#died shortly after for demonstrably related causes

[nadiegesabate1990]

Death of drug users raises a warning about city pollution and processed foods.

On the streets of Philadelphia, dead people were found. Previously, many dead people and a large quantity of drugs had appeared on the streets. Cities were at risk. And becoming empty. The image of the people was bleak. Bloody foam came out of their mouths and a viscous liquid ran from their eyes and nose; they breathed hard and coughed; their kidneys, intestines and stomach were inflamed and they suffered from muscle spasms and paralysis.

Users ended up committing suicide and tragically succumbing. The first dead people were discovered on the streets of Philadelphia and in various parts of the city.

At first, a relationship was suspected between a new epidemic or some ‘murderous drug dealers’. But experts demonstrated the implausibility of this hypothesis. Public opinion demanded a clear response, capable of explaining a disaster of this magnitude, and those responsible and experts pointed to several causes: infection by worms, allergic reactions to the flu virus, activity of mysterious microorganisms…

Advocates for drug users were the first to determine that the true cause of deaths were toxic substances released in processed foods, such as

and others.

Around 100,000 drug addicts died in just 1 year. Shortly after, scientists detected in the antibodies present in the users' blood the presence of fat, sugar and salt, which they identified as the cause of this deadly disease, characteristic of kidney disease.

And they managed to discover the cause of the deaths, but the essential thing was to understand why people were so suddenly vulnerable. In fact, the epidemic was related to their immune system and resulted from the chemical changes that city dwellers are subject to due to pollution and processed foods. And more than 400,000 new users arrived on the streets of Philadelphia every year, drinking their super acidic energy drinks and soft drinks, spilled by their urine.

Other harmful substances such as

Substances that are harmful to drug users are processed foods. It has a concentration of fat four to five times higher and in users' bodies, like mine, this concentration reaches even higher values. And when the body doesn't absorb it, it ends up in the legs or, in my case, the feet.

Users are so affected by these toxic substances that any pathogen can easily attack their immune system. For several years now, users have been experiencing a deterioration in their health status, with a very high incidence of poorly healed wounds and cancerous ulcers.

Unfortunately, despite all the warnings and all the measures taken due to the death of users, I continue to consume this rubbish?

[lawyersqldestate]

Mothers death bed regret falls short of a valid will

Many an attempt to make what appears to be a will unconventionally or informally falls short of a valid will because it does not meet minimum legal requirements. Unfortunately this was the case in relation to the estate of Erika Kaegi-Fluri who – when she died – was survived by her only daughter, Juliana Wool. In her first will made in December 2013, she left the whole of her estate to Juliana. Juliana and her husband had a tumultuous falling out with Erika in 2017 – that lead them to sue her – over the financial arrangements they had made for Erika to reside with them in Cairns. The ensuing litigation eventually resolved, but not the disaffection that it brought. Erika moved back to Mackay to live out her days quietly in a retirement village. She made a new will in 2018 and a further final will in 2020.  Juliana’s name appeared nowhere as beneficiary in either document both of which were accompanied by a statement of Erika’s reasons for leaving no benefit to her daughter. The last will bequeathed the estate in one-third shares to the RSPCA and two friends, Micael Johannsson and Adam Anderson. Shortly after Erika’s death in July 2022 in Mackay, Charles Marino – her executor – applied for it to be admitted to probate. Julia intervened however, claiming there was a subsequent will. A note had been found in Erika’s bedside drawer.  The note appeared to state Erika’s testamentary intentions, leaving her estate to Juliana.  English was not Erika’s first language, but the intention seemed quite clear. The note read: “DEAR JULIANA I AM CHANGING MY WILL! KIM ADAM AND MICAEL HAVE ABANDEND ME.  RSPCA LET ME DOWN. I LEAVE THE HOUSE AND ALL MY MONEY TO YOU JULIANA. I GO TO HOSPITAL NOW.  WHEN I GET BETTER I MAKE A NEW WILL WITH A LAWYER.  NO MONEY MUST BE PAID TO RSPCA, MICAEL OR KIM AND ADAM.  I CANCEL THE CAIRNS WILL SORRY MY HANDS GETTING SORE. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH YOU ARE MY ONLY DAUGHTER YOU ARE ALL I HAVE NOW. I WRITE THIS LETTER IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPEN TO ME.  SORRY I AM VERRY TIRED. I CONTACT YOU FROM HOSPITAL. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORD!  YOUR MOTHER, […Erika’s signature…] Mackay 6.6.2022” The note appeared to be an informal will, and so Juliana asked the Supreme Court to admit the note to probate as Erika’s last will. To prove the note as a valid informal will, Juliana needed to be able to convince a judge that the document embodied her mother’s testamentary intentions and by some act or words, had demonstrated it was to operate as her will of itself. The matter came before Justice James Henry in the Supreme Court of Queensland at Cairns. The judge was troubled by evidence that Erika may have had undiagnosed dementia; her health issues just prior to going to hospital may have affected her mental capacity to make a will; and Erika was emotions could fluctuate with her mood. He concluded that the note “at best provides some support for an inference Erika intended it to operate her will”. That said, “it provides at least equally strong support for the inference Erika merely intended the note to inform her daughter of her regret and change of heart and her plan to reflect that by making a new will”. Juliana failed in her attempt to have the note declared to be a valid informal will. Despite that, Juliana’s cause is not entirely lost as she has a pending family provision claim contesting her exclusion from the 2020 will, which her mother’s note will likely go a long way to support. Wool v Marino [2024] QSC 89 Henry J, 14 May 2024 Mother’s death bed regret falls short of a valid will published first on https://qldestatelawyers.com.au/

[docgold13]

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

March 10th - Sunfire

Shiro Yoshida is a powerful Mutant hero who heralds from the island of Honshū, Japan.   Shiro's mother died in childbirth, leaving him to be primarily raised by his uncle, who was an ardent nationalist who hated the West.  As such, Shiro's uncle indoctrinated him with all manner of traditional Japanese values and a fervent hatred of America and all that it stood for.  

Shiro’s X-gene triggered into bloom in early adolescence.  He found that his body could generate massive amounts of atomic fire, flames that engulfed his body, facilitated high speed flight and the capacity to fire bolts of flaming plasma.  Shiro’s uncle saw great potential in how his nephew’s newfound abilities could be used to further his own agenda.  He outfitted young Shiro with a costume, dubbed him ‘Sanfaia’ (Sunfire when translated into English) and set the youth out on a mission to destroy The United Nations’ Plaza in New York City.  

Sunfire’s Mutant signature was detected by Charles Xavier when he entered into the United States.  Xavier dispatched his fledgling group of Mutant heroes, The X-Men, to both prevent Sunfire from causing any harm as well as potentially recruit him to their cause of improving human/Mutant relations.

The X-Men were able to prevent Sunfire from fulfilling his plan.  The young Mutant came to decide that acting as a hero was the best way demonstrate the honor and greatness of his home country.  He refused the X-Men’s offer to join them and instead returned to Japan.

Following further adventures, Sunfire was recruited by Xavier to help him in rescuing his original team.  Feeling a degree of debt to the X-Men, Sunfire accepted; although he only remained with the team for a short while, departing back to Japan shortly after the original squad had been successfully rescued.  

Subsequent adventures found Sunfire encountering Iron Man, The Daughters of The Dragon, Alpha Flight, as well as additional missions in conjunction with The X-Men. Sunfire additionally participated in the Big Hero Six program wherein a team of Japanese superheroes were banded together in an effort to establish an Asian analog to the West’s team, The Avengers.

Some time Later, Sunfire lost both of his legs in a gruesome encounter with the villainous Lady Deathstrike.  And soon thereafter, his powers were absorbed by the X-Man known as Rogue.  Despondent and in great pain, Shiro made the foolish decision of accepting an offer by the Mutant villain, Apocalypse, to make him whole again and return his powers in exchange for acting as his agent in achieving Apocalypse's notion of a Mutant utopia.  

As such, Shiro was subjected to a process where his legs were regrown and his powers both returned as well as greatly augmented.  Becoming Apocalypse’s Horseman, Famine. Shiro battled the X-Men.  Apocalypse was ultimately defeated and the villain’s influence over Shiro dissipated.  Ashamed of what he had allowed to become of himself, Shiro returned to Japan, drowning his sorrows in a series of Tokyo bars and nightclubs.  

Some time thereafter, Shiro was tracked down by his former X-Man colleague, Wolverine, who was able to convinced him to regain his honor by joining The Uncanny Avengers squad Wolverine was helping to put together.  Resuming the name of Sunfire, Shiro acted as a member of The Uncanny Avengers for a time before ultimately returning to the ranks of The X-Men.  

More recently, Sunfire has become a resident of the Mutant nation of Krakoa where he has been tapped to act as a member of the nation’s primary X-Men squad.

The hero first appeared in the pages of X-Men Vol 1 #64 (1970).

[lassieposting]

I adore your thoughts about deamon culture and upbringing. Something that’s always bugged me is that we don’t really get an insight into the culture and layout of heaven and hell or the non-humanness that makes angles and deamons. Please give more thoughts!!!

OH BOY, DO I

DEMON CULTURE HEADCANONS COMING RIGHT UP 

[1] My personal headcanon is that devil was originally a Lilim word that basically meant “warlord” - the leader of a clan with his or her own territory - and there were thousands of them, because demons lived in warring clans. Every clan had a _devil, _and they all considered themselves the ultimate authority and were constantly fighting for power. When Lucifer staged a coup and took over one of the strongest clans in the Ninth Circle, he basically went on a conquering spree, up to the point that there is now only one devil; all the other clan leaders have bent the knee to him. There’s probably either a Lilim way of distinguishing between A Devil (a warlord) and The Devil (Lucifer, King of Hell), or it’s become sort of an archaic term used only to refer to Lucifer and another name has become commonplace for your bog-standard warlord. The word then made its way to Earth both through Lucifer himself and through other demons before he outlawed possession, and developed its modern meaning from there. 

More under the cut - this is long as fuck. It’s becoming a habit.

GENETICS: 

- Demons live in one of the most inhospitable, treacherous environments of any dimension in the known multiverse. They’ve been shaped by the need to survive in their habitat. 

- Demons in general have a much higher heat resistance than humans, as well as far better low-light vision and enhanced speed, strength and endurance. 

- Hell has different habitats the same way Earth does, though, and the demons who live in the Ninth Circle (the part of Hell we see in the show, the part where Lucifer’s palace is) would have different adaptations to the demons who’ve evolved to live in the swampy marshland of the Sixth Circle (where Maze was born). 

- Demons are an R-coded species, so they have large numbers of babies, less parental care, a short gestation period and a very low survival-to-adulthood rate.  

- Because their babies have such a low survival rate, demons have very little parental attachment and they don’t form family units the way humans do (i.e. child raised by biologically related caregivers, close relationship between parents and child). 

CHILDHOOD:

- Baby demons are born already equipped with fantastic low-light vision, a full set of needle-sharp teeth, and the ability to get up and move around very shortly after birth. They’re not wholly independent - they don’t learn to talk or develop fine motor/dexterity skills until they’re older - but they are very much born armed and dangerous, which they need to be because… 

- They can and do eat their siblings in the nest, like sharks. Cannibalism is fucking rife in Hell. A large chunk of spawn are lost in their first year to fratricide/sororicide. It’s just seen as weeding out the weaklings. 

- In most clans, the spawn are raised communally in a creche run by designated nest-minders; these are usually the weakest members of the clan who would not be any use as warriors. Raising the young during their first few years of life is a fairly low-status position in society, but it does ensure that those weak demons will be fed, housed and protected - nobody wants to have to take over their job, so it’s worthwhile to keep them alive. 

- Demon spawn are…little demons. A large part of why Lucifer doesn’t like children is because of extended exposure to spawn. They completely lack empathy and social skills, so they’re loud, they bite, and a large chunk of nest-minders’ time is spent separating them when they try to kill each other. They won’t develop logic, critical thinking or their (still limited) sense of empathy until they’re a lot older. 

- Contrary to what some might believe, demons do have affectionate nicknames for their young - the sort of thing a warrior might call his trainee, or a nest-minder might call their favourite charge. The English equivalent would probably be kiddo or something, but they’d translate literally as “spawn” or “offspring”. There’s a sort of implication there that you care enough about this kid to see them as family; they can probably rely on you to protect them if they’re in danger. 

ADOLESCENCE:

- Demons don’t have a long childhood, and mostly they learn a trade by apprenticing under a professional. A would-be warrior is trained by an experienced warrior; a kid with a talent for art might apprentice under a leathercrafter; if you’re particularly intelligent and politically savvy you might get lucky and learn from your clan’s devil, if you manage to impress them. 

- A juvenile who wants to be a warrior (like Maze, for example) goes through a series of incredibly dangerous trials to become a fully-fledged adult warrior of their clan. It’s sort of like living in the Hunger Games, but, you know. Permanently. 

* Around the onset of puberty, at around 10 or 11 years old, they’re given a simple weapon and some supplies and sent out into the world by themselves to find something useful to bring back to their clan, to prove that they’re worth the time and effort it will take to train them. 

At this point, they have no formal training. They’ve got a decade or so of viciously scrapping with other youngsters in the creche for food, but they’re expected to get by mostly on their wits, their viciousness, and their willingness to kill to survive. 

There are hundreds of things that can kill a young demon alone in Hell. Demons from other clans. Heat exhaustion. Feral hellhounds. Dehydration. Volcanic eruption. Manticore. Harpy. Dragon. There’s even a chance another kid from their own clan will panic and kill first, ask questions later. 

What they bring back can be any of a number of things. Maybe some priceless gemstones that can be traded for commodities not native to their area of Hell. Maybe information about a territory ripe for overtaking. Maybe spoils taken from dead enemies from a clan yours is at war with. Whatever it is, it needs to be something the leaders of your clan will benefit from, or they might send you back out to find something better. Maze brought back Lucifer.

How impressive your gift is generally determines who you apprentice under; the kids who brought back the most impressive things will usually get sent to the clan’s top warriors. 

Only 30% or so of the kids sent out into the world will come back. The ones who didn’t clearly wouldn’t have survived training, so it wouldn’t have been worth the effort to train them in the first place. 

They’ll spend the next ten years or so (maybe more, maybe less) in training. Their mentor will teach them to fight with a whole load of different weapons, how to hunt, how to torture a captive, how to plan a battle, etc. The ones with leadership potential, training under the clan’s War Chief, also learn - on the DL, because nobody wants to get murdered - how to deal with your devil when they’re being an asshole, and how to bring them round to your way of thinking when their plan for a war clashes with yours. 

In bigger clans, at the end of their training, each warrior’s trainees get put in an arena to fight to the death. Of each class, only the last one standing actually becomes a warrior. Despite the immense amount of lives lost in childhood, demons breed so prolifically that plenty survive to adulthood. 

ADULTHOOD:

- Adult demons often wear identification marks, usually on their faces, to show whereabouts they’re from, which clan they belong to, and what rank they are if they have one. Some clans (like Maze’s) use face paint, others prefer tattoos, still others use scarification or branding. You don’t get to wear them until you’ve proved yourself, so it’s a great honour for a warrior to finally get their stripes.

- This helps establish social order - who you can and can’t flirt with, who you should and shouldn’t pick on, etc. If you’re a humble furs trader, you really don’t want to start a fight with a visiting devil over a casual insult to your work; you’ll get smoked. But fortunately for you, her face markings tell you who she is, so you keep your mouth shut. 

- Demons are promiscuous as fuck and don’t really go in for monogamy. It happens occasionally, but it’s definitely not the social norm. While every demon spawn knows who their mother is, it’s very common to have multiple potential fathers. 

- Demons can and do fall in love. They’re not very open about it, and there’s no way to say “I love you” in Lilim. Any demonstration of love is a demonstration of weakness, and in Hell any weakness will be used against you. Long term relationships between demons tend to look a lot like Lucifer and Maze - ride-or-die friends who hang out naked and have each other’s back against outside danger regardless of the issues they’re having with each other. 

OLD AGE:

- A demon who’s too old to battle anymore but was once a mighty warrior can still command a huge amount of respect; many become advisors to the clan devil - especially if he’s young; Lucifer had to lean on very experienced older advisors as a young king consolidating his power - or train the most promising up-and-comers. 

- Demons can and do grieve, but it’s usually expressed as a roaring rampage of revenge against whoever killed your ally. If something happened to Maze, for example, Lucifer wouldn’t cry or get sentimental; he’d cause so much carnage they’d be talking about it for millennia. By demon standards that would be the most touching tribute he could give her tbh. 

- After someone dies, their clan usually eats them - in a world where the creatures you eat can kill you just as easily as be killed by you, meat is meat and a meal you don’t have to work for is a gift. (This is why Mom asked if humans eat their own when She first came to Earth. Hell was a horrible surprise for both of them for a variety of reasons, and this is definitely one of them.) To humans, this is horrifying; to demons, it’s not even something to bat an eyelid at. 

- Devils don’t often get old. They live in a cutthroat world of power games and ambition, and everyone wants their spot. Devils get to the top by being especially cunning or vicious or physically powerful, and once the thing keeping them there starts to run down, they’re often killed and replaced by someone stronger. It’s just as common for your allies to turn on you as your enemies, so you’re watching your back constantly, never truly safe, always reading into every interaction for signs of danger. There’s a reason Lucifer doesn’t trust easy. As an angel he’s stronger than practically all demons, but Hell-forged steel can kill him; all it would take is for him to let his guard down just a little bit too much at the wrong moment. 

