#carry on countdown 2020

[headless-angel-writes]

Una Rosa Es Una Rosa

Resumen: Baz ha estado robando rosas del jardín de un extraño. ¿A quien el esta llevando esas flores? Prompt: Devoción Los personajes pertenecen a Rainbow Rowel

Palabras: 1206

Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14170393/1/Una-Rosa-es-Una-Rosa

Ao3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/43508553

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1293560908-carry-on-one-shots-una-rosa-es-una-rosa

@carryon-countdown​

Baz.

Hay un chico parado frente a mí. Está usando botas, un overol, camisa blanca, guantes  y un enorme sombrero de paja que cubre sus rizos dorados. Tiene la cara llena de pecas y sus ojos son tan azules como el cielo 

Es hermoso. El chico  más hermoso que he visto en mi vida. Me mira con fastidio, como si quisiera matarme. Lo único que nos separa es una reja, así que no estoy protegido.  

Me atrapó robando sus rosas. Y es bastante obvio que le importa mucho este jardín.  No lo puedo culpar por sentirse así. 

—Así que eres tú quien viene a lastimar a mis rosales.

Su voz es tranquila a pesar de que sus ojos reflejan furia.

—Lo siento. Puedo pagar por ellas, si quieres

Honestamente no sé qué más decirle. 

—¿Son para una chica?—ignora mi pregunta.

—Podría decirse que sí.

No es tan fácil explicárselo a una persona que acabo de conocer. Aunque me interesa bastante que nos conozcamos más a fondo. Él se encoge de hombros, avienta el sombrero y guantes hacia una mecedora que está a sus espaldas y salta la reja que nos separa. 

Ahora que estamos más cerca, puedo ver que tiene aún más pecas y lunares de los que pensé. No sé porqué se molesta en tratar de protegerse del sol. Huele bien, a una mezcla de flores y canela. (No debería oler así considerando que estaba trabajando.)

—¿Qué haces?

—Voy a ir contigo

Levantó una ceja. ¿Qué está pensando ese tipo?

—Mis rosas son valiosas. Quiero saber si tu chica merece que robes por ella.—Explica con simpleza.

Maldición. No puede acompañarme. Y mucho menos hoy. 

—Es raro que pienses así. Ni siquiera nos conocemos.

Comienzo a caminar, dudo que hable en serio sabe seguirme. Me doy cuenta de lo equivocado que estoy cuando escucho pasos detrás de mí.

—Lo raro es que robes del jardín de un extraño—Dice.—Llevas meses haciéndolo. Necesito saber quien recibe mis rosas. 

Lo ignoro y trato de apresurar el paso. Tal vez pueda arreglármelas para perder al chico bonito. 

Sí no… ¿Cómo le explico que voy al panteón a visitar a mi madre muerta por su aniversario luctuoso?

............................................................................................................................

El Chico Bonito es mucho más obstinado de lo que creí. Al principio, trate de confundirlo, cambiando de ruta y entrando a tienda,  para alejarlo de mí. No funcionó. Me compadecí de él y le permití caminar a mi lado.

Y él se acercó para tomarme del brazo. 

—Para que no vuelvas a escaparte.—dijo

Soy fuerte, podría haberme librado de él con facilidad; también soy débil y en cuanto sentí el calor que emana de él me rendí. 

Hemos recibido un par de miradas curiosas. Supongo que mi traje negro contrasta demasiado con su ropa. Y las rosas que llevo en mi mano no ayudan. Desde fuera, podría parecer que estamos en una cita.

Ojalá fuera así.

—¿Cómo te llamas?—suelta de pronto.

Su voz me hace saltar de la sorpresa. No me había dicho nada antes y es raro oírlo ahora. 

—Basilton Grimm Pitch.—Respondo. 

Él se ríe. No es la primera vez que pasa cuando alguien escucha mi nombre. Solo suelto un suspiro.

—Lo siento. Es un nombre un poco extraño. Me gusta ¿Puedo llamarte Baz?

Siento que mi cara se calienta un poco.

—Si quieres… ¿Y cómo te llamas tú?

—Simon Salisbury.

No sé cómo es que se ríe de mi nombre cuando pareciera que a él lo nombró Stan Lee. Decido no decir nada más y simplemente seguir caminando. A veces siento cómo él acaricia mi brazo. Es tan suave que creo que no se da cuenta de lo que hace.

Al fin, la puerta del panteón está frente a nosotros. Me quedo parado un momento sin estar seguro de que hacer ahora. No pensé que llegaríamos tan lejos. Me giro a verlo, él luce pálido.

—¿Qué hacemos aquí?

—Vengo a visitar a alguien. 

Él se aferra con más fuerza a mi. Ese gesto me ayuda un poco a atreverme a continuar. Conozco muy bien el camino, vengo cada cada mes desde que tenía quince años. Me detuvo frente a una lápida de mármol negro. 

En la lápida, se lee el nombre de mi madre: Natasha Pitch. Y la fecha de hoy: doce de agosto. Me suelto de mi acompañante  y procedo con lo que vine a hacer. Saco del jarrón las flores secas y las cambio por las frescas que llevo en la mano.  

—Ella es quien ha estado recibiendo tus rosas. Las tomé porque me parecieron dignas de ella. Lo siento, Salisbury

Está parado un poco lejos de mi.Y se quedó pasmado. Siento que los ojos me pican y que quiero llorar. Pero no voy a hacerlo frente a él.

—Simon.—aclara.—Y yo… lo lamento mucho. No debí seguirte hasta aquí.

—No importa, en serio.

—Baz…

—Ya pasaron más de diez años, debería haberlo superado

De pronto, la tristeza me invade y las lágrimas comienzan a salir. No quiero que Simon me vea en ese estado, así que me doy la vuelta. Solo entonces me permito llorar.

Escuchó pasos, seguro que él ya se va. Seguramente se siente incómodo. No debí arrastrarlo hasta aquí. 

Entonces, siento una presencia cálida en mi espalda. Un par de brazos me rodean la cintura desde atrás. Simon Salisbury, a quien acabo de conocer, está tratando de consolarme.

—Está bien. Lo que sea que estés sintiendo ahora está bien.

Es reconfortante escuchar a alguien decir eso. Desdé que ella murió, mi padre se volvió un hombre mucho más reservado de lo que ya era. Nunca lo vi llorar, al menos no frente a otra persona. Me volví un poco cómo él. No me gusta mostrarme débil.

Aquí y ahora, no me siento obligado a ello. Me giro, con cuidado, y correspondo al abrazo de Simon. Es más bajo que yo, así que apoyo mi cara en su cabello. Es muy suave y huele a rosas. 

Sus manos trazan círculos en mi espalda, tratando de calmarme. 

Cuando estoy más calmado y las lágrimas se han detenido, me alejo un poco. Es extraño, pero no me siento avergonzado por mi pequeña escena. Me tallo los ojos, espero no verme demasiado hinchado.

—¿Te sientes un poco mejor?—dice, tratando de sonreír.

—Un poco. Gracias por el abrazo.

Él se encoge de hombros, como si  confortar a alguien que no conoces sea algo que se hace normalmente.

—¿Quieres venir a mi casa

—¿Qué?

Pensé que ahora cada uno de nosotros tomaría su propio camino. Al parecer, él quiere continuar pasando el tiempo conmigo.

—Tengo pastel de mi casa, lo hizo mi abuela.

—Está bien, iré contigo.

Simon se acerca y me toma de la mano. 

—Y puedes llevarte rosas, pero esta vez tienes que pedirlas

..............................................................................................................................

 No nos hemos soltado de las manos. Y quisiera no hacerlo nunca. Mientras vamos caminando, de camino a su casa, me surge una duda.

—¿Por qué dices que tus rosas son valiosas?

Su mano aprieta la mía con un poco más de fuerza.

—Mi mamá inició ese jardín. Amaba todas las plantas, pero las rosas eran sus favoritas.

Ahora entiendo porqué era tan importante para él saber que es lo que yo estaba haciendo con ellas. 

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 ¡Hola!

Me atrasé un día. El prompt de ayer era devoción. Y  pensé que poner a ambos chicos sintiendo eso por sus mamás era buena idea. Me basé en una publicación de Tumblr, pero no tengo el link 

El título viene de una canción de Mecano

Muchas gracias por leer

Ciao!

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

Stats from Movies 1-100

Top 10 Movies - Highest Number of Votes

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) had the most votes with 2,493 votes.

The 10 Most Watched Films by Percentage

Coraline (2009) was the most watched film with 89.41% of voters saying they had seen it.

The 10 Least Watched Films by Percentage

Halloween (2007) was the least watched film with 64.13% of voters saying they hadn't seen it.

The 10 Most Known Films by Percentage

Coraline (2009) was the best known film with only 0.08% of voters saying they'd never heard of it.

The 10 Least Known Films by Percentage

Shrooms (2007) was the least known film with 74.77% of voters saying they'd never heard of it.

The movies part of the statistic count and their polls below the cut.

