#report to dillinger immediately

[coupleofdays]

As a direct analogy for what goes on inside real life computers, the original TRON film is, shall we say, somewhat lacking. Just to take one example, computer programs are represented as people, but they're driving vehicles from video games? But shouldn't those video games also be people? I could go on, but that's not the point of this post (or, perhaps, of the movie). Because I think TRON does work as a more overarching allegory, using mainly theological concepts to reflect the state of computing, and the changes it was going through, at the time of its making.

The religion of the Programs in the film is of a fascinating, extremely polytheistic sort. I'm no religious expert, so I'm not sure there's any direct real-life analogy to the concept of each individual Program having their own personal divine creator, "my User". Meanwhile, the villain of the film, the Master Control Program, is trying to stamp out this polytheistic faith, and replace it with monotheism, with himself as the One True God. But in the end, his ambitions are thwarted and he is defeated by Tron and his friends, leading to all the I/O Towers in the system lighting up and Programs presumably being able to directly communicate with their Users once more.

I think that this plot can be seen as an allegory for the "personal computer revolution" that was taking place in the 80s. Early computing was of a mainly centralized sort, with users connecting to a large mainframe through "dumb" terminals, the actual work being done at one central location and the results being sent to screens or printers. But by the time TRON was released in cinemas, people could have their own, much smaller computers in their homes, creating software and documents only for themselves, without having to rely on the processing power of a mainframe. The allegory of the film, then, is that the MCP is an old mainframe trying to maintain the old order, wanting the computers of ENCOM to be simple mindless terminals, with the Users getting access to their Programs only through the grace of the MCP. His defeat signals the end of this paradigm, with Alan, Flynn and everyone else finally being able to have their own "personal computers", though still connected to eachother. If I may be so bold to say it, the world had gone from digital monotheism to digital polytheism.

I also think that this allegory is still relevant today, since current developments in the way we consume media and use the internet seems to be moving back towards a kind of centralization, a kind of monotheism. Stuff like social media platforms (including, dare I say it, Tumblr) and especially streaming services feels to me somewhat like the MCP returning, only allowing us access to media by the whims of the real-life Dillingers in charge of the big corporations. Looking at the whole HBO debacle, I can hear Walter and Dillinger arguing. "User requests are what computers are for!" "Doing our business is what computers are for!"

I would be delighted if the next TRON movie adresses these ideas, though I have a certain doubt that a film made by Disney today would even dare to suggest that streaming services are anything other than the glorious shining future of media. I sometimes get the feeling that the vaguely anti-corporation concepts of the original film only managed to slip through since the higher-ups at Disney at the time weren't paying too much attention.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"G-MEN KILL 2; FBI CHIEF HERE," Chicago Tribune. Decembeer 29, 1942. Page 1 & 6. --- GANGSTERS IN FLAT BUILDING ARE AMBUSHED --- Police Hear Touhy's Pals Slain. ---- (Pictures on page 6.) Two men, reported to be members of the "Terrible Touhy" gang that staged a daring escape Oct. 9 from the Stateville prison, were shot and killed late last night by federal bureau of investigation agents on the second floor landing of an apartment building at 1256 Leland avenue.

The slain men were reported reliably to have been St Clair McInerney, 31, safe blower and robber, and James O'Connor, 36, bandit. Both were serving life sentences.

Two other members of the gang were reported to have been captured.

Witnesses who viewed the bodies said that a high powered rifle lay across the chest of one of the slain men, which police said was an indication that they were aware of the identity of their ambushers.

Hoover Takes Charge. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, entered the Bankers building at 105 West Adams street at 1:15 this morning and proceeded immediately to the 21st floor where the FBI offices are located.

A reporter who recognized him asked, "You're Mr. Hoover, aren't you?" Hoover nodded his head, and the reporter continued, "Have you any comment to make on the shooting?"

The FBI chief replied that he would have no statements to make "before several hours."

The shooting occurred after federal agents sprung an elaborate trap. Ambushes had been set inside and outside the building. FBI automobiles, their motors kept running, were parked in strategic locations on the street and in adjacent alleys, and armed agents commanded all en- trances and lower floor windows. The agents also took over several apartments in the building, including apartment 31 on the third floor, which was occupied by the gangsters, and apartment 21 on the second floor commanding the stairway.

Let Four Men Enter Ambush. It was shortly before midnight when four men, attired in workmen's garb, entered the building. They were known to the waiting federal agents to be the men they wanted and were permitted to enter the building unmolested.

Once inside, two of the men apparently became alarmed and fled toward the rear, while the others mounted the steps, to be met at the landing with a blast of machine gun and shotgun fire. Both, police said, were killed instantly.

Police, who later were barred from the premises, were admitted shortly after the shooting and viewed the dead men. Lt. Robert Welling of the Town Hall station said that neither was Roger Touhy, leader of the seven gangsters who fled prison, or Basil [The Owl] Banghart, his chief lieutenant.

Identify O'Connor as Tenant. Mrs. Anthony Battaglia, manager of the apartment building, is reported to have identified photographs of O'Connor as the man who rented the apartment from her on Dec. 10 under the name of Peterson.

She and other occupants of the building also are reported to have identified pictures of Touhy and Banghart as frequent visitors to the "Peterson" apartment. Other members of the gang who fled Stateville prison are William Stewart, 43; Matthew Nelson, 40, and Edward Darlak, 31, all criminals under life sentences. All save McInerney and Darlak were members of the Terrible Touhys.

The Touhy gang was sentenced to life imprisonment, after a career of crime and terrorism that has few parallels in Chicago, upon conviction of the kidnaping of John [Jake the Barber] Factor.

Watched Place for Weeks. The federal agents were reported to have laid their trap with extreme care. They were said to have known of the presence of the suspects for several weeks, but reportedly refrained from staging a raid in the hope that the entire gang could be seized.

The elaborateness with which they prepared their ambush recalled the thoroness of the planning which led to the death from FBI bullets of John Dillinger as he left the Biograph theater, 2433 Lincoln avenue, on July 23, 1934.

Since shortly after the alleged gangsters' occupancy of the apartment, federal agents, posing as workmen and professional men, had maintained constant tenancy in the building, first in one apartment then another, it was reported.

Their identification of the men was effected thru the simple expedient of entering the apartment when its occupants were gone and looking for fingerprints, it was said. These were said to have been found in abundance upon more than 50 half gallon beer bottles Police reasoned that the gangsters refrained from returning the bottles, as is usually done, for fear that their prints might fall into police hands.

Victims Carry Big Sums. Considerable sums of money were reported found on the bodies of the two slain men, it was reported $1,000 in the pockets of one, and $500 on the other. Mrs. Battaglia said that the man who was known as Peterson informed her that he wanted the apartment for himself and his wife. He paid his rent by the week, and on Christmas day, she said, he knocked at her door and handed her $10.

A 16 year old boy, David Black, who lives at 1260 Leland avenue, immediately adjacent to the Norwood apartment building in which the gangsters had their hide-out, was a witness to part of the affray.

Boy Sees Two Men Flee. He said his attention was attracted by gunfire, presumably from a ma- chine gun. Running to the window he saw the darkened cars parked along the street and in the alley, armed men standing in readiness. During the shooting, he said, he saw two men run north into the alley, then the G-men poured out of their cars with guns in their hands."

HISTORY OF TOUHY GANG Touhy, once the head of the murderous Terrible Touhy gang, andBasil (The Owl] Banghart, the gang's machine gunner, led the escape of five other desperadoes over the walls of Stateville prison last Oct. 9.

Prison officials found in an investigation later that the convicts had obtained four pistols while in the prison. They also procured ladders inside the walls, and when the stage was set began their carefully planned break,

With Touhy and Banghart were James O'Connor, an undersized bandit who had escaped twice before from the same prison; William Stewart, lanky Chicago bandit leader; his old time associate, Matthew Nelson; Edward Darlak, 31 years old, murderer of a Chicago policeman, and St. Clair McInerney, 31, a safeblower and bandit. The latter two, prison officials said, may have escaped in the confusion which followed the Touhy break, but are listed as missing with them.

The first move came when a garbage truck driven by Jack Cito, a convict, stopped at the prison's kitchens.

Touhy dashed out of the bakery in which he worked armed with a pair of scissors. He slashed at a guard, knocked him down, and drove off with the truck. He drove a mile and a half across the prison grounds to the mechanical shops and stores, picking up somewhere en route his other pals.

The truck, with Touhy at the wheel, backed down a ramp into a loading tunnel under the machine shops. Touhy and Banghart jumped out immeditely and beat William Dahler, foreman of the mechanical shop who was working a gang of convicts there preparing scrap metal for loading.

Slugged with Gun. They hit him with a gun and slashed a 2 inch gash in his scalp. Touhy left Dahler to the others of the gang and went feet first thru the service window into the mechanical stores room, confronting Samuel Johnson, the guard on duty there. He snipped telephone wires with his scissors and aided by Banghart, who came thru the gate door, armed, demanded ladders.

They loaded the ladders onto the truck. Lt. George Cotter arrived in the tunnel and was beaten and dumped on the truck. Touhy and Banghart took the white caps that, Johnson and Cotter wore to identify themselves as guards and drove the truck toward the northwest prison gate at tower No. 3.

