#Killingsworth

[science70]

Elkhorn Ski Resort, Sun Valley, Idaho, 1972.

Architects: Sasaki & Walker (master plan), Killingsworth, Brady & Associates (condominiums and commercial areas)

[waybackbands]

Orchid playing at UConn Date unknown ©Ben Van Steinburgh

[germanpostwarmodern]

Case Study House #25 (1962) in Long Beach, CA, USA, by Killingsworth, Brady & Smith

[shotofchinaco]

Ronnie Allen Killingsworth is a far-right pastor who took to book-banning before book-banning was cool. Back in the 90s, he objected to Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roomate. He was too extreme for the Southern Baptist Church and they fired him. He formed the Rephidim church and taught he was the key to their relationship to god, even discouraging them from reading the Bible without his say-so. According to prosecution documents, he taught that rape is divine discipline from god, LGBTIQA people should be killed, and Black people skin color is a curse from god. In June, 2023, he was charged with six counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. These charges allege the abuse continued over eleven years. In May, 2024, he was convicted on all six counts and has been sentenced to 42 years in prison, about half what the jury recommended. He is 79. He could get parole in 21 years when he is 100 years old.

[lemonbalmgirl]

I don't think I've ever seen a hydrangea this exuberantly purple. 💜

[can-of-pringles]

Drew Serena Killingsworth in an outfit I saw on Pinterest

[hejanic]

These fuckin guys

[pigs-in-art]

Sisters by Sue Killingsworth

[3-m-1]

My favorite screamo band ever!!!

[writerly-ramblings]

Books Read in December:

1). Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)

2). Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen (Rebecca May Johnson)

3). A Horse at Night: On Writing (Amina Cain)

4). Novelist as a Vocation (Haruki Murakami)

5). Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way Through Great Books (Cara Nicoletti)

6). The Kingdom of Speech (Tom Wolfe)

7). Always Home: A Daughter’s Recipes & Stories (Fanny Singer)

8). Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (Roxane Gay)

9). Galatea (Madeline Miller)

10). Still No Word from You: Notes in the Margins (Peter Orner)

11). Austen Years: A Memoir in Five Novels (Rachel Cohen)

12). The Best American Food Writing: 2022 (ed. by Sohla El-Waylly and Sylvia Killingsworth)

13). Fire (Kristin Cashore)

14). The Opposite House (Helen Oyeyemi)

[activatebutterflyshield]

Cross-Your-Artichoke-Heart-and-Hope-to-Die

Why did I decide to have a garden, Terrance thinks to himself in the bland room. Why couldn’t I have learned to knit or bought a guitar or gotten a dog, he thinks, nervously twitching his leg as the men sat down across from him, identical watches ticking, identical shoes tapping across the concrete floor, and identical bighorn sheep (?) lapel pins glinting gold in the fluorescent light. The identical chairs rasp across the floor. Identical suits now face Terrance. But the men in them are anything but identical.

One is taller, fair-skinned, with reddish blonde hair and greenish blue eyes. He’s sharp, proper, and seems in-charge. The other is shorter, tan skinned, dark haired, and his nearly black eyes seem to stare straight through the poor HR manager across the table. He’s subdued, quiet, and less confident that the other. But both wear an expression of plain concern.

“Mr. Matthias,” the taller one said, “I am Agent O’Connor. This is Agent Saros.” He gestured to his partner before continuing. “You have the right to remain silent, and the right to self defense. You do not have a right to an attorney in the conventional sense, and anything you say will not be mentioned beyond what is absolutely necessary. You have a right to basic sustenance, which includes water, nutritious and palletable food, room, board, and spiritual guidance. Do you understand these rights?”

Terrance was perplexed. No ‘conventional’ right to an attorney? A right to self defense? And what he told them would not ‘be mentioned beyond what is absolutely necessary’?

“U-Uh,” he stuttered, “What d-do you mean by an attorney in the conventional sense?”

Agent Saros opened his mouth in slight surprise, before answering, “You will not have access to a criminal defense attorney, because there will be no trial. But you may have access to an attorney who will help you understand why you are here.”

This answer only confused Terrance more, and it must’ve shown on his face, as Agent O’Connor sighed.

“Look, Mr. Matthias,” he said, “You’re here because of your, ahem, accidental use of the supernatural while crossbreeding vegetables.”

At this, Terrance’s mouth dropped open.

“Th-Th-The supernatural? Like, werewolves and vampires and such?” he asked incredulously.

“Something like that,” Agent Saros allowed, “Look, we really can’t tell you any more unless you accept your rights, okay?”

“Fine,” Terrance responded, “Fine, I accept and understand my rights. Now, could’ya tell me what’s so supernatural about breeding a Romanesco broccoli with an artichoke?”

“Well, the pattern of how Romanesco grows is a fractal.” Agent O’Connor explained, removing a photo of the emerald green plant from his suit and placing it on the table. “And fractals are used by many supernatural entities in various ways you do not need to know beyond the fact that they give them power.”

