#aiming for either GA or DC

[xomakara]

NCT Dream announced North American tour dates and I definitely need to sell my soul or something to see TDS3. But then again, I have a trip planned to Southeast Asia in October… TDS3 or SEA? That is the question. 🤔

[thecreaturecodex]

Modron, Pentadrone

Image by Julie Dillon, © Wizards of the Coast

[The last of the drone modrons, and the last modron I’m posting for a while. I’m commissioning original art for the modron hierarchs, and so am going to wait at least that long. In the original version, a pentadrone could either levitate or use its paralysis gas, but not both, because it levitated using the gas jets. Which isn’t... realistic, exactly, but made a certain kind of logical sense, something I think of as “Gygaxian naturalism”. But it’s a decently tough monster, why shouldn’t it be able to fly? I imagine they fly something like how Gamera flies.]

Modron, Pentadrone CR 7 LN Outsider (extraplanar) This strange being has five pointed lobes, like a starfish, each with a single eye and frowning mouth. It stands on five clockwork legs below, and a metallic nozzle grows from its upper surface, pivoting as it watches.

The strongest of the modron drones, pentadrones serve as delegates between the will of the hierarchs and the actions of the drones. They also serve as a police force, watching constantly for signs of rogue behavior in modron drones and eliminating the rogues when they appear. Pentadrones keep a close eye on chaotic creatures that interact with modron business or visit Regulus. If any mortal creature violates the laws of the modrons, pentadrones will paralyze them, beat them into submission, and drag them off to face judgment.

A pentadrone typically opens combat with its paralysis gas. As modrons are immune to paralysis, it doesn’t care about aiming it away from its troops. Any creatures not paralyzed are bludgeoned with its five arms, or bombarded with spells if they are chaotic. Pentadrones are skilled tacticians and make good use of their abilities, and the abilities of lesser modrons in battle. A pentadrone often fights from the air, using jets of gasses to spin and levitate. Pentadrones are the most likely of the modron drone ranks to flee from combat, as they need to report the outcome to a hierarch.

Because of their ability to hold five objectives in common at a time, and their skill at planning for future events, pentadrones often appear as introspective to other creatures. They rarely speak, unless it is to give orders or acquire information. Pentadrones are unique among modron varieties in that they have no fine manipulators—no hands, tentacles, etc. They can manage objects using one of their mouths, but doing so is not particularly efficient. Thus, pentadrones often keep a staff of monodrones on hand to serve it as limbs, taking dictation, opening doors and locks, and performing other tasks that require fine motor skills.

Pentadrone          CR 7 XP 3,200 LN Medium outsider (extraplanar, lawful, modron) Init 15 (fixed); Senses all-around vision, darkvision 120 ft., detect chaos, Perception +17 Defense AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+3 Dex, +5 natural, +4 armor) hp 72 (5d10+25 plus 20) Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +7 DR 5/chaotic; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10 Defensive Abilities constructed Offense Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor) Melee 5 slams +10 (1d6+5) Special Attacks paralysis gas Spell-like Abilities CL 5th, concentration +8 Constant—detect chaos, mage armor 3/day—align weapon, arrow of law (DC 15) 1/day—discern lies (DC 17), order’s wrath (DC 17) Statistics Str 21, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 17 Base Atk +5; CMB +10; CMD 23 (29 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Bludgeoner, Combat Expertise, Hover (B) Skills Acrobatics +8, Diplomacy +11, Fly +7, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (planes) +11, Perception +17, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +8, Stealth +11, Survival +11 (+15 following tracks); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when following tracks Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal, Modron SQ coordinated ally, fixed initiative Ecology Environment any land or underground (Regulus) Organization solitary, pair, squad (1 plus 2-6 quadrones, 2-12 tridrones) or inquisition (3-10) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Paralysis Gas (Su) As a standard action, a pentadrone can emit a 30 foot cone of gas. All creatures in the area must succeed a DC 17 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 2d4 rounds. A creature so paralyzed can attempt an additional save against the effect as a full round action. A pentadrone can use this ability 5 times a day, but must wait 5 rounds between uses. The save DC is Constitution based.

[kickasstransdumbass]

I’m case y’all were wondering

Police are attacking peaceful protestors first

The police forces are firing rubber bullets directly at the protestors’ heads, torsos, and necks. Rubber bullets are meant to be bounced off the ground and into a persons legs to cause pain, NOT harm. Rubber bullets have killed people because of misuse. Not to mention rubber bullets are roughly the size of a very large cigar

(These photos are only three out of four kinds of bullets and there are some are a little shorter and much more compact)

Rubber bullets are made of metal canisters cover in a plastic coating. They can and have been leathal.

The police have already killed people by firing rubber bullets directly at protestors faces, and the police have blinded a large number of people by aiming for their eyes.

And recently some police forces have switched to wooden bullets roughly the size and shape of a jumbo marshmallow

The military police are using tear gas, throwing them directly into large groups of people, and on one occasion, directly at a mans face. Tear gas is illegal to use in warfare.

Let me say that again: tear gas is illegal to use in warfare.

And yet they use it on the citizens of a country they’re supposed to protect.

They have also been firing on, throwing tear gas into, and destroying medical tents. This is a war crime under the geniva convention.

They are firing on, spraying mace at, and generally injuring medical persons during the protests. They have on many occasions prevented medics from getting to injured people and treating them. This is also a war crime under the geniva convention.

The military police are macing peaceful protestors. People who are sitting peacefully, standing, kneeling, not doing anything but existing in front of the officers, are maced point blank directly in their faces.

Officers are also macing and gassing children. Two different children, one of which was a toddler, were maced by police. Police who were well and fully aware that they were macing children. Not to mention police are gassing and macing crowds of people that contain children in them, which police are also aware of.

Police Forces regularly leave the lines to approach protestors, who are more than far enough away, to mace, hit, or try to arrest them.

In one case a police officer forced a black mans hand onto a wooden stick on the ground, while pinning said man on the ground, in order to claim that the man had a weapon and thus committed a crime for which the officer could arrest him for.

The Police Forces attack protestors who are leaving protests to go home, shoot people who are standing on their porches, arrest protestors while the protestors are complying with orders, and are *trapping protestors in corners* by forming impenetrable walls and closing in on them on all sides.

Specifically at one protest, military police backed protestors into a corner, prevented them from being able to leave, and then tear gassed them and maced them while they were trapped.

The police are destroying their own property to blame it on the protestors, they are destroying shop windows, putting out bricks to try and get the protestors to use so they can respond with force, and leaving bait cars for protestors in hopes they’ll destroy them.

In one case a police officer actually posed as a protestor and started a fire, he was later identified by his ex-wife.

There are many reports of officers posing as protestors and joining the crowds to destroy things, “attack” cops, and generally cause unrest so that the police can report the protestors were being violent.

Protestors are cracking down on people who are destroying property or looting, because the protestors are there to protest peacefully, and any kind of destruction to public property completely goes against their cause. They have even in a few cases apprehended the people destroying property and given them to the police.

In recent cases, the police forces will kneel in “solidarity” with the protestors, pose for the cameras, wait for the news teams to leave, and then they attack the protestors without mercy. Macing, gassing, beating, and arresting protestors, all without cause.

There are more videos than I can even count of protestors peacefully assembling and the police forces responding violently without reason.

DC was recently the target of a supposed device that shut down internet and cellphone signals for five hours. No one knows for certain if that is specifically how it happened, but we know these things for certain:

Police forces trapped the protestors in DC

Not a single person in DC communicated with anyone for five hours, residents and protestors alike

Mass tweets that were identical in every way began being posted. One user retweeted one of these that his acc posted, saying he didn’t tweet it.

The police were power washing the streets after the fact, even though they do not clean up or even attempt to clean the streets after other protests

Many people are still missing from the protest

Something similar happened in Chicago

The police and city set a 9pm curfew at 8:40pm. Then almost immediately afterwards the police forces lifted the bridges and blocked the protestors in. Making it impossible for the protestors to leave the city. Protestors were corralled into a residential area and some residents let protestors into their houses to take refuge and to avoid arrest.

One man harbored 70 people for the night, with the police force waiting directly outside of his home. Some people reported that protestors were breaking into homes, but these reports are false.

Police forces are trampling people with police horses and running over or ramming into people with their police cars.

Police have also started firing tear gas and rubber bullets out of their cars as they drive by protestors.

Recently some police forces have been given the all clear to use real bullets. Against peaceful protestors. Who are not attacking the police.

There is footage of special ops people coming out and protesting, throwing the tear gas back at the police forces and generally providing protection for protestors. No one knows who they are, and no one should. Their identities need to be kept secret for their safety. People have named these spec ops “Tank”. Probably because the special ops people are incredibly tall, and tower over the police forces and other protestors.

Protestors have flooded snitch apps set up by police with K-Pop fan cams, of both anonymous and members of k-pop bands.

There are recordings of the police radios, where police are heard saying things like

“Shoot those motherf*ckers”

“Run them over”

And so on. I will be posting the videos of these radio transmissions in a different post.

The police forces trapped a group of protestors on a bridge in New York while the protestors attempted to peacefully march into Manhattan. The police kept them trapped there for hours, from roughly 8pm (the curfew) to 11pm when they finally allowed protestors back into Brooklyn.

Police officers that are against the excessive use of force against the peaceful protestors have begun quitting, enforcing the proven point that if some cops were good, they’d either be quitting or outspoken. A silent cop is as good as a violent one.

The national guard has been called upon in some states to assist police forces

Is there any logic in using weapons, some of which are banned in warfare, against peaceful and unarmed citizens?

There are many more things that the police force and military force have done, and things only continue to escalate as police forces increasingly use excessive force and violence against peaceful protestors. These reports I have written here are directly from protestors accounts and videos of the actual events.

In conclusion, ACAB

[hobbitsnapes]

The Red hoods protégé chapter 2

Older Damian Wayne x ofc

Summary:Red hood has taken a young vigilante under his wing and subsequently changes Damians life forever. (I suck at summary’s)

(Photo made by my lovely friend @bakketsux)

(1 week later)(archangels POV)

I wake up to Jason at my door telling me to get ready for patrol tonight. I groan as I roll over to get some water from my throat being dry. I get up to put my suit on and try not to touch the bruise on my side. Last week when we took down this huge drug bust one of the guys hit me with his bat on my side and Jason hasn’t let me out on patrol since. I love that he’s protective of me, but sometimes he gets to be overbearing at times. But I understand he just wants me to be safe. As I put on my mask I walk out of the room towards Jason who’s got his guns ready. “Tonight we are going to 9083 blackbird drive, scarecrow is looking to create a new fear toxin that he can put into drugs and sell it out to people. We need to get there and get his papers and anything we can and bats and the brat will take care of straw man” “why can’t we just kill him and take the shit?” “Because he has information on other criminals and their hide outs. Without him we can’t find where half of them are.” “Well he’s supposed to be the world’s greatest Detective, he should be able to figure it out on his own.” “You’ll understand one day baby angel.” “I hate it when you call me that.” I say as we get on Jason’s bike “oh but I love it.”

We reach the warehouse and go in through a back door we found. You know for criminals they really aren’t secure in their places. We go and find a locked door and before we can open it 2 guys charge at us “you get the girl and I got the hood!” “Oh we’re gonna have fun with you little girl” “I’m not a little girl!” I yell as I take my pistol and shoot him in the face. “Nice aim!” “Thanks little red riding” we break down the door and see 3 henchmen coming towards us, I take out 2 with my hunters knife since I don’t want to waste bullets on these guys and jay takes out the last one with his pistol. We look around the room and find blueprints for the toxin and see that it’s being held on the 5th floor. We race up to the room taking out anyone that tries stoping us and when we reach the room we see 3 vials filled with a dark blue liquid. Jason takes the vials and I take any papers I can find. We almost finish until we hear Maniacal laughter behind us. “Aww well if isn’t the infamous red hood, and who’s this little one here? Bet a few hits of my latest toxin into her bloodstream and I can send her into her deepest, darkest nightmares!” He starts laughing uncontrollably and i take my pistol out and aim at his head “yeah how about not gas Huffer. How bout you take a nap.” I pull the trigger and before it hits him he’s thrown to the ground, kicking and screaming like a child who can’t get his way. I’m thrown up against the edge of the table by robin and his hands are on my throat, not enough to kill but firmly. “Can’t you try not to kill at least once! God I knew you’d be a pain the moment I saw you!” “Awe how sweet that you thought I was just a pain.” I say as I take my left leg and swing his legs from under him and take my elbow to his nose and clamp my thighs around his neck. “Now next time you get in my way, this bullet goes through you.” I say as I put the gun to his forehead. Before he can take me down I jump off of him and walk away and watch as he glares at me. I roll my eyes as I hear him swearing at me and jump from the window back home.

(Third person POV)

“Why does she keep doing it!” “Doing what exactly Damian? It can’t be the killing that’s gotten you like this, Jason does it and you don’t care nearly as much.” “It’s the fact that she’s so cocky! And she annoys me on purpose!” “Maybe it’s because she likes the attention.” “Well I’m gonna put a a stop to it.” “Damian, the more you react the worse she’ll get, either don’t react or get used to it.” “Yeah whatever, she’s nothing but an annoying...” Bruce stops listening to what Damian has to say and looks at the road with a knowing smile, he can tell that his son doesn’t totally hate the young girl like he’s acting to.

(Archangels POV)

Before I get to the bathroom to shower, I feel a hand on my shoulder. “You alright baby ang?” “Yeah of course I am jay jay, why do you ask?” “You just seem like you’ve got something on your mind.” “Well if I didn’t wouldn’t I be declared brain dead?” I joked, Jason laughs and gives me a hug goodnight. I take my shower quickly since it’s 4:30 a.m. and hop into bed. I watch out my window from my bed, and count the starts until my eyes grow to heavy. And before I let myself sink into the covers and sleep, I can’t help but wonder how much my life has changed, and how much it will.

Tags: @psychovigilantewrites @comic-nerd-dc

[opensafetyglobal-blog]

Are You Prepared For Rebreathers?

A rebreather failure could go unnoticed.  When open circuit regulators fail, it's immediately obvious.  Either you get no air whenever you suck on the mouthpiece or (much more likely) you obtain a lot of and also a surprising rush of bubbles on your face.

Why You May Want To Think Twice

Needless to say, that a rebreather doesn't make you immune to DCS and nitrogen narcosis. Those risks remain, though the more sophisticated closed-circuit rebreathers can adapt your gas combination to reduce the DCS hazard.  The advantage of this rebreather's long term for most folks is you can make a few pitches on a single load of scrubber and cylinders.

Silence. Rebreathers exhaust few or no bubbles. That you do not hear that roar of exhaust bubbles, and do fish.  That allows one to get closer to marine living, and this explains the reason why rebreathers are very popular with professional photographers and some research workers.  You may not be rendered invisible, however, you appear to be alarming to most fish.

Atleast that is my guess after spending a lot of monthly studying and diving rebreathers.  It ends up that they will have some very real, valuable advantages over open-circuit, tank-and-regulator methods.  However, they possess some evenly real and serious pitfalls too.  When you possess some odd requirements and would be happy to make some sacrifices of the time and money, a rebreather may be godsend. However, most divers, for most purposes, will remain to prefer open circuit scuba for a long time in the future.

 Coupled with a rebreather does not give you that cotton-mouth feeling and doesn't chill you as muchbetter.

If a rebreather fails, the signs, if any, are somewhat more subtle.  You are still able to catch your breath as before since you are only passing the identical gas back and forth between your lungs and the breathing loop.  Even the CO2 content in that gas might be rising and the O2 content might be falling, but this won't be instantly apparent without signs, monitors and alerts. Rebreather diving is similar to flying on instruments, not by the"seat of your trousers."

Their stealth and extended bottom times have made rebreathers popular with technical and military divers for all decades.  Recently, lower prices and"userfriendly" designs have made rebreathers more appealing to recreational sailors just like you and me personally.  Really, several models are aimed specifically at the recreational sector.

Long dip times. The most important advantage of a rebreather is petrol efficacy.  Just one fill of a little petrol cylinder or cylinders as well as CO2 scrubber can last for anywhere from one to half an hour, based which rebreather it's. Unlike open circuit scuba, your gas duration on the rebreather is nearly independent of thickness, and that means you might, theoretically, spend all that time at the ground.

On the other hand, should you watch your devices and detect the issue promptly, you'll probably have more hours and energy to deal with it to a rebreather than you would on open circuit.  

Optimum gas mix.   They can continue to keep your own PPO2 constant regardless of thickness or exertion, or alter it on the fly for needs like de compression.  The advantage can be less nitrogen uptake and faster off-gassing --Put simply, more bottom time with less DCS risk.  Rebreathers are not created equal, however, and the less-expensive designs don't need this ability.

Is the possibility of diving?  Are traditional open circuit rigs bound for that oblivion of duck fins and two-hose regulators?  Are you ready to get rebreather diving?  Are rebreathers ready for you?

Even a rebreather failure could be deadly.  A rebreather is constantly mixing the gas in the breathing loop, removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen.  Either component within the wrong percentage is noxious.  Much of the plan effort and a lot of the complexity of rebreathers goes into making that mixing function as accurate and reliable as possible. Nevertheless, it's not likely to get to the certainty of available circuit, where everything you breathe is simply what went in to the cylinder.  An open-circuit"bailout" jar and regulator is a good idea when Functional Safety in Diving  using conventional gear, however it's crucial with a rebreather.

The Very Initial Measures

Cost, weight, majority, advantage, etc..  These minor facets all weigh contrary to rebreathers.  Though the expense to buy one is scarcely minor, you are frequently told you'll save yourself money on every dip as you never need to refill tanks too frequently.  However, you do need to purchase scrubber compounds, and maintenance may be more expensive.  And can this 60 two-tank dive ship offer you a rebate unless you need to make use of its tanks?  Not likely.

Rebreathers, for example, bail out bottle, are often thicker and lighter than one tank and ruler, plus so they don't really fit well in to the tank-rack-and-bungee-cord gear channel standard on dip boats.  Airline traveling with tanks may be struggle and matches for oxygen and maybe even nitrox could be more difficult to locate, particularly in distant places.

Since you'll need to be coached by an instructor certified within your specific make and version, you might need to go to a different town and stay there for five weeks or for your own training class.

Here is what to anticipate, bearing in mind that every rebreather differs and requires a unique procedure.

Various rebreathers use marginally different sorts of CO2 absorbent and differing granule sizes, however it all looks much like kitty litter.

You will pour the absorbent in to the canister, then tapping on the canister sporadically to be certain the absorbent dissipates and thoroughly meets the canister.   You then'll seal and close the canister along with the simmer bottle or skillet.  Many anglers do that endeavor in home until the dip visit to minimize the clutter.  

