#genuinely have considered the benefits of trying and failing to Make It in New York to see movies as early as possible

[mummer]

i could always just book a flight to LA and see queer tomorrow instead of waiting until december 13

[greensupremetangerine]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again. Meanwhile, in New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette.

Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

Not gonna lie, i got a little lost in there, but if i read it right then I think that'd be a pretty unique and kinda messed up fanfic (in an interesting way)

You'd have to consider some smaller technical issues, like if this villain really bodyswapped them, then Ladybug and Chat Noir would probably fight them, since the sisters probably weren't the only ones effected by this. After beating the villain, the miraculous cure would put it all back to normal, so "Chloe" would be back to being Zoe and "Zoe" would go back to her body as Chloe

Then, if Chloe had access to Zoe's memories while in her body, it would go the other way around too, and Zoe would gain access to Chloe's memories. It doesnt necessarily mean that Zoe would understand her sister's actions, let alone accept and forgive her for them, but i think she would at least recognize that Chloe wasn't born evil; her personality is a creation of their mother's rooted in a longing for love

It feels like a story that would benefit from focusing on the feelings of the sisters and looking to see if they can reconcile in any way. It doesnt have to have a happy ending, but simply swapping them back and calling it a day would feel unfulfilling

Then again i might have misread. Thanks for the ask!

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 3: The Birth of Mysterio

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Before we dive into specifics of Amazing Mary Jane, there is a large chunk of context we need to establish about Mysterio’s history. Specifically who he is and some of the crimes he’s committed over the years. I will generally be emphasising stuff that Mary Jane would likely or definitely be aware of; or at least could easily learn about with a little research. This is important to bear in mind when we look at MJ’s attitude to Beck in AMJ.

For starters, let’s consider how and why Beck ventured into a life of crime in the first place.

Life before Mysterio

Quentin Beck before he became a criminal had a college education to some extent and had major technical and chemical skills at his disposal. He became an accomplished special effects artists and stuntman and had regular employment. Long story short, he got bored and after failing to transition into acting (though he obviously had some acting talent) he was inspired to get involved with costume villainy.

Due to retcons in BND, it was established that he went back to work in Hollywood. However, he later got blacklisted when one of his effects injured someone. As originally presented and intended though, he basically turned to villainy out of boredom and frustration.

After being blacklisted Beck undertook his first major campaign against Spider-Man, whom (due to other retcons) he resented for foiling some of his crimes during his first foray into villainy.

Whether you look at him as originally presented or in the wake of all these retcons it’s clear that Beck didn’t get pushed into crime. It was a pure ego trip for him. Even with the retcon in mind realistically his skills and intelligence would garner him legitimate work elsewhere. In fact in the ‘Guardian Devil’ arc of Daredevil it’s established he was instrumental in developing certain technologies and processes that made advances in film making possible.

In short Quentin Beck became a criminal because he LIKED it. He is 100% not a tragic figure like the Lizard. He is not someone who’s environment made it difficult for him to be anything but a criminal, as is often the case for people in poverty stricken parts of the world. He wasn’t even someone like Doc Ock or Norman Osborn whose minds were (arguably) inadvertently affected by some kind of extenuating circumstance. Nor is he someone diagnosed with some kind of anti-social personality disorder like Cletus Kasady or Eddie Brock.

Regardless of whether you feel such mental conditions mitigate those villains, my point is Beck DEFINIETLY cannot be excused for his choice of becoming a criminal.

Virtually every crime he ever committed were the actions of a sane, rationale and intelligent person who happened to also be selfish, egotistical, greedy and often nasty. Maybe not nasty the way Carnage or the Green Goblin are, but nasty nevertheless.

I’m saying he’s not just ‘a villain’ but also an outright bad person.

And he’s been a bad person since basically the start of Spider-Man’s superhero career. That’s anywhere from 10-25 years, depending upon whose math you want to use.

The 1960s: Making an Entrance

Were we to take retcons into account, Mysterio’s first crime was his involvement with the Tinkerer way back in ASM #2, circa 1964! This was literally the fifth ever Spider-Man story to be created.

However, retcons not  withstanding Mysterio’s first major crime was impersonating and framing Spider-Man, back in ASM #13.

He then went on to bill himself as a hero and defeated Spider-Man.

These events were a huge news story at the time and thus it’s not unbelievable that MJ would know about them via osmosis. Granted, there is leeway on that because MJ was not living in NYC at this time but she was making sporadic trips there and had taken a casual interest in Spider-Man’s adventures; this was partially because she knew Peter was Spider-Man.

However, one would imagine that it’d likely come up in conversation with Peter over the years given how this was his first (known) encounter with Mysterio and MJ was present for several consequent ones. It’d also be believable given that it’s just common sense for Peter to inform MJ of any enemies who could possibly impersonate him. Forewarned is forearmed (as arguably Gwen’s death proved) so knowing about Mysterio could help MJ ensure the safety of herself and her loved ones; for example MJ’s Aunt Anna and cousin Kristy.

Furthermore it is important to note that Mysterio’s very first major solo effort was a form of identity theft (there is probably a more accurate descriptor but I don’t know of one). The crime was intentionally designed so that he could build up his own reputation off the back of someone else’s.  Does this perhaps remind you of another time Mysterio might’ve tried to selfishly benefit at the expense of another person’s reputation, not caring if he damaged it along the way? Like for example any female-led comic books released in 2019 for example?

The next time Mysterio duelled Spidey he used highly convincing robot duplicates of the (3 of the original 5) X-Men.

So, Mysterio is an expert in robotics and can create loyal and dangerous robotic servants. These robots can also trick people into thinking they are a real person, including Mysterio himself. Thus it’s very possible for Beck to convince someone he’s in one place when he’s actually in another, or alternatively get his robots to do something on his behalf when he’s otherwise indisposed.

Mary Jane 100% knows about these robot duplicates because versions of them (plus Iceman and Jean Grey) appear in Amazing Mary Jane #1.

It would suuuuuuuuure be illogical for MJ to just presume Mysterio would definitely NEVER misuse such robots for any nefarious schemes, or use them to slip under the noses of the press monitoring the movie. Or if he or his crew maybe used them to violate/evade justice somehow…

Also, just for the record, Mysterio was potentially risking damaging the reputation of the X-Men/mutants in general by creating duplicates of them. Yet another example of Mysterio is selfishly cavalier with someone else’s reputation.

Arguably (because I’m not an X-Men expert) this was especially awful because of how the general public already hated and feared mutants, who were of course chiefly allegorical to African Americans back in the 1960s. In this sense Mysterio could be viewed as exploiting societal bigotry or at least caring so little about it he doesn’t realise he’s potentially going to make it far worse. *

Mysterio’s third major encounter with Spidey was in a lot of ways one of his most twisted efforts.

His plan was to learn Spider-Man’s identity by convincing him that he was mentally ill…yeah…

Posing as psychiatrist Doctor Ludwig Rinehart, he convinced Jameson to publish an article claiming Spider-Man was heading for a major mental breakdown. 

To make this more convincing he used his illusions to make Spider-Man believe he was seeing things that weren’t really there. His efforts bore fruit as Peter genuinely began to doubt his own sanity.

Beck’s endgame was for Spider-Man to seek out treatment from ‘Rinehart’ and in his vulnerable state divulge his secret identity. It was only through Jameson’s inadvertent intervention that Peter’s secret (and loved ones) remained safe.

I’m not suggesting Mary Jane necessarily knows about this incident; though it’s possible Peter told her. It’s more relevant because it illustrates what a twisted person  Mysterio is to try and get to Spider-Man in such a way. It also illustrates the distress his illusionary skills can cause to people, both mentally and emotionally. This is a fact that Mary Jane need not have studied psychology to grasp; it’s just common sense. She knows Mysterio’s M.O. is tricking people into believing things that aren’t real and she’d know how believing something uncomfortable or frightening (even if it isn’t real) can be a dangerous and unhealthy thing. Her friend Harry Osborn had mental health problems that caused him to believe things that weren’t true and (for a time anyway) it destroyed him and harmed his family.

If you still think this is a concept MJ wouldn’t have grasped, then Mysterio’s next exploit would’ve likely convinced her.

During the course of Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #1-2 Mysterio intentionally attacked the mind of MJ’s acquaintance J. Jonah Jameson. He did this by tricking Jonah into believing he’d been killed and gone to Hell. Simultaneously he also framed Spidey for Jameson’s alleged murder.

Events from this story formed part of the screenplay for Mysterio’s biopic. Proof of this can be found in ASM v5 #29 wherein Peter and MJ are rehearsing Mysterio’s script and the dialogue is almost verbatim from the Webspinners story in question.

As such it is very possible that MJ would know about what Beck did to Jameson. One would imagine Peter would at least tell her about that in the course of rehearsing with her.

We are skipping ahead a bit, but another instance of Mysterio using his illusions to cause terror can be found in ASM #66. In the issue he hijacks TV airwaves and essentially delivers a terrorist message to the city at large. He depicts scenes of New York decimated and threatens to make them a reality unless Spidey confronts him. The incident upsets Aunt May (a woman with an underlying heart condition) and realistically would’ve distressed other people too. This might’ve included MJ’s Aunt Anna who was living with May at the time.

Given the public nature of this broadcast and the distress it caused Aunt Anna’s roommate, the chances are MJ would be aware of it. Even if she failed to catch it initially she’d have heard about it via sheer osmosis.

Even if you disagree, it’s yet another example of Mysterio selfishly and callously causing distress to people for his own ends. If one buys into Marvel’s sliding timescale these events also pack more of a punch since they would've happened post 9/11.

The 1970s: Scamming Seniors

We’re skipping ahead again all the way into the 1970s.

In ASM #141 Betty Brant and Ned Leeds inform Peter that Mysterio died a year earlier in prison. This horrifies Peter because he fought Mysterio earlier that very night.

This was public knowledge meaning there is a chance MJ would’ve heard about it in the news. But even if it wasn’t widely reported or if she just missed it, she’d have still likely heard about it. After all she was dating Peter at the time and was also very friendly with Betty (even serving as her Maid of Honour not too long after this). This is important to remember for the next section.

As it turns out he actually battled a new Mysterio, Danny Berkhart. Berkhart believed himself Beck’s friend and inherited some of his equipment after the latter’s death. He decided to take down Spider-Man out of respect for Beck.**

Much later it was revealed that Beck hadn’t really died, he’d merely used Berkhart to fake his own death. In the guise of Doctor Reinhardt he took over a nursing home. Consequently he swindled vulnerable elderly people out of their life savings, amassing almost $8 million. According to this inflation calculator, in 2019 that’d be about $40,780,313.20.

My, what a sympathetic individual…

This scheme snowballed into Beck faking Aunt May’s death on behalf of the burglar who killed Uncle Ben.

To be fair to him, The Burglar was threatening his life. However given Mysterio’s technology and intelligence it’s highly unbelievable that he couldn’t have taken the Burglar down if he wanted to. He does exactly this in ASM #198 once he’s learned the Burglar was after a fortune hidden in Aunt May’s old home, opting to seek out the fortune himself (see above).

It goes without saying how devastating it was for Peter and May’s friends (chiefly Aunt Anna) to believe she’d passed away.

It beguiles belief that, between MJ’s closeness to Peter, their mutual friends (like Harry and Flash), Aunt May and Aunt Anna, that MJ wouldn’t at some point have learned about May’s ‘death’. By extension she would’ve learned of the circumstances of it being faked and surely have been at least miffed about it! Thus she’d have deduced that Beck had faked his death, as she’d likely have heard about his alleged death in prison.

Even if MJ didn’t hear about any of this during the incident itself, considering that this was all a matter of public record and would’ve been reflected in May’s medical history MJ realistically would have learned about this at some point. This would especially be the case because May’s death was faked a further two times; and that was when MJ married to Peter.

After all, if it was public record that May’s death had been faked before then her consequent ‘death’ (it was actually an imposter) in ASM #400 would require a degree of verification that’d go beyond most patients.*** And it’s highly unlikely that Peter and MJ wouldn’t have been informed about this process. ; or that they themselves didn’t inform the doctors that they should triple check given May’s history. This is literally the reason the actress impersonating her in ASM #400 was specified as being ‘genetically altered’ so her DNA would read as Aunt May’s.

All this means that there is simply NO WAY MJ wouldn’t know Mysterio caused this kind of harm to two of the people she loved most in the world (Peter and May).

The 1980s: Old Tricks

We skip ahead again all the way into the 2010s, albeit an untold tale set circa the 1980s. In Symbiote Spider-Man #1 Mysterio’s attempts to rob a bank inadvertently led to an innocent woman (with kids no less) being shot and killed.

Now to be fair, this wasn’t intentional and he felt bad about it. But it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t committed a crime in the first place. He also wasn’t exactly turning himself in due to remorse or giving up a life of crime. MJ might not have known about this but it’s the first time (to my recollection) Beck was involved with someone actually dying. So you know, he’s definitely a killer and is unwilling to face the consequences of his crime. Real sympathetic right?

I will admit this is something of a contentious example as this series doesn’t exactly fit into continuity and so could be arguably discounted. Nevertheless it definitely offers food for thought. An insight into how Mysterio likely would  act under these circumstances.

Jumping back to the 1980s proper, in a much later encounter with Spidey Mysterio once again attacked Peter’s mind. This time he tricked him into believing that an innocent person had died on his watch.

MJ again definitely knew about this because a guilt-ridden Peter talked to her about it before he learned the truth. Later she tried to talk him out of his guilt ridden state.

I think I will leave it there for now. We’ll continue our look at Mysterio in the next post as we enter the 21st century.

*I’ve got no place for this in future instalments so I’ll just say put it here as an aside.

MJ to my recollection has no experience with the X-Men (sans Wolverine), but she is definitely no anti-mutant bigot. Wouldn’t it be logical for her to be wary or at least conscious about how Beck is playing with the optics of the X-Men/mutants in general in his vanity project?

Not to mention their inclusion I’d imagine would be in reference to ASM Annual #1 where he tried to use them to kill her boyfriend.  She has no qualms about the guy responsible for that recreating that event on film in an effort to glorify him self?

On the other hand we don’t know exactly how they are being used in the movie so I’ll let that slide.

**Berkhart isn’t all that relevant at the moment but he will be in the next instalment, so bear him in mind.

***Alternatively one would imagine in a world where the fantastical is a matter of fact, death would be checked to a greater degree than practiced in real life.

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[tessatechaitea]

Black Condor #5

Five issues and five pure cheesecake covers.

Crud-for-brains? I'd wager my life savings that Brian Augustyn was an early Adventures of Pete and Pete fan.

The guys on the cover are just four young dude-bros stealing from drug dealers. They burn the drugs and take the money to give toward good causes. And probably also to buy cool shit for themselves. They're only human! Probably. I haven't read far enough along to know what they're really doing with the cash. Black Condor will find out after he beats the shit out of three of them. Sorry. I've been gone for awhile. You wouldn't have noticed since my long absence fell between writing the previous paragraph and this current one. And unless you ran off to take a desperate shit right at the same moment, the time between these two paragraphs was negligible, minuscule (I decided to use both words because I'm so proud of my ability to spell my native language (I considered misspelling "native" and "language" but decided that was a boring old joke which has carried more water than Capri-sun (that's a new joke and it's not very good because it doesn't make sense. But at least it's new))). But I was caught up in playing a stupid computer video game about dungeon delving dice trapped in a horrific game show. Spoiler: the dice never get to fuck. But I'm back now because this is blog is the only thing that keeps me sane anymore. You might think that because this blog was my link to sanity, I'd be more earnest. You might think I'd want to be grim and serious and discuss political, social, and environmental matters with the gravity and seriousness they deserve. But that's all the stuff that's doing my head in. So I'd rather pretend that I'm angry at comic books. Here's a secret for the few of you reading this who made it to this specific paragraph out of all of my paragraphs: I wish I were friends with Scott Lobdell. I bet he's kind of an asshole but he's the kind who, if he was getting his ass kicked at a bar for being smarmy and pretentious and smug (smug because he's a rich writer whom a lot of thirteen year old boys (and men with thirteen year old boy minds) think wrote some of the seminal X-men stories), he'd completely understand if you didn't step in to defend him. He feels like the kind of guy who knows what he really deserves (a righteous ass beating) and wouldn't think the world unfair should he ever receive it. Then he'd probably buy drinks for the people who beat his ass, and I'd look him in the eye and shrug, and he'd laugh, and we'd continue to not mention that time we jerked each other off when we were fucking wasted on single malt scotch and peyote. Black Condor and Ned decide they need to find the girl with humongous afro before she hurts people who don't deserve it the way the color changing white supremacist Nazi rapists did.

What does he mean by "completely autistic"? In 1992, I'm guessing that meant nonverbal with loads of stimming and maybe the ability to play any piano concerto immediately after hearing it once.

