#marquee monday

[vera-dauriac]

My library has the Don Carlo (Turin 2013) I want to watch on one of their streaming services, but most of their services aren't available this weekend because of a catalog upgrade. I think the world hates me and I'm going to cry.

[finlaure13]

CANADA

Ontario to exempt planned Highway 413 from Environmental Assessment Act

JEFF GRAY QUEEN'S PARK REPORTER

TORONTO

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 24, 2024

Ontario has tabled legislation that would exempt its marquee proposed Highway 413 project from the need for a full-scale environmental assessment, prompting some critics to renew calls for Ottawa to do more to ensure the protection of endangered species along the 52-kilometre route.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s bill this week also includes new measures that would make it easier for government officials or contractors to inspect land they intend to expropriate for the highway. Under the legislation, anyone who tries to block a site inspection along the route of the 413 could face up to $10,000-a-day in fines.

In 2022, Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government made the planned 413, which would arc through protected Greenbelt land around the Greater Toronto Area west and north of Toronto, a centrepiece of its re-election campaign.

But efforts since to get shovels in the ground have run into roadblocks, including a now-abandoned move by the federal government to do its own lengthy, detailed environmental evaluation of the project. Despite demands from environmental groups and opposition leaders, Ottawa has so far declined to revive this review.

Ontario’s new bill, tabled Monday, would exempt the 413 project from the province’s own Environmental Assessment Act, which would have required a lengthy study that considered the highway’s impacts and looked at alternative options.

The new bill would still require the government to produce a report on how it intends to mitigate the project’s environmental effects. But it would also allow the government to keep any studies that “contain information about sensitive natural or cultural heritage matters” out of the public eye.

The construction of Highway 413 would negatively impact the environment, not help it, say scientific researchers

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Sarkaria said the legislation would allow construction on early works to start sooner. He also again declined to provide a cost estimate cost for the 413, citing the need not to tip off bidders for the contract to build it. The province’s Auditor-General pegged the likely bill at $4-billion in 2022, but critics say the final price tag could be double that.

Tim Gray, executive director of the group Environmental Defence, said that, while the government had long said it intended to streamline the environmental assessment process for the highway, this bill would essentially gut it.

“It’s pretty perfunctory window-dressing. They’re getting rid of any of the substantive work that they were actually planning on doing and just saying, ‘We’ll publish a report,’” he said in an interview.

Mr. Gray said the federal government needs to step back in and redesignate the project for more extensive environmental scrutiny under its newly rewritten Impact Assessment Act, an idea supported by Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Leader Mike Schreiner. In an e-mail, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie would not say whether Ottawa should step in but said she would investigate the highway if she became premier.

Earlier this year, the federal government agreed to back off its battle with the province over the 413, after settling a court challenge that had been initiated by Ontario over whether the impact assessment Ottawa had imposed on the highway was overstepping. Last year, the Supreme Court of Canada had ruled that the federal Impact Assessment Act strayed too far into provincial jurisdiction, but Ottawa has since rewritten the legislation to narrow its scope.

The federal government had agreed to set up a working group to deal with Ontario on the 413 and ensure effects on endangered species are mitigated. And to build the highway, the province will still need to seek federal permits under endangered species legislation.

In an e-mail, Ottawa’s Impact Assessment Agency said Ontario’s bill would not affect the federal-provincial working group. However, the agency also said requests to designate projects for a full federal impact assessment would be addressed on a “case-by-case basis.”

Ontario’s new legislation also includes changes that would allow the government or its contractors sweeping powers to go onto land on or near the highway’s path to do site inspections, soil sampling or other such work – without any objection from landowners. Anyone who hinders such an activity would face up to a $50,000 fine for a first offence, plus fines of up to $10,000 a day. A second offence could cost up to $100,000.

The government would also be allowed to seek an order from a justice of the peace, rather than a Superior Court judge, authorizing it to enter a property or a dwelling or even take possession of land it “has the right to possess.”

Veteran Toronto expropriation lawyer Shane Rayman said the changes will likely speed up preliminary work and the land acquisition process. However, he said, the new powers would be “unusual” in Ontario and give the government more of an upper hand with landowners facing expropriation.

“This act gives the government remarkably broad powers to possess land, to enter properties and to put down resistance,” Mr. Rayman said in an interview. He warned that if the new powers are not exercised fairly, it could “be fairly harmful to property owners.”

@allthecanadianpolitics

[contemplatingoutlander]

DeSantis faces pushback in Florida as voters tire of war on woke

It's about time that Florida citizens started to push back against DeSantis's far-right "anti-woke" agenda.

The bill banning rainbow flags from public buildings in Florida sounded like a sure bet. State Rep. David Borrero (R), the legislation’s sponsor, argued that it was needed to prevent schoolchildren from being “subliminally indoctrinated.” That rationale echoed other measures championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as part of his “war on woke.” But instead of sailing through the Republican-dominated legislature, the DeSantis-backed bill died a quick legislative death, making it only as far as one subcommittee. It wasn’t the only culture war proposal from conservative lawmakers to end up in the bill graveyard during the session that ended Friday. One rejected bill would have banned the removal of Confederate monuments. Another would have required transgender people to use their sex assigned at birth on driver's licenses — something the state Department of Motor Vehicles is already mandating. A third proposed forbidding local and state government officials from using transgender people’s pronouns. Some of those ideas have come up in the past and may surface again next year. But the fact that the bills failed, even with public support from DeSantis, marks a change from the days when the GOP supermajority in Tallahassee passed nearly everything the governor asked for. [...] But the pushback is growing. Parents and others have organized and protested schoolbook bans. Abortion rights advocates gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot in Florida in November. A bill that would have established “fetal personhood” stalled before it could reach a full vote. Judges are also canceling some of DeSantis’s marquee laws, including the “Stop Woke Act.” A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled Monday that the law “exceeds the bounds” of the Constitution’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression.

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Events In The History And Of The Life Of Elvis Presley Today On The 6th Of September In 1976.

Elvis Presley Huntsville, AL September 6th, In 1976. Brief Concert Review;

This was the last 'road date' where Elvis Presley gave two concerts on the same day. To sellout crowds at Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville Monday afternoon and night, Elvis Presley had the same old magic. Elvis Presley, sporting broader showmanship and a thicker waist, drew standing ovations from the time he jogged onto the stage to the chords of 'Thus Sprach Zarathustra'. The Memphis rock and roll star got screams during his first number, to is last. 'See See Rider', and the women, who outnumbered males in the audience by three to one, were still screaming to the end. when mc Al Dvorin announced Elvis as left the building. rare candid photos of Elvis Presley leaving is hotel to arrive at the venue the von braun civic center and the b/w candid photo of venue arena the von braun center marquee announcing the two shows live at the show performance concert given a rose by a female fan and a hat and a pair of aviator shades sunglasse's that Elvis Presley wears them taken by fans and audience members. Elvis Presley wore the white and blue and red egyptian bird jumpsuit and the matching belt.

[the-football-chick]

Week 5 wraps up with the Saints @ Chiefs on Monday Night Football

The Chiefs continue to shine with a marquee offense, and their defense deserves a lot of credit too for their 5-0 start. They held Saints star RB Alvin Kamara to just 26 yards rushing and handed the Saints their 3rd straight loss. Saints QB Derek Carr left in the 4th quarter with an oblique injury as they fall to 2-3 on the season.

[loverlylight]

Okay, that was just... wow. Either tied or surpassed MCR Oakland as the best night of my life. I'll post later since I didn't get much sleep and need to leave for the airport soon (I did have enough time to sleep, my body just refused), but in the mean time I've been making voice recordings to summarize the events and it's already half an hour long and I haven't even gotten to sitting down for the show yet. I'm assuming I won't go into detail about stuff until Monday since I have a feeling I'll still need a bit to recover, but yeah, it was amazing!