Every Day on The Water

First is decided which rebreather to get.  Rebreathers differ significantly in not just price but capacities, the excellent split being if or not they truly have been closed circuit or semiclosed-circuit InDesign.

Closed circuit rebreathers have the best gas ingestion, the ideal mix control and, broadly speaking, the maximum capability, however, tend to be somewhat more complicated and costly. Semiclosed-circuit rebreathers are easy, robust and more affordable, with gas ingestion rates somewhere within closed circuit rebreathers along with open circuit scuba.

You could also think of such matters as depth and time limits, copies to restrain apparatus along with fail safe mechanics, guarantees, and just how many components have been completely being used and for the length of time, and much more.

Meanwhileyou will begin to construct a distinctive tool and spare parts kit.  You are probably going to need one or even maybe more spare oxygen tracks and assorted solenoids and detectors to your more complicated units. Additionally gas analyzers along with flowrate evaluation apparatus, based upon the machine.  Enhance this mouthpiecesbatteries, orings, tie wraps, silicone grease, etc..

More than open circuit, a rebreather dip starts before you will get wet and finishes once you are tender. Pre-dive and postdive look after that rebreather are crucial each time and can not be skipped.  Expect to devote an additional halfhour on every end of this dip.

Fill canister (s). Many semiclosed-circuit rebreathers make work with of one cylinder of nitrox.  You are going to need to decide beforehand that nitrox mix you'll utilize therefore that the skip valve orifice might be paired to it.  Most closed circuit rebreathers utilize two tanks, of oxygen and also a diluent (usually atmosphere, though other pollutants maybe options). Either way, but particularly if working with nitrox, you must analyze the gas your self to produce sure what exactly is from the canister.  If your bail-out system employs another cylinder, then you can require to refill this too.

Afterward there is training.   After that, just about any rebreather manufacturer will ask that you simply just consider a rebreather training class lasting 4 or 5 days.  The expense of the will probably be extra, normally at $500. Section of this program covers in-water skills such as how to translate resumes and tracks and also just how to change to backup systems.  The following part is trained in gathering and disassembly, servicing and upkeep of one's specific unit.

Pre-dive

Let us say you've believed the advantages and disadvantages and decided that you intend to dive using a rebreather.  What is the drill?

Build the rebreather.   Do not expect you'll build your rebreather between your dip briefing and the"pool open!"  C all.

Since you descend, upping pressure can fall the counterlungs as it drops BCs and dry matches.  

In to the water. Waddling round the deck at a rebreather was justly compared to carrying dual tanks, but once you are at the water the majority of the trouble stops.  A couple of differences to open circuit diving will hit you though.

Postdive

You'll have to become stingy when inflating your BC or draining your mask as gas employed for gas lost from the significantly smaller full source.  To precisely exactly the exact very same reason, you want to see your indicators carefully and you and your friend have to be attentive for air escapes.

One is you can not simply shed the mouthpiece in to the sport, because water will fill out the breathing loop and also the scrubber canister.  There's a valve to the mouthpiece you need to consider to close until you go from your own mouth.

Here, semi-closed - and - closed circuit rebreathers fluctuate greatly.  Generally, however, you are going to join the counterlung (or lungs) into the absorbent canister and then put in them at the framework of the rebreather.  You'll test the one time valves at the ducts and then attach them into the counterlungs. You can set up the canister (s) and assess their valves.  This could demand twelve hose links.

Still another is you can not impact your buoyancy by inhaling or exhaling, as the exact identical quantity of air simply goes backwards and forwards between your own lungs and also the rebreather rather than affects volume or buoyancy.  If you should be utilized to exhaling to obtain below the surface, then that wont do the job.

If you're intending yet another dip that afternoon and also have enough petrol and scrubber time , whatever you have to do would be to turn the rebreather off throughout the surface interval.  It's really a fantastic strategy, though, to inspect the breathing loop to get water indoors.

Additionally, while you descend as well as the counterlungs enlarge, the rebreather will port gas. This really could be the only real time that the rebreather purposely disturbs a substantial quantity of gas, and also why"saw tooth" profiles are particularly ineffective. You may likely realize that the rebreather doesn't port gas fast and you also become buoyant, and that means you ought to manually ditch from the BC, your drysuit or by the rebreather.

Then you'll examine the full unit for air escapes and water flows.  Leaks are potentially severe.  You've little gas up to speed you can not afford to drop any.  If water flows cause the machine to flooding, it is going to end up exceptionally negative.  And water from the CO2 scrubber induces a reaction with an sterile referred to as a"caustic cocktail"--an awful mouthful that could burn your own lips, throat and mouth.

At the start of an ascent onto a semi-closed-circuit rebreather, then you also have to purge the loop to enhance your breathing mix.   Closed- circuit methods add oxygen .

For those who experience an oxygen track and other electronic equipment, you also are going to test them.  When you get a constant-flow semiclosed rebreather, then you'll want to inspect the leak rate of this orifice.

In case this can be the very final dip for a couple of days, you need to disassemble and wash out the rebreather thoroughly.  The hot, moist environment within the lymph is excellent for growing bacteria, therefore it has to be disinfected with all the remedy that the manufacturer urges, subsequently rinsed well and dried.  Drying the interior the breathing loop, even having its baffles and corrugated hoses, which can be exceedingly hard.

Should you work remarkably hard--when you've got to swim against a current, such as --your own body will simply just require oxygen from their breathing loop faster than usual. Closed circuit passive and systems semiclosed-circuit systems will feel that this and add extra oxygen.  Active semi-closed systems may not, nevertheless. If that's the instance you must be sure to"purge the breathing loop" by massaging this oxygen-poor gas throughout your nose therefore that the rebreather replaces it using wealthier gas.

The used CO2 absorbent must be dumped and the scrubber canister has to be thoroughly dried and cleaned.  Electronics and oxygen sensors have their particular care requirements.  Plan on spending one hour postdive maintenance in the beginning, though you're going to get faster without experience.

Somewhat harder self-mixing semiclosed-circuit rebreathers add oxygen and a diluent separately through fixed orifices or (regarding this diluent) a demand valve.  They also may use less gas, but might be subject to larger variations in the air content of this gas mix.

Fully closed circuit rebreathers aim to control the oxygen content in your breathing gas.  They add only the gas you require, when you need it, and do not waste any.  Ergo, zero bubbles the majority of that time period and also a longer gas duration. This fine control of gas inclusion comes from a electronic wizardry.  Normally, detectors analyze the oxygen of the lymph and also in form a computer, that adds oxygen diluent as needed to keep a preselected"set point" to your oxygen partial pressure.  Redundancy (frequently three oxygen detectors and two computers) creates the wiring and plumbing diagrams confusing, but the idea is fairly easy.  

Semiclosed-circuit rebreathers have the simplest gas controller mechanism.  Fundamentally, it is simply a fixed orifice, an opening that enables a continuing flow rate into the respiratory tract.  Any excess above that which the system absorbs is vented to the water in a stream of small bubbles, and that's the reason why the device is called"semiclosed."

On both sides of the scrubber there is a counterlung, just a flexible bag that expands and contracts to adapt the exact on/off nature of your breathing.   The counterlung in the side has a input where more oxygen or nitrox is added.

Oxygen sensors have a life span and have to be replaced, usually every 12 to 24 months, based on just how far that they used.  (They deplete themselves in atmosphere about 50% as fast as when stirring.)  After diving, some divers remove them by the rebreather and seal them to extend their own life.

Exactly how many electrons have been injected in to the inhalation counterlung, and also the way the injection is controlled, determine whether it's semiclosed-circuit or closed-circuit.

Some manufacturers recommend that the entire unit is given a comprehensive review and overhaul every year.

Long Term Maintenance

Each canister has a first and another stage regulator that demands annual support.  These are typically just normal open-circuit regulators which can be serviced by the local dive shop.  Cylinders need to be hydro tested and visually inspected like some other person.

Each of of rebreathers are built around the principle of a one-way breathing loop.  One hose takes your exhaled breath to the CO2 scrubber, and the other brings back it (without the CO2) for a mouth.

"Passive" semiclosed-circuit rebreathers inject petrol just ondemand.  Numerous mechanisms to trigger the gas injection could be used, nevertheless they are mechanical.  By way of instance, a system of ratchets and levers measures how big a counterlung, when it gets below a specific size (because the body has removed that much oxygen out of the breathing loop), it activates a valve to inject further gas.  Passive systems use less gas than busy ones, however the actual material of the gas mixture from the breathing loop might be more variable.

The Drager Dolphin and Ray are popular instances.  They are called"mass flow" or even"active" semiclosed-circuit rebreathers--active as the unit is definitely injecting brand new gas.  The orifice, which controls the flow rate, needs to be selected before the dive to coordinate with the nitrox mixture chosen.  This type of rebreather is on or off: Whenever the air valve is fired up, gas flows in to the breathing loop at the rate determined by this orifice. Manual inclusion valves and also another plumbing might complicate the picture, but that's the nature.

Computer controls have batteries that have to be replaced periodically.

Insert a mouthpiece using a valve to reduce flood, a one time valve in each breathing hose therefore that your breath circulates the perfect way, and also several other equipment and you have a basic rebreather.

If you're diving tomorrow, however, you'll need only disinfect the mouthpiece and corrugated hoses.

Are You Really Ready To Get a Rebreather?

Are you currently self-disciplined?  Pre-dive, through the dip and postdive you must make up the brain to check out procedures and checklists exactly.  Filling the scrubber canister and building the breathing loop until the dip involve measures that have to be followed and evaluations which can not be skipped. Exactly the same care has to be obtained if cleaning and interrogate the rebreather after the dip.  And through the dip you've got to view gauges more tightly compared on circuit.  Are you really meticulous concerning maintenance of one's open circuit gear, as an instance, or would you"hose and proceed"?

Rebreathers promote what is called"mission creep" A number are effective at dives far beyond the practice of the majority of recreational sailors.  Components that could modify the gas mixture throughout the dip are specifically appropriate to decompression diving.   You are going to discover just how to work the system, however maybe perhaps not the particular areas of technology diving such as heavy diving and cave consciousness, such as.  "Mission creep" usually takes the seemingly benign type of adding additional non-technical but rough gear too so on.  Employing a intricate camera rig may divert you in tracking your rebreather attentively, such as.  

You'll want to appear not within the rebreather but on your own.  Some personality types are more satisfied than the others to the requirements of caring and using to get a rebreather.  And a few folks probably shouldn't consider it.

Can you accept liability for the own safety?  You've got to choose the attitude that the right performance of one's rebreather is dependent for you alone.  The thought that producer, the instructor or another person is responsible could be satisfying for your heirs but won't keep your own life in case of a collapse. Have you been familiar letting the ship team or a dive buddy put your open circuit gear for you personally, or can you insist upon doing this you?

Rebreathers are somewhat more technical than open circuit set ups, and you'll need to be self-explanatory for meeting cleaning, maintenance and plenty of the repair, as the odds of the community dive shop with an expert are slim. Even the easiest rebreather on average has each of the sections of one's open circuit installation, and far more. These parts, and also the relations between them (you will find 50 or even more o rings in a normal rebreather), will need to have routine care.

[until-theend-oftheline]

Second Chances - Part 3: Leave or Stay

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Wounds. Hinted surgery. Memory Loss. Returning memories.  

Square Filled: The clock is ticking (Y3) for @buckybarnesbingo and Go Through Me for @badthingshappenbingo

Word Count: 2100ish

A/N: This series is done for @thorne93 and heavily inspired by tow songs by The Chainsmokers which is This Feeling and Paris. Please go listen to them since even if I don’t reference them specifically they heavily decided the mood and plot of this fic.

There is no sex in this part but there will be in later parts so the rating for the series is mature.

Betaed by: @jewels2876 - thank you, hun!

***My fics are not to be saved nor posted on any other sites without my express written permission.***

Second Chances Masterlist

Antibes, 2016

It had been a long four hours. You had been playing a guessing game when it came to the tech that was attached to the nerves of his left arm. The man, you had learned was called T’Challa, seemed to know a little about it so in a joint effort you had managed to stop the bleeding, hopefully without destroying any motor control that he needed if he was to use a prosthetic the same way again.

Using an old ultrasound scanner, you had found a bleeding in his abdomen that didn’t seem to be closing itself as fast as it needed, so you had opened him up much to Steve’s objections but you hadn’t let him get a say. He was Bucky’s best friend but this was your specialty. It needed to be done no matter how much you both hated it. Steve had helped you when you needed him though, just the same as T’Challa and now four hours later, Bucky laid on the table with a drip in his arm and all sutured up as you washed your hand in the kitchen sink.

Your back was turned to the men in the living room as you allowed yourself a moment to breathe. You allowed yourself to feel everything you hadn’t the past four hours. While operating, Bucky had just been another patient. You needed your focus to make sure you did your best work. Now that there was nothing more to do than watch over him and check his vitals as well as provide him with plenty of fluids, he wasn’t just a patient anymore. He was Bucky Barnes. The man you had first seen three years ago while you still believed you were working for the good guys. He was the man you had been on the run with for the past two years. Your only friend and family. He was all you had left in this world and he was lying on a dining room table in the middle of nowhere, because he trusted you, fighting for his life.

You took a deep breath clenching the edges of the sink. Bucky was going to pull through. He was a super soldier. But it was more than that. He was strong and he wanted to live. He wanted to live a life that was his own. He deserved it too. This wasn’t the end for him. You were going to make sure of that.

You took a deep breath, drying your hands before heading back into the living room to check his vitals. On your way you passed T’Challa, he gave you a short nod, telling you he was going to go check on the jet.

You also passed Steve on your way to check on Bucky. His gaze followed you and you tried to hold your head high as you went to Bucky’s side. Being silently judged by Captain America was slightly terrifying but you pushed that thought aside as you started tending to Bucky.

His pulse was weak but it was to be expected after the ordeal you had just put him through. The wound in his abdomen hadn’t started healing yet, but as you used the scanner there also wasn’t any signs of new bleeding.

All the while you worked, you felt Steve Rogers watching over you like a hawk. He was every bit as intimidating as Bucky had told you he could be. Not just because of his size either, he hadn’t always had that. No, it was the gaze. He was sizing you up and trying to get a read on you. You were scared to move one hand wrong and lose his trust for good. You knew that Steve Rogers had once been in the same position you were in now. Bucky had once been all he had too and there wasn’t anything Steve wouldn’t do for the man lying in front of you. You knew that, but you also knew Steve Rogers didn’t trust you as far as you could throw him. You needed to earn that first, the only problem was you didn’t have time to earn that trust.

“When is he going to wake up?” Steve circled the table like an eagle zoning in on its prey.

“I don’t know. When he is ready,” you answered Steve truthfully. You had never sugarcoated anything for Bucky and you assumed Steve would appreciate you were straight with him as much as Bucky always had.

“I’m not keeping him under,” you glared at Steve when you saw him eyeing the drip on the coathanger next to the table. “It’s only saline now. He needs fluids. He lost a lot of blood.”

Steve gave you a nod. “Either way we should get going. Thank you for helping him.”

Your eyes widened at Steve’s words. He couldn’t be serious. Bucky had just undergone surgery lying on a dining table in a French farmhouse. Super soldier or not, there was no way in hell you were letting him be moved for the foreseeable future.

“He’s not going anywhere,” you spoke before thinking and Steve’s eyebrows raised as he stared you down.

“Excuse me?”

You could tell by his stance that he was vigilant. He didn’t fear you, but he seemed to be halfway expecting an army to bust through the door any moment by the looks of it.

“You can’t move him, Captain,” you answered, trying to sound as respectful as possible. The truth was you did respect him. You liked Steve and trusted him even if he didn’t return the sentiment, but you couldn’t let him move Bucky like this. Even with the best intentions, Steve could end up killing him.

“He just had surgery. I need to keep an eye on his healing. If you move him, his sutures could break and his pulse is still weak. You can’t drag him on board a jet like this,” you tried to reason with the man in front of you.

“There are people looking for him. People that want to kill him. I need to get him somewhere safe,” Steve stepped towards Bucky and the dining table, but you moved faster taking him completely by surprise as you pulled out another handgun you had tapped under that table.

“Dr. Pierce what are you doing?” he asked, for the first time revealing to you he knew exactly who you were. You didn’t care. You already sensed he didn’t trust you and you knew that had probably been why.

“I’m not letting you move him, Captain Rogers,” you aimed the gun at his chest.

“And why is that? Who is coming here?” Steve asked without blinking and you felt the anger start building in your chest. You weren’t the enemy, why couldn’t he see that?

“No one. I am alone. I am not waiting for anyone. There isn’t anyone,” you hissed. “If you move him, you’ll kill him.”

“He’s strong,” Steve assured you, taking a step forward and you released the safety on the gun. Steve stopped, staring at you. You could see the anger and worry in his eyes but you didn't move. You couldn’t. If he wanted to get to Bucky he had to go through you first.

“I don’t want to hurt you Captain, but I’m not moving,” the strength and stubbornness in your voice almost surprised yourself, but you held your grounds, staring down Captain America with a gun pointed to his chest. Even knowing you weren’t a match for him you still had to try.

Ohio, Mid 2014

After raiding your apartment for anything edible, Barnes had led you to a most likely stolen jeep, but you hadn’t cared. You just wanted to to get out of town. Before making a run for it, however, you had guided Barnes to the Smithsonian and by some stroke of luck, you had managed to get both in and out completely undetected.

Barnes hadn’t done a lot of talking before the museum, but after you had tugged him out of there, he had practically been a zombie. You had decided it was time to get the hell out of Dodge before someone recognized him from the giant pictures on the wall, a cap only did so much after all.

You had jumped into the driver’s seat, starting to head out of town with no sense of direction as you nervously looked over at him once in a while. You had no idea where you were heading and Sergeant Barnes didn’t answer you. You just sat there staring out the window as his eyes flicked like crazy. A few times you worried he was having a seizure but his demeanor was calm and his motor control didn’t seem off. So you just drove, hoping he would pull out of it sooner rather than later.

You kept your feet on the gas, talking you both as fast and far away from DC as possible before you felt your eyes starting to get heavy. You needed food and somewhere to rest for the night. Bucky had withdrawn as much from your bank account that four different ATMs would allow before you went to the museum, which meant you had enough money to last for a few weeks. Given you chose cheap motels along the way.

You pulled off the main road going through a drive through, picking an array of greasy foods for the two of you. You figured even if Barnes didn’t talk he had got to get hungry at some point. It took you about fifteen minutes after that to find a motel and book the two of you a room with two queens. It was cheaper that way and besides, you didn’t like leaving Barnes out of sight as long as he was acting like this.

He walked into the motel on his own and ate the food you put in front of him. He didn’t answer any of your questions so instead, you started talking. You told him about the kids that had followed you around when you had worked in Africa for Doctors without Borders, and how you had punched some pharmaceutical guy in the nose when he had tried overcharging you for medication.

