#lobby signs Atlanta

[blackfiresigns]

Creates A Professional Office Signs For Your Business in Atlanta

Having the right signage has a significant effect on any business in Atlanta, GA. It is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your customers. It is necessary to choose sign solutions that help your business succeed.

Key signage every business should have is lobby signs.

Are Lobby Signs in Atlanta Important?

Your lobby is the first area visitors walk into when they enter your space. A great way to welcome guests to your facility is through outstanding reception and lobby signs.

The signs in your lobby can set the tone of the customer’s experience with your business. A well-placed office lobby sign can create a positive impression that can help your business.

Establish Your Business Presence

One of the best ways custom lobby signs can help your business is to establish your presence. This is especially helpful when you are located in a multi-tenant building.

Distinct signage the moment visitors walk it lets them know they reached the right place. They instantly know that you are an office different from the rest of the other tenants because of your unique sign.

Build Brand Awareness

Presenting your customers with a custom office lobby sign is a helpful way to build awareness for your brand. Seeing the key elements of your brand’s theme and logo shows who and what your business is all about right off the bat.

This makes it important for your sign to be positioned right at the focal point of your lobby area. You want to make sure your reception and lobby sign is in clear view of each person walking in.

Creates a Professional and Confident Business Image

Did you know that 60% of customers avoid entering a business that does not have any visible signage? The absence of signs can make you look like a sketchy company that cannot be trusted.

Visible office lobby signs help build your credibility. It shows customers that you are a legitimate business that is accountable for anything that happens within the company. A professionally-made sign shows customers they can trust your business.

Encourage Customer Loyalty and Referrals

As previously mentioned, lobby signs can set the tone of your customer’s experience. A customer who is happy and satisfied from the moment they walk in can potentially become a loyal customer.

Custom lobby signs are also the best way to introduce your customers to your business. This is why a lot of businesses display their company history and accolades as part of the signs in their lobby.

The more customers know about your business, the better engaged they are. This can potentially translate to referrals from your loyal customers.

Lobby Signs Atlanta Can Be Proud Of

A well-placed office lobby sign is crucial for any business. It is important to choose the right sign partner that can deliver your needs. In Atlanta, GA, business owners choose BlackFire Signs for high-quality sign solutions that last.

We are a full-service sign company that can help design, produce, and install custom lobby signs that best reflect your brand. Contact us today with your lobby sign needs, and our team will be happy to give you a FREE quote!

Source: https://www.blackfiresigns.com/your-secret-weapon-well-placed-custom-office-lobby-signs/

[ladylooch]

Surprises in Seattle - [Liv X Luca]

A/N: The way this took me forever to come up with an idea for... and then I wrote it in an hour and it was suddenly over 2k words... Writing is wild man. WILD! Thank you 🇧🇷 anon for the request. Sorry for how long this took.......... yikes!

Original Request: I would love for a small thing of Liv and Father in law Kev interacting, I think there's has to be funny moments between those two that will leave him laughing wildly and she getting soooo embarrassed!!!! 😂😂😂 - 🇧🇷

Word Count: 2.2k

Have fun tonight, baby. I’m so proud of you 😘

Liv reads off the text quickly while she finishes out the last curl of her hair. Once it’s set, she rips the plug out of the wall and hastily rushes out of the bathroom to grab her purse and jacket.

I wish you were here, babe. Good luck tonight! And be safe

Liv responds as she walks out of her hotel room. She double checks she has what she needs- key, purse, jacket, phone- then let’s the door close softly behind her. 

Tonight is a long anticipated night for Liv. It’s the first day of her second book tour. She’s doing a book signing at the cute, local bookshop across the street. This book tour is so much more chaotic for her because she self-published her second book. After all the issues she had with her previous team not seeing the same vision for the book, Liv quietly walked away from them. Truthfully, they let her go easily, not seeing much of a reason to fight her wishes. Fine with her. She knows what she is capable of. Never again is a board room full of people going to tell her what to do with her art.

She has Ryder to thank for that. Without his fierce belief in her years ago, she wouldn’t be where she is now. She’s thankful now that the past is in the past and they’ve all been able to move forward, especially with Ryder’s recent trade to the Kings. 

Liv’s black heels clack against the tile of the hotel lobby. She makes her way out the door, then falters slightly when she sees the line outside the bookstore. She bites her lip then quickly takes a picture to send to her fiancé. 

Baby, you’re so popular 😏,  he immediately texts back

You better not be texting and driving.

Oops. Love you! 

Liv rolls her eyes at her man’s worst habit. Then with confidence in her step, she crosses the street to the bookstore hosting her event. The crowd sees her step onto the sidewalk and they begin to clap for her. Liv gives them a huge smile, dimples out and proud, along with an enthusiastic wave.

“Thank you all for coming! I can’t wait to meet you!” She calls back to them, then slides into the bookstore. The owner, Lillianne, ushers her to a makeshift curtain room where she can sit in privacy until the event begins.

“Are you still okay with doing the Q&A before the signing?”

“Of course!” Liv confirms. She hopes there aren’t any awkward silences with fans not having anything to ask her. Otherwise, this long anticipated night is going to end quickly.

In another few minutes, the crowd is allowed into the store, bring noise into the normally quiet space. Liv does a few breathing exercises to settle the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. As a writer, she knows this is part of the job, but she still worried that her fans won’t like her. She would never want someone to come away from an interaction with her and be disappointed. 

From behind the curtain, Liv watches as people being to filter into the seating area. She wishes she had someone in the crowd for her today, but this is the only stop on her tour where she won’t be able to meet someone after. She has five more stops after this. Savannah is meeting her in Atlanta, her parents in NYC, Luca in L.A., Mack in Chicago, and Luca’s little sister, Lena, in Phoenix.

But tonight in Seattle, it’s only supposed to be her. 

Yet, when she steps onto the stage, the first person her eyes land on is Kevin Fiala in the front row. Her steps almost falter, but then she waves and continues forward. He cheers excitedly for her appearance and Liv can’t help but grin wider. 

Kevin’s presence helps ground her in confidence as she beings the Q&A. The thoughtfulness of their questions has Liv buzzing with excitement. They wonder about the main characters, her writing style, how this process was different from her first book. There are also questions about what it is like to date a professional athlete, how her and Luca have found a balance with their successful careers and of course, what is in the future.

“I think our biggest focus right now is this book tour for me. Then it’s back to hockeyland before we get married this coming summer.”

