#randal was on my mind lots in february

[eclecticstarlightconnoisseur]

VISIONS IN THE SNOW

Good Evening All! I have a new one-shot that was inspired by the horrific weather that recently swept across the U.S. It caused so much grief, suffering to so many people. I hope this would bring a smile to some faces. This was written with one particular person in mind (and you know who you are) and I’m glad you like it.

Thanks as always to @scubalass for the read through. Your suggestions were, as always, spot on. It made the final story so much better.

Status of Edinburgh to Boston: There is progress but it is painfully slow. There are two characters that are essential to this chapter whose voice I do not hear as well as I do Jamie and Claire. I write something, then I delete it and I do the same thing over and over. We will come to an understanding at some point so dinna fash. There will be A/N at the end to explain words or terms.

Without further delay I give you Visions in the Snow.

Here goes nothing:

VISIONS IN THE SNOW

February 1968  - Boston

The responsibility for hosting this week’s poker game fell to Joe Abernathy.  He took his duties in this regard very seriously. It was the way the surgeons decompressed after a week of stressful surgical procedures and this week was no exception. 

“It must have been a full moon,” he thought. Motor vehicle accidents, stabbings, gunshot wounds, volvulus, a ruptured esophagus, the works. It was during these times that he dearly missed his friend. Claire. He cast his glance over to the card table set with one extra place, Claire’s place. On the seat was her green visor that she wore when she played poker with the boys. It sat in repose like a memorial to a fallen comrade.

Silly thing! She believed wearing it masked her glass face.  Nothing could be further from the truth, but none of her colleagues had the heart to tell her. They all knew what Claire Randall was thinking. So much so, they often let her win which caused her to think she was good at playing poker.

He glanced around the room and saw that everything was in readiness for the evening. The sideboard groaned beneath the bounty of food, snacks, and brews.  

Outside, the wind blew fiercely rattling the windows drawing his attention. Joe looked out the window watching the two front trees bowing to the brute force of nature. Their skeletal fingers scraped at the roof almost as if trying to gain entry. It had been snowing for the last six hours with no sign of it letting up. He had considered canceling the game but a majority of his colleagues soundly vetoed that idea. Only Callahan and Peterson dissented. Callahan’s wife would kill him if he left her alone to deal with their six small ones while he went to play poker. Peterson lived thirty miles away. The remaining players all lived a short walking distance from his home, on Doctors Row. It was so-called because many of the physicians who worked at the hospital lived on the same street.  These surgeons were gambling men betting they had enough time for some comradery, hands, and beers before the brunt of the storm arrived.   

For a Boston snowstorm, it hadn’t accumulated very much. Yet. Regardless, it would not hamper these hardened surgeons accustomed to driving through Boston’s worst to get to the hospital. Without warning, the storm picked up intensity driving the snow hard enough to erase the landscape before him. Amid the squall, a hazy light glowed like the high beams of headlights in the snow. A wraithlike figure emerged from its center. Joe wasn’t able to make out any of its features. Man? Woman? He wasn’t sure. But one thing was for sure, it was headed directly toward his house. 

Joe leaned closer trying to see if the person was in distress as they were caught out in the snow. Maybe they had abandoned their car and were seeking help.  His warm breath met the cold pane fogging it, wholly obscuring his view.  Using his shirt sleeve, he wiped away the condensation hoping to improve his ability to see. As the person drew closer, it became apparent that it was a young woman and her attire was totally inappropriate for the weather. She wore a long dress whose hem floated across the snow. It looked like a green and black plaid and a white scarf crossed her neck to cover her bosom. Her hair was dark, curly, piled high on her head, and tendrils framing her face. She looked a lot like… It couldn’t be, could it? She came closer. So close that he could see her eyes. Eyes the color of a fine whisky. Claire? Claire! How? She had left for Scotland, disappearing into the past, to find her true love.

Anxiety flowed through him. He needed to speak with the woman. He needed to know if it truly was Claire. Joe tried to open the window, but it wouldn’t budge. The frame had swollen from the moisture, he thought. He rapped on the window calling her name, but she paid no heed.

Claire was running and laughing bright and merry. Stopping suddenly, she turned and extended a hand into the haze. A man appeared laughing and chased after her. He was a big son of a bitch standing at least six feet four inches and as big as a brick…Well, he was big. He had a mop of red hair, but to simply say red would deny the richness of the color. It was a curly thick mosaic of cinnamon, auburn, gold, and cinnabar.  And his eyes were the deepest blue Joe had ever seen. The man was kitted out in traditional highland garb right down to the sword strapped to his side. Reaching her, the young man made a courtly bow. He straightened, then took her hand to bestow a kiss. A moment later, he lifted and spun her around. She tossed her head back and peals of joyous laughter rang through the air. He set her down gently settling his hands on the swell of her hips. His eyes danced with love as he lowered his head to kiss her most thoroughly. Joe felt his cheeks burn as he watched such intimacy. 

Time advanced in front of him. He became witness to a lifetime, to a marriage, to the bonds of love that could not be broken. The vision changed from the blush of first love through to a life fully lived.  He wept at their trials, tribulations, and heartbreak. And he reveled in their accomplishments, triumphs, and joys. But through all their hardships, and there were many, their love for each other never wavered, never changed. 

The final event showed the couple had aged. The woman, Claire, had streaks of grey in her hair while the man’s hair had lightened. They stood atop a ridge overlooking some land. The man had his arm securely around her waist pulling her protectively close to him. Claire stood on her tiptoes wrapping her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a fiery kiss. She nodded her head and started to pull him toward a cabin. He scooped her up and carried her across the threshold kicking the door shut. 

As the vision faded back into the vapor as a voice called out, “I am happy Joe. I found my Jamie.”

Resting his head against the cold pane of glass provided a sense of comfort to his unsettled mind and spirit. Uncertainty gripped him as he grappled to understand what happened. Had this been a dream? Or a hallucination? Or had the fabric of time somehow been rent apart? He shook himself, much like a dog dispelling the rain from its coat, hoping to lift his state of bewilderment. 

Psssst, pssst, ssssssss! The homely sound of the radiator hissing brought him back to himself and away from his ruminations.

Mercilessly, the wind blew about the house ferociously shaking the windowpanes in their frames then suddenly died away. Out of curiosity, Joe tried to open the window. This time it slid open with ease. The blinding snow stopped returning to light flurries. As he turned to walk away from the window, he noticed the clock on the mantel. It was one minute later than when he last looked at it. “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ,” he muttered.

Joe walked over to Claire’s chair and picked up the visor cradling it to his chest,  “Wherever you are Claire, I’m glad you’re happy and you found your Jamie. Jamie, if you can hear me, take good care of our girl.”

With that, the doorbell rang and Joe went to greet his guests.

                                                        *************

Claire woke with a start bringing Jamie to instant alertness. He grabbed the pistol he kept by his bedside in preparation for any threat. Seeing none, he turned to look at Claire. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

“Sassenach, what’s amiss? Are ye alright?”

“I dreamt...I dreamt I was back in Boston going to play poker with the other surgeons. It was our regular night to play. The game was at Joe’s house and there was this blizzard.”

“Poker? What kind of game do ye play with a poker?” he was afraid to ask. Claire had told him so many peculiar stories about her time that he thought this would be another one. The only poker he knew about was the kind used in a fireplace.

“It’s a card game. I was rather good at it too. Someday I’ll have to teach you.” Claire snuggled up against Jamie seeking his heat, his comfort. She yawned greatly, “Except I will miss my green visor.”

 “A vi-zor?” All he could envision was a knight’s helmet with a visor covering the eyes and face.

“It’s a sort of hat with a green brim. It shades your eyes and some of your face. People use it to hide their facial expressions when they bluff at cards.”

Jamie looked at her as if she were a bit daft. He knew nothing could hide her thoughts on that glass face. He tucked her head under his chin, “Come, Sassenach, rest yer head, aye? I think ye had a bit of the nightmare. I’ll keep ye warm and safe.” He lowered his head placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Jamie closed his eyes and thought about the black man he had seen in his dreams too. “Aye, dinna fash, Joe. I’ll care for her with my life,” he whispered just before lapsing into sleep.

A/N:

VOLVULUS: A volvulus occurs when part of the colon or intestine twists. The twisting causes bowel obstructions that may cut off the blood supply to areas of the bowels. This can cause the bowel to die or left untreated the person can die.

RENT: This involves a story. When I was in catechism class the teacher was telling the story of Christ’s trial before the Pharisees. When Jesus was condemned one of the Pharisees was said to have rent his garment. You say that to a bunch of kids and they start to giggle. They wanted to know who he rented his clothes to and for how much. So the teacher explained that to rent something meant to tear it apart violently. I fell in love with the word’s usage and I never thought I would get to use it in this way. But I did!

And poor Jamie, Claire’s stories always leave his surprised, confused, shocked among other feelings.

The truth behind this story was that it was supposed to be smutty. Instead, it evolved into this. It was supposed to happen that the Ridge was also snowed-in. Claire was bored with playing chess with Jamie and wanted to play something else. She wanted to teach him strip poker. So I left myself an opening if I chose to do a second chapter. But I have to finish E2B first.

I hope you liked this and it brought a smile to your face.

You can find me on AO3. There I am LadyJane518.

Thanks for reading!

[kittyreading]

Manga Master List: Recommendations and My Personal Wish List

!!//PLEASE READ//!!

Below is every manga from my amazon wishlist I would recommend(as of February 11 2021) with a picture and a 3-5 sentence explanation of what the manga is about. Underneath will also be the number of volumes I have read, the number I own, and it’s status of ongoing or complete and how many volumes it has. This way you can decide for yourself if you think I have read enough of it to give an accurate recommendation.

This list only includes manga you can purchase (including digital purchases) from the wishlist. I decided that I would in fact include my personal amazon manga wishlist here and at the bottom for people to buy THEMSELVES a copy of any of these manga they would like. Keep in mind many of these won’t have volume 1 in the list but you should be able to get to the series page from the list. If a manga shows up on the amazon list that I did not include in this one that is because I have not read enough of them(or any of them) to recommend. Ok? Cool, enjoy the list!!

1. The Girl from the Other side is about a little girl living with a gentleman monster. It is a supernatural mystery with beautiful art.

Own: 0

Read 4

Series: Ongoing at 9 volumes

2. Pumpkin Scissors is a military fantasy about a War Veteran named Randal Oland who joins the pumpkin scissors core to help with war relief and uncover the deep corruption of the government. It is similar in themes to FMA in the sense it appears to be based on a World War, and corruption of government but it more focused on the power of the noble houses in government. There is also a fun science element but it is not as in focus as in FMA. The two but are very very different overall tho. Only 5 volumes were distributed in physical English copies as the publishing company went bankrupt, all others are only available digitally. (I couldn’t get the manga vol. 1 cover to work so the picture above is a poster for the anime)

Own: 0

Read: around 10

Series: Ongoing at 23 volumes

3. Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun is a slice of life about a bunch of highschoolers. Nozaki is the mangaka of a popular Shoujo manga who uses his personal experiences with friends to create his monthly comic series. It is a fun gender stereotype reversal manga with a large cast of both male and female characters (one could be HC as genderfluid but she’s still canonically female at this time) The manga is one of the easiest to read as the panels are mostly in straight down rectangles so the pages are extremely easy to follow and is very funny.

Own: 1

Read: 11

Status: Ongoing at 12 volumes

4. Yu-Gi-Oh! is well known to be about the card game yu-gi-oh, using magic and myths to further the story, HOWEVER, Yu-gi-oh! is the “Season 0″ of the series it is much darker than to be expected and there is no card game. The Yu-gi-oh most are familiar with is Yu-gi-oh Duelist (just found this out myself) and is the Yu-gi-oh you probably already know. There is no overarching plot to this mini series it is just Yugi fucking shit up playing games and destroying some bullies. I have yet to read any of Duelist as of the creation of this post therefore I cannot recommend it :/ 

Own: 5 (1-3 & 6-7)

Read: 7

Status: Completed at 7 volumes

5. The Way of the House Husband is about a former yakuza who gets married and flips his script. He becomes a house husband for his working wife and carries on doing chores and errands while still looking and acting scary unintentionally and getting himself in trouble. It is a slice of life comedy with some adult jokes but is over all extremely funny and pleasant to read.

Own: 0

Read: 2

Status: Ongoing at 7 volumes

6. Hikaru no Go is about a highschool boy who finds a haunted Go board. He meets the ghost who once was a prolific Go player. Together they work to become a world class Go champion meeting new people along the way. This series was cut short due to legal issues with a real Go player and therefore will remain unfinished but the story that is there is golden. It is still one of the most popular manga in Japan.

Own: 0

Read: 5

Status: Complete at 23 Volumes

7. Zatch Bell! This manga is about a teenager named Kiyo who gets sent a young boy with amnesia named Zatch Bell who turns out to be an alien called a momodo. Now the two must battle other momodo in order to understand what happened to Zatch and to make Zatch the new king. Along the way they make many friends and save both the momodo and human worlds. This one is difficult because it is a classic that did not do well in America so the volumes are expensive and the series is unfinished in English. You can only buy 27 of the volumes in English and a few of them are almost impossible to find, however it is well worth the money if you can afford it and it is available online.

Own: 6 (1-5 & 13)

Read: 15

Status: Complete at 33 Volumes only 27 printed in English (you can finish series online)

8. Fullmetal Alchemist is a cult classic most have read it, watched the series, or heard of it at the very least. This is one of the most popular Manga of all time and for good reason. The manga is about 2 brothers Alphonse and Edward on a journey to return their bodies to normal after committing the taboo of human transmutation. The manga has themes of racism, government corruption and manipulation of the military. The versions on my wishlist are the special Fullmetal Editions so they will have a different price point and volume number than the regular volumes or the omnibuses’ 

Own: 12

Read: 12

Status: Complete at 27 Volumes

9. Princess Jellyfish is about a young woman who is sort of an outcast otaku living with 5 other otaku women. She has a deep love for jellyfish as they remind her of her late mother. She meets a beautiful woman who turns out to be a male college student and slowly comes out of her shell making new friends and growing with old ones as well. This manga is very sweet and I really don’t know what else to say haha.

