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clockworksalsa · 5 years ago

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Duck doesn’t know what to do.

Not that he’s ever known a goddamn thing about what to do and when to do it his entire life. It’s a vastly different not-knowing, though, without the feeling of a set path underfoot, like a well-worn trail through the thickest of forests. Whatever choices he wound up making, the curves followed him, not the other way around, and he always ended up right where he needed to be, every time, until...

Well, he won’t say he misses it, exactly, the destiny business and the asshole sword, the alien planets and interstellar wars, but he does miss the sense of purpose. He has to fill up the newly vacant spot in his life, with something or other, he guesses. His schedule is wide open, and he’s a little embarrassed that Aubrey and Thacker get right to work fixing up Sylvain, according to Mama, “doin’ a damn good job of it too”. In his opinion, he made off with the short stick- those two are off just now coming into what they’re meant to be, and he’s already ticked that off the ol’ bucket list. It’s a blessing and a curse.

For years, he’s rebelled against his calling, longing to rest, but now there’s no resistance. The future is yielding to him, now, warm clay ready to be molded, but Duck hasn’t the first clue what to make of it. Even his forestry job, so near and dear to his heart, seems not to need him, like he no longer fits the mold he’d carved away in his quest for normalcy. The park’s quiet- local campers are a lot more reticent to goof off in the woods with the knowledge that Bigfoot himself is right up the road, and that kind of caution gets passed to any who pass through. It’s as green and verdant as ever out there, like the Earth is breathing a tremendous sigh of relief at not being totally annihilated, and Duck is as always captivated and wondrous of the nature he protects, but it feels like he’s missing something vital. He’s frozen, at a crossroads, for the first time in his life, he gets to choose what happens next. And in the meantime, he keeps going through the motions.

Until one night, when he’s channel surfing, sprawled on the couch with the cat on his lap, when he sees that the Amazon is burning. Something buzzes in his rib cage, adrenaline spiking in his gut, a familiar feeling with a slightly different flavor, and oh, yes, he can work with this. He calls up Juno first, figures she’d want to know where he’s hightailing it to, maybe even tell him he’s batshit crazy, but to his immense surprise she offers to join him. He heard about what she did that night, when the Quell came for Kepler, and he wonders if she’s been missing that feeling too, the feeling of being a hero, as he agrees to drag her all the way to fucking Brazil on a whim.

No, Duck doesn’t miss the battles, the training, the immense responsibility of being Chosen, but he figures, hell, there’s plenty more than one way to be a hero. It’s a fight of a different kind, but a fight nonetheless- and that’s how he pitches it to Minerva.

The giantess of a woman is standing in his kitchen, carefully working the coffee maker like he taught her. She’s picked up lots of things in bouncing around between her chosen ones, but by and large she spends most of her time with him. He wrestles with how to tell her he’s leaving as she pours two cups, black for both of them (only because he’s out of sugar and creamer). He doesn’t know how she’ll take the news, that’s he’s leaving. He also doesn’t know why it matters so much, why he’s worried about what she’ll get up to without him, and how he’ll function without her constant, reassuring presence, even if he couldn’t stand it for a good few years.

And, yeah, shit, he’s spent the last 20 years of his life running from her, hasn’t he, so why now is he overcome with this... anxiety? It’s not like he’ll never see her again— an echo of the loss he felt when their connection got severed stabs into him, cold and miserable. He can tell himself it’s because he became weaker, got un-chosen, all he likes, but damn, he’d missed Minerva. Despite her hounding him nonstop, his respect for her had only grown, exponentially so since he’d joined the Pine Guard, and started coming into his destiny. She’d trusted him with this responsibility, and in return, he’d trusted her to teach him how to use it. He wouldn’t be the man he is today without her- and hell, he probably wouldn’t even be here at all.

Ah, shit. He notices that she’s talking to him when he feels the warmth of the mug being pressed into his hands, and he catches, “...alright, Wayne Newton?”

It’s still so weird to hear his name played out like that, in her particular cadence, and without a trace of mockery. Perks of having alien friends, he guesses. He much prefers Duck, but he thinks Minerva takes pride in the fact she’s the only one who gets this privilege, so he lets it slide. Hell, she’s more than earned it, putting up with his bullshit over the years. She’s earned honesty, not that he’s much of a liar. He blows out a sigh, and decides with all of his chosen-one courage to just bite the bullet and get it over with.

“Minerva, I’ve been thinkin’,” he starts, voice low and gravelly. It’s too loud in his ears, and his gut twists, “me n’ Juno are gonna head out to do some good down in the Amazon rainforests. Fightin’ fires and doin’ restoration work, and, man, they could really use the help, seems like. Brazil. It’s, uh, south of here. Way south.”

Minerva tilts her painted head. She looks almost... pleased, like she’d known he’d been looking for something to do, something more. She knows him too well. She claps a heavy hand on his shoulder and squeezes, just shy of painful. Yeah, yeah, she’s proud, but it feels hollow, especially when she says, “I see. A worthy endeavor! And how long will this new mission last, Wayne Newton? A few weeks? Months?”