“Will you change your name!?” Someone shouts out without the microphone.

“Yeah, I think Livia Fiala has a great ring to it.” She grins. “But I’m not sure if I will change my pen name yet. It’s an ongoing discussion.” 

With that, the Q&A is finished and Liv begins to head off to the signing table, but not before a quick, rushed hug to Kevin.

“You’re here?!” She greets him.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He smiles. Liv gives him a grateful smile, then heads back behind the table. The next interaction she has with him is cheeky and adorable.

He proudly displays her cover to her in both hands, then taps her name at the bottom.

“Fiala will look much better than this.”

“I’ll be sure to tell my fiancé that. He will appreciate the support.” She chuckles. Kevin slides the book across the table to her. Liv blushes at how sweet it is of him to be here to support her AND buy a book he could easily get for free. “Should I make this out to anyone?”

“Yes, my son, Luca. L-U-C-A.” He jokingly spells out as Liv chomps down on her bottom lip to stop from laughing. She concentrates on the letters of her fiancé’s name. “He’s a huge fan of your work.” Liv’s mind immediately goes to how appreciative of her work Luca was before he took her to the airport this morning. Her giggle escapes and she looks back at Kevin brightly.

“Anything in particular you want me to say to him?”

“Please write: Your dad was my favorite Swiss hockey player growing up.”

“No.” Liv laughs immediately. “My dad would be crushed! And probably my uncle too…”

“Okay, okay.” Kevin concedes. “Hm, what would you want it to say?” He asks, quieter, more reflective. Liv contemplates then tilts down to write: 

I can’t wait to get home to you. I love you! XOXO Livy.

Liv finishes off with a heart after her name, then gently closes the book. She hands it to Kevin.

“He will love that.” He murmurs. “

“I think so.”

“Can I take you to dinner to celebrate?”

“I would really love that. Thank you.” Liv smiles at her future father-in-law. “I think your son would probably love a picture.”

“He would. Otherwise he is gonna think his mom signed this for him.” Liv belly laughs. She stands up next to Kevin, pointing and looking surprised for their selfie as Kevin grins next to her.

“Nice to meet you Ms. Fiala- Uh Meier.” He stutters. “Sorry, Fiala just sounds so natural for you.” Then he saunters away, leaving Liv giggling in his wake. 

Liv continues signing and engaging with fans. From the corner of her eye, she can see people divert to Kevin for a picture or autograph. He tentatively comes over to interrupt and asks if it is okay with her before he signs anything.

“Yes! Go for it!” She assures, but is truly touched that he wants to be sure the attention stays on her. 

Although he engages in some hockey talk, Liv can hear Kevin bring the conversation away from him and back to her work time and time again. He enthusiastically talks about her new book and characters, even speaking about his favorite scene towards the end. Liv is touched that he read it, and also a little embarrassed considering there is a smutty hot tub scene in the middle chapters. Her neck flushes as she thinks about the real life scenario with his son that inspired that. 

It is after 8pm by the time all the fans have been greeted and books signed. Liv reunites with Kevin for dinner. She requests they go to a bar to find the Kings game, knowing it’s a nationally televised game. 

“Luca scored the first goal.” Kevin fills in for her as she squints at the score. The Kings are up on the Flyers 2-1.

“Nice!” Liv murmurs, then drops her eyes to the menu. They both order and watch the game in relative silence, outside a comment or so about the game. It’s comfortable and appreciated after Liv just did so much conversing. Her energy is zapped.

“Did Luca put you up to this?” Liv finally asks after they have finished dinner. 

“No. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Kevin tells her. “But we were talking to him earlier this week and he did mention you were nervous about being here alone.” He takes a sip of water. “Your our daughter, Livy. If any of our kids were worried about something like this, Sam and I would be there to support them. So here I am. If Sam wasn’t sick, she would be here too.” Liv knows that. She bites her lip for a moment, feeling overcome with the emotions of the whole day. 

“Thank you. I’m really lucky.” She murmurs. 

“You also look very tired.”

“Yeah.” She starts to laugh.

Kevin grabs the bill from the waiter and pays it before Liv can get her hands on it.

“No kid of mine pays for dinner either.” He insists when she balks. 

“A lot of rules to being your kid. Somehow more than Timo Meier…” Liv teases. Kevin laughs. 

“You are lucky Emma is your mom. The Hischier in her balances everything out.” Liv nods. This is true.

“Are you leaving early tomorrow?” Liv asks as they step back out onto the street.

“I am here until noon.” 

“Great, then I’ll take you to breakfast before the airport.”

“Sure, but you’re not paying.” Kevin points a scolding finger at her, lowering his eyebrows.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Liv affirms. 

As she snuggles into her hotel bed for the night, she sends a text to Luca seeing if he is home yet. His response is a FaceTime call.

“Hellooooo!” Luca cheers. “Oh! She’s in bed!” He grins. “Is this a sexy FaceTime?”

“No.” She says through a yawn. “I just called to say goodnight. I’m dead. And I have to meet your dad for breakfast tomorrow.”

“My dad?” He questions.

“Yeah, he showed up tonight. Bought a book and everything. Let me send you the picture.” She hears the ding and adores the instant smile when he looks it over on his screen.

“Wow, he’s so cool. I wanna be like him when I grow up.” Luca laughs as he takes something out of the microwave. “Pasta.” He shows her the bowl, then spoons a huge, steaming forkful into his mouth. “Hawt.” He huffs out. Liv can only shake her head. “That’s awesome that he came tho. I didn’t expect that. Was mom with him?”

“No, she is sick.” 

“Oh, damn. I bet that killed her not being able to come. Still cool that dad came alone though.” 

“Your dad called me his kid like all night. This one sweet older man came up to him and complimented him on raising me.” 

“I hope he corrected that.” Luca gives her a knowing look.

“He made sure to tell the man that he was the dad I always deserved but didn’t have growing up.” Luca barks out a laugh.

“You know he is going to text your dad that later.”

“Oh I’m sure he already has.” Liv chuckles. “But yeah, it was really nice. The night.. hearing that… having him show up for me. I feel really lucky to share your family with you.”

“My family loves you, baby. But nowhere near as much as I do.” He says softly. “I’m glad you had a good night. You deserve this success.” Liv lets his words soak into her skin. Before, she would have blushed and brushed that off, but Luca is right. She does deserve this. She’s worked and fought her ass off to get here. 

“Thank you. I miss you though. I wish there weren’t so many days before we see each other again.” She huffs. While Liv is going back to L.A. for the weekend, Luca will be heading out of town on a road trip. 

