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prosopopeya · 4 years ago

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New Year’s Meme

this survey has been a tradition among my friend group for YEARS, but i haven’t filled it out since 2015 apparently. i’m not entirely sure why except 2016 was the year a lot of stuff changed for me, namely in that i finally got out of school in some form and started a new job, but i also had a few health problems that kept plaguing me (thyroid medicine being off, vitamin d) and my anxiety was all over the place. so here we go i’m doing it again and feel free to do it too if you want!!

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? tried on wedding dresses. taught virtually. dealt (poorly) with drunk teenagers. performed in a pep rally. wore face masks all the time. i’m going to lump in living with someone. jon moved in october 2019, but i don’t think i did this quiz last year so. taught ap.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? i don’t really like resolutions. they put too much pressure on me and i am a fragile person when it comes to setting expectations and living up to them. i did want to try to read more this year, and i maintained that until the pandemic, and then just kind of gave up requiring myself to do anything but live.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? i don’t think so. a coworker did.

4. Did anyone close to you die? jon’s cousin committed suicide in march or april. the circumstances were pretty upsetting. um. andy died in february, very suddenly. andy was my high school boyfriend for four years with whom i had a very... he scarred me in a lot of ways when it comes to sex and consent. it’s taken me a long time to unpack all of that. and i struggle with how much any of that was his fault or just bc he was a stupid kid too. our mutual friends had nothing but nice things to say about him on fb. anyway. he would guilt me into saying he’d kill himself if we broke up, and jon’s cousin killed himself over his girlfriend. so that was a complex part of the year.

5. What countries did you visit? none. literally the week before the quarantine, we went to asheville to visit jon’s cousin.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? maybe a different job? or at least some peace at doing mine.

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? march 13 we cancelled classes and had a technology training day; the 15th we had another one, and then we were virtual the rest of the term. it was such a sudden shift and while i so loved working from home tbh, it was such a relief after a supremely shitty january/february work-wise, i still had a lot of keyed-up, stressful days centered around transitioning to being the senior upper school spanish teacher. i hate it!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? writing 50k in the month of november. i have literally never done that before and actively reject nano as being typically unhealthy for how my mind works, so it was nice to do it entirely by accident.

9. What was your biggest failure? mishandling the drunken teenagers on that field trip in january.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? i sit crosslegged in my virtual teaching chair and i did it so much that my ankle hurt for the entire summer.

11. What was the best thing you bought? we put a deposit on our elopement in ireland. jon’s wedding ring. (i didn’t buy my wedding dress.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my best friend at work who keeps me sane and is represented by benny in my au, which other than the fact that he is not my sidepiece, is perfect he is crucial to my survival at work and i love him so much. (also he is gay and the french teacher so the benny parallels just keep coming). everyone who tore down a statue in virginia (and other places, but especially monument avenue). everyone putting their lives on the line during this pandemic.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? guess! but aside from all the obvious, i found out a friend of mine at work voted for trump. my work bff and i had been trying for years to sway his politics, but that had us both deciding to give up on him.

14. Where did most of your money go? food, ALCOHOL. god., our savings account. i did a pretty excellent job saving this year, though a good deal of that is because jon moved in and makes more money than me, and also we split all the bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? my wedding dress but strangely only when i went to try it on after it came in bc after the purchase i was so sure i’d made every mistake possible. my wedding band. wellbutrin changing my whole life. and, last but certainly not least, the gay angel and the bi(lingual) hunter. i wouldn’t have survived nov-dec in school without that distraction. the election.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2020? the entirety of taylor swift’s oeuvre this year, maybe specifically “this is me trying”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. Happier or sadder? happier, i suppose, perhaps contrary to what should be the case, but wellbutrin is a hell of a drug. ii. Older or wiser? wiser. ii. Richer or poorer? richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? reading. cleaning. exercising.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? stressing. chaperoning.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? so, an update; last year was the first year i didn’t go to my mom’s for christmas. i was supposed to see her for thanksgiving last year, but she basically told us not to come bc she wasn’t feeling up to it (cool!), and we went to jon’s for christmas and my mom’s for new year’s.

this year, obviously we couldn’t go to my mom’s. instead, we rented a little cabin by the lake. it was perfect; it was really really nice inside, the beds were SO SOFT, the pillows were the best things i have ever laid my head on, like i took off the pillowcases to try to find the brand. we had a little tiny christmas tree with tiny ornaments from walmart that we decorated. the 23rd, we went and picked up our wedding bands. we slept two nights in the (cold) back bedroom so i could wake up and look out at the lake. it snowed for christmas. :)

we opened presents on christmas eve, per jon’s family’s tradition. on christmas eve, we also went to his family farm and sat outside and hung out a little. every year his family does like a secret santa sort of thing and i got my first present in that exchange, which is notable bc jon and i are not yet officially married. i got a remote control car -- jon’s idea bc i couldn’t think of anything, and he was so delighted to hear that i loved playing with rc cars when we went to the beach as a kid.

christmas morning we facetimed my parents and opened some presents together. then jon and i marathoned mandalorian (after spending the previous few days watching several die hard movies), and then we watched wonder woman 1984 which was a bad movie.

21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? ok LAST year for new year’s, we were in a hotel room, so that was nice, bc it meant minimal stress with my parents. i had always wanted to go to this restaurant near us that has a special new year’s menu, so we did that. the night before or after i think we went to cheesecake factory, which was also amazing.

this year currently i’m tumbling and he’s playing pokemon, and in a bit we’ll try to time it so we finish schitt’s creek in time for the new year.

22. Did you fall in love in 2020? i re-fell in love with supernatural so that was nice.

23. How many one-night stands? 0. i submit we should randomly change question 23 each year to something more relevant to any of our life experiences.

24. What was your favorite TV program? what did i even watch this year. schitt’s creek. mandalorian. i mean obviously we know supernatural. the circle. are you the one (the queer season). pose. unsolved mysteries. we’re here! perry mason. watchmen. oh maybe that mcdonald’s monopoly fraud documentary. avenue 5. i’ll be gone in the dark. of those i think my favorite maybe is... pose or we’re here.

OKAY UM. on my 2014 version of this there were a bunch of questions about tv shows that i’m putting back in if only for the memories:

25. Which TV shows did you start watching in 2020? the haunting of bly manor, which we still need to finish. derry girls.

26. Which TV shows did you let go of in 2020? HERE’S WHY I WANTED TO RESURRECT THESE. here was my answer in 2015: “supernatural. goodbye, my sweet prince.” CAN YOU EVEN FUCKING BELIEVE

27. Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn’t in 2020? Why? so far, queen’s gambit and that one on hulu with catherine the great. EVENTUALLY. 28. Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2020? fleabag. queen’s gambit. 29. Which TV show do you think you might let go of in 2020 unless things significantly improve? idk i drop things pretty regularly if they don’t entertain me 30. Which TV show impressed you least in 2020? GUYS HERE’S MY ORIGINAL 2015 ANSWER: “supernatural. :(”

anyway back to the rest of the quiz:

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? every person who refuses to listen to facts and information.

26. What was the best book you read? killers of the flower moon: the osage murders and the birth of the fbi, or the his dark materials series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? well i knew about tswift so i’m not going to count her albums. i will count this song that jon played for me once in the car that got stuck in my head for two weeks straight and led me down into a great related-songs spotify playlist: through the roof ‘n underground.

