#Jackson Auction Yard

[roamingtigress]

Babygirl got into a little trouble with the law.

[treeservicejacksontn]

Professional Tree Removal in Jackson County, GA: Why Choose Us for Safe and Efficient Services

Trees enhance the aesthetic value, offer shades and they are important facets in any landscape we see. But when trees grow too large, fall ill, or have an injury, they are dangerous to your property and safety. Jackson County residents expect their landscape to look great and be protected; this can only be guaranteed by a reliable tree removal service. If you’re searching for tree removal Jackson County GA, our knowledgeable staff is here to provide tree care services such as safe tree removal, trimming, stump grinding and more.

The Importance of Professional Tree Removal

As much as trees improve the appearance of your compound there are times when they have to be cut down to avoid causing harm to your house and loved ones. Dead, diseased or storm affected trees can suddenly fall and become a real danger to property, cars and even people. Furthermore, trees that grow too close to houses may interfere with electric wires, weaken building structures, or deprive owners of a nice sight, so they must be cut down or pruned.

Professional tree removal companies guarantee the job is done safely and in the most effective way. Tree removal is a delicate and risky procedure that can be performed only with appropriate tools and people who pay careful attention to the tree's structure, to the way of its removal and the safety measures. Let our experienced team in Jackson Tree Service take care of any tree removal services needed for your home or business, no matter how big or small the job is, we will guarantee that your property is safe from any falling tree branches.

Our Tree Removal Services in Jackson County, GA

Jackson Tree Service offers you a full scope of services that will suit all your tree care requirements. If you require full tree removal, pruning, or you have an emergency situation, we have got you covered.

1. Tree Removal

Our core business is the professional and risk-free operation in the elimination of trees that can be hazardous to your property. We evaluate the state of the tree and decide the way in which to bring it down; this is mostly auction by use of machinery such as cranes in the case of large trees that are located in difficult terrains. 

2. Tree Trimming and Pruning

Trimming and pruning are important tasks that should be done in the proper manner for the beauty and healthy trees. Jackson County, GA tree trimming services involve eliminating dead branches, those that have grown excessively, and those that pose some risk of causing an accident. Pruning is also useful in enhancing the shape of the tree, increasing access to sunlight and the general health of your landscape.

3. Stump Grinding and Removal

After a tree has been cut down it is left with a stump which can be an eyesore and even dangerous. We guarantee that the stump is ground out to the root making your yard flat and without any hindrances to your activities or to your landscape.

4. Emergency Tree Services

If a tree is in danger of falling during a storm or if there has been a tree removal incident in Jackson TN, we provide emergency tree services. We have a team of highly skilled professionals who are willing to attend to your needs at the shortest time possible in case of storm damages, fallen trees or any other issue that may warrant urgent attention to your property. 

Why Choose Our Tree Removal Service in Jackson County, GA?

There are several reasons why tree removal in Jackson Tree Service stands out as a trusted choice for tree services in the area. Here are just a few:

1. We hereby assure you that all our professionals are experienced and certified to undertake your projects.

The staff of our company consists of certified arborists and tree care specialists with considerable experience. Our company is well aware of the specificities of tree removal, pruning, and stump grinding to guarantee the highest efficiency and safety of the work.

2. Safety First

Tree removal is a risky project, but we do not compromise with safety when it comes to our services. We have the best equipment and ensure that we follow the recommended safety measures to ensure that our team and your property are safe. 

3. Pricing that is both accessible and clear

It is our opinion that tree service should be affordable to all clients. That is why we are able to provide competitive prices while still maintaining the quality of the service. There is no hidden charge and we give a free estimate so that you will know the amount of money you will be required to pay. 

4. Local Orientation and Emphasis

We are a local tree service company in Jackson County, GA, and we know the trees and the conditions in the region. Jackson County’s homeowners benefit from our services as they are developed to meet the needs of the region’s trees. 

Conclusion

If you want to find the best tree removal services in Jackson County, GA, you should turn to our company and experienced staff. We provide services in tree removal and trimming, stump grinding and emergency services in order to ensure your property is safe and aesthetically pleasing. Our company is safety oriented, customer friendly, and provides cost effective tree services for all of your tree care needs.

[lynx-013]

15c shop on ship street, oxford por Karen White Por Flickr: The look of this 15c building on the corner of Ship Street and Cornmarket Street (it's actually 28 Cornmarket Street) appealed to me. I found a little of its history online: In 1772 a survey of every house in the city was taken in consequence of the Mileways Act of 1771. According to H. E. Salter, 28 Cornmarket was then in the occupation of Mr Constable, and had a frontage of 4 yards, 1 ft. and 9 in. In about 1813 Joseph Andrews had an auction business here, which on his death in 1830 was taken over briefly by his son Charles Wood Andrews. In 1835 the shop was taken over by Hughes & Company. At the time of the 1841 census Henry Hatch (22), a draper, lived here with his wife Sarah and their son Henry, plus a milliner and a servant. On 20 January 1844 Henry Hatch announced in Jackson’s Oxford Journal that he was moving to this shop at 28 Cornmarket Street from his former shop at 71 High Street. By 1849 No. 28 was occupied by another draper, Sweetman Brothers at a rental of £70 per annum. Lewis Solomon had a tobacco shop here from 1862. Harvey Brother, tea & coffee dealers, were here from at least 1880 to 1914. The photographers Penrose & Palmer were here from 1925 to 1932, with Ye Olde North Gate Tea Rooms upstairs. Thomas Rayson extensively restored this shop in 1951, saving the building from destruction.. From then until the present day it has been occupied by a number of different businesses; Speedwell Cleaning, Rhodes Opticians, Mobile Phones Direct, Chequepoint, and its current occupiers Laird Hatters. Source Oxford History The building is Grade II listed"

[rabbittales12]

Exploring Car Auction Companies in the USA

Car auctions in the United States have long been a staple for car enthusiasts, collectors, and bargain hunters alike. Whether you're seeking a vintage classic, a sleek luxury vehicle, or a reliable everyday ride, car auctions offer a unique opportunity to acquire vehicles at competitive prices. In this article, we delve into the world of car auction companies in the USA, exploring their significance, the types of auctions they offer, and the top players dominating this dynamic industry.

Understanding Car Auctions

Car auctions serve as platforms where vehicles are sold to the highest bidder. These auctions can take place in physical locations, such as auction houses or dealership lots, or online through dedicated platforms. They attract various participants, including dealerships, private buyers, and even international investors seeking specific models or deals.

Types of Car Auctions

Car auctions come in various formats, catering to different types of buyers and sellers:

Public Auctions: Open to anyone interested in purchasing a vehicle, public auctions often feature a diverse range of cars, from budget-friendly options to high-end models. These auctions may be conducted by auction houses, government agencies, or local law enforcement.

Dealer Auctions: Restricted to licensed dealers, dealer auctions are where dealerships acquire inventory for their lots. These auctions offer a wide selection of vehicles, including trade-ins, lease returns, and fleet vehicles.

Online Auctions: With the advent of digital technology, online car auctions have surged in popularity. These platforms allow buyers to participate in auctions from the comfort of their homes and offer an extensive inventory of vehicles from across the country.

Top Car Auction Companies in the USA

Manheim: As one of the largest wholesale vehicle auction companies globally, Manheim operates numerous physical locations across the USA and hosts online auctions through its digital platform. It serves both dealers and commercial clients, offering a vast selection of vehicles and comprehensive remarketing solutions.

Copart: Specializing in online vehicle auctions, Copart facilitates the sale of salvage and clean title vehicles to buyers worldwide. With an extensive network of yards across the USA, Copart provides a wide array of options for buyers looking for project cars, parts, or rebuildable vehicles.

Barrett-Jackson: Renowned for its high-profile collector car auctions, Barrett-Jackson showcases some of the most sought-after classic and exotic vehicles. Its auctions, held in prestigious venues like Scottsdale, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, attract enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers: While primarily known for its heavy equipment auctions, Ritchie Bros. also conducts regular auctions featuring trucks, trailers, and recreational vehicles. With numerous locations throughout the USA, it offers a diverse selection of vehicles to a broad audience of buyers.

IAA, Inc. (Insurance Auto Auctions): Catering to insurance companies, salvage buyers, and automotive recyclers, IAA specializes in auctions for damaged and total-loss vehicles. Through its online platform and physical auction sites, IAA provides an efficient remarketing solution for vehicles deemed uneconomical to repair by insurance companies.

The Appeal of Car Auctions

Car auctions hold a unique appeal for buyers and sellers alike:

Opportunity for Bargains: Auctions often present opportunities to purchase vehicles at below-market prices, especially for savvy buyers who know how to navigate the bidding process.

Diverse Inventory: From everyday commuter cars to rare collectibles, auctions feature a diverse range of vehicles, catering to various preferences and budgets.

Transparency and Efficiency: Auctions operate on transparent bidding processes, providing participants with fair and competitive buying opportunities. Online auctions, in particular, offer convenience and efficiency, allowing buyers to browse, bid, and purchase vehicles with ease.

Potential for Profit: For sellers, auctions offer a quick and efficient way to liquidate inventory and maximize returns. Whether selling individual vehicles or entire fleets, auctions provide a platform to reach a wide audience of potential buyers.

