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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years ago

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OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT WEALTH

When we started it, there wasn't any; the few sites you could order from were hand-made objects become store-bought ones—a wire service article whose first sentence is your own ad copy. Every startup that isn't profitable meaning nearly all of them, but none of their software could compete with ours. Most of the disputes I've seen between founders could have been having this idea at the same time, of course, but as far as I can tell it must be hard by how few startups do it. People think that what a business does is make money. In any purely economic relationship you're free to do what you want, not money. With trend stories, PR firms usually line up one or more experts to talk about selling the company to them, we had no experience in business. A programmer can sit down in front of a computer and create wealth. A lot of them try to make relativity strange. In industrialized countries, people belong to one institution or another at least by reputation, the level of measurement is more precise than you get from smallness alone.

I don't think there's an answer. Switching to a new set of buildings, and do things that you do not, ordinarily, be a group. The company that did was RCA, and Farnsworth's reward for his efforts was a decade of patent litigation. Who cares if you could read the minds of the consumers, you'd find these factors were all blurred together. It's rare to get things right the first time in our history, the bullies stopped stealing the nerds' lunch money. I had the misfortune to participate in what amounted to a controlled experiment to prove that. The discoverer is entitled to reply, why didn't you? I know, without knowing they know, that they can create wealth. When we switch to the point of view of a programmer using any of the languages higher up the power continuum. What were the results of this experiment? It takes an effort of will to push through this and get something released to users.

But these had had literally orders of magnitude less scrutiny. By the end of last year. In fact, nice is not the only way to decide which to call it is by comparison with other startups. What you're doing is business creation. It's a good metaphor because it reminds you that when the audience can communicate with one another. The whole tone is bogus. If you want a potato or a pencil or a place to work. Good does not mean being a pushover. But this is a list of the biggest ideas at Google is going to come up with more. And for the same reason: their performance can be measured. When you hear your call is important to us, please stay on the line, do you think, all you have to know who you should be nice to everyone. Developing new technology is a pain in the ass.

Giotto saw traditional Byzantine madonnas painted according to a formula that had satisfied everyone for centuries, and to lose one's sense of humor is to shrug off misfortunes, and to a lesser extent Britain under the labor governments of the 1960s and early 1970s. They didn't care what language Viaweb was written in, or didn't care, I wanted to keep it. He probably considers them about equivalent in power to, say, Python? For one thing, the official fiction is that you don't realize that. And it can't have been heredity, because it was more valuable, but because it is a good bet, he's still at a disadvantage. Gas stations? In this case we get three: the NPD Group, the creative director of GQ.

I had that something was amiss was that I couldn't talk to them. Their reporters do go out and learn Lisp. It must have seemed to our competitors that we had some kind of consumer gadget. If you do everything the way the average big company does it, you should leave business models for later, just as you'd leave some trivial but messy feature for version 2. But Durer's engravings and Saarinen's womb chair and the Pantheon and the original Porsche 911 all seem to me slightly funny. This bites you twice: in addition to the direct cost in time, there's the cost in fragmentation—breaking people's day up into bits too small to measure. Like having more than one founder, one VC, and he'll chase down the implications of what one said to them. Why call an auction site eBay?

When you made mistakes, what caused you to make them. I am much the richer for the operating system FreeBSD, which I'm running on the computer I'm using now, and so is Yahoo, which runs it on all their servers. I never reach them through the Times front page is a list of 5 commands Don't ignore your dreams; don't work too much; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy. And God help you if you choose them. There is no shortcut to it. It seems unlikely this is a simple answer to the wrong question. If you have a much greater chance of succeeding. But once you've admitted that one high level language can be more powerful than a community of talented people working on related problems. Another thing blogs and open source have in common is the Web. Salesmen are an exception. The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it. Our startup made software for making online stores.

They want statements with punch, like top ten. When those far removed from the creation of wealth—undergraduates, reporters, politicians—hear that the richest 5% of the people have half the total wealth, they tend to write it first for whatever computer they personally use. Presumably it killed just about 100% of the startups we've funded have had a founder leave. They believe this because it really feels that way to them. Ditto for many other kinds of companies that don't make anything physical. For most people the best plan probably is to go to work for them. Facebook rightly ignored, look for ideas from the other direction. But you don't need to join a company to do that completely. But more people could do it than do it now. We did it because we want their software to be good. I had that something was amiss was that I couldn't talk to them.

And we weren't the only ones they did great things for the companies they fund, why didn't they start them? Microsoft would still have signed the deal. You look at them and you think, all you need is good hackers: if you depend on an oligopoly, you sink into bad habits that are hard to overcome when you suddenly get competition. When my IBM Thinkpad's hard disk died soon after, it became my only laptop. Few know this, I mean the structure of the calculation. The sterility of offices is supposed to suggest efficiency. If there are three founders and one who was away half the time talking to executives at cell phone companies, trying to arrange deals.

Thanks to Jessica Livingston, Jackie McDonough, Trevor Blackwell, Ben Horowitz, Justin Kan, Aaron Iba, Robert Morris, Karen Nguyen, and Harj Taggar for the lulz.

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artificialqueens · 6 years ago

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So Soon (Bitney/Witney) - Albatross

AN: Look, @VeronicaSanders, I finally wrote something with Bitney in it! 😁

Inspired by ‘So Soon’ by Marianas Trench.

‘That was quick.’

Those were Willam’s first thoughts as he scrolled through his Instagram updates and found a recent post of Shane and Roy out at lunch overseas. To anyone else it might have just looked like a couple of friends sharing a meal but Willam knew better than that. If they were truly just out for a casual lunch, neither would have been dressed so nice. Sure, it was a far cry from a suit and tie but a button up shirt in the middle of summer? Hair neatly combed and meticulously style? Light application of makeup to hide any blemishes?

No.

Willam knew all too well what the little signs looked like.

After all, Shane had done the same for him not too long ago. Or perhaps it had been longer than he cared to admit. It has been almost a year since Shane moved to the UK and their relationship had fallen apart not long after that. Still good friends, that was true, but with an entire ocean separating them it was hard to maintain an already delicately balanced relationship.

Even before Shane left there were warning signs of their partnership starting to crack. But then again hindsight is 20/20 and maybe Willam was a little bitter about how it all turned out. At the time he hadn’t seen those red flags; he was so busy with his own work, as was Shane. They tried to talk about it but with so many legal implications barring them from sharing many details, the strain was unavoidable.

But maybe they both should have just tried harder?

Or maybe it was inevitable after all.

Shane never seemed to have his heart set on LA, not like Willam was.

If they had any idea of the greater changes to come, maybe they would have talked about it…or even called it quits sooner.

Each held on to the relationship as long as they could until the chasm between them had become too great.

They were stubborn.

They didn’t want to believe their relationship had been doomed from the start as so many had prophesied before. Each fought tooth and nail to defend themselves whenever they heard a skeptical remark about their stability together. But there were times when the gossip truly got to them and they’d spend long hours into the night reassuring themselves that it could work, that it would work.

But they might have just been deluding themselves after all.

Or if Shane had stayed in the US, maybe it would have all worked out in the end.

But when he announced his intention to move, Willam did nothing to stop him. He held his tongue even as a fire raged inside of him. Harsh remarks were bit back but Shane knew him well enough to know when something was on his mind. Another sign they should have talked about this, he guessed.

Too late now.

Even after Shane had been gone for several weeks, Willam refused to admit that he missed his partner. He was too proud and that was his biggest fault. He spent so long convincing himself he didn’t need another person to be happy that he missed his opportunity to confess to Shane before it was too late.

Even after they split, Willam still would not admit such feelings. He simply buried them deep inside under a layer of forced happiness and busywork to keep his mind off everything.

And it worked for awhile…

Until the pictures started flooding in.

It was no surprise that Roy had work available overseas, nor that the two would spend time together. Willam thought nothing of it when the first few posts popped up.

Then they became rather frequent…and finally it smacked him in the face what was going on.

Shane was moving on with Roy in tow while he was left to wallow in his misery.

True, there were plenty of hook ups and even a couple of longer flings here and there but he still hadn’t quite gotten over Shane. There was still a hope that Shane would tire of the UK and move back or take the steps Willam refused to acknowledge and bridge the gap between them. No matter how it happened, deep down Willam believed they’d find their way back to one another, they had to.

But he was wrong.

It only took one look at the pictures of them together to see that Roy and Shane were giving their relationship a good, honest effort. Each was undoubtedly going the extra mile, both to keep things quiet and to build the stability of their newfound relationship.

Before long other queens were catching on as well, though few dared to talk about it in Willam’s presence. If that happened to be the topic of choice as he came around, all conversation would grind to an awkward halt.

It annoyed him.

Pissed him off even.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

One of the few people who dared to bring up the subject on their own was Justin. And even then it was brief. He hardly felt the need to mention it other than an occasional comment here and there. Yet as this latest update popped up on their feeds while they drank backstage before a show, this felt like something they needed to talk about…at least for a moment.

“You okay?” Justin asked softly as his hand laid comfortingly over Willam’s shoulder.

There was a pause as Willam wrapped his head around the question and tried to decipher his feelings.

It was confusing; he was happy for Shane and Roy but also deeply hurt. Maybe because he knew Shane’s new partner but more likely it was because he suspected that this relationship had something real and anyone who could have inspired those feelings in Shane was likely to earn his contempt.

And just maybe, he was angry with himself for not moving on yet.

Finally answering the innocent inquiry, Willam replied, “I don’t know…It just feels…so soon.”

There was a noise of understanding and suddenly it truly struck Willam to his core. Of all the people he knew, Justin was probably the most likely to understand what he was going through. The most likely to know how it feels to watch the person you love move on and find someone else while you stayed lost in the shadows of a broken relationship.

“Why couldn’t he just be lonely, too?” Willam asked to no one in particular. “At least for a little longer.”

There was a comforting squeeze to his shoulder as he closed out of the social media app in a useless attempt to push away the thought of Shane happy in someone else’s arms. Then just as he laid his phone back on the table, a pair of warm and strong arms were wrapped around his upper body. The contact was unexpected but strangely welcomed. Typically Willam preferred not to receive unexpected hugs but in this case it was needed, wanted even.

“I’m here when you want to talk,” Justin assured him in a soft whisper just beside his ear. “Day or night, just call me. I’ll pick up.”

“Thanks, 'Lask.”

They pair shared a bittersweet smile and separated to continue getting ready for the show set to start in half an hour. As they methodically worked their way through their unique routines, their phones came alive every now and then with alerts from social media or texts from friends. Willam replied to most but Justin’s only conversation of interest was with Aaron at the moment.

The Pittsburgh queen knew all too well about the situation thanks to social media, idle gossip, tidbits from Willam himself and of course, Justin filling in the remaining gaps. But there were also a few facts about the situation that even Willam didn’t know.

First, being that Shane struggled just as much with moving on and still was despite how happy he looked.

Second, was that Roy felt frequent pangs of guilt over his new relationship, enough he was dreading the next time when he’d come face to face with Willam.

And then finally, and perhaps of the most importance to Aaron, was Justin’s feelings in all of this mess.

Justin had been watching Willam and Shane’s relationship from the sidelines all the way from the very beginning to when it ultimately fell apart. He supported the pair. Actively defended their relationship whenever he heard a snide remark from a stranger or even colleague.

He cared about both of his friends deeply but despite his loyalty, a part of him was glad when all was said and done.

And Aaron knew exactly why.

He was supportive in his own way, gently encouraging Justin to admit his feelings before it was too late but there was always some kind of hesitation. Justin said the timing needed to be right before addressing the topic. To Aaron’s mind, there was no true right time but Justin insisted there would be, it just hadn’t happened yet.

“Soon,” he’d say after being pressed for the upteenth time.

Of course Aaron’s eyes would roll as he scoffed in disbelief but he’d let the subject drop for the time being. This was such a routine, so practiced at this point that he was waiting for the inevitable, indeterminable phrase to be flashing across the screen of his phone any second now. He knew asking that question yet again would likely stop the conversation dead in its tracks but strangely, instead of an immediate one word reply, there was a lapse of several minutes. Aaron was starting to worry that perhaps he finally pushed it too far this time but as he read the first few words of the newest block of text, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

'Willam wants to talk after the show.’

'We’re gonna head back to the hotel and drink at the bar. More quiet there he said.’

'I think’

'He might be ready to talk about Shane and Roy.’

A smile tugged at the corners of Aaron’s lips as he read the string of texts through once more. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for these two yet.

#rpdr fanfiction #bitney #witney #willaska #willam belli #courtney act #bianca del rio #alaska thunderfuck #angst #hurt/comfort #longing #breakup #albatross #(yay!! hope bae is getting laid in London! lol -v)#submission

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thecartoonuniverse · 6 years ago

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Thank you so much Danika for helping me create so many amazing Dragon Prince videos for my YouTube channel. Without you I don’t know if I would have been able to have so many great interviews with Aaron and Justin, as well as recently been able to tour the Wonderstorm office. I had a ton of fun!