“Well, see, that’s the thing,” Duck says, haltingly, “we don’t know. There’s, lots to do, and I don’t— I probably wouldn’t come back. To Kepler. Well, to visit, sure, but I’d imagine that, uh, once I get all set up over there, I won’t be, you know, back back.”

Minerva’s hand slips from his shoulder, joining her other clasped around her mug. She eyes her coffee, lips pursed, thinking, mulling it over- she’s so easy to read, now that he can actually see her face, her strong, expressive features. She doesn’t... deflate, exactly, but her natural exuberance seems to dim somewhat. She doesn’t look upset, at least, not that he expected her to pitch a fit, but maybe it stings a little that she isn’t protesting him moving miles and miles away. Why would she? Whatever his sudden hangups are, she’s still got Leo and Dr. Drake, plus all the Amnesty folk. He’s given her what she’s asked of him, done his part, and now, she’s well within her right to move on. They both are. Right?

“Alright, Duck Newton,” she shrugs, likely coming to the same conclusion, and takes a huge swig of her still-boiling coffee. Duck sips at his own, and wonders if that’s it, then. They spend the day watching old sitcoms together, a cushion apart on the couch, and Duck wonders.

It’s about two weeks after that, and Duck still hasn’t left yet. He’s really underestimated the work it takes to uproot oneself from 40 years of staying in one place, stagnant.

He and Juno are in the process of seeing about a transfer over to a similar station a ways out from the forest itself, a place to set up camp as it were, a sort of jumping off point for their new lives. He’s also been brushing up on his Spanish in Duolingo, but it’s so hard to keep up with that shit, he mostly plans on coasting with his high-school level knowledge of the language. He’s sure it’ll be fine. He’s been busy, thinking about what to pack, and what to leave to his friends in Kepler, plans in place for if- when, when, they get the gate fixed, making sure all the paperwork is in order for transferring his lease, what he’s gonna do with his cat—

And, right. That’s why he’s out with Minerva at the moment, doing some pithy grocery shopping. Duck’s always been pretty bad at it- it’s not like he’s had to really try to keep in shape, he can usually just eat whatever’s on sale from week to week, takeout if he’s feeling particularly lazy. No, mostly, he’s walking Minerva through the task, subtly preparing her for the responsibility of moving in to his apartment, and keeping up with his routines. That’s his grand plan— he ain’t gotta worry about her if he knows she’s all set up somewhere familiar, roof over her head, a solid schedule, cat to keep her company. She’ll be good without him here, which is his intention, and why that still bothers him, he doesn’t know. Not that he doesn’t trust the other Chosen Ones to look out for her; he just thought that, maybe, doing this for her, for his peace of mind, would make the thought of leaving her more bearable.

It doesn’t.

They’re hefting in the groceries, and he shows Minerva where everything goes, the cat brushing at their ankles because she knows that groceries mean it’s just about feeding time. He tries to make a joke about it to Minerva, but it’s like his voice gets stuck in his throat. He feels sick, almost worse than before he planned this little scheme, and it must show on his face, because Minerva blocks the doorway before he can dive back out to get the last of the goods. She takes up the entire frame, arms crossed, a stubborn wall of muscle, and he knows it’s pointless trying to wrestle by her.

“Duck Newton,” she booms, a warning in her tone. “You are positively green. Have you fallen ill? Do you require medical attention?”

“There’s frozen shit in the car, Minerva, come on,” Duck tries, weakly, but she arches one eyebrow and stands firm, only budging to lay the back of her deeply tanned hand against his forehead. If anything, he’s clammy, so her touch is warm, and something has him jolting back, deeper into the apartment.

She remains poised with her hand held up in the open air for a few seconds, before letting it fall as a fist at her side. She narrows her eyes, grounds out, “what was the purpose of this grocery expedition, Duck Newton? Are you keeping something from me?”

Duck feels his heart pounding in his ears, louder than her accusation. He’s a shit liar, he knows this, knows he can’t smooth this over with any hemming and hawing, so, “I want you to have my apartment,” he blurts, and while perfectly sufficient, great, yup, that’s it, he tacks on anyway, “I want to know you’ll be ok, while I’m gone.”

She tenses up, just a touch, but he notices. God, he’s so stupid. Minerva is brashly independent; a warrior like her would probably be offended by being coddled. He could’ve just left it at the first bit, been all practical about it, but then he had to go on and get mushy- but, then, she smiles, and shakes her head. Her eyes, though, are unreadable. “I am flattered, Duck Newton. I shall gladly accept this charge.”

He breathes a heavy sigh of relief, glad to have that over and done with, but the knot that’s formed in his stomach doesn’t dissipate. If anything, it coils tighter. He speaks through the lump in his throat, “well, alright then. I sure do appreciate it. You’ve always got my back, Minerva.”

It comes out far more tender than he anticipated, and he feels that there’s something else trying to push through, behind the words. His mind rails against the thought, panic blooming fresh in his chest, and he mentally stamps it down as Minerva steps out into hall, gesturing for him to follow suit.

It’s bittersweet, somehow, when Minerva sighs as he passes by her, breath fanning his spectacular hat- tousled hair, “of course. That is what friends are for.”

