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swissmissficrecs · 7 years ago

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Novella-length casefics, Part 2

Part 2 of my rec list for novella-length (ca. 15-50K) casefics. Split due to length.

Part 1 [click]

Part 2 below

The Adventure of Kitty Riley by Ariana (12K, Teen, Johnlock, Sherlock/OFC) Kitty Riley has started using her position as a tabloid journalist to blackmail people. After his return, Sherlock decides to do something about it, embarking on an adventure which amongst other things, involves Sherlock on a date with a girl, and creeping around in the dark with John, holding hands.

The Adventure of the Six Painted Virginsby Saathi1013 (14K, Explicit, Johnlock) Sherlock dons an unusual disguise for a case. John is…conflicted.

The Camford Dares by writerfan2013 (17K, Teen, Johnlock) Sherlock is being mysterious and secretive and John is being particularly stubborn and their annoying case in a well-known university town is not helping anything.

The Case of the Meddling Siblings by destinationtoast (37K, Mature, Johnlock) Mycroft and Harry Watson team up to send John and Sherlock on a case to distract a Sherlock who’s been pining after John. And Harry, at least, is determined to get the boys together.

The Cornish Cottage by flawedamythyst (32K, Teen, Johnlock) In the wake of John's divorce, Sherlock tries to cheer him up with a trip to Cornwall. Adaptation of ACD's The Adventure of the Devil's Foot.

The Halloween Party by XistentialAngst (19K, Mature, Johnlock) Sherlock and John attend a Halloween party on the trail of a vampire killer -- a man who's been seducing his victims and taking all their blood. Sexy costumes, bad puns, hideous danger, frantic sex in hidden places and some Halloween-flavored fluff are all on hand to "treat" you. Boo.

The Killer with the Yellow Wall-Paper by kittlery (27K, Teen, Gen) Sherlock navigates a case - and John - with his usual tact and social grace.

The Last Case of Dr. John Watson by Susan (14K, Explicit, Johnlock) If he really had less than twenty-four hours to live, was it too much to ask that it be sunny? Being poisoned and soaked to the skin on the same day seemed to John a bit of cosmic overkill. Sherlock's only hope of saving John is finding the antidote before it's too late. But where does he start?

The Master of Latham Hall by Kryptaria (47K, Teen, Johnlock) Ten years after meeting Sherlock Holmes, John Watson has successfully kept only one secret from the world's only consulting detective: the most important secret he's ever had.Now, drawn into an impossible web of murders at Latham Hall, John learns the terrible price a man must pay for keeping certain things secret.

The Napoleon by darcylindbergh (25K, Explicit, Johnlock) Halloween, 1989: John and Sherlock both have big plans for the night, but serial killers have the worst possible timing.

The Night Riviera from Paddington to Penzance and Back Again by Iwantthatcoat (13K, Mature, Johnlock) Mrs Hudson has decided her boys need a little vacation together (after the events of S4) away from London and has booked them an inordinantly (per Sherlock) long train ride from Paddinton Station to Penzance.

The Norwood Love Builders by flawedamythyst (47K, Teen, Johnlock) Sherlock and John go undercover to solve the murder of Joanna Oldacre, but things are complicated by the many feelings John has been repressing in the wake of Sherlock's faked death and return.

The Other Man by ampersand_ch (27K, Explicit, Johnlock and John/OMC) Sherlock's been acting strange. John suspects he's after something in particular, but it's not what John wants. Or is it? An adventure full of traps, tricks, and misunderstandings leads the two of them on a rocky and painful road to each other.

The Sacred Bond by ampersand_ch (42K, Explicit, Johnlock) A series of mysterious deaths among priests puts John and Sherlock onto the trail of an ancient, secret brotherhood. Little do they suspect how deeply their own situation is tangled up with the case.

The Semantics of Crop Circle Formation: a case study by Sherlock Holmes [unpublished] by canolacrush (41K, Mature, Johnlock) "Look at these photographs," I said, gesturing to the wall of crop circles. "What do you observe?""Crop circles," John replied."Obvious. What else?""Are...are those intestines surrounding them?""Yes. The majority are bovine and ovine in origin. The farmers who have acquired these crop circles in their fields have also had a tenth of their livestock murdered and arranged thus.""Why?" John said, presumably in a rhetorical fashion.I detest rhetorical questions. "That is what I must find out, John."

The Straw Man Fallacy by Vulgarweed (40K, Explicit, Johnlock) “Mr Holmes, I'm not in the habit of approaching . . . consultants. But you are correct. I have great faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And until recently, I also had faith in the rule of law. Only the second one has wavered. Three years ago my fiancé, Sgt. Neil Howie of the West Highlands Constabulary, went to investigate an anonymous report of a missing child in a remote place called Summerisle. He never communicated with me while he was there, and he never returned.”Summerisle is not a welcoming place to visitors, but it shows its best face at May Day. For ulterior motives.

Torn Stitches by AggressiveWhenStartled (35K, Explicit, Johnlock) The trick to being with Sherlock Holmes, John mused, was to always keep in mind that he wouldn’t actually murder you and wear your skin as a suit. “I can see the appeal,” Sherlock was murmuring to him over the peeled body, much to the horror of any yarders in earshot. “I often find it surprisingly difficult to get inside your head. It might be cathartic to do in a more literal sense.”John snorted. “With your curls? Our killer didn’t even clean this poor bugger out properly, just pulled him on gore and all. You’d be picking bits of me out of your hair for weeks afterwards.”

Traitor’s Gate by roane (17K, Explicit, Johnlock) John and Sherlock go undercover at a top secret government lab to find out who is selling research. John is back in uniform and Sherlock is back in a laboratory, but they have to pose as strangers. Sherlock thinks he'll have an easy time of it, but John has his doubts. It's up to them to find out who is responsible for putting a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands, and try to keep their hands off each other at the same time.

26 Pieces by Lanning (28K, Explicit, Johnlock) Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn't simple.

Under the Downs by Evenlodes_Friend (16K, Explicit, Johnlock) Five years after they first meet, a case in rural Sussex changes John and Sherlock's life forever.

Undercover by standbygo (15K, Explicit, Johnlock) John goes undercover to unravel a crime network.

Underground Rescue by khorazir (48K, Mature, Johnlock) All kinds of danger lurk in the disused stations of the London Underground. When Sherlock goes missing, John has to play detective to find him, while Sherlock faces demons both present and past.

What You’re Missing by kedgeree (16K, Mature, Johnlock) Sherlock always has it all figured out, but his wilful refusal to factor the influence of love into his calculations on a case makes John want to show him what he's missing.

Without a Clue by naughtyspirit (34K, Explicit, Johnlock and Mollstrade) Sherlock accepts an invitation to attend a murder mystery weekend at a hotel with John, Mycroft, Greg Lestrade, Mrs Hudson and Molly in close attendance. The theme is Cluedo and John's already worried about his costume.John's happy enough to go, but given that he's struggling through a definite desire for his flatmate, perhaps taking the room next to him wasn't wise.But pretty, definitely pretty.

Writing on the Wall by ScopesMonkey (45K, Mature, Johnlock and Mollstrade) Having returned from Wales with John injured and a betrayal looming in the background, Sherlock is refusing cases, until both John and a baffling double murder get the better of him.

#rec list #casefic

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husheduphistory · 6 years ago

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Pickles: The World Cup, a Pup, and a Whole lot of Luck

On July 30th 1966 the World Cup was held high over the heads of the England national football team. The Jules Rimet trophy, the World Cup, the golden, glittering, hardest-won trophy in sports had already made headlines once before this final match. Not due to speculation about who would get to raise it up in triumph, but because there was chance that there would be no trophy to award at all.

In March of 1966 the Methodist Central Hall in London was hosting the Stanley Gibbons Stampex, a rare stamp exhibition with the theme that year being "Sport and Stamps.” To coincide with the theme, the expo had a very unique addition to the display, the World Cup trophy. With England providing the setting for the World Cup finals in only a few months, the timing of the special exhibition was expected to bring thousands upon of thousands of people through the doors to catch a glimpse of the coveted award. Standing 12" tall, perched on a base of lapis lazuli, and fashioned after Nike the Greek goddess of victory, the special guest at the exhibition was not an easy booking and the visit was only agreed upon when the strict demands of the Football Association (FA) were met. For one, the trophy was to be kept fully enclosed in a glass case. Additionally, it was to be guarded at all times with the association understanding that their most precious prize would never be alone in the months before its most important event. The showcase was secured. The security was scheduled.