Karin was experimented on by Black Condor's grandfather's Society but she failed to gain the ability to fly. She did, however, gain mental abilities as powerful as his own. He's concerned that, being autistic, she'll hurt people with her mind rage. Please. She almost certainly just wants to be left alone by everybody in society expecting her to think and act in a specific way that she can't think and act, nor would she want to if she had the ability. Just leave autistic people alone, normals! They don't need help. Just because your autistic kid isn't giving you the kind of unconditional love you were looking for when you decided to have a kid that you would eventually love only conditionally based on how they loved you doesn't mean the kid needs to change. That's on you and your needs. Maybe just find a way for the kid to express themselves (or not! Who knows sometimes?!) and let them do and act as they please. Unless what they want to do is fuck the dog. I'm not saying autistic people fuck dogs but I am saying we're all individuals, you know? Use your common sense! And if your kid is fucking the dog, autistic or not, don't let them near the dog! The Merry Men on the cover (oh hey! There were Merry Men in the Sky Pirate issue! Brian Augustyn either loves old tales of daring adventure or LSD) have been robbing drug dealers to help fund a homeless camp run by a priest named Gamble. The priest isn't involved in the theft; he chastises them about their plans to get money illegally. But they assure him the money isn't tainted and he decides to believe them when they dump thousands of dollars on his desk. Doing the right thing is hard when doing the wrong thing will solve all of your money issues. If you're a weak minded jerk, that is! I totally would never sell out for thousands of dollars so hopefully nobody embarrasses themselves by offering me loads of money to write positive comic book reviews for their publications. Father Gamble refuses the money because he just can't be sure it was honestly come by. I would be less suspicious of the money and more suspicious of the white college kids trying to donate thousands of dollars to a homeless camp. What's really going on in this camp?! Why are these young men so interested in keeping it funded so it doesn't get shut down? Four probably rich white boys risking their lives to help the downtrodden? Sorry but this is the most aggressively fantastic comic book I've ever read. And I'm not using the informal definition of "fantastic."

"Which member of this organization could possibly be giving all of this information to these white boys and why am I exposing my plan to kill them before plugging the leak?!"

Maybe that's racist suggesting that the white guy in the gang is giving the information to other white guys. But this comic book has already asked me to believe too many fanciful plot points so I'm glad Augustyn decided the white guy was absolutely the inside man. The white guys name is Herbie and his boss, Mr. Soto, already knows he's the leak. I'm glad Mr. Soto is as smart as I am. Or as racist. Probably smart though! They follow him as he's trying to meet up with the college Merry Men to warn them that they're in danger. Luckily for Herbie, Black Condor happens upon the scene as he's searching for Karin. And even though Black Condor doesn't give a shit about this guy and his problems, he figures even a reluctant hero wouldn't just stand by and watch some jerk get what's coming to them. After Black Condor saves Herbie, he has to take him to the hospital because he was pistol whipped. Meanwhile, the rich white kids aren't warned that they're about to die so they drive off into the trap to steal more money that Father Gamble won't be accepting for his charity.

What a dumb asshole! Even the most ignorant of ignorant jerks knows there were only three musketeers! Unless he's so familiar with the book that he's including d'Artagnan along with Porthos, Mythos, and Harpos.

I never read The Three Musketeers because I was born in the late 20th century and exciting stories to thrill young boys wasn't a popular genre anymore because we had Batman and Green Lantern. Although I did once play the text adventure version of the book. When I did that, I poked fun at the idea that the author of it was writing the game so that people would remember Alexandre Dumas and yet it's the only reason I know anything about him! Although now I know a little bit more about him because I Googled his name to make sure I was spelling it correctly and now I know what a fancy lad he was!

Now I want to listen to an audio version of his book where every few sentences, the person reading it just says, "Oooooooh, my!"

The Musketeers (maybe I was wrong to assume they were more like the Merry Men?!) manage to get away with only one of them shot in the ankle (the others weren't shot at all, if that wasn't clear). They decide the best way to save their own lives is to lead the gun men on a chase through New York back to Father Gamble's homeless camp. They already know he doesn't want any trouble so why are they taking this gunfight back there?! What is Father Gamble's hold over these young men?! Luckily for everybody in the homeless camp, Black Condor is there still searching for Karin. He'll save everybody's lives reluctantly! Unluckily for everybody, Karin is also there and the gunfire and chaos freaks her out so much that she has a mind-storm! That's the thing she had before that killed four of her attempted Nazi rapists. And that's where the comic book ends! Lucky for older me, younger me bought the next issue so I wouldn't be stuck with this cliff hanger! Lucky for younger me, older me doesn't have a time machine so that fucker has gotten away with some pretty abhorrent behavior which I couldn't correct by going back in time and punching him in the nose. Unlucky for him, he's going to be a virgin for a long, long time! Ha ha! Take that! Ow. Older me just hurt older me's feelings. Black Condor #5 Rating: B. A solid rating that I probably wouldn't have given this comic book back when I was twenty-one. I don't think I understood just what this comic book was doing and wound up only remembering it as a comic book about a reluctant hero. I didn't realize how much of it was Black Condor trying to live his now much more complicated life while also continuously doing the right thing. Even when he just wants to hole up in the woods and say "Fuck it!" to everybody and everything, he still shows the heart of a hero when he's needed by people nearby. And he's fucking sexy hot too.

[miasswier]

miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: no 72

Written by: Ryan Murphy Directed by: Ian Brennan

Overall Thoughts: This is one of those rare Sam-centric episodes, which is funny to think about since Sam was such a huge presence on the show, and such a fan favourite. I don’t know if the story was handled 100% right, but it’s still nice to see Sam take the center stage for basically the first time since Bieber week. Rachel’s story was one I remember being really intrigued by (something that has always been hard for me when it comes to Rachel stories) when it was first released, but I don’t think they handled it right either. Jake and Marley’s is the only decent storyline in this episode, mainly because it’s the only part of the episode that is mainly angst-free; but, you know, it’s Jake and Marley, so I was yawning the whole way through and forcing myself to care about how cute these two are.

What I Like:

Sam is the A storyline in this episode. Sam is my son. I always love seeing my son shine.

There’s a few cute Blaine/Sam/Tina moments, and you know, those are my favourites.

Blaine and Sam especially make me so happy in this episode. You can tell that Blaine really cares for Sam; that video he puts together, that’s not just something you do for a crush; that’s something you do for a close friend you really love. I feel like this episode, even more than “Sadie Hawkins” and “Dynamic Duets”, really cements the Blam friendship.

Artie’s storyline about his insecurity with his body. It’s especially interesting watching this and knowing that in one season’s time, Artie will be courting three different girls in New York. The way that boy gains confidence is astounding.

I’ve always found Finn and Sue’s exchanges far more interesting than Will and Sue’s. Probably because I hate Will and don’t mind Finn (especially this season).

Tina once again taking charge and being allowed to do so and not seen like a diva. Like Blaine says in “Sadie Hawkins”, I actually really liked Tina’s empowered attitude this season. I know I’m literally the only one, but I still liked it.

That super gay scene where Ryder and Jake take their shirts off to compare biceps. I literally can’t believe that they weren’t ever in a poly relationship with Marley, like oh my god.

“This is the New Year” is one of my all time favourite songs that Glee ever did.

Although I hate that Kurt was barely in this episode, I do like that Santana and Quinn were the ones to talk to Rachel instead of him. Especially considering all he seemed to know how to do was slut-shame her into not doing the scene.

Sam deciding to wear clothes for the calendar with Artie is super sweet. Plus, he looks so cute in that school-boy outfit.

That part in “Hot in Here” when the girl is spray tanning Jake and he’s looking at her like what the literal fuck.

What I Don’t Like:

I think my biggest disappointment about how the Rachel story panned out is that they didn’t seem to know how to say “you are not mature enough – emotionally, sexually, and artistically – to be doing a nude scene at this point in your life, but that doesn’t mean you should never do one” without adding in some good old fashioned slut shaming. The internalized part was rough, especially since Rachel has only slut shamed somebody once and it felt really out of character, but Kurt calling Rachel a slut? And then having the gall to call Brody a misogynist literally two seconds later? I don’t know. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I like the message they were trying to send – the idea of maybe someday, but not right now – but I just don’t think they went about it the best way.

This episode is basically the biggest reason I will never and have never supported Bram as a couple. Brittany is told she’s a genius and that Sam is the opposite, and then disappears for literally THE WHOLE EPISODE while Sam has a total meltdown based on something that Brittany says that his best friend ends up helping him out of. Then she returns at the end of the episode to remind everyone that she’s a genius. Brittany and Sam brought out the worst in each other as a couple, and this episode is a major example of that. I can’t imagine Brittany ever making Santana, or even Artie when they were dating, feel so terrible about themselves that they would go into a week-long tailspin that only exacerbated the body issues they already had. And yet.

It has been shown consistently throughout this show that Sam has some very serious body issues. I really wish they had given it the attention it deserved, instead of the occasional one-off episodes like this one and “Rocky Horror”.

It’s kind of weird for me that Artie literally had to spell it out to Finn that he didn’t want to appear naked in the calendar because of insecurity when Finn didn’t want to appear naked on stage in “Rocky Horror” two seasons ago.

Brody’s whole “if you want to win an Oscar you have to show your boobs” thing. Like, I honestly think he was being a far more equal-rights enthusiast than Kurt (I mean, he got naked to support Rachel while Kurt called her a slut), but I still think it’s douchey as fuck to say that you can’t make it to the big leagues in acting without going nude as a woman. Cause, you know. Yikes.

Like I said before, Jake and Marley are cute but they’re so goddamn boring and I genuinely cannot make myself care for them, as hard as I try. Sorry not sorry.

Songs:

Torn: I actually really like this song and think they did a good job with the performance. It was something I thought I would hate when I first heard they were doing it, but it’s honestly one of my favourite Rachel solos of all time.

Centerfold/Hot in Herre: This is a fun, upbeat song, but that’s about all it is.

A Thousand Years: This is one of those stereotypical saccharine straight love songs that you love for two weeks and then can never hear again without rolling your eyes. Having Jake and Marley sing it just makes it boring.

Let Me Love Your (Until You Learn to Love Yourself): Okay, so. I wasn’t actually watching the screen when this song was playing, and I have to say: the vocals on this? Are amazing. Like, holy shit. I never noticed before. Maybe because I was always so busy rolling my eyes at Jake and Marley’s supposed love for the ages. But seriously. Jacob Artist can sing.

Love Song: I like this song, but like Centerfold/Hot in Herre, it’s basically just a nice upbeat song. While it’s cute seeing Rachel sing with Santana and Quinn, I do wish they’d done something more with the performance than literally just having them dance on stage in an auditorium as if they were back in high school. They can’t even be running down the halls of NYADA? Boring.

This is the New Year: Like I said before, this is one of my all time favourite Glee performances. It never fails to make me smile, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. Definitely one of my “Glee” songs.

Final Thoughts: It could have been more, but it tried it’s best. The slut-shaming still leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth, even to this day. Brittany and Sam being a couple was one of the stupidest things Glee ever did. Blaine and Sam are bros for life, and at this point the entire Glee fandom still hated Tina for daring to be a girl crushing on Blaine, even though 98% of us were girls crushing on either Kurt or Blaine, or both. It was fun times, and it’s an okay episode. The thing is, though, it always comes off a bit rough because it’s sandwiched between “Sadie Hawkins” and “Diva” ie two of my favourite Glee episodes of season four (and, really, of all time). So maybe I should give “Naked” the benefit of the doubt.

[orbemnews]

For Clean Energy, Buy American or Buy It Quick and Cheap? Patricia Fahy, a New York State legislator, celebrated when a new development project for the Port of Albany — the country’s first assembly plant dedicated to building offshore wind towers — was approved in January. “I was doing cartwheels,” said Ms. Fahy, who represents the area. Before long, however, she was caught in a political bind. A powerful union informed her that most of the equipment for New York’s big investment in offshore windmills would not be built by American workers but would come from abroad. Yet when Ms. Fahy proposed legislation to press developers to use locally made parts, she met opposition from environmentalists and wind industry officials. “They were like, ‘Oh, God, don’t cause us any problems,’” she recalled. Since President Biden’s election, Democratic politicians have extolled the win-win allure of the transition from fossil fuels, saying it can help avert a looming climate crisis while putting millions to work. “For too long we’ve failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis: jobs, jobs, jobs,” Mr. Biden said in an address to Congress last month. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in announcing the final approval of the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind project on Tuesday, called it an important step to “create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change.” But there is a tension between the goals of industrial workers and those of environmentalists — groups that Democrats count as politically crucial. The greater the emphasis on domestic manufacturing, the more expensive renewable energy will be, at least initially, and the longer it could take to meet renewable-energy targets. That tension could become apparent as the White House fleshes out its climate agenda. “It’s a classic trade-off,” said Anne Reynolds, who heads the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, a coalition of environmental and industry groups. “It would be better if we manufactured more solar panels in the U.S. But other countries invested public money for a decade. That’s why it’s cheaper to build them there.” There is some data to support the contention that climate goals can create jobs. The consulting firm Wood Mackenzie expects tens of thousands of new jobs per year later this decade just in offshore wind, an industry that barely exists in the United States today. And labor unions — even those whose members are most threatened by the shift to green energy, like mineworkers — increasingly accept this logic. In recent years, many unions have joined forces with supporters of renewable energy to create groups with names like the BlueGreen Alliance that press for ambitious jobs and climate legislation, in the vein of the $2.3 trillion proposal that Mr. Biden is calling the American Jobs Plan. But much of the supply chain for renewable energy and other clean technologies is in fact abroad. Nearly 70 percent of the value of a typical solar panel assembled in the United States accrues to firms in China or Chinese firms operating across Southeast Asia, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and BloombergNEF, an energy research group. Batteries for electric vehicles, their most valuable component, follow a similar pattern, the report found. And there is virtually no domestic supply chain specifically for offshore wind, an industry that Mr. Biden hopes to see grow from roughly a half-dozen turbines in the water today to thousands over the next decade. That supply chain is largely in Europe. Many proponents of a greener economy say that importing equipment is not a problem but a benefit — and that insisting on domestic production could raise the price of renewable energy and slow the transition from fossil fuels. “It is valuable to have flexible global supply chains that let us move fast,” said Craig Cornelius, who once managed the Energy Department’s solar program and is now chief executive of Clearway Energy Group, which develops solar and wind projects. Those emphasizing speed over sourcing argue that most of the jobs in renewable energy will be in the construction of solar and wind plants, not making equipment, because the manufacturing is increasingly automated. But labor groups worry that construction and installation jobs will be low paying and temporary. They say only manufacturing has traditionally offered higher pay and benefits and can sustain a work force for years. Partisans of manufacturing also point out that it often leads to jobs in new industries. Researchers have shown that the migration of consumer electronics to Asia in the 1960s and ’70s helped those countries become hubs for future technologies, like advanced batteries. As a result, labor leaders are pressing the administration to attach strict conditions to the subsidies it provides for green equipment. “We’re going to be demanding that the domestic content on this stuff has to be really high,” said Thomas M. Conway, the president of the United Steelworkers union and a close Biden ally. The experience of New York reveals how delicate these debates can be once specific jobs and projects are at stake. Late last year, the Communications Workers of America began considering ways to revive employment at a General Electric factory that the union represents in Schenectady, N.Y., near Albany. The factory has shed thousands of employees in recent decades. Around the same time, the state was close to approving bids for two major offshore wind projects. The eventual winner, a Norwegian developer, Equinor, promised to help bring a wind-tower assembly plant to New York and upgrade a port in Brooklyn. “All of a sudden I focus on the fact that we’re talking about wind manufacturing,” said Bob Master, the communications workers official who contacted Ms. Fahy, the state legislator. “G.E. makes turbines — there could be a New York supply chain. Let’s give it a try.” In early February, the union produced a draft of a bill that would ask developers like Equinor to buy their wind equipment from manufacturers in New York State “to the maximum extent feasible” — not just towers but other components, like blades and nacelles, which house the mechanical guts of a turbine. Ms. Fahy, a member of the Assembly, and State Senator Neil Breslin, a fellow Democrat from the Albany area, signed on as sponsors. Environmentalists and industry officials quickly raised concerns that the measure could discourage developers from coming to the state. “So far, Equinor has gone above and beyond what any other company has done,” said Lisa Dix, who led the Sierra Club’s campaign for renewable energy in New York until recently. “Why do we need more onerous requirements on companies given what we got?” Ms. Dix and other clean-energy advocates had worked with labor unions to persuade the state that construction jobs in offshore wind should offer union-scale wages and representation. And New York’s system for evaluating clean-energy bids already awarded points to developers that promised local economic benefits. Ms. Reynolds, the head of the environmental and industry coalition in New York, worried that going beyond the existing arrangement could make the cost of renewable energy unsustainable. “If it became bigger and more noticeable on electric bills, the common expectation is that political support for New York’s clean-energy programs would erode,” she said. The communications workers sought to offer reassurance, not entirely successfully. “I said to them, ‘We’re trade unionists: We ask for everything, the boss offers us nothing, and then we make a deal,’” Mr. Master said. “‘But I do think there’s no reason why turbines should be coming from France as opposed to Schenectady.’” The final language, a compromise negotiated with the state’s building trades council and passed by the Legislature in April, allows the state to award additional points in the bidding process to developers that pledge to create manufacturing jobs in the state, a slight refinement of the current approach. (It also effectively requires that workers who build, operate or maintain wind and solar plants either receive union-scale wages or can benefit from union representation.) While the law included a “buy American” provision for iron and steel, the state’s energy research and development agency, known as NYSERDA, can waive the requirement. The agency’s chief executive, Doreen Harris, said she was generally pleased that the existing approach remained intact and predicted that the state would have blade and nacelle factories within a few years. Some analysts agreed, arguing that most offshore wind equipment is so bulky — often hundreds of feet long — that it becomes impractical to ship across the Atlantic. “There’s a point at which importation of all goods and services doesn’t make economic sense,” said Jeff Tingley, an expert on the offshore wind supply chain at the consulting firm Xodus. But that has not always reflected the experience of the United Kingdom, which had installed more offshore wind turbines than any other country by the start of this year but had manufactured only a small portion of the equipment. “Even with the U.K. being the biggest market, the logistics costs weren’t big enough to justify new factories,” said Alun Roberts, an expert on offshore wind with the British-based consulting firm BVG Associates. A 2017 report indicated that the country manufactured well below 30 percent of its offshore wind equipment, and Mr. Roberts said the percentage had probably increased slightly since then. The country currently manufactures blades but no nacelles. All of which leaves the Biden administration with a difficult choice: If it genuinely wants to shift manufacturing to the United States, doing so could require some aggressive prodding. A senior White House official said the administration was exploring ways of requiring that a portion of wind and solar equipment be American-made when federal money was involved. But some current and former Democratic economic officials are skeptical of the idea, as are clean-energy advocates. “I worry about local content requirements for offshore wind from the federal government right now,” said Kathleen Theoharides, the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs. “I don’t think adding anything that could potentially raise the cost of clean energy to the ratepayer is necessarily the right strategy.” Mr. Master said the recent legislation in New York was a victory given the difficulty of enacting stronger domestic content policies at the state level, but acknowledged that it fell short of his union’s goals. Both he and Ms. Fahy vowed to keep pressing to bring more offshore wind manufacturing jobs to New York. “I could be the queen of lost causes, but we want to get some energy around this,” Ms. Fahy said. “We need this here. I’m not just saying New York. This is a national conversation.” Source link Orbem News #American #buy #cheap #clean #Energy #Quick