28. What did you want and get? a wedding dress and a very specific kind of wedding band. a gay angel. a christmas getaway. animal crossing.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? idk i don’t know how many films i saw this year. maybe mucho mucho amor: the legend of walter mercado

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i was 32. we went to an escape room with a BUNCH of people -- work bff, my old work bff and his wife (old bc he quit and we’ve fallen out of touch :(), the cool new physics teacher and his fiancee, and the aforementioned trump voter and his wife, before we knew... we went out for brunch/lunch after. it was pretty great!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? not having to chaperone that school trip in january. dean being bi in english as well as spanish. cas just ilke, appearing in 15x20. not having to physically go back to work this fall.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? no! real! pants!

34. What kept you sane? jon. supernatural (in a way?). animal crossing for a while. wellbutrin! i haven’t really been able to detail this yet, but finally i did something about tumblr and my therapist making me think about adhd. my doctor gave me wellbutrin (bc i lack any official diagnosis and was on anxiety meds anyway, and he was like let’s try this!) and it’s fucking. it’s a fucking godsend. surprisingly enough, my students. trying to provide them a safe space has been a calming thing for me.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? jensen ackles’ silence. misha collins again, i guess.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? the summer was so fucking intense. i guess though it was me trying to exert my influence in a responsible way with my students without trying to try to make them feel uncomfortable but then one kid was a vocally upset trump supporter after the election and i had to try to defuse that situation.

37. Who did you miss? my old work bff. several old friends that i’ve fallen out of touch with bc i have no object permanence.

38. Who was the best new person you met? people i met through the spn resurgence!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: if you manifest it in an au, it will come. no really though. maybe that expectations are only as important as i make them out to be.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: usually i have a hard time coming up with anything for this and i default to looking at my most played songs of the year. my most played song of the year received each and every one of its plays within the month of november and you can guess why. anyway see if this works

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met - the night we met, lord huron

#happy new year #annual meme

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Headlines: Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Radioactive lunar soil (AP) New measurements from a Chinese-German team analyzing data from the Chang’e 4 lander on the far side of the moon finds that the lunar surface is radioactive as all heck, with astronauts getting 200 to 1,000 times more radiation on the moon than experienced on Earth, or about five to 10 times the amount absorbed by passengers on a trans-Atlantic flight. This is not a problem for a quick visit, but if the objective is to land astronauts and have them settle in for a bit, they could sustain sufficient damage to cause health problems down the line.

Coronavirus pandemic on the brink of a grim new milestone: 1 million dead (Washington Post) The covid-19 death toll is on the brink of hitting 1 million. That’s as many as live in San Jose, Calif.; Volgograd, Russia; or Qom, Iran. It is a disease that peppers grieving families with indignities—no funerals, hurried burials, barely a chance to mourn. It is a pandemic that has divided countries from within, yet unites the world in common anguish and loss. In the United States, a son in Sacramento can only listen to a description of his mother’s burial in New Jersey via his daughter, the only relative permitted to attend. The dead are poor—in an Indian village, a man’s family borrows a wooden cart that a neighbor used to sell fish and carries his body to his funeral pyre. And the dead are workers—in Brazil, a man who works in a meatpacking plant does everything he can think of to protect himself, yet he brings the bug home and now his wife is dead. Across the oceans and into the biggest cities and the tiniest villages, the coronavirus has torn apart families, left children hungry, evaporated jobs and wrecked economies.

As Covid-19 Closes Schools, the World’s Children Go to Work (NYT) Every morning in front of the Devaraj Urs public housing apartment blocks on the outskirts of the city of Tumakuru, India, a swarm of children pours into the street. They are not going to school. Instead of backpacks or books, each child carries a filthy plastic sack. These children, from 6 to 14 years old, have been sent by their parents to rummage through garbage dumps littered with broken glass and concrete shards in search of recyclable plastic. In many parts of the developing world, school closures put children on the streets. Families are desperate for money. Children are an easy source of cheap labor. While the United States and other developed countries debate the effectiveness of online schooling, hundreds of millions of children in poorer countries lack computers or the internet and have no schooling at all. United Nations officials estimate that at least 24 million children will drop out and that millions could be sucked into work.

Trump’s tax revelation could tarnish image that fueled rise (AP) The bombshell revelations that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for office and paid no income taxes at all in many others threaten to undercut a pillar of his appeal among blue-collar voters and provide a new opening for his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, on the eve of the first presidential debate. Trump has worked for decades to build an image of himself as a hugely successful businessman—even choosing “mogul” as his Secret Service code name. But The New York Times on Sunday revealed that he paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency, and in 2017, his first year in office. He paid no income taxes whatsoever in 10 of the previous 15 years, largely because he reported losing more money than he made, according to the Times, which obtained years’ worth of tax return data that the president had long fought to keep private. At this point in the race, with voting already underway in many states and so few voters still undecided, it is unclear whether any new discoveries about Trump would make any difference. Trump’s support over the years has remained remarkably consistent, polls over the course of his presidency have found.

Ransomware Attacks Take On New Urgency Ahead of Vote (NYT) A Texas company that sells software that cities and states use to display results on election night was hit by ransomware last week, the latest of nearly a thousand such attacks over the past year against small towns, big cities and the contractors who run their voting systems. But the attack on Tyler Technologies, which continued on Friday night with efforts by outsiders to log into its clients’ systems around the country, was particularly rattling less than 40 days before the election. While Tyler does not actually tally votes, it is used by election officials to aggregate and report them in at least 20 places around the country—making it exactly the kind of soft target that the Department of Homeland Security, the F.B.I. and United States Cyber Command worry could be struck by anyone trying to sow chaos and uncertainty on election night.

Massacre in Mexican bar leaves 11 people dead (Reuters) A massacre in a bar left 11 people dead on Sunday, Mexican authorities said, as the country grapples with a record homicide rate despite the government’s pledge to stop gang violence. The attorney general’s office of the central Mexican state of Guanajuato said the bodies of seven men and four women were found in the bar in the early hours of Sunday morning in the city of Jaral del Progreso. Guanajuato, a major carmaking hub, has become a recurring scene of criminal violence in Mexico, ravaged by a turf war between the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Backers turn on Britain’s PM (AFP) Boris Johnson, called dejected and dogmatic even by his partisans, is enduring a torrid time in his tumultuous premiership, and worse may lie ahead. The coronavirus pandemic is testing all world leaders. But Britain has suffered more than any other country in Europe, and now the prime minister faces a revolt by Conservative colleagues who accuse him of governing by diktat. If the Covid-19 crisis has dictated the need for emergency policies on the hoof, the government has had plenty of time to prepare for life outside the European Union. But there too, an air of mutiny hangs over parliament after Johnson picked a Brexit fight with Brussels that puts Britain on the wrong side of international law. “Conservative MPs didn’t elect Boris Johnson as their leader because they thought he’d make a great prime minister,” Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, told AFP. “They elected him as their leader because they were desperate to win an election,” he said. “There’s probably always a hope that someone will grow into the job. There’s some alarm that hasn’t happened.”

