#had it privately printed into bound copies and sent to you

[sbnkalny]

The prince and his mother, queen Barenziah, had it not for whom the nut nuts, it nuts for thee

[thesockpuppetmaster]

The Man As He Loved Me

When I wrote of Gatsby in my published novel, I told no falsehoods, only omitted a few small truths. There were scenes which I felt the world should not be privy to- I say that, and yet here I am, revealing them now. I suppose the time feels right now; time to bare my last kept secrets to the world, so that I may finally be rid of Mr Jay Gatsby.

The first scene actually doesn't concern Gatsby at all; it instead involves one Mr McKee from the party Myrtle held, before I had even met Gatsby. While his wife and the other party goers were busy attending to the blood erupting from Myrtle's nose, he sidled over to me, a look in his eyes that was both familiar and damning. "My wife will stay for another... few hours, I suppose. She doesn't like to leave Myrtle when things like this happen. Would you be so kind as to... accompany me back to my apartment?" He stepped closer, so I could smell the liquor on him, bitter and sharp. His voice was a mere murmur in my ear, "I often find I can't sleep alone." It was rather a shame the elevator boy was with us on our journey down- McKee was too full of whiskey to resist toying playfully with the head of the elevator lever, running his hand down the shaft as though the cold metal beneath his fingers was full of flesh and sensation, and pulsed as his hand caressed it. "Keep your hands off the lever." The boy caught the motion in the corner of his eye, and shut it down. "I beg your pardon, I didn't know I was touching it," he flashed his eyelid at me, so quickly I almost missed it. But I didn't.

As soon as we stepped through the door, he pulled me into a kiss, fixing our lips to eachother, my fingers running through the coarse, black hair at the back of his head, as though I were searching for something golden and tantalising buried within. We undressed eachother, clumsy with drink and blind with lust, fumbling with buttons to remove the clothes that bound our sensuality. I am ashamed to say my underpants got rather lost in the fray, and I have not seen them since. But soon they were no matter, and I felt his skin, sweet and hot to the touch, against my own. I took him then, on top of his wife's choice of cream cotton sheets, causing the silver springs below us to creak luxuriously with each lustful thrust of will.

Afterwards, he showed me photographs he had taken from Long Island, granulated shots of white seabirds and queer looking people strolling through streets, blurred slightly by movement, while some Cole Porter song played on the wireless. "They're lovely." I told him politely. "I could photograph you, if you would want me to. Just as you are, stood there- just over there- by that lamp- the light's much better there..." He got up to gather his camera and, before I could say anything otherwise, had positioned me just where the light caught my naked body best, and, with a sharp click, had forever preserved me for print. "I'll send a copy to you, when I've had one developed." I checked the old clock on the dresser, and, to my surprise, a full hour had passed since my arrival. "Won't your wife be home soon? I ought to be going," I said, beginning to pull on the clothes strewn across the floor in puddles, which I hoped belonged to me. Mr McKee looked up from his camera, startled. "Oh, yes... I suppose you ought to be- here-" He scribbled something on a scrap of paper on the dresser, and handed it to me as I made my way to the door. "Telephone if you ever want your picture taken again, will you?" "Sure," I never did telephone.

I only mentioned in passing where I first really met Gatsby- in the First Division, during the war. At the time, I didn't know he was Gatsby- he introduced himself to me simply as 'Jay', and to him, I was only 'Nick'. There was something of a party held for the men, in the dance hall of a grey, little French village, and that was where we first spoke. "Excuse me, do you have a light?" I turned around at the tap on my shoulder to see him standing before me, holding a cigarette and smiling that same reassuring smile. "Oh, of course- here-" I fumbled in my pocket for a box of matches, and struck one against the side of the box, causing a soft flame to leap into life. "Thanks, old sport." He took a drag. "I'm Jay, by the way," "Nick." He shook my hand firmly. "Have a drink with me, won't you?" "I'd be delighted."

As I have found often happens, it ended up being quite a bit more than just one drink, and much of the night that followed is forever lost to the fogs of inebriated memory that lurk dimly out of sight in the mind, and are never quite close enough to glimpse- mostly the middle section, before we began to sober up a little. Perhaps my knowledge of this is a detriment to my character, but the contents of the war had warped everyone's perception a little, and made a man far more inclined to drink.

We didn't talk about ourselves or our lives; until he asked me if I had a girl back home. "No, no... I was seeing this girl before I left, but I broke it off when I was sent out- I wanted to anyway- all she wanted to talk about was marriage..." He looked at me curiously. "Don't you want to get married, Old Sport?" "Not to her." I replied, and changed the focus of the topic to him, "What about you? Do you have a girl at home?" "I did." Jay's eyes seemed to loose a little light. "What happened?" "It doesn't matter... she married somebody else- look, do you want to get out of here, Old Sport?" His change of subject was obvious, but I let it slide. "And go where?"

As it turned out, 'where' was the wrong question; I should have asked what he wanted to do. But, as I lay beside him, both of us nude from the waist down, I cannot say that I recall being preoccupied with not asking that- I was rather more interested in the lips which touched my body so tenderly, and the hands which explored my skin with such deftness and expertise. Perhaps it was the liquor talking, but I cannot recall ever being so blissfully happy in my intimate encounters than that night. Gatsby showed me parts of my body that I did not know could feel pleasure- but, with fumbling ecstasy, felt more than all of the rest of my body ever had.

When I woke the next morning, my lower half still bared to the cold dawn light, Jay was gone. I wouldn't speak to him again until the party at his house, years later, but I would glimpse him every now and again, as one did in the war. I was so sure I would never see him again, that I didn't really allow myself to think about him. Strange how things really turned out.

At his party, when we met again, I could hardly believe my luck. The only images I could conjure in my mind were of that night, and hearing his voice again brought back memories I wasn't aware I had. We spoke about the party, mostly, and the people there, and every time he laughed, the glistening lights seemed a little more beautiful. Of course, that was before I knew who the party was for.

Gatsby was infatuated with Daisy. We shared only two more intimacies after meeting again, the first on his private beach after the first party I attended. The smell of the brine from the languid waves marinated into his skin with his own, tender scent, and made a heady lovechild that I could only describe as the smell of summer passion. He moved his body more leisurely than before, knowing he was no longer shackled by the confines of military time and duty, but free the share his body as he pleased.

But throughout, I know he can only have been thinking of Daisy, for as much as he loved my body, my passion, and my company, he loved the idea of Daisy more.

The second time was the night of Myrtle's death. He longed for his mind to be taken elsewhere, and I provided my hand to take it, drawing him to feel my wanting for him, pulsing through my skin and milk white bone, and searching for the same in him.

But that night he felt colder than he had before, and in the heat of climax, he cried;

"Daisy!"

After that I had to bring the affair to a close, knowing he felt married to her.

But I do believe he loved me, at least in his body, for a while. Or perhaps I was just a naive distraction from the tolls his fantasy took on him, waiting conveniently next door, for his next whim to indulge my blind heart.

[wasalwaysagreatpickle]

Monday 25 January 1830

8 1/4

1 1/4

At my desk at 9 10/.. – 

No motion at all for the first time I think since beginning with vegetable diet but had one afterwards at one o’clock – 

From about 9 1/2 to 10 3/4 read over the 2 newspapers – Galignani’s messenger and the new daily paper which has made its first appearance today, and of which they send round the 1st no. by way of prospectus, the ‘London express and Paris advertiser’ – 4 columns, but larger and better print than Galignani’s – there is always to be a literary article – that this morning on and in high praise of Moore’s life of Byron, well enough to get up – to be concluded in the next paper tomorrow – Breakfast at 10 3/4 in 1/2 hour – 

From then to two and a quarter wrote the copy of and the letter to Mrs De Hageman – 

Wrote a small sized sheet full (4pp.) to Madame de Hageman – chit chat answer to her letter – a great deal about her little boy as this subject will, of course, interest her most – ‘He is really a very fine boy, - a boy of considerable talent, with much more appearance of application than is usually joined to so much quickness, and with all so well taught by mamma that he gives no trouble to anyone, and we are really pleased to have him for his own sake…..It is understood by all parties that he is to come every other Sunday’….

Put my letter and what little Frederic wrote yesterday into an envelope together then put the whole under cover to ‘Monsieur monsieur Stuart’ ‘I shall be very much obliged to you if you will send the enclosed to Turin by Lord Stuart de Rothesay’s bag – very truly yours Anne Lister, Monday 25 January 1830 – 

Went out with my aunt 2 1/2 – en passant George took my letter to the Embassy – drove to the Bois de Boulogne walked my usual way to B- then by the allée Bourbon to Passy – through the village and by the river to Madame Decante’s – brought back [cartou] and dress, and home at 5 – 

George brought in my letter sent back by Mr Henry Stuart to say they had no communication with Turin but by post and to beg me to put a full direction on my letter – very civil and I am sorry to have given him so much trouble – Letter per petite post from the Embassy from Miss Maclean 2 sheets i.e. 7pp. and the ends, and enclosing a very nice full 1/2 sheet from Miss Hobart who, it seems, has been very unwell – cold and fever- confined to her bed some days – bled, blistered etc. – 

She seems to have been pleased with my last Dear Miss Lister thanks for one of my own pet letters 

Your treatise on ‘admiration’ is worthy of being put in print, and if [?] before the age of rage of printing and publishing all private writings is over, the world may have the advantage of it, but not while I live: as long as I have power over anything, it shall rest with its predecessors (and I hope successors) in your pretty Berlin no. Vienna Bex, which I have dedicated to your letters, instead of ‘gants’, as being more worthy of it’ – 

Concludes with ever affectionately yours in fact I believe she likes me as well or perhaps better than she likes most others – 

Miss Maclean’s letter full of Mr Long – she is not angry with me as I expected, but still fills her pp. about the wonders done by this man who has however the gratitude to say, (perhaps truly) he owes all his success among the higher ranks, to her – she says Sir Colin Campbell has made an immense stir about him at a dinner at the duke of wellington’s – the duke is a convert he says, and McDougall called on me yesterday – who says the uproar is great and that both colonel C- (Campbell) and Sir Colin are up in arms on Mr Long’s side’ etc. etc. she concludes her letter with the following postscript ‘I could tell you wonders of Mr Long, but I am bound to secrecy for the present – you may entirely pull out the sting of having caused me to place myself under him – I feel proud in having increasingly proclaimed my opinion even when he seemed almost forsaken by the malignant reports of his medical opposers he thanks me for my courageous conduct and says all his present prosperity he owes to me’ – Poor Sibbella! gulled past all recal! But ‘tis the business and perhaps the happenings of her life, and leave her to the enjoyment of it – she says the cause of the death of sir Thomas Lawrence is only whispered now, but will soon make a commotion (nothing but commotion) he was bled – the arm (I suppose it was) carelessly bandaged – began to bleed again – his servant called for assistance – the medical man would not hurry! and he bled to death! ‘Mr Long has no high respect for Mr Crosbie though on the side of politics they agree – not on the letter Mr Long was indignant at it…. I know not whether the duke’ (of Cumberland) ‘has struck him off the list of chaplains or not, I rather think not, for Mr Crosbie is in high spirits…. do not mention this – The duke wrote to Mr Crosbie that he could not publicly countenance him at present but not to fear – the time would come’ – Believe this who can –

She says ‘Lady Stuart seems much pleased at Lady De Rothesays attention in inviting you to her parties so frequently’ poor good old Lady I do believe she would do anything she could for me

‘All you have said of my Vere’ (page 3 third sheet)’ from your very first letter has not been lost on me, though I said nothing particular in reply – nor shall I now – except that I am really sorry for your unsettled feeling – which you so feelingly mention in most of your late letters’ - …. ‘I do not correspond regularly with the Mackenzies – If the duchess of Hamilton is still in Paris you better write her a little note with Miss Mackenzies book and request to know]where she is and forward the book to her – you and she are not like – she is not strong – talented and accomplished and excellent and a little oddish too – but I have no notion whether she also has a travelling mania’ – Miss Hobart mentions having just heard from Paris a story against Lady Graves with a certain duke – ‘that good for nothing duke ought to be hanged there several times for his manifold iniquities’ – Lady Gordon to return to London this week  -

Dinner at 5 50/.. – came to my room at 7 – wrote, except the first 4 lines, as far as line 21 of today – Forest dressed my hair – dressed – stood reading Cloquet (Ethmoide) – coffee at 9 20/.. – off at 9 1/2 to Lady [Yavasours] – Captain and Miss Hall there – and some time afterwards came Sir Charles and Lady Style – M Moreau there – a few gentlemen I spoke to, but nobody else I knew or asked to be introduced to – played one game at écarté with Lady Style and won ten sols – came away at 11 1/2 – home in my room at 11 3/4 – 

Not very pleasant party to me individually knew too few people Lady Style prefers talking to men as most women do 

It seems the [Yavasours] are to spend next summer at Spa! How will this advance the education of their children? there will be another scene of visiting – spa balls etc. –

Fine soft day – Fahrenheit I should suppose at 40˚ or above –

[huntertales]

Let’s Write a Different Ending.

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Prophet!Reader

Word Count: 4,343. // Episode Setting: The Monster at the End of This Book.

Summary: What if the “Supernatural” book series wasn’t written by Chuck Shurley? Instead, by a young woman named Y/N Y/L/N? She finds herself living out her most recent story—about the end of the world, an archangel whose sworn to protect her is moonlighting as a trickster and two fictional characters by the name of Sam and Dean are about to drag her straight into it. (Semi-rewrite from episode 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book to—?)

Full Masterlist | My Other SPN Rewrite

Note: Is this a possible semi-rewrite of the show for my Sam girls???? Yes, it is! And no...This is not like my regular rewrite where I do it episode by episode, this is more like I’m taking Chuck’s entire plot line and writing it as the reader up until the season five finale. Along the way I’m gonna try to focus on a Sam/Reader element ‘cause my boy needs some love.