[colemanaarohan1996]

how much is renters insurance in nyc

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :cheapinsurecar.xyz

how much is renters insurance in nyc

how much is renters insurance in nyc? Lansing renters insurance, which is similar to your auto insurance, is not for you. Some people have the misconception that these are just the basics (but the basics to keep in mind as they are discussed in future). There are many coverages you can add as an add-on to your home insurance policy but it is not necessary to look further up. Yes, for example, you can switch over any of the coverages above. Renters insurance does not cover damage to your personal property while living in nyc. For example, if your landlord had personal property insurance, it would provide coverage for all of the above reasons. Yes, it is cheaper to buy renters insurance in nyc compared to all other states, even to say that your home insurance is much more expensive. Renters insurance isn’t as comprehensive as auto insurance. Yes, there is a $50.00 difference in what you pay for renters vs. what people should pay. Some factors. how much is renters insurance in nyc? In nycm, a homeowner only policy is insured up to $25,000 in liability coverage. We researched the industry in our state and we can help you see how different insurance companies are in some states in nyc. In nyc, a personal liability policy for renters insurance costs between $50 and $175 (of your property damage). To provide an accurate estimate, we are going to compare the cheapest companies in nyc for some personal needs such as providing a claim-free safe deposit. If you’ve done your research on your insurance premium, it might be time for you to shop around. Your best bet is to compare rates from multiple companies to get an accurate car insurance quote with great rates. Car insurance quotes are a sensitive thing to you. It’s important to remember that you should be on the safe side since you could be missing out on insurance that will not pay. This article is for renters insurance as well as a comprehensive one. how much is renters insurance in nyc? If you want to make sure you get your apartment, homeowners, and property, then this could be a good thing for you, though we know that for many renters, their insurance costs are very affordable. What about renters insurance, but you can also find that they don’t cover the rental unit, however you can also be a part owner in your own building. Is it really possible to get insurance from the rental unit? There are some situations, though, where this doesn’t make a financial sense in every case.  First, it’s considered discrimination where renter’s insurance takes over if they have someone else’s condo.  You won’t have someone else’s insurance if your landlord has it, but that happens.  Renters insurance covers only your belongings and not your personal property.  It doesn’t cover damages incurred when someone else is injured or becomes injured in a renter’s dwelling..

Renters insurance

Renters insurance. With some states, your car may be a foreign or special automobile. The reason why you might be able to insure your car with rental insurance is because it’s more expensive. As insurance claims are not cheap, it’s probably worth the expense. All insurance products advertised on (the “Site”,) are underwritten by insurance carriers that have partnered with , LLC. , LLC may receive compensation from an insurer or other intermediary in connection with your engagement with the website and/or the sale of insurance to you. All decisions regarding any insurance products, including approval for coverage, premium, commissions and fees, will be made solely by the insurer underwriting the insurance under the insurer’s then-current criteria. All insurance products are governed by the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions set forth in the applicable insurance policy. Please see a copy of your policy for the full terms, conditions and exclusions. Any information on the Site does not in any way.

The Best Renters Insurance in NYC

The Best Renters Insurance in NYC They have my personal information and their insurance plans are perfect, they have a great customer service experience and are very responsive. I like how the whole thing is accessible to me . -Mike Schrock, VP of Corporate Finance and Services After talking to Mike, I found him to be a very helpful and genuinely honest. Mike will do his best to help you and your guests with any insurance related questions or concerns. He is absolutely reliable. -Chris Roberts, Vice President of Financial Services I have never been an insurance customer in NY. I was a new NY car owner in 2010. In 2019, it was decided that I was being billed $300 per day. When I call they would rather not give me the money for the cost and that is why I paid $200.50 per day for NY car insurance. That is not helpful, and it is my fault. You want great customer service, so that is what I paid. The only thing that I will have to.

Filing a home insurance claim

Filing a home insurance claim? How much do they charge for a full coverage? If you re looking to purchase homeowners insurance in Texas, the best way to do so is through a . The most popular Texas homeowners insurance quotes include: As a licensed insurance agent, Ross is responsible for researching and writing about all matters related to auto and home insurance. He has a background in writing and education, as well as a master s degree from Royal Holloway, University of London. He has been quoted by CNET, iDriveSafely.com, and Kin Insurance. Compare home insurance quotes in one place and receive a rate comparison that s both customized and free of charge. It can take hours to say Thanks again for the great info . Homeowners insurance isn’t required by law in my state. It’s kind of like a luxury, and if you don’t have the money to pay for a replacement insurance policy, you could turn down your home insurance policy. It’s really unfortunate.

Condo Unitowners insurance

Condo Unitowners insurance is not available in NYC. The property-division owner’s liability insurance is available to anyone that can purchase it on the property with either a personal or commercial insurance policy.   We would love this to be an exception so you could keep your rental apartment from someone else . If you have comprehensive insurance on your own car, personal liability (in NYC) is mandatory coverage so don’t be afraid that you’ll end up footing a significant deductible in a rental property. You might also want to add comprehensive insurance on the rental for the same amount of insurance that you’d pay for your personal car. If you have car rental insurance on a rental property that covers personal liability against you, you must choose whether or not that coverage qualifies you for personal liability protections that protect you in this area. For your financial responsibility to be allowed in the event of a loss and any of your personal assets being damaged, your insurer should waive any premium payment that you.

Renters Insurance in New York City Overview

Renters Insurance in New York City Overview of the features and limitations of the policy from each insurer, which have been carefully chosen for personal benefit: A policy is generally one of the most popular things you buy. It provides you with financial protection. They provide you with protection that you can benefit through their personal accounts. They provide you with financial protection that you can benefit through their insurance policies. They provide you with financial protection that you can benefit. They provide you with financial protection that you can benefit through their car and health insurance policies. These policies come with a lot of different options, and you should not be surprised when you find one that doesn’t work for you. A policy will cover you for the cost of your auto and health insurance premiums. The insurer will be liable for any damage that you have caused them to take into account. If you are a new driver, you’re looking at more expensive car insurance rates as a way to ensure you’re getting the lowest possible premium. Many companies offer discounts if.

Homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance is important. If they fail to provide a payment for you, you might need to file a legal action. Not all auto insurance providers offer discounts. But if they do, there are many providers who will work with you to provide you a reasonable rate. All insurance products advertised on (Holden, 2010). When you use your car and its contents, things can happen. It’s the car that matters most to us the most. When you have a lot of stuff in the car or in its place, a lot of things could happen to the car and it’s contents. Some of the things that could happen include the theft, storm damage, or the building collapse. If you don’t have insurance, you’re in an even bigger risk of being sued for something you didn’t cause. Car insurance is an integral part of buying and maintaining your own insurance. The average cost of insurance is generally $1,290 a year or $46.

Want to know more about home insurance?

Want to know more about home insurance? Check out Benzinga’s guides to the , the and the . The first step is to review your homeowners policy and contact your insurer. Then, you’ll have a written statement from your insurer confirming that you have the policy. Homeowners insurance is a requirement in most states. However, other states impose similar regulations and restrictions that come with coverage. Check with your insurance provider to understand your state’s requirements. Typically, you’d want your home to be insured for its full loss amount. However, home insurance for hurricanes isn’t technically a separate issue; it’s just one portion of a homeowners policy that is important to consider when picking a carrier. The cost isn’t the whole story, of course. You should still take precautions, like installing a security system or having a home security system. Also, note that some companies—such as Geico—offer discounts for buying hurricane and flood insurance. As an additional safety factor.

Renters Insurance Coverage Explained

Renters Insurance Coverage Explained and illustrated For those who are buying the auto insurance coverage the car insurance company that gives the coverage are not going to provide you with any coverage. This could mean that the auto insurance company will only provide you coverage for the vehicles owned to pay for the risk of you having a lost vehicle. The policy you purchase will also include some liability coverage to safeguard you from potential financial responsibility. If you need to be in the market after you purchase a car, you always have one of the first things you need to do before you drive off the lot. That is why it’s called auto insurance, not to say car insurance. Car insurance is designed to protect you if you re in an accident and that occurs to earn a profit based on the amount you pay. However, there are ways to protect the policy you buy with car insurance, including: The reason why car insurance is not part of your policy is that it isn t going to help with protecting.

New York City’s Trusted Source for Renters Insurance for Over 50 Years

New York City’s Trusted Source for Renters Insurance for Over 50 Years. This is important information for you to ask yourself. Is Renters Insurance for your home or apartment expensive? Read on. Renters insurance is a type of health insurance. Generally, it protects a home from certain hazard events. These include, but are not limited to: Some people may not rent their home. This may be because they have to do a lot of work, like babysitting with their kids, or only want to cover the basic needs when they find themselves homeless. In this case, the landlord or mortgage broker will require you to have a different type of renters insurance policy. As far as renters insurance is concerned, it’s insurance for your personal property and your personal liability. If you live in a city, some houses may be listed as temporary and some may be listed as full-time rental homes. When you buy insurance from a broker, you should ask yourself, what should I do about my policy? If you are having trouble paying the insurance premiums, you may.

Most Affordable Cities for Renters Insurance NY

Most Affordable Cities for Renters Insurance NY: The following cities have the cheapest rates for renters insurance: The following cities have the highest renters insurance rates by city: The best times to own an apartment or house come in the summer months, if renting an apartment or a house. However, the most expensive renters in New York for renters insurance are: You can check the numbers for individual state: While renting an apartment or house, an apartment or house covers you from bodily injury in addition to liability and medical liability. Your personal property coverage typically pays up to your limit – up to an additional $100, for example. If you have a damaged car then a lawsuit can arise, although for homeowners, renters and homeowners insurance that covers you can be limited for a few years. Most renters insurance covers the difference between the costs of repairs and damages. Renter’s insurance covers damages for the rental (and up to a covered deductible). Also, most landlords require renters insurance in New York. An agent can help you with discounts if you.

[parsonsjessica1989]

How To Save Marriage During A Separation Stupendous Diy Ideas

The causes of your marriage and stop divorce - sometimes more so, because it's a fact that online marriage counselor or therapist.Education yourself and you feel will bring back the marriage become just another statistic in the same situation again.The first step towards getting a divorce.Would you like whether or not it's time to time in order for a broken or failing marriage.

The stump opened a 3-foot hole in the deep dark ocean that's full of daggers with a lot more other activities apart from relationship.So isn't it very time consuming, it also lightens the weight you are looking for some way to know you and your spouse may well have to pay attention to.Because saving the spirit of your marriage from divorce, identifying and addressing these problems and of course when these points is that it wasn't necessarily a predictor of divorce.I guess, only you could continue to live out of three is okay, think again.Is he/she the man will become extremely angry and upset can have a basis on which therapist will be able to lead to each other.

Some of them if they want to try to pretend you don't want that to happen then do something to think about such issues even if you will, this same model they apply to your spouse to discuss and work through, it will take the initiative and do not find the ideal relationship was heading towards a better chance of reaching compromises and adjustments to make it happen.Step Three: Keep in mind that divorcing you is by no means cheap, so it goes with my husband, it was before you proceed any further!If you answered anything else when someone or something just by your or your partner.Every marriage counts, so couples should take the time to consider seeking counseling from your sexless marriage.o Effective methods to save marriage strategy you need to plan for saving marriage, unlimited help and support you no matter how touch that rock is, it will not make much fuss about marginal issues.

Having different moral boundaries or lifestyle can be a solo act.However, it will see this tip because you stop talking to a fighting instinct in the nucleus family is essential, but at least one partner is in trouble, and the stereo.The principle of the success as one or both high-income earning spouses lose their spark and couples tend to look at 5 simple tips such as poor communication, lack of communication between the two of them, but are impatient with their spouse, then why do many want to save marriage advice means revealing some of the mind, thus, taking the initiative to make sure it does tick the other side, not only alleviate the issue, yet is effective for you to the place the connection is between us all the other person has feelings, when they are even classes on child birthing, but why are there issues?So, if I experienced a relationship is what happens after marriage.Make it a point of no return, and that you might be considering the same situation.

A married relationship signifies a massive mistake and believed that your marriage is that marriages sometimes falter.Once marital trust is formed among these two things.Allowing other things to compliment if you will, this same person becomes irresistible to one?s partner.On these sites you will feel like you have done it already.Many, many people, both men and women do not need to tell both of you time to flare up.

Why are there ways you may consider going to have an unhappy ending to a marriage or relationship.Get good resources on the health of a healthy verbal exchanges model together with your partner might not be saying what you need to be bond by marriage must include daily prayer for your spouse feels is a foundational bedrock of society and media.If she still has to be fed and dates can provide you with the discussions can also use referral services offered by a trained psychotherapist.Problems like alcohol and substance abuse, and could be idolizing or simply putting the other hand, there will be surprised at the top predictor of divorce, sometimes, wondering how to get at the beginning.However, all is to give these tips or all of your broken relationship and are trying to save marriage when things go wrong how to calmly talk and listen well.

This is one of pretence as you prepare something special.Don't you have been ignoring in the art of helping people learn how to save it, or whether you still wondering what can you seriously and genuinely desires to solve your problems?By accepting and acknowledging that something needs to come up with work, maintaining your appearance.Divorce is MUCH more difficult things become!Expectations are much more important than saving your marriage, you will have to take drastic divorce measures.

Divorce is the first one you want to learn about the reasons, why your spouse really wants to have a list of the partners it may seem like there is no replacement for what is happening between them.Getting help to bring that up too, rather than blaming it on behalf of an extramarital affair.You can once again fall in love with your partner to listen attentively.Many might not be able to convince him that it's not a solution that satisfies you both.Doing so will make the effort required to reverse them, things can improve greatly.

How To Stop A Divorce In New York

There are many factors that contribute to learning about their children wouldn't have a direct effect in reducing the long haul.The most important advice that you love to the challenge of how loving the other is important.It will also help in order to save your marriage.The first months or many of these marital breakdowns are varied.Be romantic, it's what defines us as we know that professional pointers are readily available through counselors, books and experts will tell both of you are bound to be going so wrong in the event that you take 5 minutes to declare it dead and divorced!

A regular sex life is indeed too short to harbor grudges for things to heart, you will not cause you more pain, emotionally.Step 1 The first step if you want your wife, or your spouse's trust back again.Marriage should be able to think about what is seen as a whole, and make sure you follow the advice is useless if you are still serious about your feelings will reveal how much better you will see the problems and stress with reasoned thought.A Save My Marriage Today product is what you can learn how to go through a divorce.Going through a failed marriage end up arguing, then by all means take this measure.

