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banditthewriter · 4 years ago

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Eye of the Hurricane - Charles Vane - 1

Here we have the fic that I started when I was high off writing/posting Trust Is Earned. Then I lost motivation.

This fic is complete (at 5 parts) but the ending is a little different than what I had expected.

Warning: Violence, but it is a Black Sails fic so....

*gif not mine*

Enjoy!

*****

The sand felt coarse under your feet. The top layer was warm but underneath was cool and felt nice against your skin. You walked along the edge of the water, your shoes in one hand and a handful of your dress in the other. If your parents caught you, you’d be forced to listen to a lecture for an hour or two, but you had no intention of being caught.

In the morning you would be on a ship headed out into what was to you the great unknown. It would leave from a port in Virginia and, after a few other stops on the way, would take you to England. To a future you never asked for.

To a man you never asked for. Your parents thought it was a good match but you didn’t agree. Mostly because you’d never met the man, couldn’t even recall his name.

A marriage for love was never in your cards, but this? To be auctioned off to the highest bidder and shipped across the world to a country you hadn’t stepped foot in since you were an infant?

It was unimaginable.

You would be given into the care of your aunt and uncle in England and they would see you married off to the man your parents had picked for you. They didn’t even care enough to see their only daughter married in person. All they cared about was that it was done in a timely manner and that you did what you were told.

You’d spent your whole life doing what you were told. You were tired of it. You never expected to have a life of adventure and freedom, but you felt like you were being shackled.

From the distance you heard your name called by someone from the household. You sighed as you sat down in the sand to put your shoes back on.

In the morning you would be thrust into a world not of your choosing. You had just wanted to enjoy the last bit of your independence while you still had time.

It seemed that the time had passed.

------

The sway of the ship had become familiar to you after the first day you had been at sea. The captain had joked that you had found your sea legs faster than some sailors.

Some of the crew had taken a shine to you. When you were on the deck, they regaled you with stories of sea battles and legends of the seven seas. You were enraptured with it all, learning bits and pieces of the ship even though the captain refused to let you work with the men.

You were allowed to help the cook but only for the first meal of the day. As it got later and the sky started to darken, you were usually led to the captain’s quarters where you stayed until morning.

You longed to see the water at night. You had seen it from the port plenty of times, but this would be different. Nothing as far as the eye could see in any direction, just water and the sky? It sounded magical.

As the days at sea stretched on, you began to realize that you had traded one cage for another. At home you had to be at certain places at certain times unless you wanted to face your father’s wrath. On the ship you could only be in certain places at certain times unless you wanted to face the captain’s wrath.

England would be a new cage. It would be your fiance who would tell you what to do, his wrath you would face if you went against what he did.

There were plenty of marriages that were happy and equal, but you doubted your parents would marry you to someone who valued a woman’s worth. They would have picked someone like your father.

You listened to the stories from the sailors when you could. Some of them enjoyed telling you tales of horror and danger, obviously exaggerating the stories to make you squeamish and fearful.

“Not all of them are exaggerated,” the quartermaster explained to you one night as he sat with you for dinner. “Sailing the seas is dangerous. If it isn’t the weather trying to kill you, it’s the sea. And if it’s not nature trying to kill you, it’s pirates.”

Pirates. Plenty of the stories had revolved around pirates. They told you about the chase, the cannon blasts. They took pleasure in telling you how pirates would board a merchant ship and slaughter everyone on board if they had to. They took what they wanted without question, without recompense.

“But this is a merchant vessel technically,” you said uncertainly as you looked up at quartermaster.

“Aye, it is,” he said with a nod, shoveling more food on your plate. “We’re experienced on the water, miss. The captain knows what to do if we’re boarded. He wouldn’t do anything to put you in jeopardy.”

You could only hope that the quartermaster was right.

------

The days went from being passed with stories to tense and stony within the first few weeks. After the first port that the ship had stopped in to restock on fresh water, you learned that the reason the sailors weren’t as jovial was because you had entered waters where pirates were more common.

As you laid curled on the cot where you slept at night, you listened to the noises of the ship and wondered what would happen if the ship was set upon by pirates. You’d been assured there were plans in place for your safety, but you hadn’t been told anything of these plans.

You knew you would be terrified if the ship was taken by pirates. You’d heard plenty about them even before you had set sail. Most people in Virginia had a story to tell and you had heard them all.

But there was a tiny part of you that would be exhilarated as well. It was dangerous and something of an adventure.

If you lived through it at least.

You kept that little thought to yourself, refused to even think it during the light of day. It was best left to fantasy.

------

The days had been clearly marked on the calendar that the captain let you see in his quarters, but you still weren’t sure how it had been almost a month since you left Virginia. It was the longest you’d been away from your parents in your whole life. It was the first time in your life that you didn’t have what could be considered an appropriate chaperone.

It was freeing, being away from your parents. The thought of giving away this freedom to be married off to some man in England made your skin itch under the salty air.

You would almost rather stay on the ocean for the rest of your life. You would gladly give up the feel of solid ground beneath you if it meant you could keep your freedom.

As you walked across the deck, careful to stay out of the way, you gave a humorous thought to yourself as a pirate. You in your gowns with frills and lace and pearls wearing a sword and a tri-corner hat. It was almost enough to make you laugh outright.

“Sails,” you heard yelled from above in the crow’s nest.

You followed the eyeline of every trained sailor. The sails that were spotted were behind the ship, out of your view. You made your way to where the captain was using a spyglass to look into the distance.

“Captain Richards?”

The man looked over at you and gave you a tight smile. It wasn’t a complete dismissal but it didn’t fill you with confidence.

“Probably a merchant. Doesn’t look like the navy at least. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

Nothing to worry about. You gave a quick nod and moved out of the way as some of his men sped by, all of them hoisting the sails. You’d spent enough time on deck to know what they were doing.

They were trying to gather speed. Just in case it wasn’t merchants.

You stayed on the deck and watched the crew. None of them seemed to notice you, not while there was the chance of danger so close. You could catch a glimpse of the ship getting closer whenever you did a full lap around the deck.

They were following the ship. With the ocean this big, there was almost no reason for them to be completely in line with the ship you were on. The only reason they hadn’t changed course was because they were following you.

You thought about the times you’d seen the cats back home chase after the mice that had gotten into the pantry. Sometimes they played with them, letting the mouse think it had a chance. Then it would strike.

And sometimes they went straight for the kill.

The ship had gained even more distance, closing the gap between the two ships to the point that a spyglass wasn’t needed to make out the shape and number of sails. Murmurs started to go through the crew as the captain asked the man in the crow’s nest about what the ship’s colors were.

It was as if the entire world held its breath. The sound of the air, the sound of the waves against the wood of the ship all seemed to cease. No crew member moved, none of them breathed. There was nothing but silence until the crew member shouted down his response.

“It flies the black!”

Even you knew what that meant. Pirates. And unless you were mistaken, you didn’t think there was a chance to outrun them any longer.

A hand grasped your arm and you were tugged off of the top deck.

“Mr. Clemmons, what–”

“The plan, miss,” the quartermaster said as he dragged you down across the ship and into the depths. “You are to hide down here. We’ll put you somewhere the pirates won’t bother looking for merchandise. We will allow them to board and hopefully be on our way soon.”

You tripped over your own feet in a hurry to follow him.

“What if they do find me? What will happen?”

Mr. Clemmons had been very upfront with you about the truths of the sea before so you trusted him to be truthful.

“They might let you stay if the merchandise is more to their liking. They might take you for ransom. And if they are the blackest of souls, they might rape and kill you.”

Hearing it so plainly made your heart drop right through the bottom of your toes.

“And how many pirates are the blackest of souls?”

He looked at you for a long moment before he led you into the hold. You let him lead you into what looked to be some sort of cell. Once you were in there, he closed the cell door and locked it behind him.

“Stay in here, stay quiet, and stay low to the ground. We’ll get you through this.”

He was gone before you had a chance to question the plan. And you had questions. Mostly how he expected you to hide when you were surrounded by bars that could easily be seen through.

You pressed yourself into the corner of the cell, tucked against the wall with the bars in front of you. And as you closed your eyes to pray, you listened to the sounds outside of your cell.

There were no cannon blasts. You expected cannons and violence, but it seemed to be very silent. It wasn’t until the ship seemed to be struck by something along the side—a dull thud followed by a shake that made you almost fall from your hiding spot—that you realized this was happening. The pirates would be boarding the ship.

You tried not to think about what Mr. Clemmons had said might happen. Instead you clutched your fists in the fabric of your skirt and prayed that this would be over soon.

It was still mostly silent although you did hear the thud of boots on the deck above you. It sounded like a small army. Then you could hear the sound of stomping as men came down the stairs and went into the nearby rooms where the merchandise was. Your prayers picked up speed every time you heard someone walk past the door of the hold where you were hidden.

Then there seemed to be an explosion of noise above you. You couldn’t make out what the voices were saying, but it sounded like someone wasn’t happy. Some of the noises became clearer, obviously the sound of men screaming in pain as guns blasted and swords clashes.

They were fighting the pirates. Mr. Clemmons words came back to you. The pirates must have attacked even though the captain had let them board without issue.

These could be the pirates with the black souls that Mr. Clemmons had warned you about. If that was the case, you could be in danger when they found you.

Even as you tucked yourself more fully into your corner, you knew that you would be unable to stay hidden if someone opened the door. The color of your dress stood out well enough. Plus you were the only one in the hold.

As if you had conjured it, you heard the door creak open. First thing that came through was a pistol, but once the person was satisfied that there were no armed men waiting for him, he pushed the door open and looked around. It didn’t take long before those harsh eyes landed on you.

“Well what do we have here?” He made his way across the small room until he was in front of the door that held you. “Are you locked up for your safety or for ours?”

He grabbed the door but it wouldn’t budge. You were grateful for Mr. Clemmons locking you in for a brief moment before the man simply slammed the back end of his pistol against the lock a few times. It came open with a creak and then he was in the cell with you.

You might not have much life experience, but you weren’t about to get manhandled without fighting back. The moment he reached out for you, you struck out with your leg. It slammed between his legs and gave you just enough time to slip past him.

Barely three steps away, a hand grabbed your hair and yanked you backwards.

“You’ll pay for that,” the man growled in your ear as he shoved you face forward into the wood of the wall.

Hands were pawing at you as you were pushed harder and harder into the unforgiving wood in front of you. As you tried to squirm away, refusing to give in without doing whatever you could to stop this, you were too distracted to hear someone else enter the room.

A sword was pressed into the throat of the man that held you.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Your head turned to the side, unable to hide your surprise as you stared at a red haired female pirate. She was dressed like a man in trousers and boots, a streak of blood on her temple that went down to her jaw. Her eyes didn’t even dart to you, just stared at the man who held you until you felt him shift away.

“She was down ‘ere alone, locked up.”

The redhead pressed her sword a little harder against his throat, forcing him back another step.

“And you thought you’d have a piece, did ya?” She flicked her sword away from him, leaving a thin red line in its wake. “All bounty goes to the captain. You know that.”

You didn’t quite understand that this wasn’t your savior, not at first. It wasn’t until she grabbed your arm and started to pull you out of the hold and up the stairs that you realized that you still weren’t safe.

The lady pirate had saved you from being assaulted but it seemed like that might have just been temporary.

As you were dragged through the bowels of the ship and towards the deck, you were unable to look away from the various dead bodies you saw. It seemed like most of them were the crew from this ship, not the pirate ship.

The pirates had won the battle. And you were part of the plunder.

You were thrusted at a man wearing a tan jacket that looked below deck as pirates carried barrels and chests out to be inspected. He held a book in his hand. It looked like the one you’d seen Captain Richards write in during the trip so far.

“Found this in the hold,” the woman said as she moved around so that she blocked the rest of the deck from you.

“Ah, did you? How strange, she’s not on the manifest,” the man said with some level of sarcasm before he turned to face you. “Who are you? For what reason were you in the ship’s hold?”

There was something almost congenial about the man, but you wouldn’t let that fool you. There was blood on his hands as well as on the sword at his hip, plus his tan jacket was splattered with it.

