#my one saving grace of survivor 40 now

[tpanan]

My Sunday Daily Blessings

January 15, 2023

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........                                                                

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar) Lectionary 64, Cycle A

First Reading: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!

It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:2,4,7-8, 8-9, 10

"Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will."

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.                            

Verse before the Gospel: John 1:14a, 12a

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

"The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him, he gave power to become children of God."

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

**Gospel: John 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel."

John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

**Meditation:

John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) delivered the Israelites in Egypt from slavery and death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which he poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the "destruction of both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28). 

John points to Jesus' saving mission - to offer up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins It is significant that John was the son of Zachariah, a priest of Israel who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). John recognized that Jesus was the perfect unblemished lamb offered by the Father in heaven as the one and only sacrifice that could cancel the debt of sin, and free us from death and the destruction of body and soul in hell.

The Holy Spirit reveals who Jesus truly is - the Son of God and Savior of the world When John says he did not know Jesus (John 1:31,33) he was referring to the hidden reality of Jesus' divinity. But the Holy Spirit in that hour revealed to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this is the Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ known to us through the gift of faith. God gives us his Spirit as our helper and guide who opens our hearts and minds to receive and comprehend the great mystery and plan of God - to unite all things in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

Do you want to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ? Ask the Lord to pour his Holy Spirit upon you to deepen your faith, hope, and love for God and for the plan he has for your life.

Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit and let me grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may know and love you more fervently and strive to do your will in all things.

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, copyright (c) 2001, 1998, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain (c) 1968, 1981, 1997, international committee on english in the liturgy, Inc All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner

**Meditations may be freely reprinted and translated into other languages for non-profit use only. Please cite copyright and original source. Copyright 2021 Daily Scripture Readings and Meditation, dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager

[aalbons]

Sophie “No, I don’t have the idol” Clarke

[ms-rampage]

New Dawn: New Horizons Chapter 3 - With A Little Help From The Devil

Warnings: Language, and slight angst.

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: Lucifer confronts Gabriel seeking his help to find the other angels that were cast out of Heaven.

Guest OCs: The usuals

Guest Characters: Lucifer (Supernatural), John and Jacob Seed (mentioned), Wheaty (mentioned).

Written by @athenalillystar and myself. Hope ya'll enjoy!! 💗💗

Taglist: @wargames94 @rabbitsoldier @vicki-the-sinner @mrsladydiana

Note: This is a Far Cry New Dawn and Supernatural crossover with my OCs

*********

Lucifer has his hand over Cristina’s mouth to muffle her screams, stopping her from alerting the family. 

He clicks his tongue a few times, and says. “I thought we came to an understanding. I told you, you’ll see me again. Guess I should’ve been more specific”.

“What do you want?!” she asks, her voice muffled by his hand. 

“You promise not to scream?” he asks, his voice deepens, almost in a whisper.

She nods her head in response. He moves his hand away from her mouth. 

“What do I want?!” he asks, his index finger on his chin, walking towards her bedroom window. 

“Well first off, I would like to know what is so special about your cousin?!. The small one with the cotton candy hair”.

“Daenerys?” she asks, in slight confusion. 

“Yeah, for some reason she happens to be the most important thing in the world to Gabriel” he says, bitterness in his voice. 

“That’s his daughter, that's why she’s so important to him” she responds, in a somewhat sarcastic tone. 

He chuckles, “Ehh not quiet”.

She looks at him in confusion, furrowed her eyebrows at him. “What is that supposed to mean?!” she asks, getting slightly irritated. 

“Well you see. Gabriel is no-”.

He gets cut off when her bedroom door opens, and Gabriel appears in the doorway. 

“Uncle Gabe I-” she says before getting cut off, and going unconscious by Lucifer snapping his fingers. 

Gabriel steps into the room, closing the door behind him, “I told you to leave them alone” he tells him, his voice deep, and angry. 

Lucifer shrugs, “You know I never listen”.

“What do you want?!” he asks.

“You know what I want” Lucifer tells him, “I want you to come with me, and we can find all the others that fell.”

“But why do you care if the others fell?. No one did when you fell” Gabe asks.

Lucifer rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I know. That’s why I want to rub it in dad’s face when we confront him”.

“Do you even know where the others fell??!” he asks, crossing his arms.

“Samandriel, Uriel, Castiel, Michael, Gadreel, Raphael and you are the only ones that I know of that fell. I'm not sure where, but they're most likely scattered".

Gabriel goes silent for a moment, looking down at the floor.

“Okay. I’ll go with you” he says. 

A smile appears on Lucifer’s face, “Good, we should get-”. He gets cut off by his younger brother “But, it’ll have to wait until the morning”.

Lucifer rolls eyes, throwing his head back in annoyance, “Are you serious?!”. 

He nods his head, “Yes, I want to give them an explanation. I’ll tell Daenerys that I’m gonna go help out some survivors with the Highwaymen, or something like that”.

Lucifer shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, and says.

“So you’re gonna keep lying to your “daughter” huh?!”.

Gabriel sighs, “As much as I don’t want to. I have to. How long will this search be?”.

“A week, maybe 2. See you tomorrow little bro”. 

Lucifer disappears from the room, and Cristina is still unconscious.

With the very little powers he has, Gabriel wipes her memory from the last 2-5 minutes.

He goes back to his and Kate’s room, laying next to her in bed. 

********

The next morning at around 7:30am, Gabriel is packing some of his gear that he’ll most likely not need, but has to make it look like he’s going out on a week-long hunting trip, or at least a few days. 

“So how long are you gonna be gone?!” Daenerys asks, sitting at the kitchen table, looking up at him.

He sighs, “A week. Maybe 2. Depending on how long they're gonna need me”.

Kate leans against the doorway of the kitchen, who knows the real reason why he’s leaving.

“So who is that you’re gonna be searching for?!” she asks, playing along with this situation. 

He looks up at her, “It’s a group of hunters that were ambushed by the Highwaymen. Mickey and Lou wanted them captured, and they escaped. Fled into the nearby forests, not far from the radiation zone in the Henbane”. 

He finishes packing up, and he heads outside to his truck.

All of the adults Paige, Kenneth, Mandy, Barbara, Adrian, Mark, Nate, Cody, and Martin all know the real reason why Gabriel is leaving. Trying to keep the kids from knowing the real truth. To help out Lucifer and find the angels that were cast out of Heaven, and were now wandering the Earth, either human, or half human, with little to no powers, or angelic grace. 

The kids don’t know the real reason why he’s leaving. He hugs every single one of them, he holds Kate and Daenerys longer, placing a kiss on Daenerys head. 

“Please come back whole” she says, hugging him tighter. 

He laughs softly, “I will”. Placing another kiss on her head.

He kisses Kate goodbye, gets into a truck, and leaves the property. Meeting Lucifer at the meeting point. 

They all go inside, back to what they were doing, letting Gabe go to find these “hunters”. 

*******

After a half an hour drive later, Gabriel arrives at the meeting point Lucifer had sent him via angel radio. Surprised he was able to get through, even with the very little powers he has. 

A few miles away from the radiation zone of what was once the Henbane River.

“Great. You showed up!” Lucifer says, enthusiastically. 

“Okay. So where are we going?!” Gabriel asks. 

“That way” Lucifer says, pointing into the direction of the radiated part of the Henbane. 

“Into the radiation zone?!?” he asks, eyes wide. Not sure if he’ll actually survive going into that death zone, even with the amount of powers he has. He’s pretty much a human at this point. 

“Yeah. So lets goooo” he says singfully. Walking towards the dead zone.

“I don't even know if I can go through there!” the half angel protests.

Lucifer stops walking, “You’ll be fine. I went through there, and I’m still alive”.

Gabe rolls his eyes, groaning “Yeah because you still have your powers. I don’t. I barely have my powers”.

Lucifer groans back, “Okay. You’ll be fine. Raphael, Uriel, Gadreel and all the others are there, and they most likely don’t have any of their powers. They’re basically human with very little angel powers. So let's go!!” he says singfully again, and walks towards the radiated part of Hope County. 

The youngest Archangel groans, and follows his older brother into the radiation zone. As much as he doesn’t want to, he still does. 

****

Back in Holland Valley, everyone is working, doing their own thing around the compound. 

Jeffrey and Thomas are helping the guys, and a few others put up guard towers around the wall. 

The whole thing is basically a second Prosperity. Open to those seeking shelter from the Highwaymen. 

Paige, Kate and their mother Mandy are supplying guns to some of the residents and all those living on the compound. The three teenage girls are putting up cameras, and motion sensor spotlights with the help of a few others from Prosperity. Even from 40 feet away, and with her back to her. Kate can detect that Daenerys is worried about her father. 

“I can tell she’s worried” Kate mutters to her mother and sister. 

“Wouldn’t you?” Paige responds. Kate looks over at her, and nods her head. 

Paige sighs softly, “I get that you never really got to know dad, but still. I still worried whenever he left. I was just a child. I was afraid of everything”.

Sighing, “Yeah, I know but this is different. I just don’t want her, or anyone to know that we have an Archangel living with us” Kate tells her. 

Mandy doesn’t speak up in this conversation, or put in her two cents, she just listens in on their conversation. 

“Or that you’re married to an Archangel” Paige adds, “What about John?!”. 

Kate scoffs in annoyance, “What about him? He's dead”. She never thought about John Seed in several years, she kept his name and the thought of his existence out of her mind. 

“Yeah, I know. You and Wheaty killed him, or maybe it was Nick Rye. I don't know, I was too busy killing Jacob Seed” Paige tells her. 

“Yeah” Kate whispers remembering all the great times she had with Wheaty, “I don’t want her to know about John. Bad enough she has his eyes. It's a constant reminder that she’s his kid”.

“She also has his small hands. Have you noticed that?!” Paige tells her, while doing jazz hands like movement with her hands. 

Kate laughs softly, and says “Yeah. I could’ve saved him”. Paige looks over at her, “Who?. John?”. 

She scoffs, and shakes her head, “No Wheaty. I could’ve saved him. I’d rather have him be Daenerys’ father than John. I can’t imagine how she would’ve turned out if John were to live. A sadistic little shit. Yelling out “Say yes!. The Power of Yes!. Confess your sins sinners!”.

Paige laughs at this, “I would’ve had Cristina, or Bianca beat her up”.

Kate takes a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears, “I could’ve saved him, I could've gone back, and got him. I still think about it every night” she tells her, voice trembling, "I miss that Native guy so much". Light tears start to run down her cheeks. 

Trying to reassure her younger sister, “You gotta stop beating yourself up about that. I understand you, and Wheaty had something special. I definitely prefer you and him, over you and John, but I’m sure he would’ve wanted you to move on. I know if I would've let you gone back, and get him. You would've died as well". 

Kate nods, agreeing with her “Yeah I know, I know. I thought I would’ve ended up being a single parent. I still remember the day after we killed John and Jacob. Wheaty said to me that he wouldn’t mind being a stepfather to our child, then hopefully had kids of our own".

She stops for a moment, and Paige continues to reassure her sister.

"We lost a lot of people that day. A lot of friends Eli, Tammy, Wheaty, Jess, Mary, Pratt, Hudson and Whitehorse. Do you know if Morgan, Ryan, Sarah and all the others made it? ". 

Kate nods, and continues, "Yeah, we did but then Gabriel came into the picture. Him, and I grew closer, he helped me raise Daenerys, he took care of me throughout my pregnancy. I know he’s not used to the human lifestyle, and it was all new to him. But he adjusted very well, and I’m glad he’s here. I don’t know if they made it, I haven’t seen, or heard from them, but I’m sure they’re all dead”.

********

Lucifer and Gabriel walk through the Henbane River, and to Gabriel’s surprise he’s not coughing up his lungs, and dropping dead. 

“Eessh this is depressing” Lucifer mumbles, clenching his teeth.

“How much further?!” Gabriel asks, getting tired of walking. Lucifer looks around the dry, dead and gray scenery “It’s not far”. He’s not even sure if they’re going the right way, it’s all a dead zone. 

"What are we even looking for?!. How are we even gonna find the others?!" he asks. 

"Static. From angel radio" he mumbles, still unsure where to go. 