[mischiefandspirits]

Who is Iron Man?

After a three month imprisonment by terrorists, child genius Tony Stark was rescued by an unknown entity. Who is this Iron Man? The world wants to know.

SI Founder Found Dead

By Kate Mallory - December 17, 2009

Today we mourn the loss of a technological superstar.

Last night, a car accident took the life of Stark Industries founder and CEO Howard Stark (age 87) as well as his wife Maria (age 79) and daughter Amanda (age 34). The family was reportedly on their way to the airport for a vacation in the Bahamas when, according to police representatives, one of their car’s tires blew out causing the vehicle to crash into a tree on the side of the road. Howard and Maria were pronounced dead on arrival while Amanda died en route to the hospital.

As Amanda was an only child and never married, the family is survived solely by her son, child genius and media rascal Anthony “Tony” Stark (age 8). A sudden illness had sprung up that morning, causing him to need to stay home with a family friend and saving him from the deadly crash.

Questions have begun to rise up over the future of both Stark Industries and the young Stark, but SI has only given a quick statement before closing all lines of communications for the time being. The statement, in short, revealed that Stark Industries COO Obadiah Stane would be taking over as CEO temporarily until Stark’s will can be seen to. Likewise, young Tony is set to remain with the mentioned unnamed family friend until such time.

Read on for a full obituary and discussion on what this could mean for the future of Stark Industries >>

BREAKING NEWS: A Stark Disappearance

By Tech-miss - January 26, 2011

A late-night posting, I know, but I’ve got big news, readers! A leak from within Stark Industries has just revealed that the company’s prized heir is currently MIA on the other side of the planet.

Two days ago, Tony Stark had been in Afghanistan for a demonstration of the Jericho Missile -- a revolutionary missile system utilizing SI’s repulsor tech -- when the military convoy escorting him fell under attack. When backup arrived, many of the soldiers were either dead or injured while Stark was nowhere to be found. A team has already been formed for search and rescue, headed by Colonel James Rhodes: USAF officer, military liaison to SI, and friend of Stark’s.

That was all the leak was willing to say, but requests have already been flooding in for further comments from the airforce, SI, and Stark’s legal guardian Obadiah Stane so I’ll be sure to update you all the moment I get more information!

Comment down below with your thoughts and theories my fellow techies!!!

The Child of Death Back From the Dead

By Ryan Prince - May 2, 2011

The business and technology worlds are in a stir today and unsurprisingly it’s all due to Tony Stark.

The nine-year-old returned to the states today after having been rescued less than a week earlier from his three-month imprisonment at the hands of the Ten Rings terrorist organization. True to form, he immediately made a scene.

Mere moments after Stark was reportedly supposed to have stepped off his plane, his minder and personal assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts reached out to the Stark Industries public relations department to call together a press conference for Stark. Bolts&Blogs was on the list and I was lucky enough to be free to represent the site even with the short notice.

Stark opened the conference without the usual flare that has become his signature over the past year, though he did start it by sitting down in front of the podium with a cheeseburger and asking everyone to join him on the floor. He explained it away as an attempt to make everything less formal, but the boy was (justifiably) visibly exhausted by recent events.

Little information has been revealed about Stark’s imprisonment, but it’s hard not to imagine what he might have gone through and his appearance only makes it worse. He was thin with malnourishment and the rush makeup job he had gotten hadn’t managed to completely cover the bruises across his face or his sunburned flush. One of his arms was tucked into a sling and his artfully styled hair was now long and limp. There was also a seriousness about him that looked alien on the formerly excitable and mischievous boy.

Once everyone but those operating cameras had sat, Stark then proceeded to greet his legal guardian, Stark Industries CEO Obadiah Stane (Why Stane hadn’t been at the airport to greet his ward sooner is unknown at this time), before setting into a monologue about his grandfather, the late founder of Stark Industries Howard Stark (More information here). He wondered over what Howard had thought about the company, if he had doubts or was as confident in everything he did as the news painted him.

He then mentioned the soldiers from his escort that had died due to, as reports have hinted, Stark Industries made weaponry, stating that the company had “grown from arming the knights into arming the dragons.”

When questioned about what had happened in Afghanistan, Stark answered as such:

“I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. I know I have no power to change the company until I’m legally declared an adult and can claim my inheritance, so that is why, effective immediately, I am leaving the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries until such a time as I am capable of deciding what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take and is consistent with the highest good…”

Whatever more he had to say was lost as Stane escorted him off the stage into Potts’ waiting grasp. The man, despite his ever-present smile, had clearly been caught off guard by his ward’s statement and quickly concluded the conference.

As anyone who knows anything about technology could tell you, nothing worth talking about comes out of Stark Industries without the tiny fingerprints of the company’s resident genius on it, which begs the question of what this means for their weapons department? Will they still be able to stay ten steps ahead of their competitors without Stark’s designs? Where will Stark’s focus go now as Stark Industries has always been first and foremost a weapons manufacturer? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

[Subscribe] to Bolts&Blogs for the most up to date information from the world of technology and feel free to join the discussion down below!

Hidden Hero

By Tech-miss - June 27, 2011

New information has come out regarding Tony Stark’s rescue, readers, and it’s a doozy.

For starters, it wasn’t the USAF that did the rescuing.

According to the report published early this morning, an “unknown entity” (Let’s call him Uno) launched an attack on a Ten Rings base which the air force later realized was being used to hold Stark as well as a second unnamed prisoner (aka Doc) who had been brought in to treat the injuries he’d gained during his kidnapping. Uno then staged a rescue, freeing Stark and Doc before destroying the base. Afterwards, they watched over the two until a USAF chopper began to close in, at which time they took off and disappeared.

As far as anyone can tell from the report, the USAF doesn’t appear to have any idea who the rescuer is. Stark apparently didn’t have a clue and if Doc did, we’ll never know as he, unfortunately, fell unconscious shortly after being picked up due to wounds he received protecting Stark and died not long after while in surgery.

Of course that means theories abound. Everything from a secret SI black ops team to the stereotypical ALIENS!!!! have flooded the forums. I’m particularly interested in one such theory that posits Captain America was the one to save them, if only because all the OP said to justify it was “Cap could do it!!!!!” and I find that hilarious.

Hopefully, we’ll get some more information soon. Here’s hoping Zombie Cap didn’t save Stark for his brains.

Comment down below with your thoughts and theories my fellow techies!!!

Who is Iron Man?

By CamicsComics - October 27, 2011

Hey there CamComs! Today’s post is going to be different from my usual stuff, but that’s because we’ve got confirmation that a real-life superhero is flying around!

Some background that you might be missing if you live under a comic book-lined rock like I do: Five months ago child celebrity and genius Tony Stark was rescued by an unknown person after he’d been kidnapped in Afghanistan. If you’re wondering who would think sending a nine-year-old into an active war zone is a fine idea like I was, then I’ve got two words for you: attempted murderer. But we’ll get to that.

Theories have flown about regarding who might have saved him, and today the world got its answer.

Well, at least we got his alias.

See, while the kid was in Afghanistan he found out his company’s weapons had ended up in the hands of the very guys who were keeping him prisoner. Since most of the weapons were his own designs, the kid understandably decided to leave the weapons business. Honestly, the kid shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but again, his legal guardian was super sketch.

Said guardian was Obadiah Stane. He’d been a partner to Stark’s grandfather Howard Stark and took over as CEO after the man’s death. He’d allegedly been a pseudo uncle to Stark’s mother so people said it made sense the man was given guardianship. Apparently those people never considered the millions of stories about evil uncles killing off their nephews to become king.

Honestly, from what I’ve read, I’m surprised Colonel James Rhodes wasn’t given custody. The guy was friends with Stark’s mother, had a rapport with his grandparents, and is still close with Stark.

Stane had never even met Stark until he was given custody!

I’m getting off track though.

Today during a press conference, Stark revealed that he’s been looking into the dirty weapons. A few days ago, his assistant Pepper Potts found evidence on Stane’s computer that not only has Stane been dealing under the table, but he had put a hit out on Stark. When Stane realized he’d been found out, he decided to finish the job. He attacked Stark and nearly killed him before using an experimental piece of SI technology to try to kill Potts and the agents (they didn’t say who the agents were with, just that they were agents) that had accompanied her to arrest Stane.

Which brings us to the reason for this post.

Apparently the person who had rescued Stark from Afghanistan had been looking into the weapons too and arrived at the mansion Stane and Stark shared just in time to save Stark. Using information the boy gave him, he then flew over to SI to take down Stane.

And yes, I did mean flew. Because this mysterious person the media had dubbed Iron Man is exactly what you’d expect from a name like that. He’s got a high tech suit of armor that can fly and shoot lasers!!! Like I said real-life superhero! Not only that, but he’s got a team of robots to back him up.

Don’t believe me? Look it up! Stark leaked pictures online of said Iron Man taking down Stane to prove he’s not just some kid telling stories, which was quickly followed up by a bunch of different people posting their own pics all over social media to back him up.

When questioned on Iron Man’s identity, Stark refused to comment. However, he did admit that the rumors about Iron Man being his bodyguard were false.

“Although IM came to Afghanistan for me, it was because he’s was a good friend and not because he was being paid as some rumors have suggested. Also, any and all rumors that I created the suit or bots are not only untrue, but also super insulting. The suit is a work of art straight from IM's genius mind and he deserves all the praise for it.”

Of course, people picked up on the “good friend” comment when it comes to trying to figure out the man behind the suit. A theory that Col. Rhodes was Iron Man seemed the most likely as he is close to Stark, headed the search and rescue unit, and graduated MIT with degrees in engineering and physics. However, as some have pointed out, there are photos and videos showing Rhodes with Stark and Potts during the fight between Stane and Iron Man.

That’s it for the past, but what about the future?

For Iron Man’s future, it seems like he’s going to be working with the US military to track down all the dirty SI weapons. For little Stark, things are still up in the air.

Since his legal guardian is out of the picture and he has no living relatives, there is some debate on where he’ll go. Both Rhodes and Potts are trying to get custody. I’ve covered the good on Rhodes, though I should point out his position as SI’s military liaison does put him in an awkward place. Potts is in a similar position as she’s currently Stark’s employee. That said, there’s no denying Potts knows how to take care of him as she basically became his nanny after Stane took control and shifted her from her former position (the PA to the CEO) to being Stark’s PA and minder, which basically means she took care of the paperwork aspect of his job, made sure he was on time for appointments, got him to eat and go to bed, kept him out of trouble, and other such things his legal guardian should have been doing instead of plotting to kill a nine-year-old.

She’s also clearly fond of the kid. There are pictures all over of her and the kid together and even at her most scolding she never really seems to be angry with him (such as in these pictures from a gala where Stark apparently decided to set off a CONTROLLED EXPLOSION!?!?! “For some entertainment”! And apparently this is typical behavior? No one’s ever been hurt, but seriously kid?). In fact, she’s often caught indulging in his more playful mischief (such as these pics that show the two of them dancing at the recent Firefighter's Family Fund benefit where Stark apparently gate-crashed his own party).

We also know she has no fear telling off her boss no matter what considering we’ve got multiple sources to prove that the reason the woman got her job in the first place was because she -- and I’m not kidding here -- forced her way into Howard Stark’s office back when she was just a financial jocky to make him correct an error he’d made on some paperwork. She’d earned a face-full of pepper spray, a job, and a nickname for her bravery, the last courtesy of Tony Stark himself.

Well, sweet CamComs, as much as I’d love to keep talking about this, unfortunately, that’s all I got for now. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Iron Man and Stark (because there’s zero chance that kid won’t get caught up in something again. Heck, maybe he’ll even build his own suit and become the hero’s sidekick. Seems right up the kid’s alley) and keep you updated, but unless something else happens, I’ll be back to my usual content on Tuesday.

Subscribe, like, and share, CamComs! Until next time, be the hero you want to see in the world!

Iron Tweet

By Ryan Prince - November 12, 2011

Does the mysterious superhero Iron Man have a Twitter? It would seem so!

Two days ago, @1r0n_M4n opened with the name 0111 01 1011. At first glance, one might think it was just a fan account, but the accounts first Tweet -- “Is this how I do it @ Tony?” -- was not only liked by Tony Stark, Virginia “Pepper” Potts, and Col. James Rhodes, but Stark also replied to it with “Yeah, but you actually have to use my thing, @1r0n_M4n”. Rhodes followed suit with “Was Iron Man spelled out normally seriously taken already?” and Potts responded with “Yes, but @1r0n_M4n wanted it spelled like that to begin with.” By that point, many had taken notice of the account and it only increased when the account became verified late last night.

While the account has since been flooded with questions about the hero and suit, none have been answered. However, when someone jokingly asked for help with a math homework problem, Iron Man responded with a picture of the problem worked out. This began a slew of people asking for Iron Man’s help with their varying homework problems until Potts spoke up with “@1r0n_M4n you can’t just do people’s homework for them. They need to learn how to do it themselves.” Iron Man immediately apologized and afterward only responded to such tweets with links to varying sites that proved to have useful information for whatever the problem might be. While most gave up afterward, some --usually college-age -- continued to request assistance with grateful thanks afterward.

The account currently has 500k+ followers and growing, but only follows six accounts. Stark, Potts, and Rhodes are obvious, but people have become curious over the other three: @GirlFriday, @Uuuuuuuuuu, and @DUM_E.

@GirlFriday (named F.R.I.D.A.Y.) appears to be a graphic artist. The account boasts no personal tweets, but many designs have been posted, some of which are said to have been sold to different companies. A few Stark Industries logos have even been found on the site, including the current one.

@Uuuuuuuuuu’s (named U) account consists entirely of retweeted music videos with genres ranging from classical to rap with the only comments being a sad or happy emoji for each to apparently give the account owner’s approval or disapproval.

@DUM_E (named Butterfingers) is a more wildcard account. It mostly consists of retweeted recipes and cooking videos, but there are also links to recipes on what appears to be @DUM_E’s own personal cookbook website as well as original cooking videos featuring far less appetizing mixtures (such as the one which features what appears to be motor oil being blended with strawberries, a banana, and almond milk). This seems to be the most curious account though as it is the only one with personal comments, though they are all coded in an odd mix of binary and morse code. Most of the comments either review recipes they’ve tried out or complain of annoying brothers and sisters without giving any names, but that’s not the curious part.

You see, those that put in the effort to decode @DUM_E’s comments realized that the same code was used for @1r0n_M4n’s name. Translated it reads Jay. Although that’s not much to go on, it is more than we had before. That’s not all though, because people have compared pictures from Stark’s workshop to screenshots from @DUM_E’s videos and website to show that the videos were filmed at the kitchenette in the lab. This has led some to believe the account might be a “shitpost” account of Stark’s, though others have argued that the comments about siblings wouldn’t make sense for him. When questioned, @DUM_E responded with a pair of tweets that, when translated, read, “Tony could not make good food like me.” and “If I didn’t make him food and bring it to him, he’d never eat.”

Before anyone else could respond, @1r0n_M4n added, “The recipes in @DUM_E’s videos are his more experimental ones and @TStark rarely partakes in them. @DUM_E usually feeds him the recipes from his site.”

Stark’s Twitter was immediately bombarded with questions of which of the video recipes fell into the “rarely” column, which Stark refused to reply to. Rhodes, however, posted a none too subtle tweet a short time later about how Tony and he agreed motor oil tasted better with bananas than chocolate.

Who could these mystery accounts belong to and how are they connected to Stark and Iron Man? How are Iron Man and Stark connected in the first place? Could these mystery accounts be the key? How many times has Stark eaten motor oil? Time will tell.

[Subscribe] to Bolts&Blogs for the most up to date information from the world of technology and feel free to join the discussion down below!

[causeiwanttoandican]

I think I hear he sound of shattering glass coming from Vancouver.

The Telegraph

Kate steps up: The making of a future Queen

Revealed: The crack team building and shaping the Duchess of Cambridge's royal future

By Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor

7 February 2020 • 9:00pm

It has been exactly a month since Harry and Meghan announced that they were stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family. For the past eight weeks, column inches have racked up about the ‘Megxit’ bombshell and its impact on the institution of monarchy.

Yet amid all the hysteria and hullabaloo, one of its most important members has been serenely going about the business of keeping calm and carrying on.

Until now this kind of understated behaviour may have been most closely associated with the Queen, but it is her modern day equivalent, the Duchess of Cambridge, who has been quietly putting duty first with increasing visibility.

A recent UK tour to launch her landmark survey on early childhood, combined with well-received visits to Bradford and Mumbles, may at first look like Kate making a conscious effort to fill the void left by her brother and sister in law.

Yet as has ever been the case with the middle class girl from Bucklebury who married into the Firm almost a decade ago, that would be to underestimate a woman who has never made a show of her royal role.

Motherhood to monarch

Having discreetly spent the past eight years beavering away on the causes closest to her heart, Kate has finally found her voice and is determined to use it. No longer willing to be seen but not heard, sources say she is now ready to commit the rest of her working life to raising awareness of the importance of childhood - and its impact on adult life.

Although she never took the credit for being the inspiration behind the Heads Together mental health campaign spearheaded by William and Harry - having witnessed its extraordinary impact, there is a sense that the Duchess has finally realised just how much she is capable of.