The last story had earned you a tug of his lips and he finally looked at you. His blue eyes weren’t flicking all over the place anymore. They rested on you for a bit before he spoke for the first time in hours.

“Thank you.”

“I’m not sure for what, but you’re welcome,” you sent him a small smirk and Barnes lowered his eyes for a few seconds before looking back up at you.

“Driving. The food. Talking,” he answered.

You shrugged. It was nothing. You hadn’t been able to help him back when he had needed you too, so this was the least you could do.

“How are you feeling?” you asked tentatively.

“I’m remembering. Bits and pieces. Things I’m not sure I wanna remember, but also other things…” Barnes words trailed out. You didn't say anything. You just let him think as you ate, watching him carefully until his eyes met yours again.  

“I want to remember everything. I wanna know what I did,” he said, the pain evident in his voice and eyes.

“What they made you do,” you corrected, before nodding. “If you don’t mind company… I worked for them. My… Alexander. He ran it. I need to know everything I can.”

Barnes looked surprised by your words and for a second you thought he was going to argue with you but then he nodded. You both had your reasons, but you understood each other nonetheless.

Barnes’ past was a mystery to him and yours had been a lie. You both needed knowledge in order to heal and move on, if you were ever going to get there. You knew the path might be dangerous and a part of you knew you could never go back home. As you sat in the middle of a hotel room in Ohio with a man that was practically a stranger to you, you weren’t even sure you wanted too. This was the most at home you had felt in years and the thought of losing that was scary to you.  

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Bucky Barnes Tag Team

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Second Chances 

@frankiea1998 @ambientsmells @mysweetcookie99 @yes-captainstark

[loubuggins]

Lou’s TITANS Review

S1 E1 - Titans

The Titans show was not as bad as the hideous trailer made it out to be, but then again, maybe it reached my standards because I had them so low. I will say that there were moments in this episode that I actually enjoyed. The acting was decent and the special effects were cool to see, but the script was only sub-par. Like most shows or movies that aim to be more “mature,” this episode depended for too much on violence instead of telling a compelling story. Which, in my opinion, they have, but it’s being drowned by the excessive gore and grimdark nature that the show creators are trying way too hard to enforce. I do see potential in the plot, I just hope they will execute it better as the series progresses. I also have many theories surrounding the show, which I go into below the cut.The pilot episode is always one of the worst in any series so it would not be fair to judge the whole series based off of one episode. Therefore, I will continue to keep an open mind in these coming weeks as we continue to dive into this new twist to the Titans’ story.

Please note that this review contains only my opinion and that I am open to other ideas, but I do ask that extreme fans of this show ignore my review, as I am critical of certain aspects of the show.  

Read below the cut for my full review containing a summary of this episode!

The episode begins with the mysterious girl we come to know as Rachel Roth. She walks through a circus tent and ominous music playing in the background along with the odd sound of a joyful crowd in a seeming abandoned place gives away that this is a dream. She makes her way to the circus ring, where we see a flashback of the famous “Flying Graysons.” The family swing on the trapeze in what appears to be a very beautiful display, until the scene takes a sharp turn towards devastation. We see a young boy (Dick Grayson) scream in horror as he watches his parents fall to their deaths. There’s a lot of emotion in this scene and we see the dream come to an abrupt end as Rachel wakes up screaming and panicking.

Rachel’s mother runs in to comfort the young girl and if you listen closely, you’ll hear Rachel mention that she has had this dream before. Judging by her mother’s reaction, it’s clear she has confided in her mother before about this dream. It’s also revealed that Rachel can feel the boy’s pain and grief. It’s not an unusual statement to make about a dream, but this theme will continue to pop up throughout the show.

That morning, the mother wakes up to her alarm and we can tell by her appearance that she is exhausted and under a great deal of stress (Hm...I wonder why?) After taking her medicine she lifts her shirt up to reveal fresh scratch marks on her side. It’s never made clear how she received them, so to take a shot in the dark, I’d say they came from Rachel. When she enters the kitchen (wearing a nurse’s scrubs), we see Rachel quietly eating surgery Trix cereal and a cup of coffee. These may seem like minor details, but they bugged me greatly. Anyone who has seen the animated versions of Raven knows she’s a tea and waffles kind of girl.

Anyway, there is a tense conversation between mother and daughter that reveals the magical power that the girl has. It’s obvious that she can’t control it and it’s revealed that she doesn’t know what it really is or why she has this “darkness inside her.” Her mother seems to know something about Rachel’s powers, but refrains from sharing that information. It’s also worth noting that Rachel mentions being able to feel her mother’s emotions and using that empathy to know that she is lying.

After a dramatic scene between mother and daughter that makes Rachel look like Marvel’s Silver Banshee, we see the teenage girl hop on the bus headed for school. It’s fun to see one of my favorite characters in such a normal setting and I felt some compassion towards the poor girl. It’s clear that she has a good heart, but in typical Raven-fashion, she doesn’t know what to do about her more demonic side. Though she doesn’t appear aware of her demon heritage yet. I honestly would have liked to see more with her in school. We see her bullied on the bus, some random guy stands up for her, but brushes her off when she tries to thank him later in school. The whole thing seemed so insignificant, that they should have either cut the whole scene or added to it. This series seems to have an issue with priorities. If this season is meant to be about Raven, then let the focus be on Raven.

After the very short time in school, we are taken back to Rachel’s home where she is greeted by her mother and a random thug holding a gun to her mother’s head. The man makes Rachel’s mother reveal she is actually not Rachel’s mother, but before she can go further the man shots her point blank. The scene is unnecessarily graphic, as is most of the action scenes in this show. In a fit of rage, Rachel releases her soul-self and attacks the man. This all happens in a bit of a blur and while the CGI could be better, I didn’t find it as horrible as others did. After knocking the man unconscious, Rachel runs off and the focus shifts over to Detective Grayson.

I want to add that I have a theory as to the identity of this woman posing as Rachel’s mother. I believe it is Alice Williams (Roth), Raven’s aunt in the comics and older sister to Arella. In the comics, she is married and living a normal life with her family, but it's not like this show is hesitant to change a character’s backstory. Therefore, I think the woman is Alice Roth since her comic book counterpart is also very religious and she looks similar to Arella in appearance. My only other guess is that she was from Azarath, but I think my Aunt Alice theory makes more sense. It is sad though because I liked Aunt Alice.

Moving on to the bat boy, we see Grayson alone on a stakeout holding the file of some other thug who avoided charges against him for abusing his daughter. In a scene that looks like it came straight from Gabriel Picolo's Titans Zine, Dick looks over apprehensively at a briefcase sitting in his passenger seat. After some hesitation, he finally uses his thumb to unlock the case. Next, we see the thug with his other buddies in an alley (DC loves their alleys) as they begin the process of a drug deal. This is when Grayson, decked out in the Robin costume we have seen so much of, swoop in and fight them like some homicidal maniac. Nothing about this part is in character for the boy wonder. He brutally kills the criminals in an assortment of creative, yet painful ways. In the end, he goes to the man he was supposedly only after and beats him to death, but not before saying “If you ever touch your daughter again, I’ll find you.” This makes no sense once so ever and again, I blame the writers and the entire crew for not catching this mistake. It was very noticeable, and before the scene cuts again, we get the now famous line “F*** Batman.” After the horrendous fight (more like slaughter), we see Dick play the emo song that he so conveniently had on a record while cleaning the blood off one of his throwing R’s. We also get a nice long look at Brenton Thwaites shirtless, because the Robin fangirls need their fix I guess.

Back to Rachel, we get another ridiculous song as she takes a bus to Detriot. She finds her way to a soup kitchen and while she is there, a woman approaches her, offering to take her to a youth shelter. As Rachel is being led down a dark alleyway (seriously DC, again with the alley?), Her reflection (which I’m going to call her demon side) warns her not to follow. Trusting her instincts, Rachel runs away from the woman and attracts the attention of the police in order to escape.

As she waits in an interrogation room, Detective Grayson comes in to talk to her. She instantly recognizes him as the boy from her dream and without beating the bush, pleads for his help. I don’t criticize this though, because Raven was never one for tact. Grayson, however, is rightfully shaken up by her declaration but decides to investigate further. He makes the mistake of leaving the mystery girl alone and while he is gone, she is kidnapped by another cop.

Grayson follows them to an abandoned house, where he finds Rachel tied to a chair and about to have her heart cut out by the Acolyte. Now, this is where things start getting interesting. Before Grayson shows up, the Acolyte shares his villain monologue to Rachel, revealing that he intends to kill her in order to stop Trigon from coming, which is the exact opposite of what I thought his plan was going to be. It would be very different if the so-called “bad guys” of this show try to stop the end of the world from coming, rather than start it, and I honestly wouldn’t mind a refreshing twist to Raven’s story. However, in another surprise turn in events, Rachel loses control and her demon side takes over. Releasing her soul self, she performs a reverse exorcism on the Acolyte and kills him in a very disturbing and unpleasant way. I frankly don’t want to go into the details. By the time Grayson comes in, her soul self is back in her body and Rachel is panicking in her chair, claiming to have no memory of what had just taken place.

During all of this, on the other side of the world in Germany, we have our first look at Starfire (Anna Diop). The alien princess wakes up in a smashed car in the middle of the forest with a dead man beside her at the wheel. Dazed and confused she stumbles out of the car, only to have another vehicle racing down the road with men shooting in her direction. She takes off into the woods and after getting away from them, she somehow ends up at a gas station bathroom. She looks through her purse and it’s clear she has lost her memory, most likely from the accident (that probably was not much of an accident). Out of her purse, she pulls out a key that looks like the kind you would get for a locker or storage unit. The key also has a circular keychain with a picture of a cartoon frog. She also finds her passport, which says she’s an American citizen named Kory Anders. This leads me to believe she has been to America before, so it is possible she has met the boy wonder as well, but that is just my prediction. Not that this detail is of any importance, but the passport also says she is born on November 11th, 1991, which would make her 27 years old in the show. Just a fun fact.

The last item she pulls out is a hotel keycard, which leads her to the hotel the card belongs to (again, who knows how she arrived there). While she is there, a concierge seems to recognize her and Kory finds out she lives on the entire top floor of the hotel. When she arrives on her floor, she looks around to find any clues as to what happened to her before she lost her memory. All she finds is her apartment a mess, a half-packed suitcase, and a cell phone with a picture of her with her and some guy. Oh, and a beaten man tied up in her closet.

The first words out of his mouth were “Okay, don’t hurt me! I’ll tell you! They found her!” It isn’t clear at first who he is speaking about, but it is revealed later to be Rachel. As Starfire tries to retrace her steps, we start to get a taste of her character and what she has been up to up until now. Not a whole lot is made clear except that she was undercover and that she looking for Rachel. My theory is she was working for the JL in an undercover mission. She happened to stumble upon a much bigger scheme that has something to do with Rachel. She tried to do some digging but got too caught up in the crossfire. The crash was supposed to kill her, but she survived. Unfortunately, she lost her memory and doesn’t remember her original mission or the girl who changed it. Her hunt for Rachel will bring her to Robin, who she has already met before, but may not remember. Dick helps her and tries to recover her memories. Again, I think that her passport being American means she has met Dick before.

I have also heard that someone may have hired her to go undercover and find information about Rachel and that someone may have been Bruce. It would make some sense so I could get on board with that theory as well.

In the end, when moving to a store similar to Best Buy and it’s clear from the green animals playing on the TVs in the background that this is Gar’s (Ryan Potter) 3 seconds of fame, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The security guard follows a trail of video games down a hall where he finds a large, green tiger, shuffling through the games like how a cat plays with a toy mouse. As a lover of tigers and a major Beast Boy fan, I absolutely adored seeing him growl at the guard and take off with an Xbox game. Ryan says he picked Fallout 74, whatever that is (I’m not a gamer). Still, it was so much fun to watch and I thought Gar was the most in character so far, even if it was for only 3 seconds.

It’s obvious that this show will depend heavily on Ryan’s acting skills and Robin stans in order to stay relevant. Considering I’m only interested in the former, I’d give the series a thumbs down. However, I know from experience that any show’s pilot episode is usually its worst. Therefore, I plan to judge each episode by itself and will judge the season in the end. That said, I’d give this episode a 3 on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the best. I say a 3, because while it gave an interesting storyline, but lacked in execution.

Rating: 3/5

[thesportssoundoff]

“Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard deserve raises and hazard pay” The UFC 230 Preview

Joey

October 30th, 2018

So dig this action, Jackson. You're the UFC. You've drawn up this card for Madison Square Garden on paper----but all of your main event concepts fall apart. Woodley/Till winner vs Covington? Surgery for the winner of that fight. Holloway? Needs more time to heal up. Cejudo vs Dillashaw? 2019. GSP? On bad terms, sorry. Whittaker is hurt so you've got no 185 lb fight which in turn means you can't roll out him vs Gastelum either. You've loaded up this card with no main event and desperation starts to sneak in. Jones vs Romero for an interim title fight? Romero is hurt and Jones can't make the weight on short notice. You come up with an acceptable-ish main event with Shevchenko vs Eubanks but nobody wants that so you gotta back off of that because fans hate WMMA main events. Eventually somehow you find a way to luck into a really good intriguing HW fight sort of kind of. DC vs Derrick Lewis is probably the best you could do on short notice and at the very least, you get to have your HW champ style on a personable dude who is coming off a massive finish. Then bad gets worse:

-If you had been a betting man, you would've bet Nate Diaz doesn't make it to the dance. Instead it's Dustin Poirier who is hurt but not hurt enough to be back in early 2019. Go figure.

-That's fine, you still got a damn good co-main event! Well...then Luke Rockhold does as he do and now you gotta find a replacement, thankfully you loaded up on those, riiiight? Well see the problem is that by remaking one fight, you have to call on a replacement for the other SO:

Derrick Lewis vs Daniel Cormier Nate Diaz vs Dustin Poirier Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold Ronaldo Souza vs David Branch Yoel Romero vs Paulo Costa

TURNED into

Derrick Lewis vs Daniel Cormier Chris Weidman vs Ronaldo Souza Jared Cannonier vs David Branch Jack Marshman vs Karl Roberson Israel Adesanya vs Derek Brunson

It's at this point that I go back to the header; Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard are underpaid. No other profession asks you to deal with this level of chaos in short order. In any other sport, injuries create excuses but these dudes are expected to reshake up cards on a moment's notice and do it with pride and joy. That's really hard. UFC 230 is the weaker of the three cards upcoming but it's not for a lack of effort. Maynard and Shelby handled some bad situations and turned out an acceptable card. Not a GREAT card but an acceptable one.

Fights: 13

Debuts:  

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations:8  (Valentina Shevchenko OUT, Roxanne Modaferri IN vs Sijara Eubanks/Nate Diaz vs Dustin Poirier CANCELLED/Yoel Romero vs Paulo Costa CANCELLED/Luke Rockhold OUT, Ronaldo Souza IN vs Chris Weidman/Ronaldo Souza OUT, Jared Cannonier IN vs David Branch/Ruslan Magomedov OUT, Adam Wierozcek IN vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima/Sultan Aliev OUT, Ben Saunders IN vs Lyman Good/Domingo Pilarte OUT, Motel Jackson IN vs Brian Kelleher)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 9 (Derrick Lewis, Daniel Cormier, Ronaldo Souza, Chris Weidman, Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson, David Branch, Roxanne Modafferi, Lando Vannata)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 1 (Jason Knight)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Daniel Cormier, Derrick Lewis, Israel Adesanya)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 31-15

Daniel Cormier- 4-0 (1 NC) Derrick Lewis- 8-1 Chris Weidman- 1-2 Ronaldo Souza- 3-2 David Branch- 2-1 Jared Cannonier- 3-3 Karl Roberson- 1-1 Jack Marshman- 2-2 Israel Adesanya- 3-0 Derek Brunson- 4-3

Divisional Breakdown:

Middleweight- 4 Featherweight- 3 Heavyweight- 2 Welterweight- 1 Bantamweight- 1 Women's flyweight- 1 Lightweight- 1

Too Low- Julio Arce vs Sheymon Moraes

There are two fantastic featherweight fights on this card. The one I didn't choose was Shane Burgos vS Kurt Holobaugh; two strikers of various styles which normally make for a big money action fight. That and I'd like to see how Burgos responds to the challenge of his first loss in a high profile spot. Gimme Moraes vs Arce though; two tremendous strikers with Arce having a bit more versatility to his game. Moraes is an ascending talent at 145 lbs while Arce is on a crazy hot streak right now. That's the fight to make on the main card in my eyes especially if you have plans to do more South American cards.

Too High Up- Karl Roberson  vs Jack Marshman

So I like Karl Roberson and I kinda get what the UFC sees in him. They see an ascending talent at a division that's beginning to grow some legs and teeth currently. I get it even if I don't really agree with it given the weaknesses Roberson showed in his pro loss. He vs Marshman on paper is an intriguing battle of strikers since Marshman will throw hands with Roberson who should sign in that sort of a capacity. The UFC might've rushed Roberson vs Cezar Mutante BUT I get what the hope was. They were aiming for something and missed which happens sometimes. Having said that, this being on a main card feels like a waste. Make it your prelim headliner or do whatever you want with it but this fight as a main card fight? Definitely not easing Roberson in after a rough loss.

Stat Monitor for 2018:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 27-35-1):  

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 27-20):  Adam Weiczorek, Roxane Modafferi, Montel Jackson, Jared Cannonier, Ben Saunders

Second Fight (Current number: 35-27): Matt Frevola, Montel Jackson, Sijara Eubanks, Kurt Holobaugh

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 19-34):  Chris Weidman, Jack Marshman, Lyman Good, Marcos Rogerio De Lima

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 29-21-1): Israel Adesanya

Keeping An Eye On But Not Really:

The UFC Win Check Test The records of fighters who have 4 or more UFC fights (or three full calendar years in the organization) but 0 wins against people still in the UFC:  Marcos Rogerio De Lima

Ponderings are inside, y’all.

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Don't overthink this main event. It's going to be fun.

2- Can Cormier avoid chaos? MMA is all about chaos. The short notice dude pulling off the upset, the weight cut snafu, the PED testing alarm. Can Cormier avoid the fact that Derrick Lewis well and truly has a few weapons to beat you with but he seems to use said weapon insanely well? Lewis has won 9 of his last 10 fights and a portion of those were late round stoppages where he SHOULD be falling apart but just kind of finds a way to survive until you  dip yourself into a fuck up and get finished. Is Cormier SO good that even he can avoid the chaos?

3- If Daniel Cormier lifts and slams Derrick Lewis, I think we're all going to lose our shit.

