it to occur to me, holy shit I am in BOSTON, historic Boston, and should be taking pictures and seeing the Freedom Trail and actually interesting stuff like that, but it didn't seem to occur to any of us until the day we had to go back and H wwas like, "I wish I'd taken more pictures."  I wish I had too, especially of the march, but since I ws sick before I even left, I actually wasn't even aware that the marches were going on, I was completely out of the loop. It's something I was super excited about and would've never been able to go to normally, but somehow I accidentally happened to end up there at the right time.

In all it was, frustrating, miserable, beautiful, surprisingly nice and diverse, historic, terrifying, stupid, and extremely lucky. Lucky that we managed to arrange the trip on short notice, lucky that we didn't die on the way down, lucky that I happened to be there for a huge protest event that I was able to partake in at least a tiny bit, lucky that I didn't have to go to the strip club after all, lucky that we didn't get arrested, lucky that we made it back safely, lucky that I didn't chop S's dick off and shove it down his throat. I think I might've used up all of the luck for the next ten years, and I'm a bit frightened.

For those keeping score at home, 

Reasons Why Dae Needs to be Grounded:

- going on a trip with sketchy drug dealing wannabe-gangsters who are racist, transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic dumbasses - going on this trip while extremely sick - ditching my friend and the group while extremely sick, in a strange city, with all of our cell phones dying, and ignoring their calls - swimming in the pool while extremely sick (I broke the pool rules whoops) - getting BACK into the defective car with a driver who had been drinking and has no license, at night - going to work directly after this trip, while extremely sick - still trying to talk while my voice is 99% gone - not cleaning my room (it’s so messy help) - staying up late at night to type this instead of sleeping

and now my throat feels much better but I’ve 100% lost my voice and can only communicate through strained whispers and interpretive dance.

but I have tomorrow off and I plan to finally.... rest. 

assuming that I can even fall asleep.

[mathematicianadda]

The Big Lock-Down Math-Off, Match 11

Welcome to the 11th match in this year’s Big Math-Off. Take a look at the two interesting bits of maths below, and vote for your favourite.

You can still submit pitches, and anyone can enter: instructions are in the announcement post.

Here are today’s two pitches.

Pat Ashforth & Steve Plummer – Maths or Art?

Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer explore maths through knitting and crochet at woollythoughts.com.

In a previous match I talked about how perception might affect mathematical thinking. Here we are again with another example.

Are these the same?

Look at them with the eye of an artist and you will almost certainly say ‘No’. As a mathematician you might say ‘Yes’, or, at least ‘Maybe’.

You will definitely recognise this – or will you?

Most will instantly say ‘curves of pursuit’ – but is that right?

Technically, a pursuit curve is the path followed by the chaser in pursuit of the chased. This might be an animal pursuing its prey, one ship trying to catch another, or any other kind of chase. It is a single path. We usually see curves of pursuit where there are several chasers with each one pursuing the one in front and making pretty patterns. They don’t have to be in squares. Three equally-spaced chasers would make a triangle; six would make a hexagon. There can be any number of chasers. These are called cyclic or polygonal pursuits.

Right now we are only concerned with four chasers starting at the corners of a square field – but the squares you see above are not accurate cyclic curves. We have used artistic licence in our design. What you see are squares always rotated through the same angle. This is not what happens in a genuine curve of pursuit.

Assuming that all chasers are moving continuously at the same speed they will always cover the same distance in the same amount of time. The distance they move forwards will always be the same. This is not what happens in our design. The difference is not obvious on the first few squares but as you move further in you can see that the short side of the triangles remains the same throughout the ‘real curve’ but it is the angle that stays the same in the ‘artistic curve’.

The ‘real curve’ would be extremely difficult to replicate in knitting, as a separate set of instructions would be needed for each set of triangles. The knitted version uses the same shaping technique throughout, which results in triangles with equal angles, instead of a matching side. Our chasers are changing their speed, but are always chasing one another. You have probably noticed that the squares in our version don’t quite touch the edges of the previous square. We know that lines in a drawing, theoretically, have no thickness. Woolly things have quite thick joins.

The knitting starts with the centre square and each new square is four triangles added to the sides of the previous square. Having established that the rest should be straightforward. Not so.