Carrie (1976) Scream (1996) Hereditary (2018) It (2017) Candyman (1992) Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) The Babadook (2014) Paranormal Activity (2007) An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Misery (1990) The Fly (1986) Black Swan (2010) House of 1000 Corpses (2003) The Devil’s Rejects (2005) 3 from Hell (2019) Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) Halloween (1978) Halloween (2007) Re-Animator (1985)

My Bloody Valentine (1981) Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Scary Movie (2000) Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010) Psycho (1960) Train to Busan (2016) Thelma (2017) The Dark (2018) Ravenous (1999)

Shrooms (2007) Let the Right One In (2008) It Follows (2014) Martyrs (2008) The Wicker Man (1973) The Descent (2005) Dead End (2003) Fear Street trilogy (2021) The Ring (2002) Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

Frankenstein (1931) Broken (1993) NoroI: The Curse (2005) The Eyes of My Mother (2016) Jacob's Ladder (1990) Phenomena (1985) Ichi the Killer (2001) Nightbreed (1990) Braindead (1992) Hatching (2022)

Wait Until Dark (1967) The Host (2006) Oculus (2013) Skinamarink (2022) We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) Perfect Blue (1997) The Night House (2020) Lake Mungo (2008) Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) Devour (2005) My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) Unfriended (2014) Choose or Die (2022) The Ritual (2017) Countdown (2019) The Wretched (2019) House (1977) Suspiria (1977)

Hatchet (2006) Hell House LLC (2015) The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) The Exorcist (1973) Poltergeist (1982) Gremlins (1984) Child's Play (1988) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Audition (1999) Cam (2018)

Jennifer's Body (2009) Ready or Not (2019) Dracula (1931) Freaks (1932) Alien (1979) Saw (2004) House of Wax (2005) Parasite (2019) Nope (2022) The Lost Boys (1987)

Hellraiser (1987) Ghost Ship (2002) Triangle (2009) Talk to Me (2022) Terrifier (2016) Coraline (2009) Monster House (2006) Mama (2013) Pulse (2001) Midsommar (2019)

[ellas-journey]

Time in Japan 🕰️

   Did you realize something different in the clock that the spider Oni showed Zenitsu? I will let you think. Yes, it does not have numbers. I mean it does, in the tiny clock within the clock. And there is a reason for that, the clock that he is holding is a Japanese clock. So, a clock made in Japan? Ah not really. Let me explain.    People in Japan, like in most of Asia, did not count the time like we do today. There is the conception that ancient people lived according to natural cycles, that for them the daytime was for the living and the nighttime for the dead. Taking a step further, that westerns were concerned with schedules, and non-westerners seem to act like they did not care, they did not have a time-consciousness at all. But that was not true. The way they counted time sure was different but was still a way of counting the time, they used the so called “variable hour system”.    As the name suggests, the length of the hours varied with the seasons. The day was divided in daytime and nighttime, and each divided further in 6 equal periods called koku ou toki [ji]. Each of the twelve hours had the name of an animal of the zodiac. They would know the what time it was thanks to a public time-telling bells or drums, that were installed in high towers (to those that like to read danmeis like me, you must be pretty familiarized with this concept) so that the sound would be carried into the distance.    The mechanical clock arrived in Japan trough the hands of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier in the 16th century. It was gifted to the daimyo of Yamaguchi - Ouchi Yoshitaka - for him to allow Christianity in his territory, as soon more of this ticking machines would be asked to the Jesuits. Even Oda Nobunaga asked Louis Frois to see this intriguing machine, and, even tho this was an “useless thing” more and more clocks were brought to Japan to be used as expensive gifts. Even the Tokugawa family loved clocks even if they hated the westerns.    You should expect that since there was a flood of clocks in Japan that they soon would adopt this way of counting the time. That was not the case. The koku system continued in Japan until 1873, were in the 5th year of the Meiji Era the Emperor decided to adopt the Western calendar and way of dividing the time. But before that, western clocks were adapted into the Japanese way of seasonal time.     They were called “Wadokei - 和時計 - Japanese clock”. Why did this happen?  Well because “the clocks were counting the wrong time of hour!” Edo people were not used at not having the distinguishing between long and short hours, so they quickly decided to adapt the various types of western clocks into their system. “The mechanism of these clocks was practically identical to that of Western devices of the sixteenth century, with the only alteration being made to the locking plate of the alarm, which was modified to allow the clock to strike the number of times according to the Edo-period hour count, which consisted of double nine-to-four countdown series” - Frumer, 2012;    While it started as a novelty, by the 18th century clocks were not a rarity anymore. “Most mechanical clocks were only available to the rich and powerful, but the emergence of the economical and less decorative type indicates that there was some demand for mechanical clocks in the general society, possibly by merchants for their practical use in knowing the precise time.” - Hashimito, 2020; While we see the most expensive and decorative ones at museum, we must not forget that is exactly these characteristics that made their owners not throw them away, because in the case of a simple one you wouldn’t even think twice. “Clocks are not different from other museum exemplars suck as pottery or lacquerware - the existence of the state-of-art object does not imply that there were no simpler versions used by people of humbler status the daimyo” - Frumer, 2012;    Japanese clocks soon started to have both the Japanese hours and western hours, like in the clock that the Oni does have! While sure by the Taisho era the Japanese society would be fully adapted to the western way of telling the time, but imagining that the Oni was a human while this was the standard way of telling the time it is understandable why he does have that clock. Plus said clock had an specific time for the sunrise so can you really blame him for sticking to that? Same with the Ubuyashiki girl clock. Since they had to track the sunrise it would be way more easy to keep an old japanese clock that was the best a doing that job!

   FRUMER, Yulia. 2012. - Clocks and Time in Edo Japan. PhD. Diss. Faculty of Princeton University;    HASHIMITO, Takehiko, 2008 - Japanese Clocks and the History of punctuality in Modern Japan. East Asian Science, Technology and Society: An International Journal, 2:1, 123-133. <https://doi.org/10.1215/s12280-008-9031-z>    Linfamy. 2022- How christians intruduced the first mechanical clocks to Japan for GOD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQVNxAVlR44    Linfamy. 2023 - Traditional japanese clocks: 1200 years of history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5eJgqSV6eA&t=321s     

[beardedmrbean]

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket blasted off successfully for its maiden flight on Tuesday, a live video feed showed. The success of its three-hour flight is crucial for European countries, who hope to regain independent access to space more than a year after they retired their workhorse Ariane 5 rocket.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.

The micro-satellites were delivered one hour and six minutes after the rocket blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket's success marks a "historic day" for Europe, announced European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher.

The much-delayed inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket launched smoothly into clear skies at 4pm local time (1900 GMT) from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, an AFP correspondent observed.

Crews on the ground at the launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, applauded as the rocket soared into clear skies.

Ariane 6's first launch, which was originally planned for 2020, is hoped to bring an end to a difficult time for European space efforts.

Since the last flight of its workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.

ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said it was a "very important moment for Europe".

"We are re-establishing independent access to space for Europe," he said just before the launch. 

Earlier Tuesday, the giant metal structure housing the rocket called the "mobile gantry" was rolled away, unsheathing the 56-metre (183 feet) behemoth in light rain, an AFP journalist observed.

A 10am forecast said that "Weather is GO for fuelling", the ESA said on X.

This gave the green light for filling the rocket's tanks with the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will propel it into space.

From that point, any physical intervention would force the tanks to be emptied, requiring a 48-hour launch postponement, the ESA's launch base project manager Michel Rizzi said.

Rocket crisis 

Many will be nervously watching the launch, hoping it can bring an end to a difficult era for European space efforts.

Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.

Historically, nearly half of the first launches of new rockets have ended in failure.

That includes Ariane 5, which exploded moments after liftoff in 1996 – but out of its 117 launches over nearly 20 years, only one other flight would fail.

Everyone at the Kourou launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, is hoping history does not repeat for Ariane 6.

Tony dos Santos, the ESA's Kourou technical manager, said that teams on the ground would only be able to "breathe our first sigh of relief when the first satellites have been released" an hour and six minutes after liftoff.

The mission will be considered a success after the rocket's reusable upper stage splashes down into the Pacific Ocean.

Franck Saingou, Ariane 6 launch system architect, said there had been so many rehearsals that it all feels "routine – except this time it's the real thing".

Concealed in a nearby bunker, more than 200 experts in the launch centre will scrutinise the rocket until liftoff, ready to interrupt the countdown to solve any problems, he added.

They will be in constant contact with the Jupiter control room, the hub of communication between the teams – and data sent from the rocket.

A large number of armed forces will also watch over the launch, including three fighter jets deployed to deter any curious aircraft nearby.

Europe's 'return' to space

A successful flight would mark Europe's "return" to the space scene, said ESA space transportation director Toni Tolker-Nielsen.

Russia pulled its Soyuz rockets, long used for European launches at Kourou, after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Later year, Europe's Vega-C light launcher was grounded due to a launch failure. Delays to Ariane 6's first flight – originally scheduled for 2020 – further compounded the crisis.

Ariane 6 is scheduled for one more launch this year, six in 2025, then eight in 2026.

The launch of Ariane 6 is the first step towards "changing the future of the European space transportation ecosystem", ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said on X.

Gareth Dorrian, a space science researcher at the UK's University of Birmingham, told AFP that "the first launch of any new rocket is always fraught".

But Ariane 5 started with explosive failure and "went on to become one of the most successful launchers in history", he added.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

New in July - Hallmark Movies Now

Caribbean Summer (2022)  Starring  Heather Hemmens and Ser’Darius Blain   Hallmark Channel / Summer Nights 

The Last Bridesmaid (2019)  Starring Rachel Boston and Paul Campbell   Hallmark Channel / June Weddings 

Paris, Wine & Romance (2019)  Starring Jen Lilley and Dn Jeannotte   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Summer 

Destination Wedding (2017)  Starring Alexa PenaVega, Jeremy Guilbaut, and Andrea Brooks Hallmark Channel / June Weddings 

One Starry Christmas (2014)  Starring Sarah Carter and Damon Runyan   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

It's Christmas, Carol! (2012)  Starring Emmanuelle Vaguer and Carrie Fisher   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

Christmas Song (2012)  Starring Natasha Henstridge and Gabriel Hogan   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

June 1 

Campfire Christmas (2022)  Starring Tori Anderson, Corbin Bleu, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Catlin Stryker, and Matt Hamilton   Hallmark Channel / Christmas in July  

Christmas in Rome (2019)  Starring Lacey Cabaret and Sam Page   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

In the Key of Love (2019)  Starring Laura Ones, Scott Michael, Andrea Brooks, and Shannon Chan-Kent   Hallmark Movies Now 

With Love, Christmas (2017)  Starring Emilie Ullerup and Aaron O’Connell   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

July 6 

The Journey Ahead (2022)  Starring Holly Robinson Peete and Kaylee Bryant   Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

My Grown-Up Christmas List (2022)  Starring Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace  Hallmark Channel / Christmas in July 

The Christmas Ring (2020)  Starring Nareen Contractor and David Alpay  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Miracles of Christmas 

Once Upon a Holiday (2015)  Starring Briana Evigan and Paul Campbell   Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

Sun, Sand & Romance (2017)  Starring Tricia Helfer and Paul Campbell  Hallmark Channel / Summer Nights 

July 13 

A Tail of Love (2022)  Starring Brittany Bristow and Chris McNally  Hallmark Channel / Spring Into Love 

July 20 

Big Sky River (2022)  Starring Emmanuelle Vaguer and Kavan Smith  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

July 27 

Romance to the Rescue (2022)  Starring Andrea Brooks and Marcus Rosner  Hallmark Channel 

All Saints Christmas (2022)  Starring Ledisi and Roger Cross  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

The Holiday Stocking (2022)  Starring Nadine Ellis, Tamala Jones, and B.J. Britt  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Mahogany / Miracles of Christmas 

Sense, Sensibility & Snowman (2019)  Starring Erin Krakow, Luke Macfarlane, and Kimberly Sustad  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Miracles of Christmas 

Christmas in Toyland (2022) Starring Vanessa Lengies abd Jesse Hutch Hallmark Channel / Christmas in July

And more new movies every Thursday. 