I have one more bit to share before I leave, but first I just want to mention their stage manager Tammy because oh my god she's just so amiable and great to talk with?

Anyway, the final bit I wanted to share before I head off is that I normally am very much "I don't want to bother people they're probably busy" but I made friends with this mother and daughter (who were also both awesome and amazing people) and the mother was not afraid to approach people so somehow I got pictures with Joe Walker, Brian Rosenthal, and Curt Mega? (I also got a pic with all the bros later which I don't have yet, but that was during the Kickstarter reward tier thing which I'll talk about later. Also Joey Richter hugged me?) Anyway pictures, unfortunately they also have MY face in them but I guess that's a risk you have to take when you get your picture taken with someone. Also me in front of the marquee.

[anotherwvba]

Family Matters, pt. 3

Part 3 - Expectations

“Buen trabajo, niño,” Coach ‘Cane opened the locker room door and held it for his protege and namesake, Piston Hondo. “Lots of heart. Gotta work on pacing, though, niño. You nearly gassed out in the second.”

“Hai, Sensei.” Piston has a towel around his neck, his gloves in hand. “I underestimated Disco-san’s stamina. That was my mistake. I won’t make it again.”

A hearty laugh echoes from Hurricane’s lungs, surprising his fighter. “Órale, vato, don’t be so hard on yourself. Tonight was a big win, no? Take tomorrow off. Celebrate. You’ve got a title shot at King Hippo next. The real work starts Monday. ¿Entiende usted?”

Piston bowed deeply as another voice joined the conversation from the door. “Koji? Celebrate? Good luck with that.”

Both men turned their attention to the doorway and Cutie Hondo, Piston’s sister and Coach ‘Cane’s star female student, stood leaning against the door jamb, a sly grin on her face.

“And you wouldn’t have misjudged Disco’s wind if you went to the club with us last week like I asked, o.. nii… chan,” Cutie walked over and hugged her brother tightly before turning toward their coach, bowing, and hugging him, as well.

“O… nii… san, Kyoko-chan,” Piston chastised as he sat to unlace his boots. “I’m your older brother.”

Both Coach ‘Cane and Cutie chuckled and the coach shook his head, “I will never understand the Japanese need for formality and ceremony.”

Cutie sat next to her brother on the bench, “We all have traditions, Coach. Some of us just take them too seriously sometimes.”

“And others don’t take them seriously enough,” Piston replied as he sat up and placed his boots in his bag.

Coach ‘Cane smiled warmly at the two siblings, “I hope you two never change.” Placing his hand on Piston’s shoulder, he then addressed his namesake directly, “Rest up tomorrow, niño, and enjoy the win, no? We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead. That Minor Circuit belt’s coming home.”

“Hai, sensei,” Piston bowed his head as he answered.

“Buenas noches, mi niños” Coach ‘Cane nodded at his charges before he took his bag and left.

“Piston Hondo,” Cutie stared off into the distance, motioning with her hands as if a marquee was lighting up with her words, “WVBA Minor Circuit Champion. Sounds good, big bro.”

Piston pulled a towel and his toiletries from his bag, “If I am so fortunate.”

Cutie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “‘So fortunate?’ Koji, there’s humble and then there’s you. Hippo’s good, real good. I mean, he is the champ. But, we both know that you are too fast and too sharp for him.”

“You think too highly of my skills, Kyoko-chan,” Piston stood and opened his locker, pulling his street clothes out and hanging them on the locker door. “Just like otou-san.”

Cutie shot to her feet, “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Piston continued to arrange things for his shower, pulling out a pair of slippers, “You know I’m right, Kyoko-chan. The Kobayashi Family has excelled in every martial art we’ve practiced for six generations. Our father expects both of us to not simply become champions, but to become dominant champions, just as he was in kendo.”

“Koji,” Cutie started to speak, but stopped and took a deep breath. The gaze Piston fixed on her was one she’d never seen. “Nii-san, what aren’t you telling me?”

Piston sat back down, eyes focused on the floor, head down. His face was as always, stone, but his eyes. There were tears welling in his eyes.

“Nii-san?” Cutie’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper now.

“You were two when they divorced,” Piston’s voice was quiet and deliberate. “You don’t remember living with otou-san. He… insisted… on proficiency and discipline. I was to be his heir and he dedicated my life to kendo.”

Cutie, unlike her brother, didn’t hide her feelings well. Her confusion was evident, “You mean ‘his’ life, right?”

“No,” Piston’s gaze didn’t shift from its spot on the floor, “I mean ‘my life’. From age five, my life was unchanging. Wake at 4. Practice, breakfast, then school. Come home. Homework, dinner, then practice until 9. Bathe and sleep. Repeat. And his standards for execution were… exacting.”

“Why have I never heard this before?” Cutie was stunned. This was a side of her brother she never knew.

“When okaa-san was pregnant with you, NHK aired a documentary on Piston Hurricane,” her brother seemingly ignored her question and continued. “He was the great Cuban champion that fell in love with Japan. They showed his gym, told his story. I wanted to meet him, and okaa-san made that happen. I was in Fujisawa the day you were born. It was the only time otou-san was away long enough for my absence to go unnoticed.”

Words failed Kyoko Kobayashi, Cutie Hondo, in that moment. She just leaned into her big brother’s shoulder and wrapped her arm around him as he continued.

“I knew that day,” Piston carried on, “that I wanted to be Hurricane-sensei’s pupil, not otou-san’s. I told him the next day. I knew it was tense between our parents, but okaa-san’s support of me was the last straw. The next two years were… difficult.”

Cutie saw tears start to fall slowly from her brother’s eyes. “And I’ve made tonight difficult, too, getting to explain all this. Gomen, onii-san.”

“No need, Kyoko-chan.” Piston wrapped his arm around his sister and held her tight for a moment. “I should have told you before now, and there’s more to tell.”

“Nii-san?” Cutie released Piston and moved to stand before him. “You’re going to win that Minor Circuit belt.”

Piston looked up at his little sister, his eyes now tinged red.

“And I,” Cutie continued, a resolute smile on her face, “am gonna win the Women’s Circuit Title Tournament.”

“Kyoko…” Now, it was Koji’s turn to be at a loss for words.

“We’re winning those titles for Coach ‘Cane,” Cutie’s voice slowly grew in confidence, “for mother, and for ourselves. We’re gonna prove ourselves and those belts will be our thanks to those that helped us along the way. But, we are not doing this because anyone expects us to.”

Piston stood and drew his sister in for another hug. “When did you become so wise, Kyoko-chan.”

“Same time I became so badass. So, forever,” Cutie chuckled as her brother grabbed his shower kit.

“I owe the rest of the story.” Piston moved toward the showers, “Over a late dinner? You choose where we… celebrate… tonight.”

Cutie’s eyes shot open wide, “Really?”

“You are under 21, Kyoko-chan,” Piston cracked a slight smile.

“Waffle House it is then!” Cutie cheered as Piston groaned. “What? It’s late and knockouts deserve hashbrowns!”

[jungleindierock]

Time Machine - 2024 - No. 3

The third Time Machine playlist of 2024. 40 tracks again, as it makes the playlist not too long or too short, perfect number of tunes. The whole playlist only lasts 2 hours 30 minutes. Tracks from the 50's to 2023, of mixed genres!!

Enjoy it and share it, you might find some old bands/artists you like and want to explore their back catalogues!!