Own: 0

Read: 4

Status: Complete at 17 volumes

10. !!!HUGE TW FOR EATING DISORDERS!!! In Clothes Called Fat is a, oneshot, non romanticizing story of an office woman trying to lose weight and developing several eating disorders in the process. She goes through hardships in relationships and bullying as well. It has a bittersweet ending and should be read with caution but it is beautifully done. Please do not read this if you are under the age 16 at the very youngest there are NSFW moments as well as just generally not being a topic for younger audiences.

Own: No

Read: Yes

Status: Completed one shot

11. My LOVE Story!! Is an adorable Slice of Life shojo about a highschooler named Takeo Gouda, his girlfriend Yamato, and his best friend and hear throb Suna. This series is rather refreshing as the relationship starts pretty much immediately, the best friend is very supportive, and it is focused on Takeo’s personality over looks as he is often compared in manga to a gorilla or bear. It is a generally heart warming story with some emotional side plots. The ending is sort of sudden but it’s really enjoyable.

Own: 6 (1-3,8,10-12)

Read: 13

Status: Completed at 13 Volumes

12. Soul Eater is pretty popular but if you don’t know what it is about it is about a Weapon named Soul and his Meister Maka. They attend a school that teaches them how to defeat people before they turn into Demons, saving the world in the process. Once a weapon eats 100 evil souls and a witches soul they can become the new death Scythe! That is the plot presented, and it of course goes off into a much more complicated storyline. It is super fun and engaging with a fascinating plot near the end.

Own: 5

Read: 15

Status: Completed at 25 Volumes

13. D. Gray-Man is a little complicated. Similarly to Soul Eater D. Gray-Man is a story based around defeating people turned demon and the saving of the world through an organization, however the plot gets very complicated very quickly. The art is some of the most interesting and beautifully fun art I’ve come across and the characters are (so far as I’ve read) all amazing. The story has a lot of christian influence and is one you have to really keep up with to understand but I recommend it regardless!

Own: 10

Read: 10

Status: Ongoing at 27 Volumes

14. One-Punch Man is also very popular and is about a man who becomes so strong he only needs to punch you once to completely annihilate you, and it greatly annoys him. This manga greatly touches on the themes of self worth as Saitama becomes a hero that no one seems to want. The fights are fun and engaging, tho at times can be difficult to read. The art is gorgeous, with some of the most heavily detailed work I have ever seen.

Own: 3

Read: 7

Status: Ongoing at 21 Volumes

15. The Boy and The Beast is the manga adaptation of the movie by the same name. This is a bittersweet story about a boy who finds a family in the land of the beasts and the repercussions of this intermixing. It is sweet and sad and there’s not much else to say, but that it is a beautifully crafted story.

Own: 1

Read: 1 (but I’ve seen the movie and read the light novel)

Status: Complete at 4 Volumes

16. MAR is not a manga I should be recommending as I genuinely don’t think I have read enough of the story to do so but I love it so much I’m going to anyway. MAR is a classic Isekai Shonen, a kid goes through a door into another world and has to fight a war to save it, there is a super fun magic system and some wonderful story building with genuinely enjoyable characters and battles. I am recommending this more based off the anime than the manga itself because it was one of my absolute favorites when I was younger, so take from that what you will! This manga has the same issue Zatch Bell does however, the series did not do amazingly so the volumes can be expensive!

Own: 3

Read: 3

Status: Complete at 15 Volumes

Thank you for your time haha! I hope you liked the list, here is my wishlist again and if you have any questions please let me know!! I will try to keep this master list updated as it and the wishlist will only continue to grow, but I make no promises for doing it often. Making this took me a very long time so I hope you like it!

[eidetective]

Why did you choose to write Will and why do you portray him the way that you do?

For Munday, anonymously ask the mun something you want to know about them, their portrayal, or what they will/won’t write.

alright, so: i got into the fandom in mid-2013, right on the tail end of season 1. i roleplayed hannibal on here from about june, and sometime over the winter i started playing will on another site solely with some close friends, because i lovde him as a character but was shy about actually writing him publicly. early 2014, the s2 hype train is in full swing, i’m extremely excited about “dark!will” in the coming season and end up with way way way more muse for will, already hoarding urls and considering bringing him to tumblr.

then, early february, i get in on set as an extra in naka-choko and get a copy of the broadsides for the day. including the parts of the script for the scenes being filmed that day. one of the two scenes being filmed that day is the randall-tooth crime scene. naka-choko is not slated to air until may.

SO YEAH. that was quite the time to be a will fan. i had already been playing him and wanting to write him on tumblr, and i basically needed to vent all my hype somehow or i would have exploded, albeit couched in “AUs” and avoiding leaking any actual details, so the first iteration of my blog was born. and here i am five years later.

as for why i portray him the way i do, this is… basically just the result of my autistic ass hyperfixating for those five years and analyzing will’s character to pieces, so i’m trying to represent him in what i feel is the most true way i can to how his character was developed. the fact that i have, for most of the time i’ve been writing him, tended toward playing him very dark came from the circumstances back in ‘14, though—i had months to adjust to the fact that will was going to end up brutally mutilating someone (and explicitly enjoying it) in the latter half of s2, to rewatch s1 with what i knew about his character trajectory in mind, and to experience all of s2 knowing that was where he was heading. i believe that being in that position at the time (when i was 16 and read a lot of really trashy fanfiction, for context) helped me move away from the typical fandom tropes and mischaracterization and end up with what i think is a very well-developed interpretation of will’s character.

and nowadays i just kind of feel like

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

PEC (4): Carried on the Wings of an Eagle

Fourth post for the Lallybroch Library Prompt Exchange Challenge PROMPT #16: “Good morning. I see the assassins have failed.” (submitted by @the-fear-you-wont-fall). The posts, which will last for the next days, will later become part of the “Without worry” series. @thelallybrochlibrary -  This is a kind of longer "weekend chapter". Partially it was inspired by this video: Click!  My special thanks goes to @raunchyblonde21 :)

(”Sommerabend” by PDPhotos)

Quellheim Monday, August 25, 1749, early evening  

          It was a wonderful mild summer evening. They had dined in the garden. Now Fergus was sitting on one of the benches reading, while Claire stood at the entrance of her herb garden, surveying the rest of the garden from there. Between the part of the garden where she had grown vegetables and flowers and the geese enclosure stood seven trees of blue plums and two trees bearing yellow plums. Two more trees with round red plums joined the back garden wall. The fruits were nearly ripe and had to be harvested soon. There were too many fruits for three people to consume them.

          It had been the same in June, when the currants had ripened. Claire had discovered them shortly after she, Jamie and Fergus were brought here in February and had been given the farm. There were ten bushes that stood on a small piece of land that connected the garden with the meadow behind the stables. Seven of the bushes carried red currants. These bushes were of a smaller species. Behind them were two really large bushes of black currants. And hidden in the midst of all these bushes was an isolated smaller bush of white currants. Many of the red and white currants they had eaten fresh for dessert. A part of them Jamie had taken to the market. But the blackcurrants, which she knew were especially rich of vitamins and minerals, Claire had made into juice and preserved with alcohol. When Jamie saw what she was doing, he had jokingly asked her if she wanted to open a secret trade in liquors. As a result, she had taught him about the health benefits of the blackcurrant for half an hour ... He had rolled his eyes, thanked her, and assured her that he would not ask such a question again so quickly. She rolled her eyes, turned back to her work, and muttered something that sounded like ‘ignorant Scot’, but not without a little hidden smile. When they were finally able to enjoy the quietness of their bedchamber in the late evening that day, he had taken her hands and kissed them. Her fingers still smelled of the fruits. 

          "Have I ever told you how much I love your hands, Claire? They seem to bring healing and restoration to everything you touches here. With them you have made a home for Fergus and me out of this place. And out of the wilderness behind the house, you have created a garden that not only provides us with fruit and vegetables, but has become a small paradise in which we all can find peace. The work of your hands," he had whispered. Then he had kissed her hands again. 

          "And that's just what happens outwardly. I wish you could see what effect it has to Fergus, every time you hug him, tenderly run your hands through his hair. You really became his mother. Not only here. Not only through the adoption. Do you remember when we were searching for him after the battle of Prestonpans and he confessed to you that he probably killed a soldier? I will never forget seeing you two when you found him. You pressed him to your chest as if you wanted to absorb all his pain, all his exhaustion, the whole nightmare of having seen the darkness of war. If there ever was a day, Claire, on which you became his mother, it was that day. You pressed him to you and every touch of your hands said: ‘I care for you with all my heart.’” 

          Gently, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. Small rivulets of tears began to flow from them. She did not say anything. But in her mind she'd returned to the day they had feared they might have lost Fergus forever. When she finally found him, she did not know if her heart should burst with joy and relief, or if she should beat him for his carelessness. In the end, her heart had decided. But she knew that her heart had opened up for him much earlier and in a way that went far beyond the care that a person of mercy was able to give to an orphan. It was the night she'd found Fergus whimpering in his room. It was the night he told her about the terrible thing Black Jack Randall had done to him. It was the night he could not stop crying for blaming himself that Jamie had been arrested for challenging Randall to a duel and Claire had lost Faith. That night, she realized how much Fergus loved her and Jamie. Really loved them. That night Claire remembered a verse from the first Epistle of  St. John, written on one of the walls of the ‘L'Hôpital des Anges’: ‘Let us love, for He loved us first.’ She knew that these words referred to God. But could it be different between humans? Could she keep her heart closed to a person who showed her and Jamie so much love and care? She could not and she did not want it either. If there ever was a day, Claire had begun to think of Fergus as a son, it was that day. Jamie's soft whisper called her back to the present. 

        “Claire? Mo chridhe, what’s wrong?" 

        “Nothing, Jamie, nothing. I just love you both. With all my heart.” 

        “I know, Claire. And with your wonderful hands.”

 (”Speicherstadt Hamburg” by Karsten Bergamnn)  

North Sea Monday, August 25, 1749, early evening 

         His journey had gone well so far. Over the last days, Benjamin Smith had slowly become accustomed to the movements of the ship. After dinner with the captain, he had climbed up to the deck and leaned against the railing. The captain and the crew of the ship, which sailed under the flag of the Republic of the United Netherlands [1], left him alone most of the time. In particular, they did not ask any unpleasant questions as to why he wanted to leave Edinburgh under the cover of the night or why he was in such a hurry to get to Hamburg. Their welcomed ignorance was certainly helped by the special price Mr. Smith had paid for the trip - in gold.

        He enjoyed the fresh salty air and began to stretch his arms and legs. If the wind maintained that speed, he would reach the first destination of his journey in time. He had a ten-day lead and had to take advantage of that lead. The success of his mission depended largely on it. Last night he had already feared that he would not succeed. Although the actual autumn storms were still pending, the ship had to drive through a bad weather front. The thunderstorm and the ever-rising waves had given him a great deal of angst, though he tried to conceal this from the captain and the sailors. After he had left the deck, he had clung to everything in his cabin that he could somehow grab. But at some point his stomach rebelled so badly that he had to vomit. Luckily he was standing right next to the washing basin. Later, the thunderstorm had subsided, but the waves were still restless. In his fear, Benjamin Smith had resorted to a tried and tested remedy. He had begun to hum a song that his mother had taught him: 

Carried on the wings of an eagle over the roaring sea of time Carried on the wings of an eagle into eternity Over mountains and valleys and glades even higher to the heavenly height for strong are the wings that carry me the wings on which I stand And under the same wings how wonderful do I rest There is my place of refuge my firm and secure house The enemy may circle above me aim at me and spy as he will for strong are the wings that cover me and under those wings there is peace Yes, sheltered under the wings and kept on top of the wings there you find a blessed rest there you find a joyful ride there you find a firm assurance trough this changing pilgrimage for under those wings there is peace and on those wings there is strength [2]

         The song had not missed its desired effect. As in the stormy nights in which his mother had sung him to sleep with this tune, he calmed down gradually, and the storm and the waves did the same. The language was still alien to him, yet he had internalized the words for years. His mother had told him that it belonged to his father's favorite songs and every time she mentioned his father, a radiant smile had formed on her face that Benjamin would never forget.

        His father. If his journey was going well and he completed his mission successfully, he would see his father again before the end of the next month. And he knew he would not only see him again, he would make him proud too. But was it that what he wanted? He did not know. Too little did he know about the man who was his father. Why did this song have a special meaning for him? What did his father associate with it? What did these lines really mean? But maybe that would all change. Obviously fate had determined that from then on they would spend a lot of time together. This future prospect sparked ambivalent feelings in him.  

        But before his thoughts could continue to become entangled in the difficult family circumstances he had been born into, he forced himself to concentrate fully on his task. If everything went according to plan he would arrive in Hamburg in five days, change the ship and then go down the river Elbe for another three days until he would reach Magdeburg. There he would meet with the commander of the fortress, who would forward his message to Potsdam via the secret royal messenger system. He could only hope that his message arrived there in time. He told himself that that was no longer his responsibility. Yet he could not silence his inner unrest, which was caused by his uncertainty about the outcome of this affair. He would much rather have asked the commander for a horse of his own, so that he could bring the message to Potsdam himself and thus ensure that it arrived there on time. But he knew that he had neither the authority, nor would a single rider be able to accomplish this task. Precisely for this reason, the secret royal courier network had been set up many years ago. It was a tightly knit system of royal couriers carrying messages entrusted to them from one station to another. These riders were specially trained and had excellent horses. Each station was about a day's ride away, and when the courier arrived at one station, another, with a rested horse, was there and ready to pick up the documents and carry them on. It was - as Ambassador von Klinggräff had repeatedly emphasized - a very reliable and effective system. Nevertheless, Benjamin Smith hated to leave tasks unfinished, which had been entrusted to him. Such situations always left a mixture of uncomfortable feelings in him. He found it difficult to put these feelings into words, but he felt helpless. And this helplessness seemed to be accompanied by a feeling that something was lacking. Both led to an inner restlessness, which was very difficult to control. This led to more helplessness and with that, the whole vicious cycle began again. The fact that a failure this time could not only lead to a loss of money, land or power, but to the loss of three lives burdened him even more. The only solution was to focus on the things that mattered most in the respective situation.