4- Chris Weidman and Jacare Souza may be old and broken down but let's be entirely fair at the same time here. Weidman is still a tremendous fighter even as a more beat up version of what he used to be. It was barely over a year ago that he beat Kelvin Gastelum to pretty much save his career and we all know how good KG is. Similarly Jacare gave Gastelum fits at times in their fight and it could be argued that Jacare's more complete now as a fighter than he ever was---unfortunately becoming more complete at a time where he's just naturally eroding due to age. Jacare's only REALLY been soundly ran over once and that was by Robert Whittaker. Chris Weidman, even in his current form, is still really good. This is one of those rare fights where old and broken down is right----but "still really good is also right." What's more, I'm most excited to see the grappling exchanges between these two which could be a gas however long it lasts.

5- Chris Weidman is talking like he's going to get a title shot if he wins. Y'all up for that?

6- Jared Cannonier going down to 185 lbs just SEEMS like a risky proposition. Cannonier could probably continue to exist at 205 lbs as a weirdly solid kinda decent kinda bad LHW who just never gets cut because he can always beat SOMEBODY but the drop to 185 lbs just feels like going from the old and bad division to the old and still pretty good division. Risky.

7- Did ANY fighter see his career turn around at such a dramatic rate the way poor Jason Knight's did? Knight went from being a really exciting up and coming prospect to start 2017 to coming off three losses. Losing to Ricardo Lamas is no shame (but also losing to Lamas if you're a prospect feels like you can't jump over an important hurdle at 145 lbs) but he didn't even show up vs Moggly Benitez. Now part of that is due to how damn solid Moggly Benitez is but everything about Knight seemed off that night. Against Makwan Amirkhani, I thought he performed a lot better but still fought like a dude who is either at war with what he thinks he is as a fighter or out of touch with the skills and abilities he actually has.  The fact that Knight fights anybody and is the rare "scrapper with genuine skills" makes him a guy who will stick around as long as he wishes but you get the feeling he vs Jordan Rinaldi is a way to reset Jason Knight's stock a bit.

8- The last time a UFC card had this many lightweights on it? UFC 155 in 2012. Want a gander at how quickly the quality of 185 seemed to jump up? The middleweight fights on THAT card were Tim Boetsch vs Costa Philippou, Alan Belcher vs Yushin Okami and Chris Leben vs Derek Brunson on short notice. Comp that to the what we're getting here and the only fight below the quality of those three combined is the Marshman-Roberson fight. This division HAS improved even if we still poke fun at it.

9- Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker feels like the sort of fight the UFC thinks will sell big in Australia----only to come back and be like "I guess not" in reality.

10- There are three featherweights on this show and we sort of hit up Knight/Rinaldi but the other two ones are the REAL dandies. Shane Burgos was racking up wins all over the place and then he ran into Calvin Kattar. What's interesting is Burgos made a lot of very intriguing key adjustments in that fight to at least give himself a sporting chance vs Kattar. I had it tied up going into the third before a perfect Kattar read and one of the best uppercuts you'll ever see ended the fight for him. Burgos has been gone a LONG time but I'm still hopeful and optimistic on his upside. He gets probably the perfect opponent in Kurt Holobaugh who is a solid all around 145er who Burgos should be able to beat while also getting tested. If he struggles, we'll open our eyes and have to reassess him. On the other hand also on the card is a genuinely stupendous battle between Sheymon Moraes and Julio Arce. It's pretty crazy to think the UFC didn't think Arce was worth a deal right out of the Contender Series but an injury opened the door for Arce to get in and thus far he's been great; bullying Dan Ige and finishing Daniel Teymur in 2018. Moraes was one of WSOF's more enjoyable fighters to watch and after getting steamrolled by Zhabit, he bounced back to take a decision win over Matt Sayles. On the feet, this should be great and this is one of those fights at 145 lbs where it's such a shark tank that even when you want to avoid running two prospects against one another, it just inevitably has to happen. This is IMO talent wise one of the best fights of the night.

11- Cage Corrosion has been a fun study thus far and so I'd like to point out that cage corrosion eligible fighters are 3-7 in their last 10 bouts. After a September where they went 3-1, October brought a six fight losing streak. November starts off with a really good fighter in Chris Weidman but also has some questionable dudes like Jack Marshman and Pezao. Gonna be interesting to see how the picture shakes out there.

12- What is the appropriate buyrate for this one? DC's lowest is vs Gus at around 250K and his highest are obviously the Jones fights (725K and 850K). As a solo act outside of those guys, he's a comfortable-ish mid to high 300K range dude. Does Lewis help him hit that mark again? What's more, is the fact that there's even a SHOW at this point considered a win?

[simplemoneyman-blog]

Considerations For Downsizing

  Recently at a party, I had the pleasure of chatting with a good friend whom I wish I could see more often. He mentioned that he plans to move from Virginia to Maryland; primarily to be closer to the family. The move also aims to downsize to a smaller home than his current residence.   He currently lives in a large single family home in Loudoun County, one of the top 10 best counties to live in the United States. He’d like to move into Howard County, also one of the top 10 best counties to live in the United States. Even though he plans to downsize, he’s finding that home prices in Howard County are generally more expensive than Loudon County. So what gives?   Well, there is a huge supply in Loudoun County as compared with Howard County. Many parts of the county have been developed recently, that is over the past 20 years, whereas Howard County, you could say is more of at a maturity stage and land for sale or building is scarce.   We all know the laws of supply and demand.  I like the way Investopedia breaks it down: “the correlation between price and how much of a good or service is supplied to the market is known as the supply relationship. Price, therefore, is a reflection of supply and demand.”   Since Howard County is more in demand because the supply is low, the prices are higher, especially in certain sub-sections. This presents a challenge and thus a consideration, yes, in downsizing.    

Downsizing Itself Is Almost A Slam Dunk

  The major expenses we incur month in and month out are usually housing, transportation, and food. Housing is number In fact-fact, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, housing costs account for over 33% of annual average expenditures. More so, for low-income families, housing costs account for over 40% of their income!  

    Needless to say, if you ’re starting the exercise to try and cut cost, the first place to look is the housing expense line.    

Downsizing Is About Location Location Location

  If you plan to downsize, your destination location is a big consideration. A 2,000 square foot home in a rural area could be the same or even less than a 600 square foot apartment in the heart of a major city like Manhattan. Property Management, Inc. notes that a two-bedroom apartment in NYC is almost $3,500. I have double the rooms and my mortgage is just a bit over half of this amount.   It’s important to find the right balance between exchanging for lesser square footage with stuff to fill it with and more inconvenience, free time, and cash in your pocket.   Sometimes people will downsize just 15-20 minutes away to stay close to the places and people they regularly like to visit. If you live in a busy suburb, this is a great option which provides lots of flexibility. That 15-20 minute difference in location could amount to a difference of a hundred thousand dollars or more in savings.  But it can go either way; I can leave my home and drive 15-20 minutes in two different directions and see significant price increases and decreases for the same square footage of space.    

Reasons To Downsize

  It’s important to understand the reasons for downsizing. Putting together a framework and calculating out the savings in time and money can propel you to move forward with excitement and eagerness. The reasons for downsizing could be one or more of the following:   Reduce mortgage/rent payment Reduce property tax Reduce utility bills Reduce clutter/items in your home Reduce home maintenance (e.g., mowing the lawn and other yard work, home cleaning, repairs and basic upkeep) Get rid of your car(s)(elimination of gas, car insurance, registration and even car payments if you have them) and walk everywhere   And here are some out-of-the-box reasons for downsizing which should be considered:   You may become healthier. You may have an excuse to get out of a smaller home and enjoy the outdoors more. You may develop a hobby of biking or hiking at local parks and trails.   You may find yourself with no reason to have to go to a store and buy stuff for your home. A lot of times when we see an empty space in our home, we feel the need to fill it with something, anything. With a smaller home, it’s more about function and convenience. You come to realize that you don’t really need or even want extra decorative stuff that just stands or sits or hangs.   You may become more social. When you downsize, especially to a condo building, chances are you’ll run into the same people over and over again. This can be used as an opportunity to build relationships with your neighbors. We’re a social being and part of us needs that. Use your smaller home as leverage to widen your network of friends.   When you have an idea of what you hope to accomplish, you can basically work backward. You can take those reasons as a checklist and use them as your criteria to find the right property to accomplish your downsizing goal.  And don’t forget that a reduction in costs can lead to opportunities for savings and investment. It may even help you retire years earlier!    

Don’t Let A Downsize Of Space Lead To Upsize Fees

  If you downsize to a condo or apartment complex, there could be fees associated with the maintenance that is performed by the property management folks.   Within the upscale towns of Montgomery County Maryland, for example, condo fees could range from $500 to over $1,000 per month and are even more in Washington DC. So in a way, you could end up right back where you started, except this time with the lesser square footage.   Condo fees generally cover the maintenance of the condo building itself and exterior landscaping along with the use of facilities within the condo such as a gym. It’s important to consider the condo fees and if these resources, such as a gym are already available to you, let’s say at your workplace.   Downsizing is a big change in lifestyle and in personal finance. It’s important to take your time and consider all the financial and non-financial factors at play so that you can make an informed decision with support to back it up.     Your Thoughts: Do you have plans to downsize in the future? If so, what aspects are important for you? Have you downsized recently? Did you face any challenges and how have you adjusted to your living situation as a result? Has downsizing increased your expenses elsewhere?     ____________________________________________________________________________ I use  because (1) it’s free, (2) it tracks all of my accounts and overall net worth, (3) my account balances automatically update, (4) it shows how my investments are diversified and allocated in various sectors, and (5) can use built-in tools like “Investment Checkup” to get….wait for it…free personalized advice!     Read the full article

[crimethinc]

How Anti-Fascists Won the Battles of Berkeley–2017 in the Bay and Beyond: A Play-by-Play Analysis

The perilous politics of militant anti-fascism defined 2017 for the anarchist movement in the United States. The story in the Bay Area mirrors that of the country at large. It’s a narrative full of tragedies, setbacks, and repression, ultimately concluding with a fragile victory. Yet there was no guarantee it would turn out this way: only a few months ago, it seemed likely we would be starting 2018 amid the nightmare of a rapidly metastasizing fascist street movement. What can anti-fascists around the world learn from what happened in Berkeley? To answer this question, we have to back up and tell the story in full.

Fascists chose Berkeley, California as the center stage for their attempt to get a movement off the ground. The advantage shifted back and forth between fascists and anti-fascists as both sides maneuvered to draw more allies into the fight. Riding on the coattails of Trump’s campaign and exploiting the blind spots of liberal “free speech” politics, fascists gained momentum until anti-fascists were able to use these victories against them, drawing together an unprecedented mobilization. As we begin a new year, anti-fascist networks in the Bay Area are stronger than ever. Participants in anti-fascist struggle enjoy a hard-earned legitimacy in the eyes of many activists and communities targeted by the far right. By contrast, the far-right movement that gained strength throughout 2016 and the first half of 2017 has imploded. For the time being, the popular mobilization they sought to manifest has been thwarted. The events in the Bay Area offer an instructive example of the threat posed by contemporary far-right coalition building—and how we can defend our communities against it.

2016: A New Era Begins

Clashes escalate outside a Trump Rally in San Jose on June 2, 2016.

The clashes between far-right forces and anti-fascists that gripped Berkeley for much of 2017 were the climax of a sequence of events that began a year earlier. On February 27, 2016, Klansmen in the Southern California city of Anaheim stabbed three anti-racists who were protesting a Ku Klux Klan rally against “illegal immigration and Muslims.” The rhetoric of the Klan echoed the same vulgar nationalism that the Trump campaign was broadcasting. Under the banner of the alt-right, many white supremacist and fascist groups began to use the campaign as an umbrella under which to mobilize and recruit. They aimed to build an ideologically diverse social movement that could unite various far-right tendencies within the millions mobilized by Trump. A reactionary wave had steadily grown across the country in the last years of the Obama era. The combination of continued economic stagnation, proliferating anti-police uprisings of Black and Brown people, and rapidly changing norms related to gender identity and sexuality had spawned a violent backlash. This was the wave that Trump rode upon and his campaign had broken open the floodgates.

Trump rallies became increasingly contentious in cities such as Chicago (March 11) and Pittsburgh (April 13) as protesters held counterdemonstrations to confront these open displays of bigotry. On April 28, 2016, small-scale rioting erupted outside a Trump rally in the southern California city of Costa Mesa. The next day, in the city of Burlingame near San Francisco, large crowds disrupted Trump’s appearance at the convention of the California Republican Party, leading to scuffles with police.

Days later, on May 6, a newly-formed fascist youth organization, Identity Evropa (IE) held their first demonstration on the other side of the Bay—an ominous portent of things to come. This initial experiment was organized by IE as a “safe space” on the UC Berkeley campus to promote “white nationalist” ideas and their particular style of business-casual far-right activism. Inspired by European identitarian movements, IE worked to coopt the rhetoric of liberal identity politics and use the contradictions inherent in those politics to build a new white power movement. Their strategy was part of a larger effort across the alt-right to recruit young people and legitimize white supremacist organizing as an acceptable form of public activism. The rally brought together Nathan Damigo, the founder of IE, with members of the Berkeley College Republicans and the alt-right ideologist Richard Spencer, who flew in from out of town to attend. Although the event was barely noticed, the participants declared it a success and a first step towards building a new nationalist street movement.

The most violent clashes outside a Trump campaign rally unfolded in San Jose on June 2. A handful of experienced activists attended the counterdemonstration, but the vast majority of protesters were angry young people of color from the South Bay unaffiliated with any organization. The police response was slow and confused; clashes between the crowds raged into the evening. Photos of people punching and chasing Trump supporters spread online, leading to calls from many on the far right for revenge.

On June 26, over 400 anti-racists and anti-fascists converged on the state capitol in Sacramento to shut down a rally called for by the Traditionalist Workers Party, an Ohio-based neo-Nazi organization. The rally was initially billed as an “anti-antifa” rally organized in response to the protests at recent Trump events. It was also an attempt to build bridges across various far-right tendencies. The majority of the anti-fascists wore black masks; other crews represented various leftist cliques. Together, they successfully prevented the rally from ever starting. Comrades held the capitol steps, chasing off scattered groups of Nazis and alt-right activists.

About three hours after the counterdemonstration began, two dozen members of the Golden State Skins, geared up in bandanas and shields decorated with white power symbols and the Traditionalist Workers Party emblem, suddenly appeared on the far side of the capitol and attacked the crowd from behind. Nine comrades were stabbed, some repeatedly in the neck and torso, while riot police watched impassively. Nearly all those targeted in the attack were either Black or transgendered. Miraculously, all of them survived.

Members of the Golden State Skins attempt to kill anti-fascists in Sacramento on June 26, 2016.

After the bloody clash, many people urgently felt the need for a new politics of militant antifascism. Over the preceding decades, one rarely heard the term antifa among anarchist and anti-capitalist movements in the Bay Area. Previous generations of anti-fascist and Anti-Racist Action (ARA) organizing in Northern California were largely situated within subcultural contexts. Much of the work these activists accomplished in the 1980s and ’90s focused on kicking Nazis out of punk and hardcore scenes.

The events in Sacramento helped usher in rapid transformations of the local anarchist movement. A network of comrades formed Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NOCARA) to research and document increasing fascist activity across the region. Other crews linked up to practice self-defense and hone their analysis in the rapidly shifting political terrain. Antifa symbols—the two flags and the three arrows—quickly became as ubiquitous as the circle A in the Bay Area anarchist milieu. Some lamented this as a retreat from struggles against capitalism and the police into a purely defensive strategy singularly focused on combatting fringe elements of the far right. But the majority understood it as a logical step necessitated by the rising tide of fascist activity around the country and world. They aimed to situate an anti-fascist position as a single component of the larger struggles against capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy that comrades had been engaged in for years. Most participants had cut their teeth in various rebellions and movements in the Bay area over the preceding decade, including Occupy Oakland and Black Lives Matter. They saw antifa as a form of community self defense against the violent reaction to those struggles for collective liberation. Many were also eager to use anti-fascism as a means to open a new front against white supremacy and the state.

On November 9, the night after Trump’s electoral victory shook the world, a march of thousands followed by the most intense night of rioting in recent memory took place in downtown Oakland. Fires broke out in the Chamber of Commerce, the Federal Building, and the construction site of the new Uber building. Angry crowds of thousands fought police with bottles, fireworks, and even Molotov cocktails as banks were smashed, barricades blocked major streets, and tear gas filled the air. Other cities across the country also saw significant unrest; rowdy protests in Portland, Oregon lasted for days.

This made 2016 the eighth year in a row that serious rioting took place in Oakland. 2017 would end that pattern. The locus of street conflict in the Bay was about to shift up the road to the neighboring college town of Berkeley.

Starting the Year off with a Bang

Thousands swarm San Francisco International Airport to protest Trump’s “Muslim Ban” on January 28, 2017.

The tone for 2017 was set on the cold morning of January 20 in Washington DC. As mainstream media pundits nervously reiterated the importance of a peaceful transition of power, a black bloc of hundreds chanting “Black Lives Matter!” took the streets to disrupt Trump’s inauguration. In the course of the day, hundreds were arrested, a person in a black mask punched Richard Spencer as he tried to explain alt-right meme Pepe the Frog, and video of the incident went viral.

That same evening in Seattle, Milo Yiannopolous spoke on the University of Washington campus as part of his “Dangerous Faggot” tour. Milo had made a name for himself over the previous year peddling misogyny and Islamophobia in his role as tech editor for Breitbart News under the mentorship of Steve Bannon. He had become a leading spokesperson for the alt-right auxiliary known as the alt-lite. The logic behind his tour was similar to IE’s strategy of targeting liberal university enclaves using a provocative model of far-right activism rebranded for a millennial audience.

[Hundreds turned out(https://www.thestranger.com/open-city/2017/01/23/24818869/what-really-happened-at-the-milo-yiannopoulos-protest-at-uw-on-friday-night) to oppose Milo’s talk in Seattle. As scuffles unfolded outside the building, a Trump supporter drew a concealed handgun and shot Joshua Dukes, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, in the stomach. Milo continued his talk unconcernedly as the critically injured Dukes was rushed to emergency care. Fortunately, he survived, though he spent weeks in the hospital.

Despite the unprecedented degree of tension in the air, Oakland was quiet on J20. A few small marches, mostly departing from high school walkouts, crossed downtown. But by nightfall, the rainy streets were empty; hundreds of riot police deployed for the anticipated unrest packed up their gear to go home. This new year was not going to play out along familiar lines.

The next day, millions across the country marched against Trump in the Women’s Marches, many of them wearing pink “pussy hats.” Oakland was the location of the main Bay Area march and tens of thousands walked through downtown in a staid and orderly display of disapproval. Later that week, Trump signed executive order 13769 suspending US refugee resettlement programs and banning entry for all citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including people with valid visas. By the following afternoon, a spontaneous and unorganized national mobilization was underway as tens of thousands swarmed the international terminals of every major airport in the country to oppose the “Muslim ban.” Loud marches and blockades continued for two days inside San Francisco International Airport.

