#Super!McReynolds

[griseldagimpel]

Recent History: The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election

I wanted to make this post because recent history sometimes falls through a gap where you don't remember it first hand (because you were a literal infant or not even born yet) but also it happened too recently to make it into the school curriculum.

But I do remember the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Mind you, I was thirteen at the time. So this post will be me telling you about the election, as I remember it, seen through the lens of a thirteen year old. (With Wikipedia checked to get certain specific details.)

Alright, so the 2000 election wasn't touted as The Most Important Election Ever!! Gore was seen as capable but boring and condescending. Bush was seen as bumbling but affable -- the kind of guy you could have a drink with. (Note: he was a teetotaler whose presidency would see him champion torture. The popular consensus of candidates is often really off.) Nader was getting attention as a third party candidate.

So, it's election night. Polls have closed in most of Florida, but not all of Florida, since the panhandle of Florida is in a different time zone. The news media calls the election for Gore. This is absolutely bonkers, since people are still voting. And also because Florida would prove to be super, ridiculously close.

Polls close. It looks like it's going to be Bush? Gore concedes. No, wait, it still too close to call. Gore unconcedes.

Now, I was not only in Florida in 2000, I was in central Florida, and central Florida is the area where the race was super, super close. Just, there were around 5.9 million votes cast in Florida in the 2000 election. Actually, let me right that out with all the zeroes: 5,963,110 votes were cast.

The final official difference that Bush would win by?

537 votes

Just a fraction of a percentage of the total vote count determined who won Florida, and with it, the whole damn presidency. It's estimated that a million people died due to Bush's invasion of Iraq. That would not have happened if Gore had been president. A million people died because of a few hundred votes in Florida. It's been almost 24 years, and I still don't think I've fully processed that.

That wouldn't come until later, though. The day after the election, everyone was just trying to figure out who won. And as the race proved to be tighter and tighter, everyone was seeing how easily things could go either way.

Nader got 97,488 votes for the Green Party, but also? David McReynolds got 622 votes for the Socialist Party, and James Harris got 562 votes for the Socialist Workers Party.

Patrick Buchanan, the candidate for the Reform Party, got 17,484 votes -- and he was the one who got an unexpectedly high number of votes where Butterfly Ballots were used.

Right. Okay. So Florida has a lot of older people, so some genius had the idea to come up with Butterfly Ballots, which were allegedly supposed to make voting easier. Candidates were listed on both sides of the ballot with the selection holes down the middle. But that meant that while Gore was the second name on the left (Bush being the first), the hole that corresponded to Gore was the third one down. Buchanan - the first candidate on the right - was the second hole. You know, to make things easier!

Also, sometimes the holes didn't line up perfectly due to mechanical error, making everything more confusing. Whoopsies!

Speaking of mechanical errors, some voters voted by pulling a lever for the candidate they wanted, and this would mechanically move a puncher that would punch out a chad for the desired candidate. Except that sometimes the puncher wouldn't fully punch out the chad, leaving it hanging. They were called hanging chads, and they created a nightmare for the recounts. Because invalid ballots don't get counted. But what constitutes an invalid ballot is a matter of debate.

There was also the usual user errors (such as voter selects one candidate, crosses that out, and selects another candidate), absentee ballots that weren't signed, and George W. Bush's brother Jeb being the then governor or Florida and incorrectly kicking a bunch of Black voters off of the voting roles before the election, disenfranchising them.

I can remember my very distressed school teachers telling us if the number of people in the grocery store on any given night had voted rather than staying home, it could have changed the outcome of the election. It was so stupidly, ridiculously close that a hundred different factors going a different way could have changed the outcome.

Anytime I see someone online opine that, well, their vote doesn't matter, my eye starts twitching, and the 2000 presidential election is why.

In the end, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that gave Bush Florida, although when people later went back and recounted all the votes in the state (rather than just those in certain counties), they determined that Gore had arguably gotten more votes and so should have been president. (Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2001/jan/29/uselections2000.usa)

In conclusion, it's best to win by numbers large enough that there's a buffer for user error, mechanical failure, third party candidates, etc.

[thechanelmuse]

My Top Albums/EPs of 2023

It's that time.

It's a tradition of mine to post my end-of-the-year music list. I used to get music questions + recommendations all the time. This goes back to the days of the Hypster Music Player we used to have on our pages (remember those lol) before the DMCA roll out.

As a heads up, I'm a violinist with a BFA in Music and Audio Production. I'm a timbre listener first 🤷🏽‍♀️. No surprise there. Some people listen to music for the lyrics first, melody first, a catchy hook first, etc. I'm a tone color and texture person as it relates to vocality, instrumentation, and the arrangement/combination of frequencies altogether. (For more on that and how you can confirm/discover what kind of listener you are, this book, which I reviewed, is a go-to.)