It’s four weeks after that that Duck and Juno feel just about ready to leave. Ready, in the sense of being physically prepared, packed, locked and loaded, itching to get out there and do some good. Mentally, though, Duck’s hit a roadblock. He can’t speak to what Juno’s mind is on, of course, so she might be 100% raring to go, but Duck keeps circling back around to just plain not wanting to leave Minerva here in Kepler.

For so long, they’ve been a kind of package deal. It’s not that he doesn’t want to go to Brazil, he totally does, it excites him, he just— it doesn’t feel right, without being with her. Yeah, yeah, there’s no more fighting to do, and thank God for that, but- but maybe, maybe, they’re allowed to exist outside of that, together. They’ve become more than just, mentor and mentee, at this point. Maybe maybe, they can just be.

Duck drags a hand down the side of his face, exasperated. What, is he gonna start doodlin’ little hearts with D+M in ‘em? Fuckin’ embarrassing. So, he’s got some schoolyard crush on Minerva now? He guesses? He ignores the part of his brain that tells him it’s more than that, that Minerva has always pushed him to want more and be more, and that this is no exception. No. He puts his foot down. Minerva is, arguably, his best friend, his trusted advisor. They’ve been through thick and thin— he’d do just about anything for her, he thinks, and in return she’s trusted him with more than he deserves, in his opinion. He’s sure that this is just some last ditch effort to hold onto her, selfishly. She’s allowed to live her own life, now that she’s got the opportunity. He doesn’t get to claim her, keep her close, when she’d been shackled to him out of mere necessity.

See, the more he talks through it with himself, the more he can see that it’s better for them, to go their separate ways. His hero days are over, and it’s not fair to ask her to stay. He can see that, clearly, but then he circles right back to the ache in his heart, the big, beefy hole it would make if he tried to cut Minerva out of it. He lays awake with these thoughts, and aches.

They’re over at Leo’s. They all brought something, ate dinner together, the Chosens and their guide, washed the dishes and put them away. A last hurrah, for Duck, and for the steady peace that they’ve finally settled into. The doctor is the first to go; she says something or other about being on the verge of a breakthrough, ambition burning in her eyes, and excuses herself, giving Duck an awkward hug and some final well-wishes. He thanks her, profusely, mostly for tonight, but also, a little bit for everything else too. She flushes, and then waves goodbye to Minerva as Duck returns to his seat. Leo walks Dr. Drake out, leaving Duck and Minerva sitting at the dining room table in poignant silence.

They haven’t really gotten to talking much since the whole apartment ordeal. He’s fully distracted himself with thoughts of his impending future, the complete reverse of his tactic for dealing with Chosen One bullshit, which is kind of funny. He doesn’t feel much like joking, though, looking over at Minerva. Her head is rested on her hand, and she’s staring off into the distance, face blank. She’s unusually reserved, and it’s disconcerting to see.

He sighs, quietly, resigned, and breaks the silence. He’s got one more goodbye to fight through. “Hey, you wanna root around and see if Leo’s got dessert hidin’ out somewhere in here?”

“Oh.” Minerva looks up, and offers him a half smile, sliding out of her seat. “A good idea as any, Duck Newton.”

He nods, and feels her follow behind him into the kitchen. It’s- it’s so weird, that this bothers him, but she hadn’t called him Wayne since he said he was leaving. Call me Wayne, he had said, and she did, so much so he knew she was saying it just to say it, because she could. It in no way measured up to what she’s given him, but that small secret part of himself belonged to very few people. It felt special, to him. Did he somehow take it back? Did he make her feel like he did?

“Duck Newton? You are not being very helpful,” Minerva grumbles, accompanied by the sound of shifting bags and boxes of food, shoulder deep in some cabinet.

“Shoot, sorry about that,” he laughs, short, amused. His heart does a little flip flop, and his smile withers, just a little. Right. He begins to rifle through the opposite side of the kitchen, procrastinating, until Minerva actually procures an unopened box of snack cakes from the recesses of the pantry.

“Ah-hah!” She holds the box out to him proudly, exuding pure satisfaction. Her happiness is infectious, and he feels himself being pulled into her intense orbit, being bodily lifted out of his funk. She grins, brightly, winsomely. “I have found! The Ding-Dongs!”

He snorts, unable to help himself, and again, between gasping breaths, until he’s overcome with a fit of giggles. He’s crying, too, and he can’t tell if it’s the joy or the despair that has, “God, I’m going to miss you so much,” tumbling out of his mouth, and- and, it doesn’t scare him half as much as he thought it might.

He’s almost doubled over at this point, but he can see her boot-clad feet scuffle closer, and he can hear the sound of the Ding-Dongs being set aside. He says it again, desperately, because he can, because it’s out there and it doesn’t matter if it hurts later, because at least she’ll know right now, “I’ll miss you so goddamn much.”

“Duck Newton,” she says, and the waver in her voice is so jarring that the laughter just about dies in his throat instantly. She clears her throat as he straightens up, wiping the tears from his cheeks, suddenly somber, and she continues, “Duck Newton, I will miss you more.”

