#the photographer who got that picture of trump

[aaronexplainsitall]

X

[technofeudalism]

i think i'm finally genuinely going to IP block reddit so i'm not tempted to even go on there anymore or click the link habitually. i can't stomach it anymore. it just makes me so mad and i wind up rage posting about it. so consider this the last one.

one of the top posts on the website right now with something like 74,000 upvotes on /r/pics is a grainy picture of an elderly disabled woman working at Walmart crying while sitting on an electric scooter with an oxygen tank with a title of "the american dream 2025."

half of the comments are saying how sad it is.

the other half are saying she probably voted for Trump and is getting what she deserves.

few are talking about how maybe we shouldn't be photographing random Walmart workers sobbing on the internet for reddit karma. one person who tried to call taking a picture of someone like that without their permission during a vulnerable moment completely abhorrent behavior was asked "what they're doing in terms of boots on the ground work." like the fucking op is a war time photographer. who, by the way, just flat out lied and said he "talked to her and got her permission."

furthermore, the woman in the photo is very clearly 70 something years old. Democrats have been in charge of the government for 20 of the last 32 years of her life. she's still dying at Walmart in 2025. what does that tell you about the trust she probably has in any politician to truly solve her problems???

that website is 4chan for harry potter millennials. it's just 4chan for a new generation of people who have been exclusively engaging on discourse online for so long that they have become completely repulsive human beings with no conscience. maybe social media was a massive mistake after all.

[black-fist-order]

BREAKING: MAGA world erupts in rage on Hollywood superstar Alan Ritchson of "Reacher" fame after he posts a photograph with Joe Biden and his son Hunter, calling them "legends" and heaping praise on them.

He plays an American hero on TV and behaves like one in real life...

"So our ‘Reacher’ set got in the way of these legends,” Ritchson wrote in an Instagram post alongside pictures and videos. "Was a privilege and honor to meet the Biden family."

"They couldn’t have been more lovely. Kind, joyful, gracious and present," he continued, addressing his over 4 million followers.

"We chatted briefly about simple stuff, like string theory and quantum entanglement. Then Joe beat me at arm wrestling. All in a day’s work," Ritchson added.

Republican backlash was immediate with calls spreading on right-wing social media for a boycott of the incredibly popular "Reacher." But Ritchson has never been afraid to speak his mind on political issues and has even gone after Donald Trump in the past.

"Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child and it’s unreal. I don’t understand it," Ritchson, a devout Christian, previously told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Christians today have become the most vitriolic tribe. It is so antithetical to what Jesus was calling us to be and to do," he said.

"People have this weird relationship with fictional characters, and sort of equate that to the real human being," he said in a different interview with GQ. "I don’t have that problem, making that distinction. I get criticized a lot by Christians who are like, ‘How dare you have an unmarried sex scene on TV and then talk about Jesus?’ I’m sorry—I doubt that’s going to be part of the conversation when I’m standing at the pearly gates!"

[beardedmrbean]

(The trump pic made me laugh so I had to include it)

Robbie there is just right on the edge of getting it, at least he seems to know that this is something that took place.

The reason they're telling his story, if it is based on him, is because why not tell his story, we've got 1000 pieces of media about

This is a article from 2010 about the guy robbie mentions there.

As London suffered the full force of the German Luftwaffe bombing raids 70 years ago this week the story of Nigerian Ita Ekpenyon has been uncovered by the City of Westminster Archives.

The blitz and the response of Londoners is now the stuff of legend and the story of Ita demonstrates that integrity, responsibility commitment and sacrifice are not qualities confined to the English.

Ita Ekpenyon is the personification of London’s Blitz spirit and he along with over 15.000 Africans living in London at the time are for the first time being recognised and their bravery acknowledged.

Ita Ekpenyon was one of over 200,000 Londoners who volunteered as Air Raid Protection (ARP) wardens.

Black British experiences from the Blitz, is now being told by City of Westminster Archives in a new project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Ita arrived in London from Nigeria in 1921 at the age of 28. When war broke out in 1939 he was living at 146 Great Titchfield Street, near Oxford Circus, and studying to become a lawyer.

At 46, Ita was too old for military service but his sense of civic duty led him to volunteer for civilian defence duties. On 5 February 1940, Ita was enrolled as an ARP Warden with D Section, St Marylebone Borough Council Civil Defence Volunteer group. According to his unit’s records, he experienced raid after raid, putting out incendiary bomb fires, giving first aid and conducting population counts as the bombs fell all over the capital. ______________________________________

Sounds like a story that's begging to be told to me right there, kinda wish that was what it is about, looks to be more than that though. _________________________________________

George, McQueen’s child protagonist, was inspired by a picture the filmmaker came across while researching his television series Small Axe, which showed a small black boy being evacuated from the city. On his journey back home to his mother after being evacuated, George discovers much about his city – and himself.

A key scene shows George wandering through the old Islington Empire Arcade, encountering dioramas and murals of black workers, ever under the control of their white colonial masters. There he meets Isey, a Nigerian air raid warden, who cares for him and finds him a space in a shelter.

The shelter shows the diversity of blitzed London that was captured by the photographer Bill Brandt: Jewish families, Sikh families and white families crammed together in the squalor of the makeshift shelters below the city in the first weeks of air raids. When a white couple try to segregate the shelter by race, Isey reprimands them, reminding them that they are all fighting Hitler and the Nazi belief in a race war.

Blitz deserves to find a large audience. Not just because it retells a familiar story in a new way and gives voice to those whose stories are often overlooked, but because of what it has to say about who those blitzed Londoners, so central to British memory of the war, actually were.

