#James is from modern times and travels back to Net

[placetneplacet]

Love Upon Time

[my-weird-news]

🚀 Decoding Elon Musk's Unbelievable Success Secrets!

Musk: The Quirky Space Cowboy 🚀 Elon Musk, the real-life mad scientist and rich dude extraordinaire, is like the modern-day version of Ozymandias – just without the ancient ruins and desolate wastelands, and with way more Twitter followers. This guy is like the king of the nerds, ruling over a kingdom of electric cars, reusable rockets, and memes that sometimes make even less sense than his grand plans. Picture this: one moment he's dancing like no one's watching (but everyone is) at a Tesla event, and the next he's launching a car into space like it's just another Wednesday. He's so rich that his net worth could buy you a whole fleet of Teslas, yet he tweets like he's just discovered the internet. Elon's CV reads like a superhero origin story. He's the CEO of not one, but two major companies. He owned the social media platform that birthed keyboard warriors, and oh, by the way, Marvel used his swag to craft Tony Stark. Talk about goals! Remember when Elon first sashayed onto the scene? He had this epic to-do list: end climate change, make Mars a vacation destination, unravel the mysteries of the universe using AI, and maybe just save humanity in his spare time. No biggie. For years, Musk's fan club treated his plans like gospel truth. Sure, he hadn't taken anyone to Mars yet, but he did make rockets that are basically the Energizer bunnies of space travel. And let's not forget how he jump-started the electric car scene – he basically made electric cars cool, like James Dean for the environmentally conscious. To decode the enigma that is Musk, we turn to Talulah Riley's book – not because Musk was her second and third husband (seriously, that's more commitment than I have to finishing a bag of chips), but because her romance novel Acts of Love sounds suspiciously like Elon's life. It's all about a misandrist writer who falls for a biotech billionaire on a mission to save the world. Sound familiar? Musk's public image is like his secret sauce. Back in the day, he was as socially awkward as a penguin at a disco. He even worried he wasn't as glamorous as the competition. But this dude turned things around – he morphed from "Shai Agassi, Founder of Glamour" to "Elon Musk, Lord of the Universe." Elon's social ascent was like a rocket launch. He needed people to know him to buy rocket parts, so he decided to become Mars' number one hype man. It worked, and suddenly everyone was like, "Hey, there's that dude who's all about Mars!" Then came the infamous year of 2018 – Musk called someone a "pedo guy," smoked weed on a podcast, and tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private. Whoopsie daisy! Lawsuits rained down like confetti at a New Year's Eve party. But wait, there's more! In 2020, Musk said, "To hell with nice," and ditched his PR team. Now he's the press release king, and his favorite email response? The poop emoji. I kid you not. You know how they say a new Musk scandal a day keeps the actual news away? Well, it's kind of true. With a Musk controversy buffet, it's hard to focus on just one serving. It's like trying to pick a favorite ice cream flavor at Ben & Jerry's – you end up with brain freeze and no answers. So, is Musk a bad boss or are his employees just slackers? Acts of Love's Radley Blake could clear this up. Radley's a control freak who only fires people who don't give "maximum effort." His employees are so motivated they don't even need Red Bull to sprout wings. But in real life, Musk isn't exactly the "Employee of the Month" poster child. People report him stomping through Tesla factories, red-faced and firing folks like it's a carnival game. One executive said they had to stoop in meetings to seem smaller than Musk – like they were at a toddler tea party. And don't even get me started on workplace safety. Tesla factories were apparently more dangerous than your grandma's staircase in a haunted house. Musk's dislike for the color yellow (yellow tape, yellow paint) led to some questionable safety practices – it's like he's running a risk assessment in a Tim Burton movie. But Musk is a romantic hero in his own right. He's got a tragic past and a longing for love. Childhood bullies, check. Troubled relationship with his dad, check. He's like a wounded bird in a billionaire's body. No wonder he's looking for someone to save him from all that money. The dude's been married more times than I've accidentally sent screenshots to the wrong person. He's got enough kids to start a soccer team, and he's probably planning to send them to Mars for summer vacation. But hey, at least he's not alone, right? He's got Twitter, his second favorite significant other. So there you have it – Elon Musk, the eccentric entrepreneur who turned himself into the star of his own romantic novel. One minute he's making rockets, the next he's tweeting like a kid who just found out they can use their teacher's chalkboard. Will he save the world? Maybe. Will he keep us entertained? Absolutely. 🚀🎉# Musk: The Quirky Space Cowboy 🚀 Elon Musk, the real-life mad scientist and rich dude extraordinaire, is like the modern-day version of Ozymandias – just without the ancient ruins and desolate wastelands, and with way more Twitter followers. This guy is like the king of the nerds, ruling over a kingdom of electric cars, reusable rockets, and memes that sometimes make even less sense than his grand plans. Picture this: one moment he's dancing like no one's watching (but everyone is) at a Tesla event, and the next he's launching a car into space like it's just another Wednesday. He's so rich that his net worth could buy you a whole fleet of Teslas, yet he tweets like he's just discovered the internet. Elon's CV reads like a superhero origin story. He's the CEO of not one, but two major companies. He owned the social media platform that birthed keyboard warriors, and oh, by the way, Marvel used his swag to craft Tony Stark. Talk about goals! Remember when Elon first sashayed onto the scene? He had this epic to-do list: end climate change, make Mars a vacation destination, unravel the mysteries of the universe using AI, and maybe just save humanity in his spare time. No biggie. For years, Musk's fan club treated his plans like gospel truth. Sure, he hadn't taken anyone to Mars yet, but he did make rockets that are basically the Energizer bunnies of space travel. And let's not forget how he jump-started the electric car scene – he basically made electric cars cool, like James Dean for the environmentally conscious. To decode the enigma that is Musk, we turn to Talulah Riley's book – not because Musk was her second and third husband (seriously, that's more commitment than I have to finishing a bag of chips), but because her romance novel Acts of Love sounds suspiciously like Elon's life. It's all about a misandrist writer who falls for a biotech billionaire on a mission to save the world. Sound familiar? Musk's public image is like his secret sauce. Back in the day, he was as socially awkward as a penguin at a disco. He even worried he wasn't as glamorous as the competition. But this dude turned things around – he morphed from "Shai Agassi, Founder of Glamour" to "Elon Musk, Lord of the Universe." Elon's social ascent was like a rocket launch. He needed people to know him to buy rocket parts, so he decided to become Mars' number one hype man. It worked, and suddenly everyone was like, "Hey, there's that dude who's all about Mars!" Then came the infamous year of 2018 – Musk called someone a "pedo guy," smoked weed on a podcast, and tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private. Whoopsie daisy! Lawsuits rained down like confetti at a New Year's Eve party. But wait, there's more! In 2020, Musk said, "To hell with nice," and ditched his PR team. Now he's the press release king, and his favorite email response? The poop emoji. I kid you not. You know how they say a new Musk scandal a day keeps the actual news away? Well, it's kind of true. With a Musk controversy buffet, it's hard to focus on just one serving. It's like trying to pick a favorite ice cream flavor at Ben & Jerry's – you end up with brain freeze and no answers. So, is Musk a bad boss or are his employees just slackers? Acts of Love's Radley Blake could clear this up. Radley's a control freak who only fires people who don't give "maximum effort." His employees are so motivated they don't even need Red Bull to sprout wings. But in real life, Musk isn't exactly the "Employee of the Month" poster child. People report him stomping through Tesla factories, red-faced and firing folks like it's a carnival game. One executive said they had to stoop in meetings to seem smaller than Musk – like they were at a toddler tea party. And don't even get me started on workplace safety. Tesla factories were apparently more dangerous than your grandma's staircase in a haunted house. Musk's dislike for the color yellow (yellow tape, yellow paint) led to some questionable safety practices – it's like he's running a risk assessment in a Tim Burton movie. But Musk is a romantic hero in his own right. He's got a tragic past and a longing for love. Childhood bullies, check. Troubled relationship with his dad, check. He's like a wounded bird in a billionaire's body. No wonder he's looking for someone to save him from all that money. The dude's been married more times than I've accidentally sent screenshots to the wrong person. He's got enough kids to start a soccer team, and he's probably planning to send them to Mars for summer vacation. But hey, at least he's not alone, right? He's got Twitter, his second favorite significant other. So there you have it – Elon Musk, the eccentric entrepreneur who turned himself into the star of his own romantic novel. One minute he's making rockets, the next he's tweeting like a kid who just found out they can use their teacher's chalkboard. Will he save the world? Maybe. Will he keep us entertained? Absolutely. 🚀🎉 Read the full article

[oh-for-fic-sake]

Brucie Baby~

You decide to top Bruce.

Masterlist

Warning: Adult situations +18, Smut, Oral, Teasing, Femdom switch, Name calling, Swearing, Anal, Dubcon, Spitting (once)

A/n: okay so... Yeah as you can probably tell by now I am more of a bottom, but I really really wanted to give this a shot not to sure how I feel about it but I do hope that people like it, its really smutty. enjoy xx

Taglist @125bluemachine125​

Brucie Baby~

Bruce was down in the Bat cave working on his latest device upon taking Clark's advice he had taken you to the hospital for a heart check up. As it turned out you do have an abnormal heart rate, an arrhythmia tachycardia no murmur or damage yet and not dangerous thank god but you needed to have it monitored. So Bruce was making you a tiny ecg, much like the ones on sports watches but as you had refused to wear one he was making one in the form of a thin flat delicate chain mail looking bracelet with a small platinum plate with Sweets engraved underneath and a small onyx on the top the bracelet was a modern looking piece small and was versatile, it would go with anything and more importantly it would send the data straight to his phone and computer wirelessly, he even set it up to log in the bat computer just to make sure it was never lost. He may or may not have also put a teeny tiny tracker on it to but you wouldn't be privy to either just yet holding his breath as he clipped the last piece in place holding it to the inside of his wrist then outside checking the data on his phone as it lit up recording his pulse, with one last look he was satisfied he pulled it away tucking it into a velvet lined gift box bought specifically for the piece. Standing he stretched looking up at the time six am he would need to be ready to leave at eight. It was your six month anniversary and you were both going to spend the week at his own little slice of paradise, since what was now called 'the incident' things had changed slightly he was a little hesitant when being intimate, not that he didn’t love you or anything like that he would argue that you didn’t just own his heart, you was his heart but he was afraid of hurting you at first it was because of your injuries, then your it was your heart now he was just worried not wanting to accidentally hurt you, not only that but he was stressed, he kept on replaying that night over and over, the way he slammed the breaks but knew he wasn’t going to stop in time, all he could do was watch as you came closer and closer. He was so close to loosing you that he didn’t want to risk any harm whatsoever including in the bed room. Alfred said he was being silly that you wasn’t going anywhere and that as long as you had your safe word you was safe, he didn't even bother to ask where Alfred had learned about that he thought he was better off not knowing. It was also Alfred who had suggested the week away together noting you was both a bit stressed with the incident then the move. So that what was happening a trip to his small private island in the Maldives, Dick was coming to stay and fill in for him on patrol. He snapped the box shut leaving the cave, when he arrived to the bed room he stopped dead seeing you sitting up reading with a travel mug you turned to him smiling.

"Hey baby, how was it tonight?" he shrugged turning closing the door.

"Not much, stopped a kidnapping and an a few assaults small things really"

"Not to the victims they wont be. I heard the boys come up earlier you stayed down there a while." he smiled slipping off his tight tshirt strategically throwing it on the chair covering the small jewelry box as he dropped that as well.

"Yes working on something"You smiled curling your toes into the bed beneath you.

"Oh really a new gadget? Oh oh is it a lazer? Please tell me its a lazer I have always wanted to play with one like the ones in James bond!" He gave you a look

"No its not a lazer and if it was you definitely wouldn't get your hands on it" you pouted but not for long as your favorite part of the day began it was the best bit of living here full time getting your daily dose of Bruce's delicious body without fail, he smirked dropping his bottoms and pants in one swoop as he made his way across the room. You watched him quietly biting your lip as he snuck into the bed slowly crawling up beside you plucking your kindle from your hand snapping it shut dropping it on the side table then slid higher leaning over you taking your mug from you placing it beside the kindle. You sighed at him shivering a little as his cock brushed the top of your thigh wetting the shorts you wore to bed as it twitched to life against you.

"And just what do you think your doing Mr Wayne? you know we have a flight to catch in what two hours?" he hummed tugging on your arms leaning down to your neck whispering into your neck

"It's my Jet it wont leave without me" you sighed pulling his face up abruptly holding him firm before pressing your lips to his, he was a little shocked to say the least but soon gave into you as you plundered his mouth forcefully taking what you wanted from him twisting and toying with his tongue before making him shiver as you ran the tip of your tongue over the roof of his mouth then sucked harshly pulling on his tongue he moaned when you pulled back. Blinking a little confused as to where that aggression had come from but you felt just how much he had liked the change of pace  as you gripped his now fully erect cock between your delicate hands tugging once twice and one final third time twisting as the went rubbing over his slit making him bite off a groan arching into your hand with eager hips.Perfect.

"Well I don't think it would be nice to keep the pilot waiting, so I'm off to have a shower and recheck my bag and you should to, I'd say sleep but you don't have time" you said he moaned trying to grab you as you slipped out of the bed licking your lips, oh yes this trip would be incredible. You see you had fully healed from the night you discovered Bruce's secret and had been forced to the hospital about your heart and although it wasn't anything to worry about yet. Bruce had been very delicate with you. Not that you haven't enjoyed the sex but it wasn't the same, so you was stuck not sure what to do,you had already asked him but he insisted you wait a few more weeks to be sure. You wanted to do something get him so riled up that he would forget everything that has happened and ravage you once and for all. You smiled to yourself you had gone to Alfred for suggestions Alfred about what you should do to help. Alfred being the good sport he was smirked telling you to leave it with him already having a plan in mind, the next day a note had been slipped under your morning coffee with a single web address. You laughed giddy when you looked and saw a plethora of adult toys all dedicated to one kink Femdom safe to say most of the money you saved since living at the manor had brought you a whole arsenal of toys that was already at the house waiting as Alfred had arranged for it to be shipped directly there. You stopped just before walking through the door to the bathroom turning back to Bruce as he laid sprawled out on his back hand creeping to his cock that tented the blankets

"Oh and Bruce? leave that alone its mine if you don't you'll be sorry" you smirked at the shocked look on his face having to enter the bathroom quickly before you lost your composure and started laughing at the confused man. He through his head back cock twitching, you were up to something and he didn't know what but what he did know is he couldn't fucking wait. Closing his eyes he willed his raging boner to relax a little but he could still feel the tingles left by your hands. Shit. He heaved a sigh once he heard the shower, quickly getting up and hiding the bracelet in his packed bag stuffing the small box in his side pocket before beginning to get ready, he didn't need sleep yet he could wait until the flight and would probably nap by the sea once at the island. He sighed when racing past you when you stepped out of the shower turning it cold to help settle his problem you smirked nodding at him a little.

Thirty seven hours later you found yourselves stepping off of the plane the first thing you noticed was it was hot....Fucking hot you was happy you only had a thin dress on and the second was the sight that greeted you took your breath away you stood looking at what had to be a photo because this could not be real Bruce came up behind you yawning and stretching as he had just woken up, he looked well rested for the first time in weeks. He walked behind you kissing the back of your neck hugging you close.

"You like it?

""It-Bruce this is incredible I've  never seen anything like this not in real life" you was awe struck by the pure white sand and crystal clear water, in front of you was a small thatched building that looked like it was for maintenance, beyond that a lush patch of brightly colored plants you could hear parrots and various other wild life in the trees and peaking thought you could see the beach. A long pier extending out with a large house at the end that you'd seen on the brochures from here you could see the slide that wrapped around it from the roof into the sea. you smiled turning to him excitedly

"Oh my god a slide? does it have one of those nets? you know the one that hangs over the water that you can lay on?" you asked jumping up a little he laughed nodding.

"Yes and the slide was for the boys when they were younger but I'm sure you will make use of it, there is an infinity pool at the back to, Jason got freaked out by the fish when he was little so I had it put in for him." you giggled as you saw someone you didn't recognize pick up your bags piling them into a small jeep Bruce walked you over to it holding you around the waist.

"Jason really? was he frightened of them?"

"No I wouldn't say frightened, he just didn't like the idea of them touching him, he loved watching them hence the pool is glass he would dive holding the top with his goggles and snorkel I was even considering getting some coral around it to encourage more but the more fish would have drawn sharks and I decided against it not with the boys." you snapped your head to him as you sat side by side in the Jeep as it started moving down the dirt road towards the house.

"Sharks? do they come close?" he patted your thigh at the cute expression

"Don't worry most are babies...Tho there was that hammer head that swam straight into the glass pool that one time, and the reef shark of 08 he hung about for a few days swimming below the house I wouldn't let the boys out it was quiet big, turns out they were fucking feeding it! Well Dick was, wanted to tame it and brag to everyone that he had a pet shark." you laughed you could imagine them sneaking out throwing food at the dangerous creature.

"Was that when Jason asked for the pool by any chance?" you said slyly as the jeep rounded the corner pulling out of the trees to the beach parking by the huge pier. You glanced along the beach noticing a large sunken area with a curved stone wall with wooden bench wrapped around it and huge sunken firepit full of smooth glittering stones. You jumped out of the car following Bruce down the the pier both taking your suitcases and rolling them behind you as you walked hand in hand down the long wooden structure hearing the jeep drive off back towards the airfield.

"Never though about it but yes it was it must, have scared him. I only found out they was feeding the damn thing when I caught Dick trying to get in the water with it,the silly little sod was adamant that he had 'tamed the beast' I only just dragged him out of the water in time. I can tell you he didn't try that again after the hiding he got." you chuckled but felt sorry for the boy. You finally arrived at the sleek modern villa upon entering you sighed in relief as the aircon was in full swing cooling the house to a comfortable tempature, it was one story the whole back of the building was huge panes of glass giving an uninterrupted view of the sea beyond it was open planned with the master bedroom on the far left of the house and two rooms for the boys on the far right in the middle was an open plan light and airy kitchen with center island and dining table in front and large living room with sunken u shaped sofa facing a fireplace with tv above, out side you could see the pool and large hammock net beside it to the left was a set of stairs integrated into the side of the house you assumed it was for the slide. It was beautiful he directed you through to the bed room placing your bags down you gasped as the view was stunning you almost felt like you was just skimming the clear water.

"Bruce this is-its beautiful, I've never seen anything like this" he smiled approaching you slowly placing his hands on your shoulders pulling you back against him.