“The Duchess has worked quietly away in the background for years,” said one well-placed royal insider, “And now she knows that people want to hear from her”. No longer as fearful of public speaking, and fast carving her own path out of the shadows, Kate’s landmark online survey '5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’, will mark the start of decades more work on the subject, according to aides.

“It’s much easier to speak out when you know what you’re talking about and passionate about your subject,” added the insider. “She has become an expert in early years learning, she understands the science and is respected in the sector because she has spent the past eight years working it out. But she also wants to find answers. This is about evidence based research.” The first results of the childhood survey are due next month.

Kate’s gentle yet inquisitive manner was never more on display than when she met wheelchair-bound Harvey Bentley, 90, in Mumbles on Tuesday. The warm exchange was filmed by Mr Bentley’s son-in-law Mike Sutton-Smith

This kind of reaction is certainly welcome after arguably the most testing period for the monarchy since Diana’s death. With two of the so-called ‘Fab Four’ poised to set up their own projects in North America, the focus for the Cambridges will not only be on putting duty first but in a non-partisan, but an extremely effective way.

As one observer noted: “It is a bit of a paradox, having such a naturally introverted person in such a high-profile position. I think that’s what people find endearing about the Duchess. She’s not a showy person. It’s a deeply British trait.”

And one which she certainly shares with Her Majesty who also has a quiet confidence and sense of reserve when interacting with the public.

Of course, accession may still be decades away, but preparations for the royal couple to become the next Prince and Princess of Wales were already well underway before Harry and Meghan’s move to Canada.

Yet while efforts had previously been ploughed into elevating the status of the man who would be king - there is a new, and arguably even more compelling project now fully in progress at the palace: the advent of Queen Catherine.

So much so in fact that team of academics have been drafted in to help the mother-of-three shape her royal future, with input from the highest echelons of government and even the security services.

Likened to a modern-day version of the Way Ahead Group, set up to rebuild the monarchy in the aftermath of the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ of 1992, the Duchess’s steering group of experts has informed her focus on early years learning and helped her to grow in confidence in her royal role.

Working royals putting duty first

As the royal couple prepare to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary next year, 2020 is set to be momentous for the Cambridges.

Projecting themselves as a family unit - and a relatable one too - has become a priority and was behind them agreeing to the prime time Christmas TV special with national treasure Mary Berry, which saw the royal couple cooking souffles while discussing the work of their Royal Foundation, the philanthropic vehicle for all their charitable endeavours.

With talk of trips to Ireland, Chile and Columbia already in the offing, and both having recently launched major charitable initiatives - including William’s Earthshot Prize - a multimillion pound project to ‘repair the planet’, the next 12 months will see the pair try to bring what one palace insider describes as the ‘calm after the storm’.

The source added: “What you are going to see with the Cambridges is a couple carved very much out of the Queen’s mould: Duty first.”

Having had three children in swift succession and with Prince George, six and Princess Charlotte, four, now in school and Prince Louis turning two in April, Kate’s priorities have shifted.

According to one well-placed source: “Over the last 12 months they have realised the potential power of their platform. They understand that by launching these long term projects they can genuinely make a big difference. They’ve been told clearly by people the impact that they can have if they pick the right spaces - things they care passionately about.”

Just this week we have seen William discuss diversity at the Baftas and his mental health initiative Heads Up, tackling the issue through football, has been well received. As with Earthshot, described by one aide as “the biggest thing the Duke has ever undertaken”, it’s about saying ‘we can do this’, rather than ‘this is too daunting’”, said a source.

“The Royal Foundation has been going for 10 years now. What they want to do is a smaller number of things on a bigger scale. For the Duchess, the early years work is something she will lead for the rest of her life. It's easy to dismiss it as nice and cuddly, but the focus is going to shift from how much childhood issues affect adult mental health and on the social side, it's as significant as climate change.”

While both projects and their recent visits to Yorkshire and South Wales had been in the diary for months, there is no doubt the ‘Sussex situation’ has escalated matters. “A hell of a lot of responsibility rests on their shoulders and they’ve just got to get on with it,” said royal author Phil Dampier. “I think they are both resigned to spending the next 30, 40, 50 years as heavyweight royals.”

A formidable asset

Government hopes are also being pinned on William and Kate flying the flag for post-Brexit Britain. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was “delighted” with their highly successful visit to Pakistan last year, which helped to demonstrate the Cambridges’ worth to UK Plc. There emphasis will be on ‘youthful yet dependable royalty’ - demonstrating the power of the Royal Family both home and abroad as a formidable ambassadorial asset.

This was certainly on show last month as William hosted his first major state occasion - a reception for the UK-Africa Investment Summit - on behalf of the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Standing alongside his wife, many royal watchers noted how much more publicly demonstrative William had become towards Kate. During the reception he was uncharacterstically nostalgic, saying: “The African continent holds a very special place in my heart. It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died. And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.” When a wellwisher in Mumbles complimented William on Charlotte, he replied: "Yes, she is lovely - just like my wife."

And it is this kind of gentle encouragement and support which is intended to propel his wife to the next level - where her dependability turns into the kind of ‘soft power’ which can affect real change.

Or as one insider put it: "They are going to be doing what politicians can't do, with such a comparatively shorter shelf life. Only royals can think about this scale of change on a generational basis - and that is what the Cambridges are determined to bring about."

A crucial appointment for Kate will be her next private secretary following the departure of Catherine Quinn, the Oxford-educated right hand woman who has helped to chart the past two years. The Telegraph understands a replacement is yet to be found and the Duchess is continuing to be supported by her assistant private secretary and Simon Case, the former civil servant who has been William’s closest adviser since July 2018. Case previously worked for former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May and that they are taking their time, searching for someone of Case's calibre for Kate is certainly telling.

The couple arguably have another, equally pressing legacy project: the future survival of the monarchy. William has certainly been working in ‘lock step’ with his father and grandmother to find a solution to his brother and sister-in-law’s desire to leave the Firm.

The Telegraph can reveal that the second-in-line was also much more involved in the decision for the Duke of York to step back from public life last November than has previously been reported.

When Prince Andrew travelled to Sandringham to hold talks with Prince Philip and Charles - he also held a meeting with his nephew, believed to be at Anmer Hall, the Cambridge’s Georgian country house on the Queen’s estate in Norfolk. According to a source: “William spoke to Andrew for about an hour. They met separately. The Queen and Prince of Wales both agreed he should be fully involved in the discussions - he is very much a part of what has become a triumvirate of decision-making these days.”

No Fab Four Anymore

As Joe Little, editor-of-chief of Majesty magazine points out, there needs to be a shift in focus now that Harry and Meghan have handed in their notice. “Prince Charles had hoped to have a slimmed down monarchy with his own children and grandchildren as the major players, but he has had to revise that masterplan in light of recent events.

“The House of Windsor was riding high for such a long time with weddings, babies and jubilees, William and Kate have got to restore some of that magic.”

Agreeing that the Duchess’s role will be key to ensuring a modern-day monarchy is fit for purpose, he added: “There’s a mystique about Kate like there has always been about the Queen.”

While Harry and Meghan appear intent on politicising their future role, for William and Kate it is going to be all about the three S’s: stature, strength, and stability

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

2018 post because I still want to and it’s on my to-do list

I'm sure at this point no one but me cares considering we're fully two months into 2019 but whatever, I want to record it for posterity, because there were a lot of things in 2018 that I did for the first time and that's kind of important. (”this will be brief!” I said, you know, like a liar.)

I finally got a tattoo. I've been talking about it for years but never figured out exactly what I wanted or where, and even once I figured out what I wanted ("all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us," which has been important to me in different ways for years) I didn't know exactly how I wanted it to look, because it can be tough to make text tattoos look good and I’m not an artist or a graphic designer. and then Scully was diagnosed with kidney disease and I realized, oh yeah, his paw print, there's an obvious one. my tiny little semi-colon (of which I apparently never took a decent picture) was also pretty obvious once I started looking for something small I could do as a test tattoo, although the way things worked out I got them both at the same time. the whole process was...kind of odd? but instead of just talking about it I finally actually made it happen, and it hurt but not, like, unbearably, and now I have a piece of my furry little boy that goes everywhere with me, which was especially important after he died.  

I did way more political volunteering than I ever have before. I always feel like I'm not doing enough and compared to people who volunteered with campaigns every single day, I guess I'm not, but I still did a lot in 2018 compared to any previous year: lots of donations to multiple Democrat candidates and progressive organizations, textbanking for several candidates across the US, sign-waving and even phonebanking for the Alaska Democrats, poll watching on election night for the Alaska Democrats, at least a few hundred handwritten postcards to voters for a few more candidates, data entry for the campaign against a local bathroom bill last spring (I keep forgetting that happened in 2018 too because, you know, 2018 was about a decade long), going to several local anti-Kavanaugh demonstrations and the like, leaving lots of voicemails for my legislators and bugging other people to do the same (with varying levels of success), and maybe other stuff I'm forgetting. which is all good, because actually doing shit is vastly preferable to just going "wow everything is terrible and we're all gonna die" both in terms of actual impact and my mental health. the unfortunate part is that after doing as much as I did for the 2018 midterms--whether or not I really actually did enough, whatever "enough" might be--I got pretty well burned out, especially because...all the candidates I did the most work for DID NOT WIN so that made it feel kinda pointless (even though we took back the House and I was so relieved about that I could’ve cried). especially locally where Alaskans did the stupid thing and 1) kept Don Young and 2) elected a Trump wannabe with almost no experience as our governor because he made promises that any idiot should've been able to see he wouldn't be able to keep. but...I still worked hard for causes and people I care about, and I devoted a pretty significant amount of time and money, and I got out of my comfort zone with last-weekend phonebanking, and none of that is nothing.

I joined a gym and started going there fairly regularly. as usual I want to qualify this, because "30 minutes on the elliptical once or twice a week" is not exactly an amazing workout, and I haven't been as good at going regularly since I finished TAZ: Balance, but like...it's still a new thing that I went out of my way to do, and it was a positive change toward taking care of myself physically.

related: I...finished a podcast? I'm bad at podcasts (see also: I'm two or three years behind on Welcome to Night Vale, the only other podcast where I've listened to more than one or two episodes), but the Balance arc of The Adventure Zone is amazing and it basically let me trick myself into wanting to work out so I could listen to more. (unfortunately, Amnesty and MBMBAM haven't been as effective this way, I think because MBMBAM is hilarious but there's no narrative and therefore no "oh shit what's gonna happen next" suspense, and Amnesty is great but it's just...less zany, I guess. constant zany goofs are great for distracting me from the fact that I'm doing generally unpleasant physical activity.) now maybe if I could find a site like GoodReads for podcasts, which apparently doesn’t exist yet, maybe I’d do better at remembering and then listening to all the podcasts I’ve heard of that interest me...although I still don’t know what would be useful for workouts to give me that all-important combo of zany goofs (made by people who are not horrible) and suspenseful narrative. 

I got back into conventions and cosplay for the first time in six years, which is kind of dumb because I was never that deep into cosplay in the first place and I'm still not, and the vast majority of cons I've attended have been tiny local ones...but I did do several attempts at varying levels of quality starting back in college, and I put together some complicated-by-my-standards outfits for SDCC 2012, and then I didn't do any cosplay at all until last year when I semi-spontaneously decided to go to ECCC. I only did two for that one (AoU Wanda, and Avengers Academy Loki) but they involved more actual work than any previous cosplays and I was pretty proud of how they turned out. and then I kind of went "oh hey, cons and cosplay are fun, I forgot", so I did a very simple cosplay for one tiny local con and two that were much more complicated (Stuttgart Loki and The Final Pam) for our larger local con, and it was a lot of work and I'm not 100% happy with how I looked as Pam but the handful of people thrilled to recognize me made it worthwhile. also my Loki staff is damned cool and I look great in suits.

I got contacts! for the very first time! LITERALLY JUST FOR COSPLAY! I've worn glasses since I was about two so I don't remember my adjustment period and I've never had much desire to try contacts, and with past cosplays I just kind of shrugged and wore my glasses anyway, but after ECCC I wanted to Do It Right so...I got contacts. it kind of sucked actually! after the week or so where I was supposed to wear them to get used to them, I literally have not worn them except for the local convention! it turns out contacts will never be a great idea for me because astigmatism is wacky! but now I have contacts I can use for future cosplays, and it's another new thing outside my comfort zone where I went "you know, actually, I could do this thing" and then I made it happen, which is...sort of a big deal for me.

I played Silent Hill 3 and 2, in that order, which is not that big of a deal but still feels like something of a milestone for me, because a) actually finishing a game is embarrassingly rare for me and b) I feel like...they're so well known and such a part of gaming canon, so to speak, that finally playing a couple classic games I previously only knew by osmosis is sort of significant actually. also I love them both in different ways, and discovering a new favorite game series is always fun.

I said goodbye to Scully. this was...not a fun one, obviously, and in fact those last few days were completely fucking awful. but, well, it was a big thing that happened, and it was new in my experience. like I said (a lot) at the time, I realize it's a sign of how lucky I've been that Scully was my hardest personal loss so far, but that doesn't change the fact that it was, and...of course it was hard and horrible. he was my furry little boy, he was unquestionably family, he was a huge part of my life every day for 9 years.  I took care of him as well as I could for as long as I could, and then I made the most compassionate decision I could, and for the most part I was able to focus on remembering the joy he brought me instead of just how much it hurt to lose him. (I've also said this before but I think dealing with Loki in Infinity War helped with Scully, because I'd already done some work on my unhealthy tendencies toward hopelessness in the face of, you know, things ending.) and then I found Hazy, and that's been hard in different ways but she's also worth it, and I think I can train her enough that other people will actually get to see how silly and adorable and sweet she is instead of just BARK BARK BARK.

I more or less kept up with my writing goals of posting at least one new thing a month? I guess this is an accomplishment rather than a first, since it's something I've been mostly successful in doing for the last few years, but it's still notable. also it does involve a first, because until I will kiss you till your breath is found I'd never written anything even semi-explicit (well, I very vaguely described a couple sex scenes in my Crimson Peak fic a few years ago but that was...VERY vague) and then I wrote several thousand words of fucked-up dubcon sort-of-p0rn and fairly shortly followed it up with another one. so that's a thing I've done now I guess. (is it actually explicit if you never really, directly reference anyone's genitals but it's still obvious what's happening and also it's fucked-up sex stuff? I don't know but at this point I'm definitely still too squeamish to use certain words in my fics. is that because I'm hella ace or because I grew up hella repressed in purity culture? BOTH PROBABLY)

and then there are my goals for 2019! or rather the rest of 2019 but it's cool because I got started on a couple of these pretty much right away!

cut my hair real short. already done! in fact this was basically the first thing I did in 2019, because I made the appointment Jan. 1 and got my hair cut Jan. 2! kind of like the tattoo, this is something I've been wanting to do, and talking about wanting to do, for ages and I've never actually gone for it; the shortest I've gotten my hair cut was basically chin-length, more than once, because I'd go in like "I kind of really want a pixie cut or something similar but idk if that would work on me without adding a bunch of time and Product to my morning routine so maybe I shouldn't?" and the stylists were always like "yeah you shouldn't, a good pixie for your face shape is not wash-and-wear hair" so I never did it even though I kept wanting to just...cut all my fucking hair off. and then this December I kind of went, wait, I got a TATTOO with less angst than this and that's permanent. I CAN CUT MY HAIR. IT GROWS BACK. so I got all my fucking hair cut off. it's not perfect because a short cut really does take more maintenance, from what I'm told (I got it cut the first week of January, so...probably I should have scheduled a trim by now), and I really would prefer to continue paying almost no attention to my hair while still looking generally okay, and the bits in front fall in my eyes and piss me off if I don't pin them back (I did buy the hair wax stuff the stylist suggested that was supposed to sort of lightly anchor it in place but it just never worked for very long, so...pins), BUT it is very nice not constantly catching my hair in my purse strap and stuff like that, and also I'm more visibly queer with short hair and that's definitely a plus.

train Hazy. this is a work in progress. it took a while to get signed up for an actual class and then I had to go with one for reactive dogs specifically, and so far I've only been to two sessions, just one of which involved Hazy, and then I've been trying to do other stuff at home, and...well, it's a work in progress. but she's a good dog who just needs to learn to chill a little bit, and I should've trained Scully and didn't so I'm trying to do things right this time.

specifically, I would like to get her trained enough that she can accompany me to Pride in June, wearing her adorable Wonder Woman harness and cape. given that she is not great with individual strange humans and strange dogs, taking her into a big crowd of both would definitely result in a screaming meltdown if I did it now and it may or may not be realistic to hope I'll be able to get enough improvement on that in time. but that's the goal. if it doesn't work, there's always next year, I guess.

also, I want to make myself a flying ace costume for Pride. this may or may not be much more complicated than I anticipate.

speaking of costumes, I'm planning to go back to both local conventions this year, and I imagine I'll reuse my Stuttgart Loki outfit at least once but it would be nice to do at least one other new cosplay. Heather/Cheryl from Silent Hill 3 seems like it should be straightforward but Value Village hasn't provided me with any of the pieces yet so who knows.