In imagining the story of that small boy in the photo, McQueen helps us to re-imagine not just the blitz, but wartime Britain more widely. His sprawling, dramatic film reminds us that this is a shared history, one with meaning for many more people today than we might usually remember. ____________________________________

Aside what ever current year stuff they shoehorn in this seems like a good concept for a film.

And as for the answer to the question of "why" I'll say it's because it's the film the filmmaker wanted to make if you don't want to watch it then don't if you'd like a different story told then tell it yourself. _____________________

Here's some more about Contributions by Black Britons during the Blitz, because apparently some people didn't think they existed or contributed, or aren't worth mentioning or something.

For Black History Month historian Stephen Bourne tells us about some of the Black people involved in the fire service in the 1930s and 40s.

And I'll end with, the Steve McQueen making this movie is a totally different one than the one that died in 1980, in case there was any questions about that.

[anamericangirl]

You know, AAG (Can I call you Aggie?), I really wonder how people like that anon exist.

"Trump is a known rapist" Evidence: Honestly, I'm being genuine here, none. I have been asking for evidence for 4 years now. Apparently it's "Common knowledge" as I've been told hundreds of times, which means it should be super easy to find evidence, right?

So why can't I find it? It's not on Wikipedia, there's no evidence shown on any videos, anywhere, even in liberal Discords and liberal image boards and liberal discussion boards and Reddit and shit, I can't find ANY evidence of him being a rapist other than "A lot of people say he is and state it as fact."

Meanwhile: "Biden showers with kids" Literally saw the video. "Hunter fucked his niece" Saw the screencaps of it on 4chan. "Bill Clinton on Epstein Island with a very questionably aged girl literally on a leash" Seen the picture thousands of times now. "Hunter getting massaged by a bunch of children's feet" Seen it, that one's old, everyone's seen it.

Got evidence of those instantly, no questions asked. Didn't even WANT to see that evidence, I just had it shown to me against my will. Literally no discussion to be had about those ones, I just believe those ones. I promise you, if I saw any hard evidence that Trump was: - Racist - Homophobic - Genocidal against trans people - A Nazi - A rapist - Hiding under the bed right now mom please check again I know he's down there and he's making trans people kill themselves - Literally any other thing liberals call him

I would believe them. If they would just produce proof, I'd believe them.

But Aggie, to this day, not one of them has actually provided proof other than "What, you don't trust me?" or changing the subject into "Oh okay bootlicker bet that boot tastes really yummy bootlicker you just love eating Trump's fucking boots"

Bitch I don't even like Trump, I just like to know that when I'm being told someone is a rapist that there's evidence to back that fuckin claim up.

Not you, Aggie. Anon's the bitch. Libs are the bitches.

Well, I won't speak for you, if you wanna be a bitch you be the hardest bitch there you can be. At least capital BITC on that. I wouldn't go too far though, you could transform into one of those humorless women who loudly announces that they don't find jokes funny when they happen on a movie 12 other people just laughed at.

I'm high I'm sorry.

You can call me whatever lol.

And that's the thing leftists don't realize.

"Well he's been called a rapist/racist/homophobe/transphobe/nazi so that should be enough to convince you. If you need evidence that just makes you all of those same things!!"

If there was evidence Trump was a rapist it would be all over the place all the time. Everywhere. Like when he said "grab 'em by the pussy" 10+ years ago and people are still going on about it as if he committed a serious crime by speaking those words. So if he was a rapist we wouldn't have to ask them for evidence and they wouldn't have to launch their ad hominem attacks because it would be everywhere. It would be all any media was talking about.

Meanwhile you have Biden in office right now with substantial evidence of very serious crimes, we have photographic and video evidence of him being a creep to children and his own daughter's journal entry about "probably inappropriate" showers with him and they don't give a fuck.

But don't worry even high you're a lot more rational and level headed than the "trump is a rapist" anons lol.

[thebiscuiteternal]

George “wasn’t from around here.” That alone was enough to make the locals wary. He even differed from the outside “touristers” who traveled to the region to gaze at its beauty, breathe its crisp air and explore its panoramic wilderness. True, George was quite friendly, even though he spoke in an odd accent and with spotty command of the English language. When he got hired for peasant labor at one of the town’s larger employers, most folks figured he was OK after all. Like the “touristers,” George was awestruck by the area’s natural charm. He immersed himself in it at every chance: mapping and measuring trails and discovering impressive vistas. He eventually left the menial job, opened his own business and cultivated an impressive clientele. But times were changing. George’s “kind” were not universally accepted. Unfounded rumors and ugly gossip began to spread. The “patriotic” Ku Klux Klan harassed him. The federal government investigated him. Local police raided his shop and arrested him on trumped-up charges that were proven patently false. George rolled with these cruel punches and continued his craft, often without remuneration. His reputation flourished in the local area and also among civic leaders and government officials far removed from his community. Tragically, George’s business collapsed at the start of the Great Depression. Frail and penniless, he died of tuberculosis at age 52. Friends paid for burial services and settled his debts. Decades would pass before his priceless contributions to the nation would be recognized. Such is the legacy of George Masa, an undocumented Japanese immigrant who couldn’t apply for citizenship due to anti-Asian laws at the time. Yes, the same George Masa, a gifted photographer whose stunning images of the North Carolina mountains, accompanied by similar pictures from Jim Thompson on the Tennessee side, played a pivotal role in establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail. As you go to the polls this important election year, think about all the George Masas across the U.S. right now who are victims of racism and prejudice, yet persevere in their dreams as they add to the fabric of America. To some in his era, George Masa was nothing but a “sly ‘Jap’ with ulterior motives.” Much like “cat-eating Haitians” today. Those were different times, different words. But the same ignorance, fear and hatred are just as poisonous in 2024 as they were in 1921.