Here's my list of albums you may know and some that'll be your first introduction. I had a number of honorable mentions, but this is already long enough 🙃 lol. Enjoy!

JAZZ

Adam Blackstone - Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn and The Legacy Experience Live (2 albums)

André 3000 - New Blue Sun

Brandee Younger - Brand New Life

Braxton Cook - Who Are You When No One is Watching?

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band - Kings Highway

Christian McBride - Prime

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning

Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding - Alive At The Village Vanguard

Jason Moran - From the Dancehall to the Battlefield

Jeremy Pelt - The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 2: His Muse

Jonathan Blake - Passage

Joshua Redman - where are we

Meshell Ndegeocello - The Omnichord Real Book

New Breed Brass Band - Made in New Orleans

Roy Hargrove - The Love Suite: In Mahogany

Samara Joy - Linger A While (Deluxe Edition)

Theo Croker, Ego Ella May & D'LEAU - BY THE WAY

SOUL/BLUES (ROCK)

Baby Rose - Through and Through

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Live in London

Cleo Sol - Gold

Cory Henry - Live at the Piano

Danielle Ponder - Some of Us Are Brave (Deluxe)

Durand Jones - Wait Til I Get Over

Gabriels - Angels & Queens (Deluxe)

Ghost Hounds - First Last Time

Junior Wells & Buddy Guy - Live in Hiroshima 1975

Nina Simone - You've Got To Learn (Live)

October London - The Rebirth of Marvin

Various Artists - Written in the Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos 👈🏾 7+ hours of goodness 🤌🏾

Wyn Starks w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers - At the End of the River - EP

GOSPEL

Anthony Brown & group therAPY - Affirmations

Jekalyn Carr - The Living Word

Jonathan McReynolds - My Truth

Kirk Franklin - Father’s Day

Tamela Mann - Overcomer (Deluxe) — 2022 album I missed

Tye Tribbett - All Things New (Live In Orlando)

The Walls Group - Four Walls

COUNTRY

Caitlyn Smith - High & Low

Chapel Hart - Glory Days ("Redneck Fairytale" track gotta go tho cuz chile what 🙃)

Chris Stapleton - Higher

Colbie Caillat - Along the Way

Dalton Dover - Never Giving Up On That

Darius Rucker - Carolyn's Boy

Ingrid Andress - Good Person (Deluxe)

Kelsea Ballerina - Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good)

Luke Combs - Gettin' Old

Megan Moroney - Lucky (Deluxe)

Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

The War and Treaty - Lover's Game

FOLK/AMERICANA

Billie Marten - Drop Cherries

Eva Cassidy - I Can Only Be Me

Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

Kina Grannis & Imaginary Future - I Found You

Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Noah Kahan - Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)

Sunny War - Anarchist Gospel

HOLIDAY

Brandy - Christmas with Brandy

Gregory Porter - Christmas Wish

Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday

BLENDED GENRES

chlothegod - Nearly Straight

Jamila Woods - Water Made Us

Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus

Kelela - Raven

L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog

Little Dragon - Slugs of Love

Niia - Bobby Deerfield

Prince & The New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition) 👈🏾 7+ hours of goodness 🤌🏽

Prince & The New Power Generation - Live at Glam Slam

Sampha - Lahai

Various Artists - Birthright - A Black Roots Music Compendium

R&B

Aliah Sheffield - These Songs Are For Anyone Sick of Earth

Cleo Sol - Heaven

Coco Jones - What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe)

Emily King - Special Occasion

Kenyon - The R&B You Love

Kyra - as things grow

Leon Thomas - Electric Dusk

Madison McFerrin - I Hope You Can Forgive Me

PJ Morton - Watch the Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions

The Shindellas - Shindo

Terrace Martin & Ashley Isley - I Left My Heart In Ladera

Victoria Monét - Jaguar II

RAP

Black Thought and El Michels Affair - Glorious Game

BLK ODYSSY - DIAMONDS & FREAKS

Duckwrth - Chrome Bull DLX

Killer Mike - MICHAEL

Mick Jenkins - The Patience

Nas - Magic 2

Nas - Magic 3

Nick Grant - SUNDAY DINNER

Noname - Sundial

Oddisee - To What End

Tyler the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale

POP

Birdy - Portraits

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Ellie Goulding - Higher Than Heaven (Deluxe)

Hozier - Unreal Unearth

The Japanese House - In the End It Always Does

Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

Kelly Clarkson - chemistry (Deluxe)

Madison Beer - Silence Between Songs

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Paramore - This Is Why

P!nk - Trustfall

Sabrina Carpenter - emails i can't send fwd:

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

HAIM - Days Are Gone (10th Anniversary Edition)

Janet Jackson - Discipline (Deluxe Edition)

Luther Vandross - Live at City Music Hall (Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition)

Mariah Carey - Music Box: 30th Anniversary Edition

[ugdigital]

3X GRAMMY-NONINATED AND STELLAR AWARD WINNING GROUP, THE WALLS GROUP, Stop by the jennifer hudson show to deliver a powerful performance of their smash single “I NEED YOU”…

So, first I have to confess that I’m probably a SUPER fan of The Walls Group! I’m thrilled to offer you guys the (performance video link) from 3x Grammy Nominated and Stellar Award-Winning Gospel Group"THE WALLS GROUP," as they stopped to deliver a powerful performance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.