They continue walking through the radiation zone. After a few minutes Lucifer senses something, he stops dead in his tracks as does Gabe.

“What is it?!” he asks. He shushes him, and listens closely. “This way!" he tells him. 

He follows him further into the dead region. 

“What is it?!?” Gabriel asks, annoyed that his brother isn't answering him. 

“It’s one of them” he answers. “Raphael?!?” he adds before walking towards the sound that only he can hear. Gabriel follows behind him. 

******

Back at the compound, Cristina, Bianca and Daenerys are setting the motion sensor lights.

The youngest of the Winchester kids, Daenerys can’t concentrate due her father not being around. 

“He’ll be back Dae” Cristina comforts her younger cousin.

“Yeah I know. I just worry whenever he’s not here” she tells them, “Especially with those douchebags running around and capturing people”.  

“He’ll be back. He said he will, and he’s gone to help others several times before” Bianca tells her. 

She tries to keep her mind away from her dad, reassuring herself that he’ll be home within a week or 2, or even a couple of days. Cristina’s mind keeps wandering as well, remembering what her mom, and aunt had said to her the night before. 

She wants to tell Daenerys and Bianca but promised her mom and aunt that she wouldn't. 

Lucifer keeps coming to mind, and that scares her. She had a dream that he appeared in her room, and he was about to say something about her uncle Gabriel and Daenerys but was woken up by her alarm. 

After a couple of hours they finished setting up the lights and cameras.

The guard towers are all complete, the Winchester-Smith compound is complete. 

They have all of their workshops setup. The training yard, infirmary, cartography, garage and the garden are all set. 

Their bunker had been made into an infirmary, storage facility and an armory. As an underground shooting range. 

Later that night at dinner. Everyone that is living at the compound is seated at the main dining room in the main house.

Mark, Nate, their wives and kids. Martin, his wife, and kids. Adrian, his wife and kids. Cody and his wife. Kenny, Kate, Daenerys, Bianca, Jeffrey, Thomas, Barbara, Cristina, Mandy and Paige.

Paige stands up, clears her throat and gives a speech. 

“Okay, everyone if I can have your attention. First off I just wanna say thank you to all of you for your help. I know it’s been a huge adjustment. With the Highwaymen running around Hope County, it’s not really easy. We just need to stick together, and fight against them. I know Gabriel will be back within a week or two with those missing hunters maybe sooner, and we can recruit them to fight against the Twins and their followers. We have everything we need. We just have to keep on our feet. Watch over, and protect our home. Don’t let our guard down because we don’t know when they’ll strike. But if we fight, and push back, they’ll get the message that we’re not to be fucked with. So with that being said. Thank you, and I know we can win this fight”. 

Everyone applauds Paige’s speech, and they all eat their dinner. 

[diveronaevents]

AUTHOR: Minnie

MENTIONED: HIPPOLYTA, KATHERINE, MERCUTIO, MIRANDA, TYBALT

TRIGGERS: Violence, arson, drug mention

SUMMARY: A Montague drug house, specializing in the synthesization of ambrosia and under the command of MERCUTIO, is burnt to the ground by TYBALT and his team. The Capulets emerge with little useful information, save for the name of the new drug: bacio del mietitore.

MAY 16.

He, alone, is the face of Capulet cruelty. With dark ambition and deep-rooted resentment as the bit and bridle in his mouth to lead him, TYBALT sits in his office. He muses on the family’s losses. He wonders at the whispers he collects from lost souls and hungry mouths in Verona.

Together, it all paints a portrait of blood and flames. It shrieks battle cry upon battle cry until it becomes a song to soothe his — and by extension, the Capulets’ — wounded pride. La Tigre, they call him. La Tigre is finished with lying in wait for the opportune moment to pounce. He will strike, and he will strike now.

In his hands, a mere collection of papers stacked neatly in one file (MIRANDA used a heart paper clip to fasten it together, he notes with a roll of his eyes) becomes a loaded cannon. When pieced together, innocuous intel and harried rumors create an opportunity. TYBALT runs through the file in his hands once more.

Yes, a plan is beginning to take shape. The aftermath of his hand-delivered retribution will cling to the air like smoke, the scent of it imprecating every Montague.

MAY 17

A woman who has learned intimately the price of war, KATHERINE stalks the streets of Verona not like hunter but like prey. She has already lost enough; she cannot stomach another battle of wills and a fight for survival. It is all she can do, after all, to keep trudging forward and hold her head high with her trademark pride.

From roof to roof, she travels across Verona to scope out different areas of MERCUTIO’s territory until she spots it at last: a drug house specializing in synthesizing ambrosia. She sets up camp for the night, and begins taking notes: shift changes, movement of the guards, relationships…

When MERCUTIO shows, she raises an eyebrow and writes in her notepad: Captain visit, 23h. As the list of times grows longer, KATHERINE scratches out the record and scribbles: Captain visits frequently. No pattern.

She narrows her eyes in concentration, heart pounding as she considers its implications. This won’t be as easy as they hoped.

MAY 19, NOON

“It’s simple.” HIPPOLYTA speaks patiently, poised as ever despite the rising flood of irritation at the initiate’s unmasked fear. “Keep MERCUTIO busy tonight. You have all day to find them, and you have all day to form a plan. It doesn’t matter how you do it, so long as they do not leave your sight or communicate with their team.”

Again and again, she repeats her instructions as if she is preaching on a podium before a single lost sheep, a lamb waiting for her deliverance. When at last they hurry away, HIPPOLYTA wonders if she made the correct decision. MERCUTIO is no ordinary captain; they are L’inferno, Verona’s terror in one being. But there is little choice left; each soldier is busy, and her preferred list of initiates are out of pocket.

She heaves a sigh and heads to TYBALT’s office to report progress. The ground they stand on trembles, but they keep moving forward. It is all any of them can do.

MAY 19, 10 PM

A plan set in motion cannot be taken back. The wheel turns, the tides change; and all TYBALT can do is push forward and trust that the team he’s built can rise to his expectations. He will be unrelenting. He will be ferocious. He will be as brilliant and clever and brutal as he was bred to be. It is his talent and his divine, bloodied birthright.

He stands before a house that appears, at first glance, plain and unsuspecting. Modest and in desperate need of exterior renovations, anyone in Verona would walk past it without a second glance. Littered at his feet are the unconscious bodies of the Montague guards. With a cruel snarl turning the corners of his lips, TYBALT makes a motion to KATHERINE. “Get them out of the way. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.”

As KATHERINE methodically executes each Montague and drags them to a discrete location, TYBALT and HIPPOLYTA enter the house side-by-side. Together, they meander through its halls with confident strides; but it is TYBALT alone who makes the final decision, with HIPPOLYTA’s serious gaze offering neither approval nor disagreement as he announces it to the team.

“KATHERINE and HIPPOLYTA will gather all the intel they find inside the house. Document everything. It is not your call to decide what’s important and what’s not.” Only after the two seasoned Capulets nod does TYBALT turn to the soldier under his command: MIRANDA. A disappointment in nearly every regard, she is shackled to the lowest standing among them. If she survives — for even this, TYBALT doubts — she will never be more useful than she is now.

“You’ll start the fire when I say so. We don’t know if MERCUTIO or another guard will show up, so be on alert for my command.” He doesn’t need to elaborate further. A heavy cloud of trepidation lingers over them; for what is worse, to fail La Tigre or to battle L’Inferno? To incur the wrath of either is to welcome Death with a kiss on the mouth and open desire for calamity.

“Understood?”

HIPPOLYTA, KATHERINE and MIRANDA nod their heads, mirroring his severity — and then they get to work.

MAY 19, 10:40 PM

“How cute of you to pay me a visit, stronzo.”

From behind the house, MERCUTIO appears. As if a phantom summoned by TYBALT’s voracious appetite, or the Grim Reaper enthralled by the scent of more Capulet souls to collect, they approach with the gait of a predator that thrives best in the dark. When their lips curl with anticipation, a shiver runs down MIRANDA’s spine. A few feet away from her, TYBALT stands unfazed and unmoved; as if he knew how the story would unfold.

They have always called one another like this. Hunter and hunter, prey and prey. In horrible harmony, they move in unison in a dance of death and decay, fury and fear.

“Go find the others,” TYBALT orders MIRANDA.

Her eyes dart towards MERCUTIO, who is standing perfectly still in wait of the opportune time to slice TYBALT’s head off his neck. “Are you sure?”

“I’m always sure,” he hisses, to which MIRANDA darts to the front door as nimble and quick as a mouse. MERCUTIO lets her run past them. She is not their mark. The Capulet name makes her an enemy, but she is not theirs to ruin.

Tonight, they are more than a Montague. They are an abandoned boy blossomed into a vile and vengeful man, the sole survivor of another burning. TYBALT’s life is their burden, and his death is their sole demand from the world. In death and in life, TYBALT is theirs; it would be utterly romantic, if not for the river of spilled blood between them.

MERCUTIO cracks the knuckles of their fist as they walk towards him. “I think I’ll take home your head on a platter, coglione. Or maybe pull each of your fingers from its sockets and feed them to stray dogs.”

TYBALT spits out a curse. Of all nights, tonight is the one time he must hold himself back from wrenching open MERCUTIO’s skull and letting their blood stain the pavement. The mission must go smoothly and well, for the Montagues will not miss the death of their most lethal weapon.

Still, he does not let it show as he welcomes his enemy, his rival, his mirror. “You’re dumber than you look if you think you can touch me.”

Inside, MIRANDA sprints through the house in search of HIPPOLYTA and KATHERINE. When at last she finds them, she reports in between pants, “They’re here. MERCUTIO… They’re fighting TYBALT. Back-up might be coming. Watch out.”

Immediately, HIPPOLYTA takes the reins. Smoothly and efficiently, with the grace of a goddess and the authority of a queen, she looks to KATHERINE and MIRANDA with steels in her eyes. “If MERCUTIO is here, then there are others close behind. The two of you keep searching. As soon as you’re finished, start the fire.”

She marches to the entrance, and does not look back.

MAY 19, 10:50 PM

“We’re ready.” KATHERINE speaks quietly, and it seems to amplify the sternness in her voice. Scurrying through the halls of a drug house and rifling through papers for intel, after all, is not where she thrives. Clipped and curt, she is restless to return to the front lines and fight. It is what she does best; it is what she was born for, the conquest of battle and a weapon sitting pretty in her hands.

“You go first.” MIRANDA uncaps the fuel container in her hands and, once KATHERINE is a safe distance away, begins to pour it along the floor, the furniture, the walls... Little by little, she leaves traces of it behind until the fuel container is empty and the two are safe outside the back door. In the distance, they can hear MERCUTIO and TYBALT taunting and cursing at each other, and HIPPOLYTA grunting as she fights the Montagues who’ve come to join them.

MIRANDA pulls a matchbox from her pocket and lights it. “Here goes nothing,” she says to herself before she tosses it into the house and shuts the back door.

The house erupts into flames. MIRANDA and KATHERINE take a moment to watch the fire flicker up against the windows, as the world grows muted and still. On the other side of the house, HIPPOLYTA does not stop fighting as the fire rages on. MERCUTIO strikes TYBALT across the jaw and steps on his chest to quiet the Capulet, giving themself a second to watch the house burn. Their eyes flicker with uncharacteristic grief, a strange sorrow that does not seem to fit their features. It reminds them of a home burned to the ground, long ago. With TYBALT beneath them and the smell of smoke flooding their nostrils, MERCUTIO swears they can hear the sound of children screaming, fathers shouting and a lone wolf of a child crying.

TYBALT watches MERCUTIO all the while, gaze as sharp as ever and hands gripping their ankle tightly. This is almost better than cracking their bones by hand. He feasts on a different breed of pain, basking in it even with his back to the ground.

It is a brief second of silence, but sacred things have a way of making hours out of mere moments. This pause stretches on and on and on. A house burns in the background. Montagues and Capulets alike behold the ways a single match can spark a wildfire that devours without mercy, without regard for loyalties and vengeance at all.

It burns and burns and burns. Everything in its path shudders and falls.

For a momentary lapse of time, they all forget what they have come here to do. Until a piercing shriek shatters the peace of utter chaos and destruction: “KATHERINE!”