Sam Venable, Knoxville News Sentiel columnist - "Rumors, gossip and suspicions have no expiration date"

(to bypass paywall, copypaste the above link here: https://12ft.io/ )

[chin-up]

꧁My Experience at Los Angeles' No Kings Day Protest꧂

Around noon, I decided to go to the No Kings protest. On the way, I met a guy named Wayne. With most roads rerouted (due to the protests) we started walking together to City Hall. It was an hour’s walk, under the scorching sun, so we checked Uber. Just $7. Wayne ordered one, and we shared a cigarette while waiting.

Wayne told me he'd been protesting five days in a row. One night, around 7:40ish p.m., police surrounded him and about a hundred protesters to arrest them for curfew violations (8pm). The thing is: they weren’t breaking curfew; they were trying to leave. The police blocked their way, and Wayne had to jump a fence to avoid arrest. Despite that, he came back the next day. I learned he was shot by police with a rubber bullet later that night. His leg is injured but he's mostly unharmed.

Once we arrived at City Hall, we parted ways. I grabbed an anti-Trump sign and wandered the area. I marched aimlessly at first; joining groups and taking photos. I spent hours near City Hall Park, talking to other photographers, protesters, and following the crowd.

At one point, a man petitioning for higher wages was confronted by protesters who thought he was an undercover. Three or four uniformed men stood nearby, watching.

Law enforcement was everywhere, but before 5 p.m., many officers were friendly! Joking, taking pictures, and chatting with protesters. It felt like a productive yet peaceful protest. There was music, chanting, and a sense of unity.

Later, I sat near the City Hall steps chanting and taking pictures. Suddenly, it started to smell funny...

Colored smoke bombs went off, which were harmless but signaled the rising tension. Around 4:30-5 p.m., police presence intensified. Mounted officers arrived and the atmosphere shifted completely. It felt like law enforcement was escalating the situation.

I left before things got out of hand. On my way home, I saw several police cars speeding by with their sirens on. The cars flew by and sounded like bullets because of how fast they were going. I knew it was starting to get serious and the peace felt fleeting.

The energy of the crowd, the stories I heard, and the courage I witnessed remind me that change comes from people showing up and speaking out. If you want to support, get involved locally, educate yourself, and stand with those facing injustice every day. Together, we can build a world where no one lives in fear.

(All pictures taken by me, @chin-up using Sony A7III)

[oh-my-damn]

Hi mod! Because you are one of the most level headed people here and your opinions are always well thoughtful, what is your take on what is going in now (in real time as we can see) ? I was skeptical but all this follows and stories and pics .. i dont know anymore.. its hard for Me to think that He would marry her with the points of view she and her besties have … (its about CE btw)

Welp I'm not gonna lie, it's all looking very, very strange

However, I do think there is a real possibility they are going for the Tom Brady celebration and that Chris is throwing a bash afterwards. I see it like this: Chris has a very, very parasocial relationship to Tom Brady (much like we do to him) and has always been super super invested and crazy about him (even to the point where he was ASKED about how he felt about Tom being a Trump supporter in a fucking interview. And Chris was disappointed but still loved him. It's absolutely a parasocial relationship)

Considering the many, many parties he throws in general for random reasons, I find it very very probable that he would throw a bash at his house after the game today, where Tom Brady will be present for the first time as a spectator, and they have said in articles it's going to be "a huge celebration of Tom Brady."

Now, why would some of his co-stars be there? Even the ones who aren't super football enthusiasts? (Renner is easy, he's gone to games with Chris before, but RDJ and Hemmy is more strange)

I honestly think they saw it as a chance of press and a reunion. They've all said before how hard it is for them to get together now. They're all on break from working which means none of them have any other engagements to keep them away. They also have no other ways of getting press in the media, other than feeding articles etc. Going to the game, getting photographed etc is a great way to get some press during this off time. And then afterwards a party with their old pals as a reunion, perhaps even staying in Boston for a few days to hang out etc, since no one is working currently. I don't find it far-fetched that Hemmy and RDJ would go for that, considering how close they all were/are.

Hemmy bringing his mom is also curious to me - we didn't see his wife, but his mom. Interesting.

As for the vendor/MUA/hairstylist thing; one of them posted the story WITH A GOAT which was cut out when it was shared on here (🙄 for obvious reasons. Certain blogs on here are trolls and legit just looking to rile you up, please stop believing them) and others are coming because I do believe it's going to be a big, big event. I do believe there will be a lot of celebs showing up, like Wimbledon, in order to get some press and attention. They can't promote their works so this is a great way to get their names out there.

I also think it would be odd if the OG's would come now, to the game (if thats the case) when the "wedding" was supposed to happen soon. Why would they go like two weeks before only to go back home and then come back? That's weird. Unless they actually got married already this weekend, in which case the whole MUA/vendors/hairstylist thing makes no sense. It also doesn't make sense they would go so soon or late to the wedding, depending on when you think it would be. Do we honestly think he's throwing a massive 500 people wedding on a week day?? (lets put aside that if thats the case then he's clearly not the person he's put himself up to be because no "grounded down to earth" person would throw a massive wedding spanning over several days like that)

I don't know man. The entire thing is weird.