There they opened fire on Herman Kross, the tower guard, wounding him. They set up their ladders, took Kross's keys to the outer tower stairway and calmly went down the outer tower stairway and to Kross's automobile, parked outside. They made their escape in the car, which was found abandoned near a filling station at St. Charles road and Villa avenue in Villa Park, DuPage county,at 10:45 p. m. the next night,

Kross, 51 year old resident of Lockport, and two other guards, Roy C. Everton, 51, of Plainfield, who was in tower No. 2, and Joseph L. Montonye, 31, of Lovington, who was in tower No. 4, were discharged as a result of the investigation which followed the escape. Kross was only slightly wounded by the desperadoes' bullets.

Manhunt Is Widespread. The hunt for Touhy and the desperate men he led blanketed the United States.

The FBI, circularizing their descriptions, described Touhy and Banghartas "two of the most desperate and dangerous criminals at large today." They were variously reported as having been seen in Chicago and suburbs for a week or more after the escape. Police in far distant places also were told that the convicts had been seen, but no one found an actual trace of them.

BLAME GUARD IN ESCAPE Two guards at Stateville prison yesterday testified that Herman Kross, suspended guard, could have frustrated the Oct. 9 escape of Roger Touhy, Basil Banghart and five other convicts had he used the guns or bombs with which he was equipped.

The two guards, Lt. George R. Cot-ter and Officer Samuel Hill, gavetheir testimony at a hearing before Robert L. Hunter, president of the Illinois civil service commission, in the Will county courthouse.

Kross testified that he had seen the garbage truck which the prisoners had commandeered coming across the prison yard, but had attached no significance to it. He did not realize that an attempted escape was in progress until the prisoners leaped from the truck, placed a ladder against the tower, and started shooting.

Asked why he did not return the fire, or toss a bomb, Kross said that he was sick from the effects of a bullet that had nicked him, and was too confused to act. Hunter said the civil service commission would review the testimony and decide whether Kross will be formally discharged. Kross is charged with failure to perform his duty.

"FBI Agents Slay Two In Raid on North Side Flat," Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1942. Page 6. ---- Clockwise from top left: Roger Touhy, leader of band of escaped convicts who were believed to be target of FBI raid on northside last night when two men were slain.

Basil (The Owl) Banghart, who fled prison with Touhy and five other men last fall.

St. Clair McInerney, who wa sbelieved to have been slain in the FBI raid last night. He escaped from prison with the Touhy gangsters.

James O'Connor (left), who was believed to have been one of the men slain, and Matthew Nelson. Both were members of the Touhy gang who participated in the prison break.

[mysticbluejay]

Immediately, almost naturally, Matsuda's hand began jotting down notes. He dedicated a page of his notepad to each individual who had been reported missing. There, he started by writing each person's role within Encom and what time each of them left on the day that they went missing. He was also sure to note that Rio had gone missing on their walk home due to missing the last bus.

"All good information to get us going. I know that the cameras were already looked at, but is there any way I might be able to take a look at them? Oftentimes, there are underlying details that might not be noticed at first glance. Though, there might not be. But it would be a start."

He looks to Ed after a moment, offering a kind smile. "Thank you for the additional information on Rio, by the way, Mr. Dillinger."

/* closed starter for @mysticbluejay) */

If Ed had a nickel for every time something went wrong at work, he'd have enough money to buy off the company, but walking in on a literal crime scene certainly took the cake.

He froze just inside the sleek automatic glass doors of Encom tower, one hand clutching the soft leather strap of his briefcase, the other clutching the handle on Colossus, his service dog's harness. Several LAPD Officers and a couple others he didn't recognize talking with Hardington, Mackey, and Claire. Somehow, he had managed to beat the press here, though Ed doubted it would be long before they swarmed to the tower to get the latest scoop.

He hadn't had time to check the news that morning, and considering that the press wasn't already there, it might not have aired yet, but his stomach churned with dread. Of course, the disappearance of the ninteen-year-old tech genius, MIT student, and inventor, Ximena Pacheco-Navarro had caught his attention, both for the morbid intrigue at a mystery he would have enjoyed reading, if it were fictional, and out of professional interest. Except it wasn't a fictional mystery, and Pacheco-Navarro had been the first of a dozen disappearances in half as many weeks, all of whom were in some way connected to the tech industry, and after the third disappearance that he began to worry. Ed had no proof, but considering his father had threatened to abduct him if he didn't quit Encom to work for him... Ed had all but expected that it was only a mater of time before he ended up on the growing list of missing people.

And yet... if his suspicions were correct, someone else had disappeared.

The cool, wet sensation of the black wolfhound's nose on the back of his hand drew him back to the present.

Ed mulled over his options on how to proceed. He could, of course, go and see what was happening. He was high enough up the corporate ladder that this sort of news was something he would be expected to keep up with for the safety of those that worked under him, although he wasn't sure he had the spoons to deal with it at the moment. He could turn around and leave, except with just his luck the press would just be arriving and he would be the first one they would assault.

Or he could ignore it and proceed to his office, and go about his day as normal. Except Mackey would undoubtedly interrupt him at the most inopportune time and demand he put out whatever fire this was--

"Dillinger, there you are!" Richard Mackey called across the atrium as though summoned by the mere thought of him.

Well, it appeared his choice was made for him. Ed certainly did not have the energy for whatever was going to happen that day.

He resisted the urge to sigh, and instead squared his shoulders, schooled his expression to something aloof but professional, and marched toward the small cluster of people.

[ranoutofrun]

Flynn Lives ARG Message Boards- Questions still left

After reading the Flynn Lives ARG message boards, I actually have some questions about some of the members.

Like who is RecycleOrDie? He is a pivotal member and the 3rd longest running member. He seems to be an ex-ENCOM employee who knew Flynn and was pretty high up and in the know of a lot of stuff. I was thinking maybe he’s Mathew Roth, from The Next Day, but not sure it exactly fits. He joined in late 92, a year after two of the the others, ZackAttack (Roy), and Admin. He seems to be this important character without a name who really should have been named or addressed somewhere proper. Cause honestly, more characters associating with Kevin Flynn and the main cast, the more realistic it is. 

DonutLuvver is also an ex-EMCOM employee from around the end of Flynn’s disappearance who knows ZackAttack (Roy). Zack (Roy) even calls him ‘esteemed colleague’. I would have so loved to have had an actual name for this character as well. With the conversations I don’t think Mathew Roth fits the criteria for this character.

I feel like with the info that these two know Sam but hadn’t stayed in touch or haven't seen him in years. Probably after all the failed leads, appearances and tips during the 90s.

And who is CindyGirl? She doesn’t seem to like ZackAttack (Roy) too much at the start but keeps it civil, but DonutLuvver told them to stop flirting, after a comment about Zack’s (Roy’s) message (I asume dm) being the only one she’s looking forward to getting a message from him for once. Zack (Roy) replies ‘Thats the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me’, meaning something has gone on before what we see in the ARG. If DonutLuvver knows ZackAttack (Roy) in rl, then maybe the flirting comment was a jab? Like, what does she mean then by what she said? What should I take from this about ZackAttack (Roy) as a person?? Has this just not aged well? Also she is older than Sam, as she refers to Sam with has ‘lost much in his young life’. No one closer to Sam’s age which is in his 20s would speak like that?

Then there is MeganRules, who seems to be someone the ENCOM crew here know and they know Sam as well, but they only joined up late into the 90s, 98 specifically. They might be a woman, given some of their comments about guys. I feel perhaps this person may only share an online connection though, given that they aren’t quite as clued in as the other ex-ENCOM employees. Also they may know more about RecycleOrDie’s rl circumstances since they took SkateitOut’s joking comment about him maybe dying super seriously, calling it ‘Out of bounds’. Or perhaps they have had an experience in their rl that they can’t deal with and project it onto others.

And who is JuniorG? Like I think the casual reference name drops in these fake ids is just Disney Easter egging or putting a ref to promote Legacy in it, with Junior. But I have to wonder if Dillinger Junior infiltrated Flynn Lives with a fake persona to keep tabs on them. JuniorG always seems to never be on time or have a flaky personality almost to the detriment of the others. But Zack (Roy) would have caught on since he would have seen everyone’s faces for the id badges he was pumping out. (though it doesn’t explain how Zack (Roy), a former employee of ENCOM would not have been caught immediately with a fake ID himself) So that kinda nips that idea, unless it was a fake photo he gave him and then reported it to ENCOM upper management (Though i don’t feel like Ed Junior would bother the way he acted in the movie). I think it’s just coincidence.

Who is Admin? They’re the Admin yet their date they first joined is actually after Zack’s (Roy) by a month. ISOlatedThinker (Alan) joined in 93, after even RecycleOrDie, who was 92. Is this Lora? I find that the evidence doesn’t support it since she doesn’t seem to be involved and some of the conversations between ISOlatedThinker (Alan) and Admin don’t suit their relationship. But being an Admin, thats a pretty powerful position, meaning they must be someone Zack (Roy) and ISOlatedThinker (Alan) trust a lot. Unless its one of them with a double account. But I don’t by this hypothesis.

And above all else, why am I getting invested in a long since dead ARG Now of all times?

[wrestlingwithhistory]

Arn & Sid

There are many places across the world that you associate with some of the biggest moments in Pro Wrestling: Montreal for the Screwjob, New York for Wrestlemania I, Minneapolis for the first Monday Nitro, but one of the places that people have very low down on their list is Blackburn, England which is where this particular story took place.

On October 27th, 1993 WCW were in England as part of a European Tour. As was customary during these times, the wrestlers would always congratulate each other on a show well done with alcohol and a few popping pills.