You can find previous Time Machines and more here on the Spotify

Tracklist

1- Bob Marley And The Wailers - Three Little Birds 2- Buffalo Springfield - For What it's Worth 3- Pixies - Debaser 4- Sam & Dave - Soul Man 5- Half Japanese - One Million Kisses 6- Dandy Livingstone - Rudy, A Message To You 7- Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot 8- The Charlatans - The only One I Know 9- Half Man Half Biscuit - National Shite Day 10- Steel Pulse- Ku Klux Klan 11- The Libertines - Up The Bracket 12- Mercury Rev - Goddess On a hiway 13- Fun boy Three - The Tunnel Of Love 14- Ian Brown . F.E.A.R. 15- Television - Marquee Moon 16- Pulp - Babies 17- The kinks - Waterloo Sunset 18- Blur - There's No Other Way 19- Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro 20- Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man 21- Orange Juice - Rip It Up 22- The Bluetones - Slight Return 23- The Gun Club - Sex Beat 24- Neil Young - Heart OF Gold 25- Gloria Jones - Tainted Love 26- Magazine - Boredom 27- The Zombies - She's Not There 28- Kraftwerk . Autobahn 29- Max Romeo, Lee Perry - Chase The Devil / Disco Devil (With The Full Experiance) 30- Eddie Cochran - C'mon Everybody 31- Arcade Fire -No Cars Go 32- Catatonia - Mulder & Scully 33- Wet Leg - Oh No 34- The linda Lindas - Growing Up 35- Tony Clarke - Landslide 36- Daniel Johnston - Poor You 37- David sylvian - A Fire In The forest 38- Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling 39- Kevin Ayers - Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes 40- The Beta Band - Dry The Rain

[heavencasteel420]

I was feeling a bit stuck on my main WIPs, so for fun I wrote a couple of lines/paragraphs for each of my other story ideas (the proper ones where I have a general sense of the story's shape, not the shitpost ideas like "Chrissy turns into a car?"). Here are the ones for my Cute/Normal story ideas:

Long

Nancy Wheeler Can't Win (no UD AU, Nancy-centric)

Sometimes, Nancy thought her life would be easier if she were dating Jason Carver instead. Not better, necessarily. She didn't like Jason nearly as much as Steve; he was kind of pompous and, although he technically looked way more like Tom Cruise, she couldn't imagine ever finding him as sexy as she did Steve. She couldn't help but notice, though, that Chrissy Cunningham didn't have to be one person on Saturday night and another on Monday morning.

Life During Wartime (companion to above, centers on Will and Jonathan)

"I can't believe I'll be the last one to get girlfriend," Mike lamented as he and Will biked home from school. It was a perfect September afternoon, neither too hot nor too cold, and the first leaves were turning yellow. "First Lucas and Max, then Dustin and Suzie, now you and Megan. I'm going to die a virgin."

"We could all still die virgins," Will pointed out. "I don't think Lucas and Max are doing it yet, and Megan and I definitely aren't. And we're not even sure if Suzie is real."

Horse Girl (Stoncy, summer 1985)

The thing about being an asshole, Steve thought, as he listlessly scooped butter pecan ice cream for a couple of sixty-something ladies, was that it took a long time to catch up with you. For instance: the thing he'd spray-painted on the theater marquee about Nancy almost two years ago. Sitting on the hood of his car outside the 7-11, he'd resigned himself to her shunning him forever. He'd even gone to apologize to Jonathan first so he could put off seeing the cold disgust on her face. Then, one month later, she'd taken him back, accepting his apology as a matter of course. Maybe that should've been his first clue that something was wrong.

It's All a State of Mind (AU where Hopper-Byers siblings are psychic carnies/confidence artists in the 1930s)

"Heather likes you," El pointed out a few days later, after they'd settled in. They were in the dining tent, digging into some beef stew. "You could get close to her."

"Keep eating and forget what Murray said," Jonathan told her, although he couldn't summon any harshness to back it up. This was the best meal that he or the kids had eaten in months. "Heather puts up with me. She doesn't want to get close to anyone, either."

Heather Holloway was an aerialist, a pert dark-haired girl who'd joined the circus to get away from a home in some ways worse than the one that Lonnie had provided him and Will. She was friendly to Jonathan, but that was probably because he'd shown no interest in getting inside her drawers.

"So you admit it," Will said smugly. "We wouldn't mind if you got married, you know. So long as we liked her.

From the High to the Low to the End of the Show (S1 AU where the teens are in their late twenties)

"Doesn't it piss you off?" Fred asked her. "That he can just waltz in and get a job because he's 'so talented,' when the rest of us had to work hard and do it the right way?" "Eyes on your own paper, Fred," Nancy said, in a chipper tone that she knew would annoy him. She agreed with him, to a point; she never would have been hired at the Hawkins Post if she'd gone to night school instead of IU. At the same time, she'd heard the other guys say that she'd only gotten the job out of pity. Fred wasn't one of them, but she was running on three hours of sleep an half a bagel, so she didn't feel like being nice. "Why would Holloway care about college? Byers has something he wants and he's willing to pay for it."

Medium

Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day (pre-S4 Jancy breakup, probably no Vecna, eventual Jargyle)

"I'm sure you'll work it out," Mom says. She smiles at him anxiously, and he knows what he should do. He should mumble agreement, accept this bit of comfort. Pay her back with white lies of his own: that the distance isn't really a problem, that she didn't kind of screw him over by moving them all across the country. That there's no reason to worry about him, because he's going to figure things out with Nancy and somehow make Emerson happen. "Yeah?" he asks instead. "What if I don't? What if this is it?" It doesn't come out as a plea for reassurance, either. That would be humiliating, maybe even futile, but at least everyone would understand what he was doing. Instead, it comes out as a challenge.

Let the Broken Hearts Stand (companion to above, Nancy's first year at college, eventual Nancy/Carol)

"Look, I was friends with Steve for, like, ten years before he ditched me and Tommy," Carol says, taking a drag off her cigarette, "but he was definitely the bigger asshole in your relationship." Nancy laughs, startled. Carol grins uncertainly, then offers her the cigarette. She accepts. "Like, whatever, you're a totally embarrassing drunk, and you didn't have the balls to dump him until you were sure you had Byers eating out of your pussy, but--" "Jesus Christ, Carol," Nancy said, turning bright red, but Carol waved her off. "Fine. Va-gi-na. Lady garden. Cavern of feminine wonders. Whatever Emily Post says to call it." Carol cackled as Nancy struggled to look disapproving. "My point is, he was also a fucking prick."

How Will You Make It on Your Own? (Stonathan no UD college AU, the context is Jonathan and Samantha have broken up):

Because all the theater freaks were shunning him, Jonathan sat with Barb and Nancy at lunch. "You'll get back together," Barb said glumly. It was unclear whether she was trying to reassure him but was too stressed out about Mathletes to manage a cheerful tone, or if she was predicting an outcome she disapproved of. "You'll ignore her, she'll call and sort of say sorry, and, because she apologized first, you'll fall all over yourself saying that it's all your fault, and that she's right that you should both move to New York City and live in a condemned building and wear garbage bags instead of clothes." Well. That answered his question. "I don't think that's going to happen," he said, contemplating the peanut butter cracker he'd spent the last half hour eating. "It feels different this time."

Oh, I'm Bound to Go (companion to Drive All Night)

Will wasn't sure who figured it out first, him or Mom. When the money first started coming in--so much money, enough for Mom's medicine and Will's new shoes and more food than he could ever remember having--he asked why they couldn't just live with Jonathan in the city. Surely Indianapolis had enough piecework and odd jobs for the two of them. "He's living in a boarding house, sweetheart," she said, keeping her eyes on the chicken she was cleaning instead of his face. "There's no room for us." Maybe she'd known it was a lie all along. But Will understood Jonathan better than anyone, knew how his lies looked and sounded. On paper, he couldn't hear the too-bright home or watch him disappear behind his eyes, but the wrongness came through all the same.