In many ways, the airport protests marked the high point of the year in terms of mass action that undermined the regime’s ability to carry out its agenda. The mobilization immediately disrupted the implementation of the executive order and provided momentum to challenge it in the courts, where legal maneuvers continued throughout the rest of the year. Nevertheless, the protests did not coalesce into a more sustained sequence.

The Real Dangerous Faggots

Sproul Plaza outside Milo’s cancelled event on February 2.

On February 2, Milo arrived in Berkeley for the final talk of his tour, hosted by the Berkeley College Republicans. Days earlier, his talk in nearby UC Davis had been successfully disrupted by student protesters; all eyes were now on UC Berkeley campus.

Berkeley is an upper-middle-class city of 120,000 bordering Oakland, defined by the prestigious flagship campus of the University of California system that sits adjacent to downtown. The city’s history as a national hub of countercultural movements and far-left political activism stretches back to the early 1960s. In 1964, student radicals returning from the Freedom Summer campaign in Mississippi set up tables on campus to distribute literature about the growing Civil Rights movement. The administration cracked down on their activities, sparking a wave of civil disobedience that came to be known as the Free Speech Movement (FSM). In many ways, it was the beginning of the student activism against racism and imperialism that proliferated across the country throughout the 1960s. Yet by the turn of the new millennium, Berkeley could be more accurately described as a hotbed of liberalism, not radicalism. The legacy of the FSM had been successfully coopted and rewritten by the university administration for their prospective student marketing materials. Students can now sip cappuccinos as they study for exams in the Free Speech Movement Café on campus.

On the south edge of campus sits Sproul Plaza, site of some of the most important demonstrations of the FSM and subsequent waves of activism. As the sun set on Sproul that Thursday evening, between two and three thousand students, faculty, and community members filled the plaza in a rally against Milo, the alt-right, and Trump. Layers of fencing surrounded the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union as platoons of riot police watched the chanting crowd from the balconies of the building and the steps leading down to the plaza.

Milo’s talk was about to start. Despite the large protest, it appeared that the massive police presence would enable it to proceed without a hitch. Then a commotion on neighboring Bancroft Way drew the attention of the crowd. A black bloc of roughly 150, some carrying the anarchist black flag and others carrying the queer anarchist pink and black flag, had just appeared out of the neighborhood and was busy building a barricade across the main entrance to the student union’s parking garage. As the barricade caught fire, the bloc surged forward to join the thousands in Sproul.

The sound of explosions filled the air as fireworks screamed across the plaza at the riot cops, who hunkered down and retreated from their positions. Under cover of this barrage, masked crews attacked the fencing and quickly tore it apart. Thousands cheered. Police on the balconies unloaded rubber bullets and marker rounds into the crowd, but ultimately took cover as fireworks exploded around their heads. With the fencing gone, the crowd laid siege to the building and began smashing out its windows.

Antifascists rip down fences on UC Berkeley campus on February 2.

“The event is cancelled! Please go home!” screamed a desperate police captain over a megaphone as the crowd roared in celebration. A mobile light tower affixed to a generator was knocked over, bursting into flames two stories high. YG’s song “FDT” (Fuck Donald Trump) blasted from a mobile sound system as thousands danced around the burning pyre. Berkeley College Republicans emerging from the cancelled event were nailed with red paint bombs and members of the Proud Boys, the “Western Chauvinist” fraternal organization of the alt-lite, were beaten and chased away. Milo was escorted out a back door by his security detail and fled the city. A victory march spilled into the streets of downtown Berkeley, smashing every bank in its path. Milo’s tour bus was vandalized later that night in the parking lot of a Courtyard Marriot in nearby Fremont.

The cover of the next day’s New York Times read “Anarchists Vow to Halt Far Right’s Rise, With Violence if Needed” below an eerie photo of a hooded, stick-wielding street fighter in Berkeley. “Professional anarchists, thugs and paid protesters are proving the point of the millions of people who voted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump tweeted that morning before threatening to withdraw federal funds from UC Berkeley if the university could not guarantee “free speech.” Milo had been stopped and militant anti-fascism was now a topic of national conversation.

But a confused controversy over free speech was just beginning. Liberals quickly fell into the trap set by the alt-right. UC Berkeley professor Robert Reich, who had been Secretary of Labor under Clinton, went so far as to embarrass himself by groundlessly claiming that “Yiannopoulos and Brietbart were in cahoots with the agitators, in order to lay the groundwork for a Trump crackdown.”

From organizing “white safe spaces” to pretending to represent a new free speech movement, the ascendant fascists understood that the hollow rhetoric of liberalism utilized by hacks like Reich could be weaponized against anyone opposed to white supremacy and patriarchy. Liberal enclaves were especially vulnerable to this strategy. They had become the chosen terrain on which 21st-century American fascism sought to step out of the internet to build a social movement in the streets.

Meanwhile, Milo’s days were numbered. Despite liberal commentators’ assertions that paying attention to Milo would only make him more powerful, Milo’s career imploded two weeks later. Under the intense scrutiny that followed his spectacular failure in Berkeley, a conservative social media account circulated footage of Milo condoning consensual sex between underage boys and older men. His invitation to speak at the American Conservative Union’s annual conference was quickly rescinded, as was his book deal with a major publisher. The next day, Milo was forced to resign from Breitbart. While emblematic of the rampant homophobia of the right, none of this had anything to do with his views on sex. After Berkeley, Milo appeared to be an increasingly controversial liability that conservatives could no longer risk associating with.

A Repulsive Rainbow of Reaction

Based Stickman (left) leads the goons on March 4.

While many celebrated Milo’s downfall as a blow to the alt-right, various far-right and fascist cliques hastened to take advantage of liberal confusion around the emerging free speech narrative.

On March 4, modest rallies in support of Trump occurred across the country. In the Bay Area, vague fliers appeared calling for a Trump Rally in downtown Berkeley’s Civic Center Park. There was considerable confusion among local anti-racists and anti-fascists over who had called for the rally. Many assumed it was just right-wing trolling that would never materialize in public. Nevertheless, various small crews of anarchists, members of the leftist clique By Any Means Necessary, anti-racist skinheads, and an assortment of unaffiliated young people converged on the park to oppose any attempt to hold the Saturday afternoon rally. They found a bizarre scene that few could have previously imagined.

A grotesque array of far-right forces had assembled from across the region to celebrate Trump and defend their ability to propagate various forms of nationalism, xenophobia, and misogyny. One man in fatigues and wraparound sunglasses carried a III% militia flag. Another man with a motorcycle helmet, tactical leg guards, and a kilt sported a pro-Pinochet shirt depicting leftists being thrown from helicopters to their deaths. Still another right-wing activist happily zipped around on his hoverboard while taking massive vape hits and live-streaming the event via his phone.

Many in the right-wing crowd were not white. The alliances being formed through public activism had brought together a range of fascist tendencies, some more interested in defending violent misogyny or building an ultra-libertarian capitalist future than promoting white power. MAGA hats and American flags were everywhere as the crowd of nearly 200 attempted to march into downtown Berkeley. Fistfights broke out, flags were used as weapons, and pepper spray filled the air as anti-fascists and others intervened to stop the march. A masked crew of queer anti-fascists dressed in pastels, calling themselves the Degenderettes, used bedazzled shields to defend people from the reactionary street fighters of this strange new right-wing social movement. Chaotic scuffles and brawls continued off and on for three hours.

Riot police located around the perimeter of the park made some targeted arrests; yet as in Sacramento, they largely avoided wading into the melee. Ten people were arrested altogether, from both sides of the fight. One of these was alt-right sympathizer and closet white supremacist Kyle Chapman. Chapman had helped form the vanguard of the right-wing brawlers throughout the day. He wore a helmet, goggles, and a respirator while carrying an American flag shield in one hand and a long stick as his weapon in the other. News of his arrest combined with footage of his assaults immediately elevated him to celebrity hero status within the online world of the alt-right and alt-lite. Memes of Chapman went viral under his new nickname, “Based Stick Man.”

Tactically speaking, there were no clear winners in Berkeley on March 4. But the nascent fascist street movement was energized and ready for more. Anti-fascists had underestimated the momentum of this new far-right alliance and were quickly trying to figure out how to play catch up.

On March 8, a group of revolutionary women and queer people in the Bay Area organized a “Gender Strike” action in San Francisco as part of the national “Women’s Strike” planned for International Women’s Day. The strike was called for as a means of moving beyond the liberal feminism of January’s massive Women’s Marches against Trump. From Gamergate trolling to Trump’s gloating over his sexual assaults, from the Proud Boy’s valorization of traditional family values to the bizarre right-wing alliance manifesting in the streets of Berkeley, the rise of neo-fascism was being fueled by misogynists intent on preserving and expanding patriarchal power relationships as much as it was being fueled by white supremacists. The organizers of the strike aimed to connect radical tendencies within the growing feminist movement with various anti-racist and anti-fascist struggles. Nearly a thousand protestors marched on the downtown Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in a demonstration of support for San Francisco’s sanctuary city status and solidarity with those targeted by surging xenophobia. An even larger crowd of Women’s Strike demonstrators marched in the streets of downtown Oakland that evening.

The Alt-Right Strikes Back

DIY Division (left) and other fascist thugs on April 15.

Two weeks later, on Saturday, March 25, over two thousand Trump supporters held a “Make America Great Again March” in the southern California city of Huntington Beach. Marching with the large crowd was an imposing squad of athletic white men clearly looking for a fight. These were members of the openly neo-Nazi group known as the DIY Division or the Rise Above Movement. When a handful of anti-fascists attempted to disrupt the march, this squad assaulted them and beat them into the beach sand. The fight was broken up and the anti-fascists fled as the crowd joined the DIY Division fighters in chanting “Pinochet!” and “You can’t run, you can’t hide, you’re gonna get a ’copter ride!”

To the horror of many in the Bay Area, another alt-right demonstration in Berkeley’s Civic Center Park was announced for April 15. Billed as a “Patriots’ Day Free Speech Rally,” it featured a lineup of speakers flying in from out of town. As the date grew closer, it became clear that every crypto-fascist wingnut, weekend militia member, millennial alt-right internet troll, alt-lite hipster, civic nationalist, and proud neo-Nazi from up and down the West Coast wanted to attend. The growing movement got a critical boost when the Oath Keepers militia announced two weeks ahead of time that they would be mobilizing from across the country under the name “Operation 1st Defenders” to protect the so-called “Free Speech Rally.” The Oath Keepers are a right-wing militia composed of active duty and veteran military and police officers that claims to have 35,000 members. The “operation” was to be led by Missouri chapter leader John Karriman, who oversaw the armed Oath Keeper operation to protect private property during the Ferguson uprising of 2014. Oath Keepers’ founder Stewart Rhodes would also be on the ground.

Bay Area anarchists met regularly during the weeks leading up to April 15 in hopes of developing some kind of strategic response to what was shaping up to be the most important showing yet of this far-right popular movement. Many comrades believed it was necessary to find a new approach in order to avoid spiraling into a violent conflict with an enemy that was better trained and better equipped than anti-fascists and anti-racists could ever be. A general plan was hashed out through meetings and assemblies that prioritized reaching out to the broader left and other activist circles in hopes of mobilizing large numbers of radicals who could drown out the alt-right rally while avoiding the kind of conflict that would strike the general public as a symmetrical clash between two extremist gangs. There was no specific call for a black bloc, which by this time had largely become synonymous with militant antifa tactics. Instead, fliers and posters began to circulate promoting a block party and cookout that could occupy the park at 10 am with large crowds listening to music and speakers before the “Free Speech Rally” started at noon.

Early in the morning of April 15, these plans collapsed disastrously. Dozens of Oath Keepers in tactical helmets and flak jackets established a defensive perimeter before sunrise alongside riot police who sectioned off various zones of the park with fencing and checkpoints. The organizer of the rally, the Oath Keepers, and the police had coordinated for weeks ahead of time.

Riot police surrounded comrades arriving in the park for the counter-demonstration; they confiscated trays of food for the cookout, musical instruments, flags, and signs. Police intervened to stop small scuffles as members of the DIY Division, in town for the rally from southern California, began to exchange taunts with anti-fascists. As noon approached, the 200 or 300 anarchists and anti-fascists who mobilized that day realized with terror that their attempts to reach out to other activists had fallen on deaf ears. They were alone, badly prepared for a fight, and were quickly becoming outnumbered by hundreds and hundreds of right-wing activists led by a street-fighting fascist vanguard and protected by a disciplined patriot militia.

Chaos erupted as the first speakers at the rally began to address the MAGA hat-wearing crowd inside the Oath Keeper perimeter. In a desperate attempt to give momentum to the demoralized and scattered anti-fascists, a crew with a mobile sound system in a street next to the park began blasting “FDT” to the cheers of many counterdemonstrators. People coalesced around the sound system and began moving around the edge of the rally. Some threw M80s into the park; others tried to breach the fencing. Most simply tried to stay together.

Chaos erupts outside the Free Speech Rally in Civic Center Park on April 15.

The police withdrew from the streets as fascist squads of young men emerged from within the rally to go on the offensive. Bloody fights broke out. Kyle Chapman, flanked by similarly geared-up brawlers including one man wearing a Spartan helmet, led a series of forays that split the crowd and left comrades bleeding on the ground. In one such attack, an anti-fascist was beaten by masked white men and dragged behind enemy lines to be stomped out. It was only through the intervention of the Oath Keepers and others functioning as “peace police” for the alt-right rally that the beating was interrupted; the comrade was shoved back across the skirmish line into the hands of friendly street medics. During the short pauses between clashes, fascists chugged milk and screamed as they pumped themselves up for the next assault.

Though outnumbered, anarchists and anti-fascists fought as best they could. Many Nazis and their sympathizers left that day bruised and bloodied. But the counterdemonstrators could barely hold their own against the fascist street fighters, let alone the Oath Keeper presence maintaining the interior perimeter. The rally of hundreds continued uninterrupted. As fatigue set in, the fascists made their move led by Chapman, members of DIY Division wearing their signature skull bandanas, and members of IE including Nathan Damigo. They blitzed the remaining counterdemonstrators and pushed them away from the park through a cloud of smoke bombs and into the side streets of downtown. A cautious retreat became a hasty run as the remaining anti-racists and anti-fascists were chased off the streets by Nazis. The fascists had won the third Battle of Berkeley.

Kyle Chapman, DIY Division (right), and Identity Evropa (far right) prepare for their final offensive of the day on April 15.

The fallout began immediately. Emboldened by the victory on the ground, an army of alt-right internet trolls on 4chan’s /pol thread and elsewhere began a doxxing witch hunt to identify all those who had opposed their shock troops in Berkeley. Within hours, they had used footage to identify a woman who had been brutally beaten by Damigo and others during the final assault of the day. Louise Rosealma had previously worked in porn; a misogynistic campaign of harassment against her began immediately. Oversized posters showing her naked next to Damigo’s smiling face with the words “I’d hit that” soon appeared on the streets of Berkeley.

Eric Clanton, a Diablo Valley College professor, became another doxxing target. Trolls claimed to have identified him as the masked anti-fascist caught on camera hitting a man in the head with a bike lock. The man on the receiving end of this blow wore a “Feminist Tears” button and had been seen attacking people alongside members of DIY Division throughout the battle. Eric received a slew of death threats; his online accounts were hacked and angry calls poured in to his employer that would eventually cost him his job.

On April 23, Kyle Chapman formalized his new role as leader of the militant vanguard of the alt-lite. He announced the formation of the “Fraternal Order of Alt Knights,” which was to function as the “tactical defensive arm of the Proud Boys.” Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys and co-founder of Vice Magazine, had helped promote the “Free Speech Rally” and had welcomed Chapman to his show multiple times.

On April 27, McInnes joined another far-right rally in Berkeley’s Civic Center Park. The rally had been organized to coincide with Ann Coulter’s visit to UC Berkeley, which she cancelled at the last minute. Nonetheless, a large crowd of Trump supporters, fascists, and reactionary goons of various stripes flocked to Berkeley that day to get their piece of the action. They found themselves unopposed. Anarchists and anti-fascists were still licking their wounds; they had collectively decided to avoid a confrontation that could lead to another painful defeat like the fiasco of April 15. Later that night, the windows of the Black-owned Alchemy Collective Café were shot out. The café is located just blocks from Civic Center Park and its windows had been displaying posters in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and indigenous struggles.

A bullet hole in the window of the Alchemy Café on April 28, the day after another far-right rally in Berkeley.

Soon after, Eric Clanton was arrested by Berkeley Police in a house raid and charged with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon. During his interview at the police station, the detective expressed appreciation for 4chan’s /pol forum and informed Eric that “the internet did the work for us.” Eric’s case is pending and he faces years in prison.

The Turning Point

Solidarity demonstration with Charlottesville, August 12.

In chess, a player is said to “gain a tempo” when a successful move leaves their units in a more advantageous position while forcing their opponent to take a defensive move that wastes time and derails their strategy. The growing far-right social movement had gained a tempo at the expense of anti-fascists during spring 2017. The February victory against Milo and the alt-right in the first days of the Trump presidency had played an important role in disrupting attempts to normalize a dangerous new form of far-right public activity. Each attempt that fascists made to materialize in public risked extreme conflict. But anti-fascists’ success had helped to spawn an ugly reaction, which anarchists and other militant anti-fascists were unable to handle on their own.

There was nothing normalized or “respectable” about the armored and belligerent fascists who were determined to mobilize in Berkeley. Yet on a tactical level, they had proven they could leverage the necessary resources and foot soldiers to hold the streets in enemy territory. Anti-fascists had been forced into a downward spiral of responding to each new move without a strategy of their own. Paranoia, anxiety, and self-criticism characterized the local anarchist movement during late spring and early summer.

Yet important changes were underway. April 15 had caught the attention of many Bay Area activists who had remained outside the fray thus far. They were not convinced by the “free speech” rhetoric that had confused so many liberals. Militant anti-fascists had no interest in giving the state additional repressive powers to criminalize or censor speech. That was never what this struggle was about. Confronting fascist activity in the streets to stop its normalization and proliferation is a form of community self-defense. Increasing numbers of anti-racists understood this. Bay Area movement organizations such as the prison abolitionist organization Critical Resistance, the Arab Resource Organizing Committee, white ally anti-racist groups such as the Catalyst Project and the local chapter of Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), and the Anti-Police Terror Project, who had played a leadership role in the local Black Lives Matter Movement, began to work with those who had been in the streets throughout the first half of the year to build a coordinated response.