2 Cold Scorpio: "We go over there and fly into [Blackburn, England]. We drove three hours, got to the show, just off the airplane, and did the show. After the show, we had a three or four-hour drive, maybe even five, back to the hotel where we were staying out of [Blackburn]. Everyone was off the bus, taking a few pills, having a few drinks…"

There were a number of accounts of this incident due to the amount of talent that were in the bar at the time of the catalytic argument that started the incident in question. After a few drinks, the conversation quickly changed to the performers talking shop, trying to work out the business and why things were going wrong.

Three of the group in question were Arn Anderson, Sid Vicious and Vader. Not 3 of the smallest men by any account, but according to some of the witnesses to the incident, you could see quickly that it was about to escalate further. Arn and Sid were talking about what was happening within the industry, specifically were the money was going.

Sid Vicious: "I’ll tell you exactly what happened. We were in a bar, and I was just waiting for food. We were all at a table drinking…Arn asked the question, ‘What’s wrong with our business? Why aren’t we drawing? The other company this and the other company that…So I said, ‘You want to know what’s wrong with our business? We have an old man in Ric Flair who needs to get the fuck out of the way!”

According to a few of the witnesses, those being 2 Cold Scorpio, The Nasty Boys and Vader, Arn and Sid began to get heated after Arn defended his friend and fellow horseman Flair. Vader said in one interview that after the words began to heat up, he got up and left the situation, taking himself to bed to avoid any ensuing injuries.

Sid claimed that he was suddenly pelted with beers at the bar by Anderson and retaliated in kind by throwing a beer back at Anderson. The wrestlers separate and go back to their rooms.

Sid: “As I was going to my room, [Arn Anderson] and a bunch of the other guys were in the hallway, and he broke a beer bottle and threatened to cut me.”

Sid avoided confrontation with Arn at this particular time, saying he went back to his room and although he wanted to go back to the bar, he ate a sandwich and dwelled over the previous moments.

Sid: “I got in there, and I wasn’t going to sleep real nice. I wanted to go back to the bar, but I actually went into my room, ate a part of my sandwich, and said to myself, ‘Man, this motherfucker!’ I have a bad temper, too. I said, ‘This fucker threw a beer in my face, and now he’s threatening me with a fucking beer bottle broken?’ You know, you have to draw a fucking line!”

After drawing this alcohol fuelled conclusion, Sid then snapped a leg off one of the chairs in the hotel room and made his way to the door of Arn’s room.

2 Cold Scorpio: "I hear somebody, and I’m like, ‘What the fuck? Somebody is fighting out there!’ I’m thinking it’s Vader. I’m like, ‘Goddamnit!’ Vader obviously starting shit with somebody again, man! So, I go over to Vader’s room, and shit, and I hear [snoring sounds]. I hear the motherfucker snoring through the door!”

Sid claims that he made his way to the door of Arn Anderson and proceeded to bang on the door, chair leg in hand. On hearing a drunken Arn stumbling his way through to the hotel door, he had a change of heart.

Sid: “When I got back down there, there was nobody in the doorway or the hallway, and [Anderson’s] door was shut. So, I knocked on his door and said, ‘Come on out here, motherfucker! Bring your beer bottle!’ Some words were exchanged. I couldn’t totally hear him, but I hear him falling down and stumbling around, and I think, ‘Ah, he’s fucked up…’ I looked at my hand and thought to myself, ‘This is fucking stupid.’ So, I threw the fucking thing.”

According to Sid’s story, Arn appeared at the door, scissors in hand to which Sid was claimed to say “Hey man, this has gone too fucking far…” but in that moment Arn came after Sid with the scissors and they began a brawl in the corridor of the hotel.

Sid: “I don’t remember getting stabbed in the beginning. There were two doors in the corridor there, and he backed me up there, and I had nowhere to fucking run. When he came into me and got close to me, I think I hit him one time, and he fell down like at my feet. When he did, I looked at him, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the scissors fall. They were falling out of my stomach. I have a scar right there. So, when I saw the scissors falling out, I realized I had been stabbed. I didn’t feel it in my face or hands, but he launched back for them a second time, but my feet had got them first. And then, I don’t know; it happened so fast…"

Arn’s version of the story is very different to Sid’s. Arn claims that Sid was bragging about ‘holding up’ WCW for $100,000 after Anderson had received a pay cut and said that “The old fuckers need to retire” which started the argument between the two. He then states he was helped to his room by Doug Dillinger and after a while heard banging on his door. As he answered the door, he claims he was hit on the head and was instantly knocked out. He also claimed that as he came to, Sid was on top of him throwing punches and that is when he fought back and got hold of the scissors.

Sid: “You can look at the records the police had. The stick he said I hit him with never touched him. It was twenty feet the opposite way where the fight had happened, and that stick had not one drop of blood, not one dent in it like it had been hit or nothing.”

Anderson was stabbed 20 times to the chest and stomach, Sid was stabbed 4 times were deported back to the US after receiving medical treatment in the UK and no charges were filed for the incident. On returning back to the US, Sid was fired with immediate effect and Anderson was suspended.

Sid: "When I was in the hospital, the police, or whatever you call them, the law enforcement over there, they came into my room trying to get me to press charges against him. I said, "No, man, I’m not going to press charges against him. We both made mistakes. I don’t know how bad he’s really hurt.’ I really didn’t. And they’re like, ‘You know your friend, he’s got not one scratch on him.’ Here I’m having exploratory surgery already; I’ve got stabs on my face, and I said, ‘He’s not got a scratch on him?’ I thought maybe- as I said, it happened so fast. I really don’t remember it happening. And I thought, ‘This motherfucker!’ So, I was going to press charges on him. Later that night, the nurse came over to my room and said, ‘Your friend is really messed up.’ So, I dropped the charges."

Eric Bischoff talked about the incident on the 83 Weeks podcast – “I was at home. It was — I don’t remember what time of day it was, but I think it was pretty late in the evening when I got a phone call from Doug Dillinger, who gave me the first account of what happened and kind of gave me the status of everything. At that point, I think Sid was in the hospital or had just gotten out of the hospital, so the first report I got was that it wasn’t life-threatening, but it was serious, obviously. God, I was to say it was, I don’t know, around 8:00, 9:00 at night maybe? Maybe a little bit later. I don’t remember what time it was, but it was Doug Dillinger who gave me the first piece of news.”

Regarding why Sid was fired and not Arn, Bischoff was open in saying that Ric Flair helped influence that decision, as were many others on the WCW roster who were unhappy with Sid���s behaviour on the tour. Bischoff also stated that as the instigator of the fight, by Sid going to Arn’s room to continue the argument, this more than likely assisted with the decision to let him go over Arn Anderson.

2 Cold Scorpio: "I go down the steps, and I see blood galore. Blood on the left, blood on the right, blood all down the fucking hallway and shit. I keep on walking, and I’m in the fucking hallway with a goddamn towel. I get down there, and Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson are down there just brawling. They were covered in fucking blood. Sid Vicious got the fucking scissors and got Arn Anderson by the hair, and he’s booting him in the fucking face, stabbing him with the scissors every which way. Arn Anderson got blood spitting out of him like a horror movie and shit, man. I see Sid kicking Arn Anderson’s nose, and it does a 180 turn straight the fuck up and shit. I’m like, ‘Damn!’ I jump in, boom, push them apart and shit, and Arn Anderson kind of falls against the wall from half drunk and half loss of blood and shit, and he just kind of stumbles against the wall. Sid kind of steps back, and he looks at me, and I step back in my stance, and I’m like, ‘Damn, I don’t want to have to take you down!’ You know what I’m saying? But that shit got stopped. Sid just looked at me [eyes wide open] freaked out."

After the firing, Sid went onto wrestle for USWA for just over 18 months before re-joining WWF as Psycho Sid where he competed between 1995 and 1997 winning the WWF title twice during his time. He left due to a neck injury and popped up in ECW in January 1999 before going back to WCW in June 1999. He wrestled there for 2 years until a horrific fracture of his tibia and fibula in 2001 forced him into a first retirement as the company was acquired by WWF and his contract was not picked up during the purchase.

Arn Anderson continued working with the then Turner based WCW up until its buyout by WWF in 2001. On joining the WWF, he was given the role of Road Agent and stayed with the company for a further 18 years in the role. He left in 2019, making an appearance at AEW All Out and later that year signed a contract with AEW, primarily as Cody Rhodes’ personal advisor and head coach making his official debut on the January 1st, 2020 Dynamite show, going on to sign a multi-year contract in June of that year.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post, please leave a like and a comment!

[mewtwowarrior]

I found what appears to be an iPad version of one of the old official Tron: Legacy websites.

Most everything works, and there’s some pretty cool stuff on it.

One of the most interesting things is an official timeline for what happens between the original Tron and Tron: Legacy.

Just in case Disney takes the website offline, I’ve copied and pasted the timeline here, to make sure a copy of it stays online.

Chronology

Early 1970's -Dr. Walter Gibbs leaves academia to found a garage start-up company he calls ENCOM.

1980 -ENCOM creates its first mainframe. -The Grid forms within the mainframe as a place where programs can freely interact and games are played by programs. - Dr. Walter Gibbs creates the Master Control Program (MCP) to regulate the mainframe at ENCOM. -Kevin Flynn earns his doctorate from Cal Tech. He is immediately hired by ENCOM where he quickly climbs the corporate ladder to become a lead software developer. - Using ENCOM's facilities, and without the knowledge of his superiors, Flynn designs several games, developing Space Paranoids, Matrix Blaster, Vice Squad, Light Cycles, and numerous other titles. -Ed Dillinger fires Kevin Flynn, his rival at ENCOM, and takes credit for the games Flynn created under the radar. -Money comes rolling in to ENCOM as a result of the games Kevin Flynn designed. -Flynn and Dr. Lora Baines begin to date. It ends after a few months.