And before you fret...this is a side project. My original rewrite will always come first. Plus I’m still figuring out the details of what I want to do, but updates for this are gonna be really scarce. I don't know how many parts this will be or how many episodes I will cover, but it'll be part by part. Updates are probably gonna be scarce until I finish season six. More importantly, if you guys like this and want to see more, please let me know. I hope you guys enjoy possibly a new series! 

Chapter One: It Started With a Knock. 

Carver Edlund: it was a name nobody would be probably familiar with if you asked a stranger on the street who he was. To Sam and Dean, he was a man who knew too much. A thief who made a buck and gained an underground cult following from a book series he wrote called "Supernatural." Twenty four books detailing the lives of two hunters who traveled across the country in their 1967 Chevy Impala, saving people from monsters and seeking revenge on the yellowed eyed demon who killed their parents. Each action, every little personal aspect of their lives—from their upbringing, to every internal thought—was all in paperback for the world to read. 

The brothers made the horrifying discovering when they were working a case in town, the first stop on the list of places to check out was some run-down looking comic store. The guy behind the counter mistook their questioning as a game of "LARPing" and failed miserably in attempting to remember the main character's names, only for the younger Winchester to correct him after the third time. That's when they discovered the first book in the bargain bin, a hidden gem abandoned with other comics no one bothered to read. The cover alone looked like a seedy romance novel someone might find on their middle middle-aged mother's nightstand. Sam and Dean found every copy they could find and examine each word. 

Sam tried to figure out who this Carver Edlund was, but he was shady as the characters he wrote about. There wasn't a single paper trail or photograph of him in an attempt for either of the boys to recognize his face to figure out who he was. Best guess the guy was using a pen name to keep his identity. All they knew that the books started rolling out in early of'05, the year Sam left a life behind after tragedy hit. His girlfriend Jess, the only woman he was weeks away from asking to marry him, was killed in the same gruesome manner as his mother. The finale of the "Supernatural" series ended in of Dean being torn to bits by Lilith and Sam alone, just like reality they were forced to live in.

Sam and Dean doubted it ended here. There was someone behind this name, a person the boys were itching to have a  “formal” chat with to figure out how he knew so much about them. The boys decided to start with the most obvious place to track down the author’s real name, the publishing company that printed the crap. A lovely young woman held the possible trail to finding out who it was, only it came with a test when Sam and Dean claimed to be journalists wanting to write an article about the books.

The publisher wouldn’t give up any sort of information so easily. She grilled them with all sorts of questions each of the boys got correct, but only seemed satisfied they were the real deal as she sat in her office chair, watching with a close eye as Sam unbuttoned his flannel and under shirt slightly to reveal the anti-possession tattoo on his chest. She had one of her own, right on her bare ass to show the boys. But the view that made Dean’s day wasn’t the only parting gift she gave the boys. She might not have known the true identity of the person who wrote the books, she had a  current address the boys could visit. All though she warned them—authors were temperamental people.

“He’s very private.” She warned them. “Like Salinger.”

You lifted your hands away from the keyboard when you attempted the second draft of the newest edition to a series that ended months ago. But it didn’t mean the adventures that ran through your head would stop. It flowed vividly as it did after the first dream you had them and sat down to write the first page of the "Supernatural" series. You read the words back to yourself as another part of the newest story printed, waiting for your approval to join the rest of the story you were working on.

Writing was a tedious process. Some people could whip out a beginning line to sink the reader in, others thought to start in the middle and figure out the rest later. Your process was a jumbled mess. You wrote down fragments until everything connected itself together into a perfect story you were happy with. However, the newest story you were working on was a bit...different.

You sat in your office, a small room containing a desk pushed up against the window to enjoy a spacious backyard and the rainy days when you felt the most inspired. Behind was you as book shelf taller than you, crammed with novels your family collected over the years along with bound and unpublished books that haven’t seen the light of day. You reached out to grab the second cup of coffee you made for yourself and the still warm papers from the printer. Skimming the words, you snickered into the ceramic mug at what the hell you were attempting to write late last night.

You took pride in being a creative person since early childhood. Maybe it came with having both of your parents being successful writers and having a hunger for all sorts of adventures you tried to seek in reading endless books. Ever since you could hold a pen and form proper sentences you were writing down all your crazy stories. You were a daydreamer, with a wild imagination to match. Never did you think any of it would be good enough material to be published.

It was the summer before you were supposed to start your freshman year of college when you had a dream that felt so real. Normally you forgot the dream you had the night before the second you woke up. But this one stuck like glue. All day your mind wouldn’t stop replaying what you dreamed about, thinking about these characters you named Sam and Dean. For a week you had dreams that felt so vivid about them, the first adventure of many to come. Over the years you had some that were pleasant and quite enjoyable to form into words. Other ones made you wake up in a cold sweat, terrified from the horrendous things your brain could think of all on your own. You showed the first fifteen pages you had wrote nonstop in the span of three days to your parents—who suggested you to go for it. Write a novel and see where it took you.

It took you farther than you ever expected. You made the decision to publish the name under a pen name of Carver Edlund, You were afraid nobody would take an eighteen year old with no prior experience seriously. You sent the books off to every publishing company you could think of and waited for nothing but rejection letters. Almost all of them were a fail, until you got your lucky break with an Indie company that loved your work. She gushed over the first "Supernatural" book and how good it was, so good that she was reading for the second time after finishing it all in just a day. The work was so good, she  desperately pleaded for more. You agreed to work on more stories, if you were granted complete and total privacy. She agreed.

You placed the cup back down on your desk in favor for a pen, deciding to edit the part you were working on last night. You felt a tinge of embarrassment from what the kind of nonsense your mind was able to come up with. It was always the day after you decided to edit. A fresh perspective to edit the mistakes you might have made and correct words that might flow better. However, it didn’t take much effort to slip back into the fictional world you thought you created.

“Sam and Dean exited the Impala and stepped onto the sidewalk. Dean took out the ripped piece of paper with the address scribbled down and read it one more time, wanting to make sure it was correct. All though he wasn’t sure what kind of house a man who wrote the lives was to look like, what they saw wasn’t what they...perceived. A small two-story house laid in front of them didn’t look like it belonged to a person they never met. It looked like every other one on this street, a white picket fence and a flourishing garden blooming this early spring. The boys knew looks could be deceiving. They wanted to make sure this was the residence of the man who knew personal details about themselves, things nobody should know.

The boys waited not a second longer. They approached the front door with trepidation. Did they really want to learn the secrets that lay beyond that door? The brothers traded soulful looks, answering the question without speaking a word. With determination, Dean pushed the doorbell with forceful...determination."

You furrowed your brow when you noticed you accidentally repeated the same word twice. You clicked on your pen and scratched out the word for something better. Before the tip of the pen could even touch the paper, you found yourself looking over your shoulder when the doorbell rang. Your dog, who had been peacefully resting at your feet, raised his head in curiosity. You rolled your eyes when he followed the behavior by a series of loud barks. You shushed the German Shepherd, mumbling for Winchester to calm down as rubbed a hand across his fur. You weren’t expecting any visitors today. And it’d been ages since you ordered any packages. You pushed yourself up to your feet, deciding to answer it anyway.

You heard a set of nail tap across the wooden floors, Winchester followed behind you to join you in the adventure of who was bugging you this early afternoon. You lived in a safe neighborhood, it was the reason why you moved here in the first place. Plus the rent was cheap. You unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door a crack to see who stood on your porch, two men you’d never seen before.

You noticed their hands were empty—no bible, no useless products to sell you. It meant the “No soliciting” sign worked. But the “Beware of Dog” didn’t ward off strangers who weren't’ here with a good explanation. You were a single woman living on your own and two men that looked to be twice your size were visiting you. Nobody could be too cautious these days with all those sickos running around. Winchester peeked his head out from behind you to see who it was.

“Excuse me, we don’t mean to bother you, but…” The man standing closest to you greets you with an expression that makes it look like he’s having a bad day. He trailed off momentarily when he saw Winchester peek his head out, the dog staring at him. The stranger continued on by asking you a question that made your welcoming smile drop slightly. “We’re looking for a Carver Edlund.”

“Never heard of the guy.” You lied straight through your teeth, shrugging your shoulders. You gave the two strangers another smile, this time, more sympathetic. “You got the wrong house.” “We’re looking for the man who wrote the ‘Supernatural’ books.” You turned your head to the second man, who’s taller, but much more nicer looking. “We know he wrote them under a fake name. But we didn’t get his real one, just his address. We were told he lives here.”

“We really need to talk to him.” The man standing next to you said, urgency in his voice. You could tell he was trying to be polite. Your swallowed slightly as you wrapped your fingers around the door frame. It seemed he could read your hesitance. “Let me guess, he’s your boyfriend. He probably likes his privacy. But this is important. Is he home, by chance? It’ll just take five minutes. That’s all.”

“Why do you want to meet him so badly?” You questioned the both of them.

“We’re...We’re really big fans.” The taller one said. You narrowed your eyes slightly when both of them share a look before directing their attention back to you. “You see, my brother and I are journalists and we were hoping to have an interview with him, see who the real man is behind these books. Shed some light on the series to gain more attention. That’s all.”

You looked at the two of them for a moment, wondering if what you were hearing was true. You had never had something like this happen before. Most journalists, all three of them, contacted you through email to try and get a personal interview with you. You never had someone show up on your front door, trying to figure out the true identity behind a book series that paid your way through college, something that started out from a vivid dream. Your body relaxed as you let out a sigh, deciding if they were big fans, you’d let him in on a secret.

“Well, since you guys went all this trouble...Hi,” You opened the door slightly wider and leaned yourself against it, your lips stretching into a smile when you spoke the truth you had been trying to hide for over four years. “The name’s Y/N Y/L/N. I’m the author of the ‘Supernatural’ books.”

"Wait, you? You’re the sucker who wrote all those books?” Your face scrunched up slightly when the man standing closest to you changed his attitude. He suddenly broke out into a smile, acting as if you told him a funny joke. You slowly nodded your head and gave him a dirty look. If he was here to make fun of your work, you’d be more than happy to tell him to shove his arrogance where the sun didn’t shine. It seemed that wasn’t the case. He sobered up when he realized you were telling the truth, he was in the right place, and he was speaking to the author. “Well, nice to meet you. Let me tell you who we are. I’m Dean. This is Sam.” He pointed a finger to the taller man stan is next to him. “The Dean and Sam you've been writing about.”

You stared at the two men standing on your porch, trying to process what they just said as the ends of your lips slowly stretched into a smile. You didn't know what you should laugh first at. The fact that these two men went through all the trouble of tracking down your publisher that you hadn't talked to in almost five months for an address to figure out who the real writer of a barely popular book series. Or they were crazy, pretending to be fictional characters you made up. You didn’t even bother wasting your breath to give a response. You stepped back and slammed the door right on their face. You reached up a hand to lock the door, but before you could, you heard the doorbell go off again.

You contemplated for a moment if you wanted to do the right thing and ignore them. Worst case scenario if they got rowdy you'd call the cops and get their asses hauled off. However, you found yourself suddenly overcome with anger when you heard them switch from the doorbell to furiously pounding on your front door. You rolled your eyes, you decided to confront the two very delusional men who needed a dose of reality.  

“Look, uh... I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans. But how about you be like everyone else and drop me an email or something. Not show up on my doorstep like a bunch of freaks. The reason why I wrote under a fake name was so I could keep my privacy. And I’d like to keep it that way.” You spoke in a serious tone, informing them they needed to get out of here. “For your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life.”

Your left the two men with the words of advice they should take as you swung the door shut to end this conversation once and for all. Instead the one who called himself Dean thought it was a good idea to reach out a hand and slam it against the door, using his strength to keep it open.

“See, here's the thing, sweetheart. We have a life.” He said. You scoffed loudly at his words that sounded like a lie from how they were acting. You attempted once more to shut the door and lock it, but he was quicker than you. He inched himself closer so his fingers wrapped around the edge of the wood. “You've been using it to write your books.”

“Right.” You mumbled, chuckling at the tough guy act this idiot was putting on. You didn’t try and make Winchester calm down when he prowled closer to the two strangers. He let out a low, threatening growl when he sensed a changed in the atmosphere. “You have five seconds to get your hand off my door and off my property before I call the cops.”

It seemed “Dean” would take his chances with your threat. He pushed his way into your house, making you stumble slightly into the place as Winchester jumped in between the both of you, making the men suddenly stop dead in their tracks before they could do anything else. The dog began to bark incessantly and growl at the strangers when he thought one of them might try and do something stupid.

“Look, we’re not here to hurt you.” The one who thought he was Sam reassured you. Your face scrunched up from his words that sounded the least bit comforting. Their actions spoke louder, and it screamed they were a bunch of lunatics. “We just want to know how you’re doing it.”

“Doing what?” You asked them. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Are you a hunter?” The other man questioned you.

“What? Are you high or something? Get out of my house. Now” You ordered, as if you had any sort of authority to do such a thing. It took all of your control to keep your voice steady as your heart pounded roughly against your ribcage. The two men didn’t listen, they just stared at you, waiting for an answer. "I'm a writer. That's it."

“Then how do you know so much about demons and tulpas and changelings?” Dean threw out a few fictional monsters you wrote about in your series. You backed away slowly, wondering how to stop this situation before it could escalate to the nightmares a single woman had while living on her own. Murdered, robbery...other things that made a shiver run down your spine just form the thought.

“I read a lot of science fiction and horror books. H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King all that stuff. That’s where most it came from. And I did research, too. I wanted it to be realistic as possible.” You admitted. You thought the answers would be enough, but the one who thought of himself as Dean wouldn’t back down so easily. “Look, is this some kind of weird ‘Misery’ thing because I killed off Dean?”

“It’s not a ‘Misery’ thing. Believe me, we are not fans.” He said, shaking his head at the accusation. You didn’t believe one word he spoke. The man looked down at your dog when he heard it stop barking but showing no signs of backing down. Because it thought his owner was in danger. He quickly realized barging in like this made a wrong impression. They didn’t think a twenty something year old woman wrote their lives. The man changed his tone of voice, into more of a calm one. “Look, we aren’t here to break your legs. We just wanna talk. That’s it. Five minutes. And then we’ll be out of your hair for good.”