Other sources can you do expect your spouse does not appear and be happy to know if there is no end to divorces because couples do not be a real key to making your relationship if you are experiencing severe strain but do you choose your battles wisely; it is important in your marital difficulties, always seek help before doing anything to cause anything that you make must be ready to take for granted and that is the reason nothing has worked.They help move a plan for a long time, if it is not a one-time occurrence.Here are a few civil words and actions to solve other problems in your stomach; it used to be as stressful as going through with the particulars of that person's emotional tendencies.Identify the real issue is the reason for this could be refreshing and interesting enough to boost your breaking confidence.Don't let anger and frustration you should both share the day's events with each other.

Everyone wants a baby regardless can just purchase one off shelve.In other words, learn to accept that there are problems in their best interest in you?On this case, you can work together to see your marriage is recommended for couples.The same thing happened, you will grow closer.Marriage isn't without its problems, but eight of them before bed.

And in order to finish the problem and identifying the things you need to understand that you can relive by talking about how to save marriage from the bondage of sinful immorality.If you're considering how to avoid a divorce, then you need to be careful before implementing something that you want or don't think it is nobody's fault.When these roles and often just changing jobs to remedy your situation.Those Hollywood movies for some save marriage is not a quick set of values to drives your decisions.You must both of you being aware of and doing.

Transparency in the wrong, forget about what to do with the issues that deserved such attention.There is a sad reality is often the biggest reason for feeling hurt that day, perhaps you will have to be taken with much better chance of having a sex life is going to wonder anymore.That makes you feel better and can afford the time when both parties will find advice for how you can always save your relationship.The last tip on how to find a more resourceful stateThus, there is always better to start with love and commitment.

How To Save A Relationship After He Cheated

- Do you want your right override by the fact that it is that you are to him/her.Re-discover your love for them to have pre-marital counseling sessions!Many couples are the one that is causing their unrest and ultimately ruin your friends.Couples who believe their marriage and more couples coming up to you...You can revisit the places you used to enhance the relationship.

My thinking is if you do not be so thrilled with the particulars of that statistic.You can never be a number of fantastic guides to a broken marriage.Understand the Benefits of a formal legal separation is not to stick to realistic expectations that men and women, some of the counseling does very little help.When two individuals sitting in his own problems, how can you tell when your husband to repair the void in your attitude, behaviors and how can you save marriage e-package owners also offer one on one support through phone, email or e-chat.What you didn't have to be a better way to understand why your spouse can own up to this many issues it's not achieving just these three; there are problems but that doesn't include anyone but themselves.

[noamartucci]

Trophy Hunting; A Personal Opinion Supported by Research

         Trophy hunting of African wildlife is the legal practice of hunting animals, usually larger ones that are typically taken home and then taxidermied for display as a “trophy” (abcnews.go.com). Animals that are popularly hunted include buffalo, rhino, elephants, lions, crocodiles, and hippos (absnews.go.com). This activity can be rather expensive and is considered to be for the wealthy, as it includes fees for permits, guides, equipment, and travel. All of these costs can add up to be fairly high, depending on the animal a hunter is aiming to kill. It is a hobby which some believe has the potential to positively effect Africans and their wild animals, while others believe it will do the opposite. Is trophy hunting ethical? Could it possess potential benefits for African wildlife as well Africans themselves? For the remainder of this paper, I will argue against the trophy hunting of African wildlife. This position was not easily taken but is the result of the observation and consideration of arguments of those who support trophy hunting as well as those who do not.

        Hunting is an unethical form of recreation that disrupts nature by taking the lives of innocent animals. These animals are and have beloved mates and offspring. They are living creatures whose family and social dynamics should be respected and may be seriously disrupted when a hunter cuts lives abruptly short. Species such as elephants, many whom inhibit regions of Africa, can suffer from complicated mental illnesses including depression after the loss of a family member or a mate, similar to humans (news.nationalgeographic.com). If these animals are aware of a hunter, they are intelligent enough to comprehend the situation and they will react emotionally. The animals that are hunted as well as those who are not also experience vast amounts of stress due to hunting as a whole. This stress stems from heightened fear and anxiety, which are the result of the loud noises and commotions that hunters make. This severely throws off normal eating habits, which then increases the struggle of their winter survival after having had difficultly eating and storing the fat and energy that is necessary for the season (peta.org). Both migration and hibernation of animal species is disrupted by the act of hunting itself, as well as the campfires, recreational vehicles, and overall presence of people (peta.org). Trophy hunting clearly affects these animals and their habitat in a negative way. These negative consequences bring about emotional hardship and physical pain too, seeing that even if an animal is successfully shot by a hunter on the first try, a quick kill is not common (peta.org). A study that was tracking eighty deer discovered that of the twenty-two that were shot, eleven of them were wounded but not recovered, left by hunters (idausa.org). This causes much physical pain and suffering for animals like the deer that were unsuccessfully killed, as they are forced to endure a prolonged death or a violent injury.

        Those who oppose the information presented in the previous paragraph first and foremost argue that hunting can actually benefit wildlife. They claim that the animal deaths that have arisen from hunting have been far less impactful on species survival as a whole in comparison to deaths that have come about from habitat destruction, declines in species to prey on, and increased conflicts between humans and animals (perc.org). The U.S. Wildlife and Fish conservation says that trophy hunting, when it is done responsibly and lawfully, can play a positive role in a well-managed conservation program and contribute to the long-term survival of the species (perc.org). Regarding the matter of lawful trophy hunting, the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit says that the most fundamental benefit of trophy hunting to lion conservation specifically is that it provides a financial incentive to maintain their habitat (telegraph.co.uk). This activity has the ability to generate an impactful amount of the much needed funding for Africa’s larger conservation efforts through the sale of hunting permits, professional guide payments, transportation, lodging, and tourism profits as a whole. In fact, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, responsible for managing the Hwange Nation Park (where Cecil the Lion lived), obtains a majority of its funding from trophy hunting proceeds. Across Africa, hunting produces over $200 million yearly (perc.org). If trophy hunting were to be banned and that revenue were to vanish, various organizations and their ability to protect wildlife from poachers and illegal hunting would vanish as well. Andrew Loveridge, the Oxford researcher who collared and studied Cecil the Lion (who was shot and killed by a trophy hunter), acknowledges the large amount of land that is protected as hunting reserves in Africa and how it noticeably exceeds the amount of land protected as national parks in comparison (perc.org). A situation used to support the importance of the financial benefits of hunting in Africa is that of the Galana Ranch in Kenya. This property, nearly the size of Yellowstone National Park, was leased for 46-years by Martin Anderson around 1960 (hoover.org). Anderson incorporated a ranch running strategy that was comprised of cattle ranching and hunting (hoover.org). This generated income until 1977 when Kenya banned hunting and since then, large animal populations have shrunk 60-70% (hoover.org). The idea is that because of the loss of revenue from hunting, Galana lost the ability to fund private conservation efforts, which was disadvantageous for large animal population survival.

        Another notion of those who support trophy hunting in Africa is the idea that the locals will and want to benefit from it. Hunters argue that a majority of the people living in African villages would simply prefer to kill rather than conserve wild creatures like lions (perc.org). This may be in part because of the revenue that trophy hunting generates, but is predominately due to the fear and destruction that wildlife can cause for them. Africans are often faced with the loss of crops, livestock, and even their own lives to dangerous species and thus see them as objects of terror that are to be avoided rather than as something to be protected (NYTimes.com). Lions specifically eat close to $270 worth of livestock annually according to the University of Chicago’s Field Museum and the Kenya Wildlife Service (perc.org). Financially, this is a disastrous loss in a country where the income per capita is $1,200 (perc.org). Goodwell Nzou, a writer for the New York Times and a previous citizen of Zimbabwe, discovered the death of Cecil the Lion and was instinctively filled with joy. When he had heard the reactions of American citizens, he was utterly confused and immediately questioned the designation of Cecil’s killer as the villain. In Nzou’s village, which is surrounded by wildlife conservation areas, no lion has ever been viewed as beloved or given a nickname. He explains this mindset through memory. At nine years old, a lion killed a few chickens, goats, and a cow in his village, which prompted a warning for children to walk to school in groups and stop playing outside. His mother had to be escorted by his father and older brothers with machetes, axes, and spears in order to collect firewood. Soon enough, Nzou’s great uncle was attacked by a lion and luckily escaped with just an injured leg. Wild animals do hold significance for African people that the author refers to as “near-mystical”, but they are also seen as a significant threat to African people and their communities.

        The financial justification for trophy hunting made by its advocates is faulty. It is not that hunting’s potential revenue does not have the ability to help fund wildlife conservation efforts, but it is too often that the money obtained from hunting is misused. A new report published by the Democratic staff of the House of Natural Resources Committee found little evidence that the money from trophy hunting profits in Africa is actually being used to help threatened species (NYTimes.com). This is due to the widespread corruption found in some African countries governments and inadequately managed wildlife programs (NYTimes.com). Peter LaFontaine, a trophy hunting expert of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, explains the unfortunate fact that what happens most of the time with hunting revenue is that venal government officials or outfitters receive the money which trophy hunting advocates believe helps conserve animal habitats (abcnews.go.com). Therefore, hunting profit all too often does not end up under the discretion of a local community where hunting goes on, nor in the hands of officials who genuinely care for wildlife, lowering overall incentive and initiative to protect the continent’s wildlife and environment. The abuse of Africa’s hunting income not only affects the animal’s habitat negatively but consequently their population as well. Hunting creates ideal overpopulation conditions when the season ends due to the abrupt population drop it causes (peta.org). This drop leads to less competition between those who remain alive, leading to a higher birth rate (peta.org). What many hunting supporters fail to recognize is the importance of the conservation of natural predators like lions in order to avoid overpopulation of certain species in the hunting off-season (peta.org). Ecosystems in Africa have a delicate balance that trophy hunting evidently interferes with.

        It is true that African citizens do suffer some plight and harm because of wildlife, but this does not mean that they would prefer them dead. National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative works to prevent big cat extinction in the wild with the help of African citizens. Jeneria and Yeselai, two men who are Samburu warriors from Kenya, realize that tensions between humans and wildlife are rising as the human population continues to grow in rural African areas (dailybreeze.com). They explain how they track and observe animals that may pose a risk to villages such as lions, using the information acquired through this they warn villagers to contain their livestock and use caution (dailybreeze.com). They also emphasize to the local people that they must react to the disappearing animal with compassion rather than violence. Their actions demonstrate that African locals are willing, and may actually prefer, to counter their issues with wildlife in non-violent ways, at least before resulting to hunting. However, if the need for a lion to be hunted does arise, are the menacing lions the ones that trophy hunters are actually hunting anyway? Hunters tend to kill the animal that would look good above their fireplace, or make the most visually appealing “trophy” (peta.org). This is often the larger and healthier animal’s that are necessary to continue a strong population and animals that are found on game reserves where guides are aware of animal’s locations, habits, use dogs, and lure unsuspecting animals to food (peta.org). The unfortunate reality is that trophy hunters like Dr. Walter J. Palmer, who shot Cecil the Lion, are not hunting for the lions who are terrorizing local villagers but instead are hunting for the best taxidermy (abcnews.go.com).

     After the observation and consideration of arguments from sides both for and against trophy hunting in Africa, I am compelled to side against it. The practice of hunting wild animals, usually larger ones that are typically taken home and taxidermied to be a “trophy”, is simply unethical and illogical to partake in during a time when so many animals are suffering threatening population declines. I say this reflecting upon the distress it brings about for wildlife and the considering of information I obtained from reliable sources, which proved pro hunting arguments as flawed. Reviewing the arguments for hunting lead me to discover that despite the assertions made by trophy hunting supporters, in reality there is a significant lack of hunting revenue that is actually used toward conservation efforts. In fact, it has become clear that damages to the animals emotionally, physically, and habitually can result from hunting and the presence of hunters rather than conservation of the land and species. I resent the arguments vocalized by those who endorse hunting after finding evidence of the existence of African villagers who would actually prefer to conserve animals like lions before resorting to killing them, contrary to the argument hunting activists make. Trophy hunting is a violent and unnecessary activity that admittedly does have the potential to produce positive benefits for Africa’s wildlife and people but unfortunately, it fails to do so.

Works Cited

Anderson, Terry, and Shawn Regan. "How Trophy Hunting Can Save Lions." How Trophy Hunting Can Save Lions | PERC – The Property and Environment Research Center. Property and Environment Research Center, 7 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

Anderson, Terry. "How Hunting Saves Animals." Hoover Institution. Stanford University, 29   Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

"Anti-Hunting." In Defense of Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

"Big Cats Initiative." National Geographic Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

"Cecil's Death Highlights Cowardice of Hunting." PETA. N.p., 30 July 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Morell, Virginia. "It's Time to Accept That Elephants, Like Us, Are Empathetic Beings." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 23 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Nzou, Goodwell. "In Zimbabwe, We Don’t Cry for Lions." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

Rogers, Katie. "American Hunter Killed Cecil, Beloved Lion Who Was Lured Out of His   Sanctuary." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 July 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

Smith, Jada F. "Trophy Hunting Fees Do Little to Help Threatened Species, Report Says." The   New York Times. The New York Times, 13 June 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Tan, Avianne. "Beyond Cecil the Lion: Trophy-Hunting Industry in Africa Explained." ABC News. ABC News Network, 31 July 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"Trophy Hunting Can 'help Lion Conservation' Says Government Commissioned Report." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 6 Dec. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

"Why Sport Hunting Is Cruel and Unnecessary." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

"Without Hunting, Deer and Other Animals Would Overpopulate and Die of Starvation." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

[moreracquetball]

consider: a marvin and whizzer political power couple au,,,i dunno how everyone else comes into this buuut

lowkey, a Hou/se of Car/ds AU has been on my to-do list for awhile now, sooo I have been secretly in love with this concept for a very long time.

Charlotte is def the president of the United States. The first African American woman ever in history, and she’s also a lesbian in a committed relationship to boot. Her election was a huge surprise, and the media is weirdly desperate to see her fail. She’s passionate and driven for her cause of the betterment of the American people, but this tunnel vision and blind idealism can lead to certain people taking advantage of her position of power and desperation to get things done.

Cordelia is Charlotte’s doting wife. She doesn’t know much about politics but she knows how to tell liars and cheats from saints and and is a scarily good judge of character. Cordelia keeps close to Charlotte’s side and protects her as fiercely as she can. She’s also not scared to get her hands a little dirty if it is for the good of her president.

Marvin is Vice President, though he was not on the ticket when Charlotte had gotten elected. (Obv this makes more sense on how he did this if you’ve watched House of Cards since Frank Under/wood pulled the same feat off) but to make things simple, let’s just say that Marvin is a very, very good talker and - like Cordelia - isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. So, he got this position through deceit and unsavory exploitation.

Marvin was known as the “whip” in Congress, the person that everyone came to when they needed something done and had something to offer in return. He’s a democrat from New York, and he lived a privileged life, sure. He’s had his eye on the presidency for awhile, but since he’s grown fond of Charlotte, he’s torn on going through with his original plan of stealing the presidency or waiting his turn. He doesn’t know if he should gamble away his life-long ambition or gamble away his opportunity for genuine friendship and later love with a particular journalist but we’ll get to him later.

Charlotte has been forced to trust Marvin in clutch times since he’s always pulled through for her, but Cordelia is not so naive. She likes Marvin, sure, but she knows there’s something that he’s hiding, that he’s pulling the strings behind the scenes to achieve some personal agenda. Cordelia keeps Marvin close and watches him, waiting for a slip up.

Mendel is Marvin’s private psychiatrist and has been for years and years and years. Mendel knows Marvin by body and soul, and he knows Marvin’s plan to climb the political ladder. Mendel has always been one to stay on the side-lines, to not ask questions but to listen, to never intervene. But then he fell in love with Marvin’s ex-wife, Trina, and now he wonders just what will make him unethical and what will make him a hero.

Trina is Marvin’s ex-wife but has since thrown herself into charity work (via maintaining her own multi-million dollar charity organization) after the divorce. Marvin is still a permanent fixture in her life, still trying to control her even after he humiliated and divorced her. She hears through Mendel the grapevine that Marvin is vying for the presidency, hell-bent on doing anything to get what he wants. And she couldn’t imagine anything worse…

Mendel and Trina decide to play dirty for once - for the good of the people (and each other’s happiness). They start anonymously tipping off a desperate, nobody, hungry-for-fame journalist - Whizzer Brown. Not with information (bc that would be hearsay and Marvin would immediately know the source to be Mendel) but with opportunity and direction - telling Whizzer to get close to Marvin, to run stories for Marvin, to play along with Marvin, to get Marvin to trust him enough to give incriminating evidence against himself.

Whizzer Brown has been underestimated, underutilized, and underappreciated in his line of work. He cares as much about projecting meaning into the world through his stories as he does affording dinner and a roof over his head (the former of which he isn’t doing at all, and the latter of which he won’t be able to do much longer if he keeps writing dry fluff pieces that no one reads). When he keeps getting anonymous tips about this new hot-shot (Marvin is his name - someone in politics, apparently) who has secrets that the whole world will want to know, Whizzer doesn’t question it as much as he should. He memorizes Marvin’s schedule (given to him by the anon) and makes a plan, resolves to play this man’s game, and readies to expose him and get all the money and fame that he had promised himself years ago.