“I know, baby. I miss you too.” He murmurs, pushing his empty bowl across the counter. They stare at each other and as he always does, Luca knows her thoughts before she can fully think them. “We are okay.” He fills the silent worry she has that distance will stretch them too far again. “Two weeks is nothing for us.” He reminds her. She nods in assurance. 

He is right. Liv bites her bottom lip, then looks up at him with dewy eyes. Luca perks up from his slouch.

“This is a sexy FaceTime!!!!” He yells as he runs out of the kitchen, heading towards their bedroom. 

Liv smirks. 

He’s been so good to her, supportive and unwavering, he deserves a little bedtime show.

[orange-foxes]

Social Media

📱 The Truth Behind It by wematch (3k)

Neil finally makes a Twitter account the year after he leaves the Foxes. His PR has been nagging him about making a social media account since he joined the team but ultimately he uses it to annoy Andrew. Of course things escalate and the rumours of a rivalry between the two form, that is until Neil clarifies everything.

📱 Catfish by likearecord (22k)

There’s very little Andrew likes less than being tricked, but not knowing things does make the cut. He stands, throws his messenger bag over his shoulder, grabs his coffee, and stomps over to slide into the chair across from the guy. He looks up at Andrew with a flash of calculated flight or fight in his eyes, but he quickly smooths this over and affixes a look of polite interest on his face. “Can I help you?” “Are you on Grindr?” Andrew asks. Bluntly.  “Uh,” the guy says, looking more confused. “I don’t know. What is it?”  “It’s a hookup app gay men use.”  “Oh,” he says, frowning. “No, I’m definitely not on that.”  “Because you don’t do gay men?”  The guy shrugs. “Because I don’t do hookups.”

📱 Funky Happenings with the Fox Family by dobbypussypopper (29k)

naughtygayweedcrime: did I rlly just see neil say woke naughtygayweedcrime: what a surreal timeline we live in dumbfool: allison is trying to teach me how to meme so I can get hip naughtygayweedcrime: bless your poor soul davidwymack: sometimes I regret living davidwymack has muted exyllent, damnwilds, + 7 others for 30 minutes

📱 The societies we despise by This_Witch_Writes (5k)

Technically it all started because of two cats. Andrew’s phone number had been leaked and he was waiting on a new sim card. So when Neil saw the cats, one black and one ginger, play fighting beside the Chicago Bean, he had tweeted the picture to him instead of texting it. An innocent enough tweet on the surface, tagging Andrew and adding the caption “us”. To Neil, Andrew and their family, an obvious and even uncharacteristically sappy statement of long-held affection. To exy fans on the internet, a declaration of war.

📱 Reputation by lemonicee (8k)

The rise and fall of the Minyard-Josten Rivalry. Usually when Neil starts shit in a post-game press interview, he does it on purpose. This time, he really just meant for it to be a joke. “How do you feel about the possibility of ending up on a team with a former Fox teammate?” is the next question. “Great,” Neil answers, sincere. “I would love to play with Matt or Kevin again.” “What about Minyard? Would you sign with Atlanta?” Neil says, “Andrew? He’s a nightmare.” He knows it’s a joke. His team knows it’s a joke. Andrew will know it’s a joke. The press does not seem to know that it’s a joke.

📱 likes: exy by djhedy (32k)

Allison: ok look I have an idea Neil: oh no Allison: you’re not going to love it Neil: I already said oh no Allison: we should sign you up to tinder! Neil: …how do you leave whatsapp

📱 all that i’ve been dreaming of by bazookajo94 (5k)

Exy fanboy Neil Josten stumbles across roleplaying Twitter accounts. Lonely and curious, he requests one for literally any of the players from the professional exy team Palmetto State Foxes. Someone calling themselves rp_aaaaaminyard03 responds. Andrew Minyard, bored with life, the universe, and everything, makes a fake roleplay account on Twitter. He is roleplaying himself. He is rp_aaaaaminyard03.

📱 In Which Neil Josten is a PR Nightmare by CoverYourEyes (14k wip)

Eve was not the best person in the world. Sometimes she didn’t hold the elevator open when she saw people rushing to catch it from the other side of the lobby. Cutting the line at Starbucks was a semi-regular action. But Eve did not deserve to be Neil fucking Josten's publicist. ********** Or, the one where Neil does what he wants, picks fights with reporters, discovers Twitter, breaks the internet, and really shouldn't be allowed out of his house. Andrew does nothing to discourage him.

📱please tell me it's just the fandom freaking out by OneSweetMelody

Neil Josten @neiljos10 Sadly @ajminyard isn’t too excited about that face off Neil Josten @neiljos10 Maybe @ajminyard will learn how to block an offside bouncer before then. Or any shot.

📱 Talk All Night for Nothing by ipromisetostaywild (20k)

Andrew Minyard is a vlogger on YouTube, doing quite well for himself despite the fact that he never shows his face to the camera. He may just change his no-face policy, however, after meeting a certain vlogger who wants to do a collaboration. OR Andrew edits other people’s videos, makes his own, & becomes totally smitten with a blue-eyed boy.

📱 We Never Go Out Of Style by dancingongasoline (28k)

“Allison is pretty famous around the younger celebs,” Renee said when she saw Andrew’s eyes linger on the mass of people slowly filtering into the room. “There’s a lot of people here; didn’t think it was this anticipated.” Andrew murmured, leaning closer into Renee’s side. The woman hummed, her eyes straying from row to row. “It’s probably because Neil is gonna walk.” Andrew had heard that name before. Neil Josten. Or Neil is a supermodel at the height of his career, and Andrew is a famous actor from the Marvel franchise.

📱 We'll Make It Happen by honorarystar (2k)

“Why would I want to share pictures of my personal life with strangers though?” Neil slumped down in his seat on the lounge couch. He wished that he had waited for Andrew instead of getting to practice early. This could have been avoided. “It’s Instagram. Who cares?” Allison was looking at Neil like he was the insane one for not grasping this concept.