In the next split second, MERCUTIO falls to the ground with HIPPOLYTA’s arms around them in a chokehold. The Montague soldiers scatter without their leader’s might to hide behind. TYBALT does not waste the opportunity, running to MIRANDA, whose hands are pressed to her lips with horror. “What happened?” he demands, grabbing her wrist and yanking it away from her mouth.

“She went in. She said she dropped something in the house.”

TYBALT looks to the open door, searching for KATHERINE’s silhouette. When he does not see any sign of her, the tension in his shoulders loosen. “Leave her be.” Releasing his hold on her wrist abruptly, TYBALT begins to walk away. “She’ll survive if she knows how to.”

For a moment, he is satisfied. He will take MERCUTIO as prisoner to the Capulets. He will take what intel they have and understand the new drug the Montagues are rumored to have planned. He will hand Cosimo a pile of gold and treasure, and reap the weight of the crown as his prize.

For a moment.

“I’m going in.” Before TYBALT can turn to order her to stay put, MIRANDA has already run into the burning house. He runs to where she was just a moment ago and searches, again, for a sign of a soldier under his command. Teeth gritted, fists balled up tightly at his sides, TYBALT lets out a low and feral guttural sound.

If he loses two soldiers, then he’s fucked.

It doesn’t help that HIPPOLYTA comes to his side and reports that MERCUTIO has escaped her hold.

The muscles in TYBALT’s jaw flexes. If KATHERINE and MIRANDA make it out alive, he’s going to burn them up himself.

When the two of them emerge from the smoke and the flames, MIRANDA’s arm holding KATHERINE up, TYBALT heaves a sigh of relief despite his temper.

“Don’t think I’m going to let this slide,” he barks at MIRANDA.

She offers him a tired smile, eyes shining bright despite the ashen smudges on her cheeks. “Can’t wait, capitano.”

[amygeeunit]

The Quarantine Chronicles: These Last Five Years & What I Thought I Wanted

There’s nothing like being alone in your own thoughts at 1:00am in the midst of a global pandemic... Instead of aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram timeline or checking my bank account with all the money I have saved from not going out, I’ve had time to think about what the 28 year old, almost 29 year old Amy needs versus wants...

I think in high school or at some point in our lives we have all fallen victim to “By the time I’m age this, I want to have x, y and z.” At 16, I thought at 25 I would have my life 85% figured out. Pretty funny concept now that you think about it, right? I actually laugh at how naive or how troublesome it is to have these unrealistic goals and tag an age onto them... I pictured myself living in a nice apartment, potentially dating someone, or if not just focusing on my career. Fast forward to 2020, besides this year being a complete clusterf*ck, I’ve had extra time to sit down and think of these last five years in a nutshell.

All I remember from 2015 was going to Vegas, still working in retail, having foot surgery and getting into CSUF. The rest is foggy because it’s been five years. Huh? I thought 2015 was last year...

2016 seemed to be one of my better years. I started at CSUF, went to Iceland, interned at Rastaclat, ended up getting a job at Rastaclat, entered into my first serious relationship, moved back out to Orange County and felt like at 24 - 25 I was killing the game (or so I thought.)

2017 wasn’t too bad. I graduated from CSUF in the spring, went to Oahu, continued on in my relationship and spent a majority of my time focusing on my career.

2018 is when life started to get real interesting. My pup, Ben G, passed away while I was out in Illinois visiting my cousin (long story to save for another post,) I started a new job at Pretty Great LLC, traveled to escape 99% of the time, started taking birth control that made me bloated, emotional and feel weird and moved back to Moreno Valley. During this time, my relationship started to crumble due to lack of communication, the wave of grief I was experiencing and everything in else in between that couples go through. I started going to therapy in July and in August, I had my first panic attack. In September, I decided I needed to get as far away from my life as possible. I booked a flight to Japan to visit Sarah since she was stationed out in Yokosuka. Yokosuka has a naval base and is about an hour from Tokyo. I talked to my boss at work a few weeks prior and asked for a week and a half off. Luckily, he was one of the most understanding and best people I have ever worked for in my career so far. Most bosses would have told you to “Get over it” or “Figure it out.” Rob Myers was a saving grace for me that year for letting me have my time off to not think about life. 

While I was in Japan, I remember the time change messing me up quite a bit. I think it took around three days for me to finally be okay without passing out in the middle of the day. In short, this trip changed me. It changed how I traveled, it changed how I process emotions, it changed my outlook on life, it changed many things for me. I came back from this trip and my relationship was virtually over. I didn’t know how to feel, I didn’t know what to do, it just sort of fizzled like a candle using its last part of the wick. October came and I spent my birthday in Big Bear with my parents. I remember crying in the cabin when we got back from Octoberfest. I don’t think it really hit me that I was single, with no friends around and that 27 was already a shit show on day 1. I visited my best guy friend and his sisters in Arizona at the end of October to make up for the previous weekend. I had no idea that November could get any worse for me, but it did. It was two days before Thanksgiving, November 20th, 2018. 

I was driving from Moreno Valley to Santa Ana one morning on my way to work. I took my normal route, left at my normal time, a pretty standard commute. About 2 miles from work, I was at a stop light. At this stop light I waited for about 30 seconds while the other cars went. The light turned green. As I was pressing my gas to accelerate, out of nowhere, a semi truck plows its way through the intersection and t-bones my driver’s side. I remember screaming. I remember it being like a scene from a Final Destination movie where the victim doesn’t know that death or uncertainty is upon them. In that moment, I remember thinking “This is it.” My reflexes shifted real quick and that was it. I remember pulling off to the side of the road leading up to the 5 freeway. I felt like my soul left my body for seconds then came back. I was shaking. I called my dad first and let him know what had happened. I called my mom and then the insurance company. I exchanged words and information with the driver. I remember being upset, but I couldn’t yell or get any words out. I just went by the protocol of what to do when you get involved with an accident. Sure, I have been rear ended before, but never t-boned and let alone by a damn semi truck. This accident passed, I was awarded some half ass money and in the midst of it all, I remember being so mentally drained that I cried out for help on Instagram Stories... I remember going through survivors guilt. I remember saying to myself “Why am I still here? There are people that die in accidents or by drunk/distracted drivers all the time... Why do I still have to live this life of pain and suffering?” In my mind and in 2018, I never knew how to take pain and suffering very well. I didn’t know it would shape me for what these next couple years would throw at me. 

December came and went. It was like a sigh of relief for me to know that the vicious cycle of the 2018 rollercoaster was coming to an end. At this point, I kind of gave zero f*cks as to what happened in life. A few days before Christmas, I visited my Grandma in Illinois and my grandparents’ grave site. I think my trip to Illinois was some type of closure to my 2018 year. I hadn’t been back to Illinois since my Grandma’s funeral in 2011. It was a cold and frigid trip. It was the first trip I had ever driven by myself. The only cool thing was running into Ja Rule at the Palm Springs Airport (before the Fyre Festival documentary came out, otherwise I would have yelled at him.) He was on my flight to Chicago. Jeffrey Atkins, you sneaky motherfucker, you! How I wish I would have known about you tricking people with that one guy... I ordered a “Survived 2018″ crewneck from this small online business store, went to Disneyland with my mom on Christmas and threw caution to the wind.

2019 was interesting, but not as heavy as 2018. I called 2019 the year where I  “rushed to get back to normalcy.” I realized the commute to PG was getting tiring pretty fast, I accepted being single and got back into dance. Dance saved my life, point blank. Whether it was subbing, teaching, training or being on a team, it brought back a sense of joy and also established new friendships along the way. I started a job at a marketing agency in March 2019 that was a short commute and about 6 months in, I realized this was something I wasn’t a fan of. It took me a while to realize that that was okay to feel uneasy about the jobs I once knew.

If I had to rate 2019 on a point scale, I would say it was a 6/10. I felt like the last few months I was suppose to be back to normal and healed from a lot of things I kept to myself. Dating people was weird because 1. I felt behind. What I mean by that was I thought by age 27 - 28, I would have met my “person,” by now. As I seen other friends get proposed to, plan their weddings and start their families, I started to feel like the odd woman out. Was there something wrong with me? Am I that complicated or hard to love? Are my values not aligning with people I like? Am I going to be that person that gets married at 40 or even at all? Will I always be the friend and not the potential girlfriend or wife? Who knows? 2. The reciprocity factor of it all and setting boundaries. 3. I don’t think I ever got over everything that had happened in my first relationship because we never cheated on each other, our trust when out without each other was never questioned and there was a best friend component in it. I was filled with regret, frustration and memories I forced myself to black out even after going to therapy and journaling it. Fact: I dread my birthday each year. I don’t like my birthday in general, but October I have mixed emotions about. The anniversary of my Grandma’s death is on 10/13, my Grandpa’s birthday is 10/14 and my birthday is 10/20. I spent the last couple months of 2019 drinking more than usual, especially after my friend, Beka, passed away suddenly in November. December came and went. I had my first trip to Puerto Vallarta and enjoyed some much needed beach time. I had this “idea” that I would move to the east coast with Sarah because I wanted to start over. That idea went out the window. I ended 2019 with buying a new car after having paid off my Kia Forte back in 2016.

It’s now 2020 and boy... It has been a shit show for the world I feel like. I can’t even begin to describe what a rollercoaster of emotions everyone is feeling right now, but I do have one word for me personally: gratitude. I started off the year so uneasy with finding out my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer again for a second time. I remember going into February with no expectations, yet I had expectations (weird right?) Without going into too much detail I felt like that quote by DJ Khaled saying “Congratulations, you played ya self!” I was constantly frantic about work, friendships, relationships, my future, dance, my parents, basically everything. I was a walking, talking ball of stress. March came around and I downloaded Bumble (yup, I went there) and matched with a really nice guy who actually knew two of my nurse friends. Then, COVID-19 was in full effect in the states and suddenly the idea of dating or wanting any kind of human interaction made me cringe... I had to politely excuse myself and move on. I checked in on friends and they checked in on me. 

I’ve spent more time with my parents, more time on myself and then it finally clicked: I am where I need to be in this exact moment. I don’t want to date anyone in quarantine, I don’t want to understand or have expectations for another human like I’ve been searching for these last 6 months. What the fuck, Amy? You are everything you need right now and it is not in another person. I’ve danced in quarantine, I’ve cried in quarantine, I’ve laughed in quarantine, I’ve journaled in quarantine, I’ve found myself again in quarantine. As easy as it sounds for most people, the concept is quite large. Since I was 18 years old, I have ALWAYS wanted to live by myself and try it out. It’s ten years later and in the midst of this uncertain time period, I know that 2020 is the year that I finally accomplish this. So, in short, 2021 I’ll be back on the “dating” field or whatever, but 2020 is my year to literally work. on. myself. This includes: my relationship with myself, my relationship with my friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers, etc., my health regiment, my mental health, my physical health, my emotional health, I think you get the point, right? In a time where some of us feel alone, I feel secure. My days vary and maybe I’ll post something tomorrow where I say “That post was trash, quarantine was terrible,” and while it is on most days, I’m so grateful to connect more deeply with people on a spiritual and conversational level. I was tired of hiding behind my day-to-day busy routine when I finally came to terms with myself.

We are all in this together. We are all processing what we need and want. I use this blog as a way to express and share what so many people keep to themselves. Maybe you can relate, maybe you think I’m too out there. Either way, to each their own. 

Until next time.

[tuseriesdetv]

Noticias de series de la semana: Reina Imelda

Renovaciones

Netflix ha renovado The Crown por una quinta y última temporada

Netflix ha renovado La casa de papel por una quinta y sexta temporada

Netflix ha renovado Sintonia por una segunda temporada

Epix ha renovado Perpetual Grace, LTD por una segunda y última temporada

Cancelaciones

Netflix ha cancelado Soundtrack tras su primera temporada

Noticias cortas

El reparto de Élite cambiará tras la tercera temporada.

Anthony Okungbowa (Kofu) y Bayo Akinfemi (Goodwin) serán regulares en la segunda temporada de Bob Hearts Abishola.

Fichajes

Se confirma que Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Pride) protagonizará la quinta y última temporada de The Crown.

Owen Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Midnight in Paris) se une a Loki. Se desconocen detalles.