Britain is part of 'arc of instability' around the EU, chairman says (Reuters) Brexit Britain is part of an “arc of instability” that has emerged around the European Union, the bloc’s chairman said on Monday, ranking London’s decision to leave the EU along with threats from Turkey, Russia, Libya and Syria. “An arc of instability has developed all around us,” European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits, said in an online address for the Bruegel think-tank. “The truth is, the British face a dilemma. What model of society do they want??” Britain left the EU, the world’s largest trading bloc, on Jan. 31 after 47 years of partnership to the huge regret of EU leaders who now insist that London accept the economic consequences of looser ties. The process of negotiating a new trade relationship and finding Britain’s new place in the world is proving complicated and has revealed divisions within political parties, society and the government itself.

India’s confirmed coronavirus tally reaches 6 million cases (AP) India’s confirmed coronavirus tally reached 6 million cases on Monday, keeping the country second to the United States in number of reported cases since the pandemic began. New infections in India are currently being reported faster than anywhere else in the world. The world’s second-most populous country is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country in coming weeks, surpassing the U.S., where more than 7.1 million infections have been reported. Yet even as infections mount, India has the highest number of recovered patients in the world. More than 5 million people have recovered from COVID-19 in India and the country’s recovery rate stands at 82%, according to the Health Ministry.

Fighting Flares Between Azerbaijan and Armenia (NYT) Fighting that was reported to be fierce broke out on Sunday between Azerbaijan and Armenia and quickly escalated, with the two sides claiming action with artillery, helicopter and tanks along a disputed border. The military action centered on the breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian separatist enclave in Azerbaijan. Ethnic tensions and historical grievances in the mountainous area north of Turkey and Iran have made kindling for conflict for decades. The fighting on Sunday, however, was reportedly more severe than the typical periodic border skirmishes, and both governments used military language describing the events as war. By early afternoon, Azerbaijan said its forces had advanced to capture seven villages and had surrounded an unspecified number of Armenian troops it was threatening to kill if they did not surrender. Armenia claimed it was holding fast and had destroyed Azerbaijani tanks and helicopters. Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian prime minister, declared a state of emergency and mobilized the country’s male population. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has long been at odds with Armenia, strongly backed Azerbaijan. Russia, on the other hand, is a long-standing ally of Armenia, and it has supplied the country with enormous supplies of arms since the end of its war with Azerbaijan in 1994.

Rabbis ponder COVID-19 queries of ultra-Orthodox Jewish life (AP) Must an observant Jew who has lost his sense of taste and smell because of COVID-19 recite blessings for food and drink? Can one bend the metal nosepiece of a surgical face mask on the Sabbath? May one participate in communal prayers held in a courtyard from a nearby balcony? Months into the coronavirus pandemic, ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Israel are addressing questions like these as their legions of followers seek advice on how to maintain proper Jewish observance under the restrictions of the outbreak. Social distancing and nationwide lockdowns have become a reality around the globe in 2020, but for religious Jews they can further complicate rites and customs that form the fabric of daily life in Orthodox communities. Many of these customs are performed in groups and public gatherings, making it especially challenging for the religious public to maintain its lifestyle. One religious publisher in Jerusalem released a book in July with over 600 pages of guidance from 46 prominent rabbis. Topics range from socially distanced circumcisions (allowed) to Passover Seders over Zoom (forbidden) to praying with a quorum from a balcony (it’s complicated).

#headlines #news

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myevilmouse · 5 years ago

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2019 Fic Year In Review

2019 was the year I joined AO3 and the year I also joined tumblr. So my year in review is literally everything I have written for the Star Wars fandom. I was not going to do one of these posts but then realized some people here may not be on AO3 and appreciate links directly to something that sounds interesting. So if you want to know more...

I do not plot, I do not plan. I either write to an idea or a prompt or create a challenge for myself, so I will give you that little background for each fic, in case you care 😉 I like reviewing how I wanted to write the fic and how it ultimately turned out…so here we go, in chronological order, more or less:

1. Command Performance

Idea: write hot springs sex and try to work in a non-con type scenario/fantasy

Result: My first foray into Luke/Mara. Fun and hits many of my kinks.

2. Unity

Idea: Wanted to try writing Thryce smut and was given the TV Trope dialogue prompt “YOU!”

Result: Wound up being long and not smutty at all, but I enjoyed writing those two self-sabotaging fools and decided I would do more of it. Basically the fic that convinced me to write more Thryce.

3. Deal With You

Idea: Wanted to write dubcon/hatesex, set post-TIE Defender factory blowup when Thrawn tells Pryce he will “deal with you later.”

Result: didn’t succeed in writing dubcon/hatesex, instead a power play between these wicked Imperials which wound up with an odd and unexpected happy ending.

4. The Annual Stormtrooper Relief Fund Ball

Idea: write something cute and short for Thryce Discord “Friday Fluff”

Result: A Gone With The Wind-inspired dance auction which still gives me those fluffy fuzzies. I like this one.

5. Artoo’s Viridian Adventure

Idea: write something my young nephews could read AKA non-smutty. Husband insisted Pikachu be involved.

Result: Crack crossover that is suitable for all ages

6. Corrupted Cake

Idea: write Sex Pollen for Luke/Mara

Result: wrote “how they got together” story for Luke/Mara. What started as a one-shot turned into a three-chapter fic that is one of my most popular and probably most romantic.

7. Conduct Unbecoming

Idea: write Uniform Kink for the fic whining circle kink challenge

Result: Mara and Luke in a married roleplay

8. Interpreter

Idea: Thryce Discord talking about an AU with Pryce in Vanto’s role

Result: One of my fave fics, as it plays to basically all my kinks.

9. Camera Obscura

Idea: inspired by Phantasmagoria, a fic by @teagrl, what would happen if sub!Luke stopped playing by the rules?

Result: It would not go well for him.

10. Endure

Idea: HOW CAN THERE NOT BE ANY LUKE/MON MOTHMA FICS WHEN SHE IS LIKE THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE OT HE’S NOT RELATED TO???

Result: Something I am proud of, written in a fragmented, experimental style since I figured the audience who dared to read would also be open-minded enough to humor my muse.

11. Something of Significance

Idea: Thryce Discord May the Thirst Be With You prompt: Naboo Wine

Result: Something sweet? I hope? That allowed me to indulge in my wine and chocolate kinks.

12. Common Thread

Idea: using randomly chosen Kiss and Dialogue Prompts for inspiration, write a series of ficlets about Luke.

Result: Lots of different scenarios, mashing Luke’s lips with many different women but usually Mara, and inspired a couple other fics!

13. Kinetic Countermeasures

Idea: written for “Ascension Week” challenge on the Thryce Discord, and I always wanted to write fuck-or-die…

Result: The closest I’ve gotten to writing a threesome so far (waves at Vanto), and strangely romantic. I like this one, and had fun coming up with the chapter titles 😊

14. Something Real

Idea: Thryce peeps wanted a sequel to Something of Significance

Result: This “how they got together” story for Thrawn and Pryce

15. The Warrior’s Dancer: Sienn’s Tale

Idea: Another woman Luke isn’t related to, available for Jedi-lovin’! What if Luke/Sienn/Oola had a threesome?!

Result: This fic got way longer than intended and didn’t turn out the way I had planned (no threesome sorry) but I love Luke in it and had fun fleshing out the character of Sienn who is from a short story in the Tales from Jabba’s Palace collection.

16. THRYCE: The Musical

Idea: What if I did @ap-trash-compactor’s fic A Dealer In Hope as a musical using only Billy Joel songs?

Result: Yup, exactly the ridiculousness you would expect.