        He stretched again and took a deep breath. Then, resolutely, he left the deck and went to his cabin. He undressed and put out the light. Shortly thereafter, he fell into a restless sleep.

(”Pflaumen” by cgonzalezandrade)

 Quellheim Monday, August 25, 1749, nearly one hour later the same evening 

         Claire turned her attention back to the plum trees. She had already detailed plans for what she would do with this immense harvest. One part they would eat fresh, another part Jamie would take to the market in Teichheim for sale. A third part she would use to make damson puree. The plums, which were not particularly juicy, she would dry and the rest, especially from the yellow and the red fruits, she would preserve in alcohol. Harvesting and preserving the fruits would mean a lot of work and yet she was happy. Jamie had been right. Much had improved over the last five month. With the beginning of the harvest season in the garden, their menu had become more and more varied, which - she had to smile - was reflected also in the weight of Jamie and Fergus.

         She looked over to the apple tree where Fergus sat on one of the benches, completely immersed in his book. In the course of the year he had grown quite a bit - physically, but also in his personality. The work at the farm was not only consuming a lot of time and strength, it also increased with each new purchase. Over the past few months, Claire has watched with delight as Fergus not only became enthusiastic about every new little project, but also took on more and more responsibility and diligently fulfilled his duties. It became increasingly obvious that he wanted to prove himself to Jamie as a true son. Since the end of the harvest, he and Jamie spent a lot more time together and it became apparent that this was good for both of them. Jamie was pleased to pass on his knowledge and skills to the boy, and Fergus enjoyed to finally be taken seriously as a man. Claire tried to support him in his efforts. But sometimes Jamie's comments on the lad's behavior led to very funny situations. 

        Today, two servants of farmer Rein had brought the two pigs that Jamie had picked and bought. He had assigned Fergus to herd them to the little meadow behind the stables. Together they had watched the boy fulfilling his task. 

        "He does it well. Just look with how much patience he takes care of them," Claire had said. But Jamie had just grinned and whispered: 

        "Sassenach, he does that because he already sees them as sausage and ham on his plate." 

        She had given him a light blow and shook her head with a smile. Then both had laughed aloud and Fergus, who had no clue about why they were laughing, turned to them with a serious look before turning his attention back to 'sausage' and 'ham' as Jamie called the two pigs henceforth. 

        As her gaze swept over the herb garden, her mind was meditating about the things that needed to be done there, Jamie had approached her. He had cleared his throat softly so as not to frighten her. Then he had put his arms around her waist and gently pulled her close. 

        "Good evening, Mr. Fraser," she whispered while melting into him. 

        "Good evening, Milady," he answered just as softly. 

        She felt his smile in her hair and put her hands over his arms. 

         "What do you think about, mo chridhe?" 

         "I've planed the work for this week. The rest of the fruit has to be harvested and we'll have a lot of work with it." 

         Instead of answering her, he began gently placing kisses down her neck. 

         "And what have you done, Mr. Fraser?" she asked with a certain ironic undertone in her voice. 

         "I looked for the animals and closed the gate, then made plans for the rest of the evening." 

         "And what are your plans for the rest of the evening, Mr. Fraser?" 

         "Well, first of all, I'd like to spend some more time with my family. I want to sit down with my wife and our bookworm, enjoying the mild weather, and then when it's dark, and hopefully our son is sleeping soundly, I intend to be close to my wonderful wife, as close as only I allowed to be." 

       "Really? Good to know that!" 

       "Is that ... a good plan, Mrs. Fraser?" 

       She turned into his embrace and nodded. 

       "This is a very good plan, Mr. Fraser. We should put it into action as soon as possible." 

       "Je suis prest, Milady."

Notes:

[1] For more information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic

[2] The original (German) song is “Auf Adlers Flügeln getragen”. The text was written by Anna von Werthern-Viebahn (1884 - 1931) and set to music by Emil Janssen and Johann Courad around the year 1920. You can find the original text here: Click! The (poor) translation above is mine.

[orbemnews]

Alabama Legislature votes to legalize medical marijuana The measure would create a medical cannabis commission to regulate, license and oversee distribution of medical marijuana. Doctors could prescribe medical marijuana for several conditions including cancer, a terminal illness, epilepsy and chronic pain. Patients would receive medical cannabis cards, and vaping or smoking of medical marijuana would be prohibited while products including gummies, oils or creams are allowed. The House version of SB 46 passed 68-34 in the chamber with bipartisan support Thursday after a vote on the measure had been blocked by Republicans during a nearly nine-hour debate in the chamber Tuesday night. The Senate, which initially passed the measure in February, approved of amendments to the legislation made by the House on Thursday night by a 20-9 vote, with one abstention. The legislation now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for her signature. Gina Maiola, press secretary for Ivey, told CNN in an email Thursday that “as with any piece of legislation that reaches the governor’s desk, we look forward to thoroughly reviewing it.” “We appreciate the debate from the Legislature on the topic,” Maiola continued. “This is certainly an emotional issue. We are sensitive to that and will give it the diligence it deserves.” The move toward legalizing medical marijuana in the conservative state comes as more state legislatures move to legalize recreational use of marijuana, including another Southern state, Virginia, where marijuana possession will become legal July 1. Mississippi residents voted to create a medical marijuana program during the November election. Alabama would be the 37th state to approve of medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The House sponsor of the legislation, Republican state Rep. Mike Ball, who had opposed previous medical marijuana measures and said he changed his mind after looking into the medical benefits of it, told CNN the bill could change other people’s minds about the state. “It might make a statement about our compassion. It might make a statement that we’re not completely closed to everything,” Ball said. “A lot of times folks get set in their ways and it’s just hard to open your heart to something. … It just tells you that we are changing our mind about some things, it’s just a slow go.” He also called for those opposed to the legalization of medical marijuana in the state to “open your heart, open your mind and listen to the other side.” Republican state Rep. Rich Wingo, who voted against the bill, told CNN on Thursday that he has fears about how it will be distributed and packaged. “They are suggesting chewable gummy-type candy, I would rather see it in a form that is least appealing from a child’s view,” Wingo wrote an email. “My point is anything that is less attractive to a child, a child could possibly see these gummys (left unattended) and think they are candy or daily vitamins as example.” The measure also faces opposition beyond the legislature from 23 Alabama district attorneys, who in April wrote a letter to the State Legislature urging lawmakers to oppose the bill, calling marijuana “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Efforts to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana and overhaul marijuana laws in the state, where recreational use is illegal, have long been debated, including since 2005, when Democratic state Rep. Laura Hall introduced medical marijuana legislation. The latest bill is named the “Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act” after her son who died of AIDS. In 2019, Ivey signed legislation sponsored by Republican state Sen. Tim Melson into law that created a commission to study medical marijuana and extended “Carly’s Law,” allowing the use of CBD oil to treat children with seizures. In April, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin issued a blanket pardon for more than 15,000 closed marijuana convictions from 1990 to 2020. This story has been updated with additional reporting. Source link Orbem News #Alabama #Alabamamedicalmarijuana:Legislaturevotestolegalizeuse-CNNPolitics #Legalize #legislature #Marijuana #medical #Politics #Votes

[dipulb3]

Alabama Legislature votes to legalize medical marijuana

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/alabama-legislature-votes-to-legalize-medical-marijuana/

Alabama Legislature votes to legalize medical marijuana

The measure would create a medical cannabis commission to regulate, license and oversee distribution of medical marijuana. Doctors could prescribe medical marijuana for several conditions including cancer, a terminal illness, epilepsy and chronic pain. Patients would receive medical cannabis cards, and vaping or smoking of medical marijuana would be prohibited while products including gummies, oils or creams are allowed.

The House version of SB 46 passed 68-34 in the chamber with bipartisan support Thursday after a vote on the measure had been blocked by Republicans during a nearly nine-hour debate in the chamber Tuesday night. The Senate, which initially passed the measure in February, approved of amendments to the legislation made by the House on Thursday night by a 20-9 vote, with one abstention. The legislation now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for her signature.

Gina Maiola, press secretary for Ivey, told Appradab in an email Thursday that “as with any piece of legislation that reaches the governor’s desk, we look forward to thoroughly reviewing it.”

“We appreciate the debate from the Legislature on the topic,” Maiola continued. “This is certainly an emotional issue. We are sensitive to that and will give it the diligence it deserves.”

The move toward legalizing medical marijuana in the conservative state comes as more state legislatures move to legalize recreational use of marijuana, including another Southern state, Virginia, where marijuana possession will become legal July 1. Mississippi residents voted to create a medical marijuana program during the November election.

Alabama would be the 37th state to approve of medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The House sponsor of the legislation, Republican state Rep. Mike Ball, who had opposed previous medical marijuana measures and said he changed his mind after looking into the medical benefits of it, told Appradab the bill could change other people’s minds about the state.

“It might make a statement about our compassion. It might make a statement that we’re not completely closed to everything,” Ball said. “A lot of times folks get set in their ways and it’s just hard to open your heart to something. … It just tells you that we are changing our mind about some things, it’s just a slow go.”

He also called for those opposed to the legalization of medical marijuana in the state to “open your heart, open your mind and listen to the other side.”

Republican state Rep. Rich Wingo, who voted against the bill, told Appradab on Thursday that he has fears about how it will be distributed and packaged.

“They are suggesting chewable gummy-type candy, I would rather see it in a form that is least appealing from a child’s view,” Wingo wrote an email. “My point is anything that is less attractive to a child, a child could possibly see these gummys (left unattended) and think they are candy or daily vitamins as example.”

The measure also faces opposition beyond the legislature from 23 Alabama district attorneys, who in April wrote a letter to the State Legislature urging lawmakers to oppose the bill, calling marijuana “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Efforts to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana and overhaul marijuana laws in the state, where recreational use is illegal, have long been debated, including since 2005, when Democratic state Rep. Laura Hall introduced medical marijuana legislation. The latest bill is named the “Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act” after her son who died of AIDS.

In 2019, Ivey signed legislation sponsored by Republican state Sen. Tim Melson into law that created a commission to study medical marijuana and extended “Carly’s Law,” allowing the use of CBD oil to treat children with seizures. In April, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin issued a blanket pardon for more than 15,000 closed marijuana convictions from 1990 to 2020.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

[gpm-maam]

Regional Coordinator Letter - February 2021

As humans, we demarcate life fairly arbitrarily. Most people start goals on Mondays, the starts of months, and the new year, but there’s nothing inherently special about any of those things. We’ve talked a lot about how 2020 was such an awful year, but nothing magical happened at midnight on January 1st. As a society, we have assigned significance and “fresh starts” where there really are none. I’m both amused by this and also determined to do better about going for walks outside… starting Monday.

We do have a fresh start with Mensa though! We’ve learned a lot in the last year about how to be in community when we’re separated. One thing I’m looking forward to is GLAAM’s Regional Gathering, coming up February 13th. StaRGazing will be entirely virtual. They have some wonderful speakers lined up, and there’s going to be a storytelling session in the evening. Reach out to Randall Mills at rjmills@gmail.com if you want to tell a story!

I’m working my way through the local groups to hear from members in my “fireside chats”. I’m anticipating these to be quarterly, and this first quarter is to figure out if people actually engage and want a call just for their local group. So far, I’ve meet with two groups. I’m doing a bunch in February, with my last one on March 1st. I hope you’ll join when the time comes! It’s your chance to say what’s on your mind about local and national Mensa issues. I look forward to meeting more of you.

We’re in an election cycle, and I would like to ask that you read candidate statements, reach out to candidates with questions, and participate in this. We have a referendum about extending the terms to 3 years, and if it passes, you’ll get people on the board for a lot longer than before. Please engage thoughtfully and elect people that you feel will advocate for the good of the organization and its membership. https://www.us.mensa.org/lead/amc/elections/2021-election-portal/ has all the info about the election.

As always, if you have feedback, you can reach me at rachelregion9@gmail.com or by phone at 385.330.4422.