[ammg-old2]

Late last month, armed troops in Niger overthrew the government, arrested the elected president, and seized power for themselves. Soon after, a small group of Nigeriens who supported the coup in the capital city, Niamey, gathered to show their support for the military government, some waving the Russian flag. They denounced the West in general, and France, the former colonial power, in particular. “Long live Putin!” they chanted. “Down with France!”

The coup has created considerable alarm in Western capitals, and with good reason. Since 2020, there have been coups throughout the Sahel, the strategically important belt of hot, semiarid land stretching across Africa just below the Sahara desert. In 2020, Mali’s government fell. In 2021, the same thing happened in Sudan, Chad, and Guinea. Last year, a coup took place in Burkina Faso. Niger was seen as the Sahel’s final bulwark against chaos and instability, the last regime standing. The United States had a drone base in Niger, and France had stationed troops there, a crucial line of defense against surging West African jihadism. Now all of that is at risk.

Few Americans are in the habit of giving much thought to Niger (“Do you mean Nigeria?”), but this summer’s events seemed to offer a stark takeaway: Pro-Russian soldiers overthrew a pro-Western government. Democracy was uprooted by military dictatorship. To anyone who lived through the Cold War, the story felt familiar. The fact that Niger exports uranium—a crucial resource for nuclear reactors—makes its struggle even easier to understand as a geopolitical chess game. Niger was a pawn, and coups happen when pawns are pulled between geopolitical kings. And so, the coup has quickly become a story about America, Russia, and France—and not about Niger.

When explaining major events in international news, particularly those that take place in unfamiliar locations, we all tend to exhibit geopolitical bias, a mindset that filters every incident through the prism of international grand strategy—and makes the moral of every story about us. Simplistic, familiar narratives trounce nuanced explanations that involve political actors few nonspecialists have heard of, known by obscure acronyms and hard-to-pronounce names.

The military coup in Niger has already become fodder for sensational headlines and political statements linked to grand geopolitical tropes. A senior adviser to Ukraine’s president insisted, without evidence, that Russia instigated the coup. Bloomberg covered the coup as the latest evidence for the “Long Arm of the Kremlin.” Newsweek declared that Niger’s coup means “The Countdown to the Next Great War Has Begun in Africa.”

Russia will likely expand its influence because of the Niger coup (and there have been reports that the junta is requesting help from the Wagner Group mercenaries). But much of the speculation about the extent of Russia’s involvement so far is based on extremely thin evidence—a few hundred people, in one protest, in one city, a handful of them carrying Russian flags, in a country that’s twice the size of France and home to more than 25 million people. Even before the coup, Niger’s capital city was an opposition stronghold, so one should hardly be surprised that some people who live there would demonstrate in support of soldiers who overthrew a president they loathed.

The impetus behind the coup is very likely complex, nuanced, and less about the Kremlin than about domestic dynamics. The possibility of a more banal local cause doesn’t negate the real anger that many Nigeriens feel toward France, or the misguided impulse some have to turn to Russia as an alternative international sponsor that’s explicitly anti-Western. But the simple explanation for why the coup happened, as reported in the local media, is plausibly the right one.

The incumbent president, Mohamed Bazoum, had been planning to fire a general, Abdourahamane Tchiani, who commanded the elite presidential guard. Now that the coup has happened, General Tchiani isn’t going to be fired. Instead, he has proclaimed himself the head of the new military junta, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.

The Occam’s-razor explanation may just be correct: A general who was going to be fired decided to fire the president instead. Many coups have such simple origin stories, triggered by factional rivalries within the military, and ambitious, self-serving men who would happily swap the barracks for the palace.

Whatever the reason for his gamble, Tchiani likely didn’t anticipate the intense opposition he has faced since seizing power. Most international actors, including Russia, have condemned the coup (though the Kremlin’s statement about respecting the constitution is best consumed with a grain of salt). And perhaps the most surprising threat to Tchiani’s plans has emerged from a major regional power broker, the Economic Community of West African States. The bloc of 15 West African countries, with Nigeria as its most powerful member, has taken a hard-line stance against the coup, even threatening military intervention. As a result, some have painted ECOWAS as a puppet of the West, the sharp end of the European and American spear.

Yet again, a simpler (and less geopolitically exciting) explanation is likely correct. ECOWAS may not be taking a tough stance against this coup because it’s a marionette or because it has an ideological aversion to Vladimir Putin; the governments of its member states may just be concerned about their own self-preservation.

“One reason why regional presidents are interested in military intervention is because they’re increasingly scared of being taken out themselves,” says Professor Nic Cheeseman, an expert on African politics at the University of Birmingham. “It comes after several other coups in the region, and they realized that they could be next if they didn’t draw a line in the sand.”

Niger’s coup may not have originated in great-power competition so much as in politics and other dynamics nearer at hand—but it could still have serious international repercussions. The security situation in the Sahel is deteriorating as jihadism rises. The junta governments that have taken power in the past three years have proved unable to combat it. Moreover, although many of the new military regimes—notably in Mali and Burkina Faso—have allied themselves with Russia, the Russian government and the Wagner Group are not exactly flush with spare cash or bursting with well-trained troops waiting to deploy to Africa, bogged down as they are by their debacle in Ukraine. In the coming months, the postcoup regimes in the Sahel are likely to realize that they’ve swapped Western partners, which had deep pockets and a long-term commitment to supplying foreign aid, for a diminished Kremlin that will inevitably overpromise and under-deliver. The money will eventually run out.

Europe has skin in the game: France, which is mostly powered by nuclear energy, gets roughly 10 to 15 percent of its uranium supplies from Niger. Moreover, in 2015, the European Union paid Niger’s government to effectively create a European “Sahel border,” shutting down pathways of migration through Niger toward the Mediterranean. The coup could reopen that route, reinvigorating the formerly thriving transit hub of Agadez. The United States cares about Agadez too: The American drone base Niger Air Base 201 is just outside the town.

If Niger’s junta manages to stay in power, it will almost certainly align itself with Russia. The interim regime has already announced the cancellation of several military agreements with France. But it’s in for a rude awakening if it cozies up to the Kremlin. Russia, as Mali and Burkina Faso are finding out, is rich enough to pay for small contingents of mercenaries and to line the pockets of greedy soldiers, but it is nowhere near rich enough to help provide for the broader population of one of the world’s poorest countries, where the GDP per capita is less than $600 a year.

As is so often the case in sub-Saharan Africa, the victims will be those who can least endure it. The broader population of Niger will suffer as soldiers turned politicians enrich themselves. And that story, which is not about geopolitics, but rather about the ordinary distress of millions of vulnerable people, will be one that garners substantially less ink.

[xtruss]

Why “North Atlantic Terrorist Organization (NATO)” Has No Right to Complain About Russian Nukes in Belarus

— Sunday May 28, 2023 | Ilya Tsukanov

Moscow and Minsk signed agreements this week on the deployment of Russian tactical nukes at a special storage facility in Belarus. The deployment will mean a significant security boost for Minsk, and threaten to unravel NATO’s entire missile defense strategy, says international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that Russia has moved ahead with the deployment of tactical nukes to Belarus.

“We had to prepare storage areas and the like. We have done this, so the movement of nuclear weapons has already begun,” Lukashenko said, speaking to Russian media in Moscow on Thursday.

The Biden administration responded predictably, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slamming the nuclear deployment as “yet another example of making irresponsible and provocative choices” by Russia, and reiterating Washington’s commitment “to collective defense of the NATO alliance.”

Jean-Pierre’s remarks echo those made by NATO in March, when Moscow and Minsk first outlined plans on the transfer of tactical nukes to Belarusian soil. At that time, an alliance spokesperson called Russia’s plans “dangerous and irresponsible,” and dismissed any suggestion that the decision was a response to longstanding NATO policy – including the stationing of US nukes on European soil.

Mark Sleboda rejects these excuses. “First off, it has to be said, one of the first justifications Russia used for doing this is that the US has actually had tactical nuclear weapons in Europe for decades, hundreds of them, in fact, and they have recently even been upgraded to the B61-12 tactical nuclear warheads [in place] of older gravity bombs,” Sleboda pointed out in an episode of Radio Sputnik’s The Final Countdown on Friday.

“They are located in a number of NATO countries, including Belgium, Italy, Germany. They’ve been there for decades, and Russia has long complained about it. And that longstanding grievance, combined with other NATO escalations, convinced Russia that if you set the precedent and you don’t consider it a violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, then you can hardly accuse us of doing the same if we do it in Belarus. But of course, hypocrisy knows no bounds,” the observer said.

US Nukes in Europe: Where are They Stationed? Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus sparked an outcry from North Atlantic Terrorist Organization (NATO), with the alliance issuing a statement condemning Moscow for its "Dangerous" and "irresponsible" move. But given that the US has around 100 nukes at six separate European bases, the rhetoric seems like a case of the pot calling the kettle black. (March 27th, 2023)

Russia’s move isn’t an act of “escalation” so much as it is “an act of equity,” according to Sleboda, with the decision sending a “definite signal” on Russia’s commitment to Belarus’ security, and the future of any potential NATO-Russia conflict.

Combined with the deployment of Russian Iskander-M missile systems and the modification of Belarusian jets to carry nuclear weapons, the analyst hopes the move will cool any hotheads in the Pentagon, Warsaw, and NATO as a whole.

Inoculation Against Color Revolution

Pointing to Belarus’ alliance with Russia, including its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Russian-Belarusian Union State, is “something that’s not often talked about with the West because they don’t like to acknowledge its existence,” Sleboda said, recalling the regular threats to Belarusian security from the West, including an attempted color revolution in the country in 2020.

“Just in the last week, a Polish general and former deputy defense minister, Waldemar Skrzypczak, appeared on Polish TV and said there will be an uprising in Minsk. He spoke about a ‘pro-Ukrainian army’ by which I assume he means the Belarusian neo-Nazis fighting for the Kiev regime –basically the idea that they will come home and overthrow the Belarusian government, and that Poland should be prepared to support them. Obviously this is exactly one of the types of things that this placement is meant to secure Belarus from,” Sleboda said.