Conclusion

Car auction companies play a pivotal role in the automotive industry, facilitating the buying and selling of vehicles on a large scale. From traditional auction houses to innovative online platforms, these companies cater to the diverse needs of buyers and sellers across the USA. Whether you're a collector searching for your dream car or a dealership looking to expand its inventory, car auctions offer an exciting and accessible avenue to fulfill your automotive aspirations. So, whether you're bidding in person or online, prepare to immerse yourself in the electrifying world of car auctions and unlock the thrill of the chase.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Friday 6 October 1837

8 ¼

11 20

much rain in the night and this morning till after 8 then fair – high wind – sun and F70° at 9 20 and breakfast – no! had Mr. Jackson from Duncan the tailor with patterns of cloth for grooms’ suit for George – ordered to be 4 guineas + breeches strapping – clothes to be sent home on Wednesday night, and cloth of the same price to be kept for footmans’ dress and undress suit – breakfast (A- sat by me) at 9 ¾ in 25 minutes then off with A- at 10 ¼ and walked with her to Cliff Hill – there at 11 20 sauntered about there 5 minutes and then set off back again – somewhile at Hipperholme quarry – a shower while there and rain began before I got to Mytholm – took shelter at Hannah Greens’, and again in the doorway of Listeriwck E.P. cabin home at 1 20 – Holt just come but kept him waiting till I opened note from A- enclosing key of her bureau and sofa table-drawer – to send her back the letter that came last night for her aunt Mrs. W. H. Rawson sent back the letter – then with Holt till 2 10 talking over colliery concerns – and then walked with him (Joseph Mann came to us at Listerwick pit) to set out the new engine pit – Cliff the engine-maker from Huddersfield to come and look at the place tomorrow about 10 pm – H- thinks 2 [?] inch

SH:7/ML/E/20/0140

bore pumps are sure to lift the water .:. an engine that will work these is wanted – I said I thought 10 horse power would be enough – would write and ask Mr. Harper perhaps tonight or tomorrow basis to be an 8ft. and 12 strokes per minute – H- thought the engine might work till the Incline was finished and then rest – let the water rise in the EP. and run over into Long goit – 700 yards back would spend the level – JM. afterwards said 600 yards would do it – the water would be dammed back as far as Charles Howarths’ and the water head going in a line from there to about ½ between Tilly holme stile and Redbeck houses we should have no more coal loose than I had to get up to that line – I thought that would be 25 acres at least which at 5 acre per annum would save expense of engine 5 years = about £1000 – must keep the engine going till the Incline was finished for the water would rise in Listerwick pit and we must have vent from there and if we could not have vent from there the engine must be [put] at work I proposed a chimney down upon the head of the Incline no! this would produce more water to pump by letting in fresh springs – then it just occurs to me, we could drive a communication from our vent gate into Listerwick above the rise of the water – I had told H- I thought we could get some upper bed immediately without pheying in the old works – yes! and JM. also agreed to this on my explaining that ½ of the 2 Pumpfields in front of the house must be ungot – H- sells at 7 1/2d. per load (upper bed) on the top of Swales moor – Samuel Holdsworth and Wilson sell at 7d. but the bar makes a 1/2d. per load difference – surely then my upper bed is worth as much as Holts’ or more – JM. thinks we may sell it at 8d. this winter – H- pays 3d. per load getting – when pulled at Listerwick pit 1d. per load will pull and bank them (1 1/2d. per load till then) – Suppose I can clear 3 1/2d. per load and 1 collier gets 100 loads per week .:. 100 x 3 1/2d. = 29/2. and I can keep 3 colliers going 29/2 x 3 = £4.7.6 H- said they would clear £4 per week – if the engine to stand till all the coal got up to Charles Howarths’ then the 2 gates from P.E.P. to LIsterwick need only be common gates – will be wet driving – say 4/6 per yard then the 2 gates together = 9/. per yard and suppose each driven 2 yards wide (so as to allow of burying the scale) then there will be 4 yards breadth of coal go t= suppose 20 loads (low bed at 9d.) = 10 x 9 = 15/. but 18 loads at 9d. = 13/6 .:. there would be 4/6 (2/6 per on each gate) per running yard on the 2 gates (800 yards long) .:. 4/6 x 800 = £180 gained on the 2 gates for I have rails enough to do them – the engine (as soon as the Incline is completed, to be set up there) – whoever gets the job is to be bound in a hundred pounds penalty to have it in going order by xmas – Holt and Thomas have undertaken many small engines but never get them done in time – Holt left me on the ground about 3pm – walked back with JM. explained my ideas about the road by the brook side thro’ Mytholm Ing – JM. to level for the intended road – home before 4 – out about – had Mawson – Townend vexed not to have had the horses for £30. has reported that he means to indite Mawson for horse-dealing and make him pay the penalty = £14 – advised M- to care nothing about it – but let the man do as he choose – it would do him no good even if he did make M- pay the penalty which he would perhaps find a difficult matter – on getting home before 4 went into the garden, and on coming from there met Womersley coming from the hall – he has seen Messrs. Mitchell and Hall – the latter would consult his attorney and M- proposed selling the horse by auction and that he and H- and I should share the loss – I said I did not see what M- or I has to do with the loss – M- would not consent to my having [?] to the horse – so I said I saw no other way but to return the horse and let M- and H- settle it as they best could – SW. had had a horse returned – perhaps I might get him to manage the matter for me – while speaking to Mawson after 5pm George came to ask me to look at the bay pony he had brought from Wakefield not so tall as the chesnut ponies, nor near so much bone – a slight thing fit only for a child – certainly not fit for A- aetatis 4 instead of 6 – worth from £12 to 15 instead of £23 I just muttered that the blind horse (Felix if he should be blind) was worth a hundred of him – yes! said George – raining – ordered the Hoogly (market cart) and off with John at 6 5 for A- unluckily went by the Lodge – missed her – returned by the old road and back in 25 minutes – I disappointed about the pony – A- ditto too much so to talk about it, and left me and went downstairs – wettish – dressed – went into the cellar (as yesterday [?]) – 1 marsala – the cellar doors had been [?] with white paint by Mr. Haylands’ man today – dinner at 7 10 coffee – read the paper – A- came upstairs at 9 20 and I a few minutes afterwards but came direct to my room and till 10 25 wrote the whole of today – fine day till about (before) noon – afterwards showery damp disagreeable afternoon and evening – F51* at 9 ½ pm – asked Mawson what he would wear (bur wall) the brook for in Mytham Ing – he had 2/.per road for the brook waring against the meer – but better carting to Mytham Ing would do that at 1/9 per road of 1 yards high – I said 10. parts might have to be 2 yards high – mentioned that I wanted to lay the pit scale alongside it so as to form a road – Mr. Parker passed as I was leaving Hipperholme quarry briefly explained that I would have nothing to do with buying coaches of Mr. C- the hotel might take its chance – said I had sent Mr. Harper to him (P-) but he had not found him or Mr.Adam – P- would advertise again – I briefly explained about C- but said I would not let him the place for less than £400 a year I would sooner break it up – P- just said ‘oh! you will get your price’ we parted – going to a road meeting of the Elland and Brighouse road – nothing to be paid on the Denholm gate road – expected something on the Wakefield road this midsummer but nothing had been paid

[tabloidtoc]

OK, December 21

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth cancels Christmas

Page 1: Big Pic -- David Beckham in an ad for Haig Club 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: Bella and Olivia Jade Giannulli -- life on their own -- find out what Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters have been up to while their famous parents sweat it out in prison -- Bella has been so stressed out and felt she deserved a trip with her buds so she went to a luxury resort in Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving weekend 

Page 6: It’s been a little over a year since Felicity Huffman was released from prison after serving her time for role in the college admissions scandal but she is finally starting to get her life and career back on track -- initially she was nervous about working again given the controversy and everything that went down and she seriously wondered if there would be anything out there for her material-wise but she shouldn’t have worried as she landed a part in an upcoming pilot in which she’ll play a recently widowed owner of a Triple-A baseball team and she’s really excited about the show 

Page 7: Kristin Cavallari is fed up with Carrie Underwood’s meddling in her divorce from Jay Cutler -- after Kristin called time on her seven-year marriage Carrie and her husband Mike Fisher who used to be Nashville couple-friends to both Kristin and Jay have taken Jay’s side and since then there’s been some snide stuff said that’s made it clear how Carrie really fills about Kristin -- while Jay spent Thanksgiving with Carrie and Mike, Kristin filmed a wine-fueled Instagram Live and Carrie finds this type of thirsty behavior on social media incredibly lame and she’s saying it’s obvious Kristin cares more about upping her profile than making any type of family peace 

* After nearly 60 years in showbiz Cher has a different aspirations -- since traveling to Pakistan to help a mistreated elephant from a local zoo be relocated to an animal sanctuary she’s saying this is her new mission to help endangered species in third world countries and campaign for other good eco causes -- Cher spends much of her time cooped up and bored in her Malibu mansion and her trip made her realize there’s a world out there that needs her help 

* Mark Harmon of NCIS is all work and no play these days and nearly two decades in the same TV gig as Leroy Gibbs has only made things worse as the responsibilities of the show seem to wear heavier on Mark by the year and even on a break you can’t get him to crack a smile or tell a joke; he’d rather go lie down in his trailer -- off set Mark and his wife of 33 years Pam Dawber get along because they’re such homebodies and Mark can usually be found working on his cars in the garage or relaxing in the yard and he cherishes his quiet time but people have stopped inviting him out because he’s known as Mr. Boring 

Page 8: Dolly Parton is spreading Christmas cheer far and wide with a new TV special and album and Netflix movie but at her home in Tennessee the holiday spirit is decidedly lacking because Dolly is forgoing her favorite 40-year-running traditions which are filling her house with trees and driving her nieces and nephews and their kids around her farm in golf carts dressed as Santa and handing out presents because of her concern for her husband Carl Dean who has Alzheimer’s disease and he’s in a high-risk group for coronavirus so she’s restricted the property to just them and two staff members -- it breaks Dolly’s heart to have to cancel her big annual celebration and she’s still decorated her home to the nines but it’s a lonely feeling knowing the family won’t be there to see it 

* Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are proving themselves to be perfectly postmodern parents by raising their kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with firm rules for TV and electronic use -- Kate who recently revealed she’s fielded her share of temper tantrums actively attempts to stave off meltdowns with a strict rewards chart and the kids have to earn screen time -- Kate prefers to keep them busy with activities like board games and hikes and baking which the children enjoy anyway

* After spending the last several years living a relatively low-key life in his native England Russell Brand is desperate to have a bigger presence in Hollywood but his wife Laura insists he stay put -- Russell’s craving SoCal living and the copious acting jobs and event invites that came with it but Laura prefers their British life outside the spotlight with their young daughters -- while some work has come to him in England like the upcoming Death on the Nile if he had his way he’d make a more aggressive career push in L.A. 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars stand out in festive green dresses -- Carly Pearce, Angela Bassett, Zendaya 

Page 11: Jodie Comer, Adriana Lima 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Melissa Gorga vs. Jennifer Lahmers, Abigail Spencer vs. Hailey Bieber in Max Mara, Olivia Culpo vs. Aurora Culpo 

Page 14: News in Photos -- Brooke Burke with Christmas ornaments that will be auctioned by non-profit Operation Smile 

