#Like in that video where he carried Michele | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

typingtess · 7 months ago

Text

youtube

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “Let It Burn”

The basics: The team investigates arson at a defense contractor that has the signature of an environmental activist.

Written by: Indira Gibson Wilson co-wrote, “The Frogman’s Daughter”, "Signs of Change" and “Hard for the Money” and was the sole writer for "Lost Soldier Down". Gibson Wilson played the sleeping Michelle Hanna before Aunjanue Ellis showed up in season four.

Directed by: Rick Tunell directed "Revenge Deferred", "Se Murio El Payaso", "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" and “Hard for the Money” (co-written by Indira Gibson Wilson).

Guest stars of note: Duncan Campbell returns as NCIS Special Agent Castor from “Of Value”; Justin Huen is Randall Perez. He was Santo Perez in season two’s “Personal” as the man who shot Deeks. Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as FBI Special Agent Summer Morehurst; Romi Dias as Denise Perez, Thal Gondim as Crystal Perez; Brian Leigh Smith as Bomb Tech Aaron Roberts; Rhomeyn Johnson as Terrell and Joe Corzo as Foreman/Michael Duncan

Our heroes: Are all over the place with Kensi in DC, Callen locked in the office, Sam and Deeks teamed up and Rountree working with an old girlfriend.

What important things did we learn about: Callen: Reading the Pembrooke file as part of his library day. Sam: As a caretaker, he has to think about his father first. Kensi: School trip with Rosa and 24-other 16-year old girls. Deeks: Offered a trip to Costa Rica. Fatima: Sent in the field because Callen had a library day. Rountree: Dated a coworker at the FBI. Kilbride: Keeping Callen on track.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen: Not training for a triathlon because he as common sense. Sam: Training for a triathlon. Kensi: OK with Deeks going to Costa Rica – she might go if he doesn’t. Deeks: Not going to Costa Rica. Fatima: Wants to know the Rountree-Summer story. Rountree: Training for a triathlon and going to Costa Rica. Kilbride: Not sure Henrietta is Hetty’s first name. Not sure he likes her either.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? In the Pembrooke file.

Who's down with OTP: Deeks is trying to figure out a solo Costa Rico trip, worrying that probably won’t fly with the family at home. Rountree has an ex in the FBI.

Who's down with BrOTP: A little Sam-Deeks bonding about traveling away from your family and becoming a detective through videos.

Fashion review: Callen wears a long sleeve medium blue lightweight hoodie. Sam started the day in a wet suit and wore a black long-sleeve tee for most of the episode. He was in a brown one at the end of the episode. Deeks has a pale blue henley for most of the episode but a baby blue hoodie. Fatima wears a light gray jacket over a white turtleneck. Rountree started the day in a wet suit too with too, too tight swim trunks. Wore a gunmetal grey pullover sweater once he was dressed. The Admiral wore his uniform – dark blue suit, light blue dress shirt, blue tie.

Music: “From Fire” by Perta is used in the teaser. Deeks is shooting in the range with The Mighty Mighty BossTones’s “The Punch Line” playing over the speakers.

Any notable cut scene: Not today.

Quote: Kilbride: “We've all done things we regret.” Callen: “Hetty doesn't seem to be the kind of person to regret much.” Kilbride: “Don't kid yourself. Now, she may put on a good front, but Hetty has enough regrets for all of us. She has done things that most wouldn't to keep the rest of us safe. Unfortunately, that comes with some very dark, ugly things that you carry with you to your grave.” Callen: “Well, I'm not sure how indoctrinating children does much to keep people safe.” Kilbride: “I don't know. Seems to me you keep people safe every day. So maybe some good did come of it. Even if their methods were ethically and morally questionable.” Callen: “If not reprehensible.” Kilbride: “I don't always agree with her. And I usually don't like the way she operates. Hell, I'm not even sure I even like her most days. But I damn well respect her. Henrietta, and I'm sure that's not even her real name, Henrietta has dedicated her life to the greater good. She has made mistakes along the way just like the rest of us. But it was always done in the service of this country.” Callen: “So, am I a mistake or a dark, ugly thing she has to carry to the grave?” Kilbride: “Only you can decide that, Agent Callen. But in my experience, the past is a place to learn from, not to live in.”

Anything else: In the evening, a construction crew is working in a high rise office building. Mostly drywall. The foreman is shutting things down for the night. The workers start toward the door taking their hardhats, tools and backpacks. One worker stays behind.

The worker starts spreading something on the floor and pours an accelerant on it. As he lights a good part of the office floor on fire, the foreman returns. The two men fight until the firebug knocks out the foreman. The firebug tries to drag the foreman to safety but the entire floor is about to be engulfed in flames. Leaving the foreman behind, the firebug runs. A symbol is burned into the floor.

Callen is reading the paper in the boat shed by the coffee table. Sam comes in from a swim with Rountree in tow. Sam is thirsty, Rountree is uncomfortable. He didn’t want to wear anything under his wetsuit but Sam found him swim trunks in the office lost and found. Rountree is worried they belong to Deeks but Sam jokes they are Fatima’s.

Training for a triathlon with Sam, Rountree wonders why Callen isn’t involved. Callen explains he has common sense. Sam disagrees – Callen is afraid of sharks. Callen isn’t but starts messing with Rountree by mentioning “McMurtry” who was shark bait. Sam joins in on the fun before showering.

At the firing range, Deeks is shooting and listening to really loud music. The Admiral arrives, pleased that Deeks is joining him in making good use of the early hours at the office. Kensi and Rosa are on a school trip which gave Deeks the ability to surf, workout and shoot early in the morning like he did “pre-kid.” Not that he’s complaining. The Admiral offers Deeks the chance to attend the NCIS Western Conference. Honored, Deeks is grateful for the offer but thinks he needs to stay close to home. He recommends one of the younger agents – perhaps Rountree would enjoy Branson and a river cruise. Rountree will get the Admiral’s consideration but the conference will be held in Nosara, Costa Rica. Deeks reconsiders – maybe Kensi would be okay with him leaving the family behind for a few days. It’s a week so Deeks is torn.

Sam took a long shower and hopes there is some hot water for Rountree. As Rountree is about to go into the shower area, Fatima and Callen pop up on the plasma. Sam asks for Deeks who he is told is trying to run a “boondoggle” on Kensi. Fatima asks for Rountree, who is in the still way too tight swim trunks. Fatima asks if Rountree is wearing her shorts. Just kidding, she tells Rountree – they’re Kensi’s. Rountree hates everyone.

Fatima starts with the case – the fire. Global West Ventures, the people who had the office space, are Navy defense contractors. The symbol burned on the floor was the signature of an arsonist named Randall Perez - O and A – On Alert. Rountree was familiar with Perez – he didn’t work his case but the FBI was “on alert” for years when it came to Perez. Perez blew up an oil tanker years back. Shut down the 405 for a week.

Sam asks about the fire. The office space was under construction and the foreman, Michael Duncan, died in the blaze. LAPD thinks Duncan saw the arsonist and the two men fought. This would be the first time an “On Alert” fire caused a death. Rountree sees another difference in the fires. Perez went after companies he thought were hurting the environment. This was a defense contractor – not the same thing.

Sam suggest he and Rountree go to the crime scene. Kilbride told Fatima he wants Rountree working the FBI Agent in-charge of the “On Alert” cases. Sam should met the with FBI as well. Callen asks what is his assignment from the Admiral. The Admiral wants to see Callen in his office.

Castor bring the FBI Agent in charge of the “On Alert” cases into the boat shed. FBI Agent Summer Morehurst tells Sam her boss thinks highly of him but not to play Sam in pickleball. Sam knows her boss – Rashid Perkins – and Rashid knows what Sam can do with a paddle in his hand. Morehurst reviews Perez’s history for Sam. He started as a non-violent activist who was creative in his protests. Trained as an artist, Perez made sculptures out of the plastic straws he found in the ocean. Sam asked when did Perez change. After a number of arrests for disorderly conduct at more radical protests according to Morehurst.

In 2017, Perez started setting fires. It took the FBI nearly a year to identify him. When the FBI started to close in on Perez, he set nine fires over two months. He fled to Mexico when the FBI got too close and has been a fugitive for three-years. This is the first time Perez has resurfaced and Morehurst vows to catch him.

Just after Morehurst’s vow, a towel-clad Rountree walks into the boat shed’s main room. He’s looking for his clothes. Rountree and Morehurst call each other by their first name and being the world class investigator he is, Sam deduces the two know each other. “You can say that,” they both reply simultaneously.

Knocking on Kilbride’s door, Callen has some opinions. He gets that Rountree has a past with the FBI (oh, if he only knew) and he’s good with Rountree working with them. Sam, however, does not need to be supervising Rountree’s debrief with the FBI. “I’m sorry you miss your bunkie but this isn’t summer camp,” the Admiral replies. Sam is working with Deeks, “poor devil.” When Callen asks why, the Admiral tells him “that’s what I want.”

While the Admiral believes it is healthy to question authority on occasion, he’s getting pissed off about it being a regular occurrence. Passing Callen a large folder, Kilbride shares all he could find on Pembrooke. Callen knows he overstepped and thanks Kilbride. Kilbride tells him it isn’t a gift – just a way to keep Callen focused on the job and not a ghost from his past. This puts a halt to Callen doing his own research. Callen defends what he does on his own time and it does not impact his work. The Admiral disagrees – they wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise. Calling it a “library day”, Callen is told to do his research in the office and is dismissed.