Not to mention this is all coming right after we found out he in fact DID NOT go on the Bermuda trip and the proof has been out there all along. And yet "sources" came and said they had seen them there. Even if these sources were remotely close to him, how would they not know of the picture posted of him on that private account that went publicly for a VERY short time yesterday (just enough for the fandom to find that post)

It's all fucking weird.

Technically, we haven't seen them within the same vicinity since the Ghosted premiere. They haven't spoken on it or posted anything, either, other than her picture of Dodger which was during the winter.

It's odd all around. I have no idea what to make of it.

But if he does marry her or already did bla bla bla, it says a lot about him. Not just because she's a racist who associates with racists, but also because of how young she looks. It says a lot about him if he's not just attracted to her but chose to marry her.

If they did, I give it 5 years. Tops. Once she's served her breeding bunny purpose it'll fall apart.

[thelampisaflashlight]

Shutterbug

[That photographer Dew AU I mentioned from last night. The origins of Dew's hobby and his first encounter with something... strange. Dew joins Ghost on tour as a guitar tech only to uncover the band's gimmick is more than meets the eye. Not suitable for younger audiences.] Below the cut.

He supposes it started when he was young, maybe eight or so; Dew's father had purchased a new camera and had, on a whim, gifted his old one to his son, assuming the boy would fiddle with it for a time and then do as he often did with old, broken things and take it apart to better understand how it worked.

Instead, something had awoken in him the moment he held that old camera in his hands.

The weight of it slung around his neck had felt comforting, familiar, like it was always meant to be there, and something about viewing the world through its lens had lit a fire in his chest.

Dew had been small for his age, and failed attempts at enrolling him in various sports activities had proven... emotionally scarring if not also physically.

So a hobby that got him to go outside didn't seem all that bad, especially not to his parents, who had made it no secret that their marriage was falling apart, and that, perhaps, having something to do away from home while they sorted out the details of their impending divorce would be a good idea.

And, indeed, photography had been an excellent escape for Dew.

But over time Dew's outdoor adventures, taking pictures of wild growing daisies and frogs by the creek in the woods behind his house, would be replaced with other interests and hobbies that kept him locked up in his bedroom for hours on end.

Music may not have been his first love, but it was his greatest, and his desire to engage with it on all levels had thoroughly trumped his desire to trek through fields of tall grass in the early morning to capture pictures of the sunset in the park across from the small apartment his father had moved into when his parents finally did separate.

His camera would make its home in a shoebox in his childhood bedroom at his mother's house, buried under a haphazardly sewn quilt made of old band t-shirts and a box of action figures and other bits and bobs he'd cast aside as he grew up.

So why, after so long, was he yearning to hold that dusty old thing again?

Well, like so many others, Dew had fell into the trap known as nostalgia as he was cleaning his room.

He'd come to visit his mother for a short period of time, preparing to go on the road with a touring band as a guitar tech, and something had drawn him upstairs to his old bedroom despite having made his bed on the couch in the living room.

The upstairs of the house had been largely untouched for years now, his mother having moved into the room that had once been his parents' home office after a bad fall had left her with a prominent limp that made walking, let alone climbing the stairs, quite taxing.

Normally, he wouldn't bother going up there at all during his visits, wanting to stay on the same floor as his mother just in case she needed his help grabbing something, or if she called out to him because she was cold and needed another blanket, or simply wanted to be parked by the window to watch the birds... but it was late, and the older woman had long since gone to bed.

There had been an itch.

A desire to immerse himself in his past, if only for a moment, to pick through bits and pieces of his childhood so he might feel at least a little homesick while on the road.

To feel like he had something to miss while he was away, and not the other way around, as he had come to see hotel rooms and crowded tour buses and vans more like home than his real one.

Stepping into his bedroom after all those years had felt like opening a tomb, and he had treated it as such up until he realized, as if having completely forgotten, that it was his bedroom and he needn't be so cautious or respectful with the things left inside of it.

He'd flopped down on his old bed and found the sheets smelling a little dusty, but otherwise clean, and stared up at his ceiling, at the glow in the dark stars littered across his ceiling, at the stickers plastered over the blades of his ceiling fan...

Closing his eyes, he breathed in the room.

And with that, he'd sat up and gotten to exploring.

His closet was the last place he looked through, for no reason in particular other than that it was easier to explore everything that was left out in the open first before opening the door, but the moment he did, he felt that itch again.

Stronger now, urging him to reach for the pile on the top shelf -ignoring the large, padlocked chest on he floor, which he knew was full of "contraband" he preferred not to unpack at the moment- and reach he did...

"Aw, shit-"

...spilling everything onto the floor with a loud thud that he prayed his mother couldn't hear from the other side of the house.

And there, mixed in with his ninja turtles and matchbox cars, on sat on top of the pile unscathed, was his camera.

.

.

.

"God, my fuckin' dick is going to freeze off if we have to stand around waiting for the bus another goddamn minute..." Alpha bitches, gritting his teeth and hissing as another cold breeze weaves through the gathered band members and crew.

He's been complaining ever since the got off the plane, and while Dew understands his displeasure, he's trying to make the most of his time, occupying himself by fidgeting with his camera, making sure nothing had broken during travel.

"Say 'cheese', bitch." He says, aiming the camera off to the side and clicking the shutter button, earning a startled yelp from the lead guitarist as the flash goes off.

"If my hands weren't so cold, I would strangle you." the other man threatens, prompting Dew to stick out his tongue, "You little brat-"

"Al, lighten up a little, if you're so cold, come stand next to me," Omega huffs shaking his head at the others' antics, opening his coat slightly so Alpha can shuffle inside, "and, Dew, don't rile him up, it's too early."