This was still a pirate, no matter that he looked like he would be at home in your father’s reading room.

“I’m Y/N Y/L/N. The quartermaster, Mr. Clemmons, locked me in the hold. For my protection,” you added with a flinch as a pirate came through absolutely drenched in blood, his body brushing against yours as he walked by.

“Yes, I could see that being the case,” the man said with a bit of a smirk.

He seemed to have a silent conversation with the redhead, but you tuned them out in an effort to watch the carnage around you. The sailors who had told you stories and protected you over the last few weeks were all laid out on the deck, covered in blood and entrails. You gagged as you saw one of the sailors sitting with his innards in his lap.

Slit throats, gun shot wounds, missing limbs. The more you stared, the worse it seemed to be.

You didn’t see Mr. Clemmons anywhere. Nor did you see Captain Richards.

Wait.

You recognized the sleeve of his coat. He was standing and speaking with a man who had his back to you, long hair spilled over a dark jacket. You felt almost eased to know that the captain was still alive, but that ease was immediately pulled from you.

The man with the long hair pulled a blade from his side and easily sliced it across the captain’s neck. As blood spurted from his throat, you screamed and rushed across the deck. Your shoes slipped in blood and water but you didn’t care, barely noticed. You barely felt the hand that tried to stop you from running off but you must have shaken it off because suddenly you were on your knees next to Captain Richards’s slumped form.

“Captain Richards, please, captain,” you begged as you pressed shaking hands to his throat, desperate to stem the flow of blood. “Stay with me captain, stay with me.”

The man’s eyes were glossy already. You saw him mouth something but the only thing that came out were bubbles made from spit and blood. And then he stopped.

Everything stopped. You heard no wind, no crash of water against the edge of the ship. You heard nothing but your own gasps as you stared down at the man who had been entrusted with your safety and care.

Could this be real? You almost wondered if it was just a very realistic dream but the blood was warm, thick, and sticky against your hands where you had tried to put pressure on the wound. None of your dreams could be this clear.

You turned your head and looked up at the man who had killed the captain. He stared down at you with barely the hint of an expression on his face. Your eyes darted to the blade in his hand, still red with the captain’s blood. It made your own blood run cold.

“You monster,” you spat as you stood up, knees knocking together as you wobbled uneasily.

All of the words that you’d heard from the sailors flew through your mind and you grasped at one that would make your mother gasp.

“You fucking monster. You–”

You hadn’t noticed the man and woman from before come up to you and the man you were currently trying to beat with your fists. You aimed for his chest, your fists a flurry of movement as you tried to deliver your own form of punishment for the deed.

And then you had been dragged backwards like a naughty child or dog who was sniffing too close to the table. The rage that had filled you overflowed and you swung your arm out the way you’d seen the sailors do.

Your fist connected with the jaw of the man from before. While you were sure it did more damage to you then it did to him, especially since the crack you heard definitely came from your own hand, you did feel a little better.

As you cradled your injured hand to your stomach, you looked around wildly at the three of them. The redhead almost looked amused by your antics, which was more than could be said by the dark haired man you’d hit. And the man you had been attacking, the one who had killed the captain?

His face barely changed as he stared at you.

“What’s this?”

As if you weren’t even a person, just part of their plunder from the ship. It made you want to claw the man’s eyes out.

“I think she was a passenger,” the dark haired man said as he looked you over. “She’s definitely not dressed like a whore so I doubt she worked for her passage.”

You were sorely tempted to punch him again.

“Captain Richards was giving me passage to England as a favor to my parents. And you murdered him for no reason!”

The last bit was shouted back at the man you were still being held away from.

“Your Captain Richards,” the man said as he leaned down to wipe his blade clean on the deceased man’s leg, “thought to revoke the surrender of his ship after we were on board. Now I can see why.”

He stood back up and approached you slowly, tucking his blade into his belt without looking away from your face.

“What’s your name?”

The confidence that led you to punching a pirate—and injuring yourself—fled as quick as water in a net. You remembered that these were pirates and you were very much not safe right then.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” you finally answered when it became apparent that he was about to ask again. “We set sail from Virginia where my parents are.”

You could see the three of them trading looks but you weren’t sure why.

“Why didn’t they sail with ya?”

That came from the redhead. She had been so silent that you’d almost forgotten she was there.

While you didn’t want to give your life story to some strangers, especially some strangers who were pirates that had just slaughtered everyone keeping you safe, you knew you needed to say something. There was no use in lying, not that you could see, so you took a deep breath before you explained.

“My father is a businessman in Norfolk. They were unable to get away for the time it would take to travel me to England and then go back home.”

The three of them shared another look. This time as you saw the smirks on all of their faces, you realized what this meant.

You had spent so much time worried about what Mr. Clemmons had said about the darkest souls that you’d forgotten the other option he had given you. Kidnap and ransom.

And they had just decided that you would be worth the trouble of a ransom.

“Who were you supposed to meet in England?”

You glanced at the man holding your arm before you answered.

“Family,” you partially lied. “My aunt and uncle.”

The man in front of you gave a barely there nod as he looked around at the ship. There was something so cold and calculating about his look.

You were right when you said that he didn’t consider you to be a person. You were nothing but the plunder from a conquest.

“Anne, take our guest to the hold. Jack, tell the men to pick up the speed on stripping this ship. I want to set sail as soon as possible.”

Jack, as you learned he was called, released your arm and gave you a push in the direction of the redhead. Anne didn’t seem happy with being stuck dragging you along, but she did it without complaint. Their lack of resistance told you that the man with the long hair that had killed Captain Richards was probably the captain of the ship you were being forced onto.

As she dragged you towards a board that connected the two ships, you tossed one last look over your shoulder as if someone might come to save you. But there was no one left. Everyone was already dead.

Thanks for reading.

#charles vane #charles vane x reader #charles vane imagine #charles vane fanfic #black sails imagine #my writing #eye of the hurricane

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sasarahsunshine · 4 years ago

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Soak Up The Sun - Fun Things/Facts

My favorite thing about writing my fic so far is exploring the relationships between my OC and the team. For example, I LOVE writing Emily and Derek the most, because they definitely have brother/sister vibes, and they remind me of my relationship with my own brother. I also want that for Kassidy: to have them there as her older “siblings” in a way. I especially love how close Kassidy and Emily are becoming.

(I’m going to be writing a lot about Kassidy’s relationships with the team so I’m gonna put a read more thing here now.)

Emily and Kassidy stay up too late talking on the phone, talking about boys (and girls) they used to like when they were younger, telling stories of embarrassing things they’ve done. They go on breakfast dates all the time, sometimes inviting the other BAU girls along, but sometimes it’s just the two of them. Emily convinces Kass to adopt a cat so her apartment won’t feel so lonely. The two of them like to go to pet stores and buy matching sweaters for their cats. They also constantly text each other dumb things that are on their minds. “I saw a fat squirrel today” “!!!no way!” Kassidy helps set up a private facebook for Emily so they can share pictures to each other (this is placed in 2010/2011 so they don’t get instagrams just yet). They love taking selfies with their cats, as well as taking pictures of the sunsets they see when on the jet. They start collecting postcards from the towns they visit and write them to each other, so when they get home they have fun mail to look at. Emily’s ringtone is the Kim Possible theme song.

And then there’s Rossi, who’s one of the team Dads(TM). I like to think Rossi sees Kassidy as the child he never had (SPOILER ALERT before Joy gets introduced to the story LMAO), so he’s extra sweet on her- and spoils her rotten. She never asks him for anything but eventually he starts buying stuff for her and paying for groceries to be delivered to her apartment and she’s like “???? what are you doing?” And he’s like “you’re my daughter now I am taking care of you.” LOL. Of course later on when Joy joins the BAU fam Rossi introduces her to Kassidy like “Joy this is my other daughter” and Joy is like “Cool I have a sister!” And Kass is like “I’m not actually his daughter tho-” “shush Kass you’re my kid, now smile for the camera.” She puts up with it and accidentally calls him “dad” once in front of everyone and it’s that whole scene from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and she’s like “no i didn’t why would I do that” lol. Rossi puts her in his phone as “Sunshine” since he’s the first one to ever call her that. She has him in as “Team Dad.” His ringtone is That’s Amore by Dean Martin. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore~”

And then Hotch is like the other Dad(TM) who just wants to watch Kassidy and Spencer succeed at life and must protect them at all costs. Kassidy babysits for him a lot and freaking LOVES Jack. She becomes his unofficial “big sister” and lives for it. She loves taking Jack and Henry to the movies and park and is the best babysitter JJ and Hotch can find. Hotch has found her sleeping on his couch one to many times and just puts a blanket over her and lets her stay the night. He gets her coffee in the morning as a thank you for watching his son. At first she was embarrassed but eventually she gets a key to Hotch’s apartment, since he has a key to hers, and she just shows up sometimes just cause she can. She’s bad at buying groceries for herself but you bet your last dime she’s buying healthy foods for Hotch and Jack. She stocks their pantry FULL with foods, often showing Aunt Jessica where she hid the snacks so Jack (and Hotch) don’t try to get to them. She ends up with her own drawer in Hotch’s room that has some of her clothes and shower stuff in it cause of how often she’s over there. Her ringtone for Hotch is the COPS theme song LMAO.

Morgan is Kassidy’s certified Big Brother(TM) and he will hurt anyone who hurts his baby sister. He takes on the role so naturally around her and loves her for making him feel life can be normal sometimes. He has to tease her a lot about her crush on Reid, but that’s what big brothers do, ya know? The two of them like to go out for drinks and dancing when they get home from cases. Gotta remind themselves that life is beautiful and fun too. She buys Morgan a bunch of books and DVDs that she thinks he’ll like, and he always promises that he definitely read/watched them, but she knows he didn’t. Except when she buys him Tangled on DVD, telling him that it’s her FAVORITE Disney movie of ALL TIME. She knows he watched that one because she hears him humming some of the songs that got stuck in his head. They also hav the complete opposite taste in music, often fighting over what station to listen to when in the car. Usually Hotch or Emily has to tell them to knock it off or they’ll end up hitting each other (nicely). Kassidy HATES running, but she gets up at 6am on Saturdays to run with Morgan. She’s getting more stamina because of it, but she won’t admit it. Her ringtone for him is her favorite song, “Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow.

Penelope and Kassidy are besties for sure. They have girls night once a week when they can, binging on ice cream and watching lame rom-coms (Kass can’t handle secondhand embarrassment movies but she’ll watch them if Penny asks- hiding her face in her hands when those scenes are on). They like to go shopping together, hyping each other up in dressing rooms and picking out cute/colorful clothes. They always do brunch when they go shopping. They spend a LOT of money when they’re together, and have no filter whatsoever. Kassidy tends to get drunk by the end of the night if she was with Penny, which is always odd considering at the beginning of the day she swore she wouldn’t drink anything. She ends up taking a whole small chest for herself at Penny’s apartment, keeping clothes and toiletries in there. Penelope joked once that Kassidy had her stuff scattered all around the state of Virginia. She wasn’t wrong. Kassidy’s ringtone for her is “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves. They also text cute pictures of baby animals to each other a lot.

JJ and Kassidy love getting mani-pedi’s together. And when they’re together it’s either a whole spa day, or they’re at the firing range- there is no in between. No matter what they do, a lot of money will be missing from their accounts at the end of the day, much to Will (and Rossi’s) dismay. Kassidy see’s JJ as a sister too, but more like a twin/super close best friend type of sister, not an older sister like she see’s Emily. She’s totally a Jemily shipper (as a joke, but like <w<). They like to lay in the grass in JJ’s backyard and stare at the clouds, talking about all the places they’ll visit someday. One time they planned a whole trip to Greece, pulling out their phones and looking up ticket prices for the plane ride, hotel, sight-seeing and more. They haven’t fulfilled that trip yet, but they sometimes mention it to one another, reminding themselves that they will go. Someday. JJ’s ringtone is the opening Disney theme to every movie ever.