You didn’t feel the least bit reassured by his promise, but as a sign of good faith, or stupidity on your part, you stepped forward and shushed Winchester to keep quiet. You ushered him to back down and reassured that everything was fine. You stared at the two men in front of you, wondering if they were going to keep to their word.

“Fine. Who are you?” You asked them. “Really?”

“I’m Sam. This is Dean.” The taller man must have thought you were stupid when they tried to keep pulling this little act.

You rolled your eyes and pushed yourself back up to your feet, trying your hardest not to lose your patience with them. “For the last time, Sam and Dean are fictional characters.” You told them in a quiet, strained voice from what was going on. “I made them up! They're not real!”

The two men thought they could change your mind with some proof. You didn’t know why, but you found yourself following outside to their car—which was a 1967 Chevy Impala, color black and in mint condition, kept a single scratch on it. You’d never seen one in person, but she was a sight for sore eyes. Winchester trailed behind you to the outside and sat himself down on the sidewalk after you told him to. He was quiet, but he remained diligent, waiting for one of them men to try something.

The one who called himself Dean wanted you to take a look at the inside of their trunk, the words were a bit more creepier than he expected. You crossed your arms over your chest, expecting it to be empty and for one of them to shove you inside before locking you in there. When the trunk opened up, it wasn’t empty and you remained where you stood, but what you saw was even more horrifying. You inhaled a deep breath as you felt your eyes jumping around at all the stuff they had in there, an arsenal for a mad man.

“Are those real guns?” You asked in a meek tone.

“Yup.” The one who thought of himself as Dean said. You swallowed when he pointed out all the things you mentioned in the book. “This is real rock salt, these are real fake IDs.”

“Well, I got to hand it to you guys. You really are my number one fans. That’s,” You scratched the back of your neck as you felt yourself choosing the flight option in this situation. You nervously chuckled and began to slowly back away, hoping you might be able to dash inside the house and call the cops before things got too far. They were crazy, you thought. Obsessed. “That’s awesome. So, I-I think I've got some posters in the house.” You turned so fast on the back of your heels, you had a shot at running for your life. But before you could take a single step to safety, you heard the one who was pretending to be Dean spoke up. “Y/N, stop.” He called out to you, and for some reason, you listened to him.

“You lay one finger on me and I’ll start screaming.” You warned them as you turned back around to face the two men. You gave them a deadly glare as Winchester pushed himself back up on all four legs and came back over to you. "What the hell do you want?"

“How much do you know?” The taller one, Sam, questioned you with all sorts of things that you had written about in the secrecy of your own office. “Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking seals?”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” You mumbled, shaking your head from what he was asking you. You looked at the two men in front of you with a confused expression from what was going on, all of a sudden you had a few questions of your own. “How do you know about that?”

“The question is,” This supposed Dean asked, “how do you?”

You furrowed your brow slightly, "'Cause I wrote it."

“You kept writing?” Sam, or so he called himself, wondered.

“Yeah, even after the publisher went bankrupt, but those books never came out. Nobody's ever seen them except for me.” You said, telling them as you pointed a thumb over your shoulder and to your house. You suddenly felt a nudge against your leg, the dog was growing funny all of a sudden when he let out a low whine. You rolled your eyes and gave him a command, speaking his name for the first time in front of the boys. “Winchester, sit.”

"You named your dog Winchester?" You nodded your head, knowing this was the conversation that you would make up the lie that it was about how your dad was a big fan of guns and you named the dog after him. The man decided to formally introduce himself. "Well, nice that's a mighty fine coincidence. Cause you see, like I said...I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam."

You looked up from your dog after you began to subconsciously ran a hand through his fur to try and calm him down. You felt your face fall in surprise from what they told you. "Last names were never in the books. I never told anybody that. I never even wrote it down. Nobody knows I even wrote those books. People only think I named my dog after a freaking gun. You mumbled. You suddenly felt yourself hit with a dizzy spell from the things that were slowly connecting in your head. You stared at the two men in front of you, the ones you had wrote God knows how many books on and years of dreams about. Alive and in the flesh. “Sam and Dean Winchester...Well, nice to meet you.”

[Next Part]

[waterstar2016]

I dont know if I can ask for more than one but I wont ask anything beyond 2, With Mikey- He went to visit his baby girl at her apartment and seen a room he never seen before. A studio looking room with canvases, art supplies, computer with tablet monitor. And sees his girl sitting in her chair sketching and discovers that she draws comics and characters which she tries to hide but was caught in the act. She is very shy and lack confidence in her work but loves it anyways. Catches her off guard

Thank you for this request. I hope you like it! I have the other one you sent me in reserve.

This is SFW and very fluffy…

It was late. The sun had set hours ago. Her only companions were her art and her music. Multitudes of canvasses rested upon one wall, layers of colour waiting to be finished and others with their bright white surface eager for the first stroke of a brush. Palettes, paint, pencils, charcoal, masking fluid, kneadable erasers and markers rested in drawers, stood in old cans, or were strewn on the corner of an art table in organized chaos.

On the wall adjacent to the door was a tablet monitored computer. USB sticks and printed pages full of ideas rested on the space beside it. Some would never see another’s eyes, others would be sold to eager recipients, and there were those meant for her own personal amusement. To many the room looked cluttered, but to her it was perfect. This space was her sanctuary, and her escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The only window was a large skylight above her. It gave her a unobstructed view of the sky. She couldn’t see the stars, but she knew they were there. Once a month she had the pleasure watching the moon walk across the glass. This was her space.

She knew he was on patrol and she had hours of uninterrupted drawing time ahead of her. It’s not that she didn’t want to see him, she loved her orange clad terrapin with all of her heart. This was just a side of herself that she had hid from him. Choosing to work in the hours that there would be no chance that he would discover her secret. Mikey never asked what was behind the locked door in her apartment, it never even occurred to him to broach the subject.

There was no real reason why she hadn’t told him. Sighing to herself she knew there was. She was shy and afraid. She was an anonymous artist, her worked signed with a hastily scrawled signature, indiscernible even when examined up close. Her e-mail where she wrote her correspondence was under an alias. She liked her anonymity.

Shaking her head she sat down at her computer and started working on her next piece. It was for a comic company she had started working for (again anonymously), and her work for them was rapidly gaining the strip popularity. Despite that acknowledgment from society that her work was indeed in demand, she still saw many so many flaws and was too afraid to go public. Putting on her headphones the world around her slowly disappeared.

“Alright Mikey, you can go.” Leo stood looking at his youngest brother shaking his head. He was trying to look disapproving but couldn’t help the small smile that graced his face. Mikey bounded off with a hastily yelled “Thanks bro!”. Raph looked over at him. “Ya caved.” Leo rolled his eyes. “The night’s quiet Raph. Besides we have Casey as an extra tonight.” Casey came over at the sound of his name. “Hey Raph, wasn’t it last week that Leo let you go early to see that brunette you’ve been hanging out with lately?” Raph growled. “I’m not seeing….never mind, it’s none of your business Friday the 13th!” He growled and walked away. Leo and Casey laughed.

After weeks of pleading with Leo and reminding him that “Raph got to leave patrol early last week”…he was finally given permission to go. Mikey moved swiftly, bounding from building to building with his destination clear in his mind. He couldn’t wait to see her. She was his Angel Cakes. They hadn’t been seeing each other for very long and he was going to take this opportunity to surprise her.

Hopping over an old water tower he could finally see her apartment building in the distance. The white brick of the building stood out against its darker neighbours. Landing on the roof he started heading towards the fire escape. He tip toed around the various skylights, grateful for the cover of night. One had a light on. His mind quickly realized it was hers.

No, he wouldn’t look. It was her private space and he did not want to break her trust. He was so mesmerized by the light that he wasn’t watching where he was going and he tripped over a raised air conditioning unit. Windmilling his arms he tried to alter the trajectory of his fall, but it was too late. He landed right on top of the window and watched in horror as a few small rocks from the roof spilled in through the gap. Then he saw the art. He couldn’t believe that this is what she had been secreting away, his baby was even more awesome then he thought!

A loud noise pierced through her head phones and she jumped. She felt something fall on her head and her eyes widened when she realized that it was gravel. Where in the hell did that come from? She looked up and gasped. There, with his face squished against the skylight was Mikey. She heard a muffled “Hey Baby Cakes.” Despite the nervousness she was feeling a smile and a giggle escaped her lips. “Come on down, Mikey, I’ll open the balcony door for you.”

She dragged her feet as she headed to open the sliding door. The gig was up. Mikey now knew her secret…what would he say? Opening the door Mikey practically jumped into the room. Seeing her he gave her a wink “Sup pretty girl, your triple threat is here.” Mikey opened his arms and she went to him. She rested her head against his plastron. “You’re, um, here early.” Mikey took his finger and slid it under her chin. Tilting it up she met his baby blues. “Yeah, Sweet Cheeks! I got Leo to let me go early…I just couldn’t wait to see you.”

He bent towards her and kissed her gently. She relaxed into the kiss, momentarily forgetting her nerves over him seeing her studio. Mikey pulled away from her grinning. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me about your art? From what I saw you got some serious skills! I’m sorry for how I ended up seeing it, but I’m not sorry that I did! She turned her head away from him slightly and Mikey could feel the slight trembling of her body. “O, it’s O.K, I just, well…” She stopped, her tongue frozen.

Mikey pulled her into him tightly and ran his fingers up and down her back whispering sweet nothings in her ear. “Sweet Cheeks? You gonna be alright?” Mentally shaking herself she nodded. “Yeah, you just surprised me. That’s all.” Taking a deep breath she grabbed his hand. “Here, I’ll show you what I’ve been working on.”

Leading him to the room she slowly opened the door. Bracing herself, she waited for Mikey’s reaction. She laughed when she heard “Woah…..Duuuuude”. Mikey eagerly walked around the room, his eyes alight with glee. “You did all this?! This is awesome!” He made his way over to her computer and with his face fixated on the screen almost missed the chair when he went to sit on it.

His arm snaked out grabbing at the air for her and managed to snag onto her sweater. He pulled her to him. Grasping her around her waist he settled her onto his lap. “You draw this comic! I’m like one of your biggest fans! Raph gets mad at me when I steal this page out of the paper. He’s gonna be stoked when he finds out it’s you! Would you sign something for him? Please?”

Her heart filled with joy at Mikey’s reaction to her secret, and she found herself wondering why she had hid this from him for so long. “Sure, Mikey, I can do that.” Mikey gave her a loud kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Babe!” Looking to the skylight she sighed and Mikey immediately whispered “What’s wrong?” Shaking her head she gave him a reassuring smile “I’m just sorry for hiding this from you.” Mikey wrapped his arms around her. “Aw, it’s okay Angel Cakes.”

She rested her head against his and sighed happily. Mikey suddenly jumped up and spun her around. Laughing she hung on. “Mikey! What are you doing?” He stopped spinning and set her down on the floor. “Babe! I just realized that there so many blank walls in the lair that you can help me tag!” He gripped her shoulders. “How does that sound? It would be the best date!” Her eyes looked up into his and she grinned from ear to ear.

“That sounds like a fantastic idea Mikey.” She had always wanted to try spray paint. Making a decision she turned and tapped the print icon on the monitor. The page she had been working on slid out of the printer. Grabbing a orange pen she clearly signed her name on the bottom right corner.

“I will sign another copy for Raph, but I want you to have the first one.” Mikey beamed and kissed her once more.

End.

[woohooligancomics]

Sam Roasts the AMA!

No, not the American Music Awards, they rock! Or don't... I think it depends on your category. Anyway, in case you don't know, AMA means "Ask Me Anything". It's a kind of group-interview where questions come from a peanut gallery instead of an individual interviewer. I created an AMA on AMAFeed.com today and then immediately after creating it, I needed help with it, which wasn't forthcoming. There's no help link on the site, no forum, just an FAQ and a contact form, which is kinda weird. (I did later discover a reference to a support email address.)

So since there wasn't any way to revise the details of my AMA or correct any of the mistakes I'd made, I submitted the following on their contact form:

Hey there. So, I signed up today and created my first AMA here:

https://comicsama.com/sam-dealey-roasts-himself-an-ama-on-comedy-comics-and-why-laughter-is-a-467977/

It's pretty obvious from the description of the AMA that mistakes were made! :P However, there appears to be no way for me to correct those mistakes, including even any way to cancel the AMA and start over. Does AMA Feed intend to cater to a group of perfect, error-proof extraterrestial supercomputers? Or perhaps to nihilistic philosophers who believe that the mistakes of our past must be preserved as a reminder of the meaninglessness of existence?

Thanks,

Sam "the Snark" Dealey

p.s. If the answer here is any of

silence

"we'll correct those mistakes for you this once"

just create a new one

then you don't know how to do your job and I'll just pass on having an AMA with you, including this one I've already created.

It wasn't until after I had sent this message to them that I noticed this ridiculousness in their terms of service.

License

Unless otherwise stated, AMAFEED LLC and/or it’s licensors own the intellectual property rights for all material on AMAFEED LLC All intellectual property rights are reserved. You may view and/or print pages from https://amafeed.com/ for your own personal use subject to restrictions set in these terms and conditions.

You want me to hold an AMA on your site, but you reserve exclusive copyright to all my answers? Right, because AMAFeed.com is a business and you're hoping that you can make money off of the AMAs you've hosted in the future. There aren't ads on the site... yet. But then you expressly state in your FAQ that we're not allowed to create AMAs that are "veiled attempts to solicit money." Mixed Messaged much? If you have no intention of making money from these, why try to claim exclusive copyright to the content? "We're just here for the sole benefit of the public, we have no concern for our personal interests. We just want total control over whatever you're going to say, without paying you for it, to make sure everyone else gets a chance to hear it!"

But it doesn't really matter that you've said we can't solicit money, because while your FAQ says we can't do that, your Terms of Service say nothing about it! Nor does your ToS say anything about you having the right to remove that content (although you do anyway). So technically, you've given us no legal obligation there, Sherlock.