Marcia Gay Harden (The Newsroom, Damages) será la madre de Gary (James Roday) en A Million Little Things.

David Krumholtz (The Deuce, Numb3rs) será Bob Arum, adversario y posteriormente mejor amigo de Evel Knievel, en Evel.

Sarah Shahi (Person of Interest, City on a Hill) protagonizará Sex/Life. Será Billie Connelly, una madre de los suburbios que sale en busca de la chica sexy y soltera que era hace diez años.

Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds, Community) será recurrente en la segunda temporada de Blood & Treasure como la hermana Lisa, una monja de Roma.

Kelli Berglund (Lab Rats, Now Apocalypse) será Crystal, una valet (acompañante del luchador) de veinte años que desea competir como luchadora, en Heels.

Dulé Hill (Psych, Suits) y June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie, New Girl) se unen como recurrentes a la segunda temporada de Black Monday. Serán Marcus Wainwright III, presidente del fondo de becas afroamericano; y Corky Harris, esposa del congresista Harris (Tuc Watkins).

Mitchell Hoog (Hariet, The Devil Made Me Do It) y Belmont Cameli (My Evil Stepdad) serán Mac, el hijo de Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar); y Jamie, el hijo de Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley); en el revival de Saved By the Bell. Haskiri Velazquez (The Birch) y Alycia Pascual-Pena (Moxie) también participan.

Harry Richardson (Poldark), Thomas Cocquerel (Escape Room 2) y Jack Gilpin (Billions) se unen como regulares a The Gilded Age. Serán Larry Russell, recientemente graduado en Harvard; Tom Raikes, un joven abogado de Doylestown, Pensilvania; y Church, el mayordomo de la familia Russell. 

Jenny Gago (StartUp, Soutland) será recurrente en Deputy como Anjelica Reyes, madre de Paula (Yara Martinez).

Sarah Yarkin (Single Parents, Foursome) será recurrente en Motherland: Fort Salem como Libba Swythe, una ambiciosa joven de clase alta con un viejo rencor hacia Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams).

Tireni Oyenusi se une como regular a Americanah. Será Dike, el hijo de Aunty Uju (Uzo Aduba).

Enrique Murciano (Bloodline, Without a Trace), Camron Jones (The Purge, Elephant Department) y Jessica Sula (Skins, Scream) sustituyen a Will Chase, Kevin Alves y Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut en los papeles del sheriff Kean, Bishop y Natalie en Panic. Kerri Medders (Alexa & Katie, SEAL Team), Bonnie Bedelia (Parenthood, Designated Survivor), Moira Kelly (One Tree Hill, The West Wing), Nancy McKeon (The Facts of Life, The Division), Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen, God Friended Me) y Bryce Cass (13 Reasons Why) serán recurrentes como Ruby Anne McDonough, amiga de Sarah y hermana de Riley; Anne, viuda que le da un trabajo a Heather (Olivia Welch) en su granja; Laura Kean, esposa del sheriff Kean; Jessica Mason, madre soltera de Dodge (Mike Faist); Sherri Nill; madre soltera de Heather; y Adam Lyons, amigo de Ray (Ray Nicholson).

Mather Zickel (Masters of Sex, Better Things) será recurrente en The Crew como Frank, el novio de Beth (Sarah Stiles).

Chance Kelly (Generation Kill, Aquarius) será recurrente en For Life como Cyrus Hunt, el poderoso e imponente alcaide de la prisión.

Kaley Ronayne (Gotham, Quarry) será recurrente en The Right Stuff como Dee O'Hara, enfermera de los Mercury Seven.

Sarah Minnich (Better Call Saul) será recurrente en Briarpatch como Ginger Galanti, reportera de campo para Channel 8 en San Bonifacio, Texas.

Rachel Boston (Witches of East End, Kidding) y Tim Chiou (iZombie, Living with Models) serán recurrentes en la tercera temporada de SEAL Team como Hannah, la mejor amiga de la infancia de Sonny (AJ Buckley); y Michael 'Dirty Mike' Chen, agente del equipo.

Jen Tullock y Zach Cherry (You, Living with Yourself) protagonizarán Severance junto a Patricia Arquette, Adam Scott y Britt Lower. Serán Devon, hermana de Mark (Scott); y Dylan, empleado de Mark.

Blake Harrison (A Very English Scandal, World on Fire) y Barbara Flynn (Death in Paradise, The Durrells) se unen a Kate & Koji, antes conocida como Kate and Kolo. Serán Medium, sobrino de Kate (Brenda Blethyn); y Councillor Bone, eterna archienemiga de Kate.

Zahra Bentham (Spinning Out) y Mouna Traoré (Condor, American Gods) serán recurrentes en Madam C.J. Walker como Nettie, esposa de Ransom (Kevin Carroll); y Esther, una joven artista que trabaja en la línea de productos de Sarah (Octavia Spencer).

John Douglas Thompson (The Bourne Legacy, A Most Violent Year), Patrick Murney (Seven Seconds, Public Morals), Ben Miles (The Crown, The Capture), James McArdle (Mary Queen of Scots, New Bloods), Sosie Bacon (13 Reasons Why, Here and Now), Joe Tippett (The Morning Show, Rise) y Neal Huff (Falling Water, Show Me a Hero) se unen a Mare of Easttown. Serán Carter, el jefe de Mare (Kate Winslet) en el departamento de policía de Easttown; Kenny McMenamin, el padre de Erin (Cailee Spaeny); Richard Ryan, profesor de escritura creativa; el díacono Mark Burton,  Carrie Layden, madre soltera y exnovia de Kevin (Cody Kostro); John Ross, marido de Lori (Julianne Nicholson); y el padre Dan Hastings, un primo de Mare.

Austin Crute (Daybreak, Booksmart), Nik Dodani (Atypical), Andrew Jacobs (Paranormal Activity: The Marked One) y Chloë Levine (The OA) se unen a la segunda y última temporada de Trinkets. Serán Marquise, nuevo amigo de Tabitha (Quintessa Swindell); Chase, rival intelectual de Moe (Kiana Madeira); Ben, el hermano mayor de Moe; y Jillian, nueva amiga de Elodie (Brianna Hildebrand).

Olivia Scriven (Degrassi: The Next Generation) será recurrente en Mrs. America como Liza Schlafly, la hija de Phyllis (Cate Blanchett).

Jim Klock (Cloak & Dagger, Green Book) será recurrente en The Underground Railroad como Tom Hardman, agente local de Indiana.

Pósters

    Nuevas series

FX encarga Redeemer, drama creado por Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) e inspirado en 'The Churchgoer' (2019), novela de Patrick Coleman en la que el pasado y el presente de un antiguo pastor convertido en guardia de seguridad (Matthew McConaughey; True Detective, Dallas Buyers Club) colisionan mientras busca a una mujer desaparecida en Texas y descubre una conspiración criminal. Producida por Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) y Matthew McConaughey (True Detective).

Netflix ha encargado diez episodios de una serie de acción real adaptación del anime One Piece. Creada y escrita por Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files).

Netflix desarrolla la primera serie creada por Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Primos, Diecisiete), una emocionante historia de amistad y superación.

Netflix encarga Jaguar, ambientada en los años 60 y centrada en Isabel Garrido (Blanca Suárez; Las chicas del cable, El internado), una joven española que logró sobrevivir al campo de exterminio de Mauthausen y se une a un grupo de agentes en busca de justicia usando Jaguar como alias y destapando a cientos de nazis refugiados en España, entre ellos Skorzeny, conocido como el hombre más peligroso de Europa.

Apple TV+ encarga Physical, dramedia ambientada en los años 80 en una comunidad costera en el sur de California que sigue a una mujer (Rose Byrne; Damages, Bridesmaids) que sufre por su condición de ama de casa y encuentra el camino hacia el poder a través del mundo del aeróbic. Escrita y producida por Annie Weisman (Desperate Housewives, Suburgatory).

Apple TV+ encarga una comedia musical protagonizada y producida por Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) que sigue a una pareja de mochileros que quieren revitalizar su relación y descubren la ciudad mágica de Schmigadoon, donde todos actúan como si estuvieran en un musical de los años 40, y que no pueden irse hasta que encuentren el verdadero amor. Escrita y producida por Cinco Paul y Ken Daurio, guionistas de Despicable Me y The Secret Life of Pets. Producida por Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live, The Other Two).

Amazon encarga The Hospital, comedia de animación sobre dos doctoras alienígenas especializadas en enfermedades raras de ciencia ficción. Una de ellas desafía el protocolo y contrae una enfermedad de otra dimensión y deberán encontrar la cura antes de que el universo sea destruido. Escrita y producida por Cirocco Dunlap (Man Seeking Woman, Russian Doll). Producida por Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) y Maya Rudolph (Forever).

Amazon encarga dos temporadas de Fairfax, comedia de animación para adultos sobre cuatro amigos de instituto que buscan la relevancia social. Creada y producida por Matt Hausfater (Undateable), Aaron Buchsbaum y Teddy Riley.

Showtime desarrolla Memory, drama basado en la serie coreana sobre un abogado al que le diagnostican Alzheimer y se ve obligado a enfrentarse a sus errores pasados y a su peligroso futuro mientras intenta sacar a la luz una conspiración farmacéutica que podría salvar su vida y su carrera. Escrita y producida por Michael Saltzman (Sneaky Pete, Murphy Brown). Producida por Aaron Kaplan (Santa Clarita Diet, The Mysteries of Laura).

Movistar+ desarrolla una serie sobre la vida de Miguel Bosé. El cantante colabora con los guionistas mientras escribe su autobiografía, que será complementaria a la serie. La idea es tener tres temporadas de ocho episodios cada una. La primera se centraría en su niñez, la segunda contaría su crecimiento artístico y personal en Londres, Nueva York, Francia, Italia o México, la parte más desconocida, y la tercera mostraría su éxito como artista y el cumplimiento de sus sueños.

Netflix encarga ocho episodios de In From the Cold, thriller de espionaje internacional con un toque sobrenatural en el que una madre soltera americana (Margarita Levieva; Revenge, The Deuce), durante sus vacaciones en Europa con su hija, es obligada por la CIA a enfrentarse a su pasado como espía rusa y producto de un experimento de la KGB que le dio habilidades especiales. Escrito y producido por Adam Glass (Supernatural, The Chi).

Luz verde directa en ABC a The Big Sky, protagonizada por la detective privada Cassie Dewell y la antigua agente de policía Jenny Hoyt, que buscan a dos hermanas secuestradas por un camionero en una autopista de Montana pero descubren que no son las únicas chicas desaparecidas en la zona y trabajan contrarreloj para evitar otro secuestro. Escrita y producida por David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Ally McBeal). Basada en 'The Highway' (2013), libro de la saga de C.J. Box.

ITV encarga cinco episodios de Viewpoint, drama que sigue un procedimiento de vigilancia policial en Manchester y explora si es posible observar las vidas ajenas con verdadera objetividad. El detective Martin Young, con sus propios traumas y sentimientos de culpa, ha de vigilar al principal sospechoso de la desaparición de una maestra de escuela, su novio, pero teme estar proyectando su soledad y su remordimiento. Creada por Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness, Manhunt) y Harry Bradbeer, director de Fleabag o Killing Eve.

Netflix encarga diez episodios de Country Comfort, comedia multicámara en la que una joven sureña aspirante a cantante de country (Katharine McPhee; Smash, Scorpion) pierde el control de su vida personal y toma un trabajo de niñera de los cinco hijos de un tosco vaquero (Eddie Cibrian; Take Two, CSI: Miami). Ricardo Hurtado (School of Rock, Malibu Rescue), Jamie Martin Mann, Pyper Braun, Shiloh Verrico (Lingua Franca, Crown Vic) y Griffin McIntyre (Return of the Mac) interpretarán a los niños. Creada por Caryn Lucas (The Nanny, Miss Congeniality).

Netflix y Canal + Francia encargan doce episodios de On The Verge, dramedia escrita, producida y protagonizada por Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise, 2 Days in Paris) que se centra en cuatro madres de Los Ángeles que se enfrentan a retos con sus matrimonios, carreras, familias e identidades y fijan este punto de su vida como una oportunidad de reinvención. Producida por Nick Hall (Looking, Enlightened).