On top of that are the strategic considerations, both given NATO’s nuclear provocations – like staging nuclear-capable bomber drills near Russia’s borders over the Black and Baltic Seas in recent years, and longstanding efforts to create missile defenses in Eastern Europe to try to render Russia’s nuclear deterrent obsolete. The nuclear deployment in Belarus should counter these threats, from Moscow’s perspective, Sleboda believes.

Why is Russia Deploying Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus? Announcing this week’s signing of a deal on maintaining Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil, Russia and Minsk reiterated that this is a response to the aggressive policies pursued by unfriendly countries. What prompted Moscow to deploy its non-strategic nukes in Belarus? May 26th, 2023

As compared to strategic nuclear weapons, an NSNW is less powerful and aims to devastate enemy targets in a specific area without causing widespread destruction and radioactive fallout.

"I would like to note that all the activities are organized strictly in accordance with existing international obligations and do not violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

He Sergei Shoigu all of this indicates that both Belarus and Russia are facing a very hostile environment, which in turn prompts the two to further strengthen their partnership, particularly pertaining to bilateral relations in the military sphere. Peskov did not specify whether Russia had started deploying TNWs in Belarus or not.

"Over the last two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic and information pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and its NATO allies, as well as the member states of the European Union. In view of these circumstances, and the legitimate concerns and risks in the sphere of national security arising from them, Belarus is forced to respond by strengthening its own security and defense capabilities," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian president underlined that the immediate trigger for the deployment of TNWs in Belarus was the UK government’s decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium, something that he said was “one way or another related to nuclear technology."

— May 26th, 2023, Sputnik International

Belarusian Military Train in Russia to Operate Iskander-M Missile Systems! The Iskander-M is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system developed by Russia. It has a range of up to 500 km and is capable of carrying a range of conventional and nuclear warheads. The missile system is designed to evade interception and can be quickly deployed across different landscapes, such as deserts, snow-covered, and rough terrain. It also integrates advanced technologies such as inertial and optical guidance systems, making it highly accurate.

“One of the reasons they’re putting them there is, you know, the tactical value of having nuclear weapons closer to NATO’s borders, which ruins all of their missile defense plans… But it also puts Russia’s nuclear shield more firmly over Belarus. There will be no military incursion into Belarus [because] there will be nuclear weapons there. And likewise as well, it makes any future attempts at some kind of color revolution or Maidan type insurgency to overthrow the Belarusian government extremely unlikely because Russia will then always have an excuse to intervene,” he said.

Along with the increased security, the nuclear agreement might mean the transfer of additional advanced military hardware to Belarus, and perhaps some undercover “economic sweeteners” for Minsk, like cheaper gas prices, the observer suggested.

Change in Russia’s Nuclear Posture?

Asked about what the nuclear deployment in Belarus means for Russia’s nuclear doctrine, and whether it signals a shift in Moscow’s willingness to preemptively use nuclear weapons – including in Ukraine, as written about ad nauseam in Western legacy media and by DC think tanks, Sleboda stressed that until Moscow announces otherwise, “Russia’s nuclear doctrine does not allow for a first strike capability.”

“The exception for that is, of course, the use of some other type of weapons of mass destruction against Russia, you know, chemical weapons, biological weapons… The other situation, and this is an exceptional one, is an overwhelming conventional attack [that may] threaten the very existence of the Russian state, which is generally interpreted to mean a gigantic NATO conventional attack that manages to destroy the Russian military and is marching on Moscow or St. Petersburg,” he explained.

“I would say that there have been a number of Russian officials and political figures that have been very loose with nuclear talk. They talk about the casual use of nuclear weapons like US congressmen do, you know, it’s like [late Arizona Senator John] McCain saying we should turn something into a ‘glass parking lot.’ But those statements of bluster and rhetoric have nothing to do with reality. And I have to say that in this particular situation I find such use of nuclear threats (that are not part of Russia’s nuclear doctrine and so are meaningless) to be less than constructive,” Sleboda noted.

Otherwise, the international security observer noted, “Russia’s nuclear doctrine is clear,” and that unless someone uses nukes or other WMDs against Russia first, a nuclear response will not follow, including in Ukraine.

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Part 9 - Your Man (Set in 2020)

Note: This is set in a universe where Men VS Women / Intergender matches can happen.

Chapter 1: here Chapter 2: here Chapter 3: here Chapter 4: here Chapter 5: here Chapter 6: here Chapter 7: here Chapter 8: here

Tags: @piratewithvigor @tantamount-treason @thedollmaker16 @janetreader

Around 2000 Words. 18+ in places (those chapters will be marked as 'Mature / sexual content' just to be safe). Please inform me if you wish to be tagged or untagged from posts. If the text is in italics and orange it's Kirby's inner monologue. If the text is coloured but not in italics, it's either dialogue or a P.O.V change (P.O.V changes will be in bold and translated dialogue will appear in square [ ] brackets), Key below. Quick note on Geia's text colour: Yes I do know that as Greed she should be in yellow but I decided to colour the men's dialogue yellow so Geia was changed to be pink like the other women in the story outside of the main 8.

2nd Quick note: Eddie's parents are named (in the story) Ruth & Earl, and his brother is Eric. I have not yet decided on a name for Eddie's sister-in-law.

The Main 8: Damo - Bio. Vi - Bio. Billie - Bio. Geia - Bio. Kirby - Bio. Honey - Bio. Eli - Bio. Sara - Bio.

Eli's Vlog / Stream P.O.V:

At six Eddie and Kirby show up, joining Eli and Geia on camera, the stream in a 20 second countdown, allowing them to get settled on the two beds. Geia and Eli on one, Kirby and Eddie on the other.

"Bonjour à tous, bienvenue mesdames et messieurs. Ce soir, nous jouons à Minecraft avec Geia, Kirby et Eddie. [Hello everybody, welcome ladies and gets. Tonight we are playing Minecraft with Geia, Kirby and Eddie.]"

"Before anyone, especially Hound, says anything. Kirby didn't faint from shock, there's a lot of rumours going around. Allow her to clear them up." Geia explains, gesturing for Kirby to talk.

"Thanks Geia. Uhm, where do I begin... for those who know about my history, you'll know I used to have anaemia on and off. After the show last night I fainted, not from shock or anxiety, but because my iron level had dropped significantly since we flew out to Jacksonville. But that means I'm back on iron tablets, and I'm also taking Xanax to deal with my anxiety." Kirby explains, leaning back between Eddie's legs.

"Wow, Hound's first question of the stream, 'why is Eddie here? I thought he'd be with Moxley'."

"I'm here, 'Hound', 'cause I gotta look after my girl." Eddie shrugs.

"Yeah, and because you met my parents today, so Eddie's not letting not letting me out of his sight, unless I need the bathroom."

"So Eddie is going to be here, until, you know, either the stream ends or you two decide to leave?" Geia asks softly.

The stream goes for the full two hours, going over their allotted time by about a minute.

Gluttony's P.O.V:

Eddie drives himself and Kirby back to their motel, carrying his half-asleep girlfriend to the bed. The following morning (Saturday 15th, August, 2020), Eddie's smoking on the balcony, Moxley and him chatting when Kirby wakes up.

"I told ya, Mox, my Ma's been fretting over Kirby since she got here."

"You did tell Ruthie that Kirby's basically your wife." Moxley chuckles.

"Yeah, I know I did, but every time my Ma has a worry about Kirby, she comes back in here... Woah, hey gorgeous." Eddie's jaw drops when he sees Kirby.

Kirby stands in the balcony doorway, dressed in just a bikini, "Are you two talking about me?"

"Yeah, Eddie's mother, Ruthie, has been worrying about you after Eddie said you fainted." Mox explains, not looking up from his phone.

"I know I've seen you naked, but damn, are ya try tryin' to kill me wit' that body of yours?"

"Nope, I was gonna suggest we go down to the beach, let our parents talk the day away, have an actual date... just the two of us." She whispers, pulling Eddie into a gentle kiss.

"Deal, me and you, all day long... fuck, you look so goddamn sexy."

"Eddie... Edward, my face is up here, my tits can't talk." Kirby chuckles softly, lifting his chin gently.

When Eddie's eyes meet Kirby's he smirks, "Mox, go out front and block the door. Don't let anyone in for the next ten minutes."

Mox rolls his eyes but does as Eddie asks, The moment Mox is out of the room, Eddie capitalises on the opportunity, lifting Kirby by her thighs & ass and tossing her on the bed; he climbs over her and yanks her bikini bottoms down, before practically ripping his belt, jeans and boxers off; he teases her for a minute, getting her soaked and squirming before sliding in, making out with her as they make love.

"I'm gonna fuckin' make everybody know, I'm the only man who can fuck you like this." He growls against her lips.

"Fuck, King... Eddie, you're getting me pregnant is what you're doing, you handsome deviant." She whispers between moans.

"Livin' up to my end of the deal, 'Princess', my parent's need to meet you. After that, I'm gonna find the perfect ring, I'll marry ya pretty ass, then I'm fuckin' ya in every place available, bedrooms, bathrooms, fuckin' elevators if I can."

"You'd fuck me in public?" She asks, digging her nails into his back, "fuck, Eddie, right there... oh Papi."

Eddie doubles his pace, groaning loudly as he finishes inside her, breathing deeply as he lays on top of Kirby. She smiles softly as she catches her breath.

"My girl," he growls, "my fuckin' queen. Your last name may mean 'Exalted King', but you are a fuckin' queen, my fuckin' queen."

"Is that your way of asking me to marry you?"

"It's my way of sayin' that, but more my way of sayin', I'll marry you no matter what."

Kirby kisses Eddie deeply, feeling his dick twitch inside her. Eddie groans gutturally as he gets up and cleans both of them up. He gets dressed in his 'usual' get-up, boxers, jeans, timbs, a white tank-top, his rosaries, a black graphic t-shirt and Yankees cap.

"You're a fuckin' tease," He whispers, tossing one of Kirby's 'ready made outfits' at her, "I'll take ya to the beach, if you put this on."

"I need shoes, Eddie." she grumbles as she gets dressed.

"I'll get ya a pair of timbs, you'll be fine." He shrugs.

"Wow, my very own pair of timbs, it's like we're married already." Kirby jokes softly.

Eddie pulls her in close to him, kissing her deeply, his eyes only moving from her own when Mox walks back in, followed by Eddie's parents. Kirby looks over and blushes, a wave of fearful and nervous energy flooding her mind, clearing her throat and going to button up her shirt.