post more to @alaska-gothic​ because I have a bunch of cool photos I'd like to have a place to show off (and I've taken a lot of new pictures, some in VERY cold weather, for this exact purpose)

finish more games. in practice this might turn into "play more short games while continuing to neglect long games" but I want to make my list of completed games longer and I also want to PLAY MORE GAMES in general because it's a thing I really like, and it's possibly the only thing I do that's purely for my own enjoyment, and I want to make more time for that. also I want to finish SWTOR’s existing singleplayer content because, I mean, it’s an eight-year-old(!!!) MMO so its remaining time is probably limited by default and it’s fucking ridiculous I’ve been a subscriber for at least seven years without even finishing all the class storylines, what the actual fuck Past Me. (I also want to make more time for console games specifically, because those are almost definitely easier on my body and I can do them while cuddling with Hazy on the couch. unfortunately this also generally requires me having the place to myself, which is kind of a rare thing that is also necessary for comfortably working on customs or writing, so...opportunities are limited.)

speaking of games: finish buying the parts to upgrade my computer and then upgrade my fucking computer, and also back up my fucking files

finish a long fic? or honestly if I can even finish more short fics that would be great. really just...make progress on the WIP list. especially if I can finish some IW-specific fics before Endgame comes out. that would be super cool of me.

get another tattoo. I still want that LotR quote but I don't know how I want it to look so who knows when that might happen. HOWEVER, I've been wanting something queer, and I very much loved Foxflight Studios’ "we fight as one" design, and when I asked the designer if she was okay with me getting it as a tattoo she said yes. so at least with that I wouldn't have to figure out a design. I do of course have to figure out a) where I want it (ideally, somewhere normally covered by clothes but where I can see it if I want to, and where a person might conceivably keep a real dagger) and b) how much more it's going to hurt/cost than the paw print considering it would have to be bigger and it has a lot more colors and linework.

do some travel around Alaska. I've lived here for nearly my entire life and I really haven't seen that much of my own state. more importantly there are a few extremely cool places within theoretical driving distance, like Kennicott, Igloo City, and abandoned military installations near Seward, and I want to visit them. @erlkonigstochter and I had vague plans to do this last year and it never materialized (although I did visit Nike Site Summit on my own), so...this year I intend to try harder to make that happen, especially since I have no current plans of traveling out of state.

put more stuff on Etsy (and figure out how to advertise them?). in particular there are a bunch more things I want to repaint in various Pride colors, in part because those are way easier than custom Funko figures. of course, a lot of these things are kinda technically copyright infringement which means somehow I have to figure out how to make more sales of the easier things without drawing the attention of any corporations (and/or shift my focus to things that aren't under copyright of some kind but that's probably more complicated).

but also do more personal projects. I have so many partially finished custom figures, and so many other figures I bought specifically to customize but haven't touched since, and it would be cool to actually...do something with some of those. especially because several of my WIPs/plans are more Lokis, and I need all the Lokis, and there are not many more left that I can buy.

figure out how to motivate myself to work out more and keep up with PT exercises, see above re: needing a  better replacement for the magic of TAZ Balance whoops

get a therapist and work on ADHD issues, because I'm increasingly convinced that ADHD issues are at the root of the vast majority of my other issues (depression, anxiety, etc.), and that I would be immeasurably improving every aspect of my life if I could make some progress on that aspect. the difficulty, of course, is that finding a therapist is kind of complicated and difficult, and also I don't really want to add yet another regular appointment to my schedule when I already don't have enough time after work to do all the things I want and/or need to do, but...this one thing could go a long way toward helping me actually do all those other things, so obviously this is a time investment I really need to make. although probably not until I've made serious progress with Hazy's separation anxiety because that also makes it hard to go places after work. so uh, I guess we'll see. in the meantime it might be smart if I tried to figure out some kind of self-guided therapy thing I could do. I'm sure there's...something.

just, like, be more intentional about...things. in general. this is a bad goal because it's very nonspecific but it is slightly more specific than "generally do better FFS" so at least there's that.

[scotianostra]

Victoria Helen McCrae Duncan was born on November 25th 1897 in Callander.

Known as Helen Duncan, in 1944, she became last person in the UK to be tried, convicted and imprisoned under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.

Hellish Nell, as she became known, was actually a medium, and by all accounts not a very good one, the way she earned her living was to hold seances and charge plenty for her services, but she was rumbled several times as a fraud.

Nor was she the last person convicted under the 1753 Act – now repealed and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 – because in fact three other people were on trial alongside her and one of them was sent to prison, too. Yet somehow the “last witch” nickname has stuck, though records clearly show that some months after her trial and imprisonment in September 1944, one Jane York, 72, from Forest Gate, East London, was charged under the same act with seven counts of pretending to conjure up spirits of the dead. Incredibly, York was simply bound over for the sum of £5 to be of good behaviour for three years.

Ah, but that happened after D-Day, and there is no question when you examine the evidence that the authorities wanted to make an example of Helen Duncan and put her away for the summer of 1944.

From an early age her own family saw her as fey, and her mother was mortified when the child’s behaviour became impossible – she would predict doom and destruction for all sorts of people and was given to outbursts of hysteria.

Her early life was otherwise normal. She moved to Dundee and worked at the Royal Infirmary where she met Henry Edward Duncan, a wounded war veteran and a cabinet maker. They were married in 1916, and Duncan would eventually have six children by Henry who saw a great way of making money from his wife’s talents in clairvoyance – she read tea leaves and made predictions and earned a few shillings for doing so.

By 1926 she had become a fully-fledged medium giving seances during a time when spiritualism was all the rage. Moving to Edinburgh, her seances were soon the talk of the town – even the ghost of that local man turned Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a great believer in spiritualism, was said to have materialised at sittings.

A prominent feature of her seances was her apparent ability to produce “ectoplasm” from her mouth during her trances when she was transformed into her spirit partners Albert or Peggy, a young girl whose voices “spoke” through Duncan. She had grown quite obese and the contrast between this 20-stone woman and the childish voices was part of the reason why people believed in her.

It was at a seance in January 1933 that Peggy emerged in the seance room and a sitter named Esson Maule grabbed her. The lights were turned on and the spirit was revealed to be made of a cloth undervest which used as evidence that led to Duncan’s conviction on the Scottish offence of fraud at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in May 1933.

The conviction does not seem to have harmed her career. Duncan was by then making a good living by conducting seances throughout Britain at which “the spirits of the dead were alleged to have appeared, sometimes talking to and even touching their relatives”.

Duncan began to get more famous but also began to be more scrutinized. Director Harry Price of the National Laboratory of Psychical Research examined her. He deemed her ‘ectoplasms’ to be made of cheese and eggs which she would regurgitate up. Price was less than impressed by what he felt was a show woman, exploiting people for money.

“Could anything be more infantile than a group of grown-up men wasting time, money, and energy on the antics of a fat female crook.”

During World War Two, Duncan lived in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy. In 1941, the spirit of a sailor reportedly appeared at one of her seancés announcing that he had just gone down on a vessel called the Barham. HMS 'Barham' was not officially declared lost until several months later, its sinking having been kept secret to mislead the enemy and protect morale.

Unsurprisingly, Duncan's activities attracted the attention of the authorities and on 19 January 1944, one of her séances was interrupted by a police raid during which she and three members of her audience were arrested.

Duncan was remanded in custody by Portsmouth magistrates. She was originally charged under section 4 of the Vagrancy Act (1824), under which most charges relating to fortune-telling, astrology and spiritualism were prosecuted by magistrates in the 20th century. This was considered a relatively petty charge and usually resulted in a fine if proved. She was eventually tried by jury at the Old Bailey for contravening section 4 of the Witchcraft Act of 1735, which carried the heavier potential penalty of a prison sentence.

In particular, the medium and her three sitters were accused of pretending 'to exercise or use human conjuration that through the agency of Helen Duncan spirits of deceased persons should appear to be present'. Duncan was also charged with offences under the Larceny Act for taking money 'by falsely pretending that she was in a position to bring about the appearances of the spirits of deceased persons'.

The trial caused a media sensation and was extensively covered in the newspapers, many of which revelled in printing cartoons of witches on broomsticks. At one stage, the defence announced that Duncan was prepared to demonstrate her abilities in the witness box. This amounted to conducting a séance in the court while in a state of trance and the offer was refused.

Duncan was found guilty as charged under the Witchcraft Act and sentenced to nine months in Holloway Prison, London, but she was cleared of the other offences. She was the last person in Britain to be jailed under the act, which was repealed in 1951 and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act following a campaign by spiritualist and member of parliament Thomas Brooks.

There are two common misconceptions about Duncan's conviction. The first is that she was the last person in Britain to be convicted of being a witch. In fact, the Witchcraft Act was originally formulated to eradicate the belief in witches and its introduction meant that from 1735 onwards an individual could no longer be tried as a witch in England or Scotland. However, they could be fined or imprisoned for purporting to have the powers of a witch.

The second misconception is that she was the last person to be convicted under the Witchcraft Act. Again this is incorrect. Records show that the last person to be convicted under the Witchcraft Act was Jane Rebecca Yorke in late 1944. Due to her age (she was in her seventies) she received a comparatively lenient sentence and was fined.

Additionally, it has often been suggested that the reason for Duncan's imprisonment was the authorities' fear that details of the imminent D-Day landings might be revealed, and given the revelation about the Barham it is clear to see why the medium might be considered a potential risk. Nonetheless, then prime minister Winston Churchill wrote to the home secretary branding the charge 'obsolete tomfoolery'.

Helen Duncan was released from prison on the 22 September 1944 and seems to have avoided further trouble until November 1956, when the police raided a private séance in Nottingham on suspicion of fraudulent activity. No charges were brought and shortly afterwards, on 6 December in the same year, the woman who is sometimes remembered as the 'last witch' died.

A campaign by her descendents to clear her name continues to this day.

Find our more about this strange tale here https://www.prairieghosts.com/duncan.html

[anastpaul]

17 November, Blessed Memorial of St Gregory Thaumaturgus “the Wonder-Worker” (c 213-c 270) Bishop, Confessor, Miracle-worker, Writer, Preacher – also known as Gregory of Neocaesarea, Gregory the Wonder-Worker, Theodorus – born in c 213 at Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey) as Theodorus and died in c 270 at Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey) of natural causes.   Patronages – against earthquakes, desperate causes, floods, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes.

Gregory was born around 213 to a wealthy pagan family in Neocaesarea.   His surviving theological writings are in an incomplete state, thus this lack of knowledge partially obscures his personality, despite his historical importance and his memorial title Thaumaturgus meaning  “the wonder-worker” in Latinised Greek, casts an air of legend about him.   Nevertheless, the lives of few bishops of the third century are so well authenticated, the historical references to him permit a fairly detailed reconstruction of his work.

Originally he was known as Theodore (“gift of God”).   He was introduced to the Christian religion at the age of fourteen, after the death of his father.   He had a brother Athenodorus (who later also became a Bishop) and on the advice of one of their tutors, the young men were eager to study at the Berytus in Beirut, then one of the four or five famous schools in the Hellenic world.   At this time, their brother-in-law was appointed assessor (legal counsel) to the Roman Governor of Palestine;  the youths had therefore an occasion to act as an escort to their sister as far as Caesarea in Palestine.   On arrival in that town, they learned that the celebrated scholar Origen, head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, resided there. Curiosity led them to hear and converse with the master.   Soon both youths forgot all about Beirut and Roman law and gave themselves up to the great Christian teacher, who gradually won them over to Christianity.

In his written oration on Origen, Gregory describes the method employed by that master to win the confidence and esteem of those he wished to convert, how he mingled a persuasive candour with outbursts of temper and theological argument put cleverly at once and unexpectedly.   Persuasive skill rather than bare reasoning and evident sincerity and an ardent conviction, were the means Origen used to make converts. Gregory took up at first the study of philosophy, theology was afterwards added but his mind remained always inclined to philosophical study, so much so indeed, that in his youth he cherished strongly the hope of demonstrating that the Christian religion was the only true and good philosophy.   For seven years he underwent the mental and moral discipline of Origen (231 to 238 or 239).   There is no reason to believe that his studies were interrupted by the persecutions of Maximinus of Thrace, his alleged journey to Alexandria, at this time, may therefore be considered at least doubtful and probably never occurred.

Before leaving Palestine, Gregory delivered, in presence of Origen, a public farewell oration in which he returned thanks to the illustrious master he was leaving.   This oration is valuable from many points of view.   As a rhetorical exercise it exhibits the excellent training given by Origen and his skill in developing literary taste and the amount of adulation then permissible, towards a living person, in an assembly composed mostly of Christians and Christian in temper.   It contains, moreover, much useful information concerning the youth of Gregory and his master’s method of teaching.   A letter of Origen refers to the departure of the two brothers but it is not easy to determine whether it was written before or after the delivery of this oration.   In it, Origen exhorts his pupils, to bring the intellectual treasures of the Greeks to the service of Christian philosophy and thus imitate the Jews, who employed the golden vessels of the Egyptians to adorn the Holy of Holies.

Gregory returned to Pontus with the intention of practising law.   His plan, however, was again laid aside, for he was soon consecrated bishop of his native Caesarea by Phoedimus, Bishop of Amasea and metropolitan of Pontus.   This fact illustrates in an interesting way the growth of the hierarchy in the primitive Church – the Christian community at Caesarea was very small, being only seventeen souls and yet it was given a bishop.   Ancient canonical documents indicate that it was possible, for a community of even ten Christians, to have their own bishop.   When Gregory was consecrated he was forty years old and he ruled his diocese for thirteen years.

Nothing definite is known about his methods but he must have shown much zeal in increasing the little flock with which he began his episcopal administration.   An ancient source attests to his missionary zeal by recording a curious coincidence, Gregory began with only seventeen Christians but at his death there remained only seventeen pagans in the whole town of Caesarea.   Presumably the many miracles which won for him the title of Thaumaturgus were performed during these years.

St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335-c 395) wrote the Life and Panegyric of Gregory drawing on family traditions and a knowledge of the neighbourhood, the facts for which, were supplied to the writer by his grandmother, St Macrina the Elder (c 270-c 340).   He relates that before his episcopal consecration, Gregory retired from Neocaesarea into a solitude and was favoured by an apparition of the Blessed Virgin and John the Apostle and that the latter dictated to him a creed or formula of Christian faith, of which the autograph existed at Neocaesarea when the biography was being written.   The creed itself is important for the history of Christian doctrine.

St Gregory of Nyssa describes at length the miracles that gained for the Bishop of Caesarea the title of Thaumaturgus.   It is clear that Gregory’s influence must have been considerable and his miraculous power undoubted.   It might have been expected that Gregory’s name would appear among those who took part in the First Council of Antioch against Paul of Samosata;  probably he took part also in the second council held there, for the letter of that council is signed by a bishop named Theodore, which had been originally Gregory’s name.   To attract the people to the festivals in honour of the martyrs, Gregory organised amusements that might appeal to pagans, who were accustomed to religious ceremonies that combined solemnity with pleasure and merrymaking.

When the persecution of Decius began in 250, the bishop counselled his faithful to depart and not expose themselves to trials perhaps too severe for their faith and none fell into apostasy.   He himself retired to a desert and when he was pursued, was not seen by the soldiers.   On a second attempt, they found him praying with his companion, the converted pagan priest, now a deacon – they had mistaken them the first time for trees. The captain of the soldiers was convinced this had been a miracle and became a Christian to join him.   Some of his Christians were captured, among them Saint Troadus the martyr, who merited the grace of dying for the Faith.   The persecution ended at the death of the emperor in 251.

It is believed that Saint Gregory died in the year 270, on 17 of November.    The death of St Gregory took place in the seventieth year of his age and the 270th of the Christian Era. Shortly before closing his eyes, he asked if there were yet some in the city who had not received holy baptism.   ” Seventeen,” was the answer.   The Saint, already in his agony, raised his eyes to heaven and said:  ” Thanks and praise to God!   When I took possession of my See, I found only seventeen Christians.   May God preserve all in the true faith, and give to all infidels, in the whole world, the light of the Saviour’s divine Word!”

St Gregory’s remains were translated to Calabria, Italy, where many miracles once more occurred and continue so, as St Gregory intercedes for impossible causes.

Some of the many miraculous events in Gregory’s life:

Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes that the Wonder-Worker was the first person known to receive a vision of the Mother of God.   The Virgin and Saint John the Baptist appeared to him in a vision and gave him what became a statement of doctrine on the Trinity. Gregory had the power of healing by laying on of his hands.   Often the healing was so powerful that the patient was cured of his illness, and became a fervent convert on the spot. During the construction of a church for his growing flock, the builders ran into a problem with a huge buried boulder.   Gregory ordered the rock to move out of the way of his church and it did. In order to stop the River Lycus from its frequent and damaging floods, Gregory planted his staff at a safe point near the river bank.   He then prayed that the river would never rise past the staff.   The staff took root, grew into a large tree and the river never flooded past it again.   This act led to his patronage against floods and flooding. Two local pagans, hearing that Gregory was an easy target for obtaining money, decided to con the bishop.   One lay beside the road where Gregory was travelling and pretended to be dead.   The other stopped the bishop, pleaded poverty and asked for money to bury his dead friend.   Gregory had no money with him, so he took off his cloak and threw it over the “dead” man, telling the “live” one to sell the cloak and use the funds.   When Gregory had moved on, the “live” con-man found that his friend had died. Two brothers in Gregory’s diocese had inherited a piece of land that contained a lake. Unable to decide how to divide the lake, the two settled on armed combat to settle the matter.   On the night before the battle, Gregory prayed for a peaceful solution to the matter.   The next morning the brothers found that the lake had dried up leaving easily dividable farm land.   This is one of the miracles which led to his patronage of impossible causes. When returning from the wilderness, Gregory had to seek shelter from a sudden and violent storm.   The only structure nearby was a pagan temple.   Gregory made the sign of the cross to purify the place, then spent the night there in prayer, waiting out the storm.   The next morning, the pagan priest arrived to receive his morning oracles.   The demons who had been masquerading as pagan gods advised him that they could not stay in the purified temple or near the holy man.   The priest threatened to summon the anti–Christian authorities to arrest Gregory.   The bishop wrote out a note reading “Gregory to Satan:  Enter”.   With this “permission slip” in hand, the pagan priest was able to summon his demons again. The same pagan priest, realising that his gods unquestioningly obeyed Gregory’s single God, found the bishop and asked how it was done.   Gregory taught the priest the truth of Christianity.   Lacking faith, the priest asked for a sign of God’s power.   Gregory ordered a large rock to move from one place to another – it did.   The priest immediately abandoned his old life and eventually became a deacon under bishop Gregory.   This ordering about of boulders, led to Gregory’s patronage against earthquakes.