Short

I Know It Breaks Your Heart (Tommy-centric, mostly future fic)

Tommy didn't need anyone to think that he was smart except for Carol, who understood without explanation that he didn't have to act like a nerd or a circus freak to prove that he was clever. It just felt shitty, sometimes, that Steve clearly thought of him as a dumbass. Steve, who had no bullshit meter and maintained a B-minus average with more effort than he liked to admit. It was annoying, but, more than that, it struck Tommy as greedy. Steve was taller, more handsome, more impressive on the court and field. He put people at ease. He could've let Tommy have something.

Raised on Promises (El's life in California, gen)

No matter what Joyce says, and no matter how nice Will and Jonathan are about it, El still feels embarrassed by the toys. Jonathan doesn't play with anything, except sometimes for the hacky sack Argyle gave him; he just listens to tapes and smokes. And maybe that's because he's almost grown up, but Will is her age and he gave away all his D&D stuff to Erica before they moved. He does art now, which isn't playing. Grown-ups do art, too, sometimes even as a job. The girls at school don't play with toys, either. They have fun like she and Max did last summer: dressing up and messing around with makeup and hanging out at the mall. Only the girls here aren't as nice, and Max isn't here to show her how to act her age. So she finds herself building little towns out of blocks and shuffling around a bunch of plastic dolls.

The P is for Perfection (and You Know That We Are Freaks) (Joyce doesn't move the family to California and El becomes a cheerleader)

"I heard she was raised in a cult," Amanda whispered to Chrissy, as the freshman girls lined up. "Chief Hopper knocked up some hippie and only found out when she died a couple years ago. And then he left her with Joyce Byers when he died. Not really an improvement, if you ask me." "Shush," Chrissy said. She was already getting a headache and the yelling hadn't even started. "You don't want the other girls to hear." Amanda muttered that it was common knowledge, but Chrissy tuned her out and studied Jane Hopper. She was on the tall side, with a lean and strong-looking frame. No flyer, but she could be a backspot or a base. She had curly brown hair pulled back in a scrunchy and a pretty, guileless face. She was dressed okay, in a baggy light purple sweatshirt and white leggings, but there was an air of offness about her.

[xtruss]

Tennis Prize Money Tracker 2024: Which Player Has Earned The Most?

— August 26, 2024 | By Lev Akabas

Carlos Alcaraz is the current tennis prize money leader through August 26, 2024 after winning both the French Open and Wimbledon. Illustration By Lorenzo Gordon

With $8.02 million in tournament winnings, Carlos Alcaraz is the current leader in tennis prize money won through August 26 this year. The 21-year-old took home $2.6 million when he won the French Open in June and then another $3.5 million along with his second consecutive Wimbledon title in July.

Iga Świątek, the other singles winner at Roland Garros, ranks third with $6.99 million in year-to-date prize money. The women’s world No. 1 received the same payout as Alcaraz for her win in France. Świątek bowed out early in the other two majors this year, but has won four WTA 1000 events, compared to Alcaraz’s one ATP Masters 1000 title (1000-level events award the most prize money, with the exception of the Grand Slams and tour finals).

Despite their young ages, Świątek and Alcaraz already rank ninth all-time in WTA and ATP prize money, respectively, each with totals of more than $30 million.

Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January to earn roughly $2.1 million, ranks just ahead of Swiatek in 2024 winnings. The Italian followed up his breakout performance by winning Miami in March, earning an additional $1.1 million, but was recently docked the $325,000 he earned at Indian Wells after testing positive for a banned substance.

Halfway through the season, women occupy four of the top 10 spots in the 2024 prize money rankings. Świątek is roughly $1 million behind Alcaraz but has a chance to become the first woman since 2003 to win more money than the top-earning man in a calendar year.

The U.S. Open, which began on Monday, will be the biggest opportunity for players to cash in over the next several months. The 2024 event offers a record $75 million in player compensation, split evenly between men and women.

How Does Prize Money Work In Tennis?

When tennis players participate in tournaments, they are compensated based on the round in which they lose, with payouts escalating somewhat exponentially as the player continues to win. A first-round loser at 2024 Indian Wells will receive $30,050, while the tournament runner-up will win $585,000 and the champion $1.1 million.

Singles draws generally pay out more money than doubles draws, but singles players also pad their earnings by participating in doubles at events that feature both formats.

The money at stake in different tournaments varies greatly. Throughout the year, there are 250-level, 500-level and 1000-level events; the number refers to how many ranking points winners receive. Tournaments with more points on the line generally pay more money.

Which Tennis Tournament Has The Highest Prize Money?

The four majors—the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open—award 2,000 ranking points. They also have larger purses.

For instance, the 2023 U.S. Open allocated $3 million to each singles winner, while the 2023 Winston-Salem Open, an ATP 250 event, dished out $104,000 to its champion the prior week. Many pros also compete on the Challenger Tour, where players typically take home low five figures for winning an event.

Although the ATP Finals and WTA Finals at the end of the calendar draw much less public attention than the majors, they are extremely lucrative. In fact, the $4.41 million that Novak Djokovic earned for winning the 2023 ATP Finals is nearly more than he made for winning the 2023 Australian Open ($2 million) and the 2023 French Open ($2.5 million) combined.

Do Men Make More Than Women In Tennis?

Last year, 15 women and 21 men earned at least $2 million. The four majors have all paid both genders equally since 2007, but many marquee events in which men and women both play simultaneously still pay men far more. For instance, the Cincinnati Open paid out approximately $6.6 million to male players in 2023 and just $2.8 million to female players, while prize money disparities at lower-level tournaments are even worse.

In 2022, Świątek was so dominant on the court that she nearly became the first woman to be the highest-paid tennis player in a single season since 2003, when Kim Clijsters ($4.47 million) out-earned Roger Federer ($4 million). In 2023, however, the gender pay gap at the top of the sport was the largest in decades. The top 10 male players collectively earned $84.6 million in 2023, 62% more than the $52.1 million earned by the top 10 female players.

In the global professional sports landscape, tennis still offers the most earning potential for women, as seven of the 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2023 played tennis. Many tournaments have committed to offering equal pay in the near future, but there is still much work to be done to close the gap overall.

Male tennis stars also benefit significantly from ATP bonus pools, which share additional profits with the game’s top players. Bonus payouts are predicated on year-end ranking and participation in a certain number of 1000-level tournaments, but last year the pool ballooned to $21.3 million, where it remains for 2024.

Which Tennis Player Has The Most Prize Money?

For both genders, tennis is dominated financially by the elites. Last year, Djokovic earned nearly four times that of the 11th highest-paid man, Taylor Fritz, and there was a similar ratio between Swiatek’s earnings and those of the 11th highest-paid woman, Petra Kvitova.

The ATP Finals and WTA Finals had purses last year exceeding $14 million and $9 million, respectively. These tournaments only include the top eight players in the rankings, which contributes to the top-heavy prize money distribution in tennis. They are essentially "rich get richer" events to end the season.

Djokovic’s 2023 ATP Finals win gave him the fifth-most prize money ever in a season, with inflation giving him a boost over his own dominant 2011 and 2012 campaigns. He now holds five of the top 10 prize money seasons of all time and entered the season with a $46 million lead over Rafael Nadal for the most career winnings.

[tmkutawrites]

A COMMON BOND - FREE SAMPLE!

This is a free sample of my debut lesbian romance novella, A Common Bond, which comes out November 7, 2023. Please enjoy :)

Note: There may/will be some typos in this sample. We like that, it confuses the Overlords of Zon so they don't strike me for contract infringement. I promise in the final, purchased version the typos have been fixed :)

Now, on with the sample!

RFI 1

To: Josie Basurto (May 3, 5:34PM)

From: Carneline Triana

Subject: Site Visit for Mobilization

Josie,

I will be on site with my management team most of Monday morning. I’m sure we will run into each other at some point.