And then there’s Spencer <3 From the beginning she felt kind of drawn to him, his mannerisms, his love of knowledge- all of it. They like to get coffee together on their days off and trade books (Kassidy had to buy a bunch of new books recently so she had more to trade with him). She’s been to his apartment quite a few times, watching French movies and Earth Documentaries. They just like being in each others company (uwu). Kassidy probably texts Spencer the most, even though he detests texting- but that doesn’t stop him from replying. Her text tone for him is R2-D2 beeping (even though he says he’s not really a fan of Star Wars). During cases they’re almost always paired up together to work on geo-profiling and victimology, sitting close at the table with their legs just barely touching, their feet lightly pushing into each other every once in a while to remind the other that they’re still there. They’re totally NOT playing footsie (they totally are). Her ringtone for Spencer is the Star Trek opening theme. “Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship, Enterprise.”

Kassidy hasn’t met some of the other fun characters of the show yet, but eventually she’ll love all of them too <3 This fic takes place in season 6, after Hayley dies and right before Emily “dies,” ;) ANYWAYS I wanted to rant about this a little so um, thanks if you read it? LOL. Let me know what you guys think? <3

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Examiner, January 18

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

Cover: 25 Rich and Famous Folks Who Caught Coronavirus

Page 2: Secrets behind Bridget Jones’s Diary

Page 4: Tom Hanks’ movie roles

Page 6: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos who first met on the set of All My Children are producing a spinoff called Pine Valley

Page 7: Amazing Pyramid unlocks your psychic powers

Page 8: Joan Collins says she’s had a tough time all her life during her 70-year film career and was only taken seriously when she started to lose her looks

Page 9: Nostradamus predicted it -- Star of Bethlehem shines again 800 years later

Page 10: A service dog who went missing for three years is finally back with her joyous family

Page 11: Your Health -- when hearing goes on the blink -- listen to your body for warning signs

Page 12: Betty White, 99 -- birthday scrapbook and her biggest regret

Page 14: Dear Tony, America’s Top Psychic Healer -- work to achieve your karma, fighting it makes no sense -- Tony predicts so many people will be ripped off money wise in 2021

Page 15: Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney is jumping on the coronavirus vaccine band wagon and says he’s eager to be among the first to receive the jab -- Ian McKellen already got the vaccine

Page 16: Cover Story -- lucky winners and tragic losers -- 25 celebs who battled COVID -- Charley Pride, Lesley Stahl, Antonio Banderas, Tom Seaver, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Page 17: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Prine, Kanye West, Donald and Melania Trump, Ellen DeGeneres

Page 18: People are more likely to return a lost wallet if there is money inside

Page 20: Coronavirus (continued) -- Roy Horn, Neil Patrick Harris, Andrea Bocelli, Tony Shaloub, Pink, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla

Page 21: Prince William, Joe Diffie, Andy Cohen, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Alyssa Milano

Page 22: Cher admits it wasn’t easy when her son Chaz Bono transitioned from female to male

Page 24: A town in Virginia turned out to give their UPS driver a hero’s salute after he delivered more than 200 packages a day during the pandemic and holiday season along with cheerful waves and kind smiles

Page 25: Nurses at a hospital in Arizona went above and beyond the call of duty when they set up a dream wedding for a young mom with bone cancer in just three days

Page 26: Veteran broadcaster Larry King says he’s trying to stay positive after a year filled with private trauma

Page 27: Julianne Moore just celebrated her 60th birthday and couldn’t be happier about it

Page 28: When Julie Andrews sang about the hills being alive in 1965′s The Sound of Music in one of the most famous openings in movie history it looked like she couldn’t be happier or more carefree but the truth is that scene was a struggle that nearly froze the cast and crew, made them go hungry, forced them to use the bathroom facilities behind a bush in the forest and knocked the star off her feet

* Elvis Presley’s ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson recently shared some details she’s kept to herself for 45 years including what The King’s bedroom looks like

Page 30: What your walk says about your health

Page 32: Now listen to this -- hearing problems can affect almost anyone -- Whoopi Goldberg, Rob Lowe, Stephen Colbert, President Bill Clinton, Jane Lynch, Robert Redford, Halle Berry, Chris Martin, Jodie Foster, Lou Ferrigno, Holly Hunter, William Shatner

Page 40: A restaurant owner known for feeding anyone who’s hungry nearly lost his business until the community stepped in and saved it

* A California senior who miraculously survived a nightmare battle with COVID-19 made a whopping 800 delicious tamales for the doctors and nurses who saved her life

Page 42: UFO sightings of the stars -- Jackie Gleason, Russell Crowe, Olivia Newton-John, Shirley MacLaine, Cliff Robertson, Fran Drescher, David Bowie, John F. Kennedy, Mick Jagger

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Tiger Woods hits the links with son Charlie for the PNC Championship Golf Tournament in Orlando (picture), Jennifer Garner dons a garishly goofy sweater in L.A. (picture), Mark Hamill says his appearance as Luke Skywalker in season two if The Mandalorian was kept under wraps for over a year, Jeremy Bulloch who played Boba Fett in the early Star Wars films died from Parkinson’s disease complications

Page 45: Elle Macpherson (picture), Harrison Ford could use some pointers about wearing a mask (picture), Emma Slater and Sasha Farber in L.A. (picture), Regina King in Malibu at an event for her new film One Night in Miami (picture), a reboot of Little House on the Prairie is in the works, Maren Morris is playing it safe during the pandemic and has called off her RSVP tour but she is in the midst of working on her third record, Richie Sambora says he has no regrets about his decision to leave Bon Jovi in 2013 to care for his daughter Ava, Amelia Hamlin drew criticism online when she was spotted spending time with Scott Disick, Pink can’t catch a break -- she recovered from a bout with COVID-19 and needed stitches in her thumb after a run-in with a wineglass and recently fractured her ankle rushing down a flight of stairs

Page 46: A 93-year-old veteran in Ohio is whittling walking sticks to raise money for his local food pantry

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etraytin · 5 years ago

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Quarantine, Day 91

June 10

Today marks a full week since FIL's death, seven days that seem to have gone by extremely quickly and with little clear delineation between the days. Now that school is out for summer, we don't even have that distinction between weekday and weekend. At least I know that when this unreality starts to feel too oppressive, I can go back in my journal and read what I've been doing in the time that has now faded into featureless beige mush. By this time next week, it is possible that we will be back in Virginia and settling into our new old routine! There is a lot I will miss about being here, but I will also be so glad to get home. It's been a _very_ long time since May 1.

The kiddo had a bad day today; he stubbed his toe very hard while helping Nana carry things out of the car and it hurt him a lot for the rest of the day. By bedtime his middle toe was looking pretty swollen, so we've got an urgent care appointment for tomorrow morning. I know that even if it's broken there's likely not much to be done about it, but it would still be good to know. Also, why on earth would we pay more than 15% of our income for health insurance if not to use it? Just looking at that sentence is terribly depressing but it is still true. We pay thousands of dollars so we can have ten dollar copays, that's a calculus that doesn't work unless you actually go to your doctor.

So the kiddo was sore and couldn't walk very well and missed going to the tailgate market with us. He was sad, but I brought him home a fudge brownie and assured him that nobody was selling any toys, and he was comforted. He was also comforted that I let him use way more electronics than usual because he was stuck sitting down with ice on his foot for ages. MIL enjoyed being able to get to the tailgate market for the first time since the end of last tailgate market season. We got more of the really excellent hazelnut, cocoa and strawberry tea I bought last time, plus some veggies, a bunch of baked goods, and some lavender spritzing spray. There were more booths than two weeks ago when I came, and though everyone was wearing masks, it felt almost like normal.

Today was also car cleaning day. MIL very much likes to have all her spaces organized, but this has been hard for her lately because she was so consumed with caring for FIL and then dealing with the many issues surrounding his hospitalization and the days in the nursing center. Plus with the broken knee and everything, it was hard to get around at all. Her physical therapist cleared her to go very carefully up and down stairs today, and she was _very_ pleased. She and the kiddo cleaned out the car this morning, and then this afternoon she and I took it to the car wash. We actually did a car wash last week because it was covered in pollen, so I just bought the cheapo wash today, especially since it spit rain all day, and used it to get access to the free vacuums. Social distancing at the car wash means every other vacuum parking space is blocked off, which means I didn't have to wear a mask while I vacuumed the heck out of that car. We also bought the little packet of glass wipes and dash wipes and the cloth to wipe off drips, and by the time we were done, that car looked really good. We celebrated by picking up our grocery order at Walmart! I could tell they were v. impressed.

With groceries secured and all the marketing done, I set up a little emergency pantry for MIL in her cute dining room pie safe. She doesn't really need a month's worth of stored food, especially since she has a well stocked regular pantry, but I tucked away evaporated milk, canned meat, tomato sauces, pastas, pancake and biscuit mix, beans, and a few other useful staples. It's probably enough food to last one person a week or so, and it's nice to have in case of emergency. We're also going to make sure she's got five or six gallons of drinking water available in case of problems with the well. Her neighbors around here are really great and take good care of her, but it never hurts to have enough to get by on your own if needed! She's also got plenty of medicine, cleaning supplies and toilet paper, so she should be all set when we have to go.

Another meal train meal tonight, homemade lasagna from the same couple who planted MIL's little herb garden for her this spring. She says they are both semi-retired attorneys and they just do stuff like this all the time to help people. I think I have new role models (and the lasagna was delicious!). At lunchtime, my husband made broccoli cheese soup from scratch, and it was very tasty to put alongside leftover barbecue and potato chips. The quality of our meals is something I will definitely miss about our time here, but it's also something I ought to get away from if I'm hoping to fit into a bridesmaid's (bridesmatron's?) dress by August. My sister's wedding may be a much smaller affair than originally planned, but I have no illusions that I'm going to get out of wearing that thing all day long. Time to start walking again!

#quarantine #car wash #i kind of thought that being the first of my friends to get married would mean i never had to be a bridesmaid #but i discounted the part about sisters

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rolandopujol · 5 years ago

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While it never grew as large as Howard Johnson’s or Friendly’s, the Dutch Pantry restaurant chain was once a comforting sight along the road in parts of the country. Dutch Pantry began in 1945 near Selingrove, Pennyslvania, and the once family-owned chain would grow to have locations as far south as Florida. Today, there are only three Dutch Pantry restaurants left, two near each other off Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, and one more in West Virginia. I visited both Pennsylvania locations this weekend, and their design was nearly identical, so I present photos of the Clearfield location, simply because the light was better when I stopped there for coffee Saturday afternoon. The three remaining restaurants are owned by the same proprietor, who lives in Ohio. A manager at the DuBois, Pennsylvania location told me the three stores still cooperate on matters including the menu. This one dates to 1974. The look of the restaurants pays homage to Pennsylvania Dutch culture, which springs from the community of German pioneers who settled in the Keystone State centuries ago. Dutch is a corruption of the word Deutsch, or German. The word’s use here has nothing to do with the Netherlands. The stores recall a Pennsylvania Dutch barn, complete with hex signs, designed to bring good fortune and ward away bad spirits. I love their design and have a few in my kitchen. The Dutch Pantry interiors have a cozy, homey look and an eye-catching circular counter than I simply cannot get enough of. The menu is a temple to comfort food, but the Pennsylvania Dutch specialities are the highlight. I had dinner at the DuBois location, and enjoyed meatloaf with a dessert of shoo-fly pie, a regional specialty. I didn’t see any hex signs for sale in the gifts shops -- perhaps I missed them -- which is just as well. My collection of them could soon get out of control, although who can’t use a little more good luck in their lives? #retrologist (at Dutch Pantry) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xmF4ZFrT8/?igshid=14lelt45lzju7

#retrologist

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gov-info · 6 years ago

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Roundup! Who’s Who at the State of the Union, 9p.m. ET (watch/listen/read: whitehouse.gov or c-span.org)

Speakers

President Donald Trump

Democratic Response (English): Stacey Abrams

Democratic Response (Spanish): Xavier Becerra

Attendees

Officials: Members of the House and Senate, the President’s Cabinet (with the exception of one planned absentee Cabinet member), Vice President, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, former Members of Congress, and members of the diplomatic corps.