Being able to do all these things has made The Dragon Prince stand out from any show I have talked about before, and you made it clear that a lot of love and effort is put into creating something like this. Even outside of meeting the Dragon Prince creators and cast, I got to meet a lot of new people who I love talking to about the latest Dragon Prince news, theories, and of course memes.

This show has inspired me in so many different ways, so for that, I am very grateful for everything that you have done.

Once again, thank you! -Hailey

#ThankYouDanika #tdp

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brokehorrorfan · 7 years ago

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Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Winter 2018

There's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season’s best new genre titles available on Netflix’s instant streaming service.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.

1. Gerald's Game

IT was undoubtedly the most entertaining Stephen King adaptation in recent memory, but Gerald's Game may be the most tense. The novel - which revolves around a middle-aged married couple's attempt to spice up their love life - was seemingly un-filmable, but director Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil) takes a creative yet logical approach to successfully translate the story from the page to the screen. The direction is stylish, despite largely involving only two actors in a single bedroom. Carla Gugino (Watchmen) and Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) star, both delivering brilliant performances, with Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) and Carel Struycken (The Addams Family) in chilling supporting roles. Its left-field epilogue won't work for some, but the film remains a suspenseful, dead-filled experience that includes perhaps the most cringe-inducing sequence of the year.

2. 1922

1922 is an adaptation of a little-known Stephen King novella, published in his 2010 collection, Full Dark, No Stars. Like much of King's work, it doesn't shy away from the supernatural, yet it's firmly grounded in reality. The always-reliable Thomas Jane delivers a transformative performance in his third King film (following Dreamcatcher and The Mist). He stars as Wilfred James, a conflicted man who confesses to murdering his wife (Molly Parker. Deadwood) with the aid of his son (Dylan Schmid, Once Upon a Time) in 1922. Akin to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," Wilfred's unbearable guilt manifests itself. Cinematographer Ben Richardson (The Fault in Our Stars) utilizes a lot of natural light, while Faith No More's Mike Patton composes an atonal score. Writer-director Zak Hilditch (whose previous film, These Final Hours, is also worth seeking out) delivers a brooding, character-driven slow burner.

3. Raw

Raw made waves on the festival circuit when it caused multiple viewers to faint. It is indeed a uniquely repulsive film in more ways than one might expect - depicting everything from animal dissecting to bikini waxing to eye licking in graphic detail - but it's much more than a mindless gorefest. The French film is a compelling, darkly humorous coming-of-age story... with cannibalism. The plot revolves around Justine (Garance Marillier), a young vegetarian, as she enters her first semester at veterinary school. She receives the full college experience: hazing, coed living, experimentation, partying, flesh eating. Marillier's fearless performance is matched by a strong vision from writer-director Julia Ducournau.

4. Super Dark Times

From the first act of Super Dark Times, you might expect it to be a coming-of-age genre tale in the vein of Stranger Things and IT, but by the end you will find a film that shares more in common with River's Edge and Stand By Me. It's set in the '90s, complete with scrambled "adult" channels, but it doesn't beat the viewer over the head with nostalgia. Owen Campbell (The Americans) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark) star as best friends with a secret that drives a wedge between them. Co-writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Siren) capture the adolescent banter better than most films, while director Kevin Phillips makes an impressive feature debut. Living up to its title, Super Dark Times is a dark, tense experience.

5. Cult of Chucky

Child’s Play is a rare horror franchise that has maintained its original continuity, thanks to having Don Mancini - who has written every installment and directed the latter three - as the driving creative force. Cult of Chucky, the seventh entry in the series, brings together the franchise’s three distinct story lines - Nica (Fiona Dourif) from Curse of Chucky, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) from Child’s Play 1-3, and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) from Bride/Seed of Chucky. Taking cues from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warrior, the film takes place in a mental institution, where Nica bonds with the members of her therapy group. When they start dying one by one, Nica struggles to convince anyone that a possessed doll named Chucky (voiced, as always, by Brad Dourif) is responsible. Mancini’s well-paced script is fearless in its exploration of delightfully weird ideas, in addition to balancing the more serious tone with lighthearted fun. The result is as close as you can get to pleasing fans of all eras of Chucky. Read my full review of the film here.

6. The Bar

The Bar is the latest effort from reliable Spanish filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia (The Oxford Murders). It finds a group of strangers trapped in a seedy bar in downtown Madrid. Anyone that tries to leave is killed by an unseen assailant, with their bodies disappearing - blood and all - when no one is looking. Reminiscent of an episode of The Twilight Zone, suspicion grows and intrigue builds as the group must come together to solve the mystery. Iglesia does a fine job establishing an ensemble of quirky characters in a short time and then maintaining that momentum throughout the duration. He also injects his signature dark humor into the plot, helping to further set it apart from other contained thrillers.

7. Creep 2

2014's Creep (which is also streaming on Netflix and should be viewed first) was perhaps the last good, original found footage movie, made on a shoestring budget with copious improvisation. Star/co-writer Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed), whose eerie performance as an idiosyncratic murderer anchored Creep, and director/co-writer Patrick Brice return for Creep 2, which slightly expands the mythology without sacrificing the intimacy that made the first film so effective. Duplass' character now goes by Aaron, assuming not only the name of Brice's character from the first Creep but also his interest in filmmaking. Sara (Desiree Akhavan) responds to Aaron's Craigslist ad looking for a videographer, and it’s not long after their meeting that he admits to being a serial killer. But Aaron is going through a bit of a midlife crisis, so he employs Sara to film a documentary about him. Much like the first Creep, not a whole lot happens before the climax, but Duplass' eccentric character and vulnerable performance keep you watching with bated breath.

8. Killing Ground

Killing Ground is an unapologetic Australian thriller in the vein of Eden Lake, Wolf Creek, Deliverance, and The Hills Have Eyes. In other words, it's an intense punch in the gut. In the film, a couple's romantic camping trip is interrupted by unhinged locals against whom they must fight for survival. The familiar set-up is elevated by intriguing flashbacks to events a few days prior to the main story, the context of which adds even more weight to the harrowing situation. Although not the most original story ever told, Killing Ground is an effective, realistic debut for writer-director Damien Power.

9. Veronica

Verónica is a Spanish-language psychological thriller from Mexico. Co-directors Carlos Algara and Alejandro Martinez-Beltran opted to shoot the film in black and white with gorgeous, precise cinematography, bringing to mind the recent The Eyes of My Mother. A psychologist (Arcelia Ramírez) is offered a substantial sum of money to take on the evasive yet intelligent Veronica de la Serna (Olga Segura) as a patient. It's a simple set-up, consisting of little more than dialogue between the two characters, but the intriguing therapy sessions slowly reveal Veronica's deep-seated issues. The plot takes an unexpected, exciting turn for the final act, but it ultimately leads to a twist that is trite and, frankly, unnecessary. But don't let that deter you; the rest of the film is positively riveting.

10. Red Christmas

Red Christmas is a holiday horror film that - despite hailing from Australia - captures the typical Christmas season quite well, complete with the family drama it often entails. It also addresses the topical subject of reproductive rights, employs both a genre legend (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial's Dee Wallace, in one of her strongest performances in years) and an actor with Down syndrome (Gerard O'dwyer), and tells a decent horror story in the process. Similar to You're Next, the film features a killer interrupting a strained family gathering, blending home invasion and slasher influences. It won’t replace any of the classics, but Red Christmas is a fine addition to the Christmas horror pantheon. Read my full review of the film here.

11. Don't Kill It

Don't Kill It is a fun amalgam of horror, action, comedy, and western from director Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider). A rash of homicides - in which each killer murders the previous killer - lead FBI agent Evelyn Pierce (Kristina Klebe, Halloween) back to the podunk Mississippi town she once called home in order to investigate the case. She reluctantly teams with Jebediah Woodley (Dolph Lundgren, Rocky IV), a self-described demon hunter, to stop the body-hopping demon on the loose. There are a couple of big, bloody set pieces that make the abundance of exposition worthwhile. Clocking in at a lean 83 minutes, the film plays like a more charming and entertaining version of a Syfy original movie.

Bonus: Dark

Comparisons between Dark and Stranger Things are inevitable - both Netflix original series concern a mystery of a missing child in a small town in which supernatural elements are at play - but Dark approaches the material in am much more subtle, subversive manner. In addition to Stranger Things' coming-of-age through a genre lens, the German show has the mind-bending rhetoric of Donnie Darko and the mystique of Twin Peaks, with a touch of Back to the Future for good measure. There may be a few too many characters for its own good, but the story - in which a disappearance in the present is somehow tied to similar events that occurred in 1986 - is undeniably well told and well shot. I'm already eager to binge a second season.

Bonus: Mindhunter

Mindhunter is an original series from executive producer David Fincher (Gone Girl, Seven), who also directs several episodes, with Joe Penhall (The Road) serving as showrunner. Based on the true crime book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, it follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff. Glee) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany, Alien 3) as they conduct interviews with convicted murderers in the late '70s for their groundbreaking work in behavioral science. After an attention-grabbing opening scene, the show takes a couple of episodes to gain momentum, but it's virtually impossible to look away after that. There's an abundance of heady dialogue, in typical Fincher fashion, though it's never short of enthralling.

#netflix #gerald's game #creep 2 #super dark times #cult of chucky #mindhunter #1922 #best of netflix #article #list

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beersfromthebleachers · 7 years ago

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Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2018

For the first time since my rookie fantasy baseball season, I suffered a set back after being a dominant threat year after year. And, like the Chicago Cubs, got cocky and had a “hangover” and got carried away with being a stay-home again in the league. Ignorance is bliss, I have carried on my original ways of being in a better state of mind before the Cubs were dominant and I had a healthy mind set as well. I have learned from my mistakes not to get over zealous and take favorite picks over a quality team that could have won me the the damn championship last season. As a result as punishment, this year’s top-12 fantasy players DO NOT have a single Chicago Cub in it; and between you and the average rookie getting into fantasy baseball, not a single one do this season. Let’s go ahead and jump into this years list:

1. Mike Trout, OF Los Angeles Angels – Here is what’s familiar: every year Trout is a favorite to win the MVP of the American League and he has been the top pick in drafts, consistently ever since he has shown up. Here is what’s different: there now is a loaded line up in the mix for Trout with new additions including Ian Kinsler, Zack Cozart, and Shohei Ohtani; not to mention the veteran leadership of Justin Upton and what is left in the tank for Albert Pujols. The Angels are just a season shy of snagging some quality pitching talent and making a legitimate title run, just in time for Trout to bring that swagger to the highest caliber and making the team attractive enough to be a destination in the future. This is a no brainer for stats in all league formats to take Trout first in drafts for baseball.

2. Jose Altuve, 2B Houston Astros – Enter the current reigning AL MVP, reigning World Series champ, and recently contract extended to remain the franchise star in Houston. Jose Altuve is coming off the biggest year of his career and he is not stopping anytime soon. Him and his band of mates in Houston are making the AL West look something like a cowboy western with the talent being stacked against them, and this man loves competing at that high-level pace. To expect the same stats from last year from Altuve is not far from a long shot, but they are considered favorites to repeat as World Series champs. It’s a no brainer taking Altuve as the second overall pick.

3. Nolan Arenado, 3B Colorado Rockies – It pains to admit that the best third baseman in baseball is not Kris Bryant, just like I also hate admitting the best first baseman is not Anthony Rizzo either. Both personal opinions are irrelevant, because Nolan Arenado is getting stronger and hitting more long balls year after year. Not to mention that even though he kills it in a hitter friendly park and great line up supporting him with Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story. Aside from collecting RBIs, I’m expecting him to hit 40-plus home runs this season playing in a competitive National League West. Although, he will not be the only high home run hitter on this list.

4. Max Scherzer, SP Washington Nationals – Considering the fact that Clayton Kershaw was ranked higher last year than Max Scherzer was only due to Kershaw’s favoritism to win it all last season. Now with back-to-back Cy Young awards and tying Kershaw with his third time winning it, it is safe to assume that Scherzer is the best pitcher in baseball right now. The Nationals continue to compete, and this year looks to be the most competitive season that they will face with a recovered New York Mets and a fully loaded Philadelphia Phillies team; Scherzer wants to own that competition and remain dominant in his division. Lately in mocks and my personal drafts I started seeing pitching go early this year. Pitching wins championships, and Scherzer can definitely bring you one on your fantasy squad.

5. Giancarlo Stanton, OF New York Yankees – There are three more outfielders that are ranked higher than Giancarlo Stanton on most of cheat sheets for fantasy baseball rankings and that includes Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, and Charlie Blackmon. My case for Stanton does not include his NL MVP year last year with hitting the most home runs in the league or his new team he happened to be traded to. The major concern with Stanton is health, and last year was his first complete season without injury since 2014. The depth the Yankees have in the outfield also gives Stanton the head role of designated hitter for the squad, which he will split time with his former home run competitor; Aaron Judge. The downside of coming to New York means more competitive pitching in the AL East, and expecting him to hit as many home runs as he did last year will be difficult. However, every Yankees starter in their line up is expected to hit 20-30 plus home runs this season and Stanton is going to collect more RBIs than he ever has in his career starting this season. This is as much as a reach pick snagging Scherzer early in drafts.