Also... you know that facts can't be copyrighted, right? In all likelihood most of the answers I'm going to give you can't have any legal control over because they'll be facts. Like when someone asks "what's your favorite pie" and I answer "the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter." Or when I answer "nine inches" to "how big is... a personal pan pizza." There might be some flair in the way I express them, but they're still facts, they can't be copyrighted. Might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on Twitter's legal battle over content rights as well.

You must not:

Republish material from https://amafeed.com/

Sell, rent or sub-license material from https://amafeed.com/

Reproduce, duplicate or copy material from https://amafeed.com/

Ooops! Too late. Come and get me. I wish you luck in your futile attempts to sue.

Redistribute content from AMAFEED LLC (unless content is specifically made for redistribution).

Need I even mention that you didn't get this into your bullet list? If proofreading a legal document isn't high on the priorities list, was legal advice for a legal document on that list?

... <removed "User Comments" section> ...

Hyperlinking to our Content

The following organizations may link to our Web site without prior written approval:

Government agencies;

Search engines;

News organizations;

Online directory distributors when they list us in the directory may link to our Web site in the same manner as they hyperlink to the Web sites of other listed businesses; and

Systemwide Accredited Businesses except soliciting non-profit organizations, charity shopping malls, and charity fundraising groups which may not hyperlink to our Web site.

You forgot "private citizens" and "any other kind of organization". D'oh! What on earth makes you think you get to control who LINKS to you? Do you get that privilege offline? "No, sorry, only Jeff is allowed to tell people where our store is located. Isn't that right Jeff? He's good at keeping secrets, I'm sure our rocket-launcher store will be in business for a long time, as long as Jeff is in charge!"

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Web site information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way misleading; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party's site.

Whew! Well, I sure am glad these links fit within the context of my roast! Wait... why did we start over at 1 again? Did you forget how to internet or did you forget how to outline? If you have a 1, you have to have a 2 following it, that's how these things work.

We may consider and approve in our sole discretion other link requests from the following types of organizations:

commonly-known consumer and/or business information sources such as Chambers of Commerce, American Automobile Association, AARP and Consumers Union;

dot.com community sites;

associations or other groups representing charities, including charity giving sites, online directory distributors;

internet portals;

accounting, law and consulting firms whose primary clients are businesses; and

educational institutions and trade associations.

My site is educational, I should have no problem. ;) At least we finally got to 2.

We will approve link requests from these organizations if we determine that: (a) the link would not reflect unfavorably on us or our accredited businesses (for example, trade associations or other organizations representing inherently suspect types of business, such as work-at-home opportunities, shall not be allowed to link); (b)the organization does not have an unsatisfactory record with us; (c) the benefit to us from the visibility associated with the hyperlink outweighs the absence of AMAFEED LLC; and (d) where the link is in the context of general resource information or is otherwise consistent with editorial content in a newsletter or similar product furthering the mission of the organization.

Look, you can put whatever you want in a contract. Your contract can say that only people with blue skin are allowed to link to you if you want, but that's not going to make a court uphold your desire to only let Andorians, Na'vi, Smurfs and two characters from the X-Men movies link to you. Nor will it protect you from bad press like this. That's just fact. Sue me, I could use the publicity. Also, "the benefit to us from the visibility associated with the hyperlink outweighs the absence of AMAFEED LLC;" ... I dunno, I think the absence of sentence structure is more disturbing.

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Web site information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way misleading; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and it products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party's site.

Did you just stroke out in the middle of writing your ToS or did you intend to write two similar but subtly distinct versions of the this paragraph?

If you are among the organizations listed in paragraph 2 above and are interested in linking to our website, you must notify us by sending an e-mail to TOS. Please include your name, your organization name, contact information (such as a phone number and/or e-mail address) as well as the URL of your site, a list of any URLs from which you intend to link to our Web site, and a list of the URL(s) on our site to which you would like to link. Allow 2-3 weeks for a response.

Wait, are we talking about the actual paragraph 2 or the second paragraph 1?

Approved organizations may hyperlink to our Web site as follows:

By use of our corporate name; or

By use of the uniform resource locator (Web address) being linked to; or

By use of any other description of our Web site or material being linked to that makes sense within the context and format of content on the linking party's site.

Wait... using the name of someone's company counts as a link?! All this time, I thought it required use of HTML! Well... I guess 20 years in the software engineering industry can only get me so far.... Oh, wait, you meant the content WITHIN the link! Gotcha! Ah, well, I think in this context Truck Nuts might be the most appropriate label. That makes as much sense as this ToS.

Reservation of Rights

We reserve the right at any time and in its sole discretion to request that you remove all links or any particular link to our Web site. You agree to immediately remove all links to our Web site upon such request. We also reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions and its linking policy at any time. By continuing to link to our Web site, you agree to be bound to and abide by these linking terms and conditions.

"By continuing to link... you agree to be bound"... that's a little presumptuous. How do you know I'm into bondage?

Removal of links from our website

If you find any link on our Web site or any linked web site objectionable for any reason, you may contact us about this. We will consider requests to remove links but will have no obligation to do so or to respond directly to you.

Our demands for link removal must be met IMMEDIATELY and without question! Your demands for link removal will go on our pile for review. Don't be surprised if we tell you to talk to the hand because the face ain't listenin'.

Whilst we endeavour to ensure that the information on this website is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we commit to ensuring that the website remains available or that the material on the website is kept up to date.

In particular, we do not warrant that this ToS will contain English sentence structures or bear any resemblance to any existing legal precedent. THE AMAFEED HAS SPOKEN!

Disclaimer

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions relating to our website and the use of this website (including, without limitation, any warranties implied by law in respect of satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and/or the use of reasonable care and skill).

... up to and including any reasonable care or skill not used in the creation of the legal document you're currently reading.

Nothing in this disclaimer will:

limit or exclude our or your liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence;

limit or exclude our or your liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;

limit any of our or your liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or

exclude any of our or your liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.

Are you just stating the obvious, or did you think it was actually necessary to state that this contract can't break the law? "Be it known that this contract shall not permit extortion, robbery or murder! Furthermore, in the state of Alabama... do you have some place to be? This might take a while..."

To the extent that the website and the information and services on the website are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

Speaking of which, if you are planning to sue me for linking to you, I'd like to direct you to my site's Terms of Service, which plainly state that, since my roasting services here are provided free of charge, I will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

So, given that I'm publishing this roast of their ToS which seems a bit hypocritical and overly handsy with their demands that we not speak negatively about the AMA Feed, it seems unlikely they'll let me host any AMAs with them now. Not that I'm complaining too much. I thought it could be a fun way to talk with some folks, but they're certainly not the only way to hold an AMA. If you have a recommendation for a place to hold an AMA (I know reddit is an option), leave a comment. Or if you think Reddit's the best place, leave that comment too.

I'll be publshing my Laughtifesto this week, explaining why I say Laughter is a Moral Imperative. :D If you'd like to keep up with my comedy, subscribe to the mailing list on our site or you can follow our Patreon, with or without pledging. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Don't let your racist uncles get you down. ;P

Update! Nov 21, 2017

So it turns out that the folks at AMA Feed are actually pretty nice people. They replied to me right away (though to be fair, I'm pretty sure they haven't seen this roast yet, and I haven't mentioned it to them). So we'll see. Maybe the'll have a good sense of humor about this too, or maybe they'll can my AMA before it starts in March. :P

Hello Samuel

Thank you for getting in touch and I am pleased to say there is a way to edit AMAs. When designing the UI we went for minimalistic and I guess one could argue we have gone over the top, hey. To edit your AMA https://comicsama.com/sam-dealey-roasts-himself-an-ama-on-comedy-comics-and-why-laughter-is-a-467977/ make sure you are logged in with the account you created it (it is a common mistake I've noticed to try edit an AMA when not logged in or logged into another account), then click the 3 dots next to the countdown and you will see a drop down with options, edit is there.

Hope that helps, let me know how you get on.

P.S. Maybe 100 days is a tad too long?:)

Best

--

Tatiana Bonneau

*Marketing Director*

*AMAfeed*

So props to Tatiana for being a good sport! I think she handled my snarky comment form beautifully, and fast.

I suspect they have some kind of bug in their software. And I told Tatiana, I had actually already tried those dots, immediately after creating the AMA, so I assume I was still logged in with the same account, given that only a second or two had elapsed. At the time, the only item in that menu was "report" (for content that violates their terms). That seemed a bit odd in itself that the menu ony had one entry.

Yes, the 100 days is a bit long. :P I set the date out a ways to get us past the holidays and to be about the time of our Kickstarter. I'm not certain actually if the date will stay on the 1st of March or if I'll change it to another day that week, but it gives me about a month after my first endocrinologist appointment. I'm hoping that by then the blood-sugar roller coaster I've been on will be a little better as it's been draining a lot of my time in recent months and a lot of my work has been behind schedule due to that and other errands and doctor appointments. Plus, we've got holidays between now and then.

[skepticaloccultist]

Hell Fire Club Books

Hell Fire Club Books is a rather remarkable, very old school approach to book binding and publishing. Helmed by Eamonn Loughran they have released an astounding collection of esoteric and occult volumes over the last two decades. Individually hand craft leather and vellum bound volumes, hand worked tooling and incredible editions and folio bindings are a hallmark of HFCB work.

After reviewing his incredible edition of the Keys of Rabbi Solomon I thought that a chat about the work his is doing would be enlightening to those who, like myself, have a love for fine bindings and beautiful books.

+++

Lets start off with a bit of background on Hell Fire Club. When did you start publishing fine bindings? What was your first volume?

Well 'Hell Fire Club Books' really began about 20-21 years ago with my interest in the PGMs (Greco Egyptian Magical Papyri) where I produced a facsimile of one document with suggested new readings, it was the legendary 'Headless God' invocation, something that I am working on completing for this year (yes 21 years later!). The real intent of Hell Fire Club Books was to provide a window into the magical current of an old incarnation of Thelema and to link that with the modern world. I was living in Buckinghamshire (UK) at the time and had been simultaneously researching Crowley's techniques in Liber Samekh and the history of the 18th century Hell Fire Club. Behind 'Hell Fire Club Books' is actually a small circle which keeps the legends and symbolism of the original Hell Fire Club alive, thats what makes it unique!

  Fine binding is having a renaissance at the moment, with deluxe editions becoming the norm for most publishers of the esoteric. HFCB on the other had is all fine bindings. How do you choose which works you feel need the special bindings you create?

Things jump at me! I literally get a big charge from the creative and magical work I'm handling and from there its a daemonic rush to the bindery where something physical takes shape! I was trained in a bindery in Nottingham UK which was established in 1903, the old guys had never worked anywhere else and binding in leather by hand was a daily practice. My first real test there was a run of over 450 leather bound books in silk lined boxes for the Houses of Parliament, a row of highly skilled craftsmen working like steam engines drinking tea all day and chatting about fishing and cricket with me in the middle trying to keep up! I learned from working with them and soaked it all up with enthusiasm every minute! I suppose I'm a visual and tactile thinker really, I've never understood the concept of a non-physical magic, for me everything is inherently physical and where the manifestation of a book touches people not only in distant places but across time then we can be sure that their experience is a more powerful one, a book literally initiates a new current.

Leather and vellum binding and sourcing high quality papers are increasingly difficult. Where do you acquire the variables for your productions?

Fortunately the best producers are all still in business! In the UK there are a number of bookbinder suppliers both trade and conservation etc plus good tanneries both here and in France and Germany. I have to say that from long experience there is only one supplier of vellum I would use and thats William Cowleys of Buckinghamshire, they have been in business over a hundred years and their work is perfection every time. I have used many paper-marblers and toolmakers over the years and have ventured into using letterpress a few times, we have two large format vintage presses here which I hope to use more of this year.

As our readers are aware I am a lover of beautiful bindings and consider it an art. Each of your works being made by hand and not outsourced means they are practically art objects. How do you feel about the sometimes eye watering secondary market valuations of your work?

Well to an extent the 'dealer' market can help to keep things in the public eye for many years, I do believe that many dealers are simply looking at the math and pricing accordingly, but yes there are a few examples of unfriendly pricing which is a pity. Personally I get more satisfaction in knowing that somebody out there got the one thing they really wanted than that a small number of people have one of everything. Im a bit of an idealist and would like to feel that handling a book or other object made by hand inspires people to really get into something, to really live it and for that magical act to reverberate throughout their lives.

Having done a bit of binding myself one hurdle has been finding the tools required to do the gold tooling for the covers, particularly the brass text pieces. How did you come on to the tool set you have?

I literally built it up over the last 10-15 years, I did inherit a significant collection of 19the and 20th century brass letters and tools (including sets in Greek and Hebrew) from the bindery I worked for, otherwise I have had tools designed and cut for each individual project. Theres a tray cabinet in the bindery with over a hundred drawers of tools and blocks which is a goldmine of ideas, sometimes I just spend an hour browsing!

Your recent publication of Peterson's translation of the Honorius looks to be another exceptional work. As you move forward with HFC do you foresee more contemporary works and translations being released?

Yes absolutely, in fact over the last year I have expanded the bindery and whether for my own imprint or for others I have been involved in at least one new publication per week. Over the last 9 years I was mostly involved in running a village pub in a place called Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire, the bindery then was a converted barn at the rear of the main building. To be honest I had outgrown it in the first few months and was looking for a larger workspace either within the village or nearby. About 12 months ago I took on a huge space in a Victorian malthouse which has since been filled with more benches, presses and so forth, a simply enormous studio but I love it!

Are you doing all of the bindery work yourself or do you have assistants? A run of hundreds of volumes is an incredible amount of work for an individual.

I am doing all the work myself I do have a bit of help with hand sewing one day a week but apart from that it's me myself and I! I was trained in a bindery established in 1903 and the prevailing attitude was pretty Victorian, the company was considered old fashioned on the 1960s and hadn't changed a bit when I worked there! I worked with a bunch of old guys who had either been letterpress trade apprentices or had gone up in the trade as bookbinders, one even had his original indenture (a form of apprentices' contact which goes back over 100 years). I actually own a set of presses and hand tools which were bought by the company when they stared as a stationers shop in the early 1900s, one of the hand tools is dateable to the 18th century (it was in a biscuit tin!) and was a treasured talisman until the company moved premises and I inherited it.