"Good I’m glad you like it, I'm going to have a quick shower and change I will be right back" you nodded turning giving him a deep kiss before letting him go. Once he left through the door you moved fast finding your order that Alfred said was in here and ripping it open finding your toys, you guessed that you had around ten minuets which was enough you raced to the bed with the box quickly unwrapping what you assumed was the comfort hand cuffs, basically normal click hand cuffs with a soft lining they had a quick release to you noted you gave them the once over the chain between them was think so hopefully they would contain him, not wasting time you quickly threaded them threw the bars of the head bored looping it around twice and stuffed it down beside the mattress out of sight then repeated with two separate cuffs on either side of the base board. You quickly made your way back to the box pulling out your other goodies quickly fiddling with them figuring out how each thing worked and moved crawling under the bed finding a plug socket and plugged in the rechargeable wand and plug vibrator you sighed standing back up doing another round of the room checking everything was hidden. Smiling you fist pumped the air and pulled out the final thing you had got the the cherry on the smutty cake as it were. It looked a little tight but you could make do quickly stuffing it back in the box and fished out the rest from your suitcase then kicked it across the room out of the way. You panicked slightly trying to remember everything you had seen in the videos. You had planned this for just over a week using the time he was away at night to watch ridiculous amounts of femdom porn wanting to get this spot on. You knew he would like this just from the way he got turned on when you became as he called it 'Mama bear' you took a deep breath you could do this. You'd pay for it later .but you could do this. You kicked off your shoes and dress lying on the bed in only your panties you had forsaken your bra on the flight you turned facing away from the bathroom door staring out to the sea, it calmed you hearing the waves in the distance and the soft laps of water on the columns holding the house up just below the floor you nearly drifted off to sleep. Suddenly the bathroom door opened and Bruce came waltzing in clad in only a towel."All ready and waiting for me love? I thought we could go relax in the Jacuzzi for a bit but if you insist, after all I do owe you for yesterday" he said quickly throwing the towel away and crawling on the bed you rolled over to meet him half way kissing him lightly at first before moving slowly sitting up deepening the kiss you moaned as he bit your lip sucking it then released opening your mouth you welcomed him letting him explore your mouth slowly before you latched on to his tongue sucking it quickly and biting it lightly rolling over to lounge across him he smirked cupping your ass as you moved straddling him you looked down noticing he was already half hard.smirking you shuffled up sitting on his cock trapping it between your covered pussy and his own abdomen a leaning over kissing him again slowly clasping his hands maneuvering them up past his head. Distracting him by running kisses across his jaw suckling and biting harshly making him moan the he returned the favor sucking a dark mark on your neck. Yes almost there. You guided his hands further across the pillows and grinded on him making sure to keep him occupied then CLICK! he flinched jerking his arms pulling his face away from you. You giggled at the shocked look on his face

"ERR Babe wh-what are you doing there hun?" he asked there was a tremor to his voice. you grinned at him leaning down to him again kissing his chest.

"I want to play Brucie baby~ You see you've been gentle and I just don't know what I have to do to get you to rough me up a bit. First I thought if I was a good girl you'd reward me, fuck me stupid again like you did before. I know you was worried that you'd hurt me again but sometimes a bit of pain is good. Soooo I thought that I'd show you." you winked at him crawling backwards down the length of his body leaving soft kisses. He stared mouth open speechless as you slid off of the bed, you could see it in the way his pupils were blown, eyes clouded with lust he was enjoying himself and the slight bobbing of his semi erect cock was a very good indicator. He shook his head laughing a little and smirked.

"Oh you think you can top me baby girl because you have a set of handcuffs? Fine I will play along give me your best shot"

"Oh baby, you are so going to regret that" you smiled bending down licking your lips as you quickly cuffed each of his ankles spreading him open you tutted and walked across the room to the box pulling out a two little elastic rings towards him,he visibly flinched and gulped a little as you stalked to the bed holding the toys.

"Hey wh-where did you get that? How do you even know what that is? my sweet lovely little girlfreind, you know I love you right babe?" you giggled sitting on the bed as he tested his cuffs trying to shift away from you as you ran the tip of a finger up and down his lower abdomen.

"Of course I know you love me I love you to and I'm pretty sure this is on your list isn't it? the big bad bat of Gotham who is always in control day and night wants to take the back seat once in a while? to be completely at my mercy for once?" he nodded a little swallowing dryly still trying to get his head around the fact that you, tiny innocent y/n had cuffed him to the bed and was stroking his stomach getting him ready for a fucking cock ring. You giggled placing your hand on the crown of his cock rubbing and teasing him with the pads of your fingers making his hiss arching leaning down licking at him then slowly dragged the tips of your nails up and over his whole length until finally he rose fully erect and ready, you made quick work of placing the cock ring over him rolling it down the pulled both balls through it gently moving him through the tight loop letting go he moaned as it started squeezing him tight then you moved quick placing the second one at his base trapping his balls between the two elastics you parted with a kiss and nip to them making him arch off the bed groaning loud panting heavy, he hissed as they constricted his heated flesh keeping him pointing directly up. You then tapped the head lightly sucking on it once then pulled away."Now I will be right back just going to freshen up." you said walking of to the side lifting your new outfit ignoring his protests listening as he tugged at the bonds swearing as he realized he might not be able to break away. He was fucked utterly fucked but oh boy was he going to enjoy it, this was his darkest deepest fantasy that no woman had ever even attempted, in his playboy years he had always been treated like a sugar daddy, they expected him to top each time ,they were desperate just wanting him to dominate them, control them and then fuck them silly. It was a secret desire that he was almost ashamed of, absolutely no one new not even Alfred who knew everything about him. He absolutely loved topping it was his thing but every now and then he wants to be topped, the idea of you using him, controlling him.

"UGH fuuuck" he cried out as the thought made his cock harden bouncing a little as he was held high moaning and twitching as he tried to focus on his breathing instead of the tight delicious throbbing of his cock. Meanwhile you entered the bathroom putting on your new outfit, well you use the term outfit loosely it was one of those cute goth girl type harnesses that looped in v's across your breasts wrapping up around your neck in a choker and matching thong you paired it with Bruce’s favorite stocking and garter set thick band of lace wrapped around your waist attached to matching lace trimmed stockings and killer heels- he liked you in heels- then ruffled your hair applying you expensive red long wear lipstick, this particular one needs a special lipstick remover and had also been a new purchase just for this. You grabbed the last item a fierce looking black riding crop. oh yes this was worth epilating for. You felt so ready for this your insides aching for him if everything went to plan you’d be thoroughly fucked out by the end of the day then took a deep breath pushing aside your own arousal. Not yet today was for Bruce. Hearing the rattle of the cuffs a and a deep frustrated moan. You opened the door strutting to wards the bed watching him whither trying to tug himself free, he hadn't noticed you yet you licked your lips in anticipation. Excellent. you quickly brought the crop down on the v above his angry looking cock making him hiss and stop mouth agape as he saw you.

"Fuck me" he said drinking in your form you smirked sitting on the bed running the tip of the crop up his neck pressing on his jaw to close it humming at him.

"Not yet baby we've only just started, oh honey that looks uncomfortable~" you said tapping his red swollen cock with the crop quickly he grunted, couldn't take his eyes off of you as you got up and walked around the bed sliding beneath it you came back up resting your head on your elbow on the bed level with his face

."I almost feel bad about what I'm going to do you you. But this is a lesson you need isn't it love?" you watched his eyes widen as you lifted your hand holding a Pink wand vibrator. His breath hitched yep he was definitely completely and utterly fucked with capital F. He moaned

"No nono Sweets come on! that's not fair!" You smirked at him as he growled tugging on the cuffs again.

"OH but it is Brucie it is fair, pay back is a bitch and so am I" You picked up the crop striking him across the stomach with it leaving red strips across him then once lightly on the fat head of his cock as you moved taking your place between his spread thighs. Stroking him lightly barely touching him swirling your fingers around him making him swear at your cool hands.

"Today my love you are not Bruce Wayne, you are not the bat or even the boss. No today you are a little subby, little Brucie baby and lastly but definitely not least you are my toy!" You smiled as he grunted loud trying to buck, tho you wasn't sure if it was away or towards your hand.

"Im counting on you using my safe word if things get to much for you ,you remember what it is?" You asked him still stroking him slowly pressing your fingers every so often as you twisted making sure to rub the sensitive underside of his head a little making him hiss and groan

"Brownies" you smiled leaning down ghosting your breath on him. Letting one hand slip to the apex of your own thighs shuddering as you made contact with your engorged clit rubbing lightly coaxing small gasps and moans.

"Good boy, such a good boy" before you licked at his slit he groaned thrusting up trying to penetrate your mouth. You pulled back scraping him with your teeth collecting some precum along the way making a point of sticking out your tongue to him showing him his own seed before swallowing it licking your lips  tutting you moved your hand clenching your hand around him reprimanding him.

"OH baby you want my mouth? you'll have to behave then and I might let you have it" he swore when you placed the wand sneakily beneath both rings pressing it tightly against the flesh below his balls flicking it on.

"OH FUUUCK shitshit thats-Ahh!" he grunted torn between trying to press down and pull away as the vibrations traveled from his root to tip making the elastics tremble against one another teasing his trapped cock, you smiled wickedly before flicking it up not one but two levels enjoying the cry that ripped from deep in his chest, it was an unexpected pleasure watching as his whole upper body tensed curling his muscles bulging trying to free himself he panted a few deep breaths then held his breath grunting before panting quickly again whining trying to rut into it. Quickly you pulled it away before he could cum giggling as he through himself back on the bed panting already covered in sweat you didn’t give him long to recover before pressing it hard to the swollen balls peaking taught from between the rings. The reaction was immediate this time his whole body ceasing, locking and trying to squirm away all at once. Slowly you moved it up to his weeping head rolling it around in delicate circles he grunted throwing his head back into the pillows turning his head to his bicep biting down trying to stifle his moans but couldn't hold back for lone as you tortured him with slow deliberate strokes.

"OH FUCK PLEASE! Pleaseplease baby fuck yes I'm so close! NO! NONONO" Just as he started rocking moaning higher and more desperate you pulled away pouting at him you wriggled on your knees rubbing your thighs together watching him fall apart was the most arousing thing you’d ever seen, unable to take it anymore as you soaked your own thighs you spoke.

"You know your right its not fair" you quickly straddled him placing the wand beneath your swollen folds then pressed down rubbing on it. You moaned as Bruce thrashed beneath you trying to touch .So close yet so far. You as you rocked on the toy crying out as the vibrations made your swollen clit ache and swell with need but at the same soothed you as your pussy clenched leaking on the toy panting softly.

"OH! that's it fuck yesyesyes" you leaned forward hands on his chest looking straight in his eyes mouth open as you tensed quivering feeling his muscles tense the wand low enough on his abdomen to tease the muscles of his pelvis tensing forcing his cock to throb and move before he knew what was happening he was arching shouting his pleasure as he came for the first time bucking despite the cock ring still holding him at a full attention. You laughed at him as you carried on thrusting wildly on him leaning down more to kiss at his open mouth. He met you in a ferocious battle of tongues desperate for any contact he could get panting and shivering. You stopped yourself short gasping sliding off of him taking the toy with you. You would wait.

"Oh baby look at all this mess?" You said flicking off the wand you wouldn't need it now. He panted hissing through his teeth as you began to crawl over him sucking him sharply making him yelp out.

"FUUUCK NONONO BABY DONT IT'S TO MUCH-AHH UGH UGH NO PLEEEAASSEE!" You chuckled as he fought desperate to get away and stop you, ignoring him you pushed onto him swallowing him down until, your nose was flush against him moaning loud onto him he cried out higher then you had ever heard him then pulled back slowly bobbing onto him he panted cried and swore as you continued using your lips as you ran along his length popping off of him he went lax but only for a second choosing to torture his sensitive cock with your hand two fingers at first squeezing him keeping your pumping thumb on the vein underneath it he shook,  thighs tensing and quivering his upper body tense a flush of deep red almost purple creeping down his body.

"BITCH! OH JESUS!Your a fucking bitch you OOOHHH NOO PLEASE! WAIT! Im gonna fuck-shit FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK! fuck you so hard you'll be bed bound for days!" You laughed

"Im counting on it! Aww baby is it sore? Goood I want it to HUUUURT!" Then fisted him with both hands pumping as fast as you could go  your pussy clenched as you drove him beyond pain to the pleasure beyond it he cried throwing his head back cumming a second then third time in what seemed under a minute you stopped then puling away.

"Oh wow that was hot look at all this baby, Is it all for me? So good but whats this my love? Your still hard that must mean you want more musn’t it?" You said scooping up his cum before rubbing it over his torso he groaned pitifully at you shaking his head still trying to catch his breath you crawled up him quickly sliding your thong to the side impaling yourself on him squealing as his hard cock stretched you burning you from the inside out he tensed and shuddered beneath you looking up with tears in his eyes.

"FUUUUUUUUCK no babe I cant! NONONONONOOOO!" You just licked your lips bouncing on him rotating your hips grinding your clit on him  then changed direction forcing him to hit that spot making your eyes roll back you placed your hands either side of his head grinding on him panting breathy moans in his ear.

"Fuck are you gonna cum again Brucie? Come on love do it for me" you moaned loud and clenched around him tight making him whimper unable to speak he just nodded

"Good, such a good boy for me now I want you to cum! To fill me like never before you can just imagine it cant you love fucking me full, so I drip with you for days oh YES! FUCK UGH BABY PLEASE AAHHH!" you tucked your head in the crook of his neck rocking desperately against him as the change in angle brushed both your g spot and cervix you moaned tensing closing your eyes as you tummy quivered and you felt the heat move lower finally reaching your pussy you grunted as you came around his cock twitching as your walls fought to milk him he opened his mouth in a silent scream cumming for the forth time jerking into you tight heat as you came undone over him. You panted laying on him catching your breath as you came down from your high, giggling rolling off of him as he chuckled lightly closing his eyes you thought that was enough for today he looked utterly exhausted you lay beside him kissing his heaving chest patting his stomach

"I love you Bruce" he leaned down kissing your head

"I love you to Sweets, can you uncuff me now think we both need to relax in the Jacuzzi with some wine now" you hummed in response moving to the bottom of the bed releasing his legs then using the quick release on the hand cuffs. With precise movements you was maneuvered far to quickly for your liking being thrown over his shoulder he growled ripping off the cock rings hissing.

"Wha? Bruce how are you?" You was interrupted with a harsh spank on your pussy whining you moved your hands trying to cover yourself as you was dumped in the sunken hot tub out on the deck, grabbed again from behind as you surfaced the shaking your hair out blindly grabbing for anything using your confusion he pulled harshly at the thong snapping it clean off throwing it on the deck. He held both arms behind you pressing you to kneel on one of the hot tub seats knees spread and bending you forward slightly having your ass hang just over the bottom of the seat ,gulping as a very pissed of Bruce towered over you from behind gripping your throat restricting your air flow holding you still leaning his chest into you.

"B-Brucie?" He dug his fingers in to your neck before growling into your ear"Shut the fuck up woman! You really thought I'd let you get away with that?" He moved shuffling his still hard cock to your sopping entrance that was still twitching tapping it on your clit, sliding up and down between your lips, your walls spasmed and quivered, he was definitely going to make you pay and you couldn't wait.

"OH GOd! plEASE FUCK MEE! please Bruce I want your cum! PLEASE fill me again I want it!"

"You think your getting this cock Up your greedy cunt after that? Oh baby no, I'm gonna fuck your ass good and proper, your going to feel me for days, your pussy might not be worthy of my cock right now but I can do this" you screeched as he started the jets realizing why he held you here as a powerful jet sent a constant stream of water up to your pussy massaging your poor clit you curled into yourself letting out a long drawn out groan pressing into him he chuckled as you cried out loud, it was incredible and painful all in one as the water massaged your swollen flesh you rocked and withered against it

"OH OH FUCK BRUCE PLEASE PLEASEPLEASE IM SORRY!" He smiled licking at your neck making sure to stand firm holding you still as you moaned and panted before he used on hand to line himself up with your tight pucker his blunt head pressing hard in warning your eyes widened tilting back mouth open in one continuous cry with out wasting time he lurched forward past the tight ring of muscle grunting as the tight ring nearly chocked his cock he rocked slowly feeding you inch after inch.

"Oh baby girl your so tight shit yes fuck! You want to be fucked full? Well baby girl there was no need for all of this You could have asked." You whimpered moaning as he drove in deeper filling you to the hilt you grunted in pain as he pressed his balls to your cheeks, as painful as it was the jets directed to your clit abusing it eased you overall experience you panted gasping and whining as he fucked you harshly not giving much care to you as he pulled and pushed his way up into you, and you love every second of it moaning loud as the water lapped at you you screamed trying to wriggle away from him as your body trembled your walls clenched so tight they almost cramped in on themselves as you was left empty as you came looking up at him tears rolling down your face as he carried on fucking into your sore ass, not letting you escape the jet below you moving down to spit into your open mouth. The filthy gesture made you clench again around nothing in the middle of your orgasm you whined frustrated and over sensitive panting harshly as he pulled out of you tipping you further forward bending you completely over the side you stared into the clear ocean below as he moved forward plowing into your swollen abused pussy

"AH SHIT BRUCE PLEASE I CANT" he growled at you

"You can and you fucking WILL! UGH! SHIT!  yesyesyes take it babe ah ah ah!TAKE IT BABE COME ON YOU WANTED THIS NOW YOU'VE GOT IT" you shivered clenching your hands and curling your toes as he battered your cervix pressing down as he went to stroke your sensitive soft spot, still trembling you shouted out as your clit throbbed an your pussy hummed to life as he took you above and beyond anything you’d felt with him before, one hand was gripping your ass as he thrusted forward with no mercy legs shaking as the water jet used to torment you now pulsed over his balls as he pounded into you. You wailed as he moved his hand to your clit pinching and tugging on it forcing you to orgasm again this time his hips stuttered and with one last pound forward he lifted your knees off of the seat completely forcing you to straighten your legs holding his hands on the edge of the deck either side of you holding trapping you pushing stretching your cervix forcing the tip of his cock inside before he came you screeched loud as he did feeling his hot cum spurt into your fluttering womb he held you still as you panted in shock of what just happened still feeling him twitching inside of you.

"Thats it THATS IT!! FUCK FUCK GOOD GIRL! AH AH yesyesyes shit shit! You feel that? UGH! Thats what you get! My.Fat.Cock deep inside of you, marking you as mine! Because that what you are my little slut! Mine to fuck and fill as I see fit, you wanted to be full now you are and if you let so much as one drop escape I will drag you to the bed and start all over again and again until you learn to keep my cum inside of you where it belongs!" He ground himself against your stinging clit laughing as you whined

"Bruuuuce I'm sore" he kissed your back

"Good I wanted it to hurt" he threw your own words back at you nipping your ear load before pulling out you hissed when he twisted to sit in the water with you on his lap cradling you to his chest kissing you.

"I love you babe , that was the best sex we have had in a long time isn't it?" You nodded cupping his jaw kissing it.

"Yeah... sorry if I was to much I kind of got into it... more than I thought I would actually" its true you was surprised at how much it had turned you on to have him to the point of tears. He smiled rubbing your back his other hand moving to change the jets to a low hum massaging your tired muscles.

“Nonsense you were perfect, it was incredible more than i could have ever hoped for, but where did you get the stuff? And where the fuck did you learn about all this femdom stuff?" You blushed twiddling his light dusting of chest hair smileing coyly at him.

"Well Alfred slipped me a note with a web address on it and that was all she wrote." You kissed him as his face dropped

"WHAT? Alfred as in Alfred Alfred? The man who raised me Alfred? Our Alfred?" You giggled nodding he sighed

"Holy shit" you sat up tugging your new harness off wincing as you saw the red marks it left where your large breasts were pressing on it he looked down hissing on your behalf running a finger across it.

"And I watched a shit load of femdom porn when you was out patrolling, I planned this for over a week ... nearly two I just wanted us to go back to the way we used to have sex, wanted to prove to you that I'm fine now, you don't have to worry about hurting me, I promise I will stop you if its too much the only way I could think of was to top you, so you knew what it was like you know?" He nodded as you leaned against him resting your head on his chest.