Invited Guests (as of 2 p.m. ET)

President Trump/First Lady Melania Trump

Congress (via @RollCall) click below for list (as of 2p.m. ET):

Senate

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee: A.B. Culvahouse, Jr., Ambassador of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of Australia and a Tennessean.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin: Diane Whitcraft, a constituent with multiple sclerosis who stopped taking a drug after 23 years because she could not afford it.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey: Edward Douglas, who faced a lifetime sentence in 2003 for selling crack cocaine, but was released in January thanks to a criminal justice reform bill called the First Step Act passed by Congress in December.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois: Toby Hauck, an Aurora, Illinois, air traffic controller and Air Force veteran and one of the more than 8,000 Illinois federal employees impacted by the partial government shutdown.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York:Navy Lt. Cmdr. Blake Dremann, a transgender service member and the president of SPART*A, an LGBT military advocacy organization focused on transgender military advocacy.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California: Trisha Pesiri-Dybvik, an air traffic controller and a mother of three who lost her home in the Travis wildfire, and soon after went without a paycheck during the 35-day shutdown.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico: Former Pueblo of Acoma Governor Kurt Riley will attend to bring attention to how the shutdown adversely affected public safety, child welfare, and health care programs at Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota: Bethlehem Gronneberg, founder and CEO of uCodeGirl.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine: Margo Walsh, the owner and founder of MaineWorks, a Portland employment agency, and co-founder of Maine Recovery Fund, which provides services for people in recovery for substance abuse.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota: Nicole Smith-Holt, a constituent whose son died because the family was unable to afford his insulin.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts: Varshini Prakash, executive director and co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people working to stop climate change.

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona: Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper born without a jaw, who is an advocate for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Networks Hospitals.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada: Dr. Michael Moradshahi, a second-generation American and licensed psychologist. Moradshahi served in the Department of Veteran Affairs and currently works in the Indian Health System (IHS) in Reno. He worked without pay during the partial government shutdown.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon: Albertina Contreras, a mother detained in solitary confinement and separated from her 11-year-old daughter Yakelin when she sought asylum from domestic violence in Guatemala.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: Jamael Tito Brown, mayor of Youngstown, the beneficiary of a recent U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada: Tanya Flanagan, a constituent and county employee who has survived breast cancer three times, who would be at risk of losing health care coverage without the Affordable Care Act’s protections for patients with preexisting conditions.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland: Lila Johnson, a grandmother and primary breadwinner, who has worked as a general cleaning services contractor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than two decades. As it stands, Johnson will not receive compensation for the 35 days the government was partially shuttered.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona: Maj. Bryan Bouchard, a retired Bronze Star recipient.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina: Pastor Andrew Brunson, a North Carolina native who was imprisoned in Turkey, and his wife Norine Brunson. Brunson was arrested during a crackdown after a failed military coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was released last year.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts: Sajid Shahriar, an employee of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development furloughed during the government shutdown. Executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3258, Shahriar organized rallies in Boston to urge an end to the shutdown.

House of Representatives

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona: Border Patrol Agent Art Del Cueto.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon: Blumenauer will not attend the State of the Union address, but has asked Nate Mook, executive director of the World Central Kitchen, to take his place. Word Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, provides food to people in need, and distributed meals to federal employees during the shutdown.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon: Alexandria Goddard, who helped organize Portland’s March for Our Lives while a student at Sunset High School. Goddard is currently a freshman at Portland State University.

Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois:Tom Mueller, a soybean farmer whose income has taken a hit from trade policy under the Trump administration.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-California: Foodbank of Santa Barbara County CEO Erik Talkin, who distributed food to furloughed workers during the 35-day partial government shutdown.

Rep John Carter, R-Texas: Robert Chody, the Williamson County sheriff. Carter said in a statement that Chody was a U.S. Army veteran and served in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice before taking the helm in Williamson County.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-California: Ryan Hampton, an advocate who was able to receive treatment for opioid addiction only to see his friend die in a sober-living facility due to lack of training and resources. Hampton will argue Trump is ignoring the opioid crisis by obsessing over a non-solution.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island: Jamie Green, an air traffic controller at T.F. Green International Airport.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey: Victorina Morales, an undocumented immigrant who worked as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Virginia: Amer Al-Mudallal, a chemist and 22-year veteran of the chemical safety division of the Environmental Protection Agency. Both Amer and his wife, another EPA employee, were furloughed and missed their paychecks during the partial government shutdown.

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota: Katie Brenny, who Craig describes as a cattle farmer, businesswoman, and community advocate.

Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida: “Coast Guard family” Petty Officer Chris Gutierrez and Chelsey Gutierrez. Gutierrez is stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.

Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-South Carolina: Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin, a Republican, who endorsed Cunningham over his GOP opponent Katie Arrington last year.

Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas: Laura Robeson, a mother and health care advocate from Prairie Village, whose 7-year-old son Danny was born prematurely and has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and cortical vision impairment.

Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Illinois: Taylorville Fire Chief Mike Crews, who was instrumental in the emergency notification and disaster recovery efforts when a tornado struck the congressman’s hometown on Dec. 1, 2018.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pennsylvania: Jami Amo, a survivor of the 1999 Columbine school shooting. Amo became a gun safety activist after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year.

Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-New York: Michael Hickey, who exposed elevated levels of toxic PFOA chemicals in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh after his father died of cancer.

Rep. Val Demings, D-Florida: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Ralph Velez, a federal employee at Orlando International Airport who worked without a paycheck during the partial government shutdown.

Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Florida: Manny Oliver, who started the organization Change the Ref after losing his son Joaquin in the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-California: Charlene Downey, a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas: Senaida Navar, a DACA recipient and an adjunct instructor at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York: Yeni Gonzalez Garcia, a Guatemalan mother separated from her three children at the Arizona border last year.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania: Justin Cangro, 16, whose 20-year-old brother Jared died of an overdose in July 2016.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee: Gov. Bill Lee will join Fleischmann as his guest and meet with the entire Tennessee delegation.

Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois: Marilyn Weisner, executive director of the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Florida: Kim Churches, CEO of the American Association of University Women, an organization that promotes education for women and girls.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida: Carlos Trujillo, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States. Gaetz tweeted Trujillo has been a “key advisor” to the Trump administration on Venezuela policy.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona: Beth Lewis, chair of Save Our Schools Arizona, an organization that advocates for strong public schools.

Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Texas: Devani Gonzalez, a DACA recipient who aspires to be in law enforcement but is hindered due to her immigration status.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine: Cynthia Phinney, president of the Maine AFL-CIO.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-California: Sandra Diaz, another former housekeeper who worked at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, as an undocumented immigrant. Diaz endured coercion, physical and verbal abuse, and threats of deportation from her supervisors there, Gomez said in a statement.Diaz, who emigrated from Costa Rica, is now a legal resident and does not have to worry her attendance will tip off U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey: Annette Leo, the mother of two who have been diagnosed with Ataxia Telangiectasia, a rare, progressive neurological disorder.

Rep. Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico: Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Rep. Josh Harder, D-California: John Casazza, a Central Valley walnut farmer from Hughson and lifelong Republican. Recent Chinese tariffs are “significantly hurting his business due to the lowered demand,” according to a statement.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut: Lane Murdock, a junior at Ridgefield High School student and co-founder of National School Walkout, which organized a massive student protest in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-District of Columbia: Faye Smith, a member of 32BJ SEIU, a contracted Smithsonian security officer who was facing eviction because of the shutdown.

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Maryland: Jacqueline Beale, Maryland state lead ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington: Lisa J. Graumlich, climate scientist and Dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington.

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio: Chris Green, a police officer who nearly overdosed after being exposed to fentanyl during an arrest.

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan: Cathy Wusterbarth, of Oscoda, who has advocated for all levels of government to more urgently address toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination that has been found in drinking water in her community.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa: Far-right Fox News personalities “Diamond and Silk.”

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois: Dixon High School Resource Officer Mark Dallas, who intervened when a former student started firing in the school auditorium last year.

Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pennsylvania: Darrin Kelly, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, firefighter and president of the Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island: Stephen Cardi, the chief operating officer of the Cardi Corporation and president of Construction Industries of Rhode Island.

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nevada: Sergeant Isaac Saldivar, who served in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq. Saldivar lost two years of G.I. Bill benefits when the for-profit college he was enrolled in closed.

Rep. Mike Levin, D-California: Lucero Sanchez, a DACA recipient, student in environmental science at UC San Diego, and former intern on Levin’s campaign.

Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Illinois: Chicago police officer Gino Garcia and advocate for the organization WINGS, which provides shelter and job training for victims of domestic violence.

Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa: Jeff Chapman, battalion chief of the Clinton Fire Department, who has served with the department since 1995.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-California: Shaima Swileh, a Yemeni national, and Ali Hassan, a U.S. citizen, to spotlight the impact of the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban. Though their 2-year-old son is receiving treatment for a terminal genetic brain condition in the U.S., the couple struggled to obtain a visa for Swileh, his mother. After a public outcry, Swileh was able to visit the U.S. weeks before her son died. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., will also host the couple.

Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-New Jersey: Hing Foo Lee, brother of the late patient advocate John Lee, who was profiled in the Washington Post for his determination to vote in NJ-07 while dealing with stage IV cancer.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York: Sydney B. Ireland, a high school student who successfully lobbied to join the Boy Scout Troops and is now fighting to be officially recognized as a member with a rank of Eagle Scout.

Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah: McAdams will bring his brother-in-law Sam, who voted for Trump in 2016.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-California: Shaima Swileh, a Yemeni national, and Ali Hassan, a U.S. citizen, to spotlight the impact of the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., will also host the couple.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-New York: Jin Park of Flushing, Queens, the first Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient to be awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Park is to study at the University of Oxford in England in the fall but fears he will not be permitted to re-enter the country.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Florida: A 15-year-old student, Uma Menon of Winter Park, the winner of the congresswoman’s State of the Union essay contest.

Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colorado: Elias, a DACA recipient and student in chemical and biological engineering, as well as biomedical engineering at Colorado State University. Elias emigrated from Mexico at a young age.

Rep. Donald Norcross, D-New Jersey: Robert Martinez Jr., who is the International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Norcross has introduced a bill to grant federal contractors back pay for income lost during the shutdown.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York: Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy. Archila made national headlines last year when she confronted then-Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, in a Capitol elevator and challenged him to vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Arizona: Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota: Linda Clark, who fled Liberia and found refuge in the U.S. two decades ago under Deferred Enforced Departure, but who faces deportation as soon as March because the Trump administration has shuttered the program.

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire: Pappas invited transgender veteran Tavion Dignard in order to call attention to the transgender military service ban.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California: The House Speaker’s guest list includes active duty transgender members of the military, Chef José Andrés, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and DNC Chair Tom Perez. The Leader’s other State of the Union guests are President Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO, President Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Mrs. Dorothy McAuliffe.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine: Joel Clement, a former Department of the Interior policy expert and whistleblower, who alleged the Trump administration retaliated against him for speaking out about the threat climate change poses to Native communities in Alaska after department higher-ups moved the biologist into the accounting department.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin: Aissa Olivarez, staff attorney for the Community Immigration Law Center in Madison, a nonprofit resource center which helps low-income immigrants with legal services.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-California: Kenia Yaritza Arredondo Ramos, a mother, DACA recipient and nursing student at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio: Dave Green, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents General Motors workers at the Lordstown plant, one of five North American plants GM is closing.

Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Washington: Issaquah resident Jenell Payne Tamaela. Jenell was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer in Summer, 2016. She has since become an advocate for better access to health care for people with pre-existing conditions, and lower costs of prescription drugs and health care coverage. Jenell and Rep. Schrier are two of an estimated 300,000 people with pre-existing conditions in the 8th District.

Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama: Tiphanie Carter, wife of Birmingham Police Sergeant Wytasha Carter, who was killed on duty last month.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan: Amanda Thomashow, a sexual assault survivor advocate. Thomashow, a former Michigan State University student, brought the first Title IX case against Larry Nassar at MSU in 2014, which led to an investigation and contributed to Nassar’s eventual firing from the university.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California: United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Logan Ireland, who served in Afghanistan and Qatar.