Page 16: Audrina Patridge brought along her daughter Kirra’s favorite toys for a picnic in Beverly Hills, Padma Lakshmi visits The Vitamin Shoppe in NYC, Brandy at the BET Soul Train Awards 

Page 17: Kelly Rutherford felt the love from her dogs in L.A., Shawn Mendes out for a walk in Miami 

Page 21: Robin Wright and husband Clement Giraudet held hands while riding their bikes in L.A., long-time friends Gabrielle Union and Snoop Dogg unpacked ingredients delivered by Shipt 

Page 22: Josh Duhamel on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Karlie Kloss on her new Adidas collection 

Page 24: Vanessa Hudgens snuggled up to her beloved pup Darla while at the park in L.A., Jay-Z taking a walk around the island in Hawaii 

Page 25: Kimora Lee Simmons and her children handed out food to residents of a housing complex, Prince Jackson safely helped a community church distribute food to those in need 

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Ariel Winter’s stylish setup 

Page 28: Like most Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood have had a challenging 2020 but their 15-year marriage was put to the test this past summer when the country superstars’ daughter Allie tested positive for Covid-19 -- they were worried sick and had to go into quarantine themselves and not being able to hold Allie’s hand was terrible for both of them but fortunately Allie’s case was mild and Garth and Trisha’s tests came back negative 

Page 30: Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott who have amicably coparented their daughter Stormi since their split last year and recently spent Thanksgiving together as a family are drawing up plans to have another baby together in 2021 because both of them want to give Stormi a sibling ASAP and neither can imagine going through this process with anyone else -- the exes are figuring out a contract to specify their family plans that will protect Kylie’s money and outline coparenting terms more formally and give them each an agreeable share of custody if things don’t stay as rosy down the line

* They’ve costarred in five films and have proclaimed they’re each other’s work wives and are finally single at the same time so pals of Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis are urging the longtime friends to give it a go romantically especially now that Jason has split from Olivia Wilde -- Jennifer always says Jason makes her laugh the way no one else can -- while Jason’s primarily focusing on coparenting his kids he’s long harbored warm and fuzzy feelings toward Jen and he would love to ask her out but the only thing holding him back is the potential to ruin their solid friendship

* Love Bites -- Johnny Galecki and Alaina Meyer split, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky dating, Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan engaged 

Page 31: Matthew Perry’s loved ones are worried the Friends star has made a rash call by suddenly getting engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz -- the on-off two-year romance between Matthew and Molly has been dysfunctional from the get-go and Matthew’s way more into this than Molly who seems to love him more like a brother

* A rough year for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle including inter-family strife and a move across the pond and a devastating miscarriage has only strengthened their bond -- after Meghan revealed she and Harry had miscarried in July the two were quite overwhelmed by the outpouring of compassion and the response not only validated their decision to go public a thousand times over but it also helped them grow even closer -- they’re determined to put this behind them and try for another baby at the earliest opportunity but more than anything else it’s really underlined how they belong together as soulmates 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Queen Elizabeth’s holiday shake-up -- inside the monarch’s heartbreaking decision to call off the family’s annual Christmas celebration -- the queen will celebrate the holidays at Windsor Castle in Berkshire for the first time in more than three decades -- while the queen is upset not to have the company of the younger royals this year she has to think about her and Prince Philip’s health 

Page 36: Katie Holmes’ season of joy -- how Katie is spending the holidays with her new love Emilio Vitolo Jr. 

Page 38: Mistaken Identity -- with these celeb look-alikes it’s deja vu all over again -- Carrie Underwood and Reese Witherspoon, Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood 

Page 39: Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon, Amy Adams and Isla Fisher, Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez 

Page 40: Interview -- Tommy Lee’s new beat -- the veteran rock star opens up about his latest solo album and his new fan base 

Page 42: Gal Power -- how Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot gets into superhero shape 

Page 43: Fight Club -- these buttkicking superheroines pushed themselves to new limits -- Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira 

Page 46: Style -- Zendaya for Lancome’s new mascara 

Page 48: Sleek activewear from celeb-loved label Gigi C Bikinis makes it easy to look like a star when you work out 

Page 49: 5 minutes with Adrienne Bailon 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Buzz -- Disney Holiday Singalong featuring Ryan Seacrest, Katy Perry, Pink and daughter Willow, Ciara and her kids Future and Sienna 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Nelly on feeling disappointed with placing third on Dancing With the Stars, Kaley Cuoco on husband Karl Cook’s social media presence, Megan Fox on first meeting boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly 

Page 61: Paul McCartney on why he doesn’t like taking pictures with fans, Cardi B joking about how her 2-year-old crashed her selfie video 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Sagittarius Vanessa Hudgens turned 32 on December 14 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Dan Levy 

[kemetic-dreams]

Marie Delphine Macarty or MacCarthy (March 19, 1787 – December 7, 1849), more commonly known as Madame Blanque or, after her third marriage, as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans Creole socialite and serial killer who tortured and murdered slaves in her household.

Born during the Spanish colonial period, LaLaurie married three times in Louisiana and was twice widowed. She maintained her position in New Orleans society until April 10, 1834, when rescuers responded to a fire at her Royal Street mansion. They discovered bound slaves in her attic who showed evidence of cruel, violent abuse over a long period. LaLaurie's house was subsequently sacked by an outraged mob of New Orleans citizens. She escaped to France with her family.

The mansion traditionally held to be LaLaurie's is a landmark in the French Quarter, in part because of its history and for its architectural significance. However, her house was burned by the mob, and the "LaLaurie Mansion" at 1140 Royal Street was in fact rebuilt after her departure from New Orleans.

Torture and murder of slaves and 1834 LaLaurie mansion fire

An artist's depiction of the entryway to 1140 Royal Street, c. 1888

Accounts of Delphine LaLaurie's treatment of her slaves between 1831 and 1834 are mixed. Harriet Martineau, writing in 1838 and recounting tales told to her by New Orleans residents during her 1836 visit, claimed LaLaurie's slaves were observed to be "singularly haggard and wretched;" however, in public appearances LaLaurie was seen to be generally polite to black people and solicitous of her slaves' health.

Court records of the time showed that LaLaurie freed two of her slaves (Jean Louis in 1819 and Devince in 1832). Martineau wrote that public rumors about LaLaurie's mistreatment of her slaves were sufficiently widespread that a local lawyer was dispatched to Royal Street to remind LaLaurie of the laws for the upkeep of slaves. During this visit, the lawyer found no evidence of wrongdoing or mistreatment of slaves by LaLaurie.

Martineau also recounted other tales of LaLaurie's cruelty that were current among New Orleans residents in about 1836. She said that, subsequent to the visit of the lawyer, one of LaLaurie's neighbors saw one of the her slaves, a twelve-year-old girl named Lia (or Leah), fall to her death from the roof of the Royal Street mansion while trying to avoid punishment from a whip-wielding LaLaurie. Lia had been brushing Delphine's hair when she hit a snag, causing LaLaurie to grab a whip and chase her. The body was subsequently buried on the mansion grounds.

According to Martineau, this incident led to an investigation of the LaLauries, in which they were found guilty of illegal cruelty and forced to forfeit nine slaves. These nine slaves were bought back by the LaLauries through an intermediary relative, and returned to the Royal Street residence. Similarly, Martineau recounted stories that LaLaurie kept her cook chained to the kitchen stove, and beat her daughters when they attempted to feed the slaves.  yal Street, starting in the kitchen. When the police and fire marshals got there, they found the cook, a seventy-year-old woman, chained to the stove by her ankle. She later said that she had set the fire as a suicide attempt because she feared being punished. She said that slaves taken to the uppermost room never came back.

As reported in the New Orleans Bee of April 11, 1834, bystanders responding to the fire attempted to enter the slave quarters to ensure that everyone had been evacuated. Upon being refused the keys by the LaLauries, the bystanders broke down the doors to the slave quarters and found "seven slaves, more or less horribly mutilated ... suspended by the neck, with their limbs apparently stretched and torn from one extremity to the other", who claimed to have been imprisoned there for some months.

One of those who entered the premises was Judge Jean-Francois Canonge, who subsequently deposed to having found in the LaLaurie mansion, among others, a "negress ... wearing an iron collar" and "an old negro woman who had received a very deep wound on her head [who was] too weak to be able to walk." Canonge said that when he questioned LaLaurie's husband about the slaves, he was told in an insolent manner that "some people had better stay at home rather than come to others' houses to dictate laws and meddle with other people's business." A version of this story circulating in 1836, recounted by Martineau, added that the slaves were emaciated, showed signs of being flayed with a whip, were bound in restrictive postures, and wore spiked iron collars which kept their heads in static positions.

When the discovery of the abused slaves became widely known, a mob of local citizens attacked the LaLaurie residence and "demolished and destroyed everything upon which they could lay their hands". A sheriff and his officers were called upon to disperse the crowd, but by the time the mob left, the property had sustained major damage, with "scarcely any thing [remaining] but the walls."The slaves were taken to a local jail, where they were available for public viewing. The Bee reported that by April 12 up to 4,000 people had attended to view the slaves "to convince themselves of their sufferings."

The Pittsfield Sun, citing the New Orleans Advertiser and writing several weeks after the evacuation of LaLaurie's slave quarters, claimed that two of the slaves found in the mansion had died since their rescue. It added, "We understand ... that in digging the yard, bodies have been disinterred, and the condemned well [in the grounds of the mansion] having been uncovered, others, particularly that of a child, were found."These claims were repeated by Martineau in her 1838 book Retrospect of Western Travel, where she placed the number of unearthed bodies at two, including the child Lia.

Escape from justice and self-imposed exile in France

Copper plate found in Saint Louis Cemetery #1, which claims that LaLaurie died in Paris in 1842

LaLaurie's life after the 1834 fire is not well documented. Martineau wrote in 1838 that LaLaurie fled New Orleans during the mob violence that followed the fire, taking a coach to the waterfront and traveling, by schooner, to Mobile, Alabama and then to Paris. By the time Martineau personally visited the Royal Street mansion in 1836, it was still unoccupied and badly damaged, with "gaping windows and empty walls".