"I definitely understand, I'm sorry I just got so caught up in wanting to make sure you was completely healed, I was considering asking superman to come and double check that your ribs were fine, that's when Alfred pulled me aside telling me I was being stupid and suggested this trip." You scoffed then froze "Wait he suggested this trip? He told me it was you? And he-THAT LITTLE SHIT! Bruce he has had us both over!" You growled then pouted

"Come again?" You snorted at him

"Not yet love still tender" he bellowed a laugh at that

"Any way what I mean is he suggested the trip gave me the website link and arranged for the stuff to be hear for our arrival.... he set us up, and to be honest I’m greatful but damn your butlers pretty cunning... I suppose its true the butler really did do it." Bruce belly laughed

"Hey I've got something for you" he said before standing taking you with him you giggled as he carried you to the bed room placing you on the bed softly leaving with a kiss kneeling routing around in his case pulling out his gift.

"Here I made this for you, I know I shouldn't worry but I do" you took the box tentatively opening it seeing a beautiful silver chainmail bracelet with small plate and strategically placed onyx. You gasped slowly pulling it out.

"Bruce? What I don’t know what to say its beautiful" he sat beside you placing it on your wrist smiling as it fit perfect, not that he doubted the fit he may have measured your wrist when you was sleeping.

"Its a heart monitor and sends the data to my phone computer and even the bat computer, so I wont worry as much, the hospital said to monitor it but going to the hospital for and ecg every three months wasn't good enough for me so I made this, I want you to wear it as much as possible, its water proof so you can swim and shower with it.Happy six month anniversary" You leant forward kissing him deeply and pulled away admiring your new bracelet.

"Thank you I feel bad I didn't get you anything" he bellowed a laugh

"Babe you gave me the best orgasm of my life and I got to fuck your ass that's plenty trust me, tho if your really that upset I wouldn't say no if you bent over again for me" you squeaked blushing slapping his chest

"Oh? Whats all this then? How can you go from being a hot sexy mistress to a innocent little baby doll in what ten minutes?"you pouted pushing on him whining embarrassed. Then you heard a small beep below the bed you froze. You had forgotten about that. Bruce looked at you curiously then went under the bed sighing as he came up holding the specially designed prostate massager you chuckled nervously as he cock an eyebrow at you.

"Were you gonna try and stick this up my ass?" You shrugged

"Hehe well I err funny thing-sort of? maybe.....The guys on the videos liked it..... So I kind of you know thought I'd try it." You explained rubbing the back of your neck as he just stared.

"Haha no. Absolutly not, you are not sticking anything up my ass babe." He said placeing it beside the bed. You pouted muttering under your breath

"Like you'll have a choice when I do." He snapped his gaze at you.

"What was that? You want it up yours? well why didn't you say babe" your eyes bugged out as he stepped towards you grinning mischievously, you screamed giggling getting off the bed running out into the deck as he chased you diving at you plunging you both into the pool. You giggled as he held you against him in the water holding your ass as you wrapped your legs around him kissing one another.

"I love you so much you know I'd do anything for you right?" he asked staring straight into your eyes you nodded

"I love you to Bruce honestly couldn't imagine ever being with out you,I truly believe your my soulmate" he smiled pressing his forehead to yours closing your eyes you stayed there with him just enjoying being held. Then Bruce had to ruin the sweet moment.

"Soo hammock sex yes or no?" You deadpanned pulling away

"Let me guess its on your list?" He shook his head

"Nope not that list... I have a different list for holidays" you groaned shaking your head at him swimming to the edge on the pool watching the colorful fish swim just beyond the glass.

"Tomorrow? Lets just relax for today" he swam up beside you crossing his arms on the rim of the glass.

"Fine by me" you both stayed there enjoying the peaceful surroundings. You was content thing were definitely back to normal. you snuck another kiss pulling yourself up to the glass beside him as he held you by the waist leaning on him looking at your new bracelet twinkly in the sun.

[nomanwalksalone]

BOOK REVIEW: RICHARD JAMES SAVILE ROW

by Réginald-Jérôme de Mans

As Troy McClure said about playing the human in a musical adaptation of Planet of the Apes, reviewing this book is “the role I was born to play!”

Simply entitled Richard James: Savile Row, this book commemorates the 25th anniversary in Savile Row of the fashion house and tailors of the same name.  A read is somewhat disappointing, full of short essays by what amounts to a rather incestuous school of longtime Richard James fans in British media and entertainment, among them British GQ’s Dylan Jones and Richard’s most notorious client, Elton John.

Elton’s known as a voracious devotee – to not say addict – of his favorite outfitters over the decades, buying out entire shopfloors at times.  His twenty-year devotion to Richard James is a key to understanding Richard James’ enormous if unrecognized positive influence on contemporary men’s clothing and British tailoring. Forty years ago Elton dressed head-to-toe in psychedelic Tommy Nutter, switching in the 1980s to over-the-top Gianni Versace glitz.  Since the end of the 1990s, he’s evangelized Richard James.

Tommy Nutter, the last tailor-designer in Savile Row, dominated British men’s tailoring in the 1970s.  Custom tailoring took a back seat to the cult of the ready-to-wear designer, mostly the Continentals: Pierre Cardin, then Armani and Versace.  Nutter had a few isolated 1980s hits, like dressing the Joker in 1989’s Batman, before dying in 1992.

What had become of the British? 1980s attitudes towards luxury and clothing meant regression, selling an image of Britain as Raj, pith helmets, and gin among palm trees, not progress. Ralph Lauren did a much better job selling that ethos in his more expensive lines than any of the British could.  Some tried; those of us of a certain age (me) remember seeing cashmere sweaters made in China sold in Bloomingdales under the label of Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, or blocky ready-to-wear suits at Barneys sold with the name of Savile Row tailor Kilgour, French & Stanbury, although made in Canada by Samuelson.  An ersatz Britishness for export markets, an ersatz image and look created by ready-to-wear licensees with little input from the British tailors desperately trying to sell their names abroad.

Into this breach came Richard James. Like Nutter, James is categorically not a trained tailor.  What he is, though, is an inspired designer who, since opening on Savile Row, has offered true custom tailoring as well as ready-to-wear in visionary designs.  I remember the first Richard James items I noticed, beautiful belts and wallets of gorgeous quality hand stitched in England with contrasting linings in deeply saturated color.  I still have one of those belts, in all its magnificence.  What did they have to do with British custom tailoring?  Nothing – and everything. For the first time a Savile Row name appeared to be doing something relevant, interesting and elegant – and doing it to the fullest extent and the last detail. Savile Row survives by its export markets and by the reputation its tailors have forged for beautiful items of a certain Britishness.  No more uninspired licensed items that has as much to do with British elegance as a Sterling car (derided by Consumer Reports for “Industrial Revolution-era” English technology, remember those?). What Richard James has done is modernize British elegance from the creepy colonial-obsessed ethos that today only blinkered Brexiteer bluestockings and Internet edgelords cling to.  Even the past James references uses other, more inspired touchstones of British greatness, including his bespoke offer (initially serviced by the Savile Row tailors Anthony J. Hewitt and James Levett before being brought in-house), but also ready-to-wear shirts in stripes that recalled the best of Swinging London; handmade ties whose lush, delicate patterns rivalled the best of midcentury Sulka or today’s Charvet; magnificently, decadently warm alpaca pile ‘teddy bear” coats originally created for 1920s motorists; astonishingly soft leather or suede jackets in the café racer style 1960s London Mods would have died for; and even the made-to-order cashmere socks with custom monograms Corgi used to make for defunct shops of yesteryear like the custom shirtmaker Beale & Inman.  It was a vision of Britishness far, far from Lauren’s fantasies, a Britishness that admitted the turmoil of Ted Heath’s premiership, that added much-needed glamor after John Major’s greyness.  And James reminded us what was wonderful about the British suit by invoking all that was dashing in its cut.  Ready-to-wear suits were made in beautiful cloths from British mills like the impeccable Taylor & Lodge, in unexpectedly evocative colors and patterns: sharp mohair sharkskin, gorgeously patterned real Scottish or Irish tweeds or a French navy that was lighter than the normal shade; even rainbow chalkstripes on a sober dark ground.  The cut was always tapered at the waist, double-vented, slant pocketed in the “hacking” style, a look espoused by Patrick Macnee’s subversively too-British John Steed in the 1960s.  Richard’s linings were often boldly colorful, to remind us what could be playful about the suit, everything that 1980s pretention (clinging to all the trimmings of colonial oppression) had repressed.

Richard James the book shines in cataloguing those designs in beautiful detail.  James really has been the best colorist in the business, as Jones termed him.  Even more importantly, this book also shows how James has aced the tricky game of tennis without a net of innovating within the classic: in addition to recreating ruffle-fronted tuxedo shirts like those of George Lazenby’s louche Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James also invented tuxedo shirts whose fronts (instead of pleats or stiff waffle-weave Marcella) were hand-beaded by Hand & Lock, beaders and embroiderers to Her Majesty the Queen; Corgi (knitters and hosiers to the Prince of Wales) knitted thick, thick cashmere sweaters with hand-inlaid abstract intarsia designs; elegant cufflinks (always double-sided) recalled childhood marbles in the forms of hand-blown translucent glass or semiprecious banded agate (a real “Aggie”) or amber set in sterling silver; and even a travel bag that recalled the bags given away by Pan Am or Concorde in the early days of jet travel was rendered in ballistic nylon with reflective silver piping and brilliantly contrasting linings.

I’ve never owned a Richard James bespoke suit.  I know that his ready-to-wear suits were disappointingly half-canvassed or fused, despite their wonderful materials.  But they helped remind me that Savile Row could still be relevant, and that those tailors, despite past reputation, could be approachable and contemporary – and that has been my experience with the other tailors of Savile Row, including the impeccable, evocatively named Steed, whom I loved for their name before ever using them.

Every item with the Richard James name carried and carries the same visionary, whimsical design philosophy, a Britishness less fanciful and more romantic than Paul Smith’s, and far less caricatural and cynical than those of Ralph Lauren or Hackett.  Socks, always made to a high-standard by Pantherella, are accented in amusing contrast colors or mad patterns. I have a number that are doing fine almost 20 years later.  My Richard James Concorde bag has been a beloved, perfect gym bag for years, while his larger, tougher Japanese denim bag (trimmed in the best British bridle hide) is my go-to travel holdall no matter where on Earth I go. My beaded Richard James tux shirt is a prized piece of design genius, as is a magnificently waterproof raincoat made for him by Mackintosh in a beige twill that cunningly iridesces turquoise or orange from certain angles. For years I’ve searched for the same shade of gorgeous Thomas Mason turquoise twill cotton that an old Richard James shirt is in, but most of his materials are specially made for his designs; even the fine-gauge cotton knits that John Smedley or Peter Geeson created for him seemed to be in special colors and to his own patterns.

That wealth, that treasury of a vision and genius, tumbles out of Richard James’ new book, pictures that really are worth thousands of words and that speak for themselves about the importance of this designer’s contribution, reminding us that Savile Row, indeed British menswear itself, still had things of wonder to offer us.

[legendaryorangeloot]

This is "The Union Screaming House", a short story I wrote as an alternate-universe American M.R. James story (which is why it's not got fully modern language when describing people's race and ethnicity, and the language/spelling in general is idiosyncratic in the way that letters from the <1900s tend to be.) I wrote it in one huge burst on a road trip with my partner from Milwaukee to St. Louis, and never really edited it, but I think it's true to the style and form of the author I'm trying to pay homage to, so all the weaknesses I can see are present in the source works and serve to make it more accurate (sorry, Monty James. you know I love you.)

Dec 22, 18--

My dearest Daniel - I write to you about events which recently occurred in the small town of Union, Mo., feeling certain that they will prove of interest to you, for your personal collections of curious supernatural tales and revolutionary literature. I suppose, as I shall leave no descendants, you may publish my full confession after all parties involved are deceased - such is the advantage of having much-younger friends, I suppose!

We were traveling across the midwestern states at a leisurely pace, hoping to recuperate my equilibrium after the trial in which I had recently defended Mr. W-- S-- against numerous charges of murder, about which: the less said, the better. It had become our custom over a period of weeks to seek out remote roads and tracks and follow them to their sources, which almost invariably were villages and towns with unusual “claims to fame”, such as one that boasted an underground lake, another with what they claimed as the oldest living tree in the state. This proved a diverting experience, and I greatly enjoyed conversing with many of the “oldsters” I met outside general stores and hearing tales of the War, and of their luck or lack there-of in the agriculture business. The endeavor was beginning to allow me to leave behind the feeling of grave wrong-doing that had dogged me since the verdict of the S-- trial, but what replaced it in Union may yet prove to be worse.

It was on one of these rather aimless treks that we found ourselves in Union, home of some 700 people. It was a chill autumn night, and darkness fell early, no later than 5 o. clock. Bryan, who was acting as driver, refused to travel in such a rural area after dark (wise, owing to his appearance - as you may recall from our last visit, Bryan is light enough to pass for “black Irish” stock, and usually does so successfully, but in the more… concerned areas of the country, he has been sometimes “found out”, with all the concurrent discriminatory rigmarole… sneaking “my servant” into my lodging-house rooms has been quite the risky undertaking in some of these towns.) At any rate, we obtained the name of a local widower who would be willing to rent a room to me for the night, and allow Bryan and our four-horse team to stay in his guest house and lavish stables, respectively.

Mr. R--, a sprightly gentleman of maybe 55 years, proved a quite gracious host, and commenced to give me a tour of the property, which was called Blackwater Woods. We walked around the barn, various outbuildings, and past many pastures and livestock holding-pens, before approaching the enormous main house. It was built in a style quite unlike the modest but modern homes of Union proper, and appeared to be designed in the manner of a frontier cabin, but on a scale so large that it made it seem slightly ridiculous, as though perhaps it had been constructed to display at a Worlds Fair and not for humans to inhabit at all. Mr. R-- was oddly reluctant to show me around much of the house in detail, as he had the farm-buildings, but he invited me to dinner and after-dinner drinks and cigars politely enough after escorting me to my second-floor room, which had clearly been a woman’s “boudoir” prior to being pressed into service as a guest room. I changed clothes and washed up with alacrity, eager to get the dust and grime of the road off my person, and still had ample time left to explore my surroundings. The room was large, and sparsely-furnished, but feminine touches from the prior inhabitant (Mrs. R--, I assumed at the time) still remained in the form of a silver-backed hairbrush near the vanity mirror, a jewelry box which played a tune when opened (I shut it quickly, as the mechanism appeared to be functioning not very well, and the too-slow tune rendered me oddly soporific), and a gauzy canopy hanging from the four posts of the bed, which I imagined was intended to be exotic in the manner of a harem, but was instead exotic in the manner of tropical anti-mosquito netting. I was oddly moved by this nod to concepts of Romance and Beauty in such a rural locale, and smiled to myself in the mirror, only to quickly blanch and whip my head round to look when I saw the form of a woman - a dusky-skinned woman, with high cheekbones and full lips - materialize behind me, visible in the mirror! In retrospect, I believe it was not just my terror at being accompanied at a time I believed myself alone that caused me to react so immediately and physically, but that the woman so obviously required help. She could hardly have communicated it more clearly than her facial expression did, even if she had plainly said “Help me!”. When I turned to look where I had seen her standing, near the enormous limestone fireplace, there was no-one there, and looking back in the mirror, she also did not re-appear. But there lingered in the air a smell - you are the only one I could tell this to - a womanly smell, but one that was attractive to me, in a way, which, I know you know, I have not experienced before (or since).

For all those reasons, I was deeply shaken as I went down to the dining-room to eat with Mr. R--. I thought that perhaps I could ask questions about the room’s former inhabitant, but each time I tried to broach the topic, Mr. R-- cut me off with florid tales of inconsequential things, which would have been greatly entertaining, had they not distracted me from my goal. I learned many interesting tid-bits of the area’s history, but was unable to discern a reason for the visage of the woman to appear, or what help she might require. I did learn that the “guest house” where my beloved Bryan now stayed was, in fact, former slave quarters, and this did not sit well with me. I was also able, by making some off-hand comments about the food, to learn that indeed we were alone in the house entirely, the woman who had cooked the meal being employed only at the dinner-hour and returning to her home in Union after serving. I do not remember what we ate.

After the meal, we retired to Mr. R--’s study, and he poured us generous doses of a bourbon of exceptional quality. The study, unlike the rest of the house, was furnished in an extravagant style that would not have seemed much out of place in the wealthiest salons of London or Vienna. Presumably for this reason, it was kept locked at all times with a latch and bolt-lock on the door, and keyed locks on the single window, to which, Mr. R-- explained, he held the only keys. I sipped at my bourbon as he spoke at length about various topics, and realized soon that he was drinking his as though it were water. I saw my opportunity to perhaps gain more information about the mirror woman, so I surreptitiously poured out the rest of my liquor onto the Turkish carpet, and proposed a refill, then another, then another, which I disposed of in the same way. As Mr. R-- became first tipsy, then outright intoxicated, I steered the conversation to the topic of the room I now stayed in. “Was it your wife’s chambers?” He appeared startled by this question and was quick to say, in a brusque manner, “No. It was used for brief, er, overnight stays only, for no-one in particular.” He attempted to change the subject after this answer, but I could see him beetling his brows at me from time to time as we spoke on less consequential matters. The evening wound down soon after this, and I excused myself to my room.

Upon reaching my room, it was no more than ten minutes before I heard the tip-tap of tiny pebbles being flung at my window, the typical sign from Bryan that he was waiting unseen below and wished entry. Never had I more needed his strong and steady presence, his welcome simple physicality, the comfort of his arms - I hope that you do not mind, and rather believe that you will enjoy this part, as unsatisfying as it ended up in reality - and I began to ready myself even as I quietly opened the window, using the heel of my hand to press against my rapidly-stiffening member in preparation for our reunion. But it was not to be, for the Bryan that hoisted himself through my window after climbing up the ivy and planks on the side of the house was not amorous, but terrified. I immediately asked what the trouble was, and he said that we must go, and that he needed to show me something in the “guest house” - which I shall refer to as the slave quarters from now on, as this is more relevant to its position in the story - after which we must flee this house. He used this exact word, “flee”, and it was one of the ways I knew just how serious this revelation he had for me must be.

We both climbed down the side of the huge house as quickly as we could, and dashed across the moonless dark of the lawn, past the garden and woodpile, to the former slave quarters, a squat building greatly resembling Indian long-houses I have seen, but made of sturdy split logs and patched with something between mud and cement. A fire burned inside and smoke spiraled up from the small chimney, and when we reached it and went indoors, shutting the pine-plank door fast behind us, Bryan first kissed me fiercely and quickly, then went on to say “I found this account written on bark, stripped from the walls of this house, hidden in one of the straw mattresses. But it is more than half in slave pidgin and picto-grams, and what English is used is not very grammatical. Do you trust me to tell you the contents truly?” and by way of reply I kissed him tenderly, pressing my forehead to his, and squeezed his hand, saying “With my very life.” He replied that it hopefully would not come to that. He showed me a long strip of bark with writing on it, and what I could read conformed to his translation, which I will put here in more colloquial ways of speaking, for clarity: “Last winter Margaret was called to visit Mr. R-- after sunset and never did return, and he said that she ran away, but never bothered to tell the lawman, or offer a reward for the return of a servant, and I think sometimes that I see her in the upper window, but never except at night when fires are burning in all the rooms of the house. Now he has arranged for me to come to the big house secretly after dark and I fear that I, too, will never return. If you find this, look for me. Meliora.”