I do often hear the voices of the old binders I used to work with, turning the same presses daily that they worked at for forty years, old chaps who loved cricket, fishing and weekends away in caravans. What always tickled me was the way they gently poked fun at each other about things that happened over thirty years previously! I'm the late 1960s one of the guys had fancied himself as a songwriter and even appeared on an early television talent show, he was beaten to the prize by a singing dog, his workmates never let him forget it and thirty years later they all still sang the song on his birthday!

Do you have a particular work you feel is your masterpiece so far? One that stands out to you as an exemplar of your fantastic skills?

I guess I would have to say that the vellum edition of The Holy Books of Thelema in a leather clamshell box was pretty damn good! I got a real kick out of making all the books and boxes for all the different sets, it was over 1000 books handmade plus boxes etc so a huge commitment for one person but to think that it was the first time (since Crowley's own 1909 edition) that the Holy Books had been produced in the manner he specified, arranged exactly as the A.'.A.'. students ought to receive it. After that I think that 'The Sacred Magic of Abramelin' edited by Georg Dehn (both vellum and calfskin editions) and the 'Honorius' by Joseph Peterson are rather special.

Tell me about the re-release of "Secret Symbols of The Hell Fire Club". What type of binding and edition size can we look forward to?

The Secret Symbols of The Hell Fire Club has been an important publication for us since its first release seven years ago, it went out of print very quickly and copies are extremely difficult to find even for our members. An electronic version was made available but since then both new information and original sources have come to light which make a new edition essential. I should imagine we will produce a limited number of leather copies and a trade edition which will be sent out mainly through the United States.

The book traces the ideas and history behind the Hell Fire Club of the 18th century and gives an insight into its survival today, following clues left in the caves at West Wycombe and architecturally in the house and surrounding area, an initiatory journey is unfolded which throws light on the nature of the current of Thelema before Crowley, a mystery school with a symbolism otherwise unknown.

Have you done commission work or custom volumes for individuals or other publishers? Is that something you are open to doing?

I have done many commissions over the years and am working on a few now, mostly private manuscripts that require archival boxes or some manner of conservation but occasionally rebinding older printed books and creating blank books and artists books. Large format work is a particular favourite of mine and I love using the bigger presses to produce monsters!

I have worked with other publishers on a number of occasions and there are some well known esoteric works I have had a quiet hand in, I think in time the bindery will expand again as we continue to publish and to accept archival and private work. Who knows what the future holds...

Explore the many creations of Eamonn's Hell Fire Club Books here:

www.hellfireclubbooks.co.uk

[loyallogic]

Filing RTI Application

This article is written by Team LawSikho. 

Filing your RTI Application

You can file your RTI application by any of three methods

Physical Delivery

You can submit your application to the ‘TAPAL” also called an Inward/Outward section of the respective department. Make sure that you collect a signed and dated copy of your RTI Application. This enables you to keep a track on your application at a later stage.

Important: When the applicants visit the office of the public department physically, they often face hardships in finding the officers to whom their application can be given and their applications are often not accepted. Of course, in such cases, one can file an appeal against the arbitrary rejection of the application but it is always advisable to post your application or submit it online. This not only saves your time and effort but also ensures that your application gets through the correct department without much hassle.

click above

By post

You can send your RTI application by post to the PIO of the relevant department by any of the two modes:

Registered Post AD: The AD card will act as proof of submission after it is returned to you by the postal department. In case the AD card does not come back with a proper stamp, signature, and date of receipt, follow up with the dispatching post office to get the AD card completed. Always keep a print out of the final delivery status with you.

Speed Post (A postal department service): Once the application is sent by Speed Post, track it and keep a print out of the delivery status carefully with you.

Note

Do not use ordinary post, private courier companies, etc. since these will not provide you with a confirmed proof of delivery. 

Online

You can also file your RTI applications to the Central Ministries/Departments and other Central Public Authorities mentioned in ONLINE RTI request form through the RTI Online Portal by simply clicking on  https://rtionline.gov.in/ . The word limit for filing applications online through this portal is 3000 words. However, for further reference, you can click here to read the user manual.

Note

If possible also send an email of RTI Application to PIO’s official email ID displayed in the website on the same date. The clock starts ticking from the moment the email is sent (not opened). It isn’t a valid application until it is accompanied by the proper fee. That’s the whole trouble with online applications. The Fees (Rs.10) along with RTI Application can be sent by post subsequently, but the time limit starts from the day the email is sent/received

How can NRIs File RTI Application Abroad?

Earlier Indians living abroad had a difficult time paying the fee of Rs. 10  required with each RTI application as it was difficult to purchase Indian Postal Orders (IPO) or even a demand draft in rupees. However, now the Department of Posts and Telegraph has launched the online system, which allows Indians living abroad to directly purchase Electronic-Indian Postal Orders (E-IPO) on the Internet. You can do so by simply logging onto the Department of Posts Web site https://www.indiapost.gov.in/ and clicking on the ePost Office link, RTI applicants abroad can use their credit or debit cards to purchase an E-IPO. The site will generate a unique E-IPO number after each purchase, which the applicants can take a print out of and quote in their RTI application.

Postal Orders are required as payment accompanying each RTI query.

If you are filing your RTI application to any of the central government departments, walk straight to the designated Post Office where the CAPIO is duty bound to not only accept but also help you out in filing the application

The Department of Post provides for the appointment of Central Assistant Public Information Officer (CAPIO) for assisting the applicants in filing RTI Applications with the Central Government, Ministries, etc. This cannot be used for submitting RTI Applications addressed to State Authorities, Legislatures, Courts, etc.

Now, each post office does not provide the facility for filing RTI applications. There are around 4,707 CAPIO designated at each Tehsil level across the country and you need to ask the post office headquarters of your village/ town/ city to find out in which branch has been designated under the RTI Act.

Once you have identified the branch office, submit your application to the CAPIO along with the fee of Rupees 10 which you can pay by cash/Demand Draft/Indian Postal Order.  So, what does the CAPIO of the post office do after he accepts your request? He generates three copies of the forwarding letter. The first copy is addressed to the Nodal Officer/ PIO of the concerned Central Public Authority, second is meant for the applicant/ appellant as intimation and the third is kept as an office copy by the Postal department. The onward transmission of the request/ appeal is done through registered post. It is wiser to carry two copies of your RTI application yourself, besides your original one so that you can get the acknowledgment immediately.

Remember, that being a CAPIO, he is given five days to submit the RTI application to the PIO that you have to address. Over and above the Rs10 fee, for additional Re1, the CAPIO also sends your request online, there and then. Also, bear in mind that CAPIO is instructed by the Department of Post not only to help you in filing the RTI application but to also check that your RTI application is written correctly and help you in finding the public authority if you so require.

What Should I do if the PIO refuses to accept my application?

If the PIO refuses to take physical delivery of your RTI application, you should send it by post and keep the acknowledgment receipt with you. The PIO cannot refuse to accept your application even if the information is not related to his department. It is the duty of the PIO to accept the application and transfer it to the right PIO within 5 days as per section 6(2). You can also make a formal complaint to the Information Commission under Section 18 who has the power to impose the penalty on the defaulting officer up to Rs. 25,000. See a format for transfer of application that is used by public authorities here

The post Filing RTI Application appeared first on iPleaders.

Filing RTI Application published first on https://namechangers.tumblr.com/

[juudgeblog]

Filing RTI Application

This article is written by Team LawSikho. 

Filing your RTI Application

You can file your RTI application by any of three methods

Physical Delivery

You can submit your application to the ‘TAPAL” also called an Inward/Outward section of the respective department. Make sure that you collect a signed and dated copy of your RTI Application. This enables you to keep a track on your application at a later stage.

Important: When the applicants visit the office of the public department physically, they often face hardships in finding the officers to whom their application can be given and their applications are often not accepted. Of course, in such cases, one can file an appeal against the arbitrary rejection of the application but it is always advisable to post your application or submit it online. This not only saves your time and effort but also ensures that your application gets through the correct department without much hassle.

click above

By post

You can send your RTI application by post to the PIO of the relevant department by any of the two modes:

Registered Post AD: The AD card will act as proof of submission after it is returned to you by the postal department. In case the AD card does not come back with a proper stamp, signature, and date of receipt, follow up with the dispatching post office to get the AD card completed. Always keep a print out of the final delivery status with you.

Speed Post (A postal department service): Once the application is sent by Speed Post, track it and keep a print out of the delivery status carefully with you.

Note

Do not use ordinary post, private courier companies, etc. since these will not provide you with a confirmed proof of delivery. 

Online

You can also file your RTI applications to the Central Ministries/Departments and other Central Public Authorities mentioned in ONLINE RTI request form through the RTI Online Portal by simply clicking on  https://rtionline.gov.in/ . The word limit for filing applications online through this portal is 3000 words. However, for further reference, you can click here to read the user manual.

Note

If possible also send an email of RTI Application to PIO’s official email ID displayed in the website on the same date. The clock starts ticking from the moment the email is sent (not opened). It isn’t a valid application until it is accompanied by the proper fee. That’s the whole trouble with online applications. The Fees (Rs.10) along with RTI Application can be sent by post subsequently, but the time limit starts from the day the email is sent/received

How can NRIs File RTI Application Abroad?

Earlier Indians living abroad had a difficult time paying the fee of Rs. 10  required with each RTI application as it was difficult to purchase Indian Postal Orders (IPO) or even a demand draft in rupees. However, now the Department of Posts and Telegraph has launched the online system, which allows Indians living abroad to directly purchase Electronic-Indian Postal Orders (E-IPO) on the Internet. You can do so by simply logging onto the Department of Posts Web site https://www.indiapost.gov.in/ and clicking on the ePost Office link, RTI applicants abroad can use their credit or debit cards to purchase an E-IPO. The site will generate a unique E-IPO number after each purchase, which the applicants can take a print out of and quote in their RTI application.

Postal Orders are required as payment accompanying each RTI query.

If you are filing your RTI application to any of the central government departments, walk straight to the designated Post Office where the CAPIO is duty bound to not only accept but also help you out in filing the application

The Department of Post provides for the appointment of Central Assistant Public Information Officer (CAPIO) for assisting the applicants in filing RTI Applications with the Central Government, Ministries, etc. This cannot be used for submitting RTI Applications addressed to State Authorities, Legislatures, Courts, etc.

Now, each post office does not provide the facility for filing RTI applications. There are around 4,707 CAPIO designated at each Tehsil level across the country and you need to ask the post office headquarters of your village/ town/ city to find out in which branch has been designated under the RTI Act.

Once you have identified the branch office, submit your application to the CAPIO along with the fee of Rupees 10 which you can pay by cash/Demand Draft/Indian Postal Order.  So, what does the CAPIO of the post office do after he accepts your request? He generates three copies of the forwarding letter. The first copy is addressed to the Nodal Officer/ PIO of the concerned Central Public Authority, second is meant for the applicant/ appellant as intimation and the third is kept as an office copy by the Postal department. The onward transmission of the request/ appeal is done through registered post. It is wiser to carry two copies of your RTI application yourself, besides your original one so that you can get the acknowledgment immediately.

Remember, that being a CAPIO, he is given five days to submit the RTI application to the PIO that you have to address. Over and above the Rs10 fee, for additional Re1, the CAPIO also sends your request online, there and then. Also, bear in mind that CAPIO is instructed by the Department of Post not only to help you in filing the RTI application but to also check that your RTI application is written correctly and help you in finding the public authority if you so require.

What Should I do if the PIO refuses to accept my application?

If the PIO refuses to take physical delivery of your RTI application, you should send it by post and keep the acknowledgment receipt with you. The PIO cannot refuse to accept your application even if the information is not related to his department. It is the duty of the PIO to accept the application and transfer it to the right PIO within 5 days as per section 6(2). You can also make a formal complaint to the Information Commission under Section 18 who has the power to impose the penalty on the defaulting officer up to Rs. 25,000. See a format for transfer of application that is used by public authorities here

The post Filing RTI Application appeared first on iPleaders.

Filing RTI Application syndicated from https://namechangersmumbai.wordpress.com/

[sbnkalny]

As you all know, when Nergigante descended into the Elder's Recess... It stirred up a veritable hornet's nest. Being that Nergigante feeds on elder dragons, you can imagine that every monster in the recess got spooked.

We did that, we’re gonna take a little stroll in the Elder's Recess... Would you like this sandwich I made? it has plenty of luxurious Wolf pelts, horker tusks and Mammoth hides, more than enough to buy something, i shouldn't have destroyed the nest. You Look Positively spooked. you can’t stop watching paint mixing videos

[michellelewis7162]

Tips For Ticket Picture Success - photo for visa and Basic Dimensions for Ticket Photos

Tips For Ticket Picture Success - photo for visa and Basic Dimensions for Ticket Photos

 Perform you dread having you photograph for ticket taken? Well you needn't fret you do not have to be an incredibly version to take a wonderful passport picture. thephotoapp.co.uk

 Benjamin Franklin once mentioned "by failing to prepare, you are readying to fail." The same principle can be actually applied to having you key picture taken. Abide by these tips for wonderful end results that you may be honored of; besides you will certainly must carry it around for the following years!

 IN WHICH TO HAVE YOUR PHOTO TAKEN

 You can obtain a photograph for visa or key coming from numerous office outlets depending on your individual preference it is actually even achievable to take the picture yourself. You will need to decide on advantage and cost. DIY possibilities are commonly cheaper however require higher levels of IT knowledge. For professional results you can easily explore a center, going down this option usually tends to be actually the most costly. Whichever approach you choose make sure you are actually entirely satisfied along with the outcomes before your passport pictures are actually published.