Many of these groups had previously been at odds with anarchists. Some of the most bitter disputes revolved around issues of identity and representation within the various social movements of the preceding decade. Many anarchists rejected most forms of identity politics after seeing them used time and again by reformist leaders from marginalized groups to manage and pacify antagonistic movements. Liberal city officials, organizers of non-profits, and some social justice groups had regularly dismissed local anti-police and anti-capitalist rebellions in Oakland and elsewhere as the work of white anarchist “outside agitators” corrupting otherwise respectable movements led by people of color. This paternalistic and counter-insurrectionary narrative intentionally obscured the diversity of participants in these uprisings and erased their agency.

Things had begun to change in 2014 as anti-police rebellions spread across the country and the forces of racist reaction mobilized in response. Despite unresolved tensions, the anarchist movement played an important role in helping sustain struggles against white supremacy and other movements of oppressed people. Increasing numbers of activists and movement organizations supported the uprisings and understood the necessity of working together as part of a united anti-racist front. This convergence helped lay the groundwork for the unprecedented alliances that arose out of anti-fascist organizing.

The urgency of building these coalitions was tragically underscored on May 26, when a white supremacist cut the throats of three people who had intervened to stop him from harassing a young Muslim woman and her friend on a commuter train in Portland, Oregon. Two of the men died. The attacker, Jeremy Christian, had attended Free Speech Rallies organized by the Portland-based alt-lite group Patriot Prayer. At his arraignment, Christian yelled “Get out if you don’t like free speech… Leave this country if you hate our freedom—death to Antifa!”

A few weeks later, on June 10, thousands of anti-racists and anti-fascists in Seattle, Austin, New York, and elsewhere successfully mobilized against a day of anti-Muslim rallies attended by various groupings of neo-Nazis, militia members, alt-lite activists, and alt-right activists. During the Houston rally, scuffles between patriot militia members and an alt-right activist attempting to display openly fascist placards exposed growing cracks within the far-right alliance that had been built up through the spring.

On July 9, the growing anti-fascist network in the Bay Area held a packed forum in the Berkeley Senior Center, blocks from the site of the spring’s clashes. A range of speakers from the coalition helped educate the hundreds in attendance about the rising tide of white supremacist and fascist activity as well as the necessity of organizing for community self-defense. The crowd left the forum energized and eager to mobilize.

Another round of alt-right rallies was on the horizon. Many hoped that this time the response would be different. Patriot Prayer was calling for a rally in San Francisco on August 26 and a “Rally Against Marxism” was planned for the familiar battleground of Berkeley’s Civic Center Park on the following day. As the end of summer approached, fascists across the country made it clear they aimed to double down on their offensive. When a reporter for the New York Times asked Nathan Damigo about IE’s goals for UC Berkeley during the new school year, he laughed and responded, “We’ve got some plans.”

Before any of this could unfold, events on the other side of the country changed the course of history.

The first step of this renewed fascistic offensive was a mobilization in Charlottesville, Virginia promoted throughout the summer as a rally to “Unite the Right.” Building on their successes in targeting liberal enclaves over the previous months, alt-right leaders including Richard Spencer and Nathan Damigo aimed to take their movement-building to the next level by forging an alliance with Southern white supremacists under the banner of their rebranded far-right activism. Charlottesville is a liberal college town that, along with other cities throughout the South, had been planning to remove monuments celebrating the Confederacy. Spencer had previously led a small torch-lit rally in Charlottesville on May 13 to protest the proposed removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. The August 12 rally was supposed to be the turning point that could transform the young movement into an unstoppable reactionary force under the cover of the Trump regime.

On the evening of August 11, a surprise torch-lit demonstration on the University of Virginia campus attended by hundreds of white supremacists gave the impression that this turning point had arrived. Footage of fascists surrounding and attacking outnumbered anti-racist demonstrators at the foot of the statue of Robert E. Lee spread around the country, provoking terror and urgency in equal measure.

Yet the following day turned out to be a historic disaster for the fascists. Anarchists and anti-fascists managed to interrupt the fascist rally, ultimately forcing police to declare it an unlawful assembly. The white supremacists retreating from the streets of Charlottesville knew that they had lost: their rally had been cancelled and the media was turning on them. They had failed to create a situation in which the volatile white resentment they drew on could be gratified by a successful show of force. That is why James Alex Fields, a member of the fascist organization Vanguard America, plowed his car into a crowd of ant-fascists that afternoon, killing Heather Heyer and grievously injuring 19 others.

Fascists had sought to obtain the upper hand in the media narrative by presenting their opponents as enemies of free speech. But after “Unite the Right,” the alt-right was inextricably linked with images of armed Klansmen and Nazis carrying swastika flags. The connection between far-right activism and fascist murder had become too obvious for anyone to deny. Charlottesville immediately became a rallying cry for an emerging broad-based anti-fascist movement that mirrored the microcosm of cross-tendency networking unfolding that summer in the Bay Area.

The heroes of this story are the anarchists and other militant anti-fascists who put their bodies on the line to throw the “Unite the Right” rally into chaos. Grotesque images from the streets of Charlottesville on August 12 showed armored fascist street fighters engaged in combat with outnumbered anti-fascists. These delivered a fatal blow to the alt-right’s stated goal of using the rally to legitimize the popular movement they hoped to build. Anti-fascists had forced the alt-right to show its true face; the results were catastrophic for the movement’s future. If the brutality of April 15 forced the Bay Area to reconsider far-right propaganda about “free speech,” August 12 in Charlottesville did the same thing for the whole country.

Resistance movements in the Bay Area are always strongest when they are not alone. When rebellions in Oakland, Berkeley, or San Francisco are simply militant outliers or exceptions that prove the rule, they are ultimately isolated and neutralized. Comrades in the Bay are most effective when their actions are a reflection of what is happening elsewhere around the country. The events in Charlottesville kicked local anti-fascist coalition-building into high gear. Within hours of Heather’s murder, nearly a thousand anti-racists and anti-fascists gathered in downtown Oakland and marched to the 580 freeway, where they blocked all traffic and set off fireworks in a display of solidarity with comrades in Charlottesville. Many drivers waved and raised fists in support.

Solidarity with Charlottesville demonstration shuts blocks the 580 freeway in Oakland on August 12

Over a hundred solidarity demonstrations took place around the world over the following days. Many targeted Confederate monuments in the South. On August 14, demonstrators in Durham, North Carolina pulled down a statue of a Confederate soldier. Meanwhile, the Three Percenters Militia, which had deployed fully-armed platoons as part of the Unite the Right rally, issued a national stand-down order stating, “We will not align ourselves with any type of racist group.” Infighting between various far-right tendencies blaming each other for the disaster reached a fever pitch.

The national discourse around militant anti-fascism that had begun in response to the events in DC on January 20 and Berkeley on February 2 shifted dramatically. After Charlottesville, anti-fascists were suddenly riding a tidal wave of support from the left and many liberals. Cornel West, who had attended the counterdemonstration with a contingent of clergy, pointedly stated on the August 14 episode of Democracy Now, “We would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the anarchists and the anti-fascists.” Traditional conservative leaders such as Republican senators John McCain and Orin Hatch even lent tacit support to anti-fascists as they went on the offensive against Trump. Mitt Romney weighed in on August 15, tweeting, “One side is racist, bigoted, Nazi. The other opposes racism and bigotry. Morally different universes.” By August 18, Steve Bannon, the most powerful and visible face of neo-fascism within the Trump regime, was forced out of the administration in an apparent act of damage control responding to the growing crisis. Anti-fascists were once again in control of the tempo.

The Final Battle of Berkeley

Black Bloc helps settle the score in Berkeley, August 27.

Far-right activists from the Bay Area who had attended the Unite the Right rally returned home to find they had lost their jobs. Fascist podcast personality Johnny Monoxide was fired from his union electrician job in San Francisco after posters appeared at his workplace outing him as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi sympathizer. Cole White, who had assaulted people in Berkeley alongside Kyle Chapman and others throughout the year, was fired from a Berkeley hot dog stand after being outed by the @YesYoureRacist twitter account for attending the torch march.

By mid-August, a complex network of spokescouncils, coalition meetings, assemblies, and trainings were bringing together a diverse range of activist, left, and anarchist tendencies in the Bay on a nearly daily basis to prepare for the alt-right rallies of August 26 and 27. Honest conversations about how to allow for a diversity of tactics while respecting different risk levels and different vulnerabilities forged an unprecedented level of trust and solidarity. On August 19, in Boston, Massachusetts, over 40,000 counterdemonstrators confronted a few dozen alt-right activists and Trump supporters, including visiting alt-lite celebrity Kyle Chapman, who were attempting to host another “Free Speech Rally.” This was the largest demonstration against fascism and the alt-right in the US throughout 2017. It was another sign of the turning tides. In Laguna Beach, just down the coast from where 2000 Trump Supporters had marched with DIY Division in March, a small “America First” rally against immigration was vastly outnumbered by 2500 anti-fascists and anti-racists.

Morale was high among Bay Area anti-fascists and anti-racists as the weekend rallies approached. Local graffiti crews lent support, spreading a campaign of writing anti-Nazi and anti-Trump messages in cities around the region. Various local businesses announced that they would not serve alt-right rally attendees while opening their doors to offer spaces of refuge for anti-fascists. Calls to action emerged from almost every single Bay Area activist and movement organization. A common thread in many of these calls was a respect for different approaches to confronting fascism and a commitment to “not criminalize or denounce other protesters.”

Saturday’s alt-right demonstration was planned for San Francisco’s Crissy Field with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop. On the eve of the rally, Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson announced the event was cancelled due to safety concerns. Instead, Patriot Prayer planned to hold a press conference across the city in Alamo Square Park.

Despite the apparent change of plans, over a thousand anti-racists and anti-fascists converged on Alamo Square the next day. Among them were members of the ILWU and the IBEW, Johnny Monoxide’s former union. This labor contingent had mobilized to support the counterdemonstration and to make it clear that fascists would not be tolerated in their ranks.

They found the park completely fenced off and occupied by hundreds of riot police, but no sign of Patriot Prayer or other far-right activists. Gibson and others including Kyle Chapman had retreated to an apartment down the coast in the city of Pacifica, from which they issued a statement over Facebook blaming city leaders and antifa for their own failure to hold a rally. It was becoming clear that their movement was imploding and the real obstacle to their rally was the potential of an embarrassingly low turnout. A colorful and celebratory victory march took the streets of San Francisco, making its way towards the Mission district. Throughout the rest of the day, anywhere far-right activists were sighted, counterdemonstrators swarmed the location and chased them off. Late in the day, Gibson and a handful of others made a surprise photo-op appearance in Crissy Field. A large crowd of counterdemonstrators chased them to their cars and they fled.

The “No to Marxism in America” rally planned for Berkeley on Sunday at 1 pm was also cancelled by organizer Amber Cummings. Nevertheless, the anti-racist and anti-fascist mobilization showed no signs of slowing down and Berkeley police were preparing for the worst. Berkeley City Council had passed a series of emergency ordinances giving the police special powers to set up multiple security perimeters around Civic Center Park and to ban items ranging from picket signs to masks. Over 400 police officers stood ready in and around the park on that sunny morning.

Two major rallies against the alt-right and against white supremacy were planned for the day in Berkeley. The first was organized by a coalition including local chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), campus student groups, and a range of unions. It began across downtown on the edge of the UC Berkeley campus at 10:30. By 11, thousands were in attendance.

Other smaller groups went straight to Civic Center Park, where numbers had been growing since early in the day. As noon approached, nearly a thousand anti-racists and anti-fascists milled about between concrete barriers and various layers of fencing as hundreds of riot police monitored the scene under an increasingly hot sun. Screaming and shoving erupted multiple times as scattered Trump supporters and alt-right adherents attempted to enter the park. Some punches were thrown; this time, in contrast to March 4 and April 15, squads of riot police responded immediately to break up the fights and make arrests. The few antifascists who arrived with their faces concealed were tackled by police and arrested for violating the emergency ordinances.

Riot police face off against thousands of anti-fascists in Civic Center Park on August 27.

A few blocks away, in Ohlone Park, the second rally, organized by the local chapter of SURJ along with other anti-racist groups, was just beginning. Thousands were preparing to march. The call to action for this mobilization explicitly asserted the necessity of confronting fascists with a diversity of tactics and asked all attendees to respect those utilizing more confrontational forms of resistance. As a sound truck began leading the crowd towards Civic Center Park, a black bloc of nearly 100, many wearing helmets and protective gear, emerged from a side street ahead lighting off flares and chanting “¡Todos Somos Antifascistas!” The bloc parted for the sound truck and joined the front of the march to the cheers of the crowd. There were now nearly 10,000 antifascists of all stripes on the streets of Berkeley.

The black bloc doubled in size as it marched. Riot police standing guard around the Berkeley Police station on the corner of Civic Center Park looked on in dismay as the bloc led the crowd right up to the edge of the outer security perimeter. Tensions quickly escalated as riot police formed a skirmish line along the perimeter facing off against the bloc. One cop attempted to grab a masked comrade’s shield; others forced him back. Another cop fired a rubber bullet into the bloc as masked comrades with shields moved to the front line. A speaker on the sound truck announced that those wanting to help form a defensive line could move forward with the black bloc and all others could step back across the street to the steps of the old City Hall to hold space. Dozens of large shields were distributed from others in the crowd to those on the “defensive line.” Riot police began strapping on gas masks and aiming their various projectile weapons at the crowd. A major clash between two well-prepared sides was about to break out.

Anarchists hold the defensive line with shields on August 27.

Suddenly, the cops pulled back. All riot police in Civic Center Park had been ordered to withdraw to side streets in order to avoid instigating a riot. The crowd surged forward over the concrete barriers with the black bloc at the front chanting “Black Lives Matter!” Thousands flooded into the park, openly disobeying the emergency ordinances. Many chanted “Whose Park? Our Park!”

When Joey Gibson and his crew of patriots arrived minutes later, the crowd cheered on militant anti-fascists as they chased the pathetic showing of alt-lite reactionaries down a side street, where police fired smoke grenades to end the confrontation. Back in the park, the mood was jubilant and calm. Many applauded the black bloc and thanked them for keeping the crowd safe from neo-Nazis and white supremacists, who had been spotted leaving the area after seeing the size of the anti-fascist crowd.

A second march from the morning rally arrived in the park and members of the DSA, carrying red flags, gave high fives to members of the black bloc carrying black flags. Clergy members made speeches and sang from the sound truck as people dismantled more of the police barriers. After an hour and a half of holding the park, the decision was made to leave together. The clashes had been minimal, the police had been forced to back down, and no one had sustained serious injuries: this was undeniably a massive victory.

A diverse yet united front of 10,000 anti-fascists had finally settled the score in Berkeley. As the black bloc joined the march out of Civic Center Park, they chanted “This is for Charlottesville!”

The top story of next morning’s San Francisco Chronicle began,

“An army of anarchists in black clothing and masks routed a small group of right-wing demonstrators who had gathered in a Berkeley park Sunday to rail against the city’s famed progressive politics, driving them out—sometimes violently—while overwhelming a huge contingent of police officers.”

What this description left out was the coordination and solidarity with thousands of other demonstrators that had allowed this “army of anarchists” to take back Civic Center Park without any significant clashes. That was the important story of the day. But the narrative emerging from the anti-fascist victory in Berkeley looked very different to those who were not there. Corporate media described anarchists and militant anti-fascists as hijacking an otherwise peaceful movement. These media outlets focused on a few scuffles that broke out with Gibson’s crew and some other reactionaries, including a father-son duo, wearing a Trump shirt and Pinochet shirt respectively, who had entered the park and pepper sprayed the crowd at random.

A father-son duo, wearing a Trump shirt and a Pinochet shirt, are pushed out of the park after pepper spraying the crowd on August 27.

August 27 was a relatively relaxed and celebratory day in the streets of Berkeley. Yet from the outside, national media outlets that had ignored the much uglier violence of April 15 painted it as a disturbing street battle between extremist gangs. The short-lived window of mainstream support for militant anti-fascism that had opened after the tragedy in Charlottesville was now closing. As long as anti-fascists were understood only as victims of white supremacist violence, liberals could support them. Yet as soon as those wearing black gained the upper hand, they were described as a threat to the status quo—potentially as dangerous as the Nazis themselves.

“The violent actions of people calling themselves antifa in Berkeley this weekend deserve unequivocal condemnation, and the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted,” read a quickly-issued statement from Democrat house minority leader Nancy Pelosi. “I think we should classify them as a gang,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin. “They come dressed in uniforms. They have weapons, almost like a militia and I think we need to think about that in terms of our law enforcement approach.”

However, the diverse coalition that had been forged over the summer stood its ground. “We have no regrets for how they left our city. We do not want white supremacists in our city,” said Pastor Michael McBride in a press conference on the steps of the old City Hall the following day. “We don’t apologize for any of it,” said Tur-Ha Ak of the Anti-Police Terror Project. “We have a right and an obligation to self-defense, period.” A declaration of victory published by the Catalyst Project stated that it was “hard to convey how meaningful it was, after Charlottesville, for a very disciplined group of antifa activists to offer protection to the crowd from both police and white supremacists.”

Within activist, left, and anarchist circles in the Bay Area, there was no infighting after August 27. The unprecedented levels of trust and coordination that had developed between various groups held firm. Compared with the intense sectarian conflict that followed the spectacular demonstrations of the Occupy movement and the various waves of anti-police rebellions in the Bay, the revolutionary solidarity of 2017 was unheard of. This was the real victory of the Battles of Berkeley.

Make Total Decomposition

Milo exits the stage escorted by his $800,000 police security detail on September 25

The emergent fascist social movement that had grown throughout the first half of 2017 was now in ruins. Anti-fascist victories in Charlottesville, Boston, and Berkeley had shattered reactionary dreams of a far-right popular movement coalescing in Trump’s first year. The various tendencies that had converged under the banner of the alt-right were running for cover and turning on each other.

In a desperate attempt to give a new lift to his falling star, Milo had been hyping his triumphant return to Berkeley for a so-called “Free Speech Week” from September 25-28 in collaboration with an offshoot of the College Republicans calling itself the Berkeley Patriot. Together, they promised days of provocative events on and around campus featuring far-right speakers including Ann Coulter, Blackwater founder Eric Prince, and even Steve Bannon. The anti-fascist coalition in the Bay braced for another wave of reactionary posturing and violence. On the eve of Free Speech Week, hundreds took to the streets of Berkeley as part of the No Hate in the Bay march. As the march ended without serious incident in a rally at Sproul Plaza, Chelsea Manning made a surprise speech in a show of support for anti-fascists.

Over the preceding days, signs of infighting among the organizers of Free Speech Week had become increasingly apparent as venues changed, plans were cancelled without explanation, and the media received contradictory messages from Milo’s PR team, student Republican leaders, and campus administrators. In the end, Free Speech Week fizzled completely, reinforcing the increasing irrelevance of Milo and the alt-lite. On Sunday, September 25, about 60 far-right activists and Milo fans stood in an empty Sproul Plaza listening to Milo talk for 20 minutes while waiting in line to get his autograph. They were surrounded by a massive militarized police presence that cost the university $800,000.