We stared at each other wide-eyed as I put together the pieces in my mind and I said to Bryan “I know what we must do, but if you do not like it - I also do not like it - I understand if you must simply go and ready the horses for our escape.” He said that he would accompany me even to the gates of Hell, and I said that it hopefully would not come to that. We went to the great woodpile beside the house and found an axe and hatchet, and used the latter to break the lock of the front door, and went directly to my room. As quietly as one can accomplish such a thing, we began dismantling the room - we moved the furniture to the center, and started using the tools as pry-bars to remove boards from the wall. It was not long before I heard a stifled cry behind me and saw Bryan kneeling near one wall, pulling forth what was unmistakably a winding-shroud, stained with old blood, containing naught but dark skin, bones, and black hair. As I came over to assist him, I stumbled and fell against the limestone mantel, and broke it away, and the falling rock opened the boards of the floor, where more gauzy shrouds were hidden beneath, and my heavy axe smashed the fire-warmed stone at the back of the fireplace, where a recent, beautiful corpse, matching my mirror apparition exactly, lay in surprisingly dignified repose. This kind of noise would wake anyone, even the bourbon-soaked Mr. R--, who entered the room just at that second, and it is hard to say now which sight shocked him the most greatly. But he had no opportunity to say anything about it, as Bryan fairly flew at him from across the room, holding his hand over Mr. R--’s mouth, and the hatchet’s handle across his throat in preparation to strangle the life from him. “No!” I hissed quickly. And Bryan’s expression in that moment caused me to die inside, seeing how fast he thought I would side with the despicable murderer Mr. R-- over the love of my life, due only to our shared skin color, but I put this aside to say my actual piece, which was “We have to make it look like an accident.”

We frog-marched Mr. R-- downstairs, and forced him to unlock the study, confiscating the keys afterwards. We tied him to the heaviest chair using his own silk smoking-jacket, and I touched a brand from the fire to the Turkish carpet I’d soaked with bourbon earlier in the evening, and we did not spare the struggling, squealing Mr. R-- another look as we walked from the room, hands clasped, to return the axes to the woodpile before driving away.

I trust that, after your actions in Lawrence, this story will please you, rather than shock you. I hope that I have done your revolutionary spirit proud in administering fair and equitable justice. After long discussion, I have decided to prove to Bryan that his assumption in the moment Mr. R-- entered the room was entirely wrong, and we depart for France, together, next week. The keys from Mr. R--’s house, we will throw into the Atlantic Ocean, and never mention the sorry incident again.

With love,

Your friend,

J. Schiffmann

[handeaux]

Harry Spindler: From Wild Drummer To Wild Kingdom

If you ran into Cincinnati’s Harry Spindler in 1940, and hadn’t seen him since 1920, you might imagine you were meeting a completely different person. Harry had the good luck to find success in two entirely different fields.

In the beginning, Harry was the leader of one of Cincinnati’s pioneer dance bands. It is generally agreed that the first jazz record was pressed early in 1917. By December of that year, “Cincinnati’s Original Jazz Band,” directed by Harry Spindler was sizzling the local hot spots. Harry’s musical career was interrupted by World War I, which he spent as a musician first class in South Carolina.

Harry received an honorable discharge, headed back to Cincinnati and put another “Original Jazz Band” together. When his group headlined the “assembly dansant” at the Odd Fellows Temple on 11 January 1920, Harry was billed as “the Wild Drummer.” The only known recording of Spindler, a jaunty 1925 version of George W Meyer and Alfred Bryan’s “Brown Eyes, Why Are You Blue?” (Cameo 781) sounds all but sedate to modern ears, with no percussive pyrotechnics to speak of. An Enquirer article [9 September 1937] describes a photo of Harry’s old drum kit:

“The picture shows a drummer with more aids fastened to a trap drum than there are instruments in a modern cockpit.”

Harry and the boys had a good run. They toured Canada and the Far East, endorsed Wurlitzer instruments in newspaper ads, took first place in an Atlantic City popularity contest, played the best speakeasies in New York City and earned top billing at Cincinnati’s swankiest hotels.

The tour through Asia reignited Harry’s childhood passion for animals. As the band performed in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Egypt, Harry bought a boatload – almost literally – of animals and shipped them back to the United States for sale to collectors. By 1930, wild animal collecting was his main source of income. Harry developed a partial paralysis of his right arm and could no longer maintain tempo on the drums. By then his international tours had yielded connections with animal dealers all over the world – and he piggy-backed on the reputation of Cincinnati’s Zoo. As he told the Cincinnati Post [27 March 1930]:

“Cincinnati may not be known in the jungles of India or South Africa, but if you are there and need a friend, all you have to do is to mention the name of Sol or Joe Stephan of the Cincinnati Zoo. Every native who trafficks in animals or birds has heard of these two men."

A 1929 expedition to India and Africa netted 500 animals. Harry learned that collecting the animals was easy. Transporting them was another thing:

“It was fun going over, but coming back you can imagine our job. With gales to buffet and with screaming, scratching, clawing, shrieking, howling, roaring wild beasts on board sick from the storm and heat, you can imagine how much sleep I had in 47 days.”

As a naturalist, Harry associated with several pet shops in the Cincinnati area, through which he sold some of his exotic animals. Throughout the years, Harry held any number of official titles, including Federal Zoological Instructor for the Civilian Conservation Corps, Zoologist for the Ohio State Department of Education, Sanitary Inspector for the city’s Department of Health, Director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission Traveling Zoo, and Special Lecturer for the Hamilton County SPCA.

Harry was in demand as a lecturer throughout Cincinnati and the darling of local media. For years, he had his own column in the Cincinnati Enquirer and was regularly featured in Ollie James’ column in the same newspaper. Radio loved Harry, but it loved his pet mynah bird, Jerry, even more. From 1930 until Jerry died in 1950, Harry brought his talkative fowl to all the Cincinnati radio stations – including Ruth Lyons’ radio studio – and even to Dave Elman’s nationally broadcast “Hobby Lobby” radio show out of New York. Jerry could imitate a window shade rolling up, the squealing sound of automobile brakes, speak 20 words in English and whistle several tunes including “Sweet Adeline” and “That Old Oaken Bucket.” For old time’s sake, Jerry sometimes launched into a melody from his native India.

The talking mynah was far from Harry’s only trained animal. He even domesticated a black widow spider, teaching her to climb a glass rod out of her jar to amble around his palm before clambering back into the jar. Harry brought his poisonous arachnid to New York for a segment on “Hobby Lobby,” but a stagehand knocked the jar from a table and killed the little beast. Host Elman suggested Harry come back when he had trained another black widow. Harry replied:

“Alright, but listen – when I bring my next trained black widow, she’s going to have a dozen understudies with her.”

Throughout his career as a lecturer, Harry kept running into myths and ignorance about animals. So many Cincinnatians swore they knew someone who had seen a hoop snake grab its tail and roll away that he offered a $150 reward for anyone who could produce one. Listening to Harry, you get the impression that his audiences were as entertaining as he was. Here’s one he told the Enquirer [8 January 1939]:

“A man in one audience told me he knew of a grocer who had a monkey trained to steal customers’ change and conceal it in his mouth. The man claimed the monkey tried it on him, and he hit the monkey so hard that the animal spit out $906.”

Harry died in 1961 at the Veteran’s Hospital in Chillicothe, Ohio. He is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.

[famous-aces]

Alfredo Guttero

Who: Alfredo Guttero

What: Artist and Art Promoter

Where: Argentinian (active in Argentina and throughout Western Europe) 

When: May 26, 1882 - December 1, 1932

(Image Description: Retrato del pintor, Victorica, 1929 [a self portrait]. It shows Guttero in his apartment. Outside is a very geometric skyline of smokestacks, steep roofs, and a brown sky. His room is slate colored and he sits in a chair in the foreground. He has a jacket thrown over the back of his chair. His pose is casual and he looks as if we [the viewer] have just distracted him from painting. He sits with his legs to one side, turned almost unnaturally toward the viewer. One leg is lifted slightly and one hand is on the chair's seat as if he is in the middle of turning completely to the viewer. He is a man with a receding hairline and a high forehead. He has a dark mustache and dark hair and low eyebrows. He is wearing a white shirt and bowtie and has his sleeves rolled up to the elbow and his collar is ruffled and loosened. The whole thing hangs very loose but you can still see some of his body's lines of musculature. His tie undone and hanging around his neck. His pants are ordinary and green/brown. His expression is calm but confident and he looks directly at the viewer. The colors are bold but not really bright. The style blends geometry and flatness and realism in a way I am explaining very poorly. End ID)

Guttero is not terribly well remembered today, which is too bad. Looking through his oeuvre I quite like his work. Maybe it is because he lacked the bombastic personality of many modernist artists, maybe it is due to his diversity of styles without one that seems to define his work, or maybe it is because he was one of so many talented artists of his generation. He was well renown in his era, however, and used his popularity and skill to foster the next generation of Argentinian artists.

Guttero's life began mundanely enough. He always loved art, appreciating it and creating it, but pursued a legal career instead. But he was unhappy with his life as a lawyer, so Guttero left it to become a painter. He pursued his dream and passion, inspired and pushed by other Argentine artists. In 1904 his reputation was good enough that the Argentinian government sponsored his move to Paris, then the epicenter of the truly exciting and revolutionary art world, its influence expanding outward. He studied there for a few years under Maurice Denis before appearing in the Salon.

He remained in Paris until 1916 when he began to travel extensively across Western Europe for more than a decade, first to Spain, then Germany, Austria, and beyond. He traveled to nearly every country in the area between the years of 1916 and 1927.  His work was shown in various exhibitions around the continent from being featured in the Salon in Paris to a major solo exhibition in Genoa.

After that he returned to Argentina for the first time since his initial departure in 1904. Guttero remained active in his native country including creating free art classes called, aptly enough, Cursos Libres de Arte Plástico, with other Argentine artists. During this time he focused on his work as an art promotor, perhaps even more than his own art. During this time he introduced and showed new Argentinian artists to a wider audience. Indeed he created an organization for this purpose: the Hall of Modern Painters. He was dedicated to promoting and preserving modern art in the face of a world growing increasingly dark and reactionary. He died young and without much warning.

His art is undeniably modernist but trickier to pin to a specific movement. He has many different styles he utilizes with different degrees of naturalism and curves vs geometry. His scenes are by and large mundane and human, he uses bright colors, often huge central subjects, kinetic poses and positions, modern settings, and by and large human or urban subjects. He often painted on plaster using a "cooked plaster" technique of his own devising.

(Image Description: Martigues for Charles Jacques [1909], a brightly colored painting showing a scene in a Martigues canal. It is not completely realistic nor completely geometric and abstract. He favors color over outlines. In the background is a bright blue sky interrupted by yellow buildings with tile roofs, maybe houses, lit by the unseen sun. One of the building's lower doors is open. There is a small tree to the far right. In the foreground in the sparkling water of the canal are several small work boats, probably fishing boats judging by the silvery nets lying over the hulls. On the right a boat is coming in, there is a pale skinned, dark haired man working on one of the nets. His sail is red and white. On the left is a pale man in an orange hat and yellow shirt. He is stooped and just by his pose appears older, both of the men are too far away for many identifying details. End ID)

Possible Orientation: Mspec ace, gay ace, or aroace with an aesthetic attraction to multiple genders. (I am so unsure I have changed "probable" to "possible.")

I admit this one is a stretch on my part.

I am classifying Guttero based largely on absence, i.e. the absence of a remembered/recorded spouse, sexual/romantic partner, or liasian. I have no quotes or historical documents to prove my point. I have none of his personal philosophy or writings to draw from. Just the fact that he dedicated his life to art more than human relationshipa. That this is something I have seen before: Cause and its role in the life of many aros/aces/aroaces (outlined in Weil's entry the other day) and the fact that he had no recorded romantic/sexual partners that I can find in hours of research.

This illustrates why it is so, so difficult to find aspecs in history. We are not, as aphobes believe, impossible to locate, there is externally visible evidence, but it is less obvious than most other orientations. And cishets would rather we didn't exist so we are often buried under excuses. The easiest ways to find them are 1) if they were notably "married to their job" in their lifetimes (e.g. Jeanette Rankin and Carter Woodson), they talked/wrote about it in some capacity (e.g. T.E. Lawrence or Frédéric Chopin), they were distrusted because of it (John Ruskin and James Barrie), they made it part of their persona (Nikola Tesla and Florence Nightingale), aside from that I really need to search deep into their personal lives. Information not always available.

And often even when people essentially say "I am aromantic and/or asexual" the general population will not accept that. After all Newton is often remembered as allo and gay, despite never expressing interest in men. Chopin is often listed as allo and bi. Rankin is often considered cishet but too deeply concerned with her work. Barrie gets called a pedophile despite showing no interest in children. For eccentric aspecs like Weil/Tesla/etc. their being aspec becomes part of their oddness. If they weren't Like That they would be allo. Their being aspec becomes a symptom of their weirdness and would be unacceptable in a "normal" person.

History with a capital H does not want to acknowledge aspecs and, as with other queer identities, will go to insane measures to erase them. But even other queer historians will do this to aspecs. I am shocked how many people do exactly to Newton/Lewis/and the like what cishet historians do to Alexander the Great. In the case of Alexander the cishets ignore the obvious accounts that he loved Hephestian in nearly every way possible and queer historians and history buffs call them out, then often the non-aspec ones look at Newton and Lewis who had no interest in men and say they must have been gay. And it isn't really just history, Tim Gunn is by his own admission both gay and ace and the second part of that statement is either erased or, even crazier, I have seen aphobes say that he is mistaken about his own identity.

Anyway the root cause of this lack of nuance in the discussion of sexual orientation is a long sidebar that this is not the place to explore. I have left Guttero behind paragraphs ago. I have written a lot about how aces and aros end up getting erased from history and this isn't about that.

This is about Guttero and the difficulty of finding aros and aces. The presence of something is so much easier to find than the alternative, obviously, like if Historical Figure X exclusively slept with/courted men and was a man we can say he was (most likely) gay. But if Historical Figure Y didn't sleep with anyone/court anyone it is harder to prove. This is obviously severely simplifying identity but for the purposes of this example I beg your apology.

Long Story Short: the absence of evidence of something is not proof of the absence of something. A lot of aphobes will point this out and utterly ignore the fact that sometimes it is.

So, Guttero. The only thing I can say conclusively is that he never married and he was romantically or sexually tied to anyone as far as I can find. He was, in his time, very active in the art world. If he had been involved someone would probably have taken note. Especially considering his art is often very appreciative of the human form, especially the male one, it would not be hard to believe he was allo and gay or mspec.

I am going to take his art another way putting some dusty analysis/critique/art history skills to good use. Here's the thing, those who follow me on my personal blog or even here know I find the Death of the Author extremely important but it is also extremely complicated (it was actually the topic of my senior thesis). I don't want to use an artist's work to talk about their personal lives because art is often not reflective of life, but there is always some cross contamination in one way or another. I am going to explain what I mean on a superficial level, using myself as an example so I can say this is 100% accurate. I love the found family trope, and I think those relationships are the best in the world. So whenever I write something you can be damned sure if I can get some found family goodness in there I will. What I am saying is, I don't love or even approve of everything I write about, but I do write about some things because I love them and want to explore them and experience them on some level. The same may be true for Guttero and the subjects he painted.

Guttero often pays a lot of attention to human form. Look at his work The Market (I couldn't find a large enough image to put it in this post) and you will see his appreciation for amab musculature and on the other side of the male spectrum...

(image description: Retrato de Lucien Cavarry [1911] It shows a thin, lanky, and well dressed young man reclining on a green floral patterned couch and a black pillow. He is pale with neat, dark hair. He has a shadow of 5 o'clock shadow on his super hero jaw. His suit is white, his slightly rumpled tie is black, as are his socks and polished shoes. One arm is across the back of the couch and a red and gold pillow the other is dangling. This style is very different from the other portraits I showed/referenced. Still a modern but more realistic style, more flowing, less geometric. The man is drop dead gorgeous by Western beauty standards. End ID)

As for women...he seems to find them colder, more distant, but there is still a physical appreciation there. (Linking Mujeres Indolentes so I don't get flagged for "female presenting nipples" or whatever Tumblr's BS is. [The name alone tells you a lot]). Or the somewhat judgemental gaze of the woman below:

(Image Description: Georgelina. It shows a portrait of a pretty young woman sitting in front of a field. She is pale and long and beautiful. She has red hair, sharp eyes, a long flowing white dress with a gold sash around her waist, and a white hat with a black bow that is blowing in the wind. She takes up most of the frame and her expression is challenging and she holds eye contact with the viewer. The colors are bright and she is almost porciline in color. The background is mostly flat planes of color. In style it is somewhere between the self portrait and the portrait of Cavarry. End ID.)

Not all of his portraits of women have them so sour/distant but they all have a sort of challenging look. Beauty tinged with something dangerous, while the men always seem more innocent.

So here is why I say aspec rather than allo using his work alone, none of his work is particularly sexually inviting even with the sexiness/physical European attractiveness. The men are bashful or unaware of the viewer, the women are certainly not interested.

And back to the self portrait at the top: Guttero is in a fairly sexy pose, but it is sexy without being sexual. He is rumpled but the thing he was doing was painting, there is a sexless explanation. He is looking at the viewer, but you are distracting him from working. At first glance I thought his legs were spread, but they are simply in motion so he can face his guest more comfortably. This all could mean nothing, but I found it striking that this is how he chose to depict himself, at first he appears to be inviting the viewer in for a more physical interaction, but then it seems he is doing exactly the opposite, his passionate energy has been instead put into painting.

And in reality toward the end of his life that was what he did. He dedicated himself to his own art and the art of others.

So again, this could mean nothing. But...it could mean he is aspec.

And that is how the person I am least sure about got the longest entry.

(image description: Elevadores [1928]. A painting showing a factory complex. There is a raised platform running around it and several buildings in bright colors. There is a tree to the right side and a green hill. The building in the near-center [lightly left] is red. The sky is yellow and blue, perhaps the unseen sun is rising up behind the right-hand buildings. In style it is mostly geometric and flat color. End ID.)

[ofaphrvdite]

silence ! raise the royal standard, for the princess of scotland, ADA STUART, has arrived. being 29 years old, she is out of line to the throne. many around the court call her the stepford smiler, by virtue of her being resilient and captivating, while also being deceitful and abrasive.  — played by lily collins.