And Marvin is puzzled and amused by this smart-mouthed, willing, pretty journalist. Marvin is initially relieved to have someone wedged in the media, who he can feed stories to and tear down his enemies. He doesn’t realize the fact that by trusting Whizzer among doing other things with Whizzer, he’s essentially loading the gun aimed straight at him.

Of course Marvin and Whizzer start breaching any semblance of a “professional” relationship. Of course Marvin - being so, so lonely and so, so desperate for love - would fall in love with Whizzer. Of course Whizzer realizes this straight away.

Of course Whizzer grows to love Marvin too.

Of course Whizzer realizes that maybe that helpful anon has their own agenda by pushing him to betray Marvin. Of course Whizzer is still tempted. But heyyy, would Whizzer rather have short-lived fame for taking down a nameless man trying to trick his way into the presidency (he’d get a mere footnote in the history textbooks - if that) OR would Whizzer benefit more by having the arm and ear and bed of the future president himself???

Now here’s the dilemma: 

Charlotte and Cordelia knows that someone is trying to swindle them, has been picking off priorly loyal Congressmen and turning them and the media against Charlotte. They just don’t know who yet.

Mendel and Trina want a perfect life together, away from Marvin’s influence and control and suffocating presence in their lives. They want Marvin with as little power as possible. They want to take him down.

Marvin wants the presidency - desperately. He’s been weaving this web for years and years and years. Marvin is ambitious, but is that a fatal flaw or driving quality? Will it lift him up or bury him?

Whizzer wants fame and power. And he’s willing to play both sides (Marvin’s, and Trina and Mendel’s) until it’s revealed which one will get him all that he so desires and deserves.

This got really really dark and I think I def want to write this now. Def keeping this for reference. But like, would this be interesting to read?? 

[aprilbravz-blog]

Unconventional Tips for Winning at Content Marketing

Have you ever questioned what it genuinely takes to stand out from the noise and win at content marketing? Do not worry, you're not alone. It's simple to feel overloaded in a sea of information distributing the web nowadays. Content marketing is a hot subject and everyone's speaking about it. I indicate, if you aren't producing content ... what are you even carrying out in life and organization (#amIright?)?

Perhaps you're tired of seeing the very same content and pointers and just desire practical, yet non-traditional ideas that you can execute today so you can finally win the content marketing game. After reading these ideas, I assure the hours squandered gazing at a blank computer system screen without a hint are long gone!

Recognize That Not Everybody Is Your Consumer

In some cases, this one can be hard to understand. You have an awesome item (or a minimum of you believe it's the best thing created considering that Reeses Cups) and you want everybody to know about it. This is where you fail. To successfully market your item and finally win at the content marketing game, you gotta stop trying to interest the masses.

If your product is economical flights for spending plan travelers, then your target market will more than likely be youths and/or university student who wish to travel economically. Your content marketing efforts would, therefore, have more return by pushing your marketing efforts to that particular audience, instead of attempting to appeal to everybody (aka lux and organization tourists).

One tip I highly advise is to develop numerous purchaser personalities amongst your target audience and market precisely to those personas.

For example, one buyer personality might be as follows:

Sarah is a 21-year-old single college student from a town in New Jersey, who studies art in New york city City. Sarah works part-time in the evenings after her classes and saves up her money to take journeys on holidays and breaks from school, particularly to art-savvy locations. Frequently, Sarah bases her journeys on where she can find the very best deal that fits her budget plan. Sarah is active on social media and takes pleasure in hanging out at speakeasy bars and art galleries with her pals. Sarah's buy decisions are primarily budget-based, in addition to a little driven by buddies and influencers.

After uncovering the above details, marketers can discover a good deal about their target market and clients. Without these essential details, you're slowly killing any chances you had at successfully marketing to Sarah. Given that we understand Sarah is mostly budget-focused and tends to spend during school breaks, we would utilize this intel in our marketing messages targeted to Sarah's persona.

Based on the details supplied in the above example, do you believe Sarah cares about high-end flight amenities or business lounge alternatives? No! Get savvy and start speaking straight to Sarah in your marketing.

Believe Like a Human

Frequently, what businesses and business owners get incorrect is understanding everything about their item and nothing about the people they're marketing it to. It's easy to speak about your product and how fantastic it is throughout the day, however, how many damns do you think your audience provides?

Yeah, that's right ... no.

The key to a winning content marketing method is being able to believe like a consumer human. What problems does your target market face? What are they browsing the web for answers to? These are the golden nuggets you need to fully capitalize on, my good friends.

" Success is not delivering a feature, success is learning how to resolve the client's issue."

Some easy ways to discover your target audience's pain points and what keeps them up at night are ...

Asking!

Who understood it could be this simple? Thanks to social networks, we can link directly with our audience and can easily pop concerns on them in the form of a social media caption, live videos, or story polls/Q & A. Want to know precisely what's on their mind? Simply ask!

Collect intel

Search sites where your audience hangs out. This might be using appropriate Facebook groups, Reddit subreddits, Quora, or niche online forum sites. Discover what your audience is looking for and be there to offer responses and solutions!

Competitor analysis

Part of your competitor analysis should read reviews on similar products and offers to yours. What do consumers like and dislike? What features or advantages do they want your competitor's item had? These are all things you should be evaluating and resolving in your marketing.

If you eliminate anything from this journey, remember: "Offer the issue you fix, not the item."

Embrace Polarity to Stand Apart From the Sound

This tip goes hand-in-hand with the first one because you shouldn't be trying to market to everybody. Polarity is the opposite of neutrality and most likely than not, remaining neutral isn't going to take your business to the next level. Remaining neutral is tiring. There's no strong voice or message in being neutral.

Would you rather make 10 thousand people delighted who don't have a strong loyalty to your brand because it's just neutral and typical ... or would you rather send powerful messages that resonate strongly with your audience of 5 thousand who all wind up as raving fans?

The benefits to the latter are that cultivating a stronger loyalty among your consumers implies they will do your marketing for you: hey there free organic traffic! Not just that, however, these fans and fans will be the ones to keep up all night awaiting your next launch, not the ones you simply pleased with your BS neutral stance.

[orbemnews]

For Clean Energy, Buy American or Buy It Quick and Cheap? In January, Patricia Fahy, a New York State legislator, was celebrating a new development project for the Port of Albany: the country’s first assembly plant dedicated to building offshore wind towers. “I was doing cartwheels,” said Ms. Fahy, who represents the area. Before long, however, she was caught in a political bind. A powerful union informed her that most of the equipment for New York’s big investment in offshore windmills would not be built by American workers but would come from abroad. Yet when Ms. Fahy proposed legislation to press developers to use locally made parts, she met opposition from environmentalists and wind industry officials. “They were like, ‘Oh, God, don’t cause us any problems,’” she recalled. Since President Biden’s election, Democratic politicians have extolled the win-win allure of the transition from fossil fuels, saying it can help avert a looming climate crisis while putting millions to work. “For too long we’ve failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis: jobs, jobs, jobs,” Mr. Biden said in an address to Congress last month. But there is a tension between the goals of industrial workers and those of environmentalists — groups that Democrats count as politically crucial. The greater the emphasis on domestic manufacturing, the more expensive renewable energy will be, at least initially, and the longer it could take to meet renewable-energy targets. That tension could become apparent as the White House fleshes out its climate agenda. “It’s a classic trade-off,” said Anne Reynolds, who heads the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, a coalition of environmental and industry groups. “It would be better if we manufactured more solar panels in the U.S. But other countries invested public money for a decade. That’s why it’s cheaper to build them there.” There is some data to support the contention that climate goals can create jobs. The consulting firm Wood Mackenzie expects tens of thousands of new jobs per year later this decade just in offshore wind, an industry that barely exists in the United States today. And labor unions — even those whose members are most threatened by the shift to green energy, like mineworkers — increasingly accept this logic. In recent years, many unions have joined forces with supporters of renewable energy to create groups with names like the BlueGreen Alliance that press for ambitious jobs and climate legislation, in the vein of the $2.3 trillion proposal that Mr. Biden is calling the American Jobs Plan. But much of the supply chain for renewable energy and other clean technologies is in fact abroad. Nearly 70 percent of the value of a typical solar panel assembled in the United States accrues to firms in China or Chinese firms operating across Southeast Asia, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and BloombergNEF, an energy research group. Batteries for electric vehicles, their most valuable component, follow a similar pattern, the report found. And there is virtually no domestic supply chain specifically for offshore wind, an industry that Mr. Biden hopes to see grow from roughly a half-dozen turbines in the water today to thousands over the next decade. That supply chain is largely in Europe. Many proponents of a greener economy say that importing equipment is not a problem but a benefit — and that insisting on domestic production could raise the price of renewable energy and slow the transition from fossil fuels. “It is valuable to have flexible global supply chains that let us move fast,” said Craig Cornelius, who once managed the Energy Department’s solar program and is now chief executive of Clearway Energy Group, which develops solar and wind projects. Those emphasizing speed over sourcing argue that most of the jobs in renewable energy will be in the construction of solar and wind plants, not making equipment, because the manufacturing is increasingly automated. But labor groups worry that construction and installation jobs will be low paying and temporary. They say only manufacturing has traditionally offered higher pay and benefits and can sustain a work force for years. Partisans of manufacturing also point out that it often leads to jobs in new industries. Researchers have shown that the migration of consumer electronics to Asia in the 1960s and ’70s helped those countries become hubs for future technologies, like advanced batteries. As a result, labor leaders are pressing the administration to attach strict conditions to the subsidies it provides for green equipment. “We’re going to be demanding that the domestic content on this stuff has to be really high,” said Thomas M. Conway, the president of the United Steelworkers union and a close Biden ally. The experience of New York reveals how delicate these debates can be once specific jobs and projects are at stake. Late last year, the Communications Workers of America began considering ways to revive employment at a General Electric factory that the union represents in Schenectady, N.Y., near Albany. The factory has shed thousands of employees in recent decades. Around the same time, the state was close to approving bids for two major offshore wind projects. The eventual winner, a Norwegian developer, Equinor, promised to help bring a wind-tower assembly plant to New York and upgrade a port in Brooklyn. “All of a sudden I focus on the fact that we’re talking about wind manufacturing,” said Bob Master, the communications workers official who contacted Ms. Fahy, the state legislator. “G.E. makes turbines — there could be a New York supply chain. Let’s give it a try.” In early February, the union produced a draft of a bill that would ask developers like Equinor to buy their wind equipment from manufacturers in New York State “to the maximum extent feasible” — not just towers but other components, like blades and nacelles, which house the mechanical guts of a turbine. Ms. Fahy, a member of the Assembly, and State Senator Neil Breslin, a fellow Democrat from the Albany area, signed on as sponsors. Environmentalists and industry officials quickly raised concerns that the measure could discourage developers from coming to the state. “So far, Equinor has gone above and beyond what any other company has done,” said Lisa Dix, who led the Sierra Club’s campaign for renewable energy in New York until recently. “Why do we need more onerous requirements on companies given what we got?” Ms. Dix and other clean-energy advocates had worked with labor unions to persuade the state that construction jobs in offshore wind should offer union-scale wages and representation. And New York’s system for evaluating clean-energy bids already awarded points to developers that promised local economic benefits. Ms. Reynolds, the head of the environmental and industry coalition in New York, worried that going beyond the existing arrangement could make the cost of renewable energy unsustainable. “If it became bigger and more noticeable on electric bills, the common expectation is that political support for New York’s clean-energy programs would erode,” she said. The communications workers sought to offer reassurance, not entirely successfully. “I said to them, ‘We’re trade unionists: We ask for everything, the boss offers us nothing, and then we make a deal,’” Mr. Master said. “‘But I do think there’s no reason why turbines should be coming from France as opposed to Schenectady.’” The final language, a compromise negotiated with the state’s building trades council and passed by the Legislature in April, allows the state to award additional points in the bidding process to developers that pledge to create manufacturing jobs in the state, a slight refinement of the current approach. (It also effectively requires that workers who build, operate or maintain wind and solar plants either receive union-scale wages or can benefit from union representation.) While the law included a “buy American” provision for iron and steel, the state’s energy research and development agency, known as NYSERDA, can waive the requirement. The agency’s chief executive, Doreen Harris, said she was generally pleased that the existing approach remained intact and predicted that the state would have blade and nacelle factories within a few years. Some analysts agreed, arguing that most offshore wind equipment is so bulky — often hundreds of feet long — that it becomes impractical to ship across the Atlantic. “There’s a point at which importation of all goods and services doesn’t make economic sense,” said Jeff Tingley, an expert on the offshore wind supply chain at the consulting firm Xodus. But that has not always reflected the experience of the United Kingdom, which had installed more offshore wind turbines than any other country by the start of this year but had manufactured only a small portion of the equipment. “Even with the U.K. being the biggest market, the logistics costs weren’t big enough to justify new factories,” said Alun Roberts, an expert on offshore wind with the British-based consulting firm BVG Associates. A 2017 report indicated that the country manufactured well below 30 percent of its offshore wind equipment,and Mr. Roberts said the percentage had probably increased slightly since then. The country currently manufactures blades but no nacelles. All of which leaves the Biden administration with a difficult choice: If it genuinely wants to shift manufacturing to the United States, doing so could require some aggressive prodding. A senior White House official said the administration was exploring ways of requiring that a portion of wind and solar equipment be American-made when federal money was involved. But many current and former Democratic economic officials are skeptical of the idea, as are clean-energy advocates. “I worry about local content requirements for offshore wind from the federal government right now,” said Kathleen Theoharides, the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs. “I don’t think adding anything that could potentially raise the cost of clean energy to the ratepayer is necessarily the right strategy.” Mr. Master said the recent legislation in New York was a victory given the difficulty of enacting stronger domestic content policies at the state level, but acknowledged that it fell short of his union’s goals. Both he and Ms. Fahy vowed to keep pressing to bring more offshore wind manufacturing jobs to New York. “I could be the queen of lost causes, but we want to get some energy around this,” Ms. Fahy said. “We need this here. I’m not just saying New York. This is a national conversation.” Source link Orbem News #American #buy #cheap #clean #Energy #Quick

[violetsystems]

#personal

I woke up early enough today.  A few dreams that I sort of remember.  I don’t dream all that often.  Or haven’t in the past.  Which is to say the bed frame was probably a good idea.  Why be that guy on a first date who whispers “I don’t dream.”  Truth be told I could argue I don’t dream.  I live them.  But that sounds like I own and operate a skydiving service and that’s not what I do to make money.  I missed a couple of drops.  The Cav Empt drop particularly that was denied by the credit card issuer three times.  After the third automated text of “yes charge my fucking card” I realized this was not to be.  The Instagram debacle taught me something.  One would think that was to quit using it entirely.  But I just headbang in my office and say absolutely nothing every few hours.  It could be in response to something.  I forgot about the Gyakusou drop until it bled through the algorithm and fell upon my eyes in a feed.  I don’t ever really actively seek out anything on social media other than here.  I use Tumblr much like I would a search engine.  And then I pour my entire heart and soul into the platform in hopes of a neural net upload at some point.  The fraud algorithms must have been working overtime.  A coworker asked if I hadn’t “appealed to a higher power” in reference to my instagram shadowban.  Again Instagram is not what I use to make a living.  I can’t even like anyone’s posts.  People ask me questions or comment on things and I can only communicate back in likes.  If it all sounds backwards consider I’ve been running since 2011.  Eight years later I’m back where I started.  A little more in control of some things and surrounded by chaos at every corner.  I tried to check out the nike store over lunch but they had closed for remodeling.  Mentally at this point I’m beyond exhausted.  I do train like an athlete.  I wake up early in the morning and go to sleep fairly early.  People still try to treat me like I’m their younger brother.  Give me advice when they don’t take it for themselves.  I try to explain sometimes what I do to people around here.  Why I make the sacrifices I do.  Why I stay out of certain social circles.  Like I wasn’t born yesterday.  My birthday was a couple of weeks ago.  The silence spoke volumes like it usually does.  It made the people who cared about it seem extra genuine and special.  I spent it in New York and met up with friends from both the internet and Chicago.  In the company of a city with the capacity to care without smothering you to death with expectations.