The story of the knitting pattern goes back a long way. Briefly, it was first published in 1997 and hundreds of people made blankets. After a few years we started to get complaints from people who thought they had received the wrong pattern. They wanted the one with curves, not squares. We spent so much time explaining that what they saw depended on the colouring they used, we had to find a solution. Colours often cause problems because people feel the need to use exactly what was used in the original. The solution had to be in shades of grey. We made nine different versions so everyone could find what they wanted.

This is our original blanket which was made with rather uninspiring colours that we just happened to have at the time. We never expected this to still be our most popular design, more than twenty years later. Is it due to the maths or the art?

James Arthur – Functional equations

James is a confused physicist disguised as a pure mathematician who calls the heart of Cornwall his home. By day he is a web developer and studying towards his degree at Exeter Penryn. By night, he is a differential geometer and an analytical number theorist. He blogs at AlephJamesA.co.uk.

This story starts where all other good stories start: at an International Mathematics Competition. It shall be a story of intrigue, betrayal and in the end success.

IMO 2020 Jury Room

In the Summer of 2019 at Celtic Manor, a few miles from the Welsh Border. I was sitting in a conference room wearing my purple stellated icosahedron IMO t-shirt, sorting out bags to give to team leaders and other helpers at IMO. I was always a fan of the UKMT Challenges, and I had done the BMO2 that year and missed out on the Trinity Camp, but I was happy to have got so far. After all, I was at IMO anyway!

IMO stands for “International Mathematical Olympiad”.

I spent a lot of time in the room chatting and sorting stuff out, I also spent a lot of time running about Celtic Manor doing several bits and bobs. My main job was helping out in the Jury Meetings. I was a microphone runner, so I spent a lot of time getting to know the delegates and everybody else there.

Shhh… look over here

Now here we see a lesser spotted functional equation, it isn’t seen very often out of IMO in the UK. It is neglected by the education system and so is innately shy.

\[ f(2a) + 2f(b) = f(f(a+b)) \]

This problem is from Liam Baker, South Africa

It appeared on Day I of the 2019 Competition at Bath University. It was of much debate if I remember correctly, on whether it was too easy for the IMO.

How I came across it

While in a jury session, this problem took my interest. Functional equations had come into my find briefly in specific topics, especially when talking about Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Ratio, but I had never studied them in great depth. I had just studied recurrence relations in excellent depth the term before.

I was sitting in the conference room working on a few problems that I was given by several delegates from other countries, they all took great interest in me, surprisingly! I was then handed a copy of this question, told to solve it and sworn to secrecy until later we found out it was on the paper. I had a problem, I have never solved anything like this before. Here is the exact problem:

Let $\mathbb{Z}$ be the set of integers. Determine all functions $f : \mathbb{Z}\to\mathbb{Z}$ such that, for all integers $a$ and $b$, $f(2a) + 2f(b) = f(f(a+b))$

… as in the paper, the version I was given was slightly different, but I believe that is still under embargo, so we shall go with this version.

While we are looking at this problem, we see that if $f(x) = 0$, then it would be a solution. We shall keep this in mind for later, and in particular, it’d be good to remember that if all the terms are in terms of $f$ then $f = 0$ is a solution.

The Road to Enlightenment

To solve this problem I was chucked through a crash course to solve these types of problems; I shall do a quick crash course for our purposes:

Types of Functions

Functional Friends

Three types of functions interest us: Injective, Surjective and Bijective. These really confused me, but I have got to grips with them now. They will be your little fluffy friends for Functional Equations. Friends that also are liable to bite the head off the problem, and so solve or it for you.

Def: Injective – Take a function from a set $A$ to a set $B$, $f: A\to B$, then if the values for $f(x)$ and $f(y)$ are equal, then $x = y$, i.e. $f(x) = f(y) \iff x = y$.

Def: Surjective – Take a function from a set $A$ to a set $B$, $f: A\to B$, then there is some elements of $A$ that satisfy $f(x) = b$.

Def: Bijective – Take a function from a set $A$ to a set $B$, $f: A\to B$, then it is sufficiently surjective and injective.