1981 -Ed Dillinger quickly climbs the corporate ladder at ENCOM based on the success of the games he "stole" from Kevin Flynn and he becomes Senior Executive Vice President of ENCOM. -Dillinger demotes Dr. Walter Gibbs, founder of ENCOM. Gibbs uses his free time to begin research on practical applications of quantum mechanics and lasers. -The Master Control Program evolves and gains control in the Grid. It begins consuming programs beyond its network in the real world and sends unneeded ones into the Game Grid to ultimately be destroyed. -Flynn buys an old arcade, calling it Flynn's Arcade, uses his own games as the focal point of his business.

1982 -Kevin Flynn hacks the ENCOM mainframe with his search program Clu to find evidence of Ed Dillinger's wrongdoing. -The Master Control Program, the overlord of the system at ENCOM, finds and derezzes Clu before he could access the data he was looking for. -Alan Bradley, a high-level programmer at ENCOM, has suspicions and creates a program named Tron to monitor the Master Control Program to ensure it stays in line. -Alan Bradley complains to his co-worker and girlfriend, Dr. Lora Baines, about Ed Dillinger and losing network access at work due to a hacker. Suspecting Kevin Flynn is the hacker, Lora convinces Alan to help warn him. Together, they break into ENCOM so Kevin Flynn can gain access to the mainframe. -Kevin Flynn is detected in the Grid by the Master Control Program while at a terminal in the Laser Bay. -After being digitized by a laser into the Grid by the Master Control Program, Kevin Flynn teams up with Alan Bradley's and Lora Baines' program avatars in the system — Tron and Yori. Together, they overcome the MCP and stop the corruption of the digital realm. -When Kevin Flynn is digitized back to the real world, Kevin Flynn has the evidence that he, not Ed Dillinger, wrote the games the company was famous for.

1983 -Kevin Flynn becomes the Chief Executive Officer of ENCOM and begins work on a new digital realm — the TRON system. He recreates many programs based on familiar ones in the ENCOM system but with his own flare and ingenuity. -Flynn hires Alan Bradley as Chief Operating Officer of ENCOM. -The first program Kevin Flynn creates is a simple resource distribution platform called Shaddox. -Flynn recreates CLU, now as a control program, to watch over the TRON System when he is not inside. -Sam Flynn is born to Kevin Flynn and Jordan Canas. -Jordan Canas dies in a car accident.

1985 -ENCOM has gone public and become the largest video game company in the world. -Flynn retires from game design to pursue digital research exclusively and focuses his energies on the TRON system ? easily traveling in and out of the system by laser technology.

1986 -ENCOM becomes an established powerhouse in computing and game culture.

1988 -Flynn writes and publishes a controversial book "Digital Frontier." -Flynn claims to have stumbled upon an incredible discovery that could change the world and promises to reveal details "soon."

1989 -In the real world, Flynn disappears completely, leaving his son and company adrift. -Guardianship of Sam goes to his paternal grandparents. -With Kevin Flynn gone, the ENCOM board votes Alan Bradley as interim Chief Executive Officer.

1990 -Many sightings of Kevin Flynn are reported, but none are confirmed. -The Flynn Lives! movement begins in earnest.

1994 -First Flynn Lives! meeting is held in Dayton, Ohio. The group organizes efforts to find the truth behind Kevin Flynn's mysterious disappearance.

1995 -Sam's grandfather dies.

1998 -A letter from Kevin Flynn to a founding member of the Flynn Lives! Movement gains media attention, but is subsequently proven a hoax. The recipient of the letter is institutionalized.

2000 -Sam's grandmother dies.

2001 -A $5,000 reward is offered by the Flynn Lives! group to anyone who can provide proof that Kevin Flynn is alive.

2002 -Conflict is brewing in the TRON system.

2006 -Alan Bradley is stripped of his power as Chief Executive Officer of ENCOM, but is allowed to remain in the company as a figurehead, the Chairman Emeritus.

2007 -The "Albino Cow" sighting of Kevin Flynn sparks renewed interest in the Flynn Lives! group.

2008 -Uninterested in the family business, Sam Flynn chooses a path of extreme sports and daring stunts. -Sam Flynn's preferred vehicle is his father's old Ducati motorcycle.

2010 -ENCOM is the largest multinational computer technology company in the world. -Flynn Lives! Organization reveals new information about Kevin Flynn and follows traces of evidence of his mysterious disappearance. -A mysterious message is sent to Alan Bradley's old pager — the phone number it came from is the now-abandoned Flynn's Arcade.

[shirtlesssammy]

2x08: Crossroad Blues

Welcome to this season’s real hellatus! We’ve got a little theme for the episodes we’re recapping. Try and guess what it is :D Also, we have some good news and bad news. Good news: We’re going to do a whole week of recaps towards the end of the break! Yay! Bad news: They’re all episodes that we hate. We need to get them off our recap plate before the show ends. Enjoy the hellatus (*crying noise*).

Then:

Sam Winchester, professional puppy dog

Now:

Greenwood, Mississippi

August, 1938

Robert Johnson plays Crossroads Blues on a stage to a crowd at a bar. He briefly hears growls but continues to play. He stops again when he sees shadows race outside. The crowd looks confused. Robert runs outside after hearing barks. He races to a shed, but the unseen source of the barking follows him. He kneels to await his fate. 

The door bursts open to find a woman and two men from the bar. The men run to find help and the woman pleads with Robert to stay with her as he mutters, “Dogs, black dogs.” He dies in her arms. 

Sam and Dean are at a diner and Sam’s researching how much of an outlaw Dean is. Sam is upset because it’s going to make their job harder now that the feds have them on their radar. Well, they have Dean on their radar. Dean thinks Sam is jealous. 

Sam’s got a case. An architect jumped off a building he designed, after calling animal control about seeing wild black dogs in his condo. 

There’s a ton of lore on black dogs. Dean brings the real insight to the situation when he tells Sam, “Bet they could hump the crap out of your leg.” AND I MISS THIS DEAN SO MUCH SOME DAYS. 

They interview Gunner Lawless his business partner under the guise of writing a tribute for Architectural Digest. His partner is resentful but admits that the man was a genius. He wasn’t always that way though. He wonders why people with true talent die young. 

The brothers’ next stop is at an area animal shelter. Dean flirts his way into learning more about black dogs in the area. Dean Bean got Carly’s MySpace address too. 

They next head to interview all the people that reported the black dogs. The first on their list is Dr. Sylvia Pearlman. She hasn’t been home in two days. Dean notes that she’s chief of surgery at her hospital, a position she’s had for ten years. She’s only about 42, so she’s very young for that position. They also find a connection to their vic and the doctor. They both visited a place called Lloyd’s Bar. 

Meanwhile, the doctor is hiding out in an early season dingy motel room. She’s frazzled and petrified when someone knocks on the door. The motel staff is there demanding money for another night’s stay. She grabs her money and turns to the man in the door,  only to see his face warp unnaturally. 

The boys find Lloyd’s Tavern next. On the cross road outside the joint, Dean notices yarrow flowers growing alongside the road. These flowers are used for summoning rituals. They put things together and start digging a hole in the middle of the crossroads. They find a tin with various items in it.

People have been summoning and making deals with a demon. “Y’know cause that always ends good.” EAT YOUR WORDS DEAN. Sam says that these people aren’t seeing black dogs, they’re seeing hell hounds. 

Meanwhile, the doctor meets her end with a visit from her own date with the hell hounds. 

Rosedale, Mississippi

1930

We witness Robert Johnson make his crossroads deal with a demon. 

Sam notes that whatever they’re dealing with is a lot like the Robert Johnson lore. Dean notes that Johnson’s music is full of references to hell hounds, demon deals, and the occult. Dean’s barely-tolerating-this-bullshit eyeroll is truly a wonder. (Objectification Sidenote: Damn, Dean’s pretty in this scene.) 

Anyway, they have a picture of another person that made a deal, George Darrow. They head to where he lives. They notice pepper on the doorsill. George answers his door but doesn’t want anything to do with them. They reveal that they know about the supernatural and tell him they want to help. Sam asks about the pepper and George tells them that it’s actually goofer dust. It keeps out demons.

George talks about making his deal and reveals that the demon stayed around Lloyd’s for a week making deals with other people. George mentions the architect and doctor. There’s one other person that also made a deal ten years prior, a man named Evan Hudson. George is resigned to his fate and tells the brothers to leave. 

Evan Hudson works in his home office late at night and flinches at hell hound barks. His wife peeks in before she heads off on a trip. 

As she’s bidding him farewell, her face warps into a dead zombie howl. WHEE HALLUCINATIONS!

Sam and Dean arrive at Evan’s house. Dean opens with asking about Lloyd’s Bar, and Evan immediately slams the door in his face and retreats into his home. That went well! Dean kicks down the door and I’m FINE WITH THIS and not objectifying him at all.

The Winchesters corner Evan in his office. Yes, he knows hell hounds are coming for his soul. Dean’s bitterly dismissive of Evan’s distress, joking about potentially frivolous reasons for him to bargain his soul away. Evan reveals that his wife was dying of cancer, and he made a deal for her health. While Sam melts into a puppy-eyed puddle, Dean still reacts to this with anger. “You ever think about her in all this?” Dean asks. “I think you did this for yourself. So you wouldn’t have to live without her. Well guess what? She’s gonna have to live without you now.”  