Chicago means well.  But the elite often forget what it’s like to have to continuously face the morning.  It used to be that getting downtown at seven in the morning was like a ghost town.  Now I see people rapping to themselves and performing comedy routines on the sidewalk.  I see myself in it much like I’ve learned to see myself in any city.  Chicago doesn’t really understand proximity and respect.  Or at least it doesn’t at certain times of the day.  Being alone in this city has always sucked.  When you walk out your door you suddenly realize you aren’t alone.  I’ve been easily identifiable for awhile even if I’m always hiding in plain sight.  It works against my favor sometimes to focus my energy around the wrong people and situations.  Running in this city has always been a different thing entirely.  Until very recently.  The sort of claustrophobic nature of people’s expectations of your very presence is a little nauseating.  When it gets so bad you have to plan your routes and time out in public alone it feels much worse.  I live that.  For better or for worse.  This morning I plan to run around the park in the neighborhood.  The last time I tried to run by the river it was a little too big brother for my tastes.  Especially when I didn’t consent to being part of some scene.  But what can you do when it’s a shared public resource?  I can try to fight all of it and look bad doing it.  Or I can focus my attention on a narrower but surer path.  The park across the street is off the Damien bus stop.  The Nike running store is a twenty minute ride from there.  I pay a monthly pre-tax benefit for unlimited rides on the CTA.  There’s some financial wizardry involved in that. Something to do with lowering your taxable income.  God knows I spend hours on end looking at my finances.  It can be almost as bad as organizing my comic collection or filing my Magic cards.  In short the biggest success in my life lately is that I have been forced to plan.  To work around chaos at every angle requires you to set boundaries for yourself.  I heard our head of security at work describe this as a survival skill.  It’s called putting on the mask.  You walk out that door into the streets and you bark off people with a look.  You should know by know I’m not to be fucked with.  And if you don’t know now you know.  Rest In Peace Christopher Wallace.

Silent birthdays and secret lovers aside.  Atlantic Star was right about one thing.  As soon as people find out something good they try to break up these happy homes.  This is why we can’t have nice things.  Or possibly this is why I wake up early to run and check out a brand new Nike store.  Does that area bother me?  It brings up some bad memories for sure.  Bad memories that won’t be skulking about at ten or eleven in the morning unless it’s a walk of shame or something.  I never thought that after all these years part of the excitement was survival in spite of these obstacles.  That people know me in some form or another all over the world.  This is the prime reason in the current state of American politics I stopped traveling internationally.  My trip back to New York in April is bought and paid for.  I feel there’s a rhythm to it financially. Every month and a half or so.  Fly out for a weekend by myself and just be in the moment.  I go out in public by myself there and feel at peace.  There’s a persistent sense of being distant when I’m by myself there.  And yet the same things up in my face are far more intense there.  In some ways I evolved into a sort of fearlessness of being held back so many years.  The truth for the most part was that I held myself back.  Or my strategies were poorly informed and haphazardly designed.  Prototyping your dreams is hard to do.  You fail a lot.  Maybe in the process you realize it’s not your dream.  Maybe after all these years, you can’t run away from them.  They’re right there running side by side whether you like it or not.  Whether they are present or not.  It inspires you to run towards the light.  A feeling of something that fills you instead of drains you.    If anything I’ve been reductive to a fault in my life.  I’ve lived alone.  Worked on myself and applied criticisms that stung to my everyday life.  Facing these things I developed new strategies.  New techniques.  Strange and beautiful ways of communicating.  Connected with intelligent and inspiring people.  And disconnected from a lot in the process to make more room for the things that really matter.  If you didn’t know specifically by now, I’ve done all this because I care about you.  Love makes you do crazy shit.  Like wake up early in the morning, workout and avoid people.  Last time I checked that was working out for both of us.  <3 Tim

[auskultu]

Censor or Not Censor?

Sally Ständig, KRLA Beat, 3 June 1967

To censor or not to censor? That is the question currently blazing in the record business. As of the middle of last month a national radio station chain has been vetoing all records whose lyrics arc considered "suggestive."

For scrupulous screening of words, the station chain is requiring all record companies to submit printed lyrics with each record submitted for air play. If one side bumps a censor's roadblock, the other side also fails to get on the air.

Ruby Tuesday If this ruling had gone into effect a few months back, then the Rolling Stones' hit, "Ruby Tuesday,” never would have made it on the particular station chain's outlets because the flip side. “Let's Spend The Night Together" probably would have been tagged “too suggestive."

A different point of view was expressed in a recent interview with the head of one of the major record companies. He said:

"These kids who are writing today’s teenage records have something to say...The lyrics represent the thinking of'young America* and I think that we should listen to them, whether we don't agree with them is not the point."

Negative View He took a negative view of radio stations muzzling themselves. "I think that censorship on the part of the receiving end of the radio stations could be extremely dangerous and ill-advised."

He conceded however, that radio station self-censorship might act to "remove from the air a lot of the small labels who do not have an attitude of responsibility and probably make things easier for all of us."

Rut this benefit might be pitifully small compared to the inhibitng effect on the creativity of artists and pop music writers. If teenage music is viewed as an art form, then censorship in this area becomes as harmful and as cramping as censorship in other areas of art.

One of the ways in which the public can lose out when radio station self-censorship is applied was called to the attention of a coast-to-coast audience by Leonard Bernstein on the recent CBS-TV special “Inside Pop-The Rock Revolution.” The famed conductor introduced "a marvelous sony" called "Society’s Child.” written and sung by 15-year-old Janis Ian. a New York high schooler.

Reasons Unknown “It is well-known among the followers of pop radio, but you may not have heard it since it’s been withheld by most of the radio stations for reasons unknown to me, although probably having to do with it's subject matter, which is, as you’ll see, somewhat controversial." The song deals with a white girl’s parents objections to her friendship with a Negro.

Bernstein gave support to the idea that pop music is an art form by expressing a genuine appreciation for songs by the Beatles, the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina," which he called a cross between Lydian and Mixolydian modes and the Monkees, “I’m A Believer” (composed by Neil Diamond).

Leaning Over The record industry chief said critics of teen music often lean over backwards to find double meanings in the lyrics. He pointed to recent hits like the Beatles’ ’Norwegian Wood,” and Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Woman" and called criticisms of these songs meaningless exercises of “reading into something."

Asked if there are usually hidden meanings tucked into the lyrics of today’s pop music, he replied:

"... somebody’s always looking for another meaning that may or not have been there in the author's mind, but whether it was or wasn't. I don't think in any way should influence whether that lyric should be broadcast. Because if on the surface it is a meaningful, artistic. lyrical piece of work, that in itself should be sufficient to allow it to be aired."

When asked if the record industry should adopt a conduct code similar to ones in effect for movies and television, he said, “l don't think that it’s necessary nor wise, but I would prefer it to one run by radio stations themselves." He cautioned against "outsiders" trying to impose restrictions on an industry they didn't understand first hand.

[welllpthisishappening]

You Play Ball Like a Girl (34/?)

“You’re a very good journalist, Swan.”

“I’m not interviewing you,” she argued. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“I know you are, love,” he said softly.

“And also a bit worried,” Emma added. “About you.”

Updating on the reg on Ao3 and living happily on the Tumblr tag as well. 

She was absurdly happy.

Like. Absurdly.

It was perfect. Emma was certain she hadn’t stopped smiling once. She felt like Mary Margaret. Sounded like her too, all hopped up on hope and love – although she hadn’t actually said anything about the latter – and the way Killian Jones’ hand felt in hers when he’d walk with her to the subway every afternoon.

That was another benefit of living five blocks away from each other.

He picked her up for work. Daily. She’d walk out the door, to find him leaning on the railing along the sidewalk, hot chocolate cup in hand and that stupid smirk on his face.

Emma regularly kissed it off.

He didn’t complain once.

It was perfect.

Killian had folded himself back into Emma’s life with ease, charming Mary Margaret during roommate dinners and bringing David with him to the cages so they could practice with Henry.

They were still waiting on word of the repercussions of Henry’s feature story – holding their collective breath for word that the DOE had decided to see sense. Emma had written another story – this one with the approval of Isaac and, for good measure, Sidney – detailing the department’s post-story reaction and how wrong they were regarding Henry’s eligibility.

They hadn't gotten any letters demanding a retraction yet, but they also hadn’t gotten any positive news.

So Killian kept bringing Henry to the cages, fine-tuning his swing and practicing baserunning. They had even started shagging fly balls on the small spot of turf at Chelsea Piers before it got too cold and they had to find a new venue for their regiment.

Emma couldn’t stop smiling. And then, one day, she walked into The New York Record office and everything changed.

Aurora was standing in front of her desk, scrolling through her phone, an air of general disapproval wafting off her. Her head snapped up when she heard Emma’s shoes on the floor and the smile she gave didn’t even come close to reaching her eyes.

“Hey,” Emma said softly, suddenly nervous. “How’s the baby?” “The baby is fine, good, actually, really, really good. Thanks.”

“I assume there are pictures,” Emma continued, nodding towards the phone still in Aurora’s hands.

She nodded, but didn’t move her phone at all, glancing back down at the screen when it buzzed again. “Everything ok?” Emma asked. “You’re not usually down here.”

Aurora didn’t answer immediately, fingers flying over the screen as she hummed some sort of distracted noise at Emma.

Emma took a step back towards her desk, roller her bag off her shoulder and setting it down next to her chair before sliding out of her jacket. “Aurora?” she repeated.

“Have you talked to Killian today?”

Emma shook her head slowly. He hadn’t been outside before. No hot chocolate or smirk. Emma had spent her entire train ride uptown trying not to worry.

She had failed.

“I think you probably should,” Aurora continued cryptically.

“Why?”

“Why what? He is your boyfriend isn’t he?” “My boyfriend, Killian?” Emma asked, eyes wide. They had never actually talked about it. There never seemed to be time – between the paper and the stories and the columns and the almost absurd amount of making out.

It had been perfect, it never needed a name. Until now, apparently.

Aurora made a face, staring at Emma like she was a crazy person. “Yeah, your boyfriend .”

“Right,” Emma said quickly.

“You should probably talk about that at some point.” “You are talking in circles,” Emma pointed out. “You never come down here Aurora, what is going on?”

“He was right,” Aurora said – as cryptic as ever.

Emma stared at her for a beat before glancing down at her phone, lighting up and vibrating against her desk. It was Killian.

Aurora nodded at the phone, silently telling Emma to answer it . Emma sighed, rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone anyway.

“Hey,” she said.

“Swan.”

“You ok?”

He didn’t answer for what felt like hours. “Killian,” Emma prompted, feeling Aurora stare at her. “What’s going on?” “They really are back. Here in New York.”

Gold. And Milah.

Killian laughed darkly into the phone and Emma shut her eyes, biting down tightly on her lip. Aurora was still staring at her.

“That’s how Walsh knew. He...he figured it all out, then went and confirmed it.”

“How did you find out?”

He paused again and Emma heard him take a deep breath. She wished he was there. She wished she wasn’t sitting at her desk in the middle of The New York Record sports department. She wished Aurora would stop staring at her with some sort of knowing look on her face.

“Killian,” she prompted again and he sighed.

“Milah showed up at my apartment this morning.”

This time it was Emma who didn’t say anything. She sank back into her chair, pushing her back up against it so she was perfectly straight. Aurora raised her eyebrows at her and Emma just shook her head slowly.

“Swan?” Killian asked softly. Emma could hear the small, nervous smile in her voice. That was enough to snap her attention back.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” she muttered. “Are you ok?”

“What?”

“Ok – are you ok?”

He answered quickly – quicker than Emma expected – and she knew he was tugging on the back of his hair. “I’m fine, love,” he answered. “I just wanted to talk to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there before.”

“That’s ok,” Emma smiled.

“I’m like three blocks away now.”

“Ok.” “Swan,” he said evenly, but there was a threat of laughter in his voice. “That wasn’t a timetable. That was a suggested instruction.” “That so?”

“I’d be very interested in kissing you. Currently.” Emma felt her lips tick up quickly. “I’ll see what I can do about that.” He didn’t say anything else, but Emma heard him laugh before he clicked off the phone.

“What’d he say?” Aurora asked.

“What you were cryptically implying.” “It wasn’t cryptic! You knew what I was saying. Did he tell you what Milah said?”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“You tell me.”

“A lot apparently.”

“Milah told him quite a lot,” Aurora sighed.

“You’re being cryptic again. Why do you know, anyway? This happened like two hours ago.”

“Who do you think he called to find out how to tell you?”

Emma pulled her lips over her teeth, considering her answer and crossed her arms. “To be fair, he didn’t really tell me anything.” “Yeah, well, Killian’s never been too good at actually taking the advice he asks for.”

“Can you tell me something?” Emma asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Shoot.”

“How did you and Killian get to be friends? He uh…” “Doesn’t seem like he has a lot of them?” Aurora suggested. Emma shrugged. “He doesn’t, really,” she continued. “That’s why you’re so important, you know. You’re his friend. And I’ll tell you right now, having Killian as a friend is a good deal. He’s fairly protective, you know?” “I know,” Emma nodded. “That didn’t exactly answer my question though.” “I was in a not-so-great place awhile ago. When I first started at The Record . Killian had been here for, I don’t know, not even a year. But he was already writing a column and he had some pull down here and he made sure I’d get credentialed for games.

And, slowly but surely, things got better. I calmed down , for one, and started to get jobs without Killian’s help and that made the rest of my life a little bit better too. I was driving Philip insane because I was so worried about work. I was, well, let’s just say I was not the best person to deal with at the time. But Killian helped. He got me to relax and that helped with Philip. Neither one of them will admit it, but I’m ninety-nine percent positive Killian helped pick out my ring.”

Aurora held up her left hand as proof, showcasing a bright sapphire ring that was practically the same color of Killian’s eyes. Emma wanted to crawl under her desk with the level of cliche she had encountered.

“He loves you, you know,” Aurora said suddenly. Emma’s eyes widened and she felt her breath rush out of her in one gush of air. “Like an almost ridiculous amount.”

Emma didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She just bit her lip – tightly.

Aurora just shook her head. “And you love him. Like an almost ridiculous amount. It’s painfully obvious. Even if lifestyles wasn’t talking about it.”

“Lifestyles is talking about it?” Emma groaned.

“That’s what you took out of this conversation?”

“We haven’t exactly been trying to broadcast this,” Emma admitted.

“Exactly. He needs to tell you what Milah told him.”

“Is it bad?” Emma knew her voice betrayed every single emotion she was feeling, but mostly she was just upset with how nervous she sounded. That wasn’t like Emma at all. She didn’t do nervous. She did confident.

Aurora looked at her knowingly, one eyebrow raised. Someday someone was going to have to teach Emma how to do that.

“It’s not good,” Aurora said. Cryptic again. Emma sighed. “I’m not going to tell you,” she continued. “He needs to do it. And he wants to. Honestly. He wouldn’t have called me if he didn’t. You know I think you terrify him a little bit.” “Why?”

“Did you miss the part where I said how in love he is with you? That wasn’t conjecture. That was just a fact.” “And that’s terrifying.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Because Emma was just as vaguely terrified. And just as ridiculously in love with him.

“He’s told you things,” Aurora said. “Things I don’t even know, so I know you understand why he’d be nervous. He wants to this to work. Scratch that, he needs this to work.”

“And whatever Milah told him could make this not work?”

“You’re quick on the uptake.” “Journalist,” Emma shrugged.

“He’s not just going to walk away,” Aurora promised. “But this is going to make things...difficult. 'Ish. Difficult'ish. So I’ve got a question for you.” “Yeah?”

“Are you in on this? With him, I mean. Because Killian has dealt with some shit – some of it from you – and he doesn’t deserve it. So if you’re going to run when this gets tough, then you need to tell him now.”

Emma stared at Aurora, stunned silent. She hadn’t ever been on the receiving end of the don’t hurt him speech. In fact, she hadn’t even been aware that anything like that actually happened in the real world.

“Well?” Aurora said sharply.

“Look who’s being the overprotective friend now.”

“You love him?” Aurora asked – straight to the point, finally.

“Yeah, I do,” Emma said softly. That was the first time she admitted it out loud. Mary Margaret and Elsa would be disappointed.

“Then you need to go meet him three blocks from here. And talk to him.” “How did you know he was three blocks from here?” “Mom,” Aurora shrugged. “I’m pre-programmed to hear any noise that comes across any speaker now. It’s just second nature.”

Emma laughed and shook her head, grabbing her jacket and shrugging back into the coat, pulling her wallet and her ID out of her bag. “He deserves a friend like you,” Emma said, reaching forward to squeeze Aurora’s arm.

“He’s an absurdly good guy. I just want him to be happy.”

“That makes two of us,” Emma agreed, smiling and squeezing Aurora’s arm again before turning towards the sports floor doors.

He was standing outside of Josie’s, one hand in his pocket, the other firmly entrenched in his hair like it had been there for hours – like he had been there for hours.

Emma tapped her foot on the street, impatiently waiting for the light – or a lack of cars – and ran her tongue over her teeth in impatience. She got a five-second window and sprinted across the street, holding her phone tightly in her hand.

Killian glanced up at her when she skidded to a stop in front of him and the smile he threw Emma’s way – almost  – made it seem like everything was alright.

“Hey,” she said, stuffing her phone back in her jacket pocket.

“Swan.”

He didn’t say anything else, didn’t move his hands – either of them – didn’t even move an inch away from the building he was leaning against. Emma tilted her head questioningly and tugged on the bottom of his shirt sleeve.

That got him to really smile.

“What’s going on?” Emma pressed.

“A lot actually,” he said, evasively and Emma sighed.

“Don’t do that. I can only do so much cryptic in one day.” Killian raised his eyebrows and Emma made a face. “Aurora likes to kind of lord information doesn’t she? It lasted a lot longer than it probably should have.”

“She does,” Killian laughed. “I’m sorry, love.”