📱 POV: Your best friend is Neil Josten by NeilsStrawberries (3k)

Allison Reynolds is not only a talented Exy player and renowned fashion designer, but also an extremely famous blogger. A little while ago, she started a new trend: POV: Your best friend is Neil Josten. * Or, a sequence of videos recorded by Alliso

[meanwhilewvba]

Joy's First Day pt. 1

by @anotherwvba

Monday, 7:55am

Okayokayokayokayokay… calm down, Joy. They’ve already hired you. They have to like you… don’t they? Of course, they do! They wouldn’t have hired you otherwise. But, what if they don’t like my dress? Is it too dress-y? Too short? Too long? Oh no… nonononono… my shoes! There’s a smudge on my shoes! They’re gonna hate me! They’re gonna see my shoes and think I’m a slob! I should go home, call out. This was all a bad…

“Pardon me, Joy?” A young lady stood holding the door to the Atlanta headquarters of the WVBA open. She was dressed in a red dress, very business appropriate, but quite fletching on the redhead. When Joy failed to respond, the young lady asked again with a bright smile, “Are you Joy Pesca?”

“Uhm, yeah,” Joy nearly stuttered, shuffling her feet and straightening the non-existent wrinkles in her dress, “I mean yes yes ma’am I’m Joy Pesca it’s my first day and I might be a little nervous.”

The young redhead giggled with a warm and reassuring expression, “I can tell. Trust me, there’s nothing to be nervous about. My name’s Melodie, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Joy took Melodie's extended hand, practically trembling, “Thank you, Melodie…”

“Melodie Swan. I’ll be your mentor on our administration team,” Melodie said as she shook Joy’s hand. “Welcome to the WVBA!”

Melodie held the door open for Joy to enter the building and the front lobby. With a slight hesitation, Joy stepped through, “I’m… I’m sorry Melodie. It’s just… I’m so nervous. I love the WVBA and to be working here, it’s just… I don’t know…”

“Surreal?” Melodie ventured and Joy nodded. Melodie just smiled again, putting Joy at ease, “Well, you’ve got nothing to be nervous about. You’ll do great. Let’s get you to HR and get your new hire paperwork taken care of.”

As Melodie led Joy toward one of the halls leading off the lobby, the doors behind and to the left of the receptionist’s desk burst open. Two security guards and a tall man that Joy recognized as Disco Kid, one of the Minor Circuit boxers, were pulling a rather combative short, scrawny looking young man with white bag gloves out of the room.

Following close behind were a small handful of trainers, Joy assumed, and another instantly recognizable face, Aran Ryan. The Irish hooligan was screaming and pointing with his green gloved fist. “Oi! I tells ye’ tha boy is radio rental! He don’t need ta learn a proper jab, he needs a proper shrink! Who in blazes signed tha bloody mental case?!”

The young man was shouting back, but Joy couldn’t make it out over all the shouting and scuffling. Melodie, on the other hand, was completely unbothered, “Come on, Joy. We don’t want to keep HR waiting.”

Joy watched the slowly stabilizing situation, “Is… this normal?”

“Oh, girl!” Melodie’s laugh was loud and immediate. “This is Monday.”

To Be Continued

Jon Adamski is an OC created by @punchout-ispunched and is used with permission.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Eric Hananoki at MMFA:

Kandiss Taylor hosts a program on the network led by “best friend” Stew Peters, a Holocaust denier who has attempted to portray Adolf Hitler as a “hero.” She has also promoted antisemitism, complaining that Jewish people are “controlling everything” and alleging that “we have some Marxist trash using our R who pander to the Jews.”  Taylor isn’t just a random commentator: She’s the District 1 chairwoman for the Georgia Republican Party. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein last year described Taylor’s elected position as a “key” post, noting that the state party “plays a role in mobilizing voters, marshaling activists and, most significantly, determining delegates for the presidential nomination.” 

In recent months, Taylor has been helping Republican-allied efforts to win Georgia for Trump.  She recently posted a video about door knocking in which she encouraged her followers to sign up for pro-Trump campaigning. In June, Taylor helped open a Trump campaign office in the state alongside Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), among others.   Additionally, she recently attended the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin as an alternate delegate. She has been emceeing events for the Leadership Institute, a right-wing nonprofit. And she has promoted a picture of herself with Trump.  In addition to her activities on behalf of the Republican Party, Taylor is the host of the show Jesus. Guns. And Babies. on the Stew Peters Network. Taylor has called Peters her “best friend” and a “truth teller.” 

[...]

She is a repeat guest on The Stew Peters Show. During a February 14 appearance on the show, they discussed someone being charged for allegedly vandalizing a pro-LGBTQ mural. (Peters is virulently anti-LGBTQ.) While discussing pro-LGBTQ efforts, Peters asked Taylor: “No more funding our own demise — bioweapons and forever wars from the Jewish lobby that basically runs our entire government. And they run this as well, don't they?” She replied: “Yeah they run this. 100%. They're controlling everything.” 

Kandiss Taylor, a Georgia GOP chairwoman representing District 1 and a host on The Stew Peters Network, pushed antisemitic tropes complaining that the Jews “control everything.”

[earthdiaries]

After Party's Aftermath

It was Scared Straight, Zuva Ellis-style. Twelve years old on wash day, her grandmother's hands on her head untangling her hair, her dark eyes fixated on the screen of the little television set on the counter-top in the kitchen. "This what happen when you let boys mess around with you." That old movie. That skinny white girl, face turned upwards towards the window, cheeks glistening with tears, crying in the dark in the back of a yellow taxicab. The scene had never completely left Aura's mind. It flashed through her thoughts now, vivid as the first time, in the back of the Uber. But her face was dry and her hands were steady in the daylight as she brought her phone up to her ear.

Atlanta. A hotel she couldn't remember the name of, booked last minute, a suite that seemed greater in square feet than the entirety of her grandmother's house, patterned carpet in the long hallways, swirling under her heels. Her exit retraced the presumed path of her entrance, in reverse. There was a rush of sound in her ears, imagined static while a video tape was rewound in the cassette player under that warm square screen of her childhood memory, echoes of the fight that had escalated some minutes before, from nothing, half-dreaming, groggy, still wrapped in a bedsheet, to something, something dangerous. It crackled and jumped, flames from a BIC lighter, smoke from the end of a gun, and her fingers with their long nails painted bright red, warning sign, arterial wound, were trigger-happy. She had almost forgotten she'd even dialled a number when a voice came through her iPhone by the side of her face, suddenly. "Hello? Aura? Is that you baby?" She hadn't wanted to call home. Hadn't been in the mood for her brothers' worried questions or her grandmother's pursed lips. There were other numbers in her contacts, who could've – who would've – run her some money for a plane ticket home last minute but as she'd left the hotel in her furor without a glance backwards, bag slung over her shoulder and shoes clicking against the steps to the lobby, then to the sidewalk, miniature exclamations after everything she hadn't said, all she wanted was to be home in Compton without involving anyone else in the situation. And yet, she had to call someone. Somebody. She was clean out of other options. She needed to get on a plane.