The siblings-quartet, THE WALLS GROUP, kicked off Easter Weekend like only they could, as they gave a spectacular performance of their new fan-favorite song, "I NEED YOU," on The Jennifer Hudson Show. Days later, the outstanding and riveting performance still has people talking. The group is celebrating the release of their fourth studio album, "FOUR WALLS", which is globally available now, via the My Block Inc./SRG-ILS Group label imprint.

"I NEED YOU" was written by Ahjah Walls, Darrel Walls, Eric Dawkins and Warryn Campbell and produced by Warryn Campbell for My Block Inc., and Eric Dawkins for Pencredible Productions LLC. "I Need You, was inspired by the fact that we need God no matter what. It does not matter where we've been, where we go, or what we've seen. We've collectively come to know that we need God in all things. He makes the difference in our stories, and we know that apart from Him, we can do nothing but fail," mentions The Walls Group.

(PERFORMANCE LINK) THE WALLS GROUP PERFORM "I NEED YOU" ON THE JENNIFER HUDSON SHOW

"FOUR WALLS" by THE WALLS GROUP (THE ALBUM) AVAILABLE NOW

————————————

ABOUT THE WALLS GROUP: Stellar Award-winning and Grammy-nominated siblings, The Walls Group, are this generation’s most culturally relevant gospel crew. Members Darrel, Rhea, Alic and Ahjah have been making a major impact in the music industry for over a decade and are still discovering new and bold ways to use their voices.

Ministry is the heart of The Walls Group and singing is the vessel in which to tell of the good news. Having worked with PJ Morton, Brandy, Frank Ocean, Kirk Franklin, Jonathan McReynolds & more they’ve proven that their youthful and powerful voices stand toe to toe with some of the leading artists across genres today.

It’s said that “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” and that was not missed on this Houston based family. Their family is big (the group represents four out of 8 children to Roger & Alicia Walls), their sound is big and their individual personalities are even bigger. Outside of music, The Walls are maximizing their talents through hosting, content creation and ministering.

“We’re just ordinary people, aspiring to do extraordinary things.”

[strictly-chaotic]

I had pizza before bed and one wild dream. This is a recreation of said dream. 

Armed with the Super ‘Stasche, Booty Shorts of Snark, and Bat of Justice, he’s known to crack skulls as quick as he cracks open a beer.

 Super McReynolds is a force to be reckoned with.

[elliechans]

When you’re so unbelievably gorgeous that you can pull off any facial hair

[crispysnakes]

Imperial is so pretty it should be illegal, good grief! Who did you get him from? I’ve never seen a Meltzer so gold with a grayish head! ❤️

He was produced by Katy McReynolds, but I ended up buying him from someone else when he was a few years old. That litter was super nice. 

[brewyork]

Here’s everything you need to know about NYC Beer Week 2020

The official collaboration beer of NYC Beer Week 2020 was brewed at Singlecut Beersmiths this year (Photo: Singlecut Beersmiths on Instagram)

NYC Beer Week starts Saturday and runs through Sunday, March 1st! Here’s the rundown of everything you need to know — the events, the happenings, the beers, and more — to get you ready for the citywide ten-day celebration of everything beer! There are still tickets for the biggest events of Beer Week, so mark these on your calendar!

The Main Event

This year’s Opening Bash will be held Saturday, February 22nd, returning to the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint. In addition to featuring nearly every brewery from across the city, a whole bunch of brewers from outside the city and state will be there to pour beer, some for the first time ever in NYC. There’s also a food court, music, games, and more things to keep you entertained between sips. The two sessions will run 12:30-3:30pm and 6:30-9:30pm, with VIP hours starting an hour earlier. Tickets are still available starting at $75.

There’s also an official beer of the Opening Bash available for sale during the fest, brewed at Singlecut Beersmiths with the rest of the NYC Brewers Guild. It’s very simply called NYC BEER WEEK, a 7.7% ABV Double Dry-Hopped IIPA with an experimental New Zealand hop blend. A 4-pack of it is included with VIP admission to the bash. You can also purchase cans at Singlecut’s booth during the event to take home for $20/4-pack.