Learning By Example

The rest is a lot of plugging in and testing the outcome of substitutions. So let us take an example from IMO 2015, hosted at Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Let $\mathbb R$ be the set of real numbers. Determine all functions $f:\mathbb R\to\mathbb R$ that satisfy the equation $f(x+f(x+y))+f(xy)=x+f(x+y)+yf(x)$ for all real numbers $x$ and $y$.

Firstly let us look at this equation. We have a hanging $x$, we shall take this as a sign and let $x = 0$, letting $x$ and $y$ equal $0$ is usually a good idea to get an idea of what is going on.

\[ f(f(y)) + f(0) = f(y) + yf(0) \]

Now, we shall let $y = 0$ and simplify:

\[ f(f(0)) = 0 \]

Amazing, we have one piece of information, if we put $f(0)$ back into our function you get 0. So let us place $(0, f(0))$ back in using this information to try and get $f(0)$:

\[ f^3(0) + f(0) = f^2(0) + (f(0))^2 \]

Where $f^n(0) = f(f(f(…f(0))))$

Note that $f^{2n+1}(0) = f(0)$ and $f^{2n}(0) = 0$, so:

\[ \begin{align*}(f(0))^2 – 2f(0) &= 0\\f(0)(f(0) – 2) &= 0\\\implies& f(0) = 0 \text{ or } f(0) = 2\\\end{align*} \]

Now from this we shall let $f(0) = 2$ and come back to the other case later. Let us go back to the $x = 0$ substitution and let $y=x$:

\[ f^2(x) = f(x) + 2(x – 1) \]

We note the $x – 1$ and then we shall place a new substitution; $(x-1, 1)$:

\[ f(x – 1 + f(x)) = x -1 + f(x) \]

Now make the substitution of $x\to x-1+f(x)$

\[ f^2(x – 1 + f(x)) = f(x – 1 + f(x)) + 2(x – 2 + f(x)) \]

Which by (1) implies, $f(x) = 2 – x$

We have one solution, the second case is a bit more fiddly, it requires you to follow a similar argument and produces that $f(x) = x$.

Now, let us look at what we have done and denote some learning points:

Check if $f(x) = 0$ is a solution.

Aways start by substituting in (0, 0)

Look for non-functional expressions and try and make that zero and see if that leads anywhere

Take pieces of information gathered from above steps and plug into a new substitution, i.e. if you are looking for $f(0)$, then $(f(0), 0)$ and $(0, f(0))$.

and finally fiddle with substitutions until it produces a solution, or until you come to the fact you have an injection. Be persistent.

A quick note on injections

Injections are funny things, but they can be used to solve many different functional equations quickly. If you arrive at something of the form of: $f(g(\varpi)) = g(\varpi)$ (This is varpi, $\varpi$ is awesome!!). Then you can invoke an injection. This means that then if you have a second equation, make the substitution of $\varpi\to g(\varpi)$ and you have usually solved it.

To dust with the beast

The lesser spotted functional equation sits in its natural habitat soon to be unravelled by the curious mathematician, the mathematician stalks slowly towards the equation… he slowly brings out his substitutions for $a$ and $b = 0$, then pounces and sets $a = 0$, the equation squirms and transforms:

\[ f(0) + 2f(b) = f^2(b) \]

The equation reveals its secrets and quickly transforms back, that didn’t seem to work. Then the mathematician tries to net the creature with $b = 0$, the creature squirms again and transforms into a different form:

\[ f(2a) + 2f(0) = f^2(a) \]

This form seems to produce no new information and it transforms back. The mathematician curses and seems to be mesmerised by the ever so obvious non-symmetric $a$ and $b$, he wonders how to exploit that. He remembers that this has to be a function and spots out of the corner of his eye a darting linear motion from the beast, he tries to see if he can set the $f^2(x)$ to the same thing and cancel them, cutting the legs off the beast, making it easier to deal with. He lets $a = 0$ and $b = n+1$

\[ f(0) + 2f(n+1) = f^2(n+1) \]

Whilst taking hold of that transformed form, he then seizes an $1$ for $a$ and an $n$ for $b$ and pierces them into the beast.

\[ f(2) + 2f(n) = f^2(n+1) \]

He cuts the legs off the transformed forms and jams them together. Producing a difference:

\[ f(n+1) – f(n) = \frac{1}{2}(f(2) – f(0)) \]

He screams in triumphance as he realises that $f(x) = \alpha x + \beta$, plugging it back in he arrives at $f(x) = 2x + \beta$, where $\beta\in\mathbb{R}$, linearising the beast and turning it to dust.