Then on March 20th, only twenty-four hours after it went on display, the Jules Rimet trophy vanished.

The Jules Rimet trophy.

The shock over the disappearance could only be matched by the anger seething from the the heads of professional soccer all over the world. While the Football Association in England issued apologies expressing their deep regret over "this most unfortunate incident" and remarked that "It inevitably brings discredit to both the FA and this country" the Brazilian Sports Confederation stated "Even Brazilian thieves love football and would never commit this sacrilege! It would never have happened in Brazil.” Honorary president of the Finnish FA, Erik von Frenckell, laid his opinion out simply with his exclamation of "I’m damned angry!”

The obvious question on everyone's mind was how this possibly could have happened. The terms set by the Football Association were met, the trophy was housed in a protective cell, and it was always under a set of watchful eyes....right? To the utter dismay of the soccer world the best answer that could be given to that question was a reluctant "sort of". True, the coveted prize had protection, but security was not strictly enforced when the exhibition hall was closed to the public. On the morning of the theft a Methodist service was being held on another floor of the building and the stamp exhibition was closed. There was also wooden bar blocking the doorway to the trophy, a small padlock on the showcase, and a curtain over the padlock. Feeling intermittent checks would suffice on this quiet morning the guards went on a "break". At their 11am check all was safe and sound but when they returned for the midday check-in they found a broken board, a forced open lock, a disturbingly ruffled curtain, and an excruciatingly empty showcase. The building it was stolen from was only a few hundred yards from Scotland Yard headquarters.

Police stand guard at the display case after the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

Alsa-Guard Security Services, the firm hired by the exhibition to protect the World Cup trophy, vehemently denied any negligence on their part calling the theft an incident of "human error" and saying that "nothing went wrong, it was just stolen.” The search for the trophy was forced to begin with a stab in the dark because there were simply no suspects and no solid leads. One security guard working that day reported seeing a man with slick black hair meandering around a pay phone just after 11am but he did not bother to investigate because when he saw the mystery man he was already walking to the nearest bathroom and did not feel it was overly important. The hopes of the soccer world rested on the Metropolitan police force. But, just in case there was more incentive needed, reward money for the return of the trophy began to flow in from businesses and people like the Gillette razor company, a doctor who had treated many of the players, and the chairman of Fulham. Everyone hoped for the best, but the FA had already secretly arranged for a replica trophy to be made in case the World Cup event arrived before the World Cup trophy was returned.

There was a question if the thief had even committed the crime for money. The value of the Jules Rimet trophy was approximately $8,500 but the stamps at the exhibition that were left untouched easily valued over eight million dollars and were considerably easier to hide. The question of financial motive was answered the next day on March 21st when English Football Association chairman Joe Mears was contacted by a voice named "Jackson" informing him that a package was on the way. When the parcel was opened the chairman found the removable liner from the top of the trophy and a ransom note demanding the equivalent of $42,000. The parcel also contained a threat that the trophy would be melted down if the authorities were alerted but Mears was not intimidated and they were informed anyway. When "Jackson" was contacted an arrangement was made to meet on March 25th in Battersea Park and make the exchange. The exchange never happened. When "Jackson" spotted law enforcement making their way toward him he attempted an escape but was apprehended. The man in cuffs was forty-seven year old dockworker Edward Betchley, a man with a past peppered in petty crime but when questioned Betchley insisted he was only a middle man to an entity he only knew as "The Pole.” He denied any knowledge of the trophy's location but was charged with theft regardless.

Edward Betchley, who is charged with the theft of the Jules Rimet trophy. William H. Alden/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

On the evening of March 27th there was one brain that was absolutely not thinking about the missing World Cup trophy, he just wanted to sniff the hedges outside. Pickles was a four year old black and white collie mix who spent his days living happily with twenty-six year old David Corbett and his wife in the London suburb of Norwood. Corbett's brother was expecting a baby and David decided to take Pickles out for an evening stroll over to a payphone to give him a call. Once outside Corbett fiddled with the leash while Pickles decided he had to explore the neighbor's car, specifically the front tire. When Corbett went to clip the leash to Pickles's collar he saw why the little dog was so insistent on exploring. Tucked behind the wheel was a package, wrapped in newspaper and tied tightly with string. Corbett picked up the package and felt its considerable weight before he placed it back down again. He was suspicious, thinking it might have been a bomb placed by the IRA. After a few rounds of picking up the parcel and putting it back down again he hesitantly picked it up one last time and tore away some of the paper. What greeted him from inside the wrappings was a gold shield and the words "Uruguay" and "Brazil". Corbett was a soccer fan. He knew exactly what this was. Pickles had just found the missing World Cup trophy.

David Corbett and Pickles.

Pickles posing for photographers.

Corbett's wife, who was not a fan of the sport, did not have much of a reaction to his announcement back home but when he rushed into the local police station, still wearing his slippers, he was certain the reaction would suit the magnitude of his find. He marched up to the desk, put it gingerly down in front of the sergeant, and declared "I've found the World Cup!" There was no exclamation of surprise, no fanfare, no gasp. The sergeant looked the statue over and only said "That doesn't look very World Cuppy to me, Sonny.” Despite the sergeant's lack of enthusiasm detectives were called in and were able to confirm that yes, this was the missing trophy. They were more than likely delighted, but the cloud of happiness enveloping the detectives and Corbett quickly turned cold. Within minutes Corbett went from savior to suspect and he was brought in for questioning. After hours of interrogation Corbett exited the police station and Pickles entered the spotlight as a national hero.

Pickles the dog being photographed by the press. Central Press/Getty Images.

The following morning when Corbett went to work he had the new obstacle of avoiding the press that was firmly planted outside his home. On his way in he stopped and bought every newspaper he could get his hands on. The headlines were ablaze with the news of England's new national hero, not Corbett, but a scrappy little pup named Pickles.

The fuzzy little dog won the hearts of everyone who heard the story of the chance discovery. Corbett was given a reward equivalent to $16,000 but Pickles was awarded a solid silver medal by lieutenant-colonel Alexander Hendrick Roosmalecocq, secretary of the National Canine Defense League in an elaborate ceremony, a silver platter, a one year supply of dog food,...and an agent. In the coming months Pickles appeared in numerous television commercials and secured a role in the film The Spy with the Cold Nose.

On July 30, 1966 Corbett and Pickles sat at home watching the World Cup final. It was down to England and West Germany and when the match came to an end it was England who met Queen Elizabeth II and won the privilege of raising the newly recovered Jules Rimet trophy after a 4-2 victory. Corbett and Pickles were guests of honor at the team's victory dinner in London and when team captain Bobby Moore went out onto a balcony to greet elated fans he was not alone. First he held up the World Cup trophy, and then he held up Pickles. The crowd went wild.

Corbett and Pickles watching the World Cup final at home.

Queen Elizabeth II presents the trophy to Bobby Moore, captain of England’s national team. STAFF/AFP/Getty Images.

Captain Bobby Moore kissing the trophy following England’s victory. Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

Four years later Brazil won the Jules Rimet trophy in perpetuity after a new trophy was designed. In 1983 the trophy was again stolen but this time there was no Pickles to come to the rescue. Sadly, the hero pup died unexpectedly one year after his time in the world spotlight. The trophy was never recovered and it is assumed it was melted down for the gold.

Pickles was buried at home in Corbett's garden, his resting place marked by a small plaque that reads "Pickles, Finder of the World Cup 1966.”

The grave of Pickles the dog.

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palecolorbouquetmag-blog · 4 years ago

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Cosmo Pyke is a skater from South London who’s become known around the world for his unique singing, songwriting and guitar music. His unique sound made such a big noise it was heard by millions of people and many of them quickly became his fans. But in conversation you discover his passion for his music is as strong as his love for skateboarding and making art. Skating and playing the guitar gripped him from a young age and he picked up both naturally. But it wasn’t just his talent to string together well written songs and lines on his board that helped him to be the artist he is today. It’s also the excitement he gets from expressing his thoughts and ideas through them that stokes him out. Inspired to push for perfection with his pursuits and through taking his skills in a creative direction, he was further motivated to make art and his music career moved forward. Cosmo has been a No Comply Network member since the start and to see his meteoric rise as a musician has been immense. Four years since he released his impactful first EP and a week before the release of his latest offering, we had a chat about how he learned to skate and play guitar, shredding South Norwood, Peckham Rye and Bromley Skateparks, Ben Glasser and Max Critchlow, seeing US pros at demos, BRIT School, WITH Section, Slam City Skates, Southbank, street skating, making graff, recording his breakout EP ‘Just Cosmo’ with Fraser T Smith in the same studio as Stormzy, behind-the-scenes stories of all of his music videos, playing the last ever show at The Montague Arms with King Krule, filming ideal skate clips in Birmingham and Barcelona, playing live gigs, why his latest single Piper for Janet is one of his most meaningful to date, making tunes in Lockdown, the release timeline of his new tracks and his favourite skaters, spots, skate videos, art and photos and much more.