- THE BASICS.

full name: ada isobel stuart-windsor name meaning: ada ‘noble, nobility’, isobel ‘pledged to god’ known in history as: the mummer’s queen, daughter of ice date of birth: october 25th, 1637/1990 age: twenty nine star sign: scorpio  profession: former circus performer, retired olympic gymnast and now a public figure (modern verse) / princess of scotland (royal verse) loyalty: scotland, house stuart, the entente alignment: neutral evil  mbti: estj spoken languages: scottish gaelic, english, advanced latin, advanced french, intermediate german, basic greek (royal verse) / english, intermediate scottish gaelic (modern verse) mother’s name: margaret stuart nee. moray father’s name: james stuart siblings, if any: duncan stuart, thirty six, david stuart (deceased) height: 5’5” hair colour: reddish brown  eye colour: brown

- BACKSTORY / MODERN VERSE.

born in the bar staff toilets of an oasis concert, her childhood would prove just as exciting. ada’s parents had met in school, and eloped in their final year when her grandfather’s circus left town. eventually, james stuart had inherited the business and went on to become it’s next ringmaster. margaret became the show’s star with her awe-inspiring, gut-wrenching tightrope act. as they popped out kids, each took up a skill as they grew older and ada was no different. having grown up watching her mum’s skyhigh grace with wonder, she opted first for gymnastics. and despite the family’s constant moving, they always found a local class for ada to train in - recognizing her natural talent for the sport.

as she got older, she and her brother david began to take their knack for acrobatics to higher heights. both keen to perform up high, like their mother, they started to choreograph a trapeze routine. it took months to manage even a basic routine, and even longer until it was ready to show to the paying public, but eventually they had an act people were raving about. dubbed a little too on the nose as the flying scots. 

as time went on, the two siblings grew more confident and began to add more complicated moves to their routine. thrilled with the reception and the business it brought in, their father only encouraged them despite margaret voicing her concerns. to up the tension, their dad began to tinker with things. often making changes the evening of the performance to keep things exciting. with every tweak, ada began to feel more anxious. saying on more than one occasion that they were taking too many risks. but her brother would wave off her worries and assure her everything would be alright. and ada, always trusting of her older brothers, believed him.

so seeing david plummet thirty feet to the ground after overshooting the safety net was more than just a shock.

he died before the ambulance could arrive, and ada was rescued by the fire service after refusing to climb down and causing even more panic as she went into hysterics forty feet above. the stuart circus was shut down that very same night, and ada took off after the funeral. too traumatised to look her father in the eye, blaming him alone for david’s death. of which he blamed himself, too. it would be many years before she could forgive her father and reconcile with her parents.

still, ada needed to make a living and could no longer fathom taking to the trapeze again despite the many offers from other companies. not without her partner. plus the prospect of ever being up that high again was enough to leave her a sobbing wreck. she was still a professionally trained gymnast, and despite everything, still enjoyed the feeling the sense of discipline offered her. after a few months of rigid training with a coach, ada was selected to join team great britain at eighteen. old by industry standards. still, she worked hard for years, picking up medals along the way. by the time the 2012 games rolled round, ada was one to watch. one of the most talented sportswomen competing for the country. she snatched up the gold medal, only just beating the united states and russia. at twenty two, she was nearing the end of her career. but managed just one last olympic games, where she took gold once more, before she announced her retirement at twenty six. 

whilst her professional career took off, so did her personal life. a new sponsor was brought on for the 2012 games. some oil company that could do with some brownie points with the public, a nice good news story. you know, x factor sob story shit. what should have been a business deal that she paid no mind to ended up leading to the man she would marry. as son of the ceo, ada found herself running into charles at various events and dinners. their banter eventually led to a true bond and the rest, as they say, is history.

charles became the grounding force she needed after years of travelling and turmoil, and ada was the much more reckless influence that she supposed he needed too. the pair are now happily married, a shock to both their families. ada’s having expected her to perhaps never settle down, much less with the son of a billionaire. and the less said for charles’ parents the better. not that ada has ever cared for other’s opinions, and now feels fully content in her life. well not quite. she’d like a truckload of kids too.

ada, now retired, spends most of her time campaigning for sports in schools and training the odd kid or too for the next generation. she’s a little restless without a regular job, but she’s learning to adapt to it. to find the peace in the quiet moments. 

- BACKSTORY / ROYAL VERSE.

the last child to james and margaret stuart and the first daughter, ada came into the world on the cusp of a cold winter - the bells ringing through until morning to announce the princess’ arrival. she was the hope scotland grasped in the dark and long months that followed. it didn’t take long for the country to fall in love with their beloved bana-phrionnsa.

growing up with two older brothers birthed a wild and rebellious spirit. the young scot loved to do things, wanting to learn as much as she was able and more. a firm favourite of her father, ada was not barred from the lessons her brother’s enjoyed and she often joined with their sword training and horseriding. though she loved the outside, ada enjoyed performing and dancing as well as sewing her own dresses. a keen animal lover, ada has grown up surrounded by pets.

that same spirit found itself dimmed once the young princess was sent south to england, to wed the crown prince. a betrothal that had been brokered when she and charles were both young and their two countries were in turmoil with two warring crowns. it was hoped their marriage would bring peace, and perhaps force scotland to behave with their prized princess in their clutches. with the war, bringing scotland into the coalition alliance made the betrothal all the more imperative - as did the money the scottish crown possessed through the queen’s family. though ada had no wish to wed, she was dutiful and loyal to her family and went willingly. it helped that she had taken a fancy for young prince charles, the two developing a bond quite young. childhood sweethearts, that’s what the songs ought to have sung.

after the wedding, ada took to preparing to become the next queen of england with her usual vigour and enthusiasm. though she held little love for the english, she wanted to be a good queen, one remembered throughout history as being loved by all. more than anything, she wanted to smooth the tensions between her old home and her new. she has ambitions beyond her own self, to do good for all as a strong humanitarian and wishes to enact change. ada learned all she could, making friends with the suspicious nobles who soon fell to her natural charm. for a time she was happy in her position, eagerly showing her new ladies the latest fashions and dances, tending to the growing fondness in her marriage, holding court with the noble women of england. her brother’s sudden death came as a great shock to her. but at least she had charles to lean on, taking great support in him as she maneuvered through the awful grief.

but no royal was allowed this much happiness, much less a future queen. in one fell swoop, the life she had built for herself was snatched away with the reveal of charles’ true parentage. the queen was put to death for her disloyalty, and ada went from queen-in-waiting to the wife of a bastard. and with the death of the king following not long after, she was forced to watch as victoria ascended to the throne. unable to shake the feeling that she had stolen what was hers as she was crowned in her place. it didn’t take long for bitterness to seep in. alone in a country she had no love for, with no position to protect her, ada had never felt more trapped.

there was no taking refuge in the arms of her husband now. once there had been love between a hopeful future king and queen. in their place were two ghosts, made into strangers by the lies that lay between them. expectations had changed them both, and perhaps they might never find their way back to the young children who once had the world on their shoulders. tied together for good, first by marriage and then the discovery that ada was pregnant, ada unwilling to annul the marriage and suffer a bastard child of her own. now stuck in a foreign court for what she feels will be the rest of her days. or at least her husband’s.

now known as the mummer’s queen after being humiliated on the world’s stage and made the joke of an entire country, ada is hellbent on grasping back power for her child. a birthright she feels has been stolen from them. skills she once learned at court to become a good queen she now deploys in her attempts to manipulate a court that would have been hers in a different world. she has grown more paranoid in her isolation, distrustful of most around her and suspicious of their motives and so often tries to control others to soothe her own anxieties about her position and future. though she plays the part of a soft and fallen woman well, it is a misleading facade she has created in her years in england. beneath that she is indeed a venomous snake waiting to strike.

now with everyone reconvening at versailles to continue talks, ada has joined begrudgingly with charles but with ulterior motives of her own. reunited with her brother, now the king of scotland following their father’s unfortunate death ( some say it was from a broken heart, devastated after the loss of a son and ruin of a daughter ), the two siblings have begun to draw up great plans in secret. her loyalty to her family is one thing the english have not managed to taint, in fact they have made it stronger than ever. while europe plans for peace, ada has set her sights higher than the english throne, plotting to crown her child the next ruler of scotland. she now fixates on that future, never wavering from what she wants. though she has always been opportunistic, she has a longer term vision than the one her father originally envisioned for her. however, she is no fool. ada will continue to bide her time, careful in how she will rise to power as she reminds her brother they are playing no game. what they scheme is dangerous and could get them both killed. perhaps that is why she leaves her husband out of her plans for now, a small part of her not willing to put him in danger. a larger part having no trust in him at all. placing all blame on his shoulders, whether it is deserved or not.

ada is a lethal schemer. no longer the young and fun loving girl she had once been. she is long dead and perhaps might never return. she devises the ruin of some and ascension of others like a cat with a mouse, playing with their lives as if they were meaningless. with her elaborate plans and intricate schemes, nothing will please her more than to trap all those who mock her now. beware her complex designs, for she means no one any good once she has decided you are her enemy.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

10 Best Moments from Season 1 of “Anne with an E”

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Canadian children’s series, Anne of Green Gables, has been adapted many times in the more than a century since it was first published. When recreating a story that has been part of the childhoods of Canadians and other children around the world for generations, there are certain elements that must remain the same and others that can be invented or updated to keep the story fresh and captivating.

Anne with an E (or just Anne, in Canada) is the CBC’s most recent adaptation of the classic, in partnership with Netflix U.S. It stays true to the essentials of the original work with pristine casting, beautiful cinematography, plotlines and dialogue that are lifted right from the novel. But it also took the chance to modernize the story in a way that makes it relatable and necessary in today’s world, by including a “Progressive Mothers Sewing Circle” and multiple conversations and conflicts around feminism, choice, and education.

Here are 10 of the best moments from Season 1 of Anne with an E:

Anne’s journey to Green Gables - 1x01 “Your Will Shall Decide Your Destiny”

Anne Shirley’s (Amybeth McNulty) romantic descriptions of Prince Edward Island throughout the series made it an ideal place in the hearts and minds of many young readers, and the sweeping shots and attention given to Anne’s enrapturement as she travels with Matthew Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson) from Bright River to Green Gables capture this sense of wonder beautifully.

This journey also introduces us to Anne, through the eyes of Matthew: she’s talkative, full of big words and bigger ideas, and in possession of an imagination of the likes Matthew — nor anyone in Avonlea — has ever seen before.

All of this is perhaps best captured as Anne and Matthew ride down the Avenue, a lane shaded by drooping cherry trees blooming with white blossoms, which Anne promptly renames “The White Way of Delight.”

Of course, Anne’s overwhelming happiness at finding a home in the most beautiful place in the world is overshadowed by the viewer’s knowledge that Matthew and his sister Marilla (Geraldine James) had expected a boy instead, something Anne has not yet realized and is sure to ruin her dreams of feeling wanted and loved.

“She’s my daughter!” - 1x02 “I Am No Bird, and No Net Ensnares Me”

If this moment didn’t melt your heart, you’re made of stone.

After Marilla sends Anne away for theft — which they soon learn was a wrongful accusation — Matthew chases her to Bright River, then to Charlottetown, then across the strait to Nova Scotia; he sustains an injury to the head upon almost spotting her in Charlottetown and he fruitlessly looks for her at the orphanage, before finally finding her at a train station where she’s collecting money by selling stories for a ticket to Halifax.

Anne is unforgiving when she first sees Matthew again, understandably hurt and unwilling to give him a second chance. A well-meaning stranger gets between them, worried that Matthew means her harm, but Matthew quickly dissipates the situation with a single sentence: “She’s my daughter.”

They’re words that Anne has been longing to hear and believe her entire life and she forgives Matthew immediately, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, and together they return to Avonlea.

Marilla talks to Anne - 1x02 “I Am No Bird, and No Net Ensnares Me”

Marilla is not one to wear even a sliver of her heart on her sleeve, and talking openly to Anne — who is so different from Marilla that she doesn’t even know where to begin — doesn’t come easily to her. Anne has no idea how her brief absence affected Marilla and instead assumes that Marilla doesn’t want or even like her, and it’s only because of Matthew that she concedes to keeping the child around.

Marilla does her best to smooth over her rocky beginning with Anne, in a speech made even more sweet by how obviously difficult Marilla finds it. “Anne, will you forgive me? I am very sorry, Anne. [...] You’re a truthful girl, Anne, even now, and that is an admirable quality. This was my fault. And all that you went through because of it. It’s a wonder you came back to Green Gables at all.”

An adult admitting their wrongs and asking a child for forgiveness is refreshing to see, especially given the time period. Proving that she does have a heart, and a heavy sense of remorse, does much to repair Marilla’s relationship with Anne, and although Anne will never feel the same sense of kinship with her as she does with Matthew, they grow to love each other deeply.

The PMSC (Progressive Mothers Sewing Circle) - 1x03 “But What is So Headstrong as Youth?”

Now that she’s adopted Anne, Marilla is invited to join the PMSC by several other mothers of young girls, a society that discusses and believes in progressive matters, such as girls’ education and equality between women and men.

It’s a clever opportunity for the show to discuss modern ideas in a 19th century setting, and Marilla, an older woman with a conservative bent, is a good viewpoint to see it from. At Marilla’s first meeting, the women discuss books and feminism and being a modern women in a modern world. Marilla is quite out of her depth, but is more than willing to listen and learn and even change her own ways of thinking.

Later, Marilla has a lively debate with her neighbour and friend Rachel Lynde (Corrine Koslo) about the PMSC, of which Rachel is no big proponent of, asking if the women “took turns shouting atop a soapbox” (a common misconception of feminism, even today).

“There was a lot of civilized talk about women’s education and social reforms,” Marilla replies.

Even Matthew chimes in on the discussion when he comes in to tea: “I reckon every new idea was modern once, until it wasn’t.”

Gilbert’s introduction - 1x03 “But What is So Headstrong as Youth?”

In almost any iteration of the Anne of Green Gables series, Gilbert Blythe (Lucas Jade Zumann) is nearly as essential to the story as Anne herself is. For generations, his character has been the object of countless fictional crushes and Anne’s relationship with him is a main driving force of the plot; such a character deserves a hero’s introduction.

And a hero’s introduction he receives. Anne’s on her way to school when she’s confronted by Billy Andrews, who threatens her for unintentionally spreading rumours about his sister. That’s when Gilbert appears, who immediately diffuses the situation by greeting Billy as a friend and suggesting they get to school, while Anne looks on in (surprisingly) wordless shock.

Anne runs from Gilbert and they’re not properly introduced until they reach the school, where she finally finds her tongue, tells him her name, and realizes that he’s the famous Gilbert Blythe as he’s immediately swarmed by his admiring classmates.

Gilbert has always seen Anne differently than everyone else, and feels a pull to her from the start. Where everyone else — including Anne — believes her to be homely and judges her harshly for coming from an orphan’s asylum, Gilbert says, “Why do I care where she’s from? A cute girl is a cute girl.”

(Later, when the class laughs at Anne for her dramatic reading of a poem, Gilbert only sees it as admirable: “She’s good. Invested.”)

Anne and Marilla discuss Anne’s future - 1x04 “An Inward Treasure Born”

After several weeks off, Anne is ready to go to school again. But she’s still concerned about what the minister told her earlier in the episode, about her not needing to go to school and becoming a wife instead. Ever since she heard that, Anne has been contemplating what it is she would like to be when she grows up.

Marilla is progressive enough and loves Anne enough to view the minister’s thinking as old-fashioned, and tells Anne that she should decide for herself what she would like to be and set her mind to it.

Gentle moments like this one between Marilla and Anne are rare, which makes them all the more touching when they come along. Marilla is new to parenthood, and while she certainly struggles with some aspects of it (and Anne is no easy child to raise, either), this is something that comes surprisingly natural to her. She always seems to know just what to say to ease Anne’s mind, and her unwavering faith in Anne’s intelligence and goodness is raw and honest, when she chooses to express it.

“You’ve got a good and nimble mind, Anne. I don’t see why you should limit it. In my day, we didn’t get to choose. I think you should make your own decision.” This statement means a lot, especially coming from Marilla, who wasn’t given the opportunity to choose her own path due to her family situation.

Anne saves Minnie May’s life - 1x06 “Remorse is the Poison of Life”

Anne’s experiences as an orphan prior to coming to Green Gables have her poorly adjusted for many things, but have taught her many things no child should be expected to know — including how to deal with croup.

When her dearest friend Diana’s little sister, Minnie May, falls ill on a night when both her parents and half the town are in Charlottetown to see the premier, Diana (Dalila Bela) goes to Anne for help. Anne immediately sends Matthew into town to fetch the doctor, while she accompanies Diana back to the house.

What follows is an extremely tense scene in which Anne does everything in her power to save Minnie May’s life — including employing remedies from old wives’ tales — while Diana and her Aunt Josephine (Deborah Grover) look on in shock.

The moment Minnie May coughs and breathes again after several minutes of choking silently on phlegm is an exceedingly powerful one. Anne’s role in saving the little girl’s life — when the doctor arrives, he confirms that Minnie May would have died otherwise — causes Diana’s mother to forgive her after the unfortunate currant wine incident of a month before and allow the two to be friends again, and raises her esteem greatly in the eyes of Aunt Josephine.

Anne and Gilbert talk about grief - 1x06 “Remorse is the Poison of Life”

For several months after the incident in which Gilbert called Anne “Carrots” and she responded by smashing her slate over his head, Anne holds to her promise not to have anything to do with him unless absolutely necessary. It’s not until Gilbert’s father dies and Anne feels that this is something she can relate to him about — after all, now they’re both orphans — that she makes any effort to actually talk to him.

Unfortunately, Anne isn’t a natural when it comes to sympathizing and not only does she not pick up on the fact that the last thing Gilbert wants is to talk to someone, but she manages to say exactly the wrong thing.

“Being an orphan has its challenges but you already have so many advantages, you’ll be much better off than I was. And...I didn’t know my parents. They died when I was a baby, so I couldn’t fend for myself the way that you can. And I don’t remember my parents at all, but you’ll always be able to remember your father. You know, when you think about it, you’re really very lucky.”

Later, Anne realizes that Gilbert has lost someone in a way she never has since she never knew her parents and thus never mourned them; however, when she arrives at Gilbert’s house to tell him this, he has already gone.

“I choose myself. That way I’ll never be disappointed.” - 1x06 “Remorse is the Poison of Life”

While out on a walk to “take advantage of the winter air,” Aunt Josephine comes upon Anne in her clubhouse, yelling aggrievedly to no one about Gilbert Blythe.

“What you heard just now had nothing to do with romance,” Anne assures the old woman, which leads into a discussion about Anne’s future and how all the other girls at school dream only of becoming a wife, and Anne herself has so many other ambitions.

Aunt Josephine is perhaps uniquely situated to give Anne advice, having never gotten married herself but spent her life living with the woman she loved (a relationship Anne hasn’t yet realized extended far past the realms of friendship).

“I have the following thoughts to offer,” Aunt Josephine says. “First, you can get married any time in your life, if you choose to do so. And two: if you choose a career, you can buy a white dress yourself, have it made to order, and wear it whenever you want.”

Aunt Josephine’s words do much to improve Anne’s mood, and she promptly exclaims, “I’m going to be my own woman.”

Gilbert and Anne meet in Charlottetown - 1x07 “Wherever You Are is My Home”

While in Charlottetown pawning goods in the hopes of saving Green Gables, Anne runs into Gilbert, who’s there to work on the docks. Anne is inexplicably happy to see him again, and the two go for coffee together.

Anne finally gets the chance to apologize to Gilbert for what she said after his father’s death, even if it’s an apology he doesn’t need to hear. The two strike up a truce and at last seem to form the beginnings of a friendship — with Anne even admitting that she’s missed him (although, supposedly, only in school).

Neither of them seem quite prepared to leave the other without knowing when they’ll see each other again (even Jerry notices the long looks that pass between them) and when they do eventually meet again, it’s easy to assume that a fundamental aspect of their relationship will have changed.