Rachel Kibler Region 9 Coordinator

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, February 1

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Conspiracy Exposed! White Supremacists Caused Capitol Riot 

Page 2: Friends of scandal-scarred Shia LaBeouf fear he is sliding off the rails now that galpal Margaret Qualley has suddenly dumped him and Shia feels deserted and completely alone since Margaret walked out on him and he was blindsided when the actress took off in the wake of abuse accusations by his past girlfriends and colleagues labeled him difficult -- Shia thought he could count on Margaret to be at his side while he defended himself but she’s been warned by friends and family he’s toxic in Hollywood and that staying with him could ruin her career 

Page 3: Siegfried Fischbacher’s sad last days have been full of tears and regret as the ailing entertainer prepares to be reunited in the afterlife with cherished partner Roy Horn -- the German-born illusionist has been fighting pancreatic cancer but after having a malignant tumor removed during a 12-hour surgery last month, Siegfried left the facility to die at Little Bavaria which is the Las Vegas home he long shared with Roy

Page 4: Angelina Jolie has been digging up dirt on ex-husband Brad Pitt’s pals in a desperate bid to get the upper hand in their toxic divorce war -- Angie and her team are still looking for whatever they can get on Brad but he’s so squeaky clean these days they’re turning their attention to the rockers and grungy types that he hangs with in L.A. and it’s all very twisted but Angie is willing to try anything at this point -- Angie and Brad’s custody battle is at a standstill with Angie refusing to budge with her demand for full custody of the kids while Brad wants more visitation rights -- Angie is likely to be barking up the wrong tree because Brad’s friends are sober clean-living types who have been a huge influence in helping him turn his life around but she’s leaving no stone unturned in this divorce fight 

* Consciously unconventional Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Brad Falchuk are taking mini-breaks to prove that absence makes the heart grow fonder -- the love is there but Gwyneth is suggesting they try mini-me breaks to keep the embers burning in their relationship and she believes separating from time to time will stir up the passion ad anticipation between them -- Gwyneth often slips off for short trips without Brad and feels no guilt or remorse for it and she encourages Brad to do the same and says it makes her miss him when he’s away

Page 5: Sandra Bullock has become buddies with Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith and is reaping the benefits of the longtime couple’s hard-earned advice and Sandra’s five-year romance with photographer Bryan Randall has never been better -- the new friendship blossomed after Sandra appeared on Jada’s Red Table Talk show to celebrate frontline workers during the pandemic and Sandra and Jada have gotten really close since then and Jada’s been giving Sandra tips about how to handle the highs and lows of a relationship and learning to appreciate her man 

Page 6: Newbie twosome Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are already shopping for a love shack and they want to be with each other all the time and they both need permanent places to live because Olivia’s been staying at a temporary place and Harry’s been staying with friends and they both want someplace where they can be together in private -- Olivia wants two places which is one where she can be a mother to her kids with ex Jason Sudeikis but she also wants a love nest to share with Harry and they’ve been looking in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas because they’re in love but they don’t want to flaunt their relationship in front of her kids; Olivia has too much fondness and respect for Jason to do that

Page 7: Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher have been gushing all over each other but they’ve worked 24/7 for months to avoid a divorce -- they had very real problems that stretched back years because Carrie was either working too hard in the recording studio or on the road or in their home gym and their issues never really got addressed head-on and they were even talking divorce but lockdown has done them both a world of good by forcing them to get to know each other all over again 

* Covidiot of the Week -- Bruce Willis got booted from a Los Angeles Rite Aid rather than put on a mask to protect his freaked-out fellow shoppers -- Bruce was wearing a bandana around his neck as he strolled the aisles of the pharmacy but he apparently lacked the strength to pull it up and over his nose and mouth because he refused to wear a mask and he walked out of the store leaving his intended purchases behind rather than respond to a manager’s plea to have some respect for other people 

Page 8: Love-starved Kelly Clarkson is having a little “Office” romance with one of the beloved sitcom’s former stars Craig Robinson -- a recent flirt-fest on Kelly’s chat show has left the newly single mother of two singing the comic actor’s praises to pals and he totally swept her off her feet and she thinks he’s cute and one of the funniest guys she’s ever met -- the mutual attraction between the two was immediate and obvious and she’s been reaching out to him on the phone and they’ve been continuing their funny and flirty repartee -- Kelly thinks he’s the perfect catch and wants to start 2021 off on the right foot after all the hell she’s going through in her divorce from Brandon Blackstock 

* Embattled Ellen DeGeneres has cooked up a new plan to save her troubled career and marriage: a baby -- last year was the toughest year of her life let alone her career and she’s hoping a baby may be the answer to all her problems -- it was hell at home for wife Portia de Rossi because Ellen was blasting her about anything and everything and Portia declared she had no intention of being Ellen’s personal punching bag and Ellen has now realized how harsh she had been on her spouse of 12 years and that’s when Ellen cooked up the concept of having a baby to bond over and Ellen is convinced that sharing a child will bring them closer together again and is willing to go the surrogate route to make it happen -- she also believes bringing a baby into her life will improve her image and it’s a can’t-lose scenario in her mind 

Page 9: Kelly Ripa is pushing pal Ryan Seacrest to find new romance online -- Ryan spent the holidays alone after being dumped by his on-off galpal Shayna Taylor but Kelly believes he can find lasting love with an age-appropriate partner -- Ryan is 46 and he’s dated some of the most beautiful women in the world but Kelly thinks he’d do a lot better if he looked for women closer to his age and Kelly has been pushing him to try a dating app like Raya which caters to a star-studded clientele -- Kelly has been happily married for 21 years and wants the same happiness for Ryan and she thinks he can find that by using an app where he can find a woman in his age bracket with similar interests and attitudes 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Malin Akerman hit the road on her bike in L.A., shirtless Justin Bieber hitting the shore in Hawaii, Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts smoothed back her hairdo on the morning show set, Larsa Pippen posed on her Porsche outside her Miami mansion, dapper dresser Chris Pine shot scenes from the upcoming thriller All the Old Knives in London 

Page 11: Dustin Diamond has been hospitalized with searing pain and is undergoing tests to pin down the cause of the mystery ailment but he feared prognosis is cancer which is said to have a history of the disease in his family

* Carol Burnett is overjoyed her temporary guardianship of grandson Dylan Hamilton-West has been extended but remains heartbroken her troubled daughter Erin is not yet prepared to resume her role as a parent -- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deborah L. Christian extended the guardianship until November 30 and praised Carol and her husband Brian Miller saying that everything seems to be going along swimmingly -- the judge also ruled Erin will be allowed supervised weekly visits with Dylan 

* The house that tragic Glee star Naya Rivera shared with her son Josey in Los Feliz, California is up for sale for $2,695,000 -- Naya purchased the four-bedroom, three-bath home in May 2018 for $1,660,000 just a month before her divorce from Ryan Dorsey with whom she she shared custody of Josey 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Katie Couric desperately hopes her guest host stint on Jeopardy! will turn into a full-time job replacing the late Alex Trebek -- it will be positioned that Katie is guest-hosting for a week but it’s actually an audition; all the upcoming Jeopardy! guest hosts are being tested out and depending on how they do and how the audience responds one of them will get the gig full-time -- the show is moving very carefully to replace Alex because they get one shot at this and if they hire the wrong person the show is over 

* Kathy Griffin won’t ever be able to mend fences with former BFF Anderson Cooper after she posted a gruesome image of Donald Trump’s decapitated head -- Anderson holds a grudge like no other and once you upset him it’s for life -- he isn’t rude and he’s not vindictive but he has zero interest in ever being friends with Kathy ever again 

* Image-obsessed Tom Cruise has boosted security since audiotapes were leaked of his meltdown on the Mission: Impossible set -- all phones and non-official recording devices have been banned from the set and Tom has become increasingly annoyed at anything being leaked from his closed set and he’s very controlling when it comes to his image and he’s upped his security to make sure a breach in protocol like that never happens again 

* Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn glams it up for a photo shoot in Bel-Air (picture)

Page 13: Sylvester Stallone is ready to relinquish his title as Tinseltown’s reigning action champ to enjoy the final rounds of his heavyweight career at his new Florida mansion surrounded by his family -- he isn’t hanging up his gloves in the movie business just yet but is content to coast to the final bell at the $35 million West Palm Beach estate with Jennifer Flavin his wife of 23 years -- Sly’s been working his butt off for decades and he’s finally got the perfect place where they can settle down and host their children whenever they want a proper family gathering 

* Jennifer Garner hasn’t even moved into her $7.5 million home yet but she’s already installed a state-of-the-art security system to keep it safe -- the safety-conscious mom of three is building her Los Angeles dream home from scratch right around the corner from where she lived with ex-husband Ben Affleck and while the finishing touches aren’t complete she has made serious security arrangements like motion detectors and lights and safes and up to 20 surveillance cameras around the posh pad to keep intruders away from her and the children she shares with Ben: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel -- it’s costing her a fortune but she’ll spend whatever she needs to keep her family safe 

Page 14: Crime 

Page 15: Accused rapist Danny Masterson could be dumped by the Church of Scientology to protect its leader David Miscavige -- the Church of Scientology is not loyal to anyone but itself and it has no interest in its parishioners even Danny Masterson and if their leader is going to be exposed they will take out Danny in a heartbeat; he’d be excommunicated -- Masterson faces criminal charges he raped three women and he’s also battling a civil suit filed by four women who accuse him of rape and Scientology of intimidating them into silence and not reporting the crimes to police -- attorneys for the fourth woman Marie Bobette Riales are trying to serve a subpoena on Miscavige in a bid to expose the ruthless tactics used by Scientology to hide the twisted secrets of its celebrity members -- the controversial church will do anything including dumping Danny to prevent Miscavige from being dragged into court but if Scientology turns on Danny he could spill all their secrets on the stand 

Page 16: Hollywood kid Rumer Willis has rewarded herself for four years of sobriety with a plastic surgery tune-up -- in a photo she recently posted to Instagram her face appeared more streamlined and her new look is likely due to cosmetic enhancements 

* Nagging allegations that Kanye West is gay and had affairs with two male beauty gurus could not have come at a worse time for the troubled rapper -- Kanye is furious at the salacious accusations just as his marriage to Kim Kardashian is hanging by a thread and although Kanye is far from homophobic but the last thing he needs right now is to try and fight off rumors about his sexuality just when he’s desperate to save his marriage and he thinks the accusers are just trying to capitalize on his current problems and trying to crush any hope he has of staying together with Kim -- TikTok influencer Ava Louise dropped the first bomb in early January when she claimed Kanye slept with male YouTuber Jeffree Star and that it played a role in the current fractured state of his marriage and less than 24 hours after Ava shared her shocking claims she received a cease-and-desist letter from Kim’s mom Kris Jenner’s communications company -- Jeffree Star took to YouTube to deny the affair -- another male beauty influencer Cole Carrigan then jumped on the bandwagon and claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Kanye at Hollywood’s W hotel and said he had receipts and texts between him and one of the rapper’s bodyguards adding he didn’t want to say too much because he didn’t want a lawsuit from Kim Kardashian West but two days later Cole posted a video of himself with a cease-and-desist letter from the bodyguard’s attorney 

Page 17: Only a week after Larry King was hospitalized with a life-threatening COVID-19 diagnosis his estranged wife Shawn splurged on a three-hour shopping spree -- Shawn didn’t seem to have a care in the world when she was snapped browsing for beauty supplies and home furnishings in L.A. while at the same time her soon-to-be ex-husband remained hospitalized in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after being transferred from the intensive care unit 

Page 18: American Life 

Page 19: Kim Cattrall’s feud with Sex and the City co-star Sarah Jessica Parker just won’t die -- Kim who played Samantha Jones recently liked a tweet from a fan praising her for not joining her former castmates in an upcoming SATC reboot -- Kim and Sarah reportedly clashed behind the scenes for years 

* Amber Heard splashed out more than $1 million in donations toward fulfilling her pledge to give away her $7 million divorce settlement from Johnny Depp -- one of Amber’s attorneys challenged charges from Depp’s legal team who claimed Amber had pocketed the princely sum -- Amber has been delayed in that goal because Johnny filed a lawsuit against her and consequently she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending his claims against her 

Page 20: Daring Duchess Sarah Ferguson has written a racy romance novel and she’s taken inspiration from her very own love life -- the ex-wife of Britain’s Prince Andrew who was scandalously snapped having her tootsies sucked by a suitor in 1992 penned Her Heart for a Compass which is set to be released this summer -- Sarah said the page-turner was inspired by the life of her great-aunt Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott and the work incorporates research into the duchess’ heritage and draws upon her own unique life journey and experiences -- the historical saga is set in the late 1800s 

* Hollywood Hookups -- Luke Evans and boyfriend Rafa Olarra split, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly move into together, LeToya Luckett and husband Tommicus Walker split 

Page 21: Prince Harry’s sporting a new crowning glory which is a ponytail -- that’s the dish from Rob Lowe who spotted Harry’s new ‘do while driving in their California neighborhood -- Rob said it looked that his hair had grown very long and was pulled back very tightly in a ponytail and he even followed the car to Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s mansion to make sure it was him -- Rob said Harry lives about a mile from him and he’s been very reclusive and seeing him is like seeing the Loch Ness Monster 

* George Clooney’s face has blown up like a balloon -- he looked painfully gaunt for months after rapidly dropping 28 pounds to play an ailing scientist in his latest movie The Midnight Sky but once the sickly star has bounced back and judging from his mug he’s apparently been pigging out in a bid to regain the weight he lost 

* Brendan Fraser is gearing up for a big career comeback as a 600-pound recluse in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale -- the choice of the role is ironic as the once-chiseled star seemed to fall out favor with Tinseltown bigwigs when his own weight ballooned -- Brendan is poised to make a whopper of a return to leading man status with meaty character Charlie who is a grief-stricken compulsive eater who seeks to reconnect with his estranged daughter 

Page 22: Explosive evidence reveals Earth is in great danger from attacking space aliens but despite a 3000-document cache released by the CIA, the government is still finding ways to classify extraterrestrial information -- the CIA dossier was obtained by John Greenewald Jr. and published on his Black Vault website -- the documents were likely released because of a new law that is part of the recent $2.3 billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress requiring government agencies to spill the beans on the UFO data they’ve amassed over 70 years 

* Agonizing health woes threaten to push long-suffering Lisa Marie Presley over the edge -- Lisa Marie has been in a lot of pain and years of drug and alcohol abuse have devastated her body -- she’s recently battled liver ailments and an abdominal muscle tear and suffered a hernia and had to have two teeth removed -- in addition to being in physical torment Lisa Marie had to move out of her Los Angeles home while workers addressed a problem with toxic mold -- Lisa Marie was already close to rock bottom after her son Ben Keough killed himself in July and amid her grief she’s still embroiled in a lawsuit with her former manager  and locked in an ugly divorce and custody battle with fourth husband Michael Lockwood the father of her twins Harper and Finley 