"Sorry, Meg." Dew apologizes, then, in a moment of either bravery or stupidity, raises his camera again and snaps a picture of the two men huddling together.

"Dew-"

"It's for my scrapbook!"

Omega sighs, and rests his chin on top of Alpha's head, swaying them both back and forth to soothe the seething guitarist in his grasp, "I'm starting to wonder what sort of scrapbook you're making, considering the pictures you've taken so far..."

Dew gives a devilish grin, recalling some of the more scandalous photos he'd taken during the tour thus far, photos he couldn't wait to have developed in the dark room he'd thrown together in the second bathroom of his apartment...

The one that comes to mind first is one he's particularly proud of, considering grabbing the camera had been an after thought, but the image of Omega getting absolutely dominated by Mist had been too delicious to pass up, even if he had had to crawl to retrieve it because of how jello-like his legs had become thanks to the man currently having to be rocked like a cranky infant.

"Those images are strictly for the spank bank." he says, turning his camera towards Mist, who shoots him a smile, posing a bit, "My scrapbook's for... I dunno, I haven't really settled on a theme yet, but so far it's mostly pictures of truck stops and food."

"I was wondering why you were taking glamour shots of your microwave breakfast sandwich..." Omega hums, "How can you tell how the pictures are going to come out?"

"Just have to wait and see." Dew shrugs, "I can check the ones on my other camera since it's digital, but half the fun of using film is waiting for the results."

"Ever capture any ghost pics?" Mist asks, rolling her eyes when Dew gestures broadly at them all, "Not us, you nerd, I mean, like, paranormal activity style shit."

Dew thinks for a moment, "Hn... Uh, well, this one time I was taking pictures in the park and saw- Oh! Hey, the buses are here!"

"Thank fuck-"

.

.

.

Dew has been hunkered down in his bunk for the last half an hour or so, idly scrolling through albums on his digital camera in order to find some "paranormal activity style shit" for Mist to look through the next time they have a chance to sit down and shoot the shit again, but nothing has really jumped out at him as being even remotely spooky so far.

He'd gone back to the very first photos he had taken on his camera when it was brand new, cringing at accidental selfies from when he was trying to figure out how to navigate the menu, and one intentional dick pic to try and see the birthmark on his inner thigh for fear that it might of gotten bigger.

The spoiler alert on that one was that it hadn't, he'd just never seen the full thing before because of the angle, and the only reason he'd become aware of how large it actually was was because one of his previous partners had spread him out in front of a mirror and he had panicked at the sight of it.

With a sigh, he switches to his most recent album, filled with pictures from the tour so far, expecting to find nothing of note, before letting out a startled gasp at the sight of something grotesque staring back at him through the screen.

"What the fuck..."

It's a picture of him standing next to Alpha, except something is very wrong with his face, and he doesn't mean that in a rude way, it's just...

Alpha's face is... floating?

It looks faded out, blurry almost, but it seems like it's sitting lower than it should be.

Dew zooms in and tries to figure out what could have caused such an odd distortion.

Maybe Alpha had moved or bobbed his head?

But surely Dew would have noticed something like that sooner, right?

He taps the picture and moves it into another folder he labels, "For Mist" deeming it weird enough to show his friend later on, and returns to scrolling, only to pause again when he finds a group photo of the band huddled together under the awning of a restaurant.

All of their faces, even some parts of their bodies, are distorted and off the way they were in his picture with Alpha.

He frowns, disappointed, "Man, I really liked that one..."

As Dew flips through the rest of his pictures, the only ones that seem messed up are the ones with the ghouls in them, all of his other photos are crystal clear, even the ones he took of Terzo are still intact.

"Huh..." Dew drags the images into the new folder and decides to take a couple test shots of his face and the inside of his bunk to test and see if there's any kind of distortion going on, but all of them come out fine.

Deciding it must have been a glitch or the result of his own shaky hand movements, Dew snaps one more picture of himself and tucks the camera back into his bag.

"Weird." Dew yawns, "I'll figure out what's wrong with it tomorrow."

[9w1ft]

what is sushigate? also regarding the 2016 elections and the blackout, why didn't she do it in 2020 after biden won? is it because of her masters?

btw sorry but i'm not american so i don't really understand the bigger picture, i'm not even sure why would she have to hide after trump won (i get it but i also don't)

last but not least, do you think she'll act differently now when(!) kamala wins and she got her masters back?

sorry for bombarding with questions and thanks for talking to us!!

hi :)

sushigate is when karlie was papped going out for sushi with katy perry in LA, at a time when taylor and katy were publicly seen as mortal enemies.

i’m not sure i understand your second question. do you mean, why didn’t she like, come out or, be more public with karlie, after biden got elected? to me, the answer is that there was one little thing that got added into the equation, and her priorities shifted as a result. i guess another thing is that i believe the song evermore’s timeline extends up until before we knew about covid-19 or quarantined. i think the global pandemic is also another factor that contributed to her change of direction.

as for your third point, it is actually super interesting to me that you don’t understand why taylor would want to hide her relationship with karlie after the 2016 election, and it might be indicative that times are very different, and i think it points to the idea that her thought process might be different with regards to the outcome of the US election today, regardless of what it is.