Dean’s anger is...counterproductive. So Sam pulls Dean away and they consult in the hall. Dean instructs Sam to spread George’s goofer dust around while he high tails it to the crossroads to summon himself a demon. He’ll exorcise it, and that will buy them a little time. Sam calls this out as a reckless plan and speculates that Dean’s only doing it because he thinks their dad made a deal. “What if he struck a deal?” Dean asks. “My life for his soul?” OH this SWEET EMOTIONAL TORTURE! He heads out to summon the demon.

Dean buries his offering in the crossroad and turns around to find a woman smirking at him. She’s a crossroads demon! They take turns objectifying each other and then Dean invites her to meet in his car for a little privacy. Classic serial killer pickup line. 

Dean tells the demon his terms. He wants Evan released from his deal and he’ll barter himself for it. “You���d sacrifice yourself for someone else?” she says with a devilish smile. “Like father, like son.” 

DRAMATIC MUSIC BREAK

The demon gleefully taunts Dean about John’s deal. When Dean tries to usher her into his car, she balks at the edges of the devil’s trap she sees peeking out from under Baby. Nice try, Dean Bean!

Meanwhile, Evan does his best dramatic chipmunk (prairie dog) impression. 

The hell hounds are now growling from INSIDE THE HOUSE! Sam and Evan watch the doors warily. 

While the hounds close in, Dean gets emotionally traumatized by the demon. (Side note, her breath is visible in this scene and she’s wearing a short sleeved, thin dress. I’m cold in sympathy.) She taunts him about his man-pain and terrible guilt about John’s death. She has the power to bring back John. Dean seems...interested.

The hell hound at Evan’s house stops rattling the door and the room goes silent for a moment until...the hound bursts through the ventilation grate! What a smart doggo!

Dean wants to learn more about the potential to bring back his dad and mopes under a wooden structure until the demon joins him there. She tells him she can give him a ten year deal: John’s life for Dean’s, and they get ten years together before Dean heads below. She plays Dean like a fiddle, and we get a callback to Dean’s feelings in Faith - that he’s not supposed to be alive. Dean experiences VERY LARGE EMOTIONS before wandering out of the structure. “You think you could throw in a set of steak knives?” He directs her attention upward, where he’s painted a devil’s trap on the underside of the structure. What a smart Dean Bean! Excellent misdirection. 

Dean reels off HIS deal: Evan lives, and the demon goes free. If she doesn’t strike a deal, she gets exorcised. (Which is SO embarrassing amirite?) 

Dean starts the exorcism and it starts a fierce wind to howling. The wind gusts into Evan’s house and blows away Sam’s goofer dust circle. Sam and Evan run for safety. The hell hound barks fiercely...until it doesn’t.

Cut to Dean angry-kissing the demon. A kiss seals the deal (apparently all demons like to slip a little tongue). (Insert crack headcanon that this is Crowley in an alternate vessel, when he first gets heart eyes for Dean.)

The demon tells Dean that her word is her bond, but if Dean breaks their deal then the first thing she’ll do when she escapes Hell is tear into Evan like he’s wet paper.

The demon can’t resist one parting shot. Dean should’ve taken the deal. John Winchester’s torture is unimaginably bad. Dean charges for her, the demon smokes out, and Dean’s left with a scared woman in the middle of the crossroads and way too many feelings.

Driving away, Sam and Dean listen to the blues and contemplate John’s deal. Sam tries to focus on the people John saved, but Dean’s stuck in a sadness pit of his own making. Sam asks him if he considered actually making the deal. Dean doesn’t answer, instead just turning the music up.

Oh, Dean.

The Quotes Bark at Midnight:

Dude, I'm like Dillinger or something

I bet they could hump the crap outta your leg

MySpace, what the hell is that?

Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save 'em?

You're lucky I've got a soft spot for lost puppies and long faces

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[rjzimmerman]

It’s possible that the rupture in the pipeline and the resulting explosion were the result of a landslide. The landslide may be the result of the heavy rains that hit the area. However, and regardless of the cause of the rupture, and assuming a landslide is the cause, then the urgency of not placing natural gas or oil pipelines anywhere near populated areas becomes even more obvious.

Excerpt:

A pipeline exploded in Beaver County, Pennsylvania at approximately 5 a.m. Monday morning, causing a large fire and prompting the evacuation of dozens of homes in the area.

The 24-inch natural gas line, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and its subsidiary Sunoco, was buried three feet deep and activated only a week ago on Sept. 3.

The valves to the pipeline were shut off and the fire extinguished itself by 7 a.m., the company said in a statement via WPXI's Mike Holden:

"All of the appropriate regulatory notifications have been made. An initial site assessment reveals evidence of a landslide in the vicinity of the pipeline. The line has been safely isolated and depressurized until a thorough investigation can be completed." Sunoco spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger said Monday in a statement to the Daily Local.

No injuries were reported, but one home, two garages and several vehicles were destroyed by fires, according to the Associated Press. Interstate 376 was closed and the Central Valley school district also canceled classes.

An investigation into the incident is now underway. A landslide that happened near the pipeline could be a possible trigger. Nearly 5 inches of rain fell between Friday night and Monday morning, Trib Live noted, citing National Weather Service data.

The explosion has prompted calls from environmentalists and lawmakers to halt the Sunoco's Mariner East pipeline, which is currently under construction in Pennsylvania.

"I am calling for an immediate halt to all pipeline construction activities," State Rep. Chris Quinn (R-168) said in an online statement. "This pipeline should not be built until the real and legitimate safety and environmental concerns raised by myself and local residents have been fully addressed."

State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-19) tweeted that these kinds of pipelines should not be so close to schools, residential neighborhoods and community centers.

[i-used-to-wear-the-fedora]

Be More Chill Actor AU Headcanons

-Jeremy Heere is originally a British actor that only worked in small projects until he was hired to work on the American Be More Chill project

-Be More Chill is based on a popular Young Adult novel and Jeremy was the right combination of dorky yet charming

-he immediately agrees under the fact he'll have to learn how to use an American accent for the project

-on set he meets the director Sebastian Prescott who had no patience for his actors and demands perfection in their performances so he'll be about to get a better directing project next time

-he does not care for Jeremy's unpolished method of acting and is constantly correcting him from scene to scene

-in the upside most of his fellow cast members seem to be nice, specifically Michael Mell

-Michael has starred in mostly teen comedies and has an active social media presence

-he's incredibly popular as a young, openly gay actor who lives to interact with his fans

-Sebastian see's him as incredibly unprofessional and is constantly looking for excuses to fire him

-Jeremy and Michael bond over all the things they have in common and Michael thinks his British accent is adorable

-Christine Canigula is a new comer, Be More Chill is her first actual role and the fact that she's a lead has her extremely excited

-Chloe Valentine had been acting practically since she was born and as most child actors she ended up kind of fucked up

-she's been in and out of rehab for the past two years and she has a long, long criminal record

-the only reason she took this project was because her mom/agent is trying to get people to forget about all the crappy things she did

-Jake Dillinger and Brooke Lohst are both teen heart throbs on the teen show River Valley

-they were hired to try and promote interest in the show because of its failing ratings

-Jenna Rolan is an...unconventional actress

-most people don't hire fat actresses in the industry and Jenna is big but after her role on Canadian Scary Stories plus her very active social media following she was hired to play the background girl

-Rich Goranski is a model turned actor and he is notoriously hard to work with but they keep him for the name recognition

-the movie production so far has been a disaster on every level, half way through the production the set even getting caught on fire resulting in the hospitalization of Rich and the cutting of a lot of his scenes

-now the whole cast and production team are trying to scramble and save the project so they can actually have careers after this

-Dustin Kropp the intern is not getting paid enough for the shit he has to deal with on set, especially the paparazzi/reporter Madeline French who is constantly trying to sneak onto the set

[pavanghage]

Global Wear Plate Market Size, Share - Segmented by Products, Usability, Application, End Users, and Geography, Trends and Forecast 2025

"

Wear Plate Market is analyzed with industry experts in mind to maximize return on investment by providing clear information needed for informed business decisions. This research will help both established and new entrants to identify and analyze market needs, market size and competition. It explains the supply and demand situation, the competitive scenario, and the challenges for market growth, market opportunities and the threats faced by key players.

Sample Copy of This Report:https://axelreports.com/request-sample/74247

A 360 degree outline of the competitive scenario of the Global Wear Plate Market is presented by Axel Reports Market Insights. It has a massive data allied to the recent product and technological developments in the markets.

It has a wide-ranging analysis of the impact of these advancements on the market’s future growth, wide-ranging analysis of these extensions on the market’s future growth. The research report studies the market in a detailed manner by explaining the key facets of the market that are foreseeable to have a countable stimulus on its developing extrapolations over the forecast period.

Reasons for buying this report:

It offers an analysis of changing competitive scenario.

For making informed decisions in the businesses, it offers analytical data with strategic planning methodologies.

It offers seven-year assessment of Global Wear Plate

It helps in understanding the major key product segments.

Researchers throw light on the dynamics of the market such as drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities.

It offers regional analysis of Global Wear Plate Market along with business profiles of several stakeholders.

It offers massive data about trending factors that will influence the progress of the Global Wear Plate

Get ToC for the overview of the premium report @ https://axelreports.com/industry-analysis/global-wear-plate-market/74247

By Market Players: SSAB JFE ThyssenKrupp Dillinger ArcelorMittal Essar Steel Algoma NSSMC Wuyang Steel Xinyu Iron & Steel NLMK Clabecq Baosteel Group Baohua Resistant Steel Bisalloy ANSTEEL TISCO Bisalloy Jigang By Type Under HBW 400 HBW 400-500 Above HBW 500 By Application Mining Construction Others

A detailed outline of the Global Wear Plate Market includes a comprehensive analysis of different verticals of businesses. North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe have been considered for the studies on the basis of several terminologies.