Eddie takes her hands in his, "breathe, beautiful, you'll be fine." He whispers.

"Ah, she's awake, hola mi nueva nuera. cómo está [hello my new daughter-in-law. How are you doing]?" Eddie's mother asks.

"Estoy bien, debes ser la mamá de Eddie [I'm good, you must be Eddie's mother], Ruthie?"

"Oh wow, you do speak Spanish, I thought Eddie was fuckin' with us." Eddie's dad chuckles.

Eddie's mother looks over at him, mouthing 'Earl, shush'.

"I speak a lot of languages, English isn't actually my first language either, nor is Spanish."

"It isn't?" Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nope, it's my fourth. I speak Welsh, Irish, Scots Gaelic, English, French, Spanish and Japanese."

"Anythin' else I should know about ya?" Eddie chuckles softly.

"Uhm... I have a bachelor's degree, I went to college and university, the scar on my face is from a botched moment in a death-match." Kirby murmurs.

"You have a... how the fuck are you wit' me?" Eddie whispers.

"I like you, correction, I love you. You make me happy, you protect me, especially when I can't protect myself."

"You have a bachelor's degree?" Eddie's mother, 'Ruthie', asks.

"Yeah, I have a degree in 'costume and makeup design for film and television'." Kirby smiles softly.

Ruth rushes up to Kirby, hugging her tightly, Kirby looks at Eddie for help as her anxiety rises.

"Ma, take it slow, Kirby hasn't taken her anxiety meds." Eddie explains, grabbing Kirby's medication for her.

"Thank you, Kingy. I'm all for hugs and affection, but I have to either be on these, or know and trust you first." Kirby explains as she takes her medication, grabbing her phone and making a note, making sure she doesn't take too much.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, from how your parents described you, I would have never guessed."

"My parents usually leave out certain things, like how, I'm a giant, I have autism, I struggle with anxiety, you know, little things, but those little things add up over time."

"They also left out the fact you have a tattoo on your lower back." Eddie smirks.

"Edward." Ruth scolds, smacking Eddie's arm.

Eddie's father, 'Earl', chuckles softly, shaking his head and patting Kirby's shoulder, "Welcome to the family, Kid."

"Oh, uhm, thanks... I'm still getting used to everything," she mumbles, "hold on, Eddie, one sec."

"Yea, what's up, sweetheart?" Eddie asks softly.

"Is that... is that my Ice Cube 'The Predator' album shirt?"

"Yea, maybe, it was on my side of the bed." He shrugs

"Oh, I wonder why my shirt was on your side of the bed, Mr Kingston, Six-feet of sin, you are." Kirby teases playfully.

Eddie smirks and winks at Kirby, "You know you love me."

"I do, but you're gonna make my shirt smell like cigarettes. I like when you smell like cigarettes, but my stuff?"

"I'll wash it tomorrow. Today, though, I'm takin' you to the beach."

Eddie manages to talk his parents into spending the day with Kirby's folks, saying 'bye' to Moxley, driving Kirby (and himself) down to the beach, parking up and choosing the perfect place to sit on the sand. Eddie sits and watches as Kirby places down a blanket, before she returns to the car.

"Babe, what are you doin'?" Eddie asks, turning to look at Kirby.

She walks back, with a cooler in one hand and two pizza boxes in the other, "What, you didn't think I'd prepare for a date?"

"I leave you with ya parents, for five minutes, and you get all that?" He chuckles softly.

"Yeah, my mother knows what I like, she guessed what you would like, texted me she was gonna set something up, and this is the result." She explains, placing down the cooler and pizzas, as she this next to Eddie.

"I love your family." Eddie whispers.

"You love my parents and me, Eddie, you haven't met anyone else." Kirby murmurs, covering her mouth as she eats.

They sit together for about two hours, talking, kissing and holding each other close. Eddie makes them leave when it starts getting crowded, driving to a mall, cursing under his breath when he sees the crowd there.

"Eddie, we'll be fine, they'll barely notice us." Kirby whispers, putting her sunglasses on as she gets out of the car.

"You sure?" Eddie asks, staring at Kirby's ass from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I'm sure. They're too busy crowding around that table, it looks like a petition thing."

Kirby shuts the passenger door, Eddie grumbles as he climbs out of the car. He holds Kirby's hand, leading her through the maze of stores, taking her to a jewellers.

"I want ya to find yourself a ring, one you think is perfect, I'll buy it." Eddie whispers.

Kirby nods and walks around the store, Eddie holding her hand, eventually she sees it, her 'perfect' ring, silver with an amber stone, slightly Celtic in style, sleek and simple but beautiful.

"That one," She whispers to Eddie, "that's my perfect ring."

Eddie smiles softly, "That one, the pretty little orange one? That could leave a mark... if you punched someone."

Kirby picks it up, getting it sized while Eddie waits, and they walk out with the ring, in a box. Eddie takes Kirby to get her shoes next, her own pair of timbs.

"You wear a size sixteen?" Eddie asks, holding the box of black timberland boots.

"Yeah, I am a giant, Eddie." Kirby shrugs.

"I know that, just... didn't expect you to wear anythin' bigger than a size ten."

"A size ten, on a six-ten frame?"

"Yea, ya right, dumb of me to assume... made an ass outta you and me." He murmurs.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Assuming shit, makes an ass outta you and me." He shrugs.

"Oh... I like it...Ooh, Eddie look, lingerie."

"No, you want me to have a heart attack, you in lingerie would kill me."

"Oh come on, just one outfit, just the one, please?"

"A'ight, one. Just one." Eddie groans.

Kirby grins, leading Eddie inside the store and looking for a single outfit. Eddie's breath catches in his throat, making him cough and head to the nearest bathroom. Kirby continues looking, working her way through the way through the store, taking a photo of every item she likes. She soon finds a two-piece set, bright and 'fun' looking, she pays for it before texting Eddie that she'll be outside the store.

Kirby waits for five minutes, slowly getting worried for Eddie. He walks out of the bathroom, red-faced and breathless.

"Edward Moore, do not tell me that you did what I think you did, you did not, you better have not." She grumbles.

"What, you're the one who took me in a fuckin' sex shop." He shrugs.

"Eddie, one, it's not a sex shop, it's a lingerie store, and two, did you really just wank one out in a public bathroom?"

Eddie smirks, "Would've taken you with me if I got your attention."

[accapitalmarket]

UK election result countdown: GBP and UK100 rise

UK stocks jumped higher on Thursday, with the pound mixed as the country went to the polls in a crucial general election which investors hope will bring some stability to British politics.

Opinion polls show Keir Starmer's centre-left Labour Party on course for a landslide victory over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, who have led the country for 14 years.

At the London close, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up 0.9% to 8,241, logging its best day in nearly two months. Meanwhile, the broader FTSE 250 index was up 0.4% at 20,610, notching up a second consecutive day of gains.

UK100 H1

Trading activity was thin, however, as US markets were closed for the Independence Day holiday and given caution ahead of the key US non-farm payrolls data due on Friday.

Among individual stocks, Smith & Nephew shares jumped 6.9% to their highest in more than three months and to the top of the benchmark index after Cevian Capital disclosed a stake of about 5% in the company.

Barclays gained 2.8% after the bank said it has agreed to sell its German consumer finance business to BAWAG Group at a "small premium to net assets", payable in cash.

In broker action, Bunzl rose 2.9% boosted by an upgrade to buy by analysts at HSBC, while Ibstock added 4.0% after RBC initiated coverage of the brickmaker with an outperform rating. Precision instrument maker Spectris gained 1.8% as it announced the acquisition of US-based SciAps for up to $260m (£205m). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, SciAps is a specialist provider of handheld instruments for materials analysis. And polymers maker Victrex added 1.0% as it reported volume and revenue growth for the third quarter, though it cautioned over difficult trading at its medical segment.

DXY H1

On currency markets, sterling gained versus a broadly weaker dollar which was hurt by some weak US economic data on Wednesday that has heightened hopes the Federal Reserve could make a first cut in US interest rates sooner rather than later.

GBPUSD H1

The pound was up 0.15% against the dollar at 1.2759, having gained 0.46% Wednesday after the US data. Against the euro, sterling was down 0.10% at 1.1799 with investors also eyeing second-round parliamentary in France on Sunday which could bring the far-right Rally National to power.

Among the day’s UK data, S&P Global's UK construction PMI reached 52.2 last month, down from May's 54.7 and lower than the 53.5 that markets had hoped for. The dip in the housebuilding sector came after it recorded its first increase in 19 months in May. Meanwhile, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed new car registrations lifted by 1.1% in June to more than 179,250, taking the total to over one million in the first six months of the year for the first time since the 2020 global pandemic.

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[dankusner]

COUNTDOWN TO VALKYRIE

Biden, now granted absolute monarchic power, must act like a fucking man and a leader, make a hideous moral decision that is the only correct decision, and make the entirely un-democratic move of murdering or jailing his political opponent because of what he has guaranteed that he will do.

It’s the kill Hitler argument, writ large, for real.

If these jackboot cretins take power, they’ll never let it go, and the atrocities they commit will shatter the bones of our union.

— Cintra Wilson

OPINION

Deterrent to political violence falls

After Supreme Court ruling, extremists may no longer fear punishment for their acts

Monday’s bombshell Supreme Court decision about presidential immunity eclipsed another ruling with grave implications for the rule of law.

A week ago, the Supreme Court dismissed the idea that a Jan. 6 rioter could be charged with obstructing an official proceeding — a decision that may lead to the dismissal of more than 100 cases of those who obstructed the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

The decision is particularly ominous just hours after a debate in which former President Donald Trump refused, three times, to say that he would accept the results of this year’s election.

Political violence has skyrocketed in the U.S. in recent years.

Threats against Members of Congress rose tenfold between 2016 and 2021.

Serious threats against federal judges have more than doubled since 2021, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

About a fifth of local elected officials are receiving threats in any three month period — and it’s much worse in big cities.

In San Diego, 75% of local officials reported being threatened or harassed, and more than half of those have considered leaving public office because of it, according to a survey by the University of San Diego.

Hate crimes have surged to their highest point this century, according to the Justice Department.

This rising tide makes deterrence particularly important.

And the good news is, it works.

Studies from Israel and Germany show that when violent extremists think the government and law enforcement are against them, they are less likely to act.