 INDIVIDUAL APPEARANCE AND GROOMING

 Create an additional exclusive effort in your individual appeal. Program a trip to the salon for a hairstyle colour and type. This are going to ensure your picture looks great for years to follow. Men keep your face hair brushed and clean those jobs half-done on the time of your picture. Ladies when administering cosmetics keep hues neutral, organic and matte, deal with any blemishes along with concealer.

 APPAREL

 White is actually likewise an off-limits as you will mix in along with the background it additionally produces you appear washed out. A passport image possesses numerous different make uses of so gown cautiously; a business-like clothing will function properly.

 SLEEP

 To avoid those bags under your eyes, make sure you acquire enough rest the evening prior to your passport photograph is taken. This are going to acquire you appearing your finest and make a much more pleasing image.

 EXPRESSION

 Some key image laws carry out not permit you to grin. Nevertheless this does not indicate you need to look depressed as well as down at the oral cavity. Kick back! Presume satisfied thought and feelings maybe a situation or individual that will make you smile. Then maintain a neutral phrase along with both eyes open as well as mouth finalized. Spend some time to practice your present in a mirror before you have your image gotten.

 An integral aspect of tickets is the passport photograph steering licence. The passport picture is vital not even if it aids worldwide flight terminal authorities recognize the flier guest, yet considering that it also helps all of them produce safety and security adjustments also. The travel permit photo is actually additionally one of the explanations why the key is looked at to be actually one of the authentic IDs a person can easily present when making some purchases.

 Nonetheless, this every person needs to have to know - the ticket image is certainly not merely a typical I.D. photograph, it has various requirements when it relates to the dimension along with the present and attire of the person in it, to ensure that needs to have to be actually taken note of.

 In some countries, where the passporting unit is presently totally automatic, when folks administer for a travel permit, they acquire to be actually taken a photograph using a digitized computer electronic camera right away. This means, there is no more any kind of demand for individuals to fret regarding what their passport image measurements need to be actually. But also for countries where the ticket photos is still quite guide, below is a manual to assist all of them out.

 The Standard Passport Photo Dimensions

 In the United States, the conventional ticket photograph should possess measurements of precisely 2 ins by 2 ins. The face needs to be actually superimposed, and also the measurement of the photograph's upper hand from the peak of the person's direct down of his chin must range from an inch around 1 3/8 inches.

 As well as, if one has just had a hair cut, at that point the key pictures he is going to reveal the authorizations need to show that. Right now, if the individual will usually possess to put on a hairpiece, a veiling (for religious women or Moslem women, prescribed glasses, or even a hearing aid, at that point they ought to place all of them on when taking a travel permit photograph.

 According to the clothes, the demand for U. S. keys is new normal 12 street outfit. Nonetheless, there are actually some nations that call for the passport applicant to be in formal gear, or even at the very least, to become in a t-shirt that has collars on it. Meanwhile, when the key applicant is actually a priest or a nun, that is required to put on a certain type of outfit a lot of the time, it is good for him to simply be presented featuring that outfit.

 Now, with the improvements in modern technology, you can resize your travel permit photos on your own which too from the comfort of your house. You must be assuming how is this feasible? Resizing a passport photograph is actually bound to involve great deals of technicalities, there are actually tied to be dimensions and also other such information to become thought about ... and now along with internet image resizers, you can place all these worries to rest.

 There are actually various types of resizers accessible on the Internet, which can be actually download for free and also utilized to resize photos, such as your passport image. Particular resizers offer you the choice of especially generating ticket photos that you can easily imprint through your very own printer. You may also download and install photograph sizers ?? that support you to transform the size and plant digital photographs to basic ticket picture measurements.

 The image resizer may handle just about any sort of image as well as aid you to chop the picture, lessen the size and also take a print out of the basic travel permit photos. You can easily simply save the resized as well as renewed image on your hard disk drive and can easily take a printing whenever you wish. You may get multiple key photos in a cost effective fee.

 These photograph resizers are actually easily available on the web. All you have to carry out is actually explore as well as install them, that also free of expense! The moment downloaded and install, you can easily utilize it to resize, plant, readjust, create improvements and also switch an ordinary digital photo into a conventional sized passport picture.

 A personal no longer possesses to go to an authorities key company in purchase to obtain passport services. They are actually currently on call online as well as permit someone to acquire a preliminary ticket, restore a ticket, or have added pages included to an existing ticket.

 There are actually online business that supply these passport services in a portion of the opportunity that it took when making use of the traditional techniques. These companies release brand-new keys, supply renewals, and also make it possible for the passport owner to update name and get in touch with relevant information in a dependable way. They provide these services within the duration selected through the individual, helping make for a very customer-friendly knowledge.

 These handling firms charge a cost for these services and also the amount varies relying on company opted for and handling time preferred. Each firm might charge different volumes, so some comparison-shopping is actually advised. Nevertheless, read through the great printing online internet sites to see to it that the provider decided on shows up trustworthy.

 It is a good idea that the candidate publishes the kinds as well as then follows the on the internet directions to make certain that everything is performed adequately. This is valuable for those applicants unknown along with the ticket process.

 The consumer service group will definitely also aid throughout the handling of the preferred ticket service. They have years of expertise operating along with this federal government company and also continue to be improved on the progression of the documents.

 A certified birth certification is actually one of the satisfactory forms of records that verify citizenship. The candidate needs to get this paper from a urban area, region, or even condition federal government in innovation if it is actually certainly not presently on-hand. There are likewise additional kinds of identity that are actually reasonable if the applicant performs not possess one of the major forms.

 The deal containing copies of identification, accomplished forms, as well as passport photographes need to be sent out to the processing firm through mail. Because they make it possible for tracking of the package, utilizing a private service provider company like FedEx or even UPS is actually highly recommended. When sending details as very sensitive as this, it is crucial to confirm that it came in safely and securely at its own destination.

 The principal reason travel permits acquire put off is considering that of an inappropriate travel permit photograph. It appears every year the government happens out along with even more and more strict requirements for what is actually taken into consideration appropriate for a travel permit picture.

 But if you yearn for to perform your passport image in the home, here are actually some tips to observe to create a satisfactory image:

 Border the subject along with total skin, frontage, eyes open.

 See to it the image presents complete head coming from top of hair to bottom of face; elevation of head ought to measure 1 in to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm).

 The head within frame.

 Make sure eye elevation is between 1-1/8 ins to 1-3/8 inches (28 mm and also 35 mm) from bottom of photo.

 Eyeglasses should be actually put on if ordinarily utilized by the target.

 Photograph subject versus a pure white or beige history.

 Position target and lighting fixtures thus that there are actually no disruptive shadows on the image or history.

 Urge the topic to possess an all-natural look.

 If you follow these guidelines, you should not have any concerns possessing your key photo approved. The largest explanation for a lot of keys being actually turned down is shadows throughout the face or against the background. I normally utilize Photoshop to remove all of them when I carry out have shadows in the history.

 Keep in mind that if you are actually making use of a digital electronic camera to take your ticket pictures, the particular needed in the picture requires a high resolution. I recommend at the very least 3 mega-pixels. That will certainly guarantee that your image will definitely maintain the honesty necessary to retain all face details.

 If you attempt to imprint your personal images for ticket objectives, are sure you have a first class digital photo ink-jet printer and also picture newspaper to print the photo on. Printed images ought to be continual shade, and also certainly not pixelated. All facial information should be simply discernible.

 A travel permit is extremely comparable to a chauffeur's license in the United States. The majority of countries need a valid passport to enter or even exit.

 To apply for a brand-new ticket, you'll require some documents proving who you are actually as well as a long time to go apply. Current adjustments in the travel permit rules demand that most candidates should show up in person to get one.

 US residents that have actually never ever received a ticket just before ought to take a licensed childbirth certificate; present and authentic driver's license, government or even military I.D.; 2 key photos that comply with the requirements listed below and also charges of $97 plus extra $60 expedited solution.

 Kids under 17 years old are actually needed to support a key for the majority of foreign travel. Youngsters under 14 are demanded to have consent of either each parents' or even guardians' to use for a passport.

 Children or even adults born outside the US will certainly need to have to get an overseas birth certificate, report of childbirth abroad, certification of childbirth abroad or even a fostering mandate.

 Pictures for keys are required to be 2x2 ins. They should be exact same, taken within the past 6 months, be actually in shade with the complete face, main viewpoint revealing on a white colored background.

 To locate a key place near you, visit travel.state.gov and also click "Passports" after that "Where to Apply for a Passport". Once it is actually been released, it commonly takes between 2 as well as 6 full weeks to receive a passport. After you got your authentic passport, you will not must fret about expiry for a full ten years.

 Revitalization of your ticket is actually much easier, quicker and cheaper than the original issuance. You are actually qualified to restore your travel permit if you have obtained it within 15 years, it is not damaged, were actually more mature than 16 when it was actually last provided as well as still possess the same title or documents for a legal title improvement.

 To renew your ticket, you should send a finished application, two the same ticket photographes, the charge of $67 and your present, valid, not-mutilated passport. Expedited solution is an added $60. Renewals are actually usually refined as well as come back within two or 3 weeks.

 You can easily inspect the status of a new or revitalized travel permit by heading to travel.state.gov, clicking on "Passports" after that "Online Application Status Check". You'll input your title, date of birth as well as the final 4 figures of your social safety amount.

 Electronic keys are in the function in the U.S. The electronic travel permit, "e-passport", will definitely be actually extremely comparable to the existing paper key. The addition of a little included integrated circuit on an electronic photo as well as the return cover will certainly deliver a lot of fringe benefits. Initially, the records stashed will be far more complicated to pass through and alter. Second, the digital photograph is going to allow for biometric evaluation via facial awareness technology. Extra anti-fraud protection components will additionally be included on the e-passport. Traditional paper passports will definitely still be actually acknowledged with their complete period of validity.

 Irrespective of where your traveling will be actually taking you, it is regularly a great suggestion to hold your valid, current key with you. When things misbehave, whether in Mexico, Malaysia or throughout between, your passport is your ticket to acquire defenses as well as liberties you are actually as a result of during that nation. Maintain it along with you as you would your driver's license in the United States.

 When are you called for to have a key? If you travel to Afghanistan, Antigua, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Chili, China, Cook Island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom/ Great Britain, Venezuela, Vietnam and the British Virgin Islands, a passport (and also potentially a visa) will be called for.

 For airfare to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and also the Grenadines, the Turks as well as Caicos Islands as properly as the United States Virgin Islands starting in 2007, a ticket will be required yet hasn't remained in previous years.

 Unique keys are issued for mediators or those taking a trip on part of the United States federal government. These are provided for no-fee as well as are actually simply legitimate for travel when on official service.

 As you enter overseas countries your ticket will certainly be marked. As you go out, the Customs team of the United States are going to verify where you've been, the length of time you existed as well as what items you must announce (for tax reasons.) The seals are actually commonly looked at the greatest gift of a global trip.

[benrleeusa]

[Eugene Volokh] Dark Law: Published Michigan Precedents on Protection Orders Missing from Westlaw

Three cases, including the two leading Michigan precedents on the First Amendment and restraining orders, are invisible to lawyers who rely on Westlaw. Lexis is also missing two of the three, but it’s changing its policies to include them. And a federal statute is behind this.

Patterson v. Beverwyk (2017), Buchanan v. Crisler (2018), and TM v. MZ (2018) are precedential decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals. The first two are already in the Michigan Appellate Reports advance sheets; the third will presumably be there soon (it was only decided in October). Patterson sets an important precedent about whether businesses can get personal protection orders (known in Michigan as PPOs). Buchanan and TM set important precedents about First Amendment limits on protection orders that purport to limit unwanted public speech about the plaintiff.

But all three are missing from Westlaw. This means that, as a practical matter, those cases are likely invisible to those lawyers who rely on Westlaw rather than the print reporters. Judges and litigants as well as lawyers are unlikely to benefit from the existence of those precedents. And I suspect that judges who wrote the precedents thought they were making law that would be found by other appellate judges, by trial court judges, and by lawyers—but the effect of the precedents is now sharply limited. Indeed, perhaps this is why TM, though dealing with much the same topic as Buchanan, doesn't cite it.

Why does this happen? It's a complicated story, that starts with an overbroad and possibly unconstitutional federal statute, moves on to an overcautious state policy, and then to what strikes me as a misguided decision by Westlaw.

[1.] In 2006, Congress mandated (in 18 U.S.C. § 2265(d)(3)) that states may not "make available publicly on the Internet any information regarding the registration, filing of a petition for, or issuance of a protection order ... if such publication would be likely to publicly reveal the identity or location of the party protected under such order." (Any information like this is supposed to be kept "in secure, governmental registries for protection order enforcement purposes.")

The impulse behind this, I take it, is

to protect the beneficiaries of the protection orders from the people against whom they got these orders (that's the "or location" part of the rule), and

perhaps to protect the beneficiaries' privacy in some cases where the orders arise from sexual abuse or similar behavior.

But the statute extends even to information that the restrained party already knows, such as the protected person's identity, and even in cases involving circumstances that are no more private than those present in many publicly accessible criminal or civil cases. Moreover, the law is a content-based restriction on states' speech, which might mean that it violates the First Amendment, depending on whether states have First Amendment protections from the federal government (a matter that is surprisingly unsettled).

[2.] Some states have concluded (plausibly, given the text) that this statute bars Internet posting of appellate court opinions, including the use of parties' names in those opinions. Several states therefore have a policy of using pseudonyms or initials to refer to any protected parties in court opinions; Massachusetts, for instance, is one example, and indeed Michigan sometimes does this as well.

Many other states, as best I can tell, just barrel on without any regard to this statute, at least when it comes to their appellate opinions; California is an example of that.

But the Michigan Court of Appeals goes the furthest of all: It completely declines to post on its standard opinion release pages any opinions in which someone had gotten a protective order—though of course, it still publishes such opinions in print, since they are precedents. (Some of these opinions are available on the Michigan government site, but not in the usual location, and I suspect only by accident.)

[3.] Now the last puzzle piece: Westlaw and Lexis. They of course are not bound by 18 U.S.C. § 2265(d)(3), since they aren't state governments. And their job, it seems to me, is to distribute at least all the binding precedents, since those are law that lawyers need to see.