The Ruppert’s Cup

The official closing event of beer week will be the return of the Ruppert’s Cup Awards on the week’s final day. The celebration will be held again this year at Randolph Beer DUMBO (82 Prospect St., Dumbo) on Sunday, March 3rd at noon. The Ruppert’s Cup, named for longtime New York City brewer Jacob Ruppert, is the competition between the city’s brewers for best Brewery, with your online vote determining the winner. Last year’s winner, Queens Brewery, will be defending their title, and you’ll get to choose who wins during Beer Week. The pay-as-you-go event at Randolph Beer will have free admission and feature several breweries’ SMASH beers. What’s a SMASH beer? Funny you should ask.

Kara Johnston from Chimney Bluffs Hoppery in Wolcott, New York adds her hops to Big aLICe Brewing’s SMASH Beer (Photo: Big aLICe Brewing on Instagram)

SMASH Beer

Let’s talk more about these special beers. Typically, “SMASH” stands for “Single Malt and Single Hop,” but in this case, it means “State Malt and State Hops.” New York has become a hotbed of beer agriculture, so every SMASH beer is brewed using 100% New York State-sourced ingredients: malt, hops, flowers, fruits… everything. Some additions and flairs on the brewers’ part make each offering unique. You’ll see them in taprooms and around the city at this coming week’s beer events. Here’s a list of those beers:

18TH WARD BREWING (Brooklyn) - This One Weird Trick Pale Ale

BIG ALICE BREWING (Queens) - Table Series One Dry-Hopped Table Beer

CIRCA BREWING COMPANY (Brooklyn) - Marjoram Simpson Wheat beer brewed with local marjoram and holy basil

CONEY ISLAND BREWING CO. (Brooklyn) - Coney Island ESB English-style Strong Bitter

DALEVIEW BISCUITS AND BEER (Brooklyn) - Gold in My Pocket 

FIFTH HAMMER BREWING CO. (Queens) - Fugget Nuggle Bitter Best Bitter

GUN HILL BREWING CO. (Bronx) - Spirit ‘76 American Pilsner Lager

INTERBORO SPIRITS & ALES (Brooklyn) - Super Local Pale Ale

KINGS COUNTY BREWERS COLLECTIVE (Brooklyn) - Strictly Taconic Pilsner Lager

RANDOLPH BEER (Brooklyn) - Tiny Vienna Vienna Lager

ROCKAWAY BREWING (Queens) - Crystal Blanc Saison

STRONG ROPE BREWERY (Brooklyn) - Fat Man Little Stout Small Stout

TRANSMITTER BREWING (Brooklyn) - NY6 Pilsner Lager

The Grand Delancey hosts a humdinger of a tap takeover on Sunday with some of New York and New England’s most raved-about breweries

More Events

Beyond the big featured events, there’s a massive calendar of Beer Week events to sort through, so here’s a few that are catching our eye:

Beer Week Pre-Bash at Someday Bar (Friday, 2/21, 7pm): Get geared up for the week with a little preview on Friday of some of the beers you’ll be drinking at Opening Bash on Saturday. LIC Beer Project brings along Massachusetts-based Widowmaker and Georgia-based Monday Night Brewing for a tap takeover. Free admission, pay as you go.

NYC Beer Week Party at Brouwerij Lane (Saturday, 2/22, 12pm): Come before or after the Opening Bash for a special lineup of beers from NYC breweries on all 19 taps. Free admission, pay as you go.

New England + New York at The Grand Delancey (Sunday, 2/23, 11am): It’s a hazeboi’s dream come true. New York’s Equilibrium, Mortalis and Other Half bring New England’s Mast Landing, Trillium and Vitamin Sea. Free admission, pay as you go.

Specialty Malt Panel + Tasting at Strong Rope Brewery (Monday, 2/24, 7pm): Nerd out about malt at this panel discussion! Experts Heather McReynolds (Guinness, Cicerone) and Ted Hawley (New York Craft Malt) join Strong Rope Brewery founder Jason Sahler and brewer Alex Biedermann to discuss specialty malts, their use in beer today, and their place in New York's brewing industry. Tickets are $15 and include a tasting.

Mardi Gras Bash and Can Release at Rockaway Brewing (Tuesday, 2/25, 5pm): Conveniently, Rockaway’s annual Fat Tuesday Celebration falls during NYC Beer Week this year! Live music, jambalaya, and king cake are all part of the party, and they’ll have a new beer can release, Maiden Queens, an Imperial IPA brewed with lactose and strawberry. Free admission, pay as you go.

New Kids on the Block at Rivercrest (Wednesday, 2/26, 7pm): Get to know all of New York City’s newest beers! Non Sequitur Beer Project, Talea, Timber Ales, and Wild East will all take over the taps at this new beer destination in Astoria. Free admission, pay as you go.