This is anticipated to drive the Global Wear Plate Market over the forecast period. This research report covers the market landscape and its progress prospects in the near future. After studying key companies, the report focuses on the new entrants contributing to the growth of the market. Most companies in the Global Wear Plate Market are currently adopting new technological trends in the market.

Finally, the researchers throw light on different ways to discover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats affecting the growth of the Global Wear Plate Market. The feasibility of the new report is also measured in this research report.

Make an Enquiry for purchasing this Report :https://axelreports.com/enquiry-before-buying/74247

Table of Contents:

Global Wear Plate Market Overview

Economic Impact on Industry

Market Competition by Manufacturers

Production, Revenue (Value) by Region

Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

Market Analysis by Application

Cost Analysis

Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

Market Effect Factors Analysis

Global Wear Plate Market Forecast

ABOUT US:

Axel Reports has the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services available on the web. We deliver reports from virtually all major publications and refresh our list regularly to provide you with immediate online access to the world’s most extensive and up-to-date archive of professional insights into global markets, companies, goods, and patterns.

Contact: Axel Reports Akansha G (Knowledge Partner) Office No- B 201 Pune, Maharashtra 411060 Phone: US +18488639402 Email: sales@axelreports.com/ Web: https://axelreports.com/

"

[cacowhistle]

i love you too much

Chapters: 1/5 Fandom: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Rich Goranski/Jeremy Heere Characters: Jeremy Heere, Rich Goranski, Jake Dillinger, Michael Mell, Brooke Lohst, Chloe Valentine, Christine Canigula, Jenna Rolan, Ms. Lohst Additional Tags: Hanahaki AU, ye it's hanahaki, SQUSBANDS, thats the ship name, I love it so much Summary:

rich doesn't have a crush.

he doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't.

oh god, yes he does.

read it on ao3

The clock on the wall read 4:31, and Rich was sitting in the auditorium with Jake, Jenna, and Christine, going over lines for this year's show, The Little Mermaid. Rich got to play Flounder, and he was fucking thrilled.

"This is dumb. If she really had a crush on this guy, Ariel would just - fuckin' - ignore her father even more and swim up to the prince whenever he's nearby. Long distance relationship. Make it work. Dedicate yourself to this. Don't go make deals with a shady sea witch who probably killed your mother." Rich had his chin resting on his hand as he read over the lines, eyes half-lidded and the words tumbling out without thought.

"But it's love, Rich! She is dedicated, she's giving up her voice for the prince!" Christine grinned at him from where she sat, perched on the back of the seat rather than in the seat itself, still going over her lines.

"Yeah, but at the very least she could've like, learned sign language or something - or fucking written stuff down ? She knows how to write. She could've written what she wanted to say, she's a dumbass." He flipped the page, eyebrows furrowed.

Jake leaned back in his seat, snorting. "Crushes are dumb anyways."

"Says the guy with a crush on Dustin Kropp," Jenna piped up as she idly flipped through her script, smirking. Christine glanced over at Jake with wide eyes, giggling.

"Oh, shit, Jenna's revealing all sorts of good stuff today. Anything else to report, Jen-Jen?" She leaned forward eagerly, half-focused on the script, half-focused on Jenna. Her knee was bouncing as she turned the page of her script, going over the lines under her breath, head cocked to listen to Jenna.

They all knew that Jenna and Christine were hardcore pining for each other.

"Brooke and Chloe were making out in the girl's bathroom during lunch today. If you were wondering where they were. I had the brilliant luck to walk in as they were doing it." Jenna looked up at Rich and Jake, raising her eyebrows. "Wonder how much longer they're gonna last."

"Knowing Chloe, not long." Jake shut his script, leaning forward again, obviously done with trying to be productive - normal for him. "Although, it is Brooke."

"That's true." Rich flipped the pages of his script back and forth, gaze flicking over the words, but his mind not registering them. "It is Brooke. Chloe's head over heels for her, I'm sure they'll last for a good long while."

He was confident in his words - Brooke had loved Chloe for years, and Chloe had just started to return the sentiment. The two were incredibly happy and seemed to have everything they wanted. They planned to move up to Boston, get an apartment and two cats. They had everything planned out. They'd already started looking for places to move to. In the meantime, Chloe was staying at the Lohst household (well, the Lohst-Goranski household at this point - Rich lived there too, Ms. Lohst knew his dad was shitty and had taken him in almost immediately. She was a goddamn angel in Rich's eyes). They all knew Chloe's parents wouldn't approve of the relationship.

Rich loved Brooke like a little sister, and so naturally he had to threaten Chloe. If she hurt Brooke, Rich would be hunting her down and beating the shit out of her. Of course, he knew Chloe would never try to hurt Brooke on purpose, and that thought calmed him a little. Nobody in the Lohst house would actively try to hurt anybody. It had not been that way in his old house. He was relieved to be out of that shithole. He was loved in the Lohst house. They cared about him - all of his friends actually cared about him. It was nice. It was really, really, really nice.

Rich snapped back to attention at a hand waving in his face, and he snapped at it. Christine jerked her hand back, rolling her eyes. "We were talking to you, dumbass."

He shook his head, blinking away his previous daze. He got lost in his thoughts like that far too often for his liking. "Sorry, sorry. What were you saying?"

"We wanna know who you, " Christine jabbed him in the chest, and he yelped, "have a crush on."

Rich rolled his eyes. "Chris, I don't have a crush on anybody. We've been over this. Several times."

"Liar." Jake didn't even look up, he was flipping through his script again. Rich shot a glare his way.

"You're the one lying," He retorted, rolling his eyes.

As he spoke, his eyes flicked up as Jeremy and Michael walked into the theater, talking. He found himself staring for much too long as Jeremy laughed at something Michael had said. The boy buried his face in his hand, shoulders shaking, eyes bright. Upon realizing that he was, in fact, staring, Rich jerked his gaze away, knowing that he'd probably gone red. He felt like his heart was crawling up his throat as Jeremy and Michael walked over, and he gripped the hem of his tank top with his hands.

Shit, he didn't have a crush on Jeremy, did he? It wouldn't be a bad thing if he did, he just… didn't think he had any crushes at the moment. Shit, maybe he was wrong. He coughed into his hand, the coughs harsh and grating against his throat. He was surprised that it hurt so much. Maybe he was just getting sick, who knew?

He looked down at his hand, his heart stopping at the three smooth, white petals that rested in his palm. He swallowed nervously, tongue darting around his mouth, running over his teeth as if searching for other petals that might've gotten stuck in his mouth. Upon finding none, he hastily shoved the petals into his pocket, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. He was fine, he was sure of it. People had probably randomly coughed up flowers before. He'd eaten flowers on a dare before. He'd done it the other day because Michael had bet him ten dollars he wouldn't do it. They made plenty of bets like that.

Well, Rich "Is That A Goddamn Challenge" Goranski went home with ten dollars that day (and Brooke "My Brother Is A Trainwreck" Lohst judged him for eating those flowers).

He was snapped out of his confused haze by a voice. "Rich? You okay over there? You look like you're gonna get sick." Michael furrowed his eyebrows in concern as Rich hesitated with his response.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He flashed a smile, hoping it was reassuring. I already am sick.

He pushed that thought away.

His confidence practically vanished as Christine spoke up. "Hey, Michael, we're talking about crushes. We want the dirt, who are you into?"

Rich found himself getting nauseous at the mere thought of crushes, and looking at Jeremy just made his head spin. His heart was pounding, the sound in his ears getting louder, and louder, and louder, and eventually it was too much as Jeremy began to answer the question. Rich didn't want to hear it - he didn't, he didn't, he didn't. He kept himself calm on his exterior, but inside he was a disaster. His thoughts were swirling and buzzing, raging like a thunderstorm, panicked and tangled and mixed up. He tried to keep himself steady, not wanting to cause a scene or something.

So. He liked Jeremy. That was a fact. Did he like Jeremy as more than a friend? He still wasn't sure.

At least, he wasn't sure until he looked up at Jeremy again, who was grinning, face flushed red from embarrassment as Michael droned on about something - probably something stupid, not that Rich cared. And Rich felt himself getting lost in those blue-gray eyes, and he cursed himself inwardly. Oh god , he was so fucked, he was so fucked. He was a gay mess right now, that's what he was. He forced himself to look down at the script in his hands. Hoping for a distraction, he tried to focus on the words, focus on something before he got lost in his thoughts (and Jeremy) again. Anything to get his mind off of Jeremy and his budding crush.

"Rich, dude, are you sure you're okay?" It was Jake this time, and the conversation had come to a halt as everyone noticed how strange he was acting.

Rich forced a smile. "Been… sitting for too long. Gettin' kinda restless. I might take a walk to the costume closet and chill for a bit." That was a believable lie, right? And maybe he could find out if Jeremy currently had any crushes or not.

"Sounds good, dude." Jeremy tilted his head. "Want someone to come with you?" He ignored how his heart pounded when Jeremy spoke, at how his hair flopped down over his eyes when he tilted his head like that.

His gaze flicked over the group, and his eyes landed on Jenna. He grinned. "I'll take the Jen-meister with me. If she wants to come, that is."

The girl looked slightly taken aback but shrugged. "Sure, why not. Y'all are wearing out the conversation. We get it, Jake has a crush on Ed Sheeran."