Glad to get a hold of you man, it’s been a while!

Yeah, it’s good because I’m releasing my first tune in a while in six days. It’s really good timing, we’re getting to chat now.

So when did you first see skating and think, I want to do that?

I used to skate when I was younger, maybe when I was about 7 years old.

That’s young, where did you get your first skateboard?

I got my first board from Brixton Cycles, which was next to Stockwell Skatepark at the time. I used to skate Peckham Skatepark. But not too much. I was always going to Stockwell and Kennington Bowl with my mate when I was really small. But then I stopped skating and started rollerblading…

Why on earth did you stop skateboarding to rollerblade?

It was my mate that I mentioned earlier. His older brother used to skate in my area and he was like a bit of a king in the graffiti scene. We always used his skates, everybody learned on his skates. We used to rollerblade at Whites Grounds, the skatepark in London Bridge, when Reuben De Haan’s cousin used to run it.

What year was this, 2005-2006?

Yeah.

So you started skating at age 7, stopped for a few years and started again. What motivated you to get back on board?

Yeah when I was 12, in year 7, Louie Dobbs, my boy he got me on it. We used to skate with Max Critchlow as well.

Yeah the day I started skating again I was at Bay 66 Skatepark, on the mini, on blades, with a party of people and at Bay you had to wear a helmet if you’re on blades but not if you’re on a board, it’s still like that. So at the time I was like fuck this!

I tried to drop in on the mini on a board and I was like look, I put my Vans on and went for the drop in on a skateboard and just did it! Dropped in first try on the mini and I was like fuck this! I’m skating from now on. I could always ride into the bank in Peckham but I’d actually never dropped in on a skateboard up to this point.

When was the first time you made your own music?

Well it was from about the age of about 9-10, maybe 11-10. I went to this thing called School of Rock at the Prendergast School in South London. It was called Felix’s School of Rock – run by this guy called Felix. You get put into a band, it was sick. In the holidays you’d do it for 4 days for a £100.

Like a kind of music boot camp for kids?

Yeah. Max Critchlow used to do it so it was really cool. It was sick. We weren’t allowed to bring skateboards and skate in the hall because they were scared we’d break our necks it was funny man.

How did it work?

You’d’ get put in a band with a Jack Black kind of figure and then on the fourth day there would be a battle of the bands type event and you’d do a gig on the stage. There would be like 90 bands, all just like loads of small kids playing and the winner at the end wins chocolate, whoever screams the loudest wins basically!

Sounds hilarious man

From there, I was put on the stage, those were my first shows and gigs as a kid, just playing guitar, not even singing really, I did that School of Rock like nine times over the course of the next 5 years over the holidays and shit. Then I moved from Prendergast to Thomas Tallis School and then I started working there when I got to the age of like 18.

At the School of Rock?

Yeah, my first gig was there! Playing gigs, I was really scared before I got on stage as well. Because I cared a lot about what I was doing from such a young age. Cared about how I did.

Once you’d finished school and were looking to go to College, were you making music a lot or skating a lot?

I kind of wasn’t even doing anything religiously. Skate one day. Music the next day. Day after that do some graffiti. Never do one thing; I’ve always been juggling three things at a time. Going to school and school was just…school, you know?

For sure. What was it like studying at the Brit School?

It was really cool, I loved it, I was so happy really. I wasn’t at my rubbish school I was at previously. It had a uniform. This had no uniform and liberal teachers.

That’s dope

Yeah BRIT was crazy. It was like Uni as a 15 year old, no school bell, just like be on time.

So it made you be more independent

I didn’t go to Uni. I went to Sixth Form and then just finished school, recorded my tape when I was in year 13, towards the end of my school, so it all patterned up well. When I finished school. I was touring all around London, South, West, East and North. In all the pubs.

I guess you made such a big impact; you were waiting to make something on that level or better

The way that I do Graff is the same way I do music. My friend even told me the other day. My songs are like the same way I do a piece or skate, just perfected and something I’ve been doing for a long time, so they are all really similar for me.So what stopped you from releasing those other songs?

I went up to Leeds and recorded with this guy, stayed with him there and recorded in his house. It just felt like the act of making music felt forced. I felt mad going up to Leeds sleeping in an Air BnB and focusing solely on just making music. Now I could do it a lot more but at the time I didn’t have the concentration.

Now I know a lot more but then I wasn’t ready. I made some good stuff and I really like it now and at the time I kinda like it as well but I kind of didn’t want to release it because it wasn’t the same process as the first record that I made with a big old studio with live musicians. This was just me on my own with no drummer, my mate, my drummer wasn’t there, it didn’t feel natural.

I tried to do some other stuff, that will come out in the future that I will re-record but I did stuff that I wasn’t 100% happy but this record I’m putting out now. This latest record, I recorded the way I’d done the first one with all live instruments.

Sounds like you needed some inspiration on this one. What music inspires you as an artist?

At the time I was coming up with loads of bands that played in the Montague Arms in New Cross and The Windmill in Brixton. There were loads of bands playing there at the time

Like who?

Horsey, my cousin’s band a cover band called The Bodies and King Krule.

You and King Krule played the last ever show at the Montague Arms in New Cross, what do you remember from that gig?

Yeah, there was a queue down the fucking road. The first person I saw in the queue was King Krule. I was like what the fuck!? why are people coming to see me. I never really had confidence in myself but you know! Yeah that was the first time I experienced people acting weird man, from those days at the Montague.

Yeah, when you get fame people treat you differently. But what was it like for you?

I learned my social skills from skating so I was always just completely…When you do my line of work, you meet a lot of fans. So it’s like when you meet someone and you’re a fan of their skating, it’s just about being nice to people and it was nice at the time and I miss playing.

The last gig I played was in Jakarta and I haven’t played since then. I’ve been dormant for 2 years. It’s such a long time but you know due to Lockdown it’s just extended that really.

Do you have a favourite artist?

Matthew Klarwein. He did Miles Davis’ album cover artworks and then I really like Peter Green too; he’s a musician from Fleetwood Mac.

I also like John Piper, he’s the artist who’s art I’m basing this next record I’m about to release on. It’s called a Piper for Janet because my granny’s friend drew a John Piper style painting for her, he used a lot of watercolour and collage so the front cover of this record is based on him and he’s a British Painter. John Piper, he’s pretty cool

I like Edward Ruscha; he’s a photographer but he did a lot of stuff like taking photos of carparks and gas station in LA and Route 66 from specific perspectives back in the 60s and stuff like that.

Dope. Lastly when are all your new songs going to be released?

Next couple of months; they should all be out in January

Sounds good, look forward to it. Any last words Cosmo?

For anybody who’s out there reading this thanks for supporting me.

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clowdydrecms · 4 years ago

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hi all! this is a list of all of my muses specifically to make mobile navigation a little easier for you. bold names are the ones with a pretty complete backstory & headcanons, italicized are a step down with mostly a shaky backstory & any with an asterisk ( * ) are a work in progress! oh and all with their fc crossed out are in main verse ships so not open to others.

micah zamora ( keith powers ) 25-28 yrs old, heterosexual, landscape designer / architect. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

julian zamora ( kofi siriboe ) 24-27 yrs old, bisexual, florist / unemployed , verse dependent. inspo tag. wanted plots.

kenzo zamora ( jonathan daviss ) 23-26 yrs old, heterosexual, uber driver / aspiring cartoonist. inspo tag. wanted plots.

dionne boodram ( leigh anne pinnock ) 23-26 yrs old, heterosexual, uber driver / aspiring cartoonist. inspo tag. wanted plots.

makeba zamora ( kehlani ) 23-26 yrs old, heterosexual, uber driver / aspiring cartoonist. inspo tag. wanted plots.

jupiter zamora ( china anne mcclain ) 20-23 yrs old, bisexual, college student. inspo tag. wanted plots.