Carneline

***

From: Josie Basurto (May 3, 5:39PM)

To: Carneline Triana

Subject: RE: Site Visit for Mobilization

Looking forward to it!

J

***

Carneline had known Clover Hill’s old town hall was in bad shape from the bid documents. On her walkthrough with Rio a few weeks ago, even more suspicions had been raised. But now, the disintegrating chunk of limestone that had fallen off the cornice and into her hand confirmed it: she was going to be spending a lot more time in Clover Hill than she had initially planned. “Jesus Christ.”

“I’ve never seen limestone this bad,” Bruno murmured. Oceanic’s chief masonry superintendent carefully set the piece of stone down on the scaffold. “This whole cornice is going to have to be checked.”

Checking the structural integrity of a city block’s worth of limestone was definitely not covered in their contract. Carneline chewed on the inside corner of her mouth as she ran a hand across the sugaring stone and watched millennia-old sand crumble into her palm. “Is this the only bad news?”

“Oh no,” Bruno said in a voice far too cheery for her liking as he pushed to his feet. “This mortar is definitely hot.”

Asbestos remediation was also definitely not in their contract.

She cast a desperate glance along the joints. “Are you sure?”

“Yup.” He pointed to an area where the mortar was exposed. “Look close. You can see the fibers.”

Carneline looked and, sure enough, there were the telltale threads amongst the cement, lime, and sand. Fuck. “Does Rio know?”

Bruno shook his head.

She snapped a couple of photos on her phone and turned for the scaffold stair. “Are xe still documenting in the lobby?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I’ll send xem up.”

The metal stairs squeaked as Carneline made her way down them, eyeing the brick and stone of the Romanesque Revival building with far more suspicion than before. The facade clearly hadn’t been washed in two decades. The window sills were covered in black atmospheric discoloration, and the blue-green haze of cupric staining streaked down major crevices. On the brick and stone walls, there were long stretches of jointing completely devoid of mortar and one of the brackets was missing entirely.

She stopped two decks down and took a moment to admire the town. This was Oceanic’s first project this far south. They mostly stuck to projects in Baymill, but her dad had wanted to expand into other markets, so here she was forty feet in the air above a town she could see the other side of from the scaffold. The five-story town hall towered over most of the rest of the buildings, but fit in perfectly amongst the clusters of various historic structures downtown. Its renovation was long overdue, but Carneline hoped Clover Hill would find it worth it in the end.

From her perch, she could see the expanse of the park, with its quaint little gazebo and beautifully kept grounds. A bit farther she spied the currently unlit marquee of an old movie theater and a neon sign belonging to local diner. It was a beautiful town, and as much as she could lean on the scaffold railing and look out over the little town covered in the fresh leaves of spring for hours, she had a job to do.

She tore herself away from the view and continued down the scaffold to the lobby. The first time she’d seen it, Carneline had been struck almost speechless by the beauty of its wrought iron doors, scagliola-clad pilasters, and massive crystal chandelier. Now it barely registered. She hurried through the plywood-covered lobby until she found her assistant project manager sprawled indelicately across the floor.

Rio was an acquired taste Carneline wasn’t quite sure she had acquired yet; mildly competent, incredibly anxious, and graced with the aggravating tendency to lose the plot at the slightest provocation. Still, xe tried, which was more than Carneline could say of half of Oceanic’s field staff.

“Good morning, Rio.”

Rio startled, and practically levitated off the floor in a cloud of dust almost definitely from the plaster demo. Xe was absolutely covered in the stuff, and Rio hurriedly stuffed xemself back into xyr gloves and sheepishly brushed down xyr front. “Good—good morning, Carneline. I—I didn’t know you were on site.”

“I was walking the cornice with Bruno.”

“Oh.”

“How is it going down here?”

Xe grimaced and gestured at the ground. “It’s—uh. The stone’s really cracked.”

Bits of torn painter’s tape crawled across the marble below them like blown blue cherry blossom petals. Carneline crouched, and Rio angled the beam of xyr flashlight so she could see the spidery lines coursing through. Great. “These are going to shatter the second Bruno tries to take them out.”

“That’s what he said, too.”

Another expensive change order for the growing pile, I suppose. She stood, dreading the prospect of the unending raft of paperwork in her future. “I’ll speak with the NCK team. Have you been up to the cornice yet?”

Rio shook xyr head.

“When you are done down here, I need you to go up and document everything before we touch it. Do you have your profile gauges with you?”

“They’re in my car.”

“Good. Bruno will be up there for a little bit. Find…” She hedged, thinking of the worn-down status of the cornice. “Find the least broken stone and take a profile.”

 Xe nodded. “Okay.”

“And wear an N95. The mortar is hot and everything up there is crumbling.”

Rio’s dark eyes got comically wide behind xyr safety glasses. “Oh shit.”

Her sentiments exactly. “Do you have any questions?” Xe shook xyr head again. “Alright. Call me if something comes up.”

“Will do!”

Carneline left Rio to xyr marble documentation and slipped out the west entrance to find the jobsite trailer. When she pulled the door open, she found Josie bent over the conference table—which was really just four folding tables pushed together in the center of the room—studying the reference drawings.

“Good morning,” she greeted as the door snapped shut behind her.

“Good morning,” Josie replied as she turned the page of the drawings. “Headed out? Help yourself to some coffee before you leave.”

Carneline startled at the kind, but unexpected offer. “Oh. Thank you.”

“To-go cups are on top of the fridge.”

“I actually don’t drink hot coffee,” she replied sheepishly.

“Don’t drink hot coffee?” Josie asked, looking up from her drawings with a grin that Carneline had discovered seemed permanently glued to her face. “Don’t tell me…you’re like Baylee and only drink cold brew.”

Carneline gave an awkward little laugh, not liking the familiarity with which Josie talked to her about her sister. People always did that, acted like they knew her because they knew her sister or father. Another one of the ‘perks’ of a family business. “Guilty as charged.”

 “Well, I’m one step ahead of you. There’s cold brew in the fridge.”

The offer was tempting. Carneline considered for a moment, but finally decided against it. If she got caught in traffic, which was likely considering the time, she would definitely have to stop and pee. “Not today. I have to drive back to Baymill after this, but thank you.”

“Any time.”

Josie finally straightened up fully and leaned casually on the white plastic folding table, hooking her thumbs into her jeans. She was an unreasonably attractive figure, taller than Carneline, with kind brown eyes and a sharp fade that put every short-haired worker on the site to shame. In some universe she might have been Carneline’s type—if Josie hadn’t worked for the general contractor paying them to fix Clover Hill’s historic town hall.

Carneline hedged. “I…actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Josie’s voice remained impressively neutral. “Oh?”

“Yes…” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “We have some problems.”

“Define ‘problems.’”

“That depends, do you want the least expensive issue or most expensive issue first?”

“Least expensive.” Josie flashed a luminous smile. “Warm me up.”

Carneline pulled up the photos she had taken of the floor and passed her phone over for her to see. “The marble in the foyer is full of cracks. It’s going to shatter when we try to take it out.”

“Architects were ridiculous to think we could salvage the whole floor,” Josie said with a disbelieving scoff. “A-hundred-and-twenty-year-old marble doesn’t come up like that.”

“No, it does not,” Carneline confirmed.

Josie handed her phone back, her face suddenly all business. The shift was jarring, to say the least. “How much is this going to cost?”

“I can’t say for certain, but it will be a decent amount.”

Josie sighed. “Great. You submitted replacement marble, right?”

“A few weeks ago.”

Josie ran a hand through her hair. “Submit an RFI and we’ll see what the architects have to say.”

“Was planning to.”

“Thanks.” She took a sip from a nearby thermos. “What’s the bigger, badder bill?”

Carneline gave Josie a significant look. “Have you been up to the cornice?”