To find out more about functional equations and other IMO maths stuff, I am to be writing more on my blog or if you want to read more about what life is like behind the scenes at IMO, read this.

So, which bit of maths made you say “Aha!” the loudest? Vote:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The poll closes at 9am BST on Sunday the 3rd, when the next match starts.

If you’ve been inspired to share your own bit of maths, look at the announcement post for how to send it in. The Big Lockdown Math-Off will keep running until we run out of pitches or we’re allowed outside again, whichever comes first.

from The Aperiodical https://ift.tt/3bSX2qJ from Blogger https://ift.tt/3f4RUSu

[thisdaynews]

Why ‘Pocahontas’ Could Still Be Elizabeth Warren’s Biggest Vulnerability

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/why-pocahontas-could-still-be-elizabeth-warrens-biggest-vulnerability/

Why ‘Pocahontas’ Could Still Be Elizabeth Warren’s Biggest Vulnerability

Elizabeth Warren came to last week’s Native American presidential forum in Sioux City, Iowa, with, as you might expect, a plan. And she executed it perfectly.

First, the Massachusetts senator expressed sorrow for the “harm I caused,” referencing her attempt to prove he had Native American ancestry through a DNA test. Then she pivoted to her literal plan, her sweeping and detailed set of ideas to expand tribal nation sovereignty and invest in social programs benefiting Native American communities. The long list of proposals was repeatedly praised by the forum’s attendees, several of whom excitedly predicted that they were speaking to the next president of the United States.

Story Continued Below

While Warren’s campaign staff might have breathed easier coming out of the forum, her Republican antagonists have made it clear they have no intention of forgetting the episode. Shortly before Warren’s appearance at the forum, the Republican National Committee released an opposition research memo titled, “1/1024th Native American, 100% Liar,” which quoted its deputy chief of staff Mike Reed as saying, Warren “lied about being [Native American] to gain minority status at a time when Ivy League law schools were desperate to add diversity to their ranks.” A few days earlier, President Donald Trump, after lamenting that “Pocahontas is rising” in the polls, assured his supporters at a New Hampshire rally that he still has the ability to derail her: “I did the Pocahontas thing. I hit her really hard, and it looked like she was down and out. But that was too long ago. I should’ve waited. But don’t worry, we will revive it.”

Has Warren effectively addressed the controversy? In conversations I had with Democratic and Republican political strategists, unaffiliated with any presidential campaign, there was no bipartisan consensus. The Democrats believed Warren’s rise in the polls is evidence she has weathered the storm. The Republicans argued Warren remains vulnerable to charges of dishonest opportunism.

They’re both right. Warren is enjoying a comeback because she has convinced many skittish progressives that she won’t let Trump disrupt her relentless focus on policy solutions. And she has convinced many Native American leaders that her policy proposals for indigenous communities are more important than what she has said in the past about her ancestry.

But because Warren’s comeback has relied on restoring her standing on the left, she has not done anything to address concerns potentially percolating among swing voters. A detailed white paper on Native American policy has no bearing on whether a moderate white suburbanite believes Warren is of good character. And since Warren has apologized for her past claims, she remains open to the charge she was dishonest when, during her academic career, she relied on nothing more than family lore to identify herself as Native American.

That means if she becomes the Democratic nominee for president, Warren would still face a “Pocahontas” problem, one that threatens the core of her candidacy.

“If she’s the nominee and says, ‘Trump’s dishonest,’ that’s just the immediate counter: You’re dishonest about the most fundamental thing, who you were and how you got to your positions,” said Republican strategist Chuck Warren of the political consulting firm September Group. He is ofno relation to the candidate.

Dan Hazelwood, another Republican consultant and owner of Targeted Creative Communications, argued her apologies have missed the mark: “She’s never given the answer to the core of the Trump charge, which is: She cheated. She cheated for personal gain. She hasn’t answered that part of the attack.”