Christine giggled, rolling her eyes (she was so into Jenna). Jake just groaned, burying his face in his hands. "You're all terrible people. I make a joke one time, one fucking time. "

"Say that to the Ed Sheeran poster in your closet. I have pictures." Rich laughed, getting to his feet. "Alright. C'mon, Jen. Racks of shittily organized costumes await."

Jenna stood up as well, leaving her script behind as the two wandered in the direction of the costume closet. Jenna was the first to speak on the way there, although Rich barely heard what she said, and just hummed in response.

"Rich, dude, that's not an answer. Why the hell did you ask me to come along?"

They entered the costume closet, and Rich began to sift through costumes, busying his hands - a distraction, something to keep him occupied so he could keep it together. "Uh, I - what do you know about Jeremy? Like, relationship wise? Who he dated, all that stuff. If he - uh, likes anybody now?"

Jenna looked offended, scowling. "What, you brought me along just to get information out of me? That's shitty, Rich. Just ask him yourself."

Rich felt his chest tighten at the mere thought. "No, no, I'm sorry. It was pretty shitty of me, Jen, but - but it's important. It's really fucking important." He coughed twice into his hand, shoving the slick white petals in his pocket again.

Jenna looked at him with a strange expression for a moment - bordering on concern, curiosity, and nervousness all at once. "Uh - okay." Her face twisted back into a scowl, and she started listing information. "He dated Brooke for two months, Christine for five, and he briefly dated Michael for three weeks. Happy?"

Rich felt his heart race. He liked guys. Thank fuck, he was into guys, praise the goddamn lord he was into guys. "Almost. Is he dating anybody now? Have any crushes?"

Jenna shook her head, and Rich felt almost relieved for a few moments. He could actually do it. He had a slight chance. "Thank you so much, Jen. This - this is really helpful."

She frowned, studying him for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you care about this?"

Rich hesitated, debating on whether or not he should tell the truth. He opted not to. "Uh. Not really a specific reason. Just… curious."

The girl raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing him. "You're a shit liar, Richard."

Rich forced a smile at his full name, gritting his teeth. "I'm not lying, Jen. I'm just curious."

He didn't like this. He had a crush, yes, and he was okay with that - but something felt off. Something about how tight his chest felt, something about how he could hear the tiniest hint of a wheeze in between each breath he took, something about the coughing and the flowers - it all rubbed him the wrong way, something was just… wrong. And he couldn't figure out what, he couldn't put it together - it was frustrating him.

He shoved a few more petals into his pocket.

[cordlock7-blog]

WWE’s Roman Reigns Announces Cancer In Remission, Returns To Ring

By Chuck Carroll

(CBS NY/CBS Local) — When Roman Reigns stepped through the curtain Monday night, he was met by an unfamiliar sound. It was heartfelt applause stemming from a place far deeper than just a desire to cheer for one of the good guys on TV. Absent was the chorus of boos to drown out cheers from his allegiance of fans.

On this night, not a single detractor could be heard among the thousands of members of the WWE Universe who had gathered in Atlanta. On this night, the Big Dog was universally beloved.

Thunderous chants of “welcome back” reigned down from every corner of the arena. The prolonged cheers delayed his first live remarks since the fateful night last October, when he announced that he was relinquishing the Universal Title and walking away from the ring to battle leukemia for the second time in his life. Reigns hadn’t said a word on WWE TV in more than four months, so what was another few minutes?

Roman Reigns (Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Finally, 10 minutes into the live broadcast of Monday Night RAW, he could speak.

“I’m probably going to say this a lot, but I’m going to start out by saying ‘thank you,’” Reigns began.

Fittingly, some in the crowd began chanting “you are welcome.”

The WWE Superstar who has clawed his way to the top of the sports entertainment world and built a reputation as a fearless competitor then made an uncharacteristic confession. Thinking back to last fall, the powerful Samoan confessed to being terrified and insecure prior to revealing to the world his cancer had returned after being in remission for 11 years.

>>MORE: Roman Reigns, Breaking Character, Reveals He Has Leukemia

“So many people prayed for me that God’s voicemail was full,” he said. “That is how strong it was to be surrounded by y’all’s love and grace… I can do anything with that type of strength and love.”

His words, coupled with the writing on the black tank top that adorned his still muscular body, hinted at what was to follow: We Fight. We Overcome. We Believe.

Roman Reigns (Photo Credit: Ron ElkmanSports Imagery/Getty Images)

“When I made my announcement, I said I was going to swing for the fences. We did better than that,” Reigns continued. “We didn’t just swing for the fences, we hit a home run. I’m so grateful, so humbled, and so honored to announce this. The good news is I’m in remission. So with that being said, the Big Dog is back.”

The crowd erupted, giving the once controversial former champion another undivided standing ovation, as deafening chants of “welcome back” again echoed throughout the arena.

His response was equally heartfelt.

“Thank you so much. I love y’all,” he replied.

Even before Reigns was able to deliver the uplifting update, some in the audience were calling for him to declare an opponent at WrestleMania. Without missing a beat, he paused and smiled, then said that he first had to crawl before he could walk and then walk before he could run. Of course that will do little to quiet the speculation that his Mania future will soon become clear.

There doesn’t appear to be a path for him to challenge for the Universal Title that he was forced to give up due to the cancer diagnosis, as Royal Rumble winner, Seth Rollins, is set to challenge current champion, Brock Lesnar. However, as of now, Daniel Bryan’s dance card and a shot at the WWE Championship seem wide open. In recent weeks, there had been speculation that Bryan would be facing an unnamed returning Superstar. Many assumed that the mystery man would be revealed as John Cena, Bray Wyatt or Kevin Owens. But with Monday’s announcement, the door is open for Reigns to lay the smackdown on the devilish vegan and make the jump to Tuesday nights. Looking ahead, his presence on SmackDown can only help shore up slumping ratings and bolster viewership, as the show prepares to move to a new network in the fall.

>>MORE: From the world of Pro Wrestling

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns (L-R) (Photo Credit: JP Yim/Getty Images)

In the more immediate future, the door has been left open for a potential reunion of The Shield, the faction that launched Reigns’ career in WWE and cemented his status as one of the promotion’s top stars. The returning champion and Rollins ran to the ring to save an outnumbered Dean Ambrose from a three-on-one beatdown at the hands of Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. As storylines go, there will need to be some fence-mending before that can happen after WWE controversially decided to have Ambrose turn on Rollins on the same night Reigns announced the reemergence of his cancer. As of now, none of the men have a match scheduled at the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view on March 10.

But as Reigns said, that is to be determined down the line. For now, we celebrate more than the return of a wrestler. We celebrate a father who has devoted countless hours to improving the lives of thousands of others battling life-threatening illness and has himself beaten leukemia back into remission.

Welcome back, Roman. You were missed.

News & Notes

The other big news coming out of Monday’s show was the return of Dave Bautista. The Guardians of the Galaxy star brutally beat down Ric Flair, spoiling The Nature Boy’s 70th birthday celebration and appearing to set the wheels in motion for a showdown with Triple H at WrestleMania.

The triple threat match between Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania also took a step forward Monday. As part of the storyline, Lynch was arrested for defying orders and showing up to attack Rousey despite her ongoing suspension. Rousey then left the title in limbo by seemingly relinquishing it after Stephanie McMahon declined to sign off on the match.

>>MORE: Is Ronda Rousey Leaving WWE?

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch has run afoul of the law yet again. The 46-year-old is now facing charges of driving while intoxicated after being arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey Saturday evening. Authorities are also levying charges of driving on a suspended license, failing to stop at a stop sign, having an open container of alcohol in the car, reckless driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and careless driving, according to multiple reports. Police say Sytch also had outstanding traffic warrants in Holmdel, NJ, which is less than an hour away. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson is reporting that officials in Pennsylvania filed to revoke her parole prior to the most recent arrest. She spent much of 2018 incarcerated in the state following multiple arrests for DWI.

WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has been fired from his backstage role as a producer for the company. Anderson had been butting heads with Vince McMahon, which led to his ouster according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer. An original member of The Four Horsemen, Anderson was not present for Ric Flair’s 70th birthday celebration on RAW.

Tye Dillinger and Hideo Itami have both requested and been granted their releases from WWE. There is some speculation that the former will eventually join AEW.

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJP has also been let go by the company for disciplinary reasons, according to Meltzer.

Tickets to Ring of Honor’s debut in the Pacific Northwest will go on sale for Honor Club members on February 27 and to the general public on March 1. ROH will run in Kent, Washington on June 1 and Portland, Oregon on June 2.

ROH Women of Honor Champion, Mayu Iwatani, will defend her title against Kelly Klein at the ROH 17th Anniversary pay-per-view on March 15.

The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros is now official for AEW Double of Nothing on May 25.

Chuck Carroll is former pro wrestling announcer and referee turned sports media personality. He once appeared on Monday Night RAW when he presented Robert Griffin III with a WWE title belt in the Redskins locker room.

Follow him on Twitter @ChuckCarrollWLC.

Source: https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/02/26/roman-reigns-wwe-cancer-leukemia-remission-ring-return-wrestlemania/

[thekristylife]

Dream journal 1/17/18

My story is one of great wonder. One I don’t fully understand yet myself. If it were happy and straight forward well then it wouldn’t be much of a story at all, would it? No, what happened on this night to me and my loved ones is inexplicable and grand which is why I tell it to you. Twas a night just like any other that my loved ones and I traveled to the Sunnyside trailer park to visit old friends but what happened that night was anything but normal.