Beer Boom Documentary Screening at The Greats of Craft (Thursday, 2/27, 6pm): Watch Beer Boom, a long-awaited documentary about New York’s beer scene that centers around Rich Castagna of Queens’ Bridge & Tunnel Brewery on his quest to build a brewery from scratch. Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with the creators of the documentary. Tickets are $10.

Caskalot: A Festival of Cask Beers at Fifth Hammer Brewing Co. (Friday, 2/28, 3pm and Saturday, 2/29, noon): Visit Fifth Hammer for a completely different way to drink beer -- from a cask. Finback, Brooklyn, Keg & Lantern, and Gun Hill will be among the many NYC breweries pouring unique offerings from casks. This event continues on Saturday. Free admission, pay as you go.

Fox Farm, Hudson Valley, Sand City, and Transmitter at The Well (Saturday, 2/29, noon): Great breweries all in one place for one day only. They’ll have lots of beer on tap from all five, plus a live podcast for Good Beer Hunting with the brewers and owners at 5pm, moderated by Brooklyn Brewery’s legendary Garrett Oliver (they’ll also have a similar event on Sunday, 2/23 with Civil Society, Dancing Gnome, Interboro, Modist, and Rockwell). Free admission, pay as you go.

The taproom at Grimm Artisanal Ales, one of the city’s 33 places where you can drink beer at the source.

The Breweries

Did you know New York City now has over three dozen breweries where you can drink to your heart’s content at their taprooms? Support your local breweries during NYC Beer Week and visit them. We just added a brand-new map of every brewery in five boroughs for easy navigating the city’s beer scene.

The Calendar

It’s a mad rush to get to as many beer events as possible during Beer Week. We’re going to try to make it easier by adding every event that’s announced to our calendar. Keep this handy when you’re trying to decide what to partake in each night. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and on Instagram, where we’ll give a shout-out to cool Beer Week events and features throughout the week.

Happy drinking!

[firstladybe-blog]

My Day At The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards

It's October, which means the smell of fall and the Gospel Music Association's annual Dove Awards in Nashville. The Dove Awards have always held a special place in my heart. It's something about the atmosphere in Music City, and the way the Christian and Gospel community comes together to uplift our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here are some of my favorite moments from the show:

TobyMac is a BEAST!!! He opened the show with a performance of his hit song Elements and had it snowing on stage; he also won A Dove Award for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year. I also found out that he opened a shoe store in downtown Franklin, TN called CITIZEN. Had no clue. But anyway, his sneaker game is sick!Jonathan McReynolds and his dope performance jacket. I told him, he's going to have to start selling that thang. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3qPQ0dhVI4/ Backstage he told us he's working on a new album. We can look forward to that next year. 3. Tasha Cobbs Leonard!! When she opens her mouth even to speak, you hear "The Sound." She blessed me backstage when she started talking about her husband, Kenneth Leonard, Jr. and how it's important that you connect with the right person. Tears started flowing from her eyes and mines as well as she shared how the sound of her music even changed once they married. "I partnered with a man of God who pulled greatness out of me!" https://www.instagram.com/p/B3reuGYgtMb/ Talk about purpose partner! Tasha is also working on new music. 4. Christian comedian John Crist was hilarious. I've never heard him outside of Instagram and YouTube, so to hear him in person was awesome. He's super funny. He shared that he got his start doing the announcements at his father's church (his father is a pastor).

5. And then there was Kirk and Tammy Franklin. Kirk being the GOAT, closed everything out, and of course he didn't disappoint. What's that saying, " don't leave before the benediction." Your blessing could very well come during the benediction, I know mines did at the end of the show. Kirk shared some nuggets of wisdom with inspiring gospel artists, and ended with this nugget," If you're not ready to die don't get into the Christian entertainment business, Lord knows the church don't need no more mistakes." The Dove Awards will air exclusively on TBN October 20th at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.  Some performances you can look forward to are: Dorinda Clark Cole, JeKalyn Carr and Shirley Caesar, CeCe Winans performed a snippet of Alabaster Box, TobyMac, Kelonate Gavin and Kirk Franklin to name a few. Read the full article

[bhadpodcast]

Paris

Hoech and Dyl are enjoying so much needed “bro time” (Yeah, right xD), and why they are cuddling the fuck out of each other, I mean, while they are watching a movie at a safe distance from each other in a sofa, this conversation happens

Hoech: Look what I got bae!

Dyl: Emmm, that’s a fake moustache… It’s that for you? Because you know I kind of hated when you had one for the movie… You know I’m always up for some McReynolds fun! Besides, my lips are sensitive.

Hoech: No, silly! It’s for you! You’re going to Paris with me!!

Dyl: Ok… Why the moustache, though?

Hoech: It’s for your disguise!

Dyl: What?

Hoech: Of course! You’re going to use this, and nobody is going to know you’re there with me! I’m super clever!