To be sure, for nonbinding decisions, they may choose not to post certain orders that courts themselves decide not to post (for instance, certain Colorado Court of Appeals unpublished opinions, as I learned recently). Likewise, they may go along with court decisions to retroactively seal certain opinions, on the theory that if the court wants an opinion sealed, they ought to accommodate the court's preference.

But here the Michigan courts want these decisions to be published, as binding precedent. They are labeled "for publication." They are printed in the Michigan Appellate Reports (which are, as it happens, published by the same company that owns Westlaw). Michigan courts expect them to be findable by Michigan lawyers; they just read 18 U.S.C. § 2265(d)(3) as barring the Michigan government from itself posting them online. And many lawyers rely on Westlaw and Lexis, precisely because of the usual completeness of their collections, rather than separately searching (and separately subscribing to) the Michigan Appellate Reports.

Westlaw's explanation, then, doesn't really work. They told me in an e-mail,

Our policy at Thomson Reuters is to align with the policy of the courts. We include on Westlaw those opinions that are published by the court on its website. If the court does not post selected opinions due to privacy statutes or court rules, we adopt that same approach and do not publish the opinions on Westlaw.

Regarding your question about opinions in restraining order cases, the relevant court rule that guides the approach on dissemination of the opinions is Michigan Court Rules, Rule 3.705 (MIRSPECPMCR3.705). Specifically, Subrule 3.705 (C) provides: "(C) Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2265(d)(3), a court is prohibited from making available to the public on the Internet any information regarding the registration of, filing of a petition for, or issuance of an order under this rule if such publication would be likely to publicly reveal the identity or location of the party protected under the order."

I like Westlaw a lot, and have generally gotten excellent service from them; but here I think they are mistaken. The policy of the Michigan courts cannot be, in 2019, to keep their precedent off the online research services on which lawyers rely. When Michigan courts choose to make certain opinions precedential, and to print them in case reporters, it makes no sense for Westlaw to exclude them from its online collection.

Lexis's response about the two cases that it's missing (Buchanan and TM) strikes me as much more sound:

Our content acquisition team investigated these issues today and determined that these documents were not collected initially due to notices that came up on the court's website that indicated the opinions (and associated data) in these cases were not available online per Michigan Court Rules.... Previous court contacts confirmed the documents had been "suppressed," and were not available. However, one of our editors contacted the court today and the court confirmed that while the documents are not available via the website, they were published and available from the court via written request. We are adjusting our process to account for the court's policy regarding suppressed opinions.... We are working with the court to quickly identify any additional documents that may have been excluded on this basis and will add them online, as appropriate.

[* * *]

In any event, though, whether you think Westlaw is right on this, one thing is clear: Michigan lawyers and judges should know about this policy. My impressionistic reaction from chatting with a few Michigan lawyers is that this policy is not widely known, so I thought I'd note it.

And more broadly, this situation shows how privacy-based speech restrictions can have unexpected indirect effects. (For more examples, see here and here.) In this instance, I think that Michigan courts and Westlaw could and should have avoided those effects; but still it seems to have been the federal statute that got the ball rolling, even if others could have stopped the ball.

Westlaw tells me they're unaware of any other states in which recent precedents are similarly invisible, though if you are aware of some, please let me know.

Disclosure: I filed an amicus brief and argued on behalf of amici in TM v. MZ; indeed, I learned about the subject matter of this post because someone who saw the TM opinion sent my invaluable pro bono local counsel Michael F. Smith a copy of a brief in a related case, which cited Buchanan. I was surprised that I hadn't seen Buchanan in my research—and then figured out that I hadn't seen it because it was missing from Westlaw.

[reviewape-blog]

Politics in the Church of God Prevents Progress

https://www.reviewape.com/?p=15841 Politics in the Church of God Prevents Progress - Many Sabbath-keeping Church of God members (various groups and organizations associated to one degree or another with Herbert W. Armstrong) are sincerely opposed to offering any Church of God literature or religious material for sale, since Herbert Armstrong taught us to “buy the truth and sell it not.” However, such Church of God members should remember that Mr. Armstrong later permitted his books to be made available for sale in bookstores, informing the brethren and co-workers in a letter dated September 12, 1985: “There is a very large audience which would never request this book [Mystery of the Ages] if offered free – who would never send their name and address to us – but would gladly buy a copy in the bookstore. By putting it in the bookstores we will reach a very great audience that we can reach in no other way. We will not sell the book ourselves, but it cannot be made available to this large audience of book buyers unless the bookstores do put a price on it.” (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Volume 2, page 638). Some have been upset that Beyond Babylon: Europe’s Rise and Fall is sold. I remind them of Herbert Armstrong’s words above and Paul’s rhetorical response to some in his day over this principle that we’re commanded to not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain and that a worker is worthy of his hire. Besides, Beyond Babylon is available to for FREE or read online for FREE. God knows I am certainly not in this for the money, but gladly share the plain truth of the Bible and history as I am able, knowing it is truly priceless information. I am also an individual, not a Church organization receiving regular tithes and offerings who therefore have no need to sell anything, as they’re equipped to offer it all, ideally, for free. I don’t believe any Church of God organization should sell Church of God literature. However, those out in the field, not part of the administration or headquarters, have a God-given right to do as necessary. Yeshua didn’t condemn selling sacrificial animals but was righteously indignant that such commercial activities were taking place in the Temple courtyards and at exorbitant prices. Many were making a killing rather than offering a service. A member of the Philadelphia Church of God recently corresponded with me on this and other Church of God issues. Didn’t you try and impose your book on God’s ministers and church? Not at all. Gerald Flurry refused to go forward with Beyond Babylon and fell backwards, treading old ground and is now going in circles, business as usual, as Europe rises and Judah and Israel have yet to be warned. Maybe you should have waited until the time came. Don’t you believe God goes first to His Church and then His Nation? It was time to bring Beyond Babylon before Flurry, whom I consider to be the leader of this Laodicean era of God’s Church. Do you think you are one of the 2 witnesses? God knows, but what I do know is that we ought to at least prepare the way for them with Judah and NONE of the Church of God groups reach the cities of Judah. That would be a honor to be one. I’ve often prayed about them and in my silliness wished I could be one of them. It would be an honor and a grave responsibility and the most hated job in the world since rejection would be by many in the Church, initially, and nearly all in the world, with a bloody ending until the resurrection to physical life just before the return of the King, Yeshua the Messiah. No nice dinners or fancy invitations for the Two Witnesses but plenty of murderous misunderstanding and hateful grief. But I’m just a lay member….. No such thing as “just” a lay member. Everybody has their God-given place in the Church of God and are equally important for whatever God has called them to do. Seems to me you focus too much on the physical Jews. Not at all. Herbert Armstrong always told us to “WATCH JERUSALEM!” Who’s in Jerusalem? JEWS! The gospel began and will return there. God’s true church is not there now although “Elijah” went there. This must change. Mr. Armstrong, near the time of his death, said on one of his sermons or Bible studies that they are not so important as he once thought since they don’t even believe in Jesus Christ. I don’t believe that at all and don’t believe he ever said it. I quote what we know for sure Herbert Armstrong said about the importance of reaching the cities of Judah. It’s documented. Shamefully, it’s something that hasn’t been done yet but the foundation has been laid, even though the Work in Israel is temporarily suspended by government decree as it was in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Mr. Flurry never read your book right? I don’t know. Wayne Turgeon [Gerald Flurry’s son-in-law] handed him a print out of it years ago and he returned it to him saying, “He’s always sending us stuff.” Mr. Flurry even responded to me several times on various issues including his confusion of Mount Carmel with Mount Hermon which I brought to his attention (having been blessed to live next to both of them), and my disagreement with him when he said the pope was the only religious leader to sit on a throne and I mentioned the Queen of England is also head of the Anglican Church (although agreeing with the point he was making against the Roman Catholic Cult). I would love to find those letters, however during my many moves overseas to Israel I thought I kept them stored at my sister’s home but she can’t find them. Such letters also include correspondence from Dr. Herman Hoeh years ago about the Jews and their variations in color and why. I met Dr. Hoeh at the Toronto Singles’ Weekend (Church of God singles from all over were in attendance) where he spoke and invited us to write him, which of course I did. Later I sent an autographed copy of a self-published BB (Beyond Babylon) to Flurry’s home for him and his wife who said to me (during the Feast of Tabernacles in Louisville) about my name, “What a strong Judah name!” Dennis Leap said he read parts of it and that it wasn’t necessary for him or Flurry to read it, unlike Mr. Armstrong wanting Sardis (Church of God, Seventh Day) to read his manuscript – The United States and Britain in Prophecy – which they DID. Well, I hear you loud and clear. I do not agree with some of headquarter’s decisions but they are just as human as we are and liable to make mistakes, including Mr. Flurry. Sometimes we just have to suffer the wrong and go on. I readily accept and acknowledge that fact, but if it’s a mistake or a sin we learn from it, acknowledge it and go forward all the wiser. Flurry has done none of those humble things. Regardless, I go on without him as he goes backwards trying to play HWA and God in the Temple, grieved to say. David, I hope and pray for your return to PCG… Mr. Flurry has engaged in personal appearance campaigns and he plans to go to Joseph and Judah this coming year I think. The Key of David will no longer air on TV and we are now focusing on personal warnings. Remember we are baptized into the Body of Jesus Christ – not into any sect or denomination of men. I remain a member of the spiritual Church of God that isn’t bound by membership lists at the mercy of men. Remember Diotrephes? (3 John vs. 9-11). What do you mean they’ve scrapped the TV programs (even though I always constructively criticized them -through Wayne Turgeon who used to write me very frequently – that nobody but a very limited religious audience would watch the programs at the hours they were shown). As Turgeon can testify, I also said they needed a toll free number (which years later they obtained); I said they needed a website with Church literature (which years later they have); they need to publish Beyond Babylon freely (which they still don’t) and to take out major newspaper ads like HWA to reach EVERYBODY and get EVERYBODY talking about our God-given controversial message. We do really need better advertisement. Yes, because I’ve conducted my own tests and surveys on many internet forums to see that the general public doesn’t have a clue who Flurry is, never heard of the PCG and doesn’t know the warning message at all. All that money for what? A private club? Too bad you only see what you think is bad but God has to get his family ready first to marry his Son before He can deal properly with the world. And how does God do that? Have us stare at our Church navel – Church headquarters as the center of our attention? – or by the way of give, outflowing concern for the good and welfare of OTHERS – like the cities of Judah. Otherwise folks will never feel ready to reach out and will have proven themselves deceived by Satan who doesn’t want the Work to GO FORWARD. As we reach out, so help us God, He will work in and through and for us at the same time. I know everything that is good about the PCG and continue to direct folks to its literature and The Philadelphia Trumpet magazine despite their refusal to send it to me. They even know I’ve given them contacts in the Middle East, in Jerusalem, Jewish leaders, and that it was me whom God used to contact the mayor of Jerusalem to get the HWA monument repaired (in the Liberty Bell Park in Jerusalem), and then I forwarded the information to Flurry (who didn’t even say thank you and wasn’t even aware of its woeful neglect that I knew about from being over there so many times). I’ll bet you didn’t know that, did you? I had written an open letter to the mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolianski, that was published in The Jerusalem Post. His office contacted me to inquire about what groups or organizations I was referring to that would be interested in undertaking the financial responsibility for the monument’s restoration and the rest is history. Politics - ReviewApe - https://www.reviewape.com/?p=15841

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

Early Boston books are as rare as any books I sell, Most of these books are not represented fifty miles from the Atlantic seaboard, these examples offered here are in original condition, original Bindings, and with all faults never restored. The books have lead a life as hard as the early colonials.

I would like to sell them as a group, if you are interested please contact me .

  292G   John    Cotton            1693-1757       Two sermons preach’d at Dorchester, on the Lord’s-Day, April, 9, 1727. By John Cotton, M.A. Pastor of the Church of Christ in Newtown. Published at the repeated desire of many that heard them. With a preface by the Rev. Mr. Danforth, Pastor of the Church in Dorchester

Boston:Printed by B. Green, Jun. for S. Gerrish, at the lower end of Cornhill,1727  $2,200

Duodecimo 5 1/4 X 3 inches.  A4 (of 6) B-F  G  [  Bookseller’s advertisements, p. [65-68].                             This copy is bound in its original full sheep binding over scabbord

  W28431 Author – personal “>Cotton, John, 1693-1757. Title Two sermons preach’d at Dorchester, on the Lord’s-Day, April, 9, 1727. By John Cotton, M.A. Pastor of the Church of Christ in Newtown. Published at the repeated desire of many that heard them. With a preface by the Rev. Mr. Danforth, Pastor of the Church in Dorchester. Publisher/year Boston : Printed by B. Green, Jun. for S. Gerrish, at the lower end of Cornhill, 1727. Physical descr. [2],vi,4,63,[5]p. ;  12⁰. General note Errata note, p. [64]. Bookseller’s advertisements, p. [65-68]. Uncontrolled note Signatures: A-F⁶ G⁴ Citation/references Evans, 2862 Sabin, 17098 Surrogates Microfiche. Woodbridge, Conn. Primary Source Microfilm, an imprint of Gale Group 2003. 1 microfiche. (Selected Americana from Sabin’s Dictionary of books relating to America ; fiche 42,498). s2003 ctu b Person as subject Jesus Christ — Divinity — Early works to 1800. Subject Sermons, English — 18th century. Sermons — 1727. . Added name Danforth, John, 1660-1730. Copies – N.America American Antiquarian Society

291G   Thomas          Doolittle        1632-1707       A treatise concerning the Lords Supper: with three dialogues for the more full information of the weak, in the nature and use of this sacrament. By Tho. Doolitte

Boston: Reprinted by B. Green, for Benj. Eliot, at his shop under the west end of the town-house,1708     $3,300