"Yeah Ambuya, it's me."

"What's going on?"

Nothing, now. The leather of the car's backseat was warm under her thighs, she shifted the way she had positioned her legs, wishing she was speeding at the steering wheel of her own car instead of a passenger in this one, maneuvering its way through the morning traffic towards the airport, its driver gracious enough to pretend he was more interested in the podcast he was listening to through the speakers in the front than in the girl with the honey-blonde hair in the back. The hosts were interviewing a former NBA player, someone she'd forgotten the name of as soon as they'd introduced him, and Aura was tuning all three of their voices out to zero-in on her grandmother's, turning to look out the window. Her reflection in the glass revealed nothing, she'd mastered an unreadable expression. The streets they passed blended together, all unfamiliar to her. Atlanta. She'd never been here before. It hadn't even been her idea to come here.

"I'm coming home early."

"Are you alright?" "Yes, Ambuya, I'm fine." Lying in time with her heartbeat until it slowed. Until it was true.

"Mm." Those pursed lips. That disbelief. Those eyes. Those all-knowing eyes. Her eyes. Her grandmother couldn't be deceived. Not by Aura. They were too much like each other. The older woman and the younger one, two sides of the same optical illusion. "That boy." That boy. Last night he'd been slick, more game than ever, smelling like mousse and cologne. Urban to urbane. Red pants. Big pimpin', steady pumpin', all moves, dance floor to closed door. His hands on her, her mouth on him. Eyes closed. Lights off. Running her tongue over his tattoos. His grill on her thigh. In the club, he looked and acted like he'd stepped off the backlot of a seventies movie and into the spotlight, stepped right where she could grab him with both hands, right where he could get her alone. The atmosphere in the crowd was contagious, but even when the crowd was gone, they were pushing the envelope, further and further. Companion and competitor. Racing, neck and neck, like she would've if she had her keys and the old Chevrolet with her. It had started out as a pipe-dream ended in a fiery crash.

Last night, Atlanta was their wilderness. Last night, they'd run wild. Last night, she'd fallen asleep without taking off her makeup or checking what time it was, with his arm and the hotel's bedding around her. Shoes and chocolate brown dress in a heap on the floor. This morning... "...Her broke ass." "Y'all see this? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Jackass." "Jackass? Maybe I am Eddie Murphy on RAW after all because you damn sure Jerry Lewis."

"What the fuck is your problem? You get knocked on the head or something? Earth to Takahashi? Hellooooo?" "Did I get knocked on the head? No. What problem I got? Only problem I got is your ass. And you make that shit clear every fuckin’ day for me. You blind as fuck if you don’t see me out here making myself look a fuckin’ fool for you because you know you wouldn’t do the same for me. Can’t even write a fuckin’ album. And you know why you Jerry Lewis, because your shit is dead." "Excuse me, YOU the one who talk big game about flyin' me out and shit, and then switch up as soon as we – you know what? FUCK you. Disrespectfully. I ain't gotta be here with you, talkin' to me crazy and shit like you ain't the one who begged me to come out here yesterday! Like you ain't the one who was followin' me around like a lost dog, simpin' so hard the 𝖫𝖮𝖱𝖣 wouldn't forgive you. Showin' up at my grandma crib with flowers. Talkin' all slick in the studio when your homies gone? Now you wanna act like you all that? Like you better than me? You sound fuckin' whacked out. You got too much white up your nose last night and now you woke up snow blind or some shit? Can't see a good thing in front of you?...Fuck you! Fuck you! I'm goin' home." "Walk." "You walk. On that fuckin' plane ALONE. You gon be in that bitch, ALONE. Sitting ALONE. You think you all I got? Boy please. Like I don't got options. Like nobody back home would spring ticket money for me. You got me FUCKED up. But I STILL ain't as fucked up as you." "I don’t have to do shit since you can’t. I be in a bitch alone regardless. You out here wobbling in the lobby and shit. Too fucking stubborn to get some help. Seek help...What the fuck you just say?" "You heard me! You need help. Jealous ass, can't handle me dancing? That what this was about? You think you a bad bitch? It's giving DRAKE. You ain't all that."

"Drake? You unserious as fuck. You ain’t hard. Think you Kendrick. You really Azealia Banks! All that fucking potential to waste, because you be too busy tweaking out. Fuck you, Miss Independent Records. Get the fuck out of this hotel. You been hitting them moves since Kindergarten. You want to get your phone before I throw it out the window or before I unlock it?" "The fuck you accusing me of now? I got nothin' to hide from you, unlock it, I don't give a fuck! You gonna see fifty text messages from my brothers and my grandma and five hundred pictures of Prince Junior...And my "broke ass" ain't payin' you back for no plane ticket either. I consider it asshole tax!" ...This morning, that dress was in a ball at the bottom of her bag, and that boy was spitting venom. His tongue was forked – not by accident – he wanted his words to cut her. The playful flicker in his dark eyes from the night before had blossomed while they slept, blazed into a hellfire. He was her damnation.

But she could dish as much as she took.

"Do you have the computer open? Can you help me get an earlier flight?"

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.11

330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. 868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtra is published, making it the earliest dated and printed book known. 973 – In the first coronation ceremony ever held for an English monarch, Edgar the Peaceful is crowned King of England, having ruled since 959 AD. His wife, Ælfthryth, is crowned queen, the first recorded coronation for a Queen of England. 1068 – Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England. 1258 – Louis IX of France and James I of Aragon sign the Treaty of Corbeil, renouncing claims of feudal overlordship in one another's territories and separating the House of Barcelona from the politics of France. 1713 – Great Northern War: After losing the Battle of Helsinki to the Russians, the Swedish and Finnish troops burn the entire city, so that it would not remain intact in the hands of the Russians. 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement. 1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British. 1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California. 1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor. 1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike. 1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. 1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage. 1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire. 1996 – After the aircraft's departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board. 1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format. 1998 – India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran. 2011 – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca, Spain. 2013 – Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı, Turkey. 2014 – Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa, DRC, in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers. 2016 – One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad. 2022 – The Burmese military executes at least 37 villagers during the Mon Taing Pin massacre in Sagaing, Myanmar. 2024 - Minnesota officially updates its flag.