Page 23: As more shocking details emerged from Armie Hammer’s former girlfriends about what they claim are his sick and twisted fetishes for rape, bondage and cannibalism his career is crumbling before his eyes -- although many had trouble believing the depths of depravity allegedly revealed in private messages an anonymous woman claimed the actor sent her, even his estranged wife is shocked and sickened by Armie’s tawdry reported sexual tastes -- this is not the kind of scandal any actor would want to be linked to -- his pals are urging him to get counseling as the scandal could kill the trust-fund actor’s career 

Page 25: Cover Story -- It’s just the beginning! Capitol riot conspiracy exposed -- Proud Boys led blood-soaked siege -- 5-page investigative special 

Page 29: Outspoken Arnold Schwarzenegger likened the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol which left 5 dead to Nazi violence -- the former California governor and staunch Republican compared the January 6 riots by protestors, who refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, to German’s Kristallnacht in 1938 -- in a video address Austrian-born Schwarzenegger who’s held U.S. citizenship since 1983 said Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States 

Page 32: Health 

Page 38: Tormented actor Gabriel Byrne confessed he finally confronted the priest who abused him when he was 11 years old and it didn’t go well -- Byrne phoned the pedophilic priest in 2002 but the sicko said he has no recollection and even thanked Gabriel for reaching out -- Gabriel wanted in those last seconds to say that even though he doesn’t believe in Hell he hopes the priest did because he wanted him to be terrified and burn forever but he said nothing because some part of him did not want to hurt an old man with a kindly voice stuck in a retirement home 

* Miley Cyrus decorates her home with X-rated doodads -- she said in an interview that she likes sex toys and she buys them for herself but ends up using them for interior design

Page 40: Sleazy sex creep Jeffrey Epstein was nearly snared in a To Catch a Predator-style sting almost five years before the pedophile’s suspicious death in a Manhattan prison dished journalist Chris Hansen -- the former NBC host recently claimed in 2014 or 2015 after Epstein’s first jail stint for soliciting a minor he met with lawyers for some of the sex offenders alleged victims who claimed the financier was abusing underage girls -- they had a big file on it according to Hansen and he was trying to fashion a Predator-like sting operation in which they could catch him but he gave up on his quest because security at Epstein’s NYC and Florida homes made it very difficult to come up with something -- Hansen admitted not nailing Epstein was his biggest career regret 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Taylor Swift at the Grammys 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Mayim Bialik on the premiere episode of her sitcom Call Me Kat 

Page 47: The Odd List 

[suckitsurveys]

Amazingly new questions, you ready? I seriously doubt that.

What is something that is bothering you right now? See?

Will you be in a relationship one month from now? Again. Yes I will.

Who was the last person to see you cry? My sister. They were happy tears. I got all choked up my niece’s first school pictures because they caught me off guard. She’s so fucking gorgeous.

Do you drink bottled water? Sure.

What was the last thing you drank? Water.

Do you hate the last person who called you? I don’t even remember who that was.

Where is your best friend right now? They are probably all at work. Randal might be off already; he works the night shift.

Do you believe in love? I do.

Name something you dislike about the day you’re having? It’s cold.

If you’re being extremely quiet, what does that mean? I’m not talking.

Last person of the opposite sex you texted single? Nope. We are married.

Tell me about the shirt you’re wearing: It’s a shirt with the school I work for’s logo on it.

How long have you lived in your current home? Exactly one year yesterday.

You never know what you have until it’s gone. True or false? It can be true in some cases, sure.

Are you sad when someone says they hate you? Depends on the person.

Are you scared of losing the person you like to someone else? No.

Will you be in bed in the next 20 minutes? I wish. I am SO sleepy.

Do you laugh at inappropriate times? Sometimes.

What time did you wake up today? 5:40am.

Would you rather be single all your life or grow old with someone? Grow old with someone.

How many bracelets do you have on right now? One, and a hair tie if that counts.

How long have you liked the person you like right now? 8 years.

Is there someone of the opposite sex you can talk to? Yes.

Do you like mac n cheese? Of course.

Do you get mad when people don’t text back? If it’s something urgent yeah.

What does your phone do when it receives a text? It’s usually on silent, but a little message icon pops up on my home screen and an LED light will flash green.

How late did you stay up til last night and why? Until 1am because we got to my dad’s late.

Are you going out of town soon? Yes, in a week.

Think back to Februrary, how was your love life? It’s February right now.

Will you regret your next kiss? Nope.

What is in your pocket? Nothing.

Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night? Several times.

Are you happier now or 5 months ago? Probably 5 months ago because it was still warm and there was no snow.

Are you usually wide awake when you wake up? Yes and no?

Can you remember the last person you texted without looking? My sister.

Can you sleep without blankets covering you? Nope.

Do you listen to music everyday? In one way or another.

How long have you known your first phone contact? Since high school. Not even sure if that’s still her number though, haha.

Who are all your texts in your inbox from? People who sent me texts.

Do you have a hard time making decisions? Depends.

Are you gonna be home alone tonight? Nope.

What are you looking forward to? SUSHI TONIGHT! And Wisconsin next week!!!!!

Are you a morning or night person? Night.

Are you excited for this weekend? The only two things I have planned are getting a mani/pedi and taking my neighbor and her dog to their puppy class because her husband has to work.

What are you wearing on your feet? Boots.

If there was a large spider in your room, would you stay in the room? Yeah.

What is the last thing you touched, other than your computer? My bracelet, to fix it.

When was the last time you talked to your best friend? Yesterday.

Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? Nope.

Are you a social or anti-social person? Both.

Can you recall the last time you liked someone? Right now.

Where were you last night at 8 PM? My house.

What color is your cell phone? Purpley-grey.

What is the last non-alcoholic beverage you drank? Water.

Your last received text, would you kiss them? Not romantically, that’s my sister.

Have you told anybody you loved them and meant it? Yup.

Are you in a good mood? Yeah, I’m pretty content.

What were you doing an hour ago? Working.

Is there anyone that could make your day if they showed up at your house? Well, no one is there right now so no one would let her in, haha.

Does your middle name begin with an A, M, or S? An M.

How old was the last person you rode in a car with? 33.

What color was the last vehicle you were in? Grey.

Do you have plans for next weekend? I already said what I was going.

What was the last movie you saw in theaters and who did you go with? My dad and I saw the Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts yesterday.

How old were you in 1999? 9 until September.

Are you taller than 5'6"? Nope.

Who were the last three people to call you? I have no idea. Bill collectors, probably.

What were you doing last night at 10pm? Addressing Valentines to send to my friends.

If you turn around, what is behind you? My coworker’s desk.

Would you dye your hair hot pink for $50? I’d do it for free, it;s been pink before.

Do you have any step or half siblings? Nope.

What color is your underwear? Black.

Where did you get the shirt you are wearing? A campus store.

Who was the last person to hug you? My husband.

Who is on your mind right now? ^ since I just mentioned him.

In how many years will you be thirty? I turn 30 next year.

What are your plans after this? More surveys.

Are you currently barefoot? Nope.

What’s the dumbest thing you have ever said? Dude.

You can never drink tea again or soda. Which do you give up? Shit. I don‘t drink a lot of soda anymore but I love my root beer so that would be tough.

Last time you drank coffee? Friday night.

Do you listen to screamo? Nope.

In what month were you born? September.

Do you take vitamins daily? Yes.

Who is your 9th contact in your phone? I don’t feel like looking.

How many programs are running on your computer now? Four.

What’s the first icon on your desktop? The start menu?

What were you doing at 8:00 this morning? Working.

How old is the cellphone you have right now? Less than a year old.

Do you get pissed off when your computer freezes? It’s irritating, yes.

What’s the last thing you laughed at? My coworker.

What’s one thing you hate about your best friend? How far away she is.

Where is your dad right now? Working.

[theseventhhex]

Empath Interview

Empath

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

Empath goes far beyond the sound of birds faintly chirping. They’re a band that writes songs like communing with nature, bringing all their fuzzed and tripped out idiosyncrasies into harmony. Empath began in 2016 when Garrett Koloski, Emily "Jem" Shanahan, and Catherine Elicson moved into a house in West Philadelphia together, with Randall Coon joining shortly after. Even with the simple vision to shred, there’s a natural sensitivity in the way Empath communicates. Between the contrast of Elicson’s lush, almost delicate vocals, Koloski’s boisterous drumming, and the half-harmonious wash of guitar and Shanahan and Coon’s synths, Empath equips us with a healthy dose of emotional repose… We talk to the band about timeline restraints, touring downtime and desert island records…

TSH: Were there specific primary experiences you drew upon for your album ‘Active Listening: Night on Earth?

Empath: We wanted to create something immersive and other-worldly yet accessible and filled with memorable hooks. There were times in the van together where we listened to a lot Tegan and Sara or Fleetwood Mac and the melodies and perfect pop songwriting just felt overwhelming at times. When certain parts of songs hit, it just makes you want to cry. For us, a good pop melody can be a vehicle of transcendence, so a lot of inspiration is drawn from those experiences. Similarly, noise can also feel transcendent. The idea of layered sounds that aren’t really graspable on first listen and take you through a sonic journey were also driving forces behind the record.

TSH: How many voice memos did you have to choose from and tamper with?

Empath: When the songs are in their bedroom phase it’s all kind of recorded in voice memos. And then every evolution of the song requires more voice memo-ing. But beyond the songs themselves, there are a lot of field recording type noises that ended up on the record too. Some were in voice memos and some on a Zoom recorder. Total voice memos for this record = 60 with titles such as “Pasta recording” and “Rowing with Keyngs”.

TSH: How would you describe the band’s jamming sessions when new music is coming together?

Empath: Catherine brings a riff down into the basement, and that’s when Garrett and Catherine figure out the tempo, vibe and how freaky we wanna get it. Once us two, jam it out / loosely structure it (which usually doesn’t take that much time, we’re quick), then Randall and Jem add their keyboard parts and at that point it’s usually nothing like the original riff that Catherine came up with in her bedroom.

TSH: What were the most challenging features in bringing together this record?

Empath: Timeline! We tried to bust it out pretty quick. We started writing it mid-summer 2018 then we recorded it in 5 days in mid -November 2018. Then mixed and mastered it by early February. It was a very expedited process because we were all sick of working for meagre wages. We yearned to achieve something more than serving rich kids and yuppies lattes and pizza. We still have to do that but there are more things to look forward to now… It was also quite difficult to find a recording space since we had no funding. Then Walter Schreifels came to the rescue, and we ended up renting his beautiful home in upstate New York for cheap and set up everything there.

TSH: Do you embrace the notion of having spontaneity and trial and error when you formulate new songs?

Empath: I think some of my favourite parts about writing songs are meshing two things that don’t typically fit together. I like making somewhat pop formulations but making them as heavy as possible, or as fast as we can make it. Being sloppy and tasteful is fun. Always trying to fit as many things together with little space.

TSH: What is your song ‘Pure Intent’ in relation to?

Empath: Waking up and remembering all your thoughts and feelings, then getting out of bed.

TSH: Also, how many iterations of the track ‘Heaven’ did you have before settling on the final version?

Empath: Just the one on ‘Crystal Reality’ and the one on ‘Night on Earth!’ We thought the song deserved a higher quality recording with Randall’s parts added.

TSH: Do you feel touring is all about the little pleasures, bearing in mind the limited time you have to sight-see and take in of various landscapes, cultures etc.?

Empath: We always try to have some fun extracurricular activities when time allows. We’re going to SUR restaurant in Los Angeles for Cathy’s birthday this upcoming tour and NOTHING could be more exciting. In the past we’ve made time for Glacier and Zion national parks, which were both mind-blowing. The best aspects of touring are the never ending sleepovers with your best friends.

TSH: What features of West Philadelphia does the band love most?

Empath: Clark Park, our houses, friends, beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring, stinky ornamental pear trees, so much Ethiopian food, staying inside during rush week and the free pickings when the students leave, they literally throw everything away.

TSH: What’s pleased you most about Empath’s progression to date?

Empath: The opportunity to focus more of our time on creating art rather than clocking in to work.

TSH: What are your downtime essentials when you’re not involved with music?

Empath: Cathy loves reading, cooking, walking while listening to podcasts, drinking coffee, putting outfits on and watching Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules. For Garrett it’s all about always staying busy and always being on the hunt for cool old music and sounds. Randall likes spending time in his garden and a soldering station, as well as hiking and hunting for mushrooms. Finally, Jem likes going to the park, going to happy hour, watching rom coms, day dreaming, eating cheese boards, late night hangs on her porch and pondering nature.

TSH: How did your previous band name Insane Clown Puss come to be?

Empath: It just popped in to our genius minds one day. Then when we ran into some copyright issues we had to think fast and came up with Empath by combing Catherine and Jem’s names. Whoop whoop!

TSH: What does it mean to you to express yourself through music?

Empath: Applying everything you’re inspired by to creating a listening experience for yourself and other people.

TSH: What are your top 5 desert island records?

Empath: Garrett: Antichrist Superstar… Catherine - I See a Darkness by Bonnie Prince Billy… Randall - Replicas by Tubeway Army… Jem: Paul Simon- Rhythm of the Saints… And as a collective we’ll go for Tegan and Sara - the Con!

Empath - “Soft Shape”

Active Listening: Night on Earth

[cathrynstreich]

The New Face of Franchising

Leading Independents Unite to Create Corcoran Global Living

In February, the Corcoran Group, Realogy’s premier lifestyle brand operating in New York City, Miami, The Hamptons, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Fla., announced its first foray into the franchising arena—and its first-ever West Coast presence—with the formation of the new brand Corcoran Global Living.

While the venture may be brand new, the players involved are anything but. Corcoran Global Living combines two well-established, leading independent brokerages: Zephyr Real Estate in San Francisco and Oliver Luxury Real Estate, serving Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nev. At the helm of the firm—at press time, comprising 450 agents across 13 offices with annual combined sales of more than $2.6 billion—is Global Living Founder and CEO Michael Mahon.