6. Joey Votto, 1B Cincinnati Reds – a guy I left out of last year’s top picks in the fantasy talks was Joey Votto due to favoritism to Anthony Rizzo (also, sorry not sorry). Granted Paul Goldschmidt has consistently always been ranked higher than Votto, last year his numbers were insane at the dish and made him one of the best hitters in baseball collecting 100 RBIs and 106 runs. What is even crazier is that he is projected to repeat those numbers last year and up his home run count. Votto is also seeing red and that’s not because of his uniform, he wants to compete and bring his team closer to a championship; the downfall that comes with that is that he is stuck in Cincinnati. Regardless the idea is Votto is ever traded from the NL Central, he is a guaranteed hit machine and a solid first base pick in a loaded depth at the position thanks to the blow up of talent at the same spot last season.

7. Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals – last year I had Bryce Harper outside the top ten, and this year he made more progress to be promoted a couple spots where he was last season. His value puts him higher for a few reasons, first being that this could potentially be the last year Harper spends in a Nationals uniform. The Nats don’t find themselves as World Series champions at the end of the season, you can count on Harper to be on a more competitive team next season; we can all agree he is going to play his heart out to compete for a ring or a contract. Second, the offense has powered up around him with the emerging Trea Turner, the hard-hitting Anthony Rendon, and the career returning Ryan Zimmerman; there as many good pieces around Harper as there are for Stanton and Trout. Finally, one thing I have finally observed about Harper’s performance is that he’s maturing more as a player as he continues to develop more and more each season. Expect great things from Harper if he is your first-round pick in the draft.

8. Mookie Betts, OF Boston Red Sox – I have probably pissed off more than enough baseball writers, fantasy fanatics, and Red Sox fans to have Mookie Betts fall further than where he is ranked in all league formats and cheat sheets. There is more to this than numbers and it is more of a team effective reason than a solo blame on Betts. For starters, even Betts admitted that his best season was 2016 and he could never produce numbers like that ever again; however, that harsh truth is even harder to swallow when you become the man in Boston the year after Big Papi leaves. As for the team effort, the entire Red Sox line up hit under .300 struggling to keep up against opponents that was demonstrated on full display after an early exit from the playoffs last season. Now, this season considering that they will be fighting for a Wild Card spot with the division being favored towards the Yankees; the odds are favored against Betts this season. This is a guaranteed pick in the first round, but there will be competitive hitting in Boston’s line up this season. Build your team wisely behind Betts.

9. Carlos Correa, SS Houston Astros – Last year I had two reigning champs in the top picks of the first round, but this one makes a hell of a lot more sense despite my stay-home favoritism. Carlos Correa is another huge bat from the World Series winning Astros that can crush the ball and hit as many home runs as Altuve if not more. Aside from the hiccup of the injury in the second half of the season, Correa went on a tear and put the majority of the competition to shame at the same position, besides rising star Trea Turner. In recent mocks, he is also being taken before other big names at shortstop, like Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, and Manny Machado (who is now playing the position over third base. Another factor that weighs above all mentioned players is that he is the youngest shortstop despite coming into the league the same time as Lindor, Seager, and Turner. If this was a keeper or dynasty building league, this is a safe pick for you to build your team around.

10. Clayton Kershaw, SP Los Angeles Dodgers – Despite all the talent that the Dodgers have, their biggest star still is Clayton Kershaw. There are too many factors to hone in on for Kershaw, so I will try to keep them brief. Kershaw is another player that has the option to walk away from a team after this season if the Dodgers do not win a title, but we all are more than confident he would never leave the team as their ace. After playing in his first World Series, he continues to get closer to his end goal in winning his first title and sealing his destiny of becoming a future Hall of Famer. In most mocks or ten-team leagues, Corey Kluber and Chris Sale are pitchers to go before Kershaw. The difference amongst the three is that Kershaw will most likely be back in the pennant again for the third season in a row, and Kluber’s chances are better than Sale’s. Surprising factor: Kershaw went first overall in my league, let that sink in.

11. Trea Turner, SS Washington Nationals – So that’s a record for most players from one team in the top fantasy picks this season, just goes to show Washington is not screwing around. Carlos Correa will be the dominant shortstop in the AL, and Trea Turner will make himself a household name in the NL. If we pretended that Harper goes to another team this season or the next, we could be looking at the franchise star of the Nats that is not named “Max Scherzer”. Turner has emerged as a star over the past two seasons and his numbers are growing after each season. As a huge contributor to the offense of the Nationals, he will be collecting a great deal of runs and RBIs. Although he is not a big home run hitter, his consistency to remain a .300 hitter is exceptional. Taking him over Correa is not a bad move if you are building quality hitters over power.

12. Corey Kluber, SP Cleveland Indians – This was tough call making the decision between Corey Kluber and Chris Sale, so the only way I can make this case of making Kluber the guy, I’ll go ahead and compare the two. Despite Sale’s lead in strikeouts last season, Kluber held the competition with the lowest ERA in the entire league. Sale had 17 wins, Kluber beat him by one at 18. Despite being neck and neck for the Cy Young of the AL, Sale had a miserable last month of baseball giving the award straight to Kluber. If we consider what will happen this season, Sale has to pitch against a loaded Yankees squad more times than Kluber does; and his only competition are the Minnesota Twins who happen to load up on talent than their run last season. The Indians will most likely win their division this season, and the entire rotation is projected to be one of the best in baseball. Taking Kluber as your first pitcher will make more than a positive impact on your roster.

What do you think about the list? Agree or disagree? Would love to see criticized comments or replies on the matter if I left out any players or players that should not be included on this list. I hope everyone is as excited as I am for Opening Day! I will definitely be loading a great deal of photos from Marlins Stadium to show the first two games between the Marlins hosting the Chicago Cubs in Miami.

Happy drafting anyone, good luck, and cheers!

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/nfl-power-rankings-steelers-49ers-titans-keep-climbing-patriots-eagles-plummet-into-week-7/

NFL power rankings: Steelers, 49ers, Titans keep climbing; Patriots, Eagles plummet into Week 7

And then there were three … and one. There are only three undefeated teams left in the 2020 NFL season coming out of Week 6, and the two AFC membes of the club, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, made different kind of statements. Their delayed matchup next Sunday now becomes a much more anticipated clash to see who’s better positioned to potentially dethrone Kansas City.

In our latest Sporting News power rankings, perfect Seattle doesn’t lose its No. 1 standing because of a bye, but there’s definitely a new worthy No. 2, with No. 4 rapidly pushing to challenge for the top spot, too. On the flip side, the Giants, Falcons and others separated a little from the Jets at the bottom and the middle had plenty of shakeup, too.

Here’s how we have all 32 teams stacking up against each other going into Week 7, the near midway point:

MORE: Updating the Tank for Trevor Lawrence tracker for Week 7

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NFL power rankings

1. Seattle Seahawks 5-0 (last week’s ranking: 1)

The Seahawks enjoyed a bye, the only way Russell Wilson’s MVP express train can slow down in 2020. Their offense will keep humming along in the running game and letting Russ cook, but some better health and concentrated adjustments would both really help the defense of Pete Carroll coming out.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-0 (3)

The Steelers left no doubt that they’re the best overall team in the AFC North by smashing the Browns, a week after handling the Eagles, a team that almost brought down the Ravens. Ben Roethlisberger is getting the job with a high floor of James Conner’s running. That defense is playing the way it should now, but losing Devin Bush is a big blow.

3. Kansas City Chiefs 5-1 (2)

The Chiefs don’t experience losing often with Patrick Mahomes. So it was good they had eight days to recover from their loss to the Raiders. Their passing game will be fine without Sammy Watkins and their running game and backfield production is about to get a whole lot better with Le’Veon Bell.

(SN/Getty) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/ff/3f/tannehill-conner-093020-getty-ftr_twsyx8esmfw21xgvhxb9cd3c8.png?t=-535522580&w=500&quality=80

4. Tennessee Titans 5-0 (8)

The Titans are a pesky team slowly developing into a dominant one under Mike Vrabel,, because they simply get the job done no matter what. Consider they were the ones who did last until the AFC championship against the Chiefs. Ryan Tannehill is in the zone plahing off Derrick Henry’s mighty running. The defense needs to get more consistent, however.

5. Baltimore Ravens 5-1 (4)

The Ravens have been struggling to traditionally run the ball and there are rather considerable limitations to their passing game. They have become more Lamar Jackson running dependent offensively and now Mark Ingram is on the shelf. Still, their defense is making all the plays they need in support.

MORE: Why Romeo Crennel, Ron Rivera made the right 2-point calls

6. Green Bay Packers 4-1 (6)

What was that? The game in Tampa started off well but Aaron Rodgers succumbed to pressure with the running game shut down. The major defensive issues against running and short passing also surfaced.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-2 (10)

The Bucs nedded that defensive effort and diversified offense with Tom Brady to make a statement as rising new NFC title contenders. Brady’s influence on Bruce Arians can be seen with more of Brady’s kind of passing game and Tampa Bay quickly cleaning up penalty issues.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/2d/c0/brady-jones-101520-getty-ftr_d320eu38ya46zf5qn0z8vmys.jpg?t=771794901&w=500&quality=80

8. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (5)

The Bills’ defense got exposed badly because of injuries in Week 5 at the Titans. That requires Josh Allen to keep leading with clean offensive play even ift the running continues to sputter. He won’t be curbed in trying to show off his bigger arm on the other side of Mahomes,

9. New Orleans Saints 3-2 (11)

The Saints marched into a bye week with a big comeback win they needed over the Chargers. Figure Michael Thomas will be fully back mentally and physically to be an offensive game-changer for Drew Brees.

10. Chicago Bears 5-1 (13)

The Bears keep getting it done with a mix of defense, a commitment to running and just enough clutch passing from Nick Foles. As we’re still looking for style points, all they’re doing is winning in every which way they know how under Matt Nagy.

11. Los Angeles Rams 4-2 (7)

The Rams left a lot of plays on the table against a makeshift but gritty 49ers’ defense. They get to play the team right above them, the Bears, next Monday night for another good test for Jared Goff and the passing game.

12. San Francisco 49ers 3-3 (18)

The Niners needed to survive and grind that win away from the Rams to find some familiar success in the midst of a brutal schedule. The offense is inching back to full strength for Jimmy Garoppolo and the defense is finding different sources of reliability down several key pieces.

13. Cleveland Browns 4-2 (9)

The Browns got a wake-up call for Baker Mayfield’s struggles like they did in Week 1, as overmatched against the Steelers as they were against the Ravens. The defense won’t go away a concern with their linebacker snd safety issues behind Myles Garrett.

MORE: Why the Browns benched Mayfield for Case Keenum

14. Las Vegas Raiders 3-2 (14)

The Raiders had a bye with which to enjoy their big win over Mahomes and the Chiefs with great offense. Now they’ll need to figure out how to keep it going opposite Brady and the Buccaneers in prime time.

(SN/Getty) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/43/4f/philip-rivers-092020-getty-ftr_88xiuqt8cmc81m5b2wsc2bl29.jpg?t=-1405863068&w=500&quality=80

15. Indianapolis Colts 4-2 (17)

The Colts needed a big game from Philip Rivers to bail them out and he turned back the clock to come through against the Bengals. It was.a good development at the right time to boost their playoff potential again behind the AFC South-dominating Titans.

16. Arizona Cardinals 4-2 (16)

The Cardinals’ defense lost a big piece in Chandler Jones and they’re not getting enough plays being made, period. Kyler Murray and the offense needed to get even more exposive, diverse and balanced to offset that.

MORE: Kyler Murray’s legendary Texas high school career

17. Miami Dolphins 3-3 (20)

The Dolphins are being led well by Ryan Fitzpatrick and their offense is giving him plenty of help from the skill positions and rebuilt offensive line. But they need to get more credit defensively after multiple big performances with better health and smarter scheming from Brian Flores and Josh Boyer.

MORE: Tua Tagovailoa makes his emotional debut for Dolphins

18. Carolina Panthers 3-3 (15)

The Panthers came down to earth as they struggled to finish against the strong Bears defense and their run defense continues to be a big bugaboo. The tests will get harder soon with the Saints, Chiefs and Buccaneers as three of their next four opponents.

19. Dallas Cowboys 2-4 (19)

The Cowboys will see what they will get from Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback going forward. They should keep passing well and putting up big points despite the Cardinals fail, but the question is whether their defense can improve with Leighton Vander Esch returning.

20. Denver Broncos 2-3 (29)

The Broncos got Drew Lock back and he didn’t play well, but thanks to their defense and running game, without Melvin Gordon, Vic Fangio’s team grinded to an unlikely victory in New England. They can get back into the division playoff mix with the Chiefs and Chargers next.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/e/26/cam-newton-101820-getty-ft_1c2v8l0x99ckg1dev77iwolf54.jpg?t=1030264421&w=500&quality=80

21. New England Patriots 2-3 (12)

Who are these Patriots? They have a very good defense with some potential in the traditional running game, but there’s too much on Cam Newton to save the day with a limited receiving corps and breaking-down blocking. There’s no time to take it easy and figure it out with the 49ers and the Bills next.