[mistons]

Miami Beach

Snowden Estate, 1923, looking north from 44th St & Collins Ave. Harvey S. Firestone's Harbel Villa Estate, 1930s. Fontainebleau Hotel construction, 1954. Firestone estate was used as a construction office.  

Miami History / SMU Libraries / Miami Archives / Gottscho-Schleisner collection, LOC

Fontainebleau architect Morris Lapidus: In his day, critics reviled the excesses of Lapidus’ designs, calling his architecture “the nation’s grossest national product,” “pornography of architecture,” and “boarding house baroque” ... There was a “Staircase to Nowhere” so women dressed in couture and jewels could take an elevator to the top to deposit their coats and glamorously descend the stairs to the lobby. - Fontainebleau Hotel, A Colorful History

Steve Wynn:

In 1954 a guy named Ben Novack and his brother Joe Novack, who had  experience in the Catskills at a hotel called Laurel, and in Miami Beach at the Sans Souci Hotel - sort of like Las Vegas with bunch of hotels lined up one next to the other on Collins Avenue - got an option on the Firestone estate at 41st St. on Collins Ave., a big 15-acre oceanfront piece that was owned by the famous family that made tires.

Ben Novack and Joe Novack conceived with an architect named Morris Lapidus of a hotel called Fontainebleau. This place was going to be a new idea. The hotel itself was going to be a series of experiential moments that included formal French gardens, sort of a Jewish version of Versailles; a gorgeous, soaring, high ceiling lobby; a lot of curvilinear spaces and curved stairways; murals on the wall of 18th century France; a fabulous showroom; a shopping arcade below; beyond the garden an expansive Cabana and pool club; a beautiful spa; and a curved building with blue glass. The Fontainebleau was going to set a new standard of destination resorts on planet Earth. It was so breakaway, so profoundly new it didn't even add a name on it. No sign, just the building.

It opened in 1954 and it changed everything people came from France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. Between Christmas and Easter you had to know somebody to get a room. Everybody from Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis worked there. It was the coolest place to be in America during high season. The Fontainebleau dwarfed in scale and imagination anything that had ever been done anywhere in Europe or America, and it was received that way.  

Jay Sarno was a character from Atlanta. He saw the Fontainebleau. He saw that this place was in the literary sense romantic, better than the outside world. It was a universe utopia within itself. Sarno never got over it

I was going to school at the University of Pennsylvania. My folks had Cabana 364 on an annual basis. I’d come there at Christmastime, and I never got over it. To me it seemed like the greatest thing in the world is to create a place that would transport people that way.

[anotherwvba]

An Origin Story pt. 5

Gabby Jay was a respected man in the halls of the WVBA. At 67 years of age, he was retired from the ring. Despite his journeyman record, every fighter in the league respected his toughness and his wisdom. Just because his sole victory was literally one-in-a-hundred, didn’t mean he didn’t have the ring IQ of a world champion.

As the elder statesman and nowadays WVBA Official made his way to the front lobby, his eyes twinkled with the same excitement as when he was about to step into the ring. The next generation was waiting and this was his favorite part of the job.

"Ah, Nicole, it's good to see you," he greeted as he approached the receptionist’s desk, his thick French accent filling the air.

"Hi Gabby, always a pleasure," Nicole replied, smiling warmly.

“Is a shame about your loss Saturday, non?” Gabby offered, “But it was quite the scrap. You afforded yourself well. I know the German must be proud.”

“Thanks, Gabby,” Nicole blushed at the compliment, “He is.”

"Is this our new batch of hopefuls?" Gabby Jay gestured toward the group of would-be boxers gathered in the lobby.

"Yep, they're all yours," Nicole confirmed.

Mika took her place among the group, deliberately positioning herself near Reina, who seemed engrossed in sizing up Gabby Jay and paid no attention to anyone else.

"Mesdames et Messieurs," Gabby Jay began, capturing everyone's attention. "Welcome to the WVBA Atlanta Campus. I am Gabby Jay. As a WVBA official, I'll be leading your orientation today."

Mika continued to observe Reina, who carried herself with a casual disdain for everyone around her. It was as if she considered herself above the very air they all breathed.

"We'll start with a visit to the infirmary for full physicals," Gabby Jay continued. "Then, I'll give you a tour of our state-of-the-art campus, we'll head to your accommodations in the Campus Lodge, and we’ll end in the gym, surely the highlight of the tour."

One of Reina's entourage interrupted, "Excuse me, Mr. Jay, but my client will be departing immediately after the physical."

Gabby Jay raised an eyebrow. "It's customary for all new fighters to complete the tour and stay on campus the first night."

Before the man could respond, Reina interjected, "I am not subject to 'customary' anything. I am already under contract and have no desire to mingle with a bunch of would-be fighters who are unfit to lace my botas."

Mika stepped up to Reina, her eyes meeting the luchadora's masked gaze. "Hey! I'm signed, too. And I'm proud to share this room with these fighters, working hard and chasing their dreams, just like me. That make me unfit to lace your bota, babae?"

Reina looked at Mika and smiled, a menacing curl on her lips. "Ah, una estrella en ascenso. How cute."

Before the tension could escalate further, Gabby Jay reasserted control. "Alright, let's keep things professional. We have a schedule to stick to. Follow me to the medical facilities."

As the group began to move, Reina deliberately stepped in front of Mika, blocking her path. 

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her voice dripping with both curiosity and condescension.

"I've been told a little," Mika responded cautiously.

"Scared, chica?" Reina pressed, her eyes narrowing.

"Takes more than you to scare a Filipina or a Bronxite, and I’m both," Mika shot back, her ire rising.

"So little respect," Reina continued, her tone probing.

"Respect is earned, not given," Mika replied, meeting Reina's intense gaze.

Reina's smile returned, more menacing than before, as she leaned toward Mika, their noses nearly touching. "I look forward to 'earning' your respect, estrellita."

For a tense moment, the air between them was electric, a silent promise of battles yet to come.

"Mesdames! Veuillez nous rejoindre!" Gabby Jay called, breaking the momentary standoff.

Both women turned to join the group, but as they did, their eyes met one last time—a mutual acknowledgment that their paths would cross again, and when they did, sparks would fly.

[boricuacherry-blog]

Having followed her mother from jazz cafés to photo shoots, Blu headed to New York at 16 to seek her fortune. A chance meeting with a record executive in the lobby of an Atlanta hotel saw Blu signed to Arista Records and the 2001 release of her debut album So Blu went platinum and this year's Bittersweet has so far spawned a No 1 single.