(via Saint of the Day - 17 November - St Gregory Thaumaturgus "the Wonder-Worker" (c 213-c 270))

[bffhreprise]

Entry 255

 “Son, what happened to you?” I asked after a time, having wanted to think through what my son had been telling me.  I knew he wasn’t always like this.  If he had been superhuman as a youth, I would have noticed.  Children don’t have that much restraint.

 “Well, I learned that I was capable of doing magic shortly before I graduated.  Regina and I were practicing together.” replied James.

 “What!?  Regina knew about this?” asked Rachel, sounding alarmed.

 “I found out she was capable of using magic when we attended Prom, though I suspected as much a little sooner.” replied James as if that explained everything.

 “But son… how did you find out that you were a… magic user?” I pursued, at a loss for the right words for this absurd situation.

 James looked over to Lady Pendreigh, who nodded slightly.  He then said, “Emma tested Jarod and me after demonstrating her own abilities.”

 “Emma is on this as well?” questioned Rachel.

 “Everyone who works for me knows about magic, though not all of them can use it.” stated James.

 Everyone knew?  No.  “I refuse to believe there can be that many people throwing spells around.  Everyone would know about it.”

 “There has always been a fear in such people that they would be persecuted if they should show their power.  I assure you the fear is quite valid.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

 First glancing at her, my son said, “Even if they would be accepted by most of the world, there’s a group that actively seeks out the more dangerous types of people you’d deem to be supernatural.  Draw too much attention, and they will intervene.”

 “Back up a minute.  You said Jarod could do magic, right?” I inquired, wanting something more tangible to grasp.  I knew Jarod, had watched him grow with my son.

 “No.  Emma tested him, but he can’t do a thing with residual energy, much to his chagrin.” replied James.

 “Residual energy?” I questioned, wanting to understand.

 James nodded and said, “There are different types of magic.  The type I use takes leftover energy from different types of magic and forms it into spells.”

 “So you can only do magic when someone else is casting spells around you?” I asked.

 “Well, no.  There’s a great deal of energy in the world.  A great deal more is available throughout this house now that I’m not living here.  I was born a bit unusual in that my body will actually absorb the energy and create a potent spell around me.” he replied, seeming a touch embarrassed.

 I frowned, not liking his claim to have always done magic.  “What sort of spell?”

 “James emits a type of enchantment that causes those in his vicinity to be endeared to him.” explained Lady Pendreigh.  “I took notice of him primarily because of it.”

 I looked at my wife to see if she was finding this as hard to believe as I was.  If what they were saying was true, we had been under a spell for James’ entire life.  Squeezing back as Rachel took my hand, I knew she was thinking the same thoughts.  James always had a way with people…

 “Trust me, the news came as a bit of a shock to me as well.  I inadvertently affect everyone and don’t have a reasonable way to stop it.” he reaffirmed.

 “There is a way though?” questioned my wife.

 He shrugged and nodded slowly.  “Well, yes, to an extent.  If I want to walk around completely defenseless, I could.”

 “James would be in grave danger if that were to happen, so he doesn’t really have a choice.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

 “James, dear, how did Regina… how did she... die?” inquired Rachel, staring up at him.

 I squeezed her hand more, wishing to comfort her.  Rachel had taken Regina’s death very hard.

 Looking serious, James stated “She was killed by a werelion.  Regina died saving my life.”

 “A werelion!?” I asked, wondering why he would say something so ludicrous.

 “Yes.  You’ve surely heard myths about werewolves.  Think of a similar creature related to lions instead of wolves.” explained Lady Pendreigh matter-of-factly.  “There are many types of therianthropes.”

 Ignoring her, I said, “Son, you can’t possibly expect me to believe this.”

 James smile looked sad as he said, “You’ve seen some of what I can do.  Is there really no room for werewolves and werelions?  What about vampires?  I know a couple.  I can introduce you if you like, assuming they don’t mind.  Would you like to meet a fairy?  My little friend spends a great deal of time around me.”

 “James… what were you doing near such a creature?” questioned Rachel, sounding worried.

 “Luke, my trackmate, was one of many werelions.  He killed Nathan at school in a fit of rage, and I came across them.  We hadn’t known there were so many…  We wouldn’t have stumbled into their trap if we had.” insisted James, sounding sincere.

 “I’m sorry, son, but why would you pursue such a creature?  What were you planning on doing?  Kill him?” I asked, knowing my son wasn’t a killer.

 “If necessary.  We couldn’t exactly tell the police.” he stated with a grim solemnity.

 No…  Hesitating slightly, I asked “Son, did you…”

 “No.  I’ve never killed anyone.” he replied, cutting me off.

 “Then they’re still out there?” asked Rachel, her voice rising slightly in pitch as she spoke.

 James shook his head and said, “No.  They’re dead.  The entire group is dead.”

 “What?” I questioned, trying to wrap my head around this dangerous group’s death.

 “This will probably be the hardest thing for you to accept, but Death is real, scythe and all.  I had nightmares for that entire month after seeing her.  When Regina fell, Death appeared.  She lifted her scythe, and they were gone.  There weren’t even bodies left.”  There was a haunted look to my son’s eyes as he spoke.

 What had he really seen?

 Rachel nodded and told him “I remember you being out of touch…  I just thought you were taking Regina’s death hard.”

 “I really was, but the nightmares were beyond the death of a friend.  You don’t ever want to know how terrifying Death is.” he assured her.

 “Son, people often have terrible dreams after the death of a loved one.  I know you don’t want to hear this, but you probably imagined it.” I told him, looking for a rational explanation.

 “He didn’t imagine anything.  Even I…”  Lady Pendreigh stopped, seeming to be remembering something.  She was shaking.  “Even I am terrified of her.  Meeting her was the single worst moment of my life.  There are accounts of people literally dying of fright just from seeing her.  Do not take this so lightly.”

 I stared at her long and hard, shuddering involuntarily.  Lady Pendreigh was an incredibly competent business woman with absolutely no mercy as I had found out.  Seeing her so shaken from a memory was shocking, but I still had my doubts.

 “I’m sorry, son, but this is hard to accept.” I admitted.  I took a little while to sort my thoughts, trying to fit the pieces together without being too critical.  Things weren’t fitting properly.  “With you being so fast, how could the werelions best you?  Are they equally fast?”

 “Oh.  I wasn’t actually this fast when I faced them.  I doubt they could even scratch me now.” he explained with a casual tone that surprised me.

 “They couldn’t.  You took fifty caliber rounds with ease.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

 “What!?  You were shot?” I asked, shocked that that hadn’t been mentioned.

 Nodding, he said, “Yes, actually.  I can’t say that was a pleasant experience, but the injury didn’t last.”

 Lady Pendreigh rolled her eyes as she smiled at him.  “The bullets didn’t even pierce his skin.  I’d hardly say you were injured, James.”

 “Well, I did feel a little bruised at first.” he argued.

 “James, dear, why would someone shoot you?” asked Rachel, still sounding worried.

 “Oh… umm…” he started, looking as if he was trying to find the words to explain.

 “There are people who don’t want to see James and me be wed, so they’re protesting.  The abduction attempt against you was also a result of this.”  stated Lady Pendreigh as if quoting common knowledge.

 I knew that she was extremely wealthy and influential, but I didn’t think she was someone whose presence put others at risk.

  Continuing, she said, “As you are aware, I am Lady Alma Lucy Pendreigh V of the United Kingdom, but my estates and influence stretch well beyond my country’s borders.  In marrying me, your son will gain lands, titles, and influence, making him the envy of any other potential suitors.  They don’t take such things lightly.”

 “You’re… engaged?” questioned Rachel.

 “Well, no.  Her family has some unique customs, but there is a strong possibility of that happening in the near future.” replied James.

 “Be sure to tell us when you are, but isn’t this rushing things a bit?” I asked him, knowing the two had only known each other for half a year.

 “The laws of her family are a bit rigid, father, and you and mother should know that I will most definitely tell you when the time comes.” he assured us.  Then, seeming a touch annoyed, he said, “I feel that we’re avoiding the point here.  If, by some twist of fate, you happen to come across something you feel to be supernatural, don’t investigate.  Your lives depend on it.”

 “Investigate?  Why would we do such a thing?” asked my wife, brushing the thought away as she spoke.

 “Mother, you attempted to touch the first magic you saw.” stated James.

 “James, dear, it was just a light.” she replied.

 Letting his annoyance into his voice, he told her “I feel I’ve demonstrated that things aren’t always what they seem.  Since finding out about magic, I’ve seen minotaurs and zombies right here in the city.  Though the minotaurs stood out, the zombies were disguised in illusions that made them pass as living people.  I’d be incredibly impressed if you’d recognize a vampire.  You can’t trust things to be safe based simply on what you see.”

 “What would you have us do, son?  Are we supposed to be scared of everything?  I’ve lived here for my entire life without encountering anything like what you’ve described.” I argued, not wanting the shut-in life I imagined.

 “Before even being trained in magic, Regina could alter luck to her favor.  Did you ever find it strange that she won at so many board games?” questioned James.

 “You won just as many, dear.” insisted Rachel.

 “Regina did a great deal for me without me knowing.” he replied, now sounding a little sad.

 Approaching us on the couch, Portentia smiled and said, “You don’t have to be scared.  Just be careful.  Though there aren’t any other superheroes to my knowledge, many of the creatures out there aren’t so bad.  Your son’s always just a call away, and I try to look out for everyone.  Feel free to call me as well if you need help.”

 James reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder.  “Thank you.”

 I trusted my son as well as my own eyes.  I knew he meant well and could tell he was legitimately concerned.  We were almost abducted, but I was still struggling.  I couldn’t deny his speed or Portentia’s… strangeness.  Believing that I had missed so very much was still a struggle.  If all this was true, I… I didn’t know what to think of my life.

[joyfuldelusionchaosvaliant]

Science and Chemistry Classes

Immunotherapy before liver cancer surgery can kill tumor, and likely residual cancer cells

-The Mount Sinai Hospital

Immunotherapy given before surgery caused liver cancer tumors to die off in one-third of the patients enrolled in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, Mount Sinai researchers reported in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology in January.

The phase 2 trial results suggested that the neoadjuvant immunotherapy—therapy given before surgery—may kill not only the tumor, but also microscopic cancer cells that surgery would miss and that could later cause the cancer to recur or metastasize, the researchers said. In effect, the therapy teaches the immune system to fight off any recurrences.

"Ultimately, we think it's better for the patient to receive immunotherapy before surgery because people are healthier before metastases, and their immune systems are in better shape to fight off the cancer," said senior author Thomas Marron, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Early Phase Trials Unit at The Tisch Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This study, together with neoadjuvant immunotherapy trials in many other types of tumors, supports the need for continued evaluation of perioperative immunotherapy to decrease recurrence rates."

Dr. Marron added: "Typically when cancer recurs it is no longer a curable disease. Larger trials in the future will aid in defining the utility, safety, and survival of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, specifically this type of PD-1 blockade."

Liver cancer, the most common type of which is known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. While immunotherapies have changed the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC, the majority of patients still die from this disease. Although liver cancer surgery often appears successful, in more than half of patients the cancer comes back, due to either residual micrometastatic disease, or in some cases an entirely new tumor, highlighting the potential benefit of neoadjuvant therapy to improve survival.

This study's findings are important because to date, no therapy given before or shortly after surgery has demonstrated any real improvement in survival for liver cancer patients.

Researchers gave 21 early-stage liver cancer patients two rounds of the immunotherapy agent cemiplimab, an anti–PD-1 antibody, before their surgery in late 2020. Doctors studied tumor death and cancer-fighting immune system activation via magnetic resonance imaging and blood, tumor, and stool samples.

They found that in one-third of the patients, much of their tumors died before surgery. Patients whose immune system was already working against the cancer tended to have more of a response to the immunotherapy, which suggests that the immune system was further activated and would kill any microscopic remnants of cancer. Tumor death in response to neoadjuvant therapy is an indication for improved outcomes in many cancer types, and the researchers are currently following the patients to assess if this rings true for HCC as well.

This study was able to measure the immune system response in a novel way. Dr. Marron and colleagues used a new collaborative approach between researchers and clinicians: The neoAdjuvant Research Group to Evaluate Therapeutics or TARGET, which maximizes the useful information that can be gleaned from smaller neoadjuvant clinical trials. The TARGET platform focuses on coordinating detailed, real-time profiling of the immune system's response in patients receiving cancer immunotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment.

The TARGET platform showed how the PD1 blockade boosted the number of activated immune cells that invade HCC tumors, induced tumor necrosis, and shrank tumors prior to surgery. The platform helped researchers determine that PD1 blockade is likely beneficial in HCC, but because only some patients had a robust response, the immunotherapy may need to be used in combination with other treatments. The aim of the in-depth analysis of tissue samples is to identify biomarkers—biological identifiers—that will help show who will and will not respond well to a therapy. The aim of TARGET is to identify the optimal therapy for each patient, and decrease the likelihood that suboptimal treatments go into large phase 3 trials, wasting resources and the time and efforts of patients.

"You normally don't get to study how drugs work in humans in such a detailed manner," said Dr. Marron. "When you do simple biopsies, you get very little tissue and the analysis often doesn't produce detailed information about the cancer or the immune system's response. With this platform's analysis, you get several biopsies before treatment as well as blood and stool samples. Then when the tumor is removed in surgery, we analyze that as well as more blood and stool samples, so we have a lot of detailed information on what is going on microscopically than ever before. This is an exciting platform to study in that level of detail."

21/01/2022

[kaofeather]

MG V

The Last Phase

With the outbreak of World War II, the nationalist struggle in India entered its last crucial phase. Gandhi hated fascism and all it stood for, but he also hated war. The Indian National Congress, on the other hand, was not committed to pacifism and was prepared to support the British war effort if Indian self-government was assured. Once more Gandhi became politically active. The failure of the mission of Sir Stafford Cripps, a British cabinet minister who went to India in March 1942 with an offer that Gandhi found unacceptable, the British equivocation on the transfer of power to Indian hands, and the encouragement given by high British officials to conservative and communal forces promoting discord between Muslims and Hindus impelled Gandhi to demand in the summer of 1942 an immediate British withdrawal from India—what became known as the Quit India Movement. In mid-1942 the war against the Axis powers, particularly Japan, was in a critical phase, and the British reacted sharply to the campaign. They imprisoned the entire Congress leadership and set out to crush the party once and for all. There were violent outbreaks that were sternly suppressed, and the gulf between Britain and India became wider than ever before. Gandhi, his wife, and several other top party leaders (including Nehru) were confined in the Aga Khan Palace (now the Gandhi National Memorial) in Poona (now Pune). Kasturba died there in early 1944, shortly before Gandhi and the others were released. A new chapter in Indo-British relations opened with the victory of the Labour Party in Britain in 1945. During the next two years, there were prolonged triangular negotiations between leaders of the Congress, the Muslim League under Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and the British government, culminating in the Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947, and the formation of the two new dominions of India and Pakistan in mid-August 1947.

It was one of the greatest disappointments of Gandhi’s life that Indian freedom was realized without Indian unity. Muslim separatism had received a great boost while Gandhi and his colleagues were in jail, and in 1946–47, as the final constitutional arrangements were being negotiated, the outbreak of communal riots between Hindus and Muslims unhappily created a climate in which Gandhi’s appeals to reason and justice, tolerance and trust had little chance. When the partition of the subcontinent was accepted—against his advice—he threw himself, heart and soul, into the task of healing the scars of the communal conflict, toured the riot-torn areas in Bengal and Bihar, admonished the bigots, consoled the victims, and tried to rehabilitate the refugees. In the atmosphere of that period, surcharged with suspicion and hatred, that was a difficult and heartbreaking task. Gandhi was blamed by partisans of both the communities. When persuasion failed, he went on a fast. He won at least two spectacular triumphs: in September 1947 his fasting stopped the rioting in Calcutta, and in January 1948 he shamed the city of Delhi into a communal truce. A few days later, on January 30, while he was on his way to his evening prayer meeting in Delhi, he was shot down by Nathuram Godse, a young Hindu fanatic. Place In History The British attitude toward Gandhi was one of mingled admiration, amusement, bewilderment, suspicion, and resentment. Except for a tiny minority of Christian missionaries and radical socialists, the British tended to see him at best as a utopian visionary and at worst as a cunning hypocrite whose professions of friendship for the British race were a mask for subversion of the British raj. Gandhi was conscious of the existence of that wall of prejudice, and it was part of the strategy of satyagraha to penetrate it.