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Florida: Doug Lowe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Federal Aviation Administration specialist at the Orlando International Airport.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona: Ellie Perez, a DACA recipient, and the first undocumented City of Phoenix employee, the first undocumented member of the Democratic National Committee, and a former campaign aide.

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan: Jean Buller, former teacher at Walled Lake Middle School, who recently retired after 30 years in the school district, and 2018 Michigan Science Teacher of the Year.

Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-California: Joe Rodgers, a Federal Aviation Administration Engineer Technician at Ontario International Airport.

Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-New Mexico: Arlean Murillo, ambassador to the New Mexico Secretary of Education’s Family Cabinet and, as the wife of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, a volunteer with the Border Patrol Agent Family Network.

Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Massachusetts: Lawrence Police Officer Ivan Soto, worked tirelessly during the gas explosions in his community last year, responding to fires even when his own house went up in flames.

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan: Haley Petrowski, a cyberbullying prevention advocate and Adrian College student.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida: Senior Chief Jeffery S. Graham, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon Inlet in New Smyrna Beach.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Virginia: Linda McCray, a constituent who works at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center and was furloughed during the shutdown.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York: Commissioner Geraldine Hart, who previously led Long Island’s Federal Bureau of Investigations field office and gang task force.

#sotu #POTUS

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bichristian · 6 years ago

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Things I’ve learned from the first week of grad school

if your move coincides with the beginning of school, you will be living in a mess for weeks to come

you will miss a well-stocked pantry because meal prep is a nightmare when you have to go out and buy almost the entire recipe

you will go through toilet paper faster than you think

if you want a grant, contrary to popular belief your grades do matter

make sure you have a good bed and pillow, yeah they’re expensive but a messed up neck and back will screw you over more in the long run

if you can, buy food nonperishable or freezable

utility shelves will suffice as a bookcase

you will need a laptop you can lug around whether you like it or not so make sure yours isn’t 10 pounds like mine

don’t be afraid to ask for help, this is the first time I’ve had to approach the academic accommodations office and I’m getting my Ph.D.

afternoon classes are the devil

driving in the city is the devil

forget Georgia, the devil’s in Virginia

planning a long-distance date is like herding cats

Talenti jars (plastic jars for gelato), jars (like the ones that hold pasta sauce, and glass milk jugs are all perfect for saving leftovers and impromptu cups, as well as holding your customary flour, sugar, and (if you drink it) coffee since you are probably too poor to buy containers intended for that sort of thing

mugs are the most underrated, versatile object on this planet. Is it edible? you can probably put it in a mug

#grad school #how do you like my midnight rambles

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tsghuntcountryvirginia · 5 years ago

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Stay Well, Stay Local

This is your guide to sequestering like a local. Almost anything you need can be found locally, so avoid the crowds (and likely more germs) at the big-box stores and support our small businesses. Remember, the big box stores and Amazon will weather this; our local businesses are the ones that need us. #thinkbeforeyoushop #keeplocalinbusiness #spreadlovenotgerms

Here is what is on our list as we prep for a week(s) at home:

Hand sanitizers - Chloe's of Middleburg is stocked. Take advantage of over-the-phone shopping after your peruse their inventory online.

Dog food and horse feed - Tri-County Feeds, Fashions, Finds offers standard daily deliveries. You also may call in and pay over the phone for quick curbside pick-up. The store is open, see their website for details on hours and policies.

Fresh frozen soups, pot pies, meats, eggs, produce, and pantry items from The Whole Ox.

Wine - We won’t survive long without it! GREENHILL VINEYARDS ships and delivers locally, so with just a few clicks, our favorite whites, reds, and rosés can show up at our doorstep. Wine run, done.

Sage smudges - To clean the air and vibes available at NATURE COMPOSED. We’re planning to grab a few plants and get a head start on the spring garden with all this at-home time. The inside of their shop is closed, but you may still peruse their front porch and place in-person orders. They will happily grab everything from the store and bring it out to you.

Chilis and soups from The Whole Ox.

The following businesses are offering delivery and/or curbside pick-up to help those that cannot leave home or need to stay isolated from others at this time. As hours and policies are changing, please visit their websites or Instagram to confirm hours and details.

The Whole Ox - Call the store a head of time at 540.724.1650 or you can now place your order online for pick-up. They are also offering local delivery, see their site for details.

Chef Ryan Ross of Lovage & Co. - Custom healthy meals and food delivery to the comfort of your home. Chef Ryan specializes in food for special diets including gluten-free, paleo, and vegan. She also can customize to any food sensitivities.

À La Carte’s FARM STATION CAFE - Curbside meal pick-up or local delivery service only. Farm Station is no longer hosting guests inside the restaurant. Call or place your order and pay online. Their Sunday night Barbacoa Taco Dinner sounds perfect.

Greenheart Juice Shop - Organic juice delivery including our current must-have: immunity boost. They deliver throughout Hunt Country, Northern Virginia, and D.C., so be sure to place your order online!

THE BLUE DOOR KITCHEN & INN - Don’t miss out on a delicious dinner. The restaurant has online ordering and curbside pick-up, so you can enjoy date night at home or weekend brunch for the family. Check out their MENU for something to look forward to. Their food is divine!

Place your order online for organic juice delivery with Greenheart Juice Shop.

Be Sure to Tell Them Scout Sent You!

CHLOE’S OF MIDDLEBURG 12 East Washington Street Middleburg, VA C: 540.326.8936 Follow on Instagram: @chloesofmiddleburg

TRI-COUNTY FEEDS, FASHIONS, & FINDS 7408 John Marshall Highway Marshall, VA C: 540.364.1891 Follow on Instagram: @tricountyfeeds

THE WHOLE OX 8357 West Main Street Marshall, VA C: 540.724.1650 Follow on Instagram: @thewholeox

GREENHILL VINEYARDS 23595 Winery Lane Middleburg, VA 20117 C: 540.687.6968 Follow on Instagram: @greenhillwine

NATURE COMPOSED 12 South Pendleton Street Middleburg, VA C: 540.687.8300 Follow on Instagram: @naturecomposed

LOVAGE & CO. Chef Ryan Ross [email protected] C: 360.540.0582 Follow on Instagram: @thechefryanross and @lovageandcompany

À LA CARTE CATERING AND EVENT DESIGN 7146 Farm Station Road Vint Hill, Virginia C: 703.754.2714 Follow on Instagram: @alacartecaters

GREENHEART JUICE SHOP Middleburg, VA Aldie, VA Leesburg, VA C: 703.327.2465 Follow on Instagram: @greenheartjuiceshop

THE BLUE DOOR KITCHEN & INN 675 Zachary Taylor Highway Flint Hill, VA C: 540.675.1700 Follow on Instagram: @thebluedoorkitchen

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fccyouthmin-blog · 6 years ago

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Work Day 4 - Food Pantry & Hiking

What. A. Day. Thursday has proved to be our LONGEST day. We were up and working by 9am helping to prep our sleeping space so another group could use it and hit the ground running from there.

Sweet tea is the best way to wake up. Not being able to find a cup couldn’t stop Oscar!

The food pantry asked us to spray paint some furniture for them. Team Baby-Table had some difficulties and ran out of paint. We are not pleased with our work in progress, but there is still time. Hopefully we can finish tomorrow morning.

Team Library-Table working on their masterpiece.

Sometimes spray paint is hard to open...

Taking a break from painting to swing on the swing set. Some of us will get to paint this tomorrow morning!

Peck’s BBQ for lunch - delicious!

This afternoon we worked in the food pantry... this place is seriously AMAZING. To hear their story of how they got started and then to be able to be there on a food distribution day was unreal. Our teenagers worked so hard helping to walk through with people and help them load their cars. Some also worked on boxing up food for the next distribution day.

These guys even got to use box cutters.

We weren’t really allowed to take photos to protect the privacy of the patrons. I snapped this one where you can’t really see who is in there :)

“Granny” in the food pantry teaching us some West Virginia slang.

Scarlett talking a little bit about the history of the food pantry here at Calvary UMC.

In 2018, they served over 21,000 people. To see this place in action might have been the highlight of our week. We LOVED it!

Taking a little break before we get ready to hike.

We even had a special visitor today. Mady Morris is a former FCC Youth who is hiking the Appalachian Trail and happened to be stopping in Waynesboro today. She spent her day off working with us in the food pantry!

Right after finishing in the food pantry, we packed up as fast as we could and headed up to Humpback Rock to hike. Now, I am just going to say I think Scarlett undersold the difficulty of this hike to us a little bit. “40 min walk”; really the last half is more like climbing but ok. BUT proud of our kids for handling it SO WELL. The views they got were unbelievable. Check out some of the shots below:

Amazing people in this picture right here!

We walked down the mountain and were pumped to have a cookout. Thanks to Scarlett & her family for cooking for us while we ran around the side of the mountain. And if you thought today was exciting... just wait... We has an unexpected guest join us for dinner.

Yup. Thats right. That’s a black bear who stopped by to spy on us for a while. This was the 3rd time we’d seen them lurking around so we packed up quick and then saw a bear run across the picnic area on our way out even. I (allison) was SO EXCITED, not going to lie - I kind of lost it. I’ve always wanted to see a bear in the wild; from a safe distance. Being able to share that with the kids was pretty special for me personally. I’m sure they have way more videos & pictures they can share with you too! And then onto the Y for showers. By the time we made it back to church it was almost 10:30!

Tomorrow we’re spending the morning doing some work around Calvary UMC before we take the afternoon off and head to Sherando Lake. The days are long here, but we keep saying we can’t believe tomorrow is our last day. I think we’ll all miss the beauty of this place & the people we’ve come to love.

And now - we’re all passing out from our super long - yet amazing day. More tomorrow!

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premiumcable · 8 years ago

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Reunion

Rick Grimes x Reader

Summary: You and Rick were together at the prison, but were separated during the Governor’s attack. Eventually you walk up to gates of a community called Alexandria, desperate and hungry.

Warnings: Smut, swearing, unprotected sex, abduction attempt

Words: 2,578

A/N: Sorry for my terrible gun description, I know nothing about them.

It felt like years since you had seen your family. When the governor attacked, you barely made it out alive. You wondered for miles and miles on your own looking for some shred of evidence that your family had made it out and where they could have gone. But there was nothing, it seemed like they all had just vanished into thin air.

You had seen signs for somewhere called ‘Terminus’, but you didn’t bother going. You had given up on pipe dreams like that a long time ago. And you didn’t think that after what had just happened with the Governor that your group would be eager to meet with a new group of strangers.

At night you would climb a tree and tie a strap around your legs to keep safe, and you thought about old memories to curb the loneliness. Images of you and Rick would flicker through your mind; your first kiss, waking up next to him in the morning, how peaceful his face would look while he slept, and the look he would get on his face when he would watch you hold Judith. You didn’t want to accept the possibility that he and everyone you loved was dead, but your search had come up empty.

Eventually, you decided to head north; you were from D.C originally and thought maybe going back home could help heal the parts of you that were broken. You’d had enough of Georgia and now it only held bad, distant memories that were painful. A run in with a group that had tried to pick you up on the side of the road had left you with more than just the scar on your cheek from a knife they used when they tried to force you into their car. They had kept going on and on about a hospital in Atlanta where everything was better. You didn’t buy their line of bullshit and one of the male “officers” had pushed you against the car and put a knife against your face and threatened you. The knife you had hidden in your boot came in handy when you shoved it in his thigh and pulled your 9MM on the other man.

From then on, you went out of your way to avoid people. You were convinced that the last of the good ones had died in the prison that day where you should have too. A sickness somewhere in North Carolina had sidelined you for a few weeks, but as soon as you healed you set back on your journey.

When you made it to Northern Virginia, what little food you had with you became scarce and the forest was empty of game to hunt. While at the prison, Daryl had taught you how to hunt; nothing large like deer, but you could hunt rabbits and other small animals. Remembering what plants you could eat and which were poisonous was enough to get you by for now, but water was no longer a readily available resource and if you didn’t find something soon you wouldn’t finish your journey.