They stare at each other, and he watches, wide-eyed, marking the tear rolling down her cheek. “Minerva,” he starts, but there’s just so much that he wants to say, nothing else quite makes it through. So he steps forward, and reaches, reaches up, and slowly, carefully brushes that tear away. He can see her swallow, and it feels like they’re both holding their breath.

Her skin isn’t soft, exactly, a bit tougher than his own, human skin, he thinks, but it’s warm under his palm, and as his thumb finishes it’s arc, he finds himself unwilling to pull away. Come with me, he thinks, stay with me. Until he remembers, that isn’t fair to her, that he can’t decide for her, when she’s got her own life to live, and then he steps back, skin tingling with electricity, heart squeezing painfully tight.

She touches her cheek gingerly with her own hand as soon as he does, eyeing him almost in awe, in disbelief, and he wonders. He aches. But he doesn’t get to choose what happens next. She does. So, he says, “listen, Minerva, whatever happens, wherever I am, we’re still gonna be friends, ok? I’m not— I can’t ask you to, to follow me to the ends of the earth, or you know, any other fuckin’ planet, for that matter. It’s ok. It’s— I mean, we’ll be good.”

Minerva blinks, opening her mouth, but Duck barrels on, “and it isn’t a big deal, really, right? I mean, all that destiny shit is behind us, there isn’t really any need for us, to, you know, keep close. Assuming that there isn’t another world-threatening encounter, loomin’ on the horizon, but, you know, my visions’ve stopped, I ain’t got my sword, I mean, what can I do here? You don’t need me here. And, you know, I guess without me to worry about, you’d be free to do whatever you want to?”

His heart his hammering, jack-rabbiting behind his ribs, but he’s so, so fucking relieved that he’s finally put what all he’s feeling into words. Well, most of it, anyhow, but he touched on what matters most. He’s navigating blind, and no one’s more surprised than he is at where’s he’s landed- except maybe Minerva. He waits with baited breath, feeling like he’s just run a marathon, watching as her brow furrows, digesting his long winded blathering.

“Duck,” she says, just Duck, and he feels winded a whole different way with how she says it, soft and sad and so very different from her usual boisterous tone that it physically hits him, a gut punch.

She speaks slowly, methodically, like she’s choosing her words very carefully, “I want nothing more in the world for you than your happiness, Duck. And whatever you choose to do in your life, I will be here for you, beside you. Have I not proven this to you many times over? Believe me when I say that I can see no reason to leave you now, and can foresee no reason to do so, ever.”

“Minerva,” Duck murmurs, daring to hope. He tries not to read into her wording too much, knowing her phrasing tends to come off as awkward more often than not, but. “Of course you have, but... you should be free to make your own choices, you know? I want you to- to find your purpose, you know, outside of, well, me.”

“Duck Newton, you are my purpose.” He doesn’t know when the kitchen got to be so damn small, but right now, she’s towering over him, staring down at him with something bright and yearning in her eyes, something that he’s sure is reflected in his own. He’d let his insecurities blind him to what right in front of him again, something beautiful. Something real. Something that was laid out before him, a destiny, ready for him to reach out and take it, a path for him to follow, but not alone. Never alone.

She must see the shift in his eyes, can read his heart clear as day, because her smile returns full force, and her arms spring up, landing squarely on both of his shoulders. It takes all he has not to collapse.

She laughs, bright and bubbly, reverberating in her chest and shaking him with its power. “The best decision I ever made was in choosing you, Duck, and therefore I will continue to do so. If you will have me, Duck Newton, I would like to walk alongside you in this journey as well.”

“Alright, now you’re just layin’ it on too thick, c’mon honey,” he teases, breathless, heart feeling bouyant and stuttery and yes, yes, full of immeasurable love and respect and joy for this huge alien woman.

“I can lay it on as thickly as I so choose, Wayne Newton, for I am the master of my own destiny, as you said,” she says, teasing back, and now he knows for sure she’s doing it to annoy him, and he laughs, and curls his hands up to rest on top of Minerva’s, like a complete circuit, and his world rights itself.

“Oh shit.” Realization dawns on him, and he whirls to go retrieve his phone from the table— because he has to text Juno, oh god, they’ve gotta postpone, he’s gotta get Minerva a plane ticket, and can she even legally get a job— and runs smack dab into Leo,“oh shit!”

“Hey Duck,” he says, casually, glancing knowingly between the two of them. Duck wonders, mortified, how long he’d been standing there. “So. Need me to cat-sit?”

Minerva inserts herself between them, frantically shouting, “we are taking the cat!”

They do end up taking the cat to Brazil; getting her in the carrier is an endeavor in and of itself. But that aside, all other last-minute preparations go surprisingly smoothly. Minerva is ecstatic— turns out, she’d wanted to go with him all along, but she hadn’t wanted to annoy him by tagging along. She figured, with the sudden announcement, he’d made plans without her, which was fine, just caught her off guard. She likes to tell him that, over her course of thinking about it, she learned she simply considers him a constant, no matter what they’re doing, or where they are, at war, in peace, she wants to be where he is, and if he offered, her choice would be obvious, natural as breathing.