A properly dressed Rountree returns to the boat shed. He asks if Agent Morehurst – Summer – set this up. She knew he was working for NCIS. Summer replies that if she wanted to see him, she would have called him. Except she forgot that he doesn’t know how a phone works. “Ouch, fair shot.” Rountree apologizes but Summer says “we were a long time ago.” Explaining that when they were dating, he was leaving the FBI, Jordyn was starting college – Rountree had a lot on her plate. Fatima pops up on the screen but neither Rountree or Summer notice. Still talking about their past – they were a couple for three months – Fatima really tries to make her presence known. Rountree does introductions and it is all very uncomfortable.

Fatima found Perez’s sister, Denise. She’s lived in the same house for 20-years in Gardena. The FBI is aware of her. Summer gets a call. While she is dealing with the call, Fatima wants some gossip but Rountree shuts off the plasma. A returning Summer tells Rountree her agents did some digging into the construction firm. They are a well-run company – no major violations or complaints. Thinking Perez may see his sister – and his daughter who is living with his sister – Rountree and Summer are having them brought in.

Finishing a call with Kensi, Sam ask Deeks about how he brought up the trip to Costa Rica. Since Kensi is chaperoning 25 16-year olds in Washington DC, Deeks didn’t think this was the best time to bring up the trip. Deeks asks Sam if he would go – now, with Raymond living with him. Being a caregiver, Sam couldn’t go. He needs to put Raymond’s needs first.

At the crime scene, Sam sees some differences with Perez’s MO. The fire was set much earlier in the evening. Perez started his fires between 2AM and 4AM. If the fire was started between 2AM and 4AM, foreman Michael Duncan would be alive. The fire could have taken out the entire building. Instead, it was limited to the one floor. Sam wants to see the financials of Global West Ventures. Make sure this isn’t a set-up for insurance money by using Perez’s signature to distract.

In the boat shed, Rountree is speaking with Crystal Perez, Randall’s daughter, with her Aunt Denise watching out for her. Rountree is trying to be kind but the Denise talks about all the problems Crystal had in school when kids found out who her father was. Crystal suffered enough. Summer brings up that Randall Perez caused a lot of harm. The FBI and NCIS want to stop him before he takes any more lives.

Summer asks about Crystal’s life. She’s a guide at a museum, planning to study being a curator in college. Asked if she heard from her father, Denise jumps in saying that Crystal hasn’t heard from her father – “he’s dead to us.” Crystal admits she has heard from her father.

Denise is surprised and unhappy – Randall is dangerous. Crystal explains that Randall is sorry – he left just as Crystal’s mother died. He’s also sorry for what he did. He’s considering turning himself in. This catches Summer’s attention – does Crystal know where Randall lives? She doesn’t. They last spoke a month ago. Rountree asks for Crystal’s cellphone number.

Fatima talks to Deeks – Global West Ventures is flush with cash. The fire was not for the insurance money. Sam is checking out the fire inspector’s report. Thermite was used for the fire, something that is easy to make and transport. Perez had his own recipe for thermite but tests will need to be run to see if the recipes match. Nothing about Perez’s recipe was told to the public in the past – a copycat would not know the correct mixture. Since thermite’s main components are iron oxide and aluminum powder used in bulk, only a few retailers would have them. Finding where there they were purchased probably leads to the arsonist.

Callen is reading the Pembrooke files and having flashbacks to his oh so happy childhood.

Deeks is looking for footprints in the parking area behind the office building. He’s a fan of Freaky Phil’s Forensics, leaving Sam worried that Deeks learned to be a detective on YouTube. Sam is more interested in surveillance cameras while Deeks explains the thermite sticking to arsonist’s shoes if the shoes had deep grooves. Sam finds some tire tracks while Deeks sees if a footprint belongs to the arsonist. When the footprint catches fire, Deeks is pleased. Based on the footprints and the tire tracks, the arsonist got in on the passenger’s side. This is a two person job. Since Perez always worked alone, this is looking like a copycat.

Kilbride catches Fatima listening in on Rountree and Summer. She tries to explain “ghosting” to the Admiral, who knows what that is. He’s more interested in a sit-rep than Rountree’s past. A traffic cam caught the car leaving the parking area but the video is too grainy for facial-rec. The plates belong to a dead man with a different car so that’s a dead end.

More interesting was a number both the FBI and NCIS suspect belongs to Perez retrieved from Crystal’s phone. As soon as she left the boat shed, Denise Perez called the same number so Denise has been in contact with her brother. While the arson is likely the work of a copycat, Rountree and Summer are going to follow Denise to see if she leads them to Randall. The Admiral tells Fatima to stop eavesdropping.

Fatima has two stores that have the components needed for thermite with one making a large sale to a company called Core Dynamics two days earlier. Core Dynamics has no certificate certifying it is a real business and the components were sent to an apartment building. Sam and Deeks are on their way.

Denise Perez is in a public parking lot when Rountree and Summer pull in with the Land Rover. Summer is annoyed – she wants to arrest Denise right way for lying to the FBI. Rountree wants to see how things play out. A man walks up to Denise’s car – she gets out to hug him. It’s Randall Perez. When Rountree and Summer approach, Randall runs and Rountree chases after him. Denise tries to drive away only to turn around and try to take out Rountree using her car. Randall Perez flees in his own vehicle. Denise is under arrest.

At the apartment building, the manager explains he rents out garage space behind the building – www.parkyourauto.com. Opening the garage that got the components delivery, there is no car but there is a lab set-up. Sam sees a trip wire that would burn down the garage and cover the renter’s/arsonist’s tracks. LAPD bomb squad is called.

Summer explains to Denise that she is facing life in jail for the attempted murder of a federal agent while helping a known fugitive escape. Rountree thinks the judge would be lenient if Denise cooperates. She’s not in the mood. Randall did not set the fire. He believes the FBI and NCIS are trying to pin it on him because of his past. In his past, Randall believed he was doing the right thing – it is why Denise forgives him. Rountree asks if Randall had an accomplice. Two people were involved in the Global West Ventures fire. Since Randall wasn’t involved with that fire, how could he have an accomplice?

Fatima joins Sam and Deeks as the bomb squad gives the garage the all-clear. The IED attached to the trip wire probably wouldn’t have done much damage on its own but with all the accelerant in the garage, it likely would have taken out all the garages in the back of the apartment building. Sam asks why Fatima is there and is told Kilbride sent her instead of Callen. She has a piece of equipment – a mass spectrometer - that will analyze the thermite mix in the garage.

In the garage, Fatima asks Sam’s opinion of Summer. Sam thinks she was nice until Rountree arrived. Deeks is brought up to speed on the Rountree-Summer tea. Fatima thinks it is like “When Harry Met Sally” mixed with “Love Jones” which means nothing to either Sam or Deeks. She also says none of this is her fault – Rountree and Summer had their comms on.

The analysis matches the thermite mixture in the garage with Perez’s special recipe. Deeks finds some maps of Los Angeles and a list of targets. Global West Ventures was fifth on the list. There is a health care company, an investment bank and a shoe manufacturer. Fatima calls in the list to LAPD.

The Admiral has info for Sam and Deeks. The dead man whose license plates were used in the arson is Christian Navarro. The plates were cited in two-DUIs before he died. The driver was Marco Navarro, Christian’s son and Deeks thinks is Perez’s accomplice. Better news – the burner phone used by Randall to speak with Crystal and Denise was traced to a home in Echo Park. Sam and Deeks are on their way.

At the Echo Park house, Deeks pretends to be a food deliveryman. Perez runs and Deeks chases him through the house. Sam is waiting at the back door. A handcuffed Perez explains he has been trying to stop Marco Navarro. He’s been looking for Marco Navarro. Before he went on the run, Perez asked Navarro to store some of his explosives. He thinks Navarro had his own mass spectrometer and figured out how to make his own explosives – Navarro is a smart man. When he heard about the fire and the signature, he knew it had to be Navarro.

Saying they may believe him, Sam asks who would be Navarro’s accomplice. Perez doesn’t know. Navarro is a young, brash man who wants to change the world. They were involved in many peaceful protests together. He was family, lived with Perez. When he figured out who Perez was, Navarro wanted to join him in the not-peaceful protests. Perez pushed him away. Asked if Denise knew Navarro, she did not. She lived in a different part of town.

Crystal knew Navarro, however. He was like a big brother to her. Sam checks with Rountree to see if Crystal had any contact with Navarro but Crystal turned off her phone. She hasn’t been to work in a week – she quit. Denise says this is not like Crystal at all. Deeks asks if Crystal knew Navarro had Randall’s explosives. She probably did but Randall tells Sam and Deeks that Crystal knew he also regrets what he did. Deeks asks if he regrets what he did or regrets getting caught.

In the boat shed, Summer tells Rountree that Crystal’s car was found. A witness saw Crystal get into a car with a man who looks like Navarro. The FBI is checking the area traffic cameras for license plates. Denise told Rountree that Crystal didn’t mention having any new friends or changes in her life. Summer is confused about the targets Sam and Deeks found – none of them have an environment connection. Rountree thinks Navarro may have a different agenda than Randall Perez.

Back in Ops, Fatima found a connection to the companies on the list. All of the companies are major donors to Senator Greg Garrett’s reelection campaign. Sen. Garrett was responsible for killing an environmental bill in congress. Navarro wanted the companies to pay. Garrett is in Los Angeles to tour a warehouse that is part of an urban renewal project but the warehouse is not on the target list. The warehouse isn’t the target, Rountree and Summer think, Garrett is. They are going to meet Sam and Deeks at the warehouse. Fatima is going to update the Senator’s team.

Rountree and Summer meet with Sam and Deeks at the warehouse. The Senator’s team is evacuating the place but the worry is that Crystal and Navarro had an hour to lay down the thermite and accelerant. Entering the building, there is no sign of anyone – Crystal, Navarro or Garrett. Sam and Deeks come across Crystal as she’s spreading thermite outside the warehouse.