17. Fan Mail

Idea: Epistolary challenge in the fic whining circle

Result: Hopefully amusing view of Luke Skywalker’s fan club and his life as a celebrity Jedi.

18. Five Times Luke Skywalker Surprised Ahsoka and One Time She Surprised Him

Idea: Write Luke/Ahsoka after my Common Thread chapter got such positive feedback on them, limit it to 5 + 1 format so I don’t get carried away.

Result: I like it. This is a ship that needs more love.

19. Conflicting Aesthetics

Idea: written for the SW Rare Pairs fic exchange, @elsajeni requested Thrawn/Original Art Forger.

Result: My longest fic to date, completely took on a life of its own. I had way more fun than expected creating an OC, and there are way too many plot bunnies for sequels in my brain.

20. The Art of Disguise

Idea: Halloween Fic for Thryce, prompted by my sister suggesting Pryce dress as Thrawn for Halloween and my adamant refusal that would never happen in a gazillion years.

Result: Fluff

21. Corporeal

Idea: Halloween fic for Luke/Mara, where I keep trying to get these two non-conny, and I tried to sneak a ton of Shakespeare into the fic just add to the complications of writing it

Result: Hopefully something disturbing and spooky. Also needs a sequel.

22. Impetuous

Idea: Play in @celinamarniss’ Thrawn/Luke/Mara sandbox but get Pryce in there!

Result: I got Pryce in there but had to neglect Mara, oops.

23. Uneasy Alliance

Idea: write a Padme/Thrawn treat for @theartofcertibbs

Result: in the course of my research, learned Zahn ships it.

24. Anamnesis

Idea: write Hera/Thrawn for the SW Rare Pairs fic exchange for @ysalamiri-queen

Result: something disturbing

25. The Politics of Gifting

Idea: write a holiday Thryce fic

Result: fluff from Faro’s POV

26. Catalysts

Idea: write a holiday Luke/Mara fic for the Secret Santa fic exchange with two dialogue prompts and trying to get them to huddle for warmth, a trope I’ve always wanted to write.

Result: fluff and tropes and wampas, oh my!

Other stuff:

Sonnets: I wrote a bunch of sonnets about Luke’s outfits and one about Han for @jadedjo. I love sonnets.

31 Days of Star Wars: I put all my Fictober prompts into one fic on AO3.

It’s been a productive year and I want to thank everyone in the Luke/Mara fandom and the Thryce fandom and all the other readers who encouraged and supported me. I’m really happy to have found this creative outlet this year and look forward to providing you more fluff, smut, and angst in 2020!

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years ago

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A SECRET RAP ROMANCE? Mulatto & 21 Savage Do A Birthday & Christmas BAEcay?

Is there a new rap romance? Possibly.

Mulatto jetted to Puerto Rico to celebrate her 22nd birthday. And it seems 21 Savage may have also been in the mix. More inside…

Did a rap romance develop in 2020? Possibly!

Mulatto & 21 Savage sparked dating rumors over the Christmas holiday.

Fans have been vigilant on social media, connecting dots that are spelling out a possible L-O-V-E relationship between rappers Mulatto & 21 Savage.

So, why do folks think the popular rappers are dating? Well, here’s how.

To celebrate her 22nd birthday, Mulatto jetted to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and snapped flicks of the b’day festivities to share on social media:

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A post shared by BIG LATTO (@mulatto)

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A post shared by BIG LATTO (@mulatto)

“Fendi prints on” she captioned a collage of pictures of herself while tagging her location in PR.

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A post shared by BIG LATTO (@mulatto)

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A post shared by BIG LATTO (@mulatto)

Not long after, the Savage Mode rapper - who is featured on Mulatto's debut album - posted a video and some pictures of himself “Swag Surfin’” somewhere tropical. He tagged his location as Miami. However, fans started comparing Mulatoo & 21’s pictures and videos on IG & IG Stories, which led them to believe Mulatto & 21 were actually TOGETHER.

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

Trying to be slick! Can’t get past the fans.

Neither Mulatto or 21 Savage have confirmed or denied the dating allegations. It’s rumored 21 Savage married a woman when he got hemmed up and was placed in custody of the Immigration Enforcement Agency (ICE). Don’t shoot the messenger, but that’s what we’re hearing.

Whoever Mulatto’s boo is – he’s making sure to keep a smile on her face. She shared a video of a new AP watch she was gifted for Christmas with the caption, “Santa want that dick SUCKED sucked.” Oh?

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A post shared by BIG LATTO (@mulatto)

Sheesh.

As for her other gifts, she also copped a “Big Latto” chain and a new pink Corvette:

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Sis went all out for her birthday! She also hosted a royal casino-themed birthday bash:

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Happy Belated B’Day!

Do you think Mulatto & 21 Savage found love in the studio and are dating or are they just pulling some PR moves?

Photos: IG/@thatbawselife

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/12/30/a-secret-rap-romance-mulatto-21-savage-do-a-birthday-christmas-baecay

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progressiveparty · 5 years ago

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Democrats Have an Open Senate Seat in New Mexico

IN 2018, Democrats were able to not only take back the House but also bring in a wave of outspoken progressives by taking full advantage of safely blue seats. Those new freshmen representatives have helped reshape the political conversation in Washington. Until now, the mobilization has been largely House-specific, but an open Senate seat from New Mexico has given the left a new opportunity.

Nominate a candidate

The party establishment has already unified behind Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico congressman, to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Udall, who is retiring. Luján — who is assistant House speaker, a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last cycle — was quickly endorsed by Pelosi after announcing his bid in April. In an unusual move, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, rather than letting the primary play out, endorsed him as well. As the chair of the DCCC, Luján oversaw the party’s effort to beat back progressive challengers in open primaries across the country. Now, he faces such a challenge himself. On August 13, the Working Families Party, which has become an increasingly potent player in the state’s politics, joined Action PAC (a project affiliated with The Intercept columnist Shaun King) and Blue America in endorsing Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Oliver, a 43-year-old single mom whose children were on Medicaid when they were younger, began her career with the League of Conservation Voters and was elected secretary of state in 2014. An outspoken progressive, she backs a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, wants to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency; as secretary of state, she enacted automatic voter registration and same-day registration. The New Mexico race is the first serious attempt in 2020 by progressives to take the 2018 House primary playbook and port it over to a Senate campaign. The Lujáns, on the other hand, are a political dynasty in New Mexico and arrived in the region as Spanish colonial settlers long before it was part of the United States. Ben Ray’s father, Ben Luján, was speaker of the New Mexico House. Michelle Luján Grisham serves as the state’s governor, and her uncle, Manuel Luján Jr., was a Republican who served in the U.S. House and as George H.W. Bush’s interior secretary. Eugene Luján was chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. The New Mexico race is the first serious attempt in 2020 by progressives to take the 2018 House primary playbook and port it over to a Senate campaign. For the DSCC to so quickly get behind Luján reflects a less secure party power structure, one that feels under siege in Washington from a rising progressive wing. At a meeting on August 14 of major progressive groups in the state, Eric Griego of New Mexico WFP pushed for the movement to unify around Oliver, he said, but the groups — representing unions, the environment, and reproductive rights — were worried about taking on Luján and are so far staying out. “They’re looking at the bare-knuckle politics,” he told The Intercept. “Their heart is with Maggie, and everybody is scared shitless to get in the race.”