They were paired, she had said, by fate, but are bound by respect, admiration, and love. It’s not textbook romance, Duck doesn’t think, but it’s one of the sweetest sentiments he’s ever heard, and it’s one of the things that keeps looping through his mind on the trip down, a positive feedback loop that has him slouching, dazed and smiley, in his tiny airplane seat, hat brim pulled down low. Old habits die hard- they’d surely get new uniforms at their new service center, but for now, the thing is a comfort. Juno’s dozing, leaning up on his shoulder, probably drooling. He looks a little to his right; Minerva’s got the window, gazing out at the clouds as they fly by. She’s practically glowing— and hell, she might actually be, there’s still so much to learn about her— but she turns when she feels his eyes on her. Backlit by the sun, she smiles, and Duck, in his life of uncertainty, of fighting his way through everything thrown his way, has never been more sure of anything. He settles back into his seat, and rests, hurtling into the unknown with an uncharacteristic confidence. For the first time, he’s running to something, instead of away from everything. Hell yeah, he thinks. Bring it on.

#taz #taz amnesty #taz amnesty spoilers #duck newton #minerva #ducknerva #?#writing #fic #fanfiction #come to brazil #god i have so many feelings #once again justin knocks me off his ass with his character choices #anyways i worked way too hard on this just take it im through #if i edit again its gonna end up twice as long #i LOVE writing minerva ok shes a goddess and duck is a lucky son of a bitch #dunno if ill crosspost this anywhere else #im probably the thousandth person whos written this lmao

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towtiems-blog · 7 years ago

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Do podcasts provide the free speach platform we desire?

So, I am just this moment listening to the WTF with Marc Maron, podcast when he did an interview with frm. US President Barack Obama. And to be completely honest with you, I am hearing some stuff, I have never heard before. Here is a brief journal of what I heard and what I think about them.

Incident 1.Obama refers to the gun problem in the US and he seems that he has some pretty logical conclusions made. He says that the NRA’s grip in the congress is very strong, that he doesn’t see any change happening regarding gun control during his presidency, and finally flat out saying it that until the American people themselves don’t try to do something about it, nothing’s going to happen. Bare in mind that gun control has been a major problem for the US, mainly because of the amount of mass shooting they have. People aer dying left and right. And do not forget the famous bank heist that happened in LA, with them people shooting it out with cops for over an hour. Maybe more, cant recall. Gun industry, is an industry that makes trillions. With some leverage, they can control certain situations to influence things for their benefit. I would do something like that. You would as well. What is wrong trying to defend what you have, and get what you can more. So, it makes sense to want a nation as rich as the US to buy as many guns as possible. More sales, more profit. To do that, the gun industry uses tactics such as the 2nd ammendmend, ie personal protection. They appoint people in key positions within the greater government, nt directly in the Obama administration, because they are smart. They know that Obama administration will change at some point and they will lose their players. So, they target, administration position in various commitees, such as the climate change comitee, the gun control comitee, thw whatever the fuck comite. Who cares, the goal is the same. Buy more stuff, they make, so they can make more money. Same happens with oil, climate change, guns, the list goes on.

Incident 2. The black helicopters. This is an issue that has been involved in US conspiracy theories since the 70’s. And he goes on to say: “.. we operate those. But only to get Bin Laden..” , and such cases ofc.

He even touches the subject of lobbying and watching FOX News.

Now you have to understand that I am not US national, therefore the whole situation in the US at the moment seems so much interesting to me. I am a bystander and yet from a sociological, anthropological point of view, what is happening the US the past 100 years is astoundingly interesting.

We have seem the state moving to multiple wars. In fact, it seems to be the most blood-thirsty nation since the German of the WW2. And I get it, they need it. War makes money, nobody can deny that. And the US demands money. It has built a well oiled, efficient machine and they need to somehow support it. What is a better way than to conquer more land?

Now conquering is not like the old days, where you could go with a bunch of guys and pitchforks and lamps and take what you will and then divide it by a bunch of guys, and call it yours. Nowadays, you have to do indirectly. See, plundering is a direct approach, what the US is doing is an indirect approach. In order to avoid direct conflict with other countries that would like to do the same and will find leverage in the US’s actions and call their conquest a: “Mission to save country X from the clutches of US occupation.”

Don’t you see? This is how the world works now. It’s a was but disguised into something else, that don’t provokes. That of course come with a price. In order for this approach to work, maybe the most important ingredient of this approach is the acceptance from the general public. With having being elected, it’s easy for them to say: ”Look, you elected me, I am trying the best for you because YOU believed that I will do it.”

For that key ingredient to work, therefore, they need the public. And the way to win the public is from means such as: gun control, financial system, the famous health care system of US, even the law system is in it, and law is one of the three fundamental powers. The other two being the police(enforcing power), and the congress(voting power). Keep in mind however for the last power, congress may be substituted by, senate ie. Germany, UK.

So, we got an Obama that accepts, nothing will change and big corporations control the whole issue and I cannot do anything about it.

Water boarding was real, torturing was real. BUT, we stopped. Work for word that what he says.