Rountree and Summer find Garrett and his aides. Navarro opens fire, hitting one of the aides. Rountree goes after Navarro while Summer gets Garrett and his staff to safety.

Sam tries to talk Crystal into surrendering as he and Deeks enter the warehouse.

Rountree and Navarro struggle for about a second. Navarro is apprehended.

Crystal lets Sam and Deeks walk far enough into the warehouse so she can circle behind them and light the place on fire. Sam finds a fire extinguisher and puts out the fire. Crystal, on the run, winds up cornered by Rountree and Summer. Crystal tries to explain that “we” are not the criminals. She threatens to set herself and her bag of thermite on fire but Summer talks her out of it. Crystal is arrested.

The Senator’s aide is on his way to the hospital but everyone is fine. Deeks mentions wanting to be a fireman – “mostly for the calendar.”

At the end of the day, a tired Deeks is complimented Admiral for a good day’s work. The Senator’s aide only suffered a flesh wound and is doing well. Deeks says that after “extensive consideration” he’s going to turn down the conference. The Admiral thinks Kensi would be relieved. No, Kensi was fine with Deeks going, even thought she’d go if he said no. The Admiral agrees with Deeks’s decision. Besides, next year’s conference is in Albuquerque – perfect for Deeks. Rountree is going to Costa Rica instead.

In the boat shed, Randall and Crystal share a hug before both are taken away. Summer found the Perez's farewells bittersweet. The FBI coordinated the farewell and Rountree approves. Since she saved his life, Summer thinks she’s owed about five IOUs by Rountree. She’s also grateful that Rountree apologized. Sam arrives – Summer, her boss and Sam are going to play some pickleball.

Once Summer leaves, Sam talks about starting their triathlon training at 4:30AM. Rountree is distracted by Summer’s departure. Sam thinks Rountree thinks too much. “Call that woman – call her.” Rountree chases after Summer.

The Admiral and his large decanter of scotch visit Callen in the bullpen. Callen has the Pembrooke paperwork all over his desk. Callen asks if the Admiral reviewed the information in the file. He did not – he just called in some favors to get what he could find. “This is your story, Agent Callen.” It isn’t the Admiral’s place to invade his privacy, though his door is open if Callen wants to talk.

Callen doesn’t talk, he instead shows Kilbride a black and white photo. It is Hetty and Pembrooke. The Admiral explains everyone has done things they regret. “Hetty doesn’t regret much,” according to Callen. Kilbride disagrees – “Hetty has enough regrets for all of us.” She has done things to keep people safe. Dark, ugly things she will likely take to her grave. Callen asks how indoctrinating children keeps people safe. The Admiral thinks Callen keeps people safe, if the methods were morally questionable. The Admiral isn’t a Hetty fan but he respects her. Hetty is all about the greater good and she made mistakes. But the mistakes were in the service to her country. Callen asks if he’s a mistake or a dark, ugly thing Hetty will carry to grave. The Admiral says the past is something your learn from, not where you live.

What head canon can be formed from here: A rather generic, and talky to be honest, episode until the very end. Nothing here wouldn’t have worked in season one, season five or season nine, just switching around the agents.

Not thrilled with the family reunion at the end. The foreman doesn’t get to hug his daughter one last time.

The end was very well done. A quiet scene, really well written and well-acted. Well worth the ho-hum 55-minutes before it.

The Rountree scene cut in “Glory of the Sea” really would have helped sell Rountree ghosting poor Summer.

Hey Deeks – you are going to get a hotel room for the conference. Take Kensi and Rosa, you surf in the morning, going to some meetings in the morning. While everyone else goes play golf in the afternoon (I’ve been to my fair share of conferences), hang with the family on the beach. Life’s good.

Episode number: Episode eight of season 14. This is episode number 310 overall.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

3 notes · View notes

zee-man-chatter · 6 months ago

Text

Putin has Been a Problem for Forty Years? No, It is Joe Biden.

11 June 2024 by Larry Johnson 17 Comments

I am not surprised anymore when Joe “Alzheimers” Biden drifts off into his imaginary universe, but it is still jarring to witness. Check out the 2:40 mark in the following video. Biden claims he has known Putin for forty years. I am not a math whiz, but that would mean Senator Biden was meeting a low level newly minted KGB officer in Dresden, Germany. I call bullshit. And how exactly was Putin a problem? He did not come to prominence until Boris Yeltsin tagged Vladimir as his successor.

youtube

The latest Biden gaffe is just one more sign that Biden has the mental agility of a wooden horse, and he appears to get worse with each passing day. Which raises the broader question — will he actually be competent to run against Trump? I have some well-connected friends who insist that there was a meeting in New York City two years ago, where Michelle Obama was persuaded to replace Biden as the Democrat nominee when Biden resigns the office prior to the Democrat convention this summer.

But, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich makes a persuasive argument that Mrs. Obama is not willing to give up the sweet life of living on beaches in New York and Hawaii to take on the job of becoming a Presidential piñata. I side with Newt in this case.

The crucial point is that the mainstream media is starting to present the meme of Biden’s fading mental faculties and preparing the political battlefield for him being replaced before the November election. I think the odds are high that Vice President Kamala Harris will finish out Biden’s term. Biden’s mental confusion will only get worse and he will be under more stress, beyond the normal Presidential duties, as Hunter Biden’s tax evasion case heads to court in September. In light of Hunter’s conviction for violating a Federal law when he lied on his application to buy a gun, I suspect that the Biden team will put pressure on Hunter to enter a plea deal rather than risk airing all of Joe Biden’s shady business dealings during the final months of the Presidential campaign.

So that is the first binary issue — will Biden be able to run and survive to election day or will he be replaced? Second, if he is replaced, will Kamala Harris hang on to become the Democrat nominee or will it be someone else, like Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton?

Now, as the domestic political drama unfolds in the Banana Republic known as the United States of America, I think international events will become the determinative variable. I will present three scenarios and ask you to weigh in on which you think is the most likely.

Scenario 1 — The United States and some NATO countries directly intervene in the war in Ukraine and attack Russia. Russia retaliates by striking military bases and key infrastructure in Europe and the United States with conventional weapons. The West will confront the choice — back down or escalate with nuclear weapons. In either case, there is no election in the United States.

Scenario 2 — Ukraine’s military collapses and Zelensky is ousted in a coup before the end of August. The West is stunned, but unwilling to escalate and go to war with Russia. This is viewed by most of the American electorate as a Biden debacle, which further boosts Donald Trump’s chances for victory in November.

Scenario 3 — Israel launches an offensive into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah and suffers major losses. As a result of the Israeli operation, Iraq and Turkey send forces to assist Hezbollah. The Biden Administration faces enormous domestic pressure to intervene and come to Israel’s aid by carrying out air strikes in Lebanon and Syria.

I am presenting only general scenarios. I wanted to give you the chance to riff off of these and provide your own speculation. I am certain of one thing — the next four months leading up to the Presidential election in the United States will be the most dangerous, perilous time in my life, and I’m pushing 70 years.

youtube

#larry johnson #sonar21 #non msm news #joe biden #Youtube

2 notes · View notes

eliotheeangelis · 2 years ago

Note

hii … i’ve seen your tags from the classical drivers post and i was wondering if you know where i can get some more info about these drivers - the old guard like i call them in my mind - except from their biography on google.

or you know if you have some must watch races from them?

Aw thank you so much for the ask! I'm regretting including so many drivers in my tags! This is going to be all over the place because my knowledge of these guys has kind of built up organically (I’ve been following F1 for too long haha) but I will try my best.

(I would just say one word of warning - if you google any of these guys be careful, as sadly several of them were killed racing and it’s really easy to accidentally see videos or photos of their crashes. Search with care!)

I'll start with Elio de Angelis because he's literally my fave - @riccardo-and-elio 's site Unfinished Symphony is the place to go - there are articles, photos, videos and so much more, as well as her other social media channels (the youtube is fantastic!) Her tumblr blog is great for Riccardo Patrese content too!

This article is great for a general introduction to Elio. This article is good too but just be warned that it describes his fatal accident in a bit of detail.

Also have to shout out eliodeangelis.info because that’s where I learned about him first!

Must watch Elio race? Austria 1982 of course! (watch from 8.20 onwards for the very tense ending!)

Nigel Mansell - I don’t know where to start with Nigel… he’s a dork he’s dramatic he’s flamboyant he’s my special little guy. This video is probably the best introduction.

His best race? There’s a lot to choose from, but for me it’s the 1987 British Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna’s opening lap at Donington 1993 should be required watching for all F1 fans!

If you don’t know much about Alain Prost and Senna and their rivalry, this is a great intro

Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodriguez are my fave 70s guys. Here’s them going side by side through Eau Rouge in the wet (when they were teammates!! Jackie Stewart called them deraged for this!). More on them in this article.

An intro to Gilles Villeneuve - . Must watch races for Gilles? Monaco 1981, Spain 1981.. and his three wheeled escapades at Zandvoort 1981

Niki Lauda’s career story

The tragedy of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi - https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/gilles-villeneuve-didier-pironi-rivalry

Graham Hill is one of my favourites because he was absolutely hilarious – here’s a good compilation of his funny moments

He won Monaco five times (only Senna has won more races at Monaco) and is so far the only driver to win the “Triple Crown” of motorsport – that is, winning the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500. His best win? Probably Monaco 1965 – he was forced to take to an escape road to avoid an accident, and had to get out of his car and physically push it back on the track to carry on with the race – he came back from 5th to win!

Jim Clark is still probably the greatest driver of all time. There is a good (long!) BBC documentary on him available here. A compilation of his best races is here.