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver exits a courthouse in Santa Fe, N.M., on Sept. 12, 2018. Photo: Morgan Lee/AP THERE’S AN ASYMMETRY in how the parties approach primaries in relatively uncompetitive states. Republicans tend to fill open red Senate seats with true believers and ultraconservatives, as the party’s business wing and its activist base are largely aligned on major ideological questions. In the Democratic Party, the corporate donor base and party activists are at odds, with the former typically out-muscling the latter, which tilts the balance of power toward moderates in the Senate Democratic caucus. Establishment Democrats often argue that they would prefer to elect more progressive candidates, but the demands of pragmatism, and the tilt of the electorate, require them to support centrist candidates with corporate backing. A 2018 academic study, however, cast significant doubt on that claim, offering evidence that those party leaders prefer centrist candidates but mask that preference in the language of pragmatism. The tendencies on either side have had drastic implications, as Senate Republicans have moved to reshape the Senate into a vehicle for minority dominance, and Senate Democrats have largely attempted to hew to Senate norms. It took former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid some five years to do modest filibuster reform, as he worked to overcome objections from inside his caucus to changing Senate rules. At the first hint of opposition to Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly ended the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. One obstacle for progressives in blue states is that they often have to run, in primaries, against candidates who aren’t obviously objectionable to Democratic voters — and have major backing from high-dollar donors. That combination is difficult to beat. Leading into the primary election between former New York Rep. Joe Crowley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, there was no upsurge in local or national opinion that there was something terribly wrong with Crowley. Sure, he was heavily backed by corporate donors, but he largely voted the right way on the House floor. Only in victory has Ocasio-Cortez been able to demonstrate the genuine difference between the two to a national audience. “There’s nothing wrong with Ben Ray Luján, but there’s something right about electing the first woman and a strong progressive from the blue state of New Mexico.” Oliver faces the same challenge in New Mexico. “It’s not easy because he’s not somebody that people dislike. He’s not the enemy, but he’s not the best possible option,” said Heather Brewer, Oliver’s campaign manager. “There’s nothing wrong with Ben Ray Luján, but there’s something right about electing the first woman and a strong progressive from the blue state of New Mexico.” And Luján has become even less wrong since running for Senate. After chairing the DCCC for two cycles and raising extraordinary sums of corporate money, he quickly raised some $200,000 of corporate PAC money for his Senate campaign. Yet after Oliver swore off corporate PAC money, Luján made the pledge too (though he has declined to return what he has already taken). Lujan also signed on to the Green New Deal, introduced by Ocasio-Cortez in February, after launching his campaign. Though he supported former Rep. John Conyers’s Medicare for All legislation once since he entered office in 2009, in June, he finally co-sponsored the one written by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., which earned him Jayapal’s endorsement. Still, he hasn’t moved left on everything. Though Luján is the highest-ranking Hispanic lawmaker in Congress, and has condemned Trump’s policy of separating families and caging children, he has not aimed his fire squarely at ICE. Oliver is more outspoken on the question and has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished, with its responsibilities distributed to other agencies that do not act as rogue secret police forces. And while Oliver has been calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump, Luján has hewed to the Pelosi line that it’s premature to move forward. “On the books, he’s got a decent record; he’s not bad, we could do worse,” Griego said. “He’s a consummate inside player, and a really loyal soldier to Pelosi.”

Then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Ben Ray Luján, then chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, at a midterm election night party hosted by the DCCC in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7, 2018. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images NEW MEXICO HAS become increasingly progressive in recent years and, as the GOP has faded as a political force, leftist activists have focused their energy on corporate Democrats. The biggest win so far came in 2018 against Debbie Rodella, a powerful state lawmaker who was a one-woman obstacle to progress. WFP recruited and backed an insurgent challenger, Susan Herrera, who stunned the state by ousting her in a state House primary. WFP and other progressive allies are again focused on a handful of corporate-backed Democrats at the state level in 2020, even as the groups aren’t united behind Oliver. The race for Oliver could come down to whether she can win the backing of reproductive rights groups and win heavily among women, who not only lean Democratic but tend to be more active on behalf of candidates than men. Getting the backing of EMILY’s List is critical; the organization’s brand is so strong with female donors that if a candidate doesn’t have that endorsement, it’s hard for them to raise money. Call back when you have their endorsement, multiple candidates have been told repeatedly during their own runs. EMILY’s List endorsed Oliver’s run for secretary of state, but backing her against Luján would require the group to challenge the Democratic power structure, of which EMILY’s List is a part. Still, EMILY’s List staying out of the race would also be politically difficult. Only 56 women have served in the Senate in the entire history of the upper chamber, with just 25 serving today. And Luján, as chair of the DCCC, angered pro-choice groups by arguing that opposition to reproductive rights should not be a litmus test for candidates (but quickly backtracked under fire). The longer it takes for Oliver to win the backing, the harder it becomes to raise the kind of money she’ll need to compete against Luján. (EMILY stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast.”) Luján has raised more than $1.6 million so far to Oliver’s roughly $200,000, a disparity that was flagged by the progressive groups this week in their argument for why they should stay neutral. Brewer said she was hopeful the campaign would earn the support of EMILY’s List. “I would assume given they’re a strong organization that supports pro-choice women, that that is their only consideration in how they make decisions,” she said. “I couldn’t speak to how Washington insiders might be trying to manipulate that.” And, Brewer argued, New Mexico races are relatively inexpensive; Oliver will be able to get her message out statewide for just a few million dollars, which Brewer was confident they could comfortably raise. Ben Ray, a coincidentally named spokesperson for EMILY’s List, said that no decision had been made. “Our endorsements are a rolling process,” he said. “We are always happy to see strong women leaders like Maggie get in races like this.” (Rolling is one way to describe it; while outside activists often perceive EMILY’s List as dragging its feet, its endorsement process is cumbersome and laborious, involving a choice council that is difficult to convene at one time.) Oliver, meanwhile, is also hoping to lock down national progressive endorsements from groups like Justice Democrats, MoveOn, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, the local Indivisible, and more. That could make up for the lack of support from other mainline progressive groups afraid to take on the party establishment. This Piece Originally Appeared in The Intercept Read the full article

#DCCC #MaggieToulouseOliver #NancyPelosi #NewMexico

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concerthopperblog · 4 years ago

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ConcertHopper's Favorite Metal Albums of 2020 So Far

With the year a bit more than half over, everyone here at Concert Hopper is feeling the sting of having no concerts to hop to. But our little band's metalhead contingency is feeling it especially keenly. There's just something about the energy at a crowded metal show that can't be replicated. Fortunately, there have been a lot of great albums released this year. And, as metal is arguably the most sub-genred style in the world, we didn't present one person's list of mid-year favorites as we did with our Americana Albums, but five albums from three different Concert Hopper contributors. As you will see below, not only did we not agree on the five best, we didn't agree on any of them. So pick the sub you like best and find a new album to bang your head to.

Xerxes Tzolis- Editor in Chief

As you can see, Xerxes metal tastes run toward the sludge, stoner, and doom metal genres. He manages to pull a good mix from those areas for his list, presented in chronological order by date of release.