They are emboldened when they believe they will get off with a wink and a nod.

We also know that deterrence works for reasons much closer to home.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue is an organization that monitors violent extremists on the web.

Since the Jan. 6 prosecutions began, violent chatter among right-wing extremists has muted, the institute reported.

Mentions of violence garner posts suggesting that there may be an FBI agent in their midst, or an attempt to lure them into a false-flag operation.

True, some talk is going on in private chats that can’t be monitored.

And a quick surge of anger followed the guilty verdict in the case involving Trump’s hush money payments.

But the sort of open planning of violence which can draw more people to the cause has greatly diminished thanks to the sense that violence gets punished.

The need for deterrence, sadly, continues.

While vast majorities of Americans reject all forms of political violence, some do not. Certain groups are particularly concerning.

For instance, most gun owners don’t justify political violence much more than the general population.

But those who bought guns during or after 2020 are more likely to do so, particularly if they carry all or nearly all the time.

A survey conducted by the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis, found that regular gun carriers who purchased guns after 2020 were the population most likely to believe civil war will erupt.

All political violence is bad for democracy.

Ending our run of over 200 years of parties peacefully allowing the other side to take power is particularly serious.

It sure seems like the commonsense reading of the law the Supreme Court was asked to determine, which applies to anyone who “obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so,” would help prevent another Jan. 6.

In the face of this refusal to hold insurrectionists accountable, the American people are doing all they can to shore up stability, peace and democracy.

The overwhelming majority of Americans on both sides of the political aisle reject political violence, according to research from the States United Democracy Center.

Businesspeople in Arizona and Wisconsin are speaking up in support of our election system.

More than 120,000 veterans have become poll workers to continue their service to the nation and reassure themselves and others that our elections are fair.

Law enforcement agencies are training now to ensure a safe election in the fall.

Many politicians are also doing their part to uphold peace, such as Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox, who has spent the year leading the National Governors Association in a campaign to “Disagree Better.”

The fact is, very few people commit violence, and almost no one wants it.

Instead, Americans want more peace, hope and community.

And plenty of them have banded together to add just that to our civic life — from the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfasts that dotted the country on the Fourth of July, to the “Joy to the Polls” effort that brought DJs and dancing to Election Day 2020, and will be building on that work this fall.

This vast well of energy from Americans who love their country, care about their neighbors and want our country to return to its better angels deserves an echo from our senior political and judicial leaders.

In other countries, courts have been crucial to reasserting the guardrails of democracy.

If the Supreme Court will not do its part, we will simply have to stand together with our neighbors, with friends and family, with people with whom we disagree but can at least agree on peace — and do that much more.

Why are liberal justices overreacting in dissents?

The Supreme Court has sided with President Donald Trump in his presidential immunity case.

The July 1 decision itself was incredibly tame, typical for those authored by Chief Justice John Roberts.

However, the response from the liberal justices was anything but.

'The nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,' Roberts wrote for the majority.

'And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.'

This means that Trump cannot be prosecuted for his discussions with Justice Department officials about investigating purported election fraud following the 2020 election.

Other examples highlighted during oral arguments in April were President Barack Obama potentially being 'charged with murder for killing U.S. citizens abroad by drone strike,'

as well as President George W. Bush 'for obstructing an official proceeding or allegedly lying to Congress to induce war in Iraq.'

Without such immunity, Roberts wrote, 'the President would be chilled from taking the ‘bold and unhesitating action’ required of an independent Executive.'

While Trump called the decision a 'big win' in a Truth Social post, the chief justice clarified that 'Trump asserts a far broader immunity than the limited one the Court recognizes.'

What the decision does not provide Trump immunity from is 'unofficial acts,' those not required in order to execute his role as president or not covered by the powers afforded to the chief executive.

According to certain legal experts, this would include Trump’s recent felony indictment concerning falsified business records in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

As is a now common theme with the court, the liberal justices have cast this decision as another doomsday event for our country.

'The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world,' Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent.

'When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution.

Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival?

Immune.

Organizes a military coup to hold onto power?

Immune.

Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon?

Immune. Immune, immune, immune.'

Even if Sotomayor’s reading were to be accurate, impeachment remains the vehicle through which we hold our leaders in check.

While Roberts specifies that impeachment and removal from office are not always required for criminal prosecution of a former president, it is how egregious actions can still be handled.

As a result of this decision, impeachment becomes the simplest, though not the only, way to hold the president accountable.

Our elected officials crave power, and the thought of losing that power is as motivating as the potential of prison time (or, in the case of Trump, seemingly more so).

To pretend as if our country has lost any means of holding our elected officials accountable is entirely disingenuous, and this is not the DEFCON 1 emergency that the left has made it out to be.

Believe me, in light of a president who is proven to be willing to break the law and frequently teetered on doing so, I understand the concerns.

But the dynamic of another Trump presidency does not change whatsoever.

If Trump makes it back to the White House, the process for him being removed from office was the same as it always was: impeachment.

With fear for our democracy, I beg the courts’ left-wing justices to stop feeding the fire of America’s Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, only 24% of whom have a favorable view of the Supreme Court.

The disingenuous musings from the court’s liberal minority aren’t helping to establish trust.

By writing these ludicrous and out-of-touch dissents, they are only further politicizing the very institution they remain a part of, accelerating our country’s decline from a position tasked with preserving stability.

While conservative justices often write hard-lined, combative opinions as well, rarely do they catastrophize the opposing outcome quite like the liberal wing does.

Part of that is a symptom of being in the majority more commonly, yet even when writing in dissent, the conservative justices make it a point to debate the law rather than overreacting for social media attention.

About presidential immunity

The U.S. Supreme Court ended its term Monday with a highly anticipated decision that provides American presidents with a modicum of immunity from criminal charges.

The case was ostensibly about Donald Trump, but in fact the ruling sets guidelines intended to ensure the nation — regardless of which man, woman or party holds the Oval Office — doesn’t become mired in a series of retaliatory and vindictive prosecutions.

Progressives, fixated on Trump, argue that the 6-3 decision “creates a law-free zone around the president,” as Justice Sonia Sotomayor described it in her dissent.

But it does nothing of the sort.

“The president enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority,” and not everything the president does is official.

The president is not above the law.

But Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the executive branch under the Constitution.”

Note that the court explicitly rejected Trump’s claim of absolute immunity.

“Trump asserts a far broader immunity,” the majority opinion holds, “than the limited one we have recognized.”

But the idea, put forth by special prosecutor Jack Smith and the government that a president has no special protection is equally pernicious.

Would it be good for the country to allow a former president to face politically motivated prosecutions involving a policy dispute?

In the current political climate, such concerns are not theoretical.

“Virtually every president is criticized for insufficiently enforcing some aspect of federal law (such as drug, gun, immigration or environmental laws),” Roberts wrote. …

The decision will require federal courts to hold evidentiary hearings to determine which actions charged by Smith amount to “official” and “unofficial” acts.

But it in no way stops the government from prosecuting Trump for actions he took that were unrelated to his duties as president. …

Despite the apocalyptic protestations of the dissenting liberal justices, the majority has carved out a middle ground that rejects the extreme arguments made by both the former president and the special prosecutor who pursues him.

GO DICTATOR, DICTATE:

President Joe Biden can order the assassination of the six conservative members of the Supreme Court and face no legal repercussions.

That is the logical conclusion of the dominant wing of the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, granting Donald Trump immunity from criminal prosecution for his official acts while he was president.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a blistering dissent from the 6-3 decision: “Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

[spacenutspod]