as for why it was such a big deal back in 2016, josh’s brother jared is married to ivanka, trump’s daughter, and he worked a lot on trump’s election campaign in 2016. the outcome was a very big shock to people back then. it was as if the unthinkable happened. and what with the way the internet is, i believe it was one of those chains of connections and the chance of a perceived association to trump or republicans that posed a threat to taylor’s career or brand. and i don’t think taylor anticipated the outcome, because right before the election her brother austin and josh were photographed walking around new york together all smiles. i really think if hilary had gotten elected, karlie and even josh may have been further incorporated into her public friend group and we might have gone back to the level of glass closeting they had in 2014, pre-kissgate.. (i think people forget that there is a connection between the haim sisters and josh (and mikey, who was publicly connected to este for a hot minute) that is noticeable if you follow instagram likes). all of this to say, i do think things would have been quite different. but anyway, life finds a way.

as for your final question, i don’t like to predict because the world changes so rapidly and we (and taylor herself) simply cannot anticipate everything. but, if kamala harris pulls out a win and taylor finishes her re-records, i would have to imagine that the conditions are a lot more favorable for taylor to change up what she’s doing, and i do think i will be paying closer attention in 2025 to things in general (ive been laying back for awhile, trying to take it easy, because ive felt things haven’t been the right conditions needed to make any big changes)

i hope i’ve provided some of the answers you were looking for!

[papirouge]

You mentioned something about Macron's wife being trans... Is that true? That reminded me of when people used to say Lady Gaga was actually Lord Gaga (aka a man)

I just replied to an ask and talked about her 👀

But yes s/he is trans and started dating Emmanuel Macron (France current president) when he was 14 and she a 39 y.o married woman with a daughter. Her husband got totally blindsided and thought the reason Macron came to their house so often (she was his theater teacher) was bc he was dating his daughter (who's the same age as him 💀)

This scandal got revealed by a whistleblower called Natacha Rey who's did a 3 hours+ exposé, and Brigitte Macron dragged her to court for transphobia, which is very troubling bc if what Natacha Rey was untrue, she would be rather attacked for diffamation of something like that. 👀

I've seen that Candace Owens started to talk about this story which gave it more visibility globally but I lowkey hate to see rightoids moids praise her for that when nobody says the name of Natacha Rey who's the one who did all the investigation and is not a right wing grifter à la Candace Owens.

It would be hard to elaborate on the whole story but to sum it up :

Brigitte sexually abused Macron when he was 14 y.o

Brigitte said her old identity (as a boy) was her brother. The problem is that nobody ever found him (because he didn't exist, it was Brigitte old identity), and the Elysée (the french presidential house) falsified documents to make it seems he did

Brigitte is allegedly even older than her public age.

Brigitte has a past of mingling with pedophile rings of the infamous Pasteur Doucé (killed by the french intelligence because he knew too much)

She's friends with the Rothschilds (IYKYK)

Natacha Rey investigated the photographs of Brigitte (given by her cabinet) from when she was younger. Turns out they were pictures of her own daughter digitally manipulated to make them look older. There are literally no pictures of Brigitte before her 40s which is allegedly the time she transitioned

Trump allegedly has evidence of extremely compromising/disturbing info about Brigitte and Macron sexual mores...

Brigitte is Macron handler (MK ultra style) which explains why she's extremely involved in his political decisions despite not having any electoral mandate herself

I don't think Gaga has been man. The transapocalypse is a tinfoil lane championned by incels who've never seen a woman naked irl & think a woman who's not shaped in a perfect 8 hourglass figure is a man. I definitely think there are more trans women in the mainstream entertainment industry than we think, but a lot of transapocalypse tinfoils are stupid.

The only legit trans suspicion IMO are Paris Hilton, Michele Obama.... I'm on the fence for Serena Williams.

[direspecterpath]

Trump and Epstein: What the so-called 'Epstein Files' say about their relationship

The former president was friends with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegedly flew on his plane, but there have been no new revelations about their relationship.

Social media has been abuzz with details of Donald Trump's relationship with the late notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but while the pair knew each other for decades, there are no new revelations in the so-called Epstein Files released this year.

Misleading and sensational claims about Trump and Epstein have percolated online this week, circulating on Reddit and TikTok. On X, the hashtag #TrumpPedoFiles trended throughout Wednesday, according to the website Trends24.in, which tracks the platform. The claims got a boost this week from Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California.

"Something I’ve heard that doesn’t seem to be being covered are the Epstein files. These files were released. Donald Trump is sort of all over this. There are pictures of him with Jeffrey Epstein. He’s taken multiple plane flights with Epstein, with young girls aboard. He’s in call logs with Epstein,” Lieu told reporters Tuesday, urging them to look into the "highly disturbing" allegations.

"It shows that Donald Trump is unfit for office," Lieu said.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded Thursday by calling Lieu a "loser who continues to beclown himself. He has let Trump Derangement Syndrome rot his brain."

What are the 'Epstein files'?

Jeffrey Epstein was a New York and Florida-based financier who was awaiting trial on one count of sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy in 2019 when officials said he died by suicide in his jail cell. The indictment in his case alleged that he sought out minors, some as young as 14, from at least 2002 through 2005 and paid them hundreds of dollars in cash for sex at either his Manhattan townhouse or his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

The "Epstein files," as Lieu referred to them, is a bit of a misnomer. The files and documents involving Epstein and his alleged accomplices are spread out across various state and federal investigations, numerous lawsuits by victims, and the criminal trial of Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

There has been no new information linking Epstein to Trump in years at this point.

Lieu shrugged off questions about the accuracy of his characterization in a brief interview Thursday with NBC News, saying people should "just Google" the links between the two. "Look at all the Epstein files, whether it was released three years ago, two years ago, it doesn’t really matter when it’s released," he said.