Haunt – Mind Freeze (01/10/20): I have not been able to catch Fresno’s Haunt live until The Speed of the Wizard Tour hit Atlanta in 2019. That fateful night, I was able to witness firsthand the heavy metal awesomeness that is Haunt. Haunt’s latest release, Mind Freeze - Shadow King Records, is the third (3rd) LP to come from the band since 2018. This record really hits home with thunderous tracks like, “Light the Beacon”, “Divide And Conquer”, “Mind Freeze”, “Fight or Flight”, and “Have No Fear”! Just sit back with some good headphones, turn up the volume as loud as you can handle it, and then let Haunt do the rest. You will be playing air guitar within seconds. Also, it is worthy to note that Haunt will released their fourth (4th) LP, Flashback, sometime in July (2020).

Candlemass – The Pendulum (EP) (01/23/2020): Swedish Doom Metal titans, Candlemass, fresh off of their Grammy nominated LP, The Door to Doom, has now released a new EP entitled, The Pendulum – Napalm Records. Candlemass solidified their ranking in the doom metal pantheon many years ago. And when Candlemass releases new material that also keeps progressing so does their dedicated and loyal fan base. They even brought back their original vocalist, Johan Langqvist, to lend a hand with The Pendulum. Some of my personal favorites are “The Pendulum”, “Sub Zero”, “Aftershock”, and “Porcelain Skull”. Now keep in mind that every song (save for “The Pendulum”) is considered a demo for their upcoming LP which is likely to be released sometime in 2022 or 2023. They do say good things come to those who wait.

Old Man Gloom – Seminar IX: Darkness of Being (01/23/2020) & Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning (05/22/2020): Originally, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, but currently calling Boston, Mass. their home. Old Man Gloom is a sludge/doom/extreme metal band that is compiled of members from Isis (the band), Converge, Doomriders, Cave In, Mutoid Man, and Sumac. That pedigree gives this band enough musical credentials in the metal world and rightfully so, after releasing not one but two solid pieces of work in 2020. Old Man Gloom picked right up where they left off with their 2016 release, The Ape of God, with two stellar LPs: Seminar IX: Darkness of Being & Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning - Profound Lore Records. After listening to both LPs, I feel that these are both fitting tributes for Caleb Scofield, who is the former bassist for Old Man Gloom who died suddenly in 2018. Some notable tracks to check out are “Heel to Toe”, “Death Rhymes”, “In Your Name”, “EMF”, “Wrath of the Weary”, and “Calling You Home”. R.I.P. Caleb!

Elder – Omens (04/24/2020): Elder is a four piece progressive heavy/doom/stoner metal band that has been a particular favorite of mine ever since their debut split with Queen Elephantine in 2006. Since then, they have gone on to release one (1) live LP, two (2) EPs, and five (5) LPs including their most recent release, Omens – Armageddon Label. As time has gone on, each release from Elder shows the bands maturity and progression the juggernaut that they have become today with tracks like; “Omens”, “In Procession”, “Halcyon”, “Embers”, and “One Light Retreating”. Coming in at just under 54 minutes long and only five (5) tracks, each song helps guide the listener to escape into Elder’s riff-filled reality.

Witchcraft – Black Metal (05/01/2020): Now it’s time to round out my choices for Top Metal Albums (so far!) from 2020 with one of my favorite doom metal/occult rock bands, Sweden’s very own Witchcraft. Black Metal – Nuclear Blast is Witchcraft’s first new album in four years, which incidentally, is a deviation from their previous material because the entire album is acoustic. There is something eerily, magnifying and raw about Magnus Pelander’s (vocals/guitar) vocals when he starts off the first track, “Elegantly Expressed Depression”, with the lyrics “I swear I saw death standin’ in my hall / Casting her black shadow on my white wall / I reek of death from inside my soul / I’d never thought I’d lose you on a whim.” Other notable tracks include “Sad People”, “Free Country”, “Sad Dog”, and “Take Him Away”. If you dig this LP, check out Witchcraft’s discography consisting of six (6) LPs (including Black Metal) and seven (7) Singles/Splits/EPs.

Chris Griffy- Album Review Editor As will become abundantly clear from his list, Chris' metal tastes tend to run almost exclusively toward the European progressive/folk/power/symphonic metal niche. While there were some great albums produced outside those confines (Khemmis, Testament, and Candlemass especially), his list hews pretty closely to his favorite genres.

Demons & Wizards- III Damn is it nice to hear Demons & Wizards again. The supergroup consisting of Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kursch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer has returnd with III. Demons & Wizards has stretched outside their power metal comfort zone and released an album that, while not as good as the generational genius of Touched by the Crimson King, is still an outstanding listen. Album highlights include “Wolves in Winter”, “Dark Side of Her Majesty”, and “Diabolic.”

Nightwish- Human:II:Nature While Floor Jansen has been Nightwish's vocalist since 2013, Human:II:Nature is only her second studio album with the band, there being two live albums in between. This album continues bandleader Tuomas Halopainen's recent obsession with nature and science begun on Endless Forms Most Beautiful and should be well-placed to capitalize on Floor's increased American profile from what seems like a thousand YouTube reaction videos and her genre-hopping appearance on the Dutch program Beste Zangers. Songs like “Noise”, “Shoemaker”, and “Pan” are showcases for Jansen's powerful vocals, as well as a long overdue feature lead for multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley on “Harvest.”

Archon Angel- Fallen Anyone who knows me well knows that Zak Stevens era Savatage is my metal sweet spot. So I was excited to hear Stevens' new project with Secret Sphere guitarist Aldo Lonobile, who met while recording as guests on the new album from Timo Tolkki’s Avalon. The results didn't disappoint. Fallen is kind of the mid-point between the cinematic prog of Savatage and the more grounded work of Stevens' follow-up band CircleIICircle. Unfortunately, hearing the band is all you'll get to do as, after Stevens wrapped up his winter commitments with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they managed one concert (the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise) before COVID shut down the touring world. Highlights include the title track, “The Serpent”, and “Rise.”

Conception- State of Deception 2020 is the year of the great vocal return. But while there have been places to hear Zak Stevens and Hansi Kursch, fans of former Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan have been without as the artist was retired until 2018, when he reunited with his pre-Kamelot band Conception. State of Deception is everything a Khan fan could have hoped for, a return to his Black Halo and Poetry for the Poisoned vocal form, with a new (old) cast. Highlights include “Anybody Out There”, “Of Ravens and Pigs”, and “Waywardly Broken.”

Ad Infinitum- Chapter 1: Monarchy The award for debut of the year goes to Ad Infinitum. Chapter 1: Monarchy is a symphonic metal fan's dream. The band wisely lets the bulk of their work ride on the more than worthy shoulders of Swedish vocal powerhouse Melissa Bonny. Capable of belting a siren's song like Simone Simons one moment and growling like Angela Gossow the next, Bonny's vocal gymnastics are anchored by some great hooks on songs like “See You in Hell” and “Marching on Versailles.”

Richard Davenport- Concert Hopper Metal Prophet The most well-rounded metalhead among our ranks, Hopper's resident Metal Prophet chose a wide-ranging list of releases as his favorite. Unfortunately, an unexpected illness prevented him from sending in the write-ups of his choices, but we still wanted to include his selections.

Lamb of God- Lamb of God

The Amity Affliction- Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them

The Acacia Strain- Slow Decay

Code Orange- Underneath

The Black Dahlia Murder- Verminous

Let us know your favorite metal albums in the comments!