An exhaustiveBoston Globeinvestigation in September 2018 concluded Elizabeth Warren’s “claim to Native American ethnicity was never considered by the Harvard Law faculty, which voted resoundingly to hire her, or by those who hired her to four prior positions at other law schools.” However, once she was hired, Harvard used her self-identification to help bolster its diversity statistics and tamp down criticism of its hiring practices. TheGlobereported, “Warren doesn’t have a direct answer for whether her claims … might have harmed the efforts of others to press for more diversity at the overwhelmingly white institution.”

However, these Republicans don’t believe Trump’s preferred rhetorical grenade—the “Pocahontas” slur—poses the biggest threat to Warren. “I don’t think the Pocahontas thing sticks,” Chuck Warren said. “It’s a funny line to people at the rallies, [but] it doesn’t talk much about her character. It almost makes the point trivial.”

What would be devastating to Elizabeth Warren is if Trump were able to connect the underlying concerns about her personal integrity to the integrity of her agenda. She styles herself as a warrior for the people, fighting to fix a system “rigged” against them by elites. But if Trump can convince swing voters that Warren, as a member of the academic elite, rigged a system to benefit herself, he could turn what is now Warren’s main strength into a fatal weakness.

Key to making that connection is reducing her detailed plans to cheap pandering. “Everybody loves to call her a policy wonk, but everything she is presenting is ‘buy me a vote,’” Chuck Warren said. “She is willing to say, or put on any hat, to get ahead.” Hazelwood envisions Elizabeth Warren’s platform being characterized as “putting the government in charge of everything and giving away stuff for free. … And oh, by the way, the stuff that’s going to be given away is going to be given away by cheaters.”

Warren can insist that she never won a job because of how she described her ethnicity. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from attacking her, and Democrats shouldn’t assume the president’s own record of dishonesty will protect her either. “If you give Trump a tool to equalize the playing field, which is what this does,” Hazelwood said, “he will do exactly what he did to Hillary Clinton.”

***

In several presidential elections, Democrats have seen Republican attack dogs disfigure their nominees beyond recognition by turning their strengths into weaknesses.

In 2016, Republicans turned Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of State, essential to her case that she was the most qualified for the job,into a deluge of conspiracy theories centered on her private email server. In 2004, Democratic voters thought John Kerry’s war record would protect him from challenges to his patriotism, only to have his war record baselessly but effectively maligned by the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.” In 2000, Al Gore had a reputation as a Boy Scout, until George W. Bush’s campaign used some of his minor flubs and sloppy phrasings to brand him as a “serial exaggerator.”

But when I talked to Democratic operatives who were part of some of these campaigns, and know all too well the potential dangers that lie ahead of any Democratic nominee, they praised Warren for how she, after her DNA test misstep, has seized control of her own narrative with her seemingly unlimited appetite for policy plans.

“Warren has successfully defined herself as a candidate, instead of letting others define her,” said Peter Daou, a veteran of the Kerry campaign and the 2008 Clinton campaign. Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist and former spokesman for Clinton’s 2016 effort, concurred, noting Democrats have “struggled” during the Trump era to “drive our own message and not be entirely tethered to his.”

“She’s shown an ability to do that, and that allows you to navigate his nonsense but also drive your own point,” he said.

The Democratic operatives are understandably impressed with Warren’s rise. She is theonly2020 presidential candidate to have a rise. In the Real Clear Politics poll average, no other candidate has increased his or her share of the vote more than 0.5 percentage points since May 1. Warren’s support has nearly doubled,from 8.4 percent to 15.4 percent.Since the first of the year, when Warren began the exploratory phase of her campaign at 4.3 percent, Warren’s support has nearly quadrupled.

But Warren started 2019 scraping bottom in the polls, giving her more room to rise,becauseof the Native American controversy. In early 2018, Warren was scoring in the low double-digits in Democratic primary polling. But her numbers began to sag by the fall, and the obvious cause was Trump’s repeated “Pocahontas” jabs—most prominently, his July “offer” of $1 million to her favorite charity if she proved her Native American ancestry with a DNA test.

When Warren took him up on it in October, she made her problem worse. She had let Trump dictate the terms of their engagement. Her test results—she had Native American ancestry 6 to 10 generations in the past—did little to defuse the situation. She angered the Cherokee Nation, which rejects the whole concept of DNA to determine tribal heritage. Then in February, when theWashington Postuncovered that Warren self-identified as American Indian on her 1986 State Bar of Texas registration card, she shifted from proudly defending her family lore to sheepishly apologizing for “furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship.” Her prospects looked bleak.