Mahon—former president of veteran firms HER REALTORS® in the Midwest and Southern California’s First Team Real Estate—embarked on the mission of uniting independent brokerages in key communities throughout the Western U.S. when he formed Exclusive Lifestyles last year. Corcoran Global Living marks the next chapter.

“This move amounts to a start-up brokerage looking to do two mergers at the same time and kick off a whole new franchise brand,” says Mahon of the formation of Corcoran Global Living. “We wanted to create a unique network that would also provide a certain level of technology support. This is a way of uniting what we as independents had developed, while creating access to great products and systems.”

Finally, an Affiliation That Made Sense For Randall Kostick, president and CEO of Zephyr Real Estate, uniting as Corcoran Global Living offered a viable strategy for competing in the current real estate climate.

“So many independents in so many areas of California are facing the issue of competing with high-tech firms and national firms taking over the local environment,” he explains. “This was an opportunity that involved the coming together of independents from many different areas of California to experience economies of scale, and bring together their various talents to better compete in the market.”

For Zephyr and Oliver, which had been courted by many firms over the years, Corcoran Global Living was an opportunity that finally made sense.

“We’ve been approached many times over the years, and in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about an exit strategy,” says Oliver Real Estate Broker/Owner Michael OIiver. “But no one was on the level of what we were doing. When I met Michael Mahon, I was impressed. When he brought Corcoran into the fold, I finally felt that the brand was good enough to work for and pass on to my people. We’d been approached by Compass and a slew of others, but Michael was the one I had a lot of confidence in.”

Zephyr COO Matthew Borland agrees. “The Corcoran brand unites these independents and their talent and depth of experience in the brokerage business, which is lacking in some of the new companies in the market today,” he says.

Zephyr’s Melody Foster, now serving as chief experience officer for Corcoran Global Living, explains that previous suitors had the wrong intentions and the wrong chemistry. “There were plenty of companies that would have been a wild mismatch and a step down for us,” she says. “We didn’t feel that way about Corcoran Global Living. We knew we’d have the leadership and we felt good about the branding they could bring to agents; we knew that clients would be excited.”

Not Your Typical Franchise Although the firm falls under the Corcoran brand, which is part of the Realogy family, Mahon emphasizes that Corcoran Global Living will not operate as a typical franchise, where the brand dictates the rules. “That’s not what we have going on,” he says. “We have the ability to pick and choose what services we want to be part of. We are creating our own destiny.”

Corcoran President and CEO Pamela Liebman supports the unique path Corcoran Global Living (the first of Corcoran’s franchising ambitions) is blazing. “Leveraging the extensive local expertise of Corcoran Global Living’s 450 agents, along with the strong recognition of the Corcoran brand and the unmatched resources of Realogy, this new partnership will enable agents to dramatically boost their visibility from coast to coast and tap into Corcoran’s high-impact tools, training and marketing,” she said when the brand was announced.

“We’re excited to be affiliated with and partner with a brand that was founded and led by a strong female entrepreneur, and where her handpicked replacement is still at the helm,” says Borland. “We find that exciting and inspirational.”

According to Mahon, Corcoran’s franchising plan is highly selective. “The Corcoran franchise group is not looking to be in every metro in the U.S., just as we as a brokerage aren’t looking to be in every metro across the West Coast,” he explains. “We’re looking for companies that match our culture and are more in the mid- to upper tier of the marketplace. We have every intention of expanding into other states throughout the U.S.—but only when it fits our unique culture and goal of creating a greater independent company under the servicing of Corcoran to help us leverage costs.”

As Oliver explains, “This is all about the people. It’s not a big corporate footprint. Michael is putting together like-minded independents. My company will benefit by being able to network with like-kind people. It’s an extraordinary advantage for all of us.”

The Competitive Advantages Mahon believes that Corcoran Global Living will offer a first-of-its kind value proposition to brokers. “This is offering the flexibility for us to preserve the independent cultures of the brokerages we’re bringing together, while leveraging the luxury branding and marketing that the Corcoran brand has been known for across the East Coast,” he says. “We’ll also be fueled by the technology advancements that Realogy is providing.”

For brokerages that join the Corcoran Global Living fold, like Zephyr and Oliver, that technology offering is a big pull. “Technology is a big factor as it relates to lead development and conversion, and assisting our sales associates in getting to clients first, then servicing those clients in the way they want to be serviced,” says Mahon, also noting the opportunity the brand brings to brokers who are looking to move into new arenas, like new construction and development, iBuyer and concierge programs.

Mahon also believes that Corcoran Global Living will offer an important competitive advantage over the spate of venture capital-backed firms penetrating the real estate market. “We’ve got the financial resources to go out and acquire technology and marketing tools, but it’s the talent piece that’s the big differentiator,” he says. “They don’t have the recognition in the local communities that we have.”

Zephyr and Oliver echo that sentiment, seeing the opportunity to come together as Corcoran Global Living as an important competitive strategy for their future.

“We saw this as an opportunity to seize upon,” says Borland. “Could we have kept on as an independent and survived and thrived? Yes. But this is an easier path that offers synergies and networking and economies of scale.”

“We’re all pretty strong companies,” says Kostick. “This was more about looking for a company of the same quality we had created at Zephyr, so that we wouldn’t let people down. The market has become discombobulated with the Compass phenomenon. This creates a smart group of independents, which adds stability.”

Joining together as Corcoran Global Living provides new opportunities and competitive advantages for agents as well.

“In San Francisco, there’s been enough changeover with new firms coming to town, so agents eye everything warily,” explains Foster. “We told agents the only thing that’s going to change for them will be having more good stuff. Now, if anything, agents are not nervous…they’re clamoring for it. Michael Mahon is a visionary and people can see that the Corcoran brand fits with our culture of people and lifestyle first.”

“In San Francisco, especially, the rapid change of the marketplace has been dramatic,” says Borland. “We lost five storied brands that got gobbled up by Compass. Agents were looking to us and asking, ‘What are you going to do to stay viable?’ This answered the question. Now agents can take comfort knowing they’re doubling down with us.”

Growing the Brand Moving ahead, Mahon will look for companies that are willing to leverage into shared equity partnerships or those who are looking for exit strategies. Top teams are in his purview as well. Corcoran Global Living offers an optimal solution for the right firms as industry consolidation advances, he believes.

“I think we’ll see consolidation like we’ve never seen in the industry in the next 5-7 years,” he says. “Having smaller companies in the field that are limited in the services they can provide to consumers is not beneficial to the consumer. The gaining popularity of iBuyers is consumers telling the industry that they’d rather go down the path of an easier transaction as opposed to facing the unknown in a very fractionalized transaction process.”

While the potential for expansion long-term is unlimited, short-term, Mahon is confident that Corcoran Global Living will soon have a presence throughout the West Coast. “We’ve pretty much got every major metro identified, and we’re in discussion with many brokers. There will be many announcements over the next 12-24 months.”

According to Oliver, there are several key factors that stand to guarantee the success of Corcoran Global Living path forward. “This is being created by a visionary, and a group of people who have been in the trenches of real estate for 20-plus years. We all understand each other and we understand the market, and the ups and downs of this business. That’s the difference between us and the disruptors.”

For Mahon, Corcoran Global Living is the ultimate expression of the culture he spearheaded in his previous roles at HER and First Team. “What I prided myself on at both those organizations—which were independent, family organizations—was that they were really known for their culture and growth. With every brokerage we join with at Corcoran Global Living, it’s imperative that we maintain that localized culture and family feel. People matter. As long as you’re investing in people, it’s hard to go wrong.”

For more information, please visit www.corcorangl.com.

Maria Patterson is RISMedia’s executive editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at maria@rismedia.com.

The post The New Face of Franchising appeared first on RISMedia.

The New Face of Franchising published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[componentplanet]

Happy Mole Day! Also, What the Hell Is Mole Day?

Today, October 23, is Mole Day — the unofficial holiday when we celebrate Amedeo Avogadro and his contributions to molecular theory. In 1811, Avogadro hypothesized that given two volumetrically identical samples of gas at an equal temperature and pressure contained the same number of particles. In other words, an equal volume of hydrogen and nitrogen at the same temperature and pressure contains the same number of molecules. This rule allowed for a method of calculating the quantity of gas in a given container.

The unit of measurement associated with Avogadro is the mole. A mole is defined as the base unit of “substance,” defined as 6.022*10^23 particles (defined as atoms, molecules, ions, or electrons). The definition was tweaked in 2018 — a mole was previously defined as the number of atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12.

Avogadro’s number was set at 6.022*1023 to make certain that the mass of one “mole” of material in grams would be approximately numerically equal to the average mass of one molecule of the material in daltons. Wikipedia gives the following example: “one mole of water contains 6.022*1023 molecules, whose total mass is about 18.015 grams – and the mean mass of one molecule of water is about 18.015 daltons.” Concentrations are substances are often expressed in terms of molarity, reflected in a measure of moles of dissolved substance per unit of solution (commonly abbreviated mol/liter).

Mole day is celebrated on October 23, from 6:02 AM to 6:02 PM, though some heretics celebrate on June 2, June 22, or February 6 (6/2, 6/22, and 6/02 in countries where the day is written before the month). I’ve got to give a shout-out to my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Nance, in all of this. He was absurdly fond of moles and mole day, and it wasn’t unusual to find questions on our tests that challenged us to find the molarity of a mole of moles suspended in a given volume of solution. Other fun tasks included calculating the various dimensions and physical properties of a “mole of moles.” The video below compares the size of a mole of moles to other objects in the solar system.

Randall Munroe took up this question in an XKCD “What If,” with rather gruesome results. Keep in mind that having 6.022*1023 of something is really rather a lot of it. When you pile up a mole of moles, what you end up with is a moon comprised entirely of moles.

What do you know about the core of the Earth? Probably at least two things: 1). It’s made of iron. 2). It’s molten. Moles are less dense than iron, but it turns out that when you’ve got 6.022*10^23 of something, it doesn’t really matter what it’s made of. What you end up with is a small planetoid, roughly half the mass of the moon with 1/16 of its gravity. The outer surface of the planet would freeze, while its fur forms an insulating layer. Below the mole-crust lies the mole-mantle, where anaerobic bacteria populations would still survive. These would slowly break the moles down into kerogen. Some of that kerogen might even form a layer of oil between the mole-mantle and the mole-core. As the planet cools, decompositional gases and molten (pun-intended) mole-oil might explode to the surface in the first-ever documented incidence of a molcano. As Munroe notes, a mole of moles also contains enough calories to feed the entire population of Earth for approximately 30 billion years, as long as you don’t mind eating organically mined, cosmically irradiated insectivore.

An oft-overlooked problem with our mole-moon is precisely where it ends up. Should it encroach upon Earth’s Roche limit, Very Bad Things would result. The Roche limit refers to the closest point from the center of a planet that a satellite can approach without being pulled apart by the planet’s gravitational field. Earth’s Roche limit is ~11,470 miles above the surface. If the mole-moon gets closer than that, it’s going to come apart. I don’t really know how to estimate the result of slamming a trillion trillion (approximately) worth of moles into a planetary surface, but it’s probably bad.

If any of you are wondering about the quality of my chemistry education, let me reassure you, the story problem questions in Mr. Nance’s class didn’t get this detailed. My answers occasionally did. This has more to do with the fact that I was a pretty terrible chemistry student and had a faint hope he might be one of those teachers who awarded points on the basis of ingenuity and cleverness as opposed to being any damn good at actual chemistry.

It may have even worked. I passed the class.

Happy Mole Day!

Now Read:

Researchers Create Skin-Based Phone Interface, Plumb Depths of Uncanny Valley

Neanderthal, Denisovan DNA Found Near Autism Genes in Modern Humans

Bones That May Belong to Amelia Earhart Sent to Lab for Testing

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/300732-happy-mole-day-also-what-the-hell-is-mole-day from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/10/happy-mole-day-also-what-hell-is-mole.html

[jodyedgarus]

What’s Behind MLB’s Bizarre Spike In Contract Extensions?

On Feb. 13, 25-year-old ace Aaron Nola agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Phillies. A day later, 26-year-old Max Kepler and 25-year-old Jorge Polanco agreed to five-year extensions with the Twins. The following day, Yankees ace Luis Severino, who turned 25 a few days later, signed a pact with the Yankees. The deals marked the beginning of a historic spree of extensions.

From mid-February through Thursday, 27 players had agreed to extensions worth a total of 132 years and $2.045 billion, according to data from the MLBTradeRumors.com extension database analyzed by FiveThirtyEight. There has never been a flurry of activity like this: March represented the most dollars ($1.126 billion) and years (58) awarded in contract extensions in a one-month period that we’ve seen.

While veteran stars including Nolan Arenado, Chris Sale and Mike Trout all signed massive extensions this spring, players with little major league experience made up the majority of the deals. Fourteen of the players — including reigning NL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna, who signed a $100 million extension last week, and fellow Brave Ozzie Albies, who signed a much-discussed extension Thursday — were so early in their careers that they were not yet eligible for salary arbitration, which generally requires a player to accrue three years of major league experience before becoming eligible to negotiate for significant raises. Eight others were at least a year shy of six years of service time, the amount required to become a free agent. In 2019 to date, players signing extensions have forfeited 51 combined arbitration-eligible seasons and 69 future free-agent years. The deals also include club options covering 25 seasons.

Buying out the arbitration and free agency years of younger stars for the purpose of controlling and reducing payroll costs was a practice pioneered in the early 1990s by John Hart, then general manager of the Cleveland Indians, who watched great Pittsburgh Pirates teams broken up prematurely because of escalating player costs. While extensions had since become common practice, the activity had slowed in recent seasons as young stars like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado seemed intent on hitting the open market as soon as possible.

So what’s behind the extension surge this spring? Why are MLB teams intent on avoiding arbitration and locking up young stars? It may be because arbitration wasn’t working to begin with — at least from the perspective of the teams.