bambi zamora ( rachel hilson ) 24-25 yrs old, bisexual, baker / owner of a bakery. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

aries zamora ( ryan destiny ) 23-26 yrs old, lesbian, hair stylist. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

jordie zamora ( kiana lede ) 22-25 yrs old, bisexual, violinist / DJ. inspo tag. wanted plots.

hunter zamora ( zendaya ) 21-24 yrs old, bisexual, temp worker / medium. inspo tag. wanted plots.

jamila ‘jam’ zamora ( alisha boe ) 21-24 yrs old, bisexual, aspiring actress. inspo tag. wanted plots.

sarah jane anderson ( lana condor ) 24-26 yrs old, bisexual, advice columnist / journalist verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

noah ‘baby’ shredder ( kristine froseth ) 22-25 yrs old, bisexual (closeted), marine biologist / student verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

drew shredder ( alexis ren ) 25-27 yrs old, lesbian, professional surfer / mechanical engineer verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

turbo shredder ( barbara palvin / jenna coleman ) 28-33 yrs old, heterosexual, stunt double / mechanic verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots.

azariah shredder ( kiana madeira ) 21-25 yrs old, heterosexual, car thief / street racer verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots.

augustus ‘auggie’ grey ( charles melton ) 25-28 yrs old, heterosexual, energy engineer. inspo tag. wanted plots.

grey williams ( thomas doherty ) 24-27 yrs old, bisexual, potter / etsy seller. inspo tag. wanted plots.

orion grey ( noah centineo ) 24-27 yrs old, heterosexual, video game developer. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

kwon jett ( kim jongin ) 27-32 yrs old, heterosexual, co-owner of kwon diamonds / jewelry designer. inspo tag. wanted plots.

kwon moon-soo ( bae suzy/im jinah ) 26-30 yrs old, bisexual, luxury wedding planner. inspo tag. wanted plots.

kwon pepper ( im nayeon ) 22-25 yrs old, bisexual, co-owner of kwon diamonds / jewelry designer. inspo tag. wanted plots.

sahar khan ( mishti rahman ) 24-25 yrs old, bisexaul, astrologer / youtuber. inspo tag. wanted plots.

adhira khan ( mishti rahman ) 24-25 yrs old, heterosexual, bollywood actress. inspo tag. wanted plots.

matilda pinzon-du haven ( naressa valdez ) 24-26 yrs old, bisexual, singer ( jessie reyez vc ). inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

zahkari du haven ( charles michael davis ) 28-33 yrs old, heterosexual, producer ( kaytrana vc ). inspo tag. wanted plots.

jovie du pont ( cindy kimberly ) 21-24 yrs old, bisexual, grifter / sugar baby. inspo tag. wanted plots.

beau bennett ( alex fitzalan ) 21-25 yrs old, heterosexual, soldier / owner of a food truck verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots.

bennie bennett ( madelyn cline ) 23-26 yrs old, bisexual (closeted), event organizer at a non profit. inspo tag. wanted plots.

rhiannon ‘rico’ bennett ( khadijha red thunder ) 23-25 yrs old, pansexual, singer / youtuber / college student / unemployed. job is verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

primrose bennett * ( adeline rudolph ) 24-27 yrs old, bisexual, manager at hot topic. inspo tag. wanted plots.

roman waters * ( jordan fisher ) 24 - 25 yrs old, heterosexual, wedding photographer. inspo tag. wanted plots.

quest ali ( michael b jordan ) 25 - 29 yrs old, heterosexual, doctor. inspo tag. wanted plots.

winnie slater * ( haley lu richardson ) 24 - 27 yrs old, bisexual, children's book writer. inspo tag. wanted plots.

georgia avara ( camila mendes ) 25 - 27 yrs old, bisexual, grifter. inspo tag. wanted plots.

sojourner avara ( sofia carson ) 24-26 yrs old, bisexual, gallerist / socialite / singer ( dua lipa vc ) verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots. stats / bio.

princess sanderson ( dove cameron ) 24-26 yrs old, bisexual, drug dealer / professional dominatrix / owner of a brothel. verse dependant. inspo tag. wanted plots.

hendrix zardari ( zayn malik ) 24-26 yrs old, heterosexual, rapper ( russ vc ). inspo tag. wanted plots.

phor norwood ( luka sabbat ) 24-26 yrs old, heterosexual, tattoo artist. inspo tag. wanted plots.

#this is just a reference post pls ignore #muse.

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danbusler · 2 years ago

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Sometimes an Image Could Use a Little TLC to Be Perfect

Photo Restoration Services by Dan Busler

“Our need will be the real creator” – PlatoOr as it is now said “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”Sometimes, to make a photo even more perfect it needs some Retouching, Restoring, and Repair.Here is a good example of that. I used four different images to create the final version where all the subjects are looking at the camera.There is nothing wrong with the original image where the guys are…

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#boston event photographer #charity event photographer #corporate event photographer #dan busler #dan busler photography #headshot photographer near me #local photographer #norwood event photographer #Norwood Headshot photographer #photo repair #photo restoration #photo retouching #photographer near me #professional photographer #religious event #walpole headshot photographer #walpole photographer

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westphotolukedas · 5 years ago

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Nadav Kander - The Meeting

210220

Nadav Kander (Born 1961) is the first photographer that I cite in conversation about which practitioner has influenced me the most. He was born in Tel Aviv and based in London, although he does not regard himself to be British. His photographs are a part of the collections at the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Kander began taking pictures at 13 years old with a Pentax camera. In the South African Air Force, he processed film and printed aerial photographs. In 1986, he moved to London where he currently resides with his wife and three children. Portraiture and landscape photography are the main genres that he is best known. I have an appreciation for the consistency in his career, which has traversed 30 years across fine art and commercial platforms. He has photographed celebrities, models and a multitude of other sitters. In 2009, his 52 portraits published in The New York Times Magazine portrayed President Barack Obama and his closest associates. It is the largest portfolio of work that the publication has ever showcased. Later that year, Kander was awarded the prestigious Prix Pictet Earth for Yangtze - The Long River (2008). The shortlist of nominees included Ed Kashi, Andreas Gursky and Naoya Hatakeyama. The list of his other awards is extensive and includes a World Press Photo Award 2013 and 2014, Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society 2015 and Outstanding Contribution to Photography from Sony World Photography 2019. (Lens Culture, 2020)

During the World Press Photo Exhibition 2014 at the Southbank Centre, London, I was particularly taken by Kander’s 3rd Prize entry of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. The photograph first appeared in New York Magazine as a staged portrait to commemorate the British actor. Ejiofor, played a black man kidnapped in 19th Century America and sold into the slave trade in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013). He received an Oscar nomination for the role and won Best Actor at the BAFTA awards. Actors have a trained ability to respond to a camera. He appears poised yet relaxed. Kander’s characteristic turquoise key light is apparent with a red back light to highlight the outline of the sitter. The lack of a fill light leaves a proportionate amount of this face in an enigmatic shadow. This low-key lighting design gives the photograph a sombre tone. Emphasis is placed upon Ejiofor’s eyes, which reveals the complexity of his role in the film. As a viewer of the work in person, I felt a closer affinity to the subject when it was close to life sized. Its considered forms had a significant presence akin to a drawing, painting or sculpture. (World Press Photo, 2020)

The Meeting (2019) is a book that acts as a homage to Kander’s career, with photography from his early foray into the genre to illustrious works recognised within the fine art and academic communities. The annotations add insightful anecdotes about each piece and the man himself. The opening, entitled ‘The Triangle’ outlines a relationship of personal interest to me between sitter, photographer and viewer.

‘I don’t photograph to tell stories. I photograph to make stories. The viewer, if they hold their gaze long enough, becomes the author of the work’s meaning.

Consider there’s a metaphorical suitcase packed with white, grey and darker clothing that we carry around with us wherever we go. When we meet someone, we choose what items to show; maybe only clean white shirts, perhaps darker one. This unpacking is symbolic of a meeting. Much like when I work with a sitter. Our stories collide and change depending on the day, the weather, our emotional states.

If I manage to make a portrait that stirs a viewer then they complete what I call ‘The Triangle’ by bringing their own story or state of mind to the picture. This is fundamental to me, but often missed or misunderstood, because photography is still considered by many to be a record of an event. It is that; but it is not only that. How can it be?

Perhaps if we replace the word ‘photographer’ with ‘poet’ the point becomes clear. It is accepted wisdom when it comes to poetry that every individual reader finds his or her own meaning in the poem and this perspective is unique - no more less valid that yours or mine. The same, in my view, is true of photography.’