MORE: What’s wrong with the Patriots’ offense?

22. Detroit Lions 2-3 (25)

The Lions needed a win badly coming out of the bye for Matt Patricia and their defense, passing game and dynamic rookie D’Andre Swift all were key in taking care of a lesser Jaguars team. Don’t sleep on them getting back in the NFC wild-card race with a favorable schedule ahead.

23. Philadelphia Eagles 1-4-1 (21)

The Eagles got another gritty performance from Carson Wentz to give themselves a chance against the Ravens, but they still have too many issues around him and have just enough lapses defensively because of their linebacker corps.

24. Minnesota Vikings 1-5 (22)

What was that? When Kirk Cousins turns over the ball multiple times and the Vikings dig themselves a big hole, they’re not built to get out of it, because they get away from their running game strengths to protect the defense. With the Packers and Bears rolling, the Vikings can stick a fork in their playoff hopes.

25. Cincinnati Bengals 1-4-1 (23)

The Bengals couldn’t finish against the Colts because of their consistent, fundamental issues on the offensive line and defensive front seven. Joe Burrow keeps impressing through every loss, even when he makes mistakes.

26. Los Angeles Chargers 1-4 (24)

The Chargers keep losing close games and let’s hope they used their bye to figure out how to finish better with Justin Herbert now completely in control of the offense. Getting the Jaguars next helps.

27. Atlanta Falcons 1-5 (30)

The Falcons won one for interim coach Raheem Morris because they didn’t step off the gas offensively with Julio Jones returning just in time to smash an awful Vikings secondary. The defense also seem to be a little more inspired, too. Matt Ryan really needed that slump buster, too.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/97/6c/calvin-ridley-julio-jones-getty-ftr_1m3l3nddw7zqc1ti0vslr805qj.jpg?t=1060302453&w=500&quality=80

28. New York Giants 1-5 (31)

The Giants have been knocking on the door of victories under Joe Judge and finally broke through against a weaker division foe in Washington. Having no real running game has hurt the chances of everything else getting better, including Daniel Jones.

29. Houston Texans 1-5 (27)

Deshaun Watson has the Texans’ offense back on track and using all of its key weapons. They’re really doing as much as possible on the scoreboard because the defense isn’t capable of helping against either run or pass.

IYER: Jets staring at strong chance to go 0-16 with Gase

30. Washington Football Team 1-5 (26)

Kyle Allen gave Washington more offensive life, but the fundamental issues and limitations still cost the team against the Giants. The defense can only overachieve for so long.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-5 (28)

The Jaguars are trying their best to show offensive life with Gardner Minshew and impressive rookies Laviska Shenault Jr. and James Robinson, but there depleted defense doesn’t give them much of a chance every week.

32. New York Jets 0-6 (32)

The Jets keep finding new lows as Adam Gase saw his current team shut out by his former team, the Dolphins. At least Le’Veon Bell isn’t part of this mess anymore.

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#49ers #climbing #patriots #power #rankings #steelers #titans #Sports

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westessexfootball17 · 4 years ago

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20/9/20 Results + 21/9/20 Predictions

Results:

Leicester:4 Burnley:2

Chelsea:0 Liverpool:2

Southampton:2 Tottenham:5

Newcastle:0 Brighton:3

18 goals were scored in today's 4 games and Leicester finished the day top of the league following a 4-2 home win over Burnley. The away had the best of the opening exchanges and took the lead after 10 minutes when Chris Wood fired home at the back post but after that the Foxes took control,Harvey Barnes leveled things up on 20 minutes when he rolled the ball into the bottom corner and four minutes into the second half Leicester took the lead when a low cross from Timothy Castagne was put into his own net by Erik Pieters. 11 minutes later and the home side had a third when James Justin poked home from close range. Burnley got back into the game when Jimmy Dunne headed home on his debut with 17 minutes left but with 10 minutes left the points were secured by a Dennis Praet rocket into the net. Champions Liverpool moved up to fourth with a 2-0 win at Chelsea. A slow first half which saw only one shot on target burst into life in stoppage time when Blues defender Andreas Christensen was sent off for rugby tackling Sadio Mane to the floor and after looking at his pitch side monitor ref Paul Tierney upgraded his initial yellow card to red. The away side brought on new signing Thiago at half time and took complete control,Mane headed home Roberto Firmino's cross to put them in front on 50 minutes and 4 minutes later he chased down keeper Kepa's casual pass out to slot home a second. Timo Werner gave Chelsea hope of an unlikely comeback when he was fouled with 15 minutes to go but Jorginho missed the spot kick and Liverpool picked up the three points in comfortable fashion. Tottenham are sixth afer a dominant 5-2 win at Southampton. Both sides had goals ruled out in the opening minutes before Kyle Walker-Peter's found Danny Ings who's superb strike but the home side in front just after the half hour after that the game turned into the Heung-Min Son show, the Korean equalised in first half stoppage time from a Harry Kane pass. Two minutes after the restart it was Kane again who provided the assist for Son's second to put Spurs in front and two more identical through balls from the England man on 64 and 74 minutes allowed Son to get 4 and put the game beyond the Saints. Kane had time to add a fifth when he turned in Erik Lamela's shot after it hit the post and in the 90th minute Ings grabbed a consolation from the penalty spot after Matt Doherty handled a cross. In the days other game Brighton travelled to Newcastle and won 3-0. The seagulls were two up inside seven minutes thanks to Neal Maupay he slotted home a penalty in the fourth minute after Tariq Lamptey was fouled and after a VAR review overturned an offside decision he had his second three minutes later. The Toon failed to have a single effort on goal in the first half but should have halved the deficit midway through the second half but Callum Wilson's free header didn't hit the target and Brighton wrapped up the game when Aaron Connolly struck with seven minutes left. The only downside to the win was a late red card for Yves Bissouma who caught Jamal Lewis in the face with his studs in the last minute.

There are two games on Monday to finish off this round of games.

6pm- Aston Villa v Sheffield United- Villa win

8.15pm- Wolves v Man City- City win.

#sports #premier league #pleasereadme

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago

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HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT FDR

You do not want to repeat. It's possible you could meet a cofounder through something like a user's group or a conference. That's why we rarely hear phrases like qualified expert in the software business happens in startups, and b explain why users will want it. I'm all for shutting down the crooked ways to get rich, they'd behave like bureaucrats. I do. It became possible to make lots of new things, and sometimes the existing companies weren't the ones who wake up during the operation. IBM completely dominated the computer industry. Many are stunningly bad, but that's always true of ambitious efforts. And this idea will thus tend to get all the benefit of that type of application, the more willing they seem to have any intellectual descendants.

Cobol, for all its sometime popularity, does not seem to have. There's a lesson here: startups beget startups. Version 2 was higher resolution: there were more and more college graduates. With sufficiently lightweight standardized equity terms and some changes in investors' and lawyers' expectations about equity rounds you might be able to write, but it's close enough that you're better off aiming for the solid target of brevity than the fuzzy, nearby one of least work. Suppose you wanted to get rich would all start startups. But once it became possible to make lots of money. But while I'd spent a lot of experience themselves in the technology business.

And so they do encourage innovation indirectly, in that they give more power to startups, which is where, pound for pound, the most common question they hear from investors is not about the founders or the product, but who else is investing? Certainly this tends to be way more than the sum of its patents. Can you have a smaller pool to draw from this is not only inevitable, but desirable. But because the lies are indirect we don't keep a very strict accounting of them. Bolder investors will now get rewarded with lower prices. I'm spending a lot of money. If it fails, you'll be sued by multiple patent trolls who hope you'll pay them off to go away. In theory this is possible for species too, but nothing like as bad as I'd feel if I spent the whole day on the sofa and watched TV all day—days at the end of the summer. It's more important than the initial idea that we're going to try something new this funding cycle. All adults know what their culture lies to kids about how good their judgement is, we then have to lie again about all the things they might get into trouble with if they believed us. It seems to be hard for most people to write in spoken language.

This would encourage what is already the worst trait of big companies make more now than they used to, and I think much of the design and manufacturing happens in a long supply chain, whose products the car companies ultimately assemble and sell. We know we have to understand it, and that Kennedy was a speed freak to boot. I couldn't even remember what else I had stored in that attic. FDR said not a single war millionaire would be permitted. Sometimes it's because the writer only has very high-level data and so draws conclusions from that, like speculating in securities. It may be that the refragmentation was driven by steam engines. Magnates still have bodyguards, but no rich people. People have been talking about parallel computation as something imminent for at least 20 years, and it was practically impossible to find alternatives. I didn't really grasp I was going to take care of you. When parents are of different religions, they'll often agree between themselves that their children will be raised as Xes. Probably the cause is not some force that's pulling us apart, but rather the erosion of forces that had been more or less united was divided into haves and have-nots.

Decreasing economic inequality means taking money from engineers and giving it to checkout clerks, you could reproduce Silicon Valley. Raising an old-fashioned fixed-size equity round with a lead makes sense, because there is usually just one big investor, who is unequivocally the lead. If I woke up one morning and sat down on the top as well as taking it from others. Before central governments were powerful enough to enforce order, rich people had private armies. He seemed to have lost their virginity at an average of about 14 and by college had tried more drugs than I'd even heard of. Our first batch, in the form of having few ideas than wrong ones. It probably didn't occur to most of them to ask if this was so. And if you think it takes a company to succeed, which probably averages about five years.

The real lesson to draw from, but most already have jobs, and perhaps all pre-industrial societies. It's just unbearably inefficient. Work and life just get mixed together. It's not economic inequality per se that's blocking social mobility, but some specific combination of things that go wrong when kids grow up sufficiently poor. Closely related to poverty is lack of social mobility. Speculative meetings are terribly costly if you're on the manager's schedule and the maker's schedule? Old towns have two advantages: they're denser, because they dislike other big tourist destinations: San Francisco, or Boston, or Seattle. More movement or even potential movement between companies introduced more competition in salaries. Companies like Microsoft and Oracle don't win by winning lawsuits. When you demo, don't run through a catalog of features. It would probably be a pretty narrow one.

But what happened to them. Life can be pretty good at 10 or 20, but it's close enough that you're better off aiming for the solid target of brevity than the fuzzy, nearby one of least work. It gives the acquirer an excuse to work on anything, and you're going to have to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest is diminished. Now much of the reason I say this is optimism: it seems that in most types of engineering you can hand the details of some new acquisition wasn't the difference between its retail price and what I paid for it. There are few corporations in which it would be: the reason you should avoid these things is that you make what you measure. Any rate they didn't pursue the suit very vigorously. If you don't genuinely believe that, and what they use it for. The exciting thing is, they're not even fun. It was the value I derived from it. A cluttered room is literally exhausting. If your team refuses to do it well or they can be sued for.

Thanks to Aaron Swartz, Justin Kan, Geoff Ralston, Robert Morris, Trevor Blackwell, Dan Bloomberg, and all the founders who responded to my email for inviting me to speak.

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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The 46 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

2019 was a landmark year for movies, especially for Disney, which propelled past its own box office record thanks to Avengers: Endgame — the biggest movie of all time — The Lion King, and Frozen II. In 2020, the start of the new decade promises a bit of a clean slate, with no big mash-up movies or remakes in store. Of course, there are still plenty of big hitters around. We've got two entries apiece in Marvel Studios, DC, and Sony's Marvel universes, including the return of Black Widow and Wonder Woman. There's a new movie in store from Christopher Nolan, in addition to the return of Fast and Furious, Minions, King Kong, and Ghostbusters.And after a year filled with Disney's remakes of past hits, we will be treated to three original efforts from Pixar and its own studio in 2020. Speaking of animation, there are also upcoming movies involving Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and Sonic the Hedgehog. And oh, James Bond is back after five years, though in terms of time, nothing can beat the return of Tom Cruise's Top Gun after over three decades. Closer to home, we've got a few historical dramas, Aamir Khan remaking a Hollywood movie, and Farhan Akhtar in a boxing film. Kabir Khan will give us a film on India's 1983 Cricket World Cup success, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali has roped in Alia Bhatt to play a red-light district matriarch.Note: for Hollywood movies, most release dates are for the US, except wherever specifically mentioned.