Last but not least here is a lovely tribute to Michele Alboreto, my favourite little guy.

I'm sure there is loads of stuff I've forgotten so please do feel free to add to this! But I think that's enough to get you started ;)

#greenlikethesky answers #classic f1

29 notes · View notes

riphuntertimemasterlegend · 1 year ago

Text

Dream Show Challenge 2023

New Beginnings

Starring:

Karen Gillan - Melody, married to Ripley. An astute and brilliant promoter, she flits about in the episodes, helping to promote her husband's production.

Keith Szarabajka - Peter Turner, recently retired from the top ad agency in New York City, a bit of a mentor to Melody. His passion is his writing and he's had a few modest successes on off, off, off, off, off Broadway. Now he's written what he hopes is a winner and his play is being mounted on Broadway. Will he make it to the big time?

Adrian Pasdar - Nate Turner, younger brother of Peter. He's always been a believer in his older brother and he and his wife Cherie have lined up a group of backers so Peter's dream can come true.

John Kapelos - George Fitzgerald, began working at the ad agency at the same time as Peter and they became fast friends. He worked his way up and now runs said agency.

Aldis Hodge - Thaddeus Norman Turner, known as T.N.T. Son of Peter and Catherine ("C.T.") Turner, he's returned to NYC, lured in by Ripley and Roranicus to be the main face of their videos, interviewing people and showing off everything interesting in the city. He's just moved into a condo in the same building as his parents.

Kari Matchett - Cherie Turner, married to Nate Turner. she was born into wealth and met Nate at university. She likes discovering new and exciting things and bringing them to the attention of the masses, trying to bring some joy to their lives.

Michelle Hurd - Catherine Turner, known as "C.T.", she met Peter at university and they became inseparable soon after. She's highly in demand as a director of on and off Broadway shows and talked her husband into hiring her to direct his play.

Also starring

Arthur Darvill - Ripley and Roranicus, creators of Centurion Productions, they have a vision and know T.N.T. is the man to bring it to the people.

Amy-Louise Pemberton - Gia, wife of Roranicus, she's an entertainment lawyer and is quite helpful when any entertainment situation arises, helps the twins whenever she can.

Episode 1:

You Can’t Go Home Again

T.N.T. has just moved into his new place and has a stream of visitors, demanding his attention. As T.N.T. unpacks and settles in, Ripley and Roranicus Miller go over his itinerary for the week, what their entertainment highlights for each day will be, subject to change. A gala at a museum one night, a concert in Central Park the next, Richard III performed off Broadway the third night, really selling diverse activities for tourists.

Melody drops by talk about the publicity blitz currently streaming and talking up their project, about to debut. After a while, she lures Ripley away. Gia arrives to go over the final version of their contracts, having caught Ripley on his way out. She leaves with her husband, Roranicus.

Just as he’s about to relax, T.N.T.’s parents arrive, carrying his favourite food to welcome to their building

Episode 2

Sunday at the Museum with T.N.T.

As T.N.T. covers the gala at the museum, designed to raise money to help pay for renovations and interviews the movers and shakers of New York City who are attending, Ripley and Roranicus alert him of changes, an interviewee running late, last minute changes of what needs to be emphasized, his father attends his retirement party at the ad agency where he’s been working since shortly after graduating university. Flashback to last year student Peter meeting first year student Catherine, quickly becoming inseparable. Brother Nate and best friend and now former boss George Fitzgerald.

High jinks ensue as T.N.T. has to roll with small mishaps and keep everything rolling along and entertaining. Gia and Melody hang out behind the scenes with their husbands, helping to keep the show going.

As Peter gets ready for bed, he pulls out his script to read again.

Episode 3

Transitions

Peter’s play is rehearsed as we flashback to a younger Peter working at the ad agency and hustling at night to finish his first play and sell it, to be performed off, off, off, off, off-Broadway. His brother, Nate, has a little influence and brings the play to the attention to the men who can say yes. C.T. brings the play to life with her direction.

In the present, Cherie is looking after one of their backers, who’s having doubts that the play will be successful. T.N.T. and the twins filmed in Central Park and learn to deal with streaming live in an uncontrollable space.

Backer doubtful about the success of the play portrayed by Timothy Hutton:

Episode 4

My Kingdom For A Horse

T.N.T. conducts short interviews with Roranicus and Ripley, who’d staged a shortened performance of Richard III at Glastonbury and short Q&A with the cast as available.

Flashbacks of C.T. directing the cast of her husband’s play and Peter worrying over the production, making a few changes on the fly.

Episode 5

Beginnings

Flashbacks to the Roranicus and Ripley meeting T.N.T. and how they convinced him to become their front man, and how Peter and C.T. met and fell in love, with Peter putting his dream of becoming a successful playwright on hold as he meets George and they join the ad agency as a team.

Episode 6

Opening Night

The big night has arrived, and Peter Turner’s play is opening on Broadway. C.T. has prepared the cast as well as she can and the two wait in nervous anticipation for the play to begin.

T.N.T. is covering the opening the opening for Centurion Productions. Melody arrives with Patrick Miller, who has flown over from London specifically to see this play and the coverage provided by Centurion Productions. He strides over to the twins and greets them warmly, calling them Bartholomew and Matthew. Roranicus and Ripley want the floor to open up and the earth to bury them as everyone looks at them, shocked. Patrick continues, surprised they’re still using those ridiculous names from their favourite comic book as kids, “The Traveller and the Centurion” and for goodness’ sake, if anyone had had a modicum of sense, the Centurion would have been named Roranicus, not Ripley and how could they still like that dreadful tripe after all this time.

The digital camera starts rolling and T.N.T. is ON, interviewing his parents as if they were strangers, as the biggest backer (Timothy Hutton) of the play settles in with Cherie, Nate and George.

(The play is an instant hit, and Peter and C.T. become the toast of Broadway as T.N.T.’s viewing numbers continue to soar.)

Special guest star Michael Maloney as Patrick Miller, father of the twins.

#RABCL Dream Show #Dream Show Challenge #Dream Show Challenge 2023

11 notes · View notes

missyourflight · 1 year ago

Note

director commentary for your fave parts of the fic where max paint his nails? what attracted you to that prompt in the first place? i love it so much!

ty for this! the prompt was about feminisation more generally but also mentioned max wearing clear nail polish and it was that that sent me feral - like the idea of daniel noticing something subtle like that, and then the contrast between max's neat shining nails and daniel's ragged ones. and it's only a short fic so that was all i needed to go on lol

Daniel sits on the couch in Max’s motorhome, watching Max paint his fingernails with clear polish, three careful strokes to each nail. neat and careful!

It’s still new, getting to see this, be like this with Max. Daniel’s trying to be careful about it; he doesn’t want to lose the car before he even starts to push. mixed feelings about this racing imagery but we move

Max’s wash bag is open on the couch between them intimate imo! and Daniel can see the other bottles tucked in there: a navy blue, a light pink. navy blue for team colours and pink for feminisation lol

He thinks about asking Max – but there’d be no point doing anything to Daniel’s nails, these days; he chews them up too quickly. not even letting himself think about it... cue the flashback (also daniel's poor chewed-up nails... stressy baby)

Once in high school, getting ready to go out to some gig, he’d painted them with a black polish he’d lifted from his sister’s room. teenage daniel and his wonky teeth and big poofy curls So important... in the last scene he buys his own black nail polish (when he's buying lube lol) and that's Growth baby

He’d held his hands up in front of him to look at them, sweatband on one skinny wrist he's a rock chick 😭. The left was pretty good, he thought, but he’d stuffed up the right, the black splotching all over his fingertips. He felt weirder and weirder the longer he looked at them, like they weren’t his own hands, his chest getting tight; in the end he’d found Michelle’s remover and taken it all off before he left the house, and he hadn’t tried anything like that again. trying the black nail polish bc it's somehow not as gay but it still being too much... putting the internalised homophobia in the internalised homophobia fest baby

He takes the two bottles of coloured polish out of Max’s wash bag now, weighing them in his hand. He’s never seen Max wear them; the idea of Max carrying them around, unopened, makes something ache in him, tender and fierce. he would Not think of it this way but he wants to show max the kindness he couldn't show himself

It isn’t careful, the feeling.

“Can I do your nails?” Daniel asks. “Like, with a colour?”

Max snorts. “Good one,” he says, screwing the lid back on the clear bottle.

Every race weekend, there are dozens of photos of Max, hands planted on his hips in his race suit, neat nails shining. this image is the fic cover art bc i am: obsessed w it

It’s – people would notice. It’s not like Alex, whose girlfriend posts videos of them painting each other’s nails, the Boyfriend Does My Manicure challenge Max showed him.

(“Why are you putting TikToks in my face,” Daniel had said, wrestling Max’s phone away and dropping it over the side of the bed, pinning him to the mattress as Max laughed up at him, his face creased with joy.) idk why i find this so funny... he's too old for tiktok... also i like "creased with joy"... they're in love

“I could do your toes,” Daniel says. “C’mon.” the foot stuff enjoyer has logged on... but also it's like secret and more easily hidden and like a baby step to the other thing

Max looks up at him; Daniel watches the decision play across his face. Sometimes when he looks at Max he wants to yell, the flicker of every thought and feeling is so obvious.

“Okay,” Max says finally.

Okay, then. “Which colour do you want?”

Daniel holds out his palm, the two bottles clinking together, pink and blue, and Max doesn’t even look, just says, “You can choose.” 🙃

Daniel pulls the little sock off Max’s foot, tosses it backwards over his shoulder for the huff of Max’s laugh. He pushes his thumb against Max’s instep and hears his breath quicken, watches the curl of his toes. little sock 😭 the laugh sliding into intimacy so quickly

He unscrews the lid of the pink bottle, draws out the brush thick with polish.