Starz ha encargado ocho episodios de Run the World, comedia creada y escrita por Leigh Davenport (Boomerang) y Yvette Lee Bowser (Dear White People) que sigue a un grupo de amigas negras que viven y trabajan en Harlem y luchan por dominar el mundo. Protagonizada por Amber Stevens West (The Carmichael Show, Greek), Andrea Bordeaux (NCIS: LA), Bresha Webb (Marlon, Grey's Anatomy), Corbin Reid (How to Get Away with Murder, Valor) y Stephen Bishop (Imposters, Being Mary Jane).

Hulu encarga Tender Is The Night, limited series adaptación de la novela de F. Scott Fitzgerald (1934), que cuenta la historia de un joven psiquiatra que tiene un problema con el alcohol y las chicas jóvenes. Escrita por Nina Raine.

Fechas

La séptima temporada de Endeavour se estrena en ITV el 9 de febrero

The Pale Horse se estrena en BBC One el 9 de febrero

The End se estrena en Sky Atlantic el 10 de febrero

La segunda temporada de The Split se estrena en BBC One el 11 de febrero

La cuarta temporada de Man With a Plan se estrena en CBS el 2 de abril

Broke se estrena en CBS el 2 de abril

El estreno de The Baker and the Beauty en ABC se retrasa del 6 al 13 de abril

Tráilers y promos

Better Call Saul - Temporada 5

The Plot Against America

Home - Temporada 2

Narcos: Mexico - Temporada 2

Las chicas del cable - Temporada 5a

L'amica geniale - Temporada 2

P-Valley

Good Girls - Temporada 3

The Split - Temporada 2

La línea invisible

Endeavour - Temporada 7

[keepsmiling0607]

Amarnath Cloudburst: 17 casualties and several untraced

Sarra’s column 9 th July, 2022

Hello everyone,

This is a newspaper article written by one of my students named Sarra Sharma (Age:13 years). She has written a newspaper article on a recent natural havoc in India. She has learned the style of writing newspaper articles quite recently and has drafted this article. I sincerely hope that her effort is appreciated.

On Friday 8 th July, a severe cloudburst wrecked havoc at the holy shrine of Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir. It swept away scores of people, killing at least 17 and injuring many, while deluging away various tents and community centers. The rescue operations are still ongoing and the survivors have been shifted to a lower base camp, while 40 pilgrims are still missing. The Indian Army and the Indo- Tibetan Border Police are on their toes and have been working round the clock in search of the missing victims and assisting stranded pilgrims. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), along with SDRF, CRPF, IAF and sniffer dogs have been able to rescue and airlift as many lives as possible. High tech gadgets, drones and choppers, and other latest equipment have been pressed into the rescue service by the army to evacuate the stranded survivors. ��The rescuers acted promptly when informed about the incident despite the inclement weather”, said officials. Furthermore, all the officials in district Ramban have been told to stay on high alert in case of any other flash flood or downpour.

As operations continued, survivors recalled the horrifying nightmare, “In a deafening silence, a stampede-like situation unfolded, but the army supported a lot. Many Pandals were washed away. Stones also came rolling down. We were evacuated after the flow of water stopped. The situation was horrifying. Many people went missing.” said Deepak Chauhan, a survivor from Uttar Pradesh. “We all had a harrowing experience as we witnessed people and bags being swept away by strong waves. Within ten minutes, eight casualties were reported. We were a group of nine and all of us were saved by god’s grace,” recalled Sumit, a survivor from Maharashtra.

However, this is not the first time that the pilgrims of Amarnath have met with a tragedy. About a decade ago in 2012, 130 pilgrims lost their lives for being unfit for the climb. The yatra, which is now suspended, will probably resume in another three days, as informed by sources. The citizens of the district have been told to stay on red alert in order to avoid any more mishaps.

[incarnationsf]

A Time to Seek Forgiveness

Bible Readings

By the Rev. Darren Miner

Today is the first Sunday in Lent, a period of 40 days of self-examination and self-discipline in preparation for Easter. Those who were able to attend the Ash Wednesday service heard a lengthy address concerning the origins of Lent. For those here today who missed that, I will read just a brief excerpt: “This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church.”

This explains why all three of today’s Bible readings deal in some way or other with the sacrament of Baptism. The first reading from Genesis gives us God’s covenant with the remnants of humankind, those who were saved from the Great Flood. As you may recall, God was disgusted with the sinfulness of his people, and he decided to “reboot the system.” He drowned all the creatures on Earth, with the exception of eight members of one family and the animals that they had collected into the ark. God then made a covenant with those eight survivors, and with their descendants, never to do such a thing again.

Now, if we take the story literally, it is horrific. Millions of people must have been drowned. But our ancestors in the faith, including St. Peter, sought a deeper, more spiritual meaning in this tale of mass destruction. And they accomplished this by reading the story of the Flood as an allegory. The waters of the Flood were understood as symbolic of the waters of Baptism. In their understanding, the drowning of the Earth’s many sinners symbolically represented the drowning of our sins in the baptismal font. Noah’s ark of wood was understood as a symbol of the salvific wood of the Cross. Lastly, the covenant of the rainbow that we heard about in the first reading was seen as a prefigurement of the baptismal covenant.

The Gospel reading is also thoroughly baptismal in content. It is St. Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus. We heard the first part of this story on the first Sunday after the Epiphany. Today, we get the rest of the story. Today, we hear what happens right after the great epiphany when the heavens opened up and God’s voice resounded from on high. Today, we discover that the sequel to Jesus’ baptism was 40 days of temptation and testing at the hands of Satan.

Forty days in the wilderness sounds unpleasant. But I think Jesus had it easy! He only had to deal with 40 days of temptation after his baptism. We, on the other hand, can expect to experience a whole lifetime of temptation after ours. And unlike Jesus, we are not without sin; we will eventually fail the test. What then? Well, we repent. We say we’re sorry to God. We say we’re sorry to whomever we have wronged. We attempt to make amends. And then we do our very best to turn away from sin, to change our way of thinking. And when we inevitably fail the test yet again and give into temptation, we repeat the cycle of repentance all over again.

Now, if we had no help, we would be stuck in a vicious circle. For it is not really possible to “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” as the old saying goes. What we really need when we have fallen down is a helping hand. And fortunately for us, we have it. Quite simply, Jesus is our helping hand. When we fall, we can reach out to him for help. We can reach out to him by picking up a Bible and meditating on his words and deeds. We can reach out to him through private and public prayer. And of course, we can reach out to him through the sacraments of the Church—or at least we can when our church is allowed to reopen!

As I mentioned at the start of this sermon, Lent was from early on a time when notorious sinners repented their sins publicly and were received back into the Church. None of you, to my knowledge, is a notorious sinner. Even so, Lent is an appropriate time for each of us to take stock of our sins and to seek release from them. And even though we are, for a time, deprived of the sacraments of the Church, we can still find forgiveness from our sins and strength to persevere by turning to God in prayer and opening up our hearts to his healing grace.

Amen.

© 2021 by Darren Miner. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

[personalfinancenews]

Strategy to Claim Social Security Benefits http://bit.ly/2ncgllo

New Post has been published http://bit.ly/2ncgllo

Strategy to Claim Social Security Benefits

The amount of your Social Security retirement benefit is based on your year of birth, your age when your benefits begin, and the earnings on which you paid Social Security payroll taxes—not on the amount of taxes you paid. I will claim my social security benefit at 70 years old while my wife, Mrs. PFN, will claim at 68 years old. Here is how I deride our plan to claim social security benefits.

Background of Social Security Benefits

Retirement income from Social Security has the extra benefit of an automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that increases your payments annually to keep pace with inflation. You should apply for benefits about three months before you want them to begin. You may apply for your benefits to begin between the ages of 62 and 70 if you have at least 10 years of coverage. Benefits are permanently reduced if they begin before full retirement age. A retired worker’s spouse can apply for benefits at age 62 or later.

A surviving spouse of a worker or retired worker can apply at age 60 or later. Since both Mrs. PFN and I were born after 1960, our full retirement age is 67. At first we plan to use the file-and-suspend strategy to maximize our benefits: I will file and suspend my benefit at the age of 67 while my wife claim the spousal benefits. However, Congress passed the new law that close the file-and-suspend strategy. May 1, 2016 is when the laws grace period ends, eliminating people’s ability to file-and-suspend in order to trigger benefits for a spouse. So we have to come up with a new plan.

My Plan to Claim Social Security Benefits

In any case, I will start to claim Social Security at 70, instead of 62, to raises the monthly benefit by more than 75 percent. That way I can also save on income taxes by increasing your Social Security benefits that receive favorable tax treatment while spending down some of my taxable retirement savings. Of course, the disadvantage of waiting until age 70 is that I have a shorter life expectancy at that age and will collect fewer payments over your lifetime.

If you were born after 1942, the basic benefit increases by a delayed retirement credit of 8 percent for each year that you wait past full retirement age, up to age 70. Benefits to a spouse or surviving spouse are computed from the basic benefit earned by the worker married to that spouse, including any credit, for delayed retirement. So a married couple can both gain when one of them waits until 70 to build up a larger benefit. Each month you wait between 62 and 70 increases your monthly benefit. For those retiring now, waiting until age 70 to start taking Social Security can result in monthly checks that are 32% larger than you would get at age 66. The amount paid at age 62 to a worker or spouse born after 1959 is 30 percent less than the full benefit.

How to Qualify for Social Security

To qualify for Social Security on your own work history, you generally need to have accumulated at least 40 Social Security credits, which takes a minimum of 10 years of work. Every month I have to pay into OASDI. Social Security’s formal name is Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI). That money will put into a pool with other workers so when we retire we can draw out of it. Yet there’s no work requirement to receive Social Security spousal benefits based on your spouse’s work history. Since Mrs. PFN is a stay-at-home mom, she will not have enough credits so she will have to rely on my work history to claim the spousal benefit. If Mrs. PFN applies for two benefits, for example, as a worker and a spouse, she get only the larger one. So even if Mrs. PFN later starts to earn enough credits she will still take the spousal benefit. For spousal benefits, there are no delayed retirement credits available. Therefore, it doesn’t pay to wait until age 70 before taking spousal benefits. Once you reach full retirement age, which is currently age 67, there’s no reason to keep waiting. So go ahead and claim your spousal benefits rather than simply losing them.

Spousal benefits aren’t affected by when the primary worker takes benefits. Its amount is based on the full primary insurance amount for the worker, even if the worker didn’t take benefits exactly at full retirement age. Then, the spouse’s age gets taken into consideration, with early claiming spouses taking a haircut on their monthly benefit check in a similar way to a workers benefits.

Here is how to determine Social Security benefits

Compiling a history of your earnings for each year you worked under Social Security. Indexing each year’s earnings to make them reflect historical levels of average national wages. This generally raises the amounts of your prior years’ earnings to be used in the benefit calculation. Averaging the indexed earnings for the 35 highest years, which may include years with zero earnings. Applying a graded set of percentages to the average indexed earnings. The percentages decreases as your earnings go up, so that higher-paid workers get proportionately lower benefits as a percentage of their earnings.

For a worker’s spouse, the basis benefit is half of the worker’s benefit while both spouses are alive. For a surviving spouse, the basic benefit is equal to the deceased worker’s benefit. The basic benefit for a worker, spouse, or surviving spouse is reduced if it begins before the individual’s full retirement age.

Conclusion

Taken all together, Mrs. PFN will claim spousal benefit when she turns 68 years old when I will claim my Social Security benefit at 70 years old. So do you have your own strategy to claim Social Security benefit?

[dailybiblelessons]

The Second Sunday After Epiphany

Hebrew Scripture Lesson from The Latter Prophets: Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,  pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born,  while I was in my mother's womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword,  in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow,  in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,  in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain,  I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord,  and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,  who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him,  and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,  and my God has become my strength—  he says, “It is too light a thing  that you should be my servant  to raise up the tribes of Jacob  and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations,  that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”¹

Thus says the Lord,  the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,  the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up,  princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful,  the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

¹The last sentence of this verse is quoted in Acts 13:47, part of Paul's preaching in Antioch of Pisidia.