Her comeback began once she stopped talking about her ancestry and started talking about her plans. Progressive commentators, livid at mainstream media obsession with the Native American saga, as well as with speculation about her “likability,” pushed back by celebrating the substance and reach of her policy proposals.The Nationsplashed her on a March cover declaring, “Elizabeth Warren isn’t scared of Trump—or her own party.” In April, the feminist siteJezebelsummed up her candidacy with the headline, “Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan.” By May, it wasTimemagazine that had Warren on the cover with her common refrain, “I Have a Plan for That.”

On top of the pile of plans, many voters began to recognize Warren was much better on the stump than some had presumed, leading them to, well, like her. Before the Democratic debate in June, she was back in double-digits. The ancestry controversy went unmentioned in both summer debates. Warren otherwise avoided any serious attacks, and her numbers kept inching up.

But her rise has been propelled largely by the left flank of the Democratic Party. In one of her better poll showings, the August Quinnipiac University poll that placed her in second nationally with 21 percent, she won among “very liberal” voters with 40 percent but was well behind Joe Biden among moderate and conservative voters with 11 percent. It’s one thing to make uberprogressives forget about “Pocahontas” with uberprogressive plans, but it’s another to do the same with moderate swing voters.

***

When I asked Democratic operativeswhether Warren needs to do something different in order to connect with swing voters and inoculate herself against general election attempts to dredge up the ancestry controversy, they said no. They see in her existing campaign style and persona the ingredients for a favorable matchup against Trump.

Tracy Sefl, who handled Kerry’s rapid response operation for the Democratic National Committee and also advised the 2008 Clinton effort, sees a “powerful contrast” between Trump “impulsively shouting out these things and gleefully hurling slurs” from “a stage” and Warren’s “far more engaging and dignified” approach in which she is “literally among voters,” spending “hours worth of [time in] photo lines.” Sefl also praised Warren’s web strategy, creating a webpage—elizabethwarren.com/pocahontas—that tells the story of the real Pocahontas’ abuse and early death to raise awareness of the high rate of violence against Native American women today, mostly perpetrated by nonnatives.

Ferguson didn’t buy the Republican argument that Trump would be able to challenge Warren’s honesty. “In 2016, he was seen as a straight talker,” Ferguson said. “But in three years as president, he’s gone from straight talker to straight bullshit artist.” Therefore, “it’s hard to see Donald Trump winning a debate with anyone about honesty and integrity.”

These Democratic operatives are hardly naive about the potential power of Republican attacks. “The Republicans are excellent and skilled at taking [what] they can find in their opponents,” Daou said, “and hammer and hammer and hammer away at it, until it becomes a mainstream news story.”

Yet he graded Warren as having “passed the test with flying colors—the test of withstanding right-wing attacks.” Ferguson further argued that the Native American controversy isn’t like the Clinton email server episode. “One of the challenges of 2016 was the drip-drip-drip of the email news [and] the investigation news,” Ferguson said. “This isn’t drip-drip-drip. This is Trump beating a dead horse.”

But Hazelwood contends the old tricks can still work to drive news. “We’re all kidding ourselves if you [think Trump] can’t find people who are going to stand up and say, ‘I was wronged in this process’ or ‘I’m a Native American and I think this is still inappropriate, and she never actually properly accounted for her misdeeds,” Hazelwood said.

Most Native Americans might be disinclined to continue criticizing Warren. Mark Trahant, the editor of Indian Country Today and the moderator of this month’s Native American presidential forum, relayed to me via email that the forum’s attendees “gave her more than a warm reception.”

“She had one of four standing ovations,” he wrote, and attendees were “far more interested in the candidate’s policy proposals” than the ancestry controversy. But, he also noted, “There are a number of people that will consider Elizabeth Warren’s actions and the DNA test egregious and will never come around.”