“Recently?”

“Yes.”

“I walked it at the beginning,” she replied with a frown. “Is there something wrong with it?”

If only. “The mortar’s full of asbestos and the stone is crumbling. A piece fell off in my hand.”

Josie inhaled in shock. “Oh fuck.”

“I don’t want anyone from my crew touching it until the town knows.”

 “Understandable. Do you think it’s going to need to be replaced?”

Carneline glanced around the trailer to make sure they were alone. “Off the record, I think you might want to figure out where Clover Hill has a million dollars stashed for a rainy day.”

 “It’s that bad?”

“The building is a hundred and twenty years old,” she said with a shrug. “I’m surprised it lasted this long.”

Josie’s face went grim. “Got it. Thanks for the heads up.”

“Not a problem.” She hesitated, not sure if Josie could handle a third thing on her plate. “There is…one more thing?”

“If there’s a massive structural issue that means we need to evacuate the building, please turn around and leave now,” Josie joked weakly. “Let me die in the collapsed building in peaceful ignorance.”

Carneline gave a dismissive snort. “Nothing so drastic.”

Josie brightened considerably. “Great! What’s up?”

“You need to have someone go into the main hall and put down sweeping compound. Rio’s rolling around on the floor in there looking like the Ghost of Christmas Past. To say nothing of the silica hazard.”

Josie was already grabbing her hard hat off the table. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“See you then!” Josie trotted off out the door, Carneline close behind her.

She checked her watch: three-o’clock.  Plenty of time to make it back to the city without hitting traffic. She pulled her hard hat off the second she hit the parking lot, shaking her curly red hair out so she could tie it back up once in the car. She’d get out of town, update her dad on the way home, then spend a quiet night with her plants before she had to go to bed.

Her phone rang. The song barely got four notes in before she picked up. “You’re psychic. I was just about to call you.”

“Are you done at Clover Hill?” Warren Triana asked gruffly.

“About to head home now, just have to throw my stuff in the ba—” She stopped dead a few paces from her trunk, eyes taking in the noticeable sink to her right rear bumper. “Fuck.”

Her father’s business tone instantly switched to fatherly concern. “What? What is it?”

She scowled and threw her hard hat in the back a tad more aggressively than was necessary. “It’s nothing,” she sighed. “I just have a flat.”

[END RFI 1]

Did you like this sample? If yes please consider buying my novella? You can preorder A Common Bond HERE!

[russmorris]

Palace Grackle.

Fujipet + Ilford HP5 Plus 400

I've been wanting to get a shot of this theater marquee in Georgetown for a while. Got my chance late in the afternoon on Monday, before I attended a travel and photography talk at the Library. It was a grey, cloudy day.

The shot is from my first roll of film through the Fujipet. Developed with LegacyPro L110 Film Developer.

Happy with the results.

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

30k Masterlist

Bleeding heart (ao3) - exhiled_spirit luke/ashton M, 35k

Summary: Time changes. Some would say that all of his wishes came true and in some way they did. That's why he stopped wishing upon the stars like he did when he was a naive child. Because all those wishes led him up to this moment in time. A time where Luke stopped wishing upon a star and instead felt himself become one. Each and every day he felt his mind leaving his body and float away. It's only a matter of time now until he's leaving the atmosphere and becomes a floating rock himself. A rock without its glow, just a cold hard rock that no one sees and cares about. 

Or Luke's past relationship haunts his ever waking moment and everything comes crashing down during the highly anticipated Meet You There Tour.

Building a Family (ao3) - FayeHunter luke/ashton E, 37k

Summary: The little plastic stick in Luke’s hands is mocking him. The little two lines on display, stark and unavoidable, are staring back at him, clear despite the fact that his hands are shaking. Luke's an unmated omega werewolf in a not quite wolf pack. One accident leads to him and Ashton becoming expectant parents. Nothing is ever as simple as Luke hopes it to be.

Luke's an unmated omega werewolf in a not quite wolf pack. One accident leads to him and Ashton becoming expectant parents. Nothing is ever as simple as Luke hopes it to be.

cake topics (ao3) - galacticsugar luke/calum E, 39k

Summary: Every morning that week, Calum goes back to the bakery, collects his lemon bar, and sets up on the terrace with his laptop.

And every morning that week, he sees the tall guy with off duty model vibes, right around the same time, always carrying his iced coffee, always wearing a leather jacket. Since he’s all the way across the street, Calum doesn’t really get a good look at him beyond basic shapes, so the off duty model thing is based entirely on his build and the fact that he looks sort of effortlessly put together with his leather jacket and casual sneakers.

That’s probably why Calum waves like a maniac and blurts, “Hey buddy!” when he comes face to face with the guy when he’s in line for his lemon bar the following Monday morning.

chasing rubies (ao3) - cyberpunknct luke/ashton T, 32k

Summary: What’s Ashton supposed to do if he ends up sharing the cabin with a cute counselor?

come alive and bring the thunder (ao3) - merlypops michael/luke E, 36k

Summary: Prince Luke of the Faeries is forced to marry King Michael after a War between kingdoms threatens to tear their lives apart... and maybe Luke and Michael fall in love too. Maybe.

dream makes the sounds (that carry me so far away) (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds luke/calum M, 36k

Summary: Luke's just got to California, on a trip to get away from his life for a while. Calum might be there for the same reason. When a chance meeting pushes them together, Luke might get more out of the four-week road trip than he ever imagined.

i’ll keep on fighting (just to make you believe) (ao3) - jbhmalum michael/luke, luke/ashton T, 33k

Summary: In which Luke is finally coming home to Australia for the summer after two years, and everything should be perfect. Michael quickly realizes nothing is.

interlude (ao3) - galacticsugar michael/luke T, 36k

Summary: As Michael positions his camera to capture a photo of the venue marquee, it suddenly hits him that Luke isn’t just a name on the sign. His show is tonight. He’s probably here, right now, somewhere in the venue, or at least nearby, maybe hitting up one of the trendy downtown coffee shops or jogging around the lake.

“Michael?”

…or right behind him. His voice sounds the same.

it’s an emotional kaleidoscope when I face you (ao3) - FayeHunter, lifewasradical michael/luke T, 33k

Summary: With one last sweep over his apartment, Michael is sure he’s ready to go, or at least as ready as he’s ever going to be. Nothing would ever prepare him for multiple days of nothing but Luke Hemmings.

Or, Michael and Luke broke up a few months ago, but a nonrefundable road trip has them back together for a wonderful ride from New York City to Orlando, Florida.

Like the Stars Love the Sky (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine michael/calum/ashton, michael/ashton T, 37k

Summary: Michael can’t admit to Luke that he liked kissing Calum or that he would like to kiss Calum again. He can’t, because admitting it to Luke means saying it out loud, and saying it out loud means that these feelings are real. It means that he loves Calum as much as he loves Ashton, and that isn’t fair to anybody, especially not Ashton who didn’t ask for a fiancé with one foot out of the door—not that Michael would ever leave Ashton, but the sentiment is the same.

(In which Michael doesn't realize he might be in love with Calum until Michael himself is engaged to Ashton.)

Lips Pressed Close to Mine (ao3) - FayeHunter luke/calum E, 30k

Summary: Being Luke’s rebound after his breakup should have been easy, but unfortunately for Calum, he’s sort of in love with Luke. It certainly makes things more complicated

paper valentines (ao3) - dafeedil michael/ashton M, 30k

Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Michael and Ashton have erased each other from their respective memories, along with the entirety of the last two years they’ve spent together.

However, sometimes erasing past mistakes only means you’re ultimately doomed to make the same ones all over again.

rebound feelin' like a rerun (ao3) - lifewasradical luke/ashton T, 33k

Summary: “Alright what the fuck?” Michael shouts, dropping himself down in the open corner of the couch. “What the fuck?” he says again, leaning forward on his knees, staring at Ashton across the room.