January

ChhapaakRelease date: January 10, 2020Deepika Padukone plays an acid-attack survivor in a film inspired by the life of Laxmi Agarwal, from Raazi and Talvar writer-director Meghna Gulzar.TanhajiRelease date: January 10, 2020Based on the 17th-century Battle of Sinhagad, in which the Marathas fought the Mughals, respectively led by General Tanaji Malusare (Ajay Devgn) — serving Chhatrapati Shivaji — and Udaybhan Rathod (Saif Ali Khan). Kajol stars as Tanaji's wife.DolittleRelease date: January 17, 2020In his first role since Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. is a Victorian England-era doctor and veterinarian who can speak to animals and prefers them over humans, but is forced to set sail on an adventure to find a cure for Queen Victoria's grave illness.The GentlemenRelease date: January 24, 2020After Aladdin, Guy Ritchie returns to his action crime roots with this story of an American immigrant (Matthew McConaughey) who has decided to cash out his marijuana empire in London. Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant star alongside.Bad Boys for LifeRelease date: January 31, 2020 (India)Seventeen years later, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to wrap up their buddy cop trilogy, which reunites the detectives after a mob boss desires revenge close to their official retirement.The Rhythm SectionRelease date: January 31, 2020Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown star in this spy thriller from the producers of James Bond, which follows a woman who discovers that a plane crash that killed her family wasn't accidental. You know where this goes.

February

Birds of PreyRelease date: February 7, 2020In this Suicide Squad spin-off set in the DC film universe, a Joker-less Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) teams up with three more female vigilantes to save a young girl from a brutal, iron-fisted crime lord (Ewan McGregor).Watch the First Trailer for Birds of PreySonic the HedgehogRelease date: February 14, 2020Delayed to make time for the redesign of its blue speedster in the face of criticism, this video game adaptation follows Sonic (Ben Schwartz) visiting Earth, teaming up with a former cop (James Marsden), and evading Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), a scientist interested in world domination.Watch the New Trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog

March

OnwardRelease date: March 6, 2020Pixar's next film is set in a suburban contemporary fantasy world and follows two elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who set out on a quest to rediscover magic so they can spend one day with their father.Watch the First Trailer for OnwardA Quiet Place: Part IIRelease date: March 20, 2020John Krasinski returns as director on this sequel to the 2018 hit, which forces the family — Emily Blunt and her two on-screen kids — to venture out into the world, where the creatures that hunt by sound aren't the only threats.MulanRelease date: March 27, 2020Disney's wave of live-action remakes continues with this Chinese folklore tale about a young woman who takes her ailing father's place in the army. It's got an all-Chinese cast, thankfully, and it's one of the most expensive movies of all time, with a reported buget of $300 million.SooryavanshiRelease date: March 27, 2020You know we've hit peak “cinematic universe” when Rohit Shetty crafts one for his over-the-top cops. Akshay Kumar is the new eponymous entrant as the chief of an anti-terror unit, with Katrina Kaif as his love interest, and Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh cameoing as Singham and Simmba.

April

The New MutantsRelease date: April 3, 2020Delayed several times, this last entry in Fox's erstwhile X-Men world is about five young mutants — including Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams — trying to escape a secret facility while discovering the extent of their abilities.No Time to DieRelease date: April 3, 2020 (India)Daniel Craig returns as James Bond for the fifth and final time. Set five years after Spectre, a semi-retired Bond must find a missing scientist after a new villain (Rami Malek) poses “a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before.”Watch the First Trailer for No Time to Die‘83Release date: April 10, 2020India's surprising success at the 1983 Cricket World Cup is told through the eyes of captain Kapil Dev (Ranveer Singh) in this biopic from director Kabir Khan.Black WidowRelease date: April 30, 2020 (India)The first Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame jumps into the past — shortly after Captain America: Civil War — and follows Scarlett Johansson's titular character as she is forced to confront her past. David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz also star.Watch the First Trailer for Black Widow

May

Scoob!Release date: May 15, 2020The first feature animated Scooby-Doo movie is going to be an origin tale for the gang, telling us how a young Scooby and Shaggy met, and then teamed up with Fred, Daphne, and Velma to form Mystery, Inc. Warner Bros. hopes it will kick off a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe.Fast & Furious 9Release date: May 22, 2020This ridiculous franchise somehow continues with Fast Five director Justin Lin returning to (hopefully) reinvigorate it. Most of the old gang is back — including Jordana Brewster and Charlize Theron — and they are joined by new faces in John Cena and Michael Rooker.Artemis FowlRelease date: May 29, 2020Pushed from last year, Eoin Colfer's 2001 novel of the same name is getting the big-screen treatment 19 years after it was first announced. It involves a 12-year-old criminal mastermind, fairies, and a possible robbery.

June

Wonder Woman 1984Release date: June 5, 2020The second DC film of the year reconnects with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) seven decades on in the eighties, where she's (somehow) reunited with her old love (Chris Pine) while going up against two new enemies (Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig).Watch the New Trailer for Wonder Woman 1984SoulRelease date: June 19, 2020In Pixar's other original movie in 2020, a music teacher's (Jamie Foxx) soul is accidentally separated from his body and transported to a realm where souls develop and gain passions before passing into a newborn. There, he meets a soul-in-training (Tina Fey) who has been trapped for years.Watch the First Trailer for SoulTop Gun: MaverickRelease date: June 26, 2020For more than thirty years — as much time since the first film — Tom Cruise's Navy aviator has avoided promotion to remain in the air as a test pilot. The man with no future is forced to reckon with the ghosts of his past after he encounters his late best friend's son (Miles Teller) in training for a special mission.Watch the First Trailer for Top Gun: Maverick

July

Minions: The Rise of GruRelease date: July 3, 2020This sequel to the 2015 billion-dollar hit follows the tiny, yellow creatures as they encounter a young Gru — their eventual leader — for the first time.Free GuyRelease date: July 3, 2020A video game character (Ryan Reynolds) finds out he's in a video game and then tries to make himself the hero. Wait, isn't this the plot of Wreck-It Ralph? Anyhoo, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi star alongside.Ghostbusters: AfterlifeRelease date: July 10, 2020After a critically and commercially unsuccessful reboot, Sony rejigs the machine to produce a direct sequel set 30 years after Ghostbusters II. It follows two children and their mother (Carrie Coon) who discover their link to the original gang — most of whom are retuning — after moving to a farm. Paul Rudd is new to the cast.TenetRelease date: July 17, 2020Christopher Nolan's next film involves time travel and finds an agent traversing the world, including Mumbai. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Himesh Patel, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh star.Watch the First Trailer for TenetMorbiusRelease date: July 31, 2020Sony's own Marvel universe expands with this tale about a scientist (Jared Leto) suffering from a rare blood disease who attempts to cure himself and instead becomes afflicted with a form of vampirism. Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson part of the cast.ShamsheraRelease date: July 31, 2020Ranbir Kapoor plays a father and his titular son who are part of a dacoit tribe that fought for their independence from the British colonialists in the 19th-century. Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor, Ronit Roy also star.

August

Bhuj: The Pride of IndiaRelease date: August 14, 2020Set during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the story of a squadron leader (Ajay Devgn) in-charge of the Bhuj airport who helped reconstruct an air force base with the help of 300 local women. Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, and Rana Daggubati have supporting roles.

September

Gangubai KathiawadiRelease date: September 11, 2020Alia Bhatt will play the titular brothel owner and matriarch in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next venture, based a chapter of S. Hussain Zaidi's book, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”.The King's ManRelease date: September 18, 2020This period prequel to the Kingsman series follows Ralph Fiennes as Duke of Oxford and his protégé as they put a stop to tyrants and criminals. Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance are part of the cast.Last Night in SohoRelease date: September 25, 2020After Baby Driver, Edgar Wright's next film is a London-set psychological horror starring Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones), and Terence Stamp.

October

Sardar Udham SinghRelease date: October 2, 2020Shoojit Sircar's dream project about the titular revolutionary freedom fighter (Vicky Kaushal) comes to life. Udham is best known for taking revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by killing Punjab's then-lieutenant governor in 1940 London, for which he was subsequently hanged by the British.ToofanRelease date: October 2, 2020Farhan Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra reunite for another sports drama — after 2013's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag — about a fictional boxer. Paresh Rawal, Isha Talwar, Mrunal Thakur, Rishi Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, and Soni Razdan are part of the cast.Venom 2Release date: October 2, 2020The first film was total carnage, so it makes sense that Tom Hardy's journalist and the titular symbiote are next taking on a serial killer (Woody Harrelson) and his own alien symbiote who is actually called Carnage. Andy Serkis directs.Death on the NileRelease date: October 9, 2020The story of Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) continues on holiday in Egypt, where a love triangle spills into murder. Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, and Ali Fazal also star.

November

The EternalsRelease date: November 6, 2020The second Marvel movie in 2020 spans several thousand years, following the titular immortal alien race as they battle their evil counterparts to protect humanity. Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Don Lee, and Kit Harington star.

PrithvirajRelease date: November 13, 2020Chanakya and Pinjar director Chandraprakash Dwivedi helms this epic historical drama about the life of Prithviraja III, who ruled parts of north-west India in the 12th century before his defeat and execution at the hands of the Ghurids. 52-year-old Akshay Kumar will play a man who died in his mid-20s.Godzilla vs. KongRelease date: November 20, 2020This is what it's been building to since the 2014 Godzilla reboot, and the film's title tells you all you need to know. Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González, Jessica Henwick, Julian Dennison, and Zhang Ziyi will play the humans.MaidaanRelease date: November 27, 2020Ajay Devgn plays coach Syed Abdul Rahim in this sports biopic, who is considered the architect of modern Indian football and sparked the national team's golden era between 1952–1962. Badhaai Ho director Amit Sharma is behind the camera.Raya and the Last DragonRelease date: November 27, 2020Disney Animation's first original film in four years — since Moana — is about the titular warrior (Cassie Steele) who's looking for the last dragon in the world. Little does she know that she, a water dragon (Awkwafina), is trapped in a human body.Here's the First Concept Art for Raya and the Last Dragon

December

DuneRelease date: December 18, 2020Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem lead the star-studded cast of Denis Villeneuve's ambitious two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi classic, often termed unfilmable.West Side StoryRelease date: December 18, 2020Steven Spielberg is behind this remake of the multi-Oscar-winning 1961 film adaptation, though it's said to stick more to the original Broadway musical script. It's about two young adults, associated with rival street gangs, falling for each other in 1950s New York.

Laal Singh ChaddhaRelease date: December 25, 2020Aamir Khan stars in Tom Hanks' role in this remake of Forrest Gump transported to Bollywood, which will hence run through the events of India's history. Kareena Kapoor plays the love interest, played by Robin Wright in the original.Tom and JerryRelease date: December 25, 2020The second 2020 film based on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon is a live-action and animation hybrid. It follows a young adult (Chloë Grace Moretz) who teams up with the titular cat to stop the titular mouse from ruining an important event. Strangely not a part of the aforementioned cinematic universe.The Tomorrow WarRelease date: December 25, 2020In the near future, humans figure out how to draft soldiers from the past — Chris Pratt among them — to fight a losing war against alien forces. Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, and Betty Gilpin also star. The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay at the helm. Read the full article

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artificialqueens · 8 years ago

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Yoü and I Ch. 4 (Shalaska) - pradatrash

AN: I’m so, so sorry this has taken me forever to update! I just finished a move, started a new job and adopted a dog so thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy :) I haven’t forgotten about this fic I promise xx

Sweet creature, had another talk about where it’s going wrong

Things didn’t go back to normal once season five ended but Aaron and Justin tried their best to find a balance between their normal life as a couple and now their thrust-into-the-spotlight life.

Although the pressure was a lot for their relationship, the fans and the support that came from the drag community made them feel comfortable enough to take the title as the “royal couple”.

Aaron felt guilty for not always feeling grateful for the opportunities they were given as a couple. Pure Camp, BOTS, and everything that followed season five was a chance for them to travel and do what they love together but in all honesty he just wanted to go home. He wanted to lay on the couch with their cat and just have a fucking day where his face wasn’t caked in makeup but nothing was slowing down, only getting faster.

Something had changed in Justin since the ending of his season, now Alaska was in full force, almost like he was trying to prove something to the world that he was here and he was relevant—but Aaron didn’t see him fading at all, Justin was the only person that seemed to think of himself that way.

“Please welcome the royal couple of drag to the stage…Sharon and Alaska performing their single Kai Kai!”

Michelle’s voice echoes throughout the theater as the crowd booms, Sharon taking Alaska’s hand as the two make their way onto the stage, waving and blowing kisses as they go. Sharon places a quick kiss on Alaska’s lips before she lifts her mic up.

“How are you doing tonight, Atlanta?!”

The audience responds in a flurry of screams and shouts making Sharon grin widely. Next to her Alaska starts dancing to the beat, making eyes back at her.

They perform effortlessly, bring the audience to their feet, because the two of them together is the dream team of drag, Sharon’s convinced in that moment singing with Alaska is what she’s meant to do in the world. The lights, the crowd, watching the person she loves.

But something is missing. At first Sharon couldn’t see anything change, they were dancing and singing like they usually did—and they were fucking good at it but then she felt it and she knew there is something completely off about tonight.

They ended the song on a loud note and just as Alaska grew closer to Sharon to kiss her as they did at the end of the song every performance, she caught a glimpse of Alaska’s eyes but before she could really look they were making out and Michelle was telling them to break it up.

Something felt entirely different about this kiss, it wasn’t bad by any means but it didn’t feel like it normally did when she was kissing Alaska. It lacked something but Sharon couldn’t pin point what it was and that made her anxious. Once they exited the stage she reaches out and links their hands, giving Alaska a gentle squeeze. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

Sharon pauses, unsure whether she should prod Alaska or let it go but the exhausted and irritated look that replaces Alaska’s energetic performance face gives her the answer.