How did Trump and Epstein know each other?

Trump was at one point friends with Epstein. “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002, before there were any public allegations of wrongdoing against multimillionaire money manager. “He’s a lot of fun to be with," Trump said then. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

A November 1992 clip from the NBC archives showed the two socializing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, pointing out women on the dance floor. Trump is seen gesturing to one woman and appears to say to Epstein, “Look at her, back there. … She’s hot.” Epstein reacted with a smile and a nod. Trump then said something into Epstein’s ear that caused him to double over with laughter.

The footage was shot by NBC for Faith Daniels’ talk show, “A Closer Look,” and NBC News republished it in 2019, while Trump was president and Epstein was awaiting trial.

Trump was also photographed with Epstein at an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, along with future first lady Melania Knauss and Maxwell, who's now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.

After Epstein’s arrest, Trump, who was president at the time, distanced himself from the disgraced financier. “I was not a fan,” he told reporters at a July 2019 news conference. “I had a falling out with him a long time ago.”

Trump had warmer words for Maxwell after her arrest in 2020. “I haven’t really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly,” Trump said.

“I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is,” he added.

Testifying at Maxwell’s 2021 trial in New York City, a woman identified by the pseudonym Jane said that she met the future president in the 1990s at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Jane didn’t allege any improper behavior by Trump and didn’t go into further detail about why she was at the resort.

Another Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said she was 15 and working at Mar-a-Lago as a locker room attendant when she was “recruited” by Maxwell. She’s testified that she’d met Trump but never witnessed him doing anything untoward.

What new information about Epstein was just released?

Grand jury records relating to the state investigation into Epstein in Florida in 2006 were made public on July 1. None of the newly released records involved Trump.

The state investigation contained an Epstein address book and a telephone message pad that were made public to NBC News and other news organizations over the past 10 years that did refer to Trump. It does not say why Trump was in those records. Trump was not implicated in the state investigation as having any sexual conduct with women associated with Epstein or with any allegations of illegal sexual conduct. 

Did Trump fly on Epstein's plane?

"I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island,” Trump said in a social media post in January.

Flight logs released in 2021 as part of Maxwell’s trial, however, indicated Trump flew on the plane seven times. The logs don't include the ages of the passengers, despite Lieu's assertion there were "young girls aboard." The logs indicate that on one of the trips between New York and Florida he was accompanied by his then-wife Marla Maples and their daughter, Tiffany, and another listed his son Eric as a passenger.

According to the logs, others who flew on Epstein's plane included former President Bill Clinton, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Britain's Prince Andrew and actor Kevin Spacey.

Was Trump ever accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein?

Ahead of the 2016 general election, a woman who went by the name of “Katie Johnson” filed a suit naming Trump and Epstein as co-defendants. She claimed that Trump had raped her in the 1990s at a party at Epstein’s New York home. The case went nowhere: A federal judge dismissed the case, and then the woman dropped her lawsuit two different times — all in 2016. 

Other documents unsealed in January relating to a defamation suit against Maxwell included allegations involving Trump that first became public in 2019.

Sarah Ransome claimed in emails to a New York Post columnist in 2016 that Trump, Bill Clinton and others were involved in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking scheme. She'd claimed to have videos of some of the participants. Ransome recanted the allegations in a follow-up email to the columnist. The New Yorker reported on the emails in 2019.

Trump spokesman Cheung said in January that “these baseless accusations have been fully retracted because they are simply false and have no merit.”

What has Trump said about the 'Epstein Files'?

Trump was asked in an interview on "Fox & Friends Weekend" last month whether he'd "declassify the Epstein files" if he was re-elected, and indicated he had concerns about doing so.

He initially said, "Yeah, I would," before hedging. "I guess I would. I think that less so because you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there, because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would," Trump said.

Trump's Epstein conspiracy theory

Referring to Epstein's death, Trump told the show, "It’d be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation."

Trump had previously sounded off on the conspiracy theories about the death. Officials in Trump's Justice Department said Epstein had hanged himself.

Asked by Tucker Carlson last year if he thought it was possible Epstein was killed, Trump said: “Oh, sure. I think it’s possible. I mean, I don’t really believe — I think he probably committed suicide. He had a life with beautiful homes and beautiful everything and all of a sudden he’s incarcerated and not doing very well. I would say that he did. But there are those people — there are many people. I think you’re one of them. Many people who think he was killed. He knew a lot on a lot of people.”

[enemymine2000]

Wanted to address these: I very clearly only spoke about the Secret Service actions. I don't plan on speculating on the shooter and his motivations. And it ultimately makes no difference either way. The picture of Trump with a bloody ear raising his fist will be the one generations to come will be confronted with. Just like the voters this coming election. Think back to footage of other assassination attempts - successful or otherwise - you'll get footage of the Secret Service doing their jobs, of the protectee either dragged away or the aftermath in a secondary location. Even in the piss-poor execution of a protection detail that was the JFK assassination - taking a top down convertible, no agents in the car, not secured route (not going into the conspiracy theories here either) - the first order of business was removing the President from the line of fire. Due to the nature of that assassination it was straight to the hospital for him. Same as Reagan, due to the injuries sustained. Any injury would demand that course of action by the way. Because a Secret Service agent is no medical professional and able to make the call if bad or not bad. If not injured off to a secure secondary location it is. A governmental facility, a military installation, the next airport and off to places unknown for politicians, I guess. Civilians might have to make do with a vetted hotel or some private compound.