“On the other hand,” Agent Saros interjected, “Artichokes got their name for their resemblance to scales, which acts as a physical anchor for the supernatural.” He placed a photo of an artichoke on the table alongside that of the broccoli.

“And when you cross the two aspects of ‘scales’ and ‘fractals’ in a completely organic sense and toss in some magic…” Agent O’Connor trailed off as he removed another photo from his suit. It was some strange hybrid of plant and animal, a roughly dog-shaped thing covered in scales that seemed to fade out the farther Terrance’s eyes got from its head.

“This is what you get.”

“Wait wait wait,” Terrance stammered as he picked up the photo, “Is that a goddamned dragon?”

“To put it bluntly,” Agent Saros responded, “Yes. That’s a very basic dragon, the result of crossbreeding a Romanesco broccoli with an artichoke while being, unknowingly in your case, a descendant of the supernatural yourself.”

“WAIT.” Terrance dropped the photo in surprise. At this point, he was nearing the edge of his comprehension. “You’re saying that I’m part supernatural?!”

“Yup.” Agent O’Connor nodded. “More specifically, you’re part Jersey Devil. We did a DNA test on that coffee you drank on the way here. Oh, don’t worry,” he said upon seeing Terrance’s reaction, “It doesn’t make you evil or anything. It’s actually a very common heritage to have.”

“Yeah, the percent’s somewhere around 10% and 20% in New Jersey alone,” agreed Agent Saros, ”And about 5% in the rest of the states.”

This was too much for Terrance, and his skin became as pale as a yeti while he started to pant and nervously flicker his gaze about aimlessly.

“P-P-P-Panic at-t-tack,” he managed to stutter out before his breathing became too labored to speak.

“Great,” Agent O’Connor said sarcastically, “Was really hoping you’d hold out, mate. Sorry about this, and for the headache.”

The agent unceremoniously removed a large stick, replete with leaves and lichen, from his suit, and hit Terrence over the head with it. The man promptly fell forward and began to snore.

Agent Saros’ echoing call for a gurney and some iron was the last thing the overseers heard before cutting the feed from the room.

-

“Well then.” The redhead turned to the Americans he was ostensibly ‘overseeing’ as a part of the new agreement with a flat expression. “This is certainly more exciting than English gardens have ever been, at least to my knowledge.”

A strong belly laugh exploded from the security chief as he slapped his tail against the carpet, startling the rest of the observers.

“What’d I tell ya, nothing phases Killings! And his whole station’s like that,” he enthusiastically declared to his baffled staff, “those Brits could look Behemoth in the face and call him ‘quite large’!”

“Please, Henderson, do try to keep a professional demeanor,” the ram-horned man said, “Fractal dragons are very serious business, especially when they’re properly grounded.” Turning to the rest of the staff, he asked, “Has the dragon in question been identified?”

“Y-Yes, it has been identified and tagged,” answered a young woman whose name tag declared her as ‘Belle’, “It is currently roaming the Chesapeake Aquatic Reserve and poses no significant threat. A team is scheduled to capture it tomorrow, sir.”

“Very good,” accepted Killingsworth, “Well then, that concludes my first day. I must say, from who I’ve met so far here in New York, you Yanks have exceeded my expectations.”

“Really?” Henderson asked incredulously, “We’ve actually managed to impress you?”

“Indeed,” the Londoner responded as he opened the door, “You’ve managed to keep this sideshow running without the tent burning down.”

Feeling adventurous, you decided to try crossbreeding two specific vegetables to see what would happen. Now, sitting in an interrogation room at an undisclosed location staring at very concerned men in black, you are about to learn why it’s never been done before.

[frankmweber]

Can money buy happiness?

In my previous post I looked at the distribution of wealth, which then obviously leads to the question of whether money can buy happiness. And according to recent research more seems indeed to be better. This is according to new research by Matthew Killingsworth, a senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which shows that the correlation between wealth and well-being…

[germanpostwarmodern]

Case Study House #23 (1960) in La Jolla, CA, USA, by Killingsworth, Brady & Smith. Photo by Julius Shulman.

[familythings]

Can Money Buy Happiness? New Insights from Wharton Professor Matthew Killingsworth

The never-ending debate about whether money can actually buy happiness has been going on for ages. As society changes and the economy evolves, it’s important to take another look at this question from new angles and modern research. Meet Matthew Killingsworth, a renowned professor at the Wharton School, whose latest research provides fresh and groundbreaking insights into this age-old…

[bionic-penis]

woe. cherry vamp form be upon ye

[can-of-pringles]

If I had the moon and the stars and more diamonds than I could spend

I'd betray them all for the brush of

Your cheek, and betray them, darling, I will

Serena x Stanton - Dead Of Winter

Credits:

Gifs by @gifsbymel , @retrcmoon , @clarastahlbaums , @priquintana

PSDs by @jessource