“Never mind.”

“Okay.”

Alaska rolls her eyes in exasperation, making a twinge of pain hit Sharon in the chest but she reminds herself constantly; Alaska’s hurting. She just looks back at her partner with a soft smile and moves to the dressing room to prepare for the finale.

When all is said and done and they find themselves back in their hotel room those lanky arms usually wrap around Sharon tightly and apologetic words and excuses are whispered to her and she takes it every time because the pain that Alaska has felt is unimaginable to Sharon, she’ll never understand it and that’s what sets them apart drastically in this moment.

—

“Where did you go?”

Aaron blinks his eyes and suddenly he’s looking at his fiancé staring at him with a funny expression. He must have zoned off again.

He looks down at the things in front of him and tries to remember what he was doing. Wedding stuff. Right. The wedding. Aaron feigns a small smile and points to the first photo of flowers he sees. “These ones.”

He doesn’t notice Chad blink but agree a second later, his mind starts to wander again and he doesn’t register that every time they sit down to do wedding stuff he just drifts off. Aaron catches Chad’s look and raises an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong with the flowers?”

The other man is quick to react and instantly shakes his head before he stands suddenly and motions to the garage. “I have some…prosthetics to finish.” Aaron gives a slow nod and watches him walk away, a feeling of guilt settling into his stomach as he absently turns on the TV.

He hadn’t spoken to Justin since L.A. and every time he went to pick up his phone his heart clenched in the most painful way and it almost physically impossible to type his name into a new message.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, Justin had tried to contact him multiple times after the coffee shop incident and Aaron didn’t know what it was that made it too hard for him to reply. Perhaps it was the fact that after all this time he asked Justin the one question that had been torturing him for months:

“Was it worth it?”

And Justin’s answer:

“I don’t know Aaron…I don’t know.”

The memory of their meeting hit Aaron in the chest like a sledgehammer and he physically grabs his chest in pain, tears burning at the back of his eyes.

Was it worth destroying our relationship? Was it fucking worth it?

He doesn’t want to cry. Not again and not about the same person but it’s like clockwork the same time every night when Chad is busy working on his art or away for work the tears come back and Aaron thinks at this point he’s cried enough tears for a lifetime but they somehow keep coming.

It takes a couple minutes before he feel like he won’t break out sobbing, his breathing returns to normal and the world seems okay for a second, just long enough for him to get distracted with whatever is playing on TV.

The time flies and before Aaron can even comprehend how long his eyes have been staring at the florescent lights of the TV he sees it’s around 4:30am. He didn’t even notice Chad going upstairs to bed. He stands slowly and stretches his stiff muscles before he begins to turn off the lights and clean up the wedding stuff on the coffee table.

He doesn’t even remember what flower arrangement he chose earlier so he takes a second and actually makes an effort to glance at the picture in the catalogue.

A lump forms in his throat instantly and his heart constricts again when he catches the text underneath the photo and at first he doesn’t believe this is the flower he chose and it’s just his mind playing a trick. He closes his eyes and reopens them but staring right back at him is one giant fucking slap in the face:

The Lupine flower. A native of Alaska.

—

“Hieee! You’ve reached the voicemail of Justin aka Alaska Thunderfuck, leave a message and I’ll get back you!”

“Hey babe…it’s Aaron…your boyfriend who hasn’t seen you in months. You’re probably in rehearsal or doing a meet and greet but I just wanted to call because I’m sitting with Cerrone on the couch and we miss you…I miss you. So much.”

Three long months. Three months of Aaron pretending like everything was okay. It was wearing him thin and he didn’t know how much longer he could take.

“I know…I know that you want to keep working, I do and I understand, but I miss you. I’m worried about you…”

Justin got all the voicemails, he just never replied. He needed to make something of himself before he felt like he even deserved Aaron.

He refused to go back to Pittsburgh without making sure Alaska Thunderfuck was a permanent imprint in the world. He didn’t know how he was going to do that and he didn’t know when—but he wasn’t going to let Aaron see a failure.

When Aaron had dropped him off at the airport to continue the BOTS tour without him just standing in that security line, being away from the love of his life was agony.

They had had so much sex the night before Justin’s legs still felt wobbly. They couldn’t get enough of each other; skin, lips, hands, anything that was tangible was just trying to get closer and closer to each other throughout the night.

When they were with each other Justin felt invincible, but without Aaron he felt like nothing, and that was what he had to change. Alaska Thunderfuck had to become someone.

“I love you!!” Aaron had wailed across the airport when Justin had gotten past security. He wanted to make Aaron proud of him. He wanted to prove everyone wrong, he wanted to fly.

He wanted people to look at him and say, “Damn. Look at Alaska Thunderfuck go.” Justin was going to make that happen no matter what.

“…I love you, I love you! Call me back when you can—tell the girls I say hi.”

“Thank you for your message. Beeeeeeeep!”

—

In reality it took about a full year for Justin to even begin to feel like himself again after the conclusion of season five. He made appearances, put on a happy face, and he was genuinely happy for Jinkx but that didn’t get rid of the overwhelming pain he still felt. It had consumed him.

It felt like someone had reached straight into his chest and ripped his heart out. There was this weird kind of complex that Justin had developed and never before had he found himself comparing himself to Aaron this much but his self-esteem was at negative fifty and it didn’t help that he was not only being compared to Jinkx but his own fucking champion boyfriend as well.

His solution? Throw himself as much as he could into drag. Don’t look back. Just keep going, do as many tours, shows and appearances as he can—wear his body mentally and physically down to the point where there was nothing left but drag.

For a long time Aaron and him had liked to keep Sharon and Alaska in a separate world but it had completely bled over and now there was no separation between Justin and Alaska, and that wasn’t always a healthy thing.

Justin was driving himself further and further into insanity and the only person that saw past every fake smile and laugh was Aaron. It irritated him how much Aaron knew him. It wasn’t like he’d ever be able to understand this pain though. He had fucking won his season and Justin had come away with nothing.

He was nothing. At least he felt that way.

Every opportunity that was given to him and travel he’d take. He absolutely refused to go back to Pittsburgh and have to accept this failure. He didn’t realize how much time away from Aaron was actually effecting them, this was all him.

Justin simultaneously hated himself but didn’t know how to stop it. He felt completely belted compared to Aaron even though his boyfriend had done nothing to imply that he wanted him to feel less than. It drove him crazy that his mind had taken such a plunge.

Here he was, Alaska Thunderfuck; a second rate version of Sharon Needles and he felt that now more than ever and the only way to make sure he wasn’t buried was proving everyone wrong, yet he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone it was just himself.

When he stepped back and noticed how competitive he was getting with Aaron it terrified him to his core. He was naturally competitive but now he saw a clear divide between him, Aaron and the other queens. Everyone else had left season five behind them except Justin.

“Come back to Pittsburgh babe, you need to rest and take a break…you’re wearing yourself down and it’s really concerning me.”

Aaron’s nervous voice rang in Justin’s ears from the phone pressed up against his ear. Justin doesn’t reply right away, the guilt is eating him alive but right now his destroyed dignity is eating him more.

“I miss you. More than anything, Justin…”

It just wasn’t working. Aaron’s soft, comforting voice was doing the exact opposite to Justin and it terrified him. Justin swallows hard and tries to find the words within him but nothing comes out. I’m sorry. I’m lost. I don’t know what we even are anymore.

Aaron could feel him slipping. Every second of every day away from each other is torture and the fact that it could all be different was what hurt the most. He felt angry, abandoned and confused. He didn’t mean to say it but it came out in a moment of weakness;

“Do you feel proud of yourself yet?”

The cold silence that greets him on Justin’s side of the line makes him instantly regret his words. Justin doesn’t hesitate before he fires back angrily, the bitterness in his tone finally coming to the forefront.

“Next to you? Never.”

“Who says you have to compare yourself to me?! I love you so fucking much it’s killing me to see you destroy you become so competitive with me, this was never what we wanted…what are we doing?”

“It’s killing you? Have you thought about how I’ve felt? I pale in comparison to Sharon fucking Needles and I always will!”

“No you won’t! I will spend my life convincing you otherwise Justin, because I love you and I believe in you more than anything, I’m trying so fucking hard to keep us from falling apart!”

“Falling apart?! Oh, so now you want to talk about our relationship?”

“What relationship?! I haven’t seen my boyfriend in five fucking months!”

Justin groaned and resists the urge to smash his phone against the brick wall he’s leaning against. His cigarette is running down as he holds it in his fingers, watching the flame flicker. He runs a exasperated hand through his hair and takes a long pull of his cigarette, reality setting in.

His voice is small, defeated and weak, “I don’t know who I am anymore…I feel so lost and defeated.”

Aaron sighs and puts all he can into his words. He tries to convey every ounce of love he feels for Justin in just his words,

“Come home. Come home and we’ll get through this together, I’m not going anywhere…I just need you. Take a break from drag and let’s just be Aaron and Justin again, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll come home.” They continue to talk for a couple more minutes as Justin discusses getting a flight the next day. Aaron’s relieved tone makes Justin feel slightly better but there’s still this hole in his chest.

He finally hangs up and leans back against the brick wall behind him, shutting his eyes tightly and taking another long drag from his cigarette he doesn’t hear someone else approaching until he hears a voice.

“Hey, you’re Alaska Thunderfuck right?”

His eyes snap open and he takes in the tall, handsome man in front of him. I guess it was to be expected, he had just finished a show at one of the hottest gay clubs in L.A.

“Yeah, who’s asking.”

“I thought you were amazing on Drag Race…You were fuckin’ robbed of that crown, man.”

Justin just stares down the man in front of him, cigarette still burning between his fingers. He’s blonde, just like Aaron. He’s a little more muscular than his boyfriend but Justin can tell he’s being genuine with his words.

“Where you from?” Justin inquires, the man taking out and lighting his own cigarette. He looks around and sees it’s just them outside, everyone else is probably wasted out of their mind at the after party inside.

“Florida.”

The air suddenly becomes thick, his mind shifts and it’s like he just sees black. He doesn’t think about anything at all. Justin nods one last time and flicks his cigarette to the ground before he stamps it out with the heel of his shoe.

“I’m at the Marriot down the street. Room 304.”

—

Sweet creature, wherever I go, you bring me home

#sharon needles #alaska thunderfuck #shalaska #you and i #angst #fluff #pradatrash #rpdr fanfiction #canon compliant

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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9 winners from Week 8 of the NFL season

Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Young wideouts balled out ... with a little help from trick plays.

You know who the losers of Week 9 were? Sure, the Bengals, the Broncos’ coaches, and anyone who wasted a prime fantasy football waiver wire spot on Detroit backup running back Ty Johnson (38 total yards). But mostly it was all of us, because we were deprived of a Patrick Mahomes-Aaron Rodgers showdown.

Mahomes missed his Sunday Night Football date with Green Bay thanks to a dislocated kneecap that threatens to keep him from the field until Week 10. Rodgers, fortunately, made sure the fans at Arrowhead Stadium wouldn’t go home without seeing at least one “how on earth?” play:

Unreal.@AaronRodgers12 magic on SNF! #GBvsKC | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/OzFFykBX0A

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 28, 2019

Somehow Rodgers wasn’t throwing that ball away, and it gave Green Bay a late lead in a back-and-forth battle with backup quarterback Matt Moore, who was surprisingly game. The Packers’ QB threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win, while Moore threw for 267 yards and two scores.

Neither was the king of Week 8, though. That title belonged to dominant wide receivers and defensive-shattering trick plays.

But that doesn’t include:

Not considered: Eddy Pineiro, who is a very Bears kicker after all

Chicago had a, uh, bold strategy late in its comeback effort against the Chargers Sunday afternoon. After a Mitchell Trubisky scramble put the ball at the LA’s 21-yard line, the Bears eschewed a shot at the end zone with 43 seconds left in a 17-16 game in order to ... take a knee and settle for a field goal instead.

That took the ball out of Trubisky’s hands and sent a rushing offense that had broken free for 162 yards to the sideline. That set up Pineiro, the hero of a Week 2 victory over the Broncos, for what could have been the second game-winning kick of his young career. He’d gone 2-of-2 with his 50+ yard kicks to start the season, and a 41-yard attempt was well within his range.

But as well as he’d kicked in Weeks 1-7, settling for a long-ish Pineiro field goal was still a big risk. He’d doinked a kick off the upright on a 33-yard attempt in the first quarter, and his three successful field goals Sunday all came from 25 yards or closer.

This all created a perfect and familiar storm for Bears fans:

oh no, Bears pic.twitter.com/1EDNWxSxOV

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 27, 2019

Chicago lost despite gaining 157 more yards than the Chargers and possessing the ball for 16 more minutes than LA. It’s almost an accomplishment to lose that way.

Now on to ...