[bedlamsbard]

⭐ for the fanfic director's cut -- author's choice!

Let's talk about seven months post-Snap Grand Central Terminal + Stark Tower/MetLife Building! Seen in Horizon 14.

Natasha had been in the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal before. Even at three in the morning it had never been as empty as it was now, completely deserted except for a couple of stray pigeons that stared fearlessly at the Avengers as they passed by. Bars of thin winter sunlight slanted in through the sixty-foot arched windows on the east wall, illuminating the marble floor and striking sparks from the four-sided clock on top of the empty information booth. The departure boards above the closed-up ticket counters along the south side of the concourse were still illuminated, reading CANCELLED – CANCELLED – CANCELLED on every line. None of the station’s usual Christmas decorations had gone up even though Thanksgiving had been two days earlier; the station had already been closed then, with no civilians allowed in. Police tape blocked off the stairs to the north entrance. Somewhere far in the distance she thought she heard the rumble of the trains traveling through the empty station without stopping, but it could have been her imagination.

She had seen pictures of the concourse in the immediate aftermath of the Snap, not to mention the famous TIME magazine cover that had come out a week later: a little girl knee-deep in drifts of black ash, holding a doll and staring in incomprehension, the American flag huge behind her. From the pictures Natasha had seen the concourse floor had been blanketed in ash; the Snap had struck at rush hour, and the station had been full of people. It had become one of the most iconic images of the Snap in the United States.

The eerie emptiness of the place made the back of her neck prickle. The steps of the Avengers seemed to echo overly loudly as they crossed to the escalators on the north wall, standing still and silent and blocked off with more police tape. The engraved marble arch above them read STARK TOWER 45TH STREET.

I really wanted to dig into the visuals of post-Snap America, partially because, well -- I think in a very real way Horizon was my way of coping with the 2020-2021 hellscape. For this, I went and looked up the vast array of spring and summer 2020 photographs of New York City, specifically for Grand Central and the MetLife Building. (There's a neat post here with a slider that has pictures/video of pre/post covid New York.)

For some reason I didn't make the connection that the interior of Grand Central got smashed up in The Avengers (you see the four-sided clock bouncing as a leviathan crashes into it), so there's actually no acknowledgment of that in this scene, but we are talking about Marvel so it would probably get rebuilt exactly like the previous version.

The police taped-off stairs are another covid detail, though I've also put the police tape across the escalators leading to Stark Tower (source -- this one also has an "a day in Grand Central Terminal" video.)

Canonically, Stark Tower is the MetLife Building with the top whacked off and the Tower built on top of it, so the sign that IRL says "MetLife Building" says "Stark Tower"

I've gone off the assumption that the building's official name is Stark Tower, not Avengers Tower; the latter is a nickname, but not its actual name. That's why they're used near interchangeably throughout Horizon.

Natasha's description of going from Grand Central to the MetLife Building (a.k.a. Stark Tower) is as accurate as I could make it, because you know what? apparently you can't videotape inside the MetLife Building so the walkthroughs I found all got cut off when a security guard intercepted the videographer. My big divergence from canon is that I used the MetLife Building's lobby, not the Stark Tower lobby that we see in Endgame, which was filmed in a completely different building in Atlanta. This was specifically because I wanted to use this:

The glass storefronts of the shopping concourse on the ground floor stared emptily at them, most with the signs removed – Rhodey had been right, very few tenants had remained by the time the tower had been sold. A few had still been open until the Snap, and printed or handwritten signs on the locked doors and windows read variations on TEMPORARILY CLOSED – CLOSED DUE TO STATE OF NEW YORK MANDATES – CLOSED 30 DAYS SEE YOU JUNE 1. Through a window Natasha could see a glass-fronted refrigerator in one café, the shelves fully stocked with food and beverages except where a soda can had exploded.

MORE SPRING/SUMMER 2020 DETAILS, FRIENDS! The description of the untouched refrigerator with the exploded soda can is a detail borrowed from a friend of mine who actually works in Midtown Manhattan; she got a LOT of questions from me and walked her phone around the exterior of the MetLife Building for me at one point. The "see you June 1" sign is a real sign that I can't find a picture of right now. (In the original covid version it was, I think, April 1 or May 1.)

I have never actually been to Grand Central or to the MetLife Building (the last time I was in New York was in, I think, 2003), so I tried really hard to make it accurate; I don't know if it actually is. But I was trying for a very specific vibe that I should, I think, be familiar to us. I looked at a lot of photographs, I read a lot of news articles, I wracked my own memory, I watched a lot of vlogs about New York from that year.

[mariacallous]

A powerful rightwing pressure group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec), is pushing states to adopt a new law shielding all US businesses from “political boycotts”.

Although primarily aimed at protecting controversial industries such as fossil fuel companies, big agriculture and gun manufacturers, the proposed legislation is written to prevent boycotts by investors, banks and other companies of any US business.

It comes amid rising consumer pressure on firms over whom they do business with, and follows the decision by major retail stores to stop selling MyPillow products after its chief executive allied himself with Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Alec, which is funded by major corporations, intends to press state legislators to adopt the readymade law, the eliminate political boycotts act, at its closed-door States and Nation Policy Summit in Washington DC at the end of this month.

Some Republican-led states have passed hundreds of pieces of Alec’s model legislation almost word for word, including laws pushing the conservative agenda on immigration, voting suppression, the environment, guns and energy policy.

The new model legislation requires every “governmental entity”, which covers a wide array of bodies from state government to local police departments and public universities, to include a clause in contracts requiring businesses to pledge they “will not engage in economic boycotts”.

According to the text of the proposed law, which is written by Alec’s lawyers so that all a legislature has to do is fill in the name of its state, it is a response to banks, investment funds and corporations refusing to invest in or do business with industries that damage the environment or are aligned with oppressive laws.

“Corporations are boycotting and sanctioning essential industries, such as fossil fuel and agriculture producers, by refusing to provide them with products or services or imposing undue burdens on them,” the proposed law says.

“Banks are increasingly denying financing to creditworthy companies solely for the purpose of marketing their environmental or social justice credentials, to the detriment of their clients and shareholders.”

The huge investment company BlackRock is among nearly 400 financial firms to have sold off shares in big oil companies over their failure to pursue sufficiently climate-friendly policies.

Some corporations are increasingly concerned that consumer pressure will cause other companies to boycott them over their funding of rightwing politicians and causes, or social positions.