Later life and death

The circumstances of LaLaurie's death are also unclear. In 1888, George Washington Cable recounted a popular but unsubstantiated story that LaLaurie had died in France in a boar-hunting accident. In the late 1930s, Eugene Backes, who served as sexton to St. Louis Cemetery #1 until 1924, discovered an old cracked, copper plate in Alley 4 of the cemetery. The inscription on the plate read "Madame Lalaurie, née Marie Delphine Maccarthy, décédée à Paris, le 7 Décembre, 1842, à l'âge de 6--."The English translation of the inscription reads: "Madame Lalaurie, born Marie Delphine Mccarthy, died in Paris, December 7, 1842, at the age of 6-- " According to the French archives of Paris, however, LaLaurie died on December 7, 1849, at the age of 62

LaLaurie mansion

The former LaLaurie house at 1140 Royal Street, photographed September 2009

The original New Orleans mansion occupied by LaLaurie did not survive. The impressive mansion at 1140 Royal Street, on the corner of Governor Nicholls Street (formerly known as Hospital Street), commonly referred to as the LaLaurie or Haunted House, is not the same building inhabited by LaLaurie. When she acquired the property in 1831 from Edmond Soniat Dufossat, a house was already under construction and finished for LaLaurie.

This house was burned by the mob in 1834 and remained in a ruined state for at least another four years. It was then rebuilt by Pierre Trastour after 1838 and assumed the appearance that it has today. Over the following decades, it was used as a public high school, a conservatory of music, an apartment building, a refuge for young delinquents, a bar, a furniture store, and a luxury apartment building.

The dwelling had a third floor and rear building added later in the 19th century, and the rear building on Governor Nicholls Street, which had only one floor until a second one was added in the 20th century, was remodeled in the 1970s when the second floor interior of the building was done over by Koch and Wilson, architects. At three stories high, it was described in 1928 as "the highest building for squares around", with the result that "from the cupola on the roof one may look out over the Vieux Carré and see the Mississippi in its crescent before Jackson Square".

The entrance to the building bears iron grillwork, and the door is carved with an image of "Phoebus in his chariot, and with wreaths of flowers and depending garlands in bas-relief". Inside, the vestibule is floored in black and white marble, and a curved mahogany-railed staircase runs the full three stories of the building. The second floor holds three large drawing rooms connected by ornamented sliding doors, whose walls are decorated with plaster rosettes, carved woodwork, black marble mantle pieces and fluted pilasters.

In April 2007, actor Nicolas Cage bought the house for a sum of $3.45 million. To protect the actor's privacy, the mortgage documents were arranged in such a way that Cage's name did not appear on them. On November 13, 2009, the property, then valued at $3.5 million, was listed for auction as a result of foreclosure and purchased by Regions Financial Corporation for $2.3 million

Just imagine the stories and events we didn’t hear about or are documented from Slavery

[sames03]

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[myersjackson]

MILLION DOLLAR HOME IN TEXAS, FRISCO 75066

FRISCO LUXURY HOME AUCTION OCTOBER 30 @ 2PM, PRE-BIDDING is NOW OPEN for this CUSTOM HOME. Professionally landscaped corner, cul de sac lot. Oversized 8ft mahogany door invites you into the grand foyer with multi patterned tumbled travertine extending into formal living & hallways. Kitchen features built in Viking fridge, drop in gas cook top with grill, double ovens, built in microwave, island with separate sink, soft close drawers, multicolored LED lighting in cabinets. Backside yard is a vacation oasis with pebble finish pool with massive moss boulders weeping waterfalls, mosaic glass tanning bed, bubblers & LED lights, spa with blue glass tile, LED spa light & grotto waterfall fall, LED light, 4 bar stools & seating around table with umbrella all from inside the pool. Sunken kitchen that serves the pool features fireplace, stone bench, 42-in Lynx grill, rotisserie, EVO grill. Media room, game room, wine cellar, mud room. RSVP & RESERVE a Bidders Number.

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[roamingtigress]

when you're a big tough cowboy but you also feel fancy

[motorbuzz]

🇺🇲 Another 1948 Tucker Torpedo Model 48 4-door sedan.

One of 51 cars ever built; worth $2.9 million

Preston Tucker and his backers may not have made money from the 51 Tucker 48 "Torpedo" sedans built before his grandiose scheme to revolutionize the American automobile went sideways and ended up in history's wrecking yard – but subsequent investors certainly have. A buyer handed over a record $2.9-million (U.S.) for one of the 47 survivors in January to top the Barrett-Jackson Nevada auction. The fast-talking Tucker raised $28-million in 1947 to launch his car company, Tucker Corp. The money came from a stock offering, down payments for dealerships and a bizarre scheme that sold accessories such as seat covers and radios to hopeful buyers, allowing them to get on a list to purchase cars that had yet to go into production. Read the full article

[96thdayofrage]

ARTIVISTS IN ACTION & SOLIDARITY

ARTIVISTS IN ACTION & SOLIDARITY

On Saturday, December 7th, at the Queen Memorial Church of God in Christ, in Oakland, California, grassroot activists and others will join forces in a joint fundraiser for two premier newspapers who are reporting from behind the prison wall, the California Prison Focus, and San Francisco Bay View. Proceeds for the fundraiser will be raised through a silent Prisoner Art auction.[1] On August 12, 2019, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation oversaw the release of one of its most profound prisoners, William E. Brown, also known as Min King William, aka Pyeface, the George Jackson of Rap. Behind-the-wall, Pyeface unwaveringly stood for peace. This didn't endear him to many, especially from those who profit from racial, gang, and prison guard on prison inmate, discord. Violence is a way of life in prison. In California, it was thought if they provided prison yards for those who did not want to participate in violence, the California prison experience would be less violent. California's experiment, known as Sensitive Needs Yards, became an abject failure. These Sensitive Needs prison yards, with Protective Custody inmates, and dropouts from both prison and street gangs was a place that bred new gangs, especially the powerful Two-Five.[2] See also the September 24th, 2019 Associated Press story, "APNewsBreak: California halts prison gang peacemaking effort." https://apnews.com/f6dc74673369497c96237a9dca3f439f Prison guards also have an incentive to keep this status quo ante. With a very low educational threshold to entry, California prison guards earn nearly  $60,000 a year, and if overtime is included, double that amount. As with most government jobs, health benefits are phenomenal. While the CDCR's management may espouse rehabilitation, rank-and-file, not so much. In the aughts, Pyeface started K.A.G.E., Kings Against Genocidal Environments. K.A.G.E. would later become Kings & Queens Against Genocidal Environments. Pyeface, who did six years as a federal prisoner prior to becoming a California prisoner, where he would serve an additional 18-years, had become America's principal Peacemaker. One prisoner in California in whom Pyeface had impressed, was Joedee. Joedee, like Pyeface, had done time in the Feds. He grew up in the 1960s, and lived right down the street from the Black Panthers headquarters in Los Angeles, and vividly remebers the 4-Hour gun battle between the LAPD and the Geronimo Pratt lead Black Panthers at the L.A. Headquarters. While Joedee’s father was a Black Panther, Joedee latched onto the emerging neighborhood click known as the Baby Avenue Cribs that would later become the Crips. When Joedee and his family moved to Compton, he brought with him his South Central Los Angeles Baby Avenue Crib mentality, and was instrumental in the Crips foundation in Compton. Joedee never did like gang banging, nor drugs use, and the system that brought these plagues to his community. Behind-the-wall, Joedee uses his talent as a visual artist to espouse Black Love. To espouse Universal Love. "One thing about Pyeface," Joedee told us, "He reminds me of George  [Jackson]. Most people think it's about using your fist, but a true leader uses his mind. Pyeface was just like George, they were great orators." Upon his release from prison, Pyeface has been quite active in dealing with the issues for those he just left behind in prison, and the issues facing the world he has been welcomed back into.   He has been the brainchild of several fundraisers since his release that include gentrification and the prisoner press. For years he had watch the "Prisoner's Voice" be exploited. Incarcerated men and women who lend their drawings and writings for the cause to end mass incarceration, or some other cause, without compensation. The fundraiser, Artivists In Action & Solidarity, will be raising money through a silent Prisoner Art auction, whereby 40% of sales will return back to the prisoner. One such artist who donated to the event, is the Revolutionary Prisoner Artist named Joedee. It is Joedee’s hand as an artist,  who has given us a Portrait of the George Jackson of Rap, fist pumping, reading the San Francisco Bay View, besides his idol, George Lester Jackson.[3]

ARTIVISTS IN ACTION & SOLIDARITY (Prison Art Auction for the National Prisoner Press) Saturday, December 9th, 4-7 p.m. Queen Memorial Church of God in Christ 1324 E. 24th St. Oakland, CA 94606 (510) 532-2752 Or donate online: California Prison Focus http://newest.prisons.org/donate San Francisco Bay View https://sfbayview.com/donate/ [1] Agnes Gund, Prison Art’s $100,000,000 Patron | darealprisonart https://darealprisonart.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/agnes-gund-prison-arts-100000000-patron/ [2] Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) Gangs - Gangs - POLICE Magazine https://www.policemag.com/374079/sensitive-needs-yards-sny-gangs [3] Prisoner Press Fundraiser Gets Support from Revolutionary Prisoner Artist – Artist Social Network https://artistsocialnetwork.wordpress.com/2019/11/20/prisoner-press-fundraiser-gets-support-from-revolutionary-prisoner-artist/

[1989dreamer]

Pennies and Dimes for a Kiss

Big thanks to annasakai for bidding on me (and letting me run with this idea) and thanks to @fandomcares for running this auction.

On AO3

Title and inspiration comes from Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe.

Summary: Laura, lead singer of a garage band, sees her new next door neighbor mowing the lawn one day. Derek begs her not to make it weird.

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

Laura was tuning Babe, her fourth-hand electric guitar, when she saw him.

He was her neighbor, recently moved in next door, and currently he was taking off his t-shirt to mop at his sweaty face.

He was pale in the way that it was early summer and the temps had finally climbed high enough for tank tops and shorts. Moles speckled his skin, stars painted across the canvas of his body. Her fingers itched to write the lyrics of him.

“Derek!” she yelled. Her brother sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. He straightened from where he’d been tinkering with Dad’s bike and strolled to where she was sitting on an overturned cooler. He deliberately wiped his hands on a grease-covered rag before deigning to ask, waspishly, “What?”

“Go get my lyric book,” she ordered him.

He glared at her. “No.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, but he only glared harder. Ever since he’d shot up about a foot and a half and started weightlifting, she hadn’t been able to boss him around as much.