BAMN and the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) turned out about 100 counter demonstrators who made some noise outside the police perimeter. But most anti-fascists stayed away. Milo had already been beaten back in February and the fascist reaction to that victory had now also been overcome.

Within less than hour, it was all over and Milo fled the city once again. Small groups of alt-right activists who had flown in for Free Speech Week tried their best to build momentum throughout the rest of the week. One group stood outside the RCP’s Berkeley bookstore and banged on its windows. Another rallied outside the Black Student Union on campus. Joey Gibson and Patriot Prayer even held a small demonstration in People’s Park. Students organized a rally that Monday to protest the fascists’ presence on their campus; militant anti-fascists were on edge all week as they monitored each of these events. Yet none of this activity enabled the insurgent far right to reach critical mass again. Evaluated as publicity stunts, recruitment tools, and tactical advances, all the events surrounding Free Speech Week were pathetic failures. They were barely noticed and did nothing to change the balance of forces.

On October 12, alt-right and white supremacist sympathizers within the Berkeley College Republicans were deposed in an internal coup that gave more traditional conservatives more control of the student organization. Bitter infighting within the group continued throughout the rest of the semester, reflecting similar splits on the state level within College Republicans. Identity Evropa also faced unstable leadership following the collapse of the strategy of targeting liberal university enclaves, which they had pioneered on Berkeley campus in May 2016. Nathan Damigo resigned as IE’s leader on August 27 following his disastrous participation in the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. He was replaced by Elliott Kline, who was then replaced at the end of November by Patrick Casey. In an interview in which he announced his plans to move away from the damaged brand of the alt-right and to stop attempting to hold any kind of large public demonstrations, Casey stated, “We can’t go into these liberal areas and essentially repeat what happened with Unite the Right.” Reflecting on his movement’s shortcomings, the Daily Stormer’s Andrew Anglin admitted that “large rallies on public property, where we know there is going to be confrontation with antifa, are not a good idea.”

Meanwhile, in southern California, on October 21, former member of Kyle Chapman’s Fraternal Order of Alt Knights and fellow alt-lite leader Johnny Benitez accused Chapman of not being racist enough and personally profiting off of his “activism,” leading to a fist fight between the two men at the California Republican Party’s 2017 convention in the Anaheim Marriott. The next day, Chapman led a squad of Proud Boys to disrupt a Laguna Beach Benghazi rally organized by Benitez. Both men accused each other of being Federal informants and infiltrators. Fully 150 riot police were deployed to keep the quarreling factions apart. Later that week, Chapman found himself in yet another messy public split with Florida fascist August Invictus who had previously been FOAK’s second in command. The alt-right meltdown was in full swing.

The core leadership of the fascistic far right continued desperately attempting to regain all they had lost. Patriot Prayer returned to Berkeley yet again for another tiny and insignificant rally in People’s Park in November. In December, Kyle Chapman and a few others marched through San Francisco in an attempt to use the acquittal of the man charged with Kate Steinle’s death to protest the city’s “sanctuary city” status. Other far-right activists in Portland, Oregon, Austin, Texas, and elsewhere across the country attempted to use this same issue to mobilize the crowds that had stood beside them earlier in the year. Yet by December, their numbers were minuscule; in most cases, they found themselves overwhelmed by anti-fascist counterdemonstrations.

Nowhere was this clearer than in DC on December 3, when Richard Spencer, Matthew Heimbach of the Traditionalist Worker’s Party, former IE leader Elliott Kline, and other fascist leaders attempted to hold a rally. They were forced to cancel their march when less than 20 people showed up. They had failed to reignite the momentum that neo-Nazis and white supremacists rode on in 2016 and early 2017. By the end of the year, their movement was in total decomposition.

Solidarity Is Our Most Powerful Weapon

The August 27 black bloc marches in front of a sign printed and distributed by the city of Berkeley

The alt-right has been defeated. The convergence of fascist and white supremacist tendencies under this rebranded far-right umbrella has been successfully disrupted, cutting off the core leadership from the base of Trump supporters from which they sought to draw power. Militant anti-fascists who took action in Berkeley, Charlottesville, and dozens of other cities across the country should be proud of the role they played in achieving this victory.

It is important to emphasize that this was not accomplished through a militaristic application of force. During the darkest days of the spring, when the alt-right mobilizations in Berkeley were at their strongest, it was not certain that even the largest of contemporary black blocs could have defeated the array of fascistic forces prepared to do battle. What tipped the scales, ultimately leading to the Nazis’ downfall, was the strength of solidarity between various anarchist, left, and activist groups committed to combatting white supremacy, patriarchy, and fascism with a wide range of tactics. As anti-fascist networks expanded and grew increasingly resilient, the ideologically heterogeneous networks of the far right imploded. The alt-lite turned on the alt-right, the civic nationalists turned on the ethno-nationalists, the patriot militias turned on the neo-Nazis, and the average Trump supporter who had dabbled in this growing movement was left confused and demoralized.

Yet the struggle against fascist and reactionary forces in the United States during the Trump era is just beginning.

There is no going back to a time before the stabbings, doxxing, Pinochet shirts, Pepe memes, torch-lit marches, and murder. Movements struggling for collective liberation must remain hardened and ready to face down whatever future fascist mutations rear their ugly heads from the cesspool of the far right. This is especially true for the anarchist movement in the United States, as anarchists have stuck our necks out further than almost anyone else to combat the rise of the alt-right. We cannot lower our guard; comrades will have to continue prioritizing individual and community self-defense for the foreseeable future. Many of these radicalized fascists will seek to exploit future crises to jumpstart their movement-building in new and unexpected ways. Other far-right activists will likely attempt to gain positions of power within law enforcement and other security agencies. Lone wolf attacks and other manifestations of far-right violence will almost certainly continue.

So we must remain on high alert. But if the threat of an imminent far-right popular movement with a fascist vanguard continues to recede, the politics of militant antifascism can evolve. This is what happens when we win.

Anarchist projects and initiatives can once again set their sights on the foundations of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Some comrades can work to develop a revolutionary anti-fascist tendency that builds on the momentum of recent years. Others can take what they have learned from this sequence and refocus on advancing the struggles they have always been a part of.

Either way, anarchists and other militant antifascists are starting 2018 in a much more advantageous position than we held a year ago. The diverse networks of affinity and solidarity that turned the tide in 2017 will remain vital to the safety and resilience of everyone engaged in these dangerous activities.

At the same time, it must not be forgotten that fascists took advantage of the contradictions inherent in liberalism and the elitism of liberal enclaves to gain strength in 2016 and 2017. We must not water down anti-fascism via “popular front” politics until it becomes nothing more than a defense of liberal capitalism. We have to defend ourselves against co-optation as well as fascist agitation. The victories of 2017 have afforded us a brief opening to catch our breath and reaffirm the profoundly radical nature of our struggle for collective liberation. Imaginative revolutionaries must now lead new offensives on their own terms that bring us all closer to the world we wish to build.

Some Bay Area Antagonists January 2018

Taking the Park on August 27.

[agritecture]

Congressional Urban Agriculture Production Act could help eliminate urban food deserts and strengthen urban ag   

CONTENT SOURCED FROM URBAN AG NEWS

To date, little has been done at the federal level to help bolster urban agriculture in cities across the US. But with agriculture currently on the agenda as the next Farm Bill reauthorization quickly approaches, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) introduced the Urban Agriculture Production Act in September. This bipartisan bill aims to support nutritional and farmers’ market programs and help create the next generation of local, urban farmers and food producers. 

Kaptur was joined by 11 original cosponsors: Rep. John Conyers (MI-13), Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13), Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC-AL), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13), Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-02), Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) and Rep. Don Young (AK-AL). The bill is supported by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Farmers Market Coalition.

Congresswoman Kaptur (above) sat down with Urban Ag News to talk about the Urban Agriculture Production Act and the impact it could have on growers, local food retailers and urban communities.

UAN: What are the goals of the Urban Agriculture Production Act and why did you introduce the bill at this time?

Kaptur: The Urban Agriculture Production Act can serve as a marker for the next Farm Bill reauthorization. My key goals are to support small farmers and producers, work to eliminate food deserts and promote local agriculture in our nation’s metropolitan areas.

Across America, too many of our urban neighborhoods are absent of stores where community members can purchase fresh, healthy foods. There are more than 23 million individuals residing in these so-called “food desert” neighborhoods, where there are no stores within one mile in which they can buy healthy food. Without healthy options, people are forced to eat unhealthy, processed, junk food, because that is all that is available and affordable. This bill is a step to correct this unacceptable trend.

UAN: The term “urban agriculture” includes urban farms, hoop houses, aqua-culture, hydroponic and aquaponics facilities and rooftop, vertical and indoor farms. Would this also include new or existing commercial greenhouse growers who may be looking to set up production facilities in urban areas?

Kaptur: Certainly. But it is important to also note that new approaches to greenhouse growing should be re-imagined in order to manage energy and water systems through more efficient and renewable means. In urban communities like those I represent, resources are available and are waiting to be utilized. Vacant and blighted properties can be repurposed into productive sites with the installation of energy- and water-efficient commercial greenhouses. Waste heat from manufacturing operations can also be rechanneled to allow for an entirely new class of four-season growing.

Embracing such opportunities can empower new people through agriculture. Residents in urban areas could benefit from not only the jobs created, but also from the unique skills gained in food production and distribution processing.

UAN: How is the production of the food and its sales going to be coordinated? In other words, how are growers going to know that they have markets ready to handle their produce even before they grow the crops and retailers are going to be sure they have an adequate amount of produce to sell?

Kaptur: That is up to the growers, but ideally, we will have at least some venues, think farmers’ markets that are also empowered by the investments we’re making in this bill. From there, growers and producers can get a foot in the door to compete and succeed.

UAN: The Act directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an urban agriculture outreach program. Part of this program enables the Secretary to award grants. Would growers be eligible for these grants and what type of production and marketing activities/projects could these funds be used to finance?

Kaptur: That is one of the most exciting pieces of the legislation. Growers would be eligible for these grants. And the grants are for the following types of activities in urban or in and around urban areas:

Infrastructure, land acquisition and land conversation.

Education and training to enhance agricultural production.

The aggregation of farmer products and supplies for purposes of transportation to market.

Other activities that support urban agricultural production as determined by the Secretary of Agriclture.

UAN: Where would the money come from to operate the urban agriculture outreach program and who would oversee it?

Kaptur: Our bill authorizes Congress to allocate $50 million each year to the Department of Agriculture for the urban agriculture outreach program. It also creates an Urban Agricultural Liaison who would administer the program.

UAN: How much money will be available to initiate the urban agriculture outreach program and for how long would this funding be available? Does this amount of funding change from year to year and does it have to be appropriated annually?

Kaptur: $50 million is the amount authorized in our bill, starting in 2018 and each fiscal year thereafter. This authorizing amount does not change from year to year. We hope this money will eventually inspire other investment from businesses, nonprofits, churches and even local and state governments.

In my hometown of Toledo, for example, a local restaurant, Balance Pan-Asian Grille, is building an urban indoor aquaponics farm next door to their new location to grow the food that will be served every day. It is very exciting and ideally, our bill would help create more opportunities and the expertise for this to happen a lot more across the country.

UAN: Who will decide as to which production and marketing projects receive funding?

Kaptur: The Secretary of Agriculture will determine how the production and marketing funding is awarded based on the criteria set out the bill.

UAN: Some of these projects are eligible for grants and others are eligible for loans. Who will make the decision as to which projects receive which type of funding?

Kaptur: The Secretary of Agriculture, either as acting through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency or any other USDA agent who he deems appropriate, will make the determination.

UAN: With the mentality of the current administration and some legislators in Washington to cut spending, what do you think are the chances of this bill passing even though it has received bipartisan support?

Kaptur: That is why we are focused on incorporating as much of our urban agriculture bill into the upcoming Farm Bill. Though it won’t be easy, this legislation is a must-pass bill, and historically has always crossed the finish line.

UAN: Will the Urban Agriculture Production Act have any connection with the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill? If so, would funding the urban agriculture outreach program and its projects have any impact on funding other programs in the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill?

Kaptur: Well, we hope so. And I am confident that other Members of Congress from both rural and urban areas alike will see the value in spurring innovation and investing in our urban agriculture infrastructure.

CONTENT SOURCED FROM URBAN AG NEWS

Be sure to write or call your Senators and Congressional Representative to let them know that you support this legislation too!

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/01/08/theyre-not-fking-protesters-theyre-fking-terrorists-says-nba-star-on-us-capitol-insurrection/

'They're not f**king protesters, they're f**king terrorists,' says NBA star on US Capitol insurrection

The 30-year-old was speaking to reporters after his side lost to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and gave an impassioned response when asked about the DC riots.

“Stop describing those people the same way you describe someone who’s just standing there, and making a chant,” he said.

“Stop using the same word. It’s disrespectful. It’s ridiculous and it’s shameful to keep calling them protesters. They’re not f**king protesters, they’re f**king terrorists.”

On Wednesday, a large crowd of Trump supporters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol before fighting with police and breaking into the building.

The rioters stormed into one of the most hallowed US symbols of democracy, vandalizing the building along with congressional offices, as representatives and senators had to be protected and evacuated including Vice-President Mike Pence.

READ: ‘A blow to the heart,’ says LeBron after Jacob Blake latest

Many have since drawn comparisons between the police response on Wednesday to that of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.

The death of George Floyd prompted hundreds of protests in the US. In many cities, police met protesters with tear gas, violence and arrests.

During a protest in Washington DC last year, members of the DC National Guard, armed and wearing camouflage uniforms, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, as crowds of BLM demonstrators held a peaceful protest.

During Wednesday’s episode, the mob had already made it inside the Capitol before the DC National Guard was even activated.

Green says the difference in response shows the difficulties facing Black people in the US.

“To see the National Guard standing on those same steps when there was a peaceful protest and now to see a terrorist attack and no National Guard just goes to show you where this country is, where this country always has been, and probably where it’s going to stay,” he added.

“I’ve seen a lot of things of ‘Shoot them like we would’ve been shot.’ I don’t think that’s the right thing to do either. I think ‘Stop shooting us,’ I think that’s more the battle cry.”

US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund announced he is resigning from his post following the attack, saying on Thursday that Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers were “actively attacked” with metal pipes and other weapons. Five people have died as a result of the riot so far, including one US Capitol police officer. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal.

“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.,” Sund said in his resignation announcement.

“Maintaining public safety in an open environment — specifically for First Amendment activities — has long been a challenge,” he said.

Still, lawmakers say they are perplexed at the lack of preparedness among law enforcement given that it had been known for weeks that President Trump was promoting a rally he said was aimed at preventing the certification of Joe Biden’s win.

READ: Baseball star Maxwell took a knee and then his life unraveled in Trump’s America

Green, who has consistently used his platform to fight for equality, says the disparity between attitudes was highlighted further by the decision to not charge officers in the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced Tuesday that “no Kenosha law enforcement officer in this case will be charged with any criminal offense based on the facts and laws.

Rusten Sheskey, a White officer, shot Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back while responding to a domestic incident on August 23, 2020. Blake survived the shooting but was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Officer Sheskey told investigators that he used deadly force during the chaotic encounter because he was afraid Blake, while attempting to flee the scene, was trying to kidnap a child in the back seat of the vehicle.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice had said Blake had a knife in his possession and the weapon was found on the floorboard of his vehicle. Blake himself told authorities he possessed a knife, Graveley said.

“Ironically, the news that’s come out of Kenosha and these places within the same 24-hour span as that [DC riot] happens, and then you kind of see that and it’s just like a slap in the face and almost a ‘F**k you’ to every Black person in America who goes through these things,” Green said.

“It’s almost like they want to show you that they have power and want to show you that [they] can say ‘F**k you’ and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“It just goes to show the policing system was built against Black and brown people and that’s the reason those reactions are different.

“That’s the reason someone can walk or run, or bust their way through […] into the Speaker of the House office and put their feet on the desk like they’re sitting at home on her couch and nothing happens.”

Source

[cooldavidkentposts]

Biomethane efficiency must be maximised

The recent announcement that Sydney’s Malabar Wastewater Treatment Plant will produce biomethane to power up to 24,000 homes is great news, as is the potential for New South Wales to utilise enough biogas to supply 1.4 million homes. However, the secret to maximising the greenhouse gas savings from any renewable energy project is to maximise efficiency at every stage of the process. In the case of anaerobic digestion (AD, the process that generates biogas), this includes maximising the efficient use of the high-quality digestate biofertiliser produced during the AD process, as well as maximising biogas production.

The Malabar Biomethane Injection Project has received considerable coverage in the regional and environmental press, but one thing that none of the published stories mention is the fact that AD creates a valuable organic fertiliser that also offers environmental benefits compared with synthetic fertilisers. However, a key issue the industry is facing is the perception of digestate and how it will be classified to avoid hazardous substance ratings.

By adding organic matter, digestate improves soil health and, with long-term use, this can increase the ability of soils to sequester carbon. Using digestate to fertilise soils also reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers.

HRS Heat Exchangers provides two systems specifically aimed at improving the efficiency of digestate production and maximising its value in nutritional and economic terms.

Digestate concentration

The HRS DCS uses patented technology to remove up to 80% of the water contained in the liquid fraction and concentrates it to 20% dry solids while, at the same time, maximising the nutrient content, using heat from the AD plant’s CHP engine. Less water also means reduced road and field traffic, bringing further benefits in terms of reduced compaction caused by the application of the digestate to land.

The first part of the DCS process involves heating the liquid digestate in heat exchangers so that minimal additional water and energy is required, as the surplus water from the plant’s CHP engine is used as the heating media. The steam produced from this first cycle is then used as the heating media for the second effect, whereby the process is repeated with further cycles. The DCS is virtually self-sufficient — minimal energy or water is bought in, nothing is wasted and the surplus energy from the CHP is re-used up to four times.

Another benefit of the DCS is odour control, which helps increase the nutrient content of the digestate. The high temperatures needed to concentrate digestate can cause the release of ammonia, largely responsible for the odours associated with digestate. However, the DCS overcomes this by acid-dosing the digestate with sulfuric acid, thereby decreasing the pH levels. This turns the ammonia into ammonium sulfate, which is not only less odorous, but is also an ideal nutrient.

Digestate pasteurisation

To prevent the spread of potential pathogens that may be present in wastewater, either the feedstock or the digestate should be treated appropriately, with pasteurisation being a tried and tested technique across the world.

One of the most energy-efficient, and therefore cost-efficient, methods to pasteurise digestate is the HRS Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS), which is based on heat exchangers rather than tanks with heating jackets. Using heat exchangers means that effective digestate pasteurisation is possible using surplus heat while allowing additional thermal regeneration levels of up to 60%. This saved heat can then be used for other processes, such as evaporation of the digestate to remove water.