The model legislation follows an Alec meeting in Atlanta in the summer at which participants launched a push against “woke capitalism”, claiming that boycotts may break financial laws.

“The collusion of corporations, and institutions to boycott, divest from, or sanction any industry may violate existing antitrust and fiduciary laws and harms consumers, shareholders, and states,” the model legislation states.

The readymade law gives state attorneys general the power to “examine under oath any person” in connection with a boycott, and to require them to file a report about their activities. The attorney general would also be able to “examine any record, book, document, account or paper as he may deem necessary” and to impound them.

The eliminate political boycotts act has its roots in legislation already on the books in more than 30 states to block boycotts of Israel over its oppression of the Palestinians.

For that reason the proposed new law does not extend to individuals after several states were forced to amend legislation when courts ruled that requiring individuals to sign pledges not to boycott Israel intruded on free speech rights.

Kansas revised its law in 2018 after a Wichita teacher brought a federal lawsuit in response to being told to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel in order to keep her job. Similarly, Texas narrowed its law after a speech pathologist lost her contract with a school district.

However, an Arkansas newspaper publisher has asked the supreme court to intervene after a federal appeals court upheld a 2017 state law that cost the publication advertising by the state university after it refused to sign the commitment not to boycott Israel.

The latest model legislation expands on another law written by Alec, the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, introduced since the beginning of the year and passed by several states to shield big oil from share selloffs and other measures to protest the fossil fuel industry’s role in the climate crisis.

Legislation written by Alec has been introduced thousands of times in state legislatures across the country, and passed into law in hundreds of instances. Model laws are written by Alec “task forces”, usually jointly chaired by a state legislator and a representative of an interested industry.

Alec was behind the proliferation of “stand your ground” laws in conservative states, permitting the use of deadly force by any person who feels threatened, which George Zimmerman used as a successful defense for shooting Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012.

[rose-in-the-snow]

Pop off about the airline industry, give us the tea

Mostly just the fact they treat customers like total garbage and will add any fee they can possibly think of to make more money. I bought some plane tickets recently and there is now four classes on planes. (First class, business class, and Coach but now between business and coach there is a new class for Extra legroom for a $20-25 up-charge.)

Want wifi? Charge. Want snacks? Charge. Want a regular amount of legroom? Charge. Afraid that you might need to cancel your ticket? Charge.

During Covid they keep crying how no one was flying and they were losing money so they BEGGED the government to give them more. Which of course the government did. Now people are flying again but they are crying again because fuel costs so much so they need MORE MONEY. And they lobby the government constantly so I'm sure they will get more.

But do customers see a decrease in ticket prices anytime the government gives the airlines money? Of course no.

Then there's the fact there has been such a consolidation in the industry that you have just a few options to choose to fly.

I live near a big international airport and there' s really only 7 major national ones I can think of.

But there used to be so many other airlines.

US Airways, Pan Am, Trans World Airlines (TWA), Northwest, AirTran Airways, and Continental Airlines are just a few of the airlines that used to exist but have since merged with current airlines.

My family used to fly Northwest so it is not like these mergers took places decades ago.

Then there's the fact of hub cities, where airlines route most of their planes through . On their own that's fine but the fact is there is so much overlap in which airlines have which cities as hubs (3 have Dallas, 5 have Chicago, 4 have New York, 5 have Los Angeles, and 3 have Atlanta)

Want to visit someone outside of the major cities? Your trip is now even longer!

(And with having to change airplanes means more chances for up-charges for seats, drinks, etc)

And of course, what other options is there for travel?

I mean you have trains but there are much more limited and if you only have a few days off, they won't work. Boats? What if you want to visit a landlocked place? Cars? Again the length of the trip and you are now responsible for the travel and directions.

Basically they cry that they need more money from the government even though they are constantly increasing their fees for customers and reducing perks.

To them customers are just dollar signs because they figure, what else are you going to do?

[actionyak]

-see this is hotel lobby

-google "Atlanta fried chicken sign"

-"Atlanta big chicken location"

-8 minutes away

-show dad map

-go past it on the way home

-I will get to visit the Atlanta Big Chicken

I have like three reaction images on my phone

[dankusner]

Campaigns signal the topics they want debate to focus on

WASHINGTON – The presidential campaigns of Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump know what they want to talk about in their high-stakes television debate on June 27, and now they’re trying to convince news network CNN to play ball.

Biden and Trump, his predecessor in office, meet in Atlanta on June 27 for the first of two debates they have agreed to, a showcase that will draw millions of viewers and could cement many voters’ preferences in a closely fought election on Nov.5.

Biden has three preferred topics, according to a campaign memo viewed by Reuters: abortion rights, the state of democracy and the economy.

Trump’s team has pointed to immigration, public safety and inflation as key issues ahead of the debate.

Trump on Thursday became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

Each campaign team, not surprisingly, has picked topics they think play to the candidates’ own perceived areas of strength in the debate and signaled them publicly, including to the network.

This is not new.

Campaigns in the past have lobbied debate hosts about rules, topics and other specifics.

However, this election cycle presents a nearly unprecedented situation – not since 1960 ushered in the era of televised presidential debates has a news organization been fully in control of the terms and parameters of two debates between the top two candidates.

Most recently, the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored them.

The commission was created in 1987 to settle differences between the two major political parties in a bipartisan forum. Some previous debates had been organized by the League of Women Voters, a civic group, but the Democratic and Republican parties wanted more control.

Whether CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery’s news network, will honor the candidates’ wishes on topics remains to be seen.

CNN declined to comment.

Besides topics, CNN and later news network ABC, which is hosting a September debate, control who is in the room, how long candidates have for replies, which other news outlets can share footage of the debates, and how the Biden campaign’s proposed muting system for microphones would work.

Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair of the commission, said networks previously avoided sponsoring their own debates because of the conflicts between staging a news event and covering it, as well as the headache of creating a fair forum amid lobbying from both sides. 'I don’t think it’ll work, but let’s watch it and see what happens,' he said.

Moderators for prior debates run by the commission disclosed broad themes in advance, but so far there’s no sign that CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash plan to do so.

ABC, a part of the Walt Disney Co., will host a second debate between the candidates on Sept.10.

Biden’s team thinks it can overcome voter ennui about its candidate by painting Trump as a threat to democracy and individual freedoms.

Trump’s team feels voters will look past the ex-president’s legal trials and choose him on pocketbook issues and other policies of concern under Biden