Recent challenges with weather concerns and the movement of key flights such as USSF-52 and Axiom-3 have impacted Falcon 9 launch dates, not least Starlink Group 7-11 which scrubbed three times and is now awaiting launch on Tuesday. SpaceX had two drone ships and the two fairing recovery ships in port for maintenance last week and is looking to launch nine Falcon 9s by the end of this month. This falls a little short of the target of 12 per month to make its ambitious goal of 144 flights this year, but there is plenty of time for cadence to increase. With Starlink Group 6-38 being added late last week to the schedule from LC-39A, likely the final Falcon 9 launch of the month is expected the following day on Jan. 29 from the neighboring LC-40 pad.  This significant launch is for the NG-20 cargo mission — the first time a Cygnus spacecraft will fly aboard this launcher. This is the first of three missions purchased with SpaceX to fulfill Northrop Grumman’s Phase 2 contract to supply the International Space Station (ISS) until the new Antares 330 vehicle becomes operational. Northrop Grumman is currently readying the Cygnus cargo module for launch. On board will be several experiments including 3D printing of metal parts and semiconductors in microgravity, remote control robotic surgery, and three new capsules which will gather data on different heat shields as they re-enter the atmosphere. The week ahead will also see Virgin Galactic send VSS Unity suborbital with another four paying customers.  This is potentially the penultimate flight before operations pause and the company turns its attention to developing and testing its new Delta class vehicle. Rocket Lab’s Electron will launch four space situational awareness satellites for its customer Spire which will deliver critical, and timely data for the first time to the satellite community including orbit tracking, collision avoidance, and proximity warnings. Kinetica 1 | Third flight A six-hour launch window is currently expected for a third launch of the Lijian 1 rocket, also known as Kinetica 1, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, starting on Jan. 23 at 04:05 UTC. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), this four-stage solid propellant light launch vehicle has a first stage which seems to be derived from the DF-31 long-range intercontinental ballistic missile. It is capable of placing about 2,000 kilograms into low-Earth orbit.  The payload is currently understood to be five observation satellites made by Minospace heading for a Sun-synchronous orbit. VSS Unity after the Galactic 05 mission. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF) SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 7-11 Starlink 7-11 was set for launch on Jan. 18 at 8:04 PM PST (04:04 UTC Jan. 19) from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base but SpaceX stood down from the launch, for reasons not stated. The launch had been rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 19 at 6:15 PM PST (02:15 UTC Jan. 20). See AlsoSpaceX Missions SectionL2 SpaceX SectionClick here to Join L2 However, the launch aborted at T-59 seconds, just after the Falcon 9’s computers took control of the countdown, in what is known as startup. The booster for this flight is B1063-16, and it would land on Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific when it does fly. Another attempt had been scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 4:35 PM PST (00:35 UTC Jan. 24). B1063 made its launch debut on Nov. 21, 2020, with the launch of Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich, and has also flown the Starlink V1 L28, DART, Starlink 4-11, 4-13. 3-1. 3-4, 4-31, and 2-5, Transporter 7, Iridium-9/OneWeb #19, Starlink 5-13, Transport & Tracking Layer Tranche 0 Flight 2, Starlink 7-4, and Starlink 7-7. All but one flight has taken place from Vandenberg, with Starlink V1 L28 flying from Cape Canaveral. This flight is due to carry up to 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to an orbit inclined 53 degrees to the Equator and would be the seventh SpaceX launch in 2024 barring unforeseen delays and manifest changes. SpaceShipTwo | Galactic-06 Having achieved six suborbital spaceflights in six months during 2023, Virgin Galactic is opening its new year with its eleventh spaceflight to date. The company announced late last year that it will now fly every quarter and only two or three more times. VSS Unity is scheduled to launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico on NET Jan. 26 carrying four more customers on what could yet be its penultimate mission. Following this mission, a Galactic-07 flight is then expected in Q2 and it has not yet been determined if there will be a Galactic-08 mission before Virgin Galactic pauses flights this summer to pivot and focus efforts on developing and testing their new Delta class vehicle. This new craft will be able to fly six rather than four passengers up to twice a week from 2026 following a test flight which is currently anticipated in mid to late 2025 and is expected to increase monthly revenues tenfold. Electron is prepared for the Four of a Kind mission. (Credit: Rocket Lab) Electron/Curie | Four of a Kind Electron’s first mission of the year has been rescheduled as a precaution to avoid an incoming weather system and to allow for additional pre-launch checkouts. It is now expected to lift off on Jan. 27 at 06:15 UTC from Pad B at Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula during a 45-minute launch window. The payload is four Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver (LEMUR) space situational awareness (SSA) satellites which have been built and will be operated by Spire Global Inc. for their customer NorthStar Earth & Space. These satellites will be placed into a 540-kilometer circular orbit inclined at 97 degrees. Spire will be the first to simultaneously monitor all near-Earth orbits and is making this precise and timely data available as a service to the global satellite community.  This data will include tracking and orbit determination, collision avoidance, and proximity alerts. As with previous missions, the Electron first stage will be recovered by a Rocket Lab marine recovery vessel after a parachute splashdown. Rocket Lab assesses and repurposes certain components, such as reusing its first recovered Rutherford engine last year, and is still working towards re-flying a recovered stage. The company plans to fly 22 missions this year — over double the nine missions flown last year. This Electron includes a silver thermal protection system (TPS) to help the carbon composite structure survive the extreme forces of re-entry from space, as well as an extended carbon-composite shield over the Rutherford engines. Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-38 This final Starlink mission of the month has been recently added to the schedule for NET Jan. 28 at 6:04 EST (23:04 UTC), launching from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.  This four-hour launch window needed the pad to be clear of the Axiom-3 launch and is next scheduled to be used for the IM-1 flight on Feb. 10. The booster and recovery methods are not yet confirmed. KREPE-2 capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. (Credit: Northrop Grumman) Falcon 9 Block 5 | CRS NG-20 This is the first time a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft is flying on a Falcon 9, having previously flown on the now-retired Antares 230+ rocket. Three Falcon flights have been purchased for these cargo resupply missions to the ISS to bridge the gap until the new Antares 330 becomes operational. This launch is expected to lift off from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 29 at 12:29 EST (17:29 UTC) with new SpaceX booster B1072 on its maiden flight, returning to land on the pad at LZ-1 approximately eight minutes following launch. Dubbed the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, the NG-20 craft celebrates the life and achievements of Dr. Robertson who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998 and was due to fly to the ISS in 2002 before an untimely death the year prior from injuries sustained in a plane crash. This will be the 20th flight of the Cygnus cargo ship, which is comprised of the US-built service module (based on the GEOStar platform) and a pressurized module by Thales Alenia which is manufactured in Italy and France. As part of the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Phase 2 contracts, these three Falcon missions could include some late loading of payloads. As we move to a higher launch rate, we are adopting more of a factory model where the equipment is always running except for planned and unplanned maintenance. In this case, JRTI is going through a planned dry dock while pad 40 also undergoes a planned maintenance period. The… https://t.co/s230wbWccx — Kiko Dontchev (@TurkeyBeaver) January 18, 2024 Experiments on board this craft include a miniature surgical robot with two “hands” that will help the team to test the process in microgravity and any time delays of performing remote surgery in space with an operator on the ground. This experiment benefits from advances in miniaturization as well as NASA’s research dating back more than 15 years.  It will pave the way for longer-duration missions where the likelihood that crew members may require medical procedures increases. The cargo also includes a couple of manufacturing experiments. A metal 3D printer will test the additive printing of small metal parts in microgravity, while a new platform will test thin film semiconductor production in space. The former could enable the manufacture of parts for spacecraft on long-duration missions, avoiding the need to pack or even predict the parts they might need. The experiment is also expected to benefit manufacturing back here on Earth. Additional experiments include a 3D cell culture which will enable the astronauts to study cartilage degeneration diseases, while the Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2) will further test thermal protection systems during atmospheric re-entry. Building on the KREPE-1 mission, several heat shields will be tested using three different capsules armed with various sensors that will capture data as they go through actual re-entry conditions. The experiment will also inform steps to protect people and structures back on Earth from wildfires. (Lead image: Cygnus craft, the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, is prepared for the NG-20 mission by the Northrop Grumman team.. Credit: Northrop Grumman) The post Launch Roundup – Northrop Grumman prepare the first Cygnus to fly on Falcon 9 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[herl0nelygh0st]

Which horror movie came out first to last???

Frankenstein 1931‐1935

I Was a Teenage Werewolf 1957

The Exorcist 1973‐2023

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974‐2022

The Omen 1976‐1991

Carrie 1976‐1999

Halloween 1978‐2022

Alien 1979‐2017

The Amityville Horror 1979‐2017

Friday The 13th 1980‐2001

The Shining 1980‐2019

Evil Dead 1981‐2023

Poltergeist 1982‐1988

The Thing 1982‐2011

Cujo 1983

Christine 1983

Children of the Corn 1984‐2020

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984‐1994

Predator 1987‐2022

Hellraiser 1987‐2018

Child's Play 1988‐2017

Pet Sematary 1989‐1992

IT 1990‐2019

Misery 1990

Candyman 1992‐2021

Leprechaun 1993‐2018

Scream 1996‐2023

Spawn 1997

The Devil's Advocate 1997

I Know What You Did Last Summer 1997‐2006

Idle Hands 1999

The Blair Witch Project 1999‐2016

Jeepers Creepers 2001‐2022

Signs 2002

The Ring 2002‐2022

SAW 2003‐2023

The Grudge 2004‐2006

Van Helsing 2004

House of wax 2005

War of the World's 2005

Constantine 2005

Silent Hill 2006‐2012 possibly to watch

Dead Silence 2007

Paranormal Activity 2007‐2021

I Am Legend 2007

Orphan 2009‐2022

Insidious 2010‐2023

Devil 2010

Let Me In 2010

The Wolfman 2010

The Cabin In The Woods 2011

You're Next 2011

The Woman in Black 2012‐2014

The Apparition 2012

The Tall Man 2012

Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter 2012

The Devil Inside 2012

Sinister 2012‐2015

The Conjuring 2013‐2021

The Purge 2013‐2021

The Call 2013

Carrie 2013

Mama 2013

Unfriended 2014‐2018

Annabelle 2014‐2019

The Possession of Michael King 2014

Ouija 2014‐2016

Robert 2015

The Witch 2015

The Visit 2015

Demonic 2015

Pay the ghost 2015

The Boy 2016‐2020

Split 2016

Lights Out 2016

The Bye Bye Man 2017

Happy Death Day 2017

The Crucifixion 2017

The Dark Tower 2017

Death Note 2017

Get Out 2017

The Babysitter 2017‐2020

The Nun 2018‐2023

A quiet place 2018

Antrum 2018

Slenderman 2018

Eli 2019

Glass 2019

Countdown 2019

Us 2019

The Curse of La Llorona 2019

ma 2019

The Invisible Man 2020

The Unholy 2021

Nope 2022

[elecalice]

CHANNELETTES SKETCH DUMP

Context: This is for my idea of Channelettes, which are Antropomorphised TV Channels. Or TV Channels Gijinka.

I love Gijinka ever since I became fixated with OS-Tans when I was young. Gijinka, in my opinion, is a good creative exercise in giving human qualities and characterization on non-human things.

I'm planning more on this project. But for the moment, have this sketch dump.

The First Sketches

Featuring early designs of ITV's Anglia, Southern Television and Channel Television. All being part of the United Kingdom's ITV Network.

While I did some ideas of TV Gijinka before, Adam Martyn's Ident Review Extra episode of the ITV Idents inspired the whole new Channelette Project, and with it, those first three designs.

The design for Anglia convinces me, while the others need more refining. Especially Southern Television. Although, Channel Television will be a catgirl, without doubt.

Deutsche Welle (Or DW-Lette)

Made in May.

Sorry for the weird pose, I tend to do those. I don't know what's missing on DW-Lette's design.

RT-Lette

Based on the State-Owned Russian channel.

(Before I did this drawing, I did some sketch with her and CGTN. But I'll not post it here, since it's kinda unintelligible)

She will be portraited as a selfish daddy's girl (The "daddy" being of course The Pudin, You-know-who) who uses the majority of the money given for her own benefict. She doesn't like the other Channelettes. And the other Channelettes doesn't trust her.

She's CLEARLY made for satire. (NO Russophobia allowed with the character!! Xenophobia will NOT be tolerated!)

TV3 Catalunya

Based on TV3 of Catalunya, Spain.

The reason of me making this Channelette is because the 80s TV3 theme is so DAMN EPIC SOUNDING!!

I imagined a Gacha-Inspired animation of TV3-Lette with her flag-carrying spear. It was so cool, I HAD to draw her design.

I tried to draw her with a traditional Catalunya outfits. Making the flag was REALLY hard, though...

EARLY, PRE-CHANNELETTES IDEAS

(Note that NOT every design will be there. Because I sketched in different notebooks and I ended up missing some sketches)

1984 TVN Gijinka (or 1984 TVN-Lette?)

Done in January 2023. Based on Chile's TVN logo from 1984 until 1988.

I LOVE this TVN logo, even if it was short-lived. I love it due to how beautiful and creative the idents are, with those two ribbons moving around. Really elegant idents, also.