In email correspondence between 4th and 28th April 2019 with David Campany, Kander describes his photographic process. These extracts resonated with me as a practitioner of portraiture and landscape photography.

NK - I’ve walked down one road since I started photographing when I was 13. I feel I haven’t deviated at all. I still need my work to strike the same chords in me that I’ve always longed and striven for. My photographs (however varied a viewer might find them) come from the same inner place. I seem to revisit a slowed-down reality, which is very beautiful and important to me. Slow, quiet and slightly uneasy, alluding to more going on beneath what you first see. The subconscious need to express what feels meaningful and profound never goes away. I just try many ways to revisit it, to come at it from different directions.

DC - The portraits you’ve made seem to have quite a special place in your work. As if a face, or a person, is a way to get to the tension between surface and depth. I feel the human face is somehow already an image before it’s photographed. It’s already a kind of presentation, or representation of the self, although a very fragile and elusive one.

NK - That is beautifully put! Yes, my photographs of people are an essential part of my practice.

They follow on from my photographing landscape. When first dealing with landscape I realised it wasn’t the natural environment I was after, but the man-altered landscape. I focused on a darker nature, our destructive ambivalence to our surroundings, but I shrouded these scenes in beauty using compositions that, purely from their form, colour and weight, would have an effect on me apart from the information shown.

DC - Portraiture is often thought of as a two-way exchange, between photographer and sitter, but you’ve talked often of the viewer being crucial to meaning. That said, there’s a real intimacy to your portraits, as if these people have been given the freedom to forget their audience momentarily. We viewers can look, without feeling we’re being performed to. Is this how it is?

NK - I’ve had to think a long time about your question. Much of what I do is intuitive so finding the words is difficult. When I’m in front of a person (or a landscape for that matter), there’s nothing in my head that matters. I’m just looking with so much concentration that sometimes it feels as if I might explode. I do not want to be stirred so badly! All I want is for something to show itself, something that if I release the shutter will become an image that will stir me and unsettle me. To get close to this I must direct people very softly, subtly, and create the appropriate light so that they experience something of themselves. Any frivolous act for the viewer will never work; it would appear transparent. It has to be just for them and me. Only once this is successful does the viewer enter and make up the triangle. Artist, subject and viewer - each one a part of the whole.

From beneath the surface beauty, comes an existential call that touches on questions of destiny and the unknown. The works of Hans Bellmer, Man Ray, Raoul Hausmann, Dalí and Hans (Jean) Arp have also had a big influence on me. Although my work is not surreal, the feeling I get from the work of these artists is something I always search for. For example Jean Arp’s sculptures were very informative when I began photographing the nudes that became the series ‘Bodies - 6 Women, 1 Man’.

DC - It’s interesting that you put it that way. Very often I find myself wondering what landscapes your sitters were in just before they came to you, what it was - out there in the world - that is on their mind as you make the photograph.

NK - A portrait is one way of looking at some facets of our condition. There’s a precious and beautiful flicker of understanding, or the opposite, that shows itself for short periods and disappears. These periods, which I must see and try to photograph, are often responses to the light or the atmosphere that the light imbues. I must try to recognise them as an image that has what I love; depth of feeling, vulnerability and poise, pride and soul, a recognition of something more than just this moment now. Little of this clear to me, but this is the best I can do to explain it. (Kander, 2020)

Summary

It is an inevitability that a photographer emulates their heroes. Whenever I read that someone like Kander also had starting points for their practice, I am encouraged. I have covered in detail the practitioners that have inspired me for this project - Smith, Andrew, Refn, Sigel and Norwood. There are blog posts committed to each of them. However, I felt that Kander required more substantial meditation. There are parallels between his voice and my own - low key lighting and moody colour saturation delivered with a quiet temperament. He reveals that these attributes are the reflection of triangles that he forms between himself, his sitter and viewer. A sitter may choose to present themselves in any number of ways to his lens then this narrative is open for further interpretation by anyone that encounters his imagery. During his interview with Campany, he explains that he implements soft direction, free of frivolity to search for each photograph. He also explains a slow and quietened reality that he occupies beneath the surface appearance of what he sees.

The Ejiofor portrait inspired me during a formative stage of my photography. There is overlap with the other photographers and cinematographers that I have mentioned. Low key lighting is a continuous theme; however, Kander’s renderings have more depth. He is reluctant for media attention and I found The Meeting (2019) to be highly enlightening. His is the work of a ‘poet’ acting as a ‘photographer’, to use his own metaphor. As an analytical student, I have attempted to dissect what makes Kander, Kander. An awareness of his process is just the beginning. My lighting will resemble his, in addition my direction style is already collaborative instead of dictatorial. Any additional intricacies are unique to his voice. As I develop as a photographer myself, I am hopeful to have as reputable career and recognition. There are plenty more triangles that I am eager to construct.

Bibliography

Kander, N. (2019). The Meeting. London: Steidl

Lens Culture (2020). Biography. Lens Culture. Available from

www.lensculture.com/nadav-kander

[Accessed 10/04/2020]

World Press Photo (2020). 2014 Photo Contest. World Press Photo. Available from

www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2014/29789/1/2014-Nadav-Kander-PS3

[Accessed 10/04/2020]

Nadav Kander, Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2014

#theconstructedphotograph #westphoto #nadavkander

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michellenorwoodevents · 2 years ago

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It’s easy to get excited about the future. As a wedding planner, the future is a place I live. And while it’s thrilling to look ahead and map out where we’re going — it’s necessary to review where we’ve been! As we get ready to say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023, I invite you to celebrate yourself. Recapitulate the growth, lessons and most important of all — the love & memories. Remember to appreciate all that’s happened before getting swept up in what will soon be. At Michelle Norwood Events, we couldn’t be more delighted with our 2023 calendar. However, right now, we’re chewing on our favorite moments from 2022 just a while longer; savoring the tenderness and sweetness of life. From our hearts to yours, we wish you a beautiful reflection, transition and expansive year with lots of ease. May your hearts be full and grandiose! Happy New Year from our family to yours. Planning and Design @michellenorwoodevents Photographer @mannyphotos_ (at New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2Y2jwOZga/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thekillerblogofkillers · 7 years ago

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John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994) PART TWO

In August 1971 with financial help from his mother, Gacy bought a house in Norwood Park Township in Cook County. 8213 West Summerdale Avenue is where Gacy lived until he was arrested in December 1978 and where all of his known murders were committed. In August 1971, not long after Gacy moved into the house with his mother, he got engaged to Carole Hoff. Hoff, a divorcee with 2 young daughters, had briefly dated Gacy in high school and was a friend of his younger sister. She moved into the home soon after the engagement was announced and Gacy’s mother moved out just before the couple’s wedding, which was on July 1, 1972. A week before the wedding, on June 22, Gacy was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and reckless conduct. The arrest was in response to a complaint filed by teenage boy Jackie Dee, who told police that Gacy, who was impersonating a police officer, flashed a sheriff’s badge, and lured him into his car, forcing him to perform oral sex. The charges were later dropped after Dee tried to blackmail Gacy into paying money in exchange for dropping the charges.

After Gacy married Carole Hoff, his new wife and 2 stepdaughters moved into the Summerdale Avenue house. Gacy quit his job as a cook and started his own construction business, PDM Contractors (PDM meaning Painting, Decorating, and Maintenance). The business started with minor repair work, such as sign-writing, pouring concrete and redecorating, later expanding to include projects such as interior design, remodelling, installation, assembly and landscaping. By 1978 the annual turnover of the business was over $200,000. In 1973 Gacy and a teenage employee of PDM Contractors went to Florida to view some property that Gacy had bought. When the two were alone in a hotel room, Gacy raped the youth and as a result the youth refused to stay in the room and instead slept on the beach. When they returned to Chicago the employee drove to Gacy’s house and beat him. Gacy’s mother-in-law stopped the youth from attacking him further and he drove away. Gacy told his wife that this attack was because he had refused to pay the youth for poor quality work. Gacy’s neighbours in Norwood Park considered him to be gregarious and helpful – he was active in the community and hosted annual summer parties beginning in 1974. He became active in Democratic Party politics, offering the labour services of his PDM employees free of charge and was rewarded for his community services by being appointed to serve on the Norwood Park Township street lighting committed, subsequently earning the title of precinct captain. In 1975 Gacy was director of Chicago’s annual Polish Constitution Day Parade (Gacy had Polish ancestry) and supervised the event from 1975 to 1978. Due to his work with the parade, Gacy met and was photographed with First Lady Rosalynn Carter on May 6, 1978. Through his membership in a local Moose Club (a fraternal and service organisation) Gacy learned of a “Jolly Joker” clown club whose members would dress as clowns and perform at fundraising events and parades, as well as volunteering at the local children’s hospital. By late 1975 Gacy had joined the Jolly Jokers and created 2 of his own characters: “Pogo the Clown” and “Patches the Clown”. Gacy designed his own costumes and taught himself to apply clown makeup (some professional clowns noted that the sharp corners Gacy painted at the edges of his mouth are traditionally drawn to be rounded so as not to scare children). Gacy performed as Pogo or Patches at numerous local parties, Democratic party functions, charity events and children’s hospitals. By 1975 Gacy had announced to wife Carole that he was bisexual and after having sex on Mother’s Day informed her that it was “the last time” they would ever have sex. He then began spending his evenings away from home, coming back early in the morning, claiming to have been “working late”. Carole saw Gacy bring teenage boys into his garage, and also found gay pornography in the house. They would divorce amicably in March 1976.