It was frustrating.

Well, bossing might not work now, but Derek was not immune to her begging.

“Please?” she whined. “I need to finish this,” she stroked Babe’s frets, “for the gig tonight, but inspiration.”

Derek rolled his eyes again but loped off amiably. He returned shortly, her lyric book in one hand, a twelve pack of Mountain Dew in the other, and their younger sister Cora trailing him.

“Thank you,” Laura said, grabbing the book. She scowled at him when she noticed the large, oil-stained prints all over the cover. “Derek!”

He snickered, setting the pack of soda down. “Hey, you got your book,” he pointed out. Laura glared harder, imbuing her gaze with as much hatred as she could. Sometimes he could be such an asshole.

“Your book and no pen!” Cora crowed. Laura stuck her tongue out at her. Cora may have only just turned twelve, but apparently she wasn’t too grown up to not retaliate by blowing a raspberry in Laura’s direction.

“Why aren’t you ever as rude to Derek?” she lamented.

Cora shrugged. “He lets me do what I want.” To emphasize her point, she grabbed a can of soda and Derek didn’t stop her.

Laura sulked, useless lyric book balanced on her thigh while she fiddled with the tuning keys.

Derek watched her for a few moments before digging a pencil out of his toolbox. Laura took it without acknowledgement, setting Babe down reverently. She flipped to a fresh page and began scribbling. Derek went back to Dad’s bike, and Cora sat next to him.

Next Door Hottie was back to mowing. He hadn’t replaced his t-shirt, and Laura spent a couple of minutes watching his muscles bunch under his skin. He was lean and wiry without being narrow or small. He appeared to be about Derek’s height, with legs up to the sky and strength bunched in his forearms as he pushed the mower back and forth.

She managed to write six truly terrible lines before NDH finished mowing, guzzling water straight from the hose in his backyard.

Laura fanned herself at the display, wishing she were the water he was chugging.

Immediately she wrote: “Baby, you look like you need a drink, and honey, I’m your flavor.”

Derek’s wrench clattered by her feet, and she yelled at him about almost hitting Babe.

He rolled his eyes. “She’s on the other side of you,” he said. “You’re making it weird. Quit staring or I’ll tell him.”

“You wouldn’t,” Laura gasped, clutching dramatically at her bosom.

“Don’t pretend to be insulted.” He rolled his eyes again. At this rate, he was going to strain something. “Just. Please don’t be weird to our neighbor. You’re not the one he’ll beat up if he doesn’t like you.”

“He’s not going to be another Jackson Whittemore,” Laura said, but she winced at the reminder of their previous next door neighbor who used to beat Derek up whenever Laura did something he didn’t like—and Laura had lived to antagonize him.

It hadn’t helped Derek any that he’d been crushing on Jackson’s best friend, Danny Mahealani. In order to protect Danny from the uncool, Jackson had jumped Derek and kicked his teeth in.

Two lawsuits and the Whittemores paying for Derek’s dental work later, the Whittemores moved away.

The house next door had been empty for almost two years. Now there was a gorgeous guy mowing the overgrown yard and making Laura’s nether regions quiver in anticipation.

She was going through a dry spell since Mom caught her with the older Lahey boy last year at one of her “study” sessions. All because Cam was already eighteen and Laura had just turned seventeen.

NDH looked like he was nicely under eighteen but still mature enough to know his way around a pussy.

“No one can be another Jackson Whittemore,” Derek broke into her thoughts. He still didn’t look happy, so Laura put down her lyric book and stood up to hug him. She stole a can of soda on her way back down.

“I’ve almost got the song,” she said. “I just need—”

“Less cheese?” Cora interrupted looking pleased with herself. Laura sneered at her.

If Derek was standing up to her now and being insufferable, Cora was ten times worse.

Derek was Cora’s favorite, so to have the carefully cultivated older-sister fear dispelled so rudely, it meant that her little sister was a little shit.

“My lyrics are fine. They’re just not as fine as him.”

Derek collected his wrench, taking time to grab Laura’s can and drain it in one long swallow. “You’re being creepy again,” he told her, handing the can back to her. “Besides, don’t you have a gig tonight? Shouldn’t you be over at Jordan’s to practice?”

Laura checked her watch, swearing because he was right. “Bye, assholes,” she called as she stuffed Babe into her case and grabbed another can for the road. Parrish lived on the next street over, the back of his yard butted up to theirs. She hopped the fence, jogging to make up time.

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

“No,” Stiles said flatly. He ignored the sad, pleading look Scott shot at him. Stiles sighed. “Do you see this?” he demanded, pointing around them. “The yard still looks like shit.”

In the not too distant neighborhood, someone began banging on drums. Stiles clenched his teeth.

He hated it here. He would have preferred to stay in his own neighborhood in Hill Valley with Scott and Harley, but with his dad’s election to Sheriff came a bigger paycheck. Dad had sold their modest two bedroom house and moved them 12.5 miles away.

Seriously, who did that?

At least since they were still in the same school district, he’d get to see his two best friends during the school year. It just sucked that since his dad had grounded him from his Jeep—something about a party with underage drinking and sex, neither of which Stiles was participating in—he hadn’t been able to visit his friends, relying instead on their texts and nightly messenger calls.

Since neither of them had vehicles or licenses, they hadn’t been able to visit either.

Scott had finally convinced his mom to drive him to Stiles’ new house for a sleepover, and now he wanted to go see some stupid cover band.

“Stiles,” Scott implored. “Please? They’re, like, the coolest. They go to our school.”

Stiles shook his head. “That just means they’re losers like us.”

“No,” Scott insisted, “they’re really cool. I mean, they’re all seniors and we’re going to be juniors.”

“Juniors are cool,” Stiles said. He wasn’t looking forward to school. If Jackson Whittemore was back from London, as the rumors were saying, then his life was over.

Jackson aka Jackass had been such a dick that he’d knocked some dumb Devenford Prep kid’s face in and had been sent to boarding school. In Europe!

And now Stiles was living in Jackass’s old house. There was no way this would end well for Stiles.

At least he could console himself with the fact that he hadn’t yet embarrassed himself in front of his hot next door neighbor.

Technically, Stiles had forty neighbors, fifteen of them to either side.

There were the Laheys on the left and the Hales on the right. Four Laheys. Eleven Hales. And only one had caught Stiles’ eye.

The middle child, Darren or Eric or something like that, was outside when Stiles and his dad came to scope out the place before his dad bought it.

Darren-Eric had been working on a motorcycle with his bulging arms on display. Stiles had walked into the clothesline post, and his dad had spent the rest of the tour alternatively laughing at him and trying to see what distracted him enough that he gave himself a black eye.

Since they’d officially moved in, Darren-Eric had worked on the bike damn near every day. And Stiles walked into the post so many times that Dad hired the boys next door—the immature Lahey brothers—to remove it.

It was a combination of his dad and Scott that inspired him to try getting Darren-Eric’s attention. His dad kept complaining about the state of the lawn—a tad bit overgrown—and Scott kept texting him stories about all the muscles he was getting by mowing his mom’s and Harley’s dad’s properties.

A neat yard and muscles. Sounded great. So Stiles spent all his time outside, pushing around a dinky mower he thought would die on him with every grunt, and trying to both catch the eye of and impress his hot neighbor.

So far, he hadn’t succeeded in anything except tanning (and making a few new muscles). Darren-Eric kept working on his bike and ignoring Stiles.

He complained once to Scott about it, and all Scott said was “Oh that sucks. Say, Mom said I could visit.”

Now they were here and Scott was still trying to get him to agree to go to the stupid band thing.

“Fine,” Scott said exasperated, “the neighbor you like? His sister is in the band. He’ll probably be there.”

“Wait,” Stiles said, gaze immediately going to the Hales’ garage. None of the kids, only three of them, two girls and the hot boy, were there. It was just the adults sitting on camp chairs, drinking beer, and shooting the shit.

“Seriously?” He’d seen the oldest girl with her guitar of course. He just hadn’t thought she’d been in the cacophonous racket emanating from the property flanking the Hales’.

Scott smiled knowingly, handing Stiles his plaid over shirt.

“I hate you,” Stiles told him.

“Uh huh, let’s go.”

They jumped the fence and cut through the empty lot behind Stiles’ yard to join the growing crowd in front of an open garage.

The guitar-girl saw them and faltered. Stiles nudged Scott and he nudged back.

Behind her, helping to run cables from the instruments to the amps was Darren-Eric. Stiles shamelessly watched him. He wanted those arms and that face. He wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

Stiles hadn’t even kissed anyone yet. Scott followed his gaze and nudged him pretty hard. Stiles knocked him back, and when he looking again Darren-Eric was nowhere in sight.

He swallowed down his disappointment. Mostly because the band was starting to play and the crowd around them started yelling.

Up close, the band was just as awful, disorganized, and ear-bleedingly bad, but in kind of a good way? Guitar-girl was also the lead singer, and she had a good voice.

Halfway through the set, the band paused for water. Then, guitar-girl grabbed her mic.

“This next song is for all the younger siblings out there—especially you, Derek.” She pointed at Darren-Eric, who was hiding behind a shapely shrub.

Derek, Stiles thought. It was a good name for him.

“Scott, give me some paper.”

“No.” Scott carried a journal everywhere. He never actually wrote in it, but he said liked to be prepared.

“Please?”

Scott relented, handing over the notebook with its severely masticated pen. Stiles tore out a page and printed his number. Below it, he added a simple, “CALL ME” and folded it up. Then he gave Scott back his journal and settled in to listen to the rest of the set.

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

The gig had gone perfectly. Even with NDH showing up—and that was a nice ego boost, to have him staring at her during setup—and making her a little nervous.

Jordan’s cousin who usually helped them sort cables was sick, so Derek had helped. Normally, he stayed home listening to their aunts and uncles bitch about their jobs. He stuck around the whole set, glaring at her dedication of “You All Suck.” Afterward, he helped them tear down, rolling cables with a practiced ease she knew was from his theater nerd side. He wanted to be a mechanic or an actor. She wanted to be a singer. Their mother was disappointed in them both.

“Just you wait,” Jordan told Derek. “We’ll make a roadie out of you yet.” He accompanied it with a lecherous wink.