Walking through the woods you didn’t see much besides trees, so when you saw what looked like metal fences in the distance ahead you became somewhat intrigued. At this point you were so hungry and dehydrated you were willing to take the risk and go investigate. Slowly you walked through the break in the trees and towards a large gate. You could see a sign pinned up on the fence: “Welcome to Alexandria Safe Zone: Mercy for the Lost, Vengeance for the Plunderers,”

“Well, that sounds somewhat promising,” you thought as you moved closer, but you stopped in your tracks at the sound of a rifle being loaded. You look upwards towards the sound and see a bald, dark-skinned man staring down at you.

Raising your hands up, you spoke, “Hey man, I mean no harm. I just was hoping maybe for some food and water and then I can be on my way. I haven’t eaten in days and I don’t know how much longer I can go.”

You see him turn around and step from his post and disappear. Confused you look around to see if there is anyone around you. The sound of the gate opening interrupts your canvassing of the area. You walk forward and see the man that was previously just pointing a gun at you and he was wearing a priest collar?

“I’m Gabriel, welcome to Alexandria.” He says as he steps aside and lets you enter. You’re amazed at what you see when you walk through the gates. Houses line the streets and they are big, much more than you could have ever hoped to live in before the turn.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you helping me. I really won’t be any trouble, all I need is some food and water and I will be on my way.” You said as you continued to look around.

“Well, you’ll have to meet with our leader here, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” Walking through the street you see many unfamiliar faces. Approaching what looks to be the largest house in the community, Gabriel opens the door and walks in. You follow and he shuts the door behind you.

“Wait right here, I’ll be right back,” he says as he disappears into the next room. You take the opportunity to look around. You see a room with bookshelves adorning the walls and a couch and sofa with a video camera set up between them. At the sound of footsteps, you turn your attention to the room where Gabriel disappeared. You see him enter the room and you cannot believe your eyes at who follows in behind him.

“Maggie!” you cry as you walk forward to her and pull her into an embrace.

“Y/N! I can’t believe you’re here.” She says as she pulls back and rests her hands on your shoulders. Tears fall from both of your eyes at the turn of events. You couldn’t believe it; you couldn’t believe she was standing here in front of you.

“Is Rick here? Did he make it out of the prison? Are Carl and Judith alright?” You rambled on desperately.

“They’re here, they’re fine. We’re all here, all of us except for Beth, Tyreese, and Bob.” She said and you felt your stomach drop at her words.

“Oh no, Maggie I’m so sorry.” You said as you pulled her close, you couldn’t imagine how she felt having lost the last member of her family besides Glenn. She returned your embrace before pulling away.

“Come on let’s go see everyone,” she said as she motioned for you to follow her. She led you outside the house and down one of the streets. She stopped at one of the last houses on the street and led you up the steps to the door. Opening it slowly she stepped through the doorway and shut it behind you.

“Wait here.” She said as she stepped further into the house.

“Carl?” You heard her call and heard the approach of footsteps towards her.

“Where is everyone?” she asks.

“Daryl is out recruiting with Aaron, Carol is out helping Olivia in the pantry, Michonne is doing a patrol, Sasha is in the guard tower, Abraham and Eugene are out with the construction crew, and Glenn and the others went on a run.”

“Is your dad here?” You heard her ask and you could feel your heart speed up.

“Yeah, he’s upstairs putting Judith down for a nap. I was just about to go hang out with Enid and Ron for a while.” It was becoming difficult to stand here when all you wanted to do was go hug the teen; you had missed them all so much.

“You might want to put that off for a bit,” You heard her say and took that as your queue. Stepping into the kitchen, you saw the emotions run over Carl’s face as he took in your arrival. First shock, then joy overcame his features as he rushed forward towards you.

“Y/N, we looked all over for you. We were all so devastated when we thought we lost you.” You wrapped your arms around him and let the tears flow. You almost felt like pinching yourself because you had dreamed of this moment so many times.

You heard feet rushing down the stairs and you pulled away from Carl.

“What’s going on down here, I could hear you all from-“ Rick’s words are cut off as he walks into the room and sees you. Wasting no time, you rush forward and throw your arms around his neck, burying your face in his shirt and soaking it in the process. His arms wrap tightly around you.

“Oh baby, I thought I lost you,” You pulled back at his words and pulled his lips to yours, kissing him quickly before turning back to Maggie and Carl, both of them wearing happy looks on their faces at your tender reunion.

You all ended up in the living room while you told the three of them about what you had been through on your way there. Maggie and Carl left a bit later when they heard everyone had come back from the run, leaving just you and Rick in the house while Judith was napping. You settled into his side and pulled his arm over your shoulder.

“I can’t believe I found you. It makes everything I went through on the way here worth it, feels like fate brought us back together.” You said as you looked up at him. His eyes met yours and he leaned down, taking your lips with his. The kiss quickly became heated as you ran your tongue across Rick’s bottom lip. He complied with a groan and you quickly climbed over him, settling into his lap. His hands ran across your back before falling to your ass and pulling you closer to him. You groan into the kiss as you feel his stiff member through your jeans.

As you feel him slowly grind himself upward, you pull away from the kiss with a moan. You never thought you would feel this way again, but you’re drawn away from your reverie when Rick places his hand on your cheek and pulls your attention back to him.

“I’m right here baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you so much,” you say as you crash your lips back to his and grind down against his now prominent erection. You feel the vibration from his groan and it spurs you to grind down harder.

“Take me upstairs,” You whisper into his ear and he stands up with your legs still around his waist, taking the stairs as fast as he can without dropping you.

Rick lays you down on the bed immediately after he kicks the door closed and you pull your shirt over your head. He does the same before leaning down over you and kissing you desperately. His hands run up your torso to your fabric covered breasts, he pulls down one of the cups and pulls his lips away from yours to kiss his way down your chest to your stiff peaks.

“Rick!” You cry at the delicious sensations his mouth is causing. But you soon grow impatient, pulling at his curls to grab his attention before attacking his belt with shaky hands to unfasten it. Rick’s hands cover yours as he takes over and you immediately unbutton your jeans and pull them down before kicking them off your feet along with your panties, abandoning them at the foot of the bed.

Standing up, Rick kicks off his boots and pulls the jeans from his legs before crawling back over you. The sight of his leaking erection makes your mouth water and you immediately think back to the times at the prison when you would suck him off and he would wrap your hair around his fingers and guide you up and down his cock. But that would have to wait for another day; you were both too desperate to reconnect in both the emotional and physical senses of the word.

Your legs fall open as he settles between them, his aching member resting against your thigh as he kisses you. Desperate to be filled, you reach down and take his throbbing erection in your hands and guide him towards your dripping center. Rick moans as his tip touches your wet, delicate flesh.

“Fuck me, Rick. I missed this so much.” You plead as you look up into his eyes, the normal crystal blue having been taking over by lust. You throw your head back as he thrusts himself completely inside you. Both of you pause for a moment; relishing in the feeling of being united in this way again. But soon, desperation takes over and he begins to move with slow, but deep thrusts.

“Oh…god…Rick,” you say as he increases the pace of his thrusting. Your hands migrate down towards his ass, pulling him into you harder and you let out a harsh moan at the feeling. He responds in kind and sets a brutal, desperate rhythm.

“Fuck, Y/N. Your pussy is so tight,” He says as his grip tightens on your hips. You feel like a spring, slowly being wound tighter with each harsh movement as he drives you closer to your release.

“Rick, I’m so close.” His hand reaches down and rubs circles around your clit and you fist your fingers in the comforter at the feeling.

“Come on baby, cum for me.” The combination of his words and a particularly deep thrust causes the dam to break and you feel yourself release crash over you in waves. The sensation of your walls gripping around his cock pushes him over the edge as well as you feel his release fill you, the pleasure of it eliciting a small moan from your throat. His hips buck, trying to get as deep as he can while he whispers obscenities into your neck.

After you’ve both come down from your highs, Rick pulls his softening erection from you and you whimper at the loss. You turn onto your stomach and rest your head on his chest, looking up at his relaxed face.

You could stay in this moment forever, memorizing the lines of his face and the planes of his body as he recovers from your heated moment. But, the sound of the door slamming downstairs pulls you from your reverie; you can hear the voices of your excited family and the eagerness to be with them renews.

Sitting up in bed, you pick your clothes up off the floor and begin pulling them on while he lies on the bed, watching you get dressed. Gathering his clothes from the floor, you set them at his feet.

“Let’s go downstairs, I think Maggie has kept them at bay long enough. Don’t you think?” You say with a teasing grin on your lips.

After you’ve both composed yourself, you open the door and begin towards the stairs to see the rest of your group. A hand on your wrist stops you at the top of the stairs and you feel Rick’s lips at your ear.

“Don’t think we won’t be continuing this later, I’m not nearly done with you yet Y/N.” A shiver runs through you at his words.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Send any requests you have.

#the walking dead fanfiction #rick grimes x reader #twd #twd imagines #rick grimes smut #twd smut #andrew lincoln #daryl dixon #maggie greene #carl grimes #father gabriel stokes #smutty smutty smut #sweet glorious sin #awaits all ye who enter here

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ablog4mymuse · 6 years ago

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02/18/19...welcome to another loooong post, courtesy of yours truly1st of all, this post is NKF (Not Keto Friendly), so don't stop, keep it movin', don't even be tempted to read PAST this period ---> . Now ya know, my original plan was to only post this collage on Instagram, but then I figured..nahhh, let all my followers in Social Media-Land see that I truly am a work in progress, but sweetness is my weakness (shhhhh) 😬 and, since I'm still "purging" my pantry of not-so-healthy foods, the cold dreary day made it seem like a prime time for a mixed fruit medley cobbler! So I took to Pinterest to find a fruit cocktail dump cake, not really sure if it even existed..I just know that's what my mind had conjured up! Lo & behold, found several varieties to get me started, just so I'd know those important elements like oven temp & how long to bake (350° about 40 mins); to drain or not to drain (I didn't); how many cans (I used 2 fruit cocktails PLUS one crushed pineapple), & did I need to add any sugar to the handful of strawberries that were truly prepared to give up their best life as they lounged in my fridge, hiding in the produce drawer, just chilling under a half-bunch of spinach (more on THAT story another day). Now, I usually incorporate my steps in my description, but I think this time, I'm going to do them in a separate post, recipe-style, BUT...not right now 'cuz I want to include what I did, how much, etc. 'cuz y'all know I rarely follow anybody's recipe..and the tweek I added to this one...whew chyle! Highly unexpected, but what a plus it turned out to be! 😆 Let me just say this: that li'l corner that's missing...that's all I'm having. Mm'hmmm, but oh, trust me when I say it's good, delightfully so, but my sweet tooth's been satisfied for now -- so I'll be sending it to my friend's where I know it'll be enjoyed to..the..fullest, complete with a container of fat-free CoolWhip -- tomorrow! Bon appetite...💜 (at Charleston, West Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuDvhk7nOmU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kk6czvv67pgh

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toldnews-blog · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/business/us-shutdown-four-reasons-why-trump-blinked/

US shutdown: Four reasons why Trump blinked

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption The seriousness of the shutdown was starting to show.

President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse a deal to reopen the federal government for three weeks on Friday came amid mounting pressure to end the impasse.

Here are four reasons from the business world why the White House blinked.

1. The travel industry was stressed.

Delays at major airports on Friday brought to a head issues that had been affecting airports for weeks.

The issues were blamed on staff shortages, as air traffic controllers and screening officers – who have been working without pay since the start of the shutdown in December – failed to report for duty.

Among Transportation Security Administration officers, unexpected absences had more than doubled from a year ago, to more than 7%, with many citing “financial limitations”, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, airline executives had warned that a fall in government business, as well as wider concerns about travel, were affecting bookings.

Southwest, for example, estimated that the shutdown cost $10m-$15m (£7.6m-£11.4m) in January revenue. It also said it was forced to postpone a new service to Hawaii.

2. Washington was reeling.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Coast Guard families pick up groceries at a food pantry

The 800,000 federal workers affected by the shutdown might have been able to absorb one missed pay cheque.