“You should wipe off some of the colour,” Max says, a little bossy, “so it does not go everywhere.”

“Noted,” Daniel says, hearing the stupid fondness in his voice.

With the first stroke he can see that the pink has a hint of iridescence, like the inside of a shell, something delicate and hidden. Tomorrow Max will be out on track, his pink painted nails beneath his race boots, a secret only the two of them know. i find max pov so much easier than daniel pov bc i can use very little figurative language lol.. idk if the shell imagery really works here but when people get it right with daniel it really hits... @boxboxlewis trapeze imagery you will always be famous 😭

Daniel paints slow stripes, trying to keep the colour neat and smooth. He messes up a couple of times, smears pink on his own thumb in his clumsy attempts to wipe away the excess. this image means that love is making him gay 💅

Max watches him quietly, hugging his knees, feet flat to the couch. being good and quiet... i'm Fine about it As soon as Daniel finishes he asks, “Can you do another coat?” i think transparent attempts to prolong a moment are very romantic actually... just wants to stay in the little bubble where they can paint each other's nails

It’s harder, this time, to keep his hand steady. Daniel can’t look at Max, focuses on his own bony fingers holding the brush, their raw-bitten nails. 😭

“It’s not very tidy,” he says when the second coat is done, and Max says, “I like it.” echoed a bit in the last scene where max offers to clean up his messy nails and daniel says he likes it

“We should wait for it to dry,” Daniel says, “before we –” and Max lets out a shaky breath, nodding.

“Blow,” he tells Daniel, his voice not quite steady.

Daniel smirks and says, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” this joke is too obvious but so are They but he does it, leaning forward to blow gently on Max’s pink-tipped toes, one hand on Max’s hairy ankle. Pretty, he thinks. Max’s eyes are wide, watching him. hairy legs are hot and so is the contrast with his dainty nails imo

“I actually don’t think that helped,” Daniel says after a minute, lol I like this beat the polish still tacky to the touch, and Max kicks his hand aside, surges forward to kiss him.

#commentary #asks #💅🏻

8 notes · View notes

sonyadance · 10 months ago

Text

Travels and Dancing 20

I like writing these. They calm my nervous system down, help me figure out what the heck happened, because, damn life happens! Some people tell me that that’s what my next book should be about: travels and dancing. I agree, I want it also, but it’s not there. I’ve tried many times to write a book and the only one that actually came out all the way to publishing is the one that had a clear structure, direction and just basically got vomited through my fingers. A bit like when I write these texts… but these are like a glorified journal, not interesting enough to publish for the world to see. Actually… for the world to buy.

I’m so happy with where I’ve come from in the last year and where I’m going, but, as always, I have to pace myself better: the new year barely started and I’m exhausted. I have one day off in two months. I don’t think that’s healthy… so reorganization is on the table. Everything I hated before, I now understand how it serves me. Having a routine allows me to spend less time finding where everything is and just going; having structure gives me the freedom to move, build and create. There is definitely more work to do in those areas, but going from feeling the ick in my body just hearing those words (routine, daily, structure, authority, Québec, family) to wanting them. Wow. Path in my own back.

We did another iteration of Le Chalet wcs with Phil and Flore in August of last year. I love these two so much. As always, I was really slow in understanding that they wanted my friendship, they reached out so many times before my brain actually went: oh, ok, they want to be friends, they are friends. They are amazing people, aligned in their values, hardworking, a beautiful example to have around. And I know things are probably not always pink and fluffy for them, but if you read this: you inspire me to be a better person, and that having a family, being stable and dancing can all go hand in hand. I love you.

Le Chalet was amazing as always: 35 people sleeping in the same house, eating together, training, dancing, playing games, sharing. It’s definitely one of my favorite weekend of the year. I love seeing how the community grows stronger by people having time to share more intimately, play and just sharing the same space. This is definitely something that we’ll keep holding as long as possible!

Then it was the Country Festival of St-Michel-des-Saints. Me and two of my best friend in this world drove there, rented a little cottage, cooked, ate, drank, danced into the night and partied at the Festival. An honorable mention for your host who won the title of Mechanical Bull Queen of the festival! What did I win? Pride. Lots of it. Bruises. Even more of it. A bit of bleeding and shaky leg (where not going there). Was it worth it? 100% would recommend. 100% won’t do it again. We found the party with the line dancer and I don’t know if it was the euphoria of the whole thing, but I got carried into it for the first time in my life. If you’ve seen me at events, I’ve been mostly on the side of the dancefloor for all line dance type things… I has a blast there! Maybe it was the weekend I had spent at the Calgary Dance Stampede in April, seeing videos of my then roommate Mackenzie Keister, who made it look really cool, but it made me want to do country. Something might be brewing on that front. ;-)

September was for training and resetting. Anybody knows Noah Kahan? I discovered him when he released the Stick Season single and fell in love. I had just bought my first car ever and listened to that tune non-stop while driving in BC. I would go for cold dips in the morning as the sun would rise and blast it. I honestly think this whole album helped me re-acclimate to Québec, which wasn’t my first choice of place to settle, but has so many of the people I love. The melancholy of it. Making winter, slowness and boredom feel attractive through the poetry of it all. Sincerely, thank you Noah. So last summer, as I was driving to Halifax for a contract with a student and friend of mine, I played Noah’s album over and over and mentioned that this is the one artist I would love to go see live. My student found tickets for Toronto and there we were screaming our heads off at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto a couple months later. Probably the best concert I’ve been to in my life (ok, I really have been to like 5 concerts ever, but still…) I’m so happy for that memory before the tickets became 400$+.

I then drove to Sherbrooke to give a teacher’s training and a couple workshops. Gosh, I love my job. I love teaching so much. Some dancers I know do it because it’s the part that pays the most, but, for me, it’s the best part! Anything I do, I do it in the frame of mind of teaching it, if I don’t, I lose interest real fast. Teacher’s training are the summit: passionate people who are interested in details and want to ingest as much information as possible to then share it with their world? Gold.

I had a weekend home so I invited my new dancer partner to practice and actually meet. Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you. One day, I saw a video of a baby novice dancer and said to myself: I don’t know who that is, but he’s mine before he gets to All-Star and people finally realize that he’s as good as I know he is. I then proceeded to stalk him (in a totally legal and respectful manner) and ask him if he was available for a call. I told him what I saw in him, he told me his story and he planned to come up for two days. Then in a fun turn of events, I happened to have to move that weekend. So hi Aaron, nice to meet you, here’s half my family and thanks for moving my mattress and underwear and sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a half empty apartment with me. Great introduction. We had a blast anyway, sharing, constructing plans and trying liftwork for a potential routine. The weekend after, I was in Austin to choreograph for us with Glenn Ball. I love choreographing and I am always drawn to share a story I’ve created or seem important to share, and we needed a leader that knew more about swing. It was a whirlwind of a weekend with awesome people having me over, a few games of laser tag, riding in my dream car (black mustang) and being dragged to a country evening… which also re-kindled/re-confirmed the country love affair!

Then came, one of the craziest thing I’ve ever done: registering for a pole competition after being grounded (literally, not flying… with apparatus, I still took the plane) because of a shoulder injury, having health problem that got me bedridden for a couple of months, basically being in the worse shape of my life. I registered mid-august, so I had two months to choreograph, train, get in pole shape, create the music, and order costumes. At the time, I also thought that I didn’t have a partner for The Open so it was going to give me the motivation to train for something else, but I ended up having two partners and creating two dance routines at the same time, finding and cutting music, getting costumes for that and trying to find travel time to meet my partners.

To my surprise, I won. I didn’t even have a competitive goal in mind. What I wanted to do was present something that was so clear that it gave me a business cards to get gigs with other polers. I don’t need to become world pole champion, I want to help people who have so much more abilities and/or fire than me, create a routine that resembles them, has smooth transition and is sound. I didn’t manage to run my full until the day before. I rented an extra studio hour in Toronto and succeeded once. Perfect, ready to go. I told myself that a lot of things could go wrong with a pole routine (dealing with different poles, slipping, speed of rotation, angles, height, distance between poles, angles on static), but that I knew my routine, my song, my theme and myself enough, that I could make it work and present a show that I’d be proud of. After 2m on stage to rehearse… which means you don’t have your music, you don’t get to run the whole thing, there are 3 other people on stage with you… I went on to do make-up, watch other performance, wait and finally get on stage. It felt so good. Pole audiences are normally very loud, but during half of my performance there was not a sound to be heard. Which can be a really good or really bad thing. I was so proud. People came to me after to tell me I’ve touched them and that they heard my story and that’s all I needed.

For those who haven’t seen that routine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFKdHvSUKU&t=14s

Montreal Westie Fest came around. The hometown event where I always felt welcomed, loved and seen no matter where I was coming from at the time. Stephen came in town so we could choreograph and we won the pro strictly. I hadn’t felt that good dancing in a competition in a long time. That also felt like home. We know each other so well, it just flows. I had an awesome lumber jack and jill where you are randomly paired with different levels and performing battle style. I drew Alex Glover who reminded me he did his first pro-am jack and jill (actually the winner of novices got to dance with a pro) at Montreal Westie Fest a few years back and now we were dancing together and we were sitting side by side as he was competing in the pro strictly as well. I love full circle moments like that, they feel so warm and fulfilling.