His three major campaigns in 1920–22, 1930–34, and 1940–42 were well designed to engender that process of self-doubt and questioning that was to undermine the moral defenses of his adversaries and to contribute, together with the objective realities of the postwar world, to producing the grant of dominion status in 1947. The British abdication in India was the first step in the liquidation of the British Empire on the continents of Asia and Africa. Gandhi’s image as a rebel and enemy died hard, but, as it had done to the memory of George Washington, Britain, in 1969, the centenary year of Gandhi’s birth, erected a statue to his memory. Gandhi had critics in his own country and indeed in his own party. The liberal leaders protested that he was going too fast; the young radicals complained that he was not going fast enough; left-wing politicians alleged that he was not serious about evicting the British or liquidating such vested Indian interests as princes and landlords; the leaders of the Dalits doubted his good faith as a social reformer and Muslim leaders accused him of partiality to his own community. Research in the second half of the 20th century established Gandhi’s role as a great mediator and reconciler. His talents in that direction were applied to conflicts between the older moderate politicians and the young radicals, the political terrorists and the parliamentarians, the urban intelligentsia and the rural masses, the traditionalists and the modernists, the caste Hindus and the Dalits, the Hindus, and the Muslims, and the Indians and the British. It was inevitable that Gandhi’s role as a political leader should loom larger in the public imagination, but the mainspring of his life lay in religion, not in politics. And religion for him did not mean formalism, dogma, ritual, or sectarianism. “What I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years,” he wrote in his autobiography, “is to see God face to face.” His deepest strivings were spiritual, but unlike many of his fellow Indians with such aspirations, he did not retire to a cave in the Himalayas to meditate on the Absolute; he carried his cave, as he once said, within him. For him truth was not something to be discovered in the privacy of one’s personal life; it had to be upheld in the challenging contexts of social and political life. Gandhi won the affection and loyalty of gifted men and women, old and young, with vastly dissimilar talents and temperaments; of Europeans of every religious persuasion; and of Indians of almost every political line. Few of his political colleagues went all the way with him and accepted nonviolence as a creed; fewer still shared his food fads, his interest in mudpacks and nature cure, or his prescription of brahmacharya, complete renunciation of the pleasures of the flesh. Gandhi’s ideas on sex may now sound quaint and unscientific. His marriage at the age of 13 seems to have complicated his attitude toward sex and charged it with feelings of guilt, but it is important to remember that total sublimation, according to one tradition of Hindu thought, is indispensable for those who seek self-realization, and brahmacharya was for Gandhi part of a larger discipline in food, sleep, thought, prayer, and daily activity designed to equip himself for service of the causes to which he was totally committed. What he failed to see was that his own unique experience was no guide for the common man. Scholars have continued to judge Gandhi’s place in history. He was the catalyst if not the initiator of three of the major revolutions of the 20th century: the movements against colonialism, racism, and violence. He wrote copiously; the collected edition of his writings had reached 100 volumes by the early 21st century. Much of what he wrote was in response to the needs of his coworkers and disciples and the exigencies of the political situation, but on fundamentals, he maintained a remarkable consistency, as is evident from the Hind Swaraj (“Indian Home Rule”), published in South Africa in 1909. The strictures on Western

materialism and colonialism, the reservations about industrialism and urbanization, the distrust of the modern state, and the total rejection of violence that was expressed in that book seemed romantic, if not reactionary, to the pre-World War I generation in India and the West, which had not known the shocks of two global wars or experienced the phenomenon of Adolf Hitler and the trauma of the atom bomb. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s objective of promoting a just and egalitarian order at home and nonalignment with military blocs abroad doubtless owed much to Gandhi, but neither he nor his colleagues in the Indian nationalist movement wholly accepted the Gandhian models in politics and economics. In the years since Gandhi’s death, his name has been invoked by the organizers of numerous demonstrations and movements. However, with a few outstanding exceptions—such as those of his disciple the land reformer Vinoba Bhave in India, and of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in the United States—those movements have been a travesty of the ideas of Gandhi. Yet Gandhi will probably never lack champions. Erik H. Erikson, a distinguished American psychoanalyst, in his study of Gandhi senses “an affinity between Gandhi’s truth and the insights of modern psychology.” One of the greatest admirers of Gandhi was Albert Einstein, who saw in Gandhi’s nonviolence a possible antidote to the massive violence unleashed by the fission of the atom. And Gunnar Myrdal, the Swedish economist, after his survey of the socio-economic problems of the underdeveloped world, pronounced Gandhi “in practically all fields an enlightened liberal.” In a time of deepening crisis in the underdeveloped world, of social malaise in the affluent societies, of the shadow of unbridled technology, and the precarious peace of nuclear terror, it seems likely that Gandhi’s ideas and techniques will become increasingly relevant. Much of what he wrote was in response to the needs of his coworkers and disciples and the exigencies of the political situation, but on fundamentals, he maintained a remarkable consistency, as is evident from the Hind Swaraj (“Indian Home Rule”), published in South Africa in 1909. The strictures on Western materialism and colonialism, the reservations about industrialism and urbanization, the distrust of the modern state, and the total rejection of violence that was expressed in that book seemed romantic, if not reactionary, to the pre-World War I generation in India and the West, which had not known the shocks of two global wars or experienced the phenomenon of Adolf Hitler and the trauma of the atom bomb. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s objective of promoting a just and egalitarian order at home and nonalignment with military blocs abroad doubtless owed much to Gandhi, but neither he nor his colleagues in the Indian nationalist movement wholly accepted the Gandhian models in politics and economics. In the years since Gandhi’s death, his name has been invoked by the organizers of numerous demonstrations and movements. However, with a few outstanding exceptions—such as those of his disciple the land reformer Vinoba Bhave in India, and of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in the United States—those movements have been a travesty of the ideas of Gandhi. Yet Gandhi will probably never lack champions. Erik H. Erikson, a distinguished American psychoanalyst, in his study of Gandhi senses “an affinity between Gandhi’s truth and the insights of modern psychology.” One of the greatest admirers of Gandhi was Albert Einstein, who saw in Gandhi’s nonviolence a possible antidote to the massive violence unleashed by the fission of the atom. And Gunnar Myrdal, the Swedish economist, after his survey of the socio-economic problems of the underdeveloped world, pronounced Gandhi “in practically all fields an enlightened liberal.” In a time of deepening crisis in the underdeveloped world, of social malaise in the affluent societies, of the shadow of unbridled technology, and the precarious peace of nuclear terror, it seems

likely that Gandhi’s ideas and techniques will become increasingly relevant. All Credits for...

B.R. Nanda Former Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. Author of Mahatma Gandhi: A Biography and others. Last Updated: Feb 12, 2021

[Gandhi, a British-Indian historical film, released in 1982, tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle to win independence for India through nonviolent civil disobedience. The movie won eight Academy Awards, including that for best picture, and five Golden Globe Awards, including that for best foreign film. It was also named best film at the BAFTA ceremony and took four additional BAFTA Awards.]

[kyprelaw]

Examining The Case Of Breonna Taylor

By Eman Amawi, University of Kentucky, Class of 2021

June 14, 2020

The cries for justice and an end to the long history of police brutality towards black Americans nationwide have been underway for two weeks. The recent death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police officers has caused tensions related to racial injustice in the United States to reach a boiling point. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT out of Louisville, Kentucky lost her life at the hands of the Louisville Metro Police Department under a “no-knock” warrant issued on her residence in March. Protestors around the US are demanding the prosecution of the officers responsible for her death as there have been no charges to date. A careful examination of the “no-knock”warrant and The Qualified Immunity Act preventing police officers from being held accountable for constitutional violations is required in this case. A long ride is ahead for the fight against systemic racism in this country and adequate justice in Taylor’s case, however, there is no sign that protestors and civil rights activists are giving up anytime soon. A petition calling for justice in her case has received over 3.5 million signatures and there remains hope that she will indeed receive justice soon.

A Break-Down: The Case of Breonna Taylor and the Laws Surrounding It

Three months ago, our nation began fighting through a public health pandemic- the novel Coronavirus- which to date, has impacted almost 2 million and ended the lives of over 110,000 Americans.[1]In the midst of this crisis, another pandemic has risen- the fight against police brutality, racism and systemic injustices toward black Americans. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in early 2020,followed by the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, have sparked a nationwide uproar. Protests have taken place in all 50 states and around the world over the Black Lives Matter campaign, as thousands are demanding justice for police brutality victims and black Americans who have lost their lives to racial injustice.

One individual who was affected by both pandemics is a young woman named Breonna Taylor. Breonna Taylor was a26-year-oldfrontline worker in Louisville, Kentucky. The Michigan native worked as an emergency room technician who put her life on the line each day to protect and aid sick Americans through the Coronavirus pandemic.

Shortly after midnight on March 13, the Louisville Metro Police Department raided Taylor’s residence on a “no-knock” search warrant, believing her home was connected to a narcotics investigation. The officers who conducted the raid claim they announced their presence before entering and were “immediately met by gunfire” as Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker shot in their direction. They then returned fire, firing at least 25 blind shots. Eight of those bullets hit Taylor and she died in the hallway of her apartment.[2]

However, in a wrongful death lawsuit against the LMPD by Taylor’s family, Walker and at least 16 of Taylor’s neighbors claim they never heard police announce their presence- they only heard many rounds of gun shots. Walker says he and Taylor were in bed when he heard knocking on the door without any identification. Suspecting they were under attack by criminals, he fired his gun as soon as the front door was knocked down, hitting an officer in the leg. Walker was initially charged with the attempted murder of an officer; however, those charges were later dismissed.[3] There is no known footage of the incident, as officers in the Criminal Interdiction Division of the LMPD were not required to wear body cameras.

It is now known that the officers did not find any drugs in the residence and that the main suspect of the investigation, Jamarcus Glover-an individual who was accused of selling drugs at a home that was over 10 miles away from Taylor’s apartment- had already been in custody.[2] Police had suspicions that Glover was receiving packages through mail containing illegal drugs to Taylor’s home. In the affidavit of the search warrant, a detective claimed that he confirmed with a postal inspector that Glover had been receiving packages to her home. However, this postal inspector later stated he was never consulted by the officers and that there was nothing suspicious about the packages.[3]

Since Taylor’s death, the LMPD announced they would now require all sworn officers to wear body cameras. The three officers involved in the death of Taylor have been placed on administrative leave, however, they still face no charges.[4] There has been public pressure on the removal of the “no-knock” warrant as a tactic used by police officers and there has been recent speculation regarding the legitimacy and legality of its usein Taylor’s case.

The 1995 ruling on the Wilson vs. Arkansas case indicated that the “Castle Doctrine” and the “knock and announce” rule are part of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. The Castle Doctrine ensures people have the right to be secure and safe in their homes.[5] Except under extreme circumstances, police must announce their presence after knocking and give the resident adequate time to answer the door, preventing a destructive forced entry. These “exigent circumstances” include situations where knocking and announcing may allow the suspect to flee, harm officers or destroy evidence. Following this ruling, many police departments declared in their warrants that these circumstances apply to all drug dealers.

In the 1997 Richards vs. Wisconsin case, this Fourth Amendment issue arose again- this time, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that applying these exigent circumstances to general groups of people rather than individual cases is unconstitutional.Justice John Paul Stevens wrote:

“If a per se exception were allowed for each category of criminal investigation that included a considerable — albeit hypothetical — risk of danger to officers or destruction of evidence, the knock-and-announce element of the Fourth Amendment’s reasonableness requirement would be meaningless.[3]

The fact that felony drug investigations may frequently present circumstances warranting a no knock entry cannot remove from the neutral scrutiny of a reviewing court the reasonableness of the police decision not to knock and announce in a particular case. Instead, in each case, it is the duty of a court confronted with the question to determine whether the facts and circumstances of the particular entry justified dispensing with the knock-and-announce requirement.[6]

In order to justify a “no-knock” entry, the police must have a reasonable suspicion that knocking and announcing their presence, under the particular circumstances, would be dangerous or futile, or that it would inhibit the effective investigation of the crime by, for example, allowing the destruction of evidence.”[3]

Therefore, in each warrant, police must present why each suspect poses the threats demonstrated by these exigent circumstances. Providing a general assumption that every case will pose these risks is merely not enough.

Five warrants were granted by Louisville Circuit Judge Mary Shaw for the investigation into Glover and his alleged associates. In each of these warrants, including the one issued for Breonna Taylor’s residence, detective Joshua Jaynes of the LMPD stated almost word for word the following statement:

“Affiant is requesting a No-Knock entry to the premises due to the nature of how these drug traffickers operate. These drug traffickers have a history of attempting to destroy evidence, have cameras on the location that compromise Detectives once an approach to the dwelling is made, and have a history of fleeing from law enforcement.”[3]

This statement in no way informs of specific threats posed by the suspects. Jaynes lists the previous criminal records of Glover and his associates, but there is no evidence of violence against others, resistance of police, or the use of surveillance cameras at any of the residences. Taylor has no criminal record other than a shoplifting charge in 2012, which was later dismissed. Her boyfriend, Walker, did not have a criminal record either. There is no evidence of these two individuals posing the threats demonstrated by the exigent circumstances in the 1997 Supreme Court ruling that allow for a no-knock warrant.

Police departments around the United States have a history of violating the Richards 1997 ruling and not providing specific evidence to threats posed by suspects, yet local judges have signed off on their warrants anyway. There have been many cases where even a “knock-and-announce” warrant was issued and violated by police officers; however, there has yet to be an officer prosecuted for the violation of one of these warrants. The reason behind this is the Qualified Immunity Act, which protects police officers from being held accountable in such lawsuits where they have committed violations against plaintiffs that are not clearly established constitutional rights. Harvard Law professor, Scott Michelman, assesses the law in this manner: “In order for a plaintiff to overcome qualified immunity, the right violated must be so clear that its violation in the plaintiff’s case would have been obvious not just to the average ‘reasonable officer’ but to the least informed, least reasonable ‘reasonable officer.’”[7] This makes it nearly impossible to collect damages, leading to officers continuously violating policies and laws without consequence.

In Little Rock, Arkansas for example, one of the judges who signed off on many unjustified no-knock warrants is currently running for higher judicial office. The detective who requested many of those warrants, who was caught lying in one, and for whom there’s evidence that he lied in others, is still in charge of the city’s drug investigations.[3]

Today, there are numerous petitions circling around the country calling for an end to laws such as the Qualified Immunity Act and the no-knock warrant. Civil rights advocates have encouraged Americans to use their voices through voting. They have called for policy changes and for the replacement of governors, mayors, and members of congress with more qualified candidates who are willing to speak out on these ongoing issues and bring about real changes.

Chaos has erupted among Americans as tensions related to racial injustice in the United States have reached a boiling point. Many black Americans believe the risk of losing their lives to police brutality and racism exceeds the risk of becoming infected with the Coronavirus, explaining their passionate fight for change through densely populated protests. The cry for justice and an end to systemic racism are ongoing.

Current laws demonstrate that a long and hard fight is needed to see justice in the case of Breonna Taylor, but protestors nationwide have continued marching and advocating for her and there is no indication that they will stop anytime soon.A Change.org petition calling for justice in her death currently holds more than 3.5 million signatures.[4]There remains hope that one day, the once aspiring nurse, remembered as someone who adored her family, cared deeply for others and who would have turned 27 on June 5th,will receive adequate justice.Taylor’s friend, Erinicka Hunter told NPR, “She always said that she would be a legend…I just never imagined it would be like this.”[2]

________________________________________________________________

Eman Amawi is a rising senior at the University of Kentucky, pursuing a degree in Business Management with a minor in Communication. Her interests include business law, civil rights law, and immigration law. She plans to obtain a JD after graduation.

________________________________________________________________

[1]https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

[2]https://globalnews.ca/news/7029909/breonna-taylor-case-floyd-protests/

[3]https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/03/no-knock-warrant-breonna-taylor-was-illegal/

[4]https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/us/breonna-taylor-birthday-charges-arrests-case-trnd/index.html

[5]https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fourth_amendment

[6]https://books.google.com/books?id=e-cmor7ZAF4C&pg=PA449&lpg=PA449&dq=Richards+vs+wisconsin+1997+Justice+John+Paul+Stevens+statement&source=bl&ots=aMgmMHCG6k&sig=ACfU3U1yITM0QprC-euQyBGz1PXjPyDJhA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi86a7t5u3pAhXej3IEHdN8AAsQ6AEwBXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Richards%20vs%20wisconsin%201997%20Justice%20John%20Paul%20Stevens%20statement&f=false

[7]https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-qualified-immunity-and-what-does-it-have-do-police-reform

Photo Credit: Courier Journal

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/live-coronavirus-news-updates-chile-florida-and-ny/

Live Coronavirus News Updates: Chile, Florida and NY

In Chile, criticism over erratic measures and confusion over its records of deaths.

Chile’s health minister resigned Saturday amid criticism of his handling of the pandemic and controversy over the number of related deaths.

Dr. Jaime Mañalich faced growing calls for his resignation because of what many considered an erratic strategy to address the rising rate of contagion per capita, one of the highest in the world. The government reported 167,355 cases and 3,101 deaths as of Friday night, mostly concentrated in the capital, Santiago. Chile’s population is about 19 million.