Season 2 of Anne With An E premieres September 23 on CBC in Canada, and is already available on Netflix in the U.S.

[christsbride]

Who was John The Apostle?

 The Apostle John is an extremely important figure when it comes to our knowledge about what Jesus did and taught.  He is also extremely important in early church history.  He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was also one of the Twelve Apostles.  He was ready for anything did the most he could out of his love for Christ.  John Coming To Faith "Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them."  (Matthew 4:21).  Notice it is Jesus that called John and not the other way around.   John's Witness of Jesus John was named as one of the original 12 Apostles (Matthew 10:2).   He and his older brother James were nicknamed "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17).  The nickname reflected their readiness for anything.  When things went down, John was ready.  Jesus attempted to find accommodations for the night in one place but was met with opposition from the villagers, simply because His destination was Jerusalem—a result of Jew-Samaritan prejudice. “When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’” (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebuked the brothers, and they all went to another village.  John was ready to throw down, but Jesus was more merciful than John. John was part of the most inner circle of Jesus where he was granted the opportunity to see some great events.  The only witnesses of the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:37), of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), and of the Agony in Gethsemani (Matthew 26:37).  Jesus specifically only allowed them to witnesses such events (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51).  Jesus chose him for specific tasks as well (Luke 22:8) Not only was he part of the 12 and in the most inner circle, he, himself, was very close to Jesus (John 13:23, 21:20).  He was so close to Jesus in fact, that at the cross, Jesus chose him to be the guardian of His mother, Mary (John 19:25-26). Having this closeness to Jesus himself allowed for him to inquire in greater detail the teachings of Jesus and the mind of God. (Mark 9:38, 10:35, 13:3) John and The Crucifixion John was present at the scene of the Crucifixion.  Close enough where Jesus spoke to him while hanging on the cross (John 19:25-26).  Therefore he was an eye witness the moment Jesus let up his spirit and physically died on the cross. John and The Resurrection Because of his closeness to Jesus, once Mary discovered the empty tomb, she came and told the unofficial leader of the group, Peter, AND John.  (John 20:2).  It was then John who first recognized the resurrected Jesus (John 21:7).  He was a witness of and with the risen Jesus being taught until Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:2-4). John and The Accession   John, and the remaining 10 other Apostles were with Jesus when he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6-11).  With his own eyes, he saw Jesus literally ascend to heaven. John's Ministry Work

John began his ministry work with the other Apostles in Jerusalem following Pentecost (Acts 1:13).   They would still attend the temple for prayer but he was becoming more infamous and recognizable.  It is also important to note that John (and Peter) were not wealthy, nor did they seek wealth from all they had experienced.  They instead felt that the message, the gospel of Jesus Christ was far greater than material gain (Acts 3:3).  John's gospel message was validated by God through healing and other miracles (Acts 3:4-11). 

  This drew the attention of those who disbelieved in Jesus.  John was put in Jail for proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:1-3, 13). John then traveled to Samaria (Acts 8:14).  But he made sure that all the people of Israel had heard the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:24).  John verified the Apostle Paul and agreed with the need for the gentiles to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ at the Council of Jerusalem around 51AD (Galatians 2:9).  John, with the other Apostles, remained about twelve years in this first ministry field, until the persecution of Herod Agrippa I led to the scattering of the Apostles through the various provinces of the Roman Empire (Acts 12:1-17).  When Paul came again to Jerusalem after the second and after the third journey (Acts 18:22; 21:17) he seems no longer to have met John there. Some draw the conclusion from this that John left Palestine between the years 52 and 55 AD. It seems that John then traveled to Ephesus, got arrested, taken to Rome, attempted to be executed but the execution failed, he was then banished to Patmos.  Once the Roman Emperor died, he then traveled back to Ephesus where he remained until his death. According to Tertullian's testimony (De praescript., xxxvi), John had been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil before the Porta Latina at Rome without suffering injury.  From there he would have been bannished to Patmos.  Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology.  Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. [not to mention not being injured by being thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil would have been viewed as magic].  Three of the islands in the Sporades were places where political offenders were banished. (Pliny, Natural History 4.69–70; Tacitus, Annals 4.30).  Eusebius (Church History III.13.1) and others we are obliged to place the Apostle's banishment to Patmos in the reign of the Emperor Domitian (81-96AD).  After Domitian's death the Apostle returned to Ephesus during the reign of Trajan.  In "Dialogue with Tryphon" (Chapter 81) Justin Martyr refers to "John, one of the Apostles of Christ" as a witness who had lived "with us", that is, at Ephesus.  Irenæus speaks in very many places of the Apostle John and his residence in Asia and expressly declares that he wrote his Gospel at Ephesus (Against Heresies III.1.1), and that he had lived there until the reign of Trajan (loc. cit., II, xxii, 5).  God spared John from Roman execution so that he would write his letters and ultimately Revelations.   Different Johns? Some modern scholars argue that there are many different Johns that wrote the various letters attributed to John The Apostle.  Eusebius states "It is said that in this persecution the apostle and evangelist John, who was still alive, was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos in consequence of his testimony to the divine word."  Here Eusebius associates the titles of apostle and evangelist to one John.  Then Eusebius then states "It was at this time that the apostle John returned from his banishment in the island and took up his abode at Ephesus, according to an ancient Christian tradition."  So there is no confusion that Eusebius stated that the evangelist John as the same John that was banished and returned to Ephesus.  In Chapter 3, he again states "At that time the apostle and evangelist John, the one whom Jesus loved, was still living in Asia, and governing the churches of that region, having returned after the death of Domitian from his exile on the island."  This time, also associating the comment "one whom Jesus loved" with John The Evangelist.  Irenæus and Clement of Alexandria. stated (quoted by Eusebius) "The former in the second book of his work Against Heresies, writes as follows: And all the elders that associated with John the disciple of the Lord in Asia bear witness that John delivered it to them. For he remained among them until the time of Trajan...And in the third book of the same work he attests the same thing in the following words: But the church in Ephesus also, which was founded by Paul, and where John remained until the time of Trajan, is a faithful witness of the apostolic tradition. Some modern scholars try to make the claim that Revelations or Apocalypse of John was written by a different John.  But Irenaeus states this: "Such, then, being the state of the case, and this number being found in all the most approved and ancient copies of the Apocalypse, and those men who saw John face to face bearing their testimony to it" (Chapter XXX).  Eusebius states: "After this must be reckoned the epistles of Paul; next in order the extant former epistle of John, and likewise the epistle of Peter, must be maintained. After them is to be placed, if it really seem proper, the Apocalypse of John, concerning which we shall give the different opinions at the proper time. These then belong among the accepted writings."  He states that the Apocalypse of John belongs with all the accepted writings from the Apostles.  Secondly, notice, the author is named along with The Apostle Peter.  Tertullian validates The Apocalypse of John as authoritative as he uses it to as proof (Book III).  John The Apostle and John The Evangelist are the same person but titles given to the different phases of witness.  After being an Apostle of Jesus Christ, he then became an evangelist to all the world about what he had experienced and learned as an Apostle.  The different title does not denote a different person.  John of Patmos clearly just signifies the location in the discussion about John.  Again, does not automatically denote a different John.  John The Presbyter is a title that denotes a managing spiritual role within the church.  Again, does not denote a different person, just a different role.  When considering the life of John, we see that he endured different phases within the church.  He went from being an Apostle of Jesus, to Evangelist and proclaiming what Jesus taught.  Then, when the church was more established, he took a more Presbyter role in establishing the next generation of leaders. Thus, The Apostle John was also an Evangelist, Presbyter, and Elder.  What about 2 John and 3 John? In these letters, John identifies himself as an "Elder".  Does this mean it is a different John?  Not exactly.  Peter calls himself and Elder in 1 Peter 5:1.  And there is no question, 1 Peter was written by Apostle Peter.  In the Gospel of John, he does not use his own name; because it was not about him.  In his letters he does, because of the authority and truth of his witness. There are similarities between passages in the Johannine epistles and the writings of Polycarp and Papias.  Which could make sense considering they were both disciples of John.  Irenaeus in Adversus Haereses 3.16.8 (written c. 180), quotes 2 John as authority from the Apostles.  The Muratorian Canon seems to refer to two letters of John only but when considering the type of letter 3 John was, a personal letter, it may not have been circulated due to the personal nature of the letter.  One factor which helps explain the late attestation of 3 John and the doubts about its authority is the very short nature of the letter; early writers may simply not have had occasion to quote from it.  Other possibilities, due to the shortness and similarity to 2 John, it may have been considered part of 2 John.  Regardless, All three Johannine epistles were recognized by the 39th festal letter of Athanasius, the Synod of Hippo and the Council of Carthage. The Disciples of John Papias;  Eusebius, in his "Chronicle" he expressly calls the Apostle John the teacher of Papias ("ad annum Abrah 2114") as does Jerome also in Ep. lxxv, "Ad Theodoram", iii, and in Illustrious Men 18.  Irenæus also positively designates the Apostle and Evangelist John as the teacher of Papias, and neither he nor any other writer before Eusebius had any idea of a other person named John in Asia (Against Heresies V.33.4).  Ignatius writes to John, calls him the Holy Presbyter and connects this name to being closely related to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Also notice John is absent from them [probably in Patmos or Ephesus at this time] and Ignatius also points out that "She is the lady of our new religion and repentance".  Jesus told John to personally care for his mother and the fact that Ignatius states their faith is "new" shows the closeness to the origins of the faith. (IGNATIUS, First Epistle to St John) "Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom...There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “Dost thou know me?” “I do know thee, the first-born of Satan.” (IRENÆUS, Chapter III). Who was John, personally? John was a fisherman in his families fishing business.  He then met Jesus and became a disciple of Jesus.  He became so close to Jesus he was called the one whom Jesus loved.  He was there for it all.  The miracles, rare miraculous moments, at the cross, seeing the empty tomb, recognizing the risen Jesus, witnessing Jesus' ascension, traveling to proclaim Jesus Christ, establishing churches and disciplining some of the most predominate church fathers.  John was ride or die with Jesus.  He was ready to throw down at a moments notice if Jesus commanded anything.  He was ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy hostel forces for Jesus.  Of course, Jesus rebuked them, seeing how unnecessary that was; he was still willing.  He was arrested and Roman attempted to execute him but they could not.  Despite facing death, the proclaimed Jesus regardless of what the world threw at him.  He was threatened, arrested, almost executed, and banished; yet never stopped writing, teaching, and proclaiming.  It was his passion for Christ that gave him the drive and will to continue and do to what ever was asked of him by God.  He loved Christ so dearly, his own life did not count.  His passion for Christ is seen in his disciples.  They thoroughly knew the truth of God, and he ensured they did.  He even wrote personal letters to show the love of Christ.  He wanted everyone to love Christ the way Christ deserved to be loved; utmost selfless self sacrificial devotion. What Did John Teach Specifically?

Apostolic Authority

eye witnesses 1 John 1:1-3,5, 4:14; Rev. 1:2, 11, 19, 21:8

Test anyone claiming to be an Apostle Rev. 2:2

 Completeness of Scripture

Scripture Alone 1 John 1:4, 2:24, 27, 5:13, 20; Rev. 22:18-19

Going too far and teaching what scripture does not teach 2 John 1:9

God The Father

Jesus was with the father and came from the father 1 John 1:2 

Jesus is our only advocate with The Father 1 John 2:2

God alone adopts his chosen children 1 John 3:1, 5:2

God The Father sent his Son 1 John 4:14

God The Son

Deity of Jesus 1 John 1:2 

Jesus, Son of God 1 John 1:3, 2 John 1:3

Jesus is the only way to salvation 1 John 2:23, 4:9, 5:11-12

Jesus is God's only begotten Son 1 John 4:9

Only Jesus is holy and worthy Rev. 4:1-5, 5:11-14

God The Holy Spirit

The Spirit enables us to love God 1 John 3:24 

The Spirit testifies about Jesus Christ 1 John 5:6

The Holy Spirit is God 1 John 5:9-10

God

God's love is perfected by loving God and our neighbor 1 John 2:5 

God is omniscient 1 John 3:20 

Commanded to believe in The Son Jesus Christ and love one another 1 John 3:23, 2 John 1:5-6

God is love 1 John 4:8, 16

God alone is due all glory and praise, on earth and in heaven Rev. 4:9-11

Jesus the Son of Man

Sinlessness of Jesus 1 John 3:5 

Physically died, but lives forever Rev. 1:17-18

Satan

The Evil One 1 John 2:13-14 

The devil 1 John 3:8

Those who live in sin, are of the devil, not of God 1 John 3:8

Sinners without Christ are Children of The Devil 1 John 3:10

Satan can not touch Children of God 1 John 5:18

The world lies in the power of the evil one 1 John 5:19

Satan imprisons faithful Christians Rev 2:10

Polycarp of Smyrna, along with fellow believers was arrested, traveled to Rome and martyred in the Colosseum in around 150AD.  Only 55 or so years after Rev. 2:9-10 was penned.

Sin

Sinlessness is a lie, all are sinners 1 John 1:8,10

Recognition of sin 1 John 1:9

Faith in Jesus covers all our sins 1 John 2:1

Jesus alone, pleased God for our sin payment 1 John 2:3, 4:10

Jesus' payment for sin can cover all sins in all the world 1 John 2:3 

lust of the flesh, pride of life is not of God 1 John 2:16

Sin is lawlessness 1 John 3:4

Hate is murder 1 John 3:15

We did not love God, but God loved us 1 John 4:10, 19

God forgives all sins, except apostasy and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 1 John 5:16-17

Total depravity Rev. 1:5

Election

anointing from God, not man 1 John 2:27 

The church is chosen 2 John 1:1

Salvation

False claims of salvation 1 John 1:6, 2:4, 9, 11, 15, 19, 4:20

Jesus' Atonement, not works 1 John 1:7, 2:12

Jesus died for all sins, past, present, and future 1 John 1:7,9

Once saved, always saved 1 John 2:19, 3:9, 4:17, 5:18; Rev. 3:5

The chosen are anointed by God 1 John 2:20, 4:10

Jesus promises eternal life, not material gains 1 John 2:25

free from sin and covered by Jesus' sinlessness 1 John 3:6

three proofs of salvation through Jesus: baptism, Jesus' blood, and the Holy Spirit 1 John 5:6

Christian Living

Spiritual maturity 1 John 2:1,18

Keeping Jesus' command to love God and our neighbor 1 John 2:3, 10, 3:11, 4:11, 21

Imitate Jesus 1 John 2:6, 29, 3:7

Do not love the world or material possessions 1 John 2:15

Seek the will of God 1 John 2:17

true love is selfless self sacrificial 1 John 3:16

helping the needed is love 1 John 3:17

true love manifests in deeds 1 John 3:18

Guard our selves from making idols 1 John 5:21 

No greater joy than walking in truth 3 John 1:4

God reproves and disciplines those he loves Rev. 3:19

Support godly believers 3 John 1:8, 12

Poverty is not a sign lack of Godly favor Rev. 2:9

Wealth can be a sign of spiritual poverty Rev. 3:17

Prayer

we receive what ever we ask because we are inline with God's will 1 John 3:22 

All that which is according to God's Will 1 John 5:14

The Future

The world is passing away 1 John 2:17 

The last hour of the world 1 John 2:18

Many antichrists have came 1 John 2:18

The tribulation has already started Rev. 1:9

Jesus is coming back 1 John 2:28

Every one will witness his return Rev. 1:7

Our glorification 1 John 3:2-3

A great multitude, countless, from every nation and all tribes will die during the great tribulation Rev. 7:9,14

The Seventh Seal and the beginning of the destruction of the universe and God's judgement on the world Rev. 8:7-13

Jesus will come in a robe dripping with blood of his enemies Rev. 19:13-16

Final judgement of all people, past and present Rev. 20:12-15

New heaven and new earth Rev. 21:1-2

God makes all things new Rev. 21:5

False Prophets, Antichrists, deceivers

Test all claims 1 John 4:1

Many antichrists have come 1 John 2:18

Many false prophets are in the world 1 John 4:1

Anitchrists deny Jesus as Christ and only Messiah 1 John 2:22

Anitchrists deny the Son of God and God The Father 1 John 2:22

they try and deceive 1 John 2:26, 3:7

no one has seen God at any time 1 John 4:12 

Faith is the victory, not health, wealth or prosperity 1 John 5:4

some Deceivers say Christ was not in the flesh 2 John 1:7 

Do not receive False Prophets, Antichrists, deceivers into your house 2 John 1:10

receiving and entertaining them is participating with them 2 John 1:11

The world hates you for your faith 1 John 3:13

The spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world 1 John 4:3

They are from the world, and the world listens to them 1 John 4:5

Call people out by name 3 John 1:9-10; Rev. 2:6, 20

John saw extraordinary things and was empowered by God to do extraordinary things.  His testimony and witness was critical for the church.  His direct influence was immeasurable.  He, himself, (through the power of the Holy Spirit) discipled Polycarp, Papias, and Ignatius.  Polycarp (died 155AD) discipled Irenaeus, and Irenaeus (died 202AD) in turn discipled Hippolytus of Rome (died 235AD). Origen of Alexandria (died 255AD) heard Hippolytus preach as a young man.  The funeral of Hippolytus was conducted by Justin the Confessor who was also later martyred for refusing to denounce his faith in 269AD; a faith that stemmed all the way down from John The Apostle's testimony and witness almost 170 years earlier. When looking at what The Apostle John taught and did, it is hard to recognize his influence in the popular church teachers now.   He boldly proclaimed the deepest truths of God, preached about sin and repentance, warned about false prophets and antichrists, and dared to call people out by name.  A boldness that more modern preachers would find "too offensive".  Even his teachings about true love do not reflect the 'self love' teachings of modern preachers.  Does your preacher teach like John The Apostle of Jesus Christ? If you have any questions or comments about this article please contact us or join our discussion forms

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[frontiervolunteering]

Shark Conservation: Why Is It Important To Protect Our Ocean Predators?

In modern times, the word ‘shark’ has become synonymous with ‘danger’. In modern times, the word ‘shark’ has become synonymous with ‘danger’. The rise of blockbuster films such as Jaws and Sharknado and their depiction of sharks as terrifying, merciless human-killers has very much promoted an 'us vs them' mentality surrounding sharks - but are they really deserving of such an infamous reputation?

On average, around twelve people per year die from incidents involving sharks- whereas the number of sharks killed by humans for trade and industry rests at a staggering estimate of 100 million. Even amongst the more vicious species of shark- the great white, for instance- humans are not their preferred species of prey. The only time a human is likely to be attacked by a shark is if that shark is feeling threatened by the human’s presence. Considering an average of 11, 417 sharks are killed per hour for doing nothing other than swimming near the ocean surface, this seems mightily unfair.

It’s enough to make us wonder who the real predator is when it comes to matters of the sea.

So why do we need to protect sharks?

Sharks are an essential part of ocean maintenance: without them, populations of smaller predators are liable to experience exponential growth and disrupt the entire ecosystem- being what we call ‘apex predators’, sharks regulate the species diversity of the ocean and ensure the marine life is balanced. As with any ecosystem, the predators rest at the top of the food chain; when you take the predator away, chaos ensues as secondary predators repopulate rapidly and destroy the balance of that ecosystem.