In fact, four days after the forum, Rebecca Nagle, a Cherokee Nation member and the host of the “This Land” podcast produced by the progressive Crooked Media, published a devastating essay in HuffPost. Nagle argued Warren’s apology was insufficient because her 19th-century and early 20th-century ancestors were white people who occupied Cherokee land with military force and through broken treaties. “Warren’s ancestors replaced the truth of their complicity in Cherokee dispossession with a tale of being Cherokee,” Nagle wrote. In her view, Warren can only make things right by stating she “does not have a Cherokee ancestor and that she was wrong to claim one.”

Nagle has no interest in helping Trump. She responded to Warren supporters on Twitter writing, “Warren isn’t running against Trump, she’s running against” the Democratic field. She added: “It’s silly to think not talking about this issue will make it go away. Ppl who want Warren to be prez should press her to resolve this issue now.” But even if Nagle and most Native Americans wouldn’t publicly side with Trump in a general election against Warren, Hazelwood warns Democrats to not pretend that you can’t find those people, because a presidential campaign can.”

Whether Warren has the skills to overcome the expected attacks can only be proved in real time, and perhaps Democrats should be thankful that, as Sefl observes, Trump is so impulsive. If Warren continues to rise in the polls and becomes the front-runner, Trump won’t be able resist early engagement. In preparation for that likely confrontation, Warren might want to consider how the last successful Democratic nominee survived a major controversy during a primary.

Barack Obama, in March 2008, had to answer for anti-American sermons delivered by his pastor Jeremiah Wright. Obama’s response, the famous “A More Perfect Union” address, was not solely aimed at Democratic primary voters. He delivered a broader discussion of race relations designed to unify all Americans by encouraging a deeper understanding of coarse sentiments harbored by blacks and whites. This not only helped Obama connect with swing voters for the general election, it also helped soothe nervous Democrats who wanted to know if he could handle whatever Republicans threw at him. Warren, in contrast, has yet to tailor a message for swing voters, betting that the ambitious populism that progressives love will also resonate with voters outside of the Democratic primary electorate.

The Democratic operatives I spoke with may well be correct that Warren can survive any Republican-manufactured storms by simply being Warren—strong, substantive and on message. That presumes the DNA debacle was an anomalous case of Warren failing to be Warren. Yet it’s risky to assume the Republican operatives are wrong. If her reputation among swing voters gets poisoned by accusations of dishonesty, she will find that extremely hard to remedy, and as before, might respond to pressure by making matters worse.

To avoid that pitfall, she should invest energy now in defining herself as “honest.” Without direct mention of the past controversy, she could collect testimonials from her professional past vouching for her integrity and promote them in ads and on the trail. That way, when attacks on her integrity are launched in full force, she will have already fortified her defenses—and in a way that is not reliant on political ideology.

“It is risky business to look backwards for the answers to what’s ahead,” Sefl told me, cautioning against the assumption that what worked for Republicans in the past was destined to work again. It’s true that Warren is a different candidate than Clinton or Kerry. And Trump’s weakened political standing as an embattled incumbent might mean he can’t easily run on his playbook from 2016. No two campaigns are the same.

But it’s a simple fact that the Native American controversy did once damage Warren’s presidential aspirations and that her recovery has yet to reach most moderate voters. If she has a plan for reaching them before Trump does, we haven’t seen it yet.

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[whereareroo]

DO THE MATH

WE THOUGHTS (1/28/18).

How did we get to this strange place? How did Trump make it to the White House?

To fully understand our dilemma, and what to do about it, we need to understand how we got here.

We know that Trump did not get to the White House by studying history, studying politics, and by developing a political philosophy. Trump admits that he did not do any of those things.

So, how did he do it? I'll tell you.

In the 1980's, Trump started talking about running for president. Ever since that time, he's been watching and calculating.

What was he watching and calculating? The percentages. The odds. He instinctively understood that it's all about the percentages and the odds.

Trump is two things. He's a real estate guy. He's also a casino operator. Both businesses are all about percentages and odds. In his real estate business, Trump rents space to tenants, sells condominiums, and runs hotels. All he cares about is the percentage return on the money that he's invested. The percentage is all that matters in real estate. Casinos, of course, are all about the odds. Trump lives, and breathes, percentages and odds.

As the 2016 election approached, Trump sat down to run some numbers. It only takes about 3 minutes to do the first calculation.