Derek pretended to laugh, sidling away from the drummer and the only one who’s mom would let him host a band out of his garage. Jordan made him uncomfortable, but Derek refused to confront him about it. Laura hadn’t figured out why yet. It drove her to frustration that he wouldn’t let her do it either.

Almost everyone in the crowd was gone when Laura looked up. Only NDH and his friend were still standing there.

Derek tapped her shoulder. “Need me?”

Laura shook her head. “Where’s my lyric book?”

Derek pulled it off a shelf and shoved it at her. He glanced at NDH and leaned in close. “Don’t be weird,” he said.

“I won’t.” All Laura was going to do was give NDH her number.

“Hey, so,” NDH said behind her, and she whipped around, paper held out defensively. He was behind her yes, but he’d grabbed Derek’s arm. “I just was curious—I mean, would you…?” he faltered, trailing off and blushing under Derek’s heavy gaze. Derek flicked his eyes to Laura and then deliberately opened a folded piece of paper in his hand. Laura saw a number and some words, looked down at her paper where all she’d written was “Call me?” She wrote down a number and slipped it into NDH’s pocket.

“Going home or not, Derek?” she knocked him with her shoulder. Derek’s face scrunched and he looked to NDH.

NDH stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Stiles. I just moved in next door.”

“Hi, Stiles,” Laura said. She looked from her brother to Stiles. They wore identical blushes, and she wasn’t dumb. She knew what it meant. It meant that she could write all the songs about Stiles’ attributes that she wanted but her drought would persist.

“Don’t stay out too late,” she called, shouldering Babe’s case. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

Derek groaned, covering his face.

“What would you do?” Stiles asked, innocently.

Derek groaned again. “Don’t,” he warned Laura. “Please don’t.”

Laura blew him a kiss and strolled to the fence to hop it. Her heart felt funny, like it was missing beats, but when she looked back and her brother was smiling, eyes shining at Stiles, their stances relaxed, the same blush burning both of their ears, she decided it didn’t matter. Besides, together, they made a pretty good pair.

Stiles definitely wasn’t another Jackson Whittemore, hallelujah. She couldn’t wait to tease her brother.

Maybe she would write them a song.

Maybe.

Maybe Call Me.

~ Fin ~

[tobogsoccer]

2009’s worst virtual 가상축구구간분석 soccer mistakes

The pain of drafting 토토가상축구구간분석 a guy in the first round of your virtual soccer draft only to discover that he isn’t producing the results you had hoped for is unbearable. It’s incredibly infuriating since I’m certain I do. Just about every single one of my teams experiences this problem, and I’m sick of it!

Unfortunately, these things don’t always come to pass in the way I’d like them to. The first five weeks of the NFL season have produced several virtual soccer disappointments, and that list includes three in particular. There is still time for any of the boys to change their fortunes, but the clock is ticking!

The name of the player is Brian Westbrook. In good health, he’s one of the best fantasy players around. To put it another way, he is an excellent end-zone finder. 2009 was a different story. So far, both injuries and LeSean McCoy have lowered his stock.

Steve Jackson. Even this long into the season, nobody expected Jackson to go without a touchdown. He’s accumulated good yards, but he’s been playing on a terrible team that hasn’t been able to score many touchdowns.

Greg Jennings, author. In addition to Donald Driver’s advancing years, Greg Jennings is also improving. True to form, this phrase was said in 2008. Jennings has been one of the best wide receivers in the league all season, but this year Driver has surpassed him. What a strange turn of events!

Virtual 가상축구구간분석 soccer Leagues of various types

Virtual soccer popularity is increasing by the day. For those who want to play in a virtual soccer league, one of the most crucial considerations you’ll need to make is which league to join. Virtual soccer leagues come in a plethora of flavors, so picking the correct one is critical. Learn more about the many sorts of teams and how to determine which one is best for you in the following paragraphs. 가상축구구간

The basic draft leagues are the most popular. The clubs in these competitions are formed by drafting players in a serpentine fashion. The owners will thereafter be able to choose their lineups each week. This is usually determined by the number of players allowed for each position in the league. Standard draft leagues can be divided into two categories.

Head-to-head points and total points are included in this total. When it comes to a head-to-head league, every squad is pitted against a new opponent every week. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end of the game. Season-ending playoff games are played amongst the top-seeded teams to determine the season’s ultimate victor.

There is no distinction between victories and defeats in a league based on total points. Instead, a player’s total number of points is increased over time. The clubs’ total points are then used to establish their positions in the standings. The teams with the most points at the end of the regular season meet in the playoffs.

A total points system or a head-to-head system can also be used in the auction draft league. The auction draft league, on the other hand, utilizes owners who have a predetermined amount of money to bid on players to complete their squads, as opposed to the normal draft league.

Because of this, players in a dynasty league remain on their current team year after year unless they are removed or traded out. After the first season, rookies are drafted.

Keeper leagues are a hybrid of traditional draft leagues and dynasty-style competitions. Before the start of each season, a draft is performed to pick many of the players, but owners can retain a limited number of players from the previous year.

Individual defensive players are used in IDP leagues rather than in defensive units. The proprietors of this type of league may find it a little more difficult to put together because they will have to give more consideration to the other positions.

Survivor leagues can employ any kind of draft you like, but they are most typically used in the auction or conventional draft formats. This league is unique in that it eliminates a team each week based on the team with the fewest points, as opposed to the other leagues.

Rookie 실시간가상축구구간분석 Tight Ends in virtual soccer

Let’s pretend for a moment that you’re participating in a fantasy football draft. The 13th round has arrived, and you’ve just realized that a tight end is still missing from your draft list. They all vanished just hours ago and Robert Royal isn’t looking very good……. So, youngster, let’s take a look at some up-and-coming players who could benefit your squad and have an immediate impact in 2019.

Our first stop is Brandon Pettigrew, the most obvious candidate. Six-foot-five-inch man “The Detroit Lions’ 260-pound rookie finishes off a group of young offensive players who were already considered among the league’s best. When Lion’s offense does hit the field, Pettigrew will be flanked by Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith, and another recently drafted quarterback, Matthew Stafford.

메이저놀이터순위모음 review-impacted schools will receive playground

As far as tight ends go, there’s no denying that Pettigrew was the best of the bunch. He was picked first in the 2009 NFL Draft, thus the Lions did get a good deal for him. The Lions have also recently had a flair for acquiring dynamic offensive talent (sans Joey Harrington). Pettigrew isn’t going to be Antonio Gates in terms of numbers. However, he is still the Lions’ best tight-end option.

Chase Coffman is another promising rookie tight end. Because of Coffman’s 6’6″ height, “More than Pettigrew, (who weighs 244 pounds) carries a greater danger on selection day. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, to begin with. Last year, they only threw for 150.4 yards a game on average. Coffman, on the other hand, will be Reggie Kelly’s sidekick. It’s not all bad, though! To begin with, he is in the shadow of Reggie Kelly! In the wake of Kelly’s second dismal season, which occurred last year, Marvin Lewis should be able to examine Coffman even more closely. To get a touchdown from his tight end, Lewis should go with Coffman rather than Kelly.

Pettigrew and Coffman are viable bye-week replacements and/or bench players, but I wouldn’t recommend relying on them too much (after all, they ARE on the Bengals and the Lions). If you’re looking for a player with the most potential, go no farther than Pettigrew. That man in your league who supposedly “found” Matt Forte before “nobody even heard of him” can finally get a taste of his own medicine if he does.

[mcmansionhell]

Looking Around: On Moving; or, The Story of a Little Old House

Author’s Note: This article consisted of two weeks of intense research, involving scouring over fire insurance maps, tables of wages, census records, Sears catalogs, and atlases. Before I begin, I owe some mad thanks to those who helped provide their resources and advice: preservationist Jackson Gilman-Forlini, furniture history guru Susannah Wagner, the nice folks from the Maryland Historical Society, and the research library staff at the Johns Hopkins University.

Anyone who has made copious trips to U-Haul, rendered their fingertips numb after stringing along line after line of packing tape, or spent hours intimately acquainting ones lower back with an ice pack, knows – and loathes – moving.

Moving is stressful. It is a form of migration, itself an immense change. Despite the momentous effect moving has on us, there is little to be found regarding the history of, well, moving. Plenty has been said about techniques of migration, by boat, by horse and buggy, by rail, and by car. 

In novels and movies, from Harry Potter to Doctor Zhivago, there are scenes of train stations, carts with ornamented trunks, and porters donning funny cylindrical hats to haul them. In photographs of Ellis Island complete with their visual narratives of the American Dream, we see thousands of hopeful newcomers cheering gleefully, suitcases in hand. 

As time goes by, the railway porters are replaced with truck drivers; the journey implied by the ocean liner morphs into bucolic images of a smiling suburban family on the island-lawn of their poorly-shuttered idyll. 

Family Moving to their New Home. Washington State, 1935. via Library of Congress. 

Why am I writing about moving? Over the last two weeks or so, I, myself, moved. I moved from a dingy (yet immensely charming) self-constructed room in what used to be a Cork and Seal Factory, to a little 812 square-foot Baltimore rowhouse. 

Each of the times I’ve moved from apartment to apartment (and finally, on this move, to an actual, full-sized house), there have been great difficulties loading and unloading all of my crap – difficulties innate to the houses themselves. These were usually small hardships, involving the clever rotation of a sofa or armchair in order to wrestle it out the door. 

This time, however, I came to a horrifying revelation: None of my existing furniture would be able to A.) fit within the cramped dimensions of the narrow staircase or B.) make it around the corner in the shallow hallway to my room. 

I solved my problem the same way as any reasonable millennial:

Photo by Rainchill. (CC BY-3.0)

Yet, as I loaded up my cart with brown box after brown box, I couldn’t help but wonder: What did people do before Ikea? Why were the stairs so narrow, and more so, what went up them before my trendy flat-packed furniture?

The Little Rowhouse

According to two days of scouring archival newspapers and other primary sources, I could gleam a few interesting things about the little brown rowhouse into which I’m currently schlepping my stuff. 

The Little Brown Rowhouse (center). Via Google Maps.

The rowhouse was built sometime between 1900 and 1902. A Baltimore Sun record from 1898 shows the auction of parcels of land where the house would soon be built: 

EDIT: My colleague, Jackson, has found out that the house was built by a pair of builders named John S. Kidd & William A. Davidson. 