Ashton just shrugs. “He left me.”

The lack of emotion in his voice is concerning, completely free of the bubbling laughter and attitude filled charm that normally coats his words. It’s just empty, sort of bitter but mostly void of feeling, like he’s detached himself from the situation completely.

“But why?” Luke finds himself saying.

“He doesn’t love me anymore.”

Red Light - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton E, 32k

Summary: Ashton hates strip clubs. Hates them. And Calum dragging him around to them because “good dick mends a broken heart” is not making him hate them any less.

Granted, there is one dancer that makes him think they have potential.

Shameless (ao3) - HeartnArrow N/R, 39k

Summary: Luke is captain of the hockey team, one of the most popular guys in school along with calum hood, came out as gay last year. ashton is a nerd who gets straight a’s and has yet to have his first kiss at the age of 17. michael is his best friend who isn't really a nerd but has known ashton since preschool. ashton has always watched luke from afar, admiring him at the hockey games and in the hallways. he’s had a crush on him since freshman year but luke doesn't even know his name. or Luke was looking for a fuck buddy while Ashton was looking for love.

spread your wings for me (ao3) - cashcakeplz N/R, 32k

Summary: Or the one where Ashton likes to watch Luke pray, and Luke is more than happy to serve the bad boy of the school.

Take Me Out (to the Ballgame) (ao3) - no_clue_who luke/ashton, roy/calum, kaykay/sierra T, 35k

Summary: Luke Hemmings is the best pitcher on his team, he's happy there. He has a life with that team.

Everything changes when he gets traded to his teams rival, when he get traded to Ashton fucking Irwin's team.

He was so screwed.

unlikely lighthouses (ao3) - asymmetric Michael/Calum E, 37k

Summary: In the middle of the North American leg of the ROWYSO tour, Calum builds a friendship bracelet and Michael starts to have dreams of another version of them

walmart sonata (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds luke/calum M, 33k

Summary: Luke shakes his head. He doesn’t really understand Calum. What is this beautiful man doing being sweet and kind to him in the Walmart he works at several times a week? Luke’s life doesn’t include things like this. He just smiles at Calum slightly disbelievingly, it’s not like Calum will ever really see him perform. He’s just a hot stranger from his grocery store.

when the party ends (ao3) - galacticsugar luke/calum E, 30k

Summary: Sadly, Calum is going to have to buy this bottle of wine. Is he torturing himself unnecessarily? Definitely. He can’t even really make himself feel pathetic about it, though. He’s fully aware of what he’s doing. Of why he misses Luke so much. Of why drinking this wine alone in his apartment is a bad idea. Even without Luke actually being present, Calum is using him.

a heaven, iowa songfic.

[omegaremix]

Omega WUSB Summer 2022 Broadcasting Season.

In Summer 2021, Omega WUSB had a feeling that it'd be extremely busy. On top of our alternating 10PM-midnight Saturday slot, our then-program director Luke allowed us to temporarily take over the alternating midnight-3AM Wednesday slot. We’ve played an almost equal amount of deluxe and bonus sets along with two label tributes for a total of seventeen shows, including a double-deluxe street / backpacker set and our first-ever African sounds showcase. With three other fill-ins in the mix for absent dee-jays, Omega WUSB's Summer 2021 broadcasting season became our busiest broadcasting season we’ve ever had. 

Or so we thought.

In Summer 2022, our then-program director DJ Joi offered us a weekly Monday 11AM-noon slot and we immediately took it. With six deluxe slots, fourteen bonus shows, and two label tributes, Omega’s Summer 2022 broadcasting season was our biggest ever. For our deluxe shows (new, current, and relevant sounds), we featured top-shelf indie, post-punk / d.i.y, hardcore, metalcore, sludge, doom, stoner, backpacker, street, electronic, ultrapop, shoegaze, and marquee artists. For our bonus shows, we showcased classic punk, d-beat, thrash, noise, African sounds, crate-digging, and golden-era hip-hop. For the first time ever, we had our very first Japanese sounds and all riot-grrrl shows, plus a 4th of July New York hardcore set was all to its own. We featured two record label showcases in Captured Tracks and La Vida Es Un Mus. We also had an unprecedented three double deluxe (four-hour) sets thanks to our preceding show Everything Must Go. Finally, in a first for our show, we did two broadcasts in one day, and that was on the 4th of July. We done everything we did last year and more. The only ones out? Our jungle / drum-and-bass and breakbeat sets. Not since Year Four had we visited them.

Of course, there were some hitches. We had a bye-week to make way for WUSB’s Summer 2022 Reggae Marathon, leaving us with six bi-weekly deluxe broadcasts instead of seven. Our show before us, Everything Must Go, was more than generous to donate his time to us which became our three double-deluxe shows. And with three weeks to go before the end of our Summer broadcast season, our program director made scheduling changes which took effect before August’s end and replaced our final two weekly Monday bonus broadcasts with another show. Thanks to one of our station’s at-home programming engineers, those final two shows were played ahead of time as fill-ins for an absent dee-jay. Everything worked out in the end as we hope to be.

Now, our Summer 2022 broadcasting season is on record the busiest one we’ve ever done. We never backed down from a challenge and our mission of presenting innovative, non-commercial programming for our local and worldwide listeners kept us going. We exemplified independent radio in delivering on being diverse and stretched the limits of what we can do, as we always have. 

We hoped all of our followers and listeners of all things Omega enjoyed hearing us through our most ambitious run ever.

June 4, 2022; #308 (double-deluxe shoegaze, indie)

June 6, 2022; #309 (vinyl, crate-digging, sampling)

June 13, 2022; #310 (marquee)

June 18, 2022; #311 (metalcore, sludge, stoner, doom)

June 20, 2022; #312 (old-school, boombox hip-hop / rap)

June 27, 2022; #313 (classic punk, proto-punk, punk legends)

July 4, 2022 A; #314 (Captured Tracks tribute)

July 4, 2022 B; #315 (New York City hardcore legends)

July 11, 2022; #316 (daylight noise)

July 16, 2022; #317 (double-deluxe electronics and super-pop)

July 18, 2022; #318 (African sounds expo-)

July 25, 2022; #319 (ultra)

July 30, 2022; #320 (double deluxe noise rock, hardcore)

August 1, 2022; #321 (industrial winners)

August 8, 2022; #322 (punk, thrash, d-beat)

August 13, 2022; #323 (post-punk, d.i.y., city sounds)

August 15, 2022; #324 (all-Japan showcase)

August 22, 2022; #325 (street)

August 27, 2022; #326 (hip-hop, rap, golden-era veterans)

August 29, 2022 A; #327 (La Vida Es Un Mus tribute)

August 29, 2022 B; #328 (all riot-grrrl showcase)

And in case anyone of our followers were wondering, here’s what we did the previous summer:

June 2, 2021; #266 (vinyl, crate-digging, sampling)

June 5, 2021; #267 (electronics)

June 16, 2021; #268 (golden-era hip-hop, rap)

June 19, 2021; #269 (indie)

June 30, 2021; #270 (thrash, speed, crust punk)

July 3, 2021; #271 (double deluxe hip-hop)

July 10, 2021; #272 (shoegaze, alternative, dreampop)

July 14, 2021; #273 (classic punk)

July 17, 2021; #274 (metalcore, sludge, stoner, doom)

July 28, 2021; #275 (noise, obscura)

July 31, 2021; #276 (hardcore)

August 2, 2021; #277 (Mexican Summer tribute)

August 11, 2021; #278 (hip-hop / rap anniversary)  

August 14, 2021; #279 (noise rock, garage)  

August 25, 2021; #280 (African cassette expo-)  

August 28, 2021; #281 (post-punk, d.i.y., city)  

August 30, 2021; #282 (Awesome Tapes From Africa tribute)  

[sparklegemstone]

Mildly amusing story -- Monday night I was at the 1975 concert at the Hollywood Bowl and I didn't realize it until after the event, but I was just a mile from the Loki fan event happening at the El Capitan. I'd parked right next to the El Capitan anyway, so when I headed back to my car I swung by the theatre to check it out but everything had wrapped by then. The Loki marquee was still up though.