The resignation coincided with press reports that the government was reporting a much higher number of deaths — over 5,000 — to the World Health Organization, by including unconfirmed cases of deaths suspected to be caused by the virus.

Dr. Mañalich came under fire for his ministry’s ever-changing methodology of reporting Covid-related deaths, which did not always coincide with morgue records. Poor traceability and weak enforcement of a lockdown and other sanitary restrictions, despite mobilizing the military and the police, are contributing to the spread of the virus.

The government began ordering partial lockdowns in certain neighborhoods and cities as of mid-March, and as the virus continued to spread, lifted restrictions in some areas and imposed them in others. For months, mayors in several municipalities and cities with high contagion rates pleaded with the government to impose lockdowns in their areas to no avail.

Some members of the health and scientific community said the minister had not considered their professional opinions, not even of those participating in the government’s Covid-19 advisory panel.

In mid-April, before the country reached a peak in cases, Dr. Mañalich promoted a return to a “new normal,” prompting people to go out with friends, children to go back to school and for malls to reopen with the necessary precautions. A month later, on May 22, the government ordered a total lockdown for the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which is still in effect.

President Sebastián Piñera replaced Dr. Mañalich with Dr. Enrique Paris, a former president of the Medical Association and member of the advisory panel. In a public statement shortly after, Dr. Paris called for “dialogue and cooperation” and for the scientific community, health professionals and research centers to work together.

“A new stage begins in which we should be receptive of divergent opinions and those that support current policies,” he said.

China on Sunday reported 57 new confirmed infections, its highest single-day tally in two months, renewing fears that the country’s grip on the pandemic is not yet secure.

Of the 38 locally transmitted cases, 36 were in the capital, Beijing, where the authorities are conducting mass testing at a major seafood and produce market that appears to be the source of a new outbreak. It is the most cases the city has reported in one day since the coronavirus first emerged. Beijing had gone eight weeks without a single locally transmitted case until a total of seven were detected on Thursday and Friday.

The other 19 cases China reported on Sunday involved travelers arriving from overseas, mostly in the southern province of Guangdong.

Nearly all of the dozens of people who tested positive in Beijing in recent days had worked or shopped at the Xinfadi market, a wholesale market on the city’s south side that sells seafood, fruit and vegetables, according to the Beijing health commission. The market has been shut down and several nearby residential complexes are on lockdown.

More than 10,000 people work at the market, which supplies 90 percent of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables, according to the state news media. The virus was reportedly detected on cutting boards for imported salmon there.

The developments also prompted the authorities to partly or completely close five other Beijing markets and to tighten controls on movement in and out of the city. State media outlets described the effort as a “wartime mechanism.”

China was the site of the first major coronavirus outbreak — with many of the first reported cases tied to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan. But as the pandemic has ravaged the rest of the world, China’s government has loudly promoted its apparent success in controlling the virus’s spread. According to New York Times data, China has had 89,720 cases and 4,634 deaths.

Here are some other developments around the world:

In Britain, the police urged people to stay away from demonstrations in London on Saturday, and imposed restrictions on both a Black Lives Matter protest and a planned right-wing counterdemonstration.

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said on Saturday that he was prepared to reinstate a strict coronavirus lockdown if looser measures were not observed. Press TV, a state-run broadcaster, quoted him as saying that a recent drop in compliance “could be worrying.”

Egypt on Saturday reported 1,677 new coronavirus cases and 62 deaths, the country’s highest daily numbers since the virus emerged there in February.

At least 58 people on the staff of President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala have tested positive for the virus, including members of his security detail and domestic workers at the presidential compound. The president said he had tested negative.

Immigration officials in Canada said the government may allow caregivers who are seeking asylum to remain in the country permanently because of their outsized contributions to fighting the pandemic.

Prosecutors questioned Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy on Friday over his delay in locking down two towns in the Lombardy region, where the virus devastated the health care system. No one has been charged with a crime and the lead prosecutor, Maria Cristina Rota, said Mr. Conte and other officials were interviewed as witnesses, not suspects.

Florida reported 2,581 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a record-high number for the third consecutive day, according to a Health Department dashboard.

The dashboard has been the source of most of the virus data available in the state since the crisis began. The geographic information systems manager who built it, Rebekah D. Jones, was fired for insubordination last month after she said she questioned orders she had received from supervisors to suppress some of the information.

Now Ms. Jones has unveiled a new, independent dashboard that highlights more statistics than those chosen by the Health Department. For example, her online tool, floridacovidaction.com, includes information on hospital capacity that is maintained by the Agency for Health Care Administration.

“I thought, well, I’m pretty good at this, so I think I will stop hiding and do something for the people who now don’t trust this other dashboard,” she said. “They think it’s a political tool, which it partly is.”

To support its economic reopening, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has selectively picked data to show a lower percentage of people testing positive for the virus, Ms. Jones said. Her dashboard uses a more straightforward calculation and clearly shows that the rate is increasing.

Unlike the official site, the totals for cases and deaths in Ms. Jones’s dashboard include non-Florida residents who were in Florida when they became sick. She also lists the number of positive antibody tests statewide.

Ms. Jones’s site uses publicly available data that in some cases is buried deep in PDF spreadsheets and not easy for residents to peruse at a glance. “I don’t have access to the data I did before, but there’s other information out there that can provide context, can provide resources, and can enable people to take control during this crisis,” she said.

Brazil’s coronavirus outbreak passed a grim landmark on Saturday, recording the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States’, according to a New York Times tally.

As of Saturday morning, Brazil had acknowledged 41,828 virus deaths, 166 more than Britain’s total. The figure for the United States was 115,136. Brazil’s daily death toll is now the highest in the world, bucking the downward trend that is allowing many other major economies to reopen.

Meanwhile, India has overtaken Britain as the nation with the fourth-highest number of cases worldwide after it experienced the most new cases in a single day on Friday, according to the Times tally.

There have been at least 308,900 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in India, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. As of Saturday morning, 8,884 people had died.

The country had instituted one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns in late March, but recently lifted most of its lockdown measures in an effort to ease pressure on the economy.

In Brazil, experts point to President Jair Bolsonaro’s rejection of the emerging scientific consensus on how to fight the pandemic — including his promotion of unproven remedies such as the drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — as one of the factors that helped tilt the country into its current health crisis.

Mr. Bolsonaro has sabotaged quarantine measures adopted by governors, encouraged mass rallies and repeatedly dismissed the danger of the virus. He has asserted that the virus was a “measly cold” and that people with “athletic backgrounds,” like himself, were impervious to serious complications.

This week, his administration stopped disclosing comprehensive coronavirus statistics, though the data was restored after a Supreme Court order.

It was a commencement like none other in the 218-year history of West Point.

Graduating cadets who had been isolated for 14 days marched onto the field on Saturday in their dress gray-and-white uniforms and face masks. They sat in white folding chairs spaced six feet apart, at which point they were allowed to take their masks off. The West Point band played with plexiglass shields to protect against the virus.

Cannons fired a 21-gun salute and, from the bandstand, President Trump delivered a commencement address in which he stressed staunch support of the armed forces and honored the class’s unity.

“You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small and from every race, religion, color and creed,” he told the graduating class, “but when you enter these grounds you became part of one team, one family, proudly serving one great American nation.”

Later, with diplomas in hand, the cadets saluted the commander in chief two by two as their names were called. Hundreds of times, Mr. Trump saluted back. No family or friends were allowed to attend, but they commented on the live-stream of the event on West Point’s YouTube channel. And at the end, the cadets were permitted the traditional touch of throwing their caps into the air.

Mr. Trump’s decision to deliver the address in person was contentious. Cadets had been sent home in March because of the coronavirus, but after Mr. Trump said he would go through with plans for the speech, they were ordered back to campus in time to be tested and undergo a 14-day quarantine.

The address also came at a fraught moment in the history of civilian-military relations in the United States. Mr. Trump has clashed sharply with military leaders in the days since the killing of George Floyd over his desire to send troops into American cities. Tensions worsened after military leaders expressed openness to renaming Army installations named after Confederate generals, including Fort Bragg, Fort Hood and Fort Benning, only to be firmly slapped down.

The number of deaths tied to the coronavirus has continued to decline in New York, even as much of the state marches toward fully reopening the economy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Saturday.

“All the news is very, very good news,” he said during his daily news briefing. “We are now 180 degrees on the other side.”

Mr. Cuomo reported that the state’s death toll, numbering 32 on Friday, was the lowest figure recorded since the beginning of the pandemic “when this nightmare began.” “We did it,” he said. “We have tamed the beast.”

According to The New York Times’s tally, the state had 80 new deaths from the virus on Friday.

Mr. Cuomo expressed concern that New York’s progress was not being replicated across the nation. More than 20 states, he noted, have had their number of coronavirus cases rise. California, Florida and Texas are reporting thousands of new cases a day.

“This is a frightening time,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We thought that we were past it. Well, the beast is rearing its ugly head. Half the states are seeing an increase. New York is exactly the opposite.”

This week, as many as 400,000 workers began returning to construction jobs, manufacturing sites and retail stores in New York City’s first phase of reopening. Other parts of the state have moved on to more advanced stages of reopening, Mr. Cuomo said. The Western Region is scheduled to move to Phase 3 on Tuesday, and the Capital Region is expected to enter Phase 3 on Wednesday.

Increased testing has also shown that the virus is spreading at a slower pace than it did three months ago, when as many as 800 people were dying a day, Mr. Cuomo said.

Across the Hudson River, Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey announced 103 new virus-related deaths, bringing the state’s toll to 12,589.

While some officials in states seeing increases attribute the rise to increased testing, and the number of cases per capita in Texas and Florida remains low, some health experts see worrying signs that the virus is continuing to make inroads.

“Whenever you loosen mitigation, you can expect you’ll see new infections. I think it would be unrealistic to think that you won’t,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in an interview on ABC News’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast. “The critical issue is how do you prevent those new infections that you see from all of a sudden emerging into something that is a spike, and that’s the thing that we hope we will be able to contain.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released forecasts on Friday suggesting that the United States was likely to reach 124,000 to 140,000 Covid-19 deaths by July 4.

The agency said that its forecasts suggested that more virus-related deaths were likely over the next four weeks in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Utah and Vermont than those states had reported over the past four weeks.

Here is a look at other key developments around the country:

Of the United States’ most populous states where cases are on the rise, Florida reported its highest daily total of new cases on Friday, reaching 1,902 new cases. Texas hit its new daily high this week, while California, the nation’s most populous state, reported its highest daily total last week — although the state almost surpassed that record on Friday.

Several Southern states, most of which began easing social-distancing restrictions and reopening some businesses in late April or early May, are also seeing increasing cases. North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Arkansas all reported record highs in new cases on Friday, while Tennessee reported 20 new deaths, the state’s highest toll for one day.

Asbury Park, N.J., halted a move to allow some indoor restaurant dining that was scheduled to start on Monday after the state of New Jersey took the unusual step on Friday of suing to block the proposals.

‘We’re sort of losing the will to take off our sweatpants.’

Relationships can flourish — or wither — in times of stress. Add months of isolation, the physical and emotional toll of a pandemic, followed by global protests, and this period we’re living through has the capacity to reshape relationships on a broad scale. We wanted to know how people who are living together — romantically or otherwise — have fared with so much time together. Will this era be more about the costs of claustrophobia or the deepening of love? What about the fights? The annoying habits? The romance? The chaos? Here are 18 stories of isolating together.

A top French court on Saturday struck down one of the stricter limits remaining from France’s coronavirus lockdown, the government’s ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people, as thousands of people gathered in Paris and other cities around the country to protest police brutality and racism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The authorities had not authorized the demonstrations, and the police blocked people in Paris from marching, although they stopped short of clearing the protesters out.

French unions and civil liberty groups had filed suit against the government’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces, arguing that it was an excessive infringement on the rights of assembly and protest.

Over the past few weeks, schools, shops and restaurants have reopened, and people are once again free to move around the country, but the ban on public gatherings had remained.

The Council of State, France’s top administrative court, agreed with the plaintiffs, arguing in its ruling that a blanket ban “is not justified by the current health situation” as long as protective measures like physical distancing and mask wearing “can be respected.”

The court, noting that “the freedom to demonstrate is a fundamental freedom,” said that demonstrations could still be banned on a case-by-case basis by authorities, if implementing protective measures was not feasible or if a gathering might draw more than 5,000 people.

A group of European countries made a deal with AstraZeneca for 400 million vaccine doses.

Italy’s health minister said Saturday that a European vaccine alliance formed this month by his country, France, Germany and the Netherlands had struck a deal with the Britain-based drug company AstraZeneca to supply up to 400 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine.

The deal, signed with Europe’s Inclusive Vaccines Alliance, follows similar agreements AstraZeneca has made with the United States, Britain and two nonprofit organizations for a potential vaccine being developed in a laboratory at Oxford.

The vaccine is currently in clinical trials and has not been proven effective, but governments and nonprofit foundations have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to create production capacity so that vaccines that are approved can be rapidly distributed. AstraZeneca, announcing a manufacturing deal with the vaccine giant Serum Institute of India last week, said it had secured the capacity to produce as many as two billion doses by next year.

On his Facebook feed, the Italian minister, Roberto Speranza, said that the trials were at an “advanced stage” and would be concluded in the autumn “with the distribution of the first lot of doses before the end of the year.” He said that the development and production phase of the vaccine would involve “important Italian companies.”

“Today’s agreement is a first promising step forward for Italy and Europe,” Mr. Speranza said. “The vaccine is the only definitive solution for Covid-19. For me, it will always be considered a global public good, a right for everyone, not the privilege of a few.”

AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said in a statement: “This agreement will ensure that hundreds of millions of Europeans have access to Oxford University’s vaccine following approval. With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in May that it would provide “up to $1.2 billion” to AstraZeneca to develop the vaccine and was collaborating with the drug company “to make available at least 300 million doses.” The money will pay for a Phase 3 clinical trial of a potential vaccine in the United States this summer with about 30,000 volunteers.

Hundreds of experimental vaccines for the new coronavirus are being developed across the world. These vaccines’ ability to advance will depend on science and funding as well as on the willingness of tens of thousands of healthy people to have an unproven solution injected into their bodies.

And though vaccine research has never moved this quickly — potentially meaning enhanced risks for volunteers — it has never been easier to recruit subjects, according to Dr. John E. Ervin, who is overseeing the trial for a vaccine developed by Inovio Pharmaceutical at the Center for Pharmaceutical Research in Kansas City, Mo.

It is the first clinical trial of a DNA vaccine for the novel coronavirus, and if it makes it to market, it will be the first DNA vaccine for any disease.

Two sisters in Missouri will be among the first to be injected.

Two months shy of 50 and healthy, Heather Wiley, an art director in Independence, Mo., qualified for the trial. She said that realizing she would make around $1,000 for her participation was a bonus, not her primary motivation.

“I’m not a health care worker; I’m not an essential worker,” she said. “But I’m healthy, so I can do this.”

Soon her sister Ellie Lilly, 46, a seventh-grade history teacher in Lee’s Summit, Mo., had enrolled as well. The sisters are rooting for the Inovio vaccine. But, “even if it doesn’t work, we’re still a piece of the research,” Ms. Lilly said.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft are aggressively placing new bets as the coronavirus pandemic has made them near-essential services, with people turning to them to shop online, entertain themselves and stay in touch with loved ones. The skyrocketing use has given the companies new fuel to invest as other industries retrench.

Even with the global economy reeling and dozens of businesses filing for bankruptcy, tech’s largest companies — still wildly profitable and flush with billions of dollars from years of corporate dominance — are deliberately laying the groundwork for a future in which they will be bigger and more powerful than ever.

Some of the tech behemoths have made little secret of their intention to forge ahead in a recession that has put more than 44 million Americans out of work.

Facebook also recently invested in Gojek, a “super app” in Southeast Asia. The deal followed a $5.7 billion investment it recently pumped into Reliance Jio, a telecom giant in India.

The social network is also spending millions of dollars to build a nearly 23,000-mile undersea fiber-optic cable encircling Africa, and on Thursday, Facebook confirmed that it was developing a venture capital fund to invest in promising start-ups.

Other technology giants are demonstrating similar ambitions. Apple has bought at least four companies this year and released a new iPhone. Microsoft has bought three cloud computing businesses. Amazon is in talks to acquire an autonomous vehicle start-up, has leased more airplanes for delivery and has hired an additional 175,000 people since March. And Google has unveiled new messaging and video features.

The expansion is unfolding as lawmakers and regulators in Washington and Europe are sounding the alarm over the tech giants’ concentration of power and how that may have hurt competitors and led to other issues, such as spreading disinformation.

This week, European Union officials were preparing antitrust charges against Amazon for using its e-commerce dominance to box out smaller rivals, while Britain began an inquiry into Facebook’s $400 million purchase of an animated GIF company.

How to keep your children safe in a reopening world.

Social distancing is hard — especially for the very young. Here are some ways to get children to care about wearing masks and avoiding germs.

Reporting and research was contributed by Peter Baker, Pascale Bonnefoy, Aurelien Breeden, Benedict Carey, Michael Cooper, Bella Huang, Mike Isaac, Aishvarya Kavi, David D. Kirkpatrick, Andrew E. Kramer, Qiqing Lin, Ernesto Londoño, Patricia Mazzei, Zach Montague, Heather Murphy, Jack Nicas, Sergey Ponomarev, Elisabetta Povoledo, Peter Robins, Andrea Salcedo, Edgar Sandoval, Eric Schmitt, Michael D. Shear, Mariana Simões, Vivian Wang and Elaine Yu.