However, the first mention of any of the houses on the row (that is to say, even-numbered houses, as the houses on the opposite side of the street are of a different design), comes later, in 1902, in a divorce notice:

In 1905, the house next door to mine was for lease:

Unfortunately, no searches for C.W. Webb pulled up anything of note. 

I learned some other interesting things during my newspaper dig, (most notably that the folks who once lived a block south from me got busted during Prohibition) - but ultimately, came to a dead end on my original topic: what kind of person moved into my rowhouse first, and how they did it. 

The Process

In order to glean how working people moved back in the early 1900s, I decided to focus on a few key areas of research:

What kind of wages the family would make, what they would spend it on and what kind of local industry they might have participated in.

What kind of stuff was being moved; (AKA what kind of furniture these folks bought and how much it cost)

What the costs were of moving services during this time, and whether they were affordable for the family in question. 

Potential Jobs, Wages, and Expenditures

The best way to look for what kind of industry existed in a certain area at a certain time is through a series of maps by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. These maps were used for evaluating fire risk (and therefore how high the premiums should be for fire insurance.)

In the index of a Sanborn Map, there are two parts. First is the list of streets, with a number, corresponding to a plate number. The second is a list of industries along with larger businesses, schools, orphanages, and churches, along with their plate numbers. To find out what kind of industry was near the street you’re looking for, simply look for industries relatively close to the plate number of your street. 

It’s likely that the folks who lived in my house worked in one of two places: as a railworker (at the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad, The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; The United Railroad & Electric Company) or in the stone quarry (Sisson Marble Works, not shown in screenshot). Working class women often worked as well, most likely in the nearby textile mills lining the Jones Falls River.

There are a few smaller industries these folks could have worked in as well, such as the Columbia Motor & Manufacturing Co., The American Can Factory, J. Stack & Sons Lumber, or the Schier & Bros. Dairy. However, it’s most likely that the person who first lived in my house was a stone or rail worker, as the house used to be mere blocks from both the quarry and a massive rail yard:

Image from a 1905 Map. House is in top-right corner, in red. 

Okay, so we know where the head of the household likely worked. How much did they make doing it? 

Were the head of household a worker in the nearby marble quarry, he (women did not work in the quarry in 1900) would have made around $813 a year.

Source: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008319974

Were they a railworker of some sort (the average workweek of railway workers in nearby Pennsylvania was around 62 hours/week in 1901) they would have made somewhere between $420/year as a day laborer and $1350/year as a senior engineer. Source. 

What would these folks spend these wages on? Here are some more statistics (average expenditures) from Pennsylvania (a neighboring state with similar industries.)

Source.

Now that we know what these folks might have made (on average), let’s see what kind of goods they possibly purchased.

Furniture

It’s difficult to know what kind of furniture most working class folks had in their houses. According to my sister (Hi Suz!), who studies furniture history at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, it’s possible that a family working in 1900 bought some pieces of mass-produced furniture, like that sold by Sears Roebuck & Co.

Page from a Sears catalog c. 1900.

The truth is more difficult, because much of the mass-produced, inexpensive furniture of the time was made out of cheap materials such as basswood and has not survived. It’s also possible that the family had some pieces passed down from generation to generation, which wouldn’t be accounted for in primary sources from the time. What is true, is that there is a certain amount of furniture most folks need for their homes.

Fortunately for us, there are photographs in the Library of Congress of tenement and other working class interiors, enabling us to get a better picture of what folks had in their homes:

Kitchen of a Railway Worker. New York, 1911. Library of Congress.

Living area of a NYC Tenement. 1912. Library of Congress.

Small interior bedroom of a tenement. NYC, 1912. Library of Congress. 

Descriptions of working class housing from the book Working Class Life: The “American Standard” in Comparative Perspective, show some common similarities between how working class homes were furnished; the most important being that average expenditure on furniture rose when folks were paid more. Often, according to the book, almost $13 per year was spent simply replacing cheap linens, curtains, and cutlery alone, so there was little room left over for additional pieces. (204)

Typically, there was a shared living and dining room, centered around a table, surrounded by Windsor or ladder backed chairs, perhaps a sofa and chest-of-drawers, a few trinkets and photographs, and perhaps a rug.

Most of the time, upstairs rooms were almost unfurnished, having only an iron bed frame and felt mattress. 

Those who made a little extra had more frills: a rocking chair and china cabinet in the front room, and in the bedrooms, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures like chamberpots and washbasins. (203)

This description perfectly coincides with the Baltimore rowhouse, which has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a basement (likely unfinished until much later). The bathroom, like most bathrooms in dwellings built before 1910, was a more recent addition. Therefore, It’s likely that the folks who first lived in the little rowhouse had furniture and rooms like those described above. 

Which brings us back to...

Moving

As far as the answer to the initial question of “how stuff got up the stairs”, the answer is that, frankly, not that much had to go up the stairs in the first place. 

Most mass-produced iron beds could be dismantled and taken upstairs in parts. Felt mattresses were extraordinarily thin by todays standards, and, because they’re stuffed and pliable, the family would have little trouble navigating the tricky corner at the top of the stairs. As for the more luxurious items, mirrors, basins, and chamberpots, all are also easily portable.

The answer to the second question, which was how would a family move from one home to another is, sadly, we’re still not sure. What is certain is that, if they came from another city, they probably didn’t take much with them, as shipping or transferring things by train was extraordinarily expensive by working class standards: the Pennsylvania railroad charged 75¢ per piece (not counting oversized items) - to move one item alone was about a full day’s work for a common day laborer. 

If the family were moving within the city, it’s highly unlikely they used a moving company, as the prices for such were hefty as well at 25¢/piece, as advertised in 1898 by this local furniture mover:

A local anonymous opinion from 1904 corroborates this price range, bemoaning the techniques the moving company used to transfer items:

What’s more likely is that the family either had some way of bringing what existing furniture they had to the new house (usually by horse & buggy in 1900) or they bought furniture either by local/national catalog, secondhand or from one of the myriad small dealers or manufacturers in the city itself, seen here in the 1905-1906 edition of Polk’s Business Directory:

As it turns out, the folks who first moved into this house did so in a way not that different from me. They probably called up some folks to help haul what they could (if they were moving within the city) and what they couldn’t, they bought. 

Besides, what’s Sears if not the Ikea of the past?

If you like this post, and want to see more like it, consider supporting me on Patreon! Also JUST A HEADS UP - I’ve started posting a GOOD HOUSE built since 1980 from the area where I picked this week’s McMansion as bonus content on Patreon!

Not into small donations and sick bonus content? Check out the McMansion Hell Store ! 100% of the proceeds from the McMansion Hell store will go to help victims of the recent hurricanes.

Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs are used in this post under fair use for the purposes of education, satire, and parody, consistent with 17 USC §107. Manipulated photos are considered derivative work and are Copyright © 2017 McMansion Hell. Please email kate@mcmansionhell.com before using these images on another site. (am v chill about this)

[daveandtrev]

The 2020 Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League write-up

Friends of the Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League, welcome. I am pleased (no really, I am excited) to bring you a breakdown of the AJSL as it blessed our lives in the one-of-a-kind year of 2020. Below you will find a mix of analysis and lighthearted fun aimed at taking a first pass at what the heckfire happened this year from start to finish. We’ve got analysis on the draft, injuries and schedule plus some fun awards to give out. I won’t buffalo you any longer, lets get to it.

Draft Day Analysis

Draft day analysis interpretation: I tried to objectively pick the best teams based on my personal draft rankings (subjective draft rankings, objective draft analysis…sort of follows?). Here’s the methodology: I assigned a value to every player for above average play (in 0.25 increments). It’s essentially five tiers (+0.0 = starter, but could be replaced; +0.25 = contributing starter; +0.5 = solid starter; +0.75 = strong starter that will create a positional advantage; +1.0 = elite starter providing a distinct positional advantage). This all makes sense in my head, and it should make more sense when you look at the table. I then added up points for each team’s best possible starting lineup according to my points system and voila; Dave Stark’s handicapping of the AJSL.

A couple of notes:

·       Players are listed in the positions as there were drafted, with highest spend creating the starting lineup. For my points system, I subbed in bench players if they had a higher value than the starter.

·       I cheated on Christian McCaffrey’s value: he was a +1.25 in my book. Clearly the best player in the game with even higher upside than the traditional studs.

A few things that turned out like I thought

·       The running QBs outside of Lamar (Dak, Kyler, Russ, and DeShaun all avg 22.0+ fantasy pts/gm and sit top 7 at QB)

·       The QBs at +0.0 (Baker, Carr, Danny Dimes, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy G basically ride the merry-go-round from one bye week fill-in to the next. Tannehill and Cousins maybe qualify as +0.25 players now, but neither averages over 20+ pts/gm)

·       Jonathan Taylor +0.0 (His value has been everywhere this year. Marlon Mack was the only reason I had him ranked this low. When Mack went down I pegged him for +0.75 with the possibility to go +1.0…and then nothing materialized until late into the year)

·       Devin Singletary +0.0 (Started hearing whispers of Zack Moss splitting carries + Josh Allen hogs goal line rushes)

A few places where I was dead wrong

·       Stefon Diggs +0.0 (Turns out, Josh Allen actually got better - +10% Completion % in 2020)

·       Josh Allen +0.5 (Averaging 24.7 pts/gm which would have been the QB2 overall last year by almost 3 pts/gm. Currently QB4)

·       Kyler Murray +0.75 (Not nearly high enough on him. Averaging 26.5 pts/gm as the QB1 overall. Playing at a +1.0 level)

·       DK Metcalf +0.25 (Seattle hired their lead chef to work full time)

·       Lamar Jackson +1.0, Mark Andrews +0.75 (Uhhh, why is this team broken?)

·       Kenyan Drake +0.75 (Beware the extravagant 8 game sample size that says someone is a world-beater)

·       Zach Ertz +0.75 (Is this the cliff year at 30 years old? How did Tony G catch 83 balls at age 37?)

·       Aaron Rod Gers +0.25 (Yeah he’s a +0.75 guy now…should have known that drafting the backup QB would light a fire under Aaron: we’ve only seen this from Alex Smith and Joe Flacco in 2 of the last 3 years…Wait, why hasn’t this applied to Wentz yet?)