Dyl: Hoech… Are you serious? It’s a moustache! The only way it would work is if it covers my entire face, and even then…

Hoech is looking at Dyl with shiny eyes and a cute pout

Dyl: *sighs* Ok, give me that. I’m going to use it… You’re lucky you’re cute and your ass looks amazing on those jeans

Hoech: Thank you bae! This are for you too!!

Hoech gives Dyl a hat, a wig, and a eye patch. Dyl stares with incredulity… And takes everything due to Hoech’s hopeful face

Hoech: And you’re going to be Diamond Vista Bridge… Nobody is going to know Bae!

Hoech kisses Dyl on the cheek, and goes running to get ready his suitcase…

PD: This is for entertainment porpoises only. Read under your own responsibility. It might give you Hobrien feels. Kisses!

We know he would dress dylls as a fashion model, ha!

[strictly-chaotic]

HOvengers 

This is what happens when you talk to Angie about Dylan, Hoech and Avengers at the same time. If Hobrien joined the Avengers...

Hoech as Super McReynolds suited in supes mesh crop top with cape and spandex pants, Dylan as Mr. Met with a T-shirt Cannon. Everyone seems to take this Halloween party to serious extremes, even the Chitauri CGI looks realistic...wait.

Dylan: What the fu-

Steve: Language!

Stark: He’s dressed like a muppet, let the boy curse.

Hoech: Hey, he’s not a muppet! He’s my-

Stark: Oh no, I’ve startled the 70s pornstar. Don’t get your stache in twist, Burt.

Hulk, softly: Would smash...

Steve: BRUCE!

*Dylan & Hulk fist bump*

[coghive]

Maverick City Music To Perform At 64th GRAMMY Awards

Five-time GRAMMY nominated super group Maverick City Music will continue to make history when they perform at the 64th GRAMMY Awards. This electric performance will mark the first time in over 20 years that a Gospel or Christian artist has been televised at the ceremony as well as the first time an artist has been nominated in all 4 categories across the two genres. Maverick City Music is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Wait On You” with Elevation Worship, Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Man Of Your Word” and “Jireh” with Elevation Worship, Best Gospel Album for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Old Church Basement with Elevation Worship. The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air live on Sunday, April 3, on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+ from 8–11:30 p.m. ET / 5–8:30 p.m. PT. Prior to the telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will be streamed live on GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel. Maverick City Music recently announced their largest co-headline arena tour to date with Kirk Franklin. The tour, dubbed Kingdom, begins on June 1st and will make stops in 37 cities in North America including Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st. They will be joined by Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires on all dates. Tickets are now available HERE. Maverick City Music has been making noise since forming in 2018. Featuring a rotating group of members that include Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Dante Bowe, Lizzie Morgan, MJ George, Aaron Moses, Joe L Barnes and Brandon Lake, Maverick City Music brings together a diverse array of voices, drawing inspiration from soul, gospel, R&B, and indie rock. Their 2021 album Old Church Basement, in collaboration with Elevation Worship, earned the group three Grammy nominations across three categories including nominations for their largest single to date, “Jireh (feat. Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine),” and “Wait On You (feat. Dante Bowe & Chandler Moore.)” Read the full article

[22ndcenturylifestyle]