On January 2, 1972, Gacy met 16-year-old Timothy Jack McCoy from Chicago’s Greyhound bus terminal and took him on a sightseeing tour. Gacy took McCoy to his home on the promise that he could spend the night and be driven back to the bus terminal in the morning. In his later statement, Gacy said that he woke up the next morning to find McCoy standing in his bedroom doorway with a knife in his hand. Gacy jumped out of bed, and McCoy raised both arms in a gesture of surrender, tilting the knife and accidentally cutting Gacy’s forearm – Gacy had a scar there to back up this account. He twisted the knife from McCoy’s wrist, smashed his head into the bedroom wall, kicked him against the wardrobe and walked towards him. McCoy kicked Gacy in the abdomen and Gacy grabbed him, wrestled him to the ground and stabbed him in the chest repeatedly. Gacy then went into the kitchen and saw an open carton of eggs and a slab of unsliced bacon on the kitchen table, which McCoy had set for two. It seemed that McCoy was making breakfast and absentmindedly took a knife into the bedroom with him when he went to wake Gacy. Gacy buried McCoy in his crawl space and covered the grave with a concrete layer. In an interview after his arrest, Gacy said that after he killed McCoy he felt “totally drained”, noting that he had experienced a mind-numbing orgasm as he killed the boy, adding: “That’s when I realised that death was the ultimate thrill.” Gacy later said that the 2nd murder he committed was in January 1974. The victim was an unidentified teenage boy with medium brown, curly hair aged between 14 and 18. Gacy strangled him before stashing the boy’s body in his closet before burial. Gacy later said that fluid leaked out of the youth’s mouth and nose while he was in the closet, staining his carpet. As a result Gacy would later stuff cloth rags or the victims’ own underwear in their mouths to prevent this from happening again. This particular unidentified victim was buried about 15ft from the barbecue pit in Gacy’s backyard.

By 1975 Gacy’s business was growing fast – he began to work 12-16 hour days to fulfil commitments he had agreed to with an ever-increasing number of contracts. He also later admitted that 1975 was the year in which he began to increase his “cruising” jaunts, looking for young men. Most of Gacy’s workers at PDM Contractors were high school students and young men. One of these workers was 15-year-old Anthony Antonucci, hired in May 1975. 2 month later, Gacy went to Antonucci’s house while he was home alone having injured his foot at work the day before. Gacy got Antonucci drunk, wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed his hands behind his back – but the cuff on his right wrist was loose, so he managed to free his arm from the handcuff when Gacy left the room. When Gacy returned, Antonucci pounced on him, forced him to the floor, got the handcuff key and managed to cuff Gacy’s hands behind his back. Gacy screamed and threatened Antonucci before calming down and promising to leave if Antonucci removed the cuffs. He agreed and Gacy left. Antonucci later said that Gacy told him: “Not only are you the only one who got out of the cuffs; you got them on me.” 1 week after the attempted assault of Antonucci another of Gacy’s employees, 17-year-old John Butkovitch, disappeared. The day before, he had made threats toward Gacy as a result of 2 weeks of outstanding pay. Gacy later admitted he lured Butkovitch to his house while Carole Hoff and her daughters were out of town on the pretext of discussing the wages. Gacy tricked the boy into allowing his wrists to be cuffed behind his back, before strangling him to death and burying his body under the concrete floor of his garage. Gacy later said that he had “sat on the kid’s chest for a while” before killing him. Butkovitch’s car was found abandoned with his wallet and keys still inside. His father called Gacy, who volunteered to help search for the youth, and was sorry he had “run away”. Gacy was questioned in regards to the disappearance and admitted that Butkovitch and 2 friends had been at his apartment demanding his overdue pay, but all 3 had left after a compromise was reached. Over the next 3 years, Butkovitch’s parents called police over 100 times in an attempt to get them to investigate Gacy. Tricking young boys into handcuffs became an important part of Gacy’s modus operandi for subduing victims. After plying the victim with drink, drugs or just getting them to trust him, Gacy would pull out a pair of handcuffs and persuade the victim to put them on, claiming it was part of a “clown trick”. When they were cuffed and unable to free themselves, Gacy would say: “The trick is, you have to have the key”, before he would proceed to rape and torture his helpless victim. He would finish with “the rope trick”, putting a rope over the youths’ neck and tying a tourniquet until the victim was strangled to death.

After a heated argument in October 1975 about her failure to balance a PDM Contractor’s checkbook correctly, Carole asked Gacy for a divorce – he agreed, but Carole continued to live at 8213 West Summerdale until February 1976, when she and her daughters moved into an apartment. A month later, on March 2, the divorce was finalised. Although Gacy continued to be gregarious and civic-minded, neighbours noted changes in his behaviour between his divorce and his arrest in December 1978, such as hearing his car leave and return at all hours of the morning, lights switching on and off in his home at strange hours, and a near constant stream of young males visiting. One neighbour later recalled that for a few years she and her son were repeatedly awoken in the early hours by muffled crying, screaming and shouting which they believed was coming from the Gacy house adjacent to theirs.

#john wayne gacy #pogo the clown #patches the clown #clown #murder #serial killer #homosexual #chicago #illinois #handcuffs #jaycee #divorce #democratic

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sciencespies · 5 years ago

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Aging US dams pose risk to thousands

https://sciencespies.com/environment/aging-us-dams-pose-risk-to-thousands/

Aging US dams pose risk to thousands

by David A. Lieb, Michael Casey and Michelle Minkoff

Reservoir No. 1, a 180 million-gallon water supply that has been out of service much of the past few decades, sits against the backdrop of the city skyline, Oct. 15, 2019, in Atlanta. The city made repairs and brought it back online in 2017, only to shut it down again after water leaks were noticed near businesses located beneath the dam. Were the dam to catastrophically fail, the water could inundate more than 1,000 single-family homes, dozens of businesses, a railroad and a portion of Interstate 75, according to an emergency action plan. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house.

Just a little over a quarter-mile upstream, the 92-year-old Spencer Dam was straining to contain the swollen, ice-covered Niobrara River after an unusually intense snow and rainstorm. The workers had tried but failed to force open the dam’s frozen wooden spillway gates. So, fearing the worst, they fled in their truck, stopping to warn Angel before driving away without him.

Minutes later, the dam came crashing down, unleashing a wave of water carrying ice chunks the size of cars. Angel’s home was wiped away; his body was never found.

��He had about a 5-minute notice, with no prior warning the day before,” Scott Angel, one of Kenny’s brothers, said.

State inspectors had given the dam a “fair” rating less than a year earlier. Until it failed, it looked little different from thousands of others across the U.S.—and that could portend a problem.

A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press has found scores of dams nationwide in even worse condition, and in equally dangerous locations. They loom over homes, businesses, highways or entire communities that could face life-threatening floods if the dams don’t hold.

This combination of photos provided by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, shows the Spencer Dam near Spencer, Neb., in November 2013, top, when it was holding back water on the Niobrara River and again in March 2019, after the dam failed during a flood. State inspectors had given the dam a “fair” rating less than a year earlier. Until it failed, it looked little different from thousands of others across the U.S., and that could portend a problem. (Nebraska Department of Natural Resources via AP)

A review of federal data and reports obtained under state open records laws identified 1,688 high-hazard dams rated in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of last year in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The actual number is almost certainly higher: Some states declined to provide condition ratings for their dams, claiming exemptions to public record requests. Others simply haven’t rated all their dams due to lack of funding, staffing or authority to do so.