Psalm 40:1-11

I waited patiently for the Lord;  he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit,  out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock,  making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth,  a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear,  and put their trust in the Lord.

Happy are those who make  the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud,  to those who go astray after false gods. You have multiplied, O Lord my God,  your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;  none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them,  they would be more than can be counted.

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,  but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering  you have not required. Then I said, “Here I am;  in the scroll of the book it is written of me.¹ I delight to do your will, O my God;  your law is within my heart.”

I have told the glad news of deliverance  in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips,  as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,  I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness  from the great congregation.

Do not, O Lord, withhold  your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness  keep me safe forever.

¹This is quoted in Hebrews 10:5-10, part of a passage that says Christ's sacrifice was made once for all.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Testament Gospel Lesson: John 1:29-42

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Year A Epiphany 2 Sunday

Bible verses from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 1985 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Footnotes in the Hebrew Scriptures that show where the passage is used in the Christian Scriptures are based on information from the The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) by David H. Stern, Copyright © 1998 and 2006 by David H. Stern, used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the CJB, the passage ends with (CJB) and this copyright notice applies. Image Credit: Jesus Calls the First Disciples from the series of 26 mosaics depicting the life of Jesus in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy made about 500-520 C.E. This image, made by the user Edith OSB, was downloaded via Flickr, and is licensed under Creative Commons 2.0-by-nc-nd.

[grimhappenings-blog1]

Saved from the Titanic is a 1912 American silent motion picture short starring Dorothy Gibson, an American film actress who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Premiering in the United States just 29 days after the event, it is the earliest dramatisation about the tragedy.

Gibson had been one of 28 people aboard the first lifeboat to be launched from Titanic and was rescued about five and a half hours after leaving the ship. On returning to New York City, she co-wrote the script and played a fictionalised version of herself. The plot involves her recounting the story of the disaster to her fictional parents and fiance, with the footage interspersed with stock footage of icebergs, Titanic’s sister ship Olympic and the ship’s captain, Edward Smith. To add to the film’s authenticity, Gibson wore the same clothes as on the night of the disaster. The filming took place in a New Jersey studio and aboard a derelict ship in New York Harbour.

The film was released internationally and attracted large audiences and positive reviews, though some criticised it for commercialising the tragedy so soon after the event. It is now regarded as a lost film, as the last known prints were destroyed in an Éclair studio fire in March 1914. Only a few printed stills and promotional photos are known to survive. It is Gibson’s penultimate film, as she reportedly suffered a mental breakdown after completing it.

Gibson’s voyage on the Titanic

The 22-year-old Gibson was a passenger aboard Titanic’s maiden voyage, joining the ship at Cherbourg in France on the evening of April 10. She had been on vacation in Europe with her mother when her employers, the Eclair Film Company, recalled her to New York City to participate in a new production. On the evening of the sinking, she was playing bridge (this would have been bridge whist, a predecessor to today’s game) in a first-class saloon before retiring to the cabin that she shared with her mother. The game was later credited with saving the lives of the players who had stayed up late to finish it, despite it being (as one American writer put it) “a violation of the strict Sabbath rules of English vessels.” The collision with the iceberg at 11:40 pm sounded to Gibson like a “long, drawn, sickening scrunch”. After going to investigate, she fetched her mother when she saw Titanic’s deck beginning to list as water flooded into the ship’s boiler rooms.

Two of the bridge players, Frederic Seward and William Sloper, accompanied Gibson and her mother to the lifeboats. The group boarded lifeboat no. 7, the first to be launched. Around 27 other people were on board the boat when it was lowered at 12:40 am, just over an hour after the collision. The lifeboat’s plug could not be found, causing water to gush in until, as Gibson later put it, “this was remedied by volunteer contributions from the lingerie of the women and the garments of men.” Around 1,500 people were still aboard Titanic when she sank, throwing them into freezing water where they soon died of hypothermia. As they struggled in the water, Gibson heard what she described as a “terrible cry that rang out from people who were thrown into the sea and others who were afraid for their loved ones.” The sinking deeply affected her; according to Sloper, she became “quite hysterical and kept repeating over and over so that people near us could hear her, ‘I’ll never ride in my little grey car again.'” The occupants of the lifeboat were finally rescued at 6:15 am by the RMS Carpathia and taken to New York.

Production

Only a few days after she returned to New York, Gibson began work on a film based on the disaster. The impetus may have come from Jules Brulatour, an Éclair Film Company producer with whom she was having an affair. According to Billboard magazine he sent “specially chartered tugboats and an extra relay of cameramen” to film the arrival of Carpathia. The footage was spliced together with other scenes such as Titanic’s Captain Edward Smith on the bridge of the RMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister ship, images of the launch of Titanic in 1911 and stock footage of icebergs. On April 22, the resulting newsreel was released as part of the studio’s Animated Weekly series. It was an enormous success with sold-out showings across America. President William Howard Taft, whose friend and military aide Archibald Butt was among the victims of the disaster, received a personal copy of the film. The success of the newsreel appears to have convinced Brulatour to capitalize further with a drama based on the sinking. He had a unique advantage – a leading actress who was a survivor and eyewitness to what had happened. Gibson later described her decision to participate as an “opportunity to pay tribute to those who gave their lives on that awful night.” Jeffrey Richards suggests that it was more likely that Brulatour persuaded her that the disaster offered an opportunity to advance her career. The filming took place at Éclair’s studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and aboard a derelict transport vessel in New York Harbor. It was completed in only a week and the entire process of filming, processing and distribution took only half the time normally required for a one-reel film – a sign of the producers’ eagerness to get the film onto screens while news of the disaster was still fresh. The film was only ten minutes long but this was typical of the time, as feature films had not yet become the norm. Instead, a program typically consisted of six to eight short films, each between ten and fifteen minutes long and covering a range of genres. Although newsreels were the main vehicle for presenting current events, dramas and comedies also picked up on such issues. There was very little footage of Titanic herself, which hindered the ability of newsreels to depict the sinking; however, the disaster was an obvious subject for a drama.

Gibson was plainly still traumatised – a reporter from the Motion Picture News described her as having “the appearance of one whose nerves had been greatly shocked” – and she was said to have burst into tears during filming. To add to the film’s air of authenticity, she even wore the same clothes that she was rescued in. Nonetheless, as well as starring as “Miss Dorothy” – herself, in effect – Gibson is said to have co-written the script, which was based around a fictionalised version of her own experiences. Her parents and (fictional) fiance, Ensign Jack, are shown waiting anxiously for her return after hearing news of the disaster. She arrives safely back home and recounts the events of the disaster in a long flashback, illustrated with newsreel footage of Titanic and a mock-up of the collision itself. Titanic sinks but Dorothy is saved. When she concludes her story, her mother urges Dorothy’s fiance to leave the navy as it is too dangerous a career. Jack ultimately rejects the mother’s advice, deciding that he must do his duty to flag and country. Dorothy’s father is moved by his patriotism and the film ends with him blessing the marriage.

The film’s structure aimed to promote its story’s authenticity and credibility through the integration of newsreel footage and the presence of a genuine survivor as the “narrator”. Audiences had previously seen survivors of disasters only as unspeaking “objects” shown as part of a story told by someone else. Gibson, by contrast, was a survivor given voice as the narrator of what was ostensibly her personal story.

Release and reception

Saved from the Titanic was released in the United States on May 14, 1912 and was also released internationally, in the United Kingdom as A Survivor of the Titanic and in Germany as Was die Titanic sie lehrte (“What the Titanic Taught Her”). It attracted a positive review in The Moving Picture World of May 11, 1912, which described Gibson’s performance as “a unique piece of acting in the sensational new film-play of the Éclair Company … [which is] creating a great activity in the market, for the universal interest in the catastrophe has made a national demand.” The review went on:

Miss Gibson had hardly recovered from her terrible strain in the wreck, when she was called upon to take part in this new piece, which she constructed as well. It was a nerve-racking task, but like actresses before the footlights, this beautiful young cinematic star valiantly conquered her own feelings and went through the work. A surprising and artistically perfect reel has resulted. The Motion Picture News commended the film’s “wonderful mechanical and lighting effects, realistic scenes, perfect reproduction of the true history of the fateful trip, magnificently acted. A heart-stirring tale of the sea’s greatest tragedy depicted by an eye-witness.” However, some criticized the questionable tastefulness of portraying a disaster that had so recently occurred. “Spectator” in the New York Dramatic Mirror condemned the venture as “revolting”:

The bare idea of undertaking to reproduce in a studio, no matter how well equipped, or by re-enacted sea scenes an event of the appalling character of the Titanic disaster, with its 1,600 victims, is revolting, especially at this time when the horrors of the event are so fresh in mind. And that a young woman who came so lately, with her good mother, safely through the distressing scenes can now bring herself to commercialise her good fortune by the grace of God, is past understanding…

Fate

Saved from the Titanic is now considered a lost film, as the only known prints were destroyed in a fire at Éclair Studios in March 1914. Its only surviving visual records are a few production stills, printed in the Moving Picture News and Motion Picture World, showing scenes of the family and a still of Dorothy standing in front of a map of the North Atlantic pointing to the location of the Titanic. Frank Thompson highlights the film as one of a number of “important movies that disappeared”, noting that it was unique for having “an actual survivor of the Titanic playing herself in a film” while wearing “the very clothes . . . in which she abandoned ship”:

[T]hat all this was committed to film within days of the disaster is enough to make any Titanic enthusiast sigh with frustration. No matter what melodramatic hocum found its way into the film – and the synopsis suggests that there was plenty – Saved from the Titanic is an irreplaceable piece of Titanic lore.

It was also Dorothy Gibson’s last film, as the effort of making it appears to have brought on an existential crisis for her. According to a report in the Harrisburg Leader, “she had practically lost her reason, by virtue of the terrible strain she had been under to graphically portray her part.”

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Saved from the Titanic, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Saved from the Titanic was originally published on Grim Happenings

[swirlwineconsulting]

Birthday Month Dilemma: So it seems, I have no more Burgundy! Thank you Hurricane Irma for bringing this to my attention.

For at least the last 10 years, every October has marked 30 days of wine indulgence for me. I celebrate “Birthday Month” by adding to or drinking from whatever I choose in my cellar, regardless of price (within reason) vintage or origin.  It has often included enhancement trips to various locales, including France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Turkey and California-from which I returned with suitcases loaded to the maximum allowable weight with wine bottles.  October 2017 will be different and here’s why.

September rattled my cage with Hurricane Irma and the loss of electricity for a period of time that made me fear that my lack of a generator would cause me to lose the gems I have collected over the years. Two mornings after the storm, on Day 3 without power, after sawing the limbs of all the trees that fell on power lines around my home and dragging pallets of debris to the sidewalk, where it may sit for months-although relieved to have a roof, I realized that power was not coming back soon and that my next priority was to save the babies.

 Luckily, my longtime neighbor, whose home has been through every storm since 1960 has a whole house generator, the roar of which filled the otherwise post storm silence on the street- not a bird was singing, frog chirping, a peacock squeeling-dead silence before the chainsaws began a day later. My front yard was nearly impassible and the 40 ft black bamboo that normally graces my neighbor’s driveway lay like “pick up sticks” there blocking the entrance, the gate was knocked from its track. But my neighbor’s gracious offer allowing me to store my wine, had me dragging coolers, crates, buckets and boxes across the street, under and over fallen branches and debris through the heat. The bottles were all randomly jammed in these containers in no particular order-because speed was of the essence.

The irony of this exercise is not lost on me. Just before the storm, I did a walk through inventory of my home and deemed most things, just things, replaceable things. People store memories in many objects and once the bottles were safe, I realized that mine represented not only memories but hope, a bright future hope where a wine shared could create new memories and multiply the pleasures that they impart. Back in my 100+ degree home, sweating like a pig, I realized how much hope was pent up in those bottles- their vulnerability- and mine.

Next up was having to cancel my trip to Harvest Bootcamp at the Napa Valley Academy to sit for the WSET III exam I should have taken 5 years ago. It was to come on the heels of my first trip to Texsom and a preamble to the vanity of Birthday Month. On top of the disastrous condition of my home and neighborhood, the lack of power and internet, charging my phone in the car- I had contracted a bronchial and ear infection just before the storm that still lingers- prohibiting flight for a month by doctor’s orders.