When one thinks of college, the same image tends to come to mind. The typical stereotype of a college student is a lazy individual who wakes up only to party all night. Ibrahim Lahai Conteh is not the average college student. Even without knowing him intimately, one can clearly see the determination in his eyes. A gentleman and scholar, Conteh is an outlier even at Morehouse College. For starters, he is the proud product of Sierra Leonean parents. In addition, the junior computer science major is a devout Muslim. Conteh’s story begins in San Jose, Calif. He grew up in middle class suburbia, where his family accounted for nine of the 23 black people in a neighborhood of hundreds. Coming from such a large family presented its own challenge that he feels has helped in the long run. “I always had to share myself with others, and I didn’t necessarily have privacy,” Conteh said. “Being around so many different people taught be how to be receptive to different people.” Indeed, Conteh belies a sense of warmth and thoughtfulness that radiates in every word he delivers. His longtime roommate, Roy McReynolds, concurs. “Talking to him, I feel like he is wise well beyond his years,” McReynolds said. “He’s helped me settle down and think through problems and work through issues.” This friendly spirit has lent itself well to building bonds with others. His co-resident in the suites, Garrett Miller, has enjoyed their time together. “It’s been really interesting living with him,” Miller said. “Not only is he an African, but he’s a Muslim as well, and that’s exposed me to two cultures I wouldn’t have otherwise come into contact with. He’s been a really good friend, and someone that anyone could depend on.” As a young student, Conteh was well rounded. “Growing up, math was my thing,” Conteh said. “I was always good at writing, just like extrapolating different thoughts.” He attributes his will to succeed to the way he was brought up by his father. “My dad always pushed me to do things beyond just the normality,” Conteh said. “All the kids at school were saying they wanted to be a firefighter or policeman, I always said I wanted to be a physicist. Even though I didn’t know what that meant, that always stuck in my head to have super high expectations.” Conteh felt love at home growing up, and he has always possessed an amicable personality. He says he was never bullied in school despite being a black Muslim in a predominantly white, Christian atmosphere. He does, however, remember an instance where he had to come to the defense of his sister. He handled the situation the way any brother would. “Some kid called my sister the ‘n-word,’” Conteh said. “I knocked him out.” As a student at Morehouse, Conteh feels things that made him stick out once before now help him blend in. At the college, he has found a place where he feels at home. While pursuing academic excellence, Conteh’s philosophical views have helped to keep him grounded. “Every day is a battle, and life is like a war,” Conteh said. “You don’t have to win every battle to win the war, and that’s my mentality.” Conteh’s quiet humility leaves him remiss to dwell on his own accomplishments, however it would be negligent for this article not to do so. Conteh has achieved the elusive 4.0 GPA three times already in his college career. He was recently inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest honor society for liberal arts and sciences in the United States. However, a recent undertaking speaks most to his character. Collaborating with a friend, Conteh founded the Morehouse Student Archives, a student driven library housed in Douglass Hall. The Archives contain over 150 books, student interviews and online content. The sheer force of will required to create a student library is remarkable. Many were shocked that the project could become so magnificent so quickly. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t believe in it, but he showed a commitment and dedication that is rarely seen among students today to acquiring and proliferating knowledge to the community,” McReynolds said. “That was awe inspiring to me.” Awe inspiring indeed. Ibrahim Conteh is a black Muslim from California. Ibrahim Conteh is a man who makes those around him better. Ibrahim Lahai Conteh is black excellence.

[conniejoworld]

The Election Super Center Project

While NBA stars Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and the upset-minded Dallas Mavericks are battling with the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in Orlando, the Mavs and American Airlines Center are working with the Dallas County Elections Department to play host to a different type of showdown: the 2020 Elections. If an agreement is made, the American Airlines Center— joined by several NBA, NFL and NHL arenas — would transform their venue into an election supercenter as a part of the Election Super Center Project, initially announced on Aug 14. Dallas County Judge Judge Clay Jenkins confirmed that negotiations regarding the details of the contract are still being worked out with the American Airlines Center, but that the outlook is positive. Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban declined to comment. The Election Super Center Project, which is a nonpartisan, joint initiative between the National Vote at Home Institute and the Silver Linings Group, is expected to improve poll access for over a million people nationwide. “When you’re in the middle of a pandemic and you’re thinking about public health as a top priority, it might be a natural accident to take your eye off the ball of the health of your democracy, particularly when COVID-19 threatens to make it scarier for people to vote because people are worried about social distancing, they’re worried about the White House’s recent attacks on the US Postal Service,” Project co-chair and Silver Linings Group CEO Eugene Jarecki said. “There is a lot facing the people from the pandemic, and from outside forces that threaten what is so vital in the American story.” Jarecki said the Mavericks were one of the teams early on that showed interest in the project, but as a nonpartisan organization, they simply get the ball rolling before letting arenas and election officials handle the backend of things. The project does note that it doesn't want to exert any undue pressure on teams or arenas to complete a deal with election officials, but Jarecki said there are high hopes for the Dallas site. “My instinct is that it could go really, really well there,” Jarecki said. Jarecki emphasized that while they believe this could improve poll access for over a million voters nationwide, this is not serving as a replacement to other local voting sites. These election centers will act as supplemental locations in an attempt to assist traditional sites by providing voters with a safe, spaced-out environment as COVID-19, CDC guidelines and worries over voting by mail have some voters wary. "Voters can rest assured that we're working tirelessly to protect them," project co-chair and National Vote at Home Institute CEO Amber McReynolds said in a press release. "Whether you vote by mail, drop off your ballot, or vote in person, you should have a safe, secure, and accessible voting experience. We could not be more grateful to the teams and venues that have stepped up to this challenge and we hope many more will join this movement." One of the larger questions hovering over voting sites across the nation is a legitimate one: Due to COVID-19, who will replace the older polling volunteers who are at higher risk? Jarecki says these mega centers will provide numerous opportunities to students and furloughed arena workers to serve the community. “That is one of the great opportunities here. As you can imagine, a lot of these arenas have furloughed workers,” Jarecki said. “One of the things we’ve made possible is that arena workers can get trained to be poll workers. In college arenas we also want to see students stepping up.” Judge Jenkins said they are working with Dallas College and the Latino Voter Empowerment Coalition who are attempting to find younger election poll workers. Jenkins added that there is a possibility that other large venues in the area could open their doors as a mega election center on Election Day. Of the roughly 1.3 million registered voters in Dallas County, he says they estimate voter turnout to range anywhere from 830,000-850,000 for the 2020 Elections. Between an increase in absentee ballots and the extension of the early voting period, though, Jenkins said Election Day is when they will truly need a mega center as they expect 40% of the projected 800,000-plus voters will cast a ballot on Nov. 3. The Mavericks are only one of a dozen professional organizations that are working to host election mega centers in their home arena. Other teams include the Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Clippers (at the Los Angeles Forum). NBA superstar LeBron James and several other professional athletes, including WNBA star and former Dallas Wings guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, joined efforts to create More than a Vote, a nonprofit organization that is looking to support black voters. James drew commitments last month from the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, who are both willing to open up their doors for a similar setup as well. Time will tell whether the American Airlines Center and the Dallas County Elections Department will crack a deal to transform the venue into an election supercenter on Nov. 3, but Jarecki and the Election Super Center Project made it clear that they are interested in making sure election supercenters are here to stay beyond COVID-19. “We’re helping develop a new public behavior, and a new behavior by election boards to say that this is another way that this can happen,” Jarecki said. “This is another technique for voting that is new and innovative and this is really what the future should look like to give people greater voting access.”