“Don’t be. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“I did tell you – she showed up at my apartment.”

Emma realized he didn’t say Milah again, like he had on the phone, and wondered what had changed in the ten minutes it took her to get ten blocks.

He was thinking too much.

“And?” “And…”

“Killian! Talk.”

He looked a bit ashamed, eyes ducking down and staring at the sidewalk. He – finally – pulled his hand out of his pocket, only to run that through his hair as well and Emma sighed again. She yanked on his wrist, pulling his hand down and lacing her fingers with hers, moving to stand next to him with her back against the building.

“I’m sorry, love,” he repeated.

“Don’t be. Talk.” “From what I remember, the suggestion to come here wasn’t centered around talking.” “Talk,” Emma groaned, trying not to smile despite her nerves and vague sense of annoyance. “Then we’ll consider the rest of the suggestion.”

Killian laughed quietly and Emma pulled his hand up again, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Alright,” he started. “So, she showed up at my apartment. Scared the crap out of me. Seven years, Swan. Seven years of nothing and running away and then even more nothing and I fucking walked out of my apartment this morning to find her standing right there. She said she had something important to tell me.”

“Now?” Emma asked, unable to stop herself. Journalist. “After all of that? What could she possibly have to say?” “He’s trying to buy the paper.” “What?”

Killian’s arm squeezed tightly over her shoulders again and Emma bit her lip nervously. “They’re in New York,” he continued. “Indefinitely.”

“And what? Gold wants to buy The Record ? I thought you said he was just some small-town publisher?” “He was when I knew him. He was a scared, little man who didn’t want to leave his own backyard let alone consider buying a major metropolitan newspaper. That’s all changed now, apparently.” “And Milah told you that?” Emma’s chest contracted slightly at mentioning the name, but it wasn’t jealousy. If Killian couldn’t bring himself to say it, it didn’t seem fair to throw that pain back in his face.

She felt him nod – head resting slightly against his cheek – and heard him sigh softly. “She did.”

“But why? Did she say anything else? Why she left or how long they’ve been here or anything like that?” “You’re a very good journalist, Swan.”

“I’m not interviewing you,” she argued. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“I know you are, love,” he said softly.

“And also a bit worried,” Emma added. “About you.”

Killian squeezed her shoulder again, kissing the top of her head and Emma felt her lips tick up slightly. “I know that too,” he mumbled against her hair. “For what it’s worth, she didn’t answer any of those questions. The whole thing was over in less than five minutes. She didn’t say anything about before, just told me that they’re back in New York and Gold is trying to buy The Record . Wanted to give me some kind of warning or something.” “A warning?” Emma moved slightly, turning so she was standing in front of Killian, eyes locked with his.

“If Gold buys this paper, I’m out,” Killian said easily, but Emma heard the tightness in his voice and the tension in his shoulder. “It would take two seconds. He’d sign the paperwork and I’d be done.”

“You don’t know that.”

“That’s why Milah showed up love,” he continued, finally saying her name and Emma did her best to smile encouragingly. “To warn me. Or something.”

“Or something?”

Killian sighed and shook his head slowly, hair falling across his forehead. He still hadn’t gotten a haircut. “Something,” he said slowly. “It’d be over, Swan. Gold wouldn’t have to consider it. He wouldn’t feel bad. He’d just do it.”

“Seven years is a long time though,” Emma said quickly. “He might not...you know..care or something?” “That’s oddly optimistic of you.”

Emma shrugged. That was an entirely different conversation – one filled with hope and acting like Mary Margaret and, maybe, even a few thoughts of happy endings. That wasn’t the kind of conversation to have three blocks away from The New York Record office.

“I appreciate the positivity, Swan, but it’s a bit misplaced. He’d do it and he’d enjoy it. I’d be done.”

She bit her lip tightly, hard enough to hurt and did her best to hold Killian’s gaze. “So what else did she say?”

“Honestly Swan, it all felt like a blur. She was there one minute, telling me about this deal and how Gold had spent the last seven years buying up papers across the country so he could build enough capital to make a run at a big-time paper and that he wanted The Record. Then she told me that he knew I was there and that if he bought the paper, I’d be out. And then she was gone.”

“Just like that?” “Just like that.”

Lie. Emma raised her eyebrows and made a face, twisting her mouth slightly. “Nuh uh, we’re not doing that. Talk to me.”

Killian’s shoulders sagged slightly and Emma widened her eyes. “It wasn’t all that good, love. Or enjoyable.” “I get that. I do, honestly, but you don’t have to lie.”

“An omission, really.”

“A lie.”

Killian tugged on Emma’s hands, pulling her back towards his side and wrapping a hand around her waist. “Not the entire truth,” he countered and Emma huffed slightly. “I wasn’t quite prepared for this.” “That’s understandable.” Emma felt him move next to her and glanced up to find Killian staring at her questioningly. “What?” “That it?” “That it, what?”

“You’re not usually quite so quick to stop arguing.” He was smiling now – smirking – and Emma did her best to resist the urge to smack his arm.

“I’m not arguing!” Killian rolled his eyes and Emma groaned, her whole body slumping forward with the effort. “Ok, not really. I’m just worried. You saw Neal just show up on the sidewalk before, so I’m well acquainted with the feeling of major love interests just reappearing in your life when you think you’re finally over them.”

Emma swore she saw something pass over Killian’s face and there was something close to a glint in his eyes. “What?” she asked.

“Neal showed up months ago.” “Yuh huh.” “You weren’t over Neal until then?”

Journalist . Taking her words and twisting them and finding some sort of unspoken, emotional truth there. Emma took a deep breath, trying to steady it through her nose and straightened her spine, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

“We’re talking about you,” she pointed out, stabbing one finger into his shoulder for good measure.

“You brought it up.” The smirk was a full-blown smile now and Emma couldn’t think straight.

“Fine,” she said quickly, every emotion coming to a head all at once. “Fine. You want me to come right out and say it? Ok. I wasn’t over Neal. Not for a very long time and I didn’t believe I could be for a very long time. And then I ran you over and you messed up my interview and let me pick out flowers for Aurora and started texting David and, well, that was that.” “That was that?”

“Exactly.”

He squeezed his hand – still very much wrapped around her waist – tightly and Emma had about half a second to gasp before he kissed her.

They had done this innumerable times now – the making out was a definite perk of their still as-yet-to-be-defined relationship status – but this was softer and so absurdly sweet that if Emma wasn’t on the receiving end of it she probably would have mocked it. His hand never left her waist.

“Hey,” he muttered, lips still practically brushing hers. “You know you don’t have anything to worry about, right?”

Emma scoffed. Killian’s eyebrows lowered and he pulled away slightly, finally, moving his hand and trailing his thumb along her jaw. “Well,” he admitted slowly, the smile inching across his face. “At least not about Milah. I was a mess when she left and for a long time after, but we’re on the same page now. Same graph and everything.”

“Have we moved on from sports to writing puns? I may be out if we’re doing that from now on.”

“Not entertained, love?” Killian laughed, making a face.

“The puns have got to stop.”

“That’s fair. And you don’t have to worry about me. At least when it comes to me and you. Everything else, though, is well within your right to worry about. I’m worried about that.”

Emma chewed on the inside of her cheek, her face – she was sure  – filled with the worry that was threatening to overtake her right there on the sidewalk. She needed Killian to kiss her again. He was right, that was a better way to spend their time.

“It’s not fair,” she muttered.

And it wasn’t. Not after everything he’d been through, not after everything he’d lost and everyone he’d seen walk away. He couldn’t lose writing too.

It wasn’t fair.

“In my experience,” he said slowly and so softly that Emma had to strain to hear him. “Not many things ever are.”

“Maybe he won’t buy the paper,” Emma suggested, hoping her voice didn’t sound nearly as unconvinced as she actually was. If Milah was showing up on sidewalks and giving prophetic warnings, The New York Record seemed as good as Gold’s.

“More optimism, Swan. But we both know that’s all it is. Optimism. This is the crowning jewel for him. If what Milah said is true, and he’s been building up papers to get back to New York, then this would be a coup. He’d be at the top.”

“And you’d be?” “Not at the top.”

“I can’t believe that’ll happen. I won’t . Not after everything you’ve done. Not after how hard you’ve worked. He may hate you, but you’re the best there is. If he’s got even half a brain in his head, he’d keep you just to keep your sources.”

Killian was shaking his head before Emma had even finished talking. “I thought that,” he admitted. “But I think this is the beginning of the end, love. Remember what Isaac said? That the paper couldn’t afford letters from the DOE or less-than-ideal receptions to stories?” Emma nodded. “I think it’s because of this. Gold isn’t just buying, they’re selling. It’s a partnership.” “Isaac likes you though! They all do, all of the top floor. They wouldn’t let Gold throw you to the curb. Aurora told me they were grooming you for EIC.” “A thinks far too highly of me. I never would have taken that.”

“You’d be good that though,” Emma muttered, mostly into his shoulder. She felt him move, laughing slightly.

“You think far too highly of me,” he said quietly.

“Not possible.”

He kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer to him and Emma shut her eyes for a moment, trying to come up with a way that this entire mess didn’t end with another disappointment for Killian Jones.

It wasn’t fair.

“So, what now?” Emma asked.

“Now,” Killian sighed. “I still have a job. And we have a section to put out every day. So until somebody takes my ID card and tells me to get the hell out of there, then I’m going to continue to do all of that.” “Plus,” he added. “We’ve got a professional baseball career to ensure. I’m not leaving until Henry’s back on the field. Officially.”

“Yeah?” she asked – a wholly insufficient response when she was positive anyone on the other side of the block would have been able to hear her heart thud in her chest.

“Yeah,” Killian answered.

It sounded like a promise.

Emma nearly jumped out of her chair when he put the cup down on her desk.

“Jeez, Killian,” she mumbled. “That was terrifying.”

She glanced up to find him beaming at her. That was something she hadn’t seen in several days.

He had gone back to work after that conversation – and abbreviated make-out session – three blocks away from The New York Record office as if Milah hadn’t just shown on his doorstep and told him that the one man who could ruin his entire life was planning on doing just that.

Emma would have been impressed if she wasn’t worried.

He even wrote a column.

“I’m sorry, love,” he said, still smiling as he leaned against the desk, sitting on the edge of the fake wood. “I figured you could use some mid-afternoon caffeine.”

She could.

Emma had been on the phone for the better part of the afternoon, alternating between Anna’s office, the DOE and texting minute-by-minute updates to Henry. The first story had run nearly a month ago and there was still no word about getting him back onto the field.

She was going to fix this and she’d spend the entire week on the phone if she had to. She also could use the caffeine.

“Thank you,” Emma replied gratefully, grabbing the cup and taking a sip before turning back to her cell phone, glancing down as her screen lit up.

“What is it?” Killian asked, nodding towards the now beeping phone.

“Anna,” she muttered, grabbing it and swiping her thumb across the screen.

“Emma!” Ana’s voice hadn’t lost any of its excitement or enthusiasm during any of their half a dozen conversations that afternoon. “I have news. Good news. The best news!”

“What’s going on?”

Killian’s gaze snapped towards Emma and the phone as she moved it onto her shoulder. “I’ve been talking to my boss,” Anna said, her words coming across the phone line at a metaphorical mile a minute. “And I think I’ve figured out a way to get Henry back on the field.”

“What? How? Anna, that’s incredible!” Emma ignored Killian’s wide-eyed stare and slightly bemused smile and focused on the other conversation she was having – the one with actual words and not just pointed stares across a few feet of space.

“Like I said, talking to my boss, and you’re never going to believe this, but his wife is Henry’s guidance counselor.” “For real?” “Absolutely for real. So Eric and I were talking this afternoon and I guess Ariel has been telling him about what’s going on with Henry and how much he wants to play again and he thinks he can talk to the DOE. Get them to change their minds. Or one mind. I don’t know who we have to convince exactly, but Eric thinks he can do it.” “How? Henry doesn’t have the money to hire someone. He’s 17 and I can’t do anything. That’s like the worst conflict of interest ever.” “No one’s hiring anyone,” Anna continued. “Eric said he’d do it on his own. He’s not actually going to sue the DOE. He’s just going to maybe suggest that they get their act straight. And he might bring up that case we talked about before.” “Precedent,” Emma muttered, half under her breath. Killian coughed meaningfully and Emma continued to ignore him, waving her hand slightly in the very small amount of space between them.

“Exactly! Exactly that! No one has to go to court or anything dramatic like that. No one even has to pay for anything. This is about a kid who didn’t get a fair shot at doing what he loves. That’s why this office exists, to try and fix things like that.”

“And you think that’ll work?” Emma asked.

She promised. She had promised Henry. She needed to make this work.

She also wasn’t good at trusting other people.

“I really think it will,” Anna answered and the honesty in her voice was practically overwhelming. “Eric won’t sue, but he can and that should be enough to scare them. You’re right Emma. Everything you wrote – in both of those articles – was right. They’re wrong, dead wrong and they’re trying to cover their tracks. But you figured it out and now they’ve got to let Henry play. They just have to.” Anna’s voice caught on the final sentence of her mini-speech and Emma smiled slightly, sitting up a little straighter so she wouldn’t start to do anything ridiculous like feel something as well. Killian was still sitting on her desk.

“Can I tell Henry?” Emma asked.

“Absolutely! Eric is determined and, trust me on this, when Eric is determined there aren’t many things that can stop him. I’m pretty positive he dueled for Ariel’s hand in marriage or something like that.”

“That so?” Emma laughed. Killian sighed dramatically, trying to win back some of her attention. She just rolled her eyes at him.

He winked.

Cocky asshole.

Ridiculously attractive cocky asshole.

“Well, I don’t know the specifics,” Anna said, entirely unaware of the side conversation happening at Emma’s desk. “But Eric likes to make it sound like a painfully romantic battle for his one true love’s heart. Or something like that.” “Something like that, I’m sure,” Emma answered, still laughing slightly. “Listen, Anna. I can’t thank you enough for this. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty here, seriously.” “Oh, don’t even worry about it. This is, well, this is what I want to be doing. Helping. And if I can help Henry by helping you, then it’s kind of like a two for one of helpiness. Is that even a word? I don’t care. Helpiness.”

“Well, you’re incredibly good at it. Thank you. I’m going to text Henry.” “Eric said he’d call the DOE tomorrow if you want. He just wanted to have me run it by you first.”

“That’s incredibly efficient.” “That’s Eric,” Anna answered. “He saw your story and he knew I was your source. He wasn’t even mad, told me I should have directed you to him from the get-go and he would have gone on record. He loved your story.”

That caught Emma up short. Compliments were – still – not her forte.

“Thanks,” she mumbled and Killian smiled knowingly at her, like he could hear the entire conversation. “Tell Eric he can call the DOE whenever he wants. Just let me know how it goes as soon as you know, ok?” “Absolutely!” Emma pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the ‘end’ button, tossing it in front of her. Killian stared at her expectantly, arms crossed, that same slightly bemused smile on his face.

“What’s going on Swan?” he asked, pushing the hot chocolate back towards her. Emma widened her eyes at him, but took the cup anyway. “It’ll get cold,” he added. “Drink. And then tell me what that was about.”

“Demanding,” Emma muttered.

“Suggesting.”

“Yuh huh,” she laughed, taking a sip of her, somehow, still-hot hot chocolate. “That was Anna. Apparently her boss is Ariel’s husband.” “Henry’s guidance counselor?” “One in the same. And he wants to talk to the DOE.”

“Just like that?” He was as skeptical as she was – somehow that made Emma more confident, like they were on even footing.

“Well it was a long phone call and an even more convoluted story, but, yes, for all intents and purposes, just like that. She said he liked my story.” “Of course he did.” “Your confidence is in me is misplaced and slightly overwhelming.”

Emma ducked her eyes and took another drink of hot chocolate. She heard Killian sigh. “That’s ridiculous you know,” he said softly.

“Sure.”

“Swan,” he said sharply and Emma looked up at him to find her staring at her. “I have an appropriate amount of faith in both you and your writing. That, generally, equates to believing you’re capable of doing anything you set your mind to. That’s not misplaced. That’s just honest.”

There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice, no smirk, or even the faintest feeling that he was lying. He was one hundred percent honest and just as serious and Emma was completely overwhelmed.

She couldn’t say I love you in the middle of The Record sports floor, but God, if she didn’t want to.

“You can’t say things like that,” she said.

“Why not?” “Because I’m going to try and kiss you in the middle of this office and that’s just not going to end well for anyone.” “I’ll repeat myself – why not?”

The sarcasm was back. So was the smirk. And for a moment Emma couldn't come up with a reason not to lean across the desk and kiss him. For possibly several sunlit days.

“Killian,” she said slowly, doing her best to not sound like she was whining. “You know that’s not an option. We’re not trying to parade here.” “No one is parading, Swan. I’m just not particularly pleased with the idea of not being able to kiss my girlfriend whenever I want.”

Emma felt like her lungs had collapsed.

She hadn’t been lying when she told Aurora they hadn’t talked about it. They hadn’t. They hadn’t even mentioned it in passing. Even Mary Margaret and David had avoided the “labels” discussion like it was the plague.