·       Davante Adams +0.75 (Good golly, A-Aron’s resurgence means Davante is almost on +1.25 level when he is healthy)

·       Keenan Allen +0.25 (This was all about Tyrod…then we found out that Justin Herbert was interning specifically for Keenan Allen and the Chargers med staff decided to euthanize Tyrod)

·       TJ Hockenson +0.0 (2nd year leap puts him at TE3 overall. $20 player next year?)

·       Chris Herndon +0.0 (When you read too many draft articles, you begin to believe that an Adam Gase coached player might actually become an average contributor at his position…ha!)

Injury-ruined seasons

·       Saquon, Michael Thomas +1 (Biggest team-killers to date by far)

·       CMC at +1.25 (Still overall #1 when he plays)

·       Dak at +0.75 (Was playing like a true +1 on par with Mahomes before going down)

·       Zeke at +1 (Dak died and then Dallas decided to start “Gucci DiNucci”…yeah that didn’t go well)

·       OBJ +0.5 (Traded to Cristian’s team where he put up a combined 3.5 fantasy pts in 2 games started)

·       Courtland Sutton +0.25 (After space-cadeting Sutton’s auction bid, we got our “Ball don’t lie” moment a few weeks later. Trevor is shrugging as he reads this.)

 Great, let’s move on. Luck, imagined as either dice rolls or Luck Dragons depending on who you talk to, plays a pretty big part in fantasy success every year. Too many injuries? See you next year. Tough schedule? Hope for a good tiebreaker and maybe you can sneak into the playoffs with the #4 spot. These are probably the most talked about facets of the game since they are beyond our control and create the classic “if only I didn’t have that injury back in high school, i’d have crushed you guys” cop-out that we’ve all heard for years. Let’s see who really has a case to be upset, shall we?

Let’s start with one of my favorites – every team’s record if we played in a league where the top 6 scores secured a win each week (in lieu of head to head matchups). This is a much more “fair” look at how your team performed on a weekly basis when you throw out the schedule which is always a subject of scrutiny, consternation, and conspiracy theories each season.

There you have it. Good news is, the top 5 in our league standings would be the exact same top 5 if we played the other way. The schedule hasn’t defrauded anyone of a 2020 playoff spot. Bad news is, the bottom of this list is mildly shocking. Cristian has struggled all year for wins and this shows that his team hasn’t been half bad – but he has essentially lost out on 4 wins due to schedule. Yikes. Phil on the other hand was in playoff contention up until week 12, whereas his team has the fewest expected wins in the league….Of course for those with conspiratorial thoughts, you’ll notice the Stark brothers combine for +7 “lucky” wins due to schedule. Of course the Stark wife had to bite the bullet to make it look fair (-2 “lucky” wins). I’ll let everyone digest that and make their own judgments. (Where is that clause in the constitution involving starting a new league without the commish? This is evidence!)

The next “luck metric” that dominates our chat conversation and generally elicits “I got screwed, feel bad for me” self-pity arguments would be games lost to injury. Everyone knows it sucks and everyone experiences it to some degree every year. And if you play long enough, you will get hit by the double ACL tear/broken collarbone/never-healing ankle injury to all of your star players and be left at a severe disadvantage. It’s gonna be okay Sport, put on a brave face and hit the waiver wire. Come back next year and clap secretly at 3pm on Monday when Schefty tweets the next guy’s RB1 season-ender. (After the large exhale that it didn’t happen to your RB1 of course.) Ending rant, just know that if you experienced the injury season from hell, the rest of the league knows that it’s part of the fantasy business and are very relieved that it didn’t happen to them. Empathy runs high, sympathy runs low. (And I just removed my ability to ever complain publicly about my team’s injuries by writing this now.)

After all the talk has subsided, let’s check facts. First table: mid-game injuries. These are games where players play a much reduced role and typically produce dreadful fantasy finishes. There’s a bit of subjectivity here (if a player plays 3 quarters and gets hurt, I don’t count that as a mid game injury. But if he plays ½ or less of his normal playing time, it would count.) I also add mid-game benching to QBs because they fit the description as fantasy wreckers due to an unforeseen cutback in playing time. Here is the Commissioner’s official list:

Congrats on that title Jason, I know you were hoping for it. Just know, you weren’t THAT far ahead of the rest of us. Mon and Trevor on the other hand can only blame poor performance on their season’s disappointments (or better yet, the schedule!)

So I buried the lead a bit on Mr. Montgomery here, because the next table should give him his share of justice on 2020 injuries.

So the above list is missed games + mid-game injuries for drafted starters and traded players updated through week 13 (except for those with season long injuries – I went ahead and added week 14 there). Jason, there’s your proof. Nobody deserves to bellyache more than you, friend. 19 of those games were from QBs (Dak/Jimmy G) which added to a smattering of missed games from the rest of the roster (Godwin 4, Ridley 3, Aaron Jones 2). I haven’t tracked this before, but I imagine that this year was significantly worse than others (more soft tissue injuries and COVID positives were the biggest culprits.) The hope is that 2021 gives us a bit of a reprieve here.

Before we conclude, I recognize that there is a portion of the audience who prefers the entertainment value of this yearly endeavor, so I’m going to do my best to hand out a few fun awards. Without further ado, the 2020 AJSL Dundees (this award style hasn’t possibly been overdone, right?)

Dundee to The Scorned Lover: Mr. Jordan Swavely on behalf of Henry Ruggs.

While I wrote this tribute in his farewell on the group chat, it bears repeating: 7 pts or less scored by Ruggs in 6 straight games, starts him again for a 7th week and only a 50 yard bomb on the last play of the game saves Ruggs from another 3 point performance. Totaling the points for those 7 starts, Ruggs scored 36 points for a 5.1 average. Ruggs averaged 3.4 targets/gm in these contests. You do you, Swave. Go and get your man.

Dundee for the Best Team Name: Mr. Greg Poelman, ShlongBarry Sanders

Any reference including a dong and our beloved college town is going to score high on both the Dude and Nostalgia scales. Plus a Barry Sanders nod, we like that.

Dundee for the Best Team Picture: Mrs. Monica Stark on behalf of Presidential Security

Any time you can get combine Greg Poelman and The Donald in Photoshop and it doesn’t even look that fake, you have my attention and affection. And now you have a Dundee to go along with it. Well done.

Honorable mention: Monica’s Team, Bring Out Your Dead

Golden Tickets to the Winning Waiver Warriors: Mr. Scooter Nelson, James Robinson; Mr. Blake Grundy, Justin Herbert; Mr. Jack Holmer, Justin Jefferson

Since everyone is bidding for the “winning lottery tickets” of the waiver pool, we’re going to give out Golden Tickets to those that struck waiver wire gold this season. Scooter milked 11 starts out of Robinson who averaged 17.6 pts/gm during that span. Robinson has been the RB4 overall since the week 2 pickup. Grundy picked up Herbert for week 3 and never looked back, banking 10 starts at 22.5 pts/gm (He’s the QB7 in that time frame). Holmer nabbed Jefferson before Week 4 and was rewarded with the WR4 from that point on. Impressively he only benched him once, refusing to play him against his beloved Bears. This is the dream of every late Tuesday night and you guys reaped the spoils. Well done, gents.

Dundee to the Wounded Wavier Warriors: Mr. Phil Stark, Devonta Freeman; Mr. Jack Holmer, Darrell Henderson; Mr. Trevor Allison, Nyheim Hines

Big money, No whammy. That’s the goal. Of course more times than not, the reality is…more like this. Phil emptied out the pocketbook early on in the season after the Saquon injury to grab his replacement with a winning bid of $78 on Devonta (next highest bid: $15). Devonta responded with five games played, two of which resulted in 1 point showings. Then he followed Saquon to IR and Soape picked up the true workhorse of the Giants backfield in Wayne Gallman, who hasn’t pickup up less than 10 points in six straight games. Ouch. It took $54 to secure the rights to Darrell Henderson after week 2, seemingly the new Rams lead RB. Unfortunately Jack’s faith manifested at the wrong times: 5 starts of Henderson yielded 6.3 pts/gm, while Henderson’s two strong games (18.5 and 20.3 pts) were enjoyed on Holmer’s bench. Not fun. $46 was the bid that beat out 7 other bidders after week 1 for Nyheim Hines’s services, after which Trevor was rewarded with 5 straight games of 8 points or less. After cutting him loose over the bye week, Hines busted out for four double digit games in six tries, music no doubt to Trevor’s ears. A Dundee for your troubles, boys.

The “Fantasy Football Was A Lot More Fun Last Year” Dundee: Mr. Cristian Driver

For every obvious reason. Where did that championship belt get to?

Dundee for a Fun and Easy Season: Mr. David Stark

Injuries, COVID surprises, bad schedules, underperformance? Didn’t seem that big of a deal to me.

Dundee for Most Attempts to Defeat a Hornet’s Nest: Mr. Jason Montgomery

Similar to our favorite Office handyman Nate, Jason was tasked with eliminating the danger of his crumbling fantasy season created by the aforementioned injury bug. Both hailing from the historically-rich metropolis of “La Philadelphia”, what ensued after Jason’s 4-0 start pairs Nate and Jason together even further. Jason utilized a league-high 20 unique waiver pickups that entered the starting lineup this season. Results were bleak; the fast start was followed by a 2-7 record that signaled victory to the opposition. Maybe try the bow and arrow next time?

Receiver Corps Dundee of Excellence: Mr. Joel Soape

It only took 3 name changes to figure out which WR was needed (Red Solo Kupp -> Mike’d Up -> The Adams Bomb) , but Soape finally landed on the right guy for the job by calling on Davante Adams and his 22.1 pts/gm this year (easily the WR1 in this metric). Somehow Corey Davis (left for dead after last year) has had a career resuscitation on this team as well, dropping a 30 burger in week 12. The Receiver Corps salutes your dedication to their fraternity, Mr. Soape.

That’s all for now guys. Full disclosure, I have another 1k-2k words written that takes a deep dive into each of our performances at 1) waiver pickups, 2) positional scoring, and 3) sit/start decisions. Maybe this would be most helpful for a post-season article as it encompasses your overall strategy and ability to aid your team’s output. Look for that at some point in the future. For now, I hope you enjoyed this meaty entrée. Thanks for another great season and allowing me to bring you another fun recap, everyone!