Fast forward through a miserably hot, powerless week to the wine’s trek back home. Now over fewer branches and debris and with power restored in my house. Sorting the bottles into the various refrigerating units, I handled each bottle and relived how it came to me, the meals I had dreamt of enjoying with it, and with whom. I was also suddenly gripped with survivor’s guilt for daring to hope for these things while so many still just dreamt of a hot meal, a dry place to sleep and a cool sip of water.

Wine is a business for some, a passion and hobby for others. It represents status and sophistication for some and a body of knowledge to others. “Life is too short to drink bad wine” “Boire moins, boire mieux”- my mottos, along with a thirst for all that the wine world has to offer.  Yet, the storm made me see the impulse to collect as an attempted hedge against the loss and death of fragile things. Collecting and storing assumes a bright future, with continuous security and comfort- things we are not promised. Self-indulgence in a world of growing uncertainty. We make plans, God smiles.

For many years and perhaps still, Burgundy –both red and white- had been my desert island wines. The ones that would sustain me when and if I were relegated to one region for the rest of my life. Yet, only 4 of the nearly 400 were from Burgundy. Obviously something had shifted in the past few years in my thinking. For one, I have gained respect for many wines that originate in countries we don’t often associate with wine, or only certain types: Armenia, Hungary, Slovenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Georgia and Serbia to name a few.  I am a devoted “fringe” drinker, in search of the independent, non-mass production wines made by families and visionaries that are bucking the trend towards globalized tastes, and respecting tradition while breaking new ground, authoring wines of character, “Vinos de Autor”. My focus has been in the Old World, where the root styles of most international grapes exist and many hidden treasures, like Prokupac from Serbia await discovery. Yet New Zealand, South Africa, The US Northwest, New York and Virginia have shown bright new promise to me, as well.

The storms will continue to threaten and I will fight the impulse to hit reload on a ton of Burgundy- even though I have since drunk the remaining bottles. I will even rein in my impulse to grab every wine that bats its long eyelashes at me. It is like vinous planned parenthood- don’t buy wines that you can’t promise the future they deserve. Luckily, power is almost always restored and like the line in the movie Birdcage, “ Don’t freak out, just remember, you can always get more toast”.

Birthday Month 2017 starts today, with Rioja, a 2005 Imperial Gran Reserva. The days will unfold with wines from across the Old and New Worlds. In two weeks I head to Serbia to celebrate Prokupac Day with #winelovers and in a measure of hope for the future- I rescheduled for Harvest Bootcamp Napa Wine Academy 2018- hurricane season be damned! Burgundy remains in my heart; but the heart is a big muscle that can expand with so much more love.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

'Dancing With the Stars' Week 6 Dance Recap: Best Lifts, Kicks, Tricks and Flips!

What would a boy band, girl group-themed night on Dancing With the Stars be without an appearance by a member from one of the most popular boy bands of all time?

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys played guest judge on Monday (filling in for Julianne Hough), critiquing the eight couples vying for the mirror ball trophy. From Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess' steamy rumba, to Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy's fierce salsa, the Dancing With the Stars alum was a fun addition to the judges' table, giving smart, honest critiques of the energetic dances.

Now, ET's breaking down the best moves from week six of the dance competition show, which also included a Team Boy Band and Team Girl Group showdown!

WATCH: Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy Open Up About Their Shocking 'DWTS' Elimination: 'I'm Pissed'

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber - Samba, "Survivor" by Destiny's Child

Dance highlight: While Sasha has packed their routines with tricks each week (taking advantage of his partner's gymnastics skills!), we actually loved seeing a different side of Simone – her powerful performance showed off her fierce personality and that inner Beyoncé we've all been waiting to see all season. Our favorite moments were her sassy hair flip at the 0:07 mark, followed by a split spin at 1:16. Judges' score: 35/40. "You're a young woman, glowing … and you're sassy, madame!" – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 36/40. Simone has been strong throughout the competition, but we couldn't help but notice that her timing was a bit off in some sections. Regardless, her strength and energy made up for it, and we know this won't keep her from staying on top of the leaderboard. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess - Rumba, "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys

Dance highlight: Aside from Bonner's impeccable abs being on full display right from the beginning, he had a few beautiful moments, too -- flawlessly holding Sharna in a back bend at 1:07 and assisting her in a graceful attitude spin at 1:11. Judges' score: 30/40. "Once you have the dance in you, let it go. I thought it went really smooth." – Nick Carter ET's score: 35/40. Without a doubt, this was #TeamDenimNDiamonds' sexiest dance yet, and although it wasn't perfect, we felt Bonner's movements were much stronger than what he showcased in previous routines this season. Sharna is such a dominant force, but Bonner was the one doing the leading this week! Major improvement, and we're excited to see how the two will step up their game next week. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigvintsev - Paso Doble, "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue

Dance highlight: Dayum, Nancy! We loved seeing this sensual side to the former Olympic figure skater, starting the dance in a cage and following through with edgy, powerful movements. Our favorite moments included her dance break at 0:55, with Artem and men from the troupe dancing around her, as well as her stag leap jump at 1:23 (in heeled boots, nonetheless!). Judges' score: 33/40. "Girl, that was amazing! I'm so excited because I feel like it's the first time you tapped into this power, in this way." – Carrie Ann Inaba ET's score: 35/40. It appeared the nerves got to Nancy in some sections, but overall, this was one of the strongest performances she's delivered. Moving forward, our only advice to her is be more confident and not be so in her head. The moves will flow more naturally! Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd - Jive, "Fun, Fun, Fun" by The Beach Boys

Dance highlight: Props to the former Bachelor star for that adorable mini solo at the beginning of the dance! He brought the fun energy to the ballroom, surprising us with some kicks, fast footwork and the Carlton at the 1:14 mark. Judges' score: 28/40. "If there's anyone that fits the profile of being in a boy band, it's you. I loved it. I thought it was fun." – Nick Carter ET's score: 30/40. Although this was clearly an improvement for Nick, this was unfortunately the weakest routine of the night. Luckily, he remained safe from elimination this week, but we're not too sure how many more weeks he has left in the competition… Celebrity/fan reaction:

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy - Salsa, "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls

Dance highlight: Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Val, for advancing the choreography this week and showing us Normani's true star power. We got two kicks (watch at 0:16 and 0:24), a lift at 0:52, cartwheel flip at 0:56, a mini dance break at 1:05 and a front flip into a right split at 1:25. Judges' score: 38/40. "THAT is a performance from someone that's in it to win it. You nailed every single move." - Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 40/40. Does it get any better than this? Normani has proved exactly why she deserves to stay in the competition week after week, and this number was no exception. She was perfectly on beat, executed the steps with extreme power and was fearless when it came to the lifts. Good work! Celebrity/fan reaction:

David Ross & Lindsay Arnold - Tango, "I Want You Back" by *NSYNC

Dance highlight: Multiple tricks from #TeamLadyAndTheGramp this week! The former MLB pro assisted his partner into a stunning back and front flip at 0:12, followed by a horizontal lift at 0:51. Judges' score: 29/40. "I can tell that you are a fighter. I was more than impressed. I thought it was your best work, period." – Nick Carter ET's score: 32/40. Although the second lift was a little shaky, we have to give credit to Lindsay for incorporating the difficult moves into the routine, and to David for attempting them to the best of his abilities. However, we weren't totally feeling their chemistry, which David actually addressed while speaking to the judges, saying, "She's like my sister." Celebrity/fan reaction:

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater - Tango, "Reach Out I'll Be There" by Four Tops

Dance highlight: Dressed in a glitzy purple blazer, Rashad was the clear standout while dancing with the other male dancers at the beginning of this number, proving he can keep up with the professionals! We loved each and every second of this dance, but Rashad's strongest moment occurred at the 1:06 mark, when he gracefully dragged Emma into a split across the ballroom. Judges' score: 37/40. "So strong, so driven, you wanted to show us what you got. And you got plenty, plenty of talent!" – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 38/40. The NFL star had the flow of his movements down even stronger this week, making the dance appear effortless. He was gentle when he needed to be, but aggressive when leading his partner across the ballroom. Like we said during week one, we have a feeling Rashad will end this season as the greatest football player-turned-dancer to ever compete on DWTS. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Rumba, "Waterfalls" by TLC

Dance highlight: Lady in red! The former Glee star brought the fire and sass to the ballroom, not holding anything back this week. Her standout moments included a slow motion split at 0:30 and gorgeous leg extension at 0:44. Judges' score: 40/40. "That was my favorite dance of the night. You were elegant, beautiful, and most importantly, told a story." – Nick Carter ET's score: 40/40. First perfect score of the season, and so well deserved. It was sexy, it was passionate and pure perfection. Unfortunately, it didn't save the couple from elimination, as #TeamMaksimumHeat were sent home after receiving the shocking results from hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. More on that HERE. Celebrity/fan reaction

Team Boy Band

Dance highlight: Move over, men of Magic Mike Live -- Team RNB + D is comin' in hot! We had a feeling we'd see the men shirtless, but not this steamy. The best moments were their chair dance at the 0:55 mark (bonus points for them choreographing that portion themselves!) and Rashad and Emma's lift, which you can watch starting at the 1:29 mark. Judges' score: 33/40. "I literally was crying, thank you very much." – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 35/40. This routine was pure entertainment, and we loved every minute of it! We're giving the boys a few extra points for creativity and being able to keep the crowd pumped throughout the entire piece. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Team Girl Group

Dance highlight: So sultry! The girls opted for a chair dance, too, flirting it up with their partners at 0:44, at one point even perfecting a kick over their guys' heads. We also loved Normani and Val's lift at 1:17, and the cartwheel flips at 2:05. Get it, girls! Judges' score: 34/40. "This was amazing. I loved it. You were well choreographed!" – Nick Carter ET's score: 36/40. While we found Team Boy Band's dance a bit more entertaining, the girls killed it when it came to technique. They were more in sync, and came to slay! Celebrity/fan reaction:

Who are YOUR favorites competing on season 24 of Dancing With the Stars? Which team do you think had the best dance? Let me know on Twitter (@desireemurphy_ ) or in the comments section on our official Facebook page! And be sure to follow all of our DWTS coverage all season long, right here on ETonline.com.

WATCH: 'DWTS' Frontrunner Sent Home in Perhaps the Most Shocking Elimination in Show History

[nofomoartworld]

[NSFW] Grace Graupe-Pillard Has Spent a Lifetime Painting Outsiders

From the anti-war rhetoric of the Dada movement to Banksy's guerrilla graffiti, art has long been a vehicle for social commentary. Arguably, the most effective works are created by those who have experienced injustice firsthand. For artist Grace Graupe-Pillard, it was the shadow of the Holocaust that shaped her voice into what would become a lengthy career of dissident, anti-establishment art. She is a first-generation child of Holocaust survivors who lost 70 family members to genocide.

"My childhood was spent hearing many stories from my parents about the horror of loss, so I have always empathized with the 'outsiders' whose lives have been bruised or shaken," she tells Creators.

BILL II, 56"X40", OIL/CANVAS, 1979. All images courtesy the artist

Over a span of 40 years, Graupe-Pillard's art has challenged the notions of classical and establishment art in favor of a realist perspective that honors the average and gives voice to the disenfranchised by employing a "female gaze."

Most known for her feminist stance, Graupe-Pillard strives to showcase the body, both male and female, as a means of portraying equality. She says, "Searching for the beauty in the mundane, choosing people of all ages, genders, ethnicities—their flesh reflecting life's imprint—far from the classical idealization of the nude, but rather 'naked,' baring all to my brush and canvas."

STELLA, 91"X56.6", OIL/CANVAS, 1977 Graupe-Pillard: "I was attracted to Stella because of her stretch marks and curious about the signs of childbirth on a woman's body."