But a second one starts to hurt – especially in a country where an estimated 40% of adults don’t have funds to cover an unexpected $400 expense.

In the Washington region, where an estimated one in six workers was affected, the shutdown could have shaved 2.5% off the region’s quarterly economic growth if it lasted through March, according to Frederick Treyz, chief economist for Regional Economic Models Inc.

What is a government shutdown?

#ShutdownStories: The impact of the government shutdown

That’s in an area that expanded 2.1% in 2017.

Despite the pain, the administration was widely criticised for being unsympathetic and the issue started to hurt the president’s approval ratings.

Widely criticised comments by Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday, who said cash-strapped households should take out loans, didn’t help.

3. The Fed and others were ‘flying blind’.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Federal Reserve Chair Jerome “Jay” Powell has warned about the impact of the shutdown

The shutdown coincided with a critical time for the economy, as conflicting economic signals aggravate debates about how much higher the Federal Reserve should raise interest rates this year.

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised the Fed, warning against a misstep.

But wider fears of a policy error were growing, as the impasse halted the release of closely watched statistics, including gross domestic product (GDP), retail sales and housing starts.

“The US economy is flying blind,” Robert Shapiro, the chairman of Sonecon LLC, wrote for Brookings Institution this week.

“The fact that reliable measures of recent GDP and its components are unavailable can only generate more economic uncertainty as well as wrong business decisions.”

Meanwhile, the data coming in suggested the shutdown wasn’t helping.

This month, the University of Michigan’s survey of consumer sentiment fell to its lowest point since US President Donald Trump was elected, due in part to the shutdown.

A top White House adviser said this week the shutdown could lead to zero economic growth this quarter.

And economists had warned that a prolonged stand-off could send the US into recession.

4. More pain was about to appear.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Cutbacks at government agencies have left breweries and other firms waiting for permits

The Trump administration worked hard to shield the wider public from the effects of the shutdown, recalling staff to process items such as tax returns.

But as the stand-off continued, its impact was becoming harder to ignore.

The federal court system warned it would exhaust its funding this month. Food subsidies for low-income families were expected to run out in February.

A growing number of businesses were in limbo, as government cutbacks halted fisheries permits, approvals for beer and wine labels, and listings on the stock exchange.

And contractors that provided services to affected agencies were losing more than $200m a day due to the shutdown, according to estimates by Bloomberg News.

Greg Fitzgerald is president of the Virginia-based contractor Information Technology Coalition.

At a Chamber of Commerce event on Friday, he said his firm has yet to be paid for government work it completed in December and he had to place 200 of the firm’s 350 staff on leave.

“It’s real,” he said. “There are families out there that are going to make significant sacrifices for something that wasn’t their fault.”

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bella-gunn · 6 years ago

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Yes, all of this is very true. One of the things I miss about living in West Virginia is having an actual butcher in town. Also, it was always nice during deer season to get a quarter or a side off of friends in exchange for freezer space.

Your average urban dwelling American doesn't know how to cook anything but lean, farmed muscle meats.

When I was much poorer I used to get all the good stuff at the food pantry because no one else knew how to cook it. I would come home with pounds of split pig feet, lamb neck and smoked turkey tail that had taken over their freezer because no one else wanted it.

All of that is damn good food, you just have to know what to do with it!

Isn't oxtail just? The tail? Why would you have any reservations about eating a tail?

People in the USA generally prefer muscle cuts with as little bone as possible. Steaks, chops, roasts, ect, with anything else processed into ground meat form. It seems to be a general consensus that bony cuts like tail, head, or neck aren’t worth it. Organs…it’s not uncommon to eat the liver, but as for the rest…well, you might save some intestine for sausage casing, but that’s about it.

Don’t get it myself, but that’s how it is.

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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Decoding the Wild Card of the 2020 Election

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/decoding-the-wild-card-of-the-2020-election/

Decoding the Wild Card of the 2020 Election

PHILADELPHIA—The Rev. Sonya Riggins-Furlow, a 63-year-old pastor at Butler Memorial Baptist Church, is worrying a lot about turnout these days. Not in her pews but at the polls.

Voting trends in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, a majority African American area undergoing gentrification, make her fear that Election Day 2008 —when people were lined up around the block to get into polling sites—might have been an aberration and that when it matters most this November, few will show up. She saw what happened in 2016, when the same voting locations were eerily quiet. Her parishioners and neighbors were registered, she says, but didn’t cast their ballot because they lacked enthusiasm for the Democratic candidate.

“My parents, they were coming out of that generation of the ’60s and the civil rights movement and you voted,” she says. “Now people just don’t get it. They look at it like the have other things to do, like grocery shopping or sending the kids off to school. But elections don’t happen every day!”

Riggins-Furlow’s sense of a fickle, distracted citizenry touches on one of the biggest mysteries of United States electoral politics: Why nearly half of the nation’s eligible voters almost never exercise that fundamental right. The sheer size of the group—approximately 92 million eligible voters—makesit a potential wild card in the 2020 presidential election. That is if the political world understood what keeps them away from the polls, and, more importantly, what might lure them in the first place.

On Wednesday, the Knight Foundation released the results of “The 100 Million Project,” the largest survey of chronic nonvoters in history, and the most robust attempt ever to answer some of the questions that have long bedeviled political scientists. More than 13,000 people were polled across the country, with special emphasis on 10 battleground states, followed by in-depth focus-group conversations with thousands of them. They were asked about their political preferences, media diets, social networks, income levels, general life satisfaction, and about their demographic characteristics and social connectivity, their reasons for not voting, and their assessments of electoral and political institutions. The result is the most comprehensive survey of the politically disengaged to date, with lessons political consultants, candidates and civic educators won’t want to miss.

“There’s a lot of conventional wisdom as to why somebody would not vote, but nobody has really gone to these citizens and asked them why they don’t vote,” says Sam Gill, chief program officer at the Knight Foundation, which decided to undertake the study last winter. “It’s the story of this huge portion of the population that consistently sits this out.”

In the broadest terms, the study found the average chronic nonvoter is a married, nonreligious white woman between 56 and 73 who works full time but makes less than $50,000 a year. She is most likely to identify as a moderate, lean toward the Democratic Party, get her news from television and to have a very unfavorable impression of both political parties and President Donald Trump. She has a 77 percent chance of being registered to vote and says she doesn’t because she doesn’t like the candidates but claims to be certain she will vote in November. But the study’s real lesson is that averages are deceiving, concealing more than they reveal.

Nonvoters are an eclecticfaction with distinctive blocs that support Democrats and Republicans—but don’t show up to cast their ballots—and an even larger group that is alienated from a political system it finds bewildering, corrupt, irrelevant or some combination thereof. These blocs are so large that when a campaign is able to motivate even a portion of one, it can swing an election, which may have been what allowed Trump to bust through the “blue wall” in the Great Lakes region in 2016 and Barack Obama to flip North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Indiana in 2008. What these blocs do in November could well decide the 2020 presidential election.

But how is the question.

The study confirms that nonvoters as a whole are fairly reflective of the broader electorate in terms of political preferences. If they were to all vote in November, 33 percent say they would support Democrats, 30 percent Republicans and 18 percent a third-party candidate. More surprisingly perhaps, and potentially more consequential for November, these numbers gently tilt in the opposite direction in many battleground states, with nonvoters choosing Trump over the as-yet-undetermined Democratic nominee 36%-28% in Pennsylvania, 34%-25% in Arizona and 30%-29% in New Hampshire. Wisconsin and Michigan mirror the national average, favoring the Democrat 33%-31% and 32%-31%, respectively, while in Georgia the margin is 34%-29%. This data challenges many long-standing assumptions of political experts.

“On the political left, there’s this feeling that if all nonvoters voted it would benefit them, but the majority of the academic literature that has tried to assess this has found this isn’t the case,” says Eitan Hersh, an associate professor of political science at Tufts University and one of the two principal academic advisers of the Knight survey. “But what if you increased it by 20 or 30 percent, then who would vote? Who is closest on the cusp of voting? That’s a very different theoretical electorate than either the status quo or universal turnout.”

The Knight study reinforces prior research that suggests nonvoters—defined as eligible adults 25 or older who have voted in no more than one federal election since 2008—are clustered into distinctive camps with disparate political leanings and levels of interest in participating. It suggests that both major parties have considerable opportunities to motivate sympathetic nonvoters, while a large chunk of the politically disengaged will likely remain hesitant to participate for reasons close observers say are not entirely irrational.

“There are these plugged-in groups [of nonvoters] who by and large resemble voters more than they do this much more disconnected group,” says Evette Alexander, Knight’s director of learning and impact strategy. “The likelihood of mobilizing people drops off quite sharply when you move between them.”

In Philadelphia, civic leaders like Riggins-Furlow, the pastor, know they live in a battleground state that could decide a historic election but that getting people to participate in it won’t be easy.

“People want to complain, but they don’t want to do anything,” says Riggins-Furlow, who runs food pantries and empowerment seminars when she’s not in the pulpit. “I preach this from the pulpit: One of the things you can do is register and vote. Don’t complain to me and say, ‘Our vote doesn’t matter.’ Because come on, now. It does.”

But the Knight study reinforces academic research that indicates voting is a social behavior and that any effort to mobilize a significant number of chronic nonvoters will require complex, long-term interventions and a more nuanced understanding of this poorly understood portion of our electorate.

For much of U.S. history,elections were determined not by who turned out to vote but by who was allowed to do so at all. Turnout in presidential elections sometimes exceeded 80 percent in the mid-19th century, but women, men between 18 and 21, and most African- and Native-Americans—the overwhelming majority of adults—were barred from participating. Black men gained the right to vote in 1870 but were effectively driven from the polls across the South in a campaign of terror led by the Ku Klux Klan, the celebration of which launched the first Hollywood blockbuster,The Birth of a Nation. Women joined the rolls in 1920 and increasing numbers of black and Hispanic people after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which banned racial discrimination in voting.

But something surprising happened after the pool of voters expanded. The enactment of the 26th Amendment, which extended the franchise to young people in 1971, was soon followed by a fall in turnout. The proportion of the electorate to cast ballots fell by about 10 percentage points between 1968 and 1998 to just over 51 percent in presidential contests and under 40 percent in the midterms. It’s risen a bit since, but more than 40 percent of the U.S. electorate still sits out the process, roughly twice the proportion of Sweden, Denmark, South Korea or New Zealand, none of which has mandatory voting. One of the biggest questions in American politics has become why so many people have checked out.

Over the years, scholars have found nonvoters fall into camps with very different political inclinations and reasons for not participating.

More in Common, a nonpartisan organization that aims to develop new strategies to reduce polarization in Western democracies, partnered with YouGov on a survey of 8,000 Americans to understand their underlying values and core beliefs, revealing seven “Hidden Tribes” they say provide a much more accurate and revealing framework for understanding the country than slicing and dicing the electorate using conventional markers like age, gender, race and partisan affiliations.

Like other scholars, their research identified a substantial cohort of would-be Democratic voters who rarely participate in the political process. These “passive liberals” are weakly engaged but progressive on most issues when they are, isolated from “the system” and fatalistic about how it will affect their lives, and far more likely to be African American and to feel the world is becoming more dangerous. They constitute 15 percent of the voting age population.

“They’re younger, more urban, more female, more black and Hispanic on average and have a clear orientation toward the Democratic Party,” says Stephen Hawkins, More in Common’s director of research. “But they feel disaffected and cynical toward the system so they are less inclined to vote as a whole.”

This group closely mirrors one of two camps that Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, has called the “other swing voters,” the ones who chose not between voting for the Democrats or the Republicans but rather between Democrat and not voting at all. “There are two kinds of nonvoters, the person who is a ‘nonvoter’ as an identity and the person who often chooses not to vote after they did vote in a specific election but consider themselves voters and who might think voting is absolutely crucial,” he notes.