I tried to make her design look so formal (Authoritarian? because ya know, dictatorship)

She needs a more defined design and a bigger drawing. Random idea, she will have Ribbons on her main design.

BBC News Early Design

Okay. I forgot that this sketch was from 2020!

I Watched the BBC World News channel and sometimes I watch it with my dad's TV box. And I liked watching the idents and the intros. And I love the countdown.

And I tried to draw her more, but I stopped with this. She needs a better design, still. BUT the idea of her using a antenna-inspired spear as her main weapon will carry on her design.

UCTV Early Design

Based on UCTV, actually named Canal 13, from Chile.

Oh god (ironic), this design also comes from 2020! The idea was older than I thought.

His design was based on a priest, because the UCTV at that time was owned by a Catholic university from Chile. (WAS, nowadays no more, since... Late 2000s early 2010s)

Also because the channel used to show off some priests telling reflections before the channel signs off. (I remember catching some of those Reflections when I was a kid. But I didn't payed attention to those)

While I like this design, I think I'll redesign him. Spoiler of the new design idea, the channel used to have bumpers with angel cartoons, and it's why UCTV was nicknamed "The Channel of the Little Angel" ("El Canal del Angelito"). Wink Wink.

There was this 2022 redraw of UCTV-Lette's design, with another designs for two other Chilean channels.

UCV Televisión, which design is the one with heels and one-eye covering hair. She's was the oldest Chilean TV channel, so i'll try to give her justice on a upcoming design.

AND Telecanal. Which is the one who's holding a box exclaiming "Buy My Shit". The joke refers to the fact that Telecanal's programming consists of an ABSURD majority of infomercials, and little to NO original content... I'm still baffled that this channel SOMEHOW is STILL AIRING. Sorry for the random rant. I'll try to come up with a better design.

I'll be continuing posting more sketches, as well as develop more of the Channelette project.

I'll be making a Masterpost of the whole Channelette later.

When I return to digital drawing, I'll try to digitise the designs. (And Hopefully do more drawings in general. I'm trying to make drawings from my tablet but... I need to build confidence with it)

Hope you like it!

_Elec

[dailyrugbytoday]

NSW Waratahs confirm the signing of Fijian International Nemani Nadolo

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/nsw-waratahs-confirm-the-signing-of-fijian-international-nemani-nadolo/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/nsw-waratahs-confirm-the-signing-of-fijian-international-nemani-nadolo/

NSW Waratahs confirm the signing of Fijian International Nemani Nadolo

The NSW Waratahs can today confirm the signing of Fijian International Nemani Nadolo on a one-year deal for the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.

One of world rugby’s box workplace players, Nadolo joins the Waratahs with an illustrious Test and membership resume, including a wealth of expertise, length, and enjoy to the Waratahs’ backline.

Born in Sigatoka, Fiji, Nadolo moved to Brisbane at three months of age before attending Nudgee College and representing the Queensland Schoolboys team.

2023 NSW Rugby Waratahs Club Memberships on are on sale now – click here to secure yours

The large ball-carrying winger made his Test debut for Fiji in 2010, wherein Waratahs Head Coach Darren Coleman turned into the Assistant Coach, towards Australia and has scored 22 attempts in 32 Tests and starred for the Flying Fijians within the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The Fijian flyer is no stranger to the Waratahs as he turned into at first shriveled to the group in 2008. Limited opportunities saw Nadolo head abroad, with stints in France, England, and Japan earlier than returning to Super Rugby with the Crusaders.

Nadolo changed into one of the standout players for the Crusaders in 2014, finishing the season because the opposition’s same leading attempt-scorer with 12 attempts, which include scoring of their Super Rugby Final loss to the Waratahs.

Stints at Montpellier and the Leicester Tigers followed, with Nadolo completing the 2021-22 season with ten attempts from 21 suits in his most latest season for the Tigers in Premiership Rugby.

After a stellar club profession spanning Europe and New Zealand, the Fijian winger was excited to go back to Australia and play for the Waratahs.

When the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s Day, the countdown to Super Rugby Pacific well and truly begins.

NSW Waratahs Nemani Nadolo scoring for Fiji against Georgia in 2020 Autumn Nations Cup

Nemani Nadolo stated, “Who would’ve idea after leaving these doors 12 years ago I’d get another opportunity to be a part of the membership again.

“I’m thankful to Darren and the board for having faith in me and giving me any other possibility.

“NSW are heading inside the proper direction and I’m happy I may be a part of their adventure.”

Waratahs Head Coach Darren Coleman changed into thrilled to feature every other experienced Test participant with a completely unique factor of difference to his roster.

“We’ve all seen what Nemani has carried out in World Rugby inside the final ten years and it’s noticeably exciting to have him in a sky-blue jersey,” Coleman stated.

“One of the matters we recognized from our season evaluate turned into the need to feature some size and strength to our roster, and Nemani brings a number of length and physicality for you to upload an additional size to our team.

“He’s stimulated to get again to Sydney have some other crack at Super Rugby and push his claims to get in the Fijian Test team for their 2023 Rugby World Cup marketing campaign,”

Nadolo will be a part of the squad on December 1 for the Waratahs’ pre-season.

The NSW Waratahs are also pleased to announce the signing of loosehead prop Tom Lambert on a -year deal, bolstering the team’s the front-row shares ahead of their 2023 Super Rugby Pacific marketing campaign.

A made from the NSW pathways, born in Sydney and schooled at Trinity Grammar School, Lambert represented Australian Schools and became a part of the Waratahs Academy before heading distant places to Scotland in 2020.

Lambert represented Scotland’s below-20s side during the 2020 Six Nations and signed with Glasgow Warriors on an academy settlement earlier than graduating to the main crew in 2021

United Rugby Championship: Dragons vs Bulls on Friday night at kick-off 7.35pm

by debrambuhl on January 5, 2023 at 3:38 pm

After losing their last three matches in all competitions, the Bulls will be determined to return to winning ways in Friday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) encounter with the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Friday night. Ollie Griffiths will make his first appearance of the season as the Dragons take on final yr’s crushed finalists Vodacom

Joe Marler has been banned for two weeks for comments to Jake Heenan

by debrambuhl on January 4, 2023 at 3:24 pm

Joe Marler has been banned for two weeks with a further four weeks suspended for comments made towards Bristol flanker Jake Heenan. Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler, who accepted a charge of conduct prejudicial to the game, made the remarks during the first half of Tuesday’s Premiership match that reportedly related to Heenan’s mother. The greater 4-week suspension

Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler defeat by Bristol on December 27

by debrambuhl on January 3, 2023 at 5:06 pm

Joe Marler has had a lucky escape and his Six Nations hopes are still alive after his latest brush with controversy saw him banned for an initial period of just two weeks. Harlequins and England prop Marler started a fracas in his team’s defeat by Bristol on December 27 when he insulted the mother of Bears forward

ACT Brumbies set to play the first ever Super W game face to Fijiana Drua.

by Brenda Reed on January 3, 2023 at 12:47 pm

ACT Brumbies vs Fijiana Drua Rugby: The Buildcorp Super W competition returns for 2023 with the new season kicking off on Friday 24 March, the ACT Brumbies set to play the first ever Super W game in Fiji against the defending champion Fijiana Drua. Scott Fava’s side will then play their first of two home

Where to Watch Super Rugby Aupiki 2023: Time & Schedule, How to watch in Australia and New Zealand

by Roger Brown on January 1, 2023 at 8:57 am

Super Rugby Aupiki is a professional women’s rugby union national club competition in New Zealand. Its inaugural season commenced in March 2023. It is a steppingstone between the Farah Palmer Cup and the Black Ferns. Women’s rugby in New Zealand will open a new chapter on March 5 when the first-ever Super Rugby Aupiki match takes place at

The Australia-born prop has spent two seasons with the Warriors and brings invaluable European the front-row experience to the Waratahs beforehand of their 2023 marketing campaign.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

New in March - Hallmark Movies Now

The Way Home Season 1 (2023)  Starring Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, Evan Williams, and Alex Hook.  New episodes available every Thursday.  Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 available 

The Love Club: Nicole’s Pen Pal (2023)  Starring Brittany Bristow, Marcus Rosner, Lily Gao, Chantel Riley, and Camille Stopps. 

The Love Club: Sydney’s Journey (2023)  Starring Lily Gao, Jesse Hutch, Chantel Riley, Camille Stopps, and Brittany Bristow.

The Love Club: Lauren’s Dream (2023)  Starring Chantel Riley, Andrew Bushell, Camille Stopps, Brittany Bristow, and Lily Gao.

The Love Club: Tara’s Tune (2023)  Starring Camille Stopps, Brett Donahue, Brittany Bristow, Lily Gao, and Chantel Riley.

The Secret Ingredient (2020)  Starring Erin Cahill and Brendan Penny.   Based on a Hallmark Publishing original novel.  Hallmark Channel / Love Ever After 

You’re Bacon Me Crazy (2020)  Starring Natalie Hall, Michael Rady, Michael Karl Richards, Casey Manderson, and Rhiannon Fish.  Hallmark Channel / Spring Fever 

The Story of Us (2019)  Starring Maggie Lawson and Same Page.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Valentine’s Day 

March 1 

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (1993 - 1998)  Starring Jane Seymour and Joe Lando.  CBS / All six seasons available. 

It’s Christmas, Carol! (2012)  Emmanuelle Vaguer, Carrie Fisher, Susan Hogan, Johannah Newmarch, Catherine Lough-Haggquist, and Carson Kressley.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

March 2 

The Way Home - Season 1, Episode  6 

Welcome to Mama’s (2022)  Starring Melanie Scrofano, Daniel di Tomasso, Lorraine Bracco, and Matty Finochio.  Hallmark Channel / Loveuary 

Just My Type (2020)  Starring Bethany Joy Len and Brett Dalton.  Hallmark Channel / Spring Fever 

March 9 

The Way Home - Season 1, Episode 7 

Color My World With Love (2022)  Starring Erica Durance, Benjamin Ayres, Lily D. Moore, David DeSanctis, and Karen Kruper.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

March 16 

The Way Home - Season 1, Episode 8 

March 23 

The Way Home - Season 1, Episode 9 

A Splash of Love (2022)  Starring Rhiannon Fish and Benjamin Hollingsworth.  Hallmark Channel 

March 30 

The Way Home - Season 1, Episode 10 

Cut, Color, Murder (2022)  Starring Julie Gonzalo and Ryan McPartlin.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

And so much more. New movies pop up every Thursday.