Vidéo of Stephen and I:

youtube

Calgary was next and what a freaking weekend! I got there a couple of days early to meet my best friend Kim who moved to BC a couple years ago. We rented a hotel, roamed around, bought cowboy hats, and went totally berserk in the hotel pool. Then I met Nelson at the event hotel and some of the shenanigans we got up to that weekend are definitely not shareable through this media. All I can tell you is that there are videos of it and that most people thought I was drunk off my ass, but I actually had two glasses of wine in the entire weekend. One of my great idea was to get inflatable costumes to do a two-steps before the real presentation. I forgot to mention, it was Halloween weekend. So Nelson and I got into these giant pig costumes, blew them up and went down for the show. As we started, I realized that we hadn’t tried dancing at all in them and that every time my arm was lifted for a turn (and it is often in a two-steps) I couldn’t see anything; that every time a wrap happened (and it happens often in a two-step) it would squish my whole body and bounce me back out. Then my costume started to deflate, the pomp dangling down my leg and… let me tell you it was the worse or the best demo you’ve ever seen. It all depends on perspective.

I was home for a weekend after that (halleluiah!) So I decided to do a house warming party in my new apartment: after all, one of the reasons to have a home is to be able to have people over, no? I invited my closest friends and family with all their kids… and this stranger I had talked to online a few months ago. I’ll explain. I created an account on Hinge to show guys profile to my brother as I was talking from a woman perspective what I found interesting and might catch my eyes. I kept it to swipe left on everybody when I was bored at night and feel better about myself with all the likes coming in. For some unknown reason to this day, I swiped right on this guy’s profile, then forgot about it because I was never going to talk to him, but then he wrote again. We talked for three weeks (I was always out of Montreal), it was easy and nice, but after some thoughts, I realized I still wasn’t ready to meet anybody after the disaster of my last relationship. I told him so and expected to be told off. Instead he sent me a really nice message with his number for if I wanted to contact him in the future. Long story short, I meet him by chance in September, we talk for 5m, and I tell him it was really nice to meet him, that I’d like to meet again in a couple months. Fast forward to October, we’ve texted a bit, I finally have my own apartment, my life is getting settled, I feel ready, so yeah, I invited him to my house warming party with a bunch of strangers (to him). He came. The rest will have to go inside of another story book, but we’ve now met most of each other’s family and friends, spent the holidays together and he’s coming on a dance cruise with me in May.

Back to our initial topic: dance. As a last minute decision to get some time to rehearse with Stephen before The Open, I flew to Seattle to spend a few days at his place, meet his lovely life partner, rehearse like maniacs, chill and head to Sea to Sky. Sea to Sky was a really relaxed event for me, which I’m not really use to: I didn’t have workshops to teach, no judging, just a few privates, rehearsals with Stephen, floor trial and performance after a grand total of a few hours over 5 days of training for that routine. I’d say it went pretty well for the context. It gave us the information we needed to know what to adjust before the big day… in our head because we could only meet on the Thursday of The Open. Loll. You got to love the rush!

I went home for 36h (had a glass of wine with mystery Hinge man) and left for Philadelphia to train with Aaron. We had a few hours between workshops I gave, private lessons we both had, leaving for DCSX where we had some coaching down, I taught some more, judged a few comps, competed and finaled in Champion JnJ and Strictly. We also had the opportunity to see a basketball match live in the VIP section. Freaking loved it (also sent tons of videos to mystery man who loves basketball)!

And there it was, the most expected weekend of the year for most of us: The Open. After consulting with friends I trust and having hard discussions, we decided to scratch the showcase routine with Aaron. My friends basically told me: you were right he’s extremely talented, you could run it, but your routine is not quite ready yet and it’d be better to leave a great first impression than an ok one. Aaron was glad to also have a first year at The Open to be an observer soak in the vibe and feel more ready for when the moment will be right. Stephen and I performed in Classic on Saturday. I say performed and not competed because our intention was wildly different. Not only we knew that a total of maybe 14 hours (with many curve balls thrown at us), was not quite enough to do something highly competitive, but also because we wanted to present something that was us. A feel good routine. Something you want to watch with a hot cocoa, wrapped in a big blanket. A window into some other people’s inner world. And we did just that. I’m really proud of the results and especially proud of the fact that it inspired other artists around us and, for me, that’s one of the highest compliment… along with people writing me that it was their young kids’ favorite routine!!!

Stephen and I’s routine:

youtube

We rented a huge Airbnb by the beach with Stephen, Jacinda, Aaron, Brad, Jerome, Alyssa and Sean to get some rest and reset before TAP. How did I rest? By going to a silks` class, copying cabaret liftwork with Aaron and partying for Alyssa’s birthday. It started all nice and fun until a party bus was called at 11pm and we got taken to a random karaoke bar and… the next day was hard. Just thinking about it, I’m getting tired. Another honorable mention for me who traumatized the young adult boy partying next door.

TAP came along and I did the classic mistake I often do: party like an animal and stay on the dancefloor until 6am on the Friday because I’m so excited to be there and then be completely trash for the Saturday night. A classic, loll. I have to admit I was really sad about not making finals and being able to dance with my peers in strictly. I don’t know why, but TAP is the only event that gives me that feeling: it’s like being left out. I did have the chance to do a smooth demo with Joel Torgeson for the Invitational. I also took a few privates which triggered some fire and interest in me that I hadn’t felt in a while.

I came back to Montreal on the 5th of December and got my wisdom teeth removed the next day. Never too old to get wise! NO, but seriously, the entire month of November, while I was in the States and gearing towards The Open, I had a tooth infection, got some antibiotics that knocked me out and was just in pain the whole time. The extraction went really poorly, I had to take two sets of antibiotics, my jaw was so locked I couldn’t open my mouth, I couldn’t eat, I’m allergic to all anti-inflammatories so I was in pain, I couldn’t eat for a week, couldn’t work for two… it was a mess. All the while mystery man came over (there is a specific reason I manage to swallow my pride and let him see me like this so early on, but I won’t get into it now) petted my hair while holding an ice pack in my face and talking to me for two hours since I couldn’t speak. That’ll accelerate the bonding process…

Besides that mess to end 2023 kind of how it started, I had a great holiday season, got to see my friends and my family in Montreal, went to a fun chalet for the New Year (first year in a long time that I’m not working an event at that time, it felt kind of nice!) and spend quality time with everybody before my crazy winter schedule started. I am now teaching every evening between pole dancing, aerial art, yoga, wcs group and private lessons of different levels at different locations, and I am gone most every weekends for different gigs. I already miss seeing my people. Once everything is settled and my life has a bit more of a rebuilt, I will free at least a weekend a month and an evening a week so I can have a social life with “normal” people. ;-)

I’m excited for what’s to come, but I also need a solid nap and some healthy food. Help!

#dancerslife #dance teacher #west coast swing #wcs #Youtube

2 notes · View notes

kayssweetdreams · 2 years ago

Text

Ideas for 3-2-1 Penguins episodes

(Clear Warning. I will be doing them as if they still had the Direct to Video format. No TV Series)

Panic on Planet Frightmare: (Michelle Episode) The Rockhopper Crew go to answer a distress call from a small unknown planet called Planet Frightmare, But find themselves facing their deepest darkest fears in the process.

Rumor Ruckus of VinoWino: (Jason Episode) Jason hears a rumor about a kid from space camp from Trevor The Rockhopper Crew are off to Planet VinoWino, because of a disease causing all of the plants and vines to wither and die.

Mean Green Jealousy Machine: (Jason Episode) After Jason gets jealous hearing Trevor having a good time at Space Camp, Jason heads off to the small cluster of planets where everyone is jealous of one another...including him

Sickness on Planet Get-Well-Soon: (Michelle Episode) When Jason runs a fever, Michelle heads off to keep away from him...however, A sickness is spreading like wildfire on Get-Well-Soon...including the Penguins.

The Beast of Broken Rules: (Michelle Episode) When Michelle ignores one of Grandmum's rules, she's whisked away with the Penguins, who are carrying a very delicate cargo with a set of rules that MUST NOT be broken. When it is, both the crew and the planet is doomed.

The Fight of the Dream Dimension (Both Kids Movie): After they both dare each other to watch a scary movie, Jason and Michelle are unable to get any sleep, to the point that it starts to hinder their mission with the Penguins. In order to get them to sleep and help them, they take them to a small pocket of space nicknamed the "Dream Dimension." To get some help from the sandman. However, the boogeyman doesn't want that, as fear makes him stronger, so he takes over the dimension, traps the Rockhopper Crew, and starts to spread his fear across the galaxy. Can Jason and Michelle face their fears and find the strength to stop him (While Also staying awake)?

#3-2-1 Penguins!#321 Penguins

7 notes · View notes

turtlethebean · 1 year ago

Text

Carchelle Week Day 4: Drinks

Also available on AO3: Sunset - Turtle_The_Bean - Criminal Case (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

Carmen wasn’t quite sure what to expect as she pushed open the door to Michelle’s accommodation. Well, she was at least expecting to see the other woman in there, but that expectation was yet to be met. As far as she could see, the apartment was empty beside herself. There was no sign of Michelle anywhere, making her question where she was.

After a few minutes of standing there and debating whether or not to leave, Michelle appeared out of the comfort of her bedroom, wearing a loungewear set that included some fairly short shorts and a crop top underneath a fuzzy cardigan-like jacket. She also looked completely different without her makeup on. Carmen would be lying if she said that she didn’t find it extremely attractive, but she kept her mouth shut for the sake of civility.

“I was wondering when you’d arrive,” Michelle’s smirk made Carmen’s attraction to her even stronger, “I hope you don’t mind the fact that I slipped into something a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, really.” Carmen smiled back, feeling the warmth on her face.

“I have drinks for us set up on the balcony. I just need to take the pizza out of the oven, and I’ll be right there.”