Leading into 2016, the previous four presidential elections (2000 through 2012) revealed that winning the presidency is a 50-50 proposition. In each of those four elections, spread out over 16 years, the winner got about 50% of the popular vote. The loser also got very close to 50% of the popular vote. Except for the very close 2000 race, when Bush and Gore had almost identical popular vote counts, the popular vote winner also won the electoral college. What did all of that mean to Trump? If you can get the nomination, the chances of becoming president are 50-50. Your chances of winning are about the same as your chances of losing. And, you basically get to play the game for free. You use money that you take from other people. Why wouldn't you play the game? If you win, you're president. If you lose, perhaps the better result, you can convert your "almost president" status into more money and more fame.

From there, Trump moved on to the second calculation. He liked those results even more. The calculation: What were the chances of winning the nomination?

In June of 2015, when Trump was doing the calculation, there were already 16 announced candidates. He would be the 17th. He did the math: 100÷17=5.8. If everybody stayed in the race for the nomination and attracted an equal number of voters, he could win a primary with only 6% of the vote. That calculation gave him confidence.

Trump spent another few minutes doing calculations. If the field dropped to 10 people, a person could still win a primary with 15% of the vote. If the field dropped to 5 people, the winner might need 25%. Even if the field dropped to 3 people, Trump realized that he could still win primaries with only 35% of the vote. Trump liked the numbers. He could become the nominee even if 65% of the voters supported somebody else. He figured that he could get to 35% because he was an outsider, his name was Trump, and he was a unique showman. The race for the 2018 nomination, with a huge field of candidates, was the perfect race for Trump. He liked the odds. He jumped in.

Trump is an expert at odds and percentages. His calculations were correct. In the early primaries, when there were numerous candidates, he was able to win with percentages well under 35%. In the later primaries, with only a few candidates left, he got more than 35%. On an overall basis, for the whole primary season, he received about 35% of the votes cast. He didn't care that 65% of the vote went to somebody else. He was the winner. He was the nominee. His chances of winning the general election were 50-50. Win or lose, he figured that he'd become a bigger star and open up new financial avenues for himself.

Now, let me give you some math that is even more horrifying. During the primaries, votes were only cast by 15% of eligible Republican voters. That means that 85% of eligible Republican voters played no role in selecting their nominee. Trump got 35% of the 15%. In other words, he became the nominee because he got votes from 5.25% of eligible Republican voters. How do you like that percentage? Trump liked it a lot. He was the nominee, and had a good shot at becoming president, because he was supported by a very, very thin slice of the Republican electorate.

Trump understood that winning the nomination was all about percentages and odds. He ignored the substantive issues. He focused on the math. Math would deliver the victory, not issues.

We are a country of 325 million people. Trump is president because 14 million people voted for him during the primaries. He is going to stay focused on those 14 million people. He knows how to play to that audience. If you want to understand what he's doing, you need to understand his core army of 14 million. If you're upset about what you're seeing from Trump, you need to be part of the army that takes America back from the 14 million.

I'm going to stop. I've given you too much math. Here's what you should have learned from the calculations:

1. A candidate can win the nomination even if two-thirds of the party rejects the candidate. If numerous candidates are seeking the nomination, it is easier for an "underdog" to win with minimal support.

2. The general election is a 50-50 contest. Don't believe the polls.

3. Elections are all about the numbers. If you care about America, you need to vote - - particularly in the primaries.

4. Particularly in the primaries, think about your vote seriously. I understand the reluctance to vote for a career politician. You may think it's funny, or a sign of protest, if you vote for a fringe candidate. Fringe candidates do make the "show" more exciting, but it's no fun if the fringe candidate wins the nomination and then takes the presidential race. Trump's victory proves that it's a 50-50 race between the ultimate candidates. Americans need to be more focused on the primaries. The primaries are decided by a relatively small number of votes. Make sure that your informed vote is part of that mix.

Trump is in the White House because during the primaries he received votes from 5.25% of eligible Republican voters. We all need to digest that astonishing fact. Our system doesn't protect us from unusual results. Trump understands the math. You need to understand the math too. Understanding the math is key to understanding Trump, formulating appropriate resistance tactics, and preparing for 2020. Remember, you are part of the math. Ignore the math at your peril.