The standard three-tank DPS provides continuous pasteurisation, with one tank being pasteurised while one is filling and another being emptied. The HRS pasteuriser uses a double-tube heat exchanger to heat the digestate to 75°C above the required pasteurisation temperature. This allows for variation in the sludge consistency and its incoming temperature, making sure that the digestate is always properly pasteurised. The tanks can also be used individually to allow for routine maintenance.

The DPS and DCS are examples of several systems that HRS produces to improve the efficiency and sustainability of biogas plants and the AD process, with other examples including systems to dry biogas and recover waste heat from exhaust systems. Making biogas plants as efficient as possible will not only increase the environmental benefits they provide but will also improve economic returns for developers and operators, helping to increase the deployment of this vital technology.

Managing Director of HRS Heat Exchangers Chris Little.

Top image caption: The HRS Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS) can produce energy savings of 70% compared with other digestate treatment technologies. Credit: HRS Heat Exchangers.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/article/biomethane-efficiency-must-be-maximised-941538566

from WordPress https://davidkent.home.blog/2020/12/21/biomethane-efficiency-must-be-maximised/

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by John Hertig on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: This is the second of a two-part article on silencers by John Hertig. Part 1 was posted yesterday and provides valuable information that you should know before making any decisions. And don’t forget to vote in our current Prepper Journal Writing Contest!

So Should You Get a Suppressor?

The primary advantage to a suppressor is that it reduces the sound level of each shot so as to cause less hearing damage and annoyance to others.  Using a suppressor in conjunction with hearing protection can make long, indoor shooting sessions more hearing safe and pleasant.  And reduces the hearing damage from a few indoor shots without hearing protection.  Perhaps the greatest benefit would be in hunting, where you would not need to wear hearing protection, and would have less noise to annoy the game or other people.  But there are other benefits as well.  Suppressors tend to reduce recoil, which makes the weapon easier and more pleasant to shoot, and significantly reduce muzzle blast, which can negatively affect both the shooter and those close by.  If you are shooting from the prone position, reduced muzzle blast means reduced dust problems.

And suppressors also reduce muzzle flash, which helps preserve your vision when shooting in low light.  Finally, some suppressors can change the sound of the shot so that in addition to being less loud, it is less “sharp” as well.  In Europe, suppressors are not overly regulated, and at some shooting ranges, are required equipment.

But there are negative factors, as you might expect because relatively few shooters (in the USA) have suppressors.

A major downside is that commercially made suppressors are expensive.  Because of the bureaucratic nonsense involved in getting one, the market is limited, and with the extra taxes and fees which manufacturers need to pay, they have to charge a high price to cover costs and research, which further limits the market.  A center fire rifle caliber suppressor itself will probably have a list price of $600 to $1,600.  Then there is the $200 tax and any dealer fees, and if you go that way, Trust costs.  Of course, you can cut the cost significantly by making your own suppressor; you still have to go through the bureaucratic hoops and pay the $200 tax, but any other costs are just parts and your (only you, by law) labor.  This could be under $30 dollars.  It used to be popular to sell a device which screws onto your barrel and accepts an empty two liter pop bottle.  It did not work all that well and the bottle quickly self-destructed, but it could be “enhanced” to make it work better.  I’ve also heard of a similar adapter which allows screwing on an oil filter, but I have no idea how well it works.  I’m surprised you can still get those adapters these days, but I found one place right off the bat which claims to sell them for $25 or so.  It would not be legal to add the pop bottle and put it on (or even keep it ‘near’) the gun without the tax stamp, and I think it likely would be risky (without a legal alternate use) to even possess the adapter without the tax stamp.  It probably would be better to go ahead and make a “real” suppressor as the performance would be better, it would be more durable, and the temptation to do without the tax stamp would be less.  And that would make the higher cost worthwhile.

Once you receive the suppressor, you have to be careful to treat it as required by law, including if you ever want to get rid of it.  This is one area where failing to dot all the “i”s and cross all the “t”s can have a seriously unhappy ending.  For most NFA items, you are supposed to write the BATFE if you are going to take it out of your state, but it appears that is not necessary for short term jaunts with just a suppressor. Then again, who’s definition of “short term” applies?

Many suppressors force gas back through the ejection port due to “back pressure”, which is a source of noise and will bother your eyes (unless you are smart enough to be wearing protective glasses), as well as dirty the magazine and any rounds remaining in it.  And if the suppressor screws on, some can unscrew themselves during use.  Better ones either have a locking mechanism or tighten as you fire them.  Some affect the point of aim; others not so much.

If you don’t want to mess with the BATFE or laws about suppressors, but do want to play with them, there is an interesting alternative.  Because black powder muzzle loading weapons are considered “antiques” by the BATFE and thus not under their control, at least one company will sell, through the mail, without any tax or paperwork, a black powder rifle with integrated sound reduction device.  Since it is integrated (cannot be removed and attached to a modern firearm), it is not considered a suppressor by the BATFE.  Of course, California, New Jersey and Massachusetts are raising a fuss, so if you live there, you can’t get one currently.  Illinois, New York and DC make you go through a FFL to get one, but seem to allow it currently.

(Editor’s Note: I have one and have fired it. The integrated “modifier” is a series of baffle chambers, like all suppressors, and this black powder rifle, in .50 cal, uses no wad as the wad residue will collect in the modifier and diminish its performance over time. The rounds are designed to sit on top of the compacted black powder with a cavity that is filled with the black powder when rammed home. NOT paying the $200 tax stamp and NOT doing all the required extra paperwork still brings a smile to my face.)

If cost is a problem, 22LR suppressors appear to be the least expensive option, with a list price of $200 to $500.  Or occasionally you’ll find a “1/2 price” or better sale online.  And keep an eye on the small companies; some of them are innovating like mad.  A Texas company, rebelsilencers.com have “tubeless” suppressors, which mean the length (and thus the degree of quieting) can be easily changed.  .22LR for $150 and .30 (good for any .30 caliber up to 300 Win Mag and any smaller caliber) for $300.  And blackacestactical.com has the “Po Boy” line of rifle silencers for $199 each.

The Hearing Protection Act

There was a bill in Congress to remove suppressors from the NFA controls, allowing you to buy one exactly the same as buying a “regular” gun.  This bill seemed to have had a pretty good chance, being good for people’s hearing and the environment and there being insignificant history of people using silencers in crimes.  This bill died due to the Las Vegas shooting even though there was no suppressor involved directly or indirectly in that incident, since it was felt any pro-gun legislation would cause consternation amongst the feeble minded.  Never mind the angst which anti-gun legislation would force on legal gun owners.

My Investigation

The costs of suppressors and annoyance of dealing with the BATFE have dissuaded me from getting a suppressor in the past, but then I got an offer from a place which was selling a major brand at half price.  Apparently it was more the cost than the bureaucracy, and also the latest technology quickly fastens to and releases from the muzzle break rather than screwing on, so requires less fumbling and the gun does not look weird or have easily damaged threads when the suppressor is not installed.  This was enough to tempt me, but before I got all my ducks in a row, they sold out.  Thus, I decided to do in advance what I can so if I ever come across a deal like that again, I will be able to jump on it fast enough to take advantage.

First I went to a dealer I knew of right around the corner from me.  The sign said they were closed, and looking through the windows, they looked really, really closed.  This brings up an interesting point.  What if the dealer who is holding your suppressor goes out of business or loses his license?  It would likely be difficult to resolve; some people claim you own the silencer because you paid for it (keep your receipt!) and others claim that the store owns it because it has not been transferred to you yet (so you are just another creditor of the store).  Fortunately, I knew of another place (big, with a long history) a few miles away.  I got to fondle a few silencers; some of them were fairly heavy.  The guy was able to answer my questions.  Their transfer fee was $100, which included them filling out all the forms and taking the fingerprints and sending them where they need to go; there was no charge for these services if the suppressor was purchased from them.  All I would need would be the two passport style photographs (like from Walgreens) and, if a Trust were used, two copies of the Trust document.

The fellow brought up an interesting point; .30 caliber suppressors actually work pretty good on a 5.56 as well.  Neat; you can have one (heavy duty) suppressor and use it on all center fire rifles between .22 and .30 caliber.

Next I went looking for a Trust.  I didn’t really find a local gun lawyer advertised who inspired confidence.  I did find a Trust online which appears to be head and shoulders above the rest, and overcomes some of the problems with a “standard” NFA trust.  This Trust is by Jim Willi, one of the top gun trust attorneys in Texas, and I could find only positive comments about him and his Trust.  I could not understand how it could do what it says it can, so sent them an email.  I actually got a call from Mr. Willi himself, who explained how it meets the letter of the new NFA regulations encouraged by a President Obama Executive Order.  On the minus side of the new rules, the Trustees of the Trust now have to submit personal data, picture and fingerprints to the BATFE, but on the plus side, you don’t need CLEO approval any more, so your transfer can’t be blocked without cause (some CLEOs have been known to blanket refuse approval).  It is still more involved than I hoped for, but much easier than I feared.  Normally $130, it was on sale for $100.  Before buying this (or probably any) Trust, make sure you have the full legal name of all the people who will be listed in the document, your own (hopefully), at least one Successor Trustee and at least one Primary Beneficiary.  Including Secondary Beneficiaries might be a good idea in case all Primary Beneficiaries are unable to be used due to death, refusal or ineligibility.  None of these people will have access to the suppressor until you die, so they don’t need to provide any information to the BATFE, sign the trust document, or even know they are listed in the Trust.  You can also specify Co-Trustees in the original Trust, but then they will also have to send personal information, photo and fingerprints to the BATFE because they do have access to the suppressor.  Plus, they must all sign the Trust document with you, in the presence of a notary, and removing them requires the Trust to be amended.  It is easier to add or remove Co-Trustees in a separate document, and if they are added after the transfer is approved, they don’t need to submit anything to the BATFE until the next transfer is requested.  You can add non-NFA guns to the Trust, which would also remove them from probate and public records, and would be useful if you ever decided to convert a regular gun to a NFA configuration.  It might also be useful if some of the upcoming “assault weapon” legislation passes.

Now I should be ready for any future suppressor bargains.  At any future time, I can:

1) Find a desired suppressor online or at a dealer

2) Make sure the dealer (still) does transfers for a reasonable price

3) Pay for the suppressor or order it to be sent to the dealer.

4) Have the dealer fill out the NFA paper work; I sign each copy and pay any fees and provide the $200 for the tax stamp

5) Provide two copies of the Trust document and passport style photos; They take my fingerprints

6) Wait for the tax stamp to be returned (per a call from the dealer)

7) Fill out form 4473

8) Take the suppressor home

9) Add Co-Trustees as desired (tax stamp should be approved before adding new Trustees but Trustees MUST be added before they have access to the suppressor)

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Considerations For Downsizing

  Recently at a party, I had the pleasure of chatting with a good friend whom I wish I could see more often. He mentioned that he plans to move from Virginia to Maryland; primarily to be closer to the family. The move also aims to downsize to a smaller home than his current residence.   He currently lives in a large single family home in Loudoun County, one of the top 10 best counties to live in the United States. He’d like to move into Howard County, also one of the top 10 best counties to live in the United States. Even though he plans to downsize, he’s finding that home prices in Howard County are generally more expensive than Loudon County. So what gives?   Well, there is a huge supply in Loudoun County as compared with Howard County. Many parts of the county have been developed recently, that is over the past 20 years, whereas Howard County, you could say is more of at a maturity stage and land for sale or building is scarce.   We all know the laws of supply and demand.  I like the way Investopedia breaks it down: “the correlation between price and how much of a good or service is supplied to the market is known as the supply relationship. Price, therefore, is a reflection of supply and demand.”   Since Howard County is more in demand because the supply is low, the prices are higher, especially in certain sub-sections. This presents a challenge and thus a consideration, yes, in downsizing.    

Downsizing Itself Is Almost A Slam Dunk

  The major expenses we incur month in and month out are usually housing, transportation, and food. Housing is number In fact-fact, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, housing costs account for over 33% of annual average expenditures. More so, for low income families, housing costs account for over 40% of their income!  

    Needless to say, if you’re  starting the exercise to try and cut cost, the first place to look is the housing expense line.    

Downsizing Is About Location Location Location

  If you plan to downsize, your destinaation location is a big consideration. A 2,000 square foot home in a rural area could be the same or even less than a 600 square foot apartment in the heart of a major city like Manhattan. Property Management, Inc. notes that a two-bedroom apartment in NYC is almost $3,500. I have double the rooms and my mortgage is just a bit over half of this amount.   It’s important to find the right balance between exchanging for lesser square footage with stuff to fill it with and more in conveneince, free time, and cash in your pocket.   Sometimes people will downsize just 15-20 minutes away to stay close to the places and people they regularly like to visit. If you live in a busy suburb, this is a great option which provides lots of flexibility. That 15-20 minute difference in location could amount to a difference of a hundred thousand dollars or more in savings.  But it can go either way; I can leave my home and drive 15-20 minutes in two different directions and see significant price increases and decreases for the same square footage of space.    

Reasons To Downsize

  It’s important to understand the reasons for downsizing. Putting together a framework and calculating out the savings in time and money can propel you to move forward with excitement and eagerness. The reasons for downsizing could be one of more of the following:   Reduce mortgage/rent payment Reduce property tax Reduce utility bills Reduce clutter/items in your home Reduce home maintenance (e.g., mowing the lawn and other yardwork, home cleaning, repairs and basic upkeep) Get rid of your car(s)(elimation of gas, car insurance, registration and even car payments if you have them) and walk everywhere   And here are some out-of-the-box reasons for downsizing which should be considered:   You may become healthier. You may have an excuse to get out of a smaller home and enjoy the outdoors more. You may develop a hobby of biking or hiking at local parks and trails.   You may find yourself with no reason to have to go to a store and buy stuff for your home. A lot of times when we see an empty space in our home, we feel the need to fill it with something, anything. With a smaller home, it’s more about function and convenience. You come to realize that you don’t really need or even want extra decorative stuff that just stands or sits or hangs.   You may become more social. When you downsize, especially to a condo building, chances are you’ll run into the same people over and and over again. This can be used as an opportunity to build relationships with your neighbors. We’re a social being and part of us needs that. Use your smaller home as leverage to widen your network of friends.   When you have an idea of what you hope to accomplish, you can basically work backwards. You can take those reasons as a checklist and use them as your criteira to find the right property to accomplish your downsizing goal.  And don’t forget that a reduction in costs can lead to opportunites for savings and investment. It may even help you retire years earlier!    

Don’t Let A Downsize Of Space Lead To Upsize Fees

  If you downsize to a condo or apartment complex, there could be fees assocaited with the maintenance that is perfomred by the property management folks.   Within the upscale towns of Montgomery County Maryland, for example, condo fees could range from $500 to over $1,000 per month and are even more in Washington DC. So in a way, you could end up right back where you started, except this time with the lesser square footage.   Condo fees generally cover the maintaance of the condo building itself and exterior landscaping along with the use of facilties witin the condo such as a gym. It’s important to consider the condo fees and if these resrouces, such as a gym are already available to you, let’s say at your workplace.   Downsizing is a big change in lifestyel and in personal finance. It’s important to take your time and consider all the financail and non-financial factors at play so that you can make an informed deicsion with support to back it up.     Your Thoughts: Do you have plans to downsize in the future? If so, what aspects are important for you? Have you downsized recently? Did you face any challenges and how have you adjusted to your living situation as a result? Has downsizing increased your expenses elsewhere?     ____________________________________________________________________________

  I use because (1) it’s free, (2) it tracks all of my accounts and overall net worth, (3) my account balances automatically update, (4) it shows how my investments are diversified and allocated in various sectors, and (5) can use built-in tools like “Investment Checkup” to get….wait for it…free personalized advice!       Read the full article

[longevity-inc]

Arc Welding – Its Types, Benefits and Applications

Arc welding is the type of welding that utilizes a welding power supply to join metals by creating an electric arc. It creates an electric arc between an electrode and the metal base by using either consumable or non-consumable electrodes or direct current (DC) or alternate current (AC). This welding process can be manual, semi-automatic or fully automated. In this process, the welding area is protected from atmospheric contaminations by a shielding gas, vapors or slag.

Various benefits of Arc welding:

• High welding efficiency and speed • Produces consistent quality welds • Reduces production costs • Faster cycle rates and reliable process • Better welding environment • Welding equipment used is simple and easily portable • Power source utilized is not so expensive

Applications of arc welding:

Arc welding is highly versatile and the most widely used process. Arc Welders are widely used in manufacturing industry, automotive industries, construction industries, aerospace industries, ship building industries and in repair works. It is a simple welding process with good efficiency. 

Types of arc welding:

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW)

GMAW is also known as MIG welding. It is a simple, versatile and cost-effective process. In this process, a shielding gas is used such as argon or helium or even a mixture of both. It is used to weld thin metals and the temperatures are usually low.  

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)

It is also referred as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. In this welding process, a non-consumable tungsten electrode is used for welding the metal and a shielding gas is also used such as argon, helium or a mixture of these two. It is used for welding thin sheet metals and the composition of filler wires is almost similar to the metal being welded.    

Plasma arc welding

Plasma arc welding is similar to gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). In this welding process, the electrode is located within the torch of plasma arc and it gets converted into plasma at very high temperatures. The plasma is extremely hot and is aimed at the welding area. It has a high welding speed and produces narrow and deep welds. 

Carbon arc welding (CAW)

The carbon arc welding (CAW) is the oldest type of arc welding process. This welding process mainly utilizes a carbon electrode for welding the metal joints. It requires low voltage and high electric current for generating the arc.

Shielded metal arc welding

This is one of the oldest, simplest and most versatile welding processes. In this welding process, the arc comes out of the coated electrode tip that touches the work piece and then withdraws to maintain the arc. The heat generated melts the tip and the base metal from which the weld is formed when it solidifies. In this process, slag is generated that protects the weld from oxidation. It is mainly used in pipeline, construction and shipbuilding industries. 

Submerged arc welding (SAW)

The submerged arc welding (SAW) has a granular coating of flux in which an electrode is completely submerged. This flux acts like an electric conductor which doesn’t oppose the electric current. It is only used for horizontal welds and is used for high speed sheet or plate sheet welding. This welding process provides 4 to 10 times more productivity in comparison to shielded metal arc welding. 

Whatever your welding requirements are, you can buy high quality welding equipment from a leading manufacturer in the industry like Longevity-inc. They offer one of the best warranties in the industry, and provide their clients with an opportunity to enjoy Longevity Welding and Cutting equipment with the comfort of knowing that their machine is safe for both parts and labor. Their welding equipment is formed using the latest inverter welding technology as the main power source in their machines allow for powerful performance. 

Give their welding equipment a try and join the Longevity family which has been trusted by welding enthusiasts and professionals for years.