Flickr | Shark | Bryan Scott

Without sharks, second-tier predators increase abundantly and begin to feed on herbivores such as the parrotfish. As a result, the herbivore population shrinks which has innumerable ramifications for both the ocean ecosystem and the human fishing industry. This is especially important within coral reefs, where the algae that would usually be regulated by herbivores is left to dominate- and eventually destroy- the coral.

Why are so many sharks killed?

The answer to this question is simple. Sharks are killed mainly for profit. Shark fins, especially, fetch extravagant prices in trade and in the food industry. Shark fin soup, widely regarded as an Asian delicacy, has risen in popularity over the last few decades, meaning the number of sharks hunted for their fins has increased. Although virtually tasteless (the flavour comes from the sauce, not the fin itself!) shark fin soup can cost over one hundred US dollars a bowl- sometimes more- depending on the species of shark.

This process of catching shark to take their fins- known as ‘shark finning’- has legal restriction in several countries, yet goes largely unmonitored and still occurs even where there are specific laws against it. The method involves catching a shark in a net, removing the fin, and then releasing it back into the sea- a barbaric process which leaves the shark injured and susceptible to suffocation, blood loss, and attack from other predators.

Whilst shark finning itself may be illegal in some countries, there is nowhere that currently has any restrictions on the trading of shark fins. With how much profit is involved in shark finning, it is unlikely to stop anytime soon unless limitations and laws are put in place to restrict the trade and consumption of shark fins.

Flickr | James Watt/NOAA Office of Marine National Sanctuaries, 2002 | Whitetip Reef Shark in a Cave

What can be done about it?

Whilst shark finning bans are a starting point to tackle the problem of shark endangerment, they are still a long way from being a complete solution. Illegal shark finning still goes on unmonitored in countries that do have bans as it is not enforced heavily enough and lacks the required management. Perhaps what needs to be introduced is a restriction on the trading of shark fins, as this will limit the industry’s power over their profit.

Shark conservation areas- also known as ‘shark sanctuaries’- exist in various locations around the world, working to protect sharks from the dangers of fishing and provide an area in which they are not at threat from human activity. These areas are often absolute in their fishing laws and ensure that sharks are healthy and safe enough to thrive within their natural habitat.

The protection and conservation of sharks is of major importance for our world and the role they play in maintaining our ecosystems should not be undervalued any longer. Say goodbye to the violent beasts depicted in the last Jaws movie- sharks are vital for the survival of our planet and they need our help.

By Kayleigh Crawford - Voices for the Future

Voices For The Future is a platform for the younger generation to have their say about environmental issues, nature, travel and community.

Having a published article online is always  beneficial when applying for work experience, internships, jobs and university applications and we love to hear your opinions. If you are aged 16+ and would like to get your voice heard then send an email to marketing@frontier.ac.uk to register your interest.

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[politicoscope]

Roger Stone Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/roger-stone-biography-and-profile/

Roger Stone Biography and Profile

Roger Stone (Roger Jason Stone Jr.) was born on 27 August, 1952 in Connecticut, USA. The website CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates Roger Stone’s net worth at $5 million. Mr Stone first got involved in politics at the age of 8, agitating for Democratic candidate John F Kennedy. A political veteran, Mr Stone has worked with Republicans since the 1970s and bears a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. Roger Stone, a political strategist and long-time ally of President Donald Trump.

Roger Jason Stone Jr. Having a Richard Nixon Tattoo

“It’s always better to be talked about than not talked about,” Roger Stone, longtime confidant of President Donald Trump, once told the Miami Herald in an interview. “And the biggest sin in politics is to be boring.”

But his most visible work has been on his books. The Man Who Killed Kennedy essentially argues that Lyndon Johnson shot his way into the White House, ordering the deaths of nearly a score of men over the course of his political career — the last of them Kennedy, gunned down by a convicted Texas murderer named Malcolm Wallace who was “Lyndon Johnson’s personal hit man.”

Roger Jason Stone Jr. Full Biography Roger Stone pundit and legendary American Republican political consultant who has played a key role in the election of Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to Donald J. Trump.

Ronald Reagan and Roger Jason Stone Jr.

Roger Stone is the subject of the smash hit Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone and serves as a political commentator for InfoWars.

Stone is the author of The Man Who Killed Kennedy – the Case Against LBJ (Skyhorse). Stone is also the author of Tricky Dick, a broader look at the rise and fall and rise and fall and final comeback of Richard Milhouse Nixon, the Bush Crime Family, an inside look at that corrupt American dynasty, the Clinton’s War on Women, the definitive work on the shocking crimes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and The Making of the President 2016 – how Donald Trump orchestrated a revolution.

A friend an advisor to Donald Trump for over 30 years Roger Stone urged Donald Trump to seek the Presidency as early as 1988 and again in 2000, 2016 and finally 2016.

Stone has also chronicled men’s fashion for the New York Times and the Daily Caller. His annual “Ten Best and Worst Dressed” list has been featured on the Daily Caller and StoneOnStyle.com since 2009. Stone serves as Men’s Style Correspondent for the Daily Caller as well as hosting the War Room on InfoWars.com five days a week.

A Goldwater zealot in grade-school after a neighbor gave him Barry Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative, Stone was elected Young Republican National Chairman in 1977.

Stone was appointed Chairman of Youth for Nixon for Connecticut by Gov. John Davis Lodge who would become Stone’s mentor. Stone was the youngest member of the staff in President Richard Nixon’s re-election camping in 1972, the notorious CREEP – Committee for the Re-Election of the President. At CREEP Stone would fall under the tutelage of the legendary Murray Chotiner, Nixon’s early campaign manager and the inventor of negative campaign advertising and tactics. In 1973 Stone went to work for Senator Bob Dole as a staff assistant and travel aide.

Richard Nixon and Roger Jason Stone Jr.

In 1976 Stone was named by Senator Paul Laxalt as National Director of Youth for Reagan, a division of Governor Ronald Reagan’s 1976 Presidential campaign. In 1978, Stone co-founded the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC) where he is credited with developing the negative campaign into an art form and pioneering the modern use of negative campaign advertising which Mr. Stone calls “comparative, educational, not negative.”

Starting in 1979, Stone served as Regional Political Director for Governor Reagan’s 1980 campaign for President handling New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, his native State. Stone became known for his expertise and strategies for motivating and winning ethnic and Catholic voters. Stone went on to serve in the same capacity in Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign adding responsibility for Pennsylvania and Ohio to the states Stone managed in 1980. He also served as a Senior Consultant for California for President George H. W. Bush’s campaign. Bush beat Dukakis by 1% in the Golden State.

In 2000 Stone is credited with the hard-ball tactics which resulted in closing down the Miami-Dade Presidential recount. Stone is credited in HBO’s recent movie, “Recount 2000” with fomenting the so-called “Brooks Brothers Riot” in which a Republican mob swarmed the recount demanding a shutdown while thousands of Cuban-Americans marched outside the Courthouse demanding the same thing.

Mr. Stone would later regret his support for the Bushs and opposed the war in Iraq.

The New York Times and Miami Herald reported it was Mr. Stone who first tipped of the FBI to Governor Eliot Spitzer’s use of prostitutes.

Stone has worked for pro-American political parties in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. He is consulted regularly on communications and corporate and public relations strategy by fortune 500 ECO’s and pro-democracy foreign leaders.

Stone endorsed former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President before switching his registration from Republican to the Libertarian Party. Stone rejoined the Republican party with the nomination and election of Donald Trump in 2016.

Stone has been profiled in the Weekly Standard, The New Yorker, and the Miami Herald. Mr. Stone has written for InfoWars.com, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, The New York Times Op Ed page and for Newsmax.com, Breitbart, the FOX Opinion page and has appeared recently on FOX News and CNN.

Here are what people are saying about Roger Stone:

“Professional lord of mischief” – Weekly Standard

“Legendary conservative political hit man” – TheHill.com

“A fascinating and colorful figure who has played a role in GOP politics for decades” – PoliticsNJ.net

“A dashing, colorful artist of the underhanded” – David Brooks, New York Times

“Nailed Eliot Spitzer” – Newsmax

“A Republican who doesn’t always toe the party line” – MSNBC

“Made his bones in the Reagan Era” – Washington Times

“The keeper of the Nixon flame” – Maureen Dowd, The New York Times

“Republican political mastermind” – Gawker.com

“He [Roger] is one of its fiercest warriors, with the battle scars to prove it.” – The Weekly Standard

“A dragon slayer who helped bring down New York State’s most powerful man” – NY Daily News

“A long history of bare-knuckle politics” – The New York Times

“The GOP’s dapper Pugilist” – The Washington Post

“Seasoned practitioner of hard-edged politics” – The New York Times

“Master Political Strategist and Street fighter” – LeftVoice.com

“The most dangerous person in America today…” – The Village Voice

“Still, Stone gets results” – FirstPost.com, UK

“Skilled in the dark arts of politics” – The Atlantic

“Those that love creativity, loves Roger’s work” – invinciblearmor.com

“Notorious” – Vanity Fair

“Doesn’t Mince words” – The Washington Post

“Master of right-wing political hit jobs… – Politico.com

“Controversial” – The Washington Post

“Infamous” – Gothamist.com

“The dapper don of dirty deeds” – DullardMush.com

“Directly involved in the downfall of Clinton campaign chief strategist Mark Penn” – RADAR

“Known for hard-ball politics and a cloak and dagger sensibility” – The New York Times

“At times, Stone’s real party seems to be the vaudevillian rather than the GOP” – New Yorker Magazine

“The organizers [of the recount team in Miami] in the RV outside, who G.O.P. protesters have told TIME were led by hardball Washington strategist Roger Stone…” – TIME Magazine

“Respected, hated, and always controversial Republican political knife fighter…” – NoQuarterUSA.net

“Mr. Stone is nothing if not resilient” – Public Lives – The New York Times

“The High Priest of political hijinks” – Weekly Standard

“An equal-opportunity trickster” – NY Daily News

“The undisputed master of the black arts of electioneering” – Scotsman.com

“Call Roger Stone” – James A. Baker III, HBO Recount 2000

Roger Stone Parents

His father, Roger J. Stone was a businessman and his mother is Gloria Rose who was a reporter in their small town. He has described his family as middle-class, blue-collar Catholics.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Roger Stone

Roger Jason Stone Jr. was born on 27 August 1952, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was born to Roger J. Stone and Gloria Rose, grew up in Lewisboro, New York, and is of Italian and Hungarian descent.

He became a Republican at the age of 12, after reading Barry Goldwater’s “The Conscience of a Conservative.”

Stone dropped out of George Washington University; while he was there he became the youngest player in the Watergate scandal at age 19.

He has been married twice. His first marriage ended in 1990 and he remarried in 1992.

Stone co-founded the National Conservative Political Action Committee in 1978, after seeing how difficult it was for Republican candidates to raise money.

He was called “The Godfather” and “The Prince of Darkness” in the Republican Party.

Stone has been acquainted with President Donald Trump since the 1980s, when he worked for Trump’s casino business as a lobbyist.

He has a tattoo of President Richard Nixon on his back, which he got in Venice Beach, California.

Stone ran for governor in Florida in 2014, and his platform focused on gay rights and legalizing marijuana.

He was banned from appearing on CNN and MSNBC in 2016 after calling out Ana Navarro on Twitter and attacking other media personalities through the platform. His account was suspended in April 2017.

Roger Jason Stone Jr Biography and Profile (AP / Roger Stone / Politicoscope)

[profound-boning]

Huge GTKM Game

I’ve been tagged in several of these over the past several months I know I’m a mess I’m sorry and I’m finally going to answer some of them!

Tagged by @thecuriouscrusader​ @blissfulcastiel​ @glowingdean​ @casbakespie​ @adoringjensen​

no I’m not tagging anyone else in this monstrosity lol

Relationship status: Taken, just celebrated five years!

Lipstick or Chapstick: I wore lipstick every day when I was in college but now that I’m living with Boyfriend it’d be a big ol waste of time and money and also messy

Last Song I Listened To: uhhh the Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack because I watched that yesterday?

Last Movie I Watched: lol see above

Favorite Color: Pink

Top 3 Favorite Shows: Supernatural, SKAM, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (I really need to get caught up on those last two damn)

If I had a cat what would I name it: Ooooh see that totally depends I’d have to meet them in person first

Height: 5 foot 3 and one half

Hogwarts House: SLYTHERIN HISS HISS MOTHERFUCKERS

Time right now: 17:09

Average hours of sleep: lmao like under 7 right now because I keep staying up late and then waking up early by force of habit??

Favorite number: 47

Last thing I Googled: ”where do psychiatrists work” for a fic

Fictional character you want as your younger sibling: I want this answer to be Charlie Bradbury except I’d want her to be my OLDER sibling... so let’s go with Rey (sw: tfa) or Isak Valtersen (SKAM)

Blankets I sleep with: Sheet and comforter

Favorite band/artists: Oh man lmao uh Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Adele, Ed Sheeran, twenty one pilots, the Arctic Monkeys, others?

Dream trip: GREECE I want to cruise around the islands and see all the history and art

What am I wearing right now: A Corgi crop top and my new THINX undies (all y’all menstruating folk I literally cannot recommend these highly enough)

When I made this blog: THIS blog was like September/October of 2015 I think? I’m too lazy to pull up my archive at the moment. But I’ve been on and off of tumblr since 2011.

How many blogs I follow: 330ish I believe? Again too lazy to open a new tab. It’s a mix of spn blogs and multifandom ones as well as a handful of lovely mutuals :)

What do I post about: On this blog, only supernatural, mostly destiel and brothers and my tears

Pick a word that starts with the first letter of your real name and ends with the first letter of your url: sap

Do I get asks on a daily basis: lmfao no

Why did I choose my tumblr url: I looove my url more than anything and tbh it happened because I came across a text post right when I got into spn (2015) about how dean and cas need to start profoundly boning and here we are :’)

My aesthetic: hot tea brewing in the kitchen, you can see the flowers on the balcony from where you’re standing at the counter, slouchy sweater brushing bare thighs, curls falling loose from your top knot. toes in the sand at the edge of the water, wide brimmed hat casting a shadow on your nose, smiling so big your eyes crinkle in the corners, licking ice cream from your fingertips. lipstick tacky on your bottom lip, eyelashes painted dark, skirt clinging to your ass, swaying your hips to the rhythm, the room is dark and smoky, never touching anyone but relishing that their eyes are on you.

Last show you watched: We don’t have cable so I don’t get to watch shows live on tv. Last time I watched any tv show I believe was Kitchen Nightmares on Hulu!

Last book you read: tbfh it’s been a long time, I’ve been reading mostly fanfiction for a while now. I just finished reading a two part series called “all the stars above and below” a finnpoe au by AndreaLyn on ao3 here

Last thing you ate: Applesauce

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?: This is strange question because I’m in my very nice bed and I don’t really want to be anywhere else at the moment but like in general Boyfriend and I are planning on moving to England so I’d like to be there? Kind of? Or like... sitting on a beach somewhere? Sitting next to my sister? I’m not really longing to be somewhere else so much as wanting some things to be a little different? But on the whole I’m extremely satisfied with where I’m at right now.

When would you time travel to?: lol fuck any time period before this one (modern medicine and some more rights are v nice) so I’ll say 3017 but that’s assuming tr*mp doesn’t get our entire goddamned planet fucking destroyed and also that people aren’t asshats to each other based on social constructions and institutions like gender and religion and identity and also ethnic backgrounds :’)

First thing you would do with lottery money: Pay for car repairs and for some of my sister’s university

Character you would hang out with for a day: Castiel or Poe Dameron

Pets: None because we move too much!

First Fandom I joined: Oh boy this is a good question. I was just talking to Boyfriend the other day about how Han/Leia was my first OTP before I really knew what that meant? Like watching the movies as a kid I felt in my heart like “yes they’re so good together please be happy together forever” I wasn’t on the Internet at all until 2008, and not on tumblr until 2011, and not on stan twitter until earlier this year lmao. When I started the tumblr, it was mostly disney and then avengers when it came out? This blog is my first like dedicated I’M IN A FANDOM venture.

Favorite book: I hate this question because I know someone out there will hate me for it *squints* but the honest truth is “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton it’s been my favorite since seventh fucking grade so fight me about it!!!1!

Worst thing you’ve ever eaten/tasted: Oh no this is horrible because I’m a fucking picky ass eater lmao uhhh I hate rice?? bad texture.

What class do you wish you paid more attention to in school? This is not the answer you’re looking for but I had some severe problems in my life when I was in high school so really I wish I had been able to pay more attention to everything in school. I would literally time travel back and redo it all if I could. I would have taken my government classes more seriously, gotten more into my history classes, and would have signed up for AP Art History because I fucking wanted to but I didn’t. If those problems hadn’t been there or hadn’t affected me so badly I would have gotten better grades and could have chosen something different for college. In college, I might have looked for something more like anthropology and focused more on language in a cultural and socio-historical context and not just language and teaching language. Similarly without those problems I would have been able to pay better attention in college and have gotten better grades, done more academic research, etc.

Just hypothetically, if you could get rid of one entire species and not have it screw up the ecosystem at all, what would it be? Humans :’) we’re the worst.

First foray into fanfic? How To Train Your Dragon on that fanfiction net website. I remember seeing the second film and feeling so, like, when are those two going to kiss and get married and live happily ever after? I needed that closure. Then I discovered AUs and ~lemons~ and then I was reading Frozen fic for a while(??) and finally Supernatural. Apple Pie Life by @heyacas​ was the first fic I read on ao3 after it was recced to me and I never looked back.

You can have unlimited anything from a magic cookie jar (item must fit in a standard sized cookie jar) with the caveat that you cannot monetarily profit from it. Like unlimited cash or things you would sell for cash. What’s in the jar? Firstly what the fuck is a standard sized cookie jar. Secondly this wording prompts me to say... cookies

What do you think about Bill Nye the Science Guy? President Nye 2020

That one book you will never read enough times? Other than the one I mentioned above I’ve read Princess Academy by Shannon Hale a million times and I love it so, so much

What’s something super popular that you just. don’t. get? This is the first thing that comes to mind because frankly there are several things that could go here but I’m answering Videos Of People Getting Hurt. Seriously. Why do I want to watch someone fall off of something or worse get pushed/tricked/otherwise manipulated into doing something I can see (or worse, hear) is painful for them? I can’t stand it.

What’s your super power? Not like telepathy (unless you really have telepathy…), but like. what’s the one thing that you’re known for? Uh... nothing probably? I’m not memorable

What’s that story you tell at parties or whatnot to impress people? I am literally the worst at parties? and impressing people? One story I like to tell is how Boyfriend and I met!

What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Home is an extremely fluid concept. Right now I am about 825 miles from the house that I lived in for about 17 years, Boyfriend is at his work around 16 miles away, 5000 miles from Spain... I could go on.

Hobbies: Writing and reading fanfiction

Favorite place: Favorite beach: Lagos, Portugal. Favorite city: Barcelona, Spain. Favorite museum: the Louvre. Favorite church: Saint Mary of the Angels in Winona, Minnesota. Favorite restaurant: This brunch place we found while wandering in Paris, France. Alternate answers: Boyfriend’s snuggles.

Movie you are most excited about for next year: I haven’t seen Spiderman: Homecoming yet but I’m excited to do so! Also STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI

Beanies or Scarves? Scarves

Last person you texted? Boyfriend

Favorite food? Pasta

Favorite season and why? Summer! Because winter is the FUCKING WORST!