#best of 2020 #symphonic metal #metal #Heavy Metal #Sludge #Doom #Candlemass #Lamb of God #Concerthopper #Concert Hopper #music #review #album review #2020

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ordonews · 5 years ago

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Mathematicians revealed secrets of the domes of Renaissance Cathedrals

(ORDO NEWS) — Mathematicians found out how the brick dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, created in the 15th century, supported its own weight and did not collapse under the influence of gravity during construction without external support. The results of their work were published by the scientific journal Engineering Structures.

“The most interesting thing for me was how…

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#Science

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ao3feed-ladynoir · 4 years ago

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Operation DjWifi

Operation DjWifi by trashcatontherooftop

"So lemme get this straight: you're in love with Marinette?" "Yeah. Wait, why are you laughing?" "I – ha. I'm sorry. I'm in love with Marinette." "What?" "Yeah. And I hate to break it to you, but you ain't got a chance in hell." -- In which Alya and Nino do not get together in the panther cage, because they're both in love with Marinette.

Words: 5385, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, Multi

Characters: Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Alix Kubdel, Lê Chiến Kim, Max Kanté, Caline Bustier

Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Madame Mendeliev - Freeform, AU: different panther cage scene, they became bros instead, Mutual Pining, Denial, One-Sided Attraction, everyone has a crush on Marinette, oblivious marinette, even more oblivious Adrien, adrienette - Freeform, Shenanigans, Adrinette, APS Secret Santa 2020, This Was Supposed To Be A One Shot, but the characters said "no <3", Rated T for language

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270146

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Adrienette Plus #��️#📱#💙#Side Adrienette #DJWifi #Miraculous Ladybug #♡#R:T #A:Trashcat

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mikemortgage · 6 years ago

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s repeated fabrications on voting fraud

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is spreading tall tales about election fraud.

Asked about ballot malfeasance involving a Republican in North Carolina, the president insisted he condemns voter fraud “of any kind, whether it’s Democrat or Republican” and pointed to a “million fraudulent votes” cast in California. But no such case exists.

In fact, he has frequently asserted massive fraud in California since losing the state in 2016 to Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 4 million votes, but has not cited any evidence. He’s made similar assertions about voting fraud in Florida and Texas, also off the mark.

Heading into his summit this week with North Korea’s leader, Trump also has been misrepresenting the history of diplomacy with that country, ignoring the work of predecessors. Democrats, meantime, went after Trump for holding migrant children in the same chain-link facilities used by the Obama administration, calling them “cages” to suggest Trump is acting with singular cruelty.

A look at some of the political rhetoric:

VOTING FRAUD

TRUMP: “I condemn any election fraud. And when I look at what’s happened in California with the votes, when I look at what happened — as you know, there was just a case where they found a million fraudulent votes. …When I look at what’s happened in Texas. When I look at that catastrophe that took place in Florida where the Republican candidates kept getting less and less and less and less. And fortunately, Rick Scott and Ron ended up winning their election, but it was disgraceful what happened there. …I condemn any voter fraud of any kind, whether it’s Democrat or Republican. …And that includes North Carolina.” — remarks Friday with China’s Vice Premier Liu He.

THE FACTS: Actually, there have been no reported cases of 1 million fraudulent votes cast in California, nor has Trump provided any support for his claim of widespread fraud. He’s also misrepresenting cases in Texas and Florida.

Trump pointed to other cases when asked about evidence of fraud involving a Republican in North Carolina. The state’s elections board last week ordered a new House election after GOP candidate Mark Harris conceded his lead was tainted by evidence of ballot-tampering by political operatives working for him.

But Trump is making unfounded charges of fraud in Florida’s Senate and governor races, which he has previously asserted were nearly “stolen” by Democrats.

He describes a dwindling vote margin as suspicious, but it is not uncommon for vote tallies to change in the days after the election as local officials process mailed and provisional ballots. In Florida, both Scott and governor’s candidate Rick DeSantis saw their leads fall as the Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties continued to count votes.

Scott was still governor when he alleged possible fraud in his Senate race. The governor’s state agencies charged with investigating impropriety said no credible allegations existed. The two GOP candidates ultimately prevailed in their races after a recount.

Trump also refers to a report from the Texas secretary of state’s office last month suggesting as many as 95,000 non-U.S. citizens may be on the state’s voter rolls and as many as 58,000 may have cast a ballot at least once since 1996, which Trump has described as the “tip of the iceberg.” Since the report came out, however, state elections officials have acknowledged serious problems with citizens being wrongly included in the original data. The list has subsequently been cut by at least 20,000 names — voters who turned out to be citizens. While it’s possible some foreigners voted, there are no signs of a widespread number as Trump has suggested that would change an electoral outcome.

——

NORTH KOREA

TRUMP, on getting North Korea to “denuclearize”: “I think they want to do something. But you know, you’ve been talking about this for 80 years. They’ve been talking about this for many, many years, and no administration has done anything.” — remarks Wednesday with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

THE FACTS: He’s wrong in suggesting his administration is the first to start on denuclearization with North Korea. The Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations both did so.

Clinton reached an aid-for-disarmament deal in 1994 that halted North Korea’s plutonium production for eight years, freezing what was then a very small nuclear arsenal. Bush took a tougher stance toward North Korea, and the 1994 nuclear deal collapsed because of suspicions that the North was running a secret uranium enrichment program. Bush, too, ultimately pursued negotiations. That led to a temporary disabling of some nuclear facilities, but talks fell apart because of differences over verification. What has most advanced under Trump is the level of engagement with North Korea. He is the first to meet the leader of North Korea.

——

2018 ELECTIONS

TRUMP: “There is far more ENERGY on the Right than there is on the Left. That’s why we just won the Senate and why we will win big in 2020. The Fake News just doesn’t want to report the facts. Border Security is a big factor.” — tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: He’s entitled to that opinion. But the non-observer of U.S. politics would not know from that comment that while Republicans maintained control of the Senate in November, Democrats took control of the House. Lawmakers from both parties have blocked Trump’s request for $5.7 billion to fulfil his pledge to build a wall, leading him to declare a national emergency this month to shift money earmarked for military construction to the border without congressional approval.

Democrats have introduced a resolution disapproving of the declaration and it was likely to pass both chambers of Congress and face a presidential veto.

——

MIGRANT CHILDREN

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS of California, a Democratic presidential contender: “The trauma these children experience will live on for decades to come. It’s absurd that it needs to be repeated: Ripping babies away from their parents to put them in cages is inhumane.” — tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: The “cages” are chain-link fences and the Obama administration used them for migrant children, too. That hasn’t stopped a variety of Democrats from seizing on the visceral kids-in-cages image as evidence of Trump administration cruelty. Among them, Democrat Stacey Abrams, in her response to Trump’s State of the Union address, declared “this administration chooses to cage children.”

Children are held behind chain link fences inside Border Patrol facilities. Obama’s administration detained large numbers of unaccompanied children in such a manner in 2014 during a surge of migrant children at the border. Images that circulated online of children in chain link pens during the height of Trump’s family separations controversy — and blamed on him — were actually from 2014 when Obama was in office.

Children are placed in such areas by age and sex for safety reasons and are generally held for up to 72 hours by the Border Patrol. They then go into the custody of the Health and Human Services Department and are housed in shelters until they are placed with sponsors in the U.S., usually parents or close relatives. Some children who are with their families will go into family detention or will be released with their family into the country as their immigration cases play out.