[historybehindassassinscreed]

In Game:

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and a noted polymath; Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.

During the French and Indian War, Benjamin Franklin was tasked by the Templar William Johnson to study the Precursor Box and the Manuscript, while remaining unaware of Johnson's actual allegiance. However, the Assassin Shay Cormac intervened took possession of the box and the manuscript. He and fellow Assassin Hope Jensen then traveled to Sleepy Hollow, where they manipulated Franklin into assisting the Assassins in their search for the whereabouts of a Piece of Eden.

Franklin, believing the two Assassins were Johnson's affiliates, agreed and was successful in locating the artifact, by electrifying the box with lightning. Hope then helped Franklin evade the local militia, who had been alerted to the fact that Shay had stolen confiscated lightning rods from them.

Afterwards, Franklin was staying in Boston when copies of his first almanac were stolen. Haytham Kenway noticed his distress and offered a lending hand. Franklin expressed surprise, as those living in the colonial city usually refused to be of any help, and correctly assumed that he was new to Boston.

Franklin then requested that Haytham assist him with the task of finding stolen pages of his Almanac. Later on, Haytham met Franklin at the local general store, where he was writing a treatise on the benefits of having an older woman as a lover, much to Haytham's amusement.

They met again another time, where Franklin explained the isolation he felt after the Albany Conference, as friends sought to distance themselves from his cartoon. He thanked Haytham for speaking with him and began expressing his belief that the Thirteen Colonies should be independent of the British Crown, which greatly intrigued Haytham.

Franklin continued to work with Hope, and by 1756, had begun producing chemical weapons, grenades, poisonous gases, and more, which unbeknownst to him, was to be used against colonials who supported the British crown, and the authorities of New York. However, Shay Cormac, who had become a Templar ally, was able to trick Franklin into giving him a prototype grenade launcher and afterward destroyed the poison reserves.

By the American Revolution, Franklin had become a Founding Father. Franklin contributed to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which was primarily drafted by Thomas Jefferson. On 4 July 1776, Franklin was present alongside Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Adams' ally Ratonhnhaké:ton, where he signed the Declaration right after Hancock.

For the rest of the American Revolutionary War, Franklin lived in Paris as America's ambassador to France from 1776 to 1785. In 1776, he was hunted by local criminals, before being saved by Shay. Franklin informed Shay about his invitation to the Palace of Versailles, to which Shay requested a favor in return - to gain entry to the palace for him as well. Franklin agreed, and was able to get Shay inside.

At some point during his time in France, Franklin also interacted with the French Assassin Arno Dorian during his childhood and became acquainted with the French Mentor Mirabeau.

In Real Life:

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17th, 1706, in colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Josiah’s second wife. Franklin was the eighth of Abiah and Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Franklin’s formal education was limited and ended when he was 10; however, he was an avid reader and taught himself to become a skilled writer. In 1718, at age 12, he was apprenticed to his older brother James, a Boston printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Silence Dogood) to a newspaper published by his brother. At age 17, Franklin ran away from his apprenticeship to Philadelphia, where he found work as a printer. In late 1724, he traveled to London, England, and again found employment in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1726, and two years later opened a printing shop. The business became highly successful producing a range of materials, including government pamphlets, books and currency. In 1729, Franklin became the owner and publisher of a colonial newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, which proved popular–and to which he contributed much of the content, often using pseudonyms. Franklin achieved fame and further financial success with “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he published every year from 1733 to 1758.

(Image source)

In 1730, Franklin began living with Deborah Read (c. 1705-74), the daughter of his former Philadelphia landlady, as his common-law wife. Read’s first husband had abandoned her; however, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could not have an official wedding ceremony. Franklin and Read had a son, Francis (1732-36), who died of smallpox at age 4, and a daughter, Sarah (1743-1808). Franklin had another son, William (c. 1730-1813), who was born out of wedlock.

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic affairs. Starting in the 1730s, he helped establish a number of community organizations in Philadelphia, including a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a time when books weren’t widely available in the colonies, and remained the largest U.S. public library until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company, a police patrol and the American Philosophical Society, a group devoted to the sciences and other scholarly pursuits. Franklin also organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised funds to build a city hospital and spearheaded a program to pave and light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of the Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became known as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791.

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 years old, had expanded his printing business throughout the colonies and become successful enough to stop working. Retirement allowed him to concentrate on public service and also pursue more fully his longtime interest in science. In the 1740s, he conducted experiments that contributed to the understanding of electricity and invented the lightning rod, which protected buildings from fires caused by lightning. In 1752, he conducted his famous kite experiment and demonstrated that lightning is electricity. Franklin also coined a number of electricity-related terms, including battery, charge, and conductor.

Politics became more of an active interest for Franklin in the 1750s. In 1757, he went to England to represent Pennsylvania in its fight with the descendants of the Penn family over who should represent the Colony. He remained in England to 1775, as a Colonial representative not only of Pennsylvania, but of Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts as well.

Early in his time abroad, Franklin considered himself a loyal Englishman. England had many of the amenities that America lacked. The country also had fine thinkers, theater, witty conversation — things in short supply in America. He kept asking Deborah to come visit him in England. He had thoughts of staying there permanently, but she was afraid of traveling by ship.

(Image source)

In 1765, Franklin was caught by surprise by America's overwhelming opposition to the Stamp Act. His testimony before Parliament helped persuade the members to repeal the law. He started wondering if America should break free of England. Franklin, though he had many friends in England, was growing sick of the corruption he saw all around him in politics and royal circles. Franklin, who had proposed a plan for united colonies in 1754, now would earnestly start working toward that goal.

Franklin returned to Philadelphia in May 1775, shortly after the Revolutionary War (1775-83) had begun, and was selected to serve as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, America’s governing body at the time. In 1776, he was part of the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence, in which the 13 American colonies declared their freedom from British rule. That same year, Congress sent Franklin to France to enlist that nation’s help with the Revolutionary War. In February 1778, the French signed a military alliance with America and went on to provide soldiers, supplies and money that proved critical to America’s victory in the war.

As minister to France starting in 1778, Franklin helped negotiate and draft the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin is the only founding father to have signed all four of the key documents establishing the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).

In 1785, Franklin left France and returned once again to Philadelphia. In 1787, he was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end of the convention, in September 1787, he urged his fellow delegates to support the heavily debated new document. The U.S. Constitution was ratified by the required nine states in June 1788, and George Washington (1732-99) was inaugurated as America’s first president in April 1789.

Franklin died a year later, at age 84, on April 17th, 1790, in Philadelphia. Following a funeral that was attended by an estimated 20,000 people, he was buried in Philadelphia’s Christ Church cemetery. In his will, he left money to Boston and Philadelphia, which was later used to establish a trade school and a science museum and fund scholarships and other community projects.

More than 200 years after his death, Franklin remains one of the most celebrated figures in U.S. history. His image appears on the $100 bill, and towns, schools, and businesses across America are named for him.

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/benjamin-franklin

http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Franklin

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30 Years Later, ‘The Golden Girls’ is Still the Most Progressive Show on Television

“I had to write ‘Golden Girls’…I’ve never gotten excited about a network idea before, but this was compelling. I could write grown-ups.” — Susan Harris, creator of ‘The Golden Girls,’ September 1985

Picture it: Hollywood, 1985. The first episode of The Golden Girls airs, introducing the world to Blanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, Sophia Petrillo, and Dorothy Zbornak. The show attracted more than 25 million viewers, becoming the highest-rated program of the week and consistently ranked in the top 10 sitcoms during its run. Over the course of seven seasons, the show racked up 68 Emmy nominations, 11 wins, and is one of only 4 shows in TV history whose principal actors all won Emmys for their roles. Despite Hollywood’s obsession with youth, The Golden Girls is still beloved by audiences thirty years after its premiere.

Beyond the fact that the show is extremely well-written and well acted (thanks to Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, and Betty White), The Golden Girls also stands out for being one of the last sitcoms where progressive values were part of the show’s DNA.

In an interview with Out Magazine, show creator Susan Harris explained, “We liked to tackle — not outrageous issues — but important issues. Things that I knew that people went through that hadn’t been addressed on television.” Harris was no stranger to shows that incorporated political story lines, having previously worked on Norman Lear’s groundbreaking All in the Family, and having written the historic abortion episode for Maude, which won her the Humanitas Prize — an award for film and television writing that promotes human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It is not surprising then that Harris brought this tradition to the writer’s room of The Golden Girls each week. The following are just some of the reasons why, after 30 years, The Golden Girls is still the most progressive show on television.

A Feminist Show

The very premise of The Golden Girls — four women navigating life after marriage and finding companionship in one another — is feminist in nature.While the women exchange quips and get into fights, the overarching message of the show focuses on the importance of chosen family, and women supporting other women. Further, we see the women enjoying life after marriage. Over the course of the series, we see the characters focus on career ambitions, new hobbies, and more often than not, their unapologetic enjoyment of sex. So much so that the blog Refinery29 recently tallied how many men each character slept with (naturally, Blanche had the most at 165). What made their love lives particularly important was the fact that television shows rarely portray older women as sexual beings.

The very premise of The Golden Girls — four women navigating life after marriage and finding companionship in one another — is feminist in nature.

“Television is always several steps behind life. When do you see passionate older people on television?” Susan Harris told The New York Times in a 1985 interview shortly after the show’s premiere. “There is life after 50. People can be attractive, energetic, have romances. When do you see people of this age in bed together? Eventually on this show, you will. It’s kind of pathetic that this show is television’s baby steps.’’

And the impact this had on audiences was clear. During an episode of The Phil Donahue Show, an adoring caller thanked guests Bea Arthur and Betty White for making her “feel 52 and gorgeous.” And the Winter 1989 issue of Media & Values magazine included survey responses from middle aged viewers of the show, such as one woman who responded, “I like this program because it gives me hope that there’s life after 50!” Beyond the message of female empowerment, the fact that the characters were older was significant in and of itself for the unprecedented portrayal of aging on television.

Portrayals of Aging

“Probably the single most effective product to come out of Hollywood in terms of turning around the cultural stereotypes about older women was the hugely popular and successful television show The Golden Girls in the late 1980s and early 1990s,” activist Ai-jen Poo wrote in her book Aging with Dignity. “Those four women, each with her own distinct history and personality…shattered the silence and the invisibility around aging in the most hilarious and endearing ways.”

While the entertainment industry pressures actresses to go to great lengths to maintain or restore their youth, The Golden Girls embraced aging and all the humor, wisdom, and vulnerability that comes with it.

This is evident in the episode “Rose Fights Back,” when Rose is cut off from her deceased husband’s pension plan and must find a new job. She is soon faced with age discrimination and the fear of not being able to make her rent. In a poignant scene, Rose discusses often seeing an older woman digging through the trash. She tells the other ladies, “I wondered, what did she do to get herself into a fix like that? I thought, well, she must be lazy, or she must be pretty stupid to let something like this happen to her. The truth is: she’s me.”

In another episode, Sophia makes a friend, Alvin, at the Boardwalk, but soon discovers that he has Alzheimer’s disease. She tells Dorothy, “people think if you live to be my age you should be grateful just to be alive. Well, that’s not how it works. You need a reason to get up in the morning and sometimes even after you find one, life can turn right around and spit in your face.”

While the entertainment industry pressures actresses to go to great lengths to maintain or restore their youth, The Golden Girls embraced aging and all the humor, wisdom, and vulnerability that comes with it.

Gay Rights

While the show’s message about women and aging is tied to its premise, The Golden Girls was often ahead of its time on other social issues. Twenty-four years prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling on marriage equality, The Golden Girls defended same-sex marriage before it was a mainstream position. In this episode, Blanche’s brother Clayton pays a visit and announces that he is engaged to his partner, Doug. In one scene, Sophia perfectly explains marriage equality to an upset Blanche:

In an interview with Vulture, show writer Marc Cherry recalled, “We were young writers, and we got to say a little something about gay rights and how gay people see themselves. It was about two men getting married, which is something people at the time didn’t talk about. And it was a really funny episode.”

Off the screen, the actresses were dedicated to advancing the cause of gay rights. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, which tragically hit the gay community, Estelle Getty was a staunch AIDS activist. In a 1989 interview, she explained, “I’ve been in show business all my life, and the majority of my friends are gay…A lot of my friends have died from AIDS.”

The show tackled the stigma surrounding AIDS head on in the episode “72 Hours,” and worked to counteract the myth that it was a gay disease or punishment. In the episode, Rose finds out she may have contracted the disease from an operation, and grows increasingly scared and angry. In one scene she exclaims, “This isn’t supposed to happen to people like me…I’m a good person!” Blanche argues back, “AIDS is not a bad person’s disease, Rose. It is not God punishing people for their sins.” The scene manages to be both humorous and raw.

Confronting Race

Much like the show did with gay rights, The Golden Girls confronted issues related to race in honest ways, rather than the imaginary “post-racial” interactions many sitcoms favor today. In one episode, Dorothy’s son Michael announces he’s getting married to Lorraine, a black singer in his band. The news causes Dorothy to cringe and cry out “Oh God,” but she recovers to explain that her race doesn’t matter. The scene portrays the complexity of prejudice, and dispels the idea that racism is something only “bad people” are guilty of — a recognition that is necessary in order to truly overcome prejudice.

Rarely is America’s complicated history with race woven into a sitcom storyline, much less as part of a white character’s backstory.

In another episode, we are introduced to Blanche’s “Mammy” from growing up, Viola Watkins. When Viola reveals that she had an affair with Blanche’s father, she explains, “In another time and place, we would have been married. But at that time in the South, it wasn’t an option.” The episode highlighted how often white children grew attached to their black caretakers, while underscoring the racial animosity that existed around them. Rarely is America’s complicated history with race woven into a sitcom storyline, much less as part of a white character’s backstory.

Disability Visibility

One subject matter that most television shows ignore altogether is disability. The Golden Girls, however, had multiple episodes revolving around characters with disabilities, usually as part of the women’s love lives. In these episodes, the women are forced to confront their own prejudices and misperceptions around what it means to be a person with a disability.

According to Lawrence Carter-Long, an expert on disability and media, “The best writing about disability focuses on character. Not a rehash of the same two-dimensional tragic or heroic movie-of-the-week stillness we’ve all seen a hundred times before.”

This sentiment is perfectly demonstrated in the episode “Stand By Your Man.” Blanche is nervous about dating Ted, a man in a wheelchair, played by Hugh Farrington, an actor who was paraplegic in real life. In the episode, Blanche gets past her prejudices and discovers that Ted is no different than anyone else, for better or worse. After learning that he has a wife, she says, “It never dawned on me that you could be a jerk in a wheelchair.”

In another episode, Rose is dating Jonathan Newman, a doctor at the grief center where she works. Rose is initially embarrassed to reveal their relationship because Jonathan is a little person, but she is determined to make it work. In the end, however, Jonathan breaks things off with Rose because she isn’t Jewish.

Fighting Poverty

Finally, as someone who does research and advocacy around fighting poverty, I am often frustrated by the myths and stereotypes that persist in film and television. The Golden Girls is not one of those shows. On many occasions, the show discusses poverty, but there is no better scene that demonstrates how well they did on the subject than in the episode “Have Yourself A Very Little Christmas,” when the ladies volunteer at a church to serve Christmas dinner to the homeless. They soon discover that Dorothy’s ex-husband, Stan, is among the people in need. The Church’s Reverend goes on to perfectly explain how poverty is an experience (rather than a moral failing, which is often the message), how public policy plays a role, and closes the scene with a direct jab at then-President Ronald Reagan:

REVEREND AVERY

You’d be surprised how many people are only two or three paychecks away from being on the street. The suddenly poor are all around us. Once you’ve been knocked down like that, it’s very hard to recover.

DOROTHY

What’s going to happen to all these people?

REVEREND AVERY

I don’t know. There’s no affordable housing, the rents keep going up and up, and the minimum wage has been held down.

ROSE

Seems so unfair.

REVEREND AVERY

Well, that’s because it is. There are three million homeless, hungry people in this country.

BLANCHE

What bothers me is, those people out there are being fed today because it’s Christmas, but what will they eat tomorrow?

REVEREND AVERY

When the great communicator talked about his vision of a city on a hill, I wonder if it included people sleeping on gratings in the street.

Over the past few years, many politicians have credited television for advancing their views on gay rights. And a growing body of research confirms that “as we grow emotionally attached to characters who are part of a minority group, our prejudices tend to recede.” In other words, television has the power to change the world. This makes what The Golden Girls accomplished even more critical. While the show wasn’t perfect on every issue, particularly on perpetuating hurtful plot lines around trans characters, The Golden Girls was an unapologetically progressive show. The show gave visibility to older women while using this unique platform to champion a number of progressive ideals that often go untouched by television shows. Not only is this level of progressivism unmatched on the small screen, the entire show was made possible by the understanding that older actresses have value and women can be funny.

The strength of the characters, the incorporation of storytelling, and punch lines delivered with a simple facial expression are among the many devices that make The Golden Girls one of the funniest sitcoms of all time. But it’s progressive message makes it one of the most important.

As a loyal fan, I’ll be celebrating the show’s 30th anniversary with my favorite episodes and a slice of cheesecake.