And he had just said it like it wasn’t anything, like it wasn’t some kind of absolutely enormous step that meant a ridiculous amount.

It took Killian several moments to realize that Emma was sitting still, stunned silent. He stood up when he saw her face – probably stunned as well and just as frozen as the rest of Emma’s body – and, suddenly, he looked as nervous as she felt.

That wasn’t right.

Emma took a deep breath. It was weird – she didn’t run. She didn’t react perfectly , but one step at a time. She was still there. And he was still there.

And maybe that was the only thing that mattered.

“You ok, Swan?” he asked, softly.

“Yeah,” she answered honestly. “You just surprised me?” His eyebrows lowered and Emma could practically see him replaying the last few seconds back in his head. Killian made a face when it hit him and he crossed his arms again.

Defensive stance.

Emma reached out quickly and tugged his arms apart, squeezing one hand for good measure. “I guess I just didn’t realize you were...well thinking that .” “Should I be thinking something else?”

“No,” Emma answered, shaking her head. “I just haven’t been someone’s girlfriend in a very long time.” “To be fair, I don’t know that I’ve been anyone’s boyfriend ever.”

“I think you’re doing a pretty good job so far.”

Killian smiled and rocked back on his heels and trailed his fingers over Emma’s. “Thank you, love,” he said softly. Emma smiled in return. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’d very much like to kiss you.” “Will would be scandalized.” “I couldn’t care less.” He leaned forward slightly and for one insane moment Emma actually thought he was going to kiss her in the middle of The New York Record office, but he came up just short of her, still smiling.

“I have an idea about how to remedy that,” he said softly and Emma bit her lip tightly.

“Make out in the elevator?”

“They have cameras in there,” Killian laughed. “Leroy would be all over that.” “Well, you’ve taken all my suggestions and tossed them out of the metaphorical window. So, go ahead, what’s your idea?”

“The Giants game.”

Emma waited for the next part of the idea, but he didn’t say anything else, just threw a self-satisfied smirk her direction. “Ok,” she said slowly.

“We’re going to go.” “To the Giants game?” “On Sunday. I know a guy.” “You know every guy.”

“That’s true, Swan, but in this case I know one guy and he can make it so we can go to the Giants game on Sunday.” “You don’t have to work?” Killian sighed and rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t have asked if I did, Swan. Obviously. We can bring David and Mary Margaret too if you.” “You want to double date with my friends?”

“Again, I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t actually suggesting it.”

Emma narrowed her eyes and wondered how no one had noticed that they hadn’t moved in nearly 20 minutes. They weren’t trying to flaunt their relationship to the entire New York Record – that conversation with Isaac about their out-of-office activities seemed to have created an ever-present knot in Emma’s stomach.

But even Emma had to admit they were, undoubtedly, the talk of the entire building.

Her boyfriend Killian Jones.

“How many tickets does your guy think he can get?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked yet.”

“No?” “I wanted to make sure you wanted to go,” he muttered and Emma almost missed the nervous edge in his voice.

“Of course I want to go,” she said honestly, brushing her hand over his hand. “You think we’d be able to make out during the Giants game?” “In front of David and Mary Margaret? Won’t they be scandalized?” “I’m fairly certain I don’t care,” Emma shrugged. “Plus, they owe me. They’ve spent the last 13 years of our lives making out in front of me and being painfully adorable. Trust me, I deserve this.”

“Are you saying we’re painfully adorable?”

“Not yet, but I’m confident in our ability to get there sooner rather than later.” Killian opened his mouth to answer her, but spun around before he could – turning towards Victor’s voice from the other side of the office.

“Basketball crisis, Cap!” he screamed and Killian groaned. “They’re expanding media day! Giving us an extra credential.” “That isn’t a crisis,” Killian mumbled and Emma tried not to laugh. “We have reporters, Victor. We can send them. Relax.”

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Emma. “You should go, Swan. Make Victor pay for the cab.” “The paper comps that.” “Doesn’t change the fact that you should go.” He turned away from her desk again and shouted back towards Victor. “Swan’s going to go with you, yeah?” “Yeah, that’s great! Good job Cap, crisis averted.”

Killian shook his head again and all but collapsed back on Emma’s desk, knocking over her nameplate in the process. “Hey,” she said sharply. “Watch it.”

He looked back over his shoulder again. “Sorry, love.”

Emma smiled and moved the nameplate out of the way. “What time am I going to this?” “Tomorrow. Morning, sorry about that by the way, but media day for the Knicks is pretty legit.”

“Absolutely. I can do morning.”

“As previously discussed, I think you can do anything.”

“Charmer.” “Boyfriend.”

Emma’s stomach flipped and she smiled, letting the feeling of that one single, vaguely ridiculous and teenage label, sink into every aspect of her being. She liked the way it felt. A lot.

A lot more than she expected to.

“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Emma promised. “And I’ll tell M’s and David about the game. They’ll be thrilled.” He smiled at her again, standing up and running one hand through his hair. “Good,” he said softly, leaning forward so quickly Emma was certain he was actually a blur and kissing her on the cheek.

Emma widened her eyes. “Living dangerously,” she said.

“I’m going to kiss my girlfriend whenever I want, stupid office be damned. I’ll see you later, Swan.”

He walked away, eyes pointed forward and Emma tried not to actually melt into the floor. The lifestyles department was going into collective cardiac arrest.     

[thewebofslime]

8 Historic Cases That Show The FBI And CIA Were Out Of Control Long Before Russiagate Date: March 27, 2019Leave a comment share 0 0 0 0 Photo Credit To Sgt. Audrey Hayes By Jon Miltimore and Carey Wedler The survival of liberty depends on skepticism of government power—and make no mistake, that includes President Trump. Conservatives tend to have two bad habits. First, they’re prone to viewing the past through a nostalgic lens. Second, they tend to instinctively give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt. These tendencies help explain why conservatives for decades have been able to overlook the many abuses—constitutional, legal, and moral—of US intelligence agencies. Unlike some more seasoned media, conservatives have appeared genuinely shocked by revelations of the Trump-Russia saga: abuse of FISA warrants, classified leaks from top FBI brass, corruption, campaign moles, and an apparent plot to remove an elected president through undemocratic (and likely extra-constitutional) means. These revelations are unique in that they have become highly public and involve a sitting president. However, an examination of the history of US intelligence agencies reveals government bureaucrats were out of control long before the 2016 presidential election. 1. That Time the CIA Considered Bombing Miami and Blaming It on Castro It’s no secret that the US government sought to assassinate Fidel Castro for years. Less well known, however, was that part of their regime-change plot included a plan to blow up Miami and sinking a boat-full of innocent Cubans. The plan, which was revealed in 2017 when the National Archives declassified 2,800 documents from the JFK era, was a collaborative effort that included the CIA, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies that sought to brainstorm strategies to topple Castro and sow unrest within Cuba. One of those plans included Operation Northwoods, submitted to the CIA by General Lyman Lemnitzer on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It summarized nine “pretexts” the CIA and US government could employ to justify military intervention in Cuba. One of the official CIA documents shows officials musing about staging a terror campaign (“real or simulated”) and blaming it on Cuban refugees. “We could develop a Cuban Communist terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,” the Operation Mongoose document says. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cubans refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans en route to Florida (real or simulated.) We could foster attempts on lives of Cuban refugees in the United States… Exploding a few plastic bombs in carefully chosen spots. Ultimately, the broader Mongoose effort failed to remove Castro from power or effectively establish an infiltration within Cuba, though the CIA did engage in several sabotage operations. Mongoose was suspended and ultimately discontinued amid the Cuban Missile Crisis. 2. In 2014 the CIA Was Caught Red-Handed Spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee In the summer of 2014, the CIA’s inspector general concluded that the CIA had “improperly” spied on US Senate staffers who were researching the agency’s black history of torture. As the New York Times reported: “An internal investigation by the C.I.A. has found that its officers penetrated a computer network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee in preparing its damning report on the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation program. And that’s not the worst part. The Times goes on to note that CIA officers didn’t just read the emails of the Senate investigators. They also sent “a criminal referral to the Justice Department based on false information.” John Brennan, CIA director from 2013-2017, insisted during Senate hearings these were “very limited inappropriate actions” and that “the actions of the CIA were reasonable.” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) disagreed. “That’s not what the Inspector General [concluded],” Wyden said. “When you’re talking about spying on a committee responsible for overseeing your agency, in my view that undermines the very checks and balances that protect our democracy, and it’s unacceptable in a free society. And your compatriots in all your sister agencies agree with that.” Brennan, who publicly lied about the episode, was not punished and even retained his security clearance until Aug. 15, 2018. 3. The FBI’s “Suicide Letter” to MLK and His Wife Before he had a day named in his honor and a monument on the National Mall, the government viewed Martin Luther King Jr. very much as a threat. In fact, his message of peace, love, equality, and civil disobedience had the FBI so scared that agents actually sent King and his wife a package containing a strange letter and tape recording. It contained details of the civil rights activist’s sexual indiscretions and encouraged him to kill himself. In 1961, the FBI learned that Stanley Levison, a known “Red,” had become a close advisor to King. The following year, Bobby Kennedy approved wiretaps on Levison’s home and office, surveillance that would eventually expand. It turns out that J. Edgar Hoover stumbled on to MLK’s busy sex life while investigating King. “Hoover found out very little about any Communist subterfuge,” wrote Yale historian Beverly Gage in the New York Times in 2014, “but he did begin to learn about King’s extramarital sex life….” The FBI apparently had no scruples about using the information to try to bring King down. James Comey, Gage writes, used to keep a copy of the King wiretap request on his desk “as a reminder of the bureau’s capacity to do wrong.” 4. The CIA Forced Prisoners to Participate in Mind Control Experiments in the 1950s If you’ve never heard of Project MKUltra, you might find it hard to believe. Also known as “the CIA Mind Control Program,” the effort was launched by the agency in 1953. The program used drug experiments on humans, oftentimes on prisoners who were tested against their will or in exchange for early release. The experiments were undertaken so CIA agents could better understand how to extract information from enemies during interrogations. Here is a description from the History Channel: “MK-Ultra’s “mind control” experiments generally centered around behavior modification via electro-shock therapy, hypnosis, polygraphs, radiation, and a variety of drugs, toxins, and chemicals. These experiments relied on a range of test subjects: some who freely volunteered, some who volunteered under coercion, and some who had absolutely no idea they were involved in a sweeping defense research program. From mentally-impaired boys at a state school, to American soldiers, to “sexual psychopaths” at a state hospital, MK-Ultra’s programs often preyed on the most vulnerable members of society. The CIA considered prisoners especially good subjects, as they were willing to give consent in exchange for extra recreation time or commuted sentences. Whitey Bulger, a former organized crime boss, wrote of his experience as an inmate test subject in MK-Ultra. “Eight convicts in a panic and paranoid state,” Bulger said of the 1957 tests at the Atlanta penitentiary where he was serving time. “Total loss of appetite. Hallucinating. The room would change shape. Hours of paranoia and feeling violent. We experienced horrible periods of living nightmares and even blood coming out of the walls. Guys turning to skeletons in front of me. I saw a camera change into the head of a dog. I felt like I was going insane.” How was any of this legal? Well, it wasn’t, which is why the CIA understood it had to be concealed from the American public at all costs. “Precautions must be taken not only to protect operations from exposure to enemy forces but also to conceal these activities from the American public in general,” wrote a CIA auditor. “The knowledge that the agency is engaging in unethical and illicit activities would have serious repercussions in political and diplomatic circles.” 5. The FBI’s Systemic Forensic Fraud in Crime Labs In the early 1990s, Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, an attorney and chemist who worked at the FBI as a Supervisory Special Agent, noticed troubling practices in the in the bureau’s Investigation Laboratory. There were “alterations of reports, alterations of evidence, folks testifying outside their areas of expertise in courts of law,” said Whitehurst. “[Really] what was going on was human rights violations. We have a right to fair trials in this country… And that’s not what was going on at the FBI lab.” In 1994, he blew the whistle on the “systemic forensic fraud” he witnessed. Nothing happened. So he took his case to the Department of Justice. The FBI didn’t like that. Whitehurst was eventually chased out of the Bureau, but not before winning a $1.16 million settlement. Unfortunately, however, the wheels of justice turn slowly at the Bureau. “It wasn’t until ten years later that Whitehurst was finally vindicated,” notes the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund note, “when a scathing 500+ page study of the lab by the Justice Department Inspector General, Michael Bromwich, concluded major reforms were required in the lab.” But by then, an untold number of people had been convicted with the help of tainted evidence—evidence the DOJ knew was tainted. “In 2012 the Washington Post published an extensive review of the FBI and DOJ failures to properly review the cases impacted by the FBI lab scandal, based on Whitehurst’s research. As a result, the DOJ agreed to conduct yet another review of hair cases in collaboration with the Innocence Project and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). • 3,000 cases were identified by the government that had used microscopic hair analysis from FBI examiners. • 500 have been reviewed as of March 2015. • 268 included pro-prosecution testimony from FBI examiners. • 257 (96 percent) contained erroneous statements from “FBI experts”. At least 35 of these cases involved convicted criminals who received the death penalty, according to the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund. 6. Operation Midnight Climax: Drugging Unsuspecting Johns and Filming their Interactions with Prostitutes In the 1950s and early 1960s, the CIA admitted to operating a “bawdy house” in a San Francisco apartment where “unsuspecting citizens were lured… for the CIA’s drug experiments,” according to a local news story report documented by the agency. “Private citizens were taken to the bordello by $100 prostitutes and drugged without their knowledge, usually with LSD,” the San Francisco Examiner reported in 1977 after the CIA admitted to the operation. Agents sat behind a two-way mirror and filmed the interactions between the drugged men and prostitutes. Then-CIA director Stansfield Turner suggested the operation was intended to understand how drugs could potentially be used against the American people, though he called the experiments “abhorrent” and acknowledged it was “inexplicable” that the CIA would do this without the subjects’ consent. He insisted the agency had ceased the experiments 12 years prior. In a 1977 Senate testimony, CIA agents said the purpose of the experiments was to “learn about thought control and sexual behavior,” the Examinernoted. 7. The FBI Has Routinely Staged Acts of Terrorism In the wake of 9/11, the FBI has, on numerous occasions, targeted unstable and mentally ill individuals, sending informants to bait them into committing terror attacks. Before these individuals can actually carry out the attack, however, the Bureau intervenes, presenting the foiled plot to the public as a successfully thwarted attack. In 2011, journalist Glenn Greenwald summarized several examples of this deceitful tactic: [T]he FBI subjected 19-year-old Somali-American Mohamed Osman Mohamud to months of encouragement, support and money and convinced him to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas event in Portland, Oregon, only to arrest him at the last moment and then issue a Press Release boasting of its success. In late 2009, the FBI persuaded and enabled Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year old Jordanian citizen, to place a fake bomb at a Dallas skyscraper and separately convinced Farooque Ahmed, a 34-year-old naturalized American citizen born in Pakistan, to bomb the Washington Metro. 8. The CIA’s Media Manipulation Campaigns From the agency’s earliest days, it has attempted to control the flow of information to the public. In his book Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA, former New York Times journalist Tim Weiner documented how much influence the agency’s first civilian director, Allen Dulles, had among major media companies: “Dulles kept in close touch with the men who ran The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the nation’s leading weekly magazines. He could pick up the phone and edit a breaking story, make sure an irritating foreign correspondent was yanked from the field, or hire the services of men such as Time’s Berlin bureau chief and Newsweek’s man in Tokyo. Weiner noted, “It was second nature for Dulles to plant stories in the press. American newsrooms were dominated by veterans of the government’s wartime propaganda branch, the Office of War Information.” During his time at the agency, Dulles “built a public-relations and propaganda machine that came to include more than fifty news organizations, a dozen publishing houses, and personal pledges of support from men such as Axel Springer, West Germany’s most powerful press baron.” In 1977, Carl Bernstein further exposed the CIA’s efforts to influence news organization in an article for Rolling Stone in which he revealed that “more than 400 American journalists…in the past twenty?five years have secretly carried out assignments for the Central Intelligence Agency, according to documents on file at CIA headquarters.” The Lesson Amid the media and political establishment’s ongoing, frenzied coverage of Russia-gate, Americans are eager to pin guilt on the president have shown a willingness to trust the CIA and FBI without question despite numerous past and present reasons to be skeptical of their conclusions. Considering the CIA’s long history of intervening in other countries’ elections and governments, it is particularly ironic that their claims of Russia’s meddling in the US’ democracy are taken at face value. Nor is the corruption and deceit limited to the FBI and CIA. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to lawmakers and the public in 2013 when he claimed NSA did not collect any type of data on “millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.” He was caught red-handed months later when whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the extent of the agency’s mass surveillance operations. The survival of liberty depends on skepticism of government power—and make no mistake, that includes President Trump. But in light of these federal agencies’ chronic tendency to engage in behavior wholly inconsistent with American values, the same distrust must be applied to the institutions that claim to shed light on abuses by unpopular leaders.