The Homeland Security Department’s inspector general visited five detention facilities for unaccompanied children on the Texas border with Mexico in late June, during the height of the furor over family separations, and found the facilities appeared to comply with detention standards. The government watchdog reported that cleanliness was inconsistent but that the children had access to toilets, food, drinks, clean bedding and hygiene items.

At the height of the family separations, about 2,400 children were separated. Since then, 118 children have been. Immigration officials are allowed to take a child from a parent in certain cases — serious criminal charges against a parent, concerns over the health and welfare of a child or medical concerns.

That policy has long been in place and is separate from the now-suspended zero-tolerance Trump administration policy that saw children separated from parents only because they had crossed illegally.

——

EMERGENCY DECLARATION

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER, Republican of North Dakota: “Barack Obama declared a national emergency to fight swine flu and we didn’t have a single case of it in the United States.” — podcast posted Tuesday.

THE FACTS: Cramer is wrong. More than 1,000 people had died in the U.S. from the flu strain known as H1N1, commonly called the swine flu, by the time Obama declared a national emergency over the outbreak Oct. 23, 2009. The first swine flu death in the U.S. was reported in April 2009. By the time of Obama’s declaration, widespread flu activity was reported in 46 states. The government estimates the flu strain was linked to more than 274,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths in the U.S. between April 2009 and April 2010, according to final figures released in 2011.

Cramer’s false statement that Obama declared an emergency absent any deaths came as he argued that Trump was justified in declaring one to find money to build his proposed border wall.

——

THE WALL

TRUMP: “We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 – 47 days ahead of schedule! Many miles more now under construction! #FinishTheWall.” — tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: This is the latest of many examples of Trump presenting replacement fencing or pre-existing barrier as evidence that his promised wall is coming along. In reality, Trump has not completed any additional miles of barrier in his presidency.

In this case, he is citing the replacement of 20 miles (32 kilometres) of existing fencing at Santa Teresa, New Mexico, just outside El Paso, the only barrier construction in New Mexico so far. The $73 million project started in April.

Construction was beginning this month for 14 miles (22 km) of new fencing in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas — the first additional miles of barrier in Trump’s presidency. That’s from money approved by Congress a year ago.

Money approved by Congress this month to avert a government shutdown would cover about 55 more miles (88 km) and he’s trying unilaterally to free up money for more.

Trump now often incorrectly portrays his wall as largely complete, with the rally cry, “Finish the wall,” which replaced his initial slogan, “Build the wall.” In fact, the barrier now in service — about 650 miles (1,050 km) of fencing — was put in place by previous administrations.

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TRUMP: “The failed Fast Train project in California, where the cost overruns are becoming world record setting, is hundreds of times more expensive than the desperately needed Wall!” — tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: The high-speed rail project is nowhere close to being “hundreds of times” more expensive than Trump’s proposed border wall. The estimated cost for a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles train has more than doubled to $77 billion. That’s about 13 times the $5.7 billion Trump sought unsuccessfully from Congress to build just part of the wall. Last year, he sought $25 billion to pay the full costs of building his wall, also rejected by Congress. The California project would cost three times more than that — far from “hundreds of times more.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said earlier this month the project “as currently planned, would cost too much and take too long.” He said the state would focus on completing a shorter segment in the Central Valley while seeking money from new sources for the longer route.

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ILLEGAL CROSSINGS

CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL XAVIER BECERRA, on whether there’s a crisis at the border: “We have the lowest level of entries into the country by those that don’t have permission than we’ve had in some 20 years.” — interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Feb. 17.

THE FACTS: He’s incorrect that illegal crossings are the lowest in recent decades, based on Border Patrol arrests, the most widely used gauge. That was true in the 2017 budget year, when Border Patrol arrests along the Mexican border fell to 303,916, the smallest number since 1971. But arrests jumped 31 per cent last year, to 396,579. And in the 2019 budget year, which started in October, southern border arrests nearly doubled through January, to 201,497 from 109,543 the same period a year earlier.

Illegal crossings remain relatively low in historical terms but not as low as Becerra claims. California is leading a 16-state coalition in a suit challenging Trump’s power to declare an emergency to steer more money to build a wall along the Mexico border.

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DEMS ON ECONOMY

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS of Vermont, announcing his run for president: “We should not have an economy in which tens of millions of workers earn starvation wages.” — email Tuesday to supporters.

THE FACTS: Sanders is overstating his case regarding “starvation wages.”

According to his campaign, he defines “starvation wages” as anything below $15 an hour. But if a family, for example, has two people making $14 an hour each, working full time, that’s roughly $56,000 in household income before taxes. If they live outside large, expensive cities, their costs of living will also be relatively low. The Census Bureau considers a single parent with two children to be poor if they earn less than $19,749, or about $9.90 an hour.

It’s true that many people with jobs are still poor. In 2016, census data showed that 7.2 million people were working, but still lived below the poverty line. It’s also true that a lot of workers — nearly 40 per cent, or 60 million — earn less than $15 an hour, according to government data compiled by the liberal Economic Policy Institute. But wages have also been rising in the past several years for lower-income workers, thanks in part to higher minimum wages. For those at the 20th percentile of earnings — meaning that 80 per cent of workers earn more — their wages rose 4.8 per cent last year, more than any other income group, according to that institute.

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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: “The average tax refund is down about $170 compared to last year. Let’s call the President’s tax cut what it is: a middle-class tax hike to line the pockets of already wealthy corporations and the 1%.” — tweet Feb. 11.

THE FACTS: She’s wrong to suggest that smaller tax refunds basically amount to a “middle-class tax hike.” The size of a refund doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with how much someone is paying in taxes. Many people ended up with less of their taxes withheld from their paychecks in 2018 as a result of Trump’s tax cut. That would result in a smaller refund, but it doesn’t mean they paid more in federal taxes.

Explaining the tweet, a campaign spokeswoman, Kirsten Allen, said “many middle-class families are seeing increases, while the bulk of the benefits go to corporations and the wealthy. And the long term analysis of this bill is that it raises middle-class taxes.” Allen also noted that high-tax states such as California are particularly affected because the new law caps the deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000.

Trump’s tax cut did skew to the wealthy, but most middle-income taxpayers should see a tax cut this year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The average taxpayer is expected to get a tax cut of about $1,600 in 2018, the centre calculates, with two-thirds of U.S. taxpayers getting a cut and about 6 per cent paying more.

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RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

TRUMP: “The Mueller investigation is totally conflicted, illegal and rigged! Should never have been allowed to begin, except for the Collusion and many crimes committed by the Democrats. Witch Hunt!” — tweet Feb. 17.

THE FACTS: Trump’s frequent claim that Mueller’s team is “totally conflicted” to the point of being rigged is off the mark.

He’s previously pointed to Mueller’s team, for instance, as “13 angry Democrats,” even though Mueller is a Republican and some others on his team owe their jobs largely to Republican presidents. Some have indeed given money to Democratic candidates over the years. But Mueller could not have barred them from serving on that basis because regulations prohibit the consideration of political affiliation for personnel actions involving career attorneys. Mueller reports to Attorney General William Barr, and before him, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who are both Trump appointees.

Mueller was appointed as special counsel by Rosenstein in May 2017, eight days after Trump’s abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey and the subsequent disclosure that Trump had encouraged Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to Comey, which raised questions about possible obstruction of justice. Trump has denied he told Comey to end the Flynn probe.

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Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz in Chicago, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Jill Colvin, Juana Summers and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures

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