Under arbitration, a player and a team each puts forth a salary amount to a panel of arbitrators, who then must decide on one of the two figures. In the past two offseasons, players have totaled more wins than losses in arbitration cases against the owners — the first time that’s happened in back-to-back years since 1989-90. Through 2015, owners had won 58 percent of all arbitration cases, according to Forbes.

This winter, Gerrit Cole ($13.5 million) and Trevor Bauer ($13 million) were among the six players to win their cases against their clubs. Arenado and the Rockies avoided a hearing, which is common practice, by signing a one-year, $26 million deal — a record for a player eligible for arbitration.

“We’re going to be seeing $20 [million] and $30 million salaries regularly in arbitration,” one agent told us. “They [MLB teams] are going to try and push back on that. How do you do it? You pull those guys out of the system.

“Every time the teams see a seam in the defense, they exploit the shit out of it and they are really good at it,” the agent said. “They are capitalizing on good players they have been watching through the draft, through the minor leagues, and who are represented largely by unqualified or under-qualified agents. The teams have scouting reports on agents the very same way they have on opposing hitters and pitchers. They have heat maps. They know our tendencies, they know who will go to arbitration, who won’t, whose business is failing and they need to vest their fees.”

The agent noted that teams look at arbitration as an important battleground and have scores of analysts that compile data for these cases. By taking players out of the arbitration system, the teams not only cap earning potential for those players, but they also reduce salary comps for other players. Agent Scott Boras described the MLB’s aggressive approach with young players and extensions this spring as “snuff contracts” — or an attempt to snuff out future markets.

Greg Dreyfuss, an associate general counsel for the union and the MLBPA’s director of analytics and baseball operations, also sees a link between the wave of extensions and players’ recent arbitration wins. The union and players have closed the data gap between clubs in making their cases. Dreyfuss says agents and players are educated on the market. While MLB payrolls remain stagnant, the records for largest arbitration salaries have been set in the past two years. The average salary of an arbitration-eligible player in 2011 was $2.73 million; that increased to $3.97 million this year, a 45 percent jump, according to analysis of MLBTradeRumors.com data.

The total dollars and players in the arbitration system has jumped from $393.6 million and 144 players in 2011 to $789.6 million spread among 199 players this last offseason, growth in part due to the game trending younger — meaning that there will be more 20-somethings entering arbitration.

“Nine of the 10 largest one-year contracts in the history of salary arbitration have come in the past two years, and overall, arbitration salaries have kept pace with the rise in industry revenue over a 10-year period,” Dreyfuss told FiveThirtyEight. “Recently a lot of really good players in that process have stood up and said, ‘No, I’m not just going to take what you give me,’ and they’ve fought for what they consider a fair salary. So, I do think there’s some correlation between players succeeding in arbitration and clubs wanting to take players out of that process.”

While spending efficiently is always a goal for teams, how these clubs have handled free agency in recent winters may be a motivating factor in some players’ decision-making. Even Trout, the game’s best player, expressed reservations about entering the open market when he signed a record extension (which is also a bargain for the Angels) this spring.

“I kind of saw what Bryce and Manny went through and it drew a red flag for me,” Trout said. “I talked to Manny and Bryce. It was a tough couple months in the offseason. They put it perspective in my mind.”

Not all extensions are club-friendly. Drefyuss notes that there have also been a number of veteran players who have agreed to extensions that will pay them lucratively into their mid-30s.

“Players agree to extensions for a variety of valid reasons, and there are any number of factors involved in their decisions,” he said

One key decision a player must make when considering an extension is how much financial upside to concede for the sake of job and financial security. In dealing with future risk, teams face less downside than individual players do. While a team can absorb a poor contract, a player is one injury or decline in performance away from having his career trajectory significantly altered.

Acuna and Albies look like future superstars, yet they signed deals that could potentially cost them nine figures in future earnings. White Sox top prospect Eloy Jimenez signed a six-year deal with two club options before he ever took a major league at-bat, limiting his financial upside. Those are the types of club-friendly deals that some on the players’ side have criticized. There is also an argument that individual players ought to consider not just themselves but their peers and future major leaguers when considering a long-term deal — and that they should wait until they are at least arbitration-eligible.

“If guys aren’t going through the system, if all the young [stars] are signing before they get there, then we are not going to have those posts to hold on to,” the agent said of salary comps. “I don’t think this is teams trying to screw with the free agent market. They are trying to take the best young players out of the arbitration system.”

Toronto outfielder Randal Grichuk, 27, said the Blue Jays began negotiating with him last month during spring training in the midst of the extension spree. He eventually signed a five-year, $52 million extension.

“The way I looked at it was taking guaranteed money, setting my family up for life, it’s hard to turn down,” Grichuk said. “If I leave a few dollars on the table now, I’m going to just be finishing my 31 season [after his deal expires] going into free agency. If I produce well, I’m going to be young enough to make some more. And if I’m not able to, whether due to injuries, failures, anything happens, I’m still set for life.”

Grichuk was into his arbitration years when he signed his extension, but he didn’t take issue with young stars like Acuna opting for financial security earlier along in the process.

“He could have probably waited and got more, but it’s tough to talk negatively about a guy who just got $100 million and is set for life,” Grichuk said. “What’s the difference between $100 [million] and $200 [million]? His kids’ kids’ kids won’t have to work? … I think it’s one of those things where his life changes completely.”

Neil Paine contributed research

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/whats-behind-mlbs-bizarre-spike-in-contract-extensions/

[cometocourtyou]

Finally found a stream!! so here’s 3x02

I love delorme so much I can’t put it in words. Her being lead on this is wonderful

I’m wondering if her color choices are deliberate. When rachel (?) od’s in s2, delorme wears a black shirt, and now she is as well, knowing they are going to pull up bodies

DYSON!! DYSON IS GAY I AM SCREAMING THERE IS NO HETERO EXPLANATION FOR THIS DYSON IS GAY DYSON WITH A GUN I AM YELLING THIS IS THE BEST I HAVE BEEN GIFTED

Seriously though, what they’ve been doing the past two episodes in terms of the female characters has been wonderful I am loving it

“My name is noelle” I think this is the first time we actually hear her name

Lol dyson “well it [the gun] is making me nervous” you are holding one too and aiming it at him, yours makes me more nervous than his

It’s been a month since the funeral? Holy timeskip batman (unless she means last month like talking about the end of january when it’s the first week in february)

Oh dyson </3

JERRY!

“We heard about dyson” I am still shipping her and lise but I feel bad about it bc her girlfriend/wife/partner seems lovely

(also I stand corrected it’s a dark blue shirt not black. Or it appears to be in some lighting)

Dude is very creepy o.O SHIT!!

Okay, no, if I run from a building chased by a creepy guy I’m not putting headphones in what the fuck

(I was semi-right, about the x-men thing. Randall’s actor is the twin brother of the guy in x-men)

The sight of delorme in a vest makes me nervous, probably bc of s1

(very shallow, but karine has an amazing ass. Just saying)

Lise and dyson in the bathroom my heart is breaking (and screaming. But mostly breaking)

IT’S EASIER HERE WELL FUCK ME THREE WAYS TO SUNDAY

His hallucinations/memories with catherine break me

There’s something about the conservation of butterflies that freaks me out. They are such beautiful, fragile things, killing them and displaying them feels so very wrong

“She always made me smile” about catherine ouch that hurts

I love cardinal and delorme and their dynamic

(did delorme change her shirt? Different day? I can never really keep up on this show, I always go by clothing)

DELORME RUNNING A PRESS CONFERENCE I AM YELLING!! AND THE FEMALE TRIFECTA SHOT AGAIN HARRIS AND DELORME AND DYSON WITH NO MALES IN SIGHT THIS TIME THIS IS GLORIOUS!!

Cardinal please change your ringtone

HER NAME IS SYLVIE!!

(kudos, for not making dyson go to a bar to get drunk out of her mind, this fits her a lot better, characterization wise)

I don’t wanna go home - me neither OUCH

Dear sam, a killer is following you, why are you MESSAGE FOR DELORME OKAY I TAKE IT BACK BUT IT WAS STILL RECKLESS

(tbh one of these days, I will end up doing a whole “how do I love you? Let me count the ways” abt delorme)

Henry. Why does that ring a- wait, isn’t he gonna end up dead? I HATE BEING RIGHT!!

Was she hiding out in the basement? Wtf??

[constructionaccounting]

0295: The Highlights Of Our 2018 And Some Helpful Reminders

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0295, And It Will Be About The Highlights Of Our 2018 And Some Helpful Reminders

It’s been another great year for Fast Easy Accounting. For those of you who have been with us through all these years, we appreciate your support; without our contractor clients, subscribers, podcast listeners, blog readers, and guest bloggers, we wouldn’t get to where we are today.

As we look back on our 2018, I hope your fondest memories will include the time you’ve spent with all the things you love and are passionate about. And because we love what we do and we are passionate about serving our contractor friends - for us, this year was all about empowering your contracting business by continually providing you with outstanding products, high-quality services, and dependable resources for your bookkeeping and accounting needs.

Year-In-Review

Continuing Education

We believe that knowledge is power and having access to the best available information is an important aspect for us to serve you better. Our team attended in-person seminars and conventions, and took in-person and online classes, to keep up with technology and enrich our profession. As the website administrator, I attended a Google Cloud event (I won’t bore you with the details) and marketing classes which I think would truly benefit you as well (watch out for my blog post of recommendations for 2019 in case you’re interested).

We’ve done quite a few exciting changes to our main site and over at the store. You can now easily navigate our Menu with all the helpful links still in place and the orange buttons at the top to quickly access the pages. We’ve also included a Search Bar and a Help section. Our blog has grown tremendously and to deliver more content, articles are also posted on Tuesdays written by our reliable and excellent guest bloggers. Our online store continues to evolve as we make way for more products and services.

Products and Services

What better way to cap off this year than to get better insight and deeper understanding of your construction company? We don't want you to miss out on these best selling products and services in our Fast Easy Accounting store.

Contractor Bookkeeping Review- A 36-Point list of the current issues with your bookkeeping file for $29.95 only. PDF with 30-Minute, 1-Hour, or 2-Hour consultation packages are available.

Contractor Business Performance Report- Assess your business data and make better decisions for your company. Get a PDF report for $29.95 or choose from 30-Minute, 1-Hour, or 2-Hour consultation with Randal DeHart.

Contractor Payment Application- Keep track of your current project's information, invoices, change orders, and payment details the fast and easy way - all built in Excel. Starts with $97 for 1 Application. Available in 2, 3, 5, 10, and 15 Applications.

Free Mobile App

  Early this year, we launched our mobile app. This App was designed to provide every service you could ask from us. We’ve put your favorite business systems, invaluable tools and features such as calculators, tax tables, logbooks, receipt and income management, instant access to the latest financial news and information and valuable company info, directly from us. With all this on one App, our App will likely be your go-to tool in the future. 

It’s available for iPhone, iPad and Android Devices completely free of charge right now! Enjoy our App with our compliments!

Helpful Reminders From Sharie:

Be mindful of the paperwork that needs to be stamped on or before December 31st.

Payroll – Did you take any personal payroll (S-Corp) If not, it may impact your personal deductions. 

IRA - 401K - Making those final payments before midnight on December 31. (Do not wait until 11:59 PM) Some plans allow you to make payments until April 15th (double check the dates– do not assume)

Income – Getting one last customer invoice and receiving the payment (last minute purchases to count on 2018 taxes (expenses or larger item which qualifies for depreciation)

Do not expect to be able to file your annual taxes on January 1, 2019.

Visit https://www.irs.gov/ for the official 2019 Filing Season Start Date.

Prepare W-2s and pass them out as soon as possible – remember to keep a copy.

W-2’s and 1099’s have a deadline of January 31st to be mailed out to your employees and 1099 contractors. Be proactive and send out W-9’s now; thereby asking for Federal Tax ID or Social Security Number now.

Think about your company tax filing status.

I recommend changing from a Sole Prop to an S-Corp. Setting up an S-Corp is done with the Secretary of State in your state. Note, a few states only accept forms from a third party service.  If you are currently an LLC - my recommendation is still to become an S-Corp. If not, change your tax filing status to be treated as an S-Corp. The form needed from the IRS is a Form 2553. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2553.pdf  Unlike many State Agencies, the IRS does not charge to file their forms. You are asking the IRS to change how your company is treated. Why is this important? Because the IRS will only accept the form for the current year in January – February (pushing the deadline to March 15th is risky) otherwise the approval will be for the next year (meaning starting in January 2020) instead of January 2019.

Quick Tip: Late Penalties to State and Federal Government Agencies are increasing, and they are looking back at filing dates of past returns for additional fees.  It’s very expensive to borrow money from the government.  In case you need it, it never hurts to ask for a payment plan. Rule of Thumb When Asking: Be Nice, Be Polite. Ask for a payment plan to be extended for as long as possible and with payments as low as possible. Sometimes no matter how you ask – the person you are talking to is not helpful, but usually, if it is within the rules they will help you out. Cash Flow - Every little bit helps! 

In Conclusion:

Helping Contractors around the world is one of the reasons we added the FastEasyAccountingStore.com Follow our blogs, listen to Contractor Success M.A.P. Podcast. We Appreciate Our Visitors, Listeners, and Subscribers. – Thank You!!

Please feel free to download all the Free Forms and Resources that you find useful for your business.  

The Information Shown Below Is From Fast Easy Accounting

OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING FOR  THE BUSY CONTRACTOR IN A MOBILE ENVIRONMENT

Download The Contractors APP Now!

Access code: FEAHEROS

The QR Code Below Will Go

Apple Or Android Store

Whichever One

You Need

Simply scan the QR code below or search for ‘MyAccountants’ in the App Store and enter the Access code: FEAHEROS to utilize the powerful App features and capabilities, and benefit from having our Construction Accounting App at your fingertips, 24/7.