In her early large-scale pastel drawings, she focused on subjects who did not "fit into the dictates of the 'gaze' of the male-dominated art history/museum network." Her subjects were friends or strangers she'd confronted in public because she liked their look. In the paintings below, Graupe-Pillard rendered Spike Lee's sister, whom she approached at a restaurant in SoHo in the early 80s, and in a more recent painting from 2015 is one of her favorite "found" models, a server from a diner she frequents in New Jersey. Graupe-Pillard is determined to diversify fine art and in this way her work represents the milieu of America. "I wanted the 'canon' of art history to include bodies that most folks would be familiar with and recognize as their own," she says of her portraiture.

HANK, 84"X48", OIL/CANVAS, 1981 - Graupe-Pillard: "Hank was a homeless man living in an old VW Van in Freehold, NJ where I maintained a studio."

Graupe-Pillard turns her lens inward as well. After working mostly with pastel portraiture in the 80s and 90s, she took up photography, which informed her practice in an entirely new way. She began to focus on self-portraiture, as is the case in her series, Self-Portrait As Blonde, where she first photographed herself naked and in various poses wearing a blond wig and sunglasses to "perpetuate anonymity and an infusion of ersatz 'glamour.'" She then created large-scale paintings from the photographs. In a more recent and ongoing series, Grace Delves Into Art, she records herself naked in her studio employing unnatural movements then selects stills and inserts herself into "approved" art across disciplines. In this way she seeks to comment on the underrepresented body.

SELF PORTRAIT AS A BLONDE, 90"X214" (5 PANELS), OIL/ALKYD/CANVAS, 2012-2014

"Now that I am a senior citizen," she says, "I continue to investigate my body as I have done over the years, inasmuch as the aging torso is considered by many to be invisible and unpalatable."

In a series entitled, MANIPULATION//DISPLACED, she manipulates sourced photographs and journalism into abstract portraits of war and its collateral damage, which she then paints onto canvas. "I see the world through filters, more aptly through a veil," she says, "which gives me the distance I need to approach difficult subject matter."

NAUMAN'S 5 MARCHING MEN AND GRACE, PHOTO PRINT ON LUSTER PAPER, 28"X48", 2013 Graupe-Pillard: "Based on a 1985 neon piece by Bruce Nauman."

But perhaps her most well-known series—certainly the most definitive of her early life influences—is Nowhere To Go, a series she created in collaboration with her parents that depicts her personal experience with the Holocaust. "The title of this series originated from my father," she recalls, "whose inability to save his own parents created a feeling of unimaginable guilt, which remained with him throughout his life."

Graupe-Pillard's utilization of the female gaze as a means of encompassing a broader spectrum of humanity and highlighting social injustices challenges the oftentimes narrowly defined range of the contemporary art world at large. In doing so, she has established a niche that embraces, not only the disenfranchised and the mundane, but also, in her words, "a 'senior' old enough to be on Medicare, unafraid of my body, long after society has given up on it."

DAFUR/SUDAN, OIL/ALKYD/WOOD 40"X90" (3 PANELS,) 2013

TRUCKLOAD, OIL/ALKYD/WOOD,48"X36", 2014

To learn more about the artist click here. 

Related:

A New Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum Explores Feminism Through The Lens of Women of Color

South African Artist Explores Feminism Through Intimate Sculptures

Inside the Outsider Art Fair

from creators http://ift.tt/2ooWoeg via IFTTT

[tpanan]

My Sunday Daily Blessings

January 15, 2017

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........

Second Sunday In Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar)

First Reading: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

"Here am I, LORD, I come to do your will."

Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse before the Gospel: John 1:14a, 12a

Alleluia, Alleluia

"The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him, he gave power to become children of God."

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Gospel: John 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

**Meditation:

John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) delivered the Israelites in Egypt from slavery and death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which he poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the "destruction of both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

John points to Jesus' saving mission - to offer up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins It is significant that John was the son of Zachariah, a priest of Israel who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). John recognized that Jesus was the perfect unblemished lamb offered by the Father in heaven as the one and only sacrifice that could cancel the debt of sin, and free us from death and the destruction of body and soul in hell.

The Holy Spirit reveals who Jesus truly is - the Son of God and Savior of the world When John says he did not know Jesus (John 1:31,33) he was referring to the hidden reality of Jesus' divinity. But the Holy Spirit in that hour revealed to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this is the Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ known to us through the gift of faith. God gives us his Spirit as our helper and guide who opens our hearts and minds to receive and comprehend the great mystery and plan of God - to unite all things in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10). Do you want to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ? Ask the Lord to pour his Holy Spirit upon you to deepen your faith, hope, and love for God and for the plan he has for your life.

**Prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit and let me grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may know and love you more fervently and strive to do your will in all things." AMEN.

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager © 2015 Servants of the Word

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

'Dancing With the Stars' Week 6 Dance Recap: Best Lifts, Kicks, Tricks and Flips!

What would a boy band, girl group-themed night on Dancing With the Stars be without an appearance by a member from one of the most popular boy bands of all time?

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys played guest judge on Monday (filling in for Julianne Hough), critiquing the eight couples vying for the mirror ball trophy. From Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess' steamy rumba, to Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy's fierce salsa, the Dancing With the Stars alum was a fun addition to the judges' table, giving smart, honest critiques of the energetic dances.

Now, ET's breaking down the best moves from week six of the dance competition show, which also included a Team Boy Band and Team Girl Group showdown!

WATCH: Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy Open Up About Their Shocking 'DWTS' Elimination: 'I'm Pissed'

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber - Samba, "Survivor" by Destiny's Child

Dance highlight: While Sasha has packed their routines with tricks each week (taking advantage of his partner's gymnastics skills!), we actually loved seeing a different side of Simone – her powerful performance showed off her fierce personality and that inner Beyoncé we've all been waiting to see all season. Our favorite moments were her sassy hair flip at the 0:07 mark, followed by a split spin at 1:16. Judges' score: 35/40. "You're a young woman, glowing … and you're sassy, madame!" – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 36/40. Simone has been strong throughout the competition, but we couldn't help but notice that her timing was a bit off in some sections. Regardless, her strength and energy made up for it, and we know this won't keep her from staying on top of the leaderboard. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess - Rumba, "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys

Dance highlight: Aside from Bonner's impeccable abs being on full display right from the beginning, he had a few beautiful moments, too -- flawlessly holding Sharna in a back bend at 1:07 and assisting her in a graceful attitude spin at 1:11. Judges' score: 30/40. "Once you have the dance in you, let it go. I thought it went really smooth." – Nick Carter ET's score: 35/40. Without a doubt, this was #TeamDenimNDiamonds' sexiest dance yet, and although it wasn't perfect, we felt Bonner's movements were much stronger than what he showcased in previous routines this season. Sharna is such a dominant force, but Bonner was the one doing the leading this week! Major improvement, and we're excited to see how the two will step up their game next week. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigvintsev - Paso Doble, "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue

Dance highlight: Dayum, Nancy! We loved seeing this sensual side to the former Olympic figure skater, starting the dance in a cage and following through with edgy, powerful movements. Our favorite moments included her dance break at 0:55, with Artem and men from the troupe dancing around her, as well as her stag leap jump at 1:23 (in heeled boots, nonetheless!). Judges' score: 33/40. "Girl, that was amazing! I'm so excited because I feel like it's the first time you tapped into this power, in this way." – Carrie Ann Inaba ET's score: 35/40. It appeared the nerves got to Nancy in some sections, but overall, this was one of the strongest performances she's delivered. Moving forward, our only advice to her is be more confident and not be so in her head. The moves will flow more naturally! Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd - Jive, "Fun, Fun, Fun" by The Beach Boys

Dance highlight: Props to the former Bachelor star for that adorable mini solo at the beginning of the dance! He brought the fun energy to the ballroom, surprising us with some kicks, fast footwork and the Carlton at the 1:14 mark. Judges' score: 28/40. "If there's anyone that fits the profile of being in a boy band, it's you. I loved it. I thought it was fun." – Nick Carter ET's score: 30/40. Although this was clearly an improvement for Nick, this was unfortunately the weakest routine of the night. Luckily, he remained safe from elimination this week, but we're not too sure how many more weeks he has left in the competition… Celebrity/fan reaction:

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy - Salsa, "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls

Dance highlight: Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Val, for advancing the choreography this week and showing us Normani's true star power. We got two kicks (watch at 0:16 and 0:24), a lift at 0:52, cartwheel flip at 0:56, a mini dance break at 1:05 and a front flip into a right split at 1:25. Judges' score: 38/40. "THAT is a performance from someone that's in it to win it. You nailed every single move." - Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 40/40. Does it get any better than this? Normani has proved exactly why she deserves to stay in the competition week after week, and this number was no exception. She was perfectly on beat, executed the steps with extreme power and was fearless when it came to the lifts. Good work! Celebrity/fan reaction:

David Ross & Lindsay Arnold - Tango, "I Want You Back" by *NSYNC

Dance highlight: Multiple tricks from #TeamLadyAndTheGramp this week! The former MLB pro assisted his partner into a stunning back and front flip at 0:12, followed by a horizontal lift at 0:51. Judges' score: 29/40. "I can tell that you are a fighter. I was more than impressed. I thought it was your best work, period." – Nick Carter ET's score: 32/40. Although the second lift was a little shaky, we have to give credit to Lindsay for incorporating the difficult moves into the routine, and to David for attempting them to the best of his abilities. However, we weren't totally feeling their chemistry, which David actually addressed while speaking to the judges, saying, "She's like my sister." Celebrity/fan reaction:

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater - Tango, "Reach Out I'll Be There" by Four Tops

Dance highlight: Dressed in a glitzy purple blazer, Rashad was the clear standout while dancing with the other male dancers at the beginning of this number, proving he can keep up with the professionals! We loved each and every second of this dance, but Rashad's strongest moment occurred at the 1:06 mark, when he gracefully dragged Emma into a split across the ballroom. Judges' score: 37/40. "So strong, so driven, you wanted to show us what you got. And you got plenty, plenty of talent!" – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 38/40. The NFL star had the flow of his movements down even stronger this week, making the dance appear effortless. He was gentle when he needed to be, but aggressive when leading his partner across the ballroom. Like we said during week one, we have a feeling Rashad will end this season as the greatest football player-turned-dancer to ever compete on DWTS. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Rumba, "Waterfalls" by TLC

Dance highlight: Lady in red! The former Glee star brought the fire and sass to the ballroom, not holding anything back this week. Her standout moments included a slow motion split at 0:30 and gorgeous leg extension at 0:44. Judges' score: 40/40. "That was my favorite dance of the night. You were elegant, beautiful, and most importantly, told a story." – Nick Carter ET's score: 40/40. First perfect score of the season, and so well deserved. It was sexy, it was passionate and pure perfection. Unfortunately, it didn't save the couple from elimination, as #TeamMaksimumHeat were sent home after receiving the shocking results from hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. More on that HERE. Celebrity/fan reaction

Team Boy Band

Dance highlight: Move over, men of Magic Mike Live -- Team RNB + D is comin' in hot! We had a feeling we'd see the men shirtless, but not this steamy. The best moments were their chair dance at the 0:55 mark (bonus points for them choreographing that portion themselves!) and Rashad and Emma's lift, which you can watch starting at the 1:29 mark. Judges' score: 33/40. "I literally was crying, thank you very much." – Bruno Tonioli ET's score: 35/40. This routine was pure entertainment, and we loved every minute of it! We're giving the boys a few extra points for creativity and being able to keep the crowd pumped throughout the entire piece. Celebrity/fan reaction:

Team Girl Group

Dance highlight: So sultry! The girls opted for a chair dance, too, flirting it up with their partners at 0:44, at one point even perfecting a kick over their guys' heads. We also loved Normani and Val's lift at 1:17, and the cartwheel flips at 2:05. Get it, girls! Judges' score: 34/40. "This was amazing. I loved it. You were well choreographed!" – Nick Carter ET's score: 36/40. While we found Team Boy Band's dance a bit more entertaining, the girls killed it when it came to technique. They were more in sync, and came to slay! Celebrity/fan reaction:

Who are YOUR favorites competing on season 24 of Dancing With the Stars? Which team do you think had the best dance? Let me know on Twitter (@desireemurphy_ ) or in the comments section on our official Facebook page! And be sure to follow all of our DWTS coverage all season long, right here on ETonline.com.

WATCH: 'DWTS' Frontrunner Sent Home in Perhaps the Most Shocking Elimination in Show History