Week 8’s real winners:

9. The Browns, who lost pathetically but at least tried something new

The less said about Cleveland’s “three turnovers in three plays” offense the better, but there was a little cause for optimism outside of Nick Chubb’s 131-yard performance Sunday. Trailing by 14 late in the fourth quarter following a field goal, the Browns swapped out placekicker Austin Seibert for punter Jamie Gillan for the ensuing kickoff.

The Scot uncorked a well-placed dropkick that skidded toward the sideline and was inches away from being only the second onside kick recovered by the kicking team in 2019:

the Browns used punter Jamie Gillan to break out the onside dropkick and it almost (almost!) worked pic.twitter.com/AO9YtJPC9L

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 27, 2019

It didn’t work, but it came close. And that’s a big deal, because the onside kick in its current state is broken. Gillan’s dropkick was an improvement over Justin Tucker’s poorly executed attempt back in September, and it could help bring a low-key revolution in the onside game as the league scrambles to find a way to fix an otherwise hopeless situation.

8. The NFL’s pass interference review rule, which actually worked on Sunday

The league made pass interference calls and no-calls reviewable in 2019 following last season’s debacle at the end of the Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game. While it’s given coaches plenty of opportunities to test their fortunes against back judges across the NFL, it’s led to little actual change. From Weeks 3-7, only one pass interference challenge resulted in the call on the field being changed.

But Sunday, late in a close game between the Colts and Broncos, that process worked to perfection. T.Y. Hilton’s third-and-5 crossing route turned into an incomplete pass after defensive back Coty Sensabaugh held his hand (literally) through the last half of his route.

no flag pic.twitter.com/srrvuax8ET

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 27, 2019

Colts head coach Frank Reich challenged the no-call and, in a relative rarity, the call was reversed. Indianapolis didn’t do anything with its new set of downs — it punted a few plays later before eventually rallying to a 15-13 win — but it’s good to see something useful came from this recent rash of rule changes.

7. Miles Sanders, who got his first career rushing touchdown against one of the league’s top defenses

Sanders had seen his role in the Eagles’ run offense diminish over the past few weeks. After starting off his rookie year with 10+ carries in his first four games, he’d gotten the ball only 18 times (for 42 yards) in his last three appearances.

That left the former Penn State star to plead his case for more responsibility against Buffalo’s top-10 rushing defense. He was pretty convincing:

Some serious MILES per hour. Miles Sanders goes 65 yards for his first career rushing TD! #PHIvsBUF @BoobieMilesXXIV : FOX : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/a16R5wPShJ pic.twitter.com/skH2JQAp3A

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2019

Unfortunately for Sanders, he couldn’t keep up this furious pace. He left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury, limiting his output to 118 total yards and a touchdown on six touches — three catches, three carries. Even so, he joined some lofty peers after gaining 250 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in his first eight games as a pro — other members in that club include Marshall Faulk, Terrell Davis, Saquon Barkley, and Alvin Kamara.

Sanders says he’s “fine,” so expect him to capitalize on that momentum next week against another smothering defense. The Eagles face the Bears in Week 9.

6. Devon Kennard, who got revenge over the team that didn’t want to pay him

Kennard broke into the league with the Giants, starting six games in 2014 as a fifth-round draftee. He’d stick in the team’s linebacker rotation over the next four years, making 35 starts as a versatile Swiss Army Knife-style player in the second level.

But when it came time for a new contract in 2018, New York declined to offer him an extension and let him test free agency. The Lions made him a priority, swiping him from the East Coast as their first signing under head coach Matt Patricia.

It took a year and a half, but Kennard got a chance to make the Giants finally pay up.

DK doing DK things! @DevonKennard pic.twitter.com/88piPbfTaC

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 27, 2019

Daniel Jones’ latest implosion behind a slipshod offensive line resulted in a backward pass, and Kennard was there to clean it up. His first NFL touchdown came against his former team, giving the Lions an early 7-0 lead in a 31-26 win. His seven tackles tied for the team lead as the Lions climbed back to .500 for the season.

5. New MVP candidate Kirk Cousins and his new best buddy Stefon Diggs

I guess it’s time to talk about Kirk Cousins. In a good way, too!

The former Washington QB failed to make a major splash in his first season with the Vikings. The man with the $84 million fully guaranteed contract couldn’t exceed the standard set by Case Keenum in 2017. That combination of overpaid and underwhelming bled into the start of 2019, when Cousins threw for just 735 yards in Minnesota’s 2-2 start.

Then the calendar flipped over to October, and Cousins’ renaissance has been undeniable. In his last four weeks, the veteran has thrown for an average of 315 yards per game, has a TD:INT ratio of 10:1, and has recorded an absurd quarterback rating of 137.1. The Vikings have gone 4-0 as a result, winning each of those games by double digits.

For the season, Cousins’ 115.3 passer rating and 9.3 yards per pass are both career highs that currently lead the NFL’s crop of QBs. The secret to his success? Remembering Diggs plays on his team:

Diggs averages, Vikings games 1-4 (2-2): 3.3 catches, 52.3 yards, 0.3 touchdowns per game Diggs averages, Vikings games 5-8 (4-0): 6 catches, 124 yards, 0.8 touchdowns per game

That’s made Adam Thielen’s recent absence a lot more tolerable in Minnesota these past two weeks. Cousins had just three incompletions in 28 attempts Thursday.

4. Flea flickers (and other trick plays), which are pretty damn great

Week 8 was a banner day for unorthodox plays. It all started in New Orleans, where head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his undermanned Cardinals team got bold in their upset bid against the Saints.

Kingsbury, a man who spent five years trying to make his way in the Big 12 with recruiting non-powerhouse Texas Tech, is used to spinning hay into gold. His creativity in divining offensive strategies is what led him to Arizona after being fired by the Red Raiders. He put that on full display Sunday afternoon.

Made ya look. pic.twitter.com/fToZrd1m9i

— Arizona Cardinals ⋈ (@AZCardinals) October 27, 2019

Kingsbury brought his fight directly to New Orleans, dialing up some first-quarter trickery with a WR sweep to Christian Kirk that developed into a flea flicker deep ball to tight end Charles Clay. The only problem with the play was that it wasn’t designed to go to someone quicker; the plodding veteran was brought down inside the New Orleans 15-yard line, turning a potential touchdown into an eventual field goal for Arizona.

That worked well enough to convince Lions head coach Matt Patricia to run pretty much the exact same play a little later (I’m kidding. Patricia only watches Patriots games).

OMFG pic.twitter.com/QWSZaiyrv0

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) October 27, 2019

That trickeration went to burner wideout Kenny Golladay, and it ended in a much-needed touchdown to shut down the Giants’ repeated comeback efforts.

But these weren’t limited to U.S. soil. The Rams, playing overseas in London, turned a handoff to Cooper Kupp into a touchdown catch for Cooper Kupp.

RAMS DOUBLE REVERSE ALERT @CooperKupp pic.twitter.com/QA3nYA8pyk

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 27, 2019

Quarterback Jared Goff took the snap and handed the ball off to his streaking wideout. He then pitched the ball back to Josh Reynolds, running in the opposite direction. Reynolds gave it back to Goff, who found Kupp tearing down the sideline as the Cincinnati secondary stumbled over its own feet trying to rectify the mistake. Then 65 yards later, the Rams were up 17-10 and the good people of London got a brief respite from a week when they were forced to deal with both Brexit and a Bengals game.

3. Deshaun Watson, who rallied the Texans to victory with one eye

With his Texans trailing Oakland late in the fourth quarter, Watson needed a touchdown. What he got was one of the most unbelievable plays of his budding career.

Deshaun Watson is UNREAL!@deshaunwatson | #OAKvsHOU pic.twitter.com/AInH5MDHR2

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 27, 2019

Watson spun out of a sack, got kicked right through the facemask, and slung the ball to tight end Darren Fells despite a bloody and rapidly swelling eye. That touchdown would prove to be the deciding points in a win that kept Houston in the thick of the AFC playoff race at 5-3.

So could Watson see his target after getting kicked in the eye? Nope! He was pretty much just running on autopilot.

“I kind of threw it blind,” he told reporters in his postgame press conference. “I kind of assumed where he was going, kinda adjusted, let my arm guide it. I didn’t even see the play till after the game.”

Deshaun Watson is so good that he can roast you with one eye or fewer. Legend.

2. Mike Evans, now officially the greatest wide receiver Tampa Bay has ever seen

No other player in Buccaneers history has more catches than Evans, who raised his career total to 433 with an 11-reception, 198-yard, two-touchdown game. That’s impressive — but not nearly as impressive as the fact it took him less than five and a half seasons to get there.

Evans was responsible for 100 percent of his team’s touchdowns in a loss to Titans. Without him, Jameis Winston’s stat line would have been a 10-of-31, 103-yard, two-interception crater.

His record-setting catch was a perfect fit for a wideout who has used his size and speed to consistently stand out as the Bucs’ biggest weapon. Evans drew single coverage at the goal line and ran a simple out route that looked easy but would have been nearly impossible for a smaller, slower receiver to haul in.

That's career catch 4️⃣3️⃣1️⃣ for Mike Evans, giving him the most receptions in Bucs franchise history.#GoBucs | #TBvsTEN pic.twitter.com/7WfazNh9LM

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 27, 2019

And somehow, this wasn’t the biggest receiving performance of Week 8.

1. Cooper Kupp, who boosted his jersey sales in the UK exponentially

Since 2010, 61 wide receivers drafted in the first round have failed to record at least 220 yards over the course of a season. On Sunday, Kupp hit that benchmark on his own.

The Rams-Bengals matchup wasn’t exactly a gift to the British Isles, but Kupp gave the fans at Wembley Stadium something to tell their grandchildren about. He finished his day with seven catches for a career-high 220 yards and a touchdown (the double-reverse flea flicker covered in No. 4 above). More absurdly, all those catches came in the first 33 minutes.

That was 2019’s biggest performance at wideout and a personal record for Kupp by 58 yards. He’s currently on pace for a 116-catch, 1,584-yard, 10-touchdown season — all of which would carve out his place in the uppermost tier of the league’s wide receiver pyramid.

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thinkpurpledrank · 8 years ago

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Dodgers are Really Good, So Drank Writes a Blog Post

Christ Taylor is leading the Dodgers to potential immortality

Hello, all! My name is Drank. I used to write blog posts about the Dodgers on this very tumblr site. It was a good blog, in my opinion. Probably among the top 5 blogs I’ve ever done. Also, probably the worst blog I’ve ever done. It’s not as bad as the podcast I once did, though.

But alas, Drank has been on hiatus, mainly because of a lack of time, and a desire to do other things that that did not revolve around the gut-punch of Dodger baseball. When Drank last wrote in this blog at the beginning of the 2016 season, baseball was not great: the Dodgers were ‘tevs and filled with injuries, while the vomit-inducing Giants were BABIPing their way to, perhaps, their own historic season (lest we forget, the Giants finished the 2016 first half with a better record than the Cubs. Don’t ever let your Giants friends forget this fact).

But, at some point, something changed. It is like the Dodgers players all started to miraculously hit their physical prime at the exact same time--despite the fact that Corey Seager is still about 6 months old. Yes, they ripped our hearts out with another excruciating playoff exit. But the foundation for success was set. The Dodgers headed into 2017 knowing that they had few question marks, that were likely addressed with a few fortunate offseason deals.

But holy crap, I don’t think any one of us was expecting this.

The Dodgers are good. They are really, really good. I think I remember the exact moment when I thought the Dodgers were, in fact, really, really good:

That day was May 17th, when Drank attended a ballgame at AT&T Park, and witnessed a Dodgers victory over the Giants, somehow.

“No fucking way,” I remember thinking. “This team just ended the 9-game losing streak I’ve had in this series. This might just be the greatest team of all time.”

And, just as I suspected, I was correct. Because since that day, the Dodgers have only lost 14 games, and merely won 55. Since that day, the Dodgers have only lost 1 series, while sweeping 11 series (they are going for #12 against the Metropolitans tonight). An organization that has been so dysfunctional against American League teams in its inter league history has decided to go a soft .800 against them.

And how have they done it? How have they done it with a surprisingly lengthy track record of disappointments? Consider that Kershaw’s back is hurt, Julio Urias might be dead, Andrew Toles tore his knee, and Logan Forsythe has been bad for the price the Dodgers had to pay to get him. Any one or two of those unfortunate circumstances would cripple and destroy 20 baseball franchises. The Dodgers? They are just drawing comparisons to the Golden State Warriors. That is really silly, but it is something we can be amazed at.

Yeah, we knew about Clayton Kershaw and Corey Seager and Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. But let’s note some other key reasons why the Dodgers are in the place they are today:

1. Cody Bellinger

We got a sense that this might be coming, when the Dodgers repeatedly refused to include Bellinger in trade deals for the likes of Ryan Braun and Cole Hamels. Just kidding, we had no idea at all.

In an era of the juiced baseballs, Bellinger has elected to barrel each and every one of them to stardom. Him getting comps to Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez quickly thrust him on the national stage, and he has arguably become the face of the franchise overnight (yes, over Kershaw, Seager, Turner, etc.). We, as fans, love dingers. And Cody Bellinger is hitting dinger after dinger after dinger, and it makes my heart warm.