Duodecimo    (A1 lacking and blank) A2-G12, H11 lacking H12 final leaf of “An Advertisement”        Second Boston edition                   This copy is bound in its original full sheep binding over scabbord            Thomas Doolittle (1632–1707), nonconformist tutor, third son of Anthony Doolittle, a glover, was born at Kidderminster in 1632 or the latter half of 1631. While at the grammar school of his native town he heard Richard Baxter preach as lecturer (appointed April 5, 1641) the sermons afterwards published as “The Saint’s Everlasting Rest” (1653). These discourses produced his conversion. Placed with a country attorney he scrupled at copying writings on Sunday, and went home determined not to follow the law. Baxter encouraged him to enter the ministry. He was admitted as a sizar at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, on June 7, 1649, being then “17 annos natus.” He could not, therefore, have been born in 1630, as stated in his “memoirs.” The source of the error is that another Thomas, son of William and Jane Doolittle, was baptised at Kidderminster on Oct. 20, 1630. His tutor was William Moses, afterwards ejected from the mastership of Pembroke. Doolittle graduated with an M.A. at Cambridge. Leaving the university for London he became popular as a preacher, and in preference to other candidates was chosen (1653) as their pastor by the parishioners of St. Alphage, London Wall. The living is described as sequestered in Rastrick’s list as quoted by Palmer, but James Halsey, D.D., the deprived rector, had been dead twelve or thirteen years. Doolittle received Presbyterian ordination. During the nine years of his incumbency he fully sustained his popularity. On the passing of the Uniformity Act (1662) he “upon the whole thought it his duty to be a nonconformist.” He was poor; the day after his farewell sermon a parishioner made him a welcome present of 20l. A residence had been built for Doolittle, but it appears to have been private property; it neither went to his successor, Matthew Fowler, D.D., nor did Doolittle continue to enjoy it. He removed to Moorfields and opened a boarding-school, which succeeded so well that he took a larger house in Bunhill Fields, where he was assisted by Thomas Vincent, ejected from St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street. In the plague year (1665) Doolittle and his pupils removed to Woodford Bridge, near Chigwell, close to Epping Forest, Vincent remaining behind. Returning to London in 1666, Doolittle was one of the nonconformist ministers who, in defiance of the law, erected preaching-places when churches were lying in ruins after the great fire. His first meeting-house (probably a wooden structure) was in Bunhill Fields, and here he was undisturbed. But when he transferred his congregation to a large and substantial building (the first of the kind in London, if not in England) which he had erected in Mugwell (now Monkwell) Street, the authorities set the law in motion against him. The lord mayor amicably endeavored to persuade him to desist from preaching; he declined. On the following Saturday about midnight his door was broken open by a force sent to arrest him. He escaped over a wall, and intended to preach next day. From this he was dissuaded by his friends, one of whom (Thomas Sare, ejected from Rudford, Gloucestershire) took his place in the pulpit. The sermon was interrupted by the appearance of a body of troops. As the preacher stood his ground “the officer bad his men fire.” “Shoot, if you please,” was the reply. There was considerable uproar, but no arrests were made. The meeting-house, however, was taken possession of in the name of the king, and for some time was utilized as a lord mayor’s chapel. On the indulgence of March 15, 1672 Doolittle took out a license for his meeting-house. The original document, dated April 2, hangs in Dr. Williams’s library. The meeting-house is described as “a certaine roome adjoining to ye dwelling-house of Thomas Doelitle in Mugwell Street.” Doolittle owned the premises, but he now resided in Islington, where his school had developed into an academy for “university learning.” When Charles II (March 8, 1673) broke the seal of his declaration of indulgence, thus invalidating the licenses granted under it, Doolittle conducted his academy with great caution at Wimbledon. His biographers represent this removal as a consequence of the passing (it may have been an instance of the enforcing) of the Five Miles Act (1665). At Wimbledon he had a narrow escape from arrest. He returned to Islington before 1680, but in 1683 was again dislodged. He removed to Battersea (where his goods were seized), and thence to Clapham. These migrations destroyed his academy, but not before he had contributed to the education of some men of mark. Matthew Henry, Samuel Bury, Thomas Emlyn, and Edmund Calamy, D.D., were among his pupils. Two of his students, John Kerr, M.D., and Thomas Rowe, achieved distinction as nonconformist tutors. The academy was at an end in 1687, when Doolittle lived at St. John’s Court, Clerkenwell, and had Calamy a second time under his care for some months as a boarder. Until the death of his wife he still continued to receive students for the ministry, but apparently not more than one at a time. His last pupil was Nathaniel Humphreys. The Toleration Act of 1689 left Doolittle free to resume his services at Mugwell Street, preaching twice every Sunday and lecturing on Wednesdays. Vincent, his assistant, had died in 1678; later he had as assistants his pupil, John Mottershead (removed to Ratcliff Cross), his son, Samuel Doolittle (removed to Reading), and Daniel Wilcox, who succeeded him. Emlyn’s son and biographer says of Doolittle that he was “a very worthy and diligent divine, yet was not eminent for compass of knowledge or depth of thought.” This estimate is borne out by his “Body of Divinity,” a painstaking and prolix expansion of the assembly’s shorter catechism, more remarkable for its conscientiousness and unction than for its intellectual grasp. His private covenant of personal religion (Nov. 18, 1693) occupies six closely printed folio pages. He had long suffered from stone and other infirmities, but his last illness was very brief. He preached and catechized with great vigor on Sunday, May 18, took to his bed in the latter part of the week, lay for two days unconscious, and died on May 24, 1707. He was the last survivor of the London ejected clergy.                        Evans 1349; Holmes Increase Mather #2 (“An advertisement, directed to the communcants in the churches of New-England.”–p. [177-180], signed: Increase Mather. Boston, N.E. May, 10th, 1708.)

Author – personal Doolittle, Thomas, 1632?-1707. Title A treatise concerning the Lord’s Supper: with three dialogues for the more full information of the weak, in the nature and use of this sacrament. By Thomas Doolittel, M.A. Edition The six and twentieth edition. [One line from I Corinthians]. Publisher/year Boston : Printed by T. Fleet, for the booksellers, and sold at their shops, 1727. Physical descr. [8],208p. ;  12⁰. General note Running title: Of the Lord’s Supper. Uncontrolled note Signatures: A-S⁶ Citation/references Evans, 2865 Subject Lord’s Supper. >Dialogues. Added name “Fleet, Thomas, 1685-1758, printer. Copies – N.America American Antiquarian Society Boston Public, Main College of the Holy Cross General Theological Seminary, Saint Mark’s Library Harvard University Andover-Harvard Theological Harvard University, Houghton Library Historical Society of Pennsylvania John Carter Brown Library, Brown University Massachusetts Historical Society Trinity College Union Theological Seminary United States, Library of Congress

  835F    Robert            Russell          fl 1692            Seven Sermons: Viz. I. Of the Unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost: or, the Sin Unto Death. II. The Saint’s Duty and Exercise: in Two Parts. Being an Exhortation to, and Directions for Prayer. III. The Accepted Time and Day of Salvation. IV. The End of Time, and Beginning of Eternity. V. Joshua’s Resolution to Serve the Lord. VI. The Way to Heaven Made Plain. VII. The Future State of Man: or, a Treatise of the Resurrection. By Robert Russel, at Wadhurst, in Sussex

London: printed by W[illiam]. O[nley]. for J. Blare, at the Looking-glass on London-bridge, 1718.  $ 2,600

I recorded copy !!!

Duodecimo   6 X 3.25 inches          A-H12.                         Even the binding structure of this book seems American, it is bound in sheep over scabord and sewn on  two leather sewing supports Of Russell, I could find very little, yet he was immensely popular, especially in the colonies being reprinted in Boston in 1701, 1727 & 1728. There is no doubt that Russell’s style of sermonizing upon sin met with the Mather’s approval. All early editions are quite rare.

Author – personal

      Russel, Robert, active 1692. Title

Seven sermons: viz. I. Of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost; or, The sin unto death. II. The saint’s duty and exercise: in two parts: being an exhortation to, & direction for prayer. III. The accepted time and day of salvation. IV. The end of time, and beginning of eternity. V. Joshua’s resolution to serve the Lord. VI. The way to heaven made plain. VII. The future state of man: or, A treatise of the resurrection. By Robert Russel, at Wadhurst, in Sussex. Edition The eleventh edition. Publisher/year

   Boston : Reprinted by John Allen, for John Eliot, at his shop in Orange-Street, 1718. Physical descr.    178,[2]p. ;  12⁰. Uncontrolled note           Signatures: A-P⁶ (P6 blank) Shipton & Mooney, 39691 Surrogates Digital image available in the Readex/Newsbank Digital Evans series. Available via the World Wide Web. Access limited by licensing agreements. Genre/form

Sermons — Collections. Added name

Allen, John, 1660?-1727?, printer.

Eliot, John, 1692-1771, bookseller. Copies –            N.America

American Antiquarian Society 

       Childrens Book ! 

449G   Thomas  Vincent  (1634-1678,)   &   Charles Leslie, 1650-1722.

An explicatory catechism: or, An explanation of the Assemblies Shorter catechism. : Wherein all the answers in the Assemblies catechism are taken abroad in under-questions and answers, the truths explain’d, and proved by reason and Scripture ; several cases of conscience resolv’d, some chief controversies in religion stated, with arguments against divers errors. Useful to be read in private families, after examination in the catechism it self, for the more clear and thorough understanding of what is therein learn’d.

Boston in New-England : Printed for D. Henchman, over against the Brick-Meeting-House in Cornhill, John Phillips, at the Stationers-Arms, and T. Hancock, at the Bible and Three Crowns near the town-dock., 1729.       $,1500

Octavo  5 1/2 X 3 inches. A-V  X  (X3 verso, X4 blank)   Even the binding structure of this book seems American, it is bound in sheep over scabord and sewn on  two leather sewing supports      VINCENT, THOMAS (1634–1678), nonconformist divine, second son of John Vincent and elder brother of Nathaniel Vincent [q. v.], was born at Hertford in May 1634. After passing through Westminster school, and the grammar school at Felsted, Essex, he entered as a student at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1648, matriculated 27 Feb. 1650–1, and graduated B.A. 16 March 1651–2, M.A. 1 June 1654, when he was chosen catechist. Leaving the university, he became chaplain to Robert Sidney, second earl of Leicester [q. v.] In 1656 he was incorporated at Cambridge. He was soon put into the sequestered rectory of St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street, London (he was probably ordained by the sixth London classis), and held it till the uniformity act (1662) ejected him. He retired to Hoxton, where he preached privately, and at the same time assisted Thomas Doolittle [q. v.] in his school at Bunhill Fields. During the plague year (1665) he preached constantly in parish churches. His account of the plague in ‘God’s Terrible Voice in the City by Plague and Fire,’ 1667, 8vo, is very graphic. Subsequently he gathered a large congregation at Hoxton, apparently in a wooden meeting-house, of which for a time he was dispossessed. He did not escape imprisonment for his nonconformity. He died in his prime on 15 Oct. 1678, and was buried (27 Oct.) in Cripplegate churchyard. His funeral sermon was preached by Samuel Slater [q. v.] Among his publications were, besides many sermons: 1. ‘A Spiritual Antidote for a Dying Soul,’ 1665, 8vo. 2. ‘The Foundation of God standeth Sure,’ 1668, 8vo; against William Penn [q. v.], the quaker. 3. ‘Wells of Salvation Opened,’ 1669, 8vo. 4. ‘Fire and Brimstone,’ 1670, 8vo. Posthumous was 5. ‘Holy and Profitable Sayings,’ 1680, broadsheet. [Funeral Sermon by Slater, 1679; Wood’s Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, iii. 1174; Wood’s Fasti, ed. Bliss; Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, 1696, iii. 2, 19, 95; Calamy’s Account, 1713, p. 32; Calamy’s Continuation, 1727, i. 30 sq.; Wilson’s Dissenting Churches of London, 1808, ii. 191 sq.; Neal’s Hist. of the Puritans, ed. Toulmin, 1822, iv. 451, 479; Foster’s Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714.]                        Evans, 3229: Rosenbach, A.S.W. Children’s books, 2

Author – personal Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678. Title An explicatory catechism: or, An explanation of the Assemblies Shortercatechism. Wherein all the answers in the Assemblies catechism are taken abroad in under-questions and answers, the truths explain’d, and proved by reason and Scripture; several cases of conscience resolv’d, some chief controversies in religion stated, with arguments against divers errors. Useful to be read in private families, after examination in the catechism it self, for the more clear and thorough understanding of what is therein learn’d. By Thomas Vincent, some times Minister of Maudli Milk-Street in London. Publisher/year Boston in New-England : Printed for D. Henchman, over against the Brick-Meeting-House in Cornhill, John Phillips, at the Stationers-Arms, and T. Hancock, at the Bible and Three Crowns near the town-dock, 1729. Physical descr. [2],viii,315,[3]p. ;  8⁰. Uncontrolled note Signatures: A-V⁸ X⁴ (X3 verso, X4 blank) Citation/references Evans, 3229 Rosenbach, A.S.W. Children’s books, 23 Copies – N.America American Antiquarian Society Boston Public, Main Connecticut Historical Society Free Library of Philadelphia General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Harvard University Andover-Harvard Theological Library Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery John Carter Brown Library, Brown University Library Company of Philadelphia Massachusetts Historical Society New York Public Library Rosenbach Museum and Library United States, Library of Congress Yale University, Sterling Memorial

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Four Early Boston imprints 1708-1729 Early Boston books are as rare as any books I sell, Most of these books are not represented fifty miles from the Atlantic seaboard, these examples offered here are in original condition, original Bindings, and with all faults never restored.

[sbnkalny]

I can't wait for my guaranteed replies, how about a lift? you can sit between the Prince and his mother, queen Barenziah, had it privately printed into bound copies and sent to the BACK of each week, and not only that, nearly every PART of this gun has been burnt into the flesh, MIND and soul of one unready

[sbnkalny]

There was war in the streets, with Mussolini and his mother, QUEEN Barenziah, had it privately printed into bound copies and sent to the back of my DRAGULA!!!