 I’m gonna mention that the AAC is on light rail and the TRE in downtown Dallas

[winniedotcom]

Best Museums for Kids in San Francisco

When you think of activities for children, museums—with lots of expensive, easily breakable items—aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. But there are many museums that are super family-oriented with plenty of space for kids to explore and adventure. We’ve compiled a few of our top picks for San Francisco.

California Academy of Sciences

55 Music Concourse Dr • Open daily • Kids 3 and under are free

Located inside Golden Gate Park, this science museum is a must-visit destination for all ages. For younger kids, the Early Explorers Cove has tons of hands-on activities in a safe environment. For older kids, there’s an aquarium, planetarium, natural history exhibits, and live animals—all under a living roof. Even adults will have fun here — so much fun that you’ll want to come back for a date night on Thursday night when the museum turns 21+ and serves cocktails from 6–10 pm.

The Children’s Creativity Museum

221 Fourth St • Open Wed-Sun • Kids 2 and under are free

It’s easy to overlook this almost hidden gem of a children’s museum, snuggled in the scenic Yerba Buena Gardens but once you know it’s there it will soon become your family’s favorite destination. Once known as “Zeum” it was rebranded in 2011 to highlight the core mission, which is “to nurture creativity and collaboration in all children and families.” Offering hands on activities in a wide spectrum of areas, including music and animation, The Children’s Creativity Museum is the perfect place to take your 2-12 year old. This museum is also home to the beautifully restored LeRoy King Carousel and $4 will get you 2 rides on this beautiful handcrafted machine originally from 1905.

Walt Disney Family Museum

104 Montgomery Street • Open daily except Tues • Kids 5 and under are free

Where to take your Disney obsessed child when a trip Disneyland just isn’t in the books? Look no further than the Walt Disney Family Museum. Scenically located in the Presidio, this museum can help scratch that Mickey itch when nothing else will do. While it focuses on the life of Walt Disney, it also provides an in depth look at the work and art that went into not just the parks but the movies and animation. The museum offers daily movie screenings in their Fantasia themed theater as well as various animation and art classes for both kids and adults.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

557 McReynolds Rd in Sausalito • Open daily except Mon

While not actually in San Francisco, take a quick trip to the North Bay to visit this amazing hands on museum located in Sausalito and you’ll soon find out why we included it. The open layout of this awesome museum will have your child running from station to station, lab to lab, trying out everything they can get their hands on (which is A LOT). With so much to see and do your family will never grow tired of the seemingly endless activities that are provided.

The Exploratorium

Pier 51 • Open daily except Mon • Kids 3 and under are free

The Exploratorium isn’t just one of the best children’s museum in San Francisco but arguably one of the best in the country. This is where art and science combine to create a full sensory experience for every member of your family. The Exploratorium creates an environment that will get your kids asking questions and then help to provide them with answers. The only downside to this amazing place is that because it’s so awesome it’s also very popular and can easily get crowded. However, if one exhibit is full there are plenty more to explore.

Randall Museum

745 Treat Ave • Open Tue-Sat • Free admission for all ages

Focusing on the animals, plants, history and science of San Francisco, the Randall Museum offers families a wide array of exhibits, classes, and other programs. Run by the San Francisco Parks and Rec department, the museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays with occasional events on the weekends. While most of their exhibits are currently located at the Mission Art Center, the Randall Museum’s newly renovated center will reopen in summer of 2017 and will offer state of the art kid friendly labs, displays for their animal friends, a ceramics studio, and an onsite café.