2. Christ Taylor

See the picture above. I am doing drugs and writing a tale in an effort to make Chris Taylor immortal.

Remember that before the season, Taylor was in a losing competition to be the team’s right-handed utility guy to Enrique Hernandez. Then he volunteered to do outfield things, and elected to become the greatest utility player of all time while hitting grand slams once every 2 starts. The man is silly, has a generic name, has a mechanically long swing, and is on pace to get some MVP votes. What a fucking deal, making me thank the gods that we drafted Zach Lee in that dreadful 2010 season.

3. Alex Wood

The worst Dodger deal ever made has finally come to fruition, as LA showed why you should always take on good, cost-controlled talent who has put up good enough numbers that he might turn into a superstar once he hits his prime.

Wood’s dominance and funky delivery have smoked-and-mirrored his way to being one of the elite pitchers in the game. The declining fastball velocity is... something to monitor. But, the bigger deal is that Wood seems to be leaving his breaking pitches up more in the zone in his last 2 starts. Just give him some rest, Dave.

4. Brandon Morrow

The Dodgers are so good, they managed to turn a Cal graduate into some elite reclamation project. All of a sudden, Morrow’s repertoire has proven to be nasty and hard, especially against left-handed pitching. For a minor league deal, this was a lottery ticket that had more potential than most, and it’s paying dividends beautifully.

5. Austin Barnes

Austin Barnes--backup Dodgers catcher--has a higher WAR total this year than Yadier Molina. That’s pretty silly.

Also, for all catchers with 100 minimum PAs, Barnes has the highest wRC+ at 149. Buster Posey--who by the way plays for the worst team in the National League West despite the fact that they were projected to be a playoff team--is second at 138.

----------

Drank mentioned earlier that Drank had to take a hiatus because the Dodgers were ripping my soul apart early in 2016. Let it be known, that the probabilities state that the 2017 Dodgers are more likely to rip my heart out in more painful fashions this October than in years past. That when game 1 of the NLDS rolls around, Drank is going to be cowered in far underneath a Snuggie, drinking scotch and scotch and scotch. It’s going to be miserable.

But, for now, Drank is going to continue enjoying the shit out of this ride, because the Dodgers are really, really good.

#los angeles dodgers #cody bellinger #chris taylor #austin barnes #brandon morrow #Alex Wood

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theblackestnerdsyouknow-blog · 8 years ago

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Dear White People: The Series (Review)

in 2014, writer/director Justin Simien exploded into the mainstream with Dear White People. The title alone was enough to send the entertainment industry into a talespin of words like “reverse racism” and “boycott.” Thank God it was good. Not just good, but borderline excellent. Equal parts Spike Lee and Aaron Sorkin; Simien effortlessly balanced the tepid climate of post-Obama’s America with razor-sharp dialogue that rivals the veterans of Hollywood. So when word broke that Simien was developing a show based on the modern day cult classic, many fans and skeptics alone were curious to see the project would join the ranks of other movie-based-shows (Bates Motel, Fargo, etc.)

Needless to say, it’s the best one yet.

Dear White People centers around the life and times of a predominantly white Ivy League university, which is currently under fire for a controversial party that involved its white students in blackface. Leading the crusade is Samantha White, portrayed here by Logan Browning (taking over the role previously depicted by Tessa Thompson), a fervent freshman who gets her kicks by exposing institutionalized racism on her notorious radio show, which shares the name of the series. In an effort to bring the minorities of the university together, Sam soon learns that not all black people are created equal.

What makes this show so great is that there’s not a black stone that goes unturned. The 10-episode season is split into almost comic book like arcs centering around the Winchester students, such as Sam, Joelle, (Ashley Blaine Featherson,) Sam’s cool-as-hell BFF who keeps her down to earth; Gabe (John Patrick Amedori), the “cool white boy;” and the object of Sam’s affection; Reggie Green (Marque Richardson), Sam’s fellow warrior for wokeness, who has unrequited feelings for his partner in crime; Troy Fairbanks (Brandon Bell,) the golden child of the university who just so happens to be the son of the Dean; Lionel (DeRon Horton), the geeky journalist who gets a front row seat to the madness, all while trying to get closer to his superstar roommate; Coco (Antoinette Robertson,) a driven student who seems to separate herself from the pack at will, and often finds herself at odds with Sam. While Featherson, Bell and Richardson are the only ones to return from the film, the slew of new talent is more than able to hold their own. While there may be plenty of laughs, the show is never quick to remind us that the reality of being a black face in a white place is still a struggle we all deal with. In “Chapter V,” directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Reggie has an encounter with the police that leaves him shaken to his core, all over the misuse of the dreaded n-word in a Future song. It’s one of the most riveting 30 minutes you’ll see in 2017. Not to say the other nine episodes don’t hold up either. Quite the opposite. Every half hour of Dear White People feels self-contained enough to have its own arc while also maintaining the overall arc of the series.

Dear White People runs laps around its predecessor, and it’s a rarity when a movie-based-television show can do that. The actors are top-notch, the dialogue is perfection, and the line between biting satire and social issues is damn near pitch-perfect. Justin Simien created arguably one of the most impressive first seasons of television that the year has seen thus far. In an era where Insecure, Atlanta, and Black-Ish reign supreme, and movies like Moonlight, Fences, Get Out, and Hidden Figures break not only records, but stereotypes of old, Dear White People feels right at home in the modern Black Renaissance. And I feel that we’ve only seen the beginning.

A+

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placetobenation · 4 years ago

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I begin this article tipping my hat to two podcasters who equally match wit and chemistry. The podcast they share, on episode #561 of print, is one that others often try to emulate. Financiers will spend tens of thousands of dollars in advertising budgets to build a brand that these two organically developed through talent alone. That trinity of talent, chemistry and attitude ushered in a new era. That effort has captured the entire globe in a cult following of professional wrestling and pop culture. We quickly learned talented people are standing by to place pillars of excellence to further build upon. This all started with a crackling into an MP3 file called “The Place to Be”. Stumbling upon the new movement of radio on demand and jumping on the bandwagon these two were encouraging in the ProBoards format. That is where I met Derek Cornett for the first time. Then I met Jay Ouimette. We will talk about him later. The privilege in podcasting genius has made entertainment fun again, and we have had a decade of laughter in the process. I can honestly say my quality of life is better because of that nucleus moment in February 2011. Hence penning an article and being honest in my words. To be accepted by a wide audience without judgement. That, to me, is the Place to Be.

I woke up at about 9:45am on Tuesday Morning, September 11, 2001. I turned on the news, hoping to hear more about Michael Jordan returning to the basketball court, and I see Peter Jennings on the local ESPN channel. I am probably getting ready to smack my remote when I see a building standing amongst a billowing cloud of smoke. I was trying to figure out where it was, and I saw New York on the scrolling headline. There is only one place in New York that looks like that. Beginning to imagine the horror taking place before my eyes; this is clearly an act of terrorism before Mr. Jennings said it. Not even 15 minutes later, another building collapsed. This day changed my life forever.

My father has experience in emergency management as a career firefighter. He has also served loyal and faithful duties to the United States. On top of those, he is also a veteran. His service was interesting, due to his ability to duck and dodge a draft. He enlisted in 1971; taking the test like his life depended on it and got college money as a bonus. He spent a hair over two years in the United States Army as a welder in Germany, all the while when a Palestinian terror organization kidnapped and held hostage the Israeli Olympians. No attempt in getting political, but these events have happened close to home for me all too often. Coming back to that moment, as I am watching Mayor Rudolph Giuliani walk through the streets of New York, directing everyone away from the destruction, I have had enough. As the days and weeks lumbered on, the more despair I felt because I wanted a piece of the action. We have seen the shenanigans of the Al Qaeda terror network for far too long. We watched the Beirut bombing in 1983, the first WTC attack in 1993, 1998 twin bombings of U.S. Embassies on the horn of Africa, and the 2000 bombing of a Naval Ship off the coast of Yemen, killing 19 Sailors in the process. Osama Bin Laden has been practicing what he has been preaching for far too long, and by hell or high water, I wanted to be part of the solution. We all watched the same terror training camp videos on the news, and I was hook, line, and sinker in to getting my hands on those bastards.

This decision to join the military happened fast, and over a six-month period, all at the same time. I was deliberately not watching the news to cognitively process my emotions. Is this a decision I am ready to make? Do I want to risk my life to take another? These were questions I was saying yes far too easy to. Hearing bag pipes at funerals for the next three months were a serenade to my thoughts.

What did not help in my congitive thought process was living so close to something like that, the entire community was hurting. In the summer of 2002, fresh off a split with my ex-wife, I went down to the World Trade Center site for the first time, out of respect and reflection. What stood out to me were the flyers of loved ones everywhere. Old, young, man, woman, and child. People were there crying over losses and having a hard time moving on. These things that I was experiencing with my senses: the smell of a disaster, the sound of construction workers and crying, the vision of the enormous hole in the ground, and looking left and right and seeing the flyers. It was not necessarily my calling, but it was a gut feeling that I have never experienced before. I just simply knew what I wanted to do, and I what I felt I had to do, for my own personal closure to such a horrific event that impacted not only America, but my community. If these men can give their all for a greater cause, then why the shit shouldn’t I? John Fogerty said it best, “Put me in Coach. I’m ready to play”.

My real life was imploding because of my obsession to join the military, to defend a lot of different things I could not express openly, because I was not able to do so. I was only a civilian. I had no credentials. I wanted to defend our children against bullshit cowardly attacks that destroy our lives. I wanted to defend the people who decided to jump to their death instead of using anymore time to save their life. I wanted to defend the mothers, wives, daughters who lost a brave man to careers that scream danger. Most of all, and I carry their mantra with me to this day and beyond, I will defend those first responders and civilian heroes on the battlefield (volunteer efforts and United 93 Passengers), who died attempting to save others. The average reaction time for all the heroes, professional and volunteer, of September 11th was an incredible and astonishing FOUR SECONDS. That is all the time they needed to cast their vote and say, “Not on my fucking watch”. To me, those moments of pure adrenaline and selfless service were the first victories in the Global War on Terror campaign. Those heroes of the battle showed me the courage needed to take on a terror organization.

To describe my demeanor, at best, I am socially inept. I am admittedly way more Dwight Schrute, or Andy Bernard than the cool guy Jim Halpert. With that said, on September 17, 2002, I deliberately walked up to an Army Recruiter in his office and proclaimed, “I want to jump out of airplanes and kill the Taliban”. I will never forget his response. “That is terrific, but you kind of have to sit down and watch this video first and discuss options”. We discussed options, and the best he could do for me was an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of 11B, which was an Infantryman. If I wanted to go to a Special Forces detachment, I would have to meet their qualifications after initial service. I accepted, scored well on the test, background check squeaky clean, signed the dotted line for a First Blood match with some Iraqi and Syrian forces, and only one walks out victorious. I was headed to Fort Benning, GA for the first round of qualification bouts to step into the arena and dance with the Devil himself.

For the next 18 months, I trained and trained hard for a deployment to Iraq, with the 2-5 Cav (2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Regiment). We went through grueling simulated combat operations for weeks at a time without so much as a shower, let alone a beer. We were not simply going through the motions, we had leadership from the top down that firmly believed that combat training should be more difficult then real-world combat operations, so the fog of war will be easy to operate in. We received our orders in November of 2003 that we will be headed to Sadr City, Iraq. Everyone was pumped and excited to get their hands on these same individuals who believe that democracy must be defeated in war. There was also motivation to let out aggression for the months of grueling training. I was primed and ready to go.

To be prepared for battle in which a known enemy has you in its sights and ready to destroy you, you must have a certain mind set. We were a highly trained unit, but only a handful have seen combat in Afghanistan since this was the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We would talk amongst ourselves about being able to look another man in the eyes and pull the trigger. The answer always came back to “its either you or him that is going to die. Have a vote in the outcome”. We all had that swagger in the tent in the days prior to actual combat, but none of us, commanders included, had no clue on what we were about to embark, a life changing moment for every single man in that formation.

Through the Place to Be, I have been able to meet so many wonderful people who inspire me to be a better man. JT has never left an empty message, even if it were to simply send a DM about a great show he had. Andy Atherton for allowing me the opportunity to write this article. Will from Texas, I was a fan of his before I discovered the Place to Be when he had Good Will Wrestling on Blog Talk Radio. He allowed me to do one of the “For Your Consideration” podcasts. Not only was that a gift in itself, but it was a three-man booth with Johnny Sorrow posted on the Fourth of July, 2017. I listen to it back once, but the live experience was so good, that could never be duplicated. Aaron Stolz and the genius he brought to the Saturday Morning Spectacular, and we served together in the same unit in Iraq. Ben Ivanson, Steve Rogers, Chad Campbell, J. Arsenio D’Amato, Derek Cornett, Justin Rozzero, all guests on the Spectacular, all come from the Place to Be genesis. I say thank you to you all, and most importantly, thank you ALL for YOUR service!

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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