I still want to know how people get chosen to go to these "fan events". I've never seen any public solicitation for them.

[kaittalkstoomuch]

CHAPTER TWO IS LIVE! I’m so excited to see where this is going. I keep having ideas flowing and I’m so happy I’m sharing it with you guys! I’m trying to work on a master list so that i don’t have to go back and forth or y’all don’t have to. So, for now, I’ll keep the new chapters pinned until the next one comes out every Monday! Thank you guys so much for your support. I’ve been writing since I was 12 and never ever published anything until now at 25 and it’s all thanks to Eddie! Thank you! 🖤

‘86 // Chapter Two: Our Lips Are Sealed

The Afternoon Of March 21st, 1985

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Eddie says smiling, holding my waist with one hand and my cheek with the other. “Okay, I love you.” I say standing on my tippy toes. He lifts me up a bit and our lips touch. “I love you too sweetheart. See you after third period for lunch.” “Okay, don’t be late for Spanish.” We share a kiss once more then he struts off. “Rox!” I hear my best friend Robin call from afar. “HEY!” We embrace in a hug. “How was this morning? How did Eddie like the cabin?” I giggle trying to hide the smile forming on my face.

“He LOVED it! He felt so bad though.” Robin’s eyebrows furrow. “Why?” I pull out Eddie’s gift. “He made me a Hellfire Club shirt. Like, specifically for me. It’s literally the sweetest thing ever. He just feels that…. That’s a smaller gift compared to mine.” Robin gets distracted by Vickie, her classmate and band mate. Also, her crush. “Robin, Earth to Robin.” I say snapping her back to reality. “Oh… Sorry. Yeah that’s such a sweet gift.” She picks it up and holds it out. “Yeah, this is so cute! It’s the thought that counts too!” “See that’s what I’m saying. I love it so much! I truly can’t wait to wear it.”

Robin is still distracted. “How’s Harrington?” I ask. “He’s good. He’s having some issues with the dating scene.” I crack up as we make our way to the inside, then stop. “Wait, you don’t think it’s all that Farrah Fawcett hair spray that’s turning girls off? Or all of that chest hair?” I pretend to be scared. Robin can’t help but to laugh. It’s not that I don’t like Steve, I don’t mind him. He helps Dustin out of his shell. He’s Robin’s other best friend. The thing that grinds my gears was the way he came between the friendship I once held with Nancy Wheeler.

When they were together, and before Barb died, Nancy would blow me off to hang out with Steve. Not only that, but when Barb went missing and Nancy started hanging out with Jonathan Byers, Steve humiliated Nancy by putting “Starring Nancy ‘THE SLUT’ Wheeler” on the marquee for Hawkins theater. That was cruel. I was so mad for her. And I was mad at her for choosing a guy who’d do such a thing over her best friends. I don’t blame her for Barb’s death, I don’t. I don’t blame Steve either. I always knew Nancy wasn’t a slut. I hated Steve for parading it around Hawkins. I grew resentful between the two when Robin and him became best friends. I found my opportunity to set him straight. That’s when I knew who he really was. I kind of warmed up to him. Not so much to where I’d call him family, but who knows.

“Okay, so this morning, at the pep rally, he had a date with Brenda. Oh my god, it was so awkward Rox. I felt so bad for him. And for her.” I snicker. “I would too. I hope he finds someone soon. It’s extremely annoying hearing him go on and on about girls.” Robin giggles and messes with her hair. “It is, but it’s kind of funny, hearing you care about Steve.” “Oh yeah…… it does sound like I care about him huh.” “Look at you warming up to him.” She teases. I can’t help but to cling my books to my chest and laugh. “He may be an asshat, but he is the older brother Dustin never had. And by a weird twist of fate, y’all became best friends. So, I just tolerate him.” “Ah, you ‘tolerate’ him. Interesting.” She squints at me and smirks, knowing she’s absolutely right. We both laugh.

“What are you and Eddie planning for spring break?” Robin asks. I bite my bottom lip thinking about it, then figure I can have some fun. “Oh Robs, I plan on climbing him like a tree. And he plans to deflower me. Dive deep into my ocean.” Robin fake gags and sticks out her tongue while rolling her eyes. I roll my eyes and laugh. “Oh c’mon don’t act like you wouldn’t do it with Vickie. I see your eyes pop out of your head any time she’s around. Like right now.” I say from a medium volume to a very quiet whisper. “ROXIE!” “Sorry… but I think you should go for it. I mean, I would.” Robin gets nervous. “But? I don’t know if she would like me. And she’s so beautiful. Ugh, Rox I melt every time I see her.” I nod smiling. “Plus, I don’t know if she likes….” I raise my eyebrows and motion to my breast subtly. “Boobies?” Robin laughs at me dumbfounded. “Steve said the same thing this morning.”

I smirk. “Figures. It’s a hive mind. Honey, as a fellow boobie lover, I can see it. Kudos to Stevie boy for that too. Great minds indeed think alike. But seriously, go get your girl. You guys would love each other’s boobies.” “Roxie.” “I mean seriously. ALL ABOARD THE BOOBIE TRAIN.” I make a “choo choo” motion with my arm. “Okay. I get it. I have to make my move.” “Yeah. Don’t be scared. Vickie is a sweet girl! You two will hit it off. I better be the maid of honor.” Robin laughs nervously. “Don’t worry you will.”

“Roxie!” Gareth sees me walking down the crowded hallway. “Hey!” He hands me notes from English. “Notes over Romeo & Juliet, the biggest bullshit love story there is.” I snort. “Oh you’re telling me.” The three of us laugh. “Yeah….. where were you?” Gareth asks me quietly. I smile at the thought of Eddie’s face seeing the cabin. The way it glimmered from the Christmas lights. “I… uh….” I chuckle thinking of words. “Gave Eddie a little surprise.” Robin laughs out loud at my struggle. “Yeah… it was little alright.” I crack up with her. Gareth’s mind seems to go south. “EW ROX! What the hell?” Robin and I can’t keep it together. “I gave Eddie his gift early… remember the cabin I was telling you about?” His mind clicks. “Oh yeah….. he loved it didn’t he?” “YES HE DID AND LOOK HE MADE ME THIS.” I show him my shirt. He lets out a little chuckle. “So….” He looks uncomfortable. “Does that mean we have to call you ‘Mistress Munson?’”

Robin’s jaw drops and my eyes widen. “Bro….. only Eddie.” “EW!” They both say making me almost choke from laughing. I give Robin a subtle smile then compose myself. I look over the notes with Gareth and Robin looking as well. “You know, Eds and I would be Bonnie and Clyde. It would make plenty sense. Our families don’t hate each other. We’re not forbidden to see each other. Although, we are each other’s person. Shakespeare just really knows how to write some shit.” Gareth then chuckles. “You’re not wrong, but wait until you get to the end.” I flip to the end. Shock roams through my veins and I gasp. “Jesus H. Christ. That’s fucking wild. Shakespeare really went for it.”

The three of us continue to walk and talk. “Thank you again dude! Eddie and I owe you-“ I turn my head to the right and for a split second, it’s as if my eyes can deceive me. “What the hell?” I exclaim panicked, making the five of us jump. Right before the three of us, is Eddie, my beloved, talking to the queen of Hawkins High, Chrissy fucking Cunningham.