Black helicopters. He says the US is operating in cases similar to Bin Laden, not for US citizen. Keep in mind the black helicopters have been a part of the conspiracy theories that surround the US political scene since the 70’s. Can you imagine? In a garage, out of nowhere, the most intimate of conversations happened. We see one of the biggest political figured of the 21th century, the first black US president, speaking loosely and without the typical censorship about subject that are subculture, borderline cult.

We all know the conspiracy theories, they helped us get by college, by keeping our minds busy. We believe that jet fuel doesn’t melt steel, ie. The US did 9/11. We also believe on chem trails, black helicopters, the bigfoot and most importantly of all, in UFO’s. Don’t you guys understand what that means? That means that the government knows about all that, they follow what we say on forums, what is going on in the internet. They see that we are looking for aliens. Whose to say that they don’t control it as well? We’ve already said that the government is trying to control the public opinion, see above), doesn’t it seem logical that they would employ all means necessary to keep us from thinking that the government is using black helicopters on us, to stay us from an opinion like that, so in the long term the government can achieve its initial goal, which is stated above.

Then again, I am no one, and I may be wrong, and I may be rumbling.

And oh my fucking god, there are so many interesting topics on that interview. Listen I have to say it again at this point because this is getting out of hand. I am not a US citizen, I have no political affiliation with any party and/or direction, I make no profit out this, I am just an observant. I just find it very interesting, the direction history is taking, history repeats itself and what is going on is living proof of it. My interest is jut that, I am witnessing change and I am writing about it. Nothing more.

Continuing, about climate change: “..if I didn’t have the chairman of the energy and environment comity in the center, holding up a snowball, as if that was proof, that climate change wasn’t happening..”. What a quote. We have a president be assigned to chair over the most important comity for this issue, climate change, trying to convince people to keep doing something that scientists say will kill us. Why? Isn’t it obvious? To keep using oil of course, a field severely dominated by 4-5 companies. Companies that have grown so much and so relentlessly that they are able to appoint someone which is under their hand, a chairman in the most important position on the matter. What 2000 years ago would happen, would be to plant a spy on the opposite camp. Is it not the same? It is exactly the same. But as again stated above, concealed in a way which is more acceptable from the general public. All again done, in the same spirit. To serve the interests of the state, to expand their land, sort to say.

He goes on. In conclusion, we see a relaxed president, feeling comfortable and speaking truths. Not directly, although he does sometimes, but pretty difficult to miss the point.

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thewinningweekendwarrior · 7 years ago

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Know what?

The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is the smallest mammal weighing in at a measly two grams or less.

There are 907185 grams in a ton, so the blue whale at two hundred tons, weighs 90,718,500 x as much as the shrew. Yet they both have spines, a brain, a liver, intestines, breathe oxygen, eat food, have a beating heart, etc. They mate, nurse their babies, raise families, just as we do!

Know what?

First, there is huge variation — but at the same time, a lot of similarity — among mammals. We naturally have a curiosity about the largest, smallest, tallest, fastest that is possible. This curiosity is not limited to our culture or our time. Indeed, it seems to be true of animals, in general. In fact, our nervous system is fundamentally tuned to changes, boundaries, and extremes. For example, if you walk into a kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked cookies seems to fill you with pleasure. It can be very strong. But after a few minutes, you may barely notice the smell. If the fan in the kitchen is on, it may at first seem pretty loud. But after a few minutes, most people will no longer notice. There are limits of course. If the smoke alarm goes off, you will continue to notice it. It is designed to be loud enough to annoy you forever. Just as our ears are mainly attuned to changes, so too, our visual system is attuned to edges. This is why, for instance, a cartoon “works” to depict something that is actually much more complicated. Given that neither humans nor any other animal has an infinite brain, it is a useful general heuristic to especially note changes, edges, and the “extremes” of our experience.

The second thing to note is that, since life is complex and complicated, there are many astounding facts. It is interesting and exciting to know about the “edges” of experience in many different dimensions. This is not a “bad thing” but it does make us susceptible to being “suckered in” by things that are astounding or sensational even if they are not particularly useful. Some people take advantage of this tendency and use it to manipulate us into buying toothpaste, drugs, and candidates.

When I was a kid, there were certain newspapers (which still exist) which “everyone knew” were absurd attempts to capture people’s attention with “fake news.” Photographic evidence of the Loch Ness Monster, BigFoot, Aliens from Outer Space, people rising from the dead. Amazing! Too good to be true! Well, they weren’t true. Now, it is much easier and cheaper to “publish” fake stories than it was in the days of print.

There is a much subtler and more virulent change as well. Fake newspapers lay out on the checkout stands at drug stores and grocery stores for everyone to see. Most people knew these stories were fake, but some people would fall for it. Everyone could see the headlines: “New Hope for the Dead!” and pretty much dismiss the entire magazine on that basis.

The Internet is has become worse that tabloids because if you’re like most people, there are traces of your behavior all over the Internet. Fake news doesn’t have to concoct one common story for everyone to swallow. They can analyze your personality, your likes and dislikes, your background, your political affiliation from what you look out, how you comment, what you buy on line and so on. They can *target* stories that you are especially likely to believe and that are particularly likely to sway you in your buying or voting behavior. Of course, it isn’t perfect. But it doesn’t have to be perfect to be effective. Whether there was any collusion between the Russian intelligence agencies who were and are doing this and the Trump campaign is still up in the air. However, that they were doing such things is clear. They’ve been doing it for a long time and they are continuing to do it.