These “passive liberals” stand in stark contrast to a larger mass of nonvoters who are far more profoundly disengaged from and disinterested in politics. More in Common calls this tribe the “Politically Disengaged,” a group comprising 26 percent of Americans, who are almost invisible in local politics and community life. As a group, they’re much poorer and less educated than the average American and much more likely to say that “being white” is important to being an American—20 percent, rather than 11 percent—to say people of other religions are morally inferior and to say that a “strong leader willing to break the rules” is needed to fix America,57 percent to 45. They are much more eclectic of a group than More in Common’s other “tribes,” like Progressive Activists and Devoted Conservatives.

“When we would put members of these other ‘tribes’ in a room, you would immediately see what they have in common,” Hawkins says. But the disengaged were very different. “The disengaged would look like a Greyhound bus station. There are right racists and black inner-city, low-income folks,and Hispanics who were relatively new to the country. Doing focus groups with this cohort was difficult because there would be hostilities due to the lack of commonality. It was actually pretty intense.”

The Knight data ratified many of the previous findings and in some important ways expanded on them.

Researchers, for example, detected “passive liberals” as well—people who usually don’t vote but are generally aligned with Democrats when they do—though they further divided them into a liberal and moderate camp, together comprising 41 percent of nonvoters, or about 17 percent of the eligible electorate. The moderates are a bit younger, more educated and less likely to follow political news but report almost the same 2020 political preferences as the liberals, who break 59 percent to 16 percent for Democrats, with 16 percent for a third party.

But it also found a similar, though smaller, conservative cohort—about 17 percent of nonvoters—who closely follow news, distrust “the media,” and are overwhelmingly white (79 percent), male (60 percent) and supportive of Trump (84 percent). Of all nonvoters, Knight found these to be the wealthiest and the most likely to be retired, married and own their own home. “This profile is the most interested in voting in 2020,” the study’s authors write. This group—call it “passive conservatives”—is subsumed in the politically disengaged group in the More in Common framework.

This cohort is of enormous consequence in Pennsylvania, where it likely helped flipped the state red in 2016.

“Donald Trump has grabbed a hold of so many people in the state and brought them into the process,” says Charlie O’Neill, deputy executive director of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. “We had record turnout in 2016 and, anecdotally, we heard stories all the time about folks saying, ‘I wasn’t really involved in the process and then this Donald Trump guy came along and he speaks to me, and I’m going to vote for him.’”

Again, paralleling More in Common’s data and Kendi’s research, the Knight study distinguished a huge “disconnected” group with characteristics that put it in sharp contrast with other more politically aware nonvoters. Its members report paying little attention to the news; low levels of civic engagement; little interest in politics; and, in aggregate, mixed partisan preferences—when they have any at all. “The disconnected are less informed, intentionally not informed, or not interested in consuming news and one might say they’re turned off from politics,” says Alexander of the Knight Foundation.

Highlighting the complexity of nonvoters, Knight was able to further parse this disconnected group into three distinct subdivisions, each with its own characteristics. The foundation found an “indifferent” group—17 percent of nonvoters—whose members may be registered but don’t pay attention to current affairs and don’t feel they know enough about the issues or candidates to vote. When asked, they say they’d vote Republican over Democrat 34 percent to 29 percent, with 21 percent voting third party. Another 17 percent are “unattached apoliticals” who are adamant about not participating—“anti-political on purpose,” Alexander says—and tend to be young, unmarried with low incomes and education levels. The remaining 8.4 percent of nonvoters fall into a distressed cluster with the lowest employment, education and income indices, which is also 65 percent female. Asked who they would vote for in 2020, 80 percent of them simply say they don’t know. “These are people who are on the edge, really removed from power structures,” Alexander says, and, like the apoliticals, would be very difficult for civic or political campaigners to mobilize.

Chris Arnade, a bond trader-turned-documentary photographer, has spent much of the past decade documenting the lives of America’s underclass, which he pulled together in his illustrated bookDignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America. He has traveled 400,000 miles in a minivan, mostly to towns and neighborhoods outsiders avoid, meeting people in McDonald’s restaurants that he says have become the social hub of many distressed communities. Almost all the people he has met, he says, are chronic nonvoters.

“These are people who are generally below the poverty line, with a lot of job turnover and family disruption, whose lives are busy living paycheck to paycheck,” he says. “You don’t really have a lot of time to watch the news or to vote, and the paperwork necessary to vote is annoying.”

“It’s justified cynicism,” he says, an entirely rational distrust of participating. “When they have engaged with the system, it kind of screwed them over. You go to the DMV to get your driver’s license and you find out you have an old speeding ticket you can’t pay. You get hurt and go to the hospital and you get a really big bill. You vote and your name will be in a file somewhere and you’re called up for jury duty. Every interaction brings hardship.”

For much of the 20th century,political scientists imagined citizens decided to vote as a private, individual calculus of self-interest. Each person supposedly considered the candidates and his or her positions and weighed the potential costs and benefits that might accrue if one or the other won and placed it against the time and energy of voting.

If someone chose not to vote, it was either because he or she didn’t want to put in the time to make an educated choice or because registering to vote or casting a ballot was too inconvenient. These assumptions helped lead political campaigns to scale back on door-to-door outreach in the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and rely instead on direct mail and television advertising, while reformers promoted more convenient registration and ballot casting methods. While the reforms probably helped some voters, the percentage of people who turned out for presidential elections fell from the low 60s to the mid-to-low 50 before sinking to 51.7 percent of eligible voters in 1996, the worst level since 1924.

Research had also shown clear links between education, income and voting: the more you had of the first two, the more you did the latter. And yet turnout fell in the second half of the 20th century even as the electorate’s education level and living standards had grown. What gives?

Turns out voting is a social phenomenon, according to Meredith Rolfe of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “Some people vote no matter what, but other people vote because the people around them are voting,” she says. “If you see somebody contributing money to a musician on a sidewalk, you are something like 80 percent more likely to contribute too.” If you are part of a large, loose knit network of friends, family, co-workers or parishioners who are engaged and people ask if you’ve gone to vote and the election is part of everyday chatter, you’re far more likely to vote than if you are not.

Rolfe argues that education and income levels aren’t the driving forces but rather proxies for the presence of these kinds of social networks. In one North Carolina community she studied, low-income black neighborhoods that had such networks in the form of active churches, social clubs, certain restaurants and barbershops delivered turnout rates comparable to the city’s highest-income precincts. “That’s also why college students have low turnout,” she adds, “they’re not attached to the community, so the races aren’t salient to them.”

The biggest reason turnout has increased in the 21st century—it hit 61.6 percent of eligible voters in 2008 and 60.1 in 2016—appears to be that campaigns have returned to knocking on doors and connecting with voters as individuals. “This tells us that some of the reasons that people weren’t voting was because they weren’t being asked to vote,” says Indiana University political scientist Bernard Fraga. “Campaigns’ job is to convince people their vote matters and that they are part of something.”

The Knight study was designed to test this idea, and it stands up. Nonvoters are less likely to volunteer in their community, attend weekly church services or have recently collaborated with others to solve a local problem. They’re less likely to have been asked to vote and far less likely to have been asked by a campaigner.

“People who feel a part of things are more likely to participate in politics,” says Yanna Krupnikov, a political scientist at Stony Brook University who helped design the study. Further, 76 percent of nonvoters also told Knight the voting process is easy in their state, with 46 percent saying it is “very easy,” suggesting this was not a key factor in their decision to not participate.

Journalists will take some comfort from the study, which reveals their work is a staple for voters. But nonvoters generally don’t feel any such obligation to stay informed. Like voters, the majority of them see bias in the media, but they are less likely to seek out more information to compensate, instead retreating from the welter of competing viewpoints.

The Knight study found 73 percent of voters seek out news and information, compared with only 56 percent of nonvoters, many of whom say they “mostly bump into news” or hear about it from others. Families that get and discuss news regularly are more likely to raise children who vote, while focus groups ofnonvoters said their own dearth of knowledge was a major disincentive to voting. “Not voting,” one Las Vegas man told them, “is better than an uneducated vote.”

The bad news, experts say, is that if you don’t seek out news, there are dwindling opportunities to bump into it by accident. “There was a time when everybody watched the same four channels and when the news came on, you watched it or turned off the TV,” says Kathleen Searles, who researches political communication at Louisiana State University. “Now if you don’t like the news—and the disengaged don’t—you can watch myriad things instead.” Newspaper boxes are also vanishing from the streets, but disinterested citizens may still be glimpsing their headlines as the scroll through their Facebook feeds. Seventy-seven percent of nonvoters told Knight’s pollsters they encountered political news at least once a day via social media.

Angela Legasti, a 54-year old from Orange County, California, who participated in the Knight study and last voted in 2012, said the sheer quantity of information out there now is making it hard to be informed. “With the internet age, it’s hard to tell what’s the truth, and even on television during the election season, there’s one commercial after another and they go back and forth contradicting each other completely,” she says. “Unless you want to make it your life’s mission to sort it all out, it’s really hard to get a good opinion.”

Legasti is not alone. Forty-eight percent of nonvoters told Knight the increase in information is making it harder to determine what’s true or important, and only 36 percent thought it had made it easier. For voters this ratio is actually even worse, 53 percent to 39 percent.

“We’re in this weird time right now where evidence doesn’t matter, where the right wing media echo chamber ensures their audience never saw the impeachment evidence and many nonvoters have given up trying to follow it,” says Rachel Bitecofer of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. “Democrats are especially prone to this mistake that everybody knows everything and is following the news, and it’s a terrible strategic mistake.”

If the decision to vote is socialand shaped by the expectations of those around you, voting law reforms may not have as much effect on turnout as their proponents might hope. State “motor voter” laws, which automatically register people when they get or update their driver’s licenses, provide no social component at all, limiting their effectiveness, suggests Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “What benefit you see is probably because once you are on the rolls you are visible to canvassers and campaigns, making it possible for them to reach out to you,” he says. “Registering people to vote is not a silver bullet.”

Building or enlisting informal social networkscan bethough, as Arnade saw traveling the forgotten areas of the nation during the 2016 election cycle.

“You could see that Trump had gotten all these people who had never voted before and made them really feel like part of the process,” he recalls. “If you’re the only person you know who’s voting, you’re not going to do it, but at the Trump rallies there was this forum where they were welcomed in and he didn’t sneer at them or ask anything of them, and they felt like a member of something.”

A charismatic candidate like Trump or Obama can jolt one segment of the electorate off the sidelines. But to make a more universal and lasting impact on voting tendencies, the smart money may be in building civic education, knowledge and expectations in secondary schools.

In Pennsylvania, the state chapter of the League of Women Voters, the Philadelphia-based good government group Committee of Seventy, and a wide range of public, private and parochial schools have formed partnerships to bring more engaging, hands-on and group-oriented civics exercises to the classroom. “If you can turn an 18-year-old on to voting, that person becomes a voter for life,” says David Thornburgh,the Committee of Seventy’s president and CEO and son of former Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh. “That’s a game the campaigns don’t play because it’s a long-term payoff, not a short-term one.”

These initiatives have created punchy, concise YouTube videos demystifying the voting process; software to let students draw their own state congressional districts (with instant calculations of their demographic and political characteristics); mock elections using the state’s actual touch-screen voting machines; and an “election ambassadors” program for high school students to train and serve as volunteer poll workers, giving them an intimate knowledge of how to vote months or years before they’re old enough to do it for real. Because students are doing these activities together, the knowledge and interest in politics is likely to infiltrate their peer networks.

That’s how it appears to be playing out at Philadelphia’s J.R. Masterman School, an elite public high school that has embraced many of these initiatives. “I thought it would be taboo not to vote,” says senior Amanda Duckworth, who turned 18 prior to November’s local elections and says she doesn’t know anyone in her peer group who was of age and didn’t cast a ballot. Classmate Alex Tat, who turned 18 in January, is already registered to vote, even though he says his parents are nonvoters, as are two older siblings who didn’t attend Masterman. “I don’t think they follow up on politics that much,” he says, “while I had exposure to all this new stuff at Masterman and learned more outside of class because I’m interested now.”

That’s the essential dynamic, says Abby Kiesa, director of impact at Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. “By the time young people reach 18, they’ve already received many messages from many sources about whether their voice matters or is welcomed,” she says. “You need to create frameworks to grow voters and engaged citizens. It’s all a civic socialization process.”

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