Deaths from dam failures have declined since a series of catastrophic collapses in the 1970s prompted the federal and state governments to step up their safety efforts. Yet about 1,000 dams have failed over the past four decades, killing 34 people, according to Stanford University’s National Performance of Dams Program.

Built for flood control, irrigation, water supply, hydropower, recreation or industrial waste storage, the nation’s dams are over a half-century old on average. Some are no longer adequate to handle the intense rainfall and floods of a changing climate. Yet they are being relied upon to protect more and more people as housing developments spring up nearby.

“There are thousands of people in this country that are living downstream from dams that are probably considered deficient given current safety standards,” said Mark Ogden, a former Ohio dam safety official who is now a technical specialist with the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

The association estimates it would take more than $70 billion to repair and modernize the nation’s more than 90,000 dams. But unlike much other infrastructure, most U.S. dams are privately owned. That makes it difficult for regulators to require improvements from operators who are unable or unwilling to pay the steep costs.

“Most people have no clue about the vulnerabilities when they live downstream from these private dams,” said Craig Fugate, a former administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “When they fail, they don’t fail with warning. They just fail, and suddenly you can find yourself in a situation where you have a wall of water and debris racing toward your house with very little time, if any, to get out.”

Joel Iverson, chief operating officer of Monday Night Brewing, is photographed in the brewery that sits beside Reservoir No. 1, a 180 million-gallon water supply that has been out of service much of the past few decades, Oct. 15, 2019, in Atlanta. Iverson has previously noticed water trickling out of the hillside of the dam near the brewery he co-founded. “If that one goes, it’s going to wash away us and a lot of beer,” said Iverson. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

___

It’s unclear whether Angel, a 71-year-old Vietnam War veteran, declined to flee or simply ran out of time after workers with the Nebraska Public Power District warned him that water was overtopping the dam near Spencer, a town of fewer than 500 residents.

An attorney for Angel’s wife, who wasn’t home when the dam broke, has filed a $5 million lawsuit alleging negligence. It claims the power utility failed to properly maintain the dam, train its employees or inform the Angels of dangerous conditions.

Even though the Angels’ home was squarely in its path, the dam was rated as a “significant” rather than “high” hazard, meaning it wasn’t required under Nebraska law to have a formal emergency action plan. About 20% of state-regulated high-hazard dams nationwide still lack emergency plans, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains the national dam inventory.

When last inspected in April 2018 , Spencer Dam’s “fair” rating was accompanied by an ominous notation: “Deficiencies exist which could lead to dam failure during rare, extreme storm events.”

Tim Gokie, chief engineer of Nebraska’s dam safety program, said the warning was due to past water seepage the power utility addressed by installing a drain system. Ultimately, Gokie said, the rising Niobrara River simply overwhelmed the concrete and earthen dam, which was built in 1927 to generate hydroelectricity, not for flood control.

In this Dec. 27, 2018, photo, Murray Beach, an investment banker who lives on the shore of Willett Pond, points out the spillway of the lake, which is located on the border of Norwood and Walpole, Mass. The spillway at the 107-year-old Willett Pond Dam is capable of handling just 13% of the water flow from a serious flood before the dam is overtopped, according to a recent state inspection report. “We are not talking of just flooding someone’s house. We are talking about covering their house,” said Beach, who belongs to a citizens group that has lobbied for years for the spillway to be repaired. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

“The fact was that it was just an unprecedented situation,” Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker said. “It was beyond what everybody anticipated.”

Nebraska was among the states hardest hit by storms and floods this year that have caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damage to roads, dams, utilities and other infrastructure in 28 states, according to an AP analysis.

A National Climate Assessment released by the White House last year noted growing frequency and intensity of storms as the climate changes. That can push some dams beyond what they were designed to handle.

Even if kept in good condition, thousands of dams could be at risk because of extreme rainstorms, said Fugate, the former FEMA official.

“These are like ticking bombs just sitting there, waiting for the wrong conditions to occur to cause catastrophic failure,” he said.

___

A vehicle passes over the spillway at Willett Pond on the border of Norwood and Walpole, Mass., Dec. 27, 2018. If the dam were to give way, it could send hundreds of millions of gallons of water into the heart of the Norwood, a Boston suburb of nearly 30,000 people. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The nation’s dams are categorized as high, significant or low hazard in the National Inventory of Dams database. High hazard means loss of human life is likely if a dam were to fail. A significant rating means no deaths are likely, although economic and environmental damage are possible.

There is no national standard for inspecting dams, leading to a patchwork of state regulations. Some states inspect high-hazard dams every year while others wait up to five years. Some states never inspect low-hazard dams—though even farm ponds can eventually pose a high hazard as housing developments encroach.

Dam conditions are supposed to be rated as unsatisfactory, poor, fair or satisfactory. But the ratings are subjective—varying by state and the interpretations of individual inspectors—and are not always publicly disclosed.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the U.S. government has cited national security grounds in refusing to include dams’ conditions in its inventory, which was updated most recently in 2018. But the AP was able to determine both condition and hazard ratings for more than 25,000 dams across the country through public records requests.

The tally includes some of the nation’s most well-known dams, such as Hoover Dam along the Colorado River, but mostly involves privately owned dams. Many are used for recreation.

The AP then examined inspection reports for hundreds of high-hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition. Those reports cited a variety of problems: leaks that can indicate a dam is failing internally; unrepaired erosion from past instances of overtopping; holes from burrowing animals; tree growth that can destabilize earthen dams; and spillways too small to handle a large flood. Some dams were so overgrown with vegetation that they couldn’t be fully inspected.

A surveyor walks the banks of the Mill River, at the site of the former Whittenton Pond Dam, just upstream from downtown Taunton, Mass., July 25, 2018. The dam was removed following concerns that the 170-year-old plus structure could fail, after it buckled and nearly failed in 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Georgia led the nation with nearly 200 high-hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition, according to the AP’s analysis.

Among them is Reservoir No. 1 in Atlanta, a 180 million-gallon water supply dating to the late 1800s that has been out of service much of the past few decades. The city made repairs and brought it back online in 2017, only to shut it down again after leaks were noticed.

If the dam were to catastrophically fail, the water could inundate more than 1,000 homes, dozens of businesses, a railroad and a portion of Interstate 75, according to an emergency action plan .

Joel Iverson has previously noticed water trickling out of the dam near the brewery he co-founded, Monday Night Brewing.

“If that one goes, it’s going to wash away us and a lot of beer,” Iverson said.

The Atlanta Watershed Management Department declined the AP’s request for an interview about the reservoir and instead asked for questions in writing. When those were submitted, it declined to answer them.

In this April 2, 2019, file photo, water flows down the Oroville Dam spillway in Oroville, Calif. The state spent $1.1 billion repairing the Lake Oroville spillway, enacted new emergency plan requirements and launched a review of 93 other dams with similar spillways. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

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One of the most common problems for aging dams are spillways incapable of handling an extreme rainfall event.

If water can’t escape quickly enough through spillways, it could flow over the top of a dam, which increases the probability of rapid erosion that can cause it to collapse.

The spillway at the 107-year-old Willett Pond Dam near the Boston suburb of Norwood is capable of handling just 13% of the water flow from a serious flood before the dam is overtopped, according to a recent state inspection report. If the dam were to give way, it could send hundreds of millions of gallons of water into the heart of the city of nearly 30,000 people.

“We are not talking of just flooding someone’s house. We are talking about covering their house,” said Murray Beach, who lives on the shore of the 220-acre privately owned lake and belongs to a citizens group that has lobbied for years for the spillway to be repaired.

A 2017 inspection report said improvements to the spillway could cost between $1 million and $5 million. A nonprofit that owns the lake received a $215,000 state grant last year to design spillway improvements. But there is no timeline to fix it.

In this Nov. 30, 2017, file photo, work continues on the Oroville Dam spillway in Oroville, Calif. The scare at Oroville, the nation’s tallest dam, led to evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people, although no one was injured and the dam ultimately held. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

More than 1,300 properties lie within the dam’s inundation zone, including several shopping centers and at least two elementary schools, as well as more than 70 roads and two railroads.

Tamiko Porter, who operates a Montessori school serving some 75 students, said she was surprised to learn there was a dam upstream that could flood her school if it failed.

“Oh God, please let it happen when my kids aren’t here,” Porter said.

Norwood emergency management director Bernard Cooper said there is no imminent risk of dam failure.