Why would they bother? The USA has, by far, the mightiest military in the world. Direct military action against us is absurd. Much better idea: weaken us from within. The greatest strength of the US is its diversity. Use that to push and prod at all the rifts between people whether based on sexual preferences, religion, dietary habits, what kinds of sports you like, your preferences as to how and when you celebrate Holidays, your skin color, your country of origin, whether you think pot should be legalized, whether you favor more lax or more stringent gun regulation, the music you like, the clothing you find attractive. Anything on which people differ can become a battleground if the people are properly played.

I can easily imagine people from different backgrounds or beliefs, when faced with a real world problem, taking the time to understand each other’s concerns and come up with either a compromise, a vote, or even a transcendent solution. You can probably imagine that as well. Humans have been doing this for a hundred thousand years. We humans don’t always resort to violence every time there’s a difference of opinion.

Let the media notice the disagreement and it will get worse. Let the fake news decide it’s an issue worth making people hate each other over, they will zoom in on that disagreement with more passionate love than house flies buzzing toward a forgotten turkey carcass in the garbage. They will make a fake story sure to inflame the passions of one side. They will generally create an inflammatory headline first that is a complete lie. Then, they will “back it up” with vague statements, lies, or half-truths, and generally with a combination of all of those.

To see how this might work, let’s imagine that there is an island where there are two species of birds that look identical. Squeakers live on one side of the island and the Squawkers live on the other side. The squeakers like to squeak, need I point out, while the Squawkers like to squawk. No big deal. Then, one day a very rich human arrives on the island and offers to make them all very very rich. He claims he is going to buy a tiny piece of their lovely island for sunbathing. He just wants to make sure his investment is safe so he needs to know which bird is going to speak for the entire island. Need I point out that the squeakers and squawkers are now all at risk to become squabblers. As a matter of fact, it may not even matter whether the bird who “speaks for the island” is a squeaker or squawker. Nonetheless, there will be argument and counter-argument. But at long last, this dispute will almost certainly be settled without bloodshed. That is not a guarantee, but it is likely.

Now, let’s first inject a legitimate TV news crew into the picture. They hear about this deal the rich man is offering ahead of time. So, they go and do a report. You might well hear this on the news or read it in the newspaper: “A rousing controversy is brewing tonight on the normally peaceful island of “Ang-Grebe-urds. Multi-billionaire business tycoon, Lance O’Latte has offered an undisclosed but sizable sum to the natives of “Ang-Grebe-urds.” However, to collect this handsome sum, the Ang-Grebe-urds must choose a single spokes-bird. Who will it be? No-one yet knows. Indeed, that is where the process seems to be stuck in the craw of the Ang-Grebe-urds. We’ll keep you updated on this breaking story as more details unfold.”

That’s not all. They scan the environment for particularly nasty things that one side says about the other.

Imagine this hypothetical interview: the reporter asks one of the prominent Squeakers how they feel about the head of the Squawkers. The interviewed Squeaker might say, “Oh, I’ve known Mr. Squaw-Squawk for ages. We are both big fans of soccer. He was our top speller in high school. Also, he did a great job as quarterback on the high school football team. I don’t particularly like him in the way he squawks all the time though.”

What will reported? No way to predict for certain, but my money is on this quote: “I don’t particularly like him…he squawks all the time….” Publishing that statement is really not going to help the Ang-Grebe-urds come to consensus. But it probably still won’t prevent it. Newspapers are still largely paid for by subscriptions. This is important. Because the newspapers are not completely paid for by advertising, it tends to make them more likely to stick to the truth. Individual reporters may exaggerate or hype the conflicts but they very seldom make things up. If they did that, many subscribers would stop doing so. Even some advertisers might shy away from the newspaper that sold papers on the basis of lies. Advertisers do look at readership and people are more likely to pick up a newspaper if the headline is: “Famous Squeaker Complains that Squaw-Squawk squawks all the time!” She said, “I don’t particularly like him…he squawks all the time….” But, there is still a “brake” on complete fabrications. Companies who care about their brand (e.g., Coke, Pepsi, IBM, AT&T, Microsoft, Disney) will not want to be associated with news organizations that only lie, Subscribers too will fall off if they become suspicious that they are being lied to.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Now, let’s see how this situation worsens with stories that are presented on-line. Being on-line is an important detail. Because it is on-line, the media outlet need not have one single actual artifact (such as a printed newspaper) that everyone can point to. Instead, stories can be slanted to different readers. A Squeaker who is pretty much a decent old bird but hates onions, for instance, can get a fake news article that claims Squawkers love onions. Furthermore, the fake news claims, there are secret plans, if a Squawker is elected, to make onion-eating required.

In reality, Squeakers and Squawkers mostly don’t care much one way or the other about onions. Rather, both Squeakers and Squawkers each have about 10 percent, both equally divided about whether onions are: 1) completely wonderful to add to any dish or 2) the invention of the devil to torment Ang-Grebe-urds. Many on-line sources are not paid for by subscribers. They are paid only by advertising.