We arrived half passed 9pm. Our two vehicles parked rather neatly in an otherwise messy yard. I came with all my immediate family, my boyfriend, and two dear friends. We came to visit my cousins, David and Michelle. When we arrived they had their front yard full of neighbors and friends enjoying the summer night. Michelle greeted us and showed us to our rooms. After we set down our belongings in our respected sleeping areas we joined the outside festivities. Their were hot dogs being barbecued, children setting off fireworks, and beers aplenty. As the night got later and began to wind down, parent put their children to bed and the locals began to tell scary stories around the campfire. According to the Mr. Dillinger, the eldest resident, the park had been built upon an ancient Native American burial ground. The developer who purchased the land for pennies on the acre, had no idea of the previous inhabitants until they began to level the land at which point an employee unearthed a skeletal body that was obviously buried with intention. Soon after, the men working on the site discovered exactly what they were digging up. Many of them quite the job but not without signing no-disclosures for the company. The man in charge brought in his sons to help finish the job without telling another soul. By Mr. Dillinger’s account nobody knows what happened to the remains that were dug up. One year later there was a trailer park and nobody asked any more questions. Everyone who lived there had a story of strange occurrences.

It was getting late and I had sleep on my mind when I noticed a small but bright light moving erratically through the night sky. Another park resident was telling their eerie tale of spiritual occurrences so I didn’t bother getting anyones attention. I only stared intently until I noticed out of the corner of my eye others began to take notice. All at once the small light grew larger and larger until it began to form a familiar shape. The light shown itself as the moon, which wasn’t there before, but it oddly grew and shrank, almost in sync with my hearts beat. On inhale it was so large and luminous it nearly blinded me and on exhale so normal it could have been mistaken as real. Until finally the light shown it’s true form and began to speak. I wish I could describe to you the feelings that came over me in the seconds in which this occurrence took place but alas I do not have words for it. There was fear, confusion, and wonderment  all in one. The being was skeletal and clearly from beyond the grave. Just as it began to speak everything around us shifted and altered itself. My loved ones remained but everyone else disappeared. The trailer appeared now as a hut. I hardly had time to comprehend the situation before I realized my two dear friends had vanished. All that was left of them was their cellular devices which lie upon the outdoor lounge chairs in which they sat. The sky went dark and night quiet. I looked around to my remaining confidants in shock and horror. After a few stunned minutes we decided to investigate the altered trailer. From the outside it appeared to be teepee of sorts but the inside was much larger than the outside presented itself to be. The front rooms previous family photos were replaced with bygone maps and photos of native peoples. In the corner were two old-fashioned televisions with game consoles and remotes attached. Just beyond that was what appeared to be a kitchen and small hallway that led to two other rooms with nothing in them. We were all at a loss for words. It wasn’t long before there was a familiar ringing coming from outside. We all went outside to investigate when we noticed it was one of the cell phones making noise. My brother answered it wearily. With super sonic noise a voice boomed through the speaker and explained to us that if we wanted our friends back we would have to beat the video game displayed on the front rooms televisions. If we did not beat the game within their allotted time frame they would be returning for more victims. We gathered the left behind phones and once more went back inside.

When we got back inside we began to take greater notice of the replaced wall hangings. The maps left behind were unrecognizable initially but luckily someone took note that these maps were world maps from before the continental drift. The photos left behind were even more peculiar. They were full family portraits of ancient Native Americans. Their faces so dark and sharp that the sight alone made you tear up with unknowingness. But there was something new near the two televisions, a time clock that quickly sped downwards toward another loved ones demise. There was a quick tally of who was best at video games. The two boys had the most knowledge. While they tried to navigate their way through the out-of-date game we realized the maps and photos were clues to how to game could be beat. While the rest of the gang focused on the game I inspected the cell phones. I picked up one and curiously launched myself into its content. A video popped up and I saw my stolen friends face, seemingly alive and well. Just then I could see her start to cower in fear from the videographers brute force. No words were exchanged between the two but it was obvious she were in danger at the hands of the person taking the video. I was afraid my searching mounted this attack so in a panic I shut the phone off. I decided to explore the other empty rooms while the others played the game. I realized there was nothing to be seen when the time clock sounded. A terror unknown to any normal human came over me and I hid so quickly in an empty closet that I didn’t even have time to recognize my cowardice. From inside the bare room I heard the ominous footsteps enter the front room and steal my beloved family member. It was over before I knew it. When I returned to the living room I was so stunned I didn’t even recognizes who had been taken. The others who had seen the event reported that when the shadowy figured arrived to collect their victim the entire room transposed into something else entirely. It reverted into the teepee it was meant to be. Was my cowering body visible in that one room? I couldn’t even bring myself to ask. What I knew was I was still “safe” and my family was being picked off one by one.

I wish I could tell you we’ve beat the game with the given clues and regained all conscientiousness in the world as we knew it but as it stands I write this being the only remaining person inside the hut. I cannot beat this game and no doubt soon will be collected. I do not know my fate but can only hope that it is with my estranged family. I will bury this letter deep beneath the dirt floors of this hut in hopes that it will one day be found and our story will be told around your campfire.

[racingtoaredlight]

On This Day...

On this day in 1924, J. Edgar Hoover became the sixth and final Director of the Bureau of Investigations, a relatively small and obscure law enforcement agency in the federal government which was primarily tasked with rooting out German sympathizers during World War I and American Communists in the 1920s, during the First Red Scare. Hoover gradually accumulated more power as he turned the Bureau’s archives into a vast network of information collected from Americans of every walk of life: lowly laborers thought to be Communist sympathizers, prominent businessmen, and politicians. In addition to information about their personal and professional memberships, Hoover’s agents and informants also gathered rumors about the sex lives of many of these individuals. This trove of information was wielded often by Hoover to get what he wanted, including increased funding and more manpower. By 1935, the Bureau of Investigations was transformed into the Federal Bureau of Investigations or FBI, and Hoover became the first director. Hoover retained his position as director until his death, May 2, 1972; almost 48 years to the day after his first appointment.

J. Edgar Hoover began working for the Bureau of Investigations almost immediately after completed his second law degree, an LLM, in 1917. Hoover was assigned to divisions within the Bureau that tracked and investigated Americans and immigrants for having possible German sympathies during World War I. After the overthrow of the Russian monarch in 1917 and the rise of Lenin’s Bolshevik’s during the subsequent Russian Civil War, the focus of his unit turned to the suspected spread of subversive communists as they apparently sought to infiltrate American shores where they would seek to undermine the capitalist economic system. Hoover performed his job with speed and efficiency and he was quickly promoted. Hoover later worked in a division that was the equivalent of the counterintelligence office of today’s FBI.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

In 1924, the Bureau’s director, William J. Burns was removed by President Calvin Coolidge for alleged connections to the Teapot Dome Scandal; one of the largest American political scandals of the 20th century. At the time the Bureau had 650 employees, 441 of whom were special agents. Hoover immediately made his imprint on the Bureau, firing agents he considered incompetent or sought the attention of the public through the press by advertising their latest arrests and investigations. In other cases, Hoover transferred men to backwater assignments, effectively ending their careers.

In 1932, Hoover created what would become the FBI Laboratory, still considered the preeminent crime lab in the entire United States. The Bureau also went after the gangs of Midwest bank robbers and took down John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and Alvin Karpis. These public successes boosted the Bureau’s reputation as well as that of Hoover. When he sought increased funding and more manpower, Congress responded and the FBI was created in 1935 to be the primary national law enforcement and investigation agency in the United States.

Hoover’s reputation as a protector of the Republic and the American way of life grew, so did his private reputation as someone who was willing to ruthlessly destroy someone’s life using the information he had at his disposal. Hoover was rumored to keep a personal file on every major politician and several lesser known ones, who he could lean on to further his own interests. When the FBI was created, no term limits were stipulated for any of the senior positions, including the director. Hoover had created the FBI and formed it in his own visions; he was synonymous with the agency and he relished the idea that it was as much his as it was an organ of the federal government. With each administration that entered and left the White House, most gave little thought to replacing Hoover. He was an institution. Those that did, notably Kennedy and Johnson soon reversed course and, in 1964, Johnson declared that Hoover would remain director for an “indeterminate period of time,” effectively a lifetime appointment. Nixon greatly distrusted Hoover, but preferred not to publicly tangle with him.

When Hoover died in 1972 Nixon became the first president to appoint an FBI Director since the agency was founded 37 years earlier. Hoover was initially succeeded by Clyde Tolson, his long-time deputy and reported lover*. Tolson himself was in poor health and resigned a few days later. The next two senior officials were L. Patrick Gray and W. Mark Felt. Nixon chose Gray as Acting Director because he privately felt that Gray would be more pliant than the longer serving Felt. Felt was slighted by Nixon’s action and he carried a grudge.

Just over a month later, the Watergate Scandal began as five men were arrested infiltrating Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington. As the FBI investigation of the break-in and apparent coverup evolved, information kept leaking to two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. The two named their source Deep Throat, but otherwise refused to give any indication of who the source might be and where he was situated. The reporting of Woodward and Bernstein was critical in undermining the Nixon administration and ultimately forcing him to resign, the first American President to do so, before or since.

In 2005, Felt revealed to the world that he was Deep Throat, the source for Woodward and Bernstein. Felt also confirmed that he was induced to become an anonymous source for the reporters because the Nixon administration passed him over in favor of Gray to be FBI Director. The FBI, which was created by J. Edgar Hoover to safeguard American domestic interests by rooting out enemies of the state, ultimately ending up bringing down a president instead .

*Rumors which have since been widely discredited.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});