Left Twix or Right? Did you mean: belongs in the trash?

Who would win in a fight: Captain America OR Captain Kirk? Okay like Captain America because? superserum? But James T. Kirk is my precious babe I don’t want them to fight :3

Avengers or X-Men? Avengers

Dream Concert: Go back to my Favorite Artists answer and put all of them together in one show :’)

What fictional world/universe would you want to spend a week in: Either Harry Potter’s or Rick Riordan’s (but only if I’m friends with The Squad)

Last video game played: Okay on the real it’s probably Dance Dance Revolution from, like, 2006

[kissofthemuses]

Adaline

FULL NAME: Adaline Marie Bowman ALIASES: Jennifer Larson Susan Fleisher SPECIES: human OCCUPATION: Librarian FANDOM: The Age of Adaline ACTIVITY LEVEL: moderately active

                                  PHYSICAL

FACE CLAIM: Blake Lively PRONOUNS: she/her AGE: 112 (appears 26) BIRTHDATE: january 1, 1908 HAIR: blonde EYES: blue HEIGHT: 5'10'' ORIENTATION: bisexual

                                 PERSONALITY

MBTI: ISFJ-A / "Defender" ALIGNMENT: neutral good TEMPERAMENT: phlegmatic ENNEAGRAM: type 1 POSITIVES: kind, gentle, intelligent, driven, passionate, well-traveled, compassionate NEGATIVES: secretive, flighty, closed-off, pedantic

                                 OTHER

LIKES: old movies, jazz, historical literature, animals, art, antiques DISLIKES: social media, having her photo taken, the speed of the modern world, most tv shows, cartoons

                                TAGS

Head Canons Threads Isms Musings Inspo

                               BACKSTORY

Adaline Marie Bowman was born at 12:01 a.m., January 1st. 1908, at Children's Hospital, San Francisco, the only child of Faye and Milton Bowman. On June 16th, 1929, just as Adaline Bowman and her mother stopped to admire the expanse, where three years hence construction would be finished on the Golden Gate Bridge, a young engineer displayed uncommon gallantry. Eighty-seven days later Adaline married Clarence James Prescott, at Old Saint Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco. Three years later Adaline gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Fleming, after Adaline's paternal grandmother. On February 17th, 1937 eight workers and two engineers lost their lives when a section of scaffolding fell through a safety net during construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Among the deceased was Adaline's husband. Ten months after her husband's death Adaline was driving north to her parents beach cottage where 5 year old Fleming was waiting up for her, when something highly unusual occurred, something almost magical...snow fell in Sonoma County, California. The immersion in the frigid water caused Adaline's body to go into an anoxic reflex, instantly stopping herbreathing and slowing her heartbeat. Within 2 minutes, Adaline Bowman's core temperature had dropped to 87 degrees...her heart stopped beating. At 8:55 a bolt of lightning struck the vehicle discharging half a billion volts of electricity and producing 60,000 amperes of current. Its effect was threefold. First, the charge defibrillated Adaline Bowman's heart. Second, she was jolted out of her anoxic state causing her to draw her first breath in 2 minutes. Third, based on Von Lehman's principle of electron compression in deoxyribonucleic acid, which will be discovered in the year two thousand thirty-five, Adaline Bowman will henceforth be immune to the ravages of time...she will never age another day. As the years passed, Adaline credited her unchanging appearance to a combination of a healthy diet, exercise, heredity, and good luck. Action was required... just weeks later, when living a quiet suburban existence, Adaline was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction where the officer doubted her age and asked for her to get her birth certificate. Soon after, Adaline moved back to San Francisco and took a clerical job at the School of Medicine. There, she availed herself of every opportunity to research her condition. After a year of intense study, Adaline Bowman was forced to confront the fact that there was absolutely no scientific explanation for her condition. All her research and her unaging nature drew the attention of the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation. They forced her into their car with every intent of spiriting her off to a lab to experiment on her. She managed to escape from them for the moment, but, because of this, Adaline had to abandon her work and leave her daughter. She fled to Europe and changed her entire identity. To insure the freedom and safety of herself and her daughter Adaline vowed to keep moving, changing her name, residence, and appearance every decade, and never to speak a word of her fate to another living soul.

[travel-voyages]

Why Interstellar Travel Is so Damn Hard

Basic physics goes a long way towards explaining why a pair of theoretical rocket engines may never come to fruition.

Max Genecov

Ever since we imagined the technological sophistication to send ourselves hurtling at escape velocity away from the Earth and toward some unknown pinprick of light in the unending vacuum of open space, obsessive individuals and paranoid governments have spent billions of dollars trying to figure out how to get as far away from our home planet as possible. So far, we haven’t accomplished much, cosmically speaking.

The history of rockets, up until recently, has always been chemical: a reaction takes place at explosive speed, and there, you have your propulsion and propellant. Ion engines, which accelerate electron-stripped atoms through an electric field, have been in use since the 70s, but they only work in the vacuum of space and have very low thrust that can’t be adapted to quick human space travel. As for the next big thing, the general idea that the American government has run with for the past 70 years—from Project Orion to Project Longshot to Project Prometheus—has involved strapping small nuclear bombs to the backs of rockets and hoping for the best. Needless to say, none of these have ever been built or are likely ever to be built; they were dreamed up with a future civilization in mind, one that had conquered the problems of nuclear fusion and international cooperation but still had no control over the Earth’s inevitable solar doom — let alone the effects of climate change that even the ultra-rich can’t escape, at least until they find a way to peace out and leave us to foot the bill.

 If you’re wondering why taking a trip to another star is incredibly difficult, blame physics. Conservation of momentum (or Newton’s third law, depending on how you want to look at it) requires a rocket to poop out some amount of mass at some speed (AKA explosive fuel) for the rocket to move. The sticking point is that the fuel still has to push the remaining fuel still unpooped and connected to the payload. This predicament can be turned into a formula that relates the change in speed to the amount of mass pooped out. It’s called the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, named after the father of modern rocket science. It can tell you that if you have a chemical propellant and you’re going to eject your fuel at, say, the maximum velocity of a nuclear fireball — around 100 km/s — and you want to travel 4.25 light-years over to Proxima Centauri, you’re going to need to have ten thousand trillion trillion trillion trillion times more fuel than payload if you want to get there in around one hundred years. Not to mention that we’d need double the fuel and time to slow down enough to take data from or drop passengers near the star. For a 1 kg payload, the fuel would roughly account for the entire mass of the universe.

 The sheer weight of the scientific difficulties facing interstellar travel is humbling, if not existentially depressing. Many space nerds have put their hopes in harnessing exotic engines that utilize badly understood (or entirely misunderstood) physics that might obviate the fuel problem. Two of them, the EmDrive and the Mach Effect Thruster, have been hyped by everyone from NASA to National Geographic as the solutions to our interstellar detention. It’s too early to say if either of them is a pipe dream, but their tantalizing likelihoods fade every day. 

The EmDrive has been shrouded in ambiguity ever since it was theorized in an unreviewed 2001 whitepaper by longtime UK aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer. He lays out an argument using only classical electrodynamics and its expression of radiation pressure to claim that a tapered container will necessarily make light in the container exert a higher pressure on the wider end than on the narrower end, hence creating thrust without anything more than an embedded microwave or radio wave source on the spacecraft. As with other perpetual motion devices and physical chimeras, the EmDrive would have been relegated to Shawyer’s drawing-table tinkering had the venerable tech magazine New Scientist not devoted a cover to it in 2006. Counterarguments resounded after the New Scientist issue — the decision to run the story at all has dogged the UK magazine’s sterling reputation ever since — with some pointing out that the forces required of the EmDrive would cancel each other out, others arguing that tapered waveguides can create diminishing power returns. Perhaps the most damning strike against the EmDrive in the average (or, more likely, armchair) physicist’s mind is that the a functional EmDrive would defy the conservation of momentum — a derivable law that is valid in everything from high school physics to general relativity — and end up  sending all of physics from Newton onward into a crisis.

But by putting the idea into the air, the damage had been done, and people started trying to build (or at least defend) the EmDrive. To stem the tizzy around breaking the laws of physics, many proponents of the drive pointed toward word salad concepts like “quantum vacuum virtual plasma” or untestable physics maybes like Unruh radiation as to why it would work without violating conservation of momentum. Whatever hypothetical physics concepts might cause the EmDrive effect or whichever concrete ones might doom it, hype around the engine has been strong enough to make NASA’s futurist skunkworks, the Eagleworks Laboratory, do rounds and rounds of tests on it and announce some tentatively positive results, along with a preponderance of possible sources of error. These, along with some claims of successful EmDrive tests by universities in China, are what have allowed the device to gain the hotly contested modicum of prestige it holds today. For his part, Shawyer seems to be doing great: after receiving a patent for the EmDrive in late 2016, he formed a joint venture with some guys who have been trying to make flying cars happen for more than a decade.

 It seems that engineers like Shawyer are always the ones who are proposing free energy machines or whatever, so in contrast, it’s promising that the Mach Effect Thruster has a very scientific conceit behind it. That Mach Effect derives from the fact that mass, velocity, and acceleration are all intrinsically connected in general relativity. Under acceleration, objects can be thought of as storing internal energy in the form of an increase in mass. That mass fluctuation disappears once the acceleration has ended. (Don’t get any of this confused with the Mass Effect video game series, where an exotic element can alter the mass of any object.) However, physicist James Woodward thought of a way to quantify and possibly store the energy of these fluctuations, creating a cycle of forward/higher-mass and backward/lower-mass motions that would result in net forward motion. Unlike Shawyer, Woodward explained this mechanism’s apparent break with conservation laws by first explaining that the conservation law can’t be broken and dreaming up some momentum exchange with “distant matter in the universe.” This bit of vague imagery is where the Mach Effect derives its name: Ernst Mach once proposed that, like velocity in special relativity’s reference frames, inertial mass can only be derived from an object’s relationship with every other object in the universe. It’s a New Age-y idea, to be sure, and by definition it can’t be fully proven, but the Mach Effect did at least set Einstein off in his formulation of general relativity, the most tested theory of modern physics that keeps being proven right.

But a recent paper from researchers at the Technical University of Dresden has thrown a lot of cold water on these futuristic space propulsion proceedings. The TU Dresden researchers’ EmDrive test rig, which the team built themselves, showed the same micro-newton thrust no matter how much power they put into the device, indicating that something other than the drive was, well, driving the signal. Something in that range can be derived from interference with the Earth’s magnetic field and the coaxial cables operating the amplifier. The drive’s only hope is that implementing a dielectric — an insulating material in which the speed of light is slower and electric fields are dampened — will change things, as it is central to Shawyer’s original devising of the engine. The German team did not use one because other positive results for the drive also did away with it. Nevertheless, the thrusts and thrust-to-power ratios reported in the paper are in the same range as the Eagleworks results. The only results outside of the micro-newton range? Shawyer’s own — he claims to have reached a thrust to power ratio beyond anyone else’s findings.

The Mach Effect Thruster fares better in the paper’s tests, but that isn’t saying much. The thrust (0.6 micro-newtons) reverses direction when the cabling is reversed but not when the thrust controller is reversed. Additionally, the observed thrust is around thirty times larger than predicted based on their experimental setup, making the actual Mach Effect, at best, “masked by electromagnetic/thermal issues.”

Both thruster models reached observable values “comparable to claimed values.” But, again, the observed values on the EmDrive can be attributed almost entirely to the Earth’s magnetic field; any result is just interference. It feels a little like when Einstein investigated Wilhelm Reich’s orgone box for an afternoon to see if the sex energy caused an anomalous gravitational effect. The dubious nature of the drives makes the Dresden team conclude their confirmation project savagely, as if they were assessing a tabletop experiment you might do in high school: “At least, [these drives make for] an excellent educational project by developing highly demanding test setups, evaluating theoretical models and possible experimental errors. It’s a great learning experience.”

However harsh their words might be, it’s not like these researchers want the drives to fail. Martin Tajmar, the UT Dresden physicist who was the lead author on the paper, wrote the book on advanced space propulsion systems — it’s literally called Advanced Space Propulsion Systems — and has been investigating these kinds of drives for over ten years. At the same time, though the prospect of propellantless propulsion can be liberating, it is also terrifying: an apparently free energy source can lead to a cascading, galaxy-destroying energetic feedback loop if not carefully controlled (a less dire scenario involving a successful free-energy drive would end with a bunch of physicists having to retheorize and relearn the entirety of their disciplines).

For the foreseeable future, we will have to settle for a less glamorous, less hopeful kind of interstellar travel. The Breakthrough Starshot initiative, announced two years ago, exemplifies the model that is our best hope in the next century or so of reaching other star systems, though it is by proxy. The project, which despite its feasibility still requires great leaps in material, computational, and economic technologies, entails jetting a gaggle of 1 gram, chiclet-sized “StarChip” spacecraft across space at 20 percent the speed of light, powered by enormous ground-based lasers and flexible photon sails that could survive subluminal gas buffeting and space dust collisions. They would send observations back to us over the wide expanse of lightyears and, therefore, actual years. As these tiny emissaries explore space, we would wait for their snapshots and postcards, the messages becoming arithmetically less frequent as they go further and further, while we remain tethered to our rock.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-interstellar-travel-is-so-damn-hard?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[hellofastestnewsfan]

Staff writer Adam Harris joins Dr. James Hamblin and Katherine Wells on our daily(-ish) podcast Social Distance. He talks about the details of the coronavirus stimulus bill just signed by the president and why, despite its unprecedented size, it's just the start of the government's plan to fight the pandemic-induced economic crisis.

Listen to the full episode here:

Subscribe to Social Distance on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (How to Listen)

An edited and condensed transcript of the conversation:

James Hamblin: I know nothing about what's happening in Congress financially because I can't keep up with everything. Just trying to do the science stuff.

Adam Harris: Essentially what Congress did was pass a $2 trillion aid relief package helping families, education, public health, local governments, and big corporations as well. And it's been hailed as a remarkable act of bipartisanship, but it's already being assumed that this is not going to be enough. [Lawmakers in Congress] are still going to need another injection of funds for families who need to pay rent, for businesses who have had to close their doors.

Katherine Wells: Give me some Government 101, like Schoolhouse Rock-style education on this. So the way Congress votes on a bill is they all have to be there in the same room.

Harris: They have to be at quorum, so a majority of the members have to be there and present an order to have a vote. That is not a unanimous consent—something that they can just kind of say Everyone agrees that this is what we need to pass and they just pass the bill. If you want a recorded vote, then they are going to need a quorum. So right now, essentially, what that means is they need 216 members in order to have a quorum to have the vote.

Katherine Wells: To be in person, in the same room?

Adam Harris: Absolutely. Yes. So they have to be there in person in the same room in order to vote. And there has been kind of some momentum to get that changed because this is an unprecedented crisis that requires some modern thinking. It makes sense for members of Congress to be able to vote virtually. But as of right now, that is how they're supposed to vote.

Katherine Wells: I mean, it seems sort of ridiculous given how we live. But is there a reason I'm not thinking of why that actually is really important?

Harris: The biggest reason is tradition. It's the way that things have been done. But, you know, we don't live in the 18th century anymore.

Wells: I am grateful for that.

Harris: Very likewise. And this has shown some of those fissures in the system. It's shown even with things like voting. [States] have had to postpone their elections and they don't have vote by mail infrastructures set up. It's throwing a monkey wrench into the voting process.

Wells: How could it be that we could have a system that couldn't respond immediately?

Harris: So the levers of government turn slowly, to be as cliche as possible. And essentially what they're trying to do now is speed up a response to an immediate crisis. The systems aren't prepared to deal with a process like this. There were legislators literally driving from their homes in places like Michigan or elsewhere, driving from their homes, trying to get back to D.C. to vote. There is a push to keep the legislators in D.C., but the Senate, of course, is now on recess until April 20th. So that means that a lot of people will be leaving the District to go back home. But as this is a very immediate crisis, if something breaks down next week—I mean we've already seen more than three million jobless claims. If something else breaks down to a significant point next week and members of the Senate have already gone home, then they will have to come back to Congress under these severe travel restrictions.

Wells: Can you give us an overview of the main points in the bill?

Harris: The biggest thing that everyone has harped on has been the cash payments. So it's an estimated total of $300 billion dollars worth of cash payments to Americans. You also have $260 billion for unemployment payments. You have $350 billion allocated for the Small Business Administration to offer loans to small businesses. There's $10 billion for emergency grants, $58 billions for airlines, $8.8 billion for a child nutrition, and $450 million for food banks. So there is a lot in there. This is essentially trying to build a social safety net as people are falling.

Wells: This seems like a good first step. I understand that we're going to have to revisit this. But where are the weak points in the practical execution of this? You know, billions and billions of dollars, trillions of dollars, sounds like a lot of money. But how is this actually going to be implemented? And what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of it right now?

Harris: The biggest thing is that it may not be enough. Most individuals who are earning less than $75,000 can expect a one-time cash payment of $1,200. [Most] married couples would each get that check and they would get $500 per child. Things like that. But I spoke with Andrew Yang, who ran for president, and one of the things that he told me was What is that one time payment actually going to do? And actually, the check wouldn't arrive for a significant period of time. People who already had their direct deposit setup with the IRS would be able to receive them faster. But for people who are unbanked, it could be up to four months down the road. So there's an argument that there needs to be, for one, more immediate assistance. That they should just start sending out checks to Americans in order to cover those immediate expenses. But also, if you get that check, say, the middle of next month or towards the end of next month, then what do you do the month after? You may have lost your job. You may not have child care. You may have all of these other expenses that you were not prepared for. And you need to figure out a way to deal with those.

Wells: Over 3 million people applied for unemployment last week. Next week is April 1. Rent is due. Is this bill going to solve that problem?

Harris: Probably not immediately. And that's the big problem. Of course, a lot of cities and states have implemented eviction freezes, where they're not carrying out eviction orders. But there hasn't been a national order to freeze rent. There hasn't been a national eviction freeze. It's putting the people who are already most vulnerable to some of these actions in a precarious situation. They won't be able to afford the rent. If they can't afford their rent, then they probably are going to have a difficult time affording their groceries and different things like that. And if the checks aren't coming immediately, you know, the bill does have written into it cash payments and it'll take a little bit of time in order for those to get processed and sent out to the people who need them.

Wells: "A little bit of time" like weeks, or months?

Harris: Weeks. And if you haven't already signed up for direct deposit with the federal government, then it could take months.

Hamblin: We talk on this podcast a lot about emotion, and what is motivating people, and what is causing panic, and what is not. I think, to Andrew Yang's point, and to something we have discussed before, that a lot of this is about certainty. And not so much about the money as about knowing that you're going to at least have a place to stay. You're going to be able to feed yourself. You're going to have a place to go when you get sick. If you gave people even $5,000 immediately, that would not ameliorate the panic in the same way as knowing that you're gonna have a monthly income of much less than $5,000 for the next few months or for the next year, knowing that you're going to have a house, you're going to have food, you're not going to be homeless, you're not going to be without a bed to go to. That's what makes me worry about the one-time payment: I don't know how much it does to get rid of that uncertainty that people will still be facing even when they're not immediately bankrupt. It's that they don't know where this is headed.

from The Atlantic https://ift.tt/2WLkv8J