Right, they were on a date tonight. That’s why Carmen was in her room in the first place.

Carmen made her way out to the balcony and sat down on one of the wicker chairs that Michelle had set up across from each other at the glass table. She took her leather jacket off, letting the Brazilian air brush against her brown skin. It wasn’t warm this time of the day, but it was just warm enough to be pleasant.

“Sangiovese pairs best with pizza. That’s why I chose tonight’s combination.” Michelle explained as she came out onto the balcony with the freshly baked pizza in her hands. She set the pizza between the two so they could share it, but Carmen wasn’t sure that pizza was the thing she had an appetite for.

“Wow, I didn’t take you as a wine connoisseur,” Carmen smirked, letting out a small chuckle as she did so.

“Well, you have to be the best to impress,” Michelle poured both herself and Carmen glasses of wine before she sat herself down across the table.

That last sentence made Carmen wonder about what Michelle had to do to impress Sombra when she was still with them. It also made her wonder a bit more about El Rey, the main person they were after in hopes of shutting down Sombra for good. However, given that Sombra was such a large group, she had to question whether or not it was really possible to stop Sombra fully. It was possible they’d be chasing them for the rest of their lives.

She took a sip of her wine, staring at Michelle as she did so. Her thick, brown hair was blowing slightly in the lukewarm breeze. She could honestly sit there, staring at her for hours, just admiring her. It would probably get dark soon, and she wouldn’t be able to see her as clearly, but she wanted to take it all in while she could.

“How is he?” Carmen snapped out of her daydreaming upon hearing Michelle’s question. Right, this was a date. Dates usually have two-way conversations.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying too much attention,” Carmen chuckled nervously, “who were you talking about?”

“Sanjay, how is he doing? I know Marina told me he’s quite traumatised after a run-in with Sombra in the past.”

“Ah, yeah, that…happened. Things have been a little rough for him, but he bounced back fairly easily.”

“That’s good. I’ve seen some kids with Sombra being traumatised for life, especially because of the hunt. Poor kids shouldn’t be forced to kill each other, watching one another die and…sorry, I’m getting carried away.”

“No, no, I understand. You did say that you betrayed Sombra so that you didn’t have to betray your own ethics.”

“Yes, I felt like the most reasonable decision was to betray them instead of my moral code. Those children need saving, and I think the Bureau will be the ones to save them.”

“I really hope so. I really don’t want to see other kids going through the same sort of thing that Sanjay went through, but then again, I suppose that’s why Lars set up the Spring Angels foundation.”

“I was wondering about that. I overheard him speaking with Angela about it when she was arrested.”

“Yeah, I heard that Angela had put everything in Lars’ name. She must’ve really been anticipating her arrest if she did that months in advance.”

“Well, Sombra operatives have to be prepared like that. It’s what they told us during our training. I actually had many things in place for when I inevitably switched sides. For example, I made sure I wasn’t the only owner of the law firm. That way, I wouldn’t be forced back there to transfer ownership, back where Sombra would know where to find me.”

“Damn, I can’t imagine what happens when you choose to leave Sombra without all those backups.”

“Unfortunately, that’s a death sentence, which is why I assumed that was what had happened to Doctor Metcalf,” Michelle felt a lump forming in her throat, “I’m sorry, can we stop talking for a little bit?”

“Oh, yeah, of course.”

Once the silence between the two began, both of them started admiring the view from the balcony. The sky was filled with pink and orange hues that filled the world around them as the bright light of the sun slowly grew dimmer. The blue in the sky faded to purple, which would soon become a dark violet once the sun had fully set.

The breeze was still a bit warm as it slowly passed the couple. Sure, it made the pizza go cold a little faster, but it was still a wonderful sensation on what was otherwise a boiling-hot day. It also helped the glasses of wine stay cold as condensation formed on the glass. Whenever either of them took a deep breath, they could smell the ocean, which wasn’t too far away but far enough that you would think you couldn’t smell it.

The silence between them was only disturbed by the occasional sound of birds preparing to rest for the night, as well as the low hum of distant cicadas. The ocean was too far away to be heard, but you could hear what sounded like people playing on the beach. Perhaps there was a late-night volleyball match happening, or maybe it was just a family trying to get in a few more moments of fun before they had to leave.

Michelle felt a hand creep up onto her thigh. Carmen had obviously been searching for her hand but settled there in the end. She chuckled and returned the favour, placing her hand on top of the other woman’s. Whatever was going to happen when they arrived in Colombia, at least they had a moment of peace together beforehand.

#criminal case #criminal case save the world #criminal case season 3 #carmen martinez x michelle zuria #carmen martinez #carchelle week 2023 #michelle zuria

3 notes · View notes

anticipatingevaporation · 2 years ago

Text

Everything Everywhere All At Once - And why it works so well

I am so glad that the movie I was most excited to watch this Oscar season delivered on those expectations.

I find myself quite glad that this Oscar season seems to have a really diverse line-up of films nominated for best picture. From blockbuster to drama to indie films, almost every genre seems to be covered.

But there is one movie on the list that is somehow all of these genres. And that is Everything Everywhere all at Once.

I knew little about this film going in, only that it stars Michelle Yeoh, seems to have a lot of action, and was directed by the guys who made the “Turn Down for What?” music video. That last little nugget of info really explained the madness behind this movie. If you’ve seen that music video, you’ll know it is absolute chaos. But there is something somewhat satisfying and entertaining in that chaos. It feels like chaos that you can’t help but keep watching.

And that is exactly how I felt about this movie.

Everything Everywhere All At Once really manages to live up to the title. The film is pure mayhem, there is so much going on at any given moment. And yet I never got lost. I kept waiting for the moment the film would get too insane or lose all kind of narrative sense, but it never came. It kept me hooked throughout.

Like I mentioned earlier, this movie perfectly balances a number of genres: action, comedy, romance and drama, all wrapped within a seemingly insane story involving multiple universes. The movie somehow balances and executes each of these elements flawlessly.

The action is impeccably choreographed and performed, legend of the genre Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan both sold every sequence, and directors the Daniels found a way to keep each one unique and fresh, with an entertaining spin every time.

Oftentimes with genre films such as these, you’ll find that one aspect is stronger than the other, perhaps the story drags but the action is great, or vice versa. What I love about this movie is that every part of it complements the other so well. There are real, personal stories hidden within this crazy movie. Every character has motivations, tragedies they carry with them that they must deal with. It is, like many great films, about love and family, and those unrecognised dreams we all have.

But what is so great about EEAAO is that the genre elements only serve to enhance the emotional moments of the film. Only by having infinite multiverses displayed can we truly understand our characters, only by having insane action sequences can their wants and needs be truly displayed. The Daniels aren’t afraid to let their audience go from laughter to tears within a single moment, and they have figured out that perfect balance where the two only serve the other, rather than detract.

This is most certainly a movie that I enjoy and appreciate the more I think about it. The first thought I had as the credits rolled was, I have never seen anything like this. This isn’t a movie that will leave you quickly. Even if you don’t love it, it will most certainly make you think, I guarantee you will see things you have never seen before.

Michelle Yeoh really gave an incredible performance here, aside from having to balance so many different versions of herself and keeping the narrative straight, she displays a believable transformation in her character that is gradual but also believable. I truly hope she gets her dues and wins best actress this year. She more than deserves it.

I had no clue who Ke Huy Quan was before watching this movie, but oh man is he just an incredible actor. He at once masters comedy, romance and action, while also being the emotional centre of the film. I couldn’t help but adore his character and want to protect him at all costs! Quan seems to be the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor this year and I couldn’t imagine a more deserving actor or performance.

Finally, Stephanie Hsu. Only on repeat viewing of this film can I truly appreciate what she has done here. She brings an incredible charisma and spunk to this film, while instantly being empathetic. You manage to be scared of and sad for her at the same time. She committed 1000% to this role and I am so glad she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I can’t wait to see more of her.

Finally, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, aka the Daniels, deserve ALL the flowers they are getting for this film. While EEAAO seems to be show of madness and chaotic energy, it is in fact an exercise in restraint. It takes masterful directors and writers to make a movie like this work as well as it does. The directing duo managed to unleash their bizarre brand of storytelling on the world without overindulging. Everything done here is within reason, it all serves the narrative in some way. So while this movie may hypothesize that nothing matters, when it came to filmmaking, everything really did matter. I applaud their creative vision and commitment to delivering it to the world. It really is brilliant stuff, I am most definitely putting their previous film, Swiss Army Man on my watchlist, and keen to see what they next bestow upon us.

Aside from having a damn good title, Everything Everywhere All at Once managed to do everything, without ever doing too much, and Everyone should really give it a watch.

(apologies for puns)

#Everything Everywhere All at Once #Oscars23 #Oscars #My Review

11 notes · View notes

notrailers · 2 years ago

Text

Let me start off this review by saying I think may be my film of the year (definitely between this and Banshees of Inisherin). What is puzzling is that this never got a true wide release. At most, it showed in around 600 theaters. For reference, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever played in over 4,300 theaters. A filmmaker as famous as Spielberg probably deserved more showtimes, but audiences are not flocking to non-franchise films.

The Fabelmans is an autobiographical look at Steven Spielberg’s life, from his introduction to filmmaking, to his family dynamic and how he got to the inspiration of why so many of his films include broken families and missing fathers.

The immediate draw is his love of cinema. It it what was sold about the movie. And we explore every aspect from Sammy (as Steven) getting his first camera to being tasked with directing his high school’s beach day. Filmmaking is the entry point, but it leads you to the deeper theme.