Furthermore, while the newspaper advertisers only know the circulation of the newspaper as a whole, by contrast, the on-line advertiser can measure how many clicks they get for particular ads and stories. This is a huge difference. It means that every single article for on-line media is pushed toward sensationalism and conflict. Furthermore, the on-line sources can republish many different versions to many different selected sub-audiences to maximize clicks. If, for example, there are some Squeakers who feel football is too violent, the interview reported can be: ““I don’t particularly like him…quarterback on the football team…he squawks all the time….” No need to include that phrase if you are presenting the article to football fans.

These kinds of “fake news” stories are designed to make money out of advertising of course, but beyond that, they are not only meant to grab your attention but are often designed to set you at the throats of your neighbors and countrymen. Of course, in our hypothetical example, that’s precisely why the rich business tycoon set up this situation and then kept using fake news to jack up the emotions of the Ang-Grebe-urds until they killed each other off. Now, he can not only have his sunbathing cove; he can have the entire island. For free. Well, free for him. The Squeakers and the Squawkers paid with their lives. They will rest forever in total squilence. Differences in preferences and slight variations in behavior were driven into hate and violence by targeted messages. While the Squeakers and Squawkers thought they were enemies of each other, in fact, they were both being manipulated by the Takers. The Takers are birds of an entirely different feather. They don’t actually give the slightest damn whether birds prefer to squeak or squawk. All they care about is buying real estate cheap and selling it dear. Some may have actually enjoyed watching the Squeakers and Squawkers kill each other off, but that’s just the icing on the cake.

What about citizens in the US, the UK and Europe and other countries that are currently democracies like Canada and Australia? Know what? We are under attack. I’m not trying to be sensational. (I’m not paid by subscribers or ads). I’m just trying to put it out there for your consideration. While it is not yet clear how much, if any, collusion existed between Russia and the Trump campaign, it is clear that Russian interests worked fake news stories into the discussions and debates leading up to the US election as well as the Brexit vote. These stories are not only meant to sway elections but also to foment discord; to make people in one party or part of the country distrust others; to make people doubt science and more objective media. (After all, if you can’t trust “experts” and “scientists” and “the mainstream media” then, where are you going to go for information? You guessed it: social media and on-line media become even more popular.

Back in the days of mostly local newspapers, normal checks and balances pushed owners, editors and reporters toward printing news that was truthful. They would tend to be motivated to say things about the community that were useful, kind, and true because otherwise false stories would negatively impact their own community. In addition, if they were “found out” they would definitely experience social ostracism that would likely be extensive. A false story about a coming plague might sell a lot of newspapers in the short term, but when it was discovered to be a lie, the entire newspaper was in danger of losing its readership.

By contrast, a very large national newspaper chain might be headed up by someone who cares very much or little about social ostracism and probably lives in a “community” completely divorced from the people he or she lives and works in. The CEO might well be only interested in profits which in turn means pushing stories based on how they impact readership, not based on what it means for America as a whole. Nonetheless, there is a still a tradition in newspapers of long standing to tell the truth and to verify stories. There may also a sense of long-term commitment to the company. For example, the people in a traditional newspaper want to be able to hire the best people for their organization. To allow that to happen, it is vital that they have a reputation for telling the truth and for responsible reporting. As I’ve mentioned, newspapers who lie regularly are at risk of losing both their subscriber base and their advertisers.

By contrast, when it comes to on-line news media, because they are new, there is little tradition; they don’t depend on subscriber dollars; their advertisers tend not be companies like IBM and Disney who care about their reputation, but instead unheard of companies who want to sell you miracle cures and self-adjusting tea cozies.

Know what? These on-line media are doing this to us now and even when we retweet or argue about the truth of divisive news, it’s still divisive. Then, we often disagree on social media about whether it’s true and that’s also divisive. Is nothing to be done? I do think that there are some principles and guidelines than can help distinguish real news (which does also appear on-line) from made up manipulations to make you angry. Next week, we will explore what some of those principles and guidelines might be. Meanwhile, I personally like onions. But I don’t insist you do.

Know what? We are all now “Citizen Soldiers” in a war of words. Most likely, you were never trained as a reporter and most likely, like me, you aren’t making a penny out of your use of social media. But social media grows ever more important in people’s understanding of what is true about the world. Like it or not, your Facebook posts and tweets either exaggerate the impact of fake news or dampen it out. You might consider a reporter’s questions: What, who, where, when, how, and why. You might also consider these before sharing a story: “Is it true? Is it kind? Is it useful?”

Author Page

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http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/01/circulation-and-revenue-fall-for-newspaper-industry/

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34789-democracy-in-peril-twenty-years-of-media-consolidation-under-the-telecommunications-act

https://brandeyemedia.com/2017/07/03/with-the-growth-of-online-media-will-the-newspapers-survive/

https://theconversation.com/social-media-is-changing-our-digital-news-habits-but-to-varying-degrees-in-us-and-uk-60900

Know What? Know what? The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is the smallest mammal weighing in at a measly two grams or less.

#"Fake news"#advertising #life #marketing #newspapers #politics #Russia

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