So, to summarize: Trumps protection was lacking. It took the Secret Service way to long to take the immediate appropriate action - getting him off the podium and down to the ground, covered by the bodies of Secret Service agents. He should have been removed from the hightened position all together, forcefully carried, if necessary, into the a waiting armoured car and off within seconds (maybe a minute tops depending on distance to car) after the first shot was fired. That he was not only not removed from the venue, but photographers were close enough within the throng of his protection detail to get those pictures, that he was able to have his head above any of his protectors at all, should have been impossible. Because as someone said, if we can see his face, a bullet can hit it. Because unless the entire venue was checked and cleared, as well as the surrounding area, no one could be sure if it was just one shooter. And since the event was done the moment the first shot rang out, there was no reason for any speaker - former president and candidate or not - to stick around. That was the main point I was making. The execution of the protection detail was fishy as hell. For that it doesn't matter what supposed race the shooter belongs to, what voting record he had or hadn't had or how many other people got shot. But to the point of "no one from the upper cares about the lower class": In context of such events properly executed protection includes a certain protection for everyone in attendance. Because an event like that is supposed to be vetted in advance. Each possible direct line of sight should have been checked. Agents should have been everywhere, where a shooter could set up. They should have had their own snipers on each elevated point. That's just basics. Adding on are bomb sniffing dogs, vetting of other staff, communication with private protection details of other attendees, and so on and so forth. Therefore if the Secret Service had done their job correctly, there shouldn't have been a shooting. Those civilians would still be alive. The matter of weapons in hands of civilians and no gun control is one for the people of the USA. A concern that has been raised again and again, but so far not deemed important enough over the interests of those who have financial gain from weaponsl sales and those that think that a small armory in the house would actually do jack shit in case of some imagined World War III on American soil scenario. You tell me, how many more mass shootings that country needs (72 in June of 2024 alone), to invest money into mental health care and a system of vetting gun buyers without exception - at least. (I myself am from a country with strict gun control, where you have to prove your fitness to own one - not carry, just own - and a legitimate reason to do so. Carry is restricted to professionals like police officers or hunters in the act of hunting.) As for it playing into Trump's hands: Yes, yes, it does, if you want to or not. Just like it would play in, say, Biden's, if it were to happen to him. Those pictures are media gold. A show of strength, that might swing a lot of votes of undecided or third party voters. And that's not saying he already has won. Please no, the entire world doesn't want to see that happen again! But it will make it even harder for the Democrats, whose candidate is currently under permanent "he's tired and unfit" attacks. Which sadly is the truth. Biden is not fit for a second term. Which already has a lot of those who normally would vote blue no matter who comtemplating a third party. And seeing as the USA have basically a two party system that means giving the Magas the advantage in the votes. Not taking into account the bs that is the Electoral College, because I wouldn't put it past either party to have tried at least once to "influence" those on it.

[yourreddancer]

BREAKING: MAGA world erupts in rage on Hollywood superstar Alan Ritchson of "Reacher" fame after he posts a photograph with Joe Biden and his son Hunter, calling them "legends" and heaping praise on them.

He plays an American hero on TV and behaves like one in real life...

"So our ‘Reacher’ set got in the way of these legends,” Ritchson wrote in an Instagram post alongside pictures and videos. "Was a privilege and honor to meet the Biden family."

"They couldn’t have been more lovely. Kind, joyful, gracious and present," he continued, addressing his over 4 million followers.

"We chatted briefly about simple stuff, like string theory and quantum entanglement. Then Joe beat me at arm wrestling. All in a day’s work," Ritchson added.

Republican backlash was immediate with calls spreading on right-wing social media for a boycott of the incredibly popular "Reacher." But Ritchson has never been afraid to speak his mind on political issues and has even gone after Donald Trump in the past.

"Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child and it’s unreal. I don’t understand it," Ritchson, a devout Christian, previously told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Christians today have become the most vitriolic tribe. It is so antithetical to what Jesus was calling us to be and to do," he said.

"People have this weird relationship with fictional characters, and sort of equate that to the real human being," he said in a different interview with GQ. "I don’t have that problem, making that distinction. I get criticized a lot by Christians who are like, ‘How dare you have an unmarried sex scene on TV and then talk about Jesus?’ I’m sorry—I doubt that’s going to be part of the conversation when I’m standing at the pearly gates!"

========

BRAVO, ALAN! Call out those hypocrite/"christians" who would have deported an olive-skinned Jesus as an undesireable!!!!

[mapsoffun]

I finally made it to the sign!

For those who have never made it here, it is very straightforward to get to the sign itself, as there are pedestrian crosswalks to make it safe to cross, though it takes a minute for the light to change. The sign itself is on a median, and basically everyone who wants a photo in front of the sign lines up first come, first served. There are a number of local photographers offering their services, complete with props (like a giant light switch), but you’re not obligated to use their services. 

If you’re not trying to be in front of the sign, you can move around a little more freely and take as many pictures of the sign without the people as you like, which is what I opted for as the clouds that were rolling in looked particularly ominous. (This happened to be on one of the many days that Trump kept fucking with the stock market with tarrifs, and I swear I saw a giant black cloud that looked like it was perfectly positioned over his hotel here.) 

Definitely make sure you come here with sun protection and water if you want to wait in line during the day, because it didn’t move very quickly and it got longer as I spent time there. I would imagine there might be a line at night but it might be a little cooler, so maybe sunrise might be a good time to go if jet lag is waking you up anyway?

That said, it’s awesome to see so many people so eager to see a woman neon artist’s work, and if you want a great brief rundown on the history of the sign, check out this article from the Neon Museum!