“Yes, it needs work. The spillway should be rebuilt. Absolutely, no question,” Cooper acknowledged. But “there is no money in the system for that.”

Concerns about inadequate dam spillways date back decades to when the Corps of Engineers undertook its first nationwide assessment of dams posing a high risk to life and property. From 1978 to 1981, the Corps inspected 8,818 dams. About one-third were deemed unsafe due to deficiencies, and about 80% of those cited inadequate spillway capacities.

Hunter Croan walks along a dried-up section of Lake Dunlap, Sept. 30, 2019, in Lake Dunlap, Texas. Croan is one of many homeowners who were left high and dry, their lakeside docks now dry as the Guadalupe River retreated to its natural bed after the the center spill gate of the lake’s 91-year-old dam failed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

One of the dams cited for a “seriously inadequate” spillway in 1978 was Lake Sebago, located in a New York state park near the village of Sloatsburg. Forty years later, nothing has changed.

A 2018 state inspection letter warned of “inadequate spillway capacity and dam stability” and asked for an improvement plan within 30 days. None was provided.

The state dam safety office has no authority to force the state parks department to make repairs.

To modify the Lake Sebago spillway, workers would have to rebuild a road and bridge that pass over the dam. The project could cost over $15 million, said Jim Hall, the recently retired executive director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which manages multiple dams.

“That structure has been in place with the same spillway capacity for over probably 60 to 70 years and it hasn’t been overtopped,” Hall said. “Should it be improved to meet all codes? Yeah, that would be nice. Does it make it the highest priority for us to do in relation to other dam structures we have? Probably not.”

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Water flows over a spill gate on Lake McQueeney, Oct. 2, 2019, Lake McQueeney, Texas. A judge has issued a 12-month temporary injunction preventing the draining of McQueeney and five other lakes along the Guadalupe River after property owners sued. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

In a 1982 report summarizing its nationwide dam assessment, the Corps of Engineers said most dam owners were unwilling to modify, repair or maintain the structures, and most states were unwilling to spend enough money for an effective dam safety program.

Since then, every state but Alabama has created a dam safety program.

But the Great Recession a decade ago forced many states to make widespread budget and personnel cuts. Since a low point in 2011, states’ total spending on dam safety has grown by about one-third to nearly $59 million in the 2019 fiscal year while staffing levels have risen by about one-fifth, according to data collected by the Corps of Engineers.

California, which runs the nation’s largest dam safety program, accounts for much of that gain. It boosted its budget from $13 million to $20 million and the number of full-time staff from 63 to 77 following the failure of the Oroville dam spillway in 2017.

The scare at Oroville, the nation’s tallest dam, led to evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people, although no one was injured and the dam ultimately held. An independent investigation cited “a long-term systemic failure ” by regulators and the dam industry to recognize and address warning signs.

California spent $1.1 billion repairing the Lake Oroville spillway, enacted new emergency plan requirements and launched a review of 93 other dams with similar spillways.

Water spurts through a wood section of a spill gate on Lake McQueeney, Oct. 2, 2019, Lake McQueeney, Texas. A judge has issued a temporary injunction preventing the draining of the lakes along the Guadalupe River as a result of an agreement between suing property owners and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

In South Carolina, after more than 70 dams failed following heavy rains in 2015 and 2016, the state tripled the personnel in its dam safety program and ratcheted up spending from about $260,000 annually to more than $1 million.

But some states have continued to pare back their dam safety programs. Thirteen states and Puerto Rico were spending less in 2019 than they did in 2011, and 11 states had fewer full-time positions in their programs.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials says almost every state faces a serious need to pump additional money and manpower into dam safety programs.

“If you don’t have the staff to inspect a dam, or don’t have the authority to do that, you don’t know what the problems are,” said the association’s Ogden.

“If you are able to do the inspection but you can’t follow up, and you have dam owners who don’t have the resources to fix their dam, then ultimately you know what the problem is but you can’t get it addressed,” he added.

Many states face a quandary when it comes to problematic private dams when they can’t identify the owners. Rhode Island’s two-person dam safety office last year listed 32 high- or significant-hazard dams with safety concerns whose owners were unknown.

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority’s John Moryl walks through the hydroelectric plant at the spill gates on Lake McQueeney, Oct. 2, 2019, in Lake McQueeney, Texas. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority announced plans to drain a chain of six lakes, including Lake McQueeney. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

“If we don’t know the owner, then we can’t take any action to order anybody to fix it,” said David Chopy, chief of compliance and inspection for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

In some states, dams go uninspected because of exemptions in state law.

A 2013 Texas law exempts all dams on private property with a capacity of less than 163 million gallons that are rated significant or low hazard and are located outside of city limits in any county with fewer than 350,000 people. As a result, about 45% of its roughly 7,200 dams are exempt from regulation.

Missouri performs safety inspections on only about 650 of its more than 5,000 dams. That’s because state law exempts all dams that are under 35 feet, used for agricultural purposes or subject to federal regulation.

Former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt attempted to significantly expand the number of dams under state supervision after the mountaintop Taum Sauk Reservoir collapsed in December 2005, injuring a state park superintendent’s family. But the legislation failed after some rural landowners expressed concerns. Then the proposal quietly faded away as new officials took over.

“Maybe it’s time to take a look at that again and make sure that our dams are safe,” said Missouri state Rep. Tim Remole, who now leads the House committee overseeing dam safety.

This March 14, 2006, file photo, shows damage after a dam burst near Kilauea, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water and mud rushing down a hillside. Seven people were killed on Bruce Fehring’s property, including his daughter, son-in-law and grandson. (AP Photo/Casey Riemer, File)

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Until Angel’s death in Nebraska this year, the last fatal dam failure in the U.S. occurred on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in 2006.

An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water rushing down a hillside. Seven people—including a pregnant woman—were killed on Bruce Fehring’s property, including his daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

Fehring, who wasn’t there at the time, got a phone call from a neighbor saying something terrible had happened. He was shocked by the scene.

“It took a while to register, and I went, ‘Oh my God, everything’s been washed away,'” Fehring recalled. “I mean, you have no idea the power of water (until) you see what it can do in a very short amount of time.”

Dam owner James Pflueger pleaded no contest to felony reckless endangerment and was sentenced to seven months of confinement and five years of probation. His property company pleaded no contest to seven counts of manslaughter. Prosecutors said Pflueger had filled in the dam’s spillway while attempting to make space for a waterfront development.

In this May 21, 2006, file photo, Bruce Fehring and his wife Cyndee, center, lead a procession toward Kahili Quarry Beach during a memorial service to honor those killed when the Kaloko Dam failed in Kilauea, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water and mud rushing down a hillside. Seven people were killed on Fehring’s property, including his daughter, son-in-law and grandson. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin via AP, File)

Tess Coody-Anders, a university executive and homeowner near Lake McQueeney, one of the dams slated to be drained, stands near a sign showing the lake is closed, Sept. 30, 2019, in Lake McQueeney, Texas. “This is something that communities and states all across the country are grappling with as we are reckoning with our aging infrastructure,” said Coody-Anders. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The victims’ families and those whose property was damaged, including actress Bette Midler, agreed to a $25 million civil settlement. Though categorized by the state as low hazard at the time it failed, Kaloko Reservoir is now listed as a high-hazard facility in poor condition . It remains largely unrepaired.

That’s also the case with Lake Dunlap Dam, northeast of San Antonio. On a sunny morning in May, one of the 91-year-old dam’s corroded spillway gates suddenly gave way. No one was hurt in the rush of water, but scores of homeowners’ lakeside docks were left high and dry, facing barren swaths of dried lakebed after the river retreated, leaving boats stranded.

The dam was the second hydroelectric facility along the river to fail within the past three years. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority responded with plans to drain a chain of four lakes because of concerns their similarly designed spillway gates also could fail.

But after property owners sued, the river authority agreed in September to a temporary injunction delaying the plan for a year. That could allow time to find funding for the estimated $90 million to $210 million to repair the dams.

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority’s John Moryl looks over the spill gates at Lake Dunlap, Oct. 2, 2019, in Lake Dunlap, Texas. One of the spill gates at the dam failed in May and the lake drained down to the original channel of the Guadalupe River. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

“This is something that communities and states all across the country are grappling with as we are reckoning with our aging infrastructure,” said Tess Coody-Anders, a homeowner near Lake McQueeney, one of the dams slated to be drained.

“I hope that everyone will recognize that, like in our community, entire economies and ways of life have developed around what started out as a civil engineering project,” she added. “And you can’t take that away.”

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