Access code: FEAHEROS

Or click to download the Contractors APP now from the App or Android store

     Click here to download the App on iOS:

Click here to download the App on Android:

About The Author:

  Randal DeHart, PMP, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood Washington. He is the leading expert in outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services for small construction companies across the USA. He is experienced as a Contractor, Project Management Professional, Construction Accountant, Intuit ProAdvisor, QuickBooks For Contractors Expert and Xero Accounting Specialist. This combination of experience and skill sets provides a unique perspective which allows him to see the world through the eyes of a contractor, Project Manager, Accountant, and construction accountant. This quadruple understanding is what sets him apart from other Intuit ProAdvisors and Xero accountants to the benefit of all of the construction contractors he serves across the USA. Visit http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/randal-dehart/ to learn more.

Our Co-Founder Randal DeHart - Is a Certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with several years of construction project management experience. His expertise is construction accounting systems engineering and process development. His exhaustive study of several leading experts including the work of Dr. W. Edward Deming, Michael Gerber, Walter A. Shewhart, James Lewis and dozens of others was the foundation upon which our Construction Bookkeeping System is based and continues to evolve and improve. Check out our Contractor Success Map Podcast on iTunes and Follow Randal on Google+ 

We are here to Help “A Little or A Lot” depending on your needs.

I trust this podcast helps you understand that outsourcing your contractor's bookkeeping services to us is about more than just “doing the bookkeeping”; it is about taking a holistic approach to your entire construction company and helping support you as a contractor and as a person.

We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations

We understand the good, bad and the ugly about owning and operating construction companies because we have had several of them and we sincerely care about you and your construction company!

That is all I have for now, and if you have listened to this far please do me the honor of commenting and rating the Podcast  www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast Tell me what you liked, did not like, tell it as you see it because your feedback is crucial and I thank you in advance.

You Deserve To Be Wealthy Because You Bring Value To Other People's Lives!

I trust this will be of value to you and your feedback is always welcome at www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast

This Is One more example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that, and a lot more valuable to construction contractors like you so stop missing out and call Sharie 206-361-3950 or email sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com

Contractor Bookkeeping Done For You!

Thinking About Outsourcing Your Contractors Bookkeeping Services?

Click On The Link Below:

www.FastEasyAccounting.com/hs

This guide will help you learn what to look for in outsourced construction accounting.

Need Help Now?

Call Sharie 206-361-3950

sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com

Thank you very much, and I hope you understand we do care about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever hire our services. Bye for now until our next episode here on the Contractors Success MAP Podcast.

  Our Workflow Removes Your Paperwork Frustrations

For Contractors Who Prefer

To Do Your Bookkeeping

Fast Easy Accounting Do-It-Yourself

Construction Accounting Store Is Open

Most Contractors Setup QuickBooks Or Xero Online Accounting Using:

#1 EZ Step Interview inside QuickBooks Setup #2 Asked Their Tax Accountant To Setup QuickBooks #3 They Attended A How To Setup QuickBooks Class Or Seminar

And QuickBooks Does Not Work The Way They Want It Too!

The Answer:

#1 Click Here To Buy An Entire QuickBooks Setup For Your Specific Contracting Company

#2 Click Here To Buy Just The Chart Of Accounts For Your Specific Contracting Company

Short List Of Construction Contractors We Serve

Asphalt ContractorAsphalt Contractor Brand New ContractorBrand New ContractorBrick And Stone ContractorBrick And Stone ContractorCabinet Installation ContractorCabinet Installation ContractorCarpentry ContractorCarpentry ContractorCarpet And Tile ContractorCarpet And Tile ContractorCommercial Tenant Improvement ContractorCommercial Tenant Improvement ContractorConcrete ContractorConcrete ContractorConstruction EmployeesConstruction EmployeesConstruction ManagerConstruction ManagerConstruction Support SpecialistConstruction Support SpecialistCustom Deck ContractorCustom Deck ContractorCustom Home BuilderCustom Home BuilderDemolition ContractorDemolition ContractorDrywall ContractorDrywall ContractorElectrical ContractorElectrical ContractorEmerging ContractorEmerging ContractorExcavation ContractorExcavation ContractorFinish Millwork ContractorFinish Millwork ContractorFlipper House ContractorFlipper House ContractorFlooring ContractorFlooring ContractorFoundation ContractorFoundation ContractorFraming ContractorFraming ContractorGeneral ContractorGeneral ContractorGlass Installation ContractorGlass Installation ContractorGutter ContractorGutter ContractorHandyman ContractorHandyman ContractorHot Tub ContractorHot Tub ContractorHVAC ContractorHVAC ContractorInsulation ContractorInsulation ContractorInterior Designer ContractorInterior Designer ContractorLand Development ContractorLand Development ContractorLandscape ContractorLandscape ContractorLawn And Yard Maintenance ContractorLawn And Yard Maintenance ContractorMasonry ContractorMasonry ContractorMold Remediation ContractorMold Remediation ContractorMoss Removal ContractorMoss Removal ContractorPainting ContractorPainting ContractorPlaster ContractorPlaster ContractorPlaster And Stucco ContractorPlaster And Stucco ContractorPlumbing ContractorPlumbing ContractorPressure Washing ContractorPressure Washing ContractorRemodel ContractorRemodel ContractorRenovation ContractorRenovation ContractorRestoration ContractorRestoration ContractorRoofing ContractorRoofing ContractorSiding ContractorSiding ContractorSpec Home BuilderSpec Home BuilderSpecialty ContractorSpecialty ContractorStone Mason ContractorStone Mason ContractorStucco ContractorStucco ContractorSubcontractorSubcontractorSwimming Pool ContractorSwimming Pool ContractorSwimming Pool And Hot Tub ContractorSwimming Pool And Hot Tub ContractorTile And Carpet ContractorTile And Carpet ContractorTrade ContractorTrade ContractorTree ContractorTree ContractorUnderground ContractorUnderground ContractorUtility ContractorUtility ContractorWaterproofing ContractorWaterproofing ContractorWindow ContractorWindow Contractor

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up TemplatesSolopreneurQuickBooks Chart Of AccountsFree StuffQuickBooks Item Lists TemplatesConsulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

  Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates   Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts     Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates     Consulting

  We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

If you are a blogger, who writes about construction we would like to hear from you.

https://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/guestblogger

                                                                                    Contractors_Success_MAP, Contractors_Success_Marketing_Accounting_Production, Contractor_Bookkeeping_Services, QuickBooks_For_Contractors, QuickBooks_For_Contractors,Contractors_Success_Map_The_Highlights_Of_Our_2018_And_Some_Helpful_Reminders

Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

[miggy-figgy]

Certain Magic (From Chaos to Tradition - Randall Bachner Finds Life in Marrakesh)  By Miguel Figueroa Photographed by Daniel Riera

In 2013, Randall Bachner quit his first life. The then 42-year-old fashion photographer followed his instinct, said good-bye to New York’s rat race and settled into Marrakesh to start a new chapter - if not, a whole new book - as a self-taught fashion designer. Five years later, the risk has pulled off. His successful brand, Marrakshi Life celebrates and safeguards the tradition of Moroccan hand weaving - which dates back in the Middle East and Africa to 7000 BC - from becoming a thing of the past. Giving it a fresh, modernized spin to unisex handwoven apparel that you can’t help but want.

Hi Randall, Marrakshi Life is wonderful! Please, tell me more about it. Oh, why thank you! We started as a little shop in the Medina working with one weaver, doing one off pieces and then added a tailor. We made one piece, hung it in the shop to see what would happen. When people found us in the Medina it was a sort of discovery and inspired them to do things. We do our own brand, Marrakshi Life [ML] and service production. A lot of fashion people come to Marrakesh and they end up wanting to use our resources of hand weaving and garments, therefore, a big part of our business is working with other brands.

Weaving was losing its popularity in Morocco because they want to modernize everything. They have an appreciation of the tradition but it’s hard to get young people engaged in it and the weavers are getting old, but it’s really nice to be able to sustain weaving and make it cool again. Ariane Goldman’s company Hatch became our first client from New York. She took the risk and gave us a huge production. From there we built a little atelier in the center of Marrakesh outside the Medina and then within six months we had more clients. Last June we moved into a new space that took a few months to build and then we were able to balance production for our brand and our clients.

When you enter into the space you can see the whole process - the spinners, tailors, weavers and from there we have our shop and office. It’s all in one whole warehouse space and we’ve already maxed it out! [laughs] We’re growing at a really cool rate and it’s about how we continue. When you can see the process is really nice for people and they appreciate it. We just shot our first campaign in Uruguay and it was great to go with the brand outside Morocco. I have to think about how I’m going to get the brand outside of Morocco because I’m not really into the whole seasons thing, ML is more resort wear.

You can wear it throughout the year. Morocco has mild winters. It gets cold sometimes and in that deeper part of winter is when I can least wear the clothes there. I’m now in New York [in February] and I can’t really wear it right now but we are going to start bulking up, working with wools and other warmer fabrics. There are so many possibilities of what you can do with weaving, but in Morocco sometimes it’s very hard to resource materials.

As the brand grows, has there been any interest from younger Moroccan artisans to learn weaving?   The team is growing and it’s really cool. We have our team of weavers and it’s expanding and we are finding younger people engaged in it. The average age was 55 and now the average age is in the 40s. We have a couple of people in their 30s and even in their 20s. We want to start an education program to get engage younger people who don’t have jobs and train them.

Who is the Marrakshi Life client? Something that’s very important for the brand is that it’s unisex. I like making pieces that are not gender specific at all. If it’s a piece that I couldn't really wear, then we wouldn’t make it. I won’t make very feminine pieces, but I do make very masculine pieces because I like it for men and women. When people do ethnic wear, it has this feminine flow that it’s ok, but not for our brand.

Why Marrakesh? I had been here before a couple of times and I was amazed at how much you can do there. You see all the artisans and the possibilities but you don’t see an aesthetic that appeals to you, but there are definitely the resources here to do something. I didn’t know about all the problems…

Like? I had no idea what would it mean to have a business in Morocco. They have their own mentality, pace and work ethic. I had never lived abroad, so for me, coming from New York to Marrakesh was freaking crazy, honestly.

It’s wildly good that you did such a thing - you definitely stepped out of a comfort zone. I needed to. Working in fashion photography is a really tough business. It can leave you very unfulfilled creatively, spiritually, everything. I was at a point that I felt stuck and the only way to get out of it is put yourself into war and give yourself that challenge. It’s hard when there's something going on in your family and you’re really far away. [Our interview occurred on a Saturday morning while Randall took care of his mother who had just gotten out of the hospital.]

I’m grateful that it’s working and I can’t complain about that. I'm a very spontaneous person, I don’t really like to overthink about it.

Fashion photography’s competitiveness can really get to you. Oh, I would never recommend anyone to get into it unless you’re very well connected. Anything really is about who do you know and how can they help you. What inspired me to do fashion photography was magazines in the 80s and 90s but that kind of business is not happening anymore.

Were you interested in fashion design before fashion photography? No! And that’s the thing… I’m not a trained designer. Everything has been through my instinct. That’s why I thought about keeping it very simple, but sometimes I have a wild moment thinking about fur coats or fringe. For me, it’s more about the technique. Through the years and working with designers you understand the process. You definitely learn by doing.

That's the best way to learn. Life brings you places and this is where it brought me. I love the fact that I don’t have to buy any clothes and I just get to wear the clothes that we make. I’m not a materialistic person nor a fashion victim. Something that I like about what we are doing is that we’re self-sufficient. From two threads we can make a finished piece. I make things, I put them out there, the world responds to it and it’s flowing. I don’t really want to be part of that system of trade shows and wholesale. I don’t want to just do something to go into that category because I know how hard it is. I see all these brands that are trying to make it… but in the long run, I think we may have to do it a little bit because it does circulate your product. It all depends on what your goals are.

It’s really all about the team and ours is amazing. Sometimes I have troubles with them because there is a cultural difference and they don’t really have reference points for everything - this is all they’ve done and don’t really have any previous experience. They learn from what I need, what our clients ask for and it’s been amazing how do these projects. If we can do it, we move on to the next step and they always have it figured it out. That's been pretty amazing and has allowed us to grow. I’m very fond of them and they’ve helped me from day one.

It’s fundamental to surround yourself with a good team in order to be successful and they need to believe in your product. Do you think that���s maybe why some brands never take off? Is it because they are driven more by their egos than the desire to deliver a good product? Exactly. It’s not all about me and I always tell them that too. When we do runway pieces for clients and they see that and think “that is so cool”. You can imagine their excitement when they realize that these products that come from the artisanal communities end up in shops like Barneys.

It is so fulfilling! Maybe they don’t see it that way in its entirety but it is rewarding for them to see something so traditional become so modern.

How has it been communicating with them? That’s been amazing too. I’m not a big language guy. I can speak Spanish a little bit, but other than that…. I had a Spanish boyfriend for 14 years and when that relationship ended I was like “I need to get out of New York” and went to Marrakesh. It was a personal and career moment… that moment when nothing is working and I knew that the environment would be key. I didn’t know what it meant to live in another culture and here they speak French and I don’t as well, but they two main guys I work with speak English very well. Also, English is very exciting here because it’s seen as something modern. But there is a lot of sign language involved. [laughs]

One last question and this one has been in my head since I got the assignment. Americans don’t have the best reputation in the Africa nor the Middle East. Has this affected you or caused any friction? Not in Morocco. Moroccans are very open minded and Marrakesh is dependent on tourism, so Americans are seen as great tourists because they spend money and they are really not used to that many Americans here. I’ve never felt any negative or political situations. Everyone who sees me goes “Oh, that’s Randall the American guy.” There aren’t many of us around here, so we’re kind of a novelty. Featured in the Spring 2018 issue of Hercules Universal, First Love.