That theme is the dissolution of marriage and learning to cope with a fracturing family. Real-life Steven created this film as a way to sympathize with his father (Burt in the film), while his character and the film itself sided so firmly with his mother (Mitzi). This obviously came from a realization later in life of the sacrifices his father made and the burdens he had to shoulder.

This is, I guess, where I get into spoilers.

Mitzi fell in love with Burt’s best friend, Benny, who the kids call Uncle. Benny is played by Seth Rogen and I suppose this is a good time to start talking about performances.

Seth Rogen as Benny: I have heard people say and thought to myself while I was watching this in theaters that this is literally just Seth Rogen. He never becomes the character. It’s like when you’re playing a video game and it goes to a cutscene and your character looks wildly different from anyone else around. What really takes you out is when he does his trademark laugh. I wanted to like him and I think an actor like him was a good casting choice, but not Rogen specifically.

Michelle Williams as Mitzi: She is eccentric, quirky, a wild spirit and is a perfect foil to Paul Dano’s Burt. She has an artist’s heart and loves to create and explore. She just wants to have fun and play things dangerously, this is what draws her away from Burt and to Benny. Benny is the class clown who doesn’t take anything too seriously. He is the less stable of the two men, but that is not what Mitzi is after. Williams puts on a performance that excels in balancing the love she feels for her kid, her husband, and what she truly wants from her life.

Paul Dano as Burt: Paul Dano is one of my favorite actors and his ability to command the screen while not being boisterous is top tier. He can mold into any role. The Fabelmans is no different. As believable as he was as the Riddler in The Batman, he is just as believable as Sammy’s father. The entire emotional arc hinges on Dano’s ability and he does not disappoint. He has to become the bad guy of the family, but because Spielberg has become sympathetic to his family’s situation, he does not come across as evil and is not shown in a bad light. While Sammy’s parent’s divorce was the result of Mitzi, Burt took the blame out of the love he felt for his wife.

Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy: Steven Spielberg himself. I can’t imagine the weight he had to carry playing arguably the most famous director alive. There was an authenticity from the actor and honestly this whole film hinged on it. Sammy had to be conflicted about his ability, his social standing, and his religion. He had to balance out his parents, his sisters, and Uncle Benny. He was sufficiently awkward and a genius filmmaker by high school (the special effects for the war film were a stroke of creativity that I don’t think I could conjure in my lifetime).

This was the best film of the year and I feel like nobody has seen it. The Fabelmans has so far been a box office bomb and the death of original filmmaking continues. It is nearly impossible for a non-IP like Top Gun or Marvel to do well that has a $50-$100 million budget and even then Black Adam was a box office flop, but DC feels like an outlier for big studio performances.

The man who made E.T, Close Encounter, Jurassic Park, on and on, could not release a successful film about his life. To me, that is incredibly sad and concerns me for the future of theatrical releases. I adored everything about this movie and it was perfect. Please go see it if you can.

Rating: 5/5

Would I Recommend? With my whole chest.

#the fabelmans #steven spielberg #paul dano #film #film review #movie review #letterboxd #cinephile #cinema #movie

6 notes · View notes

rlg102group201 · 2 years ago

Text

Final Blog- Jade

youtube

Throughout the entire course, I think I was inthralled by was the notion of the pharmakos, and religion being prescribed to that label. It is quite apparent from the perspective of a theist how religion is a elevating thing, and from the perspective of the atheist that it is toxic, though it is not often where it is able to be viewed as both, or at least not labeled as such. We as a society treat things in such a black and white way, by way of immobile and unchangeable categorization, the concept of the pharamkos inspires a look into the grey. I also find it important to view religion as a pharmakos, it inspires a sympathy to the different perspectives surrounding it; individuals who dont prescribe to religion must still acknowledge its benefits, and those who follow religion ideas must be aware of its dangers and side effects. Though something I will always remember from the course is sheer level of hatred I have for Michel Foucault. I believe though he had influential works , no human being as terrible as he was should be given a platform to spew his views on sexuality which mimic and suit his twisted and perverse actions. I have attached a video of a french professor, author, and friend of Foucault discussing his actions and his works that I find to be important to watch. It is vital that we analyze where the concepts of violence, sexuality, and drugs are derived from, and for what purpose. I will continue to carry this ethical contemplation and value with me throughout my studies and prioritize the use of writers who deserve their platform in my papers. Though, I would greatly like to thank Jade for addressing this ethical and moral issue head on and providing transparency on the wretched human who produced influential work.

Thank you all for an interesting course!

#Youtube

3 notes · View notes

sa7abnews · 3 months ago

Text

GREG GUTFELD: You can lie about stolen valor but you can't make veterans forget about it

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/12/greg-gutfeld-you-can-lie-about-stolen-valor-but-you-cant-make-veterans-forget-about-it/

GREG GUTFELD: You can lie about stolen valor but you can't make veterans forget about it

So, we’re finding out that much like a monkey’s cage, Tim Walz is full of crap. Because, unlike the Harris campaign, people are actually vetting him. Especially the vet part. And he’s about to become unburdened of the biggest highlight on his resumé, meaning his military service with the Army National Guard. As noted by the Washington Free Beacon, when Walz first ran for Congress in 2006, his campaign described him as a “veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom,” which typically applies to someone who served on the ground in Afghanistan during the War on Terror. But for him, it was more like Operation Enjoying Freedom, in Italy, not Afghanistan. Here he is in 2007, after he was elected to Congress, talking about his time during that operation.TIM WALZ: I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time. I was an artillery man. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England, in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. And that same battalion is now in Iraq at this time.WHERE DOES TIM WALZ STAND ON ISRAEL?Now it sounds like he was a lot closer to the battlefield than he actually might be. He was, in fact, deployed to a base in Italy. He wasn’t taking live fire in Operation Enduring Freedom, it was more like Operation Enduring Pasta. I kid. And in 2009, a local veteran went to his Minnesota office and asked the staffer if it’s possible to mistakenly assume that he served in Afghanistan based on his website bio. And the staffer said perhaps. HARRIS CAMPAIGN WALKS BACK WALZ BIO AMID ‘STOLEN VALOR’ CONTROVERSY AS QUESTIONS SWIRLSo the vet suggests, hey, maybe you should change it to say that Walz served in Italy instead. But Walz’s office did nothing, though they did offer the vet a case of military-grade tampons. Then there’s the two fellow National Guardsmen who said in 2022 that Walz reached the rank of command sergeant major but didn’t complete the coursework to maintain that rank before he retired at a lower rank, which the Minnesota National Guard confirmed. Yet, even on his own website, he still calls himself command sergeant major. Apparently, his resume has more padding than Joy Behar’s toilet seat. So, did he lie about his rank to fuel his political aspirations, just as he managed to avoid a war? Does it matter? When your job is to lead young men in battle but your desire to dine with Barrack and Michelle matters more, you probably had no business leading anyone to begin with. And yet, the Harris campaign just posted this video of Walz talking about how the weapons he carried in war shouldn’t be allowed anywhere but the battlefield.TIM WALZ: I spent 25 years in the Army, and I gave the money back. And I’ll tell you what I have been doing. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment. But we can do background checks. We can do CDC research. We can make sure we don’t have reciprocal carry among states, and we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons work.Next he’ll tell us he used his bayonet to do butter carving. But if Tim Walz said we should ban the very weapons he carried in war and he didn’t carry any weapons, doesn’t that mean we can keep all of our weapons? Great. I want an Abrams tank. Again, he’s never been to a war zone unless you count his state during the George Floyd riots. In reality, when his unit got called for deployment to Iraq after he’d been appointed to acting senior enlisted leader, he bailed to run for Congress. But now even CNN is calling him out.CNN GUEST: Walz did make a comment speaking to a group, he’s done it a couple of times where he has used language that has suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation. There is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved at a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you. There is no evidence that at any time, Governor Walz was in a position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was. So that is absolutely false. Holy —- that’s CNN! I know. Wow. Who did Walz piss off? Did he steal one of Jake Tapper’s copies of Juggs Magazine? Meanwhile, listen to Minnesota Senator Tina Smith comparing Walz to JD Vance.SEN TINA SMITH: Well, here is Tim Walz, who enlisted when he was 17 years old. He served in the National Guard for 24 years. And I’m not aware of any military service that JD Vance has ever served. So let’s just make the comparison there.Let’s not, Tina. First, you’re leaving out the main point. No one is accusing Vance of lying, and it’s kind of hard to believe you’re not aware of any military service Vance served. What else are you not aware of? That you stole John Denver’s haircut? The fact is, lies like this got Brian Williams demoted and the closest he came to combat was being near Matt Lauer’s office. But apparently, the new tactic here is to muddy the waters. Right, Nance?MSNBC’S ANDREW MITCHELL: JD Vance has criticized him as never having been in combat.NANCY PELOSI: Has he? Has he? Has JD Vance been in combat?ANDREA MITCHELL: Well, he was over in Iraq, I think.I think. Wow, these are just some journalists. Now, Nance, JD never said he was in combat, unlike Walz, which you would have clearly heard if your last face lift hadn’t blocked your ears. The oddest take, though, comes from Mayor Pete, who wrote, “denigrating a soldier’s service based on whether he deployed to a war zone is kind of like denigrating a woman’s citizenship based on whether she happens to have children.” So I guess two months of paternity leave makes him an expert on childbirth? It’s the worst analogy ever. A non-deployed soldier is like a childless woman? Maybe if the childless woman tells people if she has kids to get benefits. Mayor Pete manages to derail trains and conversations. So it seems the Dems only fight when it’s political, then they circle the wagons. The problem is what they’re defending for many Americans is indefensible. You can lie about stolen valor, but you can’t make veterans forget about it.

#32aa51f3-1631-5028-95f7-dd3d4b55de18

0 notes